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Tag: hub

  • Expanding advocacy hub for creatives

    Expanding advocacy hub for creatives

    The creative scene got a boost last Saturday with the launch of Jameson Yard in Lekki, Lagos.

    It is to foster creativity and collaboration among Nigeria’s vibrant cultural and bartender communities.

    Located in the heart of Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, the innovative space serves as a cultural advocacy hub and a haven for bartenders and creative minds alike.

     Jameson Brand Development Executive for Nigeria, Bren Gonouya highlighted the company’s commitment to supporting creative communities. “The Jameson Yard is more than just a space; it’s a cultural home where creators can connect, collaborate, and grow alongside us. We want to ensure that as a brand, we grow with these communities, and they grow with us,” he said.

    The Jameson Yard boasts a variety of facilities designed to cater to diverse creative needs. From a modular living room space ideal for intimate gatherings and movie nights to a state-of-the-art podcast studio and a fully equipped content creation room, the yard is a multi-functional hub.

    For bartenders, Jameson has introduced Bartender Mondays, an initiative designed to provide a relaxing and interactive space for bartenders to connect, experiment, and hone their craft. Future plans include a cocktail competition, with the winner receiving an opportunity to travel to Ireland to engage with global bartenders.

    “Bartenders are the unsung heroes of our industry.

    Read Also: ‘Apapa Port is hub of ease-of-doing-business’

    This space is for them to refine their skills, share ideas, and explore career possibilities through workshops and networking events,” he added.

    The Jameson Yard is also open to chefs, artists, musicians, and other creative professionals. It features a functional kitchen for culinary enthusiasts, co-working spaces for creators, and a content room equipped with versatile backdrops for professional shoots.

    For those interested, access to the yard is free upon registration through Jameson Nigeria’s website. “We’re not charging anyone at the moment. As long as their plans align with our values and objectives, they’re welcome to use the space,” Gonouya said.

    The launch aligns with Jameson’s new global campaign, Must Be a Jameson, which reflects the brand’s evolving identity while staying true to its core values.

    The space is infused with the essence of Irish hospitality, offering a safe and secure environment for family, friends, and communities to gather.

    From movie nights to intimate dinners and wellness workshops for bartenders, the Jameson Yard is poised to become a cultural landmark in Lagos, celebrating creativity, community, and good vibes.

    “Ultimately, this is a space where ideas can flourish, and new possibilities can emerge,” said Gonouya adding that “It’s our way of giving back to the communities that have supported us over the years.”

  • A hub for innovators

    A hub for innovators

    With the launch of Roar Nigeria Hub – a technology incubator – last Wednesday, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in Enugu State is projected to become a new hub for young innovators and tech entrepreneurs.

    In collaboration with Benefiting Our Community (BOG) Innovations, UNN opened the ground-breaking science and technology incubator, to produce new generation of innovators that would create local technology-based solutions with global perspective.

    The hub is built to generate interaction between the academia, the industry and the government to promote ideas, and marketable innovations among students and researchers.

    At the event were the foremost Information Technology (IT) and multinational firms, including Google, Facebook, Huawei Technologies, Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC), National Information Technology Agency (NITDA), Computer Warehouse Group, and ExxonMobil.

    The mood of the event was set by an emotional opening prayer by the Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies, Prof Patience Osadebe. “God must cast away the spirit of consumerism in Nigerians; we are tired of consumer of foreign technologies. Oh Lord, grant us the wisdom to be productive.”

    Members of the audience roared in applause.

    Osadebe’s prayer was echoed by  Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who, in his keynote speech, noted that the nation would not attain its desired level of development if it continued to rely on technologies produced by other nations.

    The governor, represented by Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr Greg Nnaji, said the concept of the tech hub was in line with the effort of the government to entrench IT culture in the state to boost the economy and generate employment for the youth.

    He said: “By establishing this facility, UNN has once again demonstrated its willingness and capacity to take up the challenge to deliver scientific and technological breakthroughs, which, with the support of the private sector, would impact on the economic fortunes of the state and the nation.”

    For the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Benjamin Ozumba, the launch of the tech hub was a dream come true. He said the idea to establish the tech hub was conceived after he visited a science park in Sweden last year.

    He said: “We want to turn Nigeria around with inventions and innovations. With the launching of Roar Nigeria Hub, we will soon hear about UNN students creating laudable inventions in ICT and other areas of human endeavours.”

    In ensuring successful establishment of the tech hub, Ozumba said the first step he took was to make students IT-compliant by urging them to own laptops to meet the demands of the 21st century education.

    Ozumba, who said he believes that the university has the capacity to assemble locally-designed laptop, said: “In the next few months, made in UNN laptops will flood Nigerian market. This is the first mandate of Roar Nigeria Hub.”

    The VC said the tech hub was built to equip students with innovative and hands-on mechanical skills, which would enable them to assemble machinery for industrial and agricultural use.  He also said the tech hub would come up with innovations that would reduce wastage of agricultural produce in the country.

