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Journalists to Win Millions of Naira in OnePipe Writing Challenge
By Dipo Olowookere
An opportunity has opened for financial journalists in Nigeria to win millions of Naira in the OnePipe Writing Challenge, which kicked off on Friday, February 25, 2022.
A statement issued by the foremost fintech API company disclosed that entries for the eight-week contest will close on April 14, 2022, with the three first-place winners getting N1 million each.
The winning entries must have successfully met the key guidelines like information sharing, idea definition, trend analysis and definition of concepts.
It was stated that the writing challenge will be judged by a panel of an expert in financial inclusion policy and digital money like Professor Olayinka David-West, Associate Dean, Lagos Business School; Mr Muyiwa Mutuloko, Editor, TechPoint Africa; and Mr Caleb Ojewale, Assistant Editor, BusinessDay.
All submitted articles should be 400-500 words in length and must have been published in recognised press media, while television or radio submissions must be at least 20mins long and must have been broadcast on any publicly available site such as YouTube or SoundCloud.
The organisers stressed that entries submitted without the required links or references will be disqualified and that entries will be judged based on material organisation, vocabulary, style, grammar, punctuation, spelling, neatness, reach and adherence to all other guidelines.
In the statement, it was disclosed that the OnePipe Writing Challenge is open to all forms of media, while submissions are welcome from journalists/press persons (individuals, either full time, part-time or freelance) who are presently employed in a magazine or general circulation newspaper published in Nigeria, whether daily or non-daily, broadcast or tabloid, news wire, internet publication, conventional or alternative, as well as syndicates and cooperatives that provide content for newspapers. Nominations may be made by editors, publishers, educators, journalistic groups and others.
Commenting on the initiative, the Operations Manager of OnePipe, Yvonne-Faith Elaigwu, said the company’s objective with the writing challenge is to promote financial literacy and enhance the financial experiences of people in Nigeria.
“We hope that the articles, stories, and news items produced by the press and media throughout this challenge will help everyone understand embedded finance and appreciate what the technology can achieve,” Elaigwu stated.
On his part, the founder and CEO of OnePipe, Mr Ope Adeoye, said, “The world needs a new type of financial services ecosystem, one where everyone has a role to play and everyone has some value to capture. This is what we embody at OnePipe; we help businesses across sectors to enjoy profitable participation in the fintech ecosystem.
“With our technology, we turn complex infrastructure into simple code so that businesses can focus on building market-defining products, provide their customers with credit, loan payment plans and seamless payment for services.”
Business Post reports that the OnePipe Writing Challenge aims to recognise finance-focused journalism and reward press reportage as it is part of the company’s efforts to promote and inspire more educational reporting and writing with particular emphasis on enhancing the awareness and understanding of embedded finance.
The firm intends to foster a deeper understanding of the importance of embedded finance in improving customer experience and satisfaction; while emphasising the value of good coverage and narrative as a cornerstone for enhancing public awareness of financial technology.
According to research, embedded finance will create $230 billion in income by 2025 across a variety of financial services. As the usage of this technology expands and becomes increasingly incorporated into non-financial platforms, it is critical that increased public awareness and understanding is generated.
By Dipo Olowookere
A $15 million debt facility has been obtained by Watt Renewable Corporation from the AfriGreen Debt Impact Fund to finance hybrid solar power plants to be built and operated by the former, especially in Nigeria.
WATT intends to use the projects to serve commercial and industrial clients in Nigeria, particularly in the telecommunication and financial services sectors.
By integrating solar hybrid solutions, the firm aims to significantly reduce diesel consumption and CO2 emissions, enabling its clients to achieve substantial energy cost savings while promoting environmental sustainability.
As a pioneer in renewable energy solutions, WATT continues to drive innovation in Nigeria’s energy sector.
The company’s robust roll-out plan includes deploying hundreds of hybrid solar power sites nationwide to meet the growing energy demands of commercial & industrial clients.
