Economy
Moody’s Downgrades Seplat, Two Others
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The ratings of three non-financial corporates in Nigeria have been downgraded by Moody’s Investors Service on the back of the weakening of the federal government’s credit profile.
The affected organisations are Seplat Energy Plc, Dangote Cement Plc, and IHS Holding Limited.
In a statement issued on Friday, the rating agency said it has also repositioned the national scale corporate family rating (CFR) of Dangote Cement to A3.ng from Aa3.ng to reflect the mapping of Global Scale Ratings to National Scale Ratings.
Moody’s noted that though the corporates have relatively prudent financial policies, adequate liquidity, moderate to low leverage and strong business profiles, they are still constrained by the foreign currency country ceiling because they are materially exposed to Nigeria’s economic, political, legal, fiscal and regulatory environment.
Seplat is less exposed to convertibility risk, given most of its revenue is paid in dollars. However, its export dollar oil revenue must be repatriated back into Nigeria within 90 days of receipt, after which Seplat can transfer these US dollar funds back into offshore bank accounts, the rating firm said.
It stated that to date, Seplat has had no restrictions imposed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the company targets 70 per cent of total cash balances in Dollars and 70 per cent of that in offshore accounts.
Seplat’s $650 million senior unsecured notes are due in 2026, and the company has a good liquidity profile supported by $305 million of cash on the balance sheet and full access to the $350 million undrawn revolving credit facility as of September 2022.
As for Dangote Cement, Moody’s said its high proportion of dollar debt in the capital structure exposes the company to currency convertibility risk.
It noted that while the cement firm continues to grow its dollar revenue through exports and repatriation of dollar cash flow from its other African operations, it still relies on the CBN for foreign exchange (FX), which remains restricted.
The company’s liquidity profile is adequate but is exposed to ongoing refinancing risks because of the large portion of short-term debt equal to N326 billion, representing 60 per cent of total debt as of June 30, 2022. It also benefits from strong cash flow generation, with cash balances of N194 billion as of June 30, 2022.
As for IHS, the renowned rating company said its downgrade also reflects exposure to currency convertibility risk, which over time will weaken the company’s liquidity position if it is unable, for a prolonged period, to upstream cash flow generated in Nigeria to the group level.
IHS earns around 67 per cent of its EBITDA from Nigeria, denominated in Naira, but its contracts are either dollar-linked or have Naira CPI pricing escalators that allow the company to pass through most of the cost inflation or currency depreciation it is exposed to.
“Nevertheless, the fact that revenues are invoiced in Naira exposes the company to Dollar shortages in the country and the resulting convertibility risk.
“IHS serves its dollar bonds through cash upstreamed to the group by its international operations, the largest one of which is in Nigeria,” it said.
Moody’s noted that during the six months to June 2022, IHS upstreamed $147 million of cash from Nigeria, in addition to regular upstreams from other operating companies.
It said liquidity remains good and is supported by a cash balance of around $500 million outside of Nigeria as well as a $270 million fully available liquidity facility, which Moody’s expects will provide the company with adequate liquidity for the next 2-3 years even in the case it was unable to upstream any cash flow from Nigeria over this timeframe.
Recall that last week, Moody’s downgraded Nigeria’s local currency country ceiling to B1 from Ba3 and the foreign currency country ceiling to B3 from B2.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Stanbic IBTC Bank Nigeria Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for the Nigerian private sector in July 2026 contracted to 52.5 points from 53.4 points in June 2026, a statement made available to Business Post has shown.
This occurred despite the business environment sustaining its growth last month, with an increase in new orders experienced, as inflationary pressures softened, and output and employment modestly rising.
The Head of Equity Research West Africa at Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr Muyiwa Oni, said the PMI indicated that the private sector recorded its slowest since March 2026, as businesses also increased their input purchasing activity to keep up with current demand requirements and prepare for future workloads.
“Nigerian businesses reported improved customer demand in July while better pricing and new product launches also helped them to capture new orders arising from the increase in demand. These factors helped to keep the private sector activity in an expansionary territory, although this moderated when compared to June,” he was quoted as saying.
It was stated that while input costs increased at their slowest pace in five months, panellists reported higher costs for fuel and raw materials. Selling prices also softened in line with the picture for input costs in July.
Headline inflation eased slightly to 15.91 per cent y/y in June from 15.93 per cent y/y in May, snapping three consecutive months of price increases.
