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Union Bank has partnered LEAP Africa to develop innovative ideas in Africa through the 10th edition of the Social Innovators Programme and Awards (SIPA) 2022 held recently.
To this end, LEAP Africa hosted over 1,000 people, both physically and virtually; including partners and other dignitaries, from different sectors across over ten countries around the world, including Nigeria.
The Social Innovators Programme (S.I.P.) supports creative young Africans (ages 18 – 35) from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Cameroon, Burundi, Uganda, and Tanzania with ideas and initiatives to proffer practical solutions to identified challenges in local communities on the continent.
The initiatives of these Fellows cover various aspects of society, such as Agriculture, Youth Empowerment, Education, Science & Technology, Health, Law, and Human Rights, among others.
S.I.P. is a one-year fellowship which provides fellows with skills and tools to aid the growth and sustainability of their social enterprises, such as mentoring, one-on-one coaching, learning and funding.
At the end of the fellowship year, LEAP Africa and partners – Union Bank, Sahara Foundation, and Ford Foundation- honour deserving Fellows with various awards in different categories.
Speaking at the ceremony, the chief Brand and Marketing officer, Union Bank, Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem, said, Union Bank’s partnership with LEAP Africa for the Social Innovators Programme (SIP), started nine years ago, adding that, “we are tremendously pleased with what we have been able to accomplish in that time.”
Partnerships like this, he stressed, helps amplify Union Bank’s commitment to foster social impact and enable success for the average Nigerian.
To him, “We take pride in the fact that in the past nine years, we have directly impacted over 150 SIP Fellows in Nigeria and around Africa and we look forward to a sustained engagement with LEAP Africa on SIP as we continue to champion the cause for social impact.”
Delivering the keynote address titled: ‘Scaling an Organisation; Secret to growth in the organisation,‘ managing partner of Sovereign’s Capital, Henry Kaestner, emphasised three key elements to note when starting a business – Mission and vision, Resources, and the Right People.
For social entrepreneurs, he admonished them to focus on doing the work and said, ‘money only comes in when the mission, passion and fruit of the labour are well communicated.’
Also speaking in the Speed Talk session, an expert, Efosa Ojomo described the major problem most entrepreneurs face as the inability to approach social issues to a conclusive end consistently. Speaking on the prosperity paradox, he shared that, fixing visible signs of poverty does not create prosperity. He further disclosed the need to employ core mechanisms to ensure social solutions become sustainable.
Guinness Nigeria’s Non-Alcoholic Drinks Get Halal Recertification
Guinness Nigeria Plc has confirmed that its iconic, Non-Alcoholic Malt Drink, Malta Guinness has been recertified by Jaiz International Halal Certification Limited (JIHCL) as Halal and hygienically endorsed for consumption.
This is coming after the Halal regulatory organisation confirmed that Guinness Nigeria has continued to meet all requirements to ensure the annual recertification of all its non-alcoholic brands.
During the reception of the JIHCL team at the company’s head office in Lagos, the managing director, Baker Magunda noted that, the management is glad to be working with the Halal Monitoring Committee to ensure continued recertification of the Malta Guinness beverage and other non-alcoholic brands in the wide portfolio.
“As expected by JIHCL, our company has continued to ensure that all our brands, especially the non-alcoholic beverages continue to meet the standards of healthy and sustainable consumption trends around the world,” Magunda stated.
The JIHCL revalidated the Certificate of Confirmation of Malta Guinness drink as Halal and hygienically endorsed for consumption and the Certificate of Permission to continue to use the Halal logo on Guinness Nigeria Non-alcoholic brands.
Confirming the recertification, Lead Auditor, Jaiz International Halal Certification Limited (JIHCL), Dr. Abdullahi Shuaib, noted that, the recertification audit processes at the plants were very rigorous with due diligence as part of the efforts to ensure that the aspects that were pending during the initial certification were now checked and meets international standards.
“The Shariah Advisory Board is glad to recertify Guinness Nigeria based on the reports of the audit process which showed that Malta Guinness is Halal and meets the international requirement to be certified. The key requirements confirmed that Malta Guinness has no alcoholic content and that it is Halal for Muslims and other diversified market segments,” Shuaib pointed out.
