What is the ideal age to expose children to gadgets? Parents have divergent opinions on this topic. Whether you think a child needs a smartphone or not, we all know that there are positive and negative consequences of early tech-exposure.
Therefore, what can we do to help children reduce some of the negative consequences of early tech-exposure?
We can set some rules to help #children manage this situation.
Here are a few suggestions.
We need to set screen time for children and make them understand why they cannot be on their gadget for long hours.
Children should know that #technology cannot replace human interactions. Therefore, they should be willing to get behind the screens and talk to real people.
Children should be reminded that they need to seek only age-appropriate content on the internet as defined by their parents or guardians.
They need to play outdoor with their peers, pick up hobbies and engage in other activities that help them build their social skills.
These rules are necessary for us to raise a generation of people who are tech-savvy and at the same time have great social skills to navigate the real world. What other rules would you like to add?
Written by:Anifat Ibrahim, Research Associate | Project Management Professional (PMP).
Primary market research solicits new information from sources directly — such as customers in a specific target market — through interviews or consumer surveys.
Secondary market research includes previously published information that has been compiled by outside organizations such as government agencies, industry associations, and trade publications.
Both types of market research are valuable, but primary research is often veiled in a deeper sense of mystery. How is primary data collected? Why is it necessary to carry out primary market research, and what expertise is required?
Photo by Dan Dimmock
A quick web search may not provide concrete answers to these questions. Many top-ranking articles on primary market research are vague, focus on broad definitions, and are not written by professional market researchers.
For a deeper dive into this subject, I turned to Jennifer Christ, a long-time analyst and manager at The Freedonia Group, a leading market research firm and division of MarketResearch.com. As part of her job, Jennifer trains analysts to gather and evaluate primary data — such as consumer surveys and phone interviews — for use in industry studies.
According to Jennifer, secondary research provides a solid foundation for understanding a market at a high level, but primary research can help fill in the gaps and offer a richer, more nuanced perspective. Primary data allows analysts to validate market size estimates and growth outlooks and gain targeted insights into specific industry developments or drivers.
“We really seek to evaluate a market from multiple angles, and primary research helps us better explore other viewpoints that might get less coverage in the industry, business, or the general media,” Jennifer explains. “It also lets us ask questions and talk about trends and issues that might not be mentioned in other sources.”
In addition, primary research enables analysts to see beyond the hype and get a reality check on hot trends. “For instance, a supplier of an innovation or technology may think it’s going to be market changing, but checking in with potential end-users, we might learn that they are satisfied with what they are using, the new tech doesn’t solve an existing problem, or they think the cost to change outweighs potential benefits, so they are far less enthused,” Jennifer says.
Primary research based on consumer survey data can also shed light on consumer attitudes, their decision-making process, and the reasons why they make certain purchases. Analysts can break down this data based on demographic information such as age, region, gender, income levels, family size, living situation, whether they work from home, and other relevant attributes.
Using survey data to understand different types of consumers and the motivations that drive them can help companies build more effective marketing and product development strategies.
Primary Market Research Methods: A Brief Overview
Primary research can be conducted through a variety of methods, but these approaches often require a high level of expertise to produce accurate, meaningful results.
For example, consumer survey data can be gathered through online and booklet-based surveys, but it’s important to screen for quality and use an appropriate sample size that is representative of the overall target population. Once the data is collected, the information must be put into context and evaluated based on historical trends and other key factors.
Phone interviews are also more complex than they may first appear. To conduct interviews with industry participants, analysts need a strong network of contacts within specific industry sectors that allows them to see a product or market category from many different angles.
For example, Jennifer often targets end-users, manufacturers, retailers and distributors, or material suppliers for individual or group interviews. She recommends speaking with up-and-coming participants, as well as established players and market leaders.
