Talking last Sunday on the national TV station RTI about the programme for restructuring gold mining in Cote d’Ivoire, the Minister of Mining and Industry, Jean-Claude Brou announced that owners of lands who “sell their lands to illegal gold miners” would henceforth be prosecuted. This way, the government aims to protect lands against the illegal miners. “Illegal gold miners are...

Last Saturday, the Minister of Mines of Mali said the country scaled down its forecasts for gold output for 2016, from 52.85t to 47.37t. The West African nation previously based its projections on production’s restart, which was to begin in May 2016, at the Kodieran mine which is operated by Wassoul’Or. However, production at the mine has so far not restarted.  Nevertheless, if able...

The Ethiopian Horticulture Development AGency revealed that horticulture exports generated $275.45 million at the end of the past fiscal year. Export revenues thus soar 10.7% compared to the previous year, indicated Head of Public Relations Office with the agency, Mekonen Hailu. According to him, about 166,000 tons of fruits and vegetables were exported. He attributes the increase in...

It appears that trade between Japan and Cote d’Ivoire ceases not to grow. Indeed, this is what suggests the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) which recently announced in a statement that imports to Cote d’Ivoire from Japan soared 34.4% from FCFA96.105 billion in 2014 to FCFA129.196 billion in 2015. Products imported by Abidjan mostly include cars, tractors, tricycles, and other...

Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko said on Saturday that, as part of efforts to improve food security, the government was looking at possibilities to give agricultural lands to white farmers. “Farmers who have managed to co-exist with adjacent communal and resettled farmers” might benefit from this, the VP told the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC). These farmers, still according to...

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in its report on the 9th edition of the global innovation index which was released on August 15, 2016, in Geneva (Switzerland), ranked Morocco 72nd out of 128 nations in terms of innovation. The kingdom jumped 6 places in the new ranking compared to 2015 where it was 78th out of 141 countries. Morocco thus gets ahead of its Northern African...

Angola’s state-owned company, Sonangol, on Tuesday revealed plans to put up 18 more offshore oil concessions for sale. This concessions includes six blocks in the Congo Basin (north) and another 12 in the Namibe Basin, south of the country. The Namibe Basin Maritime Zone encompasses an area of over 68,000 km² off the coast of Namibe province. It is considered to have high oil production...

Malawi is making effort to advance with upstream oil and gas development, as the country is currently suffering from power shortages, poor infrastructure, environmental concerns and an ongoing border clash with Tanzania. The country this year lifted a sanction placed on oil and gas drilling and has granted exploration licences to several international companies. SacOil, RAK Gas, Ghana’s...

Nigeria will have to increase his oil output by 900,000 barrels per day so as to regain the crude oil that has been shut in due to militant attacks on oil and gas installation in the Niger Delta, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Emmanuel Kachikwu (photo), revealed. According to Kachikwu, the Federal Government is continuing talks with militants and their representatives in the...

Eni has invested $3.5 to 4 billion in accomplishing the Zohr natural gas production processing plant, at a capacity of 2.7billion cubic feet of gas per day, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek El-Molla, revealed. According to El-Molla, the overall investments in the Zohr gas field are estimated at $12bn pending the time production begins. After that investments will then...