5 WAYS CONTENT DEVELOPMENT CAN IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS

In the world of today, traditional marketing alone is no longer efficient for business success. Every business has to have an online presence and be ready to go digital. It is easy to assume going digital means developing a website. Yes, that is definitely a start but just having a website without consistent content marketing is not going to take your business to where your competitions are. Continuous content development is necessary for digital marketing. Here are few ways content marketing can improve your business.

GENERATING TRAFFIC: regular traffic on your website implies potential customers. This simply means that the more people that sees your content and visit your website, the higher the probability of them doing business with you. There are ofcourse other strategies you can put in place to convert your website traffic to paying customers.

BRAND AWARENESS: constant demystifying of your well developed contents is a prerequisite for brand awareness. It implies that people get to see you more often and they get attached to your brand and possibly what you do.

SALES INCREASE: the main aim of every business is profitability, the more content you put out about your business, the more people get to know you and the more they are likely to do business with you. Continues content development is an easy way to increase sales and make your brand more profitable.

YOU SPEND LESS: unlike the conventional way of advertising and creating brand awareness, you spend less in digital marketing. It is mostly cheap to stay on the internet these days and there is no limit to where your contents can get to because the internet is global.

BROADENS YOUR SCOPE: when you combine digital marketing and continuous content development with conventional marketing, there is an increase in the scope of your business. You are not limited to doing business within certain bounds or walls and you can go as far as you want in expanding yourself and making more money.

Content development is crucial to brand awareness and several advantages that goes into online and digitised marketing. Having a website is a start, developing contents and spreading the message about your brand is the best option to consider.

Planting Maize. Ploughing, cultivating and drilling

The use of mechanized farming equipment on farm sites. The ease and the time saved makes it worth considering.

4 SIGNS YOU LACK GOOD TEAM MEMBERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS

Entrepreneurship and setting up a business always require team effort, it is hardly impossible for someone to do it all alone. There is need for a team that shares the vision of a start up and who are ready to work relentlessly to achieve these set goals. Every member of a team is important. Everyone has to play their role if the mission is going to be accomplished. Certain characteristics are indications that a team member might not have what it takes to drive the team to success. Here are few of such characteristics.

MAKING EXCUSES: a team member or person that is always having reasons for not getting a task completed is a bad news for the team. Coming through is a must no matter how much it takes. If someone doesn’t have what it takes to get the job done by all means, this could be an indication that your team is bound to fail.

IRRESPONSIBILITY: not taking responsibility for certain task or action is another bad trait for a team member, for the growth of your team, you must be ready to take responsibility for your actions and be ready to own up when you make a mistake. This makes it easier for goals to be achieved and for examples to be set.

NOT IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES: this is another way to spot a bad team member. People that cannot identify opportunities and seize them for the growth of a business are bad options of people to team up with. Every individual effort matters when trying to achieve a huge goal.

MISMANAGEMENT OF RESOURCES:  resources are not always easy to put together, so much effort goes into making resources available for every target. For profitability and growth, resources must be managed. A team member that doesn’t understand this fact might be a terrible option to consider. Management of resources is crucial to success and profitability in any venture.

Every team member must possess necessary characteristic to drive the business to success. Inability to possess these traits is an indication that you are not what the team needs to succeed.

 

ABC of Fish Farming. Fish Farming in Nigeria using earthen ponds.

A 30 minutes documentary on the basics of Cat Fish Farming in Nigeria using earthen ponds.

Core business skills every entrepreneur needs

Thursday, October 27, 2016

THANKS to the advancement of modern technology, becoming a business owner is more attainable now than it has ever been in the past. With a good measure of business savvy and the right product, an individual can see marginal success in a short amount of time.

However, for those looking for long-term success in business, there are some core skills and disciplines you'll need to learn in order to run your business efficiently.

Education

No matter what line of business you're going into, having some educational experience in the field can help you to operate your business successfully. At the core of basic entrepreneurial skills comes management. Knowing how to effectively manage the daily business operations along with staff (if applicable) will help to improve productivity. If business management isn't your strong suit, you can consider getting an MBA online.

There are plenty of affordable universities that offer business management courses and degrees online. You could take courses part time as you run your business and apply what you're learning to your business strategy for improved success.

Technological skills

It goes without saying that technology is transforming the world of business. From office applications to advanced software and computing devices, it is ideal for every entrepreneur to keep up with tech trends.

From learning how to utilise file management systems and cloud-based software to incorporating the most cutting edge means of communication, an entrepreneur must know which technological platforms are crucial to their success and meeting the needs of their customers.

Beefing up your tech skills is fairly simple these days. There are plenty of online tutorials that can show you step by step how to utilise certain technological platforms. If you're not great with tutorials you can also keep an eye out for local seminars in which training is offered.

