BEING AFRICAN FEB EDITION 2015

BEINGA F R I C A N

Tony ElumeluFoundation

Entrepreneurship Programme

CHRIS AIRE . AN INSPIRATION

A TRUE LEADER

Jason NjokuiROKO TV

Nigeria Office: City Offices: Arik Air Travel Shop, 45 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi

www.arikair.com

BEINGA F R I C A N

CONTENT

Tony ElumeluFoundation

5

LeadershipA visionary entrepreneur and philanthropist.Born, raised and educated in Africa,

Young EntrepreneursJason Njoku, founder: iROKOTV

www.beingafrican.co.za | 3

Tola Onigabanjo: women4Africa

inspire MECHRIS AIRE: A Nigerian can succeed anywhere in the World -

Publisher: GSNMedia

[email protected]

Graphic Designers

GSNMedia

UK Correspondents

Ernest Okwudike: +44 790 946 8059

Marketing/Adverts

GSNMedia: +27 11 051 9125

www.beingafrican.co.za

Tech#SamsungGalaxy Note4NG

How to Start 2015 on a Good Note!

24

Relationship10 reasons why being single is not a badthing

MusicReview Of Banky W's Two New VideosUnborn Child & Low Key

18

22

9

13

Leadership

A visionary entrepreneur andphilanthropist. Born, raised andeducated in Africa, Mr. Elemeluhas been responsible for creatingbusinesses across the continent, insectors critical to Africa’seconomic development.He serves as chairman of HeirsHoldings Limited, chairman ofaffiliated company, Transcorp,Nigeria’s largest listedconglomerate, and is the creatorof the Tony Elumelu Foundation,dedicated to catalysingentrepreneurship across Africa.In his early career, Mr. Elumeluturned the financially distressedStandard Trust Bank into a top-fivefinancial services player inNigeria. In 2005 he led the largestmerger in the banking sector in

Africa, acquiring United Bank forAfrica –UBA today operates in 19Africa countries, as well as NewYork, London and Paris.

In 2010, he founded Heirs HoldingsLimited, an African investmentholding company withinvestments in financial services,power, oil and gas, agribusiness,real estate and hospitality. In thesame year he established TheTony Elumelu Foundation, anAfrica-based and fundedphilanthropy, dedicated to thepromotion of entrepreneurship inAfrica.

Mr. Elumelu is the author andleading proponent of thephilosophy “Africapitalism,”which advocates the privatesector’s commitment to Africa’sdevelopment through long-terminvestment in strategic sectors ofthe economy that drive

Tony Elumelu

EntrepreneurshipProgramme

Foundation

BEINGAFRICAN


In 2003, the Federal Governmentof Nigeria conferred the nationalhonour of Member of the FederalRepublic (M.F.R.) on Mr Elumelu. In2012 he was awarded theprestigious National Honour of;Commander of the Order of theNiger (C.O.N.) for his service inpromoting private enterprise. In2013, Mr. Elumelu received theLeadership Award in Business andPhilanthropy from the Africa-America Institute Awards. He wasalso named African Business Iconat the 2013 African BusinessAwards.

Mr. Elumelu presently serves as amember of the USAID’s PrivateCapital Group for Africa PartnersForum. He sits on the NigerianPresident’s AgriculturalTransformation ImplementationCouncil and serves as Co-Chair ofthe Aspen Institute Dialogue Serieson Global Food Security. Heplayed a leading role in theformation of the NationalCompetitiveness Council ofNigeria and now serves as its vicechairman. He chairs the MinisterialCommittee to establish world-class hospitals and diagnosticcentres across Nigeria, at theinvitation of the Federal

Tony ElumeluCommits $100Million To Create10,000 AfricanEntrepreneurs In10 Years

Nigerian billionaire investor andphilanthropist Tony Elumelu hascommitted $100 million to create10,000 entrepreneurs across Africaover the next 10 years.Elumelu made the commitmenton Monday during a pressconference in Lagos to announcethe launch of The Tony ElumeluFoundation EntrepreneurshipProgramme (TEEP).

