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AXA’s Purpose Drives Its Sustainability Agenda—Adebisi

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sustainability agenda

The Chief Client Officer (CCO) of AXA Mansard, Ms Rashidat Adebisi, has said that the company’s purpose of Acting for Human Progress by protecting what Matters is at the heart of its sustainability agenda.

She made this known when speaking to top business leaders in Nigeria on aligning the drive for profit with shared value principles.

Ms Adebisi, a guest speaker at the launch of Shared Value Nigeria, told the industry leaders that value creation for all is where everyone wins.

“It means that people live better lives, the planet is protected, and the business makes profits to fulfil its obligations to its stakeholders.

“It involves fostering sustainable growth, innovation, and ethical practices that benefit today and preserve tomorrow,” she explained.

She furthered, “For us at AXA, our perspective on profit with purpose is at the heart of our sustainability agenda. We believe that a sustainable world is an insurable world. So, if we continue committing ourselves and resources to making the world safer, secure, and healthier, we can create prosperity for everyone.”

She explained that AXA has a two-pillar approach to sustainability: climate change and inclusive protection. “This involves conscious efforts to minimize environmental impact and ensure that we drive health, well-being, and economic inclusivity within the vulnerable community such as women, children, girls, and so on,” she explained.

She said this has informed operational re-engineering, driving the increasing digitization of the company’s processes today and the consequent customer satisfaction and industry leadership that AXA enjoys in Nigeria and globally.

She added that in addition to operational changes, AXA Mansard strategically avoids supporting industries detrimental to long-term sustainability. Conversely, the company invests in sectors promising future growth and stability.

She also said the company’s continued collaborations with telecoms, fintech, and retail sectors are some of its strategic moves for sustainable shared value principles.

“On the one hand, these partnerships have been pivotal in expanding our reach across Nigeria, which is good for business, but on the other hand, they have also helped create more impact. We have reached more vulnerable communities through this digital and technology acceleration with healthcare services, capacity development, and financial empowerment programmes.

“This is the bedrock of our inclusive protection because if you look closely at the model, there is value across the chain for everyone. The same for our involvement in climate change; if the world is safe, we will be here to insure the prosperity that it brings.”

AXA Mansard’s commitment to sustainability recently earned it recognition as one of the sustainability leaders in Africa by Brand Finance.

Dipo Olowookere is a journalist based in Nigeria that has passion for reporting business news stories. At his leisure time, he watches football and supports 3SC of Ibadan. Mr Olowookere can be reached via [email protected]

Economy

Customs Street Surges 0.28% Despite Persistent Weak Sentiment

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Customs Street Nigerian Stock Exchange

By Dipo Olowookere

The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited rallied by 0.28 per cent on Wednesday despite weak investor sentiment, as the bourse ended with 18 price gainers and 38 price losers, implying a negative market breadth index.

The growth recorded yesterday by Customs Street was influenced by the 2.11 per cent rise posted by the energy index, and the 1.79 per cent jump achieved by the banking sector.

The other sectors experienced profit-taking, with the consumer goods losing 1.07 per cent, the insurance counter down by 0.36 per cent, and the industrial goods space down by 0.19 per cent.

Universal Insurance chalked up 10.00 per cent to sell for N1.21, Omatek improved by 9.78 per cent to N2.47, VFD Group expanded by 9.71 per cent to N11.30, CWG appreciated by 9.64 per cent to N21.05, and Livestock Feeds gained 9.56 per cent to close at N7.45.

On the flip side, UPDC REIT lost 10.00 per cent to settle at N6.75, Fortis Global Insurance shed 9.92 per cent to quote at N1.18, Deap Capital depreciated by 9.85 per cent to N5.40, Chams went down by 9.47 per cent to N3.06, and Japaul declined by 8.82 per cent to N3.10.

Yesterday, the All-Share Index (ASI) went up by 562.43 points to 202,585.53 points from 202,023.10 points, and the market capitalisation advanced by N389 billion to N130.404 trillion from N130.015 trillion.

During the session, 1.0 billion stocks worth N40.6 billion exchanged hands in 52,723 deals compared with the 1.1 billion stocks valued at N40.3 billion executed in 78,006 deals a day earlier, indicating an uptick in the trading value by 0.74 per cent, and a shortfall in the trading volume and number of deals by 9.09 per cent and 32.41 per cent apiece.

