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Jim O’Neill at AFC Live Lists 4 Agenda for Africa’s Development
Jim O’Neill, renowned economist who coined the ‘BRIC’ and ‘MINT’ acronyms, declares the African infrastructure divide, ‘both a defining challenge and a standout investment opportunity of our generation’.
Speaking at Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) inaugural summit 2014 held in Lagos, O’Neil said that Africa’s future depends on the continent’s policy makers doing the right thing.
The four key areas he wants African leaders focus on include redefining (better) governance, reducing crime, fighting corruption and delivering improved infrastructure.
According to him, “Africa’s future depends on the continent’s policy makers doing the right thing. That is working to create better governance, reducing crime, fighting corruption and delivering improved infrastructure. Infrastructure development is both a defining challenge and a standout investment opportunity for Africa and investors around the world. For example, Nigeria is growing at 7% despite poor access to power; decent power could boost economic growth to 10%-12%. There is no reason why Nigeria should not become one of the G20.”
The Summit christened ‘AFC live’ attracted more than 500 leading thinkers from government, academia, business and finance, fuelled energetic debate on both the opportunities and the challenges of the African infrastructure landscape.
O’Neil who is also the former chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, identified that, infrastructure in general, has been estimated to have the potential to add an average of 2% to Africa’s economic growth rate over the next decade as investment is brought to bear to bridge the current circa US$40 billion per annum investment deficit.
Andrew Alli, president and chief executive officer (AFC), told the delegates that, “The sheer number of people here today, passionately engaged in the debate on infrastructure and what it means for the future of this great continent, is inspiring.
“Our vision at the AFC is to bridge the infrastructure divide and seek a strong return for our shareholders at the same time. We believe our core role comes at the earliest stage of project conception and development.
“While international capital will be fundamental in bridging the investment divide, that capital will have nowhere to go if Africa does not focus on the development of bankable, sustainable projects. By focusing on supporting project development and using our local knowledge and sector expertise to identify and mitigate risk we come in to transactions at an earlier stage than many investors.
“Our role is to accelerate the number of viable, bankable projects across the continent, creating the market for other forms of capital that will follow, and ultimately bridging the investment divide that exists. We believe landmark transformational projects can yield financial dividends every bit as powerful as their social ones and our success to date demonstrates this.”
At a ceremony on stage, Cape Verde Minister of Finance Cristiana Duarte signed the instrument of accession for membership of the AFC.
Cape Verde becomes the 9th country to join other member nations, including: Chad, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
AFC is a pan-African investor and its investments are not limited to member states.
Cristiana Duarte, minister of Finance of Cape Verde said, “I am very pleased today to be able to formalise Cape Verde’s membership of the Africa Finance Corporation. Cape Verde and the AFC have enjoyed a very productive and collaborative relationship over the last few years.
“As the lead investor in Cabeolica, our award winning $90 million 26MW commercial wind farm we have firsthand experience of the expertise the corporation can bring to innovative projects and we look forward to working to deliver more projects over the coming years.”
Baring his mind on the infrastructural deficit in Nigeria, particularly, the power sector, Mr. Tony O. Elumelu, chairman of Transcorp Plc, managers of Ughelli Power Plant, said investors in both the power generation and distribution have not forgotten their promises to deliver to Nigerians, adding that, public awareness needs to be created on the progress made under the privatilization scheme.
Elumelu had declared intent of Transcorp Plc to leverage their time tested expertise in turning around businesses in growing the Ughelli Power Plant to a 1000mw generating plant by 2017.

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E-Financial
FBNQuest Merchant Bank Rebrands as Quest Merchant Bank

FBNQuest Merchant Bank Limited has completed a change of name and will now operate as Quest Merchant Bank Limited, following the receipt of all required corporate and regulatory approvals.

The name change does not affect the Bank’s legal or going-concern status, management, or the nature of its business. Quest Merchant Bank Limited remains a duly licensed merchant bank, regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and continues to deliver its full suite of merchant banking, advisory, and capital markets services to clients.
Commenting on the development, the Ag. Managing Director/CEO, Afolabi Olorode, stated: “This name change represents a pivotal milestone in the rich history of the Bank and a deliberate strategic repositioning that reflects our resilience, strong track record, and long-term growth ambitions. While our name has evolved, our commitment to our clients, stakeholders, and regulators remains unwavering.”
As part of the transition, the Bank is updating its branding, communications, and digital platforms to reflect the new name. During this period, some legacy references may remain visible across select touchpoints as updates are progressively completed.
All existing contracts, client relationships, and obligations of the Bank remain valid, binding, and fully enforceable following the name change.
Telecom
FG to Acquire Two Communications Satellite to Boost Digital Access

Federal government is preparing for the acquisition of two new communication satellites as it advances a nationwide fibre-optic rollout.

