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Creator economy opens new opportunities for African youth

The growth of social media platforms is creating new opportunities for young Africans to participate in the digital economy, with content creation becoming an emerging pathway for entrepreneurship, skills development and commercial engagement.

Platforms such as TikTok are increasingly moving beyond entertainment, allowing young users to build audiences, develop digital skills and connect with businesses through creator-led opportunities.

The experience of Ivorian digital creator Awa Fanny, popularly known online as Fanny Roki Awa, reflects the changing relationship between social media and entrepreneurship. Fanny joined TikTok in 2021 mainly for entertainment but began approaching content creation more professionally after seeing stronger audience engagement between 2022 and 2023.

‘I started by sharing content because I enjoyed the platform and the creativity it allowed me to express,’ Fanny said, explaining her early experience with social media. ‘Over time, I realised that content creation could become more than entertainment; it could create opportunities and connect me with people and businesses.’

Fanny began her professional content-creation journey in 2022 and has since participated in collaborations with businesses, showing how digital audiences are becoming valuable assets in modern marketing and communication.

‘The most important thing is consistency,’ she said. ‘Building an audience takes time. You have to continue learning, improving your content and understanding the people who follow you.’

Her journey also highlights how social media is opening alternative career pathways for young people who may not follow traditional professional routes. Fanny received a Franco-Arabic education up to Grade 5 (CM2) and is now considering further education while developing her career as a creator and entrepreneur.

‘I believe learning never stops,’ Fanny said. ‘Education and digital skills can work together to help young people build something sustainable.’

The creator economy is also creating demand for skills beyond content production, including photography, videography, video editing, digital marketing, public relations, graphic design and online commerce.

Across Africa, young creators are increasingly using digital platforms to build communities, promote products and test business ideas. This is contributing to a wider digital-services ecosystem connecting creators, brands, technology companies and consumers.

However, industry observers say the long-term growth of the creator economy will depend on stronger investment in digital literacy, professional training and education systems that help young people convert online visibility into sustainable businesses.

For Fanny, social media represents more than a platform for sharing content.

‘Social media gives young people the chance to create, learn and show what they can do,’ she said. ‘The opportunity is there, but young creators need to treat it seriously and continue developing their skills.’

As Africa’s youthful population continues to embrace digital platforms, the creator economy is expected to play a growing role in youth entrepreneurship, employment creation and participation in the continent’s expanding digital economy.

Over 300 airport cab jobs at risk as FAAN’s October vehicle upgrade deadline nears

More than 300 taxi, car-hire and related logistics jobs at Nigerian airports are at risk as the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) moves to enforce an October 2026 deadline requiring operators to replace vehicles manufactured before 2012 with later ones.

Prince Amosola, Chairman of the Airport Cab Operator’s, said the 17 licensed car-hire companies operating at the airport were struggling to meet the vehicle upgrade requirement, warning that the policy could push hundreds of workers into an already saturated labour market.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Amosola said most operators are unable to afford replacing their existing vehicles with newer models, with the cost of a 2012 vehicle estimated by operators at between N15 million and N18 million.

He said each of the 17 companies had more than 50 vehicles, but FAAN was now requiring operators to reduce their fleets to 30 vehicles per company while also enforcing the vehicle age requirement.

‘We have nothing less than 50 cars for each company times 17 companies. And finally they are telling us that we should bring it down to 30 cars from each company,’ he said.

Amosola said the operators had appealed to FAAN and the relevant authorities for more time to comply, arguing that the transition to newer vehicles should be gradual.

He said operators were also considering electric vehicles (EVs), following discussions with the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, but that the cost of acquiring the vehicles remained prohibitive.

‘Even if you go to EV, how much is one EV? N38 million,’ he said, adding that operators needed more time to raise funds for the transition.

The operators said the proposed October deadline would affect not only business owners but also drivers and other workers who depend on airport cab operations for their livelihoods.

Also speaking, Ekwuemeaku Alex of Edom Comfort Auto Lease Ltd said the income generated by many operators was already low relative to their operating costs.

He said each of the 17 companies had more than 50 vehicles, but FAAN was now requiring operators to reduce their fleets to 30 vehicles per company while also enforcing the vehicle age requirement.

‘We have nothing less than 50 cars for each company times 17 companies. And finally they are telling us that we should bring it down to 30 cars from each company,’ he said.

Amosola said the operators had appealed to FAAN and the relevant authorities for more time to comply, arguing that the transition to newer vehicles should be gradual.

‘Even if you go to EV, how much is one EV? N38 million,’ he said, adding that operators needed more time to raise funds for the transition.

