The Corvus | August 2018
Foreword
Segun Agbaje
Welcome to the 4th edition of The
Corvus, a financial and economic
publication of Guaranty Trust Bank plc.
The world is changing at such a fast
pace that it seems there is little or
no time to make sense of it. Yet,
while this change is non-linear and
occurring at breakneck speed, it is
deeply rooted in the past, and indeed
in the present. This means that by
analysing the constants of the past
and paying attention to current
variables, we will be able to, not only
better appreciate the pace of change,
but also fundamentally understand
how to leverage it. This is what this
edition of The Corvus Magazine sets
out to achieve.
Whilst all the buzz is on predicting
what the future would look like, the
articles in this magazine, instead, ask
how we get to the future. Focusing
on topical issues that cut across the
workplace, the new dynamics of
business and the changing nature of
trade, these articles explore the core
technologies, new processes and
emerging principles that are driving
the new economy.
If the digital revolution transforming
everything around us is a vehicle, then
data is its fuel. This edition takes a look
at the limitless possibilities data brings
to commerce; the greater certainty
that it can provide to marketing
efforts and the massive potential to
grow sales whilst improving customer
experience. Beyond the potential
benefits to commerce, there is still a
significant challenge to harnessing
data; and this magazine puts forward
3
Foreword
more than a few ideas on how to
go big with data.
Persisting questions over how much
the internet can be trusted leads
this edition to look into blockchain
technology and its task of providing
a secure and efficient platform for
value transfer. It also brings the
conversation home by analysing
Nigeria’s trade potential and what
it would take to drive and deliver
effective import substitution in the
country.
It would be incomplete to talk
about how the future would work
without discussing the future of
work, and in this edition you will find
an interesting take on the impact of
technology, the changing nature of
productivity and the culture revolution
at the work place.
This edition of The Corvus offers
ideas and insights which are not only
relevant to our lives today but brilliantly
foreshadow how we will live, work
and do business in the near future. I
trust that you will find this edition very
exciting