Pavesh Govender,&nbsp;Managing Executive for Internet of Things (IoT) at Vodacom Business&nbsp;



An interesting question was&nbsp;posed to me during a panel discussion on 5G&nbsp;technology&nbsp;at&nbsp;CNBC Africa’s Future of Work&nbsp;summit in October. Panel moderator Dan Atkins mentioned Amara’s Law, a theory put forward by American futurist Roy Amara:&nbsp;“We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run.”&nbsp;Atkins was curious to know if&nbsp;I felt this law applied to&nbsp;5G, the fifth-generation tech standard for broadband networks.&nbsp;



5G has been on&nbsp;Africa’s radar since its roll out in South Africa&nbsp;last year, but we are still quite far from widespread adoption. In fact,&nbsp;<a href="https://qz.com/africa/2032165/is-africa-ready-for-5g/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Quartz Africa</a>, citing a recent Ericsson Mobility Report, notes the slow pace of adoption, with&nbsp;5G&nbsp;coverage&nbsp;accounting for less than&nbsp;1% of&nbsp;Sub-Saharan Africa’s&nbsp;mobile phone connections.&nbsp;The tech is still&nbsp;seen as emerging on the continent, so&nbsp;while&nbsp;I don’t think we’ve overestimated the impact that 5G&nbsp;can have,&nbsp;society may have overestimated the timing of&nbsp;this&nbsp;impact.&nbsp;We need a little more patience. In the long-term, 5G’s importance for spearheading activities that drive Industry 4.0 have certainly been underestimated. One only needs to look at the opportunities&nbsp;that&nbsp;smartphones opened locally, which wouldn’t have been possible without 3G –&nbsp;the same principle applies for 5G, but at a much larger scale.&nbsp;&nbsp;



There are boundless opportunities waiting to be unlocked,&nbsp;especially for businesses and the economy.&nbsp;However,&nbsp;Quartz Africa&nbsp;points out how&nbsp;deploying 5G is a costly endeavour for telecommunications providers&nbsp;while the cost of 5G-enabled handsets&nbsp;is&nbsp;a barrier on the consumer&nbsp;side.&nbsp;As&nbsp;such, the priority for both public-&nbsp;and private-sector players must be removing&nbsp;these&nbsp;barriers to 5G rollout and adoption so that we can unlock&nbsp;its&nbsp;value sooner.&nbsp;



Supporting Industry 4.0&nbsp;businesses&nbsp;



In the enterprise and industry context, the value of 5G&nbsp;is clear for those in the process of a digital transformation; a process that necessitates&nbsp;a holistic overview of operations. As such, connected, end-to-end&nbsp;tech solutions that digitise and automate processes, improve production, streamline collaboration,&nbsp;and centralise data&nbsp;will be key. Underpinning the success of such solutions?&nbsp;Robust, secure, reliable, and scalable&nbsp;network&nbsp;connectivity.&nbsp;This is what 5G offers.&nbsp;



I have no doubt that&nbsp;5G will&nbsp;quickly&nbsp;become the&nbsp;gold standard at enterprise level, thanks to its&nbsp;low latency&nbsp;and&nbsp;high throughput&nbsp;with&nbsp;speeds&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vodafone.com/business/news-and-insights/blog/gigabit-thinking/jargon-busting-what-is-a-mobile-private-network-and-why-do-we-need-it" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">up to 10 times faster than 4G</a>.&nbsp;It&nbsp;stands to reason&nbsp;that, as businesses rely more heavily on automation and the Internet of Things (IoT) to transform daily operations,&nbsp;they will turn to 5G to enable this. The simple fact is that existing network infrastructures were never designed to support the real-time delivery of large volumes of mission-critical video and data that&nbsp;drive&nbsp;autonomous, digitised&nbsp;systems.&nbsp;Understanding this reality, Vodacom Business took a proactive approach, creating&nbsp;a&nbsp;&nbsp;4G LTE/5G-enabled&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vodafone.com/business/iot/end-to-end-solutions/mobile-private-networks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mobile Private Network</a>&nbsp;(MPN)&nbsp;that&nbsp;provides&nbsp;the lower latency and higher quality of service&nbsp;needed for future-thinking companies to&nbsp;leverage&nbsp;next-gen digitisation.&nbsp;



The&nbsp;MPN&nbsp;is&nbsp;an attractive application of 5G technology in that it’s&nbsp;a dedicated, bespoke&nbsp;business network&nbsp;that enables new applications, while supporting companies’ existing business-critical&nbsp;services&nbsp;with secure, scalable, and “always-on” connectivity.&nbsp;This&nbsp;local network&nbsp;overlay&nbsp;serves as an alternative&nbsp;to WIFI&nbsp;however,&nbsp;it differs from a public mobile network by providing private reserved coverage that is subject to agreed performance and local, protected data flow.&nbsp;To summarise, my colleague&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vodafone.com/business/news-and-insights/blog/gigabit-thinking/jargon-busting-what-is-a-mobile-private-network-and-why-do-we-need-it" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chris Allen described&nbsp;it</a>&nbsp;best&nbsp;as a&nbsp;“mini-5G network built to cover a specific location, where it’s able to deliver better service with more control and security.”&nbsp;When combined with edge computing, MPN can support immediate responses and decision-making&nbsp;in ground-breaking ways.&nbsp;



5G-Powered Innovation&nbsp;



There are boundless&nbsp;cross-industry&nbsp;use cases for 5G technologies&nbsp;such as the MPN,&nbsp;from in sensor-data tracking to video surveillance and analytics.&nbsp;Another interesting application that has seen incredible innovation across the globe is real-time control&nbsp;of autonomous guided vehicles,&nbsp;drones,&nbsp;and robots.&nbsp;Announced on 26 October, Chinese start-up&nbsp;QCraft&nbsp;has just deployed&nbsp;the country’s first&nbsp;<a href="https://pandaily.com/chinese-self-driving-startup-qcraft-launches-the-countrys-first-5g-based-ride-share-driverless-bus-blurring-the-line-between-robobuses-and-robotaxis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">5G-enabled&nbsp;autonomous&nbsp;bus</a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;the city of&nbsp;Wuxi,&nbsp;to bolster its ride-hailing fleet of&nbsp;smart,&nbsp;unmanned vehicles.&nbsp;The company explained how&nbsp;fast 5G networks allow the&nbsp;“driverless bus to&nbsp;receive information regarding traffic and road conditions in real time.”&nbsp;Mann, another innovative start-up, based&nbsp;in Ireland, partnered with a&nbsp;telco to put&nbsp;autonomous&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cubictelecom.com/case-study/manna/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">5G-driven drones to use in&nbsp;faster,&nbsp;greener&nbsp;food delivery</a>&nbsp;from restaurants to&nbsp;local&nbsp;customers&nbsp;within&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/drone-company-manna-links-up-with-cubic-for-5g-deliveries-1.4134778" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">three minutes</a>&nbsp;of collection.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.telefonica.com/en/web/press-office/-/quironsalud-malaga-hospital-and-telefonica-present-the-first-system-of-expert-remote-assistance-to-surgeries-based-on-5g-and-the-integration-of-medica" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Expert remote&nbsp;assistance&nbsp;during surgery</a>&nbsp;is another area tackled, with&nbsp;5G-run augmented-reality tech powered by&nbsp;Spanish telco&nbsp;Telefónica&nbsp;used to connect a&nbsp;surgeon in Japan, in real-time, to a doctor performing surgery in&nbsp;Málaga.&nbsp;



These examples show how 5G can scale innovation from pockets of deployment to company-wide operations. There is world of opportunity that 5G brings if we leverage partnerships to speed up network rollout to drive business success in exciting, new ways.

Pav Pic_5G Article

Driving 5G Adoption to Open the Door to Business Innovation

More than ever, it is now or never. Climate justice is the defining imperative of our time. In southern Africa, climate change-induced vulnerability to drought is already a human rights crisis. Adapting to a new climate reality and reducing South Africa’s carbon footprint requires a whole-of-society response, says Professor Tracy-Lynn Field from Wits University where she serves as the Claude Leon Foundation Chair in Earth Justice and Stewardship.



Extreme weather events&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;wild fires, hurricanes,&nbsp;flash&nbsp;floods&nbsp;and&nbsp;specifically&nbsp;in&nbsp;southern&nbsp;Africa,&nbsp;dire drought&nbsp;– have already taken hold, bringing a train of suffering in their wake.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The call for climate justice is a call for humanity to respond with respect, responsibility and reverence for the Earth that sustains all life&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;but are we listening?&nbsp;“We have to take care of our water resources&nbsp;as&nbsp;every drop is sacred,”&nbsp;says Field.&nbsp;“Everyone needs to get behind preparing for the climate crisis and putting&nbsp;solutions on&nbsp;a sustainable track,&nbsp;with a particular focus on water.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



<a href="http://www.wits.ac.za/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wits University</a> is at the forefront of water research and development and is working with the <a href="http://www.uwc.ac.za/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of the Western Cape</a> and the <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Edinburgh</a> in the UK in the form of the&nbsp;<a href="https://wits100.wits.ac.za/our-campaign/clf-water-stewardship-programme/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Claude Leon Foundation Water Stewardship programme</a>. The Water Stewardship programme of research, postgraduate supervision and advocacy is an inter- and transdisciplinary programme that tackles&nbsp;current and future water challenges, with the aim of finding solutions that will benefit communities in South Africa, and the continent.&nbsp;



The&nbsp;Foundation&nbsp;has generously funded a R15.7 million&nbsp;Water&nbsp;Stewardship programme.&nbsp;“Our aim is simple – to expand human freedoms while easing planetary pressures. The complex interplay between environmental problems and socio-economic hardships requires collaboration across traditionally separate disciplines such as Science and Law, between institutions in different countries, and it requires academe to interact more with society,”&nbsp;she explains.&nbsp;