The operators said the proposed October deadline would affect not only business owners but also drivers and other workers who depend on airport cab operations for their livelihoods.

Also speaking, Ekwuemeaku Alex of Edom Comfort Auto Lease Ltd said the income generated by many operators was already low relative to their operating costs.

Media, Govt must meet at ‘point of truth’ – Governor Mbah

Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has challenged the government and the media to meet at the point of truth, urging journalists to go beyond headlines and political narratives by independently establishing facts through evidence, investigation and context.

Mbah said government had a responsibility to be transparent about its actions and accountable for its results, while the press must independently scrutinise those actions and report the truth, whether the findings exposed shortcomings or revealed progress.

The governor stated this on Thursday while welcoming over 300 editors to the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC) organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in Enugu.

The conference has as its theme, ‘The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive,’ while its sub-theme is ‘When Lies Look Real: Detecting and Debunking AI Misinformation Before, During and After Elections.’

Mbah said the relationship between government and the media should not always be defined by confrontation, stressing that both institutions had different responsibilities, but a common obligation to serve the Nigerian people.

‘Government must be transparent about what it is doing and be accountable for the results. The press must establish the facts and report the truth.

‘Sometimes that truth will expose failure. Sometimes it will reveal progress. The obligation for us both is the same in either case – serving the people of Nigeria,’ he said.

The governor urged journalists to deepen investigative reporting, particularly at a time when artificial intelligence and other technologies were making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between genuine and fabricated information.

He said AI could be used to fabricate photographs, clone voices and manipulate videos to make people appear to say things they never said, warning that the development had increased the responsibility of professional journalists.

‘My challenge to you, therefore, is simple – go deeper, beyond the surface,’ Mbah told the editors.

According to him, rigorous journalism should not involve searching for evidence to support a position that had already been taken.

‘Its value lies precisely in its independence: examine the evidence, test competing claims, establish what happened, and report what you find,’ he said.

Mbah added that the same standard should apply to government and its critics, stressing that government achievements should not be ignored simply because they did not fit a particular political narrative.

‘We have tried to build an Enugu government that is open about what it is doing and clear about what it is trying to achieve. Where we fall short, that should call for scrutiny and be reported. But the same principle applies when the evidence reveals progress,’ he said.

The governor also used the occasion to highlight some of his administration’s projects, including more than 1,500 kilometres of roads constructed or reconstructed, over 7,000 classrooms, Smart Green Schools and Type-2 Primary Healthcare Centres across the state’s 260 wards.

He listed other interventions as water infrastructure, new transport terminals and CNG buses, Enugu Air, the revival of dormant industries and the development of a new city.

Mbah said the administration was working to position Enugu as an economic gateway to the South-East, with the ambition of making the state one of Nigeria’s leading economies and a national leader in human development and quality of life.

He also acknowledged the support of President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Government, particularly in areas of roads, aviation, energy and regional development.

The governor urged the editors to use their presence in Enugu to independently assess the developments in the state.

‘Take some time to explore the city, speak to the people who live and work here, and get a sense of the direction in which Enugu is moving,’ he said.

One of the highpoints of the opening ceremony was the presentation of a plaque for good governance to Governor Mbah by the Guild.

413,587 telecom complaints expose Nigeria’s service crisis in H1 2026

Nigeria’s mobile network operators received 413,587 complaints from subscribers in the first six months of 2026, highlighting persistent problems around network quality, billing, data depletion and failed transactions despite efforts by operators to improve customer service.

Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showed that Airtel accounted for the largest share of complaints at 228,992, followed by MTN with 124,405, Globacom with 56,810 and T2mobile, formerly 9mobile, with 3,885.

The scale of complaints provides a fresh measure of the gap between Nigeria’s rapid expansion in mobile connectivity and the experience of consumers using the networks.

While 98.38 percent, or 406,938, of the complaints were recorded as resolved, the volume of complaints points to the continuing pressure on operators as subscribers demand more reliable service and greater transparency over charges.

Data depletion was one of the issues attracting particular attention. MTN recorded 12,212 complaints relating to data depletion between January and June, the highest among the four major operators. Airtel followed with 9,806, while Globacom recorded 1,373 and T2mobile five.

That means the three largest operators by subscriber base received 23,391 data depletion complaints during the period.

The complaints come at a time when mobile internet has become more expensive for Nigerian consumers following the telecom tariff increases approved by the NCC.

For subscribers, the concern is no longer simply whether they can afford to buy data, but how long the bundle will last once purchased.

