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STAKEHOLDERS IDENTIFY NON-OIL EXPORTS AS PANACEA FOR ECONOMIC REJUVENATION AT ZENITH BANK INTERNATIONAL TRADE SEMINAR

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STAKEHOLDERS IDENTIFY NON-OIL EXPORTS AS PANACEA FOR ECONOMIC REJUVENATION AT ZENITH BANK INTERNATIONAL TRADE SEMINAR

STAKEHOLDERS IDENTIFY NON-OIL EXPORTS AS PANACEA FOR ECONOMIC REJUVENATION AT ZENITH BANK INTERNATIONAL TRADE SEMINAR

By Olorunfemi Adejuyigbe

 

 

Stakeholders unanimously called for support of Nigeria’s Non-Oil Export Sector at the 7th Annual Edition of the Zenith Bank International Trade Seminar themed “Unlocking Opportunities in Nigeria’s Non-Oil Export Business”, which was held on Wednesday, July 20, 2022, at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos and virtually.

In his Goodwill Message Presentation, the Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Jim Ovia, CON, called for a concerted effort towards diversifying Nigeria’s export base through the promotion of non-oil exports. Highlighting the importance of non-oil export to the nation’s economy, Ovia pointed out that Nigeria exported cocoa and several other non-oil products for years before oil was discovered.

 

 

 

 

He cited the example of the 25-storey Cocoa House in Ibadan, which was built with proceeds from cocoa exports. He pointed out that many countries in the world, such as Japan and China been successful because they are doing a great deal of innovation, production and manufacturing of goods and services. According to him, we should also look at promoting the nation’s non-oil export sector through technology to create technological giants like Apple, Tesla, and Google. And we already have technology companies in this mould in Nigeria, such as Flutterwave, which has a valuation of $3 billion, making it more valuable than some banks in Nigeria. Speaking further on the enormous potential in Nigeria’s non-oil sector, Ovia highlighted the phenomenal growth of Nigeria’s emerging financial technology (Fintech) companies such as Flutherwave, OPay, Interswitch, Kuda and Paystack, with market valuations of $3 billion, $2 billion, $1 billion, $500 million, $200 million, respectively. According to him, this underscores the enormous opportunity in the Fintech space. He also noted that the most capitalized companies in the world, such as Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Tesla, Visa, etc., are not oil companies but are in the technological innovation space.

In his welcome address, the Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank, Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, said that the annual Zenith Bank Trade Seminar has served as a veritable platform to deepen the conversation on promoting non-oil export in Nigeria, bringing together non-oil export practitioners and relevant government agencies to interact and explore the opportunities and proffer solutions to the challenges of non-oil export in the country. Speaking on the origin of the Zenith Bank Annual International Trade Seminar, Onyeagwu said that the commodity price slump of 2014-2016 was a watershed moment. According to him, “when crude oil prices plummeted from $114.55 per barrel in June 2014 to $28.76 in January 2016, with an attendant effect on the availability of foreign exchange, it was time to look towards the non-oil export sector for a more sustainable source of foreign exchange that is not susceptible to external shocks and price volatility.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highlighting some of the salient outcomes of the past six Zenith Bank Annual International Trade Seminar editions, Onyeagwu noted that previous editions’ outcomes have found expression and influenced policy initiatives. For instance, the extension of the period of repatriation of Non-Oil Export proceeds from 90 days to 180 days and the policy mandating shippers not to carry export without a Nigeria Export Proceeds (NXP) Form Number were recommendations from previous seminars. Also, the need to incentivize exporters to repatriate their export proceeds through the official channels and the recommendation to create export terminals across various export hubs in the country were also from past seminars. Also, previous editions recommended having Export Desks in commercial banks, which has now been instituted. He also stated that Zenith Bank has trained over 100 exporters through its Zero to Hero programmes which provide a platform for grooming and exposing beginners to become strong exporters by providing training on documentation, product sourcing, access to market and financing. He noted that Zenith Bank will continue the advocacy of promoting non-oil export.

