The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) recently convened the second phase of the Validation Workshop on the Nigeria Data Protection Act – General Application and Implementation Directive (NDP Act GAID) in Abuja. The workshop aimed to evaluate, share insights, and gather input from stakeholders on the draft GAID, in line with the NDPC’s commitment to ensuring stakeholder engagement and promoting best practices in data protection and privacy across Nigeria.

During the event, the National Commissioner and CEO of NDPC, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, delivered a keynote address commending the GAID committee for their dedication and hard work in developing the document. He emphasized the importance of understanding the NDP Act to enhance Nigeria’s global standing in privacy protection and to position the country as a leader in the global data protection ecosystem. The GAID committee, inaugurated on September 3, 2023, comprises experts from the public and private sectors, multinationals, and civil society organizations.

Dr. Olatunji acknowledged the progressive nature of the NDP Act and encouraged participants to offer feedback, raise concerns, and ask questions regarding the GAID. The workshop included presentations on the GAID and the NDP Act, followed by a detailed review of the drafting process, scope and applications, cross-border data transfer, data subjects’ rights, data retention, funding, Data Protection Officers (DPOs), audit filing, and storage limits.

The event marked a significant step in the NDPC’s efforts to champion privacy rights and bolster Nigeria’s data protection framework.

 

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has imposed a fine of ₦555,800,000 (Five Hundred and Fifty-Five Million Eight Hundred Thousand Naira) on Fidelity Bank PLC. This fine represents 0.1% of the bank’s annual gross revenue for 2023 and must be paid within 14 days upon receipt of the notice.

The penalty follows an investigation by the Commission into violations of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation, 2019. The investigation was triggered by a complaint lodged in April 2023 by a data subject who alleged that their personal data was collected without a lawful basis for the purpose of opening an account.

Upon reviewing Fidelity Bank’s data processing practices, the Commission found that the bank had, in several critical instances, processed personal data without the informed consent of the data subjects. This included the use of data processing tools such as cookies and banking apps, which were deployed in violation of the NDP Act. At the time of the investigation, Fidelity Bank’s app had been downloaded over one million times.

Furthermore, the Commission discovered that the bank relied on non-compliant third-party data processors. According to the law, organizations must ensure that their vendors, agents, or contractors are also compliant when handling personal data.

The initial decision by the Commission was issued in July 2023, with a directive to pay a remedial fee in December 2023. Despite over ten correspondences and repeated warnings, Fidelity Bank failed to provide a satisfactory remedial plan over the course of more than a year.

Dr. Vincent Olatunji, the National Commissioner and CEO of the NDPC, urged Data Controllers and Data Processors to adhere strictly to data protection laws. He emphasized that non-compliance undermines trust and confidence in Nigeria’s capacity to protect data, which is crucial for economic growth. Compliance with these laws is essential for protecting the freedoms, lives, and livelihoods of individuals, and will help foster sustainable development in Nigeria.

.

Pearson (www.Pearson.com) (FTSE: PSON.L), the world’s lifelong learning company, has achieved a new recognition for PTE Academic. The Canadian Nurse Regulators Collaborative (CNRC) recommended that PTE Academic is included in the accepted tests for internationally trained nurses applying for registration in Canada.

 

The Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic is a two-hour, computer-based exam taken in a test center environment that assesses four key English language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Recognized by nursing associations worldwide, including the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in the US, PTE Academic supports nurses seeking to apply their skills internationally.

PTE Academic’s inclusion will support nurses in contributing their valuable skills to the Canadian healthcare system

 

“We are thrilled with this recognition, which underscores our commitment to helping aspiring professionals to demonstrate their English proficiency. PTE Academic’s inclusion will support nurses in contributing their valuable skills to the Canadian healthcare system.” commented Shileen Costain, Senior Director, Global Stakeholder Relations – PTE.

 

Earlier this year, Pearson demonstrated its dedication to supporting Canada’s immigration and professional sectors with the launch of PTE Core. Approved by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent economic immigration and citizenship applications, PTE Core has been available for bookings since January 30, 2024, and is designed to support Canada’s specific migration needs.

African Export-Import Bank (“Afreximbank” or the “Group”) (www.Afreximbank.com) has released its consolidated financial statements for the six months ended 30 June 2024.

 

The Group’s results for the six months period once again demonstrate  resilience amid challenging macro-economic conditions. The Group delivered solid year-on-year growth across key performance metrics and an increase in shareholder value.

Net Interest Income for H1’2024 grew by 24.5% to US$826.2 million, compared to US$663.6 million for the same period last year (H1’2023). The increase was driven by a 31.42% increase in interest income to US$1.5 billion, on the back of  growth in the Bank’s portfolio of Loans and advances. The Group’s performance for the period reflects that of the Bank as subsidiary entities are still in their early stages of development, with the notable exception of the Funds for Export Development in Africa (FEDA) which contributed US$11 million to the Net Interest Income of the Group, compared to US$9.1 million at H1’2023.

