Nigerian Women in PR (NGWIPR) over the weekend successfully delivered the fifth edition of its virtual Public Relations Students on Campus Summit which was held exclusively for students of the Lagos State University, Ojo.
An initiative of the social impact organization, the PR Students on Campus Summit is designed to provide an opportunity for undergraduates to interact and learn from young female public relations professionals, with the aim of providing practical and actionable information to help undergraduates make an informed career decision.
“We have eminent and experienced people in Public Relations. However, if we are not consciously opening up the profession and training people to come into the field, in the end, we will not find very capable hands to hand over the baton to. That is one of the reasons we came up with the PR summit”, said Tolulope Olorundero, founder of Nigerian Women in PR.
Speaking further on the significance of the event, Olorundero said, “with the #NGWIPRStudentSummit, we bring female practitioners with 3 to 5 years experience to share with undergraduates how they transitioned from student to professional, thereby inspiring them and demonstrating how viable a career in public relations can be. We have so far delivered the virtual Summit at the University of Lagos, University of Ibadan, University of Uyo, and the Nigeria Institute of Journalism. For now, we are self-funding the Summits because we are determined to take the gospel of public relations to all tertiary institutions in Nigeria.”
Dr. Ganiyat Tijani-Adenle, a gender researcher and lecturer in the School of Communications, LASU represented the Dean, Professor Sunday Alawode expressed her appreciation to the organizers for bringing the Summit to their school.
“We were quite excited to receive notice that Nigerian Women in PR was interested in delivering the Summit in our school. Many female undergraduates focus on PR during their undergraduate programs, but lose interest along the way due to lack of motivation and mentorship. I believe seeing young ladies like them who are thriving in the profession will encourage and motivate them not to give up.”
Dr. Tijani-Adenle further commended the initiative, saying “We got the approval of the Vice-Chancellor for this program. We definitely look forward to more opportunities to collaborate with the organisation, especially in the area of research for women in public relations.”
The PR Summit had in attendance two female public relations professionals: Tolulope Omoyeni, an alumnus of the University of Sussex and Communication Officer at the Lagos Business School, and Oluwatoni Sanni, a freelance Public Relations professional and a graduate of the Canadian University, Dubai.
According to Omoyeni, she had wanted to be a broadcast journalist like Femi Oke of Aljazeera. “I had my first degree in journalism and I wanted to be like Femi Oke. After my masters in the UK, I applied for a job at a radio station and I was offered N15,000 as salary.
I had to review my life goals again because I realized then that nobody cares about your degree but what you are able to deliver. While a radio station offered to pay me N15,000, a PR agency offered me N40,000. This, amongst other factors, made me decide to pursue a career in PR” she said. She encouraged the students to start a blog and write daily, emphasizing that writing is the most important skill for anyone who wants to pursue a career in public relations.
For Sanni, she had a background in advertising but got job opportunities in PR. Discovering her flair for the profession early, her personable character and skills made her thrive on the job. According to her, “a PR person must have a great personality. Such a person must be open to learning about every sector and topic, and must be up-to-date with the latest trends”.
She encouraged the students to take advantage of the holidays and apply for internships regardless of whether it is paid or not, adding that the experience they gather matters for their first role.
As part of the Summit, the Nigerian Women in Public Relations introduced the attendees to its Students Ambassadorship program where five female undergraduates will be selected from the institution and fully integrated into the NGWIPR community.
“The Students Ambassadorship programme is an initiative by Nigerian Women in PR created to enable female undergraduates gain experience in the field of Public relations while still in school. The programme is aimed at giving them a head start in the profession. The selected students will act as a liaison between their institution and the organisation, developing public relations programs and delivering them with direct supervision from the organisation. Our aim is to engage these students as volunteers who learn the ropes of PR by educating their immediate community about the impact public relations can have in building a society we all desire.” said Abimbola Fapohunda, Communication Associate at Nigerian Women in Public Relations.
Nigerian Women in PR, established in 2019, is an independent social impact organization created to build a robust network of practicing and aspiring female public relations professionals of Nigerian descent. The aim of the organization is to support, inspire and empower these professionals while improving access to career-advancing opportunities. With its robust programs including #PRin30Seconds, PR Students’ on Campus Summit, Reverse Mentorship Workshop, and #ThrivethruPR, the organization is determined to support female professionals get and retain a seat at the table where far-reaching decisions are made.
The city of Lagos was agog with moving musical performances that kept fans energized on Sunday at the Max Live Concert, sponsored by Fearless Energy drink, a premium non-alcoholic energy-boosting drink, produced and packaged by Rite Foods Limited.
The Max Live Concert was organized by Max FM 102.3, Lagos. It was themed Music Experience with the slogan Party of all Parties. Top artistes like Laycon, Ladipoe, Blackbonez, Skales, Crayon and a host of others thrilled fans to spectacular moments of musical performances that kept the live and virtual crowd energized during the show.
Fearless energy drink, the headline sponsor of the concert revealed that it threw its weight behind the music concert as part of efforts to enhance its commitment to the growth of the music and entertainment industry in the country.
Boluwatife Adedugbe, Brand Manager of Rite Foods and Fearless Energy drink, stated that as a leading brand, Fearless energy drink likes promoting the growth of the music and entertainment sector, especially in making talented young artistes become megastars, a reason that prompted the support of the Max Live show.
“For us, it is about looking out for credible platforms where we can partner and define our footprint in the music and entertainment industry by promoting young acts to become superstars,” she stated.
From Left: Raoul John Njeng-Njeng, known as Skales, an artiste; with Boluwatife Adedugbe, Brand Manager, Rite Foods Limited; and Hart Idawarifagha Ishmael, called Idahams, an artiste; at the Fearless energy drink powered Max Live Concert held in Lagos, on May 16, 2021-Brand Spur Nigeria
She further pointed out that the lion mentality of I CAN, I AM of Rite Foods which has led to the production of premium brands has spurred the widely energy drink, Fearless, to identify with the hugely popular broadcast station in promoting entertainment.
