📶 Nigeria Purges 60M Ghost SIMs

Good Morning Valued Subscribers👋

If you noticed a few websites acting a little… off yesterday, you weren’t imagining things. A major Cloudflare outage shook the internet, leaving everything from small blogs to big platforms temporarily offline. For many, it was a stark reminder of just how much of our online world relies on a few critical infrastructure players and how quickly things can ripple when one of them stumbles.

But beyond the downtime, there’s a bigger takeaway: resilience matters more than ever. From businesses to everyday users, how we respond to interruptions can make all the difference. Backups, contingency plans, and a touch of patience go a long way when the unexpected hits.

So as we jump into today, maybe the lesson is simple: the internet isn’t perfect, and neither are we, but with the right preparation, we can keep moving even when the clouds clear slowly.

Let’s dive in.👇

Today’s Menu ☕️

📶 Nigeria Purges 60M Ghost SIMs
☁️ Cloudflare Outage Disrupts Websites Worldwide
🏦 Mastercard & Zenith Bank Make Digital Payments Easy for Everyone
📶 Telkom’s Earnings Soar Thanks to Data Boom
🏪 Walmart to open first SA Store this week
🛒 Jumia Plans Expansion Into Tanzania and Angola
🏦 Standard Bank, Transnet Pull Off R5 Billion Bond Deal

 📶 TELECOMS

Nigeria Purges 60M Ghost SIMs

Remember when Nigeria went through that huge SIM cleanup? Well, the numbers are in: 59.7 million SIMs vanished — a staggering drop from 224.7 million to 164.9 million lines. But don’t panic — we didn’t all lose our phones.

Here’s what really happened: the NCC’s NIN-SIM policy disconnected unlinked SIMs to curb fraud and crime, while at the same time, a major telecom corrected its subscriber records, wiping out inactive or “ghost” lines. So, it wasn’t millions of people suddenly offline — it was mostly unused or duplicate SIMs getting deleted.

The real win? Broadband penetration actually increased, from 43.71% to 44.43%, showing more people are actively connecting to the internet. Teledensity dropped from over 100% to 76%, but that just means the stats are now more realistic — fewer ghost lines, clearer data, and a safer telecom network..........…continue reading

☁️ CLOUD SERVICES

Cloudflare Outage Disrupts Websites Worldwide

Cloudflare, one of the world’s largest internet infrastructure providers, suffered a major network outage on Tuesday, disrupting access to millions of websites and digital services across multiple regions — including Nigeria.

The disruption triggered widespread 500 errors, bringing down websites, dashboards, and APIs that rely on Cloudflare’s global content delivery network. The company said it is currently investigating the root cause while scheduled maintenance continues.

In Nigeria, a number of websites hosted on or routed through Cloudflare experienced downtime or extremely slow load speeds. This made it difficult for users to access news platforms, financial services, and e-commerce sites during the peak of the outage.

Major platforms affected include X (formerly Twitter), ChatGPT.…...continue reading

🏦BANKING

Mastercard & Zenith Bank Make Digital Payments Easy for Everyone

Mastercard and Zenith Bank are teaming up to make digital payments more accessible with the launch of the Essential Debit Card. Designed for low-income earners and those who’ve struggled to access formal banking, this card offers a simple, affordable, and secure way to join Nigeria’s booming digital economy.

With electronic payments surging 80% in 2024 and PoS transactions climbing too, the timing couldn’t be better. Customers can choose between a physical or virtual card, making it flexible for everyday life. By combining Mastercard’s global network with Zenith’s local reach, this card opens doors for more Nigerians to transact digitally, safely, and conveniently—giving financial inclusion a real boost.….continue reading

📶TELECOMS

Telkom’s Earnings Soar Thanks to Data Boom

Telkom is showing off some serious muscle! In its interim results for the first half of FY2026, the South African telecom giant saw revenue climb 3.4% to R22.1 billion, with mobile data up nearly 10% and fibre revenue jumping over 12%. Profit? It almost doubled to R1.6 billion, and earnings per share skyrocketed 88%.

The secret sauce is Telkom’s data-led strategy—leveraging its massive fibre footprint while keeping mobile offerings competitive. The company’s mobile service revenue has been growing consistently for 11 quarters straight, proving that even partly state-owned Telkom can compete and thrive. With strong numbers, a rising share price, and a P/E ratio below 10, Telkom is positioning itself as a key player in South Africa’s digital future, despite economic headwinds and fierce competition...............…continue reading

🏪BUSINESS

Walmart to open first SA Store this week

Big news for South African shoppers! Walmart is opening its very first branded store in the country this Saturday, 22 November, at Clearwater Mall in Roodepoort. While Walmart has been in SA for years through Massmart and brands like Game and Makro, this marks the first time the global giant is putting its own name front and center.

Shoppers can expect everything from groceries and fresh foods to homeware, electronics, and even Drew Barrymore’s stylish kitchen line. Most products will come from local suppliers, with a mix of global brands sprinkled in. The store will have over 80 staff, led by veteran manager Onicca Mothapo, who calls this opening a dream come true.

Walmart says the goal is to make shopping exciting and full of discovery, bringing a fresh vibe to South Africa’s retail scene. More locations are planned, so this is just the start of a new chapter for Walmart in the country....…..…continue reading

🛒E-COMMERCE

Jumia Plans Expansion Into Tanzania and Angola

A year after exiting South Africa and Tunisia, Jumia is eyeing Tanzania and Angola for its next expansion phase. The move comes as the e-commerce giant leans on improved efficiency, AI-driven automation, and a stronger logistics network, aiming for profitability by 2027.

Tanzania, with a population of 69 million and steady GDP growth, and Angola, recovering from reforms, are seen as promising markets. But Jumia will only enter once strict criteria—like logistics readiness, FX stability, and seller pipelines—are met.

The company also plans to monetise its logistics network, offering third-party delivery services across a $50 billion addressable market. Despite expansion plans, Jumia stresses that its current nine markets remain underpenetrated, leaving plenty of room for growth............…..…continue reading

🏦BANKING

Standard Bank, Transnet Pull Off R5 Billion Bond Deal

Standard Bank partnered with Transnet to issue a landmark R5 billion ($292 million) bond, attracting a record R42 billion ($2.5 billion) in investor interest. The deal, guaranteed by the South African government, offered 5-, 8-, and 10-year tenors and drew strong participation from both local and international investors.

The issuance helped Transnet compress its funding curve by 60 basis points, reflecting growing confidence in its credit profile. Standard Bank highlighted its global investor network as key to the deal’s success, reinforcing its leadership in debt capital markets and supporting sustainable development across South Africa...........…..…continue reading

OTHER STORIES

• Shoprite expands financial services, sets sights on banking leadership……continue reading

• Google Joins AfCFTA to Teach SMEs How to Sell to 1.3 Billion People….continue reading

• Plentify closes oversubscribed Series-A funding round………continue reading

• TelOne launches TelOne Connect to boost voice services and drive growth….continue reading

• Apple captures 25% of China’s smartphone market in October amid surging iPhone 17 demand….continue reading

Do you know you can join and follow us on our WhatsApp Channel?