Telecom
Bolt Accelerator Program completes post-mentorship exercise for its top 10 winners
Bolt, Africa’s leading ride-hailing platform, has concluded the last and final phase of its Bolt Accelerator Program – an initiative in collaboration with The Nest Innovation Park to empower its driver community to redefine their roles as entrepreneurs and amplify economic growth prospects across Nigeria.
The post mentorship graduation ceremony was held virtually on January 19, 2024 to send forth the top 10 winners.
Launched on September 19, 2023, the Bolt Accelerator Program has empowered drivers beyond conventional ride-hailing services and contributed to the economic growth of drivers in Nigeria.
The initiative witnessed a myriad of applications from drivers in diverse states in Nigeria, their brilliant ideas were meticulously scrutinised, and appraised, and ultimately the top 10 innovative business ideas emerged as winners, each receiving a seed fund of 2000 euros but proceeding to start a 6-week mentorship phase of the Bolt Den to mark a significant milestone celebrated during the virtual closing ceremony.
The initiative is in line with Bolt’s goal to contribute towards the development of Nigeria’s economic growth whilst keeping Bolt’s African City Vision project, which encourages the adoption of shared mobility in the ongoing development of wider transport ecosystems.
Recent analysis from Oliver Wyman Mobility Forum and Bolt highlighted that the African shared mobility market is the world’s fastest growing and is set to double to $8bn by 2030, creating more than 550,000 additional earnings opportunities while bringing significant economic and social benefits.
Speaking on the importance of the mentorship exercise, Bolt’s Senior Public Policy Manager WA & NA & CA, Weyinmi Aghadiuno, reiterated that the mentorship exercise is important to help nurture the winners and prepare them for the real-life tasks ahead.
“The program’s legacy will persist through follow-ups, meticulous record-keeping, and ongoing growth initiatives even in other countries, fortifying Bolt’s commitment to fostering innovation, empowerment, and increased mobility in Africa.
“The journey is not over; it is just starting, and we would love to be able to refer to the growth of these businesses five years down the line,” Weyinmi said.
One of the participants, Arinze Emmanuel a driver from Abuja whose idea aimed to tackle security issues focused on car theft by developing a website to monitor cars and disseminate information swiftly said, “I thank Bolt for this initiative, the mentorship phase has really equipped me to address the challenges my business idea aims to tackle.”
Another participant, David Uviowho, a driver from Port-Harcourt with the business solution to ensure efficient deliveries with the use of bikes for urban logistics said, “The program has been worth every single moment invested, and I am now operational thanks to the impact of it.
I will make Bolt proud.” He attributed his growth to the program’s educational value which he said significantly contributed to the realisation of his business idea.
Jennifer Modinatu, the only female Bolt driver among the top 10, whose zeal to encourage women driving to earn for themselves developed the car-for-hire business to encourage female inclusion in the ride-hailing ecosystem.
She encouraged women, urging them to engage more actively in initiatives such as the Bolt Accelerator Program introduced by Bolt.
Temitope Stephen, winner of the Oliver Wyman Mentorship, a driver from Lagos state with the ecofriendly business idea of converting petrol vehicles to compressed natural gas has kickstarted his private mentorship sessions with the Oliver Wyman team under seasoned professional as he commences operation of Raindom Energy Services Ltd.
The top 10 participants radiated enthusiasm, basking in the joy of the positive turnaround in their lives as they reintroduced themselves as owners of CAC-registered companies, sharing insights and heartfelt moments from the transformative journey in the Bolt Accelerator Program.
Bolt and The Nest stand united in propelling African entrepreneurs toward a future of innovation and economic growth.
MTN Nigeria has proudly announced the rebranding of its fibre broadband service to FibreX, marking a significant stride in delivering next-generation internet solutions across the nation.
Formerly called MTN Fibre Broadband, FibreX embodies the company’s commitment to providing ultra-fast, reliable, and accessible internet services, aligning seamlessly with Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan (NBP) 2020–2025.
The NBP aims to achieve 70% broadband penetration by 2025, ensuring minimum speeds of 25 Mbps in urban areas and 10 Mbps in rural regions.
“The launch of FibreX reiterates our dedication to supporting Nigeria’s digital transformation journey,” said Egerton Idehen, Chief Broadband Officer, MTN Nigeria. “By enhancing our infrastructure and services, we aim to bridge the digital divide and foster inclusive growth.”
FibreX is set to play a pivotal role in the Federal Government’s initiative to expand the nation’s fibre-optic network by an additional 90,000 kilometers, aiming to increase fibre capacity from 35,000 km to 125,000 km.
FibreX promises ultra-fast and reliable internet connectivity, aiming to meet the diverse needs of Nigerians, from bustling urban centres to remote rural areas.
While the service itself retains its powerful FTTH (fibre to the home) infrastructure, the new name embodies a more modern, relatable, and emotionally resonant brand that is positioned to lead the conversation around what premium internet should feel like.
