Emirates FA Cup Reaches New Heights

Emirates and the English FA Cup elevated the excitement for the tournament with the unveiling of an Emirates FA Cup themed Airbus A380 aircraft recently. The bespoke design was presented ahead of the Emirates FA Cup semi-finals which will be held last Saturday and Sunday.

For its maiden voyage, the specially decked out Emirates FA Cup A380 flew to London Heathrow yesterday, operating as EK001. The aircraft was met by former England and Liverpool goalkeeping legend, David James, who was pictured welcoming the aircraft with the trophy.

President of Emirates Airline, Sir Tim Clark, said: “We are incredibly proud of our partnership with the FA Cup, the oldest association football competition in the world. Being the title sponsor for the Emirates FA Cup along with our sponsorship of Arsenal shows our deep commitment to the United Kingdom and football. The Emirates FA Cup A380 will literally bring the iconic cup to a fan base spanning the globe. It is exciting for us to connect both football and aviation fans with their passions in this unique way.”

Unilever Ghana Apoints New MD, HRD

Unilever Ghana Limited has appointed Ms Nana Yaa Kissi as its Marketing Director. She takes over from Mr Clarence Nartey who has left after 15 years of service.

Ms Kissi joins the leadership team as a seasoned marketer with multi country and cross-category experience in various positions.

Prior to her appointment, she was on international assignment based out of Durban, South Africa as the Head of Marketing for Africa Emerging Markets with responsibility for a number of markets including Angola, Cameroon DRC, Mauritius, Gabon and Southern African markets.

Unilever Ghana has also appointed Mr Michael Otchere Duah as its Human Resource Director. He succeeds Mr. Stendert Krommendam who worked for Unilever Ghana in the last two years as an International Assignee and has since returned to his home country.

Facebook Triples Q1 Profit As Mobile Ad Revenue Spikes

According to Facebook, mobile advertising revenue represented approximately 82% of advertising revenue for the first quarter of 2016 – up from 73% in the same quarter last year.

This is one of the highlights of the financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2016. The Mark Zuckerberg led company posted a total revenue of $5.4bn for the first quarter; a 52% increase compared to the same period last year. It also garnered 77 cents per share in earnings compared to analyst’s expectations of 62 cents per share.

Here are the operational highlights for this same period, showing an overall increase in the operational metrics

Abbie Oguntade, Ben Jankowski, Others Announced As Festival Of Media Speakers

Global Marketing Director of HTC, Abbie Oguntade; Group Head of Global Media at MasterCard, Ben Jankowski and Mainardo de Nardis, CEO of OMD Worldwide have been announced as part of the speakers of this year's Festival Of Media which will take place in Rome, Italy on 18-20 May 2016.

Senior level executives from the world's biggest brands, marketing and media agencies, will come together for three days to network and learn about the latest trends and techniques in the industry.

Abbie Oguntade

Marcus Rich, CEO of Time Inc.; President of Clear Channel Europe, Matthew Dearden; CEO of PHD, Mike Cooper; CEO of AudienceScience, Mike Peralta; Neil McKinnon, Head of Marketing, Infectious Media; VP EMEA of Yahoo! Nick Hugh; William Swayne, Global President of Carat; Chief Strategy Officer at Ebiquity, Nick Manning; Chairman of NBCU, Linda Yaccarino; Global Product Director at Economist Intelligence Unit, Alasdair Ross and K-Pop Artist, Lisa are some of the other speakers announced for the event.

Also returning this year is the Festival of Media Awards, celebrating the best in media thinking across the globe. The winners will be announced on Thursday 19 May at 13.00 as part of the Festival of Media Global conference.

Omnicom Media Group’s PHD wins $100m global Delta Air media account

Delta Air Lines has hired the service of Omnicom Media Group’s PHD to handle its global media account.

PHD emerged the winner of the account in a competitive pitch against the incumbent, Publicis Groupe’s Digitas and IPG Mediabrands’ UM. The account is reportly worth about $100m.

PHD will manage all traditional and digital media out of the US, with spending expected to more than double from the $45m the brand invested in media in 2015.

It follows PHD’s appointment to handle the UK media planning and buying for Virgin Atlantic, which is 49% owned by US carrier Delta.

CNN International’s Cathy Ibal takes on MENA Commercial

Cathy Ibal has joined CNN International Commercial's executive team and taken on a wider remit, adding CNN's advertising sales across Middle East and Africa to her existing responsibilities in Southern/Central/Eastern Europe, Turkey and CIS.

In this expanded sales director position, Ibal will lead CNN’s advertising sales teams across all of these regions and extend her work with CNN International’s digital, data and branded content divisions to deliver smart, integrated advertising and brand solutions to a wider range of clients. Ibal will also be responsible for developing CNN’s long-term strategic relationships with key brand partners in these regions.

Beyond CNN’s linear channels, Ibal will continue to identify opportunities for advertisers in innovative areas such as the expanding CNN Digital offering, branded content on CNN International and socially distributed video network Great Big Story, cross-platform CNNMoney programming, and luxury environments including CNN Style – now on TV and digital.

CNN’s advertising relationships across Southern/Central/Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Turkey and CIS have grown exponentially and the network is number one in TV and digital in independent media measurement surveys.

Arisilejoye Adebayo Joins SO&U Advertising

Former Group Head of Copy at advertising shop LTC JWT, Arisilejoye Adebayo has joined Opebi-based SO&U Advertising, another top creative agency.

