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BREAKING NEWS: Group Chair of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu urges African govts to improve infrastructure development

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Prominent African businessman and philanthropist, and Group Chair of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, has called on African governments and private sector leaders to prioritise resilient infrastructure, human capital development, and green assets to drive the continent’s economic growth.

Elumelu, who also Chairs UBA and Transcorp, made this call in his keynote address at the African Caucus Meeting in Bangui, Central African Republic. His address was made available to The PUNCH in Lagos.

According to Elumelu, Africa’s infrastructure gap is a major obstacle to the continent’s progress. He emphasised the need for African governments to strengthen their fiscal capacity, drive efficiency, and unlock innovative financing to bridge this gap. “We cannot achieve prosperity without the foundations of modern development,” he said.

Elumelu also highlighted the importance of energy access in driving Africa’s industrialisation and economic growth. He noted that up to 70 per cent of Africans lack electricity, and that his home country, Nigeria, generates less than 7,000 megawatts for over 200 million people.

“If we are to industrialise, create jobs, and participate meaningfully in the global AI revolution, we must invest aggressively in energy — from renewables to cleaner gas-based solutions,” he said.

Through his company, Heirs Holdings, Elumelu’s investments in Transcorp and Heirs Energies are working to solve Africa’s energy challenge. “We are generating power, exporting it through the West African Power Pool, and using gas from our oil operations to power our plants,” he explained. This, he said, is an example of Africapitalism in action — private capital solving public challenges.

Elumelu also emphasised the importance of investing in Africa’s youth. “No resource is more valuable than our people — especially our youth,” he said. Through the Tony Elumelu Foundation, he has empowered over 24,000 young entrepreneurs across all 54 African countries, trained 1.5 million youth, and catalysed 1.2 million jobs.

In his call to action, Elumelu urged African leaders to take responsibility for the continent’s development. “Africa’s development is our responsibility. No one else will do it for us,” he said.

He also emphasised the need to prioritise energy and invest in youth. “Power is everything. No industrial revolution can happen without electricity. We must prioritise energy. Without power, there can be no progress,” he said.

Elumelu commended the growing focus of global institutions on Africa and applauded initiatives such as the IMF’s Advisory Council on Entrepreneurship and Growth and the World Bank’s “Mission 300” initiative to connect 300 million Africans to power.

In conclusion, Elumelu said, “Africa is ready. Let’s seize this moment — and build the prosperous, empowered continent our people deserve.” With the right investments in infrastructure, human capital, and green assets, Africa can unlock its full potential and drive economic growth and development.

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National Pension Commission (PenCom) changes price disclosure rule

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National Pension Commission (PenCom) has directed Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) to discontinue the publication of daily unit prices for Retirement Savings Account (RSA) and Retiree Funds on their websites, replacing the requirement with a six-month disclosure of returns based on a three-year rolling average.

The directive was contained in a circular issued by the commission.

Under the new guideline, PFAs must stop implementing Section 2.0 (iv) of the Commission’s March 23, 2013 circular, which required them to display daily unit prices for the last seven days.

Instead, they are to publish on their websites the last six months’ rate of return — calculated as a 36-month compounded rolling average in line with the Circular for the Calculation and Reporting of Rate of Returns by Licensed Pension Fund Operators (LPFOs).

According to the commission, the rate of return must be clearly displayed on the homepage of each PFA’s website.

For instance, the six-month disclosure covering April to September 2025 would reflect the 36-month compounded returns ending in each of those months.

This has however raised transparency concerns in the pension industry.

The 2013 circular on Minimum Information to be displayed on PFA Websites formed part of PenCom’s transparency framework for the Contributory Pension Scheme.

The latest addendum modifies that requirement but does not remove PFAs’ obligation to disclose performance information.

Industry watchers say the development may reignite debate over the balance between long-term investment reporting and real-time transparency in Nigeria’s pension industry.

All enquiries on the addendum, the Commission said, should be directed to its Surveillance Department.

An industry analyst who does not want her name mentioned said the move could reduce contributors’ access to real-time performance data.

She said: “Daily unit prices allowed RSA holders to independently track short-term movements and detect fluctuations in fund valuation.

“With only a three-year rolling average now required, contributors will no longer see recent performance in isolation”, she noted.

The analyst added that while pension funds are long-term vehicles, removing daily disclosure raises concerns about information asymmetry.

“PFAs will still compute daily valuations internally. The issue is whether contributors should be denied access to data that already exists,” the analyst said.

However, another pension expert defended the directive, noting that pensions are structured for long-term accumulation and should be assessed over extended periods.

“A 36-month rolling average smooth’s out short-term volatility and provides a more accurate reflection of sustained performance,” the expert said, warning that excessive focus on daily fluctuations could encourage reactionary fund switching.

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Dollar rises in black market on Monday, traders quote new exchange rate

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Dollar edges higher against the naira in black market trading Dollar edges higher against the naira in black market trading

The United States dollar at the parallel market increased in value on Monday, Febuary 23 with traders quote at N1,375/$ as the new selling exchange rate.

The new rate is a slight depreciation for the naira when compared to N1,343 a dollar market closed on Friday, February 20, 2026.

Abdulahhi, a forex dealer, told Legit.ng that the new exchange rate follows renew demand in the market.

“I am currently selling dollars at N1,375/$1 and buying at N1,355/$1. The pound is trading at N1,845 to sell and N1,805 to buy, while the euro is also moving steadily in the market.

“It seems this week the dollar will return to over N1,400. I have been getting a lot of request.”

The fall of the naira comes as BDC operators continue to face difficulties in accessing dollars from commercial banks.

BDCs can get dollar

The apex bank had previously issued a circular allowing licensed BDCs to access foreign exchange through authorised dealers at the prevailing market rate.

Under the directive, each BDC is permitted to purchase up to $150,000 weekly, subject to Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements and due diligence checks, Punch reports.

Leadership reported that despite a policy announcement, some operators disclosed that no transactions have been completed under the new arrangement.

A BDC operator, who requested anonymity, said the directive remains largely unimplemented. According to him, the circular provides that disbursements will be made through settlement accounts, a provision that has raised operational concerns.

He questioned the feasibility of seamless, real-time transfers between domiciliary accounts across different banks, noting that such infrastructure may not yet be fully in place.

The operator added that while commercial banks appear supportive of the policy, many are still developing internal processes to align with the CBN’s directive.

He explained that BDCs are required to submit bid orders through their banks, which would then access the market on their behalf.

Naira in the official market

Meanwhile, in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM), the naira closed against the US dollar on Friday, February 20 at N1,346.32/$1 from N1,341.35/$1 a day earlier.

At the GTBank FX desk, the naira weakened by N7 against the dollar to quote N1,356/$1.

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