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Nigeria targets 12.5mmt of maize production in 18 months

Ngozi Amuche
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Nigeria targets 12.5mmt of maize production in 18 months

The Central Bank of Nigeria has promised to support indigenous farmers to produce 12.5m metric tonnes of maize in the next 18 months.

Head, Development Finance Department, CBN, Mr. Yusuf Yila, said on Friday at a meeting with Maize Growers Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria in Abuja that increased support was crucial in driving maize value chain in the country.

The meeting focused on strategies for effective implementation of the 2020 wet season CBN-Maize Anchor Borrowers’ Programme.

Represented by Mr. Elennor Ihua of Maize Champion, Development Finance Department, CBN, Yila said the bank was committed to making maize a focal commodity in Nigeria.

His words, “CBN is passionate about maize as a commodity. We believe that there is immense opportunity in that crop, and Nigeria has a comparative advantage to produce maize that will not only sustain the country but can be exported. It is on that premise that the CBN resolved to pursue the support of the maize initiative.

“Just this 2020 wet season farming, our total pursuit and target that we have met is 250,000 hectares across the country and MAGPAMAN coming for the first time has taken about 70 000. We have a mandate to ensure there is no maize scarcity in this country. So, our target for the dry season is to double that number.”

On his part, the Senior Commercial Officer, Commodities and Export Department, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Inuwa Ibrahim, described the move as laudable, especially at a time the country was diversifying its economy.

Ibrahim stressed the ministry’s commitment to partner with commodity associations that were determined to promote food security in the country.

He urged the maize farmers to leverage on the CBN’s ABP to prove that they could produce for local demand.

The National President of MAGPAMAN, Dr. Edwin Uche, said that the association had received support worth N13bn from CBN for the 2020 wet season farming.

Uche urged the farmers to take advantage of the programme to improve maize production and pay back the loan.

“MAGPAMAN has received N13bn for the wet season maize ABP for 70,000 farmers.

“It is a programme that provides farmers access to finance, technology and mechanisation, and virtually to all key components of the value chain,’’ he said.

While commending the Federal Government for its policies in agriculture, Uche said that the CBN-Maize ABP had profited the association immensely.

“Our farmers have got their inputs and cash components. They are farming and activities are going on. We are working to address gaps where necessary.

“Maize is one of the commodities that can pull people out of poverty, it has a short life span, short gestation period and you can do it two or three times a year. So, what is an unemployed graduate doing when he can make a lot of money from it,’’ Uche said.

One of the partners, Ecobank, urged the farmers to regularise their accounts to fast-track easy access to the loan.

According to the Regional Manager, North, Rita Ademola, account regularisation is a key factor in speeding up the process of getting inputs in time.

Syinix launches first android TV in Kenya

Kolawole Onasanya
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Syinix launches first android TV in Kenya

Syinix has launched its first Android TV in Kenya.

The launch was aired on NTV and Startimes Kenya and hosted by Size 8 Reborn. With the launch, Syinix will explain to customers in detail what the Syinix A20 series has to offer.

The Syinix A20 series has 32”, 43”, 50” and 55” screen.

Syinix will offer 12+12 warranty on new Syinix Android TV and within those two years, the customers will receive free repair service from Carlcare. The aim is to ensure that there is interaction with customers in order to answer questions, resolve supporting issues, improve credibility, and build stronger relationships with the clients.

Syinix explained: “The new Android TV is now compatible with Google Assistant, you can quickly find and play your favorite shows, get answers, and control your home. The Bluetooth-enabled TV will allow you to use external speakers to get better sound. Comes with the Chrome cast built-in feature, the TV allows one to stream your favorite shows, movies, music, sports, games, and more from your mobile device to the big screen.”

It also offers quality with the HDR advanced image processing technology, which can better reflect the visual effect in real environment and let users see richer and more realistic colours.

A statement by the company said, “The other goal of the HDR is to maintain as much of the original image quality as possible, all the way through to the living room.

