Eventful Ltd celebrates 20 Years Of Excellence

Eventful Ltd celebrates 20 Years Of Excellence

 

 

 

Eventful, a leading event consulting company in Nigeria has announced its 20th anniversary to celebrate the patronage and support of its key stakeholders over the years.

Eventful Ltd was founded in 2002 to serve the needs of corporate and individual clients. Over the course of its 20-year history, Eventful has consistently delivered excellent professional services while demonstrating creativity with a vision to become the leading player in the organised events planning industry in Africa.

Speaking about how the company has maintained its leadership position as an innovative leader in the event industry over the years, the Managing Director, Fisayo Beecroft said, “We pride ourselves in our ability to think through and curate well-crafted experiences end to end; from design and theme to hiring of the right providers and vendors, to venue set up, and developing the appropriate budgets in accordance with clients’ desires, professionalism is our watchword.”

Fisayo also added that Eventful only works with reputable providers who have a track record of success in their respective fields of endeavour and who have demonstrated integrity. “We uphold the highest standards; excellence is one of our core values and we believe that is the minimum expected of a professional.”

In addition, the Head of events of the company, Omolola Owo, spoke about the company’s growth, achievements, transition, and legacy of the organisation. “As an event company, we keep evolving all the time, trying to make sure that we are the first in the game; the smooth leadership transition in 2021 for us as a company is an achievement considering we have maintained an upward growth trajectory for this two-decade old institution even after the founder Yewande Zaccheaus retired.”

With over 2000 events planned already, Eventful has remained at the top of the industry not only for its epoch-making corporate engagements, but also for its unforgettable weddings, memorable funerals, and more recently bespoke Souks. Eventful has solidified its brands’ value proposition and far-reaching influence in the mind of the public.

Banker and Regulator Agree Chat Commerce can Radically Shift Financial Inclusion in Nigeria

Banker and Regulator Agree Chat Commerce can Radically Shift Financial Inclusion in Nigeria

Clickatell (www.Clickatell.com), the Chat Commerce and business messaging leader, discussed with attendees at Clickatell’s Connect Interact and Transact (CIT) annual event earlier this month how they could drive financial inclusion and reach their revenue goals by adopting Chat Commerce. The event took place at the Radisson Blu, Anchorage in Lagos with industry experts from Clickatell, Ecobank and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) sharing insight and tips with an audience of business and technology leaders.

 

Werner Lindemann, Clickatell’s Senior Vice President of Enterprise Sales, Growth Markets, kicked off by pointing out how global brands, like Amazon and Uber, have built their entire business model on convenience commerce – where businesses find ways to deliver services and products to their customers wherever they are and at a time that works for them.

Lindemann went on to share that the best way to reach customers where they are is on their phone. However, he said apps have a very limited shelf life, saying the average customer regularly uses just five apps on their phone. He advised instead of focusing on building apps, brands should be looking to leverage the power of chat, especially since WhatsApp is the most used (https://bit.ly/3Nab6Q1) social media platform in Nigeria. What’s more, when combined with USSD, companies will be able to reach almost every person in the country.

The power of Chat Commerce is especially relevant for the Nigerian banking industry and Lindemann shared that banks can now onboard new clients and conduct Know Your Customer (KYC) standards using chat, meaning banks can serve customers anywhere in the country, in real time.

Lindemann shared other use cases where Clickatell had radically changed how Southern African businesses engaged with their customers, these included:

  • How a national retailer was able to cut their broadsheet print production and distribution from 5 Dollars to just 3 cents
  • How that retailer now has a 40% to 70% engagement rate on their product specials using WhatsApp, compared to 3% on SMS
  • How a national retailer now uses WhatsApp to enable self-service for their loyalty programme and has eliminated more than 20 000 call centre calls per month to block or replace loyalty cards
  • How a national healthcare chain now allows customers to order and arrange collection of their chronic medication at their nearest outlet, no matter where they are in the country
  • How a Southern African low-cost airline allows travellers to check in and receive their boarding pass on the WhatsApp channel

 

People are already on these chat platforms, and we aim to serve them with payments where they are

An engaging panel discussion followed the keynote, introduced by Clickatell’s West Africa Managing Director, Samson Isa and facilitated by Uzo Nwani, Commercial Director of Clickatell.

Opening the discussion, panelists highlighted how their organization had used technology to boost inclusivity. For CBN, this was achieved by its introduction of the eNaira digital currency. For Ecobank, its move to offer a WhatsApp channel allowed them to reach their customers more easily. And for Clickatell, it has been the company’s drive to help banks in Africa improve their reach by moving to the more ubiquitous chat channel.