TEEP, a Pan-Africanentrepreneurship initiative of theTony Elumelu Foundation, is amulti-year programme of training,funding, and mentoring, designedto empower the next generationof African entrepreneurs.

The programme will identify andhelp grow 10,000 start-ups andyoung businesses from acrossAfrica over the next 10 years.These businesses will in turn create1,000,000 new jobs and contribute$10 billion in annual revenues toAfrica’s economy. The 10,000start-ups selected from a pool ofapplicants across Africa willparticipate in a comprehensive

BEINGAFRICANBEINGAFRICAN

“It is our opportunity toempower a generation,”said Elumelu.


programme which will include acustomized 12-week business skillstraining course, mentoring, anentrepreneurship ‘boot camp’and seed capital funding amongother things. Interestedentrepreneurs will be able tosubmit their applications to jointhe programme as from January2015 through the Tony ElumeluFoundation’s website.

“The opportunity and challengein Africa is scale – in our people,our resources and our horizons. Inmy business and philanthropicjourneys, I have always soughtways to help inspire a generationacross our continent. Thisprogramme brings together myown entrepreneurial experienceand my fundamental belief thatentrepreneurs – women and menacross Africa – will lead Africa’sdevelopment and transform ourfutures,” Tony Elumelu, founder ofThe Tony Elumelu Foundation, saidin a press statement.

The programme will be backedby a $100 million grant from theTony Elumelu Foundation, anAfrican-based, African-fundedphilanthropic organization thatsupports entrepreneurship inAfrica by enhancing thecompetitiveness of the Africanprivate sector. The Foundation issolely funded by Tony Elumelu, abillionaire who has derived anestimated $1 billion fortune frombanking, energy, investments and

real estate according to FORBES’recent ranking of Africa’s 50Richest People.“It is our opportunity to empowera generation,” said Elumelu.

More details about the program,including eligibility and theapplication and selectionprocesses are available on theTony Elumelu Foundation websiteat:www.tonyelumelufoundation.org/TEEP.

BEINGAFRICAN

Etisalat’smission is toextendpeople’sreach.

www.etisalat.com.ng

I am Jason Chukwuma Njoku,Founder of iROKO. Arguably oneof the most awesome internetcompanies in Africa. as aprofessional (and certified) geek Iread Chemistry at the University ofManchester, in 2005, I embarkedon my journey of becoming amodern day Capitalist. These aremy opinions. I own them andmake no excuses for havingthem.

Young EnterepreneursBEINGAFRICAN

'Netflix OfAfrica' iROKOtvRaises $8 MillionIn Funding

iROKOtv, the world’s largest onlinedistributor of Nigerian movies, hasraised $8 million in venture capitalfrom a group of internationalinvestors.According to a blog post byJason Njoku, the Nigerian co-founder of iROKOtv, a Video OnDemand (VOD) platform whichhas severally been referred to asthe ‘Netflix NFLX +1.18% of Africa’,the new funding round camefrom American hedge fund TigerGlobal, Swedish-based Kinnevik,an early investor in group buyingsite Groupon GRPN -0.7% , andRise Capital.Jason Njoku, Founder of iROKOtvAccording to Njoku, iROKO hasraised $21 million total over thepast two years, thereby makingthe company one of the bestfunded internet startups in Africa.Njoku founded iROKOtv in 2010. InApril 2012, iROKOtv raised $8million from Tiger Global, and inJuly of the same year, Swedishinvestment company Kinnevikinvested $2 million. Njoku says healso raised $5 million from anunspecified investor in December2012.