Ladipoe (Ladipo Eso), who signed a record deal with Mavin Records in 2017, dazzled the fans with tunes from his much-acclaimed hit tracks at the concert that kept applause rolling in for the star. He further praised the Fearless brand for the sponsorship, saying “Fearless is a great brand in its market segment and I love what it is doing today, taking entertainment to an admirable level. I am glad to be part of a show sponsored by the brand.”
Meanwhile, the new face of Afrobeats, Crayon, who has displayed his prowess in the Nigerian music scene with a blend of pop and local groove, thanked the leading energy drink brand for aiding Max Live concert which brought some of the best singers together, to thrill the audience and make the evening exhilarating.
Laycon, the Big Brother Nigeria Season 5 winner ended the concert with a moving and energizing performance that kept both the live and virtual audience dancing to his music vibes on stage. Other artistes that graced the stage include Idahams, Ruger, Ckay and Candybleakz.
Fearless, the premium energy drink spiced up the event that conjured up glitz and glamour with different celebrities that graced the occasion, displaying style and opulence during the red-carpet moments. Other guest and celebrity appearances at the concert include Ike of Big Brother Nigeria and popular rap artiste, Vector. The two variants of the leading energy brand, Fearless Classic and Fearless Red Berry, was readily available at the concert for tasting by all, which added to the flavour and thrill of the evening.
HP has introduced HP Wolf Security, a newly integrated portfolio of secure by design PCs and printers, hardware-enforced endpoint security software, and endpoint security services to protect customers from growing cyber threats.
HP Wolf Security’s Blurred Lines & Blindspots report also released today highlights that the global volume of cyberattacks has increased 238% during Covid, with hackers particularly focused on targeting remote workers. The company’s new HP Wolf Security platform builds on over 20 years of security research and innovation to offer a unified portfolio for customers focused on delivering comprehensive endpoint protection and cyber-resiliency.
“The future of work will be more distributed than ever before, with a growing number of people working from multiple locations outside the office. This will unlock exciting new opportunities for greater mobility, but it also creates new vulnerabilities,” said Joanna Burkey, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), HP Inc.
HP Wolf Security’s Blurred Lines & Blindspots report reveals that endpoints connected to the internet were experiencing 1.5 attacks per minute globally in 2020. As a result, 91% of IT decision-makers surveyed said they spend more time on endpoint security now than two years ago, with a further 91% reporting that endpoint security has become just as important as network security.
HP has long been a leader in PC and printer security. By uniting the company’s security offerings into a single platform for customers, HP is addressing a growing customer need for comprehensive and resilient endpoint infrastructure and cyber defense.
“As the importance of endpoint security continues to grow, we saw an opportunity to create a more integrated offering for customers to simplify security and stay ahead of future threats,” said Ian Pratt, Global Head of Security, Personal Systems, HP Inc. “The leading technology of the future will be secure by design and intelligent enough to not simply detect threats, but to contain and mitigate their impact, and to recover quickly in the event of a breach, which could happen at any time, to any one of us. HP Wolf Security is a new breed of endpoint security tailored for the future of work.”
Rooted in Zero Trust principles, HP Wolf Security harnesses state-of-the-art technologies to reduce pressure on IT. From self-healing firmware, in-memory breach detection and threat containment via virtualization, to cloud-based intelligence, HP Wolf Security delivers comprehensive protection by: shrinking the addressable attack surface; enabling remote recovery from firmware attacks; enhancing threat data collection, and delivering high fidelity alerts.
The newly integrated HP Wolf Security portfolio is categorized by:
·HP Wolf Security for Home which includes a set of built-in security features for select consumer PCs as well as HP Wolf Essential Security software and services. HP Wolf Essential Security is included on select home printers.
·HP Wolf Security for Business includes a portfolio of hardware-enforced security features, included with every business PC purchase, designed for businesses of all sizes.
·HP Wolf Pro Security, devices, software and services for small to mid-sized businesses.
·HP Wolf Enterprise Security, devices, software, and services for enterprises and government.
In addition, HP added Sure Access Enterprise to HP Wolf Enterprise Security to Defend Mission-Critical Applications from Cyber threats. New to HP Wolf Enterprise Security, the Sure Access Enterprise applies HP’s unique isolation technology to ensure critical applications are completely safeguarded from any malware lurking on a user’s PC. HP Sure Access creates hardware-enforced micro-virtual machines (VM) that can protect key applications – forming a virtual air gap between the application and the host PC. The application and data is securely isolated from the host OS, and any malicious actors that may have breached it. This unique, hardware-enforced approach helps by securing key tasks such as remote sysadmin activity of mission-critical systems, allowing users to work securely on multiple virtual Privileged Access Workstations (PAWs) on a single device, and securing browser-based access of critical applications.
HP also introduced the HP Wolf Pro Security Edition platform for small and mid-sized businesses. With this, HP has redefined PC security for small and mid-sized customers. HP Wolf Pro Security integrates Threat Containment based on micro-virtualization, Malware Prevention based on Next-Gen Anti-Virus, and Identity Protection – all integrated with HP’s hardware security capabilities to deliver superior protection that is simple for IT to acquire, deploy and operate.
Threat Containment raises the bar in endpoint protection by providing protection that doesn’t rely on detection. Hardware-powered micro-virtualization performs full isolation of threats delivered via all the most common threat vectors, without impacting user experience.
Malware Prevention is a complete Next-Gen AV that uses a combination of AI-based techniques, like deep learning, and behavioural analysis to provide advanced malware protection through predictive detection.
Identity Protection provides defense against credential phishing attacks for all popular browsers.
Integrated with HP’s built-in hardware security capabilities such as Application Persistence, OS Resiliency and Physical Tamper Protection.
HP also announced a new Flexworker offering with HP Wolf Security that allows IT departments to boost workforce productivity while helping to protect corporate networks and data. This new extended Managed Print Service (MPS) allows IT departments to arm hybrid workers with secure, company-approved printers that can be monitored and automatically remediated if a device falls out of compliance with corporate policies.
In addition, HP Wolf Essential Security is included with HP+ smart printers, with 24-7 built-in Security. HP+ printers with Smart Security help consumers and small businesses stay two steps ahead of hackers, helping to prevent potential malware attacks and stop your information from ending up in the wrong hands.