Research analysts must also engage the right people within an organization. “We reach as broadly as we can, but we find that people in positions working in marketing or sales (at a manager or VP level) tend to be aware of a company’s performance and pain points and trends and positioning for the industry in general,” Jennifer explains.
“Anyone who works in a company’s internal insights or customer analysis team is also often quite helpful. Obviously, if our questions are more technical, we seek out people in research and development areas.”
To engage busy senior-level managers in primary research, it’s also crucial to build strong rapport and strive for a mutually beneficial conversation. “I like to keep it as conversational as much as possible,” Jennifer says.
“Not only are people more comfortable in that mode, but it is more likely to bring up things I might not have thought of. Also, I think it’s important for the person I’m talking to feel like they learned something from our chat as well. They are more likely to think that talking with us is worth their valuable time.”
There’s no doubt primary market research involves extra legwork, skill, and dedication, but it also provides a “boots on the ground” level of industry knowledge that’s difficult to achieve through any other approach.
In recent years, Meal Temple Group made significant acquisitions across the region; overtaking Kiwi Pay Group’s food delivery operations MyDelivery in Laos in 2019, and acquired a strategic stake in food and grocery delivery platform Freshgora in Myanmar in 2019, following an investment from Australian and European investors.
On its side, Kiwi Pay Group expanded its operations from Laos to other emerging markets in Asia since 2019, introducing its payment gateway solutions – as well as its other solutions such as e-visas terminals, remittance, and payment gateways. – to local MSMEs,
After working together for over two years, both teams and founders agreed on the values and potential they could bring to each other and their markets by working on a super-app for frontier markets called KiwiGO, aggregating curated content, e-commerce, logistics, and financial services.
They have since relocated in Singapore and toured around frontier markets extensively to partner with local businesses, central banks, and financial institutions to push their strategic vision for a super-app to aid the circular economy and give the ability to all citizens of frontier markets to access online services and international remittance services.
“KiwiPay and Meal Temple had very similar DNA, combined, we play with better control of the value chain,new roads to market, and optimized defensibilities. Both teams have provided pharaonic efforts to ensure asuccessful merger rhythmed by quarantines, lockdowns, and other challenges caused by the pandemic,” added Maxime Rosburger, CEO of Meal Temple Group.
Following the merger, the OCCE (Organization for climate & circular economy), a Federation of General European interest, based in Brussels, pushing for the emergence of startups and new technologies in the field of the circular economy, welcomed KiwiGO as a new member of the organization and decided to put fund significantly a 15m€ program focused on MSMEs training.
The initiative brought by KiwiGo aims to accelerate the use of online marketplaces and establish an awareness mechanism around non-plastic and biodegradable packagings for thousand of MSMEs in frontier African and Asian Markets.
“OCCE is excited to partner with KiwiGO to support and bolster the surge of economic growth and circulareconomy in African and South-East-Asian emerging markets” declares Christophe Debien, Chairman at OCCE.
KiwiGO already has agreements and licenses with central banks and financial institutions in more than 20 countries in Africa and Asia, including markets like Cambodia, Myanmar, the Republic of Congo, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Senegal, Ghana.
Commercial bank partners include Bank of Africa, EcoBank, RawBank, ABA Banks, PostBank, CB Bank, and others. They are connecting the dots with local popular mobile payment institutions such as MTN, Airtel, OrangePay, AliPay, WeChatPay, and others.
“Asia and Africa are home to most of the world’sunbanked. Together, we will continue investing in technologyand frontier markets and create access to economic freedom for every person and business living in today’smost challenging economies. ” declared Gregory Schmidt, Founder & CEO of KiwiPay
KiwiGO will deploy and accelerate operations in its African and Asian markets, coordinated by local operational partners and a strong tech component to sustain the growth.
Technology is critical in helping people stay connected at a time where we are asked to keep a social distance. The changes we have faced are challenging for both employees and students trying to stay motivated during this long-term disruption to the everyday routine.
