The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Innovation

  • Experts advise Buhari on innovation

    Technology experts yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to take steps that will encourage innovation, adding that it is the only way the country could become competitive as the global economy shifts to digitalisation.

    Speaking during the 2016 edition of TechPlus conference at  Eko Hotel and Suites, Director, Computer Services, Lagos State Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr. Jide Adenuga said the theme of the conference-A Connected World, was apt as it sought to create a platform for more technology innovations.

    According to him, the benefits of technology cut across all the sectors of the economy, stressing that the time has come for Nigeria to come up with innovations that would disrupt global technology.

    According to him, Lagos is currently harnessing all forms of technology within its ambit to make the state more efficient.

    Adenuga said land acquisition processes have been automated to reduce the challenges involved in getting even the Certificate of Occupancy, stressing the technology has improved service delivery in the state. He said the state government has commenced the deployment of broadband services.

    Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer, Connect Marketing Limited,  Tunji Adeyinka, said technology has huge capacities to create lots of jobs if well harnessed.

    He said the TechPlus engagement is to ensure the ordinary people in all sectors of the economy see the functionality of technology and how it impacts their lives, adding that innovation is key.

  • Research, innovation dominate experts’ talks on health

    Research, innovation dominate experts’ talks on health

    Some scholars have stressed the need for lecturers to be skilled in research and innovation in order to move the country’s health care forward.

    They spoke at the inaugural meeting of the Building Research and Innovation in Nigeria’s Science (BRAINS) of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos Akoka Lagos State. The meeting, which held at the school’s Alumni Centre was against the backdrop of the $3.6 million grant BRAINS received from Fogarty International at the National Institute of Health, Bethseda, United States in collaboration with Harvard University, Northwestern University (NU) US and AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria (APIN) to mentor researchers in the country.

    Through the grant, selected lecturers at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, are to be trained on how to conduct research in five fields of medicine-HIV and infectious diseases, neuroscience, bioinformatics and genomics, community medicine and biomedical engineering.

    The Vice-Chancellor University of Lagos, Prof. Rahmon Bello said the school was already in the business of nurturing researchers; hence it is taking research and innovation to a whole new height.

    Prof. Bello, who was represented by the Deputy V-C (Academic), Prof. Babajide Alo, said a centre has been created for research in the institution.

    He said the school would nourish and support the initiative to build capacity of its academic staff.

    The management, he said, was happy the programme was coming at this time, adding that lecturers can tap into it.

    The Chief Medical Director (CMD), Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof. Chris Bode said the project was a noble one, stressing that it would yield benefits.

    Research, he said, was very important to LUTH, adding that it would extend some resources and goodwill to promote it.

    Bode; represented by the Chairman, Medical Advisory Council of the hospital, Dr Olufemi Fasanmade said LUTH aims at closing the gap between developed and developing countries in the area of research.

    “If we engage in research, we will have home solution to some of the problems affecting Nigeria,” he said.

    The Provost, College of Medicine University of Lagos (CMUL), Prof. Folasade Ogunsola said the grant targets at training of junior faculty, that is, from senior lecturers downwards.

    She continued: “We received the grant in August last year and began work on it in September.”

    The goal of BRAINS programme, she said, was to foster the next generation of African faculty researchers by providing research training and mentored research opportunities for junior faculty in Medical Education Partnership Initiative in Nigeria (MEPIN)-supported institutions, who seek careers in researches that contribute to the improvement of human health.

    “The CMUL, APIN, the Harvard TmH Chan School of Public Health and Northwestern University (NU) will leverage on the research capacity building of Medical Education Partnership Initiative in Nigeria (MEPIN) with the BRAINS programme.

    “Over the next five years, BRAINS intends to train junior faculty as potential leaders in research in the fields of HIV and infectious diseases, neuroscience, bioinformatics and genomics, community medicine and biomedical engineering,” Prof. Ogunsola said.

  • ‘Chivita’s new packs evidence of innovation’

    ‘Chivita’s new packs evidence of innovation’

    Chivita Active and Chi Exotic’s new 315ml Handy Pack has been described as an evidence of Chi Limited’s innovative and affordable packaging strategy geared towards hip, trendy and On-the-Go consumers.

    For market watchers, the new 315ml Handy Pack would ensure more market penetration for a brand that is already a leading brand in the fruit juice market.

    The Managing Director, Chi Limited, Deepanjan Roy, said: “The new and attractive 315ml Handy Pack has a genuine consumer appeal and the feedback from the market has been fantastic. At the cost of N100, we are confident that the affordability, accessibility and convenience of this trendy, and On-the-Go Handy packs would ensure that our consumers continue to get the same refreshing taste and nourishment – Anytime & Anywhere.