    Part of the promises of the hub is to assist young innovators secure funds to develop their ideas, provide them with mentorship and create market opportunities.

    Roar Nigeria Hub Chairman, Okechi Igwebuike, said: “Roar Nigeria Hub is an ecosystem that supports upcoming entrepreneurs by providing professional support to enable young innovators turn their ideas to marketable products.”

    He noted that the hub would enable the creation of indigenous tech solutions, create jobs and foster economic growth.

    The hub started with three innovators’ groups presenting their proposals. The first group named “AGROMESS” developed a mobile application to help farmers solve the problem of wastage of agricultural products. The app will help identify parts of the country that have surplus agro products and link them to areas where the products are scarce.

    The second group named “Malicha” developed a mobile application that uses artificial intelligence to recommend hairstyle that will fit a particular facial make-up, while the third called “Thrillers” developed an application that will notify people of events happening around them on their mobile phones.

  • ‘Lagos’ll remain Nigeria’s commercial hub’

    ‘Lagos’ll remain Nigeria’s commercial hub’

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has re-assured investors and residents his administration’s commitment to ensure that the state remains the nation’s commercial hub.

    The governor, represented by the Commissioner for Commerce, Industries and Co-operative, Prince Rotimi Ogunleye, gave this re-assurance while inaugurating a two-storey shopping mall constructed by Ikeja Club on Obafemi Awolowo Road, Ikeja. The mall sits on over 1, 000 square metres of space.

    He said his administration’s commitment to commerce being reinforced by the government’s actions in terms of legislations, institutional reforms and protection of lives and property.

    This commitment, Ambode said, led to the recent signing into law of two legislations that were aimed at preventing the incidence of land grabbing that have for long been a major hindrance to consummation of land and property transaction, while the other law establishes the Lagos State Neighbourhood Watch as a veritable tool for security within communities.

    The mall, Ambode added, will not only increase the stocks of the city malls across the landscape of the state, but will also assist in employment and wealth creation for Lagosians.

    “All of these and many more of our decisive intervention will ultimately create the desired conducive environment for commerce and investment to thrive in our state,” the governor enthused.

    Earlier in a welcome address, the President, Ikeja Club, Prince Ademola Adunola, commended the state government for been a reliable partner in the discharge of its various social responsibilities as a corp[orate citizen.

    Adunola explained that the mall was not constructed for commercial gains but to enable the club to adequately perform its numerous charity services to the less privileged of the society.

  • Turning LAKAJI rail route into viable agric hub

    The Lagos-Kano-Jibiya (LAKAJI) corridor is a 1,225-kilometre route that runs from Lagos through Kano,  ending in Jibiya at the border with Niger Republic. It is a major conduit for food supply from the North to the South. But farmers are finding it difficult to transport food across the region. It has become imperative to tackle the problem as Nigeria is set to play a major role in addressing Africa’s food security issues.  DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    The Lagos-Kano-JIbiya (LAKAJI) corridor is a 1,225-kilometre transport route.  It is a broad swathe of territory beginning from the Lagos port and terminating at the Republic of Niger border of Jibiya in Katsina State.

    The area  covers Jigawa,Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Kwara, Niger, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kogi, Kaduna, Kano and Katsina states as well as the Jibiya route. It has  arable land, special economic zones designed to promote agribusiness, major water retention and irrigation schemes and large grain storage facilities.

    Offering rice, sugar cane, maize, cassava, poultry, fish, cattle and dairy, cocoa, cashews, sustainable seafood, sesame seed and  shea and shea butter and lots more, the region is one of those untapped agricultural destinations. Production and processing centres along the corridor also benefit from proximity to dense urban population centers that provide end markets for domestic goods.

    So far, the corridor is said to be Nigeria’s busiest transport corridor facilitating the movement of 30 million tonnes of goods per year valued at more than $6 billion and accounting for 36 per cent of the country’s total gross domestic product (GDP).This is because  it is  a major conduit for food supplies from the North to the South. It is also a vital channel for food supplies to neighbouring countries in Niger, Chad, Cameroon ,Benin.  Experts agreed the area has the potential to stimulate investment in Nigeria’s agricultural sector, linking the largest consumer market in West Africa (Lagos) with some of the highest potential agricultural zones in the region. Leveraging on the potential of the region, according to them,  offers untold benefits for the nation and, ultimately, the continent.  Interestingly, the fundamentals are all in place for the area to act as an agriculture hub.

    Speaking on this, the National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu urged the Federal Government to pay more attention to the LAKAJI corridor to ease trade. This, he said would be possible through the provision of basic infrastructure that will ease production and transportation of agricultural produce. Tinubu, who spoke at the just  concluded  Katsina State Economic and Investment Summit, said LAKAJI is an acronym for Lagos–Kano-Jibia corridor.

    Represented by a former Lagos State Commissioner of Finance and Executive Director at First Bank, Mr. Tokunbo Abiru, Tinubu said a strategic approach must be adopted where the upper north has the capacity for agricultural production that should be based on strength.