The new name, FibreX, was adopted to create a more customer-friendly brand. The goal is to educate and excite consumers within home-passed locations (the potential number of premises within a service area that can be connected to an FTTH network) about the benefits of the product.
As Nigeria strides towards a digitally inclusive future, initiatives like FibreX are crucial in bridging the digital divide and fostering nationwide connectivity.
For more information about FibreX and its offerings, please visit www.mtn.ng/fibrex.
Organisations today face a data paradox: they need to make fast, intelligent decisions but are overwhelmed by large volumes of often unreliable information. With over 75% of business leaders under pressure to prove data’s value, the demand for trusted, actionable insights has never been greater.
What is agentic analytics
Agentic analytics allows users to collaborate with AI agents to speed up the entire data-to-action process. Instead of relying on static visualizations, analysts can use AI to automate tasks like data preparation and ETL (extract, transform, load processes), freeing them to focus on deeper analysis. Business leaders can ask natural language questions and get instant, reliable answers along with recommended actions. This makes data-driven decision-making easier and more efficient, removing the need for technical expertise and manual effort typical of traditional BI tools.
- Automate repetitive data tasks like data cleaning, transformation, and visualization generation, as well as the execution of complex, multi-step analytical workflows within and across different business areas. This builds on Tableau’s strength in simplifying complex data for users.
- Proactively deliver faster, more comprehensive insights by autonomously detecting hidden correlations, outliers, and trends that might be missed by human observation. This enhances Tableau’s focus on user-driven insights by providing AI guidance.
- Enable more contextual and effective action through natural language summaries, visualisations, and data-driven recommendations, insights delivered where people work with an enterprise-class workflow engine that enables users to kick off automated actions. This extends Tableau’s ability to drive action from data, making it more seamless within the Salesforce ecosystem.
Built on the trusted Salesforce Platform and leveraging the power of Data Cloud, Tableau Next delivers enterprise-grade performance, robust security, and flexible, zero-copy data integration for seamless data connectivity. Tableau Semantics, an intelligent semantic layer, provides a unified understanding of information, ensuring data consistency and accelerating the discovery of critical insights. The built-in workflow engine in Tableau Next seamlessly translates insights directly into actionable steps, dramatically accelerating the time to value. The key differentiator is the native integration with Agentforce, Tableau Next equips humans and AI agents with pre-built analytical skills to rapidly transform data into tangible business value, marking a significant leap forward in data-driven decision-making. It includes:
- Data Pro: Your Intelligent Data Prep Assistant. Instead of users manually cleaning up and changing data using complex steps (like in traditional ETL), Data Pro will give smart suggestions on how to do it and even automatically handle some of the complicated changes, saving time and effort.
- Concierge: Instant Answers in Plain Language. Get immediate, reliable answers to data questions. Sales teams, for example, can simply ask “What are my best sales opportunities?” and receive clear insights with recommended actions.
- Inspector: Proactive Data Monitoring & Insights. Continuously tracks your data for key changes, analyzes trends, and predicts improvements. Service teams can be instantly alerted to drops in customer satisfaction, enabling immediate action.
Ensuring Data Trust and Accuracy:
- Tableau Semantics: Tableau Semantics serves as the semantic layer, providing Tableau Next and Agentforce with a unified understanding of business data. By establishing consistent definitions and context, it enables AI agents to generate accurate and relevant responses.
Boosting Efficiency:
- Marketplace: Allows users to easily share and reuse data analysis components (like data assets, connections, metrics, visualizations, dashboards), saving time and ensuring everyone is working with the same information.
“Tableau Next helps businesses achieve faster, more impactful results with their data,” said Ryan Aytay, CEO of Tableau. “We’re shifting from basic reports to a world where AI is a collaborative decision-making partner. By combining AI agents with trusted data and easy-to-use tools, we’re making data accessible to everyone and transforming the data-to-action process into an automated, proactive, and insight-driven cycle. This empowers users to improve decision-making, boost efficiency, and manage risk more effectively.”
Chinese-founded e-commerce platforms Temu and Shein have announced upcoming price increases for U.S. customers, citing higher operating expenses due to tariffs imposed during former President Donald Trump’s administration.
These tariffs include a 145% import tax on most goods made in China and the elimination of the “de minimis provision,” which previously allowed goods valued under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free.
The changes, effective May 2, have disrupted the business models of both companies, known for their ultra-low prices and extensive digital marketing campaigns.
Temu and Shein, which specialize in affordable products ranging from clothing to electronics, have urged customers to shop before the price adjustments take effect.
The companies aim to minimize the impact on consumers while adapting to the new trade rules.
These developments come amid concerns from U.S. lawmakers and business groups about the competitive advantage of inexpensive Chinese goods and the potential entry of counterfeit products through the now-canceled exemption.
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