Connect with us

Economy

CNBC Africa Clocks 10 in Grand Style

Published

on

By Dipo Olowookere

When on June 1, 2007 CNBC Africa launched its first studio in Johannesburg, South Africa, not many thought it would stand the test of time let alone becoming an authority in the financial reporting arm of journalism.

But a decade after, it is all glaring even for the blind to see the success the organisation has made on the continent of Africa since its inception.

Even founder of the ABN Group, the parent body of CNBC Africa, Mr Rakesh Wahi, attested to the fact that the beginning was never rosy when he came up with the idea.

Mr Wahi made his journey to South Africa in 2004, armed with the vision of a Pan-African business and finance network that would be set up in the economic hub of Africa. And so, the vision of CNBC Africa was realised with the inception of the Johannesburg bureau.

“Selling the dream was never easy when you had nothing to show and no comparable project to correlate to,” he explained.

On Thursday, June 1, 2017, the baby of yesterday clocked 10 and this was marked with a special broadcast and markets opening from the JSE in South Africa.

The special anniversary broadcast brought together key stakeholders, supporters, regular analysts, shareholders, senior management and media, to look back on the past decade of bringing the African economic story to a continent-wide and international audience.

CNBC Africa’s success has not been achieved overnight. The network has survived periods of political and financial turbulence, including the recession of 2008, and has continued to prosper despite the volatile environment of the African continent. CNBC Africa operates studios in Lagos, Nairobi, Johannesburg and Kigali, making it the only financial network to of its size to broadcast live to a pan-African audience daily.

The network has played an important role in the changing the perception of Africa’s economies, by attracting investors, showcasing opportunities and cultivating interest in African markets.

“Investors follow information. In the past, economies had been defined by the differences in access to information; in economics we call it information asymmetry. Those who have better information tend to go for opportunities for investment. The channel has given Africans a profile, because we have capital that is not well mobilized in Africa.

“Because we are exposing and talking about the business opportunities and economic opportunities that are provided by the continent, we have seen mobilization of capital with Africans themselves. When we profile a country or a region, the investments prospects are now known to those who are directing capital,” comments founding non-executive director, Mr Sam Bhembe.

Analysts, entrepreneurs and business men and women from across Africa continue to make CNBC Africa their primary source of information as the channel provides 24-hour coverage of the day’s markets trading, from the open of each stock exchange in East, South and West Africa, to the closing of the day’s activities.

“Today, when I see a simultaneous conversation between our anchors in East, West and Southern Africa, I realise that the channel has come so far,” says executive director, Bronwyn Nielsen.

The next ten years will be no less a challenge than the last, but one can be certain that CNBC Africa will continue to grow and thrive on the African continent.

“As CNBC Africa turns 10, we need to understand the direction of the industry. In the past years, the future of TV has been questioned. Television news has changed – consumers are no longer silent viewers, they are informed contributors. Never has it been easier to create expression; social media has made creating, expressing and accessing information so much easier. As a brand we are ready for the challenge, our niche being not just to quantify pan-African content we bring our viewers, but the sheer quality of financial and business news we offer. My faith in the brand we represent, and the people we have, has never been stronger,” says managing director, Roberta Naicker.

“In October we renewed our franchise agreement with CNBC International for another 15 years; our 10th anniversary is but a milestone in greater things to come. We have built meaningful structures of succession and the next phase will see the baton of leadership change to the younger leaders who will be responsible to build the legacy of the Founders until the next milestone – our silver jubilee in 2032,” concludes Mr Wahi.

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]

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Economy

Nigerian Equity Market Surpasses N145trn After 1.30% Expansion

Published

on

Nigerian equity market

By Dipo Olowookere

The Nigerian equity market showed no signs of slowing down, as it further appreciated by 1.30 per cent on Friday on the back of sustained buying pressure.

Unlike the preceding sessions, investor sentiment was bullish yesterday after the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited ended with 43 price gainers and 26 price losers, implying a positive market breadth index, the first this week.

UPDC gained 10.00 per cent to close at N4.40, Academy Press also appreciated by 10.00 per cent to quote at N7.70, Haldane McCall improved by 9.97 per cent to N3.97, Zichis soared by 9.94 per cent to N15.60, and Wema Bank added 9.84 per cent to settle at N31.25.

