THE STATE OF MIND

Born in-between life and reality
A heart of a compromised mind
It is like aimlessly shooting at the star
Such dreams would never get very far

To a child, the world is made of love and care
To a mother, it is made of sacrifice
But to a father, it is about commitment
Life is perceived differently by every mind

All Rights Reserved © Akan Udofia  2018

BROKEN

My heart will be broken
If you are not around
I admitted, I am guilty
When you needed a friend
I was not there
Your feeling is betrayed
It seems I didn't care
How could I be so blind

Can you allow me just this once
To fix the things I have broken
This time I promise
I would not leave your hand
What ever it takes to be close to you
I am ready to face the consequences
Your heart is all I die for
Without you I am helpless

All Rights Reserved © Akan Udofia 2018

The Inspired Word, Mixed Emotions

I look at the page
Empty and bare
I think of the words
I need to write there
The more that I think
The tears start to flow
They urge me to print
My feelings to show

I write and I write
My heart in your hands
I pour out my feelings
You don’t understand
The more that I write
My tears spill out less
I start to get angry
My words are a mess

I screw up my paper
Start once again
Fill up my paper
With words full of pain
I write then I read
I read and erase
When I imagine you reading
And the look on your face

My anger now melting
My words become kind
The hatred I felt
Now far from my mind
I pour out my feelings
My emotions the guide
I now fill up my paper
Words of love from inside

copywritten@susanworrall/2017

WHY DO YOU ASK?

Why do you ask what I seek?
Yet confided it is dead
Is it unfair to request to have a life?
Worth remembering in the afterlife

I knelt on the pew and earnestly prayed
For every blinded eyes to be opened
To witness the glory of a fulfilled life
Why it is worth every penny to first serve

Be a slave to pride
Wipe the dirt on the face of the homeless man 
Spread love to the child in the orphanage
For the world need be ushered into a moving train

Everyone is meant to be walking on the same pace
Before the clouds got broken and hell fell loose
Upon every heart unguided under heaven
The creation and purpose of life forsaken

All Rights Reserved © Akan E. Udofia 2017

GOOGLE FOR NIGERIA

GOOGLE FOR NIGERIA

Calling on all Creators, Innovators & Business Owners! Register for the 2018 #GoogleForNigeria Event

To them, this means a great experience no matter the device, removing frictions to access and uplifting and changing lives through the power of technology.

Google for Nigeria brings together their users, partners, stakeholders, and friends and is an opportunity for them to highlight their commitment to the next billion users and the first look at new products and investments for the region

The event is set to take place from July 26, 2018, 12:00 – July 27, 2018, 18:00 at the Landmark Event Center, Lagos.

To register.. click on the web link below.
https://events.withgoogle.com/google-for-nigeria-2018/

YOU ARE WHO YOU HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR

Interbank Rates Drop Further, Amidst Liquidity

Rates in Nigeria’s interbank money markets dropped further on Tuesday, amidst increased Liquidity, with the overnight and Open Buy-Back rates closing at 7.50% and 8.58%.
Payment of coupon inflows is expected to hit the system to the tune of N34.71bn, even as Interbank rate closing flat at N305.80/$

Bonds Market
It experienced weak demand on most tradable FGN bond. Some traders sold down on the long end of the curve . However, participants were very uncertain about the direction of yields .

Treasury Bills
Market witnessed huge demand, riding on the back of improved system liquidity, with investors taking strategic position as they reinvested bond coupon payments.

Rates dipped by 25 basis point on the average across trading benchmark securities, just as demand was witnessed in the short to medium end of the curve.
The trend is expected to continue owing to excess Liquidity in the system.we also expect CBN to offer Primary market auction tomorrow. The last stop rate for 91,182 and 364 were 10, 10.3 and 11.50 respectively.We expect the stop rates to close lower than the previous auction due to system liquidity.
The Debt Management Office (DMO) is expected to rollover N5.85bn, N26.60bn and N145.96bn of the 91-day, 182-day and 364-day bills on Wednesday.

