Telecom
Etisalat Partners Brimass on Leadership Seminar for SMEs
Etisalat in partnership with Brimass Limited hosted a section of entrepreneurs, executives, business owners and other decision makers to an interactive leadership seminar with Leadership Expert and Business Coach, Mr. Brian Tracy.
According to the company, ‘this is a way of reiterating its support for the growth of emerging businesses as well as providing businesses with the right platform to communicate ideas and grow their business enterprise’.
The event tagged, “The Remarkable Leaders’ Conclave with Brian Tracy” with the theme The Making of Innovative Leaders: Winning Leadership Strategies for Building World Class Organizations and Societies, was designed to expose delegates to Tracy’s best productivity secrets to help them maximize their leadership positions and ultimately produce excellent results in their businesses and other spheres of life.
The three part seminar which started with the Entrepreneurs’ Breakfast Conclave, followed by the Executives’ Lunch Conclave and climaxed with an exclusive Executives’ Dinner, delivered tips and keys for growing a successful business as well as the role of management in building effective leaders.
During his teaching on the seven responsibilities of a leader, the top selling author of over 45 books said that an effective leader is one who can provide customer satisfaction and this can happen by offering innovative products and services.
He added that businesses should continually seek better ways to acquire and keep their customers.
Reputed for its role in bringing innovative offerings in the telecommunications sector in the country, Bidemi Ladipo, Etisalat Nigeria’s head, Business Segment, said the platform was one of many ways Etisalat is showing its commitment to the growth of small and medium scaled businesses who require necessary information to succeed in their various industries.
“As a company we pride ourselves in innovation and building businesses, an attribute similar to Brian Tracy. We have created a number of products that address the communication needs of these emerging businesses of note is the Easybusiness, a pre-paid package which gives business owners and their customers and partners an effective communication experience at cost effective rates”.
Speaking further, Ladipo said that Etisalat in partnership with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) organizes a quarterly business networking meeting known as Market Access which has held in major cities in Nigeria.
“We also are involved in the Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) together with the Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan-Atlantic University, the world’s largest celebration of innovators and job creators. As the fourth entrant to the Nigerian telecoms market, we have grown, accruing over 15 million subscribers in just about five years in operation so we are passionate about connecting entrepreneurs, small and medium scaled with businesses with the resources they need to grow and succeed”, he said.
Commenting on the workshop, Stephen Ojji, chief operating officer of Brimass Limited, said the essence of bringing Brian Tracy was to create sustainable change in leadership and innovation in doing business especially for SMEs as well as senior management and executives of different organizations. He said the company decided to take the event to a larger scale due to sponsorship from business minded companies like Etisalat who gave them the required mileage that made the event a success.
Starbase Technologies has launched Yolly, a new social entertainment platform designed to reward users for watching, streaming and creating content while promoting wholesome digital engagement.
Starbase Technologies
The company said the platform was developed to redefine participation in the digital economy by enabling viewers, creators and brands to earn value from meaningful online interactions.
According to Starbase Technologies, Yolly introduces a reward system powered by Stars, its native digital rewards currency, which users accumulate through activities such as watching videos, live streaming and creating content.
The company said the initiative was built on the belief that everyone contributing to the digital ecosystem should have the opportunity to benefit from the value they help generate.
Unlike conventional social media platforms where monetisation is often restricted to creators with large followings, Yolly allows creators to begin earning from their first stream without meeting follower thresholds.
The platform also provides emerging creators with features including gifting, Boosts and a Founder Creator badge to help them grow their communities from the outset.
Viewers are also eligible to earn Stars through the platform’s Watch+ feature, which rewards users for watching content from their first session.
For brands, the company said Yolly offers an alternative to traditional impression-based advertising by providing verified engagement metrics, real-time performance dashboards and brand safety controls to improve campaign measurement and audience interaction.
Speaking on the launch, the Head of Business at Yolly, Emeka Okenwa, said the platform was designed to create a more inclusive and rewarding creator economy.
He said the rewards ecosystem prioritises wholesome content and genuine community engagement rather than content driven solely by algorithms or viral trends.
“The platform has been developed on the premise that the future of the creator economy should be more inclusive, more rewarding and built around genuine communities rather than algorithms alone,” Okenwa said.
He added that Yolly was created to encourage family-friendly content while providing viewers, creators and brands with a trusted environment to connect, create and grow.
According to the company, the platform features content across entertainment, sports, lifestyle, education, technology and live events.
Starbase Technologies said the launch forms part of its broader vision of connecting creators and innovators through technology solutions that expand opportunities within the global digital economy.
Mcebisi Jonas, Chairman of MTN Group, has called on African leaders and businesses to deepen regional cooperation, warning that no country on the continent can achieve lasting prosperity in isolation.
Mcebisi Jonas, Chairman of MTN Group
Jonas made the call during the MTN Y’ello Chair event held on Aug. 2, where he urged Africa’s largest economies to work together to unlock the continent’s economic potential.
He said the fortunes of businesses operating across Africa were closely linked to the continent’s overall economic performance.
