Новости за 18.01.2024

While the proportion of CEOs who are optimistic about global growth prospects increased from 18% to 38% in assurance, advisory and tax services company PwC's twenty-seventh 'Annual Global CEO Survey' as concerns about inflation and macroeconomic volatility fall, 45% of them do not believe their businesses will be viable in a decade without reinvention, up from 39% in 2023. CEOs' expectations of economic decline have also tumbled to 45% from a record high of 73% in the 2023 survey, as perceived exposure... Читать дальше...

The World Economic Forum (WEF) Artificial Intelligence Governance Alliance (AIGA) is calling on experts from various sectors to address several key areas of AI, including improving data quality and availability across nations, boosting access to computational resources, and adapting foundation models to suit local needs and challenges. The AIGA, which includes governments, businesses and experts, aims to shape responsible AI development, applications and governance, and to ensure equitable distribution... Читать дальше...

Research organisation National Research Foundation (NRF) has appointed Dr Gugu Moche as digital transformation group executive. She will also continue to act as the Research, Innovation and Impact Support and Advancement (RIISA) deputy CEO. She joined the NRF in 2020 as Grants Management executive director with a long track record of academic leadership. In this role, some of her flagship projects include close collaboration with relevant stakeholders to implement the NRF-Connect tool.

The Africa Nuclear Business Platform (AFNBP) has announced that its 2024 conference, to be held in Accra, Ghana, from May 27 to May 30, will be attended by Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. The host agency for the AFNBP 2024 conference will be Ghana’s Ministry of Energy. “Many African countries including Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, [and] Rwanda have included nuclear as part of their energy roadmap and have taken concrete steps to achieve their civil nuclear aspirations such as developing... Читать дальше...

Global energy business Puma Energy has acquired a 49% stake in MBHE Group, a company that provides renewable energy solutions to customers across Southern Africa and owns its own high-quality renewable energy assets across the continent. The transaction aligns with Puma Energy’s purpose of energising communities and helping industrial and commercial customers prepare for the future of energy, and decarbonise their operations, with fully integrated renewable energy solutions.

Financial services provider Standard Bank foresees continued massive demand for solar and energy-related products this year, after seeing a 400% growth in demand for LookSee’s solar installation offering last year. LookSee is the bank’s purpose-built solar loan, which it launched in 2023 as part of the government’s Energy Bounce-Back Loan Scheme.

While ‘location agnostic’, South Africa’s inaugural 2 000 MW gas-to-power (GtP) procurement round is limiting the development of facilities in the City of uMhlathuze, where KwaZulu-Natal’s deep-water Port of Richards Bay has been earmarked as a future gas hub, to 1 000 MW – a threshold that will be breached only if the remaining allocation it not taken up elsewhere in the country. Besides this restriction, the first bid window (BW1) of the Gas Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (GIPPPPP)... Читать дальше...

The introduction of an electronic cadastral system to record and enable online access to mining data is imminent, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe emphasised in an interview with Radio 702 host Clement Manyathela on Thursday. Mantashe disclosed to Manyathela that agreement had been reached with the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) for the introduction of a cadastral system – a set of records and maps that describe the ownership, boundaries, value, and use of land parcels within a jurisdiction.

In a strategic move to tackle inefficiency, fraud and corruption, the Johannesburg Social Housing Company (Joshco) has transitioned from a paper-based application process to a leasing app. The previous user-friendly system, though accessible, had vulnerabilities that allowed fraudulent activities and contributed to delays in processing applications, the company points out.

Embattled sugar producer Tongaat Hulett has announced that its CFO Rob Aitken will take over as interim CEO from March 1. This follows CEO Dan Marokane being appointed as CEO of State-owned power utility Eskom. Marokane will, however, work with the Tongaat team and business rescue practitioners until the end of February to ensure a smooth handover.

Independent power company Globeleq has completed a $37-million senior debt restructuring of its 11 MW Aries and 11 MW Konkoonsies solar plants, in the Northern Cape. The debt restructuring was led by financial services firm Standard Bank.

The City of Cape Town’s (CoCT’s) Urban Waste Management Directorate says it is in the midst of procuring a number of new trucks and equipment for use in and around the city. The directorate has a budget of R285.7-million for the 2023/24 financial year to buy new and replacement plant and equipment.

Aggregates and construction materials company AfriSam will soon start mining at a new limestone deposit near its Ulco cement plant, in the Northern Cape. The relocated quarry will be capable of providing security of supply for about 40 years and will deliver about two-million tons of limestone a year to Ulco.

South African regional and domestic airline Airlink has announced that it is to reinstate direct flights between the cities of Durban and Bloemfontein. This service will recommence on February 26. This step is part of the airline’s programme to make Durban its third hub airport. The carrier already operates direct flights from Durban to Johannesburg, Gqeberha (previously known as Port Elizabeth) and Mbombela (Nelspruit), as well as to Harare in Zimbabwe. “Airlink’s direct service between the two... Читать дальше...

Industry organisation the South Africa Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (Sacci’s) December 2023 survey on trade conditions indicated a slight improvement in the trading climate for November and December, but respondents generally still perceived the conditions as fragile. In December, 38% expressed positivity about the conditions, and 43% anticipate improvements in the next six months.

JSE-listed cement and construction materials company PPC has approved a substantially reorganised and strengthened executive committee to drive improved profitability and a sustainable return on capital for its South African business. The reconstituted committee includes several new roles aimed at enhancing operational excellence and strategic planning, including the appointment of a COO to focus on increasing efficiencies, productivity and cost reduction initiatives, a chief revenue officer (CRO)... Читать дальше...

A group led by TotalEnergies will likely resume work on a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Mozambique early this year, according to the International Monetary Fund, after a raid by Islamic State-linked militants led to a near-three-year freeze on the more-than $20 billion project. Mozambique’s government in 2021 called for military help from the 16-member Southern African Development Community bloc, and separately from Rwanda. Since then, the troops have dislodged the insurgents from towns they held and killed senior leaders. Читать дальше...

The restrictive monetary policy stance by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) continues to weigh on South African households, with most remaining under severe financial pressure amid the higher interest rates. This is according to the third-quarter 2023 Altron FinTech Household Resilience Index (AFHRI), published on Tuesday, which indicates that the pronounced recovery and new growth impetus that occurred shortly after the worst of the Covid-19 period was halted in its tracks and then reversed by the restrictive monetary policy of the SARB.

South African freight rail operator Transnet plans to reopen the first of two coal lines to the country's major coal export terminal on Thursday after it was blocked following a train collision last weekend, the company said on Wednesday. The second line is expected to be operational by Saturday, Transnet said in a statement.

Global mining and metals companies have committed at Davos to take urgent action to support a nature-positive future by 2030 that promotes the health, diversity and resilience of species, ecosystems and natural processes. International Council of Metals and Minerals (ICMM) members, representing a third of the global industry, have pledged that meeting the demand for critical materials must not be at the expense of nature.