Economy
Lebanon Int’l Oil & Gas Summit Returns to Beirut
By Dipo Olowookere
Leading oil and gas industry executives and experts from across the East Mediterranean will gather in Beirut this May, to gain invaluable insight to the newly presented opportunities in Lebanon’s energy sector, the challenges and the road ahead for companies and investors in the field.
Organizers of the Lebanon International Oil & Gas (LIOG) Summit have confirmed that the event will return 9 -10 May 2017 for its third edition, at the prestigious Hilton Beirut Habtoor Grand Hotel, under the high patronage of Cesar Abi Khalil, Lebanon’s minister of energy and water, and in collaboration with the Lebanese Petroleum Administration (LPA).
The summit will highlight the recent progress by Lebanon’s new government to advance its vast oil and gas potential after developing highly advanced world-class regulatory and operational frameworks for this nascent industry.
Launched in 2012 to support Lebanon’s initial findings and to explore the potential of the country’s hydrocarbon resources, LIOG 2017 will build on the success of its previous editions which attracted hundreds of delegates and dozens of high-calibre speakers from over 30 countries representing over 150 local and international companies and organizations, including major international oil companies (IOCs).
Held under the theme ‘Lebanon – Moving Forward’, LIOG 2017 will cover key areas with over 30 Lebanese, regional and international expert speakers who will share their insight on Lebanon’s position as a key hydrocarbons player in the Mediterranean, highlighting recent achievements, showing the new potential of the country and providing delegates with an overview of the legal, financial and technical frameworks.
Also, they will share insight on current and expected market conditions and regional geopolitics, along with their impact on Lebanon. In-depth discussions will cover issues like providing return on investment even with low hydrocarbon prices and drawing on international experiences, particularly in terms of turning such challenges into opportunities for all stakeholders and the many benefits that Lebanon has to offer and how has the country restated itself as an attractive destination for oil and gas investments.
All the above subjects will be presented in a well-structured, rich programme, held over two consecutive days.
In addition to the prequalified companies for Lebanon’s first licensing round, participants will include a wide range of service providers including drilling and well servicing contractors; engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors; banks and insurers; specialized law firms; HSE consultants and suppliers, and more.
Paul Gilbert, Managing Director organising company, Global Events Partners Ltd (GEP), said, “Following the recent approval by Lebanon’s council of ministers of the two crucial decrees and the official launch of the sector, everything is now in place for the Lebanese government to go ahead with the long-awaited first licensing round. We strongly believe that LIOG 2017 Summit has a pivotal role in this exercise, particularly in terms of promoting the country’s potentials and drawing investors.”
Dory Renno, Managing Director of the co-organising company, Planners and Partners S.A.L. added, “We believe in Lebanon and in its business climate, which makes it a great place for the conferences and exhibitions industry, We also strongly believe that successful conferences like LIOG reflect a positive image about Lebanon as an attractive investment arena, and highlight the many achievements by the government in terms of creating the right operational frameworks and promoting transparency in a sustainable manner.”
Renno added; “The Summit will also boast an international exhibition showcasing the latest products and services available by local, regional and international companies and organizations, and provide a unique branding opportunity for exhibitors.”
Lebanon, which is believed to have sizable hydrocarbon resources, has recently announced that five offshore blocks will be on offer in its first licensing round which is expected to take place during 2017.
Over 46 international companies were prequalified in 2013, and a new prequalification round is expected to take place in March 2017.
The 3rd LIOG-2017 Summit is organised by UK-based Global Events Partners Ltd (GEP) and Lebanese partner, Planners and Partners sal. Global Event Partners Ltd is affiliated to the dmg::events network.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange recorded a 0.65 per cent gain on Friday, December 13, boosted by three equities admitted on the trading platform.
On the last trading session of the week, Okitipupa Plc appreciated by N2.70 to settle at N29.74 per share versus Thursday’s closing price of N27.04 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc added N2.49 to end the session at N42.85 per unit compared with the previous day’s N40.36 per unit, and Afriland Properties Plc gained 50 Kobo to close at N16.30 per share, in contrast to the preceding session’s N15.80 per share.
Consequently, the market capitalisation added N6.89 billion to settle at N1.062 trillion compared with the preceding day’s N1.055 trillion and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) gained 19.66 points to wrap the session at 3,032.16 points compared with 3,012.50 points recorded in the previous session.
Yesterday, the volume of securities traded by investors increased by 171.6 per cent to 1.2 million units from the 447,905 units recorded a day earlier, but the value of shares traded by the market participants declined by 19.3 per cent to N2.4 million from the N3.02 million achieved a day earlier, and the number of deals went down by 14.3 per cent to 18 deals from 21 deals.
