Mr. Van der Merwe’s appointment reinforces CLG’s commitment to providing impactful and innovative legal solutions across Africa

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, December 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

A distinguished Attorney of the High Court of South Africa with over 12 years of legal expertise, specializing in Corporate Law, Commercial Law, Litigation and Regulatory Compliance Leon Van der Merwe has joined pan-African legal and advisory group CLG (www.CLGGlobal.com) as a Partner.

A distinguished Attorney of the High Court of South Africa, Van der Merwe brings over 12 years of experience in Corporate Law, Commercial Law, Litigation and Regulatory Compliance. His areas of specialization include Contract Law, General and Commercial Litigation, Insolvency, Compliance, Property Law, Regulatory Law, Competition Law, Company Law and Risk Management.

His leadership and passion will be invaluable as we continue to grow together and build Africa’s largest professional service firm

Throughout his career, Van der Merwe has provided strategic counsel to national and international corporations, as well as African Governments, across various industries such as forestry, mining, construction, engineering, and retail. He holds an LLB Degree (Cum Laude) from the University of Pretoria.

“Leon’s promotion to Partner is a reflection not only of his exceptional professional skill but also of the trust he has earned from our clients, colleagues, and partners. His dedication and hard work are unmatched, and he exemplifies the core values that define CLG,” said Zion Adeoye, CEO and Managing Partner of CLG. “I am thrilled to welcome him as Partner and look forward to seeing his leadership continue to shape our journey. His elevation is more than deserved, and I know he will bring even greater value to our firm and our clients in this role.”

Oneyka Cindy Ojogbo, CLG Deputy Managing Partner, added, “It gives me great joy to welcome my friend and colleague into the partnership at CLG. His dedication to the firm and unwavering commitment to our clients have been the bedrock of his practice, and I couldn’t be more excited to see him take on this well-deserved role. His leadership and passion will be invaluable as we continue to grow together and build Africa’s largest professional service firm.”

Mr. Van der Merwe’s appointment reinforces CLG’s commitment to providing impactful and innovative legal solutions across Africa. His expertise will enhance the firm’s service offerings, further solidifying its position as a leading pan-African legal and advisory group.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of CLG.

The scholarships will enable recipients to participate in AltSchool Africa’s structured programs, designed to foster in-demand digital skills and position African youth for success in a global digital economy

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, December 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

Binance (www.Binance.com), a global leader in cryptocurrency exchange, has announced a partnership with AltSchool Africa to provide full-tuition scholarships to 500 young Africans. Kicking off in January 2025 to 31 December, this collaboration is aimed at addressing the digital skills gap in Africa by offering access to specialised education in fields such as software engineering, cybersecurity, sales and content creation, empowering learners with skills that are essential in today’s rapidly evolving job market.

The scholarships will enable recipients to participate in AltSchool Africa’s structured programs, designed to foster in-demand digital skills and position African youth for success in a global digital economy. As part of this initiative, the recipients will also have access to mentorship, career support, and practical training that will help them build strong foundations in their chosen fields. Click here (https://apo-opa.co/3CYnEt0) to register for the scholarship*.

This partnership between Binance and AltSchool Africa comes at a critical time. According to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) (http://apo-opa.co/3ZCKMWX), by 2030, 230 million jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa will require digital skills, yet only 2% of the workforce currently possesses them. By offering these scholarships, Binance and AltSchool Africa aim to close this gap and equip young Africans with the expertise needed for the future digital economy .

Through this partnership with AltSchool Africa, we are excited to provide opportunities that will help shape the future of many young students across the continent

“Through this partnership with AltSchool Africa, we are excited to provide opportunities that will help shape the future of many young students across the continent,” said Samantha Fuller, Spokeswoman  for Binance. “Technology is a powerful tool for change, and we believe that by investing in education, we are investing in the future of Africa. Our goal is to empower students to become innovators and leaders in the tech space.”

Binance’s scholarship initiative forms part of its broader commitment to supporting educational programs across Africa, helping young people gain the skills necessary to thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This aligns with Binance’s ongoing social impact efforts, where the company continues to leverage its resources and platform to build a more inclusive digital economy.

AltSchool Africa, an education platform tailored to developing digital skills across Africa, is proud to collaborate with Binance on this initiative. “With this partnership, we are able to reach more young Africans passionate about building a career in the digital economy, offering them a variety of our diploma programs and short courses,” said Nifemi Akinwamide, Head of Global Operations, AltSchool Africa. ”We laud Binance for this incredible initiative which will positively impact the lives of hundreds of Africans across the continent.”

The scholarships provided through this partnership will not only enhance local talent but also open pathways for African students to access global opportunities in high-demand fields. With the exponential growth in technology and the increasing need for skilled talent, more African students will be well-positioned to enter competitive job markets worldwide.