Jason NjokuiROKO TV


In a press statement, Njoku saidthe new funding will be used tofurther fuel the company’sexpansion and realize its longterm goal of becoming one ofAfrica’s pre-eminent mediacompanies.

iROKOtv traditionally uses capitalit raises to acquire digitaldistribution licenses from movieproducers, paying between$1,000 – $25,000 per movie. In Julylast year, iROKOtv launched itssubscription service, iROKOtvPLUS, which charges subscribers$5 a month to access the latestNigerian movies. While Njoku andhis team decline to give thenumber of paying subscribers, hehas stated several times that theiROKOtv PLUS business is currentlygrowing rapidly and is now thelargest single source of revenuefor the company. More than 90%of the site’s content is still free andis supported by web advertising.

iROKOtv has aggregated theworld’s largest online Nollywoodcatalogue, now standing at5,000+ movies. The company hasbeen credited by for pioneeringVOD for Africa and Africancontinent.

BEINGAFRICAN

Tola Onigbanjo, is a wife andmother, she is also a qualifiedfamily mentor with over 20 yearsexperience in family resolutionissues.

Tola Onigbanjo represents theRenaissance woman; herdynamic approach to her craft isadmirable, boasting success onan array of platforms.

Tola

women4AfricaOnigabanjo

is co-founder of Women4Africa, a UK-based organization celebrating,recognizing, and honoring Africanwomen who have made great impactin their communities.


Mrs Tola Onigbanjo, ProjectManager, EntertainmentJournalist, Compere andAuthor. Tola has a passion forwomen and empowerment.She has Managed anddelivered at numerousconferences around the UK.

Her book “Steps” has propelledher to Multiple platforms andconferences to do with thesubject of family with awoman’s emotions at thecentre.

Women4Africa was birthed outof her lifelong passion to seewomen honoured andcelebrated for their good worksand contribution to society.

Weekly Tola hosts a radio talkshow on a well renowned Londonradio station 'Playvybz' via theinternet. She covers a number ofparenting topics and issuesoffering pratical advice and tips.

Her presenting skills areshowcased with her 'Wise Wordswith WiseTola' show which hashad great reviews from somemajor television network directors.Tola has also written a number ofparenting articles for the 'Voice'newspaper discussing parentingand relationship issues and alsowrites for magazines such as

BEINGAFRICAN

'NinetyNine Mag'.

Her direct yet accommodatingapproach has made her highlysuccessful within her field. Thepassion which she approachesher work allows for audiencesto relate and feed off herenthusiasm.

With the view to impact youngpeople in a positive way Tolahas hosted workshops forvarious charities, award showsand even performed at someof London's most prestigiouslocations; showcasing hermusical talents.

In 2007 Tola managed tosuccessfully launched her firstbook entitled 'Steps', discussingthe issue of step-parentingselling more than 3000 copiesto date. Her social networkingsitewww.parentingdomain.comboasts more than 200 membersafter 6months of existence. .

Her aspirations in the future areto continue to have a positiveimpact on parenting, which shesees as the solution to the youthcrime epidemic. She is currentlyworking on her second book,while utilizing all forms of mediato continually enhance herstatus on a global scale.


CHANNEL 165 on DSTVwww.ebonylifetv.com

BEINGAFRICAN

inspire Me

CHRIS AIRE: A Nigeriancan succeed any wherein the World -The adverts of his products thatrun on cable networks globallydo not bear any linkage to thehumility that of his persona.After leaving Nigeria at the ageof 17years in 1983 for greenerpastures abroad, Chris Aire hasdone well for himself.

The jeweler and exotic watchmaker, artist and designer, hasas buddies some of the biggestnames in American music, film,fashion, entertainment andsports industry.


“He is called the Iceman onaccount of his trading indiamonds and other preciousstones with which he hasbedecked many of his superstarfriends. Aire will qualify as one ofthe early prophets of the blingbling culture, a hip hop inspiredphenomenon referring to thewearing and accessorizing offlashy, dazzling, sometimesoutrageous, often outlandishjewelry.

Chris Aire’s client list is a roll call ofHollywood’s elite.At the same time, his personal lifejourney could easily be the stuff ofa Hollywood movie.