At the close of business, Geo-Fluids Plc was the most active stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with a turnover of 1.7 billion units worth N3.9 billion, followed by Okitipupa Plc with the sale of 752.2 million units valued at N7.8 billion, and Afriland Properties Plc with 297.3 million units sold for N5.3 million.
In the same vein, Aradel Holdings Plc remained the most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis with the sale of 108.7 million units for N89.2 billion, trailed by Okitipupa Plc with 752.2 million units valued at N7.8 billion, and Afriland Properties Plc with a turnover of 297.3 million units worth N5.3 billion.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira appreciated further against the United States Dollar at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) by N1.50 or 0.09 per cent to close at N1,533.00/$1 on Friday, December 13 versus the N1,534.50/$1 it was transacted on Thursday.
The local currency has continued to benefit from the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System (EFEMS) introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) this month.
The implementation of the forex system comes with diverse implications for all segments of the financial markets that deal with FX, including the rebound in the value of the Naira across markets.
The system instantly reflects data on all FX transactions conducted in the interbank market and approved by the CBN.
Market analysts say the publication of real-time prices and buy-sell orders data from this system has lent support to the Naira in the official market and tackled speculation.
In the official market yesterday, the domestic currency improved its value against the Pound Sterling by N12.58 to wrap the session at N1,942.19/£1 compared with the previous day’s N1,954.77/£1 and against the Euro, it gained N2.44 to close at N1,612.85/€1 versus Thursday’s closing price of N1,610.41/€1.
At the black market, the Nigerian Naira appreciated against the greenback on Friday by N30 to sell for N1,650/$1 compared with the preceding session’s value of N1,680/$1.
Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market was largely positive as investors banked on recent signals, including fresh support from US President-elect, Mr Donald Trump, as well as interest rate cuts by the European Central Bank (ECB).
Ripple (XRP) added 7.3 per cent to sell at $2.49, Binance Coin (BNB) rose by 3.5 per cent to $728.28, Cardano (ADA) expanded by 2.4 per cent to trade at $1.11, Litecoin (LTC) increased by 2.3 per cent to $122.56, Bitcoin (BTC) gained 1.9 per cent to settle at $101,766.17, Dogecoin (DOGE) jumped by 1.2 per cent to $0.4064, Solana (SOL) soared by 0.7 per cent to $226.15 and Ethereum (ETH) advanced by 0.6 per cent to $3,925.35, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchanged at $1.00 each.
By Dipo Olowookere
For the fourth consecutive trading session, the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited closed higher on Friday by 0.63 per cent on sustained renewed buying pressure.
Apart from the energy and industrial goods sectors which closed flat, every other sector ended in the green territory, according to data obtained from the bourse.
Business Post reports that the insurance index appreciated by 1.52 per cent, the banking space improved by 0.63 per cent, and the consumer goods counter expanded by 0.46 per cent.
As a result, the All-Share Index (ASI) gained 617.47 points to settle at 99,378.06 points compared with the preceding day’s 98,760.59 points and the market capitalisation went up by 375 billion to close at N60.242 trillion, in contrast to Thursday’s closing value of N59.867 trillion.
The volume of transactions on Customs Street yesterday grew by 11.13 per cent to 544.2 million shares from the 489.7 million shares transacted a day earlier.
The value of transactions increased during the session by 49.30 per cent to N10.6 billion from N7.1 billion and the number of deals went up by 1.93 per cent to 8,464 deals from the 8,304 deals posted in the previous trading session.
The busiest equity for the trading day was Japaul with the sale of 71.7 million units valued at N158.0 million, eTranzact exchanged 70.7 million units worth N477.5 million, Tantalizers sold 57.3 million units for N101.2 million, FCMB traded 33.0 million units worth N297.3 million, and Universal Insurance transacted 27.1 million units valued at N9.6 million.
A total of 36 stocks ended on the gainers’ chart, while 15 stocks finished on the losers’ table, indicating a positive market breadth index and strong investor sentiment.
The trio of Aradel Holdings, Ikeja Hotel and Caverton gained 10.00 per cent each to trade at N550.00, N8.80, and N1.98, respectively, as Africa Prudential rose by 9.87 per cent to N17.25 and Golden Guinea Breweries soared by 9.64 per cent to N8.64.
On the flip side, Austin Laz lost 10.00 per cent to close at N1.62, ABC Transport crashed by 8.00 per cent to N1.15, Royal Exchange slumped by 7.69 per cent to 60 Kobo, Secure Electronic Technology plunged by 5.26 per cent to 54 Kobo, and The Initiates crumbled by 4.26 per cent to N2.25.
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