1.The African Development Bank
(ADB) has approved a $1 million (about N160 million) emergency grant to help Nigeria fight the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), which has so far claimed seven lives in the country and over 2,300 in three other West African countries.
2.The Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Incorporated has disclosed plans to add as much as 20 hotels in Africa over the next four years, taking advantage of rising travel in the continent. The US firm is seeking to add mainly five-star properties to its existing set of 37 hotels. Bloomberg quoted the company’s
Senior Vice President for acquisitions and development in Africa and the Middle East, Neil George to have confirmed that five of the new sites are earmarked for Nigeria reports THISDAY.
3. It has recently been learnt that the
target of 1,000 megawatts (mw) generation by the first quarter of next year by the Transport Ugehlli Power Limited (TUPL) will culminate in the creation of 15,000 job opportunities. Communications Manager, Marketing & Corporate Communications, Bolanle Omisore, said as private owner of the power generation plant, there is a potential of increasing the workforce by 40 per cent.
4.The Nation reports that the Central Bank of Nigeria
(CBN) has asked Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to adopt e-payment channels for their transactions. Salaries, pensions and supplies and taxes are to be paid through the electronic channels. The policy applies to organisations with over 50 employees.
5.Cornerstone Insurance Plc, one of the composite risks underwriting groups in the country has announced that it recorded an impressive performance in the 2013 financial year ended December 31, 2014. According to the company, its
profit after tax rose by 59.93 per cent during the year under review, having gone up from N544 million in the 2012 financial year to N870 million last year. Group Managing Director of the company, Mr. Ganiyu Musa, stated that the gross premium written by the firm has risen by 15 per cent, up from N4.60 billion in 2012 and the N5.30 billion last year.
6. The Nation reports that
Tetralog Nigeria Limited will be opening a shop for Mercedes-Benz customers as it opens its ultra-modern sales and service centre at the high- brow area of Enugu City, on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway in Enugu State. The sales and service centre comprises a showroom for new Mercedes-Benz vehicles and a workshop for maintenance of Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
7. Nigerian Institute of Management
, NIM, has announced plans to promote entrepreneurial and innovative skills among youths in the country, with its proposed industrial park. Speaking at a press briefing to announce its forthcoming Annual Management Conference, Mr. Nelson Uwaga, President and Chairman of Council, NIM, said the park will be fashioned after the University of Cambridge model and will lead to the empowerment of large number of youths.
8. France’s
Total SA, Europe’s second largest oil company, has put one of its offshore Nigerian oil fields up for sale again, the company said, after a 2012 deal with Sinopec Corp failed, reports Reuters. Total has hired BNP Paribas to find buyers for its Usan deepwater oil field located in Oil Prospecting Lease (OML) 138, which could be worth about $2.5 billion, according to sources familiar with the matter.
9.
Samsung Electronics West Africa, in partnership with accredited local partners, has stepped up its nationwide market expansion drive in Nigeria with the opening of three more direct-to-consumer stores in Abuja. Managing Director of Samsung Electronics West Africa, Brovo Kim, stated, “our vision at Samsung is to improve lives through our products. Nigeria is a very important market with high potential and it is very rewarding to know that people here support our business…”
10. The Federal Government, Tuesday, constituted a
14-member Policy-Working Group to develop innovative policies and institutions that would facilitate the actualization of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda.
