Broadcasting
Post-pandemic World Calls for Empathetic Leadership
By Emmchel Dudu
Usman Okoroigwe has been struggling with unemployment since the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic. Usman worked as a hospitality manager in a popular hotel chain. He had been with the company for over a decade and had worked his way up from an entry-level position to a managerial role. However, when the pandemic hit and travel restrictions were imposed, the hotel industry suffered a severe blow.
As the hotel occupancy plummeted, Usman’s position was declared redundant due to the financial strain the company was experiencing. It was a devastating blow for him, as he had dedicated a significant portion of his career to the hotel industry and built a strong professional network. Usman’s story reflects the harsh reality faced by many individuals who have been struggling with unemployment since the Covid-19 pandemic began. It highlights the long-lasting impact of economic disruptions and the challenges in finding new job opportunities in a rapidly changing job market.
Like other workers who lost their jobs, Usman’s mental health plummeted. A survey was conducted among adults in selected African countries using WhatsApp, Facebook, and emails between April and May 2020, when those countries were under lockdown due to the pandemic. The survey included adult respondents – the majority (27%) were from Nigeria. Almost all Nigerians reported mental health symptoms (89.9%). About half of Nigerians reported feeling anxious (44.9%) or worried (47.1%). Almost a third reported being frustrated (31.7%). A sixth were angry (18.5%), and almost two-thirds (59.2%) reported boredom during the lockdown. In the wake of this unprecedented state of mental health among the workforce, empathetic leadership has become essential to cultivating a workplace culture that acknowledges and supports individual needs, fosters resilience, and boosts overall well-being.
Newmark Group Limited, a pan-African Integrated Marketing and Communications Company, emerged as a shining example of empathetic leadership. When the pandemic necessitated a transition to remote work, the company made a pivotal decision that defined its empathetic approach—it chose to continue paying its employees full salaries when many other companies either slashed their employees’ salaries or retrenched others. This helped the employees feel at ease, ensuring their financial stability and peace of mind. This compassionate act thus laid the foundation for a post-pandemic world where empathy and employee well-being remained the core principles of Newmark’s leadership philosophy.
Embracing Empathy and Inclusive Leadership
The importance of empathy by leaders is further shown in reports carried out between the 2020 pandemic and now. 77% of respondents to a Deloitte survey agreed that empathy is a crucial leadership skill, especially in times of crisis. Additionally, a study by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) found that leaders who demonstrate empathy are viewed as more effective by their employees and have higher levels of engagement and job satisfaction within their teams.
This proves the essence of leaders actively seeking diverse perspectives and ensuring that marginalised voices are heard. This will prioritise the well-being of their employees, as leaders will pay attention to not just their physical safety but also their mental health, work-life balance, and overall well-being. Human-centric leaders understand the power of empathy in driving meaningful connections, fostering inclusivity, and building resilient organizations. By valuing diversity, equality, and inclusion, leaders can tap into the full potential of their teams.
Prioritizing Employee Well-Being:
Creating a work-life balance-friendly environment for leaders to support employee well-being is important. Leaders can establish flexible work schedules, provide resources and assistance for mental health issues, and encourage self-care behaviours. This will foster a healthy workforce by investing in the total well-being of their workforce, which will also increase productivity and creativity.
Empathy and compassion must be at the core of leadership in a post-pandemic world. Putting employee well-being first shows dedication to people’s growth and success and directly affects organisational performance. Empathy should be embraced even by those who are not yet leaders for the benefit of both individuals and the organisation. We should engage in human-centric leadership and create a future marked by compassion, understanding, and growth.
Moving forward, it’s important to recognise the necessity for health and well-being workplace technology disruption. This disruption should go beyond wearable devices and smartphone health-tracking apps. This will create an environment that optimises their health, productivity, and satisfaction. The future of work can be reshaped by embracing these changes that prioritise the holistic well-being of the workforce.
As leaders, employees, and communities, we have the power to create a post-pandemic world where empathy, inclusive leadership, and digital workplace technology converge. Our transformative journey involves combining compassion and innovation to establish human-centric leadership as the norm. This will enable us to achieve new heights of success, well-being, and fulfilment.
MTN Group has begun rolling out MTN One TV, a new entertainment proposition designed to make digital video content more accessible, relevant, and flexible for customers across African markets.
Introduced in line with MTN’s Ambition 2030 strategy, MTN One TV brings together local storytelling, live channels, international programming, and market-specific viewing options tailored to how customers across the continent access and pay for digital entertainment.