A wall at the Chris Aireheadquarters brims withphotographs of Aire’s high-profileclients from Celine Dion toAngelina Jolie, Colin Powell, MerylStreep, Al Pacino, Will Smith, MileyCyrus, Ozzy Osbourne, and NaomiCampbell. Recent bespokecommissions include apersonalized Roca Fella necklacefor hip-hop mogul Jay-Z and a$1.7 million cuff bracelet.

BEINGAFRICAN

Designer and jeweler Chris Aire,Hollywood’s “King of Bling,” pursueddreams of success in America against

the odds. Here is an exclusiveBut Chris Aire’s story did not startout this way. After leaving hisfamily in Nigeria while still ateenager, Aire moved to Americaand made his way through actingschool in California, working fullnights in fast food joints andcatching precious sleepwhenever he could in his rusty oldBMW. By leaving Nigeria, and withit the path his father hadintended for him–to continue intothe family oil business–Aire wasleft to fend for himself.

“When I arrived in America, I wastold Nigerians could work eitheras security guards or in a fast-foodrestaurant. I worked from 10pm to6am in a fast-food restaurant.After my work shift, I’d sleep for acouple of hours in my car andthen go to school for my studiesfrom 9am to 4pm and I did thatfive days a week,” Aire told aninterview on CNN recently duringa half-hour documentarychronicling his dramatic journeyfrom broke student to one ofAfrica’s most influentialinternational business people anda role-model for young Africans.


BEINGAFRICAN

Whilst in Miami, Payton bought aplatinum basketball pendant, pluscharms and bracelets for the restof his team – an order worth a life-changing $50,000. Aire could thenhardly have imagined he wouldsoon become the go-to jewellerfor the NFL’s biggest stars, the filmindustry’s A-list and jewelry loversaround the world –– whether for his signature dogtag pendants, his elaboratebespoke commissions, or histrademarked and widelyemulated Red Gold® collection.

His is a very American dream, butChris Aire remains close to hisNigerian roots. The sole owner ofhis business, Chris prides himself insourcing gold and diamonds fromhis native Africa, where he haspersonally invested in mines. He isfully committed to working withonly conflict-free diamonds andeschewing child labor. He travelsto his homeland regularly, payingvisits to children at the Fortune ofGod orphanage in Abuja, makinghis voice heard on issues of fair-trade policies for Africa’sdiamond miners, and inspiringyoung Africans to ultimatelyrealize their loftiest ambitions.

After a short-lived foray into musicand acting, a friend’s father gaveAire his first opportunity in thejewelry business. It was here hediscovered his true passion forgemstones and intricatecraftsmanship. After 6 years, Chrishad saved $5,000. Carrying a fewprototypes of his designs aroundwith him, he spent a yearfrequenting the glamorous RitzCarlton Hotel and other bars andhot spots where he knew hisdream clients were regulars.

A life-changing sale“I literally had a minute to sell tothese people, they had no cluewho I was, but I was determinedto turn these influential individualsinto my clients,” says Aire. Oneday in 1997, he saw basketballlegend Gary Payton come intothe lobby of a hotel and caughthis attention for long enough toshow him his jewelry designs.Payton was intrigured and invitedAire to attend a charity event inMiami, which Aire did, by maxingout his credit card to buy a flight.


BEINGAFRICAN

“Africans are now beginning torealize that by supporting localdesigners, they can give rise totheir own luxury fashion anddesign houses and their ownsuccess stories, just like LouisVuitton and Chanel are thesuccess stories that historicallywere initially fuelled by their ownEuropean following,” says Aire.

As Chris opens his first flagshipstore in Beverly Hills, he remains aspassionate as ever about makinghis clients feel fantastic in hisjewels and putting his heart andsoul into everything he does.

And his clients, some of the mostpowerful members of theHollywood establishment,definitely seem to agree.

“The only thing better thandiamonds are diamonds in one ofyour beautiful creations,” HalleBerry told him recently, while AlPacino said to Chris Aire: “Yourjewellery is unbelievablybeautiful.”

