Spotlight on Exollo: Nigeria's Newest Voice of Resilience

 

BEFOCUS NEWS DESK — Top Trending (Nov 24–25, 2025)

Compiled & updated: Nov 25, 2025 • Coverage: Nigeria • Africa • World • Themes: Tech, Business, Sport, Climate, Security, Culture

1. 24 schoolgirls kidnapped in Kebbi released — state confirms

   Nigeria • Security • Education
   Authorities report that 24 schoolgirls abducted earlier in Kebbi State were released today after negotiations and operations by security agencies. Families and communities breathe a cautious sigh of relief while security gaps remain under scrutiny.
   Youth impact: Immediate relief for affected pupils — but the episode exposes ongoing risks to safe schooling and the urgent need for youth-centred protection programmes.
   Source: Reuters — Nov 25, 2025

2. Nigeria faces record-breaking hunger in 2026 as insurgency & aid cuts worsen crisis

   Nigeria • Humanitarian • Society
   The World Food Programme warns northern Nigeria may face its worst hunger crisis yet, with tens of millions at risk due to conflict, displacement and shrinking aid flows.
   Youth impact: Food insecurity directly affects young people’s schooling, health and livelihoods — creating urgent openings for youth-led agritech, community food programmes and advocacy.
   Source: AP News — Nov 25, 2025

3. Mass school abduction in Niger State: over 300 pupils and teachers taken

   Nigeria • Security • Crisis
   One of the country’s largest mass abductions: armed groups seized hundreds of students and teachers from a Catholic boarding school in Niger State — triggering national outcry and renewed demands for stronger protection.
   Youth impact: A generational trauma risk — education disruption undermines future prospects and calls for stronger youth-focused emergency response and school safety investment.
   Source: Reuters — Nov 26, 2025 (breaking coverage)

4. COP30 ends with no binding fossil-fuel phase-out — divisions exposed

   Global • Climate • Environment
   COP30 concluded in Belém without a global binding agreement to phase out fossil fuels — highlighting deep divisions and the challenge of reconciling climate ambition with economic realities.
   Youth impact: With diplomacy stalling, young climate entrepreneurs and activists must accelerate local innovation, adaptation solutions and green job creation.
   Source: The Guardian — COP30 coverage

5. Global philanthropies commit $300m to climate-health solutions

   Global • Climate • Health • Philanthropy
   More than 35 foundations launched a $300 million fund to accelerate climate-health interventions for vulnerable communities — blending public health with climate resilience.
   Youth impact: Funding creates green-health jobs, internships and innovation grants ideal for young social entrepreneurs and health-tech founders.
   Source: Rockefeller Foundation — Nov 24, 2025

6. Global CO₂ emissions set to reach record 38.1 billion tonnes in 2025

   Global • Environment • Energy
   The Global Carbon Project reports fossil-fuel CO₂ emissions are on track for a record high in 2025 despite renewable growth — a stark scientific finding from this year.
   Youth impact: Reinforces the market for youth-driven climate tech, carbon removal, sustainable careers and policy advocacy roles.
   Source: Global Carbon Project — 2025

7. UAE announces $1bn AI initiative for Africa at G20 — major skills push

   Global • Technology • Africa • Investment
   The UAE unveiled a $1 billion “AI for Development” programme to fund AI infrastructure, education and climate-tech projects across Africa, announced during G20 gatherings.
   Youth impact: Massive opportunity for young Africans to access AI skilling, incubators and funded pilot projects in health, education and climate.
   Source: Reuters — Nov 22, 2025

8. US–China phone call eases market jitters — leaders signal calmer ties

   Global • Diplomacy • Markets
   A recent phone call between U.S. and Chinese leaders helped calm markets and reduce immediate trade-tension volatility, for now.
   Youth impact: A more stable trade environment helps young exporters, digital merchants and cross-border startups plan with less immediate geopolitical risk.
   Source: Reuters — Nov 24, 2025

