business-in-africa

Boris Esono Nwenfor

Director of Programs Agathe Djomeghu- The SBECtraining is the first of a series of six training to be held in Yaounde and Douala

The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Center (SBEC), which focuses on equipping entrepreneurs and small business owners with organizational and business management skills that promote a free enterprise society, has trained participants on “Small Business Management and  Entrepreneurial skills”.

During the event organized by the Denis and Lenora Foretia Foundation in partnership with the Canada International Development – Global Affairs Canada at the Mansel Hotel in Yaounde September 19, 2019, more than 100 small business owners in the formal and informal sectors, businesswomen association, Agribusiness persons and prospective business owners were trained on Business management, Tax requirement, registration, declaration procedures and access to finance.

SMEs in Cameroon face serious challenges (inadequate capital, lack of managerial skills, lack of knowledge on the tax system)-which affects their growth and sustainability. Thus, this training falls within the framework of the prime purpose of the Small Business and Entrepreneur Centre (SBEC) – to spur economic growth in Cameroon through the provision of tools to establish, expand and sustain private sector business.

The SBECtraining was the first of a series of six training to be held in Yaounde and Douala which is aimed at equipping Small and Medium Size Enterprises with basic managerial and entrepreneurship skills – with another scheduled for September 26 in Douala. The various modules taught include Business management, Tax requirement, registration, declaration procedures and access to finance.

Javnyuy Joybert, a Social Entrepreneur, Enterprise Development and Corporate trainer/consultant, Founder/CEO COSDEF group, speaking on Business Management educated the participants on how to manage teams, develop their business models and how to look in order to sell out their products or services. During the exchanges, he advised that as a Startup, it is always important to first go to the field before and learn basic things before proceeding with the development of a business plan.

Javnyuy Joybert drills participants on Business Management at the SBECtraning organized by D&L Foretai Foundation in Yaounde

On his part, Ngeh Edison Tamfu, Founder of ROVERS Cameroon, Coordinator of REGION Group International and a Small Business Consultant speaking on tax requirements, registration and declaration procedures edified the various participants on the various facilities that have been put in place to encourage those operating in the informal to move to the formal sector.

Participants were enlightened on the different mechanisms put in place by banks to assist small business owners. They were advised to try out other sources of funds like family, friends, groups before trying out the banks. The participants were cautioned that before the go to the banks, they should have collateral, be credible and trustworthy.

Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) contribute around 36% of Cameroon’s GDP, make up over 90% of businesses in Cameroon, and employ above 60% of the population. Yet, glaring realities indicate that enormous potentials inherent in this sector are unfortunately not fully harnessed — especially given that above 70% of SMEs still operate informally.

Looking at Fraser Institute’s 2017 Economic Freedom Report, for example, Cameroon is amongst the least business-free environs. Thus, for the creativity, innovation, growth, and sustainable development of SMEs in Cameroon, promoting economic freedoms and training in the right business/entrepreneurial skills are imperative.

Lagos, Nigeria. Tuesday 17 September 2019. Andela, the company that builds distributed engineering teams with Africa’s top software engineers, is announcing the departure of approximately 250 junior engineers and staff from its Nigeria and Uganda hubs with another 170 potentially impacted in Kenya. The move comes as the company looks to restructure its talent pool to more closely align with global market demand.

Andela is now working with all impacted and potentially impacted employees and is committed to providing a holistic professional and financial support package.

In addition, the company is partnering with CcHUB (Nigeria), iHub (Kenya), and Innovation Village (Uganda) to help connect impacted developers with opportunities in their local ecosystems. Together, they have identified over 60 companies who are looking to hire top quality junior engineering talent. These hubs will also offer impacted engineers the opportunity to use their co-working spaces free of charge for the next three months.

Jeremy Johnson, Andela co-founder and CEO says: “As the talent world has evolved, we have as well, and over the past few years it’s become increasingly clear that the world needs what Andela provides: high-quality engineering-as-a-service. It has also become clear, however, that the majority of the demand is for more experienced talent, and to keep up with it, we need to grow our senior talent base even faster.

