The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has described the recent acquisition of Saipem, an Italian oil servicing firm by Marconi NG EPC, as a major boost to the Nigerian Content drive.
In May 2025, a consortium of Nigerian investors acquired Saipem from its former owners and operated as Marconi.
Dr Obinna Ezeobi, General Manager, Corporate Communications at NCDMB, stated this on Thursday, December 11, 2025, in Port Harcourt during a media tour of oil and gas facilities operated by Nigerian companies.
Officials of NCDMB and Marconi NG EPC during the media tour of oil and gas facilities
Ezeobi, who was speaking at Marconi’s one million square meters fabrication yard, noted that the acquisition would position the company to handle projects across all spheres of the sector.
He explained that the NOGIC Act 2010 that established NCDMB mandates the board to exclusively reserve contracts for Land and Swamp Oilfields for Nigerian companies.
“The acquisition of Saipem by Nigerian investors indicate that our efforts in promoting the participation of Nigerian companies in the oil and gas value chain is yielding enormous fruits.
“With world class facilities here run by Nigerians, the company can bid for jobs across Land, Swamp and Deepsea Oilfields,” Ezeobi said.
Conducting the media team round the facility, Dr David Editang, Nigerian Content Manager of Marconi, explained that the new owners retained the services of Nigerian experts who operated the facility for the past 15 years before the acquisition.
He said that the facility had capacity to fabricate, store and evacuate oil and gas facilities through three jetties and a helipad.
Speaking to the media after the tour, Gian Fabio Del Cioppo, Managing Director, Marconi NG EPC, said that Marconi Yard has the largest facility of its kind in West Africa, covering more than 1,000,000 sq meters logistics, secured, and positioned for project execution in the Nigeria energy space.
According to him: “It is one of the few yards in the country with assets and organisation for executing complex projects and includes a 330-meter jetty.
“It has the capacity to fabricate over 25,000 tons of heavy structures capital EPC projects, both onshore and offshore.
“Marconi has adopted a ‘one-stop-hub’ model to enhance cost efficiency, streamline interfaces, competitive with international alternatives,” he said.
Nigerian industrialist, Aliko Dangote, on Thursday, December 11, 2025, announced a N100 billion annual education support initiative, describing it as a long-term investment aimed at reducing financial barriers that drive millions of young Nigerians out of school. The programme is expected to cost more than N1 trillion over the next decade.
The Presidency praised Dangote for unveiling what is now the largest private education support programme in Nigeria, describing the initiative as a major boost to the Federal Government’s human capital development agenda.
Speaking at the launch in Lagos, Dangote said the plan will support 45,000 new students every year from 2026, rising to 155,000 beneficiaries by the fourth year and remaining at that level for ten years. In total, the scheme is projected to reach 1.3 million students across all 774 local government areas.
L–R: Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf; Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya; Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule; Chairman, ADF Scholarship Programme Steering Committee, Justice Sidi Bage, JSC; Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima; Chairman, Aliko Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote; Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (Ojaja II); Chairman, BUA Group, Abdulsamad Rabiu; Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Hadiza Balarabe; Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the launch of the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) N100 Billion Annual Education Scholarship Initiative in Lagos on Thursday, December 11, 2025
The initiative comprises four programmes targeted at sectors where educational exclusion is most acute. Through the Aliko Dangote STEM Scholars, the programme will fund 30,000 undergraduate students annually in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) across Nigeria’s public universities and polytechnics. Beneficiaries will have their tuition aligned to actual institutional fees.
A total of 5,000 students in public technical and vocational institutions will receive support each year for tools, materials and essential training requirements through the Aliko Dangote Technical Scholars. This complements the Federal Government’s recent policy providing free tuition for TVET students.
The MHF Dangote Secondary School Girls Scholars, named after Dangote’s daughters – Mariya, Halima and Fatima – will support 20,000 public-school girls annually from JSS1 to SSS3, with continued support into tertiary education. The Foundation will prioritise states with the highest numbers of out-of-school girls.
