GBN

Lagos, April 16, 2026 -Fidelity Bank Plc has extended its its recently lauched “Give Her Power” initiative to Ogun State, empowering 100 women with vocational tools designed to strengthen their economic independence and boost household income. The outreach is part of the Bank’s nationwide rollout of the initiative, which was unveiled earlier in March during the signing of strategic Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with partner organisations to commemorate the 2026 International Women’s Day. The event, which held at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta, featured the distribution of 50 …

Tehran, April 16, 2026 – The military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Wednesday warned that Iran would sink American ships in the Strait of Hormuz if the United States decided to “police” the key shipping bottleneck. The US is imposing a military blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after Iran blocked shipping during over six weeks of war in a conflict which is on hold as a fragile two-week ceasefire remains in place. “Mr Trump wants to become the police of the Strait of Hormuz. Is this …

Abuja, April 16, 2026 – Nigeria’s headline inflation rate rose to 15.38% in March 2026 from 15.06% in February 2026. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed this in its latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on Wednesday. On month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in March 2026 was 2.17% higher than the rate in February 2026. This means that the rate of increase in the average price level in March 2026 was higher than the rate of increase in the average price level in February 2026. The core …

Abuja, April 16, 2026 – Nigeria’s public debt rose to N159.28 trillion in December 2025 from N153.29 trillion in September 2025 due to new borrowings. The public debt stood at N144.67 trillion in December 2024 from where it rose to N153.29 trillion in September 2025. The Debt Management Office (DMO) disclosed this on Tuesday in its latest statistics on the debt stock. It indicated that the new figure represented a quarter-on-quarter increase of N5.98 trillion, or 3.9 per cent, from N153.29 trillion recorded at the end of September 2025. The external debt rose to N74.43 …

Lagos, April 16, 2026 – Dr Muda Yusuf, the Chief Executive of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), a private think tank, has attributed the high inflation rate in March 2026 to the increasing energy costs caused by the Iran war. Yusuf made this observation on Wednesday in a policy brief on the inflation report. He said the inflation rate is largely reflective of renewed energy price pressures which continue to permeate production, transportation and distribution costs across the economy. “Energy remains a critical cost driver in …

Cotonou (Benin), April 16, 2026 – The ECOWAS Observation Mission for Sunday’s presidential election in Benin has congratulated opposition candidate Paul Hounkpe on conceding defeat and called for a national dialogue to promote political inclusion and social cohesion in the country. Hounkpe congratulated the Finance Minister and the ruling Coalition’s victorious candidate, Romuald Wadagni, before the National Electoral Commission, CENA, declared the provisional results, giving Wadagni 95.05% of the votes against Hounkpe’s 5.95%. In its 15-page Preliminary Declaration read in Cotonou on Tuesday, 14 April, by the Head of Mission, …

Tokyo, April 16, 2026 – Oil prices fell in early trade on Thursday as hopes for easing U.S.-Iran tensions, following reports that Iran could allow ships to pass through around ​the Strait of Hormuz, outweighed concerns over ongoing supply disruptions. Brent crude futures dropped ‌44 cents, or 0.5%, to $94.49 a barrel at 0021 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures was down 70 cents, or 0.8%, at $90.59 a barrel. The White House expressed optimism on Wednesday about reaching a deal to end the war with Iran, while also …

Lagos, April 16, 2026 -Fidelity Bank Plc has extended its its recently lauched “Give Her Power” initiative to Ogun State, empowering 100 women with vocational tools designed to strengthen their economic independence and boost household income. The outreach is part of the Bank’s nationwide rollout of the initiative, which was unveiled earlier in March during the signing of strategic Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with partner organisations to commemorate the 2026 International Women’s Day. The event, which held at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta, featured the distribution of 50 …

Washington, April 14, 2026 – The International Monetary Fund cut its growth outlook on Tuesday due to Iran war-driven energy price spikes and supply disruptions and warned that the global economy would teeter on ​the brink of recession if the conflict worsens and oil stays above $100 per barrel through 2027. With massive uncertainty over the Middle East conflict gripping finance officials gathering for IMF and World Bank spring meetings in Washington, ‌the IMF presented three growth scenarios: weaker, worse and severe, depending on how the war unfolds. The World …

Lagos, April 14, 2026 – As the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) recapitaliSation exercise came to an end March 31, 2026, most banks operating in the country rose to the challenge and met the requirement ahead of time. However, Fidelity Bank’s proactive approach paid off, and it continued to demonstrate its commitment to growth and innovation. In a remarkable display of investor confidence, Fidelity Bank opened and concluded a private placement in just one day on December 31, 2025. Leading institutions, including AFREXIM Bank and its subsidiaries, invested in the bank, …