Marketing

The success of your business will greatly depend on your ability to market your brand. There are many avenues for getting the word out about your business but as an entrepreneur, you will need to know which channels work best for your audience. From extreme measures like working with a celebrity or public figure to spread the word about your brand to more economically friendly gestures like free giveaways, coupons, and social media marketing, your ability to uniquely market your brand will determine the success of your products or services.

Professional marketing blogs or how to guides are inexpensive and convenient ways to learn some basic marketing and branding strategies. Some marketing professionals offer free or affordable online courses on various marketing trends including social media, email, video, and print marketing.

Sales

While marketing is what brings attention to your brand, possessing the ability to make a good sales pitch is ultimately what converts your visitors to customers. You must learn how to convey a message about your product or service in a way that resonates with your target audience. The pitch must be easy to comprehend, appealing and must also fulfil a need the audience has. Taking a sales training course would be ideal to improve this particular skill. The right set of courses will teach you how to engage the audience, tailor the message to their needs, as well as primary etiquette on how to close the deal.

Financial skills

An entrepreneur that doesn't know how to properly manage his/her money will ultimately find his/her business in shambles. Even if you intend to hire an accountant or bookkeeper, knowing the basics of accounting and business finances is pertinent to your overall success.

As an entrepreneur, you can never be too educated when it comes to business finances. Consider a course in business finance to help improve your understanding of how your company finances are holding up.

A few courses each semester can help you to improve cash flow, balance the books, prepare for potential growth, and make sound investment decisions.

Entrepreneurs wear many hats. Although it is recommended that you get help from other business professionals to make your vision complete, it is always a good idea to invest in your knowledge and skills. The aforementioned skills are at the very core of what it takes to run a successful business.

 SOURCE: VANGUARD

The morning habits of successful women

What makes successful women able to achieve their goals? I've interviewed many female entrepreneurs and many of them attribute a big part of their success to these morning habits.

 

 

Government plans buy-back from farmers to boost food security

Friday, October 28, 2016

The Federal Government has disclosed plans to commence buy-back from farmers at a guaranteed minimum price, to check rising prices of food items in the market.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, who disclosed this to journalists in Abuja said that on a daily basis, 700 trailer loads of grains left Nigerian markets for Mali, Mauritania, Niger Republic, Chad, and the Central Africa Republic.

Ogbeh explained that with the devaluation of the naira, it was cheaper to buy from the Nigerian markets and sell in other neighbouring countries.

To prevent hunger, the government has started buying and storing grains in silos with a plan to release them by February when farmers may have exhausted their stock.

"We are buying a lot of grains now because there is a surplus harvest in many states, including Kebbi, Niger Zamfara and Anambra. We also guarantee a minimum price that will be announced shortly, because up to 700 trucks daily are leaving Nigeria with grains heading for Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad and the Central Africa Republic. Everyday, everything goes there.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

How to Launch Your Own Business: Black Women Share Secrets to Success

CocoaFab attended the Women Doing it Big conference to hear how business owners are building their careers, branding their talents and taking their lives to the next level.

MAJOR NEEDS FOR YOUR ONLINE BRANDING

Lately, every business is going online. E-commerce is gradually taking the place of conventional business. Some people are coming in well inclined and well informed on what they need to do and how they need to brand themselves while some others have embraced the change but lack the basic understanding of what they need to take their brand to the peak.

RIGHT BRAND NAME: the internet is a large zone, unlike conventional marketing where your name is visible, coming up with the right brand name is important if you are going to be easily found and networked with.

SUSTAINABILITY: bringing your business online involves sustainability. You can’t start something you know won’t be relevant in the next few years. Consider how sustainable your business is and what you need to make it last lifetimes.

BE PROFESSIONAL: on the internet, your website is your reputation. Customers won’t see you or judge how competent or efficient you are. Your website is what is going to speak for you. Be professional with developing it and make your outlook genuine.

SEND CLEAR MESSAGES: be ready to make use of social platforms and ensure you send out clear messages and contents about your brand. Devise a strategy that would work for you and keep to it.

BELONG TO A COMMUNITY: ensure you stay up-to-date, associate with similar brands and don’t hesitate to partner up if it’s beneficial to your growth. Don’t be proud to ask for help and don’t be arrogant not to give back as you progress.

E-commerce has come to stay and if you are not ready to do business in the modern way and adopt necessary strategies, you might find yourself irrelevant even in your line of business over time.

 

The 5 Identities of an Entrepreneur

Have you ever met an overachiever -- someone that performs at a completely different level? Immediately you feel their presence! Do you know what I'm talking about?
You may wonder why they think the way they do, and why they have the level of energy they do.
A lot of people say that I'm different than a lot of people online and that I present things from a different perspective. They want to know who I look up to and admire, and who I get my inspiration from.
That's such a great question, so I decided to make a video on it.
In this video I cover the five identities of an entrepreneur.

