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Production at the Indeni refinery is due to resume in December, after the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) approved a licence for Indeni Petroleum Refinery Company to become an oil marketing company.

Business leaders want to believe the ‘hustler nation’ promised by incoming president William Ruto will be marked by entrepreneurial vigour rather than spotty governance. Kenya has huge potential, but in an economy struggling with an enormous debt burden, grand visions such as a 100% renewable power sector by 2030 may be difficult to achieve, write Marc Howard and Jon Marks.

South Sudan has warned it could quit the Opec+ grouping if it is not allowed to hike crude production to 230,000 b/d by 2024, an increase of around 70,000 b/d on current output.

Fresh criticism from the European Parliament of the controversial scheme to drill for oil in Lake Albert and export the crude to Tanzania via a 1,400km pipeline adds to pressures on the project’s shareholders. The reputational risk has made dozens of major banks and insurers distance themselves from the project, but Uganda and Tanzania remain adamant Eacop should go ahead, writes James Gavin.

Diamonds have served Botswana well in over five decades since independence, helping it to move from poverty to upper middle-income status, but Gaborone has grown dependent on gemstones and accelerated economic diversification is needed to exploit other potential resources – including coal and transition minerals. At the same time, moves to end state domination of a coal-based energy sector have moved only slowly.

Chronic power unreliability remains a blight in Nigeria – with half a dozen grid collapses so far this year – while the national grid remains woefully under-powered. Nigerians remain dependent on diesel and other back-ups, while big commercial and industrial (C&I) investments are being made by large private sector players. African Energy examines how the Dangote Group is becoming one of the country's major electricity generators.  

An imminent increase in pump prices is expected, with the Zambian government planning to reinstate value-added tax (VAT) and excise duty from 1 October in an effort to make prices more closely aligned with market realities.

Algeria underlined its commitment to supplying increased volumes of gas to Italy, when Sonatrach president director-general Toufik Hakkar said on 21 September that deliveries would rise by around 13% this year to 25.2bcm.

Energy and power development minister Zhemu Soda has removed the board of directors of state petroleum company PetroTrade for alleged malpractice, including recruiting senior staff without following company procedures.

Parastatal Société Nationale de Raffinage (Sonara) has agreed to restructure its debt with Dutch energy and commodity trading house Vitol. Sonara is the sole importer of refined products into Cameroon. It also has an 80% stake in, and operates the country’s only refinery, Limbe.

Island nations Seychelles, Mauritius and Comoros are assessing initiatives to encourage more private investment in renewable energy, according to a World Bank Group (WBG) report published on 20 September.

Mozambique’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports are expected to be dispatched “on or around” 14 October, shipping industry publication Trade Winds said on 21 September citing sources working with Eni’s Coral Sul 3.4m t/yr floating liquid natural gas (FLNG) plant. The Rome-headquartered supermajor is said to be moving towards ordering a second FLNG vessel.

Zambia has, in the past 12 months – and with a new International Monetary Fund facility now in place – sought to reform petroleum trading, to help reduce the government’s liabilities, including some $500m in arrears to fuel suppliers, and ensure pump prices becomes more responsive to market dynamics.

Recently dismissed National Oil Corporation chairman Mustafa Sanalla claims his successor Farhat Bengdara is planning a deal with UAE-based Al-Ghurair Group over the Ras Lanuf oil refinery that could end up costing NOC up to $600m/yr. For a decade, Al-Ghurair subsidiary Trasta Energy and NOC have been in a relentless dispute over the Libyan Emirati Refining Company (Lerco) joint venture – and the refinery hasn’t operated since 2013.

Price hikes are expected to follow Zambia’s $1.3bn IMF bailout package, which should help to consolidate economic gains made in the last year. But further reform, including the divestment of state utility Zesco’s operating assets, is causing some trepidation among Zambians.