Xerox to split into two publicly traded companies

Xerox announced today the results of its review of the company’s portfolio and capital allocation options announced in October 2015. The Board of the company has unanimously approved management's plan to separate Xerox into two independent publicly- traded companies, each of which will be a leader in its respective industry.

“Today Xerox is taking further affirmative steps to drive shareholder value by announcing it will separate into two strong, independent, publicly traded companies,” said Ursula Burns, chairman and chief executive officer of Xerox. “These two companies will be well positioned to lead in their respective rapidly evolving markets and capitalize on the opportunities that now exist to expand margins and increase market share.”

“I am confident that the extensive structural review we conducted over the last few months has produced the right path forward for our company. We will now position the companies for success and execute our plan to separate them in the shortest possible timeframe while continuing to focus on achieving our 2016 goals,” added Burns.

New Company Details

The Document Technology company will continue to be a global leader in document management and document outsourcing with approximately $11 billion in 2015 revenue. It will lead the market with superior technology, solutions and innovations that optimize document management in an increasingly interconnected, digital world. Its strong profitability and free cash flow generation will enable significant capital return and provide for selective investments in attractive growth areas.

Smart Trybe Junior: Airtel pays courtesy call on Prof. Wole Soyinka

Leading telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, yesterday (Thursday 28th January, 2016) paid a courtesy call on Nobel Laureate; Prof. Wole Soyinka at his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Prof. Soyinka, who commended the telco’s educational product branded, ‘Airtel Smart Trybe Junior,’ received the Airtel team comprising Head, Public Relations, Adefemi Adeniran; Regional Operations Director, Lagos Region, Oladokun Oye and Zonal Business Manager, Lagos North, Chioma Agogo.

L-R, Head, Public Relations, Airtel Nigeria, Adefemi Adeniran; Zonal Business Manager, Lagos North, Chioma Agogo; Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka and his wife, Folake Soyinka, with Regional Operations Director, Airtel, Lagos Region, Oladokun Oye during the courtesy call on Prof. Soyinka on the telco’s educational product, Airtel Smart Trybe Junior, at his residence in Abeokuta on Thursday.

L-R, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka while being presented a gift by Regional Operations Director, Airtel, Lagos Region, Oladokun Oye during the courtesy visit by Airtel team to Prof. Wole Soyinka on the telco’s educational product, Airtel Smart Trybe Junior, at his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State on Thursday.

PHOTO: Winners of Etisalat Nigeria 2015 Merit Awards in University of Ibadan

L-R: Manager, Corporate and Social Responsibility, Etisalat Nigeria, Mrs. Oyetola Oduyemi; Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka; one of the beneficiaries of the Etisalat Nigeria 2015 Merit Awards and Student of Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Adedeji  Peter and Territory Manager, Retail and Sales (South West), Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Mobolaji Fadeyibi  at the Etisalat Merit Awards Scheme 2015 cheque presentation ceremony held at University of Ibadan on Friday

L-R: Manager, Corporate and Social Responsibility, Etisalat Nigeria, Mrs. Oyetola Oduyemi; Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka; one of the beneficiaries of Etisalat Nigeria 2015 Merit Awards and Student of Economics, Elizabeth Odiaka and Territory Manager, Retail and Sales (South West), Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Mobolaji Fadeyibi at the Etisalat Merit Awards Scheme 2015 cheque presentation ceremony

L-R: Deputy, Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Emilolorun Ambros; Manager, Corporate and Social Responsibility, Etisalat Nigeria, Mrs. Oyetola Oduyemi, presenting a cheque to the Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka; Territory Manager, Retail and Sales (South West), Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Mobolaji Fadeyibi and   Librarian, University of Ibadan, Dr. Benedict Oladele during the Etisalat Merit Awards Scheme 2015 cheque presentation ceremony held at University of Ibadan on Friday

#EndViolenceAgainstChildren: Lagos State Set To Launch Advocacy Campaign

Lagos State Government in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will be launching the State's action plans to end Violence Against Children (VAC) next month, 24th of February, 2016.

This was disclosed on Thursday by the Director of Child Development at the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs Alaba Fadairo during a one-day Media Workshop on the Nigeria Violence against Children Survey Report conducted by the UNICEF in partnership with other stakeholders.

Millions of children suffer violence every year in Nigeria – approximately six out of every 10 children under the age of 18 years experience some form of physical, emotional and sexual violence before the age of 18 years, according to the report.

Nigeria becomes the first country in West Africa and fifth in the continent - after Swaziland, Tanzania, Kenya and Zimbabwe - to conduct a VAC survey.

In Nigeria, Plateau, Gombe and Cross River, Benue States are expected to launch their priority actions as well this year.

Mrs. Fadairo said the challenge of taking the campaign to every part of the country was enormous, adding that private sector partnership was vital in achieving positive outcomes.

#EndVACNgr Team

“Businesses are made up of people who also belong to families with children. So, everybody is involved. The truth is that government cannot do it alone. Firms need to support our campaigns to end violence against children. Such support should be part of their corporate social responsibilities because children are the future of any society,” she stated.

