Telecom
NITDA A Catalyst For IT Driven Economy — Pantami
Dr. Ali Pantami, Director-General, National Information Technology Developmental Agency (NITDA), has said that the agency is a catalyst for transforming Nigeria into a knowledge-based and IT-driven economy
He stated this over the weekend at the 9th edition of the eWorld Forum 2018, held at Oriental Hotel, Lagos.
Pantami, who was represented by Mrs Chioma Okee-Aguguo, Head, South West Zonal Office, said that they are at the forefront of digital transformation in the country, adding that digital transformation would trigger rapid economic growth in the country.
He noted that the agency came up with a Roadmap and an Action plan to develop the ICT sector of the country and digitally transform our nation.
According to him, “Our Roadmap for digital transformation is based on the following 7 pillars which are Information Technology Regulation, Capacity Building, Digital Job Creation, and Local Content Development and Promotion.
The remaining pillars include Government Digital Services, Cyber Security, and Digital Inclusion”.
He said that contrary to widely held beliefs, regulation provided a level playing ground required for the ICT industry to support the digital transformation drive of the country.
“As part of our activities in this area, we have strengthened our role in the clearance of all government funded ICT projects.
“We have embarked on this clearance process in order to harmonise the implementation of IT projects within MDAs, provide value-for-money for all projects funded by the government, avoid undue duplication, reduce the cost of implementing IT projects in Nigeria and ensure that the IT projects are sustainable,” he said.
The DG added that the agency had succeeded in saving the Federal Government billions of naira and had significantly improved the likelihood of success of the projects.
He said that NITDA has also assisted state governments to develop IT Policies and Strategic Plans, as a way of building their capacity to regulate and develop the ICT sector in their areas of strength.
According to him, in addition to these, the agency is ensuring that all sovereign data as well as data regulated and hosted by the government through its MDAs, are repatriated and hosted in Nigeria.
He stated that as part of the transformation process, the agency is involved in capacity building through scholarship offered at the PhD and Masters levels to improve expertise and provide quality personnel at workplaces.
“We live in an era of disruptive technologies and technologies such as Internet of Things, Cloud Computing, Block Chain and Big Data Analytics, will define the future of the sector.
“We have partnered with the industry to train a critical mass of Nigerians in these areas.
“With digital transformation comes a transformation of the workplace.
“’The skills and types of jobs of today are very likely to be antiquated tomorrow.
“It is necessary for us to have the foresight to begin the transformation of the workplace,” he stated.
Pantami said that this was one of the reasons the agency identified Digital Job Creation as one of the seven pillars and establishing Digital Job Creation Centres (DJCC) across the country.
According to him, these centres empower users to set up businesses that incorporate cutting edge digital technologies.
“We want these centres to be triggers for the development of jobs that can thrive in this Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“Jobs that evolve with the needs of the citizens and take advantage of cutting edge technologies.
“The media industry is a very dynamic one and we have provided some of the latest media and editing software at the DJCC.
“This will enable users of the Centre to create new streams of businesses for the benefit of our national economy,” the DG said.
He identified rapid growth in the number of cybercriminals and the increased sophistication of cybercrimes as some of the negative effects of digital transformation.
The director-general said that through NITDA’s pillar on cybersecurity, such threats were being tackled to safeguard Nigerians in cyberspace.
He also said that the digital inclusion pillar ensured the ability to include all strata of society in the country’s digital transformation efforts.
According to him, NITDA has programmes that have captured persons living with disability, prison inmates, as well as women and girls, to mention a few.
Telecom
9mobile Nigeria Inks Agreement to Roam with MTN