Adebayo took a bow at LTC JWT after a year and 11 months (May 2014 – March 2016) of working with a team of bright copy writers and producers.

At SO&U, Adebayo will be in charge of telling compelling stories that consumers can relate to; and also add to the list of experienced staff that could give the firm an edge over others ad shops.

Adebayo started his IMC career as copywriter at Noah's Ark communications in 2010 before moving to Nigezie TV as content writer and producer. He has since worked with Infinity TV, Bluseal Communications Limited, and DKK Nigeria.

Yemi Alade Unveiled As Brand Ambassador for Africa Fashion Week in Nigeria

With over six years as the biggest African-inspired fashion event in Europe, one of the most anticipated fashion shows in Nigeria and the perfect platform for emerging designers, Africa Fashion Week Nigeria (AFWN) and Africa Fashion Week London (AFWL) announces the incredibly talented and beautiful Nigerian singer, self-proclaimed ‘Mama Africa’, Yemi Alade as its brand ambassador for 2016.

The organizers of Africa Fashion Week Nigeria & Africa Fashion Week, officially made the announcement recently at Samantha’s Bistro & Grill, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Our distinct journey as a proudly Nigerian, proudly African and an international brand began about 6 years ago in London.

What we started then as a small brand to satisfy a niche, has now gone on to become an award winning and very well recognized brand which is the biggest platform of its kind in Europe showcasing African designers and African-inspired fashion. The popularity and success of the Africa Fashion Week London brand was what triggered us to bring the brand home to Nigeria.

MSD Joins Campaign to ‘Close the Immunization Gap’and “Stay Polio Free” in Africa

MSD, known as Merck & Co., Inc. in the United States and Canada, has added its voice to the World Health Organization (WHO) campaign to promote the use of vaccines against some of the world’s deadliest diseases, and for countries to strengthen immunization services and systems.

World Immunization Week, a global awareness campaign launched by WHO in 2012 and commemorated in the last week of April, aims to promote the use of vaccines to help protect people of all ages against disease. For the second year running, the Close the Immunization Gap campaign will be celebrating the achievements to date with an emphasis on the unmet need amongst adolescents and adult vaccine uptake.

The theme for African Vaccination Week 2016 is “Close the immunization gap. Stay polio free!” (#AVW16) focusing attention on the need to attain universal immunization coverage in the African region. The theme also marks the celebration of the important polio eradication milestone that has been reached in the African region, and calls on African countries to stay vigilant in the fight against polio, and stay polio free.

“Vaccines are one of the greatest public health success stories in history. For more than 100 years, our scientists have been discovering vaccines that have been impacting lives. By helping healthy people stay healthy, vaccines remove a major barrier to human an economic development,” said Farouk Shamas Jiwa, sub-Saharan Africa director for Policy and Corporate Responsibility at MSD.

Carmudi's Vivian Chidinma Joins Westernmall Nigeria

Online shopping and auctions platform, WesternMall has hired former Public Relations Manager at Carmudi Nigeria, Vivian Chidinma as its Digital Marketing Associate. Her new appointment takes effect from the 1st of May.

Iweha Chidinma Vivian

Vivian joined the Africa Internet Group in March 2014 where she worked as PR Manager for online real estate, Lamudi and later held same position at Carmudi, one of the leading car sites in Nigeria.

"I'm moving to Westernmall as Digital Marketing Associate. This is part of my professional career journey and I embrace this new opportunity at Westernmall. I wish AIG all the best", Vivian said in a chat with BrandArena.

Westernmall Nigeria is a marketplace for online shopping and auctions to Nigeria from Nigeria, the UK/Europe and America. Users both in Nigeria and abroad can sell/auction their items on
the website to interested customers.

International Skating Union confirm four candidates for Presidential Election

The International Skating Union (ISU) has confirmed the four candidates that will contest to succeed long-serving President Ottavio Cinquanta as its new President.

Jan Dijkema of the Netherlands, Frenchman Didier Gailhaguet, Britain’s Christopher Buchanan and Hungary’s György Sallak will be participating in an election that will take place during the ISU Congress in Dubrovnik, Croatia in June.

The ISU made the announcement of candidates after the deadline for submissions officially closed on Monday (April 25).

Cinquanta has been head of the ISU for 22 years and was originally due to step down as President in June 2014.

Priv by Blackberry now runs on Android marshmallow

BlackBerry Limited, a global leader in secure mobile communications, has released the Android 6.0 Marshmallow (M) mobile operating system for PRIV, the first-ever BlackBerry smartphone fully powered by Android. PRIV with Android M is now available on ShopBlackBerry.com, and coming soon to all major carriers offering the smartphone. Existing PRIV users will be able to upgrade to Android M by downloading the software update on their device.

Android Marshmallow on PRIV brings users more ways to improve their mobile security by providing new opportunities to monitor and control privacy with its unique DTEK app. Users will obtain greater productivity through enhancements to the BlackBerry keyboard, BlackBerry Hub, BlackBerry launcher and battery performance. Updates to the BlackBerry camera will foster their creativity.

“PRIV by BlackBerry is the most secure Android device in the market and we continue to find ways to further enhance users’ security and privacy by adding new features with the Marshmallow operating system update,” ‎said John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO, BlackBerry.