Delivering his goodwill message, the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, CON, commended Zenith Bank and its leadership led by the Founder and Chairman of the Board, Jim Ovia, for its laudable initiative in organizing an annual export seminar to explore opportunities in Nigeria’s non-oil export with a view to increasing the nation’s non-oil export base and ultimately increasing its share as a percentage of total export. In his words: “This is why the theme of this year’s seminar “Unlocking Opportunities in Nigeria’s Non-Oil Export Business” is timely and appropriate. This is because the global economy and structure are changing rapidly before our eyes. The previous world economic order underpinned by globalization and seamless trade possibilities seems to be suffering major disruptions lately. We believe Nigeria has a lot of potentials, and we can harness this for the good of our people and country.” He pointed out that the CBN has undertaken several initiatives to promote the non-oil export sector because of its firm belief that the non-oil export sector holds enormous potential to contribute to employment generation, wealth creation and economic growth of the country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In his keynote address, the President & Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, GCON, said that “Nigeria’s non-oil export is quite low compared to other African top oil producers. This exposes the economy to oil price/production risks. There is much room for growth, and the CBN is helping drive this through the RT200 programme”. According to him, the CBN RT200 FX programme, which aims to achieve $200 billion in foreign exchange earnings from non-oil proceeds over the next 3-5 years, has very laudable objectives, including enhancing foreign exchange inflow, diversifying the source of FX inflow, increasing the level of contribution from non-oil export, and ensuring stability and sustainability of FX flows.

In his Goodwill Message, His Excellency, Wamkele Mene, Secretary General, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, enumerated the progress and achievements of the African Continental Free Trade Area and the efforts to improve intra-Africa trade. Also, in his Goodwill Message, Professor Benedict Oramah, President / Chairman of African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), highlighted the efforts of Afreximbank to enhance intra-Africa trade through the implementation of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS). According to him, the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System will make it easy and seamless for Africans to trade amongst themselves and receive payment for goods and services in their local currencies, eliminating currency conversion challenges.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zenith Bank remains committed to promoting the non-oil export sector in Nigeria by identifying emerging opportunities which help stimulate non-oil exports and develop robust financial products and incentives for operators in the sector. The bank launched the Non-Oil Export Seminar in 2017 as an initiative to deepen the discourse on promoting the non-oil export business in Nigeria.

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20 New Millionaires Emerge from Fidelity Bank GAIM 6 Promo

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20 New Millionaires Emerge from Fidelity Bank GAIM 6 Promo

20 New Millionaires Emerge from Fidelity Bank GAIM 6 Promo

Fidelity Bank Plc has announced 20 new millionaires at the 2nd and 3rd monthly draws of its Get Alert in Millions Season 6 (GAIM 6) promo held at the bank corporate head office in Lagos.

The 20 lucky winners, randomly selected through an electronic draw across Lagos, North, Abuja, South-West, South-South, and South-East zones, will be rewarded with the sum of one million naira each.

20 New Millionaires Emerge from Fidelity Bank GAIM 6 Promo

Speaking at the draws, the promo Chairperson and Executive Director for Lagos and South-West, Fidelity Bank Plc, Dr. Ken Opara represented by the Regional Bank Head, Ikoyi, Chetachi Okechukwu, noted that the GAIM 6 promo was designed to reward customers’ loyalty, encourage a savings culture, and promote financial inclusion across the country.

According to Opara, “Fidelity Bank is dedicated to the financial well-being of our customers and this commitment inspired the launch of the GAIM Promo, designed to cultivate a strong culture of savings.

“Through this promo, customers have the chance to win substantial cash prizes up to N10 million by saving and transacting with their Fidelity Bank Savings accounts. In addition to the monetary rewards, winners will receive complimentary financial advisory services to secure and grow their wealth for the future.”

