Troubled Nigerian Loans Seen Spiking Before Economic Rebound

Troubled Nigerian Loans Seen Spiking Before Economic Rebound

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Access Bank Plc is predicting that the level of troubled loans in Nigeria will continue to climb before an economic recovery in the second half of the year brings relief to the country’s lenders. “Across the entire industry you’ll see an uptick in non-performing loan ratios,” Chief Executive Officer Herbert Wigwe said in an interview on Thursday in Lagos, the commercial hub. “We are better than most.” Nigeria’s fourth-largest bank by assets expects…

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Nigeria to Start Building Railway to Decades-Delayed Steel Plant

Nigeria to Start Building Railway to Decades-Delayed Steel Plant

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria plans to start construction this month of a railway linking its decades-delayed Ajaokuta steel plant to iron-ore mines and a port, as the government accelerates efforts to reduce the economy’s reliance on oil. Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, which won a contract in 2009 to build a 275-kilometer (171-mile) rail line, “should start work very soon, and completion is expected in about two years,” Ministry of Transport Permanent Secretary Sabiu Zakari said in an interview…

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Nigerian sovereign fund in credit tie-up to unlock infrastructure funding

Nigerian sovereign fund in credit tie-up to unlock infrastructure funding

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria’s sovereign wealth fund is setting up a company in partnership with London-based local currency guarantee firm GuarantCo to enable pension funds to invest in Nigerian infrastructure bonds, its chief executive said on Thursday. The new business will be launched in a few weeks’ time and aims to overcome some of the challenges facing the financing of infrastructure projects in Africa’s most populous nation. “The company will provide enhancements…

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Shell Pipeline Fire Threatens to Deepen Nigerian Oil Output Drop

Shell Pipeline Fire Threatens to Deepen Nigerian Oil Output Drop

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Royal Dutch Shell Plc shut the Trans Niger oil pipeline after a fire, threatening to worsen a drop in Nigerian output due to unplanned disruptions. The line can transport about 180,000 barrels a day to the Bonny Export Terminal in the Niger Delta was halted Tuesday due to a blaze at Kpor in Ogoniland, Precious Okolobo, a company spokesman in Lagos, said Thursday by phone. Shell declined to comment on the…

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OPEC Oil Output Slides in December Amid Nigeria Disruptions

OPEC Oil Output Slides in December Amid Nigeria Disruptions

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – OPEC’s crude production fell by 310,000 barrels a day in December, as unplanned disruptions in Nigeria reduced the group’s supply before deliberate cuts take effect this month. Nigeria’s daily output dropped by 200,000 barrels to 1.45 million in December, ending three months of gains as the African nation struggled to restore capacity after a year of militant attacks on oil infrastructure. Saudi Arabia’s production fell by 50,000 barrels a day…

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Nigerian Equities Down by 46bps, Profit-Taking in GTBank Continues

Nigerian Equities Down by 46bps, Profit-Taking in GTBank Continues

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Equities market closed negative today as the All Share Index (ASI) lost 46bps to settle at 26,495.04 points while YTD loss worsened to -1.4%. Consequently, investors lost N41.9bn as market capitalization settled at N9.1tn. The negative close can be attributed in sustained profit-taking in banking stocks – GUARANTY (-4.6%) and ETI (-2.4%) – and weaker appetite for WAPCO (-2.3%). Activity level was also thin as volume and value traded fell 41.7% and 36.5% to…

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Flour Mills, Nigeria benefits from Dollar Scarcity

Flour Mills, Nigeria benefits from Dollar Scarcity

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, the country’s biggest miller by market value, said a shortage of dollars in Africa’s most populous nation is boosting sales as buyers starved of the U.S. currency buy more food products locally. “Everyone is trying to see how to source locally and that is good’’ for Nigerian farmers and processors, Managing Director Paul Gbededo said in a Dec. 16 interview at the company’s corporate headquarters in Lagos,…

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