Analyst: Judith Idialu, judyodegua@yahoo.com

CBN Injects Fresh $210m In Sustained Fx Intervention

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on Tuesday, July 17, 2018 injected the sum of $210 million into the inter-bank foreign exchange (forex) market.

A breakdown showed that while $100m was offered to authorized dealers in the wholesale segment of the market, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) got $55m, same as invisibles like tuition fees, medical payments and Basic Travel allowance (BTA).

A statement by Isaac Okorafor, Acting Director of Corporate Communications Department at the CBN, who confirmed the figures, stressed the apex bank’s resolve to continue intervening in the interbank foreign exchange market.

This, he assured, is in line with its pledge to sustain liquidity in the market and maintain stability.
Okorafor maintained that the continued forex intervention is to ensure that the CBN meets genuine customers’ requests across the various segments of the market.

Tuesday’s intervention followed a similar one on Tuesday, July 10, 2018, to cater for requests in the wholesale segment of the market.
Meanwhile, the naira continued to exchange at an average of N360/$1 in the Bureau De Change (BDC) segment of the market on Tuesday, July 17, 2018.

https://investdata.com.ng/2018/07/cbn-injects-fresh-210m-in-sustained-fx-intervention/#more

Daar Communications Cuts 2018Q1 Loss By 66.8%

Nigeria’s first private sector broadcast media group, Daar Communications Plc, on Tuesday presented its belated financials for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018, the highlight of which were the flat growth in revenue for the period, just as the management reined in on cost, among others, resulting in a N462.244m, or 66.8% reduction in loss after tax for the period.
Revenue limped from N904.428m to N913.428m; the bulk of revenue came from television, which yielded N747.203m or 81.8% of total, despite the slight drop from the previous N791.595m. Radio revenue followed with N104.252m, up from N89.158m; and N61.973m from Daar News, almost three times the N23.856m it raked in a year earlier.

Cost of sales dropped by N398.945m or 34.04% to N772.982m, down from N1.171bn in the corresponding first quarter of 2017.
This left gross profit at N140.446m, compared to the previous N267.317m loss.

Other income stood at N1.214m from N1.871m; translating to operating profit of N141.66m, from the N265.446m loss in 2017; distribution cost rose marginally from N21.731m to N22.836m; while administrative expenses dropped from N374.899m to N307.36m.

Finance changes dropped to N17.594m from N19.774m, leaving a loss before tax of N206.13m, an improvement over the N681.85m in the prior Q1.

The tax expense of N23.6m, up from N10.125m, left net loss at N229.731m from N691.975m, translating to Loss Per Share of three kobo, a three-fold improvement from the nine kobo LPS in the corresponding period of 2017.

https://investdata.com.ng/2018/07/daar-communications-cuts-2018q1-loss-by-66-8/#more

Investdata Daily Sentiment Reports

NSEASI buy 4% sell 96% MFI 33.35
Access buy 0% volume index 0.84 MFI 42.64
CIleasing buy 💯 volume index 0.83 MFI 82.44
Continsure buy 💯 volume index 3.28 MFI 84.34
Custodian buy 💯 volume index 11.05 MFI 17.65
Dangote Cement buy 0% MFI 19.55
Dangote flour buy 0% MFI 40.25
Dangote sugar buy 💯 MFI 67.77
Diamond buy 91% sell 9% volume index 0.87 MFI 27.38
Fbnh buy 75% sell 25% MFI 30.86
Fidelity buy 0% MFI 38.38
Fmn buy 💯 MFI 35.56
GT buy 40% sell 60% MFI 28.71
Hony flour buy 0% MFI 37.36
Japaul buy 50% sell 50% MFI 42.19
Lasaco buy 💯 volume index 0.98 MFI 45.84
Linkass buy 0% volume index 0.87 MFI 36.99
Lvstk buy 0% volume index 3.78 MFI 27.30
M&B buy 💯 volume index 1.60 MFI 60.39
Nascon buy 0% volume index 1.62 MFI 9.00
Oando buy 0% volume index 2.49 MFI 42.91
Okomu buy 💯 volume index 8.03 MFI 5.53
PZ buy 0% volume index 2.37 MFI 7.37
Regalins buy 💯 volume index 0.85 MFI 62.64
Skye buy 💯 volume index 1.48 MFI 26.41
Sovereins buy 💯 volume index 1.66 MFI 31.72
Sterling buy 50% sell 50% MFI 16.28
Transcorp buy 14% sell 86% volume index 1.60 MFI 45.23
Uba buy 40% sell 60% MFI 84.03
Ucap buy 💯 MFI 46.40
Wema buy 0% MFI 94.97
Zenith buy 0% MFI 32.94

