Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc Lists Additional 31,515,400 Ordinary Shares

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Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc Lists Additional 31,515,400 Ordinary Shares

Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc: Listing of additional 31,515,400 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each resulting from scrip dividend option for the half-year ended 30 June 2019.

Dealing Members are hereby notified that 31,515,400 ordinary shares of Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc (“Stanbic IBTC” or “the Company”) were today, 19 December 2019, listed on the Daily Official List of The Nigerian Stock Exchange (The Exchange).

The additional shares of 31,515,400 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each arose as a result of the Scrip Dividend offered to eligible shareholders of Stanbic IBTC who elected to receive ordinary shares in lieu of cash dividends with respect to the N1.00 final dividend declared for the half-year ended 30 June 2019.

With this listing of 31,515,400 ordinary shares, the total issued and fully paid-up shares of the Company has now increased from 10,473,451,958 to 10,504,967,358 ordinary shares.

More than one in three low- and middle-income countries face both extremes of malnutrition

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More than one in three low- and middle-income countries face both extremes of malnutrition

Twin presence of obesity and undernutrition reflects shifts in food systems

16 December 2019 – Geneva. A new approach is needed to help reduce undernutrition and obesity at the same time, as the issues become increasingly connected due to rapid changes in countries’ food systems. This is especially important in low- and middle-income countries, according to a new four-paper report published in The Lancet. More than a third of such countries had overlapping forms of malnutrition (45 of 123 countries in the 1990s, and 48 of 126 countries in the 2010s), particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and East Asia and the Pacific.

Undernutrition and obesity can lead to effects across generations as both maternal undernutrition and obesity are associated with poor health in offspring. However, because of the speed of change in food systems, more people are being exposed to both forms of malnutrition at different points in their lifetimes, which further increases harmful health effects.

“We are facing a new nutrition reality,” said the lead author of the report Dr Francesco Branca, Director of the Department of Nutrition for Health and Development, World Health Organization. “We can no longer characterize countries as low-income and undernourished, or high-income and only concerned with obesity. All forms of malnutrition have a common denominator – food systems that fail to provide all people with healthy, safe, affordable, and sustainable diets. Changing this will require action across food systems – from production and processing, through trade and distribution, pricing, marketing, and labelling, to consumption and waste. All relevant policies and investments must be radically re-examined.”

In a Lancet editorial accompanying the report, Dr Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet, says: “Today’s publication of the WHO Series on the Double Burden of Malnutrition comes after 12 months of Lancet articles exploring nutrition in all its forms… With these and other articles across Lancet journals throughout 2019, it has become clear that nutrition and malnutrition need to be approached from multiple perspectives, and although findings have sometimes converged, there is still work to be done to understand malnutrition’s multiple manifestations… With 6 years remaining in the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016-2025), this Series and Comment define the future direction required to achieve the global goal of eradicating hunger and preventing malnutrition in all its forms.”

Globally, estimates suggest that almost 2.3 billion children and adults are overweight, and more than 150 million children are stunted. However, in low- and middle-income countries these emerging issues overlap in individuals, families, communities and countries. The new report explores the trends behind this intersection – known as the double burden of malnutrition – as well as the societal and food system changes that may be causing it, its biological explanation and effects, and policy measures that may help address malnutrition in all its forms.

The authors used survey data from low- and middle-income countries in the 1990s and 2010s to estimate which countries faced a double burden of malnutrition (ie, in the population, more than 15% of people had wasted, more than 30% were stunted, more than 20% of women had thinness, and more than 20% of people were overweight).

In the 2010s, 14 countries with some of the lowest incomes in the world had newly developed a double burden of malnutrition, compared with the 1990s. However, fewer low- and middle-income countries with the highest incomes were affected than in the 1990s. The authors say that this reflects the increasing prevalence of being overweight in the poorest countries, where populations still face stunting, wasting and thinness.

High-quality diets reduce the risk of malnutrition in all its forms by promoting healthy growth, development, and immunity, and preventing obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) throughout life. The components of healthy diets are: optimal breastfeeding practices in the first two years; a diversity and abundance of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fibre, nuts, and seeds; modest amounts of animal source foods; minimal amounts of processed meats, and minimal amounts of foods and beverages high in energy and added amounts of sugar, saturated fat, trans fat, and salt.

