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Cellulants Agrikore Blockchain: An example of how PCI in Fintech creates economic opportunity.

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Cellulant, Africa’s digital payments service provider have proven than Financial Technology is for everyone.

The company through its Agrikore & Tingg blockchain based platform – A smart contracting, digital financial services/payments & customer relationship management system is transforming the way digital & financial services are provided to the African smallholder farmer & retailers in open markets across Africa.

Speaking at the just concluded Global Endeavor gala in New York City where they represented the founder of TPG Growth Bill McGlashen, The Co-founders and Co-CEO’s of Cellulant, Bolaji Akinboro and Ken Njoroge stated that economic opportunity and capital investments are critical to Cellulant’s tremendous success in sub-Saharan Africa. ‘Both Endeavor & TPG have played a role in our journey of impact on the African continent’ they said.

The Endeavor network, headquartered in New York City with offices around the world., pioneered the concept of high-impact entrepreneurship in growth markets around the world.

Speaking during a fireside chat at the Gala Bolaji & Ken said that the business of agriculture is viewed as a charity venture; whereas it is a huge business and investment opportunity. We spent years building a digital ecosystem that comprises of all the stakeholders in Agriculture and currently, our technology powers food from the farm to the fork’’.

They also stated that ‘‘through agriculture, for instance, we have been able to put up a payment technology capable of solving real-world problems. The African agricultural sector is a $330 Billion fragmented industry which is fundamentally being driven by cash.

“Hence our resolve to organise and digitise the money flowing in this sector. This digitisation as we have seen is enabling the industry to become properly valuated which we hope will attract more investors into it as well as help the farmers to grow visible in the financial sector, which then opens them up to credit and other benefits.

Today, Cellulant is using this payment technology to solve social and economic challenges and impact lives. According to Bolaji, ‘‘our goal is to build a $1bn business in 2023. We intend to do this by making the agricultural segment a digitally driven payment sector that provides digital payments and access to the market for farmers in Africa, not only are we solving social problems by making food accessible, but we are also helping the indigent farmer get more money. We also know that the average household income of farmers in rural areas who are using our technology is growing from $2 to $5 a day. In this process, we are not only creating wealth but also doing good.

In a related development, Ken Njoroge underscored the immense business opportunities Endeavor would make with its entrant into the African (Nigerian and Kenyan) market. ‘‘It needs large pipelines on start-ups so that they can go through the different stages of business growth. The network staying through to its core values have the potential to change the business ecosystem in Africa’’.

Cellulant’s technology is also creating new jobs and democratising access to banking by empowering micro-entrepreneurs to set up “Neighborhood Banking service points” in the form of a kiosk to provide financial services such as loans, cash withdrawal, and bill payment in historically unbanked communities — a win-win situation.

Finishing up in an interview by Edgar Bronfman Jr, Bolaji asked everyone present to invest more in Africa, as Africa is the new land of opportunity and has excellent opportunities in the various sectors, especially in the technology space.

Cellulant is a leading Pan-African payments company providing a one-stop digital payments platform. Cellulant’s belief in providing solutions to everyday challenges across Africa has led to digitizing payments end to end for various value chains and as a result providing increased transparency and broader reach within a single mobile commerce platform for financial sector players.

 Cellulant is on a mission to build the number 1 payments business in Africa; led by values-driven entrepreneurial-minded people. In pursuit of this mission, Cellulant has commenced the third iteration of its business strategy anchored on consumer payments, internet payments and marketplace payments. This is aimed at fixing Africa’s payments problems by connecting 700m mobile users to payments that power their daily lives.

Today, Cellulant’s payments platform spans 1 in 10 Africans, with 2.5 million doing monthly transactions. Cellulant’s coverage extends to 50% of banks in Africa and 17 million unbanked farmers in Africa. Cellulant debuted operations in Kenya and Nigeria in 2004 and has grown to operate across 11 African countries, including Zambia, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, Rwanda and a combined team of up to 350 people.

GrassRoots.ng is on a critical mission; to objectively and honestly represent the voice of ‘grassrooters’ in International, Federal, State and Local Government fora; heralding the achievements of political and other leaders and investors alike, without discrimination. This daily, digital news publication platform serves as the leading source of up-to-date information on how people and events reflect on the global community. The pragmatic articles reflect on the life of the community people, covering news/current affairs, business, technology, culture and fashion, entertainment, sports, State, National and International issues that directly impact the locals.

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Tinubu Launches Personal Income Tax Calculator to Improve Compliance, Fairness

By ORJI ISRAEL

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Bola Ahmed Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has launched a Personal Income Tax Calculator to help Nigerians work out their tax obligations under the new tax law.

The tool is expected to make compliance easier and improve transparency in the system.

In a post on his X page, the president said the calculator shows how the recent reforms protect low-income earners while ensuring fairness.

