₦airaland Forum

Two malls in Lagos, namely the Ikeja City Mall and the Leisure Mall Surulere, recently saw lots of activity as shoppers “set the wheels in motion” participating in the Blender Bike challenge and other activities at the Kerrygold Avantage Milk activation.

This promotion took place in conjunction with Bord Bia (The Irish Food Board), who hosted a series of in-store and online campaigns throughout Africa in recognition of World Milk Day, celebrated on Tuesday 1 June.

World Milk Day is an annual event that is held to promote global awareness of the benefits of milk.

Milk is packed with nutrients, is a good source of quality protein, it is associated with healthy bones and is a versatile ingredient that in addition to being a wholesome drink, can be used in meals such as oatmeal, breakfast milky rice, soups, desserts as well as making excellent smoothies.

One of the highlights of the day’s activities was the Blender Bike, where participants demonstrated their fitness levels by riding a stationary bicycle that had a blender attached. The blender spun as the bike was ridden allowing the participants to make their favourite milkshakes and smoothies.

Adding glamour to the occasion were celebrity influencers Ufuoma Mcdermott and Adedimeji Lateef as well as Ify Mogekwu of Ify’s Kitchen and nutritionist, culinary expert and talk show host Jamila Lawal, who created their own milkshakes and encouraged their followers to do the same. Some fortunate shoppers met the celebrities and collaborated on the milkshake making!

For those with a creative flair, there was the opportunity to share a video on social media demonstrating creative ways to make a milkshake with the Kerrygold Avantage Milk. After working through all the submissions from entrants who participated in the Milkshake challenge, the judges identified fifteen winners who were rewarded with Kerrygold products, branded items, and shopping vouchers.

Besides the health benefits of milk, Kerrygold Avantage from Ireland is premium fat filled milk powder, meaning that it has extended shelf life without needing refrigeration and is suitable for the whole family. The powder is produced from natural, fresh skimmed cow’s milk, vegetable fat and fortified with vitamins to provide essential nutrients.

A rich heritage of family farming in Ireland, passed from generation to generation, combined with lush green fields, clean air and plentiful rain create the perfect environment for dairy farming, which converts grass into nutrient-rich, premium quality products. The objective of the promotions was to highlight the benefits of milk to Africa and to drive consumption of Irish milk beyond the use of cream.

“Our aim with this campaign is to create new consumption patterns for milk with the consumer outside the regular creamer pattern that is currently predominate pattern irrespective of the consumption occasion.” says Ese Okpomo, Bord Bia’s West Africa Manager.

Bord Bia works to enhance the reputation of Irish food, drink and horticulture, to develop markets for Irish suppliers and bring the taste of Irish food to more tables world-wide. With its headquarters in Dublin, Bord Bia’s extensive overseas presence, coupled with authoritative strategic insight, enables Bord Bia to pursue emerging opportunities and actively respond to significant market issues that affect the industry.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/26/milk-bike-smoothie-to-healthier-life/

BBNaija season six ex-housemate Yerins Abraham has bagged his first endorsement deal with a skincare company in Nigeria, Wanim Empire.

The reality star who described himself as a polymath made this known in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

“I’m absolutely delighted to announce that I am the newest brand ambassador of Wanime skincare. Polymaths, please support my new family,” he wrote.

Fellow celebrities and fans congratulated him in the comment section of the post.

Yerins was the first housemate to be evicted from the Big Brother Naija Shine Ya Eye edition after staying for two weeks.

Beatrice and Niyi were other housemates evicted at the same time.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/25/bbnaija-yerins-signs-endorsement-deal/

From DataRobot and Olive to Epic Games and Magic Leap, our infographic shows the top private tech company in every state, based on funding totals.

WHERE IS THIS DATA COMING FROM?
The tech boom has diffused beyond the traditional hotbeds of California, New York, and Massachusetts, spreading across the entire US.

In our latest map of the most well-funded tech startup in each state, some companies with the deepest pockets were found in North Carolina (Epic Games, $4.4B), Florida (Magic Leap, $3B), and Georgia (OneTrust, $930M). All together, the companies on this map have raised more than $40B.
Using CB Insights data, we identified the most well-funded technology startups by state based on total disclosed equity funding. The full list of startups is included below the map.

Our analysis ranks private tech companies based on total disclosed equity funding. Companies included have raised at least $1M in equity funding since January 2016. All companies on our map are VC-backed, with the exception of West Virginia.

Key takeaways from the top tech startups in the US

The most well-funded US tech startup is California-based e-cigarette company JUUL Labs, with a whopping $15B in disclosed equity funding. Most recently, the company raised a $700M mega-round in February 2020, earning it a $12B valuation.
After JUUL, the most well-funded startups on our map are North Carolina-based video game developer Epic Games ($4.4B in equity funding) and Pennsylvania-based delivery service goPuff ($3.4B).
Our map features 19 unicorn companies valued at $1B+, including cybersecurity company Tanium (WA, $9B valuation), healthcare-focused RPA company Olive (OH, $4B valuation), and corporate training platform Articulate (NY, $3.8B valuation).
New York-based Articulate is the most recently minted unicorn on our map: the online training platform hit a $3.8B valuation following its $1.5B Series A round in July 2021.
7 companies on the map have raised over $1B in total disclosed equity financing: JUUL Labs, Epic Games, GoPuff, Magic Leap, Articulate, Tanium, and DataRobot. All of these companies are valued at over $1B.
Including the 7 startups mentioned above, 35 companies on the map have raised $100M or more in equity funding.
11 of the startups on our map have raised $50M or less in equity funding. The venture capital-backed startup with the least funding on the map is Alaska’s 60Hertz Energy, which develops energy asset maintenance software.
The bulk of these companies (31) have raised funding in 2021; just 8 last raised prior to 2020.

Since our last update of the map in February 2021, there have been 4 exits: Maryland’s Xometry, New York’s UiPath, and Virginia’s Privia Health each made their IPO, while Oregon’s Vacasa is going public via a SPAC.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/25/checkout-the-most-well-funded-tech-startup-in-every-us-state/

Financial inclusion is the next step in the evolution of financial systems and has played a key role in the development of China’s finance.

Before 1978, China’s macroeconomy was primarily regulated through fiscal policies, first establishing a modern banking system in 1985 with the creation of the People’s Bank of China — China’s central bank — along with commercial banks.

Later, in 1991, the Shanghai Stock Exchange marked the emergence of capital markets in China. And more recently, China has been progressing towards financial inclusion; in 2007, the country established its first micro-loan company pilots, and in 2009, the ChiNext stock market (for growth enterprises) in the A-shares market (RMB-denominated equity shares of China-based companies and trade on either the Shanghai Stock Exchange or Shenzhen Stock Exchange).

On December 31, 2015, the State Council issued the Plan for Promoting the Development of Financial Inclusion (2016–2020), signaling the strategic importance of financial inclusion for China. Within this context, digital financial inclusion — a recent trend and business model in financial inclusion — has also been flourishing in China. Bei Duoguang and Li Yan (2017) define digital financial inclusion as a model of financial inclusion enabled by digital technologies.

In China, it has already gone through four development stages, namely start-up, slow development, explosive growth, and then transformation and regulation. Throughout its development, digital financial inclusion has adhered to the G20 High-Level Principles for Digital Financial Inclusion, which were adopted and published at the Summit in Hangzhou in 2016 and aim to optimize inclusive financial services and increase people’s well-being.

2. Practices

There are four main drivers of digital financial inclusion in China: advanced FinTech, optimized infrastructure, stable and inclusive regulation, as well as innovation in business models and products.

Implied in its name is the dependence of digital financial inclusion on digital technologies, such as cloud storage, big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and blockchain. These reshape the traditional concept of financial inclusion services, dramatically enhancing digital capabilities and reducing costs. Specifically, the Internet facilitates data transmission, cloud storage and big data technologies expand data storage, while cloud computing and AI improve data processing and usage.

How Digital Financial Inclusion Played A Major Role In China’s Banking System

Typically, financial inclusion is unsustainable as a business model, lacking a positive cost-benefit ratio. However, these technologies enable digital financial inclusion by reducing overall costs, transmitting data faster, collecting more types of data, and enriching the economics of micro-finance. This happens both online and offline, so financial institutions continue to see the return on investment.

At the same time, the Chinese government is strategically focused on extensive planning for digital technology, which is speeding up updates and transformations in digital inclusive finance. For one, the industry’s development depends on comprehensive infrastructure. To this end, China has established a nationwide payment system that incorporates a variety of stakeholders.

This includes licensed financial institutions (such as banks, payment and market infrastructure operators, as well as non-bank payment institutions), outsourced service providers that assist in business expansion or provide technical support, manufacturers of payment instruments or hardware equipment, as well as innovative FinTech companies. Together, they drive financial inclusion.

One of the key digital technologies in this entire process is mobile payment. Today, anywhere you go — rural or urban — in China, you will be able to pay using quick response (QR) codes. A large proportion of this market is dominated by Ant Financial, a digital financial inclusion service provider based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.

Its services enable users to complete daily transactions, take out loans, and much more, using only a QR code. In 2020, China recorded 123.22 billion mobile payment transactions amounting to CNY432.16 trillion, a year-on-year growth of 21.48% and 24.50%, respectively.

Through integrating databases and credit information at different levels and domains, China has basically built up another major infrastructure — the Individual and Corporate Credit System, which hosts the world’s largest number of individual and institutional users, thus driving financial inclusion from the administrative and market perspectives.

In general, China has a steady regulatory climate, thus smoothly shifting from centralized regulation and services early on to the co-existence of the People’s Bank of China, China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC), and China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC).

Furthermore, China’s regulatory authorities have long encouraged financial research and innovation conducive to inclusive finance. More importantly, the Central Government actively promotes inclusive finance in an effort to reduce financial exclusion. An example of this is the agricultural financial policies issued annually since 2004 in the No. 1 document.

