Team Cavista Holdings (L-R): John Olajide (Founder & Chairman), Dele Michael Odufuye (Nigeria Country Director & Vice-President) John Olajide has just been inducted into the Junior Achievement of Dallas, Inc. 2024 Business Hall of Fame, whose mission is to empower leaders of tomorrow through education and mentorship. Olajide is Chairman of Cavista Holdings (strategic investors in the world’s most underserved regions, in the areas of agriculture, energy, hospitality, mining, and technology). A few of the organisation’s investments include Agbeyewa Farms, (set to be the cornerstone of Nigeria’s next cassava revolution) and Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort and Conference centre – both in Ekiti State.…
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Challenging times: Emeka Frederick recently shared his insights with the BBC about the UK’s floundering hospitality industry At a time when the UK’s hospitality sector is at an all time low, industry leaders have said the industry is fighting for survival. Little surprise when Emeka Frederick (Co-founder of the extremely popular Chuku’s Nigerian Tapas Restaurant, UK) chimes in: “Two of our neighbouring restaurants have closed down! They didn’t return after Christmas 😞.” Sibling founders of Chuku’s Nigerian tapas restaurant: Emeka and Ifeyinwa The reality is evident as restaurant closures continue to clearly surpass openings, particularly in suburban areas, leaving business…
Airtel Nigeria has initiated the ground-breaking ceremony for NXtra, the largest data centre in the country. The event, which held in Lagos on March 12, 2024 at Eko Atlantic, marked a significant step towards enabling enable businesses to locally manage, store, and analyse their data efficiently and securely. During the construction phase of Nxtra, it will create over 1,000 jobs, and, upon completion, establish 250 permanent positions. (L-R): Bosun Tijani (Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy); Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State In today’s data-driven business environment, there is an increasing need for reliable, high-performance network connections to support…
Located in a quiet little corner of London’s Borough Market is a new West African restaurant, Akara, which invites visitors to explore its distinctive approach to Akara (the crispy, black-eye bean fritters eaten throughout West Africa). The black-eye bean fritters are a blend of the Nigerian Akara Osu and the Brazilian Acaraje. The re-imagined versions of Akara served by the restaurant are at the core of an à la carte menu, together with a diverse selection of dishes (street food, barbecued meat and fish), each narrating the journey of Akara through various regions and countries. Typical platters on the menu include…
Aishetu Fatima Dozie (Founder, Bossy Cosmetics) 📸 Aishetu/ LinkedIn Aishetu Fatima Dozie is the founder of Bossy Cosmetics, a hyper-growth independent beauty company that inspires, empowers, and champions ambitious working women. And she’s ecstatic to share that Bossy Cosmetics Inc. is now available at Nordstrom! Says Ms. Dozie: “It’s been such fun times growing up as a human, brand founder, and business leader. What a journey and a privileged one at that”. As Bossy Cosmetics turns 5 on International Women’s Day 2024, Aishetu adds: “A HUGE thank you to everyone who’s shopped our products, written us hundreds of great reviews, told their friends…
MTN Foundation (the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of MTN Nigeria) has announced its plans to invest a total of N600 million to directly benefit 1,000 female entrepreneurs in the second iteration of its Y’ellopreneur project, whose objective is to create employment and enhance entrepreneurship amongst women through capacity building and access to capital. Some of the support vehicles include loans, grants, and advisory services in order to achieve long-term business sustainability. Odunayo Sanya (Executive Director, MTN Foundation) Speaking yesterday at the launch of Phase 2 of Y’ellopreneur, Odunayo Sanya (Executive Director, MTN Foundation) reiterated that Y’ellopreneur Phase 2 would provide…
Last week, Tommie Edwards (Founder, Tech1M), alongside her fellow G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance colleagues, converged in Dubai for a two-day meet. The 500,000-strong global network, which represents young entrepreneurs and their support systems, highlights the role that entrepreneurship plays in driving economic renewal, job creation, innovation, and social change. Says Tommie: “In Dubai, we met with leaders from diverse entrepreneurial associations under 40, strategized our next steps, and explored key topics of interest to the global economic community. “Dubai, with its blend of tradition and a future-focused vision, provided an inspiring backdrop for our discussions. We also had the privilege of collaborating…
(L-R): Allen Onyema (Chairman & Founder, Air Peace Limited); Adenike Macaulay (CEO, Wakanow Nigeria); Toyin Olajide (COO, Airpeace); Olushola Ipinmoroti (VP Commercial, Wakanow Nigeria) As part of its commitment to support the aviation industry, Wakanow (one of the largest online travel and tours operators in Africa) has announced a strategic alliance with Air Peace Limited in support of the private Nigerian airline’s historic launch of new Lagos-London flights, kicking off on March 30, 2024. During a roundtable session led by Barr Allen Onyema (Chairman of Air Peace), the CEO of Wakanow, Adenike Macaulay, emphasised Wakanow’s commitment of deploying all of the technology and…
Adejoke Lasisi (Founder, Planet 3R) 📸 Adejoke Lasisi is the founder of Planet 3R, a Social Enterprise dedicated to converting textile and plastic wastes into Innovative and eco-friendly products. Renown for her forays into upcycling, her latest venture involves converting Dangote Salt waste sachets into delightful bags. 🎥 Planet3R Says Lasisi: “What do you think of the outcome?We hope the Dangote Group will love this as much as we do😊 These bags have saved up to 140 (250g) Dangote Salt waste sachets from ending up in the ocean.
Receiving the Best Bank for SMEs in Africa 2024 prize: Carol Oyedeji (Acting Group Executive, Ecobank Commercial Banking) 📸 @EcobankNigeria Leading pan-African Banking Group, Ecobank, has won the esteemed Best Bank for SMEs in Africa 2024 prize, during the Global Finance annual SME Bank Awards. The award ceremony took place on February 20, 2024 at Glaziers Hall in London, UK. One of the Group’s affiliates, Ecobank Nigeria, also emerged Best FX Bank under the Country & Territory Awards category for Nigeria. This latest recognition adds to Ecobank’s growing list of accolades, including being named Africa’s Best Bank for SMEs in Euromoney’s Awards…