The Retail Leaders Conference (TRLC), Nigeria 2016

IBUKUN AWOSIKA

IBUKUN AWOSIKA is the Chairman, Board of Directors, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria's premier and most valuable banking brand. She is also the founder and CEO of The Chair Centre Group. The companies in the group include: The Chair Centre Limited, Sokoa Chair Centre Limited, Furniture Manufacturers Mart, TCC Security Systems and Cubes and Boxes Limited. These companies are involved in manufacturing, retail and bank-way security systems services.

Ibukun chairs a number of corporate and not-for-profit boards amongst which are: House of Tara International and Afterschool Graduate Development Centre (AGDC), a facility which she promoted to help address youth employability and enterprise issues in Nigeria. She sits on the boards of Digital Jewel Limited, Cadbury Nigeria Plc., Convention on Business Integrity (CBI) and the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority. She was Chairman, FBN Life Assurance Limited, FBN Capital Limited and Kakawa Discount House Limited.

Ibukun is a graduate of Chemistry from University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Nigeria; an alumna of the Chief Executive Programme of Lagos Business School; the Global Executive MBA of IESE Business School, Barcelona-Spain; and Global CEO Programme of Wharton, IESE and China European International Business School (CEIBS).

PETER ESHIKENA

PETER ESHIKENA is the Managing Director of Frieslandcampina Africa. He has previously been the Managing Director of FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria.

He also served as the Sales Director and Deputy Managing Director of FrieslandCampina WAMCO.

Peter joined FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC as Shift Production Manager in Can Factory Department before moving up as Logistics Manager in the Logistics Department. He later became the Project Manager of Total Quality Management in the Quality Assurance Department. Due to his dexterity and resourcefulness, he moved to the Commercial department as Sales Admin & Logistics Manager. He served as the Distribution Manager in the Supply Chain Department and later moved to the Sales Department as Sales Manager.

He thereafter rose to become the Sales Director and Deputy Managing Director until he was appointed the company’s Managing Director.

Peter is by profession a Mechanical Engineer and has an Executive MBA from the International School of Management, University of Navarra in Spain. He is an alumnus of the Lagos Business School.

ADENIKE OGUNLESI is the founder & CRO of Ruff 'n' Tumble, a children's clothing line in Nigeria. From a tiny shop, she turned Ruff 'n' Tumble into an instantly recognizable brand. She has built a reputation for being one of the best manufacturers of children's clothing in Nigeria, with a brand that can compete with any clothing line globally.

In her second year as an undergraduate law student at the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Adenike opted out of school unsure of what to do with her life. She then reluctantly accepted her mother's invitation to work in her women’s tailor shop. That experience helped her to discover who she was and what she wanted to do.

Today, Ruff 'N' Tumble, this proudly Nigerian brand operates a ware house, factory with distribution in Nigeria and along the West African coast. She is now a formidable employer of labour with branches in key cities in Nigeria.

Adenike was featured in the Africa Open for Business documentary and was recognized as the FATE Foundation Model Entrepreneur in 2005. She is a mentor to Junior Achievement of Nigeria and the Fate Foundation.

She is a Director of Lafarge Africa Plc.

TEMITOPE OSHIKOYA

TEMITOPE OSHIKOYA, Founder, CEO/Chief Economic Strategist, Nextnomics is a seasoned economist, policy analyst, chartered banker, and certified management accountant. He served as Director-General/CEO of the West African Monetary Institute, appointed by the Authority of Heads of States of Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and The Gambia; and worked with governors of Central Banks and Ministers of Finance.

He has also served as Group Head of Public Sector at Ecobank Transnational Incorporated covering 35 African countries, pioneer Chief Economist at Africa Finance Corporation; a Director at the African Development Bank, and a consultant to the World Bank.

Temitope has also served on the Board of Directors of several organizations in Africa including ARM Securities, East African Development Bank and African Capacity Building Foundation; and as First Vice President and member of the Governing Council of Nigerian Economic Society.

Temitope holds a PHD in Economics and in addition, he also has an MBA in Finance and Management. He is a chartered banker and certified management accountant. Temitope has attended various local and international courses including INSEAD, UCLA Extension Program, and Euromoney. He is a member of the National Association of Business Economists.

Bukky George

BUKKY GEORGE is the Founder and CEO of HealthPlus Limited and CasaBella International. She is a registered pharmacist with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria. She shares the benefits of focus, knowledge, networking and going the extra mile to succeed in life and business.

