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The Message from MTN’s Karl Toriola And Lesson on Business Leadership

By
Ndubuisi Ekekwe
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2

The playbook is coming out and Elon Musk is the driver: “SpaceX Starlink is about to change commercial airlines’ internet connectivity nexus for the better. The satellite internet company’s founder and CEO, Elon Musk, said in a recent post on Twitter, that talks are now ongoing with commercial airlines about the possibility of utilizing Starlink for in-flight internet connectivity.” That is a big deal as he can make it possible for everyone to browse easily while on air.

As that happens, I want to commend the CEO of MTN Nigeria, Karl, for an extraordinary demonstration of leadership on that video he posted on YouTube, apologizing for service failures, and then using the moment to thank his real investors (the customers): “Every customer on the MTN network has received a refund of the data and airtime they used between 12 noon and 7:00 pm yesterday.” 

“Last Saturday we had an outage that left our customers without connection for several hours. On behalf of the entire MTN team, I want to start with a heartfelt apology. We are truly sorry for the disruption this caused for so many in our MTN family.

“We know that millions of people rely on us to stay connected to their loved ones, to manage their businesses, to coordinate their lives. We take that responsibility and privilege, very seriously. That is why we are putting new measures in place to make sure we never experience anything like last Saturday again…..

“While we work to strengthen our network to prevent any further disruption of this kind, we wanted to find a way to say sorry to you. Something more than extending the validity of all time-bound plans by 24-hours which we did as soon as service was restored.

“So, while we cannot give you back the time you lost on Saturday, we can give you back what you spent yesterday. Every customer on the MTN network has received a refund of the data and airtime they used between 12 noon and 7:00 pm yesterday. We hope that this should show how much we value you, our customer. You are truly our most important focus.

“We all have challenges — each and every one of us; personally or professionally. What matters is how we respond. With you by our side, we will continue to improve and grow,” he said

”

I like it dearly when leaders show absolute respect to customers. Watch that video and learn from it. And you know what? He has connected, and in the process has made many fans out of those customers. Blessed is that company whose customers are fans!  Indeed, MTN #moves.

 

SpaceX Starlink Seeking to Provide Airlines with Satellite Internet

By
Samuel Nwite
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0

SpaceX Starlink is about to change commercial airlines’ internet connectivity nexus for the better. The satellite internet company’s founder and CEO, Elon Musk, said in a recent post on Twitter, that talks are now ongoing with commercial airlines about the possibility of utilizing Starlink for in-flight internet connectivity.

Commercial airlines sector is one area that is still open for faster internet service, and Musk believes Starlink will provide the needed internet connectivity. He was quite optimistic about the idea, stating that Starlink should provide “low latency, ~half-gigabit” connectivity in the air. Teslarati has the report.

Eyeing airline services is seen as part of Starlink’s move to increase its customer-base to up to 500,000 before the end of the year. Musk said in August that “we are on our way to having a few hundred thousand users, possibly over 500,000 users within 12 months.”

Starlink has been shooting up more satellites to meet the 12-months target, and has been reaching out to governments and corporations around the world for partnership.

Starlink, which is SpaceX’s internet wing, is designed to bring internet connectivity to even the most remote areas of the globe and stands as one of the private space firm’s most ambitious projects. Starlink aims to set up a constellation of satellites around the planet, which should pave the way for global internet connectivity.

Musk’s quest to deliver a high speed global internet has seen an uptick since early this year, with SpaceX shooting up more satellites to orbit.

“Yes, we are talking to airlines about installing Starlink. Please let them know if you want it on your airliner.”

So far, SpaceX has launched 1,740 Starlink satellites, and the program currently has about 100,000 users in 14 countries. Starlink is still in public beta, however, with the service being priced at a rather premium $99 per month, on top of a $499 fee for the actual satellite kit. That being said, Elon Musk has noted in September that Starlink should come out of its beta phase in October 2021.

Interestingly enough, this is not the first time that the idea of using Starlink for aircraft has been mentioned by SpaceX executives. Back in June, SpaceX Vice President Jonathan Hofeller also noted that the private space company is “in talks with several airlines” about adding Starlink in-flight WiFi. Hofeller remarked that SpaceX has already done some demonstrations of the technology, and it is looking to finalize the product in the near future.

“We have our own aviation product in development … we’ve already done some demonstrations to date and [are] looking to get that product finalized to be put on aircraft in the very near future,” Hofeller said.

The SpaceX executive added that Starlink’s “global mesh” of satellites could provide faster internet to airline passengers. “Starlink provides a global mesh (so that) airlines flying underneath that global mesh have connectivity anywhere they go. Passengers and customers want a great experience that (geosynchronous satellite internet) systems simply cannot provide,” Hofeller added.

But it’s not certain whether providing internet connectivity will help SpaceX reach its 500,000-users one year goal.

There’s Poverty And Hunger In The Land

By
Chris Emoghene
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1
Nigeria poverty

A friend and I attended a burial somewhere in Delta State on June 25, 2021. At the funeral were the high and mighty- captains of industries, politicians, ranking officers; as well as the lowest of the lows. Every social strata of the Nigerian society was represented. As it is with most burial ceremonies these days, it was a carnival of sort.

