News
Obi Ozor, Kobo360 CEO Scoops Two Awards @ All Africa Business Leaders Awards
Obi Ozor, Co-founder and CEO of Kobo360, has been named ‘Young Business Leader of the Year’ and ‘Innovator of the Year’ at the 9th All Africa Business Leaders Awards [AABLA] in partnership with CNBC Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa.
With over six years of logistics and supply chain experience, Obi Ozor, manages all key aspects of Kobo360 including operations, investments, compliance risk management and product growth.
Prior to founding Kobo360, Obi was the Operations Coordinator at Uber Nigeria; his career also saw him work in investment banking at J.P. Morgan. In 2016, Obi left Uber and with his Co-founder Ife Oyedele II, Kobo360 was launched in a bid to disrupt Africa’s $150bn logistics sector through the power of technology. Since then, the team has raised $37.3m in institutional investment from global VCs, as well as build a truly pan-African logistics brand.
Speaking on the double win, Kobo360 co-founder and CEO, Obi Ozor says, “I am extremely honoured to be the recipient of the ‘Young Business Leader’ and ‘Innovator of the Year’ awards, and grateful to CNBC Africa for supporting the Kobo360 narrative over the years as well as bringing Africa stories to Africans and the rest of the world.
“Our story is one which young business leaders can resonate with – turning African problems into African opportunities, for the benefit of the entire continent and its people. However, in the logistics sector, our focus has not been exclusive to one group of people.
Kobo360 is for our drivers, it is for SMEs and it’s also for major businesses who need to move goods. These are groups who have all felt the pain points of the current fragmented logistics sector and we are continuously committed to innovating around their needs.”
Backed by international and African investors, including Goldman Sachs, International Finance Corporation [IFC], Y Combinator and TLcom, Kobo360’s tech-enabled full truckload offering enables the development of an efficient supply chain for end-to-end long-haul freight operations, connecting and supporting cargo owners, truck owners & drivers, and cargo recipients at scale.
To date, the company has moved 500Mkg of goods, aggregated a fleet of over 17,000 drivers and trucks, and services over 600 SMEs and works with over 80 large enterprises such as Dangote Group, DHL, Unilever, Olam, African Industries, Flour Mills of Nigeria, and Lafarge.
With operations in Nigeria, Togo, Ghana and Kenya, the e-logistics company is building a Global Logistics Operating System [G-LOS] that will power trade and commerce across Africa and emerging markets.
Ozor concludes: “Winning this award would not have been possible without the inspiration I have received from my family, my Co-founder Ife Oyedele, the Kobo360 team located across Africa and of course our investors, for whom I have the deepest respect for.
“We will only get better at what we do and remain committed to building a world-class organisation that will drive efficiency, reliability and affordability across the global supply chain ecosystem.”
The AABLA in Partnership with CNBC Africa is an empowerment driven initiative intended to distinguish and uphold the achievements of inspiring corporate front-runners on the African continent.
News
Legit.ng, Shade of Life Foundation Partner to Advance Autism Awareness in Nigeria
Legit.ng recently joined forces with the Shade of Life Foundation to become a voice of autism, and drive advocacy for improved media support during Autism Awareness Month.
Conversations around media support exploration was led by Joseph Omotayo, head of Department for Human Interest Stories at Legit.ng, and Dr. Eziafakaku Nwokolo, founder and CEO of the Shade of Life Foundation,
This partnership is a response to the concerns raised by organizations like the Shade of Life Foundation about the level of support received from the media in discussing autism as a disability.
While other disabilities may receive attention, autism, with its critical developmental implications often lacks adequate representation in mainstream media.
Recognizing the importance of addressing these concerns, Legit.ng took proactive steps by integrating itself into the essence of autism awareness.
It facilitated a one-hour workshop with Dr. Nwokolo, the founder of the foundation, to deepen our understanding of autism, its various spectrums, and the language boundaries associated with it.
Other steps we took in advocating autism awareness in the media, can be seen in our attached press release.
Legit.ng believes that by amplifying the voices of autism and advocating for better media representation, we can contribute to creating a more inclusive and accepting society for all.
News
As Nigeria Struggle, Tanzania Turns off Power Plants Due to Excess Supply
While 85 per cent of Nigeria is in darkness, Tanzania, an African country has shut down five hydroelectric stations in a bid to reduce excess electricity in the national grid.
Kassim Majaliwa, prime minister, Tanzania, has said the main plant, Mwalimu Nyerere Hydroelectric Station, alone generated enough electricity to power major cities, including Dar es Salaam, the country’s commercial hub.
It is the first time Tanzania, which suffers chronic power shortages, has closed hydroelectric stations due to excess production.
“We have turned off all these stations because the demand is low and the electricity production is too much, we have no allocation now,” an official from state-run power company, Tanesco, said.
The 2,115MW Julius Nyerere Hydropower Dam is said to be almost filled with water following heavy rains that started early this year.
Meanwhile, while the country has an installed capacity of 1,938MW and the grid installed capacity of 1,899MW, Nigeria which has an installed capacity of 13,000MW is struggling to electrify 85 per cent of its electricity consumers.
News
President Tinubu Appoints Jim Ovia as Student Loan Fund Chairman
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Jim Ovia, renowned banker and businessman, as the Chairman, Board of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
Ovia’s appointment is contained in a State House statement titled, ‘President Tinubu appoints Jim Ovia as Chairman of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund,’ and issued on Friday by Ajuri Ngelale, special adviser to the President, Media & Publicity.
The statement noted that “Ovia is the founder of one of Nigeria’s leading banks and a respected business leader, with a surfeit of efforts and benefaction towards nurturing and empowering young Nigerians.
“He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Louisiana.”
The National Student Loan Programme is a pivotal intervention that seeks to guarantee sustainable higher education and functional skill development for all Nigerian students and youths.
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund, the implementing institution of this innovation, demands excellence and Nigerians of the finest professional ilk to guide and manage.
“The President believes Mr. Ovia will bring his immense wealth of experience and professional stature to this role to advance the all-important vision of ensuring that no Nigerian student suffers a capricious end to their pursuit of higher education over a lack of funds,” the statement partly read.
Ovia’s appointment will also ensure “that Nigerian youths, irrespective of who they are, have access to higher education and skills that will make them productive members of society and core contributors to the knowledge-based global economy of this century.”
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