<a href="https://www.wits.ac.za/staff/academic-a-z-listing/s/craigsheridanwitsacza/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Professor Craig Sheridan</a>, the Claude Leon Foundation Chair in Water Research, adds: “Life flows from water and water holds all life. Water is precious, an ever-flowing interface between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and the systems undergirding human well-being: food production, shelter, transport, energy, play, industry, and health. And yet water is not with all of us. Globally, among regions, between localities, water is a profoundly unevenly distributed resource and its scarcity prompts hardship, a loss of dignity, conflict, even death. These are some of the reasons why this research is so important in South Africa.”&nbsp;



Field speaks&nbsp;more&nbsp;of&nbsp;the imperative behind the&nbsp;Water Stewardship programme as she highlights&nbsp;what struck her in the IPCC&nbsp;6th&nbsp;Assessment Report&nbsp;on the physical science basis of climate change,&nbsp;published in August 2021. “Most of the world will get wetter and warmer with&nbsp;one&nbsp;of&nbsp;the exceptions&nbsp;being&nbsp;our region, which will unfortunately be&nbsp;getting&nbsp;drier and hotter.&nbsp;This trend is already observable from the narrow avoidance of&nbsp;“Day Zero”&nbsp;in Cape Town,&nbsp;to there&nbsp;now&nbsp;being a national drought declaration in the Northern, Eastern and Western Cape&nbsp;– the worst drought in this region for 100 years.”&nbsp;



We should be holding every drop of water sacred,&nbsp;but&nbsp;a lot of our rivers are dying of filth. While&nbsp;this is a strong claim to make, it is true, she says. “Sewage&nbsp;is a major water pollution problem as the management of our water treatment structure is abysmal. There are 19 million people who depend on the Vaal,&nbsp;yet we are not managing this central&nbsp;life or death&nbsp;resource with the care it deserves. We have to face the real possibility of a Day Zero in Gauteng if this is not&nbsp;urgently&nbsp;addressed.”&nbsp;



She notes that South Africa has substantial&nbsp;water&nbsp;infrastructure that is not serving&nbsp;people.&nbsp;“There are two dams in Limpopo&nbsp;which,&nbsp;together,&nbsp;hold 750&nbsp;million litres of&nbsp;water. Despite that, there are&nbsp;people&nbsp;living in&nbsp;the Sekhukhune District&nbsp;with no access to the water, as&nbsp;this&nbsp;water&nbsp;serves&nbsp;the mines.”&nbsp;This is a time, she says, to be clear that everyone in this country has a right&nbsp;to&nbsp;access sufficient water. We need leaders of integrity that can put this right at the top of the agenda.&nbsp;&nbsp;



With the social turbulence that a rapidly changing climate can induce, it will be&nbsp;critical&nbsp;to protect an open society&nbsp;and&nbsp;the integrity of democratic governance structures.&nbsp;A rights-based order must be protected,&nbsp;as&nbsp;authoritarian rule can easily get a foothold in crisis conditions. Some countries have already had a taste of that in their COVID19 response. “In South Africa, we need to armourplate our institutions to survive drought democracy,”&nbsp;she emphasises.&nbsp;&nbsp;



There are many exciting technical solutions in the field of renewable energy and water adaptation, Field enthuses. Scaling these up will require&nbsp;collective willpower and an aligned vision with immediate goals, together with&nbsp;action&nbsp;on the ground. The fear that time is running out is real, but fear has a paralysing effect. “We must nurture intersubjective hope that humanity can rise to this existential threat and believe that commitment, compassion and love – for each other and for the intricate and awe-inspiring web of life that sustains us – can carry us through.”&nbsp;



She cites the dynamic work&nbsp;around the Climate&nbsp;Justice&nbsp;Charter&nbsp;by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wits.ac.za/staff/academic-a-z-listing/s/vishwassatgarwitsacza/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr&nbsp; Vishwas Satgar</a>. “This work, explains Field, “is an all-encompassing vision&nbsp;for a provisioned future for humanity&nbsp;that includes&nbsp;addressing&nbsp;food sovereignty&nbsp;as&nbsp;per Section 234 of the&nbsp;Constitution.&nbsp;We need this&nbsp;kind of vision as we&nbsp;not only&nbsp;explore&nbsp;but&nbsp;demonstrably put&nbsp;alternatives&nbsp;in place, and these actions&nbsp;need to be massively scaled up.”&nbsp;



She also mentions&nbsp;the work of&nbsp;Professor Craig Sheridan and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wits.ac.za/staff/academic-a-z-listing/t/andrewthatcherwitsacza/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Professor&nbsp;Andrew Thatcher</a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;S’swetla. In this&nbsp;neighbourhood in&nbsp;the&nbsp;Alexandra township, three years of dedicated inter-disciplinary research on constructed wetlands for treating greywater (washing water) in unplanned settlements,&nbsp;is laying the foundation for an improved sense of well-being in these communities.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Other projects in the Water Stewardship programme include app-based potable water test-strips to promote access to the right to safe water in vulnerable communities;&nbsp;and&nbsp;supporting evidence-based legislative, political, and judicial decision making to protect South Africa’s strategic water source areas.&nbsp;A further&nbsp;project&nbsp;is focused on&nbsp;galvanising&nbsp;accountability mechanisms for system-level failures in South African&nbsp;water&nbsp;treatment&nbsp;plants.&nbsp;



Additional notable work is being conducted by Wits, for example on the issue of Domestic Sanitation by its School of Governance, through which a multi-disciplinary group is working for the next 18 months to align policy briefs on the matter.  



There are two beacons of hope in the sphere of localised&nbsp;Earth Justice and Stewardship, one being “positive sounds from Eskom around greening operations”&nbsp;and&nbsp;further opening of&nbsp;the renewables market.&nbsp;The sun&nbsp;has&nbsp;hardly&nbsp;been&nbsp;tapped into&nbsp;and if harnessed,&nbsp;can&nbsp;unlock new&nbsp;energy democracy.&nbsp;That said, we need to ensure&nbsp;that&nbsp;vested interests do&nbsp;not&nbsp;stop these renewable energy projects&nbsp;from taking off, she cautions.&nbsp;



The&nbsp;second&nbsp;beacon of hope is the sense of democratic regeneration and solidarity that emerged in the wake of the civil unrest and looting that rocked South Africa in July&nbsp;2021. This event showed that the vast majority of South Africans want peace, not anarchy, and&nbsp;sparked the rebuilding instinct&nbsp;of the nation.&nbsp;&nbsp;



COP26 is underway with high expectations circling around active outcomes from the forum. Yet as citizens we have a contribution to make to right the imbalance and right the future away from climate injustice. “Every degree to which we listen and act For Good counts towards how we will – or will not – claw back a state of environmental rebalance.  The time for denial is over around all dimensions of climate change and we need to mobilise every resource in society,” concludes Field. 



<ul><li>Wits is an academic thought leader driving the global change agenda. In 2022, we celebrate 100 years of making change happen and look towards transforming the&nbsp;future.Find&nbsp;out more:&nbsp;<a href="https://wits100.wits.ac.za/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://wits100.wits.ac.za/</a> &nbsp;</li></ul>



<ul><li>Find out more about Postgraduate Programmes in Law at Wits&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wits.ac.za/law/postgraduate-programmes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.wits.ac.za/law/postgraduate-programmes/</a>  &nbsp;</li></ul>

Burst 3 Earth Justice_Article Image (1)

Wits University of South Africa for climate justice

From South Africa to Dubai, the French Champagne House&nbsp;brought&nbsp;people&nbsp;together&nbsp;&nbsp;in&nbsp;a glamorous&nbsp;celebration&nbsp;



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Nigeria_-@patorankingfire-@beverlynaya_Moët-Grand-Toast-to-Today-683x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53136" width="228" height="342" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Nigeria_-@patorankingfire-@beverlynaya_Moët-Grand-Toast-to-Today-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Nigeria_-@patorankingfire-@beverlynaya_Moët-Grand-Toast-to-Today-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Nigeria_-@patorankingfire-@beverlynaya_Moët-Grand-Toast-to-Today-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Nigeria_-@patorankingfire-@beverlynaya_Moët-Grand-Toast-to-Today-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Nigeria_-@patorankingfire-@beverlynaya_Moët-Grand-Toast-to-Today-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Nigeria_-@patorankingfire-@beverlynaya_Moët-Grand-Toast-to-Today-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes="(max-width: 228px) 100vw, 228px" /></figure></div>



Moët &amp; Chandon has been associated with the celebration of success and of life’s most memorable moments for nearly three centuries. It Is the world’s most loved champagne for good reason &#8211; with the power to unite people globally in celebration. Champagne Day 2021 provided the perfect moment to do just this, with coordinated Moët &amp; Chandon events weaving a tapestry of collective champagne joy across Africa, Israel, and Dubai. The celebrations culminated in a Grand Toast to Today at 17:43 on Friday 22 October. 