    He maintained that the LAKAJI corridor, with 10 states on its routes, needs concerted efforts based on individual strength, where those who have the capacity to produce can complement storage capacity to add value to the system, especially in the case of the movement of goods to Lagos where consumption is high.

    The former governor expressed concern over challenges confronting the LAKAJI corridor, saying storage and other production processes to the end consumers calls for improvement.

    To stakeholders, the  corridor ’s huge agricultural potential holds the promise, but is hampered by lack of infrastructure. Among the factors limiting the realisation of the corridor’s potential are major infrastructure deficiencies, particularly the poor condition of secondary roads. This has led to  congestion and delays at ports and checkpoints. A   study  conducted by the  United States  Agency for International Development’s Nigeria Expanded Trade and Transport (NEXTT) project, CARANA Corporation and its implementing partners on movement of  goods along the LAKAJI Corridor confirmed  the  situation.

    The CARANA team found that the main drivers of the inflated time and cost of transport along the corridor were delays and inefficiencies.  Their concern was also  lack of a clear vision of corridor development and a range of enabling environmental constraints, such as limited access to finance, they said have stifled both private and public investment.

    Confirming this also, the Chairman, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) in Kebbi , Alhaji Sahabi Augie said the state of the roads along the axis is challenging.

    He    complained that   poor transportation infrastructure has led to increased food waste and higher prices for consumers.

    He noted that improvement of the corridor would greatly boost transportation of farm produce, adding  that the government needed to improve roads in selected areas across the country in order to boost agricultural marketing and household incomes.

    This, according to him, would open up commercial opportunities and services that make farming a more profitable livelihood for rural inhabitants and an important means of addressing food insecurity.

    As the Corridor winds its way north, it crosses eight States – Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Kwara, Niger, Kaduna, Kano and Katsina, and road conditions vary in each section. This reflects systemic issues in the national logistics system that need to be resolved by long-term investment in new infrastructure.

    Attempts to overcome these myriad of obstacles, the Agriculture Team Lead, Feed Nigeria Live, Mr Dayo Ogundijo, noted ,requires focus on the creation of local transportation and distribution corridor across the region.

    With the construction of rural feeder roads, Ogundijo said farmers would be able to access markets to sell their produce hence improved livelihoods and incomes.

    While feeder roads are critical factors to raising agriculture production, Ogundijo wants the government to expand railways connection across the corridor to enhance all season connectivity to agricultural market centres.

    Several stakeholders within the region have tried to raise agricultural productivity and attract investments to create an efficient and well-functioning agricultural chain.

    For  instance, to  start new agribusiness investment, CARANA Corporation and its implementing partners conducted an initial assessment of the corridor designed to review the agricultural logistics services, infrastructure inefficiencies, and investment needs along the corridor, as well as develop an investment blueprint, or profiles of high-priority, investable opportunities that are commercially viable along the corridor to improve the flow of goods.

    The LAKAJI Agricultural Growth Corridor Assessment identified a set of promising opportunities for investment in improved infrastructure and services for agriculture along the corridor.

    Particular attention was paid to the location of complementary initiatives, including those financed by donors and by state and Federal Ministries of Agriculture, such as the Staple Crop Processing Zones (SCPZs).

    The report identified an initial set of 33 commercially viable and relevant agribusiness investment opportunities throughout the eight states visited, separated by state and the following investment categories: inputs, production, processing, manufacturing, warehousing and infrastructure, and information communication technologies (ICT).

    Value chains identified in the investments include: cotton, sesame, soybean, maize, rice, sorghum, inputs (seeds and fertilizer), transport and logistics (cold storage facilities, trucks and tractor manufacturing), vegetable oil, vegetables (tomato, cucumber, peppers, onions), shea, cashew, honey, spices, fruits (TBD), cassava, cocoa, fish, poultry, and ICT infrastructure.

    To promote investment across the region, the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) has revealed plans to set up a special development fund called the Investment Facilitation Funds (IFF). The proposed fund, when launched, will be accessible for preparatory stages of investment for business expansion or green field projects across the entire nation.    The Coordinator of Invest in LAKAJI Corridor with the NIPC, Mallam Aminu Takuma made this known at Investment Facilitation Workshop for Northern LAKAJI Corridor States which was organised by NIPC and United States Agency for International Development (USAID/Nigeria), in Kaduna State.

  • Nigeria to become hub for tile export

    • Firm to produce 500,000 ceramics yearly

    Niegria will soon become the hub for the exportation of ceramic tiles and sanitary wares, an industrialist has said.

    Dr. Khater Massaad, Chief Executive Officer of CDK  Integrated Industries, said Nigeria would be exporting the products to other African countries and Europe.

    CDK, he said, would open its state-of the-art porcelain and ceramic factory next month.

    He spoke with reporters at the factory in Sagamu, Ogun State.

    Massaad said the factory is built on a million square metres of land to meet global ceramics and sanitary wares industry demand in Africa and Europe.

