The 2026 annual Shell Leadership and Contractor CEO Conference, which aims to shine a light on “a shared commitment to people, performance and safety,” held in Lagos on August 18.

A company statement has it that the event brought together chief executives of contracting companies and highlighted the need to sustain safe operations across its businesses in Nigeria.

The theme of this year’s event is “Learn. Adapt. Improve.” Addressing the session, Executive Vice President and Country Chair Nigeria, Elohor Aiboni said: “Shell is delivering an extensive portfolio of projects and operations that will help meet Nigeria’s growing energy needs, create value for our stakeholders, and support national development. We are advancing major opportunities, executing complex work, and pursuing ambitious goals. But no matter how significant the opportunity, no matter how important the project, our success will always be measured first by how safely we deliver it. That is why this conference matters.”

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The conference featured among other things, discussions and cascade of learnings, an exhibition and awards and recognitions for outstanding safety performances. The highlight of the event was the signing of the Leadership Charter which was jointly created in 2025 through collaboration between SNEPCo and her contractor partners.

“This year’s conference theme, Learn. Adapt. Improve, connects strongly with the purpose of the Charter,” SNEPCo Managing Director Ronald Adams said before the signing. “To learn, we must be honest about what has worked, what has been difficult, and what our people and operations are telling us. To adapt, we must be willing to adjust our approach where the realities of work require us to do better. To improve, we must make sure that the commitments in the Charter are not only discussed during conferences, but embedded into how we lead, how we engage, how we review performance, and how we support safe execution every day.”

Elohor reiterated the place of safety in company operations, adding: “Every person who works for Shell or on behalf of Shell deserves to return home safely to their family, every day, without exception.”

The desire to deepen access to international investors and capital markets has seen Oando Plc table a strategy to list its shares on one or more foreign stock exchanges before shareholders for approval.

The energy company’s proposal is contained in the agenda for its 47th Annual General Meeting (AGM), scheduled to be held virtually in September.

Under the special business before shareholders, the company is asking its shareholders to authorise its Board of Directors to approve and implement the listing of Oando’s shares on any foreign stock exchange or exchanges it considers suitable.

If approved, the resolution will empower the board to take all necessary steps, execute relevant documents and meet the listing requirements of the selected foreign market, subject to obtaining all required regulatory approvals.

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The firm said the proposed mandate was deliberately not tied to a particular foreign exchange, giving the directors the flexibility to determine the market or markets considered most appropriate for the company.

The move would ultimately widen access to Oando shares among international investors, improve the company’s visibility outside Nigeria and potentially increase its liquidity and market.

The proposed cross-border listing comes as Oando continues to position itself as an integrated energy company with operations and investments across different markets.

Shareholders will also consider a general mandate covering transactions with related parties and interested persons. The mandate would allow the company to obtain goods, services and financing from related parties for its normal business operations, provided such transactions are conducted on commercial terms and comply with its transfer pricing policy and applicable Nigerian regulations.

The meeting will also consider the ratification of qualifying related-party transactions entered into before the AGM.

In another major proposal, Oando plans to amend its articles of association to expressly allow general meetings to be held physically, electronically, virtually or through a combination of these arrangements, subject to applicable laws and the rights of shareholders to participate and vote.

The company is also seeking approval to amend its Memorandum of Association to expand its business objects to include activities relating to digital assets and digital representations of value, rights, interests, obligations and ownership.

To underline readiness for its Initial Public Offering (IPO) now in the offing, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals (DPRP) has secured a $1bn underwriting for the capital raising.

The programme, structured by Marob Strategies and Consulting DIFC Ltd and Lilium Capital Group, comprises a completed and funded $600m private placement and a further $400m underwriting commitment in support of the refinery’s planned IPO.

This was detailed in a statement on Tuesday, in which the Dangote Group said that the $600m private placement has been underwritten and funded by Pan-African Refinery Investment SPV, a subsidiary of Lilium Capital Group.

It added that Marob Strategies and Lilium Capital are now coordinating the distribution of the underwriting participation across Global Africa, engaging sovereign wealth funds, governments, institutional investors and other eligible investors.

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The response, according to the advisers, has been strong, reflecting growing institutional appetite for large-scale African assets capable of generating long-term economic value.

The programme is also expected to catalyse significant intra-African capital flows and help pave the way towards a more integrated African capital market under the auspices of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA).

President and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, described the transaction as an important milestone for both the refinery and African capital markets.

“This is an important milestone for DPRP and for African capital markets,” Dangote said, adding that the transaction reflected confidence in the refinery’s strategic role and created a platform for broader participation by African and Caribbean sovereign wealth funds, governments and institutional investors across Global Africa.

“The successful completion of the private placement, together with the $400m underwriting commitment provided by Pan-African Refinery Investment SPV in support of the planned IPO, reflects confidence in the refinery’s strategic role. The work undertaken by Marob Strategies and Lilium Capital has also created a platform for broader participation by African and Caribbean sovereign wealth funds, governments and institutional investors across Global Africa,” he said.

Chairman of Marob Strategies, Prof Benedict Okey Oramah, said the transaction demonstrated the appetite for African-led capital markets transactions providing access to transformative assets on the continent.

“As Chairman, I am very proud of the work undertaken by the management team at Marob Strategies to bring this transaction to fruition. Marob Strategies is now focused on disciplined distribution across Global Africa and is engaging sovereign wealth funds, governments, institutional investors and other eligible investors.

“The level of interest confirms the appetite for African-led capital markets transactions that provide investors with access to transformative assets on the continent. The success of this transaction paves the way for many more such transactions in the future,” he said.

Also, Chairman of Lilium Capital Group, Simon Tiemtoré, described the mandate as part of the firm’s effort to connect major African opportunities with institutional investors across Global Africa and international markets.

“This mandate reflects Lilium Capital’s commitment to connecting world-class African opportunities with institutional investors across Global Africa and international markets.

“By mobilising long-term capital for strategic assets such as the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, we are supporting industrialisation, strengthening capital markets and contributing to sustainable economic growth across the continent.

“We are proud to support DPRP on this landmark transaction and look forward to mobilising capital for more transformative projects that create lasting value for Africa”, he said.