The Nigerian government has reintroduced a bill aimed at regulating digital platforms, including social media.
The bill proposes a number of measures, including requiring social media users to register with the government and giving the government the power to censor social media content.
The commission’s director-general, Balarabe Ilelah, referred to social media as a monster and emphasised the need for regulation.
NBC says it is engaging Google and TikTok regarding the upcoming social media regulation bill, aiming to examine the legal and regulatory structures that apply to social media platforms in Nigeria.

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Trezor, a hardware crypto wallet company, debuted two new products this week at the Bitcoin Amsterdam conference.
Trezor Safe 3, a hardware crypto wallet, and Trezor Keep Metal, a “mistake-proof” backup solution for wallet passwords, launched in celebration of the company’s 10-year anniversary.
Matěj Žák, CEO of Trezor, says the new crypto wallet is designed specifically for new digital asset entrants with a focus on maximum safety and ease of use.
Also it’s arguably better sometimes to keep cryptocurrencies on a wallet instead of a centralized exchange, where they can be frozen and withheld like Celsius did in June 2022, because it gives you total control over the tokens.

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Airtel Uganda has shifted the closing date for its initial public offering from October 13 to October 27.
The company will begin trading its shares on November 7 instead of the initial November 3.
Airtel is offering 20% of its total stock, 8 billion shares, on the main investment market segment of the Uganda Securities Exchange at Shs100 ($0.0269) per share.
Airtel opened its IPO for subscription on August 30, 2023, and was expected to close by October 13. T
he company expects to raise Shs800 billion which would value the telecom at Shs4 trillion.

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Rida Nigeria is gearing up to unveil an ambitious and exciting helicopter taxi service for Lagos commuters.
The helicopter tariff programme aims to help commuters to break free from the shackles of Lagos commercial traffic
Rida Nigeria’s simple, yet revolutionary idea is aimed at elevating daily commutes by providing an unparalleled air travel experience, transcending the limitations of traditional land-based transportation.
Although the proposed launch date has yet to be confirmed, Rida Nigeria remains steadfast in its commitment to providing innovative ride-hailing solutions, and the possibility of a helicopter service is not far-fetched.

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Zimbabwe launched a new gold-backed digital currency in an effort to halt re-dollarization, which the administration of President Emmerson Mnangagwa worries could destroy the country's already struggling economy.
The digital tokens, also known as Zimbabwe Gold which are primarily measured in milligrams, can be used for transactions by both private individuals and businesses.
They can be purchased via banks in ZiG, while bank customers can make purchases with ZiG accounts through POS systems or online payments.
Zimbabwe introduced gold coins in July 2022 to be used in peer-to-peer and peer-to-business transactions, as well as serve as a store of value as the local currency continued to depreciate against major currencies.

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The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority banned the use of VPNs without a permit in the country.
The TCRA clarified that using VPNs is not prohibited, but users must report the VPNs they use and provide necessary information.
Residents and citizens must fill out a form available on the TCRA website by October 30, 2023, providing their individual user IP addresses and specifying whether the VPN is for individual or company use.
Tanzania has become the second East African country to implement regulations on VPN usage.

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Onsurity, an Indian startup that offers monthly subscription-based insurance solutions to micro, small and medium enterprises, startups and growing businesses, has raised $24 million in a funding round led by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation.
India has over 63 million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), covering close to 400 million employees and supporting 675 million families.
Onsurity aims to fill the gap with its suite of offerings designed specifically for MSMEs enterprises and emerging businesses.
It also integrates healthcare and wellness benefits to let enterprises — irrespective of their size — allow their employees to access health checkups, fitness membership.

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Aliko Dangote, Africa's richest man, has teamed up with US billionaire investors to back a $500 million Africa-focused fund.
The investors, Alterra Capital Partners, an Africa-focused private equity firm, has ambitious plans to raise up to $500 million in the coming months and has already secured $140 million in its initial closing.
The firm’s investment strategy is centred around critical sectors, including telecommunications, technology, logistics, healthcare, consumer services, and retail.
The firm has invested approximately $1 billion across 23 companies in Africa, indicating a significant track record in the region.

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An industry group representing several major U.S. tech companies has opposed the Indian government’s proposal against dark patterns and said the move would adversely affect the state promise of enabling ease of doing business in the economy and bring regulatory overlap with existing laws.
Asia Internet Coalition has suggested that the proposed rules may stagnate the growth of the country’s digital economy and urged the Indian government to consider the current self-regulatory framework as the primary measure to restrict the use of dark patterns.
The industry group also says online platforms are already regulated in the country under various existing laws.

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Telkom reportedly lost 1.6 million subscribers in one year, according to a report by tech publication Business Daily.
Telkom had 2.25 million active Kenyan subscribers in June 2023, a 39% drop from March 2022’s 4.14 million subscribers.
The Communications Authority of Kenya earlier began switching off inactive and irregularly registered SIM cards in the country.
Other Kenyan telecoms were also affected by the deregistration exercise with Safaricom and Airtel—who lead Kenya’s telecoms market—reporting slow growth since last year.

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