“The aesthetically pleasing television with its frameless structure shows the success of Syinix Android TV being the first true frameless television. The Syinix Android TV has a screen to body ratio of 96 per cent for a larger and more optimal viewing experience and has a very thin bezel at the bottom.”

SAP appoints new regional president

Kolawole Onasanya
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SAP appoints new regional president

SAP has appointed Claudio Muruzabal as the new President for SAP‘s EMEA south region that comprises Southern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Muruzabal replaces Steve Tzikakis who is leaving SAP to pursue a leadership opportunity outside of the company.

With presence in 75 countries, 24 offices, and about 5000 employees across EMEA South, SAP has doubled its business in the region over the last five years.

Muruzabal who joined SAP in 2015 as President of SAP Latin America and the Caribbean has over 25 years of technology industry leadership. A visionary of the role of technology-driven innovation in business, Muruzabal has enjoyed great success in SAP’s Latin America region.

Prior to joining SAP, he was CEO of NEORIS, successful global management and IT consulting business. A strong advocate of education, entrepreneurship and the promotion of diversity, Muruzabal has been recognized as one of the HITEC Top 50 Most Influential and Notable Hispanic Professionals in the IT Industry in Latin America and Spain and in 2019, he received a Bravo Award from the Council of the Americas organization, as Technology Leader of the Year.

“Claudio Muruzabal’ s leadership is grounded in building robust relationships to deliver strong business outcomes and exceptional experiences for our customers. I’m confident our customers in EMEA South will enjoy tremendous value from Claudio’s expertise,” said Adaire Fox-Martin, Member of the SAP Executive Board, Customer Success.

“Steve Tzikakis has delivered tremendous outcomes for our customers over his 12- year tenure at SAP and his contributions to our customers and to SAP will endure for years to come.”

“With over 23,000 customers and more than 19,000 partners across the EMEA South region, I am both honored and excited to take on this new role,” commented Muruzabal.

“EMEA South represents a tremendously dynamic market for SAP and the opportunity to grow in the region is significant. I look forward to helping customers capitalize on their SAP investment and reach their full potential.”

Ecobank named Africa’s best bank for corporate responsibility by Euromoney

Kolawole Onasanya
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Ecobank named Africa’s best bank for corporate responsibility by Euromoney

The leading pan-African banking group, Ecobank, has won the coveted prize of Africa’s ‘Best Bank for Corporate Responsibility in the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2020.’

Euromoney recognised Ecobank’s focus on sustainability and partnerships and its core capabilities in delivering positive social and environmental outcomes across Africa.

Carl Manlan, Chief Operating Officer of the Ecobank Foundation, said: “At Ecobank we leverage human capabilities and other core resources to partner for African transformation. We are passionate about co-designing partnerships to drive change at community levels across our pan-African footprint.

“The Euromoney Award for Excellence recognises our collaboration with African communities and like-minded partners.”

In a similar vein, Ade Ayeyemi, CEO of Ecobank Group, added: “The Ecobank Foundation is doing amazing work in delivering on its commitment to improve the quality of life of people across the African continent.

“The Foundation should be rightly proud of its ceaseless impact and the real difference that it is making in numerous parts of the continent. Through the Foundation, our Group leverages its resources and capabilities to contribute to the economic and social development of Africa.”

According to a statement by the bank, Ecobank’s corporate responsibility primarily concentrates on the three key areas of health, education, and financial inclusion.

Vivo launches V19 smartphone

Kolawole Onasanya
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Vivo launches V19 smartphone

Vivo has launched a new smartphone, V19. The new smartphone was launched in the Middle East in June 2020.

A statement by the phone company said, “Featuring the Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 processor with 8 GB RAM + 128 GB ROM, a long-lasting 4500 mAh battery and FlashCharge 2.0, compared to previous V series models, the smartphone is equipped with upgrades that enhance the overall gaming experience.”

The V19’s functionally-upgraded Ultra Game Mode, according to the statement, now packs in more fun features including Fast Screen Capture and Screen Recording. Furthermore, some of Vivo’s all-time favourite features have been updated too, including Game Vibration, Voice Changer, and Killer Countdown.

