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Akwa Ibom Lauds MTN Foundation For Advancing Tourism, Youth Empowerment

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The MTN Foundation in partnership with the Duke of Shomolu Productions brought smiles to faces in Akwa Ibom as the story, Ibiom: When Doves Fly, was masterfully retold in a two-day show at the Ibom Hall on April 30 and May 1.

The production received the full support of the government and was well-attended by dignitaries including the Deputy Governor, Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Moses Ekpo; the First Lady, Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Martha Udom Emmanuel; the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Akwa Ibom State, Orman Esin; renowned businessman/industrialist, Akan Udofia and several members from the State’s Executive Council. 

At the heart of the project were youth empowerment and cultural tourism. This informed the execution of the project in two phases – a free one-week training for 500 youths in Akwa Ibom and a two day-performance of the play. The training was facilitated by the former Director-General of the National Theatre/National Troupe of Nigeria, Professor Ahmed Yerima, who taught the participants the art of storytelling, filmmaking, acting and theatre performance.

The entire production also heavily engaged the youths of Akwa Ibom in various aspects of the production including performance and stage design. Notably, students of the University of Uyo were charged with the design and construction of the set. The involvement and training of the Akwa Ibom youth was well-received by the people and government of Akwa Ibom State. 

Speaking on MTN’s commitment to the continuous development and empowerment of the Nigerian youth, the General Manager, Eastern Regional Operations, MTN Nigeria Mr. Innocent Entonu, explained that MTN understands the role and importance of youths in every society, which is why the company invests heavily on youth development.

“The MTN brand has always shown support to causes and projects that empower and serve the Nigerian youth. One of the reasons for that is because we know that the youths are the future of this country. They are creative, innovative and possess boundless potential. Investing in their empowerment is crucial as it benefits them on an individual level, and the entire society.” 

Lauding MTN for its role in empowering the youth of Akwa Ibom and advancing the state’s tourism drive, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Akwa Ibom State, Orman Esin stated, “The production has been able to tell our people where we’re coming from and where we’re heading to. We have a lot of talents here and this has been able to locate most of them. The contribution of Ibiom to our economy is like a value chain and we’re very happy about that.

“I’m aware that wherever the Duke of Shomolu goes, MTN goes so I’m excited they came here and for us. It didn’t take me time to know we have to be part of it. You can see that the Akwa-Ibom State Government was fully involved here today. This shows how excited we are. I’m happy that MTN came to sponsor this. I think this project has also done an intervention by re-energizing the sense of tourism which is a very important agenda in this state.” 

The producer of the play, Joseph Edgar, thanked MTN for its invaluable support in ensuring the success of the play, “I just want to say big thank you to MTN. It’s not really easy. Our other sponsors did not really respond for the obvious reasons, but MTN came through. Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to do this production.” 

Affirming the MTN Foundation’s dedication to projects that promote Nigerian culture, Entonu said, “The MTN Foundation has continued to show unwavering commitment to the telling of authentic Nigerian stories and the promotion of Nigerian cultures. We have sponsored events across the length and breadth of this country, including cultural festivals in the North, South, West and East of the country. Clearly, there are no boundaries and we will continue to look for new and creative ideas to support the Nigerian cultural heritage and innovation.”

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Travels

ETAP Launches First Digital Car Insurance Product In Africa

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ETAP, an insurance technology company that creates solutions and incentives to improve the automotive experience across Africa, has launched ETAP Takaful, a new ethical car insurance product that is based on Islamic principles and designed to give back to policyholders and their communities.

 ETAP Takaful, is designed to redistribute funds to users and support social good in their communities. Policyholders contribute to a common fund to cover each other against damage and loss, and once a year, ETAP will collate all the remaining funds after claims and associated costs have been deducted and redistribute to policyholders, or to their chosen nonprofit cause.

The global takaful insurance market is projected to reach $97.17 billion by 2030 and ETAP is the first African insurtech to enable the option on the continent. Starting in Nigeria, users can now access the option on the ETAP app alongside other insurance options and immediately begin to give back to their communities while having the peace of mind that comes with having their cars insured.  

CEO and founder of ETAP, Ibraheem Babalola said, “To drive insurance penetration in Africa, where less than three per cent of the population own any kind of insurance, we need to design new products that meet the diverse needs of people across the continent.

“In a country like Nigeria where Muslims make up almost half of the 220 million population, the vast majority of insurance products on the market are not an option to most Muslims because the way the policies are structured goes against their religious belief. We have built one of the most exciting insurance apps in the world and ETAP Takaful will make it easier for more people to access the many benefits that come with our app and enable more enjoyable driving experiences”.

