Category: Tech

YouTube has announced a stellar lineup of artists hailing from five countries, who will be performing at this year’s Africa Day Concert. Like previous editions, the Africa Day Concert which is in its third year will be hosted by superstar Idris Elba. The annual concert is a musical homage to Africa, showcasing the vibrant African music stars who are making headlines across the world.

The concert seeks to bring Africans, the Diaspora, and people from across the world together to celebrate a continent that is home to more than 1.5 billion people and is spawning new ways of artistic expression. This year’s concert will feature artists from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, South Africa, and Congo who are set to perform. The concert will be streamed exclusively on YouTube at 19:00 CAT / 18:00 WAT on the 25th of May, 2022.

The Africa Day Concert promises show-stopping performances from talented African music stars. “YouTube as a platform has been a mainline for connecting African artists to people all around the world and the Africa Day Concert is an opportunity to reaffirm YouTube’s support for African artists as they showcase the vibrant sounds and culture that makes Africa truly unique”, says Alex Okosi, Managing Director, Emerging Markets, YouTube EMEA.

The highly anticipated concert will showcase musical performances that will be streamed to a global audience. From Nigeria, talented music artists, D’banj, Davido, CKay, Yemi Alade, Reekado Banks and Mayorkun will be performing at the virtual concert this year. Also performing from the West African region is popular Sierra Leonean recording and performing artist, Drizilik.

Also set to perform at the Africa Day Concert are singer-songwriter and poet, Busiswa Gqulu, and singer and dancer, Kamo Mpela; both from South Africa. They are known for hit songs, SBWL and Nkulunkulu respectively. Tanzanian singer, songwriter and WCB (Wasafi Classic Baby) artist, Zuchu will be performing her hit songs at the concert while Congolese singer-songwriter, Innoss’B, the Naomi Campbell crooner rounds out the lineup of artists performing this year at the Africa Day Concert.

The concert is aimed at commemorating the foundation of the Organisation of Africa Unity on the 25th of May 1963 by using music as a platform to showcase African culture.

The artists confirmed to perform at the Africa Day Concert 2022 are (in alphabetical order):

Busiswa (South Africa)

Ckay (Nigeria)

Davido (Nigeria)

Dbanj (Nigeria)

Drizilik (Sierra Leone)

Innoss’B (Congo)

Kamo Mpela (South Africa)

Mayorkun (Nigeria)

Reekado Banks (Nigeria)

Yemi Alade (Nigeria)

Zuchu (Tanzania)

To join the livestream of the Africa Day Concert, please visit https://goo.gle/AfricaDayConcert.

A good percentage of conversations among employees today is centered around the work environment, hostile superiors, and general satisfaction in the workspace.

It is said that employees worldwide only care only about their welfare, this includes timely payment of salaries and allowances, a friendly work environment, personal development, and an overall wellbeing on the job, while employers on the other hand are mostly concerned about one thing: the bottom-line.

According to Human Recourse experts, employees play a major role in determining what direction a company goes. The commitment of employees in an organization can largely determine If such organization can weather the storm when the chips are down or sink.

Over the years, statistics have shown that 76% of employees leave a company due to horrible bosses, 14% due to burnout and 6% due to a career change. This goes to show that an organization where employees are treated fairly and more than just numbers or overheads, where staffers are happy to go work, is a successful organization.

We must admit that doing business in Nigeria isn’t all that rosy. Although the Nigerian economy performed below par in 2020, largely due to the outbreak of the Corona virus, 2021 seemed to offer some light at the end of the tunnel. The economy grew in 2021 at the fastest annual pace in eight years, relying more on the non-oil sector. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expanded at 3.40% last year, the most since 2014 when it grew at 6.22%, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Furthermore, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised upward its growth forecast for the Nigerian economy in 2022 to 3.4% from its earlier projection of 2.7% announced in January. The new projection was announced in its World Economic Outlook update released in April. It also projected the country’s economy to grow by 3.1% by 2023 from the 2.7% it earlier projected.

Looking at the numbers above and the volatility of the Nigerian economy, little wonder why C-suite executives and business owners dedicate all their time mainly on being profitable while knowingly or otherwise neglecting the welfare and general wellbeing of employees who are indeed a major driving force of the success of any company.

