Kemi ‘Lala’ Akindoju’s directorial debut stage drama, Lavender starts today, 12 April, 2019 at the Lagos Theatre Festival 2019, featuring captivating performances from Kehinde Bankole, Deyemi Okanlawon, Rita Edward and Oludara Egerton-Shyngle.

Written by Ademola Soares, and produced and directed by Lala, the drama enlightens the audience on surrogacy – exploring the relationship between a young woman and her older best friend who is unable to have children.

The 4-man stage play is presented by The Make It Happen Productions which is owned and run by Lala.

As Lala’s directorial debut, Lavender represents another ground-breaking project from the award-winning producer known for brilliant plays such as ’The V Monologues’ and her critically acclaimed one-woman show ‘Naked’. She also has credits as associate producer on Ndani TV’s ‘Gidi Up’, co-producer on Akin Omotoso’s ‘The Ghost and the House of Truth’ and Ishaya Bako’s new film, ‘4th Republic’.

Lavender will show three times during the festival, commencing with a command performance today at the Muson Centre, Onikan, followed by two performances each on Saturday 13 April and Sunday, 14 April, 2019 at Freedom Park, Lagos.

For purchase of ticket, visit rave.flutterwave.com/pay/lavendertheplay or call 0807 860 4967.

David Beckham, former captain of the English national football team, today joined Malaria No More, a United Kingdom-based organisation to launch the world’s first voice petition to end malaria with the campaign Malaria Must Die, So Millions Can Live.

In a short film using emerging AI video synthesis technology, the petition reveals David Beckham speaking nine languages – calling on people to join the campaign and demand action by visiting malariamustdie.com. The petition aims to get the attention of world leaders ahead of critical funding decisions for the Global Fund, to tackle malaria in six months’ time.

Through Beckham, eight malaria survivors including Dr Elvis Eze, Marie Murorunkwere, Hussein Omar and Jean Bosco Niyonzima, are using their stories to help raise awareness about malaria’s devastating effects.

Dr Elvis Eze and David Beckham

The film opens with Beckham speaking in English but changes as he begins to speak fluently in Spanish, Kinyarwanda, Arabic, French, Hindi, Mandarin, Kiswahili and Yoruba – each language representing a part of the world affected by malaria.

Dr Elvis Eze, whose voice features in the film speaking Yoruba said, “My life changed when I worked at a hospital in Lagos, Nigeria and I saw the intolerable toll of malaria. It doesn’t have to be this way. I now work for the NHS in the UK and have seen how this is a global challenge. Through the Voice Petition, we each have a chance to inspire change wherever we are”.

The ‘Malaria Must Die’ campaign is designed to amplify the voices of those affected by malaria and gives everyone the opportunity to speak out. Each voice collected via the petition will contribute to a unique piece of audio art known as a sound sculpture, grabbing the attention of leaders in a unique and memorable way.

Speaking in a statement, David Beckham said: “I have been working with Malaria No More UK for over 10 years and to be a part of this campaign and to help share some of the real stories behind malaria is really important to me. Dr. Elvis Eze who was with us on set has suffered from malaria many times and as a doctor, he has seen how dangerous this disease can be. For me, it was so important to learn how he is using his experiences to raise awareness of malaria with young people in the UK and abroad. It’s unacceptable that malaria still kills a child every two minutes so please add your voice to the petition.”

David Beckham is a founding member of Malaria No More UK Leadership Council and a committed champion in the fight against malaria with over a decade of support for Malaria No More UK. In his long-term role as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, he has seen the impact of malaria on people’s lives in countries such as Sierra Leone.

History shows that ending malaria is achievable with the right resources and action. Since 2000, a combination of powerful new tools increased investment and strengthened international political commitment including from the UK, has cut malaria deaths globally by more than 60%, saving almost 7 million lives, mainly young children.

Watch the video here and here.

Nigerian visual artist and fashion photographer, Emmanuel Oyeleke, launched his second solo exhibition themed ‘The Huemanist’, today at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The exhibition which was attended by notable personalities is intended to directly impact the society, as a percentage of proceeds goes towards supporting Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF), a non-profit organization established to raise awareness and address the prevalence of sexual assault, rape and human trafficking occurring amongst young girls and women.

The Huemanist is a collection of pictures that explore several elements of the human experience. The approach focuses on the innate human capacity to be good, to love, and overcome hardship and achieve self-actualization and satisfaction in life.

Speaking at the event, Emmanuel Oyeleke said, “I hope that the pieces will resonate with the viewers on a personal level and that the viewers will not only see the works and be inspired but be as a mirror reflecting positivity in their lives and society”.

Capturing an optimistic and individualistic outlook about the human experience, the collection employs the use of minimal aesthetics, hues, and floral entities throughout the body of work. The techniques include the use of paint on bodies, large canvas prints to give a life-size experience, collages, multiple exposure, and mixed media.

The weeklong exhibition starts on Friday, 5 April and runs till Thursday, 11 April 2019 at Terra Kulture Art Gallery.

Access Bank Plc. is pleased to announce the dual-listing of a fully certified Green Bond on the FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange and the Nigerian Stock Exchange. This follows the formal approval of the bond by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Bond is the first of its kind to be issued by an African corporate and represents a major milestone in the development of the local green finance market.

