The Nation Newspaper

Tag: African

  • La Liga best African player award: Ike Uche snubbed

    La Liga best African player award: Ike Uche snubbed

    The Spanish La Liga has left out Nigeria striker Ikechukwu Uche from the three nominees for the best African star for the past season.

    Last season, Uche netted 14 goals for Villarreal but was overlooked by former Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi for the World Cup in Brazil.

    Last week, Uche celebrated scoring his 100th goal in Spain.

    Cameroon skipper Stephane Mbia, who featured for Seville, was also not considered for the top prize.

    The three nominees for the best African star in the La Liga are Yacine Brahimi of Algeria who featured for Granada before he moved to FC Porto; Morocco’s Youssef Al Arabi, who scored 12 goals for Granada last season, and Seydou Keita of Mali, who featured for Valencia before he moved to Italy.

    The ceremony to announce the winner will be staged on Monday.

  • Brokerslink targets Nigeria, others in African expansion

    Brokerslink, the global network of independent insurance brokers, which recently announced plans to transform from a non-profit organisation to a profit making company, has unveiled plans to expand into Nigeria, Moroco, Egypt and other two African Countries.

    A member of the company, Prestige Insurance Brokers Limited representing Nigeria, which confirmed the development said Brokerslink is the world largest independent insurance broker network and manages premiums in excess of $15 billion.

    Chairman, Prestige Insurance Brokers Feyisayo Soyewo, who just returned from BrokersLink 2014 Annual Conference in Venice, Italy, said that the group has completed its transformation plan and would soon lunch out as a company.

    He said: “It is a great development for the continent because with the wide network of membership in both Europe and Asia, you can imagine that Africa would begin to benefit from this large network of global players, Soyewo stated.

  • ‘Our air-conditioner’s built for African market’

    The newest Japanese technology, Daikin’s residential air conditioner, is said to be specially built to serve African and, indeed, Nigerian consumers.

    The President, Daikin Middle East & Africa, Hiroshi Fujioka, said this at the product introduction in Lagos.

    The product would be distributed, sold and serviced in Nigeria by Panaserv Nigeria. The 2014 model product launch was hosted in conjunction with Daikin Middle East and Africa.

    Product line up of 2014 models of air conditioners was unveiled at the ceremony. According to Fujioka, Daikin air conditioners have been developed in order to meet Africa’s most challenging needs for the best air conditioning”.

    According to Suraj Rupani of Panaserv Nigeria Limited,  the new entrant has built-in protection against power fluctuations and blackouts. “As a standard, the equipment is protected against over current, over-voltage and under-voltage,” he said.

    Other features that come with the Japanese technology include energy saving feature, which offers efficient operation on its equipment with lower electricity consumption, up to grade A (EER).

    Rupani said Daikin indoor units offer whisper quiet, a huge departure from the current products in the market.

  • Indecent dresses against African values

    Viewed from any angle, Nigerians are perhaps the most fashionable set of people in the world. This is evident in every tribe inhabiting the country, irrespective of social status, religion or gender. The three major tribes, Ibo, Hausa and Yoruba are beautiful to behold in their various traditional attires, not to mention hundreds of other tribes.

    For generations, Nigeria, when it comes to fashion, had always been in the eyes of the world; all the best and expensive materials from all parts of the world are made for us. Lace, silk, Guinea brocade, damask, voile, just name it. This is really obvious from the large volumes of imported materials sold in the country. And so, the instinct of looking good, for centuries, had been passed down from generations to generations. Nigerian parties, especially where the celebrating families are wealthy, are carnivals of sorts. In fact, in places of worship where uniforms are not stipulated, one would see an average Nigerian in his or her local attire. Besides, Nigerian campuses are also not left out of this.

    Fast forward to the 21st century and we could ask ourselves what we did wrong. Nigerian campuses today are the picture of what the society has become. To be deemed fashionable and “in town” now on our campuses, one would have to sacrifice one’s morality, especially for female undergraduates. There have been numerous cases whereby parents visit their wards unexpectedly on campus and find them quite different from the person they raised at home.

    For female undergraduates to be trendy and win the coveted “most fashionable diva on campus”, they must dare the impossible. The more provocative, daring and skimpy their clothes are, the more their social status rises. For the guys nowadays, you just have to slim-fit and sag those trousers of yours and wear expensive shirts and jewelry.

