UBA, First Bank win The Banker's awards in London

The Banker Magazine, a publication of Financial Times, has named United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), the ‘Bank of the Year’, Africa while FirstBank, was announced the winner of the “Bank of the Year in Nigeria 2012” at a ceremony held at the ballroom of the Intercontinental Park Lane Hotel, London.

The award is regarded as the industry standard for banking excellence and nominees were judged by their ability to deliver shareholder returns and gain strategic advantage in terms of market visibility and positioning.

According to a statement by The Bankers, “The ‘Bank of the Year’ is selected based on the overall performance of the financial institution and the opinion of leading financial analysts from the world’s financial markets. Winners were recognised and presented with awards in the presence of over 450 leading bankers across the globe”.

The awards were received by the Bank’s Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka; Managing Director, UBA Cameroon, Mr. Georges Wega; Managing Director, UBA Capital Europe, Mr. Ebele Ogbue, and Head UBA Representative Office Paris, DeMontalivet Edouard.

Folake Ani-Mumuney, FirstBank’s Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications, also received the award plaque from Paul Wallace, Africa Editor of The Banker and Michael Buerk, a former Cable Network News (CNN) Correspondent and Award Host.

The award ceremony, now in its 13th edition, celebrates the success and major achievements of the world’s leading financial institutions. It was attended by leading players in business and finance circles.

Heineken Unveils New Global Bottle in Nigeria

Noted for the premium quality of its packaging and content and for opening the world of its consumers, Heineken, the world’s leading international premium beer has unveiled a new global bottle.

L-R Mr Walter Drenth, Marketing Director, Mr Victor Famuyibo, HR Director, Mr Nicolaas Vervelde, MD/CEO and Mr Hubert Eze, Sales Director all of Nigerian Breweries plc at the unveiling of Heineken New global bottle in Lagos, recently

The brand, which constantly looks for opportunities to set new world standards to provide its consumers with utmost quality, did not disappoint as it held a spectacular World Premiere of the bottle at the Federal Palace Hotel and Casino in Lagos which attracted high net worth personalities.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde, Managing Director/CEO Nigerian Breweries Plc said the company has been reinventing its brands and driving innovation over the years. Heineken, he noted, is an outstanding brand in Nigeria, the fastest growing and most premium lager beer in the country, hence the name “Chairman”. The packaging, he continued, is state of the art and a retinue of distributors will ensure that it gets to the hands of its consumers wherever they are.

Mr. Walter Drenth, the Marketing Director affirmed that the new world class and innovative, proprietary bottle comes in 60cl and 33cl content. “It is a uniform Heineken bottle across the world and I am proud that Nigeria is one of the first countries to introduce this new design on a returnable bottle. This bottle is designed with true perfection to match the premium quality that Heineken always delivers”.

Taking the audience through the unique design features of the new bottle, Drenth stressed that it is the first bottle of its kind with a transparent label in Nigeria; the Marketing Director said it was deliberately achieved because “Heineken hides nothing of its premium quality. The new green neck foil is inspired by the shape of a smile and is now wrapped around a longer neck. The stylish embossment at the back is a proof of authenticity and class. Together with the modern curves it adds a tactile nature that is pleasant to touch and that improves grip”, Drenth added.

The content is the same premium quality Heineken beer that is brewed with only 3 natural ingredients: water, 100% malted barley and hops. Apart from the new bottle, she added that a new world class crate and a six pack unique packaging is part of the innovation that the brand is bringing to consumers. She also enjoined consumers to visit www.heineken.com, www.facebook.com/heineken, Twitter: @heineken_ng to learn more about the new bottle.

Zenith Bank Partners Mastercard on Payment Solution

Nigeria’s leading banking institution, Zenith Bank Plc has  partnered with MasterCard Worldwide in a bid to introduction of MasterCard Corporate Payment Solution to the Nigerian private and public sectors.

According to MasterCard, these cards will also enable such organisations to streamline their processes for authorising, monitoring and reconciling corporate expenditure more efficiently, with a particular focus on the management of travel expenses.

Speaking on the collaboration, Country Manager, West Africa, MasterCard Worldwide, Ms Omokehinde Ojomuyide is quoted to have said "MasterCard Corporate Payment Solutions include a comprehensive suite of innovative products developed after conducting extensive global research to understand the specific and evolving needs of the corporate sector".

According to MasterCard Worldwide research, travel expenses are ranked as one of the largest controllable expenses within any business. It is also estimated that more than 10 per cent of direct travel expenses go towards managing the administrative costs associated with cash advances and expense report processing.

Event Of The Week: Hennessy Beat Bar Crawl

LG Launches Anti-Mosquito Air Conditioner

As part of its commitment to improve both health security and the quality of life in Africa through technological innovations, LG Electronics has launched an advanced residential air conditioner (RAC) which utilizes ultrasonic wave technology to repel mosquitoes.

According to the company, the “Anti-Mosquito” air conditioner has been shown in tests conducted in a Peet Grady chamber to deter on average 64 percent of malaria-transmitting female Anopheles mosquitoes within 24 hours and 82 percent overall.

Aside from offering greater peace of mind, the Anti-Mosquito air conditioner also comes with all the advantages of LG’s AC technologies, delivering powerful cooling and superb reliability even under extreme operating temperatures.

“In Nigeria, as well as in a number of other African countries, malaria continues to be a prevalent threat. LG takes great pride in tailoring products and technologies to the specific needs of consumers. By matching technologies directly to these region-specific challenges, we can create real solutions that will help bring about profound and meaningful changes to consumers” said, Jun-hwa Jeong, General Manager of Air Conditioning and Energy Solutions at LG Electronics.

Mohammed Fouani, Managing Director of Fouani Nigeria Ltd also added that the launch of the product will further deepen its brand penetration. “In terms of economic development, the entire African continent has enormous potential and we’re hopeful that LG’s technologies will help people unlock that potential".

Coca Cola Appoints New Managing Director

Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited has appointment Adeola Adetunji as the company's new Managing Director replacing Kelvin Balogun who was inducted to the position of President of Coca-Cola Central, East and West Africa (CEWA) Business Unit.

In a release by the Public Affairs and Communications Manager of Coca Cola, Clem Ugorji, Adetunji is expected to effectively act as the MD of the company January 1, 2013.

Adetunji currently the General Manager for Manufacturing and Trading Services, and also serves as the Managing Director for Waveside (Pty.) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Coca-Cola Company in South Africa. He has served successfully in varied roles of increasing responsibility, spanning finance, marketing and operations. He joined the company in Atlanta in 1993 and was appointed as the South Africa Division Accounting Manager in 1996.

He led the Coca-Cola business in East Africa to record growth between 2003 and 2005 and was central in stabilising the business in Southern Africa between 2005 and 2007, before moving to bottling operations in July 2008 as the East and North Africa Operations Director for Coca-Cola Sabco, the anchor bottler for Coca-Cola Company in Africa.

Adetunji is a Fellow Chartered Accountant and holds a B.Sc. degree in Economics from the University of Ife, and a MBA in Finance and Strategic Planning from the University of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, USA.

