L-R: Managing Director/ CEO, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Bello Hassan; Board Chairman, NDIC, Mrs. Ronke Sokefun; Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Dr. Habiba Lawal and Director General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dr. Dasuki Arabi, during the official presentation of Report and Award on the Deployment of the Self-Assessment Tool to Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) at the NDIC Headquarters in Abuja.

The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has been presented with the Federal Government Level Five (5) Platinum Level award for outstanding performance in corporate governance and accountability by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR).

The award is based on the Corporation’s outstanding score of Ninety-Three Percent (93%) in the BPSR Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) that was deployed to Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to assess and enhance service delivery.

Presenting the award to the Corporation, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Barr. Boss Mustapha represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Dr. Habiba Lawal congratulated the Board, Management and Staff of the NDIC for the courage and commitment during the exercise. She added that the Corporation’s exceptional achievement serves as an impetus for other government agencies to take the opportunity of the BPSR Self-Assessment Tool to assess their strengths and weaknesses, and employ the outcome of the self-evaluation to achieve the Federal Government’s objectives of effective service delivery to the citizenry.

The Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr. Zainab Ahmed, represented by the Director, Home Finance, Mr. Stephen Okon commended the Corporation for the award and expressed the Ministry’s continued commitment and support to the NDIC towards the implementation of the recommendations of the BPSR SAT report.

While presenting the SAT report, the Director-General of the BPSR, Dr Dasuki Arabi, stated that the Corporation is the first and only agency under the supervision of Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning to submit itself to the SAT assessment.

He explained that the Corporation’s 93% score which represents the rating of “Far Exceeded Expectations” is a direct result of the Management’s commitment to high standards in corporate governance and staff’s diligence and hard work.

He added that the assessment, which commenced in September 2021, focused on broad areas of strategic governance including financial management, operational and service delivery process, human resource management & planning, procurement process and change management.

The Chairman, NDIC Board of Directors, Mrs. Ronke Sokefun and the MD/CE, NDIC Mr Bello Hassan both congratulated the NDIC Board, Management Team and staff for the feat achieved. The MD/CE, Mr. Hassan said since the assessment from the BPSR, the NDIC has continued to benchmark itself with International Standards and Best Practices through a culture of continuous process improvement and service delivery to its various stakeholders.

Meanwhile, The Board Chairman, Mrs. Sokefun said the NDIC would continue to strive for excellence in delivery of its mandate while implementing recommendations of the BPSR report.

Chief Executive Officer, Ecobank Group, Ade Ayeyemi, has said the Pan African bank will continue to support and collaborate with innovative Fintechs and start-ups in Africa.

The GCEO who was speaking on the launch of 2022 edition of bank’s Fintech Challenge last week said “Ecobank believes that the only way to transform financial services in Africa is for Pan-African banks like Ecobank to continually support and collaborate with innovative Fintechs and start-ups. We invite and welcome Africa’s best Fintechs to work with us through the 2022 Challenge.”

Also, Operations and Technology Executive, Ecobank Group, Dr. Tomisin Fashina, said, “The uniqueness of the Challenge is that it welcomes both early stage and mature start-up Fintechs alike and seeks to align them with different kinds of partnership opportunities within Ecobank that match their differing levels of maturity.”

Pan-African banking group, Ecobank Group, last week launched the cl edition of the Ecobank Fintech Challenge and encourages African Fintech entrepreneurs to enter the i. Fintechs that are aligned with the Bank’s strategic objectives stand a chance to win an overall cash prize of US$50,000 for the top winner and the opportunity to partner and scale their solutions across Ecobank’s 33 African markets.

Fintech companies and developers originating from any of Africa’s 54 countries, as well as global Africa-centered Fintechs, are eligible to enter the Fintech Challenge by visiting: https://Ecobankfintechchallenge.com

Ten finalists will be inducted into the Ecobank Fintech Fellowship after the finals and awards ceremony which will take place in October 2022.

In addition, all Fellows will qualify to explore the following opportunities with the Bank and its partners: multinational products roll out: an opportunity to pursue integration with Ecobank and potentially launch products in all or part of Ecobank’s pan-African 33-country ecosystem; service provider partnerships:  Ecobank may select some Fintechs as pan-African service partners within the Bank’s ecosystem; access to Ecobank’s Pan-African Banking Sandbox: Fellows will be given access to Ecobank’s APIs to test and improve their products for the pan-African market., and priority access to Ecobank’s Venture Capital partners for funding exploration.

The Ecobank Fintech Challenge was designed in partnership with international advisory firm, Konfidants and is supported by partners across Africa and globally. So far 46 Fellows have been admitted into the Ecobank Fintech Fellowship programme since it was launched in 2017.

Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, a member of Standard Bank Group intensified has its efforts in providing financial products and services for businesses in the agro-allied industry in determination to expand and support the agriculture and agro-allied industrial sector in Nigeria

The agro-allied industries are central to sustainable development. The agricultural sector is critical for generating employment, supporting the economy in farming communities, and providing food and nutritional security.

