The English upstream oil and gas company Afentra, focused on acquiring production and development assets in Africa, has successfully completed the acquisition of a stake in the KON 19 block, located in the Kwanza Basin onshore. This acquisition follows the announcement on July 10th, confirming the award of the Angola KON 19 onshore license by Presidential Decree, which was signed last weekend with the National Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG). As part of this
Diamantino Azevedo, the Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, will lay the first stone for the construction of Sonangol’s headquarters in Cabinda and Zaire today and tomorrow. According to the agenda, the minister, accompanied by Sonangol’s CEO Sebastião Martins and Afreximbank President Benedict Oramah, will visit the Falcão-2 and Amufert Projects in the city of Soyo, Zaire, where they will officially launch the construction of Sonangol’s headquarters in that oil city. In the afternoon,
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) reported an increase in Nigeria’s daily crude oil production, rising from 1.25 million barrels per day (mbpd) in June to 1.61 mbpd by July 23rd. This update was provided by Gbenga Komolafe, the Chief Executive of NUPRC, during a public hearing by the House of Representatives Special Committee on oil theft and losses. Nigeria remains Africa’s largest producer of crude oil, with proven reserves of 37.50 billion barrels
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has approved the sale of crude oil to the Dangote Refinery and other local refineries in the local currency, the naira. This decision, aimed at stabilizing fuel prices and the naira-to-dollar exchange rate, was adopted by the Federal Executive Council (FEC). Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Publicity, announced that the FEC has approved selling the 450,000 barrels of crude oil designated for domestic consumption in
Rio Tinto’s diamond revenue fell in the first half of 2024, pushing the division into the red amid a global market slowdown and lower production. Sales from the Diavik mine in Canada dropped 40% year on year to $149 million for the six months ending June 30, the mining group reported Wednesday. The diamond unit registered an underlying loss of $65 million, compared with a profit of $44 million a year earlier. While Rio Tinto
Trans Atlantic Gem Sales (TAGS) and Angola’s Sodiam garnered $21.6 million at their second joint tender of special rough diamonds from five of the African country’s mines. The tender saw a 100% sell-through rate, despite current market weakness, TAGS said last week. The companies offered 33 lots comprising 45 diamonds. “The results once again exceeded expectations, with mines expressing enthusiasm to increase rough-diamond volumes to be sold through tenders in the future,” TAGS director Anthony
ASX-listed Lucapa Diamond Company has recovered its fifth diamond weighing more than 100 carats this year at its joint venture Lulo mine in Angola. The 176-carat Type IIa diamond is the forty-fifth diamond over 100 carats found at the mine since alluvial operations began in 2015, making it the eighth largest discovered there. Lucapa notes that the consistent recovery of these large, high-value diamonds has been a significant revenue source for Lulo and has informed
Actress Lupita Nyong’o recently visited De Beers’ Venetia diamond mine in Limpopo as part of her role as a global ambassador for the company. During her visit, she was shown how each facet of the production value chain supports sustainable development. Her tour included the 32,000-hectare Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve, which De Beers uses for nature conservation. The Venetia mine, which began production in 1993, has grown to become South Africa’s leading diamond mine, accounting
Trade union Uasa has signed a five-year wage agreement with the management of the Cullinan mine, owned by London-listed Petra Diamonds. The agreement, effective from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2028, stipulates a 5.5% or consumer price inflation (CPI) increase for entry-level (C Lower) employees for the first three years and a 6% increase in years four and five. C Upper employees will receive a 5% or CPI increase annually for the first three
De Beers has lowered its production plan for 2024 by 3 million carats in response to the diamond market’s ongoing downturn and following a decline in first-half sales and profit. The miner expects to recover 23 million to 26 million carats of rough this year, compared with an earlier forecast of 26 million to 29 million carats, parent company Anglo American said Thursday in its interim results. Production was 31.9 million carats in 2023. The
