The Nation Newspaper

Tag: race

  • ‘I’m fully in the race’

    ‘I’m fully in the race’

    The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for this Saturday election, Derek Izedonmwen, has maintained that he is fully in the crucial race to win.

    He also raised the alarm over a plot by some individuals, who were parading themselves as leaders and members of ADC in Edo, to announce that his campaign structure had been collapsed to support an unnamed candidate of another political party.

    Izedonmwen, an engineer, on Wednesday in Benin, described the attempt as the height of desperation and deceit, as well as being an insult to the intelligence of the discerning residents of Edo state.

    Read Also: Shettima calls for inter-agency collaboration to drive Tinubu’s agenda

    He said: “I am still very much in the governorship race. I have no intention of either stepping down or endorsing any candidate. Please, ignore the political merchants, who have made it their stock in trade to sell the will of the people for personal gains.

    “I, Osarenren Derek Izedonmwen, Edo State gubernatorial candidate of the ADC, remain firmly in this race. Neither I nor the ADC has collapsed our party structure in favour of any other political party.

    ADC’s standard bearer in Edo also urged his teeming supporters to shun the “gutter” politics and focus on delivering a better future for the Southsouth state.

  • Race for NASS leadership gathers force

    Even before yesterday’s state elections, political leaders and caucuses have been meeting and perfecting plans to ensure the emergence of the right leaders in the 9th National Assembly. Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, reports on the current calculations and the forces behind them

    ALTHOUGH some insider sources and vocal party men have said President Muhammadu Buhari and All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders will wait until after yesterday’s governorship election to take final decision on how to zone power sharing in the 9th National Assembly, interested caucuses and party leaders have been meeting to ensure the emergence of their choice candidates even as political zones jostle for the plum seats.

    The meetings started few days after the announcement of results of the Presidential and National Assembly Elections. A top APC leader told The Nation that leaders of the party are not taking the matter lightly, both because of the hindsight of what happened in 2015 and suggestions soon after the NASS elections that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is planning another contest over the leadership of the National Assembly. “That being the case, we are wide awake and prepared to ensure that the National Assembly is led by the right lawmakers. I need not tell you the importance of this if we hope to do better this time around.”

    We gathered that even the presidency is very much interested in who sits on which seat at the National Assembly. That is why, unlike what played out in 2015, when the two Houses in the National Assembly chose their leaders without full participation of the president and the party leadership, The Nation reported on Friday that President Buhari has assured “his strategists that he won’t be a bystander this time around”.

    Buhari who was criticised in 2015 for staying aloof until it was too late, assured this time around that he would be “involved in the talks and intrigues on the election of principal officers of the National Assembly.”

    Sources also confirmed at the weekend that the leadership of APC will also be deeply involved in the processes that would lead to the final choice of the new leaders of the Assembly. Besides President Buhari, we learnt that the National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole, the National Leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and zonal leaders are expected to play major roles in the decision of which aspirant to put forward and even the zoning negotiations. This is part of the plan to ensure that the final resolution would address the needs of all the people.

    The party leaders are also of the view that since APC has clear majority at the National Assembly, it should not contend with any other party as it shoes the principal officers.

    It would be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced that in the NASS elections, APC won 65 of the 109 senatorial seats, representing about 59.6 percent. The main opposition party, PDP, won 42 senatorial seats (40.3 percent) while the Young Progressives Party (YPP) got one seat or one percent of the seats.

    APC’s majority is repeated even more in the House of Representatives, where it won over 230 of the 360 seats, leaving PDP with over 100 slots.

    The zoning debate:

    Already, there is debate over the acceptable zoning arrangement for the offices. Insiders confirmed that all the zones, except the Northwest, are interested in providing the four presiding officers of the two Houses. As for the other leadership positions in the two Houses, all the six zones have shown interest. The offices include two presiding officers, Senate President and Deputy Senate President, while the four principal officers are Senate Leader, Deputy Senate Leader, Senate Chief Whip and Senate Deputy Whip.

    For example, as soon as the results were announced, all the senators elect in the party went to Abuja to hold several meetings even as each aspirant lobbied through his geo-political zone or caucuses. As a result of the realisation that the race, if not properly curtailed, may lead to confusion, stakeholders have called for clear zoning policy for election of the NASS leaders. The party leadership as a result urged all stakeholders to go back to their states for the governorship and other state elections, promising to hold meetings on NASS leadership after yesterday’s elections. The Nation gathered over the week that party of the strategy to forestall any possible misunderstanding and confusion was a decision to come up with a clear zoning formula.

