‎Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB) has launched the fourth cohort of its Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship, offering a combined $1.2 million in equity-free funding to Nigerian startups. ‎‎The program will select 12 early-stage companies to receive $100,000 each to accelerate the development of inclusive educational technology.‎‎The Mastercard Foundation established the EdTech Fellowship in 2019 to bridge the educational divide in underserved African communities. CcHUB is the primary implementation partner in Nigeria, managing the selection and incubation of local startups.‎‎This fourth cohort is targeted at building technology designed for environments with poor connectivity, disrupted school calendars, and marginalized student populations, including refugees and learners with disabilities. “The EdTech Fellowship was established to expand access to technology-enabled education for underserved and marginalised communities” – Mastercard Foundation ‎The program is for startups building tools for learners which is often excluded from mainstream tech, such as rural communities, displaced persons, and young women.‎‎Since its inception, the fellowship has supported 72 startups across the continent, reaching over 700,000 students.‎‎Each of the 12 selected startups will receive $100,000 without relinquishing any company ownership to the foundations.‎‎Beneficiaries will undergo twelve-months of extensive incubation program, aimed at providing technical assistance, mentorship, and access to a network of regional education partners.‎‎The application window for Nigerian EdTech founders is currently open and will close on April 10, 2026.

Google, on Thursday, has officially launched its latest artificial intelligence image generation model, Nano Banana 2, in Nigeria. ‎‎The new suite will be integrated directly into the Google app, Search (AI Mode), and Google Lens, to provide professional creative tools to millions of mobile and desktop users across Nigeria.‎‎Google developed Nano Banana 2, which is technically known as Gemini 3.1 Flash Image, after examining its success of the original Nano Banana model in mid-2025, in order to bridge the gap between high-speed performance and high-fidelity output.‎‎This rollout is aimed at supporting the creator economy by making sophisticated design tools accessible without the need for specialized hardware or technical expertise.‎‎Nano Banana 2 uses real-time web search and the Google Images library to ensure that generated landmarks, brands, and objects maintain factual integrity.‎‎The model allows creators to maintain the same facial features and clothing for a protagonist across multiple different prompts, thereby facilitating long-form storytelling and storyboarding.‎‎To mitigate the risk of deepfakes and misinformation, every image contains SynthID, which is an invisible digital watermark and C2PA metadata for clear identification of AI-generated content.‎‎Google executives argue that integrating these tools into the everyday Google app, small business owners and students can produce high-quality marketing assets and educational materials at zero cost, thereby fostering economic growth in the digital sector.‎‎Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s Communications and PR Manager for West Africa, added; “We want to make sure the best technology is accessible to everyone. Nigerians are some of the most creative people in the world, and today we’re expanding these tools to give them a new way to express that” ‎The service is currently live for all Nigerian users via the Google App and mobile browsers. Google also stated that the next phase of development will focus on expanding in-image localization, allowing the AI to seamlessly translate and render text within graphics across several more African languages.‎‎‎‎

‎Meta has announced an update to Instagram’s safety features, by alerting parents when their teenage children repeatedly search for content related to suicide or self-harm. ‎The rollout will commence next week in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and Canada, and a plan to expand the policy across the world.‎This policy was a response to the 2017 case of 14-year-old Molly Russell in the UK, whose death was linked to harmful content viewed on Instagram and Pinterest.‎‎Previously, Instagram’s safety measures focused primarily on blocking harmful search terms and providing direct support to the user. ‎‎Instagram intended to achieve this, by bypassing the privacy of teens to notify parents directly about specific search behaviors, provided they are enrolled in the “Teen Accounts” supervision experience.‎‎The platform will send alerts via email, text, WhatsApp, or the Instagram app when it detects a pattern of searches for suicide or self-harm within a short timeframe.‎‎Meta plans to extend these alerts to teen interactions with its AI chatbots in months  to come.‎‎Many believes that the system errs on the side of caution to protect vulnerable users. They maintain that dropping a notification, accompanied by expert resources, empowers parents to intervene before a crisis occurs. ‎‎While others argue that forced disclosures could damage the trust between parents and children, potentially leaving parents panicked and ill-prepared for sensitive conversations and that these notifications pass the buck to parents rather than addressing the underlying issue. ‎‎

