Oil-producing African countries have increased their crude production quota, now accounting for 35 per cent of newly discovered oil reserves in 2024, a substantial rise from just seven per cent in 2023, a new report by S&P Global has stated. The production upsurge shows that African nations are now leading the charge in newly discovered crude oil reserves amidst the energy transition agenda pushed by Western nations. However, Nigeria, with oil reserves of 37.5 billion barrels, was notably absent from these recent findings. The report titled “High Impact Wells 2025” explained that while about 8.8 billion barrels of oil equivalent were found, the Cote D’Ivoire Basin and the Orange Sub-basin accounted for 2.9 billion of this figure. It noted, however, that the figure was the lowest net newly discovered volumes since the 1950s. According to the report, there are a plethora of promising high-impact wells, highlighting the need for advanced exploration. The report read, “In 2024, Africa accounted for 35 per cent of the global discovered volumes, a significant increase from just seven per cent in 2023. Notably, 60 per cent of offshore Africa’s NFWs were drilled in frontier or immature basins. “Areas of exploration focus in Africa were the Southwest African Coastal Basin, particularly the Orange Sub-basin, and the Cote d’Ivoire Basin which were major contributors to the nearly 2.9 billion barrels of oil equivalent (Bboe) discovered during the year.” It said the Orange Sub-basin continued to be an exploration hotspot, with discoveries in the basin by Galp, TotalEnergies, and Shell. “Galp’s Mopane 1X discovery is the biggest discovery of the year globally and is of real interest due to being in shallower water than previous discoveries (1400 m shallower than Venus) and with good reservoir properties. Exploration continued throughout the year in the basin, with further HIWs slated for 2025. “Also of note was Eni’s successful  Murene 1X well, which made the Calao discovery. The discovery is the third largest in the basin, further debunking the idea that the potential is limited within the Cote d’Ivoire portion of the basin. If not for the Orange Sub-basin, the Cote d’Ivoire Basin has been the most prolific African basin since 2021, when it yielded the Baleine discovery,” it said. The report also stated that the top 10 newly discovered oil reserves accounted for approximately 60 per cent of the total new finds. According to the report, the Orange Sub-basin in Southwest Africa, the Central Arabian Province, and the Guyana Basin collectively contributed to more than half of the year’s discoveries. “A review of the new finds shows that deepwater explorations are now the major focus of the global oil and gas industry. Drillers reached a water depth of approximately 1,680 meters at the Mopane well. The Murene 1X well in Côte d’Ivoire was drilled to a depth of 2,200 meters.” “Ultra-deepwater exploration will be a recurring theme, as seen in the Venus 1X well which has a water depth of about 3,000 meters. The Bonga Oil Field in the Niger Delta basin is another ultra-deepwater oil field.” According to the report, deepwater explorations, which were majorly high-risk explorations, had the potential for high rewards. Revealing its projections for 2025, the S&P said the Southwest African Coastal Basin, Central Arabian Province, and Guyana Basin will remain significant players in the exploration landscape, all displaying continued opportunities for untapped potential. “High impact Wells will drive discovery and remain a key indicator of future trade flows in 2025. Despite recent declines in exploration activity and discovered volumes, the industry’s focus on high-quality acreage and frontier basins highlights a commitment to uncovering new resources. The Guyana Basin, Orange Sub-basin, and Central Arabian Province are poised to remain at the forefront of exploration efforts, contributing substantial volumes and showcasing the potential for future discoveries. “As companies balance the challenges of portfolio optimization, transition, and net-zero obligations, the strategic targeting of both high-risk, high-reward prospects and proven basins will be crucial for sustaining the momentum of resource replenishment and ensuring the continued growth and vitality of the oil and gas sector. “More than 35 high-impact wells are scheduled globally for 2025, with drilling plans in both immature and frontier basins, as well as mature provinces. Latin America and Africa remain key regions, with significant wells planned in the Guyana Basin and Orange Sub-basin, respectively,” It concluded. Nigeria has been mostly left out of the conversation about new oil reserves, a development caused by the lack of funding and investments that has plagued the Nigerian oil sector in recent years. However, Shell’s planned $5bn investment in the Bonga North Field suggests that numbers from Nigeria could begin to emerge in the coming years. Also, Chevron announced the discovery of a new oil field in the Meji NW-1 well, located offshore of the Niger Delta Basin. According to the oil giant, the discovery has the potential for 17,000 barrels per day. The Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Mr Haitham Al-Ghais, recently tasked Africa to unlock its proven oil of over 120 billion barrels.

