Telecom
ICT Experts Harp On The Critical State Of Infrastructure Needs In Nigeria
Panelists at the just concluded NITRA ICT Growth Conference 2.0, have emphasized the need for an urgent review of Nigeria’s state of infrastructure so as to position the country to massively reap the benefits of a digital economy as obtained in some developed nations of the world.
Themed ‘Creating a Digital Ecosystem in Nigeria: The Hurdles, The Gains,’ the panelists drawn from both the public and private sector establishments, were of the consensus that infrastructure provisioning remained Nigeria’s surest pathway to building a robust digital economy.
At a second panel session during proceedings at the NITRA flagship technology conference held at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki Lagos, and moderated by Mr. Peter Oluka, Editor of TechEconomy.ng, the panelists agreed that efforts at building Nigeria’s digital economy cannot yield the much-desired fruit unless there is sustained commitment on the part of the government to prioritise the provision of infrastructure.
Seyi Olarenwaju, CFO of Medallion Data Centre said infrastructure is going to play a vital role in enhancing digital systems in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem, noting that “if there is no infrastructure in place, there is nothing.”
He stated that since governance has now been replaced by electioneering campaigns in preparation for the 2023 general election, the incoming administration should be focused, identify a particular infrastructure, and fix it, and expressed the hope that if in this regard, power is given priority attention, a lot of things will follow suit.
Kelechukwu Nsofor of Rack Centre, a carrier-neutral Tier III data centre who spoke from a data centre provider’s perspective, said power is the key infrastructure that drives a data centre business, describing it as basically the livewire of any data centre.
According to Nsofor, “The key infrastructure that we rely on is power. Power is basically the livewire of any data centre. Unfortunately, if you go back to 1999 since we started the current democratic dispensation in the country, what has been the installed capacity in terms of power? 20 years down the line, where are we today in terms of power?
“At a point, we were generating 1600MW, today, it’s still hovering around 3000MW. Where does that leave us as an economy of over 200 million people? So, if you look at the population growth rate and try to compare it with what we are growing in terms of power, you see that there’s a total disconnect.”
He said that Nigeria is blessed with a rich reservoir of policies and knowledge expertise but expressed worries that this has not been translated to results in the country’s power industry.
“Now, tying that to Rack Centre and indeed the data centre space, we have been generating our own power in the last nine years that we have been operating. And we’ve been fully in control of generating that power now. As we look to expand, we are also looking at ways where we can continue to generate power or do it more cost-effectively.
“We would like a situation where the government will actually stop the lip service that goes into infrastructure like power and actually start showing serious commitment by playing a major role in the provisioning of power infrastructure,” he said.
Noting that the digital economy is all about using the internet basically to push economic activities, Nsofor stated that what is critical even with the efforts at bringing in foreign direct investment, all the marine cables sitting on the coast of Lagos, is how to work with the private sector and knowledge experts basically on how to get things like multiple taxations and right of way out of the road.
“Operators can now push that capacity where it is actually needed. This will help us increase internet penetration, increase the digital economy growth, and push the economy forward,” he concluded.
In his contribution to the discourse, Babalola Olalekan of Phase 3 Telecoms admitted that the government was doing enough to provide infrastructure but stated that there was a need for stronger synergy between the government and service providers.
“There was a document released last year called Strategic Roadmap/Action Plan: A four-year plan 2021-2024. The key performance indices released in that document classified infrastructure in such categories as soft, service and hardware.
“When you look at the hardware infrastructure, we talk about how far we’ve gone in hardware infrastructure deployments like fibre cables. We talk of active devices and so on and so forth. But there’s something the government has put in place especially at the federal level by cutting down right-of-way charges all over the federation.
“Another area we have taken advantage of is the concession plan we call public-private partnership (PPP), where I expect the operators and players to key into and take advantage of our existing infrastructure, and opportunities.
“Another thing I will encourage we should be doing is a collaboration among players. All of us can only fight about a particular position or location. We can join hands on how to collaborate, leverage each other, and supply as a single network.
