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W’Bank Highlights Benefits of Investing in Infrastructure

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World Bank
  • W’Bank Highlights Benefits of Investing in Infrastructure

The net benefit on average of investing in more resilient infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries will be $4.2 trillion with $4 in benefit for each $1 invested, according to a new report from the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR).

The report titled: “Lifelines: The Resilient Infrastructure Opportunity,” laid out a framework for understanding infrastructure resilience, which is the ability of infrastructure systems to function and meet users’ needs during and after a natural hazard. It examined four essential infrastructure systems: power, water and sanitation, transport, and telecommunications.

Making them more resilient is critical, the report stated, not only to avoid costly repairs but also to minimise the wide-ranging consequences of natural disasters for the livelihoods and well-being of people.

Outages or disruptions to power, water, communication and transport affect the productivity of firms, the incomes and jobs they provide, as well as directly impacting people’s quality of life, making it impossible for children to go to school or study, and contributing to the spread of water-borne diseases like cholera, it added.

“Resilient infrastructure is not about roads or bridges or power plants alone. It is about the people, the households and the communities for whom this quality infrastructure is a lifeline to better health, better education and better livelihoods,” said World Bank Group President, David Malpass.

“Investing in resilient infrastructure is about unlocking economic opportunities for people. This report offers a pathway for countries to follow for a safer, more secure, inclusive and prosperous future for all,” he added.

The report also found out that lack of resilient infrastructure harms people and firms more than previously understood. Natural disasters, for instance, cause direct damages to power generation and transport infrastructure, costing about $18 billion a year in low- and middle-income countries. But the wider disruptions that they trigger on households and firms is an even bigger problem.

Altogether, disruptions caused by natural hazards, as well as poor maintenance and mismanagement of infrastructure, costs households and firms at least $390 billion a year in low- and middle-income countries.

“For infrastructure investors – whether governments, development banks or the private sector – it is clear that investing in resilient infrastructure is both sound and profitable,” the Senior Director, Climate Change, at the World Bank, John Roome said.

“It is not about spending more, but about spending better.’
‘It is cheaper and easier to build resilience if we look beyond individual assets, like bridges or electric poles, and understand the vulnerabilities of systems and users,” lead author of the report, Stephane Hallegatte said.

“By doing so, entire systems can be better designed and with greater flexibility so that damages are localised and do not spread through entire networks, crippling economies at large,” he added.

Drawing from a wide range of case studies, global empirical analyses, and modelling exercises, the report also finds major region and country-specific implications of investing in resilient infrastructure.

For instance, today Africa and South Asia bear the highest losses from unreliable infrastructure:
For instance, in Kampala, Uganda, even just moderate floods block enough streets to make it impossible for over a third of Kampalans to reach a hospital during the critical window of time following a medical emergency.

Also, in Tanzanian firms are incurring losses of $668 million a year (or 1.8 percent of GDP) from power and water outages and transport disruptions, regardless of their origin. Almost half of transport disruptions in the country are also due to floods, and flood-related transport disruptions cost more than $100 million per year.

“Reliable access to electricity has more favorable effects on income and social outcomes than access alone in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan: boosting per capita income, study time for girls and women’s participation in the labor force.

“In India, access to electricity increases women’s employment by 12 percent. But access is usually unreliable. Where access is reliable – that is, available 24/7 – the increase reaches 31 percent.

“East Asia is a hotspot of infrastructure asset vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change: there are four East Asia countries among the top five countries globally in terms of risk to transport assets, and three out of five for the risk to power generation.

“In China, 64 million people are dependent on waste water treatment plants that are exposed to earthquake and soil liquefaction risks, and almost 200 million people are dependent on treatment plants that will be exposed to increasing flood risks due to climate change.

“In Peru, landslides often interrupt road traffic, causing large losses for users. Increasing the redundancy of the road network can be more efficient than trying to make roads resistant to landslides. This is especially the case around Carretera Central, a strategic export route for agricultural products,” it added.

Furthermore, the report offered five recommendations to ensure that infrastructure systems and users become more resilient. These include getting the basics right.

It noted that tackling poor management and governance of infrastructure systems was key.

For instance, a poorly-maintained infrastructure asset cannot be resilient, it added.

It also called for building institutions for resilience, stating that wider political economy challenges also need to be addressed, and critical infrastructure assets and systems need to be identified so that resources can be directed toward them.

“There is need to include resilience in regulations and incentives. Financial incentives can be used to ensure that the full social cost of infrastructure disruptions are accounted for, encouraging service providers to go beyond just meeting mandatory standards.

“Improve decision making. Access to better data, tools, and skills could be a game-changer in building resilience: for instance, digital elevation models for urban areas are not expensive and are critical to inform hundreds of billions of dollars in investments per year.

“Provide financing. The right kind of financing at the right time is key. For instance, small amounts of resources can support regulators and be used at the early stages of infrastructure design compared to the billions needed to repair and recover in the aftermath of a disaster,” it added.

Is the CEO and Founder of Investors King Limited. He is a seasoned foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and other prominent platforms. With over two decades of experience in global financial markets, Olukoya is well-recognized in the industry.

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Energy

Nigeria Partners with ECOWAS and Morocco to Launch $26B African Gas Pipeline

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Gas-Pipeline

The Nigerian government, in partnership with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Morocco, and Mauritania, has announced plans to advance the $26 billion African Atlantic Gas Pipeline project to drive economic growth across Africa.

