Exploring Nigeria’s Burgeoning Tech Scene

Ever since it was founded in 2010, the Co-Creation hub in the Yaba district of Lagos has been spearheading Nigeria’s ambitions to become Africa’s technology hotspot.

With international venture capitalists and homegrown entrepreneurs making Yaba their home, it’s joined other successful African tech hubs like Silicon Savannah in Kenya and South Africa’s Silicon Cape in modernising the continent’s economic infrastructure.

A big part of why this area of the city has grown to be attractive to investors is the fact that it’s handily located near the University of Lagos and the Yaba College of Technology who supply the vibrant start-up scene with a fresh pool of young and enthusiastic talent.

As a result, some of Africa’s most profitable new tech companies have made Yaba their home. A case in point is Konga who’ve become one of the continent’s leading online retailers as a result of switching their operations to this unassuming inner-city location.

Rather than suffering the high rent of Lagos’ more upmarket locations like Lekki and Ikoyi, the hub offers low operating costs that have attracted promising start-ups such as Hellofood and Easy Taxi to supercharge the developing Nigerian tech scene.

With the amount of mobile subscribers in Nigeria now reaching 150 million users, the country offers a phenomenally attractive prospect for foreign investors. Whilst overseas brands such as Sweden’s Millicom have already moved into Lagos, there’s still opportunity for other brands to stake their claim to this promising market.

Although the mobile market in places like the US and UK has already reached near saturation point with social media channels like Instagram and Snapchat offering pocket-sized communication and even gaming brands like LadyLucks providing on-the-go casino games, the Nigerian tech sector is just coming into fruition.

As a result we’ve seen several new Nigerian tech companies making the extra effort to stake their claim to this new market. Hotel booking companies like Hotels.ng have sprung up to cater to Nigeria’s burgeoning tourism and business sectors, and whilst the country still suffers from relatively low internet speeds and mobile coverage, it’s clear that this is a very promising area for business.

And with firms like AfriOne developing the first Nigerian-made smartphones, it’s only a matter of time before the nation has its own version of brands like LadyLucks to ensure that there’s no part of life that can’t be enhanced by Nigeria’s growing tech scene.

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Lanre Gentry, Mercy Aigbe’s Hubby, Gets New Lover

Lanre Gentry and Temi

Lanre Gentry, the estranged husband of Nollywood actress Mercy Aigbe is moving on with his life, and reconciliation with Mercy Aigbe, may have been foreclosed.

In his Instagram private account on Saturday, Gentry who was docked at a magistrate court in Ikeja Lagos for wife battery recently, posted the photograph of himself and another beautiful lady.

His simple caption for the Black and White photo speaks volume: ‘Temi My Love”. He left the rest for the imagination.

Lanre Gentry, with Mercy Aigbe

The post has been generating comments, especially on a parody Instagram account #lanregentry:

ebbiekikzarrrh, wait ooo, now now he aidy has a new love? is he not planning to work things out with mercy Aigbe?

goldenperpyIssa ok

tolyet4Chai..wonders shall never end

puriluvlasexyCongratulations sir,continue

usmanashafe@ebbiekikz so if a woman send ur brother go kirikiri for 7 days, u go advice ur brother to work things out with her abi?

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Jowhor Ile Wins Etisalat Literature Prize

Jowhor Ile, winner of the 2016 Etisalat Literature Prize

Nigerian writer, Jowhor Ile has been announced the winner of the 2016 Etisalat Literature Prize at the Grand Finale in Lagos, which took place almost two months behind schedule.

His book, And after Many Days was the pick of the panel of judges, over Jacqui L’Ange (South Africa) The Seed Thief and and another Nigerian Juliet Iromuanya’s Mr and Mrs Doctor.

Jowhor Ile’s book was published in Nigeria by Kachifo Limited.

According to the Chair of Judges, Helon Habila, Nigerian novelist and poet, the three writers were selected from a long list after fulfilling some criteria.

These Habila said were ” in addition to originality of voice and literary excellence, our purpose was to also select a work that portrays an African sensibility”.

Soni Irabor congratulates Jowhor Ile

Other judges were South African writer/activist, Elinor Sisulu; and Ivorian writer and Africa39 laureate, Edwige Renée Dro.