OTHER ACTIVITIES FOR SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE

Most successful people are not workaholics contrary to what one would easily assume. Many of the well established entrepreneurs in the world who do their own thing or have something running have other beneficial activities they involve in. These activities are their other ways of adding values to their lives. Your activities off work have a lot to contribute to how productive and valuable you are even at your desk.

VOLUNTEER: successful people are volunteers, they find it easy to give and do things average people won’t dare to do. Either by giving back to the community, doing something beneficial to the society, they find a way to do something meaningful and impactful on their environment.

LEARN: successful people never stop learning, they find ways to improve themselves, associate with like minds and add even more value to their intellectual minds. This is one of the easiest strategies for staying successful. You never stop learning.

RELAX: wealth people know how important taking a break is for the mind. Either by taking vacations to countries they have never been to or by doing something that ease their mind completely off the stress and work. They know a relaxed and stress free mind is a productive mind.

READ: successful people know the values of knowledge and they always read anything good they lay their hands on. There are so many benefits attached to regular reading and this is one of the ways people improve their understanding and vocabulary.

THINK: successful people think before they act, they make plans after considering ideas critically and they make sure whatever they end up doing is what they consider best for themselves. Successful people don’t make huge decisions based on impulse and they don’t take meaningless risk without prior thoughts.

These activities can help improve the quality of life one lives.

Transforming cassava peels into animal feed

This video explains how cassava peels can be dried and converted into animal feed - reducing environmental waste, feeding animals and providing livelihoods.

Fire outbreak at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) disrupts operations

Friday, October 28, 2016

Flight operations at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos were yesterday halted when fire broke out in the terminal.

The fire incident, due to electrical faults, engulfed the Avio Bridge E-54 wing, causing panic among the passengers and workers.

Firefighters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) promptly responded to put off the fire before it caused major damage at Nigeria's busiest airport.

The outbreak disrupted flights in and out of the airport for close to an hour, with spiral effects still felt till the evening.

General Manager, FAAN Corporate Affairs Department, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu said the fire was caused by a spark at the Finger Main Distribution Board, E-Finger of the Airport.

Yakubu said electricity had been restored in the terminal shortly after the outbreak was extinguished, with engineers successfully correcting all defaults to restore normalcy in affected areas.

"While assuring airport users of safety and security at the airports, FAAN wishes to apologise to passengers, airlines and the general public for the inconvenience caused by this interruption," she said.

One ground sources, however, said that the outbreak might not be unconnected with the recent expansion of the terminal and alleged use of inferior cables by the contractor.

Last month, the D-wing Departure of the international airport was engulfed by fire.

Four days later, another fire broke out, which affected the Skye Bank office at the airport and other tenants at the terminal.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Cassava Processing

Mr Peter Idaewor, Managing Director, Idaewor Foods Limited, one of the leading cassava flour processors in Edo State, discusses his product Cassalina and the state-of-the-art cassava processing factory that produces it.
 

IMPROVING YOUR BRAND

There are some steps that could go into brand improvement and solving of business problems from time to time. There are various ways in which these areas that needs to be worked on are identified. It could either be by keeping notes from clients suggestions or identification of areas in need of improvement by the staff. Either ways, it is necessary for a brand to stay continuously strategizing on how to be more efficient and productive as a brand.

Identification of issues: capturing of the shortcomings or concerns you hope to work on is the first step to solving the brands problems which is aimed at improving the brand itself. Every problem is crucial and important and they all have to be address in anticipation for solutions.

Identification of solvable issues: it’s possible for some problems to take more time and more effort than others and it is also possible that certain problems do not pose as much threat as others on the brand. Therefore crucial issues that need to be solved should be identified.

Identification of problem solving method: the next step is to identify how the problems are going to be solved. There could be need for selection of people for different tasks all directed towards improving the potentials of the brand at the long run.

Providing and implementation of solution: the next step involves brainstorming on the best ways possible to carry out the solutions to the problems and how to implement them into the brand.

Continuous repetition of the process: this process is expected to be done from time to time or at intervals if the brand is going to keep improving and stay top notch in the business world.

Growing Africa's Food Markets

African farmers could create a trillion-dollar market for their goods by 2030, if they can access more capital, better infrastructure and land.

 

 

Spain to set up manufacturing companies in Nigeria

Friday, October 21, 2016

The Government of Spain has revealed plans aimed at setting up Spanish manufacturing companies among other businesses in Nigeria, which is targeted at exploring economic potential and build business relations Nigeria.

