Economy
Adebola Sanni Suggests Solution to Africa’s Financial Inclusion Problems
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The co-founder of Infibranches Technologies, Ms Adebola Sanni, has disclosed that if Africa is to overcome financial inclusion and sustainability challenges in the area of affordable and reliable power supply needed to drive the growth of local economies, it must embrace financial technology (Fintech).
Ms Sanni, who is also the Group Head, Business Development & Partnerships at Swifta Systems and Services, stated that, “Fintech has increasingly provided innovative ways to address existing gaps in the availability, accessibility and use of finance particularly among the unbanked population.”
“By leveraging the proliferation of technology, agent banking and mobile money solutions now offer affordable, instant, and reliable transactions, savings, credit across rural communities where no bank had ever established a branch,” she added.
“Similarly, about 75 million Nigerians who mostly fall within the financially underserved or excluded demography live without reliable electricity access as the existing electrical grid serves largely the country’s urban population,” the energy expert also said.
Financial inclusion and provision of sustainable energy is at a turning point in Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria. With a population of over 200 million, about 50 per cent of the total population live in rural areas, and only 39 per cent of those living in rural communities have access to electricity. This is in addition to over 40 per cent of the entire population who are financially excluded or underserved.
However, the proliferation of digital financial services in Nigeria – powered largely by growth in fintech companies – has catalysed an unparalleled increase in the current number of people with access to formal financial services, while further opening up opportunities to address power supply challenges across rural communities; a major feat instrumental towards achieving the broad Sustainable Development Goal 7. With over 200 fin-tech companies in operation within its borders, Africa’s largest economy has found a way to target and capture over 40 per cent of its financially excluded or underserved population.
“We understand how pivotal the provision of sustainable power is to driving growth of local economies in rural communities and by extension the need to boost financial services penetration across these communities.
“These are both enablers for catalysing positive transformation and driving sustainable economic progress across the country,” Ms Sanni, a leading business strategist and technology consultant, stated, stressing that, “To address these challenges, we believe distributed energy solutions that leverage digital payments will open up opportunities to reach the underserved market at low cost.”
Speaking further, she said, “We partnered NGOs, including Shell Foundation, USAID, to extend agent networks together with off-grid energy providers in 2019 where we set up about 200 agent locations across Nigeria, identifying communities across the rural and peri-urban regions with needs for both power and financial services.
“We also partnered with renewable energy companies such as Green Light Planet (Sun King), D.Light Solar, Sosai, PAS BBoxx, Konexa to set up payment points necessary to expand access to highly subsidized power for such communities.
“This solution provides affordable home solar systems to rural communities with an affordable and convenient payment structure where beneficiaries pay as low as N500 (less than $2 dollar a month) which allows for people to pay off the cost in a year to fully own the solar equipment.”
To date, over 400,000 people have been impacted across 22 States and 108 local government areas in Nigeria through various initiatives supporting energy access, especially in rural areas.
The addition of the Solar Power Naija project by the Federal government initiative under the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) and managed by REA, for off-grid communities, will further expand energy access to 25 million individuals through the provision of Solar Home Systems (SHS) or connection to a mini-grid. This is a good initiative to help expand energy access faster.
One of the success stories underpinning how providing innovative energy solutions can transform communities is the Havenhills mini-grid project in Kigbe community located in Kwali Local Government Area Council, Abuja.
Before executing the project, the Kigbe community with geographical limitations had no electricity as they were completely off-grid. The project upon completion delivered a 20KW solar enabled mini-grid through 3km 3-phases and 1-phase grid lines to 145 homes, enabling them to power basic electrical appliances such as light bulbs, fans and TVs. The project also supports 5 local businesses including a barbing salon, grocery store and viewing centre.
As part of creating sustainable economic empowerment, Ms Sanni, who has a strong passion for financial inclusion and energy access, has facilitated the implementation of a pioneer digital infrastructure that supports micro insurance, pension and savings providers and the first API infrastructure that aggregates renewable energy products and services making them accessible to any payment service providers, banks and other financial and non-financial institutions.
She is vastly experienced in driving growth, creating market-focused products and providing innovative solutions to businesses in fintech, e-commerce, telco and private/public sectors as well as creating partnership opportunities for growth.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The chief executive of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited, Mr Temi Popoola, has called for regional collaboration among African nations for a stronger capital market.
Speaking at the launch of the Ethiopian Securities Exchange (ESX) recently, he stated that working together would unlock the continent’s economic potential, especially with innovative market solutions.
He disclosed that strategic investment of the Nigerian bourse in ESX underscores its leadership in advancing Africa’s capital market infrastructure.
“The launch of ESX represents a pivotal moment for Ethiopia and the broader African financial landscape.
“ESX will serve as a crucial mechanism for capital formation and market liquidity, driving sustainable economic growth,” Mr Popoola said.
Expounding on NGX Group’s investment rationale, he highlighted Ethiopia’s immense market potential and the shared vision of fostering economic growth through innovation.
“Our partnership transcends traditional investment parameters.
“It is about ensuring that ESX evolves into a key player in Africa’s financial ecosystem, enabling cross-border investments and setting benchmarks for market development,” he said.
Mr Popoola also drew parallels with global success stories like India, which has leveraged its capital markets to achieve significant economic transformation.
He emphasized the importance of responsible market opening to attract local and continental capital, noting, “By following this path, Ethiopia can become a financial hub in Africa.”
Drawing from NGX Group’s six decades of experience, Mr Popoola shared insights on diversifying financial instruments and expanding access to investment opportunities.