MALTINA CELEBRATES TEACHERS WITH A MULTI-MILLION NAIRA AWARD

From Left to Right: Mr. Victor Famuyibo, Human Resources Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc; Mrs. Rose Nkemdilim Obi, 2015 Maltina Teacher of the Year; Mr. Kufre Ekanem, Corporate Affairs Adviser, Nigerian Breweries Plc; and Mr. Wole Oyeniyi, Deputy General Secretary, Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT at the flagging off the 2016 Maltina Teacher of the Year in Lagos on Wednesday.

From Left to Right: Mr. Victor Famuyibo, Human Resources Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc; Mrs. Rose Nkemdilim Obi, 2015 Maltina Teacher of the Year; Mr. Kufre Ekanem, Corporate Affairs Adviser, Nigerian Breweries Plc; at the flagging off the 2016 Maltina Teacher of the Year in Lagos.

Nestlé opens $28m Nigeria water bottling plant

Nestlé Waters has opened a new manufacturing facility in central Nigeria to produce Nestlé Pure Life, the company’s brand of bottled water.

The new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Abaji has come at a cost of NGN 5.6 billion ($28.2 million) and will create over a 100 new jobs for the local economy. The 14.6 hectare site will also support future demand and growth in the northern and western regions of Nigeria, Nestlé Waters said.

It will be the company’s second and most modern water processing facility in Central and West Africa, complementing the existing factory in southwestern Nigeria.

P&G Celebrates Strong Mums in 2016 Rio Olympics Campaign

Procter & Gamble is honouring the emotional strength involved in motherhood in its 2016 Olympics campaign, which broke today, April 27th – 100 days before the Rio games begin on 5 August.

The new film, Strong, is part of the FMCG giant’s 10-year sponsorship of both the winter and summer Games, under the umbrella title ‘Thank You Mum’. The deal started in the run up to London 2012, and will continue up to Tokyo 2020.

A two minute version of the film appears online, while edited versions will be shown on TV across 30 markets.

The campaign’s theme was inspired by findings from The Mum Report, a survey of 15,000 mums in 14 countries that P&G carried out with YouGov last November. One of the starkest findings was that the overwhelming majority surveyed (97%) said they had not been fully prepared for the demands of motherhood.

HERITAGE BANK PARTNERS OYO FOR ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION

From Left to Right: Shuaibu Bello, CEO, Inter Products Link Limited, an agro-allied investor from Kano; Mrs. Mary Akpobome,  Heritage Bank’s Executive Director, Lagos, South West and Corporate Banking; at the launching of Oyo State Agricultural Initiative, OYSAI, supported by the Bank, at Paago Village, Iseyin Local Government Area of the State on Tuesday

From Left to Right:  Oyo State Governor, His Excellency, Senator Abiola Ajimobi in a warm handshake with Mrs. Mary Akpobome, Heritage Bank’s Executive Director, Lagos, South West and Corporate Banking; at the launching of Oyo State Agricultural Initiative, OYSAI, supported by the Bank, at Paago Village, Iseyin Local Government Area of the State on Tuesday. In the background is Shuaibu Bello, CEO, Inter Products Link Limited, an agro-allied investor invited to the occasion.

Pick N Pay Plans To Enter Nigeria as Profits Rise

Pick n Pay Stores announced plans to enter Nigeria as it posted a 26% increase in full-year profit after opening 175 new stores.

The company, based in Cape Town, said it agreed to partner with Lagos-based AG Leventis to enter Africa’s largest economy.

“A key part of the group’s strategy is to establish a second engine of growth in markets in the rest of Africa,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

Pick n Pay will hold 51% of the operation in Nigeria, “which will roll out a combination of large and smaller formats to meet consumer needs”.

South African retailers are facing headwinds including weak domestic consumer confidence, rising interest rates and a weak rand, which has declined 16% against the dollar over the past 12 months.

Search and Groom partners Lagos State FA On Coerver Coaching

To challenge the norms in Nigeria football circle and offer modern basic training and trainers’ techniques, Search and Groom, a non-governmental organization that specializes in youth development has secured the franchise to bring “Coerver Coaching Basic Training For Trainers” to Nigeria. The project which is supported by Lagos State Football Association (LSFA) will hold in Lagos in May 9 - 11.

Speaking on the project, Executive Director, Search and Groom, Mr Yomi Kuku disclosed that, the training is specifically created to incorporate coaches in clubs, communities and schools into a coaching development programme, for the purpose of developing football players within professional, semi – professional, grassroots clubs, communities and schools system.

This new system is further proposed to boost strategic and mutually beneficial partnership with the participants to create extra gains in the monitoring and evaluation process, beyond the training.

Education takes centre stage at 2016 Oxbridge Spring Lecture in Lagos

The nation’s education sector will be in the spotlight at the Spring Lecture of the Oxford and Cambridge Club of Nigeria, where the first black female Member of Parliament (MP), Ms. Diane Abbott MP, will deliver a lecture titled ‘Education: Reach for The Stars; Ensuring Access for All.’

The epoch-making event organised by the Club will hold on Monday, 30th May, 2016 at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos.

Ms. Dianne Abbott MP will bring her wealth of experience in education, socio-economic development and international relations to bear at the forthcoming Oxford and Cambridge Club of Nigeria 2016 Spring Lecture.

In addition to being one of the most recognizable politicians in the United Kingdom (UK), Ms. Abbott is currently the Shadow Secretary of State for International Development.

The Guardian Nigeria launches online TV platform

The Guardian, Nigeria’s renown newspaper, on Wednesday, April 27, launched its online TV platform, Guardian TV (http://www.TV.Guardian.ng).

