The show is described as the ultimate, sixteen-week job interview. Contestants compete in a series of rigorous business tasks, many of which include major companies and require street smarts and intelligence in order to show the CEO that they are the best candidate for the job. In each episode, the losing team is sent to the boardroom, where the CEO and his associates assess the job applicants on their performance and the worst performer is fired.
It's a riveting show, Nigeria will be the host nation for The Apprentice Africa. The series' sponsors are Bank PHB, in conjunction with The Executive Group (TEG) and Storm Vision.
Bank PHB feels that it is honouring its commitment to identify and nurture a new corps of future leaders after its very successful production of The Intern, Nigeria's first-ever business-oriented TV show earlier in the year. The show ran from January to March 2007 and saw 10 young Nigerians tackle and provide innovative solutions to everyday business challenges over the course of 39 exciting and intellectually stimulating episodes. At the end of the show, Afolabi Adetola, a metallurgical engineering graduate of OAU emerged the last man standing and went home with a brand new Nissan Tiida car and a cash prize of N3,000,000 (about US$24,000).
The Apprentice-Africa will attract educated, intelligent and highly talented young Africans from within Africa as well as amongst those in the Diaspora. The casting call will take place in five locations: Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, The UK and the US.
Bank PHB's alliance with TEG and Storm Vision aims to broaden the bank's continuing engagement with programs and initiatives that aim to extend the frontiers of education, innovation and leadership.
The Executive Group is a US-based, international investment and consulting firm that identifies business opportunities across various sectors in developed markets and builds winning consortiums to exploit these market opportunities. Storm Vision is one of Nigeria's leading TV production companies whose mission is to set the standard for dynamic and innovative content, programming and production services and facilities for TV, film and interactive platforms. Past Storm Vision productions include Doctors' Quarters, AMBO and Big Brother Nigeria.
Bank PHB has also thrown its weight behind the British Council's IYCE program as a means of supporting young and talented Nigerians making great strides in the creative industries. In July, Bank PHB signed on to the UN Global compact, a move that makes the bank a part of the biggest global collective of big business and civil societies.
An independent research survey carried out by a foremost research company, Research International came up with interesting findings that helped to validate the uniqueness and intellectual focus of The Intern.
The show scored high in terms of educational value with 95% of respondents profiled agreeing that it was a very educative program while 54% of respondents strongly agreed that the show was of particularly strong appeal to young professionals.
Bank PHB hopes to up the ante with The Apprentice-Africa.
The winner from the pan-African cast of 18 Apprentices will get a US$100,000 annual salary, a brand-new executive car and automatic employment with Bank PHB.
Watch out for forthcoming information regarding broadcast stations, contestant entries and the unveiling of The Apprentice-Africa.