The N15 Billion, 5-year Fixed Rate Senior Unsecured Green Bond is rated AA- by Agusto & Co, the underlying framework is verified by PwC (UK) and certified by the Climate Bond Initiative as having met the Global Climate Bonds Standard.

The issuance was fully subscribed by way of bookbuild. The Bond is priced at a coupon of 15.5%, with participation from a wide range of asset managers and pension fund administrators.

The listing of the bond closely follows the completion of the Bank’s merger with Diamond Bank and the launch of its new brand identity that fuses the Bank and Diamond Bank’s visual identities symbolizing their shared philosophy.

The Green Bond issuance highlights the Bank’s commitment to sustainability and its status as a pioneer in green financing in both the domestic and international capital markets. The bond comes amidst a global drive for responsible and sustainable green financing and will allow the financing of new loans and refinancing of existing loans in accordance with the Bank’s Green Bond Framework. It will support projects directed at flood defence, solar generation facilities and agriculture.

Speaking on the occasion of this landmark listing, the Group Managing Director/CEO of Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe, said:

“At Access Bank we are a pioneer in both domestic and international capital markets, leading the way with our commitment to sustainable banking. We hope that this bond issuance inspires other African companies to support the long-term development of the green finance market whilst simultaneously realizing the growth potential of the fast-developing low carbon economy.”

Praising Access Bank’s efforts in promoting sustainability in Africa through the financing of green projects, Justine Leigh-Bell, the Climate Bonds Deputy CEO said:

“This first Climate Bond certified corporate green bond out of Africa represents a major milestone in the development of the local green finance market. In addition to being an inspiration to other private companies, the leadership demonstrated by Access Bank is critical for the long term development of the green finance market in Nigeria and a great example for other African nations to follow.”

Adebola Williams will today be hosted to a welcome party at the Capital Club, Lagos by Young Global Leaders based in Nigeria.

Initiated by the World Economic Forum, Young Global Leaders is a forum which creates experiences for the next generation of global leaders to enhance their skills and broaden their world view through a peer network that challenges innovators.

Williams was selected among thousands of nominations from across the world following a rigorous vetting process designed to identify global leaders and young visionaries working to shape the future through inspired leadership. Read More

Our fourth presidential win.

It was completely worth waiting for before writing this year’s letter. Our company, StateCraft Inc., after almost two years of sterling work in Senegal, ended it with its fourth win in a presidential election, and its first in Francophone Africa.

Of course, electoral wins are not created by consulting companies. The candidate, the country’s citizens, the campaign machinery, and the passionate volunteers are responsible for every victory. It is a privilege to bask in the reflection of that shining light.

With that glow, StateCraft Inc. has officially made our media group, RED one of the leading communication and consulting firms on the continent – working across Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone and Senegal, in addition of course to Nigeria – and, without a doubt, the leading elections and governance consulting company in these parts.

But what makes us proudest is the thing that came easiest to us – this is a completely home grown African company. Our ambitions have always been global, our vision has always been African, our sights have been set across borders, but we are completely made-in-Africa.

But it’s still a small miracle isn’t it? The chief executive officer of the group, Adebola Williams has delivered keynotes and sat at panels at Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Oxford and Yale including a standing ovation from President Barack Obama. I have been priviledged to do the same across these schools and to be selected for programmes at Yale and Oxford and Stanford. Our team members from Isime Esene to Remi Ogunkayo have also had this priviledge by virtue of our work. But we are all home-made African products.

I like to say I am born, bred and buttered in Nigeria. I went to nursery, primary, secondary and university schools in Nigeria, and got my Master’s degree from a Nigerian city, and so did much of our management. When people say ‘from Nigeria or Africa to the world’ in our case, it is literally that.

And that makes us very proud. That makes it impossible for us to be anything but true believers in the limitless potential that our continent gives, I remember saying to my colleague Roqeebah Olaoniye as we spent time in Freetown in early 2018 consulting on the country’s elections, and the possibilities it offers within and beyond borders.

We set out to build a global company, and – pulling ourselves by the bootstraps without debt, investment or any other kind of intervention – we see ourselves steadily doing that, even as we are just now scratching the surface of the scale of our vision.

The Future Awards Africa already spread its reach across over a dozen countries in the past 13 years since it moved from idea to institution – it is set to hold its first franchise event in Ghana this year. Our Media and Public Relations Agency, Red Media Africa has also worked for clients across markets from Ghana to South Africa.

This network of media companies continue to be as focused as it ever was on one mission: being the media network that can galvanise the largest number of Sub Saharan Africa’s youth at any time. The vision includes a massive continental network of television, event and digital platforms supported by a web of communication and consulting companies. It is, we dare say, the kind of media company that has yet no model to follow, and a path that we are clearing with both confidence and trepidation, humility and a sense of pride.

And to do that, we have blazed a trail in creating a global best-practise institution that takes a keen interest in its systems and processes. A historic handover of the group chief executive position in 2016 has also led to the appointment of chief executives across the  companies under the group on the inside, and a process of internal engineering from one of the most dedicated + driven teams you will find anywhere has created a sparkling brand on the outside.

RED | For Africa.

That’s who we are. That’s what we are. That’s why we are.

Proudly home-grown. Proudly African. Proudly global.

Oh, and just before I sent this off to be published, Adebola was announced the latest Young Global Leader for Nigeria by the World Economic Forum.

2019 has already begun to witness our incredible excitement.

Chude Jideonwo

Chief Storyteller

18/03/2019