FANS CAME IN THOUSANDS TO SUPPORT AFRICAN BASKETBALL LEAGUE IN ABIDJAN

The City of Abidjan was thrown into fun and excitement over the weekend as the African Basketball League hosted basketball lovers to the Abidjan Basketball Challenge at Palais des sports de Treichville, Abidjan.

The two days in Abidjan showcased more than basketball as African music stars and dancers spiced up the nights with electrifying performances. The Nigerian artistes were led by Sound Sultan, Chidinma , Korra and May D. D J Arafat and others were also on ground to entertain fans.

The arena with a capacity of over five thousand was packed full to capacity and tickets were already sold out before the tip off time.

Abidjan Ramblers are top on the standings in the African Basketball League (ABL) following their fair performance in their native country in last weekend’s Abidjan Basketball Challenge where four of the franchise teams in the ABL competed against each other.

Though the Ramblers lost 72-84 to Lagos Islanders in a highly entertaining clash, the victory earlier recorded against the Stallions who they beat 60-52 ensured that they still hold the advantage at the top of the log, having posted seven wins from nine games.

Photos: Etisalat Distribute Treated net on World Malaria Day

From R to L; Chiweta Uraih, Specialist, Corporate and Social Responsibility, Etisalat Nigeria; Francis Nnaike; Manager, Regional Distribution (South-East), Etisalat Nigeria at the distribution of insecticide treated nets by staff of Etisalat Nigeria, recently held at Achara Community in Enugu.

L-R: Bassey Ette, Manager, Regional Legal Services; Ihechukwu Charles, Specialist, Environment Compliance; Chiweta Uraih, Specialist, Corporate & Social Responsibility; Uchechukwu Nwokolo, Officer, Regional Legal Services; Christian Kanu, Account Manager, Enterprise Sales (SME & Specialized Channels) at the World Malaria Day, Distribution of Insecticide Treated Nets by staff of Etisalat
Nigeria recently held in Port Harcourt.

Emirates Rolls out Fun for Nigerian Kids on Children’s Day

Commemorating the Children’s Day celebration, Emirates airline is set to roll out a raft of fun activities for children at the Ikeja City Mall. Slated to take place on May 27th and 28th from 12 Noon till 7pm on both days, the City Mall will be graced with an Emirates stand designed for children.

Children can enjoy a host of exciting activities such as face painting with animal faces and Emirates activity books, coloring pencils and drawing pages.  Kids can capture great memories while they get their picture clicked with Emirates Fly With Me Animals and dressed up as pilots and cabin crew. There are also lots of toys as giveaways.

To inspire young travellers, Emirates offers a set of toys that serves as a companion for kids on board their flights. The toys come in three product lines, Travel Buddy - a cuddly toy with a plastic toggle allowing it to be hung in the car, on a pram or in the cot, Carry Buddy - dual purpose toy and blanket and Magnetic sketchers - unique characters to keep kids entertained, with drawing and easy erasing functionality.

Emirates has teamed up with the travel experts at Lonely Planet Kids to create packs that inspire older children to explore more of the world. The Fly with Me Lonely Planet Kids products come in four variations – two specially designed retro-style rucksacks, and two cool bags. These include fold-out world maps, travel journals, plastic drink bottles, cards with world facts and various educational books exclusive to Emirates.

New United Nations study finds digital payments to Ebola response workers saved lives and $10 million

Mobile phones serving as digital “wallets” for payments to response workers proved an invaluable tool in Sierra Leone’s response to the Ebola crisis, according to a new study from the United Nations-based Better Than Cash Alliance (www.BetterThanCash.org).

With economic instability, natural disasters and political conflict now taking place at unprecedented rates, the new research offers valuable lessons on how to harness the power of technology to help emergency workers reach more people by paying them digitally during crises. The country has been Ebola free since January.

The report comes just ahead of the first ever United Nations World Humanitarian summit set to begin next week.

The study shows digital payments delivered compelling results in Sierra Leone, including: Cost savings of US $10.7 million for the government, taxpayers, development partners and response workers – the equivalent of funding Sierra Leone’s Free Health Care Program catering for 1.4 million children and 250,000 pregnant women annually.

