The bauxite industry in Guinea may be boosting the economy, but the damage caused by mining – and the impact on land ownership for Guineans – is a threat to their future. That’s according to a report released Thursday by Human Rights Watch, which looks at two mining operations: the…
South Sudan’s oil production is recovering from years of conflict, according to Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, the country’s Minister of Petroleum, but many obstacles remain even as oilfield operations come back online. Security was top of mind as South Sudan took the spotlight during the Africa Oil & Power conference in…
A July report on the toxicity of fuel blends shipped from Europe to West Africa brought new attention to the long-standing problem of lower road fuel quality on the continent, where the rise in vehicle traffic and the choking fumes with it add to air pollution woes in cities like…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
The African continent is attracting some USD$20 billion in energy investment from government-backed development institutions across the world each year – but far too much of it promotes fossil fuels rather than the shift to renewable energy. That’s according to a new analysis from Oil Change International, an advocacy organization based in…
Mining giant Glencore confirmed on Tuesday that the United States Department of Justice has issued a subpoena for documents and records connected to the company’s businesses in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The subpoena also covers operations in Venezuela, the company said. Glencore “has received a subpoena dated…
The central African nation of Congo Brazzaville has become the newest member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), following the conclusion of the OPEC member meeting in Vienna on Friday. It is now the 15th nation to become a member, seven of them on the continent. The…
No one talked very much ahead of the fossil-fuel conference hosted by Pope Francis at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the Vatican this weekend: not the participants, not the Vatican, and not the University of Notre Dame in the United States, a Roman Catholic institution that co-sponsored the event….
The World Bank has approved USD$180 million in loan guarantees to boost Kenya Electricity Generation Company Limited (KenGen) and the country’s energy sector. The KenGen project, supported by private sector financing, will build on Kenya’s progress in diversifying its energy sources – including geothermal power – while bringing much needed…
South Sudan’s Ministry of Mining, Ministry of Petroleum and the state-owned Nile Petroleum Company were among 15 oil-industry entities added to the U.S. Department of Commerce Entity List on Thursday, for what officials say is their funding of the country’s ongoing conflict and actions deemed “contrary to the national security…
The United States has announced it will publish Thursday the names of 15 oil-industry entities in South Sudan that U.S. officials say are supporting the country’s ongoing crisis with their revenues. The decision to place the South Sudanese businesses on the U.S. Department of Commerce Entity List means licensing will…
A hydroelectric dam project, years in the making and planned for the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe, remains under pressure from whitewater rafting enthusiasts and tourism businesses concerned about the environmental and economic impacts. Munyaradzi Munodawafa, chief executive with the Zambezi River Authority, told reporters this week that the…
Officials in Equatorial Guinea say ExxonMobil has struck oil with the Avestruz-1 well drilled by the company in October. It’s now being assessed for its commercial potential. The site is about 160 kilometers off Malabo, in an area adjacent to the Zafiro field in the country’s maritime area to the…
A corruption case revealed this week in the United States led to the arrest of the former foreign minister of Senegal while implicating high-level African leaders in two countries – and casting a new shadow on China’s role on the continent as Beijing advances its Belt and Road Initiative. The…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Angola’s new president announced Wednesday the removal of Isabel dos Santos as board president of Sonangol, the state-controlled oil company. She has been replaced by Carlos Saturnino, according to ANGOP, Angola’s news agency. Dos Santos, the daughter of longtime former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, was removed by President João…
A mining company in the South Kordofan region of Sudan has halted operations after two attacks on company workplaces within the space of a week. The attacks on Leha Mining Company at its Baloula site led to a total shutdown, Radio Dabanga said. There were no casualties reported in either…