Feature/OPED
Good Governance is Key in Mobilizing Cheaper Debt
By Bernard Oketch
African countries continue to struggle amidst the ever-growing deficit in the provision of decent and affordable housing for their citizens.
With the current cumulative housing deficit reaching over 50 million housing units and growing, there is a need for sustained impetus and collaboration amongst key partners and players in the housing industry to bridge the gap.
As a pan-African supranational institution created to support member countries in solving this challenge, Shelter Afrique believes that with the right funding structure, effective collaboration, and smart partnerships amongst the states, private sector players and multilateral development funding agencies, the objective can be achieved progressively.
The key, however, lies with mobilization of the right and quality funding structure, and effective and honest deployment of the borrowed funds into the respective targeted housing programmes.
The right and quality funding structure would entail key parameters such as longer-tenure financing, low-interest rates, adequate grace periods, sufficient quantum, and funding that is readily available and easily accessible.
Over the years of providing such funding to a diverse set of real estate developers and state-owned agencies in the African countries where we operate, Shelter Afrique has observed that to guarantee an effective and honest deployment of borrowed funds into the targeted affordable housing programmes; the receiving institutions (whether developers or state-owned agencies) must embody good corporate governance practices.
Simply put, the institutions must be seen and perceived to be governed properly, with values and norms that espouse good governance structures and practices.
Key fundamentals
What, then, is good governance in the context of mobilization of appropriate and quality debt capital?
The answer lies in three key fundamental factors that include: having the right governance structures; the right governance processes, systems, and tools; and the right sustained practice that depicts good governance.
Having the right governance structures involves designing and institutionalizing structures that include but are not limited to a board of directors, board sub-committees, executive management committee and sub-committees, business functions and internal audit.
These structures are important – and they give life to a company. They are the engines that drive the business and therefore must be structured in accordance with best practice standards that underpin the industry.
Global corporate governance standards such as the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance together with King IV Code of Governance amongst others are key in shaping the design and framing of these structures and institutions should look beyond their industry and regulatory requirements.
As a lender and the same would apply to other potential lenders in the debt and capital markets, Shelter Afrique always strives to associate with companies that demonstrate sustained appetite and commitment towards strengthening their corporate governance structures by strictly adhering to the laid down statutory laws governing their establishment, their day-to-day operations, and the constitution and operations of boards of such organisations.
Instituting the right governance processes, systems, and tools involves designing and developing an appropriate business strategy, incorporating a best-fit organization structure that helps drive the strategy, and instituting a robust and appropriate business performance management system that tracks performance against the set strategic objectives.
Adopting and conducting regular board evaluation exercises, designing and documenting business processes and procedures, putting in place the right business continuity and resilience management systems, and having a code of ethics and conduct are also key in instituting good governance.
Once an organisation has instituted a good governance structure sustained implementation of good governance practices is critical.
This can be achieved by enhancing staff awareness of the company’s corporate governance structures, processes, systems, and tools; enforcing the good corporate governance culture in the company as a way of life; keeping the board, senior management, and staff accountable for the company’s performance and their actions; and carrying out regular audits, reviews, and reporting on the company’s corporate governance practices.
Any institution that sustainably institutionalizes these factors and progressively strengthens their effectiveness, will fundamentally be an attraction to funders (lenders) including Shelter Afrique.
Those characteristics speak to a key concept in credit management called “Character.” The Character of a borrower is fundamental to determining the creditworthiness of a customer as it discerns the willingness of the borrower to repay the credit once advanced.
Therefore, the above characteristics present immense opportunities to the private sector players (developers) in the affordable housing space to re-align their governance systems and practices with a view to attracting quality and affordable credit.
Mr Oketch is the Head of Enterprise Risk Management at Shelter Afrique
Nigeria’s financial services industry stands at a decisive crossroads as technology leaders prepare for the January 1, 2027, data residency deadline set by the Central Bank of Nigeria. The regulatory mandate requiring all payment transaction records, customer personally identifiable information (PII), and account ledgers to reside within domestic data centres is forcing a structural re-evaluation of banking IT architectures. For executive teams across the country, navigating this transition without interrupting daily banking operations is becoming the ultimate test of leadership.