Shanduka Group advances African growth, acquires stake in MTN Nigeria

Shanduka Group has announce the acquisition of a minority stake in MTN Nigeria. The stake has been purchased through Shanduka Telecommunication (Mauritius), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the group. Shanduka acquired its stake from three private investors.

According to a release by the company on its website(www.shanduka.co.za), Shanduka Group CEO Phuti Mahanyele said: “This is Shanduka’s most significant investment in another African country. It is a business that is well established within a market that has great potential for further growth. Shanduka will continue to pursue opportunities in other parts of Africa.”

The transaction, which is worth US$335 million, is the largest investment Shanduka has made outside South Africa. It forms part of the group’s strategy to invest in key sectors in growing African markets. It is an indication of Shanduka’s confidence in Nigeria as an important investment destination.

MTN Nigeria is currently the largest mobile operator in Nigeria with 45.64 million active subscribers at the end of September 2012, and an estimated market share of approximately 48%. The company is an indirectly held subsidiary of MTN Group, which holds an effective 78.83% stake.

The investment was facilitated and supported by Standard Chartered, which acted as joint financial advisor and mandated lead arranger.

RIM to Launch BlackBerry 10 on January 30th 2013

Research In Motion has finally announced that it will hold its BlackBerry 10 launch event on January 30th, 2013. The event will happen simultaneously in multiple countries around the world. This day will mark the official launch of its new platform - BlackBerry 10, as well as the unveiling of the first two BlackBerry 10 smartphones.

BrandArena was the first blog in Nigeria to hint you about the BlackBerry and we are also proud to report to you now that the details on the smartphones and their availability will be announced at the event (Jan. 30, 2013).

“In building BlackBerry 10, we set out to create a truly unique mobile computing experience that constantly adapts to your needs.  Our team has been working tirelessly to bring our customers innovative features combined with a best in class browser, a rich application ecosystem, and cutting-edge multimedia capabilities.  All of this will be integrated into a user experience – the BlackBerry Flow – that is unlike any smartphone on the market today,” said Thorsten Heins, President and CEO of Research In Motion.

BlackBerry 10 will offer a large catalog of the leading applications from across the globe and across all categories, including Games, Productivity, Social, Lifestyle and Leisure, Multimedia and Published Content, as well as applications designed for business and enterprise use.

The BlackBerry 10 platform has recently achieved FIPS 140-2 certification, which means that government agencies will be able to deploy BlackBerry 10 smartphones and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 as soon as it is available.  This marks the first time BlackBerry products have been certified ahead of their launch.

UNILAG Students Win Google Business Competition

Three students of the University of Lagos who contested in the Google Apps Developer Challenge have emerged winners in the Enterprise/Small Business Solutions category in sub-Sahara Africa have emerged winners of the Google Apps Developer Challenge.

The lucky students

The trio: Bolutife Ogunsola, Willie Aniebet and Michael Adeyeri were awarded  $20,000 and Chrome books, while they won for their Department a grant of $18,000 from the great American technology search engine company after they created the Form+ application software; an interface that creates application forms by just dragging and dropping components.

In a release by the company, the Program Manager, Google, Emeka Afigbo stated: “Our expectation is that this motivates more young Nigerian developers to develop apps that change the way we live in Nigeria and Africa at large.”

With this innovation the Young lads have once again proven that innovation the driving engine of businesses and economy does not reside only  in Japan, India, Germany, South Korea and the United States of America but also Nigeria.

The new Apps will help to develop content and ease the process for creating curriculum vitae for businesses and coursework submission page for lecturers.

Guinness 'Fly With The Eagles' Media Launch

Guinness Stout has once again showed its love for football in Nigeria by throwing its weight behind the Super Eagles ahead of African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa, by launching a new campaign tagged ‘Fly with the Eagles’ at an event held recently at Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos.

Some Super Eagles' Ex-players at the 'Fly With The Eagles' Campaign  Media Launch

The campaign comprises the national consumer promotion, the campaign theme song, Guinness Fan Parks and an exciting engagement platform that will enhance deeper participation of consumers and fans.

The event had in attendance some football icons like J.J. Okocha, Kanu Nwakwo, Taribo West, Victor Ikpeba, Segun Odegbami, Stephen Amokachi, NFF vice president, Mike Umeh, Lagos State Commissioner for Sports, Enitan Oshodi and loads of other football lovers stormed the venue to join Guinness FES in building up support for the Eagles.

According to the Managing Director of Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Seni Adetu, the company is keeping faith with the Super Eagles  and have decided to show the football-loving brand's support for the football team as they prepare for the  biggest football event in the continent which will keep off January,2013.

Austin Ufomba, Marketing and Innovation Director, also said that “Consumers can enter into the promo by buying Guinness Stout; open the crown corks and text the code under the crown to 1759".

The company stated that weekly draw winners will be announced all through the December 1, 2012 to January 31, 2012, campaign period. Asides grand prize, cash prizes are also up for grabs, with four consumers carting away cash prizes of N100,000.00 daily throughout the duration of the campaign, among other fantastic prizes.

Coca-Cola Honoured with Cannes Lions 2013 Creative Marketer of the Year Award

World's largest beverage company, Coca-Cola is to be recognized at The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2013 in Cannes, France.

The organisers behind the world's largest and most prestigious global annual awards celebrating creative excellence in brand communications have yesterday (November 27), named the multinational beverage corporation as the recipient of the 2013 Creative Marketer of the Year Award.

Formally known as the Advertiser of the Year Award takes place every June in Cannes, France. The prize is presented to brands that have distinguished themselves by inspiring innovative marketing of their products across multiple platforms and who embrace and encourage creativity in their brand communications produced by their agencies.

Having won its first Cannes Lion back in 1967, The Coca-Cola Company has gone on to pick up more than 100 Lions across different advertising and communication disciplines, including a Design Grand Prix in 2008 for the US entry Coca-Cola Identity and, most recently, the 2012 Outdoor Grand Prix win for China for Coke Hands.

Joe Tripodi, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer of The Coca-Cola Company, says “Creativity has been and always will be at the heart of our brands. It fuels our business – with consumers, customers, fans, agencies and partners all over the world. We are honoured by this recognition and grateful to our agencies and partners who inspire and make us better.”

“The Coca-Cola Company’s restless pursuit of creative innovation in the marketing of its brands across multiple platforms in many different territories has been honoured at Cannes for many years,” says Philip Thomas, Chief Executive of Cannes Lions.

For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo or check out our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com.

Dangote emerges West Africa Ernst&Young Entrepreneur of the Year

The President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote has emerged West Africa’s Ernst&Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 and will represent the sub-region in Monte Carlo, Monaco,  in June next year, where the global contest for World Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2013 will hold.

Interswitch Nigeria Limited, CEO, Mitchell Elegbe, emerged winner of the Emerging Entrepreneurs category at the event organised by Ernst&Young held at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.