“One out of three Nigerians are financially excluded. Therefore the work we have done with Clickatell on the eNaira USSD channel is so exciting. We are also looking to the eNaira to lower the costs of remittances as well as bring down the high costs of cash management. We believe the eNaira will drive inclusive growth and make the Central Bank, as an institution, much more effective in carrying out its mandate,” said Stephen Ambore, Assistant Director, CBN.

Osahon Akpata, Group Head of Consumer Payments at Ecobank shared the power of mobile with the audience.

“Across 33 countries, Ecobank Group processed $5.1 billion through our mobile app in 2021 and we built an agency banking network of 110,000 agents, leveraging the ubiquity of mobile devices. While Chat Commerce is still in its infancy for us, we are scaling up the platform for better customer service. We have integrated artificial intelligence into our chatbot, Rafiki, to help solve customer queries quicker and seamlessly. We also have customers using the chat channel for transactions and we plan on expanding its use to product information as well. People are already on these chat platforms, and we aim to serve them with payments where they are,” he said.

Akpata went on to share that being able to generate QR codes on the WhatsApp channel, make transfers and buy airtime have all been met with great enthusiasm by Ecobank customers, adding that chat will be a key part of the bank’s drive to reach its target of 100 million customers.

CBN will also be looking to chat to connect with people in Nigeria further in the future.

“We are looking at chat to help us deliver financial literacy and boost inclusion. When it comes to innovation, chat, including USSD, can help us reach new customers and I am excited about the future opportunities, especially at the base of the pyramid,” said Ambore.

Lindemann wrapped up the proceedings by saying: “We’ve just kicked off a project with a major bank with around 15 million active customers, and we will be building them a chat banking wallet in just six weeks. In my opinion, chat is allowing us to fast-forward innovation for enterprises. I believe every enterprise has a responsibility to deploy products that have a real impact on their customer and society, and to see this happen in six weeks is testament to the power of chat.”

LAGOS COMMERCIAL BUSES LIKELY TO GO ON STRIKE ON 31ST OCTOBER,2022

LAGOS COMMERCIAL BUSES LIKELY TO GO ON STRIKE ON 31ST OCTOBER,2022

 

 

Transport Union 7 Days Strike looms in Lagos!

Lagos State Commercial Drivers Threaten Seven-Day Mass Protest Over Multiple Extortion By Parks, Garage Managements

The drivers lamented that despite their dedication to their work, they had been subjected to indiscriminate extortion, violent harassment by the management.

Commercial drivers in Lagos State under the aegis of the Joint Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria (JDWAN), have threatened to embark on seven days protest and boycott of services across the over multiple and excessive extortion by the management of parks and garages in the state.

The association in a statement by its National Leader, Akintade S. Abiodun; Chairman, Opeyemi Sulaiman; General secretary, Ajimatanarareje A. Feyisayo and Assistant Secretary, Taofik Hassan, scheduled Monday, October 31, for the commencement of the protest, as it instructed its members to adhere to the instruction.

The drivers lamented that despite their dedication to their work, they had been subjected to indiscriminate extortion, violent harassment by the management of state transport agencies, motor parks and garages and Lagos State caretaker committee.

The statement read, “This is to notify members of the public and the Lagos state government over multiple and excessive extortion by the motor parks and garages management.

“The cost of transportation affects cost of goods and services and consequently the cost of living, which has spiraled astronomically in Lagos State as a result of the effect of motor parks excessive and illegal ticketing and tolling at almost every bus stop.

“We have been sentenced to the extortion and violent harassment of the state transport agencies – Lagos State motor parks and garages management and Lagos State caretaker committee.

“On a daily basis, we lose half of our income to the motor park boys. We pay exorbitant charges in the garages and at every bus stop where we drop off passengers, whether we pick up passengers or not, we pay morning, afternoon and night. Some routes have 25 bus stops which also serve as illegal tax collection avenues.

“We crave the indulgence of the public to go through the meticulous breakdown of this unprecedented level of extortion we go through below:

“From Badagry to Mile 2, we pay N3,500 & N5,000 naira apart from 25 illegal tolling/ticketing by motorpark hoodlums who collect two to three hundred naira per bus. From Seme in their park, they do collect N7,100 in the morning before loading our buses yet we are still subject to illegal collection on the highway.

“On Federal Mass & Coaster, we pay over N12,000 on each trip from Oko Afo to CMS or to Oyingbo, which includes loading charges and illegal payments at several bus stops till we get to our destination.

