Telecom
Pantami Urges Huawei to Establish Global ICT Centre for Nigerians, Africans
Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, Minister of Communication and Digital Economy has asked technology company, Huawei, to establish a global ICT centre for the training of Nigerians and Africans.
Pantami disclosed this during the kick off of the implementation of the Federal Government and Huawei Memorandum of Understanding aimed at providing ICT skills to Nigerian youths in Abuja.
The MoU aims at promoting the partnership between the Ministry of Communication and Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. to establish two core ICT projects in Nigeria: the Huawei ICT Academy Project and the Huawei ICT Talent Cultivation Project in line with the Ministry’s National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for the development and promotion of Digital Economy and growth in Nigeria.
According to him, “the Nigerian government is thankful to Huawei especially looking at how the country has benefited in the CSR programs. The President of Nigeria, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari GCSF appreciates the work of Huawei and is encouraging Huawei to do more on the Nigerian soil since Nigeria is the largest and biggest market in Africa.
“Huawei (should) establish a global training center in Nigeria to train Nigerians and other African Countries on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)”.
The Minister also highlighted that the federal government has provided an enabling environment for international companies to invest and do business in Nigeria.
“The administration has come up with 36 initiatives to enable the ease of doing business in Nigeria, signing an executive order to address the challenges faced by International companies to provide accountability, transparency, e-govt, tax holiday, visa on arrival etc. which has moved Nigeria higher in the world ranking of ease of doing business. These are part of the administration’s determination to prioritize skills especially in the digital economy sector.”
Huawei will make available, its technology and trainers to help curb the rate of unemployment In Nigeria by providing jobs, experience, opportunities and ICT certifications to students each year so as to increase their market competitiveness.
According to the minister, the implementation of the MoU would see more than 100,000 Nigerians benefit from the initiative beyond the agreement. The skills gained by the students will enable them become entrepreneurs in the nearest future.
This partnership will enable the development of over 300 ICT Academies in top-rated universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria. At least 10,000 university students from reputable universities – on the recommendation of the Ministry – will be trained each year with a total of 30,000 students in 3 years. This would include trainings, competitions and other activities incidental to the operation of the ICT Academy.
Mr. Cui Jianchun, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, who was present at the event expressed delight to witness the initiative.
“I salute the Minister’s support in making Nigeria an outstanding country in ICT because the digital economy develops a country and develops young talents. The Chinese embassy would continue to support the corporation to make a difference. We would sustain this initiative and ensure the University, Minister and Students testify to the initiative,” he said.
Mr. Cui Jianchun, who is China’s 14th ambassador to Nigeria, highlighted nine other programs of Africa-China Cooperation over the next three years which will further strengthen Africa-China practical cooperation and achieve mutual benefit and win-win result.
They include programs in medical and health, poverty reduction and agricultural development, trade promotion, investment promotion, digital innovation, green development, capacity building, cultural and people-to-people exchange, and peace and security.
“The Digital Innovation Program is being implemented today. I want to assure you that we are working with the relevant authorities in Nigeria, for example the Ministry of Agriculture in order to provide food for people. We are also doing the traditional herbs ..this is a small project but it is very important”.
Vice Chancellor of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi State, Professor Muhammad Ahmad Abdulazeez, in his goodwill message applauded Huawei for enhancing the skills of students in ICT. He stated that he would ensure that more students pass through the Huawei training and get provided with certifications. He further thanked the Minister for his unrelenting support in providing ICT innovations for Nigerians particularly supporting educational skills for ICT for students.
Similarly, The Registrar Nigerian Army University, Biu, Borno State, Brig. Gen. SS Ibrahim, in his speech at the event stated that “the cooperation between Huawei and the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy is good for the country in human capacity development in the area of ICT.
The partnership is a sure foundation and strategy for the development of ICT and human capacity. This collaboration means that ICT in Nigeria is going towards the right direction, more so, the minister has made noteworthy changes and contributions to the development of ICT which has benefited the Nigerian youth.
“The Nigerian Army University, established in 2018, has decided to follow suit in ICT and partner with telecoms giant, Huawei, in order to fortify its students with the latest technology. I want to acknowledge and appreciate the Minister for being productive in developing the ICT sector and the management of Huawei for taking the bold step in the Nigerian ICT Sector”.
Mr. Trevor Liu, the Managing Director of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd, thanked the Federal Government of Nigeria and The Honorable Minister, for giving Huawei the enabling environment to operate and touch lives in Nigeria.
