Economy
ASEA Secures Funds from AfDB to Roll Out AELP Phase II by Q3 2023
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved the release of funds to the African Stock Exchange Association (ASEA) for the launch of phase two of the African Exchanges Linkage Project (AELP).
The organisation is looking at the third quarter of 2023 for the launch of the second phase of the scheme, which is designed to enable cross-border trading of securities in Africa.
AELP was created to ensure investors take advantage of the wide array of investment prospects across African capital markets.
Speaking at a meeting with market stakeholders, the president of ASEA and chief executive of the Botswana Stock Exchange, Mr Thapelo Tsheole, provided insights into the benefits and objectives of the AELP, Pan African Payment and Settlement (PAPSS) and other cross-border transaction requirements.
The event, themed Exchange Linkage Project- Facilitating trades across borders, was hosted by Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited and supported by Chapel Hill Denham Securities Limited, Central Securities and Clearing System (CSCS), Cordros Securities Limited and Stanbic IBTC Limited.
Applauding the NGX for promoting the AELP initiative, Mr Tsheole noted that although African economies have encountered numerous challenges, the continent’s resilience in the face of adversities underscores its potential for sustained economic resilience and initiatives such as the AELP are very vital for Africa to rely on itself as it presents a momentum of opportunities for investors across Africa and the world by fostering deeper integration and connectivity among Africa’s capital markets.
“Having successfully launched phase one of the project in December 2022, connecting 7 exchanges across Africa, we urge Nigerian brokers in the process now to reach out to their counterparts in other countries and strive for expanded cross-border trading across the continent.
“We are looking at the rolling out Phase 2 of the AELP in Q3 2023 as funding has already been approved by the African Development Bank (AfDB)
“We will expand the number of participating exchanges to about 15 exchanges, and we think this will enable investors in the continent to maximize and take advantage of the wide array of investment prospects across Africa,” he said.
Corroborating Mr Tsheole, the Project Manager, AELP, Lina Tonui, in her presentation, said through the support of the AfDB, it received $980,000 from KOAFEC for the AELP implementation, phase one of the project while adding that the opportunities in the project is huge.
Tonui added that phases 1 and 2 would see linked exchanges with a market capitalization of $1.5 billion, increase visibility to domestic and global investors, give access to diverse investment products, support innovation and facilitate Pan-African capital raising through IPOs.
Also speaking, the Head, Technology and Operations at PAPSS, Ositadimma Ugwu, said the key benefits for every participating exchange are that local currency payment will reduce the pressure on any country’s reserves and the elimination of third-party dependencies will make intra-African trade significantly easier.
Earlier in his opening remark, the chief executive of NGX, Temi Popoola, stated that African stock markets still face challenges despite offering high potential for growth and investment returns. He noted that the AELP would encourage increased participation in investments and further enhance financial inclusion in the country and added that the NGX would continue its collaboration with all market stakeholders for the collective growth and development of the capital market in Africa.
In a goodwill message, the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Lamido Yuguda, said the SEC is committed to providing regulatory support that will further deepen and enhance the transparency of the market and added that the commission is also equally supportive of all initiatives that will impact positively on the development of the capital market.
For his part, the Managing Director, Chapel Hill Denham Securities Limited, Mr Akeem Shadare, said the AELP has the potential to bring significant benefits to participating African countries and their capital markets, helping to promote economic growth and development.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The sum of N1.681 trillion has been disbursed to the federal government, the 36 states and the 774 local government areas of the federation from the N2.849 trillion generated in April 2025 by the nation, higher than the N1.719 trillion earned in March 2025.
The money was given to the three tiers of government by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) after its meeting for this month.
A statement issued after the meeting held in Abuja disclosed that last month, Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), Oil and Gas Royalty, Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), Value Added Tax (VAT), Excise Duty, Import Duty and CET Levies increased significantly, while Companies Income Tax (CIT) decreased considerably.
It was revealed that the N1.681 trillion shared in May 2025 comprised distributable statutory revenue of N962.882 billion, distributable VAT revenue of N598.077 billion, EMTL revenue of N38.862 billion and exchange difference of N81.407 billion.
From the N1.681 trillion, the federal government got N565.307 billion, the states received N556.741 billion, the local councils were given N406.627 billion, and the oil-producing states took N152.553 billion as 13 per cent of mineral revenue.
From the N962.882 billion distributable statutory revenue, the national government was given N431.307 billion, N218.765 billion was disbursed to the states, N168.659 billion went to the local councils, and N144. 151 billion was distributed among the oil-generating states as 13 per cent of mineral revenue.