“From Ogijo to Ikorodu, we pay over N5,500 per day. Garage Ticket N850, Chairman ticket N1,700, King’s levy N200, Ita Oluwo N500, Odo Gunyon N1,200, Ile Epo Oba N200. We also pay N900 for passIng by whether you pick up a passenger or not.

(At Ikorodu Roundabout we pay N1,000 in the morning and afternoon and we pay N500 in the evening which makes it N2,500. At Benson Bus Stop we pay N900 for a whole day, loading at N300 each for morning, afternoon and evening.

“At Agric Bus Stop we pay N200 to 8 motor park thugs. It is called welcome to Agric tax. When we stop to load for passengers at the agric bus stop we pay an extra N300 which isn’t part of the N1,600 welcome to Agric tax. When we get to Aunty Kenny bus stop we pay N200 before buying Lagos state ticket for N500.

“”At Ogolonto bus stop we pay N100. At Mile 12 bus stop we pay N500 for plying the expressway and N1,000 for plying service lane (for buses enroute Yaba oyingbo). Mile 12 to Ojuelegba buses pay N1,500 while red coaster buses pay N2,000.

“Red buses from Ikorodu to Oshodi pay N5,000 to motor park boys in the morning and afternoon. At Ketu bus stop we pay between N600 to N1,000 depending on the size of bus for just dropping off passengers or picking up any single one. For buses plying Yaba to Ikeja, we pay N200 at Jibowu bus stop, total bus stop N100, Fadeyi N100, Onipanu N200, Elediye N200, Palmgrove N200, Anthony N100, Ikeja N200 – total N1,300.

“On our way back to Yaba, Palmgrove & Onipanu is N500, Fadeyi & Total N500, Yaba N200 with LASG N800 ticket making it a total of N3,300 in the morning alone. We pay N2,000 each in the afternoon and evening, which makes a total of N7,300 daily. Korope plying lyana Iba-Okoko to Agbara are paying N5,000 per day to motor park boys without the extra LASTMA & Police Department & Lagos Task Force daily extortion.

“When we resist the extortion, we get arrested and pay N10,000 for bail to the police while the motor park boys go scot free and we also have to bail our buses separately.

“Lagos drivers also pay for entertainment, security, unit chairman’s food and many other ridiculous levies with threat of violence at any slight refusal by the drivers. This is the exact case of the popular parlance on exploitation of labourers, “baboon dey work and monkey dey chop”.

“Lagos commercial drivers work like elephants and eat like ants while the urchins under the aegis of motor park workers take a large chunk of our earnings. We can hardly fulfill our contractual obligations with our business partners, feed our family or afford maintenance or repair of our vehicles.

“Our demands are: No to charging drivers three passengers money after loading in parks or garages, we are demanding it should be one passenger’s money per bus. We demand that only Lagos State government ticket should be the only ticket in Lagos. Others like Lagos State parks & garages management, Lagos State caretaker committee are not acceptable to all drivers in Lagos State.

“We kick against Paying motor park thugs at every bus stop. All illegal money paid after we leave the garages and parks should be abolished immediately. Harassment of law enforcement agencies & intimidation with guns, cutlass, broken bottles by LASTMA, task force and RRS must end immediately. They collaborate and hire thugs to attack and extort us every day without violating any law.

“We have lesser bus stops for commercial vehicles. Most bus stops in Lagos are strictly assigned officially to brt buses only and we get arrested for dropping off passengers at existing bus stops which are known to commuters as official bus stops for decades. We demand that the Lagos State government should provide official bus stops in each community to avoid incessant arrests and stress for commuters who complain of having to trek several kilometres back to their bus stops.

“We call on the Lagos State government to quickly respond to avert the current anomaly. Failure to adhere to these demands will only attract more protest and total boycott, the Joint drivers welfare association of Nigeria (JDWAN) is resolute in pursuing justice by all legitimate and peaceful means available.”

#ForAGreaterLagos

On the completion of the sale of shares in Polaris Bank to Strategic Capital Investment Limited (SCIL)as the  new core investor

On the completion of the sale of shares in Polaris Bank to Strategic Capital Investment Limited (SCIL)as the  new core investor

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) are pleased to announce the completion of a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) for the acquisition of 100% of the equity in Polaris Bank (‘Polaris’ or ‘the Bank’) by Strategic Capital Investment Limited (‘SCIL’).

Polaris has been operating as a bridge bank since 2018 when the Central Bank of Nigeria intervened to revoke the licence of the former Skye Bank Plc and established Polaris Bank to assume its assets and certain liabilities. As part of the CBN intervention, consideration bonds with a face value of N898 billion (future value of N1.305 trillion) was injected into the bridge bank through AMCON, to be repaid over a 25-year period. These actions were taken to prevent the imminent collapse of the bank, enable its stabilisation and recovery, protect depositors’ fund, prevent job losses and preserve systemic financial stability.