The monthly draws was monitored by the representatives of relevant regulatory bodies, including the South-West Zonal Coordinator, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council (FCCPC), Mrs. Aboluwade Margaret; and the Principal Legal Officer, Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority, Oyinkan Kusamotu.

Since the campaign launched in November 2024, Fidelity Bank has disbursed N19.75 million to 869 customers across different categories. The GAIM 6 campaign, which will run until August 2025, is set to reward lucky customers with a total of N159 million.

Ranked among the best banks in Nigeria, Fidelity Bank Plc is a full-fledged Commercial Deposit Money Bank serving over 8.5 million customers through digital banking channels, its 255 business offices in Nigeria and United Kingdom subsidiary, FidBank UK Limited.

The Bank is the recipient of multiple local and international Awards, including the Export Finance Bank of the Year at the 2023 BusinessDay Awards; the Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards; Best Payment Solution Provider Nigeria 2023; and Best SME Bank Nigeria 2022 by the Global Banking and Finance Awards. It was also recognized as the Best Bank for SMEs in Nigeria by the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2023 and the Best Domestic Private Bank in Nigeria by the Euromoney Global Private Banking Awards 2023.

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At UBA Business Series, Female Leaders Spotlight Need for Gender Parity to Break Barriers, Build Legacies

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At UBA Business Series, Female Leaders Spotlight Need for Gender Parity to Break Barriers, Build Legacies

 

 

 

As part of activities to mark the 2025 International Womens Month, Africas Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc held the quarterly edition of its Business Series event where trailblazing female leaders from diverse industries shared personal insights on overcoming systemic challenges, driving change, and redefining success.

 

At UBA Business Series, Female Leaders Spotlight Need for Gender Parity to Break Barriers, Build Legacies 

 

The hybrid event which was held at the Tony Elumelu Amphitheatre in UBA House, on Thursday reinforced the banks commitment towards supporting and championing gender parity, creating opportunities, and empowering women to build lasting legacies in their careers and businesses.

 

 

 

The panel featured a line-up of inspiring and accomplished women, including Founder and CEO of Shule Direct who joined from Tanzania; Faraja Kotta Nyalandu, Former Attorney General and Board Chairman, Africa Prudential Plc, Chief(Mrs) Eniola Fadayomi; Award-winning actor and entrepreneur, Nancy Isime and Managing Director, BOI Investment and Trust Company Limited, Mrs Flora Fabyan.

 

 

At UBA Business Series, Female Leaders Spotlight Need for Gender Parity to Break Barriers, Build Legacies 

 

 

Each panellist offered profound reflections on how they succeeded in navigating their careers and businesses against all odds, tackling gender bias, and unlocking financial and professional independence, thus underscoring the urgent need for inclusive opportunities and systemic transformation.

 

 

 

In her submission, Faraja Kotta Nyalandu reflected on the powerful role women play in shaping the future, emphasizing the importance of education and opportunity: The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world. Empowering a woman has a ripple effect; on her household, her familys health, and the community. My call today is for everyone to believe in the opportunity to transform a girl or womans life by enabling them to unleash their potential through education, learning, and opportunities. Give us the platform and space. If you dont, women will strive to take it, she stated.

 

 

 

 

 

Chief Eniola Fadayomi who recounted her journey through the legal and public sectors in Nigeria, stated, Being a woman in the legal space at that time was challenging. Every day as an Attorney General was a battle, and being a woman made it even harder. You have to prove yourself twice as hard as a man. When youre collaborative, they say youre weak. When youre assertive, they say youre too aggressive, so I believe that women should capitalise on some advantages that have been ingrained in them overtime to be successful in their fields.

 

 

 

 

 

Nancy Isime who spoke on the importance of financial independence for women, advised women on the need to create a niche for themselves and to think outside the box. Financial independence is crucial. Your life choices, especially who you partner with, is critical to building financial stability and generational wealth. Budgeting, investing wisely, and educating yourself are key steps.