MTN, which crossed 100 million subscribers in July, has faced significant consumer scrutiny over data usage. The operator has rejected allegations that it arbitrarily deducts customers’ data and has pointed to changes in the way modern smartphones and applications consume internet capacity.

At its Data on Trial event, MTN highlighted high-definition video, automatic video playback, software updates, cloud backups, social media activity and background synchronisation as some of the activities that can rapidly consume data.

The company has also introduced tools including daily usage reports and a data calculator to give customers greater visibility into their consumption.

The NCC and operators have similarly attributed unexpected depletion to factors including device settings, applications, malware and background processes rather than arbitrary deductions by networks.

But the technical explanation has not completely resolved the consumer dispute. The underlying problem is increasingly one of trust.

A subscriber who experiences slow internet, fluctuating network signals or dropped connections may find it difficult to reconcile a rapidly falling data balance with what appears to be poor network performance.

That perception becomes more pronounced when the cost of staying connected rises.

Nigeria’s telecom users are now paying more for connectivity following the approved tariff adjustment, making every gigabyte more valuable to households, students, businesses and other heavy data users.

The result is a growing tension between how operators measure data consumption and how consumers experience it.

The NCC’s wider complaint figures show that data depletion is only one part of the problem.

Quality of service covering voice and data, billing, failed payment transactions, top-up problems, number portability, value-added services and SIM-related issues also generated significant complaints during the six-month period.

Airtel had the highest resolution rate among the two largest operators, resolving 99.38 percent of its complaints, while MTN resolved 96.57 percent. Globacom recorded a 99.04 percent resolution rate, while T2mobile recorded 88.57 percent.

The NCC said the complaints were handled under the Quality of Service Business Rules 2024 and the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations 2024, which establish standards and timelines for resolving consumer complaints.

According to the regulator, publishing the data provides insight into complaint trends, service-quality problems, compliance with regulatory obligations and the responsiveness of service providers.

But the numbers also reveal an important shift in Nigeria’s telecom market.

With mobile penetration expanding and data becoming central to banking, commerce, education, entertainment and work, consumers are becoming more sensitive to the quality and value of the service they receive.

MTN’s 12,212 data depletion complaints therefore represent more than a dispute over disappearing megabytes. They reflect a broader challenge for an industry that must convince consumers that higher connectivity costs are producing measurable value.

As of July, MTN had 100.9 million subscribers, Airtel 66.76 million, Globacom 23.63 million and T2mobile 3.61 million.

The complaint figures suggest that Nigeria’s next telecom challenge may not simply be getting more people online. It will be ensuring that those already online trust the networks enough to keep paying for the service.

Revised, not reformed: The PSTA Bill (2026) from an information integrity perspective

The Government has published a revised Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill in a Gazette Supplement dated 18 September 2026 and released on 22 September.1

Ambika Satkunanathan’s analysis in the Daily FT on 26 September sets out what has changed and what has not, and I share most of her concerns.2 They fall under scope, supervision and sunset, starting with a definition of terrorism that, though modelled on the UN Special Rapporteur’s, still covers damage to property, the environment, cultural sites and electronic systems even where no life is at risk. On supervision, soldiers and coast guard officers keep police powers with no clear line of command, the Defence Secretary still issues detention orders that a Magistrate must enforce, the ‘Independent’ Review Committee only advises the Minister who appoints it, and police may ban gatherings before any Magistrate approves. On sunset, proscription orders never expire, restriction orders have no outer limit, the President may direct how the law is enforced, and past offences will still be tried under the PTA, police confessions included. Her work on detention, militarisation and executive power and mine on communications, privacy and information integrity meet at the same point, which is how much of this machinery still rests with the Ministry of Defence and with an all-powerful Executive Presidency the current Government does not want to abolish.

What has improved

Several changes deserve acknowledgement, beginning with the deletion of section 55 of the 2025 draft that let a Magistrate order any provider of encryption to ‘unlock or unencrypt’ communications and authorised interception of calls, email and ‘any communication through any other medium’, while section 53 let police demand data from telecommunications and internet companies. Neither appears in the new Bill. The duty to report terrorism offences now excuses information that is legally protected, covered by professional secrecy or self-incriminating. Recklessness no longer suffices for the speech offences, which now protect journalism, research, human rights documentation, satire and dissent, and state that mere expression without intent to incite, and without a ‘real and objective risk’ of terrorism, is no offence. A new public-interest defence covers gathering or sharing sensitive information. Soldiers must hand seized items to the police ‘forthwith’, a Magistrate decides what happens to them, and police interviews must be recorded on video. Restrictions on photographing ‘prohibited places’ must be ‘narrowly tailored’ and must not unduly interfere with journalism. Many of these changes follow, sometimes almost word for word, recommendations that seven UN mandate holders sent the Government in February 2026.3

