West & Central Africa
Abdul Samad Rabiu donates $2.6 million to University of Ibadan
A newly founded philanthropy established by Africa’s sixth richest man has donated $2.62 million to the University of Ibadan.
A newly founded philanthropy established by Africa’s sixth richest man has donated N1 billion ($2.62 million) to the University of Ibadan in western Nigeria. In making the donation, the Abdul Samad Rabiu Initiative (ASRi) aims to boost the university’s infrastructural development.
The ASRi was founded by the BUA Group, a conglomerate owned by Abdul Samad Rabiu, to spearhead educational and infrastructural projects across Africa.
On April 22, BUA Group Government Relations Director Aliyu Idi Hong donated the funds on behalf of Rabiu and the ASRi to the state-run university, The Cable reported. Hong was appointed as the director in February.
The Cable also mentioned that the school’s Acting Vice Chancellor Adebola Ekanola received the donation with gratitude on behalf of the institution, stating that the funds will improve the university’s capacity.
“This is an important intervention for the University of Ibadan,” he said. “It will meet some of our most pressing needs, which will also impact our capacity to achieve the core objectives of the University of Ibadan.”
The donation follows the ASRi’s N1-billion donation for infrastructural development to Ahmadu Bello University in Kaduna State, as reported earlier by Proshare.
When making the donation to Ahmadu Bello University, Rabiu named the University of Ibadan as one of the five leading higher educational institutions in Nigeria that will each receive N1 billion ($2.62 million) from the ASRi. The other institutions include the University of Nigeria (Nsukka), University of Maiduguri, University of Ilorin and University of Benin.
The ASRi
The ASRi is a $100-million Africa fund endowment initiative launched in March. The aim is to provide annual support to Nigerians, Africans and various governments in the Sub-Saharan region in infrastructure and capacity development.
Through the ASRi, Rabiu will extend his philanthropy to the education, health and social development sectors in Africa. It specially dedicates $50 million to Nigeria and $50 million to the rest of Africa.
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Ardova dismisses winding-up order, as Femi Otedola’s Zenon serves majority shareholder petition over $6-million debt
The once promising relationship between Otedola’s Zenon and Abdulwasiu Sowami’s Prudent Energy has taken a new turn.
Arodva Plc, a Nigerian oil and gas marketing company majority owned by Nigerian businessman Abdulwasiu Sowami, has denied reports that it is facing a winding-up petition over a $6-million debt owed to Zenon Petroleum & Gas Limited, an oil company founded by billionaire businessman Femi Otedola.
The news comes as the once promising relationship between Otedola’s Zenon and Sowami’s Prudent Energy, Ardova’s majority shareholder, takes a new turn over the debt.
The oil company stated in a press release on Tuesday that its management’s attention has been drawn to recent media claims regarding the debt, and it is critical to set the record straight that no winding-up petitions are presently facing the company in relation to the 2019 transaction.
The company went on to state that the current issues are related to claims and warranties made under a share-purchase agreement between Prudent Energy and Zenon for the purchase of shares in Forte Oil Plc in a $200-million deal in 2019.
The management went on to state that Ardova is not party to any of the proceedings, that the proceedings have no bearing on the company’s rights or operations, and that it has no claims against its assets.
Zenon, which has a guarantee for the prompt payment of the debt, served Prudent Energy with a petition earlier this week, more than a month after the deferred consideration, which was due on June 18, had yet to be paid despite demand letters sent to Sowami.
Experts believe that the dispute will reignite debate over Ardova’s share ownership structure.
The $6-million debt, which represents the remaining purchase consideration for the Forte Oil stake, adds to Prudent Energy’s pressures, as shares in Ardova, the company that it acquired nearly three years ago, have fallen significantly from an average price of N23.6 ($0.055) per share in 2019 to N13 ($0.0305) per share at the time of writing this report.
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Nigerian billionaire Abdul Samad Rabiu and son receive $151.6 million in dividends from food business
Just three weeks ago, the Nigerian billionaire received a massive $208-million dividend from BUA Cement.
Nigerian billionaire industrialist Abdul Samad Rabiu and his son received a N62.9-billion ($151.6 million) dividend from his stake in BUA Foods Plc, his newly consolidated food conglomerate that maintains active operations in the food and agro-allied industries.
This comes nearly three weeks after the billionaire received a massive N86.5-billion ($208 million) dividend from his cement company, BUA Cement Plc, as part of cash rewards paid to shareholders.
The $151.6-million dividend, which was electronically deposited into his bank account on Thurs., Aug. 4, represents the majority of the N152-billion ($63 million) final dividend distribution approved by BUA Cement shareholders at the group’s annual general meeting.
With the recent payout from his consolidated food business, Rabiu, who has a $5.8-billion net worth, has now received a total dividend of $359.6 million from his publicly traded businesses this year, which is significantly more than the $157 million that he received last year.
BUA Foods’ multimillion-dollar dividend is the company’s first dividend payment since its shares were listed earlier this year on Jan. 5. The cash reward that shareholders received can be attributed to the company’s stellar performance during its 2021 fiscal year.
According to the group’s financial statement, which represents its first annual report since its shares were listed on the Nigerian Exchange over three months ago, BUA Foods’ profit rose by 97.05 percent, from N35.41 billion ($85.2 million) in 2020 to N69.76 billion ($167.84 million) in 2021.
Despite a decrease in its fortified sugar sales, BUA Foods reported a 13.72-percent increase in profit in the first half of 2022, owing to an 11.3-percent increase in revenue from N151.73 billion ($364.4 million) to N168.85 billion ($405.5 million).
Revenue growth was driven by higher non-fortified sugar and flour sales, which offset lower fortified sugar sales during the period under review.
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Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote loses $863 million in single day
Dangote’s net worth has dropped from nearly $20 billion to just $19 billion in the past 24 hours.
Africa’s wealthiest man Aliko Dangote saw his billion-dollar year-to-date wealth gains turn into a $66-million year-to-date loss, as his net worth dropped by $863 million at the end of business on Tuesday.
This multimillion-dollar drop in his wealth was caused by a decrease in the market value of his stake in his cement company, Dangote Cement Plc.
Dangote Cement is Africa’s largest cement manufacturer thanks to its 51.55-million-tonne cement production capacity spread across 10 African countries.
According to data obtained by Billionaires.Africa, Dangote’s net worth has dropped from nearly $20 billion to just $19 billion in the past 24 hours, placing him as the 80th richest man in the world, down from the 71st spot.
With the recent decline in his net worth, he joins a long list of African billionaires whose net worth has decreased noticeably since the beginning of the year, including Johann Rupert, Patrice Motsepe, Strive Masiyiwa, and Mohammed Al-Amoudi.
Dangote, who has a net worth of $19 billion at the time of writing this report, derives the majority of his net worth from his 86-percent stake in Dangote Cement, which is presently valued at $8.28 billion.
The drop in his net worth can be attributed to a nine-percent decrease in the share price of his cement company from N265 ($0.634) to N241 ($0.576), fueled by recent selling pressures on the Nigerian Exchange.
The drop in the company’s shares was caused by investor reactions to a double-digit decline in the group’s profit in the first half of 2022 due to higher energy costs and unrealized foreign exchange losses.
According to the group’s recently published financial results, its profit decreased by more than 10 percent in the first half of 2022, falling from N191.63 billion ($460.8 million) in the first half of 2021 to N172.1 billion ($413.8 million).
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