Economy
All Set for 5th Africa Business Forum in Ethiopia
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The 5th edition of the Africa Business Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia will be held for the second time in Ethiopia on March 1, 2017 at Sheraton Hotel, under the patronage of Saudi Sheikh Mohammed Al Amoudi, one of the largest investors in Africa, Forbes ranked billionaire and Ethiopia’s biggest employer.
Prior to the conference, the Africa Business Forum B2B Investment Meeting was held successfully on January 25, 2017 at the Dubai World Trade Center Tower, to welcome potential investors to Africa.
Emirates Airline has also become the official airline partner of the event and has offered special fares from GCC countries, details can be found on AfricaBusinessForum.com.
Since its creation in 2014, The Africa Business Forum has become one of the most important bi-annual gatherings in Africa and the Middle East.
Africa Business Forum presents an invaluable opportunity for investors to connect with clients from across industries and from around the world.
An opportunity to maximize market share by building connections with African customers and partners. The conference will host distinguished panellists and speakers, including ambassadors, high government officials, business leaders, investors and CEOs, our special guests include Fitsum Arega – Director General of the Ethiopian Investment Commission – Ethiopia Government; Belachew Fikre, PhD – Deputy Commissioner – Ethiopian Investment Commission – Ethiopia Government.
Others are Mohamad Saeed Al Raqbani – General Manager at Dubai investments Industries a subsidiary of Dubai Investments; Zemedeneh Negatu Country Managing Partner for EY (Ernest & Young) Ethiopia; Yohannes Tilahun – Former CEO to General Electric (Ethiopia) and Adviser to the commissioner at Ethiopian Investment Commission; Hussain Bin Jama Al Ishaqi – Acting CEO of Oman Oil; Rob Withagen, Managing Director and Co-founder – Asoko Insight; John Small – Chief Executive Officer of the Eastern Africa Association; and Johnny Muteba – CEO, Pan African Chamber of Commerce.
Also to be at the programme are Craig Bridgman – Former Global Head of Investment Banking for Clarkson Capital Markets, currently Executive Chairman of East Africa Oil Field Services; Jari Matero – Senior Investment Manager at Finnfund; Gianluigi Esposito – Managing Partner – AEM Carnelutti Law; Mohamoud Dualeh – Head of Products at Alizz islamic bank (Oman); Mohamud Kasil – General Manager, Covestro Middle East (formerly Bayer’s $12.3 billion materials science division); Seyoum Bereded – CEO Consopia Consulting Services and President of the ICT Association of Ethiopia; Attorney N. Jude (Jay) Menes – President, Meneslaw Konsult & Europlaw; Olatorera Oniru – Entrepreneur & CEO of Dressmeoutlet(dot)com; Joachim Yebouet – Chief Executive Officer – East African Tiger Brands Industries and many more.
“We are very excited about the level of enthusiasm we have received from speakers, sponsors and attendees for this unique conference,” said Mr R Ahmed, founder and chairman of Africa Business Forum.
“We look forward to bringing together the many business leaders and offering international companies considerable opportunities to enter and become successful in one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The 5th Africa Business Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is an incredible convening center for global stakeholders and an opportunity to share perspectives on the issues facing global business and beyond,” said Mr R Ahmed.
The panel topics at the 5th Africa Business Forum represent the areas of Finance & Capital Investment, ICT, Agriculture & Mining, Power & Energy, Consumer Goods & General Trade, Logistics & Aviation, Infrastructure, Tourism, Hospitality & Real Estate, Manufacturing and all related industries.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is seeking a reduction in import duty exemptions, which rose to N34 trillion, limiting its ability to increase its revenue generation threshold.
The Comptroller-General of the Customs Service, Mr Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed that the value of import duty exemption certificate approvals increased to that level in 2025, describing the policy as one of the major factors restricting its revenue generation.
At an investigative session of the Senate Committee on Finance with revenue-generating agencies in Abuja on Monday, Mr Adeniyi explained that government fiscal policies have continued to impact the revenue-generating capacity of the Customs Service, both positively and negatively.
“The NCS would have generated significantly higher revenue over the years if not for government-approved import duty waivers and other external factors affecting collections,” he said.
He added that the Import Duty Exemption Certificate scheme, introduced in March 2020, accounted for about N34 trillion in approvals in 2025, with nearly 60 per cent covering duty-free importation of military hardware due to Nigeria’s prevailing security challenges.
Other government-backed duty waivers, he noted, covered the importation of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), electric and hybrid vehicles, healthcare equipment and medical supplies, industrial machinery and manufacturing inputs, as well as food import intervention programmes.
While acknowledging the impact of the waivers on Customs revenue, Mr Adeniyi argued that fiscal policy should not be assessed solely on the basis of revenue generation but also on its broader economic and social objectives.
He, however, urged the federal government to establish stronger monitoring mechanisms to ensure beneficiaries of duty waivers deliver the intended economic outcomes, including lower consumer prices, increased local production and improved healthcare access.
The committee also expressed displeasure over the absence of several heads of government agencies invited to the hearing, including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Industrial Training Fund (ITF), and the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Mr Sani Musa, warned that the affected chief executives must appear at the committee’s next sitting or face severe sanctions under the Senate’s rules.
In the competitive world of online trading, finding a trading brokerage partner that balances reliability, technological innovation, and accessible conditions is essential. Headway broker has emerged as a significant player, currently serving over 4 million users globally.
In this article, we take a detailed look at what makes this broker for trading a notable option for both novice and experienced traders.
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Efficiency in trading Forex and other markets is driven by the tools at your disposal. Headway provides a robust technological trading ecosystem:
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Trading Account Types Offered by Headway
Headway broker understands that every trader enters the market with a different level of experience:
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Headway supports its user base with comprehensive resources and financial incentives:
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IB Partnership Program: Beyond individual trading, Headway fosters growth through its Introducing Broker (IB) partnership program. This allows partners to build their business and earn commissions by referring new traders to the platform.
Conclusion
With its combination of FSCA regulation, a vast range of instruments, and modern platforms like MT4, MT5, and its own proprietary app, Headway FX broker provides a comprehensive environment for modern traders. Whether you are using the demo account to hone your skills or taking advantage of the 150 no deposit welcome bonus, this broker offers the stability and tools needed for your trading journey.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange rose by 0.40 per cent on Monday, July 13, buoyed by buying interest in 11 Plc, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc and UBN Property Plc, which offset the profit-taking in Food Concepts Plc, the parent company of Chicken Republic.
11 Plc gained N20.69 to end at N227.64 per share compared with last Friday’s price of N206.95 per share, CSCS Plc grew by N1.83 to N91.48 per unit from N89.65 per unit, and UBN Property Plc added 1 Kobo to sell at N1.81 per share versus N1.80 per share.
On the flip side, Food Concepts Plc depreciated by 24 Kobo to close at N2.45 per unit, in contrast to the preceding session’s N2.69 per unit.
As a result, the market capitalisation increased by N9.2 billion to N2.587 trillion from N2.578 trillion, and the NASD Security Index (NSI) improved by 15.33 points to 4,311.67 points from 4,296.34 points.
Yesterday, the volume of securities traded by investors surged by 615.9 per cent to 9.1 million units from the previous 1.3 million units, and the value of securities rose by 997.1 per cent to N320.4 million from the preceding session’s N29.2 million, while the number of deals decreased by 12.5 per cent to 28 deals from last Friday’s 32 deals.
At the close of trades, 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 Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units worth N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 73.9 million units exchanged for N5.2 billion.
GNI Plc also closed the session as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units sold for N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units traded for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units transacted for N415.7 million.