Google’s NotebookLM is an essential AI-powered tool designed to enhance productivity. JUSTICE OKAMGBA writes on various expert tips to maximise the tool Google developed an AI-powered tool known as NotebookLM that helps people organise, summarise, and interact with their information more effectively. It’s like a super-smart notebook that can read and understand all kinds of documents, notes, or web content. It can then help you find key details, create summaries, and even answer questions based on the information you’ve uploaded or saved. If you have a bunch of notes from different sources, NotebookLM can analyse them, fish out the most important points, and help you quickly understand or work with that information without needing to read everything from scratch. One of the key minds behind NotebookLM is author and innovation expert Steven Johnson, who has worked with the team at Google since the project began two years ago. In a blog post on Google, Johnson described the platform as “a tool for understanding things”, emphasising its role in helping users explore topics more deeply and efficiently. He advised that users treat NotebookLM as a “virtual research assistant” capable of offering tailored insights across diverse subject areas. To help users maximise the value of NotebookLM, Johnson has shared several practical tips based on his own experience using the tool since its inception. Start with random documents to explore basics The author encouraged new users to start by uploading their 10 most recent documents—even if they were unrelated or random. According to him, this was an excellent way to experiment with the tool’s capabilities. Whether users were already familiar with the contents of the documents or not, Johnson suggested that NotebookLM could help uncover fresh insights or new connections that might not have been immediately obvious. He also recommended setting up one comprehensive notebook containing frequently used or foundational materials—what he called an “everything notebook”. Johnson explained that this central repository might include inspirational quotes, key company documents, brainstorming notes, and other general resources that a user interacts with regularly. He said he used such a notebook for open-ended thinking and idea exploration. However, Johnson also highlighted the importance of creating notebooks dedicated to specific topics or projects. For example, he maintained a separate notebook focused exclusively on the development of NotebookLM itself. That collection, he explained, included press releases, feature descriptions, and internal team documents. Having all those related materials in one place, Johnson reportedly said, was like having another teammate who understood the full context of a project. Use NotebookLM to connect dots Many users struggle with the problem of scattered information—documents in folders, open browser tabs, or bits of text saved across various tools. Johnson observed that NotebookLM was purpose-built to solve this challenge. He was quoted as saying that the platform excels at connecting the dots across disparate materials, enabling users to manage, synthesise, and comprehend complex data more efficiently. He shared a use case involving the development of a slide presentation. According to him, one might begin by brainstorming ideas using Gemini or Gems, open several browser tabs with reference articles, save design inspiration images, and jot down notes in a Google Doc. Once all these elements are gathered, feeding them into NotebookLM allows the tool to generate an organised summary or outline, which becomes a helpful reference point when assembling the final slides. Let the tool guide your questions Johnson also highlighted the value of the suggested questions feature in NotebookLM. He reportedly explained that when users uploaded new content, the system could automatically propose queries that guided them through the material. This function, he said, helped users who might be unsure where to begin. Once a user starts engaging with the content, NotebookLM would offer relevant follow-up questions based on the initial input and the uploaded documents. A helpful feature known as the “Notebook Guide” appears after the first few sources are added, offering starter questions to kickstart the discovery process. Explore different formats for output Johnson was said to have emphasised that users process information differently, which is why the ability to generate different output formats was built into the system. He explained that NotebookLM could turn uploaded content into various forms, such as FAQs, briefing documents, timelines, tables of contents, study guides, or even “Audio Overviews”. This flexibility, according to him, allowed users to better understand material and also made it easier to present insights to others. He added that the feature was particularly useful for people preparing content for different audiences or trying to