Economy
Ways Firms Can Optimise Human Capital—PwC Nigeria
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Organisations that will thrive in a constantly disrupted and divergent world will require adaptability, rethinking their employer value proposition and leveraging organisational data more effectively.
Human Resources department needs to take a more prominent role in enabling their organisations build these capabilities.
This was the overriding consensus that emerged at a breakfast meeting hosted by PwC’s People & Organisation (P& O) team on the theme Disruption in HR: Revving your game with strategic reward which recently held in Lagos.
The firm says that the current environmental realities present an opportunity for discerning HR leaders to deliver greater value.
The options open to HR leaders looking to achieve better results from their workforce and sustain employee engagement formed the crux of discussions at the breakfast meeting, which was well attended by HR leaders across industries.
Dr Bert Odiaka, PwC Nigeria Partner and Advisory leader, in his opening remarks at the event clearly illustrated the changing landscape when he noted: “The average tenure on a job for Millennials who will constitute 75% of the workforce in 2025 is now about five years. This is a major departure from the employment for life philosophy of older generations.”
The breakfast meeting featured presentations from various subject matter specialists drawn from across the firm. The discussions also addressed questions around how HR can be more innovative and flexible with rewarding and engaging employees in the face of shrinking budgets while also helping them increase their pay-outs through tax efficient reward.
Esiri Agbeyi, PwC Nigeria Partner and P & O Tax unit leader, commenting on the tax presentation made during the event highlighted that:
“HR leaders must help their organisations achieve a strategic balance between rewarding employees and costs to other relevant stakeholders. They can achieve this by adopting a multi-competency approach that considers the entire business and core strategic values.
“As an example, paying attention to tax advantages or leakages in determining a reward policy is critical to mitigating extra costs to both employees and employer, more so when such employees are internationally mobile and can pick up more costs in the host countries due to difference in tax treatments or the absence of a double tax treaty.
“We typically find this with long term incentive schemes such as share schemes where the cost consequences of accounting, tax and even foreign exchange implications should not be overlooked.”
Ibironke Tolu-Ogunpolu, PwC Nigeria P& O Advisory Competency Leader comments: “Drawing on our research on disruptive developments across various sectors and the future of work, we’ve identified key priorities for optimising talent – or human capital – today, while building for the future. Some of these include developing dynamic models for the workforce of the future, maximising the potential of digital talent exchange, digitising the work place to fuel productivity and integrating data analytics for decision making support. It is also important to redesign jobs and compensation models to reward contribution to business value.”
During the session, other presenters, Seyi Onasanya and Ade Ogunsanya, Senior Manager and Manager respectively of the P & O team also announced PwC’s upcoming 2016 REMbenefit and REMChannel Policies Survey. The survey which seeks to explore how benefit policies and practices compare between employers in Nigeria, will be published early 2017 and is now open for participation.
Speaking on the reward survey, Seyi explained that one way organisations around the globe retain talent is through robust and value adding benefit structures. Benefits form one of the key elements of any value proposition and it is essential for organisations to understand the landscape of current and future benefit trends in Nigeria and globally. PwC aims to achieve this through the survey findings, which will be published as a report and serve as a guide for Nigerian employers in decision making.
The breakfast meeting ended on a positive high with many participants welcoming the opportunity to share experiences, and discuss various trends that impact their contributions as HR professionals with subject matter specialists from PwC. They also welcomed the insights shared on best practice and ways they can better align their people strategy to help their organisations remain competitive today and in the future.
By Dipo Olowookere
The bulls regained control of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Friday after surrendering power to the bears a day earlier as a result of mild selling pressure.
Yesterday, the Nigerian bourse rebounded by 0.54 per cent, mainly due to the gains recorded by First Holdco and others.
Data harvested by Business Post indicated that the industrial goods and energy sectors were flat, while the banking index chalked up 3.13 per cent. The insurance space expanded by 1.08 per cent, and the consumer goods counter rose by 0.21 per cent.
Consequently, the All-Share Index (ASI) went up by 1,316.52 points to 243,462.13 points from 242,145.61 points, and the market capitalisation grew by N850 billion to N157.057 trillion from N156.207 trillion.
The market breadth index was bullish during the last trading session of this week, printing 31 appreciating stocks and 23 depreciating stocks, representing strong investor sentiment.
First Holdco led the advancers’ log after it climbed 9.97 per cent to N95.95, Haldane McCall appreciated by 9.94 per cent to N3.65, LivingTrust Mortgage Bank soared by 9.73 per cent to N3.72, LASACO Assurance jumped by 5.26 per cent to N2.00, and Thomas Wyatt gained 5.10 per cent to quote at N3.09.
On the flip side, Red Star Express declined by 9.50 per cent to N20.00, Omatek slipped by 6.08 per cent to N1.70, C&I Leasing shrank by 5.93 per cent to N5.55, Jaiz Bank crashed by 5.03 per cent to N8.50, and Livestock Feed fell by 3.89 per cent to N8.65.
