Brands/Products
Airtel, SONA Group Celebrate Children’s Day
Leading telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, has partnered with Sona Group, manufacturers of high quality snacks and nutritious confectioneries, to inspire and uplift kids across Airtel’s adopted schools as part of activities to mark the 2019 Children’s Day Celebration.
According to both organizations, plans have been finalized to fete over 4,000 pupils across six public primary schools as well as provide them with high quality learning materials including books and pens.
As part of the programme, Airtel and Sona Group will visit Oremeji Primary school in Ajegunle, Lagos State; Yahaya Hamza primary school in Zaria, Kaduna State; Iyeru Okin Primary School in Kwara; Presbyterian Primary School in Ediba, Cross River; St. John’s Primary School in Oke-Agbo, Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State and Community Primary School in Amumara, Imo state.
Employees of both organizations will spend quality time with the children, share experiences and dole out different gifts to the kids.
Speaking on the initiative, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Airtel Nigeria, Mr Segun Ogunsanya, said Airtel is passionate about inspiring young children as well as creating platforms for them to succeed as this is in line with one of its cardinal CSR programmes, Adopt-a-School.
“Today is a special day for every Nigerian child. Airtel, therefore, joins Nigerians to celebrate our children including children of our adopted schools as we mark this year’s Children Day.
“As a father, I believe parents and other well-meaning individuals must take an active interest in the well- being and welfare of children so that they can be fully equipped to play their role as future leaders.
“I am especially interested in underprivileged children and I am truly pleased with what we have done together to make life better for them. Through our Employee Volunteer Scheme and Adopt-a-School programme, our interventions have reached thousands of children directly,” he said.
Commenting on the partnership, Chairman of the SONA Group of Companies, A.K. Mirchandani, said: “At SONA Group of Industries, we understand the imperativeness of putting together programs and activities that will benefit the children of Nigeria, as they are the very future of the nation, hence this partnership with Airtel to celebrate them.
“This effort is not only aimed at giving the children a memorable time but also inculcating in them the culture of learning. We wish the children of Nigeria and Africa at large the best as they observe this year’s Children’s Day. SONA Group will continue to work to support children in all areas to secure a bright future for them.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
To make finding the right service provider or reaching the right customer seamless, popular local information portal, Connect Nigeria, has introduced a Quote Request platform.
Connect Nigeria described the new system as “a digital solution designed to make connecting with service providers faster, easier, and more reliable.”
It said the Quote Request was built for consumers who need services quickly and want trusted options without the stress of searching endlessly; and service providers and businesses looking for real, high-intent customers without spending heavily on marketing.
“Whether you need a caterer for an event, a plumber for your home, or a designer for your brand, the platform is designed to connect you with the right people,” Connect Nigeria added.
“By connecting demand directly with supply, the platform creates a more structured and dependable marketplace,” it further stated.
At its core, the Quote Request simplifies the entire process of finding and offering services.
To use the service, users have to submit a request describing the service or product needed, which is then sent to verified vendors on the platform. Interested providers respond within 1–2 days, and users compare offers and choose what works best for their needs and budget.
“Instead of searching for vendors, the vendors come to you, with relevant, tailored responses,” Connect Nigeria explained.
The company expects this new platform to eliminate the stress of endless online searches, delayed or vague responses, and uncertainty about service quality.
As for businesses, it solves poor visibility, inconsistent customer flow, and lost opportunities due to slow response times.
Connect Nigeria Quote Request mobile app is now available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
An institutional investor, First Ally Capital, has strengthened a leading Nigerian financial technology company, Mathesis Analytics, to scale its proprietary credit decisioning infrastructure.
It made this possible by injecting fresh capital into the firm, which specialises in AI-powered credit decisioning infrastructure, an action that will directly support the growth and scaling of Mathesis’ core mission of providing the intelligence and infrastructure needed to bridge the credit gap for millions of unscored or underscored individuals across Nigeria.
With this investment, Mathesis will enable financial institutions to confidently assess and extend credit to borrowers who lack a formal credit history by leveraging an expanded pool of alternative behavioural and transactional data.
To date, Mathesis’ systems have supported more than 8 million loans for over 2 million unique borrowers in Nigeria, and the company is actively deploying its infrastructure to establish a growing pan-African footprint.
With the investment from First Ally Capital, Mathesis is well positioned to transform how the credit ecosystem operates, driving financial inclusion in partnership with lenders across the continent.
A significant barrier to credit access in Nigeria, which prides itself on being Africa’s largest economy, is data fragmentation. Borrowers frequently build positive financial behaviours across multiple digital platforms by repaying microfinance loans, saving through fintech wallets, or servicing Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) facilities.
However, under traditional credit infrastructure, these achievements remain invisible to new lenders.
Mathesis addresses this challenge through the concept of Personal Equity—the quantified expression of an individual’s financial behaviour aggregated across every institution with which they have transacted.
By translating these disparate signals into a precise, portable measure of creditworthiness, Mathesis creates a comprehensive credit identity that reflects the full breadth of a person’s financial life.
“True financial inclusion cannot be achieved in a vacuum; it requires structural collaboration in which lenders and fintech companies work as partners within the ecosystem.
“This investment from First Ally Capital validates our approach to reshaping credit infrastructure. By quantifying Personal Equity, we empower lenders to safely look beyond the constraints of formal credit histories and recognise a borrower’s true creditworthiness. This capital enables us to accelerate our pan-African expansion while maintaining the robust, institutional-grade infrastructure our partners rely on,” the chief executive of Mathesis Analytics, Winston Osuchukwu, stated.
On his part, the chief executive of First Ally Capital, Mr Ebenezer Olufowose, said, “At First Ally Capital, we pride ourselves on being a one-stop destination for financial solutions, offering a diverse portfolio of services ranging from investment banking and asset management to trusteeship, inclusive banking, and real estate.
“Our investment in Mathesis Analytics reflects our strong belief in the company’s vision and our commitment to supporting forward-thinking enterprises that deliver excellence.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The chief executive of Canal+ Africa, Mr David Mignot, has disclosed that MultiChoice is now fully integrated into the media group.
Mr Mignot disclosed this via a statement issued on Thursday, noting that this development marks a new phase in the evolution of one of Africa’s leading pay television operators.
He noted that the integration positions MultiChoice within a global media organisation with an extensive international footprint.
“MultiChoice is now a full subsidiary of a truly international media group operating in 70 countries. The group was founded in France, is listed in London and Johannesburg, and has a strong African presence with operations in more than 45 countries,” Mr Mignot said.
The statement underscores the scale of the combined business, highlighting Canal+’s global reach alongside its significant investments across Africa.
The completion of the transaction is expected to strengthen MultiChoice’s position in the African media and entertainment market by giving it access to the broader resources, expertise and international capabilities of the Canal+ Group, while reinforcing the group’s commitment to the continent.
MultiChoice operates across sub-Saharan Africa through platforms including DStv and GOtv, serving millions of subscribers with entertainment, sports and news content.