In addition, from the N598.077 billion distributable VAT revenue, FAAC gave the central government N89.712 billion, N299.039 billion to the state government, and N209.327 billion to the local governments.
Further, from the N38.862 billion generated from EMTL, the federal government got N5.829 billion, the state governments received N19.431 billion, and the local councils went away with N13.602 billion.
Also, from the N81.407 billion exchange difference, the federal government took N38.459 billion, the state governments went with N19.507 billion, the local governments received N15.039 billion, and the oil-producing states shared N8.402 billion as 13 per cent of mineral revenue.
By Dipo Olowookere
The last trading session of this week ended a positive note with a 0.22 per cent leap on Friday, influenced by continued demand for local equities.
During the session, the All-Share Index (ASI) gained 242.73 points to close at 109,710.37 points compared with the 109,467.64 points it ended in the preceding trading day, and the market capitalisation expanded by N152 billion to finish at N68.953 trillion versus Thursday’s closing value of N68.801 trillion.
Business Post reports that the consumer goods lost its momentum yesterday, going down by 0.26 per cent at the close of transactions.
However, the commodity index gained 2.08 per cent, the insurance counter appreciated by 1.10 per cent, the energy sector improved by 0.52 per cent, the industrial goods industry jumped by 0.27 per cent, and the banking sector grew by 0.10 per cent.
A total of 36 stocks ended on the gainers’ table and 21 stocks finished on the losers’ chart, implying a positive market breadth index and strong investor sentiment.
Four shares chalked up the maximum 10.00 per cent price appreciation on Friday and they were Northern Nigeria Flour Mills, Trans-Nationwide Express, Champion Breweries, and Honeywell Flour, quoting at N119.90, N2.20, N6.82, and N18.15, respectively, as Beta Glass gained 9.99 per cent to finish at N235.05.
On the flip side, International Energy Insurance depreciated by 9.57 per cent to N1.70, Multiverse slumped by 9.55 per cent to N8.05, The Initiates tumbled by 7.86 per cent to N6.80, University Press crashed by 7.37 per cent to N4.40, and Regency Alliance lost 6.78 per cent to sell for 55 Kobo.
Investors traded 431.8 million equities worth N8.6 billion in 16,400 deals during the session compared with the 716.1 million equities valued at N13.7 billion exchanged in 14,559 deals in the previous day, showing an increase in the number of deals by 12.65 per cent and a fall in the trading volume and value by 39.70 per cent and 37.23 per cent apiece.
The busiest stock was Access Holdings with 32.1 million units valued at N739.7 million, GTCO transacted 30.9 million units for N2.1 billion, AIICO Insurance traded 28.9 million units worth N46.5 million, Universal Insurance exchanged 25.0 million units valued at N13.0 million, and Chams sold 23.8 million units worth N54.2 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange extended recent gains by 0.03 per cent on Friday, May 16, supported by five companies, whose share prices closed green.
NASD Plc added N2.09 to close at N22.99 per unit compared with Thursday’s closing price of N20.90 per unit, Geo-Fluids Plc gained 23 Kobo to settle at N2.54 per share versus the preceding day’s N2.31 per share, Nipco Plc appreciated by 8 Kobo to N199.88 per unit from N199.80 per unit, Afriland Properties Plc grew by 5 Kobo to N17.50 per share from N17.45 per share, and FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc gained 2 Kobo to finish at N41.00 per unit compared with the previous closing value of N40.98 per unit.
As as result, the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) rose by 0.99 per cent to 3,154.86 points from the previous session’s 3,153.87 points, and the market capitalisation went up by N580 million to close at N1.847 trillion from N1.846 trillion quoted at the preceding session.
Business Post reports that during the session, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) lost 29 Kobo to trade at N25.70 per share versus N23.99 per share, and First Trust Mortgage Bank Plc shrank by 2 Kobo to 61 Kobo per unit from 63 Kobo per unit.
A look at the activity chart indicated that the number of deals carried out by investors increased by 24.1 per cent to 36 deals from 29 deals, previously recorded at the previous session, the value of transactions rose by 196.9 per cent to N15.4 million from N5.2 million, while the volume of securities bought and sold decreased by 16.6 per cent to 253,960 units from the 304,374 units recorded a day earlier.
Impresit Bakolori Plc remained the most active stock by volume (year-to-date) with 536.9 million units sold for N524.7 million, Geo-Fluids Plc posted 266.4 million units valued at N470.6 million, and Okitipupa Plc recorded 153.6 million units worth N4.9 billion.
Okitipupa Plc ended the day as the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 153.6 million units worth N4.9 billion, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc traded 21.8 million units valued at N837.9 million, and Impresit Bakolori Plc exchanged 536.9 million units for N524.7 million.
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