Author: Olu Anisere

Olu Anisere is a financial and economic journalist at MarketForces Africa, specialising in African macroeconomic policy, international finance, energy markets, and continental development.He covers major multilateral institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), providing readers with frontline reporting on policies shaping Africa's economic trajectory.Olu has reported extensively on Nigeria's fiscal and monetary policy landscape, including CBN interest rate decisions, Nigeria's bond market, FX inflows, and the country's engagement with global financial institutions.His coverage spans IMF and World Bank Spring and Annual Meetings, African Ministers of Finance conferences, and high-level economic forums where Africa's development agenda is set.His reporting captures perspectives from Africa's most influential economic voices, including Tony Elumelu, senior IMF officials, and CBN leadership, bringing institutional insight and policy depth to MarketForces Africa's readers.Olu also covers Inside Africa — tracking economic, investment, and development stories from across the continent. Olu Anisere is based in Lagos, Nigeria.

Chelsea Stage Dramatic Comeback to Beat Tottenham 4-3 Chelsea staged a fightback to beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 and move clear of Arsenal in second place in the Premier League table on Sunday. With Liverpool not in action this weekend after their game at Everton was postponed due to a storm, Chelsea’s victory at Spurs lifted them to within four points of Arne Slot’s leaders. Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski put Tottenham two up inside 11 minutes, but Jadon Sancho quickly pulled one back with a fine strike and the second half belonged to the visitors. Cole Palmer equalised from the…

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AfDB Advocates Structural Solutions to Tackle Africa’s Economic Challenges The African Development Bank (AfDB) has called for urgent structural reforms to tackle Africa’s deepening economic challenges, including currency depreciation, rising inflation, and an escalating import bill. The AfDB’s Vice-President for Economic Governance and Knowledge Management, Prof. Kevin Urama said that global and local factors contributed to the continent’s economic struggles. Urama said Africa’s currencies, including those of Nigeria, had depreciated sharply against the U.S. dollar in recent years, creating economic instability. He identified global geopolitical conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine-Russia and the Israel-Hamas conflict, as major drivers of…

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Manchester City Stutter Again, Draw 2-2 at Crystal Palace Manchester City’s Premier League title defense stuttered again with a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace on Saturday. City twice came from behind to pick a point at Selhurst Park, but the champions have now won only once in six league games – four of which have been lost. Palace led through full back Daniel Munoz’s fourth-minute goal before Erling Haaland headed City level. Maxence Lacroix restored Palace’s lead after the break and Rico Lewis fired a fine 68th-minute leveller for Pep Guardiola’s side. Lewis was later sent off six minutes from…

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Nigerian Exchange Rises by N423bn on Strong Bargain Hunting The equities market capitalisation of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) rose by about N427 billion in the just concluded week due to bargain hunting in lightweight and few bellwethers. Top gainers in the stock market week companies with low market capitalisation: Gold Guinea Brew, Sunu Assurance Nigeria, Lafarge Africa WAPCO and others. The market ended the week on a bullish trajectory, with the All-Share Index (ASI) advancing by 0.72% week on week to close at 98,210.75 points. This performance underscores renewed investor confidence, driven by strategic positioning in high-performing stocks amid an…

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Nigerian Bonds Benchmark Yield Flattish on Thin Trading The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) bond secondary market saw a calm conclusion to trading activity as the market anticipates a N7 trillion debt capital market increase in 2025. Following the initial frontload by the debt office, the supply of bonds has significantly decreased. The selloff of the JAN-2026 (+2bps) bond caused the average yield to slightly expand at the short (+1bp) end of the benchmark curve, but it closed flat at the mid and long segments. At the mid-segment of the benchmark curve, trading activity was concentrated in modest volumes, suggesting…

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Bitcoin Price Crosses $100,000 Mark for 1st Time The price of the cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, on Thursday surpassed the $100,000 threshold for the first time on the Bitstamp platform. The oldest and best-known cryptocurrency climbed by about 4.8 percent more than 24 hours, reaching 103,252 dollars on the day. In the past seven days, the leading cryptocurrency has gained more than 7 percent in value. Analysts attribute the steady increase to the new political landscape in the United States following Donald Trump’s election victory. The former and future U.S. president was backed by most of the crypto community during the election…

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Interbank Rates Fall as Inflows Keep Liquidity Strong In the money market, interbank rates fell further on Wednesday as inflows from matured instruments pushed liquidity balance in the financial system higher again. The liquidity in the banking system sustained its upward momentum and expanded by 27% to begin the day with a surplus balance of N803.68 billion, TrustBanc Financial Group said in a post. The Nigerian Interbank Offered Rate (NIBOR) declined across all maturities, indicating sufficient liquidity within the banking system, Cowry Asset Limited said in a note. The short-term interest rates have been in decline since the beginning of…

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