Brand
ALX Startup Accelerator Hosts Transformative Pitch Session, Showcasing Groundbreaking Innovations
Lagos, November 28, 2024 – Africa’s leading startup and career accelerator, ALX, reaffirmed its commitment to addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges through entrepreneurship by hosting an impactful online pitch session featuring 10 promising startups from its ecosystem. The event provided a platform for the startups to present their innovative business solutions and models, receiving valuable feedback from a panel of three expert judges.The highlight of the event was when Grow Kinesis, a groundbreaking health and fitness digital solution, clinched first place position among other impressive solutions such as second-placed Helgg, a micro-mobility company of e-vehicles, and third-placed Uri Creative, a creative marketplace and digital analytical tool.Joshua Ebinabo, Entrepreneurship Development Manager for ALX in Nigeria, expressed his pleasure at the event and the strides made by participating startups. “ALX is committed to empowering entrepreneurs with the tools, mentorship, and opportunities they need to transform their ideas into solutions that tackle global challenges. With this pitch session, we showcase incredible potential within our ecosystem. Watching these startups grow, innovate, and inspire is a privilege,” he stated.The session also featured candid feedback from the panel of expert judges, who applauded the ingenuity, creativity, and determination of the participants. The constructive critique will enable the startups to refine their strategies and amplify their impact.The other participating startups were Afren, a digital platform bridging the gap between clients and freelancers, Browpay, an innovative hybrid of payment and supply solution, Delivit, a last-mile delivery solution, Chao, a fast and reliable food and essentials delivery service, Haidy Food, a wholesale e-commerce platform, Medrack Health, a health-tech and pharmaceutical solutions provider, and Viscio Express, an Agro-Logistics provider and transport solution.ALX remains steadfast in its dedication to identifying and supporting visionary entrepreneurs. By creating opportunities for startups to thrive, the accelerator is paving the way for sustainable solutions to global challenges, positioning Africa as a hub of transformative innovation.To learn more about ALX programmes and initiatives, visit www.alxafrica.ng.
Brand
Watching BBN and the World Cup Is No Longer a Location Thing
Big Brother Naija Reunion is on, the World Cup tournament is kicking off, or that new DStv/GOtv series everyone has been talking about just dropped, and somehow, you’re not at home. Maybe you’re in traffic, at work, or just not near a TV. In moments like these, the real question is no longer “what’s showing?” but “how do I not miss it?”That shift is precisely why the DStv and GOtv Stream have become more than just viewing platforms. They are now part of how people actually experience television on the move, at home, on phones, and in real time.”Whether it’s someone trying to catch a live show while commuting, watching highlights during a break at work, or simply preferring to stream directly from their device instead of using a decoder, these apps have quietly changed how entertainment is consumed.But beyond streaming and access, many users still don’t fully understand how to navigate them properly. Here’s a simple guide.1. Getting StartedDownload the DStv Stream or GOtv Stream app from your device’s app store and sign in using your DStv or GOtv account details.Once you’re logged in, you’ll land on the home page, where you’ll find a mix of live TV, recommended content, trending titles, and recently added shows.2. Watching Live TVOne of the easiest ways to use the platform is through the Live TV section.Simply:Tap on Live TVBrowse available channelsSelect the channel you wantStart watching instantlyThis is especially useful for:Big Brother Naija live broadcastsFootball matches and tournamentsNews coverageReality showsLive eventsYou can move between channels just as you would on a decoder.3. Finding Shows and MoviesFor viewers who already know what they want to watch, the search feature offers a quick way to find specific shows, movies, channels, or sporting events without scrolling through categories.The platform also organizes content into categories, making it easier to discover something new.4. Catch Up on Missed EpisodesIf you missed an episode because you were busy, the catch-up feature allows you to watch selected programs after they have aired. Instead of waiting for reruns, you can simply search for the show and pick up right where you left off. This feature is especially useful during busy periods when it can be difficult to keep up with daily shows.5. Explore Recommended and Trending ContentThe home page regularly highlights:Trending showsNewly added contentPopular moviesRecommended titles based on viewing habitsIf you’re not sure what to watch next, this section can help you discover content you may have otherwise missed.6. Accessing Showmax ContentOne of the biggest additions to the streaming experience is the integration of Showmax content.Viewers can now access a wide range of Showmax movies, series, and entertainment content directly through the streaming platform, making it easier to move between live TV and on-demand viewing without constantly switching services.From international blockbusters to local favorites, there’s significantly more content available to explore.7. Creating a Personal Viewing ExperienceThe platform allows users to:Continue watching from where they stoppedSave favorite contentBrowse viewing historyDiscover personalized recommendationsThis makes it easier to keep track of ongoing series and find content that matches your interests.With the DStv Stream and GOtv Stream, live channels, catch-up viewing, on-demand entertainment, and Showmax content are all available in one place, making it easier than ever to watch what you want, when you want, and wherever you are.