With all the uncertainties that come with running a business, one organization that has remained consistent towards guaranteeing employee satisfaction in the workplace is Green Energy International Limited (GEIL), an indigenous oil and gas company and operator of the Otakikpo Marginal Field in OML-11.

In April 2020, at the wake of the Covid-19 breakout in Nigeria, the company introduced a mandatory work from home policy (WFH) for all her employees in Abuja, Lagos, and Port-Harcourt, to limit interactions among staff and curb the potential spread of the virus – An action that would later be discovered to have led to an 85% increase in productivity among staff. This development has led to the company reviewing it’s HR policy to allow staff members work 3 days from home permanently, ensuring that no one is forced to return to a 5-day work on-site.

Indeed, the work from home policy has become a company policy for many forward-thinking companies, including tech giant Google and Amazon that have declared WFH for all staff until 2023, social media platform Twitter, and recently AirBnB, a company valued at over $100BN that operates an online marketplace for lodging, primarily homestays for vacation rentals, which announced an indefinite work from home policy for all staff.

Additionally, in response to the recent increase in Health Safety and Environment (HSE) incidents in the oil and gas industry, the company announced it had developed and implemented a suite of key HSE improvement programmes in its area of operations, which birthed an exceptional safety milestone – 4 million manhours without Lost Time Incident (LTI) since commencement of operation on Otakikpo Marginal field in Rivers State.

In another development, the company announced in March that it will commission the 12 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) modular Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) extraction plant and 6-megawatt power generating plants at the Otakikpo Marginal Field in Q2 2022.

This scale of modular LPG plant will be the first to be installed in the country, putting it ahead of its peers in actualizing the Federal Government’s mandate to players in the upstream sector, to eliminate gas flaring completely, while protecting the immediate host community and the environment at large from the hazards of gas flaring.

Only recently, GEIL was announced as the winner of the Best Place to Work Campaign for 2021, beating over 75 other organizations in a survey undertaken by 64,300 employees in the FMCG, Banking and Oil & Gas sectors, organized by The Committee for Staff Wellbeing in Nigeria, an independent body that tracks employee satisfaction.

This came shortly after the company sponsored its General Managers to MBA programmes at Warwick Business School (WBS), Imperial College, and Cass Business School all in the United Kingdom. It further hinted that several staff members are also being trained and developed in their areas of career interest for free and without any documented mandatory ties to the company, as generally practiced in Nigeria where staff are made to sign undertakings that they would remain in the company for up to 5 years after such trainings.

One may wonder how an indigenous company led by a renowned professor of energy and management; Anthony Adegbulugbe is able to achieve such feat within an industry already saturated by “expats” and competition. According to him, the company simply puts its employees first. “I am a believer in youth leadership. I believe in and help young people harness their zeal and agility to put them at an advantage in driving the Company’s vision.”

It is quite evident Green Energy International Limited understands the ideology of employee satisfaction, which may also be responsible for the low employee churn rate of 2.7% in the organization.

Billionaire Businessman and Chairman, Virgin Group, Richard Branson once said “Clients do not come first, employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.”

It goes without saying that if more business owners in Nigeria prioritized employee wellbeing and mental health, the productivity levels would rise exponentially, thereby leading to an improved bottom-line for the organization and an in turn an economic growth for Nigeria.

The kernel of our electoral campaign to the people of Kwara State is to restore the dignity of the Kwara person, redeem the lost glory of the state on all fronts, ensure inclusive growth, and reposition it for greatness and competitiveness in Nigeria.  At the heart of this campaign is quality education and human capital development — an area that is critical for inclusive growth and upward social mobility in the knowledge economy.

We are clearly delivering on this score. In addition to getting our state off national (UBEC) blacklist and freeing our schools from WAEC sanctions, progressively committing huge resources to rebuilding basic schools, as well as injecting new 4,700 competent teachers into our classrooms, this week we are rolling out the first phase of our flagship education transformative programme: Kwara Leading Education Achievement and Reform Now, or KwaraLEARN.

This is in realisation that getting education right from the foundation will support our achievements in infrastructural development, agriculture, technology and social services, and open up new vistas of opportunities that will promote common good.

Our flagship education programme takes the baton from pre-existing transformation programmes in Lagos and Edo States, both of which are local solutions already delivering value. We have understudied and have now made it fit for our own system here in Kwara.

