General
Dangote Urges African Business Leaders to Drive Transformation
By Adedapo Adesanya
The president of Dangote Group, Mr Aliko Dangote, has called on African business leaders to take the lead in transforming the continent.
According to a statement, the billionaire mogul made this stance while speaking at the just concluded African Renaissance Retreat held in Kigali, Rwanda.
Mr Dangote pointed out that despite significant challenges besetting Africa, its youthful population and abundant resources, including about 30 per cent of the world’s mineral reserves and the largest reserves of gold, cobalt, uranium, platinum, and diamonds, offer opportunities for substantial and inclusive growth.
The retreat was a high-level gathering to discuss issues and align development with the foremost entrepreneurs on the continent and the leaders of the largest pan-African companies including President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and former Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn among others.
Mr Dangote, who initiated the retreat, noted that he had long contemplated bringing together a group of dedicated African business leaders to address the continent’s challenges, identify concrete solutions, and showcase Africa as a viable investment destination despite its obstacles.
“We have 65 per cent of the world’s arable land and 10 per cent of the planet’s internal renewable freshwater sources. Together, these present a myriad of opportunities for robust, inclusive growth that harness our abundant human potential and natural resources to increase prosperity, not just in Africa but across the globe,” he said.
Mr Dangote added that Africa is at a crucial inflexion point, with the world’s youngest and fastest-growing population, rapidly expanding cities, and a growing embrace of innovation and new technologies, including Artificial Intelligence.
He noted that despite dealing with multiple barriers such as visas, inconsistent change in government policies, inadequate technical talent, lack of critical infrastructure, foreign exchange crises, inflation, cost of capital and other conflicts of differing dimensions, the Dangote Group has expanded from Nigeria to 14 countries across the continent, spanning multiple sectors from cement to fertilizers, sugar to oil refineries, petrochemicals, agriculture and more.
“The good news is that despite these challenges, we have succeeded in building a pan-African Group that employs over 50,000 people and generates revenues that should exceed $30 billion by the end of 2025,” he said.
He emphasized that the objective of the retreat was to offer an opportunity for collective action in tackling various issues, including persistent conflicts, energy and food security, supply chain disruptions, the debt crisis, and access to long-term concessional funding for development.
“We are coming together not just as leaders in our respective institutions but as visionaries and catalysts for transforming our societies. It is our collective responsibility to play our role in transforming our continent. Nobody will do it for us but us – especially us in this room,” he noted.
He also cautioned that it is crucial for the leaders present to move beyond dialogue to decisive implementation and tangible impact.
Other participants at the retreat, which took place from September 6 to 8, included Ms Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; Mr Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank; former Liberian President, Mrs Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; Mr Adebayo Ogunlesi, Chairperson of Global Infrastructure Partners; former Ethiopian Prime Minister, Mr Hailemariam Dessalegn, Mrs Samaila Zubairu of the African Finance Corporation, Mr Makhtar Diop of IFC, and Mr Jeremy Awori, CEO of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has reaffirmed its commitment to accountability, improved performance, and sustained growth in the maritime sector, as the country recorded zero piracy incidents on its territorial waters for the fourth consecutive year.
This came with the signing of its 2026 Sectoral Performance Bond, overseen by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola.
According to the Director-General of NIMASA, Mr Dayo Mobereola, the Performance Bond is a key governance instrument for tracking deliverables, strengthening institutional accountability, and aligning the Agency’s operations with national priorities.
He stated that NIMASA’s ongoing reforms are driven by purposeful leadership and strategic ministerial support, adding that the Agency remains committed to delivering on its mandate in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
On maritime security, Mobereola disclosed that Nigeria has recorded zero piracy incidents in its territorial waters over the past four years, attributing the milestone to enhanced surveillance systems and improved inter-agency collaboration.
He further revealed that the Agency is at an advanced stage of automating its ship registry processes, a move expected to improve efficiency, reduce delays, and boost Nigeria’s competitiveness in global maritime business.
Providing an update on the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF), the NIMASA boss said more than 60 applications have been received since the portal was launched in January 2026, assuring that the disbursement process will be transparent and strictly monitored.
Mr Mobereola also noted that Nigeria has deposited three conventions with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), while three others are awaiting Federal Executive Council approval, underscoring the country’s commitment to international maritime standards.
Speaking further, he noted that Nigeria’s election into category C at the IMO Council in November 2025 restored its voice in global maritime governance and strengthened its leadership role in Africa.
In his remarks, Minister Oyetola reiterated the federal government’s commitment to using the maritime sector to drive economic diversification, job creation, and foreign exchange earnings.
He stressed that the Performance Bonds are binding commitments that will be closely monitored, declaring that “accountability is not optional.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) says it has expanded its market surveillance and product testing to electrical and electronic products to ensure strict regulatory compliance.
The organisation also said it was extending market surveillance to cables and other building materials due to significant product safety issues regarding collapsed buildings.
According to the Director of the Surveillance and Investigations Department at FCCPC, Mrs Boladale Adeyinka, there are products that did not meet basic safety and quality standards in circulation.
She noted that where business conduct raises concerns about consumer safety, such matters would be investigated.
Mrs Adeyinka said the commission was coordinating with various sector regulators to address weaknesses that permitted unsafe products to enter or remain in the market.
”When a product presents a risk, the law requires prompt collective action, including product withdrawal, product recall, and proper notice to the consumer.
“If you are producing products in Nigeria and you discover there is a safety concern or likely to be a safety concern with respect to products that you have rolled out in the market, you have an obligation to withdraw and recall them.
“You also give notice to consumers who have purchased those products to be able to make the remedial actions, particularly with products that may significantly affect the lives of consumers of those products.”
“These are not optional expectations but legal requirements under our law. They are statutory duties to ensure product safety and consumer welfare in Nigeria.
“Failure to act responsibly by recalling, withdrawing, and issuing consumer notice will attract strict and stiff regulatory response from the commission,” she added.
The official noted that, “Compliance is not a favour to the regulator,” she stated.
Mrs Adeyinka also said FCCPC, headed by Mr Tunji Bello, remained committed to effectively monitoring and enforcing compliance across the market.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Speaker of the Kebbi State House of Assembly, Mr Muhammad Usman Zuru, has died in an Egyptian hospital.
He was said to have breathed his last on Monday night at the North African healthcare facility.
Details surrounding his death last night have yet to be made public, but the Special Adviser to Governor Nasir Idris on Communication and Strategy, Mr Idris Zuru, said, “We are still gathering full details surrounding his passing. The government will make an official statement and announce burial arrangements in consultation with the family.”
“The death of the Speaker, Muhammad Usman Zuru, came to us as a rude shock. It is a painful loss not only to Kebbi State but to the entire nation,” the media aide further stated.
It was gathered that the late Speaker travelled to Egypt to receive treatment for an undisclosed illness.
Before his passing, the lawmaker represented Zuru Constituency in the Kebbi State House of Assembly.
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