Author: Ogochukwu Ndubuisi

IMF Projects Global 2026 Growth at 3.0%, Forecasts Nigeria at 4.1% The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that global economic growth will slow to 3.0 per cent in 2026 before recovering to 3.4 per cent in 2027. The IMF projected in its July World Economic Outlook (WEO) Update, released on Wednesday and titled “Global Economy in Crosscurrents of War and Technology.” According to the report, the global outlook remains uneven, with the ongoing war in the Middle East weighing heavily on energy-importing and vulnerable economies. It, however, said that Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven demand was lifting countries integrated into the…

NCC Seeks Transparent Pricing Framework for Fibre Infrastructure Sharing The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Wednesday in Abuja, says it is seeking a fair, sustainable and transparent pricing framework for fibre infrastructure sharing under Nigeria’s Dig-Once policy. This is made known by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Mr Nadungu Gagare, at a Stakeholders’ Forum on Developing a Pricing Mechanism and Cost-Based Structure for Sharing Duct Built under the Dig-Once Policy. The Stakeholders’ Forum was organised by the NCC. Gagare said the engagement was critical to ensuring that the policy achieved its objectives of…

Trump Says Ceasefire With Iran is Over U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the ceasefire with Iran “is over,” and he does not want to deal with Iran anymore. Speaking to journalists alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump said he no longer wants to engage with Iranian officials. “For me, I think it is over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They are sick people; they are led by sick people; they are vicious, violent people,” he noted. “If they had nuclear weapons, they would use them. As far as I am concerned, it (the ceasefire)…

Nigerians on Health Insurance Hit 22m –NHIA The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) says the number of Nigerians enrolled in health insurance has risen to more than 22 million. The Director-General of NHIA, Kelechi Ohiri, said this resulted from the implementation of the mandatory health insurance, which has gained momentum nationwide. He said this on Wednesday at the Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Insurance and Pension Editors (NAIPE) in Lagos. Ohiri said enrolment had increased to 22.03 million, representing a 35 per cent year-on-year growth. He said that this was driven by stronger collaboration with State Social…

NNPC Signs Six Strategic Gas Deals to Boost Industrialisation, Energy Security The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has signed six strategic agreements with key industry partners to deepen gas utilisation, strengthen energy security and accelerate Nigeria’s gas-based industrialisation drive. The agreements signed on the sidelines of the 25th Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) Energy Week in Abuja on Tuesday include a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and a Gas Sale and Aggregation Agreement (GSAA) with Ajaokuta Steel Company Ltd. (ASCL). The agreements also include a Gas Sale Agreement (GSA) with UTM Floating LNG (FLNG), and three Network Entry Agreements…

Emefiele: I was Given Oral Waiver to Transact in Disputed Accounts – Witness A witness in the trial of the ex-governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, on Tuesday told an FCT High Court, sitting in Maitama, Abuja, that he was given an oral waiver to handle disputed transactions into companies’ accounts. The witness, Richard Agulu, a former Zenith Bank staff member, is the third prosecution witness (PW3) and clarified during cross-examination by Mathew Burkaa, SAN, counsel to Emefiele in Abuja. Emefiele was charged along with one Eric Ocheme, said to be at large, in the charge…

FG Vows to Deliver Tech-driven $1trn Economy The Federal Government said on Tuesday in Abuja that it is committed to delivering an economy built on technological innovations. The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Udeh, said this when he visited the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP). During the visit, the minister inspected ‘Project Nova,’ a reconstructed facility specifically designed to house deep tech and machine learning infrastructure to empower Nigerians with practical, market-ready skills. Addressing the NOTAP leadership, Udeh praised the NOTAP Director-General, Dr Obiageli Amadiobi, for transforming an existing structure into a people-centric hub…

Trump in Turkey to Attend High-Stakes NATO Summit U.S. President Donald Trump landed in Ankara on Tuesday to attend a high-stakes two-day NATO summit, which differences over defence spending and the war in Iran could overshadow. Trump descended from Air Force One, a plane Qatar had gifted him, after it touched down at the Etimesgut air base, according to live footage broadcast online. He was greeted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the foot of the stairs. Erdoğan, who is known to get along well with Trump, chatted with the U.S. president as the two leaders walked along a…

Ebola Outbreak in Congo Still in ‘Expansion Phase ’-WHO World Health Organisation (WHO) official on Tuesday said the Ebola outbreak in Congo has not yet stabilised and is still expanding, with transmission fuelled by ‌the population. The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed 1,561 cases, including 506 deaths, in the worst-ever outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo species of ⁠Ebola for which there is no proven treatment or cure. Dr Anne Ancia, WHO representative in the country, said “it is still in the expansion phase, unfortunately. We would like to say it is stabilising, but frankly we cannot say it yet.’’…

NCAA Warns Revenue Cuts Could Affect Aviation Safety Oversight The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has warned that actions capable of reducing its statutory revenue could weaken its operations and affect aviation safety oversight. The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Mr Michael Achimugu, gave the warning at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday. Achimugu said the concern followed moves to reduce the NCAA’s share of the Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) in favour of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA). He said the NCAA was established as a self-sustaining regulatory body, adding that a bill…