By Modupe Gbadeyanka

A partnership to advance digital payments and financial inclusion across East Africa has been strengthened between Interswitch and KCB Group.

Both parties have agreed to expand digital payment infrastructure and deliver innovative financial solutions that meet the evolving needs of individuals, businesses, and institutions across the region.

The aim is to accelerate seamless, secure, and inclusive digital payments in East Africa, where the leading Africa-focused integrated payments and digital commerce enabler, Interswitch, recently announced an expansion of Verve card acceptance footprint, leveraging its consolidated partnership with KCB Group, Kenya’s largest financial services group by assets, following a similar move in Uganda through the local KCB Franchise in February 2022.

During a recent executive engagement at KCB Group headquarters in Nairobi, the chief executive of Interswitch, Mr Mitchell Elegbe, held high-level discussions with KCB leadership, including its chief executive, Paul Russo.

At the core of the strengthened collaboration is the integration of Interswitch’s robust payment rails, card scheme, and emerging digital token solutions with KCB Group’s expansive regional footprint and trusted banking franchise.

This integration enables the acceptance of Verve cards and tokenised payment solutions across KCB’s extensive merchant point-of-sale network in Kenya and Uganda, significantly enhancing everyday usability for customers while strengthening KCB’s digitally driven retail payments offering.

The consolidated partnership is expected to drive increased merchant acquisition, improve interoperability across payment ecosystems, and expand access to secure, cashless transactions. It also reinforces both organisations’ shared objective of deepening financial inclusion and accelerating digital commerce across East Africa.

“Our collaboration with KCB Group represents a powerful alignment of vision and capability. By combining our technology-driven payment solutions with KCB’s strong regional presence, we are unlocking new opportunities to scale access, drive innovation, and deliver greater value to customers across East Africa,” Mr Elegbe stated.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to provide compensation to subscribers whose network quality of service experience is below specified targets within specific locations.

In a Sunday statement, the commission noted that its position is that customers should not be made to bear the full burden of service disruptions where operators fail to meet prescribed standards of service delivery.

Under this directive, NCC said erring operators would compensate affected users directly for breaches of Quality of Service (QoS) Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) will be required to pay these compensations for instances of poor quality of service recorded within specified time frames.

“The compensation will be provided in the form of airtime credits, calculated based on subscribers’ average spending patterns and their presence within Local Government Areas where service failures occur”, according to the statement.

The directive is rooted in the agency’s broader regulatory philosophy that places the consumer at the centre of Nigeria’s telecommunications ecosystem.

“Telecommunications services today underpin economic activity, social interaction, and access to digital opportunities. When service quality is poor, the consequences affect productivity, commercial activities, and even public confidence in our communications system.

“While regulatory fines have traditionally served as a deterrent against poor service delivery, the Commission is adopting a more consumer-focused approach that strengthens accountability within the industry”.

The commission explained that it has designed this measure to complement existing and ongoing efforts to strengthen service quality monitoring and enforce performance standards.

Further to this directive by the commission to MNOs on compensation to consumers, the regulator has mandated Tower Companies that own the critical infrastructure, such as masts, for Quality of Service delivery, to invest in infrastructure with measurable outcomes using sums that it has fined these companies, in addition to other financial fines the Commission will deem appropriate.

“The commission will continue to reinforce the obligation of operators to invest consistently in network resilience, capacity expansion, and infrastructure upgrades to meet the growing demand for telecommunications services.

“At the same time, it will deploy regulatory tools that promote fairness, transparency, and accountability across the sector, ensuring that every subscriber receives the quality of service they deserve while sustaining a telecommunications industry capable of powering Nigeria’s digital future”, the statement added.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has proposed blocking mobile numbers linked to fraudulent activities across Nigeria, as part of efforts to strengthen digital security and restore public trust in the nation’s telecommunications ecosystem.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Mr Aminu Maida, disclosed this on Thursday during a stakeholders’ consultative forum on the Telecoms Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS) platform in Abuja.

Represented by the Executive Commissioner of Stakeholder Management, Mrs Rimini Makama, Mr Maida said the move is in response to the growing misuse of mobile numbers, particularly those that are churned, recycled, swapped, or improperly registered, which have increasingly become tools for financial fraud and identity theft.

He explained that the commission is introducing a regulatory-backed, cross-sectoral platform known as TIRMS to address these vulnerabilities.

The platform, he said, will enable service providers across telecommunications, financial services, and other critical sectors to verify mobile numbers flagged for suspicious or criminal activities before granting access to services.

As part of the initiative, the EVC said the commission is proposing amendments to existing Quality of Service (QoS) and subscriber registration regulations to institutionalise stricter controls around mobile number management.

“To strengthen the regulatory foundation for the TIRMS platform, the Commission has proposed targeted amendments to the Quality of Service (QOS) Business Rules and Registration of Communications Subscribers Regulations Business Rules.

“These amendments will, among other things, require operators to notify affected subscribers at least 14 days before any line is churned, mandate the submission of all churn number details to the TIRMS platform within seven days of completion of the churn process, and establish a new framework for the blocking of fraudulently registered or fraudulently utilized MSISDN’s. These changes are designed to promote transparency, protect subscribers, and ensure regulatory clarity in support of the platform’s objective.”

“The eventual implementation of the TIRMS Platform will be geared towards collaboration with key stakeholders, relevant regulators and law enforcement outfits. This approach will ensure a one-government approach and create the much-needed bridge across sectoral barriers and ecosystems,” he added.

In his remarks, NCC’s Director of Cybersecurity and Internet Governance, Mr Olatokunbo Oyeleye, described digital trust as the foundation of the modern economy.

“As rightly noted, digital trust is the operating licence of the modern economy. Without it, nothing scales and with it everything accelerates. For our sector, this trust must be embedded across the entire value chain.”