These aim to establish a diversified system of rural financial services with lower access thresholds, encourage rural financial institutions to provide more support to farmers, and ultimately reform the rural finance system.

In addition to reshaping financial inclusion, digital technologies also encourage numerous business model innovations, which in turn facilitate financial inclusion. One typical example of innovation is customization. In fact, the biggest difference between digital and traditional finance lies in the transformation of financial services from single static products to dynamic tailored solutions.

Essentially, this means that providers design bespoke financial services and products based on customers’ individual requirements.

Download the Huawei Inclusive Finance Journal to get the latest trends and insights: https:///3CYAqDl

3. Outlook

“The only constant in life is change”, said Heraclitus. Looking ahead, there are three clear trends in China’s digital financial inclusion.

First, focusing on customer needs is key to digital financial inclusion. Ensuring that everyone has access to financial services requires tailoring services to a diverse group with complex requirements. Single service or product cannot suffice for everyone. To ensure that low-income customers have access, financial products and services need to address their unique needs and requirements.

Second, financial services need to be customizable. Digital financial inclusion emphasizes access to financial services for all and financial institutions are not required to provide full-scale services. Instead, it is more appropriate to determine the specific customer needs and offer tailored professional services. Therefore, the market needs to create space for customized digital financial services.

Third, digital financial inclusion will be closely integrated with other types of services. One example is bike-sharing, which has grown rapidly thanks to and in turn has encouraged the growth of mobile payments. Today, mobile payment has already become popular in transportation and shopping, and will likely penetrate other aspects of daily life very soon.

4. Implications

The discussed practices and trends signal four implications for other countries.

First, focus on developing and applying science and technology at the national strategic level; particularly, there should be a focus on FinTech and digital technologies. These will reduce the cost of digital financial services, enhance service efficiency, improve customer experience, and satisfy emerging customer needs.

Second, it is important to address long-term infrastructure in education, healthcare, transportation, utilities, energy, and communications. These will facilitate financial service outlets, payment services, and credit systems, driving digital inclusive finance.

Third, there needs to exist an inclusive and stable regulatory climate. China’s financial regulators have long required financial institutions to promote financial services and support major economic activities. Although most financial services have targeted large economic activities after 1978, there are still many policy documents encouraging financial institutions to provide services to small and micro enterprises as well as individuals.

Fourth, it is key to continue encouraging business model innovation in financial inclusion. The integration of technology and finance has already given light to many new business models, which create feasible solutions for sustainable digital financial inclusion. Apart from being guided by the government, financial institutions should also pursue this type of innovation in terms of finance systems and governance.

5. Conclusion

Facing the continuous growth of technologies and innovation, we need to constantly consider the significance of financial inclusion. First of all, financial inclusion is the result of adjustments in the financial system, offering low-income groups access to financial services. Financial inclusion also signals macroeconomy re-balancing.

Inclusive development urges financial institutions to serve the real economy and speed up technological innovation to achieve sustainable macroeconomic development. Last but not least, finance leads to a positive society.

The call for financial inclusion is actually an aspiration for growth and development in the financial field amid social transformation. Beyond commercial values, financial inclusion also brings us long-term social benefits and human-centric development.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/25/financial-inclusion-in-china-banking/

An indigenous auto company, Napmantronix has said it plans to enter the auto frontier of the future by dealing in Electric Vehicles.

Napmantronix Limited is into the supply of automotive Vehicles and is also a Fleet Management Company. “Napmantronix Limited is the only accredited Auto Service Garage for GAC motors in Lagos State outside the GAC headquarters on Ligali Ayorinde street Victoria Island, according to the Chairman of Napmantronix Nigeria Limited, Napoleon Agbelogode.

The company, he said currently holds the Service Level agreement for all GAC cars belonging to the Dangote Refinery in Akodo Lekki Lagos.

Napmantronix Limited currently owns an Ultra-Modern State of the Art Napmantronix Auto Plaza at Ibeju Lekki Lagos, sitting on 6,700 square meters of prime real estate in Ibeju Lekki, where all brands of vehicles can be maintained and serviced.

The services available at the Napmantronix Auto Plaza are the following: Engine repairs; Tire sales/maintenance; Car Wash and Detailing; Radiator Steam Washing; Engine Overhaul; Wheel Balancing and Alignment; Used and New Cars and Truck Sales; Automotive Diagnostics; Auto A/C Repairs/Maintenance; Car Key Programming.

They also engage in Complete Auto Body Work/Excellent Car Paint Jobs; Event Center; Boutique; and Food Restaurant and Bar.

Napmantronix is also a member of the BOSCH Global Automotive Garage Chain and it is also teaming up with FIXIT45 to bring unmatched auto service delivery to Lagos state inhabitants.

Speaking on the Journey been so far, he said “It’s been a challenging journey so far from concept to project execution over the past 27 years, Napmantronix was incorporated as a limited liability company in Nigeria on October 10, 1994, with CAC registration number RC:254570, our current headquarters situated at Km42, Lekki Epe Expressway was opened to business on August 13, 2013.

“The biggest challenge with providing auto maintenance services in Nigeria is the lack of competent mechanics to carry out the jobs.

“It is of utmost importance to note that no matter how much advertisement an auto maintenance company embarks on, the ultimate positive advertisement of the auto maintenance company is timely delivery of quality service and avoiding returns jobs as low as practicably possible

“The almost complete absence of OEM representatives for car spare parts is also a major cause for worry in the industry.

“This causes most auto maintenance garages in Lagos state, in particular, to rely on “fairly used spare parts” sourced locally from Ladipo, Ojuelegba, and Owode Onirin Markets. Unfortunately, procurement of spare parts from the above-named markets have no guarantees and the quality of the spare parts is usually suspect at any point in time.

“Another challenge to being able to deliver quality service to the teeming clientele of Lagos state vehicle owners is the perennial gridlock persistent on our roads, this causes the procurement and delivery of much-needed spares to be near impossible if a rush job is to be delivered.

“The continuous downward slide of the Nigerian Naira against the US Dollar also makes an increase in spare parts prices a consistent threat to deal with daily, weekly, monthly and all year round.

“An overbearing number of roadside mechanics who deliver shoddy jobs at very low prices also causes problems for professional auto shops like Napmantronix. This is because when jobs are assessed and quotations provided to clients, they are wont to argue about the high prices they are being given in comparison to the low prices the roadside mechanics would have charged them.”

On a unique App the Napmantronix brand just developed, he said, “At this point in time, I would not like to go into details on the APP, but it is fair enough to say that the App is poised to solve a perennial problem of spares parts distribution to the numerous auto workshops in the Victoria Island/Lekki business corridor.

“The main thrust of the Apps value proposition is to connect sellers of auto spare parts in Ladipo, Ojuelegba and Owode Onirin Markets to the professional auto workshops in the Victoria Island/Lekki business corridor via an online superhighway, that provides visibility, accountability and an improvement in logistics throughput, with of course an overall price/cost of doing business reduction for the entire value/supply chain. This App should be up and running on or before close of business 2021.”

He said the ultimate challenge of the automobile industry in Nigeria at this time is the prohibitive setup cost.

Due to the very poor exchange rate of the Nigerian Naira to the US Dollars, to set an Automobile Dealership, Automobile Workshop or Automobile Assembly plant is almost out of reach to most people that would want to venture into that sector of the Nigerian business space.

“Lack of an enabling environment is also another source of concern, there are almost always no roads leading to the site where the workshop or dealership is to be located, additionally, there would almost certainly be no electricity and you as the investor would have to provide hardware that ordinarily should have been provided by NEPA.

The most heartbreaking part of it all is that as soon as the investor can muster the funds to procure hardware like Transformers and electric poles and wires that NEPA should naturally have provided. All the items after installation automatically become NEPA property. This to say the least is truly evil.

Multiple-taxation is another challenge to grapple with; Provision of support services and infrastructure by government either local, state, or at the National level is minimal.

On other innovations he has brought to the industry, he said “The Napmantronix Auto Plaza is built in such a way that the client immediately realizes that the primary reason for building the facility is to look after the “owner of the car” after which the care of the car comes second.

“This is because we at Napmantronix recognize that without the car owners, there are no cars. At the Napmantronix Auto Shop, the reception/waiting area for clients has a sliding glass door that allows the client to see our technicians on the shop floor work on their vehicles.

“We have a fully functional restaurant that can cater for all the nutritional needs of the client while his or her vehicle is being fixed. There is a fully stoked boutique that has wears and accessories for Male, female, and children.

“There is also a well-stocked bar for all the drinks the client may need, from soft drinks to beverages, cognacs, whiskeys, and bourbons. You can also order for your favorite tea or coffee.”

According to him, “Nigerian clients are one of the easiest people to work with as long as the quality of work delivered by the auto shop is high. Nigerian clients are willing to pay top Naira for good quality jobs, with little or no returns.

“The auto shop management begins to run into trouble with Nigerian clients when service delivery is of low or very poor quality and plagued with continuous returns for the same faults that were previously fixed.

“Clients also would feel irritated with poor customer service and a poorly organised work environment. Overall Nigerian clients are a fair bunch of people to deal with if the auto shop delivers high quality service with good customer care.”

He advised auto users to try and buy cars that are not accidented and are not too old, preferably with low mileage. They should also ensure that they are religious with the “Lube oil change” or planned service regimen of their cars. They should further ensure faults a fixed as quickly as possible once they are identified. The earlier they do away with roadside auto technicians the better for them and their cars.

“They should endeavor to patronize only professional auto shops like Napmantronix Limited.”

Agbelogode said in the next 10 years, he plans for Napmantronix to be the Nigerian market leader in Electric Vehicles, assembly, marketing, sales and after-sales service in Nigeria.

He said, “Napmantronix Limited is first and foremost and would always be a supply chain management company. Though it is seen/perceived by most people as an Auto Maintenance Workshop because our Auto Maintenance Business has been in the public eye since we opened the Ultra-Modern State of the Art Napmantronix Auto Plaza at Ibeju Lekki Lagos to the public on August 13, 2013.

