Telecom
FG, LUTH Commend Airtel for Investing in Quality Healthcare Delivery

Dr. Osagie E. Ehanire, the Minister of Health, has commended leading telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, for its consistent investments in the health sector and for partnering with government at various levels as well as relevant institutions to deepen access to quality and affordable healthcare in Nigeria.
Dr. Osagie, who was speaking during the commissioning and handover of the newly refurbished WARD-A building of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) in Idi- Araba, Lagos on Saturday, November 21, 2021, lauded Airtel fortransforming and modernizing the building into a state-of-the art medical facility and equipping the ward with cutting-edge connectivity technologies.
According to him, the project will engender access to improved medical care for Nigerians and will further increase the capacity of LUTH to deliver on its performance objectives, noting that Airtel’s efforts align with the Federal Government’s Next Level modernization agenda for Teaching hospitals to improve quality of care for Nigerians.
The Minister also thanked Airtel for offering support to LUTH and other government institutions during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I would like to extend the appreciation of the Government to Airtel Nigeria for this excellent project, which, I am sure will improve the quality of medical care in LUTH.
“I am happy to note that Airtel Nigeria walked each step of the COVID-19 journey partnering with LUTH – a partnership which also saw the company donate 81 telephone lines to the hospital’s Psychosocial and Emotional Support Group, which reached out to provide psychosocial support to patients and their families following Covid-19 diagnosis, and reached over 20,000 patients in the Lagos metropolis, with Airtime provided for months in each phone line”, he stated.
Dr. Osagie also called on the private sector to emulate Airtel’s example by investing in Nigeria’s healthcare sector as this will help bridge the existing gap in the sector as well as deepen the quality of healthcare in the country.
Also commending Airtel’s efforts, Professor Chris Bode, the Chief Medical Director of LUTH, said: “At the height of the first wave of the pandemic outbreak in Lagos between May and June 2020, the fear of a possible upsurge requiring more bed-space for admissions was real.
“Airtel Nigeria rose to the occasion, offering to help LUTH rehabilitate Block A to operationalise another 111-bed capacity at a cost of over N200 million. Airtel Nigeria stripped the building from rooftop to floor-base and replaced it, plumbing and all”, he stated.
“Our unreserved gratitude goes to Airtel Nigeria for this far-sighted good deed. If five Multinationals in Nigeria would do what your company has done for us yearly, life will be paradise on earth,” he added.
In his response, Segun Ogunsanya, the Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Airtel Africa PLC, said the inauguration of the renovated facility bears eloquent testimony to Airtel’s driveto make positive impact through sustainability, noting that the first pillar of Airtel’s newly unveiled Sustainability programme is to ensure inclusion leveraging on world class infrastructure as well as connectivity.
“I felicitate with LUTH and the entire Nigerian health ecosystem as this project signifies how ‘little steps’ can make a huge difference. I thank the leadership of LUTH for choosing to partner with us in positively impacting the lives of Nigerians, especially the underprivileged.
“At Airtel, our vision is to TRANSFORM LIVES and to promote inclusion whether it is digital, financial, social or healthcare. This vision is at the heart of our newly launched sustainability framework,” he said.
In his submission, Chemmenkotil Surendran, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Airtel Nigeria, noted that Airtel is committed to transforming lives and fulfilling its promises.
“For us at Airtel, today also holds special significance because we have kept to our word and promise. Some months ago, we approached the Chief Medical Director of LUTH, Professor Chris Bode to make known our intention to partner with LUTH in delivering quality and affordable healthcare to Nigerians, especially the vulnerable, hard to reach and underprivileged.
“We later announced our intention to pledge N200m to renovate and upgrade the technological architecture of the building. Today, I am glad to share that we have fully redeemed our pledge”, he stated.
Telecom
Paradigm Initiative Champions Digital Rights and Inclusion at Africa IGF 2025 in Dar es Salaam

Paradigm Initiative (PIN) has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing digital rights and inclusion across Africa following its active participation in the 2025 Africa Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF), held in Dar es Salaam from May 29 to 31.
The forum convened diverse stakeholders from governments, civil society, the private sector, and academia to explore pressing internet governance issues under the theme “Building a Resilient Digital Ecosystem that Supports Africa’s Sustainable Growth and Global Leadership.”
PIN’s delegation contributed to conversations around digital security, digital rights and inclusion policy and compliance, emerging technologies, global governance, highlighting digital threats and making recommendations for an inclusive and rights-respecting digital landscape. Drawing from its research and advocacy efforts across the continent, the organisation offered practical policy recommendations aimed at fostering an open, secure, and human rights-respecting digital environment.
“The Africa IGF continues to serve as a critical space for shaping Africa’s digital future. We were pleased to contribute insights and amplify the urgent need for inclusive and rights-centric digital governance,” said ‘Gbenga Sesan, Paradigm Initiative’s Executive Director.
During the forum, PIN hosted and participated in multiple sessions, including: A panel on protecting civic space online, a workshop on bridging the digital divide through inclusive policies, and bilateral meetings with regional and global partners on shaping digital governance frameworks in the lead-up to key global internet governance conversations.
PIN’s presence at the AfIGF 2025 not only spotlighted emerging digital threats but also underscored its commitment to ensuring that all technological advancements and policies globally translate into greater digital freedoms and opportunities, not restrictions.
As part of its ongoing advocacy, the organisation will continue to engage with stakeholders across sectors to ensure that digital transformation in Africa is anchored in rights, equity, and inclusion.
Telecom
MTN Nigeria Unveils 21 Days of Y’elloCare to Empower Communities through Digital Tools

