Business
Thyssen hit by doubts $1.2 billion fundraising is enough
FRANKFURT – ThyssenKrupp has raised 882 million euros ($1.2 billion) in a sale of new shares, less than some analysts think it will need to pursue a turnaround after it failed to sell a loss-making plant and was forced to take back two others.
The fundraising saw activist shareholder Cevian lift its stake to over 10 percent, sources familiar with the matter said, which could step up the pressure on Germany’s largest steelmaker to consider a bigger shake-up, such as more asset sales.
ThyssenKrupp, which has suffered three straight years of losses and racked up debts, is trying to move away from a bulk steel market hit by weak economies and overcapacity to more profitable products such as elevators and factory components.
But the group has struggled to extricate itself from its Steel Americas business and on Friday said it had only managed to sell its U.S. finishing plant, leaving it with a loss-making steel slab mill in Brazil. It was also forced to take back an Italian steel plant and an alloy unit sold last year.
“We think that the size of the capital increase is too small,” Metzler analyst Lars Hettche said, adding any new problems at the Brazilian steel mill or the re-acquired businesses could trigger the need for another capital hike.
ThyssenKrupp shares were down 2.4 percent at 17.21 euros by 0945 ET on Tuesday, extending Monday’s drop of 8 percent.
Its five-year credit default swaps (CDS) rose 4.2 percent to 243 basis points, according to Markit data, increasing the cost of insuring the company’s debt against default.
ThyssenKrupp, long viewed as a symbol of Germany’s industrial prowess, placed 51.5 million new shares with institutional investors at 17.15 euros apiece. That was at the lower end of the 17.05 to 17.635 euros range they were offered at and a discount of 2.8 percent to Monday’s closing price.
The proceeds will be used to cut the group’s net debt, which stood at about 5 billion euros at the end of September, and reduce its gearing – the ratio of its net debt to equity. In September, the group had to secure a waiver from its banks after its gearing breached the 150 percent level that could have seen creditors prematurely cancel a 2.5 billion euro credit line.
Analysts said the share sale and U.S. deal should cut ThyssenKrupp’s gearing to just above 100 percent from 200.6 percent at the end of September. That is still far above 34 percent at world No. 1 steelmaker ArcelorMittal (ISPA.AS) and an industry average of 60-70 percent.
“The capital increase eases the pressure a bit,” said Thomas Hechtfischer of shareholder rights group DSW. “But it would be difficult to digest any more bad news.”
SHIFT IN INFLUENCE
The share sale also resulted in a shift in ThyssenKrupp’s shareholder base, giving more power to Cevian, which has so far backed management’s plan to sell non-core assets and cut costs.
Meanwhile, the Krupp Foundation, ThyssenKrupp’s top shareholder and widely seen as a shield against takeovers or a break up of the business, did not buy new stock, allowing its stake to be cut to 23 percent from 25.3 percent.
That means that the Krupp Foundation may have to hand over one seat on ThyssenKrupp’s supervisory board to Cevian, which prior to the fundraising had owned a stake of 6.1 percent.
Cevian declined to comment.
“I would welcome it if the Foundation’s stake shrank,” Union Investment fund manager Joerg Schneider, who holds shares in ThyssenKrupp, told Reuters ahead of the capital increase.
Some investors have criticized the Foundation for blocking more radical change at the company.
With ThyssenKrupp’s finances still under pressure – credit rating agency Moody’s reaffirmed its negative outlook on the company on Tuesday – some analysts said the group might have to consider more asset sales.
Baader Bank analyst Christian Obst said it could sell its components technology business, which makes car parts such as crankshafts and engine components, or could merge its steel trading business with its Italian plant to sell as a package.
But finance chief Guido Kerkhoff on Saturday brushed off speculation that ThyssenKrupp could sell any of its capital goods businesses, and analysts said the Krupp Foundation’s influence was strong enough to make a break-up very difficult.
