BrandArena: January 2023

Monday 30 January 2023

LIRS Boss, Ayodele Subair, Bags Vanguard's Public Sector Icon Award

Executive Chairman, Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), Mr Ayodele Subair, has been conferred with the 2022 Public Sector Icon of the year at the 11th edition of the Vanguard Personality of the Year Award held at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos on Friday, January 27, 2023.

Ecobank Group, the leading pan-African bank, has won the highly coveted Best Place to Work in Africa 2022 Award from the Best Place to Work organisation. The Award honours organisations that exhibit the highest standards of excellence in Human Resources (HR) practices and employees’ experience. Ecobank is the first Pan-African bank to have been awarded the certification.

Wakanow, Africa’s foremost travel tech company, has today announced an exclusive distribution partnership with ValueJet, a Fly for Value Aviation Company and Nigeria’s newest domestic airline, to host ValueJet’s inventory on their website and increase local flight inventory available to local travelers.

British International Investment (BII), the UK's development finance institution (DFI) and impact investor, has announced the appointment of Chris Chijiutomi as MD, Head of Africa. Moving on from his previous role at BII as MD and Head of Infrastructure Equity, Chijiutomi will now lead the DFI’s operations in Africa and work to further strengthen its longstanding presence across the continent.

CBN, NIBSS Unveil ‘Afrigo’ the Nigerian National Domestic Card Scheme

The Central Bank of Nigeria today officially unveiled the Nigerian National Domestic Card Scheme - AFRIGO, in conjunction with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement Systems (NIBSS) Plc, the Bankers Committee, and other financial ecosystem stakeholders. Afrigo card is operated by AfrigoPay Financial Services Limited (AFSL), a national domestic card scheme duly licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Canon Europe has expanded the functionality of its PTZ cameras with two new apps available via its Add-On Applications System, enabling users to add new functionalities for video production. Canon’s new Auto Tracking Application RA-AT001 and the Auto Loop Application RA-AL001 build on market demand to create a powerful standalone solution for video production without the need for external hardware. These new paid applications are easy to configure, and coupled with Canon’s 4K camera technology, make the ideal solution for a broad range of scenarios, from higher education, corporate, live events, broadcast and houses of worship.

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has pledged $10 billion over the next five years to support Africa's initiatives to eradicate hunger and establish itself as the world's leading producer of food. Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the Bank Group, made the announcement on Wednesday at the Dakar 2 Africa Food Summit in Diamniadio, east of Dakar, the city of Senegal.

Surulere Local Government and Rísé.ng have partnered to empower over one thousand artisans and vendors in Lagos by funding their registration on Rísé.ng online business platform to ensure easy access to customers and accessibility.

DLM Capital Group Sponsors Employee's Philanthropic Projects

DLM Capital Group, a development investment bank, partnered with the Shile Akinjo Charity Foundation (SACF) on two of its charity initiatives: "Love Feast on the Street" and "Back-to-School Project."

Emmanuel Okorafor Joins Louisville Men's Basketball Team for 2022-23 Season

Louisville men's basketball announced Thursday the addition of forward/centre Emmanuel Okorafor to the roster for the current 2022-23 season.

All Set For Afro Nation Portugal 2023, Announces List of Artistes, Location & Date

...Festival to hold at Portimao Beach 28-30th June

...Tickets on Sale from Thursday 26th January

After a year of highs and countless mind-blowing moments, the World’s biggest Afrobeats festival returns to Portimão’ sun-kissed coast this summer. Taking place between 28-30th June 2023, Afro Nation Portugal (www.AfroNation.com) announces the first wave of names.

Mama Money, a rapidly growing fintech that offers cross-border money transfer and banking services has partnered with AFC Commercial Bank, a market leader in Zimbabwe with a reliable and robust payout network.

Touch and Pay Technologies (TAP), a Nigerian fintech company and leading processor of micro-transactions in Africa, announced today that for the first time, rail passengers across Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos, can access the newly launched Blue Rail Line using TAP’s contactless Cowry card.

Partech Africa, the VC fund dedicated to technology startups in Africa, has issued its annual report on Africa Tech Venture Capital. The report, which aims to provide a practical picture of the state of the ecosystem, revealed that despite the global VC downturn, the African tech ecosystem grew faster than all other markets globally.

AFEX Expands Operations To Uganda, Appoints Group CEO and Presidents

AFEX, Africa’s leading commodities exchange and commodities market player, has announced its expansion into Uganda, seven months after it first entered the East African continent. Similar to Kenya and Nigeria, farmers in Uganda will benefit from AFEX’s revolutionary tech-enabled services for agricultural producers. In its first year of operations, AFEX Uganda aims to reach 10,000 farmers and aggregate 15,000 metric tons of commodities, while extending its aggregation, storage, and financial inclusion services to Ugandan farmers and processors.