To support the launch of HP Wolf Security, HP has created a series of creative videos, depicting common security scenarios that have come about due to the shift to remote working during the pandemic. These include: a child clicking on a phishing link when using a parent’s laptop, a compromised printer being used to send malicious spam to the rest of the company, and an IT team being blindsided by a cyberattack. These videos, starring Christian Slater as ‘The Wolf’ – who walks the line between good and bad, putting to use his hacker mindset to show how an attacker might operate – help to demonstrate the impact of such events.
The theme for this year’s event, “Dairy Nourishment to Support Healthy Living”, was informed by the need to highlight the role dairy consumption plays in our everyday nourishment.
L – R: Israel Danauta, Head, Legal / Public Affairs and Corporate Communications, CHI Limited; Zainab Balogun-Nwachukwu, Brand Ambassador, Hollandia Yoghurt; Amaka Bifom, Human Resource Director, CHI Limited; Ijedi Iyoha, Event Panelist and Director, Regulation, Monitoring & Enforcement, APCON and Cynthia Onyekwere, Event Speaker & Senior Dietitian, Lagos University Teaching Hospital during the Hollandia Dairy Day Conference in Lagos. | Brand Spur
Speaking, the Head of Legal/Public Affairs & Corporate Communications, CHI Limited, Mr. Israel Dan’Auta, drew attention to the low dairy consumption figures in Nigeria and stressed the need for daily dairy consumption.
He expressed confidence that the “Hollandia Dairy Day conference will be an effective forum for discussing the way forward in dairy nutrition, setting priorities as well as connecting with today’s consumers at a deeper and more meaningful level.”
In partnership with health, nutrition and communication experts who were carefully selected, CHI Limited hopes to empower consumers to consider the consumption of dairy products in their diets every day.
One of the guest speakers, Senior Dietitian at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Cynthia Onyekwere, highlighted that dairy has been categorized as a major food group and has recommended daily portions for each individual. She stated that despite this, the intake of dairy in Nigeria has been relatively low (10 to 20 litres per capita consumption).
She noted that dairy products provide good sources of macro and micronutrients such as calcium; protein, phosphorous, vitamin D and A. “One cup of yoghurt meets about a quarter of our daily protein needs, nearly half of our daily requirement of calcium and two-third of our daily need of phosphorous. While a cup of milk meets a third of our daily requirement of vitamin D and one-sixth of our daily needs of vitamin A,” she concluded.
Another guest speaker, Amaka Okwesilieze Nwaora, a Nutrition Consultant/Public Health Expert stated that milk naturally contains many nutrients and only relatively few calories. “Regular consumption of milk and dairy products is recommended for all age groups as they are indispensable in every phase of our lives.
Children need vital nutrients in milk to grow up in good health, while milk helps adults get the vital nutrients they need. Older people need milk calcium for strong bones and teeth,” she added.
Hollandia Dairy Day will also draw attention to the Hollandia corporate social responsibility activities through its Hollandia Nuture’A’Child Initiative, an initiative aimed at eliminating malnutrition amongst children.
Incorporated in 1980, CHI Limited was set up with the vision of local production of food products to meet the needs of Nigerian consumers. To achieve this objective, CHI Limited pioneered heavy investments and drove innovation across the value chain of Fruit Juices, Value Added Dairy beverages, and Snacks products in Nigeria.
Through this objective, the company quickly established itself as a lead campaigner for quality, healthy, and nourishing home-grown brands whilst driving local economic development and growth.
An ISO 22000-certified company, CHI Limited employs state-of-the-art and internationally certified manufacturing technology that automates our production processes. These high-quality ingredients and raw materials go through a fully automated production process that restricts human interference and then is finally packed in aseptic packaging to ensure that the quality of the products is retained until or products by consumers.
In addition, CHI Limited prides itself on being one of the few FMCG companies that export quality food and beverage products to other African countries. Our passion for excellence and commitment to sustainable development is exemplified in our continuous efforts to provide the best foods and beverages to our consumers.
Through our continuous investments in manufacturing and related infrastructure projects, CHI currently provides direct employment to about 4,500 people and indirect employment to over 12,000 people through our robust value chain.
Since June 2020, artdey has positioned itself as a hotspot for emerging contemporary artists and a one-stop-shop for art collectors around the world, with sales in several countries. Modelled after physical galleries such as Nike Art Gallery in Lagos, artdey aims to provide an exceptional educational and customer experience.
In addition, artdey has organised popular physical popups in relaxed venues in Lagos, offering locals the opportunity to shop contemporary African art both on and offline.
“With the dearth of tourism caused by the pandemic, this curated platform gives African independent artists, underrepresented in the global art markets, access to global collectors, thereby increasing their chances to earn a living.
In time, we hope to offer online auctions, similar to global standards set by sites such as artfinder.com and expand our database of represented artists over the continent. We are also expanding our physical popups and coming to the capital of Nigeria, Abuja.”
Recently, the brand added documentary photography to the platform, where images captured will create a sense of community among other storytellers while stimulating the imaginations.
Taiwan, Mexico, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Portugal, New Zealand, Australia, Ecuador, Canada, and Vietnam are the best destinations for expats in 2021.
The Worst Destinations for Living and Working in 2021
59. Kuwait
For the seventh time in eight years, Kuwait (59th out of 59 countries) comes in last place in the Expat Insider 2021 survey. The country ranks last in the Quality of Life Index (59th), with especially poor results in the Leisure Options, Personal Happiness, and Travel & Transportation subcategories (59th for all).
In fact, 58% of expats in Kuwait are unhappy with the local leisure options (vs. 14% globally), and 50% rate the climate and weather negatively (vs. 17% globally). Additionally, 29% state that they are generally unhappy (vs. 10% globally).
Kuwait comes last in the Ease of Settling In Index (59th), with 46% of expats not feeling at home in the local culture (vs. 20% globally) and 45% finding it difficult to settle down in this country (vs. 22% globally).
Moreover, 51% have trouble finding new friends (vs. 32% globally), and 62% find it difficult to make local friends in particular (vs. 36% globally). The country ranks last for friendliness (59th) as well: 36% of expats rate the general friendliness of the population negatively (vs. 16% globally), while another 44% describe the people as unfriendly towards foreign residents (vs. 18% globally).
