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Home Blog Page 5976

The Nigeria’s Secret Police Security Alert

By
Ndubuisi Ekekwe
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1

This is a serious warning coming from the SSS guys:

The Department of State Services (DSS) wishes to inform the public about plans by some criminal elements to carry out violent attacks on public places including key and vulnerable points during the yuletide seasons.

The planned dastardly acts are to be executed through the use of explosives, suicide bombing and other dangerous weapons.

The objective is to create a general sense of fear among the people and subsequently undermine the Government.

PRESS RELEASE – SECURITY ALERT

The Department of State Services (DSS) wishes to inform the public about plans by some criminal elements to carry out violent attacks on public places including key and vulnerable points during the yuletide seasons.

The planned dastardly acts are to be executed through the use of explosives, suicide bombing and other dangerous weapons.

The objective is to create a general sense of fear among the people and subsequently undermine the Government.

Against this backdrop, citizens are called upon to be extra vigilant and report strange movements and indeed, all suspicions around them to security and law enforcement agencies.

On its part, the Service is collaborating with other sister agencies to ensure that adequate measures are put in place for protection of lives and property.

To further achieve this purpose, the Service has provided these emergency response numbers 08132222105 and 09030002189 for urgent contacts. It is also using this opportunity to unveil its interactive website www.dss.gov.ng for public communication support.

Everyone is encouraged to take advantage of these platforms and similar ones provided by related agencies to timely reach and avail them (security agencies) of required information.

However, the Service advises those planning to cause chaos and damage to public peace to desist from such as it will stop at nothing to apprehend and bring them to justice.

While assuring citizens and residents of their safety during and after the festive periods, the DGSS, Alhaji YM. Bichi fwc, with his Management and Staff, wishes all, Happy Celebrations and a Prosperous 2021.

Peter Afunanya, Ph.D
Public Relations Officer,
Department of State Services,
National Headquarters,
Abuja
22nd December, 2020

The Apple’s iCar Brake Problems!

By
Ndubuisi Ekekwe
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1

Apple is getting into the business of making self-driving cars, according to Reuters: “Apple Inc is moving forward with self-driving car technology and is targeting 2024 to produce a passenger vehicle that could include its own breakthrough battery technology, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.” That is good news for design conscious people.

Apple is working to produce a self-driving vehicle with “breakthrough battery technology” by 2024, Reuters reported, citing anonymous sources. The iPhone maker, which declined to comment on the report, is designing a personal vehicle for the mass market. It includes plans for a “radically” cheaper battery, as well as lidar sensors, which aid self-driving cars in getting a three-dimensional road view. Shares of lidar makers surged on the news. (LinkedIn)

But I am not sure that would be great news for the fashionista brand called Apple which has built a business on selling exclusive hardware on proprietary software. Yes, Apple has commanded heavy margins in most of its products. Doing that in cars may be challenging.

Yet, I do concede that Apple could bring the playbook of Tesla into its cars – make ownership of cars to follow the same business model as software. 

If that happens, expect subscriptions for support and new updates. More so, when you sell your car, the new buyer will have to re-license the set of software. In other words, Apple could make its cars follow the same model we are used to when we buy computers and the associated software.

Yet, this is all rumour. I will bet that Apple will not have any car in any garage. Rather, Apple will build components and technologies which it will license to car companies. If that happens, Apple stays at the edge of the smiling curve, instead of moving to the center.

But who knows? Apple can make customers fans, and from that extract more value in the business of automobiles as it has done when it got into smartphones. After all, innovators create a new basis of competition and in the process stimulate new markets. But unless it does that, the Apple iCar may have a brake problem which will affect its sales at the hefty margin that would make Apple happy.

Oolu, Senegalese-based Solar Startup Raises $8.5m in Series B Funding

By
Samuel Nwite
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0

Solar energy has continued to attract huge sums of investment across Africa, as the continent pushes to bridge its electricity gaps. Oolu, a Senegalese-based solar energy startup has raised $8.5 million in Series B equity investment.

The round was led by independent renewable energy developer, RP Global, backed by other investors including Persistent Energy Capital (PEC), Shell-seeded impact investor All ON, Gaia Impact Fund and DPI Energy Ventures.

Co-founder and CEO of Oolu, Daniel Rosa said the investment round at a time of pandemic like this shows that the company is offering value in its products.

“The strength of our business and industry during a challenging global pandemic has demonstrated the value that customers see in our products and service. RP Global’s financial expertise and experience in managing renewable energy business will enable us to accelerate our growth.

“All On’s unparalleled knowledge of the renewable energy sector in Nigeria will help us to further adapt our business to meet customers’ needs. In addition, we are excited to continue our successful collaboration with investors especially persistent,” he said.

