PRIORITY AFRICA - Gender Equality

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Internet Marketing – Nigel T. Packer

Internet Marketing – How to get a website that work for your business, Nigel T. Packer


Source: Start Your Business Magazine

Nigel T. Packer's book has been described by many in the business industry as no less than a bible; in not only building a website, but building a business. By following these principals and teachings about marketing, technology and business as a whole, Packer provides the means for improving your business prospects and prosperity.

Packer purposely does not overcomplicate his book as is commonly done in such business manuals. On the contrary, he provides a description of the basic marketing principles, highlighting how fundamental they still are to all businesses. Thus, he shows the execution of these principles as being of the utmost importance to beat competition and control an extremely technical, advanced marketplace.

Packer asks the reader various questions from defining exactly what type of website a
particular business needs, to challenging the reader's understanding of what their customers will want and need from a website. These all contribute to bringing about a successful site but also a better business person.

For further informations: Business for Business

PRIORITY AFRICA - Climate Change

PRIORITY AFRICA - Climate Change - More amazing videos are a click away

Kanya King / MOBO

Kanya: I did cleaning jobs – MOBO chief on her struggle to make it

THE MOBO Awards might be a global brand now, but 13 years ago' it began life in a messy bedroom in Kilburn, north London – Source: Lester Holloway - NewNation

Kanya King, the youngest of nine children, came up with the idea of an award ceremony that would take black music to the masses.
She had just persuaded Carlton TV to screen her event, but the broadcaster put very little money into it. It was now up to this young single mum to raise the money and make it happen. And so the glamorous annual event was born. King's telephone manner gave the impression she had smart corporate offices, but the reality was very different. Often she was sitting in her bedroom in her PJ's.

But operating the business was nothing compared to the challenge of raising enough money to bring her vision to reality. King began by re-mortgaging her house. But that was not enough; she needed to find a lot more money, fast. 'It was a massive struggle at first: she said. 'I took on many jobs. I worked night and day; cleaning, promotional work, anything. I've done everything:

Those who have met King know a friendly, approachable, very normal and attractive woman. But when the opportunity came along to make her dream happen in the mid-1990s, King displayed a steely determination to grab her dream. In an era before MTV Base, 1Xtra or Channel U, her bank manager didn't know her house was being staked on an event aimed at honouring black music. For a young woman who had left school at 16 without any qualifications, she was gambling on her vision working.

There had been black music awards before but they were targeted specifically at the community and were bedeviled by bad organisation. King believed in the music she loved and was confident that high production values and professionalism would take the whole genre forward. She said: “I was surrounded by musicians that didn't have anywhere to perform. I didn't intend to go into the music business. I was talking about the need for someone else to promote it, but in the end I had to do it myself”.

The MOBO Awards grew rapidly and soon moved from the Connaught Rooms to the Royal Albert Hall, and' then to the Dome. Last year the event I was broadcast in 57 countries to a 250 million audience. On 15 October this year MOBO will move to Wembley Arena and once again promises to be one of the most star-studded glitzy events of the year. MOBO remains hugely popular because It keeps reinventing itself to remain relevant and continues to spread its' wings in many directions, not least Africa.

But the big project this year is to boost the Be-MOBO award, which celebrates heroes who work selflessly to improve their community. The award was won last year by Decima Francis of the Boyhood II Manhood Foundation. King has been keen to promote this, as well as moving MOBO in the direction of supporting arid offering practical advice to aspiring artists in areas like marketing themselves and royalty rights to get paid.

It has also become more democratic, with a new black music panel deciding the categories. King is also aware of the new age of the internet, where artists can blow up without the support of big record companies. King describes the awards as her “calling” and predicts there are more exciting times ahead. If that wasn't enough, the MOBO's will begin with a children's talent show this year. King, who was awarded an MBE, also credits her Irish mother Mary, who died earlier this year, as a key source of inspiration. So to was her father; Christian, a Ghanaian from a poor village who died when she was 13. “He came here with huge ideals and ambitions and wasn't able to achieve them. In many ways I feel I'm carrying that mantle; I'm carrying the torch for him?”

No doubt their spirits still swell with pride as they look from above at what their daughter has created out of nothing. Just a dream and good helpings of passion, energy, chutzpah and good humour.

Christine Brewster / Delpeche Events

An eventful life: Christine makes a success of event management

Source: Sonia Brown - NewNation

Whilst working in corporate IT, Christine Brewster always knew she was going to start her own business but couldn't quite figure out what it would be.

By combining her project management skills with her love for meeting people and a varied work day, she launched Delpeche Events, an event management company which provides creative and innovative solutions for its clients.

“I realised that events management would offer me the fast paced environment that would utilise my skills and keep me at the top of my game”; Brewster explains.

“My first contract was with the Ethiopian World Federation where I organized a two-day community event. Even out of the adversity that followed, I was able to secure further contracts with other companies. Ambrose Mendy recently asked me to organise the Mike Tyson dinner and auction for 500 people in four days. It was very stressful, but a huge success?”

“There are a lot of people getting into event management but it's important that people do their research and understand what their niche area is because you can't do it all' she adds.”

“I now feel that I am able to put the customer first and, bring out the unspoken to manifest the best in each event and see the event dream come to life?”

Christine attributes her success to attention to detail, persistence and her mother. “I have inherited her self motivation and independence,” she explains.

“She is incredibly proud that I have used these traits to take control of my life, run my own business and not lay victim to .the whim of someone else to define my passion.”

