Telecom
Flutterwave, Multichoice Partner to promote small businesses in Africa through BB Titans

Flutterwave, Africa’s leading payments technology company has announced its collaboration with Multichoice Africa in bringing back Africa’s largest reality TV franchise with a special edition tagged: Big Brother Titans.
This announcement was made at a press conference by the organizers of the show in Lagos, Nigeria, and Johannesburg, South Africa.
With the development, reality TV lovers and pop culture fans across Africa and the world are in for a big ride for 72 days from 15 January, 2023. Big Brother Titans is currently airing on DStv 198 and GOtv channel 29 as well as being streamed live on Showmax.
Big Brother Titans is a fusion of two of the largest reality shows in Africa– Big Brother Naija and Big Brother Mzansi.
The new season will feature housemates from Nigeria and South Africa, respectively, in one Big Brother house vying for the Titan crown worth $100,000 in cash and other exciting prizes. This season is themed “Rise of the Giants” and is touted to promote African unity and excellence through entertainment.
The show will be co-hosted by Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and Lawrence Maleka, available 24/7 to audiences in the US, UK, Republic of Ireland, and over 40 African countries, 34 of which Flutterwave is active in.
Flutterwave plans to leverage its reach across Africa to spotlight members of its small business community to help them grow and expand their business across the continent. The spotlight campaign was earlier launched during the BBNaija Season 7, where FootCity, Avoir Jewelry, Famasi Africa, and other SMEs all received free exposure which helped them increase sales.
Speaking on the partnership, Dr. Busola Tejumola, Executive Head, Content, MultiChoice Nigeria, said, “Entertainment is a universal language, and we are excited to bring together two of Africa’s powerhouses who speak that language fluently.
“With Big Brother Titans, the entire continent of Africa is about to be immersed in entertainment rarely seen on any reality TV show. We are ready and glad to partner with companies like Flutterwave to make this a reality”.
Paul Harris, Country Manager, Flutterwave South Africa, commented, “Our collaboration with the Big Brother Titans helps us speak to our extensive reach across Africa. This show would be broadcast across 40 African countries, an opportunity to support businesses in these countries.
“Big Brother Titans will open up more opportunities for SMEs on Flutterwave to access a larger audience. With this sponsorship, we’re telling businesses in Africa, wherever they are, that they can start anywhere and go far.”
Telecom
MTN Says New N6.98 USSD Charge Won’t Affect Airtime Recharge

Lynda Saint-Nwafor, chief Enterprise business officer, MTN Nigeria, has assured the network subscribers that the new end-user billing system for the use of USSD services will jot affect them.
USSD, otherwise Unstructured Supplementary Service Data codes are commonly used for banking transactions, airtime recharges, and other mobile services.
The telco said that there is no significant impact or change other than the fact that they will now pay the same N6.98 per session (120 seconds) with their airtime instead of direct bank debit.
Saint-Nwafor, said this during a chat with MTN MIP fellows, explaining that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have ordered telecom operators to ensure that the new billing model resolves trust issues and ensures transparency in the billing process.
“Our regulator insisted that at the end of every month, we are going to be providing history and statistics on the performance of the service across the board”, she explained.
Saint-Nwafor added that the new billing model has standardized messaging across all operators and ensures consistent communication with customers.
“We will take all the error codes and map them into messages that are standardised across the board. So, if you initiate a transaction, you will know if it is failing. And, when the transaction fails, you will know if it is from your bank or the telco,” she explained.
Telecom
Crypto Scam Unmasked: U.S. Recovers Record $225m in Global Fraud Bust

The U.S. government has recovered $225 million in what is now the largest seizure of funds linked to a cryptocurrency investment scam.
In a statement released Wednesday, June 18, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the recovery followed an extensive investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service, using blockchain analysis and other forensic tools. The statement did not confirm whether any arrests had been made.
According to the authorities, the stolen funds originated from fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes that tricked victims into believing they were making legitimate investments. More than 400 individuals around the world, including dozens in the United States, were reportedly affected.
The operation involved a sophisticated money laundering network that carried out hundreds of thousands of blockchain transactions to obscure the source and ownership of the stolen assets.
“These scams prey on trust, often resulting in extreme financial hardship for the victims,” said Shawn Bradstreet, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Secret Service office in San Francisco.
Bradstreet added that U.S. officials hope the recovered funds can eventually be returned to the rightful victims.
Cryptocurrency investment fraud accounted for over $5.8 billion in reported losses in 2024 alone, according to the statement.
Telecom
Nnaemeka Ani Calls on African Techies to Rewrite the Narrative

In a rousing declaration that is electrifying minds across the continent, Hon. Nnaemeka Ani, Special Adviser on ICT to Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has called for a homegrown digital revolution under the banner “Africa Will Rise: By Code, By Courage, By Us.”

Hon. Nnaemeka Ani
The message, part challenge, part philosophical—seeks to galvanize African innovators to move beyond buzzwords and build technology with impact and legacy in mind.
“Let’s stop building for hype. Let’s start building for legacy,” Ani urged while speaking to ICT journalists over the weekend. “Let’s stop waiting for someone else. Let’s start creating the future—on our own terms.”
At the heart of Ani’s vision is a shift from tech consumerism to tech authorship. With innovation hubs sprouting across cities like Enugu, Lagos, Kigali, Jo’Burg, and Nairobi, and a growing community of developers, engineers, and entrepreneurs determined to solve Africa’s unique challenges, the movement is already taking shape.
Ani emphasized that Africa’s future lies not in flashy apps or international admiration but in persistent, intentional solutions that uplift communities—solutions that digitize public services, bridge rural-urban divides, empower women and youth, and build resilience in food and climate systems.
“We have the talent,” he said. “Now it’s time to harness it—to stop building for likes and start building for lasting impact.”
With support from leaders like Ani and rising momentum in Africa’s tech corridors, it seems that a new chapter is being written—one line of code at a time.
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