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Damienxix · Baby Oku (Dance)

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Top 20 Country Population History and Projection by Wawamu Stats.  

Baby Oku by Flavour N'Abania (Dance Remix & Gyration Remix from soundcloud.com) 

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A great career. 👏

You will never get rich working for someone else. pic.twitter.com/uepQwQQ2mp

— Motivation Guru (@m0tivati0n_guru) June 10, 2020

???    🆇 

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This year, Father's Day is extending to Father's Week.

Is this TRUE?    

Also: How to keep your babyadult happy :-) 

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Who does not want to learn?

The business book Bill Gates is recommending to friends and colleagues right now https://t.co/XqXrr6wG2g

— CNBC Make It (@CNBCMakeIt) May 31, 2020

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How to decide?

This reminds me a bit of Tales By Moonlight.
What did you learn from the video clip?

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Readers are leaders, somebody said. OK. #FastFive

1. Your Better Self with Akanna: Overcoming the Scarcity Mentality 

2. #Futurists: Inspired by the man who showed the way to modern computing, tech-minded experts shared ideas for how to tackle climate change, nuclear proliferation, and broken political systems 

3. The link between migration and technology is not what you think: newer forms of social media activism are increasingly enabling disrupters to set the migration agenda, based on fear and lies, in a quest for power.

4. Medium-scale farms are on the rise in Africa. Why this is good news

5. World's most popular attractions, according to Uber 

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#Glocal #business #news bits

With these types of forums (Breakfast chats with seasoned founders and CEOs), we can share our experiences and fast track our growth - Deji Akinyanju (Founder, Food Concept - Chicken Republic) @Cc_HUB #BreakfastChat pic.twitter.com/qcRMsBsXmC

— Toun Tunde-Anjous (@TounAnjous) July 19, 2018

Congratulations @NOIweala and #Nigeria https://t.co/aempBeBV6d … pic.twitter.com/g6fOgPeFse

— African Business (@AfricanBizMag) July 20, 2018

Vote buying is now a worrisome trend in Nigeria's election. This practice is a dent on demanding accountability and also fuels CORRUPTION.

Reports showed voters received up to N10,000 new notes to cast their votes.

What's the way forward?#EkitiDecides2018

— BudgIT Nigeria (@BudgITng) July 14, 2018

voters

The story that keeps giving. #Ethiopia/#Eritrea peace. Ethiopians in Addis hold flags of both countries to celebrate Eritrean President Isaias Afeworki historic visit to Addis Ababa today, less than a week after the two nations declared end to a two-decade conflict.(Photo -AFP) pic.twitter.com/oWljljrmVH

— New African (@NewAfricanMag) July 14, 2018

"Corruption is not confined to government. To have a corrupt politician, there is an equally corrupt businessman. in many parts of Africa, it is business people who are initiators of corruption."#SouthAfrican mining business mogul Patrice Motsepe at #MandelaLecture #Mandela100 pic.twitter.com/um96X6pTlN

— New African (@NewAfricanMag) July 17, 2018

Barack Obama to the rich amid loud cheers: "What an amazing gift you can have when you help people...there is only so much you can eat, there is only so big a house you can have.. its enough..you dont have to take a wow of poverty to help out." #BarackObama #MandelaLecture pic.twitter.com/XL68ioRCuI

— New African (@NewAfricanMag) July 17, 2018

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You Can

Baby steps. 

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an hour with mos def

watch, listen, enjoy.

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Event announcement: Digital Platforms meetup/hangout session, courtesy of The Tribe Lagos

If you've been napping through the digital revolution, here is an opportunity to jump on the train. We invite you to the Startup Stories Series and business masterclass themed 'The Digital Entrepreneur​' with four leading digital experts @inspiredbyglory @johnobidi @teledeko and @leouzzi Realize that we live in a digital world. It is not just the core of every business, but every business is becoming a digital enterprise. How can you tap into the opportunities in the space? How can you leverage on digital platforms to monetize your passion and creativity? How can you out-compete and out-innovate your competitors? July 22nd, 2017 has the answers. RSVP Elsie on 08039406236 to reserve a seat. #Digital #Iot #DigitalDistruption #FutureOfWork #StartUp #Tech #Technology #Creative #Entrepreneur #DigitalEntrepreneur #TheTribeLagos #Church #Christianity #Family

A post shared by The Tribe Lagos (@thetribelagos) on Jul 11, 2017 at 10:53pm PDT

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Sometimes, hiphop is motivation

One nice example is I Decided., a 2017 album by rapper Big Sean.

Issa Tracklist #IDecided this Friday pic.twitter.com/j00ku7PmPt

— Sean Don (@BigSean) January 30, 2017

It has tracks like: Bounce Back.  I got the Moves.  Voices in my head tell me I can do better // Stick to the plan.  Inspire Me.  Sacrifices.  Bigger Than Me. 

