VenturesNow

Nigeria’s Dangote Sugar Refinery issues commercial papers worth N42.79 billion at rates of 25%, 23%

Published

4 months ago

June 17, 2024

Nigeria’s Dangote Sugar Refinery has declared the issuance of its N42.79 billion Series 4 and 5 commercial papers, offered at 25% and 23%, respectively, were successfully issued. The company’s N150 billion commercial paper issuance program included issuing the papers.

The 181-day Series 4 and the 265-day Series 5 were issued for a total of N12.93 billion and N29.86 billion, respectively. The notification released by the company states that institutional and individual investors, along with pension and non-pension asset managers, participated in the CP issuance.

Dangote Sugar Refinery has issued N39.39 billion in 266-day Series 1 notes at a 17.08% discount rate as part of its N150 billion commercial paper program. Furthermore, at a 19.84% discount rate, the corporation has issued N6.15 billion in 184-day Series 2 notes.

At a discount rate of 21.30%, the business issued 254-day Series 3 notes for N53.47 billion. Therefore, Dangote Sugar has raised N141.8 billion through its Series 1 to 5 CPs. The letter to the group states that the corporation plans to diversify its funding sources through the issuance of commercial papers. The money raised will go toward meeting finance needs and sustaining short-term operating capital.

According to Dangote Sugar’s Q1 2024 financial reports, interest costs on commercial papers totalled N543.2 million, while interest costs on bank loans came to N21.48 million. This suggests that commercial papers rather than bank loans are the company’s primary source of funding.

These commercial papers’ high discount rates are a reflection of Nigeria’s high-interest monetary environment at the moment. The CBN increased Nigeria’s benchmark interest rate by 750 basis points to 26.25% in 2024, which had an impact on manufacturers’ capacity to finance working capital.

In essence, the CBN’s decision has caused banks to significantly raise their lending rates. For instance, UBA’s loan rates to the manufacturing sector ranged from 28.50% to 32.00% as of May 17, 2024. Due to this increase, businesses are now looking for alternate sources of funding, and debt securities like bonds and commercial papers are one such choice.

However, treasury bills (NT-bills) and OMO bills issued by the CBN are vying with commercial papers for investors’ attention in the market for short-term debt securities. Furthermore, the CBN’s yield rates on NT notes and OMO bills in 2024 have shown to be extremely competitive. For instance, the June 5, 2024, 182-day and 364-day NT bills have respective discount rates of 17.5% and 20.67%.

Companies have been obliged to implement rather high interest rates for these CPs to compete favourably. Series 3, 4, and 5 CPs from Dangote Sugar are available at discounts of 21.30%, 23%, and 25%, respectively. It has also forced other issuers to adopt high interest rates. Series 1 and Series 2 CPs were issued by Coronation Group with respective discount rates of 19.83% and 21.81%.

Click to comment

VenturesNow

IMF assessing implications of Senegal financial audit

Published

16 hours ago

October 17, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revealed that a staff team has travelled to Senegal to begin evaluating the ramifications of data adjustments that emerged from a government audit of previous and ongoing initiatives that the IMF had sponsored.

IMF staff will continue to collaborate closely with the authorities in the upcoming weeks to assess the macroeconomic impact and lay out the next measures, the Fund said in a statement, even though the government’s findings have not yet been certified.

Last month, an audit of Senegal’s finances, commissioned by recently elected President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, revealed that the country’s deficit at the end of 2023 was over 10% of GDP, as opposed to the 5% that the previous administration had estimated.

Following the Fund’s evaluation in June, the government announced that it had chosen not to proceed with Senegal’s request for an IMF disbursement in July. Since then, the West African nation has been in talks with the IMF about corrective action.

From October 9 to October 16, an IMF staff team travelled to Senegal to examine the preliminary audit findings.

The next steps “will include assessing whether any misreporting occurred during previous and current IMF-supported programs”, the statement said.

VenturesNow

Namibia central bank drops key rate again to boost growth

Published

16 hours ago

October 17, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of Namibia’s central bank unanimously decided to cut the repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.25%, the same size of cut as at the August meeting.

The central bank cited the country’s economy’s need for additional support and the unexpectedly rapid decline in inflation as reasons for the second consecutive meeting of its main interest rate cut.

“The MPC noted the growing momentum in the international monetary policy easing cycle, the retreat in domestic inflation over the medium term, along with the recent downside surprise in the September 2024 inflation print,” Bank of Namibia Governor Johannes Gawaxab said in a statement accompanying the decision.

The nation in southern Africa saw its annual inflation decline sharply from 4.4% in August to 3.4% in September.

The central bank’s most recent meeting on Wednesday downgraded the average inflation forecast for this year from 4.7% to 4.3%.

The revision was ascribed to a more optimistic outlook for global oil prices as well as a more robust domestic currency rate.

According to the bank, credit extension to the private sector is still muted, indicating that more assistance for the home economy is necessary.
“The domestic economy, while growing at a moderate pace, was operating below full capacity,” Gawaxab said.

In 2024, growth is expected to drop to 3.1% from 4.2% in 2023.

Regarding a $750 million redemption of Eurobonds that is scheduled for late 2025, Namibia’s governor of the central bank stated that 82% of the $500 million it wishes to retire at maturity has already been put aside.

The government is still hoping to refinance the $250 million that is left! stated Gawaxab.In 2024, growth is expected to drop to 3.1% from 4.2% in 2023.