Business
Naira gains against dollar, sells below 1,280/$ at official, parallel markets
Naira gains against dollar, sells below 1,280/$ at official, parallel markets
The naira began the new month on a positive note, rising to N1,278.58 against the US dollar from N1,309.39 per dollar last Thursday. This is an increase of N30.81 at the end of trading activity.
According to FMDQ Securities statistics, the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market’s indicative exchange rate has fallen below the N1,300 ceiling for the first time since January 26 of this year.
On March 13, 2024, the naira fell as low as N1,615 per dollar.
Since March, when the central bank implemented a series of FX regulations, the naira has risen by more than 21% against the dollar.
Liquidity in the forex market has been attributed to an array of policies currently implemented by the CBN.
Key reforms include the unification of exchange rate windows, liberalisation of the FX market, clearance of FX backlog obligations for banks and airlines, implementation of a Price Verification System, imposition of limits on banks’ Net Open Position, removal of the daily cap of N2bn on remunerable Standing Deposit Facility, and overhaul of the Bureau De Change segment.
Forex turnover is a critical metric in the financial world as it represents the total value of all foreign exchange transactions completed within a specific timeframe, providing insights into the liquidity and vibrancy of the forex market.
High turnover rates indicate a highly active market with numerous participants engaging in buying and selling currencies, which can signal investor confidence and economic stability.
In the last two weeks, the Central Bank of Nigeria and other banking institutions improved dollar supply to the foreign exchange market by $2.5bn.
Similarly, forex transactions between willing sellers and buyers at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market reduced by 106 per cent to $111.18m on Tuesday from $857m at the close of trading activity last week Thursday.
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The summary of the FX trading revealed that the intraday high closed at N1,312 from 1392 per dollar on last Thursday. Also, the intraday low remained at N1,250 it traded last Thursday.
The foreign exchange resumed on Tuesday after the Easter holiday with the Naira appreciating at the parallel market to N1,220. Bureau De Change operators bought at N1,220 per dollar and sold either through cash or transfer to customers at N1,265/$ with a profit margin of N30.
This represents 1.99 per cent appreciation over N1,280 closed last week.
The Naira strengthened in both the official and parallel market segments following the Central Bank of Nigeria’s move to clear all verified FX backlogs (final tranche of $1.5bn).
The Naira which appreciated by 21.8 percent month-on-month in March 2024 is expected to maintain the trend in April, following the policy measures of the Central Bank.
Currency traders, who spoke to The PUNCH attributed the naira appreciation to waned demand for the greenback note and the decision of the apex bank to sell foreign exchange to operators.
A BDC operator at Wuse Zone 4, Ibrahim Yahu, stated, “The demand for dollars has really gone down and the naira is appreciating because of the new rate determined by the CBN for traders.
The CBN initially started selling to us at N1,251 but they gave another rate last week Thursday at N1,190 and that is the reason for new fresh drop of the dollar. The CBN selling directly to us has really helped trading activities.”
Another trader, Malam Yunusa, stated that the naira was poised to maintain its gain against the dollar adding that operators also want the naira to grow.
The President of the Association of Bureaux de Change Operators of Nigeria, Aminu Gwadabe, recently noted that apart from the tightening of monetary policy resulting in interest rate hikes, increased investment in government instruments, and the clearance of $7 billion forex backlog forward commitments, the reactivation of the BDCs has notably enhanced dollar liquidity in the retail segment of the forex market.
Analyst at Afrinvest also predicted that the naira would trade within similar band in the month of April as the CBN continues its activities to mop up liquidity and attract more capital.
Naira gains against dollar, sells below 1,280/$ at official, parallel markets
Aviation
Disaster averted as bird strike hits Abuja-Lagos Air Peace flight
Disaster averted as bird strike hits Abuja-Lagos Air Peace flight
An Abuja-Lagos flight was on Thursday aborted following a bird strike on the airplane belonging to Air Peace, forcing the authorities to ground the aircraft.
The bird strike experienced in the early hours reportedly prompted a ramp return to ensure the safety of passengers onboard.
All the passengers quickly disembarked and were calmed down before they were moved into another plane for the one-hour journey.
A bird strike is a collision between a bird and an aircraft, or other airborne animal, while the aircraft is in flight, taking off, or landing. And it can be a significant threat to aircraft safety.
Air Peace in a statement by its Head of Corporate Communications, Ejike Ndiulo, said the bird strike occurred at 6:30am, and all passengers disembarked normally.
The statement read, “We wish to inform our esteemed passengers that our Abuja- Lagos 06:30 flight experienced a bird strike before take-off, prompting a ramp return as a safety measure. All passengers disembarked normally.
