The International Finance Corporation (IFC), in partnership with the Canadian Government, has committed $5 million to Husk Nigeria in a bid to scale up the deployment of solar hybrid mini-grids across underserved communities in Northern Nigeria.

The investment, announced in Lagos on Thursday, is part of a broader plan to address the country’s deep-rooted energy poverty and expand access to affordable and reliable power in areas still largely disconnected from the national grid.

The funds will support Husk in constructing and operating up to 108 solar hybrid mini grids. These installations are expected to deliver approximately 28,750 new electricity connections, reaching around 115,000 individuals and businesses in remote communities where grid extension remains financially and logistically impractical.

This investment marks the first project under the IFC’s Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) Platform—a $200 million debt facility launched in November 2024 to spur private-sector-led renewable energy solutions across West and Central Africa. Husk’s Nigerian project, with a total estimated cost of $25 million, is thus positioned as a flagship initiative for the DARES platform’s rollout.

The DARES Platform is closely aligned with the World Bank-financed Nigeria DARES Project, a much larger intervention approved with a budget of $750 million in December 2023. Implemented by Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency (REA), the Nigeria DARES Project aims to deliver decentralized renewable energy (DRE) solutions to over 17.5 million Nigerians, targeting households, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and public institutions.

IFC said its $5 million commitment to Husk consists of a $2.5 million senior loan from its own account, paired with a concessional subordinated loan of $2.5 million from the Canada-IFC Renewable Energy Program for Africa. The financing is structured as a revolving loan facility, allowing Husk to draw and repay funds multiple times during the course of the project. This model is designed to provide flexible, long-term, and affordable capital, often a major bottleneck for renewable energy developers operating in rural sub-Saharan Africa.

Ethiopis Tafara, IFC’s Regional Vice President for Africa, described the initiative as an “innovative approach to tackling one of Africa’s most pressing challenges—energy access.” According to Tafara, IFC’s collaboration with Husk sets a precedent for replicable, scalable models across the continent.

“By partnering with Husk, a leading renewable energy developer globally, through the first project under the DARES Platform, we are not only addressing the immediate electricity needs of underserved communities in Nigeria but also laying the foundation for a scalable model that can be replicated across the continent,” Tafara said.

Husk’s CEO, Manoj Sinha, echoed that sentiment, stating that the nature of the financing is what the mini-grid sector has long required to unlock its full potential. “This innovative debt facility is exactly what the minigrid industry needs to scale — blended, long-term and affordable capital,” he said.

Speaking specifically on the project’s implications for Nigeria, Olu Aruike, Country Director for Husk Nigeria, emphasized the impact of scaling solar mini-grids on rural electrification goals. “Adding 108 new communities to our minigrid portfolio with IFC support is an important step toward our goal of deploying at least 250MW of decentralized renewable energy projects in Nigeria,” Aruike said.

The partnership also underscores the increasing involvement of international development institutions in Nigeria’s energy transition efforts. Both the IFC-backed DARES platform and the World Bank-funded Nigeria DARES project feed into the Federal Government of Nigeria’s broader Energy Transition Plan (ETP), which aims to deliver universal access to energy, end energy poverty, and facilitate the country’s pathway to net-zero emissions by 2060.

Data from the REA shows that the Nigeria DARES Project aims to power up to 3,244,900 households through decentralized renewable energy. This would impact over 17.5 million Nigerians, many of whom live in the northern region, where energy access remains one of the lowest in the country.

While Nigeria has made some progress in expanding its electricity grid, millions of citizens, particularly in rural and conflict-prone regions, remain in darkness or rely on costly and polluting alternatives such as diesel generators and kerosene lamps. Solar hybrid mini grids offer a cleaner, more sustainable, and increasingly viable alternative. However, the sector continues to struggle with high upfront capital costs, limited access to finance, regulatory bottlenecks, and long timelines for project development.

The IFC-Canada-Husk collaboration is one of several recent initiatives intended to overcome these hurdles by reducing financial risk and crowding in more private investment into the mini-grid space. The revolving nature of the loan facility offered to Husk is expected to accelerate deployment by easing cash flow constraints and allowing the developer to roll out sites more quickly without waiting for full returns on prior installations.

As Nigeria moves to diversify its energy mix, reduce emissions, and fulfill its electrification commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), initiatives like this are likely to play a critical role. However, questions remain about long-term sustainability, affordability for end-users, and the regulatory support needed to ensure off-grid power solutions reach scale. Other concerns include the government’s recent move to ban the import of solar panels, with the aim of boosting local production. Experts have warned that if carried out, a solar import ban will significantly jeopardize the push to bridge Nigeria’s electricity deficit through cleaner energy.

In a bold push to redefine digital advertising, YouTube has announced a new artificial intelligence tool called “Peak Points,” designed to target ads to viewers at moments of maximum engagement.

