ECOWAS endorses Adesina for second term as President of the African Development Bank

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ECOWAS endorses Adesina for second term as President of the African Development Bank

Adesina is a renowned development economist and the first Nigerian to serve as President of the Bank Group

ABUJA, Nigeria, December 23, 2019,/ – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has endorsed the candidacy of African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina for a second term at the helm of the institution.

The decision was announced at the end of the fifty-sixth ordinary session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, held on Saturday in Abuja, Nigeria.

“In recognition of the sterling performance of Dr. Akinwumi Adesina during his first term of office as President of the African Development Bank, the Authority endorses his candidacy for a second term as the President of the bank,” ECOWAS said in a communique issued after the meeting.

Adesina is the eighth elected President of the African Development Bank Group. He was elected to the five-year term on 28 May 2015 by the Bank’s Board of Governors at its Annual Meetings in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where the same electoral process will play out next year.

Adesina is a renowned development economist and the first Nigerian to serve as President of the Bank Group. He has served in a number of high-profile positions internationally, including with the Rockefeller Foundation, and was Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development from 2011 to 2015, a career stint that was widely praised for his reforms in the agricultural sector. The former minister brought the same drive to the Bank, making agriculture one of the organization’s priority areas.

Speaking earlier at the opening ceremony, Adesina reminded the group of the African Development Bank’s investments in the region.

“You can always count on the African Development Bank – your Bank,” Adesina told delegates.

ECOWAS President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou commended the Bank’s involvement in West Africa and said it had provided “invaluable technical and financial interventions…in the implementation of numerous projects and programmes”.

The ECOWAS summit included a progress report on the region’s economic performance. It noted the role of the African Development Bank is the continent’s transformation and called for greater cooperation in order to fund projects in West Africa.

“The Authority takes note of the region’s improved economic performance, with ECOWAS real GDP growing by 3.3% in 2019 against 3.0% in 2018, in a context characterised by a decline in inflationary pressures and sound public finances,” the statement said.

“It urges the Member States to continue economic reforms and ensure a sound macroeconomic environment in the Member States, with a view to accelerating the structural transformation of ECOWAS economies and facilitating the achievement of the monetary union by 2020.”

The Authority commended efforts made on currency and monetary policy convergence in ECOWAS and laid out plans to advance the movement. These efforts are a key part of the regional integration agenda championed by the African Development Bank, as exemplified by the African Continental Free Trade Area, which aims to become the world’s largest free-trade zone.

CMC Connect Bags Two Wins at Lagos PR Industry Gala & Awards 2019

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CMC Connect Bags Two Wins at Lagos PR Industry Gala & Awards 2019

Leading perception management firm CMC Connect was recognized and honoured with two prestigious awards at the Lagos PR Industry & Gala Awards 2019, which recently held at Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

L-R: Adetola Odusote, Deputy Director, Re-Ignite Public Affairs Limited; Olusegun McMedal, Chairman, LAgos Chapter, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR); Wale Adeniyi, Comptroller of Customs & Vice President, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR); Raheem Olabode, Executive Director, CMC Connect Limited and Folasade Olorunyomi, Associate Group Head, HR & Admin, CMC Connect Limited at the 2019 Lagos PR Industry Gala & Awards (LaPRIGA) MO recently in Lagos. www.brandspurng.com

Themed ‘PROVATION’, the ceremony witnessed a gathering of astute industry leaders, stakeholders and corporate organizations, some of who were also recognized for their laudable feats and contributions to the PR practise and industry.

L-R: Adetola Odusote, Deputy Director, Re-Ignite Public Affairs Limited; Olusegun McMedal, Chairman, LAgos Chapter, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR); Wale Adeniyi, Comptroller of Customs & Vice President, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR); Raheem Olabode, Executive Director, CMC Connect Limited and Folasade Olorunyomi, Associate Group Head, HR & Admin, CMC Connect Limited at the 2019 Lagos PR Industry Gala & Awards (LaPRIGA) MO recently in Lagos

CMC Connect took home the prestigious awards for the ‘Model Agency of All Time’ and ‘The Best Agency’ to work. The company was honoured with the awards for its leadership and relevance in the PR industry as well as its unswerving employment of global best practices since its inception over two decades ago.

Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) Council members lead by NIPR President presenting ‘Model Agency of All Time’ award to CMC Connect Limited at the 2019 at the 2019 Lagos PR Industry Gala & Awards (LaPRIGA) recently in Lagos

Presenting the ‘Model Agency of All Time’ award to the company, the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations council, led by President & Chairman, Mallam Mukhtar Sirajo lauded CMC Connect for its growth trajectory, citing the company as a beau ideal of PR practice in Nigeria.

Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) Council members lead by NIPR President presenting ‘Model Agency of All Time’ award to CMC Connect Limited at the 2019 at the 2019 Lagos PR Industry Gala & Awards (LaPRIGA) recently in Lagos

Receiving the award, Group Managing Director, CMC Connect and President, African Public Relations Association (APRA), Yomi Badejo-Okusanya expressed his gratitude for the recognition, stating that it has always been the company’s goal to unwaveringly contribute to the growth of PR, not only in Nigeria but Africa at large.

While describing the honour as an outcome of a relentless drive to make the Nigerian PR industry-recognized on a global scale, he dedicated the award to all the leaders and employees of CMC Connect – “it is a testament to our joint and continuous drive to be relentless in all we do for the practice of Public Relations. At CMC, we will continue to keep the flag flying,” he said.

The awards ceremony also recognized exceptional practices in the public affairs sector across various prestigious categories. Attendees were treated to thrilling musical performances from highly sought-after artists, including afro-pop pioneer, 9ice.

Established in 2017, LAPRIGA is commonly referred to as the Industry Oscars, with the platform being used to celebrate exceptional PR practitioners and industry stakeholders who have demonstrated excellence in their work and contributed immensely to the growth of Public Relations in Nigeria.

11 Plc acquires Lagos Continental Hotel from AMCON

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11 Plc acquires Lagos Continental Hotel from AMCON

11 Plc, formerly known as Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc, says it has finalised discussions with the Asset Management Company of Nigeria to acquire the Lagos Continental Hotel.

The company said in a statement filed at the Nigerian Stock Exchange on Monday that the acquisition was subject to terms and conditions between both parties.

11 Plc, which currently owns several prime properties in its real estate portfolio rented to blue-chip tenants, said it aimed to diversify its interests, given a challenging environment in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry.

According to the statement, the new asset will require significant investment to raise the standard from the current state to the level consistent with similar facilities in major cities around the world.

It said, “Fuel margins in the industry have remained stagnant for several years in the highly competitive and regulated industry. We anticipate that this asset will contribute positively to earnings and underlines the faith of its stakeholders in the future of the Nigerian economy.

“We assure our numerous stakeholders that we remain committed to delivering outstanding value and robust returns in the years ahead. However, in the short term, cash flow and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation could be under strain as a result of funds needed to renovate and upgrade the hotel to attract a 5-star branding.”

The company also assured the employees of the hotel that they would be treated with the utmost dignity and respect during the transition and sought their cooperation to make the takeover a smooth one.

Club Med has opened its new flagship resort in the Alps: Club Med Alpe d’Huez

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Club Med has opened its new flagship resort in the Alps: Club Med Alpe d’Huez

HONG KONG, CHINA – Media
OutReach – 23 December
2019 – Fosun Tourism Group (“Fosun Tourism” or the “Company”; together with its subsidiaries,
the “Group”, Stock Exchange stock code: 01992),
the world’s leading leisure-focused integrated tourism group, is pleased to
announce that Club Med opened its new flagship resort in the Alps: Club Med
Alpe d’Huez on 15 December 2019.

 

Club Med
Alpe d’Huez is expected to welcome more than 14,000 customers of over 12
different nationalities throughout the 2020 winter season, starting from 15
December 2019.

 

Now with 442
rooms (including 44 Deluxe rooms and 8 Family Suites), this premium 4-Trident
resort continues the historic partnership with the ESF (French Ski School) and
almost 80 instructors. The resort will also be open in the summer, starting in
2020.

 

Located in
the heart of the French Alps at an altitude of 1,860m, this new resort offers an exceptional panoramic view of
the surrounding peaks, thanks to its large, south-facing terraces. The Alpe
d’Huez ski resort was voted “Best ski resort in Europe 2019”. Due to
the 300 days of sunshine that it gets each year, the Alpe d’Huez resort is one
of the sunniest resorts in Europe.

 

Its location
within the Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine, France’s second-largest ski area,
provides direct access to 250km of slopes. This allows customers to fully enjoy
all the thrills of winter sports, as well as the world’s biggest slopes,
including the famous 16km-long La Sarenne slope.

