Africa in brief
Nigerian finance minister resigns
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday accepted the resignation of finance minister Kemi Adeosun, who said she stepped down over allegations of using a forged certificate to avoid participation in the country’s mandatory one-year national youth service scheme.
Adeosun, a top cabinet member and a former investment banker who promoted the government’s policy to boost growth following a recent recession, said in a statement that she believed she was exempt from the service scheme but felt bound to resign because of the administration’s “focus on integrity.”
Allegations that Adeosun had used a forged exemption certificate to avoid participation in the youth service scheme surfaced in recent months in the Nigerian media. Adeosun did not comment on the claims initially, prompting criticism from her opponents.
In her statement on Friday, Adeosun said her understanding was that she was exempted from the scheme because she had moved back to Nigeria from Britain, where she was born, after she had passed the required minimum age.
-Nampa/Reuters
Angola asked for permission to explore for metals
Anglo American, one of the world’s largest commodities miners, has asked Angola for permission to explore for base metals, the country’s ministry for mines said on Friday.
Anglo, which operates diamond, copper, platinum mines around the world, submitted a letter of intent to invest in the southern African nation’s mining sector, the Angolan ministry of mineral resources and oil said.
-Nampa/Reuters
Egypt signs oil, gas exploration deal with Shell, Petronas
Egypt has signed a deep-water oil and gas exploration deal with Royal Dutch Shell and Malaysia’s Petronas worth around US$1 billion for 8 wells in the country’s West Nile Delta, the petroleum ministry said on Saturday.
The country also signed a second US$10 million deal with Rockhopper, Kuwait Energy and Canada’s Dover Corporation for exploration in the Western Desert, a ministry statement said.
-Nampa/Reuters
Congo will declare cobalt and other minerals as "strategic"
The prime minister of Democratic Republic of Congo will sign a decree in the coming days to designate cobalt and other minerals as “strategic” and therefore subject to higher royalties, mines minister Martin Kabwelulu said on Saturday.
The change is part of a new mining code, which mining companies including Glencore and Randgold oppose as it axes tax exemptions and hikes royalties and profit taxes. They have been holding out the hope it might be watered down in further negotiations.
-Nampa/Reuters
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday accepted the resignation of finance minister Kemi Adeosun, who said she stepped down over allegations of using a forged certificate to avoid participation in the country’s mandatory one-year national youth service scheme.
Adeosun, a top cabinet member and a former investment banker who promoted the government’s policy to boost growth following a recent recession, said in a statement that she believed she was exempt from the service scheme but felt bound to resign because of the administration’s “focus on integrity.”
Allegations that Adeosun had used a forged exemption certificate to avoid participation in the youth service scheme surfaced in recent months in the Nigerian media. Adeosun did not comment on the claims initially, prompting criticism from her opponents.
In her statement on Friday, Adeosun said her understanding was that she was exempted from the scheme because she had moved back to Nigeria from Britain, where she was born, after she had passed the required minimum age.
-Nampa/Reuters
Angola asked for permission to explore for metals
Anglo American, one of the world’s largest commodities miners, has asked Angola for permission to explore for base metals, the country’s ministry for mines said on Friday.
Anglo, which operates diamond, copper, platinum mines around the world, submitted a letter of intent to invest in the southern African nation’s mining sector, the Angolan ministry of mineral resources and oil said.
-Nampa/Reuters
Egypt signs oil, gas exploration deal with Shell, Petronas
Egypt has signed a deep-water oil and gas exploration deal with Royal Dutch Shell and Malaysia’s Petronas worth around US$1 billion for 8 wells in the country’s West Nile Delta, the petroleum ministry said on Saturday.
The country also signed a second US$10 million deal with Rockhopper, Kuwait Energy and Canada’s Dover Corporation for exploration in the Western Desert, a ministry statement said.
-Nampa/Reuters
Congo will declare cobalt and other minerals as "strategic"
The prime minister of Democratic Republic of Congo will sign a decree in the coming days to designate cobalt and other minerals as “strategic” and therefore subject to higher royalties, mines minister Martin Kabwelulu said on Saturday.
The change is part of a new mining code, which mining companies including Glencore and Randgold oppose as it axes tax exemptions and hikes royalties and profit taxes. They have been holding out the hope it might be watered down in further negotiations.
-Nampa/Reuters
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