Shout to @BigSean man. You're inspiring. Every single track has meaning. Crazy how much I can relate to every lyric. Thank you! #IDecided

— Marcus Stroman (@MStrooo6) February 3, 2017

Let your Light shine y'all. 

just got my autographed #idecided 🔥 @BigSean pic.twitter.com/M6ji0lB5yu

— Trae Steggell (@TSteggell) June 8, 2017

Peace.

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Honest Communication

#ThisWeek,
EXPRESS YOURSELF, don't Repress Yourself.
- Madonna 1994 (in Human Nature)

Go for it, really do!
And that goes for me too.

Because I AM Kanye West.
I CAN get it off my chest.

Yeah, we talk in rhyme all the time.
Nighttime sublime dreamtime on a dime. 
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Happiness notes

"Pleasure isn't the opposite of work; it's a key ingredient for successful work."

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Big Boy
The Prophet
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How to find fulfilling work
How to worry less about money

Redefining PR

I'm stealing this Chude Jideonwo piece on what he calls Empowerment PR.  Please steal it too and share...

Chude Jideonwo, photographed by TY Bello

 "There is an entire continent of young people – and other demographics – whose lives are hard, who need real help, who desperately deserve to be empowered. They want people, and institutions who care about their lives, their contexts, their futures."

The RED Media partners Chude and Debola, on the cover of This Day Style

"Brands need to begin to think of a new quid quo pro – empowerment in exchange for brand loyalty. The kind that audiences can believe in, and that can build a lifetime connection."

Full article: Redefining PR with Chude Jideonwo : Let's have a conversation about Empowerment PR

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Grooming For Greatness aims

• To assist Fellows in mapping their own life-specific goals and ambitions.
• To provide access to learning resources, leadership grooming, and top-notch mentoring 
• To meet the demand across Africa for greater, meaningful interaction between leaders of industry and those who wish to follow in their footsteps.

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Big Boy Bill

"I start with architecture, and Mark starts with products, and Steve Jobs started with aesthetics."

Bill Gates, by Roberto Parada

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/bill-gates-the-rolling-stone-interview-20140313

Mirror Mirror On The Wall...

I was about stepping out of the house a couple of weeks back and like most of us do, decided to check myself out. Truly a mirror check of one's self is not all about vanity.

It's easy to smile now, especially because the 'disaster' did not happen. It was one of those bad-hair days and I’d chosen to use a scarf. A convenient bail out on days like that, but must also be well done to avoid 'stories that touch'...lol. I probably felt it wasn't my first time and could tie it without looking into a mirror. But that last look, that last minute of saying, “...mirror, mirror on the wall, am I as fair as I should be today?” was my saving moment. I'd tied it all wrong, with parts that shouldn't be revealed peeping out. Laughing at myself, I touched it up here and there, and dashed out.

I'm sure many of us have had similar experiences too, from wearing our shirts inside out, buttoning them all wrong, mismatching accessories or discovering food stuck on our teeth. This one left me with deeper thoughts on how important mirrors are. If we'll only be true to what we see and make appropriate touch ups, many disastrous images or wrong representations of who we are would be corrected just at the right time. For physical looks, I’m sure many ladies reading this, would be like....come on, I carry a mirror around, and take a quick peep at every reflecting metal I pass. However, this goes beyond the physical.

God has been kind enough to bless us with people around us, who could serve as mirrors. To help us with feedback on how we look, how we do, how we talk, how we treat others, and how we treat ourselves. Yes I know, some give these feedback in discouraging ways, at the wrong time and some even without being asked. The issue really is what we do with the reflections from these people-mirrors. Do we ignore? Are we humble enough to receive them and eventually make attempts to touch up? Or are we surrounded by people who tell us what we want to hear, not what we need to?

Bible readers are familiar with the scripture that talks about a man looking at himself in the mirror, and forgetting what he looks like afterwards. This verse not only helps us see our need to have the Word of God also as mirror for our lives, but encourages us to do something about what we see. It's either you're confident after looking into it to continue in the good graces. Or you are clearer on the gaps in certain life areas that need to be worked on - health, finance or relationships.

Let me  include the need for us to strike a balance with this. Some feedback or counsel will not be true, or in our best interest. Walt Disney, Oprah Winfrey, Les Brown and many others became success stories despite the negative things they had been told. They were not deterred from their personal convictions on who they were or what they could do. For this I’ll say don't gaze too long into bad mirrors.

As I conclude, it is good to open up more to feedback, be more sincere with ourselves, and make efforts to improve. I also leave us with the challenge to be true mirrors for others. Not like those funny mirrors at fairs that give distorted images of a fatter, shorter, thinner version of the object but those giving accurate reflections. Our feedback should propel change, boost morale... as we speak the truth, even in love.