“So, I think the government is doing enough with policies. The onus is on us to tap into it, put more pressure on the government and be more up and doing in our collaborative efforts and take advantage of what is available to us through the government,” Olalekan said.
He said that going into the 2023 election, the most important thing to be focused on is security, stating that operators have many works to do out there in the field yet, they find it difficult to restore the network in the shortest possible time. “So, whatever government can do to make sure that our roads, our villages, our towns are secured, we will surely have a good general election.”
Chidi Okpala of Galaxy Backbone, in his intervention, acknowledged the fact that government understands the importance of infrastructure in growing the country’s digital economy, noting that one of the things the current administration holds dear to its heart, is infrastructure.
“Have they done all the things expected of them as government? Maybe not. But have they made some efforts in bridging the infrastructure gap? The answer is yes. But there is a whole lot of learning, a whole lot of training in trying to create that awareness, into fully understanding how this impacts the day-to-day living of everyone.
“As an organisation, what we are trying to do is to bridge that gap of understanding especially, people in leadership level in government; to let them understand this is what this infrastructure stands for, this is what it is all about. It is not just for sending emails but how it affects your life, your family, and the work that you do.
“We have done quite a lot together with some of the other organisations within the information technology space in the public sector. We are still doing a lot to raise that awareness of what this infrastructure means so that people can understand more and collaborate more.
“Collaboration is the key, talking about the benefits and not dwelling more on talking about the problems because sometimes when we do that, we cloud ourselves of the opportunities around us,” he said.
Okpala expressed the need for policymakers to be much more intentional about what the country is doing, how it the affects everyone, and how the efforts at building the country’s digital economy can be sustained.
The session, which was anchored by the Editor of TechEconomy, Mr. Peter Oluka, was unanimous with its position that infrastructure is the bedrock of ICT development and global competitiveness in Nigeria.
Airtel Africa has grown its customer base by 8.7 percent to 166.1 million, the increase was with a focus on digital inclusion, supporting a 4.3 per cent increase in smartphone penetration to 44.8 per cent, according to its full year result released yesterday.
Data customers increased by 14.1 per cent to 73.4 million, with data usage per customer increasing by 30.4 per cent to 7.0 GB, supporting data ARPU growth of 15.4 per cent in constant currency.
Financial performance
In Q4’25, transaction value increased by 34 per cent in constant currency, with annualised transaction value at $ 145 billion.
The firm said its strategic focus on great customer experience was underpinned by sustained network investment, with the rollout of 2,583 new sites and approximately 3,300 km of fibre, supporting increased data capacity across the region.
Revenues of $4.955 billion grew by 21.1 per cent in constant currency but declined by 0.5 per cent in reported currency as currency devaluation impacted reported revenues. Strong execution and the tariff adjustments in Nigeria contributed to a further quarter of accelerating growth, with Q4’25 revenue growth of 23.2 per cent in constant currency, and 17.8 per cent in reported currency as currency headwinds eased.
Across the Group, mobile services revenue grew by 19.6 per cent in constant currency, driven by voice revenue growth of 10.6 per cent and data revenue growth of 30.5 per cent. Mobile money revenue grew by 29.9 per cent in constant currency.
For the year ended March 31, 2025, underlying EBITDA declined by 5.1 per cent in reported currency to $2.304 billion, with underlying EBITDA margins of 46.5 per cent compared to 48.8 per cent in the prior year, impacted by increased fuel prices and the lower contribution of Nigeria to the Group.
However, following a more stable operating environment and benefits from Airtel Africa’s cost efficiency programme, underlying EBITDA margins have expanded from 45.3 per cent in Q1’25 to 47.3 per cent in Q4’25.
Profit after tax of $328 million improved from a $89 million loss in the prior period. The prior period was significantly impacted by derivative and foreign exchange losses, primarily in Nigeria.
Basic EPS of 6.0 cents compares to negative (4.4 cents) in the prior period, predominantly reflecting lower derivative and foreign exchange losses in the current period.
