Egypt to regulate social media for minors with special SIM

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Egypt is taking a different approach to moderating kids’ use of the Internet. Instead of targeting platforms like TikTok or Instagram, it is going after the entry point, which the SIM card.

The plan, led by the National Telecom Regulatory Authority, is to introduce dedicated SIM cards for minors within the next 60 days.

These SIMs will come with built-in restrictions that limit access to certain apps, websites, and types of content, shaping a child’s internet experience before they even go online.

It is a notable shift. Regulators have long pushed social media companies to enforce age limits, with mixed results. Egypt’s workaround is to control access at the infrastructure level instead, reducing reliance on platforms to police themselves.

With a growing number of young Egyptians already active online, authorities are betting that a pre-filtered internet experience could better protect minors from harmful content, scams, and online risks. The model also brings parents and telecom operators into the enforcement loop.

However, questions remain around censorship, flexibility, and whether such controls can be bypassed.

Nigeria’s South East wants to build a $200 billion economy by 2035. That’s the headline goal. But the more interesting story is how it plans to get there — and why technology is suddenly at the centre of it.

The ambition is being driven by the South East Development Commission (SEDC), led by managing director Mark Okoye II, who is attempting to coordinate growth across five states and over 20 million people.

At its core, the strategy leans on four pillars: agriculture, industrialisation, the creative economy, and technology. The first three are expected. The fourth is where things get interesting. While the region has long been known for commerce and entrepreneurship, turning that into a structured, high-growth tech ecosystem has remained a challenge.

The commission’s bet is that the problem isn’t talent — it’s access to capital. To fix that, it is setting up a $50 million venture fund aimed at startups building in or for the region. The goal is to attract private investors by using public capital to de-risk early-stage bets.

That approach reflects a broader reality. Nigeria’s tech ecosystem is still heavily concentrated in Lagos, where funding, talent, and visibility cluster. The South East, by comparison, has remained underfunded, despite its strong entrepreneurial base.

But funding alone won’t solve everything. Infrastructure gaps — from transport to internet connectivity — remain significant, and aligning policies across states is still a work in progress.

For now, the SEDC is trying something different: use government capital not to lead, but to unlock private investment.

Because the real question isn’t whether the South East has potential. It’s whether that potential can finally be coordinated at scale. Dive deeper with Chimgozirim’s latest article.

Paga has a new person running its Nigeria business for the first time in 17 years. Tayo Oviosu, who founded the company in 2009 and has led it since, is stepping back from day-to-day operations to become Group CEO, while Opeyemi Oyinloye has been named Acting CEO of Paga Nigeria, pending approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The leadership change is part of a wider restructuring aimed at positioning Paga for its next phase of growth, with plans to expand into other African markets and increase investment in artificial intelligence, stablecoins, and global payments infrastructure.

Oviosu will focus on those group-level priorities, while Oyinloye, who already holds senior roles within the company, takes charge of Nigeria operations.

Why this matters is partly about timing. Paga processed ₦17.1 trillion in transactions in 2025, a 96% increase year-on-year, which is a remarkable number. A company growing at that pace needs a different kind of leadership structure than the one that got it off the ground.

Having the founder manage day-to-day Nigerian operations while also trying to execute a continental expansion strategy is a difficult balancing act, and this restructuring appears to be an acknowledgement of that.