Telecom
Kwesé Poised to Change African Narrative Through Innovative Content
Econet Media’s Pan-African broadcast network, Kwesé, is establishing new ways of delivering broadcasting services in a manner that will transform and change the African narrative.
Mr. Zachary Wazara, Econet Media Executive, stated this while addressing journalists during the opening of the Ultramodern Kwesé Customer Experience Centre, in Lagos recently.
Wazara said: “we are really establishing new ways of delivering broadcasting and I hope and pray that for you as people in the media you will be able to take advantage of this, and begin to put together that African narrative in a manner that will transform our continent. We are introducing competition, we are introducing a platform for the African narrative.”
He explained that, their focus is to make Kwesé a sports and entertainment destination for Africa, adding that Kwesé is about inspiring people and presenting them in an authentic sense.
He noted that Kwesé free sports (KFS) is a digital terrestrial television that is currently in 23 countries, and have signed up broadcasting agreement with Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) to bring the world cup to vast majority of Nigerians, ordinarily not covered by pay TV.
“In Nigeria, for the world cup our KFS business has signed up with BON, so that, instead of 4.5 million pay TV customers watching the world cup, we can now take the world cup to between 100 and 120 million people.
“So the free to Air business is really intended to extend the reach to the population in Africa, recognizing the fact that, not everyone can afford pay TV.
“Now, the key thing is why KFS, because all sports when presented has always been on pay TV and KFS gives an opportunity to the average African out there to watch Formula 1, to watch NBA at the highest level, to watch boxing at the highest level, to watch every single sports that is out there, like crickets, soccer, rugby and so on, because Africa is been restricted to only soccer.
“But if our people are going to be integrated into the global economy, if our children are going to find opportunity like the Europeans, they have to take up careers in sports, look at Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, both have made over 100 million US dollar because sports was for them a career.
“But the average African doesn’t see sports as a career, unless you do athletics, what we called running here in Africa.
“So our objective with this is to begin to introduce different types of sports at international level, so we can also inspire our kids to say listen , it’s not just about can you run, but there is tennis, there is rugby, and so on.
“That is primarily why we introduce KFS and we are with this in 23 countries.” he stated.
Wazara stated that, their objective is also to make sure that anyone out there can have satellite television, while pointing out that their satellite TV business has the best picture clarity in the market.
In his words, “we’ve got Kwesé TV which is our satellite business, which competes against other brands that you know out there in the market.
“In Nigeria the footprint of our satellite TV is that we’ve got the best clarity, than any other satellite TV.
“So our objective is to do with satellite television what was done with GSM prepaid.
“To make sure that anyone out there can have satellite television.
“I’ve been so inspired looking in Botswana, in Zimbabwe and in Zambia, to see mud houses and seeing a kwese dish sticking out there and a little solar panel on the side.
“That’s the kind of thing that we are looking at, where people are seeing a polar bear for the first time because there is national geographic, where people are seeing whales and other things for the first time.
“So we are excited to be working on this as part of the transformation of the African narratives.”
Wazara, also noted the addition of an App called Kwese iflix, created for mobile phone users, who like to watch content on their devices.
Ngozi Madueke-Dozie, General Manager, West Africa, Kwese iflix, speaking at the event said that the app also has live streaming specially for the Nigerian market.
She added that the Kwese iflix app subscription plans for watching contents ranges from a daily pass, to a 3-day pass, to 7-day pass and monthly subscription.
“Therefore, the subscription plans will attract different customers depending on what they can afford and how many days they want to tune in to their favorite programmes.
“The 30 days pass goes just for 1000 naira. The user gets to watch all the contents they want.
“At the World Cup for instance, 64 matches will be played. With just a 1000 naira, you get to watch all these matches on your phone.
“The seven days pass is 500 naira, the 3 days, 250 naira while the one day pass is 150 naira,” she stated.
Ayotunde Coker, chief executive officer of OpenAccess Data Centre has described Open Access fabric, the company’s Africa-led interconnection platform as key driver of a digital economy, offering a range of virtual connectivity services from Open Access Data Centres (OADC) facilities.
Empowered by West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC), extensive digital backbone, OAfabric offers enterprises and service providers access to diverse digital ecosystems, supporting user-to-service, user-to-user and site-to-site connectivity.
Coker stated this during a tour of Open Access Data Centre facility in Lagos by some journalists recently.
According to him, “designed as a future-ready foundation, OAfabric unites cloud and local connectivity with OADC’s market-leading colocation solutions, establishing an innovative, scalable African infrastructure platform that addresses both local and global digital transformation demands.
“OA fabric offers a reliable, adaptable interconnection platform to support Africa’s growing digital needs and hybrid infrastructures for local and global providers
“Enabling secure, direct cloud connections, OA fabric supports data sovereignty and fosters local provider growth, OA fabric provides IX peering, virtual interconnection, and tailored IP services for Africa’s digital landscape.
“It’s not about a particular service provider, it’s about everybody. Once you have a network and you are able to route traffic, even if you are not live yet, and you are hoping to come in the future, we are waiting for you to come on board. So, that platform converges everybody.
“With Open Access fabric, everyone is expected to interconnect. You are collaborating with the government. You are collaborating with the banks. We are collaborating with all these guys to interconnect everyone, Microsoft, Google, all the cloud companies connect into it, because we already have the connectivity business”.