For years, the industry’s reliance on foreign hyperscale providers delivered quick elasticity and global tools. However, transferring entire production stacks – encompassing real-time transaction processing, API gateways, and fraud scoring engines – back to local infrastructure requires significant engineering effort. With the country handling billions of electronic transactions annually, CIOs are seeking to preserve system uptime while severing deep operational dependencies on foreign data centres.
Experts have opined that the core challenge confronting financial technology teams is the lack of empirical, vendor-neutral benchmarks for domestic cloud platforms. Evaluating whether local data centres can sustain mission-critical financial traffic requires rigorous stress testing rather than relying on theoretical SLAs. The risk of potential downtime during a live migration makes vendor vetting the most crucial phase of the compliance roadmap.
To mitigate these operational risks, infrastructure partners like MTN are mobilising domestic capacity and technical insights tailored for the financial sector. By offering sovereign cloud solutions and collaborative engineering frameworks, MTN is helping CIOs and startups navigate the migration path with minimal disruption. Their localised infrastructure serves as an operational bridge, providing the uptime and data sovereignty assurances that both institutions and regulators require.
Lynda Saint-Nwafor, the Chief Enterprise Business Officer for MTN Nigeria, put it succinctly when she explained the upside of hosting data locally: “Hosting locally means lower latency, faster response times, and compliance with Nigeria’s data regulations. More importantly, it gives Nigerian businesses control, keeping sensitive financial, health, and government data within national borders.”
As the January 2027 benchmark approaches, the metric for success will depend on technical execution and operational discipline across companies.
By Osasikemwen Ighile
For many Nigerian families, the summer holiday is a season of fun, relaxation, and spending quality time together. But with the kids at home, more outings, higher electricity consumption, and extra entertainment costs, it’s also a period when expenses can quietly pile up.
The good news? You don’t have to choose between making memories and managing your finances. With a few smart habits, you can enjoy the holidays while keeping your savings goals on track.
Here are five practical ways to save smarter this summer.
1. Ditch Cash and Spend Smarter
Ever noticed how cash disappears faster than you expected? Whether it’s buying snacks for the kids, paying for transport, or making quick market runs, spending cash can make it difficult to track where your money goes.
Using a debit card can make it easier to track transactions and monitor spending. FairMoney customers can use their debit card for eligible transactions, subject to applicable terms and conditions. You can make payments conveniently at stores, shop online, and easily monitor your transactions. Instead of carrying cash everywhere, you get a clearer picture of your expenses and can avoid unnecessary impulse purchases.
Small changes like this can make a big difference over the course of the holiday.
2. The Kids Are Home—Stay Ahead of Your Utility Bills
School holidays often mean one thing: the TV is almost always on. From cartoons in the morning to football matches in the evening, your cable subscription becomes more important than ever. Add fans, air conditioners, gaming consoles, and other appliances, and it’s easy to see why electricity bills tend to increase during this period.
Rather than waiting until services are disconnected, planning and paying bills on time help households avoid unnecessary late-payment or reconnection charges. FairMoney customers can pay eligible bills and services through the platform, subject to applicable terms and service availability. You can conveniently pay for Cable TV subscriptions, Electricity bills, Internet subscriptions, Airtime and data for the entire family.
Paying bills on time can help reduce the risk of late payment consequences or applicable reconnection charges. Summer is filled with birthdays, outings, family visits, and spontaneous spending. While these moments are worth enjoying, your savings shouldn’t take a holiday.
3. Enjoy the Holidays—but Don’t Pause Your Savings
A simple strategy is to save first before spending. FairMoney customers can also use eligible savings products, such as FairSave and FairTarget, to set aside money towards specific financial goals, subject to the applicable product terms, conditions and eligibility requirements, even if it’s in small amounts. Already planning for the next school term? FairMoney customers can also use eligible savings products, such as FairSave and FairTarget, to set aside money towards specific financial goals, subject to the applicable product terms, conditions and eligibility requirements. Already planning for the next school term? Consider setting aside money regularly towards your school-fee goal. FairTarget can be used to help you organise savings around specific financial goals, subject to the applicable product terms, conditions and eligibility requirements. By starting early and saving consistently, you can better prepare for school-related expenses when the new term begins.
