PositiveNaija, Author at PositiveNaija

LASPOTECH Wins Inaugural NSChE Engineering Quiz Competition

The Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Ikorodu, has won the maiden edition of the engineering quiz competition organized for higher institutions in Lagos and Ogun states by the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers (NSChE).

The Engineering Quiz Competition, which is a requirement from the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) for its different divisions to hold annual quiz, was organized to strengthen the study of engineering in the Nigeria, had four schools in participation. They include: University of Lagos (UNILAG); Lagos State University (LASU), Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) and Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH).

Although the Engineering Quiz Competition was organized by NSChE for tertiary institutions in Ogun and Lagos states, it is expected that it would soon be a nationwide event that would be organized regionally before the grand finale.

Kamilu Oyedeko, chairman of the Lagos/Ogun states chapter remarked that the aim of the competition is to produce competent future engineers for the country, by encouraging the students to be well grounded in the fundamentals of the profession while still at school.

While stating that chemical engineers are the catalysts for industrial growth in any nation, Oyedeko advised well-established professionals and operators of industries to support initiatives aimed at grooming budding engineers in the country.

According to Kamilu Oyedeko:

“This programme has advanced their knowledge of the field and provided a platform for participants to exchange ideas. We have seen from this event that the students have gone far in familiarizing with the basic knowledge of chemical engineering from the way the competition was keenly contended. The first place winner emerged with just a little point ahead of the second place winner.

We are highly impressed by their performances and have discovered how far they have been able to retain what they have learnt in their various institutions. Once you are good in the fundamentals of the profession, you will definitely go far in life. We appeal to the authorities to give opportunities to more chemical engineers at all levels to make meaningful contributions to the development of the country.”

Olusegun Shodeyibi, chairman of the intercollegiate quiz competition stated:

“We tested them in the core areas of: chemical reactions, process control, separation process, thermodynamics, environmental engineering, unit generation, system control, among others and they have really impressed everybody. This is one of the processes of grooming highly skilled engineers for Nigeria since it has been observed that chemical engineering is at its infancy stage here in the country. We have issues in the economy and most of the companies are not doing well, however, it is a challenge for the professionals to wake up.

The impact of the competition is that it will help them to improve on themselves. Some of them are in their National Diploma class and others in level four in the university and so the programme will promote better understanding of their studies so that they can become more experienced when they graduate from the university. I urge you all to work hard toward becoming job creators and entrepreneurs rather than job seekers.”

Akinwumi Adesina Honored With Togolese Commander Of The Order Of Mono

Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), has been honored with the Commander of the Order of Mono − the highest civil honor of Togo.

The Commander of the Order of Mono national honour, bestowed on personalities who have shown exceptional merit, was awarded by the Head of State of Togo, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, on the sidelines of a visit to Togo for the launch of the Mécanisme Indicatif de Financement Agricole (MIFA), a program aimed at improving farmers’ access to finance.

MIFA is based on Nigeria’s successful experiences with NIRSAL, where it helped de-risk lending by commercial banks to agriculture.

Addressing participants at the ceremony, Dr. Adesina said:

“Transforming agriculture is the key to reviving rural economies and turning them into new zones of economic prosperity. The MIFA initiative you are launching today is another building block in Togo’s agricultural transformation strategy jointly developed by the African Development Bank and the Government of Togo, with the support of the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing system for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL).

When fully implemented, it is expected to rapidly increase bank lending to the agricultural sector, reduce interest rates, and reach 1 million farmers with access to credit in the next 3-5 years.”

In attendance at the event were President Gnassingbé and members of his cabinet, including Prime Minister Komi Selom Klassou, members of the diplomatic corps, the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo, NIRSAL CEO, Aliyu Hameed, as well as representatives from the private sector.

The African Development Bank has helped Togo implement AgriPME, a system that allows farmers to access fertilizer using their mobile phones.

In 2016/2017, more than 77,500 farmers, 38% of them women, received their fertilizers through the system. AgriPME has allowed the government to better target farmers and deliver subsidized farm inputs. AgriPME has also improved transparency, accountability and increased public spending efficiency. A total of 40,000 MT of fertilizer were provided to farmers, compared to 30,000 MT on average over the period 2009-2015, an increase of 45%. The system has also led to CFAF 3.5 billion in savings for the Government of Togo.

Since the beginning of its operations in Togo in 1972, the African Development Bank Group has approved 76 operations representing a total of USD 538.24 million.

Nigeria Emerge Overall Winner At The 2018 Ivory Coast International Badminton Championships

Nigeria has emerged overall winner of the 2018 Ivory Coast International Badminton Championships; competed in four out of five categories, with three gold, one silver and one bronze – same number of medals the country won last year.

In the mixed doubles event, Clement Krobakpo and Dorcas Adesokan beat Chongo Mulenga and Evelyn Siamupangila of Zambia to clinch gold. In the men’s doubles, Godwin Olofua and Anu Opeyori defeated the pair of Perderson Mathias (Denmark) and Persson Jonathan (Germany).

Adesokan defeated fellow Nigerian Ruth Ebere to win the women’s singles while Opeyori lost to Adams Mendrak of the Czech Republic in the men’s singles.

Twelve countries participated in the 2018 Ivory Coast International Badminton Championships, which is one of the International Series in the Badminton World Federation’s calendar in Africa.

The participating countries were Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Belgium, Sweden, Maldives, Denmark, Jordan, Mexico, Czech Republic, Germany and Ivory Coast, who are the hosts.

