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Bellafricana’s ACE 2017 Advocates ‘Made-In-Nigeria’ Patronage

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Bukky Asehinde, founder, Bellafricana
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In continuation of the role it plays in the Nigerian economy by helping as many quality creative small businesses be at the forefront of the market, Bellafricana.com has also launched African Creative Exhibition and Awards (ACE Awards) to encourage those engaged in creating richer platforms.

The Founder, Bukky Asehinde, wonders, “Why should we wait on financial backing from the government and big institutions to help this industry? When we can create a platform to connect these Afrocentric businesses, they are maximising raw materials in Nigeria (Africa), providing employment for local talents within the country and creating wealth for the Nation”.

According to her, young people shouldn’t be in the business of waiting for the government to fix every hole in the economy rather take-up creative and innovative ideas to make the economy even better.

“There has been a rise in the number of Afrocentric (made in Nigeria, Africa) brands that have great quality with little or no financing from both the government and bigger institutions. Bellafricana, an initiative with a focus on Made-in-Nigeria Non-oil products development where customers and suppliers engage and transact, aims to bridge the buyer-seller gap and create a wider outreach for Nigerian (African) products locally & globally,” she said.

Bukky Asehinde said that she aims to help creative Afrocentric businesses in Africa understand the business of a creative hence she created a platform to enable creative MSMEs thrive, whilst doing all it takes to bring the quality products to the forefront of the market.

“I so much believe that a support group/community for these businesses will enhance the Non-oil export in the Nigerian economy. Under a year, Bellafricana has over 200 Creative businesses subscribed to her platform and over 50 verified businesses. Research shows that about 52% of all small businesses in Nigeria are home-based, as you may already know, the growth of any Nation is dependent on the small businesses. What better way to connect these small businesses to their consumers than online?

“You must agree with her that Nigeria is an import driven nation and if we are looking to diversify and become an export driven nation, it starts from MSMEs. They are  creating jobs and empowering local talents”, she explained.

In her quest to bring as many quality Made-in-Nigeria (Africa) brands to the forefront of the market, Bukky has put together an initiative to Celebrate Small Creative Businesses with the aim of encouraging more talents in Nigeria (Africa) to look inwards, be original and create more globally acceptable brands.

An initiative called African Creative Exhibition and Awards (termed ACE Awards), backed by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council and endorsed by Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce, Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Nigeria-Britain Association.

The first of its kind in Nigeria (Africa), taking place on the 17th of April, 2017 (Easter Monday), a 3 phase event; Conference, Exhibition and Awards Gala. Both the Exhibition and the Conference will be held concurrently and the Awards will be held in a dinner gala to close the event.

“The watch word at Bellafricana is Quality, to this effect; the organisers of the Bellafricana ACE Awards have assured the availability of top quality creative Afrocentric businesses to exhibit. You will be able to access a wide variety of discounted quality made in Nigeria products all under one roof in these 6 focus categories; Arts & Crafts, Fashion, Health & Beauty, Home & Living, Food Produce & Snacks and Technology related products.

During the conference themed: ‘Practical Steps to taking your business Global’, keynote speaker: Mr Olusegun Awolowo, CEO, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, will take the participants round the business sphere which will help them take critical decisions.

Others scheduled to speak at the Conference include: Marketing Your Creative Business Globally – Tobi Asehinde (CEO Vibe Web Solutions); How to Monetize your Creative Idea – Lola Coker-Esu (An International Speaker, CEO Lola Tips); Branding that speaks for you – MrLanreAdisa (CEO Noah’s Ark); Taking Your Non-Oil Export Global (Export) – Ms. Sade Bembatoum-Young (CEO African Sustainable SME Export Trade Solutions); Sustainability and Succession Planning for Creative Businesses – Mrs Toki Mabogunje (CEO TMC & Co)

She further said that ACE awards themed: ‘Celebrating Creativity and Innovation’ has opened for nominations in various categories and Award competition through event.

“Bellafricana is always finding ways to help both budding and established creatives to harness the resources available to build their businesses stronger.

To this end, the conference will feature enlightening and engaging talks from renowned business men and women who have quality experience in these fields;

Voting is currently ongoing for the awards and ends on April 5. The categories include: Best Indigenous Textile Designer; Best Emerging Beauty Brand; Best Emerging Fashion Brand; Best Creative Solution (ICT); Best Supportive Made-in-Nigeria Celebrity of the Year; Best Eco-friendly Product Innovation; Best Innovative Product of the Year; Best Pioneer Craftsman/woman of the Year (Over 10 years) and Best Food Produce Innovation.

Others are Best Creative Kid Entepreneur; Best Creative Social Enterprise of the Year; Best Creative Kids Brand; Best Emerging Artist; Best Emerging Home & Lifestyle Brand and Best emerging African Brand.


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EFCC Seals Anti-Corruption Alliance with Anambra Security Chiefs, Traditional Rulers

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In a strategic drive to bolster inter-agency and institutional synergy against economic and financial crimes, the Anambra Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched courtesy visits and awareness campaigns targeting key law enforcement agencies, judicial bodies, and traditional institutions in Anambra State.