It added, “Multi-Turbo 3.0 integrates artificial intelligence (AI) to provide lag-free application performance, network stabilisation, and enhanced power efficiency when the application is running. What’s more, consumers are sure to love its capacity for rapid action with ART++ Turbo that enhances the application’s activation speed by 11 per cent, while Game Turbo optimises touch control for faster and more sensitive interaction.

“Meanwhile, the Centre Turbo feature ensures greater scheduler optimisation, resulting in a seamless experience with the stability of the FPS increasing by around 78.05 per cent on mainstream games – fluid gameplay at its best.”

Through the combination of this technology, gamers can significantly up their performance when playing games and running multiple applications simultaneously.

The Ultra Game Mode also comes into play for tasks outside of gaming – it minimises external interference by temporarily blocking out incoming social media notifications, messages, and calls, allowing users to enjoy complete peace of mind when working on documents, presentations, or virtual meetings.

Nigerian, 11 others to participate in Facebook accelerator programme

Kolawole Onasanya
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Nigerian, 11 others to participate in Facebook accelerator programme

As part of its focus in bringing people together and building communities, Facebook has announced the 12 African community leaders who have been selected to join Facebook’s Community Accelerator, a six-month programme that aims to equip communities with the training, mentorship, and funding they need to grow.

As part of the global Facebook Community Leadership initiative launched in 2018, the Community Accelerator programme invests in leaders who are building communities around the world; including bringing people together, offering encouragement, and driving change.

Following the call for applications in March 2020, 77 community leaders from around the world were chosen, with 12 selected from Sub-Saharan Africa.

Awarding up to $3m, selected community leaders will receive up to $30,000 in funding. In the first three months of the programme, they will learn from experts and coaches, whilst developing customized curriculums focused on growing their own communities.

The following three months will then be focused on iterating and executing their plans, with funding and continued support from their network, as well as from a dedicated programme team.

The programme will then culminate in an event with community leaders to showcase their communities and progress to external funders and partners.

Commenting, Kezia Anim-Addo, Head of Communications for Sub-Saharan Africa, said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming 12 African community leaders to Facebook’s first Community Accelerator. We’ve seen time and again the power of communities in bringing people closer together and feeling more connected.

“We know community leaders can do amazing things when they have adequate support from others, tools to get the job done, funding to grow and belief in themselves.

“The Facebook Community Accelerator will enable these great communities to make an even greater positive impact in the world, and we hope that through the support of the programme these communities will have an extraordinary impact, even in extraordinary times.”

Community leaders selected from across Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa as part of the Facebook Community Accelerator include Hauwa Ojeifo (Nigeria); Bright Shiitemii (Kenya); Lauren Dallas (South Africa); Tony Onuk (Nigeria); Esther Mwikalii (Kenya), among others.

UN Women Policy Brief exposes disadvantages to women entrepreneurs

Kolawole Onasanya
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UN Women Policy Brief exposes disadvantages to women entrepreneurs

Women-led businesses are more vulnerable to closure than those led by men in the era of the novel coronavirus, due to women’s limited access to finance, shifts in consumer behavior, and the increase in women’s household care responsibilities as a result of extended lockdowns.

All across the continent, the coronavirus pandemic is wreaking economic havoc and hitting women the hardest, with women-led small and medium-sized enterprises at greater risk of closure as they tend to be smaller and on average, operate in lower profit margin, service-based industries.

These and other important findings of a new policy brief highlighting policy solutions to support women-led businesses in Africa in a post-COVID-19 world were released during a webinar organized Wednesday 15 July by the African Development Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa programme, working with UN Women and ImpactHER.

“The compilation and analysis of real-time data is crucial as Africa responds to the pandemic. The surveying of women-led businesses from across sectors and industries provides the opportunity to have targeted interventions aimed at keeping these vital contributors to African economies afloat,” said Esther Dassanou, AFAWA Coordinator.

The brief, ‘Transformative policy solutions to support women-led businesses in Africa in a post-COVID-19 world,’ contained results of an ImpactHER survey of more than 1,300 women-owned SMEs in 30 African countries on the impact of COVID-19 on their businesses. Over 200 participants joined in the virtual webinar, which was moderated by UN Women’s Elena Ruiz, Women’s Economic Empowerment Regional Policy Advisor for West and Central Africa.