“Emerging malnutrition issues are a stark indicator of the people who are not protected from the factors that drive poor diets. The poorest low- and middle-income countries are seeing a rapid transformation in the way people eat, drink, and move at work, home, in transport and in leisure,” said report author Professor Barry Popkin, University of North Carolina, USA. “The new nutrition reality is driven by changes to the food system, which have increased the availability of ultra-processed foods that are linked to increased weight gain, while also adversely affecting infant and pre-schooler diets. These changes include disappearing fresh food markets, increasing supermarkets, and the control of the food chain by supermarkets, and global food, catering and agriculture companies in many countries.”

Exposure to undernutrition early in life followed by becoming overweight from childhood onwards increases the risk of a range of non-communicable diseases – making the double burden of malnutrition a key factor driving the emerging global epidemics of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and cardiovascular disease. Negative effects can also pass across generations – for example, the effect of maternal obesity on the likelihood of the child having obesity may be exacerbated if the mother was undernourished in early life.

Despite physiological links, actions to address all forms of malnutrition have historically not taken account of these or other key factors, including early-life nutrition, diet quality, socioeconomic factors, and food environments. In addition, there is some evidence that programmes addressing undernutrition have unintentionally increased risks for obesity and diet-related NCDs in low-income and middle-income countries where food environments are changing rapidly.

While it is critical to maintaining these programmes for undernutrition, they need to be redesigned to do no harm. Existing undernutrition programmes delivered through health services, social safety nets, educational settings, and agriculture and food systems present opportunities to address obesity and diet-related NCDs.

The report identifies a set of ‘double-duty actions’ that simultaneously prevent or reduce the risk of nutritional deficiencies leading to underweight, wasting, stunting or micronutrient deficiencies, and obesity or NCDs, with the same intervention, programme, or policy. These range from improved antenatal care and breastfeeding practices, to social welfare, and to new agricultural and food system policies with healthy diets as their primary goal.

“Continuing with business-as-usual is not fit for purpose in the new nutrition reality. The good news is that there are some powerful opportunities to use the same platforms to address different forms of malnutrition. The time is now to seize these opportunities for ‘double duty action’ to get results” said Professor Corinna Hawkes, Centre for Food Policy, City, University of London, UK.

To create the systemic changes needed to end malnutrition in all its forms, the authors call on governments, the UN, civil society, academics, the media, donors, the private sector and economic platforms to address the double burden of malnutrition and bring in new actors, such as grass-roots organizations, farmers and their unions, faith-based leaders, advocates for planetary health, innovators and investors who are financing fair and green companies, city mayors and consumer associations.

“Given the political economy of food, the commodification of food systems, and growing patterns of inequality worldwide, the new nutrition reality calls for a broadened community of actors who work in mutually reinforcing and interconnected ways on a global scale,” says Dr Branca. “Without a profound food system transformation, the economic, social, and environmental costs of inaction will hinder the growth and development of individuals and societies for decades to come.”

Drop in cholera cases worldwide, as key endemic countries report gains in cholera control

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Drop in cholera cases worldwide, as key endemic countries report gains in cholera control

The number of cholera cases decreased globally by 60% in 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced in a report that points to an encouraging trend in cholera prevention and control in the world’s major cholera hotspots, including Haiti, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“The decrease we are seeing in several major cholera-endemic countries demonstrates the increased engagement of countries in global efforts to slow and prevent cholera outbreaks and shows the vital role of mass cholera vaccination campaigns,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “We continue to emphasize, however, that the long-term solution for ending cholera lies in increasing access to clean drinking water and providing adequate sanitation and hygiene.”

There were 499 447 cases of cholera and 2990 deaths in 2018, according to reports from 34 countries. While outbreaks are still ongoing in various countries, the caseload represents a significant downward trend in cholera transmission that has continued into 2019, according to data collected by WHO.

“The global decrease in case numbers we are observing appears to be linked to large-scale vaccination campaigns and countries beginning to adopt the Global Roadmap to 2030 strategy in their national cholera action plans,” said Dr Dominique Legros, who heads WHO’s cholera programme in Geneva. “We must continue to strengthen our efforts to engage all cholera-endemic countries in this global strategy to eliminate cholera.”