Bosun Tijani, minister of communications, innovation, and digital economy, made the announcement during a press briefing in Abuja commemorating Global Privacy Day 2026, which was hosted by the Nigerian Data Protection Commission.
The minister said the national fibre-optic backbone, which is expected to cover 90,000 kilometres, is nearly 60% complete.
The project aims to expand high-capacity broadband across the country, reduce the cost of internet access and improve service quality for businesses, public institutions and households.
According to Tijani, the fibre rollout is central to the government’s digital economy strategy, providing physical infrastructure required for e-government services, digital financial inclusion, innovation hubs and private sector investment.
He added that extending fibre deeper into underserved areas would help narrow Nigeria’s persistent urban-rural connectivity divide.
Alongside the terrestrial network, the federal executive council has also approved the procurement of two additional communication satellites to strengthen Nigeria’s space-based communications capacity.
The satellites are expected to enhance broadband coverage in remote and hard-to-reach regions, support broadcasting and improve data resilience for critical national services.
Tijani emphasised the satellite investment will complement the fibre network by providing redundancy and last-mile connectivity where laying cables is commercially or geographically challenging.
The combined approach, he said, will make Nigeria’s digital infrastructure more resilient and inclusive and will particularly close long-standing connectivity gaps.
By expanding broadband access and modernising communications infrastructure, authorities believe Nigeria can unlock new opportunities across sectors including technology, education, healthcare and commerce.
The initiatives are being implemented amid efforts to attract private investment and improve policy coordination across federal and state agencies.
General News
Moniepoint Marks 10 Years of Transforming Nigerian Businesses

Moniepoint Inc., Nigeria’s definitive platform for small businesses and Africa’s all-in-one financial ecosystem, today released its 2025 Year in Review, marking a decade of “financial happiness” and a transformative year of growth.

Moniepoint
Highlighting its role as the backbone of Nigeria’s entrepreneurial economy with over 6 million active businesses, the company revealed that its microfinance bank has now disbursed over ₦1 trillion in credit to thousands of businesses from provision stores and supermarkets to building materials sellers.
It is worthy to note that on average these businesses experienced growth by more than 36% after accessing credit, signposting its primacy as a transformational growth level and instrument of deepening shared prosperity.
Moniepoint uses alternative data points that include transaction histories, business patterns and payment behaviours in a bid to accommodate what traditional credit scoring misses to drive financial inclusion and access to credit.
The company’s 2025 performance reinforces its role as a critical financial infrastructure which not only supports the Nigerian economy, but also impacts everyday lives, creating immense value.
Founded in 2015 by Tosin Eniolorunda and Felix Ike, Moniepoint Inc (formerly known as TeamApt Inc) has established itself as the leading financial platform for Nigeria’s vast network of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), offering an integrated suite of services, including digital payments, business bank accounts, credit, foreign exchange (FX), and management tools.
During the year, as Nigeria’s largest merchant acquirer, now powering 8 out of every 10 in-person payments made across the country, Moniepoint MFB, the banking and payments subsidiary, processed ₦412 trillion in transaction value handling more than 14 billion transactions. This clearly suggests that Moniepoint is well-positioned to play a greater role in Nigeria’s steady march towards a trillion dollar economy by 2030.
“Our journey has been one of intentional evolution,” said Tosin Eniolorunda, Group CEO and Founder of Moniepoint Inc. “What started as a passion to solve overlooked problems has evolved into a platform powering the dreams of millions.
“As 83% of employment in Africa exists in the informal economy, our mission to create financial happiness is an operational mandate that guides our product development, our market expansion, and our capital allocation decisions.”
Beaming with enthusiasm, Eniolorunda continues, “Yet for all we have accomplished, we approach our second decade with the clarity that our work remains unfinished.
“As we enter this next chapter, we do so with strengthened conviction in our strategy, deepened partnerships with world-class institutional investors, and an organisation scaled to deliver on Africa’s entrepreneurial potential.
“The infrastructure we have built over the past decade provides the foundation. The journey is far from over, but our resolve has never been stronger. To our partners, our customers, and our team: thank you for a decade of impact. We are just getting started.”
In 2025, Moniepoint Inc. reached a series of critical inflexion points, highlighted by the successful completion of its Series C funding round, which raised over $200 million in equity financing from leading institutional investors, including Development Partners International, Google’s Africa Investment Fund, Visa, the International Finance Corporation, and Verod Capital.
The year also marked the launch of MonieWorld in the United Kingdom, extending Moniepoint’s platform to serve the African diaspora by strengthening key remittance corridors and laying the foundation for the delivery of comprehensive cross-border financial services.
Moniepoint MFB re-launched its savings product in a firm demonstration of the company’s commitment toward its’ oft stated mantra of providing financial happiness. Data reveals in terms of savings behavioral patterns, the majority of users choose to save on a daily basis, with focus across business operations (24%), rent (16.5%), and education (10%) representing top savings priorities.
The launch of Moniebook and the acquisition of a national Microfinance Bank license for Moniepoint MFB further expand the company’s regulated capabilities and product depth.
TeamApt Ltd, the switching and processing subsidiary of Moniepoint Inc., also achieved major regulatory and operational milestones in 2025 that have solidified its position in the global payments landscape. After a rigorous certification process, the company successfully secured licenses from Mastercard and Visa to act as a processor and acquirer for these global card schemes..
This strategic move allows TeamApt to support international card payments directly and offer these critical switching services to other businesses across the continent.
Monnify, the web payment gateway processed N25 trillion in the period under review, demonstrating remarkable resilience and industry confidence firmly positioning it for more business-to-business transactions.
Moniepoint’s impact extended beyond banking into critical social interventions even as the company partnered with the Federal Government to support the Rice Intervention Programme, reaching nearly 850,000 beneficiaries, and worked with the Kaduna State Government in grants disbursement to vulnerable citizens.
Through these initiatives, Moniepoint continues to build the infrastructure required to unlock Africa’s entrepreneurial potential, positioning itself as a trusted partner for the delivery of large-scale economic empowerment programmes.
As Moniepoint Inc. enters its second decade, its well chronicled decade-long evolution from a backend technology provider to a household name, directly complements the Nigerian government’s vision of a more inclusive, data-driven, and productive financial landscape. To read more about the 2025 Year in Review Report:, visit http://2025.moniepoint.com
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