 

 

 

Chief Flora Fabyan highlighted the balancing act many women master, stating, Women are naturally trained to juggle multiple roles. Managing home and work requires being present and making decisions that benefit both spheres. Over the years, you learn to juggle these responsibilities effectively.

 

 

 

Speaking on the significance of the event, UBAs Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communication, Alero Ladipo, who commended the bank for hosting the event, said UBA continues to champion diversity and inclusion, fostering an environment where women are empowered to excel and lead across various sectors.

 

 

 

At UBA, we recognise the vital role women play in shaping economies, businesses, and families. This event underscores our unwavering commitment to promoting gender equality and empowering women at every level. We believe that when women thrive, businesses, communities, and even the nations prosper. Todays discussion serves as a powerful reminder that while progress has been made, there is still much work to do -and UBA remains dedicated to accelerating that progress.

 

 

United Bank for Africa is one of the largest employers in the financial sector on the African continent, with 25,000 employees group wide and serving over 45 million customers globally. Operating in twenty African countries and the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France and the United Arab Emirates, UBA provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services, leading financial inclusion and implementing cutting edge technology.

 

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Billionaire Tony Elumelu’s Wealth Hits $2.15bn as UBA, Transcorp, Heirs Energies Growth Accelerates

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Billionaire Tony Elumelu's Wealth Hits $2.15bn as UBA, Transcorp, Heirs Energies Growth Accelerates

Billionaire Tony Elumelu’s Wealth Hits $2.15bn as UBA, Transcorp, Heirs Energies Growth Accelerates

Billionaire Tony Elumelu, (CFR) has a net worth of $2.15bn according to MoneyCentral’s analysis of stakes in various companies controlled by him, which have seen record growth in recent years.

Billionaire Tony Elumelu's Wealth Hits $2.15bn as UBA, Transcorp, Heirs Energies Growth Accelerates

MoneyCentral estimated Mr. Elumelu’s net worth as of March 10, 2025, by piecing together his stakes in companies, primarily through his family-owned investment vehicle, Heirs Holdings, and his direct and indirect holdings in publicly traded entities like Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp) and United Bank for Africa (UBA).

Heirs Holdings investment portfolio spans the power, energy, financial services, hospitality, real estate, healthcare and technology sectors, operating in twenty-four countries worldwide.

It is inspired by Africapitalism, the belief by Tony O. Elumelu, that the private sector is the key enabler of economic and social wealth creation in Africa.

MoneyCentral defines a billionaire as an individual who has a net worth of $1 billion or more. In calculating net worth, we priced the stakes in public companies as of March 10, 2025 and included dividend income paid to that date.

Private companies were valued in several ways, most often by applying price-to-sales and price-earnings ratios of similar public companies. We tried to identify and confirm all potential liabilities; however, we made no assumptions about personal debt.

Moneycentral’s analysis is laid out below.

Publicly Traded Stakes

Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp)
Ownership: Elumelu controls a significant stake in Transcorp via HH Capital Limited, Heirs Holdings Limited and personal/family holdings. As of Full Year 2024, his family’s stake (including wife Awele Elumelu) hit 35.93% or 3.652 billion shares per latest financials.

Elumelu’s 2,997,789,337 shares are held indirectly through HH Capital Limited and 68,386,431 shares are held indirectly through Heirs Holdings Limited. A further 68,276,011 are held directly.

A share reconstruction exercise was concluded in 2024, leading to a reduction in the volume of shares held, however the percentage holdings remain the same.

Market Value: Transcorp’s shares have surged from a reconstructed share price of N5.16 in March 2023 to N51 per share on March 10th 2025. Total market capitalization of Transcorp as at Monday March 10th was N523.8 billion.

The 35.93% stake was equivalent to N187.9 billion or $125 million (at N1500/$).

