Daily Watch – Dangote Refinery falls short on fuel supply, RSF kills 25 in retaliatory attacks

23rd October 2024

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) downgraded Nigeria’s economic growth forecast for 2024 to 2.9% due to insecurity in oil-producing areas, the impact of floods, and lower-than-expected activity in the first half of the year, according to its Global Economic Outlook report. In April, the IMF had earlier projected Nigeria’s growth to be 3.3% in 2024, but lowered its forecast to 3.1% in July. Weeks of flooding killed hundreds of Nigerians earlier in the year, washing away homes and farmlands and further threatening food supplies, especially in the hard-hit northern region. The floods were mostly attributed to poor infrastructure and dams, killing 185 people and displacing 208,000 in 28 of Nigeria’s 36 states, according to the National Emergency Management Agency. Unrest in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region has equally impacted oil production, the main source of revenue.

Dangote Refinery has failed to meet its daily petrol supply commitment to the Nigerian market, according to the Dangote Evacuation Report seen by Premium Times. Between 15 September and 5 October, the refinery delivered only 148 million litres of petrol, instead of 575 million litres. The refinery’s performance between 15 and 30 September was 26% of its target, with 2,207 trucks loaded out of 3,621 trucks. The trucks carried 102,973,025 litres of the planned 400,000,000 litres of petrol earmarked to be lifted from the refinery at 25 million litres per day. Between 1 and 5 October, the refinery loaded 991 trucks out of 3,112 planned truck-outs. The trucks loaded 45,114,534 litres of the planned 140,000,000 litres of petrol earmarked to be lifted from the refinery at 35 million litres per day, achieving only 32% of its target. 

Ghana’s National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) says it has settled outstanding debt owed to health services providers on the Scheme. Mr Da-costa Aboagye, NHIA CEO, said the claims had been settled up to August 2024, with some additional payments made in October 2024. “The NHIA boasts an unprecedented payment of claims, having disbursed over GHS800 million cedis in just the past month, with additional over GHS300 million payments made in October.“ He said they were calling on facilities to submit their claims for payment in a release copied to Ghana News Agency. Aboagye added that active National Health Insurance Scheme members had increased from 10 million in 2015 to 17.8 million as of December 2023.

Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have attacked villages in the east of Sudan’s El Gezira state, killing at least 25 people, following the defection of high-ranking RSF officer Abuagla Keikal who is from the area. Following his defection, many RSF soldiers streamed into the region, in what activists described as revenge, reporting displacement, looting and killings. “Now they have their chance to do what they want,” said one activist who spoke to Reuters anonymously. The Rufaa Resistance Committee, a pro-democracy group, said on Tuesday that at least 25 people had been killed in Rufaa, the area’s largest town, and seven other villages and towns since Sunday. Most Rufaa residents have been displaced, homes looted, and there have been rape reports.