₦airaland Forum

The Shoprite Group is staging Africa’s biggest clean-up at which over 6000 people in nine countries are expected to participate in almost 500 events from 14-18 July to remove waste from communities. In Nigeria the retail giant is partnering with Nigeria’s pioneer recycling outfit, Wecyclers to execute this huge initiative.

Head, Business Development of Wecyclers, Ms. Omobolanle Olowu, an environmentalist, and recycling champion explains: “The hope is to launch a movement of active citizens who act for change by cleaning and keeping clean public areas. Plastic waste is putting the environment under considerable pressure with the equivalent of a garbage truck of plastic being dumped into our oceans every minute.”

She further adds, “Recycling is central to this initiative, hence Wecyclers’ decision to partner with Shoprite Nigeria on some of the 45 clean-ups planned in the country. Those organizing clean-ups are encouraged to partner with local recyclers to ensure that most of what is collected gets recycled.” With this focus, Shoprite aims to highlight the business opportunities available through the recycling of paper, glass, plastic and other material.

The retailer also launched a mobile community in which anybody can join via the website www.actforchange.africa. The site was developed in partnership with volunteerism organization Brownie Points. This digital platform enables users to create their own clean-ups or join an existing one in their area. It also contains information about the nearest recycler or waste management company.

On the platform, clean-up organizers are given guidelines on what their duties are as hosts, how to market their event and what to do on the day and after the cleanup. Participants are to share their experience on social media.

In the words of former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan: “All of us have to share the earth’s fragile ecosystems and precious resources, and each of us has a role to play in preserving them. If we are to go on living together on this earth, we must all be responsible for it.”

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/shoprite-plans-africas-biggest-clean-up-event/

The Lagos office of the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) has now been opened with a view to providing sustainable financing to those in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector of the economy.



The new office, located on Idejo Street in Victoria Island, was commissioned at the weekend and would service Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs) domiciled in the metropolis.

“We have realized the need to bring the business closer to the PFIs that are supposed to benefit from our services here in Lagos.

“The Lagos operations will accelerate our engagement with the PFIs and facilitate ease of disbursement to them to alleviate the financing constraints faced by Micro Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs), which are undoubtedly the engine room of the economy,” Chairman of the lender, Mr. Shehu Yahaya, said at the launch.

He said the development bank was set up as a wholesale development finance institution, providing sustainable financing through eligible PFIs, who would, in turn, lend to end-borrowers; MSMEs for the development of that segment.

According to Mr. Yahaya, the remarkable success of the bank within the short period of commencing operations has been because of the enthusiasm and support by the various financial institutions that have embraced the DBN offering of empowering the all-important segment of the nation’s economy- MSMEs.

Also speaking at the event, Managing Director of the bank, Mr. Tony Okpanachi, assured the MSMEs that DBN has “the vision to be Nigeria’s primary development finance institution, thereby promoting growth and sustainability of the MSMEs by providing financial services, Credit Guarantees, and advisory services. These are some of the services that will equally be available to the PFIs through the Lagos office.

“DBN loan cuts across all sectors of the economy. Our operation in addition to our mandate, seeks to achieve the Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principles (NSBP) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), where financial inclusion ranks high, as well as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and it’s also, in line with the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan of the Federal Government.”

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/development-bank-of-nigeria-opens-office-in-lagos/

Nigeria’s real sector continued to improve in Q2-18, signalled by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Credit Conditions Survey Report for the period. According to the reading, the availability of secured and unsecured credit to households increased during the period, thanks to an improved liquidity position, a higher appetite for risk by lenders, who were willing to lend at low Loan to Value (LTV) ratios (75% or less) and increased availability of funds.



On the demand side, there was also an increase in the demand for secured and unsecured lending from households. Loan performance – measured by default rates, showed marked improvements for secured loans. However unsecured loan performance to households deteriorated during the review period as Lenders experienced higher default rates on credit card lending.

Looking into the second half of 2018, the primary theme that would guide credit supply to households include the near-term expectation for the CBN to cut rates, as the FG’s move to bring the debt composition to 60%/40%, which currently stands at 70%/30%, gives room for more credit demand to be met.

UNITED CAPITAL NIGERIA

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/daily-insight-q-2-18-credit-conditions-survey-report/

Heritage Bank has announced the promotion of 350 of its staff in a move expected to strengthen the bank’s business across all markets where it operates. The promotion was in line with its commitment to ensuring greater efficiency and resource optimization after the completion of appraisal system that identified high performers in the bank amongst other criteria.

The MD/CEO, Ifie Sekibo, who commended the staff for their efforts, charged them to tenaciously hold to the bank’s core values in their timeless wealth journey and the endless quest of delivering excellent services to both internal and external customers of the bank.

“I commend your well-deserved promotion. I also wish to especially thank those colleagues who have not made it on this year’s list. I urge you to keep up the good work and contribution, as the organisation recognised your efforts. We promise to continue to reward and recognise your contributions in due time and to use all opportunities to demonstrate this,” MD said.

Sekibo, however, said the announcement, is especially heartening in the face of the rough times occasioned by the downward trend in the economy, hence the move was part of the bank’s strategic plan to keep a vibrant workforce that will enable the bank to achieve its vision of being the Nigerian most innovative banking of choice in service delivery, superior returns to its various stakeholders and as well contribute to the growth of the nation’s economy.

With its legacy of innovation, Heritage Bank remains the pioneer bank in Nigeria to use computers for banking services and had pioneered its flagship “Cash Point 24/7 ATM services in Nigeria in 1990. Heritage was also first to issue a transparent Mastercard debit card in Sub-Saharan Africa and pioneered the mPOS in response to the CBN Cash-less initiative.

Heritage Bank underscored its status as one of the leaders in innovation in the banking sector with the introduction of an advanced intelligent digital experience known as Octopus. This intelligential digital power experience is targeted at improving the over 20million small business and to meet the demands of an ever-growing active population of Nigeria with simple to use tweaks in making banking experience much more flexible and fun.

Meanwhile, the Bank has deliberately focused on the tourism and SME segment in a bid to create a fresh set of vibrant entrepreneurs that will create jobs and distribute wealth in the Nigerian economy because of recent statistics which indicate high unemployment among the youths that make up a large percentage of the population.

One of its initiatives within the MSME sector is its partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), under the N3billion CBN Youth Innovative Entrepreneurship Development Programme (YIEDP), which is targeted at youth, particularly current National Youth Corps members and Corp member post five years of service.

The bank has also launched a N500 million Young Entrepreneurs and Students (YES) Grant in Lagos. The initiative, which is in partnership with the Nigerian Youth Professional Forum (NYPF), will, according to the bank, support students and young entrepreneurs toward socio-economic freedom.

Also, in furtherance of its commitment to creating jobs and wealth, Heritage Bank in partnership with the Center for Value Leadership (CVL) developed various impact-driven programmes to empower the youths and women particularly in the under-developed communities in Lagos State and one of these is the Young Entrepreneurship Business Training Programme (YEBTP).

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/heritage-bank-promotes-over-350-staff/

24-year-old Ugandan software engineer, Brian Gitta, recently won the prestigious Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation for his innovation Matibabu, a swift bloodless malaria testing device. Having missed school several times due to falling ill with malaria, Gitta and his team decided to create Matibabu.



To use, the device is simply clipped onto a patient’s finger, and a red beam of light shone through the finger detects the shape, color and concentration of red blood cells of the user, all of which are affected by malaria. Within a minute, the results are available on a mobile phone that is linked to the device.

The first Ugandan and youngest winner of the Africa Prize ever, Gitta was awarded the sum of £25,000, an equivalent 124 million Ugandan shillings for his invention. The 24-year-old said the recognition will help his team manage production better and open up much-needed partnership opportunities. “We are incredibly honored to win the Africa Prize. It’s such a big achievement for us because it means that we can better manage production in order to scale clinical trials and prove ourselves to regulators,” he said.



Matibabu is aimed at individuals, health centers, and diagnostic suppliers. Currently, the device is undergoing testing in partnership with a national hospital in Uganda while sourcing suppliers for the sensitive magnetic and laser components required to scale up production. The team also aims to set up the device on the streets of Uganda to enable people to conduct swift malaria tests.

Founded in 2014 by the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK, the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is Africa’s biggest prize dedicated to innovation in engineering. The Prize encourages and promotes talented sub-Saharan African engineers from all disciplines to develop innovations that address crucial problems in their communities in a new and appropriate way. The Prize provides a unique package of support, including funding, business training, mentoring and access to the network of high profile, experienced engineers and experts of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Through their participation, Gitta and his team have been approached by international researchers offering support, and are currently compiling their ground-breaking findings into an academic paper to be published in the next few months. Rebecca Enonchong, one of the judges of the Africa Prize said, “We are very proud of this year’s winner. It’s a perfect example of how engineering can unlock development, in this case by improving healthcare. Matibabu is simply a game changer.”

In the past six months, sixteen shortlisted Africa Prize entrants, from seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa, received training and mentoring to develop business plans and market their innovations. They also received lessons on how to communicate effectively, focus on customers and approach investors with confidence.

The runners-up who each won the sum of £10,000, for their innovations are Nigeria’s Ifediora Ugochukwu, Ghana’s Michael Asante-Afrifa, and Zimbabwe’s Collins Saguru. Ugochukwu developed the iMeter, an intelligent metering system that gives Nigerians transparency and control over their electricity supply. Asante-Afrifa developed the Science Set, a mini science lab that contains specially developed materials for experiments. And Saguru’s AltMet is a low-cost environmentally friendly method for recovering precious metals from car parts.

