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Tizeti introduces its New & Awesome Deal, harnessing AI to simplify service, payments, and customer control

Internet

Tizeti Network Limited, West Africa’s pioneering solar-powered internet service provider, has launched its New & Awesome (NA) Deal, an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven upgrade to its customer experience

The initiative is designed to simplify issue resolution, streamline onboarding, and enable seamless payments for millions of subscribers. The phased rollout begins on October 1 for fiber (FreeFiber.Africa) customers, October 15 for wireless wifi (Wifi.com.ng) users, and November 1 for subscribers in Ghana (GhanaWifi.com).

For more than 13 years, Tizeti has led with affordability and unlimited internet. Its introduction of FreeFiber.Africa offered unlimited speed, faster than 5G or satellite services. Yet, the company recognised that connectivity alone was not enough. Over the past five months, Tizeti collected feedback, reimagined its service model, and integrated AI across its operations. The result is a system that places more control in users’ hands, removes common pain points, and enhances transparency.

With the New & Awesome Deal, customers can now check their connection health, account status, and device performance directly from their phones before contacting an agent. AI instantly identifies callers using their Customer Identification Number (CIN), removing lengthy verification steps. Customers can also track technicians in real time when field visits are needed, receive service updates on Status.Tizeti.com, and automatically receive compensation when issues fall within the ISP’s control.

Payments have also been redefined. Using Pay.Tizeti.com, AI agents automatically match transactions to the customer’s CIN, instantly activate accounts, send receipts, and update expiration dates without delay or manual proof of payment. For customers in Nigeria, this ensures frictionless renewals and faster service continuity.

“At 13 years old, Tizeti is evolving,” said Kendall Ananyi, CEO of Tizeti. “We pioneered unlimited internet and introduced unlimited speed. Now, we are redefining service itself. The New & Awesome Deal adapts AI tools to give customers control, speed up resolutions, and make the entire experience – from onboarding to payments – simpler, smarter, and more transparent.”

This initiative reflects Tizeti’s broader ambition to evolve beyond connectivity into building intelligent, user-centered infrastructure. As AI continues to shape digital life, the company believes that customer empowerment and transparency will define the future of Africa’s broadband market.

Globally, telcos have taken similar steps. Reliance Jio in India expanded from affordable data into payments, entertainment, and cloud services. Safaricom in Kenya turned its mobile network into a financial services platform with M-Pesa. Orange in Africa has layered health, banking, and enterprise services onto its connectivity.

Tizeti’s bet is that Africa’s next digital leap will follow this trajectory – where connectivity becomes the baseline, and true value is created through AI-powered infrastructure that enables customers to manage services, make seamless payments, and unlock smarter digital tools.

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most active region for mobile money, with East and West Africa seeing the highest growth in registered accounts and monthly usage. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Mobile

The ‘State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money 2025’, published by the GSMA Mobile Money programme, highlights two major milestones for the mobile money industry in 2024—crossing two billion registered accounts and more than half a billion active monthly users worldwide

This marks a significant acceleration in adoption, as it took the industry 18 years to reach one billion registered accounts and 250 million active users, but only five more years to double that growth.

According to the report, transaction volumes and values saw strong double-digit increases in 2024. An estimated 108 billion transactions, worth over US$1.68 trillion, were processed through mobile money accounts. Compared to 2023, transaction volumes surged by 20%, while values rose by 16%, up from 13% the previous year.

Vivek Badrinath, GSMA director general, commented, “Mobile money has emerged as a powerful driver of financial inclusion and economic growth. Its continued success depends on supportive regulatory environments that promote innovation, accessibility and help unlock the full socio-economic potential. To ensure mobile money remains accessible, affordable, and safe, it is vital for governments and regulators to work with financial service providers to support financial literacy programs, empowering underserved populations and opening new opportunities for financial decision-making.”

Sub-Saharan Africa leads

The report also underlines mobile money’s growing economic impact. By the end of 2023, countries offering mobile money services experienced a collective GDP that was over US$720bn higher than it would have been without them, translating to a 1.7% increase. Sub-Saharan Africa alone accounted for US$190bn of this, affirming the region’s leading role in mobile money innovation.

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most active region for mobile money, with East and West Africa seeing the highest growth in registered accounts and monthly usage. In 2024, East Africa led monthly active account growth, followed by Southeast Asia and West Africa. The East Asia-Pacific region also made significant gains, ranking second in growth of monthly active accounts—driven by favourable regulatory conditions in Cambodia, Fiji, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

According to the GSMA, providers in East Asia and the Pacific are increasingly evolving into full-service financial platforms. “The most successful providers are often those who are actively innovating the breadth of their offerings,” the report noted.

Mobile money services have expanded to include adjacent financial products like credit, savings, and insurance. As of June 2024, 44% of providers offered credit—making it the most common—while about a third offered savings, and 28% provided insurance products.

