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AfDB Pledges $100m For Nigerian Youth Bank, Targets $2bn For Youth-Led Businesses

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President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has announced a $100 million commitment towards the creation of the Nigerian Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Bank, aimed at catalysing $2 billion in investments to support over 38,000 youth-led businesses across Africa.

Adesina made the announcement during a televised interview on national television, noting that the initiative is part of the AfDB’s wider strategy to harness the continent’s youth population—over 465 million people aged 15 to 35—as a powerful economic engine.

He also expressed concern over the growing trend of youth emigration from Nigeria and other African nations, commonly referred to as the Japa phenomenon.

Adesina described it as a “big loss” for the continent and a sign of the failure to adequately invest in the potential of Africa’s young people.

“Young people don’t need freebies,” Adesina declared.

“They don’t need people saying: ‘I just want to give you an empowerment programme’. They have skills, they have knowledge, they have entrepreneurship capacity. They want to turn their ideas into great businesses.”

According to the former Nigerian agriculture minister, Africa’s youth crisis is not one of numbers, but of opportunity.

“We have over 465 million young people between the ages of 15 and 35,” he said.

“The problem is not their population, it is what you do with your population; how you skill them up.”

Adesina argued that the exodus of young Africans to Europe, North America, and Asia is the result of a financial system that neglects them.

“The whole of the (banking) system is not designed for young people,” he lamented.

“The commercial banking system and the financial system failed young people in Africa. Why is it suddenly a surprise to us that they are leaving? It’s because you are not putting anything down for them.”

In response, the AfDB, he revealed, has launched the Youth Entrepreneurship Development Bank, specifically designed to provide access to capital for young Africans with viable business plans. The newly approved Nigerian Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Bank, he noted, is the first such effort under this initiative.

“We just approved $100 million to set up the Nigerian Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Bank,” Adesina revealed.

“The goal is to mobilise $2 billion of investment for more than 38,000 businesses of young people in Africa.”

He criticised traditional empowerment schemes that hand out small stipends, arguing that such approaches are ineffective in unlocking long-term potential.

He said: “They don’t need N5,000 or N10,000. You want to create youth-based wealth. If you don’t, who are the people who will pay the taxes in the future? Where are you going to get the capital mobilisation in the future?”

For Adesina, the stakes are high. He warned that failing to convert Africa’s youth into economic contributors risks turning the continent’s greatest asset into a liability.

“You cannot turn your demographic asset into somebody else’s problem,” he cautioned. “We have to put our money behind our young people to create opportunities for them.”

He concluded with a passionate call for belief and investment in Africa’s future: “I do not believe that the future of our young people lies in Europe. It doesn’t lie in America. It doesn’t lie in Canada, Japan, or China. It should lie in Africa growing well, robustly, and able to create quality jobs for our young people.”

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Black Market Naira To Dollar Exchange Rate Today 12th January 2026

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What is the Dollar to Naira Exchange rate at the black market, also known as the parallel market (Aboki fx)?

You can swap your dollar for Naira at these rates.

How much is a dollar to naira today in the black market?

The exchange rate for a dollar to naira at Lagos Parallel Market (Black Market) players buy a dollar for N1490 and sell at N1505 on Sunday, 11th January 2026 according to sources at Bureau De Change (BDC).

Black Market Exchange Rate Today 12th January, 2026
Buying Rate N1485
Selling Rate N1500

The exchange rate between the US dollar (USD) and the Nigerian naira (NGN) which rate we have given above; is a topic of high constant interest for people who are Nigerian and businesses and policymakers in Nigeria.

This rate of dollars to naira exchange rate influences not only the cost of imported goods but also the cost of travel, international education, and even local prices of certain commodities.

Please note that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) does not recognize the parallel market (black market), as it has directed individuals who want to engage in Forex to approach their respective banks.

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BREAKING: Petrol Depot Owners Crash Prices To Cheapest; Details Emerge

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Petrol prices at Nigerian depots have dropped to their lowest levels in months as intense competition grips the downstream market, following the apparent collapse of the fuel supply agreement between the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and independent marketers.

Fresh findings show that depot owners have slashed ex-depot prices to as low as N710 per litre, a sharp reversal from the steep hikes recorded just weeks earlier.,

In the first week of January 2026, depot owners sharply increased gantry prices after reports emerged that the Dangote Refinery had shut down its petrol production unit for maintenance.

Although the refinery denied the reports, the speculation was enough to jolt the market.

Depot prices surged, and the increases quickly filtered through to filling stations nationwide.

Independent marketers raised gantry prices from around N720 per litre to over N800 per litre, with analysts noting that depot operators were exploiting uncertainty surrounding Africa’s largest refinery.

Depot owners reverse course as competition intensifies
The price spike, however, has proven short-lived.

Checks reveal that depot owners have now reversed course, cutting prices aggressively to stay competitive with Dangote Refinery’s pricing structure, especially as fresh fuel imports enter the Nigerian market.

Data from PetroleumPriceNG shows that several major depots reduced prices significantly in recent days.

As of Sunday, January 11, 2026, ShellPlux sold petrol at N710 per litre, MAO at N715, while A.Y.M.

Falling crude oil prices add more pressure
Energy experts say global oil market dynamics are also contributing to the decline in local petrol prices.

“Crude oil is currently trading between $50 and $60 per barrel in the international market,” energy policy analyst Adeola Yusuf told Legit.ng.

According to him, ongoing geopolitical tensions involving Venezuela and Iran have pushed crude prices lower, with direct implications for refined fuel costs.

“Crude oil is often used as a political tool and is highly sensitive to geopolitical developments. When prices drop, refined product prices usually follow, especially in domestic markets,” Yusuf explained.

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Good News: Cooking Gas Prices Drop As LPG Supply Improves Across Nigeria

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Prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), commonly known as cooking gas, are crashing in several parts of the country as retailers report improved supplies.

According to a market survey by PUNCH, retailers and consumers confirmed that prices have dropped and the product has become more available across the country.

This development follows months of scarcity, which led to a nationwide hike in prices. The scarcity peaked in September 2025.

Consumers in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and other states confirmed that they purchased cooking gas within the N1,050 to N1,400 range. Some major marketers were also reported to be selling directly to consumers at around N900 per kilogramme.

For many households, the current prices represent a significant improvement from the sharp increases recorded last year, when LPG prices surged after a dispute involving the Dangote refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) led to the shutdown of some gas facilities.

Despite the improvement, several consumers said they were hopeful that prices would fall below N1,000 per kilogramme in the new year, arguing that lower costs are critical to promoting clean cooking and reducing reliance on firewood and kerosene.

Speaking on the situation, the National Chairman of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Ayobami Olarinoye, said the LPG market had become relatively stable, with increased supply reaching Lagos.

According to Olarinoye, some off-takers are now receiving gas in Apapa, Lagos, helping to ease availability challenges experienced in previous months.

He explained that retail prices at street-level outlets currently range between N1,300 and N1,400 per kilogramme, noting that costs vary based on neighbourhoods, transportation and logistics.

Olarinoye added that prices could be lower at filling stations and gas plants, where operational and distribution costs are reduced.

He further disclosed that retailers currently purchase LPG from major marketers at prices between N960 and N1,050 per kilogram, depending on the supplier. According to the NUPENG official, sellers offering LPG below N1,000 per kilogramme are typically major dealers who own their own plants and sell directly to end users and do not distribute to retailers.

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