As for the activity chart, market participants bought and sold 685.9 million equities for N42.7 billion in 44,134 deals on Friday versus the 498.5 million equities worth N34.9 billion traded in 39,484 deals on Thursday, implying a rise in the trading volume, value, and number of deals by 37.59 per cent, 22.35 per cent, and 11.78 per cent, respectively.
Investors’ darling for the day was First Holdco, with a turnover of 225.9 billion units valued at N21.0 billion, Guinea Insurance sold 53.4 million units for N45.2 million, Zenith Bank traded 41.5 million units worth N4.7 billion, Access Holdings exchanged 29.1 million units valued at N720.6 million, and UBA exchanged 27.5 million units for N1.2 billion.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) has appealed to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to deepen its sensitisation on the newly introduced Green Tax Surcharge Policy.
The chairman of APFFLON, Mr Akeem Ayobiojo, made this plea on behalf of his colleagues on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at the Customs House in Abuja, during a stakeholders’ engagement with the agency.
He also called for improvements in the administration of Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports and Post Clearance Audit and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Mr Ayobiojo stated that freight forwarders were happy to work with the customs, commending the organisation for implementing Chapter 99, describing it as a major relief for manufacturers.
He, however, emphasised that a deeper understanding of the new tax was necessary for his members, saying more predictable procedures would reduce delays and unexpected costs for importers and freight forwarders.
In his remarks, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr Adewale Adeniyi, assured manufacturers, freight forwarders and other players in the nation’s trade sector that the NCS would continue to engage them on fiscal policies affecting their businesses, saying sustained dialogue remains key to resolving implementation challenges and improving the country’s trading environment.
He also promised them the service’s resolve to enhance and facilitate trade, acknowledging that, “Your feedback is important because it helps us understand what is happening in the field, and where necessary, we will take your concerns to the Federal Ministry of Finance and other relevant government institutions.”
Speaking about Authorised Economic Operator (AEO), Mr Adeniyi further explained that Nigeria would not lower the standards required under the Authorised Economic Operator Programme as the initiative is guided by global benchmarks established by the World Customs Organisation (WCO).
On her part, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs for Tariff and Trade, Ms Caroline Niagwan, clarified that electric vehicles can be imported without payment of duty only by holders of Import Duty Exemption Certificate (IDEC) issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance.
She also urged importers facing classification disputes to take advantage of the Advance Ruling system, noting, “Once an Advance Ruling is issued based on genuine documentation, importers have certainty on classification, valuation or origin before the goods arrive, thereby reducing unnecessary disputes during clearance.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira appreciated against the US Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Friday, July 17, by N1.35 or 0.07 per cent to N1,380.18/$1 from N1,381.53/$1.
It also improved its value against the Pound Sterling in the same market segment during the session by N11.75 to trade at N1,854.42/£1 compared with the previous day’s N1,866.17/£1, and gained N5.69 against the Euro to sell at N1,576.99/€1 versus Thursday’s closing price of N1,582.68/€1.
In the same vein, the Naira chalked up N1 against the United States currency yesterday at the GTBank forex desk to quote at N1,388/$1, in contrast to the preceding day’s N1,389/$1, but closed flat at the black market at N1,405/$1.
The appreciation of the Nigerian currency on Friday came amid fresh signals that Nigeria is building its external reserves for protection against shocks and excessive currency volatility.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso, said the country’s gross reserves had risen above approximately $52 billion by 15 July, while net reserves had increased from about $3 billion when the current CBN leadership took office to more than $40 billion.
Mr Cardoso linked the increase in reserves to reforms that had restored greater confidence in the foreign exchange system. He also pointed to efforts to diversify foreign currency inflows, including policies designed to increase remittances through official channels.
He noted that monthly diaspora remittances had risen above $600 million and the CBN expected them to reach approximately $1 billion by the end of 2026. The target is part of a broader effort to grow reserves through recurring inflows rather than temporary measures.
The improvement, he argued, had strengthened Nigeria’s capacity to respond when unexpected events threatened market stability.
The apex bank has also launched a new digital platform that will track every foreign exchange transaction involving Bureau De Change (BDC) operators, marking a major step in its efforts to improve transparency and strengthen oversight of Nigeria’s retail forex market.
As for the crypto market, prices were up as markets overlooked geopolitical developments and macro forces weighing on the whole market ecosystem rather than anything crypto-specific, with Cardano (ADA) up by 4.6 per cent to $0.1661.
Bitcoin (BTC) jumped by 1.8 per cent to $63,968.32, Ethereum (ETH) improved by 0.9 per cent to $1,843.88, Dogecoin (DOGE) also rose by 0.9 per cent to $0.0723, Solana (SOL) soared by 0.6 per cent to $74.90, Ripple (XRP) also appreciated by 0.6 per cent to $1.08, and Binance Coin (BNB) advanced by 0.1 per cent to $567.32.
However, TRON (TRX) depreciated by 0.2 per cent to close at $0.3218, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchanged at $1.00 each.