Aliko Dangote

Dangote Group’s Helmsman was represented by Managing Director, Cement Operations, Knut Ulvmoen at the colourful event stated that the award is 'well deserved'. "We have done a lot in Dangote, but this is just the beginning. We are going to do more in fertiliser; petrochemicals, infrastructure building, and we will continue moving into Africa and also outside Africa. We want to show the world Africa can do it. So, we can win in Monaco. We are already a winner. No one else in the world has done what we have done in the last few years. We have created jobs and more industries than anyone else”, he said.

There were two nominees for the Master Category and these include Aliko Dangote and Ernest Azudialu, CEO of Nest-Oil, both of Nigeria.

The Emerging Entrepreneurs category had five nominees, made up of Mitchell Elegbe, CEO Interswitch Nigeria Limited, Frank Adu, CEO CAL Bank of Ghana, Adelaide Ahwireng, CEO FIO Enterprises, Ghana, William Atto Essien, CEO first Capital Plus, Ghana, and Roland Agamire, CEO RLG Communications, Ghana.

Others include: James Mwangi, CEO and Managing Director of Kenya’s Equity Bank Limited won the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 at an awards ceremony held in Monte Carlo’s Salle des Etoiles. James was picked from among the 59 country finalists vying for the title across 51 countries, each of whom was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in his home country. Nigeria’s Aigboje Imoukhuede, CEO, Access Bank Plc.

Arsenal football club in £150m Emirates deal

Arsenal football club have signed a new £150m deal with Emirates airline, extending its shirt sponsorship to 2019. The new deal is one of the biggest in football, eclipsing rivals such as Liverpool in terms of revenue earned.

The Dubai-based airline will also continue with naming rights on the Gunners' stadium at Ashburton Grove until 2028. The £30m-a-year contract represents a significant increase in additional revenue for the Barclays Premier League club, who have not won a trophy since 2005.

According to the Head of Emirates' corporate communications Boutros Boutros, the new deal with Arsenal can help them achieve success on the pitch again as the football club are becoming a truly global club.

Many of Arsenal's commercial deals tied with helping the club move from Highbury in 2005 are close to their renewal date - including the current shirt manufacturer contract with Nike, which is up in 2014.

Arsenal have been associated with Emirates since 2004. Emirates is also an official partner of the FIFA World Cup, and have a wide-ranging sports portfolio.

Also Friday, Emirates said it is hoping to extend its shirt sponsorship with Paris Saint-Germain, which started in 2006, despite reports in September that the club’s Qatari owners could sign a deal with a company from their homeland.

Facebook and Nokia partner to increase connections on-the-go

Facebook and Nokia have yesterday announced an innovation with the introduction of a built-in Facebook button available on the new Nokia Asha 205.

Introduced today, the Nokia Asha 205 is the first Nokia phone that includes a dedicated Facebook button, designed for people who want the fastest, one-click access to popular Facebook features.

"People around the world use Facebook Mobile to connect and share with their friends," said Javier Olivan, head of growth, engagement and mobile for Facebook. "We are focused on delivering the best Facebook experience to as many people as possible and our partnership with Nokia perfectly complements our strategy of giving people around the world a rich Facebook experience for keeping in touch with their friends."

"Globally, young consumers have increasingly started using Facebook for socializing, keeping in touch and striking new friendships. The launch of the Nokia Asha 205 responds to this growing demand and gives them a unique option for accessing Facebook while on-the-go," said Timo Toikkanen, executive vice president, Mobile Phones, Nokia. "We have seen that many people who use Nokia Asha devices are hyper-social and we are proud to partner with Facebook to improve the user experience of those consumers further with the introduction of the Facebook button."

Product Review: Nokia Lumia 920

The Lumia 920 dominated Nokia's presentation at Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 press event recently, with the smaller Lumia 820 barely getting a look-in. It forges new Windows Phone ground with wireless charging support and a highly sensitive screen you can use with gloves.

When Nokia unveiled Lumia 820 many customers across the world were amazed with it function but the gadget isn't meant as the Finnish firm's flagship handset - that accolade belongs to the Lumia 920 - but this colourful Windows Phone 8 smartphone is impressive nonetheless.

The Nokia Lumia 920 includes the latest Nokia PureView camera, capturing five times more light than competitor smartphones for bright pictures without flash, even indoors and at night. It also features built-in wireless charging, making it easy to keep the battery topped up throughout the day, as well as a better-than-HD display. The Nokia Lumia 820, Nokia Lumia 810 and Nokia Lumia 822 offer exchangeable covers in a range of vibrant colours, including the option to add wireless charging.

The Nokia Lumia 920 comes in yellow, red, grey, white and black. The Nokia Lumia 820 goes two steps further with yellow, red, grey, cyan, purple, white and black models.

Like the Nokia Lumia 920, they boast the world's most sensitive touchscreen and Nokia ClearBlack display technology for easy visibility in the brightest sunlight. All phones come with the full suite of Nokia navigation applications, including Nokia City Lens, as well as Nokia Music for unlimited music svtreamed directly to the phone.

Nokia Lumia 920 will appeal to anyone who enjoy a large and clear screen; rely on turn-by-turn voice navigation, need 32GB storage, often wear gloves, want to dive into wireless charging or take a lot of low-light photos. Those who seek granular photo control, prefer a light phone, rely on voice dictation for composing e-mail and notes or ant a mountain of apps and games at the ready might skip it.

The Nokia Lumia 920 is able to take in five times more light than competing smartphones without using flash, making it possible to capture clear, bright pictures and video indoors and at night. It also compensates for hand movement while the photo is being taken. The Lumia 920's 1-megapixel front-facing camera doesn't take stellar shots, but the self-portrait I snapped was passable, and it's certainly good enough for video chatting.

The only real downside I’ve found to this gadget is its weight, nothing more.

Forbes Africa Person of the Year 2012 to hold in Nigeria

On Thursday  29 November, Forbes Africa 2012 will be held in Nigeria. The winner of the Person of the Year honour will be announced at the event which will take place at the Porsche Centre in Lagos.

After an overwhelming response from Forbes Africa readers, the founder and president of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; Dr James Mwangi, CEO and managing director of Kenya's Equity Bank Limited; Joyce Banda, President of Malawi; Tony Elumelu, founder and chairman of Heirs Holdings and Stephen Saad, co-founder of the Aspen Pharmacare have been chosen as 2012 nominees.

The event celebrates the most influential person of the year on the African continent and highlights the person's immense involvement and contribution to society.

It could be recall that the first edition was held last year and won by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Governor Sanusi Lamido.

ABN Productions is the exclusive event host for CNBC Africa and Forbes Africa as well as the prestigious 'All Africa Business Leaders Awards' (AABLA).

The results will also be announced on CNBC Africa, DSTV 410.

Samsung Galaxy Note II Berth in Nigeria

Samsung Galaxy Note II

Samsung has finally launched its new product, Galaxy Note II in Nigeria after its initial introduction at the IFA Trade Show in Berlin. Its subsequent arrival on the African continent at a glamorous event in Cape Town, South Africa, in October.