Nearly 18 million doses of Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) were shipped to 11 countries in 2018. Since the OCV stockpile was created in 2013, almost 60 million doses have been shipped worldwide. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has provided funding for the purchase of the vaccine and financial support for the global vaccination drives.

The Global Task Force on Cholera Control launched the Global Roadmap strategy for effective long-term cholera control and elimination in October 2017. The Global Roadmap aims to reduce cholera deaths by 90% and to eliminate transmission in up to 20 countries by 2030. The strategy provides a framework for national action plans that emphasize three main axes of cholera control:

  • early detection and rapid response to contain outbreaks
  • a multisectoral approach integrating strengthened surveillance, vaccination, community mobilization and water, sanitation and hygiene to prevent cholera in hotspots in endemic countries
  • An effective mechanism of coordination for technical support, resource mobilization and partnership at the local and global levels

“The Global Roadmap provides clear guidance for how to prevent and, ultimately, to eliminate cholera. Every death from cholera is preventable with the tools we have today,” said Dr Tedros.

The new report shows several countries, including Zambia, South Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Somalia, Bangladesh, and Nigeria have made significant progress in developing national action plans within the framework of the Global Roadmap strategy.

“We are seeing the results of countries reporting – and acting – on cholera. And these countries are making remarkable gains in cholera control and prevention,” said Dr Legros.

WHO, in collaboration with partners, provides support to ministries of health in countries affected by cholera to implement immediate, long-term cholera control, including surveillance, outbreak response and preventive measures such as OCV and risk communication.

In 2018, WHO country offices worked with governments to respond urgently to major outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe. WHO also worked with countries to transition from outbreak response to longer-term cholera control and elimination, in Haiti, United Republic of Tanzania (Zanzibar) and Zambia.

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera. Cholera affects both children and adults and can kill within hours if left untreated. WHO estimates that each year cholera infects 1 million to 4 million people and claims up to 143 000 lives.

Trump impeachment: What it means for Emerging Markets

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Trump impeachment: What it means for Emerging Markets

Donald Trump has become the third US President to be impeached after the House of Representatives voted yesterday. But this does not immediately change anything. The chances of him being removed from office prematurely are low, as two-thirds of the Republican-controlled Senate would need to vote in favour of his impeachment. None of the Republicans in the House backed his impeachment yesterday.

Trump may even consider these proceedings will work in his favour as we enter an election year, by energising his Republican support base and enabling him to portray himself as fighting a ‘Democrat conspiracy’ to oust him.

More pertinently for us, what would a Trump impeachment, or election loss next year, mean for Emerging Markets? As we said in our October report, US President Trump’s shift to a less liberal stance on trade (specifically altering the narrative of trade relations with China), the dismantling of the Iran nuclear deal and the unilateral withdrawal from multilateral agreements have increased investment risks in emerging markets. In these respects, if Trump is impeached or loses the 2020 election then that might be positive for emerging markets. Any subsequent President, whether Republican or Democrat, may at least be no worse for emerging markets.

But relations with China are likely to get worse as superpower rivalry increasingly cuts across matters of trade, investment (BRI), technology and territory. For example, disputes in the South China Sea have grabbed less of the spotlight under Trump, but that does not mean a stable equilibrium exists or that countries like Vietnam and the Philippines have had to do more to find their own local solution (e.g. confrontation by Vietnam, negotiation by the Philippines). Relations with Iran (and, by implication, the GCC, Israel and Turkey) and US engagement in multilateral agreements and organisations may change under a new President, but the damage done to the credibility of the US to a signed deal will likely persist. Indeed, in our 2020 Visions themes, we argued that US politics under Trump has created a new normal for global diplomacy.

In other respects of substance (rather than style), Trump does not represent a break in US foreign policy; i.e. there are areas where his actions have not changed the investment risks associated with emerging markets. Trump’s compromises on ethics-based foreign policy and his inconsistent treatment of allies are arguably not new features of US foreign policy. And although he has pledged to reduce US active involvement overseas (“the endless wars”), the patchy public data available suggests this has not been the case as yet: e.g. in Afghanistan, the number of US armed forces, US national private contractor personnel and US airstrikes (including drones) was higher in 2018 (under Trump) than in 2016 (Obama’s last year).

