GTCrea8 powers BasketMouth Entertainment Show

Guarantee Trust Bank(GTB) on the platform of GTCrea8, recently partnered with Basketmouth on his annual UK Valentine Concert. 

The event which was graced by Basketmouth ft WizKid,also had some more entertainers at the event, ranging from  Olamide (BaaAdoo), Patoranking, Buchi (Nig), David Kau (SA), Salvador (UG) ,Aje Baba, Youngest Landlord, Mc Casino, Mayor, Osama, David Kau (SA) Salvador (Uganda) and Buchi, while Play, Olamide and Wizkid gave the crowd the most energetic and phenomenal music performance

The GTCrea8 e-Savers account is a card-based interest bearing account designed to allow undergraduates maintain a value adding banking relationship using the bank’s electronic channels.  It is a classy and trendy card which gives the freedom to pay into ones account through the GTBank internet banking platform, via the cash deposit ATMs or at any of the GTB branches nationwide. 

It also allows for payments of cheques and dividend warrants, to the sum of N100,000, into your account; It allows for unlimited cash withdrawals at ATMs within Nigeria and abroad, wherever you see the MasterCard logo; Payment at supermarkets, shopping malls, cinemas and other outlets that have POS terminals that bear the MasterCard logo; Purchase of airtime, transfer money to your friends, pay DSTV bills and perform other transactions through Internet Banking, GTConnect and GTMobile. Interest is usually paid on one’s account balance (2.5% per annum) when using the GTCrea8.

By bringing GTCrea8 into foreplay in entertainment, GTBank aims at inspiring undergraduates to be creative, while helping them catch fun at val.

Most affordable Microsoft Lumia arrives in Kenya

Microsoft Mobile GM East Africa Mariam Abdullahi (right) and Jumia Kenya MD Parinaz Firozi

Two new Microsoft Lumia smartphones, the Microsoft Lumia 435 and Microsoft Lumia 532, are now available in Kenya for Ksh. 10,200 and Ksh. 11,750 respectively. The Lumia 435 is the most affordable Lumia yet, with core smartphone features, the best Windows Phone experiences and access to the latest apps. 

The Lumia 435 opens up the Windows Phone experience to even more people, while Lumia 532 is a powerful quad core smartphone that builds on the success of the Lumia 530. With a premium layered design, glance screen, front facing camera and more memory, the Lumia 532 enables people to achieve their goals with the best of Microsoft’s experiences:

·         Switch effortlessly between voice and video calls with built-in Skype integration and a front-facing camera.

·         Read, review, edit and share on the go with the full suite of Microsoft Office on Windows Phone preinstalled.

·         Keep your photos, videos and Office documents safely backed up with 30 GB of free* OneDrive cloud storage.

·         Easily manage work and personal email on the fly, with Microsoft Outlook.

·         Capture photos quickly and easily with Lumia Camera and take, edit and share great selfies with the front-facing camera and Lumia Selfie app.

·         Have your home screen your way with Windows Phone 8.1 and the Lumia Denim update, complete with one-swipe Action Centre, Word Flow and Live Folders.

·         Stay up-to-date with the best new features through regular Windows updates.

“The Microsoft Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 show our commitment to bring Windows smartphones to as many people as possible. Both devices are fantastic for those moving to a smartphone for the very first time”, notes Patrick Henchie, head of product, Microsoft Mobile Device Sales, Sub-Sahara Africa.

Emirates Group Security signs MoU with Arab Air Carriers Organisation to extend University Diploma Programmes

The Centre of Aviation & Security Studies (CASS), the academic arm of Emirates Group Security and the Arab Air Carriers Organisation Regional Training Centre (AACO RTC), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to extend two University Diploma programmes to the members of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO).

The University Diploma in Aviation Security Management and the University Diploma in Ground Handling are being inducted as part of AACO RTC’s training curriculum with its offices in Jordan and Egypt. These two courses are jointly developed by Edith Cowan University of Western Australia and Emirates Group Security.

“The two University Diploma Programmes are excellent examples of high-quality management training which have been tailor-made for professionals working in the aviation industry. Designed specifically to improve management practices in aviation security and ground handling, both programmes tap on the practical experience of Emirates’ CASS, the regional expertise of AACO, and the academic excellence of Edith Cowan University of Western Australia. We believe these courses add to the educational and professional development opportunities available to those working in aviation, and ultimately help support the growth of the aviation industry in the MENA region,” said Dr. Abdulla Al Hashimi, Divisional Senior Vice President of the Emirates Group Security.

