By Mvendaga Orjime, Abuja

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate alleged cash and gift distributions at political gatherings organised by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The party’s Presidential Campaign Council, through its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, made the demand in a statement issued on Wednesday.

The call followed the circulation of a video purportedly showing the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, distributing bundles of cash and APC-branded wrappers to women at a political gathering in Rivers State.

Shaibu urged the two agencies to investigate the reported distributions and publicly disclose the steps they would take to establish whether electoral or currency laws had been breached.

He alleged that the ruling party was attempting to secure political support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections through financial inducements.

“The pattern is becoming impossible to ignore. From reports of luxury vehicles presented to APC women leaders, to cash and cooked food distributed by the President’s son through the City Boy Movement, and now videos circulating of an APC women leader handing out money and fabrics, the ruling party appears to be treating political support as something that can be bought,” the statement said.

The ADC also questioned what it described as different standards in the enforcement of laws governing the use of the naira, arguing that ordinary Nigerians had faced prosecution over alleged currency abuse while similar questions surrounding political cash distributions remained unanswered.

It called on the EFCC and INEC to examine the reported incidents and take appropriate action if any violations were established.

The opposition party further criticised the Tinubu administration over economic hardship, insecurity and public debt, insisting that political support should be earned through good governance rather than cash and material gifts.

The APC had not responded to the specific demand for an investigation in the reports reviewed.

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) said its African Sub-Sovereign Governments Network (AFSNET) has facilitated investment opportunities worth more than three billion dollars across 21 African countries, including Nigeria, in five years.

Director of Trade Facilitation and Investment Promotion at Afreximbank, Gainmore Zanamwe, disclosed this on Thursday in Calabar during a news conference at the sixth edition of the AFSNET platform.

Zanamwe said the initiative had also trained more than 2,000 people in investment promotion, entrepreneurship and project development to strengthen their capacity to identify opportunities and attract financing.

He explained that the platform was established in 2021 to extend Afreximbank’s development interventions beyond national governments to states and other sub-national authorities.

According to him, the initiative seeks to connect entrepreneurs, investors and financial institutions while enabling states to maximise opportunities in agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and the creative industry.

He said the platform was also designed to ensure that young African entrepreneurs benefited from opportunities created by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Zanamwe explained that although AfCFTA was negotiated by national governments, sub-national authorities and businesses needed to understood its provisions and position themselves to benefit from emerging continental markets.

He said the initiative was helping businesses identify investment opportunities, develop bankable projects and access potential investors beyond their immediate environments.

He added that Nigerian entrepreneurs could explore markets in countries such as South Africa and Ghana, as well as other destinations across the continent.

The director said Afreximbank was targeting all 55 African countries but prioritising those requiring technical support to develop their investment promotion capacity.

He disclosed that the bank had also committed a two-billion-dollar facility under the initiative to support agricultural production, processing and exports.

“Some people say funding is a problem. From Afreximbank, we say no. The two billion is there.

“We have this facility ready to finance projects. We will be showing you how you can tap into the two billion to do your projects,” he said.

Zanamwe urged state governments to develop clear investment visions, identify priority projects and package them appropriately to attract investors and financial institutions.

He said Afreximbank was also strengthening state investment promotion agencies through training in project identification, development and investment readiness.

According to him, the platform will promote African Direct Investments by encouraging investors within the continent to finance viable projects in other African countries.

He said the sixth edition of the network would also prepare Nigerian businesses and investment institutions for the next Intra-African Trade Fair, scheduled to hold in Lagos between from Nov. 5 and Nov. 11, 2027.

Zanamwe said the broader objective was to stimulate intra-African trade, promote industrialisation and create decent employment opportunities, particularly for young people across the continent.

He expressed optimism that the engagement would strengthen collaboration among governments, entrepreneurs, investment promotion agencies and financial institutions.

This year’s AFSNET edition is holding in Calabar between Thursday and Sunday. (NAN)

Trade between Nigeria and China rose by 35 per cent to $17.4bn in the first half of 2026, with Nigeria’s exports to the Asian country increasing by 81 per cent to $2.25bn, the Director of the China Cultural Centre in Nigeria, Yang Jianxing, has said.

Yang disclosed this on Thursday at the launch of the Mandarin Service of the Voice of Nigeria and the celebration of the China-Nigeria Bridge Chinese Radio Programme in Abuja.

He said the figures reflected growing economic cooperation between both countries, adding that China’s zero-tariff policy for 53 African countries, including Nigeria, had created fresh opportunities for increased exports to the Chinese market.

According to him, China-Africa trade exceeded `$207.4bn in the first half of 2026, setting a record for the period.

He added that China’s imports from Africa reached $28.5bn between May and June, representing a 23.5 per cent increase year-on-year.

Yang said imports of African aquatic products, textile raw materials and specialty fruits recorded double-digit growth, while the zero-tariff policy had contributed to an estimated six per cent increase in overall African exports to China.

“Nigeria’s performance has been particularly impressive. In the first half of this year, bilateral trade between China and Nigeria reached 17.4 billion US dollars, up 35 percent year on year.

“China’s imports from Nigeria amounted to 2.25 billion US dollars, representing a remarkable increase of 81 percent,” he said.

The China Cultural Centre director also disclosed that imports from Nigeria recorded year-on-year growth of more than 40 per cent in May and June.

He said the developments presented opportunities for Nigeria and other African countries to expand their exports, particularly agricultural produce, raw materials and other specialised products.

Yang also highlighted China’s proposed principles for cooperation with Africa in the mining sector, including respect for African countries’ sovereignty over their natural resources, mutual benefit, high-quality development and a fair and open investment environment.

On security, he said Chinese President Xi Jinping had outlined four principles for addressing regional conflicts in Africa.

They include an African-led approach, fairness and justice, ending hostilities and pursuing peace, as well as addressing both the symptoms and root causes of conflicts.

Yang said the principles demonstrated China’s commitment to respecting African countries’ right to determine their development priorities.

Speaking on the launch, Yang said the China-Nigeria Bridge radio programme, launched on September 2, had broadcast 10 episodes, attracting appreciation from listeners across Africa.

The programme, jointly initiated by the Chinese Embassy, Xinhua News Agency Africa Regional Bureau and VON, with the China Cultural Centre as a supporting partner, combines Chinese language lessons with reports on China-Africa cooperation.

Yang described it as a platform for promoting cultural understanding and strengthening people-to-people relations between China and African countries.