Economy
NGX All-Share Index Closes at 42,038.60 points After 0.18% Rise
By Dipo Olowookere
The nation’s main stock exchange closed 0.18 per cent higher on Friday amid sustained bargain hunting by investors, especially in the energy and financial sectors.
Data from the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited showed that the oil/gas space grew by 2.10 per cent yesterday and was trailed by the insurance counter, which appreciated by 1.47 per cent.
In addition, the banking sector improved by 1.23 per cent, the industrial goods index appreciated by 0.34 per cent, while the consumer goods sector depreciated by 0.42 per cent.
At the close of business, the All-Share Index (ASI) increased by 77.46 points to 42,038.60 points from 41,961.14 points, while the market capitalisation went up by N41 billion to N21.939 trillion from N21.898 trillion.
Business Post reports that investor sentiment was positive yesterday as the market breadth finished with 32 appreciating equities as against 19 depreciating stocks.
On top of the gainers’ chart was Guinness Nigeria, which rose by 10.00 per cent to finish at N36.30, followed by Custodian Investment, which gained 9.74 per cent to trade at N8.45.
AIICO Insurance appreciated by 9.73 per cent to sell for N1.24, University Press rose by 9.60 per cent to N2.17, while Wema Bank gained 9.46 per cent to quote at 81 kobo.
Conversely, Regency Assurance closed as the heaviest price loser with a price depreciation of 9.76 per cent to trade at 37 kobo, followed by CWG, which lost 9.60 per cent to quote at N1.13.
Sovereign Trust Insurance went down by 8.33 per cent to 22 kobo, Royal Exchange declined by 5.66 per cent to 50 kobo, while Dangote Sugar fell by 5.56 per cent to N17.00.
Yesterday, there was a significant increase in the level of activity buoyed by off-market transactions in Eterna and FBN Holdings, though the larger part of it was from the former.
A total of 801.3 million stocks of Eterna worth N10.8 billion exchanged hands during the session (with about 794 million units as the cross deal), while 57.0 million shares of FBN Holdings valued at N645.1 million were traded (with about 10 million as the off-market deal).
Furthermore, Transcorp recorded the sale of 27.9 million units worth N29.8 million, Wema Bank transacted 23.5 million equities valued at N18.5 million, while AIICO Insurance exchanged 21.8 million shares worth N27.0 million.
When trading activities were brought to an end on Friday, the volume of shares transacted by investors rose by 102.14 per cent to 1.1 billion units from the preceding day’s 558.9 million units.
Also, the value of the trades appreciated by 212.85 per cent to N13.8 billion from N4.4 billion, while the number of deals increased by 14.07 per cent to 5,342 deals from 4,683 deals.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
In the first quarter of its financial year ended June 30, 2026, Airtel Africa Plc showed resilience in the midst of challenging operating environments, churning out strong operating performance with accelerating customer base growth across all segments.
It was observed that the total customer base in Q1 2027 increased by 11.6 per cent to 189 million, with data customers rising by 15.5 per cent to 87.3 million.
In addition, data usage per customer continued its upward trajectory, rising from 7.8 GB to 10.6 GB per month over the past year, translating into a 56.3 per cent increase in data traffic across the network, underpinning a 10.3 per cent growth in constant currency data ARPU. Smartphone penetration was the key enabler of this increased traffic as penetration increased to 51.0 per cent as digital adoption of our services continues.
A look at the financial performance indicated that revenue in reported currency grew by 31.0 per cent to $1.85 billion, reflecting constant currency growth of 21.1 per cent and macroeconomic tailwinds supporting currency appreciation.
All segments continued to see double-digit constant currency revenue growth, with mobile services revenue growing by 19.1 per cent, and mobile money growing by 25.8 per cent.
Across mobile services, voice continued to see strong constant currency growth of 11.2 per cent and data revenue grew by 27.2 per cent.
In East Africa and Francophone Africa, constant currency revenues grew by 17.8 per cent and 18.0 per cent, respectively, while Nigerian revenues grew by 29.8 per cent, fully reflecting the lapping effect of the tariff adjustments which were implemented in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Constant currency EBITDA went up by 24.4 per cent, with reported currency EBITDA of $928 million growing by 36.6 per cent. The Q1’27 EBITDA margin of 50.1 per cent, an increase of 206bps year-on-year, continues to reflect the success of the company’s ongoing cost optimisation programme, despite the recent energy cost inflation arising from geopolitical developments.
