₦airaland Forum

Beneficiary, Lagos Innovates Talent Development Programme, Bamigbola Segun Ayoola, at the opening ceremony of the Lagos Innovates Programme on Tuesday, September 20, 2022.



The Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) in partnership with Honeywell Group (HGL), has selected 260 beneficiaries for the Lagos Innovate Talent Development Programme from a pool of over 1000 applicants at an event held at the Watercress Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos on Tuesday, September 20, 2022.

In its bid to facilitate the growth of Africa's tech ecosystem, increase youth employment and support the development of entrepreneurial talent, Honeywell Group continues its partnership with LSETF on the Lagos Innovates Talent Development Programme for the third year running, to train young men and women between the ages of 22 and 40. The 24-week training will provide selected applicants from within the state access to global tech skills like programming, tech-focused entrepreneurship content, and mentorship.

The selected participants will have access to mentorship from industry leaders and hands-on training in full-stack development for mobile applications, full-stack development for mobile applications, Python Programming for web, data science, frontend design, full-stack, web development, and relevant tech-focused entrepreneurship courses.

Speaking at the event, Honeywell Group’s Head, Corporate Services, Tomi Otudeko said: “At Honeywell Group, we feel a deep sense of responsibility to young people in our community and a commitment to creating opportunities for them to thrive. Through this strategic partnership with LSETF, we aim to tackle the unemployment rate in Nigeria by increasing youth employability and contributing to the development of passionate young people looking to leverage the growing tech ecosystem to solve problems and generate innovative solutions on a global scale. ”
She told the participants, “Congratulations on taking the first step. You are joining a network that wants to see you grow. Don't take this opportunity for granted. Give your best during the training and remember that you are an ambassador of the programme.”
Past beneficiaries of the programme highlighted their experiences and encouraged the new participants of the programme to focus on their learning. A participant stated that two weeks into the programme, she was able to translate her training into real value. She commended the sponsors and the training school, Dataleum, for their investment in making them better professionals.
Sheila Ojei, Director of Strategy, Partnerships and Stakeholder Management at Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), speaking at the event said, “Congratulations on taking this bold step to learn the fundamentals and skills you need to improve your market value. The selected applicants went through a rigorous screening process to ensure we had the best minds. LSETF and Honeywell Group have been working together with the clear goal of ensuring that people get jobs. We are keen on being the lead enabler of employability in Lagos State”
77 of the selected participants will begin classes on September 20, 2022. Cohort B and cohort C will commence concurrently at a later date. There is also a rolling application for the fourth batch of participants.
Training partners include Skill Paddy, The Nest, DesignU, Seed Builders Innovation Hub, SlateCube, Softwork Freelance Network, Univelcity, Dataleum and Torilo Academy.

The right sales team is a critical factor that determines sales success and revenue growth for an organization. Your sales force isn't just a group of people, it's an engine that can propel your organization to get better results and bigger profits. This means that there is a connection between the sales team, the customers and the organization. A highly functional sales team is made of good salesmen and women and the right sales lead. Thus, the ability to develop a top-performing sales team falls on one person — the sales manager.

The sales team structure is an essential component in determining the success of an organization. With over 25 years of experience in consulting, managing sales operations, and developing new businesses across telecommunications, and other industries, I’ll be sharing a few sales tips that can enable you to manage a sales team and invariably close more deals.

The onboarding process is crucial
First, it is important to have a successful onboarding procedure for new sales representatives. Onboarding helps link the overall sales force capacity and staffing. Research shows that the businesses that properly onboard new sales team entrants achieve their profit goals 14% more successfully and have average sales growth rates that are 10% higher. New hires need to be in sync with recent features and updates about business products and services and are knowledgeable about how the product functions. A knowledgeable sales team is profitable, but this begins with an intentional onboarding process.