This is a lifetime investment that empowers teachers and gives public school pupils the best shot at 21st century education with reverberating effects on learning outcomes and the future of the state. The KwaraLEARN programme affords our teachers the right digital tools to be at their best, while providing an electronic platform to make classrooms and schools transparent. The technology will monitor attendance and performance of pupils and teachers in all classrooms, offering continual support and feedback.

As a new term begins, we are not just discussing how to improve our schools and classrooms, we are implementing new approaches and techniques. We are taking action.

We are taking the future of our state and shaping it with a carefully designed policy which places Kwara as an innovation capital in Nigeria and West Africa’s economic growth.

Over the last few weeks, 3,500 of our teachers have been trained in the use of new digital technology and proven pedagogical techniques designed to support them in delivering the best possible lessons to their students. Thousands more will be trained in the subsequent phase of the programme.

Read Also: AbdulRazaq excited as 1,920 teachers undergo KwaraLEARN training

Our aim is to transform every government primary school and, in doing so, transform the learning outcomes for every Kwara child.

To do this, we are empowering all our primary teachers with the right digital tools to be at their very best in the delivery of expertly planned lessons based on our national curriculum. This is supported with an electronic platform to make classrooms and schools transparent.

The technology will monitor attendance and performance of pupils and teachers in every classroom, offering continual real-time support and feedback. Bespoke coaching programmes will support every teacher in their classroom. KwaraLEARN helps our teachers to become highly-skilled, through training and motivation to succeed at their job. And it will provide Kwara’s learning leaders, our State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), with unprecedented levels of knowledge and information about the success of every single state primary school.

This approach, combining structured pedagogy with the gathering of real-time data for accountability and feedback, is one recommended by the World Bank, as governments everywhere deal with the impact of the covid-19 pandemic, and the school closures which accompanied it, on children’s education.

In Nigeria, we know that transformational reform cannot be delayed. A recent UNICEF assessment suggested that 70% of 10-year-olds across the country cannot understand a simple sentence or manage basic numeracy.

This has been worsened in Nigeria and elsewhere by Covid-19 which caused huge damage to our education system and our communities. As we in Kwara emerge from the pandemic, my team and I are taking action to ‘build back better’. We envision a state that policymakers refer to as a successful model of education reform post-pandemic.

We are therefore determined to deliver dramatic improvements in learning outcomes for our children across Kwara State. Not only is access to quality education their right, improving their numeracy and literacy skills will allow our pupils to compete with their peers anywhere in the world.

We believe that the path to prosperity is through the education of the Kwara child. Along with our phenomenal investments in physical infrastructure and other things, education underpins economic growth, stability, and sustainable development.

We are confident that the KwaraLEARN programme will be an outstanding success and birth measurable improvements in learning outcomes delivered quickly. Our technical partners, NewGlobe, have already delivered them in support of similar programmes in Edo and Lagos States, and we trust them to do a lot more to partner with other stakeholders towards returning basic education in Kwara State to the dream of our founding fathers.

UNESCO’s New Social Contract for Education calls on governments to focus on “placing greater emphasis on improving learning outcomes in our education systems, and employing new techniques and methodologies that have been proven to yield better results for our students”.

This is precisely what we are doing through KwaraLEARN. We are adopting an approach proven in the Global South, and more importantly within Nigeria, suited to our unique circumstances, away from a historical focus on the replication of ideas and institutions from the industrialised North.

KwaraLEARN represents our vision for a stronger and more prosperous Kwara. A Kwara that is recognised in Nigeria and across West Africa as a leader in reforms that will deliver economic growth and more sustainable futures for our population. KwaraLEARN  will transform all government primary schools across the state into powerful public schools, moving them from an analogue approach to one of digital transformation.

This transformational approach to our education system will deliver radically improved outcomes for our children. That success will be seen quickly, giving this generation of children the potential to transform Kwara State.

 

• AbdulRazaq is the Governor of Kwara State

The development of gambling is increasing rapidly day by day and is widespread on all continents. Today, there are more than 3,000 gambling sites, generating $90 billion in revenue each year. The projections are that the global market will expand to $158 billion in size over the next seven years, with casinos also contributing in no small part. With the rapid growth of this industry, it has become more difficult than ever to distinguish which casinos are trustworthy or to weed out fraudulent casino sites. Most online casino players from the early days’ trust and choose established and reputable sites like Betway casinos, but some beginners are passionate about casinos and want to learn about them. More closely, they wonder about the many different options available in cyberspace. Let us help you choose a reliable casino.