    “Consumers have extolled the Handy Pack size for its elegance, convenience and shelf appeal. They, particularly, appreciate its advantages over aluminum can packaging because it is easy to hold, pour from, and is far more environment friendly.’’

    For a brand, whose innovations and dexterity accompany its brands, Chi Limited’s market leadership is driven by consumer engagements, needs and satisfaction.

  • ‘Only innovation can turn around Nigeria’s agriculture fortunes’

    ‘Only innovation can turn around Nigeria’s agriculture fortunes’

    Bryan Pearson, Managing Director, Afrocet, the firm behind the famous Agro Innovate exhibition in Lagos, which assembles farmers and players in the agro-allied sectors, holds the view and very strongly too that unless Nigerians give in to innovative ideas and ideals, it will be difficult for the nation’s agriculture sector to develop adequately.

    “Most Nigerians are smallholder farmers indeed. But the government can interfere by encouraging mechanised farming, by assisting in marketing and can bring the householders from subsistence level into the main area. But it does require proactive action to educate farmers on the opportunities as well as on productivity and conditions for greater efficiency,” he said.

    While noting that agribusiness is the way to go, Pearson said: “With agribusiness, it means you are farming to make profit rather than waiting for the government to give you fertiliser. It will help to make Nigeria a big business community, realising that there is serious money to make. It is part of the diversification policy of the government on the economy – from the reliance on the oil and gas sector.”

    “It is complex issue because the field is not leveled in terms of weather conditions. The problem is landholding – I mean the small landholding culture. It is difficult to change. Large farming area is key to the efficiency of production. If the government can help in the production of the fruits, the importation will stop. Many of the chains of businesses are importing. But once they notice that there is certainty of supply here, they will stop. It is having that certainty that will boost their businesses.”

    Nigeria, he said, has so much land that is not well cultivated. “Opportunities exist for youths who go into farming. Why go into the oil and gas sector when you can make a lot of money from agric. If you plant 110 mango trees, in three years, you have an income. The yields from the mango trees are high. In between the trees, you plant maize. It is just being entrepreneurial. We just have to educate the youths to work on the land. Food security in Nigeria is very important. The agriculture sector should be returned to the good old days. The potential is huge.”

  • Etisalat names winners of Innovation 2015 competition

    Etisalat names winners of Innovation 2015 competition

    Etisalat has unveiled the winners of the 2015 Etisalat Prize for Innovation Competition in both the innovative product and Idea categories.

    The winners, Obi Brown and Chijioke Ezegbo, were unveiled last week in Lagos at an award ceremony during which they were presented with cheques of N5million and N2million for winning most innovative product/service category and the most innovative idea category.

    Its Chief Executive Officer , Matthew Willsher, said the Prize for Innovation is aimed at discovering and growing young Nigerians with innovative products, ideas and solutions using mobile broadband technology. He said it reflects the company’s commitment to nurturing talents and promoting creativity that will have invaluable impacts on individuals and organisations.

    “As a company, innovation is at the core of our business; it is the strength on which we thrive. The world is driven by innovation and Nigeria needs innovators whose ideas and products can drive development and help people live as they should. We at Etisalat are glad to provide a platform to mobilise the nation’s teeming crop of young and undiscovered innovators to impact all areas of the society,” he said.

    He urged people with innovative ideas to avail themselves of the opportunity offered by the initiative to contribute to the development of the society, adding “it is not about how many ideas you have, but how many you make happen that matters.”

    Winners of the most innovative product and ideas categories, Obi Brown and Chijioke Ezegbo in addition to their cash prizes were also rewarded with a publicity campaign, mentoring session at EDC Pan Atlantic University

    The winning product in the most innovative product category, Study Lab Math, is a repository of over 1300+ videos solving math problems in over 49 topics in the NERDC curriculum for senior secondary school Math. The videos are solved by a team of Math teachers led by WAEC Chief Examiner.

    Dedicated Traffic Mapping Device (DTMD) which emerged the winning idea in the most innovative idea category is a GPRS enabled traffic navigation device with voice over interface  which is affixed to a vehicle windshield to help users navigate their way through traffic by accessing real-time traffic data and suggesting shorter/alternate routes.

    Speaking shortly after receiving his prize, Chijioke  the DTMD was borne out of the need to help road users achieve more by managing traffic navigation through busy cities and other urban areas.

  • SMEs tasked on innovation

    Etisalat Nigeria has encouraged Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in the country to adopt innovative models of doing business to enable them accelerate their growth and increase capacity and profit.

