Mining

Botswana, South Africa
Opposition political figure spearheads Moopetsi Mining's move into Gaborone

Based in Limpopo in South Africa, the mining services firm Moopetsi Mining has set up shop in Gaborone in partnership with the former youth league president of the centrist Alliance for Progressives party, Jacob Kelebeng.

DRC
Trafigura plays catch-up on cobalt and copper with two deals worth a billion dollars

Having already secretly signed a $400m financing deal with the Chinese firm Chengtun, which has taken over Nzuri Copper's mines, the Genevan trader Trafigura is now set to finalise a deal with Chemaf first announced in late January.

Zimbabwe
Fearing seizures, Mnangagwa transfers state mining assets to a new entity

ZMDC, the state-owned company that owns the majority of the government's mining portfolio, needs to find more than $400m to compensate aggrieved former business partners.

Chad
Amid gold fever, Italy's Ara Pacis offers to mediate with defectors turned rogue miners

The Rome-based non-profit, which has close ties to Italy's security apparatus, is proposing to mediate between Chad's government and an armed group active in mining gold, a metal that sanctions-struck Russia is keen to get is hands on.

Namibia
Chinese mining companies eye lithium in Dorob National Park

Zhuang Cai Zeng is following in the footsteps of Xinfeng Investments. The Chinese entrepreneur has been busy lately filing a number of lithium exploration permits in Erongo province, with many located in the protected Dorob National Park.

South Africa
Southern Palladium fields heavyweight management team in bid to join PGM elite

As the South African platinum-group metals sector consolidates, Australian junior Southern Palladium is hoping to carve out a niche among the giants.

Southern Africa
Vedanta Zinc on the hunt for new CEO

Having been run by a management committee for two years, Vedanta's zinc subsidiary is looking for a new CEO to support its strategy to increase production.

Botswana
Debswana ditches foreign suppliers to stick to Masisi's will

The parastatal firm has begun a complete overhaul of its maintenance and fuel supply contracts. The aim is to squeeze out multinational companies to make room for Botswana-owned businesses.

Guinea
Battery metals attract new exploration hopefuls

The increasing demand for minerals used in the manufacture of electric batteries, namely lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese, is leading to greater interest in Guinea's natural resources.

Congo
ICSID arbitration iron ore cases against Brazzaville ready to start

With the ICSID tribunals now constituted, Equatorial Resources and Midus Holdings' proceedings against the Congolese state will soon begin. Two other proceedings have been initiated before the ICC.

The New Guard
Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, DRC, Ethiopia, Libya

Every Wednesday, Africa Intelligence reveals the next generation of movers and shakers in business and politics.

SenegalMamadou Fall Kane, presidential oil adviser, branches out into mining

Guinea-BissauSaico Umaro Embaló, the president's nephew and Turkey envoy

DR CongoArthur Omar Kayumba, Tshisekedi's Grand Inga irritant

EthiopiaWintana Shimelis, in charge of the UK's Diageo in Addis

LibyaAhmed al-Sharkasi, the PM's low-key advisor