LEARN TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

THE ENTREPRENEUR MINDSET

Details

The Entrepreneur Mindset is a mentoring
session with the Chairman of First Bank of
Nigeria Ltd., Mrs. Ibukun Awosika aimed at
preparing students, especially those in their
final or penultimate year who are looking
forward to life after school as entrepreneurs or who have already started some form of business and would like to learn the requisite skills for growing their business in
a sustainable manner.

This conference would help demystify
entrepreneurship and provide participants
with a clear path to what it takes to be a
successful entrepreneur.

I LOVE YOU, BUT I AM CONFUSED

Tonight, days after anticipating

I hoped we don't go our separate ways

It hurts too much to lose you

There is really nothing I could do

Why you are hanging out with me

Got me the whole night thinking

This too good to be true

To love someone unique, beautiful as you

What is the catch, please tell me?

Do you love me out of pity?

Because I told you at night I can't sleep

Not even the moon could steer my mood 

Believe me, I am much as you are confused

Maybe it is because I took too much caffeine

That I am hallucinating about my feelings

But the heart thinks otherwise, she wants to be with you

All Rights Reserved © Akan Udofia 2018

CONTENTION

While the night lies
Tiny drops of water slipped through my mind
The stars had an early nap
Life felt ample quiet after it rained

Exempted to the sound of my heartbeat
Which insisted we stay up late
To figure out the state of my mind
An habit I have become accustomed to lately

The wind is pretty tonight
Maybe it is because the moon asked her out
I could tell, the moment she wouldn't stop talking
So I shutdown the window blinds

With disguise I was feeling sleepy
But for a moment I felt jealous
I was spending the night alone
Just had a fight with my fiancee

This left me vexatious, I try to curtail my emotion
At one point, I wished it was not a bad dream
I wouldn't have to hide my heart under the pillow
So no one would get to notice

How lonely and miserable life could be
But this is not about holding back my feelings
Not about the complexity of the human mind
But the true perception of an imperfect life

All Rights Reserved © Akan Udofia 2018

UNDERNEATH THE SMILE

Don't misjudge me
Because I wear a smile
That life is not resentful 
We all have problems buried wetin

Life is but a journey
Man must trek through
I have had my own share of regrets
My feelings too have being compromised

I break down and cry
Can not always hold the tears looming in my eyes 
There is that urgency
To hide behind the door 

But the state of my mind
Subduing the negativity in my head
It rains and fell upon my wretched heart
Took away doubt, rejection, insecurity

Depression that was once creeping in my mind
Then the sun came knocking at my door
My contentment blew wild
Ever since I have being wearing a smile

All Rights Reserved © Akan Udofia 2018

TO MY OTHER SELF

Every where in the world there is distrust
The wind hold memories of discord
A thousand rain drops can not wash away the sky
But re-dedication can lift a dream to fly 

All we have left in the world is you and me
If I have the zeal to fight on, so can thee
Bridges are high, it can helps us climb over the past
With both of us together, fate can be rebuild 

If you are the moon, I can be the sun
I understand your pain and where you are from
If you are having a sad day, please look deep within
You do not need to hold in mind negative feeling

Sorry I am incomplete without you
It is cold when you are outside on your own
But if above the sky there is a cloud
There is an ample chance to smile, be proud

