Economy
Nigeria to Become Urea Exporter in 2028—NMDPRA Chief
By Adedapo Adesanya
The chief executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, has declared that Nigeria would become a urea-exporting nations within the next 24 months.
Mr Mohammed made the assertion during an operational visit to key midstream and downstream facilities in Port Harcourt, including the Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals Complex, as part of an executive regulatory activity mandated by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), 2021.
According to him, the expansion of facilities at Indorama and other major investments, such as the Dangote Fertiliser Plant, signal a turning point for Nigeria’s oil and gas value chain.
“We have no business importing any of those things,” the NMDPRA chief said. “With the expansion of what is going on today at Indorama and many other places, including Dangote Fertilisers, I am sure that in the next 24 months Nigeria will join the league of urea-exporting countries, and that is where we should be.”
He described the midstream segment of the oil and gas industry as a critical but capital-intensive area that requires between $30 billion and $50 billion in investments to position Nigeria as a regional hub, not only for oil and gas, but also for secondary derivatives and value-added products. These, he said, include fertilisers, urea, and other products derived from hydrocarbon resources.
“What we have seen in Indorama is really a manifestation of what Nigeria needs to have. We need a lot of these in the midstream—fertiliser plants and every value-addition opportunity from our hydrocarbon sources. That is what the nation needs to propel growth.”
He acknowledged that while such ambitions had existed for years, progress had been slow due to various challenges; however, he noted that effective partnerships with the private sector were now yielding tangible results.
“Today, we have found the right footsteps in partnership with the private sector. Indorama has really shown us that growth is growth, and we can continue to grow in that same direction,” he said.
The NMDPRA boss explained that the visit to facilities in Rivers State was aimed at assessing the operational status and availability of critical midstream and downstream infrastructure, reviewing alignment between the regulator and its licensees, and engaging investors to ensure optimal regulatory support. Other objectives include improving regulatory operational excellence, promoting health and safety standards, and presenting the Nigerian public with an accurate assessment of sector operations.
He noted that Rivers State remains a strategic hub for the industry, with diverse facilities spanning gas processing, manufacturing, and refining. “There is no sample that we cannot take here,” he said.
“If we want to see gas processing, manufacturing, or refining, we can. We selected just a few facilities to have an overview of what is going on, but we cannot do that in only three days. I will be coming back because there are many industries within Rivers State that we still need to cover,” he added.
Mr Mohammed stressed that the role of the Authority is to facilitate investments by creating an enabling environment that allows operators to expand while attracting new investors.
He added that the executive regulatory exercise, which has commenced in the South-South region, will be replicated across the country under his leadership.
The CEO of Indorama, Mr Munish Jindal, described the visit by the NMDPRA leadership as timely and highly significant. He said regulatory visits help authorities gain a firsthand understanding of operations and the progress made on the ground.
“These visits are always very important,” Jindal said. “It is important for the regulator to come and see with their own eyes what is happening and understand the changes that have been brought. We are highly appreciative that since assuming office, Engr. Saidu Aliyu Mohammed has visited with his full team to see and visualise what has been delivered here in the last 20 years.”
Mr Jindal recalled that the NMDPRA chief had been involved in the sector since the early days of the Eleme Petrochemicals Company Limited (EPCL), when plans for Phase 2 and Phase 3 expansions were conceived. “Those dreams have been delivered today by Indorama,” he noted.
He also commended regulatory authorities for their improved understanding of the midstream industry over the years, describing it as critical to the sector’s growth. While expressing support for the new regulatory leadership, Jindal disclosed that Indorama had raised concerns over certain regulatory requirements which, in the company’s view, are no longer relevant to manufacturing-focused midstream operators.
“We have made a keen request to the Authority to kindly look into some issues that may not be relevant to the manufacturing industry and consider granting exemptions where necessary,” he said.
The NMDPRA said it remains committed to ensuring that the objectives of the Federal Government and the Nigerian people are fully reflected in the business outlooks of key industry stakeholders, as the country pursues its ambition of becoming both an energy hub and a centre for oil and gas derivatives in Africa.
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.
