Author: PositiveNaija

Winners Of 2018 Digital Pay Expo Awards

Winners have emerged at the 2018 Digital Pay Expo Awards, which held at Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos.

Digital Pay Expo brings together stakeholders in digital financial services to discuss key issues affecting the payments industry. The event focuses on Innovative Financial Services for the unserved segments of the society.

FarePay won the utility payment card award.

The smart payment solution introduced by, Sterling Bank Plc eliminates challenges associated with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) such as facing long queues to purchase a ticket or handling exact cash fares for a trip.

FarePay cards are prepaid and reloadable through the user’s bank accounts and can be activated through an ATM or USSD. Card holders are no longer burdened with facing long queues for tickets or having to carry the exact fare for trips.

Out of seven award categories at the event, two cards were nominated for the most utility relevant card category with Sterling Bank’s FarePay card emerging as winner in the category. FarePay cards are built on a contactless payment technology, with a connected bus validator system linked to the users’ bank account allowing passengers to ‘tap in and tap out’ of BRT buses with ease.

Commenting on the award, Executive Director, Corporate and Investment Banking at Sterling Bank, Yemi Odubiyi, said:

“Barely a month after launch, we have facilitated over 30,000 trips within Lagos with the FarePay card and we are looking to replicate this system across the continent.”

Ecobank Nigeria emerged winner in two award categories, ePayment and Partnership, at the 2018 Digital Pay Expo Awards.

According to the Bank’s Executive Director, Consumer Banking, Carol Oyedeji:

“We are not in any way surprised at these awards. As a bank, we realised many years ago that payment drives the society and digital banking is the way to go. We put structures in place and today, we have become a clear leader in the industry.”

Winners Of 2018 African Child Foundation Awards

2018 African Child Laureate for Humanitarianism

Gamaliel & Susan Onosode Foundation (GAMSU) was named the 2018 African Child Foundation Laureate for Humanitarianism in Lagos, on June 15 2018.

The Award is in recognition of the activities of the Foundation in improving the standard of education in Nigeria, and contributing to the development of children in the society.

The Foundation was presented the prestigious African Child Prize Gold Medallion in commemoration of the achievement.

Receiving the award on behalf of the Foundation were the Secretary to the Board of Trustees, Mr. Spencer Onosode, and the Chief Operations Officer, Toyin Olanrewaju.

Mr. Onosode thanked the African Child Foundation for the Award, and expressed gratitude to the Board of Trustees of GAMSU for upholding Gamaliel Onosode’s legacy, and steering the Foundation towards tangible development of the Nigerian education system. He also expressed his appreciation to the Onosode Family for their consistent support, and reiterated the Foundation’s commitment to the collective development of children in Nigeria, and Africa as a whole.

The African Child Prize is awarded by the African Child Foundation to individuals and organisations who promote a positive attitude and an unyielding desire to enhance the quality of life in the community, striving to unite communities in collaborative efforts for Africa’s prosperity.

The African Integrity Prize for Integrity in Art

Michael Ugochukwu Stephen also known as Ruggedman has been honoured with the African Integrity Prize for Integrity in Art courtesy of the African Child Foundation.

African Integrity prize honours Africa’s best, noble men and women, companies and institutions with exceptional integrity.

Accounteer Wins Inaugural MEST Africa Challenge

Accounteer has emerged winner of the inaugural MEST Africa Challenge, taking home the grand prize of $50,000 equity investment.

Accounteer is a SaaS company offering accounting and payroll management software tailored to the needs of African SMEs.

Hosted by the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) – which has now been active in Africa for 10 years – the first MEST Africa Challenge took place on June 20 [2018] at the MEST Africa Summit in Cape Town.

The MEST Africa Challenge was a highlight of the closing day of the MEST Africa Summit, which brought together stakeholders from Africa, Silicon Valley and Europe to network and discuss trends, challenges and opportunities affecting markets across the continent, under the theme “The Year of the African Scaleup?”

Four regional winners took to the stage to pitch live to an audience of leading global investors, entrepreneurs and executives, for the chance to win $50,000 investment.

Nigeria’s Accounteer was selected the winner – pipping to the post Ghana’s Cowtribe (a USSD-based technology that connects livestock farmers with veterinarians who can provide vaccinations); Kenya’s ​Data Integrated (a payment processing company for the public transport industry), and South Africa’s Swift Vee (a livestock and agricultural trading platform).

This was the first time the Summit has been held in Cape Town, following MEST’s expansion to South Africa in December, when it opened a new Cape Town incubator, as well as a new space in Lagos.

