portfolio
African Business
Nigeria’s Mass SIM Cancellation Hurts Small Businesses
African Business
On 4 April, millions of Nigerians woke up to discover that they could no longer make voice calls with their SIM cards. The federal government ordered telecommunication companies operating in Nigeria t...
Ghana’s Frustrated Farmers Face Lending Crisis
African Business
Ghanaian farmer Emmanuel Darkey, who runs a sweet-potato production and processing business, is increasingly frustrated with the difficulty of persuading the banks to stump up finance. Over the years,...
Nigeria’s Farmers’ Loan Programme Faces Repayment Crisis
African Business
In 2015, the Nigerian government of Muhammadu Buhari launched a major programme to support farmers across the country with loans in a bid to boost productivity as one of its flagship agricultural poli...
MTN Nigeria And Airtel Africa Launch Payment Service Banks
African Business
MTN Nigeria and Airtel Africa – two of Nigeria’s largest telecommunications companies – announced in November they have received approval in principle from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to operate...
Nigerian States Launch VAT Tax Grab
African Business
A controversy over who should collect value added tax (VAT), the goods and services tax levied on the price of a product or service at each stage of production, distribution or sale, is being fought b...
Nigeria’s Long-awaited Petroleum Industry Act Targets Oil Industry Overhaul
African Business
On 16 August, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the long-awaited Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) into law in a bid to reform Nigeria’s lucrative but chaotic oil and gas industry. In the last 20 years, mu...
‘Macron Understands The Importance Of Nigeria In Africa’ A Conversation With René-Laurent Alciator
African Business
The head of United Bank for Africa's Representative Office in France outlines the opportunities presented by the new France-Nigeria Business Council.
France Moves To Strengthen Economic Relations With Nigeria
African Business
In April 2021, the French minister of foreign trade and economic attractiveness, Franck Riester, was in Nigeria on a two-day bilateral mission. At a meeting with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), he...
Nigerian E-hailing Drivers Strike Over Pay And Conditions
African Business
On 19 April, Uber and Bolt drivers under the aegis of the Professional E-hailing Drivers and Partners Association (PEDPA) embarked on strike action in Lagos to protest inadequate pay.
Igbo Apprenticeship System Fuels Nigeria’s Entrepreneurs
African Business
On a sunny Monday morning in Yaba Market in Lagos, James Igiri brings out some cotton bedspreads, puts them on the floor in front of his shop, and cuts them into sizes by yards to be sold to potential...
Port Harcourt Rehabilitation Causes Controversy In Nigeria
African Business
On 17 March, the federal government of Nigeria approved $1.5bn for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt oil refinery. The project, with Italian contractor Tecnimont, will be completed in three phas...
Okonjo-Iweala’s Trade Vision Clashes With Buhari’s Protectionism
African Business
At the beginning of March, Nigeria’s former finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala assumed office as the first African and female director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Okonjo-Iweala wa...