The post-tax profit improved to $198 million from $156 million in the prior period, with higher profit after tax in the current period driven by elevated operating profit partially offset by derivative and foreign exchange losses of $6 million in the current period compared to $22 million derivative and foreign exchange gains in the prior period.
Furthermore, Profit after tax was impacted by the recognition of an exceptional finance cost of $37 million following an in-principle settlement reached during the quarter in respect of a commercial dispute in one of the group’s subsidiaries.
Commenting on the results, the chief executive of Airtel Africa, Mr Sunil Taldar, said, “We have started this year with another pleasing performance. Our continued focus on the customer experience translated into accelerating customer base growth across all business segments.
“As we continue to digitise our business, we are streamlining customer journeys, increasing digital adoption and harnessing data and AI to improve service delivery and support a strong, sustainable growth profile.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
One of the nation’s top brewers, Guinness Nigeria Plc, is paying an interim dividend of N7 per share to its shareholders for the period ended June 30, 2026.
The funds should, on August 10, 2026, hit the bank accounts of investors whose names appear in the Register of Members as of the close of business on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, a regulatory note from the organisation disclosed.
The firm has informed shareholders who have yet to complete the e-dividend registration to download the Registrar’s E-Dividend Mandate Activation Form, which is also available on its website, so as not to be left out of the cash reward for the first half of this year.
In the first six months of 2026, Guinness Nigeria grew its net profit by 53.33 per cent to N25.3 billion from N16.5 billion in the same period of 2025, amid improved top line and better management of administrative, marketing and distribution costs.
The revenue for the period under consideration rose to N265.0 billion from N237.0 billion, boosted by domestic sales of its products, which accounted for N260.9 billion compared with N237.0 billion a year earlier. The balance was from its export sales. This showed that over 98 per cent of the company’s earnings are from sales in Nigeria.
In the first half of the year, Guinness Nigeria improved its gross profit to N97.5 billion from N89.4 billion in the same period of 2025, as its finance income, arising from financial assets and others, stood at N1.2 billion compared with N110.7 million in H1 of 2026.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has reaffirmed its commitment to mobilising domestic capital to finance Nigeria’s long-term development, saying stronger local investment will be critical to accelerating economic transformation and attracting private sector participation.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, stated this while speaking at the 6th Annual General Assembly of the Association of Nigerian Development Finance Institutions (ANDFI) in Abuja on Thursday.
The Minister’s remarks were contained in a statement on Friday, July 24, by his Senior Special Assistant on Communications and Press Secretary, Mrs Maryann Duke.
Addressing the conference with the theme, Unlocking Domestic Capital for Development Financing, Mr Oyedele said Nigeria must harness its domestic financial resources and strengthen institutions that can channel capital into productive sectors of the economy.
He noted that despite increasingly difficult global financing conditions, the country possesses substantial domestic savings, institutional assets and private capital that can be leveraged to fund infrastructure, industrialisation, agriculture, housing, innovation and other critical sectors.
According to the minister, domestic capital should not be viewed as an alternative to foreign investment but as the foundation for attracting sustainable international investment.
“Our focus is to build an economy where confidence leads capital. By strengthening macroeconomic stability, deepening our financial markets and empowering development finance institutions to catalyse private investment, we are unlocking Nigeria’s enormous domestic potential to finance inclusive and sustainable growth,” Mr Oyedele said.
He said the federal government’s ongoing economic reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda are beginning to deliver positive outcomes, including improved investor confidence, stronger external reserves, enhanced revenue generation and renewed international confidence in Nigeria’s economy.
The Minister identified five priority areas for unlocking domestic capital, including expanding investment opportunities for households, deepening institutional capital through pension and insurance assets, strengthening credit enhancement mechanisms, broadening local currency financing through the capital market, and building stronger development finance institutions capable of attracting larger volumes of private investment.
Mr Oyedele also called on development finance institutions to move beyond conventional lending by helping to structure bankable projects, reduce investment risks, support policy reforms and create financing ecosystems that encourage greater private sector participation.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to working with development finance institutions, financial regulators, investors and development partners to develop a financing framework that will support businesses, create jobs, accelerate industrialisation and promote inclusive economic growth across the country.