Chris Aire has dazzledhis loyal clients with

his handmade,

innovative and dramaticdiamond jewelry andwatches for over 25

years.

8 Bode Thomas Street, Surulere,Lagos Nigera

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +234 803 777 0128

VISIT USwww.yomicasual.com.ng

BEINGAFRICAN

Relationship

10 reasons why beingsingle is not a bad thingValentine's Day 2015 is just a fewweeks away and while somelovers are already warming up forsome romantic dates and treats,a couple of people are not reallylooking forward to that day.

Why? Because they are single!*Shudders*

Before you fling yourself on thefloor and start weeping aboutyour singlehood, pause brieflyand read this. Regardless of whatyou might think, being single is nota bad thing at all. *Dodges shoe*

Don't think so? Check out thefollowing reasons and see whyyou should celebrate beingsingle:

1. No compromising: As a singleperson, you can do whatever it isthat you love, without having tocompromise for someone else'sneeds or desires. Maybe you likefried chicken or you like to eatcookies at night in front of the TV.You can indulge in your guiltypleasures or just simply be yourselfwithout having to give up anypart of your pleasure in order tocodify someone else.


2. No explaining or justifying:Aside from not having to give upyour pleasures, you also do nothave to explain or justify toanyone why you like doing them.This is absolutely liberating. Beyourself, no ifs or buts about it.

3. No guilt: Guilt is one thing thatwe can definitely do without. But,so much of our relationshipsrevolve around guilt. Thecompromising and explainingmentioned above are oftenthings we do to protect ourrelationship from it's demise. Wefear the loss. Instead ofembracing impermanence andremembering what joyssinglehood can bring, we oftenfeel bad and guilty about our"selfish" ways. This leads to self-compromising behaviours.

4. No jealousy or insecurity:Jealousy is one of the things thatcomes with a relationshippackage. It can come from youor your partner. When youcelebrate your singlehood,jealousy and insecurity aboutother people fall down by thewayside. The most importantperson has become you. Theability to live and let live suddenlybecomes within your reach. Byebye jealousy!

5. Friends: Not only do partnerswant explanations andcompromise, but they also maybe jealous of your friends.

BEINGAFRICAN

Maybe, partners may limit thetime you have to spend withfriends. In many ways friends aremore important than our partners.They are there for us when ourrelationships hit the rocks. Beingsingle is a great time to nurtureyour friendships. So, feel free tohang out with your friends andfeel not guilt about it.

6. Develop your identity: Mosttime, people lose themselves inother people, in their partner or intheir relationship, till theirpersonality and identity is allgone. Who are you? What isspecial about you? Singlehood iswhen you can really let yourselfshine and be who you are meantto be.

7. Have "me time": One of thebest parts of singlehood is thefreedom to do what you want,when you want, how you want,why you want and with whom.There is no one to answer to,explain, justify and compromisefor. This independence should beembraced. You want a quietevening at home or an entireweek of solitude. It is all yours.Period!

8. Pursue your dreams:Singlehood affords you the abilityto pursue your dreams. Want totravel the world and visit funplaces? Guess what? Being singlemakes these types of dreams


much easier. Single people cando the things that those inrelationships cannot. Chartuncharted territory, be a trailblazer or do something that youhave never done before. It mightbe easier to do these thingswithout seeking anyone'spermission.

9. Financial independence: Yourmoney is all yours. You don't haveto pay for anyone else. You makeyour own money. So, spend yourmoney the way you want. Nojoint bank accounts, no onetelling you how to spend yourmoney and no one asking youwhere your money went.

10. Emotional independence: Thisis probably the most liberatingpiece of all. Partners are notalways supportive of ouremotions. They take youremotions personally, they don'tunderstand them or they don'tsupport what you are feeling.Singles don't have to explain whythey feel happy, sad, angry, tired,moody, crabby or frustrated toanyone. Feel free to feel everyemotion you have inside of youand not have to respond toanyone else about them.

Yes, some of these things sounddownright selfis, but ironically,these seemingly selfish conceptsmight actually benefit ourrelationships.