Regulations on gambling on the Internet

Online casino licensors play an important role in player safety. Not subject to the laws of a country, a region may have a governing body and sites at home, or residents of that region may play at foreign platforms that are internationally licensed by the authorities monitoring. Therefore, choosing a legitimate and officially licensed casino is essential. You should do your research before choosing it. Many casinos are operating illegally and many players have been cheated by these scams. large sums of money that cannot be sued or recovered, so choosing a casino that is properly licensed and complies with the laws of the country in which the casino is located is paramount. Payment Options & Fees All those who have won prizes playing games of chance over the internet know that quick and uncomplicated withdrawals are crucial to player satisfaction. Operators can facilitate money transfers by offering multiple payment methods and processing all transactions automatically. Therefore, all online casino players should review the terms and conditions of websites and banking pages to familiarize themselves with the fees associated with each trading option that a given platform offers. levels and their processing times. In general, all deposits must be made immediately. And more importantly, the security of the transaction space must be safe.

Bonus

The bonuses of the casinos are something you should consider because there are many casinos, so the level of competition therefore increases. Operators all want to attract players to their side, so they can offer high spread bonuses and make players want to join their game. Of course, No one refuses a lot of bonuses, so the number of players is constantly increasing every day. You can refer to different casinos and compare bonus levels to choose for yourself the most suitable casino.

Assistance

All reputable casinos need a 24/7 support team on issues such as game rules, money transactions, or handling unexpected errors. Most of the support team must always be present and available regularly, quickly handling urgent issues and responding to guests through various sources such as phone, text message, and gmail. If the casino you are considering has these, it can also be seen as a trustworthy place.

These are useful tips that you should consider when choosing a casino, no one wants to lose money unjustly because of encountering scammers, so choosing carefully from the beginning is the best solution.

Since the pandemic began, NFTs have grown popular, leaving many investors wondering how to buy them. The Beeple’s digital art, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s first tweet, and the pixelated CryptoPunks character images are examples of NFTs worth millions.

Artists, collectors, and speculators have flocked to the movement as the value of cryptocurrencies, and other digital assets have surged. The jury is yet to decide whether this is a bursting unsustainable bubble or the emergence of a new long-term investment asset class. However, NFTs offer promise for artists and have commercial applications.

How to Invest in NFT

The most exciting part of NFTs is their investment potential. To acquire an NFT, you need to visit a marketplace, like you’d use Amazon or Etsy to buy ordinary things. The distinction is that an NFT marketplace is just for purchasing this digital asset.

To begin an NFT purchase, you must first create a digital wallet. You can keep bitcoin in the wallet, which is how you buy an NFT.NFTs can be purchased at a set price or through a virtual auction. Buying and trading cryptocurrency and stocks are akin to using a virtual auction. NFT auction prices, like stock prices, can fluctuate fast depending on current demand.

Purchasing NFTs through blockchains is one of the most secure ways to expand your investment portfolio. Similarly, lowering the quantity of the cryptocurrency can boost the value of your NFT over time.

NFT marketplaces are a popular way to buy and sell NFTs. Some platforms have their cryptocurrency tokens. If the value of these tokens rises, so will the value of the NFT. The digital assets are for use in both rewards and governance. Additionally, there is the opportunity to invest in NFT stocks, which means purchasing stocks with NFT exposure.

How to Trade NFTs

Of course, selling NFTs is viable and potentially lucrative. If you buy an NFT, you won’t keep it forever. Most people want their NFTs to appreciate so that they can sell them at a profit.

To sell an NFT, you must first select a marketplace. Most marketplaces will charge a nominal fee for listing and selling your NFT.

When you upload the NFT, the marketplace must verify the asset before making it available for sale or auction. When it sells, the marketplace will handle the transaction and pay you your portion, which should include a nice profit.

Making NFTs

Although certain NFTs are highly uncommon and costly, you don’t have to be a master artist to create one. Anyone can make an NFT.

NFT creating process is known as minting a digital asset. You need to develop a digital wallet and upload it to a marketplace once you have one.