Wole Oshin, Head, Agribusiness, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc said that Nigeria’s ambitions for accelerated and inclusive economic growth was contingent on achieving a vibrant agro-allied sector that can support extensive enterprise development and employment.

Wole stressed that Stanbic IBTC offered various credit facilities across the agricultural sector that aid value chain players to thrive.

“The available loan facilities are targeted at agribusinesses to provide short-medium term financing needs of crop and livestock producers, processors, their distribution chain and other value chain players. The loans provide revolving working capital (to meet day-to-day operational needs and purchase inputs like seeds, fertilizers, raw materials) and equipment finance solutions to farmers and agribusinesses,” Wole said.

According to him, some benefits of the Stanbic IBTC agribusiness finance include the availability of gap funding for unforeseen financial needs, maintenance of cash flow and flexibility of repayment terms based on the type of funding. He added that the facility was also versatile and can be utilised for funding resources for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), vehicles and farming equipment.

Furthermore, Wole added that Stanbic IBTC had intensified efforts towards the improvement of the agro-allied sector by offering free capacity-building sessions to SMEs in the industry, noting that most sessions helped in educating SME owners on key business skills.

Wole noted that Stanbic IBTC Bank equally provided financing solutions for agricultural enterprises to suit their requirements concerning the availability of resources to purchase mechanised farming equipment, as well as the enhancement of seasonal cash flow for industrial production.

“For instance, Stanbic IBTC committed ₦50 billion to launch a nationwide agricultural finance scheme. The Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) and signed a memorandum of understanding to boost agricultural productivity and modernisation by facilitating increased bank lending to the sector.”

Wole said that Stanbic IBTC has committed these funds for the takeoff of the scheme. The first phase of the scheme is projected to impact thousands of lives through job creation and boost the revenue of farmers and businesses in the agro-allied industry, which is a testament to the financial institution’s efforts to drive inclusive economic growth through agriculture.

He explained that Stanbic IBTC envisioned that the programme would increase farmland output, diversify the revenue base, and provide vital resources and raw materials to the manufacturing sector. He said that the idea of providing financial solutions for agriculture and agro-allied industries as a strategy for accelerated economic growth is gradually beginning to take hold.

“Stanbic IBTC understands that funding the agro–allied industries is a sure way to diversify the Nigerian economy, as these industries are primed to spark off rapid enterprise development in Nigeria,” Wole noted.

Enhancing credit access to small farmers and agro-based enterprises at low rates of interest will have a far-reaching impact on the micro and macro economy. The growth of the agricultural sector is pivotal to economic development. Stanbic IBTC recognises this and that is why the organisation is intentionally developing initiatives and fostering partnerships that support players in the industry.

Business conditions in Nigeria’s private sector improved modestly midway through the third quarter, but the rate of growth slowed from that seen in July. Softer upticks were recorded in output, new orders and purchasing activity while employment rose at a quicker pace.

At the same time, overall input price inflation rose at the second-fastest rate on record while sentiment moderated to the weakest since last November. The headline figure derived from the survey is the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI).

Readings above 50.0 signal an improvement in business conditions on the previous month, while readings below 50.0 show a deterioration. The headline PMI registered at 52.3 in August, down from 53.2 in July, signalling another improvement in business conditions.

That said, the rate of growth was weaker than the long-run series average. New orders rose for the twenty-sixth month running in August which panellists linked to general improvements in customer demand. The rate of growth did ease from July, however, amid elevated prices. Higher sales underpinned a second successive uptick in output in the Nigerian private sector.

The rate of growth was broadly in line with that seen in July but was softer than the long-run series average. Of the four monitored subsectors, three registered output growth. Agriculture topped the rankings, followed by wholesale & retail and services, respectively.

Manufacturers, meanwhile, recorded a fall in output levels during August. Despite slowdowns in output and new order growth, firms added to their headcounts at a quicker pace in August. The overall rate of job creation was modest and the highest for three months.

Subsequently, firms continued to reduce their backlogs, but the rate of decline was fractional amid difficulties sourcing some key inputs. Advance payments led to quicker supplier delivery times in August.

In fact, vendor performance improved to the greatest extent in three months. Quicker lead times allowed firms to add to their inventory holdings. Stocks of purchases rose at a slower pace to that seen in July, however.

On the price front, higher commodity and transportation expenses exerted upward pressures on purchase costs. At the same time, firms raised their staff wages to motivate their workforces and in light of higher living expenses.

The overall rate of input price inflation was the second-fastest in the survey’s history, surpassed only by that seen in November 2021. Looking ahead, firms remained optimistic of output growth in the year ahead, as has been the case since the survey began in January 2014, but the degree of positivity was the weakest for nine months.