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AFEX Forecasts Higher Prices for Commodities in the 2023/2024 Season

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Africa’s leading commodities player, AFEX, unveiled its 2023 Crop Production report in a hybrid event hosted at its Abuja office on the 16th of November, 2023.

The crop production report, which delivers insights on six key commodities (Maize, Paddy rice, Soybean, Sorghum, Cocoa, and Sesame) leverages farmer surveys and measurement of transaction-level data to track vital information across crop production, price performance, and market dynamics.

The report will aid the understanding of the current food system while providing stakeholders in the commodities market with intel to make data-driven trading decisions in the coming season.

The report highlights a critical improvement in access to farmland for cultivation in crucial areas, we also witnessed an increase in the usage of improved inputs, such as high-yielding seeds and fertilizers, compared to last season, which contributed to Maize and Paddy rice being forecasted to have a significantly higher production this season.

However, input lending remains a major challenge today, with agriculture making up only 6.16% of bank lending in 2022.

On pricing, the report forecasts an increase in prices for all commodities on the basis of a general decline in production coupled with increasing demand across processing and exports. Paddy Rice which faced the most notable upswing in 2022/2023, partly due to increased flooding and the India rice ban that contributed to an increase of 34% and a baseline pricing of NGN353,000/mt, which is expected to rise to NGN400,000/mt and projected to stabilize at NGN480,000 to NGN500,000/mt by Q3 2023.

The report highlights food insecurity and food inflation as a major challenge for Nigeria, with a 5.7 million metric ton shortage across human consumption and agro-processing, and a historic high food inflation rate of 30.64%.

Currently, Nigeria’s Global Hunger Index score remains alarmingly high, ranking 109th out of 125 countries, indicating a severe food security crisis. The report notes that as food prices continue to surge, as witnessed in the 2023 season, food security challenges will continue to persist, further reducing the continent’s capacity to achieve Zero hunger by 2030.

Speaking at the launch event, President/CEO of AFEX Nigeria, Akinyinka Akintunde, stated, “This year, we nearly doubled our sample size from 20,677 to 39,091 to get an accurate reflection of the current state of Agriculture production, and we found that we must take extra care to prioritize improvement in agricultural productivity for these farmers, and this is hinged on investing in the sector, and solving for infrastructure, logistics, and technology gaps.

“This transformation will substantially enhance food self-sufficiency and increase our ability to meet the nutritional and food security needs of a growing population while also bolstering the economy through foreign exchange earnings.”

A recurring limitation for agriculture on the continent is a shortage of reliable data, which affects the availability of transparent pricing and limits, on the one hand, participation from the side of capital market operators and largely financial market players and on the other hand, farmers’ ability to negotiate equitable contracts for themselves. This report attempts to build that gap by building a reliable data bank to promote market education and facilitate accurate trading decisions.


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El-Rufai to Launch New $100m Firm in January

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Nasir El-Rufai, former governor, Kaduna State has announced that his Afri-Venture Capital Company, a venture capital/private equity firm, will begin operations in 2024.

El-Rufai to Launch New $100m Firm in January

Nasir El-Rufai, former governor, Kaduna State

El-Rufai, in a post on X, said through the firm, he hopes to finance, nurture, and mentor Nigerian innovators and entrepreneurs to become the next Dangote Group shortly.

The former governor said he would be working with private sector partners, including Eyo Ekpo, co-founder of Excredite Consulting Limited, among others.

“I can confirm that our VC-PE firm, Afri-Venture Capital Company Ltd will by the Grace of God, begin operations initially in Abuja in January 2024 with Jimi Lawal, Hafiz Bayero, Eyo Ekpo and Kabir Yabo as founding directors and initial shareholders. I am privileged to be the part-time Chairman of the Board.

“Please, pray for our success and the Nigerian (and in the near future African) innovators and entrepreneurs we hope to finance, nurture, and mentor to be the Dangote Group of the future,” the former governor wrote on X.

The plan, he said, was to launch a $100 million venture capital fund for startups in Nigeria, particularly those in the Kaduna tech ecosystem, according to BusinessDay.

El-Rufai, speaking on his new firm and his plans,  said Nigerian youths need mentoring and financing to achieve the needed breakthrough.

“What young people need is essentially mentoring and financing to get things going. They develop the idea and see whether it is viable. And we will open doors for them because they don’t have contact.

“They don’t know or have access to ministers, presidents, or regulatory agencies. We do. We know the minefields that they have to navigate. We know that they need to give them appointments and we can provide them with the startup funding and in return we take an equity position.

“We don’t want to take your business; we want to develop it. But if we take the risk on you, we will take a percentage of the business,” El-Rufai told BusinessDay, in Marrakech, Morocco, in November during the Africa Investment Forum.

According to BusinessDay, El-Rufai is willing to stake $2 million of his money for the offtake of the ($100m) fund and plans to convince investors to provide the remaining funding.

“The investors will mostly be those who believe in us but don’t have the capacity or the time to do the analysis and evaluation. But they trust our judgment and they will come with us,” El-Rufai said.


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Deimos Announces Strategic Partnership with Cloudflare on Web Security and Performance

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Deimos, a leading technology solutions provider in Africa, is thrilled to announce a new partnership with Cloudflare, Inc., the leading connectivity cloud company.

This strategic partnership marks a significant milestone in Deimos’ journey to become the leading cloud-native technology company on the African continent, while also reinforcing its commitment to driving innovation, security, and efficiency in the cloud services landscape.

This collaboration will serve as a catalyst for businesses seeking to bolster their online presence while safeguarding their digital assets from emerging threats. By integrating Cloudflare’s offerings and partnering with Deimos, African businesses can now use world-class technology while paying in their local currency.