Through the Dangote Teacher Training Programme, the Foundation will launch a large-scale teacher development scheme, beginning with 10,000 secondary-school STEM teachers in 39 government colleges attended by MHF scholars and expanding across all six geopolitical zones.
Dangote said the intervention is aimed at Nigeria’s most vulnerable learners, noting that financial hardship, not lack of talent, is the primary reason many drop out of school.
“This is not only charity. This is a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future. Every child we keep in school strengthens our economy. Every student we support reduces inequality. Every scholar we empower becomes a future contributor to national development,” he said. “Our young people are not asking for handouts. They are asking for opportunities. They are asking for a chance to learn, to grow, to compete and to succeed. And we believe they deserve that chance.”
Dangote noted that for more than three decades, the Aliko Dangote Foundation has invested heavily in health, nutrition, economic empowerment and humanitarian support across Nigeria. However, he said one guiding principle has remained unchanged: “no nation can rise above the quality of education it offers its young people.”
He described education as “the foundation on which every prosperous society is built”, calling it the most powerful equaliser and the strongest engine of social mobility. Despite this, he warned that many talented Nigerian students continue to face financial pressures that threaten to push them out of school. Their dreams, he said, are limited not by ability but by opportunity.
“We cannot allow financial hardship to silence the dreams of our young people – not when the future of our nation depends on their skills, resilience and leadership,” Dangote said.
Noting that this concern informed the Foundation’s new Education Support Initiative, Dangote stressed that the effort is intended as a starting point rather than a standalone solution. “A single organisation cannot solve Nigeria’s education challenges alone,” he said. “Government has a role. The private sector has a role. Communities and families have a role. When we work together, we can transform education – and with it, transform Nigeria’s future.”
He added that Nigeria’s progress must not be judged by the number of children left behind, but by the millions empowered and prepared for leadership. He expressed hope that the new initiative would inspire broader action across sectors.
Addressing young Nigerians directly, Dangote said: “your dreams matter. Your education matters. Your future matters. We believe in you. We are investing in you. And we are committed to ensuring that you do not walk this journey alone.”
The Foundation, he said, will use a merit-based and fully digital system for verification, disbursement and monitoring, working in partnership with NELFUND, JAMB, NIMC, NUC, NBTE, WAEC and NECO. Dangote said the focus will be on measurable outcomes including retention, completion rates and post-school impact. He noted that the vision behind the initiative is to give every deserving child the chance to learn – unfettered by cost, free to dream, and equipped to achieve.
To oversee implementation, a Programme Steering Committee has been constituted, chaired by His Highness Justice Sidi Dauda Bage, Emir of Lafia. Other members include former vice-chancellors, senior education administrators, technical advisors and representatives of the Dangote family.
Dangote also disclosed that the programme’s long-term sustainability is tied to his formal commitment to allocate 25 per cent of his wealth to the Aliko Dangote Foundation, adding that the progress on the initiative will be reviewed in 2030 as part of Dangote Group’s Vision 2030 strategy.
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda in the education sector, alongside the Federal Ministry of Education, SUBEBs and state governments, for “deliberate and steady efforts” to support learners amid economic pressures.
The initiative builds on the Foundation’s existing education investments, including university hostels across several states, the Mu Shuka Iri early-learning programme in Kano – which has reached more than 10,000 children – the Aliko Dangote School for Orphan Girls in Maiduguri with an annual N500 million commitment, and a N15 billion pledge over three years to upgrade the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil.
Dangote said the new scheme marks only the first phase of expanded education interventions focused on quality of learning, teacher development and modern school environments.
A population becomes a liability only when it is uneducated
Vice President Kashim Shettima said the intervention demonstrates the critical role of private-sector actors in national development. He noted that Nigeria’s demographic growth makes urgent investment in education indispensable, warning that “a population becomes a liability only when it is uneducated.”
“Alhaji Aliko Dangote, through his far-reaching philanthropy, has set in motion the single largest private-sector education support intervention in the history of this country,” Shettima said. “What he has done here today is a lesson to each of us. This is nation-building in its purest form.”
