An investigation conducted by BIS Research reported that the immediate implementation of blockchain in healthcare could save an estimated 100 billion dollars per year in costs by 2025. This technology would not only stop data breaches but also free up money for other expenses, such as social programmes for the elderly and higher wages for healthcare workers. Here Janet Adams, chief operating officer at SingularityNET, discusses the role of blockchain in healthcare and the benefits of its applications.

Blockchain allows people to keep records and track their data as all devices on the same blockchain system generate identical blocks, acting as a person’s unique signature. The advantage of using blockchain is that it can secure and track data more effectively. If someone tried to manipulate data on a blockchain, a block would be generated, leaving behind a unique signature of the device that changed the information.

Blockchain is a useful tool to monitor and follow data, making it perfect for safety-critical sectors such as healthcare. Medical records and health-related information is widely considered to be private. However, despite most healthcare systems allowing people to have some control of their biodata, patients still don’t know exactly how this information is used.

Adam Tanner, a fellow at Harvard’s Institute for quantitative social science and author of a new book on how medical information is used, Our Bodies, Our Data, writes: “Hidden from consumers, patient medical data has become a multibillion-dollar worldwide trade between our health-care providers, drug companies, and a complex web of middlemen.”

Big Pharma is building a profiting trade on the backs of unknowing contributors. Despite the advances in medicine that this data is offering, the patients deserve the right to choose to contribute. After all, it is our data they are using.

Ground-breaking projects

Profiting off others’ data is nothing new, but the introduction of blockchain is the perfect tool to change this. Many companies in the healthcare sector are taking this opportunity to use blockchain to give people control over their data. SingularityNET is one of these companies, with the rollout of various projects, from robotic nursing assistants to longevity apps, all of which will use the Cardano blockchain.

SingularityNET and Hanson Robotics have created Grace the robotic medical assistant, in a joint venture called Awakening Health. Grace is specifically designed to help care for elderly patients, and is considered the most empathetic humanoid robot to date — she can recognise and respond to seven human emotions, do talk therapy,

conduct uplifting activities such as guided meditations when sensing depression signals in patients, and help in everyday activities such as placing calls.

However, Grace is capable of more than social tasks. She also performs routine health checks, such as checking patients’ temperature, blood pressure and filling out charts, collecting data to help treat patients. This data collection is private and secure, thanks to the Cardano blockchain. Whilst the advanced AI takes care of the social companionship aspect of nursing, the blockchain secures and tracks the patient’s data, ensuring it remains uncorrupted.

Another way blockchain is being used in healthcare is through Rejuve, a spin-off company of SingularityNET. Rejuve is a longevity research project aimed at extending human life using biodata voluntarily given through a dedicated app, which will be represented and tracked using non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

The use of blockchain allows contributors to track each data contribution and be rewarded accordingly with RJV tokens. These tokens are redeemable for supplement discounts, medical tests, longevity therapies and more. This differs greatly from how biodata is traditionally handled in healthcare, as contributors will know exactly why and how their data is used, while contributing to decentralised collaborative research. Contributors will also retain forever ownership of their data.

Control over data, security and privacy are just a few of the benefits seen in blockchain applications, but this is only the beginning of the technology. With more and more companies recognising the potential of blockchain, medical technology will not be the only thing transformed by a data-driven future.

The increased adoption of cloud computing over the past decade has enabled businesses across industries to meet their growing technology needs while efficiently gaining access to exciting new tools.

However, not every industry has kept up with the evolution of cloud technologies brought forth by digital transformation. A prime example is the real estate industry. Overall, the real estate sector has been slow to digitize operations and move to the cloud; leaving agents, brokers and their clients underserved.

Cloud computing can cover a lot of ground, with both infrastructure-as-a-service and software-as-a service availability. There is great potential for the real estate industry’s future in both areas.

When properly implemented, cloud computing accelerates the innovation and digitization of real estate services, bringing new apps and tools to the market more quickly. This also adds even more value to the buying and selling experience for agents, brokers and consumers alike.

While the cloud offers much potential for the real estate industry, it is important for companies to have an informed idea of what they want to accomplish before moving some or all their IT functions to the cloud. Don’t just jump on the cloud bandwagon; instead, determine what goals you want to achieve by moving to the cloud and develop a plan for an orderly transition.

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If a company’s cloud infrastructure ends up looking exactly like its previous on-premises setup, it’s probably not taking advantage of all the benefits the cloud can offer. Real estate companies moving to the cloud need to think strategically about adding value through the transition.