Although July inflation is likely to be higher m/m, it is expected to print lower, likely at 15.72 per cent y/y, primarily driven by favourable base effects from the corresponding period of last year, because there are no expectations of the magnitude of m/m inflation witnessed in July 2025 (1.99 per cent) to materialise this year.
“We retain our 2026 growth forecasts at 4.1 per cent as we see the oil sector growing by 3.45 per cent y/y in 2026, from 8.50 per cent y/y in 2025, while the non-oil sector is likely to grow by 4.11 per cent y/y, from 3.71 per cent y/y in 2025.
“The risks to our outlook include country-wide insecurity which may constrain food production, exchange rate pressures resurfacing, extreme-weather related conditions and higher fertiliser prices impacting crop yield, and a volatile global environment which may affect sentiment and constrain capital flows,” Mr Oni noted.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Sahara Upstream, a Nigeria-focused crude producer, has deployed a new 380,000-barrel tanker to boost exports from the OML 18 block as part of a wider push by domestic operators to invest in infrastructure and lift output and exports for Africa’s biggest oil producer.
The MT D Adesanya, which can hold more than 62,000 cubic metres of crude, will operate alongside the MT D Bayero, receiving crude from shuttle vessels at Bonny Anchorage, one of Nigeria’s main crude export hubs, before transferring it to the FSO Cawthorne storage facility.
Sahara said the tanker would help cut turnaround times, currently about 30 to 48 hours, and support a planned 50 per cent increase in exports from the block’s current level of about 950,000 barrels per month.
The block currently produces about 36,000 barrels per day, according to data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), with Sahara targeting output of 60,000 barrels per day.
OML 18 is one of the Niger Delta’s oldest producing assets. It began production in 1970 and contains an estimated 1.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent in reserves.
Shell, Total and Eni sold their combined interests to Eroton in 2015 as part of a broader shift toward domestic ownership in Nigeria’s upstream sector.
This development comes as Sahara Upstream is deepening its exploration and production footprint through Asharami Energy Limited (AEL), its upstream E&P business, which says it is targeting 350,000 barrels of oil per day by 2030 through its subsidiary, Enageed Resources Limited (ERL).
The growth target comes as AEL also marks a major safety milestone, achieving 6 million Lost Time Injury (LTI)-free man-hours in its OML-148 operations — reinforcing the company’s commitment to operational excellence and safety leadership.
According to Asharami Energy, the milestone reflects its ability to execute complex operations safely, in line with Sahara’s Beyond XXX vision, which builds on the group’s 30-year legacy of responsible enterprise while marking its next chapter of impact, innovation, and sustainable growth.
The developments position Sahara Upstream and its subsidiaries among the domestic operators driving increased investment in Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure, as the group works to scale up production and exports for Africa’s biggest oil producer.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
One of the leading energy firms in Nigeria, Aradel Holdings Plc, has expressed its desire to optimise its enlarged portfolio and improve operational efficiency in the second half of 2026.
The company is planning to build on the success it recorded in the first half of the year, where it grew its revenue by 577 per cent to N2.5 trillion from N368.1 billion in H1 2025.
The significant rise in earnings was driven by higher production volumes together with stronger realised crude oil and gas prices, with the average at $90.4/bbl and $2.08/mmscf, respectively.
In the period under review, the Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) increased by 688 per cent to N1.4 trillion from N176.4 billion in the corresponding period of last year, while the operating profit surged by 789 per cent to N1.1 trillion from N118.6 billion due to higher revenue and crude handling income at N149.8 billion, partly offset by underlift cost and general and administrative costs.
The net cash generated from operations was N975.6 billion between January and June 2026 versus N140.8 billion in the same period of 2025, reflecting the cash generation of the enlarged organisation.
The net debt contracted by 70 per cent on a year-to-date basis to N46.5 billion from N475.1 billion as of December 31, 2025.
Aradel, in the period under consideration, improved its post-tax profit by 30 per cent to N191.0 billion from N146.4 billion, a development that impressed its chief executive, Mr Adegbite Falade, who said, “A firmer price environment supported performance, generating net cash from operating activities of N975.6 billion and a closing cash balance of N1.7 trillion.”
“Our enlarged portfolio provides more opportunities to generate stronger cash flow and returns for shareholders and unlocking that potential is our main focus.
“We reaffirm our full year production guidance of 110 – 140 kboepd and remain committed to operating responsibly in a changing energy landscape and to delivering lasting value for our stakeholders,” he stated.