The device was launched to the public at Westown Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday. Powered by the latest version of Google’s Android operating system, Jelly Bean, the Galaxy Note II features a 1.6 GHz quad-core processor and 4G LTE connectivity.

The Galaxy Note II is thinner and narrower than the first Galaxy Note, and it improves upon the original with longer battery life, as well as enhancements to the S Pen. It also boasts a microSD slot that allows for expansion by up to an extra 64GB of storage. Its 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display is ideal for users who want the productivity of a tablet with the portability of a smartphone.

According to company, the Galaxy Note II will ensure that Samsung maintains its dominance over Apple and other smartphone manufacturers in the global smartphone market, by positioning itself as a niche to meet the demands of consumers desirous of larger screens and more user-friendly display.

Winners Emerge in MoneyGram Promo

Recently a total of one hundred and five depositors emerged as winners in the MoneyGram transfer promo which its raffle draw was held at Ocean View Restaurant, Victoria-Island, Lagos.

The promo was to help in continuation of its support for education in Nigeria. It distribute over 80,000 notebooks to over 15 deprived primary schools in Lagos, Ibadan and Benin City as materials such as school kits and laptops where all distributed to winners after which their names would be published on the faces of national newspapers.

A cross section of representatives of agent banks and journalists during the draw for the Gear up for school promo in Lagos

Each Bank had a total of fifteen winners accredited to each. The first five would be given Samsung branded laptop while the remaining ten winners would go away with school kits.

In this regard, the computerized draw was supervised by APCON, CPC and other regulatory bodies to select winners for this promotion. This is going to be done through computerized software which would completely select winners randomly, and the data used is the raw user data held on MoneyGram servers in the United States.

The Business Development Manager, Mrs. Kemi Okusanya, while addressing representatives of banking establishments and as well members of the press said, ‘The “Gear up for School 2013” promotion was crafted to reward our customers who receive remittances for education. Our analysis indicates that this is the leading reason for emergency remittances in Nigeria and this flow peaks around the back to school period in August and September.’

This promo, saw customers who received MoneyGram’s during the period, receive instant gifts at the locations of our partner banks. For the purposes of this promotion, these banks included Mainstreet Bank, Enterprise Bank, First Bank, UBA, Sterling Bank, Keystone Bank, Skye Bank, Access Bank and Ecobank.

Mrs. Kemi Okusanya speaking with journalist said that 'The brand remains the best option to send and receive money in Nigeria. We have competitive rates, you can receive your MoneyGram’s from anywhere in the world, in dollars here in Nigeria and we are the only remittance brand that continually support Nigerian society. We shall soon excite the market further with innovations that will deliver greater convenience.'

She also expressed MoneyGram’s gratitude with banks agent for their continued support for the growth of the brand in Nigeria, and to all our customers in Nigeria and in the Nigeria Diaspora who continue to make us the best option to bring people closer in Nigeria.

Quote Of The Week

"Creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing. Innovation is the production or implementation of an idea. If you have ideas, but don’t act on them, you are imaginative but not creative.” — Linda Naiman, the founder of Creativity at Work and co-author of Orchestrating Collaboration at Work.

Glo Introduces Bolt Internet Modem

Telecom service company, Globacom has introduced a super-fast internet service modem, Glo Bolt, formerly known as Glo Netpro. It is a service that runs on the HSPA network and is backed by the power of the revolutionary Glo 1 international submarine cable.

One great feature of Glo Bolt is the Self-Care Portal available at http://hsi.glo.com. The service has also been enhanced with two exciting features: Share Subscription and Gift Subscription which enable subscribers to share their subscriptions or send subscriptions as gifts respectively.

According to Globacom’s General Manager, Marketing, Mr. Ashutosh Tiwary, Glo Bolt thrives on “speed and performance and, with the service, the subscriber is always a winner because we recognise that speed is a driver of value. The service offers users world-class internet service never before experienced in Nigeria and facilitates easy handling of internet applications on modems, tablets, smart phones and other devices. Our customers are assured of the best browsing experience and best value for money”.

Speaking on the subscription plans, he explained that the Sharing feature would offer the subscriber convenience and affordability by enabling him to share internet subscription with friends, family and loved ones instead of buying multiple subscriptions for each and every one of them.

Gabriel Olanrewaju, Globacom's head, 3G and e-Top Up Sales, who unveiled the product at a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday, said that with the interconnection of Glo Bolt with Glo 1 cable and subsequent network upgrade, the new service offers users unparalleled internet speed and reliability.

According to its site, www.gloworld.com, the new modem activations will get 500MB data free of charge instantly and free internet access for 6 months. Free internet is available to customers who subscribe to a plan of N1,000 or more and will get an additional 200MB added to their subscription volumes free of charge for 6 months. The modem cost: N3,999 and available at Gloworld outlets and 3G Dealers.

Winners Emerge in First Bank Promo

In the First Bank's ‘Hi-Fi Young Savers Account’ promo, 12 children have emerged winners in a raffle draw held in Lagos. The children were rewarded with N1 million to be deposited in their account with First Bank as a support to their education.

According to First Bank Plc, the aim of the promo was to encourage parents to save for their children who are infants till they get to 18 years. The money will be released to their parents only on educational basis.

The winners were: Somtochukwu David, Markurdi Branch; Abdullahi Usman Bukar, Maiduguri Branch; Chibueze Daniel Dikeocha, Port Harcourt Branch; Abdulsalam Aliyah Folashayo, Wuse Branch Abuja; Abubakar Bashir Umar, Sokoto Branch; Ibekwe Jennifer Ifeoma, Aba Branch; Okeke Ritamary Chidalu, Unizik Branch, and Tanko Mercy Pwalesado Nagogoroya, Jalingo Branch.

Others were  Igben Oghenemarho Derek, Port Harcourt Artillary Branch; Malik Musa, Kano International Airport Branch; Ngoka Elfreda Amuchechukwu, Ketu Branch and Dalha Wada Muhammed, Murtala Mohammed Airport Branch.

To qualify for the promo, an individual must have saved up to N750, 000 before the year runs out.

Congratulations to you kids!

Andrew Dosunmu's Restless City wins Awards at Nile Film Festival

Restless City, a movie directed by Andrew Dosunmu has been awarded the Best Long Feature Film and the Best Cinematography at the inaugural Colours of the Nile International Film Festival (CNIFF) which was held recently in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The movie tells the story of young, nomadic Senegalese immigrant, Djbirl (Sy Alassane), an aspiring musician, struggling to survive on the fringes of New York City. When he falls in love with a prostitute (Jamaican-born model/actress Nicole Grey) who works for Bekay, the local loan shark, he suddenly finds some much needed meaning and purpose to his otherwise aimless existence, forcing him to make decisions that eventually prove fatal.

The jury was made up of South African producer, Letebele Masemola-Jones; French/Tunisian filmmaker Karim Dridi; Ethiopian director, Solomon BekeleWeya; African Screens editor, Don Dewale Omope and Ioana-Frederique Westhoff from the ACP Films Programme.

