Finance
Nigerian government approves new debt management strategy
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a new Medium-Term Debt Management Strategy for Nigeria (MTDS) for the period 2020-2023. With the approval, announced during Wednesday’s virtual FEC meeting, the DMO which is saddled with managing the nation’s debt matters, has promised full implementation to support economic development while ensuring that public debt is sustainable. The MTDS is a policy document which provides a guide to the borrowing activities of the government in the medium-term, usually four years. It is recognised as one of the best practices in public debt management and is recommended by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to ensure that public debt management is driven by a well-articulated strategy that is structured to meet a country’s broader mac...
WTO fixes date to announce next director-general
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has scheduled a special meeting of its General Council for Monday, February 15, 2021, where Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is expected to be formally announced as the Director General. According to a notification seen by newsmen Tuesday, the only agenda for the meeting is to, “consider the appointment of the next WTO Director-General.” The United State government last week gave its formal approval to the emergence of Okonjo-Iweala as the next Director General, thereby removing the final obstacle to her bid to be the first woman and the first African to run the Geneva-based trade body. The endorsement of the candidacy of the Nigeria’s two-term former minister was sequel to the withdrawal of her main challenger, the South Kore...
Official: Nigerian government to establish central database for forfeited assets
The Federal Government’s inter-ministerial committee on assets disposal said Tuesday that it would create a central database of assets for finally forfeited assets. The chairman of the committee, Dayo Apata, said this during a courtesy visit of the committee to the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja. Mr Apata, who is the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, said: “the committee will create a central database of assets that had been forfeited to the Federal Government to ensure the Federal Government gets value for all the forfeited assets”. “Introducing uniform process of assets disposal, and avoiding wastages, so that the Federal Government can have the full benefit of what has been forfeited,” a statem...
Court dismisses case against CBN’s directives on bank charges
The Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State Capital, has dismissed a suit instituted by a legal practitioner, Olumide Babalola, challenging the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policy on Current Account maintenance Fee contained in the Guide to the Charges by Banks and other financial Institutions of January 2020. Babalola had instituted the action in the name of his law firm, Babalola LP, in which he contended that the policy and guidelines of the CBN violated his fundamental human rights. The CBN, through its Counsel, Adeleke Agbola, of Cheakley Chambers, however challenged the suit on the ground that the plaintiff lacked the legal capacity to institute the suit on a policy that affects the public. In his Notice of Preliminary Objection to the Suit, Agbola had contended that the ...
Every Dollar Earned by Music Biz Generates Another 50 Cents for US Economy: Study
The study will be firepower for rights holders and trade groups seeking assistance from Congress. It “charts a course for state and federal policymakers to leverage music’s ability to produce strong economic growth and high-paying domestic jobs,” said Josh Friedlander, senior vp research and economics at the RIAA. After the Music Modernization Act’s passage in 2018, no additional copyright legislation should be expected any time soon, but the RIAA always presses issues, such as the lack of a performance right at broadcast radio, and conducts regular Congressional outreach through Grammys on the Hill events. Despite the eye-grabbing numbers that reveal music’s wide-reaching impact, the pandemic’s damage to entertainment industries looms over the report. That was inevitable given the lag tim...
Bitcoin Surges to Record Price Post $1.5 Billion Telsa Investment
Bitcoin reached a new high of $47,000 after Tesla invested $1.5 billion into the cryptocurrency. The electric car manufacturer says that it will “begin accepting bitcoin as a form of payment” for its products in the future. In a report, Telsa says “in January 2021, we updated our investment policy to provide us with more flexibility to further diversify and maximize returns on our cash that is not required to maintain adequate operating liquidity. As part of the policy, we may invest a portion of such cash in certain specified alternative reserve assets.” “Thereafter, we invested an aggregate $1.50 billion in bitcoin under this policy. Moreover, we expect to begin accepting bitcoin as a form of payment for our products in the near future, subject to applicable laws and initially on a limit...