This strategic expansion aligns with WATT’s vision to revolutionize energy access across Africa, enabling sustainable development and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The funds from AfriGreen provide the critical capital needed to accelerate WATT’s ambitious projects, strengthening its market position and empowering businesses with reliable and affordable energy solutions.
Business Post gathered that to mitigate the currency risk for WATT in the event of devaluation of the Nigerian Naira, AfriGreen is offering a local currency facility that matches the payment structure of the power purchase agreements.
“We are thrilled to partner with AFRIGREEN on this transformative journey to expand reliable and sustainable energy solutions across Africa.
“With this support, it enables us to accelerate our shared mission of providing hybrid solar power to businesses, reducing carbon emissions, and supporting economic growth while enhancing energy security for our clients,” the Managing Director of WATT, Mr Oluwole Eweje, said.
“We are delighted to support WATT in rolling out hundreds of hybrid sites across the country.
“This represents another key transaction for AFRIGREEN in Nigeria. The combination of high energy prices, good solar irradiation, and strong demand from industrial and commercial energy users makes this market particularly attractive for companies like WATT.
“By leveraging these favourable market conditions alongside WATT’s exceptional operational performance and a well-structured financing solution, we are setting the stage for a strong and lasting business partnership,” the Managing Director of AfriGreen, Mr Alexandre Gilles, stated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has denied issuing a directive that gas supply to power generating companies (GenCos) be halted.
In a statement on Wednesday, the authority also denied instructing wholesale gas suppliers to stop further supply of gas to companies due to failure in payment obligations.
The NMDPRA described reports stating that it has directed the stoppage of gas supply to GenCos over N2 trillion debt as “false and completely unfounded”.
“It has absolutely no bearing on the information shared at a recent stakeholders’ engagement held in Lagos between the Authority, the OPTS, IPPG and other stakeholders in the oil and gas industry,” the NMDPRA said.
“The purpose of the engagement was to sensitise stakeholders on the requirements, opportunities and benefits associated with the implementation of the wholesale supply license as provided by sections 142 and 197 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
“It was a follow-up to an earlier stakeholder engagement held at the NMDPRA corporate headquarters in Abuja on November 27, 2024.
“The Authority wishes to reassure all our stakeholders and indeed the general public that at no time was the false statement made at that event and anywhere else, and are advised to completely disregard the publication as every effort is being made to ensure that the supply and distribution of natural gas and petroleum products to end users is seamless and unabated as we head into the festive season and indeed all through the coming year 2025.”
Recall that Nigeria’s national grid experienced another collapse on Wednesday, the 11th time in 2024 as Gencos couldn’t generate enough power, compounding issues facing the Nigerian power sector.
This was the first time in over a month as the last time the nation witnessed a nationwide shutdown in electricity supply was on November 7, 2024.
Before then, the country was experiencing an incessant collapse of the grid, which prompted the federal government to set up a team to address the issue.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Nigeria is currently experience a cut in power supply after the national grid collapsed for the 11th time in 2024.
This is the first time in over a month as the last time the nation witnessed a nationwide shut down in electricity supply was on November 7, 2024.
Before then, the country was experiencing an incessant collapse of the grid, which prompted the federal government to set up a team to address the issue.
However, just when Nigerians were thinking they will not witnessed another national grid collapse in the year, it issue reared its ugly head again.
On Wednesday afternoon, most of the energy distribution companies suffered power outage, prompting them to inform their customers of the situation.
One of the DisCos, Ikeja Electric Plc, in a message to electricity consumers under its franchise area, said, “Please be informed that we experienced a system outage today, December 11, 2024, at about 13:32 hours affecting supply within our network.
“Restoration of supply is ongoing in collaboration with our critical stakeholders. Kindly bear with us.”
Recall that on Tuesday, in a report, Google listed national grid as one of the top trending searches by Nigerians this year.
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