Napmantronix has in its mix of business endeavors, the following.

“Safety Tools Almet Napmantronix Limited is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) representative for Safety Tools Almet the manufacturers of the one and only cold cutting and grinding tools in the world. Safety Tools Almet is based in Norway.”

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/25/napmantronix-plans-electric-vehicles-in-nigeria/

The Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared N760.717 billion as federation allocation for the month of July.



This is contained in a statement by Mr Oshundun Olajide, Deputy Director (Information), Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning on Friday which also noted that the meeting was held virtually.

He said that out of the N760.717 billion shared, the Federal Government received N325.988 billion, the states received N224.929 billion while the Local Government Councils got N168.424 billion.



“The total amount shared was inclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT) and Exchange Gain. Meanwhile, the oil-producing states received N41.376 billion as derivation (13 per cent of Mineral Revenue).

The communique issued by the committee indicated that the Gross Revenue available from the VAT for July was N151.134 billion as against N154.465 billion distributed in June. This resulted in a decrease of N3.331 billion.



“The distribution is as follows; Federal Government got N21.083 billion, the States received N70.278 billion, Local Government Councils got N49.194 billion, Allocation to NEDC received N4.534 billion and Cost of collection/transfers/ refunds got N6.045 billion.

“The distributed Statutory Revenue of N601.095 billion received for the month was lower than the N812.409 billion received for the previous month by N211.314 billion, from which the Federal government received N303.765 billion, States got N154.074 billion, LGCs got N6118.785 billion, and Derivation (13 per cent Mineral Revenue) got N41.081 billion.”

The communique also revealed that Companies Income Tax (CIT), Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), and Oil and Gas Royalties recorded significant decreases, while Import and Excise Duty, VAT decreased marginally.

It, however, disclosed that total revenue distributable for the current month inclusive of Gross Statutory Revenue of N617.705 billion, VAT of N140.555 billion, and Exchange Gain of N2.457 billion, bringing the total distributable revenue to N760.717 billion

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/23/federal-states-and-local-governments-share-n760-7-billion/

People always have the intention of renovating and changing how their home looks however, while many might have a picture of how the renovations would make the house beautiful, many fail to consider other factors that should be added to the remodel plan.

Putting into consideration other factors allows you to think through your remodel plan and know if it is worth implementing and how you intend to successfully remodel your house.

Here 5 things to think about when remodelling your home.

1. Think of the bigger picture:

While beauty is of importance, think beyond that and ask what is my end goal. What do I intend to achieve by renovating my home? That would give you a clearer picture of not just what to renovate but why it is of greater importance. Your end goal or objective might be to sell the house or leave a well furnished, beautiful looking and solid structured home for your kids as inheritance.

2. Do you have a renovation budget?

A vital part of planning is budgeting. Your plan should evolve around your budget. What is highest amount of money you are willing to spend to deliver the required remodeling or renovation. Having a sense of what the renovation resources will cost would enable you develop a budget and allow you know what to adjust or remove from your renovation list.

3. Timing

One should learn to use timing as an advantage. There are periods where some of the materials or items needed might be cheaper to get. Also depending on the kind of renovation, timing can affect the speed, delivery of renovation. If you are renovating the exterior part of your house during the rainy season especially when it comes to building new areas or expanding the space of your home, the rain might be a bad factor if you have not considered timing before proceeding.

4. Plan for Miscellaneous expenses:

While you add miscellaneous expenses to your budget, it is always advice to have extra money to spare when thinking of having your home remodeled.

5. Plan for damages:

Depending on the kind of remodeling you do and how your house is structured, one needs to play for damages within the home, outside and even for the close neighboring houses. You don’t want to enter an unexpected situation where things get damaged and there is no quick fix solutions to solve the issue.

With these 5 steps, planning to remodel your house just got easier. Understand these 5 Commandments and you are on your way to a successful renovation and model of your dream apartment or home.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/23/things-to-do-before-remodeling-home/

MTN Nigeria Communications says it will invest more than N600bn in network infrastructure over the next three years to improve telecommunications services across the country.

The Chairman of MTN Nigeria Communications, Dr Ernest Ndukwe, disclosed this during the company’s 20th-anniversary celebration held on Sunday in Lagos.

Brand Spur Nigeria reports that the telecommunication company launched its services on Aug. 8, 2001, connecting about 69 million people in communities across the country to date.

Ndukwe said that MTN was also “committed to specifically expanding its rural connectivity to reach areas that were underserved” across the country.

“We plan to connect approximately 1000 rural communities to our network this year with an additional 2000 communities in 2022,” the MTN chairman said.

Ndukwe expressed optimism about what the future holds for Nigeria’s digital economy and looked forward to building it together with all stakeholders.

Also speaking at the event, Chief Executive Officer of the company, Karl Toriola, restated MTN’s planned participation in the restoration and rehabilitation of the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway through the Federal Government’s Road Infrastructure Tax Credit ((RITC) Scheme.

This is a response to the government’s drive towards public-private partnership in the rehabilitation of critical road infrastructure in Nigeria, Toriola said

“We’ve initiated plans for the construction of a purpose-built, state-of-the-art head office in Lagos.

“We will also be selling down 14 per cent of MTN shares to over two million Nigerian retail investors,” Toriola said.

He expressed appreciation to the government for its vision in liberalising the telecommunications sector and the robust framework developed by the regulators.

“We firmly believe that Nigeria’s digital journey is only just beginning and that the future is filled with promises.

“Working together, we can and will build the more prosperous and inclusive future we seek and empower even more Nigerian to do greater things,” the MTN chief executive said.

MTN Nigeria currently provides services in 223 cities and towns, in more than 10,000 villages and communities, in the 36 states, and the Federal Capital Territory.

As part of the 20th-anniversary celebration, MTN gave out 20 new Honda HRVS as car gifts to its subscribers from the year 2011 across the country.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/23/mtn-to-invest-n600-billion-in-network-infrastructure-across-nigeria/

The Consul-General of Nigeria in Duoala, Cameroon, Efe Alexandra Clark- Omeriu, says the operations of Air Peace into Cameroon will attract more economic development for both countries.

Clark- Omeriu said this at the ceremony for Air Peace’s inaugural flight to Cameroon on Thursday amidst fanfare.

Brand Spur Nigeria learnt that the inaugural flight with registration number P47528, departed the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos at 3.45 p.m, touched down at about 6.54 p.m and was greeted with a water cannon in Duoala.

The Consul-General said that the airline’s operations into Cameroon would fast-track bigger trade investments for both countries.

She added that this would also boost tourism, greater opportunities, and employment.

According to her, the inaugural flight is a beautiful thing that has ever happened to both countries.

“This is also a win-win situation for both countries because Nigeria and Cameroon are brothers.

“The number of Nigerians that reside here in Duoala alone are over three million and majority of them are traders.

Clark- Omeriu said that the flight would also reduce the pains of flying through long routes to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to connect Nigeria.

“We have our own Air Peace that flies straight and directs from Nigeria to Cameroon to ease the stress of going through roads and water,” she said.

Earlier, Mr Adeyemi Ayodeji, the Ground Operations Manager, Air Peace said the airline was committed to excellence and that the management had brought excellent service to Cameroonians.

Adeyemi said that the airline had recorded tremendous feats in just seven years.

According to him, the airline now operates 19 domestic routes, six regional routes and two international destinations (the United Arab Emirates and South Africa) with a varied fleet of 28 aircraft, including three ultramodern Embraer 195-E2 airplanes.

“I feel excited that today, Air Peace, West Africa’s largest carrier, is making its entry into Cameroon from Lagos, Nigeria.

“We are delighted this launch is happening as we believe both countries will benefit enormously from it in the areas of employment creation, promotion of tourism, facilitation of a seamless movement of people and other forms of economic value.

“Air Peace is famed for its no-city-left-behind initiative, which is driving our route expansion.

“The extension of our wings to Douala is resultant from our vision to create affordable and safe air travel for Africans, with our signature hospitality, connecting various cities across Africa, especially the West Coast, thereby fostering socio-economic integration,” Adeyemi said.

He said that plans were in top gear for other international routes, such as Houston-USA, Mumbai-India, Guangzhou-China, and London.

“We are constantly reviewing our route network to reflect the needs of the flying public.

“Finally, we thank and pledge to work with all the stakeholders including the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, the airport administrators and, of course, the governments of both countries to ensure the new route is maximized,” Adeyemi said.

Bathlome Okwujaku, President, Nigeria Community in Cameroon, commended Air Peace for bringing its operations to Cameroon.

He said that the flights would attract more investment in the country and boost Nigerian investors trade.

Okwujaku said that airlines would ease the cost of traveling into the country and also reduce the high risk associated with traveling through roads and sea.

“Before now, businessmen in Cameroon were faced with the challenge of traveling but today Air Peace has made it easier to travel without going through Addis Ababa.

“This will bring more economic development for both countries and also enhance business opportunities.

“This is what we have been hoping for and now that Air Peace has come to Cameroon, we are going to ensure that all Nigerians here fly Air Peace,” he said.

He said it was great the airline had come to bridge the gap between both countries at this crucial time in terms of connectivity.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/20/air-peace-inaugurates-flight-operations-to-cameroon/

The U.S. government, through the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), donated five million bed nets to Nigeria’s Oyo State as part of a national campaign to provide enough nets for every Nigerian to be protected from the deadly disease every night.

The life-saving nets will reach all 33 local government areas in Oyo State. The bed net distribution is a critical component of the ongoing effort to end malaria in Nigeria, which results in nearly 96,000 deaths per year.

“Malaria is a leading cause of illness and death in Nigeria, particularly now at the peak of the rainy season when mosquito populations increase dramatically,” Ms. Celeste Carr, USAID’s Acting PMI Resident Advisor, said at the handover ceremony. “Conquering malaria will not happen overnight and it will only happen if we all work together.”

