Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation has opened applications for Cohort 5 of the iHatch Startup Incubation Programme, a nationwide initiative designed to support early-stage founders across Nigeria.
The programme, which operates through innovation hubs across all 36 states and the FCT, aims to help entrepreneurs transform ideas into viable businesses through incubation, mentorship, and ecosystem support.
Selected startups will receive practical training, mentorship from industry experts, MVP development support, business structuring guidance, and investment readiness support.
To qualify, applicants must be at least 18 years old, based in Nigeria, and apply as a team of at least two members, including one full-time technical team member. The programme is open to startups at the idea, prototype, or MVP stage.
Founders selected for the four-month incubation programme are expected to actively participate in mentorship sessions and programme activities throughout the duration.
Applications close on May 27, 2026.
Read more:Â /blog/apply-for-ihatch-startup-incubator-programme
Renewvia Energy Corp. is planning a $750 million expansion of its solar-powered mini-grid operations across Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as part of efforts to tackle Africa’s growing electricity deficit.
According to Trey Jarrard, the expansion aims to deliver about 2.1 million electricity connections across the four countries.
Sub-Saharan Africa remains the world’s largest region without adequate electricity access, with nearly 600 million people lacking power supply. The expansion aligns with the World Bank and African Development Bank-backed Mission 300 initiative, which seeks to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.
Renewvia currently operates 24 commercial mini-grids across Kenya and Nigeria, serving rural communities and businesses including Shell, United Bank for Africa, and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The company is also seeking $45 million in concessional financing to expand renewable energy projects in Kakuma and Dadaab refugee settlements, with plans to improve electricity access for more than 550,000 people.
Read more: /blog/us-solar-firm-renewvia-targets-750-million-power-expansion-across-africa
ISOC empowers 2,500 Nigerians with AI safety & digital skills
To mark Safer Internet Day 2026, the Internet Society Nigeria Chapter trained over 2,500 Nigerians across all 36 states + FCT on AI safety, digital trust, and responsible tech use.
From students to teachers and persons with disabilities, the initiative focused on cyber hygiene, data privacy, and AI literacy—supporting Nigeria’s push for digital inclusion under Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agenda.
As AI adoption grows, efforts like this are key to building a safer, more trusted digital ecosystem.
👉 Read the full story via the link below:
/blog/isoc-trains-2500-nigerians-on-ai-safety-digital-trust
Polygon has introduced a new privacy feature that enables shielded stablecoin transfers, allowing businesses and fintechs to send USDC and USDT without exposing transaction details on public blockchains.
The system uses zero-knowledge proofs via Hinkal to verify transactions while keeping sender, receiver, and amounts private. At the same time, all transfers undergo Know Your Transaction (KYT) screening, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
Polygon is positioning the feature for institutional use cases such as treasury management and payroll, where transparency on public chains has limited adoption. Users can also generate audit-ready records for regulators, creating a balance between privacy and accountability.
The rollout aligns with Polygon’s broader push to become a payments infrastructure layer through its Open Money Stack, combining onchain speed and low costs with the confidentiality typically associated with traditional financial systems.
Read more: /blog/polygon-rolls-out-zero-knowledge-shielded-stablecoin-transfers-for-businesses-and-fintechs
Redtech has been named among the Financial Times “Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies 2026,” ranking 32nd out of 130 companies and securing a place among Africa’s top 15 fastest-growing fintech firms in its debut appearance on the list.
Compiled by the Financial Times in partnership with Statista, the ranking recognises African companies with the strongest revenue growth between 2021 and 2024.
The recognition follows the rapid expansion of Redtech’s payment platform, RedPay, which supports payment collections, processing, reconciliation, and fund management for businesses across Africa.
According to the company, Redtech has processed over ₦37.2 trillion ($27 billion) in transactions to date and deployed more than 55,000 RedPay POS terminals across Nigeria within 16 months.
Tony O. Elumelu said the recognition reflects the role of African-built infrastructure in driving business growth and economic prosperity across the continent.
Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Ojo said the company remains focused on strengthening payment infrastructure that enables African businesses to scale with confidence.
Read more: /blog/redtech-named-among-financial-times-fastest-growing-african-companies-for-2026
ZyG has raised $60 million in a Series A funding round at a $500 million valuation, just one year after launching, bringing its total funding to $118 million.
The round was led by Accel, with participation from investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Felix Capital.
Founded in 2025 by former executives and employees of ironSource, ZyG is building an AI-powered platform designed to help e-commerce businesses scale products more efficiently.
The company’s platform uses AI-driven data models to identify high-potential products through a proprietary “ZyG Score” and manages functions such as branding, digital marketing, customer acquisition, logistics, and online store operations through a unified system.
Chief Executive Officer Omer Kaplan said the platform aims to simplify the complexity of scaling online businesses by replacing fragmented tools and multiple service providers with an integrated AI-powered operating system.
Read more: /blog/zyg-raises-60-million-series-a-at-500-million-valuation-one-year-after-launch
The Minister for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande Wisdom, has urged Nigerian youths to embrace artificial intelligence and robotics as tools for innovation, entrepreneurship, and national development.
Speaking at a youth training and competition programme in Abuja organised by NextWear Technologies in partnership with the International Telecommunication Union, the minister said the future of Nigeria’s economy depends on young people acquiring relevant digital skills and embracing emerging technologies.
