Economy
Group to Honour Best Nigerian Energy Reporter November 7
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Nigeria’s top energy reporter will be honoured at the fourth edition of the Future Energy Nigeria Industry Awards taking place on November 7, 2017, at the Eko Hotel & Suite Convention Centre, Lagos, organisers have said.
“Energy is such an integral and vital part of Nigeria’s economy and the media is part of this sector and the coverage is often vibrant, responsive and very knowledgeable,” says Future Energy Nigeria’s global business director Ade Yesufu. “We invite all Nigerian energy reporters to either nominate themselves or for news and industry organisations to put forward their top choice for the journalist that has covered the sector in an innovative yet objective manner. We look forward to honouring the Energy Reporter of the Year along with the other award winners in categories ranging from Outstanding Contribution Award to Community Initiative of the Year Award.”
It was revealed that the nomination form can be downloaded from the event website and the deadline for submissions is Friday, September 29.
The fourth edition of the hugely successful awards, formerly known as the West African Power Industry Awards, takes place during this year’s rebranded Future Energy Nigeria conference and exhibition.
The glamorous gala dinner brings together 150 of Nigeria’s most renowned power professionals to recognise and celebrate the leading industry pioneers and projects in five different categories.
The Energy Reporter of the Year is a new award category.
Categories of the awards ceremony are:
Outstanding Contribution: Power
This award celebrates the accomplishments of an individual in a senior position from a utility, public or private company who has displayed passion and commitment to the power industry, whilst also demonstrating leadership, vision and success.
Energy Reporter of the Year
This award recognises a professional journalist who produced outstanding work in 2016/17 for the public, either independently or as employees of editorially independent news entities through their reporting on the power sector in Nigeria.
Outstanding Energy Project
The Outstanding Energy Project rewards a project launched by a utility, off-grid producer, IPP, government, minister, regulator or investor within the last 24 months (August 2015 – July 2017).
Community Initiative of the Year
This important and prestigious award honours an organisation that demonstrates high standards and initiatives that enrich the Nigerian citizens. The award aims to recognise the values that form the cornerstone of a good business from its approach to knowledge transfer, suppliers, the environment and a sustainable future.
Innovative Technology of the Year
This award will acknowledge a business that has achieved commercial success from energy-focused advanced technology, research or developing products, services, or solutions relevant to the energy sector.
Formerly known as the West African Power Industry Convention or WAPIC, which was a firm, favourite fixture on the region’s power calendar for the last 13 years, Future Energy Nigeria, with the support of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, Transmission Company of Nigeria, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, Distribution Companies and prominent Generation companies, will once again host many of the country’s leading energy decision makers from 7-8 November 2017 at the Eko Hotel & Suite Convention Centre in Lagos, Nigeria.
The event is recognised as being a distinctive gathering of stakeholders within the power value chain which includes governments, power generation companies, transmission and distribution companies, off takers, developers, investors, equipment manufacturers and providers, technology providers, EPCs, legal and consulting firms all with a shared goal of supporting the on-going implementation of finding lasting solutions to Nigeria’s energy challenges. Co-located to the event is the Oil & Gas Council’s Nigeria Assembly.
The 14th edition of the event once again enjoys widespread support from the industry with Lucy Electric, a global secondary distribution leader in the electricity sector, and SkipperSeil Limited already confirmed as platinum sponsors, while Genesis and Jubaili Bros are gold sponsors and Conlog, Landis+Gyr, Hexing and Vodacom are silver sponsors.
Future Energy Nigeria is organised by Spintelligent, a multi-award-winning Cape Town-based exhibition and conference producer across the continent in the infrastructure, real estate, energy, mining, agriculture and education sectors.
Other well-known events by Spintelligent include African Utility Week, Future Energy East Africa (formerly EAPIC), Future Energy Central Africa (formerly iPAD Cameroon), Future Energy Uganda, Agritech Expo Zambia, Kenya Mining Forum, Nigeria Mining Week and DRC Mining Week. Spintelligent is part of the UK-based Clarion Events Group.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange rose by 0.40 per cent on Monday, July 13, buoyed by buying interest in 11 Plc, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc and UBN Property Plc, which offset the profit-taking in Food Concepts Plc, the parent company of Chicken Republic.
11 Plc gained N20.69 to end at N227.64 per share compared with last Friday’s price of N206.95 per share, CSCS Plc grew by N1.83 to N91.48 per unit from N89.65 per unit, and UBN Property Plc added 1 Kobo to sell at N1.81 per share versus N1.80 per share.
On the flip side, Food Concepts Plc depreciated by 24 Kobo to close at N2.45 per unit, in contrast to the preceding session’s N2.69 per unit.
As a result, the market capitalisation increased by N9.2 billion to N2.587 trillion from N2.578 trillion, and the NASD Security Index (NSI) improved by 15.33 points to 4,311.67 points from 4,296.34 points.