    “Our aim is to produce high quality ceramic tiles and sanitary wares products. Everyone is in need of high quality products. We aim to meet the best quality in the world, matching and possibly surpassing the American and European standards,” Massaad said.

    Noting that the firm’s vision is to be number one in Africa, in terms of product quality and pricing, Massaad said the company was engaging Nigerians who are buying into the vision of the company as a professional organisation with global best practices.

    Over 65 million square meters of ceramic tiles are imported into Nigeria, according to Ceramic World review magazine published in Italy. And CDK Integrated Industries’ plan is to help Nigeria address this challenge by producing the highest quality of tiles and ceramic products that will shift the world focus to Nigeria in the area of ceramics and sanitary wares.

    The firm’s factory will be producing 500,000 pieces annually of several models of European designer collections, using the best technology, best raw materials, highest standards, world class fittings and soft closing hinges, amongst others.

    CDK Integrated Industries Porcelain and Ceramic tiles factory will be producing 60X60 CM, 30×60 CM and 40x40CM polished, glazed, glazed polished and soluble salt tiles with superior quality, using state of the art technology and latest digital printing equipment.

    On employment opportunities, Massaad stated that the company will be employing over a thousand Nigerians to be part of its dream of a world class factory to contribute to the development of the economy, adding that in the long run the idea is to eliminate the massive importation of the item from Italy and other countries to give value to the Nigerian economy.

    With active contribution to the construction of over 50 factories across the world, Dr. Massaad concluded that the investment in Shagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria will transform the economy of the communities and the country.

    He added that the firm is working on obtaining the necessary certification from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

  • Nigeria can become outsourcing hub, says don

    Why is Nigeria not considered a place for Global Software Development (GSD), like many Asian countries?

    Sanjay Misra, a Professor of Computer Engineering at Covenant University (CU), Cannanland, Ota, Ogun State, said this is so because of poor ICT development as well as economic, social and political instability.

    Becoming a GSD destination means being a viable platform for international companies to outsource services through software technology.

    Speaking on the topic: “Global software development: Challenges and opportunities in Nigeria” at the university’s 43rd public lecture, last Friday, Misra said he arrived at his position based on a research he conducted in Europe and Africa both representing the outsourcing and outsourced countries.

    “In general, it can be deduced from this analysis that factors that affect sourcing decision in Nigeria and other African regions are significant enough to reduce the probability of competing with Asian countries. However, there are many positive factors to be optimistic about concerning the future of a country like Nigeria. Its relative political stability, economic strength achieved in recent years and increased development of its workforce, make Nigeria a nation to watch in the medium and long term,” said Misra.

    On the outcome of his research, Misra said while respondents from Africa identified English, Nigeria’s official language as well as training in technology discipline as the main GSD attraction, European informants also agreed with the language in addition to the same time zone. However, the Europeans expressed worry about high costs, absence of a strong software industry and legislative, fiscal as well as commercial practices. Respondents from Africa on the other hand, express disgust at perennial corruption and lack of transparency occasioned by administrative and bureaucratic bottlenecks.

    He said: “All European informants agree that corruption or the so called dash culture is a key factor that can affect the decision of foreigners. Dash practice is meant to provide a gratuity or money that these people expect to receive for a service, but the peculiarity is that the ‘service’ can be almost anything. It is considered an entitlement. It is culturally offensive when a foreigner does not make a small donation to these people when they really think they have earned it. It is illegal, but it is a very common practice that the foreign employer has to take into account. Respondents also mention the bad image of Nigeria as a result of famous fraud and scams through internet.

    “Other factors include: terrorism or conflict situations which often makes the environment not conducive to business, lack of work discipline among African workers, as well as status differences, among others.”

    To become a GSD destination, Misra advised the government to accord ICT same priority as oil and gas by “ensuring that right from kindergarten, students develop basic development skills required in the 21st century workplace among which are software development skills.”

    Establishing outsourcing services in friendly zones in the country is another means.

    “The proposed plan to set up a technological park in Bauchi State is a welcome idea that, if fully implemented and properly managed, will set the nation on an upward trajectory technologically,” Misra concluded.

     

  • ‘Gidimall will be an online trading hub in Africa

    ‘Gidimall will be an online trading hub in Africa

    www.gidimall.com is one of Nigeria’s fastest growing Online Retail store with primary focus on customer satisfaction, genuine products. It delivers a shopping experience that a shopper would ordinarily enjoy when he goes to a shopping mall. In this interview with TONIA ‘DIYAN, the mall’s Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, Osamede Evbakhavbokun, speaks on the mall’s features and its plan to become the hub for online shopping across Africa. Excerpts:

    Gidimall.com! What is this concept all about and why have you come into the Nigerian market?

    www.gidimall.com is an e-commerce platform where a peron can shop for a wide variety of products and services. On this platform, such a person is also allowed to list his products for sale and sell to millions of Nigerians online, as well as earn an additional source of income when he joins our GTeam programme (www.gidimall.com/gteam). All he needs to do is refer a buyer and manage that relationship for constant purchases from gidimall.com and he earns an income every time he shops on gidimall.com.