Airtel Commissions Retail Outlet in National Assembly Complex

As part of its commercial strategy to deepen its retail presence as well as deliver telecoms services to the doorsteps of its consumers, leading telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, has commissioned a new retail outlet at the Senate Building, National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

The new service centre located on the first floor of the Senate Building, National Assembly Complex, Three Arms Zone, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, was opened on Thursday, January 28th with prominent Nigerians and top executives of the telecoms company in attendance.

L-R: Chairman House Committee on Communications, Distinguished Sen. Gilbert Nnaji; Chief Sales Officer Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Godfrey Efeurhobo; Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Abubakar; Chairman, Senate Committee on Science & Technology, Senator (Prof.) Ajayi Boroffice; Regional Operations Director, North Region, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Wole Abu with Regional Head, Retail Showroom and Franchise, Airtel Nigeria, Mrs. Edero Daro-Idollo during the inauguration of Airtel service outlet at the National Assembly in Abuja recently

Chairman, Senate Committee on Communications, Distinguished Senator Prince Gilbert Nnaji, who was special guest of honour at the occasion, performed the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon to declare the new showroom opened.

Speaking at the event, the Chief Sales Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Godfrey Efeurhobo, noted that the telco is committed to its key objectives of connecting Nigerians to their dreams and empowering more telecoms consumers with access to bespoke and innovative telecoms products and services.

According to him, Airtel Nigeria is keenly interested in not just offering Nigerians the best connection but also expanding its service footprints to serve telecoms consumers better. “Without a doubt, today’s showroom commissioning bears eloquent testimony to our resolve and determination to exceptional customer service delivery and service excellence.

Mark Zuckerberg Becomes World's 6th Richest Person

If you still doubt that social media is a big business, then you must be from Jupiter. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg yesterday became the sixth- richest person on Earth. The 31- year-old saw his net worth increased $4.85 billion to $46.25 billion, as the social network announced that it made over $1 billion in quarterly profit for the first time, and increased its revenues by 52%.

That puts Zuckerberg more than $2.5 billion dollars ahead of Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison, who has a net worth of $43.6 billion.

Zuckerberg made his first appearance on the Forbes 400 list in 2009. His net worth at the time was $2 bn. The net worth of Mark increased considerably after Facebook’s IPO (Initial Public Offering) back in 2012. With a net worth of $46.25 bn now, Zuckerberg is the 4th richest person in the US and 6th in the world.

According to market experts, the FB stock value is expected to continue rising in the first quarter of 2016. As of now, FB stock is at $94.45.

Billionaire net worth change

■ Bill Gates $77.9 billion -$5.9 billion

■ Amancio Ortega $70.2 billion -$2.7 billion

■ Warren Buffett $59.1 billion -$3.2 billion

■ Jeff Bezos $51.9 billion -$7.8 billion

■ Carlos Slim $47.8 billion -$4.5 billion

■ Mark Zuckerberg $47.0 billion +$1.2 billion

In December 2015, Zuckerberg pledged to donate 99% of his Facebook shares to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative during the course of his lifetime.

FCMB emphasises importance of compliance to sustainable banking

The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited, Mr. Ladi Balogun, has urged banks and other financial institutions in Nigeria to constantly adhere to compliance principles in line with global best practices.

This, according to him, will enable the banking industry to remain sustainable and overcome the continued threats posed by money laundering, terrorists/terrorism financing and other challenges in the society.

Declaring open the January 2016 general meeting of the Committee of Chief Compliance Officers of Banks in Nigeria (CCCOBIN) held on January 28 in Lagos and hosted by the Bank, Mr. Balogun pointed out that maintaining a sound culture of compliance remains the primary foundation upon which any sustainable compliance effort and programme rests, adding that, ‘’we must all build and sustain an organisational culture that promotes and supports compliance in the daily operations of our financial institutions’’.

The FCMB CEO further noted that actions within the regulatory and law enforcement agencies have made it abundantly clear that Boards of Directors and officers of financial institutions need to take governance, risk and compliance responsibilities more seriously in order to avoid serious compliance and reputational issues from crystallizing. Mr. Balogun therefore urged CCCOBIN to focus more on  critical corporate governance issues that are of immense importance to the banking industry.

UAC Foods Unveils Harrysong as Gala New Brand Ambassador

As part of its efforts at fortifying its iconic gala brand, UAC Foods Limited, a joint venture business between UAC of Nigeria Plc, (a leading indigenous conglomerate in Nigeria) and Tiger Brands Limited (A South Africa Leading Food Giant) has signed a Brand Ambassadorship deal to give the brand desired leverage.

As part of the deal which also featured the 5 Star Music group, Harrysong, one of the musicians under the group will be the new face of the brand while other two musicians on the label- KCEE and Skiibii are also expected to promote the brand.

General Manager, Marketing, UAC Foods, Mrs Joan Ihekwaba and songster, Harrysong, new brand Ambassador for Gala at the press conference in Lagos

Speaking at the media briefing for the unveiling of the Brand Ambassadors and signing of the deal held on Wednesday January 27, 2016 at the company head office in Lagos, the General Manager-Marketing, UAC Foods Limited, Mrs. Joan Ihekwaba explained that the signing of the new brand ambassador is another way through which the company intends to engender a more robust brand affinity with the target consumers and to further reaffirm the leadership positioning of Gala in the category.

