Economy
Four Best-Performing Equity Mutual Funds of Q1 2018
By Quantitative Financial Analytics Ltd
Nigeria’s equity market witnessed some calmness and subdued volatility in the first quarter of the year.
Quantitative Financial Analytics Realized Volatility index (NSErealVol) stood at 12.98, as at March 29, 2018 down from 15.68 recorded by the end of the previous year.
In addition, inflation in Nigeria moderated while the Dollar exchange rate stabilized around the N360 range within the quarter even as yields continued to fall along all maturities. All those had some positive effect on equity market which got translated into the equity mutual funds.
How Did Energy Sector Perform in Q1?
During the Q1 of 2018, the Nigeria All Share Index (ASI) increased by 3,261.32 points representing a positive performance of 8.53 percent. The market grew by 15 percent in Jan, 2018, losing marginally by 2 percent and 4 percent in February and March to end the quarter with a positive return.
In spite of the market performance within the quarter, we have identified four mutual funds that did much better in the quarter. Here they are:
Meristem Equity Mutual Fund
Meristem Equity Market fund seeks capital appreciation for the long run by investing in a basket of high quality equity securities in Nigeria. The fund gained about N95 million or 46 percent in 2017 and has gained about 52.7 million or 17 percent in Q1, 2018, according to our analysts. In Q1, 2018, it attracted an estimated 8.5 million of inflows to leave its net asset value at N364 million by the end of the first quarter.
Stanbic IBTC Aggressive Fund
Stanbic IBTC Aggressive fund seeks to provide liquidity whilst maintaining low to medium volatility of return over the long-run. The fund invests a minimum of 60 percent of its assets in the equity market and the other 40 percent in fixed income market according to its fact sheet. Stanbic IBTC Aggressive fund gained about N95 million or 48 percent in 2017 and has gained about N43.6 million or 12.58 percent in Q1, 2018, according to our analysts.
In 2017, it suffered a net outflow of about N10 million but in Q1, 2018, it attracted an estimated N169 million of inflows to leave its net asset value at N502 million by the end of the first quarter
Frontier Fund
The Frontier Fund has the primary objective of achieving long-term capital appreciation to unit holders by investing in carefully selected money and capital market instruments.
The Fund gained about N42 million or 22 percent in 2017 and has gained about N27 million or 10.55 percent in Q1, 2018, according to our analysts.
In 2017, it suffered a net outflow of about N3 million but has attracted net inflow of N5 million in Q1, 2018 to leave its net asset value at N286 million by the end of the first quarter
UBA Equity Fund
The United Capital Equity Fund Invests in quoted equities that are traded on the Floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). Its objective is to achieve high returns over a medium to long-term period by investing in select portfolio of equity securities according to its fact sheet.
The Fund which is suitable for investors with a long-term outlook gained about N420 million or 45.8 percent in 2017 and has gained about N145 million or 10.45 percent in Q1, 2018, according to our analysts.
In 2017, it suffered a net outflow of about N122 million and has also suffered about N15 million net outflow in Q1, 2018 to leave its net asset value at N1.5 billion by the end of the first quarter.
Though these funds have been stellar in their performance, it is worthy of note to state that past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.
Economy
Petrol Supply up 55.4% as Daily Consumption Reaches 52.1 million Litres
By Adedapo Adesanya
The supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, increased by 55.4 per cent on a month-on-month basis to 71.5 million litres per day in November 2025 from 46 million litres per day in October.
This was contained in the November 2025 fact sheet of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on Monday.
The data showed that the nation’s consumption also increased by 44.5 per cent or 37.4 million litres to 52.1 million litres per day in November 2025, against 28.9 million litres in October.
The significant increase in petrol supply last month was on account of the imports by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited into the Nigerian market from both the domestic and the international market.
Domestic refineries supplied in the period stood at 17.1 million litres per day, while the average daily consumption of PMS for the month was 52.9 million litres per day.
The NMDPRA noted that no production activities were recorded in all the state-owned refineries, which included Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries, in the period, as the refineries remained shut down.
According to the report, the imports were aimed at building inventory and further guaranteeing supply during the peak demand period.
Other reasons for the increase, according to the NMDPRA, were due to “low supply recorded in September and October 2025, below the national demand threshold; the need for boosting national stock level to meet the peak demand period of end of year festivities, and twelve vessels programmed to discharge into October, which spilled into November.”
On gas, the average daily gas supply climbed to 4.684 billion standard cubic feet per day in November 2025, from the 3.94 bscf/d average processing level recorded in October.