SCIL has paid an upfront consideration of N50 billion to acquire 100% of the equity of Polaris Bank and has accepted the terms of the agreement which include the full repayment of the sum of N1.305 trillion, being the consideration bonds injected. The CBN thus received an immediate return for the value it has created in Polaris Bank during the stabilisation period, as well as ensuring that all funds originally provided to support the intervention are recovered.

The sale was coordinated by a Divestment Committee (the ‘Committee’) comprising representatives of the CBN and AMCON, and advised by legal and financial consultants. The Committee conducted a sale process by ‘private treaty’, as provided in Section 34(5) of the AMCON Act to avoid negative speculations, retain value and preserve financial system stability. In the process, parties who had formally expressed an interest in acquiring Polaris Bank, subsequent to the CBN intervention in 2018, were invited to submit financial and technical proposals. Invitations to submit proposals were sent to 25 pre-qualified interested parties, out of which three (3) parties eventually

submitted final purchase proposals following technical evaluation. All submissions were subject to a rigorous transaction process from which SCIL emerged as the preferred bidder having presented the most comprehensive technical/financial purchase proposal as well as the highest rated growth plans for Polaris Bank.

Commenting on the transaction Mr. Godwin I. Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria said: “This sale marks the completion of a landmark intervention in a strategic institution in the Nigerian banking sector by the CBN and AMCON. We commend the outgoing board and management for their vital role since the bridge bank was established; in stabilising the Bank’s operations, its balance sheet and implementing strong governance structures to address the issues that led to the intervention. This process has provided the CBN with an unprecedented opportunity to recover its intervention funds in full and promote financial stability and inclusive growth. We wish SCIL well as they implement growth plans to build the bank from the strong foundations that have been established.”

FINTRAK ACADEMY GRADUATES AN ARMY OF SOFTWARE EXPERTS

FINTRAK ACADEMY GRADUATES AN ARMY OF SOFTWARE EXPERTS

 

Nigeria’s foremost financial technology (Fintech) firm, FINTRAK recently graduated trainees from their academy. This is in line with the organization’s policy of building capacity in the information technology (IT) ecosystem with emphasis on fintech solution. The organization designed this program as a way of giving back to the society and also deepening the widening capacity gap now that the country is having skill flight to other nations.

Having seen numerous talents and potential in these kids, FINTRAK Software has decided to build and train army of youths that will power the country’s IT ecosystem in future.

Speaking about the event, the founder of FINTRAK and Group Managing Director, Bimbo Abioye said “FinTrak Academy is designed to train highly qualified and motivated young graduates to become tech guru in the field of Software Development, Software Implementation, Software Support and Software Quality Assurance. Its main goal is to give successful candidates the opportunity to improve their analytical and technical skills in an international environment.”

“The Fintrak Academy Programme is open on an on-going basis. Young graduates are enrolled at a fully accredited degree programme (Bachelor, HND, M.eng, Master, ) during the entire duration of their internship can apply online. Selected interns are on-boarded for full employment upon graduation”, he added.

On a final note, the Fintrak boss opined that “The Fintrak Academy provides young graduates the skills and foundational experience they need to begin building a career in their chosen field. Our development programs offer a variety of professional experiences within a structure that provides opportunities to learn, grow, and ultimately succeed.”

Apart from these trainings, Fintrak absorbed many of these graduands into their organisation . These graduands will man their various locations across the world. FinTrak Software is an indigenous  global company based in Nigeria,over the years have deployed solutions in many parts of Africa . Armed with and army of software engineers and professionals with competencies across banking, finance, audit, consulting and software development, FinTrak Software can be described to be on a  mission to support organizations and states with technologies and intellectual strength required to enable them surpass their stakeholders’ expectations.

ANTHONY EMEKA NWOSU

HOW WOMEN CONVENTION 2022 ENDED IN FCIM EGBEDA, LAGOS

HOW WOMEN CONVENTION 2022 ENDED IN FCIM EGBEDA, LAGOS

 

Faith Cathedral International Ministry women recently held their annual festival. The two day event was held in the church auditorium, there was a seminar on Saturday and on Sunday with a Thanksgiving service tagged “Love is kind.”

Speaking during the service on Sunday, the General Overseer, Fred Obetoh said that ” there us need to have a forgiving spirit and also know that charity is love. It isn’t all about the gift of prophesy but the gift of love. God is love.”