Mrs. Ihekwaba also noted that the deal is in line with the ‘Doing Good’ mantra of the UACN group. ’’As a brand from a socially responsible corporate organization, the ‘Naija Snack’ has chosen this endorsement deal as an opportunity to support the Nigerian Music industry, by promoting authentic Nigerian artistes. The numerous fans of Gala should gear up for exciting times as we go into the year 2016’’ she said.

Instagram is igniting visual storytelling

Social media has changed fashion. It has become a part of our globally connected world in multiple ways, and most recently the fashion industry is seeing a major shift in its inspiration for designs and trends.

Designers and major players in the fashion industry find inspiration for their designs and creations in many places: from recent vacations to visits to fashion capitols of the world, but the internet and social media sites have created an entirely new approach that is getting both praise and criticism from the fashion community. Thanks to the influence of Instagram.

What began as a simple photo-sharing app among friends has grown into a global community of consumers and brands. Instagram now has over 300 million members who share more than 70 million photos and videos each day.

And millennials are taking the lead in this global citizenship and trend.

According to Facebook, “63% of Instagrammers in our study say they use Instagram to document their lives. Many document regularly, with 72% posting photos on the platform monthly. And they do it creatively, curating moments and artistically filtering their images to display life at its best. As Mohamed, a 19-year-old in Germany, says, Instagram is where “you have these effects available … where you share your coolest pictures.”

56% of Instagrammers in our study said that the platform makes them feel more connected to the people they know, and 52% agreed that it gives them a sense of community, which can be important for those on the path of self-discovery.

What it means for marketers
In a world where people communicate through visuals, a brand’s presence must also be visual to drive impact. The teens and young adults who spend time on Instagram are open to storytelling that is authentic and visually stunning.

Brands, like people, often have rich and unique narratives to share. To resonate most vividly with teens and young adults, brands will want to channel the authentic perspective that only they can offer the world. Brands can reveal how they see the world differently, using their distinct points of view to guide content creation and inspire Instagrammers.

Gloo.Ng ‘Express’ Customers to Get Deliveries within Two Hours

Online supermarket, Gloo.ng has launched new express delivery service that lets customers get their goods within two hours of purchase. The company said this move was targeted to meet increasing market demands as wells as promote the happiness of busy homemakers.

According to the Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Olumide Olusanya, the service is unique and the first of its kind in Nigeria. He said the express service extends the convenience of Gloo’s award-winning same-day service to last minute, emergency or unplanned purchases. A minimum order of N4, 000 is required, a maximum cap of N8, 000 is allowed and home appliance products are excluded.

Olusanya explained that the system is built in such way that these conditions are verified at the point of checking out; stressing that only orders that meet the above conditions will see the “2-Hour Express Service” option presented as part of the delivery options on the checkout page.

He added that all a customer needs to do is select this option as delivery method if he or she wants to use the 2-Hour Express service. “Your ordered goods will be delivered within 2 hours of us sending you a Delivery Advice Confirmation message. The 2-Hour Express service attracts a N999 express delivery fee and payments are prepaid before an order is processed. According to him, since the service is still in beta phase, “we are presently limiting it to delivery locations on the Lagos Island.

PHOTO: CASH GIFT FROM HERITAGE MAN

R-L: Mr. Patrick Anonyei,  Mr. Oladiti Ogundipe, Obioma Emenike and Mr. Wumi Adeniyi, a General Manager, all of Heritage Bank Limited at the selection ceremony of the ten people that called the phone number the Heritage Man gave out during the bank’s Have a nice day campaign in Lagos. Each of them were empowered with a cash gift of N100, 000.00 for calling Heritage Man

R-L: Mr. Wumi Adeniyi, a General Manager, Mr. Obioma Emenike, Mr. Oladiti Ogundipe and Mr. Chukwuma Onwuka all of Heritage Bank Limited at the selection ceremony of the ten people that called the phone number the Heritage Man gave out during the bank’s Have a nice day campaign in Lagos.  Each of them were empowered with a cash gift of N100, 000.00 for calling Heritage Man

Intel Unveils Online Learning Platform to Empower Women and Girls

Intel Corporation has launched an online learning platform, “My Digital Journey”, aimed at providing an opportunity for women to learn, connect and share online. 

My Digital Journey is a web-based application with gaming mechanics where women are empowered to learn individually or in a facilitated environment, and with the support of a peer network. My Digital Journey uses case scenarios relevant to women in the form of challenges, which gives them the opportunity to practice solutions before moving on to the next level.

The platform is a new addition to the Intel She Will Connect program, which aims to bridge the technology-gender gap, to teach young women how to leverage the internet and technology to pursue their goals.

Intel She Will Connect  was introduced as a direct response to findings of the Women and the Web Report, which examined women’s access to and use of the Internet in low and middle income countries. The Report found that, on average, there are nearly 25% fewer women than men are online in developing countries. This represents 200 million fewer women than men online today. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the size of the gap is 43%— the largest across all the regions in the study.

Launching the program in Nairobi, Intel Corporation’s Vice President, Director of Corporate Affairs, and President Intel Foundation Ms. Rosalind Hudnell said:  “My Digital Journey provides an opportunity for women and girls in Kenya, Nigeria & South Africa to learn about the internet and benefit from the wealth of information available that will contribute towards achieving their goals and provide access to opportunities.”