Summary

If you are interested in the art world and want to profit from the latest financial trends, NFTs can be a terrific investment. They’ve been gaining popularity for almost five years now, and their value has increased dramatically. Although NFT is popular, it has not gotten to the popularity of bitcoin. Alternatively, you can choose to trade bitcoin on Bitcode Prime, an optimized and trusted software. Getting on the bandwagon sooner rather than later may give you a better opportunity of making the profit you desire.

Because non-fungible tokens are popular now doesn’t imply that other technologies won’t phase them out in the future. For the time being, they are a simple investment choice and a terrific method to acquire original digital artwork if you are looking for a collectible.

Before you settle to invest in any NFT or cryptocurrency, ensure you do extensive research to avoid scams. As a newbie in these investments, most people are likely to take advantage and con you, thus the need to stay vigilant.

A year is a long time in anybody’s life, and it can be an eternity in that of a racehorse.

Those that have shown promise in the prior season can become an also-ran just a few months later. Meanwhile, horses that have struggled over hurdles can suddenly become chasing behemoths. So, it’s safe to say that time, and particularly the summer period when National Hunt racing lies dormant, can be revelatory.

Many bookmakers offer what are known as ‘ante post’ betting odds, which refers to sporting events that are happening months from now. So, just like you could bet on Grand National 2022, you can do so for 2023, even though jumps racing in the UK and Ireland is, by and large, in its summer break, and there tends to be some excellent value available to bettors at this time.

The Grand National results 2022 confirmed that a seven-year-old, Noble Yeats, got the win at Aintree, so who will emulate the achievements of that young horse in one of National Hunt racing’s most prestigious races?

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2023 Grand National.

What, Where and When

Run over a distance of more than four miles, the Grand National is a test of stamina unlike many others in racing.

It takes place at Aintree Racecourse in Merseyside, England, and the 2023 edition will take place on Saturday, April 15. Famed for the stiffness of its fences, the Grand National course is considered to be one of the most difficult races to win in world racing – the likes of The Chair, Becher’s Brook, and Foinavon all have plenty of stories to tell.

Noble Yeats was ridden by Sam Waley-Cohen, an amateur jockey who was coincidentally contesting his last race before retirement. But, for the most part, the Grand National is a race in which the very best horses, jockeys, and trainers compete for one of the richest prize pools in the sport – around $1.2 million is up for grabs.

Who are the Grand National 2023 Favorites?

Given the complexity of the fences – and the long distance that the horses must travel, it’s those with the gas to step up to such a long trip that will take precedence in the betting market.

Stattler is a horse with plenty of power in his legs for the longer distances. He signed off his 2021/22 season with victory in the National Hunt Challenge Cup, carrying 11st 6lb across the 3m 5f test at Cheltenham.

“English dominance!”

Willie Mullins is off the mark at this year’s Cheltenham Festival and speaks to @LydiaHislop after victory for Stattler in the Ukraine Appeal National Hunt Chase pic.twitter.com/c7l3lNLiAD

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 15, 2022

Capodanno is a French horse that has shown glimpses of major potential during the 2021/22 season, and could yet prove to be a leading contender for the Grand National. He finished fourth in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival earlier this year, running off the same weight as the classy L’Homme Presse and only going down by 12 lengths or so.

Willie Mullins’ horse followed that up with victory in the Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown, signing off his campaign in fine style.

🐴 Dinoblue
🐴 Dysart Dynamo
🐴 Sir Gerhard
🐴 Chacun Pour Soi
🐴 Energumene
🐴 Capodanno
➕ more…

🤠 @WillieMullinsNH guides us through his strong team of runners on the opening day of the Punchestown Festival:https://t.co/mCuSjeyjYw

— Sporting Life Racing (@SportingLife) April 24, 2022

And then there’s Gaillard Du Mesnil. A useful hurdler, the French horse looks to have stepped up in class since turning to chasing.

This French horse was around five lengths clear of Capodanno in that Brown Advisory Chase renewal, and gave an excellent account of himself in the Irish Grand National – aged just six, he finished around seven lengths adrift of winner Lord Lariat.

So, could Gaillard Du Mesnil renew his rivalry with Capodanno in the final furlong of the 2023 Grand National?