    Already, while some are agitating for a reversion to the 2015 zoning arrangement, others are saying recent developments has made it necessary to come up with a new zoning policy that would reflect current realities.

    According to Dr Isima Akpan, “part of the new realities is that unlike in 2015, when Southeast and South-south had virtually no elected APC federal lawmakers to be given principal positions, the situation has changed. APC has made visible inroad into these two zones and so APC has to come up with a zoning arrangement that will reflect this.”

    Reports indicate that as at today, Senators-elect from the Northeast seem to dominate the number of aspirants for the principal officers in the Senate even as the other zones are also said to be making serious cases. In fact, some of the new senators elect from the two zones have been named.

    Some of those already mentioned as possible candidates for the office of the Senate President are Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan; former Senate Leader Ali Ndume; former Gombe State Governor and outgoing Committee on Appropriation Chairman Danjuma Goje, ex-Governor Adamu Abdullahi, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege and former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu. For the Speaker of the House of Representatives, we gathered that forces are already lobbying for it to come to the Southwest. It is said that if this materialises, the outgoing Majority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, may emerge as the leading candidate even though a source hinted that he would not be the only candidate from the zone if the plum position is finally zoned to the Southwest.

    But advocates of a new policy are agitating that all the zones should be adequately catered for in order to carry everybody along and also to avoid heating up the polity.

    To sort out the matter in the interest of the party and the in-coming administration, it has been confirmed that the APC leadership would convene a meeting of stakeholders, including the senators-elect this week. A source close to the leadership of APC National Working Committee assured that all the zones will produce principal officers and other important positions in the next government of President Buhari.

    According to the source, one of the issues the party leadership will settle with the President this week is how to settle the agitation that if the Northeast retains the position of the Secretary to the Federal Government, currently held by Boss Mustapha, then, the office of the Senate President may no longer be zoned to the area, as is being speculated. If this happens, the remaining zones that do not have President or Vice President, are agitating that for power balance, the position should be zoned to one of them. These are the North-central, South-south and Southeast. The source hinted however that it is also the view of some top APC leaders that North-east should be given the office of Senate President while the office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) should be given to either Southeast or South-south.

    Just as the office of the Senate President and that of the SGF have become subjects of special interest, the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives is also a major source of interest. Already, reports quoted sources from the APC leadership as citing both Northeast and Southwest as being highly favoured for this position. However, it seems other zones are also interested in this plum seat.

    For example, one of the aspirants for the Speaker’s seat, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas, who is the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Media and Publicity, representing Jada/Ganye/Mayo Belwa/Toungo Federal Constituency of Adamawa State, told newsmen during the week that the party will play a major role in determining who will sit on the seat, when he said: “In the ninth assembly, we are loyal party members; whatever the party decides that is what we are going to do.

    Acknowledging that every zone is interested in NASS leadership positions and has in fact commenced lobbying, he said, “we feel that the North-east is the most impoverished. We have only had the speakership for four years and we want to have it for eight years so that we can consolidate.”

    Another lawmaker, Hon. Nicholas Ossai, representing Ndokwa/Ukwani Federal Constituency of Delta State, on his part however told newsmen during the week that the South-south and the Southeast have competent lawmakers who are capable of holding the position.

    “We have experienced hands from the South-east and the South-south in the APC and PDP on both sides.

    “At least, Nkiru Onyejeosha is from Abia State and she won under APC and also we still have some old members from Imo State coming under APC. We still have some old hands coming from APC Edo State and some South-south states have APC, PDP; experienced people. I think the position should be well distributed,” he said.

    Before stakeholders were advised to go back to their states for the governorship and state House of Assembly elections, no agreement had been reached, especially on the senate president’s position, but there was speculation that President Buhari may not want to change his SGF immediately. Until the president makes up his mind, possibly early this week, the calculations on which state will produce the Senate President and SGF remain main speculations.

    Commenting on the implication of the ongoing battles over NASS leadership, Dr Isima Akpan said on Friday: “It is important that the leadership of the 9th NASS is chosen in a less rancorous way unlike what happened in 2015. This is why I am calling on the leadership of APC and President Buhari to be fair minded and to eschew greed in their decision. Every interest must be taken into consideration. We cannot afford another endless quarrel between the Executive and the Legislature. If we put the right

  • Race for 5G revolution

    TO promote investments in Nigeria and other parts of Africa, availability of spectrum in a timely manner is a  major task for telecoms sector regulators.

