YALDA Partners With Advertising Firm in Nigeria

Group Managing Director of SO&U, Mr Udeme Ufot

In strengthening and creating awareness in Public Relations and Advertising, the Youth Alliance for Leadership and Development in Africa (YALDA), today partnered with an advertising firm in Nigeria, SO&U SAATCHI and SAATCHI.

Speaking at the orientation panel at the YALDA conference, the Group Managing Director of SO&U SAATCHI and SAATCHI, Mr. Udeme Ufot, tagged his presentation as “You can make it Happen.”

Mr. Ufot briefly gave a preview of his advertising firm, SO&U SAATCHI and SAATCHI, as a joint business venture which was created out of a great ambition, self confidence and passion for the craft.

According to him, during the time of creating the agency, our motivating factor was, “we aspired fame, fortune and lots of fun, which I call the three F.”

He stated that the success of SO&U is a testimony to the fact that if young people dare to dream and put their passion behind that dream, they can make things happen.

“They can become innovators and job creators, creating opportunities for themselves and others, while serving as inspiration to other young people.”

The GM, gave out a report of the 5^th African Development Forum on Youth and Leadership in the 21^st Century, “As motivated and inspired citizens, young people are agents of change with the potential for taking a leading role in tackling Africa’s development challenges for themselves and others, their families and society.”

Furthermore, he stated that on the basis of annual average GDP growth, a report by the Economist, lists seven African countries in a list of ten fastest growing economies between 2011 and 2015 (Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Congo, Ghana, Zambia, Nigeria.)

 He highlighted the implication of most economies in America and Europe show negative growth, and some of the Asian economies experience slower growth, the markets that will offer some level of growth will be these African economies.

Mr. Udeme noted that 69% of Africans are comfortable with mobile ads compared to 61% in US and Europe according to a study by INMOBI and COMSCORE.

“The opportunity for mobile advertising thus becomes bery glaring in a fast urbanizing continent where almost 75% of the population by 2020 will be of average 20, comfortable with mobile phones, highly brand conscious and with reasonable disposable income.”

He quoted a wired magazine, “if you want to become extremely wealthy over the next five years, and have a basic grasp of technology, here’s a no brainer: move to Africa.”

In his closing remark, Mr. Udeme, advised that if Africa can provide its young people with the education and skills that they need, this large work force could account for a significant share of both global consumption and production.

“We have choice in Africa to turn our fast growing and youthful population into an asset that can transform the economy of the region or leave it to become a time bomb that can disrupt the region’s development process.”