Placing 56th in the Working Abroad Index, Kuwait performs poorly in both the Work & Leisure (58th) and the Career Prospects & Satisfaction (57th) subcategories. More than three in ten respondents (31%) are dissatisfied with their job in general (vs. 16% globally), and 34% are unhappy with their work-life balance (vs. 17% globally).
58. Italy
Coming in 58th place in the Expat Insider 2021 survey, Italy is the second-worst country for expats — ranking only ahead of Kuwait (59th). In the Personal Finance Index (59th), the Southern European country even lands in last place worldwide: 30% of expats are dissatisfied with their financial situation (vs. 19% globally), 14% even very much so, twice the share of the global average (7%). Furthermore, one in three expats (33%) says their disposable household income is not enough to cover their expenses (vs. 23% globally).
Italy also performs poorly in the Working Abroad Index (58th), only ahead of Turkey (59th), coming last in the Career Prospects & Satisfaction subcategory (59th). More than half the expats (56%) rate their local career opportunities negatively (vs. 33% globally), and 31% are dissatisfied with their job (vs. 16% globally). An Iranian expat shares: “Finding a job is not easy for foreigners, not even for the well-educated ones.”
Within the Quality of Life Index (42nd), Italy ranks worst in the Digital Life subcategory (51st): 23% of expats find it difficult to get high-speed internet access at home (vs. 12% globally), 18% consider it difficult to pay without cash (vs. 9% globally), and 40% are unhappy with the availability of government services online (vs. 21% globally). Overall, there are only few upsides about expat life in Italy, such as the climate and weather (71% happy vs. 66% globally) and the travel opportunities (88% happy vs. 84% globally).
57. South Africa
Coming in 57th place out of 59 destinations in the Expat Insider 2021 survey, South Africa ends up in the bottom 3 — only ahead of Italy (58th) and Kuwait (59th).
It performs worst in the Personal Finance Index (55th): over one-third of expats in South Africa (34%) do not consider their disposable household income enough to cover all their expenses (vs. 24% globally), and just 57% of expats in South Africa are satisfied with their financial situation (vs. 64% globally).
South Africa also ends up among the bottom 10 of the Working Abroad Index (54th), coming last worldwide in the Economy & Job Security subcategory (59th). Only 47% of expats are satisfied with their job security (vs. 61% globally), and less than a third (31%) are happy with the state of the local economy — exactly half the global average (62%).
Ranking among the bottom 10 in the Quality of Life Index (52nd), South Africa ranks last worldwide in the Safety & Security subcategory (59th). More than one-third of expats (34%) do not consider South Africa a peaceful country (vs. 9% globally) and just about one in four (24%) feel safe there (vs. 84% globally). An Ethiopian expat even says: “You are not able to walk around safely.”
However, South Africa does well in the Leisure Options subcategory (15th), with 87% of expats rating the climate and weather favorably (vs. 66% globally). The majority (95%) is also satisfied with the natural environment (vs. 84% globally). “I like the climate, the diverse coastlines, and South Africa’s natural beauty,” summarizes a German expat.
56. Russia
Out of 59 countries in the Expat Insider 2021 survey, Russia (56th) lands in the bottom 10. It performs worst in the Working Abroad Index (52nd): Close to one in four expats (24% each) rate the state of the local economy negatively (vs. 19% globally) and are unhappy with their job security (vs. 20% globally).
Narrowly escaping the bottom 10 in the Quality of Life Index (49th), Russia performs especially poorly in the Quality of the Environment subcategory (49th). Expats are unhappy with the air quality (31% vs. 20% globally), the water and sanitation infrastructure (21% vs. 12% globally), and the natural environment (14% vs. 8% globally). “I do not like the lack of any meaningful efforts or policies to reduce environmental pollution and to support basic recycling,” shares a US American expat.
With Russia coming in 48th place in the Ease of Settling In Index, 29% of respondents find it difficult to settle down in this country (vs. 22% globally). What is more, Russia ends up in the bottom 10 of the Language subcategory (58th), only ahead of Japan (59th).
Nearly half the expats (48%) find it difficult to live in Russia’s cities without speaking the local language (vs. 29% globally), and two-thirds (67%) find it difficult to learn Russian (vs. 42% globally). Russia receives its best result in the Cost of Living Index (25th): 49% of expats rate the cost of living positively, which is, however, still just one percentage point above the global average (48%).
55. Egypt
Egypt (55th out of 59) also ranks the bottom 10 of the Expat Insider 2021 survey. The country performs worst in the Quality of Life Index (57th), where only India (58th) and Kuwait (59th) do worse. In fact, 39% of expats in Egypt rate the water and sanitation infrastructure negatively (vs. 12% globally), and 48% give the air quality a negative rating (vs. 20% globally).
“The air quality is bad, and there are only few green spaces,” shares an Afghan expat. Landing at the very bottom, Egypt performs even worse in the Digital Life subcategory (59th). Exactly three in five expats (60%) rate the availability of government services online negatively (vs. 21% globally), 34% find it difficult to get high-speed internet access at home (vs. 12% globally), and 32% consider it hard to pay without cash (% vs. 9% globally).
Also ending up among the bottom 10 of the Working Abroad Index (53rd), Egypt receives extremely poor results in the Career Prospects & Satisfaction (55th) and Economy & Job Security (53rd) subcategories. A quarter of expats (25%) are dissatisfied with their job in general (vs. 16% globally), and 46% rate the local career opportunities negatively (vs. 33% globally).
The country performs better in the Cost of Living (19th) and Ease of Settling In (30th) Indices: 61% of expats rate the cost of living positively (vs. 48% globally) and 57% find it easy to make local friends (vs. 44% globally).
54. Japan
Japan ranks 54th out of 59 countries featured in the Expat Insider 2021 survey. Performing particularly poorly in the Ease of Settling In Index (58th), Japan only ranks better than Kuwait (59th). Just 36% of expats find it easy to settle down in Japan (vs. 62% globally), and a mere 45% feel at home in the local culture (vs. 63% globally).
In the Working Abroad Index (50th), 30% of expats are unhappy with their work-life balance (vs. 17% globally). A US American expat living in Hashimoto even says that “the work-life balance here is atrocious”. Japan also receives poor results in the Personal Finance Index (54th), with 26% of expats dissatisfied with their financial situation (vs. 19% globally).