    This will enable innovation and competition, as well as ensure  fifth generation (5G) services benefit consumers, businesses and industries.

    A report jointly published by Ericsson and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), titled: “Making 5G a Reality for Africa,” underscored the importance of timely availability of spectrum.

    The report said: “Regulators will have to determine the process they’ll follow to ensure mobile data growth and early 5G deployment is not hampered by spectrum requirements.”

    The fifth-generation technology is expected to set new standards for high-speed, wide bandwidth, low latency wireless connections. Mobile operators in South Africa are preparing for the rollout of 5G, but have for some time been saying 5G will not be possible without additional spectrum being allocated.

    Ericsson sees massive mobile growth in sub-Saharan Africa over the next five years, with mobile subscriptions likely to exceed 900 million, total mobile data traffic growing by 11 times compared to today, and 75 million cellular Internet of things (IoT) devices being connected by 2023. This will be aided by the growth of 4G/long term evolution (LTE) and 5G deployments if more spectrum is allocated.

    “Decisions on where, when and how operators deploy 5G are not only driven by commercial considerations but also on the availability of spectrum, network equipment and devices,” the report said.

    The authors said modern mobile networks need a variety of spectrum, with different frequencies providing different key components.

    Low frequency spectrum tends to offer better coverage, travelling distances and giving in-building coverage, at the expense of data rates (that is, speed). High frequency spectrum offers shorter coverage distances but substantially higher data rates.

    The report expected that 5G will need a mix of low, medium and high frequency spectrum, some of which will be ‘new’ spectrum and some ‘re-farmed’ spectrum, previously used by other services or even shared with existing services.

    As the use of spectrum is a global phenomenon, the spectrum bands available in Africa should not be different from that of other administrations, the report says, “as it would be expensive to use without the economies of scale for network equipment and device manufacturers that come from harmonised bands”.

    Ericsson believes governments in Africa should support 700megahertz (MHz), 800MHz, 2.6gigahertz (GHz), 3.5GHz, 26GHz and 40GHz as 5G pioneer bands.

    “The spectrum available for 5G will vary from market to market, according to whether it is already in use and the timing of auctions and licensing processes. Each spectrum band has different physical characteristics, which means there are trade-offs between capacity, coverage and latency, as well as reliability and spectral efficiency.”

    Ericsson said these trade-offs needed to be taken into consideration when planning 5G deployments, especially with regard to the mobile network operators’ (MNOs’) service focus, whether this is enhanced mobile broadband, massive IoT, critical IoT or fixed wireless access.

    Last month, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) confirmed plans to license high-demand radio frequency spectrum by the end of March 2019, which will likely be used first for 4G, and it’s still unclear as to when higher bands will be released with 5G in mind.

    Although the report said 5G will need the release of new spectrum, it highlighted that it will also require the re-farming and/or re-use of current spectrum.

    The report urged regulators to issue licences that are technology-neutral or unified licences, where MNOs can move one technology from a spectrum band and deploy a different technology, in that same band.

    But the Vice President/Head of Networks for Ericsson Middle East and Africa (MEA), Chafic Traboulsi, said spectrum should not be linked to specific technology.

    “In some countries, unfortunately, they link the frequencies to a specific technology. We believe it’s very important not to do this because it puts a barrier up right in the beginning,” Traboulsi said.

    The Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof Garb Dambatta, said spectrum licences in Nigeria are technology-neutral. This explains why telcos have been able to re-farm their previous spectrum for newer technologies such as LTE.

    While the Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, has advised the regulator to revisit its technology-neutral licensing, the regulator appears not in a hurry to do so. Dambatta believes other African countries should adopt  the model that makes spectrum not to be tied to a particular technology.

    “With the adoption of 5G, MNOs will require an increased amount of spectrum and therefore it is important that a country develops spectrum policies that will enable the fast adoption of innovative technologies and sustainable development of the mobile industry. This will help to realise maximum benefit for its citizens, particularly those that are unconnected,” it added.

  • I’m still in race for Adamawa APC governorship ticket – Modi

    Against a perception to the contrary, a governorship hopeful of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State, Dr. Mahmood Halilu Ahmed, more simply knows as Modi, has said he is still in the race for the ticket of the party and will compete in the primary now scheduled for Thursday.