In addition to the nets, PMI also provided funding for logistics, including transportation and community mobilization carried out in partnership with the Oyo State government, which led the planning, coordination, and distribution effort. The total value of the contribution is near $18 million (₦7.4 billion).

The distribution will benefit more than eight million residents of Oyo State, providing at a minimum one net for every two people within each household.

“Malaria infection still poses a great threat to the social and economic wellbeing of the population of Oyo State,” Executive Governor His Excellency Engr. Seyi Makinde said at the ceremony. “We must therefore do everything possible to safeguard our people, particularly the vulnerable group of women and children with the help of stakeholders [including] the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative.”

The PMI program in Nigeria is jointly implemented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in coordination with the Government of Nigeria.

Since 2011, PMI has procured more than 61 million insecticide-treated nets as part of a $712 million overall contribution to malaria control in Nigeria. PMI also supports advocacy and mobilization to encourage members of the community to sleep under the bed nets every night, and trains health workers to test for malaria before treatment.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/18/u-s-donates-five-million-insecticide-treated-bed-nets-to-oyo-state/

Credit rating agency, Agusto & Co has said the Nigerian pension industry’s net assets will hit the N20 trillion mark by 2023, recording an average growth rate of 18 per cent.

The rating firm which disclosed this in its latest report added that it equally expects an improvement in the performance of the industry as operators compete for a higher return on investments, improved customer service, and use of technology for operational efficiency.

The Nigerian Pension Industry has evolved from one with predominantly public sector participants running a defined benefit scheme to a mandatory defined contribution system for all government and private sector employees. The 2004 pension reform redefined retirement planning in Nigeria and drove significant growth in the number of enrolees and the size of managed assets in the Industry.

As at 31 December 2020, the Nigerian Pension Industry’s assets under management (AuM) stood at ₦12.3 trillion (or $32.3 billion. This represented a 20.6% growth over the ₦10.2 trillion reported at the end of 2019 and an 18.3% compound annual growth rate over the last five years. According to Agusto & Co.’s newly released 2021 Pension Industry report, the growth in the Industry’s managed assets has been largely driven by investment returns and additional contributions, to a lesser extent.

In particular, over the last five years, the Industry’s annual contributions have averaged ₦699 billion while withdrawals have averaged about ₦341 billion, translating to a net annual contribution of ₦347 billion and accounting for 26.6% of the Industry’s AuM growth over the period. The remaining 73.4% of average growth was attributable to investment returns earned on the portfolios.

The pension transfer window opened on 16 November 2020 to allow pension retirement saving account (RSA) holders switch Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) once a year at most and at no cost. As at the end of the second quarter of 2021 (less than nine months after the transfer window was opened), over 25,600 RSA holders with pension assets over ₦102.5 billion were reported to have changed PFAs.

We expect that in the subsequent quarters of 2021, the number of transfers will rise further as more enrolees become aware of the transfer process. In addition, we expect competition to intensify in the pension Industry as PFAs seek to attract new enrollees while retaining existing ones. Nonetheless, we expect the Industry’s structure to remain relatively unchanged in the short-to-medium term with the top five players leading on the back of good market presence and strong brand recognition.

Going forward, Agusto & Co. envisages continuous growth in pension assets supported by increased participation on the back of the country’s favourable demography of young adults and rising yields in money market instruments. In addition, we expect an improvement in the performance of the Industry as operators compete for higher return on investments, improved customer service and use of technology for operational efficiency.

Therefore, Agusto & Co. projects that the Industry’s net assets will hit the ₦20 trillion mark by 2023, recording an average growth rate of 18% (in line with the five year average growth rate of 18%) in the next three years leading to 2023.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/17/nigeria-pension-assets-to-hit-n20-trillion-in-2023/

The Igbobi College Yaba (ICY); a leading legacy college providing a well-balanced and rounded secondary education to Nigerian boys in an environment conducive for the purpose, today unveiled the most inspiring programmes for social good to mark the 90th anniversary of its founding coming up in 2022.

Unlike the previous anniversaries, this landmark celebration will be marked with a year-long series of events that will be celebrated by the stakeholders, including the Igbobi College Old Boys’ Association (ICOBA) all over the world.

The Association maintains and enhances a highly engaged, vibrant community of alumni worldwide, helping them stay connected to the College and each other through a wealth of activities and events.

During the media launch held at the College on Saturday to unveil the plans to mark the anniversary, the Chairman of the Board of Governors, Igbobi College Yaba, Mr. Foluso Phillips, said that “This year’s anniversary will be celebrated in a special way. Aside the normal yearly programmes, the 90th Founders’ Day Anniversary offers a unique opportunity for the stakeholders to deepen our culture of doing social good to the College.”

The President, Igbobi College Old Boys’ Association (ICOBA), Mr. Olumuyiwa Kinoshi, said that, “The 90th anniversary of the College is an important period to take stock of the past and plan for the future.

As you are all aware, ICOBA worldwide have invested heavily by way of donations and contributions in cash and kind to the development of the College in terms of infrastructure and upgrading the quality of teaching and learning, with the objective of bringing back the school to its once sterling standards, but a lot more remains to be done. He assured that his Association will continue working with stakeholders to ensure the improvement of the fortunes of the College.”

Also speaking at the launch, the Chairman of the 90th Anniversary Planning Committee, Mr. Femi Olubanwo, said that, “We normally celebrate the Founders’ Day with a week of activities – usually the Communion Service and Breakfast on February 2nd followed by the Thanksgiving Service, Luncheon and Merit Awards Ceremony the following Sunday and then a week later, celebrations by the Ibadan branch in Ibadan. However, given the landmark nature of this anniversary, the celebration will be a year-long series of events.”

According to him, “The occasion of the 90th-anniversary celebrations will create unrivaled conversations and opportunities for stakeholders. They can take part in activities supporting the educational upliftment of the pupils of the College and improve its infrastructures, making it the most inclusive anniversary ever.”

He added that, “The theme of the 90th Founders’ Day Anniversary is: Producing leaders, yesterday, today and tomorrow, which draws on the rich heritage of the College known for producing exceptional leaders while unveiling the special anniversary motif.”

According to him, “Some of the activities planned for the year 2022 include the fundraising gala in Lagos to raise money to fund certain projects including apartment-type staff quarters, ultra-modern sports complex and technology hub on January 29th, 2022; Holy Communion Service on February 2nd; Conferment of the deferred 2021 ICOBA Merit Awards; Cocktails and Networking mixer celebrating ICOBA Wives worldwide on 5th February; followed by the Thanksgiving Service and Luncheon, including the ICOBA Merit Awards on February 6th, 2022. The fundraising has already commenced with the Commemorative Wall Project. Anniversary commemorative memorabilia have also been created to capture the historic occasion and raise funds.”

“Other programmes marking the anniversary include the Founders Day Service in Europe on 12th February; Founders Day Service in Ibadan on 13th February; ICOBANA Annual AGM and Fundraising events in the US from 30th June – 2nd July; Lit Day; Family Retreat in Europe from 29th – 31st July; Inter-School Alumni Sports competition; ICOBA AGM on 17th September; Inter-School Novelty Principals Cup Soccer competition; Gala dinner in Europe; Christmas Ball on December 9th, 2022.”

Mr. Olubanwo added that, “As it has become customary with landmark celebrations for ICOBA to produce a commemorative brochure, as was done in 1992 to mark the 60th anniversary and in 2007 to mark the 75th; which are both veritable collectors’ items, the 90th brings a different experience. This time, the anniversary is producing both an audiovisual documentary and a coffee table book.”

“In an unprecedented move, a special website has been created for the 90th Founders’ Day Anniversary to offer a unique opportunity for the stakeholders from across the globe the chance to glean the calendar of the programmes of the anniversary celebrations and be part of the largest group of people demonstrating acts of kindness and doing social good for the College,” he enthused.

Igbobi College was established by the Methodist and Anglican Churches in 1932. It is still on its original site and most of the original buildings are intact. It is one of the oldest legacy colleges in Nigeria and has been the alma mater of many well-known Nigerians.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/18/igbobi-college-unveils-plans-to-mark-90th-founders-day-anniversary/

Nigeria had received over 4 million doses of Moderna vaccine donated by the US government and 117, 600 doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccine
August 17, 2021 – The Federal Government has launched the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination on 16 August 2021 in Abuja; A continuous effort towards curbing the spread of the disease in the country.
At a symbolic event to flag- off the second phase at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abuja, the Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on Covid-19, Boss Mustapha said the arrival of Moderna, and Janssen (Johnson and Jonson) vaccines will enhance the government’s effort to get more Nigerians vaccinated to achieve herd immunity against the disease.

“Achieving herd immunity is a collective responsibility of everyone and so we need to advise everyone to receive the vaccine. We have the responsibility to safeguard the health of the people and the government will ensure the availability of vaccines. The vaccines are safe and efficacious,” he said.

Nigeria had received over 4 million doses of Moderna vaccine donated by the United States (US) government through the COVAX facility and 117, 600 doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccine through the African Union and Afrexim Bank as initial supplies.

The country expects additional 42.5m doses of different vaccine products from the COVAX facility, African Union, and donations from the US Government, United Kingdom (UK) Government and other countries to be used for the second phase vaccination with different colds chain requirements. This would be adequate for 35,835,970 persons (an additional 32.9% 0f the eligible population) in line with the National Deployment Vaccination Plan.

In his remarks at the launch on behalf of partners, the WHO Country Representative (WR), Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo mentioned that
“The introduction of these vaccines comes with a huge logistical preparation for the storage of Moderna vaccine. Partners are very happy with the Federal Government huge investment in the procurement and the installation of Ultra Cold Chain equipment at the National Strategic Cold Store and the state Cold Stores.

This is a good sign of committed government leadership at national and state level to have it citizens vaccinated against the disease.”