Shettima highlighted ongoing reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), strengthened basic education infrastructure through UBEC, expanded TETFUND interventions and accelerated technical and vocational programmes.
He said these reforms aim to improve Nigeria’s poor Human Capital Index ranking and prepare young people for a skills-driven global economy. Describing Dangote’s philanthropy as “structural and long term,” Shettima said the initiative aligns strongly with the government’s priority of expanding equitable access to education.
“No nation surpasses the aspirations of its most committed patriots,” he said. “The legacy of Alhaji Aliko Dangote reminds us that greatness is not measured by wealth but by the number of lives one lifts from the shadows into the light.”
The Vice President added that the Aliko Dangote Foundation programme will widen opportunities for thousands of learners and bolster the FG’s efforts to build a competitive workforce. He called for stronger collaboration between government, the private sector and development partners to address persistent gaps in the education system.
Education Minister Tunji Alausa described the initiative as “pure human capital development,” saying it aligns with the Tinubu administration’s education sector renewal plan of transforming Nigeria from resource-based economy to a knowledge-based economy and is significant because every local government area will benefit. He said that by the end of the first decade of the scholarship programme, an estimated 170,000 girls would have been enrolled in school through the MHF scholars alone, significantly helping to close the gender gap in education.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, speaking on behalf of the 36 state governors, also commended the initiative and pledged the governors’ full support. He said Dangote continues to set the pace in philanthropy and national development.
“This is purposeful leadership. As a real partner in progress, he has choices, but he has chosen once again to lead with a bold and unprecedented initiative,” he said. “He has consistently shown what true philanthropy means and how wealth can become a catalyst for development. You are using your resources to lift millions, and Nigeria will remember this.”
Chairman of the Programme Steering Committee, Justice Sidi Dauda Bage, Emir of Lafia, said the scheme is unprecedented and praised Dangote’s patriotism in reinvesting his wealth to uplift other Nigerians.
“This is a remarkable challenge Alhaji Aliko Dangote has taken upon himself – the largest ever undertaken by a single individual – committing his resources to support more than 1,325,000 Nigerian students over ten years at a cost exceeding N1 trillion. This is phenomenal, remarkable and truly commendable. Tens of millions of young Nigerians will feel the impact over the next decade and beyond. The multiplier effect on our human capital, social development indicators and overall economic prosperity will be absolutely unprecedented.”
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, said Dangote’s impact in driving private-sector transformation remains unmatched, describing the new initiative as both transformational and a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future.
He recalled how the ADF had come to the aid of his community during a devastating communal conflict that resulted in the destruction of several properties.
In her virtual remarks from the United States, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, said the scholarship scheme would create an enabling environment for children to learn and for families to prosper.
Nigeria’s natural resources in communities in states like Zamfara, Nasarawa, Niger and Cross River are being extracted and carted away without recourse to the people and environment. Similarly, the gaps in monitoring and regulation of the solid minerals sector give the impression that government institutions are surrendering to foreign interests.
Executive Director, Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), Philip Jakpor, made the submission in Lagos on Thursday, December 11, 2025, in his welcome words at the official launch of Silent Conquest: The Chinese Infiltration of Nigeria’s Solid Minerals Sector, a report influenced by RDI’s work in host communities across Nigeria where sold mineral is mined.
Dr Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development
“The report reminds us that Nigeria’s solid minerals sector holds as much potentials as oil and gas and, when transparently harnessed and managed, could bring prosperity to the local communities and the nation at large.
“Unfortunately, like oil and gas, we have observed that the solid mineral sector is opaque and allows players, especially the foreign players, to extract without responsibility, leaving host communities empty handed,” stated Jakpor, co-author of Silent Conquest.
The findings, he disclosed, show that the country’s invasion, which most Nigerians fear, has already happened.
“It is the Chinese that have invaded all the spaces where solid minerals like gold and transition minerals like lithium are found. From Nasarawa to Zamfara, Niger, Kwara, Ogun and Abia to Akwa Ibom the story is the same. Not only has the sector been captured, but the players are also not ready to play by our rules. That is the bad news.”