Guardian TV will provide exclusive video interviews, as well as up-to-the-minute videos from across the world, and will be available on virtually any device that has an internet connection, including personal computers, tablets, smartphones, and Smart TVs.

Guardian TV has partnered with some of the world’s top online news and video outlets in order to provide it’s viewers with the best in news entertainment and sport. Partners include Al Jazeera, AFP, Reuters, CNBC Africa, Bloomberg, Forbes Africa TV and France 24. The list also includes Blustar Entertainment, Ebony Life TV, Ovation TV, Frontera, Channels TV, and Omnisport, the world’s number one sports content provider.

The website, was officially launched today, and The Guardian’s Executive Director, Toke Alex Ibru, is confident Guardian TV will revolutionise the short form video content market in this part of the world.

Lagos Sheraton Hosts 2016 ADVAN Marketers Conference on May 13

In line with its tradition of keeping strategic marketing issues on the front burner of business in Nigeria, the umbrella association for all advertisers, Advertisers' Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) is set to bring together seasoned industry analysts and experts to discuss emerging issues facing the marketing industry in the country.

 The event, which is the association’s first major programme this year, is billed to take place at the prestigious Lagos Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja on Friday, May 13, 2016.

From Left;  Ediri Ose-Ediale,  Executive Secretary, Advertiser Association of Nigeria [ADVAN];  David Okeme, President of ADVAN and Sampson Oloche, ADVAN Publicity Secretary At the press briefing on ADVAN Marketers Conference 2016 held in Lagos on Tuesday 26/04/2016. 

President of ADVAN, David Okeme, made this known to a select group of journalists recently at the Association’s secretariat in Ikeja. Okeme also revealed that the event, which will host over 150 top marketing professionals, will feature panel discussions on priority information,  marketing insights and emerging consumer engagement trends.  

According to Okeme, the conference themed “Connecting Brand Builders” is specially structured for the  purpose of collating, analysing and aggregating all shades of thoughts, ideas, knowledge and propositions that will place the relevance of marketing at the heart of strategic business discussions in Nigeria.

Africa Finance Corporation welcomes new Independent Director

Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Grant T. Harris as an independent Director.

Mr. Harris joins AFC after serving four years at the U.S. National Security Council at the White House in Washington, D.C. As Special Assistant to President Obama and Senior Director for African Affairs, he was the primary lead in crafting U.S. policy toward sub-Saharan Africa.

Mr Grant T. Harris Independent Director of AFC

Mr. Harris was particularly instrumental in institutionalising trade and investment as a key pillar of U.S. policy toward Africa, including by launching and coordinating the 'Doing Business in Africa' campaign to increase U.S. trade and investment. Mr. Harris was also the primary architect of the highly successful U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, which President Obama hosted in Washington, D.C., in August 2014, and which generated $37 billion in commitments to increase investment, trade, and development throughout Africa.

Before his work at the White House, Mr. Harris served in a variety of roles advising senior officials on issues related to Africa, including former U.S. Ambassadors to the United Nations Susan Rice and Richard Holbrooke. He also previously served on the staff of the White House under President Bill Clinton. Mr. Harris draws on private sector experience, having practiced law at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where he counselled and assisted Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies on international business transactions.

WHO OWNS LAGOS: WIN TICKETS TO ABL GAMES THIS FRIDAY

Twenty Tickets are up for grabs as the battle for the supremacy of Lagos continues this Friday,29th April at the African Basketball League. The Lagos Warriors will take on the Abidjan Ramblers by 6pm while the Lagos Islanders will take on the Stallions by 8pm at the Landmark Centre.

The last time the Stallions and Islanders clashed, the Stallions lost to the Lagos Islanders with a 8 point margin. Bear in mind, the Stallions have recently acquired ex National Team Coach Ayodele Bakare, so get ready for more action as we countdown to one of the biggest games in the African Basketball League Home Games.

This is not just about Basketball, the half time will go down as dance queen, Kaffy, and her crew will cheer fans to an electrifying performance.

Tickets are fast selling on www.abltickets.com. Buy a VIP Ticket and get a free Jersey.

Thyssenkrupp Elevator Coming to Nigeria, Appoints JMG as their Official Distributor

JMG is a diversified solution provider with a broad portfolio in power generation, electrical infrastructure and industrial equipment. With over 10 years of experience in Africa and strong partnerships with some of the world’s leading brands, JMG combines global technologies and regional expertise to fulfill the needs of a developing Africa.

Thyssenkrupp is a diversified industrial group with traditional strengths in materials, a growing share of capital goods and services. In fiscal year 2014/2015, Thyssenkrupp generated sales of around €43 billion. Their products such as elevators & escalators can be seen around the world in national landmarks such as the Metro of Paris, Metro of Madrid, Metro of Barcelona, Airport of Dubai, One World Trade Center in New York, etc… Around 155,000 employees in nearly 80 countries work with passion and technological expertise to develop high-quality products and intelligent industrial processes as well as services for sustainable progress.

JMG has been appointed by Thyssenkrupp elevator as their official distributor in Nigeria for their elevators & escalators products. This partnership will enable Thyssenkrupp to expand their market shares in the largest African economy and see JMG deliver new mobility solutions and technology for Nigeria’s growing Infrastructure and high-rise construction.

