Telecom
NDSF2021: Nothing Surpasses Internet in Human Transformation says Mba-Uzoukwu
Mr. Chinenye Mba-Uzoukwu, President of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) has described the Internet as a leveler for education and prosperity in a digital economy, even as software Nigeria has the key and capacity to contribute to national development.
Mba-Uzoukwu made this known in his keynote address to the 2021 Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D) held at the Golden Tulip Essential Hotel, International Airport Road, Lagos on Thursday, June 10, and chaired by the President, Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Prof. Adesina Sodiya, who was represented by Dr. Olusoji Okunoye, with the theme: Digital Cooperation: Enhancing Multistakeholder Governance for Digital Economy.
ISPON president who dwelt on “Role of Nigerian Software in Enhancing Governance in Digital Economy,” noted that there is nothing in human history as transformative as the Internet, because it has largely changed everything and outlined some of these epochal changes to include the potential to level the playing field, namely education, healthcare, prosperity, lifestyle and well-being.
He also pointed out how humanity got here was not a stand-alone, hence the imperative to recognize an ‘ecosystem’ in the technology space that is systemic in outlook. Highlighting that in technology, the most intriguing ecosystem is the innovation ecosystem, a “human network that generates extraordinary creativity and output on a sustainable basis.”
Such an ecosystem, Mba-Uzoukwu said, performs best when it recognizes, synergizes and optimizes on the basis of a multi-stakeholder approach that accommodates the complexity of the ecosystem which creates dimensions of impact that make governance an intentional mandate.
“Existence of telecommunication infrastructure, the first precondition to overcome the digital divide; Current economic models for Internet access, place a disproportionate burden on developing countries, Challenges to financing access to backbones, ‘Free-rides’ of Over-The-Top services and challenges of balancing their contributions to telecom sectors of developing countries based on issues of taxation,” he said.
For instance, he said, global regulation of intellectual property rights paved the way for developing countries to access knowledge and information online, which led to enthronement of “Truly, ‘Education For All’ for the first time in human history,” which avails developing countries to catch up, and this is the single most important factor.
This factor, he also said, encouraged ISPON to dare to dream again, which underscored the group’s answer in envisioning growth of Software Nigeria into a world-class industry, and a key contributor to national development.
To realise this, ISPON President revealed, they planned to sensitize the community about the local software industry; provide fora to share software development initiatives; aggressively support the expansion of Nigeria’s human capital, foster co-operation with Nigeria IT in diaspora; cooperate with other countries to boost global exposure and competitiveness.
At the policy level, Mba-Uzoukwu said that the government, industry and academia, must continue to drive the evolution of policy across multiple dimensions including national security, intellectual property and privacy rights, education, information access and data sovereignty.
Education, for instance, he said, must be harnessed with the national aspirations to the potentials of technology for powering the pragmatic development of world-class, innovation cum oriented and entrepreneurial work force. He emphasized that employment and entrepreneurship must deploy technology in support of the genuine aspirations of Nigerian youth.
“Beginning with the National Association of Computer Science Students (NACOSS), we will create and expose opportunities for jobs and wealth creation through personal enterprise,” he declared.
Further, ISPON President said that by nurturing innovation as a national capability, “we must be the advocates and a platform for unleashing creativity and ingenuity of our people, particularly the youth and women whose access to opportunity are hindered.”
Mba-Uzoukwu underscored the fact that to achieve the World Summit on the Information Society, there is need for a common vision, desire and commitment to build a people-centric, inclusive and development-oriented Information society where everyone can create, access, utilize and share information.
He cautioned that the implication of non-alignment to the above common vision, the concepts of social justice, merit and asynchronous development will not be part of its main drivers.
He noted that with the rapid diffusion of technology, “we must encourage a bridge-building, inclusive and partnering approach to community that embraces and empowers the youth, women and leverages on the experience of the elders.”
NDSF2021 witnessed other speakers including the Managing Director of the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComSAT), Dr. Abimbola Alale who was represented by the Acting Manager Marketing, Mrs Ibiye Ukoko, Mr. Aderemi Adejumo of CloudFlex, Mr. Mohammed Rudman represented by Mr. Jacob Dagunduro, Executive Director, Operations at DigitalSENSE Africa Mrs. Nkem Nweke, and Mr. Francis Uzor or Wisdom Computer Technologies, among others.
The London Internet Exchange (LINX) announced today that it will extend its partnership with Digital Realty to West Africa, welcoming the data centre provider to its new interconnection fabric, LINX Accra.
Digital Realty is nearing completion of its new facility in Accra, ACR2. A modern data centre strategically positioned near multiple submarine landing cable stations in Accra’s downtown area.
Ghana is one of Africa’s most internationally connected countries, thanks to the presence of these six undersea cable systems. As a result, the country’s digital landscape has grown dramatically in recent years.
LINX Accra was announced in late 2024 and is anticipated to launch in the coming weeks.
LINX stated that a new internet exchange point (IXP) for Ghana will provide future-proof and scalable solutions to propel the digital ecosystem forward.
The new IXP will be LINX’s third facility in Africa since the opening of LINX Nairobi in 2023, marking an important milestone in the company’s overall strategy in Africa.
Nurani Nimpuno, head of global engagement for LINX commented: “We are excited to be embarking on this new journey with Digital Realty in Ghana. We have strong relations with our partners across our LINX hubs in the UK, US and Kenya so I’m confident this extension of the relationship will be a success.”
Digital Realty has been a key access point for LINX’s interconnection solutions in London and also in North Virginia, US for several years.
More recently, LINX launched their first steps into Africa with LINX Nairobi in November 2023 and LINX Mombasa in February of this year, both working closely with iColo: A Digital Realty Company.