9. UC Irvine study: integrative cancer care gaining global acceptance

   Global • Health • Science
   Research shows a rising global adoption of integrative cancer care—combining conventional treatments with nutrition, exercise and psychosocial support.
   Youth impact: Young health professionals and wellness entrepreneurs can pioneer prevention, rehab and community care models.
   Source: UC Irvine news — Nov 24, 2025

10. Afreximbank posts steady growth — assets rise to US$42.9bn

    Africa • Finance • Business
    African Export-Import Bank reports solid asset growth, signalling resilience in African trade-finance infrastructure and supporting continental trade flows.
    Youth impact: Expands trade finance opportunities for young exporters, logistics startups and pan-African entrepreneurs.
    Source: Afreximbank — Nov 2025

11. AI & compute gaps threaten Africa’s ability to create AI — regulators warn

    Africa • Technology • Policy
    Regional regulators and tech leaders warn that without investments in data centres and compute capacity, Africa risks becoming an AI consumer rather than a creator.
    Youth impact: Signals a clear call for youth to lead data-centre projects, local cloud services and skills training initiatives.
    Source: BusinessDay / NCC commentary — Nov 2025

12. African start-ups raised $441.9m in October — surge of 217%

    Africa • Startups • Investment • Youth
    October recorded a major funding surge for African startups, led by fintech, logistics and agri-tech firms — an encouraging signal for the ecosystem.
    Youth impact: More capital means more accelerator spots, student entrepreneurs and employment in the digital economy.
    Source: Extensia.tech — Oct 2025 data

13. Nigeria launches Africa’s first maritime emissions monitor at COP30

    Nigeria • Environment • Innovation
    NIMASA unveiled a maritime emissions monitoring system to track shipping pollution — an African first, announced during COP30.
    Youth impact: Opens green-tech and engineering roles for youth in sustainable shipping, maritime data analytics and climate compliance services.
    Source: TVC News — Nov 2025

14. Global markets cautious as AI hype cools and rate-cut bets shift

    Global • Markets • Business
    Investors eye year-end volatility: AI valuations cool and central-bank rate expectations shift, creating opportunity—and risk—for startup funding and markets.
    Youth impact: Young founders and fintech innovators should prepare for funding cycles, runway management and pivot strategies.
    Source: Reuters — Nov 23, 2025

15. Gabon inks $180m rainforest protection deal — Congo Basin conservation push

    Africa • Climate • Conservation
    Gabon signed a climate finance package to protect large swathes of Congo Basin rainforest — a major conservation finance milestone in Africa.
    Youth impact: Youth in conservation, eco-tourism and sustainable forestry can benefit from jobs, training and green enterprise support.
    Source: Reuters — Nov 18, 2025

16. Entertainment & culture: Africa’s creative sector set to outpace global growth — PwC

    Africa • Entertainment • Business
    PwC forecasts that Africa’s entertainment & media will grow faster than global averages, driven by streaming, content exports and digital platforms.
    Youth impact: New career paths for young creatives, filmmakers, sound designers and digital storytellers — plus export opportunities.
    Source: BusinessTech Africa / PwC summary

17. Space & science: China launches mission to retrieve stranded astronauts — boosting space careers

    Global • Science • Technology
    China deployed a spacecraft mission to assist and retrieve astronauts, a sign of accelerating national space capabilities and technical investment.
    Youth impact: Signals growing demand for STEM education and aerospace engineering pathways for young people worldwide.
    Source: Al Jazeera — Nov 24, 2025

Editorial Note

Yesterday’s top stories show a world of urgent challenges and opportunity: catastrophic security shocks that threaten youth education; a humanitarian hunger alarm in Nigeria; fragile global climate diplomacy; and simultaneous injections of capital and skills funding into Africa’s tech and health sectors. At BEFOCUS Children & Youth Foundation we treat headlines as program briefs — turning risk into targeted youth action: emergency school protection, agritech for food security, climate entrepreneurship and AI skill pipelines for young Africans.

© 2025 BEFOCUS Children & Youth Foundation • Witty Global Industries Ltd. • Sources: Reuters, AP, The Guardian, UC Irvine, Rockefeller Foundation, Reuters, Reuters, Reuters, Reuters, The Guardian, BusinessDay, Extensia, PR/press releases.