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📶Nigeria’s Telecom Sector Soars 21.49% in Q3

📶Nigeria’s Telecom Sector Soars 21.49% in Q3

Plus: 💵CBN Unveils New Cash Limits for 2026

Innovation Village
December 04, 2025

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Good Morning Valued Subscribers👋

Changes in money rules can sometimes feel like distant news, something that affects big banks, merchants, or policymakers but not “regular people.” Then there are updates that land squarely in the middle of our everyday lives. The Central Bank of Nigeria’s upcoming cash limits fall firmly into that second category.

Whether you’re making withdrawals from your account, running a small business, topping up airtime, or just managing your weekly spending, these new rules could touch almost every transaction you make. It’s not just about limits on cash, it’s about how you plan, move, and even think about money in your day-to-day life.

In today’s newsletter, we’ll break it down clearly: what’s changing, why the CBN is making this move, and how it might affect the way you handle cash going forward. Understanding this now means you won’t be caught off guard when the limits roll out—because when it comes to money, preparation is everything.

Let’s dive in.👇

Today’s Menu ☕️

📶Nigeria’s Telecom Sector Soars 21.49% in Q3
💵CBN Unveils New Cash Limits for 2026
📰NITDA Trains 3,600 Teachers for Digital Push
🤖NITDA, Google Join Forces on Cybersecurity
🛒Taager Launches in Morocco
💰Bending Spoons Snaps Up Eventbrite for $500 Million

📶TELECOMS

Nigeria’s Telecom Sector Soars 21.49% in Q3

Nigeria’s telecom sector recorded a massive 21.49% real GDP growth in Q3 2025, its strongest performance in years. The surge was driven by soaring mobile data usage, an expanding subscriber base now above 220 million, and new GDP calculations that capture more digital activity. Policy reforms such as tariff adjustments and FX liberalisation also boosted operator revenues.

MTN Nigeria strengthened its lead with 87.5 million subscribers and a ₦750.2bn profit, far ahead of Airtel’s 57.6 million users. Telecom operators are ramping up network investment, supported by government plans to deploy 90,000km of new fibre and push broadband penetration to 70%.

The sector’s momentum highlights Nigeria’s accelerating shift toward a digital-first economy, reducing dependence on oil and positioning telecoms as a key driver of national growth....….continue reading

💵FINANCIAL REPORT

CBN Unveils New Cash Limits for 2026

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced major cash policy changes set to begin on January 1, 2026. The new rules remove all cash-deposit limits and eliminate associated fees, easing pressure on individuals and businesses that rely heavily on physical cash.

However, cash withdrawals will become stricter and more expensive. Individuals can withdraw only ₦500,000 weekly, and corporates ₦5 million, with penalties of 3% and 5% for exceeding these limits. ATM and POS withdrawals now count toward the same ceiling, with a daily cap of ₦100,000.

The circular also introduces stronger monitoring requirements for banks, rewrites exemption rules, and eliminates dozens of old, conflicting regulations. Overall, the new framework aims to reduce cash dependency, tighten oversight, and push Nigeria closer to a digital-first financial system — while testing how ready the economy is to make that transition.....….continue reading

A Better Way to Deploy Voice AI at Scale

Most Voice AI deployments fail for the same reasons: unclear logic, limited testing tools, unpredictable latency, and no systematic way to improve after launch.

The BELL Framework solves this with a repeatable lifecycle — Build, Evaluate, Launch, Learn — built for enterprise-grade call environments.

See how leading teams are using BELL to deploy faster and operate with confidence.

Get the Guide

📰NEWS

NITDA Trains 3,600 Teachers for Digital Push

NITDA has completed the first phase of its national digital literacy drive, training and certifying 3,600 teachers across all 36 states and the FCT as Digital Literacy Master Trainers under the DL4ALL initiative. These educators will now train thousands more teachers and millions of students, accelerating Nigeria’s push toward 70% digital literacy by 2027.

The programme used a blended learning model and focused on key skills such as data literacy, digital content creation, online safety, communication, and device operation. It aligns with Nigeria’s broader digital economy goals and supports initiatives like the 3 Million Technical Talent Programme (3MTT).

Teachers praised the training as transformative and essential for closing the digital divide. As Master Trainers return to their communities, the real impact will come from how effectively they cascade these skills across schools nationwide...….continue reading

👨‍💻CYBERSECURITY

NITDA, Google Join Forces on Cybersecurity

NITDA and Google have partnered to strengthen Nigeria’s cybersecurity readiness through a two-day workshop held in Abuja. The event gathered regulators, industry players, and security experts to identify cybersecurity gaps, enhance national capacity, and improve coordination across sectors.

NITDA emphasized aligning the initiative with existing national laws and frameworks, including the Cybercrime Act, the National Cybersecurity Strategy, and data protection regulations. Google pledged support through capacity building and global best-practice insights....….continue reading

Yale University Council on African Studies Visiting African Scholars Fellowship 2026—Fellowship for African scholars; supports research and collaboration.
Kinship Conservation Fellowship Program 2026— Fellowship for conservation practitioners globally; suitable for African conservationists.
WWF Russell E. Train Education for Nature Fellowship — supports current or aspiring university faculty in Africa (and other regions) to pursue doctoral studies in conservation or related fields.
Aspire Leaders Program 2026 (Cohort 1)—a free, global, online leadership‑development “fellowship” for limited‑income or first‑generation university students/graduates (18–29 yrs).
WAAW Foundation Scholarship 2025/2026 — Research funding opportunity for African researchers.

🛒ECOMMERCE

Taager Launches in Morocco

Taager, the Cairo-born social commerce platform, has expanded into Morocco after strong growth in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Founded in 2019, the company helps online sellers start businesses with no capital, inventory, or logistics burden. With over 65,000 sellers already using the platform, Taager sees Morocco’s young, digitally active population as a prime market for social commerce. The expansion will be led by Salma Ammor, who will focus on growing the seller community while operations run through Taager’s existing MENA infrastructure. The move aims to give more Moroccans an easy path into online entrepreneurship................…continue reading