General Electric (GE) announced its intention to collaborate with Nigeria’s power utility Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) on the development of an integrated plan to improve power supply in the country. This followed the signing of a MoU between both parties this week. The project aimed at making operational the grid’s under-utilized or non-used capacity, focusing on the entire...

Ukrainian grain trader Nibulon announced it will invest $2 billion in Egypt to develop seeds’ storage and conservation infrastructure. “This is a long-term investment program […] it is designed for 7-10 years,”, said CEO Oleksiy Vadaturskyy in an announcement.  A first tranche of $200 million will be invested between 2018 and 2019. Moreover, a local subsidiary will be set...

  Energy self-sufficient Algeria plans to export 400 MW of electricity surplus to Tunisia, the Algerian energy minister Mustapha Guitouni (photo) said. “The electricity export is part of President Bouteflika's power surplus export program, after achieving energy self-sufficiency,” the Minister said. In Tunisia, demand in energy increases, especially in summer, with peak demand expected...

The Congolese government enacted a new land law in order to shut off the legal loophole related to land occupation and acquisition as well as improve land management. Among other rules, this law bans the acquisition of rural and customary land by foreigners, including those settled in the country under penalty of criminal prosecution. "Rural land can only be acquired by a Congolese. When it...

Tanzanian commercial bank, People's Bank of Zanzibar, PBZ (fully owned by the Zanzibar government) plans to open new branches in the country to expand its customer base. Speaking on the sidelines of the Bank's 52nd anniversary, MD Juma Hafidh said the branches will be set in Dodoma, Arusha and Mwanza in the coming year. “We’re going to increase the number of ATMs in different parts of...

In Egypt, cotton export is expected to significantly improve on global market in 2017-18 after a gloomy activity period, over the last five seasons. According to Nabil al-Santaricy, head of Alexandria Cotton Exporters Association (ALCOTEXA), the fiber shipments are expected to hit 52,000 tons by the end of the 2017/2018 season next August, up 37% compared to 2016-17. “This time we are coming...

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) will record the world’s fastest growing demand for cereal, meat and fish over the next decade. This is revealed in the “OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2018-27”. According to the report, the global per capita consumption will only increase by 2% over the period, reflecting a demand saturation trend in many regions. Meanwhile this rate will grow by 6% in SSA. This...

South Africa's economy could lose up to $515.3 million a year due to the illegal cigarette trade, a TobaccoInstitute report indicated. According to information relayed by Bloomberg, this situation is related to tax evasion as the government could not collect tax on illicit sales. Experts said some cigarette producers offer prices below the normal cost to avoid paying the $1.3 per pack...

Resolute Mining published yesterday July 3, an updated Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for its Syama underground gold mine in Mali. The mine’s life increased to 2032 from 2028 previously announced. According to new results, the project is expected to generate 2.697 million ounces of gold considering the probable reserves of 35.2 million tons at 2.7 g/t gold. By extending operations...

Mining company Birimian published today July 4 an updated pre-feasibility study for its Goulamina lithium project in Mali. Results showed that the mine could now produce up to 362,000 tons of Li2O concentrate annually over a 16-year lifespan. Moreover, the project would now host 31.2 million ore reserve grading 1.56% Li2O, while the processing plant is set to handle 2 million tons per annum for...