Emirates Scores Three Wins at the Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2016

Emirates has once again topped the industry with its wins at the Business Traveller Awards 2016 last night, taking home the coveted ‘Best Airline Worldwide’ title, and two further awards including Airline with the Best Economy Class, and Airline with the Best Cabin Staff.

The Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2016 were presented at a gala dinner attended by travel industry professionals, and were chosen through a voting process open to the readers of the publication.

Representing the airline at the Business Traveller ME awards, Thierry Antinori, Emirates’ Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Customers have always been at the heart of whatever we do. That is why ‎we continually invest in developing high quality products on board, and our cosmopolitan cabin crew put in every effort to deliver exceptional service. We are honoured to be recognised for our efforts by Business Traveller Middle East’s discerning readers, and we will work hard to keep raising the bar to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations.”

Redington rewards winners of the Easter Basket Sales promotion

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well,” says the French writer, Voltaire. And this is what Microsoft Nigeria is doing today, as it rewards partners/resellers and distributor sales person who have emerged winners in its Easter Buy and Win promo.

According to Microsoft, the Easter Buy-and-Win promo which began in March involves sales person who sells the Microsoft Easter Basket package to the resellers and retailers. The Easter Basket package comprises 5 units of windows 8.1 pro, 5 units of windows 10 pro, 15 units of office 365 personal and 5 units of windows 10 home.

The ongoing promo which will end in April has produced three winners so far, Erice Dike, Rahul Sonia, and Davidson Ossai.

CCD Superstores Launches New Outlet in Ijaye-Ogba

Consumer Commodity Distributors (CCD) Superstores Limited, a subsidiary of the Nosak Group Limited, has unveiled its new outlet in Ijaye-Ogba, Lagos in a bid to further offer affordable and quality service for its numerous customers in the area and its environs.

The event also doubled as the grand opening of promo with various items for customers from April 16, 2016 to May 31, 2016. A raffle draw will be held at the end of the promo period for customers who spend a particular amount of money on a single day.

According to the Executive Director of CCD Superstores, Mrs. Iyobo Innih, opening the second superstore in Lagos was a way to launch the CCD brand to the world as well as give back to the society which has given them so much.

Innih stated that the dream of the company was to provide all consumers’ needs under one roof and to make their shopping experience delightful, convenient, fast and easy. She added that the whole idea of the company was to make CCD Superstores a one-stop neighbourhood store where all categories of household needs could be bought under one roof.

CFA whips visiting Indian Teams

The Cowbell Football Academy (CFA) hosted the Indian International Language School, Ilupeju, Lagos on Saturday to a friendly match between its Under-10 and Under-15 teams respectively, at the Main Bowl of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

The 40-minute game was flagged off at 9:35am, with the CFA Under-10 side beating their Indian Counterpart with a whopping 5-1 victory, while the game for the Under-15 team which flagged off an hour later recorded a 4-0 victory in favour of the Cowbell Team.

Satisfied with the performance of his players, Hycienth Nkwocha, Head Coach/Technical Coordinator, Cowbell Football Academy; explained that the players are usually recruited when they are young before they are trained on the metrics of the game of football.

His words: “When we catch them very young, we groom them and this helps them in the future unlike us, who started very late. Besides, they are learning very fast and we must use this medium to train them and improve on areas where they are lacking in skills and techniques. Both teams displayed aggression, strong attacking spirit, goal-oriented style of football and they are disciplined.”

Insight Communications Win Big At 2016 Young Lions Award

It was an impressive moment at the just concluded 2016 Cannes Lions Nigeria ceremony which held at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, when Insight Communications was not only recognised as a historical industry leader, but also as a vibrant and youthful agency filled with bright minds, when it carted away most of the awards in the creative category of the Young Lions Award.

Consistently, Insight Communications has not only become a conduit for navigating excellence in the Communications industry, its vibrant understanding of the industry has made it a place for young people to be nurtured into global relevance. Only last year, Insight was voted 3rd best place to work in Nigeria and also one of the best places to work in the country by Millennials, ahead of firms like Google.

At the Young Lions Award this year, five agencies were judged by a jury of respected industry experts, of which Insight Communications came out with astounding success in all three categories it entered for, namely in the Print, Film and Cyber (Digital) category.

Chief Operating Officer, Insight Communications, Feyi Olubodun expressing his excitement over the win, stated that, “It is a great feeling for us, as we have always set out to elevate creativity, and these young talents testify to our commitment to continue to offer fresh and transformational ideas that would raise the bar of creativity in the industry.”

MainOne leads drive to enhance West Africa’s cable assets at SubOptic 2016

MainOne, premier connectivity and data center solutions company recently reinforced its commitment to enhancing its submarine cable assets at SubOptic 2016, the convergence place for leading optical technology vendors to exchange ideas and review latest developments in the entire industry.

Sharing his thoughts on his participation at the conference, the company’s Acting Chief Technical Officer, Ravi Kannikeswaran, said ”The submarine cable industry has greatly changed over the past few years. Following a multi-year construction drought, systems are being upgraded and new systems are being announced in many regions of the world. This is largely driven by the need to bring large amounts of content closer to the user. In realization of this need, MainOne is adopting global trends to ensure its submarine cable systems continue to provide the best performance in West Africa”.

Continuing, he opined that “With its track record of 100% availability on its cable since inception, MainOne continues to ensure it remains at the forefront of technology and management strategies to sustain its track record of excellence. This is why we continue to champion the cause for submarine cable protection in West Africa and constantly upgrade our system to ensure the required performance.”

