Northern Youth Coalition Praises Tinubu's Mastercard Deal

The Northern Youth Frontier (NYF) commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the federal government's partnership with Mastercard, describing it as a significant boost to Nigeria's digital economy. In a statement issued by NYF Chairman Sama Musa following a visit from Mastercard's global CEO Michael Miebach to the Presidential State House in Abuja, the coalition emphasized the importance of ensuring that northern Nigeria fully benefits from the fintech initiatives arising from this partnership.

Miebach announced that Mastercard would inject $2 billion into the Nigerian economy annually and deploy resources to unlock the potential of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The NYF proposed the establishment of cyber centers to enhance cybersecurity and combat financial fraud, aiming to build digital capacity for five million MSMEs over three years.

They stressed the need for equitable distribution of benefits across regions, particularly in the north, which has historically lagged in financial technology infrastructure and access to modern credit facilities compared to the south.