On the upside, Japan has an above-average performance in the Quality of Life Index (21st). With the country coming 12th for the quality of the environment, 94% of expats rank the water and sanitation infrastructure positively, compared to 77% globally. Additionally, nearly all expats rate Japan positively for personal safety (97% vs. 84% globally) and peacefulness (95% vs. 80% globally).
A Brazilian expat shares: “In Japan, there is a low crime rate throughout the country. It is very safe to walk on the streets at any time.” And a South African expat says: “Japan offers a safe environment, and most things are done properly with respect for others in mind.”
53. Cyprus
Cyprus lands in the bottom 10 overall, coming 53rd out of 59 destinations in the Expat Insider 2021 survey. It places 57th in the Working Abroad Index — just ahead of Turkey (59th) and Italy (58th). Close to half the expats (49%) are dissatisfied with the local career opportunities (vs. 33% globally), and more than a third (34%) rate the job security negatively (vs. 20% globally).
A Nepalese expat shares: “It is difficult to find work, so I cannot afford college or my living expenses.” In fact, Cyprus also places in the bottom 10 of the Personal Finance Index (57th) and comes last for the disposable household income (59th). Close to two in five expats (39%) say their disposable household income is not enough to cover their expenses abroad (vs. 23% globally).
Cyprus performs best in the Ease of Settling In Index (28th), with 66% feeling at home in the local culture (vs. 63% globally) and 70% describing the local population as generally friendly towards foreign residents (vs. 67% globally). Furthermore, 80% of expats find it easy to get around without knowing the local language(s) (vs. 54% globally).
With Cyprus placing 34th in the Quality of Life Index, the majority of expats (89%) is happy with the local climate and weather (vs. 66% globally) — ranking the destination 5th worldwide for this factor. However, while 70% of respondents are happy with the air quality in Cyprus (vs. 66% globally), 14% rate the water and sanitation negatively (vs. 12% globally).
52. Turkey
Overall, Turkey (52nd out of 59) lands among the bottom 10 destinations in the Expat Insider 2021 survey. Ranking last worldwide in the Working Abroad Index (59th), Turkey ends up in the bottom 10 for every single subcategory: Career Prospects & Satisfaction (56th), Economy & Job Security (58th), and Work & Leisure (59th). In fact, expats in Turkey are dissatisfied with their working hours (32% vs. 16% globally), their job in general (29% vs. 16% globally), and their job security (30% vs. 20% globally). A British expat shares that “for expats, it is extremely difficult to get a work permit”.
Turkey places 32nd in the Ease of Settling In Index, with more than half the expats (53%) finding it easy to make local friends (vs. 44% globally). Most expats consider the local residents to be friendly towards foreign ones (72% vs. 67% globally), and they are happy with the general friendliness of the population too (72% vs. 69% globally). “There is a general warmth and hospitality among the people around me,” shares a Russian expat.
Coming in 35th place in the Quality of Life Index, Turkey ranks among the bottom 10 in the Digital Life subcategory (50th), though: 16% of expats find it difficult to get a local mobile phone number (vs. 7% globally), and 21% have trouble getting high-speed internet at home (vs. 12% globally). The country also lands in the bottom 10 for political stability (54th), with more than a third of expats (35%) rating this factor negatively (vs. 16% globally).
51. India
Coming in 51st place out of 59 countries, India also ranks among the bottom 10 of the Expat Insider 2021 survey. Despite the poor result overall, the country ranks fourth worldwide in the Personal Finance Index: 82% of expats in India are satisfied with their financial situation (vs. 64% globally), and 89% say their disposable household income is enough or more than enough to cover their expenses (vs. 77% globally). Additionally, India places 13th in the Cost of Living Index (69% positive ratings vs. 48% globally).
India performs slightly below average in the Ease of Settling In Index (34th). More than three in five expats (62%) feel at home in the local culture (vs. 63% globally), and 79% say the local population is generally friendly towards foreign residents (vs. 67% globally). However, over half the expats (51%) find it difficult to settle down in India, compared to 22% globally.
India receives the second-worst results worldwide in the Quality of Life Index (58th) — only ahead of Kuwait (59th) — and performs worst in the Quality of Environment subcategory (59th): 67% of expats rate the air quality negatively (vs. 20% globally), and more than half (54%) are unhappy with the water and sanitation infrastructure (vs. 12% globally).
The overall quality of life is also lowered by India’s poor performance in the Safety & Security subcategory (56th). Just 29% are satisfied with the country’s political stability (vs. 64% globally) and just 72% feel safe in India’s cities (vs. 84% globally).
50. Malta
Malta comes in 50th place out of 59 countries in the Expat Insider 2021 survey, performing worst in the Quality of Life Index (54th). It ends up among the bottom 10 in the Quality of the Environment and Travel & Transportation subcategories (56th for both).
More than half the expats in Malta (51%) are unhappy with the transportation infrastructure (vs. 15% globally), and 11% rate their travel opportunities negatively (vs. 7% globally).
“There is no nature at all, no green spaces, poor infrastructure for children, and too much traffic and pollution,” shares an Italian expat. In fact, 38% of expats in Malta are unhappy with the natural environment (vs. 8% globally).
Moreover, 35% rate the air quality negatively (vs. 20% globally), and 25% are dissatisfied with the water and sanitation infrastructure (vs. 12% globally). On the upside, Malta ranks 7th worldwide for its local climate and weather (92% positive ratings vs. 66% globally).
Malta receives below-average results in the Cost of Living and Ease of Settling In Indices (35th for both). In fact, 20% of expats rate the friendliness of the local population towards foreign residents negatively (vs. 18% globally).
Additionally, 37% of expats find it difficult to make local friends in Malta (vs. 36% globally).
The worst countries for expats are Kuwait (59th), Italy, South Africa, Russia, Egypt, Japan, Cyprus, Turkey, India, and Malta (50th).
The Best Destinations for Living and Working in 2021
1. Taiwan
Taiwan ranks 1st out of 59 destinations for the third year in a row in the Expat Insider 2021 survey. It also comes first in the Quality of Life and Working Abroad Indices: Most expats are satisfied with their job security (83% vs. 61% globally) and the state of the local economy (85% vs. 62% globally).
