News
Fidelity Bank’s Chairman to Lead BDAN
Following the successful completion of Mrs. Osaretin Demuren’s tenure, Mr. Mustafa Chike-Obi, Chairman, Fidelity Bank Plc, has been appointed to take over as President of Bank Directors Association of Nigeria (BDAN) from Monday, August 23, 2021.
According to a statement issued by Ms. Adebukola Orenuga, the Executive Secretary of the Association, and made available to journalists in Lagos, his appointment was ratified by the Forum for Banks’ Chairmen organised by the Association in June 2021.
Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Chike-Obi said he would continue to pursue the mandate of the Association by working with relevant stakeholders to ensure banks play a more active role in the nation’s economy.
“As the chairman of this important Association, I plan to represent more robustly, the interest of the banking industry and to project the image of the banking industry as an essential partner with our customers and the Nigerian economy as a whole.
These are no-doubt interesting times given the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting economic challenges and I look forward to partnering with shareholders as well as customers, regulators and all other players to contribute our quota to positioning the Nigerian economy for sustainable growth and recovery”, explained Mr. Chike-Obi.
The incoming chairman has over 40 years of experience in investment banking and the financial services sector, working with reputable global investment banking and asset management firms.
He was appointed to the Board of Fidelity Bank Plc in August 2020 and is currently the Executive Vice Chairman at Alpha African Advisory where he provides overall leadership and has direct oversight over the capital raising division.
Prior to joining Alpha African Advisory, he was the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), a Federal Government backed institution, established to resolve the problem of non-performing loan assets of Nigerian banks after the 2008 global financial crisis.
He started his Nigerian Banking career with Chase Merchant Bank where he functioned as the Head of Treasury Department from 1980 to 1982 and was Founding President at Madison Advisors, a financial services advisory and consulting firm in New Jersey, specializing in hedge funds and private equity investment advice.
He also served as the Managing Director, Fixed Income at Shoreline Group and held senior positions at Goldman Sachs, Bear Stearns and Guggenheim Partners in the United States amongst others, where he acquired a broad knowledge base in capital market operations in both mature and emerging markets, including the development and marketing of fixed income securities products to institutional investors.
His vast experience includes serving as the Chairman of the Public Securities Association Trading Practice Committee of the National Association of Securities Dealers, overseeing mortgage-backed securities. Mr. Chike-Obi was educated at the University of Lagos and Stanford University School of Business where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics (First Class Honours) and Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) respectively.
The Bank Directors Association of Nigeria (BDAN) is a non-profit making organisation, limited by guarantee, which was set up to be an effective forum for representing the interests of Bank Directors in Nigeria. BDAN seeks to promote sustainable banking best practices within Banks in Nigeria and collaborate with regulatory agencies and other stakeholders to ensure the public’s interest.
BDAN is the only umbrella body of Bank Directors in Nigeria which has created a platform for members to articulate Directors’ views and make representations to the regulatory authorities on issues that affect the individual directors and the industry.
Accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) adoption could increase Africa’s GDP by up to 4% over the next decade, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In a report released on Tuesday, titled Africa Can Grow Faster With AI—If It Moves Now, economists from the IMF’s Africa Department say current levels of AI adoption and utilisation are expected to contribute just 0.2% to the region’s GDP over the next 10 years.
However, the report says stronger adoption, supported by the right infrastructure and policies, could raise the economic impact to about 4% by extending AI beyond today’s digitally connected firms.
Martin Schindler and other IMF economists say: “AI adoption in sub-Saharan Africa currently lags well behind every other region. If richer economies race ahead while African firms and governments lag, the productivity gap between the region and the rest of the world will only widen.”
Early signs of AI adoption are emerging across Africa, with countries including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Egypt and Nigeria developing AI strategies.
Telecommunications operators, including Vodacom, Econet, Africell and MTN, are also integrating AI into their operations and networks.
Other examples include chatbots supporting teaching and learning in Nigeria and the South African Revenue Service’s use of data analytics for targeted tax audits.
However, the IMF says AI adoption must extend beyond these early use cases to deliver meaningful economic benefits.
“For the region, AI’s main promise is not about replacing office workers, but boosting productivity across the economy—helping informal firms manage inventory, enabling farmers to increase yields, and supporting mid-sized firms to transition to formality and export readiness,” the report reads.
The IMF is urging governments to prioritise investment in reliable electricity, affordable broadband, data infrastructure and digital skills to support wider AI adoption.
Many African countries, including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon, continue to face electricity shortages, while broadband services remain costly and coverage is uneven.
The Fund believes stronger investment in power, connectivity, regional data infrastructure and digital skills would help unlock AI’s economic potential.