Interswitch pioneers card transaction control with Wema Card Control

Africa’s fastest growing technology company, Interswitch Transnational has announced the launch of an innovative new solution for setting card transaction permissions and controlling transaction types and amounts. Known as ‘Transaction Control’, this revolutionary solution from Interswitch is a card based anti-fraud solution that automatically locks down a bank’s issued cards based on preset criteria.

The fully customizable solution comes with predefined card permissions and allows for a variety of permissions to be set and activated in accordance with the wishes of the card issuer and the cardholder. It works across the major debit and credit card platforms operational in Nigeria today (Verve, Mastercard and Visa) and already existing cards can be enabled to make use of the solution without any need for reissue.

Shedding insight on the rationale behind Card Transaction Control, Head Products & Innovation at Interswitch, Inalegwu Alogwu remarked, “Card Transaction Control is one of the many ways we continue to respond to the needs of our customers and partners intuitively. We understand the need to create solutions that are relevant and specific to the business environment we all operate in and so it was important for us to create a way to enable Nigerian cardholders take control of their own transaction security in a way that is customizable and easy to use.

"Card Transaction Control improves the relationship between cardholders and card issuers by bringing the experience under the control of the user, which is important all over the world, but particularly here in Nigeria. This is one of the key ways through which we are delivering the experience of Intuitive Exchange.”

The solution has already been adopted by Wema Bank where it is known as Wema Card Control. Wema Bank users are able to make use of Wema Card Control using the updated WemaMobile Banking Suite or the SMS short code 33352.

PHOTO: Asaba Road Show #RoadToAMAA2016

Sim Shagaya Resigns as Konga CEO

Sim Shagaya has stepped down as the CEO of ecommerce giant Konga.com, he is now the chairman of the company’s Board of Directors. In his replacement, the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Shola Adekoya, will assume duty as the interim CEO until the board appoints a new one.

TechCabal reported that Sim sent an email to Konga staff informing them of this new development, following his meeting with the company’s investors in Amsterdam. Shagaya said the move is in the company’s best interest and that it will serve to improve Konga’s strategy in the long term.

As the chairman, he will become less involved with running the daily affairs of the company. Instead, he will be focusing on the long term vision and strategy.

Furthermore, Shagaya is expected to be more involved in product development guidance, mentoring the management team and shaping company culture.

Cummins and BIA extend their partnership in Africa

Cummins, the world's leading industrial engine manufacturer and a historic partner of BIA in the DRC, is giving BIA a fresh vote of confidence by entrusting it with the official distribution of its engine, generator, and filter system product lines in several African countries.

Eric Perben, General Manager of BIA Africa, says: "The extension of our Cummins distribution contract is important to our company. Our employees have had the opportunity to develop their expertise over the years, so we are ready to provide outstanding service to our current and future customers. We really believe in Cummins products and we are proud to distribute them."

Cummins is the leader on the industrial engine market: there are currently 15 million Cummins engines in the world. Cummins engines (31-3500 horsepower) are found in vehicles and equipment of all kinds: cars, mining vehicles, generators, etc. More than 200 OEMs use Cummins engines.

BIA is now the official distributor of Cummins Engines for the Congo, the DRC, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso.

Twitter Appoints Leslie Berland as CMO

Twitter has appointed Leslie Berland, a senior global marketer at American Express, as its new CMO.

Berland's hire comes after a week of executive shuffling for the social media company, which has lost several top executives including head of media Katie Jacobs Stanton.

Berland will be charged with growing the Twitter brand, something CEO Jack Dorsey has said is a priority for the company as it seeks to jump start stalled user growth.

Prior to joining Twitter, Berland was executive vp global advertising, marketing and digital partnerships at American Express, where she worked for 11 years.

Dorsey tweeted about the hire on Tuesday morning.

Eskimi Introduces Naira Rates Due To Dollar Scarcity

Eskimi, ‎a mobile social network, has introduced Naira rates for Eskimi social platform due to dollar scarcity in the market.

In a message sent to its users, Eskimi said the decision was taken as a result of scarcity of dollars in the market.

The Chief Executive Officer of Eskimi, Vytas Paukstys said the company had to act to ease the burden of its clients that are finding it hard to obtain dollar currency. He said Eskimi clients will now be able to make payments in Naira.

“We see that clients struggle to obtain dollar currency due to forex limitations and new CBN policy. We introduced our new rate card to all clients and they can choose to pay in Naira,” he said.

“All clients will be able to pay in Naira currency and you can request the new rate card to be sent to your e-mail.”

Economic uncertainty looms as CBN predicts tough times

With the International Monetary Fund throwing its weight behind the Central Bank of Nigeria’s plan to shift policies supporting foreign exchange restrictions and devaluation, stakeholders raise alarm over the nation’s economic outlook.

The Monetary Policy Committee of the CBN spread panic on Tuesday when it released a communique hinting at long periods of harsh economic downturn following low receipts from oil revenue.

As crude oil prices level at $30.05 per barrel and tight regulations clamp down on foreign exchange liquidity, analysts have expressed further concern over the CBN’s refusal to adjust the naira to reflect market rates in order for businesses to cut losses.

