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General News

NativeLand and AfroNation: A Tale of Two Cultures?

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By Austin Okere

As we start a new year 2020, it is expedient to take stock of the gains in the bourgeoning creatives industry in West Africa’s two biggest economies; Nigeria and Ghana, given their increasing contribution to the GDP of both countries.

NativeLand and AfroNation: A Tale of Two Cultures?

Austin Okere

Penultimate December 2018 was a groundswell period in the evolution of young African Artistes in the region. It was also the great year of collaboration between local artistes and their international counterparts of African descent.

The major musical concerts in Lagos and Accra were NativeLand and AfroNation respectively.  NativeLand, whose traditional home is the Muri Okunola Park in Lagos is in its fourth year. It is put together by lifestyle platform Native Magazine, founded by Seni Saraki and Teezee to cater mostly to teenagers and young adults, many studying overseas and returning home for the holidays.

AfroNationon the other hand is billed as the first festival to celebrate the African Diaspora and is organised by 34-year-old Nigerian promoter from Dagenham who goes by the name SMADE – real name Adesegun Adeosun Jr. alongside his business partner, Obi Asika.

They rotate their concerts in different countries. The debut event which held on the beaches of Portimao, Portugal, saw 20,000 people of African descent gather for four days of festival, featuring live music from Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Jamaica, the UK and the US.

To consolidate on the solid foundation laid in the penultimate year 2018, both organisers advertised much bigger versions of their shows for Dec 2019. AfroNation opted to host their festival at Laboma Beach at Accra, Ghana, while NativeLand opted to continue at their traditional location in Lagos.

First off the block was NativeLand with a supposed star studded event at the Muri Okunola Park. Like the previous edition in 2018, where the advertised headliner Burna Boy was a no-show, many of the major acts advertised in 2019 also did not show up.

Some claimed that sound quality and other technical issues forced them to cancel . Just for context, this park is at a very busy traffic intersection with very limited crowd capacity and no provision for parking.

It is at best a good location for small to medium sized outdoor events. For some strange reason, the organizers oversold tickets by multiples of the park’s capacity.

The inevitable happened. The park was full to the extent that there was no blade of grass left for an extra person to stand on, and there was still a very large crowd outside waiting to be admitted. In fact, the VIP tickets were so oversold that the stage housing them collapsed, sending them onto an inelegant mangled sprawl on the ground.

The crowd outside surged in a throng and the gate fell. The security personnel hired to man the single gate serving as entrance and exit, went into overdrive, hitting and kicking the paying customers, aka “the crowd” with horse whips and boots.

A stampede ensured, many people fell and were trampled, many lost their eye glasses. Mobile phones, wigs and other customer valuables were snatched. The scenario could best be described as luring people to a rendezvous and then inviting mayhem upon them. Many went home with bruises and lot more ended up in hospitals with broken bones.

The AfroNation event at Accra was an entirely different matter. It was a four day show packed with local and international artistes and timed to coincide with the “year of return” theme of the government of Ghana, wherein Africans in Diasporas are encouraged to return to the continent.

According to Wikipedia, up to 1.5 million tourists were expected in Ghana by the end of the year 2019, with up to 1.9 billion dollars also expected to be accrued in revenue as a result of the Year of Return activities.

The event was very well advertised and organised and was so popular that you could hardly get a flight or hotel room in Accra if you left your booking till three months to the event. The huge success of the 2019 version of Afronation was no surprise.

In their debut in Portugal, no expense was spared when it came to acts, and it boasted performances from Afrobeats and Bashment icons such as Burna Boy, Davido, Busy Signal and Buju Banton. Notable black British artists also graced the stage, such as J Hus, Ms Dynamite, Stefflon Don, Octavian, Mostack and Ms Banks. All the acts advertised in 2019 showed up to perform. This will no doubt solidify the platform for a successful AfroNation 2020; but wither NativeLand 2020?

The major puzzle is that both events were organized by Nigerians; one at Accra, Ghana and the other in Lagos, Nigeria. Is this down to a tale of two cities and their cultures? The Sahara Reporters’ headline; “Police Dismiss Officer Over Killing Of Man At Wizkid’s Concert” was very telling.

The victim attending the Starboy concert at the Eko Atlantic Energy City at Victoria Island, Lagos was shot dead after a heated argument outside the premises. The fact that the same Wizkid performed at AfroNation at Accra without incident fully makes the point.

I attended the AfroNation concert on Sunday Dec 29 at Laboma Beach. The set up was very much like any large concert in Europe or America. There were ambulances, enough conveniences and a generally pleasant party ambiance. Oh! I forgot to add that I did not encounter a single “area boy” or miscreant at the event or in the car park when I was leaving at 3.30am. There was no report of stampede, shooting or death.

While I commend the entrepreneurial spirit of the young men behind NativeLand, they have to learn the ropes about patience in building a brand, offering customer value and reaping full benefits sustainably. The flawed shortcut mentality of maximizing profit at all costs and taking customers for granted is not sustainable in the long-term.

The organisers of NativeLand put out a revised apology statement on twitter a day after the event which was still generally regarded as short on remorse and with no genuine intention to recompense. Without restitution, how can they learn to be accountable, and ensure that this disaster does not repeat in the future.

“Our Youth are our future, we cannot afford to play ostrich while they fall astray. It is not too late to do the right thing. Their progenitors and anybody who wishes them well should advise them to robustly come forward and be the men they want to become when they “grow up”.

As a nation, we need to re-examine the culture of aggression and lawlessness in our cities that has become a major disincentive to tourism and badly needed investments.