 

The resort
is welcoming more and more international customers. This is due to its
accessibility, as it is only 1 hour 20 minutes from Grenoble train station, 1
hour 30 minutes from Grenoble airport and 2 hours from Lyon Saint Exupéry
international airport.

 

Since 1957,
Club Med has been offering a real mountain experience, in addition to winter
sports. Club Med is offering its customers, particularly at Alpe d’Huez, an
experience that includes a variety of new, non-skiing activities such as a wide
range of unique sporting, wellness, cultural and culinary activities, allowing
guests to discover Isère heritage and enjoy its products.

 

These
activities complement the things that already made Club Med a popular mountain
destination. With this new flagship resort in the French Alps, Club Med is
consolidating its unique position as world leader in high-end all-inclusive
mountain holidays.

Mr. Henri
Giscard d’Estaing, Vice Chairman, 
Executive Director and  Deputy
Chief Executive Officer of Fosun Tourism and President of Club Med, said at
the opening event, “Alpe d’Huez, Club Med’s new flagship resort in the
mountains, illustrates what Club Med does best; meeting the new expectations of
customers who no longer wish to just ‘go skiing’ or ‘partake in winter sports’,
but who want experience holidays in the mountains. This is a testament to our
fondness for the Alps and our desire to make them more attractive to people all
around the world.”

 

Club Med has
been committed to opening new resorts since its acquisition by Fosun in 2015.
Within less than 5 years, it has newly opened 13 resorts globally, of which 5
are ski resorts, including Beidahu, Grand Massif Samoens Morillon, Tomamu, Arc
Panorama and the brand new Club Med Alpe d’Huez. Club Med was the largest ski
resorts group in Europe in terms of number of ski resorts under operation in
2018, according to Frost &
Suillivan.

About Fosun Tourism Group

Fosun Tourism Group (“Fosun Tourism”, Stock Exchange stock code:
1992) is one of the world’s leading leisure-focused integrated tourism groups,
and the largest leisure tourism resorts group worldwide in terms of revenue in
2018. Focusing on the leisure and tourism needs of families around the world,
it is engaged in the entire industry chain of tourism and leisure with
integration of global resources.

Huarong and NWS Holdings’ Investee Sued

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Huarong and NWS Holdings’ Investee Sued

TNG Fintech’s Alex Kong admitted to the Central Bank of Malaysia that its USD115 million Series A funding never materialised

 

KUALA
LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media
OutReach – 23 December 2019
– The minority shareholders of
Malaysian fintech company, Tranglo Sdn Bhd (Tranglo) have filed an oppression
suit against TNG Fintech Group Inc (TNG Fintech), which acquired its 60 per
cent equity in Tranglo from government-link, private equity fund management
company, Ekuinas in October 2018.

 

Defendants
also named in the suit are Alexander Kong King Ong (also known as Alex Kong),
Wong Wing Chi (also known as Takis Wong), co-founder of Tranglo Sia Hui Yong
and Tranglo Sdn Bhd. Both Kong and Wong sit in the board of Tranglo as TNG
Fintech’s representatives after the acquisition.

 

The
suit came about after a series of events that materially impeded business
operations, including TNG Fintech’s rejection of Tranglo’s approved financing
plan and unreasonable delay in signing up new bank partners.

 

TNG
Fintech also attempted to install Alex Kong’s sister as a required signatory of
all bank accounts maintained by Tranglo. In addition, Kong and Wong rejected a
dividend payout to shareholders despite the company’s healthy performance.

 

Six
repeated requests by minority shareholders for a shareholder agreement to be
signed were refused by TNG Fintech represented by Kong and Wong. TNG Fintech is
registered in the British Virgin Islands, based in Hong Kong and controlled by
Alex Kong.

 

Kong’s
previous business ventures, Next Millennium Sdn Bhd and Asia Travelmart Sdn
Bhd, were wound up by the government of Malaysia and Technology Park Malaysia
Sdn Bhd for non-payment of taxes and rental respectively.

 

Kong
also had a track record of two personal bankruptcies, one in Malaysia and
another in Hong Kong.

 

Whilst
TNG Fintech had issued a statement on 11 September 2017 on its completion of a
USD115 million Series A funding, Kong admitted in an email on 8 April 2019 to
the Central Bank of Malaysia (Bank Negara Malaysia) that this funding never
materialized.