While the ceremony went on, something happened that sent shock waves down my spine. The invited guests were treated to sumptuous meals and assorted drinks. As they ate, the caterers would clear the tables and do the dishes. In the process, the leftovers were either poured into a wastebin or left on the open field. As that went on, children- some with sores in their hands or legs, obviously from the neighbourhood scampered for the remnants on the ground. They literally packed every grain of rice with sand and grasses either directly into their mouths or polythene bags to be taken home. The sight was not only horrifically disgusting, it also made me sick.

Then, my friend told me he met someone who couldn’t afford sachet water within the week or so. These and other examples, perhaps around you, underscore the ravaging poverty that pervades the length and breadth of the country. According to the World Poverty Clock, as of October 17, 2021, there are a whooping 86,847,507 Nigerians living in extreme poverty, using a threshold of $1.9 per day. Note, the figures above represent only those living in extreme poverty! I’m sure you can now appreciate the enormity of the challenge we have in our hands. There is hunger in the land. Granted, successive governments have failed woefully at bettering the lots of Nigerians, but some citizens are architects of their predicaments. Below are some of the causes and cures of poverty.

Uncontrolled Birth

Without looking to Harvard or the World Bank for data, one can easily see the correlation between uncontrolled birth and poverty or quality of life of a household by merely looking around one’s environment. On the average, low income families tend to have more kids than high income ones. For instance, how do a household of 7 (father, mother and 5 kids) with a monthly income of say N60,000 come out of poverty? House rent, cost of food, school fees, medical expenses, clothing, you name it. Couples must consciously adopt child spacing and carefully plan the number of kids in line with their income. I’m strongly in support of birth control through education but not depopulation through any other means.

Low Productivity

Though GDP per capita is abysmally low on the continent, which in my opinion is largely attributable to poor leadership and corruption, Nigeria has no business with a GDP per capita of $2,097.1 (World Bank’s 2020 GDP per capita data). This is especially when Gabon is on $7,005.9; Botswana, $6,711.0; South Africa, $5,090.7; Namibia, $4,211.1; Libya, $3,699.2; Egypt, $3,547.9; Djibouti, $3,425.5;  Tunisia, $3,319.8; Algeria, $3,310.4; Cape Verde, $3,064.3; Morocco, $3,009.1; Ghana, $2,328.5; Cote d’Ivoire, $2,325.7. Agriculture has to be made attractive, small and medium enterprises have to be revitalized, factories and warehouses have to spring up, and there must be value addition to any export product. For all these to happen, there must be well articulated policy thrust and a genuine will to see it through. This is the major missing link in Nigeria and Africa.

However, citizens must also pick themselves up to work. Instead of looking for easy money, people have to develop skills and work. Apart from teachers, doctors and other specialized service providers, a lot of core civil servants don’t contribute Jack to GDP.

Education

According to Nelson Mandela, ‘education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’ No doubts, education has a great role to play in the fight against poverty but certainly not with the current curriculum. Some programmes no longer have relevance in today’s economy, let alone future ones. Schools have to reinvent themselves to remain in tune with current realities. Technical, vocational and entrepreneurship education must be accorded their rightful places if meaningful progress will be made regarding the war against hunger and poverty in Nigeria.

A friend also brought out a salient point in the course of our discussion. Girl child education. He opined that “When you educate the girl child, you avert early marriages and reduction of her child producing age. This will reduce number of kids. Hence, educating these kids are inevitable.” I totally agree with him. In addition, educating the girl child will not only ultimately increase her household income but also lead to more prudent management of available resources, thereby immensely contributing to the fight against poverty.

On its part, government has to provide the enabling environment for innovations, entrepreneurship and general productivity. Infrastructural development, on needs assessment basis, must take the front burner; and the oga kpata kpata of them all, insecurity must be tackled head-on.

The future is full of abundance. #Believe

By
Ndubuisi Ekekwe
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1

Young People, let me wish everyone a great Sunday. No matter any challenge, remember this line: “The future is full of abundance”. In FUTO, many of us skipped meals and found the university canteen very expensive to eat; we patronized bukkas.  But one day, I began work in Diamond Bank, and they paid unbelievable digits for a village boy who just arrived in Lagos. Magically, the past became history.  Your future has a promise and tomorrow is certainly better. Unleash the energy to achieve and keep #moving.

“Investing in Africa’s Next Unicorns” – A Tekedia Capital Public Lecture [Video]

By
Ndubuisi Ekekwe
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0

Tekedia Capital hosted a public lecture on Oct 16 titled “Investing in Africa’s Next Unicorns – A Tekedia Capital Playbook”. The video recording is provided below.

Tekedia Capital runs an investment syndicate. We pool resources from citizens, companies, investment clubs, etc and co-invest in tech-anchored startups. The next investment cycle begins on Monday Oct 18 2021 when our new deal flow will go live in our portal. Those who join Tekedia Capital will have access to the startups.

To join Tekedia Capital, go here ($1,000 or N550,000 naira). Once you join, we will share our deal flow with you; the next investment cycle begins tomorrow (Oct 18, 2021).

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