The fifth Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is currently open for applications to individuals and small teams with an engineering innovation, living and working in sub-Saharan Africa. The deadline for entries is 23 July 2018.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/bloodless-malaria-test-by-24-year-old-ugandan-wins-the-africa-prize-for-engineering-innovation/

Although marketed as an SUV, the Sorento is really a thinly disguised ‘people carrier’ of the type that used to be tremendously popular…



Bus. The Kia Sorento is a great big bus. It seats seven, across three rows of seats (2-3-2 formation), in some comfort (more comfort than most buses, to be fair).

It looks a bit like an older type of bus, with that rounded window line at the back. It’s a jolly sort of environment for a gang or a large family on an outing. Built for fun, this charabanc.

The only thing missing is some red buttons scattered around the cabin for request stops, bearing the slogan “Press once telling the driver to stop at the next safe place”.

The kids at the back are sitting quite a long way away, after all. It would, I suppose, suit the Rees-Moggs, though at two adults plus six kiddies the Sorento is actually too cramped for them to be transported safely from West Country manor house to Westminster townhouse, let alone to new Dublin corporate base, post-Brexit. You can’t have your cake and eat it, I guess.

Although marketed as an SUV, with vaguely SUV styling and permanent all-wheel drive, the Sorento is really a thinly disguised “people carrier” of the type that used to be tremendously popular. Remember the Renault Espace – capacious, clever, desirable, but now disappeared from the UK scene?

Remember, for that matter, the Kia Sedona, a more value-oriented version of the same concept, a multi-purpose vehicle that sold well but which, like the Espace, is no longer on sale in the UK.

There are a few survivors from the people carrier boom. If you want to carry six passengers (plus driver) you can buy a purpose-built boxy people carrier from Vauxhall (Zafira), Ford (S-Max and Galaxy), Volkswagen (Sharan) and Seat (Alhambra), but they’re all probably on the way out, victims of changing tastes and fashion.

Like so many creatures in the natural world, they are being driven to extinction by loss of habitat (ie willing buyers) and fierce predation (by premium brands and SUVs). The car market is nothing if not Darwinian. On the whole, the passing of the people carrier or MPV (“multi-purpose vehicle”, as the car companies called them) is to be deplored.

They were lighter and, thus, more environmentally friendly than their successors, less expensively engineered and complex to look after, and thus with lower running costs and longer prospective lives, and were usually a bit smaller than the behemoth SUVs that clog up city streets, country lanes and car parks.

The spec

Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi GT-Line S

Price: £42,940 (range starts at £29,310)
Engine capacity: 2.2-litre diesel 4cyl, 8-sp auto, AWD
Power output (bhp): 197
Top speed (mph): 127
0-60mph (seconds): 9.1
Fuel economy (mpg): 43.5
CO2 emissions (g/km):  170

As it happens, the Kia Sorento is actually built on the same base as the Sedona, which explains the relatively low stance, which is no bad thing, as, other things being equal we all know the dynamic benefits of a low centre of gravity, don’t we?

Good. Not that the Sorento is a great handler. It only comes as a 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel, which means that it does well to be as pleasant a drive as it is.

The eight-speed automatic gearbox works OK, though I see there is a manual option, which some will favour. For what it is, the Sorento works well – relatively refined, comfortable, nice light steering, ideal for the sorts of work the vehicle will be put to; drivers will also appreciate, on the better-specced versions, satnav, driver aids such as adaptable cruise control and assisted steering, and the parking cameras. Without them parking your bus requires extrasensory perception.

The only substantial fault I can find with the Sorento is the interior. It is of good quality, but it lacks panache. It is odd, that, because so many of Kia’s recent designs have been almost painfully funkadelic: the sexy Stinger GT saloon; the on-trend Stonic (a Citroen Cactus lookalike); and the Soul, which has been out a few years now but still manages to look fresh and different.

The Sorento feels much more like a throwback to the days when Kia was an exclusively Korean concern, with conservative tastes, rather than the transnational concern it is now, with partner Hyundai, boasting design centres, factories and sales all over the globe.

It wouldn’t take much to make the Sorento a more obviously classy choice, and, more pertinently, justify the £40,000-plus price of the plusher variants.

Your Sorento will also play a little theme tune when you turn off the ignition. It sounds like a few bars from Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. After a few years of ownership – and the Kia carries a 7-year warranty you’d want to get the most out of – that might get a bit irritating. I don’t think you can turn it off.

The Kia’s Euro 6 standard diesel – the latest – and a 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating also help to future-proof it to an extent; if you kept it for a decade its replacement would probably be pure electric.

Usually I’d advise a buyer to look at the cheapest entry-level version on any range of cars for the best value, but the Sorento driver and tribe really need all the toys they can get to distract them from a long journey in the company of people (ie blood relatives) they may not wish to spend such an extended time in an enclosed space with.

Just being on a bus full of screaming school kids, in other words, but more difficult to just get off and walk.

 

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/kia-sorento-car-review-a-great-big-bus-built-for-fun-pictures/

The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursed the sum of N701.02bn to the three tiers of government in May 2018 from the revenue generated in April 2018. 

The amount disbursed comprised of N612.64bn from the Statutory Account, N87.97bn from Valued Added Tax (VAT) and N418.88m being excess bank charges recovered.

The federal government received a total of N289.04bn from the N701.02bn. States received a total of N181.96bn and Local governments received N137.33bn. The sum of N49.76bn was shared among the oil producing states as 13% derivation fund.

Revenue generating agencies such as Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) received N4.61bn, N8.67bn and N4.06bn respectively as the cost of revenue collections.

Further breakdown of revenue allocation distribution to the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) revealed that the sum of N247.12bn was disbursed to the FGN consolidated revenue account; N5.25bn shared as share of derivation and ecology; N2.62bn as stabilization fund; N8.82bn for the development of natural resources; and N6.05bn to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

Click Here to Download May 2018 PDF Report

Source: https://brandspurng.com/faac-states-local-governments-received-n181-96bn-n137-33bn-respectively-in-may-2018-nbs/

For many of us in the media industry, every FIFA World Cup is our Super Bowl.

For brands, it is a time to put their best foot forward. On average, not less than NGN10 billion has been spent by local and regional brands to push their brand given an opportunity to meet close to 100 million people in Nigeria.

SBI Media collated the top brands who featured at the World Cup broadcast and how their strategy fits the platform and the market.

Ecobank

Touted as the pan African bank, Ecobank is using the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia live broadcast to push its mobile banking app, a platform it is promoting as a full fledge mobile bank. It is expected that the campaign is done via Kwese on a pan-African level.

Glo

Nigeria’s second largest mobile carrier is the exclusive mobile broadcast sponsor on DSTV targeting mainly West African countries where it operates. Glo’s message has been centred on its data strength and to also push its data product for the price sensitive targets.


Budweiser 

Launching its brand into the Nigerianmarket, Budweiser seized the ‘golden’ opportunity the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia presented to make an entry into a market that is overtly tough but yet profitable. As the exclusive alcoholic brand on DSTV, Budweiser’s brand new commercial created for the event portrayed it as a free for all brand ready to be enjoyed by all fans of the World Cup.

Worldremit 

For Worldremit, the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia will be its first time to be involved in such an elite event. As a money transfer tech company competing with giants like Western Union and even decentralized currencies such as Bitcoin used for remittances, there is no better way to create awareness than the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup.

SoKlin 

As a mass market brand, SoKlin has since understood that an elite event such as the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia will connect it with one of the largest audience it will ever meet in four years. With rivals such as Unilever’s Omo and many fringes but equally strong competitors, it was a well-thought out move.

Big Bull Rice

While this comes as surprise to many, WACOT Limited used the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia to launch its Big Bull Rice into the market. The World Cup is not just a feel-good time for business owners to compete with their egos, it is an opportunity to meet close to 100 million viewers in Nigeria alone, launching the rice brand at this time is a masterstroke.

Sensodyne 

Just like the case of SoKlin, GlaxoSmithKline’s Sensodyne is using the opportunity to counter whatever move Unilever’s CloseUp makes during the World Cup period. With more than 100 million Nigerians watching the event, it is not a wasted investment to make.

Panadol Extra 

As a direct competitor to Emzor‘s paracetamol, the brand is not only in-sync buying into a football event broadcast, it is also trying to claim its leadership in a market where there is a heavy demand for pain relievers.

Emzor Paracetamol 

With its sponsorship of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Emzor Paracetamol has been consistent to always feature in competitions where Nigeria’s national team participates. Its dated but animated commercial, however, dampened its gains of making a good show at such event.

Nokia

There was no way Nokia would not feature in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia if it is to be taken seriously given its unique ‘problem’. Coming back into a market now dominated by Tecno and Samsung, pushing its cutting-edge Nokia 7 Plus is a good move for HMD Global.

Samsung

For Samsung, this World Cup seems like a low-key type. Despite its kind of hush-hush strategy, Samsung is using one stone to kill many birds by advertising as a group instead. Showcasing credentials in TV, refrigerators, sound system and mobile, Samsung will be looking at competing with everyone but itself.

Hisense 

With the absence of LG in the mix comes Hisense which is pushing its TV sets across Africa with its partnership with Budweiser and DSTV. For a brand very much new in advertising in Africa, it is a well-thought-out move that can be leveraged after the event.

Peak Milk 

For several World Cups, FrieslandCampina’s Peak has been consistent and more importantly any of such event where the Nigerian national team participates. Its strategy to back the Super Eagles has also remained the same and would be switched for normal campaigns should they crash out.

Unilever 

With its portfolio approach, Unilever is pushing its Lipton tea and its flagship brand and toothpaste, Closeup. For many years, the latter has enjoyed over 70% market share. However, the position has been challenged by ‘comebacks’ and new entrants. Doing the World Cup is a move to stamp its leadership.