Aliko Dangote Named UNWTO’s First African Ambassador For Responsible Tourism

Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), has named Aliko Dangote an Ambassador for Responsible Tourism in the framework of the 61st Regional Commission meeting for Africa, celebrated in Abuja, Nigeria.

Continue reading Aliko Dangote Named UNWTO’s First African Ambassador For Responsible Tourism

Winners Of World Environment Day (WED) Inter-school Arts Exhibition 2018

Six secondary and primary schools have emerged winners in the World Environment Day (WED) 2018, inter-school arts exhibition organized by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF).

The winners in the secondary school category are Mayors Height School, Epe Girls Senior Secondary School and Genesis High School as first, second and third positions respectively.

While Refiners School, Genesis Primary School and Learning Ladder Montessori School emerged winners in the primary category as first, second and third positions respectively.

About 11 secondary schools and seven primary schools (both public and private) across Lagos State participated in the WED inter-school arts exhibition competition.

The activities were organized to enable students to showcase their creative abilities in turning plastics waste into arts and crafts while learning about ways the government and other stakeholders are helping to reduce its production and adverse effect on the people.

NCF also hosted key stakeholders in the plastic industries for a session of deliberation.

The foundation has over the years used WED to grow environmental literacy among the youths and the students. Avenue is usually created for the participants to individually or collectively develop solutions to current environmental challenges.

The arts exhibition is an idea about up-cycling (converting waste plastics to arts and craft) rather than recycling.

NCF encouraged stakeholders involved in the production and consumption of plastics, as well as the policy makers to jointly explore sustainable alternatives.

Furthermore, to urgently reduce the production and excessive use of single-use plastics polluting our oceans, damaging marine life and threatening human health.

Plastic pollution involves the accumulation of plastic products in the environment that adversely affects wildlife, wildlife habitat, and humans.

The Chairman of the occasion, Chief Ede Dafinone said:

“Most of the plastic waste generated comes from deliberate dumping of garbage into waterways and mismanaged waste disposal.

More than 50 percent of plastic waste generated comes from inadequate management due to lack or infrastructure associated with an ever-increasing population.”

Ansel Ahabue Receives College Degree Before High School Graduation [2018]

17-year-old Ansel Ahabue has become a college degree holder before his high school graduation.

Having received an associate degree with honors at Georgia State University, Ansel Ahabue got his high school diploma on May 23rd [2018].

In the words of his Ansel’s mother:

“Prince Ansel, my blessed son, in whom I am well pleased! It is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes! Thank God for His Grace!!”

 

CIAN Honours I-Naira For Transparency [2018]

The Certified Institute of Auctioneers of Nigeria (CIAN) has given i-Naira Integrated Resources Limited an award for maintaining industry standard and professionalism over the years.

i-Naira, the first online auction company in Nigeria was bestowed the award after being  adjudged as transparent by the Organised Private Sector (OPS).

Its founder and Chief Executive Officer Hillary Nwaukor received the company’s award and stated:

“I feel honoured owing to the fact that an idea to build an auction solution for the Organised Private Sector (OPS) five years ago has become a reality; not only has it become a reality, we have equally become a force to reckon with after three years of operations.

Thus, indeed, I am happy and thankful to the registrar Mr. Adeleke Hassan, the chairman of Lagos state CIAN chapter, Dr. Jogunola Onabanjo and the governing council of Certified Institute of Auctioneers for the recognition.

 i-naira.com auction system is a stable software that is designed with transparency as the organisation’s watchword, therefore, our customers and clients alike are happy with bid outcomes whenever we run an auction event online.

Emphatically, there can’t be any more assurance or validation required to evidently demonstrate the strategic importance of i-Naira.com auction solution in closing the transparency gaps in auction processes in Nigeria while giving corporate entities the opportunity to earn more from assets they consider fully depreciated in their accounting books.”

i-Naira.com was recently engaged in April/May 2018 to dispose of the assets of Mobilising for Development (M4D) – a DFID sponsored project in Kano, Jigawa, and Kaduna.

Hon. Justice Samuel Ilori, former Chief Judge of Lagos State, said that the auction profession is witnessing a great leap and bound in Nigeria, however a new baby in the public and private sector.

According to Olayinka Oladunjoye, the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry (Lagos State), the State Government will not relent in its efforts in designing and implementing innovative policies that would strengthen auctioning practice.

The Commissioner disclosed that the government is at the forefront of creating a conducive business environment to make auctioneering practice more operational and attractive in Lagos state.

Mr. Oladunjoye further stated that the state government has written agencies of government (state and federal), manufacturing companies, insurance companies as well as financial institutions within the state on the implication of auctioning their assets without working with a recognised and licensed auction company in Lagos.