Bismark Rewane, chief executive officer of the Financial Derivatives Company told Bloomberg that the “currency is being put under pressure and is misaligned. Ghana and South Africa have already moved to equilibrium but Nigeria has not really accepted that the currency is in disequilibrium”
While stakeholders call for a free-float of the naira, players in the market sector have also highlighted the need for ease of access to sourcing foreign exchange to service international obligations.

The CBN which recently halted dollar sales to non-banking fiscal operators, has further refused to review the status of naira in a move that worsens the FX liquidity of financial institutions and has businesses struggling to find dollars on the parallel market amid tight liquidity.

Airtel offers lifeline to despaired man, family

Leading telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, has given succour to man, Stanley Okerere, who was struck by an unknown sickness that has left him paralysed amidst serious financial hardship confronting his family.

A former driver with an Oil & Gas company in Lagos, Mr. Okereke has been battling with his life since the ailment struck him two years ago.

When the sickness started, his company had intervened but the situation did not improve and he did not get much help from extended family and friends. Okereke’s wife, Josephine, lovingly had to attend to him every hour and at the same time fend for the family. There was no money to get medication or to constantly keep food on the family’s table. Worse still, their seven year old daughter dropped out of school due to financial challenges.

Moved with pity, Okereke’s neighbour, Mrs. Funmi Samson, a nurse, nominated the Okereke family for the Airtel Touching Lives intervention.

Mrs. Okereke shed tears of joy when the presenter of the show, Wana Udobang, announced that Airtel will provide medical assistance for Mr. Okereke with proper diagnosis and treatment and also empower the family with financial capital and equipments to start a catering business.

Emirates A380 pulls in nearly 8,000 visitors in two days

The Emirates A380 welcomed nearly 8,000 visitors in two days at this year’s edition of the Bahrain International Airshow (BIA). The two-class configured version was on display from 21-22 January and was open to both trade visitors and the general public, allowing them a glimpse into the largest commercial passenger aircraft in the world.

The Emirates A380 welcomed nearly 8,000 visitors in two days at this year’s edition of the Bahrain International Airshow (BIA).

Click here to watch a video showcasing the highlights of the Emirates A380 display at the Bahrain International Airshow.

Emirates is the largest operator of the A380 and was the first airline to order the double-decker aircraft. Over 50 million passengers have flown the Emirates A380 since it commenced operations in 2008. The A380 fleet has also flown over 56,000 round trips and has travelled over 750 million kilometres.

Over 1,200 pilots and more than 17,000 Cabin Crew support Emirates A380 operations, flying to 37 destinations around the world.

The Emirates two class configured version of the A380, which was on display at the Bahrain International Airshow, features 58 flatbed seats in Business Class and 557 spacious seats in Economy Class, as well as Emirates’ popular OnBoard Lounge. The aircraft has among the widest individual in-seat Economy Class screens in the industry, measuring in at 13.3 inches.

Indomie to Sample Eight Million Consumers Nationwide

Dufil Prima Foods Plc, makers of Indomie, the number one instant noodles brand in Nigeria has disclosed its intention to sample over eight million consumers nationwide this year, as part of its efforts to continually ensure objective consumer feedback and satisfaction.

Speaking on this development, the Brand Manager, Indomie, Mr. Amber Yadav stated that the major reasons behind the projected sampling exercise is to create excitement and increase emotional connection between the brand and its consumers.

Amber affirmed that the sampling exercise will include all variants of Indomie and this will be carried-out in all geo political zones in the country namely: North-Central, North-East, North-West, South-East, South-South and South-West, with special focus on key cities across the regions.

“Sampling our consumers is important to us because it affords us the opportunity to have an idea of their preference, which no other medium can provide. The feedback generated from the sampling exercise will assist in improving our product development process.”

Also speaking on the sampling exercise, the Public Relations and Event Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju, said “Sampling is a sure way of converting prospective consumers into brand loyalists. This will also give them the opportunity to experience the brand firsthand. The sampling will give the undecided consumers a trial experience which would gear them towards becoming our consumers.”

Nicki Manaj is coming to South Africa!

American pop and hip hop sensation, Nicki Minaj is bringing the Pinkprint Tour to her South African fans, with a show in Johannesburg at the Ticketpro Dome on Thursday 17 March, a show at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday 20 March and one at Cape Town’s Grand Arena, Grand West on Tuesday 22 March.

Tickets go on sale at 9:00am on Thursday, 28 January from ticketpro.co.za and selected Edgars retail stores nationally. The Nicki Minaj Pinkprint tour is presented by Airey Scott Entertainment, 5FM, and Metro FM. The announcement of her South African tour was made simultaneously by both.

Metro FM and Five FM on Tuesday morning on the stations' respective breakfast shows by The Fresh @5 and The First Avenue teams.

Grammy Award-nominated rapper, Nicki Minaj, continues to break records and impact pop culture at large. Her critically lauded third full-length album, The Pinkprint, arrived at the top of the Billboard 200 and Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, cementing her as raps' reigning queen.

To date, the global superstar has sold over 50 million singles and 5 million albums worldwide.

Lagos To Host 2016 African Movie Academy Awards in April

West African business hub Lagos, Nigeria will play host for the 2016 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) slated for 30th of April, organizers of the event announced on Tuesday.

One of the major reasons to stage the awards in Lagos, according to the founder of AMAA, Ms Peace Anyiam-Osigwe was due to undesirable visa issuance delay by the 2015 AMAA host country, South Africa which affected the attendance of some countries.

