.ng Ambassador Programme is a strategic initiative designed to deepen awareness, advocacy, and adoption of Nigeria’s country code top-level domain, .ng.

At Tech Convergence 3.0 in Abuja, NiRA conferred the inaugural National .ng Ambassador Recognition on Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, chairman, Senate Committee on ICT & Cybersecurity, and Honourable Stanley Adedeji Olajide, chairman, House Committee on Information & Technology, in recognition of their contributions to Nigeria’s digital transformation journey, support for innovation, and commitment to advancing indigenous digital infrastructure.

The .ng Ambassador Programme seeks to build a network of distinguished champions who will promote Nigeria’s digital identity and highlight the strategic importance of the .ng namespace across key stakeholder communities.

Conferring the honour on the recipients, Dr. Mrs. Ibukun Odusoke, chairperson, NiRA Board of Trustees, said this milestone reinforces NiRA’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s digital ecosystem, fostering local content development, and positioning .ng as the preferred digital identity for Nigerians and Nigerian businesses.

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The meeting, held in Wednesday, brought together senior executives from both organisations to discuss the future of Nigeria’s telecommunications industry, infrastructure development, service quality, and emerging opportunities within the country’s rapidly evolving digital economy.

The Executive Management and Staff of ntel include Afolabi Oladunjoye, Ikechi Jim Nnah, George Ifeonyemetalu, Chinedu Anochirionye, Ariyike Akinbobola LL.B, Nasirudeen Babalola, who were received by the hairman of the NCC, in a meeting centered on innovation, industry growth, and the future of connectivity in Nigeria.

Also present were the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Engr. Abraham Oshadami; the Board Secretary, GT Mohammed; alongside members of the Commission’s management and staff.

Discussions during the engagement focused on strengthening industry collaboration, expanding broadband access, improving connectivity infrastructure, and driving innovation capable of supporting Nigeria’s digital transformation ambitions.

Speaking during the meeting, Olorunnimbe emphasised the importance of sustained investment, service quality, and innovation in delivering value to Nigerian consumers.

He encouraged ntel to continue positioning itself as a strong Nigerian player within the highly competitive telecommunications sector.

“The opportunity ahead is significant for operators committed to quality, innovation, and long-term value creation,” he said, reiterating the Commission’s commitment to supporting operators while strengthening the broader telecommunications ecosystem.

The NCC chairman also acknowledged ntel’s ongoing investments and new initiatives aimed at expanding broadband connectivity and enhancing digital access across the country.

For ntel, the visit provided an opportunity to deepen engagement with the regulator while reaffirming its commitment to delivering transformative digital infrastructure and innovative connectivity solutions for businesses, institutions, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and communities across Nigeria.

The company said discussions also highlighted the growing demand for reliable broadband services and the importance of introducing innovative products capable of expanding digital inclusion and supporting economic growth.

The engagement comes shortly after ntel announced the deployment of NOVA (Tarana), its next-generation Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) initiative designed to improve access to high-speed wireless connectivity nationwide.

According to the company, the project is expected to strengthen ntel’s role as a digital infrastructure provider by enabling partner ISPs, enterprises, and organisations to deliver broadband services using its network infrastructure.

Both parties expressed optimism about continued collaboration toward building a more connected and digitally empowered Nigeria.

While these businesses acknowledge the downside of sticking with legacy infrastructure, they are often fearful (and rightly so) of the complexity, cost, and potential disruption that can come with upgrading their existing tech.

This is particularly true for Business Support Systems (BSS). A BSS manages critical revenue-related functions, from billing and revenue management to CRM and order fulfilment, and forms the backbone of how telcos interact with customers.

Telcos are often tentative about a BSS overhaul because they’ve already made significant investments in legacy technology and can’t justify the cost of an upgrade.

Additionally, these systems are such a key component of day-to-day operations, operators are understandably cautious about making changes to something that has traditionally worked well enough and where such a change would introduce significant operational risk.

A BSS upgrade is a significant project, something akin to a bank replacing its entire network of ATMs. It’s a project that touches every part of the business, impacts millions of customers, and requires meticulous planning and execution.

But legacy BSS platforms are typically monolithic, complex and costly to maintain, leaving telcos stuck between the risk of disruption and the need to modernise.

So, how do you know when it’s time to move to a modern BSS?

If your competitors are gaining traction with the frequent launch of new products and you’re losing market share, it might be time to modernise your BSS.

If it takes you months to update your processes in response to market or regulatory changes, and others are moving at a much faster pace, your business support systems need a refresh.

If your customer satisfaction scores are down, if you’re struggling with billing inaccuracies and high maintenance costs, modernising your BSS is the right move.

BSS migration mastery

The dilemma is clear: replacing or upgrading a system is a big step but continuing to rely on increasingly outdated technology threatens innovation, competitiveness and future growth.