Champagne&nbsp;Day&nbsp;provides&nbsp;the perfect opportunity for Moët &amp; Chandon to&nbsp;take its place as&nbsp;the&nbsp;custodian of&nbsp;the moment&nbsp;the world has chosen&nbsp;to celebrate the champagne region&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;for it&nbsp;is&nbsp;from&nbsp;Epernay,&nbsp;in&nbsp;the heart of the&nbsp;region, that&nbsp;Moët &amp; Chandon&nbsp;originates.&nbsp;Moët &amp;&nbsp;Chandon&nbsp;reflects the&nbsp;diversity and complementarity of the three main grape varieties of the champagne region: the body of Pinot Noir, the suppleness of Meunier, and the finesse of Chardonnay.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Maison,&nbsp;globally revered for its&nbsp;savoir-faire, its&nbsp;historical know-how&nbsp;and state-of-the-art technology&nbsp;&#8211; invited&nbsp;glamorous guests across the continent&nbsp;to&nbsp;connect&nbsp;in a series of&nbsp;daytime celebrations.&nbsp;&nbsp;



This year’s Moët &amp; Chandon Champagne Day experiences spoke to Moët &amp; Chandon&#8217;s generosity, grandeur, and savoir-fête (knowing how to celebrate!). In a collective moment, guests across 10 cities raised their glasses to join a Grand ‘Toast to Today’, which took place at 17:43 in homage to the year this iconic Maison was founded. The toast was crafted by Siphokazi Jonas, one of Africa’s leading lights in the art of the spoken word and served to set a suitably celebratory tone. Her words honoured the spirit of celebration, of being united, of a zest for life. She spoke of how shared joy can connect across nations and cultures and reminded guests of the importance of celebrating each day.  



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Screenshot-2021-10-25-at-13.25.16-1024x681.png" alt="" class="wp-image-53142" width="470" height="312" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Screenshot-2021-10-25-at-13.25.16-1024x681.png 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Screenshot-2021-10-25-at-13.25.16-300x200.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Screenshot-2021-10-25-at-13.25.16-768x511.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Screenshot-2021-10-25-at-13.25.16-1536x1021.png 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Screenshot-2021-10-25-at-13.25.16-2048x1362.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px" /></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Nigeria_-@paolosisiano_toast_moment_Grand-Toast-to-Today-1024x717.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53135" width="489" height="342" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Nigeria_-@paolosisiano_toast_moment_Grand-Toast-to-Today-1024x717.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Nigeria_-@paolosisiano_toast_moment_Grand-Toast-to-Today-300x210.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Nigeria_-@paolosisiano_toast_moment_Grand-Toast-to-Today-768x538.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Nigeria_-@paolosisiano_toast_moment_Grand-Toast-to-Today-1536x1075.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Nigeria_-@paolosisiano_toast_moment_Grand-Toast-to-Today-2048x1434.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 489px) 100vw, 489px" /></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/SA_@CELESTE_KHU_@MMAPONYANE_@MIHLALII_-@LADYNAM_BM_@LIESLLAURIE_-MOËT_GRAND_TOAST_TO_TODAY-1-1-1-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53141" width="510" height="340" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/SA_@CELESTE_KHU_@MMAPONYANE_@MIHLALII_-@LADYNAM_BM_@LIESLLAURIE_-MOËT_GRAND_TOAST_TO_TODAY-1-1-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/SA_@CELESTE_KHU_@MMAPONYANE_@MIHLALII_-@LADYNAM_BM_@LIESLLAURIE_-MOËT_GRAND_TOAST_TO_TODAY-1-1-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/SA_@CELESTE_KHU_@MMAPONYANE_@MIHLALII_-@LADYNAM_BM_@LIESLLAURIE_-MOËT_GRAND_TOAST_TO_TODAY-1-1-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/SA_@CELESTE_KHU_@MMAPONYANE_@MIHLALII_-@LADYNAM_BM_@LIESLLAURIE_-MOËT_GRAND_TOAST_TO_TODAY-1-1-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/SA_@CELESTE_KHU_@MMAPONYANE_@MIHLALII_-@LADYNAM_BM_@LIESLLAURIE_-MOËT_GRAND_TOAST_TO_TODAY-1-1-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 510px) 100vw, 510px" /></figure></div>



“Events of the recent past have highlighted the&nbsp;importance of&nbsp;acknowledging&nbsp;our daily triumphs, meaningful moments, successes, friends –&nbsp;as often&nbsp;as possible.&nbsp;Too often we are so focused on life’s major milestones that moments we should be acknowledging every day&nbsp;can&nbsp;just pass us by.&nbsp;The Moët &amp; Chandon Grand ‘Toast to Today’&nbsp;experience&nbsp;served as a powerful reminder to pause and&nbsp;reflect,&nbsp;and celebrate what we have,“ says Dominic RYAN, Managing&nbsp;Director&nbsp;of&nbsp;Moët Hennessy Africa and Middle East.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Celebrating life’s triumphant moments with elegance is the essence of Moët &amp; Chandon. Guests in each country were invited as honoured icons of success and elegance. South Africa’s champagne glitterati, including the likes of Mihlali Ndamase, Maps Maponyane and Linda Mtoba, gathered for an intimate experience at the Alto234 Bar, Africa’s highest Urban Bar and viewing deck in Johannesburg. Indeed throughout Africa and the Middle East, guests convened at prestigious venues from the One&amp;Only Royal Mirage in Dubai to the Villa Rosa Kempinski in Kenya, to honour Champagne Day in style. 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Tanzania_@riopaul_-and-@ms_ris_eddy-at-the-photowall_Moët-Grand-Toast-to-Today-742x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53140" width="268" height="370" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Tanzania_@riopaul_-and-@ms_ris_eddy-at-the-photowall_Moët-Grand-Toast-to-Today-742x1024.jpg 742w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Tanzania_@riopaul_-and-@ms_ris_eddy-at-the-photowall_Moët-Grand-Toast-to-Today-218x300.jpg 218w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Tanzania_@riopaul_-and-@ms_ris_eddy-at-the-photowall_Moët-Grand-Toast-to-Today-768x1059.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Tanzania_@riopaul_-and-@ms_ris_eddy-at-the-photowall_Moët-Grand-Toast-to-Today-1114x1536.jpg 1114w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Tanzania_@riopaul_-and-@ms_ris_eddy-at-the-photowall_Moët-Grand-Toast-to-Today-1485x2048.jpg 1485w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Tanzania_@riopaul_-and-@ms_ris_eddy-at-the-photowall_Moët-Grand-Toast-to-Today-scaled.jpg 1856w" sizes="(max-width: 268px) 100vw, 268px" /></figure></div>



In celebration of the powerful sentiment behind the Grand ‘Toast to Today’,&nbsp;Moët &amp; Chandon created a customised ‘Wall of Toasts’.&nbsp;Guests were invited to&nbsp;recall&nbsp;a personal moment they felt thankful for on their notecard, seal it with a red wax seal and add it to the wall. A poignant reminder to all in attendance of the&nbsp;importance of acknowledging&nbsp;personal&nbsp;moments of joy or success daily.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Moët &amp; Chandon’s wish to create an unforgettable moment of&nbsp;collective joy&nbsp;to mark Champagne Day 2021&nbsp;was achieved in style. The&nbsp;Moët &amp; Chandon Grand ‘Toast to Today’&nbsp;served as a fitting celebration of the brand’s&nbsp;exceptional&nbsp;years of&nbsp;history,&nbsp;its&nbsp;power to unite and&nbsp;the importance of celebrating moments that matter&nbsp;each&nbsp;day.&nbsp;&nbsp;



#ToastWithMoet&nbsp;



ABOUT MOËT &amp; CHANDON&nbsp;



Founded in 1743, Moët &amp; Chandon is the Maison that contributed to introducing champagne to the world by offering a range of unique wines for every occasion. From the iconic Moët&nbsp;Impérial&nbsp;to the Grand Vintage Collection, from the extroverted Moët &amp;&nbsp;Chandon&nbsp;Rosé&nbsp;Impérial&nbsp;to the innovative Moët &amp;&nbsp;Chandon&nbsp;Ice&nbsp;Impérial, each champagne dazzles and delights with bright fruitiness, an enticing palate and an elegant maturity.&nbsp;



Since its founding, Moët &amp; Chandon has been a champagne of choice to celebrate historical moments or private moments of great personal importance. For each of life’s memorable moments, Moët &amp; Chandon has a style of champagne that marks the moment in a very unique way.&nbsp;

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MOËT & CHANDON CELEBRATES CHAMPAGNE DAY WITH A GRAND ‘TOAST TO TODAY’

South African Breweries (SAB) raises a glass to its new Corporate Brand Director Sphe Vundla. Sphe, who already took a sip, is ready to elevate SAB’s corporate brand in a way that not only resonates with this iconic brand’s many stakeholders, but with the nation at large.



“It is an exciting opportunity to be able to integrate cross-functionality at a regional and national level to tell our stories with impact. I want to elevate the SAB brand and work closely with the SAB Foundation to ensure that everyone knows and engages with our programs which are making a difference and serving our communities across the nation,” says Vundla.



As a self-confessed provoker of purpose and passionate communicator, this high-performance leader is looking to brew a particular brand of excellence in everything he pursues. He joined SAB in 2018 after a stint at Nedbank as their Group Digital Manager with the Nedbank Group Marketing Communication and Corporate Affairs division.



From banking to beer, Sphe is ready to continue creating award-winning campaigns and programs that help brands shape culture.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="389" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CASTLE-LION-SERIES-FACEBOOK-HEADER2-1024x389.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52968" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CASTLE-LION-SERIES-FACEBOOK-HEADER2-1024x389.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CASTLE-LION-SERIES-FACEBOOK-HEADER2-300x114.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CASTLE-LION-SERIES-FACEBOOK-HEADER2-768x292.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CASTLE-LION-SERIES-FACEBOOK-HEADER2.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Sphe led the 2021 Castle Lions Series campaign which saw Springboks hosting the British and Irish Lions. </figcaption></figure></div>



As a marketer, Sphe’s experience across numerous marketing disciplines and industries has given him the power of adaptability. This is at a time when agility has become the corporate world’s most potent superpower.



