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We are pleased to introduce Frenzzy, the innovative one stop shop for communication, interaction and fun-sharing between Nigerian University students.

Frenzzy is a new way for university students to meet, connect, share, learn and chat.

Frenzzy offers a platform and opportunity for university students to relate, converse and share useful information. Frenzzy allows students to share idle chit-chat, trending topics in their respective schools, and also mutually beneficial academic information.

Th platform is truly innovative and seeks to cater to the dearth in adequate information and cooperation between universities and their students.

We want to create a platform where sharing, learning, connecting is made easy. Signup Today

Join the growing Community of Naija University Students http://frenzzy.net/ Connect, Chat & Collaborate. Connect, CHAT and Collaborate with students from other universities. SPREAD THE WORLD

We are pleased to introduce Frenzzy, the innovative one stop shop for communication, interaction and fun-sharing between Nigerian University students.

Frenzzy is a new way for university students to meet, connect, share, learn and chat.

Frenzzy offers a platform and opportunity for university students to relate, converse and share useful information. Frenzzy allows students to share idle chit-chat, trending topics in their respective schools, and also mutually beneficial academic information.

Th platform is truly innovative and seeks to cater to the dearth in adequate information and cooperation between universities and their students.

We want to create a platform where sharing, learning, connecting is made easy. Signup Today

Join the growing Community of Naija University Students http://frenzzy.net/ Connect, Chat & Collaborate. Connect, CHAT and Collaborate with students from other universities. SPREAD THE WORLD

We are pleased to introduce Frenzzy, the innovative one stop shop for communication, interaction and fun-sharing between Nigerian University students.

Frenzzy is a new way for university students to meet, connect, share, learn and chat.

Frenzzy offers a platform and opportunity for university students to relate, converse and share useful information. Frenzzy allows students to share idle chit-chat, trending topics in their respective schools, and also mutually beneficial academic information.

Th platform is truly innovative and seeks to cater to the dearth in adequate information and cooperation between universities and their students.

We want to create a platform where sharing, learning, connecting is made easy. Signup Today

Wow! Hackers always one step ahead

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You can never get this from MTN. MTN is the worst network #myOpinion

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They are good and customer friendly too.

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wow this should be a good case for any lawyer i think.

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InMobi survey reveals consumer engagement opportunities for Nigerian cellular networks
Independent mobile ad network surveys over 1600 Nigerians to gain insight into mobile behaviour

Global mobile ad network, InMobi, this week released insights on Nigerian mobile phone consumers andhow they engage online when using their phones. The results were based on a survey of over 1600 respondents with an equal ratio of men and women across Nigeria. The majority of respondents were between the ages of 20 to 34, with representation from the 15 to 19 and over 35 age groups.

When comparing prepaid customers to those who pay later, the survey found that customers who pay later are 14% more active across entertainment, news, games, sports and classifieds when surfing on their phones. Prepaid customers, however, were 4% more active on social media while postpaid customers were significantly more active when surfing for finance (27%) and shopping (29%).

“The prevalence of use amongst the surf now, pay later customers could be attributed to higher financial security, and also the fact that these customers may have better phones. The opportunity to reach these customers through innovative mobile advertising is ripe,” says Moses Kemibaro, Sales Director for InMobi Africa.

Two thirds of Nigerians are currently actively downloading apps through their mobile phones, and while the number of apps being downloaded is still relatively small, as the environment continues to change and grow so will the quality and frequency of these apps. When asked what content they would most likely pay for, social apps topped the bar with 39%. This was followed closely by music with 35%, games with 33% and other apps from stores at 28%.

Mobile usage differs by gender, as women tend to talk and text more than their male counterparts and are also 7% more active on social media. Men, however, surf the web more from their mobile phones and download more games (9%) and apps (7%) than women.

“The convergence of mobile and payments and the introduction of mobile wallets and banking apps also means that consumers are increasingly reliant on their phones as a payment tool, with mobile devices scoring 51% as an important method of paying bills and recharging as opposed to 16% on a PC. Knowing how consumers are engaging means that products and offerings can be tailor made to a specific consumer market to maximise market opportunities,” said Kemibaro.

InMobi’s intelligent insight, conducted by consumer insights experts Decision Fuel, looks to provide agencies, publishers and advertisers with the latest, cutting-edge research on media consumption habits of consumers on mobile devicesand thereby contributing value to the mobile ecosystem in delivering the best mobile products for its partners and customers.



