Business

Dangote Refinery Will Transform Our Downstream Sector – Ghana Petroleum Authority

Published

3 years ago

October 27, 2022

Eric

The Chief Executive Officer, National Petroleum Authority (NPA) of Ghana, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, said the coming on stream of 650,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) Dangote Petroleum Refinery will transform the Ghanaian downstream sector through the reduction in the cost of importation of petroleum products.

Speaking at the 16th Oil Trading and Logistics Expo in Lagos with the theme: “Regulating Downstream Energy Transition in Dynamic Times”, Abdul-Hamid said the completion of Dangote Petroleum Refinery project would be a breakthrough for the West African region which has for long depended on importation of petroleum products.

According to him, Ghana is presently facing the challenge of continuous rise in the cost of petroleum products, adding that getting importers to turn their attention towards Nigeria, rather than going all the way to Netherlands for petroleum products importation, would help his country stem the tide of a continuous increase in the price of fuel.

He stated: “The Dangote Petroleum Refinery will have a huge impact on Ghana downstream sector. Right now, the Ghana’s downstream industry is completely deregulated. There is no petrol subsidy in Ghana. For a deregulated market where the importers recover their cost fully, importing from Nigeria will certainly be more cost effective and cheaper than importing from Rotterdam in the Netherlands where we get the bulk of our fuel in Ghana.

“As we all know, the price build up for a litre of fuel will include the cost of shipment, transportation, insurance and others, but if we are importing from Nigeria into Ghana, this will bring down the cost of fuel in our country. Ghanaians are very excited about the prospect of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery. Ghana had in the past built a good relationship where we get petroleum products from Nigeria at a reasonable and more affordable cost. I believe that the coming on stream of Dangote Petroleum Refinery will further strengthen the existing relationship between Nigeria and Ghana.”

Abdul-Hamid said the Ghanaian government was also developing a 60 billion-dollar petroleum hub project on 20,000 acres in the western part of the country for storage and marine facilities.

“All the above-mentioned projects will help accelerate the petroleum hub, consisting of refineries, petrochemical development of the continent’s oil and gas resources, by connecting the downstream to the upstream. It will promote cleaner fossil fuels and biofuels as the pathway to a just energy transition. Gas has been accepted as the transition fuel because gas is the least carbon emitting fossil fuel”, he added.

Speaking also at the event, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Nigeria, Gabriel Aduda said deregulation would increase transparency in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry. He said full deregulation would also create healthy competition among investors.

Aduda, who was represented by Mr. Augustine Okwudiafor, the Deputy Director, Downstream Department, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, noted that deregulation would give business guaranty to potential investors at the stage of conceptualisation. According to him, deregulation would significantly reduce, if not eradicate completely, the diversion and smuggling of petroleum products across Nigerian boarders.

“All hands are on deck towards full deregulation of the downstream sector, as this will ensure commercialisation and liberalisation of the sector. It will also increase investment opportunities, create more jobs and promote seamless energy transition. All these measures and many more will cushion the projected impact of downstream sector deregulation on consumers and the economy at large,” he said.

He further said data was key in the Oil and Gas Industry, and that any reliable and accurate data would give investors a certain level of assurance.

“Hence, government is keen and determined to harmonise all downstream data across the relevant agencies and parastatals to eradicate data variations. Government, through the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, its agencies and Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, is considering enhanced technologies. They include Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to monitor and gather downstream data for effective policy formulation and investment guidance,” he said.

Aduda emphasised that oil also had a place in the energy transition space in the sense that oil could be made cleaner through the development and use of appropriate technologies. He said moving the downstream sector forward to that enviable position required collaborative efforts from all stakeholders. “I challenge you all to come along to move the downstream sector towards achieving the downstream we could all be proud of,” he added.

Business

NNPCL Slashes Fuel Price by N80

Published

2 days ago

December 19, 2025

Eric

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has effected another reduction in the pump price of petrol, marking the third cut this December.

A survey of filling stations in Abuja on Thursday showed that the state-owned oil company lowered the price to N835 per litre from N915, reflecting a N80 reduction.

The latest adjustment follows similar moves by independent marketers, including MRS, BOVAS and AA Rano, which recently reviewed their pump prices to between N739 and N865 per litre across the Federal Capital Territory.

Findings indicate that the downward review by NNPCL and other marketers was triggered by a drop in ex-depot prices, after Dangote Refinery and depot owners reduced rates to between N699 and N800 per litre.

NNPCL and several filling stations had earlier reduced fuel prices on December 4 and December 10, 2025, as competition and supply dynamics continued to influence pricing in the downstream sector.