    Head, Enterprise Marketing, Etisalat Nigeria, Bidemi Ladipo gave this advice while speaking in Lagos, at the Market Access initiative, organised by Etisalat Nigeria, in partnership with the Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan Atlantic University.

    He said being innovative will help startups and small businesses to grow sustainably in spite of environmental challenges that every business faces. “When you are starting a small business, you have to be unique and innovative. Don’t copy other people’s business ideas; if your idea is based on an existing one, then you have to go the extra mile by adding something unique.

    “We are proud to be associated with small and growing businesses in Nigeria because we share a similar story. When we came to Nigeria, the market had been fully taken by existing operators. Though we came into the market as a small player, today out story is different; we have over 23 million subscribers and we are on our way to becoming the number one player in the industry. This tells us that every small business has a potential to grow into a big corporation, which is why we associate with small businesses.”

    General Manager, Programmes and Partnership at Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, Wale Anifowose, said Market Access Nigeria is a platform that brings together  SMEs  and large companies to network, start relationships and create opportunities to ‘buy’ the goods and services of the SMEs.

    He commended Etisalat for being at the forefront of promoting entrepreneurship through its various initiatives such as the Market Access and the EasyBusiness Millionaires Hunt among others.

    The Market Access platform has seen tremendous success since its inception in 2011. Market Access has aided SMEs in networking and developing productive relationships with larger organisations. Last year, the platform toured the country to regions including Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt with a combined total audience of over 2,000 people for the year. This year, the platform has toured Port Harcourt and Abuja.

     

  • Frustration to innovation

    Frustration to innovation

    •As thinking outside the box creates the hospital in a box

    It is a classic tale of transforming frustration into inspiration for success; and turning daunting challenges into stepping stones towards great accomplishments.

    For many, the vicissitudes of life breed depression, loss of self-esteem and a debilitating sense of despondency.  But that is not the story of the Delta State born, Dr Steve Ayanruoh, who graduated from the University of Ibadan with a degree in medicine in 1984.

    After his youth service, Dr Ayanruoh worked as a medical officer at Warri Airport under the aegis of Aero Contractors Airline. Seeking a higher niche in life, he applied for a job as a medical officer at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Even though he was told of his success in the appointment process, he was never issued an appointment letter as promised. Rather the job was given to another Nigerian from a different part of the country.

    It was a bleak period for Steve Ayanruoh. He was naturally devastated and disappointed in his country, where it seemed to him merit counted for little or nothing. He thus decided to leave the shores of Nigeria to seek greener pastures and greater fulfilment in the United States. In that country, Steve bore the initial hardships with hope and fortitude. After passing his requisite qualifying examinations, he was admitted to the New York Medical College, Lincoln Hospital, where he did a residency in paediatrics. There he developed a deeper passion to render service to humanity through medicine.

    After rigorous mental exertions and thinking outside the confines of conventional wisdom, Anyanruo invented a unique device, which has been described as a magical hospital in a box machine. This veritable mobile hospital in a brief case has revolutionary implications for the practice of medicine particularly in poor African countries with underdeveloped health facilities.

    This hospital in a box can diagnose and facilitate the treatment of a wide array of health ailments. Its compactness and portability make it far more affordable and accessible than the services obtainable in conventional hospitals.

    Weighing approximately 26 pounds, the mobile health box requires only a minimal space of two rooms for the medical doctor to operate – one for taking care of patients and the other for patients waiting to be attended to. It has a battery life ranging from 12 to 24 hours and can be recharged using electricity, solar energy or a functioning ciggarete lighter in a motor vehicle.

    The device boasts several features including easier data collection on health statistics, greater accuracy of diagnosis, increase in doctors’ productivity, and higher life-saving potentials for patients in critical conditions such as cardiac, pulmonary or endocrine disease. The device will also prove useful at airports and on airlines, hotels and restaurants, battlefields and military installations, sporting events, offshore rigs as well as mining and drilling sites.

    It is instructive that Dr Ayanruoh has obtained a patent for his device in the United States and that it has been selected to be showcased at the 2015 Defence Innovation Summit taking place in Austria, Texas from December 1 to 3.

    Equally noteworthy is that Dr Ayanruoh had his educational foundation laid in Nigeria. This indicates that with the right environment and facilities, distinguished Nigerian professionals can perform as well at home as they often do abroad.

    However, the circumstances in which he left the country should provide further food for thought on the imperative for elevating merit above other considerations in all facets of our national life.

    We find it astonishing that Dr Ayanruoh has reportedly been trying to market his product to health and other authorities in Nigeria since 2007 without success.

