Oil Firm Puma Energy Expands Operations in Zimbabwe

GLOBAL oil company Puma Energy, which has over the past few years aggresively pushed into the competitive Zimbabwean fuel market, plans to expand its operations further into sub-Saharan Africa as it seeks growth opportunities in the region.   Having entered the African market in 2002, Puma is now recognised as the fastest growing midstream and downstream oil provider on the continent.   Since then, Puma has invested over US$2 billion in Africa and last year alone added.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 15th March 2016

Six New Solar Power Plants to be Commissioned in Algeria

Adrar — Six new solar power plants with a total capacity of 48 megawatts (MW) have been commissioned in the province of Adrar (1543-km south of Algiers), said Thursday the provincial director of the national electricity and gas company (SONELGAZ), Abdelhak Chaabane.   These facilities comprise a central power plant in the city of Adrar (20 MW), three power plants south of the province, in the communes of Zaouiet Kounta (6 MW), Reggane and Aoulef (5 MW each), and two.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 15th March 2016

Kenya Maritime Authority: Maritime Policy To Boost Trade

Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) is implementing a maritime policy to boost investment in the sector. KMA, which regulates the maritime sector, noted that the policy would enable the agency address the recent discoveries and expected exploitation of offshore oil and gas. With the discoveries, this is expected to raise the volumes of cargo and put pressure on the development of ports and auxiliary infrastructure.   KMA Acting Director General Cosmas Cherop said the construction of.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 14th March 2016

TANZANIA-UGANDA PIPELINE WORKS TO START IN AUGUST

Construction of the long-awaited Tanzania-Uganda crude oil pipeline is expected to start in August this year, and will be completed in 2019.   James Mataragio, Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) Executive Director said last week the $4 billion project will speed up the socioeconomic development between the two East African nations.   Sources say theTanzanian and Ugandan Presidents approved the project ahead of the just concluded 17th EAC Summit in.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 14th March 2016

9000 Kenyan Farmers Sign Deal with Bidco to Supply Soya Beans

Edible fats and oils manufacturer Bidco Africa has signed a contract with 9,000 small-scale farmers in Meru County for the supply of soya beans and sunflower seeds as it seeks to boost its production.   Under the terms of the agreement Bidco said it will promptly pay upon delivery the farmers' produce at competitive prices.   Bidco CEO Vimal Shah described the deal as momentous as it bolstered Bidco's mission of inclusive growth along the entire oil value.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 14th March 2016

Packaging Shortage Faced by Ethiopia's Agro-Processing Sector

The fast growing agro-processing industry in Ethiopia is facing a major packaging shortage, a government official said last week.   "Even though agro-processing has been growing rapidly in the past few years, the packaging industry is lagging behind," said Mebratu Meles, State Minister of Industry, while speaking to delegates from German companies that specialise in foodstuff packaging.   The government has been promoting investment in agro-processing as a key.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 14th March 2016

U.S.$4.5 Million Donated by GNPC for Construction of Sickle Cell Center in Ghana

The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), has presented a cheque of $4.5 million to the Sickle Cell Foundation, towards the construction of a Centre of Excellence for Sickle Cell Treatment and Research at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.   Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a chronic disease with frequent attacks of debilitating pain ('crisis'), with many complications, including anaemia, stroke, infections, and ultimately, early death. It is.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 14th March 2016

Council to Install 10 000 Solar Lights in Zimbabwe

HARARE City Council will install 10 000 solar streets lights by year end as it moves to become a world class city by 2020, Acting Town Clerk Mrs Josephine Ncube has said.   In an interview, Mrs Ncube said council had engaged companies to work on the project.   "The solar street lighting project is a very active project which we are excited about because it is going to enable us to light up the city in an affordable way.   "The project is in two phases..... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 14th March 2016

Tanzania Announce discovery of additional 2.17 Trillion Cubic Feet of Natural gas

 Tanzania has discovered an additional 2.17 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of possible natural gas deposits, raising the east African nation’s total estimated recoverable natural gas reserves to more than 57 tcf, local media reported on Thursday. The onshore reserves were found at a field licensed to the United Arab Emirates’ Dodsal Group located at Ruvu basin in Coast region, near the country’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, the state-run Daily News.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th March 2016

New Reservoir discovery makes ‘Africa Oil’ stronger in Kenya Oil sector

 Africa Oil announced that the Etom-2 well in Block 13T in northern Kenya has discovered 102 metres of net oil pay. The company in a press statement indicated that Oil samples, sidewall cores and wire line logging all indicate the presence of high API oil in the best quality reservoir encountered in the South Lokichar Basin to date. Additional prospectivity identified on the 3D seismic in the Etom Field area and in the northern portion of the basin, including the Erut and Elim.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th March 2016

ZCDC Commences Diamond Mining Operations in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company has commenced operations with over 100 000 carats having been mined two months after operations started. Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa said yesterday that all revenue proceeds from the mining activities of the merged company will now accrue to Treasury. This is in spite the fact that three companies opposed to the consolidation of diamond mining companies have gone to court to challenge Government's decision.The companies that have taken.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th March 2016

Triton Minerals to Develop Graphite Mine in Mozambique

The Australian mining company Triton Minerals, which holds the rights to graphite and vanadium deposits in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, announced on 1 March that it is to focus on developing its graphite deposits at Ancuabe.   The deposit is expected to be the source of premium graphite flakes. Triton states that "initial flotation test work of Ancuabe material has returned some of the highest concentrations of jumbo and super jumbo flake graphite ever.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th March 2016