    Modi, an in-law to President Muhammadu Buhari, said in a press statement issued by his campaign office in Yola that he remained unperturbed by the antics of his traducers who were troubled by his presence in the race.

    He contended that because they could not match him in a fair contest, they resorted to fabricating the rumour that he had stepped down from the race, stressing that he was not only still in the race,  he would win Thursday’s primary and become governor in 2019 to redeem Adamawa.

    “No amount of blackmail will extinguish my sole desire to rescue Adamawa people from the snare of hunger, poverty and squalor which has been superimposed on them by a band of predatory leaders who squandered our future as a people.

    “I’m not in this contest for my personal gains but for the people of Adamawa and will never surrender to baloneys of a well orchestrated and choreographed campaign of calumny aimed at sullying my character and killing my determination to rescue the good people of Adamawa State,” he said.

  • Makarfi joins race for PDP 2019 presidential ticket

    Immediate past National Caretaker Committee Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has joined the race for the party’s 2019 presidential ticket.

    Makarfi told reporters yesterday in Kaduna that he had decided to seek the ticket after consulting widely.

    The one-time Kaduna State governor said: “I have been consulting across the country since I left as the chairman of the party. It’s is just consultations and not endorsement. But it gives you an opportunity to feel the pulse and it will tell whether to go forward or not to go forward. The consultations have been quite positive and I believe it is fair enough to come to the conclusion that one should join other equally capable party men and women who have shown interest in seeking the party’s nomination for the 2019 presidential election. “

    He added: “I have known governance for sometime at the state level. I served Kaduna for three years as commissioner for finance and economic planning. I came in from the private sector. I have private sector experience, especially banking. I governed this complex state for eight years. I have legislative experience, having been in the senate for a two terms of eight years. I got a bonanza when the party leadership fell on my lap, to know about managing a political party.

    “If you cannot manage your party, even if you are elected, you will have problems governing. If you can’t manage the legislature and build cordial relationship such that key legislations that can take this country forward are passed, then governance becomes complex for you. If you cannot manage complex society such as Kaduna, which is mini- Nigeria, you cannot manage Nigeria.”

    “These, to me, are advantages but of course it does not mean that it is a forgone conclusion. Somebody who may have not prepared himself in governance at all may find himself in government but the country will pay a price for that. I believe I have these advantages.

    “Managing complex security issues is not new to me. Managing complex people of societies is not new to me. If you look at it from that perspective, I am prepared for the job. I served as the Governor of Kaduna state where I was able to mobilise the citizens of Kaduna state, irrespective of where they came from in Nigeria, earned their confidence and they worked with me and supported me and we were able to restore normalcy that people thought was impossible.

    “If I am nominated and eventually get elected; my philosophy will not be to go after the opposition. It is to see how I will work with the opposition in any area for the good of all of us while maintaining our independent political opinion over any matter. If I get nominated and get elected and I find somebody in APC who can help me do what I want to do, I will look for you without demanding that you join the PDP. I will leave you to make that decision on your own.that is the kind of politics that I want to see happening in Nigeria.” He said.

    He added: “We must also thank the APC for working for us because they have been working for us. They have refused to govern well, they have been fighting each other. They are many things for which we can thank them. There is no way the executive and the legislature can work again as one . The is no way the party can be cohesive again. There are elements in government fighting each other and there is nobody to call them to order. We should not expend our energy when somebody is working for us.

    He said it would be illegal for the APC to postpone its convention.

    Makarfi however gave the Buhari adminitrstion  thumbs up in the fight against insurgency, but said the successes recorded would have been overwehlming if the institutions of the government had been working together.

    On the fight against corruption, the PDP presidential aspirant said it was selective.

    However, the party said its guidelines for the 2019 presidential primary election were not ready.

    Those who have indicated interest in the PDP ticket are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, former Minister Tanimu Turaki, former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarua and Gomber State Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo.

    National Organising Secretary Austin Akobundu in  atstement yesterday said: “We wish to state categorically that the party is still in the process of drawing up the guidelines for its presidential primary election.

    “It is therefore misleading to claim that the party has ‘listed its guidelines’ not to talk of the cost of nomination forms.

    “At the appropriate time the proposals will be presented to NEC of the party which will approve as it deems fit.

    “Only then can one say that it has the guidelines for the 2018 presidential primary election.”

    Akobundu said that the party’s National Working Committee of the PDP was committed to adhering strictly to the PDP Constitution.

