The African smartphone market saw encouraging growth in the Q3 against all odds. Report from International Data Corporation (IDC) noted that the growth has happened despite the market pressures emanating from China-U.S trade tension that has impacted smartphone markets globally. Shipment increased by 4.0% on quarter on quarter in Q3 2019 to total 22.6 million units. The IDC’s Mobile Phone Tracker shows that Africa’s overall mobile phone market reached 55.8 million units in Q3 2019, with feature phones accounting for 59.4% of this versus smartphones at 40.6%. “Africa’s smartphones and feature phones witnessed decline in shipments in Q1 2019. Market…

Nigerians are rugged and dogged in getting ahead. No wonder the country is blessed. Yes, the rate of unemployment is alarming but we won’t focus on that. Instead, we will find a way to make the job seekers resourceful and gainfully employed. I had the pleasure of chatting with David Jaiyeola. His vision for unemployed graduates simply wowed me. ”Solving unemployment issues in a way that it’s not focusing on the crisis but channelling their abilities to a meaningful source of income has always been my passion since I graduated.” – David. Here is what the co-founder of Worka and…

I have a tough call – most fintech startups in saving sub-sector in Nigeria will collapse in 2020! The reason is simple: the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has done a coup. Yes, with the treasury bills (TB) rate now 5% for a 90-day tenor, I expect massive dislocation in the ecosystem. These startups have accepted savings, promising “investors” and “savers” north of 10.5% annual interest rates, hoping the high TB rate party would continue; the TB rate was projected by some to stay above 14% in coming quarters. As if the low yields on T-Bills aren’t enough, CBN Director, Banking…

“Zanza is the captain, onye isi game” was a song we sang in the village as kids in primary school. My position was 9 ( I was bad on it!). But it was immaterial; every kid knew we could play like “Zanza”. Zanza was Philip Osundu, one of Nigeria’s most talented footballers. He was the captain and he was “onye isi game” [the leader of a football game]. Philip Osundu is dead. He was a force in Canada’87 and Saudi ‘89 when the world thought a new Pele was born. “Philip Osondu, ogba bolu (footballer)” this is the adjectives that…

“Philip Osondu, ogba bolu (footballer)” this is the adjectives that my mother used to qualify me with when I came home from a football game then. The memories came back with these words when I heard the news that Philip Osondu is dead. He was the hero of my childhood and alas, a victim of eventuality. It was reported that Osondu was feeling unwell at work and went to the hospital for a checkup, he was pronounced dead shortly after. At 48, Philip Osondu was such a life cut short. In 1987, Osondu became a sensation through his performance in…

I wrote this piece – Interswitch’s Innovation And Monopoly Hangover– more than two years ago when Interswitch was going through a redesign. Today, a friend re-shared it asking me a simple question: “can you now answer your question –  “Can Interswitch Evolve?”’.  Everything will depend on the attitude of the firm. It can dance even as an e-payment elephant, relatively, at local level.  It cannot be obsessed with profitability as a digital company at this level of infancy. It has to focus on growth; profits will come. If it can cure itself of the love of fees and huge margins at the…

Nobody wants to be sacked. The desire of every worker is to remain in service until a better job comes. But most times, the things we desire aren’t what we get. So, no matter how much we want it, we have to prepare ourselves in case a sack letter is dropped on our table. Losing a job is never a delightful experience. Each time I remember what I passed through the one time I was sacked I shudder. It’s the sort of experience you don’t wish for anybody. The confusion that came with the dreadful words and the unanswered questions…

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended Turkish Airlines from operating into Nigeria, over persistent baggage delays. The indefinite suspension becomes effective December 16. NCAA director-general, Abdullahi Sidi, announced this on Thursday, through a letter released by the director of public affairs at the Ministry of Aviation, James Odaudu. The decision was necessitated by incessant cases of delays and loss of baggage by the airline passengers. The situation was attributed to the use of undersized aircraft by the Turkish Airline. The letter noted that the airlines’ inability to deliver passengers’ luggage has become a crisis that the aviation regulator…

Are you a first-time screenwriter? Does the process of identifying a story idea, researching the chosen subject – the subject is the topic that your screenplay covers. For example, the movie Rocky’s subject was on boxing – and writing an accurate, compelling screenplay appear too herculean? Then a technologically inspired approach can be the answer. Indexed within search engines are dozens of online tools, websites and resources that can help you get familiar with your screenplay’s subject regardless of how complex it is. Many of such online tools are free and easy to use. This means that if you’re working…

