Business
Nigeria’s Inflation Rises To 31.70% For Feb – NBS
The inflation rate has moved to 31.70 per cent in February, according to the latest data by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The Bureau released the figure on Friday, with the latest data showing a rise from the 29.90 per cent recorded in January 2024.
According to the ‘Consumer Price Index and Inflation Report’ for February, the hike represented a 1.80 per cent increase from what was recorded in January.
“In February 2024, the headline inflation rate increased to 31.70% relative to the January 2024 headline inflation rate which was 29.90%.
“Looking at the movement, the February 2024 headline inflation rate showed an increase of 1.80% points when compared to the January 2024 headline inflation rate,” the report read in part.
The data showed that on a year-on-year basis, Nigeria’s headline inflation rate was 9.79 per cent higher, compared to 21.91 per cent recorded in February 2023.
“This shows that the headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) increased in February 2024 when compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.e., February 2023),” the NBS said.
Meanwhile, the food inflation rate in February was 37.92 per cent on a year-on-year basis. This was 13.57 per cent higher when compared to the rate recorded in February 2023 (24.35 per cent), according to the report.
“The rise in food inflation on a year-on-year basis was caused by increases in prices of bread and cereals, potatoes, yam and other tubers, fish, oil and fat, meat, fruit, coffee, tea, and cocoa,” the report read.
Friday’s figures come amid a push by authorities to combat the rising costs of living in the country. The removal of fuel subsidies on petroleum, and the floating of the naira were major triggers of the hike.
The rising costs of living have since triggered protests in several parts of the country, however, the government is assuring Nigerians of tackling the challenges.
Despite the rising inflation rates, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Yemi Cardoso, had earlier expressed optimism about a drop.
“Inflationary pressures are expected to decline in 2024 due to the CBN’s inflationary targeting policy aiming to rein in inflation to 21.4 per cent, aided by improved agricultural productivity and easy global supply chain pressures.
“The Nigerian foreign exchange market is currently facing increased demand pressures causing a continuous decrease in the value of naira,” he told members of the House of Representatives in February.
Business
John Ternus is Apple’s incoming CEO
John Ternus, Apple’s longtime hardware boss, is taking over as CEO, becoming just the second leader since Steve Jobs departed in 2011, less than two months before he died from cancer.
• John Ternus / CNBC / Getty Images
Tim Cook’s 15-year tenure as Apple CEO comes to an end on Sept. 1, the company announced on Monday.
John Ternus, Apple’s longtime hardware boss, is taking over as CEO, becoming just the second leader since Steve Jobs departed in 2011, less than two months before he died from cancer.
CNBC reports that as Cook exits, Apple faces numerous challenges, including an intricate supply chain that’s complicated by geopolitical tensions and soaring prices for memory due to unprecedented demand from the AI buildout.
But for Ternus, perhaps the most critical aspect of his new job will be pushing the company deeper into AI, where it’s lagged many of its megacap peers.
It said that so far, Apple’s AI strategy has involved avoiding hefty capital expenditures while Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Metacommit to hundreds of billions of dollars a year in combined capex to fund new data centers and fill them with pricey AI chips.
Business
NCC, CBN launch telecom industry portal to track fraudulent phone lines
“This means banks and other financial institutions can determine whether a line is active, swapped, disconnected, or reassigned to another subscriber.”
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the Central Bank of Nigeria ( CBN), have launched a portal that enables financial institutions to track fraudulent and suspicious phone lines across the country.
It is called the Telecoms Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS) portal , aimed at providing financial institutions with real-time visibility into the status of phone numbers used for transactions.
“The portal aggregates data on churned or recycled lines and numbers flagged for suspicious activities.
“This means banks and other financial institutions can determine whether a line is active, swapped, disconnected, or reassigned to another subscriber,” said the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida.
Speaking during the MoU signing event, Maida said that the agreement provides a structured framework for cooperation in critical areas, including payment system integrity, fraud mitigation, digital inclusion, and consumer protection.
On his part, Governor of CBN, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, said the MoU would strengthen coordination on regulatory approvals, technical standards, and innovation initiatives, including sandbox testing.
He noted that the partnership aligns with the apex bank’s commitment to promoting a secure, resilient, and inclusive financial system.
Business
FG allocates Flour Mills’ Golden Sugar 300,000MT annual production target
Golden Sugar Company, a subsidiary of Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC, currently cultivates about 6,600 hectares, producing about 20,000 metric tonnes of sugar yearly, according to the Group Chief Executive Officer of GSC, Boye Olusanya.
Photo: Director of Strategy and Stakeholder Relations at Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, Sadiq Usman (left); Head, Strategy and Performance Management at the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Ms. Edirin Akemu; Group Chief Executive Officer of Golden Sugar Company (GSC), Boye Olusanya; Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh; Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, NSDC, Kamar Bakrin and GSC General Manager, Anlo Du Pisani; during the Minister’s visit to the GSC Complex in Sunti, Niger state.
The Minister of State for Industry, John Owan Enoh, has urged the Golden Sugar Company (GSC) to expand its yearly production capacity to 300,000 metric tonnes by 2030.
Golden Sugar Company, a subsidiary of Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC, currently cultivates about 6,600 hectares, producing about 20,000 metric tonnes of sugar yearly, according to the Group Chief Executive Officer of GSC, Boye Olusanya.
The Ninister, accompanied by the Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Kamar Bakrin, gave the charge when he visited the GSC Complex in Sunti, Niger state.
The Minister noted that the current local sugar production in the country is a long distance away from the 1.8 million metric tonnes that the country consumes yearly, adding that, the GSC must contribute 300,000 metric tonnes in the year 2030.
He commended the management of the company for the employment of about 4,500 workers, emphasising that the government’s requirement for gainful employment is itself achieved here.
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