African youths have business ideas but lack funds – AfDB boss – Newstrends
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African youths have business ideas but lack funds – AfDB boss

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4 years ago

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African youths are faced with lack of funds to turn their brilliant ideas into viable businesses, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, has said.
He therefore urged governments and private sectors on the continent to support large-scale youth businesses with needed funds.
Adesina said this on Monday at a virtual high-level roundtable discussion on ‘Scaling up Financing for Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Africa’.
He said leaders must go beyond sermonizing about creating jobs by funding the capacities and entrepreneurial drive of the youths in Africa.
He said, “We must grow, finance and support large scale successes of youth-led businesses in Africa.
“Existing financial institutions have failed to meet the needs of this rapidly growing population of the continent.”
He also said, “This is due to lack of appropriate financing instruments; archaic credit risk assessments; focus on collaterals which the youth do not have; and lack of long-term financing horizon.
“That can deploy different types of financing instruments, from debt, equity, quasi-equity and guarantees over the life cycle of the businesses of the youth.”
According to Adesina, the continent has several programmes directed at improving the skills of the youth by countries, supported by bilateral and multilateral finance institutions.
He said though such programmes might have helped to impart some skills to support entrepreneurship, the youths were still faced with financing challenges to turn their ideas into viable businesses.
He said, “It is time to put the capital of Africa at risk on behalf of the youth.
“It is time to create new financial ecosystems that are able to support the businesses of the youth, grow them, and unlock the latent demand for financing by millions of the youth.
“This will help to turn Africa’s demographic asset into an economic asset for Africa, and for that, we must nurture the businesses of young people.
“We must tackle market failures and missing institutions that prevent the youth entrepreneurs from reaching their potential.”
He noted that with a new financial ecosystem around the youth “that was systemic, scalable and sustainable, Africa would create youth-based wealth and jobs across the continent.”
Arancha Laya, minister of foreign affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Spain, noted that entrepreneurship was recognised as a driver for economic growth but pointed out that there were too many hurdles confronting intra-African trade.
“In this endeavour, I believe it will be crucial to give youth access to appropriate financing mechanisms, capacity building and implementing legal and institutional reforms to address the barriers that young people face in accessing corporate financial markets,” she said.
In its Job for Youth in Africa Strategy, AfDB plans to create 25 million direct and indirect jobs and empower 50 million youth over ten years.

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How to use $23bn forex reserves to stablise exchange rate, by Uwaleke

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April 7, 2025

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How to use $23bn forex reserves to stablise exchange rate, by Uwaleke

A financial expert, Prof. Uche Uwaleke has said the accretion of Foreign Exchange Reserves (NRER) at 23.11 billion dollars to Nigeria’s external reserves puts the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in a stronger position to defend the value of the naira.

“The CBN can leverage rising external reserves to intervene in the forex market whenever it becomes necessary to stabilise the exchange rate,” Uwaleke said while arguing that the current size of the NER will positively impact on the value of the Naira.

Uwaleke, a Professor of Capital Market at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, is also the President of the Capital Market Academics of Nigeria, however, raised concerns that the increase in the nation’s foreign reserves had been largely on account of temporary FX inflows such as Foreign Portfolio Investments (FPIs) and foreign loans.

He said that they represented unsustainable sources of growing external reserves.

“Impatient capital such as FPIs carry a lot of risks and have the potential of destabilising the economy whenever they leave the country.

“Against this backdrop, the government should pay more attention to diversifying the export base of the economy, especially via agriculture and solid minerals.

“The government should also create the enabling environment that attracts sustainable Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) ,” he said.

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The CBN recently revealed that the NFER stood at 23.11 billion dollars at the end of 2024, their highest level in three years.

The apex bank said that the development signalled a major improvement in the country’s external financial position.

It said that the NFER, which adjusts gross reserves to account for near-term liabilities such as currency swaps and forward contracts, stood at 3.99 billion dollars at the end of 2023.

According to the CBN Governor, Yemi Cardoso, the improved position was due to substantial reduction in short-term foreign exchange liabilities, notably swaps and forward obligations.

Cardoso cited measures aimed at boosting forex market confidence and reserves, alongside increased non-oil foreign exchange inflows.

“This improvement in our net reserves is not accidental; it is the outcome of deliberate policy choices aimed at rebuilding confidence, reducing vulnerabilities, and laying the foundation for long-term stability.

“We remain focused on sustaining this progress through transparency, discipline, and market-driven reforms,” Cardoso said.