*This program is only eligible to certain countries within Africa. Terms and conditions apply (https://apo-opa.co/3CYnEt0)

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Binance.

A new white paper by WARC Advisory and Audacy explores the perceptual barriers driving the gap between audio advertising spend and audio consumption in the U.S.

In-depth interviews were conducted with more than 20 experts across leading brands, agencies, measurement companies and publishers. This white paper challenges long-held assumptions and demonstrates audio’s ability to drive multi-platform, full-funnel impact for advertisers
London / New York, December 3rd 2024 – A new white paper is released by WARC Advisory and multiplatform audio media and entertainment company Audacy today. Breaking down the barriers behind the Audio investment gap takes on a number of misperceptions driving the under-utilization of audio by marketers. In-depth interviews were conducted with 21 experts across leading brands, agencies, measurement companies and publishers in the audio field to better understand the issues from a 360 degree perspective.

Ray Borelli, SVP, Research & Insights, Audacy, comments, “There are more options available to marketers in audio than ever before, and we see time and again the positive results that come when brands increase their audio spend. However, investment in audio is being constrained for some by a series of perceptual barriers. This white paper aims to dispel those misperceptions and highlight the opportunities that are in front of marketers who embrace audio advertising.”

Paul Stringer, Managing Editor, Research & Advisory, WARC, adds: “Now – thanks to an explosion in audio listenership – there is a growing volume of evidence to suggest that audio drives a big impact in terms of attention, brand lift and key business KPIs. Yet a gap remains between investment and consumption. We’ve touched on this gap before in previous WARC research. But this paper goes one step further to understand precisely why audio is lagging behind other channels in terms of investment. After reading this paper, I hope advertisers and agencies feel more inspired and more confident about giving audio the attention and investment it deserves.”

“Breaking Down the Barriers Behind the Audio Investment Gap” spotlights the central role Audio plays in the lives of many Americans. Driven by growth in streaming and podcasts, time spent with Audio is growing significantly faster than media consumption overall.

Edison Research shows that average daily Audio consumption is 220 minutes: one-third of the total. This increase is evident across all age groups. Audiences aged 55 – 64 now spend 39% more time with Audio than they did in 2020; for those aged 16 – 24 the daily consumption has risen by 21%.

The medium’s challenge, however, is that it is realizing just 8.4% of advertiser spend, per WARC Media data. The findings show that spending would need to increase nearly threefold to match its share of ad-supported consumption.

This latest research uncovers myths that may lead to lack of investment in Audio.

Audio delivers high levels of reach, attention, targetability and full-funnel impact

Despite the misconception that Audio does not deliver campaign KPIs and is highly fragmented, evidence shows the medium delivers attributes that brands need most:

Unparalleled reach: In the USA, Audio’s total daily reach is 96%. Broadcast radio alone reaches 84% and 34% of Americans listen to at least one podcast a week.
High levels of attention: Podcast ads register 10,630 attentive seconds per thousand impressions (APMs) compared to TV at 4,430 APMs.
Strong targetability: Audio buys are now based on consumer interests, behaviors and contextually relevant moments.
Positive impact across every stage of the path-to-purchase journey: Recent research by Radiocentre found that allocating budget to the channel enhances overall campaign performance by boosting organic search volumes, increasing paid search impressions with improved conversion and uplifting response to paid social ads. Nielsen states that Audio consistently ranks as a top-tier medium for ROI.

Audio leverages comms opportunities through trust, engagement, culture and community

Given its unique characteristics, Audio is felt to be particularly difficult to integrate into the mix. This is exacerbated by a widespread belief that visual assets are essential to effective communication, but evidence shows that the channel is highly trusted.

Including radio in a campaign significantly increases brand trust according to System1 and Radiocentre in the UK; it enables brands to penetrate local communities and cultures – sports radio listeners are 3x more likely to search for a sponsor’s brand and 4x more likely to purchase its product or service than non-listeners; it is a media multiplier when working alongside other platforms; and creates new opportunities for integration – through display banners and videos and ‘podfluencers.’

Advances in Audio measurement & optimization

In an increasingly data-driven market, there are concerns about measuring Audio’s effectiveness. However, Audio measurement is evolving and effective tools now exist to track conversion, enabling brands to optimize campaigns mid-flight.

By combining pixel-tracking with systems from companies like Claritas, Veritone and ArtsAI, brands can now match audio ad exposure to online and in-store conversion. Additionally, brands are able to evaluate share of search, but care needs to be taken with attribution and marketing mix models (MMM); unless properly calibrated, they often fail to pick up Audio’s full impact.