Joseph Koranteng, managing director of Digital Realty in Ghana, commented: “We’re pleased to be welcoming LINX to our new data centre in Ghana, a key milestone as we continue to strengthen interconnection across Africa.
“As demand for low-latency connectivity grows, this collaboration will play a critical role in helping to shape the region’s digital future by enabling greater access, resilience, and integration with the global internet fabric.”
Telecom
Moniepoint Clinches Two IBSi Awards for Leadership in Corporate Banking and Digital Wallet Services
Moniepoint Inc, Africa’s leading fintech platform, has been named a Category Winner in two prestigious categories — Corporate Banking and Digital Wallets — at the IBS Intelligence (IBSi) Digital Banking Awards 2025.
The accolades recognize Moniepoint’s significant impact in advancing financial inclusion and operational efficiency through its innovative digital banking initiatives across the continent.
Moniepoint earned dual recognition with the Corporate Banking award for its end-to-end digital platform empowering SMEs across emerging markets through simplified working capital access and streamlined payment processes, while also being honored in the Digital Wallets category for its scalable wallet infrastructure that enables millions to seamlessly transact, save, and manage finances—both innovations supporting broader financial inclusion and economic empowerment goals.
The IBSi Awards jury highlighted Moniepoint’s achievement in delivering measurable business impact, its ability to scale efficiently, and its pioneering approach to integrating local market needs with cutting-edge financial technology.
The IBSi Digital Banking Awards recognize technology implementations and innovation across digital banking units worldwide. This year, more than 110 submissions from over 30 countries were evaluated.
The IBSi Digital Banking Awards celebrate the most innovative and impactful technology implementation projects in the global banking sector.
This year’s competition recognised outstanding achievements among digital-only banks, neo-challenger banks, and the technology partners driving digital transformation worldwide.
“We are thrilled to be recognised in two highly competitive categories,” said Tosin Eniolorunda, CEO of Moniepoint. “These awards validate our mission to power the dreams of African businesses and individuals by building technology that works for everyday realities.
“Whether it’s helping SMEs grow or enabling simple, fast, and secure transactions for millions, we remain committed to delivering impactful solutions.”
“These recognitions from IBS Intelligence reflect the hard work of our teams and partners, and the deep trust our users place in Moniepoint,” Eniolorunda added.
“We look forward to continuing to innovate and scale inclusive digital financial services that shape the future of banking across Africa.”
Nikhil Gokhale, Director of Research and Digital Properties at IBS intelligence, said, “Over the years, we’ve witnessed a remarkable transformation in the digital banking space — from the rise of nimble neobanks to the digital reinvention of traditional institutions.
“The IBSi Digital Banking Awards honour this evolution by recognising technology-led excellence across the global banking landscape.
“Now in its fifth edition, the awards continue to recognise banks that are redefining the digital banking landscape through bold strategy, customer-centric thinking, driving innovation, inclusion and meaningful impact.”
This award complements and validates Moniepoint market leadership having been listed for three years in a row in the CB Insights annual Fintech 100, a list of the 100 most promising private fintech companies in the world and described as high-momentum companies shaping the future of financial services as well as being ranked by the Financial Times as one of Africa’s fastest-growing companies for two consecutive years.
Moniepoint Inc. powers over 10 million businesses and individuals with access to seamless payments, banking, credit, and business management tools since 2019. As Nigeria’s largest merchant acquirer, it powers most of the country’s Point of Sale (POS) transactions while operating profitably.
Processing over 1 billion transactions monthly, with total payments volume exceeding $22 billion, Moniepoint enables businesses to digitize their operations and thrive in Africa’s rapidly evolving economy.
UK-headquartered IBS Intelligence (IBSi) is the world’s only pure-play Financial Technology (traditional and new-age) research, advisory, and media firm, with a global coverage, and a 360° portfolio of intelligence offerings.
For over 30 years, IBSi’s expert teams have delivered independent, in-depth, actionable insights, with a laser focus on everything Financial Technology, to the global banking, consulting, technology, and institutional investor world.
Spotify is inviting Nigerian listeners to tune inward with the launch of Find Your Mood, a new campaign that celebrates the everyday emotions and life moments that define who we are, and the music that helps us move through them.
At the heart of Find Your Mood is a simple truth: music is more than sound. It is a feeling. Whether it’s the quiet calm of early mornings, the frustration of Lagos traffic, or the joy of a weekend link-up, Spotify delivers personalised, mood-based playlists that echo, elevate and enrich each unique emotional state. From the reflective tone of the Calm Mix to the energising Focus Mix or the celebratory Good Vibes Mix, Spotify helps listeners discover the perfect soundtrack for however they’re feeling.
“With Find Your Mood, we’re showing how Spotify goes beyond streaming to become an essential companion in the emotional lives of our listeners,” says Sithabile Kachisa, Head of Marketing for Spotify in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“It’s about making every playlist feel like it was made just for you, because it was. This campaign reflects our belief that music has the power to meet people where they are and move them toward where they want to be.”
The campaign’s centerpiece is a Hero Film that captures the emotional journey of young Nigerian creatives, following their highs, lows, setbacks and breakthroughs. Throughout it all, Spotify’s mood-driven playlists act as both compass and companion, soundtracking their stories in a way that is personal, powerful and deeply human. Shot across familiar, everyday Nigerian spaces, the film highlights the role of music as not just background noise, but as an emotional anchor.
Ultimately, Find Your Mood is more than a campaign. It is a reflection of how Spotify enhances the way people live, feel, and connect with themselves, with their community, and with music that truly gets them. Because when music is a feeling, Spotify is where you find your mood.
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