EFCC Seals Anti-Corruption Alliance with Anambra Security Chiefs, Traditional Rulers

On March 5, 2026, Acting Zonal Director ACE I Ofen-Imu Atiba Sunday led a delegation to: State Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), C. Anukposi; State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Akachia Godwin; State Comptroller of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Umerah Timothy Nwanegbo; State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Bridget Asekhauno; State Commandant of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Onubogu Charles Orakwue; and His Majesty, Igwe Chidubem Iweka, Eze Iweka III (Eze Ogalagidi), Eze Obosi and Chairman of the Anambra State Traditional Council, along with his cabinet.

The Acting Zonal Director stressed that combating corruption demands sustained cooperation among institutions and community leaders to boost intelligence gathering, prevention strategies, and enforcement. “Collaborative efforts among stakeholders, including community leaders, are essential to safeguarding Nigeria’s economic stability and future,” he declared.

Highlighting crime trends in the Directorate’s jurisdiction—covering Anambra and Imo States—Sunday noted that public sector corruption, land and property fraud, tax fraud, advance fee fraud, cybercrime, bank fraud, and open market abuses dominate.

Responses were uniformly positive. DSS State Director Anukposi pledged robust support, underscoring intelligence sharing and joint operations to counter threats to national security and economic stability.

NSCDC Commandant Godwin lauded the EFCC’s proactive stance, citing ongoing collaboration on illegal bunkering, vandalism of public assets, and oil theft.

NIS Comptroller Nwanegbo affirmed readiness to partner on border control, migration monitoring, and intelligence against transnational financial crimes.

FRSC Sector Commander Asekhauno hailed the EFCC’s push for accountability, urging use of the Corps’ database and sustained rule-of-law partnerships for national development.

NDLEA Commandant Orakwue committed to tackling criminal networks linking drug trafficking, money laundering, and economic crimes.

At the Eze Obosi’s palace, the monarch welcomed the EFCC’s outreach, decried corruption’s toll on communities, and vowed Traditional Council backing to instill ethics and integrity. He promised to rally other leaders for grassroots anti-corruption sensitization.


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NCDC Issues Public Advisory on Cerebrospinal Meningitis

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Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has issued a Public Health advisory on the spread of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM).

NCDC Issues Public Advisory on Cerebrospinal Meningitis

It said that the caution is particularly for states within the African Meningitis belt.

In a statement by the Corporate Communications Division of NCDC urged all Nigerians to remain vigilant and adopt preventive measures.

The statement said: “As Nigeria continues through the peak dry season months, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) alerts the public to the ongoing risk of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM), particularly in states within the African meningitis belt.

“Cerebrospinal meningitis occurs more frequently between December and April, when dry, dusty conditions, overcrowding, and poor ventilation increase the risk of transmission.

“The NCDC urges all Nigerians to remain vigilant and adopt preventive measures. Surveillance and response activities remain ongoing nationwide, and laboratory testing is being conducted at the state level while national laboratory capacity is being strengthened.

It explained that Cerebrospinal meningitis is a serious infection of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.

According to NCDC the affliction is most commonly caused by bacteria, particularly Neisseria meningitidis.

“Bacterial meningitis can progress rapidly and may be fatal within hours if untreated.

“However, early diagnosis and prompt antibiotic treatment significantly improve survival and reduce complications. CSM spreads through respiratory droplets during close contact, especially in overcrowded or poorly ventilated environments.”

It said that symptoms to watch out for include sudden high fever, severe headache, and neck stiffness.

It said other symptoms may include: nausea or vomiting, sensitivity to light, confusion or altered consciousness and seizures.

For In infants and young children, NCDC said the symptoms could bulging soft spot on the head.

The Centre said that early recognition and treatment can save lives.


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Report finds the Number of Trojan Banker Attacks on Smartphones Increased by 56% in 2025

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According to a Kaspersky report “Mobile malware evolution,” the number of Trojan banker attacks on Android smartphones increased by 56% in 2025 compared to the previous year*.

This type of malware is designed to steal user credentials for online banking, e-payment services and credit card systems. Cybercriminals commonly distribute Trojan bankers through messaging apps, as well as through malicious webpages.

The number of new Trojan banker installation packages for Android (unique APK files) also increased sharply, reaching 255,090 packages – a 271% increase over 2024. This may indicate that these tools generate substantial profit for cybercriminals.

Kaspersky experts believe threat actors will continue both to expand delivery channels and develop new Trojan variants trying to evade detection by security solutions. Among all detected Trojan bankers, the leading families were Mamont and Creduz.

“Although Trojan bankers for smartphones are the fastest-growing type of malware, we also observed another important trend: preinstalled backdoors such as Triada and Keenadu appeared more frequently compared to previous years. People purchase completely new, but infected, Android devices and may be unaware of the threat.

Once integrated into the firmware fully functional preinstalled backdoors provide attackers with unlimited control over the victims’ smartphones and tablets. As a result, all information on infected devices can be compromised.

It’s quite difficult to remove such malware. If the device is infected, we recommend users check for firmware updates. After the update, run a scan of the device with a security solution again to make sure newly installed firmware is not infected,” comments Anton Kivva, malware analyst team lead at Kaspersky.

 


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