Other awards won at the festival are: Best Short Film: Hisab by Ezra Wube (Ethiopia), Best Documentary Film: Voyage of Hope by Michel K. Zongo (Burkina Faso), Best Screenplay: The Repentant by Merzak Allouachi (Algeria), Best Sound: 1Ž2 Revolution by Karim El Hakim and Omar Shargawi (Egypt), Best Soundtrack: Otelo Burning by Sara Blecher (South Africa), Best Actor: Kenneth Nkosi in Otelo Burning (South Africa), Best Actress: Elizabeth Melaku in Scent of a Lemon (Ethiopia)

Also, special mentions went to Abraham Gezahagne's film Scent of a Lemon (Ethiopia); Theresa Traore-Dahlberg's short film Taxi Sister (Senegal and Sweden); and Eric Miyeni's documentary (South Africa).

Final Winners Emerge in Indomie Super Millionaire Promo

Final set of winners have emerged in the ongoing Indomie Super Millionaire Promo as curtain draw on the promo as the 8th draw which held in Lagos on Thursday November 15, 2012.

The Winners include another 7 lucky winners of the star prize money of N1 million while several others won lofty prizes such as; I pad, Refrigerators, Laptop, Plasma TV, Washing Machine, Blackberry Phones, Cooking Range, Music Systems, Air Conditioners and Microwaves while several others won cartons of Indomie as consolatory prizes.

The draw which took place at the head office of Dufil Prima Foods Plc, makers of Nigeria’s No.1 noodles brand -Indomie Instant Noodles located in Surulere was witnessed by the representatives of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), and the Editor of ThisDay Newspaper, Mrs. Ijeoma Nwogwugwu for transparency and credibility.

Addressing the media shortly after the final draw, the Head of Marketing, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Mr. Manpreet Singh expressed satisfaction with the participation of the esteemed consumers of the brand in the promo which he said was evident in the several millions of entries received within the 8 weeks duration of the promotion.

Singh revealed that Indomie Super Millionaire Promo has produced a total of 56 Millionaires doling out N1 Million grand cash prize to seven lucky winners in 8 weeks while rewarding several thousands of other consumers with different prizes.

Why we premiered James Bond Skyfall in Nigeria- Heineken

Before it was finally premiered in Nigerians, consumers of Heineken and fans of James Bond had waited in anticipation the world’s leading international premium beer delivered on its promise to host the movie premiere of the much talked about latest James Bond adventure, SKYFALL™, which was shown at Silverbird Galleria, Genesis Deluxe and Ozone cinemas in Lagos as well as Silverbird Abuja, Port-Harcourt and Enugu. It was a red carpet night of celebrities and suspense filled entertainment. After the movie consumers and guests were treated to an exciting after party.

Senior Brand Manager Heineken, Jacqueline van Faassen said: “When two great brands like Heineken and James Bond join together, excitement is guaranteed. Heineken and James Bond are closely linked: both are aspirational, premium, iconic and international. We are proud of our long standing relationship with the Bond franchise.”

The SKYFALL™ movie premiere event is part of a bigger Heineken Bond campaign, a thrilling new TV and digital campaign which sees Daniel Craig bring his explosive portrayal of James Bond to a Heineken ad for the very first time. Challenging consumers to defy his enemies and ‘Crack the Case’, viewers are taken on an epic train journey alongside stunning Bond girl Bérénice Marlohe. An interactive experience on-line begins where the TV advert leaves off, providing the consumers with the opportunity to be a secret agent themselves and win exclusive prizes, www.facebook.com/heineken.

Alexis Nasard, Chief Commercial Officer of HEINEKEN said: “The creativity and progressiveness of the Heineken® brand combined with the legendary James Bond franchise will provide viewers with high entertainment values. Not only a hero, Bond is the ultimate ‘Man of the World’ – confident, resourceful and ready for new experiences, personifying the values of the Heineken brand.”

Heineken consumers who watched the movie commended Heineken for hosting the SKYFALL™ premiere. Folashade Ogunshola, a Banker said: “SKYFALL™ lived up to its billing and I thank Heineken for making it possible for me to be among the first people that watched the movie in Nigeria.” Another consumer, Seun Ajayi, an event executive said SKYFALL™ and Heineken did not disappoint, “The hype was loud and intimidating and I’m glad it matched the movie which was full of unbelievable stunts and of world class production, Heineken did well.” Earlier, anticipation was already built, following the appearance of dashing young men in James Bond attire along strategic locations in Lagos doing different James Bond posture.

SKYFALL™ is the twenty-third movie in the James Bond series; it features Daniel Craig’s third performance as James Bond, and Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the film's villain. The film was directed by Sam Mendes and written by John Logan, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.

In the film Bond investigates an attack on MI6; it transpires that it is part of an attack on M by former MI6 operative, Raoul Silva. The film sees the return of two recurring characters after an absence of two films: Q played by Ben Whishaw, and Miss Moneypenny played by Naomie Harris. SKYFALL™ was the last film of the series for Judi Dench who played M; a role which she had played in the previous seven films. The position is subsequently filled by Ralph Fiennes' character, Gareth Mallory.

In the plot, MI6 agents James Bond and Eve assist on a mission in Turkey to recover a computer hard drive stolen from a murdered MI6 agent that contains details of almost all undercover NATO agents in terrorist organisations. Bond and Eve chase the killer, mercenary Patrice, and attempt to recover the disk. During the chase, Bond is shot in the shoulder. While fighting Patrice, Bond is accidentally shot by Eve and is later considered “missing, presumed killed”.

The head of MI6, M, comes under political pressure to retire during a meeting with the Intelligence and Security Committee Chairman, Gareth Mallory. On her return from the meeting, MI6 is hacked and an explosion occurs in the offices, killing a number of MI6 employees. Bond, having used his supposed death to retire, learns of the attack and returns to London. Shrapnel taken from his earlier shoulder wound helps identify Patrice, and Bond tracks the mercenary to Shanghai.

Heineken has over the years developed a strong and successful relationship with James Bond movies spanning global partnerships with ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’, ‘The World is Not Enough’, ‘Die Another Day’, ‘Casino Royale’ and ‘Quantum of Solace’ and now SKYFALL™.

Find out more about the Heineken ‘Crack the Case’ campaign:
WWW.HEINEKEN.COM
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@HEINEKEN_NG

Shoprite Extend Store, To Open Three More

Having unveiled its 6th store in the peaceful city of Ilorin, the capital of Kwara state, Nigeria, Shoprite has also announce its plans to open three more stores too soon. Shoprite offers groceries and household items at low prices for its customers across Africa.

Shoprite, Victoria Island, Lagos

The Mall is a joint venture between Persianas and the Kwara State government. While Persianas, the owners of the Palms Shopping Centre, VI, as well as Polo Parks, Enugu, secured the financing, tenants, and development expertise, the Kwara State government contributed the land as an equity contribution to the project.

The new stores will include another store at the federal capital territory, Abuja, the northen business hub, Kano and the biggest city in west Africa, Ibadan.