DRAIN ON FINANCES
On Friday, ThyssenKrupp agreed to sell its U.S. plant in Alabama to ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp (5401.T) for $1.55 billion, the low end of expectations and leaving its Brazilian problem unresolved.
A supply agreement for the Brazilian mill, part of the U.S. deal, guarantees at least 40 percent utilization for the next few years, but analysts said there was so much excess capacity in the market that business would remain tough.
ThyssenKrupp’s Steel Americas business cost it almost 13 billion euros in investment and losses over six years, after plans to produce cheap slabs in Brazil and ship them to the United States to make products for cars fell apart when Brazil’s currency rose and demand for vehicles slowed.
The German firm was also forced to take back a steel plant at Terni in Italy and an alloy unit sold to Outokumpu, as the Finnish steelmaker – trying to overhaul its own finances – returned them in exchange for cancelling a 1.25 billion euro loan ThyssenKrupp gave it to finance a wider deal.
The businesses will require investment, further draining ThyssenKrupp’s finances. Analysts say the Terni plant is loss-making and needs to be restructured, while the alloy unit, though profitable, is declining.
– REUTERS
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) claimed that it saved $3.4 billion through contract restructuring and optimisation between April 2025 and July 2026.
Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, made the assertion in Abuja at the opening of the 25th Nigeria Oil & Gas (NOG) Energy Week, while highlighting the impact of ongoing reforms aimed at improving operational efficiency, reducing costs, strengthening partnerships, and enhancing value delivery to the federation.
Ojulari also stated that the national oil company had maintained full compliance with its joint venture cash call obligations.
ALSO READ: Oil, Gas Deals Push Nigeria’s FDI to $4 Billion
According to the scorecard presented by the NNPC Ltd, the $3.4 billion cost savings were realised through contract restructuring and optimisation initiatives across the company’s operations.
The reforms also contributed to an increase in government revenue, with the NNPC Ltd reporting a government take of N19.5 trillion, representing a 21.8 per cent year-on-year increase.
Besides, a major highlight of the report was NNPC’s 100 percent compliance with its joint venture cash call obligations across all its joint ventures from Financial Year 2025 to June 2026.
However, the company’s partners recorded a blended compliance rate of just 61 percent.
Of the 27 joint venture partners, only six were fully current with their obligations, while 13 recorded partial compliance with an average payment rate of 72 percent, and eight remained in significant default, paying an average of only 14 percent, prompting Joint Operating Agreement remedies.
The NNPC Ltd said it remained committed to sustaining its cash call obligations to support Nigeria’s target of achieving two million barrels of oil production per day.
Operationally, the company reported a six percent increase in crude oil production year-on-year and an 8.1 percent rise in gas production over the same period, reflecting improvements in upstream operations.
Ojulari also highlighted several strategic partnerships concluded since the last Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference, including a long term gas supply agreement with Nigeria LNG, progress on deepwater investments valued at over $20 billion, refinery related partnerships, industrial gas projects, and new gas supply arrangements.
Looking ahead, the company identified seven priority projects expected to drive production and gas infrastructure growth through 2027.
These, it said, included the UTM Floating LNG project, the OB3 East West Connector, the AKK gas pipeline, refinery technical enhancement projects, the Zabazaba deepwater development, the Owowo field, and the BSWAP project.
The state oil major added that the combination of cost optimisation, stronger operational performance, improved infrastructure reliability, and strategic partnerships would reinforce Nigeria’s energy security, boost government revenues, and support sustainable growth in oil and gas production.
Ojulari said the national oil company achieved 98 percent recovery across five crude export terminals between April 2025 and May 2026, up from one per cent at Bonny in June 2022.
He put current output at 1.71mbpd, the highest in five years, with the NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL) hitting a record 365,000 bpd.
Gas production, he said, reached 7.5 billion standard cubic feet per day (bscf/d) following the River Niger crossing on the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Pipeline and inauguration of the ANOH Gas Plant.