Opportunities for software developers in Africa are at an all-time high, according to the 2021 Africa Developer Report by Google and Accenture, opportunities for software developers in Africa are at an all-time high, driven primarily by the booming startup ecosystem and the global demand for remote work. Local businesses are also contributing to this demand as they seek to hire more developers to help them build a better online presence.

Read Also: Most searched topics on Google by Nigerians in April

The report also looked at ways that technology companies can accelerate access to these opportunities through education and training programs that improve job readiness. At Google, we have been supporting developers in Africa through community and training programs for over 10 years. Today, there are more than 180 active developer communities in 30 countries across Africa. These local developer communities provide developers with the opportunity to connect, learn and grow together. The research report showed that nearly 1 in every 2 developers in Africa has been through a Google developer training or community program.

Mampho and Christopher are two software developers based in Johannesburg and Lagos respectively who have graduated from the Google Africa Developer Scholarship program. They both heard about the opportunity online and decided to apply for the Google Cloud learning track. After completing the training, they went a step further and took the Associate Cloud Engineer certification. This has enabled them to be more productive at work and opened up a world of new opportunities for them. To quote Mampho, “The GADS program empowered me, and showed me that I could be a world-class developer”

Today, we are announcing an additional 30,000 Android and Google Cloudtraining opportunities for aspiring and professional developers in Africa. We are pleased to be partnering with Andela and Pluralsight on this program for the 5th year in a row, continuing our commitment to Africa’s developer ecosystem. Developers selected for the program will gain access to carefully curated training content and hands-on learning experiences. They will also access a pan-African network of peer learning groups and community mentors who will guide them on the learning journey.

Cloud data systems have become the arteries of the modern digital economy; fast-moving, complex, and vital. But when these systems face irregularities, the consequences can ripple across industries. For Yagazie Patrick Anyanwu, this challenge became an opportunity to prove how artificial intelligence could not only power the cloud but protect it. Through data science, he has built intelligent frameworks that turn the cloud into more than a storage environment; he’s made it a thinking ecosystem capable of monitoring itself with precision.

His leadership in data-driven innovation is anchored in one belief; that technology should create clarity, not confusion. As global organizations race toward automation and cloud migration, he has helped them manage the growing layers of data complexity. His focus on Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence-powered optimization has streamlined how information is processed, secured, and deployed across diverse digital infrastructures. By embedding learning algorithms into the very fabric of cloud systems, he ensures that every byte of data contributes to smarter, safer decision-making.

Among his most significant breakthroughs is a deep learning-based anomaly detection model designed for a multinational client in the financial sector. This project redefined how fraud prevention is handled in cloud environments. Traditionally, fraud detection relied on reactive measures; identifying problems after they occurred. His approach turned that model on its head. By training neural networks to recognize subtle deviations in data behavior, his system could detect and prevent suspicious transactions before they escalated into financial loss. Over time, the model improved its accuracy, adapting to new patterns of fraud with self-evolving intelligence.

But beyond the technical architecture, what stands out is his philosophy of operational integrity. He views data science not as a cold computation of numbers but as a bridge between ethics and efficiency. For him, every model carries a responsibility, to protect, to inform, and to evolve transparently. His cloud-based Artificial Intelligence systems are built with this in mind: balancing automation with accountability. They help organizations maintain trust while achieving faster and more efficient operations.

Through his leadership, he has demonstrated that artificial intelligence isn’t just about speed or scale, it’s about foresight. His work represents the shift from data collection to data consciousness, where systems understand context as much as content. By combining deep learning with cloud technology, he’s helping redefine the foundations of digital infrastructure, transforming it into a space where intelligence serves integrity.

In a world where the cost of a single data breach can cripple entire industries, his vision offers something profoundly stabilizing: a smarter, self-sustaining cloud powered by human purpose and artificial precision. At its heart, his work reminds us that the future of technology will belong not just to those who build systems, but to those who teach systems how to think responsibly.

Creating and marketing a black owned business is an art. It requires a great deal of passion and love for the people that support you out of a sense of comradery as well as customers for whom you’re solving a problem. Black entrepreneurs worldwide pour in their hearts and soul into their work.

Black business owners have a passion for their work like no other people. But the world is a cruel place for dreamers and especially for entrepreneurs. The system we live in has made it extremely difficult and many entrepreneurs describe their journey as lonely. People who face difficulty in starting off their businesses or suffer mentally and physically, and the strain that puts on their minds is dangerous, as it has been observed.