 

The
suit was brought about by Impiro Asia Ltd and Mohammad Hassan Rasheed
Gharaybeh, who collectively hold 13.6 per cent equity in Tranglo. During the
acquisition process, TNG Fintech via Kong, had given commitment and assurances
to Bank Negara Malaysia that it will acquire the minority stake by 1 February
2019.

 

Simon
Landsheer, Director at Impiro Asia Ltd said, “Banks in Malaysia have flagged
and queried why we have a director (Alex Kong) with bankruptcy history. And
now, the situation at Tranglo has worsened to the extent that the management
and staff time are tied up responding to requests from Kong under the claim of
executing his fiduciary duty on Tranglo. Requests such as for information to be
supplied and in specific format in a short turnaround time do not contribute to
productive operations and as such, Tranglo might miss its USD3 billion
processing value target by 2020.”

 

“In
addition to impeding business operations, the negotiations to acquire our
minority stake were also not conducted in good faith. All five proposals
received require the minority shareholder to relinquish board representation
the moment the Share Sales Agreement is signed. The proposed payment structures
were dependent on TNG Fintech’s initial public offering in the United States,
of which has not happened as claimed by Alex Kong. Based on Kong’s actions,
attempts to remove and treatment of directors representing minority interest
and his history, we have no confidence in TNG Fintech’s proposed initial public
offering and the true value of the shares to be swapped,” stated Landsheer.

 

The
minority shareholders are seeking for dividends to be paid and Tranglo to be
wound up due to the untenable working relationship with TNG Fintech.

 

The issuer is solely responsible for the content
of this announcement

Solomon Systech launches SSD1363 to cultivate a wider market for its PMOLED panel application

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Solomon Systech launches SSD1363 to cultivate a wider market for its PMOLED panel application

HONG KONG, CHINA – Media OutReach – 23
December 2019 – Solomon Systech Limited, a world leader in passive matrix
OLED (PMOLED) display driver technology, announced the expansion of its PMOLED
driver family with a new product,
SSD1363, which taps into the growing demand for home appliances and industrial
applications.

Along the years, the PMOLED
market has projected to grow rapidly, fueled by demand from wearables and smart home solutions that
has been benefited from the enhanced display quality of PMOLED comparing to,
say STN display, the conventional display technology. Ordinary panels in
different sizes, colors and resolutions have long been prevalent in the market,
in where the bendable and transparent PMOLED displays are also gaining
presence.  All these accelerate the
adoption of PMOLED in smart device and IoT applications. 

Enhancing display quality and brightness

The aforesaid new product is not only compactable with a
higher resolution PMOLED panel up to 320 x 160, but also provides flexibility
for the manufactories and brands to tailor-make their products according to
individual requirements for panel size up to 3 inches. Apart from supporting
high resolution which allows more content to be displayed on the same panel
size with 16-level grayscale color, SSD1363 also enhances display quality with
an increased DPI.

Moreover, this compact-sized SSD1363 supports 500uA
segment maximum source current and 120mA common maximum sink current, marking a
remarkable advancement of the high brightness PMOLED display technology. PMOLED
panels driven by SSD1363 can achieve higher brightness than that of its
counterpart.

Support cascade IC features to
increase display resolution

Furthermore, SSD1363 is developed to support cascade IC
to extend panel resolution up to 640 x 160, which is a technological
advancement that allows flexibility for the industry to design and manufacture
various kinds of products and solutions cater for the needs arising from home
appliances to industrial applications. 

Key Features

Resolution

320 X 160
,16 level Grayscale Color

Segment Maximum Source Current

500uA

Common Maximum Sink Current

120mA

Core VDD Power Supply (VDD)

1.65V-3.5V

High Voltage Supply (VCC)

8.0V-18V

MCU Host Interface Supported

8-bit
Parallel Interface, 3/4 Wire SPI, I2C

Other Features

Support cascade IC

Raymond Wang, Chief Executive Officer of Solomon Systech (International)
Limited said, “Solomon Systech has strived to enhance its
technological capacity, so as to develop sophisticated designs and meet the
market demand through close dialogue with our customers.  Our new product, SSD1363, with its
technological breakthrough, is catered for a wide array of applications that
require a larger size display panel, and thus respond to the needs of improving
the user experience in this dynamic market. To capitalize on opportunities, we
will continue to develop state-of-the-art technology to lead in this PMOLED category “.

