Business
FirstBank Offers Support To SMEs in Education Sector Through the Pandemic
By Chinyere Nwokeoma, NAN
First Bank of Nigeria Limited has offered to give financial support to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Education Sector to cushion the effects of the COVID -19 pandemic. Mr. Bankole Adediran, Head, Transaction Banking Products, FirstBank, made this known at the Bank’s SMEConnect webinar with theme: “Managing Your School through the Pandemic: Engagement and Retention Strategies”.
Adediran said that the Bank was ready to partner with SMEs in the education sector through the period of the novel coronavirus pandemic to sustain their businesses.
“FirstBank, as an institution, is very passionate about education, and will continue to support the sector,” he said.
He said that the Bank would continue to reinforce its leading role at enabling the growth of the educational sector in the country.
Adediran said that the Bank had an array of financial products that could be accessed by SMEs in the educational sector in the period of COVID -19.
He said SMEs in the sector could key into FirstEdu Loan targeted at private nursery, primary and secondary schools to assist the schools in achieving their desired growth in medium and long terms.
According to him, the product provides funding advancement of up to N20 million for schools with a minimum of 100 students with school fees collection domiciled at FirstBank.
Adediran said that, with the product, school owners/proprietors could stay ahead to make learning easy and conducive for students.
He said the Bank had launched various interventions and initiatives to support the sector to navigate through challenges occasioned by COVID -19.
He noted that FirstBank recently launched an e-learning initiative aimed at reaching out to one million students across the country to ensure they would be academically engaged while at home.
Adediran also said that the Bank supported 10 universities and three secondary schools across the country with major infrastructure projects.
He added that the Bank donated 20,000 e-learning devices to the Lagos State Government to promote online learning for students in the public schools.
Adediran urged schools must learn from the COVID -19 pandemic by embracing automation to plug leakages in the sector.
Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, Commissioner for Education, Lagos State, who was a panelist at the webinar, commended the Bank for donating 20,000 devices with six months data, to the state for e-learning.
Adefisayo said the state reached out to many companies for support at the wake of the pandemic and that FirstBank came to its aid.
She disclosed that all the schools were not prepared for the situation, noting that most children in public schools did not have device and data for online learning.
“This pandemic has been a terrible thing, and one lesson from it is that we have not invested enough in solutions we can deplore at a time like this,” Adefisayo said.
She said that the pandemic had forced Nigerians to be more creative and innovative, adding that schooling would no longer be the same again.
Adefisayo called on teachers to change their teaching and learning strategies, saying that COVID -19 had changed learning.
Also, Dr. Yomi Otubela, President, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), said the association had responded greatly by interfacing between government and its agencies since the beginning of the pandemic.
Otubela said the Central Bank of Nigeria was working out modalities for palliatives for schools and teachers who had not been receiving salaries since the pandemic started.
He noted that there had been an increase in rape, kidnapping and robbery as a result of COVID -19.
Mr. Wale Abioye, Team Lead, Customer Practice in Management Consulting (KPMG), said the pandemic had impacted negatively on many sectors of the economy, especially education.
Abioye highlighted some of the negative impacts of the pandemic to include financial/economic, structural, social and policy challenges.
He said many SMEs in the educational sector could be out of business due to the pandemic, thereby increasing unemployment rate.
Mr. Babatunde Vaughan, Education Lead, Modern Classroom, Microsoft Nigeria, said the company had introduced a lot of products to make online learning easy and interesting.
“COVID -19 is a very unique period for everyone, change has come and we will continue to experience change.
“We must be more proactive than reactive,” Vaughan urged.
Africa’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has unveiled a diaspora banking and investment platform designed to serve Africans living and working across the world and within the continent.
The platform, launched in collaboration with leading ecosystem partners including United Capital, Africa Prudential, UBA Pensions, Afriland Properties, Heirs Insurance Group, and Avon Healthcare Limited — represents a major step in redefining diaspora banking beyond remittances toward structured wealth creation and long-term investment.
At the unveiling, which took place at UBA’s global headquarters in Lagos under the theme: “Beyond Banking: Powering the Global African Lifestyle, all the company representatives were on hand to showcase a seamless platform that goes beyond remittances, wealth creation, protection, and long-term prosperity.
Speaking at the event, UBA’s Head of Diaspora Banking, Anant Rao, described the initiative as a strategic shift in how Africa engages its global citizens.