Business

2025: UBA Group Dominates, Wins Banker Awards, Emerges Africa’s Bank of the Year, Third Time in Five Years

Published

2 weeks ago

December 8, 2025

Eric

Africa’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has once again, reaffirmed its leadership as one of the continent’s most innovative and resilient financial institutions, as the bank has, for the third time in five years, been named the African Bank of the year 2025 by the Banker.com.

UBA also won the Best Bank of the Year awards in nine of its 20 African subsidiaries, bringing its total awards this year to ten as UBA Benin, UBA Chad, UBA Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), UBA Liberia, UBA Mali, UBA Mozambique, UBA Senegal, UBA Sierra Leone, and UBA Zambia, all came out tops as the best banks in their respective countries, underscoring the bank’s strength across West, Central and Southern Africa and highlighting the depth of its Pan-African franchise.

The Banker.com, a leading global finance news publication published by the Financial Times of London, organises the annual Bank of the Year Awards, and this year’s edition was held at a grand ceremony at the Peninsula, London, on Wednesday.

The Chief Executive Officer, UBA UK, Deji Adeyelure, received the awards on behalf of the bank, representing the Group Managing Director/CEO, Oliver Alawuba, and was accompanied by the bank’s Head Business Development, Mark Ifashe, and Head, Financial Institutions, Shilpam Jha.

The Banker’s awards are widely regarded as the most respected and rigorous in the global banking industry, celebrating institutions that demonstrate outstanding performance, innovation and strategic execution.

In its remarks on UBA’s winnings, the banker.com said, “For the third time in five years, UBA Group has won the coveted Bank of the Year award for Africa. UBA Group time after time punches above its weight against its larger African rivals. The bank this year also takes home nine separate country awards (one more than it gained for its last continental win in 2024), equivalent to around a quarter of the awards for the continent, and more than any of its continent-wide rivals.”

Continuing, it said, “Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that the awards were won across a broad geographic spread, going to lenders based in the Economic Community of West African States (Benin, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and former member Mali), the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (Chad, Republic of Congo) and the Southern African Development Community (Mozambique, Zambia). Its award wins were particularly notable in the highly competitive categories for Benin and Mozambique.”

The Banker also highlighted UBA’s strong financial performance and commitment to future growth. In 2024, the Group recorded a 46.8 per cent increase in assets and a 6.1 per cent rise in pre-tax profits in local currency terms, while continuing to invest significantly in talent and technology. West Africa remains UBA’s heartland, with operating revenue and profit increasing by 87 per cent and 89 per cent respectively in H1 2025.

The bank’s digital and innovation leadership was equally recognised. During the year under review, and launched its Advance Top-Up buy-now-pay-later feature on the *919# USSD platform, expanding financial access for customers, while the bank’s chatbot Leo continued its strong growth trajectory, with transaction volumes rising by 29 per cent year-on-year in H1 2025. Notably, in August, Leo became the first African banking chatbot to enable cross-border payments via the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS).

UBA’s Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Alawuba, while reacting to the achievement, said the recognition affirms the bank’s long-term strategy and customer-first philosophy.

“This honour reflects the strength of our Pan-African network, the trust of our customers, and the dedication of our people. Winning Africa’s Bank of the Year for the third time in five years is not by chance; it is a testament to disciplined execution, innovation, and a deep understanding of the markets we serve,” Alawuba said.

“Our nine country awards across diverse regions of Africa show that UBA is not just growing, but growing with impact. We remain committed to driving financial inclusion, supporting economic development, and deploying technology that makes banking simpler, faster, and more accessible to Africans everywhere,” he added.

United Bank for Africa is one of the largest employers in the financial sector on the African continent, with 25,000 employees group-wide and serving over 45 million customers globally. Operating in twenty African countries, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France and the United Arab Emirates, UBA provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services, leading financial inclusion and implementing cutting-edge technology.

Business

ConOil, TotalEnergies Sign Massive Production Contract to Boost Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Output

Published

1 month ago

November 13, 2025

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

In a bid to boost Nigeria’s oil and gas output, Conoil Producing Limited has partnered Total Energies Limited to sign a massive production contract.

The contract-signing ceremony, which took place on Thursday, at LA DEFENSE, in Paris, France, saw the Chairman of Conoil Producing, and Commander of the French Légion d’Honneur (CdrLR), Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr., signing on behalf of Conoil while the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TotalEnergies, Mr. Patrick Pouyanné, signed for TotalEnergies, in whose headquarters office served as the venue of the event.

Details soon…