Brand
Interswitch Brings Two Decades of Infrastructure Thinking to the 3rd ‘Invest Lagos’ Summit, highlights Lagos SHIP as prime example of forward-thinking public-private sector partnership
Lagos, Nigeria; June 10, 2026
Interswitch Group, Africa’s first homegrown technology unicorn and the continent’s foremost digital payments infrastructure company, participated as AI and Innovation Pavilion co-chair and corporate thought-leader at the 3rd Invest in Lagos Summit, held at the Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, from June 8–9, 2026. The high-profile summit, convened under the auspices of the Lagos State Government and themed ‘Lagos: Business Gateway to Africa’ expectedly drew a distinguished gathering of public and private sector leaders from across Africa and the global investment community, including His Excellency Senator Kashim Shettima, Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Executive Governor of Lagos State, and a slew of other state governors from across Nigeria, as well as members of the Federal Executive Council, whose presence underscored the strategic importance of the summit as a platform for shaping Africa’s investment and innovation agenda. Representing Interswitch Group on the summit’s flagship technology panel on day 1, themed “The Future of Technology and Innovation” was Babafemi Ogungbamila, Executive Vice-President (EVP) for Operations and Technology. Speaking to an audience of investors, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and global business leaders, Ogungbamila drew on Interswitch’s foundational story to deliver what became one of the session’s most cited contributions: a frank, first-hand account of what it truly takes to build technology infrastructure in Africa; not in theory, but from the ground up, against the odds, and before the market was ready to reward the effort. “Without the right rails, even the best products will stall before reaching scale,” Ogungbamila asserted. “We built Nigeria’s first successful digital interbank transaction infrastructure in 2002. Nobody was asking us to build it. There was no guaranteed return. But we understood that the companies that build the foundational layer of an ecosystem don’t just compete in that ecosystem; they shape it. That principle holds as powerfully today as it did then.” His contribution to the panel was rooted in a founding narrative that remains as instructive today as it was defining in 2002. When Interswitch was established in Lagos by Founder and Group CEO Mitchell Elegbe, there was essentially no technology ecosystem to speak of. No digital payments infrastructure. No interoperability between financial institutions. No playbook from which to build. According to him, what Lagos offered instead was something more powerful than infrastructure: a market whose economic ambition had already outpaced its digital capacity – a gap that became Interswitch’s founding mandate. “In 2002, there was no ecosystem” Ogungbamila reflected. “No blueprint. No guarantee that what we were building would find a market. Just a sprawling, complex, commercially ferocious city whose economy was moving faster than its digital infrastructure could carry. That gap was our invitation.” That invitation produced Nigeria’s first interoperable digital payments switching infrastructure, the invisible backbone that today processes the majority of Nigeria’s electronic transactions and connects banks, merchants, fintechs, and consumers across the country’s financial ecosystem at scale.Speaking to the broader question of what conditions are required to scale African technology companies into globally competitive enterprises, Ogungbamila was emphatic that infrastructure depth, and the institutional courage to invest in it before the market offers its reward, remains the defining variable separating technology companies that endure from those that plateau. “The companies that build the foundational layer of an ecosystem don’t just compete in that ecosystem, they shape it” he reiterated. “Twenty-three years on, that principle is not nostalgia. It is our operating philosophy, and it is more relevant now than ever, as Lagos cements its place as one of Africa’s foremost technology and innovation hubs, and as the next generation of African builders constructs what comes next.” Ogungbamila further referenced The Lagos Smart Health Information Platform, known as Lagos SHIP or LAGSHIP as a first-of-its-kind initiative developed by Digital Health Platform Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle comprising the Lagos State Ministry of Health and Interswitch eClat, designed to digitize and integrate patients’ health records across the state into a single, comprehensive platform, enabling a robust Health Information Exchange system that gives healthcare providers real-time access to comprehensive patient records for more informed decision-making, while simultaneously empowering patients with unprecedented control over their personal health data. Beyond individual patient care, LAGSHIP eliminates the inefficiencies of manual data handling, ensures data confidentiality and privacy, and equips the Lagos State Government with the data intelligence needed to plan and coordinate healthcare services across all levels, from primary healthcare centres to tertiary institutions. This essentially transforms fragmented, error-prone record management into a unified, policy-grade infrastructure for a city of over 22 million people Such an intervention, which essentially seeks to replicate in healthcare, how technology was leveraged by Interswitch, based on infrastructure-thinking, to transform banking and payments (resulting in tremendous multiplier effects) about 2 decades ago, speaks to forward-thinking vision by the leadership of Lagos State. Ogungbamila further addressed the conditions required to drive inclusive, broad-based economic growth through technology, arguing that connectivity must be treated as constitutional infrastructure, that public-private partnerships must be designed around community need rather than commercial convenience, and that regulatory frameworks must be built to enable innovation rather than merely govern it. On artificial intelligence specifically, he called for African governments to invest in regulatory capacity before regulatory complexity highlighting that understanding must precede legislation if Africa is to capture the full economic value of the AI revolution. A central theme of Interswitch’s participation at the summit was the role of Lagos not merely as a commercial hub, but as the specific environment whose scale, complexity, and appetite for solutions gave Interswitch the mandate and the market to become what it is today. Africa’s first homegrown technology unicorn was not built despite Lagos’s infrastructure challenges. In many meaningful ways, it was built because of them. That framing carries particular resonance at a moment when Lagos is actively positioning itself as the investment destination of choice for global capital flowing into African technology, financial services, and digital infrastructure. Interswitch’s story, from a 2002 startup operating in a vacuum of digital financial infrastructure to a billion-dollar pan-African enterprise operating across over 23 countries is, in many ways, Lagos’ story told through the lens of a company that bet on the city before the city had fully bet on itself.