Despite this momentum, the report flags ongoing adoption challenges, particularly among women. Of the 12 countries surveyed, eight still report a gender gap in mobile money ownership, with minimal improvement since 2023. Barriers such as limited awareness and low digital financial literacy persist—especially for women.

However, women who do own accounts are nearly as likely as men to have used them within the last 30 days. “To address these challenges,” the GSMA explained, “nearly 60% of mobile money providers have launched digital financial literacy initiatives to improve financial skills and drive adoption over time.”

Satellite connectivity boosts education in South Sudan and Uganda. (Image source: Intelsat)

Satellite

Intelsat, operator of one of the world’s largest integrated satellite and terrestrial networks, has announced a landmark partnership with the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI), founded by Academy Award-winning actor and humanitarian Forest Whitaker

This collaboration aims to transform educational access in conflict-affected areas across Africa by delivering high-speed satellite internet to WPDI’s Community Learning Centers in South Sudan and Uganda, regions where infrastructure remains limited or disrupted.

Through this three-year partnership, Intelsat will provide managed connectivity services, satellite equipment, installation, and ongoing technical support to 10 centres— seven in South Sudan and three in Uganda. This initiative marks the first time these WPDI sites will have reliable internet access, opening the door to modern digital education for thousands of young people in underserved communities.

“Education is the foundation for peace,” said Forest Whitaker. “At WPDI, we use technology as a conduit to opportunity, bringing knowledge to young people whose lives have been upended by violence and political unrest. With the right tools, youths can reclaim their futures to become powerful agents of peace in their communities.”

This partnership addresses the urgent issue of digital inequality. According to the International Telecommunication Union, only 19% of people in the least developed countries, such as South Sudan and Uganda, use the internet. The numbers are even lower in conflict-affected regions, creating severe obstacles to education and economic opportunity. By enhancing digital access, WPDI and Intelsat aim to equip learners with the tools to build stronger, more resilient communities.

“At Intelsat, we are great believers in the power of connectivity to promote education and sustainable development around the world,” said Dave Wajsgras, CEO of Intelsat. “Forest Whitaker and WPDI’s efforts represent exactly the kind of transformative work that satellite communications can enable. We’re proud to support WPDI’s efforts to bring young people together, close the digital divide, and create pathways to prosperity in communities that need it most.”

The connectivity enabled by Intelsat will allow WPDI to expand its educational reach, giving students access to digital tools, online courses, and virtual collaboration programs previously unavailable in these remote areas. Learners will also gain digital literacy skills, complementing WPDI’s training in conflict resolution, entrepreneurship, and community development. Many WPDI alumni have become leaders in their communities, such as Benson Lugwar, a former child soldier now serving as an elected official and radio host in Uganda.

AfDB and Algeria unite to scale startups and SMEs, fostering innovation, trade, and youth-driven growth in Africa

Commerce

The African Development Bank (AfDB) and Algeria’s Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Startups, and Micro-Enterprises have agreed to deepen cooperation to accelerate the growth of startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Africa

The announcement came at the close of the fourth edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2025), hosted in Algiers from 4 to 10 September. Leading the Bank’s delegation, Ousmane Fall, Acting Director of the Industrial and Trade Development Department, highlighted the AfDB’s central role in unlocking finance for African businesses. “Supporting small and medium-sized enterprises and startups is one of the key pillars of our work, as defined in the Four Cardinal Points of the Bank group’s new president, Dr Sidi Ould Tah,” said Fall. He added, “The Bank will support SMEs through an innovative approach that combines new financing instruments, advisory services, and policy reforms to promote their emergence across the continent.”

Strengthening private sector engagement

Ahead of discussions with Minister Noureddine Ouadah, the Bank delegation met with Algeria Venture, the state-backed startup accelerator. Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation, particularly by linking Algerian startup funding mechanisms with leading private equity and venture capital funds. They also confirmed plans to jointly take part in the African Startup Conference, scheduled in Algiers from 6 to 9 December 2025, which aims to promote innovation, strengthen networks, and attract investment on a continental scale.

Closing IATF 2025, Minister Ouadah announced the launch of a new investment fund for African startups, an initiative championed by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, underlining Algeria’s commitment to prioritising youth and innovation in shaping Africa’s economic future.

The AfDB’s Non-Sovereign Operations team also presented financing solutions for the private sector while pursuing new strategic collaborations. Engagements with firms such as Solewant Group, a Nigerian steel and coatings leader, illustrated the Bank’s interest in high-impact African companies.

Showcasing innovation and entrepreneurship

The AfDB further contributed to several IATF sessions, including one organised with UNDP’s Timbuktoo initiative and the African Union on “Building an Enabling Startup Ecosystem,” as well as a discussion hosted by Afreximbank’s African Research and Innovation Centre. These platforms enabled the Bank to highlight its Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab and its flagship ENNOVA programme, which helps entrepreneurs expand their operations and access new opportunities.

