Business

Why Food Exports From Nigeria ‘re Rejected At Int’l Market – NIFST

Published

2 years ago

October 17, 2023

The Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST), has identified non-compliance with global food standards, poor packaging and poor adherence to food safety as part of the major reasons food exports from Nigeria are rejected at the International market.

NIFST which stated this at a press conference at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike on Tuesday, also identified poor funding funding as a major challenge to Nigeria’s food export quest.

National President of NIFST, Professor Joseph Oneh Abu, who addressed a press conference ahead of the 47th Annual Conference of the NIFST, holding in Abia State, regretted that despite efforts to break the jinx, Nigeria’s food export is yet to elicit acceptability at the global market.

He further noted that poor branding of foods by exporters usually affect their marketability and competitiveness at the global market.

The NIFST boss noted that Nigeria has the capacity to dominate the global food export market but called for more conscious efforts to explore the huge opportunity in the sector.

He restated the preparedness of NISFT ” to harness the abundance of talent, knowledge and skills among food professionals in Nigeria towards foods sufficiency and good nutrition of the masses”.

Projecting the value global food industry to hit $10 trillion by 2027, the NIFST boss said that the organization was making frantic efforts to enable Nigeria get a fare chunk of the projection.

He regretted that Nigeria currently, imports more than three times, the value of its food exports.

Professor Abu, however, expressed optimism that experts in the sector would in the course of the conference, brainstorm on the ways to navigate the country out of the woods.

According to him the conferees are drawn from the academics, civil society, food industry, Government.

The NIFST boss commended the Federal Government for establishing the Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology, NICFoST to regulate the practice of food science in Nigeria.

He urged Government not to delay in inaugurating the council at ones.
.
He, however, appealed for adequate funding to enable NIFST execute its activities in the country council.

Professor Abu predicted bright future for Nigeria in food export is all the necessary stakeholders should play their card well.

VANGUARD

Business

9th FirstBank Digital Xperience Centre Launched In UNIBEN

Published

11 minutes ago

December 16, 2025

Editor

First Bank Nigeria Plc on Tuesday launched its Digital Xperience Centre (DXC) at the University of Benin Branch, Benin City.

In his remarks at the launching, Chief Executive Officer, First Bank Plc, Olusegun Alebiosu, described the digital xperience centre as “an exceptional feat in our shared commitment toward innovation,” adding that
“this is our 9th Centre, and it operates round-the-clock.”

Alebiosu, while stating that the “FirstBank’s DXC is more than a banking facility,” added that “it is a step toward redefining how banking connects with education, technology, and the whole community.”

He said: “In partnership with the University, we’ve created a hub where students, faculty and community members can access FirstBank’s digital world.

“Our DXCs are more than just banking hubs – they are gateways to a smarter, faster, and more personalised financial journey. Equipped with cutting-edge technology, customers have access to state-of-the-art self-service terminals designed to simplify transactions while ensuring top-tier security and efficiency.

“Whether you need to deposit cash, request for debit card, or update your account details, the DXC’s provides an elevated banking experience with speed and ease, designed to put you in control.

“Our DXCs operate round-the-clock, including weekends, providing the convenience you need to bank anytime in just a few minutes.

“The DXC embodies our commitment to Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) principles as it promotes financial inclusion, fosters digital literacy, and uses sustainable technology to empower underserved communities.”

The CEO, while thanking the leadership of UNIBEN for “partnering with us to bring this vision to life, aligning academic excellence with cutting-edge technology,” urged the public to “embrace this DXC as a catalyst for learning, innovation, and development.”

In his remarks at the launching, the Vice-Chancellor, UNIBEN, Prof. Edoba Omoregie said: “We are very happy that First Bank is doing this in our institution,” describing UNIBEN as a “first generation university.”

Earlier, while playing host to the First Bank CEO and his team in his office, Prof. Edoba had sought support from the company in the revamp of the university Information Technology Centre (ICT).

Business

Full List: 82 Newly Approved, Fully Licensed BDC Operators

Published

1 week ago

December 9, 2025

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has granted final operating licences to 82 Bureaux De Change (BDC) operators under its revised regulatory framework, reinforcing warnings against transactions with unlicensed foreign exchange dealers.

In a statement on Monday, the Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Hakama Sidi-Ali, confirmed that the licences took effect on November 27, 2025, in accordance with the 2024 Regulatory and Supervisory Guidelines for BDC Operations. The guidelines require all operators to meet specified capital thresholds and regulatory conditions to qualify for licensing.

“The Central Bank of Nigeria, in exercise of its powers under the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020 and the 2024 Guidelines, has granted final licences to 82 Bureaux De Change to operate with effect from November 27, 2025,” the statement read.

The apex bank emphasised that only BDCs listed on its official website are considered fully licensed, urging the public to verify the status of any operator before engaging in foreign exchange transactions.

“While the CBN will continue to update the list of Bureaux De Change with valid operating licences for public verification on our website, the Bank advises the general public to avoid dealing with unlicensed Foreign Exchange Operators,” the statement warned.