The greatest of all is love. Jesus Christ you on earth preaches loved and he was specific that we should love our neighbor the way we love ourselves. When all the commandments are looked at, when you collapse it, it is basically love… The love of human and that if God.

“1st John 4 is clear. In this verse it clearly said that God is love. If you don’t love, you don’t have God it is as simple as that”, Fred Obetoh added.

“Many of us want to help God! We can’t help God to do anything, but all we can do is to show love and let God manifest himself. Love is sacrifice! When you love you can’t disobey God or your husband as a woman. You can’t respect your pastor more than your husband. Many women have formed the habit of respecting their pastors more than their husbands and that is a Wong attitude! They kneel in front of their pastors and don’t respect the husband and that us had and hippocrisy of the highest order”Obetoh opined.

WOMEN CONVENTION 2022 OF FAITH CATHEDRAL INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY COMES TO AN END!

John 3 VS 16,for God so love the world that he gave his only begotten son. This is to show the level of love God has for us and it is left for us to redistribute this love to others. We can’t be taking things that aren’t filled in love seriously. God’s word is love and we must follow it.

These days many of our women rarely do the right thing due to their penchant for watching what the media is dishing out. Why call your husband names etc. A Godly woman doesn’t curse either the child or the husband. People that love don’t curse. We must understand that, so for you to curse you lack love!

A godly woman must understand the term of love which is peaceful the pastor told the women. He said that Women must always show love. If you are humble, your husband will adore you. Women must show humility!

It is only a foolish woman that is troublesome! Why go for material things and not show love! Why fight for earthly things when you can show love to people by giving it out.

The Women of Destiny is the women group of the church. This group has dedicated themselves to the upliftmemt of the church and also reaching out to the members either spiritually or financially.

 

Faith Cathedral International Ministries
Egbeda
Lagos

AfriTECH 2.0: Theme, Date and Venue Announced

AfriTECH 2.0: Theme, Date and Venue Announced

 

Trailblazers in the technology and business circle in Africa are set to gather in Lagos, Nigeria (West Africa) on 9 November 2022 for another edition of Africa Tech Alliance Forum (AfriTECH 2.0) as the continent’s sought-after technology Forum, exhibition, and awards ceremony.

AfriTECH 2.0 scheduled to hold at Oriental Hotel, Lekki Road, is focused on ‘Sustainability and The Company of the Future’, as the central theme.

According to the organisers from TechCastle Foundation and TechEconomy.ng, AfriTECH 2.0 will convene Business leaders/CEOs of Companies and Organisations, Innovators, Government Representatives, International Organizations, Diplomats, Investors, Academia, Start-ups and Entrepreneurs in their numbers.

The array of industry leaders, and tech-entrepreneurs, decision-makers, and tech ecosystem players from across the continent, will unpack the various challenges, scenarios, and mind-blowing economic opportunities in ‘Harnessing Digital Identity for Digital Economy Agenda’; ‘Creating Sustainable Future through Connectivity’; ‘Blockchain & Cryptocurrency – The Future of Money’; and ‘Cloud Computing in 5G Era – Everything-As-A-Service’.

According to Statista, 97% of respondents to a digital transformation survey stated that the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, sped up digital transformation processes in their respective organisations.

Global spending on digital transformation is projected to reach $1.78 trillion in 2022. But in what ways will this transformation manifest?

Africa Tech Alliance Forum 2021 to center on digital transformation solutions - ITPulse.com.ngThe answer lies in trends that will shape the businesses of tomorrow. The case is no different for the Government: The current, incremental pace of economic and social advancement shows too many of Africa’s expanding youth population will be denied the opportunity to live up to their potential. Therefore, Africa should think big on digital development.

“Digital technologies offer a chance to disrupt this trajectory – unlocking new pathways for rapid economic growth, innovation, job creation and access to services which would have been unimaginable only a decade ago.

“Yet there is also a growing ‘digital divide’, and increased cyber risks, which need urgent and coordinated action to mitigate. Access to the internet remains out of reach for many citizens in the continent. Too few citizens have digital IDs or transaction accounts – locking them out of access to critical services and e-commerce”, said Mr. Chike Onwuegbuchi, the co-Convener AfriTECH 2.0 and Co-Founder of TechCastle Foundation.

Continuing, he said, “Digital startups seek more funding and ‘traditional’ businesses are only slowly adopting digital technologies and platforms to boost productivity and sales. Few governments are investing strategically and systematically in developing digital infrastructure, services, skills and entrepreneurship.