“This shift in demand also means that we now have more junior talent than we are able to place. This is a challenge for the business, and for these junior engineers who want, and deserve, authentic work experiences that we are not able to provide.”

Beyond this restructure, Andela continues to grow rapidly with plans to hire an additional 700 experienced engineers by the end of 2020. Today’s announcement will not affect Andela customers’ operations, as the company evolves to deliver even stronger engineering support for their teams.

Seni Sulyman, Andela VP of Global Operations says, “Our immediate priority is to ensure that our colleagues who are affected by this change are well supported to succeed in their next career moves. We are in talks with tech leaders across Africa, who have been very supportive in exploring opportunities for these talented Andelans. We are also focusing our attention on providing adequate support for the rest of Andela during this period, as we continue to build a world-class engineering organization.”

Moving forward, the company will continue to invest in the Andela Learning Community (ALC), which has already introduced over 30,000 learners from across the continent to software engineering. Over the next three years, the company expects over 100,000 engineers from across the continent to take advantage of  programs within the community.

Johnson concludes, “Five years ago, we launched Andela to solve a global challenge: Brilliance is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not. To succeed in our long-term mission, we have to make tough decisions to continue growing a company that we know will change the way the world thinks about talent.”

About Andela

Andela is a global technology company that builds distributed engineering teams with Africa’s top software engineers. In five years, Andela has hired more than 1,500 software engineers, with its largest engineering centres in Lagos, Nairobi, Kampala, and Kigali, a growing presence in Cairo and Accra, and offices in NYC, SF, and Austin.  Backed by Generation Investment Management, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, GV, and Spark Capital, Andela is powering global engineering teams while catalyzing the growth of tech ecosystems across Africa.

As drilling activity picked up, production increased, and so did revenues

By Mickael Vogel*

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, September 13, 2019/ — By Mickael Vogel, Director of Strategy, African Energy Chamber

Chad’s rigs count has been surprisingly high for a year now, in a country that produces only about 100,000 bopd. With seven rigs deployed on its territory since September 2018 accoridng to Baker Hughes GE, Chad counts more rigs than most African petroleum provinces. It is more than Angola, sub-Saharan Africa’s second largest producer of oil. It is almost more than Congo, sub-Saharan Africa’s third largest producer. The list continues: it is more than Gabon, Cameroon, or even Equatorial Guinea.

The reason: Chad is drilling. In efforts to expand exploration and boost domestic production, the land-locked Central African nation is proving that focusing on basics is a recipe for success. Drilling efforts have translated in increased production and oil revenues, despite several industry setbacks.

The recovery of Chad’s economy and petroleum sector after the recent plunge in oil prices has indeed not been a smooth journey to say the least. Chad has Africa’s 10th largest proven oil reserves but its output has been slipping in recent years due to maturing fields and disruptions caused by the conflict with Boko Haram in the southwest. Lower commodity prices added another layer of complexity to an already very intricate situation, and put the economy in jeopardy. Hopes brought by the renegotiation of the country’s debt with Glencore and the rebound in oil prices were short lived. In 2019, both ExxonMobil, which produces a fourth of the country’s oil and Glencore, which represents about 9% of Chad’s production, announced their intention to sell their assets in the country.

But as two of its biggest operators prepared their exit, Chad welcomed new ones and did not loose focus on bringing out what former minister Me Béchir Madit had then called a “second golden age of oil between the end of 2019 and 2025.” To ensure the growth of its industry, Chad launched the construction of the mini Rig-Rig refinery in 2017 to address crying domestic shortage of petroleum products, granted several new fields to the CNPCIC in the Bongor Basin, welcomed new operator United Hydrocarbons, and renegotiated its debt with commodity trading giant Glencore in 2018.

As oil prices started rebounding, good news came along. Taiwan’s Overseas Petroleum and Investment Corporation completed its exploitation platform and connection pipeline to the Komé centre, while Petrochad developed its Krim-Krim wells. The Société des Hydrocarbures du Tchad (SHT), the country’s national oil company, also made progress on the development of its Sedigui field by signing a contract with a Sino-British consortium for the construction of a gas pipeline, gas treatment facility and gas terminal in Djarmaya.