The move, unveiled during YouTube’s annual Brandcast event in New York, signals a deeper integration of artificial intelligence across the platform and a strategic bid by parent company Alphabet Inc. to enhance monetization.

The technology is powered by Google’s Gemini AI model, trained to analyze the structural and emotional flow of videos, examining frames, transcripts, and viewer behavior, to pinpoint the exact moments when a viewer is most captivated. Ads will then be delivered shortly after those moments, with the aim of capturing heightened attention and maximizing click-through rates.

A New Frontier in Emotion-Based Targeting

YouTube’s Peak Points tool reflects a growing trend in digital media: aligning advertising with emotional cues rather than just demographics or behavioral data.

Some analysts have likened it to a marriage proposal, noting that once the big ‘yes’ happens, that’s the peak moment—the viewer is emotionally invested. That’s when you hit them with an ad.

In this way, the platform intends to create a more psychologically responsive advertising strategy, which could give advertisers a measurable edge. Higher viewer attention typically translates into better ad performance, and for content creators, this could mean higher revenue.

YouTube’s ad ecosystem is largely driven by metrics like click-through rates (CTR) and watch time, both of which stand to benefit if Peak Points can keep viewers engaged even through interruptions.

The tool is currently in pilot testing, with a broader rollout planned for later in 2025.

The Technology Behind Peak Points

Gemini AI, Google’s latest large-language model, lies at the core of this initiative. It processes metadata and structural elements of each video, such as visual transitions, emotional tone in dialogue, and audience retention metrics, to map out where attention spikes occur. These “peak” engagement points are then earmarked as optimal ad slots.

YouTube says it has been refining the AI by analyzing massive troves of content across genres. The company hasn’t disclosed exactly how much data the system requires to make accurate predictions, but executives say the tool improves over time as it learns from viewer behavior.

This approach, known as AI-driven content segmentation, isn’t new in theory, but YouTube is the first major platform to apply it at this scale for advertising. It’s a far cry from the traditional pre-roll and mid-roll ad placements, which often interrupt videos indiscriminately, irrespective of narrative pacing or emotional weight.

Advertising Meets Emotion — But At What Cost?

While the new tool is generating buzz in advertising circles, it is also sparking concerns about the user experience. Many believe that inserting ads immediately after emotional high points could backfire.

“This is digital advertising at its most intrusive,” said a user in a popular Reddit forum reacting to the announcement. “Imagine a cancer survivor video, and right after the heartfelt recovery moment, you get a car commercial. That’s jarring, not smart.”

Some industry observers agree. While emotion-based targeting is effective in theory, it can erode trust if it feels manipulative or overly commercialized.

The backlash taps into a broader debate about the role of AI in shaping user experiences. As platforms like YouTube and Instagram increasingly integrate machine learning models to optimize revenue, questions are emerging about the consequences of prioritizing engagement over authenticity and mental well-being.

Alphabet’s Monetization Gamble

Alphabet Inc., YouTube’s parent company, is under increasing pressure to justify its investments in AI. With rivals like OpenAI and Meta aggressively pursuing AI-integrated services, Alphabet is leaning on its dominant platforms—Search, YouTube, and Android—to showcase practical AI applications.

The launch of Peak Points represents one such pivot. Advertising remains YouTube’s biggest revenue engine, generating over $40 billion annually. The Peak Points initiative could help grow that number, particularly as the company competes with platforms like TikTok, which has revolutionized mobile video consumption with short-form, addictive content that’s difficult to monetize effectively.

As of Thursday, Alphabet’s stock (GOOG) traded at $164.57, with a slight dip of -2.24 USD or -0.01% from the previous close. The company has a market cap of over $1.87 trillion, a P/E ratio of 16.9, and earnings per share of $9.15. While these figures reflect a stable valuation, the real battleground is innovation, and AI is the frontline.

Ethical Concerns in an AI Arms Race

The Peak Points launch arrives amid growing global concern that Silicon Valley companies are deploying AI-driven products faster than they can ensure safety or accountability. Several prominent tech figures, including former Google engineers and AI researchers, have warned that the race for monetization is outpacing discussions about consent, transparency, and fairness.

YouTube insists that Peak Points is designed to “enhance viewer experience by making ads feel more natural,” but the jury is still out on whether viewers will see it that way.

YouTube has not confirmed whether users will have an option to disable these ads or opt out of emotionally timed placements. As the pilot phase continues, user feedback is expected to determine how aggressively the feature is rolled out or modified.

YouTube has promised more updates on the tool’s progress later this year.

Anglo-Dutch energy giant Shell Plc paid a record $5.34 billion to the Nigerian government in 2024, its highest remittance to any country last year, even as it continues a strategic exit from onshore oil operations in Nigeria.

