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Perenco’s activities in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been the focus of fresh criticism. A report issued in early November by Investigate Europe, EIF and Disclose alleged that Perenco was  responsible for 167 pollution incidents and huge methane emissions.

The three core Mano River Union countries are confronted by major decisions that will shape their future direction, from potential progress on major resources plays led by Guinea’s huge Simandou iron ore mining and infrastructure development and Liberia’s struggles with major investor Arcelor Mittal to Sierra Leone’s political crisis. All three have searching questions of governance and equity for their populations, writes Jon Marks with correspondents in Freetown, Conakry and Monrovia.

State owned power utility Eskom has signed commercial lease agreements with four independent power producers (IPPs) for land use at two of its coal power stations in Mpumalanga, in a plan to grow renewable energy capacity by the private sector.

Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed is set to claim beefed-up powers under a new authoritarian constitution, via a referendum planned for 25 July. That may allow for progress on long-delayed renewable power projects, but his critics say the president has not prepared the population for some tough measures that are needed to prevent economic collapse, as state budgets are squeezed and unemployment and inflation increase.

Governments are assessing their positions over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd) project, after the dam’s third filling was completed, despite an escalation of rhetoric from Egypt and Sudan as the downstream nations continue to complain at a threat to their dependency on Blue Nile waters for irrigation and basic water supply.

The Tshisekedi government’s announcement that Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler’s Ventora Development would return control of its mining and oil assets to Democratic Republic of Congo puts assets back into play including the Albertine Graben blocks 1 and 2, managed by Gertler’s company Oil of DRCongo. But there are potential further complications from continued US sanctions against Gertler and over exactly what’s in the deal, writes François Misser.

With less than six months to go before COP27 opens at Sharm El Sheikh, a power shift is under way as energy and momentum drain from the United Kingdom’s presidency and build in Egypt’s camp. The early signs are that the next event will have a very different tone and character from COP26 in Glasgow, with considerably less emphasis on making big policy claims that may be hard to keep and a focus on getting climate-related business deals signed.

Democratic Republic of Congo has the resources – if not yet the right governance framework – to help meet rising global demand for rare earth minerals. China has so far made much of the running with such resources, prompting economic and strategic concern in the US and Europe where DRC’s potential has not gone unnoticed, writes François Misser.

Questions have been raised about Victoria Oil and Gas (VOG)'s  ability to continue after the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) made a substantial award against it in early April. VOG is a business whose importance extends beyond the narrow interests of its shareholders. Its subsidiary Gaz du Cameroun (GDC) is one of the continent’s rare onshore gas producers that sells to a local clientele.

The Maputo government is trying to attract more majors to its offshore acreage, just as industry giants TotalEnergies and Eni ready themselves for further development of their rival liquified natural gas projects in the politically unstable north, writes James Gavin

West and central Africa-focused independent PetroNor E&P’s chief executive Knut Søvold remains under investigation by the Norwegian economic crime agency, Økokrim, after being detained in a pre-Christmas swoop related to an ongoing case concerning corruption in African projects.

The $5.1bn sale of Unilever’s tea division assets to CVC Capital Partners points to the potential for emerging markets’ commodities, but social and governance concerns persuaded other bidders to pull back. This and other examples – such as the cancelled Kinagop wind project detailed by Pierre Bertrand below – point to shifting ESG metrics that cannot be ignored by operators and investors in all sectors, writes Marc Howard

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.

A recent court ruling in South Africa halting Shell’s plans to continue with a 3D seismic campaign could force a rethink in the way operators engage with local communities, but fears that environmental campaigners’ successes could quash hydrocarbons developments appear wide of the mark, writes James Gavin

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.