EPS before exceptional items declined from 10.1 cents in the prior period to 8.2 cents, largely due to higher finance cost arising on account of tower contract renewals, which had a neutral to positive impact on cashflows, and a deferred impact of prior period currency devaluation.
The Board recommended a final dividend of 3.9 cents per share, making the total dividend for the full year 6.5 cents per share, a 9.2 per cent growth from the previous year, in line with the dividend policy. In addition, during the year, Airtel Africa returned $120 million to shareholders through share buyback programmes.
Sunil Taldar, Chief Executive Officer, said, “We have reported another strong operating performance as our strategy continues to deliver against the significant opportunity that exists across our markets. The focus on our refreshed strategy has seen continued investment in the network while also driving improvements in our digital platforms and offerings to further enhance the customer experience.
“This has enabled increased digital inclusion with a further 20 per cent growth in our smartphone customers to 74.4 million, contributing to a 47.5 per cent increase in data traffic over the year. Furthermore, Airtel Money continues to support financial inclusion with customers increasing 17.3 per cent to 44.6 million and an expanding ecosystem underpinning the $ 136 billion transaction value, which increased 32 per cent in constant currency.”
He said: “An improving operating environment and focused execution contributed to strong momentum in our financial results with constant currency revenue growth peaking at 23.2 per cent in Q4’25. Part of this acceleration in the last quarter has also been driven by the Nigerian tariff adjustments.
“This accelerating revenue growth and cost optimization programme has supported quarterly EBITDA margin expansion during the year. Underlying EBITDA margins increased by 200 bps from 45.3 per cent in Q1’25 to 47.3 per cent in Q4’25, and we remain focused on further EBITDA margin improvements, subject to macroeconomic stability. This, combined with our robust capital structure and disciplined capital allocation, puts us in a strong position to continue investing in network capacity to deliver continued growth.
According to the CEO, “The recent stability in the operating environment is encouraging, however, we remain conscious of global developments that may impact our business. We will remain focused on delivering our strategy to transform the lives of our customers and support economic prosperity across our markets. I want to say a particular thank-you to our customers, partners, governments and regulators for their support and our employees for their unrelenting contribution to the business.”
By Chidinma Enemanna
You’ve spent hours researching, writing, and editing your blog post. You’ve even sprinkled in a few catchy headlines and optimised your images, hoping to make your blog post stand out on Google. But it’s still stuck on page 10 of the search results.
Chidinma Enemanna
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. We’ve all been there — pouring our hearts (and maybe a bit of coffee) into writing a killer blog post, only to watch it languish on page 10 of Google’s search results.
Why isn’t your blog ranking? And more importantly, how do you fix it?
In this article, I’ll walk you through the most common reasons your blog isn’t ranking and, more importantly, how to fix it.
1. Use the Right Keywords
Firstly, let’s talk about keywords. You might think that writing great content is enough to get you ranked on Google, but here’s the deal: Google needs to know what your blog is about. And how does Google figure that out? By looking at your keywords. It’s not just about choosing any random word that seems relevant. Google’s algorithms are highly sophisticated, and they can tell when you’ve picked the wrong keywords.
I learned this the hard way. I once wrote a post about “Why Small Businesses Should Use Social Media.” The content was solid, but I didn’t do enough research on the keywords. I used phrases I thought sounded good, but weren’t terms people were searching for. As a result, my post went nowhere. A quick check using tools like SEMrush revealed that the term social media for small businesses was searched far more often, and that’s the keyword I should have targeted. Lesson learned.
To fix this, you need to do proper keyword research. Tools like Ahrefs, Google Keyword Planner, and Ubersuggest can help you identify your topic’s most popular and relevant keywords.
2. Go In-Depth When Writing
Google’s algorithms aren’t just about keywords; they evaluate the depth of your content. If your blog post is too short, say, 300 words or less, it’s not giving Google enough information to rank it appropriately.
