Nigeria Secures $1B Crude Prepayment Facility

Multilateral financial institution the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is providing a $1 billion crude oil prepayment facility to Nigeria. Aimed at boosting the country’s foreign reserves, the facility will be released in May 2024. The loan represents part of a larger $3.3 billion crude prepayment facility, with Afreximbank having already disbursed $2.25 billion in January 2024. The country’s state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation will repay the loan using revenue generated from crude sales. According to

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South Sudan Govt to Establish Mining Marketing Stations

South Sudan’s government has announced its plans to work with Qatari gold firm United Gold Factory to establish mining marketing stations in mineral-rich areas in the country. The marketing stations will be used to organize small-scale mining enterprises in South Sudan and facilitate the trade of refined extractive resources. The marketing stations will also serve to formalize the mining sector, improving working conditions and hours, wages as well as health and safety concerns. In addition

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Libya Surpasses Nigeria as Top African Crude Oil Producer in March

According to the April 2024 Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR) from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Libya emerged as the leading African crude oil producer in March, surpassing Nigeria. The data revealed that Libya produced 1.236 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude, up from 1.173 million bpd in February. On the other hand, Nigeria recorded a production output of 1.23 million bpd in March 2024, compared to 1.32 million bpd in February.

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TotalEnergies Faces Scrutiny Over Mozambique Gas Operations Amid Conflict

French multinational TotalEnergies is facing scrutiny over its plans to resume natural gas extraction in Mozambique’s conflict-ridden Cabo Delgado region, potentially violating the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), according to NGOs. Following a terror attack in 2021, TotalEnergies, along with ExxonMobil and Eni, halted operations in Cabo Delgado. However, during a recent presentation of its 2023 annual results, TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné announced intentions to restart operations in Mozambique this year. NGOs, including

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Insights from Benedito Manuel on the Luele Mine

Benedito Manuel, the General Director of Sociedade Mineira de Catoca, recently highlighted the significance of the Luele mine project in the province of Lunda Sul. He emphasized that it’s an ENDIAMA initiative, with Angolan managers from Catoca leading the entire process, from discovery to mine layout. In an interview with EXPANSÃO newspaper, Manuel underscored Catoca’s pivotal role as a “special technical arm” of the Angolan National Diamond Company, particularly in advancing the nation’s diamond sub-sector.

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World oil demand slows to 1.6 million barrels

World oil demand continued to slow down in the first quarter to 1.6 million barrels per day, 120,000 barrels less than initially forecast, mainly due to developments in richer countries, Energy International (IEA) announced yesterday. In the monthly report on the oil market released yesterday, the IEA indicates that, for the whole of 2024, the increase will be 1.2 million barrels per day, a value that will fall slightly to 1.1 million in 2025, although

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Nigeria Gets $750M World Bank Loan for Solar Mini-Grids

The World Bank has granted Nigeria’s Federal Government a $750 million loan to offer subsidies to developers and operators of solar mini-grids in areas across the country that lack electricity access. The loan, approved under the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) project, aims to increase the supply of electricity to households and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) through private sector-led distributed renewable energy initiatives. The financing agreement for the loan was signed

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Antwerp World Diamond Centre CEO Abruptly Resigns Amid Russian Diamond Sanctions Dispute

The Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) announced the unexpected resignation of CEO Ari Epstein on Thursday, as reported by the AWDC’s board of directors. While Epstein, who served as CEO for 13 years, declined to comment on the reason for his departure, Belgian financial newspaper De Tijd cited conflicts between the diamond sector and the Belgian government over Russian diamond sanctions as a possible cause. The AWDC, Belgium’s primary diamond industry group, has not yet

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Namibia Poised to Become Africa’s Newest Oil Producer

Namibia’s Minister of Mines and Energy revealed that TotalEnergies and Shell are likely to have discovered offshore oil and gas reserves in commercial quantities, potentially totaling billions of barrels. Both companies previously announced “significant” discoveries offshore Namibia earlier this year and are currently assessing the findings. While specific quantities were not disclosed, a Reuters source suggested that Total’s discovery exceeds 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent. These discoveries could position Namibia as the latest oil

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CNOOC Lands 5 Oil Exploration Deals in Mozambique

The government of Mozambique has awarded the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) five oil and gas research and development concession contracts. The contracts were awarded as part of the country’s sixth licencing round, initiated by the Mineral Resources and Energy Ministry. Filimão Suaze, the government spokesman, emphasised that this decision aligns with Mozambique’s mineral resources policy and aims to attract more investments into the oil sector. The Council of Ministers approved the concession contracts

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