Witnessing remains a risk

The Bill still makes documenting the security forces extremely risky, especially given the enduring militarisation of the North, and the asymmetrical impact of state surveillance against Tamils, Muslims, minorities, and human rights activists. It punishes anyone who gathers or shares ‘confidential information’ knowing, or having ‘reasonable grounds to believe’, that someone will use it to commit an offence under the Act (section 8). The drafters narrowed part of the definition, so information about the whereabouts of officials now counts only if it is not already public and could harm national or public security, but they left another part untouched. Confidential information still includes ‘any information relating to the police or the armed forces, on the conduct of any official activity’, whether planned, under way or finished, with no test of secrecy or harm at all (section 74). A Facebook post about a police raid, a WhatsApp message warning neighbours of a cordon-and-search, or a video of an arrest all fit.

What turns this into a real risk is the phrase ‘an offence under this Act’, which no longer means only terrorism. It includes disobeying a police directive under section 51, which lets the officer in charge of a police station, in urgent cases and before any Magistrate sees it, order people not to gather in a place or hold a meeting, rally or procession, and cordon off the area – something to bear in mind around the potential for pro-democracy movements like 2022’s aragalaya in the future, and mass mobilisation. Read literally, anyone who tells others where the police cordon is, while having reason to believe they will defy the ban, supplies confidential information for use in an offence under the Act and faces up to 15 years in prison. The public-interest defence helps, though it is a police officer who decides, at the moment of arrest, whether the public interest ‘outweighs the harm’, and the Bill never says whether the accused or the state must prove it. Narrowing the definition of terrorism does nothing to close this route.

Recipients as informants

The duty to report, which remains the Bill’s quietest form of surveillance, means that anyone who knows or has ‘reasons to believe’ that another person is preparing, attempting or has committed an offence under the Act, and does not tell the police, faces up to seven years in prison (section 15). The new exceptions cover lawyers, but probably not journalists protecting sources or priests hearing confession, because the Bill does not define ‘professional secrecy’ and Sri Lankan law, as far as I know, treats neither relationship as privileged. They offer nothing to WhatsApp group administrators, moderators of diaspora Facebook pages or family members, and anyone who relies on an exception must prove it themselves. End-to-end encryption keeps material safe in transit, but never from a recipient whom the PSTA compels to report it.

Devices and decryption

Removing section 55 took away a power without touching the capability, since police, soldiers and coast guard officers can still seize any ‘document, thing or article’ on reasonable suspicion and without a warrant (section 20), which includes phones, laptops and memory cards. The officer in charge of a police station can then send them to the Government Analyst ‘or to any other local or foreign expert’, needing a Magistrate’s approval only for a foreign expert (section 49). Wilfully failing to answer a police officer’s questions during an investigation is an offence (section 16), with protection only against self-incrimination. A soldier who makes an arrest has up to 24 hours before handing the person to the police, and the 48-hour limit for reaching a Magistrate starts only after that. Nothing in the Bill stops anyone demanding a passcode, or pressing a detainee’s finger or face to a phone, in that time, and military questioning, unlike police interviews, need not be recorded.

The old section 55 at least placed a Magistrate between investigators and encrypted content. Its removal leaves access to devices with general seizure powers and with laws already in force, since the Anti-Corruption Act and the Proceeds of Crime Act permit the unlocking and decryption of devices and the interception of communications, in most cases on ex parte applications, which means without the affected person knowing or being heard.4

Online content and the diaspora

The new protections for journalism, research and dissent apply only to the two speech offences in sections 9 and 10, and do not reach proscription. A proscription order may bar ‘any person from publishing any material, including printed or online publishing, in furtherance of the objects’ of a banned organisation (section 59), and breaking any order made under the Act is itself an offence. The Bill also folds every organisation banned under the PTA, and every entity designated under United Nations Act regulations, which have at times included Tamil diaspora groups, into its list of proscribed organisations. Because the Act applies to Sri Lankan citizens anywhere in the world (section 2), a dual citizen in Toronto or London whose posts the authorities read as furthering a listed group’s objects sits within its reach. Platforms and internet providers are not out of the picture either, since providing ‘a service’ that lets others obtain a terrorist publication remains an offence (section 10), and every director of a company that commits an offence under the Act is deemed guilty unless they prove otherwise (section 67).