About InMobi
InMobi is the largest independent mobile advertising network. With offices on five continents InMobi provides advertisers, publishers and developers with a uniquely global solution for advertising. The network is growing and now delivers the unprecedented ability to reach 485 Million consumers, in over 165 countries, through more than 93.4 Billion mobile ad impressions monthly. The recent acquisition of Sprout, a leading HTML5 authoring platform for mobile rich media, helps expand the InMobi offering to creative agencies and brands.
InMobi is venture-backed by investors including: SoftBank, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sherpalo Ventures. The company has offices in Bangalore, Johannesburg, London, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Singapore and Tokyo.
To learn more, please visit www.inmobi.com/research, follow us on Twitter @InMobi, or read our blog atwww.inmobi.com/inmobiblog/

He is too old to even play.

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InMobi survey reveals consumer engagement opportunities for Nigerian cellular networks
Independent mobile ad network surveys over 1600 Nigerians to gain insight into mobile behaviour

Global mobile ad network, InMobi, this week released insights on Nigerian mobile phone consumers andhow they engage online when using their phones. The results were based on a survey of over 1600 respondents with an equal ratio of men and women across Nigeria. The majority of respondents were between the ages of 20 to 34, with representation from the 15 to 19 and over 35 age groups.

When comparing prepaid customers to those who pay later, the survey found that customers who pay later are 14% more active across entertainment, news, games, sports and classifieds when surfing on their phones. Prepaid customers, however, were 4% more active on social media while postpaid customers were significantly more active when surfing for finance (27%) and shopping (29%).

“The prevalence of use amongst the surf now, pay later customers could be attributed to higher financial security, and also the fact that these customers may have better phones. The opportunity to reach these customers through innovative mobile advertising is ripe,” says Moses Kemibaro, Sales Director for InMobi Africa.

Two thirds of Nigerians are currently actively downloading apps through their mobile phones, and while the number of apps being downloaded is still relatively small, as the environment continues to change and grow so will the quality and frequency of these apps. When asked what content they would most likely pay for, social apps topped the bar with 39%. This was followed closely by music with 35%, games with 33% and other apps from stores at 28%.

Mobile usage differs by gender, as women tend to talk and text more than their male counterparts and are also 7% more active on social media. Men, however, surf the web more from their mobile phones and download more games (9%) and apps (7%) than women.

“The convergence of mobile and payments and the introduction of mobile wallets and banking apps also means that consumers are increasingly reliant on their phones as a payment tool, with mobile devices scoring 51% as an important method of paying bills and recharging as opposed to 16% on a PC. Knowing how consumers are engaging means that products and offerings can be tailor made to a specific consumer market to maximise market opportunities,” said Kemibaro.

InMobi’s intelligent insight, conducted by consumer insights experts Decision Fuel, looks to provide agencies, publishers and advertisers with the latest, cutting-edge research on media consumption habits of consumers on mobile devicesand thereby contributing value to the mobile ecosystem in delivering the best mobile products for its partners and customers.



About InMobi
InMobi is the largest independent mobile advertising network. With offices on five continents InMobi provides advertisers, publishers and developers with a uniquely global solution for advertising. The network is growing and now delivers the unprecedented ability to reach 485 Million consumers, in over 165 countries, through more than 93.4 Billion mobile ad impressions monthly. The recent acquisition of Sprout, a leading HTML5 authoring platform for mobile rich media, helps expand the InMobi offering to creative agencies and brands.
InMobi is venture-backed by investors including: SoftBank, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sherpalo Ventures. The company has offices in Bangalore, Johannesburg, London, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Singapore and Tokyo.
To learn more, please visit www.inmobi.com/research, follow us on Twitter @InMobi, or read our blog atwww.inmobi.com/inmobiblog/.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has confirmed that flights to and from West Africa’s most populous city, Lagos, will commence from July 1, 2012.

The direct flights will link Abu Dhabi and Lagos six times a week and will be operated by a two class A330-200 aircraft with 22 Pearl Business class and 240 Coral Economy seats.

Lagos becomes the 83rd destination in Etihad Airways’ global network and the return flights will create a new link between Nigeria, Africa’s third largest economy, and the United Arab Emirates.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “The launch of services to Lagos is consistent with our strategy of targeting areas of strong growth in emerging markets. The United Arab Emirates is a major trade partner of Nigeria, which has a population of more than 150 million people, the largest in Africa and the seventh biggest in the world.”

The Lagos schedule will provide seamless connections over Abu Dhabi to key North and Southeast Asian destinations and markets in the Indian Subcontinent and Australia.

Mr Hogan noted, “Nigeria is also enjoying strong economic growth driven by significant foreign investment, particularly from China, which means there is increasing demand for travel between Lagos and other emerging economies.”

Following the launch of services to the Seychelles in November 2011, Tripoli and Nairobi in January and April 2012, the addition of Nigeria marks another milestone in Etihad Airways’ expansion plans in Africa.