Elon Musk Tweet causes Dogecoin Price to Soar
Image sourced from Hypebeast Elon Musk is making headlines after causing the price of Dogecoin to surge to an all-time high. On Sunday, the tech entrepreneur tweeted “Who let the Doge out”, resulting in a 53% rise over the last 24 hours. Dogecoin’s record value is now 8.2 cents with a market value of $10 billion – making it the 8th biggest cryptocurrency, according to Bloomberg. 🎶 Who let the Doge out 🎶 — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 7, 2021 Dogecoin was introduced in 2013 as a joke. Initially, founders Jackson Palmer and Billy Markus wanted to satirize the growth of altcoins by turning the doge internet meme into a cryptocurrency. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_667.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_667.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Their joke quickly grew in pop...
Electric Vehicles could Revitalise the Economy, says Nigerian Director General
Image sourced from CJ’s Electric Hyundai recently unveiled the first Electric Vehicle assembled in Nigeria. At the launch, Mallam Kasifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Nigeria’s Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) says that the introduction of electric vehicles to the country is a sign of “advancing towards a vibrant economy”. He went on to say that a “digital ecosystem is a sure way in creating value, wealth and prosperity, especially now that Nigeria is on its course to become one of the leading digital economies in the world.” According to The Vanguard, this ecosystem is a way to create value that will enable growth, wealth and prosperity. Head of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Babatunde Raji Fashola says that “inno...
Archbishop Sam Zuga: CBN lacks power to stop cryptocurrency
Archbishop Sam Zuga has reacted to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) new order on Cryptocurrency. The Apex bank had directed Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and other financial institutions to close accounts of persons who are using their systems for cryptocurrency trading. Reacting to the shocking news, Archbishop Sam Zuga, the CEO of one of Africa’s fastest growing currency, Zugacoin expressed his disappointments at the CBN’s decision, while allaying the fears of Zugacoin investors and intending buyers. According to the Cleric’s message obtained from his social media page, “Cryptocurrency doesn’t need bank account to operate or exist.” He wrote, ”RICH PEOPLE WANT THE POOR TO REMAIN POOR. NOT AGAIN! This is is not news. It has been like this since the beginning of Cryptocurrency. But right n...
NESG: Nigerian economy to beat IMF growth forecast in 2021
The Nigerian Economic Summit Group has predicted a growth rate of 2.9 per cent for the Nigerian economy in 2021, higher than the 1.5 per cent growth rate suggested by the International Monetary Fund. The NESG identified eight key policies and events that will help shape the outlook of Nigerian economy in 2021. This is contained in the group’s 2021 Macroeconomic Outlook Report titled, “Four Priorities for the Nigerian Economy in 2021 and Beyond,” launched virtually on Tuesday. According to the report, for Nigeria’s economy to get back on track, the economy needs a high, robust and sustained economic growth that will deliver a significant reduction in unemployment and poverty. The report said the government’s most important agenda in 2021 must be to address these problems as a foundation for...
Economist: Official exchange rate may depreciate to N420 to the dollar
The managing director of Financial Derivatives Company, Bismarck Rewane, has projected that the naira will depreciate to N420 against the dollar on the official window by the end of 2021. Rewane was speaking at a virtual event tagged ‘Vantage Forum 2021’, organised by The Elevation Church (TEC) on Saturday. The economist also projected that the naira will exchange at N470 to the dollar at the parallel market. At present, the naira trades at N480/$ at the parallel market and N380 at the official rate operated by the Central Bank of Nigeria. This, he said, is based on a worst-case scenario where Nigeria produces 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) with an inflation rate of 16.15 percent in the full year. “In the worst-case scenario, it goes the other way, in all cases you find that the average...
Ukheshe Partners with KCB to Boost Payment Services in East Africa
Ukheshe has partnered with the Kenya-based lender KCB Bank Kenya to issue both physical and virtual banking cards across East Africa. According to Victor Ndlovu, VP of Ukheshe Africa, the deal will include other innovative digital products such as QR issuing and acquiring. “By joining forces with KCB we are well-placed to address several open-loop market opportunities while boosting wider consumer adoption. Payment options across various segments will benefit such as payroll, companion cards, multi-currency prepaid cards, travel cards and gift cards, together with social security and other government benefit programs such as insurance claims.” Ndlovu says financial inclusion remains a massive challenge in the region and across the continent where millions of people are either unbanked or s...
