Southern Africa is set to welcome a new oil refinery, the result of a strategic partnership between the governments of Namibia and Botswana. The proposed facility is part of broader efforts to deepen regional cooperation in the energy sector and reduce dependence on imported petroleum products. According to The Namibian, the initiative was a key topic during Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s recent working visit to Gaborone, where she held talks with Botswana’s President Duma Boko.
Shell paid $5.34 billion to Nigeria in 2024—the highest amount it paid to any country that year—according to figures released Thursday as part of a UK legal disclosure. The payments, which include taxes and other extractive-related charges, marked an increase from 2023. This surge comes as Shell prepares to exit its onshore oil operations in Nigeria after decades of activity marked by environmental controversies and social unrest. Although the company will maintain its offshore operations,
Namibia has unveiled plans to adopt Ghana’s widely praised Gold Purchase Programme in a strategic bid to strengthen its monetary policy and revive its struggling economy. The initiative seeks to boost the country’s foreign reserves, curb inflation, and reinforce the value of the Namibian dollar by stockpiling gold as a key financial asset. With a robust mining sector and stable political environment, Namibia is one of Africa’s notable gold producers, and the industry remains a
Ghana is calling on investors to support its oil sector as the global shift toward decarbonization risks rendering fossil fuel assets obsolete. President John Mahama made the appeal during the Africa CEO Forum held Tuesday in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. “Oil is in transition, so anybody who has any assets should be pumping like there’s no tomorrow,” Mahama said, signalling Ghana’s openness to increased investment. “We’re rolling out the red carpet for anyone ready to drill.”
Petrobras, Brazil’s state-controlled oil giant, is actively seeking a return to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, with a renewed focus on frontier deepwater exploration. This marks a strategic shift from its earlier divestment approach and signals Petrobras’ intent to expand its global footprint once again. The development was revealed by Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Shettima attributed Petrobras’ revived interest to the economic reforms being implemented under President
French energy giant TotalEnergies has announced plans to begin offshore drilling in South Africa in 2025, pending regulatory approval. The move represents a potential turning point in South Africa’s efforts to grow its oil and gas exploration sector. Mike Sangster, TotalEnergies’ Senior Vice President for Africa, disclosed the company’s intentions at an industry conference on Tuesday. He confirmed that TotalEnergies currently holds exploration rights over four offshore blocks in South African waters. If the drilling
Nigeria’s Dangote Oil Refinery has cancelled a planned maintenance shutdown for June on its 204,000 barrels-per-day gasoline-producing unit, having completed the necessary work during an earlier unplanned outage, according to industry data from IIR (Industrial Info Resources). The maintenance was originally scheduled to last 30 days in June and would have targeted the refinery’s Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracking (RFCC) unit, which is critical for gasoline production. However, the refinery used the unexpected downtime between April
Koidu Limited, Sierra Leone’s largest diamond mining company, has suspended operations and laid off the majority of its local workforce—more than 1,000 employees—due to a protracted dispute over wages and working conditions. The conflict began with a strike in December 2024, which workers temporarily paused in hopes of reaching an agreement through negotiations. However, after talks stalled, employees resumed industrial action in early March, according to Reuters. Charles Kainessie, president of the Koidu Limited Workers’
De Beers has quietly begun selling rough diamonds at steep discounts to a select group of buyers — a rare and contentious move that is stirring tensions within an industry already grappling with sluggish demand and mounting uncertainty. In a departure from its traditional pricing model, the diamond giant has been offering discounts of 10% to 20% through confidential side deals, aimed at offloading growing inventories without making public price cuts. These covert sales, reported
In a major step toward sustainable development, Ethiopia has attracted $1.75 billion in investments from five Chinese companies, focusing on solar-cell manufacturing, energy storage, and mineral exploration. The announcement was made by Finance Minister Ahmed Shide, who emphasized the critical role these investments will play in expanding Ethiopia’s renewable energy infrastructure and tapping into its mineral resources. One of the key investors is CSI Solar Co., a Shanghai-listed company majority-owned by Canadian Solar Inc., which