Ojulari added that the NNPC Ltd had “zero tolerance for partners who are not able to fund their Cash-call” and had begun invoking default clauses.
He stressed collaboration over control, saying, “We have rid ourselves of any pseudo-regulation. We are not the super-regulator. Let them regulate. We want to work.”
Energia Limited and its Joint Venture partner, Oando Plc, have inaugurated the board of trustees of the Ndokwa West-1 Host Community Development Trust (HCDT).
The inauguration marked a significant milestone in strengthening sustainable development, transparency and community participation across their host communities in Delta State.
The inauguration, held in Asaba, also featured the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Energia-Oando Joint Venture and the seven host communities, in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), 2021.
The event brought together representatives of Delta State Government, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), traditional rulers, community leaders, members of the newly inaugurated board of trustees, and other key stakeholders from the oil and gas industry.
ALSO READ: Oil, Gas Deals Push Nigeria’s FDI to $4 Billion
Representing the Governor of Deputy Governor, Delta State, Sir Monday Onyeme, Deputy Chief of Staff, Hon. Christopher Osaskwe commended Energia Limited and the host communities for successfully establishing the Trust and signing the Memorandum of Understanding.
He described the initiative as a demonstration of mutual commitment to partnership and sustainable development, while urging the newly inaugurated board to discharge its responsibilities with transparency, accountability and fairness.
He also encouraged host communities to continue protecting oil and gas infrastructure and embrace dialogue as the preferred approach to resolving disputes.
Managing Director, Energia Limited, Oladimeji Bashorun, described the inauguration as the beginning of a new chapter in the relationship between Energia and its host communities.
According to him, the company remains focused on building partnership, shared responsibility and sustainable development rather than dependency.
He noted that while the PIA provides a structured framework for host community development, Energia’s commitment to its host communities predates the legislation and has remained a core part of the Company’s operating philosophy since it achieved First Oil in 2009.
“Communities that host our operations should also share meaningfully in the opportunities created by those operations. Our success has always been closely connected to the success of our host communities,” Bashorun said.
He also disclosed that Energia has invested over N15.94 billion in community development initiatives since inception, supporting roads, drainage systems, healthcare facilities, educational programmes, scholarships, youth empowerment, solar-powered street lighting, community welfare initiatives and other social investments across its operational communities. He added that the Company dedicates 3% of its gross revenue annually to support sustainable development initiatives for its host communities.
Also speaking at the event, the Asset Manager of Oando, Seyi Fawora, reaffirmed the Joint Venture’s commitment to implementing the HCDT, noting that the partnership remains focused on building stronger, mutually beneficial relationships with host communities.
The representative of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engr. Dennis Eyitemi, described the inauguration as a significant milestone in strengthening host community participation in development. He urged members of the Board of Trustees to remain accountable, transparent and committed to promoting the long-term welfare of the communities they represent.
Providing an overview of the HCDT framework, the Delta State Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Omamuzo Irebe, SAN, commended Energia for contributing beyond the statutory requirement prescribed under the Petroleum Industry Act and encouraged members of the Board to place community interests above personal interests while ensuring prudent management of the Trust’s resources.
The ceremony concluded with the swearing-in of the members of the Ndokwa West-1 Host Community Development Trust Board of Trustees. In his acceptance remarks, the Chairman of the Board, Chief Godwin Edeme, pledged the Board’s commitment to working with Energia Limited, Oando Petroleum Development Company and all stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of the Trust for the benefit of present and future generations.
The establishment of the Ndokwa West-1 Host Community Development Trust represents another milestone in Energia’s long-standing commitment to responsible operations, stakeholder engagement and creating shared value for its host communities through sustainable, transparent and inclusive development. About Energia Limited
Energia Limited is a leading indigenous Nigerian exploration and production company with a proven track record of responsible hydrocarbon development and sustainable value creation. Since achieving First Oil in 2009, Energia has remained committed to operational excellence, environmental stewardship, and meaningful partnerships with its host communities, delivering lasting social and economic impact alongside its business growth.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) flow into Nigeria climbed to roughly $4 billion last year, according to UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2026.