Pre-production sample of the SSD1363 are now available. All the products will
become available across online platform and our sales offices in early 2020.  Any party interested in receiving the engineering
sample, please contact our local sales office listed on the Solomon Systech
website at www.solomon-systech.com or email us at sales@solomon-systech.com for more information.

About Solomon Systech

Founded
in 1999, Solomon Systech Limited is a leading semiconductor company providing
display IC products and system solutions on an international basis under its
own global brand. Adopting a “fabless” business model, the Group specializes in
the design, development and sales of proprietary IC products and system
solutions that enable a wide range of display applications for smartphones,
smart TVs, smart projectors and other smart devices including consumer
electronics products, portable devices, industrial appliances and green energy
applications such as LED lighting.

 

Solomon
Systech (International) Limited’s shares have been listed on the main board of
the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited since April 8th, 2004 (stock code:
2878).

 

More
information about the Group, its products and services may be obtained at http://www.solomon-systech.com.

#MoveSafety Hackathon: Mercedes-Benz introduces #MoveSafety initiative to bring more safety to mobility

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#MoveSafety Hackathon: Mercedes-Benz introduces #MoveSafety initiative to bring more safety to mobility
  • With a two-day hackathon, the #MoveSafety initiative started in Potsdam, Germany.
  • Hackathon aimed to adapt a contextual application, already used on the Chinese market, helping users to move around safely.
  • The event hosted 30 developers from Mercedes-Benz and the official hackathon partners ARAG, Deutsche Telekom, MBition, Daimler TSS and XU Exponential University of Applied Sciences.
  • The new app is planned to serve customers on the German, Indian and Mexican markets.
  • Pilot projects for the implementation will start in February 2020.
  • Final code will be published on GitHub free to use by developers.

Mercedes-Benz introduces #MoveSafety initiative: In order to shape the future of safe and secure mobility for everybody, worldwide, Mercedes-Benz invited developers from Mercedes-Benz, the XU Exponential University and other companies to the first #MoveSafety hackathon, which took place on December, 10. to 11., in Potsdam, Germany. Inspired by Daimler’s Tuban Xiong App in China, five teams have developed innovative ideas for apps meeting the requirements of the German market. The winning team consisted of participants from the partner ARAG and the XU Exponential University as well as Daimler China. Their app “Hero” convinced the jury in all categories. The team members of the winning team: Alexander Rosenstock, ARAG; Marcel Gehrke, ARAG; Felix Prünte, XU Exponential University; Niclas Javier Kaiser, XU Exponential University; Coach: Ines Janssen, Daimler China.

With a two-day hackathon, Mercedes-Benz started the brand’s #MoveSafety initiative which is a first step focusses on creating a contextual application helping users to get where they want to be, as safely as possible. The new app will be based on “Tuban Xiong”, an app which has already been successfully introduced to the Chinese market by Mercedes-Benz in 2018 and offers several functions especially aiming at increasing travel safety such as Location Sharing, Trip Sharing, SOS-Call, Geo-Fencing, Bodyguard Service, Fake Call etc. The main users are women in the big metropolitan areas of China. And within the target group, the app has already proved its worth: it received a five-star rating in the app store.

“The safety of our customers has always played a major role in our history – it’s an integral part of our company DNA. We continuously innovate solutions which increase the safety of mobility for our customers in all areas of their daily life. Therefore, I am very excited to see how our #MoveSafety aims to increase people’s lives even further.” – Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing & Sales.

The new initiative started with a hackathon which took place on December, 10th-11th, 2019, on the Campus of XU Exponential University in Potsdam, Germany, in order to adapt the “Tuban Xiong” app to the requirements of the German market. 30 developers from Mercedes-Benz and its hackathon partners – ARAG, Deutsche Telekom, MBition, Daimler TSS, and XU Exponential University – participated in the event. Five teams created five completely new and different ideas. All ideas were finally presented to a jury and were rated along with five criteria: “innovation & demand“, ”design & functionality“, “sustainability“, “product scalability“ and „business model“. The winning team came from the partner ARAG, their app “Hero” convinced the four jury members the most in all five categories.

The #MoveSafety hackathon is exemplary of what Mercedes-Benz stands for: A star built on trust and safety. It brings Mercedes-Benz one step further towards shaping the future of safe and secure mobility for everybody, worldwide.