Raohe Night Market, Taipei, Taiwan | Photo by Vernon Raineil Cenzon
Additionally, the majority is happy with their job (75% vs. 68% globally) and their life in general (80% vs. 75% globally). Furthermore, 96% of expats rate the quality of medical care positively (vs. 71% globally), and another 94% are satisfied with its affordability (vs. 61% globally). An expat from Chile shares: “The Taiwanese healthcare system truly considers people as human beings instead of mere numbers.”
Moreover, not a single expat (0%) feels personally unsafe in Taiwan (vs. 8% globally). An expat from Canada shares: “I can live independently. I feel safe wherever I go, and everything is convenient.”
Although Taiwan places slightly lower in the Ease of Settling In Index (13th), it is the best-ranking country worldwide in the Friendliness subcategory (1st). Most expats find it easy to make friends there (62% vs. 48% globally) and describe the Taiwanese population as friendly towards foreign residents (96% vs. 67% globally).
2. Mexico
Mexico ranks 2nd out of 59 destinations worldwide. It is even rated the best country for expats in the Ease of Settling In Index (1st): 85% find it easy to settle down in Mexico (vs. 62% globally), and 78% say it is easy to make local friends (vs. 44% globally). A US American expat says that “the culture and friendliness of the local people” is their favorite thing about living in Mexico.
Mexico also does well in the Personal Finance (2nd) and Cost of Living (4th) Indices. In fact, four in five expats (80%) are satisfied with their financial situation (vs. 64% globally), and 90% say their disposable household income is enough or more than enough to cover their living expenses (vs. 77% globally).
Mexico performs slightly below average in the Quality of Life Index (31st). It comes in 42nd place in the Quality of the Environment subcategory, with 27% of expats being unhappy with the water and sanitation infrastructure (vs. 12% globally).
Additionally, Mexico even ends up among the bottom 10 of the Safety & Security subcategory (51st), with 20% of expats concerned about their personal safety (vs. 8% globally). Despite that, 89% of expats in Mexico are happy with their life in general (vs. 75% globally), placing the country first worldwide for personal happiness.
3. Costa Rica
Costa Rica places 3rd out of 59 countries in the Expat Insider 2021 survey. It ranks among the top 5 in the Ease of Settling In Index (3rd), with 91% of expats describing the population as generally friendly (vs. 69% globally).
Another 87% describe the local residents as generally friendly towards foreign ones (vs. 67% globally), and 70% find it easy to make local friends (vs. 44% globally). “I love the social life and culture,” shares a US American expat.
Maybe this is why most survey respondents find it easy to get used to the local culture (82% vs. 65% globally) and feel at home in it too (80% vs. 63% globally).
Costa Rica performs well in the Quality of Life Index (14th), coming in second place worldwide for personal happiness — just behind Mexico (1st). All things considered, 88% of expats in Costa Rica are happy with their life (vs. 75% globally).
The country comes 10th in the Quality of the Environment subcategory, with the majority of expats rating the natural environment (96% vs. 84% globally) and the air quality (91% vs. 66% globally) positively.
However, Costa Rica lands in the bottom 10 of the Travel & Transportation subcategory (52nd): 29% of expats are unhappy with the public transportation system (vs. 15% globally). A Canadian expat shares: “Traffic is terrible because of poor drivers, bad roads, and insufficient infrastructure.”
On the upside, Costa Rica makes it into the top 10 of the Personal Finance Index (7th), with 84% of expats considering their disposable household income enough or more than enough to cover all expenses (vs. 77% globally).
4. Malaysia
Ranking 4th out of 59 countries in the Expat Insider 2021 survey, Malaysia ranks above the global average in every index. The country does particularly well in the Ease of Settling In Index (2nd) — as a US American expat puts it: “It is easy to live here, and the people are wonderful.”
In fact, most expats find it easy to settle down in Malaysia (77% vs. 62% globally) and to make new friends there (66% vs. 48% globally). It might help that Malaysia ranks first in the Language subcategory: 92% of expats find it easy to live there without speaking the local language (vs. 54% globally), while 45% also consider it easy to learn (vs. 39% globally).
The country also does exceedingly well in the Cost of Living Index (2nd), where just Vietnam (1st) performs better. In fact, 82% of expats rate the cost of living in Malaysia positively (vs. 48% globally).
With the destination ranking 9th in the Personal Finance Index, 73% of expats are satisfied with their financial situation (vs. 64% globally), and 85% say their disposable household income is enough or more than enough to cover their expenses (vs. 77% globally).
Malaysia does worst in the Working Abroad Index, but it still lands in a slightly above-average 25th place: 72% of expats are satisfied with their working hours (vs. 66% globally), and 69% are happy with their job in general (vs. 68% globally).
5. Portugal
Portugal ranks 5th out of 59 destinations in the Expat Insider 2021 survey, performing best in the Quality of Life Index (3rd) — just behind Taiwan (1st) and Austria (2nd). The country ranks third in the Personal Happiness subcategory of this index, with 84% of expats being happy with their life in general (vs. 75% globally).
What is more, 87% of expats are satisfied with the local leisure options (vs. 72% globally), and 90% say the same about the climate and weather (vs. 66% globally). “I like the weather and the laid-back lifestyle,” says a French expat.
Portugal also makes it into the top 10 of the Ease of Settling In Index (9th), coming sixth in the Friendliness subcategory. In fact, 87% of expats find the local residents generally friendly, compared to just 69% globally.
Portugal even ranks second worldwide in the Feeling at Home subcategory, where just Mexico (1st) performs better. The majority of expats feels at home in the local culture (83% vs. 63% globally) and finds it easy to settle down in the country (84% vs. 62% globally).
Portugal receives its worst — but still fairly average — results in the Working Abroad Index (36th). The destination places 44th in the Career Prospects & Satisfaction subcategory, though, with more than half the expats (51%) unsatisfied with the local career opportunities (vs. 33% globally).
However, 70% of expats are at least happy with their work-life balance (vs. 66% globally).
