Vaalco Energy has announced the shutting in of the South Tchibala-2H well off Gabon due to a failure of the electrical submersible pumps (ESPs) at a development. According to the company, the ESPs on the South Tchibala-2H well failed not less than two weeks ago. The well was producing 1700 bpd of oil gross. Vaalco is currently trying to assemble a hydraulic workover unit to the Avouma platform...

Kuwait Energy has encountered oil in an onshore exploration well on the Abu Sennan concession located in the Western Desert in Egypt. According to the company’s concession partner, Beach Energy, the Al Jahraa SE-1X well reached a total depth of 3361 metres in the Bahariya formation, about 6km south-east of the Al Jahraa-1 discovery well. This well is to now be cased and completed following...

Blooming Faith Petroleum Limited, an affiliate of Hong Kong-based Blooming Faith Global Holdings Limited, has finalized plans to work with the Nigerian government to construct and operate a 200, 000 bpd capacity refinery in Akwa Ibom. This is coming after Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum, Emmanuel Kachikwu, was in China some days ago to create investment awareness for the Nigerian...

Total has announced plans to start the supply of gas later this month through its Northern Option Pipeline (NOPL) to Alaoji power plant and improve electricity supply in Nigeria. According to Total’s Managing Director, Nicolas Terraz, the supply of gas to Alaoji, in Aba was part of  Total’s huge list of projects aimed at contributing to the development of the country. He noted that in...

Tullow Oil has announced that it plans to step up drilling activities in Kenya by the end of 2016 and expects first oil by the second half of 2017. “Early oil is essentially an extended test to understand the reservoirs and test the above-ground conditions. We are looking at 2,000 barrels of oil a day. We will resume additional drilling towards the end of 2016 to increase our resource levels....

The Tuta absoluta outbreak which is currently hitting Nigeria’s tomato sector seems to be profitable to Cameroon and Benin. Truly, Africa’s largest economy imports from its two neighbors to ease the shortage induced by the disease. While Nigeria consumes about 2.3 million tons of tomatoes each year, it produces on a normal basis only 1.8 million tons. However, the outbreak which devastated...

Born from the ashes of Senegal Airlines last April, Air Seneal should be operational latest by the beginning of 2017, revealed Senegal’s Prime Minister, Mouhamed Boune Abdallad Dionne, on July 4. In an interview with L’Observateur, Mr Dione said “everything should be ready before the end of the year or in the beginning of 2017”. “Air Senegal should in the long run become a key...

Senegalese businessman, Babacar Ngom, announced he will expand his group, Sedima, to Congo. We found in Congo partners with whom we intend to invest, develop in the country an agricultural sector which will be able to meet the population’s needs, a competitive sector which will generate jobs and wealth, he said. Sedima’s move towards Congo is its first step outside the local market, which...

Canadian platinum miner, Eastern Platinum (Eastplats) plans to increase interests it has in all its South African projects, by buying the shares of some minority stakeholders. The firm eyes up to $13.37 million of these shares. This was announced a few days after the company signed an agreement to sell its Barplats Mines subsidiary which owns the Crocodile River mine to the Chinese firm...

The world’s second largest miner according to PwC, amid global iron ore prices fall. « In the current market environment, we don’t see a way forward in relation to Simandou,” Rio Tinto’s new CEO, Jean-Sébastien Jacques told The Times in an interview. The announcement comes after the firm last May submitted to the government a bankable feasibility study on the project, comprising...