Ineffective onboarding may have unintended effects on hiring and turnover, such as prolonging firing decisions and stalling hiring while new salespeople become accustomed. As such, the success of your sales team hinges on this process. Pfizer Products PLC like most pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria has been big on its salesmen induction processes. It is during induction that the basic selling processes are taught and the fire of sales gets ignited in the newcomers. The likes of Doctor Adebodun Sanyaolu, Mr Lere Baale, now a Professor and the CEO of Business School Netherlands and a host of others will take their time to educate the newly hired salesmen on various modules ranging from an in-depth understanding of the company, the products and the competition. You cannot compete successfully without a full understanding of your position in the market relative to your competitors

Automate the processes
Next, acquire industry tools that help automate repetitive and unproductive tasks. Sales productivity is a lot easier if the team is not impeded by tasks that do not necessarily help achieve the overall target. Over 400 sales professionals with director-level ranks were surveyed for a 2017 report by CITE Research, and the results showed that most respondents use an average of 11 sales tools. The #1 "most valuable tool in increasing the effectiveness of a sales team" among those tools, according to the survey, was CRM platforms, which received 4.6 out of 5 ratings. The use of a CRM streamlines the sales process by enabling your sales teams to track prospect activity, engage and follow up with customers, and automate routine processes. The trigger enables reps to respond more rapidly while exerting less effort.

Sales productivity in the field demands a certain level of structure. It requires the sales team to organize their daily schedules. Once the necessary tasks have been listed, they must be prioritized. How many repetitive tasks do your reps perform each day? Your sales reps will have more unproductive tasks and less time to sell if you are not deliberate about automating processes and reducing redundancies. The scheduling and structure of a sales representative's day are also incredibly essential. Create an effective structure and share it with the team. With Omatsola Barrow, Managing Director, Tingo, selling does not just happen. Results happen as an outcome of various activities that the salesmen engage in at the right time. This is the reason why he introduced the Sales Conference activities as the gateway into each sales year.

Also, always include enough life in your work-life balance to make your career meaningful!

Communication will ALWAYS be key
In my experience, the key competency for sales managers is communication. Schedules are far more difficult to organize than they are for sales teams, which means that more communications take place via phone conversations than in person. Managers need to regularly check in with the sales team to learn about their attitudes and performance to boost productivity. Having salesmen across a country like Nigeria is even riskier. Salesmen can easily default to the attitude of the forgotten. If Managers do not speak to team members spread across remote territories, they will assume that they have been forgotten and this impacts their productivity. It works like magic to call on some weekends to check up on your salesmen spread far and wide. It's always a good idea to organize a one-on-one meeting in addition to checking in, especially post-covid. Always make sure to inquire about how you can increase their productivity. A simple ‘How can I help?”, may go a long way.

It is vital to also acknowledge successes and hard work openly.


Avoid Micromanaging
While leading a sales team requires strong leadership skills, avoid micromanaging the group. For example, while it is important to set deadlines and targets, you do not want to control how they get it done. Leaders that micromanage their staff often lack faith in the team's abilities to stay focused and meet objectives. This will erode employee trust and motivation.
After agreeing on the numbers, salesmen need to come up with smart plans for achieving the numbers. Conversations are easier when the targets are being met. This unfortunately is not always the case. Managers must avoid dictating solutions but teasing out homegrown solutions from the salesmen in their various territories. The best way to do this is by asking probing questions and listening effectively. Mazen Mroue, ​​MTN Group Chief Technology and Information Officer will always ask, “What more can you do ?” As short as this question is, the embedded power to stimulate thinking is huge.
Remain human
Finally, remain human. Sales managers get so focused on hitting targets, that they sometimes lose sight of the people they work with. These tips have helped me in managing diverse sales teams, implementing global operating plans, supporting product development, customer value management, and brand management. They have helped in revenue-creating processes, increasing market share, applying revenue-generating plans, and leading growth strategies across teams.
Messages like this “You are the best… I can not stop telling people about you, You made me who I am today… You trained me to be hardworking and creative” sent via WhatsApp by Dolapo Kehinde of 9mobile to me are simple testimonies that great results can still be delivered through disciplined execution without leaving blood on the tarmac.

ID Africa, a pan-African communications advisory firm, has made its debut on the global public relations and communications awards table, with a prestigious nomination at the forthcoming SABRE Awards EMEA as well as a certificate of recognition at the SABRE Awards Africa. The acknowledgements were earned for the firm’s work on the 2021 CSR campaign, Project SafeUp, executed for My World of Bags (MWOB) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.

ID Africa was awarded a Certificate of Excellence in the ‘Not for Profit/Charities’ category alongside four other nominees from Kenya, South Africa and Uganda at the SABRE Awards Africa.

It also received its first SABRE Awards EMEA nomination in the category ‘Africa’ in the company’s first-ever EMEA SABRE entry.

Project SafeUp, an initiative of luxury design and manufacturing company, My World of Bags (MWOB) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, provided 1.5 million PPE materials across South-West Nigeria between 2020 and 2021. ID Africa provided communications strategy, and execution support building awareness and interest through creative storytelling at community level, as well as using local advocates and electronic mass media.

