business news

The boss whose twice-bust business appears to be back despite £3m debts
business

The boss whose twice-bust business appears to be back despite £3m debts

Andrew Woosnam took millions from his recruitment firms before creditors, including HMRC, were left out of pocket Companies revived in ‘phoenix’ deals more likely to fail, study finds For three decades, the recruitment industry treated Andrew Woosnam well. Having learned his trade during the 1990s, he graduated to create his own firm at the turn of the millennium – which allowed him to bank millions of pounds in salary, dividends and loans and to buy assets including a grand house in Berkshire once owned by the comedians Dawn French and Lenny Henry.

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Bust companies revived in ‘phoenix’ deals more likely to fail again, study finds
business

Bust companies revived in ‘phoenix’ deals more likely to fail again, study finds

Exclusive: research for the Guardian shows ‘pre-pack’ deals with former management also pay far less to creditors The boss whose twice-bust business appears to be back Insolvent businesses reacquired by their previous management in “pre-pack” administrations are much more likely to fail again and tend to repay far less to creditors, research for the Guardian suggests. The study is the latest to raise questions about the practice of “phoenixism” – accounting’s controversial art of liquidating companies to allow directors to return with a new entity, free of debts.

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Nationwide to cut 275 jobs in latest round since takeover of Virgin Money
business

Nationwide to cut 275 jobs in latest round since takeover of Virgin Money

Bosses tell staff cuts part of effort to ‘simplify’ operations and ‘remove duplication’ across wider workforce Nationwide building society is slashing another 275 jobs in the latest round of cuts since bank bosses pushed through a £2.9bn takeover of Virgin Money. Bosses made the announcement to staff on Wednesday, saying it was part of efforts to simplify the bank’s operations and “remove duplication” after absorbing thousands of staff in to the group’s wider workforce.

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Mahama describes AfCFTA as Africa’s ‘greatest architecture for conflict prevention’
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Mahama describes AfCFTA as Africa’s ‘greatest architecture for conflict prevention’

President John Dramani Mahama has called for deeper economic integration among African countries, describing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a major instrument for preventing conflict and strengthening peaceful relations across the continent. Speaking at the 12th Tana High-Level Forum on Peace in Africa in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, President Mahama presented the 2026 State of Peace and Security in Africa Report, covering developments from January 2025 to June 2026.

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Africa needs stronger digital payment links to unlock regional trade – Femi Osinbajo
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Africa needs stronger digital payment links to unlock regional trade – Femi Osinbajo

Professor Yemi Osinbajo, a former Vice-President of Nigeria, has called for stronger cooperation among African countries to improve cross-border payments, strengthen digital integration and support trade and investment across the continent. Mr Owureku Asare, Director of the Fintech and Innovation Office at the Bank of Ghana, highlighted Ghana’s experience in developing payment infrastructure to improve connectivity among banks, microfinance institutions and other service providers.

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PIAC seeks details of petroleum funds allocated to Big Push projects
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PIAC seeks details of petroleum funds allocated to Big Push projects

The Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) released its 2026 semi-annual report on Ghana’s petroleum revenue management, noting that additional information on how the government uses petroleum revenues allocated to the national budget would strengthen its assessment of government expenditure. Mr Richard Ellimah, Chairman of PIAC, said the Committee had yet to receive information from the Ministry of Finance on the utilisation of the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA), which limited its ability to fully assess expenditure under the programme.

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NRSA praises Sunyani inner ring road project, raises concern over tricycle speeding
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NRSA praises Sunyani inner ring road project, raises concern over tricycle speeding

The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) in the Bono Region has lauded the quality of work on the Sunyani-Inner Ring Road Project, being funded by the government’s “Big Push” Road Infrastructure programme. Mr Gabriel Kwame Okyere, the Public Relations Officer at the Bono Regional Office of the NRSA, however, cautioned tricycle riders in particular against reckless riding.

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GoldBod will not compromise LBMA certification for galamsey – Minkah
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GoldBod will not compromise LBMA certification for galamsey – Minkah

The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has rejected suggestions that it would support illegal mining, insisting that doing so would undermine its efforts to secure certification from the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA). “Nobody should fall under any delusion that the CEO of GoldBod, whose institution is aspiring for LBMA Certification, would endorse illegal mining, especially when the prerequisite for LBMA Certification is responsible sourcing,” he said.

