Economy
Woodhall Finance House Launches Podcast, N1.5bn Creative Sector Fund
By Adedapo Adesanya
Woodhall Finance House, in partnership with the UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade, Polaris Bank, and the Lagos State Government, has launched The Creative Currency Podcast, an initiative designed to serve as both a media platform and an economic catalyst for Nigeria’s creative economy.
According to a statement, the podcast launch was hosted by the British Deputy High Commissioner, Mr Jonny Baxter, at his Lagos residence.
The launch brought together senior policymakers, investors, development finance institutions, high-net-worth individuals, and leading creatives from across Africa.
By weaving together capital flows, policy frameworks, and compelling narratives, the initiative seeks to unlock sustainable growth within Africa’s most vibrant export ecosystem.
Positioned at the nexus of finance, culture, and diplomacy, The Creative Currency Podcast aims to drive investment, strengthen cross-border partnerships, and reinforce the UK-Nigeria creative network as a catalyst for economic transformation.
Speaking on the event, the British Deputy High Commissioner Mr Baxter emphasized the UK’s commitment to creative collaboration, “The UK is proud to support Nigeria’s creative economy through long-term partnerships that combine innovation, investment, and cultural exchange. Through the Creative Industries Technical Working Group – a direct outcome of the UK-Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP) – and platforms such as The Creative Currency Podcast, we are deepening our commitment to creative collaboration.
“This is about creating real opportunities, building lasting partnerships, and empowering the next generation of African talent to thrive on the global stage.”
The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Bada Ambrose, emphasised the state’s position as Africa’s creative capital.
A panel on financing Africa’s creative economy featured Mrs Abimbola Ozomah, Executive Director, Polaris Bank, Sola Carrena, MD/CEO Helios Investment Partners, and Mrs. Mojisola Hunponu-Wusu, President of Woodhall Capital.
The discussion emphasized the need for innovative financial instruments, including blended finance, factoring, and creative bonds, to unlock the sector’s economic potential.
As a bold commitment to Nigeria’s creative industry, Woodhall Finance House announced a N1.5 billion Creative Sector Fund aimed at supporting export-ready creative enterprises and growth-oriented SMEs across fashion, film, music, beauty, and digital arts.
This was accompanied by a fireside chat exploring “UK-Nigeria Cultural Synergies to Drive Global Innovation and Transformation,” featuring Veekee James Atere, Creative Director Veekee James and Shoperikan, Shaffy Bello, Nigerian Film Actress and Singer and Mark Smithson, Country Director, UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT), who shared valuable insights on how cross-cultural collaboration can unlock new creative possibilities.
Commenting on the sector fund, Woodhall Capital Founder and President Mrs Hunponu-Wusu stated, “Creativity is no longer an abstract asset, it is a bankable commodity and must be treated as such by policymakers, investors, and financiers.
“Nobody can tell the Nigerian story like we Nigerians, and nobody is coming to save us. If we want to see real change, we must build our own table, design our own systems, and finance our own narratives.
“Our N1.5 billion Creative Sector Fund is our commitment to doing just that: backing bold ideas, scaling creative businesses, and turning cultural capital into economic power.”
The evening culminated in a cultural exchange under the UK’s Jollof and Tea campaign, a symbolic fusion of Nigerian and British identities through cuisine, conversation, storytelling, and high-level networking.
Guests connected over shared heritage and future ambitions, engaging in dynamic discussions around identity, investment, and the evolving global narrative of African creativity.
The Creative Currency Podcast is redefining the future of Africa’s creative economy, serving as a diplomatic instrument, transaction hub, and catalyst for structural reform. As global demand for African creativity continues to rise, platforms like this are essential for transforming visibility into viability and turning culture into capital, the statement noted.
By Dipo Olowookere
On the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited last week, investors transacted 3.648 billion shares worth N220.568 billion in 251,861 deals compared with the 3.821 billion shares valued at N154.393 billion traded in 258,567 deals a week earlier.
Analysis showed that financial stocks led the activity chart with 2.899 billion units sold for N147.360 billion in 106,603 deals, accounting for 79.48 per cent and 66.81 per cent of the total trading volume and value, respectively.
Services equities recorded a turnover of 164.914 million units valued at N3.615 billion in 16,375 deals, and the consumer goods shares exchanged 157.451 million units worth N7.777 billion in 27,950 deals.
First Holdco, Zenith Bank, and Fidelity Bank were the busiest stocks for the five-day trading week, trading 1.745 billion units valued at N121.828 billion in 31,053 deals, contributing 47.85 per cent and 55.23 per cent to the total trading volume and value, respectively.
Business Post reports that 60 equities appreciated during the week versus 22 equities in the previous week, 28 shares depreciated versus 57 shares of the preceding week, and 58 stocks closed flat versus 67 stocks of the previous week.