As the winner, Jowhor Ile will receive £15,000, an engraved Montblanc Meisterstück pen, an Etisalat sponsored book tour to three African countries.

He will also have an Etisalat-sponsored fellowship at the University of East Anglia, mentored by Professor Giles Foden, author of The Last King of Scotland.

The other runners-up will also enjoy a sponsored multi-city book tour while Etisalat will also purchase 1,000 copies of their books for distribution to schools, libraries and book clubs across Africa with the objective of promoting the reading culture and the publishing industry at large.

The past winners of the Etisalat Prize for Literature include Fiston Mwanza Mujila from The Democratic Republic of Congo (Tram 83; 2015); South African novelist Songeziwe Mahlangu (Penumbra, 2014) and Zimbabwean writer NoViolet Bulawayo (We Need New Names, 2013).

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Huggings, Tears of Joy as Chibok Girls Reunite With Parents

Chibok girl: A father in a bear hug with daughter

Emotional scenes, tears, huggings, Saturday dominated the reunion of the recently released 82 kidnapped Chibok girls with their parents.

At the reunion held in Abuja, fathers gripped their daughters in tight embrace, while mothers shrieked with joy, wiping away tears streaming from their eyes. In one scene, captured by the cameras, both the parents, along with one of the girls, burst out in tears of joy.

One beaming father picked his daughter up and swung her around in the air.

One of rescued Chibok School Girls with her Mother

They hadn’t seen each other since 14 April 2014, when Boko Haram militants snatched 270 schoolgirls from their dormitories in northeast Nigeria.

“I’m feeling very happy, I was dancing with her, she’s very happy,” said Yakubu Nkeki, whose niece Maimuna — who he had raised as his own child — was among the 82 released.

“Everyone was dancing today, even the old ones, everyone was dancing,” Nkeki told AFP.

“All of us had lost hope, we thought the girls would not be returned.”

Nkeki, who represents the Chibok parents, said that they would attend a church service with the girls on Sunday, before returning home early next week.

Chibok girls at the reunion. All Photos by Sunday Aghaeze

In the meantime the girls would stay in a government facility in Abuja where they are receiving therapy and vocational training.

Nigeria’s minister for women affairs, Aisha Alhassan has said that the government’s goal is to have all the rescued Chibok girls back in school by September.

The group of 82 girls was released in May in exchange for five Boko Haram commanders following months of negotiations brokered by the Swiss government and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Twenty-one of their classmates were freed in October last year, while three others had previously been found or escaped.

The Federal government has said it is still in talks to release the remaining 113 girls in captivity.

In a statement the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,said the group of 82 girls had also been reunited with 24 others, who were rescued by the Federal Government last year.

Minister of Women’s affairs, Aisha Alhassan said “the children are being rehabilitated and we believe that in due course they will be properly aligned with their families.

“Intensive medical attention is being administered and as soon as they are done, they will be enrolled into a remedial programme’’.

Alhasan also disclosed that the 24 others who were rescued last year were undergoing psycho-social counselling and remedial programmes preparatory to their enrolment in school next academic session.

“For the 21 and three that were earlier released, I wish to inform us that their psycho-social counselling is still in progress and of course they have started remedial classes.

“They are being taught five subjects, which is designed with a view to getting them back to school come the next school session, which is in September this year.

“They will be settled in various schools and I am sure they will continue their education from there,’’ she said.

The Minister gave assurance of the Federal Government’s commitment to rescue the remaining girls in captivity. She also expressed appreciation to all those involved in the rescue mission.

The Chairman of the parents of the abducted school girls, Yakubu Nkeki said their joy had no bounds and thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for wiping away their tears.

So far, 106 Chibok school girls, out of the 219 captured on the night of April 14, 2014, have been rescued.

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Italian Masters: Djokovic Slays Dominic Thiem

Djokovic: ruthless with Thiem

Novak Djokovic has sent signals that he has regained his form when he ruthlessly dismissed Dominic Thiem, 6-1 6-0 to qualify for the Italian Masters final in Rome.

He will meet Alexander Zverev who had earlier defeated American John Isner in three sets, 6-4 6-7 6-1.

Thiem had on Friday defeated Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals.

Djokovic crushing of Thiem was significant as the World Number 2 had earlier in the day, in a rescheduled quarter-final match, battled past Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro 6-1 6-4 .

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