Economy

FG Woos Investors with Incentives

Published

9 years ago

10/02/2017

Dipo Olowookere

By Dipo Olowookere

Investors in the critical sectors of the Nigerian economy have been promised incentives and necessary logistics support of the Federal Government.

These sectors include development of the agriculture and energy sectors as well as industrialization.

Minister for Budget and National Planning, Mr Udoma Udo Udoma, made this known on Tuesday in Abuja, when he met with a group of foreign investors coordinated by the Renaissance Capital Group.

Mr Udoma said although government will appreciate investments in any sector of the country’s economy, but said emphasis of government for now is on areas that will lay a solid foundation for self-sufficiency in food production and raw materials’ provision, power and petroleum resources development as well as industrialization.

He said these are also the major execution priority areas of the Economy Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) being developed by government to get the country’s economy out of recession and put it on a path of growth and sustainable development.

According to the Minister, these sectors, coupled with massive infrastructure development, will give the economy a head start towards growth and sustainability as agriculture will not only provide food security but also raw materials to feed local industries; and in the process reduce demand on foreign exchange on imported raw materials. Investment in the energy sector will boost the economic well-being of the country as power is a major driver of industrialization.

He pointed out that investment in industrialization especially using local raw materials will have a ripple effect on all sectors of the economy including aiding the growth of small businesses, enhancing the agriculture value chain and providing expertise to small businesses.

He added that government was committed to achieving the proposals of the recovery and growth plan through the Ease of Doing Business initiative and by assisting investors with necessary incentives which will be tied strictly to performance and results rather than on intentions, as has been the case in the past.

The Plan, he said, is rooted on the core values that define the Nigerian system including discipline, integrity, dignity of labour, social justice, self-reliance, and patriotism, among others.

Also, Minister of State in the Ministry, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, said the recovery and growth plan is focused on private sector-led transformation; and is looking to develop critical infrastructure with provision for concessioning of airports and seaports.

She added that in furtherance of these, the 2017 budget made clear provisions for infrastructure projects towards achieving the objective. She also pointed out that there are some cross-cutting issues which will have to be addressed to ensure the realization of the three execution priorities.

These she listed to include vigorous and well-planned strategies, right level of human capacity and policy reforms that will improve the level of transparency and accountability in government business.

Chief Executive Officer of Renaissance Capital in Nigeria, Mr Temi Popoola, said the initial encounter he had with operators of the current administration left him with the impression that there was an appreciation of the fact that there is a huge task at hand, but he was also confident that there was a corps of capable hands to tackle the challenges.

According to him, he has also noticed a sense from government to own up to challenges, which is a big departure from the past which tended to cover things up.

“We’ve seen a lot more of honesty to the scale of problems and challenges at hand”.

The group which had earlier visited the Central Bank of Nigeria, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment, was in the Ministry to find out details on economic issues that government is facing and plans for tackling them, so as to enable the group make informed investment decisions.

Economy

NRS Launches Unified Tax ID System

Published

2 hours ago

19/05/2026

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) has unveiled a unified Taxpayer Identification (Tax ID) system for all taxable persons across the country as part of efforts to strengthen tax administration and improve transparency.

The agency announced the development in a public notice issued jointly with the Joint Revenue Board (JRB) on Monday.

According to the notice, the initiative is backed by Sections 6, 7, and 8 of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025, which mandate every taxable person in Nigeria to obtain a Tax ID, in a wider move to expand the country’s tax base.

The NRS said the new framework is designed to create a centralised and harmonised taxpayer database that would enhance interactions between taxpayers and revenue authorities at both federal and sub-national levels.

“The Tax ID will serve as a single, unified identity for all taxpayers, enabling seamless interaction with tax authorities at both federal and sub-national levels. It is designed to consolidate taxpayer records, eliminate duplication, and ensure more efficient management of tax-related information,” the agency stated.

The revenue agency explained that the new system would simplify tax compliance procedures, including taxpayer registration, filing of returns, and payment processes.

According to the NRS, the framework is also expected to improve accountability and reduce leakages in tax collection by creating better visibility and tracking of taxpayer information nationwide.