Personal data, and the PDPA

The Bill says nothing about personal data, and that silence matters more now than it did in December. The Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) of 2022, amended in 2025, requires anyone handling personal data to collect it for a specified purpose, keep only what is necessary, keep it accurate and hold it no longer than needed.5 Data about offences and criminal proceedings, and data revealing ethnicity, religion or political opinion, form ‘special categories’ requiring extra care. The Bill’s new central database (section 64) records every arrest, detention, remand, bail, discharge, acquittal and conviction under the Act, yet says nothing about who may see it, how long records stay, how errors are corrected or whether a person discharged or acquitted can ever have their name removed, so under the PDPA’s own terms it holds special-category data by definition.

The PDPA treats processing for criminal investigations as lawful whenever another law permits it, with safeguards that have never been written, so it offers far less protection than its title suggests. Both laws claim to override all others (PDPA section 3, PSTA section 70), and the newer counter-terrorism law is likely to win. The PDPA also lets organisations refuse requests to see, correct or erase data on national security grounds (section 17), and since 2025 the Data Protection Authority can no longer stop unsafe high-risk processing.

The President’s July 2026 order compounds this by leaving out the parts of the PDPA that give people the right to see, correct or erase their data, along with the requirement that any exemption be ‘necessary and proportionate’, when the rest comes into force on 1 January 2027.6 Someone arrested in 2027 and released without charge could therefore find their name in a police database with no legal way to see or remove it. The Bill also lets investigators share seized devices and evidence with foreign experts and states (sections 43, 49 and 50) without any of the safeguards the PDPA requires when personal data leaves the country.

Interaction design

None of this operates alone, or is designed to, which is why in August I argued that the gravest danger in Sri Lanka’s recent laws lies in what I called interaction design, the way powers in one law can be reached through another.7 The revised Bill slots into that architecture, which is easiest to see through the case of a Tamil journalist documenting a mass grave excavation in the north, a scenario which the Counter Terrorism Investigation Department’s summons of the Mullaitivu Press Club president over reporting on Chemmani in August 2025 shows is not hypothetical.8 The Secretary to the Ministry of Defence could declare the site a prohibited place and restrict photography, and posts about police activity there fall within confidential information. An Online Safety Act complaint could allege a false statement and seek the identity of accounts sharing the material, a seized phone could go to an expert and the journalist’s name into the PSTA database, while the draft NGO law would already have registered the organisation supporting the work, with its staff, funders and premises. A digital identity system and national data exchange then connect each record to the next. The President appoints the Online Safety Commission, would proscribe organisations under this Bill and holds the Defence portfolio whose Minister and Secretary run it, and none of this requires an emergency to be declared.

What should change

If Parliament is to pass a counter-terrorism law, the part of the confidential information definition covering police and military activity should carry the same secrecy and harm tests as the rest. The confidential information offence and the duty to report should attach only to terrorism itself, not to any offence under the Act, and the state should carry the burden of disproving a public-interest or professional-secrecy defence, with journalists and clergy named expressly. Examining a seized device should require a Magistrate’s order naming the device, the data sought and the period covered, and no one should be compelled to unlock a device before reaching a Magistrate. The speech protections should extend to proscription orders. The central database needs defined purposes, access rules, retention limits and deletion on discharge or acquittal, and the Bill should subject all processing expressly to the PDPA, whose remaining parts should come into force before this law does.

Sadly, but unsurprisingly, the revised PSTA Bill is not the fundamental re-conceptualisation I urged the Ministry of Justice to consider in December 2025, since the machinery of executive detention, military policing, proscription and criminalised witnessing survives, placed now alongside a data protection law only partly in force and a constellation of other laws that reach what this one leaves out. Improvement measured against the PTA is a very low bar, and what matters is what these powers could do together, in the hands of any future Government or even the incumbents, given that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

(Endnotes)

1Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill, L.D.-O 37/2026, Supplement to Part II of the Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka of 18 September 2026 (issued on 22 September 2026). https://www.documents.gov.lk

2’Revised’ Protection of State from the Terrorism Bill: What’s changed and what remains. Dr Ambika Satkunanathan, Daily FT, 26 September 2026, https://www.ft.lk/columns/Revised-Protection-of-State-from-the-Terrorism-Bill-What-s-changed-and-what-remains/4-797767

3Communication OL LKA 1/2026 from seven UN special procedures mandate holders, 9 February 2026. https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=30742

4Anti-Corruption Act No. 9 of 2023, https://documents.gov.lk/view/acts/2023/8/09-2023_E.pdf; Proceeds of Crime Act No. 5 of 2025, https://documents.gov.lk/view/acts/2025/4/05-2025_E.pdf. See also The Anti-Corruption Act, and Prevention of Crimes Act: Putting civil society at greater risk through potential procedural overreach? Sanjana Hattotuwa, 9 December 2025. https://sanjanah.wordpress.com/2025/12/09/the-anti-corruption-act-and-prevention-of-crimes-act-putting-civil-society-at-greater-risk-through-potential-procedural-overreach/

5Personal Data Protection Act No. 9 of 2022, as amended by the Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Act No. 22 of 2025 (certified on 30 October 2025). See in particular sections 3, 6 to 9, 17, 25, 26 and 40, and Schedule IV.

