By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The number of interns for the 2025 edition of the Women in Tech initiative of Moniepoint Incorporated has been increased to 15 from 10 in the spirit of the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD), Accelerate Action.

A statement from the digital financial services provider disclosed that expansion was to further its commitment to bridging the gender gap in the technology sector.

It is also a testament to Moniepoint’s dedication to offering young women the tools they need to succeed in technology, a field where they are still underrepresented but essential to its evolution.

The program is a vital part of Moniepoint’s ongoing efforts to elevate women in the technology space, particularly in Nigeria, where women remain underrepresented despite the country’s significant gender parity in population.

The initiative will provide successful applicants with the chance to join diverse teams, including Cloud Engineering, Backend Engineering, Technical Product Management, Data Engineering, Systems Administration, Technical Support, and User Experience.

Known as the Dream 15, these women will engage in a six-month internship, during which they will receive direct mentorship, a salary, work tools, branded merchandise, and the opportunity to be considered for full-time employment based on performance.

“With the Women in Tech initiative, we are not just inspiring inclusion – we are actively creating sustainable pathways for women to thrive in the tech industry.

“This is a space where diversity fuels innovation, and through programs like this, we are empowering women to take on leadership roles, develop crucial skills, and shape the future of technology.

“The progress we’ve seen in past editions, where alumni have gone on to make significant contributions to the company and the wider tech ecosystem, fills us with pride, and we look forward to nurturing even more female talent in the years ahead.

“This initiative has been instrumental in our mission to power the dreams of millions while transforming the careers of talented women for the past four years,” the Vice President of People Operations at Moniepoint, Ms Chinaza Nduka-Dike, stated.

Also, a systems administrator and member of the third cohort of Moniepoint’s Women in Tech program, Ms Daniela Uzosike, said, “The opportunity to work with Moniepoint not only transformed my career but also allowed me to be part of a program that truly values the potential of women in technology.

“I’m thrilled to see the increase in roles this year, and I’m excited to see more women take part in this initiative, gain the experience they need, and shape the future of tech in Africa.”

The technology sector is essential to driving growth and innovation, but the role of women within it remains limited.

Recent statistics from the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reveal that while women make up nearly half of Nigeria’s population, they account for just 25 per cent of the tech workforce, despite representing 22 per cent of STEM graduates annually.

These disparities highlight the need for more focused efforts to increase female representation and foster gender inclusion in the tech industry.

The Women in Tech initiative aims to address these gaps by providing young women with hands-on experience, mentorship, and the opportunity to work on live projects that will shape the future of digital finance in Africa.

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

D24 Fintech Group has unveiled an impressive catalogue of financial technology solutions designed to change the way finance works in the digital age.

These innovative solutions range from blockchain development to multi-asset trading, as well as web3 integration and development, wallet infrastructure, and white-label services.

Through its affiliates operating in over 100 countries and partnerships with leading financial institutions and governments, D24 is driving digital transformation on an unprecedented scale.

“At our organization, we are not just adapting to change but rather progressing it; we don’t just follow digital transformation—we drive it forward.

“Our technology is designed to bridge the gap between traditional and modern digital finance. By doing so, we provide technology solutions that assist organizations in digital finance operations globally,” the chief executive of the company, Mr Vincent de Cannière, stated.

“Due to the popularity and demand of our solutions, our presence extends into key financial markets across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, where we collaborate with banks, regulatory bodies, and digital asset platforms.

“Every year, we establish organizational goals that align with our philosophy, aiming to provide the best possible service,” he added.

Mr Cannière noted that, “With a growing presence in key markets, we’re committed to operating in full compliance with global financial regulations.

“Our solutions are developed with a strong emphasis on regulatory alignment, security, and transparency to support evolving financial markets.

“We encourage businesses and institutions to conduct thorough regulatory due diligence before adopting digital financial solutions.”

By Adedapo Adesanya

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is working to overhaul outdated frameworks that are limiting cybersecurity interventions in Nigeria.

The NITDA Deputy Director, Cybersecurity Department, Mr Ayodele Bakare, said this on the sidelines of the agency’s meeting with some United Kingdom (UK) delegates on building a national cybersecurity infrastructure in Abuja on Friday.

Mr Bakare noted that cybersecurity was a borderless issue and required collaborations, both local and international, and strategic interventions to address cyber threats.

The director stated that the country had existing cybersecurity frameworks and policies but doubted if they could address emerging threats, especially with the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Some of the frameworks he mentioned included the Cyber Crime Act 2015, recently amended in 2024 and the Nigerian Data Protection Act 2023, which were pivotal in driving the country’s cybersecurity architecture.

“NITDA, seven years ago released the National Public Key Infrastructure as a regulation. We also have other sectoral frameworks, the Risk-Based Cybersecurity framework for financial institutions released by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“Given the fact that we have all these frameworks, their effectiveness is still a question and I think the first thing is for a rebase line on the basis that informs the existing frameworks.

“Majority of the frameworks were issued far before now, and there are emerging risks like the AI-driven threats and some of the frameworks that we have are not really addressing them,’’ he said.

The director mentioned that in spite of significant efforts in public awareness campaigns, cyber threats, such as device code phishing, continued to persist across the country.

He stressed that enhanced and more interactive awareness programmes were necessary to educate the public on the dangers of cybercrime.

Mr Bakare also said that Nigeria had a shortage of skilled cybersecurity experts, with about 8,300 cybersecurity experts to 220 million people, adding that there was a need to develop skills in that area.

The Director called for more affordable training platforms and certification programmes to help develop a larger pool of cybersecurity professionals in the country.

“We are looking for platforms that can provide an efficient way of training people and we are also looking at collaborations that can help bring down the cost of cybersecurity certification courses.

“Averagely, you see Nigerians spending between $2,000 dollars to $5,000 for this certification which is very expensive and reducing the cost will increase the number of experts,’’ he said.

Another concern he raised was the issue of governance, risk management and compliance among government institutions.

According to him, NITDA is working on a regime that will audit government organisations and ensure compliance with cybersecurity frameworks.

He also said the country required more efficient threat intelligence platforms that could gather, analyse and share information on cybersecurity threats.

Mr Bakare further stated the need to adopt cloud-based solutions to improve vulnerabilities, adding that it could assist in identifying external threats in institutions.

“The government is making efforts to ensure the management and effective utilisation of the National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to secure online transactions and communications in collaboration with stakeholders.

“For government institutions, we are working on a framework for zero trust which should create an efficient platform.

“The platform will ensure that before you access any information-based system, either cloud-based or on-premise, you have to go through a zero trust platform.

“This is to ensure that digital trust is effectively maintained and that the incidences of data leakages are reduced,’’ Mr Bakare said.

He added that they were working on developing a National Cybersecurity Architecture expected to consolidate various cybersecurity initiatives and frameworks into a single source of truth.

“We are working towards an architecture that will serve as the single source of truth for Nigeria’s National Cybersecurity Strategy and help streamline efforts for effective management of cyberspace,’’ he said.