If Trump wins a second term, on the other hand, could emerging market risks get worse? If he can achieve a certain level of agreement with China, Iran, North Korea, the Taliban in Afghanistan and Venezuela (even if any new deals end up delivering, in the long-term, less benefit than the status quo he inherited) then there is an argument that Trump may move on and allocate less of his attention in his second-term to foreign policy. It is too early to say, but our base case is to expect more of the same should he win re-election. For example, we would not expect a relaunch of the US involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (as a means to lock in alliances in the far east), the initiation of new major military interventions (e.g. in Ukraine or Venezuela), the abandonment of Israeli security, or a greater diplomatic and trade focus on Africa (there is already a heavy military one which Trump inherited).

Tellimer

British Airways Launches Its Biggest Sale of The Year

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British Airways Launches Its Biggest Sale of The Year
  • British Airways marks the end of the year with its biggest sale of 2019
  • Annual January Sale has deals on flights and holidays to five continents
  • Avios part payment offers Executive Club Members the opportunity to reduce their fares further still
  • Customers must book by January 30, 2020

Thursday, December 19, 2019 – British Airways has today announced the start of its January Sale, with discounts available on flights and holidays to five continents.

Deals are to be had across short- and long-haul with popular destinations such as New York, the Seychelles, Tokyo and Buenos Aires all on offer

To capitalise, customers must book by January 30, 2020.

Andrew Brem, British Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, said: “This is our biggest sale of this year and the perfect time for customers to book themselves a getaway. As always, we’ve got a huge range of flights and holidays on sale spanning five continents, and with a wide range of travel dates to suit every need.”

Long-haul deals

Return fares in World Traveller (long-haul economy) start from as little as the following*:

  • Tel Aviv – £269
  • New York – £270
  • Boston – £270
  • San Diego – £329
  • San Jose (Costa Rica) – £399
  • Kuala Lumpur – £419
  • Johannesburg – £539
  • Bahamas – £549

In World Traveller Plus (long-haul premium economy) customers can fly to Hyderabad for £699, Tokyo for £979 and Buenos Aires for £1,088 return.

While in Club World (long-haul business class) there is the opportunity to soak up the sun in the Bahamas or Seychelles for £1,699 and £1,799 respectively or visit world-famous temples and experience the street food wonders of Khaosan Road by flying to Bangkok for £1,999.

Short-haul deals

There are also exciting deals for customers looking to fly Club Europe (short-haul business class). Salzburg or Bilbao can be reached from Gatwick for £159 and £170 return, respectively. While from Heathrow there are return flights to Lyon for £190, Hamburg for £192 and Vienna or Malaga for £197. Included in these business class fares is lounge access, fast track through the airport, a meal and drinks, as well as a generous baggage allowance of two checked bags.

British Airways Holidays

Included in the January Sale are also a series of tempting holiday packages. The sale sees the return of two-night breaks to Europe (including flights and hotels) for just £99 per person, with Prague, Venice, Berlin, Barcelona, Verona and Nice all included.

On top of this, there are tempting deals on holidays worldwide, including flights and a 7-night hotel in Barbados for £529 and Orlando for £399. Customers can also bag flights and three-nights in Dubai for £365 and New York for £379. Holiday deals can be found in full in the Notes to Editors.

All British Airways holidays include a minimum of 23kg checked baggage, are ATOL protected and can be secured with a deposit of £75 per person based on two people, allowing customers to spread the cost of their holiday.

Avios part payment

As always British Airways Executive Club Members can reduce their fare using Avios part payment. They can pick from a range of savings by destination and cabin. Members making the most of Avios part payment still collect Avios and Tier Points on their bookings.

The following deals in World Traveller are available:

Route Avios part payment
New York £170 and 14,700 Avios instead of £270
Boston £170 and 14,700 Avios instead of £270
San Diego £179 and 24,400 Avios instead of £329
San Jose (Costa Rica) £139 and 45,600 Avios instead of £399
Kuala Lumpur £159 and 45,600 Avios instead of £419
Bahamas £199 and 62,500 Avios instead of £549

Half a million electrified BMW Group vehicles already on the roads

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Half a million electrified BMW Group vehicles already on the roads

As an e-mobility pioneer, the BMW Group has reached another electromobility milestone and already delivered half a million electrified cars to customers worldwide. Sebastian Mackensen, BMW Group Senior Vice President Market Germany, handed over the keys to a very special BMW 330e* to its future owner at BMW Welt today.

