Economy
NGX Unveils New USSD to Improve Capital Market Access
Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited has urged investors to leverage its new USSD platform for enhanced capital market access.
NGX stated this at its Investor Education Series. It partnered with Meristem via a Zoom meeting held on Thursday, June 6, 2024, with the theme, ‘Unlocking Potential: Leveraging USSD For Enhanced Capital Market Access’.
Speaking at the event, Head, Trading & Products of NGX, Abimbola Babalola stated that the NGX USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) platform is a technology that allows mobile phone users to access a variety of services by dialling a short code *5474# on their phone keypad, saying that the NGX USSD platform is a new and innovative way for investors to access real-time stock market information and connect with a stockbroker.
According to him, the product is designed to boost financial inclusion and market participation in Nigeria by providing investors easy access to price information of listed companies and connecting them with Trading License Holders.
He further said that “what we are doing at the exchange is to put investors in the driver’s seat of their investment. Gone are those days when you buy securities and go to sleep, or you have to start reading the newspaper or wait for news to know what is happening to the stocks. So, this time around, you have a device that you can use to monitor your stock at any time,” adding investors’ education is key, and this is what the products will address.
The Head, Investment Advisory at Meristem Stockbrokers Limited, Temitope Oludimu said that Meristem Securities has been in the industry for over two decades, growing her clients’ wealth and enhancing their financial well-being.
She noted that the Stockbrokers subsidiary of the Group provides easy access to online brokerage accounts allowing clients to monitor trades in real-time via MeriTrade and the first online stock trading platform in Nigeria commenced in 2014.
Oludimu added that “MeriTrade allows users to buy and sell stocks online through the Nigerian Stock Exchange from the comfort of their home, office, car and even on the go.
“The platform defines stock broking in an entirely different language and creates a world-class experience, bringing your broker (electronically) to the comfort of your home and office.”
The panel session speaking on the theme of the event emphasized the importance of investors’ education in the capital market.
Afeez Ramoni, Head, Data and Digital Innovation, NGX stated that the public can now conveniently receive market information and commence account opening processes through their mobile phones by dialing *5474#. This marks a significant stride in NGX’s commitment to democratizing access to investment opportunities and promoting retail investors’ participation through digital channels for accessing the capital market.
He anticipates that the USSD short code *5474# will enhance market accessibility and contribute significantly to the broader financial inclusion landscape in Nigeria.
Martha Ibrahim of NGX Group said that financial inclusion is really about inclusivity and creating access to financial services to investors.
She stated that this is important for a vibrant capital market and the country’s general economic development.
According to her, with the coming up of this initiative, integrating USSD with NGX, we also understand the importance of technology as a key financial enabler for financial inclusion. We are simplifying access to the stock markets and reducing barriers to entry. This would also promote a significant increase in the level of financial inclusion we have currently within the capital markets.
“By leveraging this investor education and simplifying access to the markets, this validates that NGX is on the right step towards driving financial inclusion within the Nigerian capital markets.”
Also, Oluwatobi Adesanya of Meristem added that “we cannot overemphasize the need for financial literacy in the Nigerian capital market.”
Economy
Petrol Supply up 55.4% as Daily Consumption Reaches 52.1 million Litres
By Adedapo Adesanya
The supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, increased by 55.4 per cent on a month-on-month basis to 71.5 million litres per day in November 2025 from 46 million litres per day in October.
This was contained in the November 2025 fact sheet of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on Monday.
The data showed that the nation’s consumption also increased by 44.5 per cent or 37.4 million litres to 52.1 million litres per day in November 2025, against 28.9 million litres in October.
The significant increase in petrol supply last month was on account of the imports by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited into the Nigerian market from both the domestic and the international market.
Domestic refineries supplied in the period stood at 17.1 million litres per day, while the average daily consumption of PMS for the month was 52.9 million litres per day.
The NMDPRA noted that no production activities were recorded in all the state-owned refineries, which included Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries, in the period, as the refineries remained shut down.
According to the report, the imports were aimed at building inventory and further guaranteeing supply during the peak demand period.
Other reasons for the increase, according to the NMDPRA, were due to “low supply recorded in September and October 2025, below the national demand threshold; the need for boosting national stock level to meet the peak demand period of end of year festivities, and twelve vessels programmed to discharge into October, which spilled into November.”
On gas, the average daily gas supply climbed to 4.684 billion standard cubic feet per day in November 2025, from the 3.94 bscf/d average processing level recorded in October.
