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
Nigeria is eyeing stronger diplomatic and strategic ties when it comes to sustainable development as it participates in the 2026 edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW).
President Bola Tinubu arrived in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Sunday. His plane landed at the Presidential Wing of Zayed International Airport at exactly 11:30 pm local time.
He was received by Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi; Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar; and members of the Nigerian diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi.
Several other ministers, including the Minister of Budget and Planning, Mr Atiku Bagudu; the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs Jumoke Oduwole; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mr Mohammed Mohammed, welcomed President Tinubu at his hotel.
President Tinubu arrived in Abu Dhabi from Europe, where he spent part of his end-of-year break, engaging in fruitful discussions with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and French President Emmanuel Macron, according to a statement by the presidency.
The 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, with the theme The Nexus of Next, All Systems Go, is a global platform that brings together world leaders, policymakers, investors, and experts to advance dialogue and action on sustainable development, climate action, energy transition, and inclusive economic growth.
This visit further reinforces the strong diplomatic and economic ties between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while positioning Nigeria as an active contributor to global conversations on sustainable development.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to account for about N55.9 billion earmarked for the purchase of some materials for the 2019 general elections has forced the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) to file a lawsuit against the commission.
In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/38/2026 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, SERAP asked the court for an order of mandamus to compel INEC to disclose the names of all contractors paid the sum of money.
It was claimed that the N55.9 billion was meant for the purchase of smart card readers, ballot papers, result sheets and other election materials for the 2019 general elections, which produced the late Mr Muhammadu Buhari as President for a second term in office.
SERAP is relying on the latest annual report published by the Auditor-General on September 9, 2025, to ask for the use of the funds, which is said to be missing or diverted.
The organisation argued that the electoral umpire “must operate without corruption if the commission is to ensure free and fair elections in the country and uphold Nigerians’ right to participation.”
“INEC cannot ensure impartial administration of future elections if these allegations are not satisfactorily addressed, perpetrators including the contractors involved are not prosecuted and the proceeds of corruption are not fully recovered,” a part of the statement issued by the group stated.
“INEC cannot properly carry out its constitutional and statutory responsibilities to conduct free and fair elections in the country if it continues to fail to uphold the basic principles of transparency, accountability and the rule of law.
“These allegations also constitute abuse of public office and show the urgent need by INEC to commit to transparency, accountability, clean governance and the rule of law,” it further declared.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Ministry of Finance has directed all shipping companies and airlines operating in Nigeria to submit their manifests through the Single Window Project (SWP) as part of efforts to strengthen cargo tracking and transparency.
The submission of shipping manifests before the change of policy was handled exclusively by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for onward cargo processing and port clearance.
However, following a memo from late last year signed by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, all shipping firms and airlines were directed to integrate with the National Single Window platform to ensure seamless Manifests submission.
“I would like to bring to your attention that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inaugurated the National Single Window (NSW) Project on the 16th of April 2024.
The NSW Project aims to streamline and automate import and export processes at Nigeria’s entry & exit ports, with the dual goals of enhancing trade facilitation and increasing government revenue.
“By integrating the operations of multiple government agencies involved in trade processes on one platform, the NSW platform will ensure faster clearance of goods and services, improve operational efficiencies at the imports and significantly reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks.
“Key components of the Single Window as defined by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and World Customs Organisation (WCO) include: (a) a single-entry point i.e. traders, shipping lines, airlines and other stakeholders should submit all required import and export documentation through a single-entry point on a centralized digital platform, and (b) single submission i.e. all documentation should only be submitted once and data only entered once.
“As a result, the NSW Platform will be the single-entry point of submission for all Sea and Air Manifests. Therefore, all shipping lines and airlines are therefore directed to integrate with the NSW Platform to ensure seamless Manifests submission,” parts of the memo read.
The Comptroller-General of the NCS, the chairman of the Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS), the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) were copied in the memo.
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