BrandArena: July 2023

Saturday 29 July 2023

X officially introduces its ads income-sharing programme for creators

Twitter, which Elon Musk is rebranding as X, is now officially rolling out its advert income-sharing programme for artists. The business paid some authors earlier this month, but users worldwide who satisfy the eligibility criteria can now apply for the programme through the monetization page in settings.

Making the Best out of the Podcast Pandemic by Sharing Your Voice with the World

In a time when an overwhelming abundance of information and content keeps us perpetually engaged, there's no room for boredom. From soul-stirring music to binge-worthy blockbuster movies and a deluge of gossip podcasts flooding the internet, there's something for everyone to follow and trend with.

As the second day of the SAPHILA 2023 conference - the African SAP User Group’s (AFSUG) official biennial conference for SAP users - opened, delegates were able to find out more about how SAP has addressed its own digital transformation to the most powerful effect. SAPHILA 2023 took place at Sun City, North West Province, on 10 and 11 July 2023.

Terragon, a Nigerian cloud analytics and marketing platform, has raised $9 million in a Series B round of funding. The funds will be used to improve the platform's cloud-native capabilities and to launch its Pan-African growth.

For the Development Bank of Nigeria's first bond issue, Prominent development investment banking institution, DLM Capital served as both the principal issuing house and the financial consultant. Through one of its subsidiaries DLM Advisory, the DLM Capital Group has constructed and provided advice on Nigeria's first development bond, which was issued by the Development Bank of Nigeria.

When it comes to televisions, we always make sure we are choosing the best because there are many options out there, but the ultimate choice would be a brand and model with 10-year experience in the market, like LG OLED.

The Coca-Cola Company issues half-year report, reveals excellent growth

The Coca-Cola Company has released its half-year report for 2023, demonstrating strong and continuing performance in a complex operating environment.

The striking Manchester City Third kit, created to symbolise the throbbing vitality and vibrancy of the City of Manchester, has been released by global sports firm PUMA and Treble winners Manchester City. The new shirt was unveiled exclusively in Tokyo, Japan as part of City's pre-season tour.

Meta has announced a new WhatsApp feature that allows users to send and receive short video messages in their chats, enhancing the messaging experience with more emotion and personality.

The Coca-Cola Company's Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Thomas S. Gayner as a director. Gayner, the CEO of Markel Group, will join the board immediately.

Vantage Capital, Africa's largest mezzanine fund manager, has announced the completion of a €30 million equity investment to acquire a major minority position in Promamec, a Moroccan medical distribution company. Vantage Capital's funding facilitated the exit of the private equity fund AfricInvest and will also help to fund Promamec's next stage of development.

Centurion Law Group, a renowned full-service pan-African law practice specialising in energy and natural resources, has announced the appointment of Oneyka Cindy Ojogbo and Zion Adeoye as partners and shareholders.

Oscar Tshifure, Razor PR's head of public affairs, has been elected president-elect of the Public Relations Institute of South Africa (PRISA). Tshifure, who has over 16 years of expertise, will guide the industry group and its communities towards a future in which public relations and strategic communications play a significant role in business and society.

Twitter is apparently hard-balling advertisers in an effort to enhance its bottom line as it rebrands to X. According to recent reports, Twitter's revenue has decreased by a whopping 50%.

Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA), the leading provider of printing and imaging solutions, has announced a collaboration with Zebra Productions Kenya, a prominent Kenyan film and television production business. Through the Canon Miraisha Programme, the cooperation intends to give essential training and skill augmentation to aspiring photographers, videographers, filmmakers, and print company owners.

Ransomware remains one of the main threats to information security globally and in the META region. According to IBM's data breach report, the average cost of a ransomware assault in 2022 was US$4.54 million, and Kaspersky solutions detected over 74.2M attempted ransomware attacks (a 20% increase from 2021). While the number of ransomware assaults decreased in the first quarter of 2023, it increased in the second quarter of 2023 in some locations, even when compared to the same period in 2022.

The Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC), a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group and a leading Shariah-compliant multilateral insurer, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the State Assets Management Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan (UzSAMA).

Anthropics Technology, the creators of the AI-powered Zyler Virtual Try-On, has announced a collaboration with John Lewis, one of the UK's largest department shops, and rental expert HURR to add virtual try-on technology to their fashion rental website.

The Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) conference and exhibition was officially launched in Luanda by event organiser Energy Capital & Power (ECP), in collaboration with the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, and partners such as the National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG), the Oil Derivatives Regulatory Institute (IRDP), and national oil company Sonangol.