This is even as an official trade delegation has scheduled a visit to Nigeria in May 2017.The delegation having discussions with government agencies and familiarizing itself with the business environment in Abuja between May 8 and 9, and meeting with private sector operators in Lagos on May 10, 2017 before leaving for their home country.

Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, Alfonso Barnuevo Sebastian De Erico, on Wednesday, dropped this hint, when he paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, in Abuja.

According to an official statement released by the Media Adviser to the minister, Akpandem James, and made available to journalists, the move is part of government efforts to attract foreign investment into the country to boost the economy.

De Erico said it was time the two countries looked into the future to find more ways of being mutually beneficial to each other, particularly now that the country has a government that is sold to good governance principles.

"We appreciate the effort of Nigeria in the area of transparency and fighting corruption. We appreciate also its economic policies; and these will take the country forward. We are very supportive of Nigeria and its policies", he added.

The Ambassador said Spain has been investing in Europe over time and now needs to move its focus to Africa, with Nigeria as a preferred destination because of the country's huge market potentials. "That is why we are bringing in Spanish companies to know the country and also explore investment opportunities available", he explained.

He said though the number of Spanish companies already doing business in Nigeria is increasing, the planned trip is very special as the focus would be on some very specific areas, including Construction, Energy and Environment and Water and Sanitation.

De Erico told the minister that he would appreciate the full involvement of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning and other relevant Federal Government agencies in facilitating the realization of the planned visit as it has enormous potentials of enhancing trade relations and economic growth between the two countries.

The ambassador stressed that Nigeria and Spain have enjoyed long lasting political and economic relations, adding that the time has come to deepen the relationship with further investments in some sectors of the Nigerian economy.

Udoma, while acknowledging the contributions of Spain to Nigeria's economy over the years, particularly in the oil and gas sector, said the Nigerian government is excited about the planned visit and assured it will be fully involved in ensuring its success.

"On the visit of Spanish companies to Nigeria, this is something that we will welcome. It is something we have been looking forward to; something that we are encouraging. We believe you have a lot to offer us and the Spanish companies will find Nigeria a convenient place to do business. We are improving our ease of doing business template and making sure that anybody who wants to do business in Nigeria has a much easier time.

"We are improving on our Visa system, to make it faster to get Visa. We are giving extra support to our Export Processing Zones in terms of infrastructure, to upgrade them so that they will be suitable and convenient places for companies in Spain that would want to go into manufacturing in Nigeria," he stated.

He pledged the readiness of the Ministry not only to support the proposal of bringing in the companies to Nigeria but to liaise with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the Nigeria Investments Promotion Council (NIPC) and other relevant agencies of government to facilitate the project.

The Minister told the Spanish envoy that Nigeria is very interested in expanding its agricultural potentials, solid mineral exploitation and infrastructure development, particularly in the area of roads, rail and power. Concerning infrastructure, he informed that Nigeria is exploring the option of partnership with the private sector to speed up the realization of a massive infrastructure upgrade within the shortest possible time.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

African Small Farmers Documentary

African Farmers Service Center is an innovative initiative that aims to raise the standard of living of African farmers and contribute to global food security by providing training, loans and market access to small scale farmers.

 

HOW TO KEEP YOUR EMPLOYEES HAPPY

Employee satisfaction is effective on productivity, resource management and profitability at the long run. It is no news that happy staff means a progressive business. Most times, employers refuse to pay attention to the needs and concerns of the staff and this is why most problems remain unsolvable and evident progress can hardly be achieved. Here are few ways to ensure employees are treated rightly enough for their tasks.

CLARITY IN TASK: employers need to give adequate job description and ensure that there is clarity in task assigned. It is mostly ineffective to assume an employee should know what to do. Being communicative is a good way to ensure productivity is achieved.

AVOID MONOTONY: having to do the same thing every day in the same way can lead to brain drain. Jobs should be structured in a way that activities won’t be repetitive and brain drain would be prevented. There could be flexibility in work as such options like work from home, work on the field could be adopted.

FLEXIBILITY: this is another good way to keep workers encouraged and bright. Ideas as simple as opportunity for casual dress code can do so much in  improving workers attitude to work, opportunities to hold meetings outside the office is another way to keep work flexible.

TRANSPARENCY: this is another easy way to keep workers happy and make them feel like they belong. Sharing the vision and mission of the organisation and giving them a sense of belonging makes the work process easier and happier for them.

Work doesn’t always have to feel like work. One can derive happiness even in the work one does apart from the pay that comes from it.

 

Forbes Africa TV Ep5: The day Nigeria's Don Jazzy lost his multi million naira music empire

This episode of My Worst Day with Peace Hyde features Nigeria's most successful music producer Don Jazzy who shares on the day he lost the multi million naira music empire he built which led to catastrophic personal and professional consequences.

