Africa

Jack Liebenberg,managing director of Tranter Rock Drills, talks to Jayne Alverca about leading the company through the latest phase of its evolution.

Tranter Rock Drills may be a relatively new commercial entity, but it has an industrial legacy that stretches back more than half a century. The Rock Drills division of Boart Longyear, known throughout the South African mining industry by the acronym SECO, was originally founded in 1934 and has honed its expertise in rock drills and airlegs since the 1950s.

Schneider Electric is in the business of improving energy efficiency; but rather than just telling others what to do, Jeff Daniels has discovered that Schneider has also shown the world what to do.

The world wouldn’t be quite as white as it is without an expanding titanium minerals mining operation in the wilds of Mozambique, as Alan Swaby learns from managing director Michael Carvill.

Anglo American has announced the sale of Scaw South Africa, completing its divestment of the Scaw Metals Group.

The company has sold Scaw South Africa to an investment consortium led by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of South Africa, Izingwe Holdings, Shanduka Resources and the Southern Palace Group of Companies.

At times, South Africa’s electricity suppliers can no longer meet demand; so until supply once again catches up, the emphasis is on reducing demand, as Jeff Daniels learns.

Shell has agreed to buy East Africa-focused Cove Energy in a deal worth £1.12 billion, it has been announced.

London-listed Cove will be acquired by the energy giant’s Shell Bidco subsidiary.

The acquisition marks Shell's entry into Kenya and Mozambique, with potential for new LNG from recent gas discoveries offshore Mozambique. Shell already has interests in Tanzania.

Adansi Gold Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of PMI Gold Corporation, is one of the most exciting gold mining companies in Ghana. With resources that are causing investors’ hearts to race, it is set to become a very important mid-tier producer in just a couple of years, as Thomas Amoah explains to Jane McCallion.

Botswana has transformed itself from a sleepy African country to a vibrant democratic economy and as Alan Swaby learns, its national airline is trying to emulate the country’s progress.

It’s an understandable aspiration that developing countries want to be represented on the larger international stage through their own national airline carrier. Understandable, but fraught with danger—at least of the economical kind—as many African countries have discovered to their cost.

The IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) have announced an investment of up to $100 million to support the construction of major infrastructure projects across the Middle East and North Africa.

The investment is part of an effort to stimulate economic growth in the MENA region. The IFC and IDB are each investing $50 million in the Arab Infrastructure Investment Vehicle (AIIV), part of the Arab Financing Facility for Infrastructure (AFFI), a joint initiative of the World Bank, the IDB and IFC.

Ireland’s Providence Resources has confirmed it has received the final payment of US$6 million for the sale of its Nigerian interest, OML 113.

The payment marks the end of Providence’s asset portfolio restructuring, allowing it to focus on its core areas of offshore Ireland and onshore United Kingdom.

Providence divested its Nigerian subsidiary, which holds its interest in OML 113 offshore Nigeria, to Jacka for a total consideration of $16 million, $10 million of which was paid in December 2011, with the balance of $6 million to be paid in April 2012.