The report stated that “Inflows to Nigeria rose to about $4 billion, supported mainly by oil and gas–related IPF deals, including a major project valued at about $2 billion.”
The report indicated that Nigeria’s inflows were $1.6 billion in 2024, before increasing to roughly $4 billion (precisely $4.005 billion) in 2025 — reversing a downward trend that had seen inflows dip as low as $895 million in 2022. The figures place Nigeria among a cluster of West and East African economies that bucked a broader continental slowdown
According to the report, Nigeria’s outward investment also rose, from $408 million in 2024 to $1.19 billion in 2025, while its inward FDI stock reached nearly $93 billion by year-end.
“In Nigeria, deals included the sale of Shell’s onshore oil assets to the Nigerian consortium Renaissance Africa Energy and the acquisition of Lafarge Africa by Huaxin Cement of China, signaling both a wave of asset localization in the oil sector and continued Asian appetite for Nigerian industrial assets.
ALSO READ: Global Demand for Nigerian Crude Higher Outstrips Supply – FG
On the Greenfield side, conglomerate Dangote Group emerged as an outward investor in its own right, backing a $3 billion chemicals project in neighboring Ethiopia — one of the 10 largest Greenfield projects announced across the continent in 2025.
Policy shifts also featured prominently in the report’s account of the investment climate. It noted that the government introduced sweeping fiscal reforms during the year, including a new minimum tax regime aligned with international standards.
“Nigeria, for instance, introduced a minimum effective tax rate of 15 per cent for multinational enterprises with revenues exceeding €750 million,” the report noted.
Alongside this, the report observed that Nigeria, together with Cameroon, moved to tighten incentive structures more broadly, as the two countries “replaced broad tax exemptions with tiered tax credits and strict eligibility requirements, such as job creation, local value addition and priority sectors.” Separately, the government rolled out targeted relief for the petroleum sector, introducing “performance-based tax credits for companies in the upstream petroleum industry, linking fiscal benefits to cost efficiency.”
The report also credited Nigeria with using regulatory innovation to court investors beyond the extractive sector.
It pointed to the Federal Government ‘s technology-focused reforms, noting that Nigeria “has used regulatory frameworks to reduce uncertainty for innovative firms,” citing the Startup Act and accompanying central bank rules that let sandboxes allow start-ups to test products with real users before facing the full weight of regulation.
On trade infrastructure, the report named Nigeria as one of five countries — alongside Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Ghana and Togo — that committed under a regional agreement to harmonising customs and border procedures along the Abidjan–Lagos corridor, part of a wider West African push to cut transit times and integrate cross-border trade.
Africa as a whole, according to the report, saw FDI inflows fall sharply from an exceptional 2024, but the report noted that in West Africa, investment “rose in several West African economies, supported mainly by investment in natural resources and energy.”
Courtesy – The Punch
How British Airways Records Foiled Alleged $2m Blackmail Plot Against Me — Wike
Shell’s Landmark Achievements Earn Recognition at NOG Energy Awards
Eight Escape Death as Zambian Vice President’s Campaign Helicopter Crashes
Mixed Reactions as Florida Renames Palm Beach Airport After Trump
Controversy Trails Gov Nwifuru’s Convoy Clash as PDP Calls for Probe
45% of Electricity Supplied to Plateau Lost to Theft, JED Raises Alarm
Trump’s Family Unveils New Cryptocurrency Platform
Senate Denies Receiving Petitions Against Tinubu’s Ambassadorial Nominees
Dangote Cement Lights Up Benue Host Communities With CSR Initiatives
Reps Recommend 3-year Jail Term For Aviation minister
Tems Sets New Record On Billboard Hot 100 Chart
