Economy
FG to Domicile Local Funding, Gets $500m for Digital Economy
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani, has disclosed that the federal government has secured a $500 million loan for a local funding programme.
According to the tech maven, the credit facility would be used to boost innovation and entrepreneurship within the country’s digital sector.
“So, we’ve got access to about half a billion dollars to start local funding,” the Minister said last Friday at a dinner organised in his honour by the ministry in partnership with the World Bank.
The occasion was also used to unveil an ambitious target to provide at least 148 million people of working age with a digital national ID by the middle of next year, marking a significant step towards inclusion and accessibility.
Mr Tijani outlined federal government’s plan to domicile local funding in Nigeria and ensure that it benefits true Nigerian businesses, adding that it will be collaborating with the Bank of Industry (BoI).
He also highlighted the importance of supporting and promoting Nigerian businesses.
“We want to ensure that those businesses that will benefit are true, real Nigerian businesses,” adding that by domiciling the funding locally, the government aims to foster the growth and development of homegrown enterprises, ultimately contributing to the country’s economic progress.
The minister assured the public that the initial $500 million announced for local funding is just the beginning. He stressed that more investors would be brought on board, to increase the funds available to support Nigerian innovators.
Mr Tijani also emphasised that the government’s goal is to leverage the fund to attract additional investment and expand resources for local entrepreneurs.
“Part of my responsibilities is working with BoI to ensure that we domicile that funding locally in Nigeria, work with firms who manage and invest in businesses to ensure that those businesses that will benefit are true, real Nigerian businesses.
“And what we are going to see is that the funding is available locally and in the coming months it is going to become larger and as these funds become larger, we want to leverage that money as well.
“So, the government is not just going to put half a billion and that’s it, it can actually bring more investors to heart as we have more money and more of our innovators can have access to resources.”
On his part, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Mr Shubham Chaudhuri, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to eradicating poverty, improving lives, and creating job opportunities for the country’s youth.
Mr Chaudhuri emphasised the potential of leveraging digital technologies to drive transformation and outlined two key areas of partnership with Nigeria to achieve these goals.
He said the World Bank is collaborating with the National Identity Management Commission to ensure the successful rollout and registration of digital national IDs for all Nigerians.
According to him, “Our main mission here in Nigeria is to eliminate poverty, make lives better, and create jobs, for all Nigerian youth. One of the areas that we think have the greatest potential is the area of using digital technologies to transform. Now to do that it begins with having this digital national ID.
“So, one of the main partnerships we have is working with NIMC to ensure the rollout of the registration so that all [estimated] 220 million Nigerians have a digital national ID, beginning of course with all people of working age and I think the target for that is at least 148 million people by the middle of next year.
“The second is helping Nigeria lead the broadband infrastructure for broadband connectivity because without broadband connectivity digital technologies will lead to a digital divide. So, their support has been for good kinds of policies and regulations that will help invite private investment into this space and then fibre optic cables.
“One thing, for example, working with states is to persuade states to reduce the right of way fees and fibre. Cable operators have to pay more when they’re getting the land to lay the cable. All that is like the foundations and real potential comes from once you have the national ID, all the technologies that apps that can be built on the weather to bring services to people, to people where they get people access to finance that all of that needs skills.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The duo of FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc and Food Concepts Plc weakened the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 0.57 per cent on Thursday, November 13.
FrieslandCampina Wamco Plc dropped N5.95 to N54.00 per share from N59.95 per share and Food Concepts lost 3 Kobo to end at N3.50 per unit compared with the previous day’s N3.53 per unit.
In the ensuing melee, the market capitalisation lost N12.42 billion in value to close at N2.180 trillion compared with the N2.193 trillion it finished a day earlier, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) went down by 20.75 points to 3,644.61 points from 3,665.36 points.
Yesterday, the volume of securities traded by investors plunged by 99.5 per cent to 119,329 units from the previous day’s 22.1 million units, the value of securities slumped by 99.9 per cent to N1.9 million from N1.3 billion, and the number of deals depreciated by 26.3 per cent to 14 deals from 19 deals.
At the close of transactions, Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company (InfraCredit) Plc remained the most traded stock by value with a year-to-date sale of 5.8 billion units valued at N16.4 billion, followed by Okitipupa Plc with 170.3 million units transacted for N8.0 billion, and Air Liquide Plc with 507.4 million units worth N4.2 billion.
