Author: Olu Anisere

Mali Faces Major Economic Headwinds, Real GDP to Rise by 5% Mali’s economy is grappling with major headwinds, including food insecurity and security threats, frequent climate shocks, external financing constraints, and an uncertain economic outlook, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said following the 2025 Article IV consultation. The fund said despite these challenges, the economy is showing resilience and is projected to continue to improve over the medium term. The authorities remain committed to a 3 percent fiscal deficit, in line with the WAEMU target to maintain fiscal sustainability, IMF said in a statement. It also noted that the authorities…

TAJBank Signs Agreement for N20bn Mudarabah Sukuk Bond Issuance TAJBank, Nigeria’s leading non-interest lender, has signed the completion agreement for the N20 billion second tranche of its N100 billion Mudarabah Sukuk bond programme. The Founder/Managing Director, of TAJBank, Mr Hamid Joda, made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja Joda said that the latest investment initiative sealed on Tuesday, was coming after about two years of the issuance of the first-ever N10 billion Sukuk bond on the Nigerian Exchange in 2023,. According to him, it presents another opportunity for individuals and corporate investors to stake their funds in…

BUA Foods Hits 52-week High, Market Value Rises to N8.26trn BUA Foods Plc hit 52-week high in the equities market as investors as 151,746 volume exchanged hands. The soft trading volume pushed the stock price higher to N459 from N440 – following a significant increase in dividend. According to data from the Nigerian Exchange, BUA Foods Plc ranked as the second most valuable brand listed in the local bourse in terms of market capitalisation. Investors valued the company’s 18 billion shares outstanding at N8.272 trillion after 151746 units exchanged hands in the market on Tuesday. BUA Foods Plc has enjoyed…

Oil Prices Rise amidst US-China Trade Agreement Oil prices rose amidst US-China agreement in principle on framework to de-escalate tensions between the world’s largest oil consumers. International benchmark Brent crude increased by around 0.19%, trading at $66.35 per barrel, down from $66.22 at the previous session’s close. Similarly, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) increased by about 0.15%, settling at $63.95 per barrel, compared to $63.85 in the prior session. The US and China say they have agreed in principle to a framework for de-escalating trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the…

Oil prices declined as weaker exports and lower crude imports from China, combined with the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies’

Aradel Holdings Sees Price Uptick amidst Bearish Estimates Aradel Holdings experienced a day rally that pushed its market price to N550 at the close of the trading session in the equities market segment of the Nigerian Exchange. The oil and gas company share price gained N20 on the back of fresh bargain hunting that was short-lived by Islamic holiday—having traded steadily at N530 over the week. The upswing lifted the market value of Aradel Holdings Plc’s 4.344 billion shares outstanding higher to N2.389 trillion, its trading details obtained from the Nigerian Exchange revealed. Based on its price movement since Oct…

SEC Warns Against Investing in Punisher Coin The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has cautioned Nigerians against investing in a cryptocurrency called Punisher Coin, also known by the symbol $PUN. In a statement issued Sunday in Lagos, SEC said the presale was unauthorised and lacked regulatory approval, resembling a Ponzi scheme. According to the statement, the promoters of $PUN are not registered to operate in any capacity within Nigeria’s capital market. The Commission said: “Our attention has been drawn to online promotions of an unauthorised presale for a cryptocurrency called PUNISHER COIN, also known as $PUN. “Of particular concern is…

Congo Implements Enhanced General Data Dissemination System With the successful launch of the new data portal—the National Summary Data Page (NSDP)—the Democratic Republic of Congo has implemented a key recommendation of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Enhanced General Data Dissemination System (e-GDDS) to publish essential macroeconomic and financial data. In an official statement, the IMF said e-GDDS is the first tier of the IMF Data Standards Initiative that promotes transparency as a global public good and encourages countries to voluntarily publish timely data that is essential for monitoring and analyzing economic performance. The launch of the NSDP is a testament…

World Bank Calls for Impact-Driven Partnerships to Tackle Africa’s Needs World Bank has called for more impact-driven partnerships to address the development challenges in Africa. This call is part of a broader push for more collaborative and outcome-focused development efforts, recognising that global challenges like climate change, health pandemics, and economic instability require a concerted effort from various stakeholders The World Bank President, Mr Ajay Banga, in a statement by the African Development Bank (AfDB), said that friendship alone was not sufficient to meet Africa’s development needs. Banga spoke while giving a tribute for AfDB’s President Dr Akinwumi Adesina during…

Oil Prices Ease as Market Awaits US-China Tariff Talk Outcome In the global crude oil market, prices declined Wednesday as investor sentiment was weighed down by renewed US-China trade uncertainty, a planned supply increase by OPEC+, and profit-taking by cautious market participants. International benchmark Brent crude decreased by around 0.2%, trading at $65.32 per barrel, down from $65.44 at the previous session’s close. Similarly, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell by about 0.01%, settling at $62.83 per barrel, compared to $62.84 in the prior session. The price decline comes amid growing uncertainty over US President Donald Trump’s protectionist trade…