Technext

The room is taking shape. Here are four of the people you will be in conversation with at Spotlight by Technext, powered by @thekorahq on 14 May. Founders, operators, and executives who have built and run some of Nigeria's most recognised financial products. This is not a panel. They are not speakers. They are in the room the same way you are. 14 May. Lekki, Lagos. Invite-only. Reserve your spot with the link in bio. #SpotlightByTechnext #Fintech #Nigeria

Nigeria processed 11 billion electronic transactions in 2024. But behind the fundraise announcements and the transaction milestones, there's a gap nobody has put on a slide yet. That gap is what this edition of Spotlight by Technext, powered by @thekorahq , is making space for. 14 May. Lagos. 100 of Nigeria's most senior fintech and insurtech founders, operators, and investors. One question. One rule: honesty over performance. Reserve your spot: https://bit.ly/TNSpotlight #SpotlightByTechnext #Fintech #Nigeria

Something different is happening on 14 May in Lagos. Spotlight by Technext, powered by @thekorahq , is an exclusive evening for fintech and insurtech founders, operators, and investors to unwind, connect and speak plainly about what is working and what is not. One central question drives the entire evening. No recordings, no panels. If you work in payments, insurance, or digital finance in Nigeria, this is worth your evening. Reserve your spot with the link in our bio. #SpotlightByTechnext #Fintech

Bolt has increased ride fares in Kenya by 6% to help drivers cope with rising fuel costs. The company says the decision came after drivers complained about increasing expenses and the difficulty of staying profitable as fuel prices continue to rise globally. Interestingly, this conversation is becoming bigger across different countries. Ride-hailing companies in places like Australia and New Zealand have also increased fares or added fuel surcharges to support drivers. Meanwhile in Nigeria, many drivers have continued to complain that fares have not increased enough despite the sharp rise in fuel prices. The big question is: when fuel prices keep rising, who should carry the burden — the drivers, the companies, or the passengers? Read more on tech news and analysis with the link in bio.

Your Android phone may soon start acting less like a device and more like a personal assistant. At this year’s I/O event, Google unveiled major Gemini-powered Android updates that can automate tasks across apps, improve phone security, make sharing files with iPhones easier, and even generate custom widgets using simple prompts. One of the biggest changes is how deeply AI is now built into the Android experience. Instead of users constantly switching between apps and manually doing everything themselves, Gemini is being designed to handle more actions in the background. Google is also improving theft protection, creator tools for Instagram on Android, and cross-platform sharing between Android and iPhone users. The bigger message is clear: smartphones are evolving from tools we manage into systems that actively work for us. Would you want an AI-powered phone experience like this? Read more tech and news analysis.

Nigerian troops have reportedly seized over 400 Starlink devices from Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters in the North-East. What makes this story worrying is that these groups are now using modern technology like satellite internet and drones to communicate and coordinate attacks in places where normal networks do not exist. It also shows how technology can be both helpful and dangerous at the same time. Tools built to connect people and improve internet access are now being used in conflict areas by armed groups. As technology becomes easier to access, security challenges are changing too. Do you think companies providing these technologies should do more to control how they are used in conflict zones? Follow us for more tech news and analysis. #Technext

Africa’s electric mobility push is gaining momentum. Metro Africa Xpress (MAX) has secured $8 million in debt funding backed by Triple Jump to expand its EV fleet, battery swap infrastructure, and PAYGO financing platform. As fuel costs rise and cities search for cleaner, cheaper transportation alternatives, companies like MAX are betting that electric mobility could become a major part of Africa’s transport future. The company currently operates across Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon, building an ecosystem around EV adoption for commercial drivers and riders. The bigger question now is: can electric mobility scale fast enough to reshape transportation across the continent? Read more news and analyisis on the technext website #ElectricVehicles #Mobility

Every room needs someone who knows how to hold it. Dr Harrison Obiefule will host Spotlight by Technext on 14 May, keeping the conversation honest, focused, and moving. Spotlight by Technext, powered by @thekorahq . Lekki, Lagos. Reserve your spot with the link in bio. #SpotlightByTechnext #Fintech #Nigeria

The Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) was created to build telecommunications infrastructure in rural communities where private telecom companies have no financial incentive to invest. However, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) wrote to President Tinubu on May 9, 2026, demanding accountability for ₦26.9 billion in funds that are either missing, unaccounted for, or potentially diverted. The financial irregularities primarily took place during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. But Tinubu’s government is still on the hook because when a new administration takes over an agency, it also takes on the responsibility for that agency’s actions. The Auditor-General, Mr Shaakaa Kanyitor Chira, uncovered that the USPF failed to send ₦13.8 billion in operating surplus to the government treasury, as required by law, for over four years. Over ₦2.8 billion in contracts were awarded without any approval or procurement documentation. Then, there is the COVID-19 travel scandal. The USPF claimed to have spent over ₦11.7 million on international training in October 2020. However, Nigeria was under a complete lockdown and travel ban during that time, meaning no one could travel internationally. There is also the matter of ₦8 million paid to a fund manager who did not exist. Further down the list, ₦6.4 billion was spent on connectivity projects that were never included in the approved 2020 budget, ₦2.8 billion spent between January and May 2021 with no supporting documents and no explanation of purpose, ₦390 million paid to consultants for projects where there was no evidence of any work done. The USPF also failed to deduct ₦144 million in withholding tax from consultant payments and failed to collect and remit ₦333 million in stamp duty from contractors. SERAP has now given the government a seven days ultimatum to respond, warning it would pursue legal action if ignored because every naira diverted from its mandate is a naira taken directly from the Nigerians who need digital infrastructure most.

In 2 days, founders, innovators, and policymakers will be gathering in one room to have the conversations that actually shape where fintech in Africa is headed. No panels. No pitches. Just real talk on trust, liquidity, and user reality. That’s what Spotlight by TechNext is. A space where the right people get in a room and have the honest conversations the industry actually needs. Head over to @technextdotng to reserve your spot.

In the first quarter of 2026, MTN Nigeria recorded N355.5 billion in profit as service revenue surged by 41.7%, outperforming every other MTN market across the continent. The result shows how important Nigeria has become to the telecom giant’s African business, especially as data usage continues to explode. Across the group, active data users climbed to 175.6 million, while internet traffic jumped by over 20%. More Africans are coming online, consuming more videos, using more apps, and relying more heavily on mobile internet for everyday activities. But the Nigerian growth story is deeper than subscriber numbers. After battling harsh economic conditions, exchange rate pressure, and inflation between 2023 and 2025, telecom operators are now beginning to stabilise. MTN’s strong recovery suggests the company is finally benefiting from improved market conditions and heavy investments in infrastructure like towers and fibre networks. At the same time, competition is becoming sharper in other markets. In South Africa, MTN’s service revenue grew by just 0.7% as rivals like Vodacom, Rain, Telkom, and Cell C continue fighting aggressively for prepaid users. The company is also betting heavily on fintech MoMo. MoMo now has 67.4 million active users, and the group is restructuring the unit across markets like Nigeria and Ghana to position it as a standalone growth business. Telecom companies are no longer just selling calls and data, they are gradually becoming infrastructure providers for Africa’s digital economy by powering internet access, digital payments, financial services, and online commerce at scale. Guess it's fair enough to say that majority of Nigerians have an MTN SIM card

Technology has increasingly become deeply woven into how women navigate everyday life, especially mothers balancing work, business, caregiving, health, and family. That is why today’s spotlight is on Aghama Moriah Jesurobo, founder of MumsWhoCode @mumswhocode Through the platform, she has helped thousands of African mothers gain access to tech training, mentorship, career support, and opportunities that make it easier to enter and grow within the digital economy. What started as a community has now impacted over 4,000 women across 18 countries, helping many mothers build careers in tech while balancing family responsibilities. Beyond community building, Aghama’s journey is also rooted in years of technical experience, from software development to educational technology and digital inclusion advocacy. At a time when conversations around tech often focus on startups, funding, and AI, stories like this are a reminder that technology is also helping more women build sustainable careers, income, and flexibility on their own terms.