News
Demo Africa 2015: Flippy Campus Emerges First Startup
The first tech-entrepreneur group that would present at the Demo Africa stage in September has emerged, as Flippy Campus team has been named the most outstanding start-up in the just concluded Demo Africa pre-screening event in Accra.
Out of the 10 teams that pitched at the event, Flippy Campus was the most convincing to the jury on their ability to link innovation, creativity and scalability.
DEMO Africa’s pre-screening activities and feedback sessions are expected to raise the standards of the technology products that are produced by start-ups across Africa to ensure that the confidence of various investors is secured.
Demo Africa is one of the flagship initiatives of LIONS@frica and aims to connect African startups to the global ecosystem.
It is the place where the most innovative companies from Africa get a platform to launch their products and announce to Africa and the world what they have developed with the hope of attracting investors. Nigeria hosted this event in 2014.
The event which brought together start-ups from across West Africa, had judges Todd Holcombe, senior lecturer at Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology, which has one of the leading acceleration programmes in Africa; Martin Obuya, DEMO Africa’s Accra Event Director, Erick Osiakwan, AfrISPA and Juliet Amoah of British Council assessed the various solutions from the startups and provided feedback to the teams.
Flippy is a product that improves campus experience by keeping students up to date on current campus happenings. By following the Flippy Campus channels, students are able to follow campus events from their halls and social groups including reminders for these events.
Speaking on their success, David Sleek, founder, Flippy Campus expressed optimism at what the future holds for the group. “I am elated at this win and I look forward to learning more from other entrepreneurs and mentors at the DEMO Africa event in Lagos in September.”
While congratulating the winner, Obuya expressed enthusiasm at the ability of entrepreneurs to create wealth in Africa using innovations. “What took place today is a clear demonstration of the great ability of entrepreneurs across Africa to create wealth from world class solutions which solve our own problems first, then the rest of the world”, he added.
Holcombe echoed Obuya’s sentiments, adding that the rate of technology adoption in various sectors across Africa has risen significantly. “Africa has taken significant strides in securing its future through technology; it is very encouraging to see young people’s enthusiasm to shoulder this responsibility”.
Flippy Campus, has secured its space to launch its product at the DEMO Africa stage later in September. The startup will also receive a ticket to Lagos and accommodation catered for during the event.
Start-up application for DEMO Africa will close June 30. The adjudication of the submitted project will happen in July where a jury of 12 persons will deliver a list of 30 start-ups, which will pitch on the DEMO Africa stage.
The DEMO Africa team will stop in Nairobi on June 12, Cairo on June 22 and in Harare on June 24 for pre-screening of projects in East, North and West Africa.
Investors, IT buyers and consumers and media are expected to congregate in Lagos, Nigeria on September 24-25 for the DEMO Africa event. To witness the unveiling of the technology product from Africa, register now.
News
DBN Awards N13m in Grants to Tech Startups

Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) has awarded a total of N13 million in grants to three standout tech startups at the 2025 Techpreneur Summit held in Lagos, reinforcing its commitment to innovation and inclusive growth among Nigeria’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The winners include: BuyScrap, a digital marketplace for recyclable materials – N6 million; Qiqi Farms, which connects local farmers to hospitality and export markets – N4 million; Eco-Cyclers, a youth-led recycling initiative based in Enugu – N3 million
Alongside the grant awards, DBN also launched a new digital data asset, a first-of-its-kind platform aimed at enabling data-driven decisions within the MSME ecosystem.
The platform offers deep insights into business trends, sector-specific challenges, and growth opportunities—supporting smarter policymaking and targeted investments.
In his keynote address in Lagos, Tony Okpanachi, managing director/ CEO, DBN, described the event’s theme, “CTRL + SHIFT: Tech Empowered Movement for Naija,” as a strategic call to reimagine enterprise development in Nigeria.
“This isn’t just a keyboard shortcut,” he said. “It’s a mindset reset—powered by technology—to build a more inclusive, innovative, and resilient business landscape. From financing to innovation, DBN remains committed to enabling MSMEs to thrive.”
Okpanachi emphasized that the Summit aligns with DBN’s AMPLIFI Strategy, which integrates digital transformation, sustainability, and scalability into its core programs.
He highlighted initiatives such as the Digital Shift Workshops and the Eco-Innovation Challenge as key steps toward embedding innovation in Nigeria’s MSME sector.
Encouraging young innovators, he added: “The future belongs to those bold enough to imagine and build it. DBN is proud to support the ideas that will shape tomorrow.”
A major highlight was the unveiling of the DBN Data Asset—a digital platform designed to provide real-time, evidence-based insights into Nigeria’s MSME landscape.
The platform combines DBN’s proprietary data with external sources like the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to offer a comprehensive view of MSME performance by region and sector.
Jeremy Dan Okayi, DBN’s Head of Strategy, Policy & Innovation, described the platform as: “A reservoir of insight, potential, and direction—built on two years of collaboration and shared vision. This tool will support informed decision-making across the public and private sectors.”
News
FCCPC Shuts France, Belgium, and Italy Visa Centres in Abuja Over Alleged Consumer Rights Violations

