Energy
World Bank appraises Nigeria’s application of $120m mining credit
ABUJA – The World Bank has declared as satisfactory the implementation of about $120 million Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources Project for the revitalization of Nigeria’s minerals and metal sector.
The Bank with all it’s meticulous vetting and assessment of its programmes and projects in developing countries unabashedly praised Nigeria’s shot at a mining renaissance three decades after the demise of the sector. But, the commendation was largely anchored on what the bank regards as the prudent and judicious use of a $120 million grant it had extended to Nigeria as an incentive to resuscitating Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.
The grant, known as the Sustainable Management of Mineral Resource Project (SMMRP), is a home-grown intervention which was conceptualized after a National mining Policy dialogue in 2004. It became effective in April 2005 and was implemented through a seven-year period with an original closing date of June 2010. But the World bank granted an extension as compensation for some implementation delays which occurred earlier in the life of the project.
The $120m credit which has a 30-year repayment term with a 0.75 percent commission was taken as part of government’s emphasis on developing the non-oil sector to diversify the economy. It also conforms to the World Bank Group 2004 Joint Interim Strategy for Nigeria which was aimed at improving economic governance, creation of conditions for rapid private sector-led poverty reducing growth and enablement of local communities to take charge of their own development.
However, according to the agreement, the Federal government is expected to put in $7 million as counterpart funding, which sadly, till date, it has not.
In a document entitled: “Implementation, Completion and Results Report”, the global bank noted that in all the 15 financial and procurement audits conducted between the inception of the project in 2005 and its conclusion in May 2012, the SMMRP was satisfactory in all except the audit conducted in March 2007, in which it was rated moderately satisfactory.
The document jointly signed by the Vice President of the World Bank, Muktar Diop, Nigerian Country Director, Marie Nelie, Sector Manager, Christopher Sheldon, Project Team Leader, Ekaterina Mikhaylova, and the Primary Author, Sabine Cornelius, defended the overall satisfactory rating of the Federal Government’s Project Management Unit (PMU) which handled the project, noting that, “Despite the multiple disruptions and considerable constraints, the Project continued to function well.”
It further revealed that in the financial management of the credit, all audits were unqualified and cases of fraud were uncovered, adding that during implementation of the procurement, two-thirds of project’s procurement performance ratings were mostly satisfactory.
The report commended the Federal Government for taking over the funding responsibility of SMMRP-supported projects such as the Mining Cadastre Office and the Nigerian Institute of Mining and Geosciences, NIMG, Jos.
The Project which was flagged off in April 2005 had two main objectives, namely to increase government’s long-term institutional and technical capacity to manage Nigeria’s mineral resources in a sustainable way, and to establish a basis for poverty reduction and rural economic renewal in selected areas of the country through the development of income generating opportunities through small-scale and artisanal mining and diversifying away from oil sources of income.
According to the report, the project achieved improved governance and transparency outcomes in the well-performing state-of-the-art cadastre system, efficient management of mining licenses, strengthened institutional and technical capacity, legal and regulatory framework as well as private sector-led development, increased mining activities and increased annual royalty collection value among others.
The bank observed that the SMMRP has strengthened the capacity of key government institutions to better manage the sector. It has also improved governance and transparency which is largely responsible for the commendable inflow of foreign investments into the sector.
On governance and transparency, the report noted that the SMMRP had funded the establishment of a “well performing and world class Mining Cadastre Office. it is remarkable that Nigeria has one of the best Cadastre systems in Africa,” it stated, adding that at the closure of the Project, over 10,056 mining licenses had been issued. “This is more than twice the projections that was envisaged at the inception of the SMMRP,” it added.
The report further noted that the project has made very significant progress towards achieving its development objectives. This includes the completion of the airborne geophysical work and geo-chemical mapping studies of the country. It added that prior to the SMMRP, “the newly restructured Ministry of Mines and Steel Development (MMSD), which was housed in dilapidated physical premises and lacked adequately skilled staff.”
Indeed, the rejuvenation of mining into a tangible economic activity in Nigeria largely lies in the hands of small scale and artisinal miners, whose total number, according to a recent survey, may well be practised by two million Nigerians. But, their activities are haphazard, uncoordinated and destructive to the environment with no reclamation and add almost zero value to the central economy, as there has been no way of regulating them. The SMMRP looks at this challenge as one of its key area of focus.
In this regard, the report commended the Project Management Unit of the Ministry of Mines and Steel development for their exemplary efforts in supervising the implementation of small grants programmes in accordance with the recommendations of the World Bank safeguards audit, which has safety measures for workers as well as proper documentations for the $10 million grant given by the Project for the formalization of Artisanal and small scale miners (ASMs).
So far, not less than 400 mining co-operatives have been formed, all aimed at securing the $10 million grants. A workshop was organised for them in Jos last June so they could be taught how to draw from the grant.
