Economy
Money Africa Wins $25,000 in NSIA Innovation Prize
By Adedapo Adesanya
Subscription-based financial edtech platform, Money Africa, won the star prize of $25,000 at the maiden edition of Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority’s (NSIA) Innovation Programme.
The agency, through the event, rewarded 10 Nigerian innovators with the sum of $60,000 and equity investments in its Prize for Innovation programme.
At the Prize for NSIA Innovation Programme (NPI) held on Saturday in Lagos, Money Africa won the star prize of the maiden event.
Extension Africa won the second place of $17, 500 while Legit Car Africa won the third place of $12,500.
Seven other innovators- TruQ, Capsa Technology, Apace, Ya-lo, Credit-Chek, Vella Finance and Kobo Pay all got prizes of $5,000.
The programme, with the theme, Driving a Sustainable Future Through Innovation, is designed to identify innovative technological solutions developed by Nigerian tech entrepreneurs.
Mr Aminu Umar-Sadiq, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NSIA, said the event was organised to encourage entrepreneurs.
”I think the important thing is that this event actually catalyzes what we have seen as very great ideas emanating from Nigeria and entrepreneurs to solve Nigerian problems.
“I hope that this event allows us to mobilise domestic capital long-term patience toward Nigeria.
“So, hopefully, beyond that, we are also looking at the value creation and addition that comes beyond the investment in these companies.
“They will require further polishing of their business ideas and the positioning of these companies for exits.
“We are hoping that this event will shine a light on the possibilities that our own local entrepreneurs are able to offer for solving Nigeria’s problems,” Umar-Sadiq said.
As opposed to giving just catch prizes, the NSIA MD said that the organisation decided to split the prizes into two components, a cash component and also an equity component.
This, he said, would allow NSIA to take ownership in these businesses so that beyond just the prizes, it could actually engage with the entrepreneurs and add value to them beyond offering money.
Mr Kashifu Abdullah, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), said that the seed funding for startups would help position Nigeria for accelerated job creation in the digital economy.
“I am highly impressed with the kind of innovative ideas that I have seen today. And this shows that we have great potential and luck in Nigeria.
“And looking at what is happening and this kind of initiative to provide seed funding for startups, it will really help position Nigeria for accelerated jobs creation in the digital economy.
“Most startups fail because of lack of financing. And according to many research, more than 47 per cent of startups fail because of lack of financing at the initial stage,” he said.
According to him, NITDA has started the implementation of the Nigeria startup act.
He said, “Under the act, we are to establish a startup investment seed fund.
“The act says we need a minimum of N10 billion per annum, but we are targeting N100 billion so that we should be able to seed at least 1,000 early-stage startups and about 400 late-stage startups.
“This can help us to hit more than 80,000 jobs in Nigeria.”
Ms Oluwatosin Olaseinde, the winner of the star prize and founder of Money Africa Financial Services, who expressed joy, said the challenge of managing her finances pushed her to find solutions to financial literacy.
“I feel really excited. It’s really nice to have put in all this work, and then, here I am, the winner of this prize. I’m very grateful.
“I had a personal challenge with my money, I struggled to manage my finances, I called my friends, and they had similar problems.
“Now I realised that having money is not the only thing, how do you keep that money and I noticed that it was a general problem.
“According to the research by S&P Financial Literacy survey, Africans score the least in financial literacy.
“So, I embarked on that mission. Once I figured it out, I felt like an evangelist. All I did was just to teach and tell everybody about how to manage money and make the most use of what they have,” Ms Olaseinde said.
She urged innovators to be flexible with their methods and continue to push and be focused on the goal.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) has disclosed that seven additional insurance companies have secured full recapitalisation approval from the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), bringing the industry-wide recapitalisation exercise to a successful conclusion.
In a statement on Friday, NIA Chairman, Mrs Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu, said the milestone represented significant progress towards building a stronger, more competitive and trusted insurance market in Nigeria.
She said the seven companies, alongside the 41 insurance companies and two reinsurance companies earlier approved, had demonstrated resilience, financial discipline and corporate strength by successfully completing the final verification process.
“Having successfully navigated the rigorous final verification process, these companies, alongside the earlier approved 41 insurance companies and two reinsurance companies, have demonstrated exceptional resilience, corporate fortitude, and financial discipline,” Mrs Nwachukwu said.
She added that the successful recapitalisation had positioned the companies to deliver greater value to policyholders and contribute to deeper insurance penetration nationwide.
Mrs Nwachukwu commended NAICOM for its regulatory oversight during the exercise, describing the commission’s approach as fair, structured and focused on strengthening market integrity.
“NAICOM’s strategic foresight and structured execution have elevated the Nigerian insurance industry, reinforcing its position within the broader financial sector as a substantially stronger, highly resilient, and globally competitive market,” she said.
The NIA chairman reaffirmed the association’s commitment to supporting insurance companies as they adapt to new regulatory requirements under the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025.
She said the association would continue to work with NAICOM to promote a sustainable and future-ready insurance sector.
