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The jailing of former President Jacob Zuma for contempt of court on 7 July came at an unfortunate moment for South Africa. Pent up frustration following a year of economic hardship due to tough Covid-19 restrictions as well as upcoming local elections and public sector wage negotiations – both historically associated with angry protests – added an edge to demonstrations that was exploited by political and criminal groups.

The Lower Kafue Gorge project is set for commissioning in the coming days, as President Lungu continues his strategy of heavy investment in transport and power infrastructure in the run-up to polling day. However, if challenger Hakainde Hichilema prevails in the August election there are likely to be significant changes for state utility Zesco and for the dispute involving Copperbelt Energy Corporation, writes Chiwoyu Sinyangwe.

Following a harmonisation on 1 July of the two versions of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) produced by the Senate and House of Representatives, the ground-breaking legislation now awaits only the assent of President Muhammadu Buhari to come into force; the president remains in London on a medical visit.

Africa’s largest economy is finally moving to resolve some of its most chronic failings, with another effort to privatise five power plants, huge multilateral support for the insolvent transmission and distribution sector, the planned implementation of the Petroleum Industry Bill and commitments to further reforms. Even so, African Energy’s research suggests the expected upturn will come nowhere close to meeting Nigeria’s needs in the period to 2025. Jon Marks* asks whether results can at least get closer to the promises of Nigeria’s electricity supply industry.

A collision of interests over two of Africa’s most high-profile national mega-projects – Egypt’s planned El Dabaa nuclear plant and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd) – illustrates that grand schemes come with heavy geopolitical as well as financial costs, and that all the players have to calculate their interests carefully in a volatile region.

Energy and mines minister Mohammed Arkab is proving one of Algerian politics’ survivors – which seemed unlikely when he was promoted into the government after years at state utility Sonelgaz.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) announced on 29 June that South Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance (MoEF) and the Export-Import Bank of Korea had signed an agreement to provide $600m to co-finance energy projects in Africa. It adds to the glut of funds targeting the African power sector, but oversupply of donor money – or undersupply of projects – is driving interest rates down and causing concern amongst financiers.

Ghana’s reputation as a donor/investor darling has taken many knocks, and more court battles are expected as international arbitration beckons in the battle between Eni and its local partner, writes James Gavin.

Officials are working to persuade oil majors that Algeria is still worth investing in, with a new hydrocarbons law that may be sufficient to halt the trend towards company departures and falling output, writes Jon Marks.

The extent the Algerian oil and gas industry needs the fillip the revised hydrocarbons law is expected to offer was underlined by Sonatrach’s figures for 2020, which showed export revenue had fallen to around $20bn, 39% down on 2019. The state giant’s group performance director Mohammed Rochdi Boutaleb put the slump down to Covid-19 and the consequent sharp cut in investment.

A dispute over maritime rights between Equatorial Guinea and Gabon in Corisco Bay is heading for the courts, with implications for the exploration and development of hydrocarbons resources. The dispute between the two countries dates back to the early 1970s and centres on three uninhabited islands, Mbanié and the two tiny neighbouring islets of Conga and Les Cocotiers, which both sides claim.

After years of delay, the Petroleum Industry Bill has finally been approved by Nigeria’s parliament – albeit in different versions by the National Assembly’s two chambers. It promises substantial benefits for gas and other under-performing hydrocarbons-based industries and reforms to areas of government in profound need of overhaul. The critical question remains whether the bill is enough to galvanise the economy and industry when implementation could take many years, write Jon Marks and Ajay Ubhi

Six independent power producers (IPPs) selected in a tender last year have been asked to extend their bids once again, this time to October. They had previously been asked to extend them to the end of June. The IPPs had bid prices of only $0.034-38/kWh for wind and solar PV projects with combined capacity of 350MW.

Industry observers feared old-guard elements in South Africa’s ruling ANC and the Mozambique government might not resist the temptation to call for their state companies to pre-empt the sale of Sasol’s 30% stake in Republic of Mozambique Pipeline Investments Company (Rompco).

The governments of South Africa – under the influence of less-than-liberal, traditional nationalist thinking in the ruling African National Congress (ANC) – and Mozambique (which may have been persuaded by regional politics to follow its powerful neighbour) could not resist the temptation to call for their state companies to pre-empt the sale of Sasol’s 30% stake in the Republic of Mozambique Pipeline Investments Company (Rompco) natural gas pipeline.