Business

Invest in the Value Chain of Your Passion, NEXIM Boss Urges Nigerian Youth and Women

Published

2 months ago

September 2, 2025

By Joel Ajayi

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), Abubakar Abba Bello, has called on Nigerian youth and women to pursue investment opportunities that align with their passions particularly within the non-oil value chains.

Mr. Bello made this call on Tuesday during an impactful session organized by the Youth Wing of the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by Dr. Dayo Israel. The event was part of an ongoing initiative designed to foster direct engagement between policymakers and citizens under the Renewed Hope Agenda, with the aim of strengthening national development.

The interactive session focused on educating young Nigerians, especially women, about the vast financing and entrepreneurial opportunities available within Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) operating in Nigeria’s non-oil sectors. Bello emphasized that greater youth participation in these sectors is critical for sustainable economic growth and long-term national prosperity.

“True success in business often comes when people invest in areas they are genuinely passionate about,” Bello noted. “Whether it’s agribusiness, services, the creative industry, or solid minerals—there is room for growth. NEXIM has a strong presence and offers support across all these value chains.”

He urged young people to channel their energy, creativity, and innovation into ventures that not only align with their interests but also contribute to national export development.

“What I want to appeal to the youth to do—and what I strongly encourage—is to invest where your heart is. Whether that’s in agriculture, processing, or the creative industries, you’re more likely to succeed when you’re passionate about what you do,” he said.

Bello highlighted the immense untapped potential within non-oil sectors and reaffirmed their importance in Nigeria’s ongoing economic diversification strategy.

“In all these value chains, Nigeria is yet to reach its full potential. But I believe the energy, intelligence, and creativity of our youth can make a significant difference. When young people engage in export-oriented ventures, the impact can be transformative.”

He also commended the APC Youth Wing for launching initiatives that encourage youth engagement in the export space, describing their efforts as both timely and strategic.

In his remarks, Dr. Dayo Israel, the APC National Youth Leader, reiterated his commitment to bridging the gap between citizens and government.

He explained that the initiative was born out of concerns from young Nigerians and women who often feel disconnected from policy-making processes.

“Many of our citizens, especially youth and women, have expressed frustration over limited access to policymakers. That’s why we launched this programme—to bring citizens and government representatives together for meaningful engagement,” Dr. Israel stated.

He further assured that he would “leave no stone unturned” in ensuring that the voices and needs of Nigerian youth are heard and addressed across all sectors of the economy

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Business

TAJBank Emerges Nigeria’s Biggest Non-Interest Bank

Published

7 days ago

October 23, 2025

The Gleamer

Cyril Ogar

After five years of operations in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving non-interest banking (NIB) space, TAJBank Limited has become the biggest player in the NIB subsector based on its total assets and gross earnings values.

Disclosing this during his paper presentation on the key performance indices in the non-interest banking space over the past few years at a seminar organized by Leaders Corporate Services with the theme “Roles of Non-Interest Banks In SMEs’ Financing” for SME entrepreneurs yesterday in Abuja, an investment expert, Mr. Olabode Akeredolu-Ale, maintained that based on the non-interest banks’ approved financial statements for the half year 2025, TAJBank currently remained the biggest in terms of its total assets.

The expert, a chartered stockbroker, specifically confirmed that his recent investment researches on the NIBs and their financial performances showed that TAJBank, with its total assets rising to N1.017 trillion in half year 2025 up from N953.098 billion as of December 2024, which is about N53 billion higher than the nearest NIB’s assets, now ranked top in the banking subsector.

According to him, TAJBank’s gross earnings for H1 2025 also surged to N53.752 billion from N32.86 billion as of December 2024, representing a 64% growth, and higher than the nearest NIB’s gross earnings in the period under review.

This is even as he disclosed that on the NIBs’ earnings per share during the half year, TAJBank reported N61.36 kobo earnings per share, about 92% higher than the earnings per share of the next NIB during the period.

Akeredolu-Ale, who is also a chartered accountant, clarified: “The figures I am reeling out here on the NIBs are sourced from the banking and capital market regulatory institutions’ platforms, which anyone can access to verify.

“I am part of this event because of my research interest in non-interest banking and how the players in the subsector in Nigeria can help to leverage their competencies in innovation and ethical banking to support our MSMEs.

“Today, the MSMEs cannot access DMBs’ loans due to high lending rates and other inclement macroeconomic factors. This is where I think the NIBs have become very crucial to Nigeria’s economic growth.

“Overall, my findings on the NIBs indicated that they are all trying their best with non-interest loans to support entrepreneurs, particularly the MSMEs owners. I have advised those of them at this seminar to explore the cost-friendly financing options of the NIBs to grow their businesses by opening accounts with the NIBs”, the expert added.

Another speaker at the event, Benjamin Chukwudi, also commended the NIBs for their “catalytic roles in helping SMEs to access interest-free loans and providing them the needed financial management advisory, which have been helping them in sustaining their operations in the face of rising cost of doing business in the country.”

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