Africa Intel Daily 5/14/2022

SUDAN _ _ BUSINESS _ _ Burhan resurrects Bashir's Green Zone gum arabic export vehicle Created during the Bashir era, the state-owned Green Zone was designed to compete with Western exporters of Sudanese gum arabic and bring in much-needed foreign currency. Finding itself once again in the eye of the economic storm, Sudan is banking on its erstwhile money spinner. [...]

Published this week in EASTERN & SOUTHERN AFRICA

SOMALIA _ _  POLITICS _ _  13/05/2022 _ _   How Puntland president Said Deni plans to take down Farmajo   With the support of Jubaland governor Ahmed Madobe, a strong financial and political base, and an electoral system in his favour, the Puntland leader has put himself in a good position to challenge the incumbent for the Somali presidency.  [...]      RUNNING STORY _ _  KENYA _ _  POLITICS _ _  12/05/2022 _ _   Odinga goes for goal to boost his base   Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga, who is in trouble with his coalition, is making an increasing number of appearances with his allies at sporting events.  [...]      SOUTH AFRICA _ _  POLITICS _ _  12/05/2022 _ _   Parliamentary committee chairs still in post despite damning Zondo report   The African National Congress leadership has taken no concrete steps to urge three MPs to step down from their key roles even though they have been named in the explosive corruption investigation.  [...]      ITALY _ _  KENYA _ _  BUSINESS _ _  12/05/2022 _ _   Telespazio bags deal to provide services for Italy's Malindi spaceport   Telespazio, a joint venture between Italian electronics giant Leonardo and France's Thales, has been picked to provide in-orbit satellite control and maintenance services for four years for the Broglio Space Center in Kenya, a complex managed by the Italian space agency.  [...]      RUNNING STORY _ _  KENYA _ _  POLITICS _ _  10/05/2022 _ _   Turncoat speaker Justin Muturi champions Ruto in Kenyatta stronghold   The speaker of the national assembly abandoned the presidential camp and joined Ruto in April. He now wants nothing less than the deputy president's seat in return for playing a pivotal role in rallying the centre of the country.  [...]      RUNNING STORY _ _  KENYA _ _  POLITICS _ _  09/05/2022 _ _   Kenyatta clan determined to hold on to prosperous Nakuru County   State House is following with great interest the battle for the governorship of Nakuru, the fourth largest city in the country. Located at a strategic crossroads, the county of which it is the capital is one of the Kenyatta bastions that is in danger of falling into the hands of his deputy president.  [...]      MADAGASCAR _ _  DIPLOMACY _ _  13/05/2022 _ _   EU sends its observers ahead of 2023 general election      ETHIOPIA _ _  POLITICS _ _  11/05/2022 _ _   Fighting resumes between Tigrayans and Eritreans      RUNNING STORY _ _  SUDAN _ _  ONU _ _  BUSINESS _ _  10/05/2022 _ _   Total's contractor, South Africa's Solenta Aviation, lands peacekeeping contract      ETHIOPIA _ _  POLITICS _ _  10/05/2022 _ _   In Afar, TPLF applies scorched earth policy while keeping foot in the door

OIL & GAS

RUNNING STORY _ _  MOZAMBIQUE _ _  CORPORATE STRATEGY _ _  13/05/2022 _ _   TotalEnergies presents its Cabo Delgado gas plans to Japanese and Indian partners   French oil company TotalEnergies is on the verge of announcing its return to the province of Cabo Delgado. Now its partners have to be informed, and prepared.  [...]      ANGOLA _ _  CORPORATE STRATEGY _ _  12/05/2022 _ _   WM-DC Resources ejected from ENI's Cabinda North block   WM-DC Resources, an Angolan company recently excluded from the Cabinda North exploration block, is owned by a close associate of Angolan former vice-president Manuel Vicente.  [...]

