The Nation Newspaper

Tag: firm

  • Firm to empower 500,000 rural women in Kwara

    No fewer than 500,000 women in rural communities will be empowered by Kaiama Shea Butter Company, a Kwara-based company proposing to plant one million Shea butter trees across the state.

    Its Chairman, Mr. Temitope Amujo, said this in an interview in Ilorin.

    According to him, the government, in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA),  provided the enabling environment for the take-off of the company.

    “We launched the Save-the-Shea campaign with the sole mandate of planting 100,000 Shea trees, empower 500,000 rural women in communities and achieve zero poverty in the state.

    “This is to ensure safe climate; and to achieve this, we have acquired land in Kaiama Local Government Area to establish the first commercial Shea plantation and develop the first Shea Hub, called Kaiama Shea Hub (KaSH).

    “We recently discovered that Shea tree is one of the endangered species that is seriously affected by deforestation because of its high quality for charcoal production.

    “Our major target now is to discourage cutting of Shea trees for charcoal production, plant new trees and establish another Shea hub.’’

    Amujo said the vision was to create a minimum of 300 local jobs and attract foreign investment in Shea value chain development in the state.

    He said about N30 million has been injected into the company — N12 million in grant, N10 million sourced from private investment and N8 million in liability

  • Firm to support entrepreneurs to tackle poverty

    Acumen, an international non-profit investment organisation is poised to support Nigerian entrepreneurs working to help end poverty.

    Its West Africa Director, Meghan Curra, said this while addressing a forum of entrepreneurship empowerment organisations, put together by Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE), to meet representatives of Skoll Foundation and Acumen in Lagos.

    According to her, Acumen raises charitable donations to invest in companies, leaders, and ideas who tackle poverty in developing countries. The fund, she explained, operates like a venture capital fund for the poor, supported by a global community of philanthropists willing to take a bet on a new approach.

    The fund, she continued, invests in companies leading innovations in renewable energy and agriculture among others, adding this has allowed Acumen to impact the lives of 232 million people since 2001 across 99 companies with $108 million of investments.

    She said Acumen Fund was created in 2001 to offer new approaches to social impact investing, acting as an intermediary between philanthropic organisations and social enterprises.

    The Regional Chapter Manager, West Africa, ANDE, Olatunji Ajani, said ANDE is a global network of organisations that propel entrepreneurship in emerging markets.

    According to him, ANDE members provide critical financial, educational, and business support services to small and growing businesses (SGBs) based on the conviction that they  will create jobs, stimulate long-term economic growth, and produce environmental and social benefits.

    Associate Director, Acumen West Africa, Oluwatoyin Emmanuel-Olubake, highlighted the group’s interest in companies that create sustainable solutions in local ecosystem.

    Acumen in the last 15 years has invested over $110 million in breakthrough innovations with 102 countries serving low-income customers within 13 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the U.S. with a major focus on post-seed to scale opportunities especially in the agriculture and renewable energy space.

     

  • Firm promises 40% return on investment

    A Japanese firm, Miniso Nigeria,  is  offering investors 40 per cent gross return on their investments on its lifestyle designer retail brands of products.

    Its Managing Director/CEO, Mrs. Key Yang, who spoke at a media interaction in its Victoria Island head office in Lagos, said the frim which is a year old in the country, plans to open 200 stores across the country and employ about 8,000 workers  by next year. She said Miniso has already established its presence as a global player and beaten all odds with an average monthly growth rate of 80-100 stores across various countries, including  the United States (U.S), Canada, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia. It has  registered business turnover of $1.5billion and $1.9billion in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

    The Franchise and Investment Manager,  Jason Zhou, said all that is required for new investors to sign in, is to simply secure a store size of around 200M2 and a budget of about N70-N80million which covers for a year franchise fee, products’ deposit, which he said is refundable after the contract.

     

    He said investors have the option of either signing on to the Franchising model, or the Agent  type, saying as a franchisee, “you will get 40 per cent of the total monthly sales turnover as profit to cover incidental expenses.

     

  • Firm reiterates commitment to healthy living  

    WEST  African Seasoning CompanyLimited (WASCO), makers of AJI-NO-MOTO seasoning products, has reiterated its commitment to healthy living, stating that the product is good  for consumption.

    Speaking at the factory tour and unveiling of popular comedienne, Helen Paul (aka Tatafo) and professional chef, Miyonse Amosu as ambassadors for AJI-NO-MOTO® Umami seasoning, Managing Director of the company, Mr. Junichi Niki reaffirmed that the duo will be the new face of the brand connecting with consumers and deepening public awareness on the benefits of the brand.

    He said in Nigeria, WASCO will continually and significantly contribute to promotion of good health and good culinary practice for healthy living of all families through the provision of nutritional seasoning products and other products of high quality to our consumers.

    Niki  said: “MSG, based on scientific findings, is 100 percent safe for consumption. For over a century now, MSG has been used to add Umami, the fifth basic taste, that enhances taste and make dishes more delicious since it was discovered in 1909. MSG is present in most natural foods such as meat, seafood, vegetable, cheese and milk. Umami is a universal taste.”