Austin Okere is the Founder of CWG Plc, the largest ICT Company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange & Entrepreneur in Residence at CBS, New York. Austin also serves on the Advisory Board of the Global Business School Network, and on the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Innovation and Intrapreneurship. Austin now runs the Ausso Leadership Academy focused on Business and Entrepreneurial Mentorship


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General News

Tech-driven Solutions Receive Commendation @ Maiden Insurance Week Hackathon

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Mrs Yetunde Ilori, President of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN), has commended the innovative and technology-driven solutions presented during the institute’s maiden Insurance Week Hackathon competition.

Ilori gave the commendation after the completion of the competition on Thursday in Lagos, held at the College of Insurance and Financial Management in Asese, Ogun, as part of the Insurance Week organised by the CIIN.

She described the solutions as crucial to the industry’s transformation and relevance in the digital age. “This shows that the future is bright for the Nigerian insurance industry.

We are transforming as an industry, and digital innovation is at the heart of that transformation,” Ilori said. She noted that 19 teams initially applied for the competition, but only six were shortlisted.

The competition, which targeted young Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 29, engaged six finalist teams over a fourweek intensive innovation process, culminating in a demo day on Wednesday in Lagos.

The hackathon focused on real-world challenges in the sector, such as inclusive insurance, fraud detection, risk management, and improving customer experience.

It was designed to cultivate the next generation of insurance innovators, deepen insurance awareness, and promote financial literacy among Nigerians.

The teams that participated in the final stage of the competition were: Ifokanbale, Insurbridge, Insurvate, Team Aegis, Team Phoenix, and The Assured Team. Team Aegis developed “Hustle Guard,” a microinsurance solution for tricycle drivers covering health, life, and income, in an effort to demystify micro insurance in Nigeria.

The Assured Team presented “Kolo Plus by Card,” an unstructured savings plan with payment and interest features tailored to low-income earners. Team Insurbridge created “Smarter Claims,” a solution aimed at improving the insurance claims process.

Team Phoenix introduced “HerShield,” a solution focused on empowering women and building trust in the insurance sector. The Assured Team also developed additional ideas to drive insurance penetration in underserved and informal communities.

After an engaging pitch session before a panel of judges, Team Insurvate emerged as the overall winner with its solution, “Claim Central”, an end-to-end digital platform designed to streamline the insurance claims process from policyholders to insurers.

Team Aegis secured second place, while Team Phoenix came in third. The panel of judges included financial sector experts such as Norah Igwe, Tunji Andrews, Diana Mulili, Sakeenat Bakare, Ibraheem Babalola, and Prince Adeshina Adeyemi-Doro.

Also speaking, Mr Eddie Efekoha, Chairman of the Insurance Week, said the hackathon demonstrated a conscious effort to explore how technology can help distribute insurance products to all parts of the country.

“We believe this initiative will spark more interest among the youth to engage with insurance, not just as consumers but as creators and innovators,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the winning team, Mr Odunayo Ojeremi, leader of Team Insurvate, described the competition as highly competitive and rewarding. “We are excited and grateful for the opportunity.

“We didn’t expect to win, but we are glad our solution was recognised. We hope to improve ‘Claim Central’ and make it a platform that ensures seamless claims processing,” he said.


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Enugu Air Commences Operations Today

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Enugu State-owned commercial airline, Enugu Air, is set to officially launch its operations today Monday, July 7, 2025. The launch ceremony will take place at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, with the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, expected to attend alongside other dignitaries, according to a statement from the airline.

Dr Obi Ozor, Commissioner for Transportation, Enugu State, said Enugu Air is a key component of Governor Peter Mbah’s vision for a modern, integrated transportation system, aimed at positioning Enugu as a major aviation hub in Nigeria.

The airline will begin operations with a fleet of three Embraer jets, from the E170 and E190 series, chosen for their performance, passenger comfort, and suitability for regional routes.

The airline’s inaugural routes will form a strategic triangular operation connecting Enugu, Abuja, and Lagos, with plans to expand services to Port Harcourt, Owerri, Benin, Kano, and other key cities across Nigeria and beyond.

Ozor said, “With a strong foundation built on innovation and sustainability, Enugu Air is poised to transform regional air travel, boost state pride, and raise Enugu’s profile nationally and globally.”

The launch of Enugu Air is expected to have a significant impact on the aviation industry in Nigeria, providing more options for air travel and promoting economic development in the region.

With its modern fleet and strategic routes, Enugu Air is set to revolutionize air travel in Nigeria and establish Enugu as a major player in the country’s aviation sector.

 


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Cybervergent Selected as World Economic Forum’s 2025 Technology Pioneer Company

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In affirmation of its global standing, Cybervergent, a Pan-African technology company that leverages artificial intelligence to transform how organisations manage risk, governance, privacy, and cybersecurity, has been selected as one of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Technology Pioneers for 2025—a global cohort spotlighting companies transforming industries through breakthrough technologies and responsible innovation.

The WEF, an international organisation committed to improving the state of the world through public-private collaboration, brings together global leaders to shape economic, technological, and societal agendas. Cybervergent now joins this global community.

The company is recognized for its innovative approach to building digital trust, reimagining how organisations manage cybersecurity, risk, privacy and governance.

Commenting on the company’s milestone, Adetokunbo Omotosho, CEO of Cybervergent, said, “I am honoured that Cybervergent has been named a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum. This is more than an accolade — it’s a validation of our commitment to redefining cybersecurity, privacy, and risk management to build true digital trust.

“What makes this recognition even more meaningful is the fact that Cybervergent demonstrates innovation in AI and infrastructure can emerge from any region, challenging conventional perceptions.”

Some past recipients of the Technology Pioneer recognition, including Google, Spotify, and Airbnb have gone on to fundamentally reshape global industries.

As a member of the 2025 Technology Pioneers community, Cybervergent will be contributing to discussions shaping cybersecurity, AI, and cyber resilience across industries and the global digital economy.


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