E-Financial
COVID-19: SMEs’ Partnership, Rigorous Commitment Key to Sustainable Economy Growth- Sekibo

In light of the sharp dwindling in the global economy occasioned by Covid-19 pandemic, Ifie Sekibo, managing director/CEO, Heritage Bank Plc, disclosed that with partnership, truth, character and rigorous commitment to businesses, the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) stand to revamp the nation’s economy for sustainable growth.
He also stated that evidences have shown that for SMEs to continue to survive and remain the bedrock of any vibrant economy, the players must continuously reinvent themselves, complement each other, dream big, possess cutting edge ideas and think and rethink before venturing into businesses.
Speaking during a webinar session, a virtual conference platform at the Upgrade Summit 2020, on the theme, “Converting Ideas into Reality with Focus on SME’s” Sekibo emphasized the need for SMEs to look inward, learn and relearn, possess the spirit of self-sacrifice and believe, whilst advising that they must be bold and should not be afraid to fail because failing is not a failure and should not give up because they had failed.
According to him, most entrepreneurs burn with ideas but they need to mine them so that they could blossom, remarking that they need to have mentors that will enable them to achieve their goals and sell the ideas.
“Among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria, there has been too much of an individual focus, rather than a holistic or intergenerational focus.
“There is not enough focus on partnership among Nigerian SMEs and this causes ventures to fail,” Sekibo stated.
Meanwhile, he reiterated that more needed to be done in the area of empowering entrepreneurship sector by the government and financial institutions because it is an agent of development.
On Heritage Bank’s efforts so far, the MD/CEO affirmed that its philosophy does not rely on traditional banking metrics like growth in the number of accounts, but according to him, “one of our major cardinal point as a bank is supporting micro, small and medium scale businesses and our strong desire to see young men and women succeed in any area of their business.
“This will help the society and economy to grow, thereby moving the nation from poverty occasioned by Covid-19 to prosperous economy,” he added.
Sekibo, however, hinted that SMEs could take advantage of its products for seamless banking transactions to boost their businesses like Stockit, HBPadie and the newly launched 24/7 alternate electronic platform via USSD Code *745#.
“We have encouraged SMEs and customers alike to adopt the self-service platforms like *745*0# for balance enquiry, Funds Transfer (Within Heritage Bank): *745*1*Amount*Account Number#, self-airtime recharge: *745*Amount#, third party airtime recharge: *745*Amount*Mobile Number# and change pin: *745*00#,” he said.
He further explained that the entrepreneur schemes of the bank in the support for business had always focused on dependable job-creating sectors such as the agricultural value chain: fish farming, poultry, snail farming, etc., cottage industry, mining and solid minerals, creative industry: tourism, arts and crafts, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
E-Financial
World Bank Predicts Rise of Poverty in Nigeria Despite Economic Growth

The World Bank has predicted that Nigeria may likely see a rise in the levels of poverty over the next two years despite a moderate economic growth forecast.
The multilateral lender noted that while non-resource-rich countries are expected to continue reducing poverty and grow faster, resource-rich countries like Nigeria may drag due to declining oil prices.
”Resource-rich countries are expected to see less progress in terms of poverty reduction,” the World Bank said in its Africa Pulse report titled ‘Improving Governance and Delivering for People in Africa’.
“Importantly, poverty in resource-rich, fragile countries (which include large countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria) is expected to increase by 3.6 percentage points over 2022–27,” it added.
The Nigerian government has in the past two years provided various safety nets to ease the burden of the citizens, but these, on their own, may not be enough to lift millions off the poverty line.
The reforms which were implemented some 20 months ago, though came with a plethora of gains such as allowing the economy to be market-driven rather than artificial pegging, it’s nonetheless exacerbated poverty with the numbers rising from 104 million to 129 million people in a year.
According to the World Bank, Nigeria accounts for 19 percent of the share of poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, followed by Congo, Ethiopia and Sudan with 14 percent, 9 percent and 6 percent respectively.
But despite the growing poverty, the Washington-based lender expects Africa’s most populous nation annual GDP to increase 3.6 percent in 2025 and 3.8 percent in two years. “Economic growth is expected to remain moderate in Nigeria,” the World Bank said.
“It is expected to increase from 3.4 percent in 2024 to 3.6 percent in 2025, and slightly increase to 3.8 percent in 2026–2027.”
According to the World Bank, the gradual recovery of the Nigerian economy along the forecast horizon is driven primarily by the service sector—specifically, finance, information and communications technology services, and transportation—and, to a lesser extent, a rebound in oil production that converges to its OPEC+ quota.
The World Bank’s projection is relatively higher than the International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised forecast for the nation.
IMF cuts Nigeria’s 2025 economic growth forecast downward to 3.0 percent from the earlier projection of 3.4 percent in 2024, citing weakening oil supply and escalating global trade tensions.
The two projections are however largely lower than Nigeria’s ambitious projected annual GDP growth of 4.6 percent outlined in the 2025 budget.
According to Adetilewa Adebajo, investment banker and economist Nigeria must intensify efforts towards economic diversification, infrastructure development, and asset optimisation to stimulate economic growth and attract global investments
“Sale of oil and gas JV assets to optimise equity within the FGN capital structure and balance sheet are crucial for Nigeria’s path towards sustainable development.
“Deliberate Investment projects such as the Agro Airport development and Olokola deep sea port, in Ogun State, major infrastructure projects led by companies like Arise and Dangote, need to be replicated nationwide,” Adebajo said.
E-Financial
Report Suspected Illegal Investment Schemes to SEC