4. Plan Weekly Family Activities Instead of Daily Spending
The holidays don’t have to be expensive to be memorable. Instead of spending money every day on outings, cinemas, or restaurants, create a simple weekly activity plan. One weekend could be a family movie night at home. Another could be a picnic in a nearby park, a cooking competition, indoor games, or a visit to relatives.
Planning activities ahead helps you control spending while still giving everyone something to look forward to. Sometimes, the best memories cost very little.
5. Buy Household Essentials in Bulk
With everyone at home, groceries seem to disappear twice as fast. Instead of making frequent trips to the store, which often lead to impulse purchases, consider buying regularly used items in bulk.
Depending on the retailer and quantity purchased, some household essentials may offer better value when purchased in bulk.. You’ll spend less on transportation, reduce unplanned shopping, and avoid running out of important items.
Summer should be about creating happy memories not financial headaches. By spending more intentionally, paying your bills on time, planning ahead, and staying committed to your savings goals, you can enjoy everything the season has to offer without putting unnecessary pressure on your finances.
A few smart habits today can make the months ahead much easier. And that’s a win for every household.
Osasikemwen Ighile is the Brand Manager for FairMoney Microfinance Bank
Feature/OPED
Beyond the Screen: How Sports and Entertainment Keep Nigeria’s Economy Moving
When we talk about Nigeria’s economy, the conversation usually centres on oil and gas, banking, agriculture, manufacturing and technology. But there is another industry quietly creating jobs and driving economic activity: entertainment and sports. Most times, we only see the finished product. We watch the show, cheer during the match and move on to the […]
When we talk about Nigeria’s economy, the conversation usually centres on oil and gas, banking, agriculture, manufacturing and technology. But there is another industry quietly creating jobs and driving economic activity: entertainment and sports. Most times, we only see the finished product. We watch the show, cheer during the match and move on to the next thing. What we do not always see is the amount of work that happens before those moments reach our screens.
Take Big Brother Naija
When viewers tune in and see the housemates moving around the Big Brother house, it is easy to forget that the house itself is a product of many people’s work. From the interior designers and set builders who create the spaces to the electricians, carpenters, painters and technicians who bring them to life, an entire team works behind the scenes before the first episode even begins.
Once the cameras start rolling, the list gets even longer. Producers, directors, camera operators, sound engineers, editors, stylists, makeup artists, caterers, production assistants and security personnel all have a role to play. Then there is everything that happens outside the house. Publicists, photographers, videographers, digital teams, content creators and media platforms all contribute to keeping the conversation going. The housemates may be the faces audiences remember, but they are only one part of a much bigger entertainment ecosystem.
Sports have a similar impact
When the Super Falcons play a major game, the focus is naturally on the players and what happens on the pitch. But outside the stadium, the game can mean business for viewing centres, food vendors, restaurants and bars. Sports analysts and commentators have more to cover, content creators have something new to create around and businesses selling jerseys and football merchandise get an opportunity to make sales.
A major sporting event can turn an ordinary evening into a busy one for businesses that have little to do with what happens on the pitch. That is the part of sports and entertainment that is easy to overlook. The value is not only in the stars we see or the content we consume. It is also in the network of people whose skills and businesses keep these industries moving.
And this is where DStv and GOtv become an important part of the picture. They do more than give audiences access to the shows, matches and moments they care about. They connect the people producing this content with millions of viewers who keep the industry going.
Every time someone tunes in to Big Brother Naija, follows the Super Falcons or settles in for a major sporting event, they are engaging with an industry that supports producers, creatives, technicians, businesses and other professionals.
The impact of sports and entertainment, therefore, goes beyond what happens on the screen. By bringing some of the biggest entertainment and sporting moments to Nigerian audiences, DStv and GOtv help keep this ecosystem active, visible and working. Because sometimes, when we sit down to watch, we are not just consuming entertainment. We are also supporting an industry that provides jobs.
