Telecom
Timeless Wins Generations—NECLive 2025 Sparks Debate on Creativity’s Future
The conversation around the future of Africa’s creative economy took centre stage at NECLive 2025, where industry leaders explored what it means to create work that endures in an age dominated by speed, trends, and instant gratification. The Panel Session brought by The Macallan, titled “Timeless vs Trending: Building Work That Endures,” served as a dedicated platform for this exchange.
L-R: Senior Brand Manager, West and Central Africa, Edrington Portfolio, Hammed Adebiyi; Chief Creative Director, Atafo, Mai Atafo; Regional Manager East Africa, BHM Holdings, Njideka Akabogu Eke-Uche and Convener, NECLive & Founder/CEO, BHM Holdings, Ayeni Adekunle on a panel session discussing the balance between timeless craftsmanship and fast-moving trends in today’s creative landscape at the NECLive 2025 on Friday, 28 November in Lagos, Nigeria.
This conversation explores the balance between timeless craftsmanship and fast-moving trends in today’s creative landscape. It examines how heritage, discipline, and innovation come together to produce work that endures, shaping culture, influencing storytelling, and elevating creative standards across industries.
Hammed Adebiyi, Senior Brand Manager, West and Central Africa at Edrington, joined the panel to discuss the value of craftsmanship, heritage, and intentionality in contemporary creative expression.
During the session, moderated by Njideka Akabogu Eke-Uche, Regional Manager, East Africa, BHM Holdings, Adebiyi drew on The Macallan’s 200-year legacy to illustrate how luxury brands protect and define timeless value. “Timeless luxury is a craft that transcends time,” he said. “The Macallan has been around for over two centuries because of patience, intentionality, consistency, and doing things the right way. Timeless wins generations while trending wins conversations.”
Adebiyi’s insights highlighted the broader discussion on the pressures creators face to prioritise speed over substance. Mai Atafo, Chief Creative Director of ATAFO, echoed this perspective, highlighting durability and intention as the true markers of craftsmanship. “You don’t make it like you’re making it for now, you make it like you’re making it forever,” Atafo said, describing how classic elegance, fine tailoring, and meticulous construction remain at the heart of luxury. “If you put in the work, it will last. That’s why people are still wearing Dior suits from 1980, quality endures.”
The role of storytelling, culture, and audience behaviour was also explored. Adekunle Ayeni, Founder/CEO of BHM Holdings and Convener of NECLive, warned against the pitfalls of chasing virality. “People are chasing clicks and baits just to break through the clutter. But what truly builds influence, what creates lasting change, what has impact, is telling the kind of stories that matter. They may not have ten million views today, but they can influence behaviour, save lives, or shape policy,”
Ayeni also highlighted how brands like The Macallan exercise disciplined curation in partnerships.“It’s not just about trending or reaching every young Nigerian,” he explained. “The question is: do you fit what the brand represents? Do you understand the audience and what the brand wants to accomplish? You have to know when to trend and when to just do the kind of work that reaches the right people.”
The discussion shifted to the impact of artificial intelligence on craftsmanship. Adebiyi offered a nuanced perspective: “AI cannot replace the essence of true craftsmanship. It can enhance human capability, improve efficiency, and add value over time, but it must be used deliberately. Innovation should serve tradition, not dilute it.”
Atafo added that even in a fast-paced world, audiences are gravitating back to authenticity and depth.“Why are Gen Zs listening to Sade? Because classic things have soul. You connect with them with your heart, not just your head. There is room for innovation and buzz, but when it is underpinned by heritage, the connection is stronger.”
As the session concluded, Adebiyi reinforced the importance of balancing honouring legacy while adapting meaningfully to changing times.“New ideas must deepen, not dilute, the tradition that defines us. At The Macallan, whether in product, experiences, or marketing, innovation must serve the heritage we have built over centuries. We stay consistent globally while ensuring our work remains culturally relevant in every local market.”
The NECLive 2025 panel showed that Africa’s creative economy thrives when creators combine innovation with intention, speed with depth, and relevance with respect for craft. Through perspectives from luxury, fashion, and media, the conversation reaffirmed that while trends may command attention, it is timeless work, rooted in story, skill, and soul, that shapes generations.
Dimension Data has said that the proceeds from its Series 1 corporate bond, will support the expansion of the company’s fibre infrastructure to meet Nigeria’s growing demand for digital connectivity.
This followed the successful subscription of the corporate bond.
Recall that Dimension Data Limited said that it has completed the signing ceremony for the issuance of N4.05 billion (approximately US$2.9 million).
This sum marks the first tranche of a N20 billion (US$14.7 million) bond programme announced earlier this year.
The bond programme was raised under Dimension Data SPV Funding Plc, following approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Nigeria.
The company says the proceeds will support the expansion of the company’s fibre infrastructure to meet Nigeria’s growing demand for digital connectivity.
Speaking at the ceremony, Olugbenga Olabiyi, managing director of Dimension Data Limited, said the investment reflects the company’s long-term commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s digital economy.
The planned investments will fund the continued expansion of Dimension Data’s fibre network, supporting increasing demand from financial institutions, fintechs, enterprise customers and other technology-driven sectors.
Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Johannesburg, the company has grown its footprint across the Middle East and Africa.
Today Dimension Data is a member of the NTT Ltd Group, one of the world’s leading technology companies.
