Brandcom - Linking the future

HGL Real Estate Limited, an affiliate company of Flour Mills Of Nigeria's (FMN) Honeywell Group, has completed a major move in Nigeria’s hospitality sector with the acquisition of a 14.12% equity stake in Ikeja Hotel Plc, the listed company behind Sheraton Lagos Hotel and other landmark hotel assets. According to a notice issued by Ikeja Hotel Plc to the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), the company received formal notification from HGL Real Estate Limited confirming the purchase of 305,323,525 units of Ikeja…

West Africa made a strong impression at the 73rd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity as Woof Studios Africa strengthened the continent's presence on the global advertising stage, showcasing the growing influence of African creators in the digital economy. For the second consecutive year, the Creator Service Provider (CSP) secured a prominent presence at the festival, bringing an all female delegation of leading digital creators from Nigeria and Ghana to Cannes. The participation underscored the agency's…

Google Cloud has projected that its Johannesburg Cloud Region could contribute an additional $90.6 billion to Africa's economy and support nearly 315,000 jobs by 2030 as the company expands its artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure investments across the continent. The projection was announced by Maureen Costello, Vice President for UK, Ireland, and Sub-Saharan Africa at Google Cloud, during Google Cloud's inaugural Africa Cloud Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, where the company also unveiled five…

Wema Bank has unveiled the seventh edition of Hackaholics, its flagship innovation initiative aimed at supporting young Africans with technology-driven solutions, introducing three participation tracks, seven innovation verticals and millions of naira in grant prizes. The programme was announced at a press conference held on Wednesday at the bank's headquarters in Lagos. Launched in 2019, Hackaholics serves as a platform for young innovators to develop and scale technology solutions addressing social and economic…

The World Out of Home Organization (WOO) has launched Version 2.0 of its Global Out-of-Home (OOH) Audience Measurement Guidelines, introducing a significantly updated framework aimed at strengthening audience measurement standards across the global OOH advertising industry. The new guidelines were unveiled during the WOO Congress held in London and represent the most comprehensive revision since the first edition was introduced in 2022. According to WOO, the updated framework draws on the expertise of audience…

WhatsApp has begun letting users reserve usernames as it prepares for a major privacy update that will allow people to chat without sharing their phone numbers. The feature is rolling out gradually, and users will get a notification when it becomes available in their country. According to WhatsApp, the reservation tool is meant to help users secure a preferred handle before the full username system launches. Users can reserve a username through the app’s settings, under Settings > Account > Username.…

The Association of Corporate Communication and Marketing Professionals in Banks (ACAMB) has called for wider adoption of QR code payments and stronger digital payment systems in Nigeria after a courtesy visit to the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) in Lagos. The group said the move would make payments faster, cheaper and more reliable for customers and merchants. NIBSS Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Premier Oiwoh, said smooth payment systems remain central to financial inclusion and…

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced the winners of the 2026 Young Lions Competitions, recognising the world's most promising creative talents aged 30 and under across seven disciplines. Sponsored by Adobe, the annual competition brought together more than 400 young professionals from around the world, who were tasked with developing creative solutions for briefs set by charities, non-governmental organisations and purpose-driven companies. Depending on the category, teams had…