Mastercard, a global leader in financial services, has partnered with Alerzo, Nigeria's largest technological service provider, to address the issues encountered by SMEs in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry. This collaboration intends to empower businesses by providing digital payment solutions, financial training, and loans, ultimately leading to enhanced market sustainability and success.

Elon Musk to change Twitter brand to 'X,' replace iconic bird

Twitter has unveiled its new logo, replacing the blue bird on its website with an X as part of a broader rebranding effort. On Monday, the social media network's website displayed the company's new logo: a white X on a black background.

Xiaomi has announced the debut of a new variant and colour options for the highly acclaimed Redmi Note 12 smartphone. Building upon the immense success of the Redmi Note 12 Series, Xiaomi continues to innovate by introducing refreshing choices that cater to diverse user preferences.

African Development Bank enters new $1 billion exposure exchange with Asian Development Bank to increase development lending capacity

To strengthen development lending capacity, the African Development Bank has entered into a new $1 billion exposure exchange with the Asian Development Bank. The transaction will help it unlock extra sovereign financing space. It will also help to support ongoing attempts to build buffers into the African Development Bank's capital adequacy measures.

Twitter is reportedly working on a job posting function that would allow recognised organisations to publish job postings on their profiles in order to compete with the professional social networking platform, LinkedIn.

The shareholders gave their unanimous approval during the company’s 6th Annual General Meeting in Lagos on Wednesday, where they agreed that the bank remains well-positioned to sustain and build upon its growth legacy.

The Secretary General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Haitham Al Ghais, will return to Luanda for the fourth edition of the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) conference, which will be held 13-14 September under the auspices of the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas.

RightCard Payment Services Limited, a Lemonade Technology Inc. company, has joined Flutterwave, Interswitch, PayPal, and Opay as an International Money Transfer Operator (IMTO) in Nigeria. The company just stated that it has secured a licence from the country's Central Bank, allowing it to operate as an IMTO entity within the country.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has signed a Heads of Agreement with Nigerian oil and gas business UTM Offshore Limited for the UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) project, which involves the construction of an FLNG vessel capable of producing 176 million cubic feet of gas per day from the Yoho Field. The agreement details the NNPC's 20% equity contribution to the FLNG project and is a significant step forward in promoting domestic gas utilisation in Nigeria.

Afrobeats in recent times has been known to reinvent itself through the fusion with other music genres. Which are some of the key genres that Afrobeats has been fused with over the years? What do the fans think of these fusion sounds? What has been the impact of fusing Afrobeats with other sounds? This week’s update to Spotify’s Afrobeats: Journey to a Billion Streams site has the answers.

The premium energy drink of Rite Foods Limited, Fearless ignited the 'Embrace the Thrill' passion of consumers through various board games, football, and video games of different types, with a climax dubbed 'The Fearless Challenge,' an ice bucket contest where three winners emerged on Saturday, 15th of July 2023.

EAIF Extends €35 Million to Bring Pioneering 46mw Biomass Power Plant in Côte D’ivoire to Financial Close

...Project advances West Africa’s circular economy, boosts yields and incomes of local farmers

...€8m Viability Gap Funding support provided by PIDG Technical Assistance

The Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), a Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) company, today announced that it had officially broke ground on the pioneering 46MW biomass power station in Ayebo, Côte D’Ivoire, bringing clean power and a more diverse energy mix to the region.

Meituan invests in China's promising OpenAI rival Zhipu AI

Meituan, the country's famous food delivery business, has invested in Zhipu AI, a promising opponent to OpenAI, in a move that highlights China's developing AI environment and its aim to compete on the world stage. The investment is a deliberate move to strengthen Meituan's AI capabilities and capitalise on the platform's broad reach while establishing Zhipu AI as a powerful competitor in the battle to develop advanced large language models (LLMs).

The ongoing Women Deliver 2023 Conference, a multi-sectoral event aimed at furthering gender equality, has received the support of the African Development Bank (AfDB). The conference which commenced on July 17th will end today July 20th in Kigali, Rwanda.

Radisson Hotel Group had a solid first quarter of 2023, with strategic growth across the portfolio realised in APAC and EMEA through milestone openings and signings. The Group also announced new offers to its owners and guests, including the addition of art'otel to its portfolio, which combines art and lifestyle.

Vantage Capital, Africa’s largest mezzanine debt fund manager, announced that it has made an investment into Aquasantec International, a manufacturer and distributor of water tanks, pipes and related products, addressing water, sanitation and hygiene needs across the East African region.