The Shoprite Group of Companies, Africa's largest food retailer, operates 1334 corporate and 406 franchise outlets in 17 countries across Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands. Shoprite came into Nigeria in December 2005, when it opened a store in The Palms shopping centre in Victoria Island, Lagos. Shoprite has since opened stores in Surulere and Ikeja in Lagos; and another store in Enugu and Abuja.

Diesel partners Edun on a Denim Collection “Born in Africa”

On Friday, November 16, EDUN founders Ali Hewson and Bono took the stage at the IHT Luxury Conference: The Promise of Africa in Rome to discuss sustainability and fashion with Suzy Menkes. What began as a real insight into the birth of EDUN and its commitment to Africa became a special announcement of a love affair between EDUN and Diesel that will see a collaboration of a denim collection from Africa hit stores in Spring 2013.

image source: edun.com

Bono is known for his macro-level charitable work in Africa, but when he and Ali Hewson launched EDUN in 2005, it was to learn how to do business with Africa. “If the continent could return to the place it has in the apparel sector, it would dwarf all the aid we were raising,” Bono said.

Suzy Menkes raised the question of whether big corporate brands are beginning to embrace the idea that good cause could translate to good business. Ali Hewson pointed out that LVMH have been very supportive of EDUN because “they understand that consumers want value and meaning.” But luxury is evolving. “Meaning at this point, is a luxury, although we feel it should be a standard.” Hewson said.

In January 2012, Diesel founder Renzo Rosso and EDUN founders Ali Hewson and Bono travelled to Uganda and Mali, where they shared their love of the continent and toured each other's programs: Diesel's Only The Brave Foundation project in Dioro, Mali and EDUN's Conservation Cotton Initiative (CCI) in Uganda. The experience was the catalyst for them to join forces to further apparel trade and development in Africa with a co-branded, co-designed collection.

Etisalat Clinches NCC Awards

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has honoured innovative telecomm service provider, Etisalat two awards for Regular Attendance and Effective Participation at all NCC outreach programmes and for Excellent Service and Effective Collaboration with the Consumer Affairs Bureau to Ensure Access to Customer Care Helpline at the 9th Anniversary of the NCC Telecom Consumer Parliament held in Lagos. .

According to the telecoms regulatory body, Etisalat has over the years provided excellent customer care service and has continued to work hard to meet the set KPIs for customer care service delivery.

Steven Evans, Chief Executive Officer at Etisalat Nigeria, said: "The award recognises the company's customer-centric attitude, and our commitment to delivering excellent, innovative and quality services to our customers. Etisalat has received two commendations for the quality of our network from the NCC, and we are very pleased as this marks the first time any network receives such an award for customer service from the industry regulator in Nigeria. Our mission is to add value and make the lives of our customers easier by providing a quality network infrastructure and superior customer service."

The Chief Commercial Officer at Etisalat Group, and vice chairman of Etisalat Nigeria (EMTS), Essa AlHaddad also stated that Nigeria represents one of the most important markets for the company pledging that the telecomm company will constantly striving to provide customers with premium services that help make people's lives easier.

Visafone supports Flood Victims’ Rehabilitation with N1bn

In the course of rehabilitating flood victims in Nigeria, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) telecoms operator, Visafone has donated the sum of N1bn.

Mr. Jim Ovia

According to a statement by the company, Visafone Chairman, Mr. Jim Ovia, said, “We have made our humble donation and we are still looking at other areas of assistance that we can render. Plans are in place towards setting up emergency call centers to mitigate the effect of future occurrence. Since it’s a natural occurrence, we may not be able to stop it but at least, lessen the effect on both the people and our environment through timely action which the call centers can facilitate.”

The former Managing Director of Zenith Bank, stated that the donation was informed by the need to support government in the onerous task of resettling the affected citizens who are currently sheltered in different camps in the states.

He urged that Nigerians should also support the government by given support to the people affected by the flood.

And the win of Gulder Ultimate Search 9 is Paschal Eronmose

Paschal Eronmose
image source: thenationonlineng.net

After a stiff contest, Paschal Eronmose on Friday, Novermber 16, emerged the winner of Gulder Ultimate Search. Becoming the 9th champion of the reality TV show. He narrowly beating off the last female contestant standing, Onyinye Udodi to the win.

On the last day of the competition, four contestants remained. They were Paschal, Onyinye, James Adah and Nuhu Zigwayi. The hunt for the treasure started in the morning when all four, who had spent the night at an old oil mill, were directed to assemble at the mouth of an old fire bridge. After travelling for hours, they arrived at the location where they were subjected to their first challenge.

Paschal won N9 million grand prize, N500,000  allowance and a brand new 2012 SUV for himself at the Le Meridien Hotel, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State .

Onyinye however gets the sum of N4 million as total prize money – made up of N3 million for emerging second placed contestant and N1 million for emerging Gulder Ultimate Search last female contestant standing.  The competition has never been won by a female since inception in 2004.

Gulder Ultimate Search is the sponsorshiped initiative of the Gulder, a brand from the stables of Nigerian Breweries Plc.

Promasidor flags Amila Painting Challenge in 200 schools in Lagos

In an attempt to promote creativity among children,  Promasidor Nigeria Limited, makers of Amila powered soft drink; has flagged off its Amila Painting Challenge in about 200 primary schools across 20 local government areas in Lagos under the first stage of the competition.

Under this stage, an art teacher in each of the selected schools will conduct a general painting competition among the pupils of the school to determine the best 10 that will participate on the Amila Day, that is the day of the activation from where an overall best winner will emerge to represent the school at each local government level.

According to Miss Feyisayo Aliu of Children of Africa Project, leader of team three, handling the activation on behalf of Promasidor, the challenge has been greatly accepted in schools as kids are willing to participate and the teachers are on ground to help coordinate them.

 “So far we have seen lots of beautiful paintings that would make your mouth open. It competition has really brought out the creativity in children that you can see the excitement in them when painting and how other kids are wishing they were selected for the competition. It has been fun, fun and fun for the kids.”

At Obele Primary School in Lawanson, Surulere, Lagos, Master Ekemini Victor Obong, a 10-year-old Basic five pupil emerged the overall best. In the same vein, Master Ogogu Anthony, an 11year-old Basic six pupil was the winner in Methodist Primary School, Lawanson while at Subuola Nursery and Primary School, also in Lawanson, Master Kosi Chukwudi, a 13 year-old Basic six pupil clinched the first position.

These winners among others from the other participating schools will move on to the second stage of the competition which will be held at each local government.

AfricaCom announce 2012 Winners

Last night (14th of November,2012), the 5th annual AfricaCom Awards went off with a bang providing an evening of entertainment that attendees described as the best yet.

After a superb opening from comedian MC Nic Rabinowitz the audience, the awards were announced.

Image source: http://storify.com

Helios Towers Africa – Shared Telecoms Infrastructure emerged as the The Best Network Improvement while Orange Group – Deezer, Sicap – Mobile Money ATM, ZTE – Solution for Airtel, Viettel – Movitel Rural Network, Comtech EF Data – Mobile Backhaul Solution and Prezence Digital – #Mandelastory emerged as the Most Innovative Service, Best Quality User Experience, Best Cost Efficiency Initiative, Rural Telecoms Award, Best Backhaul Solution for Africa and Best Marketing Campaign respectively.