He added: “We only get some little succor from the activities of some agencies of government like the EFCC that has been up and doing in checkmating unlicensed and illegal mining. The EFCC has been very proactive and have their hands full with arrests, prosecutions and arraignments of illegal Chinese miners and their local collaborators.
“The NSCDC has also been very active in that space. Disturbingly, we have seen some security agencies fighting each other to protect the illegal miners and the report also draws a nexus between illegal mining and terrorism currently ravaging the northern part of the country.
“The recent proposal by governors of northern Nigeria to ban mining for six months to checkmate terrorism financing should set us thinking. It should make us ask questions and the answers are in plain sight. What we have documented in the report we are launching today is happening around us, it is happening in our communities. We read it, watch it and listen to it on radio. But if we continue to overlook or gloss over it, it will become a monster like we have seen in Nigeria’s Niger Delta where oil has become a curse.”
Samuel Orovwuje, co-author of Silent Conquest, described the event as being more than the unveiling of a report.
“It is a call to attention, a call to accountability, and ultimately, a call to action. We gather here because the future of our nation’s mineral wealth – and the dignity of our communities who live on these lands – cannot be left to chance, silence, or external interests.”
Silent Conquest, according to him, began as a simple inquiry on how Nigeria, a country blessed with vast solid minerals, has become a landscape of unchecked extraction, foreign infiltration, and institutional vulnerability.
“The answers we found were deeper and more consequential than we anticipated. What emerged was not just a narrative of illegal mining, but a story of governance failure, quiet incursions, and the gradual erosion of state authority across mineral-bearing regions.
“This work is the product of months of research, careful documentation, and the difficult task of distilling complex incidents into a coherent national story. It draws on verifiable data, policy audits, investigative reports, field accounts, and official records. At every stage, we were guided by one principle: truth must serve the public interest.
“But this launch is not about pointing fingers. It is about laying a foundation for reform.
“It is about insisting that Nigeria’s minerals do more than enrich shadow networks – that they contribute meaningfully to our economic diversification, industrial development, and collective prosperity. It is about strengthening the institutions that stand between national resources and global exploitation. And it is about ensuring that Nigeria’s sovereignty is neither negotiated nor quietly eroded under the weight of foreign interests and internal collusion.
“As we unveil Silent Conquest today, we do so with humility, clarity of purpose, and a firm belief that evidence-based work can change the direction of public policy. I extend my deep appreciation to colleagues, reviewers, researchers, civil society partners, and every institution that contributes to the ongoing struggle for transparency and accountability in our extractive sector.”
Silent Conquest: The Chinese Infiltration of Nigeria’s Solid Minerals Sector is a timely, rigorously compiled, and policy-relevant report that fills a critical gap in Nigeria’s extractive governance discourse.
As a reviewer, I find this work both compelling and necessary – an evidence-driven analysis that illuminates one of the most complex and least understood threats to Nigeria’s economic sovereignty: the rise of foreign-linked illegal mining networks.
The report distinguishes itself through its careful integration of official data from Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) audits, enforcement records from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and a wide body of credible media and policy literature.
Silent Conquest
For those who were curious about China’s particular interest in Nigeria’s spat with the United States following President Donald Trump threat to use lethal force on terrorists, the answer seems not to be far-fetched. The report captures the fact that Chinese nationals have been implicated in “rent payment” in terrorist strongholds in northern Nigeria to enable them access precious minerals.
The authors demonstrate an impressive ability to connect granular field-level events to broader patterns of national security risk, environmental decline, and governance failures. This strengthens the report’s credibility and positions it as an essential reference for policymakers, regulators, civil society actors, and researchers working on extractive governance.
One of the strongest contributions of this report is its balanced tone. While the subject matter is sensitive – touching on foreign involvement, state collusion, and high-value critical minerals – the analysis remains grounded in documented facts rather than speculation. The presentation of recent arrests, institutional failures, community impacts, and legislative proceedings is thorough and responsible. The narrative highlights systemic weaknesses without losing sight of the wider implications for Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda.
