Joe Biden appoints Nigerian-born Funmi Olorunnipa Badejo as Counsel
Global Credit Rating reaffirms Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc ‘A-‘rating
Notore chemicals shuts down 500,000 MTPA fertiliser plant for turn around maintenance
Daily Parallel Market Exchange Rate – ₦470/$1
CBN issues framework for QR payments
COVID-19 Update in Nigeria
Daily Parallel Market Exchange Rate – ₦470/$1
Prices of local rice, onions, tomatoes, others crash as foreign rice continues to ease off
Elon Musk’s wealth jumps in 2021, more than top 5 billionaires combined
MTN, SEPLAT, ARDOVA, rally Nigerian stocks up
Business News
Transportation receives fresh boost as FG okays $2.3 billion coastal rail project
The Federal Government has approved $2.3 billion for the construction of a rail line that will run across Nigeria’s coastal states.
The Federal Government has approved $2.3 billion for the construction of a rail line that will run across Nigeria’s coastal states.
Chinese banks will provide $1.8 billion (78.26%) of the fund in the form of a loan facility. The Federal Government, on its part, will contribute the balance of $500 million (21.74%) as counterpart fund.
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who disclosed this yesterday, during his valedictory press conference, stated that the project would cover Lagos, Delta, Anambra, Edo, Rivers, and Cross River States. It will also connect the central rail line that goes to Abuja, he said.
“the government has approved for us to seek a loan of $1.8bn to start work on the coastal rail. The coastal rail is from Lagos to Calabar. So we are taking the segment that starts from Port Harcourt to Warri to join the central line that goes to Abuja.
“And then another segment that starts from Benin to Onitsha. But as it is going to Onitsha, it will join the central line again at Agbor. The Port Harcourt-Warri line will join the central line at Warri. The Benin-Onitsha line will join the central line at Agbor. They are all part of the coastal rail line, which is about $11.1bn.”
He noted that the Federal Government had equally given its approval for the development of the central line.
Funding for the project: Speaking further, the Minister disclosed a Special Purpose Vehicle would be used to borrow the money from China, on behalf of the Federal Government. In other words, the Government will not be raising the capital itself. However, it will make a 15% equity contribution to the project while the contractor makes a 10% equity contribution. The Special Purpose Vehicle that would borrow the outstanding 75% would be constituted.
“The Federal Government will give a sovereign guarantee to enable them to get a quick loan. In turn, the contractor will give us a performance guarantee. The performance guarantee means that since you have concessioned this project to me after the completion, I will run the seaport and the rail line in such a way that I will pay back in 20, 30 or 40 years time, depending on the agreement reached.”
Why it matters: The planned coastal rail line project is an important development due to the many ways it could contribute towards the development of the Nigerian economy. The project itself will create jobs opportunities for Nigerians. More so, it would catalyse economic activities by encouraging easier and more efficient transportation across the country.
Appointments
Joe Biden appoints Nigerian-born Funmi Olorunnipa Badejo as Counsel
Nigerian-American, Funmi Olorunnipa Badejo has been appointed as a member of the office of the White House Counsel.
Corporate Press Releases
Global Credit Rating reaffirms Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc ‘A-‘rating
Global Credit Rating Limited has reaffirmed an A-rating for Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc.
Global Credit Rating Limited, an international rating agency, has reaffirmed an A-rating for Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc.
According to a press release signed by the firm’s Deputy General Manager, Olusegun Bankole, and seen by Nairametrics, the insurance firm has consistently maintained its rating for over a decade now.
The key drivers that helped in the reaffirmation of the A-rating by the firm are;
- Consistency in paying her claims obligations over the years, as captured in an earlier solvency and operational report for financial institutions in Nigeria and other allied businesses, released by the rating agency in December 2020.
- Listing of rights issue in 2019 which helped to increase the shareholders’ funds of the company to N8.2 billion as at Q3 2020, up by 31% Year-on-Year. This played a catalyst role in maintaining the A-rating status of the firm.
- The capital adequacy of the firm was also pivotal.
According to the information available on the website of the rating agency, the A-rating reflects high claims-paying ability, strong protection factors, modest risk which may vary over time due to economic and/or underwriting conditions.
This fact was buttressed by a section in the press release which reads:
- “Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc has great potentials for growth in the years ahead, considering some of the strategies that have been put in place to propel its operations. Global Credit Rating noted that the company has shown a great deal of consistency in her claims obligations to her numerous customers spread all over the country.”
About Global Credit Rating Limited
- Global Credit Rating Co (Pty) Ltd (GCR) operates as a credit rating services provider. The Company ratings for banks, financial institutions, insurance, corporate and public sector debt, and structured finance serves customers worldwide.
Manufacturing
Notore chemicals shuts down 500,000 MTPA fertiliser plant for turn around maintenance
Notore Chemicals has shut down its fertiliser plant for turn around maintenance, in expectation of significant improvement in the Plant’s reliability index.
Notore Chemicals has shut down its fertiliser plant with a 500,000MTPA nameplate capacity for maintenance, in order to restore the plant’s productivity and facilitate a sustainable bounce back in operations.
This information became general knowledge after a notification issued by the Company Secretary, Mrs. Otivbo Saleh, was published on the website of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
According to her, Notore Chemical Industries Plc had to shut down its fertiliser plant to pave way for the commencement of the Turn Around Maintenance, expected to return the Plant to its 500,000 MTPA nameplate capacity and improve the reliability index to 95%.
The TAM exercise was initially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the disruption to global businesses occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant restrictions by Governments all over the world affected the timely delivery of procured spares and the arrival to the site of Vendor Service Men (VSM).
Barring any unforeseen circumstance, the Turn Around Maintenance which has started should be completed on 8 March 2021.
- The company’s 2020 audited financial report tells a tale of effete operation, as the company made a Gross loss of N2.9 billion, due to the cost coming from the company’s operation completely eroding all the revenue generated from its operating segment.
- The company managed to post a positive operating profit of N9.5billion at the back of N18.8billion revenue from contracts with customers. However, this was not enough to set the company on the path of profitability, as the heavy loan book of the company impacted its profitability in 2020.
- Upon the completion of the TAM programme, the company expects a significant improvement in the Plant’s reliability index and sustained daily production output of 1,500MT.