Bukky fondly referred to as the Queen of Retail in Nigeria based on the steady success of her pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies started her career with May & Baker and worked for a little while as a medical representative and then Smithkline Beecham still as a medical representative.

She resigned her appointment as an Assistant Manager to find and pursue her true passion and fulfill her purpose in life. She would later on establish HealthPlus Limited and CasaBella International with both companies growing to become household names in Nigeria and beyond.

Bukky holds many prominent corporate positions outside her businesses. She is Chairman of Sanofi Pharamcy Advisory Board, and a member of the Pharma Strategic Committee which maintains the well-being of the pharmaceuticals industry in Nigeria, as well as an associate member of WIMBIZ.

She was invited to be a panelist at the IFC Euro Finance Week in Frankfurt, Germany in 2012.

Bukky was selected for the Fortune 500 Global Women’s Mentoring Program, and she is the first recipient of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria Board of Fellows’ Award for Excellence in Community Pharmacy.

NNAMDI EZEIGBON

NAMDI EZEIGBO is the founder and CEO, SLOT Limited, one of Nigeria's biggest phones and gadget outlets. Nnamdi started SLOT Limited a small space in Lagos-Ikeja computer village in 1998 as a sales and maintenance company for computers, computer accessories and other electronic gadgets.

With the advent of GSM in Nigeria, Nnamdi later pioneered GSM sales in Nigeria with more than 43 outlets across the country with huge employee. Today, SLOT has become a house hold name and one of the biggest phones and gadget sales company in Nigeria.

As part of his contribution to the development of the society, SLOT Systems Limited has trained about 20 teachers from the Lagos State Technical College on some cutting edge technologies required for present age Telecoms industry.

Nnamdi has indeed secured a slot in the Nigerian technology industry, one wide enough to accommodate his rocketing ideas and advancements; while adding substantial value to the lives of Nigerians.

Nnamdi has received various awards and recognitions that include; Business Man of the Year, by Hall of Grace Awards, Nigerian Telecom Awards, Mobile Phone Dealer of the year, 17th City People Awards of Excellence, Best Mobile Phone Retailer, Global Leader of Integrity Merit Award, Distinguished SME partner Award by Fidelity Bank (2014); Nigerian Telecom Awards, Mobile Phone Dealer of the year (2012) and Nigerian National Integrity Award (2009)

Nnamdi holds a degree in computer science and an MBA from Lagos Business School. He is an alumnus the Harvard Business School.

RAPHAEL AFAEDOR

RAPHAEL AFAEDOR is the Co-Founder & CEO - Supermart.ng. Supermart.ng is a 3-hour grocery delivery service based in Lagos, Nigeria.

With over 50,000 products, Supermart.ng is grocery and everyday essentials retailer in Nigeria, stocking inventory from fresh meat and vegetables, local ingredients, household and office supplies, and more. Supermart partners with all the leading supermarkets in Lagos.

Raphael is a pioneer of internet retailing in Nigeria as the Co-Founder & former Managing Director of JUMIA.com.ng.

He was also previously the MD/CEO of Sestava Group; Head of Marketing & Business Development & Head of Sales (for West, Central & North Africa) of Notore Chemical Industries; Investment Manager (Summer) of Goldman Sachs; and Senior Manager, European Products, European Product Manager & Software Engineer of Monster.com.

He holds a BSc, MSc (Computer Science, Czech Technical University in Prague), Masters, Marketing/Marketing Management, General (IUKB -- Switzerland) and MBA (Harvard Business School).

He holds a BSc, MSc (Computer Science, Czech Technical University in Prague), Masters, Marketing/Marketing Management, General (IUKB -- Switzerland) and MBA (Harvard Business School).

SAMUEL EJEH is the Founder/Chief Executive Officer of Grocery Bazaar Limited, a leading Nigerian grocery retail business.

An entrepreneurial by nature, has worked in various capacities in the oil & gas, banking, software and FMCG industries.

Grocery Bazaar Limited ("GBL") was founded to fill the grocery shopping needs of underserved markets in Lagos and across Nigeria.

Samuel is now leveraging his unique understanding of the hard discount retail concept to exploit the opportunities in the Nigerian grocery retail industry.

He has a first degree in Petroleum Engineering from University of Port Harcourt and an MBA from Babson College (Massachusetts, USA).