“One of our greatest disappointments last year in AMAA was the fact that countries like Cameroun, Cape-Verde, Mauritian, Ethiopian struggled to get their visa to come into South Africa. Ghana got their visa on the day of AMAA by 6pm”, Anyiam-Osigwe said. "We don't want a situation where our nominees from across Africa and beyond wouldn't be able to attend AMAA".

Commenting on the choice of Lagos for this year event, she explained that “We don’t want to face that problem of having an AMAA event and our nominees are not there. We are very friendly and accommodating in Nigeria. For us to get visa, we had to go through the South African president. We lost a lot of money to airlines because we always fly all our nominees.

Ms. Peace Anyiam-Osigwe

"On AMAA’s achievement over the years, she said it had sponsored over 15,000 flights for Nigerians to expose them to the film circles around the world, “because we believe the more they go out, the more they learn, network and more wealth comes to our African cinemas.”

Facebook Expands Ad Network to Mobile Web

Facebook has announced that Audience Network will now include support for mobile web, enabling 2.5 million Facebook advertisers to reach more of the people they care about on mobile devices – global availability.

Mobile web continues to be an important platform for a lot of publishers, especially news and media publishers. Mobile is the main channel where people consume media, but publishers still struggle to monetise their traffic. This is true for in-app and even more so for mobile web. On average, news sites receive approximately 40% of their traffic from mobile devices. Also, a comScore comparison shows that the top 1000 mobile web properties have 2.5 times the reach of the top 1000 apps.

Facebook as enabled publishers to use its people-based targeting and ad formats - including native ads - to allow efficient monetization of mobile web traffic.

This is similar to their existing Audience Network product for mobile apps; Facebook is simply extending the delivery of ads to mobile websites. It just takes one click for advertisers to expand their campaigns beyond Facebook and Instagram to reach people across all touch points in the entire mobile ecosystem (app and mobile web). 

Omnicom Africa announces new CEO

Omnicom Media Group (OMG) has announced that OMG South Africa CEO, Josh Dovey, will be responsible for the group’s media operations in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, effective 1 January 2016.

“We have been developing our presence in Africa for some years and already work with a number of major clients across the continent,” says Daryl Simm, OMG’s Worldwide CEO. “As CEO Africa, Josh will drive the continuing expansion of our networks capabilities. (OMG) South Africa will be fully integrated into our reporting structures under Colin Gottlieb, CEO Europe, Middle East and Africa region, based in London.

He added: “We have been working closely with Josh and his team for many years, and this formal alignment reflects the rapidly growing importance of Africa to our global clients. It now gives us market leadership in South Africa and Nigeria, and a very strong platform for growth in one of the world’s most dynamic regions.”

OMG SA includes two of the country’s major media agencies, OMD and PHD, plus other subsidiary operations in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

Nutritionists canvass exclusive breastfeeding at Promasidor symposium

Nutritionists have said exclusive breastfeeding of babies for the first six months of life is the best and could help to considerably reduce infant mortality.

The nutritionists, led by Professor (Mrs) Ngozi Nnam, the President of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN) stated this on Tuesday at a one-day Breastfeeding symposium organised by Promasidor Nigeria Limited during which the company also introduced two infant milk formulas – Cowbell Tina 1 and Cowbell Tina 2.

The theme of the event was “The Nutrition Wisdom of Infant Feeding Choices” and it was held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

According to the Nutritionists, breastfeeding has an extraordinary range of benefits for the child and even for their mothers. They also stated that in circumstances when it becomes impossible for mothers to breastfeed their babies, they could  use substitutes which must be readily available and affordable.

Speaking on: “The Nutrition Wisdom of Infant Feeding Choices”, Professor Nnam said Breastfeeding alone (exclusive breastfeeding) is a complete nutritional source for infants for the first six months of life because breast milk contains all the essential nutrients, bio-active compounds and anti-infective factors needed by the infant for the first six months of life.

Mr. Olivier Thiry, Managing Director, Promasidor Nigeria Limited;Professor (Mrs) Ngozi Nnam, Keynote Speaker; Festus Tettey, Head of Marketing, Promasidor; and Andrew Enahoro, Head, Legal/PR, Promasidor; at the one-day workshop on Breastfeeding workshop organised by Promasidor at Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos on Tuesday   

She warned that insufficiency of nutrients in babies could have significant effect on the brain of babies; which is rapidly developing during infancy. Her words: “Inadequate supply of the nutrients like iron, iodine, magnesium ,Vitamin B12, folate,  fat (LC- PUFA) leads to insults in the brain to reduce IQ by 13.5 points. The effect is permanent.”

In his welcome address, Mr. Olivier Thiry, Managing Director, Promasidor said the company produces premium nutritional products that are good for all categories of people. According to him, the products produced by Promasidor contain Vitamins A, Iron and other vital nutrients human bodies need for healthy living.

His words: “We produce different products and they all have appropriate quantity and quality of nutrients required by different classes of people.”

Emirates becomes world’s first airline with 1 million Instagram followers

...Global carrier sets the pace for brands on Social Media

Emirates continues to engage with its fans far and wide as it becomes the first airline to hit the coveted one‎ million follower mark on Instagram. The remarkable achievement positions Emirates as the largest transportation brand on the popular photo and video-sharing platform.

