Business
World Bank Urges Nigeria to Improve Public Spending to Increase Economic Growth
The World Bank, based in Washington, has highlighted that inefficient public spending is draining a significant portion of investments in Nigeria and other developing nations.
This revelation comes from the bank’s latest report, titled “How Can Developing Countries Power Up Public Investment?”
The report is a critical issue: over one-third of public investment in emerging markets and developing economies is wasted due to inefficiencies.
This not only stunts economic growth but also hampers overall development potential.
In some extreme cases, it results in costly “white elephant” projects, which yield minimal economic benefits despite their high costs.
These projects further jeopardize a country’s sovereign risk and debt sustainability.
According to the World Bank, improving government spending efficiency is key to fully reaping the rewards of public investments.
It is estimated that the inefficiency of public spending in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) is much higher compared to advanced economies.
Factors such as regulatory obstacles, corruption, and institutional shortcomings often contribute to the creation of lower-quality projects that fail to generate the intended benefits.
To address these challenges, the World Bank recommends that developing countries strengthen public spending practices by embracing transparency in procurement processes and ensuring robust monitoring of projects.
Such measures could significantly improve the impact of public investments.
In Nigeria, the urgency of improving investments is palpable.
Wale Edun, the country’s finance minister, recently emphasized that Nigeria requires an annual investment of $20 billion to achieve its ambitious target of reaching a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has lowered the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), or petrol, to N825 per litre, down from N835, as competition heats up in Nigeria’s fuel market.
This follows last month’s price reduction, when the 650,000 barrels per day refinery dropped the price from N865 to N835. The recent price change is aimed at providing more value to customers while strengthening Dangote’s position as a leader in the domestic market.
Skype, once a go-to platform for video and voice calls, is officially shutting down today, May 5, marking the end of its 22-year journey connecting people around the globe. The app was one of the first to revolutionize online communication, offering free calls over the internet long before it became common.
During its prime in the mid-2010s, Skype boasted over 300 million active users each month. Microsoft bought Skype in 2011 for a massive $8.5 billion, planning to make it a key part of its communication tools. However, as newer apps like WhatsApp, Zoom, and even Microsoft’s own Teams grew in popularity, Skype slowly lost its place.
In February, Microsoft announced it would officially shut down Skype on May 5 to focus more on Teams, which now handles most of its communication services. This move affects both free and paid users, although Skype for Business will stick around for a little longer.
Business
United Bank Of Africa, UBA, Delivers 23% Total Dividend for 2024, CEO Promises More to Come
United Bank of Africa, UBA, pays 171 Billion in total to its shareholders for the 79 percent increase for 2024.
This information was revealed during the 63rd Annual General held on the 25th of April, 2025. The UBA shareholders approved of the 3 naira dividend share, which will com bine with 2 naira interim dividend and will represent a 23 percent total dividend for 2024 in total.
It can be noted that UBA now has the highest Nigerian stocks and the CEO, Oliver Alawuba has assured the shareholders of the dividends that will be paid.”What we can assure our shareholders today is that UBA will continue to pay more dividends.”
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