FEYI OLUBODUN

FEYI OLUBODUN is the General Manager/Chief Operating Officer at Insight Communications, an Executive Board Director. He leads the Account Management team and is actively driving the Digital revolution within the Agency business.

Feyi was formerly the Associate Planning Director, Head of Account Planning, Chief Strategy Officer for the Agency, and a member of the Executive Committee.

He is a marketing and strategy professional with extensive experience in data analysis, consumer insight management, account planning and strategy management.

Hei helps develop the capabilities, both in clients’ organizations and within Insight communications.

Feyi a graduate of Psychology. He holds an MBA and he is an alumnus of the Pan-Atlantic University and the prestigious Duke University –The Fuqua School of Business.

Deola Sagoe

DEOLA SAGOE is a haute couture fashion designer and Founder of Deola. She is the leading lady of African haute couture and the first black woman to present a collection at AltaRoma, Rome's celebrated fashion week.

Deola is a fashion visionary with a unique approach to her craft that has endeared her to fans and followers all over the world. She uses African fabrics, hand-woven materials, and by contemporizing almost-lost traditional African techniques, Deola’s designs present a unique vision and attitude for the modern woman.

She is a regular exhibitor at different collections at Cape Town Fashion Week, South Africa Fashion Week, ARISE, New York Fashion Week, the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Africa and more.

Deola is a winner of the “Africa Designs” and the MNET/ Anglo Gold African designs awards and Nigerian representative at the United Nations World Food Program “Catwalk the World: Fashion for Food.”

Deola, who has famous fans such as Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith, has several achievements such as winning the “Africa Designs” and the MNET/ Anglo Gold African Designs 2000 awards.

She studied at the University of Miami and University of Lagos with a Masters in Finance and Management.

Solomon Itegboje

SOLOMON ITEGBOJE is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The BOSS Group that is into Sales, Marketing and Strategy consulting company as well as providing cutting edge business and marketing engagement solutions. The Group consist of: Nigerstrat Limited, Centrum Marketing Limited, Marketing Services & Research Limited 3D Impact Marketing Limited Africa.

Solomon has more than 27 years' experience in Sales, Marketing and Strategic Management.

He was previously the Country Head/Director of Marketing of Coca-Cola Hellenic for Nigeria. He combined this role with that of Coordinating Commercial Director for the 4 Commercial Regions/Directorate of Coca-Cola Hellenic/Nigeria Bottling Company. He was also the Head of Channel & Customer Marketing and Key Accounts for the Nigeria Equatorial Africa Division of The Coca-Cola Company covering Nigeria and most of West Africa (9 countries).

He pioneered a lot of marketing practices for the Coca-Cola system in Nigeria that have become Industry Best Practices in Nigeria including Strategic Supply Depots, In-Outlet Look of Success, Globalscore Merchandising Ratings. He is a respected Sales, Marketing and Business consultants and has authored a number of Marketing and Sales practise articles.

He is a pioneering Alumnus of Ambrose Alli University (B.Sc Economics). He also studied at Unilag (M.Sc Economics) and Lagos Business School (SMP and EMBA). He has attended executive courses in Sales, Marketing, Key Accounts, Customer Marketing from 23 countries in Africa, Asia and Europe.

Solomon ItegbojeCHARLES IMUZEZE is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Gr8 Measures Media Network. Having spent over 15 years in the marketing communications industry and is versed in media planning, strategy, buying, control & compliance.

He has worked on several accounts such as Cadbury, Interswitch, So Klin, So Klin Protect, Good Mama, and Society for Family Health (SFH), Redbull, Vlisco etc. and he always has a driving desire to meet and exceed clients' expectations Charles is a member of the Institute of Planning Nigeria, Full Member, and Advertising Practitioner Council of Nigeria (APCON). He has over the years attended several courses such as Building Brands (Lagos Business School), Emotional.

Intelligence Workshop, Project Management Programme and recently completed the DMSRetail District Management Workshop in Phoenix, USA.

He previously worked at Mediacom, Peapco Mediashop, LTC-JWT, Media Supermart.

He holds a Second Class Upper degree in Computer Science from the University of Benin and an Alumnus of Lagos Business School (SMP).

Joseph Ebata

JOSEPH EBATA is the President/CEO of the Bervidson Group, a leading retail & brand consultancy, training and development Group.

