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UBA X CELLULANT : UBA Partners With Cellulant To Expand Its Reach In 19 Markets Across Africa

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Africa’s global bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, and leading Pan-African Payments Company Cellulant have announced a partnership that will extend payment services for merchants and consumers across 19 key African countries in which UBA operates. These countries include  Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, the Republic of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Liberia, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and Senegal.

This network represents one of the primary tools in bringing together Africa’s fragmented payments ecosystem, ensuring Cellulant’s Payment Gateway, Tingg, is available to a vast number of merchants and consumers in each of these markets.

Already over US$10bn in gross value payments are processed by Cellulant across the shared markets – and this partnership has the scope to expand the numbers significantly.

“We are delighted to welcome the United Bank for Africa as a new banking partner,” says Akshay Grover, Group CEO at Cellulant. “As the payments landscape in Africa continues to evolve, we believe that FinTech’s and banks need to have a deeper collaboration in  expanding opportunities that will help ease payments & collections for businesses and their consumers across all sectors of the economy.”

“The partnership with UBA extends our unparalleled reach across the continent and gives merchants and consumers in our shared network the opportunity to enjoy streamlined digital payments services directly through their bank.”

Speaking on the partnership, Group Deputy Managing Director, United Bank for Africa, Oliver Alawuba, said: ‘We are happy to welcome Cellulant to Nigeria for this MoU signing and most importantly into UBA’s expansive landscape. UBA is ready we are indeed set to dominate the entire digital banking space in Africa. “Our bank as you know, is one of the largest financial services institutions in Africa, providing services to over 25 million customers in 23 countries 20 of which are on the African continent. This speaks to our strength and capability in terms of delivering innovative digital solutions to the last mile”.

He continued, “As the needs of our customers change, we are consistently readapting innovative solutions and partnerships to provide them with excellent and convenient services. With our strategic partnerships, we can accelerate the drive for financial inclusion and the economic wellbeing of Africans on the continent. As a customer-focused bank, we are dedicated to ensuring first-rate customer service to all our customers as well as fashion out the best possible ways to ease the way they transact”.

Alawuba during the signing ceremony at the UBA House in Lagos noted that “Collaborating with Cellulant will allow for maximum impact when it comes to changing lives and introducing smarter ways for people to make payments in Africa”.

The announcement is the latest in a line of new partnerships for Cellulant, as it continues to expand its network with leading financial institutions like UBA. The company’s payments platform, Tingg, now available via 120 banks, is a one-stop payment aggregator for multinational corporations, mid-caps, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) alike.

‘Our partnership with UBA is an opportunity to further simplify the payment experience for businesses looking to collect payments online or offline. This is particularly impactful for businesses who face daily administrative challenges because of the industry’s fragmentation.” says David Waithaka, Chief Revenue Officer at Cellulant.

The platform enables merchants to receive, view, and reconcile all their payments via a single application programming interface (API), cutting out the need to sign up for multiple different payment providers including mobile money, mobile network operators (MNOs).

This simultaneously streamlines businesses’ administration processes while expanding the range of payment options they can offer to consumers, ensuring maximum choice and flexibility both offline and online.

“By offering a one-stop-shop payments platform through UBA across the 19 countries it is present in Africa, we are opening up the possibility for merchants to seamlessly accept payments from a huge range of payment methods (banks, mobile money, and cards), whilst managing all their back-office processes in one place. Local, regional, and global businesses can now focus on growth and expansion across Africa.”

 

About Cellulant

Cellulant is a leading pan-African payments company that provides locally relevant and alternative payment methods for global, regional, and local merchants across 35 countries. The company provides a single API payments platform that enables businesses to collect payments online and offline while allowing anyone to pay from their mobile money, local and international cards, or directly from their bank.

About UBA

United Bank for Africa Plc is a leading pan-African bank offering banking services to more than twenty-five million customers, across over 1,000 business offices and customer touchpoints, in 20 African countries and globally with operations in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and France. UBA is connecting people and businesses across Africa through retail; commercial and corporate banking; innovative cross-border payments and remittances; trade finance and ancillary banking services

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BREAKING: Fubara Arrives Port Harcourt Airport

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Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, returned to Port Harcourt on Friday, touching down at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, just two days after President Bola Tinubu lifted the emergency rule on the state and directed his reinstatement.

