Economy
AfDB Injects $60m into Jigawa Wheat Cultivation Initiative
By Adedapo Adesanya
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has expressed its readiness to provide a $60 million facility to the Jigawa State Government for the expansion of wheat cultivation in the state.
This was disclosed by the Director of Agriculture and Agro-Industry at AfDB, Mr Martin Fregene, during a courtesy visit to Governor Umar Namadi at his office in Dutse.
Mr Fregene, who expressed happiness over the rapid achievements of Mr Namadi within a few months in office, especially on agriculture, said that the bank would partner with the state to revolutionise agriculture in the North-West.
He, however, suggested that Jigawa should prepare to go for 100,000 hectares in the next dry season and 250,000 hectares the following season, against the current 40,000 hectares being cultivated.
Mr Fregene said that the bank would accompany Jigawa all the way to achieve irrigation activities; thereby, increasing access to water in the land, improving growers’ skills, employing more youth and creating more value for wheat growers.
On his part, Mr Akinwumi Adesina, AfBD’s President, announced the AfDB’s commitment to transform agriculture for the betterment of everybody in Africa.
Mr Adesina, represented by Mr Olalekun Williams, Special Envoy to the AfDB’s President, recalled that in January 2023, 34 Heads of Government in Africa met in Dakar, Senegal, to discuss how Africa could feed itself.
“Nearly all African countries import food that can be grown in Africa and the amount of foreign exchange used to import food can be diverted to improve our agriculture.
“So, the main objective of the Feed Africa Initiative is to enable Africa to feed itself; and to feed itself in such a way that is efficient, sustainable and is competitive.
“In that sense, Nigeria as a member country developed what is called Nigeria Country Food and Agriculture Delivery Compact.’’
He said each country that was represented in Dakar prepared its country compact to meet its food security targets.
Mr Adesina said that the compact focused on five important staples in each country, adding they should be produced to substitute for import.
“The staples selected by Nigeria are wheat, rice, maize, cassava and animal husbandry.’’
The AfDB’s president, however, expressed happiness about the ongoing agricultural revolution taking place in Jigawa.
He said that if Jigawa was contributing about 40 per cent of the nation’s wheat production in 2024, it meant Jigawa would be in the forefront of contributing to the Nigeria Food Agriculture Delivery Compact.
“We would like to use Jigawa as a demonstration of what is possible in Nigeria with purposeful leadership and support from the government to the teeming farmers as seen.
“The essence of the compact is to mobilise political, financial and technical support for the five staples,” he explained.
Mr Adesina said that if Jigawa could demonstrate that wheat was growable in Nigeria, then the bank could extend the same model to other crops like rice and maize which were seriously needed in the country.
On his part, Mr Namadi thanked the management of AfDB for its intervention programme in many areas of development in Africa, especially in agriculture for initiating programmes geared toward addressing the food crisis in the continent.
Namadi noted that apart from Nigeria’s green revolution programme in the 1980s, there was never a food-solving problem like the one introduced by Mr Adesina when he was Nigeria’s agriculture minister.
The governor said that most of the developmental projects coming up on agriculture were a result of Mr Adesina’s legacy of the rice revolution.
He reassured the delegate that the state government was committed to harnessing the potential of agriculture in the state.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Stanbic IBTC Bank Nigeria Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for the Nigerian private sector in July 2026 contracted to 52.5 points from 53.4 points in June 2026, a statement made available to Business Post has shown.
This occurred despite the business environment sustaining its growth last month, with an increase in new orders experienced, as inflationary pressures softened, and output and employment modestly rising.
The Head of Equity Research West Africa at Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr Muyiwa Oni, said the PMI indicated that the private sector recorded its slowest since March 2026, as businesses also increased their input purchasing activity to keep up with current demand requirements and prepare for future workloads.
“Nigerian businesses reported improved customer demand in July while better pricing and new product launches also helped them to capture new orders arising from the increase in demand. These factors helped to keep the private sector activity in an expansionary territory, although this moderated when compared to June,” he was quoted as saying.
It was stated that while input costs increased at their slowest pace in five months, panellists reported higher costs for fuel and raw materials. Selling prices also softened in line with the picture for input costs in July.
Headline inflation eased slightly to 15.91 per cent y/y in June from 15.93 per cent y/y in May, snapping three consecutive months of price increases.
