Telecom
Releaf, OnePipe Partner to Deepen Financial Inclusion, Improve Productivity for South-South Farmers

Releaf, a raw material procurement & logistics platform that is making it easy for crops to move from farm to factory and OnePipe, a digital gateway enabling financial services, have partnered to support over 2,000 oil palm farmers in Cross River and Akwa Ibom states with digitized financial services.

Uzoma Ayogu, Releaf CTO/Co-Founder, with some Releaf Oil Palm farmers.
Over 65 percent of Nigerians are outside the financial services envelope, with millions unbanked or under-banked.
The combination of COVID-19 disruptions and the widening digital divide in the rural and underserved areas has threatened the attainment of financial inclusion targets in Nigeria.
This partnership between Releaf and OnePipe is thus a welcome initiative to the National Financial Inclusion Strategy and provides opportunities for thousands of rural farmers across Nigeria’s South-South region.
Speaking on the collaboration, Uzoma Ayogu, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer for Releaf, said; “Since inception, Releaf has empowered over 1,000 farmers to supply over 10 million kilograms of quality crops to various food factories.
“While disbursements to our farmers have been largely cash-based, we now have access to digitized fund disbursement via embedded, customised accounts, provisioned by OnePipe, to drive financial inclusion of previously financially excluded farmers in the digital economy.
“As a result, we can provide increased funding to farmers in a more seamless, scalable, and safe manner.
“We are also exploring other products like insurance and other services leveraging OnePipe’s infrastructure and strategic partnerships with an array of Financial Institutions.
“The embedded customised accounts for the farmers are provisioned leveraging OnePipe’s partner bank APIs.
“They are opened and operated via USSD and *PWA (Progressive Web App) channels and branded as Releaf Wallet for ease of adoption by the farmers.
“As full-utility accounts, farmers can receive inflow from any bank/channel and can transfer funds to any Nigerian bank account; they can also access readily available services such as airtime top-up (self and third party), savings/investments and various loan options.
“The loan options are configured such that consistent usage of the Releaf wallet by the farmers results in a correspondingly increasing credit line”.
Ope Adeoye, founder and Chief Plumber, OnePipe, described the partnership with Releaf as “an exciting opportunity to co-create value with Releaf.
“Releaf is reviving agricultural infrastructure and crafting a sustainable path to prosperity for farmers who previously did not have commensurate return for their labour”.
According to him, “working with Releaf was inevitable as the company’s vision to transform Africa’s agricultural future by making decentralized food processing scaleable coincides with OnePipe’s social mandate to drive financial inclusion through technology for all – including the 700M+ smallholder farmers on the continent.”
OnePipe’s platform provides a single gateway that aggregates financial services from industry leaders and combines them in unique ways to create new brand propositions that help organisations reduce time to market by embedding financial services within their products.
OnePipe is at the vanguard of the embedded finance movement in Sub-Saharan Africa and has assisted companies like Releaf to provide seamless digital financial services to their partners. In addition to the ongoing partnership with Releaf,
OnePipe is also working with key players in the Retail, FMCG and Asset Management space to facilitate embedded finance within their existing offerings.
Telecom
MTN Mulls Establishment of Fintech Firm in Nigeria, Others

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.
Telecom
ngCERT Issues High Alert to Nigerians Using Android Phones

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.
Telecom
MTN and Ecobank Launch Chess Championship to Empower Nigeria’s Youth

MTN Nigeria is set to host the National Schools Team Chess Championship, Nigeria’s largest inter-school chess competition, scheduled to take place from June 26th to 28th, 2025, at the Ecobank Pan African Center in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The championship, organised in partnership with Ecobank and the Nigeria Chess Federation (NCF), aims to promote intellectual development, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills among young Nigerians, while also identifying and nurturing future chess champions.
The championship is open to primary, secondary, and tertiary level students, and this year’s edition will host an impressive 1,600 students from 400 schools across 36 states and the FCT.
The competition will feature team-based play, with each team comprising four players from the same school. A significant prize pool of over N40 million is at stake, with winning schools also having the invaluable opportunity to represent Nigeria internationally.
Onyinye Ikenna Emeka, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at MTN Nigeria, expressed the company’s commitment to the initiative, stating, “Our investment is driven by our commitment to fostering youth development, just as our shared value initiative.
“By supporting, we not only contribute to the growth but also engage with the younger demographic in a meaningful way, as we believe we are good together”.
MTN’s sponsorship of the National Schools Team Chess Championship is a natural extension of its long-standing dedication to empowering young people through various initiatives in sports, education, and skill development, including programs like MTN Champs and MTN Campus Invasion.
The company aims to establish itself as the leading driver of youth empowerment, education, and strategic thinking through chess in Nigeria.
The event will also feature the presence of Tunde Onakoya, a renowned chess master and inspiration, who will join the championship week to share his experiences and further inspire the young participants.
His involvement underscores the profound impact strategic thinking can have on transforming lives and building dreams.
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