The governor’s aircraft landed at exactly 11:50 a.m.

He was welcomed by a large crowd of supporters and political allies, including former Information and Communications Commissioner, Barr. Emma Okah; ex-Health Commissioner, Dr. Adaeze Oreh; former Nigerian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Oji Ngofa; ex-Environment Commissioner, Sydney Gbara; and Victor Oko-Jumbo, former factional Speaker of the state assembly.

Others at the airport included former Youth Commissioner, Chisom Gbali; ex-Physical Planning Commissioner, Evans Bipi; former NUPENG President, Igwe Achese; ex-Education Commissioner, Dr. Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja; as well as past chairmen of Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor councils, Ezebunwo Ichemati and others.

 

More to come…

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JUST IN: Dangote Refinery Stops Sales To Unregistered Marketers

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The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited has halted self-collection gantry sales of petroleum products at its plant, effective Thursday, September 18, 2025.

This was disclosed in an internal mail obtained by our correspondent on Friday, signed by the refinery’s Group Commercial Operations Department.

According to the directive, the decision is aimed at encouraging broader use of the refinery’s free delivery scheme for retail stations and blocking unregistered marketers from accessing supplies either directly or through third parties.

The company described the measure as an operational adjustment to enhance efficiency and advised marketers to embrace its Free Delivery Scheme, which allows direct shipments to outlets.

It further cautioned that any payments made after the cut-off date would not be recognised.

The message to marketing partners partly stated: “We wish to inform you that, effective 18th September 2025, Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE has placed all self-collection gantry sales on hold until further notice. In light of this development, we kindly request that all payments related to active PFIs for self-collection are also placed on hold until further notice. Please note that any payment made after this date will not be honoured.”

However, the refinery clarified that its Free Delivery Scheme remains active for both existing and new customers.

“We encourage all active and newly onboarded customers to register for the DPRP Free Delivery Scheme, which remains fully operational and offers a seamless delivery experience to your station,” the mail added.

The management also apologised for any inconvenience, assuring stakeholders that the move was necessary to improve operations.

The suspension comes amid an ongoing dispute involving the refinery, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN).

While NUPENG has accused the company of blocking unionisation among its truck drivers despite government intervention, DAPPMAN has criticised the “free delivery scheme,” alleging it forces marketers to depend on Dangote’s fleet at commercial costs.

Dangote Refinery, on the other hand, insists the delivery model is designed to ensure stable supply and reduce costs, accusing marketers of pushing for subsidies and diversion of products. The standoff has fueled concerns around pricing, workers’ rights, and market competition.

The new policy could affect independent marketers and retail operators who have not registered for the scheme and previously relied on direct self-collection at the gantry.

Earlier report had it that Dangote reaffirmed its stance in the face of DAPPMAN’s demands, stressing it would not absorb transportation costs that marketers want classified as subsidies.

This latest clash between Dangote and DAPPMAN comes at a time of rising anxiety over fuel costs and supply logistics nationwide.

DAPPMAN, whose members own most privately run depots in Nigeria, argues that moving products from the refinery’s Lagos base to other regions involves substantial logistics and coastal shipping expenses.

In a statement issued via Dangote Group’s official X account, titled “We Stand By Our Statement on DAPPMAN … Marketers’ ₦1.505trn Subsidy Demand”, the refinery reiterated its right to protect its operations from “misleading reports.”

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Fubara’s Supporters Throng Port Harcourt Airport To Welcome Him [PHOTOS]

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Supporters of Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, gathered at the Port Harcourt International Airport on Friday morning to await his return.

It was gathered that the governor, who had been on a trip to the United Kingdom, was expected back in the country.

Crowds of his loyalists, including former members of his cabinet, sang and danced both around the airport premises and on the steps leading to the arrival hall.

A day earlier, a similar group had converged in front of the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt, hoping to receive Fubara following his reinstatement.

However, the governor did not appear at the government house, sparking speculation over his whereabouts.

Fubara has not officially resumed duties since the end of emergency rule in the state.

Reacting to criticism over his absence, Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), argued that no law compels the governor to return to his office immediately.

According to Wike, governance is not restricted to physical presence in an office.

On Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu lifted the six-month emergency rule imposed on Rivers State due to a prolonged political crisis.

The president directed Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly to resume duties on Thursday, September 18.

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