Business

Afreximbank Avails US$10 billion to insulate African Energy Producers , Exporters from Gulf Crisis

GCRP is designed to, among others sustain essential imports – including fuel, LNG, food, fertiliser, pharmaceuticals – by providing vital short-term Foreign Exchange (FX) and liquidity to support vulnerable member states.

Published

4 months ago

April 7, 2026

OCHEFA

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Dr. George Elombi, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Afreximbank on Tuesday commended members of the Board for their approval of a US$10 billion Gulf Crisis Response Programme (GCRP) to insulate African and Caribbean economies.

” This crisis response programme is in tune with our DNA. We understand how our economies work and the pain points associated with these transitory crises,” said Elombi.

He emphasised that the intervention will support African countries in adjusting smoothly to the crisis while strengthening their resilience to future shocks through interventions that transform the structure of their economies.

The conflict, which escalated on 28 February 2026, has sent shockwaves through the global economy, with African and Caribbean economies bearing the largest share of the brunt.

Given the significance of the Gulf region as a primary global source of oil, Liquid Nitrogen Gas (LNG), fertilisers, as well as the critical role of the Strait of Hormuz, the outbreak has triggered wider repercussions at a global scale, including adversely affecting African and CARICOM economies.

These impacts specifically affect nations that heavily rely on fuel, fertiliser, and food imports, alongside those exposed to Gulf shipping corridors, investment flows, tourism and remittance inflows.

It further aims to empower African energy and minerals exporters to capitalise on elevated prices and rerouted trade flows, by scaling productive capacity in strategic commodities, through pre-export finance, working capital, and inventory financing.

Additionally, it provides short term relief to African and Caribbean member states whose tourism and aviation industries have been adversely impacted by the crisis.

The programme is also designed to build the medium to long-term resilience of African and Caribbean economies against future shocks by scaling productive capacities for producers and exporters of energy, minerals while accelerating the completion of critical energy, port, and logistics infrastructure projects in African and Caribbean member states, delayed by the conflict.

Related Topics:Afreimbank US$10 billion Gulf Crisis Response Programme (GCRP)Featured

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Naira Exchange Rates Wednesday, July 22

Published

40 minutes ago

July 22, 2026

OCHEFA

2 Views

BLACK MARKET RATES

US DOLLAR (USD) Buy ₦1,408 Sell ₦1,413

GREAT BRITISH POUND (GBP) Buy ₦1,885 Sell: ₦1,905

EURO (EUR) Buy ₦1,585Sell ₦1,600

CANADIAN DOLLAR (CAD) Buy ₦1,020 Sell ₦1,080

SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR) Buy ₦75 Sell ₦90

UAE DIRHAM Buy ₦350 Sell ₦370

CHINESE YUAN Buy ₦190 Sell ₦205

GHANA CEDI (GHS) Buy ₦95 Sell ₦110

WEST AFRICAN CFA Buy ₦2, 300 Sell ₦2, 400

CENTRAL AFRICAN CFA Buy ₦2,150 Sell 2,250

AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Buy ₦800 Sell ₦900

Official CBN Exchange Rates

US DOLLAR (USD) ₦1,375. 31

GREAT BRITISH POUND (GBP) ₦1,841. 13

EURO (EUR) ₦1,569.78.

SWISS FRANC (CHF) ₦1,694.98

JAPANESE YEN (JPN) ₦8.45

CHINESE YUAN (CNY) ₦203. 25

WEST AFRICAN CFA (XOF) ₦2.40

WEST AFRICAN UNIT ACCOUNT (WAUA) ₦1,874. 32

SAUDI RIYAL (SAR) ₦366.36 SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR) ₦83.50

Business

Cardoso Urges Banks To Lend Out Idle Funds With CBN * Retains MPR at 26.5%

Cardoso made the call on Tuesday after the 306th Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting held in Abuja from July 20 to July 21.

Published

16 hours ago

July 21, 2026

OCHEFA

24 Views

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Olayemi Cardoso , urged banks from keeping idle funds with the apex bank and encouraging increased lending into the economy.

Cardoso made the call on Tuesday after the 306th Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting held in Abuja from July 20 to July 21.

The apex bank retained the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR), also known as benchmark interest rate, at 26. 5 percent.

This decision marks the second consecutive retention of the MPR at 26.5 per cent, following a 50-basis-point reduction in February from 27 per cent.

“The committee’s decision to maintain the current policy stand follows a thorough assessment of the balance of risk,” said Cardoso.

He emphasised that although headline inflation moderated marginally in June 2026, global uncertainties have heightened due mainly to the renewed hostilities in the Middle East.

The MPC also adjusted the asymmetric facilities corridor around the MPR to +50/-450 basis points—a move aimed at discouraging banks from keeping idle fund with CBN.

Furthermore, the committee maintained the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) for commercial banks at 45 per cent, retained the rate for merchant banks at 16 per cent, and kept the CRR on non-TSA public-sector deposits at 75 per cent for liquidity management considerations.

Cardoso said despite the global uncertainties, the Nigerian economy has “remained largely resilient to the external shocks”.

Business

CBN admits it opened domiciliary accounts for PFIPC agency

Represented by the Director of its Banking Services Department, Hamisu Ibrahim, the CBN said that the accounts are one in US dollars, the other in British pounds sterling, were opened following a mandate received from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

Published

1 day ago

July 21, 2026

OCHEFA

22 Views

File photo : PFIPC agency DG, Adeniyi Adeyemi

The Central Bank of Nigeria had admitted that it opened two foreign-currency domiciliary accounts for the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).

The apex bank made the confirmation, yesterday, during the public hearing convened at the National Assembly Complex by the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the existence and operations of the PFIPC, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi and inaugurated by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.

He explained that on July 30, 2025, CBN received a mandate dated July 29, 2025 from the Office of the Accountant-General.

“We received the mandate to authorise two accounts, one a US dollar domiciliary account, the other a pound domiciliary account, for the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council,” Ibrahim told the committee.

He explained the CBN’s verification process, “The process of opening an account requires a mandate from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

“Once we receive that mandate, we perform all the necessary verifications to confirm that this mandate is actually coming from that office.

The department that handles the mandate is different from the department that actually does the account opening,” he said.

Nevertheless, he noted that no one came to activate the accounts after they were opened.“We did not receive any correspondence, mandate, signature or mandate cards. We were not introduced to the authorising or approving officers.“Based on that, those accounts remain inactive, with zero balance. There have been no foreign exchange allocations.