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Political and security conditions may be acutely difficult in the G5 Sahel countries, but a new era beckons for solar projects in the region, symbolised by AfDB approval of a plan to develop 500MW of PV capacity. Sector insiders believe that short-term problems such as rising risk premiums may be offset by the positive medium-to-long-term prospects for the rollout of solar PV across the Sahel, writes Marc Howard

Mauritania | Niger | Chad | Burkina Faso | Senegal | Mali
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The unrecognised Republic of Somaliland has slowly been gathering momentum behind its claim for independence from Somalia, while seeking to attract investors – as underlined by Genel Energy’s plans to drill an exploration well there in 2023. Most participants in a debate in the House of Commons on 18 January argued UK recognition of Somaliland would be appropriate given the autonomous territory’s stability and governance record and federal Somalia’s disarray.

Somalia
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A presidential taskforce report which recommended that PPAs be redrawn has been greeted with resignation by stakeholders who have been ground down by years of dithering. Industry players are now left hoping the government will adopt a realistic outlook in renegotiations, writes Dan Marks

Kenya
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The Hichilema government says it wants to resolve the long-running dispute between Zesco and CEC, but the duelling companies continue to operate in parallel universes of competing claims around tariffs and arrears, while state miners’ financial shortfalls add to problems, write Dan Marks and Chiwoyu Sinyangwe.

Zambia
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The emergence of a new variant of Covid-19 in southern Africa sent oil prices tumbling and prompted governments around the world to block flights to the region, potentially causing fresh headaches for project development. It will be some weeks before the Omicron variant’s impact becomes clear, but the episode show how any recovery from the pandemic can be quickly derailed and the need for an accelerated vaccination programme around Africa, writes Dominic Dudley.

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President Tshisekedi’s successes in outflanking his powerful predecessor Joseph Kabila gives hope that a more inclusive economic recovery is possible. But while investors look again at opportunities around the vast country, and the president has high hopes for mega solar schemes and Grand Inga, DRC remains problematic, write Jon Marks and François Misser.

DR Congo
Issue 429 - 17 December 2020

US to require ownership disclosure

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In a major victory for transparency campaigners, the US Congress has passed a groundbreaking measure to ban anonymous shell companies by a veto-proof majority. The Corporate Transparency Act, which was tacked on to the annual National Defense Authorization Act, will oblige corporations and limited liability companies established in the United States to disclose their real owners to the US Treasury Department.

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The scale of the challenges facing Kenya Power has been highlighted by the release of its results for the past two years. The utility has been hard hit by Covid-19, with demand dropping while arrears soared, but its finances were struggling long before the pandemic struck, writes Dan Marks.

Kenya
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An unusually bitter spat between National Oil Corporation and the central bank over the value of oil revenues earned during 2020 is the most public manifestation of the new realignment in Libyan politics. At stake is the question of who will control the nation’s finances over the next year while preparations are put in place for new elections, writes John Hamilton.

Libya
Issue 423 - 24 September 2020

Botswana aims to procure 645MW by 2026

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Mineral resources, green technology and energy security minister Lefoko Moagi has said Botswana will look to procure 645MW of new capacity by 2026. Moagi made the comments in parliament in August while presenting his ministry’s proposals for the mid-term review of the country’s National Development Plan (NDP).

Botswana
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The Nigerian government is caught between a rock and a hard place as it tries to square the need to reduce subsidies to the electricity sector with protecting customers and the economy from price rises when they are already hard hit by Covid-19. Distribution companies (discos) are absorbing substantial losses due to reductions in industrial demand and challenges protecting revenue through disconnections and meter inspections. However, there is some confidence that the sector continues to move in the right direction, with enthusiasm about better collaboration between stakeholders and initiatives for franchises within existing disco boundaries.

Nigeria
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Preparations to award exploration licences in early 2021 are facing disruption as political tensions resurface ahead of presidential elections set for 8 February. Disputes between the federal government and the regions are far from resolved, and new oil institutions may not be able to withstand political realities, writes James Gavin.  

Somalia
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Angered by lengthy and unpredictable power cuts, armed groups in Tripoli are using force to divert electricity to their own neighbourhoods, breaching one of the final taboos of national belonging as they do so. On two occasions these attacks have obliged the Man-Made River (MMR) to stop pumping, depriving the capital city of water for several days each time.Throughout the summer, outages caused either by armed intervention or the failure of poorly maintained equipment have become an almost daily occurrence.

Libya
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Abdelhamid Al-Dabaiba’s government has granted permission for the construction of two highly ambitious power generation projects. Cork-based AG Energy, with links to the former Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, is in line to build what could be Libya’s first private sector solar PV plant. Qatar-based Urbacon Trading and Construction (UCC) has been authorised to build a large gas-fired plant in Zliten. Neither company has built power plants in Libya until now, but UCC has teamed up with Germany’s Siemens Energy, Tripoli-based Acesco Consulting Engineering and Services and Philadelphia-based Hill International, who bring substantial experience in major construction projects in the country, while AG has been promoting projects in Libya and the wider region for a decade.

Libya
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Much of the news flow ahead of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow in November has been about which global leaders will turn up and what carbon reduction commitments they will make. Many in Africa are more concerned the least-developed continent will be forced to adopt ill-fitting policy straightjackets and forced to choose between rival superpower-led development models, most notably China’s One Belt, One Road Initiative (BRI) and the US-led Clean Green Initiative (CGI) and Build Back Better for the World (B3W) programmes.