In two months alone, between July 2018 and September 2018, rigs deployed in Chad went up from only one to seven, according to Baker Hughes GE. That’s a considerable jump in such a short time, while most of its neighbours were still dealing with a drilling syndrome. For a year now, Chad has had more rigs deployed on its territory than most other African markets, revealing sustained drilling activity which has now translated in numbers. As drilling activity picked up, production increased, and so did revenues.

According to the latest reports of the Ministry of Finance and Budget, Chad’s oil production and oil revenues have witnessed considerable increase in 2019 so far. In the first quarter, oil revenues increased by over 64% compared to the same period last year, led by an increase in production by over 18%, most of it due to the CNPCIC, and thanks to a better foreign exchange rate. The second quarter confirmed the trend. During this period, oil revenues increased by another 38.6% while oil production increased by 23%, again led by the CNPCIC which has witnessed a growth of production by over 45% this year so far. Between January 2019 and June 2019, Chad produced 22,791,749 barrels. On a daily basis, that’s an average of 126,000 bopd, a very healthy figure for a state whose revenues come at 70% from oil exports.

Improved situation in Chad explains why the acquisition of ExxonMobil’s 40% stake in the Doba Basin has become a source of intense bidding and negotiations. It also explains why the country’s economic forecast are bright. In 2019, the IMG predicts Chad’s economy to grow by 4.5%, well above the world’s average of 3.3%. When many African oil nations struggle with a slow recovery, Chad reminds us that a successful energy strategy is a no brainer, and drilling must be a part of it.

*Director of Strategy, African Energy Chamber

Johannesburg, 06 September 2019 – Deloitte Africa has been honoured with second place in both the Empowerment of Women in the Community and the Women on Boards categories at this year’s Gender Mainstreaming Awards, held at Gallagher Estate, in Johannesburg, last night.

Managed by Business Engage, these awards aim to encourage private sector buy-in to achieving more meaningful representation of women in the mainstream of business and to serve as a springboard for further achievement for companies that are still starting out on their gender diversity journey.

Deloitte Africa was this year also awarded two further accolades in the individual categories, with the chairman of Deloitte Africa, Trevor Brown, winning the Trailblazer award in the Inclusive Leadership category; and the leader of Diversity and Inclusion for the company’s Africa operations, Eshana Manichand, being named the second place finalist for the Positive Role Model: Management award.

Deloitte Africa was also selected as a finalist for the Mainstreaming Gender and Disability award.

Justine Mazzocco – Managing Director of Talent and Transformation, Deloitte Africa –

says the company is immensely proud to be recognised for its efforts to increase the representation and retention of women on their staff.

“We are working hard to ensure that our talent pool is diverse and reflects the make-up of our society. Operating a diverse and inclusive organisation is also fundamental in this area and we seek to leverage our differences as a strength that makes our organisation better,” Mazzocco says, “Some of the initiatives we’ve implemented include focusing on creating an environment that enables women to achieve their ambitions and embraces generational diversity. To date, we have a record 33% female representation on the Africa board, and a 31% women ownership as of 1 June this year, which further highlights our commitment to elevating women at strategic levels”.

On winning the award for Inclusive Leadership, Brown says, he has always had a natural affiliation towards gender equality, even before it became a corporate imperative.

“Mutual respect and the belief that all people should be treated with dignity must underpin organisational culture,” he says, “The tone at the top, when it comes to gender equality, drives the ethos throughout the organisation. Being intentional about diversity and driving gender equality is of utmost importance to Deloitte, and especially key to me in my leadership role.”

Manichand said of her achievement, “With our global ALL IN strategy we have reinforced our commitment to maintaining an organisation where everyone has an equal opportunity to grow, develop, and succeed; to be their truest selves, both professionally and personally.

