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UBA Wins Bank of the Year Africa 2023

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By David Torough, Abuja

United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has clinched nine prestigious awards at The Bankers Awards 2023, organized by The Banker Magazine – a publication of Financial Times of London, the world’s leading business newspaper.

The awards presented to the bank at a ceremony in London, United Kingdom on Thursday, included the highly coveted Bank of the Year Africa 2023, solidifying UBA’s position as the leading financial institution on the African continent.

The bank’s subsidiaries also emerged as the Bank of the Year in eight of the 20 countries where it operates in Africa.

The winning subsidiaries are UBA Cameroon, UBA Chad, UBA Ghana, UBA Cote d’Ivoire, UBA Mozambique, UBA Congo,  UBA Sierra Leone, and UBA Tanzania, underscoring the bank’s dominance and impact across diverse African markets.

This is the second time in the past three years that the bank has won the regional award as the best bank in Africa, as it had emerged winner in 2021.

UBA’s Group Managing Director, Oliver Alawuba, who received the awards on behalf of the bank, expressed gratitude about the awards, and said the recognitions come as a reassurance that the bank is on track in its goal of consolidating its leadership position in Africa, and creating superior value for its stakeholders.

“UBA is honoured to be named the Bank of the Year in these eight countries and to receive the overall Award for Africa. This accomplishment is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and innovative spirit of the entire UBA team. We remain committed to delivering top-notch banking services that positively impact the lives of our customers across the continent.

Alawuba said, “We have our millions of customers across the globe and our many thousands of staff to thank for this. They are the very reason why we keep winning and receiving these accolades.”

The Banker Awards is widely recognized as a benchmark for banking excellence globally, and UBA’s multiple victories underscore the institution’s commitment to providing exceptional financial servicesand superior financial intermediation on the continent. As Africa’s Bank of the Year, UBA has demonstrated its ability to navigate the complexities of the African banking landscape and emerge as a leading force in driving economic growth and financial inclusion.

Speaking earlier about UBA’s consistent excellence in the financial services sector across the continent which has earned the bank great accolades overtime, Editor of the Banker, Joy Macknight, said that as always, UBA remains a clear winner across a wide range of criteria, having performed impressively across its footprint with a strong financial performance across most of its markets.

 “In a year of strong competition among the continent’s major banking groups, UBA has gained the edge on its rivals to win the Bank of the Year award for Africa for the 2nd time in three years. Congratulations. The award recognises the bank’s strength across Africa, including many of its most competitive markets,” Macknight stated.

Since 1926, the Bank of the Year awards has been celebrating the best of global banking and is regarded as the industry standard for banking excellence.

Just recently, UBA won the 2023 FMDQ Gold Awards in three Categories including the Best FX Liquidity Provider, Dealing Institution of the Year and Best Money Market Liquidity Provider. This recognition is a testament to UBA’s impressive capital strength and capacity to provide liquidity to the Nigerian financial market even in the face of harsh economic realities. Despite the headwinds, UBA Group has consistently maintained its position as Nigeria’s leading financial institution.

In June, the banking group announced impressive half-year financial results, and further increased the performance in Quarter 3, 2023, with profit before tax (PBT) soared to N502.01 billion, Shareholders’ Funds standing strong at N1.778 trillion, and total assets, reaching N16.24 trillion.

These outstanding figures not only reflect UBA’s institutional strength, but also demonstrate its position as a corporate role model in Nigeria and across Africa.

United Bank for Africa Plc is a leading Pan-African financial institution, offering banking services to more than thirty-five (35) million customers, across 1,000 business offices and customer touch points in 20 African countries. With presence in New York, London, Paris, and Dubai, UBA is connecting people and businesses across Africa through retail, commercial and corporate banking, innovative cross-border payments and remittances, trade finance and ancillary banking services.

BUSINESS

NNPC Posts N7.2trn Profit amid Revenue Decline

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The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPC Ltd.) recorded N7.2 trillion Profit After Tax (PAT) in 2025, a 33 per cent increase from N5.4 trillion.

Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at a media briefing after the company’s AGM and second Earnings Call.

Revenue declined to N34.

5 trillion from N45.1 trillion in 2024.

Ojulari attributed the 24 per cent revenue decline to lower crude oil prices and reduced product volumes following market deregulation.

He said earnings per share rose to N35.

90 from N27.07, while return on equity improved by 200 basis points to 16 per cent.

The company’s declared dividend increased by 35 per cent to N5.8 trillion, while taxes, royalties and other government remittances rose 39 per cent to N22.3 trillion.

 “Stronger earnings in spite of this pressure demonstrate the resilience of NNPC Limited’s operations,” Ojulari said.

He said profit grew because NNPC had improved its operations and maintained discipline across its businesses.

Ojulari said crude oil and condensate production reached a five-year peak of 1.77 million barrels per day.

He added that gas supply reached a three-year high of 7.2 billion standard cubic feet per day.

“Stronger performance gives NNPC Limited more capacity to invest, contribute to public revenue and strengthen Nigeria’s energy security,” he said.

On infrastructure, Ojulari said the mainline of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline had been completed.

He said work was ongoing on tie-ins to delivery points, beginning with Abuja, followed by Ajaokuta and Kaduna.

According to him, the next milestone is to commence gas flow through the pipeline to industries and power plants.

Ojulari said the company completed the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) gas pipeline in 2026 after several years of challenges.

On the refineries, he said prospective partners under NNPC’s technical equity partnership model had conducted a three-month onsite review.

He said more than 34 engineers participated in the review, adding that NNPC was now concluding the report.

Ojulari said the company was targeting self-sustaining and profitable refineries, with a pathway expected to be defined soon.

He reaffirmed NNPC’s target of producing two million barrels of crude oil daily by 2027 and three million barrels by 2030.

He said gas production targets were 10 billion cubic feet per day by 2027 and 12 billion by 2030.

“NNPC plans to mobilise over 60 billion dollars of investment across the energy value chain,” he added.

Ojulari said more than 1,000 newly recruited professionals joined NNPC in 2025 under its Talent to Value programme.

He said the recruits completed a one-year internship and training programme before being deployed across the company. (NAN)

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BUSINESS

FCCPC Calls for Improved Capacity Building on Competition Reporting, Matters

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The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) says there is a need for sustained capacity building in competition reporting and issues.

The Executive Vice Chairman of FCCPC, Tunji Bello, said this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

Bello described competition matters as a relatively new area in the country adding that it required specialised knowledge among journalists, regulators and other stakeholders.

He said that competition law and consumer protection regulations had made stakeholders’ education a priority for the commission.

Bello said that the FCCPC recently supported the training of judges through the National Judicial Institute (NJI) to deepen understanding of competition-related matters.

He noted that members of the judiciary also required exposure to the nuances of the emerging field.

“We recognised that because it is a new terrain, the judges themselves are not familiar with the nuances.

”So we brought in experts on competition,” he said.

Bello stressed that the media had a critical role in promoting public understanding of competition and consumer protection issues.

“If FCCPC is becoming more known to the public, it is as a result of the kind of publicity you have given us,” he said. (NAN)

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BUSINESS

Fire Guts Customs Western Marine Command Office in Lagos

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Fire gutted the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Western Marine Command office in Apapa, Lagos, on Monday, destroying property worth millions of Naira.

The fire, which reportedly started at about 10:23 a.m. from an electrical surge in the conference room, spread to other sections of the building.

Officers on duty made frantic efforts to contain the fire before officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service arrived at about 10:45 a.

m.

The Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Timothy Jonah, who just resumed at the Command, to take over the affairs from his predecessor, described the incident as unfortunate.

He said: “I just resumed duty to take over, only to witness this fire outbreak.

“Every challenge, though negative, is an opportunity to strengthen our operations.

“In the meantime, we will set up a committee to investigate the cause of the fire.”

He commended the swift response of the personnel on duty and their collaboration with the fire service, saying measures would be taken to strengthen safety protocols and prevent a recurrence. (NAN)

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