Equally important is the report’s framing of illegal mining as both an economic and a national security challenge. By linking resource theft to insecurity, community grievances, and environmental impacts, the author situates illegal mining within Nigeria’s broader governance landscape. This multidimensional approach is one of the report’s key strengths.
The recommendations presented are clear, actionable, and aligned with global best practices in natural resource governance. They underscore the urgent need for legal reform, stronger enforcement architecture, and accountability mechanisms capable of addressing both internal and external drivers of illicit extraction.
In sum, Silent Conquest: The Chinese Infiltration of Nigeria’s Solid Minerals Sector is a well-researched and courageously presented contribution to ongoing national debates on resource protection. It is a work that challenges institutions to confront uncomfortable truths, strengthens public understanding of emerging threats, and provides practical pathways for reclaiming state control of Nigeria’s mineral wealth.
It is important to mention a few things about the authors of the report. I make bold to say that they are competent to write about this issue. Philip Jakpor started his work career as a journalist in 2003 reporting the environment and agriculture. Even after leaving the newsroom in 2007, he has consistently engaged the media on a host of subjects concerning the environment including in the Niger Delta and in the mining communities in the north and Sam Orovwuje is a policy analyst and independent scholar. His research interests include sustainable development goals, African political development, and decolonial theory.
I commend the Revevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) and the authors for producing a report that is not only analytical but strategic – one that should guide decision-making at the highest levels of government and among all stakeholders committed to safeguarding Nigeria’s natural resources.
It is our hope that the relevant agencies of government like the EFCC and NSCDC already confronting this menace are further strengthened and provided the needed resources to continue their good work.
Review by Babatunde Jimoh, Member, Vanguard Editorial Board
At COP30 in Belém, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) played a central role in elevating the climate–urban agenda, convening the Fourth Ministerial Meeting on Urbanisation and Climate Change, co-hosting the Cities and Regions Hub, and supporting countries in advancing stronger urban alignment in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
Through high-level engagements, technical sessions, and the launch of new knowledge products, UN-Habitat helped bring local implementation, housing, informality, multilevel governance, and urban climate finance to the forefront of global climate discussions.
COP30
The following 10 points capture the main takeaways from UN-Habitat’s engagement at COP30.
Implementing the Paris Agreement depends on cities and regions. At the Fourth Ministerial Meeting on Urbanisation and Climate Change, 17 ministers, 21 governors and mayors and 30 international institutions reaffirmed that global climate goals cannot be achieved without strong local and multilevel action.
Housing and informal settlements are climate priorities. For the first time at a COP, leaders acknowledged that upgrading informal settlements and improving basic services are core components of climate resilience and adaptation.
Countries demonstrate growing commitment to multilevel action by integrating clearer urban priorities into NDCs 3.0. The latest analysis from UN-Habitat shows that NDCs 3.0 now include the strongest urban alignment to date, with urban content nearly doubling and multilevel governance referenced in two-thirds of submissions.
Cities and regions show strong leadership and readiness to scale action. Through 46 events and more than 200 speakers at the Cities & Regions Hub, local governments demonstrated practical solutions on heat, flooding, water security, mobility, nature-based solutions, waste, and project preparation.
COP30 strengthened the case for multilevel governance as essential to effective climate implementation. Countries highlighted the value of coordination platforms and mechanisms to ensure that national ambition is matched with territorial delivery capacity.
Advancing local climate finance is a pressing global priority. Ministerial discussions and the Cities & Regions Hub confirmed that more accessible pathways for city-scale projects, especially informal and vulnerable communities including access to finance, are critical to achieving global climate goals.
Linking adaptation, nature, land, and people is vital. Multiple sessions at COP30 reaffirmed that nature-based solutions, resilient land use, and secure housing must be integrated into climate policy frameworks, including within the Global Goal on Adaptation.
The forthcoming IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities is critical to accelerate action. Countries committed to using the report to strengthen the science-policy-action interface and inform future climate planning, signalling strong demand for urban-focused evidence.
