Brands/Products
Awopetu, Babaeko, Others for Marketing Edge Quarterly Summit
By Ahmed Rahma
A foremost marketing and advertising publication, Marketing Edge, has fixed Thursday, March 25, 2021, for its inaugural quarterly virtual summit by 9:00 am on Zoom.
The event, titled Brand Management Imperatives & Challenges in a post-Recessionary Economy, will feature seasoned players in the industry.
According to the company, the summit is aimed at expanding the frontiers of marketing and advertising knowledge in the integrated marketing communications (IMC) sector as professionals will share knowledge and insight on how to navigate the myriads of problems besetting the industry while looking at opportunities in building brands in the present age of the new normal and beyond.
The Publisher/CEO of Marketing Edge, Mr John Ajayi, disclosed that the event was another offering from the publication’s stable in setting agenda for the industry and also fulfilling its objective of promoting the brand idea.
“We are excited to introduce Marketing Edge quarterly IMC virtual summit as a premier event that will bring together the best minds in all IMC sectors at the highest level.
“This has become expedient in view of the fact these uncertain times call for collaboration and conversation as we adjust to the fast-changing pace of the industry across sectors,” he said.
Mr Ajayi added that, “As an agenda-setting publication, stakeholders expect much from us especially at this critical time. This is our little way of stimulating meaningful and result-oriented conversations in the IMC as it recovers from its myriads of challenges. It is also a way of accomplishing our self-appointed task of promoting the brand idea.”
Leading the conversation for the debut edition is a renowned marketer, Mr Baba Awopetu. He is a growth-focused and thought-provoking marketing strategist at Stragmar who has spent the last two decades in Senior Strategy and Marketing roles spanning Europe, Middles East and Africa.
He is well known for regularly lecturing, writing, and researching on how to improve the effectiveness of marketing on topics like segmentation positioning, diffusion of innovation, and branding.
Other panellists include Steve Babaeko, President of Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN); Femi Adelusi, President of Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN); Tade Adekunle, President of Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN); Israel Opeyemi, President of Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN); Bunmi Adeniba, President of Advertisers’ Association of Nigeria (ADVAN); Oti Ukubeyinje, President of Association of Digital Marketing Practitioners; Emmanuel Ajufo, President of Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), amongst others.
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.
