General News
Kaduna Communities, School Benefit from NBC CSI Projects
Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited, bottlers of the Coca-Cola brands of soft drinks in Nigeria, has commissioned two blocks of 10 renovated classrooms and office of the Head Teacher at the LGEA Primary School, Kakuri, Kaduna State.
In addition to the renovated blocks of classrooms, NBC also donated a newly constructed borehole and 40,000litre capacity overhead tanks and a standby 5,000 KVA generator to power the borehole and ensure availability of potable water in the school at all time, as well as a newly-constructed toilet facility for pupils and teachers.
The LGEA Primary School is located in Television area of Kaduna South Local Government.
Mr. Uzo Odenigbo, head, Public Affairs and Communications, NBC, at the inauguration of the projects, which held at the school premises recently, said, “NBC is known for supporting initiatives that promote the growth and development of primary education in Nigeria. For this reason, we have continued to partner with government, agencies and communities to implement projects in schools across the country that add instant and lasting value to the people of the communities where we operate”.
Odenigbo added that, “This is a demonstration of our continued commitment to investment and contribution to safe water access, education, youth development, among others.” He charged the
Ishaya Anfani, vice chairman, Kaduna South Local Government thanked NBC for the laudable initiative.
“Education is the responsibility of everyone. That is why government has sustained a healthy relationship with corporate organizations operating within our local council area to ensure steady and meaningful development of our communities. This initiative from NBC is one that touches the heart of our communities and we will remain grateful to them for providing our future leaders and their mentors with facilities that make the learning environment more conducive,” he said.
Anfani charged the school and the community leaders to see to it that these projects are adequately maintained and protected.
“This is the only way you can prove to NBC that you are grateful for this kind gesture,” he added.
At the inauguration of the borehole and 40,000 litre capacity overhead tanks in Dawn Quarters community area of Railway, also in Kaduna, Odenigbo expressed happiness that NBC is able to give back to its host communities.
He thanked the community for the support that they have given the bottler.
He said the NBC will continue to partner with government and the people to provide amenities that enhance lives.
The borehole project in Dawn Quarters is connected automatically to the power source in order to ensure that water is available round the clock for the use of people in the community.
Mr. Markus Anga, director, Water Resources, Ministry of Water Resources, Kaduna State, said: “We are grateful to NBC for providing water for the people of Dawn Quarters because it will go a long way to help reduce diseases, provide potable water for them and enough to wash their clothes and keep their environment tidy. This is a welcome development. We want NBC to sustain the partnership with government in our bid to alleviate the suffering of the people.”
Alhaji Muhammadu Danjuma Musa, Seriki of Dawn Quarters, thanked NBC on behalf of the community and promised that the community will take ownership of the project and ensure it is sustainable.
NBC was incorporated in November 1951 and is a member of Coca-Cola HBC A.G, an anchor bottler with the franchise to bottle products of The Coca-Cola Company in 28 countries in North, Central and South Europe, Asia and Africa with over 570 million consumers in these markets.
Nigeria’s Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) market is on a fast-growing trajectory and is predicted to be valued $2.61 billion by 2030, up 83% from $1.42 billion in 2024, owing primarily to the rapid emergence of fintechs in the country.
This observation was stated in EnterpriseNGR’s State of Enterprise 2025 report, which focuses on how fintechs are reshaping Nigeria’s business landscape through digital innovations, accessible credit systems, and mobile-first financial tools.
As a credit system, BNPL allows users to stagger payments for products and services, making it a key development driver in Nigeria’s developing digital economy.
From 2021 to 2024, the BNPL experienced a compounded annual growth rate of 23.1%. Fintechs have contributed to the rapid growth by providing a range of flexible loan alternatives for e-commerce, retail, and services, bridging financial gaps for millions of disadvantaged Nigerians.
The report highlights how fintechs have contributed to Nigeria’s flexibility and resiliency by simplifying digital payments, automating invoicing and payroll systems, and democratising credit through platforms such as Renmoney and FairMoney.