“With the right mix of innovation, policy support, and regional collaboration, Ethiopia’s capital market can play a transformative role in driving economic development and establish itself as a leader in Africa’s financial ecosystem,” he concluded.
On his part, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Mr Abiy Ahmed, lauded the launch of ESX as a transformative milestone in the country’s journey toward economic modernization.
“Today, we have officially rung the bell to launch the Ethiopian Securities Exchange, our nation’s first stock exchange,” the Prime Minister announced on X.
“This is a call to global investors: Ethiopia offers immense potential, a fast-growing economy, and a clear trajectory toward shared prosperity,” he added.
The chief executive of ESX, Mr Tilahun Esmael Kassahun, expressed confidence in the partnership with NGX Group.
“We are pleased to welcome NGX Group as a strategic partner, building upon the existing support we continue to receive from them,” he said, emphasising the value of NGX Group’s expertise in shaping ESX’s growth and success.
With the ESX poised to redefine Ethiopia’s financial landscape, NGX Group’s involvement highlights the critical role of partnerships and shared expertise in advancing Africa’s economic narrative.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Daily average oil production in Nigeria rose by 152, 000 barrels per day in November 2024, according to the latest data by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
According to the OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR) for December 2024, the country’s production, including condensates rose by 11 per cent from 1.333 million barrels in October to 1.486 million in November 2024.
The analysis puts the daily increase to 152,000 barrels per day and about one million barrels increase between October and November last year.
This is as the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in its latest oil production data indicated that on a month-on-month basis, daily average oil output in December 2024 declined by 1.35 per cent from 1.690 million barrels per day recorded in November 2024 to 1.667 million barrels per day.
Data from the commission also indicated that daily peak oil production in December 2024 was 1.79 million barrels per day while the lowest daily production was 1.57 million barrels per day
Cumulatively, oil output in December 2024, was 51.69 million barrels, a marginal increase of 1.9 per cent when compared to 50.71 million barrels produced in November 2024.
Further analysis of the data showed that the highest oil output in December 2024 was recorded at Forcados Terminal at 8.49 million barrels followed by Bonny Terminal, 7.78 million barrels and Qua Iboe, 4.15 million barrels.
The data showed without condensate, daily oil production was 1.484 million, indicating that Nigeria, again, failed to meet its oil production quota of 1.5 million barrels per day allotted to it by OPEC.
A recent survey by Reuters, however, shows that Nigeria crossed the 1.5 million barrels per day target in December.
The December 2024 average daily oil output also means that Nigeria failed to meet the 1.7 million barrels per day benchmark set for the 2024 budget all through the year.
NUPRC data on daily average production showed that oil production including condensate in January 2024 was 1.64 million barrels per day; February, 1.53 million barrels per day; March, 1.44 million barrels per day; April, 1.45 million barrels per day; May, 1.47 million barrels per day; June, 1.50 million barrels per day; July, 1.53 million barrels per day; August, 1.57 million barrels per day; September, 1.54 million barrels per day, October, 1.54 million barrels per day November, 1.69 million barrels per day and December, 1.67 million barrels per day.
By Dipo Olowookere
The trio of Wema Bank, FBN Holdings, and Universal Insurance topped the activity chart of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited last week with a turnover of 1.679 billion shares worth N20.838 billion transacted in 4,922 deals, contributing 35.74 per cent and 24.50 per cent to the total trading volume and value, respectively.
Data from Customs Street showed that in the five-day trading week, investors bought and sold 4.698 billion stocks valued at N85.043 billion in 72,562 deals versus the 2.618 billion stocks sold for N69.742 billion in 47,953 deals in the preceding week.
The financial services industry attracted the attention of the market participants with 3.470 billion equities worth N40.791 billion traded in 34,364 deals, contributing 73.86 per cent and 47.97 per cent to the total trading volume and value, respectively.
The services sector followed with 407.032 million shares worth N2.226 billion in 4,996 deals, and the ICT space transacted 237.680 million stocks valued at N3.628 billion in 5,280 deals.
Business Post reports that 51 shares appreciated in the week versus 82 shares in the previous week, 39 equities depreciated compared with 18 equities a week earlier, and 62 stocks closed flat versus 52 stocks in the preceding week.
Multiverse was the best-performing stock with a a price appreciation of 53.42 per cent to N12.35, Honeywell Flour gained 31.67 per cent to close at N10.02, DAAR Communication expanded by 25.71 per cent to 88 Kobo, MTN Nigeria leapt by 21.00 per cent to N242.00, and NCR Nigeria soared by 20.66 per cent to N7.30.
On the flip side, Sunu Assurances was the worst-performing stock after it went down by 36.52 per cent to N7.30, Caverton shed 15.00 per cent to N2.38, Consolidated Hallmark slumped by 15.00 per cent to N3.40, RT Briscoe slipped by 14.33 per cent to N2.57, and Jaiz Bank depreciated by 10.77 per cent to N2.90.
At the close of business, the All-Share Index (ASI) and the market capitalisation gained 1.80 per cent to close the week at 105,451.06 points and N64.303 trillion, respectively.
Also, all other indices closed higher apart from the insurance, AFR Bank Value, AFR Div Yield, MERI Value, consumer goods, energy, and industrial goods, which depreciated by 6.91 per cent, 0.08 per cent, 1.11 per cent, 0.17 per cent, 0.34 per cent, 0.34 per cent and 0.26 per cent, respectively, as the ASeM closed flat.
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