    It is a platform where buyers, sellers and offline sales partners meet to offer value to each other.

    We have been in business since October 2012 and over the years have spent time evolving the platform and user experience while putting in place, structures and framework for scalable growth. What has been key for us is consistent customer experience and this has kept us in business.

    What additional values do you bring to shoppers?

    Just like any other e-commerce marketplace, we offer a platform to buy and sell. We do not just provide you with technology, we work closely with you, support you to grow your business as a seller, and ensure the best experience for every buyer.For buyers, we offer Next day delivery within selected cities or money back guarantee plus several flexible terms of delivery allowing you select that which suits you. Payment on delivery nation-wide plus flexible returns policies are also available.

    ForRetailers (B2C) & Wholesalers (B2B), we provide a robust and reliable, easy –to-use, cloud based technology platform to whoever wants to  sell via desktop and mobile channels from anywhere in Nigeria.

    What is your unique selling point that you feel will keep your clients coming back to you?

    Great offers and discounts for online shoppers. We have a very robust reward system that offers buyers unique opportunities. This include  offerring our buyers added value by making our ‘pick – up and drop – off to Service Centers’ free for all customers in Lagos.  We understand that Lagos is a busy place and not everyone can make out time to go to Service Centers if their appliances need servicing.  With the understanding of this challenge, we provide this service free to all customers who purchase any appliance under warranty from us for the first 12 months.  To enjoy this service, all a client need to do is to simply give us a call and send us his order number and we will come pick it up from anywhere in Lagos and drop it off at the Service Center for him, free! For a token fee, we will also pick up the appliance from the Service Center and deliver to your location outside Lagos.  For us, this is a key differentiation since it shows that we care for our customers and strive to maintain a relationship with them, even after they have concluded their transaction with us. For example, you get a discount voucher when they register as a customer on Gidimall.com. And when you place an order and it is fulfilled, you  get an instant discount for your next order. You also get further discount by referring friends to the site. We also encourage our customers to leave reviews for further discounts. This is true value for shoppers!

     So far, what challenges have you faced?

    We have faced challenges like that of inventory Management: This is the same with most eCommerce stores in Nigeria. The  Issue of out of stock is a recurring decimal in our e-Commerce space with sellers not sending in frequent updates on their stock position. This has been a huge challenge and we have been able to manage this through the launch of our vendor portal which sellers can use as an inventory management tool for their brick and mortar stores and also use that same channel in expanding their business to sell online to millions of Nigerians. We also now offer API integration for large organizations

    What are some of the benefits of online market places like gidimall.com?

    For most market analysts, key benefits of online marketplaces can be seen from 2 main angles – the perspective of the buyer and that of the online seller. At gidimall.com however, we see it from 3 perspectives – buyers, online sellers and offline sellers who take part in our gteam program.

    Online shoppers are no longer limited by time and space. They can shop for favourite items anytime and anywhere in Nigeria using their computers or smartphones. No long queues, less stress.

    There is a wider catalogue selection where buyers have an opportunity to browse through a wide variety of products in a few minutes. This when compared to having the task done by visiting physical stores would have been practically impossible or take them weeks to have same done. I must say online shopping is cheaper than buying in person if you are dealing with the right store like gidimall.com!

    Sellers Saves time and cost –Marketplaces have drastically reduced the time and cost it takes to set up a businesses. With our portal, sellers can list their products in minutes to have an opportunity to sell to millions of Nigerians via our portal at no set up cost.

    Fulfilment: Managing fulfilment which is a huge task is one of the main reason why most brick and mortar stores do not go online. Using our shared infrastructure and working with our logistics partners, seller have the opportunity to manage their shipping like never before. They can decide to ship items themselves, use any of our courier companies to ship nation – wide or have gidimall.com handle delivery for them (within Lagos).

    Job creation for Sales Consultants:Because we have built an ecosystem, we have offline sales consultants who help drive sales for our sellers for a commission which we manage. Engaging these sales consultants have created a massive job creation window like never before and it is open to as many sales partners as possible. Interested candidates can join our team of successful sales partners by sending their resume to gteam@gidimall.com.

    What is your vision for the next few years?

    The vision is clear. To become a global brand and an engine of trade in Africa.

    How do you help entrepreneurs sell their products on your platform?

    To help entrepreneurs sell their products on our platform, sellers must first create those products online by visitingwww.gidimall.com/sell. This is as easy as A.B.C plus we provide excellent support. Once done, they begin to receive orders. Once there is a sale, all they have to do is to have the item packaged and to drop it off at the nearest drop off location of our partner courier companies and the item is shipped. This can be done from anywhere in Nigeria and details of our partner courier companies, pricing and address can be found in our Seller Portal.

    What do you stand to gain bringing buyers and sellers together?

    We charge areferral commission for completed sales made on the platform of which a large chunk of this commission is also used to empower our sales consultants who help drive offline sales and as such drive the success of our partners. This is what we can call a win – win for all stakeholders.