‎Alerzo has commenced the liquidation of its delivery fleet, including shuttle buses, delivery vans and dispatch motorcycles, to settle an outstanding ₦4.38 billion debt. ‎‎The decision was made after a Federal High Court order in Lagos, in early February, froze the assets of the company three weeks ago, over refusal to pay back a ₦5 billion 18 months repayment loan from Moniepoint Microfinance Bank.‎‎Alerzo, which was founded as a digital bridge between manufacturers and small retailers, secured $20 million in funding to digitize the retail supply chain in the Southwest. ‎‎The company invested heavily in an internal logistics network across Lagos, Oyo, and Ogun states, in order to maintain low prices and fast delivery. ‎However, the high costs of vehicle maintenance, fuel, and labor, combined with thin profit margins, strained the cash flow of the company. ‎‎In January 2025, Alerzo secured a ₦5 billion working capital loan from Moniepoint. By late 2025, the startup failed to meet repayment schedules, prompting legal action from the Moniepoint Microfinance Bank to recover the remaining ₦4.38 billion plus accrued interest.‎‎The court-appointed liquidators have been dispatched to evaluate the total value of the physical assets of Alerzo, and the liquidation process will continue through March 2026.‎‎

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has increased the number of accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide from fewer than 800 last year to 1,000, as preparations for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) draws near. The update was presented before the Nigerian Senate by Dr Muftau Bello, a director in the office of the Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede. According to JAMB, the expansion is aimed at improving access, easing logistics, and ensuring smoother nationwide coordination of the examination. JAMB explained that the accreditation of CBT centres was finalized after an evaluation process to determine their suitability for conducting the examination. The accreditation team includes chief external examiners such as vice-chancellors, rectors, and provosts, alongside technical advisers, JAMB state coordinators, and other board officials.The board hopes to make candidate placement more flexible and better structured compared to previous years. JAMB spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, urged candidates to complete their registration before the deadline, stressing that there will be no extension this year. He expressed concern over the low use of available registration capacity across centres nationwide. According to him, JAMB has the capacity to register up to 100,000 candidates daily. However, centres are currently operating at barely 30% of that capacity, meaning many prospective candidates are yet to register. JAMB aims to surpass the 1.95 million candidates recorded in the 2025 examination. As of February 17, the board confirmed the registration of 1.5 million candidates for the 2026 UTME. Things to note JAMB has warned candidates to ignore viral SMS messages from unofficial sources and rely only on verified information from the board.

Integrated payments and digital commerce company, Interswitch, has taken steps to address infrastructure challenges slowing down startup growth in Delta State and other emerging tech regions. The company made its impact felt at the maiden edition of Delta Tech Week 2025, a five-day innovation and entrepreneurship festival held in Asaba from December 1 to 5. The event was organised by the Delta State Government through its Delta State Ministry of Science and Technology. Delta Tech Week brought together startups, developers, investors, academics, corporate organisations, and ecosystem enablers to tackle a pressing question about how emerging regions can build sustainable technology ecosystems outside the major tech hubs in Nigeria? One major obstacle for many early-stage businesses in the South-South region remains access to reliable payment infrastructure. Fragmented systems, integration difficulties, and reconciliation issues often limit their ability to scale beyond local markets. To address these challenges, Interswitch showcased live demonstrations of its API Marketplace and Payment Gateway. The sessions went beyond theory, by offering practical hands-on guidance to help startups integrate payments seamlessly, automate collections, manage merchant services, and simplify reconciliation processes within a secure and scalable system. The company, during the innovation and entrepreneurship festival, demonstrated how startups can unlock more commerce opportunities across Nigeria, by reducing friction at checkout and improving transaction success rates. Speaking at the event, Head of Operations Strategy at Interswitch, Olayinka Oluwadamilare, states the importance of dependable digital infrastructure in driving innovation. He stated that Delta Tech Week exemplified the strength of collaboration among developers, startups, and public institutions. According to him, reliable infrastructure remains the backbone of a thriving digital economy, and Interswitch is committed to supporting Delta State’s growing tech ecosystem with secure and seamless payment solutions. The company actively participated in panel discussions focused on financial inclusion, digital commerce enablement, developer empowerment, and the critical role infrastructure plays in socio-economic development. These conversations explored practical ways to lower entry barriers for entrepreneurs and strengthen innovation capacity in underserved regions. Interswitch also engaged participants during DevFest, the Women in Tech Summit, and other breakout sessions examining the future of software development, payments innovation, and enterprise growth. Representing the company at the event were Adeyinka Adekoya, Vice President, Energy Ecosystem; Blessing Ogbonna James, Head of Digital Payments; Chidi Opara Ndudu, Partner Manager; and Esohe Obaseki, Executive, Growth Marketing. Each shared insights on how improved digital infrastructure can unlock new growth opportunities for businesses in emerging regions.