 

Shipping crimes drop in Nigeria, others

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

There is apparently a positive outlook in the fight against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and other hot spots across the globe, as reports confirmed relative peace being enjoyed in some maritime crime prone routes including Nigeria.

The Guradian reported recently that the nation's fight against piracy is yielding positive results. This has been further lent credence by new data released by the United Kingdom Maritime Intelligence and Operations Company, Dryad Maritime, which also showed that there has been a drastic reduction in the number of attacks in the Nigerian territorial waters.

Specifically, the Dryad report indicated that the Gulf of Guinea, South East Asia and The Indian Ocean High Risk Area (HRA) have all experienced significant reductions in reported maritime crimes throughout July, August and September this year.

It stated: "In the Gulf of Guinea and within Nigeria's Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ) there has been a decrease in the frequency of attacks with a total of just four attacks against commercial shipping at sea off the Niger Delta since early July, this compares to 36 in the first six months of the year,"

Chief Operating Officer, Dryad Maritime, Ian Millen, said: "We have cause for some optimism on piracy and maritime crime, with a generally stable and improving situation in some areas balanced against some serious cause for concern in others,"

He added that in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, Somali piracy remains broadly contained and in Southeast Asia, piracy is at its lowest level since 2009, with a 65 per cent reduction when compared to this time last year.

"The bad news, however, is that 81 people have been kidnapped, seven have been killed and 61 remain in captivity," Millen said.

Dryad Maritime also reported that beyond piracy and maritime crime, the maritime domain poses other threats.

Millen said that, from conflict situations ashore in Libya and Yemen, to the threat of anti-ship missiles in busy shipping lanes, as evidenced by recent incidents in the southern Red Sea, "seafarers continue to trade and transit in some dangerous waters," while the continuing humanitarian crisis of Mediterranean migration puts other pressures on the shipping industry and its seafarers.

The Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) had recently revealed that incidences of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and the Horn of Africa, have been decreasing.

The OBP working group meeting noted that the upturn in kidnapping for ransom incidents in the Gulf of Guinea in the last quarter of 2015, and the first quarter of 2016 have reduced through a combination of increased patrols by the Nigerian Navy, increased use of contracted security and a refocus of attacks away from piracy at sea and more towards inland infrastructure.

Nigeria is estimated to be losing about $1.5 billion monthly to piracy, armed robbery at sea, smuggling, and fuel supply fraud as piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea.

The UN Security Council earlier said: "The absence of an effective maritime governance system, in particular, hampers freedom of movement in the region, disrupts trade and economic growth, and facilitates environmental crimes," she stressed.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Equipping Kenya's small-scale farmers with agricultural information

Small-scale farmers contribute up to 70 per cent of Kenya's agricultural produce but most of them lack proper management mechanisms for their farms. Driven by this, technology company G-Dane is targeting over 2.5 million farmers with a Farm Management System in the next two years.

 

 

HOW TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL

Many people aspire to be rich, some of these people have been in business for a long time yet it seems like nothing out of the ordinary is happening. There could be some reasons for this and you might be too distracted to figure out what exactly is wrong. As an entrepreneur, you are meant to be financially independent, you are meant to have more than enough especially if you have been in business for quite sometime and if you have all the mental attributes it takes to make it.

BE AN EXCEPTION: people often come up with ways of doing things, people come up with their own rules to success and how anyone can make it. You don’t need to follow anyone’s rule to make it. To every rule there is an exception, that exception could be you. Don’t be scared to be different, don’t be reluctant to go in another direction if you’re sure it’s going to work for you.

BE DISCIPLINED: this habit or culture goes a long way in helping people build an empire they deserve. You must be disciplined enough to know what you need to do and when you need to do it. Discipline must go into your spending and how you manage your resources if you have a vision of turning something so little into something so big.

BE A RISK TAKER: comfort zone is not a place achievers are familiar with. They all had to go extra mile. They took a risk in one way or another. Some risk could involve you putting everything you have on the line but success would never come if you don’t leave your comfort zone.

BE A DOER: success and excuses never go together. Infact, excuses are for people who don’t want it bad enough. Wealth comes to doers, not lazy people. If you lack the passion and zeal and the effort needed to push your thing right, you might never get to where you aspire to be.

BE PATIENT: wealth, success, breakthroughs don’t come in a day. Most times, it is a series of continuous effort that push you to the point where success is. Patience is a necessary virtue you must possess. Be willing to experience the process. Rome was not built in a day, nothing good comes easy except you are not the one paying the price.

Entrepreneurs aim for success and success is a combination of these habits and efforts.

