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After months of speculation that President Macky Sall would bid for a constitutionally-prohibited third term, his announcement in July that he wouldn’t run was greeted with relief. Yet continued political violence and a fear Sall may seek to install a proxy candidate underline wider governance concerns, not least over hydrocarbon revenues, writes Waly Dione Faye.

Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed Paladin Energy has confirmed that its Langer Heinrich mine in Namibia's Erongo region is on track for a production restart in Q1 2024, following $118m of refurbishment works.

Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) Venture-listed SRG Mining has said it expects to soon meet the conditions of its $12.7m private placement with China’s Carbon One New Energy Group (C-One).

Indian parastatal ONGC Videsh, holder of a 16% net interest in the TotalEnergies-operated Mozambique liquified natural gas (MLNG) development, has provided an update of when it expects force majeure at the 13.1m t/yr project to be lifted.

Ethiopia is set to join the ranks of Africa’s lithium exporters, with first production from the Kenticha resource slated for later this year. But doubts about this claim have been raised by a group of Abyssinian Metals shareholders, who are fighting a boardroom and courtroom battle to remove the Australian developer’s board.

Vedanta Zinc International has signed a power purchase agreement with independent power producer Enernet Global (Enernet) to develop a solar PV plant to supply its Black Mountain mines in Aggeneys, Northern Cape, South Africa.

The Greater Tortue Ahmeyim LNG and Sangomar oil projects have announced delays, which Senegalese sources told African Energy were caused by one-off external factors that should be resolved soon, while a date has been set for the Yakaar-Teranga offshore gas field’s FID.

Italian major Eni has achieved a time-to-market of under two years, with first production announced from its Baleine (Whale) field, offshore Côte d’Ivoire (CdI). The project has been presented as the first emissions-free Scope-1 and -2 upstream production project in Africa, as well as CdI’s largest ever hydrocarbons discovery.

French uranium miner Orano’s Orano Mining Namibia (OMN) subsidiary said construction work has started at the first phase of the Sorexa solar PV project that will supply its Erongo Desalination Plant (EDP), sited 35km north of Swakopmund. Sorexa is planned to be scaled up, with future phases supplying other commercial and industrial offtakers in Namibia.    

After commissioning the Motheo copper mine, ASX-listed Sandfire Resources is pushing ahead with plans to expand production, which will include adding solar power and battery energy storage capacity.

Ivanhoe Mines has signed a memorandum of understanding with Lobito Atlantic International (LAI) to send copper concentrate mined in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Angola’s Lobito Port by rail. Efforts to improve the route to market for copper and other transition/critical metals from the DRC and Zambia comes as demand is surging.

State-owned enterprises Botswana Railways and South Africa’s Transnet Freight Rail are seeking $230m to develop a 113km rail line between Mmamabula in Botswana and Lephalale in South Africa to transport coal and other commodities.

Harmony Gold Mining Company has commissioned three solar PV plants in Lejweleputswa, Free State province. The South African plants are the first part of a wider renewable energy programme and are expected to reduce the mining group’s carbon dioxide emissions by about 65,000t in the first year of operation.

The coup d’état in Niger appears to be undermining oil and gas sector ambitions in neighbouring Benin, with London Stock Exchange-listed independent Zenith Energy citing regional political instability as a reason for pulling out of talks for a production-sharing contract to resume output from Block 1 and potential delays anticipated to the $7bn Niger-Benin export pipeline (NBEP), which was due to be completed this year.

Chemicals producer Omnia Group has confirmed the expected timeframe for the commissioning of a second solar PV plant at Sasolburg. The additional capacity is aimed at reducing the Johannesburg-based company’s dependence on the national grid. Omnia has a memorandum of understanding with renewable energy specialist WKN Windcurrent to develop green hydrogen and ammonia production at Sasolburg.