This development was revealed on Monday, November 5, by Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), at the ECOWAS Inter-Ministerial Meeting on the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project.

Speaking at the meeting, which was attended by ECOWAS Ministers of Hydrocarbons and Energy as well as representatives from Morocco and Mauritania, Kyari stated that, once completed, the project will connect 13 African countries.

Represented by Olalekan Ogunleye, NNPC’s Executive Vice President for Gas Power & New Energy, Kyari said this will be Africa’s largest pipeline project.

Ogunleye confirmed that progress has been made with the front-end engineering design completed, the phase two study finalized, and work ongoing for environmental and social impact assessments as well as land acquisition and resettlement.

He emphasized NNPC’s readiness to execute the project: “Today, we come together to make significant progress in the African Atlantic gas pipeline project, which is a transformative initiative connecting at least 13 African nations in shared prosperity and development. These achievements underscore our capability to deliver this landmark project, supported by strong regional collaboration.”

Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), described the project as a game-changer for the regional economy, stating, “We stand at a critical juncture where these agreements can reshape our energy landscape, strengthen our economies, and uplift our people.”

He also highlighted that the project will increase Africa’s presence in the global gas market, noting that “the agreements demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing hydrocarbon and energy trade across ECOWAS, enhancing access to natural gas in West Africa, and expanding Africa’s global footprint in the gas market.”

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Crude Oil

Nigerian Army Seizes 700,000 Liters of Stolen Petroleum in Sweeping Raid Across Four States

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In a series of raids across Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Delta states, troops from the 6th Division of the Nigerian Army seized 700,000 liters of stolen petroleum products, sealed 29 illegal refining sites, and arrested 24 suspected oil thieves.

In a statement issued by the Division’s Public Relations Officer, Lt. Col. Danjuma Jonah, it was noted that 14 boats involved in crude oil theft were also destroyed during the operation.

Jonah disclosed that the raids were conducted between October 28 and November 3, 2024.

He revealed that the troops intercepted a large wooden boat carrying over 150,000 liters of stolen crude oil in the Kula area of Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Providing a breakdown of the operation, Jonah stated, “Another boat carrying 50,000 liters of crude oil was seized, while three illegal refining sites were dismantled, and cooking pots containing 20,000 liters of stolen diesel were confiscated. Troops also dismantled ten illegal refining sites in Kay and Abesa in Akuku-Toru LGA, seizing 400,000 liters of illegally refined diesel.”

In Bayelsa State, soldiers deactivated two illegal refining sites at Boma Creek in Southern Ijaw LGA, recovering storage tanks holding over 2,500 liters of stolen crude. Similarly, operations in Obughene Creek in Southern Ijaw yielded over 4,500 liters of stolen crude, while another 3,000 liters of illicit product were seized at West Boma Creek.

In Akwa Ibom State, troops intercepted two Toyota Camrys loaded with illegally refined diesel, concealed in nylon bags, totaling 3,000 liters. The vehicles were stopped along the Ikot Abasi-Abak road, and the drivers were detained.

In Delta State, multiple raids were conducted, including the interception of a tricycle in Kwale, Ndokwa West LGA, carrying stolen iron pipes allegedly taken from decommissioned Oando pipelines.

Another raid in Patani town uncovered a storage dump containing 40 jerricans of stolen products, while troops patrolling Uro Community waterways intercepted a wooden boat with 200 sacks of premium motor spirit,” he concluded.

The statement added that suspects arrested during the raids have been handed over to relevant authorities for prosecution.

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Crude Oil

OPEC+ Supply, Trump-Harris Election Face Off Lend Support to Oil Prices

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Crude oil

The decision of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, OPEC+ to delay plans to increase output for another month and the close call of the presidential elections in the United States triggered a 2 percent rise in oil prices.

Brent futures were up $1.98, or 2.7 percent at $75.08 a barrel while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $1.98, or 2.85 percent to $71.47.

OPEC+ said it would extend its output cut of 2.2 million barrels per day for another month in December at a meeting on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia and Russia, as well as Algeria, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to extend the November 2023 voluntary production adjustments of 2.2 million barrels per day for one month until the end of December 2024.

The move is aimed at boosting oil prices amid uncertain demand and accelerating supply, with an eye on the imminent US presidential election, though analysts predict a limited impact.

Also speaking on Monday, OPEC’s Secretary General, Mr Haitham Al Ghais said on Monday that OPEC remains very positive on demand for oil in both the short and long term.

The market has also shifted focus to the American presidential election between Democratic presidential nominee and current Vice President, Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump on Tuesday (November 5).

So far, the outcome has shown that the election is tight as it could take days after voting ends to know the eventual winner.

The market will also be looking at the developments in the Middle East, especially with anticipation that Iran was preparing to attack Israel from Iraq within days.

Markets were also watching a new tropical storm that was forecast to form on Monday in the Caribbean and threaten offshore oil production along the Gulf of Mexico.

Oil companies like Shell have moved its non-essential personnel from six platforms, adding it currently expects no other impacts on its production across the Gulf of Mexico.

There will be anticipation of what the US Federal Reserve will do at the next meeting on Thursday with expectations high that the US central bank will cut interest rates by 25 basis points.

Also, investors will be looking to China where the government is expected to approve additional stimulus to boost the slowing economy in the world’s largest oil importer.

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