MTN Nigeria today held the opening ceremony for the 2025 edition of 21Days of Y’ello Care, the company’s annual employee volunteerism initiative.
This year’s campaign, themed “Connecting at the Roots – Connecting Communities through Digital Tools,” will run from June 1 to June 21, 2025, and focuses on supporting communities that continue to face barriers to digital access and connectivity.
MTN Nigeria kicked off on Sunday June 1 with trainings across different locations in Lagos where staff of the company volunteered to delivered training in valuable areas such as digital marketing and personal branding and employability skills.
In line with the Group-wide campaign theme, MTN Nigeria is implementing a series of grassroots initiatives aimed at expanding digital inclusion and connectivity in underserved areas.
Planned activities include equipping schools and community youth centres with devices, digital literacy workshops, deployment of community Wi-Fi access points, support for digital entrepreneurship and the establishment of an all-in-one Y’ello Pods across the country that will provide a digital hub for learning and support financial inclusion.
Speaking at the opening ceremony held in Lagos, Karl Toriola, Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria said, Y’ello Care matters to us because we’re a digital company and we’re operating in an environment where there are so many needs. At MTN Nigeria, we care, and we want to show our direct connection and responsibility to the communities we operate in.
Now in its 18th year, Y’ello Care is a groupwide flagship MTN employee volunteering initiative that encourages MTNers to volunteer their time and expertise to support positive social change.
The campaign reflects MTN’s purpose to enable the benefits of a modern connected life for everyone and is anchored in the company’s core values.
In 2024, in a remarkable demonstration of corporate volunteerism, MTN staff, through the Y’ello Care initiative, reconstructed a school block at Iwerekun Community High School, Lakowe. This effort has restored hope and significantly improved learning conditions for both students and teachers.
For further information, updates on “21 Days of Y’ello Care”and MTN Nigeria’s commitment to social development, please visit yellocare.ng or follow us on social media.
Telecom
Google’s Open Buildings Data Empowers Africa’s Health and Climate Progress

Fresh, on-the-ground evidence from health planners and climate analysts in Rwanda, Nigeria and South Africa shows how the Open Buildings dataset, which maps more than 1.8 billion structures, is helping frontline projects close service gaps and strengthen community resilience.
Across the continent, artificial-intelligence tools are graduating from pilots to public-service workhorses, powering everything from crop-price forecasts to live language translation. Open Buildings—developed by researchers at Google Research Africa—is part of that shift, proving that open, locally guided AI can turn sparse data into timely decisions without locking African problem-solvers behind paywalls or proprietary gates.
In Rwanda, the Ministry of Health and Kigali-based Sand Technologies resited rural clinics with help from the dataset. Their new blueprint aims to bring 92% of citizens within a 30-minute reach of care, trimming journeys that put mothers and newborns at risk.
Across Northern Nigeria, epidemiologists at AFENET and geographers from WorldPop uncovered 10,250 buildings, guiding vaccinators who reached 70% of the zero-dose and under-immunized children identified through the mapping in just six months.
Meanwhile, the World Resources Institute (WRI) has already applied this flood-risk modelling in Dire Dawa, Kigali, Musanze, Gqeberha and Johannesburg, combining two-dimensional hydraulic simulations with building footprints to create block-by-block exposure maps.
The need is pressing: Nairobi is still recovering from the May 2024 floods that displaced more than 278 000 residents, while Johannesburg’s rapid growth along the flood-prone Jukskei River continues to heighten vulnerability
These projects tackle challenges felt across the continent. Africa still has about 8.7 million “zero-dose” children who receive no routine vaccines each year, while the urban population is projected to almost double to nearly one billion people by 2035— forcing new homes into high-risk floodplains and informal settlements.
By giving ministries, city engineers and NGOs a street-level view of where communities are growing and how they change over time, the Open Buildings dataset lets limited budgets flow to the people and places that need them most.
Dr Aisha Walcott-Bryant, Research Scientist & Head, Google Research Africa, “These projects show what happens when local expertise meets open, scalable technology: mothers reach clinics sooner, children receive long-overdue vaccines, and city planners get ahead of the next flood.
“We’re thrilled to stand beside partners who turn data into decisive action, proving that AI’s highest calling is to solve real-world challenges.”
From lifesaving clinics to climate-smart cities, these projects show how open AI is fast becoming Africa’s quiet engine for equitable progress.
The Open Buildings dataset—along with sample code, tutorials and its new 2.5D layer—is freely available at g.co/openbuildings.
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