6Order under section 1(3) of the Personal Data Protection Act, Gazette Extraordinary No. 2498/16 of 22 July 2026, appointing 1 January 2027 for sections 2 and 3 and Parts I and III. https://www.dpa.gov.lk/Gazet/2498-16_E.pdf

7A perfect storm: Digitalisation, new laws, draft bills, and threats to civic space in Sri Lanka. Sanjana Hattotuwa, 14 August 2026. https://sanjanah.wordpress.com/2026/08/14/a-perfect-storm-digitalisation-new-laws-draft-bills-and-threats-to-civic-space-in-sri-lanka/

A Milestone of Excellence: ‘Nawaloka Hospitals Colombo’ Introduces Stroke Unit on Anniversary

As Nawaloka Hospitals – Colombo marks another milestone anniversary, it reaffirms its commitment to advancing healthcare services for patients and families throughout Sri Lanka. A significant part of that commitment is the introduction of a dedicated Stroke management unit, designed to provide rapid, coordinated and comprehensive care for patients experiencing a stroke.

A stroke is a medical emergency that occurs either when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures and causes bleeding. In both situations, brain cells can be damaged within minutes. Early recognition, immediate safe transport, urgent radiological imaging and prompt treatments are therefore essential survival for reducing disability and supporting a patient’s return to normal life. Specialist stroke management unit care supported by a multidisciplinary team is widely recognised as an important component of effective stroke management.

The Nawaloka Colombo Stroke Unit is structured to coordinate the patient journey from the first point of contact. The process may begin with the hospital ambulance service, where trained personnel identify suspected stroke patient, provide safe transfer and continuous communication with the receiving team during whole journey. Early notification enables the Emergency Treatment Unit (ETU) to prepare for rapid assessment and activate the relevant clinical services avoid delays. Pre-hospital assessment, safe ambulance transfer and direct access to urgent imaging are key elements of modern stroke management pathways.

On arrival at the ETU, patients will be assessed promptly by emergency medical team. CT brain imaging plays an essential role in determining whether the stroke is caused by a clot or bleeding, as these conditions require different treatment decisions. Where clinically appropriate, further imaging and specialist review may support consideration of advanced therapies. Current stroke guidance emphasises immediate brain imaging for patients who may be eligible for time-sensitive interventions.

The unit brings together the expertise of emergency physicians, neurologists, radiologists, interventional radiologists, nursing teams, CT and catheterisation laboratory technical staff, ICU team, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, dietitians and other allied healthcare professionals. This team-based approach supports not only urgent diagnosis and timely treatment, but also prevention of complications, early rehabilitation, safe discharge planning and long-term continuity care.

As a method of treatment, Nawaloka’s interventional radiology and catheterisation laboratory capabilities may facilitate minimally invasive clot removal procedures, including mechanical thrombectomy, when clinically indicated. Such decisions are made following specialist assessment, appropriate imaging and careful consideration of individual patient safety and suitability.

The introduction of the Stroke Unit is a meaningful anniversary milestone for Nawaloka Hospitals Colombo. It reflects the hospital’s continuing investment in coordinated services that connect ambulance care, Emergency care, CT imaging, specialist intervention and rehabilitation under one patient focused pathway. As the hospital celebrates its anniversary, the new unit stands as a practical expression of its ongoing mission to deliver advanced, accessible and compassionate care to the community it serves.

Remember the warning signs: sudden facial drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty, loss of balance, sudden vision changes or a severe sudden headache. If stroke is suspected, seek emergency medical assistance immediately. Do not wait for symptoms to improve.

Water levels still rising in many flooded provinces

Floodwater levels continue to rise in almost half of the 27 inundated provinces, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said on Monday, as a new warning was issued for people living downstream from the Mae Klong River Dam in Kanchanaburi.

The department said 12 provinces still battled with rising floodwater, but the situation in 15 flooded provinces was improving.

The disaster had affected 1.8 million people, including 163,000 in Bangkok, it said. The number of flood victims in Bangkok was far below the figure compiled by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, which put it above 700,000.

Central provinces along the Chao Phraya River, including Ayutthaya, Sing Buri and Pathum Thani, still reported rising floodwater, it said without elaboration.