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Emirati-linked firms’ ownership of Manchester land ‘up 39%’ in ten years
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Emirati-linked firms’ ownership of Manchester land ‘up 39%’ in ten years

Economic ties face scrutiny after scandal over Manchester City’s financial rules ‘That’s the way the city works’: how the UAE changed the face of Andy Burnham’s Manchester Emirati-linked companies own almost 40% more land in Greater Manchester than a decade ago, Guardian analysis reveals, as the city’s economic ties face scrutiny after Manchester City’s financial rules scandal. The number of land titles in Greater Manchester owned by United Arab Emirates-linked companies increased from 51 in 2016 to 168 in 2026, equivalent to a 39% rise in the total area owned in a decade, from 73 to 101 hecta

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Oil Spill in Delta: When environment is destroyed from within and without – black tide ‘swallows 216 communities’
business

Oil Spill in Delta: When environment is destroyed from within and without – black tide ‘swallows 216 communities’

For seven months, the 28-inch Trans-Forcados Pipeline at the Kantu-Odidi axis, Warri South-West LGA has bled crude and associated gas into the creeks. On one side, the Joint Investigation Visit, JIV, of February 20-21, 2026, conducted by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, officials and community representatives, gave a technical verdict: Corrosion and equipment failure.

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CHI Farms, Aviagen celebrate 20-year partnership
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CHI Farms, Aviagen celebrate 20-year partnership

CHI Farms Limited, a member of Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group, is celebrating 20 years of partnership with Aviagen, a global poultry breeding company behind the Arbor Acres® brand, to support poultry farmers across Nigeria. Florian Blevin, Business Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa, Aviagen, commended CHI Farms for its longstanding commitment to the Nigerian poultry industry and its role in making Arbor Acres genetics accessible to local producers.

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Healey’s first budget to include big devolution package to boost growth
business

Healey’s first budget to include big devolution package to boost growth

Chancellor will build on Burnham’s promise that local leaders in England will no longer have to ‘come cap in hand to Westminster’ Andy Burnham has promised that local leaders in England will no longer have to come “cap in hand to Westminster” ahead of a fresh drive to devolve spending power in next week’s budget. In his statement on Wednesday, the chancellor, John Healey, will include plans for a new £1.5bn borrowing facility, to be drawn up in collaboration with mayors over the next two years.

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Gender Minister calls for stronger Canada–Africa ties to boost women’s economic opportunities
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Gender Minister calls for stronger Canada–Africa ties to boost women’s economic opportunities

The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has called for stronger cooperation between Canada and African countries to improve women’s access to finance, markets and economic opportunities. These include the Making Trade Work for Women in West Africa project, the Enhancing Market Participation and Learning Opportunities for Young Women (EMPLOY) project, and the Climate Resilient Livelihoods for Women in Northern Ghana (CLIMB) project.

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PS Omollo Urges Building Safety Compliance After Eastleigh Collapse
business

PS Omollo Urges Building Safety Compliance After Eastleigh Collapse

KISUMU, Kenya Oct 24 – Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has called for calm following the collapse of a building under construction in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area, urging contractors and developers to comply with building regulations to prevent avoidable loss of lives. The collapse has renewed concerns about construction safety and the enforcement of building standards in Nairobi, with investigations expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine accountability.

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Nigeria-Indonesia investment to boost GDP, create jobs, says NICCI president, Balogun
business

Nigeria-Indonesia investment to boost GDP, create jobs, says NICCI president, Balogun

By Favour Ulebor The President of the Nigerian Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, NICCI, Ishmael Balogun, has said increased investment between Nigeria and Indonesia, particularly in oil and gas exploration, will boost Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP, create jobs and promote knowledge transfer. Balogun spoke during the Nigerian Indonesian Investment and Trade Forum, NIITF, which held its fifth edition in Jakarta from October 20 to 21, 2026, with a focus on expanding bilateral trade and investment in oil and gas, renewable energy, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and infrastructure…

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Abia govt has abandoned us — Ubani Market traders cry out, seek Otti’s intervention
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Abia govt has abandoned us — Ubani Market traders cry out, seek Otti’s intervention

By Steve Oko UMUAHIA — Thirteen years after their relocation from the heart of Umuahia to Ubani Ultra-modern Market, thousands of traders are counting their losses, battling dwindling patronage and watching their businesses crumble as they accuse the Abia State Government of abandoning them. He said the failure to construct the proposed Ubani–Agbo–Umueze Road had continued to expose road users to the dangers of the busy Umuahia–Uzuakoli Road. ”

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