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Why 60 Million Youths Honoured New Horizons CEO, Tim Akano

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The CEO of New Horizons Nigeria, Mr Tim Akano has been honoured by Nigerian youths for his relentless commitment and unparalleled passion for youths’ empowerment.

 The nine groups with over 60 million strong memberships cut across Nigeria, Africa and in diaspora came through their representatives to recognise and honour the CEO with various awards at New Horizons Head office in Lagos.

Among the groups are the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), Northern Nigeria Students (ANNS), Nigeria Youth Representative Council (NYRC), Coalition of Nigerian Young Patriots (CNYP), Nigerian Youths Initiative for Peace and Good Governance (NYIPGG), Students Coalition Rebirth of Nigeria (SCRN), Inter-Faith Youth Council of Nigeria (IFYCN), National Association of Mathematical Science Students of Nigeria(NAMSSN) and League of African Development Students (LEAD Africa).

Recently, the federal government of Nigeria named Akano as Nigeria’s Icon of Youth Empowerment through the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Skills Acquisitions and Empowerment Department (SAED). Similarly, over 120 national, continental and international organisations including the Students Union Council (Nigeria Universities Students), Northern Youth Council, Oodua Youths Parliament, Trans Africa Youth Initiatives (TAYI) and Nigeria Committee of Vice-Chancellors have conferred different honours in appreciation of his contributions to mankind. 

Speaking for the Association of Northern Nigeria Students( ANNS), the national secretary, Amb. Nafiu Danlami, said, “We want to appreciate you for what you have been doing for Nigerian and African youths. You have given us a better platform to showcase Africa to the world through what we produce on the continent and also earn money from it. With this, I am challenging everyone that we can make Nigeria a force to be reckoned with again because you are a man of substance and we encourage you to leave your comfort zone and seek political office to liberate the youth from the shackles of poverty” 

Also speaking, the president of the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), Sunday Asuku said Akano has proven that he has the interest of the youth at heart even when the leaders of the country are not looking at the youth. “I want to tell you that you have rekindled our hope with all you are doing for us and we are glad. So, on behalf of 20 million Nigerian students home and abroad, we honour you with the most prestigious NAPS award, The 2022 Beacon of Hope award, which is given yearly to just one most outstanding Nigerian,” he said.

Vice President, Inter-Faith Youth Council of Nigeria (IFYCN), Daniel Friday, on his part, said: “We are here to honour Tim Akano with the Ambassador of Peace Award because we see him as a leader with an innovative mind and the impact he has made in the lives of youths that once took to violence but now living in peace with others. We appreciate him for that.” 

Receiving the awards from the groups, an elated Akano said he appreciated the thoughts and the thinking that went into it and assured them that it would challenge him to do more. He said many people have seen the work his company has been doing to transform the lives of youth and this prompted them to give him the awards. 

Akano, however, said he was not doing it because of the recognition but narrated a story of how he met a Nigerian graduate refugee graduate seeking employment many years ago in Switzerland which challenged him to stand in the gap for millions of Nigerian youths who need help and mentorship to identify their talents and guide them to success.

“Over the last two years, I have been receiving dozens of awards from all over the world, and they [these groups] validate the decision I made 18 years ago to leave my job at Coca-Cola and dedicate my life to youth empowerment. I do not do it for the recognition, but it feels good to know that we are truly making an impact in the lives of these young people” 

“This forms the imperative of the establishment of One Africa Initiatives Academy where we Mentor African youths from over 50 countries worldwide. The soon-to-be-unveiled FABAAW is the platform set up to bring prosperity to Africa, especially to the youth. With FABAAW, African youths can network, showcase their talents and do genuine businesses with the global community on mutually beneficial terms, better terms than what is obtainable today on e-commerce and social media platforms”

The New Horizons Nigeria CEO believes that poverty and unemployment are Africa’s twin problems. “Our problems in Africa are the same. Go to Uganda, South Africa, or Nigeria it is the same. Africa has the largest unemployment rate in the world”

Akano said across the globe, African people are known for going to school, graduating and earning certificates. “If you want to be successful in life today, the youth need 4th Industrial skills in Data Science, Cloud Architect, Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence, among others.

“For instance, India’s raw materials are its population and it decided to develop along software line. China toed the line of manufacturing, Israeli owns military security, and Germans are known for their machinery. So for us in Africa, what we can bring to the table that would make our youth prosperous are 4.0 skills.”

He said there is a solution to every problem and the solution to this present generation’s problem is knowing how to use technology to solve the poverty problem, using the newly created FABAAW platform due to be launched in July.

“I have committed the rest of my life to concentrate on the transformation of Africa by raising and grooming the Youths that will take Africa to the promised land before 2063,” concluded Akano.

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APPON Honours Danbatta For e-Procurement Delivery

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The Association of Public Procurement Practitioners of Nigeria (APPON) has conferred the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, with the “Excellent Service Delivery and Accountability Award”.