MINING SECTOR

MOZAMBIQUE _ _  EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION _ _  13/05/2022 _ _   MRG Metals reignites uranium ambitions in Zambezia province   Maputo, seeking to profit from rising uranium prices, hopes that a new project involving Australia's MRG Metals, the first in Mozambique for almost a decade, will herald a new wave of investment in the nuclear fuel.  [...]    FREE  _ _      SOUTH AFRICA _ _  BOTSWANA _ _  EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION _ _  12/05/2022 _ _   Opposition political figure spearheads Moopetsi Mining's move into Gaborone   Based in Limpopo in South Africa, the mining services firm Moopetsi Mining has set up shop in Gaborone in partnership with the former youth league president of the centrist Alliance for Progressives party, Jacob Kelebeng.  [...]      ZIMBABWE _ _  POLITICS _ _  11/05/2022 _ _   Fearing seizures, Mnangagwa transfers state mining assets to a new entity   ZMDC, the state-owned company that owns the majority of the government's mining portfolio, needs to find more than $400m to compensate aggrieved former business partners.  [...]      SOUTH AFRICA _ _  EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION _ _  09/05/2022 _ _   Southern Palladium fields heavyweight management team in bid to join PGM elite   As the South African platinum-group metals sector consolidates, Australian junior Southern Palladium is hoping to carve out a niche among the giants.  [...] Published this week in CENTRAL & WEST AFRICA IN FOCUS  NIGERIA _ _  CHAD _ _  BUSINESS _ _  09/05/2022 _ _   The secret story of Déby clan's links with Nigerian mogul Ali Modu Sheriff   The vastly wealthy businessman and former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff, formed powerful business and matrimonial ties with Chad during his time in politics. He has continued to nurture these relations since Idriss Déby's death last year.  [...]  SPOTLIGHT _ _  CAMEROON _ _  DIPLOMACY _ _  12/05/2022 _ _   Macron reacts to military rapprochement with Moscow   In late April, Cameroon signed a new military cooperation agreement with Moscow, prompting an immediate diplomatic reaction from France. Christophe Bigot, Africa director at the foreign ministry, travelled in person to Yaoundé, and at one point a visit by Emmanuel Macron was even envisaged.  [...]  DRC _ _  DIPLOMACY _ _  13/05/2022 _ _   Beya arrest sparks unease from Washington to Kigali   The fate of Felix Tshisekedi's former senior security adviser François Beya, who was arrested and has been detained for nearly 100 days, continues to worry governments on the continent and further afield, who have sent their envoys to Kinshasa to enquire about the former spymaster.  [...]      WEST AFRICA _ _  BUSINESS _ _  12/05/2022 _ _   After Abidjan, Castel loses Coca-Cola distribution rights in Ouagadougou   The Atlanta-based soft drinks giant has already severed its ties with Castel in Ivory Coast and a number of other African countries, and is now about to do the same in Burkina Faso.  [...]      RUNNING STORY _ _  CHAD _ _  DIPLOMACY _ _  11/05/2022 _ _   Amid gold fever, Italy's Ara Pacis offers to mediate with defectors turned rogue miners   The Rome-based non-profit, which has close ties to Italy's security apparatus, is proposing to mediate between Chad's government and an armed group active in mining gold, a metal that sanctions-struck Russia is keen to get is hands on.  [...]      NIGERIA _ _  BUSINESS _ _  09/05/2022 _ _   First Indian wheat shipload sets sail for Nigeria   To supply its noodle factories and mills, Dufil Prima Foods has decided to bring Indian wheat to Lagos, a first in West Africa. But to introduce this product further, major logistical challenges must be overcome.  [...]      RUNNING STORY _ _  NIGERIA _ _  BUSINESS _ _  13/05/2022 _ _   Nigeria to purchase ten armed mini-drones from Turkey's Asisguard      ANGOLA _ _  DRC _ _  DIPLOMACY _ _  12/05/2022 _ _   Cameroonian set to be new World Bank rep in DRC and Angola      CAMEROON _ _  POLITICS _ _  11/05/2022 _ _   Ailing Biya visited by his French doctor      AFRICA _ _  CANADA _ _  DIPLOMACY _ _  10/05/2022 _ _   Who will be Ottawa's new Mr Africa?      WEST AFRICA _ _  DIPLOMACY _ _  10/05/2022 _ _   EU ministers to discuss Africa      RUNNING STORY _ _  WEST AFRICA _ _  DIPLOMACY _ _  10/05/2022 _ _   Paris uses Beninese airports for Barkhane withdrawal      WEST AFRICA _ _  DIPLOMACY _ _  09/05/2022 _ _   Barkhane withdrawal puts MINSUMA medical services on the spot      GUINEA _ _  POLITICS _ _  09/05/2022 _ _   Detained ex-PM Fofana boosts legal team with French lawyers OIL & GAS  EQUATORIAL GUINEA _ _  CORPORATE STRATEGY _ _  11/05/2022 _ _   Behind-the-scenes of Trident, Kosmos and Panoro extension negotiations on Okume and Ceiba   Trident, Kosmos and Panoro have hit the jackpot in obtaining extensions of more than 10 years of their production licences on these two fields. The three companies will thus be able to increase their exploitable reserves by several million barrels.  [...]      MOROCCO _ _  NIGERIA _ _  STATE STRATEGY _ _  09/05/2022 _ _   OPEC secretary-general Barkindo gives Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline unexpected boost   OPEC secretary-general Mohammed Barkindo has played a decisive role in the pipeline project, which could provide a gas supply link from the Niger delta to Europe. The project has been under consideration since 2016 and, although by no means sure to be seen through, is to get OPEC financial support.  [...]      GABON _ _  CORPORATE STRATEGY _ _  09/05/2022 _ _   Perenco in damage-limitation mode at Cap Lopez oil terminal   Under the management of the Franco-British company since December, Gabon's main terminal for oil exports has suffered a leak of some 50,000 m3 of crude. With one of the country's key facilities out of action, Perenco and the Gabonese authorities have been heavily criticised for their lack of transparency over the circumstances of the accident and its social, environmental and economic impact.  [...]      CHAD _ _  STATE STRATEGY _ _  11/05/2022 _ _   US court relaxes surveillance of Griffiths Energy co-founder Naeem Riaz Tyab MINING SECTOR  DRC _ _  SUPPLY CHAIN _ _  12/05/2022 _ _   Trafigura plays catch-up on cobalt and copper with two deals worth a billion dollars   Having already secretly signed a $400m financing deal with the Chinese firm Chengtun, which has taken over Nzuri Copper's mines, the Genevan trader Trafigura is now set to finalise a deal with Chemaf first announced in late January.  [...] Discover our subscription offers