The Group’s total fees and commission income for H1’2024 increased by 20.07 percent to US$71.2 million, compared to US$59.2 in H1’2023.

During the period, the Group continued to make strategic progress in its mission to develop African trade, including deepening ties with Caribbean countries and the broader diaspora. Operating expenses increased by 30.38 percent, to US$152.8 million, compared to US$117.2 million at H1’2023 reflecting higher personnel and administrative costs to support the initiatives of the Bank and subsidiaries amid high inflationary external environment. The Cost to Income Ratio remained low at 16.98 percent,  well within the strategic upper limit of 30 percent.

The winding down of the Ukraine Crisis Adjustment Trade Financing Programme for Africa (UKAFPA) facilities as African economies demonstrated resilience, and adapted to the crisis, resulted in a marginal decline in Loans and advances from US$ 26.7 billion to US$ 26 billion.

Cash and cash equivalents closed the period at US$3.9 billion (FY 2023: US$5.6 billion), while the Liquid Assets to Total Assets ratio remained high, at 12.50 percent.

The Group’s Shareholders’ Funds rose by 1.64% to US$6.2 billion compared to US$6.1 billion at FY 2023, reflecting growth in internally generated Net Income of US$407.7 million. The Bank’s Capital Adequacy Ratio remained strong at 25%.

At the Afreximbank Annual General Meeting held in Nassau, The Bahamas in June 2024, shareholders approved a dividend of US$264.6 million and other appropriation amounting to US$50 million to support concessionary funding.

Mr. Denys Denya, Afreximbank’s Senior Executive Vice President, commented:

“Afreximbank Group reported a strong performance in the first half of 2024, delivering robust financial results and making significant strides in its implementation of the 6th Strategic Plan – Extending the Frontiers. The Bank continued to demonstrate its commitment to enhancing Africa’s economic resilience, by helping countries mitigate the negative effects emanating from the external challenges, advocating for the Continent’s interests on the global stage, and contributing to “Global Africa” by connecting the continent with its global diaspora through strategic interventions.

The strong results achieved during this period were delivered against a backdrop of a continuously challenging and evolving macro environment, reflecting the effectiveness of the Group’s strategy and its commitment to operational excellence. Leveraging its healthy financial position, the Group will continue to play a central role in the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by fostering accelerating economic integration, industrialisation and trade across the continent.

He indicated that Group Management remained focused on maintaining healthy and strong liquidity position, sound asset quality while strengthening Afreximbank’s institutional capacity to support Africa’s growth and development aspirations.”

 

Highlights of the results for the Group and Bank are shown below:

Financial Performance Metrics

HY-2024

HY-2023

Gross Income (US$ billion)

1.47

1.12

Operating Income (US$ million)

899.86

732.17

Net Income (US$ million)

407.66

345.6

Return on average equity (ROAE)

12.95%

12.19%

Return on average assets (ROAA)

2.52%

2.36%

 

Cost-to-income ratio

16.98%

16.01%

       

 

 

Financial Position Metrics

HY-2024

FY2023

Total Assets (US$ billion)

31.1

33.47

Total Liabilities (US$ billion)

24.9

27.35

Shareholders’ Funds (US$ billion)

6.2

6.12

Net asset value per share (Bank)

US$64,580

US$63,858

 

Non-performing loans ratio (NPL)

2.52%

2.47%

 

Cash/Total assets

12.50%

 

16.80%

 

Capital Adequacy ratio (Basel II)

25.13%

23.77%

The DRC will be this year’s host to the longest-running Internet development conference in Africa. From 20-24 August 2024, AfPIF will bring together infrastructure, service, and content providers to identify ways to improve network interconnection, lower the cost of connectivity, and increase the number of Internet users in the region.

 

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a market of 100 million people that borders nine countries and the Atlantic Ocean, is on the verge of a digital transformation

The event, which takes place at the Hilton Hotel in Kinshasa, will provide participants with global and regional insights to maximize opportunities to help grow resilient Internet infrastructure and affordable services in Africa. Organized by the Internet Society (ISOC) and the African IXP Association (AFIX) in collaboration with the Internet Service Providers Association of DRC, the conference will feature more than 500 participants representing companies across the continent and globally, including Meta, Amazon, Netflix, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, the Internet Initiative Japan Lab, among others.

