General
Nigeria’s GBS Market at $286.8m, S/Africa at $4.7bn, Egypt at $4bn
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
There are strong indications that in 2023, the global business services (GBS) market in Africa will worth $19.8 billion, higher than the current value, $15.1 billion.
According to the 2021 Africa GBS Benchmarking and Market Report by Knowledge Executive, the African continent will play a major part in the sector in the future because of its vast labour.
In the report, it was stated that business process outsourcing (BPO) and information technology outsourcing (ITO) are at the forefront of Africa’s rapid growth rates.
This growth, it said, is bolstered by multiple factors, including improved economic governance, relative political stability, an abundance of educated youth within the continent’s labour pool, comparatively lower salary and labour costs, in addition to focused efforts from African policymakers to support this crucial sector.
The report stated that the past year has accelerated outsourcing adoption to reduce costs and maintain revenue across the globe – and Africa has emerged as a significant beneficiary.
It was disclosed that the continent was in the developing stage of the GBS lifecycle, but already showing signs of global competitiveness and rapid maturity.
According to the report, South Africa is the continent’s largest GBS player by market share (domestic and international), valued at an estimated $4.7 billion.
The local sector employs over 261,082 domestic and international service workers from the country’s sizeable English-speaking workforce with competencies across most outsourcing services, including digitally-enabled contact centres and customer experience lifecycle management services. Surveyed enterprise executives rated the country best for contact centre voice, back-office processing and customer administration service delivery.
Egypt has the second largest domestic and international GBS market share on the continent, valued at $4 billion (excluding IT services).
The country offers a highly-skilled, multilingual, diverse talent pool, with competitive labour costs and the second-largest youth population in Africa (36.3 million citizens aged between 18-35 years). The native Arabic language also opens Egypt to the Arabic market of 300 million consumers.
Africa’s largest economy by GDP ($448 billion), Nigeria, boasts a well-established ICT sector – the largest on the continent.
This feature serves as an excellent foundation for developing the country’s GBS market, which is already valued at an estimated $286.8 million and employing approximately 16,540 workers.
Coupled with a focus on sector-specific skills and education, the country stands poised to take advantage of the largest population of English speakers in Africa and the highest number of youths aged between 18-35 years in Africa (53 million).
Smaller nations are also capitalising on this increasing international demand. Rwanda is an emerging GBS market with a large population of English and French speakers able to service English and Francophone countries. It offers reliable and advanced communications infrastructure with 95% LTE network coverage.
Botswana is another emerging GBS location. The country boasts macroeconomic stability and offers attractive investment incentives and a growing pool of educated, English-speaking workers.
Senegal has become a popular French alternative market for BPO services. Ghana boasts a scalable pool of English-speaking and computer literate talent and a growing youth population. Zimbabwe has bold GBS development plans based on its highly educated talent pool for niche services.
Investing and buying on the continent continues to be a venture filled with potential and undiscovered returns. And as more international businesses look to do so, insights such as those gleaned from the Africa GBS Benchmarking and Market Report will be invaluable in making informed decisions on outsourcing, co-sourcing or expansion.
The report said it got its findings from interviews with over 140 global enterprise executives from North America and European organisations that outsource, or plan to outsource, to Africa.
In addition, profiling surveys were conducted on over 500 GBS service providers and delivery centres across 19 African countries. These markets represent a mix of mature, emerging and nascent GBS locations in Africa that now serve as key locations for global and local investors and buyers.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A hotline number, 0800 123 5264, for Nigerians to report any MRS Oil Nigeria Plc filling stations selling Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, above the approved pump price of N739 per litre, has been released by Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
The private refiner said the number was now active nationwide, enabling consumers to promptly report violations and help maintain fair pricing across over 2,000 MRS stations.
This measure follows the refinery’s recent commencement of nationwide PMS sales at N739 per litre—a strategic intervention aimed at stabilising fuel prices and easing the financial burden on Nigerians during the festive season.
“We encourage Nigerians to avoid purchasing PMS at inflated prices when locally refined fuel is available at N739 per litre.
“Report any MRS station selling above this price by calling our hotline. Together, we can ensure that the benefits of this price reduction reach every consumer,” the company stated in a statement.
The organisation stressed its mission to deliver affordable, high-quality fuel while safeguarding national economic interests, reaffirming its commitment to steady supply, backed by a guaranteed daily output of 50 million litres, and warned against attempts to create artificial scarcity or manipulate supply.
Regulatory authorities have been urged to remain vigilant and take decisive action against unpatriotic practices.
By refining locally at scale, Dangote Refinery is reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imports, conserving foreign exchange, stabilising the Naira, and strengthening energy security. This initiative represents a significant milestone in the country’s journey toward sustainable energy solutions and economic recovery.
The refinery also issued a stern warning against attempts by unscrupulous operators to create artificial scarcity in response to the price reduction, calling on government agencies to act decisively.
“Any attempt to create artificial scarcity or manipulate supply to frustrate recent price reductions is unpatriotic and unacceptable. We urge regulatory authorities to remain vigilant and take firm action against such practices, especially during this critical festive period,” the statement added.
Consumers were advised to resist purchasing fuel at inflated prices when cheaper, high-quality alternatives are readily available.
By Bon Peters
The Airport Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) at Omagwa Rivers State has praised the Customs Area Controller for Customs Area 1 Command, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku.
At the end-of-the-year party attended by stakeholders, including the leader of the association’s chapter, Mr Charles Onyema, said the customs officer has done well in stakeholder engagement and trade facilitation.
At the event held last Friday, he said his association has been enjoying a very cordial relationship with other organisation in the ecosystem.
“You can see what is happening today, everybody is working together and our operations here are seamless,” he noted.
He stated that apart from creating a very robust business environment for his members and other stakeholders to operate, he has taken a decision to build and commission a befitting ANLCA Secretariat which would be completed soon and be commissioned by the ANLCA national president, Mr Emenike Nwokeoji.
The ANLCA chapter chief said since “Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku assumed office at Customs Area 1, Port Harcourt Command, it has been a different ball game, facilitating trade and increasing Revenue generation.”
“I remember I told her she was a mother during her maiden visit to the airport.
“You know when you have a woman in charge of an affair, food will not lack, compassion will not lack and motherly love will not lack.
“She is very wonderful in stakeholder engagement, revenue generation and trade facilitation,” Mr Onyema enthused.
Projecting into the future, Mr. Onyema said the year 2026 would be better for his members, adding that he has advised them on financial discipline which he said would help them during the trying period.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has declared Thursday, December 25, and Friday, December 26, 2025, as public holidays to mark Christmas and Boxing Day respectively.
The government also declared Thursday, January 1, 2026, for the New Year celebration.
The declaration was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Mrs Magdalene Ajani, on behalf of the Minister of Interior, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
According to the statement, the Minister urged Nigerians to reflect on the values of love, peace, humility and sacrifice associated with the birth of Jesus Christ.
Mr Tunji-Ojo also called on citizens, irrespective of faith or ethnicity, to use the festive season to pray for peace, improved security and national progress.
He further advised Nigerians to remain law-abiding and security-conscious during the celebrations, while wishing them a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Business Post reports that on these public holidays – the foreign exchange market, the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), as well as the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange will not open to trade.
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