What makes Sphe perfect for this role? His experience with and love for South African Breweries, of course! Over the last three and a half years, Sphe has been intricately involved in some of SAB’s most iconic beer brands including Castle Lager, Castle Free, Carling Black Label, Lion Lager, and Hansa leading the digital and integrated media functions for these brands.



Just last year he became Marketing Manager of the brand that built SAB in South Africa’s hearts, minds, and sports stadiums – Castle Lager. Here he got to manage incredible sponsorship opportunities at SAFA, CSA, and most recently, SARU through the brand’s sponsorship of the Castle Lions Series.



But this year has brought him to managing the SAB corporate brand which brought with it the challenge of ensuring the organization’s efforts and achievements are communicated and built on through continuous and seamless storytelling.



This is no small task, as it requires close co-operation with multiple players in various parts of the business. The only way this can work is by establishing a strong rhythm and efficient ways of operating, a pattern he has perfected over the years, and, as such, he has become an expert at managing multiple objectives.



The last few years have seen this dynamic industry become more difficult to maintain; the pandemic hit the brewery industry hard with the country introducing new restrictions, including multiple bans on the sale of alcohol. Because of this, as a business, SAB had to embrace agility and scenario planning in a completely unprecedented way.



For Vundla, adopting a discipline of readiness – which at times meant having campaigns ready to plug and play in response to changing socio-economic and political conditions – has become a key part of how the organization operates.



This hasn’t deterred Vundla one iota as he says, “SAB has been my favorite journey in my career thus far. Being afforded the opportunity to leave my mark on some of our continent’s biggest brands has been a great honor. Through my recent promotion as Corporate Brand Director at SAB, I am excited to build an integrated team with a contagious ‘can do’ culture of excellence, develop young talent, and collectively take the SAB brand to new heights. Cheers to that!”

Sphe Vundla2304

From Banking to Beer, This New Corporate Leader Says Cheers to Excellence

OneSpark, the new-age, globally backed start-up on the block that’s completely re-inventing and disrupting the global insurance industry to doing everything they can to create a better future for all South Africans, has just launched the world’s first AI powered, Pay-as-You-Need and Peer-to-Peer life insurance product. OneSpark has created a life insurance product unlike any other.



Forget everything you know about life insurance. Say goodbye to hundred-page application forms, endless phone calls, scary needles, expensive premiums and 50-year contracts. Gone are the days of greedy insurers whose complex products allow them to take out profits, without you knowing and at your expense. And say hello to a completely new type of life insurance model – one that’s smart, instant, easy, transparent, and has crazy low premiums.



“At OneSpark, we know how hard you have worked to earn every cent, that’s why treat the premiums you pay as if it’s your money, not ours. We replaced the bloated expenses, large profits and archaic processes with smart tech and powerful AI. Plus, we do life insurance completely differently. We simply take a small fee to administer your policy, pay out claims in times of need and return to you whatever premiums that are left over. This means you can save you up to 70% compared to other life insurers,” says Josh Kaplan, co-founder and joint CEO of OneSpark.



Currently, at other life insurers, only approximately 40% of your premium actually goes towards paying out your claims. By embedding smart tech and powerful AI into the foundation of their product, and by creating the world’s first Pay-As-You-Need and Peer-to-Peer life insurance model, OneSpark has almost doubled this to 70%. This doubling of the efficiency of traditional life insurance results in massive premium savings for clients.



“We worked hard to make the most efficient and smartest life insurance structure in the world, and to channel all that value back to our clients, our number one priority,” says Francis Gill, Head of Actuarial at OneSpark.



Traditional life insurance also requires you to lock into an inflexible long-term contract. In reality, your needs are constantly changing, such as your debt levels, income, occupation, lifestyle and family make-up. Regardless of the fact that your needs change every year, with traditional life insurance you’re locked into a static policy that remains level in real terms.



“At the moment, traditional life insurance is analogous to locking into a contract to buy the exact same white t-shirt every year for the rest of your life, regardless of how your body changes, materials advance, colour preferences and styles change. It just doesn’t make sense anymore. That’s why our world-first Pay-As-You-Need life insurance model uses powerful AI to automatically adjust your cover every year in line with your changing needs, so you’re no longer locked into a 50-year contract. It’s a short-term contract that dynamically adjusts as your life evolves, so you can just sit back, relax and spend time on the things that matter most,” says Greg Smith, co-founder and Joint CEO of OneSpark.



In today’s world, where you can get from one side of the globe to the other in hours, it shouldn’t take weeks to take get covered, require painful medical tests and the completion of long, complicated forms. At the moment, you need a rocket science degree to understand the product and figure out much cover you need every year. OneSpark’s advanced machine learning and AI algorithms mean you can get a quote in 10 seconds, get covered in minutes without any painful medical tests, and all while it tells you exactly how much cover you need every year in order to be fully protected.



In just a few months since launching in November 2020, OneSpark has shaken the South African insurance market by successfully rolling out 5 world-first products across different markets, partnered with global sports icons Siya Kolisi and Lungi Ngidi, and earned global backing to facilitate their expansion around the world. This young, ambitious company is going head-to-head with incumbent insurers who have dominated South Africa for decades, changing the insurance game, forever.



For more information and to sign up, visit www.onespark.co.za.



<h1 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-onesparklife-onesparksa-onesparkchangethegame">OneSparkLife #OneSparkSA #OneSparkChangeTheGame</h1>

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Disrupting with an AI Powered, Pay-as-You-Need and Peer-to-Peer life insurance model

Streamlined strategy for African prosperity&nbsp;



Nigerian multinational commercial bank Access Bank PLC is a full-service bank supported by a network of more than 600 branches and service outlets across three continents.



Strategic expansion into high-impact EMEA countries has seen Access Bank PLC establish representative offices in China, Lebanon, and India; as well as an expanded presence in 10 African countries incorporating East, West and Southern Africa.



In keeping with rapid changes and a proliferation of banking and financial services on the African continent, Access Bank PLC’s most recent addition to the stable is Access Bank South Africa, offering South Africans globally sound, efficient banking solutions while creating long-term investment opportunities across four business segments: retail, business, commercial and corporate.



“With resources, skills and expertise that began with opening Access Bank in 1989 in Lagos, Nigeria, our robust knowledge of the continent made South Africa a natural progression for our strategy,” says Herbert Wigwe, Access Bank PLC Group Managing Director.



“We launched in the country in June 2021, bringing the broader South African market a truly African bank that has their best financial interests at heart.”



With network of more than 600 branches and service outlets, spanning three continents, 14 countries and over 40 million customers, Wigwe asserts that the SADC region is by far the strongest economy on the African continent. And with Global Brand Awards that include Best Digital Banking Brand, Nigeria; and the Asian Banker Awards’ Best Digital Bank in Africa; Access Bank SA has the advantage of cheaper, faster and more secure digital banking solutions.



“Our advancements in the digital sphere enables us to put South African business in touch with international resources geared for unrivalled growth, driving advancement towards reaching your financial goals,” says Wigwe.



Financial freedom through trusted solutions



As Access Bank PLC maximises the opportunities Africa offers, Access Bank SA is another important mechanism in a rising local customer base and its move to a global, cashless economy.



Wigwe says providing more efficient financial solutions, additional services, and financial freedom and support from a bank the market can trust is evident in the offering the bank has embedded in its operations around the continent and globally over the past 32 years.



Access Bank PLC understands that even the hardest work put into a business every day will mean nothing without access to the right resources and solutions, says Wigwe. “Opportunities to build and develop a business must be met by swift action, which is only



possible with a bank that guarantees access to exceptional, speedy banking services and solutions, and world class bankers and financial decision makers.”



By structuring solutions that enable businesses to reach greater financial goals, Access Bank South Africa enables clients to rely on Access Bank PLC Group’s established strengths in business and SME banking; foreign exchange services; asset finance; and alliance banking.



Through the broad distribution network offered by Access Bank PLC’s presence in the key trade corridors that connect Africa to the rest of the world, Wigwe notes that corporate clients will now enjoy improved access to trade finance, treasury, international payments and loans.



“Access Bank PLC delivers on more than just banking,” says Wigwe. “We are a partner that promotes the achievement of goals and key performance targets for our clients’ business.



“With the introduction of Access Bank into the South Africa arena, we continue to solidify our commitment to delivering strategic aspirations that position us as Africa’s gateway to the world. This is in line with our vision of becoming the world’s most respected African bank.”



As each step in the Access Bank PLC strategy brings it closer to its stated goal &#8211; to reach and positively impact 100 million unique customers across the continent by 2022 &#8211; Wigwe’s conviction is solid: “This goal is fast becoming a reality. The possibilities are endless when you have access to more.”



What solutions does Access Bank offer your business?



· Access to everyday banking, from transactional accounts to online banking and attorney trust accounts, Access Bank PLC solutions meet your business needs that yield positive financial results.



· Access to working capital, commercial loans, vehicle and asset finance, as well as property finance guarantees that clients are equipped to offer more to their business and clients.



· Access to offshore investments, foreign currency accounts, forward exchange contracts, cross-border payments and international trade finance allows South African businesses to reach greater heights and tap into previously unattainable markets.



· Access to continued business growth through the provision of deposit solutions tailor-made for all business needs means savings deposits, fixed deposits and notice deposit accounts enable control over financial activities and a strategy for a secure future.



Source:



<a href="https://www.accessbankPLC.com/AccessBankGroup/media/Investors/2020-Factsheet.pdf">https://www.accessbankPLC.com/AccessBankGroup/media/Investors/2020-Factsheet.pdf</a>

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Access to More

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South Africa Stewards of Health 2021

A brand-new series offers practical advice to entrepreneurs and SMME owners to help them go the distance in a post-Covid world.  



