A combination of drought, national utility Zesco’s balance sheet, and an alarming bill for electricity sector subsidies has persuaded the Zambian government to push ahead with a radical overhaul of its power sector. Pressure from drought is easing gradually. Energy minister...

Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) confirmed in early June that the beleaguered Zimbabwe Electricity Distribution Company (ZETDC) has applied for a tariff review for 2017, citing increases in the cost of power production. Zera acting chief executive Misheck...

Equatorial Guinea’s application to join the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) has been successful and the country will become the fourth sub-Saharan African member. An Opec statement said a meeting in Vienna on 25 May considered Equatorial Guinea’s...

The cabinet reshuffle announced on 25 May contained considerably more surprises that the legislative elections held three weeks before, as Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal – expected to stay on in office and regularly cited abroad as a potential successor to President...

The Senate on 25 May passed the first element of long-awaited sector reforms, the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB). The bill has now to go to the House of Representatives and, if successful, must eventually be signed into law by the federal president. Other elements...