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The African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (AFRACA), in collaboration with NIRSAL Plc and other partners, has convened finance-sector professionals from across Africa in Lagos for the AFRACA Masterclass on Inclusive Finance for Climate Resilience and Artificial Intelligence for Financial Services and Agricultural Finance.

The week-long programme brings together participants from Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria and other African countries, with four Central Banks represented. Nigerian participants include commercial banks, insurance companies, development finance institutions, microfinance banks, and the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Opening the programme, AFRACA Secretary-General, Ms. Ngo Bakang Anny Caroll, expressed delight at the return of AFRACA’s capacity-development programme to Nigeria for the first time since 2017.

Against the backdrop of climate change and stressed food systems, she drew attention to the responsibility of Africa’s financial institutions as custodians and allocators of capital, emphasising the role they must play in strengthening the continent’s capacity to sustainably feed itself and improve its global competitiveness.

NIRSAL Plc was represented by a delegation led by its Executive Director, Operations, Ewaen Imohe, who delivered a welcome address on behalf of the Managing Director/CEO, Sa’ad Hamidu.

Hamidu situated the programme within a broader challenge confronting agricultural finance in Africa: the relationship between knowledge, risk, and financial institutions’ disposition towards the sector. According to him, increasing finance to African agriculture requires continually improving the knowledge, systems, and capabilities that determine how finance is sourced, structured, deployed and managed.

‘At NIRSAL, we have always maintained that agriculture, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, is not underfinanced because opportunities do not exist, but because the risks have not been sufficiently understood, measured, appropriately priced, and managed,’ Hamidu said.

He explained that NIRSAL’s response has been to co-develop systems and financing frameworks that bring greater structure to agricultural value chains, better define and mitigate their risks, and improve financiers’ understanding of the sector and confidence to lend.

The results, he said, are evident in the growing participation of financial institutions in agricultural lending. In 2025, NIRSAL approved Credit Risk Guarantees for loans in excess of N100 billion and has already surpassed that figure in 2026 year-to-date, representing commercial capital flowing to farmers, processors, aggregators, exporters and other businesses across multiple agricultural value chains.

Of particular interest is the growing participation of non-interest financial institutions, which accounted for well over 50 percent of the loans guaranteed by NIRSAL in the first half of 2026. Mr. Hamidu said the trend demonstrates what becomes possible when appropriate risk-sharing frameworks create sufficient confidence for different forms of capital to participate in agriculture.

The NIRSAL Managing Director described the Masterclass as particularly timely, noting that climate change is no longer an abstract global concern but a practical reality confronting farmers, agribusinesses and their financiers every production season across Africa.

The programme’s first major theme, Inclusive Finance for Climate Resilience, exposed participants to the concepts, tools, and approaches required to understand climate risk and develop financeable adaptation and mitigation projects.

Discussions highlighted the need to deepen practical climate-finance expertise within the financial sector, particularly in climate-risk assessment, adaptation and mitigation, climate-rationale development, green-project structuring, and access to specialised climate-finance mechanisms.

Dr. Chris Myungu from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT (CGIAR), partners on the programme, introduced participants to the Africa Adaptation Atlas and CGIAR climate-rationale outputs, demonstrating how climate data, research and evidence can support the identification and design of climate-resilient agricultural investments.

Overall, the sessions seek to translate climate finance from a broad development concept into practical knowledge that financial institutions can apply in identifying viable projects and mobilising capital towards them.

For the second major theme of the Masterclass, Artificial Intelligence for Financial Services and Agricultural Finance, Mr. Hamidu expressed the expectation that participants would move beyond the excitement surrounding AI to examine how it can improve risk understanding, transaction assessment, and financial decision-making in agriculture. He also pointed to opportunities for technology to complement climate finance, blended finance, grants, and other innovative mechanisms capable of expanding the financial and technical resources available to African agriculture.Hamidu described the Masterclass as another demonstration of the value of NIRSAL’s membership of and partnership with AFRACA.

‘AFRACA, for us, is a platform for knowledge, continental exchange, and global insight. On our part, we remain a results-driven source of practical experience for AFRACA member countries.’

The relationship combines AFRACA’s continental network and knowledge-exchange platform with NIRSAL’s practical experience in designing and implementing agricultural risk-sharing, value-chain development, and finance-facilitation interventions.

Brazil will stage the opening game and final of the 2027 Women’s World Cup at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana?Stadium, according to the match schedule unveiled for the 32-team tournament.

The hosts kick off the event on June 24 in a fitting opening to the first Women’s World Cup held in South America, ?with the Maracana – one of the game’s most famous venues ?and the site of Brazil’s heartbreak defeat by Uruguay ?in the 1950 men’s World Cup decider – also hosting the July ?25 final.