AfPIF was created to address the fact that most of Africa’s local Internet traffic is exchanged outside the continent. This results in slower speeds and increased costs. In the 14 years since its launch, Internet traffic exchanged within Africa has gone from 160 Mbps to over 4.6 Tbps. Key to this growth is the use of Internet Exchange Points (IXPs). IXPs interconnect private, public, and academic networks, allowing them to exchange traffic locally. This improves the quality of service, makes local hosting viable, lowers the cost-of-service delivery, and increases fault tolerance.

“The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a market of 100 million people that borders nine countries and the Atlantic Ocean, is on the verge of a digital transformation. New cross-border backbone, metro fiber, and data center infrastructure are poised to bring Congo online and enhance regional integration. This will improve livelihoods, facilitate commerce, and promote cultural exchange,” said Kyle Spencer – Board Chair and Executive Director of the African IXP Association (AfIX).

“We are honored to host this year’s conference. The importance of IXPs in contributing to the development of the Internet in Africa cannot be overstated. We now have three IXPs in DRC that help provide fast, affordable Internet access to over 30.017.072 people, said Nico TSHINTU BAKAJIKA, President of the ISPA DRC.

As part of our ongoing efforts to uphold the highest regulatory standards, we recently announced that Binance (www.Binance.com) has successfully registered as a reporting entity with India’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). This achievement marks Binance’s 19th global regulatory milestone.

 

The registration with the FIU underscores Binance’s commitment to compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) standards in India as well as any other jurisdiction it operates in. This step is a testament to Binance’s dedication to fostering a secure, transparent, and efficient ecosystem, aligning with the company’s global standards.

Richard Teng, CEO of Binance, remarked on this development, saying, “Our registration with the FIU-IND marks an important milestone in Binance’s journey. Recognizing the vitality and potential of the Indian VDA market, this alignment with Indian regulations allows us to tailor our services to the needs of Indian users. It is a privilege to extend the reach of our cutting-edge platform to this thriving market, supporting India’s continued VDA evolution.”

It is a privilege to extend the reach of our cutting-edge platform to this thriving market, supporting India’s continued VDA evolution

Vast Opportunities for All

India leads the world in grassroots crypto adoption, according to Chainalysis’ 2023 Global Crypto Adoption Index. The country ranked in the top five by estimated transaction volume across centralized and decentralized exchanges, lending protocols, and token smart contracts. This highlights the vibrancy and massive potential of the Indian market.

As Binance navigates this exciting market, it is not just aligning itself with local registration requirements but also bringing its world-class compliance program, which encompasses robust anti-money laundering (AML) policies and controls and a comprehensive framework for combating the financing of terrorism (CFT). Binance hopes that implementing these industry-leading frameworks in the Indian market can meaningfully contribute to the local ecosystem and elevate market standards. Not only is this beneficial for the Indian VDA industry, but, most importantly, it ensures stronger protections for users.

Compliance Excellence

Alongside rigorous AML and CFT controls, key components of Binance’s compliance program include robust identity verification (know your customer, or KYC) processes and an industry-leading Financial Crimes Compliance (FCC) unit designed to assist law enforcement in investigating crypto-related crimes and capacity-building, thereby fortifying the collaborative security of the ecosystem. Richard Teng added, “Our commitment to stringent regulation forms a fundamental part of our business strategy. It’s about fostering a secure, transparent, and efficient environment.”

As we expand into the burgeoning Indian market, Binance aims to operate based on these principles of compliance, user security, and responsible growth while fostering the global evolution of digital assets.

The 2023-24 ASIR highlights UPL’s (www.UPL-Ltd.com) strategic initiatives and progress in creating sustainable opportunities for Africa’s farmers and food value chain through tailored technologies, solutions, and services; Key performance indicators (KPIs) from this period underline UPL’s dedication to creating a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable agricultural ecosystem across the continent.

VIDEO
UPL Corp Africa Sustainability Impact Report 2023-2024 PROMO VIDEO

 

Download Document: https://apo-opa.co/3AzP4nN

UPL Corporation Ltd. (UPL Corp), a global provider of holistic and sustainable agricultural solutions, is pleased to announce the release of its third Africa Sustainability Impact Report (ASIR). This report highlights the company’s ongoing commitment to fostering sustainable practices across its operations in Africa for the period April 2023- March 2024.

Highlights from the Report Include:

UPL’s dedication to sustainability is brought to life through our numerous local initiatives across the continent

  • Training & Environment Stewardship: 97,131 people trained on Good Agricultural Practices which promote sustainable productivity and 12,332 on Environment Stewardship.
  • Technology innovation: 103 new input products registrations and 132 seed varieties commercialized this year.
  • Food chain enhancement: 480,147 farmers reached through integrated projects combining access to input kits with farmer services like extension, input finance or market access.
  • Partnerships development: 535,571 farmers reached through 72 active partnerships with public, private and civil society organizations in the agriculture development sector.
  • Community engagement & Social impact: 93,750 people benefitted from our charity programs.