The Nigeria LNG Trains 1-6 also maintained a stable processing output of 3.5 bscf/d in November 2025, but utilisation improved slightly to 73.7 per cent compared with 71.68 per cent in October.
The increase, according to the report, was driven by higher plant utilisation across processing hubs and steady export volumes from the Nigeria LNG plant in Bonny.
“As of November 2025, Nigeria’s major gas processing facilities recorded improved output and utilisation levels, with the Nigeria LNG Trains 1-6 processing 3.50 billion standard cubic feet per day at a utilisation rate of 73.70 per cent.
“Gbaran Ubie Gas Plant processed 1.250 bscf per day, operating at 71.21 per cent utilisation, while the MPNU Bonny River Terminal recorded a throughput of 0.690 bscf per day during the period. Processing activities at the Escravos Gas Plant stood at 0.680 bscf per day, representing a 62 per cent utilisation rate, whereas the Soku Gas Plant emerged as the top performer, processing 0.600 bscf per day at 96.84 per cent utilisation,” it stated.
Economy
Secure Electronic Technology Suspends Share Reconstruction as Investors Pull Out
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The proposed share reconstruction of a local gaming firm, Secure Electronic Technology (SET), has been suspended.
The Lagos-based company decided to shelve the exercise after negotiations with potential investors crumbled like a house of cards.
Secure Electronic Technology was earlier in talks with some foreign investors interested in the organisation.
Plans were underway to restructure the shares of the company, which are listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
However, things did not go as planned as the potential investors pulled out, leaving the board to consider others ways to move the firm forward.
Confirming this development, the company secretary, Ms Irene Attoe, in a statement, said the board would explore other means to keep the company running to deliver value to shareholders.
“This is to notify the NGX and the investing public that a meeting of the board of SET held on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, as scheduled, to consider the status of the proposed share reconstruction and recapitalisation as approved by the members at the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on April 16, 2025.
“After due deliberations, the board wishes to announce that the proposed share reconstruction will not take place as anticipated due to the inability of the parties to reach a convergence on the best and mutually viable terms.
“Thus, following an impasse in the negotiations, and the investors’ withdrawal from the transaction, the board has, in the interest of all members, decided to accept these outcomes and move ahead in the overall interest of the business.
“The board is committed to driving the strategic objectives of SEC and to seeking viable opportunities for sustainable growth of the company,” the disclosure stated.
Business Post reports that the share price of SET crashed by 3.85 per cent on Tuesday on Customs Street on Tuesday to 75 Kobo. Its 52-week high remains N1.33 and its one-year low is 45 Kobo. Today, investors transacted 39,331,958 units.
Economy
Clea to Streamline Cross-Border Payments for African Importers
By Adedapo Adesanya
Clea, a blockchain-powered platform that allows African importers to pay international suppliers in USD while settling locally, has officially launched.
During its pilot phase, Clea processed more than $4 million in cross-border transactions, demonstrating strong early demand from businesses navigating the complexities of global trade.
Clea addresses persistent challenges that African importers have long struggled with, including limited FX access, unpredictable exchange rates, high bank charges, fraudulent intermediaries, and payment delays that slow or halt shipments. The continent also faces a trade-finance gap estimated at over $120 billion annually, limiting importers’ ability to access the FX and financial infrastructure needed for timely international payments by offering fast, transparent, and direct USD settlements, completed without intermediaries or banking bottlenecks.
Founded by Mr Sheriff Adedokun, Mr Iyiola Osuagwu, and Mr Sidney Egwuatu, Clea was created from the team’s own experiences dealing with unreliable international payments. The platform currently serves Nigerian importers trading with suppliers in the United States, China, and the UAE, with plans to expand into additional trade corridors.
The platform will allow local payments in Naira with instant access to Dollars as well as instant, same-day, or next-day settlement options and transparent, traceable transactions that reduce fraud risk.
Speaking on the launch, Mr Adedokun said, “Importers face unnecessary stress when payments are delayed or rejected. Clea eliminates that uncertainty by offering reliable, secure, and traceable payments completed in the importer’s own name, strengthening supplier confidence from day one.”
Mr Osuagwu, co-founder & CTO, added, “Our goal is to make global trade feel as seamless as a local transfer. By connecting local currencies to global transactions through blockchain technology, we are removing long-standing barriers that have limited African importers for years.”
According to a statement shared with Business Post, Clea is already working with shipping operators who refer merchants to the platform and is also engaging trade associations and logistics networks in key import hubs. The company remains fully bootstrapped but is open to strategic investors aligned with its mission to build a trusted global payment network for African businesses.
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