Shell urges sustained actions to position gas as engine of development - ITREALMS

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Nigeria needs sustained actions to attract and retain investments in the gas sector to ensure economic growth and industrialization, senior leaders of the Shell Energy Nigeria organisation said at the 3rd edition of the Gas Investment Forum which held in Lagos this week.

Investments in key infrastructure, consistency in policy and regulations and partnerships were highlighted as enablers for the development of the nation’s huge gas resources.

Temenos unveils learning community engine to banks, enhanced change - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The banking software company, Temenos has unveiled the Temenos Learning Community (TLC) Engine, the latest addition to the TLC training suite, reports ITREALMS.

TLC Engine, ITREALMS gathered, helps banks to reduce operational risk and costs, monitor their regulatory compliance better, and increase staff engagement; it could be deployed on the cloud or on premise and integrates seamlessly with Temenos banking software products, and could also be integrated to third party systems, which a bank may be using.

TLC Engine is specifically designed for banks, to serve as a foundation for change management and training activities. With TLC Engine, financial institutions can record, update and cascade their unique business processes, using the Temenos Standard Operating Procedures (TSOP) as a basis. TLC Engine can then utilize these processes to support the ongoing training of staff across all of a bank’s organization. TLC Engine also enables banks to train, test and certify their teams in Temenos software solutions, offering access to the official Temenos content and certification processes found across the Temenos Learning Community suite of products.

Following the launch, Byblos Bank, the third largest bank by assets in Lebanon, became one of the first clients to sign for the new offering. Lebanon-based Byblos Bank is a leading financial institution with operations in Armenia, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Iraq, Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. Byblos Bank will use TLC Engine to help drive and support change in its current digital transformation project that is delivering a new, upgraded Temenos T24 core banking platform.

Raffoul Raffoul, AGM and Head of Group Organization Development, Information System & Operational Support at Byblos Bank, commented: “The need for digital change is greater than ever to cope with a rapidly changing marketplace. The speed at which we need to deliver change and new functionality demands the need for an online training solution. Signing for the TLC Engine to ensure success and drive change as part of our transformation project was an obvious choice. With the platform, we are able to prepare for each phase of implementation, and down the road ensure that our employees continue to be educated on best practices and new solutions. We will use TLC Engine to intelligently link technologies and incorporate business processes to implement technology in the most optimal way for our needs.”

Dale Thomas, Director of The Temenos Learning Community said: “The key to a project’s success is staff engagement, knowledge, and ability to use the new system to its full potential. With the launch of this new platform, we are bringing to new and existing clients easy-to-access knowledge of our products and technology, as well as personalized support from our experienced change management team. We are delighted that the launch of TLC Engine is accompanied by extending of our relationship with Byblos Bank, a long-term client of Temenos. We are already very proud to be helping Byblos Bank to deliver its upgrade project, and now to support the Bank in creating and implementing a change management program with TLC Engine.”

Uj. N. Dominic/GEE

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Etisalat Nigeria reiterates support to SMEs growth

ITRealms:

Acclaiming customer-centric telecommunication network in the country, Etisalat Nigeria, has reiterated commitment to the development of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria, saying its the engine of economic growth, reports ITRealms.

The Regional Manager, Enterprise Sales at Etisalat Nigeria, Victoria Ibeji, gave this reaffirmation in Abuja at the just concluded Market Access Nigeria, a quarterly business networking and empowerment session for Small and Medium Enterprises, organised by the Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos in partnership with Etisalat Nigeria.

“At Etisalat, we have been consistent in implementing solutions that stimulate the growth of SMEs in Nigeria. One of these numerous solutions is this partnership with the Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan-Atlantic University for meeting the global entrepreneurship need of small and growing businesses. Also as part of the initiative, we have trained a lot of SME operators from across Nigeria; we have connected them with mentors, and inspired them for great successes through networking opportunities with entrepreneurs of large organisations”, she said. 

Speaking on the importance of Market Access Nigeria, the Director, Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University, Peter Bamkole, said the initiative is a platform that brings together Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) and large companies to network, start relationships and create opportunities.

“The main goal of Market Access Nigeria is to facilitate market access for SMEs by keying them into the value chain of large organisations, bridging the gap, and enabling local content development and participation in various sectors of the Nigerian economy”, he said.

Director General of SMEDAN, Alhaji Bature Umar Masari, while commending the initiators of Market Access, said the platform will boost the capacity of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria to grow faster. He encouraged participating entrepreneurs to take advantage of the platform to connect with other entrepreneurs relevant to the growth of their businesses.

The Market Access platform has seen tremendous success since its inception in 2011. Market Access has aided Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in networking and developing productive relationships with larger organisations. Last year, the platform toured the country to regions including Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt with a combined total audience of over 2,000 people for the year. 
The last leg of Market Access will hold on the 5^th of November, 2015 in Lagos.  
 

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OLX identifies what Nigerians look out for in used vehicle

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Online classifieds site, OLX has revealed what Nigerians look out for when buying used cars, as engine, price and transmission of the car top results, reports ITRealms.

OLX Country Manager, Lola Masha, told ITRealms that the research was carried out to identify what is most important to the users when buying used cars. 

“This information will enable us educate them on what to really look out for when in the market to buy a used vehicle” she said, stressing that the poll revealed that 26 per cent of the respondents believed that the engine was the most important thing to consider when buying a used car. 

Also, she said that this was followed very closely by 22.3 per cent who considered the price as a vital thing to consider and 1.7 per cent chose the transmission. 

“While, the remaining 38.4 per cent, chose the model, colour and year of the car,” she said.

Seasoned expert in automobiles and General Manager, Mandilas Enterprises Limited, Stephen Gladwin stated that “there is a wide range of factors to consider when buying a used vehicle. More often than not, there is more to consider than what meets the naked eye. These factors range from the condition of engine, gearbox, transmission system, tyres, year of manufacture, the make of the vehicle, battery condition, and even the upholstery. These are instrumental factors that make up the overall perception of the vehicle.”

He also disclosed that, “There are however little things that could make or mar the feel of the car and they must be considered in the utmost regard. Some of these comprise of the AC system, Radio/CD, steering system, body condition, windscreen, rust, effectiveness of clutch system, brakes, windows, body colour, suspension system, Odometer reading, condition of airbag, ABS, wheel and exhaust.”

Gladwin further intimated that none of the aforementioned should be taken in levity. 

“It is important to seek proper assessment from a trained technician/mechanic who will carry out a physical test of the vehicle to ascertain these conditions, a road test to posit the girth and balance of the vehicle, as well as a diagnosis test to confirm the overall valuation of the vehicle,” he said.

Nigerians who are in the market to sell their used vehicles can post their cars on OLX for free and qualified ads will get an evaluation certificate from Mandilas that will state the current market value of the car as well as the condition of each part of the car.  This will benefit both the buyer who is worried about the worth and condition of the car they want to buy and the seller who is not sure of the monetary value of the car.

+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) 

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