Business

IMO Joins AACE To Boost African Trade

Published

2 years ago

December 5, 2024

OCHEFA

560 Views

International Maritime Organization (IMO) has joined States of the African Alliance for Electronic Commerce (AACE) to support work on ‘The Role of Single Windows and Digitalization in Boosting African Trade.

The members of AAEC are: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Djibouti, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Mauritius, Kenya, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Senegal and the WAEMU Commission.

This was disclosed by the Organization at a workshop held in Casablanca, Morocco (4 December). During the workshop, the participants learned about the 2022 amendments to IMO’s FAL Convention, which now mandates the electronic exchange of mandatory data in ports for the completion of formalities.

Since 1 January 2024, all IMO Member States are required to use a centralized digital platform or ‘Maritime Single Window’ to collect and exchange information with vessels when they dock at ports.

The workshop will boost States’ ability to implement a MSW, which aims to significantly reduce time and costs associated with port procedures and thereby enhance the efficiency of shipping worldwide.

The workshop was organized by the AACE in partnership with the Moroccan Single Window, Portnet SA.

Business

Naira Exchange Rates Monday, 20 July

Published

5 hours ago

July 20, 2026

OCHEFA

15 Views

BLACK MARKET RATES

US DOLLAR (USD) Buy ₦1, 416 Sell ₦1,422

GREAT BRITISH POUND (GBP) Buy ₦1,895 Sell: ₦1,915

EURO (EUR) Buy ₦1,590 Sell ₦1,610

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

CBN OFFICIAL EXCHANGE RATES

US DOLLAR (USD) ₦1,380.18

GREAT BRITISH POUND (GBP) ₦1,854.42

EURO (EUR) ₦1,577.00

SWISS FRANC (CHF) ₦1,707.94

JAPANESE YEN (JPN) ₦8.50

CHINESE YUAN (CNY) ₦203.57

WEST AFRICAN CFA (XOF) ₦2.40

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

SAUDI RIYAL (SAR) ₦367.48

SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR) ₦83.29

Business

BUA Foods target expansion into noodles industry

Rabiu described the expansion programme as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s industrial future, emphasising that the company’s growth ambitions are driven by a commitment to national development rather than scale alone.

Published

3 days ago

July 17, 2026

OCHEFA

50 Views

Chairman of the Board of Directors of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu disclosed that it’s food arm – BUA Foods is going into new sectors such as instant noodles because “we see it as a very important sector because of its affordability and its accessibility.”

Rabiu made the disclosure in Abuja on Thursday during the 5th Annual General Meeting of BUA Foods.

He also disclosed that as part of efforts to boost food sufficiency, “we are doubling our wheat milling capacity from over a million to over two million, wheat per annum. And that is huge.”

“We are also tripling the capacity of our edible oil business. In fact, we are setting up a brand new oil mill in Port Harcourt.

“Our ambition has never been to become bigger simply for the sake of size. We are building scale because Nigeria needs strong indigenous companies capable of competing at the highest level, investing for the long term and creating lasting value,” he said.