The Nigerian Business Aviation Conference in Lagos

The first ever Nigerian Buisness Aviation Conference was held in Lagos on Tuesday May 7, 2013.

Held at the Wheatbaker Hotel in Lagos and attended by over one hundred delegates, all took part and listened to international speakers and a number of industry related descussions and panels.
The conference was designed to provide a platform for raising awareness of the growing business aviation industry in Nigeria and hosted by Corporate jet Investor’s editor Alasdair Whyte who provided attendees with a lively debate and discussion on a range of aviation topics. Segun Demuren (pictured abive), MD/CEO of Evergreen Apple Nigeria opened the conference outlining the need for a better understanding of the value of business aviation in Nigeria as an economic driver for the country and surrounding regions, and its significance in developing international business.

UBA Posts Impressive FY 2012 Results, Profits Soar by 905%

Lagos, May 10, 2013 – United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc today announced its audited financial results for the full year 2012 growing its profit figures by over 905% to close at N54.8billion from the N6.8billion loss it recorded in the previous year on account of loan provisioning that it did to clean up its balance sheet.

 

Details of the impressive result released at the Nigerian Stock Exchange to stockbrokers and the financial community show improvement in all indices in a performance that has seen the complete turnaround of the pan–African financial services institution.

 

Profit before tax rose over 295% to N52.00billion in 2012, compared with a loss of N26.60billion in the previous year, whilst Total Comprehensive Income attributable to equity holders grew outstandingly by 5,058% to N55.53billion, compared with a loss of N1.12billion in 2011.

BOOK REVIEW: A Good African Story

TRADE not aid: it’s a familiar refrain, but one that entrepreneur Andrew Rugasira argues is the only way Africa will develop sustainably. And it is one he can attest to first hand. Today, Rugasira exports his Ugandan coffee brand to the UK, the US and SA. His Good African coffee is the first African-owned coffee brand, benefiting large numbers of African farmers.

The book is a personal account of his struggle in getting farmers to work together, while battling to convince overseas retailers to take on his coffee. He argues for easier access for African-made products to developed markets, while detailing the challenges the continent faces — weak political institutions and a near-absent business sector.

While weak institutions fuel corruption, the absence of rules creates uncertainty for entrepreneurs, who have little incentive to invest in what could later be sabotaged by the state or others. After the overthrow of Idi Amin in 1979, Rugasira got to witness the many abuses of the state when the army would routinely harass his father, who owned a chalk-manufacturing plant. His father was imprisoned several times by the army.

11 quotes from people who made a difference

Ever wonder how you can help create positive change? Here is advice from 11 outstanding people in history whose lives and ideas made a difference in the world.



Fred Rogers hosted the children's program
"Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" on PBS
from 1968 to 2001. (AP/File) 

1. Fred Rogers

'When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” '

– Fred Rogers ("Mr. Rogers," 1928 -2003)

A crowd in the Santa Maria delle Grazie church in Milan,
Italy, views Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece
'The Last Supper.' (Antonio Calanni/AP/File)

2. Leonardo da Vinci

'I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough, we must do.'

– Leonardo da Vinci (1492-1519)

An undated photo of Anne Frank,
the young Jewish girl who, with her family,
hid from the Nazis in Amsterdam,
Netherlands, during World War II. (AP/File) 

3. Anne Frank

'How wonderful that no one need wait a single moment to improve the world.'

– Anne Frank (1929-1945)



Mother Theresa accepts the fellowship of the
Royal College of Edinburgh, its highest award,
at a ceremony in New Delhi, India, Feb. 23, 1991.
(Reuters/Kamal Kishore/File)

 

4. Mother Teresa

'We can do no great things – only small things with great love.'

– Mother Teresa (1910-1997)




5. Margaret Mead



Margaret Mead was an American cultural
anthropologist. (AP/File) 

'Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have.'

– Margaret Mead (1901-1978)

6. Robert F. Kennedy

'It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.'

– Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968)

7. Mahatma Gandhi

'We must become the change we want to see in the world.'

– Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

8. Charles Dickens

'Come out into the world about you, be it either wide or limited. Sympathize, not in thought only, but in action, with all about you. Make yourself known and felt for something that would be loved and missed, in twenty thousand little ways, if you were to die; then your life will be a happy one, believe me.'

– Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

9. Ralph Waldo Emerson

'The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.'

– Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

10. William James

'Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.'

– William James (1842-1910)

11. Edward Everett Hale

I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything; but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.

– Edward Everett Hale (American author, historian, and clergyman, 1822-1909)


Source: The Christian Science Monitor

Always move forward - Inspirational Presidential Quotes

Inspirational Presidential Quotes

I walk slowly, but I never walk backward. -- Abraham Lincoln

One of the most influential presidents in U.S. history, Lincoln inspired the U.S. during a long and difficult period. His progress in issuing the Emancipation Proclamation and ending the Civil War was arduous and hard-won, but he never gave up.

Success likely won't come overnight, so keep your goal in sight and keep moving forward -- no matter how slowly.

Don't compromise your core values - Inspirational Presidential Quotes

Inspirational Presidential Quotes

In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. -- Thomas Jefferson

The founding father and primary author of the Declaration of Independence knew a thing or two about principles. Among his many notable political achievements, is the bill he wrote in 1786 establishing religious freedom, which was used as a model for the religious language in the Bill of Rights.

When it comes to trends in the market it helps to stay current, but when it comes to what your company really believes in, stand firm and stay true to your principles.

Remember what is important - Inspirational Presidential Quotes

Inspirational Presidential Quotes

Tell the truth, work hard, and come to dinner on time. -- Gerald R. Ford

The only president in U.S. history who was never elected to office (he succeed the impeached president Richard Nixon), may not have sought his role as a world leader, but he served his short term with honesty. Ford had a reputation as an open, trustworthy everyman, and his words can serve as a reminder that some of the most important things about leadership are also the simplest.

Small achievements happen every day - Inspirational Presidential Quotes

Accomplishment will prove to be a journey, not a destination. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower

The two-term president had a long resumé when taking office in 1952, including serving as a five-star major general in World War II. Leading the county during a turbulent decade in office that included the end of the Korean War, he took a pragmatic approach to achieving his objectives. If big picture success seems too lofty of a goal, focus on what you can achieve each day.

True leaders inspire others - Inspirational Presidential Quotes

Inspirational Presidential Quotes


If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. -- John Quincy Adams

Despite his struggles with opposition in Congress, the sixth president of the U.S. still knew that a good leader is only as strong as those he works with. Adams managed to pay off much the national debt in his single term in office. Motivating your team to go above and beyond is just as important as being motivated yourself.