The WR stressed that while,
“These vaccines are safe and effective and will be the game-changer: but for the foreseeable future, we must continue wearing masks, physically distance and avoid crowds.”

Earlier, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire launched the National CoVID-19 Field guide to provide direction for adequate planning, equitable distribution, demand generation and judicious utilization of the vaccines across the different States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) specifically as the country plans to adopt the family-centred integrated Primary Health Care (PHC) approach; which translates the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA’s) strategy of improving access to basic health services

In separate remarks, the Executive Director of NPHCDA, Directors General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) commended health workers for the professionalism, dedication and resilience they have continued to show by staying on course to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to eligible persons.

Other dignitaries that witnessed the event included, leadership and members of the National Assembly, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, the African Export-Import Bank, representatives of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Rotary International among others.

Recall that on 02 March 2021 Nigeria received 3.92 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, through the COVAX Facility, a partnership between CEPI, Gavi, UNICEF and WHO. The arrival marked a historic step towards the goal of ensuring equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines globally, in what will be the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history.

For the first phase of COVID-19 vaccine roll-out which mainly targeted frontline workers, 98.9% (3,980,600 doses) of the first tranche of Astra Zeneca vaccines was used in the first phase with over 2.5 million persons having received 1st dose of the vaccines out of which over 1.4 million persons have received the 2nd dose, reaching 2.3% of the eligible population.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/17/nigeria-second-phase-covid-19-vaccinat/

President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) 2021 signed into law. The President signed the Bill on Monday, August 16, in order to fulfill his constitutional obligation.
After returning from London on Friday, August 13, and working from home in a five-day quarantine as mandated by the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, the President signed the Bill on Monday, August 16, in order to fulfill his constitutional obligation.

After the required seclusion days have been completed, the ceremonial component of the new legislation will be completed on Wednesday.

The Petroleum Sector Act establishes a legal, governance, regulatory, and budgetary framework for the Nigerian petroleum industry, host community development, and other associated concerns.

The bill was enacted by the Senate on July 15, 2021, and the House of Representatives on July 16, 2021, putting an end to a protracted wait that began in the early 2000s and giving the Buhari government another victory.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/16/buhari-petroleum-industry-bill-into-law/

In a recent survey that evaluated dozens of countries according to crypto usage, Binance, the largest cryptocurrency platform by trading volume highlights countries with the highest crypto adoption in the world.
Due to several factors existing in each country around the world, from economic to regulatory, there are countries that are more ahead of the curve in terms of crypto usage. Binance highlighted these countries below, with rankings based on a recent survey by Statista.

One key factor in driving mass adoption of crypto is the availability of stablecoins such as BUSD that act as a bridge between fiat and crypto.

1. Nigeria – 32%
Topping the list is the African nation of almost 200 million people, mainly on the younger, more tech-savvy side. With most Nigerians adept at sending money and paying through their phones, almost a third of Nigerians surveyed by Statista have used or owned crypto at some point. Nigeria ranks 1st globally as the leading country per capita for Bitcoin and cryptocurrency adoption, with nearly one-in-three Nigerians indicating they used or owned crypto assets in 2020.

2. Vietnam – 21%
This economically fast-rising Southeast Asian nation of nearly 100 million has also seen huge demand in crypto, with activities varying from trading and P2P to payments and other utilities. According to Chainalysis, crypto traders raked in $400 million in crypto earnings in 2020.

3. Philippines – 20%
Another Southeast Asian country with an economic and demographic situation similar to Vietnam’s, the island-nation has shown that it is adept at adopting crypto. The country’s central bank has provided licenses to crypto companies, while its government is distributing bonds through a blockchain app. On the grassroots level, the nation is becoming a hotspot for blockchain-based play-to-earn games.

4. Turkey – 16%
At the crossroads of Europe and Asia, in this country, crypto companies have become so big that they sponsor national football teams, while football clubs also offer blockchain-based fan tokens. Some Turkish people have gone on the record to say Bitcoin is their primary alternative for investment, which is unsurprising given that the nation recorded $300 million in Bitcoin gains last year.

5. Peru – 16%
Latin America has been a hotbed for crypto adoption, with countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela seeing major activity on the crypto front in response to their respective economic situations. While at least six Latin American countries saw crypto adoption reach percentages in the double digits, Peru is the most advanced of these nations.


SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/15/top-5-countries-crypto-adoption-nigeria/

Inflation is becoming a hydra-headed problem the world over. Most advanced and developing economies are reporting inflation rates higher than their targets. For instance, inflation in the US spiked to a 13-year high of 5.4% compared to a target of 2%.
This is largely due to expenditure initiatives {infrastructure bill ($2trn), COVID stimulus package} and pandemic-related supply shocks. There is a raging debate as to whether inflation this time is transitory or structural. The comforting news is that price inflation without an increase in wages (wage inflation) tends to be transient.

In Nigeria, annual inflation moderated for three consecutive months to 17.75% in June. The divergence between the global and Nigerian inflation trends has been a subject of controversy in the last three months.

It was more disturbing than the published data seemed not to reflect market reality. Economists have attributed these diverging trends to ‘the outside lag’ and ‘consumer price resistance’. The outside lag is the time lag between when policies are implemented and when the economy or markets begin to feel the impact.

In Q2, there was an increase in interest rates both in the interbank and T/bill markets and an increase in cash reserve ratio debits i.e. a de facto tighter monetary policy. Consumer price resistance is also reflected in the NBS data, which revealed that 50% of Nigerians reduced their food purchases both in volume and value.

But finally, it appears that Nigeria’s inflation has reached a point of inflexion. Our time series analysis estimates a 0.25% drop in headline inflation to 17.5% in July. The monthly sub-index (a more current measure of prices) is also expected to reverse its 2-month upward trend, declining to 1.01% (12.75% annualized).

This is consistent with the 1.28% decline in the global food price index to 123.0 points and the 3.02% drop in the AFEX commodity price index to 451.45 points in the month of July. We expect all other inflation sub-indices to moderate in July with core and food inflation falling to 13.6% and 21.9% respectively.

Inflation risks remain elevated – the impact of harvest could be limited
While consumer price inflation is expected to continue its downward trend, inflation risks remain elevated due to heightened insecurity in some of the food-producing states (which could limit the impact of the harvest), higher energy costs and exchange rate pass-through.

The naira weakened to a record low of N525/$ following the CBN’s decision to discontinue the sale of forex to BDCs before appreciating by 1.9% to N515/$. Currency pressures and the difficulty in accessing forex has forced some manufacturers to resort to local substitutes, which is reducing supply to retail markets (cross elasticity of demand). For instance, corn, which is usually in massive supply during the peak of the rainy season, witnessed scanty supply to retail markets this year.

This is partly because it is used as a substitute for sugar in producing ethanol. The IMF’s SDR allocation ($3.35bn) and the impending Eurobond issue ($6.2bn) will boost forex supply and taper demand pressures in the near term.

Our survey showed a mixed commodity price trend in Lagos markets. This varying movement can be largely attributed to:

Perishability of the produce: The nature of a product affects its pricing. This is because the lack of adequate storage facilities prompts sellers to lower prices to encourage timely sales. For instance, the price of tomatoes declined sharply by 41.67% to N35,000/basket in July. Tomato is a highly perishable commodity due to its high water content. Hence, with supply increasing and inadequate storage facilities, sellers tend to lower prices to reduce post-harvest losses.
Logistics costs: Another major factor influencing commodity prices in various markets is higher logistics costs. The farther the market is from the production point, the higher the cost of logistics and this reflects in commodity prices. The price of diesel, the principal fuel for logistics and distribution, surged by 23.95% to N295/litre.
Harvest: The volatility in the prices of agric commodities is largely due to seasonality. During the harvest season, prices fall due to increased supply and vice versa. For instance, the price of a medium tuber of yam fell to N1,500 from N2,000 in the last two months. As the harvest season continues, we expect pricing pressures to further reduce.

Sub-Saharan Africa: African giants recorded lower inflation rates
The inflationary trend in SSA is more to the upside. Of the SSA countries under our review, only the African giants (South Africa and Nigeria) reported lower inflation rates. As usual, the food price movement remained the dominant factor responsible for the inflation trajectory within the region.

Most SSA countries under our review left their monetary policy rates unchanged at their last meetings to strike a balance between output growth and price stability. Only Angola increased its policy rate by 450bps to 20%pa in an attempt to curtail persistent inflationary pressures. Uganda also lowered its benchmark interest rate by 50bps to 6.50%pa to support output growth.

Inflation outlook – Impact on policymaking
Q2 GDP numbers are scheduled for release on August 26. Consensus forecasts range from 2.6%-3.2% due to base year effects. The sustained recovery in economic growth and moderation in inflation will further justify the MPC’s decision to maintain the status-quo again in September.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/13/headline-inflation-decline-in-july-fdc/

In July 2021, Iraq purchased 120,000 tons of U.S. long-grain rice (though it has not yet shipped), the first purchase since 2019. The United States has been an important supplier of long-grain rice to Iraq for over two decades.
Iraq is a major rice importer in the Middle East and imports from both Asian and Western Hemisphere suppliers. However, 2020 was atypical for the Iraqi rice market, as its overall imports were down by approximately 20 percent with India supplying most followed by small amounts from Vietnam, Turkey, and Thailand.

While traditional suppliers lost market share in Iraq in 2020, India milled rice exports to Iraq increased by almost 40 percent. The Government of Iraq has traditionally been a major buyer for its Public Distribution System (PDS), buying mainly from approved origins including the United States.

NonPDS, private-sector rice imports have been rising, and private-sector buyers have been attracted to India’s competitive prices for basmati in 2020. Almost all Indian rice exports to Iraq are milled rice, with the majority being basmati rice.

This new sale is welcomed by U.S. rice exporters and the rice milling industry since the Iraqi rice market has also been a historically significant market for U.S. long-grain rice producers. Other than in 2020, in recent years Iraq consistently lands as a top-five export market for U.S. long-grain rice.

