Africa Netpreneur Prize Gets Judges for Semis

By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh The African continent is one of the fastest-growing energy markets in the world. This is due to the growing economic and demographic potential of African countries, as well as the efforts of many of them to combat climate change. Despite having passed through a long period of tumultuous post-colonial era, Africa’s efforts to ensure effective energy cooperation with leading global powers has not been an easy journey down the years. Until today, more than half of the estimated 1.4 billion still have no access to electric power for domestic utilization while industries continue suffering from frequent

By Adedapo Adesanya The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has urged entrepreneurs in Nordic countries and Ireland to make Africa their business and investment destination. According to a statement, the call was made by the lender’s Chief Economist, Mr Kevin Chika Urama, on a spate of official visits to Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden between September 25 – 29. He said Africa’s population boom is projected to make it the world’s most populous region by the end of the century, with up to 3.4 billion people offering huge business and investment opportunities to the rest of the world. “With

By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh Russian President, Mr Vladimir Putin, has held talks with the Equatorial Guinean President, Mr Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who was in Moscow on an official working visit. The visit could be characterized as historic and interpreted as one major step to broadly review the political situation in the Central African region, and specifically assess the prospects for deepening bilateral cooperation between Russia and Equatorial Guinea. As the current rotating Chairman of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the regional economic bloc uniting Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea,

By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh The World Bank has approved a $1 billion loan to support South Africa’s energy sector which is currently experiencing worse conditions including inadequate funds for overhauling, renovation and upgrading. Energy experts believe that the World Bank’s loan, which seems the last resort, would pull South Africa out of its persistent energy crisis that has adversely hit industrial production. The energy problem has forced the country to lean on its highly polluting coal-fired power stations and consistent difficulties of generating enough electricity for its 62 million people. The state-run power utility, Eskom, generates approximately 80% of the

By Modupe Gbadeyanka The process for the commencement of next year’s budget has been approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC). At the FEC meeting held on Wednesday in Abuja, which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Mr Udoma Udoma, told newsmen that the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEFF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (SFP) for 2017-2019 was okayed by the council. According to Mr Udoma, before the MTEFF was presented to the council for consideration, there was an extensive consultation with the private sector, governors and non-governmental organisations. He explained that while

Major League Baseball is one of the most popular sports in America, with attractive MLB picks. It’s also one of the oldest, with its first game being played nearly 150 years ago. If you’re a baseball fan who loves learning about all things related to this sport, then this article is for you! We’ll be taking a look at seven interesting facts about Major League Baseball that will make you feel like a die-hard fan: 1. MLB is the Most Attended Professional Sporting Event in the United States MLB is the most attended professional sporting event in the United States.

By Adedapo Adesanya VFD Group Plc, an investment firm headquartered in Lagos, has been named the 2021 Most Innovative Investment Company in Nigeria by the International Finance Magazine (IFM). IFM is a premium business and finance magazine published in the United Kingdom. It announced the Nigerian firm as winner of the award category at the recently concluded 2021 International Finance Award held in Dubai. VFD Group was chosen as the winner over other nominees, including Investment One, Asset & Resource Management Holding Company, and CardinalStone Partners Limited. According to IFM, the award recognises the Group’s industry talent, leadership skills, industry

By Modupe Gbadeyanka Efforts being made by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to attract investments into Nigeria have been commended by the House of Representatives. Recently, members of the House Committee on Local Content paid an oversight visit to the agency’s premises and project sites in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State and were impressed with what they saw. The lawmakers lauded NCDMB for its diligent implementation of the Nigerian Content Act and speedy execution of its headquarters building project and the Polaku pipemill project. Speaking at the Polaku pipemill site, Chairman of the Committee, Mr Emmanuel Ekon, noted that

By Dipo Olowookere Following an extended period marked by a dearth of activity, significantly weakened issuer interest and diminished investor confidence, the Nigerian Commercial Paper (CP) market may now have accomplished a full and clear revival as registered CP Programmes on the platform of FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange (FMDQ or the OTC Exchange) have crossed N1 trillion in value. Stark opacity and extreme market irregularities which characterised the Nigerian CP market prior to the necessary release of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Guidelines on the Issuance and Treatment of Bankers’ Acceptances and Commercial Paper [2009] (the Guidelines), saw the

An LLC, or limited liability company, is a business structure that provides limited liability protection to its owners. This means that the personal assets of the owners are protected in the event that the company faces legal action. LLCs are popular among small business owners because they are relatively easy to set up and offer a high level of protection from personal financial risk. One of the key features of an LLC is that the owners are jointly and severally liable for the debts and actions of the company. This means that each owner is equally responsible for the financial

By Dipo Olowookere The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has been directed to denominate all charges in local currency, Naira. This order was given by the Nigerian Senate. The move, the red chamber of the National Assembly explained, was to save the aviation sector from the current economic recession. At the plenary on Thursday, the lawmakers appealed to the Federal Government to critically review the currency management systems in Nigeria so as to save the country from further woes making the economy breathe well. The Senate said crisis in the aviation industry in Nigeria was becoming worrisome and urged

By Dipo Olowookere Julphar Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries, the largest generic pharmaceutical company in Middle East and North Africa (MENA), has launched PULSE, the first research application in the region to study behaviours and attitudes in disease management, during a launch event that took place at the Park Hyatt hotel in Dubai on September 30, 2016. PULSE, available on iOS and Android, will support Julphar in studying key therapeutic aspects starting by studying trends in management of dyslipidemia in the region, focusing on its prevalence, clinical practices and treatment, by submitting a medical study in its first phase to 30 selected