Author: Victor Olayiwola

African Development Bank (AfDB) President Sidi Ould Tah has called on African governments, financial institutions, and development partners to significantly scale up efforts to attract private capital as the continent faces an increasingly urgent development and infrastructure financing gap. He made the appeal during the opening ceremony of the 2025 Africa Investment Forum (AIF) in Rabat, which commenced on 26 November with the theme, “Bridging the Gap: Mobilising Private Capital to Unlock Africa’s Full Potential.” The AfDB President outlined four major strategic priorities that will guide the Bank’s work going forward, stressing the need for decisive action and stronger collaboration…

Vice President Kashim Shettima has returned to Abuja following his diplomatic engagement in Luanda, Angola, where he stood in for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 7th African Union–European Union (AU–EU) Summit. His arrival marks the conclusion of an important international mission that began in South Africa, where he also represented President Tinubu at the 2025 G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg. During the AU–EU Summit in Luanda, Vice President Shettima delivered President Tinubu’s address to African and European leaders, reiterating Nigeria’s position that Africa must secure permanent, veto-wielding seats on the United Nations Security Council. The President’s message emphasized that…

Nigeria has strengthened its call for Africa to obtain permanent, veto-wielding representation on the United Nations Security Council, insisting that meaningful reform of global governance structures has been delayed for far too long. The renewed push was delivered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the first plenary on Peace, Security, Governance and Multilateralism at the 7th African Union–European Union Summit held in Luanda, Angola. Speaking on behalf of the President, Vice President Kashim Shettima emphasized that any modern global system must reflect the political and demographic realities of the 21st century. He stressed that African nations—home to over a billion…

LAGOS, Nigeria, 25 November 2025 – /African Media Agency (AMA)/ – African Business Stories (ABS) has officially rolled out its first-ever Scale Ready Bootcamp in Lagos, marking a major step toward strengthening the pipeline of women-led enterprises capable of scaling across Nigeria, Africa, and global markets. The initiative, held on 7 November 2025, followed a high-level morning Roundtable at Microsoft Nigeria themed “Positioning for Scale in Nigeria and Beyond.” This gathering brought together influential voices from government, finance, and the private sector, including Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade & Investment, Hon. Mrs. Folashade Ambrose-Medebem; Mr. Gbenga Oyebode, MFR,…

Nigeria’s education system faced intense public outcry earlier this year when the West African Examination Council (WAEC) released the initial 2025 O’Level results, revealing that just 38.32% of candidates secured a passing grade. The announcement triggered nationwide debate as critics questioned the dedication of students, the competence of schools, and the overall state of the educational sector. Although WAEC later clarified that a system malfunction had distorted the first set of results—revising the pass rate to slightly above 60%—the episode reinforced a reality many already knew: secondary school learning in Nigeria requires urgent reform. It is within this context that…

The Nigerian government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has once again reasserted its firm opposition to the increasing deployment of private military and security companies in African conflict zones. According to Tinubu, the involvement of these non-state actors poses a direct threat to national sovereignty, weakens coordinated regional security responses, and often complicates the work of legitimate state forces. Speaking during the first plenary session on Peace, Security, Governance, and Multilateralism at the 7th African Union–European Union Summit in Luanda, Angola, Tinubu—represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima—warned that Africa cannot allow its security architecture to be outsourced to private interests.…

British International Investment (BII), the United Kingdom’s development finance institution and a major global impact investor, has partnered with FirstRand, one of Africa’s largest and most influential financial groups, to launch a $150 million financing facility dedicated to expanding Transition Finance across the African continent. The initiative aims to accelerate climate-aligned transformation in key sectors while helping African economies pursue growth, industrialization, and job creation. Transition Finance is increasingly recognized as a crucial tool for supporting high-emitting but economically indispensable industries as they shift toward cleaner and more sustainable operations. Rather than limiting financing to already low-carbon sectors, Transition Finance…

President Lourenço,Chairperson Youssouf,Distinguished guests, It is a privilege to open this Africa–Europe Summit with the Business Forum, a gathering that represents the heartbeat of our partnership. Businesses are not only drivers of trade, investment, and economic activity—they are engines of opportunity. They create livelihoods, transfer skills and knowledge across borders, and build the foundations of the jobs and industries of the future. Today’s forum is therefore about strengthening the ties that connect our companies, our economies, and ultimately our people. Since our last Summit in 2022, the global landscape has become more turbulent. Yet despite the challenges, the relationship between…

African leaders, major financiers, and senior energy executives delivered a united message at the G20 Africa Energy Investment Forum in Johannesburg, hosted by the African Energy Chamber, calling for faster infrastructure development, diversified energy systems, and significantly increased investment across the continent. The discussions and announcements made at the forum set the stage for the upcoming Invest in African Energies (IAE) Summit in Paris, scheduled for April 22–23, 2026, where stakeholders expect these commitments to be transformed into tangible projects, signed deals, and long-term partnerships. Across numerous high-level panels and sector-focused dialogues, speakers repeatedly stressed that Africa’s energy transition cannot…

Nigeria has officially intensified its national efforts to drive and coordinate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), positioning itself as a central force in shaping the future of Africa’s economic integration. This renewed push brings together government ministries, private-sector leaders, civil society, and the media under a unified strategy aimed at maximizing the country’s influence and benefits within the continent-wide trading framework. The initiative was showcased at the first-ever AfCFTA Public–Private–Press (P3) Summit, organized by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) in partnership with the AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee, with support from Afreximbank…