In contrast to sluggish imports in 2020, Iraq is forecast to increase its rice imports in 2021 driven by projections for higher consumption, thus granting U.S. exporters the opportunity for additional future sales. However, Iraq appears to be diversifying its suppliers, as demonstrated by recent purchases from Uruguay and Thailand.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/12/iraq-purchases-us-rice-first-time-years/

Indigenous Direct-to-Home TV service provider, TStv, in Abuja on 9th August 2021 reached an agreement with Strong Technology Limited to migrate its MYTV customers on SRT 497S-HEVC decoders to the TStv Africa pay-TV platform starting this month of August. MY TV will cease broadcasting on September 1, 2021.
Due to the HEVC-encoded nature of TStv broadcasts, only SRT 497S-equipped My TV viewers qualify to get access to TStv channels, at this stage. TStv offers one hundred and four (104) high-definition (“HD”) channels that duly equipped My TV viewers could start enjoying immediately.

The migration process is simple and seamless, as TStv broadcasts are relayed by the same satellite used by My TV since February 2020. In other words, a simple blind scan of that satellite’s frequencies will tune in and store all TStv channels.

STRONG/My TV Dealers are ready and eager to assist My TV viewers with the migration process. An interested SRT 497S owner will be required to pay N12,000.00 in contribution towards migration costs, including the simultaneous encryption (simulcrypt) of TStv channels with My TV’s encryption tools (Conditional Access System, or “CAS”).

Against said payment, TStv will credit the new/joining subscriber’s TStv Wallet with N12,000.00, to spend, however, she/he wishes.

The N12,000.00 payment may be completed in up to three equal payments of N4,000.00 each, over a period not exceeding six (6) months. Upon each payment, TStv will credit the subscriber’s TStv Wallet with N4,000.00, to spend however she/he wishes

TStv offers subscribers the opportunity to enjoy Pay-Per-View, Pay-as-You-Go and A la Carte options, along with the “Pause Subscription” feature that may be activated at any time. A La Carte enables TStv subscribers to freely pick and choose the channels to subscribe to and pay for.

TStv channels are either one naira or two nairas per day, meaning you can tailor your spending to your budget, all year round. A subscriber may pause her/his subscription at any time, and as many times as she/he wishes, with a simple press of a button.

All that’s required is to download the TStv Companion app from Play Store or IOS. Subscribers may call the TStv Call Center round-the-clock on (+234) 099 040 900. TStv Africa channels span across a multitude of genres.

In his media address, the Managing Director of TStv Africa, Dr. Bright Echefu, promised to migrate My TV viewers “a whole new TV experience with TStv Africa”, adding
“We thank God that we have indeed delivered on our promise to Nigerians regarding our novel pay-TV offerings. Today, Nigerians can truly testify that TStv has implemented pay-per-view, pay-as-you-go, A La Carte and Pause Subscription. We are excited about our agreement with STRONG Technologies and look forward to serving My TV viewers. Eventually, non-HEVC My TV-compliant set-top boxes (“STB”) may be granted access to TStv channels, as well.”

In agreement with Dr. Bright Echefu, the Managing Director of My TV, said,
“STRONG/My TV are delighted to offer viewers, as well as dealers, an alternate pay TV service, offering a wider choice of channels and creative ways for composing one’s subscription, prepaying for it and scheduling it. STRONG will continue to serve Nigerian consumers with ever more innovative digital TV receiving equipment, outstanding technical support and efficient after-sales service.”

My TV viewers are invited to reach out to a My TV or TStv dealer close to them or contact TStv customer service on (+234) 099 040 900 any time of the day, as it operates round-the-clock.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/12/tstv-strong-technologies-migrate-mytv/

Hot and dry conditions for much of the Canadian Prairies have significantly impacted rapeseed production this growing season. The 2021 production forecast is reduced by more than 4 million tons this month to 16.0 million. Oilseed crops are mainly used for the production of oil, a constituent of diet, being an important source of fatty acids.
Average yield is reduced by nearly 20 percent while harvested acreage is lower in response to anticipated abandonment or increased harvesting for forage. With lower production and reduced carryin from last season, rapeseed supplies are forecast to decline more than 20 percent to the lowest level in nearly 10 years.

With beginning stocks already at minimal levels due to the strong demand observed over the past few years, most of the decline in availability will be reflected in the seed exports.

Crush is also expected to decline; however, with continued strong demand for canola meal and oil in the United States, and positive margins for Canadian crushers, the impact on domestic crush volume is expected to be less significant. Crush volume is forecast to fall just 9 percent while exports are forecast to decline by one-third.

Outside of Canada and the United States, rapeseed supplies (production plus beginning stocks) are forecast to rise more than 2 percent, with increased exports out of Eastern Europe and Australia offsetting some of the declines out of Canada.



With Canada representing more than 60 percent of global trade over the past 4 years, importers such as China and the EU will face the greatest challenges, requiring drawdowns in local stocks and increased substitution with other protein meals and oils. An expected strong rebound in sunflower seed production in Europe will be instrumental in offsetting the reduced availability of rapeseed in Canada.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/12/canada-rapeseed-impact-oilseeds-market/

Abia State located in the southeast geopolitical zone has vaccinated over one million children with the novel oral polio vaccine 2 (nOPV2) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners during the second outbreak vaccination response campaign.
During the 6-day exercise (31 July-04 August), 1,077, 562 children were vaccinated in 10,934 communities from 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs).

“I decided to present my seven months old baby to be vaccinated because I am convinced that the vaccine prevents polio virus from affecting my child”, says 37-year-old Mrs Nnorom Onyinyechi, whose son is within the targeted age group of 0-5 years.
“I am very happy that my child received the vaccine. There has been no side effect. I have been advising my friends and families with children within the age group to take them to the nearest health facilities to be vaccinated also”, she added.
While Nigeria and the entire WHO African Region got wild poliovirus-free certification in August 2020 by the African Regional Certification Commission, it remains affected by circulating Vaccine Derived Poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) outbreaks.

It is on record that Abia state interrupted WPV in August 2009; the last case being an 18 months’ girl from Isialangwa South LGA of the state. Since then, the state has been free of WPV as well as other polio variants until April 2021 when the presence of cVDPV2 was confirmed in an environmental sample collected from the Ogbor Hill site, Aba North LGA situated within an international market.
In order to muster a strong and quality vaccination response, WHO supported the state government to conduct a well-planned flag-off to kick start the second-round outbreak response vaccination on 30th July 2021.

In his remarks at the ceremony, the Deputy Governor, Ude Oko Chukwu, said, “The situation where children less than 5 years are infected with a poliovirus is unacceptable.” He further stated that “Abia State government is committed to ensuring that all children less than 5 years in the state are reached and vaccinated against polio no matter the cost.”

The detection of cVDPV2 anywhere underscores the importance of maintaining high levels of polio vaccination coverage at all levels, to minimize the risk and consequences of any poliovirus circulation.

Meanwhile, WHO State Coordinator (SC), Dr Linus Okoro said with this new wave of support, WHO will continue to support the government of Abia to build on the successes of the polio eradication initiative and strengthen routine immunization.
According to the SC, other “Outbreak response activities started in the affected areas of Abia after the cVDPV2 was confirmed in the environment in order to boost population immunity and interrupt transmission of the virus. Active search for any additional cases continues, as well as additional surveillance measures such as an increase in sewage sample collection frequency and systematic sampling of healthy children.”

For the records, no case of wild polio have been discovered in Nigeria at this time, and the country had not seen any cases since August 2016; leading to the declaration of Nigeria’s wild polio-free status and certification of Africa as wild polio-free in 2020.
Support for polio immunization to the Government of Nigeria through WHO is made possible by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,

Department for International Development, European Union, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Global Affairs Canada, Government of Germany, through KfW Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Korea Foundation for International Healthcare, Measles and Rubella Initiative through United Nations Foundation, Rotary International, United States Agency for International Development, United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and World Bank.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/11/abia-state-vaccinates-over-one-million-children-during-second-round-of-outbreak-response/

TD Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa’s leading tech, lifestyle and solutions distributor, has partnered exclusively with foremost Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Infinix to roll out the all-new ultra-light Infinix INBook, a brand of Notebooks designed to perform demanding and heavy tasks with minimal ease.
The cutting-edge devices are exclusively distributed by TD Africa, the sub-region’s leading distribution giant.

The Infinix INBook is built with precision to make work and play pleasurable for every user. Made from premium aircraft-level aluminum materials, the laptop weighs on the average 1.48kg, making it the most portable laptop with topmost functionality available in the market.

Already, surging demands for the device among potential users are being met at the Tech Experience Centre, Africa’s cutting-edge technology and lifestyle hub located at Idowu Martins, Victoria, Island, Lagos, with bulk orders being handled at TD Africa, with special deals on offer.

Business Manager, Infinix at TD Africa, Mr. Chinazam Ehiemere, explained that the device comes equipped with super-fast speed functionality through its Wi-Fi 6 speeds, adding that the INBook X1 Pro has Intel®IRIS Plus graphics, making its performance a fun-filled one for all categories of users.

Further, he revealed that the device boasts a crisp webcam for sharp and focused video conferencing, coupled with two arrays of premium digital microphones that allow consumers to communicate clearly in all environments.

“It is imperative to add that this webcam is security sensitive, as it can be fully shut down by consumers for extra privacy and to avoid the prying eyes of possible hackers,” Ehiemere said.

The laptop is available in multiple attractive colours, such as noble red, elves green, starfall grey and elegant black.

In addition, Ehiemere disclosed that the Infinix INBook is furnished with 180-degree folding functionality so that it can be folded flat or half way to reduce rays, and protect consumer’s eyes from any possible discomfort that may result from prolong exposure to rays emanating from the screen.

“You can see that the laptop is made with the health of the consumer in mind,” he enthused.