    He noted that the constitution in Chapter 8 (50) (1) grants NEC the power to formulate the guidelines for aspirants in any of its Party Primaries, the presidential primary inclusive.

    “The authentic guidelines for PDP presidential primary election will be released as soon as they are considered by the organs of the party.”

  • I’m still in race, says Faparusi

    Former House of Representatives member Bamidele Faparusi has denied withdrawing from the governorship race in Ekiti State.

    Faparusi, who is seeking the nomination of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said he would not step down for another contender.

    The aspirant, who has obtained his nomination and expression of interest forms said his determination to serve Ekiti people was the motivating factor behind his ambition.

    It was widely rumoured two weeks ago that Faparusi had withdrawn from the race and negotiating for either the deputy governor or Ekiti South senatorial seat.

    Addressing reporters in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, Faparusi described his purported withdrawal as “a mere wishful thinking of mischief makers.”

    He said: “I am not just in the race, I am winning the race and I am winning the main election. I fit into the criteria to be governor.

    “My followers should continue to mobilize because it is not about me but our people yearning for good governance.

    “I started moving round since January 2016, that I over two years ago, I have built a political structure and this structure will deliver me victory.”

  • I’m in race to make difference, says cleric

    A cleric, Rev. Tunde Afe, has explained that he is in the governorship race in Ekiti State to make the difference in the life of the people.

    Afe, who is the founding Pastor of House of Faith Christian Centre, said Ekiti should not continue to wallow in hardship, dashed hopes and missed opportunities.

    The cleric, who is running on the platform of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), said Ekiti is backward because of lack of preparedness and vision by those privileged to govern it.

    Speaking at a forum organised by the state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Afe said there was an urgent need to fix Ekiti and make it work for its people.

    He took a swipe at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying neither of the two parties can provide the answer to the problems afflicting the state.

    Afe said: “We cannot afford to entrust them being architects of our misfortune to take us into the dawn of a new tomorrow.

    “Neither the PDP nor the APC can be vehicle of change; there is a saying which is apt here. The leopard doesn’t change its spot.”

    He added: “Together, the time is now to throw ourselves into the ring to effect good governance and that is why I have shown my desire to serve as governor of Ekiti.

    “I seek your support and I know it is possible with you standing by me. I make this solemn promise: I shall give myself totally to the advancement of our interest as a people.”

     

  • Daniel, Ladoja, Agbaje, Aderemi withdraw from race

    Daniel, Ladoja, Agbaje, Aderemi withdraw from race

    Four more candidates for the chairmanship of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) withdrew from the contest yesterday just hours before the commencement of the party’s national convention in Abuja.

    Former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel, former Oyo State Governor  Rashidi Ladoja; a former governorship aspirant in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje; and Mr. Segun Aderemi, pulled out ostensibly to allow the Southwest a fair chance of winning.

    Left in the race were Prince Uche Secondus, Prof Tunde Adeniran, Chief Raymond Dokpesi and Prof Taoheed Adedoja.

    Agbaje said on his Twitter handle that his decision was informed by the need to reduce the number of aspirants from the South-West geo-political zone to boost its chances of producing the chairman.

    Ladoja in a statement at the end of a meeting of the aspirants from the Southwest he convened said: “From consultations with stakeholders from various zones, we gathered that from all zones, the stakeholders who prefer to back the South-west zone for the position suggested that we should prune down the number, if possible, to one person.”

    However, it was gathered that the withdrawal was precipitated by the emergence of a ‘unity list’ containing the names of candidates for the chairmanship and 20 other positions open for contest compiled by Governor Nyesom Wike.

    Dokpesi, while addressing newsmen long before voting started, said he resisted pressure mounted on him by forces close to Secondus to step out of the race.

    Chief Bode George had announced his withdrawal from the race Friday night citing corruption of the process and alleged insult of his Yoruba ethnic group by Wike.

     

  • Ex-PPPRA chief joins Ekiti governorship race

    A former Executive Secretary of Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Dr. Oluwole Oluleye, has joined Ekiti State governorship race on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The aspirant promised to implement an all-encompassing blueprint to bring sustainable development to the state and give the people a new lease of life, if he wins the party’s ticket and the governorship election.

    Oluleye unfolded his agenda at the weekend while addressing party leaders and members from the 10 wards in his hometown, Efon Alaaye, and APC state secretariat in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

    The governorship hopeful, who was joined by his wife, Pat, and other party supporters, inaugurated the headquarters of his campaign organisation at Ureje in Ado-Ekiti.