Folorunsho Alakija opens up on been a secretary to world's richest black women

From starting her career as a company secretary to launching one of the most prominent fashion labels, building the largest printing company in Nigeria and finally making a mark as the only prominent female in the competitive and patriarchal oil industry. This episode of My Worst Day with Peace Hyde features Folorunsho Alakija, Executive vice Chairperson of Famfa Oil with an estimated net worth of $1.82 billion dollars.

 

 

Nigerian economic recession and entrepreneurial revolution

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

A RECESSION is when the economy declines significantly for at least six months. That means there's a drop in the following five economic indicators: real GDP, Income, Employment, Manufacturing, and retail sales. People often say a recession is when the GDP growth rate is negative for two consecutive quarters or more.

Nigeria's economic situation is in "its worst possible time", according to Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun. The inflation rate shrank at 17.1%, The GDP had contracted by 2.06%, the economy by 0.36%.

The national Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has released a report on Nigeria's economy in the second quarter, including the Gross Domestic product (GDP), Inflation, Employment, and Unemployment, Capital Importation and other key fundamentals.

Oil price has crashed to less than $50 per barrel; Nigeria's production output has tumbled over 400,000 barrels due to militancy activities in Niger Delta region. Oil production plummeted to 1.69 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2016, down from 2.11 million barrel per day in the first quarter, with oil - based GDP contracting by 17.5% in quarter two compared to 1.9% in the first quarter.

Naira remained at record low of #423 per dollar in the black market, as dollar exchange for 365.25 in the interbank market this month.On Employment; 4.58 million Nigerians have become jobless since last year, adding 2.6 million to unemployment figures of 1.46 million recorded in the third quarter of 2015 and 518.102 in the fourth quarter of 2015.

According to reports during the reference period, the unemployed in the labour force increased by 1,158,700 persons, resulting in an increase in the national unemployment rate to 13.3% in Q2 2016 from 12.1 in 2016, 10.4% in 2015 from 9.9% in Q3 2015 and from 8.2% in Q2 2015.

The value of capital imported into Nigeria in the second quarter of 2016 was estimated to be $647.1 million, which represents a fall of 75.73% relative to the second quarter 2015.

This provision figure would be the lowest level of capital imported into Economy on record, and would also represent the largest year on year decrease. This would be the second consecutive quarter in which these records have been set.

The way out of this Recession is Entrepreneurial Revolution.

Entrepreneurial revolution is the way out that will take us to our promise land. I am strongly crying for this revolution and have written a book on it "Entrepreneurial Revolution". It is no longer news, the country is broke, and oil prices have gone down to an all - time low of less than $50 per barrel.

We didn't save when we had excess, we didn't build infrastructures. Not enough power to drive the industries. These are tough times but provide the opportunity to learn and build. For Nigeria to be great again we need to take tough decisions. Entrepreneurship needs to take the front burner.

With about 70% youth population (Approximately 80 million) there is an abundance of human resources. We need to create jobs for the growing population of youths. But it is not all for government to create jobs for the growing population of youths. Government has responsibility to create right environment for entrepreneurial development.

However, there are numerous challenges hindering the growth of entrepreneurship in Nigeria, they are: Lack of access to fund; over taxation of SMEs; insufficient power; lack of critical infrastructures; insecurity.

Recommendation: The practical ways government can create the right environment for business to thrive are: eliminate multiple taxations of SMEs; encourage public - private partnership; engage the entrepreneurs in policy formulation; provide critical infrastructures needed for SMEs; improve power supply and provide adequate security.

SOURCE: VANGUARD

 

EASY WAYS TO ONLINE BUSINESS SUCCESS

Almost every business is going online, cashless policy is taking over the world. People now enjoy the privilege of buying everything they need without even stepping outside their door. There are few strategies a business owner can imbibe into their business to make running of the business easy and profitable while they give their customers the best value.

EASY PAYMENT OPTIONS: developing your website in such a way that a customer is able to see available items within the first 2 clicks and being able make payments easily without being distracted. It is also important to make your website secure enough to avoid fraudulence reputation.

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE: social media platforms give you the opportunity to advertise your business and attract people to your website. Networking of social media gives you the type of audience platform which you can grow into a bigger network eventually.

GOOD PRICES: having good prices on your product and services is another good way to keep your customers coming back and also to get easy referrals from already existing customers. As a business starter, hyping of price is bad for business but it is also important that you don’t cut your prices because of your competitors. Choose prices that are comfortable for you and which would be affordable for your customers.

KEEP IT SIMPLE: Simplicity is the easiest strategy to stay close to people’s heart, choosing a simple business name, designing your website in a simple way and making it easy to navigate, developing contents that are straightforward and easy to understand are some of the ways to run a profitable online business without problems

E-business is the right way to think while considering any business as there are various strategies that would ensure your business is done easily and comfortably.