ICT gives hope to African Entrepreneurs

By Firdausy Haruna, Mayowa Sanyaolu, and Funke Ajetunmobi

What is ICT?

Information and Communications Technology or (ICT), is often used as an extended synonym for information technology (IT), but is a more specific term that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals), computers as well as necessary enterprise software, middleware, storage, and audio-visual systems, which enable users to access, store, transmit, and manipulate information.

The term ICT is now also used to refer to the convergence of audio-visual and telephone networks with computer networks through a single cabling or link system. There are large economic incentives (huge cost savings due to elimination of the telephone network) to merge the audio-visual, building management and telephone network with the computer network system using a single unified system of cabling, signal distribution and management.

ICT and Internet Usage in Africa

The ICT sector has been the major economic driver in Sub-Saharan Africa over the past decade, witnessing an annual compounded growth rate of 40%.  Never before in the history of the continent has the population been as connected as it is today, yet this strong ICT growth trajectory is expected to continue, as penetration rates are still relatively low.

A key indicator in determining access and usage is the price of service, such as for voice and

data. Pricing of voice services in many African countries has become competitive and in line

with the rest of the world, while broadband costs continue to be a mixed bag.  However, when differences in GDP are taken into account as compared to global benchmarks, we in Africa still pay more on a GDP basis due to the lower GDP base.

Notably, the story of mobile penetration across the continent is far better than the Internet. Overall, 45% of African residents have a mobile subscription; this is more than four times the penetration of the Internet.

Internet penetration is dominated by the traditional economic successes in Africa. Countries like Egypt and South Africa have a very high proportion of internet users.  Kenya has also invested heavily in an usable infrastructure.  However the largest by far is that of Nigeria where at least a proportion of the massive oil revenues has been utilized to improve internet availability.

These countries alone have well over 50% of the internet users in Africa, while places like the Congo or Ethiopia have a depressingly small amount of internet users.

The potential for outsourcing

In the world economy at the moment, one of the few growth areas is the ICT sector. It is estimated that in the USA over the next 20 years there will be a shortfall of millions to fill vacancies in the IT and ITC sectors. It is thus essential that other countries take up the slack.

India and China have been very successful in attracting ICT contracts from Europe and America. It is now the time for Africa to seize these new business opportunities.

Africa is well positioned to gain a growing income from Business Process Outsourcing. Not only does it have the internet infrastructure in place but it also has the language abilities. There is a vast pool of Africans who claim English, French and Portuguese as their second language. There is also a sizeable community of Mandarin speakers in Africa. These language skills will prove to be decisive in the future for African BPO prospects.

Undersea cable projects like SEACOM (Kenya) and Main One (Nigeria) are building more fiber optic lines to connect Africa to the rest of the world.  At the same time there has been an upsurge in mobile phone and mobile device use in Africa. There are now in place several companies providing e-banking, e-commerce, e-learning, e-democracy and e-agriculture.

Another encouraging sign for the African ICT scene is the growing number of computer manufacturers in Africa. An increasing number of African countries make computers, software and other applications for mobiles. The image of a hopelessly poor and lagging continent will change as Africa begins to grab more of the global ICT business opportunities.

In terms of education, ambitious plans are underway to provide all school children with a laptop. This can be achieved by cloud technology that allows computers to be built cheaply that still perform complex and memory heavy tasks by using the ability to store data on the cloud. It is certain that future generations of Africans will be even more computer literate.

The rise of censorship

In Malawi, the EBill is the piece of legislation that enables the goverment to control access to the internet by individuals. In true Big Brother style, the state is appointing cyber- inspectors to monitor and inspect online activities.  Move over to Zambia and it’s a similar story, again using the pretext of blocking hate speech, although this is normally considered to be restricted to that speech directed at the rulers of the country. It is a very big job especially now with the introduction of cheaper smart mobile phones with internet capability. Africans love their phones and for many it’s their first experience of the internet in their daily lives.

Where there has been censorship, there has been a huge increase in the amount of security-enabled programs being used in these countries to bypass and protect the monitoring. However it’s also entertainment that is encouraging the use of proxies and VPNs to be used. For example a UK based VPN or proxy server can allow the user to watch British TV from a phone, laptop or mobile device. The cost is fairly low for these services although still expensive for most Africans.

The Internet Gives Hope to African Entrepreneurs

It is not easy starting up a business in Africa, but hopefully the internet will start to make that easier. One of the biggest problems in Africa is the lack of infrastructure both physical and intellectual.  