"Setting up my business was a challenge I was prepared to take on because I strongly believed it could work,” she concludes.” I just want to be the best that I can be?

Top 3 tips for event managers

• Be passionate about the event and put the customer's needs first.
• Add the extra touch to bring that 'buzz' to take the event a step further.
• Have a wide supplier base in order to ensure that your client's individual needs are met no matter how complex.

PRIORITY AFRICA - Higher Education

PRIORITY AFRICA - Higher Education - Click here for this week’s top video clips

2008 business ranking: Four African countries rated high

2008 business ranking: Four African countries rated high

Three African countries, Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Botswana, are among the world’s top 10 reformers of business regulations this year, according to a World Bank report. The report, released on Wednesday in Abuja, ranked Nigeria 118 among the 181 countries surveyed on the ease of doing business and 91 on the ease of starting a business.

According to the report, it takes 31 days to start a business in Nigeria. The “Doing Business 2009 Report’’ said Africa had a record year for regulatory reforms with 28 countries completing 58 reforms which focused on easing business transactions.

The report identified the top 10 as Azerbaijan, Albania, the Kyrgyz Republic, Belarus, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Egypt.

The report, the sixth in the annual series, said post conflict countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone and Rwanda were among Africa’s most active reformers in 2008.

According to the report, Senegal made it easier to start a business, register property, and trade across borders.

Burkina Faso, it said, introduced a new labour code and reforms for registering property, dealing with construction permits and paying taxes.

“Botswana cut the time to start a business, facilitated trade, and strengthened investor protections, ‘’ the report added.

“With more reforms of business regulations in Africa than in any previous year, we are seeing many countries get inspiration from their neighbours about how to reform.

“Increasingly, countries in the region are committing to reform agendas that make it easier to do business,’’ Sabine Hertveldt, a co-author of the report, said.

“Among regions, Eastern Europe and Central Asia led in reforms of business regulations for a fifth consecutive year, with more than 90 per cent of its countries making improvements,’’ it said.

Mauritius, the report noted, ranked highest in Africa on the ease of doing business.

“Mauritius moved up to 24 in the global rankings on the regulatory ease of doing business and continues to provide inspiration for reform and good practices to other economies across Africa,’’ the report said.

South Africa at 32, was the runner-up in the overall rankings followed by Botswana at 38.

Singapore led the global rankings on the overall regulatory ease of doing business for a third consecutive year, followed by New Zealand with the U.S. placing third.

PRIORITY AFRICA - Africa and Japan

PRIORITY AFRICA - Africa and Japan - Click here for the most popular videos

Alex Amosu / Nigerian Dragon’s Den

Alex Amosu enters the Nigerian Dragon’s Den. London entrepreneur sits on panel of top African TV show

By Joel Campbell

SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR Alexander Amosu has predicted Dragon’s Den Nigeria will be a huge success when the show is aired next month.

Currently filming the first series of five, Amosu told The Voice that the interest being shown by budding entrepreneurs is overwhelming.

The businessman, who first came to prominence after launching Urban Ringtones, said he was glad to be involved in taking the popular programme to Africa and insisted he was chomping at the bit to support any business proposal which could go on to be a success.

He enthused: "Not in a negative way, but to some degree I am a bit worried about the exposure I will probably get. Everything so far has been great and I have made two investments which I'll speak more about when the show airs. Some of the presentations have been really good but I must say that some of them have been really bad as well."

The show is set to be shown across Africa at the end of August and it has been rumoured that BEN TV will be airing the show in the UK.

Amosu was originally approached to participate in the UK version of Dragon's Den but the timing of the show meant he was unable to take part. Having been impressed by his CV, when the concept of taking Dragon's Den to Africa arose, the show's producers approached Amosu to be a dragon on the show.

It was an opportunity Amosu says was too good to miss. He said: "Dragon's Den is owned by Sony and when they decided to do it in Nigeria they called me and said they wanted me to be involved and I agreed. It was a fantastic opportunity."

Amosu recently picked up an award for the London borough of Haringey's best entrepreneur of the year. The 29-year-old says he was shocked to win the accolade but his business exploits obviously impressed the judges.

Explaining how he came to be a successful enough to warrant a place on the Dragon's Den Nigeria panel, he said: "I was a bit surprised. I won the award .but it was nice to do so. I have been in business since I was twelve, doing different things but I think most people will know me for launching the first Urban Ringtones company at the age of 24. That company turned over £1.6m in the first year and in the four years of me having it, we turned over £6.3m. Then I sold it 2004 for a lot of money and I think people know me best for that. I have been labeled 'lord of the ringtones' and even the American press call me the Motown of ring tones because I was one of the first people to start that type of business”.

Amosu has strong views on what it takes to be a success and points to desire and a hard work ethic as key ingredients for anyone to possess if they want to achieve the best they can. One area of particular concern for Amosu is the lack of black businessmen and women who are doing well. The paucity of top performers is an area he feels his community must address.

He said: "We all can't be leaders and we all can't be followers but I do think there aren't enough black entrepreneurs in terms of people coming out and being very successful. In America you can reel names off the top of your head but over here you're struggling. Who is the Alan Sugar of the black community? There isn't one and that is what is frustrating and that is what I think we should create. There is one or two of us in the rich list but not enough of us doing anything that is dominant. So for me I am hoping some of the things I am doing will encourage more people to get involved in business, and hopefully we will get those names up there."

PRIORITY AFRICA - Science and Technology

PRIORITY AFRICA - Science and Technology - Watch a funny movie here