This figure, disclosed in the company’s recently published Payments to Governments report for 2024, significantly outpaces what it paid to any other host country, including oil-rich Oman, Brazil, Norway, and Qatar.

The report, a regulatory requirement under UK law, is designed to improve transparency around the financial relationships between extractive companies and the governments of the countries in which they operate. Nigeria’s top spot on Shell’s payout list once again underscores the scale and importance of the company’s longstanding operations in Africa’s largest oil-producing nation.

Shell’s payments to Nigeria in 2024 marked a sharp increase from the $3.8 billion it remitted in 2023. The company attributed the jump primarily to production entitlements under joint ventures and production sharing contracts, which accounted for over $3.8 billion of the total disbursement. Taxes amounted to $648.7 million, while royalties contributed $770.2 million. Another $102 million came from fees and various statutory charges.

Out of the $5.34 billion total, a lion’s share—more than 71 percent—went to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which received $3.8 billion. Shell also paid $648.7 million to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), $781.9 million to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), $97.2 million to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and approximately $3.9 million to the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI). These payments were tied to Shell’s obligations under joint venture agreements, royalties, corporate income tax, and various statutory levies.

Detailed project-level disclosures included in Shell’s report reveal that the company’s East Asset, one of its key upstream hubs in the Niger Delta, attracted the highest production entitlement payments at over $1.3 billion. The East Asset spans several Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) and is pivotal in Shell’s production footprint in Nigeria. The company’s operations under Oil Mining Lease 133, which it jointly operates with TotalEnergies and the Nigerian government, brought in $136.6 million, primarily from tax obligations. Meanwhile, a group of deepwater and shallow water assets—OML 212, OML 118, OML 135, and Oil Prospecting Licence 219—together generated $1.4 billion in combined entitlements, taxes, royalties, and fees.

Globally, Shell disbursed $28.1 billion to various governments in 2024, down five percent from the previous year, reflecting weaker commodity prices and declining profits. While Nigeria ranked highest, Brazil followed with $4.5 billion in payments. Oman received $4.3 billion, Norway $3.38 billion, and Qatar $3.33 billion.

In contrast, several African countries where Shell maintains smaller operations received relatively modest sums. Egypt received $43 million. São Tomé and Príncipe, where Shell has exploration interests, received just $1.3 million. Tanzania and Tunisia received $140,000 and $29.3 million, respectively.

In an ironic twist, Shell received a refund of $32 million from the UK government due to decommissioning cost recoveries related to the Brent field and other aging North Sea infrastructure. That figure was lower than the $43 million refund the company received from the UK government in 2023.

However, the scale of Shell’s financial contribution to Nigeria, despite its divestment push, raises difficult questions about the sustainability of oil revenues as international majors reduce their exposure to the country’s challenging onshore environment. Shell has been present in Nigeria for over 80 years but has been selling off its onshore oil fields after years of security threats, community unrest, oil theft, environmental degradation, and litigation over oil spills. The company has framed the move as a strategic simplification of its global portfolio and part of a wider ambition to become a net-zero emissions company by 2050.

While Shell exits the high-risk Niger Delta terrain, it continues to hold deepwater assets, which it considers safer and more consistent with its long-term energy transition goals. Operations such as the Bonga field, which Shell operates through its Nigerian subsidiary, remain a core part of its production base and continue to generate significant government revenues.

However, the current level of contribution may not be sustainable. Shell’s departure from onshore production, combined with similar divestments by other International Oil Companies (IOCs), has sparked concerns over revenue shortfalls and accountability in the wake of asset transfers to local operators, many of whom may lack the financial or technical capacity to maintain production levels or regulatory compliance.

In March 2025, Nigeria’s House of Representatives summoned 48 oil companies, including Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, to appear before its Committee on Public Accounts over a combined debt of N9.4 trillion. The probe stemmed from damning findings in the Auditor-General’s 2021 report on the consolidated federal financial statements. Among the summoned firms were other industry heavyweights such as Chevron Nigeria Ltd, TotalEnergies E&P Nigeria, Seplat Energy, Oando Oil Ltd, and Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited.

In the same month, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) announced it had commenced a comprehensive review of divestment transactions involving 26 oil blocks sold by five international oil majors, amounting to over $6.03 billion. The agency emphasized the need for transparency and strict adherence to due process in all such deals, given their long-term implications for revenue generation and environmental management.

Shell’s $2.4 billion divestment to Renaissance, a Nigerian-led consortium, is one of the major transactions under NEITI’s scrutiny. Others include ExxonMobil’s attempted $1.28 billion sale of its onshore and shallow water assets to Seplat, which is still awaiting regulatory clearance, and TotalEnergies’ $860 million divestment to Chappal.

NEITI has flagged concerns that these transfers, while intended to localize ownership and improve operational efficiency, risk being marred by opacity and non-compliance with Nigeria’s oil sector reforms under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). The agency stressed that asset sales must not become backdoor exits for IOCs looking to abandon environmental and financial liabilities.