    Therefore, it is not surprising anymore to find skimpy shorts and cleavage-revealing dresses on young female undergraduates. The guys now compete with the ladies wearing earrings and slim-fitted trousers. Though most universities, especially private ones, are trying to clamp down on extreme fashion on their campuses by stipulating dress codes for departments and schools, the battle is yet to be won especially after lecture hours, when students are free to dress as they wish. This trend of obscene fashion has made some female students victims of harassment from randy lecturers and other male students. Most times, most ladies who suffer harassment are the ones who dress indecently.

    Conclusively, my advice to parents is that, apart from grooming their wards at home, they should endeavour to visit them in school regularly and to also speak to some of their lecturers to assess their behaviour and performance, so as to reduce the influence of peer pressure.

     

    John, 200-Level Business Administration, AAUA

  • ‘How African businesses can create new opportunities’

    ‘How African businesses can create new opportunities’

    New opportunities await African businesses if they can align with global business development ideals,the Institute of Business Development (IBD), the leading global professional body for business development professionals, has said. And to underscore its resolve in helping African businesses position themselves to create new opportunities, the institute chose the theme; ‘Business Development in Africa: Emerging Issues for Strategic Actions’ for its ‘2014 Business Development Week’ slated to hold in Lagos, Nigeria, from November 12 to 14.

    “The summit will demonstrate in real terms how companies can align their core business with the global business development initiative to bring about poverty alleviation at the Base of the Pyramid. By utilising their resource capabilities, companies can improve the lives of people in our continent through increasing investment, creating jobs, increasing skills, and developing and providing goods, technologies and innovations,” the Registrar/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), IBD, Paul Ikele, said, in a statement made available to The Nation.

    Ikele said as companies do so, they will be able to penetrate the marketplace. He added that: “Above and beyond marketplace expansion, aligning your business with the initiative will contribute positively to your company in several ways such as improved supply chain, improved corporate culture, staff retention and morale, increased license to operate, improved investor attractiveness, global corporate reputation, as well as make you become an employer of choice, among others.”

    The registrar noted that a commitment to do business with low-income communities provides the greatest contribution to regional prosperity and to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). He said the Institute chose to engage in the summit becausethe overwhelming characteristic of emerging markets is that they exist in a large majority of low income communities that have come to be defined as the Base of the Pyramid (BoP), which is those living on less than $1500 annually.

    “Four billion people make up the BoP and hold $5 trillion in purchasing power. Asia is home to the biggest BoP market with 2.86 billion people on an income of $3.47 trillion. That reflects 82 per cent of the region’s population and 42 per cent of the region’s purchasing power,” he explained.

    According to him, “The BoP concept champions new thinking and new ways of doing business in the world’s poor markets. While this high-level aspiration is not necessarily new, the current concept, also known as B24B (business-to-4-billion), was coined by influential business academics.

    “Africa is and conducts most of its international trade with emerging markets; this means that African companies should be well placed to broaden operations, supply and procurement to involve the Base of the Pyramid. To successfully engage with the BoP market place, new and innovative strategies will be required in order to respond to the unique obstacles and infrastructural development to position African business group to take a chunk from the global market considering our population.”

    Ikele announced that the summit has been endorsed by top business moguls, key government officials and the leading royal fathers in the African sub region. He said it will begin with a keynote address, which will be followed by a series of thought-provoking and engaging sessions covering topical issues on the theme. Each session will be launched with an address by a recognised industry leader, and conclude with a highly stimulating open forum discussion.

    He also disclosed that the summit is set to become an annual forum of knowledge sharing, showcasing, networking and initiating successful emerging market business ventures, which have a positive social impact and are aligned with the global business development ideals.

    Attendance is open to interested persons in the public and private sectors including business development professionals in Research and Development (R&D), top executives, project managers and all stakeholders in the business sphere.

  • Miss African Diamond TV show launched

    IT was another moment of glory on Wednesday when Ebunola Resources unveiled Miss African Diamond, a reality TV show aimed at checking the shift in cultural values, at the Federal Housing Estate, Ipaja, Lagos.

    According to the organisers, the show is designed to restore cultural heritage and encourage exchange of cultures among African countries, thereby promoting African unity.

    Contestants will demonstrate the true African heritage, teach the world all sorts of African dishes, the nutritional value of African foods, as there will be debates on the differences between African traditional foods and the contemporary Western dishes.

    “We are poised to correcting the misplacement of priorities, as it relates to our languages, dressing, food and mannerism. We desire to deliberately reposition our perception of foreign ideologies and values,” said Adegbami Adewole, a deputy director, Ebunola Resources.

