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🛢️ Dangote Targets 1.4m b/d, World’s Largest

🛢️ Dangote Targets 1.4m b/d, World’s Largest

Plus: 🏍️ Spiro's $100m for Africa’s electric ride revolution

Innovation Village
October 23, 2025

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Good Morning Valued Subscribers👋

It’s another day and while most of us are just trying to get through our to-do lists, the tech world is once again having one of those defining moments. Meta has begun trimming its teams, citing a bigger pivot toward artificial intelligence. In plain terms: fewer people, more machines.

It’s easy to see this as just another “tech company cutting costs” story, but it’s more than that. It’s a glimpse into what the next chapter of work might look like — one where AI isn’t just a tool, but a key part of strategy, decision-making, and even creativity. For Meta, it’s about doubling down on efficiency and long-term innovation. For the rest of us, it’s about figuring out how to stay relevant in a world that keeps rewriting the rules.

But here’s the thing, disruption doesn’t always mean destruction. Every shift creates space for new skills, new jobs, and new kinds of value. The people learning to build, fine-tune, or even creatively use AI tools aren’t being replaced — they’re leading the next wave.

So maybe this moment isn’t something to panic about, but to pay attention to. The future of work isn’t waiting for anyone, and neither should we.

Let’s dive in👇

Today’s Menu ☕️

🛢️ Dangote Refinery Targets 1.4m b/d, Poised to Become the World’s Largest
📶 MTN Nigeria to shut 101 sites for maintenance October 25
🏍️ Spiro just got $100M to supercharge Africa’s electric ride revolution
📶 MTN & Huawei Just Turned Up Nigeria’s Internet Speed
🛒 Yaga Secures €4M to Grow Resale Marketplace Across South Africa and MENA
🤖 Meta Shrinks Its AI Dream Team (Again)

🛢️OIL AND GAS

Dangote Refinery Targets 1.4m b/d, Poised to Become the World’s Largest

Aliko Dangote plans to double his Lagos refinery’s capacity from 650,000 to 1.4 million b/d, surpassing India’s Jamnagar to become the world’s largest. He cites existing Lekki Free Zone infrastructure and a site masterplan that reserved space for a second train, enabling expansion with limited disruption.

Operations have strengthened, with implied runs near 610,000 b/d in August 2025 after months above 400,000 b/d; a September RFCC outage has since been resolved. Beyond fuels, Dangote will add linear alkylbenzene, base oils, and lift polypropylene to 1.5 mtpa, supported by in-house power generation.

A $4bn financing secured in August 2025 underpins the plan, alongside potential Middle Eastern partners and a proposed 5–10% NSE listing. The project promises greater Nigerian energy security, FX savings, downstream manufacturing growth, and regional export strength despite execution risks.......…..…continue reading

The AI Insights Every Decision Maker Needs

You control budgets, manage pipelines, and make decisions, but you still have trouble keeping up with everything going on in AI. If that sounds like you, don’t worry, you’re not alone – and The Deep View is here to help.

This free, 5-minute-long daily newsletter covers everything you need to know about AI. The biggest developments, the most pressing issues, and how companies from Google and Meta to the hottest startups are using it to reshape their businesses… it’s all broken down for you each and every morning into easy-to-digest snippets.

If you want to up your AI knowledge and stay on the forefront of the industry, you can subscribe to The Deep View right here (it’s free!).

📶TELECOMS

MTN Nigeria to shut 101 sites for maintenance October 25

If you’re in parts of Adamawa, Borno, or Kano State, you might want to plan ahead —MTN Nigeria says it’ll be doing some network maintenance on Saturday, October 25, 2025, from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. During that two-hour window, some users will likely experience temporary service disruptions.

MTN says the work will affect 101 network sites across 15 LGAs, as it carries out a major fibre network upgrade in the North. The goal is basically to make its network faster, stronger, and more reliable in the long run.

The maintenance involves swapping out an old, damaged fibre segment between AFCOT and Bawo Village, which has been causing performance issues. It’s part of a bigger effort to eliminate weak network joints and avoid those annoying service drops......…..…continue reading

🏍️ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Spiro just got $100M to supercharge Africa’s electric ride revolution

If you’ve been seeing more electric bikes zipping around African cities lately, there’s a good chance they’re from Spiro — and the company’s about to take that to the next level.

Spiro just landed a $100 million investment (yep, you read that right) to put more clean, affordable bikes on the road and expand its battery-swap network. Think of it as the Jumia of electric mobility — riders swap batteries instead of plugging in, and they’re back on the road in minutes.

Here’s the wild part: Spiro’s e-bikes are about 40% cheaper than new petrol bikes and cost 30% less per kilometre to run. Riders are saving up to $3 a day on fuel and maintenance — which really adds up if you’re on the road daily..........…..…continue reading

📶 TELECOMS

MTN & Huawei Just Turned Up Nigeria’s Internet Speed

Okay, this one’s a major tech flex. MTN Nigeria just teamed up with Huawei to roll out the country’s first-ever 400G/800G Hybrid ASON network — and they started right where it matters: Lagos.

Now, if that sounds like a mouthful of tech jargon, here’s the short version — Nigeria’s internet just got way faster, stronger, and smarter.

MTN’s Chief Technical Officer, Yahaya Ibrahim, says this new setup basically gives them more capacity to handle data (hello, endless streaming and smoother Zoom calls 👋) while keeping costs low and services more reliable. In simple terms: fewer lags, fewer drops, more speed.......…..…continue reading

MFWA DPI Journalism Fellowship – Phase II (Nigeria only) - 6-month fellowship for experienced Nigerian journalists on DPI/DPGs issues.
West Africa Acumen Fellowship - Leadership-development fellowship for social entrepreneurs in West Africa.
Learn Africa 2025 Scholarships - Programme offering scholarships and renewal scholarships for African women in development processes.
Africa Check Fellowship Programme 2025 -A 12-day fact-checking fellowship for African journalists and fact-checkers.
Call for Seed Grant Applications 2025 – Nigeria & Sierra Leone- Grant call for seed-funding in Nigeria & Sierra Leone for 2025

🛒E-COMMERCE

Yaga Secures €4M to Grow Resale Marketplace Across South Africa and MENA

Looks like pre-loved fashion is officially in style. South Africa’s favorite resale platform, Yaga, just scored €4 million in fresh funding to grow across Africa and start exploring the Middle East and North Africa.

If you’re new to Yaga — think of it as the “Instagram of thrift shopping.” It’s a social e-commerce platform where anyone can buy or sell second-hand fashion safely (thanks to escrow payments and local delivery partners). Basically, it’s where closet cleanouts turn into cash.

What’s wild is how far they’ve come. With a tiny team of just 25 people, Yaga has helped rehome over 6 million items, generated €50 million in sales, and paid sellers €80 million globally. All while running on less than €4M before this round. Talk about efficiency!.....…continue reading

🤖 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Meta Shrinks Its AI Dream Team (Again)

Looks like Meta’s “superintelligence” lab just got a little less super. The company is cutting around 600 jobs from its AI division — yep, the same team working on next-gen AI systems.

In a memo, Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang said the goal is to “move faster and make decisions easier” — basically, fewer people, fewer meetings.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because Meta’s been in “year of efficiency” mode since 2023, trimming teams and reorganizing like crazy. But don’t panic — most of the laid-off staff will reportedly be shifted into other AI or infrastructure roles.

Meta’s still all-in on AI, especially with its Llama models and open-weight strategy. The vibe? Less about having a massive team, more about having the right one.......…continue reading