Recently named the world’s most valuable airline brand, Emirates launched its Instagram channel in November 2013. In less than three years, the airline’s diverse and engaging content on Instagram has generated over 5.8 million likes and comments. From sports, lifestyle and travel, to adventure and food, Emirates uses the channel to tell visual stories that embody what the brand stands for: connecting people with what they love.

Creative activations such as its hugely popular “Emirates Cabin Crew Instagrammers” campaign - where six members of the airline’s cosmopolitan cabin crew community exclusively took over the Emirates Instagram channel to showcase their life, travels and experiences - generated over 1 million likes and comments in less than two months.

“As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Instagram is a great platform for us to share inspiring visual content about our people, interesting aspects of our operations, places to see, and things to do while travelling. Emirates has grown its Instagram following organically, and we are proud to hit the 1 million followers milestone,” said Boutros Boutros, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Marketing & Brand.

Aside from its recent Instagram milestone, Emirates has also become the first airline to hit 500,000 followers on LinkedIn. This positions the airline as the most followed travel brand in the world on the professional social media network as well as the most followed brand in the Middle East.  With a combined community size of over 11 million users across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Instagram, Emirates has set the bar for engagement, not only in the airline category but amongst other lifestyle brands.

“Our engaged and growing audience on social media reflect the deep-rooted connection that our customers and fans have with the Emirates brand. We would like to thank all of our fans for their support. We will work hard to continue surprising and delighting them with relevant, entertaining, and inspiring initiatives,” Boutros added.

An insider look at the homes of celebrities hoping for an Oscar

The 88th Academy Awards will be revealed on the 28th of February and while most people are wondering will Leonardo finally get his Oscar, leading property portal Lamudi Nigeria are interested in where these stars call home. A peek inside the property portfolios of the best actor contenders reveals some fascinating houses.

BEST ACTOR CONTENDERS 

Bryan Cranston- Trumbo

The actor that plays the turbulent Walter White is much more relaxed out of character. Despite playing off kilter, high octane characters, Bryan is a quiet, family man with an environmentally-friendly outlook on home living. His beach house is platinum LEED certified. It is a passive house, which means it exhibits a high level of thermal comfort with extremely small energy consumption.

The house is the first of its kind in California, the product of a collaboration between experts in architecture, engineering, construction and design. Photovoltaic and water heating solar panels are equipped with rain water collection, led lighting and Energy Star appliances. What’s more, there are incredible sea views from all of the rooms. There is no need for an alarm system as Heisenberg is on the lookout.

Matt Damon- The Martian

Matt Damon already has his Oscar so it would be greedy for him to go for seconds. With regards his house, he went for seconds and thirds--it is monstrously big. The star of the Bourne films purchased the 9,000 square-foot pad back in 2013 for $15 million. The cubed abode was designed by KAA Design group and is a fusion of interconnected glass, stone and wood orbiting around a central atrium. The 35-foot, mahogany ceiling is the icing on the cake. It’s no surprise to mention there is a state of the art gym, a must-have for Hollywood action heroes. Ben Affleck lives just down the road; he alas is not in the running for an award this year.

Sage Foundation launches in Africa

Sage on Tuesday launched the Sage Foundation across Africa at the 2016 Sage Business Partner Conference, currently underway at the Sandton Convention Centre in South Africa.

Sage, the market leader for integrated accounting, payroll and payment systems, has launched the global foundation to set a new benchmark for corporate partnerships through its 2+2+2 model for working with the community. Under this unique model, Sage is committed to giving 2% of employee time (5 days paid volunteering per year), 2% of free cash flow and 2 donated software licences to eligible registered charities, social enterprises and non-profit organisations. Throughout the year, the Foundation will go live in all of the 23 countries Sage operates in.

Ivan Epstein, Chairman of Sage Foundation and President for Sage International, said: “By consolidating our work to support charities, social enterprises and non-profit organisations under the banner of the Foundation, we can achieve the scale to make a difference in the lives of millions of people around Africa.

“The Sage Foundation is committed to transforming lives by investing our time, money and expertise and technology to create sustainable social and economic opportunity in our local communities around the world. We are passionate about people and helping those who live along side us, it’s our privilege and honour to serve them.

A Symbiotic Relationship Between Music And Sports

FC Bayern Munich has announced a partnership with American-based earphone specialist Beats by Dre in the first sign the football giant is starting to focus on attracting the US Market.

Already partnering with FC Bayern’s superstar midfielder Mario Gotze, basketball star LeBron James, table tennis champion Serena Williams and Brazilian genius Neymar, the earphone brand will become the official headphones and speakers partner of the entire team.

Commenting on the partnership, Andreas Jung, Marketing Board Executive of FC Bayern Munich said "With Beats we have found an internationally recognised partner who understands the symbiotic relationship between music and sports like no other. Every day, our players demonstrate outstanding performance. Their mental preparation with music is just as important as their other professional training equipment. We are excited that headphones and speakers by Beats are now an integral part of the FC Bayern Munich team equipment.“

e-Government is imperative to strengthening transparency, accountability - Minister

In this 21st century, for governance to fully connect with the people, it services must also be digital as technology have made data processing and record keeping simpler and easier.