Joseph is a co-founder of 3D Impact Marketing Limited, a full Marketing Services support to discerning and leading brands across English Speaking West Africa.

He was former Deputy President/COO of 3DIM, an Assistant General Manager and Regional Business Controller at Intercontinental Bank Plc and Lecturer at the Ambrose Alli University.

Joseph has in the last few years, consulted and/or trained, and provided platforms of benefit to leading and reputable organizations and businesses in Nigeria, including fortune 500 companies with great success.

He is the Convener of The Retail Leaders Conference that brings together the very best of local and international thought and Practice Leaders From Retail Manufacturing, Telecommunication, Banking & Other Financial Institutions, other Service providers to Retail and Government to speak, hear, brainstorm, discuss and align on the key issues, challenges and opportunities of the Nigerian Retail Industry and importantly how to drive sustainable growth for the Industry to the benefit of all stakeholders.

Joseph has over 25 years in Lecturing, Banking and Executive Retail and Brand support.

He is an Alumnus of Ambrose Alli University (B.Sc Economics), University of Lagos (M.Sc Economics) and Lagos Business School (SMP). He was the Best Graduating Student of the Department of Economics and also the Best Graduating of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. He is a member of the Certified Pension Institute of Nigeria (CIPN).

How 3D Printing Technology Can Help Lawyers

The recent mini-series retracing the infamous OJ Simpson trial got us thinking about how far technology has come in aiding the legal profession to solve crimes. If Marcia Clark and her team had had access to, say a 3D printer, might they have had an easier time displaying crime scene visuals and things like Bruno Magli footprints? We will never know that answer, but we do know that 3D printing technology can provide some incredible tools for today’s lawyers and law enforcement personnel to obtain justice for victims of violent crime.

3D printing takes a flat image with little perspective or scale and produces an accurate-to-scale model, which bridges the gap between the expert imparting the information and the layperson who needs to understand it, visually and palpably.

Here are three new 3D printing applications that are helping the legal profession today: 

Crime Scene Reconstruction

The murder trial of James George Stiffler wrapped up in Helena, MT last month and charges were dismissed after a 10-2 hung jury outcome. However, the ten favoring acquittal of the defendant credited a one-of-a-kind 3D-printed model of the Stiffler home—believed to be the first time such a model has been used in a US murder trial—for assisting in their decision-making.

Utah-based WhiteClouds, the world’s largest full-color 3D print services provider, created an exact scale model of the home and all its furniture, in 2,105 layers of sandstone, down to the tiniest details, such as where “doggie gates” had been tripped and creation of the immediate topography (both important to the case).

This architectural model was created at the request of defense attorney Quentin Rhoades. His client was charged with homicide and the purpose of the model was to show the jury the locations of his client and the victim during the altercation. The model was created to exact scale using floorplans of the home and exact measurements taken from the furniture. The furniture was also measured and printed in their exact locations.

The entire model was printed in sandstone; however, at the request of the attorney, we created a working front door which was printed using a plastic-like material (UV-cured resin).

The model also shows the topography immediately surrounding the front of the home as this was important in the case. We created the topography based on measurements provided. This precise replica, according to attorney Rhoades, “provided what a 2D rendition could not: the size and proximity of rooms and doors and the ‘maze-like” quality of the old fashioned floor plan. The level of detail brought the scene to life for the jurors.”

Forensic Anatomic Models

Presenting anatomic information obtained from antemortem or post mortem CT/MRI scans or physical human remains, particularly those of children who suffered traumatic injury can be disturbing for some lay individuals, which in turn could bias a jury. Complex anatomic relationships, medical-related terminology, and radiographic data is not easily understood by the lay public which includes prosecutors, law enforcement personnel, or a jury. Working with Dr. Kieran McGee from the Mayo Clinic, we are using 3D printing to communicate an injury or trauma in a vivid specific, life size way. This not only partially “sterilizes” a potential gruesome picture, but also relays the pertinent information—bringing the scans and photographs back to the physical world—in a way that is very easy for a layperson to grasp and even hold in their hands. For example, a photograph of something as horrific as a screwdriver through a child’s eye that would make a jury shudder, can be viewed more “neutrally” in a true to life 3D printed model of the victim’s skull with the weapon in place during the CT scan. The model conveys much more information and much less emotion than a photo; the size of the skull is truly representative of the age of the person and can be turned 360° to provide a fuller view of the injury. This tool provides lawyers a more “real world” glimpse into what happened.