“Half a million vehicles are the best proof: Our broad range of electrified vehicles is meeting exact customer needs. Now, we are stepping up the pace significantly: We aim to have one million electrified vehicles on the roads within two years. This is our contribution towards effective climate protection,” said Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG.

Comprehensive e-vehicle product offensive

Next year, the BMW X3 will become the first BMW Group vehicle available with four different drive train variants: efficient diesel, petrol, plug-in hybrid and pure electric. The biggest market for the pure electric BMW iX3* is China, where it will also be produced for the global market. The BMW iX3* will be the first to benefit from the ground-breaking fifth generation of our highly efficient BMW electric drive trains, which provide a new balance between range and battery size. The key lies in making the drive train substantially more efficient. Our technology flagship, the BMW iNEXT – which will also be available from 2021 – will combine electromobility with highly automated driving. The fully electric BMW iNEXT will be produced on the same assembly line in Dingolfing as vehicles with combustion engines and plug-in hybrids. This will be followed in 2021 by the BMW i4, a pure electric Gran Coupé in the premium mid-size segment with strong emotional appeal. The BMW i4 will be produced at the main plant in Munich.

Thanks to its role as a visionary technology flagship and continuing sales success since its launch in 2013, the BMW i3 has acquired the status of an icon. The BMW Group will continue to further develop this vehicle and currently plans to extend production until 2024. Since late this year, the BMW Group’s electrified model line-up has also been joined by a further pure electric vehicle, the MINI Electric*. The more than 90,000 registered prospects indicate the high level of customer interest in the first purely electric MINI.

Ambitious goals for electrified vehicle sales

With 12 electrified vehicles currently, the BMW Group is one of the world’s leading providers of electric mobility. The company has been the market leader for electrified vehicles in Germany since 2016 and also occupies a leading position in Europe and worldwide. The company has formulated clear goals for sales of electrified vehicles for the years ahead: A quarter of all vehicles sold in Europe should be electrified by 2021. This should reach a third by 2025 and half in 2030.

“We already offer an electrified drive train variant for most of our model line-up – from MINI to the BMW 7 Series. Our customers get to choose: Not just their preferred model, but also the drive train that suits them best,” explained Pieter Nota, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Customer, Brands and Sales. “This is the diversity our customers want and that can best meet their individual mobility needs.”

The Power of Choice

The BMW Group model line-up offers highly efficient combustion engines as well as modern plug-in hybrids and pure electric drive trains. This “Power of Choice” enables the company to meet customers’ varied needs and wants in different regions of the world. Depending on the drive train chosen, all current and future models deliver brand-specific driving pleasure. No matter which type of drive train the customer decides on: They can always expect a high level of efficiency and lower CO2 emissions from the BMW Group.

Exclusive handover at BMW Welt

A customer from Munich was in for a surprise when he came to collect his new vehicle. As part of a special and exclusive handover, the customer received the keys to his new BMW 330e* from Sebastian Mackensen, Senior Vice President Market Germany: The car in question was the BMW Group’s 500,000th electrified vehicle. “For me, the BMW 330e – the plug-in hybrid 3 Series – combines the best of both worlds: For the most part, I can drive emission-free – especially in the city – but, on longer trips, I still have the flexible range of a combustion engine,” explained the car’s new owner, Florian Merk.

Sebastian Mackensen added: “I am very happy to celebrate the delivery of our 500,000th electrified vehicle here at BMW Welt. No one sells more electrified vehicles in Germany than we do. There are already about 60,000 electrified BMW and MINI models on German roads today. And in 2020 we will continue to launch additional models.”

BMW Group possesses extensive electromobility know-how

Thanks to its years of e-mobility experience, the BMW Group has acquired extensive and sound knowledge in this area. This provides the basis for the company to develop eDrive technology in-house, including the engine, power electronics and also the battery as well as the battery cells. This ensures BMW and MINI electrified vehicles still deliver brand-typical driving characteristics.

The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) Celebrates 100 Years of Going Public

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The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) Celebrates 100 Years of Going Public

Coca-Cola, arguably the world’s most popular beverage company has celebrated the 100th anniversary of its initial public offering. An investment of $40 at that time, would be worth more than $18 million today!

James Quincey, who led Senior executives and Board members of TCCC to the New York Stock Exchange, on Monday 9th December, rang the opening bell, in commemoration of the centenary celebration.

