In Uganda, Mayuge Sugar Industries Limited will start, three months from now, the construction of a 23 MW biomass power plant. Production which should begin in 2018 will represent about 2.6% of national power output. The plant will generate 20,000 jobs and will be running on 10,000 tons of sugar cane waste. The project costs $53.6 million and 65% of the amount will be raised through loans...

Ivorian ginners committed to supply 120,000 tons of cotton seeds to crushers Colheol and Cotraf over the 2015-2016 season. According to the framework agreement, Olheol is to receive 70,000 tons of grains of cotton whilst Cotraf is to get the remaining 50,000 tons. The crushers said the agreement will result in job creation and increase output. Cote d’Ivoire’s minister of industry and mining...

Despite having shown better results during its fourth quarter (+36%) in comparison to the benchmark period in 2014, Tunisian firm Société Moderne des Céramiques (SOMOCER) closed 2015 by recording a 6.28% fall in its turnover to TND67.47 million against TND71.99 million for the same period in 2014. This can be explained by the current security challenges in Libya which happens to be one if...

Ghana Gas has announced that the Atuabo Gas processing plant which was shut down on January 15, 2016, for routine maintenance has resumed operations. The CEO of Ghana Gas Company, George Sipa Yankey, noted that the routine maintenance was successfully concluded nine days ahead of the planned 14 days period. Yankey affirms that the plant currently conveys more than 110 Mmscf of gas to the Aboadze...

Africa-focused private equity funds have over the past year raised a record $3.89 billion according to data compiled by the private Equity International magazine. This represents a 51% boost from $2.57 billion raised in 2014. Among those with the most significant results is Abraaj Group’s North Africa Fund II which by August 2015 had raised $375 million, $125 million more...

ECOWAS announced on January 22 it has signed with the Chinese CGC Overseas Construction Group (CGCOC Group) various memorandum of understanding related to five important transport and infrastructure projects. These five MoUs include the trans-west African railway, trans-west African coastal highway, telecommunication infrastructures in the region, west-African regional aviation, and...

Sound Energy on Tuesday announced that it has entered into heads of agreement to take a 75% interest in the Sidi Moktar licences, onshore Morocco. The company under the heads of agreement will purchase PetroMaroc’s 50% operated interest on the licence following the acquisition of a 25% interest from Maghreb Petroleum at the beginning of this month. The Licences cover 2,700 km² in the...

In Nigeria, Shell has announced that it has re-opened the Trans Niger Pipeline that had been closed since late November 2015. Shell’s spokeswoman, Megan Baldino, said the Trans Niger Pipeline, which conveys Bonny Light crude oil to the export terminal had been re-opened in recent days. The pipeline stayed closed while investigations concerning an incident that occurred on November 22, 2015,...

Iran has opposed Nigeria’s call for an emergency meeting, stating that it is not yet time for such intervention. According to the country’s oil minister, Bijan Zanganeh, the group as at present has no plan of making a drastic change. “There should be an intention to make a firm decision in such a meeting; otherwise, the meeting will have negative impacts on world oil markets. The important...

AziNam has announced the conclusion of a 3D seismic survey on PEL 34 (the Guy Block), offshore Namibia. The Survey which was performed by PGS Geophysical in the Walvis Basin covered an area of about 870 km² and took more than three weeks to be completed. “Completion of the 3D survey, announced today, is another step forward for the Company and its partners. The Survey is one of four surveys...