“Our fortunes as MTN are intertwined with the fortunes of the continent. If the continent goes down, we go down. If the continent is lifted up, we also are lifted up,” he said.
According to him, corporate success cannot be sustained where regional economies remain weak or fragmented.
Jonas cautioned major African economies, particularly Nigeria and South Africa, against adopting inward-looking economic policies, stressing that their long-term prosperity depends on stronger collaboration with neighbouring countries.
“If the continent is to be propelled beyond where it is, trade between South Africa and Nigeria must improve.
“If the big economies of the continent are not working together, are not aligned in terms of agenda and are not trading with each other, then you have a problem,” he said.
He advocated the creation of a pragmatic coalition of Africa’s leading economies, comparable to the Group of Seven (G7), to coordinate economic priorities, strengthen regional integration and accelerate development across the continent.
Jonas also called for increased investment in cross-border infrastructure, including energy, transport, logistics and financial systems, to facilitate trade and improve economic resilience.
According to him, Africa’s long-term growth will depend on its ability to function as a cohesive and interconnected economic bloc.
Recent trade figures indicate growing commercial activity within the continent.
According to the African Trade Report 2025 published by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), intra-African trade increased by 12.4 per cent to 220.3 billion dollars in 2024.
The report showed that South Africa remained the continent’s largest intra-African trading nation with 42.14 billion dollars in trade, while Nigeria’s intra-African trade rose significantly to 18.43 billion dollars, from 8.1 billion dollars recorded in the previous year.
Despite the progress, Jonas noted that regulatory bottlenecks, infrastructure deficits and other cross-border barriers continued to limit the full potential of trade among African countries.
He urged governments to pursue policies that encourage greater regional integration, describing continental cooperation as essential for sustainable economic development.
Court filings in multiple legal disputes arising from the 2023 acquisition of Pan African Towers have raised questions about corporate governance, board oversight and executive independence, with the company’s Board Chairman, Adefolarin Ogunsanya, featuring prominently in the proceedings.
The disputes, currently before Nigerian courts, stem from the acquisition of Pan African Towers by Development Partners International (DPI), Verod Capital Growth Fund III LP and African Development Partners International LLP.
According to documents filed before the Federal High Court, former Chief Executive Officer of Pan African Towers, Azeez Amida, played a central role in identifying and engaging prospective investors after the company’s shareholders decided to sell the business.
The filings stated that negotiations led by Amida culminated in the acquisition, which was later recognised as the African Deal of the Year.
However, less than three years after the transaction, the acquisition has become the subject of three separate court cases challenging aspects of its governance and implementation.
According to the court filings, a proposed Management Incentive Plan (MIP) formed part of the negotiations leading to the acquisition.
Amida alleged that he informed prospective investors that management would retain a minimum five per cent equity stake following the acquisition, an arrangement he said distinguished the successful consortium from competing bidders.
The pleadings further alleged that the consortium accepted the proposal through the MIP and related term sheets.
Among the exhibits before the court is an email attributed to Ogunsanya forwarding a document titled “PAT – MIP analysis.xlsx,” described as an analysis of the proposed incentive scheme.
According to the claimant, the proposed equity participation could have generated returns exceeding 30 million U.S. dollars, but the arrangement was allegedly not implemented after the acquisition.
He is consequently seeking damages exceeding 30 million dollars in a separate action before the Federal High Court.
The filings further alleged that governance dynamics changed significantly after the acquisition, with shareholder representatives and board members becoming increasingly involved in operational matters ordinarily handled by executive management.
The defence claimed that disagreements arose over procurement processes and commercial negotiations, including sourcing decisions involving companies in which some directors allegedly had interests.
The filings identify Ogunsanya as one of the directors involved in those discussions.
The allegations remain disputed and are yet to be determined by the court.
Another issue raised in the defence concerns the company’s financial approval procedures.
According to the filings, following the appointment of a new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Amida deliberately withdrew from final expenditure approvals because of governance concerns.
The defence maintained that expenditures subsequently challenged in the litigation were processed through the company’s established approval procedures, involving reviews by relevant departments and final authorisation by the CFO.
It also argued that the CFO responsible for the approvals remains employed by the company and has since been promoted.
The defence further contended that the disputed hospitality, investor engagement and related business expenses passed through internal approval processes and were reflected in the company’s audited financial statements before becoming the subject of litigation.
Internal emails, approval workflows, WhatsApp communications and financial records have been listed among the evidence expected to be presented during the trial.
The court filings also noted that Ogunsanya participated in negotiations surrounding the Management Incentive Plan, signed an October 2024 query issued to Amida before a Mutual Separation Agreement and later declined a request for an amicable settlement in a separate matter before the National Industrial Court.
Amida further alleged that a subsequent Federal High Court action instituted by Pan African Towers was retaliatory and intended to exert pressure in connection with his earlier legal action against DPI, Verod and other parties involved in the acquisition.
The allegations remain contested, and the parties are expected to present their respective cases before the courts.
As of the time covered by the filings, the defendants had not filed substantive defences to some of the claims referenced by the claimant.
The matters remain pending before the courts, and no judicial determination has yet been made on the merits of the allegations.
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