National Population Commission (NPC) has commenced the nationwide digital registration of births and deaths under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system to strengthen legal identity management and improve demographic data.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lokoja on Tuesday, Mr Afolabi Yori, federal commissioner representing Kogi, said the initiative became operational nationwide on July 1, through the VitalReg platform.
Yori described the development as a landmark in Nigeria’s civil registration system, noting that it would modernise birth and death registration through a technology-driven platform that meets international standards.
He said the digital platform would improve service delivery, strengthen data integrity and ensure that every birth and death occurring in Nigeria was accurately documented and securely stored.
According to him, civil registration is more than an administrative process, as it provides reliable statistics that support public policy formulation, resource allocation and national development planning.
“Nigeria records an estimated five million births annually, yet millions of births and deaths remain unregistered.
“Birth registration coverage currently stands at about 57 per cent nationwide, while death registration remains below 20 per cent,” he said.
The commissioner said that the commission had established 4,011 functional registration centres across the country’s 774 local government areas and was working to expand the number to about 8,000.
He added that the commission was strengthening collaboration with stakeholders to improve the capacity of registration personnel and ensure prompt documentation of vital events through the VitalReg platform.
Yori said the platform would provide faster registration services, 24-hour online access, digital certificate issuance where applicable, and reduce paperwork, waiting time and unnecessary travel.
He disclosed that the platform was being operated under a Public-Private Partnership with Barnks-forte Technologies Ltd. as the commission’s technical partner to ensure system availability, cybersecurity and continuous technological improvement.
He called on parents, healthcare institutions, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, development partners and the media to support the initiative by encouraging the prompt registration of births and deaths.
Earlier, Samuel Omonakpeme, director in Kogi, NPC State, described the commencement of the digital registration system as another milestone in efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system.
Omonakpeme stated that the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 16.9, which seeks to provide legal identity for all.
He appreciated the Federal Government, the leadership of the commission, UNICEF and other development partners for supporting the implementation of the initiative.
The state director also urged parents, guardians, health institutions, community leaders, religious organisations and the media to mobilise public support for the timely registration of all births and deaths.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that ICT personnel of the commission, led by Ehimoni Kolawole, conducted a live demonstration of the digital birth registration process using the VitalReg platform.
The demonstration showed that the registration process captures the biodata of both parents, while at least one parent must possess a valid National Identification Number (NIN) to complete the registration of a newborn.
Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) has alerted its customers to a fraudulent message circulating on social media, falsely claiming that electricity consumers can receive an additional 20 per cent bonus units when recharging their prepaid meters through unofficial channels.
In a statement issued by the company’s management on Monday, YEDC described the claim as false and urged customers to disregard the misleading information, stressing that it did not originate from the company.
According to the statement, YEDC does not offer bonus electricity units through individuals, agents, personal bank accounts, phone numbers, or social media contacts.
The company advised customers to purchase electricity tokens only through approved cashless payment platforms, including the YEDC Pay App, OPay, Interswitch, and other authorised vending channels, or to visit the nearest YEDC office for assistance.
YEDC also cautioned customers against sharing their meter details or personal information, or making payments to unauthorised persons claiming to represent the company.
The company further urged customers to rely exclusively on information disseminated through its official communication channels to avoid falling victim to fraud.
The management thanked customers for their continued cooperation and reaffirmed its commitment to serving them.
NDIC Begins Payment to Depositors of 46 Failed Microfinance Banks
Telcos Seek Clear Regulatory Framework on Airtime Credit Services
FG Says Rumours, Fear, Can Crash Banks
MTN Warns Customers against Fake Promo
EU Debunks Fake Compensation Scheme Targeting West African Bank Customers
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
NASENI Moves to Digitize CCB’s 5m Assets Declaration and Operations
Lebara Nigeria Launches Lebara Play, Africa’s First Telecom-Owned Micro-Drama Platform
Tokenization, Blockchain Technology will Transform Financial Institutions – IMF
EFCC Busts NIS Visa Overstay Racket, Uncovers N700m in an Account
News3 days agoYEDC Warns Customers, Says 20 Percent Electricity Bonus is Scam
News3 days agoPFIPC Probe: Dollar, Pounds Accounts of Fake Agency Inactive – CBN
Broadcasting3 days agoNBC, INEC, Plan Joint Broadcast Monitoring Framework ahead of 2027 Elections
News3 days agoSTEM Africa Fest to Nurture Nigeria’s Future Innovators
E-Business3 days agoJumia Nigeria Expands Flexible Payment Options with Klump Partnership
E-Financial3 days agoNo Going Back on July 31 Deadline for Insurance Firms’ Recapitalisation – NAICOM
E-Business3 days agoLagos Unveils N10m Single-digit Loan Scheme for MSMEs
E-Financial3 days agoCourt Affirms FCCPC’s Power to Regulate Digital Lending