With that caveat, there are tremendous benefits for real estate companies that move to the cloud.

More Data, More Power

A seemingly immense obstacle real estate companies face is the daunting task of implementing cloud-supportive infrastructure. But the truth is that real estate companies don’t have to plan, build, or operate their own data centers.

Instead, the cloud infrastructure providers can set up and maintain the infrastructure while real estate companies focus on what they do best: selling properties, serving customers, and equipping agents and brokers with the best tools to help them do their jobs.

Cloud infrastructure also offers real estate companies the computing power to run modern tools like data analytics and artificial intelligence. These technologies can help real estate companies find new customers, identify people likely to be interested in buying or selling their homes, and match customers to the best real estate agents to service their needs.

Real estate organizations often have access to huge amounts of market and customer data. However, the sheer volume of data makes it difficult to capitalize on. With cloud computing, real estate companies can gain access to the massive computing power needed to crunch the data, while paying only for the time they use that infrastructure.

Mobility and Disaster Recovery Solutions

Another benefit of storing data in the cloud is that it’s accessible from various devices, which is a boon for the growing mobile workforce. Agents, brokers, and home buyers and sellers are increasingly using smartphones and tablets to get work done remotely. The cloud is much more flexible, accessible, and secure than being tethered to a physical hard drive or on-premises server.

Furthermore, companies that transition to the cloud don’t have to build and maintain a remote disaster recovery site, which can be labor-intensive and time-consuming. Instead, critical data in the cloud automatically fails over to a secondary site in the event of a disaster. All that is required to access data in the cloud — anytime, from multiple devices, anywhere — is a solid internet connection.

Budget-Conscious Security

Major cloud infrastructure providers have a security track record that most real estate companies can’t compete with. They have huge teams of security professionals and the best available security technologies, policies, procedures, and controls to protect the information on their servers and data centers 24/7 with little or no human intervention.

Cloud security measures also support regulatory compliance and establish authentication rules for users and devices. This high level of data security is particularly important in the real estate industry, with customers sharing banking and other personal data during what’s often the largest financial transaction of their lives.

Customers want their real estate transactions to be as secure as possible, and cloud infrastructure providers offer that higher level of protection.

Creating an Open Ecosystem

On the software-as-a-service side, the cloud is the perfect way to host multiple apps and software tools that improve agents and broker productivity. One way to approach this is through the development of a real estate app store that includes a range of software, including CRM tools, lead generation software, open house apps and productivity tools, with everything hosted in the cloud.

In doing so, this creates an open ecosystem, where agents and brokers have a choice of software tools to use, including some apps developed in-house and others from third-party partners. The cloud enables an open ecosystem in which agents and brokers simply decide which apps they want to use from a menu of options available. This provides flexibility while also empowering personal choice and customized solutions for home buying and selling and beyond.

Convenience Is the New Normal

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced real estate companies to conduct more business remotely, with documents shared online. Some firms have been moving a greater number of transaction steps to the virtual realm, using cloud-based services to host and gather documents and collect signatures.

While some customers will continue to demand face-to-face contact with agents and brokers, a significant number will embrace the convenience of a mostly online, cloud-based approach.

The industry is already seeing great benefits from cloud computing. Expect many more advantages to reveal themselves as the industry continues to digitize its operations.

Too often, we see that the failure to innovate today equates to playing catch-up tomorrow. The benefits of cloud technologies for real estate services professionals are clear, and the obstacles of price and infrastructure are entirely surmountable.

Business and information technology leaders in this industry must look beyond outdated legacy systems and begin embracing the cloud — now.

Isolation from friends and other factors during the pandemic contributed to a significant increase in screen use by tweens and teens from pre-pandemic levels.

Common Sense Media — a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families — in March released a detailed report showing that screen use in 2021 increased far faster than it had in the previous four years. That usage for tweens was six times more in the past two years.

The pandemic was likely a major contributor to changes in screen use. Platforms like TikTok have continued to swell in popularity and may also be driving increased use, according to the study.

Researchers sought details on whether there were any lasting differences in young people’s use of screen media as society began to open up again in the fall of 2021. They focused on U.S. tweens (ages eight to 12) and teens (ages 13 to 18) and the time they spent using digital devices apart from time spent doing online classes and homework.