This democratisation of advanced cloud services ensures that African businesses of all sizes, across various industries, including fintech, e-commerce, healthcare, education, can compete on a global scale while safeguarding their digital infrastructure.

“Today, we take another step towards our vision of becoming Africa’s premier cloud-native technology company. By combining Deimos’ extensive knowledge of the African market with Cloudflare’s cutting-edge solutions to make the Internet more performant, reliable, secure and private, we are empowering African businesses to thrive in the digital age,” said Andrew Mori, CEO Deimos. “This collaboration aligns with our mission to provide innovative and reliable technology solutions to businesses of all sizes across Africa.”

African businesses will benefit immensely from Cloudflare’s robust cybersecurity solutions, which protects them from threats like DDoS attacks, data breaches, and malicious bots.

This level of security is crucial for safeguarding sensitive customer information and maintaining business continuity, ensuring that companies can operate without disruptions or security breaches.

Furthermore, with Cloudflare’s extensive global network spanning 310 cities worldwide, African businesses can expect faster website loading times and reduced latency for their local and international customers.

This performance boost can lead to increased customer satisfaction and higher conversion rates, offering a competitive advantage in our fast-paced digital environment.

The Deimos-Cloudflare partnership represents a transformative force in Africa’s technology landscape, empowering businesses with state-of-the-art cyber security and performance solutions tailored to the unique needs of the continent. Together, Deimos and Cloudflare are paving the way for a new era of digital innovation, growth, and prosperity for African businesses.

 


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SERAP Tells Akpabio to Reject Wike’s Proposal in 2024 Budget

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Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Mr Godswill Akpabio, Senate president, to use his leadership position “to promptly reject the plan by Nyesom Wike, minister of the FCT, to spend N15 billion for the construction of ‘a befitting residence’ for Mr Kashim Shettima, vice president.”

SERAP Tells Akpabio to Reject Wike’s Proposal in 2024 Budget

SERAP also urged Akpabio to “assert Senate’s authority and constitutional oversight roles to reject the N2.8 billion on publicity for the FCTA and other proposed wasteful and unnecessary spending that may be contained in the 2023 supplementary budget and the 2024 budget proposed by President Bola Tinubu.”

In the letter signed by, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP deputy director ,at the weekend, the organisation said: “The plan to spend N15 billion on ‘a befitting residence’ for the vice president is a fundamental breach of the Nigerian Constitution and the country’s international anticorruption and human rights obligations.”

SERAP said: “The Senate has the constitutional duties to ensure that Mr Wike’s proposed spending is entirely consistent and compatible with constitutional provisions including his oath of office. All public officials remain subject to the rule of law.

“The National Assembly including the Senate has a constitutional responsibility to address the country’s debt crisis, including by rejecting wasteful and unnecessary spending to satisfy the personal comfort and lifestyles of public officials.”

The group added that, “The National Assembly cannot continue to fail to fulfil its oversight function. The Senate must assert and demonstrate its independence by checking and rejecting all wasteful and unnecessary spending by the executive.

“It would be a grave violation of the public trust and constitutional oath of office for the Senate to approve the plan to spend N15 billion on ‘a befitting residence’ for the vice president at a time when the Federal Government is set to spend 30% (that is, N8.25 trillion) of the country’s 2024 budget of N27.5 trillion on debt service costs.

“The Federal Government also plans to borrow N7.8 trillion to fund the 2024 budget. Nigeria’s public debt stood at 87.4 trillion naira as of June with 38% owed to external creditors including multilateral and commercial lenders.

“Should the Senate and its leadership fail to stop wasteful and unnecessary spending and rein in government borrowing, SERAP would consider appropriate legal action to compel the National Assembly including the Senate to discharge its constitutional oversight roles in the public interest.

“SERAP urges you to refer to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) the allegations of corruption in the spending of the previously approved N7 billion for the construction of a new residence for the vice president.

“The ‘construction’ was reportedly abandoned but the whereabouts of the N7 billion remain unknown.

“The Senate has the constitutional competence and legitimacy to compel compliance with the Nigerian Constitution and the country’s international obligations.

“The Senate ought to assert its authority and vigorously exercise its constitutional oversight roles to check the apparently wasteful and unnecessary spending by Mr Wike especially given the growing debt crisis and the indiscriminate borrowing by the government.

“It is a travesty and a fundamental breach of the lawmakers’ fiduciary duties for the National Assembly to allow the executive to use the national budget as a tool to satisfy the comfort and lifestyle of public officials.

“Nigerians have a right to honest and faithful performance by their public officials including lawmakers, as public officials owe a fiduciary duty to the general citizenry.

“Cutting the N15 billion on ‘a befitting residence’ from the FTCA budget would be entirely consistent with your constitutional oath of office, and the letter and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution, as it would promote efficient, honest, and legal spending of public money.

“According to our information, the Minister of the FCT, Nysom Wike and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) plan to spend N15 billion for the construction of ‘a befitting residence’ for the Vice-President, Mr Kashim Shettima.

“The plan is contained in the N67 billion FCT supplementary budget which President Bola Tinubu had on Tuesday transmitted to the National Assembly for approval.

“SERAP notes that Mr Wike proposed plan to spend N15 billion on a new residence for the vice president despite the recent allocation of N2.5 billion for the renovation of the current residence of the VP in the federal government’s supplementary budget already passed by the National Assembly and signed by President Tinubu.

“The House of Representatives has reportedly approved the plan to spend N15 billion on ‘a befitting residence’ for the vice president.

“The National Assembly has also approved another N3 billion for the renovation of the vice president’s residence in Lagos State. Mr Wike also plans to spend N2.8 billion on publicity for the FCTA.

“The proposed plan to spend 15 billion on ‘a befitting residence’ for the vice president is different from the

 


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