CEO, ID Africa, Femi Falodun, says, “The SABRE Awards puts a spotlight on the industry’s most compelling work, especially communication programmes that drive real social and business impact. So, it is an honour to be recognised for the work we do at ID Africa.

“We have spent the past seven years developing a unique approach to communications, and we are truly delighted to be taking this model to new markets as we expand across Africa. Our mission remains to help individuals, brands, businesses, and governments understand and connect better with the people they care about.”

The campaign achieved over 300 mentions in 60 days on print, online, social media and radio platforms across the country. And had a staggering online readership of over 100 million users, with 26 indigenous radio content and presenter sessions reaching an estimated 2 million in Lagos and Osun state over the course of a month.

The SABRE Awards Africa, which recognises Superior Achievement in Branding, Reputation, and Engagement, will be announced at the Africa SABRE award ceremony on May 25, as part of the 2022 African Public Relations Conference. While the 2022 SABRE Awards EMEA shortlist includes over 400 campaigns, selected from among more than 2,000 entries in this year's competition and are evaluated by a jury of industry leaders. The 18th edition of the SABRE Awards EMEA will take place at The Guildhall in London on May 27th.

ID Africa, a pan-African communications advisory firm, has made its debut on the global public relations and communications awards table, with a prestigious nomination at the forthcoming SABRE Awards EMEA as well as a certificate of recognition at the SABRE Awards Africa. The acknowledgements were earned for the firm’s work on the 2021 CSR campaign, Project SafeUp, executed for My World of Bags (MWOB) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.

ID Africa was awarded a Certificate of Excellence in the ‘Not for Profit/Charities’ category alongside four other nominees from Kenya, South Africa and Uganda at the SABRE Awards Africa.

It also received its first SABRE Awards EMEA nomination in the category ‘Africa’ in the company’s first-ever EMEA SABRE entry.

Project SafeUp, an initiative of luxury design and manufacturing company, My World of Bags (MWOB) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, provided 1.5 million PPE materials across South-West Nigeria between 2020 and 2021. ID Africa provided communications strategy, and execution support building awareness and interest through creative storytelling at community level, as well as using local advocates and electronic mass media.

CEO, ID Africa, Femi Falodun, says, “The SABRE Awards puts a spotlight on the industry’s most compelling work, especially communication programmes that drive real social and business impact. So, it is an honour to be recognised for the work we do at ID Africa.

“We have spent the past seven years developing a unique approach to communications, and we are truly delighted to be taking this model to new markets as we expand across Africa. Our mission remains to help individuals, brands, businesses, and governments understand and connect better with the people they care about.”

The campaign achieved over 300 mentions in 60 days on print, online, social media and radio platforms across the country. And had a staggering online readership of over 100 million users, with 26 indigenous radio content and presenter sessions reaching an estimated 2 million in Lagos and Osun state over the course of a month.

The SABRE Awards Africa, which recognises Superior Achievement in Branding, Reputation, and Engagement, will be announced at the Africa SABRE award ceremony on May 25, as part of the 2022 African Public Relations Conference. While the 2022 SABRE Awards EMEA shortlist includes over 400 campaigns, selected from among more than 2,000 entries in this year's competition and are evaluated by a jury of industry leaders. The 18th edition of the SABRE Awards EMEA will take place at The Guildhall in London on May 27th.

Info Digital Africa (ID Africa), a Nigerian public relations, marketing communications and strategic advisory company, has announced the launch of its operations in Ghana and Kenya. The announcement coincides with the company’s seventh-anniversary celebrations.

The company was founded in 2015 by Ayeni Adekunle as part of BHM, an Africa-focused International PR and communications network with offices in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

ID Africa will serve as BHM’s Pan-African advisory and execution firm; helping consumers, brands, organizations, and governments make sense of the world’s most promising continent. Through local and regional adviser-led outfits, ID Africa will use a combination of owned media consumer insights, market knowledge, vast content studio and editorial distribution, and super-advisers, to design and execute award-winning and impactful work across the continent.

Femi Falodun, CEO, ID Africa, commented: “After seven years of building and perfecting our unique approach to marketing and communications in Nigeria, we are now taking this distinctive proposition to other parts of Africa. With a combination of owned media consumer insights, proprietary technology, editorial expertise, and advisers, we are positioned to deliver truly impactful work across the continent.