What a man can do, a woman can also, if not better. Take it or leave it, women are also taking the lead in business.  I had the pleasure of speaking with a female entrepreneur, Apolline, over the weekend. She shared the challenges of starting and running a business. I believe everyone will definitely learn from her wealth of knowledge. It’s good to have you on this segment, Apolline. I hope you don’t mind sharing more about yourself with the audience? I am Apolline Adiju,  a digital marketing consultant. I work with small and medium-sized companies. Both in the B2B…

Innov8tiv Innov8tiv - Blacks In Technology in USA, UK, Caribbean Islands & Africa Improving patient outcomes has been the underlying goal of healthcare since, well, forever. And, healthcare providers today have more technological tools at their disposal than ever before to optimize their performances with this very goal in mind. For instance: Organizations today are able to set specific goals for improving patient outcomes and track progress in […] 3 Ways Healthcare Providers Are Aiming to Improve Patient Outcomes Innov8tiv.com

      Are you a graduate? And you are reading this? Thank God for your life. The Gregorian calendar year 2019  is rolling to an end. Everybody is thanking God for keeping them alive. You are wondering why it was so difficult for you to achieve your dreams. I know, as a graduate who has completed your service year to the fatherland, you struggled throughout 2019 to get a job so that you can become a man or woman of your own dream, but 16 days to the end of the last month in the year, you keep wondering…

 After the completion  of their undergraduate programme, most new graduates heave sighs of relief that their days of ‘stress’ are over; that they are finally free to live and enjoy their time as they please. Typically, most graduates regard studying as bondage and consider graduation as the beginning of freedom. As a result, the phase of life after the end of projects defense is dedicated to elaborate celebration of various forms and rites that are performed to ‘cleans’ self from what most graduates consider ‘university stress’. The association of life in college (university)  with stress and the considering of graduation…

Government, Banks, SMEs and/or Consumers… who is benefiting from the crashing rates? As the CBN continues to tighten the lid on any incentive to invest in Nigerian Treasury Bills (NTB), Banks are compelled to continue to open their tap for lending to consumers and SMEs. At the close T-Bills Primary Market Auction (PMA) on 11th December 2019, T-bills stop rates hit another new-year low. In fact, T-Bill rates have now declined by over 30% across all tenors in the last one month. At the current inflation rate of 11.61%, the real return on T-Bills is now zero. A lower yield…

Another Friday, another edition of the TechCabal Quiz. For today's edition, we want to find out how well you read our articles this week. As always, let us know how you get on and share this among your friends. The post TC Quiz: What happened in tech this week? appeared first on TechCabal.

It was very emotional: “Sir, you have refused my connection request on LinkedIn. Was it because I had only OND and did not attend a university?”. That was an email from a LinkedIn user this morning. It touched me since I have no answer to the problem: I have max’d my allowed direct connections on LinkedIn. In other words, I cannot accept any new connections even though you can send me requests! I have thousands of requests PENDING which would fade.  Accepting anyone in my network does not cause me anything and I do not check profile or status before…

Innov8tiv Innov8tiv - Blacks In Technology in USA, UK, Caribbean Islands & Africa Wednesday, 11 December 2019: Until recently, only larger retailers could sell consumers airtime, data, and prepaid utility services digitally. Now small business owners across South Africa have been empowered to start selling these products without any cash outlay. Those that have adopted, are seeing a sharp increase in foot traffic and sales. Leading fintech, iKhokha, which provides mobile payments […] Now SMEs can sell prepaid products and services – not just the big retailers Innov8tiv.com

Innov8tiv Innov8tiv - Blacks In Technology in USA, UK, Caribbean Islands & Africa We all want to make money, and trading is one of the best ways of doing that. If you don’t know what you’re doing, however, day trading can be an all too easy way to lose money. Unfortunately, far too many people lack the insight necessary to engage in this practice safely. These individuals either […] An Intro to Day Trading Innov8tiv.com

