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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations are often central to whether a project can move ahead, with the first two of these often the determining factors. But “in Angola it’s G that is often much more important than E and S,” a consultant active in southern Africa told African Energy.

With winter on the horizon and no sign of an end to the energy crisis, the South African government is considering slowing down its decommissioning plans for the country’s fleet of ageing coal-fired power stations, but international partners have called on it to stick to its Just Energy Transition Partnership commitments, writes Tonderayi Mukeredzi.

Savannah Energy’s dispute with Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno’s government in Ndjamena has gone cross-border, with diplomatic ties between Chad and Cameroon under stress after the London AIM-listed oil company’s new deal to sell part of its interest in the export pipeline, writes James Gavin.

Much of Sudan’s infrastructure was in a parlous state before murderous and indiscriminate faction fighting broke out in mid-April, but the situation is set to get worse still with control of power plants and oil facilities now split between forces under rival generals Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti). The crisis shows how densely populated modern cities can be reduced to ruin and complex geopolitical shifts are impacting on stability in fragile polities, write Aziz Alnour and John Hamilton.

Sudan’s traditional partners have sought to intervene in the conflict between Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) commander General Abdel-Fattah Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)’s General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (widely known as Hemedti), in an attempt to bring peace and, more pragmatically, to evacuate their nationals.

Exports of crude oil from Sudan and South Sudan appear to be holding up, despite the fighting between rival Sudanese generals Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and General Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti).

A continued flow of renewable energy and green hydrogen deals, a planned upstream licensing round and LNG exports from two liquefaction terminals suggest business is operating as usual, but Egypt’s debt crisis and the extent of expected reforms mean investors should brace themselves for upheaval, writes John Hamilton.

Amid considerable difficulties, a series of financial and trade agreements are underpinning the government’s hopes for economic recovery following the recent end of devastating conflict with Tigray rebels. Liberalising reforms may encourage more private investment in the power, agriculture and other sectors, while the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam’s construction continues apace, but with debts weighing heavy and peace still fragile Ethiopia’s challenges remain daunting.