As cloud adoption, digital financial services and data-intensive applications continue to grow, the company believes resilient fibre infrastructure will remain a critical enabler of Nigeria’s digital economy.
The Federal Government has announced that work will commence within weeks on a 90,000-kilometre fibre optic network expected to connect every state, local government area and ward in Nigeria, marking what officials describe as one of the country’s most ambitious digital infrastructure projects.
Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, disclosed this on Tuesday after briefing President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, on the progress of three flagship digital transformation initiatives being implemented by his ministry.
According to the minister, all resource mobilisation and contractual processes for the nationwide fibre project have been completed, paving the way for physical deployment.
“We’re now at the point where, in a few weeks’ time, we should start to lay those fibre, so people will start seeing us around the country deploying the fibre. This is going to transform Nigeria for good,” Tijani said.
He explained that the project would deliver fibre optic infrastructure to every geopolitical zone, state, local government area and ward, significantly expanding broadband access and improving the quality of internet connectivity across the country.
“This is a project where every state, every geopolitical zone, every local government and every ward in this country will be covered with fibre optic cables, which will transform the quality of connectivity,” he added.
Bosun Tijani attributed the progress in the digital economy to a series of reforms approved by President Tinubu, including the designation of digital infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure, tariff adjustments and tax harmonisation measures sought by industry operators.
“I think our sector has been extremely fortunate. Mr. President has given us quite a number of things that the sector has been demanding for a long time. Whether it’s the Critical National Infrastructure designation for all digital infrastructure, the slight adjustment in tariff, or the tax harmonisation, these are reforms the industry has long requested.
“I think it’s probably the sector that is most appreciative of this government because when we came in, the sector was contributing between 16 and 18 per cent to our GDP, but today it is tracking close to 21 per cent. That represents significant growth,” he said.
The minister noted that the reforms had also improved the financial performance of major operators in the telecommunications sector.
On efforts to bridge the digital divide, Tijani disclosed that the government would begin deploying about 3,700 telecommunications towers from October to provide network coverage for more than 20 million Nigerians currently living in underserved communities without access to telecom services.
He said the President had approved the project after months of capital mobilisation and planning.
“Today we’re at a point where, before the end of the year, we’ll also start to deploy close to 3,700 towers. It’s taken a lot to put this project together and raise the required capital, but we are now ready to begin deployment around October,” he said.
The minister also announced that Nigeria would officially launch an alphanumeric postcode system on October 1, a move he said would place the country among a select group of nations operating an advanced digital addressing system.
“Nigeria will be amongst maybe 10 or 15 countries in the world with an alphanumeric postcode. It’s the latest design in postcode systems, where we can identify every property in this country. We’re hoping to launch that on the 1st of October,” he said.
Tijani explained that the new system would assign a unique address to every property nationwide, enhancing logistics, accelerating e-commerce, improving emergency response and strengthening public service delivery.
“Inability to locate places comes at a cost. You can imagine what this will do for e-commerce. It means goods can now be delivered in record time,” he said.
He added that integrating the postcode system with existing government identity databases would improve security and make public services more efficient.
“Our alphanumeric postcode is unique because it allows us to assign a unique address to every property. In many countries, such as the UK, postcodes cover clusters of buildings. What we are introducing will uniquely identify every building, and that will be a game changer for Nigeria in terms of security, commerce and public service delivery,” the minister stated.
Telecom
Treepz Partners with CMS T&M to Digitize Public Transportation for Millions of Lagos Commuters
Treepz has officially announced a strategic partnership with CMS Taxi & Motor Nigeria Limited (CMS T&M) to modernize public transportation through digital technology to ensure cashless, transparent and more efficient commuting for passengers across CMS – Ajah routes.
The partnership brings together Treepz’s transportation technology and CMS T&M’s decades of experience moving passengers.
By integrating Treepz’s digital mobility platforms into CMS T&M’s operations, passengers will enjoy a faster, safer and completely cashless payment experience, while the transport operators gain access to real-time operational insights, digital ticketing and improved revenue management.
Speaking on the partnership, Johnny, Co-Founder of Treepz, said: “Public transportation is the backbone of every thriving city. Our mission has always been to use technology to make commuting easier and more efficient for everyone.
“Partnering with CMS T&M represents another important milestone in digitizing public transportation in Nigeria and empowering operators with the tools they need to scale sustainably.”
He added: “By replacing manual ticketing and cash collections with digital systems, we’re creating greater transparency for operators while delivering a better everyday experience for commuters.”
Also commenting on the partnership, Andrew Akhigbe, Managing Director of CMS T&M, said: “CMS T&M has proudly served Lagos commuters for decades, and innovation has always been essential to our growth.
“This partnership with Treepz allows us to embrace modern technology that improves operational efficiency, enhances accountability, and delivers a more convenient travel experience for our passengers.”
The collaboration reflects a shared commitment by both organizations to accelerate the digital transformation of Nigeria’s transport sector while improving the quality, reliability and accessibility of public mobility.
Treepz continues to expand its footprint across Africa by providing technology solutions that help transport operators digitize their services and deliver better customer experiences.
Beyond public bus operators, the company also powers mobility solutions for businesses, educational and religious institutions as well as governments seeking smarter transportation systems.
As Lagos continues to evolve into one of Africa’s largest smart cities, partnerships like this demonstrate how technology can reshape urban mobility, making transportation more connected, efficient and accessible for millions of commuters.
Visit website: https://www.cmstaxiandmotor.com
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