For telcos wanting to replace a legacy BSS without the risk, taking a modular or phased approach is the best strategy.

Rather than upgrading everything at the same time, savvy telcos can opt to swap out specific services, whether it’s just a CRM component or invoicing component, maybe the onboarding component and then scale things up at their own pace.

With this approach, old and new systems can run in parallel, with the legacy system continuing to handle live operations, while the new system is tested and validated.

It’s also possible to run a phased customer migration, so that operators can refine processes and resolve issues before affecting their entire customer base.

While there’s no doubt that a BSS upgrade is a big project, the risks of delaying an upgrade far outweigh the challenges of migration. Especially if you migrate in stages.

When adopting a phased approach, operators can modernise with lower risk, and guaranteed continuity of service and enjoy the benefits of modern platforms – from quick product launches and better operational efficiency to improved customer experience.

According to a new report by Juniper Research, over-the-top (OTT) business messaging traffic, led by platforms like WhatsApp, is projected to skyrocket from 390 billion messages in 2025 to more than 560 billion by 2027, marking a staggering 45% growth in just two years.

At the heart of this surge lies WhatsApp’s game-changing pricing model. The Meta-owned platform has slashed authentication rates, the kind used for one-time passwords (OTPs) and verification messages, by 50–90% compared to traditional A2P (Application-to-Person) SMS.

The move is no coincidence; it’s a calculated step to win over enterprises that have long depended on network operators for secure user communication.

“By first securing authentication traffic, WhatsApp is laying the groundwork to move into higher-value business messaging,” explained Molly Gatford, Senior Research Analyst at Juniper Research.

“Once enterprises are onboarded for authentication, WhatsApp must upsell to marketing use cases, where termination fees are far higher and the real revenue opportunity lies.”

Why it Matters to your Business

For years, mobile network operators dominated the enterprise messaging market through A2P SMS, powering everything from OTPs to promotional campaigns. But the rise of OTT players like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Viber has changed the rules, offering richer engagement, encryption, and global reach at a fraction of the cost.

In Nigeria and across Africa, where businesses are doubling down on digital transformation and financial inclusion, WhatsApp’s expanding footprint is poised to influence how banks, fintechs, eCommerce brands, and even government agencies communicate.

Imagine receiving your transaction alerts, delivery notifications, and customer support all through one WhatsApp chat, secure, fast, and cost-effective. That’s the future Meta is betting on.

The Operators’ Dilemma

Juniper’s report warns that mobile operators must rethink their approach — and fast. To remain competitive, operators will need to adopt “use case-based” pricing models for both SMS and RCS (Rich Communication Services), leveraging AI-powered analytics to classify and price messages more intelligently.

This strategy could help them highlight the added value of RCS, Google’s SMS evolution, which supports multimedia, interactivity, and verified business profiles, while maintaining telco control.

“By adopting a use case-based pricing strategy that is consistent across SMS and RCS, operators will enable enterprises to better assess RCS’s added value,” Gatford noted. “This helps operators retain business messaging traffic across these channels and avoid losing market share to OTT platforms.”

Looking Ahead: Opportunities and Risks

The A2P & Business Messaging Market 2025–2030 report, which includes forecasts across 61 countries and 146,000 datapoints, suggests that the coming years will see a tug-of-war between OTT disruptors and traditional network providers.

While WhatsApp may currently hold the pricing advantage, operators still have one critical edge, trust and infrastructure. Enterprises handling sensitive data, such as banks and public institutions, continue to rely on carrier-grade security and compliance frameworks that OTT players are still catching up to.

Still, the momentum is unmistakable.

As enterprises chase more personalized, real-time engagement with customers, the boundaries between messaging platforms and telecom networks are blurring.

The winners of this new era will be those who adapt fastest, whether it’s through collaboration, pricing innovation, or leveraging data-driven insights.

Insight:

With WhatsApp Business API already powering millions of customer interactions across Africa, Nigeria’s telecoms and fintech players face a strategic choice, compete, collaborate, or risk being sidelined in the next wave of digital customer engagement.

Now recognised among Nigeria’s Top 50 Public Relations Professionals in the prestigious GLG Communications Power List 2025, in partnership with The Guardian Newspaper, and previously honoured in Techeconomy’s IWD2025: 100 Women Shaping the Future, Umar’s rising profile is no accident, it is the result of a career defined by vision, discipline, and excellence.

As the Director of Corporate Communications and External Relations at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Hadiza Umar has emerged as a critical voice in shaping how Nigeria’s digital transformation story is told, not just to citizens, but to the world.

A Strategic Storyteller in a Digital Era

In a world increasingly influenced by perception, misinformation, and digital velocity, effective communication is more than a PR tool, it’s national infrastructure.