Innov8tiv Innov8tiv - Blacks In Technology in USA, UK, Caribbean Islands & Africa Customer Relationship Software (CRM) may sound like a buzzword, but it is one of the most useful tools your business could have. CRM acts as a central hub; it organizes customer contact information as well as your sales processes so that everything is in one place. For some companies, the benefit of that type of organization […] Top Reasons Business Owners Should Invest in CRM Software Innov8tiv.com

Simply, the best companies in Nigeria have not been established. If anyone tells you that all the opportunities are gone, respectfully ignore him or her. If Nigeria is operating at its optimal productivity level, its GDP should be $3 trillion (well above the current  $500 billion). If you do the math, it means Nigeria needs 6X multiples to attain equilibrium. About 90% of the companies in Nigeria today are not wired for that type of leverageable growth. Yes, even if they try, the anchored elements upon which they are built cannot enable them to experience  that redesign. Only new species…

Bitcoin pops into mind when you think of a stable cryptocurrency to invest in in 2020. Bitcoin has proven to be a decentralized electronic currency with stability in both the short and long-term. You can buy items in local shops, get paid in bitcoins and use it to shop online. Expatriates in foreign countries can send bitcoins home to help their families; regardless of where they work around the world. There has been no single, corporation, government or nation that has been able to control Bitcoin since its inception. This applies to other cryptocurrencies as well. However, Bitcoin is unique…

It has been over four years since Muhammadu Buhari became president and occupied the seat of governance in Nigeria – Aso Villa. These years have seen headlines of interesting tales bordering on governance matters to family issues, and it doesn’t seem to be ending soon. Nigerian polity is seen to be notorious of chaos and every other form of antiques that have resulted in instability, both socially and economically. It is believed that apart from tribal and political differences inhibiting peaceful coexistence, in-house rift has become another norm that decency has refused to welcome. In October, a video of fracas…

Did you know, you can become a manager of your own dream football team and win a huge reward at the same time? It is different from online betting in that you are not required to bet with the odds that make you lose all the time. As a manager, you get the opportunity to pick your dream team before league matches kickoff, and you earn money according to how the chosen players perform on match day. As more and more football fans get involved in related activities, the Betway Nigeria Fantasy Football League is becoming increasingly popular. To many,…

A year ago, venture capital fund Partech Africa gained attention following its investments in two promising African startups. South Africa’s Yoco provides portable point-of-sale machines to merchants, without contracts or monthly fees. TradeDepot, a Nigerian mobile B2B firm, gives retailers access to a wide range of goods directly available from FMCG factories. Yoco and TradeDepot […] The post French VC firm Partech is fishing for innovation in Africa’s informal economy appeared first on TechCabal.

Innov8tiv Innov8tiv - Blacks In Technology in USA, UK, Caribbean Islands & Africa Agriculture is a key economic pillar for Kenya. The sector contributes directly, 26% of the country’s GDP, and indirectly, 27% to the country’s economy. Indeed the sector is the breadwinner for 70% of Kenyans living in rural areas, forming 40% of the national employment. The agricultural sector not only provides a source of nutrition and […] innov8tiv’s interview with Farmshine, connecting Farmers directly to Buyers Felix Omondi

Universal health coverage is alien to the ears of the average Nigerian, worse still it is far from reality for more than 80% of us. Nigerian mortuaries are filled with cadavers who would have been alive if they had access to quality healthcare, lots of Nigerians beseech the social media and media houses to crowd source for funds needed to access healthcare. Yet we have had plethora of promises from the political office holders from the 2001 Abuja agreement to the 22nd November 2019 pledge of President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that all Nigerians have access to affordable, efficient and…

To the students that have been sending inmails, let me handle all at once since I do not have time to respond to everyone. Simply, the hardest job in Nigeria today is finding a job!. I am not saying this to scare you. But that is the reality today – and  I want you to understand that. Nigeria has marginally expanded GDP for years but with population growing faster than economic growth, the jobs are not here. Also, as the era of digitization takes off (see how banks which have tripped revenue per staff in just a few years; they…

Cases of companies downsizing their workforce are on the increase. The news of Ekiti State University (EKSU) sacking over 1000 staff hit the internet with a strong wave and made it obvious that no job is secure in this country. Job loss is a constant thing that happens to nearly every employee in the corporate world. A lot of people have experienced it several times that they no longer see it as a big deal. But for many, it is a new experience and the effect is uneasy to handle. People could lose their jobs for several reasons. Some do…