FIFA confirmed that all eight host cities will stage at least ?seven matches and a minimum of one knockout game.

Brasilia, Porto Alegre, Recife and Salvador will stage matches through to the last 16, while Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, ?Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo will hold the quarter-finals.

Sao Paulo ?and Rio will host the semi-finals.

‘I already have goose bumps thinking about the incredible , ?colour and energy that Brazilian fans will bring to the tournament as they welcome the world to eight vibrant host cities,’ FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.

The Maracana will become only the ?third stadium to ?host both a ?men’s and women’s World Cup final, following Stockholm’s Rasunda Stadium and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

‘Each host ?city will add its own unique flavour, making this ?a ?colourful, joyful and unforgettable celebration,’ former Brazil captain Aline Pellegrino said.

‘The world’s best players will feel that energy from the stands and they will ?give ?it back on the pitch through moments ?and performances that will inspire girls and boys around the world.’

The final schedule will ?be published later this year.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has approved the promotion of 7,472 personnel, comprising 2,134 officers and 5,338 marshals.

According to a statement by the Corps Public Education Officer, Osondu Ohaeri, on Friday, the promotion aims to strengthen professionalism, leadership and operational effectiveness in road safety management.

He said the promotion was also part of the Corps’ human capital development programme and was intended to reward merit, competence, discipline and commitment to service, while injecting fresh capacity into its leadership and operational structure.

Osondu said the affected personnel would begin wearing their new ranks following decoration ceremonies to be conducted by heads of departments, corps officers, heads of special units and commanding officers from Wednesday, August 26, to Friday, August 28, 2026.

‘The decoration is to be carried out in line with the Administrative Instruction on the Decoration of Newly Promoted Officers and Marshals,’ he said.

Osondu said the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, had described the promotion as both a reward for service and a call to greater responsibility.

‘He charged the newly promoted personnel to justify their elevation through higher standards of professionalism, accountability, leadership and service delivery to the Nigerian motoring public,’ he said.

Mohammed said the strength of the FRSC was not determined solely by its patrol vehicles, technology or enforcement architecture, but fundamentally by the quality, character and commitment of its personnel.

He congratulated the promoted officers and marshals, urging them to regard their new ranks as a mandate to do more and lead better.

‘Every additional stripe, pip or insignia represents increased expectations from the Corps, the Federal Government and the Nigerian people,’ he said.

The Corps Marshal also stressed the need for the promotion system to remain an instrument for building a professional, responsive and performance-driven institution capable of responding to the changing demands of road safety management.

He urged the newly promoted personnel to demonstrate discipline both on and off the road, treat members of the public with dignity, uphold the integrity of the Corps and remain committed to reducing road traffic crashes.

Nigerian agritech startups supported by First City Monument Bank are preparing to expand into other African markets as part of a broader push to scale homegrown agricultural technology solutions across the continent.

FCMB noted in its AgriTech Alumni Impact Report that ventures such as AgroCist and Crop2Cash have demonstrated the potential to scale their solutions beyond Nigeria into other African markets.

The report traces the evolution of the bank’s agritech programme from its 2018 launch to what it described as an ‘Impact Era’ focused on commercially viable, investment-ready agricultural businesses.

Crop2Cash emerged as the inaugural winner of the programme with a USSD-based platform designed to improve access to financial tools for unbanked farmers. Since then, the initiative has expanded through collaborations with innovation hubs, development finance institutions and startup enablers.

FCMB said its approach increasingly considers opportunities beyond traditional lending, including the use of weather data, soil information and other digital tools to support better decision-making, manage risk and enhance agricultural productivity.

The bank also highlighted growing interest in climate-conscious agriculture, regenerative farming practices and ecosystem partnerships designed to improve food security and rural livelihoods. Development partners supporting the programme include FMO, the Mastercard Foundation and UNDP.

The report added that the bank intends to continue investing in user-centred agricultural innovation that can scale beyond Nigeria.

Strategic think tanks and the intelligentsia must be more deeply integrated into Nigeria’s defence policymaking process to address the country’s increasingly complex security challenges, said strategic studies expert Esther Terwase Ikomi.

Ikomi said Nigeria’s inability to translate strategic research and knowledge into policy decisions has weakened the country’s capacity to respond to emerging security threats and to build sustainable national development.

She spoke at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC), Abuja, while presenting a paper titled ‘The Role of Strategic Think Tanks in Strengthening Defence Policy and National Development: Building Strategic Advantage for Nigeria in an Era of Complex Security Threats’ to participants of the Leadership and Strategic Studies Course 4/25.

The participants comprised one Brigadier General, 32 Colonels and 11 Lieutenant Colonels.