In another example, a 60 year old male was stomped to death by his son. A postmortem CT scan was performed, which shows the details of the multitude of fractures, but is not easily understood by non-medical personnel. On autopsy the bones will simply fall apart once the skin is removed, making this injury very difficult to photograph and understand by the lay public. A 3D printed model was requested to show the scope of the injury to all involved. 

The last photo of the model shows the direction the head was in when it was being stomped and you can see the skull is shifted from the nose down as it was separated from the rest of the skull due to the blunt trauma.

Reconstruction of Destroyed Evidence

The clock is always ticking on “natural” evidence upon which nature can so easily wreak havoc. Footprints in dirt or sand that can be washed away are an excellent example. Traditionally, investigators and scientists have used materials such as dental stone to create casts of footprints, Mikrosil for tool mark impressions, and other materials that can replicate the surface of an object either by impression transfer or curing. Although these methods are common and accurate, footprints and tire prints are prone to rapid deterioration from the elements. Time can often be a factor and in many remote areas where resources and equipment may not be readily available, first responders may have nothing more than a digital camera. Utilizing advanced photogrammetry software such as PhotoModeler Scanner1 or 3DReality2, a dense and accurate surface model can be created. Importantly, 3D models are actual replicas of the footprint rather than a surface that is cast as a “negative.” The created digital model can be converted into a readily acceptable format for 3D printing and in the absence of better casting materials, time, or resources, laser scanning, or photogrammetry can save the day for law enforcement.

Vehicle accidents represent another example where more than just photographs are required to do a proper investigation. Although more and more law enforcement personnel have adopted laser scanners to scan vehicles as they are found at an accident scene, some scenes require even more accurate visualizations to give the most precise account of how a vehicle found itself in its final rest position. Insurance companies often need evidence to provide the most thorough assessment of a collision or other incident and don’t want to risk erasing any chance of further inspection and all evidence with it.

With 3D printing, an expert witness can physically hold a model of a crushed car and point out areas that were of importance. A physical 3D replica preserves more of the evidence for jury viewing. The physical replica or replicas in some cases can show the actual extent of damage.

Some in law enforcement and the legal profession see a time where no criminal defense or prosecution will move forward without the inclusion of a 3D printed model. In the immediate future, we see the technology continuing to provide accurate real life data that can be used in all aspects of criminal law including education, research, legal proceedings. As the technology continues to grow the legal community will become more familiar with the potential uses of this powerful tool.

Jerry Ropelato and Dr. Jonathan Morris

Things you can do to grow your business

Is your business in a rut? Are you stuck on how to move forward and expand? Don’t worry – there are many ways in which you can grow your business exponentially. Many of them are simple in their initial idea, but may require some more work in execution.

Open more branches.

Opening more branches of your business may sound intimidating. It may also sound like a lot of money being spent. However, by opening more branches, or even just the one to start with, you can expand your geographical target customers.

Expansion of this kind expands the number of people that you can capture the attention of when selling your product or service.

Word spreads too – so anyone that was just out of your geographical target before now has a chance to try the product or service that you’re offering. Those that are loyal customers already will spread the news for you, as well as your own marketing.

Improve your current products and services.

This is a very broad point. Improve could mean anything from streamlining your service to make it more efficient and therefore more cost effective, to improving the physical product itself and making an invention 2.0 to market instead.

In terms of services, you could offer more training to staff members to ensure that your business is being run as efficiently as possible to improve them.

Expand your current products and services.

If there is a service or a product which would go hand in hand with each other and you’re only doing the one… why not do both?

By expanding your services on offer that cross over and are likely to affect the same people, you will drive up sales as your customers are likely to be interested in both as opposed to just one of your services or products.

Find your audience and go to them.

As part of your business, you should be aiming to connect with the people that use your services and products. Not only can you personally get to know them and their habits and needs, but you can also discover new ideas or ways in which to market your services specifically for these people.

Invest your time and energy into marketing.

Marketing is the way to connect to new people. There is a whole generation that is numb to typical advertising – the generation that has never had to watch a TV ad because there’s a skip button. Older generations are also getting into that habit.

If you want to break through the advertisement blindness that we have now, it must be with something well thought, relevant and interesting to your audience.

Market your products and services in new ways.

Try social media to target your audiences: Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc. These platforms are being used by the whole world – what better place exists to reach your audience (and for your audience to reach you).

