West Africa

According to industry sources, data from January shows that India's oil imports were the lowest since late 2022. Middle Eastern crude supplies rose to their highest level in the same time period. India, which is the third largest oil consumer and importer in the world, has increased its purchases of Russian oil discounted by Western nations following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Volumes have topped 2 million barrels a day in certain months. But Western sanctions on the war, and the pressure to sign a trade agreement with the United States have forced New Delhi to reduce its Russian...

Ivanhoe Mines is in advanced discussions with Congo's Gecamines state miner and Swiss commodities trader Mercuria about channeling zinc-rich concentrates from its giant Kipushi mining to the United States, under Washington's newly developed strategic stockpiling program Project Vault. The deal is part of a larger agreement between the U.S., and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the area of minerals. Washington is intensifying its battle with China for control of Africa's vast mineral deposits. Project Vault, a $12 billion supply chain security programme launched by the U.S. on Monday and backed by private capital of $1.67 billion and a U.S....

By America Hernandez PARIS, January '14 - French giant TotalEnergies signed an agreement to sell its 10% non-operated stake in the Nigerian oil asset SPDC (renamed Renaissance JV) to Vaaris. This follows a failed sale to Mauritius based Chappal Energies last year. Total retains a 'full economic interest in the?deal, which includes stakes of three other licenses that produce mainly?gases for Nigeria LNG. The company did not provide any further information on the buyer. The inability of the buyer to pay the $860 million price tag was the reason why Nigerian regulators rejected Total's first deal with Chappal Energies for...

After briefing President Bola Tinubu on Sunday, the chief executive of Nigeria's State Oil Company said that it was betting on a delayed gas pipeline to ignite an industrial revolution for the north. Bashir Ojulari is the Group CEO of NNPC Ltd. He told reporters the company had completed the welding of the main line for the $2.8 billion Ajaokuta - Kaduna - Kano (AKK), including the crucial River Niger crossing – a feat which has slowed progress for years. This milestone will allow the pipeline to be connected?early in the next year. According to Ojulari, this move "will bring...

West African crude oil faces competition from Middle East, Latin America China and India switch to alternative, cheaper oil grades Dangote refinery reduces Nigerian imports of oil Robert?Harvey & Seher Dareen LONDON 18 DECEMBER - West African crude sellers are struggling to find buyers for up-to-26 December-and-January-loading cargoes due?to stiff competitors from abundant and cheaper alternatives, traders and analysts have told. Analysts say that the amount of crude oil from Nigeria and Angola which is not being sold, is indicative of an overall surplus in the oil market. This led to a sell-off on the international futures markets, which pushed...

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President of Nigeria has asked Parliament to approve a 43.56 trillion Naira (US$29.96 billion), spending plan that repeals and reenacts 2024's budget to?run until December 2025. The goal is to eliminate fiscal cycles that overlapped in recent years and tighten control on public finances. This move comes after months of criticism from lawmakers about the government's reliance upon?rolling forward capital budgets. As a result, the 2024 capital spending was extended to June 2025 and then December 2025. After years of budget mismanagement, the 'proposal' aims to restore discipline and accountability in Africa’s most populous nation. The...

The Ghanaian economy grew by 5.5% a year on an annual basis?in 2025's third quarter, according to the Statistics Agency. This was mainly due to?improvements in the agriculture and services sectors, it said. Alhassan Iddrisu, a government statistician, told reporters that growth was down from 7.0%, which had been revised, in the same time period of last year. The industrial sector, however, only grew by 0.8%. Iddrisu stated that fishing?and crop production boosted the growth of the agricultural sector to 8.6%. He added that the services sector, which includes finance, insurance and trade, as well as education, grew by 7.6%....

The Senate of Nigeria approved President Bola Tinubu’s deployment of troops to Benin Republic on Tuesday after Benin’s government asked for assistance from its larger neighbour on Sunday. Tinubu wrote to legislators that Benin had requested "exceptional and urgent air support" from Nigerian armed forces following a report of an "attempted unconstitutional seizure and disruption of democratic institution." According to Nigerian law?the president is required to seek Senate approval before deploying troops into a foreign country. Benin's Government said on Monday that Nigerian fighter jets carried out airstrikes in order to?thwart an attempted coup by mutinying troops who tried to...

