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Deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa was elected president of the African National Congress (ANC) on 18 December, beating rival Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma by only 179 votes, having received 2,449 votes from delegates at the ANC conference held at Kimberley in the Northern Cape. His election saw the value of the rand increase and will be welcomed by many businesses in South Africa, but it remains to be seen how Ramaphosa will deal with President Jacob Zuma, whose role in the state capture scandal has rocked the nation and its economy for the past year

The Ukraine crisis has, once more, thrown the European Union’s dependency on Russian gas into question – creating a political context in which, a senior EU official says, “we have no options but Algeria” to secure steady supply. Major international oil companies (IOCs) see the development of conventional gas fields and Algerian shales – which are recognised as some of the most promising outside North America – as a key to supplying European and wider markets over coming decades.

National utility Eskom is gauging interest in a $10bn plan to become carbon neutral by 2050. The plan was first devised by the Eskom Sustainability Task Team and hinges on South Africa having one of the highest carbon emissions per capita in the world, providing plenty of scope for emissions reductions.

 The Independent Power Producer Office (IPP Office) announced on 28 October that 25 preferred bidders had been selected with a combined contracted capacity of 2,583MW, in the fifth round of the renewable energy IPP procurement programme (REIPPP5).

Changes to the regulations on which power plants need to have a generation licence have been hailed as the most significant change for the industry in a generation, but investors are still trying to assess what the possibilities might be, writes Dan Marks.

The government is expected pay debts owed by Liberia Electricity Corporation to Côte d’Ivoire, clearing the way for Liberia to start receiving power through the Côte d’Ivoire-Liberia-Sierra Leone-Guinea (CLSG) transmission line. The move comes as Monrovia seeks a new approach to LEC’s management and funds to repair the Mount Coffee hydroelectric plant.

The more optimistic mood emerging in the long under-performing electricity supply industry suggests Nigeria is on the right track in some areas of government-led reform. But persistent failures to develop hydrocarbons resources continue to depress output, raising the spectre of stranded assets despite the key role for gas in the domestic energy transition, while political tensions and conflict around the nation pose real doubts about the future, write African Energy staff and correspondents

Nothing is what it seems in a political environment dominated by insincerity and double-dealing – not even the apparent victory of hydrocarbons sector bastion Mustafa Sanalla in his bitter show-down with oil and gas minister Mohammed Aoun.

The Saied administration is expected to push ahead with its renewable power procurement programme, despite significant constitutional, legal and political barriers, writes John Hamilton

A new International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreement to underpin a faltering economy is becoming more likely as terms are hammered out by a government terrified of being seen to be caving in to the demands of perceived powerful foreign influences and an international community keen not to be seen dictating to a government that emerged from the 2011 ‘Arab Spring’ revolts as a rare functioning democracy.

Shifting global priorities, security and reputational concerns have made oil majors reassess their onshore operations, but IOCs will stay in the Nigerian offshore, encouraged by the prospect of the long-awaited Petroleum Industry Bill becoming law later this year. Meanwhile emerging Nigerian entrepreneurs are looking to new opportunities closer to shore, write Jon Marks and Camilla Nytun.

Ghana’s imposition of a unitisation deal on Eni and Springfield E&P highlights the government’s impatience at delays in developing hydrocarbons resources, but may also reveal an element of resource nationalism as the state throws its weight behind a homegrown energy company, writes James Gavin.

At the 1 September meeting of the Federal Executive Council, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari fired power minister Saleh Mamman along with agriculture and rural development minister Mohammed Nanono. Mamman was replaced by Abubakar Aliyu, formerly works and housing minister.

President Macky Sall has appointed opposition figures and some new faces to government as he seeks to build confidence around the emerging hydrocarbons industry and tackle criticism of his recent economic management, writes Our Dakar Correspondent.

With demand falling due to Covid-19 and an election scheduled for 22 November, IPPs in Burkina Faso have been working hard to ensure their projects are at the front of the queue. Solar PV has been a major beneficiary, with a spate of groundbreaking ceremonies in the run up to polling day, writes Dan Marks.