IslamicFinance.de

Nigerian CEOs have hinged the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on partnership by businesses. This was stated by CEO of the Sahara Group, Tonye Cole, who delivered a keynote address at the CEO roundtable organised by First Bank of Nigeria in Lagos. Adesola Adeduntan, managing director of FirstBank, said the bank had put in place an environmental, social and governance management system to drive responsible lending and its commitment to financial inclusion. The bank CEO noted that engagement through programmes included over 16 executive education programmes, organised 16 workshops and three international conferences. The bank also empowered over 3,000 Small and medium Enterprises (SMEs). He called on business leaders to consider such partnership for the enhancement of sustainable development.

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) confirmed that the two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to share expertise and exchange relevant information in the areas of banking supervision, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Microfinance and Islamic Finance, Monetary Policy and Development Finance Institutions. The MoU was signed at the headquarters of the Malaysian Central Bank, the Bank Negara in Kuala Lumpur.

Arcapita had raised more than two-thirds of a USD 400 mn rights issue from existing shareholders and hoped to conclude the deal by the end of this month according to the CEO. Arcapita has a number of deals ahead, such as 2 acquisitions in Asian infrastructure or real estate sectors, buying up the assets from the Australian power investment firm Babcock & Brown Power and a USD 3.5 bn residential real estate project in Qatar with Kuwait's Al-Imtiyaz Investment.