Ikomi identified the widening gap between research and policymaking, as well as weak coordination among relevant institutions, as major impediments to effective defence policy formulation.

According to her, Nigeria needs to move beyond producing strategic research to creating institutional mechanisms that ensure such knowledge directly informs national security and defence decisions.

Ikomi proposed institutionalising a Formalised National Security Research-Policy Liaison Framework as the most feasible mechanism for closing the gap.

She also recommended establishing regional Strategic Intelligence-Policy Hubs and a National Security Foresight Hub to improve intelligence analysis, anticipate emerging threats, and provide policymakers with timely evidence for decision-making.

To further strengthen the process, she introduced the Defence Knowledge-to-Policy Model, which she described as a practical framework for translating strategic knowledge into actionable defence policies.

The model, she said, would promote evidence-based decision-making, improve institutional coordination and enhance Nigeria’s strategic advantage in an increasingly unpredictable security environment.

She urged stronger collaboration between strategic research institutions and government agencies, arguing that a well-connected knowledge ecosystem would enable Nigeria to anticipate security threats rather than merely react to them.

President of the African Volleyball Confederation (CAVB), Mrs Bouchra Hajij, has expressed deep sorrow over the death of Nigerian international beach volleyball referee, Samuel Timothy.

Hajij also extended her condolences to Rwandan international referee Fadset following the death of his mother.

The CAVB president conveyed her sympathies to the bereaved families during the ongoing African Beach Volleyball Championship at Abu Hef Beach in Alexandria, Egypt.

Hajij described Timothy’s death as a major loss to the African volleyball family, recalling his commitment and service to beach volleyball across the continent.

According to her, the Nigerian official was a familiar figure at several beach volleyball competitions and made a significant contribution to the growth and development of the sport in Africa.

In honour of Timothy and as a mark of respect for the family of the Rwandan official, the championship’s Organising Committee observed a minute’s silence before the men’s match between Mauritius and Burundi.

The gesture brought players, officials and organisers together in mourning and remembrance, highlighting the sense of solidarity within the African volleyball community.

The African Beach Volleyball Championship, which is currently taking place in Alexandria, is scheduled to end on August 22.

The championship has attracted some of the continent’s leading men’s and women’s beach volleyball teams, with continental honours and qualification opportunities towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games at stake.

The National Sports Commission (NSC) has revealed that Lagos State was awarded the hosting rights for the inaugural National Intermediate Games, tagged EKO 2026, due to its established grassroots sports architecture, strong infrastructure, and proven track record of executing major sporting events.

The Games were conceived under the Commission’s Renewed Hope Initiative for Nigeria’s Sports Economy (RHINSE) to bridge the developmental gap between grassroots participation and elite sports. The initiative creates a structured pathway for athletes aged 15 to 18, an age bracket identified by the NSC as a critical stage where promising young talents require proper competition, monitoring, and support to progress to the national stage.

Director-General of the NSC, Bukola Olopade, described Lagos as the natural choice to host the maiden edition, praising the state’s proactive system of developing athletes from school competitions into elite performers.

Speaking at the recent unveiling of the Games’ logo and mascot, Olopade stated that Lagos has consistently demonstrated the capacity to lead from the front. He noted that he and NSC Chairman Malam Shehu Dikko intentionally selected the state because it possessed the required structure to solve the long-standing talent transition gap in Nigerian sports.

Beyond the competition, the event is designed to reflect a strong local identity. The official logo incorporates cultural and sporting symbols, including the Eyo cap, Opambata, the ‘Eko’ inscription, and three ascending stars, alongside an official mascot named Lasgidi.

The NSC highlighted that Lagos’ vast array of sporting facilities was another major factor in the decision. The Teslim Balogun Stadium will serve as the main arena, complemented by the National Stadium in Surulere, Rowe Park Sports Centre in Yaba, Agege Township Stadium, Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Onikan, and the Elegbata Sports Complex. The state has also secured institutional facilities, including the Lagos Tennis Club, TBS Cricket Oval, Yaba College of Technology, and the University of Lagos.

Preparations are already underway following Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s inauguration of a Local Organising Committee (LOC) to oversee project delivery. The LOC is chaired by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Sam Egube, alongside co-chairmen Lekan Fatodu, Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission, and Mobolaji Ogunlende, Commissioner for Youth and Social Development. The NSC maintains that EKO 2026 will lay the foundation for a new tier in Nigeria’s sports development architecture.

The Northern Senators Forum (NSF) has urged the federal government, state governors and Houses of Assembly to fast-track the establishment and implementation of state police, saying worsening insecurity across the country has made decentralised policing necessary.

The senators expressed concern over recent terrorist attacks in Adamawa and Sokoto states, which they said claimed more than 36 lives, including security personnel and worshippers.