The IATF Advisory Council, in which the Bank is an active participant, announced that Lagos, Nigeria, will host the fifth edition of the fair in 2027. Reaffirming its commitment, the AfDB stressed that trade, entrepreneurship, and innovation remain central to driving inclusive growth and industrial transformation across the continent.

GeniWatt expands footprint with FG Wilson gensets across Guinea Bissau and Cameroon’s telecom and healthcare sectors. (Image source: GeniWatt)

Power

France-based GeniWatt has enjoyed a string of Africa successes so far in 2025, most recently completing a genset installation at a telecommunications site in Guinea Bissau

The company supplied a P22 generator set, in partnership with Synergy, for telecoms group MTN in the West African country.

The FG Wilson P22 and P33 gensets are “perfectly suited” to telecoms towers, the company noted in a statement, citing soundproof enclosures, safety options, large tanks and telemetry, with full customisation available.

Founded in 2011 by Damien Fétis, president of Secodi, GeniWatt was specially created for the distribution of FG Wilson generators in France, but has extended its footprint deeply into Africa.

West Africa, in particular, has proved fruitful ground so far during 2025.

That includes a string of orders from Cameroon, working together with another local partner, DM Approtech.

Together, the two companies have supplied generators to various groups and associations based in Yaoundé, the nation’s capital.

It includes a 110kVA FG Wilson emergency generator for the Association pour la Promotion de la Femme building, and another emergency generator with its source inverter for the Centre de Formation Sorawell, a separate entity created by the Association pour la Promotion de la Femme.

In addition, the two companies supplied a P22 generator for a new maternity unit financed by the Compassion Sans Frontière association.

Last year, GeniWatt also played a key role in a major dam project in Cameroon, modifying an FG Wilson open P150 for installation at the Nachtigal hydroelectric plant, which sits about 65 kilometres north-east of the capital.

The project included automatic load bank and oil top-up, dual starter with dual battery sets, NFE37-312 GSS2 compliance for safety, a tank with two electric pumps and a manual pump, conducted again alongside DM Approtech, with supervision from EDF to validate the specifications.

Nachtigal is a key strategic project for Cameroon, operated by a consortium that includes energy giant EDF.

The dam’s first turbine is now operational, with full commissioning expected during 2025.

With an expected total capacity of 420 MW, it will eventually cover nearly 30% of Cameroon’s energy needs with clean, available and inexpensive electricity.

Kaspersky launches External Attack Surface module in DFI, giving security teams visibility, risk scoring, and proactive defenses

Security

Kaspersky has unveiled a new External Attack Surface module within its Digital Footprint Intelligence (DFI) service, now accessible through the Threat Intelligence portal

This addition integrates External Attack Surface Management (EASM) features, enabling security teams to continuously oversee and protect their organisation’s external perimeter with improved visibility and control.

For years, the exploitation of public-facing applications has remained the leading method of initial compromise. According to the Kaspersky Incident Response report, these accounted for 39% of incidents in 2024. Furthermore, over 90% of the vulnerabilities targeted by attackers during that year had been publicly disclosed more than twelve months earlier, highlighting weak update and patch management practices in the affected organisations.

With the rapid expansion of digital ecosystems across cloud platforms, third-party applications, and shadow IT, organisations face mounting challenges in maintaining a secure perimeter. The newly introduced module helps by detecting exposed infrastructure, flagging vulnerabilities such as unpatched software or open ports, and assigning risk scores so that security teams can prioritise fixes based on potential business impact.

The External Attack Surface module directly addresses two essential concerns for security leaders: identifying internet-facing assets and determining which ones are at risk. It combines vulnerability scanning, misconfiguration checks, and contextual risk analysis to give enterprises a clear picture of their exposure, along with concrete steps to minimise it.

Unlike tools that provide only a snapshot, this solution also collects and stores historical data. This enables retrospective analysis, trend monitoring, and enhanced incident investigations. Data aggregation from multiple specialised search engines boosts coverage across hosts and services. Each issue discovered is supported by thorough explanations and remediation advice, ensuring teams can move efficiently from detection to resolution.

The value of the module lies not only in enhanced visibility but also in the ability to act decisively. Whether it involves patching outdated software, moving systems behind VPNs, applying WAF rules, or resetting compromised credentials, the module delivers clear and prioritized recommendations that help organizations strengthen defenses before attackers can exploit weaknesses.

“Security teams are under constant pressure to manage an ever-expanding digital perimeter. With the External Attack Surface module, we give them not only visibility of what attackers can see but also recommendations to reduce exposure and respond effectively. By enriching DFI with EASM functionality, we continue to expand the scope of our Threat Intelligence portfolio and deliver cross-product synergies that empower security teams with deeper insights, faster investigations, and more resilient cyber defense.” said Yuliya Novikova, head of digital footprint intelligence at Kaspersky.