UN-Habitat leaves COP30 with reinforced vigour to support countries with local climate implementation. Member States and local governments expressed that support for NDC implementation for urban and local impact is essential. New partnerships are emerging for planning, finance and implementation.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) in Osun State has warned residents against panic buying and storing petroleum products at home.
The agency also warned petroleum marketers against hoarding and any form of sharp practices before, during and after the Yuletide.
The NMDPRA state coordinator, Mr. Kunle Adeyemo, gave the warning while speaking with newsmen on Thursday, December 11, 2025, in Osogbo, the state capital.
Fuel
Adeyemo said there is adequate supply of petroleum products in the state to meet the demand of residents before, during and after the festive period.
The NMDPRA boss noted that storing petroleum products at home could cause fire outbreaks, leading to loss of life and property.
He said the agency had put measures in place to ensure the smooth supply and distribution of petroleum products across the state.
Adeyemo said any marketer caught hoarding fuel or engaging in illegal pump adjustments would be sanctioned.
The NMDPRA boss also said the officials of the agency would continue to go around the state for monitoring and surveillance, with a view to sanction any marketer found culpable.
According to him, NMDPRA will intensify monitoring and surveillance of outlets in line with its regulatory mandate to ensure compliance with quality, quantity and safety of operations.
The NMDPRA coordinator who noted that the Federal Government had made sufficient petroleum products available to last throughout the festive season and beyond, said there was no need for panic buying or hoarding.
“Petroleum products are available in all depots around the country. Marketers should not engage in diversion, under dispensing, hoarding, adulteration or unsafe acts at retail outlets.
“Any marketer or operator caught engaging in sharp practices will be sanctioned accordingly,” he said.
Adeyemo also appealed to residents to patronise only approved, certified gas facilities in the state.
Nigeria’s total public debt was estimated to be N144.67 trillion as of the fourth quarter of 2024, a figure that many experts blamed for preventing governments at both the national and sub-national levels from investing in critical climate infrastructure and demanding accountability in borrowing practices to address the issue.
On Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at an event hosted by the Centre for Inclusive Social Development (CISD) in partnership with the Heinrich Böll Foundation (HBF) in Abuja, the stakeholders bemoaned the fact that persistent borrowing puts government instruments at risk.
They contended that, even in cases where governments must borrow, these funds should only be used to finance revenue-generating, self-liquidating, and vital infrastructure projects with clearly defined economic returns.
Participants at the launch of the Mapping Nigeria’s Debt Landscape: A Burden on Youth, Climate Change & National Development report in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
“The true cost of debts is the out-of-school child, the out-of-school girl, and that woman who has to do business and loses her life because of lack of access to basic maternal health care,” Folahan Johnson, the Executive Director of CISD, said.
Johnson evoked empathy during his speech on the event’s theme, “Youth, Climate Change, and Nigeria’s Development Crisis”, when he described the participants as elites, who represent hope for vulnerable climate victims.
He claims that the burden of debt acts as a deferred tax on women and young people, especially girls who have a higher school dropout rate because of rising costs or a lack of basic amenities. It also restricts the government’s ability to create an environment that is conducive to the growth of the private sector, denying the youth access to good jobs and limiting their long-term economic prospects.
In a similar vein, HBF’s Programme Manager, Donald Ofoegbu, highlights the significance of addressing the country’s debt situation and stresses the repercussions for those who are most at risk if the necessary action is not taken.
Ofoegbu went on to decry the high interest rate on debt and the lack of accountability and called on citizens to demand transparency in the management of public finances.
He linked the debt issue to climate disasters like the floods that affected more than 33 states across Nigeria some years back and destroyed vital national infrastructures worth over $9.12 billion.
“Nobody is coming to save Nigeria except us. This is where we belong. This is our home. And we’re going to fix Nigeria by repair or whatever means,” he stated.
Mr. Joseph Amenaghawon, BudgIT’s Acting Country Director, complained that borrowing was not translating into development.
“The result is debt without development, leading to a cycle where the burden grows but the benefits do not,” he asserts.