 

Marcel Dreyer, Regional Head of UPL Corp Africa, said: “Reflecting upon this third edition of UPL Corp’s Africa Sustainability Report, I am extremely proud of our achievements in innovation and human impact across the African continent. UPL has supported African farmers for decades, and as we work to define the future through sustainable agriculture, we continue to uphold this grower-first mindset.”

Florent Clair, Head of Partnerships for Sustainability, Africa, said: “UPL’s dedication to sustainability is brought to life through our numerous local initiatives across the continent. These efforts, deeply rooted in our five Africa Sustainability Pillars, underscore the diverse and impactful actions our teams are taking on the ground every day. These figures highlight our teams’ relentless commitment to fostering sustainable agricultural practices and nurturing change at a grassroots level.”

UPL has been a key player in Africa for over 40 years, establishing itself as the leading distributor of natural solutions and integrated programs tailored to the continent’s unique agricultural conditions. Marking a significant milestone in 2022, UPL became the first global agribusiness to release an independent sustainability report focused exclusively on its African operations.

To download the report, visit: https://apo-opa.co/3SXoZFo

 

The recently concluded Abeokuta Couples Hangout brought couples together in an atmosphere filled with love, learning, and connection. Held over the weekend, the event focused on exploring the various stages of marriage, helping couples identify and understand the phase they are currently in.

With the guidance of a specially designed Marital Developmental Chart created by the Founder, Ngee, participants delved into the dynamics of marriage, learning practical ways to navigate through both the positive and challenging aspects of their relationships.

As part of the ongoing KMAI City Tour, the successful Abeokuta event is set to be followed by upcoming hangouts in Lagos and Abuja, offering more couples the opportunity to strengthen their unions.

Lagos Couples Hangout: An Invitation to Reignite Marital Bliss

Next on the tour is the Lagos Couples Hangout, scheduled for Saturday, 24th August 2024. This event will focus on the theme, “Parenting Your Marriage: Couples Vision Planning & Legacy Series 2024.” The day promises insightful sessions including TLM/WAM (Teach, Learn, Master/Watch, Ask, Master) sessions, open conversations, engaging couples’ games, and valuable networking opportunities, all complemented by refreshments.

Event Details:
– Date:Saturday, 24th August, 2024
– Time: 9:00 AM Prompt
– Venue:KMAI Office, 5th Avenue, H1 Close, Festac-Town, Lagos
– Dress Code: Come as you are
– Ticket Fee: ₦9,999

Payment Details:
– Bank: Zenith Bank
– Account No.: 1013379299

Couples are encouraged to secure their spots for this enriching experience and take a proactive step toward building a more joyful and resilient marriage.

For further information and enquiries, please contact +2347088765212.

About Keeping Marriage Alive Initiative (KMAI):
KMAI is dedicated to strengthening marriages and families through various programs and events, providing couples with the wisdom and tools needed to thrive in their relationships.

**#SaveTheFamily | #KMAICouplesHangout | #KeepingMarriageAlive | #RelationshipClinic | #FamilyCounseling | #FamilyDNAofSociety | #Lifestyle | #LoveIsLove**

 

In a recent development, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has commenced the disbursement of loans to students across six universities. This follows the announcement of the latest disbursement cycle, which includes Bayero University Kano, University of Ilorin, University of Benin, University of Ibadan, University of Maiduguri, and Federal University Dutsinma.

Students who applied for the student loan between May 24th and July 17th, 2024, and whose applications have been approved, are urged to visit their respective institutions promptly to confirm the receipt of their tuition fees. The loan status can be verified on the loan dashboard provided by NELFUND.

It is important to note that the loan disbursement process is being conducted in batches. Students who applied after the current disbursement window will have their loans processed in the next cycle. NELFUND has assured that all approved loans will be disbursed in a transparent and timely manner.

For students attending institutions not included in the current batch but who have received approval for their loans, patience is advised. NELFUND is committed to ensuring that every eligible student receives their funds as the disbursement process continues.

Students are encouraged to regularly log in to their NELFUND portal to check the status of their loan applications and stay updated on the disbursement process.

 

 

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Daser David as the new President/Chief Executive Officer of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI).

Mr. David is an academic and industry expert with a deep understanding of digital technologies and educational leadership.

The President has also approved the appointment of Mr. Reuben Oshomah as Executive Director, Marketing, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), and Mr. Adama Kure, Executive Director, Finance and Administration, (NIGCOMSAT).

Mr. Oshomah has extensive experience in communications satellite marketing and strategic business development, while Mr. Kure is a seasoned finance professional with a strong record in financial management and corporate governance.

The President expects the newly appointed officers to bring their wealth of experience and expertise to bear in driving the strategic vision for these institutions.