The flight schedule is made up of early morning and late morning flights to Abu Dhabi, six times a week on the A330-200 with its 22 Pearl Business Class and 240 Coral Economy Class configuration.



FLIGHT

DEPARTS

TIME

ARRIVES

TIME

FREQUENCY

EY671

Abu Dhabi

10.00am

Lagos

2.45pm

Monday, Tuesday & Saturday

EY672

Lagos

8.00pm

Abu Dhabi

6.55am

Monday, Tuesday & Saturday

EY673

Abu Dhabi

2.25am

Lagos

7.10am

Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday

EY674

Lagos

9.05am

Abu Dhabi

8.00pm

Wednesday, Friday and Sunday

Philips Electronics is currently undertaking its third pan-African Cairo to Cape Town road show (from 14th May to 16th August, 2012) to raise awareness on how healthcare and lighting solutions can enhance life in Africa.

The road show is visiting Nigeria for the second time and will make a stop in Lagos from 15th – 20th June 2012. Last year the road show had halted in Abuja.

Philips has been active in Africa for over a century, and has committed to an aggressive multiyear investment plan to significantly increase its business footprint in the coming years based upon locally relevant products and innovations that address the needs of the growing African population.

“We are committed to building a long-term sustainable business footprint in Africa”, states Ronald de Jong, Executive Vice President and Chief Market Leader at Philips. “Growth in sub-Saharan Africa is projected to be around 6% in 2012[1] and our ambition is to gain a strong presence in this continent by building on local talent and organizations, setting up distribution and route to market and above all, by developing solutions and innovations which are relevant for the local needs.”

In 2010 Philips organized the first Cairo to Cape Town road show. The 2012 version covers 12,000 kilometers across eleven countries and seventeen cities across the continent. During the road show the Philips team will showcase its new innovations and continue to engage with customers, governments, NGOs and media on topics relating to key challenges facing Africa today: Mother and Child Care, Women’s Healthcare, energy efficient LED and solar lighting solutions and clinical education and training.

Woman and Child Care focus supporting Millennium Development Goals

The road show continues to build on Mother and Child Care and Women’s Healthcare, supporting the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Goals 4 and 5 aimed at reducing child mortality rates and improving maternal health. Philips provides a broad range of ultrasound, monitoring, clinical informatics and patient care solutions needed to care for mothers and children: from pregnancy, labor and delivery, to postnatal, neonatal and pediatric care, and the transition to home.

Clinical education strengthens success of the road show

Philips is delivering customized training modules around Mother and Child Care in all markets during the road show. “Education is really key, and that’s why we have a strong emphasis on clinical training throughout this road show”, says JJ van Dongen, Vice President and CEO Philips Africa. “It’s one thing having the equipment, but we are also committed to enabling clinicians to use it, through dedicated clinical education. While we work to develop the most intuitive systems possible, clinicians may still require tools that will help them better interpret fetal heart traces for example.”

Philips LED lighting offering key benefits to Africa

During the road show Philips also highlights the benefits of LED lighting, which offers solutions to some of the key issues and opportunities Africa faces today: energy efficiency, climate change, resource scarcity, safety in cities, productivity in offices, and an enhanced sense of health and well-being. New LED technology, when combined with the latest solar and battery developments, can also provide good quality practical light for rural areas where more than 500 million Africans currently live without electricity. Philips will be promoting its new solar powered LED Street and Area lighting solutions which offer cost effective and reliable illumination. A Pan-African soccer tour under solar-powered LED floodlights is also planned to highlight these developments.

“We have already been in Africa for many years and have a strong installed base of our equipment, but we strongly acknowledge the benefits of dialogue during this road show and the need for our company to listen to the local market and understand how we can adapt our products to better serve this continent”, Ronald de Jong summarized.

The road show kicked-off in Cairo on 14th May and ends in South Africa on 16th August.

For more information please follow the Cairo to Cape Town roadshow on: www.philips.com/africaroadshow

BATN Foundation, an independent charitable organisation, and Solar Jooce, a social enterprise recently signed a collaboration agreement to train rural women inOyoState in the assembly and repair of basic solar powered lighting and phone charging appliances. The signing ceremony was presided over by Mr. Gbenga Ibikunle (Executive Director, BATN Foundation) and Mr. Dave Agbakoba (CEO, Solar Jooce).

The objective of the pilot is to train an initial 20 rural ladies in a trade which they can turn into micro businesses, as well as provide their communities with an alternative to dangerous and expensive fossil fuelled lighting such as kerosene lanterns.

According to Mr. Agbakoba: “Of the world’s 1.6 billion people living without electricity, 80% live in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Solar Jooce women’s empowerment initiative is therefore a small step in the daunting task of providing a clean, alternative source of electricity, alleviating poverty, and providing opportunities for rural families in Nigeria”.