Google prefers longer, in-depth content because it tends to be more comprehensive and valuable to readers. When someone searches for something, they want more than just a quick answer; they want detailed, insightful content that covers the topic entirely.
I remember my early years as a writer; I was excited to churn out content of about 400 words. After weeks, I checked Google, and my posts were nowhere to be found on the first page. I did some quick research and realised that the top-ranking posts were over 1,500 words, packed with detailed information, helpful tips, and real-life examples. Mine was a snack compared to their full-course meal.
To fix this, aim for 1,500+ words per blog post. But don’t just aim for word count, focus on creating quality content that thoroughly covers the topic. Use subheadings to break up your content, include relevant statistics, and provide valuable insights to help your readers. And don’t forget to update older posts. Google loves fresh content, and updating an old post with new information can give it a boost. Additionally, tools like SurferSEO can help you with typical word count ranges for your blog compared to competitors.
3. Do Not Ignore The Power of Backlinks
Did you know that Google’s love language is backlinks? These are links from other websites that point to your content. Google uses backlinks as a signal that your content is trustworthy and authoritative. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the more likely Google is to push your content up the search results. In other words, backlinks are one of Google’s top-ranking factors.
I used to ignore backlinks until I noticed that the top-ranked blogs had dozens (sometimes hundreds) of backlinks pointing to them. I realised that getting backlinks was just as important as writing great content. So, a friend advised me to start building quality backlinks by reaching out to industry influencers, guest blogging, and getting featured in expert roundups. And guess what? My traffic shot up by 40% in just a few months.
According to Ahrefs SEO Statistics, there’s a positive correlation between the number of websites linking to a page and its search traffic, as pages with more backlinks consistently rank higher than those without.
4. Your Site’s Speed Shouldn’t Be Slower Than a Snail on Vacation
No one likes waiting for a web page to load, and Google is no different. If your site is slow, Google won’t rank it well. Page speed is an official ranking factor. Google wants to provide users with the best experience possible, and a slow site doesn’t cut it.
According to Google, 53% of mobile users will leave a website if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load. So, getting your site to load quickly isn’t just important for SEO, it’s crucial for keeping visitors on your page.
I once had a client whose website took an average of 11 seconds to load. I ran a speed test using Google’s PageSpeed Insights, and I found a ton of issues. These were issues like large image sizes, unnecessary scripts, and other speed-busting problems. I made the necessary changes, like compressing the images and enabling browser caching, and within a week, the bounce rate dropped by 15%, and the site started ranking higher.
I recommend using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and GTMetrix to test your site’s speed. Then, optimize everything that’s slowing it down. The faster your site, the better the user experience, and the better your rankings.
5. Engage Your Audience
Google doesn’t just look at how many people visit your site; it looks at how they interact with your content. If users bounce off your site after a few seconds, Google will assume your content isn’t valuable. And let’s face it, no one likes a boring blog post. Google wants to reward content that keeps people engaged.
This is a common mistake that people often make when writing a blog. Bloggers and writers are typically focused filling their articles with great information, but leaving them dry with no personality or engaging tone. If you are guilty of this, you will notice a high bounce rate and people will spend little time on your site.
What should you do?
You should start injecting more humour, storytelling, and personal examples into your posts. When you do this, you will notice that the read time on the page will improve significantly.
Use a friendly tone, tell stories, and ask questions encouraging readers to stay longer. The more time people spend on your page, the better Google will rank your content. In fact, HubSpot found that 75% of people never scroll past the first page of search results, so your content has to be compelling enough to make them want to read more.
6. Make Your Blog Mobile-Friendly
In today’s world, mobile traffic is enormous. Over 50% of global web traffic comes from mobile devices, and Google knows this. That’s why mobile-friendliness is now a ranking factor. If your blog isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re missing out on a massive chunk of traffic.
I found this out when I checked a blog’s performance on mobile. The site looked fine on desktop, but it was a disaster on mobile. The images were cut off, buttons were too small to click, and text was difficult to read. After I advised that the site be optimised for mobile users, their traffic increased, and rankings improved.