The companies announced on Friday that Gecamines, Congo's state-owned miner, is working with Swiss commodities group Mercuria in order to increase transparency and revenue for the world's largest cobalt producer. The Democratic Republic of Congo is also a major supplier of copper. It has undertaken reforms to gain more control over the mining output of its country and increase its global influence. In October, it introduced a cobalt export quota to reduce oversupply. Last month, the country launched its first batch traceable artisanal copper. Gecamines, based on the memorandum it signed earlier this summer, will have direct control over its...

Nigeria's oil-and-gas content regulator announced on Tuesday a $100 million equity scheme to increase indigenous participation in energy sector. It also said that it will tighten the compliance rules starting next year. Felix Ogbe (executive secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB) told the Practical Nigerian Content Forum at the Bank of Industry that the fund would be launched in partnership to provide equity financing for high-growth local energy services firms. Ogbe stated that the board would also introduce, from January 1, 2026 onwards, a certificate of compliance, which will confirm companies' compliance with a mandatory 1%...

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman stated on Monday that a new mechanism adopted by OPEC+ for assessing members' maximum production capacity will help stabilize markets and reward those investing in production. OPEC announced on Sunday that the OPEC+ group has approved a mechanism for assessing members' maximum production capacities to be used to set baselines starting in 2027 against which output targets will be set. Prince Abdulaziz claimed that the production level determination mechanism was "fair" and "transparent". He said, "Now, we have the most detailed and transparent approach to managing the market in the future, as well...

Umaro Sissoco Embalo, the President of Guinea-Bissau, struck a confident tone when he launched his reelection campaign in early November. He claimed that "stability" had been achieved since he assumed office in 2020. Embalo told journalists that he was deposed ahead of the results to be announced Thursday. Army officers announced on Wednesday that they had been deposed on state television. seized power In the country prone to coups. The unrest is consistent with Embalo’s turbulent tenure, during which his government attempted three coups. Critics claim that, as long as the political instability continued, Embalo failed to control the notorious...

Mali's military leader said in a Friday statement that the government had approved a draft decree renewing Barrick Mining Loulo's gold mining permit for another 10 years. Mali, Africa's largest gold producer, settled a dispute with Barrick in November over profit-sharing, control and ownership of the Loulo-Gounkoto complex of gold mines after two years' negotiations. The dispute was sparked by 2023 mining codes that increased taxes and increased state stakes in projects. Barrick has agreed to withdraw from the World Bank’s dispute tribunal its arbitration case, while Mali said that it would release all employees of the Canadian company, drop...

China's Zijin Mining plans to start Congo's first lithium production in June at the disputed Manono mine and export it immediately, according to Cominiere, a state-owned mining company. This is a significant step for Beijing in its push to secure critical minerals in Africa. Zijin previously stated a start in the first quarter of 2026, but said on Tuesday that this is now updated planning. After the Democratic?Republic of Congo revoked the permit of Australian miner AVZ, the Manono resource is now at the center of arbitration. Zijin, in a joint venture with Cominiere, reassigned a part of the site....

A statement issued by the Council of Ministers said that Mali would create a state owned company to manage its holdings in mining companies. Other resource-producing countries in West Africa, such as Niger or Guinea, have managed their assets using similar state-owned management mechanisms. According to a statement issued late Friday, the company Sopamim will manage and acquire Mali's holdings. Its capital is owned by the government. West Africa is Africa's biggest gold producer, with mining companies such as Barrick Gold, B2GOLD and Endeavour Mining active in gold-rich regions of the western and southern regions. Mali will create a new...

The head of the mining lobby in Ghana has said that Ghana's finance minister offered to reduce a mining tax by two percentage points to help push a new gold royalties regime through. Africa's leading gold producer is looking to replace the flat rate of royalty with a sliding scale between 5% and 12% in order to maximize value at a time when prices are surging. The new gold royalties regime will come into effect in 21 days if parliament does not amend it. It adds one percentage point to every $500 increase in gold prices, similar to Burkina Faso's...