    It is important that the Nigerian government urgently interact with Ayanruoh to verify his claims and find out how his invention can be utilised to strengthen the countries largely dysfunctional health care system.

     

  • ‘Creativity, innovation key to sustainable enterprises’

    ‘Creativity, innovation key to sustainable enterprises’

    Without creativity and innovation, business enterprises will stagnate and the much-need sustainable economic growth and development will not be achieved, the newly elected President/Chairman of Council, The Institute of Business Development (IBD), Prof Ifeanyi Achumba, has said.

    Delivering a paper titled “Survival is not enough” during his investiture/induction of members and Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos, Achumba said innovation is key to sustainable success in an increasing competitive world.

    Insisting that enterprises must rapidly and repeatedly re-invent themselves to survive competition, he said the economic environment requires renewed dynamism in approach, adding that creativity and innovation are the new tonic or name of the game.

    According to him, only discerning organisations can manage the inherent changes in the new environment.

    Achumba, who stated that the on-going reforms of the Federal Government should be reinvigorated to achieve the desired objective of being less-dependent on imported goods, materials, services and technology, however, added that: “Our success, therefore, will depend on the seriousness with which enterprises undertake creative and innovative activities in terms of indigenising inputs, sourcing and developing new indigenous products.”

    He said the society would benefit tremendously from individual enterprises undertaking innovative and creative activities, hence, they  should not be left to government agencies to execute.

    “It therefore, becomes imperative for an enterprise to continuously challenge itself to finding new and better ways of doing the old thing or in fact, create new ways of doing new things,” he stated.

    Promising to bring his wealth of experience to bear on his new position, he made a case for an inward-looking strategy to move the country forward.

    The highpoint of the event was the induction of four members made up of three associates and one fellow.

    The Registrar/CEO, IBD, Mr. Paul Ikele, said the induction was an aspect of the institute’s continued professional development to ensure that members acquire new knowledge to develop themselves and grow the institute. He said the fellows were expected to bring the knowledge from their various organisations to bear on it.

    Ikele said the institute’s plan is to continuously innovate and be pro-active and creative, as well as think deeper on how to turn around the economic fortunes of Nigeria so it  can compete with other developed countries. “We want to build that edge to ensure we key in,” he told The Nation, on the sideline of the induction.

    IBD’s immediate past President/Chairman of Council Mr. Ifeanyi Obibuzor agreed with him, noting that there is a need to make the institute more visible. “We have to be more aggressive and reach out to the media. We also need to take our institutional problems and begin to solve them. We must look into the challenges of the small and medium businesses that have survived under this environment,” he said.

    Giving his scorecard as the third president, Obibuzor said the institute under his watch acquired a befitting office. He also said the its membership drive led to an improvement in membership.

    He charged the new president to build on the achievements of his administration, saying, “We need to look at long term planning as an Institute and as a nation and then access what we have done, the gaps and how to bridge them.”

  • Creativity, innovation earn Oracle IMC laurels

    Creativity, innovation earn Oracle IMC laurels

    Groundbreaking brand campaign activation – Star larger beer Christmas trees built with 8000 Star bottles covering 2.7km – has earned Oracle Experience, the experiential marketing agency of the year recognition.

    The recognition came on the heels of the campaign for Nigeria Breweries’ Star larger beer brand, which broke the world record of 1,000 bottles achieved in China.

    The agency was recognised by the Nigerian Brand Award, which rewards execellence in the industry. The awards was held last penultimate week at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Ikieja, Lagos. It was for the creativity and innovation it brought into the brand activation and experiential marketing industry in the country and, by extension, Central West Africa (CWA).

    For the feat, the agency carted away a gold plaque. It also won the Most Innovation Driven Brand Activation Agency of the Year in the Platinum Category in the fifth edition of the Brand Awards.

    Earlier, the agency won some awards. They included the Marketing Edge’s Outstanding Experiential Agency, Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria’s (BJAN) Brand Activation influencer with its Nescafe Hot Air Balloon campaign, BJAN 2013 Best Effort in Innovation, 2013 Polaris Excellence Awards, and 2011 Institute of Direct Marketing of Nigeria’s West Africa World Class Experiential Marketing Service Consultant of the year.

    Another feat was the Guilder crate tunnel using over 3200 crates of Guilder beer to build the ultimate corridor that led to the place the new Guilder bottle was launched.

    The agency is known for some memorable activations, such as that of the Amstel show time, a musical presentation, which was the first of its kind in Nigeria; Heineken Green light party with extraordinary video mapping experience and using the Heineken bottles to create a Selfie wall; the Star Triple X experience centre; the hot air balloon activation for Nescafe; P&G Open Market activation, Guilder Club Ultimate, which hosted inside a 70-metre liner like the Titanic and the beer and health symposium, among others.