The award was in recognition of Danbatta’s outstanding performance and contribution to the canons of the public procurement profession in Nigeria by ensuring that the NCC complies strictly with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2007.

He received the award at the 3rd Annual National Conference and Awards Ceremony organized by the APPON in Lagos recently.

Danbatta was adjudged to have led an NCC that is transparent and open and compliant with the provisions of public procurement as enshrined in applicable laws of the land.

In his remark, APPON National President, Akparawa Kanico, congratulated the EVC for his remarkable leadership and ability to inspire everyone around him towards ensuring effective procurement process in the Commission.

He stated that the leadership finesse and administrative prowess of Danbatta have reflected in the impressive growth that the telecoms sector has witnessed in being an enabler of growth in other sectors of the economy and the national economy as a whole.

Responding, the Danbatta appreciated the organisers of the Awards for the recognition while describing it as ‘a great motivation to him and the Commission to be more transparent, open and process-driven in its procurement activities.’

Meanwhile, speaking on the topic: “Implementation of e-procurement in Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges” at the event, Danbatta said broadband connectivity, being driven by the Federal Government, through the Commission, will enhance electronic procurement (e-procurement) that will ensure greater accountability and transparency in governance process in Nigeria.

He stressed that e-procurement was the way to go and that the Commission will continue to create the enabling environment required for e-procurement to thrive through NCC’s dedicated commitment to driving the attainment of ubiquitous broadband connectivity across Nigeria. 

Danbatta said Nigeria’s investment in broadband infrastructure is yielding substantial benefits for the country’s e-procurement sector, revolutionizing the way businesses engage in procurement processes, especially Government-to-Business (G2B) and other e-government activities.

“With the new administration in the country making broadband connectivity an outstanding pillar in its policy thrust, the Commission would continue to focus on improving broadband infrastructure to change the landscape of procurement governance, and help to unlock new possibilities for businesses and public institutions. 

“With improved Internet connectivity, businesses across the country now have faster and more reliable access to e-procurement platforms, enabling them submit proposals, monitor tender opportunities in real time, and participate in online bidding process,” he said.

At the event, two members of staff of the Commission were inducted as APPON Fellows. They are Adejoke Atte, NCC’s Head of Procurement Department and a Principal Manager in the department, Bernard Kwembeh.

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Innovations

MTN Nigeria Invests Over N100m on 2nd Edition of Media Innovation Programme 

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The second edition of the MTN Media Innovation Programme commenced on May 15, 2023. MTN Nigeria is investing over 100 million Naira in this second edition of the programme, which is aimed at building the capacity of media practitioners in Nigeria.

The investment fulfils the organisation’s commitment to impacting the Nigerian media industry through intensive training that opens the participants to knowledge about media convergence, technology, and the future of combining outstanding reporting with media technology. 

The MTN Media Innovation Programme is a fully funded six-month Fellowship for 20 fellows executed by the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University. The programme will also include a study trip to the University of Witwatersrand South Africa, a visit to the MTN Innovation Centre, amongst other engagements.

Speaking to the process that led to the conceptualisation of the intervention, Chief Corporate Services Officer, MTN Nigeria, Tobechukwu Okigbo said, “When MTN commemorated its 20th milestone in Nigeria, we had a conversation regarding the challenges facing the media in Nigeria and how we can intervene. We put a paper together, took it to the Board, it was approved, hence we are here today.

“The world is constantly changing, and media practice has been altered with advancements in technology. The modern media practitioner needs to remain innovative, which is the essence of the MIP. We have seen the impact of the programme among media practitioners and are motivated by the value this cohort will bring to media practice in Nigeria.”

MTN Nigeria is committed to enabling innovation in Nigeria by investing in the necessary infrastructure such as the 5G technology and human resources. At the end of the programme, every MIP fellow will experience improved knowledge of the telecommunications industry in Nigeria and how it ties to media innovation. This will help the practitioners understand and interrogate telecommunication industry trends when necessary. The programme will also enhance the quality of writing and reporting within the industry to ensure they are at the forefront of global reportage of technological trends. 

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Enterprise

Andela Rwanda Launches Apprenticeship Program to Connect Africa’s Top Organizations with Talent

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Andela, the global network for remote technical talent, has announced the launch of the Andela Rwanda Apprenticeship Program, a 12-week program that aims to introduce global organizations to the vast potential of up-and-coming Rwandese tech talent.

The apprenticeship program offers companies the chance to build their team with graduate apprentices from the Andela Technical Leadership Program (ATLP). The ATLP is Andela Rwanda’s signature accelerator program, in partnership with the country’s Ministry of ICT and Innovation,  empowering Rwandese nationals with the prerequisite software engineering they need to be future tech leaders. 

The ATLP simulates a real-world technology product setup, where participants learn to work within a team to build web applications with best practices based on Javascript and its associated frameworks. The program has so far successfully trained 380 junior engineers from across ten different African countries, with over 70% of the graduates from the ATLP currently employed. There are currently 150 additional learners in the program. 

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