Mamady Doumbouya is the president of Guinea. He was elected in a coup and sworn into office for seven years last month. His'mines minister' has been retained, but he appointed new ministers to finance, justice, and security. Since 2021, the former Special Forces commander has led?the West African country. Guinea has the world's biggest bauxite reserve and richest iron ore deposit, both of which are untapped. A massive mining project at Simandou was launched in November. Doumbouya's victory in the presidential elections that followed completed the return to civilian rule. Doumbouya said last week that Amadou Youry Bah will remain...

Three Dangote Group subsidiary companies announced on Monday that they have bolstered 'gas supply contracts' with NNPC units to support expansion plans. This is in line with a shift by Nigeria towards cleaner energy and industrial development. Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Dangote Fertiliser plant, as well as Dangote Cement Plc announced on Monday that contracts had been signed with NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company and Nigerian Gas?Master Plan?Limited at the Nigeria Gas 'Master Plan 2026 event in Abuja. The companies did not reveal the contracted volumes. Nigeria launched its master plan for the 'gas sector' on Friday. It aims to fix...

Mali's industrial?gold?output declined 22.9% in the year 2025 due to the long?suspension? of Barrick Mining operations because of a dispute about tougher mining regulations, according to preliminary figures released by the West African nation's Mines Ministry. Mali is one of Africa's biggest gold producers. It has been pushing for reforms to increase the value of this sector. This was enshrined into a mining code that was introduced in 2023. The government announced in December that a sweeping audit had led to the recovery by mining companies of arrears amounting to 761 billion CFA francs (US$1.2 billion). The tougher rules ruffled...

An official of the mining ministry said that suspected jihadists attacked Morila's gold mine at the weekend. They burned?equipment, and took seven employees as hostages before releasing them. ?on Monday. The attack underscores the growing security threats in Mali. Africa's third largest gold producer is battling al Qaeda linked jihadists who have targeted foreign investment and economic assets. A spokesperson for the Mali mines ministry, and another source familiar with the situation, said that armed men attacked the mine on Saturday. The men 'burned down equipment and held seven workers hostage but then released them the next evening, according to...

China's iron ore state buyer uses increasingly aggressive tactics against mining giants like BHP in order to tighten their grip on the $132 Billion seaborne market, and to extract better terms from steel?mills. This is happening just as an enormous new supply source is about to strengthen China's hand. China Mineral Resources Group, (CMRG), in November asked their steel mills and traders to refrain from buying spot cargoes for a second BHP-product. This was months after the group blacklisted a product that had raised concerns with Australia's top supplier. Analysts and traders said that the standoff over a supply deal...

Guinea will vote on Sunday for a president whose election is widely expected to give Mamady Doumbouya a seven-year mandate. This would complete the transition of West Africa's nation back to civil rule. Former special forces commander, believed to be in early 40s, is up against eight other candidates, in a field fragmented with no clear challenger. Former president Alpha Conde, and longtime opposition leader Cellou Dallein Diallo are still in exile. Guinea has the largest bauxite reserve in the world and the richest iron ore deposit that is still untapped. Simandou was officially opened last month, after many years...

Mamady doumbouya, the leader of the coup in Guinea, is expected to win Sunday's presidential election. This will be aided by a launch of an iron ore mine that has been long-awaited and a weak field of competitors. Doumbouya was a commander of the special forces when he ousted Alpha Conde four years ago. This was one of 'nine coups' that have rocked West and Central Africa in recent years. He had initially promised not to run, but the new constitution that was approved in September removed any language that would have prohibited him from running and increased the term...

Here's a list of the candidates who will be challenging Guinea junta chief Mamady Doumbouya at Sunday's first presidential election since his coup in 2021. ABDOULAYE YERO BALDDE Balde, 60 years old, is the leader of?Democratic Front of Guinea(FRONDEG). He is an economist who holds degrees from Columbia University and the Sorbonne. In 2020, he left?Alpha Conde’s party to oppose Conde's bid for a second term. Conde won the election in 2010 but was overthrown in a coup in 2021. He now lives in exile. Balde was a former vice-governor of the central bank and minister for higher education. He...