    Also, the Assistant Director of Training, Okafor Victor, stated that the whole essence of the pageant is to correct an imbalance. With entry forms entirely free and available on the pageant’s website, Okafor also revealed that the competition is open to females from 18 to 30 years.

    “We are looking at running the programme for about 10 weeks. But the strategic entry into the house will take about four or five days. Thereafter, winners will be ushered into the house. We are not here to contest. The aim is to unite Africa. Everyone who qualifies is a winner. To avoid scandals, the queen will emerge strictly by voting,” he further added.

    He also stated that though every contestant will win a prize, the 10 finalists will receive consolation gifts, while the winner will go home with N1million and a brand new car.

    Meanwhile, contingents from three African countries, including Ghana, Togo and Ivory Coast, are already available in the house, while more are expected to arrive the country soon.

    The pageant will be aired on Miss African Diamond TV as well as on terrestrial and cable stations.

  • African leaders target 2025 to end hunger

    AFRICAN leaders have agreed to end hunger and cut poverty by half by 2025 through investments in agriculture, a statement by the African Press Organisation in Addis Ababa said.

    The statement signed by Mr Boaz Keizire, Head, Agriculture and Food Security, African Union and Ms Carol Jilombo, Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Commission (AUC), was received online by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

    It said the commitment was part of the resolutions reached at the recently-concluded 23rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

    Tagged, the Malabo Declaration, African leaders declared their commitment to new priorities, strategies and targets around agriculture-led growth.

    These priorities, it said, were geared towards achieving food and nutrition security for shared prosperity of the African people.

    “African Heads of State have specifically agreed to end hunger in Africa by 2025, halve poverty by 2025 through inclusive agricultural growth and transformation.

    “They have also agreed to further increase both public and private investment finance in agriculture.

    “They agreed to boost intra-Africa trade in agricultural commodities and services, enhance resilience of livelihood, production systems to climate change variability and other related risks; while committing to mutual accountability to actions and results.

    “The leaders also renewed their commitment towards the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) process which pushes African leaders’ commitment towards a systematic regular review process, using the CAADP Results Framework.”

  • Dark and Lovely Braids and Weaves in town

    Dark and Lovely Braids and Weaves in town

    DETERMINED to ensure that the African woman looks her best always, leading beauty care products brand, L’Oreal Central West Africa, has introduced Dark and Lovely Braids and Weaves new product lines into the Nigerian market. Utilizing over 25 years of detailed and comprehensive research and innovation on African hair, the product, no doubt, is ripe for its time.

    Braids are a symbol of African pride and weaves are a symbol of modern beauty widely embraced in Nigeria and beyond. To date, there are limited products that allow women to manage their braids or weaves.The new Dark and Lovely line offers a complimentary routine for people with braids and weaves and promotes the use of natural ingredients to curb the various problems Nigerian women face with their braids and weaves on a daily basis.

    The Dark and Lovely range includes the SOS Hairline which acts from the roots to protect the hairline and prevent damage caused by intensive braiding; the Scalp Soother which relieves the scalp from tightness and itchiness caused by braiding and sew in weaves, the Scalp Wash which keeps the scalp clean by removing flakes and excess oil and finally the Hair Refresher which refreshes the hair with a pleasant smell, so your braids and weaves smell brand new.

    Speaking at the launch held at the Anchor Event Centre in Lagos, Managing Director of L’Oreal Central West Africa, Mr. Idorenyen Enang, disclosed that: “The beauty market in Nigeria is very promising for the group given the population and their interests, particularly in braids and weaves. We aim to make L’Oreal the number one beauty company in Sub-Saharan Africa, thanks to our expertise which enables us to offer consumers in the region innovative, affordable, high-quality products that match their expectations and needs.”

  • COUNTDOWN TO MARRAKESH 2014 AFRICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: Coaches back Team Nigeria to retain title

    COUNTDOWN TO MARRAKESH 2014 AFRICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: Coaches back Team Nigeria to retain title

    As Team Nigeria’s track and field team arrives in Marrakesh, Morocco on Thursday, for the African Athletics Championships which serve as trial for the 2014 IAAF Athletics World Cup, three Nigerian coaches believe that the  athletes selected  for the championships have what it takes to beat opposition from South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Algeria, Egypt and host Morocco to retain the African title Team Nigeria won in Port Novo, Benin Republic two years ago.