Conversely, Meyer lost 9.92 per cent to sell for N16.80, Trans-Nationwide Express also crashed by 9.92 per cent to end at N7.90, C&I Leasing slipped by 8.53 per cent to N5.90, Omatek dipped by 7.34 per cent to N2.02, and eTranzact decreased by 5.28 per cent to N17.05.

When the bourse closed its doors to business, the All-Share Index (ASI) rose by 2,884.81 points to 225,722.49 points from 222,837.68 points, and the market capitalisation grew by N1.858 trillion to N145.335 trillion from N143.477 trillion.

A look at the activity chart showed that market participants transacted 627.6 million shares worth N44.5 billion in 55,232 deals during the trading day compared with the 667.9 million shares valued at N38.1 billion traded in 53,062 deals a day earlier.

This indicated that the volume of transactions went down by 6.03 per cent, the value of trades went up by 16.80 per cent, and the number of deals jumped by 4.09 per cent.

Access Holdings closed the session as investors’ toast, with a turnover of 75.6 million units worth N2.4 billion. UBA transacted 43.1 million units valued at N2.3 billion, Wema Bank exchanged 41.5 million units for N1.3 billion, Zenith Bank traded 38.4 million units valued at N5.2 billion, and Universal Insurance sold 29.5 million units for N35.9 million.

Continue Reading

Economy

Oyedele Eyes Fiscal Discipline, Investor-friendly Environment, Fair Taxation

Published

on

taiwo oyedele wale edun

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

Mr Taiwo Oyedele has set some goals he intends to achieve as Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.

While taking over from his predecessor, Mr Wale Edun, on Thursday, the tax expert assured that he has no plans to overturn some of the reforms already put in place by the former occupier of the seat.

In a message on Friday, he emphasised that, “Our immediate task is to consolidate these gains, deepen ongoing reforms, and ensure they translate into tangible benefits for all Nigerians.”

He promised to ensure fiscal discipline by embracing transparent and prudent management of public resources, while also harmonising revenue administration, broadening the tax base, reducing the burden on the vulnerable population, and supporting economic growth.

Mr Oyedele further said his other strategic priorities include creating a predictable and investor-friendly environment anchored on policy coherence, consistency, and clarity; and aligning efforts across all tiers and institutions to maximise policy impact.

He also said efforts would be made to deepen collaboration with the private sector and other key stakeholders for data-driven policy design, co-implementation, and feedback for continuous improvement.

According to him, “Good policy design alone is not enough; success will be defined by execution. We are committed to disciplined implementation, accountability, and measurable results.”

“I look forward to working with colleagues across government, the private sector, and all Nigerians as we move from reform to result, accelerate growth and build a more stable, inclusive, and prosperous economy,” he stated.

Continue Reading

Economy

NASD Bourse Edges Up 0.23% as NSI Nears 3,970 Points

Published

on

NASD OTC Bourse

By Adedapo Adesanya

The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange further appreciated by 0.23 per cent on Thursday, April 23, with the Unlisted Security Index (NSI) adding 8.99 points to close at 3,969.96 points against the previous day’s 3,968 points.

The rise in the share price of Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc by N2.86 to N69.34 per unit from N66.48 per unit raised the market capitalisation of the NASD bourse by N5.38 billion to N2.380 trillion from N2.375 trillion.

Yesterday, there were two price losers, led by Food Concepts Plc, which lost 29 Kobo to sell at N2.65 per share versus N2.94 per share, while UBN Property Plc dipped by 22 Kobo to N2.03 per unit from N2.25 per unit.

During the session, the volume of securities traded declined by 97.9 per cent to 451,522 units from 21.5 million units on Wednesday, the value of securities depreciated by 52.32 per cent to N23.6 million from N49.5 million, and the number of deals depreciated by 3.6 per cent to 27 deals from 28 deals.

At the close of business, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis with 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 59.5 million units exchanged for N4.0 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.8 million units traded for N1.9 billion.

GNI Plc also closed the day as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units transacted for N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units sold for N1.2 billion.

Continue Reading

Trending