Speaking on the landmark achievement, the global CEO, James Quincey, said, “Not many brands make it this far and not many have been able to grow at the speed that we have. It is a testament to the work that goes on behind the scenes and also thanks to our loyal consumers and investors across the world. It’s a big day for us and it’s a good time to look optimistically into the future.”

With a strong presence in over 200 countries, The Coca-Cola Company and its beverage brands continue to drive economic growth across markets, making it one of the most recognized brands globally.

However, the incredible story of Coca-Cola goes beyond profits and revenue. Over the years, The Coca-Cola Company has taken the lead in good business, committing huge resources in laudable sustainability initiatives across its markets. In 2009, Coca-Cola launched the Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN) to improve access to safe drinking water for African communities. A total of over 4 million people have been impacted by this initiative. With profits comes responsibility, and The Coca-Cola Company has continued to invest; in Women through its 5by20 global program that has committed to the empowerment of 5 million women by 2020, right up to its World Without Waste campaign which has committed to retrieve and recycle the equivalent of every product package by 2030.

Nigeria is not left out of the beverage giants’ good efforts. With the launch of the Safe Birth Initiative, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals and an NGO, Medshare International Inc., has provided equipment and supplies, capability development of biomedical engineers as well as resuscitation and repairs of abandoned medical equipment in 15 government hospitals across the country worth a total conservative value of about $10.8 million, i.e. over N3.8 billion. The Safe Birth Initiative is a critical intervention that aims to tackle the high rate of maternal and newborn deaths in Nigeria.

Another critical intervention in the healthcare space is the Project Last Mile — a public-private partnership working to make life-saving medicines available to people who need them most, to improve access to vaccinations by strengthening public sector refrigeration, or “cold chain” capacity using our vast experience in distribution and cold chain equipment management. This partnership is working together to create a positive cycle that builds human capital, reduces future healthcare costs, and contributes to national development.

And so, celebrations are in order even in Nigeria. As the company continues to grow despite shifting economic scenarios, its prosperity has become a beacon of hope as it stretches its wings of sustainable and humanitarian action in Nigeria and beyond.

Greif Nigeria Plc Seeks Shareholders’ Consent to Delist from NSE

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Greif Nigeria Plc Seeks Shareholders’ Consent to Delist from NSE

Sequel to the Board Meeting of Greif Nigeria Plc (Greif or the Company) held on Thursday, 12th December 2019 at Greif Board Room, No. 1 Alapata Road, Apapa, Lagos at 11.00 a.m. the Company wishes to inform the Nigerian Stock Exchange (“The Exchange”) and its shareholders/investing public of the following resolutions passed at the meeting:

(a)  Convening an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Company for Thursday, 23 January 2020 at the Company’s Office, No. 1 Alapata Road, Apapa, Lagos at 11.00 a.m. for the following purposes:

  1. “That the Company’s Land and Buildings known and designated as “Factory at No. 1 Alapata Road, Apapa, Lagos and Residence at No. 3/5 Barracks Road, Apapa, Lagos” be sold at a price and upon such terms and conditions negotiated and determined by the Board;”
  1. “That the Company’s shares be delisted from the Nigerian Stock Exchange;”
  1. “That the Board be and is hereby authorised to take such steps or actions and to do all things as may be necessary to give full effect to the above-mentioned resolutions.”

(b)  commendation that the Register of Members and Transfer Books be closed from Monday, 23rd to Tuesday, 24th December 2019, both dates inclusive.

The company had early in the year said it was suspending its operations for now in the country. According to the Chairman of the company, Mr Adedayo Olowoniyi, the company worked assiduously to prevail through the challenging business environment, but still had issues in terms of cost-recovery through several price increases in the market, despite adopting cost reduction measures and driving efficient methods.

“The trends that have started in mid 2018 still continues in the first (fiscal) quarter of 2019. As a result of increased competition and a stagnant market for steel drums, we do not see improvement happening in the near future. Greif Nigeria has been operating well below operating costs, even below direct material costs, and sees no signs of improved market conditions. Therefore, we have decided to stop operations with immediate effect. The coming months we will investigate on if and/or how we can continue with Greif Nigeria,” he said.

