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The re-emergence of controversial former vice president Atiku Abubakar as presidential candidate for a group of powerful northern elite factions has added some very Nigerian spice to the 2011 presidential election

Construction work on the milestone 36MW wood-chip burning power plant in Monrovia is set to begin in early 2011, according to its sponsor

The African Development Bank’s concessional loans arm is considering a UA93.75m loan and UA58m grant for a project to improve the electricity transmission system

As Ghana prepares for first oil from the Jubilee field, the syndication of a $500m pre-export loan for Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) is on track to close in the weeks ahead, according to political risk insurance (PRI) market sources close to the deal.

Ophir Energy has revived plans to seek a share listing to help fund its growing exploration activity. The company was considering an initial public offering in 2007, but opted to stay private. It argued that markets liked to see short-term results, but that it was still a couple of years from drilling, and private equity was a better way of meeting its needs (AE 126/14

London has enjoyed close security co-operation with Algiers and Tripoli for some time, but the relationship is now more overt and ministerial attention more focused. In mid-November, minister for the Middle East and North Africa Alastair Burt – who civil servants say is genuinely enthusiastic about understanding North Africa – addressed a conference at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) on Europe’s relationship with North Africa.

Fresh legal proceedings have been filed in a long-running Tanzanian power plant dispute, as Standard Chartered Bank tries to recover debt that it claims is owed to its Hong Kong subsidiary, writes Kevin Godier

Energy minister Gilbert Tshiongo Tshibinkubula Wa Tumba and mines minister Martin Kabwelulu Labilo sat side by side at Spintelligent’s annual IPAD DRC conference, in Kinshasa on 27 October, to announce a new ‘strategic partnership’ along with the Ministry of Transport. Mining drives the DRC economy, but it cannot function without the energy and transport infrastructure Congo so lacks.

Private equity fund Evolution One has invested R51.8m ($7.6m) in major South African waste management company EnviroServ Waste Management (EnviroServ).

With elections now set to go ahead and new donor support in prospect, Côte d’Ivoire may finally be able to resume its central role in the West African regional economy

The World Bank is considering $42m of funding for a capacity-building project in the nascent gas and oil sector.

LIBYA: Domestic investment fund; NAMIBIA: UNX raises C$30m in bought deal financing

Recognition of sub-Saharan Africa’s resilience in the face of the global downturn was a feature of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank annual meetings, held in Washington on 6-9 October.

Mining ministers from 11 central African states have endorsed a system for tracing the origins of raw materials drawn up by the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

As usual, there was no explanation from Luanda of President José Eduardo dos Santos’ partial government reshuffle on 5 October, which reorganised key economic departments and the senior ranks of the military.