Growth: Transcorp Plc recorded 107% revenue growth to N407.9 billion ($271 million) in 2024, while Full Year profit rose a massive 189.7% to N94 billion ($62.6 million), signaling strength.

The Board of Directors approved and paid an interim dividend of N4,064,799,029.30 or 40 kobo per ordinary share (equivalent of 10 kobo per share pre capital reconstruction). The Board of Directors has proposed N6,097,198,543.95 or 60 kobo per share as final dividend, bringing the total dividend for 2024 to N10,161,997,574 or N1.00 per share.

It is instructive to note that Elumelu and family will be paid N3.65 billion as dividend for 2024.

United Bank for Africa (UBA)
Ownership: Mr. Elumelu is the Chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA) and largest individual shareholder. Data from the 2023 financial statement (2024 numbers are awaited) shows that Elumelu owns a 7.43% stake in UBA.

UBA has 34.2 billion shares outstanding, with Elumelu’s shares comprising 2.3467 billion indirect shares owned through Heirs Holdings Limited (1.814 billion shares), HH Capital Limited (302.29 million shares) and Heirs Alliance Limited (231 million shares) plus 195.12 million direct shares.

Market Value: UBA’s share price hit N37.60 in March 10, 2025 trading, up from N23 per share a year ago in March in 2023.

UBA Chart
Source: Bloomberg
UBA’s market capitalisation is N1.286 trillion meaning Elumelu has a stake worth N95.54 billion or $63.69 million (at N1500/$).

Growth: UBA’s gross earnings rose significantly in the 9-months 2024 period by 83.2 per cent to N2.398 trillion up from N1.308 trillion recorded in September 2023.

There was a 20.2 per cent increase in Profit before Tax (PBT) to N603.48 billion from N502.09 billion recorded at the end of the third quarter of 2023, while profit after tax also surged by 16.9 per cent to N525.31 billion from N449.26 billion recorded a year earlier in the period under review.

Full Year 2024 numbers are being awaited but expected to follow the same trajectory as 9-montsh 2024 results.

Key Subsidiaries via Heirs Holdings
Heirs Holdings was founded in 2010 and is Mr Elumelu’s private investment engine and wholly family-owned (likely held via trusts or direct shares). It controls stakes across sectors and here’s the big ones:

Transcorp Power
Ownership: A Transcorp subsidiary, 50% owned by the group. Mr Elumelu’s 35.93% stake in Transcorp flows through here indirectly.

Value: Transcorp Power has a market captalisation of N2.73 trillion ($1.82 billion) as at March 10, 2025.

Elumelu’s share via Transcorp’s 36% is $653 million, however due to the classic conglomerate discount this is already baked into the Transcorp PLC’s valuation so there will be no double-counting by us.

MoneyCentral will include this in the Net worth of Mr. Elumelu in the future if personal or family owned stakes are revealed apart from ownership stakes through Transcorp PLC.

Growth: Transcorp Power is growing so fast that analysts are struggling to catch up. Transcorp Power reported a 115% increase in revenue to N305.9 billion for 2024, equivalent to 61 percent of its 2031 revenue targets being achieved last year with six more years still left (2025 – 2031) in the forecast period.

Profit after tax surged by 165% to N80 billion in Full Year (FY) 2024, from N30.2 billion in FY 2023.

Transcorp Hotels Plc
Ownership: This is another major subsidiary that is 76% owned by Transcorp Plc. It owns the flagship Transcorp Hilton Abuja.

Value: Same as Transcorp Power there will be no double counting through Transcorp Hotels when determining Mr. Elumelu’s net worth. However, Transcorp’s hospitality arm has a market capitalization of N1.292 trillion or $861 million.

Growth: Transcorp Hotels delivered 69% revenue growth to N70.134 billion in Full Year 2024, while profit after tax rose 138% to N14.895 billion.

