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Despite many challenges, local investors are continuing to make large bets on the mature assets being sold off by international majors. However, the wider economic environment is also difficult, with widespread protests laying bare the scale of the problems facing President Tinubu’s government, writes Leonard Lawal in Abuja with Marc Howard.

Canada’s Africa Oil Corporation has acquired an option to buy a 7% stake in Impact Oil & Gas from existing shareholders, as it continues its efforts to increase its exposure to the Orange Basin.

Despite an Angolan-brokered ceasefire signed on 30 July between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, rebels of the Alliance du Fleuve Congo and their M23 allies are moving north towards Butembo. Their advance along Lake Edward could reach the DRC’s Albertine Graben oil blocks, though these have been unlicensed for several years.

Local downstream player Elton Oil is advancing its $120m regasification terminal project and has signed an offtake deal with Senelec to provide the utility with gas feedstock. The move could be an important step in Dakar’s move away from liquid fuels towards cheaper and less polluting gas, writes Waly Dione Faye in Dakar.

UAE-based Masdar and its local partner Infinity Power have signed a power purchase agreement with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company for electricity from the planned onshore wind farm.

A deal has ended a three-month suspension of oil shipments from the Niger-Benin Export Pipeline, enabling the resumption of significant Nigerien production – and vital foreign exchange earnings for Niamey. Meanwhile, the Nigerien junta has appointed a new oil minister with intriguing connections and has signed a deal with Algiers to restart work at a northern oil block, writes Marc Howard with Virgile Ahissou in Cotonou.

The award for the prospective wind and battery energy storage plant in Mzuzu could see Malawi finally start to make use of its excellent wind resource. 

The agreement with Ethiopian Electric Power marks further progress for the $620m Aysha plant, which will be the largest wind power facility in the Horn of Africa.

Utility EDM is in advanced discussions with floating power plant provider Karpower for a new “up to 500MW” powership and floating regasification unit that would supply both domestic and regional Southern African Power Pool offtakers. The prospective development fits into EDM’s LNG-to-power plans, but questions remain over when feedstock from Mozambique’s onshore LNG megaprojects would be available, writes Marc Howard

Africa-focused renewable developer Amea Power has announced significant milestones for two projects. The Dubai-headquartered firm has started construction work on a 24MWp PV plant in Uganda and signed a deal to add a further 30MWp of PV and 10MWh of storage to its already-operating 70MWp/5MWh Togolese plant.

Utility LEC has signed a deal to progress Liberia’s first solar PV plant and expects to expand capacity at its operational Mount Coffee hydro namesake by 50%. Another 150-200MW of hydro and a separate 16.5MWp solar PV plant are also under negotiation or have studies underway, pointing to what could be Liberia’s largest ever increase in on-grid capacity, writes Marc Howard.

Plans to add over 500MW of solar PV capacity by 2028 would go some way towards balancing Mali’s energy mix. Pricey and polluting liquid fuel-fired capacity remains by far the dominant source of generation, but funding from the World Bank Group and a new 200MWp solar project backed by Moscow would add substantial renewable capacity, writes Marc Howard.

Solar PV solar and battery capacity has already taken an important share of Mali’s off-grid commercial and industrial (C&I) generation market. The installation of these systems is likely to go further despite the inherent risks in the market.

Russian sponsorship of Mali’s largest under-development solar PV plant has raised eyebrows in the industry. It represents an unusual departure for Rosatom and depends on the warm ties between Colonel Assimi Goïta’s regime and Moscow.

The CNSP regime has triumphantly commemorated the anniversary of its ousting of President Bazoum. But the festivities merely distract from a worsening security situation that has seen major oil investor CNPC suspend work in the Agadem Rift Basin, part of a $7bn investment including a pipeline which remains idle over a dispute with Benin. Niger’s woes lay bare the folly of the chauvinistic politics advanced by the Sahel’s juntas, writes Marc Howard.