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The Naira Life Conference is almost here.

We are down to the final days. Tomorrow, professionals, entrepreneurs, investors, and creators will gather at The Jewel Aeida, Lekki, Lagos, for a full day of conversations about making, growing, and protecting money.

If you want to earn more, build wealth, or grow a business, the event promises practical guidance on increasing your market value, investing in stocks, mutual funds, and cryptocurrencies, building a first portfolio, and understanding what it takes to turn a hustle into a wealth engine.

Only a few seats remain. Get your Naira Life Conference ticket.

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Economía

Uber and Bolt aren’t banned from Nigerian airports, yet

Have you ever tried ordering a ride after landing at Nigeria’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), the country’s busiest airport, and watched the car icons on your app multiply until it looked like a pile-up? The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wants to bring some order to that chaos.

What happened? FAAN, the regulator that manages Nigeria’s commercial airports, said it is speaking with ride-hailing companies including Bolt and Uber about a framework that would allow them to pick up passengers at airports while meeting the authority’s safety and operational requirements.

FAAN added that until those agreements are signed, Uber and Bolt do not have formal approval to pick up passengers from Nigerian airport terminals.

Ride-hailing has been part of everyday urban transport in Nigeria for roughly a decade — Uber arrived in Lagos in 2014 and Bolt, then Taxify, in 2016 — and it is already regulated at the state level, with Lagos introducing a licensing regime and levies for e-hailing operators in 2020. FAAN’s framework would extend that kind of formal oversight to the airport terminals under its control, layering airport-level requirements on top of existing state rules.

Explain like I’m new here: This is part of FAAN’s broader plan to digitise airport access systems and make airport transport easier to monitor and manage.

In March, FAAN fully activated its cashless policy at airport access points, requiring airport users to obtain a FAAN electronic payment card that must be scanned at entry points.

In June, it launched the Airport Car Hire Rank Management System (ACHRAMS) at MMIA to register and track airport car-hire operators.

So what does FAAN want and why? It wants control and visibility over commercial transport operating on airport property. FAAN said it has received complaints about touting and passenger solicitation around airports and wants commercial transport providers operating on its turf to be identifiable and accountable.

Where does that leave you? For now, do not delete Uber or Bolt. FAAN said ACHRAMS is not an e-hailing app designed to compete with ride-sharing platforms, but until agreements are completed, Uber, Bolt, and other ride-hailing platforms do not have formal approval to pick up passengers from Nigerian airport terminals.

The business questions you Google, answered by experts. Watch for free.

Telecomunicaciones

Network access provider Comsol is building a wholesale 5G network for South Africa

South Africa is getting another 5G network, but this one has a different plan. Comsol, a South African telecom company, is building the network and selling access to other businesses.

What happened? Comsol has started selling wholesale access to a national 5G network built specifically for home broadband. The network will be available to Internet service providers (ISPs), mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), and other resellers, while Comsol stays behind the scenes handling the infrastructure.

Explain like I’m new here: Normally, a telecom company builds the network and sells internet service directly to customers. Comsol, however, builds and operates the 5G network that an ISP or MVNO can use to create a home broadband package, set pricing, and sell it under its own brand.

What’s interesting: South Africa already has a mature 5G market. MTN and Vodacom launched the country’s first 5G networks in 2020, while Telkom and Rain have also built 5G offerings. In 2022, MTN had the fastest median 5G download speed, according to GSMA. Comsol wants to become the network that other businesses can use to compete with these heavyweights.

We’ve seen this before: Ghana’s Next-Gen InfraCo (NGIC) launched in 2024 as a shared 4G/5G infrastructure company and commenced operations in March, with the idea that mobile operators and Internet providers could use one national network instead of each building everything themselves.

South African home internet customers have already seen this open-access playbook in fibre, where network builders such as Openserve and Vumatel lay the pipes and retail ISPs compete on top of them. Comsol is doing something similar, although its network is focused on 5G home broadband rather than being a shared mobile network for the whole country.

What does this mean for you? One thing to watch is price. Comsol has not disclosed what it will charge its wholesale partners, and those partners will still have to add their own costs and margins.

A wholesale network could make connectivity cheaper by spreading infrastructure costs across providers, but it does not guarantee cheaper Internet for end users.

Coverage will matter just as much, since ISPs can only build retail packages on a network that reaches their target customers.

The Naira Life Conference 2026 is bringing together Nigeria’s top finance minds, industry leaders, creators, and business strategists for a full day of specialised sessions and masterclasses designed for ambitious Nigerians who want to make, keep, grow, and pass on real wealth. It will take place on August 22 at The Jewel Aeida, Lekki, Lagos. Secure a seat in the room.

Insights

Funding Tracker

Terra Industries, a Nigerian defence-tech startup, raised $18 million in seed funding. The investment came from existing investors 8VC, Silent Ventures, Nova Global, Belief Capital, and SV Angel, alongside new investors Norleo Space Investments and angel investor Grant Gordon. (Aug. 17)

Here are the other deals for the week:

Pouchers, a Nigerian stablecoin-powered payments platform, raised $500,000 in a pre-seed funding round led by Stack Directory LLC, a Dubai-based internet investment company, with participation from other strategic angel investors. (Aug. 17)

Jem, a South African workforce management startup, raised $8.4 million in Series A funding led by Quona Capital, with participation from University Technology Fund, E4E, Next176/FutureGrowth, and angel investors including former Old Mutual CEO Iain Williamson. (Aug. 18)

Yellow, a Malawi fintech startup, raised an undisclosed amount in Series C funding from Convergence Partners. (Aug. 20)

That is all for this week. Before you go, Nigeria has taught entrepreneurship for years, but is it actually producing economic outcomes? Find out here.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more funding announcements.

Moonshot 2026 is coming. Join us at the National Theatre, Lagos on October 28 and 29 for two days of tech and innovation. Grab your early bird tickets now and get 15% off.

CRYPTO TRACKER

The World Wide Web3

Source: Coin

Coin Name | Current Value | Day | Month

• 8.05% | + 13.75% | + 4.67% | + 22.49%

– 44.43% | – 44.43% | + 5.62% | + 15.57%

• Data as of 06.35 AM WAT, August 21, 2026.

Events

Condia is bringing together founders, payment leaders, regulators, investors, and businesses for The Borderless Experience, an event exploring the future of cross-border payments, travel, and commerce in Africa. Taking place today in Lagos, Nigeria, the event will focus on practical, operator-led conversations around payment infrastructure, AI, stablecoins, market expansion, and the realities of building across African markets. Register here to attend.

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Written by: Yemi Kareem and Success Sotonwa

Edited by: Emmanuel Nwosu and Ganiu Oloruntade

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