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In a major step toward digital inclusion, the SMART Zambia Muchinga team, in partnership with the Shiwangandu Town Council, has successfully rolled out Starlink high-speed internet to nine critical locations across the district

The effort aims to close the connectivity gap for underserved and previously unconnected communities.

Among the newly connected sites are six healthcare facilities, a secondary school, the civic center, and the district health office—bringing essential digital access to institutions vital for community well-being and development.

This deployment represents a key milestone in improving digital infrastructure in Muchinga Province, with far-reaching impacts on healthcare delivery, educational advancement, and local economic empowerment.

Provincial principal head of ICT, Francis Sangale, noted that the team collaborated closely with Mr. Itayi Mudekwa, Systems Analyst at Shiwangandu Town Council, to ensure successful installation at all sites.

Q-KON, a premier satellite services provider, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rivada Space Networks to bring cutting-edge connectivity solutions to Africa and beyond

This collaboration aims to drive digital transformation and expand network infrastructure across the continent.

Under the agreement, Q-KON will utilise Rivada’s Outernet—a revolutionary Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network—to enhance the reliability and security of specialised data networks, especially in sectors demanding high levels of data protection such as finance and banking. The Outernet’s multi-gigabit, bi-directional capabilities and global reach are expected to significantly boost network performance, supporting digital growth and new business opportunities.

Is Outernet ready?

With the rising importance of data sovereignty and resilience, Africa’s connectivity landscape is evolving. The Outernet promises a distinct advantage by delivering not just high-speed, low-latency service, but also robust cybersecurity infrastructure. Its architecture supports future-ready digital frameworks aligned with stringent data safety and privacy norms, fostering increased trust in digital applications and services.

Rivada’s Outernet differs from existing satellite networks by eliminating the need for data to pass through the public internet or third-party systems. It uses laser-linked satellites with onboard processing and an optical mesh structure that routes data entirely through space—from origin to destination. This unique design delivers ultra-secure, low-latency global connectivity, outperforming traditional terrestrial fibre on long routes.

Dr Dawie de Wet, Group CEO of Q-KON, said, “We are pleased to start working with Rivada to develop specialized LEO solutions for the advanced enterprise, industry and government markets in Africa and to complement our growing Twoobii LEO Smart Satellite Services portfolio. We view the Outernet as an evolution on the LEO architecture roadmap that will follow-on and advance the industry from the classic broadband LEO services currently being deployed in Africa, to unlock bespoke applications and high security service-specific user applications.”

Declan Ganley, CEO of Rivada Space Networks, concluded, “We are delighted to be partnering with Q-KON supporting the development of communications across Africa. Rivada’s Outernet is what data communications has been waiting for – a game-changing constellation which re-defines connectivity in terms of security, latency, capacity, efficiency, and coverage. As a completely new type of LEO constellation, the Outernet can provide Africa with a next-generation digital infrastructure for secure, resilient communications and network expansion.”

Onafriq, the continent’s leading digital payments platform, is marking 15 years of innovation and growth by announcing a major achievement: its infrastructure now connects nearly 1 billion mobile money wallets and 500 million bank accounts across Africa

What began as a simple mobile money switch has evolved into a robust, omnichannel network. Onafriq today offers a wide range of services, including cross-border payments, merchant collections, card issuance and processing, agency banking, foreign exchange, and treasury solutions. Its infrastructure enables interoperability across mobile wallets, traditional bank accounts, cards, and offline payment channels—paving the way for a more unified financial ecosystem across Africa.

“We remain fully committed to connecting every individual and business in Africa with each other and the world,” said Dare Okoudjou, founder and CEO of Onafriq. “Fifteen years ago, we set out with a bold ambition: to connect Africa’s mobile money systems and make borders matter less. What we’ve built since then is more than a network—it’s a pan-African infrastructure layer that has evolved in lockstep with the continent’s digital evolution. From mobile money to bank accounts, from remittances to real-time trade—we’ve grown as Africa has grown. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved and even more excited about the road ahead.”

From its early days of enabling mobile wallet interoperability, Onafriq has become an essential layer in Africa’s financial services landscape. The network supports everything from peer-to-peer transactions and remittances to merchant services, agency banking, and card solutions.

Currently, Onafriq’s platform connects:

• 961 million registered mobile wallets

• 464 million registered bank accounts

• More than 2,000 cross-border payment corridors

This infrastructure has made it easier for rural populations receiving social benefits, global fintechs entering African markets, and everyday users to access and use digital financial services.

Looking to the future, Onafriq is focusing on building infrastructure that supports localised needs while maintaining the scale of its continent-wide reach. “We are increasingly focused on creating infrastructure with local depth,” said Okoudjou. “A prime example is Nigeria, where we are developing a unique payments stack that combines the strength of our cross-border network with the regulatory and foreign exchange realities of one of Africa’s most dynamic economies. By building infrastructure that reflects local context, we can enable more relevant use cases—moving beyond large numbers of registered mobile money wallets to foster an ecosystem where usage is active, sustained, and impactful.”

In line with its forward-looking approach, Onafriq is exploring blockchain infrastructure and stablecoin solutions to enable near-instant, programmable payments. These innovations are aligned with the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and are intended to help the continent leapfrog legacy systems in favour of a mobile-first, real-time digital finance model.

With a strong execution record, an expansive reach, and a deep understanding of African markets, Onafriq continues to invest in infrastructure that supports inclusive growth and economic opportunity—both within nations and across borders.