Yesterday, the volume of securities traded by investors surged by 615.9 per cent to 9.1 million units from the previous 1.3 million units, and the value of securities rose by 997.1 per cent to N320.4 million from the preceding session’s N29.2 million, while the number of deals decreased by 12.5 per cent to 28 deals from last Friday’s 32 deals.
At the close of trades, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, followed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units worth N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 73.9 million units exchanged for N5.2 billion.
GNI Plc also closed the session as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units sold for N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units traded for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units transacted for N415.7 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira maintained stability against the US Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Monday, July 13, at N1,379.65/$1.
However, it appreciated against the Pound Sterling in the official market by N2.44 to exchange at N1,848.18/£1 compared with the previous rate of N1,850.62/£1, and lost 73 Kobo against the Euro to sell at N1,576.39/€1 versus last Friday’s N1,575.66/€1.
At the GTBank fore counter, the Naira declined by N2 to settle at N1,388/$1, in contrast to the previous session’s rate of N1,386/$1, and at the black market, it traded flat at N1,400/$1.
Market analysts expect the Naira to trade within a relatively stable range, supported by sustained FX inflows and a continued market intervention by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), although persistent underlying FX demand is likely to keep depreciation pressures elevated.
According to Monday’s trading data, interbank FX turnover surged by 21.14 per cent to $86.136 million from $71.044 million at the previous trading session on Friday.
However, interbank deal counts declined to 85 from 87 on Monday, reflecting the absence of pressure from US Dollar payments against local units. Last week, total foreign exchange inflows amounted to $0.97 billion, according to a Coronation Merchant Bank research report.
Analysts reported that foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) remained the largest source of inflows, contributing 30.29% or $0.29 billion, closely followed by Exporters and Importers at 30.14 per cent.
Non-bank corporates accounted for 26.49 per cent or $0.26 billion, while the CBN contributed 6.93 per cent or $0.07 billion. Other sources made up the remaining 5.4 per cent of total inflows.
In the cryptocurrency market, major coins came under pressure following heightened expectations for a Federal Reserve interest-rate increase as soon as July, just ahead of key US inflation data and congressional testimony from Chairman Kevin Warsh came into focus.
Bitcoin (BTC) fell by 0.2 per cent to $62,627.03, Solana (SOL) dipped by 1.5 per cent to $75.18, TRON (TRX) depreciated by 0.2 per cent to $0.3248, Ripple (XRP) slumped by 0.6 per cent to $1.06, and Cardano (ADA) lost 0.6 per cent to close at $0.1589.
On the flip side, Ethereum (ETH) appreciated by 0.5 per cent to $1,784.26, Dogecoin (DOGE) grew by 0.2 per cent to $0.073, and Binance Coin (BNB) jumped by 0.2 per cent to $569.23, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) traded flat at $1.00 apiece.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Brent jumped to $83 per barrel on Monday after the United States announced a fresh blockade that reignited concerns over energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
The international crude benchmark soared by $7.29 or 9.59 per cent to $83.30 per barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained $6.73 or 9.42 per cent to trade at $78.14 a barrel.
US President Donald Trump announced that he would reinstate a blockade on Iran, forcing traders to once again price in the risk of prolonged disruption to energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz. The blockade, due to begin on Tuesday, will cover Iran’s entire coastline, ports and oil terminals, as well as all vessels regardless of flag.
The US President also said vessels receiving protection while transiting Hormuz would reimburse the country through a 20 per cent charge on cargoes, Reuters reported.
President Trump’s idea would mean that a 20 per cent fee on a supertanker that carries about 2 million barrels of crude at $80 per barrel would be equivalent to around $32 million, or an additional cost of $16 per barrel.
“This is significantly higher than the $1/bbl toll for which Iran has been pushing,” ING’s strategists said.
The proposal was also criticised by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) because international law does not provide for mandatory transit fees through straits used for international navigation. Energy companies have also rejected similar proposals previously advanced by Tehran, arguing that freedom of navigation remains a cornerstone of global maritime trade.
Iran’s top joint military command had earlier said it would not allow the US to intervene in the management of the strait, and any attempt by the US to transit without its authorisation would be confronted.
Analysts now expect countries to work on ways to permanently bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Goldman Sachs estimated that expanding pipeline capacity in the Middle East could shield more than 60 per cent of pre-war Gulf oil exports from any future Hormuz disruptions by the end of 2028.
The bank’s base-case forecast assumes pipeline capacity bypassing Hormuz will rise by 3.8 million barrels per day by end-2027 and 7.3 million barrels per day cumulatively by end-2028, taking total effective bypass capacity to more than 14 million barrels per day by end-2028.
The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has trimmed its 2026 global oil demand growth forecast for the third straight month, even as crude production rebounds across the Gulf and tanker traffic slowly returns to the Strait of Hormuz.
In its monthly oil market report released Monday, OPEC lowered expected oil demand growth this year to 780,000 barrels per day, down another 190,000 barrels per day from last month’s forecast. The producer group still expects stronger consumption than many other forecasters, including the International Energy Agency, and even raised its demand growth estimate for 2027 by 210,000 barrels per day to 1.94 million barrels per day.