Globally, it’s recognised that micro, small and medium enterprises (SMMEs) hold the keys to large-scale job creation and economic growth. While SMMEs have always faced an uphill battle in their early stages, Covid-19 has compounded the challenges by disrupting the world as we know it.&nbsp;&nbsp;



This is according to&nbsp;Suthu&nbsp;Ndlovu, Director: SME at Old Mutual Corporate, who today announced the launch of Nine Yards TV, a brand-new series designed to help SMME owners go the distance with realistic, practical advice on growing their business.&nbsp;



“The world is changing and demands new solutions to its significant challenges. SMMEs are poised to provide the creative answers the country so desperately needs. It is therefore vital that institutions such as ours don’t just focus on supporting existing businesses. We must also keep providing inspiration and nurturing fertile ground for entrepreneurship,” says Ndlovu. 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="200" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/OM-NineYards-ForbesAfrica-Image2-600x200-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52603" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/OM-NineYards-ForbesAfrica-Image2-600x200-1.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/OM-NineYards-ForbesAfrica-Image2-600x200-1-300x100.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure></div>



Launching Nine Yards TV was the next logical step in Old Mutual Corporate’s mission to support SMMEs on their journeys to build resilience.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“The decision to initiate the show follows the warm reception of the magazine, which we launched ahead of Global Entrepreneurship day in October 2020,” says the Editor of Nine Yards Magazine and Executive Head: Marketing, Public Affairs and Sustainability at Old Mutual Corporate, Gugu-Lisa Zwane-Johnson.&nbsp;



“As a corporate business, we wanted to capture the two overriding characteristics of this sector, namely hope and resilience, by recognising the tenacity and creativity of entrepreneurs. &nbsp;



“A year and a half into the pandemic, the demand for free and accessible advice has never been greater,” she says.&nbsp;



Viewers can look forward to engaging conversations between experts and entrepreneurs on key themes and challenges specific to South Africa, including practical tips explored further in the Nine Yards Magazine.&nbsp;



“The first episode focuses on one of the biggest challenges facing new business owners &#8211; funding. Featuring Zamokuhle Thwala, who co-founded AgriKool to connect emerging black farmers with finance opportunities, the episode unpacks the three most common mistakes entrepreneurs make&nbsp;when seeking funding and offers five practical tips on how to access finance,” Zwane-Johnson says.&nbsp;&nbsp;



As someone who knows both sides of the business world, being a small business owner and part of a large corporate, Ndlovu relates to the challenges facing SMMEs and understands the special role established businesses can play by offering insight and guidance.&nbsp;



“Input from real entrepreneurs and business leaders makes each episode a compelling nine minutes that will resonate with anyone on an entrepreneurial journey,” concludes Ndlovu.&nbsp;



Watch the first episode of Nine Yards TV by visiting&nbsp;<a href="http://www.oldmutual.co.za/nineyardsTV" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.oldmutual.co.za/nineyardsTV</a>&nbsp;



Entrepreneurs can subscribe to Nine Yards Magazine to tap into realistic advice, ideas and tips they can apply to their own small businesses.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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A new TV series on SMMEs for large-scale job creation and economic growth

In cities like Lagos, Nairobi and Addis Ababa, busy streets are awash with the bright blue shopfronts of Transsion&#8217;s flagship brand, TECNO. The company might still be a new brand globally, however, the company took a different path to success from other top Chinese smartphone makers or international mobile brands. TECNO built its business in Africa and is focused on its growth in global emerging markets. And it has no plans to change tack now.



For TECNO, future growth is set to come from building its business outside Africa by tapping into other developing regions like the Middle East, East Europe, and Southeast Asia, but with Africa still a key focus.



A recent Counterpoint research reveals that TECNO was responsible for 18% of the total smartphone shipments in Africa in 2020. The research firm attributes TECNO’s rise to a strong second half of the year and its affordable smartphone portfolio. The brand has made a dent to some of the bigger smartphone names, making TECNO a challenger brand to watch out for.



Glocal approach



TECNO’s ethos is rooted in a business strategy called “glocalisation,” the creation of products that will sell universally but can be customised to specific markets or regions. This strategy signifies TECNO’s growth from an Africa-focused brand to a newcomer in the mid-to-high-end smartphone segment in global emerging markets.



In Ethiopia for example, Tecno became the first major phone brand in the country to offer a keyboard in Amharic, the country’s native script. This unlocked an entirely new customer base. Swahili and Hausa keyboards have also been added since then.



“This has helped TECNO grow into one of the most admired smartphone brands in Africa, as well as an expert in providing industrial-leading technology and innovative devices designed for global users in emerging markets,” explains Stephen Ha, General Manager at TECNO.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Screenshot-2021-09-20-at-18.27.05-708x1024.png" alt="" class="wp-image-52561" width="344" height="498" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Screenshot-2021-09-20-at-18.27.05-708x1024.png 708w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Screenshot-2021-09-20-at-18.27.05-207x300.png 207w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Screenshot-2021-09-20-at-18.27.05-768x1111.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Screenshot-2021-09-20-at-18.27.05.png 810w" sizes="(max-width: 344px) 100vw, 344px" /></figure></div>



Today, TECNO&#8217;s product line is greatly enriched by its quad core smartphone product lines and a diverse AIoT products, providing consumers with high-quality middle and high-end smart devices.



“We offer a very competitive price, enabling our customers to always stay connected to the world and enjoy a fashionable way of life. Unlike many international brands, TECNO focuses on users in emerging markets and creatively combines global technology with the actual needs of local consumers, bringing them cutting-edge technology with localised innovation and differentiated features. This kind of innovation that is in our DNA,” adds Ha.



In 2021, TECNO plans to leap further forward with the hope of stabilising its foothold on more emerging markets. “To further expand our brand popularity, we aim to play a more significant role in the mid-to-high end market segment. We will do this by actively combining international-level partnerships to create our global brand image, while also utilising diverse and innovative branding activities to serve a growing number of young consumers.”



Joining the premium smartphone space



TECNO’s brand mission is to become the most admired tech brand in the global emerging markets by continually making breakthroughs in product innovation.



With PHANTOM X, TECNO intends to redefine the premium flagship phone trend and evolve it to new dimensions that exemplifies premium design, industry flagship camera technology, and seamless customer experience punctuated by a differentiated service. “We are confident that we have figured out a right strategy in terms of many aspects like elegant design, language, camera technology, and total user experience,” says Ha.



But PHANTOM X is just the beginning. As TECNO continues to play a more significant role in the mid-to-high end market segment, it will cultivate its market position by bringing with it premium smart devices and services-based offering and lead with a customer-oriented innovation mindset.



“The mid-to-high-end smartphone market has become more mature today, and market demand has spread rapidly to global emerging markets. We are eager to push the competition into new boundaries to make flagship technology and innovation available to consumers in global emerging markets sooner,” adds Ha.



TECNO plays a crucial role post-pandemic



The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges both for industry and society, however, TECNO knows that every challenge brings with it an opportunity. “During the period, we kept the communication lines with our global partners. We stood alongside our consumers to help them overcome challenges. We’ve always been the brand that pushes past limitations,” says Ha.



TECNO gave back to communities. They implemented fast-response measures to support local communities in time of outburst events such as COVID19. “Last year, we rolled out a range of initiatives to provide prevention measures, materials and educational and economical support that aims to help local communities to maintain their safety and wellbeing for everyday life.”



TECNO partnered with governments in countries such as Nigeria, Thailand, Myanmar, and India, to provide medical support to local communities. Prior to the pandemic, they partnered with UNHCR to support its global education project, Educate A Child, to help improve the educational conditions of refugee children and enable them to get more opportunities for education.



But more than taking its social responsibility to heart, TECNO is all about knowing what the customer needs, and this philosophy is at the very center of everything they do. “We are at the forefront of meeting neglected market demands by developing elegantly designed smart tech devices and services for our consumers across more than 70 global emerging markets. We want to provide consumers with a comprehensive range of high-quality products and services at competitive prices, from smartphones, tablets, smart wearables to AIoT devices,” says Ha.



As TECNO readies itself to take on the world by storm, the brand recognizes the role that it plays in society.



“We are investing more around digitalisation to drive positive impact on business ecosystem, consumers as well as social development. For example, we held the first global AR launch event for the CAMON 16 series in 2020; we witnessed the rise of short-video social trend and launched the very first documentary looking at the “rise of selfie”, calling out for the public to employ devices in a positive way. We are also investing more in e-commerce to bring better convenience to consumers,” concludes Ha.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Screenshot-2021-09-20-at-18.27.43-1024x671.png" alt="" class="wp-image-52564" width="632" height="414" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Screenshot-2021-09-20-at-18.27.43-1024x671.png 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Screenshot-2021-09-20-at-18.27.43-300x196.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Screenshot-2021-09-20-at-18.27.43-768x503.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Screenshot-2021-09-20-at-18.27.43-1536x1006.png 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Screenshot-2021-09-20-at-18.27.43.png 1762w" sizes="(max-width: 632px) 100vw, 632px" /></figure></div>



One can clearly see why TECNO is on the up and up.



It is no surprise therefore that in 2020 it has outpaced its competitors in Africa and was named one of the top ten “most admired brands in Africa”, a recognition bestowed upon it by its industry peers and consumers.

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TECNO: A Business Strategy Called ‘Glocalization’ and Why Africa Has Been Key To The Rise of This Tech Brand

By William Mzimba



The purpose of the existing education system is to meet the manpower needs of industry, thereby meeting the economic needs of society. However, if we continue to deliver education shaped by current industry needs, are we really preparing our youth for a future that’s rapidly evolving and changing with the emergence of new technology?