The training workshop will span five weeks (June 11 – July 17, 2012), and will cover four Local Government Areas in Oyo state – Itesiwaju, Kajola, Oyo West, and Iseyin – before moving on to other states in Nigeria.

The Bishop of Ajayi Crowther Diocese, Bishop O. O. Oduntan is the co-ordinator of the Oyo state pilot, identifying areas that have little or no electricity and helping in the selection of trainee rural women solar technicians.



About BATN Foundation

The BATN Foundation (BATNF) is an independent charitable organisation incorporated in Nigeria in November 2002 as a Company Limited by Guarantee. Its vision is to improve the quality of life of citizens in rural and urban areas of Nigeria.

In order to achieve its mission, the BATNF focuses on empowerment through sustainable poverty alleviation, agricultural development, potable water, environmental protection, and vocational skills acquisition.

Within seven years of its establishment, the Foundation has made giant strides in its support of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), completing 80 projects in 36 states ofNigeria, exclusive of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). By the end of 2011 the number of completed projects had risen to 108.

BATNF was nominated twice for the Africa Investors Award in 2005 and 2006 respectively. It was also nominated for the finals of the Consultative Group on the International Agricultural Research’s Innovation Marketplace competition Civil Society Organisation in December 2006. In 2010 BATN Foundation won the Best Company in CSR award at the 4th Lagos Enterprise Award.

The Foundation is given policy direction and supervision by a board of trustees and a Technical committee. The board is chaired by Dr. Christopher Kolade (CON), notable industrialist, former Nigeria High Commissioner to the UK and also chairman of Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Program (SURE) of the Federal Government of Nigeria.



About Solar Jooce

Established in February 2008, Solar Jooce is a social enterprise, dedicated to improving the quality of life of rural communities in Nigeria that have little or no access to electricity.

At the heart of Solar Jooce’s work is the “Solar-for-the-Masses” campaign, whose objective is to ensure that rural communities all overNigeria have access to at least one basic form of a solar appliance. DuringNigeria’s 50thIndependence anniversary (October 2010), Solar Jooce was mentioned in CNN’s iReport as a key propagator of solar in rural areas.

During phase 1 of Solar-for-the-Masses, Solar Jooce created massive awareness for the use and benefits of solar applications by donating a combined solar lantern & phone charging unit to one rural community in each ofNigeria’s 36 states. The non-stop road expedition across the entire country was accomplished in 17 days.

Phase 2 of Solar-for-the-Masses is a long-term capacity building scheme that trains rural women in the assembly and troubleshooting of solar applications so that they start their own small solar trade, become economically independent, and also light up and power their communities. The first pilot starts in June 2012, in Oyo state.

All of Solar Jooce’s activities focus on each of the eight United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially eradicating extreme poverty, achieving education, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, empowering women, ensuring environmental sustainability, and partnering with other organisations to ensure development.

A debate on what industry is most important to sustained growth in Africa can easily be won when you bring up Travel and Tourism. Africa may be rich in oil in some parts, and minerals in others, but it is rich in beauty in all places and is increasingly attracting domestic and international tourists.

It has been mentioned many times that in Africa the majority of the population access the Internet using their mobile phones as there is a huge lack of fixed line Internet connectivity and reliable electricity sources. In most first World countries, accessing the Internet via a mobile device has overtaken accessing it via a Desktop computer, in addition most of these market are using Smartphones and are very comfortable using Mobile Apps.

These are some of the reasons why mobile has dramatically altered travel, whether it is pre-trip planning or location aware information. Mobile has transformed every phase of the travel process and as a result has created new marketing opportunities for astute travel and tourism organisations.

If you walk around your village, or city, you see tourists taking pictures with their mobile devices all the time. They then share the picture, influencing friends, and then maybe they search for a place to have lunch, or an activity to do for the afternoon. This creates a touch point for marketers, and opens up avenues for incremental revenue after the big elements of a trip are booked.

The best way to reach domestic tourists is through a simple mobile website or a USSD interface, for the growing segment of Smartphone users and International tourists though, the mobile website or App needs to be feature rich. Payment is another important consideration; African organisations may default to implementing a mobile money solution, however credit card and PayPal is still the preferred method of payment for International visitors.

Here are some best practices for mobile marketing to the Travel and Tourism sector:
• Search engine optimization (SEO) for your mobile website is very important, the chance of a user going to the second page of results on a mobile device is even less than on a computer.
• Embrace location based services, they will allow you to pin point your potential consumers.
• Use Mobile Banner Advertising to build brand recognition and knowledge, as well as generate leads.
• Facilitate social networking and sharing, it is the most cost effective marketing tactic you have available, and the influence friends have on each other is massive.
• Look for innovative and fun ways of engaging visitors, for example create a mobile game, or allow consumers to subscribe to monthly wildlife wallpapers, global once-off and subscription payments that are added to a users mobile phone bill are easily facilitated through products such as InMobi SmartPay.