Harare to host third Capacity Development Forum in May

Strong, successful, self-sufficient nations are generally characterised as those that build institutions and practices that allow a people to govern themselves in peaceful and prosperous ways. Effective leadership is critical to this success, as is strategy, vision, partnership and people.

Within a few decades Africa will be home to a quarter of the world's population. In order for the continent to deliver on its ambitious but pragmatic socioeconomic development agenda, Agenda 2063, robust systems, financing mechanisms and policies are needed.

The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) established a quarter of a century ago, has a long term strategy to build human, institutional and 'soft' capacities to contribute actively to the continent's structural transformation agenda.

Professor Emmanuel Nnadozie, Executive Secretary of the ACBF believes that sustainable development can only be achieved through building skills, knowledge and capabilities of African individuals and institutions, and ensuring that capacity in an integral part of pan-African policies. Such skills need to be retained and harmonised for utilisation on the continent.

5 latest WhatsApp trick you should know

Since WhatsApp was bought by Facebook for $19 billion, it has become an important instant messaging platform. It has perfectly replaced text messages and also has the advantage of quick and immediate responses. Since technology is always evolving, new improved versions and tricks are constantly being  introduced. And same with WhatsApp, there are new tricks for using the instant messaging tool.  Jovago.com, Africa's No 1 hotel booking portal shares some of these tricks.

Get messaging statistics

If you use WhatsApp regularly and want to know the particular day you were most active, and the person you chat with often, WhatsApp will provide this information and much more. You can get this by downloading WhatStat on your Android phone. This app will give you statistical information for the messages you shared with your friends as well as chat group.

Recover deleted messages

For persons who are always snooping on their significant other, WhatsApp can now help you restore any message deleted by your partner. This is because you can recover the backup from WhatsApp's database. So, if you want to get them back, you simply restore deleted messages.

Move your WhatsApp chat history between phones

You may want to use WhatsApp on an alternative phone. You do not have to worry about getting your chat history back. You simply insert your memory card on the phone you want to you use. Afterwards, you go to setting, chats and then chat backup. When you are done, you can remove your SD card. WhatsApp will automatically detect  your chat history and restore the backup on your new device.

Lock your Whatsapp history

If you are worried about your friend or family checking your WhatsApp, then you should download WhatsApp Lock. This lock will protect your app from unauthorized access. With this lock, you are safe from snooping girlfriends and friends.

Get Whatsapp notifications on Desktop

For persons who cannot do without WhatsApp and are in a place where they cannot use the mobile versions of WhatsApp, you can now activate WhatsApp notifications on your desktop. In other words, you can view your messages on your desktop. To activate this, add Whatsapp Web Chrome extension by installing its add-on WAToolkit. After the installation,  go to Options, notifications and activate desktop alerts.

E-commerce gains massive traction in rural Kenya

Kenya’s rural population is increasingly taking to the internet and aggressively placing orders online catching up with their urban counterparts, an internal survey by Jumia Kenya has revealed.

The survey indicates that urban traffic to the Jumia site stood at 77% in 2014 with rural traffic at 23% while urban deliveries accounted for 61% and rural 39%. In 2015, urban traffic maintained lead at 60% as rural traffic recorded a 17% rise to stand at 40%. Urban deliveries receded by 6% to 55% compared to 61% the previous year with rural deliveries climbing to 45%.

Notably, traffic and delivery statistics for the first quarter of 2016 show an even closer range with rural Kenya catching up fast in web traffic at 49% a shy 2% away to cannibalise urban traffic at 51% interestingly, rural deliveries maintained a previous 45% success rate.

Parinaz Firozi MD, Jumia Kenya said, “There is a high demand for online shopping with a high reliance on mobile from rural Kenya which is now a major focus area.”

Airline introduces piece concept across all cabin classes

Emirates, the world’s largest international airline with an extensive network across Africa, is set to increase its free baggage allowance for customers travelling on all its flights originating from destinations across the continent.

Starting from 15 April 2016, all Emirates customers travelling in any of the airline’s three cabin classes on outbound African flights will benefit from the increase in free baggage allowance based on the piece concept (individual piece of luggage).

Economy Class customers will get a new baggage allowance of two bags weighing up to 23kg each, taking the current weight allowance from 30kg to 46kg, while Business Class increases to two bags of 32kg each, taking the current 40kg to 64kg. First Class customers will get a baggage allowance of two bags weighing up to 32 kg each, up from the current 50 kg to 64kg. In addition, infants will be entitled one piece of luggage up to 23kg.

Skye Presents Cheques to Winners of "Reach For The Skye Millionaire" Reware Scheme

1B: L-R:  Group Head, Retail Banking Unit, Skye Bank Plc., Nkolika Okoli; one of the 3 winners of the monthly N1, 000, 000 star prize, A truck Driver at Ogudu Motor Park, Job Abiona Fatunmbi and the Priority Banking Officer, Ogudu Branch, Skye Bank Plc., Ajibola Taiwo-Ashiru at the tenth cheque presentation to winners in the ongoing Skye Bank’s “Reach for the Skye” Millionaire Reward Scheme held in Lagos on Thursday, April 21, 2016.

L-R:  Group Head, Retail Banking Unit, Skye Bank Plc., Nkolika Okoli; a winner of N100,000 consolatory cash prize, a student, Sulaiman Animashaun Lawal and the Small Business Group Officer, Nnamdi Azikiwe Street Branch, Skye Bank Plc., Samuel Onyido at the tenth cheque presentation to winners in the ongoing Skye Bank’s “Reach for the Skye” Millionaire Reward Scheme held in Lagos on Thursday, April 21, 2016.