    Coach Gad Onumaegbu, the hurdle coach who discovered and nurtured Gloria Alozie to become the world junior champion in 1996 believes Team Nigeria will dominate the sprints, hurdles, 400m metres and the relays to win the title,

    ” We are going to Morocco to win the title. We shall clear the sprints medals, of the four gold  medals in the hurdles, we can win two. Competition will be tough in the throws with the Egyptians and the Algerians, but Queen Obisesan and Chinwe Okoro can win gold medals.”

    Onumaegbu is also banking on our relay teams.” I have a little reservation about the men 4x400m, but with some special workout, they are also potential gold medalists. Our athletes are highly motivated, I believe we can defend out title”.

    Coach Daniel Etsebiminor, the coach of double Commonwealth Games gold medalist Blessing Okagbare believes the performances of our athletes in Glasgow will spur them to achieve better result in Morocco.

    ” Our main rivals like Kenya have tough battles in their hand in their areas of specialisation. Kenya will fight for long distance and short distance medals with Uganda, Ethopia and even the North Africans, but we don’t have serious oppositions in our area of speciality. In the relays we could clear the four gold medals at stake. Kenya could threaten our boys in the 4x400m, but if we get our acts together, we shall dominate.”

    Etsebiminor ,who is also the coach of the new kid on the block Divine Oduduru who won a silver at the IAAF World Junior last in Oregon, USA, said Okagbare will win the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m

    Coach Saheed Akinpelu, who give coaching tutorials to most of our quarter-milers like Commonwealth silver medalist Sade Abugan, said chances that any African country will beat Nigeria is very remote. ‘ “Competition for medals will be tough, especially since this edition of the African Championships also serves as trials for the money spinning IAAF World Cup, but I am positive that we shall retain our title. Most of our medals will come from sprints, relays, jumps, hurdles, quatermiles and throws” said Akinpelu

  • Falana urges African leaders to challenge IMF, World Bank on economy

    Lagos lawyer Mr. Femi Falana has urged African Heads of State and Governments to challenge the alleged manipulation of the continent’s economy by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank as a summit of the United States (U.S) and African leaders opened in Washington, DC, this week.

    American President Barack Obama is expected to host the summit, which focuses mainly on trade and investment in Africa. The theme of the summit is: Investing in the Next Generation. A number of signatures and side events have been organised to acknowledge the role of civil society, women and youth in the development of Africa.

    Forty African Heads of Governments are in Washington, DC for the summit.

    As part of the run-up to the summit, 15 civil society organisations (CSOs) from Africa, in an open letter on August 1 by Pamela Timburwa and addressed to the U.S. and Heads of African State and Governments, urged the leaders “to ensure that serious consideration is given and firm commitments are made to ensure an enabling environment for the participation of civil society, women and youth in Africa’s development”.

    The 15 CSOs include Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA), Human Rights Watch, International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Africa Regional Program, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Lawyers for Human Rights, Regional office; Liga Moçambicana dos Direitos Humanos (LDH), Mozambique, Liga Guineense dos Direitos Humanos (LGDH), Guinea Bissau.

    Others are: Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA); Southern African Litigation Centre (SALC), South Africa; Swaziland Coalition for Concerned Civic Organisations, Swaziland; Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), Malawi; Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), Mozambique; Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), Regional office and Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), Zimbabwe.

    Reacting to the letter, which was copied to him by Ms Timburwa, the Lagos lawyer disagreed with the issues tabled by the civil societies before U.S. and Heads of African State and Governments.

    The activist said the letter was silent on the economic system in the 54 member-states in Africa.

    He said the African Union (AU) and the regional economic groupings had not addressed the empowerment of Africans, adding that without addressing unemployment, poverty and insecurity, majority of Africans cannot enjoy any human right.

    Falana said: “Africa must challenge the manipulation of the economy of the continent by the IMF and the World Banký. The lower interest rates in the West and the very high interest rates in Africa, being endorsed by the Bretton Wood institutions, should be seriously challenged. Instead of aid, the emphasis should be on trade. After hundreds of years of crude exploitation of her resources, Africa should no longer be a dumping ground. Having been on the receiving end, Africa should champion the struggle for a new world economic order based on justice and fair play.”

    The frontline lawyer noted that apart from condemning the level of corruption in Africa, the U.S government had not deemed it fit to ensure that the stolen wealth is repatriated.

    He said: “While countries risk losing aid for enacting laws against same-sex marriage, the Obama administration has not even imposed a travel ban on corrupt African leaders. Or, is America not unaware of the fact that some of the leaders who are attending the summit have endangered the development of their countries on account of grand corruption?”