With a new year upon us and hope for a brighter future, we’re still encouraged to practice social distancing and so our home set-ups remain the hub for our day-to-day. Offering a refresh to a space with enhanced equipment to help workspaces run efficiently is what Western Digital strives to do.
With a world of product, solutions to help users get organized, stay connected and maintain productivity.
After a long year of using your PC for everything both personal and professional, you probably feel the computer is slow and sluggish. It might seem like the best option is to simply purchase a new laptop and save the headache, but don’t give up on it just yet.
An internal storage device can bring it back to its peak performance and then some. The WD Blue™ SN550 NVMe™ SSD can deliver over 4 times the speed of Western Digital’s best SATA SSDs. Whether creating digital art, using CAD software or in post-production, take advantage of this powerful internal drive’s high speeds to do more, faster.
Get breakneck sequential read speeds up to 2,600 MB/s* to improve your productivity and everyday workflow no matter what you’re creating.
Backup is vital
Losing a file is a headache you can do without. Automatic backup simplifies backing up – without adding another to-do item to your already hectic day.
My PassportTM drive is a trusted, portable storage device that gives you the confidence and freedom to drive forward in life. Available in a range of vibrant colours with a new, stylish design that fits in the palm of your hand, there’s space to store, organize, and share your photos, videos, music, and documents.
Perfectly paired with WD Backup™ software and password protection, the My Passport drive helps keep your digital life’s contents safe. With various capacities available, families can select up to 5TB (5000GB)** of storage to back uploads of files on a drive built for durability and long-term reliability.
Optimize your workflow
If your work – or your kids’ classwork – requires large files, the lightning-fast speeds of an SSD can give you much-needed time back for a quick workout or coffee break. The My Passport™ SSD delivers read speeds of up to 1050MB/s* and write speeds of up to 1000MB/s*, and capacities of up to 2TB** so you can access your digital world anytime, anywhere because larger files and more content demand next-level performance.
Stylishly designed in a range of colours, enclosed in a compact sleek metal design, the device is engineered from the ground up to be a quality drive, inside and out, to deliver reliable performance.
My Passport SSD is ready to use right out of the box and is compatible with PC and Mac. Equipped with a USB 3.2 Gen-2 interface, the My Passport SSD comes with a USB-C™ cable and USB-A adaptor to work with legacy systems.
Create at the speed of life
The newest SanDisk Extreme® Portable SSD leverages Western Digital’s lightning-fast NVMe™ technology to dramatically increase transfer speeds to up to 1050MB/s* read and up to 1000MB/s* write speeds in a portable, high-capacity drive that’s perfect for creating amazing content or capturing incredible footage.
With an IP55 rating, it also stands up to rain, splashes, spills, and dust. And it’s no problem to deliver files when you have up to 2TB (2000GB) of space for a library of content in a pocket-sized design. Enable peace of mind with password protection featuring 256-bit AES hardware encryption2 to help private content remain secure.
Western Digital is here to support your digital life, so you can not only get work done – you can thrive – even at home.
Aura is a new platform that connects people to great accommodation, great food, and memorable experiences in different cities across Africa.
Aura to partner with homeowners, hoteliers, restaurateurs, tour operators, and locals to redefine travel and tourism.
Abuja, Nigeria- March 3, 2021 – Africa’s leading hospitality brand Transcorp Hotels Plc. has announced the launch of Aura, a new digital platform through which people can book accommodation, restaurants, and experiences.
The new brand, Transcorp’s first in the alternative accommodation segment, is part of the company’s asset-light model, leveraging technology to deliver true hospitality, exciting experiences, and drive shareholder value.
“It’sanewdawninthehospitalityindustry!IamthrilledtointroduceyoutoAuraby Transcorp, the digital platform we are using to connect people to qualityaccommodation,greatfood,andawesomeexperiences,” Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Transcorp Hotels Plc. Dupe Olusola said.
