Amazon, Ashour Corporation partner for West Africa rollout - ITREALMS

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Amazon Ring has appointed Ashour Corporation FZE, a Dubai-based company with majority stake by Nigerian-born tech billionaire and Forbes Best of Africa Leading Tech Icon, Dr. Leo Stan Ekeh, as authorised distributor of Amazon Bell products in West Africa.

The agreement was signed last week between the top management of Amazon Ring LLC and Ashour Corporation FZE, Dubai.

Nigerian startups woo investors, eye $20,000 in Dubai - ITREALMS

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Out of over 500 applications submitted by Nigerian startups, 40 made the shortlist and four emerged winners at the just concluded GITEX Global Northstar Roadshow Startup Event which is aimed at giving opportunities to indigenous startups to pitch their products and services and stand a chance to win $20,000 at the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirate this year.

The Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) will fully sponsor four startups out of the 10 that emerged tops to attend GITEX, which are the first and second place winners from Abuja and Lagos. While NITDA will sponsor the participation of the other six startups.

To win Dubai trip, reactivate your FirstBank's Verve card - ITREALMS

ITREALMS: 

Customers using FirstBank Cards this season are in for exciting times as part of its Verve Card Reactivation Promo; to reward three customers with all-expense paid trips to Dubai for reactivating and using their Verve Cards to transact on PoS and online, reports ITREALMS.

The ongoing promo, ITREALMS gathered, kicked off on December 2, 2019 and would end on January 25, 2020.
The Group Executive, e-Business and Retail Products, FirstBank, Mr. Chuma Ezirim, told ITREALMS that on the Dubai trip, 600 customers will be rewarded with N3,000 worth of airtime and 60 customers with N50,000.00 cash prize during the 2-month promo period. 

"The airtime and cash prizes will be delivered weekly and winners have begun to emerge already. Winners of the grand prize of a trip to Dubai will be announced at the end of the FirstBank Verve Card Promo," he said.

Further, he noted that FirstBank is also rewarding customers for all transactions done with their Visa Gold and Naira Credit cards this season. 

"Customers can get a percentage of their total spend with FirstBank Visa Gold and Naira Credit cards this season. This promo runs until January 8, 2020," he said.
Ezirim also informed ITREALMS in a press statement available to correspondent that they were pleased to reward customers for the use of their FirstBank Verve, Visa Gold and Naira Credit cards this season. 

"It is our own way of giving our customers more reasons to smile. We encourage our customers to reactivate their FirstBank Verve cards and keep transacting with their Verve, Visa Gold, and Naira Credit cards to enjoy these yuletide benefits from FirstBank," he said.

Ezirim also said that the promo supports the cashless policy whilst assuring customers of the safety and security of their transactions with FirstBank cards.

Chuks Egbuna/Editor

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‘DEAL 2018’ trade show set to propel African leisure, amusement industries

ITREALMS:

The DEAL 2018 has promised to be the largest show in the amusement industry that is held closer to the African region, reports ITRealms.

 The show aims to provide an effective platform for the stakeholders within the African leisure, entertainment and amusement sector, as per International Expo Consults, the organisers of the show. Recent developments in the countries within the African continent have created the necessary demand for the leisure amusement industry operators.

“The amusement industry stakeholders including mall owners, retail operators, consultants and developers in Africa will immensely benefit by visiting the show in April this year. Each year we see a large representation of African trade visitors who visit our show to understand the on-ground industry developments. They strike deals with operators from across the globe that are present at our show. DEAL has been shaping the industry for close to two and a half decades and has made significant inroads and shaped several markets globally,” said Mr. Sharif Rahman, CEO, IEC.

Africa’s population is set to grow to 2.3 billion by 2050. In contrast to the rest of the world, however, its booming population is getting younger. African millennials are changing their consumer spending patterns, from markets to malls, where they can eat, socialize and get entertained at Family Entertainment Centers (FECs) apart from shopping. Also, there have been key amusement parks in Egypt, Nigeria, Tunisia and South Africa which have attracted people around the African region and the concept is fast catching up within the other countries.

FECs are mini theme-parks and are a collection of more than one attraction including rides, soft-play equipment such as the plastic maze of tubes, slides and ball pits, kid’s play areas, video arcades, redemption and carnival games. African gaming enthusiasts, can get a hands-on experience with the world of Virtual Reality (VR), the next big thing in electronic entertainment which is all set to become an integral part of FECs. With the help of VR technology, users can experience a new reality which only seemed possible in the motion pictures and video games.

“The future looks promising for the African amusement and leisure sector which has reported a steady growth on the revenue front. Africa has been growing in terms of tourism and infrastructure as well. Africa will see newer malls in the next couple of years and will be home to several global brands. The retail industry is taking shape on one hand, and so is the family entertainment industry and they are complementing each other,” added Mr. Sharif Rahman, CEO, IEC.