absorb information in a way that suited their learning style. Consider creative use cases While NotebookLM was originally envisioned for work and academic projects, Johnson revealed that it had become an unexpected ally for creative endeavours as well. He noted that many users had started leveraging the tool for writing fantasy or sci-fi novels, designing games, and developing story worlds. In these cases, users uploaded documents containing notes, character sketches, webpages, and multimedia content to keep their creative universes organised. Johnson pointed out that the platform made it easy to ask targeted questions like, “What’s the backstory of this character?” or “Which characters live in this fictional region?” Users could even solicit creative feedback by asking the AI for opinions on the most compelling characters or favourite scenes. He jokingly compared it to using a search function for “interestingness,” saying that it enabled writers to re-engage with their work from new angles. Dive into audio overviews One of Johnson’s favourite features, according to him, was the Audio Overview. He advised users to turn each uploaded document into an audio summary, describing the result as “mind-blowing.” After a short wait, users receive a dynamic conversation between two AI hosts discussing the contents of their uploaded sources. Johnson explained that the team recently introduced a customisation option for audio overviews, allowing users to adjust the tone, focus, and level of sophistication of the conversation. He said he had personally uploaded his own writing into NotebookLM and asked the hosts to provide constructive feedback—something he found both insightful and entertaining. Privacy by design In addition to its robust features, Google emphasised that privacy was a foundational aspect of NotebookLM. The company stated that users’ uploaded data is never used to train AI models and is kept private at all times. Johnson reaffirmed this stance, saying that the platform had been designed with strong data protections to ensure users felt confident uploading sensitive or proprietary content.

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The Lagos State Government has presented provisional approval letters to owners of 41 private nursery and primary schools and 29 junior and senior secondary schools. At the presentation held on Wednesday at the Education Resource Center, Ojodu, Ikeja, the Supervising Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Mr Sesan Ogundeko said the private educational institutions approved were those that met rigorous quality benchmarks. He said the state recognised the crucial place of private schools in the Lagos education sector, promising continued resources, and support with private institutions for quality teaching and learning environment in the state. In his welcome remarks, the Coordinating Director, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Mr Remi Abdul explained that only 70 out of the over 100 applicants for the provisional approval met the stringent criteria set by the state. Abdul explained that the approval process encompassed online registration, site visits, approval inspections and meticulous documentation. Abdul emphasized the importance of adherence to established educational laws and policies, particularly those concerning safeguarding and child protection. He highlighted the government’s unwavering commitment to student welfare. “This initiative aligns with Lagos State’s ongoing efforts to regulate and elevate the quality of private education. “School Proprietors are encouraged to maintain the high standards that qualify them for approval and to continually strive for excellence in their educational offerings,” Abdul said. Speaking, the Director of Private Education & Special Programmes, Sulaimon Ogunmuyiwa encouraged those who received provincial approval letters to maintain the high standards of education as established during the approval process. On his part, the Executive Director, Lagos State Examinations Board, Mr Adebayo Orunsolu, who was represented by Mr Peter Adefioye underscored the significance of attestation certificates for schools that have received official approval. ‘’For schools that have recently obtained approval, this development offers a dual advantage. Not only does it enhance the institution’s credibility, but it also serves as a form of advertisement, attracting other schools to register their students under the newly approved institution. ‘’This shift ensures that certificates issued, such as those for the Junior Secondary School Examination and attestation, bear the name of the approved school, thereby bolstering its reputation.’’ The school owners expressed their satisfaction with the approval letters. The proprietor of Russell College, Mrs. Ehi Nwanoeze praised the Lagos State Government, particularly the Quality Assurance Department, for its unwavering commitment to upholding educational standards.