“To become tomorrow’s innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders, Africa’s youth need to be empowered with the digital skills and access to technology and markets that are essential to thrive in an increasingly digitized global economy. The time for action is now! Join us at AfriTECH 2.0

On his part, Peter Oluka, the Editor of TechEconomy.ng, said that AfriTECH 2.0 will be a consolidation on the last year’s edition with massive publicity and industry participation, adding that delegates should expect issue-based Forum through Keynotes, Panel Discussions, Exhibitions, Innovation Management Workshops, and AfriTECH AWARDS 2022.

“Africa Tech Alliance Forum 2022 will culminate in awards ceremony which aims to celebrate and reward companies and individuals on the African continent that have demonstrated excellence in the areas of innovative product/service development, policy/regulations, amongst other areas”.

“We are very excited about the feedbacks so far with regards potential speakers, panellists and even the potential awardees.

Delegates will be exposed to unique insights into the different ways 5G networks, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain/cryptocurrency, digital identity, and the Internet of Things (IoT) will shape the future of Africa’s development.

With only 300 in-person passes available to the public, interested attendees are encouraged to secure their spot by going to AfriTECH 2.0 or click the link here to register: https://registration.africatechallianceforum.africa/

 

 

 

 

Verified.Africa Lands in Ghana, South Africa and Kenya with ID Verification Services.

Verified.Africa Lands in Ghana, South Africa and Kenya with ID Verification Services.

 

 

Africa’s burgeoning digital identity startup Verified.Africa has launched in Ghana, South Africa and Kenya with its verification services now available to businesses and individuals in these countries.

 

With initial operations in Nigeria since 2021, Verified.africa is making good on its roadmap to achieve digital inclusion for all on the continent.

 

Since its inception, Verified Africa has recorded over 300 thousand digital identity verifications from a thousand plus businesses – enabling startups, banks and SMEs to confirm the true identity of people safely.

 

As Frank Atube pointed out in the company’s blog release, “Ghana, South Africa and Kenya represent key markets for Verified’s roadmap into continental dominance and with this launch, we’re thrilled to open our doors to businesses and individuals in three more countries – bringing the best of digital verification to your shores.”

 

The digital identity industry has never been more important to online security and customer trust. KYC (Know your customer) and AML (anti-money laundering) protocols have become stricter with governments looking to secure economic growth and eliminate loss from fraudulent transactions.

 

Verified.africa through the use of machine learning & facial recognition technologies, facilitates this process for both businesses and individuals by helping them eliminate fraud, onboard online customers faster, and meet KYC compliance in minutes.

 

With this expansion, businesses in Ghana, South Africa and Kenya can now enjoy these benefits as they easily verify IDs in real-time anywhere in Africa using any of verified.africa’s services.

From National IDs to Business Certificates to Tax IDs, Verified.africa connects to multiple databases of identity records across the continent to enable you to confirm that people are exactly who they say they are.

 

The company plans to expand its footprint to other African countries over the next 18 months, becoming the most widely used verification platform on the continent.

 

To get started with Verified.africa, you can sign up on their portal at verified.africa/signup.

 

About Verified.africa

 

Verified.Africa is a product of Seamfix Ltd, a technology partner for thousands of global organizations on their journey of Digital Transformation for business growth and customer satisfaction.

 

Through their Verification Platform, businesses in Africa can easily verify the identity of customers, partners, and employees – helping them grow their customer base faster, prevent fraud and operate with better turnover.

ONE THING WE HAVE DONE RIGHT IN NOWNOW IS TO GATHER EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS FROM ACROSS THE WORLD – OYENIKE OWOMOYELA

ONE THING WE HAVE DONE RIGHT IN NOWNOW IS TO GATHER EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS FROM ACROSS THE WORLD – OYENIKE OWOMOYELA

 

 

 

In this interview with the top executive of NowNowDigital Systems  Limited, Oyenike Owomoyela who is the Head of Growth at NowNow, a financial technology (FinTech) firm based in Lagos. She talks about their strides in the fintech ecosystem such as the launch of their debit cards and virtual cards for their customers. She spoke of the impact the apex bank; the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has made in the sector and how thy have made their API available for fintechs to use. Anthony Nwosu captured this in this exclusive interview. Oyenike is an expert in Financial Inclusion, Mass Retail & Youth Banking, digital sales products and loans, SME, process improvement and innovations to increase digital adoption by customers for seamless customer onboarding and retention via USSD, APS and Web.

 

Tell us the mission behind NowNow as a fintech firm?  

Our mission as a leading African B2B and B2C FinTech company is to deliver best in class financial services to SMEs, Agents and Consumers alike. We have a passion to deepen financial inclusion and provide job opportunities to the unemployed youths in Nigeria. We are a mobile bank that gives you control over how you spend your money. Be the Boss when you send money, receive money and pay bills for everyday essentials such as recharge card and data, insurance, electricity, shop online and instore-all in one place!