“The policy brief and the discussion have put on the table strategies that work for women entrepreneurs in the region. We hope this will contribute to making sure that women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses are at the centre of COVID-19 recovery plans and to help governments and other actors build a post-COVID-19 economy that challenges, rather than reproduces, gender inequalities,” Ruiz noted.

Panelists in Wednesday’s seminar were Ada Udechukwu, Head of Women’s Banking at Access Bank, Nigeria; Efe Ukala, Founder of ImpactHer; Sylvia Natukunda, Founder and CEO of yogurt company Farm Reap in Uganda; Kosi Yankey, Executive Director of the National Board for Small Scale Industries in Ghana; and Dr. Boutheina Ben Yaghlane Ben Slimane, Director General, Caisse of Deposits & Consignments in Tunisia.

They shared perspectives from government, private sector and banking on how women-led businesses in tourism, trade, retail, hospitality, education, personal care and similar sectors have suffered as a result of COVID-19, and offered recommendations for immediate, short- and medium-term solutions to mitigate the impact on women-led businesses.

“ImpactHER commissioned the survey to allow it to provide practical solutions to women-led businesses,” Efe Ukala, its founder, said. “So far, ImpactHER has offered resilience training, custom business advisory services including financial forecasting, valuation, company restructuring, rebranding, etc., technology tools such as e-commerce websites which are critical to ensure the viability of women entrepreneurs in a post-COVID era.”

ImpactHER has provided such support to over 3,000 women entrepreneurs in over 25 African countries, Ukala noted.

The panelists also showcased solutions in action, such as the African Development Bank’s recent approval of a loan of €264m to help support the Moroccan government to mitigate the health and socio-economic crisis brought on by the pandemic.

Parts of these funds will go towards mobilizing financial resources for women-owned enterprises whose cash flow has deteriorated due to declining activity.

Through Bank Al-Maghrib, women-owned SMEs will have access to guarantees that cover 95 per cent of the credit amount and enables banks to rapidly put together exceptional overdrafts to finance the target companies’ operating capital needs.

“The fight against the pandemic requires public and private sector involvement to enhance women entrepreneurs’ ability to bounce back from the crisis. Efforts such as the one in Morocco as well as Tunisia and Ghana, should be replicated throughout the continent,” Dassanou said.

Local content advisory committee to push for more inclusive energy industry

Kolawole Onasanya
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Local content advisory committee to push for more inclusive energy industry

The African Energy Chamber has appointed its highest-level advisory committee to serve on local content matters and support capacity building across the continent.

The local content committee members are part of the chamber’s advisory board and serve in their personal capacities, representing decades of experience working for the leading local and international players in Africa.

They include Kola Karim, CEO, Shoreline Energy International; Walter Peviani, Managing Director, Saipem Contracting Nigeria Ltd; Jorg Kohnert, Managing Director, Jagal Energy; Chijioke Akwukwuma, Managing Director/CEO, Ocean Deep Drilling ESV Nigeria Limited; Jude Kearney, President, Kearney Africa; and Eric Williams, President, Royal Triangle Energy Solutions.

Others are Pablo Memba, CEO, Equatorial Resources; Ogutu Okudo, Country Manager, SpringRock Group; and Rémi Mouchel, Operations Director and President of the Executive Board, IFP Training.

Local content has always been at the core of the chamber’s mandate and priorities. Capacity building and the procurement of local goods and services throughout the African hydrocarbons value chain is a central pillar to building sustainability in the industry, creating jobs and generating local value for African economies.

According to experts, as African energy markets recover from COVID-19 and the historic crash of oil prices, local content matters will become even more important for governments and operators to support economic recovery and cut costs.

In addition, 2020 has been a turning point for the African regional content, with increasing awareness across the continent on the need to build regional ventures and enterprises able to offer African solutions to African energy problems, from Senegal to Mozambique.