He noted that, “Through OA fabric, all the other connectivity providers have access to any content on OA fabric, so SMB, SMEs, MSMEs, who probably doesn’t have a registered business, but on social media, selling clothes and things like that, can have cost effective access to resources on the internet.
Speaking on Metro fiber project which OADC is partnering with WBT, Coker explained that they have covered over 5 million homes in Lagos. “The job of the Internet Service Provider or MNO in the project is to maintain relationship with the residents of that area, make sure that the infrastructure is secured”.
Telecom
MTN Nigeria and Pan-Atlantic University Invite Media Practitioners for 4th Media Innovation Programme
MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University, have announced a call for applications from qualified media practitioners (including content creators) to participate in the 4th edition of the MTN Media Innovation Programme (MTN MIP-4).
The programme commences on May 19, 2025, on the Main Campus of the Pan-Atlantic University, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.
In collaboration with the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University, MTN Nigeria launched MIP in 2022 to enable media practitioners gain deeper insight into the ever-evolving media landscape.
The six-month fully funded certificate fellowship, which includes a study visit to the University of Johannesburg, South Africa is open to media practitioners across all strata of the media industry including print, electronic and online platforms. The programme is also open to social media content creators.
“When we launched MIP in 2022, our goal was to enhance media professionals’ reporting capabilities and deepen their understanding of the technology sector, empowering them to become true media innovators. Seeing the impact of the programme over the past three years has been both inspiring and humbling.
“We are proud to continue this initiative and invite all eligible media professionals and content creators to seize this opportunity by applying for the fourth cohort,” said Tobe Okigbo, Chief Corporate Services & Sustainability Officer, MTN Nigeria.
Speaking on the impact of the programme, the Dean, School of Media and Communication (SMC), Pan-Atlantic University, Dr Ikechukwu Obiaya, said that the programme continues to improve and evolve.
“Given the challenges of today’s fast-changing media space, there is an ever-greater urgency to cultivate a new generation of media professionals who will drive innovation and excellence to meet today’s media needs.
“SMC will leverage its extensive experience in training media professionals to equip this next cohort. And we will do this with our usual emphasis on creativity and ethics.”
At the end of the training, the 20 successful applicants, who will qualify as Fellows, will have been trained on Nigeria’s technology sector, the relationship between media and technology and improved content creation opportunities. They will also be equipped with the skills to adapt to the changing realities that guarantee career and financial success in their professional practice. Fellows will also have access to professional resources and mentorship from PAU’s erudite faculty.
Interested journalists, bloggers and content creators can apply at https://bit.ly/MTN_MIP2025
Applications open on Monday, March 24 and close on Monday, April 7, 2025.
A new study commissioned by Visa reveals a rise in consumer awareness and proactive security measures for digital payments across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA).
The ninth annual Stay Secure study, which surveyed 5,800 adults across 17 diverse CEMEA markets, found that 98% of consumers now actively take precautions to secure their online transactions, showcasing increased savviness as digital payments gain momentum.
While 64% of respondents in Nigeria acknowledge their vulnerability to scams like phishing, the increased adoption of security measures and preference for stronger authentication indicate a positive shift in consumer behavior since the last edition of the Stay Secure study in 2023. Consumers are now actively spotting red flags and verifying the legitimacy of online interactions, showing a marked increase in awareness.
Other key insights emerging from the research bode well for the continued acceleration of digital payments across the region, with over three-quarters of all respondents stating that they mostly or completely trust digital payments, regardless of the threat of fraud. 86% of consumers across Nigeria anticipate that they will increase their use of digital payments over the next year.
“The digital payments landscape is evolving rapidly, and consumers across Nigeria are embracing its convenience while becoming more vigilant about security,” said Andrew Uaboi, Vice President & Head, Visa West Africa.
“Consumer education is our best defense against fraud, and industry collaboration makes this possible. As scams grow more sophisticated, the battle for security never stops. Consumers increasingly trust partners who take tangible steps to protect them.”
The ‘Stay Secure’ study highlights evolving consumer preferences, which could offer Visa’s stakeholders actionable intelligence for trust-building strategies and inform the creation of educational materials to empower consumers against fraud.”
Key Findings of the Visa Stay Secure Study:
– 94% surveyed in Nigeria utilize e-commerce payment methods.
– 82% surveyed in Nigeria are more likely to trust payment programs run by the government (e.g., instant payments, local cards, etc.) if they partnered with a well-known brand like Visa.
-51% surveyed in Nigeria feel more secure using digital payments.
-56% surveyed in Nigeria leverage online credit or debit card payments.
– 54% surveyed in Nigeria note that news about cyber fraud (e.g., data breaches, email scams, phishing, etc.) has impacted their use of digital payments.
– 43% rank Boomers (60-78) as most likely to fall victim to online scams.
Visa’s Commitment to a Secure Digital Future
Visa has been at the centre of AI in payments, investing $3.3 billion in our AI and data infrastructure over the last decade. In 2024, it introduced three new AI-powered risk and fraud prevention solutions, as part of the Visa Protect suite, that are designed to help reduce fraud across immediate A2A and card-not-present (CNP) payments, as well as transactions on and off Visa’s network.
As the world’s largest SaaS platform, Visa combats cybercrime by deploying cutting-edge tools, expertise, and processes to help identify and mitigate fraud. The impact is undeniable: In the past year, Visa blocked $40 billion in fraudulent payment value, prevented 80 million fraudulent transactions, and averted over $122 million in estimated e-commerce fraud through malware detection.
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