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Higher Oil Prices, Output Boost Shell

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15 years ago

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Royal Dutch Shell posted a near-doubling in full-year profits yesterday as the Anglo-Dutch oil major reaped the benefits of high oil prices and higher production, putting more distance between itself and rival BP, according to a Financial Times report.

Peter Voser, chief executive, promised there was “more to come” as Shell brings on a new wave of projects from Qatar to Brazil.

Earnings for the full year on a “current cost of supplies basis”, after adjusting for the effect of price changes on inventories, were $18.6bn compared with $9.8bn a year ago.

Fourth-quarter earnings, excluding one-off items, were $4.1bn compared with $2.8bn in the same period a year ago, but below analysts’ expectations, causing shares in Shell to open more than 3 per cent lower in London.

Earnings were hit by “weak refining margins, pressure on certain regional natural gas prices, and volatility in downstream marketing margins as a result of the rising oil prices,” Mr Voser said.

Shell is paying a fourth-quarter dividend of $0.42 per ordinary share, unchanged from the same period last year.

During the year, the company increased production by 5 per cent to 3.3m barrels of oil equivalent per day. Sales of liquefied natural gas rose 25 per cent. Shell made $7bn of acquisitions and invested $3bn in exploration activities in 2010.

The results stand in contrast with those of BP, which earlier this week reported its first annual loss in more than 20 years due to charges related to last year’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

After a period of heavy investment Shell is bringing online a number of projects, with six starting up last year. The projects will underpin the group’s targets for an 11 per cent increase from 2009-12 of oil and natural gas production from 2009-12, as well as an improvement of its refining and marketing portfolio.

“This growth will drive a 50-80 per cent increase in cash flow from operations from 2009 to 2012, measured at $60-$80 oil prices. There are ambitious targets, but we are on track,” said Mr Voser.

Crude oil prices broke through the $100 a barrel mark this week in London, with Brent crude hitting $103 a barrel on Thursday, the highest level since 2008.

Profits in the fourth quarter from Shell’s exploration and production business, the largest part of the group, were up 101 per cent to $5.1bn, although that was flattered by a net gain of $1.65bn

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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23 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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23 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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23 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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