Mrs Nwachukwu also assured policyholders, investors and other economic stakeholders that the recapitalised industry was better positioned to support economic growth.
“With this recapitalization complete, the Nigerian insurance sector enters a transformative era. The industry is fully equipped to settle genuine claims promptly, absorb higher local and international risks, and serve as a cornerstone of financial stability, directly supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2030,” she said.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Capital market operators have been directed to immediately freeze the assets, funds, and other economic resources belonging to six individuals and three entities designated as terrorist financiers by the Nigeria Sanctions Committee (NSC).
This directive was given by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) via a circular to all Capital Market Regulated Entities (CMREs), warning that failure to comply would constitute a violation of the Investments and Securities Act, 2025, and the SEC Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Rules and Regulations.
It said violations could attract regulatory sanctions, including fines, suspension of operations or revocation of registration, reminding capital market operators that all unusual or suspicious transactions must be promptly reported to the NFIU.
The regulator, which stated that the designations were made in line with the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act (TPPA) 2022, listed the six individuals as Babangida Muhammed Adamu Hammajam, Abdullahi Umar Usman, Ibrahim Abubakar, Adamu Chiroma, Muktar Muhammad Adamu and Yakubu Ogirima Ibrahim. The three designated entities are Nine to Nine BDC Ltd, Generation Currency BDC Ltd and Abbal Bako & Sons Bureau de Change.
According to the SEC, Hammajama was listed on June 18, 2026, for involvement in terrorism financing and support for the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), while Usman was designated for providing material support to a designated terrorist organisation through repeated financial transactions.
The commission said Abubakar was listed for involvement in terrorism financing and membership of ISWAP, while Chiroma was designated for allegedly using Bureau De Change (BDC) operations and related corporate entities to facilitate the movement of funds linked to terrorist activities.
Muktar Muhammad Adamu was listed on June 15, 2026, for providing financial support and facilitating transactions linked to the financing network of the ISWAP Okene cell, while Ibrahim was designated for providing material and financial support to the ISWAP Kogi cell.
The SEC said the three entities were listed for their alleged involvement in facilitating and channelling funds connected to the ISWAP Okene financing network.
The commission directed CMREs to immediately identify and freeze, without prior notice, all funds, assets and other economic resources in their possession belonging to the designated persons and entities.
They are also required to report frozen assets and other compliance actions, including attempted transactions, to the Secretariat of the Nigeria Sanctions Committee.
In addition, the SEC directed regulated entities to immediately file suspicious transaction reports with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) for further analysis of the financial activities.
It further instructed operators to report as suspicious transactions all cases of name matches in financial transactions, whether occurring before or after receipt of the sanctions list.
The regulated entities are also required to prohibit dealings with the designated persons and entities and continue monitoring for transactions involving them.
The SEC said any findings should be reported to the Nigeria Sanctions Committee through its designated reporting channel.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, Nigeria’s biggest sugar producer, has raised N486 billion ($356 million) through an oversubscribed rights issue as the company moves to reduce its debt burden and strengthen its capital base after three consecutive years of losses.
The company, founded by Mr Aliko Dangote, raised the funds through the issuance of 8.1 billion ordinary shares at N60 per share, according to a filing with the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Friday.
The development follows shareholders’ approval of the capital-raising plan at the company’s 20th Annual General Meeting held in April.
In a statement signed by the Company Secretary, Mr Temitope Hassan, the sugar firm said the rights issue is part of efforts to improve its financial position and provide funding to support its long-term growth plans.
The company’s directors are authorised to raise up to N500 billion through a rights issue, on terms and at a time to be determined by the Board.
Dangote Sugar increased its share capital to accommodate the new shares issued under the rights issue. The sugar producer’s board also authorised to allot the shares and the management of any fractional holdings in accordance with regulatory requirements.
The organisation said any shares remaining unallotted after the offer would be cancelled as permitted by law, describing the capital raise as one of the largest rights issues in Nigeria’s corporate history.
The capital raise comes against the backdrop of improved revenue performance but continued losses at the company.
In its 2025 audited results, Dangote Sugar recorded a 24.56 per cent increase in revenue to N829.2 billion, compared with the previous year. The growth was driven largely by strong demand for 50kg sugar, which generated N807 billion in revenue.
Retail sugar sales contributed N17.7 billion, while molasses and freight income generated N4.02 billion and N66.4 million, respectively.
Cost of sales increased by 11.35 per cent to N706.5 billion, largely due to raw material costs of N573.3 billion. This resulted in a gross profit of N122.6 billion.
Despite the improvement in revenue and gross profit, the company recorded a pre-tax loss of N72.2 billion in 2025, although this represented a significant improvement from the N270.8 billion loss reported in 2024.
Lagos remained the company’s largest market, accounting for 55.82 per cent of regional sales, followed by the North with 35.35 per cent, the West with 6.45 per cent and the East with 2.38 per cent.
The fresh capital is expected to provide Dangote Sugar with additional financial capacity as it works to reduce its debt obligations, strengthen its balance sheet and advance its long-term expansion plans.