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has urged Nigerians to report any suspected illegal investment schemes to the commission for proper investigation and necessary action.
This is in the light of the recent collapse of Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX).
The Commission issued a notice on Thursday to the investing public, warning that Ponzi investment schemes pose a significant danger to the growth of the capital market.
In its latest advisory, the Commission highlighted the growing threats and risks posed by Ponzi schemes, illegal investment operations, and unregistered digital asset platforms.
It explained that fraudulent entities and individuals continue to exploit unsuspecting investors with deceptive promises of high returns, often leveraging the allure of digital assets to create a false sense of legitimacy.
“The public is strongly advised to be wary of investment opportunities that promise guaranteed or unusually high returns with little or no risk.
“These include unregistered platforms offering cryptocurrency investments, forex trading, or blockchain-based schemes, without undergoing the prescribed processes to obtain prior approval from the SEC.
“The SEC reiterates in this regard that, ‘If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is.’”
The Commission urged potential investors to conduct thorough due diligence before investing and to verify the registration status of the company or individual offering the investment through the SEC’s website.
The Commission explained that Section 196(3) of the Investments and Securities Act, 2025, criminalizes the promotion and operation of prohibited or unregistered schemes.
“This violation is punishable, upon conviction, by a fine of not less than ₦20 million or a prison term of 10 years, or both,” the Commission warned.
The SEC stated that it is fully committed to identifying and prosecuting offenders to the full extent of the law.
“We encourage the public to partner with the SEC to safeguard the integrity of the investment environment in Nigeria by promptly reporting suspected illegal investment schemes to the SEC,” the notice concluded.
E-Financial
Fintechs Add $18m to New Tax Initiative

The Nigerian federal government announced that the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) generated $49.5 million in revenue, with fintech companies contributing $18 million.
This fund, as reported by the Federation Account Allocation Committee, is a considerable 56.80 percent increase over the $31.6 million earned during the same period in 2024.
Previously, the charge mainly affected established banking institutions. However, fintech firms have been included because they have contributed a phenomenal 2,507.94 percent growth in transaction values since 2020.
The EMTL is part of the government’s attempt to regulate the booming fintech sector, which completed transactions worth $29 billion in 2023 and $49.3 billion in 2024.
The EMTL was created by the Finance Act 2020 as an amendment to the Stamp Duty Act. It charges $0.03 (N50) for electronic transactions of $6.19 (N10,000) or more made through banks and financial institutions.
This tax seeks to capitalise on the increasing expansion of electronic payments, which will exceed $619.70 billion in total transactions by 2024.
In response to the burgeoning fintech sector, the government has increased its tax base, with annual EMTL collections expected to increase by 31.35 percent.
According to the Medium Term Fiscal Framework for 2025-2027, the federal government expects EMTL revenue to reach $142 million in 2025, up from $108 million in 2024.
However, industry experts have expressed concern about the potential impact of additional taxes on users.
- Telecom1 day ago
MTN Appoints Egerton Idehen as Chief Broadband Officer
- E-Business2 days ago
ALX Nigeria Launches 2025 Ventures Incubator, Premieres Pan-African “Do Hard Things” Finale
- General News1 day ago
UBA Marks 75 Years of Excellence at 65th AGM
- Telecom1 day ago
MTN Group Suffers Cyberattack
- Telecom1 day ago
MTN Foundation Launches Skills Academy to Bridge Nigeria’s Digital Skills Gap
- Telecom1 day ago
Legend Internet Plc Makes History as First Indigenous Telecom Firm on NGX
- Telecom1 day ago
Tribunal Upholds FCCPC’s $220m Fine against Meta, WhatsApp
- Telecom1 day ago
Digital Realty Expands ServiceFabric to Nigeria, Enhancing Global Interconnectivity