    According to the organisers, Oracle Experience got the awards because of its zeal and promotion of excellence, creativity and innovation in the integrated marketing communication industry not only in Nigeria but across Africa.

    Reiterating the credibility of the exercise, one of the panelists, Chief Executive Officer, BrandClock, a  brand specialist agency based in Atlanta, Mr. John Alexander, said: “The award has maintained the highest level of professionalism since inception. The calibre of individuals on the panel cannot afford to compromise standard for cheap financial gains.

    “Oracle Experience as well as other winners and, in fact, previous winners duly deserved the prize. These are organisations that have adhered strictly to the tenet of this award that is promoting excellence, creativity and innovation in IMC.”

    Receiving the awards, Oracle Experience Logistics Director Andrew Eiremiokhae thanked the organisers, pledging to improve and add value to their clients’ businesses.

    “Oracle has become a well-respected face in Central West Africa countries as we keep on greasing the wheel of our innovation. This passion to create experiences that engage and inspire people to act has stood us out,” he said.

    He continued: “We are a Central West Africa experiential marketing agency that gives clients strategic brand insight, creative experience design, unmatched execution and demonstrable ROI. We engage key stake holders – including employees, partners, customers and influences – to drive insight, action and advocacy. We create brand experiences – and by doing that, we help our clients create experience brands.”

    Organisations that won in previous editions of the awards include Goldlink Insurance Plc, CMC Connect, X3M, Wetherheads Advertising Group, Millward Brown, Verdant Zeal Advertising and Caritas Communications.

  • ‘Nigeria’s ICT regulation should support innovation’

    The latest edition of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)’s comprehensive report on global ICT regulatory developments, Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2015, reveals a fast-evolving ICT landscape, as devices and services proliferate, broadband connectivity becomes increasingly pervasive, and the hyper-connected world of the “‘internet of everything” becomes a reality.

    The report confirms that future network traffic will increasingly be driven by machine-to-machine (M2M) traffic generated by billions of connected devices, products and sensors, with M2M communications over mobile cellular networks already emerging as the fastest-growing ICT service in terms of traffic.

    In total, one billion different kinds of wireless internet of things (IoT) devices are expected to be shipped during this year, up 60 per cent from last year’s figures, to reach a predicted installed base of 2,8-billion connected devices by end of the year.

    As many as 25-billion networked devices are predicted to be connected by 2020, driven largely by consumer-connected entities and followed by manufacturing, utilities and transportation.

    The major problem with this fast growing information communication technology (ICT) world is the regulations; they are simply not keeping up. In many instance political interference stifles regulators, often to the point that by the time they have agreed on a draft regulation, the ICT world has long overtaken them.

    Regulators and businesses alike have to navigate the issues surrounding so-called “fourth-generation” ICT regulations.

    The ITU report states that characterised by greater complexity and cross-sectoral implications, fourth-generation regulation attempts to come to grips with the enormous social and economic disruption ICTs are bringing in their wake.

    The report recommends flexible, light-touch regulation, and a recognition of the rights of both businesses and consumers in defining new frameworks for an emerging global digital environment.

    In January 2015, the number of global active social media accounts reached over 2,07-billion, with active mobile social accounts representing 81% of that total.

    With active social media users spending an average of nearly two hours 25 minutes per day on social platforms, the economic impact of the time spent on social media has not been lost on marketers and advertisers.

    But while the blurring of lines between the physical and digital world is creating new economic opportunities, it also raises a host of new social questions and challenges for regulators.

    Every hour of every day, over one hundred million photos are uploaded to Facebook: every second, one hour’s worth of video footage is uploaded onto YouTube.

    Google is estimated to process well over a petabyte of data every single day – equivalent to 100 times the data stored in the largest library in the world, the US Library of Congress.

    With the cost of computing (both processing and storage) falling and the speed and ease with which data can be transferred rising with ever-faster processor speeds, applications that draw on big data are proliferating.

    The report outlines eight principles of big data implementation, and recognises big data’s power as a driver of innovation.

    But it also warns of the potential downside to the dramatic increase in the collection and storage of data, including personal data, and notes that regulators will need to come to grips fast with both the positive and negative applications in order to maintain consumer trust.

    It’s becoming evident that regulators need to pay serious attention to how they will support innovation and not slow it down.

    It is also clear that business needs to play a greater role in regulation and that governments should stand back and allow regulators and business to work as a team to ensure that the benefits of ICT are available to and shared by all.

     

    Source: EngineerIT