Antwerp and Dubai fight over Angola's diamonds | Qatar plans beyond Farmajo | Total goes green without Africa

Power Brokers and their Connections

Daily issue Wednesday 12 May 2021 SPOTLIGHT  ANGOLA    Luanda shuns Antwerp's courtship of its diamonds and stays loyal to Dubai   Angola did not respond warmly to the arguments put forward by a delegation of diamond industry leaders from Antwerp, who travelled to Luanda to pursuade João Lourenço to end Dubai's virtual monopoly over the country's diamond production.  [...] CENTRAL AND WEST AFRICA  IVORY COAST    Defence Minister Ouattara reviews predecessor's contracts   The new minister of defence, Téné Birahima Ouattara, has ordered a major audit of contracts worth some €75m signed under the administration of his late predecessor Hamed Bakayoko.  [...]      CHAD    Chad generals reject Eastern European military manufacturers   The Chadian army's heavy equipment, purchased mainly in former Eastern bloc countries, was badly affected by the recent battles with FACT rebels. The ruling Transitional Military Council now wants to modernise its arsenal and end the Ukrainian and Russian supply networks established under Idriss Déby.  [...]  SAHEL    Novae, the Sahel armies' new mechanic      EUROPEAN UNION   CHAD    Leftwing parties want European Parliament to condemn Transitional Military Council EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA  SOMALIA    Qatar quietly prepares for life after Farmajo   The emirate is distancing itself from the outgoing Somali president and spy chief Fahad Yasin could be the first to pay the price. As a sign of his loss of influence, Yasin is being sued for a raid on a local radio station late last month.  [...]      MOZAMBIQUE    Business magnate Helder Tembe guides Century Aviation into Mozambique   Financier Helder Tember, who heads a number of investment companies, has helped Ghanaian helicopter operator Century Aviation to get a foothold in Maputo.  [...]  KENYA    Public operator KenGen revives Olkaria energy park plans NORTH AFRICA  LIBYA    Foreign Minister Mangoush under fire from Ankara and Muslim Brotherhood   After talks with Egypt broke down, Turkey is hardening its position and refuses to pull its troops out of Eastern Libya as requested by Foreign Minister Najla Al Mangoush, who is under attack from Muslim Brotherhood associates.  [...]      TUNISIA    KfW wonders if regional banking project will ever see the light of day   The German development bank has invested several million euros in a new regional banking structure since 2013. Eight years later, it is nowhere close to becoming a reality.  [...] OIL & GAS  AFRICA    Total's renewable energy drive overlooks Africa entirely   Though one-fifth of Total's hydrocarbon production comes from Sub-Saharan Africa, it has almost no plans for investing in non-fossil fuels there.  [...]      KENYA    Kenyatta and Suluhu's surprise pipeline plans raise many questions   The plan to build a pipeline from Tanzania's undeveloped gas reserves to the Kenyan port of Mombasa is highly contentious.  [...] MINING SECTOR  UGANDA    Australians warned about Museveni's new production sharing contracts   Uganda is a risky place to invest due to lack of clarity on the future of existing exploitation permits and due to changes in taxation under the new Mining Act, according to a consulting firm advising Australian mining and energy groups.  [...]    FREE  Discover our subscription offers

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