The activity chart was led by Access Holdings, which sold 233.0 million units valued at N6.1 billion, Fidelity Bank exchanged 113.1 million units worth N2.2 billion, Wema Bank recorded a turnover of 103.3 million units valued at N2.7 billion, Zenith Bank transacted 60.6 million units for N6.5 billion, and Chams traded 47.5 million units worth N154.6 million.

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Economy

Crude Oil Slumps Amid Hopes of Strait of Hormuz Reopening

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By Adedapo Adesanya

Crude oil plummeted on Wednesday on hopes ​of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz after US President Donald Trump agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran.

Brent crude futures moderated to $94.75 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude eased to $94.41 a barrel.

President Trump said on Wednesday that the US will work closely with Iran and will be talking about tariff and sanctions relief with Iran.

However, analysts cautioned that the ceasefire is a temporary two-week reprieve rather than a permanent resolution, and the global energy system remains fragile due to structural damage to regional infrastructure.

Reuters reported that Iran could open the strait in a limited and controlled way on Thursday or Friday ahead ​of a meeting between U.S. and Iranian ​officials in Pakistan.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that two ships appeared to have transited the Strait of Hormuz since the US-Iran ceasefire deal. A Greek-owned bulk carrier and a Liberia-flagged vessel both transited the waterway early on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Israel carried out its heaviest strikes on Lebanon since the conflict with Hezbollah broke out last month, even as the Iran-aligned group paused attacks on northern Israel and Israeli troops in Lebanon under the ceasefire.

Also, Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline, a critical artery bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, was reportedly hit in an Iranian drone attack. Prior to the attack, the pipeline was pumping at its emergency capacity of 7 million barrels per day to bypass the shuttered strait.

The strikes occurred just hours after a US-Iran ceasefire announcement, which has so far failed to halt regional hostilities. Other facilities in the kingdom were also targeted in the wave of strikes, which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed included oil facilities owned by American companies in Yanbu.

US crude stocks rose by 3.1 million barrels to 464.7 million barrels ​during the week ended April 3, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said.

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Economy

Insurance Firms Must Submit 2025 Assessment Returns by May 31—NAICOM

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NAICOM Conplaint Management Portal

By Adedapo Adesanya

The National Insurance Commission has issued new guidelines for the collection, management, and administration of the Insurance Policyholders’ Protection Fund.

In a circular issued to all insurance institutions on Tuesday, the regulator also set May 31, 2026, as the deadline for insurers to submit their assessment returns for the 2025 financial year.

Recall that on August
 5, 2025, 
President Bola Tinubu signed
 into 
law
 the 
Nigerian 
Insurance 
Industry Reform 
Act (
NIIRA
2025).


This 
landmark legislation 
repeals 
the 
Insurance 
Act 
2003, 
and
 consolidates 
related 
provisions, 
ushering 
in 
a 
modern regulatory framework. It lays a strong foundation for sustainable growth and increased investment in the country’s insurance sector.

The commission said the guidelines were issued in exercise of its powers under the 2025 Act and other existing insurance laws and regulations to provide regulatory clarity, improve guidance, and ensure ease of compliance across the industry.

According to NAICOM, the guidelines establish a comprehensive structure for the operation of the IPPF, which serves as a statutory safety net to protect insurance policyholders in the event of distress or insolvency of a licensed insurer or reinsurer. The framework also provides direction on the reimbursement of loans by insurers and reinsurers.

NAICOM stated, “The guidelines ensure regulatory clarity, guidance and ease of compliance, as it provides a comprehensive regulatory framework for the collection, management, and administration of the Fund, which serves as a statutory safety net designed to protect insurance policyholders against distress and insolvency of a licensed insurer or reinsurer, including guidance for the reimbursement of loans by an insurer or reinsurer.

“Please be informed that the IPPF Assessment Returns in respect of the year 2025 shall be submitted to the Commission not later than 31st May 2026, while subsequent submissions shall be in line with Section 4.3 of the Guideline on Insurance Policyholders Protection Fund.”

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