InfraCredit Plc was also the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with 5.8 billion units traded for N16.4 billion, trailed by Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc with 1.2 billion units sold for N419.7 million, and Impresit Bakolori Plc with the sale of 536.9 million units for N524.9 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Recent foreign exchange (FX) pressure on the Naira eased on Thursday as its against the US Dollar closed stronger in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) by N1.64 or 0.11 per cent to N1,441.44/$1 from the N1,443.08/$1 it was exchanged a day earlier.
Equally, the Nigerian Naira improved its value against the Pound Sterling in the official market by N2.44 to sell for N1,898.96/£1 versus the previous day’s N1,901.40/£1. However, it depreciated against the Euro by 99 Kobo to close at N1,674.96/€1, in contrast to Wednesday’s closing price of N1,673.97/€1.
At the GTBank forex counter, the domestic depreciated against the Dollar yesterday by N3 to settle at N1,450/$1 versus the preceding session’s rate of N1,447/$1, and in the black market, the exchange rate of the Naira to the Dollar remained unchanged at N1,455/$1.
The local currency is trying to claw back some losses recorded this week as unmet demand from thin US dollar supply has invited pressure across key segments.
However, positive signals like Nigeria’s gross external reserves rising by more than $30 million day on day to close at $43.427 billion as of November 11, 2025, gives the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) enough power to make significant intervention.
In recent weeks, the apex bank FX injection has been minimal and erratic due to increasing FX inflows from foreign portfolio investors and exporters. FX inflow into currency market has fallen from peaked of $1.37 billion to $899 million.
In the cryptocurrency market, there were significant declines on Thursday as short and long-term investors liquidated their positions. More than $1 billion in leveraged crypto positions were wiped out over 24 hours, with roughly $887 million coming from longs.
Ethereum (ETH) slumped by 10.9 per cent to $3,160.25, Solana (SOL) went south by 10.3 per cent to $140.65, Cardano (ADA) depreciated by 9.6 per cent to $0.5146, Ripple (XRP) fell by 9.2 per cent to $2.27, Dogecoin (DOGE) slipped by 8.2 per cent to $0.1620, Bitcoin (BTC) dropped 6.9 per cent to $96,351.91, Binance Coin (BNB) shrank by 6.1 per cent to $909.83, and Litecoin (LTC) went down by 5.4 per cent to $95.57, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchanged at $1.00 apiece.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Oil gained on Thursday as investors weighed concerns about global oversupply with looming sanctions against Russia’s Lukoil.
The price of the Brent crude grade chalked up 30 cents or 0.5 per cent to $63.01 a barrel, and the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude increased by 20 cents or 0.3 per cent to $58.69 a barrel.
The US has imposed sanctions on Lukoil as part of its efforts to bring the Russian government to peace talks with Ukraine. The sanctions prohibit transactions with the Russian company after November 21.
According to JPMorgan, nearly a third of Russia’s current seaborne oil export potential is now stuck in tankers as the US sanctions upend crude flows and Russia’s top buyers, China and India, are still struggling to assess the implications of the sanctions.
“Russia’s oil exports are entering a new phase of disruption as sanctions targeting Rosneft and Lukoil are set to take effect, prompting its two largest customers — India and China — to sharply reduce their December purchases,” the Wall Street bank said in a note.
JPMorgan estimates that as many as 1.4 million barrels per day of Russian crude oil or nearly a third of its exporting potential are on tankers at present, amid re-routing and slowed unloading as buyers are hesitant following the US sanctions on Russia’s top oil producers and exporters, Rosneft and Lukoil.
Also, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed a larger-than-expected rise in US crude stocks, while gasoline and distillate inventories fell less than expected last week. Crude inventories rose by 6.4 million barrels to 427.6 million barrels in the week ended November 7, the EIA said.
The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said global oil supplies would slightly exceed demand in 2026, a further shift from the group’s earlier projections of a deficit.
It also said it expected the supply surplus next year because of wider production increases by OPEC+, a group of producers that includes OPEC members and allies like Russia.
The International Energy Agency (EIA) raised its global oil supply growth forecasts for this year and next in its monthly oil market report on Thursday, signaling a bigger surplus in 2026.
The US EIA also said in its Short-Term Energy Outlook on Wednesday that U.S. oil production is expected to set a larger record this year than previously forecast.
Global oil inventories will grow through 2026 as production increases faster than demand for petroleum fuels, adding to pressure on oil prices, the EIA added.
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