Meanwhile, the stock market posted a marginal gain yesterday as the NSE All-Share Index rose 0.02 per cent to close at 26,665.73, while market capitalisation added N2.6 billion to be at N12.9 trillion. As a result, the year-to-date growth settled at 15.2 per cent.

The level of activity level declined as volume and value traded fell 29.9 per cent and 33.4 per cent to 232.7 million shares and N3.2 billion respectively. The banking stocks maintained dominance with Access Bank Plc (64.2 million shares), Zenith Bank Plc (31.0 million shares) and GTBank Plc (26.6 million shares) led the volume chart while GTBank(N786 million), Access Bank Plc (N636 million) and Zenith Bank (N577.4 million) led the value chart.

In terms of price movement, Ikeja Hotel Plc led the price gainers with 9.8 per cent trailed by Chams Plc with 9.0 per cent. Cadbury Nigeria Plc appreciated by 7.5 per cent, while Royal Exchange Plc and Union Bank of Nigeria Plc chalked up 7.4 per cent and 4.6 per cent in that order.

D-EDGE & DAILYPOINT Announce a Strategic Partnership

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D-EDGE & DAILYPOINT Announce a Strategic Partnership

PARIS,FRANCE – Media OutReach
– 19 December 2019 – D-EDGE- part of the Accor Group- and dailypoint™ are pleased to announce a global strategic partnership combining the CRS of D-EDGE,
one of the leading providers of digital solutions for hotels, with the CRM and
guest data management platform of dailypoint™.

With technology
playing an increasingly critical role in the hospitality business, hoteliers are
accordingly seeking all-in-one tech solutions that cover the entire range of
their technological needs. The D-EDGE-dailypoint™ partnership is a
great step in that direction, providing the market with one solution combining CRS
and CRM. This move is highly impactful and beneficial for hoteliers as CRM has
become the reference system for guest management over the past few years, as a
recent h2c study (1) shows:

PC Grob, CEO of
D-EDGE (previously Availpro Fastbooking) comments “This promising
partnership between D-EDGE, a leading CRS provider, and dailypoint™ a leading Guest Data Management solution, is a major step forward in our
strategy to simplify the complexity of technology for hoteliers so
they can focus on their guests. It will materialise in a Guest Data Management
solution fully integrated in our CRS that will enable our worldwide
customer base to manage the entire guest journey and significantly improve
their business thanks to a personalised and efficient guest data management. ”

Michael Toedt
CEO of dailypoint™ (TS&C) adds: “CRM is becoming central for
hoteliers, but hoteliers need to be diligent when selecting one. Today, even
with a CRM solution 56% of hotel companies still need to clean data manually (1). Not with dailypoint™! We have developed a unique expertise on how
to build a central guest profile, fully automated, which uses the most
sophisticated cleansing algorithms in the industry. On top of that, specific AI
(Artificial Intelligence) processes create unique guest insights that are
available at all touchpoints. I am happy that thanks to this partnership a
larger audience will have access to it.”

 

As an indication
of commitment to the partnership D-EDGE has taken a minority ownership stake in
dailypoint™.

 

(1)  
Source : h2c- The State of
CRM and Guest Data Management

About D-EDGE

Established from the merger of two
long-established hospitality digital solutions providers, D-EDGE offers
leading-edge cloud-based e-commerce solutions to more than 12,000 hotels in
over 100 countries.

Combining the technical excellence of
Availpro with the digital marketing expertise of Fastbooking, D-EDGE brings a
holistic hospitality technology infrastructure under one roof. The integrated
range of solutions covers all stages of hotel distribution which encompasses
Central Reservation System, Data Intelligence, Connectivity Hub, Digital Media
and Website Creation.

With a team of 350 experts located in over
20 countries, D-EDGE provides localised support, services and tools. With its
global network of 500+partners D-EDGE’s ever-expanding ecosystem is a positive
place to do business and grow.

More information on www.d-edge.com

About dailypoint

dailypoint™ – software made by Toedt, Dr. Selk & Coll. GmbH

dailypoint™ is the leading #abovePMS solution for individual hotels and hotel groups. dailypoint™ collects data from all relevant sources such as PMS, POS, website, newsletter or Wi-Fi and creates a central and consolidated guest profile. The integrated patent-pending data cleaning processes and special artificial intelligence (AI) are used in addition to the application and generate extensive guest knowledge.

