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Ekpe, Agbaje Bag AfDB Best African Bankers’ Awards

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Two Nigerians, Mr Arnold Ekpe and Mr Olusegun Agbaje on Thursday took two prestigious awards at the annual bankers award held in Arusha, Tanzania.

Reports say that Access Bank Plc also won the Best Operating Bank in West Africa at the 6th edition of the African Bankers award organised by the African Development Bank (AFDB).

Ekpe, the outgoing Group Managing Director of Ecobank Transnational was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement award while Agbaje, the Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank, Nigeria took the African Banker of the Year price.

Agbaje was presented with his trophy by Mr Tim Turner, the Director of the Private Sector Operations of AFDB.

Ecobank also won the African Bank of the Year in a keen competition with six other banks that contested in the category.

Ecobank, which got a strong endorsement during the AFDB annual general meeting by signing a 250 million dollars investment agreement with the South Africa’s Public Investment Corporation, also received commendations for its expansion as the pan African bank.

Under the best regional bank category, Attijariwafa Bank, Morocco won the North African award; BGFI, Gabon for Central Africa; Bank of Kigali, Rwanda for East Africa, while BCI, Mozambique emerged winner in Southern Africa region.

Dr Eleni Gabre-Mahdin, the founder and managing director of the Ethiopia Commodities Exchange also won the African Banker Icon Award along with Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Mr Adebayo Ogunlesi.

Reports said that the prestigious pan African ceremony was witnessed by Mr Mambury Njie, the Gambian Minister of Finance, Hon. John Rwangombwa, Minister of Finance, Rwanda, Dr Mustapha Kamel Nabli, Tunisian Central Bank Governor, Prof. Njuguna Ndung’u, Kenyan Central Bank Governor.

Other are Ms Arunma Oteh, the Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigeria and BBC World News presenter, Zeinab Badawi, among the guests in attendance.

Omar Ben Yedder, Publisher of African Banker magazine said, “we have recognised some superb individuals and institutions tonight.

“Africa’s financial sector is a major vehicle for driving the economic growth that has become the talk of the investor community around the world.’’

Yedder said that the awards were for Africans who were prepared to take the “bull by the horn’’ and carry out well thought out visions to raise the development bar and in some cases taken difficult decisions to deliver on their agenda.

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NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

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2 weeks ago

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June 27, 2025

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The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure  and equipment  modernization drive  with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the  clearing  of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying,  “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President  of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

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2 weeks ago

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June 27, 2025

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National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

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2 weeks ago

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June 27, 2025

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In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of  NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the  Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu
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