<< Back             Poser >> Africa must deepen intra-continental trade to unlock prosperity — Access Bank GMD By Cynthia Alo The Group Managing Director of Access Bank Plc, Mr.Roosevelt Ogbonna, has called on African policymakers, financiers and businesses to deepen collaboration in order to accelerate intra-African trade and unlock the continent’s economic potentials. Ogbonna made the call yesterday while welcoming participants to the Africa Trade Conference (ATC) 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa, noting that Africa must urgently dismantle structural barriers that continue to limit trade within the continent despite its vast market potential. According to him, Africa still accounts for only a small share of global trade, while many trade corridors across the continent remain fragmented and largely aspirational rather than functional. He stated: “Last year we asked ourselves a simple question, how can Africa trade with itself and with the rest of the world in a way that creates shared prosperity beyond just numbers. The facts were sobering. Africa still controls a small share of global trade and many small businesses that aspire to trade across borders remain constrained.” Ogbonna explained that deliberations at the maiden conference in 2025 identified three priority areas necessary to transform trade across the continent. He noted that ATC 2026 was designed to continue the conversations started last year and push for concrete actions that would deepen trade integration across Africa. According to him, while progress has been recorded in some areas, several structural challenges continue to limit seamless trade across African markets. Ogbonna also pointed to the growing role of technology platforms in reducing friction in payments, logistics and access to markets across borders. However, he stressed that such progress has remained uneven, with most gains concentrated in markets where policy reforms have moved faster than in others. “Many of these improvements are concentrated in specific markets and corridors, and that is not good enough if we are to truly unlock the potential of Africa’s trade,” he said. He further identified high cost of finance, fragmented payment systems, infrastructure gaps and limited trade information as key constraints affecting businesses seeking to operate across African borders. Vanguard Business News	NGX ASI crosses historic 200,000 marks as stock market rally continues By Peter Egwuatu Nigeria’s stock market hit a major milestone on Monday, with the Nigerian Exchange Limited, NGX, All-Share Index (ASI) crossing the 200,000-points mark, buoyed by strong investor demand and broad-based gains across key sectors. The benchmark Index rose 1.55% to close at 201,474.89 points, up from 198,407.30 points in the previous trading session. This […] FCMB completes N500bn recapitalisation, retains international license FCMB Group Plc has completed the recapitalisation of its banking subsidiary, First City Monument Bank Limited, and has secured its international banking licence after obtaining all required regulatory approvals. The Group raised more than N400 billion through a series of transactions, including public equity offerings, a convertible instrument, and a minority divestment in one of its […] Africa must deepen intra-continental trade to unlock prosperity — Access Bank GMD By Cynthia Alo The Group Managing Director of Access Bank Plc, Mr.Roosevelt Ogbonna, has called on African policymakers, financiers and businesses to deepen collaboration in order to accelerate intra-African trade and unlock the continent’s economic potentials. Ogbonna made the call yesterday while welcoming participants to the Africa Trade Conference (ATC) 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa, […] LIVESTOCK ECONOMY: Importation extends dominance, rises 14.5% to N1.7trn •Stakeholders lament structural challenges, make recommendations By Gabriel Ewepu Amidst efforts to diversify Nigeria’s economy, there are indications that dominance of foreign imported livestock products has been extended. Financial Vanguard’s findings from the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, show that livestock and related products imports rose to N1.71 trillion in 2025, up by 14.5 per cent from […] Nigeria’s economy will withstand shocks from US-Iran war — Cardoso By Babajide Komolafe Governor of theCentral Bank ofNigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, yesterday said Nigeria’s ongoing macroeconomic reforms have positioned the economy to withstand potential shocks arising from escalating tensions in the Middle East. Cardoso stated this while delivering a Distinguished Alumni Lecture at the Founders Day celebration of St Gregory’s College Lagos in Lagos. He noted […] Ghana police seizes fake currency over $1m, officers reject bribe attempt  Police in Odumase-Krobo have foiled an attempt by a counterfeit currency syndicate to bribe officers with GH¢200,000 following the arrest of three suspects found with more than one million US dollars.