Visa expands its market presence to accommodate growing payments infrastructure

Visa, the world’s leading payments network, announced today that its client financial institutions in Nigeria have surpassed 5 million cards in market.

Visa celebrates this achievement as Nigeria’s banking sector moves towards its goal to replace costly inefficient forms of payment with more efficient, secure, convenient and reliable ways to pay and be paid. Year on year transaction volume on Visa cards in Nigeria has grown 70%.

The drive to make Lagos a cashless economy means that the adoption of card technology is growing at a rapid pace. While the number of cardholders is growing steadily, the number of places available to use these cards is also growing to meet increasing demand from the Nigerian consumer.

“Visa is ramping up local in-market presence to support growth in Nigeria and the push towards electronic payments. We are committed to providing the right in-market support to ensure we are fully catering to the needs of our local partners,” said Ade Ashaye, Country Manager for Visa West Africa.

The past year saw a 75% increase in usage of Visa cards at the point-of-sale in Nigeria. Introducing product features such as chip and PIN in Nigeria is part of Visa’s strategy to provide consumers with more secure ways to make electronic payments. “By employing more people on the ground and investing in local talent, we are playing our part in building capacity within Nigeria. We are also positioned to help merchants to understand the value of card acceptance and keep up with this increase in point-of-sale usage,” added Ashaye.

Innovation is key to Visa’s growth, and through investments in mobile technology, Visa provides the underlying platform for a number of the licensed mobile money operators in Nigeria. Visa plans to introduce in the latest mobile money features in Nigeria to ensure local mobile money customers can participate in the newest payments ecosystem.

Electronic payments are critical to development of a strong, modern economy. Visa products can promote transparency and accountability, reduce transaction costs and decrease the size of the gray or informal economy, all of which helps to stimulate economic growth and employment. A growing acceptance infrastructure also gives merchants access to millions of consumers worldwide, guarantees payment for goods and services, and enhances the point-of-sale experience for their customers.

The stability of a banking system grows with each new consumer achieving financial inclusion. This in turn has a positive and lasting effect on the economy, social reform and government efficiency. “By driving both card acceptance and card issuance through our partner banks, we hope to underpin Nigeria’s efforts to achieve these goals,” concluded Ashaye.

Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark this year’s (On the 26th of April, 2012, ) World Intellectual Property (WIP) day with a theme focusing on ‘Visionary Innovators’. Stakeholders as well as concerned members of the public gathered in different places on the day and before, to discuss and condemn IP theft and emphasize the need for intellectual property protection.

Each year on April 26, the World Intellectual Property Day calls attention to the need to protect the copyrights, trademarks and patents that give creators the ownership of their works and provide the incentive to produce the innovations that move society forward.

The World Intellectual Property Day has been held each year since 2001 by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a U.N. agency based in Geneva and this year’s event focused on “Visionary Innovators” – original thinkers whose creations have made a lasting impact on the world.

At a roundtable conference put together by Hewlett Packard (HP), stakeholders called on the Federal Government and other regulatory bodies to foster anti-counterfeiting measures so as to harness the benefits of Intellectual Property for economic, social and cultural development. They urged the Federal Government to protect the nation’s IP through enacting legislation to ensure stiffer penalties are meted out to copyright and other IP violators.

In a document made available at the event, HP said, “Innovation and creativity are not confined to the arts or sciences, however; they are also present in business. Global demand for patents rose from 800,000 applications in the early 1980s to 1.8 million in 2009, showing how important intellectual property has become to business.”

“Nowhere is this more evident than in the information and communications technology field, where a company’s ability to compete – and the livelihood of the thousands of people it employs – literally depends on its ability to create new products and services and to protect its ownership of the same.”

The document states that, “HP, for example, is one of the biggest owners of intellectual property, with a portfolio of over 37,000 patents. Many of these are held by HP’s Printing and Personal Systems Group (PPS), which manufactures not just printers and scanners but the ink and toner to supply them. Propriety HP toner and ink cartridge technology, backed by decades of research and development, has achieved an excellent reputation for quality that counterfeiters try to exploit with inferior versions camouflaged in fake packaging.”

HP’s anti-counterfeit program fights counterfeit supplies, which defraud customers with a low-quality product. In Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) the market for printing supplies is nearly 30 billion Euros.