She says Deloitte Africa aims to increase the representation and retention of under-represented groups across all levels of the organisation, with a particular focus on women.

“Investing our time, effort and energy in people and witnessing their moment of success is extremely rewarding and purposeful,” she says.

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee (“DTTL”), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL (also referred to as “Deloitte Global”) and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL does not provide services to clients. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more about our global network of member firms.

Deloitte provides audit & assurance, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax and related services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. Deloitte serves four out of five Fortune Global 500® companies through a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries and territories bringing world-class capabilities, insights and service to address clients’ most complex business challenges. To learn more about how Deloitte’s approximately 264,000 professionals make an impact that matters, please connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

–… Offers NULI at service stations

Lagos, Nigeria – In line with the brand commitment in enhancing customer experience, ENYO Retail and Supply has partnered with NULI, Nigeria’s leading farm-to-table food chain, to enhance customer experience by providing Nuli’s fast-casual healthy food and drink café.

Commenting on the initiative, Abayomi Awobokun, the Chief Executive Officer, Enyo Retail and Supply said, “We are excited to announce our new feature, incorporating NULI stands at select Enyo stations. At Enyo, we are extremely committed to the health and overall wellbeing of our customers and we are constantly seeking out innovative mediums that will enable our customers live their best lives. As a customer-focused business, it is also important for us to provide channels that are meaningful to people’s needs, passions and lifestyle, hence this strategic provision of NULI products.”

By providing these products, including all-natural juices, smoothies and a variety of freshly-made hot meals,  Enyo is not only encouraging wholesome lifestyle but also promoting local businesses. With more customers dealing with Enyo and in turn patronizing NULI, the technology driven brand hopes to foster the importance of well-being in the country. This will empower individuals to have access to cleaner meal alternatives at an affordable price and encourage a healthier and happier generation.

Also speaking on the alliance, Ada Osakwe, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, NULI said, “At Nuli, having the right associations really matter to us. ENYO’s Leadership team convinced us of their bold vision to transform the lifestyle of Nigerians, and we knew they were the best partners to work with. As a proudly Nigerian company, serving only locally-grown food, working with Enyo, another world-class Nigerian firm, was essential.”

With this exemplary initiative, Enyo has once again positioned itself as the front – runner in the downstream oil industry by being the first fuel retailing company in Nigeria to feature a farm-to-table wellness café at its service station.

By Samuel Ouma | @journalist_27

Huawei Kenya has committed to support women in the IT via charitable aid through an initiative called Women In Technology Huawei (WITH) aimed at doing away with a notion hold by majority that only men can do well in technology sector. The program targets 4,000 girls and women within one year.

Through WITH women in technical careers will be empowered, connected and supported to develop their careers, interest and leadership skills especially in Science, Technology and Mathematics. They will also be provided with role models and opportunities.

The initiative will see doubling of the number of young girls mentored and trained through Cooperative Research Centres  (CRC)program, promotion of one third of Huawei employees and training of one half of employees in 2019, increasing trained females students by 10 per cent and female lecturers by 5 per cent from 10 per cent. Other targets are partners with their women, at least 7 customers and women-owned suppliers.

“I am personally driving this Women In Technology Huawei initiative as a boost for the women in Technology. The data for Huawei is about average for the ICT industry in Kenya which is too low, thus the need to improve into a more strategic and ambitious strategy. Huawei has in the best done quite a lot to its staff and interns as well as to its charity and University partner, but still finds more things. We have set some plans and targets and we will do our best and try to improve,” said CEO of Huwai Kenya Stone He.

By Wallace Mawire

Dr Sunny Akpoyibo, President of CREN

Anticipating the need to quickly integrate the disenchanted Nigerian victims of xenophobic attacks from South Africa into the fabric of society and give them hope for a better future; the Council for Renewable Energy Nigeria [CREN] offers free training to returnee Nigerians to learn all about renewable energy technologies and begin entry-level careers in the solar PV industry at the Asteven Renewable Energy Academy, a subsidiary of Asteven Energy Group..

