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AfDB Portfolio in Nigeria over $6bn, Says Adesina

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7 years ago

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Akinwumi Adesina - Investors King
  • AfDB Portfolio in Nigeria over $6bn, Says Adesina

The President of African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Adewumi Adesina, has said the bank’s total active portfolio in Nigeria is over $6 billion.

Adesina said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja.
“The bank supports Nigeria very strongly.

“When Nigeria was going through a tough economic time, we led the world actually in rallying support around for a budget support which we did at 600 million dollars to help build more resilient economy as it shows a better diversified economy.

“If you look at our total active portfolio in the country now, it is over 6 billion dollars.

“Take for example, we invested over 300 million dollars from the private sector part of the bank in Dangote industries – petro-chemical industries and the fertilizer manufacturing companies.

“We also invested over 100 million dollars in the Indorama fertilizer companies as well; they are looking at us to do more, additional 100 million dollars for them.’’

In addition, he said the bank had been supporting the recovery effort of the federal government in the North-east.

He, however, commended President Buhari for the investment made so far in rebuilding the North-east.

“I give the president kudos for all that has been achieved. We have to rebuild the infrastructure – road.

“We have Basic Livelihood Support Programme for over 250 million dollars that we have done for the North-east of Nigeria.

“On agriculture, the Board has just approved a programme called Enable Youth.

“The programme is to create a generation of young commercial farmers in Nigeria; that is about 430 million dollars we are investing in that.’’

Adesina, who won the 2017 World Food Laureate Award in Agriculture in the United States further said that the bank had been doing a lot of line credit in Nigeria for commercial banks to lend to small and medium size enterprises.

He said that the bank had been talking with the Minister of Power about how to help in the power sector in Nigeria.

“We have invested a lot in the transmission companies of Nigeria.

“We are also helping them to have an additional 200 million dollars to post bonds, to be able to raise money to modernise the transmission network in Nigeria.

“I remember during COP 22 in Morocco, I spoke to the Minister of Power, Fasola and I told him to visit Noor Ouarzazate, the largest Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant in the World, that was financed by the AfDB in Morroco.

“He said he was very pleased with the idea and we are supporting his ministry now with a big project, we are going to do in Jigawa a project on solar.

“We have a number of states that have approached us and we are looking at various opportunities of supporting from Ogun, we are looking into that; we are looking at Kaduna, Kano States and others.

“Nigeria is a big market for us and we are going forward in terms of our planning investment over the next three years.

“It will be over $4.1 billion that we are planning for Nigeria that will cover agriculture, infrastructure, power sector, basic livelihood in terms of water and sanitation,’’ he said.

Adesina, however, expressed optimism over the implementation of the bank projects in Nigeria, adding that there was a very stringent monitoring system to ensure implementation of set targets.

“We are quite pleased with a lot of progress I have seen on several of the projects that we have in Nigeria.

“Obviously, a lot of improvement is needed in terms of the time it takes to actually sign some of the required agreements; it takes a lot of time. “We are going to do better because the more we can do that, the more we can actually show better impact in Nigeria.

“Having talked to the authority to help us improve the time, it takes between when we approve something and when it is signed, it becomes effective in Nigeria.”

Is the CEO and Founder of Investors King Limited. He is a seasoned foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and other prominent platforms. With over two decades of experience in global financial markets, Olukoya is well-recognized in the industry.

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Insurance

Senate Passes Bill to Bolster Nigeria Deposit Insurance, Protect Depositors’ Funds

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5 hours ago

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October 30, 2024

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Insurance - Investors King

The Nigerian Senate has taken a significant step to safeguard depositors and promote trust in the country’s banking system by passing a bill to enhance the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).

The Senate passed the bill on Tuesday, October 29, during its plenary.

Senator Adetokunbo Abiru (APC-Lagos), who sponsored the bill titled “The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation Act 2023” said the bill aims to strengthen the country’s financial system.

According to him, the amendment of the NDIC bill will not only ensure the safety of depositors’ funds but also the stability of financial institutions and promote trust in the banking sector.

Abiru said, “The Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2024, is a critical piece of legislation aimed at strengthening the Nigerian financial system.

“The proposed amendments will enhance the NDIC’s capacity to safeguard depositors, ensure the stability of financial institutions, and promote trust in the banking system.