L-R:  Group Head, Retail Banking Unit, Skye Bank Plc., Nkolika Okoli; a winner of N100,000 consolatory cash prize, a Jewelry Seller, Okoro Akonam and Team Lead, Small Business Group, Osolo Way Branch, Skye Bank Plc., Femi Shobande at the tenth cheque presentation to winners in the ongoing Skye Bank’s “Reach for the Skye” Millionaire Reward Scheme held in Lagos on Thursday, April 21, 2016.

Global Technology Professionals Gather in Egypt to Show Case Latest Innovations in the 2nd Teche Summit Event

Techne Summit, the renowned international entrepreneurship technology event that acts as a platform by including the main global players in the technology industry, will launch this year once again in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Egypt from 7th to 8thMay 2016.

Carrying the same slogan of TECHNOLOGY.INNOVATION.TALENT on which the event concept is built, the two-day summit will act as a platform including the main global players in the technology industry, namely: industry professionals as speakers, technology businesses, entrepreneurs and startups, investors, users and media representatives. Techne Summit 2016 will be under the auspicious of The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology where Minister H.E. Eng. Yasser El Kady, will be leading the event’s opening ceremony.

Techne Summit will also be under the auspicious of The Federation of the Egyptian Chambers of Commerce, The Information Technology Industry Development Agency, The Federation of the Egyptian Chambers of Commerce and The General Division for The Computer and Software.

Techne Summit 2016 will build on the success of Techne Summit 2015 held back in October 2015 where it was the first of its kind event in the region. This year the event will continue with the same philosophy of capitalizing on the crucial role of the technology and communications sectors in the development of nations, and fostering innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship to serve the development process.

Dell Announces Release of Statistica Advanced Analytics Platform

Dell yesterday announced a major new release of its award-winning Statistica advanced analytics platform, Dell Statistica version 13.1. This is following the increased acceptance of advanced analytics as a primary means through which organisations understand and predict customer behaviour, optimise and validate business and manufacturing process and drive innovation.

This latest version delivers a host of capabilities designed to empower citizen data scientists and help organisations better address growing IoT analytics requirements. It  helps citizen data scientists easily prepare structured and unstructured data and has the ability to deploy analytics on devices and gateways anywhere in the world for edge scoring.

Speaking on the latest release, Country Manager, Dell Nigeria, Akin Banuso noted that with the latest enhancements to Dell Statistica 13.1, companies can better cope with the worldwide shortage of traditional data scientists, manage the complexities of modern IoT environments, and address the proliferation of new data sources and data types.

Basket Mouth, AY endorse Laffhub comedy platform at launch

… Subscribers can watch free videos of A-list Nigerian comedians without data.

A digital comedy platform, Laffhub.com, packed with lots of hilarious videos of A-list Nigerian comedians and entertaining international comedy, has been launched.

Laffhub.com was unveiled recently at a colourful event held at Radisson Blue, Lagos with top Nigerian comedians/celebrities like Basket Mouth and AY in attendance.

The platform, which is accessible on the web, mobile web and mobile application, offers exclusive comedy content from A-list Nigerian comedians such as Basket Mouth, AY, Mr. Patrick among others. It also has exciting international comedy videos like ‘Just for Laughs Gags’, ‘Oga at the Top’ and lots more.

Customers can register for FREE to watch 5 FREE Videos. To access the Laffhub portal, they can visit www.laffhub.com to get started. Customers on Airtel network can watch comedy videos without using their data. It is data-free.

Shongai Technologies gets ISO 9001:2008 Certification

Shongai Technologies Limited, Nigeria’s leading printing and packaging solutions provider has announced that it has been awarded NIS ISO 9001:2008 certification from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria for quality management system and business processes.

Speaking on the achievement, Mr. Ravinder Kanwal Managing Director, Shongai Technologies Limited, said “A lot of hard work and dedication has gone into making this certification come true for us. The process started more than a year ago with internal awareness campaigns and training programmes to ensure that staff understand the scope of the certification and their roles in achieving it. We are proud that we have successfully completed a rigorous process that will positively impact our products, services and customers’ satisfaction.”

L-R: Mr. Fatai Adebiyi, HR Manager, Mr. Sankar Chakraborty, Financial Controller and Mr. Ravi Kanwal, Managing Director, Shongai Technologies all display the company's ISO 9001 2008 certification received by the company recently.

“At Shongai Technologies, we have invested in state-of-the art equipment from Europe. These include the 10 Colour Gravure Printing Machine and 5 Layer Blown Film Line from Windmoller & Holscher, Germany and the Gallus Label Printing Machines from Switzerland. We believe that with the right management and systems in place we would get maximum value from our investments and this necessitated stepping up our operations to meet global standards. As we celebrate this certification we are reminded that this is call to excellence to ensure that the standard is maintained while pushing towards even greater efficiency.”

ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, is the world’s largest developer of voluntary international standards which provides guidance and tools for companies and organizations who want to ensure that their products and services consistently meet customer’s requirements, and that quality is consistently improved in accordance with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

Dressing right for the rainy season in Nigeria

There are few things worse than getting caught in the rain without notice. Hopping around in soggy socks, muddy shoes and drenched clothes can put a damper on what should be a bright day.