I recommend using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to see how your site performs on mobile devices. Then, ensure your site is responsive, meaning it adapts to any screen size. If your blog isn’t mobile-friendly, you could lose valuable visitors and hurt your rankings.
Final Thoughts: Is SEO Ranking a Marathon or a Sprint?
There’s no magic formula to get your blog ranking on the first page of Google. Still, you’ll be in the best position to succeed by focusing on the right keywords, producing high-quality, in-depth content, building backlinks, optimising site speed, and engaging your audience.
It takes time, effort, and a bit of strategy. But trust me, the results are worth it. So, don’t get discouraged if your blog isn’t ranking just yet. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint.
With patience and some fine-tuning, you’ll see your efforts pay off. And when that happens, you’ll be at the top of the Google rankings, and your readers will thank you!
Chidinma Enemanna is an SEO Content Specialist and a Brand Specialist at Moniepoint Inc.
Leading Pan-African payment solutions provider SeerBit has partnered with Spectranet, Nigeria’s pioneer 4G LTE broadband service provider to launch ExpressPay, a seamless, efficient and secure payment option designed to revolutionise internet access subscription and renewal.
Many internet users often endure service downtime after subscription renewal due to delayed payment processing. This recurring challenge, exacerbated by the absence of real-time payment validation, represents a major source of frustration for subscribers.
Furthermore, the inconvenience of manual payment options and overdependence on limited options such as cards or USSD deprives customers of flexibility and impacts satisfaction and loyalty.
Accessible to all customers with a bank account, ExpressPay is a game-changer in the digital payment landscape, addressing common challenges for internet users such as payment errors, manual reconciliation, and service activation delays. With ExpressPay, Spectranet customers are assigned unique virtual accounts, ensuring accurate payment processing, eliminating manual intervention, and enabling instant reflection of payments for uninterrupted internet connectivity.
With approximately 161.9 million active internet users in Nigeria as of January 2025, based on recent data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and growing dependence on internet access for participation in modern society, Express Pay will eliminate payment friction, ensuring customers can pay seamlessly for uninterrupted internet access.
Through this collaboration, Spectranet customers can unlock several benefits including eradication of payment errors as each customer is assigned a unique virtual account,ensuring payments are accurately matched to their subscriptions.
Also, payments are processed in real-time, eliminating delays and ensuring instant service activation and uninterrupted connectivity. Furthermore, via ExpressPay, Spectranet users can count on frictionless payment experience with manual verification no longer required, thereby reducing effort and enhancing customer satisfaction.
Equally important, this innovative solution delivers faster processing times, ultimately ushering in greater efficiency and convenience for users.
“Internet access is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity for commerce, education, employment, healthcare access, leisure and other critical aspects of daily life,” said Omoniyi Kolade, Founder and CEO of SeerBit.
“Our partnership with Spectranet is more than transforming the subscription payments experience — it’s about delivering more value, ensuring customers stay connected without the stress of failed or delayed transactions and boosting Nigeria’s digital economy. Express Pay is the future of seamless internet subscription payments.”
Also speaking on the partnership, the Chief Operating Officer of Spectranet, Amrish Singhal said: “As a company dedicated to delivering reliable and seamless internet services, we are always innovating to enhance our customers’ experience.
“The launch of ExpressPay as a payment gateway is a bold step forward in our commitment to eliminating payment-related disruptions and ensuring uninterrupted connectivity for our subscribers.
“Our partnership with SeerBit reinforces this mission, enabling effortless, instant payments that make staying connected easier than ever.”
The launch of ExpressPay reinforces both SeerBit and Spectranet’s commitment to leveraging innovation to drive digital transformation and improve service delivery across Nigeria.
Customers can now enjoy a more reliable, accurate and efficient way to manage their internet subscriptions, ensuring a frictionless digital experience.
ExpressPay is accessible to Spectranet customers via https://selfcare.spectranet.com.ng/payment
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