The report also shows a significant rise in remittance inflows into Nigeria following the Central Bank of Nigeria’s 2024 policy adjustments.
According to the report, by 2024, Nigeria boasted over 400 licensed digital lenders who extend collateral-free credit to those commonly excluded by banks.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) strengthened bilateral relations with the Netherlands’ government through an agreement targeted at improving migration governance and border security.
This partnership was confirmed during a meeting at the NIS headquarters in Abuja, which was attended by a Dutch team led by Jurgen Bartelink, Chargé D’Affaires of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Nigeria.
The meeting focused on increasing bilateral migration cooperation and came after the comptroller general of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, paid a working visit to the Netherlands.
Under the agreement, the Dutch government pledged to continue supporting technology-driven solutions targeted at boosting Nigeria’s border control systems and improving migration management.
During the Netherlands Embassy diplomats handed over essential operational tools, such as Edison Software licence keys and the Passport Examination Programme Manual App.
According to NIS spokeswoman ACI Akinsola Akinlabi, “The partnership focuses on enhancing bilateral collaboration on migration management and reviewing ongoing capacity-building efforts.”
Bartelink, Chargé d’Affaires of the Netherlands Embassy in Nigeria, underlined the Netherlands’ commitment to helping Nigeria’s continuing border security and migration reforms.
Also speaking, Rob Bokhoven, head of international affairs, repatriation, and deportation services at the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security, emphasised the country’s strong bilateral relations and announced plans to share a mobile border software solution with the NIS.
Receiving the equipment, Nandap said the delivery of the gadgets would boost West African country’s border security, significantly improve the service’s document verification border management capabilities and support the implementation of Nigeria’s National Migration Policy.
“The engagement will further reinforce the strategic partnership between Nigeria and the Netherlands advancing shared goals in migration governance, border security and international cooperation,” she added.
Peter Enogb, principal country economist, African Development Bank (AfDB), says the rise in global uncertainty, emanating from increases in global trade tariffs, has slowed Nigeria’s projected growth to 3.2% in 2025.
“Without this level of heightened uncertainty, our projections would probably have been somewhat higher. We’ve reduced our projections for Nigeria. We initially were projecting 3.5% – 3.6% growth in 2025.
“But given the current situation, our models are showing that we’re taking a more cautious approach. So that’s why we produced this and, of course, the main driver is uncertainty in the global economy,” Enogb said.
He said this at the launch of the 2025 Nigeria Country Focus Report (CFR) on Thursday.
AFDB projected that real GDP growth would hit 3.1% in 2026. Following the 2024 consumer price index (CPI) rebasing, with lower weights for food items, the inflation rate is expected to reduce over the medium term to 24.7% in 2025 and 17.3% in 2026.
As imports start to rise over the medium term, the current account is projected to decline to 3.9% of GDP in 2026.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that Nigeria’s headline inflation slowed for the second consecutive month to 22.97% in May. This is down from 24.48% at the start of the year
This is contrary to the World Bank projection that Nigeria’s economy would record steady growth of 3.6% despite the shift in the global trade dynamics.
Joseph Ogebe, head of research and development at Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), also said that global uncertainty had been very high in recent times, resulting from the Trump 2.0 effect.
“And also with the recent war between Israel and the international community, we’ve seen what’s happening to oil prices. Even with the call-off of the war, we’ve seen the effect on oil prices too, which has implications on the fiscal side. So it has implications for the general economy,” he said.
The head of research at NESG said that rather than focusing on just growth, what should be looked at is a strategy called growth with depth.
“Growth with depth means that your growth must be diversified, export-led, productive, and technologically driven,” he said.
Ogebe said that if the Government works towards adopting a strategy of growth with depth, there is a tendency for the government to move towards its goal of achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
The report revealed that the country’s recent policy moves, including fuel subsidy removal, exchange rate unification, and tax reforms, reflect a commitment to long-term transformation.
However, it also pointed out that at about 13%, Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio is among the lowest in West Africa, noting that fiscal reforms are urgent.
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