He said that Gross external reserves also climbed to 40.19 billion dollars at the end of 2024, up from 33.22 billion dollars the previous year.

“Reserves declined in the first quarter of 2025 due to seasonal factors and foreign debt interest payments, the CBN anticipates a steady uptick in reserves throughout the second quarter,” Cardoso said.

 

How to use $23bn forex reserves to stablise exchange rate, by Uwaleke
(NAN)

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Fuel prices to fall as global cost of crude drops

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April 6, 2025

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Fuel prices to fall as global cost of crude drops 

Nigerians are expected to pay less for Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, as the price of Brent dropped to $65 per barrel from $69.90 per barrel in the global market.

The price of Brent is used globally to benchmark the prices of other crudes. major feedstocks – and by extension petroleum products prices.

The development was partly fueled by the US President Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping new tariffs.

This was reportedly fueled by the decision of the Organisation of Oil Producing Countries and its allies to increase oil output by 410,000 barrels per day starting May 2025 far above the 135,000 barrels originally planned.

A report by Vanguard stated that the depot prices of Mainland, A.Y.M and Ever have dropped to N918 per litre from N920 and N919 from N920 per litre, respectively.

Also, the depot prices of Prudent, Eterna and Soroman have dropped to N912 from N913 per litre, N897 from N900 per litre and N915 from N916 per litre, respectively.

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According to petroleumprice.ng, oil marketers would likely adjust their pump prices downwards as they get new supplies this week, if the current market condition persists.

The Vanguard report quoted the President of Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, PETROAN, Billy Gillis-Harry, expressed optimism that the development would culminate in low costs of fares, goods and services if the fundamentals persist in the market.

OPEC stated, “The eight OPEC+ countries, which previously announced additional voluntary adjustments in April and November 2023, namely Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman met virtually on 3 April 2025, to review global market conditions and outlook.

“In view of the continuing healthy market fundamentals and the positive market outlook, and in accordance with the decision agreed upon on 5 December 2024, subsequently reaffirmed on 3 March 2025, to start a gradual and flexible return of the 2.2 million barrels per day voluntary adjustments starting from 1 April 2025, the eight participating countries will implement a production adjustment of 411 thousand barrels per day, equivalent to three monthly increments, in May 2025.

“This comprises the increment originally planned for May in addition to two monthly increments. The gradual increases may be paused or reversed subject to evolving market conditions.

“This flexibility will allow the group to continue to support oil market stability. The eight OPEC+ countries also noted that this measure will provide an opportunity for the participating countries to accelerate their compensation.

“The eight countries reaffirmed their commitment to the voluntary production adjustments agreed at the 53rd Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee, JMMC meeting on 3 April 2024.

“They also confirmed their intention to fully compensate any overproduced volume since January 2024 and to submit updated front-loaded compensation plans to the OPEC Secretariat by 15 April 2025.”

Fuel prices to fall as global cost of crude drops

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CBN injects $197.71m to boost FX as Trump trade tariff spreads

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April 6, 2025

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CBN injects $197.71m to boost FX as Trump trade tariff spreads

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has supplied $197.71 million to the foreign exchange market through sales to authorised dealers.

The apex bank’s director of financial markets department, Omolara Duke, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

She noted that the intervention aligned with the apex bank’s ongoing commitment to ensuring adequate liquidity and supporting orderly market functioning.

According to Ms Duke, the move reflects the CBN’s broader objective of fostering a stable, transparent, and efficient foreign exchange market.

She said the decision was largely influenced by recent movements in the FX market, driven by the announcement of new U.S. tariffs and declining crude oil prices.

“The CBN has observed recent fluctuations in the foreign exchange market between April 3 and April 4.

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“These are reflective of broader global macroeconomic shifts currently impacting several emerging markets and developing economies.

“These developments stem from the recent announcement by the United States government of new import tariffs on goods from several economies, triggering a period of adjustment across global markets,” she said.

Ms Duke said crude oil prices had dropped by over 12 per cent, falling to approximately $$65.50 per barrel, introducing new challenges for oil-exporting nations like Nigeria.

She said the CBN would continue monitoring global and domestic market conditions.

Ms Duke expressed confidence in the resilience of Nigeria’s foreign exchange framework, which is designed to adjust in line with evolving economic fundamentals.

“All authorised dealers are reminded to strictly adhere to the principles outlined in the Nigerian FX Market Code and uphold the highest standards in their dealings with clients and market counterparties,” she said.

CBN injects $197.71m to boost FX as Trump trade tariff spreads

(NAN)

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