The round is part of culminating funding that started in 2017 with a $3.2 million Series A investment led by PEC. Oolu was founded in 2015 by Daniel Rosa and Nilmi Senaratna to provide affordable electricity for the underserved using a pay-as-you-go business model. It attracted US seed-stage accelerator, Y Combinator who invested its $150,000 seed money in the startup while it was in the former’s 2015 Summer batch.

There was also an undisclosed investment made in the startup by GAIA Impact Fund, a Francophone-focused venture fund specializing in clean energy in 2018.

Techpoint noted that it was geared toward the Series B round which was expected to close in 2019, but was prolonged to 2020 for unknown reasons. So far, Oolu Solar has raised a total of $11.7 million.

West Africa has a staggering number of over 150 million people who lack access to electricity, and the global shift to cleaner energy has made the region a huge market for solar energy companies. While there has also been an increase in solar energy activity in East Africa, companies in Francophone West Africa have been drawing promising investments with the aim of securing a large market share in the emerging market.

The underserved scattered across rural areas of the market have been won over by the pay-as-you-go model that makes the energy supply affordable. Oolu said it has gained a large market share in the villages using the affordable business plan. According to the startup, over 60,000 solar systems have been installed at homes in its six markets since it was launched.

RP Global Africa disclosed that the recent investment will enable it to expand to non-Francophone West Africa, following the existing trajectory.

“We are looking forward to working with the most promising solar home systems provider in West Africa. Having found a partner with such an efficient structure and excellent management makes us optimistic that this will be our greatest venture in Africa to date” Leo Schiefermuller, Director of RP Global Africa said.

A report from business consultancy Kleos Advisory notes that over 600 million people, or one in two, in Africa still lack access to grid-powered electricity. The report said that over 5 million pay-as-you-go home solar systems have been sold in the continent but there is still a potential $24 billion market per year for off-grid solar systems.

“Given the ability of solar-fintech solutions to deliver power to African households along with affordable financing to pay for it, solar could be the breakthrough technology that finally connects Africa’s vast off-grid communities,” the report said, adding that the combination of solar and fintech is driving an economic transformation in Africa.

With untapped $24 billion off-grid market value, Africa has become a lucrative destination for solar investors, and startups like Oolu are stepping forward for the gain.

In One Year, Abdulrahman’s Reformation and Reconstruction Agenda Yet to Deliver Expected Public Goods in Kwara State -Report

By
Mutiu Iyanda
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0

In 2019, Alhaji Abdulrasaq Abdulrahman became Kwara State Governor after several months of campaigns, convincing the indigenes and residents that there is a need to change the year-long Saraki Dynasty political dominance in the State.  Under the popular Otoge campaign slogan, Governor Abdulrahman promised people a number of public goods which would accrue to them through his reformation and reconstruction agenda. “If Otoge got us through the struggle to the point of victory, and given the enormous task of reformation and reconstruction ahead, it is now time for Iseya. As you will all agree, there is so much to be done. “These range from institutional reforms and reconstruction, infrastructural development, human capacity building, social welfare and policy reforms to other socio-economic, cultural, scientific and administrative repositioning. It is not in our tradition to shy away from challenges. We shall engage them and find solutions,” Alhaji Abdulrasaq Abdulrahman said during his inauguration as the new Executive Governor of Kwara State.

In one year, a new report from the Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative, a Kwara based non-governmental organisation, notes that less than 30% of 7,391 people in the State considered his administration excellent.

“Three rating scale was given to 9 out of the 11 thematic areas examined. Less than 30% of the sampled citizens gave a 4 rating to all the areas, while more than 81% and 73% gave 1-rating to security and open governance respectively. Health and Water Resources Ministries and their commissioners received better rating [4-rating] than environment and forestry, sports, education and human capital development. Sports Ministry and its Commissioner were given 1-rating more than education and human capital development ministry and its commissioner.

At 3-rating, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, and its Commissioner was better during the one-year period of assessment than Ministries of Water Resources, Health and Education and Human Capital Development.  In all the segments, sampled citizens believe that the government has done a number of programmes and projects that have changed the State outlook.  Despite this, our analysis of the responses shows that efforts in the security, open governance, water supply, anti-corruption, and climate actions were rated poorly, while activities within good governance, infrastructure, anti-corruption, health and youth development were considered as exceptional.

Our analysts note that the consideration of these segments as excellent could be linked with the fact that some policies and programmes of the government shifted from the previous policies and projects of the past administrations that made sustainable public goods impossible in the segments,” the report notes.

Download the full report here

Tekedia CaseWorks on Jevinik Restaurant

By
Ndubuisi Ekekwe
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0

It is ready – Tekedia Institute CaseWorks on Jevinik Restaurant. Uchenna Nwoke, a FMCG veteran and a former manager in the company, helped us put this together. He used only publicly available data. It is a beauty – and I am confident Tekedia Mini-MBA members will use this casework to advance their capacities to create great companies. By the end of 2021, we will have 200 business cases in our digital library. Visit what we are working on here.

Tekedia Mini-MBA Edition 4

 

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