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Central Africa
West Africa
Eastern Africa and the Horn
Southern Africa and islands
North Africa

Spotlight | Africa
Glencore strives to overtake rival Trafigura on "responsible" cobalt

An open pit at Tenke Fungurume, a copper and cobalt mine. © Jonny Hogg/Reuters

Through the Fair Cobalt Alliance which it co-founded, Swiss trading giant Glencore aims to improve the social and environmental image of its Congolese cobalt operations. It hopes in this way to gain an advantage over its rival Trafigura, which in turn, is banking on its artisanal mining partnership with Gécamines.

Subscribers only Mining, Commodity traders, Business

Central Africa

Cameroon
Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh brings economy and finance ministries under his thumb

Cameroon's economy and finance ministers must now obtain the approval of the all-powerful presidency's secretary-general Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh for expenses exceeding €150,000. At first glance innocuous, the move is in fact revealing of a power tussle at the head of government.

Subscribers only Politics

Central African Republic, Mali
United Nations ramp up use of intelligence drones across peacekeeping missions

The new head of the MINUSMA forces Lieutenant General Cornelis Johannes Matthijssen. © United nations

In Mali, as in the Central African Republic, UN peacekeeping missions are increasingly reaching out to private contractors to hire drones to boost their intelligence capabilities, in a move backed at the highest level in New York.

Free access Defence, Business

Brazil, DRC
Rio homicide of Congolese refugee strains business diplomacy in Kinshasa

A demonstrator speaks during a protest against the death of Congolese refugee Moise Kabagambe, in Sao Paulo, Brazil February 5, 2022. © Carla Carniel/Reuters

The fifth such killing in Brazil since 2019 prompted DRC's ambassador to insist Brasilia deliver justice on pain of retaliation against its business interests in Congo.

Subscribers only Diplomacy

Gulf of Guinea
Who is behind Forsep, the consortium set to provide secure maritime communications?

The purchasing office of the Gulf of Guinea Commission's security division in Luanda awarded a contract to provide maritime communications security in its territorial waters to Forsep - but who exactly is behind this organisation?

Subscribers only Defence, Business

West Africa

Niger
CNPC going full steam ahead on export pipeline

China is revving up the bulldozers on its huge Agadem oil pipeline project now that it has lifted its Covid-19 ban. This massive undertaking will stretch 2,000km from south-east Niger to Benin.

Subscribers only Energy

Gambia, Senegal
With deep pockets but no future, FAR sought by Australian fund

One of the minority shareholders of the Australian junior, whose recent exploration well in the Gambia failed, is offering to buy more than 50% of FAR's shares, unless a counter-offer is made in the meantime.

Subscribers only Energy

Sierra Leone
Diamond mine case pitting local residents against Beny Steinmetz's Octea back in high court

The fight is on to see whether local residents near the Koidu diamond mine in Sierra Leone will be able to sue the site operator, Beny Steinmetz's company Octea, on numerous accounts. They are due to plead their case before the high court of Sierra Leone on 9 February.

Subscribers only Mining

Eastern Africa and the Horn

Horn of Africa
African Union special envoy Obasanjo's team takes shape at last

The special envoy for the Horn of Africa, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. © Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters

Until now, the former Nigerian president has been left to carry out his mission as Special Envoy of the AU to the Horn of Africa pretty much on his own, despite the numerous conflicts and political instability in the region.

Subscribers only Diplomacy

Sudan
Rebel leaders confide in AU commissioner Bankole

During his visit to Khartoum in January, the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, Bankole Adeoye, also met with and listened attentively to the leaders of armed rebel groups, including Malik Agar and Taher Hajar Idriss.

Subscribers only Politics

Southern Africa and islands

Madagascar
After World Bank sanctions, Meridiam increases its stake in Ravinala Airports

Following World Bank sanctions on three of the four shareholders of Ravinala Airports (ADP International, Colas and Bouygues), the capital of this consortium, which manages the new Ivato airport and Nosy Be airport, has been being shaken up in favour of the only shareholder to have escaped sanctions, namely the Meridiam fund.

Subscribers only Infrastructure, Business

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