President of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria Francis Orbih stated:

“The players did well in Abidjan and we are proud of them.

This was even a team that we had to reduce because of funding challenges. I believe that Dorcas and Clement will do us proud at the 2020 Olympics because they are raking in the points needed to qualify.”

Mr. Orbih said the Ghana International Badminton Championships and the Lagos International Classics are next for the players.

Kukogho Iruesiri Samson Wins 2018 GTBank’s Dusty Manuscript Contest

Kukogho Iruesiri Samson has emerged the overall winner of the 2018 Dusty Manuscript Contest organised by Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Plc with his winning manuscript titled Devil’s Pawn.

His work was selected ahead of The Orchid Protocol written by Onoche Emeka Onyekwena and The Other Side of Truth by Nneoma Anieto, which came first and second runner-up respectively.

Organized in partnership with Kachifo Ltd. and Okadabooks, the Dusty Manuscript Contest is the latest in a long line of GTBank’s YouREAD initiatives aimed at fostering the culture of reading and creating a platform for the appreciation of Africa’s literary excellence.

As part of the contest, Nigerians were invited to submit their unpublished stories and stand a chance to get publishing deals for their works.

The Dusty Manuscript Contest received over 1,000 entries and had a panel of four judges made up of authors; Eghosa Imasuen, Yejide Kilanko, Toni Kan and Assistant Professor of English, Dr. Ainehi Edoro-Glines.

As part of the prizes in the Dusty Manuscript Contest, the authors of the top 3 manuscripts received ₦1 million, ₦500,000 and ₦250,000 respectively, as well as publishing contracts with Kachifo Ltd.

The authors of the 10 manuscripts also received e-publishing contracts with OkadaBooks, while the authors of the top 20 manuscripts were hosted to a two-day intensive writers’ boot-camp to sharpen their literary and business skills.

Commenting on the Dusty Manuscript Contest, Mr. Segun Agbaje, Managing Director of GTBank Plc, said:

“At GTBank, we see Art as not just a medium for creative expression but also as a means of livelihood, and by organizing the Dusty Manuscript Contest we are helping budding writers share their stories with the world whilst providing them with a platform to build successful writing careers.”

The bank’s footprints in Corporate Social Responsibility are guided strategically by its decision to operate on four major pillars: Education, Community Development, Arts and the Environment, which it believes are essential building blocks for the society and prerequisites for economic growth and societal development.

Winners Of 2018 Digital Pay Expo Awards

Winners have emerged at the 2018 Digital Pay Expo Awards, which held at Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos.

Digital Pay Expo brings together stakeholders in digital financial services to discuss key issues affecting the payments industry. The event focuses on Innovative Financial Services for the unserved segments of the society.

FarePay won the utility payment card award.

The smart payment solution introduced by, Sterling Bank Plc eliminates challenges associated with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) such as facing long queues to purchase a ticket or handling exact cash fares for a trip.

FarePay cards are prepaid and reloadable through the user’s bank accounts and can be activated through an ATM or USSD. Card holders are no longer burdened with facing long queues for tickets or having to carry the exact fare for trips.

Out of seven award categories at the event, two cards were nominated for the most utility relevant card category with Sterling Bank’s FarePay card emerging as winner in the category. FarePay cards are built on a contactless payment technology, with a connected bus validator system linked to the users’ bank account allowing passengers to ‘tap in and tap out’ of BRT buses with ease.

Commenting on the award, Executive Director, Corporate and Investment Banking at Sterling Bank, Yemi Odubiyi, said:

“Barely a month after launch, we have facilitated over 30,000 trips within Lagos with the FarePay card and we are looking to replicate this system across the continent.”

Ecobank Nigeria emerged winner in two award categories, ePayment and Partnership, at the 2018 Digital Pay Expo Awards.

According to the Bank’s Executive Director, Consumer Banking, Carol Oyedeji:

“We are not in any way surprised at these awards. As a bank, we realised many years ago that payment drives the society and digital banking is the way to go. We put structures in place and today, we have become a clear leader in the industry.”

Accounteer Wins Inaugural MEST Africa Challenge

Accounteer has emerged winner of the inaugural MEST Africa Challenge, taking home the grand prize of $50,000 equity investment.

Accounteer is a SaaS company offering accounting and payroll management software tailored to the needs of African SMEs.

Hosted by the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) – which has now been active in Africa for 10 years – the first MEST Africa Challenge took place on June 20 [2018] at the MEST Africa Summit in Cape Town.

The MEST Africa Challenge was a highlight of the closing day of the MEST Africa Summit, which brought together stakeholders from Africa, Silicon Valley and Europe to network and discuss trends, challenges and opportunities affecting markets across the continent, under the theme “The Year of the African Scaleup?”

Four regional winners took to the stage to pitch live to an audience of leading global investors, entrepreneurs and executives, for the chance to win $50,000 investment.

Nigeria’s Accounteer was selected the winner – pipping to the post Ghana’s Cowtribe (a USSD-based technology that connects livestock farmers with veterinarians who can provide vaccinations); Kenya’s Data Integrated (a payment processing company for the public transport industry), and South Africa’s Swift Vee (a livestock and agricultural trading platform).

This was the first time the Summit has been held in Cape Town, following MEST’s expansion to South Africa in December, when it opened a new Cape Town incubator, as well as a new space in Lagos.

2018 African Child Laureate for Humanitarianism

The African Integrity Prize for Integrity in Art