Total towards its first step in opening fuel stations in the southern African nation, has announced that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sonangol. The government of Angola had in October revealed that it is restructuring its oil sector and state-owned Sonangol, but did not disclose further details. According to Total spokesman, the MOU signed by Patrick Pouyanné,...

Towards advancing on plans for the completion of the Lobito refinery site, that was postponed due to rising costs and financing problems, Sonangol has announced that it has signed a contract with Eni. Under the contract, Eni is to provide its expertise in the downstream sector to complete the site, which was supposed to have been completed four years ago. The two companies have agreed...

Eni’s CEO Claudio Descalzi and the chairman of Libya’s NOC, Mustafa Sanalla met in Rome to discuss the outlook for the development of the oil sector in Libya. The meeting was aimed at increasing the cooperation established between the two companies. “NOC has worked very hard to protect the mineral resources of the State for the benefits of all the Libyan people, despite the instability. I...

In Zambia, the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) has arrested 30 suspects alleged to have been involved in illegal fuel deals in Lusaka. The suspects were captured in the course of a raid performed by the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and the Zambia Police Service in the industrial area. According to ERB executive director, Langiwe Lungu, several items used in selling fuel was also...

Egypt-based Advanced Energy Systems SAE (ADES) has purchased a jack-up drilling unit, the Ben Loyal, from KCA Deutag one of the world’s leading drilling and engineering contractors working onshore and offshore, for an anonymous amount. The Friede & Goldman L-780 MOD II rig which was constructed in 1981 and obtained by KCA Deutag in 2005. Its working performance has been strong...

Tunisia has adopted the 108th act related to the protection of personal data. Joining as a non-permanent member of European Council, Tunisia is the fourth African nation accepted by this council after Morocco, Senegal and Mauritius. By joining this convention, Tunisia just like any of the other state members commits to protecting and respecting human rights and freedoms. The challenge here is...

Senegal’s telecom regulatory authority wants 4G to become a reality in the country by Q1 2016. To this end, it fixed next January 18, 2016, as the deadline for the submission of tenders by all the operators interested in acquiring the licence. During last week’s seminar on training and networking with Réseau des Journalistes en Technologie de l’Information et de la Communication...

Burkina’s military Justice just issued an international arrest warrant against former president Blaise Compaoré regarding his involvement in the murder of his predecessor Thomas Sanjara (photo). “I confirm that an international arrest warrant has been issued against former president Blaise Compaoré by the investigating judge,” Prosper Farama, lawyer of the Sankara family, told...

Asanko Gold Inc, gold mining company from British Columbia, announced on December 21 it has initiated phase 1 of development of its Asanko mine in Ghana. It also said it would produce in January 2016 its first gold on this project. Production of first gold will thus come in a month earlier than scheduled, the Toronto and New York listed Canadian mining company highlighted. The first stage of...

The African Development Bank (AfDB) mobilized $138 million (subsidy and loan) for the construction of the Ruzizi III hydropower dam serving Burundi, Rwanda and DR Congo. With a capacity of 147 MW, the plant, still under the project, will have a 220 Kv transmission line extending over 8.3 Km and connecting it to the Kamanyola power dispatch centre. This additional capacity will help boost...