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Total entertainment screen use among tweens and teens, per day, 2015 to 2021

Entertainment screen use includes time spent watching television and online videos, playing video games, using social media, browsing websites, creating content, e-reading, and other digital activities. In 2021, time spent reading ebooks was included in the total for the first time (accounting for six minutes among tweens and eight among teens), and time spent watching movies in movie theaters and using an iPod Touch were not included (these had accounted for seven minutes among tweens and six minutes among teens in 2019). Source: Common Sense Media

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Results show no dramatic changes in the overall patterns of media use by tweens and teens in terms of the types of devices used. The amount of time they devote to non-school screen activities rose significantly, as social media use spread somewhat among younger age groups.

Online videos have cemented their place at the top of young people’s media hierarchies. However, video gaming did not increase dramatically during the pandemic. The top activities remain the same — online videos, gaming, and social media. Also, the general patterns between tweens and teens, or boys and girls, have continued.

Media can be used in positive or negative ways. Vulnerable kids are overusing media, or using media in ways that contribute to mental health issues, according to Mike Robb, senior director of research at Common Sense Media.

“We need to be able to identify and support those kids. But there are also kids out there who are using media to keep their mood up, to connect with friends, or to support their mental health. We need to make sure that we are not reflexively demonizing all screen time,” he told TechNewsWorld.

“It really depends on who is using it, what they are using, and to satisfy what needs.”

More Media Use Findings

The report found eight major results compared to the last media use report prior to the pandemic in 2019. Common Sense Media’s study is the only nationally representative survey tracking media use patterns among a truly random sample of eight- to 18-year-olds in the United States, according to James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media.

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Site teens wouldn’t want to live without, 2021

Among the 79% of 13- to 18-year-olds who are regular users of social media and online videos (use at least once a week), percent who choose each site as the one they wouldn’t want to live without.

Source: Common Sense Media

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In addition to the results cited above, researchers found:

• If forced to choose, teens say YouTube is the site that they would not want to live without. In fact, watching online videos is both groups’ favorite media activity among both boys and girls across racial/ethnic groups and income levels.
• Social media use is growing among eight- to 12-year-olds. Thirty-eight percent of tweens used social media (up from 31 percent in 2019). Nearly one in five (18 percent) said they now use social media daily (up from 13 percent since 2019).
• Teens now spend nearly an hour and a half per day using social media but have conflicted feelings about the medium. Even though teens devote a lot of time to social media, they do not enjoy it as much as they do other types of media.
• The top five social media sites teens have ever used are Instagram (53 percent), Snapchat (49 percent), Facebook (30 percent), Discord (17 percent), and Twitter (16 percent).
• Both tweens and teens are substantially varied in the average amount of screen media they engage in each day. Boys use more screen media than girls. Black and Hispanic/Latino kids use more than White kids do. Children from lower-income households use more than those in higher-income homes.
• Children consumed more media overall through the pandemic than prior to 2019 except for one source: reading did not increase in usage.
• Nearly half of all teens listened to podcasts, and one in five said they do so at least once a week. They engage with a wide variety of media types, including media-based primarily on the spoken word.
• Large numbers of Black, Hispanic/Latino, children in lower-income households still do not have access to a computer at home. This is one of the most basic building blocks of digital equity.

Alarming Results

Robb was struck by the stark increase in the amount of screen time over the past two years compared to the four years prior to the pandemic. From 2015 to 2019, media use for tweens grew only three percent. For teens, it grew by 11 percent.

However, from 2019 to 2021 alone, media use grew by close to 20 percent for both tweens and teens. That is almost six times the growth we saw before the pandemic for tweens alone.

“I am also struck by the fact that 38 percent of tweens have used social media, despite the fact that most platforms are not meant to be used by people under the age of 13,” he noted.

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Top entertainment screen media activities among tweens and teens, 2021

Video games refers to games played on a console, computer, or portable game player. Mobile games refers to games played on a smartphone or tablet. Source: Common Sense Media

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What kids do with media is as important or more important than how much time they spend with media, Robb offered. If kids are using good content, using technology to socialize and hang out with their friends, and using tech to express themselves, then he does not think we need to worry about time so much.

“It is when media use is replacing important activities, like socializing, spending quality time with family, or sleeping, that I get concerned,” he said.

Researchers’ Take

Researchers noted that they were surprised to find no drastic expansions of new tablet and smartphone distributions among tweens and teens. The survey does not indicate that this happened, they said.

“We are beginning to see a modest trend toward the use of social media at earlier ages. This is especially interesting given the ongoing debates about the impact of social media on young people’s well-being,” they wrote.