    Who are the selected Nigerian businesses that are allowed to put their products for sale on your website?

    All kinds of businesses are invited. Big, small, individual sellers of products and services etc. There are almost no limits to the kind of products we list and sell. However, there are some products we do not sell. A detailed list of businesses that we do not list can be found in our terms and conditions section of our website which can also be found during seller registration. Businesses we cannot list are usually those dealing in highly regulated, items e.g.  Fire arms, drugs etc.

    How have you been able to build that trust for your kind of business?

    Simple. We deliver and we stand behind our brand. This has earned us the trust of our customers over the years. Our initial customer base were bank staff and the fact that we remain consistent and constantly surpass expectations is why we have been in business despite stiff competition.

    You stated on your site that you ‘give out great offers’, how regular are these offers/deals?

    Our discounts are all year round and this is aside discounts and campaigns organized by us in partnership with our sellers. Some of these regular discounts include:

    instant N1,000 discount voucher when you register as a customer on gidimall.com, instant discount for your next order when you complete an order and it is fulfilled satisfactorily, further discount when you refer friends and

    • After enjoying your product, you are encouraged to leave a review to get further discount.

    Is there anything else you would like to talk about?

    www.gidimall.com has just launched her Seller Portal where sellers of great products in Nigeria can grow their business by selling to millions of Nigerians every day, as well as take advantage of the unique features the portal has to offer. The platform can be used for inventory management, order and fulfilment, for both online and offline sales etc. With gidimall.com, the opportunities are endless. Start shopping and selling in minutes.

  • Trade Hub to boost cashew nut production

    The West Africa Trade Hub of the  United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has earmarked over US$150,000 to help finance processing raw cashew nuts to increase regional trade competitiveness, improve food security, and reduce poverty over the next five years.

    The programme, which is in partnership with Cashew Alliance, is among other objectives, aimed at boosting international exports, jobs, and investments; and also to promote broader, more sustainable growth by improving both the private sector’s capacity and policies, rules and practices that govern regional and external trade.

    It will also increase regional trade in key commodities through more value added exports: shea, cashew, mango, rice, maize, millet/sorghum, livestock — cattle, and small ruminants.

    Value Chain Development Team Lead of the Trade Hub, Mr. William Bill Noble, said  in Accra, at a workshop organised for finance-access facilitators from some selected African countries and aimed at training them to secure finance and investment for firms to help increase the level of transformation in the processing of raw nuts to add-value — said: “We are going to provide financing to promote cashew nut processing in the region through approval of business plans and proposals. It is a trade project working with processors to add value to such commodities.”

    There are over 40,000 metric tonnes (mt) of raw cashew nuts produced in the country, all in rural areas creating employment for thousands, with women in the majority, and export figures averaging 80,000mt: with inflows from Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Benin going to major destinations such as India, Vietnam and Brazil.

     

  • ‘We will make Kwara Nigeria’s agric hub’

    ‘We will make Kwara Nigeria’s agric hub’

    When Zimbabwean farmers started commercial agriculture in Shonga, Kwara State, not many believed in the project’s viability. Today, it has become a success.The state has bigger dreams for the project. Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed is seeking the Federal Government’s support for the scheme through irrigation, which he says is capital intensive. He also spoke on his administration’s efforts to create employment and revive moribund state-run businesses, among others, with reporters, Group Business Editor, AYODELE AMINU was there.

     

    The Commercial Agricultural Scheme in Shonga was launched with fanfare, are the products in the market?

    Shonga Farm is one of the best things that have ever happened to Kwara State and, indeed, Nigeria and I wish that the transformation agenda we’ve been talking about in the country borrows from what we have done in Shonga as a platform for driving commercial farming in Nigeria. We started with 13 farmers who moved from Zimbabwe and settled in Shonga. We have them compartmentalised into three sectors – Poultry, Mixed Cropping and Dairy. These farmers came in to be commercial farmers. For commercial farming, we are talking about what we call value chain. In other words, they will form largely what we call feed stock for processing. That is what we mean by commercial farming. You will not see their products on the shelves like you expected to see. Their products are there in the market which you use, probably daily but you will not know because it is a value-chain concept. For instance, the dairy plants soya and maize to prepare feed. This feed is fed to cattle. The cattle produce milk. Milk is now sold to WAMCO. WAMCO produces Peak Milk, which you use. You now understand the value chain. That is why if you expect to see fresh milk in the market you will not see it. They are largely designed to be feed stock and the same thing happens to the poultry. They plant maize and soya. They have a 50-tonner feed mill there where they generate feed. They buy day-old chicks from Olofa’s Farms, which is another feed stock farm and in six weeks they grow to table size.