“ID Africa has come a long way from humble beginnings as a three-person digital media unit of BHM that was spun off and incubated, to becoming one of Africa’s fastest-growing communications companies. Today, we employ almost 40 full-time professionals, work for 10 clients across 6 industries, in 4 countries; and own media assets with a combined user base of over a million.”

ID Africa's EBITDA increased by 56% in 2021 from a revenue growth of 76%. Current clients include MultiChoice DStv, ALAT By Wema, Honeywell Group, Betway, and Showmax.

Ayeni Adekunle, BHM CEO, commented: “ID Africa’s continental growth, along with BHM’s allied and strategic operations in Europe and America, is part of our long term vision to build Africa’s first global integrated communications network.

“Our mission is to help individuals, brands, businesses and governments make sense of the world’s most promising continent while connecting them with the people they care about.”

According to the World Bank, Africa’s diverse offering of human and natural resources has the potential to become the world’s largest free trade area with a 1.2 billion-person market. Half of the continent’s population is estimated to be under 25 years old by 2050.

Beyond providing corporate and brand communications services to some of the biggest brands in media, technology, financial services, nonprofit, and FMCG, ID Africa is also home to Netng, Neusroom, and 234Star, which are some of Nigeria’s most prominent digital media platforms focused on youth and popular culture. The company also organizes the annual NECLive, Africa’s largest gathering of entertainment and creative industry professionals, which is also the longest-running conference of its kind in the region.

ID Africa’s Lead PR and Communications Adviser, Njideka Akabogu has been penciled to lead East Africa operations via Nairobi, while Iretomiwa Akintunde-Johnson, also a Lead Adviser, will be responsible for West Africa operations via Lagos and Accra.

Info Digital Africa (ID Africa), a Nigerian public relations, marketing communications and strategic advisory company, has announced the launch of its operations in Ghana and Kenya. The announcement coincides with the company’s seventh-anniversary celebrations.

The company was founded in 2015 by Ayeni Adekunle as part of BHM, an Africa-focused International PR and communications network with offices in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

ID Africa will serve as BHM’s Pan-African advisory and execution firm; helping consumers, brands, organizations, and governments make sense of the world’s most promising continent. Through local and regional adviser-led outfits, ID Africa will use a combination of owned media consumer insights, market knowledge, vast content studio and editorial distribution, and super-advisers, to design and execute award-winning and impactful work across the continent.

Femi Falodun, CEO, ID Africa, commented: “After seven years of building and perfecting our unique approach to marketing and communications in Nigeria, we are now taking this distinctive proposition to other parts of Africa. With a combination of owned media consumer insights, proprietary technology, editorial expertise, and advisers, we are positioned to deliver truly impactful work across the continent.

“ID Africa has come a long way from humble beginnings as a three-person digital media unit of BHM that was spun off and incubated, to becoming one of Africa’s fastest-growing communications companies. Today, we employ almost 40 full-time professionals, work for 10 clients across 6 industries, in 4 countries; and own media assets with a combined user base of over a million.”

ID Africa's EBITDA increased by 56% in 2021 from a revenue growth of 76%. Current clients include MultiChoice DStv, ALAT By Wema, Honeywell Group, Betway, and Showmax.

Ayeni Adekunle, BHM CEO, commented: “ID Africa’s continental growth, along with BHM’s allied and strategic operations in Europe and America, is part of our long term vision to build Africa’s first global integrated communications network.

“Our mission is to help individuals, brands, businesses and governments make sense of the world’s most promising continent while connecting them with the people they care about.”

According to the World Bank, Africa’s diverse offering of human and natural resources has the potential to become the world’s largest free trade area with a 1.2 billion-person market. Half of the continent’s population is estimated to be under 25 years old by 2050.

Beyond providing corporate and brand communications services to some of the biggest brands in media, technology, financial services, nonprofit, and FMCG, ID Africa is also home to Netng, Neusroom, and 234Star, which are some of Nigeria’s most prominent digital media platforms focused on youth and popular culture. The company also organizes the annual NECLive, Africa’s largest gathering of entertainment and creative industry professionals, which is also the longest-running conference of its kind in the region.

ID Africa’s Lead PR and Communications Adviser, Njideka Akabogu has been penciled to lead East Africa operations via Nairobi, while Iretomiwa Akintunde-Johnson, also a Lead Adviser, will be responsible for West Africa operations via Lagos and Accra.

