The Desk

Femi Otedola spends another ₦12.58bn to tighten grip on First HoldCo

Chairman Femi Otedola bought 95.7 million more First HoldCo shares at ₦131.48 each, lifting his stake to roughly 26.6% of Nigeria's oldest banking group.

The DeskAug 25, 2026

Moniepoint Ends UK Money-Transfer Service MonieWorld in Global Pullback

Nigerian fintech Moniepoint is phasing out MonieWorld, its UK remittance product for Nigerians abroad, less than two years after launch.

The DeskAug 25, 2026

MTN can now buy IHS Towers — but must sell 30% to Nigerian investors

Nigeria's competition regulator cleared MTN's $2.2bn IHS Towers takeover on condition that up to 30% of the Nigerian business goes to local investors.

The DeskAug 25, 2026

Banks can no longer ignore tech failures, Nigeria's IT regulator warns

NITDA's DG told CBN directors that financial stability now depends on data centres, cloud platforms and telecoms resilience — not just capital.

The DeskAug 22, 2026

Nigeria's cloud budgets now face joint fiscal scrutiny under new committee

A new NITDA-Budget Office committee will align sovereign cloud rules with how federal agencies spend on cloud services.

The DeskAug 22, 2026

South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya hold nearly half of Africa's data centres

A new Nairametrics ranking shows AI infrastructure is concentrated in three countries, with South Africa leading at 62 facilities.

The DeskAug 21, 2026

Funding

Public universities will get ₦2.53bn each in 2026 TETFund funding

Nigeria's Information Minister says tertiary institutions must become engines of research, innovation and skills development, with new TETFund allocations.

The DeskAug 21, 2026

Nigeria's Apapa grid upgrade triples capacity with Japan's N20bn backing

The Apapa Road substation in Lagos now moves 180MVA, up from 60MVA, after JICA-backed transformers were energised in April and commissioned in August.

The DeskAug 20, 2026

Nigerian pilgrims set for smoother Hajj as agencies move to automate operations

NITDA and NAHCON have agreed to digitise Hajj operations, covering logistics, administration and pilgrims' data protection.

The DeskAug 20, 2026

Femi Otedola buys N20.7 billion more First HoldCo shares, stake hits 26.5%

The billionaire chairman acquired 147.74 million shares at N140 each through Calvados Global Services, pushing his ownership to roughly 26.5%.

The DeskAug 18, 2026

Funding

Nigerian startup closes Africa's largest seed round at $52 million

Terra Industries raised an additional $18 million, extending its seed round to $52 million and paving the way for a London office and scaled manufacturing.

The DeskAug 17, 2026

South Africans can now roll over unused data, voice and SMS from 2027

SA telecom regulator ICASA has mandated automatic, free rollover of unused bundles from January 2027. Vodacom and MTN are fighting it in court.

The DeskAug 17, 2026

Nigerian students can now learn AI and pitch startups via Meta's new academy

Meta and Nigeria's digital economy ministry launched AI Academy Nigeria, offering developers, students and startups free AI training, bootcamps and a pitchathon.

The DeskAug 17, 2026

Crypto users can now trade on 3 more apps under Nigeria's rules

Nigeria's SEC cleared Pisi Payments, Blockchain.com's local arm, and Yellow Card to operate under its Accelerated Regulatory Incubation Programme, bringing total participants to 14.

The DeskAug 16, 2026

Airtel customers in Congo can now text via satellite without a dish

Airtel Africa and Starlink have launched the first commercial satellite-to-mobile service in Africa, starting in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The DeskAug 16, 2026

AI startup Anthropic's revenue surged 1,360% to $11.5B in one quarter

Leaked investor documents show the Claude chatbot maker's Q2 2026 revenue jumped to more than $11.5 billion, up from $787 million a year earlier.

The DeskAug 16, 2026

Nigerian founders can pitch to 200+ investors at GITEX Lagos in September

NITDA is accepting applications from Nigerian startups across AI, fintech, healthtech and more to showcase at GITEX Nigeria 2026. Deadline: 21 August.

The DeskAug 16, 2026

Windows users in Nigeria warned: patch RDP now or risk takeover

NITDA alerts users to patch critical Windows RDP flaws allowing remote code execution and data theft.