The Central Bank of Nigeria in collaboration with the Nigerian Interbank Settlement Systems (NIBSS) will be launching a new innovation called the Nigerian National Domestic Card Scheme. Here are 7 facts about the National Domestic Card Scheme System people need to know.

France and NBA Announce Comprehensive Collaboration to Elevate Basketball in France and Africa

The NBA and the FFBB will expand their existing basketball development programming that has reached more than a quarter of a million French youth over the past decade

Lagos-based communication and events consultancy, AT3 Resources on Friday 20th, January concluded its week-long digital marketing training for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in commemoration of its 5th Anniversary. The training themed ‘Leveraging Possibilities for SMEs in The Digital Age’ was designed to empower SMEs to seize the growth opportunities present in the digital media era.

The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) has announced that January 31, 2023, remains the deadline for filing the annual tax returns by employers of labour.

Airtel Nigeria Appoints Femi Adeniran As Director, Corporate Communications & CSR

Consummate communications professional, Femi Adeniran has been named Director of Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for telecommunications giant, Airtel Nigeria.

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings steps down as CEO

Netflix has announced that its founder, Reed Hastings, has stepped down as co-CEO. Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters are now co-CEOs of the streaming giant, while Reed Hastings is now the executive chairman.

Evolve Restates its Commitment to Tackling Global Climate change by Educating the Girlchild

...targets 50,000 female students across Nigeria

Evolve, a non-profit organization that focuses on girl-child education, and its lead partner, Polaris Bank have restated their commitment to curbing global warming through intervention in the girl-child education in Nigeria.

Redefining the Household Routine with Health and Hygiene Products

...Once You Experience It, You Cannot Live Without LG Dishwashers, Washing Machine and Dryers

Household chores is an unavoidable part of daily life. Many people consider it boring and time-consuming, given that we often spend hours on the monotonous actions of washing dishes or doing laundry. Keeping this in mind, LG Electronics (LG) offers state-of-the-art home appliances with innovative features designed to deliver the ultimate user convenience so that people spend less time and effort on their household routine especially one with health and hygiene features.

WISCAR Hosts Special Fundraiser to Support Credible Female Candidates in the 2023 Elections

...In collaboration with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, funds raised will aid the increase of female representation in governance

In a positive move cementing efforts to promote gender equality and women’s participation in leadership, Women in Successful Careers (WISCAR), a leading not-for-profit and non-governmental organization recently held a special fundraiser to support credible female candidates running in the 2023 elections. The fundraiser was held in collaboration with renowned author and women’s rights advocate, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Stanbic IBTC Bank, a subsidiary of Stanbic IBTC Holdings, has rewarded 77 customers with cash prizes in the ongoing Reward4Saving Promo 2.0 during the quarterly draws which held recently.

The much anticipated launch of MacBook Pro 14″ and 16″ with the M2 Pro and M2 Max SoCs (systems on a chip), and the Mac mini with the M2 and M2 Pro are finally over as Apple announced on Tuesday the complete switch from Intel chips to Apple Silicon.

Making a triumphant return at this year’s CES, LG Electronics (LG) took home its most awards ever compared to previous years – with more than 220 recognitions honoring top innovations across its home appliance and home entertainment categories.

Wakanow Restructures For Global Expansion

...Bayo Adedeji and Adenike Macaulay repositioned to lead the charge

Wakanow is defining the future in the travel industry, opening new doors, creating ease of travel, unlocking new destinations, and providing fintech services that enhance travel. The revolution is creating opportunities that are driving the future of how customers shop for travel and how they interface with travel agencies and the entire value chain of the travel industry.

Afrobarometer’s board chair, senior advisers, and directors of analysis and surveys met in Lilongwe, Malawi, to kick-start the 10th cycle of Afrobarometer surveys. Word by word, phrase by phrase, and sentence by sentence, the Afrobarometer team scrutinised dozens of questions as part of a week-long process that started on 9 January.

Five technology priorities for enhancing the African healthcare sector

by Bonisiwe Tshabalala, Senior Industry & Value Advisor at SAP Africa

What actions can African countries, healthcare providers and healthcare organisations take to improve the provision of health services to the continent's 1.4 billion citizens?

Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC, a subsidiary of Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC has been named the leading bank in the retail and corporate banking in Nigeria according to the KPMG 2022 Nigeria Banking Industry Customer Experience (CX) Survey.

Vantage Capital, Africa’s largest mezzanine debt fund manager, announced that in December 2022 it fully exited its investment in Pétro Ivoire, the most established locally-owned distributor of petroleum and gas products in Côte d’Ivoire. The company has a leading position in the gas-to-consumer segment as well as about eighty service stations around the country.

