News
KAS Print Rolls out Initiatives Using Canon Equipment & Training for COVID-19 Response in Nigeria
Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA) a leader in imaging solutions, is proud to support and highlight its partners making a special effort to support vulnerable people through the COVID-19 crisis. Today, CCNA would like to put a spotlight on KAS Print in Nigeria, as they find innovative ways to assist brave healthcare workers and public safety efforts in Africa’s most populous nation during the coronavirus pandemic.
Nigeria is home to over 200 million people, many without the financial means to protect themselves from the novel dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the 27th of February 2020, Nigeria confirmed its first case and after one hundred days (June 6th), the country had officially registered 11,844 confirmed cases and 333 deaths on a curve that is still expected to rise, especially if the virus reaches the vulnerable refugee populations of the country’s northeast.
Stay-at-home orders have increased financial pressure on many, while the sharp drop in the oil price has put a strain on the Nigerian economy as a whole.
To fight the virus head-on, KAS Print have created protective face shields made of laser cut and shaped transparent acrylic. Covering the entire face, the shield protects the mouth, nose, and eyes from the droplets that carry the virus, while giving a full field of vision and adequate airflow for user comfort.
The design also offers personalised labels, printed on the Canon Colorado UV Gel Printer, to reinforce health and safety messages alongside company or sponsor branding.
KAS Print has already produced more than 100,000 protective face shields, which have received approval from the relevant regulatory authorities, and plans to produce more than one million by the end of 2020.
As the number of cases in Nigeria continues to rise, it is essential that this kind of personal protective equipment (PPE) is made available.
The protective face shield is just one of the three essential products in the COVID-19 PPE kit box. Produced by KAS Print, the kit is designed for distribution in hospitals, companies and government entities, to help reduce the spread of the virus between workers, customers, and visitors.
Every kit box contains a face shield, a face mask for additional protection of the mouth and nose, and liquid sanitiser for the hands, covering all four key areas of the body in one kit. The PPE kit box itself, is cut and creased using a flatbed cutter and personalised with instructions printed on the Canon C10000 and Colorado.
“COVID-19 is an unprecedented global crisis and personal protective equipment (PPE) is central to the solution in all affected nations. In order to slow the spread of the virus in Nigeria, it is essential that we make more PPE available through initiatives like those of KAS Print,” says Ben Gossage, B2B Sales and Marketing Director at CCNA.
“KAS Print has been a loyal customer of Canon and we are especially proud that our printing solutions can be used to support their worthy efforts. We will need many more stories like this to protect the vulnerable through these challenging times.”
The collaboration between Canon and KAS is based on multi-sector knowledge, secure data management, and value-added solutions that foster customer-focused innovation.
These skills have been influential in KAS Print’s crisis response for schools and public health campaigns.
Using the Canon Colorado and C10000, the company has produced awareness leaflets, signage, and floor instruction for retail, hospitals, government offices, and other public spaces. Educating and reminding the public to stay vigilant are fundamental elements of this health emergency and, in Nigeria, KAS Print is playing a key role in that space.
The nature of this pandemic is forcing us to re-think many aspects of our lives related to human contact and sharing of objects that could transmit the virus.
For schools in Nigeria, the sharing of textbooks between numerous children is commonplace and represents a key challenge in the efforts to maintain education while safely social distancing.
KAS Print has launched a campaign in several schools to print individual and personalised school books for every student, helping to protect the education process and entire neighbourhoods from the spread of the disease.
“We have found in Canon a trusted partner that shares our values and is committed to helping us successfully anticipate our customers’ needs. The equipment and training we have received from Canon certainly contributed to our various initiatives during the COVID-19 crisis in Nigeria,” says Ademola Kasumu, Managing Director and CEO at KAS Print.
“We hope for a quick resolution to the crisis in Nigeria and around the world, and appreciate the support of international partners like Canon in our local efforts to slow the spread of the virus here in Nigeria.”
News
AfDB Approves Equity Investment in The Currency Exchange Fund to Support Access to Local Currency Financing Across Africa
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved an equity investment of USD 25 million in The Currency Exchange Fund (TCX), a global leader in offering long-term local currency hedging solutions in emerging and frontier markets.
This strategic investment will strengthen TCX’s capital base, enhance its risk-bearing capacity, and expand its ability to offer hedging instruments in illiquid and less liquid currencies across the African continent.
The transaction will help mitigate the foreign exchange risks faced by borrowers in Africa, particularly those operating in fragile states and underserved markets. TCX operates as a development-focused fund that provides tailor-made FX hedging instruments to enable local currency lending in countries where conventional hedging markets are either underdeveloped or non-existent.
The Bank’s investment will crowd in additional DFIs and private investors, reinforce Africa’s integration into global capital markets, and support sustainable growth by reducing the mismatch between the currency of debt and revenue for local borrowers.
Ahmed Attout, Director of the financial Sector Development Department, at the African Development Bank Group, stated: “This investment in TCX marks an important milestone in the Bank’s effort to deepen African capital markets and address the root causes of debt distress. The Bank’s support to TCX will unlock local currency financing for MSMEs, infrastructure and many sectors across Africa.”