In a statement on Friday, Chairman of the forum, Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua (APC, Katsina Central), called on the Presidential Working Group chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, state governors and Houses of Assembly to expedite action on the State Police Bill awaiting ratification.

The forum said the prevailing security challenges required urgent reforms rather than prolonged bureaucratic processes.

‘Decentralised policing is critical to improving response time and intelligence gathering at the grassroots.

‘We cannot continue to lose innocent lives to insurgents while bureaucracy delays critical security reforms. The time to act is now,’ the senators said.

The forum condemned the attacks on the Gaya community in Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State and Ungushi village in Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

It said more than 36 Nigerians, including security personnel and worshippers, were killed in the attacks.

‘The Northern Senators Forum strongly condemns the recent wave of terrorist attacks in Gaya community, Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State and in Ungushi village, Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State, which have claimed the lives of over 36 Nigerians, including security personnel and innocent worshippers,’ the statement said.

The lawmakers commiserated with the families of the victims and prayed for the repose of their souls, while wishing those injured speedy recovery.

Beyond state police, the senators urged state and local governments to strengthen community vigilante groups, describing them as important partners in intelligence gathering for the police and military.

They said closer collaboration between security agencies and local communities would strengthen early warning systems and enable authorities to respond more quickly to emerging threats.

The forum maintained that the recent attacks underscored the need for comprehensive security reforms, warning that further delays could expose more communities and Nigerians to terrorist attacks.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, yesterday arraigned two men before the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, over the alleged unlawful supply of bank access credentials.

The defendants, Gideon Bakpa Aghogho and Oscar Ebere Chukwuebuka, were arraigned alongside a third suspect, identified as Scott, who is at large, before Justice F.N. Ogazi.

They face an eight-count charge on the alleged unlawful supply of access credentials to a bank database.

The charges were brought under Sections 27 and 28(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024.

The EFCC alleged that between July 24 and 26 this year, the defendants conspired to supply Aghogho’s access code to the bank system through a local administrative credential known as ITSD.

According to the prosecution, the credentials,which could grant access to the bank’s Virtual Center Platform, were allegedly supplied to facilitate the commission of an offence.

In another count, the commission alleged that Aghogho, between April and May, last year, without authorisation disclosed access credentials, including the bank’s server IP and domain credentials, to gain access to a bank’s database.

The prosecution further alleged that the disclosure was made in exchange for $15,000.

Aghogho pleaded not guilty to the charges, while Chukwuebuka pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them.

Following Aghogho’s plea, prosecution counsel, Bilkisu Buhari, asked the court to fix a date for trial and sought an order remanding him in a correctional facility.

In respect of Chukwuebuka, the prosecution asked the court to allow it to review the facts of the case following his guilty plea.

Justice Ogazi adjourned the matter until August 27, this year, for a review of the facts and other proceedings.

The judge also ordered that the defendants be remanded in a correctional centre pending the next hearing.

Ishaku Yamawo, Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Federal Capital Territory, says Nigerians will re-elect President Bola Tinubu in 2027 based on recorded achievements under his administration.

Yamawo stated this on Thursday in Abuja during the unveiling of ‘Project 4+4 for Tinubu/Shettima 2027’.

It was organised by the Forum of 2027 APC Female Aspirants and Candidates Network (FAFAN) and Traditional and Religious Women Leaders Network (TARWLN-RHA).

‘Looking at the record so far, Mr President has performed excellently. In the political setting, you hardly see 70-80% agreeing to the government in power because of some policy.

‘I want to assure you, come 2027, Nigeria will be a different country from what we are facing today. If you are talking of insecurity, the challenge is winding down gradually,’ he said.

Yamawo said that Nigerians have benefited from the President’s policies and projects, hence the need to give him another four-year term for continuity.

‘I’m fully convinced that Nigerians are going to vote for Mr President and other candidates of our party in Nigeria,’ he said.

On FCT-specific achievements, Tanko noted that the President had addressed long-standing issues of representation and infrastructure in the territory.

‘I think Mr President has done everything for us as people of FCT; the residents and the original inhabitants.

‘Before now, we don’t have a representative in the Federal Executive Council. Today, we have a minister that is an indigene of FCT,’ he said.

He cited road projects in communities as evidence of government presence in the lives of the people.

‘Go to villages like Dangara, Gomani Road. But today, you have roads with street lights from Dangara and Gomani communities, ‘ he added.

The event also featured the inauguration of National, Zonal and State Coordinators of FAFAN and TARWLN, and the endorsement of Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and all 2027 APC female candidates.

The Chairman of the occasion, James Faleke, said the project tagged ‘Operation Water the Ground – Get Out the Vote’ was designed for early grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.