The DeskAug 16, 2026

Nigerian founders can now unlock startup tax breaks, but the delivery still lags

NITDA is coordinating agencies to make Nigeria Startup Act incentives real for labelled startups, from tax holidays to a ₦10bn seed fund.

The DeskAug 16, 2026

Users can now see why X hides their posts from the For You timeline

X released ranking code and an "Under the Hood" tool showing labels that limit post visibility, including signs of shadowbanning.

The DeskAug 16, 2026

Shoppers spent R25.5 billion on Shoprite's Sixty60 delivery app

Shoprite's on-demand grocery platform hit about $1.6 billion in annual sales, up 34.5%, now driving over a third of the group's growth.

The DeskAug 13, 2026

Nigerian WordPress users told to update now — bug lets hackers run code

A critical flaw in WordPress before 7.0.3 lets attackers bypulse authentication and potentially take over sites. Nigerian admins are urged to patch.

The DeskAug 12, 2026

Funding

Jumia raises $50 million from World Bank arm and Axian to expand African e-commerce

IFC anchors the round with $25 million, with Axian and other investors providing the rest. Funds target logistics, JumiaPay, and core-market growth.

The DeskAug 12, 2026

Founders can now test crypto and data-driven fintech under new CBN sandbox

Nigeria's central bank opened applications for its second regulatory sandbox cohort, adding dedicated tracks for virtual assets and data-enabled services.

The DeskAug 12, 2026

Claude users will have their AI text secretly watermarked from August 2

Anthropic has started embedding invisible, machine-readable watermarks into all text generated by new Claude AI models, making the content detectable even after copying and pasting.

The DeskAug 12, 2026

Founders can pitch at West Africa's biggest tech show as GITEX Nigeria sets 2026 dates

The government-backed event will hold an AI summit in Abuja on Aug 31 and a full tech expo in Lagos from Sep 2-3, targeting thousands of startups, investors, and global tech leaders.

The DeskAug 12, 2026

UNILAG students can now get free contraceptives delivered to campus

GoMed Nigeria, UNFPA, and Lagos State have launched a digital platform offering free sexual and reproductive health products and discreet delivery to University of Lagos students.

The DeskAug 12, 2026

Jeff Bezos-led group nears deal for one-third stake in Liverpool FC

A consortium including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is close to acquiring a roughly 30% minority stake in Premier League club Liverpool, multiple outlets report.

The DeskAug 12, 2026

Learners in low-connectivity areas get AI tutor that works offline

VirtualClickSupport unveils DigiBridge, an AI-powered EdTech framework with adaptive tutoring, offline-first access, and culturally responsive design for resource-constrained environments.

The DeskAug 12, 2026

Founders could build more ventures with AI, Zuckerberg argues

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says advanced AI will expand human capability and entrepreneurship, not destroy jobs, in a new essay published Monday.

The DeskAug 11, 2026

Business owners, not agents: why Moniepoint and OPay aren't fighting the same fight

A viral tweet frames Moniepoint and OPay as rivals, but the best data shows they dominate different layers of Nigeria's POS and banking economy, with clear splits in agent count, market share, and product design.

The DeskAug 10, 2026

OneDosh users can now top up USD wallets instantly with a debit card

Nigerian fintech OneDosh launched a Stripe-powered onramp letting eligible users fund USD wallets with a debit card and access its full ecosystem immediately.

The DeskAug 8, 2026

Nigerian businesses still crushed by multiple taxes despite reforms, CBN survey finds

A new Central Bank of Nigeria survey shows 70.8% of firms say overlapping taxes remain their top problem, ranking above insecurity and high interest rates.

The DeskAug 8, 2026

Businesses can now run AI security over old CCTV, as Sorveo goes live in Lagos

Lagos startup Sorveo has launched an AI platform that plugs into existing CCTV cameras, offering real-time facial and plate recognition without replacing hardware.

The DeskAug 8, 2026

Nigerians can now earn rewards as OPay opens affiliate applications

OPay has opened applications for an affiliate programme in Nigeria, letting creators, students, and entrepreneurs earn by driving new user signups and activity.

