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Former Delta State governor (1999-2007) James Ibori has lost his appeal against a 13-year prison sentence handed down in April 2012 by London’s Southwark Crown Court after he admitted ten counts of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering. Ibori, a powerful southerner, was arrested in Dubai in 2010 and extradited to the UK to stand trial. He is one of the few senior Nigerian politicians to be successfully prosecuted for corruption.

Almost exactly a year after the board suspended him and ordered an independent audit of the loss-making parastatal’s activities, National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) managing director Sam Beukes has been dismissed (AE 199/16, 194/15). In a statement, board chairman Siseho Simasiku said the move came after a disciplinary inquiry

Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) has given Penspen a contract to conduct a front-end engineering design study for further development of the Ghana Natural Gas Interconnected Transmission System. BOST, as holder of Ghana’s natural gas transmission utility licence, has a mandate to operate, maintain and further develop a country-wide gas transmission network as part of Ghana’s national agenda to exploit gas as an efficient and cost-effective means of augmenting power supply. The first phase of this build-out will be the addition of approximately 750km of pipeline from Aboadze to Tema, and from Prestea to Buipe, via Kumasi.

President Hery Rajaonarimampianina inaugurated Madagascar’s first utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plant on 26 June. The 20 MWp plant at Ambohipihaonana, in Ambatolampy district in the Vakinankaratra region of the Central Highlands, was built by French developer, GreenYellow at a combined cost of €25m ($29m). The facility, which covers 28 hectares and comprises over 73,000 panels, will supply power to national power utility Jiro sy Rano Malagasy under a 25-year power purchase agreeement.

The Gambia River Basin Development Organisation (OMVG) is seeking expressions of interest from technical, legal and transactions advisers for its planned energy project. This will entail developing the 128MW Sambangalou hydroelectric power plant on the Gambia River in Senegal, which is expected to produce 402GWh/yr of power, and the 240MW Kaleta hydro facility on the Konkouré River in Guinea, which will generate 946GWh/yr. OMVG is also seeking to install a 225kV interconnection between its four member countries Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Senegal. Funding is being sought from the African Development Bank.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) on 26 February approved a $30.47m grant and $43.9m loan for a project to reinforce and extend the electricity distribution network. The government will contribute $11.5m to the project, which aims to connect around 37,800 households to the grid, provide off-grid solar power to 60 communities and establish a reliable energy supply for 30 schools and 30 health centres, all by 2017. There will also be a substantial capacity-building element at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Renewable Energy Authority.

The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has approved a grant for Craftskills Energy Ltd – the Kenyan company originating the Kipeto wind project – to fund a feasibility study for a 50MW wind and battery project.

Tullow Oil’s Ngamia-1 find south-west of Lake Turkana is likely to intensify a minor scramble that has developed in recent times for two of the last pieces of open acreage in the country, Block 11A in the Lotikipi Basin and 11B in the Gatome Basin.

Leaked national electoral commission data showed Martin Fayulu had Democratic Republic of Congo’s presidency stolen from him in the 23 December poll won by Félix Tshisekedi Tshilombo. Ex-president Joseph Kabila Kabange’s candidate Emmanuel Shadary gained only 23.8% of the official vote – and unofficially much less – but politicians allied to now senator-for-life Kabila have since taken a dominant position in national and local government and parastatals.

Russian state nuclear power company Rosatom signed agreements with Kenya and Nigeria at Moscow’s Atomexpo 2016 trade fair on 30 May and 1 June. Rosatom and the Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board (KNEB) signed what Rosatom described as “a memorandum of mutual understanding and cooperation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy”. Rosatom said this would establish the basis for cooperation in a number of areas, including developing Kenyan nuclear energy infrastructure; research; design, construction and operation of nuclear energy and research reactors; production and use of radio isotopes; handling of radioactive waste; and training of nuclear specialists

Oman Oil Company (OOC) has opened its first overseas office in Dar es Salaam as part of what it describes as a broad investment programme to increase its presence in key growth markets. Operating under the name Oman Energy Limited, the company will work alongside its majority-owned Oman Trading International petroleum products, crude oil, petrochemicals and carbon emissions trading company. “Commencing operations in Tanzania is an important milestone as we expand our presence throughout the African continent. The representative office will act as a focal point to explore and develop investments in Tanzania’s petroleum and energy sectors,” said OOC chairman and Ministry of Finance undersecretary Nasser Bin Khamis Al-Jashmi.

The federal government has negotiated a $15bn investment with India, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources said on 17 October, although terms have still to be agreed. A memorandum of understanding fleshing out the preliminary agreement, which was signed in India by visiting minister of state for petroleum Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu and is expected to be finalised by year-end, involves the Indian government making an upfront payment to Nigeria for crude purchases. Kachikwu said the deal was feasible as crude production was expected to rise to 2.2m b/d – its Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) quota

Total has announced positive results for the Moho Nord Marine-3 well in the northern part of the Moho-Bilondo licence

While banks await mandates to raise a new mega-loan for state oil company Sonangol (AE 207/21), monetary authorities in Luanda are also considering coming to the market this year for Angola to issue its long-awaited debut Eurobond.

Australia’s Cooper Energy has announced plans to sell its Tunisian oil and gas assets so that it can concentrate on Australia. Cooper has interests in three contiguous permits in the Gulf of Hammamet, mainly offshore. The company operates the Bargou permit with a 30% stake, as well as operating Nabeul with 85% and holding 35% in Hammamet.