Everyone knew it would be drastic changes for Nigerians who want visas to visit U.S. Yes, when one country (Nigeria) records 10% of people who overstay their visas, America would be expected to look deeper. When U.S. took off the Dropbox option, I knew that was the beginning.

Now, according to Nigeria’s foreign affairs minister, the options may even look more challenging – “Things like you have to have guarantor or surety and the like, all those things are what they are trying to apply to really address this issue.” Unfortunately, the problem is not asking for a guarantor, the deal is if that becomes the norm, the system would then be rigged for those that can provide credible guarantors – yes, rich people with fat bank accounts. The poor boy attending a conference or going to school on scholarship may experience lockout. But no one can blame U.S. for exploring ways to execute its immigration plan.

The minister said most of the unfavourable migrant decisions taken by some countries were triggered by the negative perceptions about few Nigerians who do not obey the rules of those countries.

“The issue of migration is a challenge and such a sensitive topic because the U.S. has just suspended the `Dropbox for visas renewals.

“And a lot of it is that they released statistics to show that 10 per cent of people who overstayed their visas globally are Nigerians.

“Those who do not obey the rule of other countries’ have more negative impact on those who obeyed,” the minister said.

[…]

“The issue of those who overstayed their visas is a real issue. We have engaged with the U.S government over it.

“We are just trying to work through them and they are looking at various alternative and solutions and to make less difficult for the genuine visitors and the like.

“Things like you have to have guarantor or surety and the like, all those things are what they are trying to apply to really address this issue,” he said.

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1. Trump Administration immigration is based on this premise that “Immigration is a privilege not a right”. Folks overstaying their visas are making the issue of non immigrant visa quite a complicated one. But again, one must also understand the reasons why people overstayed their visas. It’s no brainer when you come to sanner climate where things work and you can be somebody without knowing anyone. I completely understand both sides of the argument. The man or woman overstaying his or her visa is not looking at the strategic impact to the country of origin or US in this case but just want to survive. The onus is on the US to use every tool they know how to fix the problem. Unfortunately, the fall out will be bad. Fixing Nigeria or just moving Nigeria in a different direction from its current course might change the outlook of Nigeria when it comes to immigration.
2. The Trump Nation is on a mission, many things will change around the world, within a decade perhaps. Unfortunately, the word – ‘genuine’ is relative, no one can truly figure out what is in another’s heart, there are too many barriers… Well, people are looking for better life, and where things are easier, so the struggle continues.

A new version of one of our enterprise imaging products passes bench testing. Inside this product is an OS engine running on a microprocessor, computing images, videos, algorithms and anything you can throw at it. Specially engineered for clients, it has evolved from the older versions. At Fasmicro, we are helping to preserve the Freedom many enjoy through technologies we supply across Africa.

In Africa, household consumption is expected to reach $2.5 trillion by 2030 with Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa accounting for nearly half of that. This presents exciting opportunities for brands that want to grow in retail. But how do they approach this in an increasingly cluttered and competitive market?

Adding impetus for this need to expand is the fact that the continent is becoming the next big global manufacturing hub, mimicking China. Research from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce indicates that Africa’s population will reach two billion by 2050, representing the largest labour pool in the world. In 2017, privately-owned Chinese companies made more than 150 investments in the manufacturing sector on the continent, up from only two in 2000.

It is the fast-moving consumer goods segment in particular that is in high demand, offering brands the platform to strengthen their footprint, embrace new media, and be more innovative in how they use digital opportunities at retail touch points. Considering that low and middle-income buyers will collectively have a disposable income of almost $680 billion by 2020, there is considerable potential for brand positioning and awareness in retail environments.

But connecting to the modern African consumer from a retail perspective is no easy task. While online shopping is certainly a valuable channel and digital marketing a core component of strategy in 2019, many shoppers still want the physical experience of a retail store. There should certainly be a balance between the two environments, avoiding the temptation to spend too much on online tactical elements while foregoing the in-store point of sale opportunities that are arguably critical decision-making and exposure touchpoints.

For example, in South Africa with its 11 official languages, brands often forget the value of advertising in the vernacular or slang of its specific target market. If the digital landscape has shown organisations anything, it is in the value of specialising more and generalising less to create more meaningful moments. The same applies to in-store media. By being focused on tactical experiences, brands will foster improved customer loyalty at a time when this is notoriously difficult to do.

Political and economic uncertainty aside, consumers are likely to be in an even stronger financial position than in the past. Brands should therefore invest now in the ‘quiet time’ on technologies that aid better insight and positioning. For example, data-gathering or machine-learning (artificial intelligence) solutions that can assist in improved data analysis.

This, in turn, will result in better-targeted campaigns delivering customers a brand experience they want and need. Allowing brands to become more efficient in their online and offline approaches maximising marketing budgets for profits.

Ultimately, brands need to be open to harnessing new technologies and fresh insights to better position themselves in the dynamic retail environment. The world’s attention is starting to shift towards Africa. Now is the time to start capitalising on it.

By in-store advertising innovators Smart Media

As part of its strategy to accelerate the development of AI devices for the home, LG has developed its own artificial intelligence chip (AI Chip) with proprietary LG Neural Engine to better mimic the neural network of the human brain to greatly improve the processing of deep learning algorithms.

The AI Chip incorporates visual intelligence to better recognise and distinguish space, location, objects and users while voice intelligence accurately recognises voice and noise characteristics while product intelligence enhances the capabilities of the device by detecting physical and chemical changes in the environment. The chip also makes it possible to implement customised AI services by processing and learning from video and audio data in order to enhance recognition of the user’s emotions and behaviors and the situational context.

Products utilising the LG AI Chip take advantage of the On-Device AI to operate even without a network connection. What’s more, LG’s AI Chip employs a powerful security engine to better protect personal data from external hacking. Processing that does not require high security is designed to run in a general zone and jobs that require higher security run in a separate hardware-implemented security zone.

LG’s AI Chip is designed to enhance the recognition performance in the products it powers such as an advanced image recognition engine for simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM). For example, its powerful image processing function corrects for distortion caused by wide angle lenses and generates brighter and clearer images in dark environments. LG Electronics plans to include the new AI Chip in future robot vacuum cleaners, washing machines, refrigerator and even air conditioners. In addition, LG will expand the reach of its artificial intelligence solutions through collaborations with outside companies, universities and research laboratories.

“Our AI C?hip is designed to provide optimised artificial intelligence solutions for future LG products,” said I.P. Park, president and CTO of LG Electronics. “This will further enhance the three key pillars of our artificial intelligence strategy – evolve, connect and open – and provide customers with an improved experience for a better life.”