International Breweries gained 40.00 per cent to trade at N13.30, RT Briscoe expanded by 32.02 per cent to N13.40, Livestock Feeds improved by 28.47 per cent to N9.25, First Holdco chalked up 25.82 per cent to close at N69.20, and Abbey Bank rose by 23.65 per cent to N9.15.
On the flip side, McNichols lost 28.57 per cent to finish at N5.00, Thomas Wyatt gave up 11.64 per cent to quote at N2.43, Geregu Power declined by 10.00 per cent to N825.70, CAP shed 9.99 per cent to settle at N157.60, and Guinness Nigeria also slipped by 9.99 per cent to N329.00.
Customs Street was under buying pressure last week, making the All-Share Index (ASI) and the market capitalisation close higher by 6.35 per cent to 243,798.76 points and N156.445 trillion, respectively.
In the same vein, all other indices finished higher apart from the growth and sovereign bond indices, which depreciated by 7.43 per cent and 0.02 per cent, respectively.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange rose by 2.30 per cent, spurring the NASD Security Index (NSI) to close higher by 96.61 points to 4,296.34 points from 4,199.73 points, and raising the market capitalisation by N57.99 billion to N2.578 trillion from N2.521 trillion.
The market was up yesterday despite a lower activity level, as the volume of securities traded slumped by 94.7 per cent to 1.3 million units from the previous 23.9 million units. The value of securities slipped by 57.2 per cent to N29.2 million from the preceding session’s N68.2 million, while the number of deals executed by market participants increased by 6.7 per cent to 32 deals from the 30 deals carried out on Thursday.
At the close of transactions, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with a turnover of 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units valued at N6.5 billion in trades, and Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc with 70.8 million units traded for N4.9 billion.
GNI Plc was also 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 exchanged for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units transacted for N415.7 million.
During the trading day, there were three price gainers and two price losers, led by Afriland Properties Plc, which shed N1.48 to sell at N15.17 per share compared with the previous session’s N16.65 per share, and Food Concepts Plc, which slid by 7 Kobo to close at N2.69 per unit versus N2.76 per unit.
Conversely, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc improved its value by N9.50 to trade at N150.00 per share compared with Thursday’s closing price of N140.50 per share, CSCS Plc went up by N7.95 to N89.65 per unit from N81.70 per unit, and 11 Plc soared by N6.94 to N206.95 per share from N200.01 per share.
By Dipo Olowookere
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited lost its footing by 0.07 per cent on Friday as a result of renewed profit-taking by investors.
The fall happened after Thomas Wyatt and Guinness Nigeria led other price losers group comprising 27 stocks at the market yesterday due to selling pressure.
Thomas Wyatt Nigeria shed 10.00 per cent to quote at N2.70, Guinness Nigeria drowned by 9.99 per cent to close at N329.00, Ikeja Hotel slipped by 9.96 per cent to N42.50, Zichis shed 9.94 per cent to trade at N26.37, and McNichols depreciated by 9.91 per cent to N5.00.
On the flip side, International Breweries gained 9.92 per cent to finish at N13.30, NEM Insurance appreciated by 9.61 per cent to N27.95, Jaiz Bank grew by 6.36 per cent to N9.20, UPDC expanded by 6.33 per cent to N4.20, and Livestock Feeds increased by 6.32 per cent to N9.25.
Business Post reports that investor sentiment remained bullish despite the loss recorded during the session, as there were 27 price decliners and 30 price advancers, representing a positive market breadth index.
Yesterday, market participants transacted 441.3 million equities for N19.4 billion in 44,938 deals compared with the 1.7 billion equities worth N112.0 billion traded in 44,780 deals a day earlier. This showed that the trading volume contracted by 74.04 per cent, the trading value declined by 82.68 per cent, and an uptick in the number of deals by 0.35 per cent.
Access Holdings led the activity chart on Friday after selling 40.2 million shares valued at N1.0 billion, Sterling Holdco traded 30.3 million stocks worth N228.8 million, Fidelity Bank sold 26.3 million equities for N505.6 million, Zenith Bank transacted 22.3 million shares valued at N2.5 billion, and First Holdco exchanged 19.0 million stocks worth N1.3 billion.
During the last trading session of the week, the consumer goods sector rose by 0.49 per cent, the insurance counter increased by 0.06 per cent, and the industrial goods index closed flat, while the banking and energy indices lost 0.78 per cent and 0.52 per cent, respectively.
As a result, the All-Share Index (ASI) shrank by 159.97 points to 243,798.76 points from 243,958.73 points, and the market capitalisation moderated by N103 billion to N156.445 trillion from N156.548 trillion.
