World leader in terms of audit, verification, tests and certification, SGS (Société Générale de Surveillance) is launching a new service “SGS Land Management” to support local, national and regional African organisations for more land tenure security. Global urbanization is an unprecedented challenge. From 37.9% of the world population living in urban areas in 1976, that proportion has...

Australian mining firm Lucapa Diamond has discovered a 104 ct diamond at the Lulo mine in Angola. Testing of at Yehuda colorimeter revealed that it was a type IIa diamond. The D-Colour (colorless) stone is one of the four diamonds exceeding 100 ct recovered since the beginning of the year, and the fifth since mining operations at the project started. In February 2016, a 404 ct diamond was...

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) reportedly plans to grant Morocco’s ministry of agriculture a €120 million sovereign loan to finance part of a hydro-agricultural project in the Saïss plain. The loan will be used to build the first portion of the 66-km water transmission canal connecting the upcoming M’dez dam which is also to be built under the project,...

Anadarko Petroleum on Friday announced that the planned extraction of natural gas in Mozambique may commence in 2022 or 2023 while the final investment decision will be made in 2017. According to the Chief Executive of the oil company, Al Walker, a final investment decision of no less than US$15 billion, intends to make the most of the next phase of increase in the prices of commodities.“Our...

Sound Energy said it has renegotiated its agreement with PetroMaroc for the procurement of a 50% stake in three onshore gas permits in Morocco. According to the company, both parties have entered into a reviewed agreement in a bid to ensure that their interests are protected in a sensible and fair manner.This signifies that profits generated from the sale of the 21,258,008 new shares to be...

Hyperdynamics says it has received a Presidential Decree signed by the President of the Republic of Guinea, Alpha Condé (photo), effecting the agreed terms for an offshore block in the country. The oil and gas exploration company, which has an offshore block in the country, signed the Second Amendment to its Production Sharing Contract which was approved by the government on September 15, 2016,...

Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has announced plans by the World Bank to provide about $500 million to Ghana in the form of a partial risk guarantee for use, if the country fails to perform its obligations on payments for gas from the Sankofa field. The guarantee offers security to Ghana regarding the gas expected from the $7.9 billion offshore oil and gas field being...

Sea Dragon Energy (SDX) plans to increase its investment budget in South Disouq concession to $17m rather than the initial $9m stated in the signed agreement with the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum, the company’s General Manager in Egypt, Ahmed Farid Moaaz, revealed. According to Moaaz, under the agreement signed with the Ministry, only one well will be drilled in the Phase 1 of the...

Solo Oil on Friday announced that a rig contract has been signed for the drilling of the Ntorya-2 appraisal well in the Ruvuma basin.The Carol 2 drilling rig, which is presently located on the Ntorya-1 well pad, will soon be mobilized to the Ntorya 2 pad, which is 1500m away. According to the company, the contract is for one well, with an option for a second well. “We are delighted that the...

The Mozambican government is in talks with Dionnex Energy concerning the terms for oil and gas exploration by the company in the Palmeira region, in Maputo province. The U.S oil company has expressed its readiness to invest $100 million in the phase 1 for seismic and aerial surveys, and any further increase in the amount of investment is subject to the results of these surveys.This was...