Indomie Noodles 

As the brand with the largest market share in instant noodles, Indomie had no excuse not to feature in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. With its acquisition of Dangote’s pasta and noodles business, Dufil’s Indomie is going almost unchallenged in the event.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/brands-that-turned-up-at-the-fifa-world-cup/

issorite

interesting

A firm, Austin Laz and Company has obtained a judgment against the Bank of Industry (BoI) in a loan dispute.

In his lead judgment dated May 17, 2018, Justice Mudashiru Nasiru Oniyangi of the Court of Appeal, Benin, Edo State, set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court, Benin delivered on July 6, 2015, holding that the trial court ruling in favour of BoI was premature and incompetent.

The Appeal Court further ordered BoI to vacate the premises of Austin Laz and Company Limited forthwith, awarding a cost of N100, 000 in favour of the appellants (Austin Laz Company Ltd and Austin Lazarus Asimonye) and against BoI, the respondent.

The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Austin Lazarus Asinmonye, a former National Vice President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Western Zone, said the company approached BoI in 2011 for N120million five-year term facility to augment the setting up of a new production line of which approval was given. He regretted that the bank could not release the money in full to it which hindered the completion and take-off of the new production plant.

On the ground of disagreement between him and the investment bank, the bank sealed the company two years into the five-year term loan, and four other companies belonging to him through a lower court ruling citing failure to repay the loan instalment.

Contacted, a BOI official, who asked not to be named, said the bank has nothing to add as the matter has been adjudicated upon by a court of competent jurisdiction.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/boi-losses-court-case-in-loan-dispute/

At some point in each of our lives, we will be required to give a speech. Just the thought of this is enough to send the most resolute and steadfast among us to his or her knees. Even as more students are being taught the skills required to speak well in public, this activity is one of the most feared by human beings around the world.

Fear of public speaking is one of the most common types of anxiety.This fear can cause anything from slight nervousness to paralyzing fear. Many people with this fear even vomit or faint when faced with public speaking. Thankfully, there is a myriad of ways to overcome this fear.

Being nervous or anxious about public speaking is perfectly normal. This fear is a type of performance anxiety, as are stage fright, test anxiety, and writer’s block.

The public humiliation over freezing up on stage is something even professional artists deal with. And they are not alone. This particular fear plagues successful and talented people in many fields. Even famous film director Michael Bay has stumbled with stage fright. His fumble caused a Twitter storm that prompted others to come to his defence.

Though many think they have overcome their fear, it’s like an addiction, always lurking in the darkness of the background. But in time, anyone can break the cycle of stage-fright and become a great public speaker.

In this post, we’re going to give you some keys to overcoming public speaking. While we can’t do the speaking for you, we want to give you the confidence to stand up in front of people.

THE KEYS TO MASTERING PUBLIC SPEAKING

CONSIDER YOUR AUDIENCE

Content in a speech is critical, but you must also consider the audience when creating and delivering your content.

Engaging with the audience keeps you connected and you won’t feel as alone. When you have a, “We’re all in this together,” attitude, the audience begins to feel like a support system rather than a firing squad. Ask thought-provoking questions and encourage audience members to answer or ask questions, either out loud or in their heads.

It’s also important to maintain your credibility and conviction. Don’t equivocate or hedge. Be firm and say what you mean and mean what you say. Clear and direct communication is the key to maintaining your power on stage.

SLOW DOWN AND BREATHE

Don’t be afraid to slow down and pause to breathe. When you talk too quickly, you can wander off the point or make statements that have no relevance. Additionally, if you talk too fast, the audience has trouble processing what you’re saying. You need to give them space to consider your words. There’s no harm in pausing to collect your thoughts and take a deep breath.

USE YOUR NOTES AS A GUIDE, NOT A SCRIPT

Don’t read word-for-word from your slides, cards, or notes. This is just asking to bore the audience to death and usually results in you sounding stiff and robotic. Standing dead still is one other way to most certainly put your audience to sleep.

Remember, you’re engaging with your audience in a conversation of sorts. They may not be replying audibly to you, but they consider what you’re saying and even providing answers in their minds. The slow movement, good posture, eye contact, and occasional smiles will keep your audience interested in your words.

And while a podium can be a useful tool, it creates a wall between you and the audience. They also have a tendency to turn into a hiding place when you get nervous.

Don’t stay behind the podium. Use gestures and walk around. Create movement and energy.

STAY POSITIVE

Maintaining positive energy is a key to great speaking. Be passionate about your topic. Be knowledgeable and engaged. Positive thinking can help you stay focused and avoid traps like negative self-talk, such as What happens if I mess up?

Anytime we speak publicly, our minds go to worst case scenario. We worry about forgetting the points we want to emphasize, passing out cold, or messing up badly enough to lose our jobs. These kinds of thoughts keep us from performing at our best – and they rarely happen anyway.

But, the human body can betray us. When our fear increases, our adrenaline kicks in, speeding up our heart rate, making us sweat, and increasing our nervousness. Learning meditative or biofeedback techniques can help you calm down prior to going on stage.

It is also very helpful to record and review your speeches. Though it can be embarrassing to watch, we can learn so much about our strengths and weaknesses by watching our own performances. This is just one of many tools that we can use to improve our public speaking.

QUICK TIPS TO IMPROVE EVERY SPEECH

Many people will give you advice if you mention you are scared of giving a speech.

Here are some tips from the pros:

Deliver a performance, rather than a speech. An audience can become enraptured by a performance full of intelligence and wit.Use the power of eye contact. Draw your audience in by showing them you want them to be part of the whole experience – not just passive listeners.Don’t hide behind the lectern. Lecterns and podiums never stopped anyone from poor public speaking. Move around and let the audience see you!Posture matters. Maintaining a good posture demonstrates your level of confidence. Slouchers are bad performers.Tell compelling stories. A good story or anecdote can drive home a point or offer levity in an intense recitation.Vary your cadence. Don’t speak with the same tone, the same pace, and the same words. Variety is the spice of life – and of speeches!Speak about what you know and care about. A passionate speaker is a prepared speaker. Knowledge and passion create great performances.

When it’s time to consider content, you should be the expert on the subject. If you aren’t, then why did someone ask you to speak? Take advantage of knowing that you are considered an expert and that people are interested in what you have to say.

WHAT TO AVOID IN PUBLIC SPEAKING

Just as there are numerous things you can do right during a public speaking event, there are just as many things you can do wrong.

Here are some things to avoid when you are speaking in public:

Not tailoring your message to your audience. As Benjamin Disraeli once said, “Talk to a man about himself and he will listen for hours.” This speech is about passing knowledge onto the audience – not collecting accolades for yourself.Eye dart. You must establish meaningful, continuous eye contact with your audience if you want to keep them engaged.Distracting mannerisms. Make sure you are aware of your tics and gestures. This is where the watching video of yourself is especially helpful.Low energy. Lack of enthusiasm is a sure speech killer. Audiences want to be energized and leave the speech talking about what they heard.Not rehearsing. Hardly anyone rehearses their performances. Big mistake. Those who do a full-dress rehearsal gain the appreciation of an entertained and informed audience.Data dumping. Don’t rely solely on your stats to save your speech. You can speak well without standing on the pedestal of logic. Doing this makes the speech boring.Not inspiring. Drive home your passion for the topic with emotional appeals to the audience. Present an emotional argument, but then support it with your facts and evidence.Lack of pauses. There is no need to rush. Do not allow time constraints or anxiety turn your tongue into a runaway train! Use your pauses productively.Not crafting a powerful opening. According to Plato, “The beginning is the most important part of the work.” Open with a compelling statement or anecdote that the listeners cannot ignore.Using too much (or not enough) humour. Test the waters with a joke early in the speech. Gauge the audience’s response and sprinkle in the most appropriate amount of humour you can throughout the rest of the speech.Reading from your slides.Assume that your audience can read. While slides are an incredibly useful tool for keeping your speech on target, don’t bore your audience by simply reading your presentation.Making an excuse or an apology.Don’t start off with a negative tone. Always be enthusiastic. If you were running late, offer an anecdote: “A snow delay at a Midwest airport in February – who’d have thunk it?”Ending with Q&A. Be ready to take questions at any time during the presentation. Many people in the audience will not take notes and they will most likely not remember what they wanted to ask when the speech is over.

Conclusion

Being a good performer when delivering a speech is about nailing the positives and avoiding the negatives. Be well prepared, offer anecdotes and humour if the audience is receptive, use your notes as tools rather than a straight read, keep your posture up to show your confidence, and don’t allow your fight or flight mode take over the speech.

Public speaking doesn’t need to terrify you. If you implement these suggestions, you’ll find yourself more relaxed, more effective, and maybe even be enjoying yourself.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/how-to-become-better-public-speaker-and-how-to-overcome-your-speech-anxiety/

Seven-Up Bottling Company, the bottlers of Pepsi-Cola in Nigeria has denied there is a fake Pepsi in the market.

The manufacturer which also bottles Mirinda and Mountain Dew soft drinks among others explained that the Pepsi-Cola in white caps which is what has been the source of concern to consumers is genuine and the same with the Pepsi packaged in blue caps.

Speaking further, the firm revealed that economic hardship in the country compelled it to switch to white caps when the cap suppliers could not get imported materials to make blue caps. The white caps are used as a temporary measure until the manufacturer can supply the blue caps.

Confirming the message, a spokesperson for the firm, Mr. Mike Nzeagwa, invalidated the stories of fake Pepsi. “There is no fake Pepsi in circulation. The drink in bottles with white cap and blue is the same and of very high quality.

