Business
PEBEC Ranks BOI, NEPZA and others low in business facilitation
The top five performing MDAs during this period are the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) with (80.1%) score, followed by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) at (78.2%), and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) ranking third with (74.8%).
The Bank of Industry (BoI), Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) and the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) have been ranked low in business facilitation by the Presidential Business Enabling Environment Council (PEBEC) for the first half of 2024.
Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Special Adviser to the President on PEBEC while presenting the report to the public in Abuja on Tuesday says MDA’s overall performance score is based on Efficiency and Transparency measures, with a 70% to 30% ratio, respectively.
Dr Oduwole said that the three agencies are among 11 agencies who could not score up to 50 per cent in business facilitation as enshrined by the Business Facilitation Act 2022.
The Business Facilitation Act (BFA 2022) says all MDAs must provide comprehensive information about its charges, timelines, terms, and prerequisites for obtaining permits, licenses, and approvals adding that the information should be readily available in their physical facilities, on official websites and through service portals.
A breakdown of the agencies who ranked loe.
Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) scored (48.3%), the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission NUPRC (46.9%), the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (34.7%) the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority (30.1%) and the Bureau for Public Procurement (24.1%).
Others include Bank of Industry (23.7%), Joint Tax Board (23.1%), SERVICOM (15.6%) National Sugar Development Council (15.3%), Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (13.9%) and the least being Trademark Registry (9.6%).
Meanwhile, the top five performing MDAs during this period are the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) with (80.1%) score, followed by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) at (78.2%), and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) ranking third with (74.8%).
The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Nigeria Customs Services (NCS) secured the fourth and fifth positions, scoring (73.9%) and (73.2%), respectively.
Business
TIME Names Moniepoint CTO Felix Ike Among 50 Global Executives of the Year
In its citation, TIME said Ike “has helped to establish the business as one of Africa’s leading financial platforms.
TIME magazine has named Felix Ike, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Nigerian fintech Moniepoint, to its inaugural Executives of the Year: Tech and Data list.
Ike is the only executive representing an African company among the 50 leaders selected for the 2026 list.
The list, unveiled on Tuesday, September 22, recognises chief information officers, chief technology officers, chief data officers and chief product officers whose decisions are shaping how major organisations deploy technology and use data.
Moniepoint is also the only African company represented on the inaugural list.
Ike was named alongside executives from Netflix, CrowdStrike, Dell, Duolingo, AT&T, OpenAI, Anthropic, Shopify and Reddit, among others.
In its citation, TIME said Ike “has helped to establish the business as one of Africa’s leading financial platforms.
“The recognition follows Moniepoint’s inclusion in TIME’s 2025 list of the 100 Most Influential Companies, giving the Lagos-founded fintech another global distinction.
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Business
Djibouti, Ethiopia and Dangote to build $660 million petroleum pipeline
In Kenya, Dangote and the government are due to break ground on a new 700,000-barrel-per-day crude oil refinery in Lamu next week.
Ethiopia, Djibouti and Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote plan to build a $660 million refined petroleum pipeline that will connect Ethiopia and Djibouti, a spokesperson in Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office said on Thursday.
The project will include a 120-km (75-mile) pipeline, as well as approximately 375,000 cubic metres of storage capacity at Damerjog in Djibouti and 800,000 cubic metres at Dewele in Ethiopia, the spokesperson told Reuters, adding it should become operational within 18 months.
Abiy said on his X account the project will be developed through a partnership between Ethiopian Investment Holdings and the Dangote Group, which separately is already building a $4 billion fertiliser pipeline and power plant, and a polypropylene packaging facility, in Ethiopia.
The project aims to reduce logistics costs and delays along the Ethiopia-Djibouti transport corridor, Abiy said.
Developers say the infrastructure will strengthen energy security and improve supply chain resilience for the two countries, he said.
Abiy is on a visit to Djibouti and made the announcement alongside its president, Ismail Omar Guelleh, and Dangote.
In Kenya, Dangote and the government are due to break ground on a new 700,000-barrel-per-day crude oil refinery in Lamu next week.
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