The Ministry of Hydrocarbons of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), under the leadership of H.E. Didier Budimbu Ntubuanga, has selected U.S. power engineering and construction firm, Symbion Power, as the winner of a tender for the development of the Makelele biogas project in Lake Kivu in the eastern part of the country. The project will include over $300 million in investment for the development of a 60 MW gas-to-electricity system to connect consumers in Goma and the North and South of Kivu provinces via existing trading hubs.

Earthshot Prize: MultiChoice calls on climate change activists and innovators across Africa to submit nominations

The Earthshot Prize, a global environmental prize to discover, accelerate, and scale ground-breaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet, has begun its 2023 search for breakthrough solutions to solve the globe’s biggest environmental challenges. MultiChoice, the official African broadcast partner and member of The Earthshot Prize Global Alliance, is issuing a call for entries from African organizations, businesses, governments, and individuals who are doing scalable and impactful work in this capacity.

Heritage Bank Plc, one of Nigeria’s most innovative service providers, has emerged as the first financial institution in Nigeria to win the “Best Supporting Bank with Central Bank of Nigeria’s Information on Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP).”

Since the launch of Shakira and Bizarrap’s Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53, the track has skyrocketed to the top of Spotify’s Top 50 Global chart. Aside from reaching the top of the charts, Bizarrap and Shakira broke the record for the most-streamed Latin track in a single day in Spotify history, and the track has also broken the record for most streams by a track in a given day in Spain and Colombia.

Insight Publicis, a leading advertising powerhouse and member of West Africa’s largest integrated marketing communications group, Redefini, and global Publicis Groupe, has announced the appointment of Seyi Layade as its new Account Management Director.

AppsFlyer and Google have launched a new report looking at how mobile apps are transforming finance in Africa. Data reveals a significant increase in finance app installs across the African continent, as people turn to apps and technology as a way of managing finances, navigating economic uncertainty, and moving towards financial freedom.

Samsung to unveil Galaxy S23 series on February 1 at Galaxy Unpacked event

Samsung has set the date for its annual Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event. The first event in 2023 will take place on February 1st.

African payments giant, Flutterwave, is considering the acquisition of British fintech Railsr, according to a Sky News report.

Coinbase Global, a cryptocurrency exchange, said in a regulatory filing Tuesday that it plans to let off approximately 950 employees as part of its efforts to decrease operating expenses. According to the firm, the reorganization strategy should be mainly completed by Q2.

Guaranty Trust Bank UK Limited (GTBank UK) has reached a settlement with the FCA, accepting findings in relation to historical Anti-Money Laundering (AML) controls in its operations in the period October 2014 to July 2019.

Have you seen your 2022 Bolt wrap-up? You should go on the app and see what the stats say about you. Bolt has released its insights for 2022 showing interesting information like the city in Nigeria that use Bolt the most to move around, popular request locations and destinations, and even famous delicacies in Nigeria, according to Bolt Food.

UK Fines GTBank £7.6m over Money Laundering Controls

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) a financial watchdog has fined the United Kingdom unit of Nigeria’s Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) £7.6 million ($9.3 million) for serious weaknesses in its anti-money laundering (AML) systems and controls between October 2014 and July 2019.

Airtel Nigeria pays $316.7 million for 5G and 4G spectrums

...to roll out 5G network and expand 4G services this year

Airtel Nigeria, a subsidiary of Airtel Africa, announced that it has acquired 5G spectrum and an additional 4G spectrum for the sum of $316.7 million to roll out 5G network and expand its 4G services respectively.

With more businesses in West Africa adopting cloud technologies than ever before, the region is set to enhance its competitiveness significantly.

Following the receipt of all required regulatory approvals, Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC (Stanbic IBTC), a member of Standard Bank Group, has announced the appointment of new directors across the Group.

The Board of Directors and Management of Wakanow Group has appointed Mrs. Adenike Macaulay as Chief Executive Officer of Wakanow Nigeria effective January 2023.

Plans are in top gear for the Canada-Africa Chamber of Business (CACB) Africa Accelerating 2023 in Toronto from the 10th to 12th of October. The three-day conference will address and advance the immense opportunities for rapidly accelerating Canada-Africa trade and investment ties.

Vertiv (NYSE: VRT), a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, has announced the appointment of Giordano Albertazzi as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective January 1, 2023.

Monday 30 January 2023

Saturday 28 January 2023

Wednesday 25 January 2023

Tuesday 24 January 2023

Monday 23 January 2023

Sunday 22 January 2023

Saturday 21 January 2023

Wednesday 18 January 2023

Monday 16 January 2023

Thursday 12 January 2023

Wednesday 11 January 2023