Here is a recap of the major activities that happened in Africa in the last 7 days. You can see the video here: 

Central Africa

• Angola has announced that it will reduce oil production from July to September in compensation for the previous oversupply as part of the OPEC+ agreement

Eastern Africa

• Kenya became the first country globally to trial the commercial viability of providing 4G internet to rural areas through balloons.  Telkom Kenya, in partnership with Alphabet, Google’s parent, is rolling out this program in Kenya
• The Kenyan government paid penalties to investors amounting to more than $65 million.  This was for failure to provide power connections from the Lake Turkana wind power project to Kenyans
• The Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE) will have two more companies join the existing nine companies listed
• The European Union and the World Bank signed two financing agreements with Rwanda totaling $160 million to boost skills development and market relevance ambitions
• A peak in construction activity in Rwanda resulted in a shortage of cement
• On Monday, July 6^th, Domestic flights resumed in Somalia after being grounded for more than three months
• An outbreak of cholera and acute diarrhea in Somalia killed 26 people over the past six months
• Uganda’s economic growth contracted to 1.8 percent during the third quarter of the 2019/20 financial year compared to 7.3 percent in the same period during the 2018/19 financial year
• EDM, Mozambique’s publicly owned electricity company, owes the operator of the Cahora Bassa Dam and its main power provider, HCB, almost $114 million
• In Tanzania, gold became the country’s leading foreign exchange earner overtaking tourism.  The tourism sector has been hit by the Covid-19 global pandemic. Gold exports increased by 47 percent
• Despite economic ruin, interest in Zimbabwe’s gold mines lured significant interest from offshore investors
• A 32 MW solar power plant will be constructed in Collen Bawn, Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe.  The plant will provide much-needed power to the nearby cement plant operated by Pretoria Portland Cement Zimbabwe (PPC)

Northern Africa

• In Egypt, TechnipFMC signed a $1 billion Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract with the Assiut National Oil Processing Company (ANOPC) to deliver a new Hydrocracking complex at the Assiut refinery.  The complex will produce 2.8 million tons per annum of cleaner fuel for export.
• The Moroccan government has extended its coronavirus emergency decree until the 10^th of August.

Southern Africa

• Botswana’s Ministry of Basic Education has recruited and employed more than 1,700 temporary teachers to help schools comply with new safety regulations dealing with COVID-19.
• Shortages in fuel resulted in the Botswana government having to ration fuel.  The fuel shortages are a result of delayed deliveries and some fuel stockpiling by consumers.
• In Namibia, despite a surge in COVID-19 cases, grade 0 to 3 pupils are set to go back to school this week.
• Air Namibia has been on a roller coaster ride after planes were grounded as its license to operate was suspended earlier in the week.  This was due to a lack of cash required to remain solvent.  Shortly after a court suspended the license cancellation, allowing the airline to resume commercial flights.

Western Africa

• In the Gambia, 50,000 rural dwellings have benefitted from potable water supplied by solar-powered processing and distribution plants.
• Amadou Gon Coulibaly, the Prime Minister of Ivory Coast and a candidate for October’s presidential election died on Wednesday, aged 61.
• Airlines in Nigeria has resumed domestic flights after three months as COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed.
• In Nigeria, Oilserv Limited has started Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) work on the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline.  It is handling the first 303 kilometers of this pipeline.  The comes after the company has successfully delivered the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben Gas Pipeline.
• Nigeria’s 57 Marginal Oil Fields project received interest from more than 600 companies. Companies are currently qualifying to submit bids during multiple bid rounds to develop these fields.

Interested in knowing more, get in touch.