As Shell’s payments show, international oil companies remain central to Nigeria’s oil-dependent economy. But with their exits accelerating, Nigeria faces the daunting task of replacing not just the technical expertise and capital inflows, but also the billions in annual revenues that these companies currently contribute.

Whether indigenous firms can fill this gap, and whether the regulatory institutions tasked with overseeing this transition can do so transparently and effectively, remains one of the most critical questions facing Nigeria’s energy sector today.

Nigeria’s inflation rate dropped slightly to 23.71% in April 2025, a marginal improvement from the 24.23% recorded in March, according to fresh data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Thursday.

This represents a modest 0.52 percentage point decline and marks another month of slowdown in the inflation rate, suggesting a possible easing of price pressures, albeit at a fragile pace.

On a year-on-year basis, the latest figure shows a sharp 9.99 percentage point decline from 33.69% in April 2024, a change attributed in part to a base-year revision in the inflation calculation methodology — now benchmarked to November 2009 = 100.

Food Inflation Plummets on Paper – But Not in Markets

Though the easing may be viewed as a positive development, it comes amid continued economic hardship, high energy costs, and stagnant incomes. Prices remain significantly elevated, and the reality in markets tells a different story. Despite the statistical decline, many Nigerians say they have not felt any relief in the cost of food, transport, and other essentials.

One of the standout figures in the NBS report is the sharp drop in food inflation, which fell to 21.26% year-on-year in April 2025, down from a staggering 40.53% in April 2024 — a 19.27 percentage point decline. But this sharp fall is not due to a substantial drop in food prices, but rather what the NBS described as a “base-year effect” due to changes in the inflation methodology.

On a month-to-month basis, food inflation was marginally lower, declining by 2.06% in April from 2.18% in March, indicating that prices are still rising but at a slightly slower pace.

The NBS attributed the moderation in food prices to declines in staple items such as maize flour, wheat grain, dried okro, yam flour, soya beans, rice, bambara beans, and brown beans — although there is growing skepticism among consumers, many of whom continue to report that food prices are either stable or still climbing in open markets.

Core and Rural Inflation Show Similar Trends

The report also showed that Core Inflation, which excludes the prices of volatile agricultural produce, fell to 23.39% year-on-year in April, down from 26.84% in the same month last year. On a monthly basis, core inflation declined to 1.34%, a sharp drop from 3.73% in March.

Urban inflation dropped to 24.29% year-on-year from 36.00%, while rural inflation slowed to 22.83% from 31.64%, further reflecting the base-effect-driven trend.

Despite these reductions, the average twelve-month urban inflation stood at 30.41%, slightly higher than 30.02% in April 2024. Rural inflation averaged 26.29%, a slight drop from 26.38% last year.

Economic analysts were not surprised by the April data. Damilare Asimiyu, Head of Research at Afrinvest West Africa, told NairaMetrics that the moderation was “expected due to a favorable base effect.”

“April 2024 marked a significant inflationary peak. On a year-on-year basis, this will create a downward bias even if prices continue to trend upward on a monthly basis,” he explained.

In other words, inflation is not necessarily easing due to improvements in supply or macroeconomic reforms, but simply because the rate of change is being measured against an unusually high figure from last year.

What’s Fueling Inflation in Nigeria?

Despite the month-on-month decline, key sectors are still driving inflation. The NBS identified the following categories as the biggest contributors to headline inflation on a year-on-year basis:

• Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages – 9.49%
• Restaurants and Accommodation Services – 3.06%
• Transport – 2.53%
• Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels – 2.00%

These categories continue to suffer from the ripple effects of Nigeria’s foreign exchange volatility, logistics bottlenecks, and broader macroeconomic instability.

Policy Outlook: All Eyes on the CBN

The new inflation figures come just ahead of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) 300th Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, scheduled for next week. While the slight decline in inflation may seem encouraging, it is unlikely to be enough to prompt a change in the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR), which currently sits at 24.75%, its highest level in decades.

Many economists have argued that raising the MPR has done little to curb cost-push inflation, which is largely driven by structural problems like fuel costs, insecurity, and import dependence.

Recent months have seen calls from business leaders and trade unions urging the CBN to reconsider its hawkish monetary stance, especially as access to credit becomes more difficult and local businesses struggle with high input costs.

Disconnect Between Data and Reality

While the official statistics suggest a cooling in inflation, the story on the ground is starkly different. Nigerians are grappling with high transport fares, unaffordable rent, and food prices that remain stubbornly high. Many question whether the inflation methodology truly reflects economic reality.

This persistent disconnect between macroeconomic data and consumer experiences is expected to continue to test public trust in official figures and place added pressure on policymakers to deliver more than just statistical relief.