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OGFZA Attracts $21.6bn FDIs into Nigeria’s economy in 20 years, Secures $19.97bn investments commitment

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MD/CEO, OGFZA, Sen. Tijjani Kaura, flanked by management staff
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The Oil and Gas Free Trade Zones Authority (OGFZA), said it attracted the sum of $21.6bn foreign direct investment into the Nigeria’s economy between 2001 and 2021

The Authority, also said it secured the sum of $19.97bn fresh investment commitment for Nigeria’s oil and gas free zones for the 2021 to 2025 fiscal periods.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of OGFZA, Sen. Tijjani Kaura gave the figures during a chat with journalists in Abuja.

Sen. Kaura, said that the Oil and Gas Free Zones are evolving well and contributing significantly to the nation’s economy

He said, between 2021 and 2025 OGFZA has attracted a total investment commitment of $15.97b from new and existing investors in five of the Oil and Gas Free Zones.

Giving a breakdown of the investment commitments, Kaura put the proposed investment in Brass Oil and Gas Free Zone at $3bn; Notore Oil and Gas Free Zone $5.35bn; Liberty Oil and Gas Free Zone $6.4bn; Bestaf Maritime and Industrial OGFZ $485m and OGFZ-SBA Free Zone $738m

Accoding to him, “The Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority have recorded real achievements in quantitative terms which have contributed significantly to the nation’s GDP in the last two decades especially in three key indices namely Foreign direct investments (FDI) of $21.6b (2001-2021); technical skills transferred to Nigerians-35,330 (2001-2021); Number of Nigerians who have secured various levels of direct employment 41,085 persons and 164,000 indirect employments within the same period.

“In the area of revenue generation to Government, OGFZA activities accounted for the following revenues to the Federal Government between 2018 to 2021 Customs Duty of N119bn for goods exported from the Free Zones to Customs territory; Withholding Tax of N10.4bn for transactions carried out between Free Zone Enterprises and non-Free Zone licensees; and Value Added Tax (VAT) of N9.5bn for transactions carried out between Free Zone Enterprises and non-Free Zone licensees.”

Sen. Kaura, noted that the Authority has contributed to the reduction of Federal Government’s personnel and overhead costs by offering to become a partially self-funding Agency since January 2021, thereby saving the Federal Government over N2.3bn annually.

He said currently, OGFZA regulates eight Free Zones with six of them being fully operational, while processes towards the taking off of two are at various stages of completion.

He explained further that the agency has been achieving the objectives of government as revealed in the outcome of the evaluation exercise carried out by a high-powered Technical Committee set up in 2021 by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment for the evaluation of the performance of Free Zone Licensees in Nigeria.

In that Report, he noted that OGFZA in the area of Employment scored 69% in achieving its expected employment generation targets while on skills transfer, it achieved 73% of the national goal for Free Zones.

He said in line with the determination of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to bring a turnaround to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, OGFZA has established Oil and Gas Free Zones in the resource-rich areas of Akwa Ibom State, Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta States respectively.

“In these states, the Authority has attracted gas processing projects eg (i) the Giwa Gas Project being constructed in the Liberty Oil and Gas Free Zone, Akwa Ibom State, (ii) the proposed methanol plant project at Brass Oil and Gas Free Zone, (ii) the Meliora Methanol FZE Project at Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone etc.

“The Authority is also working with E & P Companies (Exploration and Production) including Waltersmith Petroman Oil Ltd for the development of an Industrial and Innovation Park/Oil and Gas Free Zone in Imo State and similar projects, which will operate as clusters for downstream gas-to-industry manufacturing and related activities,” he added.

In the area of midstream activities, Kaura said the Authority has commenced discussions with key industry stakeholders like BrentexCPP Limited, a consortium of Brentex Petroleum Services Ltd/China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Co Ltd (CPP), one of the contractors executing the project to support and facilitate the completion of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas pipeline project through its trade facilitation incentives.

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Business & Economy

Mangal Cement Reiterates Commitment to Consistence Quality, Tightens Relationship with Stakeholders

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The General Manager, Sales and Marketing, Omowunmi Goriola Oduguwa Monday, July 14th, 2025 addresses Annual Stakeholders Forum, Abuja
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By AbdulRahman Obaje

Mangal Cement has reiterate its commitment to consistence quality while reinforcing its relationship with it stakeholders.