It is believed that, when this category of miners get to work, according to the new mining regulation, blue chips mining firms would easily be wooed to bring in the big capital.
The Director of the Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources Project office, Mr Linus Adie, who was at the meeting, told the gathering that “this is the largest World Bank mining project, not only in Africa, but in the whole world. It came immediately after the Extractive Industry Review of the country.”
According to him, the 0.75 percent credit tied to the grant spread over 30 years repayment period, means it would be of very little burden to repay.
Industry watchers believe that Nigeria is making steady progress towards revamping the mining sector. All that is needed is a transparent running and regulation of the sector and the development of basic infrastructure that encourage big time miners to come in.
Nigeria’s domestic refineries have completely displaced imported Aviation Turbine Kerosene, commonly known as aviation fuel or Jet A-1, with official industry data showing that local producers solely supplied the country’s aviation fuel market over the past 13 months.
An analysis of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority’s latest petroleum supply statistics showed that between June 2025 and June 2026, there was no recorded import of aviation fuel by Oil Marketing Companies, making domestic refineries the exclusive source of supply throughout the period.
The development marks a significant shift for Nigeria’s aviation fuel market, which had relied heavily on imported Jet A-1 for years due to inadequate domestic refining capacity.
The data showed that domestic refinery receipts fluctuated significantly during the review period, rising from 1.3 million litres per day in June 2025 to 1.5 million litres per day in July before climbing sharply to 3.5 million litres per day in August.
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Supplies later moderated to 1.6 million litres per day in September and 2.7 million litres per day in October, while no receipt was recorded in November. Output then surged dramatically to 14 million litres per day in December, the highest level recorded during the period.
In 2026, domestic refinery receipts fell to 6.0 million litres per day in January before dropping further to 1.6 million litres per day in February. Supplies later recovered to 2.1 million litres per day in March, increased to 3.0 million litres per day in April, rose further to 4.3 million litres per day in May before declining to 2.5 million litres per day in June.
Month-on-month data also showed that average ATK receipts dropped from 3.6 million litres per day in May to 2.5 million litres per day in June, representing a decline of approximately 31 per cent.
An analysis of the NMDPRA data showed that ATK receipts increased from 1.3 million litres per day in June 2025 to 1.5 million litres per day in July, an increase of 0.2 million litres per day or 15.4 per cent.
Supplies then surged to 3.5 million litres per day in August, representing a sharp increase of 2.0 million litres per day or 133.3 per cent over July. However, receipts declined to 1.6 million litres per day in September, a drop of 1.9 million litres per day or 54.3 per cent, before recovering to 2.7 million litres per day in October, reflecting an increase of 1.1 million litres per day or 68.8 per cent.
No domestic refinery receipts were recorded in November 2025, indicating a 100 per cent decline from October’s level. Supply rebounded strongly in December 2025, when domestic refinery receipts climbed to 14.0 million litres per day, the highest level during the review period.
Although a percentage comparison could not be made because no receipts were recorded in November, the December figure represented an increase of 14.0 million litres per day.
Receipts then fell sharply to 6.0 million litres per day in January 2026, a decrease of 8.0 million litres per day or 57.1 per cent, before dropping further to 1.6 million litres per day in February, down by 4.4 million litres per day or 73.3 per cent.
Supplies recovered modestly to 2.1 million litres per day in March, an increase of 0.5 million litres per day or 31.3 per cent, rose to 3.0 million litres per day in April, up by 0.9 million litres per day or 42.9 per cent, and increased further to 4.3 million litres per day in May, representing a gain of 1.3 million litres per day or 43.3 per cent.
However, the upward trend reversed in June 2026, as domestic refinery receipts fell from 4.3 million litres per day in May to 2.5 million litres per day, a decline of 1.8 million litres per day or 41.9 per cent.
Throughout the 13 months, no aviation fuel imports by Oil Marketing Companies were recorded, indicating that 100 per cent of Nigeria’s reported ATK receipts came from domestic refineries.
Industry data further showed that aviation fuel consumption remained relatively stable despite fluctuations in refinery receipts.
Consumption stood at 3.5 million litres per day in January before declining to 2.9 million litres per day in February. It fell further to 2.1 million litres per day in March before rising to 2.5 million litres per day in April and increasing to 3.1 million litres per day in May. Consumption moderated again to 2.9 million litres per day in June, representing a six per cent decline compared to the previous month.
The latest NMDPRA daily consumption figures also showed that aviation fuel demand averaged about 2.9 million litres per day, close to the country’s 2026 benchmark demand of three million litres daily.
The regulator noted that petroleum product consumption figures are based on volumes trucked into the domestic market.
The report also showed that ATK supply rose from 2.6 million litres per day in April to 3.6 million litres per day in May, representing an increase of about 38.5 per cent during that reporting cycle.
The disappearance of aviation fuel imports underscores the growing contribution of domestic refining following the commencement and expansion of operations at new and rehabilitated refineries across the country.