“The sugar content and taste are both the same. It is only Pepsi Light that has less sugar and of course the HO factory water which does not contain any sugar. Seven Up Bottling Company is noted for high quality and customer satisfaction is our priority,” he said.

There has been stories of fake Pepsi with white cap in circulation since last year.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/there-is-no-fake-pepsi-in-circulation-seven-up-bottling-co/

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/union-bank-releases-sustainability-innovation-report/


Union Bank has announced the release of its second Citizenship, Sustainability and Innovation report – an annual compendium which highlights the bank’s strategic approach, initiatives and impact made in the areas of Citizenship, Sustainability and Innovation within the last year.

The report touches on the impact Union Bank made within its host communities in 2017 and its commitment to its customers and other stakeholders.

It also emphasizes the bank’s vision to inspire a future where private sector participants are committed drivers of the nation’s sustainable development.

In its dedication to local communities, Union Bank has invested heavily in providing Nigerians access to inclusive financial services and championing financial literacy for future generations in schools across the country. In 2017, the bank went a step further, expanding the reach and impact of this initiative and increasing the number of students impacted from 3,000 in 2016 to 6,000 in 2017.

The Bank also launched “Project North”, an initiative to tackle financial exclusion in the North, including areas where economic activities are gradually recovering following the insurgency, which affected the socio-economic stability in those areas.

“In 2017 alone, as part of efforts to drive the financial inclusion of all Nigerians, Union Bank opened over 600,000 new accounts under this scheme.

Speaking concerning the release of the 2017 CSI report, Chief Executive Officer, Union Bank, Emeka Emuwa, said: “This annual report gives credence to our positioning as a Bank truly committed to the communities in which we operate. Our Corporate Social Investment is central to our core business and commitment to the triple bottom line of responsible financial, environmental and socio-economic development.

“We are committed to the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact regarding the adoption of sustainable and socially responsible policies in human rights, labour, the environment, anti-corruption, and of course, reporting on their implementation.”

In 2017, as the Bank celebrated a century of providing trusted banking services, a critical aspect of its citizenship efforts was leading the charge for sustainable development in Nigeria into the next century.

This it did by making a call to action for “The Next100 Fund” initiative as a means to galvanise private sector participation in accelerating Nigeria’s economic development, leveraging the Sustainable Development Goals framework.

Successfully embedding sustainability practices into its banking processes, Union Bank has continued to develop simpler and smarter products and services that are relevant to Nigerians.

Last year, the bank launched its first ever recycling competition: “Recyclemania,” to raise

awareness about and encourage the act of recycling among employees of the Bank.

The bank has also created an inclusive and empowering environment for its employees through various initiatives.

One of such initiatives is its Women Empowerment hub, WeHub, which continues to motivate, connect and provide support to Union Bank female employees.

Last year, Union Bank also intensified efforts to embed an innovative culture in Nigerian youths by promoting and rewarding innovation and creativity.

The Centenary Innovation Challenge was organised to find and support great ideas that address the SDGs in entrepreneurial ways which enable economic and societal growth and build an inclusive society for young Nigerians.

The release of the second edition of its CSI report underscores Union Bank’s commitment to maintaining its leading position as a sustainability champion and a socially driven and responsible corporate organisation.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/more-than-60-million-nigerians-are-unbanked-world-bank/



2017 World Bank Global Findex Database report on financial inclusion says that more than 60 million Nigerians are without bank accounts. The report, titled The Global Findex Database 2017: Measuring Financial Inclusion and the Fintech Revolution used data from a survey carried out in 144 countries, in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Gallup Inc.

Globally, 1.7 billion adults are unbanked [don’t use formal banks or semi-formal microfinance institutions to save or borrow money] even though more than half that number could access digital financial services. There was an increase in financial inclusion between 2014 and 2017.

Financial inclusion, which aims to “make financial services accessible at affordable costs to all individuals and businesses, irrespective of net worth and size respectively”, is important for the development of any economy. It means that people who have better access to financial services through traditional, bank accounts and digital payments have greater control over their money, and their savings, securing business loans, insurance and are better prepared for financial emergencies.

Financial inclusion is also important to achieving some of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, such as eradicating poverty, improving gender equality, and creating jobs.

Also, it promotes gender equality; easy access to financial services for women translates to participation in the nation-building process and economic growth of any country.

“When the government deposits social welfare payments or other subsidies directly into women’s digital bank accounts, the impact is amazing. Women gain decision-making power in their homes, and with more financial tools at their disposal, they invest in their families’ prosperity and help drive broad economic growth,” said Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said.

Gender gaps in financial inclusion

However, the 2017 Findex report confirms that gender gaps in financial inclusion have still persisted over time, with the wider gaps in developing economies, while high-income economies have no discernible gender gap in financial inclusion.  7 per cent more men hold active accounts than women globally.

In the developing economies, a large gender gap in financial inclusion is contributing to slow economic growth, as it implies that fewer women are participating in the national economic growth. People who don’t have access to inclusive financing either do not have enough money to own an account, or family members already have an account for them (mostly male family figures).

40 per cent more men own accounts than women in Nigeria, meaning there’s been no clear change in financial inclusion in Nigeria since the last Findex report was released in 2014. Other developing economies like Togo, Peru, Lebanon, Jordan, Algeria, Burkina Faso also have wide gender gaps in financial inclusion. Other developing economies [India, Bolivia] have moved in the opposite direction as gender gaps have been steadily closing since 2014.

Adult financial inclusion

Also, in inclusive financing, gaps in account ownership between richer and poorer adults (based on household incomes) tend to be wider in developing economies, with richer people twice likely to own an account than poorer people. Nigeria, Philippines, and Ethiopia are some of the developing countries with wide gaps in financial inclusion between the rich and the poor. However, the advent of mobile money accounts in developing economies between 2014 and 2017 is helping to reduce this gap. In developing economies, poor people are more likely to own both traditional bank accounts and mobile money accounts than rich people.

Nigeria was declared the world poverty capital last year, with almost half of its population living in extreme poverty. 82 million (42 per cent) Nigerians are living below $1.90 per day, implying that 42 per cent of Nigerians probably don’t own an account, or have inactive ones. A recent Bio-metric Verification Number exercise in 2015 in Nigeria, which resulted in the many bank accounts going inactive, also contributed to Nigeria’s 67 million unbanked population.

I, However, the increasing adoption of mobile banking by Nigerian commercial banks, the proliferation of digital payment solutions and targeted campaigns towards low-income Nigerians mean that the next financial inclusion report will be favourable to Nigeria.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/more-than-60-million-nigerians-are-unbanked-world-bank/

The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicked off on 14 June 2018 with pomp and glamour. British performing and recording artist Robbie Williams together with Russian singer, Aida Garifullina gave a resounding performance in sync with a colourful team of entertainers.  The opening ceremony was held in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, which also played host to the opening game of the tournament.

The Opening Ceremony

It is estimated that 5.4 million TV viewers in, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda watched the 1hr opening ceremony, televised live by FIFA partner broadcasters across the globe.

Nigeria had the highest viewers amongst the six countries that were surveyed, with 1.6 million viewers watching the opening ceremony.

Russia Vs Saudi Arabia

The first game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup was played between Group A’s Russia, the host nation, and Saudi Arabia at 1500hrs GMT. An estimated TV viewership of 7.9 million people in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda watched Russia score 5-0 against Saudi Arabia.

Kenya had the highest viewership of the game amongst the countries polled with 2.8 million viewers watching.

It is also observed that viewership increased across all markets polled once the opening ceremony ended, signalling more interest in the first game of 2018 FIFA World Cup and not the official opening ceremony.

A number of free to air channels across the world are broadcast partners for 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Highest Viewership By Channel

NTV Kenya had the highest viewership estimated at 2 million viewers, followed by NTA Nigeria with 1.3 million viewers. Kwese Free Sports who have exclusive broadcast rights to the tournament recorded 0.7 million viewers in Kenya and 0.5 million viewers in Uganda, looking at some of the stations that aired the opening game.

Second-day action sees the other Group A match between Africa’s Egypt and South America’s Uruguay kick off at 1200hrs GMT. Group B matches of yet another African representative Morocco and Iran follows at 1500h GMT and the day’s highlight game being former champions Spain facing off with European champions, Portugal at 1800h GMT.

GeoPoll will catch all the action and provide you with audience estimates on the 2018 FIFA World Cup, derived from the syndicated audience measurement product that is collected daily.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/2018-fifa-world-cup-kick-off-here-are-the-african-tv-viewership-numbers-check-out-nigeria-geopoll/

Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has opened six viewing centres for Lagos residents to watch live football actions from the ongoing Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The sports-loving governor also provided security, traffic control and general sanitation at the viewing centres.

Ambode equally provided a public liability insurance cover for the six centres for the period of the World Cup.

The viewing centres are located at Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Campos Mini Stadium, Lagos Island; Abesan Estate, Alimosho; Naval Yard Ajegunle; Bishop Aggrey School, Mushin, and Epe Recreation Centre.

Read: BUDWEISER NIGERIA MAKES AUDACIOUS OFFER; FREE BEER IF EAGLES MAKE QUARTER FINALS…HERE’S HOW TO GET YOUR FREE BEER

Titi Oshodi, the Head of Public Relations, Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC) who made the disclosure on Friday, said that all the necessary backups were provided to make the centres safe.

Oshodi said that the public viewing centres would be open for all the matches of the World Cup.

“The viewing centres were opened to fans on Day One of the Coupe de Mundial on June 14 for the opening ceremony as well as the opening match between the host, Russia, and Saudi. Arabia.