The other new media product pushed by Facebook (now Meta) is immersive media, accessed through virtual reality. The increase in time is for entertainment media only, not for school, remote learning, or homework, clarified Robb.

At this point, the use of the new medium has been slow to catch on; slower, in fact, than the growth of podcasts, the report notes.

“I keep wondering if we will hit a ceiling of media use at some point, but so far we have not,” Robb added.

Changing Views on Kids’ Impact

A recent study (Rideout & Robb, 2021) shows that many young people used their digital devices during the pandemic to socialize with friends online, learn about things they were interested in, and create and share their own content. This work suggests that parents and educators should be careful of demonizing kids’ screen time consumption, Common Sense Media’s Steyer wrote in the report’s conclusion.

“It clearly played an important role for many tweens and teens during the pandemic,” he added.

This latest survey of kids’ media use shows that activities like content creation, video-chatting, and reading online occur frequently among young people and are important and meaningful to them. But that increased screen time still constitutes a tiny fraction of overall screen use, cautioned Steyer.

“In the end, the amount of time young people devote to content produced by others still dominates overwhelmingly, whether it is content they watch, read, play with, or scroll through. Given the huge amounts of time children give to media, it’s all the more important to elevate quality media by creating and highlighting the shows, games, apps, and books that engage, inspire, and provide positive representations,” he concluded.

Many things in Nigeria appear unfixable. Things that other countries take almost for granted we seem to struggle with, eternally. It is a characteristic that pervades nearly everything we do as a country. It continues to impact negatively on the nation’s growth.

Take communications. Almost two decades after the liberalisation of the nation’s communications sector, operators and regulatory agencies still point to the same things as hindering the growth of the sector – multiple taxations and Right of Way (RoW) approvals. Right of Way is particularly contentious as it directly stalls the growth of the sector and impacts on the quality of service.

This is how it works. To extend the reach of its services operating companies need to lay fibre optic cables to access relevant locations. To do this they must seek and gain approval from the government and relevant agencies. Governors have instituted a charge for RoW. This process aside from being cumbersome and time-consuming is equally quite expensive.

The RoW charge is the levy paid to state governments for the right to lay of optic fibre by telecoms operators. It is curious that charge only applies to telecom services providers, whereas there are other players that require RoW. For instance, oil industry for the pipelines, power companies for electricity cables and maybe water cooperation for water pipes.

The sad part is that state governments now view RoW charges as a money-making venture. Some have set up agencies to collect this supposed largesse and few others collaborate with private companies to collect and distribute the proceeds. It is every shade of wrong and untidy. Sadly, telecom service providers appear to be the only victims.

This was the case until the Ekiti state government decided to buck the trend. Last week, the state governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi announced that the government has slashed the right of way charges for telecommunications infrastructure from N4, 500 to N145 per meter.

The governor signed an Executive Order reducing the Right of Way charges related to laying broadband or any other telecommunications infrastructures from N4, 500 to N145 per meter. He noted, “This is part of the government’s strategy to create an enabling environment for businesses, ensure ease of doing business, and reduce barriers to capital investments and broadband services in the state.”

The order read in part: “The government of Ekiti state is desirous of providing all those living in Ekiti state, especially rural communities with access to reliable, affordable broadband connectivity. Broadband connectivity across Ekiti state will enhance the ability of the government of Ekiti state to increase economic prosperity; attract new businesses, enhance job growth, extend the reach of affordable, high-quality healthcare, enrich student learning with digital tools, and facilitate access to the digital marketplace.”

Ekiti State has demonstrated beyond the rhetoric that it is truly committed to increasing connectivity in its domain. It has shown that honour and Integrity are not mere words but action, solid actions. The Ekiti State government has, by this action, written its name in gold letters in the history of the nation’s telecom development.

Ekiti has shown beyond a doubt that it seeks the best for its citizens. It has demonstrated that it understands what it takes to compete in the digital era. By this action, the state is actively calling on operators to come and invest in the state.

Ekiti State is saying loud and clear that it is ready for business.

There are insinuations the state is only assenting to the rates agreed by the NEC to create a uniform Right of Way (RoW) charge of N145 per linear meter of fibre. It is neither here nor there. The state government has simply taken the lead. It has shown that it can be done. Other states now need to quickly follow suit. For now, Ekiti State deserves all the commendations.