<a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs.pdf">The Future of Jobs </a>report, published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2016already pointed to the change we need to prepare learners for. The report notes that 65% of children currently entering primary schools will “ultimately work in new job types and functions that currently don’t yet exist.” Clearly, legacy education systems, which were curated for the industrial revolution, must evolve to address the needs of the current, digitally-driven Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).



As new technology pioneers new ways of doing things, one can expect that with the 4IR, more tasks will be automated. In fact, projections by the WEF in their <a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs_2020.pdf">2020 Future of Jobs</a> report point to the massive changes we will see in the not-so-distant future. WEF says that by 2025 “the time spent on current tasks at work by humans and machines will be equal” and, as a result, an estimated “85 million jobs may be displaced” by the new human-machine labour division, while “97 million new roles may emerge that are more adapted to the new division of labour between humans, machines and algorithms.”



With new as-yet-undefined 4IR roles emerging and automation a reality, surely education should be focused on creating a nation of “response-able” individuals with critical, creative thinking and an agile mindset best suited to a technological future defined by constant flux. We must instil grit, resilience, and resourcefulness in our learners. For this future, education needs to shape not only strong IQs and EQs, but digital intelligence (DQ), too. To enable and support this, education must be digitally transformed by addressing the gap between the legacy education system and technology. This is the global education challenge that lies before us all.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">The gap in the South African context</h3>



While it’s crucial to integrate and leverage technology to help the current education system evolve on a global scale, updating the purpose of education to better align with the 4IR, in South Africa, we must simultaneously overcome the connectivity deficit creating inequality. Online education is an important societal equaliser, as learners will be able to access world-class educational content regardless of their socio-economic status or geographic location. But to drive equal education, we must first ensure there is equal access. The pandemic has brought into sharp focus the digital divide that already existed in South Africa’s education system, where a large segment of learners has no access to digitised content.



To understand this digital divide in South Africa, we need only look to the public-school sector’s quintile grouping, measured against community poverty and available infrastructure. Public schools in quintiles 4 and 5 (and private schools, too) are predominantly situated in cities, metropolitan areas, and suburbs where there is established telecommunications infrastructure and mostly reliable



electricity supply. Most of these students have access to data and devices to benefit from online education platforms. Conversely, schools in quintiles 1 to 3 need our greatest attention, as they are functioning in areas where poverty prevails and where infrastructure is lacking.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Progress through partnerships</h3>



Device and data affordability, connectivity, and basic digital literacy are some of the obstacles preventing democratised digital-education access. Tackling these areas will require committed collaboration between the public and private sector. This reality in South Africa is one Vodacom Business has recognised, which is why we have actively pursued and actioned collaboration between the Department of Education and various private sector entities and funders.



Through these collaborations, some of our objectives include sourcing and curating appropriate educational content; making this content sustainably accessible online; providing age-appropriate devices and the necessary connectivity for getting online; and continually monitoring and assessing the measures taken and solutions implemented to redefine our approach where necessary.



To date, our e-School digital-education platform serves more than 1.25 million South African learners and we have provided zero-rated data offers to over 3 000 public higher education institutions and high schools. Through our <a href="https://www.vodacombusiness.co.za/business/solutions/mobile-and-voice/connected-education">Connected Digital Education </a>solution launched in June 2020, we have connected 136 basic- and higher-education institutions with data bundles at preferential rates for use on a wide range of compatible devices. In partnership with Microsoft South Africa, we have also connected learners to the Microsoft Office 365 A1 learning platform.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-national-call-to-action">The national call to action</h3>



As we continue to face the highly disruptive and destructive Covid-19 virus head on, we must simultaneously ensure that the foundation of our education is built and strengthened to withstand any future shocks that may come. Democratising access is critical if our learners are to benefit from the necessary global overhaul to education for the 4IR. The tasks that lie ahead are monumental, but partnerships are how we are going to forge ahead, going further together in meeting our shared educational goals. We are in a unique position right now to execute the lofty ideal of equal education for all, and the call to action starts now.



William Mzimba is the Chief Officer for Vodacom Business and a member of the Vodacom South Africa Executive Committee. A passionate innovator and disruptor, he has been tasked with driving digital transformation in targeted industries and markets and is responsible for the implementation of a number of digital transformation solutions at Vodacom Business.

William Mzimba Vodacomex

Bridging the gap between technology and the legacy education system

We often hear about the importance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to any economy, but finding a reliable and efficient partner for financial services can be a tough job for this sector. Sigma Financial Solutions, also known as Sigma, can offer a helping hand to businesses that will fuel their growth and encourage the venture to go global.



In as much as they make up the vast majority of businesses globally, in Africa region for example that they account for 97% of companies in Zambia and employ 88% the workforce while in Nigeria SMEs accounts 91% contributing to 60% employment, SMEs remain unbanked and thereby hindering their growth. It is imperative that such driver receive the necessary help so they can in turn contribute to local economy.



“It was daunting enough for me to take on contracts and knowing I don’t have the facility for it now”, says Mr.&nbsp;Kennedy&nbsp;Mvula&nbsp;who is a&nbsp;commodity&nbsp;entrepreneur/trader, and continued, “but I recall sending a message to Sigma and the same day, we scheduled a meeting to discuss about how I can actually pull the deal off.&nbsp;The solution to my financial worries is not actually out of reach after all.&nbsp;”&nbsp;



These businesses&nbsp;are critical contributors to creating jobs and global economic advancement,&nbsp;being the backbone of most of the world’s economies, however it is a difficult segment to cater to.&nbsp;&nbsp;Apprehension stems off from the fact that&nbsp;such enterprises are not well-established, although it goes both ways, as these businesses veer away from difficult terms and requirements set off by traditional financing avenues.&nbsp;To establish a strong, long-term business partnership,&nbsp;Sigma&nbsp;worked on a set of services&nbsp;that provides&nbsp;business&nbsp;with a variety of&nbsp;features&nbsp;tailored to their specific needs.&nbsp;



Sigma&nbsp;is&nbsp;regulated and licensed by the Bank of Zambia&nbsp;and apart from trade finance, Sigma specializes in cash management services, fixed deposits, offshore account opening, payment transfers for local and international payments (in alliance with Atlas Mara Zambia), prepaid debit cards (powered by United Bank of Africa Zambia), and SME lending&nbsp;(for Zambian nationals).&nbsp;&nbsp;



These services make Sigma a one-stop shop for comprehensive banking services&nbsp;for clients around the globe, as their&nbsp;aim is to guarantee the digital delivery of high-quality&nbsp;financial assistance&nbsp;in order to fundamentally improve customer experience.&nbsp;The goal is to facilitate&nbsp;credit and access to&nbsp;banking services&nbsp;for&nbsp;SMEs, therefore catalyzing financing into the private sector and promoting&nbsp;sectoral&nbsp;growth.&nbsp;



Sigma is fully geared in digitizing&nbsp;financial transactions&nbsp;for ease&nbsp;of&nbsp;resource management,&nbsp;especially with the fast paced nature of&nbsp;businesses&nbsp;nowadays.&nbsp;In the case of SMEs, every day is a different scenario and each transaction varies greatly, sometimes they cannot predict a requirement and needs instant financial support to execute a deal.&nbsp;To guarantee that they fulfill contemporary market demands, banks and financial institutions must choose for online processes with automated features, such as those offered by institutions like Sigma.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Banks&nbsp;and NBFCs&nbsp;that serve small businesses must not only assist&nbsp;in&nbsp;mitigating&nbsp;the effects of the recent&nbsp;pandemic, but also&nbsp;aid them&nbsp;agilely&nbsp;to&nbsp;adapt and grow in the&nbsp;face of emerging technological changes&nbsp;&#8211; they&nbsp;need to find creative ways to use&nbsp;these technologies to overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic.&nbsp;Hence, Sigma is always trying to disrupt the existing banking system and build new infrastructure&nbsp;and solutions&nbsp;in order to close the gap in financial services accessibility.&nbsp;Consumers and companies increasingly want their providers to be able to meet their needs in a straightforward, timely, and seamless manner&nbsp;and this is what Sigma aims for.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Let’s take the case of  Mr. Kennedy, who spearheads Knyter Enterprise Limited, a new venture involving commodity trade based in Zambia He used to work in a similar company importing various commodities mostly from India, Brazil, and China but now he can manage on his own and has identified his network of potential clients. However, such deals are in dire need of bank assistance for credit and trade facilities, given most suppliers are overseas. Another benefit that came with the relationship is the access to USD currency. 



Getting onboarded with Sigma allowed him to receive and transfer payments easily without his margins being swallowed by exorbitant forex charges. Another advantageous feature is having no maintaining balance, which is rather crucial for small businesses without much liquidity. Since having Sigma as their partner for executing trade deals, he has facilitated three imports in a span of a month and a half, compared to doing only one deal in every few months. Often, small businesses see finance institutions as barrier to growth instead of a trusted partner, but Sigma’s effort to educate their clients and empower SMEs with intelligent business banking help them focus on their core business. 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="569" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/chairman-2.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-52411" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/chairman-2.jpeg 800w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/chairman-2-300x213.jpeg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/chairman-2-768x546.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption>Group Chairman, Sanjeev Chadha</figcaption></figure></div>



Hailing from the leadership of group chairman Sanjeev Chadha, Sigma continually looks for ways to simplify banking to be more inclusive. In today&#8217;s uniquely uncertain and tough times, being able to access a broader array of financial service products, such as increasing the capacity to manage cash better and gaining access to credit facilities, has made the difference between survival and closure for many struggling SMEs. More than this, Sigma is looking at being the partner of every client in their pursuit for internationalization, making sure they can only look forward to exemplary services ahead.