Other winners are: Etisalat Misr – Smart Device emerge as the Best Smart-Device for Africa, Best Pan African Initiative was won by WIOCC – Seamless, High-Capacity International Connectivity Ring around Africa. The 2012 Mobile Data and Social Media Award went to Bozza Mobile – The Bozza.mobi App, while Alan Knott-Craig – Cell C and Safaricom – DAKTARI-1525 also won Industry Personality of the Year and Changing Lives Award respectively.

Africa Apps Awards 2012 Best Smart Phone App went to Prezence Digital – Ster-Kinekor mobile app and Best Feature Phone App went to biNu.

Orange African Social Venture Prize - the winning projects are: Vivus Limited, a start-up from Côte d’Ivoire that allows agricultural or farm produce traders to optimize their stocks, and thereby avoid waste, by using a SMS-based system providing information on ongoing deals.Takachar provides a system that has already been launched in Kenya to improve waste management by using telecoms technologies to track waste collection in real time.The e-commerce business Niokobok enables Senegalese people living abroad to send basic necessities to their families back home avoiding the extra cost of transferring money.

Etisalat Prize for Innovation winner of first prize of $25, 000 is Mobile Maths Practice and second prize of $10,000 is iConnect Project.

Congratulations to 2012′s Champions!

And finally, 2012 PUMA.Creative Impact Award Winner emerge

Yesterday, PUMA.Creative, in conjunction with the BRITDOC Foundation, announced Budrus, the story of a successful non-violent protest in the West Bank, as the winner of the 2012 PUMA.Creative Impact Award.

From left to right: Djimon Hounsou, Jochen Zeitz, winner Budrus (Julia Bacha and Jessica Devaney), PUMA CEO Franz Koch, Jess Search, Kumi Naidoo. Image source: http://creative.puma.com

The shortlist of five documentaries that also included Armadillo, Bag It, and Weapon of War were judged by an independent jury representing the worlds of film, the arts, and social change: Hollywood actors and activists, Danny Glover and Djimon Hounsou; director, Mira Nair; writer and campaigner, Jemima Khan; and Executive Director of Greenpeace International, Kumi Naidoo.

The top films covered topics ranging from global conflict and non-violent resistance to environmental degradation and protection. All of the projects have prompted impressive and measurable change in their wake – from changing consumer behaviour to affecting political debate and creating legislative change.

On the award winner, the CEO of PUMA, Franz Koch, said: “Congratulations to the team behind Budrus on winning the 2012 PUMA.Creative Impact Award. At PUMA, we believe that our position as the creative leader in Sportlifestyle gives us the opportunity and the responsibility to contribute to a better world for the generations to come. We are proud to continue to support great documentary filmmaking and help to inspire positive change through this award.”

The 2012 PUMA.Creative Impact Award winner, Budrus follows a Palestinian community organizer and his 15-year old daughter as he unites Palestinians from all factions and Israeli activists in an unarmed struggle to save their village from destruction by Israel’s Separation Barrier. The winning documentary, Budrus, is directed by award-winning filmmaker Julia Bacha (co-writer and editor Control Room, co-director Encounter Point, co-director My Neighbourhood), and produced by Bacha, Palestinian journalist Rula Salameh, and filmmaker and human rights advocate Ronit Avni.

This annual €50,000 award was created by PUMA to identify and honour the documentary film that has made the most significant positive social or environmental impact.

MEF partners Vodacom to launch African Office

MEF, the global community for mobile content and commerce, has launched a dedicated regional office in association with Vodacom to help promote African mobile growth and showcase innovation. .

Headquartered in Johannesburg, the MEF Africa Office will serve as a hub for the trade association’s growing African membership. A MEF member steering committee from across the African mobile ecosystem has already been constituted to drive the regional agenda.

Rimma Perelmuter, MEF Executive Director said: “With such diverse innovation originating in the African continent, it is clear that Africa offers the mobile industry a strategic opportunity to learn and do business. There is already strong MEF membership in the region and as an organisation, MEF brings with it over a decade of heritage as a truly global trade body which has established vibrant local chapters in some of the most diverse and challenging markets in the world.

According to Prins Mhlanga, Managing Executive of Vodacom Digital Media, "MEF has a lot to offer to the telecommunications industry and consumers who stand to benefit from the innovations that will emanate from its initiatives and analytics. Its expertise in commissioning and producing unique reports in the international mobile arena is invaluable and its ability to bring together industry leaders to collectively progress opportunities will benefit the local and African market. We’re pleased to be associated with MEF’s initiative.”

With a mandate to help drive mobile growth and innovation at both a continental and country level MEF Africa will advance regional market initiatives aimed at boosting consumer trust and promoting monetisation as well as providing business development and dedicated analytics across the Africa region.

Product Review: HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 5525 e-All-in-One Printer

Built for speed and convenience of wireless printing, the HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 5525 e-All-in-One is a multifunction printer (MFP) that pivots on quality printouts at a reasonable cost. The 5525 can scan in high speed, and can copy and print more for less while making wireless sharing more convenient than ever.

The touchscreen panel allows the MFP to perform various tasks from start to finish, without the need for a PC. Using the touchscreen display, you can access a library of free applications including HP Quick Forms, scan documents and send them directly to your email, and use a memory card to directly print your photos.

It has a built-in card reader for SD and MMC cards for direct printing. The touchscreen display allows you to directly pick which photos to print.

The 5525 has an input tray at the bottom that can hold a maximum of 80 sheets per batch. The printout also comes out of the bottom tray. One downside of this design is that the bottom tends to get crowded and you cannot easily refill the sheets without removing the printouts. This is not the case for printers where the input and output trays are separate such that the input is at the top and the output is at the bottom.

The back of the 5525 is pretty straightforward. It merely contains the port for USB connection and the power socket.

For paper jams, which happened once during our testing, a latch needs to be removed so you can easily let the jammed paper glide out of the printer.

Promasidor sponsors Lagos Rugby 7s

One of the leading FMCG manufacturing companies in Nigeria, Promasidor Nigeria Limited is sponsoring the Lagos iTRY Rugby coaching scheme for secondary school students in the Center of Excellence, Lagos because of the International Olympic Committee plan to include sevens rugby as a new team sport in the 2016 Olympics.

According to CEO, Nigeria Rugby Football Federation (NRFF), Mr. Babajide Afolabi at the finals of the Lagos Rugby 7s tournament, Promasidor is currently sponsoring 30 public schools and five private schools in the I-Try Rugby development programme in Lagos. “Since the announcement by the International Olympic Committee that sevens rugby will be the new team sport at the 2016 Olympics, it has become imperative that we develop schools rugby. With this, Promasidor has decided to sponsor 30 public schools and five private schools in the I-Try rugby development programme in Lagos.”