Themeparks and malls are set to be a crowd puller to raise the revenues to contribute to the GDP of African countries. Tourism in this region has seen a boost that is simultaneous to the economic growth being experienced across many parts of the continent. Reports predict that direct contribution of Travel & Tourism to GDP will increase by 4.8% per annum, to USD121.3bn which is approximately 3.2% of GDP by 2026.

DEAL has led the amusement and entertainment space during this period and the testimony to this is the fact that exhibitors at DEAL 2017 have signed multi-million dollar contracts in just 3 days. Foraying into the 24th edition, DEAL 2018 expects to witness an even larger gathering of key players and visitors in the amusement industry from Middle East, US, Mediterranean, Asian, and especially African countries.

DEAL, since its inception in 1995 has developed into an unparalleled platform that gathers exhibitors, buyers, and professionals from the international amusement and entertainment industry. DEAL is the region's most anticipated and leading attraction for global and local stakeholders in the amusement and entertainment industries. The show is slated to be held from 9th-11th April 2018 at Halls 1, and Za’abeel Halls 1,2 and 3 at the iconic Dubai World Trade Centre.

Ogochukwu Nebenanya/GEE

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India boosts GITEX with 20 exhibitors

ITRealms:

An estimated 20 companies from India are participating in this year’s Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) holding at the World Trade Center (WTC) in Dubai, United Arab Emirate, reports ITRealms.

Head of delegation and chief executive officer of TechnoPark, Mr. KG Girish Babu told ITRealms that the Indian delegation comprises app developers and companies operating within the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) space in India.

He also said that what stood the park out among others is that it has lowest start-up costs and unmatched infrastructure, thereby offering a perfect state for nurturing ideas due mainly to its location in Kerala.

Equally he said that at Kerala, reputed for offering affordable start-up costs and world-class infrastructure, thus making it the India’s first and largest IT park.

“Not to mention a proactive government pursuing various novel e-initiatives,” he said.

Babu further said that TechnoPark has been rated as the first, greenest and largest park of its kind for blooming of ideas.

TechnoPark, he said, boasts of a massive 760 acres of land with 9.3 million square feet of completed built-up space and 3.5 million square feet space where work is currently in progress.

At the park, Babu said, potential investor and entrepreneurs would be joining the likes of Infosys, UST Global, TCS, Allianz Cornhill, Oracle, IBS Software, ITC Infotech, Tata Elxsi, RR Donnelly, Quest Global, Ernst & Young and Speridian Technologies and Zoondia among others.

 +Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) +ITRealms DSA 

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LG launches narrowest Bezel video wall @ GITEX’15

ITRealms:

LG Electronics has made global launch of its narrowest Bezel video wall at the ongoing GITEX in Dubai, United Arab Emirate, reports ITRealms.

President, Middle East & Africa Region at LG Electronics, Mr. Kevin Cha, said that the launch of its VH7B Video Wall boasts super-slim Bezel measuring about 0.9mm in size; came in response to the demands for creative marketing display solutions.

For him, LG Electronics has pushed boundaries with the global launch of the world’s narrowest bezel video wall at GITEX Technology Week in Dubai.

He also said, the world’s leading innovator of display technologies, LG, has chosen the 35^th edition of GITEX Technology Week, to unveil its robust portfolio of cutting-edge display solutions to cater to the evolving needs of vertical industries in the Middle East region.

The all-new UHD video wall display, he said, is redefining the video wall space with its unprecedented thin bezel, and features distinct new innovations that address the largest issues video wall customers face today.

“With its super slim bezel size, the VH7B Direct Backlit LED Display video wall measures just at 0.9 mm, offering the most seamless and immersive display solution. The VH7B video wall fully caters to the strong for various sectors including airports, shopping centres and hotels,” he said.

As said by him, LG is yet again pushing boundaries and raising the bar for video displays with the launch of the world's narrowest bezel video wall.

“LG’s innovating technology comes from market intelligence and understanding what our customers want and resulting in solutions that truly enhance their business models,” he said, adding that the global debut of the world's narrowest bezel video wall at GITEX is testament to this.

GITEX, he said, represents an enormous opportunity to showcase LG's commercial display products in a highly competitive landscape and in front of a discerning crowd of professionals.

“This global debut also exemplifies how LG Electronics continues to deliver on its promise to provide innovations for a better business, with industry leading products catering to the aspirational needs of the modern marketer,” Mr. Cha said.

He explained that the ground breaking video wall display features LG's "webOS for Signage" smart platform, which takes advantage of the built-in high-performance system-on-a-chip (SoC) sync playback that eliminates the need for an external PC or media player to play contents for daisy chain, helping to reduce the total cost of ownership.

LG's webOS for Signage, therefore, enables a variety of web-based applications across multiple platforms, as well as the ability to write applications using HTML 5. The advantage of this platform is the ease of management and customisation for third party solution providers which makes lives easier for all stakeholders.