9mobile, Nigerian operator, has reportedly gained approval for roaming on the MTN Nigeria network in a deal that some commentators suggest could improve its position in the market and, more specifically, tempt back lost subscribers.
After finally gaining regulatory approval from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), 9mobile plans to launch national roaming services on the MTN network from this month.
Under the agreement, 9mobile subscribers will gain access to MTN’s infrastructure for calls, texts and data in areas where 9mobile’s coverage is weak or unavailable.
For 9mobile, the deal offers a cost-effective way to expand coverage without the heavy investment required for nationwide infrastructure.
According to ITWeb Africa, the decision comes nearly five years after initial discussions – much longer than expected due, the Techloy news service said, to regulatory bottlenecks, shifting market conditions, and unclear execution timelines.
It may, however, prove pivotal for 9mobile, whose market share has dwindled to 1.72% in April 2025, down from 6.6% in 2020 when the proposal was first submitted. Indeed, in 2015 the company once known as Etisalat Nigeria had over 23 million subscribers and a 15.7% market share.
Of course, there’s also something in this for MTN. In exchange for network access, MTN gains utilisation rights to 9mobile’s underused spectrum in the 900MHz, 1800MHz, and 2100MHz bands – key frequencies for expanding coverage and improving data capacity.
For MTN, which serves over 84 million subscribers, this additional spectrum could reduce congestion and improve service quality.
The company has also had financial difficulties in the Nigerian market due to the naira’s substantial depreciation; this deal could support better service provision at a reduced cost.
That said, MTN Nigeria’s results for the first quarter to March 31 2025 were apparently much improved, and the company recently announced a massive capital expenditure drive for 2025 of some NGN900 billion (US$568.5 million) as it seeks to significantly enhance network service quality in major cities like Lagos and Abuja and extend improvements to other areas.
Telecom
Banks, Telcos to Start Deducting USSD Charges from Airtime Today

Banks and telecom companies will begin deducting USSD banking charges directly from customers’ airtime instead of their bank accounts beginning from today, June 3.
USSD, otherwise Unstructured Supplementary Service Data, is a communications protocol used by GSM cellular telephones to interact with a mobile network operator’s computers.
First City Monument Bank (FCMB) announced this change in an e-mail message to customers, following a directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Key details:
Each USSD session will cost ₦6.98 per 120 seconds, charged by your mobile network.
You will be asked to approve the charge before it’s deducted from your airtime.
If you prefer, you can use other banking channels like ATMs, mobile apps, or internet banking.
This change is part of a move to end the long-standing debt dispute between banks and telecoms over unpaid USSD fees.
As of late 2024, banks owed telecom companies ₦160 billion. For example, MTN was owed ₦42 billion by Nigerian banks.
By shifting USSD fees to customers’ airtime, the telcos aim to recover these debts and avoid future issues.
Telecom
IHS Nigeria Moves to Enhance G4S Secure Solutions Site Patrols and Increase Operational Efficiency with Patrol Vehicles

IHS Nigeria, a subsidiary of IHS Holding Limited and one of the largest independent owners, operators, and developers of shared telecommunications infrastructure in the world by tower count, has formally commissioned 65 Response, Patrol, and Escort (RPE) vehicles to G4S Secure Solutions Nigeria Limited, its long-standing security partner.
The commissioning ceremony which held in Ikeja GRA, Lagos, underscores IHS Nigeria’s commitment to operational excellence, safety, and strategic partnerships.
The fully equipped vehicles, customized with radio systems, public address systems, medical kits, ladders, and amber lights, are expected to significantly enhance G4S’s patrol capabilities and enable proactive risk mitigation across IHS Nigeria’s infrastructure footprint in the country.
Speaking at the event, Jubril Saba, Vice President, Operations at IHS Nigeria, remarked: “IHS Nigeria is delighted to formally hand over these Response, Patrol and Escort (RPE) vehicles to our valued security partner, G4S Secure Solutions Nigeria Limited. As a company, we recognize that the success of our operations lies not only in our technology and infrastructure but also in the strength of the partnerships we build and sustain.
G4S has been an essential partner in protecting our sites, supporting our teams, and ensuring operational continuity across the country. This initiative is more than just a commissioning of vehicles; it is a reaffirmation of our commitment to the safety of our people and assets, our drive for operational excellence, and our belief in strong partnerships.
We understand that securing our infrastructure and communities is critical to sustaining high-quality services nationwide, and we are confident this fleet will enhance G4S’s capacity to support us.”
Also speaking at the event, Jonas Ahl, Managing Director of G4S Secure Solutions Nigeria Limited, expressed his appreciation for the partnership:
“We are proud to receive these 65 custom-built patrol vehicles from IHS Nigeria. Each unit is fully outfitted to meet the specific security needs of our operations, equipped with communication systems, emergency response tools, and visibility-enhancing features. These vehicles will not only improve our response times and field presence but also enable us to reduce risk and deter criminal activity more effectively.
I would like to thank the IHS team for their excellent collaboration throughout this project. We are proud to serve IHS and remain committed to protecting the assets that power connectivity across Nigeria.”
This strategic gesture reinforces IHS Nigeria’s position as a socially responsible and security-conscious industry leader, while highlighting the value of operational synergy with trusted partners like G4S.
The deployment of these vehicles marks another milestone in IHS’s mission to secure its infrastructure and deliver uninterrupted service to millions of users across the country.
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