By Adedapo Adesanya

The Africa Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) disbursed $50 billion for the execution of various projects in Nigeria in the last 19 years, the President of the Cairo-based lender, Mr Benedict Oramah, disclosed at the commissioning of the Afreximbank Africa Trade Centre (AATC) in Abuja.

At the event, he also reaffirmed the bank’s vision to dismantle trade barriers and promote African market integration.

“Over the last decade alone, total disbursements into Nigeria amounted to about 50 billion US dollars, spreading across vital sectors of energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, healthcare, transport and financial services.

“Our support to the Nigerian financial services industry, amounting to 19 billion US dollars in the last decade, has helped to deepen and expand the sector and elevated their impact on the local economy,” he stated.

The Afreximbank president, who hinted at the establishment of other AATCs in Harare, Kampala, Cairo, and Yaoundé, described the relationship between the bank and Nigeria as mutually beneficial.

“Over the last three decades, successive governments have accorded unflinching support to Afreximbank, responding most positively to capital calls, creating a congenial environment for its smooth operations while providing the Bank significant domestic policy support that helped to execute many of the development programmes in Nigeria.”

Mr Oramah pledged to expand the influence of the Africa Export-Import Bank across the Atlantic, with AATCs in the Caribbean, adding: “We must reshape our future.”

“We mark the standing up of an edifice that defiantly roars: that we must reshape our future; that we can no longer be hostages to a colonial legacy deeply rooted on ‘divide-and-conquer’ — a legacy that makes Africans regard their colonisers as masters and brothers and sisters, as enemies, and even aliens,” he said of the commissioning of the Abuja AATC.

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

To support innovative solutions that enhance financial accessibility and security in the digital asset ecosystem, Tether has made a strategic investment in a financial technology (fintech) company specializing in self-custody crypto wallets and digital payments, Fizen Limited.

This transaction will allow Fizen to integrate its innovative technology with Tether’s leadership in the stablecoin industry.

The objective is to accelerate digital asset utilization while upholding the utmost security standards. This will further solidify Tether’s role in advancing blockchain-based finance and its commitment to global financial inclusion.

According to the chief executive of Tether, Mr Paolo Ardoino, this investment in Fizen “underscores our commitment to expanding global access to efficient and reliable digital financial solutions that promote the informed responsible use of digital assets in everyday life.”

“At Tether, we recognize the crucial role of self-custodial payment infrastructure in driving real-world use cases.

“Fizen’s innovative model helps to bridge the gap between self-custody and digital payments, empowering users with greater financial independence while reinforcing our leadership as the most widely used stablecoin globally, advancing inclusive access to the financial system,” Mr Ardoino added.

Also, the chief executive of Fizen, Leo Vu, said, “Stablecoins like USD₮ will undoubtedly drive crypto payments and financial inclusion worldwide.

“The technology infrastructure is already in place, but we lack consumer-friendly applications with intuitive UI/UX to accelerate mass integration.

“Fizen is solving this by making crypto payments an intuitive part of daily transactions, allowing users to pay seamlessly without even realizing they are using blockchain technology.”

Fizen offers advanced payment technologies that facilitate seamless stablecoin transactions, making digital assets more accessible for consumers and businesses. It is one of the crypto companies delivering real value to consumers and businesses, bringing practical crypto use cases to life.

The World Bank’s Global Findex Report reveals that millions of individuals worldwide remain unbanked. People in this category consistently cite distance to the nearest financial institution and a lack of proper documentation requirements as the primary reasons they could not access traditional banking services.

This investment will enable Fizen to enhance its blockchain capabilities, facilitating the seamless integration of stablecoins across multiple blockchain ecosystems. It will also provide users access to a more efficient and user-friendly solution to store, transfer, and transact using stablecoins, eliminating restricted access or complicated documentation.

However, while stablecoins offer a compelling alternative for those excluded from traditional financial systems, their practical use in everyday commerce still faces hurdles despite clear advantages, such as lower fees, enhanced security, and near-instant transactions.

Merchant usage remains a key challenge. Through this investment, Fizen aims to bridge this gap by enabling users to pay seamlessly with stablecoins.

At the same time, merchants receive instant fiat settlements through known payment methods like QR codes and card readers. This eliminates the need for additional infrastructure, making digital asset payments more accessible and efficient for businesses worldwide.

Market projections for 2024 state that QR code payments are expected to surpass $3 trillion, with 2.2 billion users by 2025, driven by increasing smartphone penetration and the rising demand for frictionless, secure, and convenient digital transactions.

With this strategy and strong technological and business development foundations, the collaboration between Fizen and Tether looks to accelerate the widespread use of crypto payments at scale to usher in an era of seamless digital transactions.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) has been commended for its contribution to the growth of Nigeria’s economy and general Arica’s development.

This applause came from the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ECCIMA) during the Dangote Group Special Day at the 2025 Enugu International Trade Fair.

The Deputy President of ECCIMA, Mr Eric Chime, who was at the event, said the conglomerate, through its various investments, has contributed to the growth and development of the domestic economy.

“We are highly delighted to welcome Dangote Plc once again to their special day at the ongoing trade fair. Their continued presence and commitment have been instrumental to the success of this annual gathering.

“Dangote’s contribution to the Nigerian economy is enormous spanning virtually every sector, from cement and food production to their recent game-changing entry into the oil and gas sector through the Dangote Refinery,” he stated.

He emphasized that the impact of the refinery, especially in regulating petroleum product prices, deserves national recognition and support.

“We call on the Federal Government to continue to support Dangote Group in its efforts to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians,” he urged.

Mr Chime further praised the president of DIL, Mr Aliko Dangote, for his visionary leadership and relentless drive for innovation, noting that the Dangote business empire represents a perfect example of what entrepreneurial excellence can achieve through research, resilience, and dedication.

In his remarks, the Deputy Regional Director for Southeast at Dangote Cement Plc, Mr Ayirioritse Okerentie, expressed gratitude to ECCIMA for providing a viable platform to engage stakeholders and show case Dangote Group’s contributions to Nigeria’s economic development. He said that the theme of the Fair, “Developing Nigeria’s Industrial Sector/SMEs for Economic Advancement & Global Recognition” speaks directly to the core mission of Dangote Group.

“As Africa’s largest indigenous manufacturing conglomerate, we are focused on Production, Prosperity, Power, and Pride. We believe the industrial sector, and by extension SMEs, can play a transformative role in job creation, import substitution, and overall economic advancement.

“The industrial/manufacturing sector has the capacity to impact significantly on the economy especially in the creation of jobs, provision of goods, reduction in imports of finished products and adding of value to our raw materials. It is generally accepted that a nation’s economic wellbeing is largely dependent on the industrial/manufacturing sector,” Mr Okerentie said.

“The industrial/manufacturing sector is labour intensive, could create millions of both direct and indirect employments for people of diverse skills such as administrators, accountants, engineers, technicians, marketing & sales among others.

“It can also create indirect employment for supply chain actors in other sectors of the economy such as raw materials suppliers, logistics and transportation, farmers, and miners,” he added.