Ecobank Group Appoints Amin Manekia as Group Exec, Corporate & Investment Banking

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), parent company of the Ecobank Group, today announced the appointment of Mr Amin Manekia as Group Executive of its Corporate & Investment Banking business. Mr Manekia steps into the position vacated in late 2015 by Mr Charles Kié, who moved to become Managing Director of Ecobank Nigeria.

A national of Pakistan, Amin Manekia joins Ecobank with 28 years of international corporate banking experience. It includes an excellent grounding in transaction banking, commercial banking, credit risk and general management. His career spans various business and regional leadership roles across different parts of the world, notably  the United States, Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Mr Manekia was most recently with Citigroup, where he spent 25 years of his career. He joined Citigroup directly from university in the United States in 1988, moving to South Africa earlier this year as Managing Director and Africa Head for Citi Securities & Banking. In this role, he successfully led Citibank’s Institutional Clients business.

Airtel Reviews Data Tariff, Offers More Value to Nigerians

…Offers 30MB for N100, 7GB for N3,500

In demonstration of its commitment to becoming the mobile Internet services provider of first choice for telecoms consumers in Nigeria, leading telecoms operator, Airtel Nigeria has announced a review of its data tariff plans in a strategic move to offer more value to customers.

Under the new data plans, customers can now enjoy up to 30MB with just N100, and 7GB at just N3,500 for a 30 day period. Customers can activate the new tariff plan by dialling *141#

With the review, telecoms consumers will be further empowered to connect to their dreams as well as fulfil their professional and personal endeavours at an amazingly discounted rate.

Speaking on the revised data plans, Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Ahmed Mokhles, said the data offering is designed specifically to cater to the needs as well as empower the different segments of mobile Internet consumers.

2016 ADVAN Conference: Brands Urged To Engage More During Recession

Brands in Nigeria have been advised to innovatively expand and sustain their platforms for consumer engagement even during periods of difficult economic climate like the one experienced in Nigeria at present.  The advice was handed down last Friday by Nigeria’s frontline brand research and consumerism expert, Lampe Omoyele at the maiden edition of Advertisers’ Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) Marketers Conference.

Lampe who is  also the Managing Director of The Nielsen West Africa, a brands and marketing research company,  strongly urged  brands  not to succumb to the temptation of cutting down on their marketing budgets despite internal and external pressures because they will ultimately make more gains.

From Left;Alhaji Garba Bello Kankarofi,APCON Registrar;Mr David Okeme,President Advertisers Association Of Nigerian[ADVAN]Alhaji Lai Mohammed,Hon Minister of Information and Culture and Mrs Johan Ihekwaba,General Manager Marketing UAC Foods Nigeria.At the 2016 Advertisers Association of Nigeria[ADVAN]Marketers Conference with the THEME;Connecting Brand Builders held at Sheraton hotel Ikeja Lagos.

Presenting a paper on ‘Consumer Confidence Trends  and Engagement’, Lampe noted that since the third quarter of 2015, consumer confidence in the economy has dropped significantly, and it has dropped even further in the first quarter of 2016 due to nagging issues like devaluation, foreign exchange crisis, high inflation, budget delay  and many others. He also noted that his company’s research revealed that there was a general decline in job prospects and a reduced willingness to spend by most consumers.

Because of these challenges, he explains further, most households now prioritise their expenditures and are consistently cutting down on what they spend on.

Media Entrepreneur, Adebola Williams Becomes Glo Brand Ambassador

Co-founder of RED Media, Adebola Williams has become Globacom a brand ambassador. The media entrepreneur immediately commenced work by taking part in a television commercial, which has started airing globally through the CNN, and across the nation.

The engagement of Williams signifies a new resolve of the company to widen its scope to include younger, hard working Nigerians whose exploits in entrepreneurship and allied endeavour are providing inspiration for the coming generation.

It was learnt that the company intends to demonstrate to Nigerian youths that without being in sports and entertainment, they can still be rewarded and celebrated as long as they show diligence in their chosen areas of endeavour, especially, entrepreneurship.

Williams, co-owner of highly successful brands, including Red Media Africa, The Future Awards Africa and YNaija.com, amongst others, played a significant role in the rebranding of President Mohammadu Buhari. He was one of the brains behind some of the President’s youth-oriented campaign events.

Ghanaian diaspora embrace MTN Mobile Money when sending home with WorldRemit

MTN Mobile Money has become the fastest growing method of receiving WorldRemit international money transfers in Ghana.