Read: HOW TO LIVESTREAM THE WORLD CUP, AND WHY MOST VIEWERS WILL

“The centres will run until the end of the World Cup on July 15, ” she said.

“The Executive Chairman of the LSSC, Dr Kweku Adedayo Tandoh, gave the assurance that entry into the viewing centres was free.

“The government has made adequate provisions for medical coverage, security, traffic control and general sanitation at all the viewing centres.

Read: WHO ARE THE WORLD CUP’S TRUE FAVORITES?

“Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode, who is a member of the Federal Government’s delegation to the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup, wants Lagos resident to have a feel of football actions in the ongoing World Cup.

“He believes the viewing centres will also serve as the fun and relaxation spots for the residents,” Tandoh said.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/lagos-provides-insurance-cover-at-viewing-centers-for-world-cup-2018/

The investment is also geared towards education, capacity building, health, employment, and economic development.

Wilmar looks forward to start production at the plantation having installed a state of the art milling plant that has a capacity capable of milling a week’s harvest in twelve hours.

According to the Sustainability Manager of Wilmar, Mr Asen Ako, part of the investment will go to contracts and infrastructural development after BPL through a state government privatization process purchased 5,594.012 hectares at Ibiae Estate and additional 5,549.801 hectares at Calaro Estate.

Read also: CAN OKITIPUPA OIL PALM AID ONDO ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION?

He said the company’s first palm oil mill is still undergoing test runs and is yet to start full-scale commercial operations.

BPL has a robust CSR package for communities around its operation and this package is geared towards education, capacity building, health, employment, and economic development.

“In our support of education around our catchment area. To date, we have committed US$ 705,522.38 to Onun Secondary school Mbarakom which is 100% completed; US$ 324,077.23 (Camp 2 Primary School – 50% completed); US$ 290,863.51 (Ibiae Primary School – 90% completed); US$ 628,726.19 (Aningeje Secondary School – 75% completed)”.

As part of the company’s strategy to expand its palm oil production business in Africa, Wilmar set up Biase Plantations Limited (BPL) a fully owned subsidiary of Wilmar Africa Investment Ltd.

Wilmar is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and together with all its subsidiaries, are committed to ensuring their operations comply with RSPO Certification.

RSPO is a sustainable palm oil certification for growers, oil mills, refiners and traders, an assurance of sustainable production of palm oil products.

The investment is in addition to the partnership made by Biase Plantations with Heritage Bank in a US$ 644,960.00 deal on palm oil production.

“In our schools, we make provision for the library, computer labs and science labs, we also provide free housing for teachers within the campus, free electricity and much more (you can see this for yourself while on site).

“As part of our CSR, we have offered 144 tertiary education scholarships since 2014/2015 school year.

Scholarship is awarded each year to two students from each of the 20 communities that make up our catchment area.

The scholarship is such once a student starts benefiting, it goes on until the student complete the course enrolled for in the university,” added Asen Ako.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/wilmar-invests-us125-1m-in-palm-oil-plantation/

Wellness and clean eating might be having a moment, but when it comes to the products that are propelling the performance of the world’s largest food and beverage companies, beer, chocolate and coffee are overpowering quinoa, kale and kombucha.

According to the 2018 Forbes Global 2000 — our annual and comprehensive list of the world’s most powerful public companies as measured by a composite score of revenue, profit, assets and market value — Anheuser-Busch, Nestle and Pepsico are the top three food and drink companies in the world.

Anheuser-Busch jumped 85 spots to #41 on the 2018 Global 2000 thanks to its $56 billion in revenue and $7.9 billion in profit recorded in the twelve months ending on May 11. The improvement was good enough to put the beer giant at the top of the food and beverage sector, breaking Nestle’s winning streak and bumping the chocolate, coffee and ice cream conglomerate to #2 in the food and drink sector. Despite growth plays Nestle made last year — like its acquiring of a majority stake in hipster roaster Blue Bottle Coffee in September — the company dropped 14 spots to #48 overall on the Global 2000. On a year-over-year basis, its revenue remained stable at $91 billion, but its profit slipped to $7.3 billion (compared to the $8.6 billion in profit it recorded in the period analyzed for 2017 Global 2000).

Coming in at #3 for the sector and #102 overall is Pepsico, which in response to global wellness trends has in recent quarters started dividing its brand portfolio into “fun for you,” “better for you” and “good for you” categories. At the end of 2017, the company said that the “better for you” and “good for you” categories (which contain products like Quaker Oats, Sabra hummus and Naked Juice) now account for 50% of its product offerings, up from about 38% ten years ago. This shift translated to $64 billion in revenue and $4.9 billion in profit for the twelve months ending on May 11.

Pepsi competitor Coca-Cola KO +0.07% recorded one of the biggest drops for a food and drink company on the Global 2000: last year, the company came in 86th overall, while this year it sits at #209. Its $33 billion in sales and $1.4 billion in profit were good enough, however, to qualify the company for 7th place in the food and drink sector.

The top 25 companies in the sector generated $749.3 billion in revenue last year and $137 billion in profit, up from $741.2 billion and $86 billion, respectively, recorded by the sector’s top 25 in 2017. To see the top 25, and the full Global 2000, click through here:

For more coverage of the Forbes Global 2000 ranking of the world’s largest public companies, see below:

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/worlds-largest-food-beverage-companies-2018-anheuser-busch-nestle-and-pepsi-top-the-list/

Just six months after Yahoo and AOL parent company Oath discontinued AIM, Yahoo Messenger one of the few old-school messaging services will now be shutting down forever after 20 years.

“We know we have many loyal fans who have used Yahoo Messenger since its beginning as one of the first chat apps of its kind,” the company wrote. “As the communications landscape continues to change over, we’re focusing on building and introducing new, exciting communications tools that better fit consumer needs.”



Yahoo first introduced the chat service in 1998, a year after the now-defunct AOL Instant Messenger (otherwise known as AIM) made its debut. The company originally called the service Pager, but in 1999 rebranded it to Messenger.

Under former CEO Marissa Mayer, Yahoo in 2015 launched a new version of Messenger with features like bulk photo sharing, easy access to GIFs, and a Snapchat-esque remote delete function. But trying to compete for users in a crowded market dominated by modern apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Skype, Viber, Snapchat, Line, and Telegram proved difficult. The revamped version of Messenger never really caught on with the masses.

Now, Messenger will only continue working normally until July 17. After that date, you will no longer be able to access your chats and the service won’t work. Your Yahoo ID will continue to work for other Yahoo properties like Mail and Fantasy.

You have six months to download your Messenger chat history if you want it. To do that, head over to Yahoo’s downloader request site, sign in, select a verification method, enter the code sent to you, click Download, and enter an email where you want the file sent.

In its announcement, Yahoo said it doesn’t have an immediate replacement product for Messenger but is working on a group messaging app called Squirrel, which is currently in beta and only available to those with an invitation. If you’re interested in trying out Squirrel, you can head here to request an invite.

We will miss the beautiful smile of Yahoo Messenger!

We hope a new Instant Messenger on the pipe line.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/end-of-an-era-yahoo-messenger-will-shut-down-on-17-july/

Where in the world would you like to travel for a holiday? Mastercard today released the Global Destination Cities Index: Play, looks at the international destinations with the highest concentration of visitors traveling for relaxation and leisure.

International travel continues to grow at an incredible rate, transforming local economies and enabling people to broaden their horizons—whether they travel for work or for play. Building on nearly a decade of insight into international travel trends, the Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index: Play shows that special cities around the world are building a brand of fun, relaxation, and enjoyment for like-minded travelers.

Punta Cana leads the list of top ten cities where more than 90 percent of overnight visitor travel in 2017 was for purposes beyond business—such as vacation or family visits. The list includes several lesser-known destinations that cater to eco-tourists, history buffs, beachgoers and adventure seekers.

With cultures uniquely their own but with a common focus on relaxation and fun, the top 10 cities include:

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (99.9%)Cusco, Peru (98%)Djerba, Tunisia (97.7%)Riviera Maya, Mexico (97.5%)Palma de Mallorca, Spain (97.2%)Cancun, Mexico (96.8%)Bali, Indonesia (96.7%)Panama City, Panama (96.3%)Orlando, United States (94.1%)Phuket, Thailand (93%)

Mastercard is helping cardholders travel the world with peace of mind by offering them conveniences and connectivity at their destination and worry-free acceptance at millions of locations around the globe.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/mastercard-unveils-top-cities-where-people-go-to-play-not-work/

The results of backward integration projects of Nigerian manufacturers are trending positive, with numbers showing a significant rise in local raw materials sourcing since the second half of 2016.

According to the latest report released by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), local input sourcing in the manufacturing sector dived to 65.70 percent in the second half of 2017, from 60.72 percent recorded in the first half period.

In the second half of 2016, the percentage of local sourcing was 59.98 percent as against 46.3 percent recorded in the first half of the same period.

BusinessDay independent checks show that the spike in local sourcing in the second half of 2017 was driven by aggressive activities of Dangote Group, Flour Mills of Nigeria, Nigerian Breweries, Nestlé, Unilever, and FrieslandCampina WAMCO, Dufil Prima, Lafarge Africa, PZ, among others.

“The upward movement was linked to the implementation of resource-based industrialization and backward integration policy as contained in Nigeria’s Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP),” MAN says, in its latest economic review released to BusinessDay.

Resource-based industrialization is the use of locally available resources, such as raw materials, manpower, and natural resources, to grow domestic production. On the other hand, backward integration occurs when a company buys its suppliers or internally produces segments of its supply chain.

According to the report, industries in Kano Bompai and Imo/Abia industrial zones beat those in Lagos, Ogun, and others in local raw materials sourcing within the period under review.