Dr Sunny Akpoyibo, President of CREN, revealing this, said “Nigeria is richly endowed and we shall not allow our people to be cast adrift after losing all they have worked hard for over the years. In support of President Muhammadu Buhari’s next level vision to change the Nigerian story, a part of which is ensuring that all Nigerians have marketable skills, we are offering this opportunity to all interested returnees to come learn technical skills and participate in a business that is commercially viable, environmentally sound and has social importance. We at CREN guarantee that they shall be trained totally free of charge and also fully equipped to be active participants in this sector”.

Speaking further, Dr Akpoyibo has made a call for all likeminded advocates to support this programme; to ensure that the providing returnees are given the opportunity to immediately get back on their feet as fully trained technicians in the fast growing global renewable energy industry. Their training will be contributory to Nigeria’s green growth agenda and the country’s climate mitigation efforts.

The Council shall liaise with the House Committee on Diaspora and the Nigerian Diaspora Commission to ensure that the returnee Nigerians are contacted and provided this opportunity. It doesn’t just stop there. They will also be trained on setting up renewable energy businesses, provided with product loans, mentorship and partner support to enable them become fully proficient in the industry; expand their skills sets and business portfolios. This will enable them contribute to Nigeria’s Green Growth Agenda,

The Nigerian Government has stated that from Wednesday, September 11, 2019, the first batch of 600 returnees will be airlifted back to Nigeria. This is an opportunity for those returnees to quickly get back on their feet.

The CREN/ASTEVEN Group Photovoltaic Installer Level 1 (PVI1) certification course from Asteven Renewable Energy Academy is designed for beginners, so previous experience with electronics/electricity is not necessary but is helpful. The trainees will benefit from real world, hands-on experience.

 Since 2007, CREN established under the purview of state and civil society institutions, is a private member based association that consistently and actively advocates for the promotion and deployment of renewable energy technologies in Nigeria; not just as a vehicle for power and energy security but a vehicle for social entrepreneurship and empowerment of the Nigerian people.

John Kamara, ICE Africa Brand Ambassador

Ahead of the second edition of ICE Africa (2-3 October, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg) event organisers Clarion Gaming has launched a new initiative designed to champion key gaming jurisdictions on the continent.

The ICE Africa Champions who will endorse their respective territories and drive co-operation across all of the continent’s regulated gaming economies comprise: Colin Udoh, Nigerian journalist and sports television presenter; Dolan Beuthin, CEO, BestBet; John Kamara, co-founder of the Global Gaming Africa consultancy; Judy Kiragu, Director, GoldenKey Casino; Olafadeke Akeju, Senior Partner, WYS Solicitors; Nassim Randeree; Philippe Vlaemminck, Partner, Pharumlega; and, Yahaya Maikori Partner, Law Allianz.

ICE Africa Brand Ambassador John Kamara, one of the most respected thought leaders across the pan-African industry, has praised the initiative as ‘an important step towards securing gaming’s future throughout the continent’. “As an ICE Africa Champion myself I am already excited at the opportunities that this important and ground breaking initiative will deliver” he explained.  “It is humbling to see such high profile pioneers from across the industry who, like myself, will showcase what each region has to offer and provide informed insights on the market.”

He continued: “Gaming is an extremely dynamic sector which is shaped by a combination of advances in technology, changing demographics and, of course, regulation. ICE Africa represents an invaluable opportunity to cooperate and share knowledge and experience to better answer the question of how the various markets will develop and their likely direction of travel in the coming years. The ICE Africa Champions  will work alongside the team at Clarion to identify, research and advise on industry topics and data to ensure the most up-to-date information is available to all ICE Africa visitors when the industry convenes in October.”

ICE Africa will feature a two stream conference comprising 60+ expert thought-leaders, regulators, investors and operators from both the pan-African and international gaming industry.  The content-rich learning programme has been curated with the objective of driving the socially responsible advancement of gaming across the continent.

For more information on all of the opportunities available at gaming’s only B2B pan-African event and to register, visit: www.iceafrica.za.com