By Adedapo Adesanya

Oil prices climbed about 7 per cent on Wednesday as airstrikes resumed in the Middle East, raising fresh worries about supplies.

Brent futures soared by $6.65 or 7.91 per cent to $90.74 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained $5.20 or 6.56% to trade at $84.46 a barrel.

The US and Saudi Arabia launched strikes on Iran-backed groups in Iraq on Wednesday, blaming them for drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities.

This came after the American military said it had averted a surprise Iranian attack on US troops in the region while Iran ​said it had fired on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and at American bases in Jordan.

In Egypt, explosions hit ⁠a natural gas loading port on the Mediterranean Sea, and British maritime security company Ambrey said a US-owned floating storage tanker there had ​been hit by a drone. Saudi Arabia had already begun rerouting crude exports through Egypt’s SUMED pipeline to bypass the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint.

US President Donald Trump reiterated that the US would “hit Iran hard” following an attack on a US base in Jordan.

Iran-backed Houthis are also weighing imposing fees on commercial shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and US-Saudi forces launched fresh strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen.

Reuters reported that China has held direct talks ​with the group to enable ⁠its tankers to sail through the region without being attacked.

Iran rejected a proposal from Oman to evenly share control of the lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, as it demands to control most of the critical oil and Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) chokepoint.

Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department said it has issued another round of Iran-related sanctions, taking aim at the country’s efforts to “monetise the Strait of Hormuz” with designations of 10 entities and eight more tankers.

Crude oil inventories in the US saw a decrease of 7.2 million barrels during the week ending July 24, according to new data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) released on Wednesday.

Figures from the American Petroleum Institute (API) that were released a day earlier, reporting that crude oil inventories had fallen by 3.296 million barrels in the period.

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies (OPEC+) is likely to halt oil output increases for three months starting in October, after the producer group completes the scheduled return of barrels following voluntary cuts.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

HBM Nigeria Plc, formerly Lafarge Africa Plc, recorded a 31 per cent surge in revenue in the first half of 2026 by 31 per cent as a result of an 11 per cent jump in volume growth, enhanced operational stability and improvement in distribution efficiency.

Also, in the first six months of this year, the cement maker grew its operating profit by 51 per cent to N291 billion after sustained efficiency gains across the business, while operating margin soared to 43 per cent from 37 per cent in H1 2025, with the net profit increasing by 57 per cent to N208 billion.

HBM Nigeria is a leading provider of innovative building solutions and manufacturer of a wide range of cement, ready mix, mortar and Plaster of Paris brands.

“Our H1 2026 performance demonstrates the continued strength of our business and the successful execution of our strategic priorities. These results reflect disciplined cost management, operational excellence, and prudent financial stewardship.

“We are focused on further improving supply reliability, advancing our cost leadership agenda, driving innovation, accelerating our sustainability initiatives, and maintaining the highest standards of health and safety,” the chief executive of HBM Nigeria, Mr Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, disclosed.

He assured that the cement firm would remain focused on building on a strong operational momentum by leveraging the industrial and technical expertise of Huaxin Building Materials Ltd to drive operational excellence and improve efficiency across the business.

In light of this, HBM Nigeria has commenced the engineering design for its third production line at Calabar, a state-of-the-art 3-million-ton integrated cement facility. The project is progressing through the requisite development processes, with completion expected within 12 months following commencement of construction.

On HBM Nigeria’s business outlook for the rest of the year, Mr Alade-Akinyemi said, “Nigeria’s demand outlook for cement remains positive, supported by ongoing infrastructure development, urbanisation, and resilient activity across the construction sector, despite a dynamic global operating environment.”

“As macroeconomic conditions continue to improve, we expect demand across our key market segments to remain supportive of sustainable growth.

“We plan to continue focusing on capturing volume growth opportunities while maintaining disciplined cost management and operational excellence to strengthen profitability and preserve margins.

“The company remains well positioned to create sustainable long-term value for its shareholders and all stakeholders by leveraging its resilient operating platform, a strong balance sheet, and disciplined execution of strategic priorities,” he stated.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The management of Africa Prudential Plc has charted five strategic priorities to drive the company’s growth through the second half of 2026.

These goals were announced by the organisation at its investor call, attended by various stakeholders in the capital market.

Addressing participants at the call on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, the chief executive of Africa Prudential, Ms Catherine Nwosu, said one of these priorities is delivering sustainable business growth through core registrar and new business lines.

She listed others as accelerating product and service innovation leveraging technology, strengthening Africa Prudential’s brand equity and market leadership, investing in talent development and organisational capability, and deepening corporate governance and institutional excellence.

At the event, a key question from investors focused on the company’s ability to sustain earnings growth in an environment where interest rates may begin to moderate.

In her response, Ms Nwosu said, “Interest rates influence our treasury income positively, but that is why we are deliberately diversifying our revenue streams. Our strategy is to grow recurring fee-based business lines such as our digital solutions, KYC services, AGM technology, Probate services, and the SabiVest mobile app. Over time, this will reduce our reliance on interest income and create a more balanced and resilient earnings mix.”

“With capital market activity nearly doubling over the past year, demand for seamless digital investor experiences, improved market efficiency, and stronger compliance standards continues to grow.

“We are investing in technology-enabled solutions that position us to capitalise on these opportunities while delivering sustainable value to our shareholders,” she added.

In the first half of 2026, Africa Prudential, a leading provider of share registration services and capital market solutions, reported another strong performance, demonstrating strong corporate governance and resilience, and the effectiveness of its growth strategy despite an evolving macroeconomic environment.

Its gross earnings grew by 27 per cent to N4.28 billion from N3.34 billion in the same period of the previous year, while net operating income rose by 27 per cent to N4.21 billion.

In H1 2026, profit before tax soared by 22 per cent to N2.41 billion, while the profit after tax surged by 18 per cent to N1.59 billion, with total assets expanding by 13 per cent to N46.53 billion, and shareholders’ fund also up by 13 per cent to N12.52 billion.

It was observed that the impressive results were driven by sustained growth in the company’s core registrar business, increased corporate action activities across the Nigerian capital market, stronger treasury performance supported by the prevailing interest rate environment, and increasing adoption of Africa Prudential’s technology-enabled solutions.

Beyond the numbers, management reaffirmed Africa Prudential’s strategic evolution from a traditional registrar into a diversified technology and business solutions company serving the broader capital market ecosystem.