We share same weaknesses and fear
We share together the things we love so dear
For ever, I can not abandon you
Until death,we are going to fight through 

You illuminate the willpower in me and I in you
Please allow me to share my world with you
You are everything I need to be a successful man
You are my other self, I am your favorite fan

All Rights Reserved © Akan Udofia 2018

I LOVE YOU

I loved you before I met you
This explain why I am fond of you
Why you are in the portrait 
That is hanging in my heart
I used to feel blue, but not anymore
When it is cold, you are the sunshine
Which brings smile to my day

Aall Rights Reserved ©Akan Udofia 2018

Meet Sarah Owusu, the Ghanaian artist with a unique gift

She's wildly popular on Instagram and now this young female artist is making waves offline with her colourful and powerful pieces.

Sarah Owusu is a young, gifted, African artist whose colourful pieces often pack a powerful punch. The Ghanaian artists has a unique gift which she discovered whilst dealing with a difficult recovery and now she uses her gift to celebrate black figures throughout history.
Sarah has definitely turned her pain into passion when she discovered her love of art and her unbelievable talent whilst trying to navigate through her healing process after a devastating accident in 2012. In an interview with Integr8, Sarah said:

I found myself constantly running away from Art because of how it’s perceived mainly in the black, especially within the African community. However, every time I would do so, I would find myself itching to paint. I just couldn’t drop my love and my passion for Art.


I suppose the turning point for me was in 2012 when I had an accident and took to the canvas to convey how I was feeling. That eventually led to changing lives based on my testimony which I shared through my paintings. It was in this moment that I discovered my purpose and decided to pursue it on a more serious level.

ALSO READ: Culture shaping platform profiles 13 young Nigerian creatives

Having finally embraced her love for art and created a niche for herself, Sarah has used social media to call attention to her striking pieces and has amassed quite the following. A highlight of Sara;s career was when she got the chance to present two paintings to the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo. Writing about the career-defining moment, Sarah said:

When I started my journey as an artist, I wasn’t always sure where things would lead to so I felt the fear and done it anyway. What always keeps me going are Gods promises for me. Proverbs 18:16: “A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great”. Yesterday I was blessed with the opportunity to gift two of my paintings to His Excellency, The president of Ghana, @nanaakkufoaddo during a private meeting at the Africa Business summit. I always knew I would have the pleasure of meeting him one day but I never thought it would happen this soon. To top things off the beautiful First Lady @rakufoaddo said she loves it and we all know the saying, happy wife, happy life ❤. What an honour it was to receive such wise words from the President himself.

According to her website, called 'Owosuism':

Sarah Owusu was born in London, United Kingdom in 1991. She studied at the University of Essex, earning a BSc (Hons) Psychology. Owusu is a self-taught Ghanaian British artist. After years of painting, she soon identified her own unique style. Using acrylic and mixed media, at the base of Sarah’s work lies very striking, colourful and exuberant strokes as a way of expression. Primarily focusing on portraiture, across her work, you will also find assertion of both her Black and African-ness primarily through her choice of subjects.

Her bright, abstract and sometimes distorted portraits of herself, prominent figures continue to help reclaim Africa’s rich history, culture and heritage. She paints those who have helped to shape history particularly Black and African history, the young and the old which often tell a story. She explains, “God is the most famous, talented and creator of all creations. I may be the one holding the brush, but it is He who executes it all.”

https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel-arts-culture/meet-sarah-owusu-the-ghanaian-artist-with-a-unique-gift-id8593935.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+pulse%2Flnn+%28Pulse.ng%29

THE WAYS OF GOD

If you ask for a car and God gives you a shoe, wear the shoe first and glorify God. He is going to bless you more.

- Akan Udofia

THE WAYS OF GOD

If you ask for a car and God gives you a shoe, wear the shoe first and glorify God. He is going to bless you more.