The courses, administered by CASS and academic staff from Edith Cowan University, consist of an 18-month programme which involves self-study, tutorials and examinations.

“We are delighted  with this strategic initiative  to broaden  the   platform of  tertiary education  in  aviation  security and ground handling education which will  certainly complement the existing  vocational  and  industry-specific training  programmes.  Students   who sign up for these diploma courses  will  be embarking  not only on  a  learning  journey  from the  aspects  of the civil aviation  profession  but also  the road towards attaining  academic  qualifications. This will augur well for those who wish to pursue further academic programmes and play a strong role in professionalising the industry,” said Edith Cowan University’s Professor Nara Srinivasan,  Pro-Vice Chancellor  (Emirates Engagement) and Professor of  Security and Risk.

Gidi Culture Festival 2015 announces lineup of artiste, host and DJS

Saturday, April 4th, 2015 is the date. Eko Atlantic, Lagos is the venue. Following the success of last year’s maiden edition, Gidi Culture Festival is set to hold another thrilling event.

Oganizers of the festival, Eclipse Live Africa, has announced the first lineup of artists, hosts and DJs for the event. The first line up includes; Mr. Incredible (M.I.), Yemi Alade, SDC, Waje, Falz, Rwanda’s Urban Boyz, Ghana’s EL, Kenya’s Victoria Kimani,  and the Congo’s Awilo.

Temi Dollface, Ebisan and Kenya’s Sauti Sol will be lighting up the live stage. DJ Lambo, DJ Neptune and South Africa’s DJ Gino Brown handling the wheel of steel while hosts N6 and Taymi B joined by UK Comedian Eddie Kadi to keep the festival moving along smoothly.

The second lineup of hosts, DJ’S and artists is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

This year’s main sponsors include: Lagos State, Eko Atlantic and Diamond Bank.

Tickets will go on sale beginning March 1st via gidiculturefestival.com and will also be available for purchase at Diamond Bank branches nationwide.

MasterCard, Grooming Centre to Extend Electronic Payments to MSMEs in Nigeria

MasterCard and Grooming Centre have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will see electronic payment solutions extended to 500,000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in peri-urban and rural parts of Nigeria.

Grooming Centre is a Nigerian micro-finance organization that seeks to address the gaps in financial services by providing affordable loans to women-owned MSMEs. Up until now, Grooming Centre disbursed these payments by cash or cheques, which are less efficient than electronic means.

Under the MoU which was signed on Tuesday 24th February, the Grooming Centre will pre-load the funds onto MasterCard prepaid cards. Business owners can use their cards to withdraw funds at millions of ATMs or pay for goods and services at merchants that accept MasterCard payments in Nigeria and in over 210 countries globally.

Ezediashi Ofili, VP, Prepaid Product Management MasterCard, (Centre, Left) and Godwin Nwabunke, CEO, Grooming Centre (Centre, Right) shake hands following the signing of an MoU that will extend electronic payments to MSMEs in Nigeria. Looking on are Adesoji Tayo Executive Director, Grooming Centre (Extreme Left) and Uwagbae Uzebu, Director Acceptance Development Non Traditional Channels MasterCard (Extreme Right)

Ezediashi Ofili, VP, Prepaid Product Management MasterCard, (Centre, Left) and Godwin Nwabunke, CEO, Grooming Centre (Centre, Right) shake hands following the signing of an MoU that will extend electronic payments to MSMEs in Nigeria. Looking on are Adesoji Tayo Executive Director, Grooming Centre (Extreme Left) and Uwagbae Uzebu, Director Acceptance Development Non Traditional Channels MasterCard (Extreme Right)

“There are a huge number of MSMEs that do not have access to any form of formal financial tools or services. Through the provision of electronic payments, these business owners will enjoy more convenient access to capital, be able to better manage and track their spending, save for future needs and protect themselves against unforeseen risks,” says Godwin Nwabunke, Chief Executive Officer of Grooming Centre.