Hadiza Umar understands this deeply. She has strategically positioned NITDA as not just a government agency, but a policy shaper, innovation driver, and development catalyst.

Through her leadership, NITDA’s communications strategy has evolved into a coherent, multi-stakeholder engagement system that resonates with Nigeria’s youth, private sector, development partners, and the international community. She has successfully led campaigns that demystify technology policies, promote data protection, digital skills, and indigenous tech innovation — amplifying both NITDA’s mandate and Nigeria’s global voice.

The Power List Recognition: A Career Milestone

Her inclusion in the GLG Top 50 PR Power List 2025 places her alongside Nigeria’s most accomplished communicators, professionals shaping public opinion, building brands, and steering national narratives.

This recognition underscores her role in positioning public institutions as modern, responsive, and aligned with Nigeria’s digital aspirations.

“She embodies what it means to be a communications leader in today’s Nigeria,” noted GLG’s editorial team. “She doesn’t just represent a government agency; she represents a movement towards greater transparency, digital inclusion, and public accountability.”

A Trailblazer Among Women in Tech and Policy

Earlier in the year, Hadiza was also listed among Techeconomy’s “100 Women Shaping the Future”, a powerful compilation of women leaders redefining the tech and innovation landscape in Africa. Her dual recognitions in both public relations and technology spheres reflect a unique ability to bridge sectors, a rare and valuable asset in the modern communications space.

Being one of the few women leading communications at the highest level of Nigeria’s digital governance structure, she continues to serve as a role model for young women aspiring to careers in ICT, media, and policy.

Leadership Rooted in Purpose

What makes Hadiza Umar stand out is not just her professionalism, but her deep-rooted belief in the power of communication to enable change. Whether she’s managing a crisis, promoting a national initiative like the Nigeria Data Protection Act, or guiding NITDA’s media engagements, she does so with calm confidence and strategic foresight.

Beyond her role at NITDA, she is actively involved in inter-agency coordination, public sector reform discussions, and capacity development initiatives, especially around women’s leadership in ICT and governance.

Looking Ahead: A New Generation of Public Communicators

Hadiza’s influence signals a broader shift in Nigeria’s public communication landscape, one that prioritises engagement over propaganda, clarity over obfuscation, and digital reach over bureaucracy. She represents the new face of strategic communication in government, where storytelling, technology, and trust converge.

As she continues to elevate public discourse and connect citizens with policies that matter, Hadiza Umar is not just managing communications. She is reshaping national perception and lighting a path for the next generation of communicators.

In a time when trust in institutions is fragile and attention spans fleeting, professionals like Hadiza Umar remind us that effective communication remains a cornerstone of progress. And for Nigeria’s digital future, hers is a voice we’ll be hearing, and learning from, for years to come.

Under the visionary leadership of Professor Ibrahim Adeyanju, Galaxy Backbone has continued to raise the bar in the provision of world-class digital solutions for both government and corporate sectors.

This recertification underscores GBB’s dedication to safeguarding sensitive financial data, mitigating cyber threats, and supporting the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.

The PCI DSS certification is a globally recognized benchmark for securing financial transactions, ensuring that organizations handling payment card information maintain the highest level of security.

“As an organization at the forefront of digital transformation and secure connectivity, achieving PCI DSS recertification reflects our unwavering commitment to data security, compliance, and international best practices,” said Professor Ibrahim Adeyanju, managing director/CEO of Galaxy Backbone. “Our financial services partners and customers can continue to trust GBB to provide secure, resilient, and high-performance infrastructure that meets global regulatory requirements.”

By maintaining PCI DSS compliance, GBB continues to support financial institutions, government agencies, and businesses in ensuring secure digital transactions.

This milestone reinforces the company’s role as a trusted technology partner in Nigeria’s evolving digital and financial landscape.

The PCI DSS recertification also compliments our extensive portfolio of internationally recognized certifications, including ISO 20000, for Service Management Systems (SMS), ISO 27001 for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS), ISO 9001 for Quality Management Systems (QMS), and ISO 22301 for Business Continuity Management Systems (BCMS).

These certifications reaffirm the organisation’s commitment to providing services that are secure, efficient, and in line with global best practices.

Galaxy Backbone recognises that providing excellent service goes beyond just compliance. It is about creating lasting value for corporations and government entities alike, delivering cutting-edge solutions that drive digital transformation, improve operational efficiency, and foster secure, reliable communication and data exchange.

With these certifications, Galaxy Backbone continues to benchmark itself against international standards, ensuring that we consistently meet and exceed the expectations of our customers.

GBB’s dedication to innovation, excellence, and security is at the core of everything we do, empowering organizations to thrive in a digital-first world.