6. New Zealand
New Zealand almost makes it into the global top 5 of the Expat Insider 2021 ranking, coming 6th out of 59 countries. It performs particularly well for working abroad (2nd): 81% of expats consider their job secure (vs. 61% globally), and 64% feel optimistic about local career options (vs. 45% globally). At the same time, expats enjoy a great work-life balance (83% satisfied vs. 66% globally).
The country comes in 11th place in the Quality of Life Index, doing especially well in the Digital Life subcategory (5th): 98% are happy with the cashless payment options (vs. 83% globally), and 89% rate the availability of government services online favourably (vs. 63% globally).
What is more, New Zealand has the best ratings worldwide for its natural environment (100% positive vs. 84% globally), coming in 6th place in the Quality of Environment subcategory.
Last but not least, it is a very safe and stable country to settle down in: 95% of expats describe New Zealand as peaceful (vs. 80% globally), and not one single respondent rates its political stability negatively, compared to about one in six (16%) globally. “I love my peaceful, calm, and safe existence in New Zealand,” US expat comments.
The results for the ease of settling in are only slightly worse (16th). Expats find it easy to settle down in New Zealand (77% positive ratings vs. 62% globally), and 82% describe the local residents as friendly (vs. 69% globally).
7. Australia
In the Expat Insider 2021 survey, Australia (7th out of 59) lands among the top 10 destinations worldwide. While it ranks sixth in the Quality of Life Index overall, it comes first worldwide for its local leisure activities (87% positive ratings vs. 72% globally).
An impressive 97% of respondents also praise the natural environment (vs. 84% globally). “Living in close proximity to nature — close to the beach and the rainforest — is so amazing!”, says a US expat.
Lastly, it ranks very well in the Digital Life subcategory (8th) as, for instance, 89% of expats appreciate the availability of government services online (vs. 63% worldwide).
However, opinions are divided on the topic of healthcare in Australia: while 88% of expats are satisfied with its quality (vs. 71% globally), just 68% consider it affordable (vs. 61% globally).
Australia does well in the Working Abroad Index (10th). Expats are especially satisfied with their local career opportunities (60% positive ratings vs. 45% globally) and their work-life balance (76% positive responses vs. 66% globally).
Even Australia’s somewhat worse results in the Ease of Settling In Index (18th) still place it in the top 20. Expats find it especially easy to get used to the local culture (76% positive responses vs. 65% globally) and to settle down in Australia (74% vs. 62% worldwide). However, only a slightly above-average 54% find it easy to make new friends there (vs. 48% globally).
8. Ecuador
Coming in 8th place out of 59 countries in the Expat Insider 2021 survey, Ecuador performs best in the Personal Finance Index (5th). Close to three in four expats (73%) are satisfied with their financial situation (vs. 64% globally). Moreover, 91% describe their disposable household income as enough or more than enough to cover their expenses (vs. 77% globally).
This places the country third for this factor, just behind India (2nd) and Vietnam (1st). Ecuador also lands among the top 10 in the Cost of Living Index (7th), with 78% of expats rating this aspect of life abroad positively (vs. 48% globally).
In the Ease of Settling In Index (10th), the country ranks sixth in the Feeling at Home subcategory. The majority of expats (82%) finds it easy to settle down in Ecuador (vs. 62% globally), 80% feel at home in the local culture (vs. 63% globally), and 68% find it easy to make new friends in general (vs. 48% globally).
Ecuador shows a slightly weaker performance in the Quality of Life Index (24th). Still, nearly all expats (96%) rate the country’s natural environment positively (vs. 84% globally), and 85% are satisfied with their socializing and leisure activities (vs. 67% globally). “The nature and scenery are great,” shares a Venezuelan expat.
However, in the Digital Life subcategory (45th), Ecuador comes last worldwide (59th) for cashless payment options, with 37% rating this factor negatively (vs. 9% globally).
9. Canada
Making it into the top 10 out of 59 destinations, Canada (9th overall) performs well in most indices of the Expat Insider 2021 survey. The country ranks best in the Quality of Life Index (5th), with the majority of expats finding it easy to get high-speed internet at home (92% vs. 79% globally) and to pay without cash (96% vs. 83% globally).
Additionally, 86% are happy with the availability of government services online, compared to 63% globally. Most expats are also satisfied with the affordability of healthcare in Canada (85% vs. 61% globally) and the country’s political stability (90% vs. 64% globally). “Healthcare is a basic right, and the quality of life is very good in Canada,” says a US American expat.
Canada also performs well in the Working Abroad and Ease of Settling In Indices (12th for both). It even lands in the top 10 of the Feeling at Home subcategory (7th), with 73% of survey respondents feeling at home in the local culture (vs. 63% globally). In terms of work, close to two out of three expats (64%) rate the career opportunities positively (vs. 45% globally).
On the other hand, Canada ends up among the bottom 10 of the Personal Finance Index (50th). Nearly a third of expats (32%) say their disposable income is not enough to cover all their living expenses (vs. 23% globally). An expat from Mexico shares that “the best cities are really expensive. It is hard to become a homeowner with an average income.”
10. Vietnam
Coming in 10th place out of 59 countries in the Expat Insider 2021 survey, Vietnam ranks first in both the Personal Finance and Cost of Living Indices. The majority of expats (85%) rates the cost of living positively (vs. 48% globally), and 78% are satisfied with their financial situation (vs. 64% globally).
Vietnam also does well in the Working Abroad Index (9th), with the vast majority of expats (86%) expressing overall job satisfaction (vs. 68% globally). Placing 25th in the Ease of Settling In Index, Vietnam does especially well in the Finding Friends subcategory (9th).
According to 63% of expats, making local friends is easy (vs. 44% globally), and another 67% find it easy to make new friends in general (vs. 48% globally). What is more, the majority (81%) considers the local residents generally friendly (vs. 69% globally).
Despite its great performance in the overall ranking, Vietnam ends up among the bottom 10 in the Quality of Life Index (53rd). More than three in five expats (63%) rate the air quality in Vietnam negatively (vs. 20% globally), and 42% are unhappy with the water and sanitation infrastructure (vs. 12% globally).
A Swiss expat shares: “Plastic pollution is a major problem, especially along the coast.” However, 85% of expats in Vietnam are still generally happy with their life (vs. 75% globally).