Against this backdrop, Nigeria's Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu has said e-government is imperative to strengthening transparency and accountability in government.

While speaking at the opening of the second in-country capacity development  programme with the theme "project for capacity building of e-government in Nigeria", Adebayo noted that since the world and the people have gone digital, it has become imperative for governance to also go digital.

According to him: "the ministry sees the overall purpose and rationale of the Nigeria e-government project as imperative to strengthen transparency and accountability in government and, therewith, upscale efficiency and excellence in public service and public service administration.

"With the creation of ministry of communications in July 2012, an expert platform was provided for institutionalizing a holistic approach to e-government from the standpoint of: infrastructure, skills, standards and patriotic duty.

This is coming at the government of Korea committed $4.5m to help Nigeria's e-government master plan, training centre and capacity development programme.

AS Roma launch its Chinese WeChat account

Italian football club AS Roma has launched a new account on WeChat, the fourth biggest messaging app worldwide, in an attempt to reach out the football club’s fans in China.

The new Chinese-language social media account follows the launch in February 2015 of an official presence on the Sina Weibo platform.

With 650 million monthly active users in the world, including more than 550 million Chinese users, WeChat is the top social media platform in China and one of the biggest in the world.

“Roma has a very passionate fan base in China and it’s growing every month,” claims Li Lilian, AS Roma’s social media manager in China. “The club also attracted a lot of new admirers in China when the players wore a shirt with a greeting to fans in China just before Chinese New Year in 2015. We hope the new WeChat account will allow Roma fans to feel closer to the club.”

The new partnership comes at an interesting time in football club and fan interaction with fellow football giant Liverpool announcing a deal with messaging service Skype earlier in January.

Lyon takes a ride with Uber

Fast growing transportation network company Uber have entered into a new partnership with French football club Olympique Lyonnais in line with its plan to strengthen its presence in major European stadiums and concert venues.

The Ligue 1 side have partnered with the taxi app to bolster travel options for spectators visiting their new stadium, OL Park, which opened earlier this month. From now on, visitors will be able to use the Uber app to order taxis to and from a dedicated area outside the venue.

The partnership took effect for Lyon’s 1-1 draw with Marseille on Sunday, a game that attracted more than 56,000 spectators.

Olympique Lyonnais Marketing Director Harry Moyal said that the stadium is proud to offer a new experience for the club’s fans.

Anything like a Perfect Car? Here’s What OLX Found Out!

It is no secret that Nigerians love their cars. The average Nigerian is very informed about cars and has a conscious familiarity with car brands, models and specifications. Debating about the perfect car is a favourite pastime amongst youngsters and car lovers.

Lola Masha, Country Manager, OLX added that in reality there is no such thing as a perfect car. However, “A perfect car best suits the needs of the user ranging  from price, durability, style and family size”.

Over the years, certain car brands have been recognized as being best suited for Nigerian roads but identifying the best car for Nigeria is still a personal choice.

For instance, a first-time car owner who is a young professional and falls within the middle-income class is likely to choose a car that is cost effective to maintain and has good second-hand value. The family man with kids will be concerned about size while the luxury buyer will be particular about the brand that fits his status.

The search for the perfect car among Nigerians led leading online classified, OLX to conduct a survey with 813 respondents. Respondents were asked to describe the perfect car.

Manchester United and Columbia Sportswear announce global deal

Manchester United have announced Columbia Sportswear as their latest global partner.

Under the deal, American outdoor brand Columbia will design and create dual branded outerwear for outdoor sports including hiking, climbing, mountaineering, as well as water and snow activities.

According to a United statement, Manchester United group managing director, Richard Arnold, said: “Manchester United is proud to be partnering with Columbia Sportswear to bring our fans a new and exciting range of club branded products.

“Like Manchester United, Columbia is steeped in history and has a reputation for creating innovative premium products. Available in over 100 countries, Columbia enjoys an international reach that matches the Club’s.

Here Are Four Agencies That Worked On Coke's “Taste the Feeling” Campaign

 An international network of agencies is developing the “Taste the Feeling” work. Four agencies – Mercado-McCann, Santo, Sra. Rushmore and Oglivy & Mather – produced an initial round of 10 TV commercials, digital, print, out-of-home and shopper materials. Six additional shops will contribute creative as the campaign evolves.

The TV ads, six of which launch today and can be seen in the YouTube playlist above, offer intimate glimpses into stories, feelings and moments people share while enjoying Coca-Cola. At the close of each spot, the family of Coca-Cola products unite under the iconic red Coca-Cola disc. Several alternate versions of the ads were produced with locally relevant casts and culturally relevant vignettes.

The campaign kicks off with the lead commercial, “Anthem,” which presents a series of moments linked by a Coca-Cola, such as ice-skating with friends, a first date, a first kiss and a first love.

Music plays a key role in all "Taste the Feeling" communications. A song produced by Swedish artist and producer Avicii and featuring soulful singer Conrad Sewell serves as the “Taste the Feeling” campaign anthem. A first acoustic version by Sewell is being featured in various TV spots for the new campaign, including "Anthem", and the lead single with Avicii will be released soon. Avicii also will produce additional versions of “Taste the Feeling” for Coke’s UEFA EURO 2016 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games campaigns later this year.