The General Manager, Sales and Marketing, Omowunmi Goriola Oduguwa made this known Monday, July 14th, 2025 during this year Annual Stakeholders Forum, Abuja.

Omowunmi said, “We are here today basically because of this title: ‘building stronger partnership, quality trading solution and value for money’. We are here; number one, to tighten the collaboration that we’ve been having with our stakeholders. We know that we’ve been having relationship with you by virtue of the fact that you are partner to our business, you are using our brand; that automatically has clarify the fact that we are in partnership”

”We don’t just want it to be like that, we want it to be tighter, so we want to strengthen that collaboration, we want it to be tighter. That is why we are here and that is why we have invited you to be part of this event.”

“And secondly. We are also here to reaffirm the consistency in quality and innovation. We want to assure you that our quality remain the way it has ever been since inception; since we started production. My colleague said this is first of its kind; I mean the stakeholder forum we are having. But obviously this is first of its kind in Abuja environment. And I want to also appreciate us for being part of this very first one.”, she continued.

Participants also expressed satisfaction with Mangal product. Obastar Block Industry Said the cement is very good. He said, “People should join in using it, we have been using it. The cement is good. We have been using other cements but since we have tried Mangal cement, we have not been disappointed.”

“The only place they need improvement is setting, outside that, the cement is very good.” he concluded.

Olayinka AbdulWahid, IBZA Blocks said, “Mangal cement is very good in terms of quality and durability.

The blocks that we produced with Mangal cement, the customer actually vouch for. I have some few friends that whenever they want to cast, they always request that make Mangal cement available.

So, in terms of quality, it is a very good quality/ the only challenge we have is the availability and most of the time the delivery is very very poor in which sometimes, some of us we are unable to wait. we have to look for alternative product.

But with this seminar we attend today, if we can have access to more of the vendor or more of the distributor, we can have alternative demand.

So, that is the only challenge, the availability.”

However, Omowunmi further revealed that Mangal Industries is not slowing down on innovation and quality assurance, asserting that this is the reason for the forum, so as “to reaffirm our commitment to quality and innovation as an organisation.”, she continued.

The forum saw notable personalities such as Engr. Yusuf Ibrahim, Industrial Training Fund, Silifa Shagaya, SON and others in attendance

High point of the event was the distribution of wheelbarrows and protective gears to all the participants of the stakeholder forum.

 

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Business & Economy

Nigerian Economy Stabilising — CBN Governor, Cardoso

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CBN Governor Yemi Cardoso
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The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, has said the Nigerian economy has stability.
He disclosed this at the press briefing at the end of its 300th Monetary Policy Committee meeting on Tuesday.

According to him, investors’ confidence in the Nigerian economy has improved over the past eighteen months.

Responding to questions on how improved macroeconomic fundamentals of the Nigerian economy are impacting the lives of Nigerians, he said, “Investors do not go to where there is economic instability. They don’t go out to lose money but to make a profit. With that stability comes confidence and then investment and growth.

“What is now being recognised is that the Nigerian economy is not stable. The inflation numbers speak for themselves.”

Recall that the World Bank, in its latest Nigerian Development Update report, said the country is in good shape as it grew by 3.4 percent in 2024.

 

 

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 CBN Retains Nigeria’s Interest At 27.50%

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Yemi Cardoso,CBN Governor
Yemi Cardoso, CBN Governor
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The Central Bank of Nigeria Monetary Policy Committee has retained the country’s interest rate at 27.50 percent.

The governor of CBN, Olayemi Cardoso, disclosed this in a press briefing on Tuesday after the 300th MPC meeting in Abuja.

“The committee unanimously agreed to retain MPR at 27.50 percent,” he stated.

Cardoso also announced that the MPC member decided to retain the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) at 50 basis points for commercial bank and 16 percent for mortgage bank, the liquidity ratio (LR) at 30 percent, and the asymmetric corridor at +500/-100 basis points around the MPR; other monetary policy decisions were retained.

He justified MPC’s decision to pause the rate hike on the easing of Nigeria’s inflation rate to 23.7 percent in April.

it would be recalled that last week the National Bureau of Statistics consumer price index showed that country’s inflation dropped by 23.7 percent.

In February, the MPC retained the country’s interest rate at 27.50 percent as inflation cooled off.

 

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