In brief, some of the key benefits of ICT in Africa over the years include:

·        New job opportunities

·        Improved communication systems

·        Increased market connectivity, particularly with mobile technologies

Some of the major challenges in ICT’s development in Africa are:

·        Inadequate electric power

·        Unevenly distributed internet access, including last-mile issues

·        Shortage of skilled, qualified ICT personnel

-         Weak or backward university curriculum

·        Funding/sponsorship gaps requiring urgent attention

Finally, some key actions that would develop ICT in Africa include:

·        Reducing the cost of access for mobile and broadband

-         Improving the regulatory and competitive environments for operators

-         Better coordination in developing the infrastructure

-         Resolve spectrum constraints to free up access for additional players

-         Government commitment to increasing ICT access

-         Lower taxation of ICT equipment

·        Collaboration by key stakeholders, including government, private-sector and universities

·        Training and capacity-building

Based on the February 2012 ICT Competitiveness in Africa report by Javier Ewing, Nicolas Chevrollier, Maryanna Quigless, Thomas Verghese, and Matthijs Leenderste.

The three authors are students in Telecommunications Engineering at Bells University of Technology, Ogun State.  They prepared this paper under my supervision for the course CEN 302: Introduction to ICT. 

Even Cinderella Had Till Midnight

I’m sure many would understand what it is like to get an inspiration on something to share, but never really get around doing it. That is the case with this post. As time passed I’ve also had different ideas on how to title it, from ‘Yes the grass may just be greener on the other side, but the owner of the field probably has blisters’ to ‘It’s not going to come or stay that easy’. Finally I decided on this perhaps because it’s the most recent.

For all who recall the famous Cinderalla story, her wishes did come true (courtesy of her fairy godmother) but then could only hold till Midnight. ‘Cos in reality, wishes are limited. They could set us off on the course but we have more to do in reality. And this actually is the message I’ve carried in my mind for so long, with too many incidents hitting it home over and over again.

Life allows us very often the occasion to compare. To look over the fence and often just wish for the results and accomplishments of others, but very rarely the efforts that have been put in. It’s about time we go beyond that, and consciously move to being deliberate and purposeful about what we truly wouldn’t mind, what we really want in every area of life.

 No relationship for example would blossom without being cared for. Be it with family, friends, colleagues or even God. It’s easy to watch others and desire the intimacy/rapport we see. But it wasn’t automatic for them. Choices were made, actions were deliberately taken that is why they enjoy what they have. Are you willing to be humble, to compromise for fairness, to serve, to give (hugs, kisses, time, encouragement and support or gifts), forgive offenses and even to pray? Are you ready to show courtesy, saying ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘I’m sorry’ at the right time and in the right way? So if you are fortunate to be married to a rare gem, you’ll need to brace yourself up more consciously for that gem to remain rare, even to you.

That child of yours is not going to be a believer in your faith, ideals and values just because you are. You need to make sure you walk the talk, in addition to teaching because that’s what kids know best. No school is going to make a genius out of your child (academically or in extra-curricular). Look out for the “outliers” in your child’s school, there’s definitely something different the folks are doing. What have you observed in your child? What have you done so far? Are you ready to motivate, encourage or pay an expert to coach to help him be the best he can be?

Yes you graduated the same year as that friend of yours. Probably you even got your great job months before he got his. How come he rarely complains of needing funds for personal things, he even just invested in another income generating opportunity. And he also gets to go on vacations to take a break now and then. Yet you don’t understand how your take home isn’t actually taking you home. You shouldn’t be wondering, instead ask questions, read books (e.g. the Richest man in Babylon, simple and practicable), make a plan, if possible get someone you can be accountable to, note your expenses and review it, save something as often as you can, invest in other streams of income…it won’t be easy but your grass will get greener.

The same applies to your health. How careful are you about what and when you eat? Don’t just sign up at that gym, get started. What of that skill/knowledge you gained a while back? It will only remain unproductive as long as you don’t upgrade or creatively apply it, even if voluntarily.

In all honesty, it’s difficult to push though on anything that doesn’t even mean anything to us. It’s tough to consciously study and learn about what we don’t value. Perhaps it’s a re-orientation that is required, to begin to value, and stop taking casually those things that really matter. But if for any reason, that relationship means the world to you, if your health should tell a different story in your lineage, if your child is indeed your treasure… by all means, go beyond wishing, become deliberate, even get the blisters because the sun and the rain would come and they will help guarantee the greenness of your field.

According to Okonjo-Iweala, this is how we can provide enough jobs...

• CONTINUE ECONOMIC GROWTH: We must diversify our economies by focusing on alternative sources of growth and job creation, such as agriculture, manufacturing, ICT, and creative industries.
• FILL THE INFRASTRUCTURE GAP: Invest proceeds from our natural resources in critical infrastructure like power, roads, rail, ICT, and water and sanitation.
• DEVELOP HUMAN CAPITAL: Improve both access to education and its quality.
• BUILD SAFETY NETS: Redistribute income to those at the bottom.
• JOB-CREATION PROGRAMMES: Short-term fixes, which have included a community services programme for unskilled youth, a graduate internship scheme, a special fund to provide grants to entrepreneurs, ...

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