General News
Brand Values of Tecno/MTN Partnership
In the world of marketing brand value is synonymous as brand name, based on the idea that the owner of a well-known brand name can leverage on that to generate more money from product aligned to the brand than from products with a less well known name.
Perhaps, consumers seem to believe that a product with a well-known name is better than products with less well known names.
Researches have also acknowledged that celebrated brand forms the most valuable asset a company can boost. The yardsticks used in valuating brand value include (but not limited to): changing market share, profit margins, consumer recognition of logos and other visual elements, brand language associations made by consumers, consumers’ perceptions of quality and other relevant brand values.
Invariably, the duo of TECNO Telecom Limited, Africa’s leading mobile phone brand and MTN, a force to recur with in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector, started their cooperation with a favorable offer campaign in the country.
Analysts believe the partnership will further enhance the acceptability of both the product and service rendered by the brands. Of course business has only two functions – marketing and innovation, implying that the innovative venture will pay-off.
For instance, MTN recently emerged dominant operator in Nigeria’s telecommunications market with 50 per cent market share. MTN at the end of 2011 garnered 41.6 million subscribers.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had in 2005 released a barometer towards determining a dominant operator. The document relates that a dominant operator is one who controls from 48-50 per market share and may likely pose a threat and hinder smaller operators who don’t have large subscriber base, capital and reach in the same market.
However, Wale Goodluck, Corporate Services Executive, MTN, swiftly responded to that saying the company’s dominance of the mobile market would not pose any threat to the market as it was open to working with the regulator and other operators in making the industry a better place.
He said MTN’s submarine cable from the West African Cable System (WACS) is an open access cable and would be available to all players on pay-per-use basis.
Same time, Techno leads Dual SIM Phone market in Nigeria. Chidi Okonkwo, deputy general manager of Tecno Telecom Limited, described Tecno phones as one of the strongest brands in the world of mobile phones with Nigeria as one of its strong holds particularly in the dual SIM range.
Okonkwo said that Tecno is playing a significant role in the low and middle segment range with dominance in the dual SIM range. The company, he continued, started operations in Nigeria about six years ago and has witnessed a tremendous patronage from Nigerians. Presently, the company has opened service centres in eight cities in Nigeria including several other collection centers.
Referring to a clamped- down on its office by officials of NCC, Okonkwo said it was as a result of inadequate information which led to slow processing of the Type Approval which is required by Nigerian Communication Commission(NCC) before commencement of products sale.
He however assured its customers that all issues have been resolved and business resumes at its Olowu, Ikeja service center.
He said, “We would like to thank our business partners, distributors and other customers for their understanding and support within the period and pledge our commitment to providing top quality mobile communication products to the Nigerian market.
As a responsible company, we are aware of the need to continually ensure compliance with the tenets and laws governing the establishment and operations of business in Nigeria.
It is in the light of this that we assure our customers of our commitment to ensuring full compliance with the requirement of all governing/regulatory bodies including the Nigeria Communication Commission.”
He further explained that Tecno will continue to meet market expectation and demand through well tailored research and market intelligence/customer feedback mechanism; which underscores the need for the duo to brazen up the trail in awareness creation about the new born partnership.
Because consumers’ knowledge about a brand reflects how manufacturers and advertisers market the brand. For emphasis sake, brand value or equity is hyped through strategic investments in communication channels and market education.
According to TECNO, its contribution to the join effort will be through her outstanding and distinctive Opera Mini phone, TECNO T638, favorable offer campaign, while MTN provides six wonderful Internet bundles.
Generally, the Techno/MTN strategic investments will over time appreciate and deliver a return on investment. Brand equity is strategically crucial, but famously difficult to quantify.
Nevertheless, the cooperation between these two giants benefits not only themselves by improving their brand equity, but also customers by providing them with favorable service.
Currently, many mobile phone brands and operators are seeking cooperation with each other while they are careful to choose their partners, for the collaboration is crucial to their images.
After a paranomic view, ICT Brand believes it is a wise choice for both TECNO and MTN to choose each other as a cooperative partner following their respective impressive market position in Nigeria.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery is reportedly nearing completion of a $2.5 billion private placement that values the company at about $40 billion ahead of its planned public listing.
Private placement is the direct sale of company shares or bonds to pre-selected investors instead of the general public and it is used to raise money quickly while avoiding strict public reporting rules.
People familiar with the transaction said investors acquired as much as 6 per cent of the refinery, according to a BusinessDay report.
The reported terms would value the business at approximately $40 billion.
Neither Dangote Group nor the refinery has publicly announced the final amount raised, the identities of most subscribers or the precise percentage sold.
The figures should therefore be treated as transaction details supplied by unnamed sources rather than confirmed company disclosures.
The reported $2.5 billion total is nevertheless significant as it indicates strong demand for exposure to a privately controlled refinery that has rapidly become central to Nigeria’s fuel supply and an increasingly important exporter of petroleum products.
The placement was said to have attracted more demand than the available shares, allowing the company to secure substantially more than the amount initially associated with the fundraising exercise.
Femi Otedola, chairman, First HoldCo, is the only major participant publicly identified in the report.
He reportedly committed $100 million to the transaction and sold his investment in Geregu Power Plc to finance the acquisition.
Nigeria’s pension industry was also reportedly cleared to participate.
Access to more than $17 billion in retirement assets would broaden the refinery’s potential investor base beyond wealthy individuals and conventional institutional buyers.
Participation by Pension Fund Administrators would, however, require careful attention to valuation, liquidity and portfolio-concentration limits.