The DeskAug 8, 2026

MTN customers can claim free 25GB data today for its 25th anniversary

MTN Nigeria is giving eligible customers a free 25GB data bundle through its app, valid until 11:59 pm on 8 August 2026.

The DeskAug 8, 2026

Developing countries don't need big AI models, World Bank says

The World Bank's 2026 development report advises developing economies against competing on large AI models and data centres, urging a focus on local adaptation instead.

The DeskAug 8, 2026

Lebara customers can now pay for airtime and data through Payaza

Lebara Nigeria has named Payaza Africa as its exclusive payment partner, letting customers buy airtime, data, and subscriptions directly through the telco's new digital platform.

The DeskAug 8, 2026

Shoppers can now test ASUS laptops before buying at a new Lagos store

ASUS and Konga opened a flagship experience store in Computer Village, Ikeja, letting customers try premium laptops, AI PCs, and gaming devices with expert help and after-sales support.

The DeskAug 8, 2026

Customs hires just 3,852 out of 573,680 applicants — a 0.7% success rate

The Nigeria Customs Service offered jobs to 3,852 candidates from 573,680 applications, a 0.7% success rate. Recruitment will now be an annual, merit-based exercise.

The DeskAug 5, 2026

Cloud providers in Nigeria must now follow new sovereign data rules

NITDA signed three regulatory instruments for Nigeria's National Sovereign Cloud Initiative, setting rules for cloud computing, technical standards, and digital infrastructure assurance.

The DeskAug 5, 2026

Insights

Nigerians spent N1.41 trillion on beer, malt and spirits in six months

Combined revenue from the country's three largest brewers hit N1.41 trillion in the first half of 2026, a sharp rise from N1.09 trillion a year earlier.

The DeskAug 5, 2026

Events

Fintechs and Banks can Now Apply for a Lagos Sprint to Turn Gender Data into Real Products

A three-day design sprint in Lagos this September will help financial players turn gender-disaggregated data into practical tools and policies.

The DeskAug 4, 2026

Nigerians can now get birth and death certificates online

NPC launches a nationwide digital platform for civil registration, ending manual certificates and linking records to the national ID system.

The DeskAug 4, 2026

Amazon's value crosses $3 trillion as cloud and AI growth pays off

The e-commerce and cloud giant briefly hit a $3 trillion market cap on Monday after strong earnings beat Wall Street expectations.

The DeskAug 4, 2026

Nigerians can now trade on real-world events via Busha’s licensed prediction market

Busha launches Signal, a Lagos State-licensed prediction market letting users trade outcomes on sports, politics, crypto, and more using their existing crypto wallets.

The DeskAug 4, 2026

MTN is 3 million subscribers away from 100 million after hitting 96.9 million in May

MTN Nigeria now controls 51.19% of the mobile market with 96.9 million active subscriptions, leaving it just over 3 million short of the 100 million milestone, according to the latest NCC data.

The DeskAug 1, 2026

Nigerian firms can now access top-tier CrowdStrike security locally via eProcess

eProcess Consulting becomes Africa's first CrowdStrike Elite Partner, signaling local firms can deploy advanced global cybersecurity tools.

The DeskAug 1, 2026

Travellers to South Africa will pay a new $30 digital processing fee

South Africa proposes a ZAR 500 (~US$30) electronic processing fee for online travel authorisations and visas, with new charges likely from August 2026.

The DeskAug 1, 2026

Students can now build and fly drones for credit at Miva University

Miva Open University and drone maker Terra Industries are building robotics labs where students will design, test, and fly drones as part of their degree programs.

The DeskAug 1, 2026

Young techies in Nigeria and Ghana can now apply for MacBook awards and funded scholarships

Cardtonic's Upskill 4.0 offers 25 MacBook M4 Pro laptops for professionals and 20 AltSchool Africa scholarships with ₦250,000 stipends. Applications close August 28.

The DeskAug 1, 2026

Rwandans on 3G phones will lose service by June 2027

Rwanda will switch off its 3G network on 30 June 2027, with 2G to follow later, as the country pushes users and businesses toward 4G and 5G.

The DeskAug 1, 2026