Business
Unctad says GDP is not enough to tell if people are better off
The report proposes 31 indicators built around four areas: Peace, human rights and respect for the planet; current well-being; equity and inclusion; and sustainability and resilience.
Image:UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno
Pedro Manuel Moreno, Deputy Secretary-General and Acting Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) stated that Gross domestic product, or GDP, is not enough if people are better off in an economy.
“GDP measures the value of goods and services produced in an economy. It has long been treated as the world’s scoreboard for progress. But a growing economy can still leave people poorer in security, trust, opportunity and hope,” Moreno said in a report on the unctad website.
The report argues that governments need a broader way to judge whether development is working. It does not call for replacing GDP. It calls for complementing it with a practical dashboard that captures what GDP misses: well-being, equity, sustainability and resilience.
Growth is not the whole story
Between 1980 and 2025, global economic activity contracted only twice: During the 2009 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. By GDP’s measure, the world has rarely been richer.
Yet trust in institutions has eroded, inequality has widened in many places and environmental pressures have intensified.
In some wealthy countries, young people report high levels of anxiety and isolation. The gap between economic output and lived experience is becoming harder to ignore.
“What we measure shapes what we value. That is the question this work now places squarely on the international agenda, ”said Moreno.
A dashboard for the real economy
The report proposes 31 indicators built around four areas: Peace, human rights and respect for the planet; current well-being; equity and inclusion; and sustainability and resilience.
The dashboard would track material conditions, health, education, social cohesion, institutional quality, environmental conditions, poverty, inequality and the assets societies pass to future generations – including produced, human, social, institutional and natural capital.
It is designed to be country-owned, so governments can adapt it to national priorities and capacities.
Close to half of the indicators are drawn from the Sustainable Development Goals, meaning many countries already have data systems in place.
Why it matters now
Unlike earlier Beyond GDP efforts, this report comes with a political track.
It was produced in response to a direct request from Member States under the Pact for the Future and will now move into an intergovernmental process at the General Assembly, led by Spain and Guyana.It also recognizes that progress does not stop at borders.
One country’s well-being can be shaped by decisions made elsewhere — through emissions, trade, finance, technology and supply chains.
UNCTAD, together with the UN Development Programme and partners across the UN system, will support countries that choose to begin testing the framework.
“GDP tells us how fast an economy is growing. It does not tell us where we are headed, what we pass on the way, or what we leave behind for the next generation,” Mr Moreno said.
Business
Royal African Society marks 125 years of Africa – Britain Businesses
The anniversary featured the Closing of Markets Ceremony and ringing of the exchange’s closing bell, alongside high-level sector discussions, fireside chats, the presentation of philanthropy awards and the unveiling of the Top African Brands in the UK and Top British Brands in Africa.
• Arunma Oteh, Chairperson of the Royal African Society
The Royal African Society has marked 125 years anniversary of Africa and Britain businesses and investments at a ceremony held at the London Stock Exchange.
The Wednesday event brought together the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II; President and Chief Executive Officer of Africa Finance Corporation, Samaila Zubairu; Chief Executive Officer of British International Investment, Leslie Maasdorp; Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Flutterwave, Olugbenga “GB” Agboola; Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Royal African Society, Stella Okotete; and other business, diplomatic and policy leaders.
Chairperson of the Royal African Society, Arunma Oteh, said that the organisation had spent 125 years fostering partnerships between both regions.
Oteh said that the celebration was aimed at deepening collaboration between Africa and the UK while promoting investment, innovation and shared prosperity.
The anniversary featured the Closing of Markets Ceremony and ringing of the exchange’s closing bell, alongside high-level sector discussions, fireside chats, the presentation of philanthropy awards and the unveiling of the Top African Brands in the UK and Top British Brands in Africa.
Business
US subjects imports from Nigeria to 12.5% tariff
The tariff affects imports from 60 economies that Washington says have not “imposed and effectively enforced a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour.”
The United States has imposed a 12.5 per cent tariff on imports from Nigeria as part of a new trade measure targeting countries it says have failed to prohibit the importation of goods produced with forced labour.
The tariff affects imports from 60 economies that Washington says have not “imposed and effectively enforced a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour.”
The measure was announced in a statement posted on the website of the Office of the United States Trade Representative on Thursday.
Nigeria is among the countries subject to the 12.5 per cent tariff, while India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and the United Kingdom will face a lower 10 per cent rate after adopting or committing to implement bans on imports linked to forced labour.
The move follows investigations launched by the USTR in May 2026 into 60 of the United States’ largest trading partners under Section 301 of the Trade Act.
According to the agency, it received more than 1,600 written submissions, held public hearings involving over 100 witnesses, and consulted more than 45 governments before announcing the tariffs.
Business
MTN Nigeria asks customers to trade old SIM packs for prizes
MTN named eight collection centres across the country where customers can deposit their items. The locations cover Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Jos, Delta, Port Harcourt, and Ibadan.
MTN Nigeria has invited customers to bring in old SIM packs, recharge cards, booster cards, dongles, and MTN-branded phones in exchange for prizes.
The telecom giant is running the campaign the under the hashtag #YelloMoments.
MTN launched the campaign on Wednesday, July 23, via its official social media pages, telling followers that items kept in drawers over the years could be worth something.
Customers who participate will also be featured on what MTN described as a “Memory Wall.”
Collection centres across Nigeria
MTN named eight collection centres across the country where customers can deposit their items. The locations cover Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Jos, Delta, Port Harcourt, and Ibadan.
In Lagos, customers can visit MTN Plaza at No. 1 Awolowo Road, Falomo, Ikoyi, or the office at 43 Allen Avenue, Ikeja. In Abuja, the collection point is at No. 4, Medeira Street, Maitama.
In Kano, it is at 2, Civil Centre Road. In Jos, Plateau State, the centre is at Plot 3119, Royalfield Road.
In Asaba, Delta State, the location is KLM 129, Benin–Asaba Expressway. In Port Harcourt, Rivers State, customers can go to 234, Old Aba Expressway, Opposite Hannah Fast Food.
In Ibadan, Oyo State, the drop-off point is at MTN Regional Office 1, Olubadan Avenue and Up/Zartech Road, Oluyole Estate.
Royal African Society marks 125 years of Africa – Britain Businesses
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