Retirement funds must balance the attraction of a large Nigerian industrial asset against their responsibility to protect contributors’ savings.
The implied $40 billion valuation represents investor expectations about the refinery’s future earnings rather than only the physical cost of constructing the facility.
Its ability to process 650,000 barrels of crude daily gives it a central role in supplying Nigeria and other markets, but its commercial performance remains connected to crude availability, product prices, exchange rates and regulation.
The refinery has struggled to obtain all the Nigerian crude it requires under the government’s naira-for-crude arrangement.
It has consequently purchased some feedstock internationally and recently moved local petroleum-product pricing into dollars to align sales revenue more closely with its foreign-currency expenses.
Those constraints will be important during any public offering.
Prospective shareholders will want greater clarity on crude-supply contracts, debt, operating margins, export revenue and the company’s relationship with Nigerian regulators.
It is also unclear whether the private placement involved newly issued shares, a sale by existing owners or a combination of both.
That distinction determines whether the reported $2.5 billion becomes fresh capital for the refinery or proceeds received by selling shareholders.
The transaction could provide a useful price reference for the planned initial public offering.
Federal government will next month launch Nigeria’s first national organized crime strategy to strengthen the country’s response to terrorism, cybercrime, human and drug trafficking, kidnapping, illicit financial flows, and other forms of organized crime.
Major General Adamu Laka, national coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre under the Office of the National Security Adviser, disclosed this in Abuja during the validation of the strategy document.
He said the strategy provides a coordinated national framework for tackling organized crime through improved intelligence sharing, stronger collaboration among security agencies, and closer cooperation with the criminal justice system, civil society organizations, and international partners.
Major General Laka explained that the document was developed through a partnership involving the Federal Government, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United States Government, and other stakeholders.
Speaking at the event, Cheikh Toure, UNODC representative, said the strategy would strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to combat transnational crimes, including drug trafficking, cybercrime, human trafficking, kidnapping, and illicit financial flows.
Also speaking, Douglas Grane, acting director of the United States Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, reaffirmed the U.S. government’s support for Nigeria’s efforts to tackle organized crime through stronger inter-agency and international cooperation.
Representatives of the National Institute for Strategic Studies, the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit, and the National Cyber Security Centre also endorsed the initiative, describing it as a major step towards improving Nigeria’s fight against organized crime.
FATE Foundation, with funding from the Citi Foundation, has launched the Youth Entrepreneurship Incubation Programme to equip young people in Nigeria with financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills.
Delivered through free, safe, and accessible platforms, the programme supports the incubation and scaling of youth-led enterprises, enabling income generation and job creation.
In October 2025, FATE Foundation was selected as a recipient of Citi Foundation’s 2025 Global Innovation Challenge to Accelerate Youth Employability. Joining the cohort of 50 organisations globally, the Foundation will receive $500,000 over two years to advance its youth employability initiative.
“We are excited to be selected for Citi Foundation’s 2025 Global Innovation Challenge,” said Ayomide Akindolie-Igwe, Executive Director of FATE Foundation.
“This support enables us to equip young entrepreneurs in Nigeria with the financial literacy and skills needed to build and scale sustainable businesses.”
The programme addresses youth employability by tackling Africa’s growing jobs crisis. By 2030, the African continent will be home to 40% of the world’s youth, and with one in three under 35 already unemployed, this initiative will support Nigerian youth with a two-phase approach. It begins with financial literacy training before progressing to entrepreneurship development, incubation support, and access to tools needed to build viable, job-creating businesses.
“Through this innovative initiative, FATE Foundation is supporting low-income Nigerian youth to develop essential financial and entrepreneurial skills using accessible platforms.
“This support is not just helping individuals to succeed; it is building a solid foundation for sustainable enterprises that will drive job creation and contribute significantly to our nation’s economic vitality. This initiative is empowering and investing in the future of Nigeria, one youth at a time,” said Nneka Enwereji, MD/CEO Citibank Nigeria Limited.
Dangote Refinery’s Private Placement Reportedly Hits $2.5Bn
FG, UNODC Plan National Strategy against Organized Crime
EFCC Busts NIS Visa Overstay Racket, Uncovers N700m in an Account
CBN to Monitor Every Dollar with FXBT, Forex Tracker
NCC, NDLEA Partner to Fight Piracy and Drug Trafficking
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
NASENI Moves to Digitize CCB’s 5m Assets Declaration and Operations
Lebara Nigeria Launches Lebara Play, Africa’s First Telecom-Owned Micro-Drama Platform
CANAL+ Partners Samsung to Pre-Load DStv Stream on New Samsung TVs In Nigeria, Other African Countries
Tokenization, Blockchain Technology will Transform Financial Institutions – IMF
News2 days agoEFCC Busts NIS Visa Overstay Racket, Uncovers N700m in an Account
News3 days agoFAAN to Replace Physical ID Check with V-Pass Biometric Verification
News3 days agoCBN Introduces Digital Tracker to Monitor BDC Forex Transactions
Telecom3 days agontel Plays Down Calls and Data Services, Moves to BET Agenda
Telecom3 days agoAirtel Delivers Free Employability Training to Young Nigerians @ World Youth Skills Day
General News3 days agoNigeria Facing Rising Cybercrime Losses – Report
News3 days agoCAC Begins Removing 100,000 Companies from Register Over Regulatory Non-Compliance
News2 days agoNCC, NDLEA Partner to Fight Piracy and Drug Trafficking