Qatar set for November-December World Cup

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar should take place in November and December, according to the recommendations of a FIFA taskforce on Tuesday, with the tournament all but certain to be confirmed by FIFA's executive committee in Zurich next month.

Unconfirmed reports have also revealed that the changes could see the final held on 23rd December.

The outcome of the discussions is also a proposed reduction in the duration of the 2022 World Cup, with the exact dates to be defined in-line with the match schedule and number of venues to be used for the 22nd edition of football’s flagship event.

However, the European Club Association (ECA) and European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL) have long argued against a winter World Cup. The two bodies joined forces in December to put forward a staging period of May 5 to June 4, arguing that the model would avoid a “brutal split” of domestic football caused by a winter tournament.

Fifa’s Task Force included representatives of the football community at confederation, member association, league and club level as well as representatives of FIFPro, the ECA, the EPFL, the chief executive of the 2022 World Cup local organising committee, Hassan Al Thawadi and Fifa’s medical experts.

Sponsorship: adidas Wrap Up Arsenal's Theo Walcott Deal

adidas have announced that they have signed up Arsenal’s Theo Walcott to a sponsorship deal. The new deal ends a near 12-year association with Nike, which began at the age of just 14.

The 25 year-old will also join adidas' major digital campaign, #therewillbehaters, alongside the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and former Southampton teammate Gareth Bale.

Walcott was due to debut the Adidas adiZero F50 boot during Arsenal's Premier League game away at Crystal Palace on Saturday but was an unused substitute in the Gunners’ 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace. The striker could now sport the new adidas boot for the first time against Monaco in the Champions League.

African nations face dilemma over digital switch

The UN has set June as the deadline for moving from analogue to digital transmission. Only a few African countries seem prepared for the change. Even the largest television markets on the continent are lagging behind.

Staring at a blank TV screen has become a reality for most Kenyans, and many other African TV viewers could face the same fate come June 17. That is the deadline set by the UN's International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for television programs to be transmitted only digitally.

After the deadline, satellite dishes and antennas will receive their signals via a different technology. Theoretically, it will be possible to receive many more channels and enjoy improved image quality.

There is a story behind Kenya's black screens. President Uhuru Kenyatta's government ordered a consortium of four major television networks to be blocked from broadcasting in analogue. This happened after they refused to change their signals to digital. The media houses argued that they were not ready yet, and now they are in court trying to push for one hundred more days to prepare for the digital transition.

Apart from Nigeria and South Africa, Kenya is one of the largest television markets in Africa. The Standard Group, one of Kenya's leading media house, says it needs more time for the switchover

All three countries are not ready for the switchover, says Mike Jensen, an IT specialist with the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) based in South Africa. "The Kenyan situation is probably the worst-case scenario on the continent; South Africa is pretty close," Jensen said. "In Nigeria, only one state has made the switch," Jensen told DW.

Jovago.com MD Mentors Future Entrepreneurs On Business Strategy

The Managing Director of Jovago, www.jovago.com – Africa’s largest online hotel booking platform advises up and coming entrepreneurs and startup founders to scale up their business strategies by focusing on growing their businesses internally and seek funding later.

At the recently concluded Connect Nigeria e-Business Fair held in Lagos, the Managing Director of Jovago.com, Marek Zmyslowski made a presentation where he enjoined entrepreneurs to not get carried away with the pursuits of finding a Venture Capitalist to fund their startup, because the pressure of growth can become too much to handle if the Startup has not internally grown and matured yet.

According to Marek Zmyslowski, Managing Director of Jovago Nigeria, “When you have big money, then you have bigger problems. All startups are looking for VC funding but the most important thing is to focus on growth and scaling the business first.” 

Zmyslowski also said “while building a business in Africa and looking for role models to imitate, entrepreneurs should look at businesses in Asia and borrow a leaf from them. Asian businesses focus on growing the business from inside out with strong focus on mobile and consumer satisfaction.” He also noted that African businesses have increasingly gone mobile. With smart-phone adoption exploding across the region and strong signs of tablet growth, the addressable market has grown tremendously, leading to the emerging era of m-commerce.

Wema Bank appoints four new directors

Wema Bank Plc has announced the appointment of four new directors to its board. They are Abolanle Matel Okoh and Babatunde Kasali as non-executive directors; Folake Sanu and Wole Akinleye as executive directors.

