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The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission said international oil companies will be pressed to supply the privately-owned Dangote refinery, rather than just focusing on the export market.

The main attraction for ConocoPhillips in its $22.5bn all-share deal to buy Marathon Oil Corporation is some 2bn barrels of US oil resources, but profitable interests in natural gas fields and processing plants in Equatorial Guinea are also in play.

First gas is expected next year for Tanzania’s strategic Ntorya onshore play, which should significantly boost gas supply amid surging local demand, while operator APT is bullish, pointing to the huge gas resources being developed in adjacent acreage across the Mozambican border.

The chances of long-awaited LNG schemes moving ahead have been bolstered by Rwanda’s expanded commitment to battling the northern Cabo Delgado province’s enduring Islamist insurgency on behalf of the Maputo government, a move very much in the interests of the international majors planning multi-billion dollar projects. Many other problems remain to be resolved as Mozambique prepares for President Nyusi to stand down in October – in an election where the ruling Frelimo party’s candidate will be Daniel Chapo, whose outsider status points to further splits in the ruling elite.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s decision to pay Portugal’s Galp some $1.15bn for a 10% stake in offshore Area 4 offers further evidence of Mozambique’s LNG improving prospects, even though the Cabo Delgado insurgency hasn’t gone away.

African Energy’s investigation into National Oil Corporation (NOC)’s large budget and the failings at two of its most important upstream oil and gas projects shows how events at the national oil company holds significance far beyond the small number of oil majors and their partners who are directly involved. Understanding how Libya’s hydrocarbons sector is being run is a matter of vital concern to the Libyan people, whose futures are tied to its success or failure. The investigation should also be of prime interest to a wide range of African Energy subscribers, including those involved in renewable and thermal power or the trade in gas and liquid fuels. Sooner or later, resolving the problems that African Energy is exposing will require the involvement of businesses across the whole energy sector spectrum.

Libya’s oil sector governance is under fire as never before, with Presidential Council head Mohammed Al-Menfi asking National Oil Corporation to explain its multi-billion-dollar spending over the past two years. With oil production flatlining and gas production at risk of severe decline, Libya needs new field developments, but two of its biggest projects have become mired in allegations of corruption. With potential ramifications for all those operating across a range of sectors in Libya, African Energy has been investigating these issues and more for a series of articles based on extensive source enquiries and documentary evidence.

The Kaminho project to develop the Cameia and Golfinho fields in Block 20/11 has reached a final investment decision, as operator TotalEnergies and partners Petronas and Sonangol seek to open up the offshore Kwanza Basin and supply some gas to CCGT units that will serve the Angolan power grid.

Benin’s President Patrice Talon has allowed the temporary lifting of the inaugural cargo from the Niger-Benin Export Pipeline, after his 8 May bombshell announcement that Cotonou would not allow exports until Niamey reopened its side of the border, write Virgile Ahissou in Cotonou and Marc Howard.

A major source of natural gas for South Africa could be constrained as soon as 2025, with declining reserves at Mozambique’s Pande and Temane fields potentially leading to supply shortages. South Africa will need to secure new sources of feedstock if it is to develop the gas-to-power projects that many see as essential to provide baseload for the renewable energy sector that African Energy Live Data shows is gaining momentum.

President Patrice Talon’s sudden announcement that Benin would block the lifting of oil cargoes from the Niger-Benin Export Pipeline was a shock move that may be remedied swiftly but nevertheless point to continuing pressures on Niamey, since the military regime opted to end alliances with the US and France in favour of Russia and special friend China, write Marc Howard and Virgile Ahissou

There are signs of progress on two multi-billion dollar asset sales to local players by international majors which, coupled with sector reforms unveiled in March and a new licensing round launched in late April, may give rise to guarded optimism in the upstream sector, despite perennial issues around security and theft, writes James Gavin.

Nigeria’s 650,000 b/d Dangote refinery is gradually ramping up its operations, with diesel supplies to the local market starting in March and exports beginning the following month. However, there have been more reports of teething troubles, with one crude cargo said to have been held offshore for a month over a payment dispute.

Approval from the interim parliament in Conakry for an unprecedented-for-Guinea liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal and gas-to-power plant could be the first step towards meeting a predicted huge mining-driven increase in electricity demand. The project’s scale has raised eyebrows, but could prove transformative if it goes ahead, writes Marc Howard.

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.