“Printing supplies are just one example of a growing international trade in counterfeit merchandise with serious implications for the world economy. A 2011 study by Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) put the total annual value of all counterfeit merchandise worldwide at nearly US$800 billion and predicted it could reach US$1.7 trillion by 2015,” the document reads further.

While law enforcement plays a big role in protecting intellectual property, the decision to protect it ultimately lies with consumers, to whom it may seem a vague, academic notion. The fact is intellectual property is all around us in the form of products which make our lives more enjoyable: medicines, software programs, books and music. However, consumers don’t always grasp the idea that these products are the creations of individuals whose rights should be respected.

A 2009 report by BASCAP regarding consumer attitudes on counterfeiting in 40 countries around the world said it was “a widely tolerated and unspoken social plague.”

Conclusively, the next time you have the chance to illegally download a movie or purchase a counterfeit printing cartridge or other technology, please think twice. You may not only be taking away the legitimate rights of a designer, artist, composer or inventor who created it, but also endangering the livelihood of the people who manufacture the real thing.

Though this year’s IP day has come and gone; government agencies such as the Nigerian Copyrights Commission, the Consumer Protection Council, the Standard Organization of Nigeria and the Nigerian Communications Commission, need to create a stronger collaboration platform with the law enforcement agencies to tackle counterfeiting through a concerted effort.

Recent research undertaken amongst Nigerian football fans that are mobile phone users has shown that there is a strong correlation between football viewing and cellular activity, with the majority utilizing their mobile connectivity to enhance their enjoyment of their favourite sport.

The research was conducted by InMobi, the largest independent mobile advertising network that enjoys some 43% of Nigeria’s mobile web consumer market. It targeted 2 854 respondents via the InMobi global mobile advertising network in Nigeria, and was undertaken during the time of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals with a view to gaining a better understanding of fans of this tournament who utilise mobile channels as primary or secondary viewing and information sources.

According to Isis Nyong’o, Vice President and Managing Director of InMobi Africa, the research showed that the majority of Nigerian mobile users who are football fans use mobile online channels to augment their viewing experience.

“60% of survey participants stated that they use their mobile devices to check match results,” she points out, “and 43% obtain online information on their clubs using their cellular or mobile devices.”

At 29%, Chelsea enjoys the honours as the most favoured international football club, but only 24% of respondents peg them as the potential winners of UEFA 2012, while 43% say Barcelona will be victorious and 31% are putting their money on Real Madrid.

Samuel Eto’o (33%) and Yaya Toure (28%) are considered the best African footballers in the world today, outstripping their closest rivals, Alex Song (8%), Emmanuel Adebayor (7%) and Demba Ba (7%) by a large margin.

Interestingly, the research revealed some significant shifts in mobile activity by users before, during and after high profile football matches, with sharp spikes in mobile activity to check game scores, text friends and family members, and post on social media while games are in progress. After games, there is generally an increase in mobile usage to buy club memorabilia and read game reports.

Responses by survey participants point to the fact that the UEFA Champions League and the Barclays Premier League are Nigerian football fans’ most popular international tournament and football league, garnering 78% of respondents’ votes respectively. More than 50% of respondents associate the Barclays brand most with football – significantly more than its closest rivals, Adidas (33%), Nike (28%) and MTN (22%).

Mobile media consumption is continuing to grow exponentially in Nigeria and, indeed, across much of the African continent. That’s according to research conducted by InMobi – the largest independent mobile advertising network – which revealed growth of 37% in mobile advertising impressions on its Nigeria mobile network for the first three months of 2012.

With more than 8 billion advertising impressions for the first quarter, Nigeria is InMobi’s largest mobile advertising network in Africa and, according to Isis Nyong’o, Vice President and Managing Director of InMobi Africa, the consistent month-on-month growth in mobile advertising impressions is evidence of the rising importance of mobile technology as a marketing medium in the country.

“The stellar increase in impressions from 5,8 billion in the last quarter of 2011 to over 8 billion in the first three months of 2012 is clear proof of the rising popularity of the medium amongst Nigerian consumers,” Nyong’o points out, “and shows that marketing professionals and brand managers across the country are increasingly embracing mobile media as viable and effective advertising channels.”

Possibly more significantly, the latest figures come on the back of an unprecedented 376% growth in Nigerian mobile advertising impressions from 2010 to 2011, and demonstrate that the growth in popularity of mobile as a consumer medium is continuing on its fast-paced growth path.

Research conducted byInMobi also offered interesting insights into mobile media consumption trends amongst Nigerian consumers. Smartphone technology is showing clear signs of growing popularity with approximately 10% of all mobile advertising impressions recorded on the Nigerian InMobi network from these devices. This represents quarter-on-quarter growth of 42% in smartphone use, pointing to the rapid adoption of this technology by growing numbers of Nigerians.