- Akan Udofia

IGBOBI

WAR ON CORRUPTION AND OTHER POEMS BY ADJEKPAGBON MUDIAGA

Preface
Corruption has several meanings and connotations to various people and cultures worldwide. Corruption Watch's definition of the hydra headed monster is the basis of focus of many poems in the anthology.
Corruption has many shades of activities such as, a business individual pays a bribe to a government official in order to be given a government contract or license; the use of government-owned resources, such as motor vehicles for private purposes; a government official takes advantage of his or her position to favour a family member or business associate for a job or tender contract- commonly called nepotism; and a police officer solicits a bribe or a member of the public offers one in order to escape lawful punishment.

In the light of the above, Corruption Watch, an anti-corruption body based in South Africa, defines corruption as 'the abuse of public resources or public power for personal gain.' This is a very common practice in the world but very predominant in most African countries such as Nigeria. There is no sphere of life that the virus of corruption is not found in the affairs of the country. Civil servants and politicians are the most legendary practitioners of corrupt acts as media reports revealed over the years. The practice has been endemic in the lifestyles of many public and private sectors' workers that the Nigerian government had set up some anti-corruption agencies such as the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to checkmate the virus some years ago. But both agencies have been unable to frontally tackle the monster because partisan politics and selective investigation of perceived political opponents became the order of the day, which later made the two bodies' toothless bulldogs. Many politicians' are especially the most corrupt public servants in Nigeria. Many see politics as avenue to steal public funds. They go to any length to win elections through legal or illegal
Adjekpagbon Mudiaga

means, just to have access to public money for their personal pockets. Hence, politics is a do-or-die affair in the country for ages. Apart from public funds, major government owned property have been sold by various public office holders to themselves at the detriment of the masses.
The economy of the country has been perpetually plagued by woes that no economic experts have been able to find antidote for, despite very sound theories of recovery and stability propounded by some, said to be great technocrats in World Bank and other international financial institutions, who had one time or the other been members of various economic planning teams in Nigeria for decades. A fundamental question is, how can any economic policy succeed in the face of perennial corruption tackled with mere lip service? This is the reason no economic policy can revive any ailing economy like Nigeria's unless corruption is reduced to the barest level if it cannot be totally wiped out.

With the coming to power of President Muhammadu Buhari's administration May 29, 2015, and his promise to tackle corruption in the polity, many hitherto untouchable so-called powerful personalities who held the country to ransom by embezzling public funds have been exposed and more are still coming to light. Embezzlement of public funds involving a lot of personalities, such as the Dasukigate incidence brought to public awareness by the current administration, had never been heard of in the history of the country until now. 

Many right thinking Nigerians such as Wole Soyinka, Nigeria's first Nobel laureate in Literature has been praising the courage of the Buhari-led administration for taking the bull by the horn to tackle corruption, and the monumental exposure of personalities' and corporate organisations involved in the embezzlement of funds meant for the purchase of arms for the Nigerian military forces fighting Boko Haram in the north-eastern region of the country, during the previous administration.

Adjekpagbon Mudiaga
The magnitude of money cornered by the people involved is so alarming that, many Nigerians including the poets whose works are in this anthology, are impressed by the Buhari's administration's stand against public officers practicing corruption over the years, which have been responsible for perpetual poverty among the populace. It is based on the general perception of many people in Nigeria and the global community, about the commendable move to tackle corruption head-on by Buhari, as a leading example for others to follow, that motivated the compilation of this anthology as a way of recognising his noteworthy anti-corruption effort, and likewise let the world know that not all Nigerians are bad or corrupt or criminally minded even though a handful have brought negative image to the reputation of the country over the years.

Poems in the collection are therefore replete with corruption and injustice themes. But there are some that dwell on other human issues. Every contributor of poems to the collection is entitled to his or her own views in a world of freedom of expression. Hence, it is left for readers to either appreciate or constructively criticize any piece they wish to. 

In conclusion, the anthology brings to the fore various facets of corruption not hitherto taken seriously among many channels and practices of corruption in the Nigerian society, which the contributing poets hope will also be checkmated by every positive thinking person who want things to be rightly done in the country henceforth, to bring back Nigeria's lost glory. Long live those who sincerely support anti-corruption drive in Nigeria.


