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E-Business

MasterCard, UN Join Hands to Deliver “digital food”

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Omokehinde Ojomuyide, country manager, West Africa, MasterCard Worldwide.
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MasterCard and the World Food Programme (WFP) have announced a global partnership that will use digital innovation to help people around the world to break the cycle of hunger and poverty. 

The game-changing partnership will combine MasterCard’s expertise in electronic payments systems with WFP’s global reach among the world’s hungriest populations to meet the nutritional needs of the most vulnerable.

“Our partnership with MasterCard is a great example of how transformative private sector partnerships innovate against hunger,” said Nancy Roman, WFP Director of Communications, Public Policy and Private Partnerships.

Roman added that “by drawing on MasterCard’s technical know-how and international reach, WFP will further develop both its electronic voucher programme that enables hungry families around the globe to buy nutritious food in local markets as well as its online donation mechanism that engages individuals and brands in a global community working together to solve hunger.”

Where markets are stable, WFP often distributes vouchers that are redeemable in local shops for food and other staple items. These vouchers help boost local economies while allowing poor communities to receive food assistance with dignity.  Through the “Digital Food Project,” MasterCard’s payment and technology expertise will help WFP to refine and improve its systems that deliver food vouchers via mobile phones or banking cards to people without regular access to banks or financial services.

Ann Cairns, President of International Markets, MasterCard said:  “MasterCard’s vision of a world beyond cash is the perfect partner for WFP’s vision of a world beyond hunger.  Today we have committed to delivering a ground breaking partnership, which will ensure our Digital Food initiative will go on to meet the requirements of those who need it most around the world.”

Alongside the “Digital Food” project, MasterCard will help WFP to create an enhanced online donation mechanism that will enable more people to donate through a wider variety of online payment methods.

This enhanced online donation mechanism is part of an “Integrated Giving” platform that will allow brands to integrate donation mechanisms onto their products. Retailers can offer donations at checkout so customers can donate to WFP without having to leave the site. In addition, mobile applications or game developers will be able to offer options to support WFP right from within their applications or game. All donations will be tracked and credited to both the brand and the consumer, offering new opportunities for consumers and brands to work together and have a meaningful, measurable impact on the fight against hunger.

Moreover, MasterCard has committed to use its marketing and brand capacity to help raise awareness and funds for WFP in several key markets. MasterCard has already carried out two fundraising campaigns for WFP, in Poland and in the Netherlands, raising tens of thousands of Euros for WFP’s operations around the world.


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E-Business

NDPC Probes Suspected Data Breach in Examination Centres

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Data Breach
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Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has launched an investigation into allegations that the confidentiality and integrity of candidates’ personal data may have been compromised by hackers.

NDPC Probes Suspected Data Breach in Examination Centres

The Commission initiated the inquiry following concerns over possible data breaches during examinations.

Preliminary findings indicate that several examination centres may not have implemented adequate technical and organizational measures to safeguard candidates’ personal information, as required under data protection regulations.

Although the incident reportedly affected 379, 997 candidates, the NDPC’s investigation is poised to cover a systemic audit of data processing and third parties.

It will be recalled that JAMB recently admitted that a technical error on its platform affected a total of 379,997 candidates in 157 examination centres across Lagos and the South-East.

Further investigation led to the arrest of at least 20 suspects who are currently in the custody of the Department of State Services and the Nigerian Police Force.

 

 

 


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Nigeria Among Hotspots as Kaspersky Warns of Rising Ransomware Threat in Africa

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Cyber security firm, Kaspersky, has once again warned that sophisticated cybercriminals increasingly target Africa as ransomware and advanced persistent threats (APTs) escalate across the region.

Speaking at the company’s annual Cyber Security Weekend for the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa (META) region, the cybersecurity firm’s Global Research and Analysis Team highlighted growing digital threats affecting African nations.

Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa emerged as hotspots, with Kenya recording one of the highest web threat incident rates at 20.1% in first quarter 2025.

“While ransomware is less prevalent in Africa due to lower levels of digitisation and economic constraints, countries like South Africa and Nigeria are seeing a sharp rise in attacks,” said Sergey Lozhkin, head of META and APAC regions at Kaspersky.

Kaspersky noted a 0.01 percentage point increase in African ransomware cases year-on-year, reaching 0.41%, still below global and Middle Eastern averages, but a troubling sign for the continent’s emerging digital infrastructure.

Experts warned that attackers are refining their tactics, shifting focus to unconventional entry points like IoT devices, smart appliances, and misconfigured hardware.

“As these economies expand digitally, sectors such as manufacturing, finance and government are becoming key targets,” said Lozhkin

The cyber-crime landscape is evolving quickly, fuelled by AI tools and dark web access to large language models, which enable less skilled actors to launch convincing phishing and malware campaigns.

Groups like FunkSec, which uses AI-generated code and a low-cost ransom model, are redefining ransomware operations.

“African organisations face the dual challenge of expanding digital footprints and limited cybersecurity awareness. This makes layered defense strategies, including network segmentation, real-time monitoring and regular staff training, essential,” stated Lozhkin

Kaspersky continues to monitor 25 active APT groups in the META region, including SideWinder and MuddyWater, some of which are known to target African institutions.

To bolster defenses, the firm recommends using tools such as its free Anti-Ransomware Tool for Business and the Kaspersky Next suite for threat visibility and response.

 


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Nigeria Launches Cybercrime Team with Commonwealth, UK Support

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Nigeria recently launched a new joint case team to step up its response to cybercrimes that affect people and businesses at home and abroad.

Nigeria Launches Cybercrime Team with Commonwealth, UK Support

The ‘Joint Case Team on Cybercrime’ brings together Nigeria’s key justice and security agencies to work as one, making it easier to detect, investigate, and prosecute digital offences.

It is supported by the UK National Crime Agency, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and the Commonwealth Secretariat, as part of a wider effort to promote international cooperation on cybercrime.

Speaking at the launch in Abuja, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, minister of justice and attorney general of the federation described the initiative as “a bold and transformative stride in Nigeria’s justice system.”

He said that although Nigeria has a national legal framework to address cyber offences, laws alone are not enough.

Nigeria is among the countries most affected by cybercrime around the world, with increasing financial losses.


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