From a usage perspective, the research confirmed that Nigeria, like many other emerging markets, remains highly mobile centric, with the average mobile web user surveyed spending up to 5.5 hours engaged with media every day – up to two hours of which involves their mobile telephones.

“Interestingly, mobile usage appears to be competing directly with traditional media or a share of the attention of consumers,” says Nyong’o, “with 15% of those surveyed saying that they multi-task on their mobile devices while watching television.”



The research also revealed that, for many consumers, mobile devices are the vastly preferred channel for the purposes of communication, entertainment, obtaining information and, even, online shopping. In fact, 67% of those surveyed cited their mobile phone as their primary or exclusive means of online access. 63% of those surveyed also pointed to mobile technology as the primary influencer of their purchasing behaviour. Ease of use (47%) and privacy (31%) are the two primary reasons mentioned for this preference for mobile online technology.

While consumer behaviour via mobile services has evolved to include buying digital and physical goods, and paying for services, the research points to the likelihood that future growth in mobile use in Nigeria is most likely to be driven by increased use of the channel for social media (60%), information seeking (43%), email (26%) and entertainment (23%).

That said, some 87% of consumers surveyed said that they expected to spend money on a mobile activity or purchase of some sort within the next 12 months. If this is the case, it represents an increase of 22% from the current mobile spending statistics.

At a product specific level, Nokia continues to dominate the Nigerian mobile market, accounting for 77% of all impressions on the InMobi network. While this is slightly down on the 79% of the previous quarter, it remains significantly higher than any of its closest rivals, with Samsung phones delivering 9% of total impressions followed by LG phones at 5%. The Nokia C1-01 remains the most extensively used mobile device in terms of mobile advertising access, accounting for 15,3% of all impressions recorded on Nokia handsets.

While RIM (Blackberry) phones only accounted for 2% of the total mobile advertising impressions on the InMobi network, it is perhaps significant that this is the fastest growing brand in terms of impressions, having enjoyed 0.4% growth on the previous quarter.

According to Nyong’o, the growth in mobile advertising impressions in Nigeria mirrors a similar growth trend that is taking place across much of Africa. “In the first three months of 2012, there have been over 34,4 billion advertising impressions on the InMobi networks across the continent, “she explains, “which is a significant increase of almost 4,5 billion or 15% on the last quarter of 2011 and is indicative of the rapidly increasing appeal of mobile media as a means of delivering and accessing marketing and advertising messaging across the continent.”

Between January and March 2012, impressions via smartphones grew by 19% across all InMobi Africa networks and accounted for 24% of the total number of impressions recorded. In terms of the numbers of impressions recorded via individual handsets, the Blackberry 8520 overtook Nokia for the first time since InMobi has been conducting its research. However, Nokia remains the dominant cellphone brand overall, with 60% of all InMobi network impressions recorded on this brand of handsets.

Note:

With 6, 3 million network users, InMobi enjoys almost 43% of Nigeria’s mobile web consumer market. The InMobi consumer usage research was conducted via mobile surveys in partnership with Decision Fuel with 1017 Nigerian residents who are InMobi Network users.