The benefits of widespread connectivity are incalculable. The governor spoke of “affordable broadband connectivity.” This precisely what this about widespread availability of high-speed, always-on broadband internet connectivity.

Broadband is rightly regarded, rightly, as a powerful general-purpose technology. Across the globe, it continues to drive widespread changes in the information and communication technologies (ICTs) space enabling among other things, cloud computing, internet of things, smart homes and cities and mobile apps.

Broadband is equally influencing innovation across many other sectors including financial inclusion, telemedicine and electronic government.

According to the World Bank, “A 10 percentage point increase in broadband penetration raised annual per capita growth by 0.9-1.5 percentage points.”

So, clearly, the government has done a good thing. It now needs to do other good things. It must seriously consider establishing ICT parks, create technology hubs, energize startups and precipitate. It also needs to find a way to make access to digital learning a key part of its education pillar.

Again, the Ekiti State government has taken a perennial challenge for operators in the Nigerian telecom space and made easy work of it. It has highlighted its appreciation of the importance of connectivity.

Connectivity boosts productivity. Every study supports this assertion. States interested in genuine development must reconsider their current stand on RoW charges. This is time to do the right thing and give your citizens a chance to explore and exploit the digital society.

What Ekiti has done is simple yet revolutionary. It is sort of out-of-the-box thinking that has immense potential to promote competition, drive innovation and guarantee market growth. It might have been a small step for the government but it is a huge leap towards making broadband opportunities reachable for all citizens in Ekiti state.

The goal, of course, is to deepen broadband penetration for the social and economic development of the country. Ekiti State has taken the first step. It is on the right track. Others must now follow suit.

Elvis Eromosele, a Corporate Communication professional and public affairs analyst lives in Lagos.

1: Ferdinand Moolman, MTN Nigeria, N586 million

Ferdinand Moolman is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of one of Nigeria’s biggest, non-oil foreign direct investment – MTN Nigeria Communications Plc. He was promoted to the position of CEO on December 1, 2015, as part of a major reshuffling of the telco’s operating structure which was aimed at strengthening operational oversight, leadership, governance, and regulatory compliance. Before then, he was the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), a position he occupied immediately he was transferred from MTN Iran cell where he was the Chief Operating Officer (COO). It makes a lot of sense that the CEO of the biggest company listed on the Nigerian bourse should be the highest-paid CEO in Nigeria. Moolman earned N586 million in 2019, 2.5% up from the N571 million he took home in 2018.

 

2: Austin Avuru, Seplat, N440 million

 Augustine Avuru, the co-founder and CEO of Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, is the highest-paid director in his company, and second highest in Nigeria for the year 2019. Prior to becoming the Chief Executive Officer of Seplat in May 2010, he was Managing Director at Platform Petroleum Limited, a company he founded. He had spent over a decade at Nigerian National Petroleum Commission (NNPC), holding different positions including that of wellsite geologist, production seismologist, and reservoir engineer. He had also worked as an exploration manager and technical manager with Allied Energy Resources in Nigeria, a pioneer deepwater operator, where he spent ten years before starting Platform Petroleum Limited in 2002. He is also a director of MPI, which is listed on NYSE Euronext Paris. Avuru received N440 million as his remuneration in 2019, a shortfall of N44 million when compared to his 2018 earnings. Recall that Seplat had announced Roger Brown as the incoming CEO that will take over when Avuru retires on July 31, 2020.

 

3: Segun Agbaje, GTBank, N400 million

Segun Agbaje joined Guaranty Trust Bank as a pioneer staff in 1991 and rose through the ranks to become the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in 2011 after Tayo Aderinokun, the previous CEO, passed on. As CEO, Agbaje took N400 million home in remunerations for the year 2019. This shows an increase of N16 million from his N384 million remuneration in 2018, and given the impressive results that the bank showed for the year, we can say that it was duly justified. He was recently elected an independent member of the Board of PepsiCo, the American owners of popular beverage drinks Pepsi and Moutain Dew. As Nairametrics reported, Agbaje will officially assume his duties as a board member and audit committee member at PepsiCo by mid-July.

 

4: Yaw Nsarkoh, formerly with Unilever Nigeria Plc, N330 million

Yaw Nsarkoh has had a long career within the Unilever Group, occupying top positions like the African Regional Brand Manager, Production Manager for Unilever Ghana, among others. He headed several regional headquarters of the global manufacturing company, especially in Africa. He also served as a Strategic Assistant to Unilever’s President for Asia, Africa, Central, and Eastern Europe. He resigned from his position as Managing Director in December 2019, to take up new roles within the Unilever group across Europe. He was succeeded by Carl Raymond Cruz in January 2020. Prior to his departure, he earned N303 million in 2019, 8% less than the N330 million he earned in 2018.

