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Egypt Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly secured a $5bn pledge from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) in mid-September, in what Egyptian authorities described as a “first phase” of investment. The plunging value of the Egyptian pound over the past few years has made deals significantly more attractive to Gulf investors and President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s regime needs the financial support as much as ever.

A sharp surge in forecourt prices has not been stemmed by the start of local gasoline sales from Dangote’s 650,000 b/d facility. This has caused a lingering dispute between Dangote and NNPC to burst in to the open, offering a glimpse of the fierce rivalry between the billionaire magnate and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is back in Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC)’s sightlines, after the state giant in early September greenlit development of the country’s first floating LNG (FLNG) plant, after a lengthy delay.  NNPC has also announced that it has held talks with investors to revive the long-delayed Brass Liquefied Natural Gas and Olokola Liquefied Natural Gas (OK LNG) projects.

Oando’s completion of its NAOC purchase has likely served to expedite the process of local players buying mature assets from IOCs – a precedent that bodes well for further deals, although challenges will still need to be worked through. Meanwhile, NNPC has signalled renewed focus on backing long-stalled LNG prospects, writes James Gavin.

Its domestic renewable energy industry may just be getting back on track after years of delay, but Tunisia has already launched one of the most ambitious green hydrogen development programmes in Africa, which it is promoting together with longstanding electric power export schemes.

Egypt has the most prospective portfolio of green hydrogen development prospects anywhere in Africa. The multi-billion-dollar projects for which major global investors have signed framework agreements could be a lifeline for the heavily indebted country but will take years to come to fruition. However, two much smaller projects developed by Norway’s Scatec have secured firm offtake commitments, offering another way forward.

Crude oil cargoes worth some $400m have been exported from Libya by an obscure private company, in the latest sign of a breakdown of authority in the country. Blockades and force majeure stoppages at other oil facilities, along with the exile of a controversial central bank governor, threaten to plunge the country into an existential crisis. It comes as the compromises which have helped to contain civil conflicts since the fall of the Qadhafi regime look ever harder to sustain, writes John Hamilton

Botswana has started to implement several solar, wind and battery IPP projects, ranging in size from 1MW to 100MW. It marks a shift away from a fossil fuel-dominated electricity system and reflects a determination to create surplus power, writes Tonderayi Mukeredzi.

The Nigerian government needs an urgent boost after essential macroeconomic reform measures sparked huge public opposition. By placing President Bola Tinubu at the centre of plans to revive long stalled projects, Abuja can point to the potential for a better economic performance ahead – at least in the longer term – while opponents test the administration’s resilience with the threat of more short-term disorder.

Pretoria faces an arduous job in financing its energy transition, which could cost as much as $500bn over the next three decades. The number and size of investments have been limited to date and the scarcity of funding threatens to stymie the government’s climate change targets, but local lenders are now stepping up to bridge some of the financial gap, writes Tonderayi Mukeredzi.

The scale of the green hydrogen (GH2) opportunity emerging in North Africa is potentially transformative for the region. However, to date just one tiny pilot project is up and running and there is still no firm evidence that giga-scale projects can be made bankable. If the prospect is a mirage, it is one that has taken in a swathe of respected global investors. With an ever-increasing amount riding on the outcome, failure will be a disaster, but success could revolutionise the fortunes of the region, writes John Hamilton.

The contract award – along with a second, concurrent Feed deal awarded to another player – paves the way for progress at the onshore LNG megaproject, with a final investment decision now pencilled in for 2026. It has been confirmed that the project will proceed on a modular basis, with the liquefaction process powered by electricity, implying a significant power generation requirement.   There are signs that work will also formally resume on the nearby, 15.2m t/yr TotalEnergies-operated Mozambique LNG (MLNG) project later this year.

Published September 2024, this map illustrates planned giga projects across North Africa, with a focus on Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. The base map shows the location of major renewable power generation projects, HVDC connectors to Europe and proposed green hydrogen projects. It also shows proposed gigafactories in Morocco and Egypt's Suez Canal Economic Zone projects. Three tables list announced green hydrogen projects in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, with details including renewable power capacity and GH2 output.

The issue leads with a series of articles examining the prospects for green hydrogen (GH2) across North Africa, with a focus on Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. The scale of the GH2 opportunity emerging in the region is potentially transformative. However, to date just one tiny pilot project is up and running and there is still no firm evidence that giga-scale projects can be made bankable. If the prospect is a mirage, it is one that has taken in a swathe of respected global investors. With an ever-increasing amount riding on the outcome, failure will be a disaster, but success could revolutionise the fortunes of the region. Power coverage leads with South Africa. Pretoria faces an arduous job in financing its energy transition, which could cost as much as $500bn over the next three decades. The number and size of investments have been limited to date and the scarcity of funding threatens to stymie the government’s climate change targets, but local lenders are now stepping up to bridge some of the financial gap. African Energy also takes a closer look at Botswana, where solar, wind and battery IPPs have started to be implemented in a trend that marks a clear shift away from today’s heavily coal-dominated power mix. Renewable energy is slated to account for 30% of grid supply by 2030. The state-owned Botswana Power Corporation is overseeing the reforms with a view to generating excess on-grid power by 2027, underpinned by battery storage. Oil and gas coverage leads with Nigeria, where there is rising momentum for upstream deal flow, but obstacles remain. African Energy also looks at NNPC's renewed focus on backing long-stalled LNG prospects and examines a dispute between billionaire Alike Dangote and state-owned NNPC where both sides are attempting to pin the blame for rising pump prices on the other. The African Energy View also focuses on Nigeria. Mounting efforts by the Presidency to place President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the centre of accelerated momentum for Nigerian hydrocarbons developments highlight the extent Abuja needs to build confidence in the sector’s ability to grow once more, given its status as the key source of revenues for potentially decades more to come. The issue also features an update on Libya. Crude oil cargoes worth some $400m have been exported by an obscure private company, in the latest sign of a breakdown of authority in the country. Blockades and force majeure stoppages at other oil facilities, along with the exile of a controversial central bank governor, threaten to plunge the country into an existential crisis.

The first round of land allocations in Morocco’s green hydrogen investment process may soon be completed and is likely to include substantial areas in the contested territory of Western Sahara. African Energy has identified projects requiring the installation of at least 72GW of wind and solar generation, and more are likely to follow.