“The initiative will simplify tax compliance processes, including registration, tax filing, and payment procedures. The system will improve transparency by enabling better visibility and tracking of taxpayer records while reducing leakages and improving accountability in tax collection. The framework will also harmonise taxpayer information across all levels of government,” the notice added.

The agency further disclosed that the new Tax ID system would replace the existing Tax Identification Number (TIN) Validation API currently used by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), financial institutions, and other organisations for taxpayer verification.

Economy

OTC Securities Exchange Falls 1.31% as Key Stocks Decline

Published

5 hours ago

19/05/2026

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

Three bellwether stocks weakened the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 1.31 per cent on Monday, May 18.

This brought the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) by 54.71 points to 4,133.70 points from 4,188.41 points, and shrank the market capitalisation by N32.73 billion to N2.473 trillion from N2.506 trillion.

Yesterday, FrieslandCampina Wamco Plc contracted by N12.45 to sell at N146.55 per share compared with last Friday’s closing price of N159.00 per share, Central Securities and Clearing System (CSCS) Plc declined by N2.34 to N70.00 per unit from N72.34 per unit, and NASD Plc lost 50 Kobo to trade at N34.50 per share versus N35.00 per share.

The trio overpowered the N5.56 gained Newrest Asl Plc. This stock ended the trading session at N61.15 per unit, in contrast to the previous session’s N55.59 per unit.

During the trading day, the volume of securities traded by investors slid by 56.1 per cent to 514,142 units from 1.2 million units, and the value of securities dropped 29.8 per cent to close at N17.4 million versus N29.8 million, while the number of deals jumped 12.5 per cent to 27 deals from 24 deals.

Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units sold for N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 60.8 million units exchanged for N4.1 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.9 million units traded for N1.9 billion.

GNI Plc also ended 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 valued at N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units transacted for N1.2 billion.

Economy

FX Pressure Pushes Naira Lower to N1,373/$1 at Official Market

Published

5 hours ago

19/05/2026

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

It was a horrible day for the Nigerian Naira in the different segments of the foreign exchange (FX) market on Monday, May 15, as its value further weakened against the United States Dollar.

In the black market window, the Naira lost N5 against the Dollar yesterday to sell for N1,390/$1 compared with the previous value of N1,385/$1, but at the GTBank forex counter, it remained unchanged at N1,383/$1.

In the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX), the Nigerian currency depreciated against the greenback by N2.66 or 0.19 per cent to sell for N1,373.70/$1 compared to last Friday’s rate of N1,371.04/$1.

Equally, it fell against the Pound Sterling in the same market segment by N9.05 to trade at N1,839.66/£1 versus N1,830.61/£1, and lost N5.42 on the Euro to close at N1,600.49/€1 versus N1,595.07/€1.

The performance of the local currency during the session indicates early worries despite all signals pointing to stability, amid improved Dollar sales by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), with steady, higher oil receipts to bolster the nation’s reserves.

Activity at the market showed that turnover rose 57.3 per cent to $76.29 million on Monday from $48.49 million posted on Friday.

Over the weekend, S&P raised Nigeria’s credit ratings for the first time since 2012 and highlighted improved FX market liquidity and $10 billion turnover recorded in April 2026 as one of the major gains of the CBN-led FX reforms.

The agency said the liberalisation of the exchange rate has bolstered access to foreign currency and enabled a market-driven exchange-rate environment while supporting investor and consumer confidence.

Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market was bullish on Monday as investors monitored developments in the Iran conflict and weighed the impact of surging oil prices on inflation and US interest-rate expectations.

Ethereum (ETH) gained 0.7 per cent to trade at $2,134.10, Cardano (ADA) rose by 0.6 per cent to $0.2515, Solana (SOL) expanded by 0.3 per cent to $85.11, Binance Coin (BNB) jumped 0.2 per cent to $643.29, TRON (TRX) increased by 0.03 per cent to $0.3565, and Bitcoin (BTC) advanced by 0.02 per cent to $76,912.12.

On the flip side, Dogecoin (DOGE) slid by 1.5 per cent to $0.1044, and Ripple (XRP) decreased by 0.5 per cent to $1.38, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) traded flat at $1.00 apiece.