The Chao Phraya Dam management said on Monday it had not released extra water downstream and that the situation was under control.

In Kanchanaburi, the Royal Irrigation Department’s Korphong Joeykaew, in charge of the Mae Klong Dam, warned residents downstream of rapid flooding due to the unusually large volume of water being discharged by the dam.

Areas most likely to be inundated were in Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Samut Songkhram provinces, he said.

The Mae Klong Dam in Tha Maka district was also releasing more water due to rising levels in the Kwai Yai and Kwai Noi rivers, which feed the Mae Klong River.

The dam normally releases only 800 cubic metres of water per second but its current discharge is 1,500 – a critical level, officials said, that could cause sudden flooding.

’Maharlika fund seeded at expense of banks’ capital’

SEEDING the Maharlika Investment Corp. (MIC) came at the expense of capital from two state-run banks that could otherwise have generated higher dividends for the government, boosted bank earnings and expanded their lending capacity, according to an analysis by Geronimo Law.

Russell Stanley Q. Geronimo, founder of the financial consulting firm, said through an article that the Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) could have contributed a combined P17.84 billion in dividends to the National Treasury in 2022 had they not provided capital to the sovereign investment vehicle.

The banks were reprieved from their mandated dividend contributions to the government to protect their capital positions and comply with capital adequacy rules after their combined P75-billion capital contribution to the MIC.

Under Republic Act 7656, government-owned banks must remit at least 50 percent of their net earnings to the National Treasury as dividends.

LandBank earned P30.06 billion in 2022, which would have resulted in a P15.03-billion dividend under the 50 percent rule. DBP earned P5.61 billion, implying a dividend of P2.81 billion.

Had the banks retained the P75 billion and invested in Treasury bills (T-bills), Geronimo estimated it would have earned about P4.5 billion in 2024 and P3.75 billion in 2025, as key policy rates were high at that time and the 364-day yield was roughly 5 to 6 percent.

The MIC, however, earned only P2.68 billion in 2024 and P2.36 billion in 2025 from the funds. Geronimo said this was about P1.82 billion less than what the P75 billion could have earned in T-bills in 2024 and P1.39 billion less in 2025, for a total gap of about P3.2 billion over the two years.

‘Maharlika kept most of its money in bank deposits, so it took on almost no investment risk,’ he said. ‘If a fund taking no real risk earns less than [T-bills], the government would have done better simply holding its own securities, or borrowing less, since it was issuing [T-bills] at those same rates during the period.’

The P75 billion capital could have likewise generated about P9.5 billion in annual net income for the two banks, Geronimo said.

MIC, meanwhile, generated an average of about P2.5 billion a year during 2024 and 2025, implying an opportunity cost of P7 billion a year, or P14 billion over two years, he noted.

Furthermore, the banks’ capital infusion to MIC reduced their Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) and shrank the maximum volume of loans they can extend.

Geronimo said the P75-billion reduction in the banks’ capital translated into P470 billion and P535 billion less in potential risk-weighted-asset capacity, based on the capital ratios at which the two banks operate.

The amounts are estimates of how much additional risk-weighted assets the banks could potentially have supported if they had retained the capital.

‘Bank rules limit how much a bank can lend based on how much capital it holds. Because the Maharlika investment is deducted from the banks’ capital under [Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas] rules, it lowers the maximum amount the banks can lend,’ Geronimo said.

MIC was established in 2023 to mobilize and manage the Maharlika Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of the Philippines.

The fund’s cumulative deployed capital reached P24.7 billion as of end-June, channeled into infrastructure, energy and logistics, among others.

Deployed investments generated P2.09 billion in total portfolio returns from January to June this year through dividends, loan interest, realized gains and equity holdings.

United Nigeria Airlines sponsors football tournament for 58 Lagos markets

United Nigeria Airlines has become the headline sponsor of the United Nigeria Airlines Ndigboamaka Traders Cup 2026 (3.0 Edition), a football tournament designed to unite traders from all 58 major markets across Lagos State.

The announcement was made on Monday during a press conference in Lagos at the unveiling of the third edition of the tournament, where Chinedu Ukatu, the President of the Ndigboamaka Progressive Markets Association, spoke on the significance of the initiative which will commence on October 8.

He said: ‘I am very delighted that United Nigeria Airlines, a proudly Nigerian airline led by our national grand patron, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, has graciously accepted to be the sponsor of this tournament. United Nigeria Airlines is an airline that believes in connecting people and businesses just as we connect markets and traders. Their decision to partner with us shows their deep commitment to grassroots development and the informal sector which is the real engine of Nigeria’s economy.

