Economy
BuyScrap Nigeria, Seven Others Win at Sustainable Enterprise Challenge Programme
By Adedapo Adesanya
Eight winners emerged from the Sustainable Enterprise Challenge Programme (TSECP), sponsored by the British Council and Prince’s Trust International (PTI) and implemented by Nerdzfactory.
The initiative, introduced to allow companies building for a sustainable future to hone the skills essential for navigating the modern business landscape, produced 16 finalists and eight winners, each receiving N250,000.
The scheme saw 56 participants trained over four weeks, and the most effective 16 were selected from the rigorous programme.
Among the winners were Blue Sands Stem Labs for the Most Innovative Business Idea; Mee Best Foods for the Most Societally Friendly Business Idea; Hems to Fit for the Most Profitable Business Idea; and Ecodey Management Resources for the Most Environmentally Friendly Business Idea.
Others included Eco Feet, a PlastiBuild company, for the Most Business Idea; Suss Flow for the Most Societally Friendly Business Idea; Cartle Technology for the Most Profitable Business Idea; and BuyScrap Nigeria for the Most Environmentally Friendly Business Idea.
Speaking at the grand finale last Friday in Lagos, the British Council Country Director, Ms Lucy Pearson, said the UK supported the competition to help Nigeria’s booming young population navigate growing economic disadvantages.
She said the initiative was targeted at providing young people with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to succeed as entrepreneurs.
Ms Pearson noted that the aim was to create positive pathways for young people in their communities and to contribute to the growth of the nation’s economy.
“The British Council also works across education, the arts, and culture to develop young people’s skills to give them positive pathways and skills for employability. So, this is one piece of the puzzle,” she said.
Adding his input, the British Council Director of Programmes for Nigeria, Mr Chikodi Onyemerela, said that the council has always focused on creating opportunities for young people in the country, adding that more of such will come.
“This is a pilot; the purpose of piloting is to cook up concepts. We are piloting it in the ranges of Enugu and Kano. The closure event is happening in Lagos today,” he stated.
Speaking on behalf of the Founding Partner of Nerdzfactory Company, Mr Ade Olowojoba, Mr Matthew Ozigbo, a business partner, expressed enthusiasm about the competition and the impactful partnership the organisation has with the British Council and PTI.
He said the goal of the scheme is to significantly impact youth entrepreneurship, job creation, and skill development, empowering individuals.
“Witnessing the growth of participants over the course of the programme has been incredibly rewarding,” he stated.
The supervisor, Mrs Omozele Umoren, stated that the initiative utilised a variety of engaging and learning methods, including interactive workshops, breakout sessions, mentorship sessions, and group discussions that were relevant to their entrepreneurial journey.
“The participants during the course of the four weeks were equipped with digital marketing skills and relevant technological skills that will help them enhance and grow their businesses,” she said.

Economy
BNB Price Reflects Changing Dynamics in the Digital Asset Market
Economy
NASD Unlisted Security Index Crosses 4,000-point Benchmark Again
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange achieved a milestone on Friday, April 24, 2026, after five securities on the platform helped with a 1.85 per cent growth.
Data showed that the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) again crossed the 4,000-point benchmark yesterday.
The index chalked up 73.64 points during the trading day to close at 4,052.59 points compared with the preceding session’s 3,978.95 points, while the market capitalisation added N5.38 billion to finish at N2.424 trillion versus Thursday’s closing value of N2.380 trillion.
The price gainers were led by Okitipupa Plc, which grew by N25.00 to sell at N305.00 per share compared with the previous price of N280.00 per share. Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc gained N6.92 to close at N76.26 per unit versus N69.34 per unit, Afriland Properties Plc appreciated by N1.00 to N17.00 per share from N18.00 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc improved by 55 Kobo to N99.55 per unit from N99.00 per unit, and Food Concepts Plc increased by 5 Kobo to N2.70 per share from N2.65 per share.
However, there was a price loser, MRS Oil, which dipped by N21.75 to N195.75 per unit from N217.50 per unit.
During the final session of the week, the value of securities jumped 75.2 per cent to N41.3 million from N23.6 million units, and the number of deals expanded by 62.9 per cent to 44 deals from 27 deals, while the volume of securities declined marginally by 0.9 per cent to 447,403 units from 451,522 units.
At the close of trades, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc was the most traded stock by volume (year-to-date) with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units valued at N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units traded for N1.2 billion.
GNI was also the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 3.4 billion units sold for N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 59.6 million units transacted for N4.0 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.8 million units exchanged for N1.9 billion.
Economy
Naira Slips to N1,358/$1 as FX Reserves, Policy Uncertainty Concerns
By Adedapo Adesanya
It was not a good day for the Nigerian Naira in the currency market on Friday, April 24, as its value depreciated against the major foreign currencies at the close of transactions.
In the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX), it lost N4.53 or 0.33 per cent against the United States Dollar yesterday to trade at N1,358.44/$1, in contrast to the N1,353.91/$1 it was exchanged on Thursday.
Equally, the domestic currency slipped against the Pound Sterling in the official market during the session by N8.14 to close at N1,834.02/£1, compared with the previous rate of N1,825.88/£1 and dropped N8.01 against the Euro to sell at N1,590.73/€1 versus N1,582.72/€1.
Also, the Naira depreciated against the US Dollar at the GTBank FX desk on Friday by N4 to quote at N1,370/$1 compared with the previous session’s N1,366/$1, and at the parallel market, it depleted by N5 to settle at N1,380/$1 versus the preceding day’s N1,375/$1.
Data published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) indicated that NFEM interbank turnover surged to N43.562 million across 68 deals, up from N28.117 million the previous day.
Despite the CBN’s reassurance that the recent drop in external reserves is not worrisome, the market remains unsettled by persistent concerns over liquidity constraints, policy transparency, and weakening confidence in Nigeria’s FX market as gross reserves continue to decline to $48.4 billion.
The outlook for the Dollar appears supported by broader macro risks, including elevated oil prices tied to the tanker traffic disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and a continued US-Iran standoff over ceasefire negotiations.
A look at the digital currency market showed that investors are sitting on the edge as the US Dollar rebounded amid geopolitical and inflation risks despite continued inflows into US spot bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).
Solana (SOL) rose by 1.2 per cent to sell $86.45, Cardano (ADA) appreciated by 1.1 per cent to $0.2517, Dogecoin (DOGE) grew by 0.9 per cent to $0.0989, Ripple (XRP) improved by 0.3 per cent to $1.43, Ethereum (ETH) soared by 0.2 per cent to $2,316.83, and Binance Coin (BNB) chalked up 0.1 per cent to sell for $637.44.
However, TRON (TRX) depreciated by 1.3 per cent to $0.3235, and Bitcoin (BTC) lost 0.2 per cent to close at $77,562.27, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) closed flat at $1.00 each.
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