www.inmobi.com

Diverse panel urges consumers to respect innovation and reject counterfeits

A HP roundtable discussion yesterday emphasized the vital role of intellectual property (IP) as a catalyst for economic, social and cultural prosperity.
Panelists agreed that more people would respect IP and avoid counterfeits if they had a better understanding of how trademarks and copyrights drive economic innovation and enhance personal lifestyles in areas such as health care, technology and leisure.
In addition to improving the quality of life, IP-protected music, medicine, print cartridges and other everyday consumer items inspire others to innovate and create with the hopes that they, too, can enjoy the rewards that come from original thinking.
Speakers provided these insights at the ‘Be Original conference on Intellectual Property & Innovation: A Virtuous Cycle organized by HP to mark World Intellectual Property Day, which is celebrated on April 26. The participants included, former Business editor, Guardian Newspaper and also former News Editor Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Dr. Isah Momoh; Mr. Kenneth Esere a lecturer of New Media, Visual Communication and Graphics design in the School of Media and Communications, Pan African University and Mr. Chude Jideonwo, lawyer, television personality, youth advocate, media entrepreneur and founder/creative director of RedSTRAT.
“Few people talk about IP or are aware of just how ingrained and important it is in our lives, which is why it’s the ‘secret ingredient’ to a modern society in which innovators thrive under the protection of comprehensive IP law,” said Rita Amuchienwa, Channel Development Manager, HP IPG English Africa, “Stopping the unauthorized use of IP, whether it’s pirated movies, fake handbags or counterfeit print cartridge technology tells the next generation of visionaries that their work will flourish and be respected.”
Amuchienwa further stated that, “HP is committed to the protection of IP, not just in relation to HP products, but also other people’s creative works. A society free from counterfeit products is not of benefit to us alone- it benefits the economy in the long run and creates a viable, sustainable environment for people to practice their craft knowing they are protected.”
Panelists noted that while it’s important to promote the benefits of a robust IP system, it’s equally crucial to educate society on the threats of counterfeit products. Most fakes are made with inferior raw materials and components and don’t perform as well as brand-name goods backed by decades of research and development and testing.
“The understanding of IP protection begins with a consciousness. We, as a society must begin to understand that counterfeit products destroy innovation and drive the economy down. We must push government to introduce stiffer penalties to protect IP and make government to realize that it is the wealth of the Nation. We must all stand up for what is right,” said Dr. Momoh.
Chude Jideonwo, a youth advocate, magazine publisher and serial media entrepreneur pointed out that the role of law enforcement is critical. He said that greater prosecution of IP infringement including tougher sentencing will send the right message.
Mr. Jideonwo argued that, “The government’s enforcement of laws regarding copyright infringement and intellectual property theft is still rather abysmal. Until government steps up to its responsibility and provides the adequate legal framework necessary for the protection of people’s creations, we are going to continue to battle with IP theft.”
Nigeria is among the countries where the manufacture and distribution of fake printing supplies and other illicit merchandise is widespread. According to the World Economic Forum, Nigeria ranks 104 out of 142 countries in the protection of IP rights.
HP is one of the biggest owners of intellectual property, with a portfolio of over 37,000 patents. Many of these are held by PPS which manufactures not just printers and scanners but the ink and toner to supply them.
Through its Anti-counterfeiting Program, HP actively educates its customers and partners to be vigilant against fake printing supplies. It also cooperates closely with local and global law enforcement to detect and dismantle illegal operations that produce counterfeit HP printing components.
Across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) over the last four years, HP has conducted nearly 1,000 investigations, resulting in over 600 enforcement actions (raids and seizures by authorities) and nearly 8 million units of counterfeit products and components seized, thus preventing them from being sold in the EMEA marketplace and beyond.
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OK! Nigeria Magazine makes its debut in Nigeria

The wait is finally over and OK! Magazine, the world’s biggest celebrity lifestyle publication with more than 50 million readers worldwide has finally launched in Nigeria. The magazine was unveiled on the 9th of March at a glamorous black tie event sponsored by telecoms giant MTN at the picturesque Harbour Point.
Alexander Amosu, famed entrepreneur behind the magazine, said, “I’m delighted and proud that OK! Magazine has finally launched in Nigeria. OK! Magazine already reaches over 25 countries around the world and our Nigerian edition is really exciting in its own right. This is also OK’s first entry into the African continent and to one of the potentially largest readerships in the world.”

Nigerian entertainment scene gets a boost with launch of OK! Nigeria Magazine

The launch saw the unveiling of the first issue with high profile celebrities invited from music, fashion, sport, film and politics. There were performances by renowned artistes MI, Brymo, Davido, Goldie and Naeto C amongst others followed by an exclusive after party at Likwid after what was an exciting evening.
So the magazine finally hits the stands but readers can also look forward to checking OK! Magazine out on their mobile phones as platinum sponsor MTN will have content of OK! Nigeria available exclusively to its 40 million plus subscribers, (the largest subscriber base in the country), for a year.
It will be available onIPads, IPhones, Blackberry, Samsung galaxy and many other devices with access to it free for 2 months globally and in Nigeria only on MTN from 1st of April.
Kola Oyeyemi, MTN’s General Manager Consumer Marketing, said,"As a company of firsts in Nigeria, we felt it was only fitting to be involved in launching OK! Magazine in Nigeria, the first African country to launch this world famous, well read publication. We look forward to bringing people entertainment news, heart-warming stories, everywhere they go. The mobile version of the magazine will be accessible to smart phone users on our network for a year.”
The magazine which will be published in Nigeria and printed in the United Kingdom will be distributed on newsstands in Nigeria on April 1st and costs N1500. Readers throughout the world can also subscribe to the magazine and it will also be available online on www.oknigeria.com.
Ok! Magazine Nigeria will be published monthly and content will be 60% on Nigerian celebrities globally, with 20% of the 60% about local Nigerian celebrities based in Nigeria. The remaining 40% is divided into 30% African American celebrities and the remaining 10% will be about people we love to read about.
The new magazine is the latest addition to the 25 plus editions of OK! Magazine worldwide.
http://weoon..com/2012/03/ok-nigeria-magazine-makes-its-debut-in.html