By Etop Ekanem

Guinness Nigeria Plc has reaffirmed its confidence in the strength and future of its business, as the Company enters a new phase of growth underpinned by improved profitability, a significantly stronger balance sheet and continued investment in its brands, manufacturing capabilities and route to market.

The company shared this outlook during its first half 2026 (H1’26) Investors and Analysts Call, where Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Girish Sharma, Finance and Strategy Director, Mayank Kabra, and Corporate Relations and Legal Director, Rotimi Odusola, provided investors and analysts with an update on Guinness Nigeria’s financial performance, strategic priorities and outlook.

Guinness Nigeria delivered a strong performance for the six months ended 30 June 2026, reporting approximately N265 billion in revenue, while profit after tax grew 53 percent to N25.3 billion.

The performance reflects the company’s continued focus on driving quality growth while improving operational efficiency and strengthening its financial position.

A key highlight of the period was Guinness Nigeria’s significant progress in deleveraging and rebuilding its balance sheet. Shareholders’ equity increased from N43.3 billion to N64.2 billion, while net debt declined substantially from approximately N37 billion to about N19 billion.

Speaking during the call, Sharma said the company’s progress reflected a deliberate focus on building a stronger and more resilient business.

He stated: “We have made significant progress in strengthening our financial position while continuing to invest in the growth of the business. The days of operating with a weak balance sheet are behind us. Today, we are in a much stronger position to pursue growth, improve returns and create sustainable value for our shareholders and other stakeholders.”

The Federal Government (FG) is set to introduce performance scorecards for operators across Nigeria’s electricity value chain, with underperforming distribution and generation companies (DisCos and GenCos) to face sanctions while high-performing operators will be rewarded.

Meanwhile, Nigerians spent an estimated N16.5 trillion on self-generated electricity in 2023, compared with about N1 trillion in revenue generated by the national grid, underscoring the enormous economic cost of Nigeria’s unreliable power supply.

The Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, disclosed this in a policy brief presented by his Special Adviser, Martins Olajide, at the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) Industrialisation and Competitiveness Forum on Wednesday.

Tegbe said the ministry would introduce performance scorecards for power sector personnel, DisCos and GenCos as part of efforts to strengthen accountability and enforce clear performance standards across the electricity value chain.

According to him, the framework will reward excellence and penalise underperformance, thereby restoring discipline and improving service delivery in the sector.

He also announced plans for tariff reforms aimed at protecting vulnerable consumers while ensuring that electricity supply obligations are met across the value chain.

The minister said the measures formed part of the ministry’s eight-point agenda to stabilise the power value chain, restore market discipline and strengthen governance.

He noted that Nigeria currently has 13,625 megawatts (MW) of installed grid capacity, but average daily available capacity is only 4,854MW, leaving about 62 per cent of installed capacity idle.

This, he said, was occurring despite realistic peak electricity demand of about 20,000MW.

“The power arithmetic does not add up,” Tegbe said, stressing that the persistent gap between available supply and demand had forced households and businesses to increasingly rely on self-generation.

He stated: “Nigerians spent an estimated N16.5 trillion on self-generated electricity in 2023, compared with about N1 trillion in revenue generated by the national grid.”

Citing World Bank estimates, Tegbe said inadequate electricity supply costs the Nigerian economy about $25 billion annually, equivalent to between five and seven per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“Improving the performance of electricity operators and reforming tariffs were critical to creating a reliable power market capable of supporting industrialisation and boosting productivity,” he stated.

The minister said the government would also strengthen existing power infrastructure and improve the utilisation of assets across the value chain.

According to him, the ministry plans to enhance the Lagos, Enugu-Port Harcourt and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano transmission corridors, with the Lagos corridor serving as a proof of concept for the broader grid stabilisation programme.

By Providence Ayanfeoluwa

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), in collaboration with Parts Central Limited, has unveiled an environmental initiative to tackle indiscriminate dumping and pollution on Nigeria’s inland waterways.

The programme is designed to identify sources of pollution, deploy structured waste-removal and recycling systems, improve navigability, conserve aquatic biodiversity and create jobs for riverine communities. It is also expected to support the growth of Nigeria’s fisheries economy under the Federal Government’s Blue Economy agenda.

Speaking at the unveiling in Lagos, the Lagos Area Manager of NIWA, Engr. Sarat Braimah, said a clean waterway was critical to making the Blue Economy work.

“Making the blue economy work starts from making our waterways clean; if the waterways are clean, navigation will be easy. If the water is clean, it will create jobs for even our youth,” she said.

Braimah noted that about one-third of Lagos State is covered by water, making the condition of its waterways crucial to economic activities and the livelihoods of residents who depend on them.

Managing Director of Parts Central Ltd, Henry Onifade, said the company would deploy technology to cover waterfronts, landing ports and jetties.

“Our waterways must not only be clean, they must be safe, productive and sustainable,” he said.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Ekundayo Alebiosu, said the initiative underscored the importance of collaboration between the Federal and Lagos State governments in protecting the state’s waterways.

He said clean and safe waterways were essential to fishing, navigation and the wider waterfront economy.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, U.M. Ogechi, who represented the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Maritime Police, stressed the importance of maritime activities to Nigeria’s economy, warning that polluted waterways could endanger aquatic life, boat operators and passengers.

President of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Operators (NATOP), Mrs Bolaji Mustapha, described clean and safe waterways as essential to developing water-based tourism.

The Odofin of Onisiwo, High Chief Lateef Rufai, welcomed the initiative, noting that waste dumped into waterways often ended up along the shores of waterfront communities.