What informed the name NowNow?

We wanted to resonate first with one of the country’s local languages; Nigerian Pidgin English, what NowNow means in pidgin is to make haste or get something done instantly. The name also connotes that we are a fast-paced technology company that offers efficient services with speed! Our mission is to be a leading African B2B and B2C FinTech company whose mission is to deliver best in class financial services to SMEs, Agents and Consumers alike. We are building the world’s best technology that digitizes cash payments and provides financial empowerment for a better life for everyone.

Your slogan is “The New Way to Bank”, how has the journey been over these years?

We wanted to play on the double words ‘NowNow’ hence the slogan. Also, we realized there were a lot of negative sentiments with brick-and-mortar banks which included crowded banking halls, non-presence of bank branches at remote locations, slow response to customer complaints and resolution of issues. We wanted consumers to believe there is a new digital bank that will ensure they have control over their finances 24/7. Our customers resonate with the New way to bank and we have seen a steady increase in the adoption of our products and services.

Nigerian Fintech ecosystem can be said to be pretty busy, maybe one of the busiest in the continent, what are the unique things that set you apart from other players?

One thing we have done right in NowNow is to gather experienced professionals from across the world in the FinTech and Financial Services space hence we have a global view of what we need to do to achieve our goals as an organization. We are also focused on agile and adaptive technology and have a presence not only in the urban centers but rural communities also. We offer financial literacy tools as well as business solutions to all our consumers and merchants as a whole and have empowered a lot of youths and the unemployed through our agency banking model.

Opening an account in minutes is one of your selling points, how and what are you doing to ensure compliance with CBN regulation in the area of KYC?

Absolutely, this has been one of our major achievements; fast and seamless onboarding. What we have also done is to leverage API integrations with NIBSS and other 3rd party providers to ensure that we are opening quality wallets and profiling customers in line with the CBN 3-tiered KYC policy. Our Compliance team is also doing a lot at the backend to ensure transaction monitoring takes effect and processes related to KYC upgrades are done as at when due digitally. We also carry our EDD on transactions when the need arises.

How many downloads are we, looking at present from Nigerians?

We are aspirational when it comes to our consumer app, hence, we are on track to hit more than 1 million downloads by the end of the year. Yes, we know our competitors have well over that amount but what is paramount to us is not just the downloads but retaining those users to be loyal consumers for the long haul. Here we strongly believe in offering world calls financial services to people. We might not have millions of downloads yet but we are looking at offering seamless services to many people and these people will be with us on a long haul.

What is your market share in Nigeria, and do you have footprints in other African countries?

We think of ourselves as an embedded finance business, no longer a start-up. With that being said, it is part of our mission statement to have digital footprints all over Africa and really make a difference wherever we go. However, more information will be unveiled as we commence operations in more countries in the near future. We are looking seriously at the sub-Saharan fintech market. We have the expertise and the traction.

Some of the online banks do give debit cards, have you ever thought of that?

We recently had a soft launch phase of our Naira debit Mastercard in early August 2022 and we already have over 2000 active cards. We also have a virtual card which most of our consumers currently use for online transactions. So, we can say that we are abreast with the technology trends in the country. We do give out cards for those that love using cards but our strength also is in cardless transactions.

Do you think that the CBN is creating the enabling environments for fintech like yours to thrive?

In affirmative, the Apex bank created licenses that FinTechs can explore for financial services businesses all through. CBN believes that FinTechs are key actors in achieving National Financial Inclusion goals with Technology, Innovation, Speed and Scale. They also created a sandbox environment for product testing and innovation.

What are the challenges that you face in this business?

There are various challenges but I will mention the items that have the most impact: The rapid changes in macroeconomic landscape and terrain, upsurge and threats of competitors in various shapes and forms, shortages of skilled human capital, infrastructure not supporting scale i.e. internet penetration and switching infrastructure, insecurity and lastly, lower margins and ROE inhibiting access to capital (equity or debt).

What do we expect from NowNow this latter part of the year?

A few things! Firstly, our card campaign, which is aimed at our B2C customer segment – a project that we have been working on extensively for quite some time. We also have a new product launch to tackle the SME segment in Nigeria, which has one of the largest footprints of SMEs in Africa. We want to empower this segment by creating a digital platform that moves them from offline to online, provides access to market channels as well as financial capabilities, and ERP solutions. All these and many more are in the pipeline to really propell business owners to the next level of exposure and success. We will begin to roll out these products as we progress.