According to him, loans were being used for recurrent spending rather than transformative projects, thereby excluding the role of youngsters in the climate dialogue.
“Borrowing should build infrastructures at rising rates, systems of high use, climate-resilient communities, and a diversified and productive economy,” he noted.
The development expert submitted that a generation borrowed but did not invest, and for every loan that remains unaccounted for, a potential generation of youth is left behind.
Some of the major highlights of the event include two panel sessions and the release of a report on “Mapping Nigeria’s Debt Landscape: A Burden on Youth, Climate Change & National Development”.
The report proposed as the way forward that addressing the crisis requires immediate, decisive action in enforcing strict fiscal discipline and implementing aggressive and efficient revenue mobilisation, as well as ensuring transparency and accountability in borrowing practices.
Nigeria has taken a major step towards strengthening its electronic waste governance system with the formation of the Nigeria E-Waste Sounding Board, inaugurated during a two-day stakeholder workshop on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCOPE) held in Lagos from December 10 to 11, 2025.
The Stakeholders’ Workshop on E-Waste and Textile Waste in Nigeria, organised by the Resource and Environmental Policy Research Centre (REPRC), Environment for Development (EfD) Nigeria, brought together government agencies, academics, private-sector actors, civil society groups, and representatives of the informal recycling sector to co-create solutions to the country’s rapidly escalating e-waste challenge.
Participants at the Stakeholders’ Workshop on E-Waste and Textile Waste in Nigeria organised in Lagos
The Sounding Board, formally initiated during the opening session, is designed as a multi-stakeholder advisory platform to guide evidence-based research, validate national e-waste data needs, and strengthen coordination among actors. It will also support the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) systems and promote inclusive governance by formally engaging the informal sector – one of the most active yet least integrated components of Nigeria’s e-waste economy.
Highlighting the significance of the Sounding Board, Dr. Ifeoma Anugwa of REPRC/EfD Nigeria explained that the platform would serve as a bridge between research, policy, and practice, ensuring continuous collaboration long after the workshop.
Structured around five pillars – government, academia, private sector, informal recyclers, and civil society/development partners – the Board will meet twice annually, supported by quarterly virtual updates and thematic working groups on key issues such as EPR compliance, health and environmental risks, and digital monitoring of waste flows. EfD Nigeria will serve as the interim secretariat, coordinating meetings, documentation, research-policy matchmaking, and stakeholder communication.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Professor Nnaemeka Chukwuone, Director of REPRC/EfD Nigeria, emphasised that the initiative is rooted in finding local, context-specific solutions.
“The workshop is not just about making policy – it is about local solutions,” he said, noting that Nigeria’s e-waste problem is embedded in everyday economic activities, from informal pickers at dumpsites to traders at Ikeja Computer Village, making it essential to bring all actors into the same conversation.
He described the Sounding Board as a “sandbox” for co-creation, where producers, recyclers, regulators, waste pickers, and researchers can jointly interrogate evidence, evaluate ongoing research, and develop implementable solutions that will inform national policy.
In his address, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Professor Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to producing research that meaningfully informs policy and industry practice. He warned that Nigeria is facing an unprecedented surge in electronic consumption and fast fashion, both of which are generating waste streams that pose growing environmental and public health risks.
Professor Ortuanya stressed that sound science, strong institutions, and inclusive governance are essential for tackling these challenges. He emphasised that the SCOPE workshop serves a triple purpose: introducing a new research project on e-waste and textile waste, assessing Nigeria’s policy and data gaps, and establishing a multi-stakeholder mechanism – the newly inaugurated Sounding Board – to guide future engagement.
Participants at the workshop reached consensus on key operational decisions, including membership composition, meeting schedules, and EfD Nigeria’s role as secretariat. The Sounding Board is expected to produce an annual Nigeria E-Waste Policy Evidence Report, priority research agendas, and policy briefs on issues such as EPR strengthening, informal-sector integration, and environmental safeguards.
As Nigeria seeks to align its waste governance framework with regional and global circular-economy agendas, the formation of the E-Waste Sounding Board signals a significant shift toward more coordinated, inclusive, and evidence-driven action.
