Weekly Recap: Crypto Regulation, Google Empowerment

Africa’s digital landscape made giant strides this week, from billion-dollar broadband initiatives to continent-to-continent partnerships with Silicon Valley.

Silicon Valley Forum Backs Africa’s AI Dream

Africa is strengthening its digital linkages to the world tech center as Africa–Silicon Valley Forum prepares to host leaders, investors, and innovators to accelerate the digital and AI agenda in the continent. Organized by Foreign Investment Network (FIN), the pre-forum—on October 10, 2025—is setting the stage for the FIN Web Conference & AI Expo in California.

The event aims to bring attention to the possibilities of Africa in fintech, AI, sustainability, and digital infrastructure and also strengthen investment linkages between African nations and Silicon Valley.

High-profile speakers like Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, NITDA’s Director-General, as well as global industry experts from Google and SwissCognitive, will drive the conversation on AI-driven growth and innovation. The forum will address key topics such as “Sovereign AI for Inclusive Growth” and “Building AI-Ready Data Centres,” with special visitors from across Africa sharing insights concerning national digital strategies. The conference has been considered a grand landmark toward establishing Africa as an origin of world innovation and empowering MSMEs through AI-enabled solutions.

Nigeria Plans to Regulate Crypto and POS Services

Nigeria’s House of Representatives is set to close the loop on cryptocurrency and Point-of-Sale (POS) business as fear of fraud and financial crime grows. The ad-hoc committee, recently constituted by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, will investigate loopholes in regulation of digital finance, summoning CBN officials and bank CEOs to answer questions regarding consumer protection standards and POS user identification. Lawmakers believe proper documentation could help curb identity theft, money laundering, and unauthorised transactions.

Google Offers Free AI Access to African Students

Google is wagering on African future leaders by offering students in universities a year of complimentary access to its advanced AI bundle, Google AI Pro. The initiative covers six countries—Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Mozambique—and runs from October to December 2025. It provides advanced tools like Deep Research, Guided Learning, and NotebookLM that allow students to arm themselves with AI skills for the international market.

According to Google’s Sub-Saharan Africa Managing Director, Alex Okosi, the initiative is part of the organization’s mission to democratize technology and facilitate inclusive innovation. Besides AI tools, students will also be offered 2 TB of free cloud storage and access to Veo 3, Google’s AI video creation tool. Observers from the industry believe the move could accelerate Africa’s digitalization and find the next generation of tech innovators on the continent.

Nigeria Bets on $2bn Broadband to Fuel Tech Destiny

Nigeria is expanding its digital infrastructure with a $2 billion three-year plan to roll out broadband that will cover every local government area. Announced by Minister of Communications Dr Bosun Tijani at the Nigerian Economic Summit, the project will be financed through a 49% government and 51% private investment hybrid structure with World Bank, IFC, and AFC guarantees. The project pronounces broadband as national critical infrastructure and seeks to reduce operating expenses for telcos.

Regulators said the initiative will increase GDP by up to 2% annually and release an additional $25 billion in farm output. Growth will also increase digital literacy, strengthen start-ups, and accelerate innovation through initiatives like the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme. Industry captains have hailed the shift, citing increased power infrastructure and inclusion as the keys to long-term success.