Although July inflation is likely to be higher m/m, it is expected to print lower, likely at 15.72 per cent y/y, primarily driven by favourable base effects from the corresponding period of last year, because there are no expectations of the magnitude of m/m inflation witnessed in July 2025 (1.99 per cent) to materialise this year.
“We retain our 2026 growth forecasts at 4.1 per cent as we see the oil sector growing by 3.45 per cent y/y in 2026, from 8.50 per cent y/y in 2025, while the non-oil sector is likely to grow by 4.11 per cent y/y, from 3.71 per cent y/y in 2025.
“The risks to our outlook include country-wide insecurity which may constrain food production, exchange rate pressures resurfacing, extreme-weather related conditions and higher fertiliser prices impacting crop yield, and a volatile global environment which may affect sentiment and constrain capital flows,” Mr Oni noted.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Sahara Upstream, a Nigeria-focused crude producer, has deployed a new 380,000-barrel tanker to boost exports from the OML 18 block as part of a wider push by domestic operators to invest in infrastructure and lift output and exports for Africa’s biggest oil producer.
The MT D Adesanya, which can hold more than 62,000 cubic metres of crude, will operate alongside the MT D Bayero, receiving crude from shuttle vessels at Bonny Anchorage, one of Nigeria’s main crude export hubs, before transferring it to the FSO Cawthorne storage facility.
Sahara said the tanker would help cut turnaround times, currently about 30 to 48 hours, and support a planned 50 per cent increase in exports from the block’s current level of about 950,000 barrels per month.
The block currently produces about 36,000 barrels per day, according to data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), with Sahara targeting output of 60,000 barrels per day.
OML 18 is one of the Niger Delta’s oldest producing assets. It began production in 1970 and contains an estimated 1.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent in reserves.
Shell, Total and Eni sold their combined interests to Eroton in 2015 as part of a broader shift toward domestic ownership in Nigeria’s upstream sector.
This development comes as Sahara Upstream is deepening its exploration and production footprint through Asharami Energy Limited (AEL), its upstream E&P business, which says it is targeting 350,000 barrels of oil per day by 2030 through its subsidiary, Enageed Resources Limited (ERL).
The growth target comes as AEL also marks a major safety milestone, achieving 6 million Lost Time Injury (LTI)-free man-hours in its OML-148 operations — reinforcing the company’s commitment to operational excellence and safety leadership.
According to Asharami Energy, the milestone reflects its ability to execute complex operations safely, in line with Sahara’s Beyond XXX vision, which builds on the group’s 30-year legacy of responsible enterprise while marking its next chapter of impact, innovation, and sustainable growth.
The developments position Sahara Upstream and its subsidiaries among the domestic operators driving increased investment in Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure, as the group works to scale up production and exports for Africa’s biggest oil producer.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
One of the leading energy firms in Nigeria, Aradel Holdings Plc, has expressed its desire to optimise its enlarged portfolio and improve operational efficiency in the second half of 2026.
The company is planning to build on the success it recorded in the first half of the year, where it grew its revenue by 577 per cent to N2.5 trillion from N368.1 billion in H1 2025.
The significant rise in earnings was driven by higher production volumes together with stronger realised crude oil and gas prices, with the average at $90.4/bbl and $2.08/mmscf, respectively.
In the period under review, the Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) increased by 688 per cent to N1.4 trillion from N176.4 billion in the corresponding period of last year, while the operating profit surged by 789 per cent to N1.1 trillion from N118.6 billion due to higher revenue and crude handling income at N149.8 billion, partly offset by underlift cost and general and administrative costs.
The net cash generated from operations was N975.6 billion between January and June 2026 versus N140.8 billion in the same period of 2025, reflecting the cash generation of the enlarged organisation.
The net debt contracted by 70 per cent on a year-to-date basis to N46.5 billion from N475.1 billion as of December 31, 2025.
Aradel, in the period under consideration, improved its post-tax profit by 30 per cent to N191.0 billion from N146.4 billion, a development that impressed its chief executive, Mr Adegbite Falade, who said, “A firmer price environment supported performance, generating net cash from operating activities of N975.6 billion and a closing cash balance of N1.7 trillion.”
“Our enlarged portfolio provides more opportunities to generate stronger cash flow and returns for shareholders and unlocking that potential is our main focus.
“We reaffirm our full year production guidance of 110 – 140 kboepd and remain committed to operating responsibly in a changing energy landscape and to delivering lasting value for our stakeholders,” he stated.