The Nigeria LNG Trains 1-6 also maintained a stable processing output of 3.5 bscf/d in November 2025, but utilisation improved slightly to 73.7 per cent compared with 71.68 per cent in October.
The increase, according to the report, was driven by higher plant utilisation across processing hubs and steady export volumes from the Nigeria LNG plant in Bonny.
“As of November 2025, Nigeria’s major gas processing facilities recorded improved output and utilisation levels, with the Nigeria LNG Trains 1-6 processing 3.50 billion standard cubic feet per day at a utilisation rate of 73.70 per cent.
“Gbaran Ubie Gas Plant processed 1.250 bscf per day, operating at 71.21 per cent utilisation, while the MPNU Bonny River Terminal recorded a throughput of 0.690 bscf per day during the period. Processing activities at the Escravos Gas Plant stood at 0.680 bscf per day, representing a 62 per cent utilisation rate, whereas the Soku Gas Plant emerged as the top performer, processing 0.600 bscf per day at 96.84 per cent utilisation,” it stated.
Economy
Secure Electronic Technology Suspends Share Reconstruction as Investors Pull Out
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The proposed share reconstruction of a local gaming firm, Secure Electronic Technology (SET), has been suspended.
The Lagos-based company decided to shelve the exercise after negotiations with potential investors crumbled like a house of cards.
Secure Electronic Technology was earlier in talks with some foreign investors interested in the organisation.
Plans were underway to restructure the shares of the company, which are listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
However, things did not go as planned as the potential investors pulled out, leaving the board to consider others ways to move the firm forward.
Confirming this development, the company secretary, Ms Irene Attoe, in a statement, said the board would explore other means to keep the company running to deliver value to shareholders.
“This is to notify the NGX and the investing public that a meeting of the board of SET held on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, as scheduled, to consider the status of the proposed share reconstruction and recapitalisation as approved by the members at the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on April 16, 2025.
“After due deliberations, the board wishes to announce that the proposed share reconstruction will not take place as anticipated due to the inability of the parties to reach a convergence on the best and mutually viable terms.
“Thus, following an impasse in the negotiations, and the investors’ withdrawal from the transaction, the board has, in the interest of all members, decided to accept these outcomes and move ahead in the overall interest of the business.
“The board is committed to driving the strategic objectives of SEC and to seeking viable opportunities for sustainable growth of the company,” the disclosure stated.
Business Post reports that the share price of SET crashed by 3.85 per cent on Tuesday on Customs Street on Tuesday to 75 Kobo. Its 52-week high remains N1.33 and its one-year low is 45 Kobo. Today, investors transacted 39,331,958 units.
Economy
Clea to Streamline Cross-Border Payments for African Importers
By Adedapo Adesanya
Clea, a blockchain-powered platform that allows African importers to pay international suppliers in USD while settling locally, has officially launched.
During its pilot phase, Clea processed more than $4 million in cross-border transactions, demonstrating strong early demand from businesses navigating the complexities of global trade.
Clea addresses persistent challenges that African importers have long struggled with, including limited FX access, unpredictable exchange rates, high bank charges, fraudulent intermediaries, and payment delays that slow or halt shipments. The continent also faces a trade-finance gap estimated at over $120 billion annually, limiting importers’ ability to access the FX and financial infrastructure needed for timely international payments by offering fast, transparent, and direct USD settlements, completed without intermediaries or banking bottlenecks.
Founded by Mr Sheriff Adedokun, Mr Iyiola Osuagwu, and Mr Sidney Egwuatu, Clea was created from the team’s own experiences dealing with unreliable international payments. The platform currently serves Nigerian importers trading with suppliers in the United States, China, and the UAE, with plans to expand into additional trade corridors.
The platform will allow local payments in Naira with instant access to Dollars as well as instant, same-day, or next-day settlement options and transparent, traceable transactions that reduce fraud risk.
Speaking on the launch, Mr Adedokun said, “Importers face unnecessary stress when payments are delayed or rejected. Clea eliminates that uncertainty by offering reliable, secure, and traceable payments completed in the importer’s own name, strengthening supplier confidence from day one.”
Mr Osuagwu, co-founder & CTO, added, “Our goal is to make global trade feel as seamless as a local transfer. By connecting local currencies to global transactions through blockchain technology, we are removing long-standing barriers that have limited African importers for years.”
According to a statement shared with Business Post, Clea is already working with shipping operators who refer merchants to the platform and is also engaging trade associations and logistics networks in key import hubs. The company remains fully bootstrapped but is open to strategic investors aligned with its mission to build a trusted global payment network for African businesses.
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