“For more than 30 years, Transcorp Hotels Plc has been at the forefront ofcreatingasuperiorguestexperienceatourlocations.Today,ourcommitmentto innovation has offered us an opportunity to extend this beyond the hotelpremises,” Olusola added.
The launch of Aura by Transcorp is one of the most significant developments in the company’s history as it seeks to transform the travel and tourism industry in Africa by focusing on three important components of travel, whether for leisure or business – where you stay, what you eat and how you spend your time.
With its people-driven hospitality model, Aura is set to revolutionise travel and help remind Africans of our deep history of hospitality.
Speaking on the launch of Aura, Obong Idiong, Chief Executive Officer at Africa Prudential Plc, Aura’s technology partners, expressed his excitement,
“Finding the right accommodation when you travel can be incrediblycomplex. Options available for the right prices are often limited, and travellerssometimes end up with an accommodation that taints the travel experience.Transcorp Hotels Plc has been able to fix that with Aura and we are proud tobe associated withthem.”
This milestone for Fidson Healthcare PLC (Fidson), a leading pharmaceutical manufacturing company in Nigeria, has seen it join other corporate institutions across various sectors of the economy, to not only raise capital to support its business operations but to also enjoy the benefits of visibility, transparency and liquidity that come with FMDQ’s Quotation service.
Fidson, which runs a ‘Current Good Manufacturing Practice’ (cGMP) Compliant facility, is crafting an exemplary architecture for the Nigerian pharmaceutical industry by playing defining roles in the emergence of a new generation of industry players, as the importance of the pharmaceutical industry to the prosperity of the global economy cannot be overemphasised.
In a statement provided by the Chief Financial Officer, Fidson Healthcare PLC, Imokha Ayebae, he said,
“We are glad about the successful registration of Fidson Healthcare PLC’s ₦10.00 billion CP Programme on the FMDQ platform. This is particularly significant as it coincides with the company’s 26th anniversary on March 1, 2021.
Since its inception in 1995, Fidson Healthcare PLC has remained committed to the growth of the healthcare sector in Nigeria. This strategic move aligns with our vision to be the preferred healthcare provider as a leading player in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in Nigeria and West Africa.
The CP Programme, which is poised to further broaden the company’s sources of capital by accessing funding from the Nigerian debt capital markets, will also reduce our overall funding costs. Proceeds from this Programme will be used to meet the company’s short-term working capital requirements which are geared towards providing quality services to our valued customers”.
Also, the Sponsor to the Issue on FMDQ Exchange, FSDH Capital Limited, through their Head, Investment Banking, Taiwo Olatunji, stated that
“FSDH Capital Limited is pleased to act as Sponsor and Lead Arranger on the registration of the Fidson Healthcare PLC ₦10.00 billion Commercial Paper Programme on the FMDQ platform.
We believe that the admission of the CP on the FMDQ platform will ensure its global visibility and enhanced liquidity, which will, in turn, raise the corporate profile of the issuer even further ahead of tapping into other opportunities in the Nigerian capital market”.
As an Exchange positioned to bring about revolutionary changes in the Nigerian capital market, FMDQ Exchange, through the collective efforts of its varied stakeholders shall continue to deliver value-adding initiatives, ranging from the continuous upgrade of its Listings & Quotations Service to product & market innovations, amongst others.
The registration of the Fidson Healthcare PLC CP Programme, as the third on the Exchange’s platform in 2021, validates its conscious drive to support the goals of corporate businesses and to deepen the Nigerian capital market by steadfastly availing its efficient platform for the registration, listing and quotation of debt securities.
FMDQ Group is Africa’s first vertically integrated financial market infrastructure (FMI) group providing a one-stop platform for the seamless and cost-efficient execution, risk management, clearing, settlement and depository services, as well as data and information services across the debt capital, foreign exchange and derivatives markets in Nigeria.
