Part 3 in my series of Nigerian Restaurants Worldwide has been a long time coming. In my last two explorations, Rwanda was the last thing on my mind (see part 1, part 2).

Alas, lately, something did happen in its capital city of Kigali. And guess where? The reputable and upmarket Kigali Business Centre or KBC.

While “Danfo by The Grid” is a new entrant following in the footsteps of Jollof Kigali, there are some interesting differences. Unlike the former, the latter seems to have a bit more space and selection of Nigerian beverages – both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. But that’s about it.

Location and atmospherics are central to marketing good food.

As for Danfo by the Grid, the location is sublime – the Kigali Business Centre is a prime location next to Kigali Heights and the Kigali Convention Centre. What’s more the menu can only be accessed by scanning a QR code on the table.

As I had early pointed out in the first series “Nigerians in the diaspora know the exact needs of their brothers and sisters at home visiting these new climes. But the question is how have they responded to these clientele?”

Against the backdrop of my diaspora sojourn – having I lived in Dubai, London, Scotland and visited Berlin, Houston, Atlanta, Florida, Tanzania and South Africa in the past decade or just over – I have been rather unimpressed by the ambience of Nigerian restaurants in these locations (when compared with their counterparts).

Made in Lagos – surely

Another eye-catcher is the creative naming convention of the Cocktails highlighting/ celebrating everything Lagos from “Lagos Island” to “Ikeja Margaritas.”

• LAGOS ISLAND (Rum, Vodka, Gin, Coke, Triple sec, Tequila, Lime juice).

• OJUELEGBA MOJITO (Mint Leaves, Brown sugar, Rum, Soda water, Wedges, Choice of fruit).

• ELEGUSHI DAIQUIRI (Strawberry puree, Strawberry syrup, Lime juice, Vodka).

• ALLEN AVENUE WHISKY SOUR (Wild turkey bourbon, Lemon Juice, Simple syrup & Egg White).

• OLOSHO WHISKY (Lemon juice, Jameson, Sprite, Lemon wedges).

• IKEJA MAGARITA (Tequila, Triple sec, Lime juice & Choice of fruit).

Last, but surely not the least, the Jollof Rice is awesome irrespective of who won the debate of this popular Nigerian dish.

As I usually do, I sign off with managerial and theoretical implications, “Nigerian restaurateurs need to up their game and provide the appropriate ambience, quality of service and innovativeness” a theme that resonates with my inaugural research “Nigerian restaurants in London: bridging the experiential perception/expectation gap” published in 2007.

At the theoretical level, academics should encourage students to undertake research projects on how to make Nigerian restaurants competitive especially in climes outside Nigeria.

For more on this topic, visit here and here.

It has been 13 years since Satoshi Nakamoto shook up the financial world by introducing Bitcoin. Since then, hundreds, if not more, have followed in an attempt to bring the “next big cryptocurrency” to the table. Some have had success, and some have failed miserably.

In either case, 2022 presented a mixed bag of a year when it comes to cryptocurrency. Even the successful cryptos took a massive dive, in large part due to political upheavals and economic troubles. However, a lot of good came out of cryptocurrencies as well. So, let us look and see if 2022 could be called an overall good year for cryptocurrency?

The Good

There was quite a bit of good that came out of cryptocurrency in 2022. First and foremost, as always cryptocurrency is a great tool for charity. And 2022 saw folks use different forms of cryptocurrency to send help and relief to the people in need around the world.

A lot of Ukrainians received funds in the form of cryptocurrency. This is a great way to support a cause, while simultaneously staying safe, as crypto transfers are completely untraceable. The same can be said for countries in need all around the world.

More than that, residents of Asia made quite a bit of money from cryptocurrency, if the statistics are anything to go by. So, for them, it certainly has been a good year. And the same can be said for plenty of residents of the European Union.

Quite a few crypto casinos opened their doors to great success as well. Not only that, but many established online casinos began accepting cryptocurrency as a viable method for deposit. If you are interested, Blitkingz is a crypto-friendly casino, that also features everyone’s favorite gambling games.

However, the year was not all that great. Quite a few cryptos took a dive, and many traders lost a lot of assets. So, in this next section, we are looking at the bad that 2022 brought to the industry.

The Bad

We are not going to lie. This past year was one of the worst that crypto has seen since its creation. The market had more bearish periods than ever, even prompting many to believe that it was on the edge of collapse. After all, at the tail end of 2021, Bitcoin was being traded for $68.000. And now, it is down to $21.000. So, we can’t blame anyone who is jumping ship. However, it is worth noting that, experts seem to think 2023 will be a great improvement.

