General News
CNN, MultiChoice Opens 2014 African Journalists Awards

CNN International in partnership with MultiChoice have officially announced the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2014 awards.
The competition for African nationals based on the continent welcomes entries from journalists creating content targeting an African audience.
For one thing, the competition has become even easier for journalists to enter, with submissions being made via the entry form website http://www.cnnmcaja.cnn.com.
Open to journalists working in any medium, this year the competition will recognize excellence in the following categories: Culture Award, The Coca-Cola Company Economics & Business Award, GE Energy & Infrastructure Award (*NEW*), Environment Award, MSD Health & Medical Award, News Impact Award (*NEW*), Mohamed Amin Photographic Award, Press Freedom Award, Sport Reporting Award, Francophone General News Awards – Electronic media & Print, and Portuguese Language General News Awards – Electronic media & Print
From these category winners, an independent judging panel will choose the overall winner – The CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2014.
Finalists in the 2014 competition will participate in a finalists’ programme that will include a media forum and networking opportunities with senior journalists, editors, business leaders and media owners from across the continent, culminating in a gala awards ceremony later in the year.
The CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2014 will have the opportunity to participate in the CNN Journalism Fellowship at CNN Headquarters in Atlanta.
Speaking on the award, Tony Maddox, executive vice president and managing director of CNN International, said: “Since the very beginning, these Awards have discovered and rewarded superlative African journalism across the continent.
“With even more of Africa’s storytellers now able to share their work with us, we expect even more outstanding entries. The categories this year also perfectly mirror the reality of today’s Africa’s multi-platform media scene. As Africa’s leading news provider, we’re delighted to play our part in supporting the excellent journalism these Awards yield annually.”
For Imtiaz Patel, Group CEO for MultiChoice South Africa, “MultiChoice South Africa is proud of our continued involvement in these awards.
“We are particularly proud to play a role in amplifying the voice of journalists across the African continent; it’s vital that the stories of Africa and its people are heard across the world. We look forward to hearing the stories as told by the entrants into the 2014 competition.”
It would be recalled that South Africans Msindisi Fengu and Yandisa Monakali, from South Africa were awarded the top prize at the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2013 Awards ceremony.
Their work ‘Investigation series: School hostels of Shame’, which appeared in South African daily print newspaper Daily Dispatch investigated the appalling conditions being experienced by thousands of pupils in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, uncovering hygiene and safety risks in school hostels and lifting the lid on corruption within the education department. It was chosen from 1387 entries from 42 nations across the African continent.
Over the past 19 years, the competition has grown in size and status to become Africa’s most prestigious media event. In 2013, a ‘Highlights Programme’ of the ceremony, held in Cape Town, South Africa, was broadcast in 46 African countries, plus the UK, USA and the Caribbean
General News
FG Plans N50m STEEM Grant to Support Student Innovation in August

In a giant stride to support innovation, entrepreneurship and economic transformation, the Federal Government is set to unveil a N50 million grant for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medical Sciences (STEEM) students in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
The project, which is referred to as the Student Venture Capital Grant (S-VCG), is a pioneering initiative designed to empower the students towards building the next generation of scalable, job-creating ventures.
According to a statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations in the Ministry of Education, Folashade Boriowo, Friday, the initiative will be formally unveiled in August by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.
Boriowo stated that the minister made the disclosure during a stakeholders’ engagement session held in Abuja in the presence of vice-chancellors, provosts, rectors, student leaders, academic staff, and development partners, and will chart a collective course for nurturing student-led innovation.
The statement noted that the grant targets full-time undergraduate students in STEMM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medical Sciences), specifically those in 300 level and above.
“Each selected student-led project will be eligible to receive startup funding of up to N50 million, along with access to mentorship, incubation services and business development support.
“The initiative will be implemented in partnership with the Bank of Industry (BoI) to ensure financial transparency, impact measurement and effective project execution.
“S-VCG is not just a grant. It’s a launchpad for bold, young innovators to lead Nigeria’s industrial and technological transformation,” said Alausa.
Speaking at the session, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, described the grant as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s knowledge economy.
“We’re building a stronger, more competitive future by supporting innovation from the ground up,” she said, adding that the programme’s design was informed by months of consultation with students, faculty and institutional leaders.
Participants at the event welcomed the STEMM-Up Grant as a timely, strategic and high-impact initiative that will drive youth innovation, tackle graduate unemployment, and position Nigeria as a hub for student-led entrepreneurship in Africa.
General News
UK Businesses Look to Africa As Strategic Growth Partners