The UK Minister for Nature, Mary Creagh, on Wednesday December 9, 2025, met in Nairobi with CEOs from the African Natural Capital Alliance (ANCA) to discuss progress to date and set priorities for 2026, with a particular emphasis on expanding private-sector investment in nature.
The discussions focused on the role of private capital in efforts to protect and restore Africa’s biodiversity and how innovative financing solutions can help close the global $700 billion a year gap in the investment needed to halt and reverse nature loss.
UK Minister for Nature, Mary Creagh, meets with ANCA Governing Council members Arthur Oginga (Old Mutual Holdings), Eliane Ubalijoro (CIFOR-ICRAF) and Kaddu Sebunya (AWF) alongside CEOs from ICEA Lion, KBA, Fidelity Shield and KCB
Earlier in the day, the Minister visited an EarthAcre site in the Athi/Kapiti Corridor to see how its technology enables measurable conservation outcomes and direct payments to local landowners.
ANCA Governing Council members Arthur Oginga, Eliane Ubalijoro and Kaddu Sebunya, together with CEOs from the finance and insurance sectors, shared updates on new approaches to nature finance and the increasing uptake of nature-related disclosure across African institutions.
Taking place alongside the UN Environment Assembly, the meeting underscored the rising momentum behind nature-focused investment on the continent.
The Minister’s visit to the EarthAcre Athi/Kapiti Corridor also explored how local partners are developing community-led conservation and land-management approaches.
Afreximbank has highlighted the critical importance of factoring and supply chain finance (SCF) in narrowing Africa’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) financing gap and building resilient value chains across the continent.
Speaking at Afreximbank’s annual Factoring Workshop in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Mrs Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade and Export Development (IAED) at Afreximbank and Member of the FCI Executive Committee, noted that although Africa’s factoring volumes have more than doubled in recent years, increasing from €21.6 billion in 2017 to €50 billion in 2024, and with nearly 200 factoring companies now operating across the continent, current activity still remains significantly below Africa’s transformative potential.
Mrs Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade and Export Development at Afreximbank
She said: “Although SMEs account for more than 90% of Africa’s businesses and over 60% of employment and GDP, they continue to face a financing gap estimated at US$300 billion annually.
“To catalyse SME-led growth, Africa must scale factoring volumes to at least €240 billion, equivalent to about 10% of the continent’s GDP. Achieving this will require increased financing, deeper legal reforms, expanded training and strong industry partnerships.”
Also speaking at the workshop, Mr. Neal Harm, Secretary General of FCI, said that factoring and supply chain finance are critical to unlocking SME growth in Africa, calling for practical solutions, strong partnerships, and collaborative action to turn the day’s discussions into tomorrow’s transactions.
Representing Dr Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, Governor of the Central Bank of West Afircan States (BCEAO), Mr. Charlie Dingui, Special Advisor to the National Director stressed the importance of SME financing for driving socio-economic development across UEMOA member states.
“By enabling businesses to convert their accounts receivable into immediate liquidity, factoring improves cash flow and stimulates growth, particularly in environments marked by long payment delays and collection challenges,” said Mr. Dingui.
Côte d’Ivoire presents a significant opportunity to boost economic development by expanding its factoring market. The country’s factoring and supply chain finance sector is estimated to have a potential of $5 billion, a notable prospect in an economy where the cocoa sector alone supports millions of livelihoods.
Yet only 12% of SMEs currently seek working capital from formal financial institutions, relying instead on informal sources largely due to high financing costs, perceived SME risk, strict loan requirements, and slow approval processes.
The annual Factoring workshop is part of Afreximbank and FCI’s long-standing commitment to expanding awareness and strengthening technical expertise on factoring and supply chain finance, key enablers essential to advancing the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
To date, more than 5,000 delegates have been trained through over 25 capacity-building initiatives. Training is available through the Certificate of Trade Finance in Africa (COTFIA), the Afreximbank Academy (AFRACAD), FCI’s online and bespoke factoring training programmes, and the FCI Mentoring Programme.
