By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The Director General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has been elected into the executive council of Business Africa.

The platform is the leading continental voice of employers and private sector organisations across Africa, with headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

It serves as a vital platform for promoting private sector development and regional business integration, while also representing African business interests at regional and international forums, including the African Union (AU) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The group is also the umbrella organization representing the interests of the private sector in Africa, serving as a key platform for dialogue between African businesses, governments, and international partners, advocating for policies that promote economic growth, regional integration, and sustainable development.

At the General Assembly of Business Africa on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland, Mr Oyerinde promised to foster Africa’s economic growth and regional integration.

“I am deeply honoured and humbled to be elected to the Executive Council of Business Africa. This is a critical time for Africa’s economic trajectory, and I am eager to contribute to an organization that is so dedicated to empowering our continent’s businesses and unlocking its immense potential.

“I look forward to collaborating with fellow council members to advance policies that foster innovation, attract investment, and create widespread and inclusive prosperity,” the Nigerian stated.

Mr Oyerinde brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record in private sector advocacy, business linkages, sustainable development, digital transformation, regional economic cooperation, investment/trade promotions and leading initiatives focused on empowering SMEs across the continent.

He joins a distinguished group of business leaders from across the continent, that are providing strategic oversight to Business Africa’s efforts in promoting sustainable enterprise development, decent work, job creation, competitive business landscape and economic integration and renaissance across Africa.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The staff strength of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited went down by 197 or 3.46 per cent to 5,495 at the end of the first quarter of 2025 from 5,692 at the end of the first quarter of 2024.

This information was revealed by the national oil firm, which also said its latest workforce was 1.28 per cent or 71 staff lower than the 5,566 recorded in the fourth quarter of 2024.

The report added that 81.8 per cent of the company’s employees are males, while 18.2 per cent are females.

Giving a breakdown of its employees, NNPC disclosed that it has 188 workers in its junior category, comprising 179 males and nine females; while its senior category has 4,118 employees, made up of 3,389 males and 729 females.

Furthermore, the state oil firm said it has 1,025 staff in its middle management category as at the end of the first quarter of 2025, consisting of 803 males and 222 females; while in the top management category, it had 122 males and 42 females, bringing the total staff strength in that category to 164.

Further analysis of its employee data showed that the NNPC had only a staff, a male, in its Junior Staff 2 (JS2) category; 187 members of staff in its JS 1 category; 33 staff in its Senior Staff 7 (SS7) category; 64 staff in its SS6 category; 1,081 staff and 163 staff in its SS5 and SS4 categories, respectively.

In its SS3, SS2 and SS1 category, the NNPC Limited had 354 staff, 488 staff and 1,935 staff, respectively; while in its Management 6 (M6) cadre, the NNPCL had 724 staff.

NNPC had 301 staff, 120 staff, 38 staff, five staff and one staff in its M5, M4, M3, M2 and M1 cadres, respectively.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu in April sacked the former chief executive of the NNPC, Mr Mele Kolo Kyari; the board chairman of the corporation, Mr Pius Akinyelure, and all other board members.

The sacked chief executive was replaced by Mr Bashir Bayo Ojulari, while Mr Ahmadu Musa Kida was appointed non-executive chairman.

The NNPC also carried out a restructuring with a number of senior management staff disengaged, including Mr Bala Wunti, former chief executive of the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS); Mr Ibrahim Onoja, former managing director of the Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) and Mr Lawal Sade, the chief compliance officer and former managing director of NNPC Trading, among others.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), Mr Ayo Adepoju, has been appointed to the company’s board as an executive directive.

A statement from the financial institution disclosed that the appointment became effective Wednesday, June 4, 2025, with the appointee bringing to the board two decades of broad-based leadership experience and deep institutional knowledge as a proud product of the organisation.

Mr Adepoju joined Ecobank in 2012 and earlier worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in London and Lagos, serving in the Financial Services Practice.

His expertise spans financial management, capital markets, strategic planning, capital raising and structuring, treasury management, investor relations, business performance management, governance, enterprise transformation, financial due diligence, internal control, and risk-based audit.

As a distinguished finance executive, the first class graduate of UNILAG has been instrumental in shaping the group’s financial transformation, capital strategy, and long-term resilience. He has also led numerous strategic initiatives, including landmark capital market transactions such as Eurobonds, Basel III-compliant instruments, and sustainability-linked debt

The new board member has held several key leadership positions, including Group Financial Controller, Group Head of Business Performance and Analytics, and currently Group CFO.

“On behalf of my fellow directors, I commend Ayo for his outstanding performance and warmly welcome him to the ETI board.

His proven leadership has fostered trusted relationships with the board and made this appointment both natural and strategic for the group’s future.

“I believe that Ayo embodies Ecobank’s renewed talent philosophy, a homegrown leader with global exposure and a compelling track record. His intellect, integrity, and impact-driven leadership have long been evident.

“His appointment to the board is a testament to our belief in recognizing and elevating excellence from within,” the chairman of Ecobank, Mr Papa Madiaw Ndiaye, stated.

The chief executive of the firm, Mr Jeremy Awori, on his part, said, “Ayo has played a critical role in strengthening Ecobank’s financial resilience and enabling sustainable business growth.

“His ability to manage complexity, innovate in financial strategy, align finance with enterprise-wide transformation, and lead collaboratively has made him a critical member of our executive team.

“I look forward to deepening our partnership as we drive forward our Growth, Transformation and Returns strategy.”