For years, Nigeria depended almost entirely on imported aviation fuel, exposing airlines to exchange rate volatility, high logistics costs and periodic supply disruptions. The growing role of local refineries is expected to improve product availability, shorten supply chains and reduce the country’s dependence on imported petroleum products.
The development also aligns with the Federal Government’s broader objective of achieving energy security through increased domestic refining capacity while conserving foreign exchange previously spent on importing refined petroleum products.
Although monthly refinery receipts remained volatile, the absence of imported ATK throughout the review period suggests that local production has become sufficiently established to support Nigeria’s aviation fuel requirements, with consumption largely hovering around the country’s daily benchmark demand of three million litres.
The development comes against the backdrop of a sharp increase in aviation fuel prices that recently pushed up the cost of air travel in Nigeria.
In March 2026, Jet A-1 prices rose from about N900 per litre in January to N2,557 per litre by the end of March, representing an increase of 184 per cent. The surge, which was linked to disruptions in the global oil market following the Middle East crisis, placed significant pressure on airlines because aviation fuel accounts for about 40 per cent of their operating costs.
Although intense competition initially prevented carriers from immediately passing the higher cost to passengers, domestic airfares later rose to N200,000 and above for one-hour, one-way flights as Jet A-1 prices remained between N1,750 and N2,650 per litre.
The sharp increase in airfares intensified calls for a more reliable and affordable domestic supply of aviation fuel.
The latest supply figures, showing that domestic refineries accounted for all recorded ATK receipts between June 2025 and June 2026, could provide some relief to the aviation industry by reducing its exposure to imported fuel and foreign exchange volatility.
However, the significant month-to-month swings in local receipts, from a record 14 million litres per day in December 2025 to 2.5 million litres per day in June 2026, show that supply stability remains as important as domestic production.
Courtesy – The Punch
Star Deep Water Petroleum Limited, a Chevron company and operator of the Agbami unit, has won the bid for Petroleum Prospecting Licence (PPL) 2010 in Nigeria’s 2025 licensing round.
Biztellers reports that the winners of the bid round were announced by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in Abuja, on Tuesday July 21, 2026.
“Chevron continues to evaluate high-potential exploration opportunities across our global portfolio, with Nigeria long being an important part of our business,” Kevin McLachlan, Vice President of Exploration at Chevron said. “This award reflects our disciplined approach to adding quality acreage to our portfolio.”
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“We appreciate the efforts of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and all stakeholders in delivering a successful licensing round,” said Jim Swartz, Chairman and Managing Director of Chevron companies in Nigeria and the Mid-Africa region. “Chevron remains committed to working collaboratively with the Nigerian government and our partners to support the development of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry and contribute to the country’s broader economic growth,” he added.
A company statement has it that the award of the PPL 2010 supports Chevron’s global exploration strategy, which combines technology-enabled exploration, disciplined portfolio management and selective entry into high-potential opportunities. Beyond Nigeria, Chevron continues to advance exploration activities across Africa while growing a global portfolio to develop the energy needed to enable human progress.
The Nigerian Navy has uncovered nine illegal refining sites comprising 23 dugout pits in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, with 18 of the pits containing an estimated 104,000 litres of products suspected to be stolen crude oil.
The Director of Naval Information, Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed the discovery in an operational report on Tuesday in Abuja, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
He said the sites were uncovered during an operation carried out by personnel of Forward Operating Base Bonny under Operation DELTA SENTINEL.
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The operation also neutralised five newly excavated pits that had been prepared for imminent use before they could become operational, preventing the further expansion of the illegal refining network in the area.
Folorunsho said the operation delivered a significant setback to crude oil theft syndicates operating in the Bonny area, targeting criminal infrastructure across two communities simultaneously.
“Following actionable intelligence, personnel targeted criminal infrastructure concealed within the Wakama/Bolo and Aworkiri communities. The operation denied economic saboteurs the opportunity to activate new refining locations and sustain illicit petroleum production,” he said.
“The operation dealt another major setback to crude oil theft syndicates and further reinforced the service’s resolve to safeguard Nigeria’s critical oil and gas infrastructure,” Folorunsho added.
He said eight locally fabricated refining pots and three large storage tanks were also recovered during the operation, further disrupting the criminal network’s refining capability.
“All illegal facilities and recovered products were handled in accordance with extant anti-crude oil theft procedures,” he said, adding that by targeting both active and emerging illegal refining hubs, the Navy continues to weaken the operational resilience of crude oil theft syndicates.
“The latest success highlights the Nigerian Navy’s determination not only to disrupt illegal refining activities, but also to prevent criminal networks from rebuilding their infrastructure. By targeting both active and emerging illegal refining hubs, the service continues to weaken the operational resilience of crude oil theft syndicates and protecting Nigeria’s economic interests,” he said.
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