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UNGA: Leo Stan Ekeh @ Media Dialogue, Seeks Mega Media Platforms for Africa

Dr Leo Stan Ekeh, chairman, Zinox Group, a tech company, has stressed the importance of media representation for people of African descent and the need for Africa to build its mega media platforms.
Ekeh was one of the panelists at a dialogue on the Media of the Future, convened in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations Summit of the Future held during the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 79) High-level Week.
The dialogue had the theme: “The Media of the Future: Bridging the Gap Between the West and People of African Descent.”
The dialogue was convened by Mr. Simon Ibe, publisher/editor-in-chief, Global Patriot Newspapers.
UNGA 79 opened on September 10 while the High-Level Week began on Friday, September. 20, and will run through September 27.
Ekeh joined participants to discuss the challenges faced by Africans in having their stories accurately represented internationally, and stressed the need for them to take control of their narratives and destinies.
In his presentation, Ekeh spoke of his contributions to the transition from analogue to digital media in West Africa and emphasised the importance of knowledge and content in the media industry.
He highlighted lack of awareness about the innovative and creative abilities of black people and stressed the need for Africa to become part of the global community through greater access to the global media.
The Zinox boss shared his experiences in building a tech group and digital retail business and how insufficient access to global media exposure was a major issue, and encouraged the African media practitioners to find financial resources to develop their own mega media platforms, driven by technology.
Other participants also advised Africans to prioritise skills for sustaining economies, attracting investment, and creating wealth, and to leverage technology and leadership in the African economy to change media coverage and ensure adequate representation of Africa’s positive aspects.
Also, Yul Anderson, president, African American Future Society (TAAFS), spoke on the need for coordinated messaging by African media outlets to combat disinformation and promote positive stories about People of African Descent.
He spoke extensively about the Black Futures Summit, held on the sidelines of the United Nations Summit of the Future.
Laolu Akande, editor-in-chief, Empowered Newswire, conveyed a message from the former Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) expressing support for the team’s efforts.
Osinbajo commended the convener of the dialogue, Mr. Ibe for creating the platform for the discussion and expressed the hope that the outcome of theevent will positively impact the Media of People of African Descent.
In his presentation as a panelist, Mr. Akande spoke of the significant gaps in understanding and representation of Africa globally, emphasising the need for a more nuanced and empathetic approach to understanding Africa and its people.
He identified four gaps hindering Nigeria’s development.
These include the gap between the elite and the masses; the gap between the elite and the media; the gap between the elite and the people; and the failure of political leadership to deliver national development.
Akande, stressed the importance of the African elite taking responsibility for the continent’s fate, human capital and infrastructure development.
He pointed to the need for media leaders to invest properly in journalism and for African billionaires to fund media outlets to shape the narratives about the continent.
Ms Nicky Spencer-Coker, spokesperson for the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the United Nations in New York, shared her background as a lawyer and activist.
In speaking, she discussed the significant role of the media in shaping society and narratives, emphasising the challenges faced by people of African descent in gaining access to global media outlets and having their stories accurately represented.
She highlighted the low percentage of black-owned media in the United States and acknowledged the rapid expansion of the media in Africa due to advances in telecommunications.
Spencer-Coker also pointed out the influence of American media on perceptions of Africa, often leading to negative and stereotypical portrayals.
She stressed the importance of African voices being heard and the need for more African representation in global media and leadership roles.
In her address, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), agreed on the importance of the conversation about media representation and moving the narrative forward.
Abike stressed the need to change the negative narrative about Africa and Nigeria in particular, suggesting that Africans should control their media image and invest more in the continent.
She highlighted the potential of the African diaspora, particularly in America, to contribute significantly to the continent’s development.
Abike also criticised the treatment of Africans by other Africans on the continent and encouraged the team to focus on promoting trade and collaboration among African countries.
She discussed the challenges faced by Nigerians in investing and owning homes in Africa, and mentioned the Diaspora Commission’s programs to facilitate home ownership and investment opportunities.
Dabiri-Erewa emphasised the need for collaboration between Nigerians at home and those living abroad to change the narrative about Africa through initiatives like the upcoming diaspora investment summit being organized by NiDCOM.
Toyin Umesiri, a global influencer and CEO of Nazaru, emphasised the importance of wealth creation and productivity in building economies, rather than focusing solely on poverty alleviation.
She discussed the challenges of promoting business and trade with Africa, particularly in the US, and stressed the need for individuals to take control of their own narratives.