“Our vision and mission in Huawei have been to bring digital technology to every person, home, and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. Huawei has pushed this vision through many channels.
“One of which is our four Major ICT Talent cultivation initiatives, The Seeds for the Future Program, Huawei ICT Academy, Huawei ICT Competition, and The Job Fair. This is because we strongly believe that Digital Transformation is about Talents, and not all about Technology”
He appreciated the Minister for “identifying and seeing the need for Talent cultivation and development, and for also seeing Huawei Technologies as a Partner to work with in actualizing this goal.”
MTN Uganda is seeking input from stakeholders on a plan to structurally separate its mobile money service, MoMo, from its core telecoms business.
According to the company, the proposed change will be discussed at the upcoming extraordinary general meeting on July 2.
If approved, the telco’s fintech business will be run by a new company controlled by MTN Group Fintech Holdings B.V. and a trust benefiting minority shareholders following a merger.
Additionally, the restructuring also aligns with MTN Group’s ambition 2025 strategy which aims to unlock value, attract new investors, and strengthen regulatory compliance by creating standalone fintech entities in Uganda, Ghana, and Nigeria.
The company’s fintech division has over 13 million customers, with an 18.4% revenue increase in the first quarter of 2025, driven by 19.0% growth in mobile money services, 19.8% growth in transaction volumes, and a 31.4% increase in transaction value.
Reports say the decision is part of the telco’s compliance with the National Payment Systems Act 2020, which mandates mobile money businesses to operate as standalone entities, and to align with MTN Group’s regional fintech strategy.
MTN Uganda, which is led by CEO Sylvia Mulinge, highlighted that the implementation of the proposed transaction will be subjected to a number of conditions and regulatory procedures.
“The implementation of the proposed transaction shall be subject to a number of conditions, including the company and MTN MoMo receiving all required regulatory approvals and no-objections and complying with any regulatory conditions,” said MTN Uganda in notice.
Netflix has announced plans to invest more than €1 billion in Spanish film and television productions over the next four years, reinforcing its commitment to Spain as a key creative hub in Europe.
The announcement was made by co-chief executive Ted Sarandos at an event held at Netflix’s production studios near Madrid, celebrating the company’s 10-year presence in the country.
Sarandos emphasized that the investment would contribute significantly to Spain’s economy, create jobs, and enable the streaming platform to produce more local content. He was joined by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in unveiling the initiative.
Netflix first established its international production studios in Madrid in 2019, following the success of the Spanish-language hit series Money Heist.
Since then, its 22,000-square-meter facility has become one of Netflix’s major production centers within the European Union.
The company currently supports over 20,000 jobs in Spain, highlighting the nation’s growing influence in global entertainment.
The investment reflects Netflix’s ongoing strategy to expand its presence in European markets through original content and local talent.
Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) has raised alarms over a new wave of advanced cyberattacks targeting Android mobile phones through a malware campaign dubbed Tria Stealer.
The malicious software is designed to infiltrate Android devices, hijack messaging accounts, intercept One-Time Passwords (OTPs), to steal sensitive personal and financial data.
According to ngCERT, Tria Stealer spreads primarily through deceptive tactics, such as fake event invitations distributed via popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.
Unsuspecting users are enticed to download an infected (APK) file, often disguised as a harmless system application, to evade detection.
Once installed, Tria Stealer requests extensive permissions, including access to SMS, call logs, and app notifications.
It immediately commences data harvesting activities, sending stolen information to a Command and Control (C2) server operated via Telegram bots.
This trojan spreads through fake links, usually disguised as wedding or event invites, and tricks users into downloading malicious APK files
“Account takeover of messaging platforms. Impersonation of victim for fraudulent money transfer requests. Compromise of banking and financial applications. Identity theft and credential harvesting.”
In plain terms, if your phone is compromised, the consequences could be catastrophic.
Your financial apps are vulnerable, your reputation could be ruined by impersonation and even simple personal messages could be twisted into tools for scams.
Here’s what users should be doing now:
Don’t download apps outside the official Play Store.
Be suspicious of random invites or links, even from people you know.
Turn on 2FA for everything—banking, emails, social platforms.
Get a reputable antivirus and keep it updated.
If you run an organisation, you should already be taking this seriously.
ngCERT’s guidance says you should raise awareness, monitor mobile devices, and not let your team click on unverified links.
“Deploy network monitoring for suspicious outbound connections to known C2 domains,” it said, meaning, keep an eye on every digital door in and out.
This isn’t one of those cases where you wait to see if it affects you. By the time you realise it, it may already be too late.
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