As the major subsidiaries (Transcorp Power and Transcorp Hotels) continue to grow it will be reflected in the valuation of the parent Transcorp Plc and as such increase Mr. Elumelu’s net worth.

Heirs Energies (formerly Heirs Oil & Gas)
Ownership: Heirs Energies has demonstrated remarkable operational excellence since acquiring the OML 17 block in July 2021. Within just 100 days of taking over operations, the company doubled its oil production from 27,000 to 52,000 barrels per day.

The asset is 100% Heirs Holdings-owned which bought 45% of OML 17 for $1.1 billion in 2021 with Transcorp (Energy Capital Power). Heirs Energies is the sole operator of OML 17, in Nigeria’s Niger Delta.

Market Value: The asset (OML 17’s) output of 52,000 bpd with 2P reserves of 1.2 billion boe, and an additional 1 billion boe resources of further exploration potential and gas assets, suggest a $1.5-$2 billion valuation in 2025.

With Brent oil at $70/per barrel, Seplat a comparable indigenous oil producer with 52,947 barrels of oil equivalents per day (BOEPD) in 2024 had a market capitalization of $2.23 billion or N3.35 trillion as at March 10 2025.

We would value Mr. Elumelu’s full Heirs Energies stake through control of Heirs Holding, the owners of the asset at $2 billion, dropping to $1.75 billion due to potential profit split with Transcorp PLC.

Heirs Insurance Group (Heirs Insurance, Heirs Life Assurance)
Ownership: 100% Heirs Holdings.

Growth: Nigeria’s insurance market is small with about N1.5 trillion ($1 billion) in gross premiums in 2024. Heirs Group’s General and Life companies, combined, recorded a 59.30% increase in Gross Written Premium (GWP), rising from N19.9 billion in 2022 to N31.7 billion, for the year ending December 31, 2023, as they both enter their fourth year of operations.

In addition, the Group’s earned insurance revenue for year 2023 stood at N20.5 billion, a surge of 80% from N11.3 billion in 2022, reaffirming the Group as one of the fastest-growing insurance groups in Nigeria.

Value: The firm could garner a valuation of 2 times sales comparable to AXA Mansard Insurance.

This would value it at N42 billion or $28 million (2x revenue, per solid growth and industry norms). Mr. Elumelu’s full stake would then be also equivalent to $28 million.

United Capital Plc
Ownership: Heirs Holdings has a stake (the size is unclear, but we estimate at possibly 25%).

Growth: United Capital’s after tax profit surged by 111% to N24.1 billion from N11.4billion in 2023. In respect of the current year, the Directors propose that a final dividend of N0.50 kobo per ordinary share of 50 kobo each amounting to N9.0 Billion, be paid to shareholders upon approval at the Annual General Meeting.

Value: United Capital has a market capitalsation of N369 billion or $246 million as at March 10 2025. A 25% stake means Mr. Elumelu’s Net Worth would be valued at $61.5 million.

Other Assets used in calculating Mr. Elumelu’s Net Worth
Real Estate: Mr. Elumelu owns “extensive” Nigerian property (Forbes, 2024). There are no specifics, so we assign a $75 million conservative estimate for a billionaire’s portfolio.

Cash & Investments: Mr. Elumelu has got liquid assets especially with major dividends coming from all his investments. We estimate cash holdings at $50 million likely, per billionaire norms.

Philanthropy
Heirs Holdings is inspired by Africapitalism, the belief of the Chairman, Tony O. Elumelu, CFR that the private sector is the key enabler of economic and social wealth creation in Africa.

Driven by this philosophy, Heirs invest for the long-term, bringing strategic capital, sector expertise, a track record of business turnaround success and operational excellence to companies they invest in.

Mr. Elumelu’s philanthropic Foundation catalyses entrepreneurship across Africa, through the USD $100million Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, advocacy and research.

Bottomline: Tony Elumelu’s Total Net Worth Estimate is $2.15 billion
Source of wealth

Source: MoneyCentral

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