‘As you all know, Ndigboamaka Progressive Markets Association is the apex body of 58 major markets in Lagos State. Our mandate goes beyond trade, we promote unity, peace, welfare and progress of our members and the entire Lagos trading community. Today, we are marking another milestone. We are bringing all 58 markets together, not in the marketplace, but on the football pitch, under one umbrella of unity.’

Addressing questions about the choice of football as the vehicle for this unity initiative, Ukatu explained the reasoning behind the decision. ‘Some people will ask why football? It is because football is a unifying language and our youths in the markets need positive engagement. We need to promote healthy living among our traders and strengthen brotherhood among markets in Alaba, Trade Fair, Ladipo, Computer Village, Balogun, Lagos Island, ASPMDA and all others.’

The tournament, themed ‘Unity, Enterprise and Healthy Living,’ will feature 12 teams qualified from the 58 affiliate markets, with a duration of six weeks. For the grand finale which would take place at the National Stadium in Lagos winners will win different prizes.

The organizers are projecting an audience of over 500,000 direct spectators and over five million reach via radio and social media saying that the tournament will also be an opportunity to discover football talents among our traders and empower young people.

Ukatu then appealed for support saying: ‘On behalf of the national executives of Ndigboamaka, I sincerely thank the executive chairman and management of United Nigeria Airlines for believing in this vision. I now call on all market leaders, corporate bodies, and well-meaning Nigerians to come and support this laudable project.’

Speaking on the reason for sponsoring the tournament, the Sales Manager of United Nigeria Airlines, Nnonyelum Ibemere, said the airline’s commitment to community development. ‘Our mission has always been to unite people, communities and businesses. This tournament embodies the same values we hold dear, which are unity, enterprise, and progress. Across the country, we carry out very impactful Corporate Social Responsibility and we touch lives every day.

‘We are particularly inspired by the tournament’s focus on youth engagement, talent discovery, and healthy living among our business community.

‘The trading community is the true engine of Nigeria’s economy, and it deserves our unwavering support. The vision to unite all 58 markets on the football pitch is a powerful statement about the strength of collective action and United Nigeria Airlines is privileged to be part of this. We congratulate the Ndigboamaka Progressive Markets Association on its efforts and look forward to a very successful tournament.’

Paperless Customs: Ferrari expectations with a Morris Minor configuration

The launch of Customs Paperless Declaration from 1 October is undoubtedly a welcome step towards digitalisation and trade facilitation. However, digitising the declaration alone will not automatically deliver faster Customs clearance.

Expecting a dramatic improvement in clearance speed under the present conditions is like expecting Ferrari performance from a Morris Minor configuration.

The real bottleneck is not merely the absence of paper. It is the entire clearance ecosystem-the limitations of the existing ASYCUDA World system, excessive regulatory interventions by Other Government Agencies (OGAs), multiple approvals, physical examinations, manual interventions, fragmented processes and institutional constraints.

If these underlying constraints remain unchanged, there is a real risk that the new paperless system could become another ‘copy-and-paste road show’-where an old, complex clearance process is simply transferred onto a digital screen without fundamentally changing the process itself.

A genuinely paperless Customs environment should eliminate unnecessary physical movement, repeated document submissions, manual endorsements, avoidable approvals and waiting time.

Digitising a slow process does not make the process fast.

It only makes the slow process digital.

What Sri Lanka needs is not simply paperless Customs, but process-less Customs where unnecessary processes are removed.

If the objective is genuine trade facilitation, the 1 October launch should be accompanied by a clear programme to:

simplify the Customs declaration and approval workflow;

address the functional limitations of ASYCUDA World;

reduce unnecessary physical examinations through effective risk management;

integrate OGA approvals into a truly coordinated digital platform;

eliminate repetitive document submissions and physical endorsements;

enable pre-arrival processing and approvals;

provide adequate digital document-upload capacity;

establish clear service-level timelines for Customs and OGAs;

eliminate the need for Customs brokers to physically chase files, officers and approvals; and

measure success by actual reduction in cargo dwell time, rather than merely the number of declarations submitted electronically.

The success of Paperless Customs should therefore not be measured by ‘How many Customs declarations are filed electronically?’

The real question is:

‘How much faster does an import container move from vessel arrival to Customs release?’

If the answer is not significantly faster, then we have not achieved trade facilitation-we have simply digitised bureaucracy.

Sri Lanka does not need a digital version of the existing Customs process.

Sri Lanka needs a fundamentally redesigned clearance process powered by digital Customs.

Paperless is the beginning-not the destination.