7 BUSINESSES YOU CAN START TODAY

Many people can’t meet end means, this is not because they are not intellectually inclined enough to do something rewarding, this is mostly because people do not consider the options of things they can do which can put money into their pocket easily. All you need is the idea and the ability to see it through. An empty pocket never held anyone back, only an empty brain does. Ofcourse, there is no empty brain in the world, only unused ones.

TUTORING: you don’t need money to become a tutor, infact, you would not need anything to start a business like this other than your knowledge and the ability to keep learning. You can decide to network and make contacts with parents that need tutors for their kids and even with no capital, you can start to make money for yourself.

OUTSOURCING: this is business that only requires brainwork and the ability to network. Find a service that needs to be rendered, find someone that can render the service diligently, make some money by bringing the business to the right man for the job.

FREELANCING: either as a writer or web designer and other related skills, you can start your own business today without wasting any more time. The internet is a huge place with a lot of opportunities waiting to be tapped into. You will be surprised how much people out there are willing to pay for your services.

CLEANING SERVICES: people pay to have their environment cleaned, especially in commercial areas. You can start a professional cleaning business today, walk up to people and offices and tell them what you do. You never can tell how big you can eventually become.

BABY SITTING: this is another good opportunity for people who are considering a business with no capital investment. You can network and start a babysitting business. In this part of the world, businesses like this are easy to start as you do not need much money to start a business like this. A room in your house is enough space to start a business like this.

FITNESS TRAINER: as more and more people pay attention to body fitness and exercises, there has been increase in the demand for fitness trainers. Networking might be crucial for a starter but you mostly do not need more than your skill to start a business like this.

BLOGGING: this is another trendy business which is lucrative and profitable to start. It might take some time before you begin to make huge money from blogging but it is a business that pays and which do not need a huge capital to start up.

9 Things that Turn Off Potential Customers

Very rarely will you hear people talk about the topic of what turns off potential customers, but I think it's an important topic to cover.

 

 

5 IMPORTANT ENTREPRENEURIAL VALUES YOU SHOULD PASS DOWN

 

So many values and attitudes are adopted and developed in entrepreneurs, the mission in not complete if you don’t imbibe these important values into people that are looking up to you or the team you are training and mentoring. Attributes like creativity, resourcefulness, ingenuity should be preached and emphasised in training and developing young entrepreneurs.

AUTONOMY: as much as team work is important and people should learn to delegate task and depend on one another as a team, the early days of entrepreneurship cannot be taught this way. Independence is a crucial attribute that must be adopted. An aspiring entrepreneur must be a go getter. You must know how to do things on your own without being helped or pushed. This must be taught and demonstrated.

FINANCIAL UNDERSTANDING: this is an important lesson that has to be learnt by everyone. Be it an entrepreneur or not. You must be willing to teach your team or anyone looking up to you the reality about resource management and accountability. Lessons must be taught of savings, sacrifices, how to calculate profit margins and so on.

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING: show your team relationship building and networking is important for entrepreneurs. They need to develop the confidence to speak to people and they need to know how networking and every relationship is important in business.

FAILURE LESSONS: people need to be taught failure is allowed and failure isn’t a death sentence. The unwillingness to try again is what really brings failure. Teach your team and everyone looking up to you that giving up is not acceptable for successful people.  Success only comes when you keep trying.

OPEN MINDS: entrepreneurs are dynamic people, they are open minded and they are willing to adopt new measures. This is an important lesson that has to be taught. Wanting to do the same things, the same way forever would not bring about the change or innovation that leads to growth.

These lessons are vital and they must be taught and established in people if the future generation of entrepreneurs are going to be informed and successful.

How to Stand Out on Social Media as an Entrepreneur

 How to Stand Out on Social Media as an Entrepreneur - With all the social media platforms that exist today, we tend to get so distracted with updating our statuses that we don't focus on standing out.

 

 

Poor agric budgetary allocations worry economists

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

The Nigeria Association of Agricultural Economists, NAAE, has advised that the nation may not actualize its paradigm shift to agriculture if the country's agricultural budget was not beefed up.

The National President of NAAE, Professor Peter Okuneye, gave the advice yesterday, while flagging off the 17th Annual National Conference of the Association at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, FUTO.

Okuneye said: "As at today, available data shows that not much has been done to agriculture, particularly in the area of budgeting and critical needs for rural and agricultural development."

He recalled that between 2008 and 2012, federal agricultural capital budget declined from N7.19 billion to N5.45 billion, and that the actual spending nosedived from N7 billion to N4.6 billion.

"If these low budgets continue, there will be continuity of low agricultural investments and the scenario will not augur well for the country," Professor Okuneye said.

He was not particularly happy that "since the coming of the Buhari/Osinbajo-led Federal Government, we are yet to see any significant deviation or change from this trend" of low budgeting.

