2017 American Academy of Arts and Letters Honorary Member

Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie has been elected into the 2017 American Academy of Arts and Letters as a foreign honorary member.

The objective of the Academy include to “foster and sustain an interest in Literature, Music, and the Fine Arts” by administering over 70 awards and prizes, exhibiting art and manuscripts, funding performances of new works of musical theatre, and purchasing artwork for donation to museums across the country.

This induction will make Chimamanda the second Nigerian to be inducted into the academy after Wole Soyinka, a Nobel laureate, was inducted in 1986.

2016 U.S Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE)

Andela receives the United States Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) for 2016, in the category of Small and Medium Enterprises.

Andela is a global engineering organization that connects leading technology companies and talented software developers from around the world. Andela enables companies to build high-performing engineering teams while providing a platform for talented technologists to accelerate their expertise.

According to the United States Ambassador to Nigeria W. Stuart Symington,

“What Andela does with Information Technology, and with its focus on people and a culture of learning and connecting through the internet around the world, [is] show how Nigeria can create its future and transform the future of the rest of the planet. Nigeria has remarkably talented people and Andela represents the future of Nigeria.”

2017 CBN & NIBSS Electronic Payment Incentive Scheme (EPIS) Awards

The Electronic Payment Incentive Scheme (EPIS) Efficiency awards was established to reward and celebrate financial institutions, merchants and other stakeholders at the forefront of driving electronic payment in Nigeria.

Best Customer Experience Award (Electronic Payment Platform Experience) – GTBank; for achieving the highest level of overall customer satisfaction in the delivery of electronic payment services to customers.

Cashless Driver: Instant Payments – GTBank; for the Bank’s performance in recording the highest transaction count on the NIBSS Instant Payments (NIP) Platform.

Cashless Driver: Point of Sale (POS) Issued Cards’ Transactions – GTbank; for having the highest Point of Sale (PoS) transaction count on the National Central Switch with Issued Payment.

Instant Payments Transaction Efficiency – GTBank; for achieving the highest transaction count in Point of Sale (PoS) terminals through the National Central Switch (NCS) Platform.

The Point of Sale Card Transaction Efficiency – GTBank; for the Bank’s outstanding performance in recording the highest level of efficiency in card payments on POS terminals connected to the National Central Switch.

Electronic Data Rendition Compliance and Integrity – GTBank & Access Bank Plc; for the Bank’s outstanding performance in ensuring customer data integrity and compliance to CBN mandated submissions.

E-Reference Operations Award – Union Bank

Direct Debit Award – Ecobank Group

Point of Sales Transaction Acquiring – Zenith Bank; the Bank with the highest POS transactions

Financial Technology Partner Award – Interswitch Group

Most Efficient Third Party Payment Processor Award – Interswitch Group

Most Efficient Card Scheme Award – Mastercard

Cashless Driver: Mobile Money Operator (MMO) – Paga

Most Active Payment Terminal Service Provider Award – Unified Payment Services Limited

Most Improved Merchant Award – Sahad Stores Limited

Payments Aggregators Award – Soft Alliance Limited; payment aggregator with the highest volume of transactions

Merchants Award (POS) – Oswale Enterprises; merchant with the highest volume of transactions

Other Financial Institutions Award – Old Mutual

Federal Government Award – Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

State Government Award – Lagos State Government

 

Sliide Airtime Wins Global Mobile Awards 2017

Sliide Airtime has been named as the World’s Most Innovative App at the Global Mobile World awards 2017.

Sliide Airtime was designed to solve a real-life problem for hundreds of millions of people living in Africa and other emerging markets; data is expensive relative to incomes.

Sliide provides users with an easy way to earn free airtime – and discover new content. It sends personalised news and stories from national and international publishers as well as sponsored content and adverts straight to the lock screen of phones. Sliide uses 65% of its advertising revenues to buy mobile data from MNOs to give to its users – who can then earn more airtime by completing tasks such as answering surveys from brands.

14th Euromoney Private Banking Awards

Guaranty Trust Bank Plc has emerged the ‘Best Private Banking Services, Best Commercial Banking Capabilities & Best Net-worth Specific Services in Africa’ at the 14th Euromoney Private Banking Awards.

FBN Capital Limited, a subsidiary of FBN Holdings Plc emerged the ‘Best Asset Manager in Nigeria’.

Ndidi Wilfred Wins 2016 Belgian Goal of the Year Award

Leicester City midfielder and Nigerian International, Ndidi Wilfred, has been voted winner of the 2016 Belgian Goal of the Year Award in Belgium organised by the Belgian FA and the Sport Foot magazine.

Ndidi’s 30 yards wonder goal for KRC Genk was scored against Club Brugge in the First Division A playoffs on April 20, 2016.

The 20-year-old accumulated 2,385 votes to win the coveted prize, ahead of Club Brugge’s José Izqueirdo who had 1,816 votes and Ricardo van Rhijn who recorded 892 votes. Anderlecht’s Alexanger Chipciu came fourth in the poll with 865 points.

Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur presented the award to the 20 year old midfielder who has scored one goal for Leicester City in England.

Wilfred Ndidi was also ranked the tenth best player in the Belgian top-flight division for 2016.