In addition, black founders are at times solo founders, not allowing for the support that comes with having a second founder to bounce ideas off of or come to for support.

Hannibal Brumskine III, founder of TheMusicBusiness previously had seen all this firsthand. He knew the challenges solo entrepreneurs had to face and decided to implement a live-chat component to his education company for black owned businesses.

To combat the lonely road of entrepreneurship for black founderst, Hannibal Brumskine III created a consulting platform that gave black founders access to black business experts.

Brumskine III stated that the goal was to make black entrepreneurs feel like they have access to their own business advisors, frequently referencing the support that entrepreneurs receive from shows like Shark Tank. This can be a huge blessing for confused and socially isolated founders who previously had no one to guide them or had a lack of access to top level advisors or people who’ve been around the industry.

When an entrepreneur coach Christina Richardson surveyed a group of entrepreneurs about their mental health in 2019, she found out that hundreds of these founders used the word ‘lonely’ to describe their mental state.

Another recent study by UC Berkeley in California, United States found that 72 percent of entrepreneurs self-reported mental health concerns. In addition to this, entrepreneurs were more likely to report a lifetime history of depression (30 percent), ADHA (29 percent), bipolar diagnosis (11 percent), and substance use conditions (12 percent).

In addition to curbing entrepreneurial loneliness by putting black founders in  real-time communication with business experts, the platform coined as “Udemy for black businesses” already provides educational resources that helps black entrepreneurs start and scale new black owned businesses effectively; ultimately much of a founder’s depression can simply be linked to failure in business.

If you work in Marketing and have never heard of the phrase “T-shaped Marketer”, then you might need to enroll in my Marketing 101 class. I charge shikilimoney, anyway.

I know the next question on your mind right now is, what or who is a T-shaped Marketer?

Let me try and explain in simple terms.

A T-shaped marketer is someone who has a broad marketing knowledge in multiple marketing channels including SEO, copywriting, social media marketing, PPC Ads, email marketing, SMS marketing, Analytics, Google Search and Display Ads, etc., but specializes in just one or two channels.

In this era of disruptive marketing, a lot of opportunities exist for marketers wearing many hats. Why do you want to be comfortable with just knowing how to draw with a pencil when you can as well be good at computer automated design, and at the same time be an expert at drawing with brushes?

Therefore, it’s safe to say that T-shaped marketers aren’t specialists; they’re generalists with one specialty.

By virtue of being a T-Shaped Marketer, you can easily understand an entire marketing strategy document without needing anyone to explain any section of it to you.

The diagram below is a pictorial representation of who a T-shaped Marketer is:

The vertical, section of the “T” represents your depth in one or more areas (deep expertise), and the horizontal, section of the “T” represents your breadth (cross-discipline competence).

Let me list 3 quick reasons why you should be a T-shaped Marketer:

1. It allows you to do more:

The first reason you should strive to become a T-shaped marketer is that it allows you to do more as a marketer. It gives you a basic understanding of all the necessary parts of marketing and sets you apart by empowering you to create a cohesive marketing strategy.

2. It makes you more valuable:

The second reason is that being a T-shaped marketer makes you more valuable. Brands are constantly looking out for marketers that would not only come in and create converting marketing strategies for SEO alone, but they want someone who is going to do it across board. Imagine having the expertise to put together an SEO strategy that feeds into a content marketing strategy that feeds into an email marketing strategy and achieve the overall marketing objectives.

3. It makes you function across all marketing facets:

Having a T-shaped marketing career enables you to work seamlessly across the marketing spectrum as well as with external partners. It can help you accelerate your career and build your brand as an individual.

How then can you become a T-Shaped Marketer?

It is pretty much easy to start with the basics. Start with the general understanding of the basic principles of marketing across channels. Start with online trainings and certifications in areas where you are weak at.

You can as well hit me up for an intensive Email Marketing, Google Search and Display Ads masterclass.

 

Adewale Adetona is a revered marketing professional, digital media practitioner, social commentator and social media influencer. He is the convener of the popular Lagos Digital Summit and a regular speaker at conferences and webinars. You can follow him across his social media channels (Instagram and Twitter) at @islimfit for marketing communications tips.