Also, the INBook X1 Pro is equipped with ice storm cooling technology with military-grade air ducts, which keeps the machine cool and quiet when gaming, working and consuming any other media, even as its long battery life represents another major selling point.

“The beauty of this functionality is that it prevents an unfortunate situation where the laptop could be engulfed with fire, possibly because of heat,’’ Ehiemere said. ‘‘Some consumers must have experienced a situation where their laptop combusted due to heat.

Such a situation usually arises when a laptop is not protected with adequate cooling system. However, with the INBook X1 Pro, the consumer has no need to worry about the possibility of having laptop-generated heat.

It, therefore, means that they will never have issues placing this laptop on their legs for either work or play. When we say that this laptop was designed with comfort and safety in mind, this is what we mean.

“The battery life span of the laptop is especially suitable for long-term reading, typing, graphic work, video editing, photo editing, gaming and movie purposes,” he stated.
Stacked with one of the most effective adapter technologies available, the laptop is designed to charge up to 70 per cent within an hour.

“Aside the ability to have quick response charge, it is vital to add that the INBook X1 comes with Infinix Smart Management System, which allows the laptop to cut down power consumption in different scenarios. This is done to give consumers that extra comfort they need so that they will not have any need to be charging their laptops than necessary, thus prolonging the lifespan of the batteries in particular and the laptop in general.”

The INBook X1 is also equipped with InSync screen functionality which aids seamless wireless projections by enabling consumers to synchronise with other laptops, televisions and smartphones. It is also furnished with multiple ports such as micro SD, USB, Type C charging points, HDMI, among others to accommodate personal and business requirements of every laptop consumer.

Ehiemere explained that type C charger is fully optimised to work with both Infinix laptops and smartphones so that the consumer will only need to take one along anywhere.

‘‘For interested end users looking to get the device at the Tech Experience Centre, you can call 09040788012 while bulk purchases and further enquiries can be made through TD Africa on 09029174191, 09070002697 and 09070002683,’’ he concluded.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/11/td-africa-infinix-ultra-light-notebook/

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Women of Team Nigeria shaped history for good at the just concluded 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, where Team Nigeria finished 74th on the medal table with two medals – Silver and Bronze.

Nigeria’s overall performance saw them finish 74th in the world and 8th best from Africa.

The sportswomen gave the country showmanship to cheer on. Like the official beer for the games, STAR Lager, these women have brought a brighter shine to the country with their notable achievements. Here is a list of memorable feats achieved by 5 women of Team Nigeria at the Olympic games.

1. Ese Brume – Women’s Long Jump
Ese Brume won Nigeria’s first medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She won a bronze medal after finishing third with a 6.97m jump in the women’s long jump two days after qualifying for the finals with a 6.76m jump.

2. Blessing Oborududu – Women’s Wrestling
Blessing Oborududu won a silver medal for Nigeria at the finals, in the 68kg women’s freestyle wrestling event. The medal she won is the second and last medal won for Nigeria at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

3. Tobi Amusan – Women’s 100m Hurdles
Team Nigeria’s Oluwatobiloba Amusan, came fourth in the finals competition of Women’s 100m hurdles. It’s a second-time feat she has achieved at a major competition in 2 years.

4. Abiola Ogunbanwo – Swimming
Swimmer Abiola Ogunbanwo broke Ngozi Monu’s long-standing Nigerian record of 1 minute (1:00.50), held since 2007 to become the first Nigerian woman to finish a 100m freestyle in under a minute at 59.74 seconds.

5. Grace Nwokocha – Women’s 100m Dash
Nigerian track and field athlete Grace Nwokocha, representing Nigeria in the women’s 100m dash, qualified for the semifinals of the event, but got knocked out of the competition. Co-sprinter Blessing Okagbare also qualified for the semi-finals, but she got suspended shortly after by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
As Nigeria continues to celebrate Ese Brume and Blessing Oborududu for the medals brought home, it is a big feat that the female athletes of Team Nigeria advanced as far as they did in the competition, and it sure deserves commendation.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/10/tokyo-olympics-women-of-team-nigeria-shine-brighter-with-medals/

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, Xiaomi was the world’s leading 5G Android smartphone vendor in Q2 2021.

On shipment volumes of 24 million 5G smartphones, Xiaomi captured 26 percent share of all 95 million 5G Android smartphones shipped globally in Q2 2021.

“Over the past nine quarters Xiaomi has cumulatively shipped 70 million 5G smartphones,” says Ken Hyers, Director at Strategy Analytics. “Xiaomi’s performance places it closely behind Samsung, which has shipped an impressive 77 million 5G smartphones worldwide over the previous 10 quarters. Samsung shipped the world’s first 5G smartphones, beginning in Q1 2019.”

“Huawei remains the cumulative 5G smartphone leader among Android OS phone makers,” says Ville-Petteri Ukonaho, Associate Director at Strategy Analytics. “Huawei has shipped 95 million 5G smartphones worldwide over the past nine quarters but has recently seen its shipment volumes collapse under the weight of a US imposed 5G tech ban. That collapse has opened the door for other Chinese vendors, among them Lenovo-Motorola, Realme, OPPO, and Honor.”

“Lenovo-Motorola is the 5G smartphone growth leader,” says Yiwen Wu, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics. “Lenovo-Motorola’s global shipments were up 3480% annually in Q2 2021, on volumes of 1.8 million 5G smartphone shipments for the quarter.

“Realme ranked second in annual growth, up 1773% year-to-year in Q2 2021 on volumes of 5.6 million, while OnePlus, another Chinese vendor, ranked 3rd in growth with shipment volumes improving 877% annually in the quarter.

“Meanwhile, Honor, in just two quarters, has cumulatively shipped 6.5 million 5G smartphones. This is an impressive number considering that Honor only began shipping 5G smartphones mid-way through Q1 2021.”

“These four 5G smartphone vendors,” added Yiwen Wu, “Lenovo-Motorola, Realme, OnePlus, and Honor, are well-positioned for strong growth in the second half of 2021 and in 2022, as they focus on markets and segments such as mid-tier 5G smartphones not fully dominated by their larger peers.”

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/10/xiaomi-tops-android-5g-smartphone-leaderboard-in-q2-2021/

We see from CBN data that gross official reserves rose by USD79m to USD33.4bn in July. The buffer decreased steadily to USD33.09bn in the first 12 days of the month, before a steady increase in the remaining days of July.
To obtain a fuller picture, we should adjust this gross figure for the pipeline of delayed external payments: this adjustment has been estimated at up to USD3bn (by the IMF in late 2020), substantially less (by the FGN in March) and above USD4bn (by market commentators in May).

Total reserves at the end-July covered 7.7 months’ merchandise imports on the basis of the balance of payments for 2020, and 5.6 months when we add services.

We are reasonably comfortable with reserves at this level, and see a further rise in the short term because, of the four potential sources of augmentation identified in an earlier daily (Good Morning Nigeria, 09 June 2021), the country has made significant and positive developments in two: the Eurobond issuance and the IMF’s allocation of SDRs to all members.

The other two sources are oil prices which have declined slightly to USD69/b from their YTD peak price of USD77/b, and loans from multilateral agencies.

Last week, as widely expected, the Board of Governors of the IMF approved a general allocation of SDRs equivalent to USD650bn to boost global liquidity. The allocation is to become effective on 23 August ’21 and will be credited to member countries in relation to their existing quotas in the Fund. For Nigeria, this translates to about USD3.35bn.

The Fund’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, reiterated that she hopes wealthier member nations would agree to “voluntary channelling” of their allocations to the “poorest and most vulnerable states”, possibly by scaling up lending through the IMF’s interest-free Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT), among other options.

This could amount to an additional transfer of up to USD100bn. Whether Nigeria qualifies is highly debatable, given that it is not classified as low income.

Last week as well, the FGN appointed transaction advisers for its proposed USD6.2bn Eurobond issuance. We recall that the Debt Management Office is mandated to raise NGN2.34trn from the international capital market to partly fund the 2021 Appropriation Act deficit. Nigeria’s last Eurobond issue was in 2018 where it raised USD2.86bn.

On the CBN’s “naira 4 dollar scheme”, we note that at this point, we do not have the data to determine whether the incentives are sufficient to make a sizeable impact on remittances and therefore indirectly on reserves.

Finally, while we acknowledge that the official reserves will see some increase in the near term, we note that given the famous pipeline of delayed external payments, and the fact that as we return to said normality Nigerians will begin to make good use of their education, health and business travel allowances, the months’ import cover will likely also deteriorate.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/10/gross-official-reserves-us33-4bn-july/

Health authorities in Guinea today confirmed a case of Marburg virus disease in the southern Gueckedou prefecture. This is the first time Marburg, a highly infectious disease that causes haemorrhagic fever, has been identified in the country, and in West Africa.


Marburg, which is in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola, was detected less than two months after Guinea declared an end to an Ebola outbreak that erupted earlier this year. Samples taken from a now-deceased patient and tested by a field laboratory in Gueckedou as well as Guinea’s national haemorrhagic fever laboratory turned out positive for the Marburg virus. Further analysis by the Institut Pasteur in Senegal confirmed the result.

The patient had sought treatment at a local clinic in Koundou area of Gueckedou, where a medical investigation team had been dispatched to probe his worsening symptoms.

“We applaud the alertness and the quick investigative action by Guinea’s health workers. The potential for the Marburg virus to spread far and wide means we need to stop it in its tracks,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa. “We are working with the health authorities to implement a swift response that builds on Guinea’s past experience and expertise in managing Ebola, which is transmitted in a similar way.”

Gueckedou, where Marburg has been confirmed, is also the same region where cases of the 2021 Ebola outbreak in Guinea as well as the 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak were initially detected.

Efforts are underway to find the people who may have been in contact with the patient. As the disease is appearing for the first time in the country, health authorities are launching public education and community mobilization to raise awareness and galvanize support to help curb widespread infection.