In fact, many crypto traders might be thankful to know that the crypto market is already stabilizing. A lot of people believe that 2023 will be a good year. Perhaps not great, but certainly good. The political and economic troubles that brought the crypto collapse about are seemingly closer to being resolved, which can only be a good thing, both for the world of crypto, and the world in general.

Of course, the majority of online casinos appear to be reputable at first glance, which is why they may look misleadingly safe to sign up to when viewing their ads. Yet, you must remember that before you do proper research, you won’t know for certain whether this is the case. And until you confirm this, an advertisement should be taken for what it is and nothing more than paid marketing.

To guarantee that you’re indeed registering at a trustworthy provider, you need to be judicious enough and invest some time doing proper research. Google is your friend: a simple search exercise will generate relevant results – be they in the form of positive or negative reviews.

You certainly don’t want to be reeled into what may possibly be an unlicensed, or, worse off, a blacklisted casino. Moreover, since online gambling laws are quite specific in the jurisdiction of Australia, filtering out your options is all the more important.

We decided to take our own advice and look up a few great operators and found that Hell Spin Casino is an excellent provider to play at. Not only that, you’ll be able to benefit from so many offers such as the 15 free spins no deposit bonus and even unlimited match bonus + 50 free spins upon your first deposit!

We couldn’t resist mentioning that casino, but we don’t want to hand you our full list of recommended casinos on a plate either. Instead, we’re here to help you learn what to look out for. Check out the below information to understand how good research can help you prevent yourself from falling victim to a rogue casino.

What are Rogue Casinos? 

These are casinos that aren’t adequately licensed, which essentially means that players are treated unfairly. Lack of fairness towards the player can take multiple forms, namely the following:

• The offers made by the casinos are simply scams and you won’t really benefit from anything at the end of the day
• Games do not use a random number generator but are instead tampered with by the casino so that it has more than the acceptable house edge as an advantage
• The casino’s website is not encrypted, therefore your personal and financial data are not protected
• Customers are not supported through a customer service team, so that any complaints about game unfairness or leakage of data are not addressed.

 Why are Reviews Worth Reading? 

The short answer to this question is: they’re worth reading to avoid falling prey to rogue casinos. But, I hear you ask, how can I know whether reviews are actually trustworthy or biased? Fair question; a casino review might very well be unreliable. But that is where the importance of reading multiple reviews comes in. It is unlikely that a rogue casino would have many positive reviews; and the opposite is also true – multiple bad reviews about a particular casino makes it unlikely that the casino is a legitimate one.

Reviews are also worth reading because in the most part, they are testimonials of avid players who have frequented that casino and can speak from experience.

Main Points to Look Out for When Reading a Casino Review 

First and foremost, the tone of the review will instantly tell you whether the player’s experience was a positive one or otherwise. Still, always read reviews with a critical eye. It’s normal for a player to be annoyed after losing a bet. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the casino is a scam.

Another thing you want to learn from players’ reviews is how long it takes for the casino to process deposits and withdrawals. Having an efficient withdrawal and deposit system in place is an indicator of a well-oiled machine.

Casino reviews also typically comment about the quality of the customer support service. This is something you need to keep your eyes peeled for, especially if you’re a newbie who is still learning how to navigate the website, how to use payment methods, or even how to play a particular game.

But Wait… Don’t Limit Yourself to Casino Reviews 

The answer is a resounding no. Information is everywhere. Maximise the value of widespread, free information on the internet. The following are other a few great sources of information:

Expert casino guides – these are often legitimate and reliable, and contain both the pros and cons of playing with a particular casino.

Business documents – if a casino is really transparent, their financials and legal filings should be available for players’ perusal.

Terms and Conditions – these vary from one casino to another and although they’re in fine print, the information they contain is crucial for you to gauge whether the conditions are fair and generous. For instance, by knowing the wagering requirements you would be able to decipher whether you can meet them. Furthermore, knowing games’ RTPs can give you a clearer picture of how fair the games are. The RTP stipulates the return to player percentage, which represents the average amount of money that online slots or casino games pay back (or return) to the player over a long period of time.

Word-of-mouth recommendations – feel free to ask family, friends and colleagues who might have tried a particular casino, so that they can give you their two cents worth about it.