Nigeria's leading digital bank, ALAT by Wema, has announced the call-for-entries for the second leg of the 2022 edition of its highly anticipated Hackathon programme tagged #Hackaholics 3.0 – Building the Future. Entry submissions for the second leg are ongoing and the application portal will be closed on Friday, April 1, 2022. The pitch event will hold at the AmphiTheatre, Babcock University, Remo, Ogun State

Babcock University is expected to host over 500 students and guests for this phase of the competition. The Hackaholics programme is targeted at young Nigerians who will devote their coding, product curation, and pitching skills towards providing solutions to rising issues across multiple sectors. The solutions are to focus broadly on the limitless possibilities in the future of technology, like NFTs, Web 3.0, Metaverse, Blockchain, AR, VR, AI, IoT.

Applications for the first leg of the tech competition began on Saturday, February 5, 2022. This was followed closely by a pitch session on Tuesday, February 15 at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) where 10 bright young minds battled it out for a chance at the ultimate prize.

According to ALAT, the programme aims to discover and nurture seed-stage startups to become the next Unicorn out of Africa and serve as a pipeline for grooming hirable tech talents in key areas - Solutions Engineering, Data Science, Product Management, Product Design, etc.

Speaking on the initiative, the Head of Innovation, Wema Bank, Solomon Ayodele, said: “the tech space is filled with innovative solutions that can solve critical challenges across target sectors that will create great value within the society. We want to encourage early-stage solution providers and be an integral part of the change. We are humbled to discover and support the next generation of tech giants who will use their creativity and talent to birth the future we all desire.

We truly believe our aspirations as an organization align with the ambitious desires of these young minds.”

The next round of live pitches will begin on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, and end on Thursday, April 7, 2022, at Babcock University. Selected candidates will pitch their ground-breaking ideas to a panel of judges who will select the top contenders who will vie for ₦5 million in cash prizes at the grand finale in Lagos.

Interested applicants can apply here or on the Wema Bank website.

According to the Fintech Times, women have long been financially excluded when it comes to traditional forms of credit rating and decision making. Research has also revealed that women face barriers in forming the kinds of relationships that are critical for success because of bias from their male counterparts. In situations like this, women’s outlier status is then taken as evidence that they are not cut out for the team or the industry in the case of business owners.

To bridge this gap, there’s an increasing need to provide a thriving environment for women-led businesses through unlimited access to funding, easy banking and mentorship, which is the thrust of Sara by Wema - a female proposition by Wema Bank - since it launched three years ago.

Many women around the world have shared their experiences and how women communities have been instrumental in encouraging them to be the best version of themselves. They have also realised that women are stronger when they come together.

In celebration of the 2022 edition of International Women’s Day, the Sara Website was unveiled as a platform where women in different parts of the world can connect seamlessly. The website has an exciting chatroom where women can meet and discuss issues in real-time, is geared towards ensuring that its customers have an opportunity to network from the comfort of their homes or place of business.

There are many reasons why networking and women's participation in various business and technical communities like Sara by Wema is an important and right step towards personal and professional growth. Within the community, every woman can find a safe and comfortable place where she can share her work problems, receive help, and support from other members.

The Sara website will further help amplify the voices of women and also serve to correct popular sexist beliefs by proving that women can be women’s biggest supporters. The platform will help connect women around the world to new connections and opportunities that will position them for personal and professional growth.

Over the course of its existence, the female-focused proposition by Wema Bank has organized bespoke training tailored to meet the needs of business owners. Some of which include business planning and development, taxations, savings and investments. With Sara by Wema, the bank is also able to provide financial advisory services, information on recent business trends, regulations, tips for growing a successful business and mentorship opportunities for young entrepreneurs.

Also notable is the 9% interest rate SME Loan available to existing and new female customers. With up to ₦1 million and no collateral, no guarantor required, the SME loan product has been specially modified to help women within the Nigerian business landscape actualize their financial goals with reduced hassle. The loan is given to selected female beneficiaries to help offset immediate business needs and to restock on finished goods or business products.

Also, in partnership with AIICO Insurance Plc, Sara by Wema provides a health scheme plan for women. With as low as ₦1,600 monthly (₦16,000, annually) women in Nigeria can enjoy a series of healthcare services ranging from gynaecology to paediatrics support.

In the last 3 years, the has also partnered with some beauty stores, restaurants and health establishments to provide deals and discounts to women in the Sara community.

With the Sara by Wema website, the bank plans to make a lasting impact on millions of women, while strengthening their sense of community.