Imo/Abia zone recorded 73.6 percent as against 51.7 percent in the corresponding half of 2016. Similarly, Kano Bompai’s local input preference was 75.5 percent, while Ogun zone stood at 68.7 percent as against 68 percent recorded in the corresponding period of 2016.

Apapa gave a good showing, recording 70.7 percent in the period as against 54 percent reported in the corresponding half of 2016. Local raw-materials utilization increased in Ikeja zones in the review period rose to 63.2 percent as against 61.3 percent in the corresponding half of 2016. However, Apapa’s and Ikeja’s are still lower than Kano Bompai’s and Imo/Abia’s.

Harangued by foreign exchange crisis of 2016, manufacturers are now getting their raw materials from farmers and subsidiaries, while sourcing packaging materials from other local firms.

The personal care manufacturer Unilever Nigeria is aggressively pushing its local input sourcing towards 100 percent.

“Unilever has achieved over 90 percent in local sourcing of packaging materials. The aim is to achieve 100 percent by the end of 2019 and overcome the current challenges of local vendor’s capacity to meet up with global best standard,” Thomas Mwanza, procurement director, Unilever West Africa, at Manufacturing and Equipment, Nigerian Raw Materials Expo held in Lagos recently.

“In the agro-allied sector, Unilever is partnering with intermediary companies, for the supply of cassava and starch,” Mwanza he said.

Nestlé Nigeria is sourcing 80 percent of its maize, sorghum, millet, soya, cassava starch, cocoa powder, palm oil from more than 41, 600 local farmers and processors scattered across the country.

“The Industry has huge needs and we must help farmers improve their yields to meet them. To achieve real success with connecting farmers to industry, a 360-degree approach which will include the aggregators, processors, and logistics suppliers must be considered within this value chain,” said Mauricio Alarcon, CEO of Nestlé Nigeria Plc.

Dangote Cement is sourcing over 80 percent of its limestone and gypsum locally, while Dufil, makers of Indomie noodles, sources its palm oil and maize domestically.

Flour Mills sources palm oil from its subsidiary Agri Palm Limited at Ugbogui and Iguiye near Benin City in Edo State.

Dairy maker FrieslandCampina WAMCO is sourcing some of its raw milk from farmers in communities in Oyo State.

As of 2017, over 70 farming communities, including 962 women, supply raw milk to FrieslandCampina WAMCO on a daily basis, BusinessDay found.

“The capacity the company has there is even more than what I can supply. Things have dramatically changed for us dairy farmers,” Mayosore Olatunde Rafiu, CEO of Genius Integrated Farms, one of the milk suppliers in Iseyin, told BusinessDay.

Nigerian Breweries is already substituting barley for sorghum sourced locally from an agriculture-based firm called Psaltery Nigeria Limited.

More than 250,000 farmers spread across several agronomic zones in the North are directly or indirectly involved planting sorghum for the country’s biggest brewer, BusinessDay understands.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/dangote-flour-mills-nb-nestle-push-local-input-sourcing-to-66/

If you are planning to travel to theUnited States of America (U.S) from Nigeria, whether it is a business trip, visit or vacation you must first ensure that you have an authorisedInternational travel passport that is still valid for at least six (6) months.

Bear in mind that getting the visa largely depends on the via t leastcer (the interviewer).  Yes, you have to convince them but in the end It’s their decision so, if you have done all you need to do be anxious for nothing, keep an open mind. It’s yea or nay. Don’t sweat it!

Note: All the information you need regarding your visa application is on the approved website but below are some advice for intending applicants:

If you can read and write then I would advise that you do the entire process by yourself so that you get acquainted with and understand the requirements clearly. That way, you also get to know the process first-hand.In filling your D-160 documentensure to keep information truthful and straight forward. Do not tell lies it always complicate things so take your time to do it carefully. Read and understand before responding. If you enter a wrong information, it may hinder your chances. There is no need to rush it you can always log in/out. Take your time to complete the process/ form by yourself. Get help if necessary but be involved.Pay attention to your visa application number it changes as you make changes (after logging out). Ensure that after you have secured an interview date you do not go back to make changes except you want to reschedule. If your applicant number does not tally with what is on the embassy appointment sheet, you would be asked to reschedule.Make sure to upload your passport photo with the recommended specification. You will not be allowed in for your interview if you have not uploaded your passport.On your interview day, avoid wearing/taking prohibited items such as jewelleries, makeup, sunglasses, liquid etc. Do not over dress (it’s just a few minutes interview). Keep it simple.At the venue, do not pay attention or patronize road side agents. You are already at the embassy just walk-in (you can keep any prohibited items at the security check points) and ask the embassy staff any question (it’s pretty straight forward though) they are usually busy and time conscious but they will guide you better, at worst you will get a “Try Back” (TB) which is better than doing it wrongly and you wouldn’t have to pay another visa fee.

All the information you need regarding your visa application is on the website. Take your time to read and understand all the requirements before your proceed to pay for your visa fee. Before issuing you a visa, the embassy wants to know all about you and your trip but because the interview is quite a brief one you never know which of the “5Ws and H” might pop-up. Be prepared anyways.

Although all the information regarding your proposed trip would have been entered in the D-160 form, the interviewer may ask you the same questions for verification/confirmation.

From experience, here is a checklist you need to tick off in preparation for your visa interview.

Why do you want to travel to the U.S? – You must clearly state your reason for traveling. Whether for business or for pleasure.Where exactly would you be going to? – This is to confirm your itinerary, that you have a landing address for real. Your exact destination should be made known.

iii. Who is inviting you? – Just to be sure that your host is well known to you and is really expecting you and a good relationship with your host, this question may arise and may require proof. So, keep your invitation letter and any relevant evidence of your relationship handy.

When do you intend to travel/return? – They want to be sure that you understand your visa category and do not plan to over stay.How do you hope to fund your trip? – They want to know your source of income (you may need to explain in detail, where and how you work, your customers/clients etc.)

Other questions like if you have travelled out before and where or how long your previous trip lasted, marital status, number of kids etc. can come up but always remember that the interviewer has the final say.

If you have ticked all items above, with a little confidence and have a positive attitude you are set for your U.S interview.

Written by: Claudia Nwankwo

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-getting-u-s-a-visa-in-nigeria/

Luciferan369:
It is necessary for Kim to be very careful. Many Heads of States have been swapped with clones. With his sample, just two DNA cells can be cultured, electrified and magnetized for polarization, then introduced to embryonic fluid for fertilization and in 14 weeks a brand new Kim Jong-Un can be produced. And with Laser/Saner Technologies beamed from satellite his memory can be harvested within seconds and implanted on a nano-chip and beamed to the skull.

A brand new Kim, can be produced, and the next phase will be to replaced him with the clone, with full memory, but this time, with a tracker and botnet for control using the Voice of God (VoGT) Technology.

There are many clones that have been replaced with heads of States already and even celebrities have been replaced. Even their wives will not spot the difference if well handled, apart from birth marks and scars and spots.

I have experienced this. And I read some people saying he can be killed. That is silly, no one dares to kill these days, they simply replace the real with a clone that they control 100% with VoGT.

You are unique and your replies tells a lot about you.

I just mailed you, hoping to hear from you.

While I am many things in this industry, including CEO of Insight, today I would like to speak largely as an ardent observer and a passionate player in this game we call advertising. I would like to state a disclaimer now, that if you consider any of my views controversial, they don’t necessarily reflect the views of my agency and my principals.

I am very passionate about Africa and often worried about the continent. And this is not because I have just recently published a book on the same. It is for more practical reasons than this. The numbers of the continent, and especially Nigeria, give reasons for both hope and potential despair. According to the UN, by 2050, AFRICA will have the largest population in the world. The population will represent 54% of the earth’s population, potentially hitting about 5.2billion.

Nigeria will account for about 20 – 25% of this, potentially hitting a population of between 700million to 1.0billion. By 2030, which is just around the corner, we would have already overtaken the US in terms of population. It gets better. By 2050, Africa will be the only young continent in the world, with more than 30% of the population between the ages of 10 – 24. You would have noticed by now, how the West is trying to reclassify the definition of youth to extend to the age of 60. The World Economic Forum has stated that this population growth, and its inherently youthful composition, will either be a blessing or a curse.

It will be a blessing if the government creates the economic and regulatory environment for businesses to thrive. With such a youthful, entrepreneurial population descending upon us, we would have the largest human resource capital base in the world. We must have businesses and social enterprises that can absorb such a population, thereby engaging their energies productively.Otherwise, it will be a curse.

From a marketing perspective, multinational corporations (MNCs) are now dubbing Africa “the next billion”consumers. Paul Polman of Unilever says that businesses that want to future proof themselves must look to emerging markets. He said this is necessary because, in 20-30years, 80% of the world’s population will live outside the US and Europe.

If the next billion consumers will be here in a few years, and the gaze of the world will turn towards Africa, with Nigeria as the apple of the eye that gazes, how should ad agencies be thinking and positioning themselves now? We have always prided ourselves as brand builders and have openly taken credit for the growth of brands in the market, more often than we actually deserve. And clients have generously allowed us this levity. But now that the eye of the world will soon turn this way, what do we do now?

In my professional opinion, there are three things we need to do urgently. I will touch on them briefly. The first is that we need to raise the fundamental skill level of current and future practitioners in our industry. When I joined advertising a decade ago, it was an industry that was full of men and women of density. In less than a decade, we have come into a state in which there are few giants and fewer acolytes. In the days that I joined, the progression of skill development started from deep marketing appreciation to brand building and then marketing communications. We were trained to be grounded, and clients even hired top marketing practitioners from our industry.

