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As Zimbabwe’s general election approaches, experts are complaining that its energy laws and policies are outdated and need extensive review to promote increased investment in renewable energy.

The 1,290km Lobito corridor is being lined up for some $250m in financing from the United States’ Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and, reflecting the tone of recent US (re-) engagement with the region, the White House has also mooted an expansion of the Lobito corridor to the Tanzanian coast.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has announced that Zimbabwe will hold its anticipated general election on 23 August.

A report into the Cabo Delgado insurgency and the future of TotalEnergies' Mozambique LNG project has concluded that the security and humanitarian situation is improving, which could lead to work restarting later this year. The Rufin report has also prompted a $200m action plan to address some root causes of the violence, writes Marc Howard.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu acted decisively at his 29 May inauguration as head of state, by ordering the removal of subsidies on petroleum products. Sources close to his incoming administration had predicted such a move was likely, but the timing of any announcement had been unclear. Previous governments have promised to remove subsidies before backing away from such a decision, so Tinubu’s nerves are likely to be tested in the face of the protests that are now likely.

The island states off the coast of East Africa are pushing ahead forcefully with renewable energy schemes to reduce their hydrocarbons use. The moves will save money for the authorities in Comoros, Mauritius and the Seychelles by cutting expensive imports of refined products and will also help to address the effects of climate change to which they are particularly vulnerable, writes Marc Howard.

In the run up to the 2018 election, Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF promised to increase electricity generation capacity and end load-shedding. The reality has been power cuts lasting over 16 hours. But despite this, the Zanu-PF government says it has a solution to the electricity supply crisis.

With elections due in August, the ruling Zanu-PF’s grip on power is being threatened by electricity shortages, corruption and soaring inflation. However, critics say an uneven electoral playing field still favours the incumbent, writes Tonderayi Mukeredzi in Harare.

Is Africa’s upstream cementing its credentials as an exploration hotspot? The continent’s upstream has distinct advantages over other global basins, and has a window of opportunity in which to attract investment from companies that face tax burdens in other jurisdictions, writes James Gavin.

The timing of the official commissioning of the 650,000 b/d Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemical Plant on 22 May said as much about local political sensitivities as it did about the facility’s undoubted importance for the Nigerian energy sector.

China’s involvement in a wide-ranging debt restructuring and refinancing deal with other bilateral and multilateral creditors, headlined by a $3bn IMF facility, could set a precedent for other debt-distressed countries around the continent, but some devilish detail remains to be negotiated, writes Jon Marks.

The Ministry of Hydrocarbons’ mid-May roadshow event in London was an effort to firm up international interest in a string of blocks across central DR Congo and along its eastern border. In a problematic region, one big element for success could hinge on linking any finds into export infrastructure due to be built in neighbouring Uganda.

The cabinet has approved the merger of state-owned enterprises IGas and PetroSA, and the Strategic Fuel Fund (SFF) to form South African National Petroleum Company (SANPC).

South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has outlined plans to procure nearly 17GW of generation capacity from different technologies in FY2023/24, in new efforts aimed at increasing electricity supply and tackling crippling shortages.

Establishing a reliable financial framework for building cross-border power interconnections may be the single most effective way to improve electrification across sub-Saharan Africa. Yet bureaucratic impediments are holding up progress at an important scheme, the Southern Africa Power Pool (Sapp)’s Regional Transmission Infrastructure Financing Facility (RTIFF), which could implement its first projects in two to three years – with the right support.