According to the statement, this brings to 14 the number of directors on the board of the bank and shows its continued commitment to the sustenance of corporate governance and adequate gender representation.

The Managing Director, Wema Bank, Mr. Segun Oloketuyi, expressed confidence that the appointment would bring quality representation to the board as well as support the management of the bank in its drive to build upon its recent achievements while positioning itself for further growth.

He also thanked the outgoing Director, Mr. Ramesh Hathiramani, for his immense contributions and the value he brought to bear during his time on the board.

It said the new directors were coming with over 10 decades of combined experience and had made significant contributions to the banking industry and the growth of the nation’s economy.

Lagos NIPR Stakeholders’ Conference To Hold at MUSON Centre in April

 The MUSON Centre, Onikan will play host to the second edition of the annual Stakeholder’s conference of the Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations come Thursday, April 23rd and Friday 24th, 2015.

According to the Chairman, NIPR Lagos, Barrister Joseph Okonmah the conference themed: “The Nigerian Consumer” will afford regulatory authorities and corporate organizations the opportunity to deliberate on issues affecting Nigerian consumers in the country.

Chairman, NIPR Lagos, Barrister Joseph Okonmah

“The essence of the conference is to discuss issues relating to the “Nigerian Consumer” and to appreciate organizations and individuals that have identified with the interests of the Nigerian Consumer”, he said.

Topics to be discussed include:  Protecting the Rights of the Nigerian Consumer – An Insight into Consumers’ Expectations in Nigeria; Demand for Standardization of Consumer Products; Challenges of Telecommunication Services in Nigeria; The Persistent Energy Challenges In Nigeria: Hope for the Nigerian Electricity Consumers; The Nigeria Customs Service: Meeting the Nigerian Public Expectations; Tackling Environmental Challenges of Oil Pollution in Nigeria – An Overview; Checking the Increasing Rate of Substandard Products in Nigeria- The Journey so far, among others.

Regulatory Authorities and Corporate Organizations expected at the 2-Day conference include: Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency; Consumer Protection Council; NAFDAC; Nigerian Communications Commission; Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission; Nigeria Customs Service; National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), among others.

Diamond Bank Nigeria Introduces Fingerprint Mobile App

Diamond Bank Plc, a leading retail bank, has launched “Touch ID feature” on the Diamond Mobile App, a fingerprint recognition feature that allow users with iOS devices to login to their accounts with just their finger prints as an alternative to entering a User ID and Password.”

The divisional head, Corporate Communications of the Bank, Ayona Trimnell stated that the introduction of the unique feature will remove the burden of forgetting or having to remember the user ID and Password for account holders to login for their respective business transactions.

"We are pleased to announce the launch of the Touch ID feature on the Diamond Mobile App. This means that Diamond Mobile App users that have iOS devices can now login to their accounts with just their finger prints as an alternative to entering a User ID and Password."

Speaking further, she stated that with the "introduction of this innovative solution to the Nigerian banking space, Diamond Bank once again demonstrates its commitment to be at the fore front in offering technological solutions that make banking an exciting, convenient and secure experience for our customers."

The introduction of the Touch ID Feature on Diamond Mobile App marks the entrance of the service to the Nigerian banking scene. It also consolidates Diamond Bank's position as an innovative Bank that is progressively changing the face of banking in Nigeria with best-in-class customer-focused solutions.

Guinness announces 5% revenue rise

Guinness Nigeria has announced its interim results for the six months which ended December 31, 2014.

The company delivered a five percent increase in revenue, while gross profit was up by two percent.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr John O’Keeffee, said: “We experienced improvement in performance during the half as revenue for the second quarter showed a growth of 13 percent compared to minus six percent in the first quarter. The negative gearing due to mix drove a net sales growth of five percent”.

The results, which were released to the Nigerian Stock Exchange, also disclosed a marked increase in one off costs and administrative and marketing expenses.

Finance and Strategy Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc Mr. Ron Plumridge, said: “Some of the key cost drivers over the period are the significant investments made to support our route to consumer optimization and will support future growth.

“These strategic investments, which have been classified as one off costs in the income statement, have depressed operating profit for the half. In the second half, we plan to sustain volume growth but recognise there are significant external uncertainties we will need to continue to manage