--- Adjekpagbon Blessed Mudiaga
Lagos, Nigeria.
February 21, 2016
#AdjekpagbonMudiaga
https://web.facebook.com/bulkybonboooks/

THE ESSENCE OF LIFE

Why do you ask what I seek?
Yet confided it is out of reach and dead
Is it unfair to request a good life?
Worth remembering in the afterlife

I knelt on the pew and earnestly prayed
For every blinded eyes to be opened
We can all see the glory of a fulfilled life
Why it is worth every penny to first serve

Be a slave for just a minute to pride
Wipe the dirts on the face of an orphan child
Say something nice to the homeless man
The world need be ushered into a moving train

Everyone is meant to be walking on the same pace
Before the clouds got broken and hell fell loose

Upon earth are hearts unguided under heaven
The creation and purpose of life need not be forsaken

All Rights Reserved © Akan E. Udofia 2017

NIGERIA'S ECONOMY

TOUGH TIMES FOR BOOK PUBLISHERS IN NIGERIA

All public / private primary and secondary schools in Nigeria especially in Lagos, are presently writing their Third Term exams. Most of the schools have not been able to pay teachers since three months now because many parents have not been able to pay their children school fees due to Buhari's induced supersonic hardships.

Publishers that made supplies to many schools are yet to be paid by such schools as parents are yet to pay school fees and Bill for stationery given to their children. After the ongoing Third Term exams, the schools will go on vacation without paying the publishers for books supplied. How can publishers maintain their staff, pay electric bills, water bills, and taxes from now till September when schools will resume for a new session? 

Nigeria's economy is at the barest level to the extent that many folks that are working have become beggars due to lack of constant salary payment. 
Some landlords are also now putting their houses for sale at rock bottom prices as their tenants are unable to pay rents. The new owners are sometimes merciless in treating the tenants of such sold houses. 

Recently, l strolled through the streets of the high brow Magodo Estate located in Ketu suburb, Lagos, and saw a lot of houses already put up for sales, and many vacancies notice hanging on some walls. It is part of the signs of hardships that both the high and low classes folks are facing in Nigeria today. Even my apartment has been sold too. Hmmmmm. Buhari you try well well o o. God dey sha o.

© AdjekpagbonMudiaga

FAR AWAY

Last night I saw the stars falling
I could not help but ponder why
It has been long I felt your touch
The feeling of being loved

I have got no where else to go
Except by your side
The cloud may be full of hope
It does not stop tears falling from the sky

If life is hanging on a tiny thread
I will wrap you around my heart
If the wind sweeps you far away
I will patiently be waiting for you

All Rights Reserved © Akan Udofia 2018

FAITH IS THE WAY

No child is not conceived
Free from the sins of our forefathers
The world since it conception
Witness the presence of God

Life is entrusted with souls
Yet star's are falling from the sky
Hope is perishing, love waxing cold
The human mind enslaved

To vanity and fragile misconception
Lingering in the debt of the heart
No one deserves to struggle
No one deserves to experience pain

The world is created in richness
But man is not satisfy 
God's plans for man is infinite
But man lack the will to ask

In the mountain and valley
God's glory abound
To unlock the key to profound greatness
The mind need be upright

All Rights Reserved © Akan Udofia 2018

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Wins 10th PEN Pinter Prize

African Authors Bringing Diverse Narratives to Literature

More than a decade ago, when the young Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was struggling to get her first novel, Purple Hibiscus, published, an agent told her that things would be easier “if only you were Indian,” because Indian writers were in vogue. Another suggested changing the setting from Nigeria to America. Adichie didn’t take this as commentary on her work, she said, but on the timidity of the publishing world when it came to unknown writers and unfamiliar cultures, especially African ones.

These days she wouldn’t receive that kind of advice. Black literary writers with African roots (though some grew up elsewhere), mostly young cosmopolitans who write in English, are making a splash in the book world, especially in the United States. They are on best-seller lists, garner high profile reviews and win major awards in America and in Britain. Adichie, 36, the author of Americanah, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction this year, is a prominent member of an expanding group that includes Dinaw Mengestu, Helen Oyeyemi, NoViolet Bulawayo, Teju Cole, Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor and Taiye Selasi, among others.

