Recognising socio-economic productive, valuable and impactful Nigerian entities that improve Nigerian and global business & economy.
For its belief in Nigeria and significant investments in football and community development in the last one year, BusinessDay’s board of editors is pleased to name Aiteo Group as BusinessDay’s ‘Company of the Year 2017’.
Continue reading Aiteo Group Emerges BusinessDay’s ‘Company of the Year 2017′
Farmties, Taeillo and Greymate Care have emerged winners of the 2017 She Leads Africa (SLA) Demo Day.
The Demo Day signalled the closing ceremony to the three-month She Leads Africa Accelerator entrepreneurship development program.
The first place winner of ₦2 million was Farmties, represented by Dara Adekunle of the OCP Agribusiness Cohort. Farmties works closely with farmers in sourcing and aggregating farm products whilst investing in the right technology to reach out to customers, taking advantage of the growing agriculture industry in Nigeria and providing a platform to trade agriculture commodities.
The second place winner of ₦1 million was Taeillo, represented by Jumoke Dada of the Lagos Creative Cohort. Taeillo is a furniture and lifestyle brand that designs and manufactures furniture by harnessing traditional local resources with both local and modern technology to create premium urban African pieces.
The third place winner of ₦500,000 was Greymate Care, represented by Chika Madubuko of the Intel technology cohort. Chika created an online platform that connects the elderly and vulnerable adults to a highly trained and insured caregiver thus, taking the stress of care off busy professionals.
The other two companies that pitched their businesses to the room full of investors and business stakeholders were CEO Consultancy & Translation Services and Food-i-Like.
She Leads Africa (SLA) is a community that helps young African women achieve their professional dreams. With development events and engaging online content, SLA has become a leading platform for ambitious young women in Africa.
Supported by the Work in Progress! Alliance (VC4Africa and Oxfam), OCP, Guaranty Trust Bank, and Intel Corp, the SLA Accelerator worked with 20 promising companies looking to grow and scale their businesses. However, at demo day, five of the top companies were able to pitch their businesses in front of esteemed business leaders to win cash prizes.
Afua Osei, Co-Founder of SLA said:
The Nigerian Stock Exchange CEO Awards has produced winners, who were unveiled on December 13, 2017, at the Stock Exchange House, Lagos.
Dangote Cement Plc was named the Most Compliant Listed Company for 2017, having demonstrated the highest degree of compliance with the rules and regulations regarding disclosure obligations of listed companies on the Exchange in 2017.
The award for the Best Dealing Member firm went to Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Limited, for a high performance culture. It was the firm’s sixth consecutive win in the NSE CEO Awards. Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Limited accounted for the highest value of trades on the Exchange in 2017.
Pilot Securities Limited won the award for the Most Compliant Dealing Member firm of the year 2017, for demonstrating the best level of compliance with the NSE Rules and Regulations. The firm was honoured for its compliance with the Minimum Operating Standards of the Exchange, adequate and timely rendition of statutory and regulatory returns.
Chief Executive Officer of NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema stated:
“I would like to congratulate all the 2017 award winners who are all deserving of recognition. The awards are given solely on merit and are awarded to commend listed companies and dealing members for their excellent and exceptional performance, compliance to NSE rules and regulation, high ethical standards and impressive customer service that leave no room for any penalties.
The awards offer winners a year-round marketing opportunity and a big morale-booster for companies who have made extraordinary contributions to the Nigerian capital market and exemplify the highest standards.”
Winners have emerged in the inaugural Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Sustainable Banking Awards.
Access Bank PLC received top honours at the inaugural Nigeria CBN Sustainable Banking Awards convened by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in recognition of its outstanding success and leadership in Nigeria’s sustainable development.
Access Bank emerged the winner across all four categories during the award presentation which took place in Lagos on December 9, 2017. The categories are as follows: Sustainable Bank of the Year; Sustainable Transaction of the Year (Oil and Gas Sector); Sustainable Transaction of the Year (Agriculture) and Excellence in Women Economic Empowerment.
As stated by Dr. Herbert Wigwe, the Managing Director/CEO of Access Bank Group:
“We are truly honoured to have been selected as the overall winner in all the categories of this prestigious award. Sustainability is embedded into every aspect of our business operations, it is simply a way of life for us at Access Bank. It is inspiring to receive recognition for our longstanding success in adhering to sustainable banking principles.”
While we are delighted by the numerous accolades, this level of recognition from our regulators is particularly significant because it serves as validation that our tireless efforts are essential to the development of Nigeria’s Sustainability journey.”
Guaranty Trust Bank plc (GTBank) has been recognized as the 2017 Bank of the Year Nigeria, at The Banker Awards which held in London, United Kingdom.
The Bank also won the Best Bank for CSR in Africa award.
The Bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Office, Segun Agbaje, won the award for the CEO of the Year, which he won in 2013, thus becoming the first ever repeat winner in the history of the awards.
According to Brian Caplen, Editor of The Banker Magazine:
“The banking and financial services industry continues to develop rapidly, with a few financial institutions cementing their positions as market leaders, pushing the boundaries of innovation and excellence.