    They have an abattoir that has the capacity to slaughter 10,000 chickens every day, but currently they are doing about 5,000. Once they slaughter the chicken, they are packaged and sent to eateries. At major eateries, it is their chicken you will eat. So, people who expect to see Shonga Chicken in the market will not see it that way. The cassava that is grown there has the highest yield in the country. The national average for cassava is about 15,000 tonnes per hectare; in Shonga we do 40,000 per hectare. This cassava is being exported to China as chips. The kind of transformation agenda we are talking about in the country is what is already happening there. Our own effort in the state is to see how our local farmers would begin to be incorporated into this transformation agenda beyond just subsistence farming. They begin to see themselves as clusters around these commercial farmers and it is that model which we are trying to translate to the state wide farming concept. So, if you hear us talking about agricultural transformation in Kwara, what we are talking about is replicating what we are already carrying out in Shonga to make it a state-wide farming concept.

    Unfortunately, the biggest challenge we are faced with is the issue of irrigation, which is capital intensive. That is what the Federal Ministry of Water Resources should be doing by supporting us with irrigation so that we as a state continue to give necessary inputs to drive our farmers from subsistence level to commercial level under a clearly spelt out value chain concept. This will help our farmers to truly see agribusiness as a means of economic empowerment. For us in Kwara State, we have gone further by not only enumerating our farmers, but clustering them according to cooperatives and compartmentalised them into crops; that is, rice, maize, soya and cassava. These are the four crops we are taking to commercial level. These four crops will form feed stocks to a value chain development programme. So, that is what commercial farming should be seen. Hence, when you are trying to drive a transformation agenda, it is the whole chain that requires to be renewed. All we need to do is to use our local farmers to copy what the Zimbabwean farmers are doing successfully. Hopefully, Kwara State will become the true hub of agricultural transformation and agricultural value-chain development in Nigeria.

    What is the government doing about job creation in the state?

    On employment, I can tell you that it is the benefit of continuity. The real meaning of continuity is value for money in the real sense because what are we trying to continue? You want to continue something that has been started which is expected to drive itself to a level of fruition that you can get benefit. For us in Kwara, we started the issue of getting people out of the streets, getting them empowered. We went further the moment we came in 2011. We went into an enumeration programme to know how many people are unemployed. What is their category? What is their educational level? That helped us in generating the database which has helped us in creating a platform for giving those jobs. The first thing we did was that we gave 2,000 youth jobs under the Kwara Bridge Empowerment Scheme. We promised these 2,000 youths that within the next one or two years they would be properly engaged. That is, they would move from the bridge to proper engagement and so others will replace them on the bridge. I am happy to let you know that the 2,000 have been completely absorbed. In addition to that, additional 2,000 have been replacing those ones that moved from the bridge. It is a continuous programme.

    Also, we have just started an International Vocational Centre, which will be driven under a programme with City and Guilds (C&G) of London so that the people who graduate from there will be given C&G certificates. We chose C&G because we want to create people that would be employable outside Nigeria. We are looking beyond Nigeria. As soon as it starts with the first tranche of students in September, the centre will be the platform for training youths and reduce unemployment. We will also create a platform for supporting them. We have a debenture. We have set aside over N250 million, the first tranche of people who already had skills but gaps in funding have collected theirs. We have given some of them part of the N250 million under the cooperative scheme. So, those who undergo training will also have access to these funds. In other words, we are training people that will become employers and employees at the same time. So that is the kind of support we are giving to address the issue of youth unemployment in the State.

    You said you are interested in micro finance banks. The policy allows state governments to put aside a percentage of their money to help the micro finance banks. How much have you given to the micro finance banks and what is the agenda to develop the micro finance banks?

    What we have done here is that we look beyond just giving the one per cent. We were very conscious of the fact that the micro finance banks are expected to drive deposits to be able to bring about lendable funds within the micro finance industry. We are not waiting for that. We have set aside about N500 million as a debenture, which we are making available to prospective beneficiaries through the micro finance banks. So, the way the Federal Government has created a debenture under the support for agriculture and made this money available through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to commercial banks to beneficiaries, we have also set aside that kind of money. The micro finance banks that have demonstrated capacity to lend this money and collect back will continue to be our partners. As a matter of fact, we are still assessing the first tranche of their administration of those funds and the level of recovery will make us know what next.

    What are the things you have on ground that could attract Shoprite to Ilorin and others that are coming?

    The first attraction to any business is how enabling the environment is in terms of security. We have spent so much and we have put so much at stake in ensuring that we have a secured environment.

    Secondly, we’ve invested so much on our road network, which makes us accessible from the North, the South and the North-central. Most importantly, our people are very hospitable. You hardly see any issues that have to do with religious, social problems in the state. We have always tried to ensure that our environment is quite enabling. We also have the population. This tells you that the environment couldn’t be more enabling to support this kind of businesses. That is why we asked Shoprite to come here and they saw that the environment is quite good for them. Our weather is also quite supportive of driving businesses. These have been part of the ingredients that the government has always seen as part of its own contribution to creating an enabling environment. However, we are not stopping at that. We are bringing Spar to Kwara. We have had the same kind of arrangement we had with Shoprite with Spar. They will not only create a new Spar outlet here, they will also create a new Shopping Complex, which will be a very good platform for employment. Our major concern is getting our people employed and creating the enabling environment for our people to carry on their businesses. Shoprite alone has generated so much employment for our people. The turnover in one day is on the average of N6 million to N7 million. Nobody ever believed that Kwarans have this level of disposable income. This tells you that our people are hungry for this kind of businesses. Apart from the environment that would be created for employment, it will also create an environment where we can get value for money.