There are reasons for the critical mass now, say writers, publishers and literature scholars. After years of political and social turmoil, positive changes in several African nations are helping to greatly expand the number of writers and readers. Newer awards like the Caine Prize for African Writing have helped, too, as have social media, the Internet and top M.F.A. programs. At the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, black writers with recent African roots will make up more than 10 percent of the fiction students come September. Moreover, the number of African immigrants in the United States has more than quadrupled in the past two decades, to almost 1.7 million.

And publishing follows trends: Women, Asian-American, Indian and Latino writers have all been “discovered” and had their moment in the sun — as have African-Americans, some of whom envy the attention given to writers with more recent links in Africa.

http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/06/30/african-authors-bringing-diverse-narratives-literature/

35 FREE ONLINE COURSES FOR ART & DESIGN STUDENTS AND GRADUATES

If you study Art and Design, here are 35 online courses for you to improve your knowledge and skills. As creative students, you need to improve your skills with some online courses.  These days, what you learn in the classroom is no longer enough to get you your desired job, especially if you are a student or graduate of Art and Design. You'll certainly need more than the theories and practical you learnt at the university to prepare yourself for your dream job.

 As an Art student or graduate, decorating your resume with one or two relevant online courses, will give you a higher chance of getting employment, rather than relying solely on your BSc degree certificate. However, if you have been complaining about lack of access to online courses that are relevant to your field, we've got you covered now. » more As creative students, you need to improve your skills with some online courses.

Here are 35 free courses you can learn online in the comfort of your room. These courses come with real university credit.

1. Introduction to Programming for Musicians and Digital Artists from California Institute of the Arts.
2. Sound Production in Ableton Live for Musicians and Artists from  California Institute of the Arts.
3. Graphic Design History: An Introduction from Maryland Institute College of Art.
4. Sound Synthesis Using Reaktor from California Institute of the Arts
5. Charting the Avant-Garde: from Romanticism to Utopic Abstraction from School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
6. Generative Art and Computational Creativity from Simon Fraser University.
7. Introduction to User Experience from University of Michigan.
8. Evaluating Designs with Users from University of Michigan.
9. UX Design: From Concept to Wireframe from University of Michigan.
10. Principles of Designing for Humans from University of Michigan.
11. Understanding User Needs from University of Michigan
12. UX Research Surveys from University of Michigan
13. UX Research at Scale: Analytics and Online Experiments from University of Michigan
14. UX Design: From Wireframe to Prototype from University of Michigan
15. Human-Computer Interaction from Georgia Institute of Technology
16. Piano I: Introduction to the Piano & Staff from Arizona State University
17. Piano II: Focus on Reading from Arizona State University
18. Idea Development: Create and Implement Innovative Ideas from University of Queensland
19. Creating and Sustaining an Innovation Culture from University of Queensland
20. Design Thinking and Creativity for Innovation from University of Queensland
21. Design Thinking: Prototyping and User Testing from Rochester Institute of Technology
22. Design Thinking: Ideation, Iteration and Communication from Rochester Institute of Technology 23. Design Thinking: Empathizing to Understand the Problem from Rochester Institute of Technology
24. Design Thinking Fundamentals from Rochester Institute of Technology
25. Custom Hand-lettering from School of Visual Arts
26. Working with Motion & Time from School of Visual Arts
27. Camera Essentials from School of Visual Arts
28. The Practical History of Typography from School of Visual Arts
29. Making Meaning: An Introduction to Designing Objects, Part I from School of the Art Institute of Chicago 
30. North Indian Classical Music I: Fundamental Elements from Universitat Pompeu Fabra
31. Digital Drawings: Points, Lines, Curves from University of Nevada, Las Vegas
32. Exploring the Mixed Reality Landscape from Pacific Northwest College of Art
33. Cardin to Castelbajac: Style in French Fashion from Paris College of Art
34. Introduction to Motion Design: Animated GIFs from Ringling College of Art + Design
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Akinbayo Wahab
Source: Pulse Nigeria 