    “As a food company, we have been in Nigeria since 1991 distributing nationwide. Over the years, we have grown especially in the Northern area and so we want to renew our strength in the Southern areas of Nigeria to complement our efforts in the North,’’ he added.

    Head of Marketing at Ajinomoto  Isa Hassan Shallangwa spoke on the global consumption of AJI-NO-MOTO Umami seasoning.

    “According to the Longman dictionary, Umami is having a strong pleasant taste that is not sweet, sour, salty, or bitter, especially like the tastes found in meat, strong cheese and tomato. Umami taste is a member of the five basic tastes (alongside with sweetness, sourness, saltiness and bitterness”.

    He further said: ‘’The safety of umami substance has been approved by authorities all over the world such as in the USA, EU, Australia, Japan, and also by NAFDAC/Nigeria. AJI-NO-MOTO is produced through a natural fermentation process of sugar molasses which are obtained from plants such as sugar cane. The benefit of AJI-NO-MOTO Umami seasoning includes enhancing and promoting the deliciousness of our meals, it is economical, it reduces salt intake and it is rich in glutamate one of the free amino acids.  Almost all seasoning contains MSG.”

    AJI-NO-MOTO® is the first MSG seasoning produced since 1909. It is also the number one brand of Monosodium Glutamate (Umami Substance). Glutamate is also abundant in our traditional fermented condiments like iru, ogiri, daddawa. Umami is a universal taste. AJI-NO-MOTO has been selling for over hundred years and now sells in about one hundred countries and regions.

  • Firm gets LNG FEED contract

    The KBR, Inc.  has been awarded the contract for the expansion of the Bonny Island LNG plant at Bonny Island, Rivers State.

    The firm announced yesterday that it was awarded the LNG FEED contract by Nigeria LNG (NLNG).

    Under the terms of the contract, KBR, as leader of the Bonny7JV with partners TechnipFMC and JGC, will provide the basic design package and EPC bid for the expansion.

    The Train 7 project covers the addition of a Complete LNG Train and an additional Common Liquefaction Unit (CLU) at the facility. The CLU draws feedstock from the six existing LNG trains delivered by KBR and partners from 1995 to 2007.

    “We are excited to be a part of this significant project and to continue to grow and maintain a substantial presence in the EMEA Region,” said Jay Ibrahim, KBR President, Europe, Middle East and Africa and Asia-Pacific.

    He added: “This award is indicative of KBR’s strategic commitment to support NLNG, building on past success to deliver a high level of Nigerian content and helping to build a better Nigeria.”

    Estimated revenue associated with this project will be booked into backlog of unfilled orders for KBR’s Hydrocarbons Services Business Segment in the third Quarter of 2018, it was learnt.

  • Firm holds safety awareness

    Experts have revealed that the ratio of serious accidents to near misses in the work environment is estimated at one to 300 at-risk behaviours.

    They spoke at the recently- concluded workshop on health, safety and environment organised by Oil Servicing firm, Eunisell Limited, at its Lagos Office,

    At-risk behaviour, according to them, are activities or work-related environmental issues that fail to meet or bypass best practices, safety programmes and training procedures.

    EuniselL Group Managing Director, Mr. Chika Ikenga, said: “At Eunisell, safety and the environment are our primary concerns, thus we take the well being of our team, customers and vendors very seriously. While working on projects, we are duty-bound and committed to implementing our Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) policy as well as meeting the rigorous standards set by our customers.”

    “We want our business and operations to be as risk-free as much as possible and our impact on the environment to be minimal. Our approach is proactive and this is why our Health, Safety and Environment policy evolves and is adaptive to meet the unique needs of each project without comprise,” he added.

     

  • Firm wins Continental Award in Ethiopia

    Farmcrowdy, Nigeria’s first and leading digital agriculture platform yesterday won the Digital Business of the Year (2018) award in Africa. The award was granted at the annual Global African Business Awards (GABA) ceremony in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    Launched in 2017, GABA, the world’s premier annual business award was created to celebrate, honour and generate public recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and working professionals in the continent of Africa.

    Other nominees of the Digital Business of the Year award include e-commerce platforms – Konga, Jumia, Zando, Dressmeoutlet, Mall for Africa and Dealdey; WeFarm, the world’s largest farmer-to-farmer digital network; Interswitch payment gateway; and Delvv.io, South Africa’s branding and refinement partners.

    Onyeka Akumah, Founder and CEO of Farmcrowdy says, “we are honoured to have our hard work aimed at impacting on the lives of rural farmers recognised. We are delighted about the great opportunities ahead of us as we continually strive to remain at the forefront of technological innovation in Agriculture across Nigeria and eventually the continent of Africa.”

    With a team of 35, Farmcrowdy has, in the last 20 months, empowered over 7,000 direct and indirect rural farmers and given thousands of farm sponsors a platform to participate in Agriculture from their computers or mobile phones in order to make profit at harvest. This impact has seen the platform plant Maize, Rice and Cassava on over 8,000 Acres of farmland in less than 2 years and raised close to 600,000 chickens to boost food production in the country.