The NAAE President advised that "agricultural projects must be properly conceived, implemented, or the existing ones re-organised and financed, monitored and efficiently managed."

Okuneye assured that participants will be taken round "evidence-based papers, describing the types of agricultural projects that will take us out of recession."

Welcoming the participants earlier, the Vice Chancellor of FUTO, Professor Francis Eze, opined that "the present re-awakening to the role of agriculture in economic growth and prosperity portends some good for the nation, if and only if this is not paid lip service, but rather pursued with all seriousness by government and private individuals."

Eze also advised that policy documents and road maps to improving the sector be developed and implemented to the last single detail.

SOURCE: VANGUARD

Amazing watermelon cutting skills

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus, family Cucurbitaceae) is a vine-like (scrambler and trailer) flowering plant originally from southern Africa. It is a large, sprawling annual plant with coarse, hairy pinnately-lobed leaves and white to yellow flowers. It is grown for its edible fruit, also known as a watermelon, which is a special kind of berry botanically called a pepo. The fruit has a smooth hard rind, usually green with dark green stripes or yellow spots, and a juicy, sweet interior flesh, usually deep red to pink, but sometimes orange, yellow, or white, with many seeds.

Considerable breeding effort has been put into disease-resistant varieties and into developing a seedless strain. Many cultivars are available, producing mature fruit within 100 days of planting the crop. The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked.

 

 

5 FINANCIAL MISTAKES YOU SHOULD AVOID

 

The duration of time people have been working from doesn’t determine how financially independent they can be. One could work for years and still live from pay check to pay check and someone else could work for a shorter time and be financially stable. Ofcourse, assuming they earn the same amount. There could be so many reasons for this but there are some strategies person A can put in place to earn him financial security like person B.

SPENDING ON WANTS NOT NEEDS: its routine for most people to spend on items they think they want from month to month. This habit can never make you financially stable. You just end up with items which continue to reduce in value without you making the best use of your money. Bills are crucial, they have to be paid. Aside this, you have to critically consider what your needs are and avoid your wants from time to time so that you can save something up.

ACCUMULATING LOANS: it is definitely unwise for you to get loans that you cannot afford to pay back, it’s understandable to get  loan for a business or project but a loan should be structured in such a way that you will be able to pay back without much stress.

NOT CONSIDERING FUTURE EMERGENCY: no one wants to have a problem but this is life and problems are inevitable. It is important to have something in place in case of emergency. Savings like this can go a long way in helping you avert terrible situations.

AVOIDING SCALE OF PREFERENCE: scale of preference is the list of your needs in the order at which they need to be solved. It is possible for you to have 10 needs and not be able to afford solving these needs. You have to know how to scale your needs in order of importance so as to know the exact problems you can afford to solve with your present resources.

AVOIDING BUDGET: this is also another financial killer as it prevents you from analysing all your needs and the equivalent money you can afford to spend on them.

Making the right financial decision is crucial. People are wealthy not because they earn a lot, it is because what they spend is lesser than what they earn. You can never be financially free if you spend as much as you earn.

Innovation in banana cropping systems

Some 80% of the Tanzanian population depends on agriculture for a living. In the North-West, near Lake Victoria, banana is the most important staple crop. The majority of production however is through subsistence farming rather than commercial production. By introducing new banana varieties and providing training on technical management as well as marketing skills, the Belgian Banana cropping project aimed to improve the livelihoods of banana farmers in the region. After four years, the results are visible: banana bunches are twice as big and farmers are selling the surplus to other regions in Tanzania and even abroad.

 

 

5 EASY WAYS TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS

Advert is the shortcut to business promotion. Putting the word out there about your business guarantees you wider range of audience and more potential customers. There are many ways one can spread the word about a business and increase the number of potential customers. Unlike in the past when conventional advertising methods are the only advertising mediums available, the availability of the internet has improved the advertising potentials and even at more affordable rates. Here are few ways to spread the word about your business.

SOCIAL MEDIA: networking is crucial for any type of business, the availability of different social platforms has given people the opportunity to spread the word about their business to their audience. Platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook gives you direct access to a large number of users who are potential clients if they find your brand worth doing business with.

SPONSORSHIPS: sponsoring of programs or events which have already known platforms is another good way to capture audience of an already existing brand.

POSTERS AND HAND BILLS:      distributing of flyers, hand bills and posters is another way to create awareness about your business and attract more potential clients to what you do.

FREE / PAID ADS: there are also opportunities of making more customers online by placing either free or paid ads on the internet.

JINGLES: radio and television jingle is another easy way to attract customers to your business if you can afford it. This medium also increases the number of target audience you can reach out to at once.

When you advertise your business, you increase the number of potential customers that would reach out to you and your profitability.