The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani has said the security of digital transactions will deepen financial includion in the countrt.
He said the launch of Airtel’s spam alert service across its African operations, beginning with Nigeria, will ensure safety of its Nigerian customers when connected to the internet via their mobile phones and other smart devices.
The minister spoke in Lagos yesterday during the launch of the solution, which is Africa’s first spam alert service designed to protect Airtel customers from millions of fraudulent spam messages sent across networks by hackers.
“Government is facing an urgent demand to diversify the economy and raise the level of productivity across key sectors. To this end, we believe and acknowledge the initiative that leads Artificial Intelligence (AI) as not just an early trend, but a significant catalyst for change. AI, as we know, has the potential to revolutionise so many aspects of our lives.
“It can help increase how we do diagnosis, transform education by making it more personal, bringing the government closer, as we learn how to protect our citizens from fraudulent practices. More importantly, AI offers countries like ours a chance to explore traditional development challenges and unlock opportunities for growth. I commend Airtel for its continued investment in the Nigerian digital ecosystem and the launch of this AI-powered Spam Alert Service. I personally consider this a significant step towards enhancing online security for millions of Nigerians,” Tijani said.
According to him, the initiative aligns with government’s commitment to ensuring universal and meaningful connectivity while safeguarding digital spaces against fraud and cyberattacks.
“By deploying AI-driven innovations that protect users and build trust, Airtel is contributing to a safer, more prosperous digital economy, one where Nigerians can fully participate with confidence and security,” Tijani further said.
In his remarks, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, said the NCC had always placed consumer protection at the heart of its regulatory mandate, adding that the commission is pleased to see operators like Airtel taking proactive steps to safeguard their customers. “Nigeria, like many other African nations, has seen a rise in these so-called spam-related scams. The AI-powered solution from Airtel provides a much-needed way of security, using advanced technology to detect and flag suspicious messages before they reach consumers. This aligns with the NCC’s broader commitment to improving the quality of telecom services and advancing consumer trust in the industry,” Maida said.
Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Dinesh Balsingh, said the AI-powered spam alert service was developed to protect customers and keep them in a secure state.
“So spam, today, is a menace and it is something which is globally recognised.
About 60 per cent of our consumers receive spam SMS in a month and these are unwanted SMS. For a scam to happen, it starts with a spam message,” Balsingh said.
Chief Marketing Officer at Airtel Nigeria, Oluwafemi Oshinlaja said over 150 million Airtel subscribers across Africa, would benefit from the solution, beginning from Nigeria.
