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There was near consensus among African ministers and central bank governments at this year’s International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank Group (WBG) annual meetings, held on 9-14 October in Tokyo, that relations between governments and multilaterals were much-improved from previous decades of conflict

The European Investment Bank (EIB) on 24 September began the appraisal process for a €50m ($65m) loan to a project to restore the inoperative 64MW Mount Coffee hydroelectric power station.

The African Development Bank’s soft loans arm has approved $348m in funding for an electricity highway project between Kenya and Ethiopia. The $1.26bn Eastern Electricity Highway Project is the first step towards a regional power pool which many hope will curb electricity price increases and improve security of supply.

Guinea has reached the completion point for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, paving the way for $2.1bn of debt relief.

The proceeds from Zambia’s successful debut Eurobond issue will be spent on upgrading energy and transport infrastructure, writes Chiwoyu Sinyangwe in Lusaka.

The World Bank board has approved $203m of funding for the Niger Basin Water Resources Development and Sustainable Ecosystems Management Programme, which includes support for the Kandadji Programme.

Nearly four years after the onset of the global financial crisis, constraints on raising finance for oil and gas projects in Africa show no sign of easing, while in many jurisdictions the cost of entering exploration contracts is high.

The US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) on 17 September announced a loan of up to $250m for the 60MW Boshoff solar PV facility. The project was selected as a preferred bidder in the second round of South Africa’s renewable energy independent power producer procurement programme (REIPPPP).

Germany’s Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), the European Union and the African Union Commission’s Regional Geothermal Coordination Unit are gearing up to select the first projects from their new €50m Geothermal Risk Mitigation Facility (GRMF), to support developments in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

President Morsi and his conservative economic team are bedding in, but financiers and insurers remain very cautious about Egyptian risk markets, writes Kevin Godier

India’s Jindal Steel & Power has bought Mmamabula project developer CIC Energy for $116m and plans to push ahead with development of the stalled project. The deal will give Jindal Africa mining rights for high quality thermal coal from the Greater Mmamabula coalfield in south-east Botswana, which is estimated to hold 2.4bn tonnes.

The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee has voted in favour of a draft law that would require European resource companies to declare their payments to governments worldwide.

The Export-Import Bank of the United States signed a declaration of intent with South Africa’s state-owned Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) on 7 August to provide up to $2bn for South African energy projects sourcing equipment and services from the US, with an emphasis on clean energy.

Oil and gas minister Abdulrahman Ben Yezza has reassured striking workers at Sirte Oil Company (SOC)’s Brega complex that the government will do what it takes to bring the security situation there under control.

Ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service has changed its outlook for Total’s debt from stable to negative over concerns about the impact of the company’s increased capital spending.