Today when I chat to young practitioners, the highest consideration in their mind is how they will win the next award. They don’t even know how brands are built, talk less of how what they do truly impacts brands. How did we get here? Where will the future Shobanjos, Awosikas, Akinwunmis, Ufots, Juliet Okwus, Odigbos, and so many other legends come from?

I believe this is important for us to address very urgently because the search for the next billion consumers will be led by MNCs who operate global standards. They mustn’t engage us to find that we only have creative awards but no globally comparable brand and business building skill sets. We cannot be trained AGAIN by foreign players, in the practices of our own industry. In any case, we need to do it, in order to continue to attract talent.

The second thing we must do is to scientifically tap into the impending prosperity such an economic opportunity offers. One of the many reasons our industry is getting less attractive to millennials is the seeming lack of apparent prosperity on the horizon. I believe this is largely because we have not been able to maximise revenue due to a lack of industry-wide pricing policy. We all know that without a proper pricing policy, you cannot generate revenue sustainably.

It is my personal opinion that this is the single most important issue that we are yet to address. I took a walk down Madison Avenue, just to see the famous madmen we all read about. I was impressed with junior ad men dressed in designers’ suits that only Nigerian ad agency CEOs and agency owners could afford. I said to myself, something is not right back home. The South African ad industry has set rates for each resource within the industry, in an annual publication shared with clients. Every client knows those rates and knows they cannot go outside the range set for each resource level. As such, their ad industry there is way more profitable than ours. Those of us who have worked across multiple countries know that we get paid peanuts in Nigeria, for what we do. As such a lot of future top talent shy away from the industry now. In any case, given what most of us earn, we do not even have the margin to truly innovate in our business and make the impact we desire.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, this is an industry issue and must be addressed as such. We need to come together to develop a pricing policy for our industry and then defend that together, without exception.

Finally, we must address who we truly believe we are as a people. In the end, you can only produce what you believe you are. On the 5th of February, 2 things happened. My book, The Villager, became globally available on Amazon and iBooks. And the movie, Black Panther hit the cinemas worldwide on the same day. The movie became a worldwide phenomenon grossing over a billion dollars in less than 2 months and earning its own Wakanda theme park in Disneyland. The Villager is yet to gross 1 billion anything, as you can tell by looking at me. There is no 30 billion for the account. Yet.

However, when I was asked to comment on the Black Panther phenomenon during interviews in SA, my reply was simple. In a global village where technology is an equaliser, people are beginning to seek true identity. Their first source of identity is within their culture. This is evidenced by the global drive for nationalism that is disrupting politics in the West. We must go back to our culture, in Africa and in Nigeria.

I believe we struggle even with basic issues of national development because we have become shy of our culture. I was asked whether our culture as Africans is responsible for the state of our economy. So, I remind them that in traditional monarchy, a king is measured by the prosperity of his people and he knows it is taboo to steal from the coffers of the village. Imagine if political leaders ran the government with the ancient paradigm of tribal leaders. We struggle with literacy because we believe that speaking English is equivalent to being intelligent, especially with an accent. I can still remember my shock at meeting my first white illiterate. Anyway, the Chinese have taught us that you can educate an entire nation, without teaching them English first. I believe our industry has a critical role to play in lifting the national low self-esteem that plagues us a nation. We must go back to telling true cultural stories that will move the heart of consumers to engage profitably with clients’ brands.

In the same way that Niger Deltan comedy, Nollywood and Nigerian music have travelled the world, influencing the way the world see Nigeria, advertising must do the same. Martin Weigel, Head of Planning at Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam, talks about slow culture and fast culture. Fast culture is about the genre of music, hairstyles, tattoos and Instagram followership. They are ephemeral and transient. Slow culture is about the deep beliefs, values, and attitudes of a people. Those take multiple generations to change. We must tap into the riches of slow culture, so we can take the global stage with Nigerian advertising, not with Western advertising done by Nigerians.

Let me illustrate my point with the lyrics of the song from a popular artist, Davido. In his song, “If’, he croons:

‘If I tell you say I love you,
My money, my body na your own oooBaby,
30 billion for the account ooo Versace and Gucci for your body ooo Baby…’

This track resonated so well with the ladies because of the marriage between slow and fast culture. The genre of music was fast culture, but the lyrics was slow culture. In Nigeria, the culture is such that when you adore a woman, you must adorn her with your wealth. This is because the African woman is a media channel for the man to communicate his wealth to society. This is a paradigm that is uniquely African. If Davido can tap into that, why can’t we tap into so much more to build African brands and clients’ brands that endure?

In closing, as we launch IAA Nigeria chapter today, to work in consonance with other industry bodies, I have tried to state the 3 things I believe we as must address as an industry. In essence, I believe we need to GET SKILLED, GET PAID, and STAY PROUD.

Feyi Olubodun is the Chief Executive Officer at Insight Publicis Nigeria. He is also the author of “The Villager: How Africans Consume Brands”

This article is a Keynote Address delivered at the launch of the Nigeria chapter of the IAA (International Advertising Association), on the 31st May 2018 by the author.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/get-skilled-get-paid-stay-proud-feyi-olubodun/

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday confirmed operations of 4,106 bureaux de change (BDCs) and 76 finance houses.

The report on approval, posted on CBN website, also showed that the apex bank confirmed the operations of 1,028 microfinance banks (MfBs), two regional banks, three banks with Holding Company structures, five merchant banks, one non-interest bank and 19 commercial banks.

CBN regulation requires BDCs to meet N35 million mandatory capital base to stay in operation.

The CBN had previously returned N35 million cautionary deposit for BDCs to the operators, a circular signed by CBN Director, Financial Policy & Regulation, Kelvin Amugo said.

The apex bank had refunded the mandatory caution deposit of N35 million each to all BDC operators but retained the N1 million licencing fee paid by each of the operators.

Likewise, Finance Houses are expected to meet N100 million capital base for the subsector as stipulated by the regulator.

The CBN director said the finance companies sub-sector was envisioned to operate at the middle tier of the financial system, largely to cater for the financial needs of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

They are also expected to leverage on the resources from the banking system among other sources of funding. The CBN had in a bid to sanitise the sub-sector, revoked the licences of 208 finance companies and cancelled the approvals-in-principle of 462 others due to the distress in the sub-sector.

By 2012, there were 116 finance companies in the records of the CBN; 51 licences were revoked by the CBN in September 2012 thus leaving a balance of 65 FCS with valid licences.

The idea is to have finance companies that are strong and virile to perform the functions they were set up to perform. The objective of shareholders in the operation of finance companies is to make profit, but for the CBN, it is to have stable and strong finance companies.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/cbn-approves-4106-bdcs-76-finance-houses-for-operations/

Mercedes-Benz sold more vehicles around the world last month than ever before in May: A total of 198,187 cars with the three-pointed star were handed over to customers (+2.3percent). The premium brand thus achieved best-ever unit sales for the 63rd month in succession.

Figures released by the authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership in Nigeria, Weststar Associates Ltd, show that in the first five months of this year, 985,063 units were sold, which is 5.4percent more than in the prior-year period. Mercedes-Benz was the premium brand with the newest registrations in May in countries including Germany, France, Belgium, Portugal, Greece, USA, Canada, Brazil, South Korea, Japan and Australia.

Read also: Mercedes-Benz V-Class Redesigned for Luxury, Utility …

“The 63rd record month in succession demonstrates our customers’ trust in first-class products from Mercedes-Benz. This enables us to further expand our strong position in the premium segment. This May, we delivered more than 198,000 vehicles, which is more than in any May before,” stated Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing and Sales.

“Our SUVs are particularly popular with our customers. Worldwide, nearly 350,000 units sold since the beginning of the year is an incredible result; never before have we delivered so many SUVs to our customers in the first five months of a year. We are especially looking forward to the launch of the new G-Class. With our off-road icon, we will continue the success story of the SUVs in June.”

Unit sales by region, market

In Europe, sales of 393,977 Mercedes-Benz cars in the period of January to May were around the very high prior-year level (+0.1percent). This means that Mercedes-Benz posted the highest unit sales ever in Europe in the first five months of a year. The brand delivered 81,011 vehicles to customers this May (-4.1 percent). In Germany, the domestic market, 125,817 cars with the three-pointed star were sold since the beginning of the year (+2.6 percent). In the markets, France, Spain, Sweden, Poland and Denmark, the brand posted its highest ever unit sales in the first five months and also in May – as well as in Hungary, where furthermore a significant double-digit growth was achieved.

Unit sales in the Asia-Pacific region increased by 10.2 percent last month to a new high of 79,481 Mercedes-Benz cars delivered. Since the beginning of the year, the brand achieved double-digit growth in the region with sales of 408,844 cars (+13.6 percent), thus setting a new record. More units were sold than ever before also in China, where 56,066 customers were delighted to receive their new car with the star last month (+12.1 percent).

Since May, the E-Class Cabrio and the S-Class Coupé have also been sold in China. New records were posted last month also in the markets South Korea, Japan, and Australia.

In the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA} region, 32,614 customers took delivery of their new Mercedes-Benz cars in May (+0.9 percent) and 159,132 in the first five months (+0.4 percent). Accordingly, the brand slightly exceeded the very high level of the previous year. Sales in the USA totaled 26,976 vehicles in May (+0.3percent) and were over the prior-year level as well. In Canada (+1.8 percent) and Mexico (+7.1 percent), Mercedes-Benz set new sales records in the first five months of the year.

