Telecom
NCC Restates Commitment To Fund Research As VCs Attend Roundtable
Olushola Okunlade Writes
Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Adeolu Akande, has restated the commitment of the Commission to commit more funds to research and prototypes resulting from grants from the Commission to academia.
This is coming at the backdrop of the recent revelation that the Commission has committed more than N500 million in funding research across the Nigerian universities.
Akande told a gathering of vice-chancellors and professors from universities in the southern parts of the country at a roundtable conference at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, that the Commission acknowledges the importance of working with stakeholders to engender innovations and build indigenous technological capabilities that would strengthen the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) ecosystem.
“We want to use this opportunity to assure you that the Commission will continue to give support to the educational sector in the interest of national development. We will also continue to encourage research and innovation in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions,” Akande said, explaining that the essence of the roundtable was to dialogue with the academia, industry, and other stakeholders on how research efforts and prototypes can be transformed into commercially-viable products that solve real-life problems.
“Consequently, the Commission will continue to allocate the requisite resources to research, development, and innovations necessary for the industry to continue to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country,” Akande said.
Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, represented by the Director, Legal and Regulatory Services of the Commission, Josphine Amuwa, said academia is a key driver of innovation in all spheres of human endeavour.
He said this is why his leadership at the Commission is determined to not only give grants to academia but also support the commercialisation of the prototypes developed to deepen the indigenous technological capabilities which would support the overall development of the industry.
NCC Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Ubale Maska, who was represented by Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity at the Commission, Bako Wakil, revealed that the Commission had, so far, awarded a total of 49 telecom-based research grants to the academia out of which 10 prototypes have been successfully developed.
“We are hopeful that these sessions will culminate in the development of a common framework that would facilitate the commercialisation of the existing prototypes and future research outcomes (prototypes) for the benefit of the economy and the industry,” he stated.
Coming shortly after a similar roundtable in Kano for the northern region, the event organised by the research prototypes and Development R&D Department of the Commission, was aimed at bringing together Resources persons, business savvy industry experts, the academia, relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), entrepreneurs and renowned individuals who have successfully commercialised their inventions to brainstorm on the way forward for research output commercialisation.
Telecom
Airtel Africa Appoints Carl Cruz As Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer Of Airtel Nigeria
Rahidat Okunlade Writes
Airtel Africa, a leading provider of telecommunications and mobile money services, with a presence in 14 countries across Africa, has announced the appointment of Carl Cruz as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Networks Limited (Nigeria).
The appointment which takes effect from 5th May 2023, will also see Mr. Cruz join the Executive Committee as the Regional Operating Director reporting to the Airtel Africa Group CEO, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya as well as the Board of Airtel Networks Limited (Nigeria).
Mr. Cruz has over 31 years of business and corporate experience from multiple geographies across Africa and Asia. In his most recent position, Mr. Cruz served as the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Unilever in West Africa, with responsibility and oversight of three listed operating companies, including Nigeria, Ghana, and Francophone Africa. He was a board member in the role of Executive Director in Unilever Nigeria Plc and a Non – Executive Director on the board of Unilever Ghana representing Unilever as a shareholder.
Carl Cruz, Managing Director, CEO, Airtel Nigeria.
Prior to this, he was the Chairman and Managing Director of Unilever Sri Lanka, in addition to occupying leadership roles in Unilever Philippines and Hindustan Unilever India. Throughout his career, Mr. Cruz has managed strategic and directional responsibility in sales, distribution, customer and brand development, trade development, and commercial engagement.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing Management from the University of De La Salle, Philippines.
Speaking on Mr. Cruz’s appointment, Airtel Africa Group CEO, Segun Ogunsanya said, “Mr. Cruz brings to Airtel Africa a wealth of business experience, exceptional track record, and strong values. He has a solid record of accomplishment as a strategic and transformational business leader who thrives on problem-solving and building strong teams to deliver business growth. We look forward to working with him to steer our largest region and to deliver on our corporate purpose of transforming lives.”
Mr. Cruz takes over from Mr. C Surendran.
Telecom
Airtel TV Celebrates Creativity, Awards Star Winner With Whopping N1,000,000 And Scholarship
Rashidat Okunlade Writes
Leading entertainment content streaming service, Airtel TV, announced the winners of its first Super Skit-Makers contest on Wednesday, 3rd May 2023 at Airtel Headquarters, Ikoyi, with prizes ranging from N250, 000 to N1, 000,000.
Launched in March 2023, the Airtel TV Super Skit-Makers competition is an initiative by the fledgling platform, to recognize and reward the country’s outstanding talent in the emerging online skits genre.
An evidently thrilled crowd at the prize presentation ceremony applauded as the star winner, Qudus Shokunbi, received the unprecedented N1, 000,000 cash reward and a scholarship to Del-York Creative Academy, a top film school in Lagos.
Left-Right: Marketing Manager, Airtel Nigeria, Ismail Adeshina; star-prize winner, Airtel TV Skit-Maker Competition, Qudus Shokunbi; Partnership and Intervention Manager, Del-York Creative Academy, Halima Alawiye; and Managing Partner, Covenant Entertainment Services and Nollywood actor, Deyemi Okanlawon at the prize presentation to the winners of the competition at Airtel Headquarters in Lagos on Wednesday, 3rd May 2023.
Left-Right: Marketing Manager, Airtel Nigeria, Ismail Adeshina; star-prize winner, Airtel TV Skit-Maker Competition, Qudus Shokunbi; Partnership and Intervention Manager, Del-York Creative Academy, Halima Alawiye; and Managing Partner, Covenant Entertainment Services and Nollywood actor, Deyemi Okanlawon at the prize presentation to the winners of the competition at Airtel Headquarters in Lagos on Wednesday, 3rd May 2023.
Left-Right: Marketing Manager, Airtel Nigeria, Ismail Adeshina; second runner-up, Akueme John-Paul; first runner-up, Mathias Saidu; star-prize winner, Airtel TV Skit-Maker Competition, Qudus Shokunbi; Partnership and Intervention Manager, Del-York Creative Academy, Halima Alawiye; and Managing Partner, Covenant Entertainment Services and Nollywood actor, Deyemi Okanlawon at the prize presentation to the winners of the competition at Airtel Headquarters in Lagos on Wednesday, 3rd May 2023.
This star award was followed by additional prizes to other winners and contestants. Second and third-place winners were presented with cash prizes of N500,000, and N250,000, respectively, alongside film school scholarships to Del-York Creative Academy. For their notable participation, makers of the top 10 most viewed videos that were entered into the competition also received branded Airtel TV merchandise.
Speaking at the event, Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Femi Oshinlaja said, “Airtel Nigeria is excited to host the Skit-Makers and celebrate the incredible contributions of young skit makers to the comedy genre in particular, and Nigerian entertainment in general. We believe in supporting and promoting creativity in Nigeria, and with Airtel TV, we are thrilled to recognize and reward the impact of these talented creators.”
He added: “We hope that the prizes will not only serve as a form of recognition for the winners but also as a source of inspiration to other aspiring skit makers.”
Sharing a similar sentiment, Shokunbi, expressed his gratitude to Airtel TV for boosting the art form. “I am happy that Airtel TV organized this competition and offered this large prize. Their support will go a long way to encourage more youths to produce more creative skits,” he said.
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