“We cannot continue to blame others for the lack of progress. Local content is changing across the board and adapting to new realities and requirements. In 2020, local content development needs to adapt to new market dynamics and developments in the African workforce. All stakeholders need to come around key priorities for our industry including the integration of women, the development of new skills, especially as the African energy industry embraces digitization, and finding a way to develop a strong African regional content,” stated NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman at the African Energy Chamber.

The committee is the second committee of the chamber’s advisory board to be announced recently, disclosing that it has put together leading industry experts, executives and public representatives to support several initiatives over the course of 2020 and 2021, such as local content development, natural gas and energy transitions, the promotion of an enabling environment and the expansion of exploration activities.

Trident Energy bets on pre-salt layer with Brazil acquisition

Kolawole Onasanya
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Trident Energy bets on pre-salt layer with Brazil acquisition

Trident Energy, the independent company operating the Ceiba and Okume fields in Equatorial Guinea since 2017, has made its official entry into Brazil’s offshore.

The company has acquired the Pampo & Enchova clusters from state-run Petrobras, which include 10 concessions producing over 22,000 bopd from the PPM-I, PCE-1, P-8 and P-65 platforms.

A statement by the company said, “With this acquisition, Trident Energy confirms continued appetite from independent oil and gas operators to grow their assets globally, especially in proven geological regions around the pre-salt layer which extends from Africa to Brazil.

“Such offshore regions, which include the hydrocarbon-rich provinces found in Angola, Equatorial Guinea or São Tomé and Príncipe, have proven to be very identical and a hotspot for global exploration.”

According to recent industry estimates, the pre-salt Campos and Santos basins in Brazil may contain as much as 100 billion barrels of recoverable oil.

ExxonMobil’s world-class discovery in Guyana belongs to the same geological system.

“Trident Energy’s ability to get the deal done during difficult moments speaks to its leadership’s and long-term view of the energy industry. This acquisition by Trident Energy continues to demonstrate the attractiveness of the geological system offshore Brazil and Africa. Such interest by independents is very encouraging both for new markets such as Suriname and Guyana in the Americas, but also for exploration in new African provinces such as São Tomé and Príncipe,” said Nj Ayuk, Executive Chairman at the African Energy Chamber.

The acquisition marks a major milestone in Trident Energy’s strategy to acquire large mid-life assets globally.

In 2017, the operator was successful in taking over the Ceiba and Okume fields in Equatorial Guinea.

Uber announces first SSA-wide vehicle access partnership with Moove

Kolawole Onasanya
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Uber announces first SSA-wide vehicle access partnership with Moove

Uber has announced a partnership with Moove, sub-Saharan Africa’s first flexible car ownership company, to provide potential and current Uber drivers in sub-Saharan Africa with long-term access to vehicles.

The largest partnership of its kind, the collaboration aims to lower existing barriers to car ownership on the continent and empower drivers to be their own boss within a shorter time frame.

Moove’s partnership with Uber across sub-Saharan Africa will provide riders with access to newer car models when they request a ride.

As part of an ongoing commitment to safety and particularly in the current fight against COVID-19, Moove cars are fitted with transparent and perspex partition screens to separate the driver from rear and passenger seat riders.

Director of Business Development in MEA, Justin Spratt said, “We are passionate about delivering better experiences for drivers and are therefore excited to partner with Moove to develop meaningful, customised solutions for drivers in sub-Saharan Africa. Through this partnership, drivers’ livelihoods will be meaningfully improved while enabling them to get into the driver’s seat when it comes to their own future.”

Speaking on the partnership, Managing Partner of Grace Lake Partners and Co-Founder of Moove, Ladi Delano, said: “The launch of Moove and our sub-Saharan Africa wide partnership with Uber will empower Uber drivers across the continent by providing them with a clear and affordable path to high-quality car ownership.”

The partnership with Moove introduces low-barrier entry methods into the Uber app by offering improved pricing models for car ownership through solutions such as flexible rental and drive-to-own options.

The multiple ownership methods are designed to suit drivers with diverse budgets and goals, ultimately reducing the risk of defaulted payments.

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