Brand
PodFest Naija Returns September 25 with Nigeria’s Leading Storytellers, Creators, and Brands
Lagos, Nigeria – The Muvmnt Studio, the creative force behind Nigeria’s first podcast festival, has announced the return of PodFest Naija – A Festival of Stories, scheduled to take place on September 25, 2026, at Harbour Point, Victoria Island, Lagos. Building on the success of its inaugural edition, PodFest Naija returns as the country’s premier gathering for storytellers, podcasters, creators, brands, and culture shapers. The 2026 festival will feature a diverse lineup of influential voices who continue to shape conversations, communities, and culture across Nigeria and beyond.Created as a convergence point for the storytelling ecosystem, PodFest Naija exists to celebrate, collaborate, innovate, and support storytellers as they elevate their craft. Attendees can look forward to insightful conversations that explore the future of storytelling, evolving audience behaviours, emerging tools and platforms, and the power of authentic narratives. Beyond the discussions, the festival offers opportunities for meaningful engagement with some of the country’s most beloved creators and storytellers, who will share personal experiences and lessons from their journeys across specially curated themed stages.”Storytelling remains the heartbeat of meaningful communication,” said Tosin Adefeko, Curator of PodFest Naija and Chief Executive Officer of AT3 Resources – The Muvmnt Agency.”At The Muvmnt Agency, we recognised a major shift: consumers have become storytellers in their own right, shaping narratives, influencing culture, and driving conversations. Yet, despite the growth of the ecosystem, many creators were still operating in silos. No one was gathering the tribe. PodFest Naija was our response to that gap. The success of our first edition validated the power and potential of storytelling. This year, we are bringing together an even broader and more influential community of voices to amplify consumer-led narratives, foster deeper connections, and strengthen the storytelling ecosystem.”Podfest Naija is the creative economy’s signal to the ecosystem that our voices, stories, and community deserve to be seen, heard, and invested in. This year’s festival will feature specially curated stages hosted by some of Nigeria’s most influential voices across finance, branding, culture, health, relationships, and public discourse, including Rolake Akinkugbe-Filani, Olushola Olaleye, Ife Durosinmi-Etti, Aproko Doctor, Joro Olomofin, Tochukwu Macfoy (Dr Foy), Babajide Ogunsanwo, and Francesca Uriri. They will be joined by an impressive lineup of speakers and storytellers, including Grace Ofure, Ify Mogekwu, Abdulhafees Adelani, Bola Balogun, Rosemary Egabor-Afolahan, Adefunke Arowolo, Audu Maikori, Morenike Molehin, Tomike Adeoye, Anthony Wolve, Adefunke Arowolo, William Benson, Gbemi Olateru Olagbegi, Audrey Abayomi, Bola Balogun, and many more.Beyond the main stage conversations and the Next Big Podcaster talent discovery initiative, designed to spotlight and support emerging podcast voices across Nigeria, PodFest Naija 2026 will also feature a Spotify-led masterclass, providing creators with practical insights to grow and sustain impactful platforms. An interactive exhibition arena will give brands the opportunity to showcase products and services, connect directly with attendees, and engage with one of Nigeria’s most vibrant and influential creative communities.The festival is proudly supported by Eventful Nigeria, MTN, Fan Milk, Eve Essentials, and UAC, among other leading brands, further cementing PodFest Naija’s position as the definitive gathering for Nigeria’s podcasting and storytelling community.About PodFest NaijaPodFest Naija is Nigeria’s first podcast festival and a celebration of storytelling in all its forms. Designed as a platform for learning, networking, collaboration, and community building, the festival brings together creators, podcasters, brands, media professionals, and storytelling enthusiasts to shape the future of narrative-driven content in Africa.The event will CELEBRATE creativity, foster COLLABORATION, showcase INNOVATION, and provide a platform for LEARNING.
-
Entertainment1 day agoDrama, Tears, and Showdowns: BBNaija Reunion Starts on a Heated Note
-
Opinion2 days agoCan Nigeria Become Africa’s Crypto Hub? Bidemi Oke
-
Cover1 day agoPrimate Ayodele Fires Back at Liberia’s President Boakai Over Complaint Letter to FG, Predicts Second-Term Defeat
-
Sports1 day agoGSS Gboko, Father O’Connell Win 26th MILO Central Conference Titles
-
Brand5 hours agoInterswitch Brings Two Decades of Infrastructure Thinking to the 3rd ‘Invest Lagos’ Summit, highlights Lagos SHIP as prime example of forward-thinking public-private sector partnership
-
Brand5 hours agoWatching BBN and the World Cup Is No Longer a Location Thing
-
Banking and Finance2 hours agoFidelity Bank Reaffirms Support for MSMEs, Drives Growth Agenda at SME Forum
