Author: Julius Alagbe

Julius Alagbe is a senior financial journalist and Editor at MarketForces Africa with nearly two decades of experience in finance, accounting, and economics reporting.He is one of Nigeria's most prolific financial market reporters, covering capital markets, monetary policy, corporate earnings, banking, telecoms, and macroeconomic developments across Africa.Julius has built a strong footprint reporting on Nigeria's leading corporates and financial services sector, including coverage of the Nigerian Exchange Group, Central Bank of Nigeria monetary operations, MTN Nigeria, GTCO, and major investment banking transactions.He regularly monitors the CBN’s open market operations, interbank FX markets, and equity market movements, providing readers with real-time intelligence on Nigeria’s financial landscape.His reporting draws on direct access to institutional research from firms including Moody’s Ratings, CardinalStone Securities, Fitch, and other leading African investment houses.Julius brings analytical depth and editorial rigour to every story, making complex financial data accessible to professionals, investors, and policymakers across Africa.Julius Alagbe is based in Lagos, Nigeria.

Collective Investment Schemes Rise Above N3Trn in 2024 –SEC The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says its Collective Investment Schemes (CIS) increased to over N3 trillion in 2024. The Director-General of SEC, Dr Emomotimi Agama, said this in a notice in Abuja. He said that CIS were part of the market system that allowed people to diversify their risk via different angles besides going to companies to invest. Agama said that CIS allowed an individual to invest in 10 companies through one route which was different from going to invest directly in a company. ”In the collective investment schemes, you…

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CAP Plc. Names Sulaiman Iromini as Chief Financial Officer Chemical and Allied Products, CAP, Plc has named Mr. Sulaiman Iromini as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) effective January 13, 2025. The company told the Nigerian Exchange in a regulatory filing on Thursday. According to CAP Plc, Sulaiman is a Chartered Accountant with over 15 years of experience in financial accounting and reporting, audit, regulatory compliance, business partnering, financial management, process optimisation/improvement, treasury, risk management, and controls. The company said the new CFO’s track record of delivering financial growth, driving strategic initiatives, promoting innovation, and leading transformational changes highlights his expertise,…

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Transcorp Power Grows Profit by 165% in 2024, Declares Dividend Transcorp Power Plc grew profit by 165% year on year to N30.2 billion in financial year 2024, the company said in a regulatory filing on Thursday. According to the company’s audited results, revenue grew by 115% year on year to N305.9 billion in 2024 from N142.1 billion in the comparable period. In an official statement, the company said its performance demonstrates strong operational leadership and strategic execution. For the year, the Board of Directors has proposed a final dividend of N3.50k per ordinary share. MarketForces Africa reported that Transcorp Power…

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NAHCO Signs Handling Contracts with Afrijet, Air Sierra Leone The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) has been chosen by two regional operators, Afrijet and Air Sierra Leone (ASL), to handle their ground operations in Nigeria. The Head of Corporate Communications, NAHCO, Mr Tayo Ajakaye, said this in a statement on Thursday in Lagos. According to him, the contracts between the parties will see NAHCO provide excellent service for Afrijet’s flights into Port Harcourt and Lagos. He said the company would also handle Air Sierra Leone’s flights into Lagos. Ajakaye added that the contract with Afrijet was for a three-year period,…

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FG, West Indian Cable Company Launch Fibre-to-Home Internet Connectivity  The Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, in partnership with the West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC), is set to commence the first batch of Fibre-to-home internet connectivity in the country. The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani made this known after the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), between the Ministry and WIOCC group on Wednesday in Abuja. Tijani said that the project was worth ten million dollars. According to him, the initiative will boost the nation’s digital economy and Nigerians will have option of…

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Nigerian Bonds Yield Climbs to 20.4% Ahead of Q1 Auction The average benchmark yield on Nigerian government bonds increased further as riskoff sentiment nudged yield above 20.4% in the secondary market ahead of the first auction to be conducted by the Debt Management Office (DMO) next week. Uncertainties in the fixed income market have increased after the headline inflation rate increased to 34.80% while the monetary authority put up series adjustments that put the benchmark interest rate at 27.50% in 2024. The current market equation revealed that the real return rate printed higher immediately after Nigeria’s inflation rate surged by…

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GTCO Hits All-Time High on Earnings Outlook Optimism GTCO Plc share price climbed to close at an all-time high of N59 in the stock market as investors’ appetite for Tier-1 banking group increased. The banking group gained attention on new optimism and surged to N59 per share ahead of 2025 earnings. Investors bet on GTCO on the expectation that the financial services group would continue to deliver results and boost shareholders returns. According to trading data, GTCO’s share price rose to N59 on Tuesday after more than 4 million shares were traded on the Nigerian Exchange platform, up from N58…

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Naira Plunges as Banks Resume FX Sales to Customers The naira plunged in the official foreign exchange (FX) market on Tuesday on the back of an increased demand for US dollars for payments. According to data from the FMDQ platform, the naira depreciated by 0.31% in the official window, closing at N1,552.78 per dollar. Deposit money banks (DMBs) informed customers in a series of emails that foreign currency sales for personal and business use have been restored. At the beginning of the week, exchange rates worsened by N2.47 to close at N1,550.05 in the official market. “We are excited to…

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