The CBN facilitated the release of the 50,000 metric tonnes of Maize in the second week of February, which has made an impact as the Maize Market has recorded a reduction in price from N200,000.00 per metric tonnes to about N180,000.00 per metric tonnes. It is still anticipated that the current will further reduce.
Major beneficiaries of the February release include Premier Flour Mills, Crown – Olam, Grand Cereals, Animal Care, Amobyn and Hybrid Feeds. Others include Zartech, Wacot, Sayeed Farms, Pandagri Novum and Premium Farms as well as the South West, South-South, North West and North Central chapters of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN).
The benefiting companies represent the major players in the poultry value chain in the country.
The release of the 50,000 metric tonnes of Maize forestall the pressure and reduce the activities of intermediaries (middlemen) in the Nigerian Maize market.
It will be recalled that the Central Bank of Nigeria had in January this year, announced to release 300,000 metric tonnes of Maize into the Nigerian Maize Market. This is to bridge the shortfall in production and augment local production of the commodity.
The current shortfall in the quantity of maize available in the market, that CBN is working on mitigating, is attributed to activities of banditry, drought in some parts of the country last year, activities of hoarders and middlemen as well as insecurity around the major maize producing belt of Niger, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and part of Kano states.
As part of the Bank’s financing framework, the CBN facilitates the funding of maize farmers and processors through the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) Commodity Association, Private/Prime Anchors, State Governments, Maize Aggregation Scheme (MAS), and the Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme (CACS).
Thursday, 4 March – To give ultimate peace of mind when planning future travel, British Airways has today announced that its customers can order discounted global antigen tests from Government-approved COVID-19 testing provider, Qured, at an exclusive price of £33.
The rapid test kits are ultra-convenient and can be ordered to any UK address. Designed to be portable, customers can take the kits with them abroad, in preparation for their return journey to the UK.
The simple test is remotely administered by a professional health advisor over a scheduled video call. The health advisor will guide the customer through taking a nose and throat swab and processing the sample. Verified results are available after 20 minutes, and the customer can download a ‘fit to fly’ certificate if the test is negative.
British Airways’ CEO Sean Doyle, said:
“As we look forward and prepare for a safe return to travel, we remain focused on finding and offering the most convenient and affordable testing options for our customers.
“Our teams were pleased to discover Qured, a unique new option which removes uncertainty and unnecessary expense for customers who may be concerned about sourcing a pre-departure test while away from home.”
Qured’s CEO Alex Templeton, said:
“Our accessible rapid testing service takes the hassle out of finding a test abroad. As a trusted healthcare provider we look forward to delivering an exceptional patient experience to British Airways’ customers and to working with them on a safe return to travel.”
Governor Emmanuel was part of a Nigerian delegation led by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, that visited Morocco to set out the next steps of the $1.4 Billion fertilizer production plant project launched in June 2018.
The agreement between the OCP Africa, the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority and the Akwa Ibom State Government will birth one of the biggest investments in the fertilizer production industry worldwide.
The signing ceremony took place at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UMP6).
Gov. Udom Emmanuel signing the contract agreement in Morocco. | www.wordpress-1516176-5827464.cloudwaysapps.com
Mr. Emmanuel signed one of the agreements of the partnership, which covers a memorandum of understanding between OCP Africa, the Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria and the NSIA on land acquisition, administrative facilitation, and common agricultural development projects in the Akwa Ibom State.
Speaking while signing the agreement, Governor Emmanuel said, “Our state is receptive to investments and we are prepared to offer the necessary support to make the project a reality.
“With a site that is suitably located to enable operational logistics and an abundance of gas resources, all that is left is for the parties to accelerate the project development process”, Mr. Udom said.
The agreement reached between the Nigerian Government and the OCP further links OCP, Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN), the NNPC, the Gas Aggregation Company Nigeria (GACN), and the NSIA.
The two partners agreed to strengthen further their solid partnership leveraging Nigerian gas and Moroccan phosphate.