“A fair tax system must never punish poverty or weigh down the most vulnerable. With the new tax laws I recently signed, taking effect from January 2026, we have lifted this burden and created a path of equity, fairness, and true redistribution in our economy,” Tinubu said.

Some months ago, he signed four major tax bills into law to bring Nigeria’s scattered tax system under one framework. These include the Nigeria Tax Administration Law, which sets out a uniform process for tax administration across federal, state, and local governments; the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, which replaces the current Federal Inland Revenue Service Act with a stronger, more independent revenue agency; and the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) and Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill, which creates a formal structure for cooperation between revenue bodies at all levels.

The introduction of the tax calculator, together with these reforms, is expected to reduce confusion for both individuals and businesses, while also making it easier for them to meet their obligations and contribute to national growth.

Tinubu added that the reforms are part of building renewed hope for the economy and urged Nigerians to trust in the country’s future for themselves and their families.

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FIRS e-Invoicing Hits 20% Adoption in Two Weeks

Reporter: SANDRA ANI

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VAT controversy | FIRS e-Invoicing

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) says that no fewer than 1,000 companies, representing 20% of total eligible firms, have begun integrating its newly launched electronic invoicing  (e-invoicing) system less than two weeks after it went live.

The FIRS e-invoicing platform, which went live on August 1, 2025, after a successful pilot phase that began in November 2024, was designed to modernise Nigeria’s tax administration, curb evasion, and enhance transparency in revenue generation. It also provides the FIRS with real-time visibility into commercial transactions, ensuring authenticity and completeness of invoices.

According to a statement by Dare Adekanmbi, special adviser on Media to FIRS Chairman Zacch Adedeji, at least 1,000 companies, representing 20% of more than 5,000 eligible firms, have already adopted the system and begun integrating with the FIRS platform.

Adekanmbi noted that the initiative, also known as the Merchant-Buyer Model, will be rolled out in phases. “Large taxpayers, which are companies with annual turnover of N5 billion and more, are expected to be the first to be onboarded on the platform,” he said.

FIRS revealed that MTN Nigeria was the first taxpayer to transmit live electronic invoices to the platform, while Huawei Nigeria and IHS Nigeria have concluded test transmissions and are expected to go live soon.

The agency added that the initial compliance deadline of August 1, 2025, has been extended by three months to accommodate companies currently facing onboarding challenges. The new deadline is now November 1, 2025.

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NGX Boss, Umaru Kwairanga, to Chair Business Journal Fintech Roundtable 2025

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NGX Boss, Umaru Kwairanga
NGX Boss, Umaru Kwairanga

Dr. Umaru Kwairanga, Group Chairman, Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) will Chair the 2nd Business Journal Fintech & Financial Inclusion Roundtable 2025 scheduled for Friday, August 29, 2025 at Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos. Time is 10-am prompt.

The theme of the Roundtable is: Fintech & Financial Inclusion: The Opportunities & Challenges for Nigeria.

In a statement, Prince Cookey, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Business Journal Media Group said the choice of Umaru Kwairanga to chair the event is a reflection of his immense and chequered journey in the Nigerian economic system over the years.

“Dr. Umaru Kwairanga is a noted player in the Nigerian economy and financial services sector. Over the years, he has carved a positive niche in driving the narrative in national policy formulation, implementation and review. He remains a worthy point of reference and role model to current and future players in the Nigerian economy.”

Alhaji (Dr.) Umaru Kwairanga, Sarkin Fulani Gombe and Group Chairman, Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), is a notable player in the Nigerian corporate world, a thorough-bred professional and a prominent community leader in Gombe State and the North East region.

He has served at the highest levels of the banking, pension, investment, manufacturing and commercial sectors of Nigeria’s economy. He is the current Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, Nigeria’ oldest stock exchange and also Chairman of Tangerine General Insurance Limited.

The NGX Chairman is also a Director on the Boards of First Bank Senegal Limited, Tangerine Apt Pensions Limited and the Group Managing Director of Finmal Finance Services Limited.  

He is a past Chairman of Ashaka Cement plc and previously served on the Boards of Jaiz Bank Plc, Central Securities Clearing System Plc, Lafarge Africa Plc and First Bank Mortgages Limited to mention a few.

Professionally, Alhaji Kwairanga is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Chartered Institute of Directors of Nigeria, the Certified Pension Institute of Nigeria and the Abuja Commodities and Securities Exchange.

He is also a Council Member of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers; the Chartered Institute of Directors and he is the current President of the Certified Pensions Institute of Nigeria.

Kwairanga is a holder of the prominent traditional title of Sarkin Fulani Gombe and has led several initiatives for peace and development in Gombe State and the North East region in general.

He has also been involved in policy and strategy formulation in the public sector as a Member of the Vision 2020 Committee, the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan and several committees of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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