Just under seven years ago we decided that we take the entrepreneurial plunge – as some say, it’s like jumping off a cliff and building a house on the way down. I couldn’t agree more. At the time, the smartphone was a novelty in Africa and we were intrigued at…
Author: Guest Writer
Wondering whether perhaps it’s time to go back to fundamentals like a good old Value Investor or shall we call it Vintage Economics! In short, QE and lower interest rates have not worked to drive real economic growth or job creation. Also, the intended, though unspoken of, devaluation of the…
Flying cars – they used to be the stuff of science fiction movies where every day ordinary-looking cars sprouted wings, concealed jet-engines or ducted fans took off from a road and flew away. For over eighty years inventors have been tinkering with the idea of a practical roadable aircraft. Some…
Within this new era of knowledge economies, where the internet has flattened the world and digital entrepreneurs are building companies on the backs of binary codes and software modules, members of the African diaspora can play unique roles in re-inventing Africa’s future and catalyzing the growth and development of entrepreneurial…
Gone are the days when America and Russia used to battle it out for supremacy in space ; trying to put the first man in space, landing a man on the moon and bringing him back safely. Nowadays the two old rivals are quite happy to invest their joint knowledge…
The Queen of England, Elizabeth who became the longest reigning monarch of the United Kingdom on 9 September 2015, had her 90th birthday last month. She has had a fairly peaceful tenure as the head of the most prestigious monarchy in the world but it’s hard to imagine that in times…
The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) is excited that we have closed a key milestone – the selection and the announcement of the 2016 cohort of the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme, drawn from across Africa. It was an eye-opener and made us realize more than ever before, the brilliance and passion…
In continuation of our series to highlight innovative interventions across the Nigerian health sector, Nigeria Health Watch team member Ada Ezeokoli recently visited the ObiJackson Children’s Hospital in Okija, Anambra State, to learn more about how this island of modernity is being positioned to challenge a culture of low expectations…
Earlier this year, on Thursday 21st January to be precise, SVP of Ads & Commerce at Google, Sridhar Ramaswamy, released a statement discussing the tech giant’s commitment to fighting bad ads. In the blog post, he highlighted six bad practices that Google cracked down on in 2015, stating that upwards of 40…
Nigeria is almost a victim of it’s size. It’s almost too easy to have big ambition. The population size makes the country one of the most viable markets to monetise consumer products. It’s quite common to see startup founders creating various versions of ecommerce platforms than anything else. I get…
Consider the following. According to the CIA World Factbook, Nigeria’s population was estimated at 181,562,056 in July 2015 (last available update). According to the NCC, there were 148,495,205 active GSM lines at that time. If you assume one line per person, that’s about 82% penetration. But let’s allow for double…
One of the proudest moments in the history of the Nigerian Education sector was the successful implementation and commissioning of the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN). Being the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa, the pomp and pageantry that accompanied the unveiling event seemed justified and earned. The…
As a marketer, I absolutely love social networks as channels to communicate internally and externally. They offer the unique opportunity for brands to fully engage in conversations with employees, customers and potential customers. Never before have such personalized one-on-one interactions been as accessible and at a relatively low cost. However…
Lagos is full of energy. You could almost bottle it. The startup scene is exciting. There are lots of young Nigerian entrepreneurs who see technology as a major tool for building the future they want to live in. I saw the city in a different light during my short visit…
While Nigerian fans of Davido and Wizkid may continue to disagree over who is the better, bigger and richer artist between the two music superstars, music lovers in Kenya have an entirely different issue to deal with – a changing music landscape that is punctuated with lawsuits, telcos, money and…
As with any blog post on race, I have to include a prelude. This post is neither meant to be combative nor to apportion any blame. It is merely to add to a continuous conversation about diversity in technology. This post is MY OWN observation made on behalf of MYSELF.…
Several news outlets in India are reporting the raping of a young woman who was in an Uber car; she’s reported to be 25 years old by some and 27 by others. According to the report, the woman took the ride and slept off, only to be beaten and raped…
I was in a café in Barcelona when I heard the news: Facebook acquires Whatsapp for $19b! The fact that the acquisition story circulated within the same news cycle as the civil unrest in Ukraine was weirdly ironic. Jan Koum, the Ukrainian founder of Whatsapp, had successfully negotiated an acquisition…
As the upsurge in social media use continues to promote the proliferation of online communities around the world, the expanding reach of these channels makes them increasingly attractive talent harvesting tools. We spend more time than ever on social networks, and forward-thinking businesses looking to capitalise on this trend have…