    The leading digital agriculture platform has also raised $1.4 million dollars in seed funding from local and international investors including Cox Enterprises,  Social Capital, Techstars Ventures and most recently, won a grant from the GSMA Ecosystem Accelerator Innovator Fund.

    So far, the funds have given the leading startup the potency to scale its operations to 10 states of operation in Nigeria with plans for more expansion across more states and regions.

     

     

  • Firm seeks awareness on blood donation

    MORE awareness on blood donation topped the

    interactive session organised by Life Bank, a blood distributor, in Yaba, Lagos.

    As Nigeria marked the World Blood Donor Day on June 14, the firm lamented that in Africa, only South Africa, Rwanda and Zambia, have their 100 per cent blood supply from voluntary donors, and that Nigeria had no excuse for not taking a foremost position.

    Life Bank founder Temie Giwa-Tubosun said her firm would not back down from its advocacy for voluntary blood donors.

    She said: “Aside advocacy and awareness on voluntary blood donation, there is the need to also educate Nigerians where and how they can donate blood. We still have a considerable level of ignorance in this part of the world and many Nigerians sometimes express fear when issues on blood donations are being discussed. This is why Blood Bank, apart from doing business, now has a novel application, a donor platform that helps the general public become blood donors.”

    Citing Nigeria, Giwa-Tunbosun said research revealed that between 30  and 60 per cent of blood donations were from commercial donors, as well as from family and friends, while voluntary donor constituted only 10 per cent.

    However, beyond blood donation, Giwa-Tunbosun noted that it was important to preserve it to guard against infections, such as HIV, adding that about 18 per cent of new HIV infections has been attributed to unsafe blood transfusion.

    “It is important to know that blood is safe before use, a lot of times, you found out that people get most diseases from blood. Apart from HIV, there is hapatitis and syphilis which you can contract from unsafe blood,” she explained.

    Taking reporters around the firm’s facilities, such as its newly-acquired Smart Bank, a new technology that guarantees blood safety, she said: “This product basically takes report about blood, where it was collected, who did the collections, was the donor safe, information around testing, what test was conducted, when the test was conducted and what was the result of the test.”

    According to her, the new facility has helped in keeping blood safe and reducing infection.

  • Lagos, firm to empower 500 youths

    Training and recruitment services firm, 1st CRT Management Service, has partnered with the Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creations and Employments to train 500 youths of the State on Mind-sets Re-Orientation and Employability skills.

    This, the firm said, is to reduce the rate of unemployment among the youths.

    In a statement by its Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Folayemi Olaitan said the training would also equip the youths with the right skills to secure sustainable jobs, start a new business and provide competitive services.

    She also explained that the collaboration with the state government was aimed at enabling the youths to reach their potential by re-orientating their mind-sets on the realities of life and the labour market.

    She said: “The programme is about advocating and encouraging youths to consider technical and vocational skills training to enhance their leadership and employability skills.

    “At the end of this programme, selected participants will be placed on a five-month paid internship with organisations. This will afford them the chance of gaining both work experience and on-the-job skills aimed at leading to permanent employment or starting a new business.

    “The job training cum educational event, which is at the instance of the Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment, will also facilitate meeting and relationship between employers and unemployed youths in Lagos and to re-orientate the mind-sets of youths on realities of life. We are passionate about enabling the young Lagosians as they are full of potential and we need the youth to move our nation forward.”

    The training, which is coming in two phases, is scheduled to take place on July 10 and 12 at Lagos NUT Pavilion and Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja.

  • Firm to sue CPC over seizure of 1,500 bags of rice

    Rice City, a rice retail outlet in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, has threatened to sue the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) for seizing 1,500 bags of rice from its warehouse valued at over N24million.

    This is sequel to a raid carried out a week ago on rice retail outlets in Uyo by CPC officials from Abuja led by the council’s Director-General, Mr. Babatunde Irukera.

    The counsel to Rice City, Mr. Victor Iyanam, while speaking to reporters yesterday on the incident, demanded an unreserved apology from CPC and a return of the seized bags of rice.

    Iyanam threatened to sue CPC if it fails to return the bags of rice

    and tender an apology to the rice firm, adding that the image of his client have been tarnished.

    He argued that the action of the CPC was at variance with fair trade, adding that their action had caused the organisation untold harms in its business dealing.

    Iyanam maintained that the organisation was instituting a legal proceeding against the council for damages over the seizure of the good worth N24,750,000.

    “At the end of the rampage, the men claiming to be from the CPC carted away 1500 bags of rice, mainly of the local variants. They came in three trucks, none was registered and can therefore not be identified.

    “The place to which the bags of rice were carted remains unknown.

    “We are dismayed that the conduct of the men of the CPC negates the courteous and humane manner the CPC was always expected to act. By the provision of Rules 10 and 11 of the Consumer Protection (Products and Services Monitoring and Registration) Regulations 2005, the CPC would be expected to issue some notice before moving against any marketer.

    “Besides carting away 1500 bags of rice with a market value of N24, 750,000 is excessive and unreasonable in the circumstance.

    “This is therefore to call on the Nigeria Police, Akwa Ibom State Command to come to the aid of Rice City and to ensure the return of her products,”  he said.