Unit sales by model
Demand for the SUVs from Mercedes-Benz, especially the GLC, was once again very high last month. With an increase of 4.3 percent to sales of 69,340 units, more SUVs were sold than ever before in May. A new sales record was set also for the first five months of the year: 349,119 customers decided in favour of an SUV with the three-pointed star in that period (+11.1 percent}With the start of production of the new G-Class in Graz, Austria, last month, the success story of the iconic SUV is being continued. More than 300,000 units have been handed over to customers since the launch of the first model of the G-Class in 1979.

The E-Class also contributed to the brand’s success with record sales: Since the beginning of the year, 152,618units of the Saloon and the Estate were sold (+2.5 percent).

The popularity of the new S-Class is unbroken: Mercedes-Benz sold 6,646 units of the luxury saloon in May (+17.1percent) and 36,314 customers decided in favour of the brand’s flagship since January (+26.3percent). Demand for the S-Class Saloon was very high in all regions of the world.:

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/mercedes-benz-posts-63rd-consecutive-sales-record-in-may/

The conference and awards is an annual event where the LEADERSHIP Group celebrates those who had distinguished themselves in the public and private sectors in the preceding year. The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Towards Financially Viable State Governments’.

Vice President Osinbajo who is chairman of the occasion and Special Guest of Honour delivered the keynote address, while Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who is the Guest Speaker will speak on the theme, ‘Towards Financially Viable State Governments’. Many other state governors will also be in attendance at the event as guests of honor to add their perspectives on the theme of this year’s edition of the conference and awards.

A statement signed by the Group Managing Director (GMD) of LEADERSHIP Group Ltd, Alhaji Abdul Gombe, noted that the Etsu Nupe and Chairman, Niger State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, will be the royal father of the day.

Gombe noted that the International Conference Centre, Abuja, was chosen as the venue for the event in view of the high-powered guests who would be attending the awards conference. He assured that all logistics have been put in place to accord the event, which is barely three weeks away, the deserving honor and prestige.

In December 2017, LEADERSHIP had in line with its annual tradition of celebrating individuals and organizations that have distinguished themselves in their various fields of endeavor and made outstanding contributions to Nigeria and the world in the course of the year, picked the nominees for its 2017 awards.

For the year 2017, two eminent Nigerians were jointly nominated for the award of LEADERSHIP Persons of the Year. They are Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun and Executive Secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Barrister Sharon Ikeazor. Recall that the trio of Kebbi State governor, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele and the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu were LEADERSHIP Persons of the Year 2016.

For the year 2017, two eminent Nigerians were jointly nominated for the award of LEADERSHIP Persons of the Year. They are Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun and Executive Secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Barrister Sharon Ikeazor. Recall that the trio of Kebbi State governor, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele and the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu were LEADERSHIP Persons of the Year 2016.

Explaining the criteria employed by the newspaper’s Board of Editors in arriving at the choice of the duo, Gombe said Adeosun jointly won the coveted LEADERSHIP Person of the Year 2017 award for steering the country through its worst recession in 29 years in spite of the headwinds and daunting odds caused by years of profligacy and neglect.

He explained that LEADERSHIP’s choice of the minister was also informed by her vision of “setting out a clear macroeconomic framework for recovery and growth within the last one year and for her steadfastness, firmness, economic activism and courage that led to the introduction of strong policies that have helped to rebuild confidence in the economy in the face of some of the most gloomy forecasts”.

For Barrister Ikeazor, the GMD said she jointly won the LEADERSHIP Person of the Year 2017 award “for conceiving and executing a new approach to pension administration that has rekindled hope in many, and for transforming the Pension Transitional Arrangement (PTAD) into a standout agency able to deliver on its core mandate and bring smiles to the faces of millions of pensioners within so short a time”.

In the other categories of the LEADERSHIP Annual Awards, three governors emerged joint winners of the Governor of the Year 2017 Award. They are Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, who was nominated for sustaining and exceeding the very high standard set by his predecessors in critical sectors as well as his focus and commitment to the ideals of governance; Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, for making a clear difference in infrastructural development and Bayelsa State governor, Henry Seriake Dickson for paying particular attention to education beyond the ordinary, making it free for all up to the secondary school level, including free textbooks and uniforms and without making noise about it.

The Award for Politician of the Year went to the former interim chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmed Makarfi, while Bank of the Year was clinched by Bank of Industry. Public Service Person of the Year went to the immediate past Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Mahmud Bello, while the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank Plc, Peter Amangbo, clinched the Banker of the Year Award.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/ntel-emerges-telecom-company-of-the-year-pictures/

Nigeria was celebrated recently when it won awards in 3 categories for its securities issuance activities in the domestic and international capital markets. The awards were Best Sovereign Bond in Africa – US$3bn Dual-Tranche (10 and 30 year) Eurobonds issued in November 2017; Most Innovative Bond – US$300mn Diaspora Bond issued in June 2017; and Best Naira Bond – ₦100bn 7-year Inaugural Sukuk issued in September 2017.

Coming from EMEA Finance (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa), which is a well-respected institution in the international financial markets, the Awards position Nigeria properly to attract foreign capital flows and also confirm the robustness of Nigeria’s Debt Management Office in packaging and offering products that appeal strongly to local and international investors. Even more significant for Nigeria is that awards by EMEA Finance are made after evaluating several Transactions, each of which is unique, using clearly defined criteria. That 3 Transactions by Nigeria won awards from a competitive process, is a huge plus for Nigeria.

Nigeria issued its first Diaspora Bond for USD300 million in June 2017. The Bond was selected for the Award both for the uniqueness in the manner in which it was structured. The Bond is also the first security issued by Nigeria that is registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

With the USD3 billion dual-tranche (USD1.5 billion for 10 years and USD1.5 billion), Nigeria recorded several firsts, making it a landmark transaction. Firstly, it was the very first time
that Nigeria raised an amount that large at once in the International Capital Market (ICM). Secondly, it was the first time a Sub-Saharan African country other than South Africa to issue a 30-year Bond in the ICM. For Nigeria, the significance of the tenor lies in the fact that it could now access stable long-term funds necessary to finance infrastructure. Indeed, Nigeria is proud to have opened the 30-year window as some other African countries such as Kenya subsequently issued 30-year Bonds.

The N100 billion Sukuk which won the award of Best Naira Bond, is perhaps in a class of its own, given that it was issued in the domestic market. For the Debt Management Office, the use of the proceeds is the most significant aspect of the product as they have been deployed to the designated 25 Road Projects across Nigeria’s 6 geo-political zones. A recent inspection of the Road Projects confirmed that a silent transformation in infrastructure has begun through Sukuk financing. The other significance of the Sukuk is that it opened a window for financial inclusion.

The Director-General of the DMO, Patience Oniha has been quoted several times in the past as saying that the DMO’s primary responsibility is that of managing the public debt, but in executing this mandate, it will introduce initiatives and products to support the development of the domestic market in order to position it as a veritable source of funds for the private sector to enable them to contribute to Nigeria’s economic growth and development.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/nigeria-shines-at-the-emea-awards-wins-3-awards/

oya na

Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to Africa slumped to $42 billion in 2017, a 21% decline from 2016, according to UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2018.



Weak oil prices and harmful ongoing macroeconomic effects from the commodity bust saw flows contract in major host African economies.

“The beginnings of a commodity price recovery, as well as advances in interregional cooperation through the signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement, could encourage stronger FDI flows to Africa in 2018, provided the global policy environment remains supportive,” UNCTAD Director, Division on Investment and Enterprise, James Zhan said.

FDI flows to North Africa were down 4% to $13 billion. Investment in Egypt was down, but the country continued to be the largest recipient in Africa. FDI in Morocco was up 23% to $2.7 billion, including as a result of sizeable investments in the automotive sector.

Lingering effects from the commodity bust weighed on FDI to sub-Saharan Africa, with inflows declining by 28%, to $28.5 billion. FDI flows to Central Africa decreased by 22% to $5.7 billion. FDI to West Africa fell by 11% to $11.3 billion, due to Nigeria’s economy remaining depressed. FDI to Nigeria fell 21% to $3.5 billion.

East Africa, the fastest-growing region in Africa, received $7.6 billion in FDI in 2017, a 3% decline on 2016. Ethiopia absorbed nearly half of this amount, with $3.6 billion (down 10%) and is now the second largest recipient of FDI in Africa. Kenya saw FDI increase to $672 million, up 71%, due to strong domestic demand and inflows in information and communication technology sectors.

In Southern Africa, FDI declined by 66% to $3.8 billion. FDI to South Africa fell 41% to $1.3 billion, due to an underperforming commodity sector and political uncertainty. FDI into Angola turned negative once again (down to -$2.3 billion from $4.1 billion in 2016) as foreign affiliates in the country transferred funds abroad through intra-company loans. In contrast, FDI into Zambia increased, supported by more investment in copper.

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) from developed economies (such as the United States, United Kingdom, and France) still hold the largest FDI stock in Africa. At the same time, developing-economy investors from China and South Africa, followed by Singapore, India and Hong Kong (China), are among the top 10 investors in Africa.

FDI outflows from Africa increased by 8% to $12.1 billion, reflecting a significant increase in outward FDI by South African firms (up 64% to $7.4 billion) and Moroccan firms (up 66% to $960 million). Outward FDI by Nigerian firms, in contrast, remained flat at $1.3 billion, focused almost exclusively on Africa.

FDI inflows to Africa are forecast to increase by about 20% in 2018 to $50 billion. The projection is underpinned by the expectations of a continued modest recovery in commodity prices and strengthened interregional economic cooperation. Yet Africa’s commodity dependence will cause FDI to remain cyclical.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/2018-world-investment-report-foreign-direct-investment-to-nigeria-fell-by-21-to-3-5-billion-in-2017-says-united-nations-report/