    The former executive secretary of Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) noted that his 33-year career as a public servant and technocrat, among other assignments, prepared him for demands of the office of governor.

    He said contrary to opinion, Ekiti is not a poor state.

    Oluleye promised to invest in agriculture and mineral resources to create jobs, shore up the revenue base and depend less on allocation from the Federal Government.

    Describing himself as a “child of necessity,” the aspirant said he took up the challenge because decent people and men of integrity are needed in politics to prevent charlatans and people of questionable integrity from dominating the political space.

    APC Deputy State Chairman Mrs. Kemisola Olaleye has promised party supporters that APC will organise a free, fair and credible primary.

    She said the aspirants were all capable and qualified to be governor.

    The deputy chairman said they are capable of restoring good governance and quality leadership.

  • Two Nigerians, 13 others in race for Young African Entrepreneurs prize

    •$100,000 up for grabs

    Fifteen young African entrepreneurs have emerged finalists from more than 800 applicants for the seventh annual Anzisha Prize, Africa’s premier award for young entrepreneurs.

    Supported by African Leadership Academy (ALA), in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, the Anzisha Prize celebrates and cultivates the next generation of young African entrepreneurial leaders who are creating jobs, solving local development problems and driving economies.

    Selected from 14 countries, nearly half of candidates are young women representing diverse sectors, such as clean energy, agriculture, waste recycling and youth empowerment. For the first time, candidates from Angola, Liberia, Mauritius, and Sudan entered the competition.

    “We are excited by the number of young women finalists and thrilled that the prize is contributing to their economic empowerment,” Anzisha Prize Associate Melissa Mbazo said.

    She said the success of these women-led businesses would be accelerated by access to Anzisha’s financial and mentorship support.

    Among the young innovators is 15-year-old Nigerian Victoria Olimatunde, the founder of Bizkidz, a board game designed to teach children about financial literacy and the rudimentary aspects of starting a small scale business in a fun and interactive manner. Olimatunde, 15, has also been encouraging young people to create jobs as entrepreneurs, not just seek jobs as employees.

    She will be joined by her compatriot Ajiroghene Omanudhowo, the founder of 360 Needs, which is a social enterprise created to identify and solve logistical problems in his community. Omanudhowo, 22, one of  the 2017 finalists for the Anzisha Prize, is the founder of three businesses operating under the parent company 360 Needs.

    While ASAFOOD delivers food to universities, ASADROP is a logistics company specialising in parcel delivery and Beta Grades helps students prepare for their exams by providing computer training.

    Both Nigerian budding entrepreneurs’ businesses have been impactful and transformative. They are billed to fly to Johannesburg to attend a 10-day entrepreneurial leadership boot camp where they will be coached on how to pitch their businesses to a panel of judges for a share of the $100,000 prize money and support.

    The grand prize winner will receive $25,000, while the runners-up and third place winners will receive $15,000 and $12,500 respectively. The remainder of the prize will be divided among outstanding finalists, including a $10,000 agricultural prize funded by Louis Dreyfus Foundation, as well as four $5,000 challenge prizes to bolster initiatives led by past Anzisha Prize finalists.

    Other entrepreneurs include Liberian Satta Wahab, founder of Naz Naturals, a cosmetics company that creates organic hair care products that empower young girls and women to feel beautiful and confident with their natural hair, and Thowiba Alhaj, the founder of Work Jump-Up Sudan, an organisation empowering university students by linking them to job opportunities.

    “The calibre and diversity of the young men and women competing for this year’s Anzisha Prize is impressive and improves each year,” said Program Manager, Youth Livelihoods at the Mastercard Foundation, Koffi Assouan.

    According to him, as the pool of Anzisha fellows continues to grow, so too does their impact and influence on local communities and economies.

    All other finalists will each receive $2,500 prizes. They will also benefit from ALA’s Youth Entrepreneur Support Unit (YES-U), which provides consulting and training support to Anzisha finalists. This includes the Anzisha Accelerator boot camp, mentorship and consulting services, travel opportunities to network, and business equipment, valued at $7,500.

    Finalists will be evaluated by a panel of five experienced judges who have contributed to building youth entrepreneurship in Africa, such as Wendy Luhabe, a pioneering social entrepreneur and economic activist.

    Laureates will be announced during an inspiring gala evening on October 24, which will include a keynote address from serial entrepreneur Fred Swaniker, founder of both the ALA and African Leadership University.