New research by UK-based Strategy Management Partners reveals that a growing number of British businesses are identifying Africa as a key strategic growth region – drawn by structural reforms, demographic momentum, and rapid digital transformation across the continent.
The research, based on a survey of senior decision-makers from 250 large UK-based companies, finds that 50% are already active in African markets and planning to expand further.
An additional 28% are considering entry, signalling a clear uptick in long-term interest from international businesses with the resources to scale regionally.
The findings challenge outdated perceptions of Africa as a high-risk or secondary market. Instead, they highlight key drivers behind renewed commercial interest: • 61 per cent of UK leaders cited Africa’s large and growing consumer markets as a major draw. • 61 per cent pointed to the continent’s rapid pace of digital and technological adoption. • 50 per cent highlighted the potential of Africa’s young, skilled, and digitally native population.
The study also suggests that Africa is no longer viewed simply as a market for philanthropic initiatives or shortterm gain. Only 20 per cent of respondents cited philanthropic motives, while most are focused on building commercially viable, long-term operations.
Initiatives like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), are also laying the groundwork for significant economic growth.
With 23 countries already implementing preferential tariffs, the framework is expected to facilitate smoother intra-regional trade, enable market scale, and support more efficient supply chains.
These structural improvements are making Africa more attractive to global firms with the ambition to operate at scale.
However, despite rising optimism, significant operational and policy challenges remain. The top four barriers to investment cited by UK business leaders were: political and country risk (68%); safety and security issues 66.4%); regulatory barriers and tariffs (60.4%); and the complexity of cross-border transactions (60%).
Addressing these issues will be crucial to unlocking Africa’s full potential for UK investment. UK companies are showing the most interest in sectors that align with Africa’s core strengths, such as natural resources, agriculture, a young and expanding population, and infrastructure development.
These areas are seen as the backbone for long-term commercial growth, offering opportunities to build local supply chains, expand digital services, scale manufacturing, and meet rising consumer demand.
However, for companies looking to invest or expand into Africa, success also depends on key enabling conditions. According to business leaders surveyed, the top factors supporting investment are: • The size of market and consumer demand (49.6%) • Reliable and consistent energy supply (48.4%) • Access to affordable, educated and capable talent (44.8%) • Efficient transportation networks, such as roads, ports, airports (38%) • A favourable macroeconomic environment: low interest rates, low inflation, stable exchange rates, and seamless cross-border transactions and repatriation of earnings(38%).
“UK businesses are increasingly seeing Africa as a strategic growth market, driven by structural reforms, digital adoption, and the momentum behind the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),” says Muibat Ijaiya, Partner at Strategy Management Partners.
“But real progress will depend on practical cooperation with African governments. The AfCFTAis a pivotal step forward – what’s needed now is a deeper alignment between public policy and private investment to address trade, regulatory and infrastructure barriers, and unlock long-term, sustainable growth.”
General News
Experts Champion Sustainability at Lagos Green Economy Forum

Lagos State’s transition to a greener economy is gaining momentum, with female leaders from top corporations taking the lead and the state government beginning to record early wins from its plastic bag policy.
At the Lagos Green Economy Forum held on July 23, senior executives from MTN Nigeria, IHS Towers, TechnoServe, and other large organisations highlighted the role of corporate innovation in advancing sustainability.
The all-female panel also emphasised the urgent need to integrate Nigeria’s thousands of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) into the country’s green transition.
“We’re not just here to share strategies,” said Temilade Olabanji, Senior Manager, Sustainability and Shared Value, MTN Nigeria. “We are here to build local resilience. Our Project Zero is not only helping us cut emissions but also equipping our suppliers with the knowledge to do the same.”
MTN’s Project Zero aims for net-zero emissions by 2040, with a 50% reduction target by 2030. The company is already powering base stations and data centres with renewables, while training suppliers to understand carbon footprints and adopt circular practices. MTN has pledged that by 2026, 80% of its top suppliers will align with its sustainability goals.
Titilope Oguntuga, Director of Sustainability, IHS Towers, reinforced this approach, noting that the company’s Project Green is decarbonising its over 16,000 tower sites across Nigeria by switching to renewable energy. “Project Green is enabling all sites to run effectively with more renewable sources of energy rather than the typical fossil fuels,” she said. IHS also runs Clinic Without Walls, a free micro-health insurance scheme for underserved communities.
From the nonprofit sector, Juliet Ezeani, Senior Business Advisor of TechnoServe, explained how the organisation supports vendors through environmental impact assessments, sustainability training, and responsible procurement.“For all our projects, we look at how the project runs and especially how it affects the environment,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government provided an update on its green policy efforts, especially the plastic bag ban introduced two months ago.
“All of what we have done so far is towards making the economy of Lagos or the quality of life of the average Lagosian much better,” said Dr. Babatunde Ajayi, General Manager of the Lagos Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), who represented the Honourable Commissioner, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab.
On the plastic bag ban, he added: “What that [the ban] has also done is to free up our drainage from the plastic waste. In some way, we have reduced flooding, reduced pollution, and reduced the headache and the cost of maintaining drainages and labourers.”
Dr. Ajayi emphasised that green transition is not just a compliance issue for SMEs but an economic opportunity. “It helps them drive their engines, their entire businesses in a more sustainable manner.”
As Lagos accounts for nearly 30% of Nigeria’s GDP, the increasing alignment between corporate leaders and public policy towards a greener economy is positioning the state as a model for inclusive, environmentally responsible development.
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