“#MoveSafety is a perfect example of code that goes around the world, as we will successively localize and adapt the original Chinese product to suit the German, Indian and Mexican market according to the most relevant use cases.” – Sabine Scheunert, Vice President Digital & IT Sales/Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars. “Therefore, we make use of Open Source collaboration as a pillar of our #TwiceAsFast IT strategy to consequently speed up our IT development processes. I am happy to contribute to this vision together with my global team in our ambition to create the best or nothing digital customer experience“, she continued. 

In addition to the development of the German app, later in 2020, an Indian version of the app will be created based on the feedback from the pilot employee users of Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India. A further pilot for the Mexican market is also planned for 2020.

The main goal behind this initiative is to offer IT-products as Open Source code to make them accessible to different kinds of institutions and adaptable to various use cases. Mercedes-Benz will invite additional partners from the Economy, Academia and NGOs to join this initiative. Please go to Mercedes-Benz /developers (https://developer.mercedes-benz.com/news) to join the #MoveSafety initiative.

Basketball Africa League Unveils Official Logo

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Basketball Africa League Unveils Official Logo

New Logo Celebrates League’s Pan-African Footprint, Africa’s Diversity and Continent’s Rich Basketball Heritage

KIGALI, Rwanda, December 19, 2019,/ — The Basketball Africa League (BAL), a new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa and scheduled to begin to play in March 2020, today unveiled the league’s official logo.  The new logo, which features the silhouette of a basketball player taking a jump shot on a vibrant green, yellow, red and royal blue background, celebrates the Pan-African footprint of the league, Africa’s diversity and the continent’s rich basketball heritage.

The announcement was made today by BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall prior to the BAL qualifier game at the Kigali Arena in Kigali, Rwanda in the presence of Rwanda President Paul Kagame, Rwanda Minister of Sport Aurore Mimosa Munyangaju, FIBA Africa and BAL Board President Anibal Manave, FIBA Africa Executive Director Alphonse Bilé, two-time NBA All-Star and South Sudan Basketball Federation President Luol Deng, and former NBA player Olumide Oyedeji (Nigeria).

Basketball Africa League (BAL) President Amadou Gallo Fall, Rwanda President Paul Kagame, Rwanda Minister of Sport Aurore Mimosa Munyangaju, FIBA Africa and BAL Board President Anibal Manave, FIBA Africa Executive Director Alphonse Bilé, two-time NBA All-Star and South Sudan Basketball Federation President Luol Deng, and former NBA player Olumide Oyedeji (Nigeria) following the announcement of the official BAL logo (Credit: NBAE/Getty Images)

The BAL logo is inspired by the NBA and FIBA’s commitment to establishing the BAL as a world-class professional league that champions inclusion and youth development, provide an entertaining product for fans of all ages, and drives economic growth across the continent.

The logo’s colours convey multiple meanings. The red and royal blue connect it back to the NBA, while also symbolizing love, energy, confidence and strength. The yellow and green speak to Africa’s optimism, joy and wisdom while celebrating health, harmony and environment.

The shape of the logo and the use of a player silhouette connect to the visual structure of the NBA’s family of logos, which includes the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League and NBA 2K League. The use of a player taking a jump shot also speaks to one of the most fundamental plays in the game of basketball, a showcase of the talent and skill that will be on display when the inaugural BAL season tips off in March.

“This unique logo reflects the exciting and dynamic nature of our game, symbolizes the richness, diversity and authenticity of our continent, and represents African basketball on the world stage,” said Fall. “This new logo will not only become synonymous with our league, but also with the values and aspirations that the BAL brand will promote and inspire.”

The inaugural BAL regular season will take place in Cairo (Egypt), Dakar (Senegal), Lagos (Nigeria), Luanda (Angola), Rabat (Morocco) and Monastir (Tunisia). Kigali (Rwanda) will host the first-ever BAL Finals. NIKE and Jordan Brand will be the exclusive on-court outfitter of the new professional league.

The first BAL Combine, a two-day scouting event featuring 50 aspiring players from Africa, the U.S. and around the world, was held earlier this month at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) Training Center – the official practice facility of the Brooklyn Nets – in Brooklyn, New York.

FIBA and the NBA also plan to dedicate financial support and resources toward the continued development of Africa’s basketball ecosystem, including training for players, coaches and referees, and infrastructure investment.

