Economy
Nigerian Exchange Survives Profit-Taking Scare to Close 0.01% Higher
By Dipo Olowookere
Profit-taking in some large-cap stocks like GTCO, Aradel Holdings, Ecobank, Cadbury, and others almost put the bears in control of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Wednesday.
Customs Street survived the sell-offs scare due to gains recorded by Lafarge Africa, Dangote Sugar, Access Holdings and a few others.
When the closing gong was struck to bring trading activities to an end, the market was marginally up by 0.01 per cent, though investor sentiment remained very bullish.
According to data, the bourse finished the session with 53 advancing shares and 24 depleting stocks, representing a positive market breadth index.
The trio of McNichols, RT Briscoe, and NCR Nigeria gained 10.00 per cent each to sell for N6.93, N4.95, and N171.05 apiece, as Jaiz Bank improved its value by 9.99 per cent to N7.93, and May and Baker surged by 9.95 per cent to N43.65.
On the flip side, UPDC REIT lost 9.68 per cent to trade at N8.40, Champion Breweries declined by 9.31 per cent to N19.00, Secure Electronic Technology shrank by 6.78 per cent to N1.10, Coronation Insurance crumbled by 6.69 per cent to N3.35, and Ecobank contracted by 6.00 per cent to N47.00.
Business Post observed that only two of the six major sectors of the NGX ended in green. The industrial goods space went up by 0.09 per cent, and the consumer goods index appreciated by 0.03 per cent.
However, the insurance counter crashed by 1.01 per cent, the energy sector depreciated by 0.94 per cent, the commodity segment lost 0.42 per cent, and the banking industry fell by 0.27 per cent.
Despite these losses, the All-Share Index (ASI) firmed up by 10.78 points to 166,267.60 points from 166,256.82 points and the market capitalisation increased by N7 billion to N106.443 trillion from N106.436 trillion.
The activity chart showed that 822.7 million stocks worth N24.9 billion were traded in 43,548 deals at midweek compared with the 795.5 million stocks valued at N20.0 billion exchanged in 45,410 deals on Tuesday, implying a jump in the trading volume and value by 3.42 per cent, and 24.50 per cent, respectively, and a pullback in the number of deals by 4.10 per cent.
Zichis topped with 69.2 million units sold for N150.9 million, Secure Electronic Technology traded 54.8 million units valued at N61.9 million, Access Holdings transacted 40.1 million units worth N917.8 million, Zenith Bank exchanged 38.1 million units worth N2.7 billion, and Tantalizers sold 33.1 million units valued at N126.0 million.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
In the first quarter of its financial year ended June 30, 2026, Airtel Africa Plc showed resilience in the midst of challenging operating environments, churning out strong operating performance with accelerating customer base growth across all segments.
It was observed that the total customer base in Q1 2027 increased by 11.6 per cent to 189 million, with data customers rising by 15.5 per cent to 87.3 million.
In addition, data usage per customer continued its upward trajectory, rising from 7.8 GB to 10.6 GB per month over the past year, translating into a 56.3 per cent increase in data traffic across the network, underpinning a 10.3 per cent growth in constant currency data ARPU. Smartphone penetration was the key enabler of this increased traffic as penetration increased to 51.0 per cent as digital adoption of our services continues.
A look at the financial performance indicated that revenue in reported currency grew by 31.0 per cent to $1.85 billion, reflecting constant currency growth of 21.1 per cent and macroeconomic tailwinds supporting currency appreciation.
All segments continued to see double-digit constant currency revenue growth, with mobile services revenue growing by 19.1 per cent, and mobile money growing by 25.8 per cent.
Across mobile services, voice continued to see strong constant currency growth of 11.2 per cent and data revenue grew by 27.2 per cent.
In East Africa and Francophone Africa, constant currency revenues grew by 17.8 per cent and 18.0 per cent, respectively, while Nigerian revenues grew by 29.8 per cent, fully reflecting the lapping effect of the tariff adjustments which were implemented in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Constant currency EBITDA went up by 24.4 per cent, with reported currency EBITDA of $928 million growing by 36.6 per cent. The Q1’27 EBITDA margin of 50.1 per cent, an increase of 206bps year-on-year, continues to reflect the success of the company’s ongoing cost optimisation programme, despite the recent energy cost inflation arising from geopolitical developments.