At the recently concluded Lagos Rugby 7s tournament, two of the Promasidor Nigeria sponsored schools, the American International School, Lagos and CMS Grammar School Lagos played a demonstration seven-a-side ‘touch’ rugby game. In the “touch rugby” a two handed touch replaces a full contact tackle. When a player in possession of the ball is touched by both hands above the waist by a member of the opposing team the referee blows the whistle and the ball is handed to the opposition who begin play again from the spot of the touch.

Rugby, Mr. Afolabi said helps build character and values such as teamwork, discipline, respect for the laws, and respect for the match officials for this reason it is considered vital in the school curriculum.

Stating reasons why the schools were picked to play in the tournament, the Head Youth Development, Nigeria Rugby Football Federation (NRFF), Mr. Chukwudum Ejikeme, said it will provide an opportunity for the kids to learn more about the game.

Nike Football Unveils New CR7 Collection

Sport brand, Nike, as unveiled the new CR7 on- and off-pitch collection blends the uncompromising attitude of the world’s most iconic player with an irreverent, bold style that symbolizes Cristiano Ronaldo's approach to life: “Love to win, hate to lose”.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Unified by a striking graphic logo of a heart (symbolizing a love of winning) slashed by an X (representing a hatred of losing), "Love to win, hate to lose" is a philosophy that informs and appears on every piece of the collection. This mantra also reflects a collection that reveals two distinct sides of CR7 – a relentless, focused footballer at the peak of his power, and a more irreverent, playful and spontaneous style icon with a love of music who lives life full-on.

Cristiano’s signature CR Mercurial Vapor VIII boot is reworked in classic black and white. A pink plate fades upward from pink to blue, which is sure to stand out on pitch.

Additional training items — a short-sleeve top, Mercurial shin guards and CR Nike 5 Gato shoes, plus a backpack and Prestige ball — all feature this striking black, blue and pink fusion.

Bridging on and off-pitch, the blue, grey and black lifestyle collection elevates classic styles with modern tweaks and singular details that reflect Cristiano’s obsession with perfection.  The CR Collection will be available at retail from November 15.

ITM set for the 5th AfricaCom Awards

In an attempt to continuously recognise and reward excellence in the African Telcoms, Media and ICT Market, AfricaCom Award, a honour organised by  Informa Telecoms & Media (ITM) is set for the 2012 edition of the awards which will hold on 13 - 15 November, 2012 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Now in its 5th year, the Awards ceremony is the high-point of the AfricaCom conference and exhibition.

This year also sees the prestigious new Industry Personality of the Year Award – an accolade that will see the best of the best compete shoulder to shoulder and rise as the star of Africa’s telecoms & media industry for 2012.

AfricaCom Awards’ Emily Martyr commented that competition was fierce this year with a record number of entries, up 60% on last year, which itself was a bumper year.  “The quality and number of entries into these awards is testament to the importance of this sector across Africa” she says.

For more information, go to www.africacomawards.com

Photo: Insight Communications Clinch 2012 LAIF Award

(L-R) Former APCON Chairman, Chris Doghuje presenting Gold Award Heineken to Head of Marketing Insight Communications, Frankline Ozekhome at the LAIF Award 2012.

(L-R) APCON Registrar, Alhaji Garba Bello congratulating Debola Adebulugbe and Ralph Idu, Creative Heads at Insight Communications after winning awards at the LAIF Award 2012.

WIMBIZ 11th Annual Conference kicks off today

The Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), a Nigeria based non-profit organisation with an overriding vision "to be the catalyst that elevates the status and influence of women and their contribution to nation building" will kicks off its 11th Annual Conference today November 9th, 2012 from 8am- 5pm.

Its programs are also geared towards increasing the success rate of female entrepreneurs and the proportion of women in senior positions in corporate organizations. The organization is also a volunteer-based organization, funded largely by donations and contributions by members and participants.

The two-days event is themed: Workplace, Wellbeing & Wealth; Women Working & Winning. Noble lauren winner, Professor Wole Soyinka is the keynote speaker while Evelyn Oputu is the Chairperson of the event.

Airtel to Host CNN’s Fareed Zakaria in Night of Influence

Telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria has announced plans to host select influential personalities at a high profile event that will feature Fareed Zakaria, renowned journalist, internationally acclaimed author and host of popular Fareed Zakaria’s GPS on CNN.

The programme will hold on Sunday, November 18th, 2012 at the prestigious Eko Hotel & Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Airtel’s Night of Influence, is a distinct platform that will provide a great networking opportunity to prominent international personalities, very successful Nigerians and the Airtel brand.

Fareed Zakaria, who has confirmed to speak on the theme: Africa’s Political Economy: The Challenge of Leadership, will bring on hand rich insights into the continent’s economy and its interactions with the global socio-economic and political landscape.

Commenting on his invite, Rajan Swaroop, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Airtel Nigeria,  said the company is committed to providing significant forums for interactions and creating credible platforms to improve the quality of leadership in Nigeria and Africa through dialogue.

“The Night of Influence will deepen the interface between our brand and the cream of Nigerian society whose decisions and activities influence, to a large extent, the trend of fashion, lifestyle, and indeed socio-economic development of the country,” Swaroop stated.

About 500 influential personalities drawn from both the private and public sectors within and outside Nigeria as well as top politicians and government officials will be attending the event.

Accolades As Amstel Malta/ Williams Sisters Tour Ends in Grand Style

The recent Amstel Malta sponsored tour of world acclaimed tennis superstars Serena and Venus Williams, to Lagos, Nigeria, came to a much anticipated climax last week when the two sisters squared off in an exhibition match at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan.

Senera and Venus Williams during an interview

The two sisters, who have a combined total of 22 grand slam titles, gave spectators an entertaining display on why they are world tennis champions. The exciting match up ended in favour of Venus Williams who defeated Serena in two straight sets 6-4, 7-5.

The four-day tour of the Williams sisters, in company of their mother, Mrs. Oracene Price tagged “Breaking The Mould” in consonance with the Amstel Malta brand, is aimed at mentoring and supporting youths, especially young adults with their stories that they can be the best they can be.

As part of activities for the historic visit, a tennis clinic was staged at the Ikoyi Club 1938 where young players were trained by the sisters on the fundamentals of the game. One of the highlights at the clinic was the performance of a young player who battled with Venus as she lost no serve to Venus William, proving herself as being the best that she can be amongst her age grade.

The sisters’ first call of activities after arrival was to pay a courtesy visit to the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola who described their visit as an inspiration to many young athletes in Nigeria. He commended the Williams Sisters for their achievements in the world of sports and other humanitarian endeavours, saying that they have inspired many people around the world through their commitment to their careers.

“Really you have been an inspiration to many people for different things that you represent, not only in the world of sport but also the charity work you are doing and the image that you have created in inspiring many young ones”. Fashola said.

This was followed with a press conference as they shared their reasons for being in the country. The Marketing Director of Nigerian Breweries; Walter Drenth appreciated the sisters’ visit with a gift and described the sponsorship and partnership as an opportunity to emphasize the brand’s commitment to consumers for them to “being the best you can be” at all times.