Umesiri also highlighted her background in education and experience in training entrepreneurs and working with investors.
She argued against focusing on poverty alleviation and foreign aid, stressing the need to prioritise skills for sustaining economies, attracting investment, and creating wealth.
Also speaking, Prof. Akil Khalfani, director, Africana Institute, Essex County College, Newark, New Jersey, emphasised the need for a rethinking of journalism and media representation, advocating a Pan African approach that utilizes a historical foundation to tell the story of Africa and African people.
Khalfani criticised the Euro-centric approach to education and suggested that African history and culture should be presented with a broader perspective.
Khalfani also highlighted the significance of African organizations and the need for Africa-centered strategies and critiques of other perspectives.
He stressed the importance of Africanizing ways of doing business, global commerce, and thinking about identity.
Mr. Simon Kolawole, founder and editor-in-chief, The Cable Newspapers, in his presentation, made a strong case for the empowerment of media of people of African descent for effective global outreach.
The highly respected columnist stressed that currently, Media of people of African descent were grappling with serious challenges that were constraining their operations and ability to compete at the global level.
Dr. Adeola Popoola, president, Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) New Jersey, proposed a stronger hold on the Guild of Editors to ensure all media houses contribute to a weekly digest of news headlines across the continent.
Ibe, however, thanked everyone for their participation and expressed his gratitude for the insightful discussions, mentioning that there would be a sequel in the future, especially as the issue was so crucial that it could not be sufficiently addressed at one sitting.
Credit: NAN
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NIA Questions Legality of Reps’ Financial Probe

The Nigerian Insurers Association has urged the House Committee on Capital Market and Institutions to respect the constitutional separation of powers as it carries out a probe on over 20 insurance firms.
In a statement on Tuesday night, the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of NIA, Mrs Bola Odukale, said the decision of NIA and the affected firms to approach the court was to seek clarity on the constitutional limits of the House Committee’s probe.
It would be recalled that the House of Representatives on Monday is investigating no fewer than 25 insurance companies operating in the country for various financial infractions spanning financial reporting, claims settlement, premium remittance, and issuance of policies.
The Chairman, House Sub-Committee on Capital Market and Institutions, Kwamoti Laori, during a meeting with the management of the insurance companies at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, said the meeting was convened following the receipt of a petition on infractions by the insurance companies.
In the statement, Odukale said, “The Association wishes to state unequivocally that all actions taken by the NIA and the affected member companies in response to the Committee’s invitations and pronouncements were based entirely on legal advice by its Solicitors. It was on the firm instruction of legal counsel that recourse was made to the courts.
“The objective of approaching the Court is to seek judicial guidance on the legality, propriety, and constitutional limits of the Committee’s intervention in order to safeguard institutional integrity, uphold regulatory independence, and ensure that legislative oversight remains within the bounds of law.
“The Court action seeks to determine whether the current posture of the Committee reflects an exercise of legislative judgment, which, by constitutional design, is the exclusive province of statutory regulators, such as the National Insurance Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigerian Exchange, Financial Reporting Council, Nigeria Data Protection Commission, and the National Information Technology Development Agency.
“This raises serious questions about legislative overreach and an erosion of the doctrine of separation of powers, a cornerstone of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy.”
Odukale maintained that the NIA was committed to lawful and constructive engagement with all arms of government, provided that such engagement respects the autonomy of statutory regulators and the boundaries established by the Constitution.
“The NIA will continue to provide its full support to all member companies while upholding the principles of legal compliance and sector-wide integrity,” Odukale concluded.
17 of the companies that went to court were represented by their lawyer, Mr Abimbola Kayode, at the meeting with the committee.
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Horn of Africa Leaders Seek Enhanced Digital Integration for Increased Regional Growth

Finance ministers and development partners from the Horn of Africa have called for enhanced digital integration to boost trade, drive economic growth and promote regional stability during the 25th Ministerial Meeting of the Horn of Africa Initiative (HoAI).
Held in Nairobi, on July 14, the meeting was co-chaired by the African Development Bank’s Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery, Nnenna Nwabufo and Somalia’s Minister of Finance, Bihi Iman Egeh. Discussions underscored the critical role of digital integration in reducing trade barriers, boosting government service delivery and creating employment — particularly for the region’s youth.
“Digital technologies are shaping today’s economy and tomorrow’s industries. By embedding these technologies into our programs, we can not only improve inclusion but also leapfrog outdated development models,” said Nwabufo.