Although rain can be incredibly challenging to dress for in a country like Nigeria where summer clothing stay in fashion all-year-long, there are tips for getting that simple, smart rainy day look. Jovago.com, Africa’s largest hotel booking portal shares nuggets on dressing stress free during the next downpour.

Keep it sturdy in dark colours

At this time of the year, wearing white shoes and a trousers may not be the best choice. To stay clean all day, pair darker colours at the bottom with shirts or dresses. Go for black, as it will show little signs of muddy or debris. Long-sleeved outfits and lightweight sweaters in quick-to-dry materials should also be a frequent choice, especially when living in a city like Lagos where the weather turns at the snap of a finger.

Stay dry in longer jackets

Ever been walking in the rain and seen a car splatter water on everyone using the side walk? Upsetting right? Exactly! While the umbrella can fend some of the rain away, it can’t cover everything, so try a jacket for full body protection. Since classic trench coats are not popular in Nigeria, a trendy mid-thigh jacket will shield the body just fine.

Hon. Jubrin, Olagunju, Others To Lead Conversation At Entertainment Conference

Organizers of the Nigerian Entertainment Conference set to hold on Wednesday, April 20, 2016, at Landmark Convention Centre, Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos has confirmed the list of discussants for the event.

Chairman, House committee on Appropriation, Hon Abdulmumin Jubrin will speak on ‘The Emerging Global Business and Disruptive Models’. He would be on the panel with the likes of Olatunde Falase, MD/CEO Braincraft.

The conference, themed, ‘Entertainment industry as ‘last hope‘ for Africa’s largest economy’, will have some the biggest entertainers, IMC industry experts and Economist in attendance.

Chairman, House committee on Appropriation, Hon Abdulmumin Jubrin will speak on ‘The Emerging Global Business and Disruptive Models’. He would be on the panel with the likes of Olatunde Falase, MD/CEO Braincraft;  CEO Ventra Media, Daryn Wobber; CEO Smooth Productions, Ayo Animashaun and GM Operations, Tecno Mobile, Oye Akideinde.

Natures Gentle Touch moves in as Shoprite opens Onitsha Mall

Recare International, owners of Natures Gentle Touch, a personal style brand made from natural ingredients to provide hair and scalp care solutions today announced that all its hair and scalp solution products are available at the just commissioned Shoprite supermarket in Onitsha.

At the commissioning, Anambra state Governor, Willie Obiano who inaugurated the mall described it as a successful public private partnership. He emphasized the need for residents of the state to patronize the supermarket for good bargains while confirming that there have been special security arrangements to ensure 24-hour security.

Also speaking on the development, Recare Marketing Manager, Kunmi Balogun noted that “the availability of our products here will further increase access to all the range of Natures Gentle Touch hair and scalp treatment and maintenance products. Our products are highly renowned for their proven ability to solve various hair challenges which include dry and itchy scalp, dandruff and sever hair breakage, some of which are as a result of bad hair practices” he concluded.

At the opening, elated shoppers who could not hold their excitement at the availability of the products expressed their joy towards the convenience and accessibility of the products in Onitsha.

How to get Complaints Resolved via Social Media

Social media can be used to do a lot of things today including to complain and get the complaint resolved. Twitter is one of the best interactive networks to use to get a quick response especially as many organizations now have a strong Social Media presence.

With the versatility of social media, some users still have problems with making complaints and having them resolved. Sequel to this, Jovago.com, Africa's No 1 hotel booking portal gathers tips on how to get complaints resolved via Social Media.

 

Contact official channels

All serious organization own a website. On these websites, you can get the contact information of the company. Using the contact info, you can either call or send a mail. If you do not get a response or get an unsatisfactory response, you can take it to social media.

Check their reply speed on twitter

Despite the fact that some businesses have Twitter or Facebook accounts, they may not be active and may take them forever to reply to your complaints. Hence, before you send a tweet, you should check how quick they respond to complaints and if they actually resolved it.

Kofi Annan to African leaders: Leave when your time is up

Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan has urged African leaders to leave when their mandated time is up and to avoid excluding opposing voices if elections are to cease contributing to conflicts on the continent.

The renowned international diplomat said that while unconstitutional changes to government on the continent had reduced, exclusionary politics threatened to reverse the gains made.

“I think Africa has done well, by and large the coups have more or less ended, generals are remaining in their barracks, but we are creating situations which may bring them back,” the Nobel laureate said in an interview at the 5th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa (http://www.TanaForum.org).

“If a leader doesn’t want to leave office, if a leader stays on for too long, and elections are seen as being gamed to suit a leader and he stays term after term after term, the tendency may be the only way to get him out is through a coup or people taking to the streets.

“Neither approach can be seen as an alternative to democracy, to elections or to parliamentary rule. Constitutions and the rules of the game have to be respected.”

Microsoft Lumia 650 now available in Nigeria

Microsoft Nigeria, today, announced the availability of the Lumia 650 in designated retail outlet in Nigeria.

The newest smartphone to join the Lumia portfolio will run on Windows 10, which has been designed specifically to help work smarter, better and more efficiently.

The Lumia 650 was built for people on the move and is packed with features to help individuals be more productive throughout the day. Also, our top four Lumia 650 tips that will help achieve more by doing less are listed below:

Separate your work and personal life: A work-life balance is important. So, by simply setting up individual work and personal accounts, you can ensure that you remain focused in the office, and aren’t distracted by work in your free time.