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PROJECT PROPOSAL

Writing a project proposal is not something you just pick a pen to start writing or just a computer and start typing. Writing a project proposal that will get approval requires work, expertise, and time. Learn how to write a project proposal that will get the approval of the board, stakeholders or sponsors. A project proposal is a very important document that is used to sell a potential project idea to stakeholders and sponsors. It is used in companies and organizations to pitch new project or product ideas that will benefit them to the stakeholders. It is used by entrepreneurs trying to sell their ideas to potential sponsors.

The goal of writing a proposal is to convince the stakeholders and sponsors that the project or product is worth staking their money on. This means you have to do a thorough job in writing the proposal. Writing a project proposal may not be rocket science or something very difficult, but it is still something that requires some level of expertise. Another thing to note is that project proposals may be unique depending on the type of project but the project proposal format to follow is the same.

Before we write about the format of a project proposal, let us highlight the important questions a project proposal is meant to answer or tackle:

The first question is: what is the problem that you are trying to solve with your project?
How does this project align with the goals and objectives of your company/organization?
What is the benefit of this project/product to the consumers?
How will you measure the success of the project/product?
What metrics or statistics will define its success?
What is the time frame for the accomplishment of the projects?
What are the deadlines that have to be met for the success of the project?
And how do you plan to meet this deadline?
What are the resources needed for the project and how do you plan on getting them?
How much will the project cost?

You must be able to give a very detailed and convincing budget. What are the issues that might arise in the course of execution and what are the risks? The proposal must highlight the people needed for execution of the project and their roles. And finally, the proposal must reveal the details of how the project will be reported. Writing of proposal in three stages They include: Understanding the type of project proposal you are writing. Planning your proposal. Writing the proposal.

Stage 1 - Types of a project proposal To write a good project proposal you should choose one of six types of proposals listed below: Continuation Formally solicited Informally solicited Unsolicited Renewal Supplemental You can check and read up about each of these types of project proposal if you don’t have an idea of what they are.

Stage 2 - How to plan your proposal Before you dabble in writing your proposal, you need to plan your proposal. Planning is a key stage. It involves doing thorough research on everything relating to the project. Below are some of the important things you should do in the planning stage of your project proposal: You should define your audience. Make some researches about the people you are presenting the proposal to. If you want your proposal to be approved, then you have to be able to convince the person reading or listening to it. Make in-depth research on the current state of the topic or issue your project is addressing or all about.

This will help you to back your project with proofs for a more convincing proposal and also make the necessary adjustment to your project (solution you are offering). Also, you should have a clear definition of the proposal. Clearly define what the project is about and the goals of the project. Make enough research to be able to predict the effect the project will have if approved.

Make adequate findings on the resources, personnel and time the project will take. Finally, create an outline of the proposal document. These might not be all that you will need to do in planning. You might need to do more than stated above. The goal of planning is to get your facts right and straight and to be able to prepare yourself to answer any follow-up questions after presenting your proposal. READ ALSO: Steps on how to write a seminar paper

Stage 3 - Writing the project proposal Now let’s get down to the main business which is the writing of the proposal. You can use the format below to write your proposal. Begin with the Introduction/Executive summary. This part is critical. You can think of it as your elevator pitch. The goal of this part is to introduce the project in a way that will get the attention of the stakeholders and sponsors. Outline the problem or the presenting opportunity. Every project proposal is to solve a problem or exploit an opportunity.

Describe the problem or opportunity in detail. Explain the solution you are offering or how you want to exploit the opportunity. The justification (justify your solution). The schedule and the budget. How the whole thing will be measured/tracked. The conclusion. Remember the goal of your proposal is to get your project approved and funded. So you need to put all your affords in writing an excellent proposal and be ready to answer every follow-up question.

Source: Naija.ng 

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