“Given the rapidly evolving nature of the financial sector, this Bill represents a timely response to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”

He added that the bill seeks to empower the corporation by guaranteeing its independence in performing its statutory functions per Section 1 (3) of the principal Act.

“The principal (2023) Act restricts the President’s power to appoint the Managing Director and Executive Directors, requiring recommendations from the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor.

“The 2024 bill now seeks to align this provision with the President’s appointment powers as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.

“The Act’s provision that makes the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, the Chairman of the Board is also under review due to the demands on that office.

“Furthermore, the bill introduces a requirement for the Minister of Finance to constitute an Interim Management Committee for the Corporation within 30 days after the Board’s term expires or is terminated.

“This is to prevent challenges in the Corporation’s operations caused by the absence of a board.”

The bill, which received the support of all members, was approved following the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance, and Other Financial Institutions’ report review.

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Banking Sector

No System Upgrade Currently Underway, First Bank Tells Customers 

Published

5 days ago

on

October 25, 2024

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FirstBank Headquarter - Investors King

One of the leading first generational banks in Nigeria, First Bank has clarified that it is not embarking on any system upgrade as erroneously reported in the social media.

Many of the commercial bank’s customers have expressed concerns over possible disruptions in banking transactions as fake report filtered that First Bank was upgrading its services.

Some had said there might be difficulties in withdrawing money or using the applications of the bank for their transactions.

Meanwhile, clarifying the misleading reports, First Bank assured its customers of seamless banking operations.

Maintaining that there is no system upgrade underway, a statement issued by the management and obtained by Investors King on Friday explained that the misrepresented statement was intended to its vendors only.

It said the step was focused on transitioning from its current I-Supplier Platform to a new Cloud-Based Supplier for improved benefits for its vendors.

“We wish to address a misleading report circulating in the media regarding a system upgrade at FirstBank.

“The message which was incorrectly interpreted and reported was sent to, and intended for our vendors only and focused on transitioning from our current I-Supplier Platform (our automated platform that connects us to suppliers) to a new Cloud-based Supplier Platform (worldclass platform for managing suppliers), to enable additional capabilities and benefits for our vendors.

“Please be informed that no system upgrade is currently underway, and all our customer applications are fully operational. We are not experiencing disruption to our services, and our banking systems, customer transactions, channels, etc, will not be affected by the enhanced supplier platform.

“Rest assured that our commitment to seamless service delivery remains unwavering as you continue to enjoy uninterrupted access to our services,” the statement reads.

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Loans

NNPC Has Started Settling $6bn Debt to Foreign Suppliers— Wale Edun

Published

6 days ago

on

October 24, 2024

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NNPC - Investors King

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun has said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has commenced the repayment of $6 billion debt owed to suppliers.

Edun made this announcement during a meeting with investors in the U.S. capital on the sidelines of the 2024 annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

The revelation came amidst growing concerns about the NNPC’s financial stability and its capacity to sustain petrol supply to the domestic market.

The company had previously acknowledged owing suppliers of premium motor spirit (PMS).

Addressing the issue of ongoing foreign exchange subsidies, Minister Edun clarified that “In terms of NNPC and their situation, the reality is that, although the subsidy on May 29, 2023, was removed and was no longer on the balance sheet of the government, it did rear its head, not in terms of petrol subsidy, but foreign exchange subsidy, which was borne elsewhere, and borne mainly by NNPC,” the minister said.

Mr Edun also expressed optimism about the company’s future.

“I think what I can say about their own situation is with where they are now, they have a route to paying down their payables and I’m sure that in no time at all, they will start.

“From what I understand, they have even commenced the process of paying down their payables,”he said.

The NNPC had some months ago acknowledged that it was owing the money, but admitted it was remitting money into the purse of the country.

“But NNPC Ltd., through its subsidiary, NNPC Trading, has many open trade credit lines from several traders.

“The company is paying its obligations of related invoices on a first-in-first-out (FIFO) basis,” he said.

“It is not correct to say that NNPC Ltd. has not remitted any money to the Federation Account since January. NNPC Ltd. and all its subsidiaries remit their taxes to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) regularly.

“This is in addition to payments of CIT to road contractors under the Road Investment Tax Credit Scheme. In all, NNPC Ltd. is the largest contributor to the tax revenue shared every month at the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC),” the NNPC had said in a statement in August.

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