Qatar's sovereign wealth fund is well used to investing billions of dollars in Europe and the United States, but it seems to be having more difficulty finding its feet in Africa. However, a recent tour across the continent by its representatives helped open up new perspectives and consolidate existing deals.
The Cameroonian businessman, who has good links with the authorities in Yaounde and Brazzaville, is trying to give the impression that his legal battle with Sundance, which was deprived of the project in late 2021, will affect neither the Chinese financing he hopes to get for it or its production date.
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Mining 
A shipment of Russian potash, promised to Nigeria months ago, has been plagued by delays. Moscow has tried to use this as a political weapon, blaming Europe for the hold up. But the delay is in fact the fault of the Nigerian vice president.
Minister of Mines Moussa Magassouba approved the sale of Société des Bauxites de Guinée to Kouroussa Mining, owned by Mamady Nabé.
Uganda is allocating more and more farmland to investors from the United Arab Emirates. This is part of Kampala's plan to take advantage of the civil war in Sudan to turn the country into a hub for Emirati trade in the region.
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Diplomacy The EU had been at the forefront of efforts to hold Ethiopia to account for human rights abuses committed during the war in Tigray. But now, thanks to the deliberate inaction of France and Germany, and despite the reservations of some member states, the bloc is prioritising normalising relations with the government of Abiy Ahmed.
In a move aimed at reassuring potential investors unsettled by the July coup, Niger's new minister of petroleum Mahaman Moustapha Barké is preparing to visit next week's Africa Energy Week in South Africa.
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Energy 
Morocco's national railway operator, the ONCF, saw a significant drop in its freight business in the first half of 2023.