“We have deployed a replacement aircraft for the affected flight in order to minimize disruptions, thus ensuring that passengers continue their journeys promptly.
“We appeal for the understanding of our valued passengers impacted by this development, as well as those on other flights that may experience delays.
“At Air Peace, we are committed to providing safe, comfortable, and reliable air travel for all our passengers.”
Business
NNPC achieves 1.8mbpd crude oil production
NNPC achieves 1.8mbpd crude oil production
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) and its partners have revved up crude oil and gas production to 1.8million barrels per day (mbpd) and 7.4standard cubic feet per day (scfd).
The company which announced this at a press briefing said the feat was achieved in compliance with the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Speaking on the development, the Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mele Kyari, congratulated the Production War Room Team that anchored the production recovery process.
“The team has done a great job in driving this project of not just production recovery but also escalating production to expected levels that are in the short and long terms acceptable to our shareholders based on the mandates that we
have from the President, the Honourable Minister, and the Board,” Kyari explained.
Giving details of the efforts of the Production War Room, the Chief War Room Coordinator and Senior Business Adviser to the Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Lawal Musa, disclosed that the feat was achieved through the collaborative efforts of Joint Venture and Production Sharing Contract partners, the Office of the National Security Adviser, as well as government and private security agencies.
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He said the interventions that led to the recovery of production cut across every segment of the production chain with security agencies closely monitoring the pipelines.
He stressed that when the Production War Room team was inaugurated on 25th June 2024, production was at 1.430mbpd, but the team swung into action, culminating into sustaining the production recovery to 1.7mbpd in August and hitting the current 1.808mbpd in November.
“We are confident that with this same momentum and with the active collaboration of all stakeholders, especially on the security front, we can see the possibility of getting to 2mbpd by the end of the year,” he stated.
Also speaking on the development, Chairman of the NNPC Ltd Board of Directors, Chief Pius Akinyelure, who also congratulated the team, said he was happy to be part of the production recovery process, adding: “today, I will leave this place with my heart full of joy”.
He charged the Company’s Management to come up with a cashflow projection based on the new production figures to facilitate planning, stressing that he was looking forward to further production increase to 3mbpd.
On his part, the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, expressed satisfaction with the performance of the team and pledged the Federal Government’s support for the company to do more.
NNPC achieves 1.8mbpd crude oil production
Business
FG gets fresh $134m loan from AfDB for agric projects
FG gets fresh $134m loan from AfDB for agric projects
The Federal Government has secured a loan facility of $134million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to help farmers boost seeds and grain production in the country.
This is contained in a statement issued by Anthonia Eremah, Chief Information Officer, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, on Thursday, in Abuja.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, made his know at the unveiling of the 2024/2025 National Dry Season Farming in Calabar, Cross River State capital.
Kyari explained that with the re-introduction of the national dry season farming to boost year-round agricultural production, the loan would be handy and guarantee national food security in the country.
The minister said the initiative is under the National Agricultural Growth Support Scheme-Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP) Project.
He said the federal government had declared an emergency on food production to enable all Nigerians to get easy access to quality and nutritional food at affordable rates.
Kyari also said government wants to use the agricultural sector for national economic revival through increase in production of some staple food crops such as wheat, rice, maize, sorghum, soybean, and cassava during both dry and wet season farming.
He added that 107,429 wheat farmers were supported under phase 1 of the 2023/2024 dry season, and 43,997 rice farmers under the second phase of the 2023/2024 dry season.
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The minister said recently, government supported 192,095 rice, maize, sorghum/millet, soyabean and cassava farmers under the 2024 wet season across the 37 States including the FCT.
He said Cross River was leading 16 other states in wheat production, adding that over 3000 wheat farmers have been listed to benefit from the support to grow the grain.
Kyari noted the Cross River government’s commitment to wheat production.
He said it informed why the federal government is partnering with the state to kick start the maiden wheat production and enlisting them among states commencing the current 2024/2025 dry season farming.
“The 2024/2025 dry season farming, the project is targeted to support 250,000 wheat farmers across the wheat-producing states with subsidised agricultural inputs.
“This is to cultivate about 250,000 hectares with an expected output of about 750,000 metric tonnes of wheat to be added to the food reserve to reduce dependence on importation of the product and also increase domestic consumption.
“Equally the programme will provide support to 150,000 rice farmers under the second phase to cover all the 37 states, including FCT, with an expected output of about 450,000 metric tonnes,” he said.
FG gets fresh $134m loan from AfDB for agric projects
(NAN)
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