The CBN noted that operating a BDC without a valid licence constitutes an offence under Section 57(1) of the BOFIA 2020, and confirmed that legal action would be taken against non-compliant operators.

TIER 1

1 DULA GLOBAL BDC LTD

2 TRURATE GLOBAL BDC LTD

TIER 2

1 ABBUFX BDC LTD

2 ACHA GLOBAL BDC LTD

3 ARCTANGENT SWIFT BDC LTD

4 ASCENDANT BDC LTD

5 BARACAI BDC LTD

6 BERGPOINT BDC LTD

7 BRAVO MODEL BDC LTD

8 BRIMESTONE BDC LTD

9 BROWNSTON BDC LTD

10 BUZZWALLET BDC LTD

11 CASHCODE BDC LTD

12 CHATTERED BDC LTD

13 CHRONICLES BDC LTD

14 COOL FOREX BDC LTD

15 CORPORATE EXCHANGE BDC LTD

16 COURTESY CURRENCY BDC LTD

17 DANYARO BDC LTD

18 DASHAD BDC LTD

19 DEVAL BDC LTD

20 DFS BDC LTD

21 EASY CASH BDC LTD

22 ELELEM BDC LTD

23 E-LIOYDS BDC LTD

24 ELOGOZ BDC LTD

25 ENOUF BDC LTD

26 EVER JOJ GOLD BDC LTD

27 EXCEL RIJIYA FOREX BDC LTD

28 FABFOREX BDC LTD

29 FELLOM BDC LTD

30 FINE BDC LTD

31 FOMAT BDC LTD

32 GENELO BDC LTD

33 GENTLE BREEZE BDC LTD

34 GRACEFUL GLORY AND HUMILITY BDC LTD

35 GREENGATE BDC LTD

36 GREENVAULT BDC LTD

37 HAZON CAPITAL BDC LTD

38 HIGH-POINT BDC LTD

39 I & I EXCHANGE BDC LTD

40 IBN MARYAM BDC LTD

41 JOURNEY WELL BDC LTD

42 KEEPERS BDC LTD

43 KHADHOUSE SOLUTIONS BDC LTD

44 KIMMELFX BDC LTD

45 KINGSOFT ATLANTIC BDC LTD

46 M.S. ALHERI BDC LTD

47 MASTERS BDC LTD

48 MCMENA BDC LTD

49 MKOO BDC LTD

50 MKS BDC LTD

51 MR J GOLF BDC LTD

52 MUSDIQ BDC LTD

53 MZ FOREX BDC LTD

54 NEJJ BDC LTD LTD

55 NETVALUE BDC LTD

56 NEW WAVE BDC LTD

57 NOTABLE AND KINGSTON BDC LTD

58 PILCROW BDC LTD

59 RAPID BDC LTD

60 RIGHTWAY BDC LTD

61 RWANDA BDC LTD

62 SABLES BDC LTD

63 SAFETRANZ BDC LTD

64 SAMFIK BDC LTD

65 SEVENLOCKS BDC LTD

66 SHAPEARL BDC LTD

67 SIMTEX BDC LTD

68 SOLID WHITE BDC LTD

69 ST. NICHOLAS GLOBAL BDC LTD

70 TOPFIRST UNIQUE MULTICHOICE BDC LTD

71 TOPGATE BDC LTD

72 TRAVELLER’S CHOICE BDC LTD

73 TUCA GLOBAL BDC LTD

74 TURBOVA BDC LTD

75 TURN-UP BDC LTD

76 UNIGO BDC LTD

77 VICTORY AHEAD BDC LTD

78 WHITEWAY WWW BDC LTD

79 YUND GLOBAL LINK BDC LTD

80 ZAMAD FOREX BDC LTD

Business

CBN Issues 82 New BDC Licences, Moves To Curb Unregistered FX Operators

Published

1 week ago

December 9, 2025

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has granted final operating licences to 82 Bureaux De Change (BDC) under its updated regulatory framework and cautioned members of the public against engaging with unlicensed foreign exchange operators.

In a statement issued on Monday and signed by the Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Hakama Sidi-Ali, the Bank said the licences became effective on 27 November 2025. The approvals were granted under the 2024 Regulatory and Supervisory Guidelines for BDC Operations in Nigeria.

The CBN stressed that only BDCs listed on its official website are recognised as licensed operators. It encouraged the public to verify the licensing status of BDCs before engaging in any foreign exchange transactions.

The Bank reiterated that running a BDC without proper authorisation constitutes an offence under Section 57(1) of the BOFIA 2020. It stated that enforcement actions would be taken against violators.

The licensing exercise forms part of the CBN’s broader initiative to reform the foreign exchange market and ensure that only compliant operators participate in the sector. Under the 2024 guidelines, which took effect in June 2024,
all BDCs are required to reapply for Tier 1 or Tier 2 licences.

The guidelines stipulate minimum capital requirements of ₦2 billion for Tier 1 and ₦500 million for Tier 2, along with non-refundable licensing fees of ₦5 million and ₦2 million, respectively.

The CBN said it would continue its efforts to maintain order and transparency in the foreign exchange market.