 

“One thing we have done right in NowNow is to gather experienced professionals from across the world in the FinTech and Financial Services space hence we have a global view of what we need to do to achieve our goals as an organization. We are also focused on agile and adaptive technology and have a presence not only in the urban centers but rural communities also.”

NOWNOW DIGITAL SYSTEMS TO EMPOWER SMEs SEGMENT BY CREATING A DIGITAL PLATFORM

NOWNOW DIGITAL SYSTEMS TO EMPOWER SMEs SEGMENT BY CREATING A DIGITAL PLATFORM

 

 

In Africa, the Nigerian financial technology (Fintech) ecosystem is one of the busiest and biggest in the continent. Handling transaction worth billions of Naira on daily basis. The need to be innovative, adaptive and secured platform are core factors that makes the industry players relevant. In this market, an indigenous fintech firm, NOWNOW Limited has taken the industry by the storm with their arrays of robust services and innovative solutions that have come to awe the tech savvy customers.

Speaking to the media on these solutions, Oyenike Owomoyela who is the Head of Growth at NowNow said that “Our mission as a leading African B2B and B2C FinTech company is to deliver best in class financial services to SMEs, Agents and Consumers alike. We have a passion to deepen financial inclusion and provide job opportunities to the unemployed youths in Nigeria. We are a mobile bank that gives you control over how you spend your money. Be the Boss when you send money, receive money and pay bills for everyday essentials such as recharge card and data, insurance, electricity, shop online and instore-all in one place.”

On why they choose the name NOWNOW, she added that” We wanted to resonate first with one of the country’s local languages; Nigerian Pidgin English, what NowNow means in pidgin is to make haste or get something done instantly. The name also connotes that we are a fast-paced technology company that offers efficient services with speed! Our mission is to be a leading African B2B and B2C FinTech company whose mission is to deliver best in class financial services to SMEs, Agents and Consumers alike. We are building the world’s best technology that digitizes cash payments and provides financial empowerment for a better life for everyone. We wanted to play on the double words ‘NowNow’ hence the slogan. Also, we realized there were a lot of negative sentiments with brick-and-mortar banks which included crowded banking halls, non-presence of bank branches at remote locations, slow response to customer complaints and resolution of issues.”

With the dearth of capacity in the industry, this has seen a lot of software developers and engineers leave the country and has resulted to downtime in some of the financial players platforms. NOWNOW has reassured their customers of 99% uptime and has made sure that they have the required manpower to power the industry. Oyenike opined that “One thing we have done right in NowNow is to gather experienced professionals from across the world in the FinTech and Financial Services space hence we have a global view of what we need to do to achieve our goals as an organization. We are also focused on agile and adaptive technology and have a presence not only in the urban centres but rural communities also. We offer financial literacy tools as well as business solutions to all our consumers and merchants as a whole and have empowered a lot of youths and the unemployed through our agency banking model. “

On the as of doing business and opening account, this has been one of their major achievements; fast and seamless onboarding. What NOWNOW has done is to leverage API integrations with NIBSS and other 3rd party providers to ensure that we are opening quality wallets and profiling customers in line with the CBN 3-tiered KYC policy. Oyenike said that “Our Compliance team is also doing a lot at the backend to ensure transaction monitoring takes effect and processes related to KYC upgrades are done as at when due digitally. We also carry our EDD on transactions when the need arises.”

During this last quarter, the company has a lot of things for the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMs) and they have said that thy are desirous of moving their business offline to online where businesses and transactions will be seamlessly. Noting that the SMEs are the power house of the economy and shouldn’t be overlooked. They said that this last quarter will be focused on them. “Our card campaign, which is aimed at our B2C customer segment – a project that we have been working on extensively for quite some time. We also have a new product launch to tackle the SME segment in Nigeria, which has one of the largest footprints of SMEs in Africa. We want to empower this segment by creating a digital platform that moves them from offline to online, provides access to market channels as well as financial capabilities, and ERP solutions. All these and many more are in the pipeline to really propel business owners to the next level of exposure and success. We will begin to roll out these products as we progress”, Oyenike concludes.

 

 

ANTHONY EMEKA NWOSU

 

 

 

“One thing we have done right in NowNow is to gather experienced professionals from across the world in the FinTech and Financial Services space hence we have a global view of what we need to do to achieve our goals as an organization. We are also focused on agile and adaptive technology and have a presence not only in the urban centres but rural communities also. We offer financial literacy tools as well as business solutions to all our consumers and merchants as a whole and have empowered a lot of youths and the unemployed through our agency banking model.”