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A number of reports point to the cash-strapped government of South Sudan agreeing to borrow up to $12.8bn from a Dubai-based company owned by a junior member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, with the debt to be repaid in discounted oil shipments over 20 years. But with plenty of calls on South Sudan’s dwindling oil income, and ever more junior sheikhs turning up with African mega-deals, questions are mounting about what could be, in an ideal world, a transformational deal.

Africa-focused indie Afentra has gained approval from the Angolan government to buy a 12% non-operating interest in Block 3/05 and a 16% non-operating interest in Block 3/05A from the BP/Eni joint venture Azule Energy.

Construction work is nearly complete on a 15MW coal-fired plant to supply power to Sabi Star’s lithium mine in Zimbabwe’s Buhera district. African Energy takes a closer look at one of Zimbabwe’s three biggest lithium projects.

Mauritania’s government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Saudi Arabia to co-operate in the electricity, renewable energy and clean hydrogen sectors.

Invictus Energy has signed an agreement with gold miner Dallaglio Investments and manufacturer Himoinsa to develop a gas-fired power plant to supply the Eureka gold mine, using gas from the Cabora Bassa Basin.

Operator Kosmos Energy has set a new goal for first gas production at Senegal’s offshore Yakaar-Teranga (Y-T) field, where a shakeout in equity is expected to give state company Petrosen a bigger role. Meanwhile a source has told African Energy that any renegotiation of contract terms for the Sangomar development is expected to be initiated after the 100,000 b/d field starts first production.

New Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye pointedly opted for Nouakchott as the destination for his first official foreign trip, ending a long tradition of starting in France and underlining his Pastef party’s pan-African agenda. Investors will be watching closely as discussions with Mauritanian President Mohammed Ghazouani centred around the potential for renegotiating the joint Greater Tortue Ahmeyim LNG development’s terms, writes Waly Dione Faye.

While many see doing business in Democratic Republic of Congo as problematic, Africa Finance Corporation is pushing ahead on a trio of schemes involving renewable energy, critical minerals and infrastructure, helped by its status as an African multilateral in which the DRC government is a shareholder.

Moroccan plans to build regasification plants to supply Onee’s existing and planned CCGT power stations have been mooted for more than a decade, but could now finally be moving ahead, with government commitments to build an LNG import unit at Nador, with other schemes to follow.

Rehabilitation of the 178MW turbine at Inga II, along with plans for up to 210MW from on-site generators to tackle grid instability and increased electricity imports from Zambia are all on track, according to Ivanhoe Mines, as the Canadian operator works to provide sufficient power to Democratic Republic of Congo’s strategic Kamoa-Kakula copper mine.

TotalEnergies has signed a memorandum of understanding with Sonatrach on further developing natural gas resources in the Timimoun region, where the French major has existing interests, while an LNG supply contract has been extended by another year.

Sonatrach has signed a rare heads of agreement with a smaller company, Sweden’s Tethys Oil.

London-listed Energean has taken on the operatorship of the Lixus and Rissana licence areas, alongside partners Chariot and state-owned Onhym

Some headline elements of the now ruling Parti Africain du Sénégal, pour l’Ethique et la Fraternité (Pastef les Patriotes)’s policy were presented during the election campaign, which included the following commitments:

Making the most of hydrocarbon resources and tackling perceived governance abuses are among the hot dossiers at the top of incoming President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko’s agenda. Policy-makers and investors need to be acutely aware that Senegal is waiting on radical change from its new Pastef government, write Waly Dione Faye and Jon Marks.