To know more how you can elevate your business using bank instruments and comprehensive account services, get in touch with the financial experts in Sigma Financial Solutions by visiting their website at www.sigmafinsol.com/contact-us.



Sources for figures:



PwC Nigeria. 2021. Nigeria SME Survey. [online] Available at: &lt;https://www.pwc.com/ng/en/events/nigeria-sme-survey.html&gt; [Accessed 23 August 2021].



Zambia Development Agency. 2020. Zambia Competitiveness Survey. [online] Available at: &lt;https://www.zda.org.zm/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Zambia-Competiveness-Survey.pdf&gt; [Accessed 24 August 2021].

zambia forbes

Closing The Gap In Financial Services And Promoting Sectorial Growth

Marinella Buscaglia, Head of Coverage at Investec



The global pandemic fundamentally changed the way the world works and, perhaps more significantly, what we derive from this new way of working.



In the wake of the COVID-19 induced crisis, certain sectors have ridden a wave of exponential growth on the back of transformative trends, while others are struggling for relevance and survival. For instance, the technology, media and telecom (TMT) and healthcare sectors became hyper-growth markets as people and businesses turned to digital channels and platforms to drive engagement and commerce, while demand for medical facilities, services and products soared.



As the world emerges from the crisis, new themes are driving cyclical growth within sectors that are strategically important to the country&#8217;s economic recovery, such as industrials, mining and manufacturing. Sectors like the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry will likely benefit from sustained tailwinds from pandemic-influenced trends, such as the accelerated adoption of e-commerce and the broader on-demand platform economy. In contrast, the pandemic has devastated the tourism, entertainment and commercial transport sectors.



Change drives innovative thinking



However, once the pandemic ends (and of course, the question is when), it is evident that few things will function like they did before COVID-19, which means no industry can afford to approach business in the way it did previously, including the banking sector.



With so many businesses struggling to survive in this unprecedented environment, business owners are putting pressure on their financial services providers to be more creative and forward-thinking.



Responding to these demands will require change to bring different, more relevant solutions to the table, where more of the same just won’t cut it anymore. Addressing future challenges will also require collaborative and diverse thinking that anticipates problems and provides relevant products and services to help businesses grow.



In this way, the socioeconomic changes ushered in by the pandemic will rewrite many previously fundamental banking industry rules and roles. Already, banks have had to change the way they assess risk and adjust their risk appetite. One-dimensional risk assessments that simply look at short-term financial metrics have become irrelevant in the current context.



Move to holistic assessments



While assessing risk based on cash flow will remain crucial, as will managing risk from a currency, treasury and interest rate perspective, banks require a broader toolset to support viable businesses in a responsible and fiscally sustainable manner.



This entails taking a holistic view of a business, considering factors such as shareholder and management implicit support and track record, the company’s resilience and diversity of product, the way they leverage technology and their ability to deliver what their clients need and then reach new markets against the backdrop of shifting market trends.



Meeting policy requirements has also become a strategic imperative, for example improving their BEE credentials and committing to improving their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) ratings, will influence a company&#8217;s ability to service the broader economy and influence their future growth plans. Banking partners must help to favourably position businesses in the market by identifying any potential policy gaps and addressing these shortfalls.



Banks should also look at what has fundamentally changed in the business through the crisis. What factors supported their survival? What challenges do they face currently? And how sustainable is the business strategy going forward?



A business that still has a fundamental role to play in the economy will find itself in a stronger position than a company that offers a service or product line that is waning or losing relevance.



As such, analysing the business from multiple perspectives will provide insights into a company&#8217;s sustainability and future growth prospects in the current situation. While intelligent digital technology such as AI and data analytics will play an increasingly important role in this process, bankers should not lose sight of the importance and value of building direct personal relationships with clients.



Never undervalue the human element



Engaging directly with business owners to understand them and their business engenders trust and understanding while leveraging on technology, helps to identify key themes, trends and new perspectives that are grounded in sound banking principles. Digital tools should never displace the human element in the banking value chain because engaging directly with clients can reveal nuanced information that digital tools seldom can provide.



Constructing a holistic picture requires continuous engagement to unpack how the business services clients, the state of their supply chain, how they manage working capital and risks in the business and where they are from a Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and ESG perspective. This is a long and often complicated journey that data analytics alone cannot completely understand.



The synergy then that exists between the human element and technology provides the impetus for the solutionist thinking that banks need to address the issues impacting businesses today and into the future.



There are no drop-box solutions to today&#8217;s business challenges. In our fundamentally changed world, we need to find ways to operate differently and often with speed. Clients require proper conversations with people they trust to deliver bespoke, forward-thinking solutions that will address their unique needs and help them rebuild and grow out of the crisis.

Marinella new

Time to respond to changed fundamentals

Do African Infrastructure Developers Hold The Key To Solving The Continent’s Infrastructure Paradox?



Insights from those with experience suggest that technology might make projects more successful.&nbsp;David Pilling, writing in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/58536842-4856-4476-bdb1-58bb2d629486" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Financial Times</a>&nbsp;last month, notes that investment into African infrastructure projects was steadily rising prior to COVID-19.&nbsp;



According to research published by the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa, average annual funding between 2013 and 2017 stood at&nbsp;US$77 billion – double the annual average between 2000-06. Yet these impressive figures still fall short of closing a funding gap of some&nbsp;US$70 billion, which many countries may find difficult to fill given surging debt levels and COVID-pressed public finances. But could an uptick in investor appetite provide the answer? As the African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM) note, the misperception of risks can create attractive returns for the more discerning investor.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Should investors be willing to deploy capital in search of higher yields, Africa may present a more compelling investment case than many “safer” markets back home. A report by McKinsey &amp; Company from 2020 referred to an African “infrastructure paradox”, where although funding&nbsp;a large pipeline and a need for spending exist in equal measure,&nbsp;not enough money is being spent to close the gap. The consultancy says that most infrastructure projects fail to reach financial close, with fewer than 10% of projects achieving this milestone and 80% failing at the feasibility and business-plan stage. It concludes that although there is significant scope for governments to collaborate with local development-finance institutions and international financial institutions, there remain significant challenges for the long-term economic potential of the continent.&nbsp;&nbsp;



But there are many who appear to take a different view.&nbsp;<a href="https://qz.com/africa/2018764/africas-telecom-sector-is-seeing-a-boom-in-investment/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">US-owned Africell</a>, the telecommunications company which has 12 million mobile subscribers across Africa, has just secured a&nbsp;US$105 million loan facility from a group of financiers to build a new mobile network in Angola. The investment is likely to catalyse Angola’s fintech sector. Similarly, the G7 and American administration announced a new global infrastructure initiative&nbsp;this month,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/a-hidden-key-to-the-g7s-infrastructure-ambitions-blue-dot-network/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Blue Dot Network</a>, which aims to encourage development by certifying public-private investments into global infrastructure.&nbsp;It is hoped that the initiative will incentivise emerging countries to enact regulatory reforms to attract global private capital.&nbsp;



Another supporter is Mirco Martins, an Angolan entrepreneur and founder of Mavah SGPS, who is also involved in a number of privately held companies and entrepreneurial ventures&nbsp;across the continent. Martins believes that the right interventions could unlock up to&nbsp;US$550 billion to be invested in African infrastructure. Martins, who started his career as an engineer at BP, has worked across the continent for several decades. His projects today focus mainly on infrastructure,&nbsp;agro-processing, energy&nbsp;and health. He argues that rapid infrastructure development will drive and sustain economic transformation in Africa, leading to lower transport and communication costs, enabling countries with suitable&nbsp;agro-ecological conditions to produce high-value products. This will be achieved in tandem with closing the internet connectivity and access gap with advanced economies, allowing more African countries to enter service export markets.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Martins, who has been working on an infrastructure project in Uganda for the last four years, has first-hand experience of large-scale infrastructure in Africa. As a result, he cautions against the conventional wisdom that feasibility studies for projects in Africa would&nbsp;be cumbersome to complete. “I’ve been working on an infrastructure project in Uganda for the past three and a half,&nbsp;almost four years, and it’s unbelievable what you can do. We managed to do all the feasibility studies over 92&nbsp;kilometres&nbsp;of road by using or deploying drones. A study that could take you six months you reduce to three&nbsp;months, just by using technology. This means you’re reducing costs in communication, in transport, etc.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



Given that McKinsey highlights weak feasibility studies and business plans as root causes of the African infrastructure paradox, Martins’ insights might just persuade sceptical investors to change their minds. As one African finance ministry notes in the McKinsey report, “private sector players generally do not invest sufficient time and effort in developing a strong feasibility study” and that capacity inadequacies and limited dedicated funding often stop the projects at this crucial phase. If technological innovations were rolled out more broadly, could many of the 80% of projects that fall at the feasibility stage flourish further down the line? With institutions such as Qatar’s investment fund recently announcing a US$2 billion infrastructure pot for sub-Saharan Africa, there are many who appear to believe that the opportunities outweigh the risks when it comes to African infrastructure. Investor confidence certainly holds the key to closing Africa’s funding gap, but it is the success stories from the continent itself that will be integral to generating that confidence in the first place.

African Infrastructure 2

Driving Economic Transformation In Africa Through Infrastructure Development

When Covid hit, Jacqui Luhlanga was just beginning the final year of her diploma at UJ. Forced to return home to Nkomazi, she spent the next five months juggling her academic and household responsibilities, studying online and writing her exams late at night when the house was quiet.



