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Democratic Republic of Congo has aspirations to become the world leader in emerging battery technologies, but despite its mineral assets, clear political will and grandiose statements from potential donors, considerable challenges need to be addressed before the country can move beyond its traditional role as supplier of raw materials, writes François Misser with Jon Marks.

Industry players continue to make bullish sounds about projects in Ethiopia, despite the murderous conflict pitting the Abiy Ahmed government against Tigrayan rebels that is putting some financing on hold and leading to geopolitical realignments in the region, writes Dan Marks

The global hydrocarbons industry is entering a critical period, as oil majors press on with attempts to reinvent their businesses to meet ambitious emissions reduction targets and accommodate shifting investor expectations. That is likely to lead to further retrenchment from key African markets as the biggest international players reassess their priorities, which will favour gas over crude projects. But not everyone is heading for the exit, writes James Gavin.

TotalEnergies’ move to increase its interest in the Waha oil concessions, plus a separate agreement with General Electric Company of Libya (Gecol) to build 500MW of solar power, shows how the politically nimble oil major intends to trace a line between its fossil-fuelled past and the net zero future.

The capacity of its complex clan dynamics and political divisions to derail efforts to improve governance and contain Al-Shabaab is again apparent as the murderous dispute between President Farmaajo and Prime Minister Roble threatens to derail Somalia’s faltering progress. Murky politics leave even the most attractive oil and other assets stranded for want of investors able to mitigate Somalian risk, writes John Hamilton.

The Rwandan deployment has changed the course of the Mozambique government’s battle against Islamist insurgents. This opens the way for a crucial resumption of big gas projects in Cabo Delgado, but questions remain about the Rwandan deployment’s funding, President Kagame’s strategic goals and whether the insurgency is really beaten, writes Marc Howard

The appointment of a new unified government opens the way to significant reform of Libya’s energy sector. While power supply will be a key priority, the return of sovereign authority to the oil sector could finally enable long-awaited regulatory reforms, provided the new oil minister can work with NOC, writes John Hamilton.

As Sudan looks to improve ties with the West following its removal from the US State Sponsors of Terrorism list, China’s longstanding close ties with Khartoum are under pressure over unpaid debt owed to CNPC. In the context of China’s wider recalibration of its resource relationship with Africa, Sudan’s role is steadily diminishing, writes James Gavin.

The Ministry of Military Production (MMP) has further extended its oil and gas sector interests with a new deal that shows how the military’s business arms intend to cooperate with international investors. A cooperation protocol was agreed in late October between Italian-Egyptian wellhead production company Tharwa Breda Petroleum Service Company (TBPSCo) and the National Authority for Military Production (NAMP). TBPSCo is 50% owned by Italy’s Breda Energia, with the other half of its equity held by a group of Egyptian state-owned institutions.

Better-than-expected results from the Luiperd well mean Total and its partners have dropped plans for further drilling and will move straight to development. Domestic gas will come as a shot in the arm for the South African economy but development will not be straightforward, writes Thalia Griffiths.

A 4 September ruling by the Commercial Court in London granted the Nigerian government leave to appeal an arbitration award to British Virgin Islands-listed Process & Industrial Developments Ltd (P&ID) now worth around $10bn. The award relates to P&ID’s claim that the government’s failure to meet its obligations caused its gas-processing project to fail. High Court judge Ross Cranston’s decision is an important milestone in the case, allowing the government to proceed to a full trial examining allegations of corruption in the contract award and during the arbitration hearing.

On 18 September, deputy leader of the Government of National Accord’s Presidency Council Ahmed Maetig issued a seven-point agreement reached with warlord Khalifa Haftar, whose Libyan Arab Armed Forces control the eastern part of the country. In a televised address soon afterwards, Haftar confirmed he was lifting the blockade on all ports and terminals. Peace agreements signed by other players during August failed to get this far, and in July a fresh war seemed possible.

Guinea’s ruling party confirmed on 31 August that President Alpha Condé would stand for a third term in elections on 18 October. That the 82-year-old president made no personal announcement may reflect the controversial nature of his decision amid rising political tensions.

Imminent commissioning of the Tobruk, Misratah and Tripoli West gas-fired power plants could put unprecedented strain on a Libyan gas supply network that is already struggling to supply enough feedstock to maintain output at operating stations in Tripolitania. Failing to end the decade-long electricity supply crisis will be politically costly for ‘outgoing’ prime minister Abdelhamid Dabaiba, and it may also be a while before Eni-National Oil Corporation joint venture Mellitah Oil and Gas can cash in on increased European demand by exporting more gas through the Greenstream pipeline 

National Oil Corporation (NOC) chairman Mustafa Sanalla has written to the head of the parallel Al-Baida-based interim government Abdullah Al-Thinni, warning him not to use Qatar’s diplomatic crisis as a pretext for illegal oil exports. The diplomatic crisis unfolding in the Gulf – with Qatar now diplomatically and physically isolated by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and many of their allies because of its support for Islamist groups including the Muslim Brotherhood – resonates in Libya because the Gulf factions have used Libya as a proxy conflict for their differences over the past five years.