Africa

Anadarko Petroleum has announced the discovery of a “significant” natural gas accumulation at one of its wells offshore Mozambique.

The discovery was made in the Offshore Area 1 of the Rovuma Basin. The Atum discovery well encountered more than 300 net feet (92 metres) of natural gas pay in two high-quality Oligocene fan systems, the company said.

UK-based interim power solutions company Aggreko has joined forces with South Africa’s Shanduka Group to provide power from a gas field in Mozambique.

The two companies will provide a 107 MW power plant which will use gas from Mozambique’s Temane gas field to provide an interim power supply to South African power utility Eskom and its Mozambican counterpart, Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM).

A solar-powered plane the size of a jumbo jet landed in Morocco last night following a 19-hour flight from Madrid.

Pilot Bertrand Piccard landed in Morocco’s Rabat-Salé international airport at 23:30, completing the world’s first intercontinental flight in a plane powered by the sun.

The plane, named the Solar Impulse, was powered by 12,000 solar cells turning four electrical motors.

South Africa’s Barloworld has agreed to acquire the Bucyrus equipment distribution and support business in South Africa and Botswana from Caterpillar Global Mining.

The deal, which is valued at approximately $115 million, will also see Barloworld take over Caterpillar’s agreements with Eqstra NH Equipment and Eqstra Botswana for the purchase of Eqstra’s South Africa and Botswana Bucyrus distributorship and mining services businesses.

Pan African Resources has agreed to buy Evander Gold Mines from Harmony Gold for R1.5 billion.

Evander, currently a wholly owned subsidiary of Harmony, mines and produces gold and related products and is located in Mpumulanga, South Africa.

West Africa’s largest economy is not entirely defined by its offshore resources: Presco Plc has been helping to reverse the decline in agricultural staples, and in particular the versatile fruit of the oil palm.

One of the great things about Tanzania, says Clive Jones, the managing director and co-founder of Power Providers, is that it allows you to reinvent yourself endlessly—and his life and company both testify to that.

This African printing company isn’t afraid to invest regularly and heavily in its quest to be the best.

African Iron Ore Group Limited and Société Guinéenne du Patrimoine Minier have announced the formation of a joint venture company to develop and finance infrastructure for the Simandou South iron ore mining project in Guinea.

Société Guinéenne du Patrimoine Minier (SOGUIPAMI), the government of the Republic of Guinea's investment vehicle, will work with African Iron Ore Group within the framework of the new company, Infrastructures Minières de Guinée Holdings(IMG). SOGUIPAMI will own 60 per cent of IMG and AIOG will own 40 per cent.

After being hurt by falling coal prices in 2008, Trollope Mining Services has grown dramatically by taking a more balanced approach.

Headquartered in Johannesburg, Trollope Mining Services provides expertise in surface mining services. These include opencast mining, rehabilitation, bulk earthworks, plant hire and road construction. Much of the work involves excavating land and then drilling and blasting, stock-piling usable materials and removing any rubble.