In Ghana, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) said it expected its National Fertilizer Subsidy Programme to benefit one million small farmers. According to Business & Financial Times which reported the information, this will be done through the “E-subsidy Management for Fertilizer” platform.   The government of Ghana has decided to resort to this solution after experimenting...

Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (ESSEC) which is considered as one of France’s and Europe’s best business schools will proceed to a multi-polar deployment in Africa, by opening two new campuses in Mauritius and Morocco, L’étudiant reported on March 29. The Moroccan branch which will be established in Rabat is dedicated to “Africa-Atlantic” while the...

In Zimbabwe, tobacco production should fall by 15% this season to 160 million kg. The fall is mainly due to the drought currently striking the region. According to experts, the climate hazard, resulting from the El Niño weather phenomenon, drove farmers to delay planting of tobacco, thus impacting production. Another factor explaining the probable drop in output is the number of tobacco...

Erin Energy on Wednesday announced that an Island Constructor light well intervention (LWI) vessel has left Skalevic, Norway and is heading to the Oyo field, offshore Nigeria. According to the company, the vessel is to be used for LWI service on the Oyo-8 well. The well has been obliged by the inability of the sub-surface controlled sub-surface safety valve (SCSSV) to open after a prearranged...

Forte Oil has announced plans to raise about $503 million to increase its operations in Nigeria, and will request its shareholder’s approval at the annual general meeting on April 26, 2016, Reuters reports. According to the company, the fund might be raised via the issuing of rights, bond, share offering or through global depository receipts. “The capital raising is part of our...

Bowleven, in its operational update announced that extended well tests has been concluded on the Moambe and Zingana wells in Cameroon and have been postponed awaiting ongoing assessment. The company said negotiations have begun with potential gas off takers and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed with ENEO. Bowleven also announced that two appraisal well locations has been...

Zambia’s currency, the Kwacha, surged 1.3% on Wednesday March 30, 2016 traded at $11.1 after Mopani Copper Mines’s parent company, Glencore Plc, announced it will invest $1.1 billion to rehabilitate three of its mines. The Swiss miner thus scaled up $150 million the $950 million investment it announced in October 2015. The statement announced a new offer for more...

In Tunisia, the High Independent Audiovisual Communication Authority (HAICA) fined MFM Radio with 50,000 dinars ($24,853). The private media was sanctioned for illegally airing its programs in Sousse. The communication authority backed its decision saying MFM’s licence does not cover Mahdia. “By continuing airing in Sousse, MFM has been categorized as a station with no authorization to...

Zambia will add 420 MW to its grid this year, according to its National Development Agency. The additional capacities will come from a 300M MW coal-fired power plant and a 120 MW hydroelectric plant. “The 300 MW from the Maamba Collieries Coal fired Power Project will be made available in mid-year 2016,” said Partick Chisanga, director of Zambia Development Agency. “The idea is to have a...

In Nigeria, the power crisis, be it electricity’s or oil’s, could lead banks to bankrupcy. This is, according to Vanguard, the concern of Adeola Adenikinju, university professor and director of Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Laws (CPEEL). “If nothing is done there is that possibility of banks going bankrupt. Some of the banks are exposed to the energy sector, oil sector and...