The number of transfers received on mobile accounts is growing by 13% per month on average, as Ghanaians abroad discover the convenience of sending instantly to MTN Mobile Money.

Countries sending the most money to Ghana include the United Kingdom, USA and Australia.

WorldRemit is the global leader in international transfers to Mobile Money, with connections to 32 services in 24 countries across Europe, Africa and Asia.

The increased use of Mobile Money in remittances is also driving a new phenomenon - 'micro remittances', where people send smaller amounts, more often.

Stanbic IBTC continues focus on customer experience with banking platform upgrade

Stanbic IBTC Bank, a member of Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, has concluded plans to upgrade its core banking platform to enhance its information technology (IT) infrastructure and operational efficiency.

The upgraded core banking system will go live today, May 16, 2016, according to Stanbic IBTC. In preparation for the switch over, during the weekend of May 14-15, 2016, all Stanbic IBTC channels will be unavailable for transactions. The cut-over window commences at 12.00am on Saturday, May 14, 2016, and ends by noon on Sunday May 15, 2016. The Stanbic IBTC Customer Service Hotline will remain available to assist customers resolve any issues at any time. The numbers are 0700 2255 782 6242 (0700CALL STANBIC) and +234-1-2709676 and are available on the bank’s website

Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Yinka Sanni, stated that the systems upgrade is in conformity with the customer value proposition of the bank, which is to provide exceptional financial solutions to its customers. “We will continue to focus on meeting the diverse needs of our customers in a timely and efficient manner; by availing them of a wide array of products and services that enable them to realize their personal and business goals,” he added. In providing these leading edge products and services, he said the bank will continue to work closely with its customers and potential customers, while it consistently invests in its people and employ leading edge technology.

5 reasons why you should always read the user's manual of your new device

Let's face it, many users of new gadgets do not bother to read the manual. In excitement, they open their gadgets and begin operating it even though they have little or no knowledge about how to use the device.

However, the manual is not there for fun. If it is not important, it will not be part of the package. Jovago.com, Africa's largest hotel booking portal rollout 5 reasons you should read the manual of your gadget.

Tells you how to set up your gadget

This is the basic reason why you should read a user's manual. You may not know everything about your phone. This is where the user's manual come handy  as it will help you resolve any issues you will have with your device.

Warranty and servicing details

The manual offers you a good idea of your warranty period, date of production, and the serial number of your gadget. In addition to this, informs you whether your gadget is under warranty or not. With all these important details about your phone, you can easily reference whenever you need it.

Billionaire Warren Buffett eyeing Yahoo acquisition

American billionaire Warren Buffett has joined the bidding race to acquire Yahoo. The famed chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc is backing a consortium that includes Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert in bidding for Yahoo’s internal assets.

For a long time, it's been speculated that Yahoo may sell its internet business due to stagnant growth and falling stock prices in recent times, and it finally opened up for bids in April.

However, there is still no certainty regarding the consortium’s ability to buy out Yahoo in the auction, but the interest shown by Warren Buffett and Dan Gilbert is indeed good news for Yahoo.

So far, the consortium’s plans for Yahoo are confidential, and whatever rumors may be circulating at the moment are unconfirmed. It’s not certain whether Warren Buffett plans to add Yahoo to Berkshire Hathaway, a holding company that has ownership of companies like Geico and IBM. He did mention in an earlier interview with CNBC that “something has to change there” in regard to Yahoo.

All Set For AAAN AGM in Uyo

The 43rd Annual General Meeting of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) is set to hold between the 19th and 21st of May 2016 at the Le Meridien Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

According to the organizers of the AAAN Annual General Meeting, the event themed “Communication as a tool for National Development”, promises to be fun filled and engaging as a series of activities have been lined up to ensure delegates enjoy the rich hospitality that the state offers even in the peak of deliberations.

To begin the AAAN 2016 AGM in Uyo, SO&U Limited will be hosting delegates to an exclusive welcome dinner. The dinner, which will take place on Thursday 19th May from 7pm, would have the State’s Deputy Governor Mr. Moses Ekpo as its Special Guest of Honour.

According to the MD of SO&U, Mr. Udeme Ufot, the welcome dinner offers the delegates an opportunity to relax, network and enjoy the hospitality of the state. Whilst commending the organizing committee members for their professionalism, excellence and dedication, he noted that the SO&U Group would continue to play a prominent role in AAAN activities.