Growing a business can seem daunting initially, but there are many ways to do it and be successful.

Gizem Kaynar

5 WAYS FOR ENTREPRENEURS TO DEAL WITH CONFLICT

#1: Stubbornness

In this first level, entrepreneurs tend to be stubborn about whatever belief system they have. For example, you can get into a conversation or debate with someone who believes in their position so strongly they aren’t willing to cooperate. This is the lowest level of dealing with conflict.

#2: Accommodation

Have you ever met someone who tries to please everybody? They are people pleasers. As long as everybody is happy, that’s all that matters. The challenge with the issue with trying to accommodate people is that everyone is happy, except one person, and that’s you.

#3: Avoidance

The third level of dealing with conflict is avoidance. Have you ever met someone that avoids problems and just doesn’t want to deal with them? Eventually what happens is that five or ten years down the road, there are conflicts and problems with so many people that have been avoided  and all of a sudden everything comes at you at the same time.

#4: Compromise

You’ve probably heard that the best way to deal with problems is to compromise.

Let me explain to you why compromise isn’t the best option.

I want you to think about two business partners that are lost in the desert. They get to a road where right in front of them is a cliff. If they go straight, they’ll fall off the cliff. One partner says, “We’ve got to go left” and the other partner says, “We’ve got to go right.” They argue about it for a while and finally decide to follow the advice that everyone gives and that is to compromise. I don’t have to tell you how that turned out!

So while you may have been told that compromise is the best way to deal with conflict, there is a better way, that the great entrepreneurs have figured out.

#5: Collaboration

When you collaborate, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have the best idea or that someone else has the best idea. It’s about taking your idea and someone else’s idea and putting them together, and from there dealing with conflict together, in a way that leads to something bigger than either of the ideas would have been alone.

The great entrepreneurs learn how to collaborate.

My challenge to you is to take an inventory of yourself. How do you deal with conflict in your business? Are you stubborn? Do you accommodate? Do you avoid? Do you compromise? Or do you collaborate?

Find whatever of the five levels listed above you are and look for ways to move to the next level until eventually you learn how to collaborate when it comes to the problems in your business.

Patrick Bet-David

From cloud computing to drones, technology is transforming Africa

The year 2016 will be a defining one for Africa in its approach to advanced technologies, particularly as these technologies begin to converge and offer even bigger opportunities for change. Here are four ways this could play out in 2016.

Thinking big

To really make the most of the convergence of new information, robotic and genetic technologies, progressive African economies will need to make coordinated decisions.

This means, for a start, double-digit increases in research spending around computing – from coding in primary schools to industry grants. It also means having a starburst vision of how poorer communities can take advantage of the convergence – a reality that is messier than the “singularity” vaunted by Silicon Valley zealots. Shiny Afrofuturism has so far been shoved aside by the realities of administering living systems that are simultaneously decaying and burgeoning (think, for example, of Uganda’s failure to keep its only radiotherapy machine for cancer therapy running).

That has to change. So does the ambition to think deeply about obvious questions such as, say, the fate of the petrol car in African cities in an age of autonomous electric vehicles. All of this has to happen now because the technologies themselves are combining at dizzying speeds. Slowness and a lack of vision will mean that under the best-case scenario, it will be technology companies rather than Africans themselves setting the agenda. And the worst-case scenario? The digital divide between Africa and industrial countries will grow so large that it can’t be bridged.

The power of the cloud

The “cloud” is driving convergence. The global cost of building it out is considerable. Most of the money is being spent in richer countries. Amazon, Google and Microsoft will all be among the top 10 companies in the world this year in research spending. But the cloud will also be the leading tech trend in Africa this year. Oracle and Huawei say they are experiencing “hyper-growth” in Africa as businesses move their operations to the cloud.

The effects will be much more considerable than shifting practice. Whereas steam power (pistons pumping) was the basis of the Industrial Revolution (and still powers old ships on African lakes), cloud computing promises a near future that is increasingly dematerialized and more highly distributed. Everything moves faster, cheaper, more precisely and more transparently. What is physical wants to become virtual, and what is virtual demands to manifest itself in the physical world. This tension is felt in the competition for warehousing business between online and shipping companies. Companies that control both the cloud and the warehouse, such as Amazon and Alibaba, will likely triumph.

