General News
Air Peace sets New Record as B777 Aircraft Arrives
Air Peace has set a new record with the arrival of its newly acquired Boeing B777-200 aircraft, becoming the first and only Nigerian airline to procure and register the brand of airliner in the country.
The development is coming weeks after the airline took delivery of two Embraer 145 aircraft on January 31 and February 9 respectively and made history with the setting up a subsidiary, Air Peace Hopper to organise its short-haul operations in line with its no-city-left-behind project.
The 274-capacity aircraft, which touched down at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at about 3.45 pm on Friday, is the first of two Boeing 777 airliners Air Peace recently acquired in preparation for its Dubai, Sharjah, London, Guangzhou-China, Houston, Mumbai and Johannesburg services. The airline is finalising talks to add two more B777 aircraft to its fleet soon.
The aircraft with registration mark 5N-BVE bears “Ifechukwu”, the middle name of the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Mr. Allen Onyema.
The aircraft, which was flown in by the Chief Pilot of the airline, Capt. Victor Egonu and Capt. Simon Donoghue, arrived to a rousing welcome by an excited team from Air Peace led by Onyema and and enthusiastic crowd of top aviation personnel as well as security operatives.
Speaking on the arrival of the aircraft, Onyema assured that Air Peace, which launched its its Banjul, Freetown and Dakar services on February 19, 2018 would soon start flights to Dubai, Sharjah, Guangzhou-China, London, Houston, Mumbai and South Africa.
“Air Peace is ready to begin operations on these routes as soon as we get the cooperation of our aviation agencies, our home governments, and the outside governments of the countries we are going to. As soon as we get their cooperation, we will make it happen, ” Onyema said.
The feats Air Peace had recorded in just three years of its flight operations, he insisted, were a proof that Nigerian airlines could compete with and even outperform the legacy airlines if there was a level-playing field.
His words: “This is the first time a Nigerian carrier is acquiring a B777. What we have had in the past were through leases which were not favourable to the airline operators. So, I don’t believe that Nigerian airlines cannot compete favourably with others. What we have been lacking is the necessary support.
“Within the last three years, we have been able to increase our fleet size to 24 aircraft. That is rapid growth and we are still growing stronger.”
Onyema dismissed insinuations that Nigerian airlines were not safe, stressing that Air Peace spent up to $2.5 million annually in maintaining a single aircraft on its fleet.
“So,” he contended, “in terms of safety, we can assure our guests of the very best because even our technical partner is a firm from the United Kingdom.
“Air Peace cannot be said to be weak or indebted and if there are airlines that are going through that, they should come out and name them instead of generalising.”
The Air Peace boss said he remained opposed to the Single African Air Transportation Market (SAATM) initiative, insisting that Nigeria had little or nothing to gain from it.
Onyema explained that most African airlines that would take advantage of the SAATM window to operate in the country lacked attractive destinations Nigerian airlines would reciprocally operate into.
He added that some of the countries on the African continent were imposing high charges in a bid to discourage Nigerian airlines from operating into their routes.
Federal government has announced it will impose a new 5 percent refined fossil fuel tax from January.
The surcharge, which has been signed into law by President Bola Tinubu to encourage clean energy use, could raise more than half a billion dollars annually.
The fee will apply to petrol and diesel, while cooking gas and compressed natural gas — which the government has tried to promote — are exempted.
Nonprofit group ActionAid Nigeria said the policy will “disproportionately impact the poor” and deepen inequality, noting that Nigerians have not recovered from the inflationary effect of the removal of fuel subsidies in 2023.
General News
FintechNGR Announces DevTribe 2025, Focuses on Empowering Nigeria’s Software Developer Ecosystem
The Fintech Association of Nigeria (FintechNGR) has announced DevTribe 2025, its flagship software developer-focused conference, set to hold on Saturday, August 23, 2025, at The Zone, Gbagada, Lagos.
With the theme “Trends, Tools & Tech Stacks for Modern Developers,” the conference aims to convene Nigeria’s growing community of software developers, tech professionals, founders, and ecosystem enablers for a day of technical exchange, innovation, and collaboration.
DevTribe 2025 is part of FintechNGR’s broader strategy to strengthen the software development pipeline in Nigeria and bridge critical gaps in mentorship, tooling, and visibility for local tech talent. This year’s event promises an immersive and community-driven experience, with a strong emphasis on emerging technologies, practical skills, and inclusive opportunities for developers at all levels.
“The DevTribe platform reflects our commitment to supporting the people building Nigeria’s digital future not just by acknowledging their role, but by actively investing in their growth,” said the organisers. “We’re bringing the right people, tools, and ideas into one room to shape the next phase of innovation.”
The event will feature keynote addresses, lightning talks, community-led sessions, and a career fair designed to help software developers connect with hiring partners and growth opportunities. It also offers a space for collaboration among startups, corporates, regulators, and talent platforms working to drive inclusive digital transformation.
FintechNGR welcomes software developers, companies, and ecosystem partners to be a part of DevTribe 2025.
NBA Africa, the local affiliate of the NBA basketball brand in the US, has announced the second edition of Triple-Double: NBA Africa Start-up Accelerator, which aims to promote the continent’s technology ecosystem and the next generation of entrepreneurs.
The NBA Africa Startup Accelerator will strengthen Africa’s technology ecosystem by providing mentorship and investment to the next generation of African tech entrepreneurs.
The organisation announced the initiative would once again be administered by ALX Ventures, a technological incubator that equips the continent’s innovators in technology with the knowledge and tools they need to develop and scale their enterprises.
Furthermore, NBA Africa named ServiceNow, an AI platform for business transformation whose Now Assist and AI agents help organisations in delivering ‘faster and smarter experiences’ at scale, as an official program partner.
The organisation stated that startups can apply to participate at tripledoubleaccelerator.nba.com until Friday, August 29, following which the applications will be filtered down to a top 10 list.
The shortlisted startups will then participate in a 10-week mentorship program, where they will be paired with mentors from NBA Africa, ServiceNow, and ALX leadership, as well as other corporate stakeholders, who will advise the companies on product development, business growth, and go-to-market strategy.
The finalists will next present their technologies to international industry professionals at the program’s second Demo Day in December, when the top five prize-winning companies will be chosen to receive financial assistance and mentorship.
“Last year’s inaugural Triple-Double Accelerator program showed how much talent, passion and creativity there is among African entrepreneurs who are shaping the future of the continent’s rapidly growing sport and entertainment industries,” said NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi. “We look forward to reviewing this year’s submissions and to helping another round of promising startups take the next step in their development.”
Last year, almost 700 early-stage African entrepreneurs applied to the program.
Ten finalists were then chosen to pitch their products to a panel of international industry leaders at the program’s first Demo Day, which took place at the NBA headquarters in New York City.
Four prize-winning companies – Festival Coins (Nigeria), Salubata (Nigeria), HustleSasa (Kenya), and UBR VR (Egypt) – were awarded financial support and mentorship.
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