Op-Ed

United Bank for Africa (UBA Group) kicked off the first session of the week-long Social Media Week Lagos 2019 with the announcement that its chatbot Leo now covers 17 African countries and has one million subscribers. Leo was launched in January 2018 to enable customers of the bank have access to select banking services including account opening, loan applications, account …

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By ‘Gbenga Sesan Last Wednesday January 30, Tanzania moved decisively closer to becoming a one-party state when parliament approved proposed amendments to the Political Parties’ Act that was first passed in 1992.   That was the year that the country adopted multi-party democracy, after 31 years of maintaining its one-party status that it nearly started with as an independent nation …

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In continuation of its periodic intervention in the foreign exchange market, the Central Bank of Nigeria, on Tuesday, injected another sum of $210m into the inter-bank foreign exchange market. Figures released by the CBN indicated that authorised dealers in the wholesale segment of the market received $100m, while the Small and Medium Enterprises and the invisibles segments were allocated $55m …

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A new African free trade area could be just weeks away as the last few countries ratify an agreement signed last year. The plan to boost intra-African trade by half is gaining much attention in Davos this year. When you ask Tony Elumelu if Africa would profit from free trade, the Nigerian entrepreneur and philanthropist does not have to think …

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By Christine Lagarde and John Bluedorn “To define is to limit,” Oscar Wilde once said. But sometimes economists need to use definitions to see the scope of a problem and find ways to lift the limits to success. This is especially true for young people in emerging markets and developing economies. We know that young people are essential to economic …

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Against the backdrop of incessant hostility mounted on its operation, electricity consumers in Edo State, especially those hiding under the cover of civil rights advocacy to foist unlawful conducts, and the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, have been urged to desist from doing so fortwith or face legal actions. A group with 46 allied Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Transparency Advocacy …

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Customers of Access Bank and Diamond Bank are to benefit from over 3,100 Automated Teller Machine (ATM) following the merger between the two banks which the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had since given their pre-merger approval in principle. The merger between the two banks which is expected to be approved by shareholders …

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FIFA should if possible increase the size of the football World Cup in Qatar in 2022 to 48 from 32 teams, the global governing body’s president Gianni Infantino has said. Last month, Infantino said a majority of national football federations were in favour of expanding the tournament and a decision was expected ahead of the qualifying draw in March. Infantino, …

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Nigerians have continued to express concern over Wednesday’s revelation by the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) that the excess crude revenue account savings has been depleted to only $631 million within three weeks. Barely three weeks ago, Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, disclosed at the end of the committee’s meeting in Kaduna on November 25, 2018, that the balance in …

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Digital Transformation Leader, Globacom, is ushering its teeming subscribers into a new level of entertainment with the introduction of a mobile game application, christened Glo GameBox. Globacom in a press release from its head office in Lagos on Tuesday said, “Glo GameBox is bound to change the face of mobile gaming in Nigeria, as it presents unequalled game options and …

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