The cloud-based SAAS solution is the ideal basis for centralized data management (CDM). dailypoint™ consists of 14 modules and is complemented by the dailypoint™ Marketplace with more than 110 solution partners.

This allows dailypoint™ not only be used for measurable marketing (CRM) and optimal direct sales, it also covers the entire customer journey and thus supports all departments of a hotel. The integrated Privacy Dashboard is also the central element for the technical implementation of the GDPR.

dailypoint™ is headquartered in Munich, Germany.

Further information: https://www.dailypoint.com

Coles Selects Infor to Modernise International Supply Chain and Deliver Real-Time Inventory Visibility

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Coles Selects Infor to Modernise International Supply Chain and Deliver Real-Time Inventory Visibility

Australia’s leading retailer invests in Infor Nexus to streamline imports and reduce costs

 

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – Media OutReach – 19 December 2019 – Infor, a global leader in business cloud software specialised
by industry, announced that leading Australian retailer Coles has chosen Infor Nexus for its global trade platform to
create enhanced international supply chain visibility for the organization.

 

The deployment of the global
trade platform will streamline imports, reduce costs and modernise Coles’
international supply chain. The retailer will roll out the world-class solution in 2020, the first
organisation in Australia to directly do so.

 

Infor
Nexus, a Leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Multienterprise Supply Chain
Business Networks, is a scalable platform that will enable Coles to:

  • Reduce working capital through lower stock in transit and distribution
    centre stock holdings;
  • Reduce transport costs, including freight, demurrage and customs clearance;
    and
  • Simplify transactions with freight service providers.

 

Coles Executive General Manager
Operations and Transformation Kevin Gunn said the Infor Nexus platform would
enable real-time visibility of international stock. “Availability is a key
issue for customers, and some popular items — such as light globes, herbs and
spices, and kitchen essentials like foil and garbage bags — cannot be sourced
domestically so we need to look to international suppliers,” he said.

 

“By understanding where our stock
is in transit, we can better plan our stock movements to enhance availability
for customers and reduce the time taken to move products into our stores,
improving our use of working capital by reducing the time inventory spends in
our supply chain.

 

“It will also support improved
efficiencies through the supply chain by minimising the need to move stock between
states, resulting in fewer truck movements which will also improve road safety
and reduce carbon emissions.”

 

Coles will run all international transactions
through the Infor Nexus B2B information exchange.

 

“Ultimately, Infor Nexus will lead to better
product availability on-the-shelf for customers,” Coles
Chief Information and Digital Officer Roger Sniezek said.  “We have committed to
being technology-led in our stores and throughout our supply chain to reduce costs while delivering an
even better shopping experience for customers, and making life easier for our
team members. Infor Nexus is another investment in this.”

Infor ANZ
Vice President of Commercial and Retail Brett Egglestone said the speed of
business today demands a supply chain capable of controlling the end-to-end
flow of documents, data and inventory.

 

“The
Infor Nexus platform will provide multi-enterprise connectivity to help Coles
digitise the flow of information between its trading partners and provide a
single system of record to orchestrate the physical and financial supply
chain,” he said.  “We are
very excited to partner with Coles and be part of its intelligence-driven
supply chain strategy.”

About Coles

Coles is a leading
Australian retailer, with more than 2,400 retail outlets nationally.


With more than 113,000 team
members across Coles Supermarkets, Coles Express and Coles Liquor outlets, Coles
processes more than 20 million customer transactions each week.


Coles makes life easier for
Australians by delivering quality, value and service. To learn more, please
visit www.colesgroup.com.au.

About Infor

Infor is a global leader in
business cloud software specialised by industry. With 17,300 employees and over
68,000 customers in more than 170 countries, Infor software is designed for
progress. To learn more, please visit www.infor.com.

Infor customers include:

  • The top 20 aerospace companies
  • 9 of the top 10 high tech companies
  • 14 of the 25 largest U.S. healthcare
    delivery networks
  • 19 of the 20 largest U.S. cities
  • 18 of the top 20 automotive suppliers
  • 14 of the top 20 industrial
    distributors
  • 13 of the top 20 global retailers
  • 4 of the top 5 brewers
  • 17 of the top 20 global banks
  • 9 of the 10 largest global hotel
    brands
  • 7 of the top 10 global luxury brands

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