The announcement about FIBA and the NBA’s launch of the BAL, which would mark the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside of North America, was made at the NBA All-Star 2019 Africa Luncheon in Charlotte on Saturday, Feb. 16.

Additional details about the BAL will be announced at a later date.

Konga spreads festive cheer as CEOs, Executive Management handle deliveries to customers

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Konga spreads festive cheer as CEOs, Executive Management handle deliveries to customers

Konga, Nigeria’s leading composite e-commerce giant, has gone a long way to spread festive cheer among its teeming customers. To this end, Konga’s co-Chief Executive Officers, Prince Nnamdi Ekeh and Nick Imudia; as well as other Management Executives of the company have personally handled deliveries to customers in various locations.

Among the locations visited are Lekki, Victoria Island, Gbagada, Ikeja, Apapa, Ikotun, Ikoyi, Surulere, Ipaja, Yaba, Sango, Mowe, among others.

Indeed, the process which commenced on Friday, December 13 saw the entire management of the Konga Group deliver products directly to customers. The gesture was conceived as a means of appreciating the entire Konga customer base for its patronage throughout the year. Equally important, Konga had seized on the idea to further appreciate customers for the “most successful” Black Friday sales ever; as well as wish them a Merry Christmas.

Meanwhile, the process was led by co-CEOs Prince Ekeh and Imudia as well as Head of Logistics, Emmanuel Ekuma. Other Management team members who handled deliveries include Vice President, KongaPay, Joshua Fatoye; Head of Finance, Emmanuel Ekwedike; Vice President, Konga Retail, Kalu Johnson; Vice President, e-Commerce, Dave Omoregie; Vice President, Konga Travel, Eric Nana and Vice President, Operations, Kenny Oriola, among others.

‘‘At Konga, the customer remains the king,’’ disclosed co-CEO, Imudia. ‘‘Our loyal customers have remained central to our many successes this year. In 2019, we had the most successful Konga Yakata – our own version of the popular Black Friday sales. This is in addition to significant growth witnessed in various areas of the business including subsidiaries such as Konga Travel.

‘‘Therefore, we considered it very essential for us to show our appreciation to our customers. One of the initiatives we decided on was for the entire management team of Konga to call up randomly selected customers and deliver their product orders directly. Also, it was a way of personally wishing them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in advance.’’

Acquired by the foremost technology conglomerate, the Zinox Group, in January 2018; Konga has enjoyed a remarkable transformation and hugely successful 2019 which has seen it occupy the leadership of Nigeria’s e-commerce space. In addition to major rollouts which have grown its physical store presence to more than 30 nationwide; Konga has also made critical infrastructural investments with the set-up of major regional warehousing facilities.

In addition, it has recorded significant adoption of its payment platform KongaPay which recently added ATM card-less and USSD features. Also enjoying huge traction is K-Xpress, Konga’s in-house logistics company which has proven its capacity in handling last-mile and same-day delivery to the company’s customers; while also resolving the logistics pain-points of external customers.

Furthermore, Konga Travel, another subsidiary of the Konga Group and composite travel booking agency; has grown 25% on a month-on-month basis while bagging a number of awards within its first full year of existence.

‘‘2019 has been a very good year for us and Nigerians can see the huge revolutionary strides Konga has brought. However, what we are currently seeing is the tip of the iceberg. There are many more exciting strategies and innovations to expect in the New Year,’’ concluded Imudia.

Photo News: Zedvance Flags Off “Season for giving” CSR initiative

Brand Spur
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Photo News: Zedvance Flags Off “Season for giving” CSR initiative
Zedvance is financially empowering Nigerians to do more. Not just that, the Company has identified a unique way to carry out its Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, projects.

To flag off Zedvance CSR initiative themed ‘Season of Giving’, the company through its Employee Volunteer Scheme (EVS) partnered with Foodclique Support Initiative (FSI) to feed over 500 children at Ebuta-Metta, Lagos.

L-R: Bolajoko Fadipe, Founder & CEO, Foodclique support Initiative; Adedoyin Samo, Group Head, Human Resources and Admin, Zedcrest Capital Group; Sukanmi Suraj, Volunteer, Foodclique Support Initiative; Niyi Fajemilehin, Team Lead, Zedvance Payroll and Afolabi Ayowole, Marketing & Brand Communications Officer, Zedvance Limited during the Zedvance “Season of Giving” CSR Initiative where over 500 children were fed at Ebuta Metta, Lagos.

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