Marketing is beautiful if done correctly but ugly when done terribly. Lagos conductors are complex beings but there are marketing lessons we can learn from them.
In every field there are 2 kinds of people you will find doing it:
Those who love the job.
Those who don’t necessarily love or hate the job and are just in it for the money.
One of the key success factors in marketing is that you need to love what you are doing to succeed or at least pretend to.
Key Lessons:
Know your destination well.
This is similar to knowing your product well enough, so selling becomes easy. A conductor that doesn’t know the different bus stops on the route to their final destination is always a liability to the driver, similarly, a terrible marketer is also a liability to his or her organization. Conductors win customers by knowing some bus stops other conductors aren’t familiar with.
Know your customers.
Everyone is not your customer and not everyone that you see at the bus stop is going your way.
Go all out.
You need to go all out, you don’t stay in your comfort zone seeking customers. Conductors will take long walks, crossroads to get passengers into their bus.
Fitch Ratings: The recovery of sub-Saharan African sovereigns from the pandemic shock last year is underway, but it is slowed by the weak state of public finances, Fitch Ratings says. The slow pace of Covid-19 vaccination programmes means that risks related to the pandemic also remain high.
Median GDP for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) sovereigns rated by Fitch fell 2.6% in 2020, a more moderate decline than in any other major region. Recovery will bring median growth to 4.3% in 2021 and 5% in 2022, which is fairly modest considering the boost from the base effect, as growth is held back by challenging public finances. Median public debt in the region leapt to 68% of GDP in 2020 from 56% in 2019 and is likely to rise further to 75% in 2022.
Many SSA sovereigns will achieve ‘herd immunity’ only in late 2022 at the earliest, raising the risk of new and potentially more severe infections waves, although the impact on sovereigns could be softened by containment measures becoming more targeted.
Very supportive global financial conditions have mitigated the pandemic shock but gradually less supportive global financial conditions could lead to greater volatility complicating SSA market access. The region also benefits from global support initiatives, like a new Special Drawing Right allocation and the G20 Common Framework (CF), although a restructuring of debt to the private sector under the CF would likely qualify as a distressed debt exchange.
There were 12 downgrades of SSA sovereigns since April 2020, partly triggered by the pandemic. Challenges remain, as indicated by five SSA sovereigns on Negative Outlook (no Outlooks assigned at ‘CCC’ or below), but Fitch has revised the Outlooks on the ratings for Cameroon and Nigeria to Stable from Negative and the Outlook on Benin and Cote d’Ivoire is Positive.
According to the report, the impressive rebound in Q1 2021 continued to be driven by the strong export performance of East Asian economies, whose early success in pandemic mitigation allowed them to rebound faster and to capitalize on booming global demand for COVID-19 related products.
“Global trade has recorded a faster recovery from the recession caused by the pandemic than in the last two trade recessions,” said UNCTAD economist Alessandro Nicita, who worked on the report.
He said it took four quarters after the start of the pandemic-induced recession for world trade to return to pre-recession levels. By the fifth quarter – Q1 2021 – global trade was higher than pre-crisis levels, with an increase of about 3% relative to Q4 2019.
By contrast, it took 13 quarters for global trade to recover from the 2015 recession, which resulted from structural changes in East Asian economies and declines in commodity prices, and nine quarters to bounce back from the 2009 recession caused by the global financial crisis.
Closer observation by Brand Spur revealed that in Q1 2021 the value of trade in goods was higher than the pre-pandemic level, but trade in services remains substantially below averages. “Global trade in COVID-19-related products remained strong during the quarter,” it says.
Cumulative change in global trade from the start of each recession
Source: UNCTAD calculations based on national statistics.
Major economies recover from 2020 fall
According to the report, import and export trends for some of the world’s major trading economies show that with a few exceptions, trade in major economies recovered from the fall of 2020.
However, the large increases are due to the low base for 2020, and trade in many of the major economies was still below 2019 averages. The trend of a stronger recovery for goods relative to services is common to all major economies, the report finds.
It shows that China, India and South Africa fared relatively better than other major economies during Q1 2021.
China’s exports, in particular, registered a strong increase not only from 2020 averages but also in relation to pre-pandemic levels. In contrast, exports from Russia remained well below 2019 averages.
Trade recovery remains uneven
Trade recovery remains uneven, the report notes, especially among developing countries, with exports from East Asia rebounding substantially faster.
East Asian economies are also behind the recovery of trade among developing countries (South-South trade). When trade figures from East Asian developing economies are excluded, South-South trade remains below averages.
The report shows that in Q1 2021 the value of exports remained below averages for countries with economies in transition, the Middle East, South Asia and Africa. Although South America’s exports increased relative to Q1 2020, they remained below 2019 averages.
It finds that in Q1 2021 the value of merchandise imports and exports of developing countries was substantially higher compared with Q1 2020 and Q1 2019 (by about 16%).
Also, in Q1 2021 trade continued to rebound not only in sectors related to COVID-19, such as pharmaceuticals, communication and office equipment, but also others like minerals and agrifood.
In contrast, the energy sector continued to lag behind and international trade in transport equipment remained well below averages, the report shows.
More trade growth expected in 2021
The report forecasts that trade will continue growing in 2021, with the growth expected to remain strong in the second half of the year.
“Trade growth is expected to remain stronger for East Asia and developed countries, while still lagging for many other countries,” the report says.
The overall forecast for 2021 indicates an increase of about 16% from the lowest point of 2020 (19% for goods and 8% for services).
The value of global trade in goods and services is forecast to reach $6.6 trillion in Q2 2021, equivalent to a year-over-year increase of about 31% relative to the lowest point of 2020 and of about 3% relative to the pre-pandemic levels of 2019.
But the positive outlook is largely dependent on reducing pandemic restrictions, a persisting positive trend in commodity prices, overall restraints from trade protectionist policies and supportive macroeconomic and fiscal conditions, the report says.
“Nevertheless, fiscal stimulus packages, particularly in developed countries, are expected to strongly support the global trade recovery throughout 2021,” the report says. “The value of global trade should also rise due to positive trends across commodity prices.”
Still, uncertainty remains about how trade patterns will be shaped throughout the year.
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