Moving home for lockdown wasn’t easy for the 26-year-old UJ student. Initially, Jacqui found it difficult to focus on her studies and perform the household chores expected of her. And her family didn’t quite understand her academic commitments: “Whenever they saw me on my phone, they thought I was playing games,” she says. “They didn’t understand what studying online meant. And they were there all the time – I had to find my own secret place to study.”



UJ’s response to the pandemic was technical and financial, academic and practical, emotional and psychological. It included providing students with data and devices, running a live chat function, and being resourceful and innovative.



Student access to devices and data were two of the major challenges that UJ had to deal with at the start of lockdown. In response, its device and data distribution process was immense: over 5,000 laptops were made available to students in need and data was regularly dispensed.



In no time at all, modules and videos on online learning were created, a live chat function was set up, and students were informed about apps that would make their experience easier. Class WhatsApp groups made it easy for learners to ask for help and to receive an instant response from their lecturers.



The mental health implications of studying from home weren’t missed by the UJ team. UJ’s Centre for Psychological Services and Career Development was aware that some students were now working in environments that might not be conducive to learning or were battling with the shift online. The team made an emergency helpline available to support students and staff.



These efforts helped Jacqui and others to succeed despite overwhelming odds. Jacqui passed all her subjects, received several distinctions and was placed on the Dean’s List for Academic Merit. As Covid disrupts education the world over, it’s the consistency of students’ success that matters most.

1910×600

Learning in a pandemic. Learning for success.

The real estate market in Nigeria is a lucrative one. But not many&nbsp;pride themselves in building with a purpose.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.veritasihomes.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Veritasi Homes and Properties</a>&nbsp;plans to&nbsp;be a game-changer in that regard, founded by a 30-year-old who has shown that if&nbsp;one door closes, you can buy another one and open it yourself.&nbsp;



When you think about luxury properties in the world, places like London, New York&nbsp;and Dubai come to mind.&nbsp;However, it is one man’s dream to bring Lagos Nigeria on the same luxury list.&nbsp;



Thirty-year-old Adetola Nola has a big vision for the real estate market in Nigeria.&nbsp;“We think that we can actually bring something that’s not really in the Nigerian&nbsp;luxury space,” he tells FORBES AFRICA.&nbsp;



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/329c9625-6711-4d8f-ba4c-fa868a5cbc2d-683x1024.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-52138" width="455" height="682" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/329c9625-6711-4d8f-ba4c-fa868a5cbc2d-683x1024.jpeg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/329c9625-6711-4d8f-ba4c-fa868a5cbc2d-200x300.jpeg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/329c9625-6711-4d8f-ba4c-fa868a5cbc2d.jpeg 720w" sizes="(max-width: 455px) 100vw, 455px" /><figcaption>Adetola Nola, CEO Veritasi Homes. </figcaption></figure></div>



He founded Veritasi Homes and Properties almost six years ago, and since then has achieved what many only dreams of before the age of 30. Making it on some of the worlds global lists such as the Forbes Africa 30 under 30 list the 2020 Most Influential Young Africans list by Avance Media, he has set his eyes to the sky.



“Initially, in the real estate business when it comes to affordable homes, they prioritise functionality over aesthetics. So when you buy a cheap building it just has to be functional. However when you come to Lagos, they prioritize aesthetic over functionality,” he says.



Through <a href="https://veritasihomes.com/">Veritasi Homes</a>, Nola aims to rebrand the company providing premium housing in Lagos proving that luxury and affordability do go hand in hand. Over the last years they have been able to learn from the best locations of luxury and architecture such as France, Dubai, England and New York to bring his vision to life in some of the most affluent neighbourhoods in Lagos.



As a result, Veritasi Homes is rebranding its identity to reflects its growth over the last four years and also as it upscale its housing development into new areas like Ikoyi, Lagos and Asokoro, Abuja. Reports show that in recent years many of the documented cases of building collapses in Nigeria was due to the use of defective or substandard materials with staff that have little to no technical knowledge.



To counter these issues of development and infrastructure Veritasi aims to partner with <a href="https://icreateafrica.com/">iCreate Africa</a>, a skills development organisation founded by Bright Jaja, an Under 30 list maker from 2019, to be able to train painters, carpenters, masons and more to become skilled at their craft.



Nola also attended an architecture program in Dubai, known for being one of the world’s most fascinating architectural landmarks, and learnt that the key to a stronger home is less iron and the use of tension slabs as this avoids a lot of weight being placed on the building. “This is a big danger because sometimes 1000 people stay in a space and the building is tilted, and it can fall off anytime,” he says.



Infused with technological advancements such as voice control features and fingerprints the luxury that Nola speaks of offers both functionality and aesthetics from the lights down to the basement parking. “It’s about not knowing the difference between when you are in your house and when you are in some of the best hotels in the world. If you can achieve that then I think you can say that you have developed luxury, and that’s what we are trying to do,” he says.



“Usually, three or four years ago people would think that these were very hard to combine, but we now make sure that you can make your home smart and it can still be affordable,” he says.



Apart from overcoming the infrastructure development issues in Nigeria, the other challenges faced by property development companies is the political and economic challenges in the country. All this from getting the right land documentation, working with policies and artisans are mountains sometimes difficult to move.



“These are the problems we face from money problems, government policy, artisans and political instability. These are some of the things that happen in Nigeria and you can wake up one day and hear that Twitter is banned. This sends wrong information to investors like, ‘is this really where I want to go?’,” he says. But instead of running away from the problems, Nola stands firm in his decision to be part of the solution to Nigeria’s infrastructure.



“There is never a right time to do anything. You want to make the time right for yourself,” he says.



“As an entrepreneur, I have tried my hands on several businesses early on in my life and a number of them failed. The failure from these businesses brought in important business lessons that will eventually come in very handy in running Veritasi Homes with my team,” he admits.



By the time Veritasi Homes was founded, it was his eighth business and everything fell into place which he is extremely grateful for.



Nola carries the spirit of American civil rights activist John Lewis who once said “If not us, then who? If not now, then when? Looking beyond the horizon, Nola plans to grow the company expanding it into countries such as Accra, Ghana.



“As a company, we want to scale and we want to grow. We are trying to go public, not only in Nigeria but also on the New York Stock Exchange” he says.



Despite being one of the youngest in the industry and having failed businesses along the way, Nola and the Veritasi Homes team are proof that there is no blueprint to success.



They also plan to venture into launching a mortgage bank in the future.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8421-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52130" width="510" height="340" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8421-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8421-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8421-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8421-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8421-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 510px) 100vw, 510px" /><figcaption>Tobi Yusuff, Partner and Head, Marketing &amp; Communications, Veritasi Homes. </figcaption></figure></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-creating-better-living-in-lagos">Creating Better Living In Lagos&nbsp;</h2>



A home is a valuable possession and asset that provides financial stability and security for investment-savvy buyers.



And<a href="https://veritasihomes.com/"> Veritasi Homes </a>in Nigeria understands that dictum, priding itself in its rebranding as a company providing premium upscale developments to clients in choice locations.



“Our business is out to solve real estate problems and we realize that there’s a need for well-built premium residential development. There’s also an issue relating to the housing deficit. Not just out of supply, but also credit, a component that affects demand,” Tobi Yusuff tells FORBES AFRICA.



Yusuff, who is also a partner in the business, is the head of marketing and communications in charge of building the brand’s presence and coordinating marketing and communication strategies.



“The tagline we coined following our new brand identity is ‘Creating Better’,” he says, “to mean a commitment to be excellent within the industry we play. Our ‘Creating Better’ ranges from better projects and delivery, better quality, better services, the list goes on,” he says.



In the last four years, the company has evolved from site and service into housing developments to provide homes for first-time home buyers and an interesting rental income for seasoned investors.



It has identified key upmarket areas in Nigeria such as Ikoyi, Lekki and Victoria Island in Lagos and Asokoro in Abuja.



One of the main areas the company has made a huge impact in is the Camberwall Estate, an affordable housing project in Lagos to address Nigeria’s housing deficit.



“We specifically designed our <a href="https://veritasihomes.com/premium-homes/camberwall-court/">Camberwall project</a> to be affordable, not just in the size of the house or the design and function, but also in how people can access credit to facilitate the transaction through a mortgage which is usually a challenge.”



To enable that, Yusuff says the company is in partnership with a mortgage bank to make the process hassle-free for clients.



“To recommit to our resolve of providing homes for the mass market as we continue to upscale our developments, we set up a subsidiary company named <a href="http://www.eystone.ng">Eystone Development </a>that will cater to the mass market, you know, low-cost, affordable housing, sale of land, sales of bungalows, that people can easily take on based on their finances,” he says.



To explain the idea behind the new brand identity, the new Veratisi logo symbolizes “unlimited access to opportunities” and also features the “Red Arc” that represents a shield against uncertainties.



“So if you look at it closely, the logo looks like a key, and a key signifies access… So that’s what we’re also looking to do for everyone that does business with us. We will be able to give access to opportunities that they were previously not open to,” says Yusuff.



Veritasi is looking to take on its newfound opportunities in the luxury market with beautiful architecture that covers functionality and aesthetics infused with technological



advancements such as voice control features, fingerprint access and other smart technologies in the development of Sloane Apartment; its new and prestigious luxury development overlooking the Lagos Lagoon in Ikoyi.



Clients will also be able to view their listings online using the <a href="https://veritasihomes.com/virtualinspection/">virtual inspection suite</a> recently launched on the company’s website. The technology is customer-focused as clients can view the listings from the comfort of their homes, thus limiting outdoor interaction in a Covid world.



As a company with big dreams run by a team of young and bright people, Yusuff says that they are here to break boundaries and set new standards within the industry.

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