She called for digital integration a “central enabler” in each of the Horn of Africa Initiative’s pillars – trade, infrastructure, resilience, and human capital,
Learning through experience
Drawing from global and regional success stories, speakers highlighted the transformative potential of technology-led development. The ministers pointed to the Philippines as a strong example, where ICT has generated millions of jobs in business process outsourcing. Similarly, Kenya’s fintech innovation—especially the success of M-PESA—was cited as a model for scaling digital financial services across the region.
Participants urged governments to proactively foster digital ecosystems by capitalizing on the demographic dividend, identifying infrastructure upgrades, tighter regulatory reforms, and digital skills trainings as priorities to enable broader participation in the digital economy.
Minister Egeh reiterated the need for more coordinated regional efforts to create the enabling environment required for accelerated digital integration and expansion. He referenced the HoAI Digital Policy Matrix, adopted in 2023 which provides a blueprint on how to address key obstacles to achieving effective digital integration across the region.
Barack Makokha, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury, underscored the importance of regionally-aligned public private partnerships and advocated for blended financing to reduce investment risk and expand digital access in underserved areas.
World Bank Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa, Ndiame Diop, called for a comprehensive multi-pronged approach, combining cross-border coordination, large-scale financing, robust policy support, and digital infrastructure investments. He pointed out that such measures could transform digital integration into, “a powerful engine of economic transformation” for the Horn of Africa—ensuring no one is left behind in the digital era.
The meeting concluded with a shared recognition that sustained political will and the determination to implement a multifaceted approach are essential to unlocking the region’s economic potential and driving long-term growth.
The event also welcomed observers from the East African Community, Agence française de développement, and Shelter Afrique, reflecting strong regional and international backing for the HoAI in the development community.
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CSCS Inaugurates Custodian Portal to Enhance Digital Access, Operational Efficiency

Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS), Nigeria’s capital market infrastructure provider, has launched its Custodian Portal, a user-centric digital solution designed to optimise custodian operations through intuitive, secure and efficient features.
Haruna Jalo-Waziri, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), CSCS, announced this in a statement on Monday.
The CSCS is a Public Limited Company with a diversified shareholder base, which serves as the Central Securities Depository for the Nigerian Capital Market.
It serves as the Central Depository for Equities, Commercial Papers, Corporate Bonds, Sub-National Bonds, certain Sovereign Bonds like the FGN Sukuk and the FGN Savings Bond, Equity-traded Funds, Real Estate Investment Trusts, Mutual funds and Commodities.
Jalo-Waziri said that the custodian portal offered a streamlined experience for market participants with powerful tools that facilitate comprehensive portfolio and trade management, document tracking, share transfer operations, client symbol search, and real-time access to vital data.
He explained that the portal, designed to operate through a flexible subscription-based model, empowered users to manage their records effortlessly and securely through convenient payment channels such as GTPay and Paystack.
According to him, “Digital transformation remains at the core of our strategy to enhance the efficiency, transparency and accessibility of Nigeria’s capital market services.
“The custodian portal is a significant leap in that direction, offering custodians a centralised platform to manage critical processes in real-time.
“We are excited about the value this innovation brings to our stakeholders, and we will continue to evolve the platform in line with users’ needs and industry trends.”
The CEO also explained that the portal was designed with user experience in mind with feature tools like portfolio viewing and downloads in PDF or Excel format.
He further said that it also featured tracking of stock movements across date ranges, inbox messaging and request tracking, as well as robust user management capabilities including role assignment and status tracking.
Similarly, the Divisional Head, Business Technology and Digital Innovation, CSCS Plc, Tobe Nnadozie, said that the portal aligned with CSCS’s drive to automate the market.
“In addition to the normal features, the platform is a part of an omnichannel platform for custodians, and includes API services.
“It also connects to the market-wide workflow, which CSCS has built to ensure secured communication and approvals across all major stakeholders in the market.
“The platform is well secured with best-of-breed cybersecurity solutions and our SOC,” he said.
The Custodian Portal reinforces CSCS’s commitment to leveraging technology to streamline back-office functions and support a more agile, data-driven capital market ecosystem.
All custodians in the Nigerian capital market have now been successfully on-boarded on the Custodian Portal, marking a significant milestone in CSCS’s ongoing drive to enhance collaboration, standardise operational processes, and promote digital adoption across the market.
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