Represented by Chief Obinna Nwaka, Olawande said AI and robotics are transforming industries globally and creating new opportunities for job creation and economic growth.
He also acknowledged challenges such as limited access to technology and digital literacy gaps in rural communities but expressed confidence that government policies and private sector initiatives would improve access over time.
Also speaking, Ali Drissa Badiel said Africa has a fresh opportunity to leverage AI and digital technologies to accelerate development and compete globally.
The Founder of STEM Garages Africa, Ronald Ajiboye, disclosed that winners of the competition would represent Nigeria at an international event in Geneva later this year.
Read more:/blog/minister-urges-nigerian-youths-to-embrace-ai-and-robotics-for-economic-growth
OpenAI has launched the OpenAI Deployment Company, a new $4 billion-backed venture focused on helping businesses integrate AI into their daily operations.
The initiative will place specialized engineers, known as Forward Deployed Engineers, inside companies to help identify high-impact AI use cases and connect OpenAI models to internal systems and workflows.
As part of the launch, OpenAI will acquire Tomoro, adding about 150 engineers and AI deployment specialists to the new company.
The venture is backed by partners including TPG, Bain Capital, SoftBank, and Goldman Sachs.
OpenAI said the move is designed to help organizations move beyond AI experiments and deploy reliable AI systems within real business environments.
Read more: /blog/openai-launches-4-billion-deployment-company-to-embed-ai-into-enterprise-operations
Nigeria's ngCERT has issued a critical advisory regarding a major security flaw (CVE-2026-0073) that lets hackers take over Android devices without you clicking a single link.
If you haven't updated your phone this month, your data could be at risk.
What you need to know:
🛡️ Attackers can gain remote access silently.
🛡️ No user interaction is required for the exploit to work.
🛡️ The May 2026 security patch is the only fix.
Don’t wait for a notification—check your settings and update now.
Read the full breakdown and how to protect your device here:
/blog/cybersecurity-alert-ngcert-warns-of-critical-zero-click-android-vulnerability
Bosun Tijani says fibre infrastructure deployment and new telecom tower rollouts will begin before the end of the year as the federal government intensifies efforts to close Nigeria’s connectivity gap.
According to Tijani, the country’s poor network coverage and internet quality stem largely from years of underinvestment in digital infrastructure. He said the government is now addressing those challenges through a combination of long-term infrastructure projects and reforms aimed at stabilising telecom operators.
The minister disclosed that the federal government has secured funding led by the World Bank under the Project BRIDGE initiative to support the rollout of nationwide open-access fibre infrastructure.
“We have secured funding, led by the World Bank, and established the framework for a special purpose vehicle with Project BRIDGE, to deliver nationwide open access fibre infrastructure,” Tijani said.
He added that fibre deployment would commence alongside new tower rollouts through NUCAP before year-end, while satellite capabilities are also being expanded to improve nationwide connectivity.
Tijani explained that the investments are targeted at fixing foundational infrastructure gaps within the next two to five years, with the goal of making reliable high-speed internet more accessible to homes and businesses.
“A small business owner should be able to access reliable, high speed fibre internet directly at their home or shop, not rely solely on dongles or unstable mobile connections,” he said.
The minister also highlighted reforms introduced to improve sustainability in the telecom sector, including tariff adjustments, tax harmonisation efforts, broader macroeconomic reforms, and the designation of telecom infrastructure as critical national infrastructure.
Read more:/blog/fg-to-begin-fibre-deployment-telecom-tower-rollout-before-end-of-2026-bosun-tijani
Bosun Tijani has called on telecom operators to improve service quality, warning that regulatory sanctions will follow for those who fail to meet required standards.
Speaking on telecom service performance, Tijani said operators are now operating in a more stable, market-driven environment following recent government reforms that have helped restore profitability in the sector. He argued that this improved financial position gives operators the capacity to fix persistent network issues.
He specifically urged major providers such as MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, and T2 to take immediate steps to improve call quality, data performance, and network coverage.
According to him, the Nigerian Communications Commission has been empowered to closely monitor operators, enforce compliance with service standards, and take regulatory action where necessary.
He added that future assessments of operators will be based on measurable improvements, with government relying on NCC reports and user feedback to track progress in service delivery.
Read more: /blog/bosun-tijani-orders-telecom-operators-to-improve-service-quality-warns-of-ncc-sanctions
Milken Institute and the Motsepe Foundation have announced the winners of the $2 million Milken-Motsepe Prize in AI and Manufacturing, recognising companies using advanced technologies to transform Africa’s manufacturing sector.
The top prize of $1 million went to BleagLee, a Cameroon-based company using AI-powered waste collection systems to recycle plastic, agricultural waste, and e-waste into premium products including recycled polymers, 3D printing materials, and bio-based carbon products.
Freshpack Technologies emerged as the $250,000 runner-up for its AI-powered cold storage technology designed to reduce food waste across Africa, while Digitech Oasis Limited received the $100,000 Most Advanced Use of 4IR award.
The winners were unveiled at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles.
According to the organisers, the unrestricted funding is intended to help participating startups scale operations, accelerate pilots, and expand real-world deployment of their innovations.
The AI and Manufacturing challenge is the fourth competition under the Milken–Motsepe Innovation Prize Programme, which supports technology-driven solutions addressing economic and environmental challenges across Africa and globally.
Read more: /blog/cameroons-bleaglee-wins-1-million-grand-prize-at-milken-motsepe-ai-and-manufacturing-awards