DLM Capital Group, a leading development investment banking firm, has announced the maturity and successful redemption of its 1.70 billion Series 9 268-Day and 1.10 billion Series 10 180-Day Commercial Paper Issues, which matured on July 17 and July 14, respectively. Since its start, the cumulative redemptions under the $20 billion Commercial Paper Issuance Programme have exceeded $8.95 billion.

AppsFlyer today released the 2023 edition of its State of eCommerce App Marketing report, which provides an in-depth look at key global industry trends that will assist retail marketers build a mobile-first experience that drives engagement and sales in the second half of 2023, particularly during the peak holiday season.

Insurtech MyCover.ai Raises $1.25M Pre-Seed Funding

MyCover.ai, the insurtech startup building Africa's digital insurance infrastructure, today announced the completion of a $1.25 million pre-seed fundraising round led by Ventures Platform. Founders Factory Africa and TechStars participated in the round, which is a follow-on investment after the start-up's participation in its 2022 Toronto Accelerator programme. MyCover.ai will use the funds to develop its in-house operations and tech personnel, invest extensively in proprietary technology, and strategically expand into other African markets.

In the midst of the ongoing global food security crisis, the Executive Committee of The Arab-Africa Trade Bridges (AATB) Programme, a multi-donor, inter-regional programme, established a US$1.5 billion Food Security Programme to address concerns of food insecurity in the Arab and African areas. The crisis is a major challenge confronting the globe today, and it remains a top priority on the international development agenda.

The Nigerian media sector is experiencing rapid growth and facing strong competition as it continues to evolve. P+ Measurement Services, a leading media intelligence consultancy, analyzed the top media performers in the Nigerian subscription-based streaming services, telecommunications, and insurance sectors for the second quarter of 2023.

The annual MGI Scrabble Premier League, a competition modelled after the game of football, ended its preliminary stages on Saturday, June 24, 2023, at Homeville Plus Hotel Benin in Edo State. At this stage of the competition, Ewarah Squiz and Whisky Godsfavour won their respective divisions.

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has appointed Senegalese native, Ousmane Fall as Director of Non-Sovereign Operations and Private Sector, beginning August 1, 2023.

China’s Scientists, Zhong Lin Wang and Ruzhu Wang Receive the 2023 Global Energy Prize

...$430,000 Grant Evenly Distributed Between the Two Chinese Laureates

Two Chinese researchers have emerged as the recipients of this year’s 2023 Global Energy Prize. The grant of $430,000 was presented by the Global Energy Association for the Advancement of International Energy Research and Projects, who are Chinese scientists. Zhong Lin Wang, the Founding Director of the Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, emerged as the winner in the category “Non-Conventional Energy”. Additionally, Ruzhu Wang, a Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, was honoured with an award in the category “New Ways of Energy Application”.

Chronicles Software, an education technology business, has promised to reward the best students in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Lagos State with a sum of N2 million as part of its SuccessBOX Excellence Award program.

Warner Music Group and TikTok announced a broad collaboration, providing the popular video app access to the music label's catalogue and potentially new revenue options for artists and composers.

Canon Inc. announced in March that it had hit two important manufacturing milestones: 110 million EOS Series interchangeable-lens cameras and 160 million[2] RF/EF Series interchangeable lenses. The 110 millionth EOS series camera was an EOS R6 Mark II (issued in December 2022), whereas the 160 millionth interchangeable lens was an RF 100mm F2.8 L MACRO IS USM (launched in July 2021).

Tesla directors, including its CEO Elon Musk, who were recently accused of earning excessive remuneration, have negotiated a $735 million settlement with the corporation. The Detroit Police and Fire Retirement System filed the case in 2020, contesting the validity of stock options granted to Tesla's board of directors from 2017 to 2020, totalling around 11 million options.

GDM Group, Nigeria's leading marketing and media technology company, renowned for bespoke service offerings ranging from marketing tech solutions, big data management, and 360 integrated marketing services, has received five awards in recognition of its performance in setting standards of excellence in executed brand strategy, experiential marketing, digital integration, product development, and integrated experience.

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in Nairobi announced the disbursement of a $120 million financing facility to Djibouti's Great Horn Investment Holding (GHIH) for the implementation of a series of development projects in the country's Damerjog Industrial Development Free Trade Zone.

On the sidelines of the 5th African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, on 15 July 2023, the African Union Commission (AUC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) established the Africa Facility to Support Inclusive Transitions (AFSIT). AFSIT intends to assist nations through complicated political transitions as well as countries in danger.

Saturday 29 July 2023

Friday 28 July 2023

Thursday 27 July 2023

Monday 24 July 2023

Friday 21 July 2023

Thursday 20 July 2023

Wednesday 19 July 2023