Regional Oil and Gas production has bounced back strongly over the last quarter in line with the rapid return of Libyan volumes. We expect full pre-war Libyan output to resume by the second half of 2012. Production is likely to continue growing as high oil prices drive further exploration and production across Africa. The key… [Read more]

Sub-Saharan African assets have not been spared by the weakness that has hit ‘risky’ assets across the board, and my colleagues and I do not think that there is much to like financial market-wise in SSA right at this moment. That said, we are firm believers in the region’s longer-term prospects and we think that… [Read more]

In Business Monitor Online and Emerging Markets Monitor this week, we have an exclusive interview with Arunma Oteh, the director of the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission, who discussed significant initiatives to improve Nigeria’s capital markets. The SEC is striving to create markets that are more transparent, sophisticated, and credible. Among other things, we outline… [Read more]

The United Nations has published its latest population forecasts for the world from now to 2100. The accompanying press release is worth reading, and the online database has been updated accordingly. Of note, the UN sees the world population rising to 10.1bn in 2100, with Africa’s population more than tripling to 3.6bn over the next… [Read more]

The parliamentary elections held in Nigeria on April 9 2011 were the first of a series of three elections scheduled for the month, with presidential and gubernatorial polls up next. By most accounts, the process so far has been free and fair, a marked improvement over the 2007 elections which were marred by widespread fraud,… [Read more]

Nigeria’s oil sector is in as bad a shape as it has been in years. Uncertainty surrounding the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and a resurgence of violence in the restive Delta region has nearly halted investment in oil and gas exploration in the country. Only one exploration well was drilled in Nigeria in the last… [Read more]

Political and economic upheaval is a regular occurrence around the world, but what makes the recent unrest in Egypt so worthy of attention is the country’s overwhelming geopolitical importance in the world. Quite simply, my colleagues and I view Egypt as a ‘pivotal state’. There is no official definition of the term ‘pivotal state’ (although… [Read more]