Telecom
AfriTECH 2.0: Agada Lists Factors That Could Kill Startups
Immediate past Chief Executive Officer, CWG PLC, and Founder, Ixzdorelabs, an innovation hub and consultancy focused company, Mr. James Agada, has listed some factors that could lead to the premature death of a Startup.
James Agada, Immediate Past CEO, CWG and the Founder, Ixzdore Laboratories Limited delivering keynote address at AfriTECH 2.0
Agada, who spoke to the theme: Sustainability and the company of the future, at Africa Tech Alliance Forum (AfriTECH 2.0) held in Lagos on Wednesday, listed the factors to include non-reporting of sales figures, issues around corporate governance, Court or Government interference, and inability to create new business.
A well-regarded, innovative, and versatile technology expert, Agada, while aligning with the views of economists said in his keynote address at the event that the only way to determine whether a company is alive or dead is to check whether they are reporting their sales figures.
“When a company stops reporting its sales figures, it means the company is dead. For a startup, three things are obvious: Sales, Cash and Profit. At maturity, the company’s sales, or what they call cash cow, typically flatten out. Before then, you see a steep growth in sales or what you call exponential growth.
“That sale has to translate into profit, and profit must have cash. The only thing that can kill a company is when it runs out of cash. Another thing though is that sales do not necessarily translate to cash; if you sell, you must also collect the money and make a profit. At any point the company starts declining because it’s not able to generate enough cash from the declining sales to maintain itself, death beckons,” he said.
He said that at any point a company decides to do a life extension, that’s what is at the core for the sustainability of the company, noting that between the sales a company generates and the cash it gets, it is the funding that determines where the company is going.
“At maturity, you have a lot of debt funding because you are generating enough cash and trying to minimize business risk. Kodak had misjudged where the technology it developed was leading to, leading to its decline. Customers left Blackberry and went for iPhone and Android, and that left Blackberry behind if not dead.
“Therefore, the issue of corporate governance is another thing that can kill a company. The court or government can also decide to close your company. And the inability to create new business even when you are struggling with that company can as well lead to the death of a company,” he further explained.
Agada stated that a sustainable company is one that has figured out how to balance its business risk and sales to ensure that decline does not put it in a situation where it is no longer sustainable, contending that once a company is not growing, it is dying.
In providing a solution to this, Agada opined that “the real thing is that you are looking for increased profit and increased cash flow. You have to look at what is happening around you and take those defensive and offensive actions to prevent collapse and eventual death.
Telecom
Celebrating African Creativity: Made by Africa, Loved by the World’ Returns for Its Fifth Year
The “Made by Africa, Loved by the World” campaign is back for its fifth year, celebrating African creativity and global influence. This year’s theme, “Where Culture Meets Connection,” highlights how social media fosters conversations around cultural moments worldwide.
The campaign features three cinematic films premiering on the Meta Africa page, showcasing the groundbreaking work and personal stories of six dynamic African creatives.
These artists, from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, represent diverse disciplines, including rap, animation, dance, photography, fashion, and videography.
Here are some of the featured talents:
- Ladipoe (Nigeria) – A BET-nominated rapper known for blending global hip-hop with African rhythms.
- Fatboy Animations (Kenya) – An animation studio founded by Michael Muthiga, recognized by Forbes for its original African storytelling.
- Lisa Quama (Ghana) – A dancer who gained fame after appearing in Beyoncé’s “Already” music video.
- Gilbert Asante (Ghana) – A photographer and creative director featured in GQ and Glam Africa.
- David Tlale (South Africa) – A fashion designer whose bold designs have been showcased at major fashion events, including the Met Gala.
- Ofentse Mwase (South Africa) – A filmmaker with over 24 international awards for his unique visual storytelling.
Kezia Anim-Addo, Communications Director for Africa, Middle East & Turkey, emphasized that the campaign not only celebrates individual success stories but also showcases how culture and social media drive meaningful connections and inspiration.
Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), has raised the alarm over a diesel supply crisis caused by an ongoing strike by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
Mr Tony Emoekpere, president, ATCON in a statement said that the fuel supply disruption is critically affecting telecom base stations, pushing them to the brink of a shutdown and threatening millions of mobile and internet users in the region.
“This strike, which stems from the persistent harassment of tanker and petroleum product drivers by police officers in Lagos State, has effectively halted all truck loading operations and fuel movements,” Emoekpere stated.
He explained that diesel supply to telecom infrastructure has been severely impacted, leaving critical sites with dangerously low fuel levels.
According to him, if urgent measures are not taken, the situation could escalate into a full-blown network blackout, disrupting essential services, including mobile and internet access, business operations, emergency response systems, and daily communications.
ATCON has called on the governors of Lagos and Ogun states to intervene immediately by facilitating the release of diesel from depots to telecom operators to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
“This is not just a telecom issue—it is a national emergency that could cripple economic activities and compromise public safety,” Emoekpere stressed.
The association also appealed to security agencies and petroleum unions to resolve the crisis swiftly to safeguard Nigeria’s connectivity and economic stability.
ATCON emphasised that a prolonged disruption in fuel supply to telecom infrastructure could have far-reaching consequences for both businesses and individuals who rely on stable communication networks for daily operations.
In 2023, Nigerians spent a total of about ₦5.3 trillion on telecommunications services, which includes calls, data, SMS, and other telecom services, according to the Leadership.
Specifically for voice calls, Nigerians made approximately 408.5 billion minutes of local calls, generating around ₦3.28 trillion from outgoing calls and ₦3.23 trillion from incoming calls, totaling about ₦6.51 trillion in call-related revenue according to projections based on 2023 call volumes and tariff data.
However, the ₦5.3 trillion figure represents the overall telecom sector revenue, with voice calls being a major component but also including data and other services.
For individual spending, MTN subscribers spent an average of ₦2,508 monthly on voice calls in 2023, showing a 14.4% increase from 2022, while Airtel customers spent about ₦1,694 monthly on voice calls.
Total telecom spending (calls, data, SMS, etc.): ₦5.3 trillion in 2023
Estimated revenue from voice calls alone: around ₦6.5 trillion based on call minutes and tariffs
Average monthly spending on calls per subscriber: ₦1,694 to ₦2,508 depending on the network
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