An initial team of 10 WHO experts, including epidemiologists and socio-anthropologists is on the ground helping to investigate the case and supporting the national health authorities to swiftly step up emergency response, including risk assessment, disease surveillance, community mobilization, testing, clinical care, infection prevention as well as logistical support.

Cross-border surveillance is also being enhanced to quickly detect any cases, with neighbouring countries on alert. The Ebola control systems in place in Guinea and in neighbouring countries are proving crucial to the emergency response to the Marburg virus.

Marburg is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials.

Illness begins abruptly, with high fever, severe headache and malaise. Many patients develop severe haemorrhagic signs within seven days. Case fatality rates have varied from 24% to 88% in past outbreaks depending on virus strain and case management.

Although there are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat the virus, supportive care – rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids – and treatment of specific symptoms, improves survival. A range of potential treatments, including blood products, immune therapies and drug therapies, are being evaluated.

In Africa, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/09/west-africas-first-ever-case-of-marburg-virus-disease-confirmed-in-guinea/

The new Goldberg-sponsored series, “Moremi’‘ premiered at the Palace of the Ooni of Ife on August 4, 2021. The Moremi series by Davinci Filmworx is set to make its debut on Netflix and Showmax.
With 26 episodes, the new series will detail the life of Queen Moremi Ajasoro, the brave warrior queen of Ife who delivered the kingdom of Ife from the oppression and attacks from the Ugbo people in the 12th Century.

Sponsored by leading beer brand, Goldberg Lager, the premiere had many South-Western dignitaries including the wife of the former Ogun State Governor, Folusho Amosun, gather in honour of the Yoruba icon.

Speaking on why Goldberg continually prides itself in Yoruba culture and why it is supporting the Moremi production, Senior Brand Manager, Goldberg, Olaoluwa Babalola said,

“Moremi is an exciting project for us; because for Goldberg, shaping the future means celebrating tradition and culture. We do this by providing enjoyment, celebrating hard work and rewarding noble values.”

Speaking on the sponsorship, the Brand Manager, Goldberg Lager Beer, Oluyemi Ekundayo stated that,
“Deeply rooted in culture, Goldberg brand is proud to support and celebrate tradition and culture, Moremi captures the values of the average Yoruba person and we are proud to celebrate these values”.

With celebrities like Antar Laniyan, Laide Bakare as well as royal fathers such as His Royal Majesty Oba Omololu Afilaka, Alatorin Of Atorin Ijesha and other renowned Nigerians, nothing was held back for the premiere as the core essence of Queen Moremi’s journey, persona and her rise to victory in spite of challenges, filtered through.

Moremi – The Series is proudly sponsored by Goldberg Lager. The beer brand consistently pushes the bar of excellence by continually providing fans and consumers with remarkable experiences which dial up the culture and traditions of the people, whilst also appreciating modern social conventions.


SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/09/ooni-of-ife-goldberg-series-spo-moremi/

Regional District Manager, Northern District of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Mr. Ismail Adebiyi has confirmed that the Lagos-Kano train service will go into operation from Friday, August 13.
The train will leave Lagos on Friday evening and arrive in Kano on Sunday morning, he said. Adebiyi said also that the corporation had concluded plans to restart the Kaduna to Kafanchan and Kaduna to Kano train service before the end of August.

He added that it would rehabilitate 100 wagons to further strengthen the rail sector within the next two months.

He explained that 21 of the rehabilitated wagons would be used in the northern district of the rail service comprising Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Yobe, Katsina and Zamfara states.

He said the Kano to Nguru (Yobe State) train service was still active and that plans were at an advanced stage to enhance the traffic on the route by returning coaches that were dropped because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The regional district manager said the Minna-Kaduna rail mass transit had also been active for the past one month and that patronage was increasing on every trip. The service runs on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays.

The train leaves Minna at 7 a.m. and leaves Kaduna at about 2.30 p.m.

He added that since most of the routes were on narrow gauge, the corporation would strengthen its maintenance work to ensure hitch-free operations. Adebiyi stressed that the corporation had strengthened its collaboration with key security agencies and other relevant stakeholders to address vandalism on Railway properties.

He commended the Federal Government for boosting rail service and enjoined Nigerians to take advantage of the new posture.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/09/lagos-kano-train-resume-aug-13-schedule/

8th August 2021- As MTN gears up towards its 20th anniversary, Nigerians have sent their messages of appreciation and congratulations to the telecoms company.
The ICT and telecoms company began operations in Nigeria in 2001. 20 years later, it has become an integral part of Nigeria’s telecommunications success story.

Many Nigerians have shared their opinion about the company’s operation in the country, highlighting how it has contributed positively to their lives.

One Samuel Adekoya, an alumnus of MTN scholarship, credited it with providing him with the right platform to excel academically.

“The scholarship allowed me to concentrate on my studies and provided me with extra motivation to attain my first-class goal in Accounting. I am eternally grateful to MTN and wish the company another 20 years of success in Nigeria.”

MTN is set to reconstruct the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway under the road infrastructure task credit (RITC) scheme, and this has received commendations from Nigerians.

Karl Toriola, the Chief Executive Officer of MTN, in a statement, said:
“We are pleased to announce that our Board of Directors has approved our participation in the Road Infrastructure Tax Credit (RITC) Scheme. This is in response to the Government’s drive towards public-private partnerships in the rehabilitation of critical road infrastructure in Nigeria. We intend to participate in the restoration and refurbishment of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.”

Susan Orji described the road project as a birthday gift from MTN to Nigerians.

“This is a great 20th-anniversary gift from MTN to us. We cannot wait for the road project to be complete as it will contribute greatly to rural development.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSSmHAfHWtt/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=fcaa670d-406a-4bd7-b229-64fdf718c9fa

There have been commendations towards MTN on social media for its contribution to the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic and providing relief to millions of Nigerians. The company donated $25 million to the Nigerian government for the purchase of vaccines.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/08/nigerians-celebrate-mtn-at-20/

A recent UN report found that 4.4 million people in the area are facing food shortages as attacks by militants are forcing farmers from their lands
August 5, 2021 – Save the Children is deeply concerned to find that an estimated 2.3 million children and youth, including some 700,000 children under five, are going hungry in North-East Nigeria.
A recent UN report found that 4.4 million people in the area are facing food shortages as attacks by militants are forcing farmers from their lands. Save the Children strongly condemns the reported attacks and displacement of farmers and other civilians.

An estimated 2.2 million people have fled their homes because of the violence, leaving families and children wanting food, a safe place to live and, for many children, education.

Shannon Ward, Acting Country Director, Save the Children International Nigeria, said:
“The situation is extremely dire. Millions of children have already been through a decade of suffering, violence and humanitarian crisis. Thousands and thousands have died, and many more saw their rights impacted to survive, learn and be protected.”

“The reported loss of livelihoods, land and crop coupled with the effects of COVID-19 is beyond something the community can bear. We are extremely worried that this will lead to an even bigger food crisis in the northeast of the country.”

“We call upon the Federal and State Governments to ensure that farmers are supported and protected, so they can work their lands, and feed their families and communities. And we call for safe access for humanitarian workers, so we can reach those most in need.”

“Children, girls and women are more vulnerable at times of attack and displacement. As a result of overcrowding, family separation, a lack of basic social services and desperate measures people take just to survive, such as marrying off their children, they run a high risk of gender-based violence, physical and sexual abuse. Many children will be urged to drop out of school, and some will never return – with their childhood dream fading away.”

The crisis in Nigeria comes at a time when the world is facing its biggest hunger crisis of the 21st century, with an estimated 5.7 million children under five on the brink of starvation across the globe. A further 13 million children under 18 are facing extreme food shortages, the organisation said.

Save the Children urges the authorities in Nigeria and the international community to commit more resources to address the massive critical needs of the displaced people in North-East Nigeria.

Save the Children was one of the first humanitarian organisations that responded to the humanitarian crisis in the area, reaching 1.2 million people since the start of the response. The organisation is providing food assistance and protection services to more than 320,000 children and families regularly.

Save the Children remains committed to working with the authorities to deliver urgent, life-saving humanitarian assistance for children and their families in need.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/06/viole-children-going-hungry-north-east/

Anyone that is remotely serious about self-care will understand the extensive advantages of having Shea butter laying somewhere around the house.

That is why the new Shea Butter Processing Facility that has just been launched in Tede community, Oyo State, is a huge win for both the manufacturers, retailers, consumers and the community at large.

Oyo state is known all over Nigeria as a major Shea butter producing state, and its processors are mainly women — middle-aged, married, and with no formal education. A project like the Climate Smart Shea Processing facility funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation and implemented by the Initiative for Gender Empowerment and Creativity (IGEC) will go a long way to ensure financial inclusion, employment opportunities within the production ecosystem and also the smooth production of a natural hair/skincare product that is native to Nigerians, thus boosting economic growth.

The Climate Smart Shea Processing project is one of the eight initiatives approved for grants by the Coca-Cola Foundation in March 2021. The grant is one of the ways through which the Coca-Cola System is staying committed to its promise of enhancing communities and improving economic opportunities for Nigerian communities especially rural women and youths.

With a focus on poverty alleviation through economic empowerment in less privileged communities, the Initiative for Gender Empowerment and Creativity (IGEC) is committed to a vision of equal opportunities and empowerment for Nigerian women and youths.

Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, which was well attended by Government Officials and dignitaries from the Ministry of Agriculture, Nigeria Export Promotion Council, and other regulatory agencies, the visibly elated Program Director and Visioner of the Climate Smart Shea Processing Project, Mrs. Olasumbo Adeleke said, “The dream to provide support to women all over Nigeria, who make a living through trading in the Shea butter value chain, has been a long time coming.

After series of applications to various potential partners, we finally found a believing partner in the Coca-Cola Foundation, through whose support, we are able, finally to make a difference in the lives of our women. This is just the beginning!”

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/08/05/what-oyo-states-new-shea-butter-processing-facility-will-mean-for-women-in-nigeria/