The proposition is designed to give customers greater choice in how they watch content, with viewing models that may vary by market and can include free-to-view content, advertising-funded experiences, pay-as-you-watch access, and subscription offerings.
Depending on local availability, customers may also be able to pay through airtime, Mobile Money, and other locally supported payment methods, helping to reduce common barriers to streaming access.
Beyond enhancing customer experiences, MTN One TV creates new opportunities for African creators, broadcasters, advertisers, and ecosystem partners by helping connect content to wider audiences through MTN’s scale across connectivity, payments, and digital services.
By bringing together a broad mix of content experiences under a single proposition, MTN aims to support greater content discovery, broader audience reach, and sustainable growth across Africa’s digital entertainment ecosystem.
Anchored in MTN’s strategic platforms of Connectivity, Fintech, and Digital Infrastructure, MTN One TV forms part of the Group’s broader ambition to build digital experiences that create value for customers while enabling participation and growth across Africa’s digital economy.
“Entertainment is increasingly becoming an important gateway to digital participation,” said Selorm Adadevoh, MTN group chief commercial, strategy and transformation officer.
“Through MTN One TV, we are leveraging the scale of our connectivity, fintech, and digital capabilities to make relevant content more accessible while creating new opportunities for Africa’s creative and digital economies. This is aligned with our ambition to deliver digital solutions for Africa’s progress.”
MTN One TV is being introduced progressively across MTN markets through a phased rollout approach that reflects local market needs, existing services, and partnership opportunities.
Over time, MTN will bring together a combination of video capabilities, content partnerships, and customer experiences under the MTN One TV brand to create a more consistent and scalable entertainment proposition across its footprint.
Through MTN One TV, MTN continues to extend its role beyond connectivity by combining entertainment, payments, and digital services to deliver experiences tailored to the needs of African consumers.
The rollout supports MTN’s Ambition 2030 vision of leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress while expanding access to digital entertainment across the continent.
International Air Transport Association (IATA) has identified Nigeria as one of the most expensive countries in the world for airline operations, citing high taxes, charges and operational costs that continue to weigh heavily on local carriers.
IATA’s Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East, Kamil Al-Awadhi, disclosed this during the association’s Annual General Meeting held in Rio de Janeiro.
Al-Awadhi said that although Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had been pursuing reforms aimed at improving the aviation sector, airlines operating in the country still faced enormous cost pressures.
According to him, the high-cost operating environment has continued to affect the profitability and competitiveness of Nigerian airlines, making it difficult for the industry to realise its full potential.
He noted that excessive taxes, regulatory charges and other operating expenses remained major obstacles to airline growth across the region, with Nigeria ranking among the most challenging markets from a cost perspective.
Al-Awadhi urged member states of the Economic Community of West African States to adopt a proposed 25 per cent reduction in aviation taxes and charges to ease the burden on airlines and passengers.
According to him, lowering taxes and charges would reduce airfares, stimulate passenger traffic and strengthen the competitiveness of carriers operating within West Africa.
He stressed that a more supportive policy environment was critical to unlocking the economic benefits of aviation, including increased trade, tourism and regional integration.
Industry stakeholders have consistently advocated lower taxes and regulatory fees, arguing that the current cost structure makes air travel less affordable and limits the growth of the sector.
IATA’s latest remarks add to calls for governments in West Africa to implement policies that will promote a more sustainable and competitive aviation industry across the region.
Broadcasting
NASENI Trains 50 Women in Kano on Renewable Energy Technologies Under She-Powers Initiative
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), under the leadership of its Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, has trained 50 women in Kano State on inverter and battery technologies through its She-Powers Energy Initiative.
The three-day programme, held at the Technology Incubation Centre, Farm Centre, Kano which ended yesterday, was designed to equip participants with practical renewable energy skills, promote women-led enterprises, and enhance sustainable livelihoods.
The initiative forms part of NASENI’s broader commitment to empowering women, creating economic opportunities, and expanding participation in Nigeria’s growing clean energy sector. It also aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by supporting job creation, entrepreneurship, and inclusive economic development.
Through targeted interventions such as the She-Powers Energy Initiative, NASENI continues to demonstrate its commitment to leveraging technology and innovation to improve lives and drive sustainable development across the country.
Photos: Participants at the She-Powers Energy Initiative training organised by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) held at the the Technology Incubation Centre, Farm Centre, Kano yesterday.
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