He added : “The transaction forms part of the Bank’s broader objective to promote access to adequate financing through innovative alternative solutions.”
The investment builds on the Bank’s prior participation in TCX and reflects its continued confidence in the fund’s track record and impact-driven model. TCX has hedged more than USD 17 billion in notional amounts since inception, including over USD 4 billion across 31 African countries.
The Bank’s participation is expected to facilitate increased hedging volumes in priority sectors such as the public sector (Debt Management Offices and Public Development Banks), infrastructure, energy access, microfinance, and SME development. TCX also plays a unique role in fragile and low-income countries, with around 18% of its global outstanding portfolio currently focused on such markets.
Ruurd Brouwer, TCX’s Chief Executive Officer stated : “We are thrilled to welcome African Development Bank Group to TCX’s capital base, joining fellow development finance institutions, impact investors and governments that support our local currency hedging solution. It marks the start of a close partnership in protecting AfDB’s public and private sector borrowers from currency risk and promoting the development of African capital markets. We very much look forward to increasing our joint impact on the continent.”
This operation is aligned with the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy 2024–2033. It complements the Bank’s broader capital markets strategy, which includes support for local currency bond issuance, Partial Credit Guarantees, and private sector local currency lending.
The investment is expected to deliver strong development impact. The African Development Bank remains committed to fostering resilient capital markets in Africa, supporting de-risking mechanisms for the private sector, and expanding access to local currency finance to promote inclusive and sustainable development.
Shoprite, once a beacon of modern retail shopping in Nigeria, is currently grappling with significant operational challenges as several of its stores across the country face closure or remain understocked.
Investigations reveal that Shoprite outlets in Ilorin and Ibadan have permanently shut down, while other branches, including the popular Ikeja City Mall outlet in Lagos and the Jabi Lake Mall branch in Abuja, are struggling with empty shelves and few customers. The usually bustling shopping spots now resemble shadows of their former selves, with hollow aisles and dwindling merchandise.
A staff member at Ikeja City Mall told our correspondent that the new management is in the middle of tough negotiations with suppliers that have delayed restocking. “Hopefully, when that is completed, things will return to normal,” she said, while also admitting that the impasse has stretched on for months, leaving many workers anxious about the future.
Similarly, workers at the Jabi Lake Mall branch lamented a lack of supplies for over two months, expressing fears about their job security. “Everybody here, our chest is beating because we don’t know what’s happening,” one employee disclosed.
Shoprite first entered Nigeria in 2005 and quickly expanded to multiple cities, employing thousands of Nigerians. However, a combination of rising operational costs, including exorbitant rents such as the reported ₦66 million monthly rent at the Kano Ado Bayero Mall branch, forex challenges, and fierce competition have severely affected the chain’s operations.
Despite the gloomy outlook, Shoprite management insists they are not exiting Nigeria. A spokesperson said efforts are ongoing to resolve the supply chain issues and assured that shelves would be restocked by the end of September.
Still, with two branches already closed and others appearing deserted, shoppers and workers alike are left wondering whether Shoprite can regain its footing and recapture its former dominance in Nigeria’s retail sector.
Africa’s leading neobank and foremost fintech platform, PalmPay, is celebrating six years of delivering value, impact, and reliable banking services to millions of users across Nigeria. With more than 35 million people now choosing PalmPay for their everyday financial needs, the company marks this milestone by reflecting on a journey shaped by its users.
Since its launch in 2019, PalmPay has transformed from facilitating its very first transaction into powering millions daily. Along the way, PalmPay has helped small and medium businesses scale, supported families in reaching their goals, and made everyday money management simpler, safer, and more rewarding. Its users’ trust has fueled PalmPay’s journey and continues to inspire the company’s commitment to making financial services smarter, simpler, and more inclusive.
“PalmPay was built on the belief that banking should be accessible to everyone, safe, easy, and rewarding,” said Chika Nwosu, Managing Director at PalmPay. “Over the last six years, we’ve earned the trust of our users, and their impact stories remind us that our solutions are not just about technology, but enabling smarter banking habits tailored to individual needs.”
To celebrate this milestone, PalmPay is launching the Lucky Wish Campaign, running from September 12 – 29th, 2025. The campaign will spotlight user stories, reward loyal customers with Apple AirPods, iPhone 17 Pro, Samsung A16, and highlight impact data, to showcase the trajectory of the brand’s impact since its launch in 2019.
In addition, the ongoing Hustle Grant Campaign continues to spotlight ambitious entrepreneurs leveraging PalmPay’s solutions. As part of the celebrations, 9 final winners will be announced in phases with the final announcement scheduled for September 26th. Each of these winners are set to receive N500,000 to support and grow their businesses, further amplifying the celebrations and reinforcing PalmPay’s user-centric approach to marking this milestone.
As PalmPay looks ahead, the company remains focused on powering the future of smarter banking and driving impact across its diverse user base.
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AfDB Approves Equity Investment in The Currency Exchange Fund to Support Access to Local Currency Financing Across Africa
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