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Motoring Technology

Trucks Transit Parks Ltd Dismisses Rumour of Court Removal of its MD

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The Management of Trucks Transit Parks Limited (TTP) had shed light on the news making the rounds in various news platforms in respect of an interim order granted by the Federal High Court, on 11th August 2022 in a matter against the co-founder of TTP (Mr. Jama Onwubuariri) in respect of the role of Managing Director of TTP. 

Clarifying the situation of things for its stakeholders and the general public, TTP stated “Our findings reveal that an interim injunction was indeed granted against Mr. Jama Onwubuariri by a judge of the Federal High Court on 11th August 2022.

But lawyers to Mr. Onwubuariri have filed an application before the court for stay of execution and discharge of the said order on the basis that certain facts were not disclosed to the court in the application for injunction such as the existence of the status quo earlier granted by another judge of the Federal High Court in respect of the same facts and the violation of same by the sponsors of the suit was not disclosed in their plaintiff’s application”.

The matter came up for hearing of the application to discharge the court order on Thursday 18th August 2022, but the plaintiff’s counsel informed the court that its processes were yet to be filed, because their deponent, Mr. Temidayo Adeboye, was not available to depose to the affidavit. Honouring the plaintiff’s counsel’s request, the court adjourned the matter to Tuesday 23rd August 2022 for a hearing of the application for stay of execution and discharge of the interim order.

TTP wishes to state categorically state that the injunction did not declare or appoint Mr. Temidayo Adeboye or anyone else as the Acting Managing Director of TTP. Therefore, all stakeholders and the general public are advised to disregard anyone parading him or herself as the Acting Managing Director of TTP and anyone who transacts with such person does so at his or her own risk.

Trucks Transit Parks would therefore like all stakeholders to disregard the news with the headline “Court Stops Ex-MD from Representing Trucks Transit Parks” and other related headlines. No change in the management of the company has taken effect and whatever changes do occur will be duly communicated. 

The management of TTP reiterates its commitment to stakeholders and the general public business operations continue uninterrupted. 

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Africa Region

Google Invests in Lori Systems to Help Bring Digital Transport Management to Africa   

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Lori Systems (www.lorisystems.com), the e-logistics company digitizing haulage and providing shippers with solutions to efficiently manage their cargo and transporters, has announced an investment from Google.

Named by the Financial Times earlier this year as Africa’s seventh fastest-growing company, Lori Systems has helped thousands of shippers and carriers move over $10 billion of cargo across the continent since its founding in 2017.

According to Knight Frank’s Logistics Africa report, 75% of the price of a product in Africa is attributed to logistics (compared to just 6% in the U.S.). On the continent, logistics operators face a host of problems; from fragmented supply and demand markets to inconsistent pricing, paper documentation and little or no access to financing.

A pioneer in e-logistics in Africa, Lori Systems lowers the cost of goods by eliminating pain points along the cargo journey: seamlessly connecting shippers to transportation, providing shippers with solutions to efficiently manage their cargo and transporters, and digitizing their entire transport operations from sourcing transportation to documentation and payments. 

This new investment is the third from Google’s $50 Million Africa Investment Fund, which CEO Sundar Pichai announced in October 2021. It comes off the back of the launch of Google’s first product development center on the continent, in Nairobi, Kenya, the city where Lori Systems first launched.

“At Google, we understand the transformative power digitisation can bring to the African continent. There is so much potential in the region, but it’s only through innovation that this can be fully unlocked. Lori Systems is a great example of how technology can be scalable across Africa, and how, in turn, this can drive meaningful economic development. We’re excited to see where the future takes a business like this.” comments Nitin Gajria, Google’s Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Jean-Claude Homawoo, Lori Systems Co-founder & CPO, comments, “In recent years the global logistics industry has seen much innovation. However global supply chains are in dire need of modernization, with technologies yet to reach critical scale.

On the continent, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is expected to lead to an 81% increase in intra-African trade, providing a $21.9 Billion opportunity in untapped trade potential that the 54 ratifying countries are hoping to capitalize on over the next 5 years. Logistics is key to unlocking this opportunity.”

“We’re excited to have Google as a partner as we continue to build the operating system for emerging market logistics. Our vision of the future of logistics in Africa is one that is digital, scalable and more efficient.” said Lori Systems CEO Uche Ogboi.

“We have been successful, achieving up to 20% price reduction for cargo owners and nearly 2x increase in truck utilization for transporters on our platform. We are excited about this funding as it will allow us to continue driving superior efficiencies across logistics on the continent,” Ogboi added.

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