Nigerian continuity and change
Oil production is picking up and vital legislation affecting the future of the sector looks to be heading for the statute book, but Nigeria is not out of the woods yet
The Nigerian oil and gas sector is in a better place than it has been for some time, but the government must implement sweeping reforms at a time when the president's poor health inevitably raises concerns over political—and policy—continuity, and the economy remains in a precarious state. Tangible progress towards implementation of legislation crucial to encouraging expansion of upstream development, some encouraging results from efforts to quell violent unrest in the oil-rich Niger Delta region and a related uptick in oil exports have helped lighten the mood among hydrocarbons firms weighing up their next moves. But Africa's largest economy is still shrinking. GDP fell by 1.5% in 2016 and
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