GTBank has over the years maintained a reputation for delivering notable financial success hinged on world-class corporate governance standards and excellent service delivery.”
Receiving the 2017 Bank of the Year Nigeria award on behalf of the Bank, Mr. Segun Agbaje, Managing Director/CEO of GTBank said:
“We are honored to be recognized as the 2017 Bank of the Year.
Our vision has always been to create an oasis in the financial services industry and we strive to achieve this by adopting high corporate governance standards whilst pushing the limits of innovation and service delivery to provide our customers with a superior banking experience.
This award serves as further motivation for us as we continue to transform our organization into a platform for enriching lives that offers our customers benefits beyond banking.
It also reflects our sustained commitment to maximize shareholders’ value and deliver a superior and sustainable return, guided by our founding values of hard work, discipline and integrity.”
GTBank has consistently played a leading role in Africa’s banking industry.
The GTBank brand is regarded by industry watchers as one of the best run financial institutions across its subsidiary countries and serves as a role model within the financial service industry due to its bias for world-class corporate governance standards, excellent service quality and innovation.
In due recognition of the Bank’s leading role in Africa’s banking industry, owing to its bias for world-class corporate governance standards and excellent service delivery and innovation, GTBank has been a recipient to numerous awards over the course of the year.
They include Best Bank in Nigeria by Euromoney, Bank of the Year by EMEA Finance and African Bank of the Year by Africa Banker Magazine.
The Banker Magazine, a publication of the Financial Times, is the world’s leading monthly journal of records for the banking Industry, with over 90 years expertise in publishing development in the banking industry both Africa and on the global scale.
Abidemi Adegboye, a doctorate student at the University of Benin, Nigeria, has emerged winner of the top paper prize, for his paper on “Economic regulation and employment elasticity of growth in Sub-Saharan Africa,” at 12th African Economic Conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Senegalese economics lecturer, Ameth Saloum Ndiaye, from the Department of Economics at the University of Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegal, was awarded the second-best paper prize, for his research on the impact of institutional tax reform and its contribution to the improved well-being in Senegal.
Continue reading Abidemi Adegboye Wins 12th African Economic Conference Top Paper Prize
Group Chairman of United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) and Founder of Tony Elumelu Foundation, Mr. Tony Elumelu has emerged winner of the 2017 Dwight D. Eisenhower Global Entrepreneurship Award.
With this honor, Mr. Tony Elumelu becomes the first African to receive the coveted award.
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Global Entrepreneurship Award was given to both Mr. Elumelu and Bill Marriott, Chairman, Marriott International Inc.
The award was presented to the Nigerian business mogul and his counterpart by the Business council for International Understanding (BCIU), a non-profit US Business association dedicated to forging relationships and promoting dialogue between business and government communities across the globe.
The 2017 Dwight D. Eisenhower Global Entrepreneurship Award was conferred to Mr. Tony Elumelu in recognition of his outstanding work in promoting entrepreneurship on the continent of Africa and across the globe.
Mr. Tony Elumelu, through his Tony Elumelu Foundation, has funded over 3,000 African entrepreneurs to date with his $100 million commitment to 10,000 entrepreneurs over a period of 10 years.
These entrepreneurs are expected to create a million new jobs and over $10 billion in revenue as a result of the initiative of Mr. Elumelu’s Foundation.
At the award’s gala, former American President, Mr. George W. Bush, acknowledged the efforts of the African entrepreneur saying:
“I am impressed with Tony’s philanthropic initiatives which are powering job creation and entrepreneurship in a region (Africa) that is very dear to Laura and me.
To receive an award founded by President Eisenhower has added meaning. Eisenhower provided example in leadership, which we can all learn from.
Additionally, his belief in promoting international understanding is a vitally important responsibility.”
Speaking on the reason why Mr. Elumelu was selected as the recipient of this prestigious award, Peter Tichansky, the CEO of BCIU said:
“Mr Elumelu’s bold approach and can-do mindset are exemplary characteristics of a visionary entrepreneur.
He embodies the idea that companies must take the lead in bringing business and society together. His advocacy is proving that businesses, acting as businesses and not charitable donors, are the most powerful force for addressing social challenges and economic development.”
Indeed, this is the philosophy of Mr. Elumelu, founder of the concept of Africapitalism, which essentially states that Africa’s private sector must play a leading role in the development and growth of the continent as both governments and the private sector come together to make this happen.
Mr. Elumelu, who was presented his award by Kip Forbes and Anne Eisenhower (the granddaughter of President Eisenhower), in his acceptance speech, stated that:
“President Eisenhower was a man of many dimensions and most important is his leadership.
Being recognized today as a recipient of the inaugural global entrepreneurship award is an honour that resonates with so many people in Africa. What our entrepreneurs in Africa need is powerful leadership to further energise, encourage and motivate them to transform the continent.
I hope this will further spur on other Africans and friends of Africa, to make sure we work together for an inclusive prosperity.”
Mr. Elumelu dedicated his award to his wife and children as well as the staff of UBA, Transcorp, Heirs Holdings, the Tony Elumelu Foundation and all the other companies within his group of companies. He thanked BCIU on behalf of entrepreneurs in Africa saying: