Новости за 21.05.2024

There were expressions of excitement at the South Africa’s Junior Indaba on Tuesday when attendees at the important mining event learnt of the signing of the service-level agreement (SLA) for South Africa's long-awaited mining cadastral system, a key tool for orderly mineral exploration regulation. “Pen was put to paper yesterday,” opening discussion chairperson and NSDV director Lili Nupen highlighted following the revelation of the SLA by Department of Mineral Resources and Energy deputy director-general and panelist Theliso Maqubela.

Engen and Vivo Energy have confirmed the completion of a transaction, announced in February 2023, to combine their respective businesses, with PETRONAS selling its 74% shareholding in Engen to Vivo Energy. The Vivo Energy Group now has over 3 900 service stations, and more than two-billion litres of storage capacity across 28 African markets and chairperson Chris Bake argued that the combination created a pan-African champion with a vision of becoming Africa’s leading energy business.

Small, medium-sized and microenterprises (SMMEs) in the country are grappling with various challenges, including a lack of coordination between the public and private sectors, insufficient financial support, addressing the skills gap and empowerment through funding and government support. Despite this, SMMEs have often managed to remain resilient in the face of these challenges.

Microsoft and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) on Tuesday entered into an empowerment agreement to unlock programmes to support skills and capability development, as well as enterprise development for youth and small, medium-sized and microenterprises (SMMEs). The agreement provides for a significant investment, estimated at R1.3-billion, by Microsoft South Africa over the next ten years, that will support SMMEs and black industrialists in navigating the changing landscape of the technology revolution.

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has invited comment on Eskom’s application to preserve and reserve grid connection capacity for independent power producers (IPPs) participating in public procurement processes implemented in line with Section 34 of the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA). In its application, Eskom indicates that it is seeking permission to discriminate in favour of public procurement IPP projects, at the expense of private IPP projects.

On day 55 of no loadshedding in South Africa, newly appointed Eskom boss Dan Marokane warns that the country is “not of out the woods yet, but we have visible progress towards where we want to be, and we should acknowledge that”. Speaking at Enlit Africa 2024 held in Cape Town on Tuesday – on day 82 in the hot seat – Marokane said a debate anchored around suspicions on whether the improvement in electricity availability might be linked to the next week’s general elections was of little help.

State-owned Transnet Port Terminal (TPT) reports that the Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) had exceeded its reefer targets by 62% for February and March. The terminal is also 22% ahead of target for the February to April period, despite having lost 13 days of operation to wind and fog in April, which contributed to a 53% decline for volumes in the month of April.

The Eswatini government has, through Absa Bank, recently issued a R4-billion bond programme on the JSE's debt board. This new issuance is the latest bond to list under the Protea Bonds segment, which includes rand-denominated bond issuances by foreign governments on the JSE.

A majority of African economies, or 83%, are highly commodity-dependent and are vulnerable to external shocks, experiencing good growth when commodity prices are high, but seeing growth reversal and setbacks when prices are low. Chad, for example, experienced an average of 9% growth in GDP between 2001 and 2014, but since 2015, the GDP of the country has contracted and poverty increased. GDP per capita is decreasing and developmental gains have been reversed because of the inability to sustain economic growth.

Energy company TotalEnergies (40%), along with its Block 20/11 partners, Petronas (40%) and Sonangol (20%), have announced the final investment decision (FID) of the Kaminho deepwater project to develop the Cameia and Golfinho fields, located 100 km off the coast of Angola, in 1 700 m of water. This FID has been made possible thanks to a close collaboration with the concessionaire Agencia Nacional de Petroleo e Gas (ANPG).

Zimbabwe has asked gold miners across the country to ramp up output to support the ZiG currency launched last month, according to Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando. “This new currency is anchored on gold production, we have to determine ways to increase production,” Chitando said Monday in a meeting with miners in the capital, Harare.

South African economic growth could be severely stunted if carbon taxes are widely imposed on its exports, according to a new report by the country’s central bank. The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) said the hit could reach 10% of exports and more than 9% of gross domestic product in 2050 under a worst-case scenario in which carbon taxes are slapped on all exports by all trading partners. But it also found the impact could be much lighter, in a summary of several studies into the implications... Читать дальше...

Vodacom Group is in discussions with France’s Orange about a strategic partnership in Africa to explore infrastructure deals to help keep down costs on the continent, people familiar with the matter said. The telecommunications companies are looking at agreements in overlapping markets including Egypt and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and reviewing where there are other opportunities to work together, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private.