In a bold enforcement action, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), supported by the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has sealed off the visa application centres of France, Belgium, and Italy in Abuja over alleged consumer protection breaches and obstruction of regulatory investigations.
The affected centres—located at Mukhtar El-Yakub House in the Central Business District and operated by TLS Contact, a Teleperformance Company—were shut down following reports that they refused to accept formal correspondence from the FCCPC regarding a consumer complaint. The Commission cited further infractions, including obstruction of investigation and alleged assault of its officers during lawful duties.
Speaking to journalists at the scene, Mrs. Boladale Adeyinka, Director of Surveillance and Investigations at the FCCPC, explained: “This is an enforcement operation against TLS. On March 25, 2025, we served them a letter to address a consumer complaint, which they refused to accept. Instead, TLS officers assaulted our team, and in a subsequent visit on June 17, they also allegedly assaulted uniformed police officers.”
Citing Section 33 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), Mrs. Adeyinka emphasized that failure to comply with Commission directives constitutes a criminal offense, punishable by imprisonment, fines of up to ₦20 million, or both.
TLS has been ordered to appear before the Commission on June 20, 2025, to provide testimony, submit evidence, and make formal depositions. The company may be held liable for any financial losses suffered by applicants due to the disruption of visa services.
Despite multiple requests for comment, management at TLS Contact declined to respond as of press time.
News
How and Why N210 Trillion is Missing in NNPCL – CFO

Adedapo Segun, chief financial officer (CFO), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), has explained why there is a missing sum of N210 trillion in the company’s audited financial statement spanning from 2017 to 2023.
According to Segun, the missing funds are cash calls requested by joint venture (JV) partners and settlement to the JVs.
He spokeat a session of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts chaired by Aliyu Wadada.
Segun was responding to an alarm raised by the committee over missing N210 trillion in NNPCL’s audited financial statement.
Recall that Wadada issued a one-week ultimatum to NNPCL to account for the missing N210 trillion.
Reacting, Segun said, “The N103 trillion and N107 trillion are made up of joint venture cash calls that have been requested by the JV operators and JV cash call payments made by NNPCL, which are yet to be reconciled because governance procedures were not done at that time.
“That is why you see the description reflecting those two items would be washed out because they are two sides of the same transaction, which is the cash calls by JV partners and the settlement by NNPCL.”
However, Habu Sadeik, a financial analyst, in a post on X on Thursday, said Segun’s response was unsatisfactory.
Saidik faulted NNPCL’s response about the fund discrepancies, noting that something is not right with the audited financial statement.
“Forget about the senators’ lack of knowledge.
“The CFO’s response is not satisfactory. Are you saying that cash calls worth hundreds of trillions are just appearing on your FS only in 2024 without 31 disclosure?
“If it’s a cash call, why hasn’t the disclosure said so?
“Which cash call is over 100 trillion?
“Something is definitely not right, and I hope they retrospectively correct that FS.
“Someone somewhere did a chef’s work,” he wrote on X.
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