    Spar is one of the biggest outlets globally from Netherlands. We are lucky to partner with them to bring them here to set up something that will change the lives of people. We are focused because we are driven under policies that have been outlined, structured, methodically put in place to drive Kwara State to desired level. From day one when we were coming to this business, we already knew what we wanted to do for the next four years. We didn’t come to this business by accident. We knew exactly what we were coming to do. We knew how much resources are available and we knew how much these resources can do and we know that we are going to get there only through ingenuity, through partnerships with the private sector and that is what we are doing. We are not deterred.

    What is the idea behind Harmony Holdings Limited?

    Before now, the state had interest in some businesses – transport, insurance, properties, hotel business and so many things. These things were just run on their own. Sometimes the state has shares in some businesses; for example, Kwara Furniture. But to what extent have all these businesses translated into increase in revenue for the state government? We have found out that they have not contributed anything, largely because they have been running on their own and we began to see that whatever they are right now, they have assets with latent potential to grow to desirable levels where they can contribute revenue to support economic growth in the state. It is against this background that we said all these things should be put under an umbrella, which we called Harmony Holdings with a very strong management that will see each of these businesses as S.B.U. – Strategic Business Units – that would be given specific targets in terms of growth and development and most importantly, in terms of expectations in revenue to advance the much required revenue for the state.

    Some of the businesses are even moribund, but we are reviving all of them so the potential are huge. I will give you an example, Kwara Transport, used to run commuter buses from one town to the other. We said no, this cannot go on like this. If you want to be in the business of transportation, what are the best practices? Who are those that know how to do it and are doing it well? Bring their models to see how it is working. That is what we have done. Today we have a structured management.We have a programme that allows individuals to bring in their buses. In short, we have been able to get to efficiency level from where we will grow organically and ultimately inorganically. This will begin to see us getting to the desirable level of revenue. There are so many options where we can go. There are courier services. There is haulage business. There are ferry services. These are all inorganic ways of growing. We can increase the fleet. Look at more routes, do a feasibility of which routes give us best benefit for our value for money. That is organic growth and that will see us getting to desirable level. Our major concern is value for money.

     What is the economic importance of the Aviation College?

    For keen observers and those who want to truly see themselves growing among comity of nations, they must begin to learn how to do a clear analysis of opportunities. One big opportunity that exists in the aviation industry is the fact that there is dire need of pilots globally. Check any international airline, they will tell you. Training pilots requires that you understand the dynamics of the business. The last administration realised that this gap could be filled to serve two purposes. Firstly, it will serve as a hub for aviation. It will support what we have on ground. Don’t forget that we have a cargo terminal. We already have the Air Force hangar here and, of course, an International Airport. Secondly, we want to bring Kwara State to be on the map of the world because when you have an International Aviation College it goes beyond servicing the immediate community. Apart from Zaria and South Africa, I don’t know where else pilots are trained in Africa. Obviously, by the time this school gets to its full potential, everybody in Africa who intends to train as a pilot will know the existence of an Aviation College in Ilorin. For now, we are training pilots but there are other services. There is engineering training. There are other services that are going to go into it. This would become itself a hub for driving aviation business.

    Indirectly, there are people who will support those who are going to work there. So, for us, it is a major hub to create the kind of economic environment that will not only put us on the map of the world but also we begin to see Kwara as a place that is attractive for prospective businesses. In Kwara, we are looking beyond just tapping on low-hanging fruits.We are looking at the process where in 15 to 30 years, the state will be one of the most developed.

    So, beyond just doing the normal infrastructure – roads, water, hospitals, schools –what are the long term benefits that we can bring to our people that on its own can regenerate support scheme for growing the economy of the state. This is part of the reasons we have set up an International Aviation College and, luckily, under the new EXIM loan that the Federal Government has signed with the Chinese and India governments and others across the world, International Aviation College will be benefiting from the loan. It will be able to acquire at least 10 new aircraft under a 25 year loan agreement with a 10 year moratorium. It couldn’t be better than that. The school will acquire the aircraft, develop economy of scale, train students, earn money and pay back the loan on their own. The 10-year- facility means that the college’s cash flow will not be under pressure. It is when you borrow money and you have to pay within a very short time that you have pressure on your cash flow. The loan was so attractive that we couldn’t resist it and it is one of the best things that ever happened to us. That will enable the school to get to the much desired full scale aviation college that we have always prayed for and will allow them to attain economy of scale where they can earn a lot of money to service the school and pay back. For now, the school is fully owned by the state but don’t forget that the state government is not in the business of running aviation. So, ultimately, we will sell off 70 per cent of that business to those who know how to do it and then the school will run on its own internationally.