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DHL Technology conference, experts set to tap into Africa’s technology growth

ITRealms

The DHL 5^th annual Global Technology conference, under the theme, “Connecting Markets, Trends and People”, came to an end in Dubai with over 300 experts and delegates predicting continued strong growth in the technology sector across African countries, and setting modalities on how to best navigate existing challenges and trade barriers and tap into the growth, ITRealms reports.

ITRealms gathered that the conference, a three day program of plenary sessions and workshops, covered several technological topics including the latest trends, innovations and solutions impacting the technology supply chain and focusing on the Middle East and Africa as key regions of interest with high growth potential.

Ashish Thakkar, Founder and CEO of Mara Group, in a keynote address on ‘Inspiring Africa and capturing chances’, made his case for doing business in Africa and advised companies to move beyond negative media hype and become familiar with African countries on the ground in order to explore and tap into the tremendous potential that exists.

With the internet usage on mobile phones, predicted to increase 20-fold in the next five years in Africa, which is double the rate of growth in the rest of the world. The technology experts also predicted a continued growth in the technology sector across Africa, with savvy entrepreneurs such as Shagaya and Oviosu leading the way in e-commerce and mobile payments, and technology segments such as mobile phones.

Delegates at DHL’s Technology conference as ITRealms gathered, learnt about African consumers’ preferences, such as paying retailers via mobile phone rather than cash and an increasing appetite for well-priced mobile devices, fuelled by a rapidly growing middle class.

Confirming this, Rob Siegers, President, Global Technology Sector, DHL said: “The technology sector is a highly dynamic industry and the pace of change is rapid.   We currently see two distinct trends: the advance of new technologies, such as the Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing and others which are changing business models as technology companies are looking to enhance their products by building services around them – and an increasing focus on tapping into growth in emerging nations”.

He also added that, “While growth is slowing in some of the traditional markets, emerging nations are gaining importance for technology companies, and Africa is of particular interest to many of our customers”.  

Charles Brewer, Managing Director of DHL Express Sub Saharan Africa, stating the company’s vision for the conference said, “We had a team of logistics experts from across Africa on hand to facilitate knowledge sharing and networking, demonstrating that DHL is a strong partner to the technology sector across the continent.”

DHL, as gathered by ITRealms, is the world’s leading logistics service provider and has been in Africa for 37 years, well positioned to support customers with their end-to-end supply chains and tailor-made logistics solutions to help them overcome challenges and tap into the continent’s tremendous growth opportunities.  

Daniel Nsolibe/Ed,Ops.

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Gitex 2014: Sasware pledges supports for Nigeria technology start-ups

ITRealms:

As the 2014 Global Technology Exhibition (GITEX) ended recently in Dubai, the United Arab Emirate (UAE), Sasware, the only Nigeria technology investment company at GITEX Technology Week pledged its support for technology start-ups in Nigeria reports ITRealms.

Founder of Sasware, Mr. Collins Onuegbu, made this pledge during the visit of the federal government delegation led by Dr. Tunji Olaopa, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Communications Technology to the company’s exhibition stand during the event.

“Our primary interest to see Nigeria grow by supporting technology and technology-enabled business initiatives in Nigeria. These we do through incubation, entrepreneurship, mentoring and venture capital investment,” he said.

Dr. Olaopa, who represented the Minister, Dr (Mrs) Omobola Johnson commended Sasware’s mission and activities and urged them to continue with their good works.

He also promised to explore avenues which the ministry will work with Sasware to further deepen support to technology start-ups in Nigeria.

The federal government delegation led by Olaopa included; Dr. Akin Omotosho, Nigeria Consul-General to Dubai Emirate; Dr. Tosin Ajayi, Chairman, Board of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Peter Jack, Director General, NITDA.

Speaking further Onuegbu informed the delegation that Sasware will need all the support and partnerships it could get from the government to expand this initiative in order to boost the economy and create more job opportunities for Nigerian youths.

Peter Jack said NITDA is continuously exploring ways to transform Nigeria through technology and what Sasware is doing falls within the strategy.

Sasware is a technology venture subsidiary of Signal Alliance a leading Nigerian systems integrator with over 18 years’ experience in the development of IT infrastructure for major organizations in Nigeria. Sasware was set up to tap into opportunities created  by the fast evolution of technology and adoption in Nigeria as the country rebuilds its infrastructure to match its ambition as the biggest economy in Africa and one of the top 20 in the world.

Sasware invests in early startup technology companies in Nigeria   from a startup fund that was set up by Signal Alliance. The company also does specific incubation programmes for Signal Alliance as a diversification strategy for the group. Other areas of business include Incubation-On-Demand, Corporate Venture Capital and Asset Development cum Management. The company's initial focus is on technology and technology-enabled businesses.

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Pix (l-r) Dr. Tunji Olaopa, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Communication Technology; Collins Onuegbu, Founder Sasware; Dr. Tosin Ajayi, Chairman, Board of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); Dr. Akin Omotosho, Nigeria

Consul-General to Dubai Emirate and Peter Jack, Director General NITDA.