Optimization

This sounds esoteric, of little relevance to African development, but that would be to underestimate the interplay between people and machines – and the more so in Africa, where resources are limited and legacy infrastructure has yet to be built. General Electric has $2.4 billion of business in Africa in turbines, railway engines and medical machinery.

It wants to add another $1 billion of business in Nigeria by becoming “digital industrial” – meshing its diverse innovations online. But the new world is just as likely to be formed by new consumer technologies as by heavy lifters like GE. One example is Amazon’s recently released Echo Dot, artificial intelligence that accesses the cloud by human voice command, which, while superficially gimmicky and priced for industrial countries, is sure to find its competitors, collapse in price and, over a decade, optimize consumption of energy, food, goods and information at the household level in Africa.

Understanding the new business models circling around these technologies will be of critical importance when devising plans at the ministerial and boardroom level. This is particularly true for African towns. These are mostly predicted to triple in size exactly as artificial intelligence technology begin to mature. One of the questions that needs to be addressed in 2016 is whether the convergence of technologies can improve the way these towns are built – and if so how?

Flying robots

I finish, self-interestedly, by outlining an invention that incorporates some of this thinking: the droneport. Because of cheap electronics, we will inevitably make intensive use of the sky over Africa using flying robots to carry precious cargo at motorbike prices.

These will be fixed-wing craft, six metres or more in span, flying the middle mile, droneport to droneport, town to town, rugged, cheap, beautiful, quiet, silvery, streaming red lights behind them: the love child of a Citroën 2CV and a Star Wars fighter who fell for each other in a seedy bar. The droneport, as conceived by the lead designer of the Redline project, Lord Norman Foster, will be a large civic building, built of earth, cheap as a petrol station, with many uses, including digital fabrication, pharmacy, courier services, trading and e-commerce. The spectral lines in the sky connecting droneports manifest the convergence – putting the robot in the cloud in every way.

Jonathan M. Ledgard

3 Ways to Help Turn Your Weaknesses Into Branding Strengths

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1. Reviews and Ratings

Bad reviews can be the bane of your existence, no matter what your industry. As an author, I know all too well what it’s like to check Amazon only to find a new, dreaded one-star review. It’s awful! I know when readers are considering buying my book, they’re not going to read all of the reviews. They may go straight to the one-star train wrecks instead of starting with the glowing five-star reviews.

So how on earth do you transform a lousy review into a good thing? Well, I got a call once from a professor who had read my book. He said the content was great, but what he objected to was my language. He said it was too in-the-trenches and not academic enough. A light bulb went on. I asked him to write up his review and post it, along with a one-star rating. He was puzzled until I explained my reasoning: What he disliked about my book is exactly what my readers love! He was giving me a backhanded compliment and a sales tool without even realizing it. Readers who were looking at my book could go read the critical review that mentioned the non-academic language, and they’d know my book was what they wanted. It was fantastic.

2. A Difficult Name

No one knows this struggle better than I do. My last name is Michalowicz. People have no idea what to do with it. They’re afraid to pronounce it, have no idea what nationality my name reflects and in general they just don’t want to deal with my name. That’s a problem for an author and a public speaker. My name is my brand. I could have changed it, but instead, I made it fun. My website plays with my name, and I spell it out phonetically every chance I get. (It’s mi-'kal-ō-wits, by the way.) Rather than sending potential customers away with a negative association around a word they didn’t want to mispronounce, I make it a playful part of my branding. I know it’s a difficult name, but my approach also makes it a memorable one. Once people learn how to pronounce my name, it just rolls off their tongues. And they never forget it.

3. Pricing

When you’re selling a product that’s very expensive, you could defer questions about cost and tuck the price tag underneath (either literally or figuratively), but laying it all out in the open may be beneficial to your branding. Telling your clients that you’re proud to offer the most expensive entry in your category because your product is worth every penny may be a way to stand out from the pack. Talking about your uncompromising quality and your exceptional customer service may help your clients see that even though you’re expensive, you’re still a value. Turning your high price into a powerful asset may help make customers feel good about handing over their hard-earned dollars. 

Many businesses have some type of weakness. In order to transform them into strengths, it may be helpful to identify those weaknesses first. If you’re unaware of where you’re missing the mark, it may be hard to find opportunity for growth. But when you identify your weakness and turn it into a strength, you may be able to improve your service and put yourself in an advantageous position with regard to your competition. Don’t miss a chance to stand out from the crowd.

Mike Michalowicz