BEINGAFRICAN

We might end up feeling betterabout ourselves in the long run,which in the end is key for longterm happiness.By Oke Efagane

Opinion

I have absolutely no words forwhat it is this man was probablythinking when he decided to donan attire made of a plastic bagpopularly called, ‘Ghana mustgo’.

Ghana must go! Guys,would you wear thisin the name offashion?


BEINGAFRICAN

Music

EME boss, Banky W left the shoresof the nation for a little while lastyear.During that time, he was at theNew York Film Academy buildingup his resume by taking a coursein directing. Upon return, hereleased the video for one of hissingles, Mercy, which was in hislast album, R&BW. In 2 weeks, thevideo has gathered over 56,000views on You Tube.

Review Of Banky W’sTwo New Videos –Unborn Child & Low Key

This week, he released two morevideos, “Low Key” which hetweeted about saying, ‘I directedthis halfway through film school’and “Unborn Child”.

Both tracks are from his R&BWalbum. The videos were directedby Banky W, though he says“Unborn Child” was co-directedwith Jonathan Whittaker


Unborn Child features rapperLynxxx and tells the story of apoliceman who has just been toldby his girlfriend, fiancée or wife(role not defined) that she ispregnant. I like the few minutes ofsuspense where the cop playedby Banky, acted like he wasn’tthrilled which could have givenany girl jitters. Unfortunately hedies in the line of duty but hadwritten a letter to his unborn childnot knowing what tragic fateawaited him.

I felt like I was watching an actualmovie especially since I saw it forthe first time at the cinemas.Good acting by the cast, greatstory line, lovely scene!

Lowkey featured Banky as thelover boy with Tanzanian supermodel, Millen Magese starring ashis leading lady. There was a lotof chemistry between her andBanky, but I guess that is the kindof effect Banky has on the ladies.Millen also pulls her weight as agood actress.

BEINGAFRICAN

Gospel singerkicks off yearwith 2 new singles

Gaisebaba, Christian Afrofusionartiste,

Gbagbe Oshi, mixed by OlaitanDada (Natialo productions) is aninspirational jam. Laced with heavypercussion, and live talking drum, itemphasizes Gaise’s style, to serve upa rich groovy beat. Gaise hasindeed mastered the art ofserenading our ears with refreshinglywitty rhymes, which we have cometo love him for, and he againdelivers on this one. Gbagbe Oshi isone song that will definitely getparties rocking this year.


BEINGAFRICAN

Tech

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4perfectly fits in the plan for anybusiness professional or creativemind who must either plan theirlife, sketch ideas on the go, orcapture sight and sound in thenick of time.

If you don’t Note it, it won’thappen! This benefits everyone.Are you an architect, a brandspecialist, cartoonist, or a graphicdesigner? You can sketch yourideas on the Samsung GalaxyNote 4 with the Galaxy S Pen thatcomes along with the device.Yes, you can store the files safelyin the cloud, immediately. Then,you can share sketches real-time

#SamsungGalaxyNote4NGHow to Start2015on a Good Note!

with your team – if you work withother professionals who need topromptly start translating theideas into reality or giveimmediate feedback!

Are you a journalist, an executiveassistant or just a professional whomust record audio for your notes,the Samsung Galaxy Note 4comes handy when you need todrown out surround noise andfocus on specific voices. Theenhanced Voice Recorder allowsyou record interviews andmeetings using the Voice MemoMode to best capture the idealsound settings. One more thing:Interview mode focuses onsounds coming from top andbottom of the device withsurround noise cancellationtechnology while Meeting modedetects the direction from whichsound is coming from and canidentify up to 8 distinct voices.You can even listen to a specificperson after recording in Interviewor Meeting mode!


BEING AFRICAN FEB EDITION 2015

Documents

africa partnersforum

africa countries

mr elumelu

thetony elumelu foundation

african business iconat

african businessawards

combeinga f r i c

chairman ofaffiliated