“For decades, Africa’s engagement with its diaspora has focused largely on remittances. Today, we are moving beyond that. This platform represents a transition from simple money transfers to a financial ecosystem where Africans globally can bank, make payments, invest, protect their families, and build long-term wealth seamlessly,” he said.
Rao noted that African diaspora remittance flows exceed $100 billion annually, making them one of the most resilient and consistent sources of capital into the continent.
“Diaspora capital is not just a flow of funds — it is a strategic growth partner for Africa.
Our role is to provide a trusted platform that converts capital into structured investment and shared prosperity across the continent.”
The objective is to provide a platform that brings together offerings across the numerous needs of the Global African, including Banking and payments, Investments, securities services, asset management, Insurance, Pensions, real estate and Pensions.
Through this coordinated ecosystem, diaspora customers can access financial solutions across multiple sectors through a single trusted platform, enabling them to manage their financial lives and family commitments across borders with ease and transparency.
UBA’s Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Alero Ladipo, emphasised the importance of collaboration in delivering a seamless diaspora experience.
“The modern African is a global citizen — mobile, ambitious, and deeply connected to home. Whether living in Africa, Europe, the Americas, or the Middle East, there must be a structured and secure financial connection back home. This platform ensures that Africans everywhere can remain economically connected to the continent with confidence and transparency.”
Partners within the ecosystem highlighted growing demand among diaspora Africans for structured investment opportunities, secure property ownership, insurance protection, and long-term financial planning.
United Capital showcased globally accessible investment products designed to deliver professionally managed and transparent wealth creation opportunities.
Afriland Properties emphasised structured and well-governed real estate investment pathways for diaspora clients.
Heirs Insurance highlighted protection solutions for life, and assets, while Avon Healthcare Limited demonstrated healthcare access and insurance solutions for families across borders.
Africa Prudential and UBA Pension reinforced digital investment management and long-term pension savings solutions designed to support diaspora participation in African capital markets.
Together, the partners underscored a shared commitment to providing diaspora Africans with credible, transparent, and professionally managed financial pathways.
Rao also reiterated the guiding philosophy of Africapitalism, championed by UBA’s Founder and Chairman, Mr. Tony O. Elumelu, CFR.
He explained that Africapitalism is the belief that Africa’s private sector must play a leading role in the continent’s development by making long-term investments that generate both economic returns and social impact.
As Africa continues to position itself as one of the world’s most dynamic growth frontiers, UBA believes mobilising diaspora capital through trusted financial institutions will be central to shaping the continent’s next phase of development.
“Africa will increasingly be financed by Africans themselves, including Africans abroad.
“Our responsibility is to build the trusted financial infrastructure that makes this possible.
“When Africa’s global citizens invest back into Africa, growth becomes inevitable,” he concluded.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has achieved a major operational milestone with the full restoration and optimisation of its Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) and Motor Spirit (MS) production block. Both units are now running at optimal performance, further strengthening the steady state operations of Africa’s largest oil refining facility.
Following a scheduled maintenance exercise on the CDU and MS Block, the refinery has commenced an intensive 72 hour series of performance test runs in collaboration with licensor UOP. These tests are designed to validate operational efficiency and confirm that all critical parameters meet global standards.
Chief Executive Officer, David Bird, noted that the seamless integration and strong performance of the units demonstrate the refinery’s advanced engineering and robust operational capabilities.
“Our teams have demonstrated exceptional precision and expertise in stabilising both the CDU and MS Block, and we are pleased to see them functioning at optimal efficiency. This performance testing phase enables us to validate the entire plant under real operating conditions. We are confident that the refinery remains firmly on track to deliver consistent, world class output.
This milestone underscores the strength, reliability, and engineering quality that define our operations. We remain committed to producing high quality refined products that will transform Nigeria’s energy landscape, eliminate import dependence, and position the nation as a net exporter of petroleum products.”
Bird added that the CDU and MS Block, which comprise the naphtha hydrotreater, isomerisation unit, and reformer unit, are now operating steadily at the full nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. He further confirmed that all remaining processing units will begin their respective performance test runs in Phase 2, scheduled to commence next week.
During the recent festive period, the refinery supplied between 45–50 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) daily. With the CDU and MS Block now fully restored, the refinery is positioned to comfortably deliver up to 75 million litres of PMS to the domestic market as required.
Expressing appreciation to customers and Nigerians across the country, Bird reaffirmed the refinery’s unwavering commitment to enhancing Nigeria’s energy security while supporting industrial development, job creation, and economic diversification.