 

5: Michael Puchercos, formerly with Lafarge Africa Plc, N272 million

For the financial year ended December 31st, 2019, Michael Puchercos earned N272 million, marking an 18.7% increase when compared to the N229 million he earned in 2018. Before his appointment as Lafarge Africa Plc’s CEO, he worked in various capacities within the cement industry for two decades. He was the President & Chief Executive Officer of Lafarge Halla Cement; Director of Strategy and Systems at Lafarge Gypsum; Chief Executive Officer of Bamburi Cement and Hima Cement; and Chairman of Mbeya Cement in Tanzania. He resigned from Lafarge in January 2020 to join competitor brand, Dangote Cement Plc and was succeeded by Mr. Khaled Abdelaziz El Dokani, the former country CEO of Lafarge Holcim Iraq.

 

6: Jordi Borrut Bel, Nigerian Breweries Plc, N271 million

Jordi Borrut Bel is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc. Mr Bel is an experienced manager and has served in Heineken’s different subsidiaries across different countries. He was Managing Director at Brarudii SA, Manager-Project Distribution at Heineken Slovensko AS, Brand Manager at Heineken France SAS and Director-Sales & Distribution at Heineken España SA. His last position prior to coming to Nigerian was that of the Managing Director of Heineken Burundi. Bel’s earnings experienced a quantum leap from N190 million in 2018 to N271 million in 2019, an increase of about 42%. He was the sixth highest-paid CEO in 2019.

 

7: Mauricio Alarcon, Nestle Nigeria Plc, N218 million

Seventh on the list is Mauricio Alarcon, the Chief Executive Officer of Nestle Nigeria Plc. Alarcon was appointed CEO in 2016, after a progressive 17 years career with the Nestle brand. He started as Area Sales Manager with Nestle Mexico and later became a Senior Brand Manager. He worked as Marketing Advisor at Nestle Headquarters in Switzerland, Country Manager at Nestle Cote d’Ivoire and later became Managing Director of Nestle Atlantic Cluster between June 2016 and September 2016, overseeing Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea, and Cote d’Ivoire. Alarcon earned N218 million in 2019, a slight increase from the N210 million in 2018 he earned in 2018, placing him 7^th place in the list.

 

8: Lars Richter, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, N217 million

Presently, Lars Richter occupies the position of Managing Director & Director at Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, a position he was appointed to in 2018. Before this appointment, he had garnered over 16 years’ experience in the construction industry, with 10 years spent in Nigeria, in different positions including Division manager, Project manager, and Project engineer. Richter places 8^th on this list, with an income of N217 million in 2019. This is quite a significant reduction from the N319 million he received in 2018 although there is no obvious justification for this.

 

9: Emeka Emuwa, Union Bank of Nigeria, N172 million

Emuwa earned an annual net income of N172 million in 2019, the same as he did in 2018. He was appointed CEO of Union Bank of Nigeria in November 2012, after a progressive 25-year banking career at CitiBank across several African countries. He started out as a Management Assistant at Citibank Nigeria Limited and was later promoted to the position of Country Head, Cameroon. At this time, he was also overseeing all the bank’s activities in the Central African region, including Congo and Gabon. He occupied strategic positions in the company across several countries like Tanzania, Ghana, Niger, and Nigeria, serving as the CEO between 2005 and 2012, before he took up the appointment with Union Bank Plc.

 

10: Imrane Barry, Total Nigeria Plc, N163 million

Total Nigeria Plc has Imrane Barry as its Managing Director. Imrane is not new to the Total group as he had previously served as Managing Director of Total Uganda in 2013, Total Cameroon SA in 2015 and Total Nigeria Plc in 2018. He also worked with other Total affiliates in Kenya and Ivory Coast, at SEP-Congo as the Technical and Transport Director, and in Paris as the Strategy and Development Senior Officer. He was appointed Deputy Executive Vice-President of Total Africa & Middle East in 2012, Before joining Total, Imrane worked in several capacities in Engineering and Construction Companies in Guinea Conakry, Cote d’Ivoire and Gabon. Imrane took home N163 million as remunerations in 2019, 41% more than his 2018 earnings of N115 million.