This project will lead to a multipurpose industrial platform in Nigeria, which will use Nigerian gas and Moroccan phosphate to produce 750,000 tons of ammonia and 1 million tons of phosphate fertilizers annually by 2025.
The visit of the Nigerian delegation to Morocco takes place within the frame of the partnership sealed between OCP Group and the Nigerian Government to support and develop Nigeria’s agriculture industry.
Following the success of the first phase of Nigeria‘s Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) and the progress of the fertilizer production plant project launched in 2018 by OCP and NSIA, the Moroccan phosphates group and the Nigerian government delegation have agreed on the next steps of their joint project which is rapidly taking shape.
Several cooperation agreements were inked on Tuesday at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) by OCP Africa and the Nigerian delegation. Through these deals, OCP reaffirms its unwavering support of agricultural development initiatives in Nigeria including PFI.
OCP Africa and the NSIA have agreed, inter alia, to set up a joint venture which will oversee the development of the industrial platform that will produce ammonia and fertilizers in Nigeria.
The OCP has also pledged to supply Nigerian famers with quality fertilizers adapted to the needs of their soil at competitive prices and produced locally.
The Bond Market had a relatively quiet session, with some slight demand at short to- mid-end of the curve, with little volumes passed. Most of the day’s interests were seen on off-the-run bonds like the FGN Nov 2029s which changed hands around mid-10% levels.
At the long-end of the curve, offers improved by 10bps with some trades happening on the 2034s paper at around 10.20%. Consequently, yields expanded the benchmark bond curve, rising by a single basis point on the average.
We expect the market to continue to trade sideways in the interim, as the indicators which investors are on the lookout for (inflation, coupon payments, MPC meeting) are expected much later in the month.
Treasury Bills
The T-bills market also has a calm session, as the market participants remained in limbo following the reversal of the CRR Special Bills issuance rate by the CBN. You will recall, that the Apex bank initially rolled over the maturing CPP Special bills at 2.00% on Monday, but reversed it and reviewed the issue rate down to 0.50% on Tuesday citing technical difficulties.
The CRR Special bills opened trading with 0.40% offers but with no interest from buyers who benchmarked the paper to the 91-Day NTB which came out at 2.00%.
Initial reports of a halt of OMO auction access to FPIs by the CBN rattled the market for most of the session, as participants weighed the potential effects of such a move by the CBN. This prompted CBN officials to state the news as false, returning some calm to offshore investors on the day.
We expect secondary market activity to remain low tomorrow, as the market focuses on the expected OMO auction by the CBN to mop up excess system liquidity.
Money Markets
Money Market rates increased by c.274bps D/D as published system liquidity opened with c.N392bn positive. OBB/OVN rates closed at 7.00% and 7.63% respectively.
We expect rates to trend higher in tomorrow’s session, as we anticipate another OMO auction by the CBN to manage system liquidity levels.
At the I&E FX window, the closing rate for the Naira appreciated by 63k (0.15% D/D) to close at N411.00/$ despite a 44% D/D drop in traded volumes
At the parallel market segment, the Naira continues to be under pressure following rumours of another official devaluation of the exchange rates by the CBN on the horizon. The cash rate depreciated by N1.00 to close at N479.50/$, while the transfer rates remained unchanged at N493.00/$ to end the session.
Eurobonds
The NIGERIA Sovereign tickers traded on continued bullish sentiment, as we saw demand across the sovereign yield supported by a c.3.18% recovery in global oil prices. Yields dropped by an average of 3bps across the sovereign yield curve.
Conversely, the NIGERIA Corps tickers had a relatively quiet but weak session, with yields rising across most tracked corps paper. The SEPLLN 2023s weakened the most, as yields on the paper increased by 166bps D/D. ACCESS 2021s and FBNNL 2025s recorded gains as demand resumed on both papers, causing their yields to dip by c.3bps and c.19bps respectively.
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