Economy
Brent Sheds Over 2% as Oil Market Faces Oversupply
By Adedapo Adesanya
Brent crude dropped to $63 per barrel on Wednesday, extending losses as the International Energy Agency (IEA) revealed that the market will have an oversupply by 1 million barrels per day (bpd) in the first half of this year.
This led to a bearish performance for the Brent crude, which had dropped over $5 in the last week, as it dropped 2.14 percent equivalent to $1.38 to trade at $63.21 per barrel.
Also, the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude further moved down below $57 as it shed 1.27 percent or 72 cents to trade at $56.02 per barrel. This performance was the lowest settlement for a front-month contract since December 3, 2019.
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, the Executive Director of the IEA, Mr Fatih Birol said the market is expecting a surplus due to recent developments.
“An abundance of energy supply in terms of oil and gas. It’s the reason that recent incidents we have seen — with the Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani, killed, Libya unrest — didn’t boost international oil prices,” he said.
The agency said this will be due to increase in US shale output, which he said will continue to influence other energy producers, including members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) who had in December extended the cut to oil production by 1.7 million barrels per day as forecast show a monthly rise in US shale oil production of 22,000 barrels a day to 9.2 million barrels a day in February.
Meanwhile, China’s coronavirus is expected to further affect oil prices as the number of new cases has risen sharply in China, with 440 confirmed cases and if this leads to travel restrictions, it could affect demand for crude, directly telling on prices. Market analysts believe that if the virus develops dramatically and hit travel and growth, demand for oil could fall by 260,000 per day.
On the Libyan front, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) declared force majeure on the loading of oil from two major oilfields after the latest development in a long-running military conflict as this could help cut losses and support the commodity.
Unless oil facilities return to operation quickly, Libya’s crude output will be reduced to about 72,000 bpd from about 1.2 million barrels per day.
Industry data from the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Energy Information Administration (EIA) are expected on Thursday with forecast report a rise of 500,000 barrels in US crude supplies for the week ended January 17, and this is not a good outlook as rise in inventories usually affect prices.
Economy
Zichis Confirms Intention to Borrow from Capital Market
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
One of the newest members of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited, Zichis Agro-Allied Industries Plc, has confirmed its intention to approach the capital market to raise funds, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval.
However, it denied reports suggesting it’s “set to undertake an Initial Public Offering (IPO) or related capital raising activity.”
In a notice on Monday, the firm affirmed proposing “to seek shareholders’ approval at its forthcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) to raise additional capital, which may be through equity, debt, or a combination of both, subject to regulatory approvals and market conditions.”
“At this stage, the structure, timing, and details of any such capital raising have not been finalised, and no specific transaction has been concluded,” a part of the statement signed by the company secretary, Solomon Itsede, stressed.
Zichis expressed its commitment to upholding “the highest standards of corporate governance, transparency, and timely disclosure.”
“Accordingly, any material corporate actions or capital market activities will be formally communicated through the appropriate regulatory channels,” it said, advising shareholders and the investing public “to rely solely on official disclosures and filings made by the company through the NGX and other authorised regulatory platforms when making investment decisions.”
Zichis welcomed the “continued interest of investors and market participants in its operations and performance,” promising to remain focused on delivering sustainable value through disciplined strategic execution.
It also lauded the continued support of its shareholders, saying it remains committed to maintaining transparency in all its communications.
Economy
NERC Orders Transparent Reporting of Transmission Loss Factors
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has issued a directive to ensure transparency in reporting the Regional Electricity Transmission Loss Factor, as it remains above the 7 per cent threshold.
In a public notice posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, the order, contained in No. NERC/2026/026 is aimed at improving transparency and efficiency in Nigeria’s power grid through enhanced reporting of Regional Transmission Loss Factors (TLF).
The regulator disclosed that the order is backed by the provisions of the Electricity Act 2023, which enables the commission to regulate, monitor, and ensure efficiency in the power sector.
According to the statement, the Data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) indicate that the national average TLF was 8.71 per cent in 2024 but was reduced to 7.24 per cent in 2025.
The statement added that the report exceeds the 7 per cent benchmark approved by NERC in the Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO).
The statement reads, “The Order dated 8 April 2026 establishes a formal framework for reporting transmission losses across regions operated by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
“Taking effect from 13 April 2026, the Order is backed by provisions of the Electricity Act 2023, which empower NERC to regulate, monitor, and ensure efficiency in the electricity market.”
The directive reads, “NISO to install smart meters at all boundary regional interconnection points by December 2026 to accurately measure energy flows for each region of the transmission network.
“NISO to measure and document all energy flow of power transformers at transmission substations.
“NISO to file quarterly reports on TLF to NERC on a regional basis.”
It added, “TCN to file an action plan by July 2026 on the reduction of TLF to a value within the 7 per cent approved benchmarks in the regions.
“TCN to ensure that TLF across transmission regions shall not exceed 6.5 per cent by December 2026.”
NERC concluded that the order is designed to strengthen accountability in transmission operations and support better grid performance through structured loss reporting.
Economy
Dangote Refinery Plans Cross-border Listing of Shares
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigerian businessman, Mr Aliko Dangote, is planning to list shares of his $20 billion oil refinery on multiple African stock exchanges.
The landmark cross-border public offering on the continent was disclosed by the chief executive of the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), Mr Frank Mwiti, following a meeting held last week in Lagos between Mr Dangote and several heads of African exchanges.
Last year, Mr Dangote unveiled plans to list a 10 per cent stake in his Lagos-based refinery on the Nigerian Exchange this year.
According to a Bloomberg report, citing an email from the chief executive of FirstCap, Mr Ukandu Ukandu, Stanbic IBTC Capital Limited, Vetiva Advisory Services Limited, and FirstCap Limited have been appointed as advisers for the initial public offering of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE.
Mr Mwiti said the proposed listing is designed to cut across multiple markets and deepen investor participation across the continent.
“The plan is to structure a pan-African IPO,” he said.
Bloomberg also reported that a spokesman for the Dangote Group confirmed that discussions had taken place between Mr Dangote and exchange officials but declined to provide further details.
In February 2026, Mr Dangote said that the IPO could be launched within the next five months.
“But individually Nigerians too will have an opportunity in the next maximum four or five months, they will actually be able to buy their shares,” he said at the time.
He added that investors would have flexibility in how they receive returns.
“People will have a choice either to get their dividends in naira or to get their dividends in dollars because we earn in Dollars.”
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