Huawei, a global leader in ICT infrastructure and smart devices, has announced its commitment to assisting Tower Companies (TowerCos) in Africa in diversifying their energy sources and adopting sustainable energy practices for powering telecom infrastructure

This initiative aims to help TowerCos reduce their carbon emissions, improve operational efficiency, and explore new business opportunities.

During his speech, "Lighting Up the Road to Multiple Business Future for TowerCos," delivered at the TowerXchange Meetup Africa 2024 in Nairobi, Li Shaolong, president of site power facility domain at Huawei Digital Power, noted that Africa is accelerating the development of ICT infrastructure. TowerCos, as key players in this process, are facing new challenges and opportunities.

“As mobile connectivity demand rises, TowerCos are under increasing pressure to ensure energy reliability and sustainability, especially in areas with limited grid access. Tower sites, often in remote locations, depend heavily on diesel generators, which are costly, environmentally harmful, and vulnerable to fuel supply issues. Huawei’s energy solutions address these challenges by incorporating renewable energy technologies like solar power and advanced energy storage systems,” Li explained.

He emphasised Huawei's long-term commitment to helping Africa's TowerCos transition to greener energy solutions, leveraging the integration of digital and power electronics technologies. Huawei Site Power Facility aims to provide TowerCos with comprehensive energy infrastructure and intelligent operations and maintenance (O&M) solutions.

A path to diversification

In addition to energy sustainability, Huawei is supporting TowerCos in their efforts to diversify by helping them explore new business models and revenue streams.

“This will drive TowerCos to become energy producers through innovative solutions and business models, leading to diversified business development, revenue growth, and sustained success in energy operations,” Li said.

He highlighted that with Huawei's eMIMO smart power solution, TowerCos can centrally manage multiple energy inputs—such as grid power, photovoltaics (PV), and energy storage—and multiple outputs ranging from 12V to 220V devices through a single platform.

“In this way, revenue-generating services like environmental protection and emergency response can be developed alongside communications services,” he said.

Li further stated that Huawei Site Power Facility Domain's main goals are to support network evolution, increase tenancy ratios, help TowerCos reduce energy costs while achieving green development, improve power availability, and reduce site O&M costs.

“Huawei will continue collaborating with TowerCos to innovate and advance energy infrastructure towards a 'green, simple, and intelligent' future, accelerating the growth of African carrier networks and contributing to a digital Africa,” Li added.

West Africa’s DDoS threat landscape was dominated by Nigeria and Mali, according to NETSCOUT’s Threat Intelligence Report for July to December 2024, which analyses global attack trends and techniques

Nigeria faced 1,716 attacks in the latter half of 2024, a notable decline from 2,721 incidents in the first six months. Meanwhile, Mali saw a dramatic surge, with attacks soaring from 115 in the first half to 1,637 in the second half of the year.

“Web search portals and all other information services bore the brunt of attacks in Mali, with an astounding average duration of 1,197 minutes per incident,” said Bryan Hamman, NETSCOUT’s regional director for Africa. “This was followed by wired telecommunications carriers, which was also the most targeted industry at a global level during the same period, with more than 2.1 million incidents.”

In Nigeria, the main targets included telecommunications resellers and computing infrastructure providers. Interestingly, beauty salons appeared among the top ten sectors attacked, alongside wired telecommunications carriers, commercial banks, used merchandise retailers, tyre dealers, and household electronics wholesalers. “This shows once again how threat actors adapt their strategies accordingly within different countries to target those industries that are strong in individual sovereign territories,” Hamman explained.

Nigeria also experienced some of the most complex DDoS campaigns in the region, with up to 22 different vendors involved in a single attack, primarily using TCP, DNS amplification, and ICMP flood (Ping flood) methods.

Liberia ranked next with 1,189 attacks, slightly fewer than the 1,515 reported earlier in 2024. The country’s computer systems design services sector was heavily targeted, suffering 360 attacks over six months. DNS amplification was the dominant attack vector, closely followed by STUN amplification.

Ghana recorded a sharp decline in attacks in the second half of 2024, falling to 917 from 4,753 earlier in the year. The ICT sector remained most targeted, including web search portals and information services (317 attacks), wired telecommunications carriers (43), and computing infrastructure providers. Notably, footwear manufacturers were third, enduring 14 attacks during the period.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo entered NETSCOUT’s rankings for the first time, coming in fifth with 879 attacks. Hamman noted, “While the most significant attack peaked at a modest 0.74 Gbps, the complexity was notable – with up to 15 vectors used in a single attack.” Computing infrastructure providers bore the brunt, though one satellite telecommunications attack lasted an exhausting 689 minutes.

Though Cameroon was not the most targeted country with 811 incidents, nor did it experience the most complex attacks, it recorded the highest bandwidth attack in the region at 200.43 Gbps – surpassing Nigeria’s 148.77 Gbps.

Meanwhile, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, and the Republic of the Congo faced fewer attacks, with 495, 341, and 329 incidents respectively. Côte d'Ivoire suffered the largest attack among them at 8.66 Gbps, targeting wired telecommunications carriers. Guinea’s wireless telecommunications carriers were most pressured, while telecommunications resellers were the hardest hit in the Republic of the Congo.

“This latest data from NETSCOUT reinforces a critical truth for West Africa: DDoS attacks aren’t just increasing in frequency, but also in intensity and sophistication,” Hamman emphasized. “While nations like Nigeria and Mali face a high volume of incidents, others are experiencing powerful, high-bandwidth attacks that can cripple essential services.

“As noted previously, the ICT sector remains firmly in the crosshairs across the continent in its entirety, making it vital for organisations across the region to prioritise proactive defence strategies, invest in continuous risk assessments and engage in broader cybersecurity collaboration to stay ahead of evolving threats,” he concluded.