Telecom
Plaqad Launches SocialCred, A Tool To Rank Online Clout
Plaqad, Africa’s leading marketing technology company has launched SocialCred, the continent’s first-ever social media clout ranking app.
The SocialCred works by assigning and summing up points across key metrics such as engagement rate, number of followers, audience sentiment, and number of impressions among others to determine an individual’s social media popularity and influence.
Based on the total points amassed, the individual is then awarded one of ten ranks and a cool badge they can share with their friends and fans on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Whatsapp.
Users are able to rank their social media pages or those of others on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube and also compare two influencers side-by-side to determine the most popular of the two.
Aside from the fun element to the app, SocialCred serves an important function of helping brands assess and select influencers based on the strength of the influencer’s popularity across four of the biggest social media platforms today: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube.
By offering growth and monetization tips, the app also helps influencers, content creators and regular social media users grow their pages, improve audience engagement and better monetize their influence through partnerships with brands.
Gbenga Sogbaike, co-founder & CEO of Plaqad the creators of SocialCred said, “SocialCred takes a fun and exciting approach to rank social media popularity and influence and we are very glad about how quickly it has been accepted by social media users worldwide.
“In its first week, we expect no less than 100,000 people to use the tool and share their badges on social media.
“The app is a product of over three months of high-level product engineering by a team of super-smart and experienced engineers, product developers and expert PR professionals and beside the cool factor, SocialCred provides brands and influencers a transparent and very accurate way to analyse social media influence and prevent fraud which is a major drawback for the influencer marketing industry.” He concluded.
Through its online platform, Plaqad facilitates seamless collaboration between social media influencers, content creators, and owners of media inventories, and brands looking to engage consumers and reach new audiences at scale.
Today, Plaqad, strengthened by a community of over 15,000 influencers, creators, and publishers, has successfully placed over 25,000 pieces of content on social and web platforms across four continents, and directly paid out over 200 million naira ($570,000) on hundreds of campaigns to members, effectively helping its programme members monetize their content, platform and influence.
According to a new report “Martech: 2020 and Beyond” collaboratively produced by BDO, WARC, and the University of Bristol, the global spend on marketing technology is $121.5 billion. This represents a significant share of the global advertising market estimated to be worth US$ 560 billion in 2019 by Statista.
In addition, the Financial Times in a recent post projects the value of the global influencer market — another area where Plaqad features prominently — to reach $15 billion by 2022.
With the covid19 pandemic necessitating prolonged social distancing and lockdown measures across the globe, traditional means of marketing like events, out-of-home and newspapers have suffered setbacks as consumer behaviour continues to change.
Companies like Plaqad which are at the forefront of digital media technology will help marketers, influencers, brands and the government to navigate the new reality.
With social media usage by consumers on a steady rise this period — 61% over normal usage rates according to research firm Kantar — brands are leaning into influencer marketing to deliver relevant and consistent messages that keep their audiences engaged amid the coronavirus crisis and they look up to marketing tech companies like Plaqad to navigate the new normal.
Google has launched its Search Live feature globally to over 200 countries, including Nigeria, where AI Mode is available, enabling voice-and-camera conversations in users’ preferred languages.
Powered by the new multilingual Gemini 3.1 Flash Live model, it delivers natural, real-time interactions via the Google app on Android or iOS—tap the Live icon under the Search bar.
Ideal for hands-free help, users can speak queries for audio replies, follow-ups, or web links. Camera integration adds visual context, like troubleshooting a shelving unit, or pairs with Google Lens for real-world chats.
From the app or Lens, Nigerians can now explore, learn, or solve tasks instantly, boosting everyday productivity worldwide.
Clean and reliable power for telecom networks in Ethiopia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone will be expanded following a $45 million investment by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in IPT PowerTech.
The investment targets countries where limited power supply continues to slow digital connectivity and broader economic participation, the institution stated earlier this week.
To enable this expansion, the IFC is providing a $45 million corporate financing package consisting of an A-loan of $27 million and $18 million in blended finance.
The blended portion is sourced from the Canada-IFC Blended Climate Finance Programme and the IDA20 Private Sector Window Blended Finance Facility.
The initiative marks the IFC’s first direct infrastructure engagement in Liberia in a decade and in Sierra Leone in six years.
It will help scale solar- and battery-based power systems that reduce reliance on diesel and support greener, more resilient telecom networks.
By improving the quality and stability of power to telecom towers, the initiative will strengthen mobile coverage and ensure that households, schools, health centres, and small businesses can depend on consistent digital services, said the IFC.
The funding supports the modernisation, operation, and maintenance of 2 235 telecom sites across the three nations. More than 90% of these are located in off-grid or weak-grid locations.
With new solar and battery systems powering these sites, mobile networks will experience fewer outages and improved service quality.
Optimising the energy mix is estimated to reduce power costs for operators by up to 30% in Liberia, 26% in Sierra Leone, and 52% in Ethiopia.
This transition is also expected to cut emissions by more than 10 624 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Furthermore, the partnership will promote gender inclusion by expanding opportunities for women in technical, operational, and leadership roles within the sector, says the IFC.
This agreement reflects a shared vision for a greener telecom industry and empowers the company to scale its innovative energy platforms, according to Nabil Haddad, CEO of IPT PowerTech Group.
Reliable and affordable power for telecom networks is a cornerstone of Africa’s digital transformation, said Nathalie Kouassi-Akon, IFC regional director for West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea.
Through this partnership, the institution is supporting a scalable, private sector-led solution that enables mobile operators to reach underserved and fragile communities more sustainably, added Kouassi-Akon.
The project advances the World Bank Group and African Development Bank’s Mission 300 initiative, which aims to provide electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030.
Expedier has unveiled “Expedier for Business,” an online pro-banking platform to simplify global payments, multi-currency transactions, and financial operations for expanding companies.
Kingsley Madu
The tool centralizes payments, invoicing, payroll, and treasury into one secure dashboard, tackling challenges like fragmented systems and poor visibility that hinder international scaling.
Kingsley Madu, Co-Founder and CEO of Expedier, said: “African businesses are increasingly global… Expedier for Business was built to simplify how companies manage money across borders while maintaining visibility, control, and compliance.”
Key features include customizable dashboards for payments, invoices, and workflows; support for USD, CAD, GBP, EUR, and more; virtual cards; automated payroll/invoicing; currency swaps; and real-time tracking.
Security measures cover two-factor authentication, KYC/KYB verification, and team access controls.
As cross-border trade and remote work boom in Africa, the platform aids firms dealing with international suppliers, teams, and customers. It is now available for organizations scaling globally.
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