The post-tax profit improved to $198 million from $156 million in the prior period, with higher profit after tax in the current period driven by elevated operating profit partially offset by derivative and foreign exchange losses of $6 million in the current period compared to $22 million derivative and foreign exchange gains in the prior period.
Furthermore, Profit after tax was impacted by the recognition of an exceptional finance cost of $37 million following an in-principle settlement reached during the quarter in respect of a commercial dispute in one of the group’s subsidiaries.
Commenting on the results, the chief executive of Airtel Africa, Mr Sunil Taldar, said, “We have started this year with another pleasing performance. Our continued focus on the customer experience translated into accelerating customer base growth across all business segments.
“As we continue to digitise our business, we are streamlining customer journeys, increasing digital adoption and harnessing data and AI to improve service delivery and support a strong, sustainable growth profile.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
One of the nation’s top brewers, Guinness Nigeria Plc, is paying an interim dividend of N7 per share to its shareholders for the period ended June 30, 2026.
The funds should, on August 10, 2026, hit the bank accounts of investors whose names appear in the Register of Members as of the close of business on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, a regulatory note from the organisation disclosed.
The firm has informed shareholders who have yet to complete the e-dividend registration to download the Registrar’s E-Dividend Mandate Activation Form, which is also available on its website, so as not to be left out of the cash reward for the first half of this year.
In the first six months of 2026, Guinness Nigeria grew its net profit by 53.33 per cent to N25.3 billion from N16.5 billion in the same period of 2025, amid improved top line and better management of administrative, marketing and distribution costs.
The revenue for the period under consideration rose to N265.0 billion from N237.0 billion, boosted by domestic sales of its products, which accounted for N260.9 billion compared with N237.0 billion a year earlier. The balance was from its export sales. This showed that over 98 per cent of the company’s earnings are from sales in Nigeria.
In the first half of the year, Guinness Nigeria improved its gross profit to N97.5 billion from N89.4 billion in the same period of 2025, as its finance income, arising from financial assets and others, stood at N1.2 billion compared with N110.7 million in H1 of 2026.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has reaffirmed its commitment to mobilising domestic capital to finance Nigeria’s long-term development, saying stronger local investment will be critical to accelerating economic transformation and attracting private sector participation.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, stated this while speaking at the 6th Annual General Assembly of the Association of Nigerian Development Finance Institutions (ANDFI) in Abuja on Thursday.
The Minister’s remarks were contained in a statement on Friday, July 24, by his Senior Special Assistant on Communications and Press Secretary, Mrs Maryann Duke.
Addressing the conference with the theme, Unlocking Domestic Capital for Development Financing, Mr Oyedele said Nigeria must harness its domestic financial resources and strengthen institutions that can channel capital into productive sectors of the economy.
He noted that despite increasingly difficult global financing conditions, the country possesses substantial domestic savings, institutional assets and private capital that can be leveraged to fund infrastructure, industrialisation, agriculture, housing, innovation and other critical sectors.
According to the minister, domestic capital should not be viewed as an alternative to foreign investment but as the foundation for attracting sustainable international investment.
“Our focus is to build an economy where confidence leads capital. By strengthening macroeconomic stability, deepening our financial markets and empowering development finance institutions to catalyse private investment, we are unlocking Nigeria’s enormous domestic potential to finance inclusive and sustainable growth,” Mr Oyedele said.
He said the federal government’s ongoing economic reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda are beginning to deliver positive outcomes, including improved investor confidence, stronger external reserves, enhanced revenue generation and renewed international confidence in Nigeria’s economy.
The Minister identified five priority areas for unlocking domestic capital, including expanding investment opportunities for households, deepening institutional capital through pension and insurance assets, strengthening credit enhancement mechanisms, broadening local currency financing through the capital market, and building stronger development finance institutions capable of attracting larger volumes of private investment.
Mr Oyedele also called on development finance institutions to move beyond conventional lending by helping to structure bankable projects, reduce investment risks, support policy reforms and create financing ecosystems that encourage greater private sector participation.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to working with development finance institutions, financial regulators, investors and development partners to develop a financing framework that will support businesses, create jobs, accelerate industrialisation and promote inclusive economic growth across the country.
