Shared agent networks: Much talk, but still no action
O
ne of the most critical components of a successful strategy to deliver financial inclusion is the establishment of a network of agents that can act
on behalf of financial institutions and other service providers to deliver their services to the poorest Nigerians, living in the most remote and currently underserved areas. The higher
news you can trust I **MONDAY 06 AUGUST 2018 I vol. 15, no 111 I N300
the population, the more agents are required, and Nigeria, as the most populous country in Africa, and on track to be one of the
Editorial
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most populous in the world, has a clear and urgent need. This requirement has been made even more urgent over the last decade as the model adopted by financial services institutions
T
he World Bank has urged the Nigerian government to put more energy into attracting private sector investments into the economy and cut down on excessive borrowing. The warning, again on the rising debt is coming as authorities insist that debt levels
Cautions against excessive sovereign debt
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Plastic waste chokes Lagos despite potential billion naira recycling industry
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... Industry unprepared as Dec. 2019 deadline looms he new International Maritime Organisation (IMO) decision to lower its global marine fuel sulphur limit to 0.5 percent in 2020 could cost Nigerian shipping companies over N1.8trillion in installation costs for exhaust gas abatement systems, an option which seems the most prac-
BD INVESTIGATIVE SERIES
he Lagos environment is increasingly being choked with plastic waste, despite the potentials for a multi-billion naira recycling industry. Millions of tons from plastic waste accumulated over time continue to pile up in the environment, with some buried in landfills even though science Continues on page 46
Sulphur cap regulation to squeeze Nigerian shippers by N1.8trn ISAAC ANYAOGU
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CALEB OJEWALE
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Reduce borrowing, tap private investments - World Bank tells FG ONYINYE NWACHUKWU, Abuja
to serve their customers have changed. From an approach where the branch was at the centre of customer engagement
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Inside Stock prices retreat as NSE 30 operating margins drop P. 2 L-R: Simon Hughes of International Banker Awards; Obeahon Ohiwerei, GMD/CEO, Keystone Bank; Sule Abubakar, deputy managing director, Keystone Bank, and Omobolanle Osotule, divisional head, marketing and corporate communications, Keystone Bank, when the bank was conferred with the “Best Innovation In Retail Banking Nigeria 2018” and The “Best Customer Service Provider of the year Africa 2018” at the International Banker Awards in London, recently.
Keystone Bank wins Africa’s Best Customer Service Provider 2018 P. A8
Nigeria’s political chess game gets more complex Owede Agbajileke & Innocent Odoh
…asAkpabiodefects, Kanodeputygovernorresigns, ObasanjosaysnotoAtiku
igeria’s political outlook has never been as uncertain as it is currently, as the country’s politicians shift between parties faster than
they have ever done in the past. In what looks like the most significant defection that will be hitting the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Godswill Akpabio,
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the former governor of Akwa Ibom State and minority leader in the Senate, has concluded arrangements to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The move has sent shockwaves through the political environment as Akpabio is seen as one of the leading
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