Economy
5 Ways to Have Fun on Business Trip to Port Harcourt
By Nkem Ndem
At first, business travel seems to be a treat as the first trip gives a certain rush; however, after hundreds of last minute trips and thousands of stress-induced panic attacks, you start to realize why people complain about traveling for work.
Between the early-morning airport shuttles, the flight delays that airlines are famous for, followed by a whirlwind day of meetings, and a long night on an extremely uncomfortable hotel bed that leaves you threading through deadlines like a zombie, business travel can be quite a chore!
Business, like social media, should be fun. In the pursuit to add some motivation and enjoyment into business travel, Jumia Travel, has pulled together 5 exciting ways to make business travel fun especially for those heading to Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Hit the streets for food
When in Port Harcourt… eat like a local, right? Do not miss out on famous indigenous meals and street food in the city. You might not like them, but what’s wrong with trying new things? Try booli and fish, a popular meal you will find almost at every corner of the city. At nights you can also try sharwarma or just the Nigerian popular Suya . Be brave and try the local drinks as well, just be careful not to get too drunk – working with a headache and a hangover probably won’t leave the best impression at your presentation or business meeting.
Check out the sights
What is the point of traveling if you do not take a little time to explore your destination? Port Harcourts may not be much for tourist sites and attractions but if you ask one of two locals, they certain will boast about a couple of locations. Have an hour or two to kill in-between meetings or events? Why not explore a nearby historic district? Explore and find the most interesting sights. Whatever you choose, make sure you do not miss the famous landmarks, famous buildings, museums, or anything else that piques your interest. Enjoy soaking up local culture and learning something new.
Eat at a fancy restaurant
Of course, most of the time should be focused on being more professional than others while on a business trip, but once the business part of your trip is over, you should plan the rest of your moments having a good time. If you are not a huge fan of shopping or sight-seeing, you can at least treat yourself with a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant. Trust us, it will be worth it. Ante up for a dinner at Hotel Presidential, where the chef’s menu has expense-account-worthy items you would not regret splurging on. If you want to take things down a notch, try heading to Uhuru at the GDC building, GRA, where staff are more down-to-earth.
Take a dip in the hotel pool
A dip in the pool is such a nice way to loosen up your muscles from the long cramped flights and different hotel beds. Take advantage of your hotel’s pool, if applicable. Enjoy relaxing poolside with a cocktail after a hectic day. If you love to swim, why not see what the hotel pool has to offer? You could also go for a swim in the morning before your day starts as a refreshing wake-up.
Visit the Spa
Business trips often revolve only around business, implying a lot of stress, little time for yourself, running around all day long and wearing uncomfortable formal outfits. But then, there is no reason not to make the most out of the spa in your hotel or go an extra mile to check out the plethora of spa centers in Port Harcourt city. A 50-minute basic spa treatment in most sanatoriums within the city blends a hydrating scrub, detoxifying steam, and some much-needed alone time.
Nkem Ndem is a PR Associate at Jumia Travel.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has defended its decision to allow Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) to invest in the parent companies of their custodians, insisting that adequate safeguards are in place to protect contributors’ funds.
The director-general of the pension regulator, Ms Omolola Oloworaran, speaking on Tuesday during the Meet the Press Briefing at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the commission’s decision to relax the investment restriction followed a comprehensive risk assessment that found minimal conflict of interest.
She explained that under PenCom’s investment regulations, PFAs are only permitted to invest pension assets in carefully selected instruments that meet stringent criteria, including profitability, strong credit ratings and proven track records.
According to her, the commission regularly reviews its investment regulations, conducts routine examinations and spot checks on PFAs to ensure strict compliance with established risk management guidelines.
“PFAs cannot just go into the stock market and buy any kind of stock. There are strict guidelines. Companies must demonstrate profitability, have a proven track record and satisfy other criteria before pension funds can invest,” she said.
Ms Oloworaran noted that each PFA also operates under the oversight of a board, an investment committee and a risk management committee, providing additional layers of governance to safeguard contributors’ funds.
She said PenCom recently issued a circular allowing PFAs to invest in the parent companies of their custodians after determining that the potential conflict of interest was negligible.
The PenCom boss explained that the parent companies involved are largely Tier-1 banks, including First Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Zenith Bank, which she described as A-rated institutions with strong financial foundations.
She said the policy was intended to widen investment opportunities for pension funds without compromising safety.
Using Stanbic IBTC as an example, Ms Oloworaran explained that if its custodian is Zenith Bank, the previous restriction prevented the pension administrator from investing in Zenith Bank shares despite the bank’s strong performance.
“We reviewed the risks and any potential conflict of interest and found the risks to be very low. That is why we opened that investment window,” she said.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Analysts at Meristem Research have predicted that the inflation rate for June 2026 in Nigeria should marginally rise to 15.95 per cent on a year-on-year basis from the 15.93 per cent reported in May 2026.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is expected to release inflation numbers for last month later today, Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
In its report sighted by Business Post, Meristem Research said it expects inflationary pressures to re-emerge across key economies in the near term, as the re-escalation of the US-Iran conflict has reignited upward pressure on global oil prices.
It disclosed that this marks a sharp reversal from most of June, when the ceasefire between the two countries helped drive oil prices lower, raising expectations of some relief on the inflation front.
With conflicts now flaring up again, oil prices are likely to increase again, and the anticipated easing in energy-driven inflation may not materialise as broadly as earlier envisaged.
“Nonetheless, some relief is likely from the food segment, where robust supply conditions across major producing regions and softening demand should continue to ease food price pressures,” it stated.
The team also explained that it projected a 15.95 per cent inflation rate because of the lingering effects of persistent food price pressures.
“However, we expect core inflation to moderate as the sharp reversal in energy prices begins to filter through to transportation, distribution, and other energy-related costs, easing underlying price pressures.
“On a month-on-month basis, the combined effect of lower petrol prices, a relatively stable Naira, and the gradual pass-through of reduced energy costs across the supply chain should exert further downward pressure on inflation.
“Based on our assessment, food inflation is expected to remain the key swing factor, as seasonal pre-harvest supply constraints are likely to offset some of the gains from lower logistics costs,” it said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The duo of Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc and Afriland Properties Plc weakened the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 1.61 per cent on Tuesday, July 14.
CSCS Plc saw its stock value drop N9.08 to close at N82.40 per share compared with the preceding session’s N91.48 per share, and Afriland Properties Plc slid by 17 Kobo to sell at N15.00 per unit versus N15.70 per unit.
The losses recorded by the two securities pulled back the market capitalisation by N41.64 billion to N2.546 trillion from N2.587 trillion, and cracked the NASD Security Index (NSI) by 69.36 points to 4,242.31 points from 4,311.67 points.
It was observed that the exchange witnessed two price advancers during the session, led by FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc, which gained N1.37 to end at N151.37 per share compared with the previous day’s N150.00 per share, and Food Concepts Plc chalked up 5 Kobo to settle at N2.50 per unit versus N2.45 per unit.
The volume of securities traded by market participants surged by 50.7 per cent to 13.7 million units from the previous 9.1 million units, while the value of securities went down by 79.7 per cent to N65.2 million from N320.4 million, and the number of deals crashed by 3.6 per cent to 27 deals from the previous session’s 28 deals.
At the close of transactions, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with the sale of 3.4 billion units for N8.4 billion, trailed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc, which exchanged 2.3 billion units valued at N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 73.9 million units transacted for N5.2 billion.
GNI Plc also closed the trading day as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units traded for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units valued at N415.7 million.
