All Articles

The Middle East War Has a Supply Chain Problem A War in the Gulf Is Reshaping Global Energy. Nigerian SMEs Are at the Crossroads. The conflict thousands of kilometres away in the Middle East is already inside your business in your fuel bill, your logistics costs, and the supplier prices you received this week. The Strait of Hormuz the narrow waterway through which approximately 20% of the world's oil and 21% of its LNG passes every day is now effectively closed. Tankers are t

Your Customers Are Spending Less. The Data From Lagos Streets Proves It. Your Customers Are Tightening Their Belts. Here's What That Means for Your Business. You may be feeling it already, slightly slower footfall, smaller basket sizes, customers asking "do you have something smaller?" more often than they used to. This isn't your imagination. The data from Lagos markets confirms it. As fuel prices climbed to between ₦1,250 and ₦1,500 per litre in March 2026, Lagos residents

The Naira Gained 10% in 12 Months The Naira Is Up 10% in 12 Months. Have You Updated Your Numbers? There is a quiet opportunity sitting in your business right now and there's a good chance you haven't noticed it yet. The naira is trading at approximately ₦1,384 to the dollar as of April 1, 2026 up 10% against the dollar over the past 12 months. For context, the naira recorded its strongest annual performance in more than a decade in 2025, appreciating 7.4% against the dollar.

Nigeria's Stock Market Just Had Its Best Quarter in History Nigeria's Stock Market Just Broke Records. Here's Why Your Business Should Pay Attention. You may not own a single share. But what just happened on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) affects your business more than you think. The first quarter of 2026 delivered ₦29.83 trillion in gains to equity investors, the biggest Q1 in Nigerian stock market history, driven by strong corporate earnings and the completion of the

AI Is Coming to Your Business - Are You Ready? AI Is Coming to Your Business How Nigerian SME owners can start using artificial intelligence without a tech degree The most competitive advantage available to a Nigerian small business owner right now doesn't cost millions of naira. FirstBank's SMEConnect Webinar designed to equip SMEs with practical knowledge and tools to adopt and integrate AI into their operations. The theme is direct and useful: "AI for Business Growth: From

Your Generator Is Now Your Biggest Business Rival How the March fuel surge is reshaping SME margins and what you can do this week Your diesel bill didn't just go up. It went up by nearly 70% in some parts of Lagos in under a week. That's not a rounding error. That's a structural shift that every Nigerian SME owner needs to account for right now. Here's what happened: the ongoing Gulf conflict has pushed Brent crude prices above $100 a barrel for the first time in years, spik

Central Bank of Nigeria The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Tuesday cautiously reduced its benchmark interest rate, the Monetary Policy...

Singing of Tax Law Effective January 1, 2026, Nigeria’s tax administration will operate under a new legal framework, the Nigeria Tax Act...

Monetary Policy For the first time in five years, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) trimmed its key interest rate, marking a cautious but...

Taxpayer Identification Number The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has reminded taxpayers that obtaining a Tax Identification...

Naira Vs Dollar The naira gained ground on Tuesday, closing at ₦1,484/$ at the official FX market — a slight improvement from Monday’s...