Business
High Expectations for Imminent take-off Africa Energy Bank
The bank, which targets an asset base of $120 billion, will fund oil and gas projects and support the continent’s energy transition programme.
Logo: African Petroleum Producers Organization
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil) Heineken Lokpobiri says that the Africa Energy Bank (AEB) to be headquartered in Nigeria would be unveiled in the first quarter of 2025.
The Federal Government previously designated January 28, 2025, as the deadline for operationalizing the $5 billion Africa Energy Bank in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
The bank which targets an asset base of $120 billion will fund oil and gas projects and support the continent’s energy transition programme.
Senator Lokpobiri disclosed the March opening date yesterday in Lagos during the 2025 Sub Saharan Africa International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (SAIPEC) with the theme: “Building Africa’s Future: Advancing Local Content and Sustainable Development in the Oil and Gas Industry”
The fossil fuel-focused bank is a partnership between trade finance institution Afrexim Bank and the African Petroleum Producers Organization.
The Minister in his opening remarks said the building for the bank is ready, “and we are only putting finishing touches to it, by the end of this quarter, this bank will take off.”
The Minister said that Nigeria will increase oil drilling and remove all impediments to achieve the 2.5 million barrels per day target this year.
Business
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Business
WEF could appoint Lagarde as its next chair, sources say
The WEF’s Board of Trustees, which includes Lagarde herself, was due to meet on November 2 and could elect her as its next chair, said the people close to the organisation, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
•European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde
The World Economic Forum could appoint Christine Lagarde as its next chair as soon as next month, four people close to the organisation told Reuters, meaning she would step down early as European Central Bank chief and trigger a wider reshuffle at the top of the ECB.Lagarde’s ECB term is scheduled to end in October 2027.
Leaving early would give European Union leaders a chance to pick a new ECB President before France’s spring presidential election, which opinion polls suggest the far-right could win, and could pave the way for a deal involving two other senior ECB roles.
The WEF’s Board of Trustees, which includes Lagarde herself, was due to meet on November 2 and could elect her as its next chair, said the people close to the organisation, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
No final decision has been taken yet, they said.
A spokesperson for the WEF said the forum could not confirm when the next full Board of Trustees meeting would take place, but that the aim was to hold one before the end of the year.
Business
Germany plans tax on sugary drinks
The tax is expected to generate additional revenue for the federal government of €690 million in 2027 and €925 million in 2028.
The German cabinet has approved draft legislation to tax sugary drinks in Europe’s biggest economy.
If passed by the German Bundestag, the tax will take effect on 1 July 2027.
The coalition aims to raise revenue for the federal budget while encouraging manufacturers to reduce sugar content and offer healthier products.
The levy is intended to ease pressure on the healthcare system, which faces costs of more than €2 billion every year linked to the high consumption of sugary drinks, which contributes to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.
According to the federal government, Berlin is using the tax to implement “what associations from the fields of health, science, child protection, and consumer protection have long been demanding.”
The tax is expected to generate additional revenue for the federal government of €690 million in 2027 and €925 million in 2028.
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