he Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum Davis Chirchir in a meeting with stakeholders on May 24, 2023.
PHOTO MINISTRY OF ENERGY AND PETROLEUM
Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir stated on Wednesday, May 24, that Kenya did not make any money from oil exploration in South Lokichar, Turkana County.
Speaking before the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, Chirchir stated that the exploration project was done to test the marketability of the product and allow the county government of Turkana to get the necessary experience and capacity.
“There were no excess funds to be shared in this early oil project scheme in line with the provisions of the Act. If anything, the IOC is owed USD23.7 million on account of the early oil project scheme.
“The crude oil sold from the South Lokichar Basin had been produced from exploration and appraisal activities. It was not commercial production,” Chirchir stated.
He explained that the project was still at an early exploration stage and therefore the cost incurred to start exploration was huge and profit could not be made immediately.
“When you look at the cost of any business, you don’t expect to make profits in the first two to three years because those are the years of investments.
“The initial phase of the project was expensive because the objective was to ensure that there is a seamless process and a ready market for the oil,” the CS added.
The committee noted that since the exploration began four years earlier, the government had drilled 240,000 barrels of crude oil all sold to make Ksh3.7 billion, money that was paid back to investors.
"Yes, there was hope and there’s still hope. I urge this House and Kenyans at large to quickly go out of our way to support this project and be conscious of the climate change issue. Investors are not putting their money where their policies on climate don’t agree with the developers of the climatic-challenged projects,” he added.
Earlier on Tuesday, May 23, China's largest producer of oil and petrochemical products sent representatives to Tullow Oil to express interest in the project.
Oil exploration began in 2019 when the Kenyan government issued Tullow Oil with the license to produce 100,000 barrels daily.
Additionally, within the same year, former President Uhuru Kenyatta announced Kenya's entry into the oil export market, with the goal of capitalizing on and earning an average of Ksh1.2 billion from selling 22,000 barrels of crude oil. By Joy Kwama, Kenyans.co.ke
Currently, Tanzania is pretty close to the target of 10 percent as envisioned in the Tanzania's Development Vision 2025 plan, with Minerals minister Doto Biteko saying the sector’s contribution to the GDP stood at 9.7 percent as of the third quarter of 2022.
Dar es Salaam. The government yesterday identified five measures it is taking to hit and even surpass the 10 percent target contribution to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) from the mining sector by 2025.
The steps include inviting new investors, embracing public-private partnership, removal of nuisance taxes and charges, empowering small-scale miners and encouraging investment in value addition.
The revelation was made by Minerals minister Doto Biteko during a press conference ahead of the Tanzania Mining and Investment Forum 2023 slated for October 25 and 26 this year.
Currently, Tanzania is pretty close to the target of 10 percent as envisioned in the Tanzania's Development Vision 2025 plan, with Dr Biteko saying the sector’s contribution to the GDP stood at 9.7 percent as of the third quarter of 2022.
When the implementation of the Development Vision kicked off in 2020, the mining sector's contribution to GDP was estimated at 3.5 percent.
“We have what it takes to achieve and even surpass the 10 percent target,” said Dr Biteko.
“We bank our hopes on improving the investment climate and embracing joint ventures with the world’s largest miners.
“It is on that backdrop, I urge local investors to use the upcoming Tanzania Mining and Investment Forum as a platform to forge partnerships with other investors from across the globe.”
The forum with a theme “Unlocking Tanzania’s Future Mining Potential”, is expected to bring together both local and foreign mining stakeholders to discuss cooperation strategies to unlock and advance opportunities for development in the sector.
The event is expected to attract 2,000 attendees from over 25 countries globally.
“We need to foster Public-Private Partnerships if we are to bolster the sector’s contribution to the economy,” said Dr Biteko.
He went on to add: “I believe the event (Forum) will facilitate dialogue and collaboration between government representatives and private sector stakeholders, encouraging mutually beneficial partnerships to support the sector’s growth and development.”
Dr Biteko said the forum will highlight Tanzania’s rich mineral resources and provide an opportunity for local and international investors to discover the vast potential of mineral exploration projects and value addition in different types of mineral categories.
“The forum will set a stage for an unparalleled government-to-business and business-to-business opportunity for the extensive mine-to-market value chain,” said Dr Biteko.
The Tanzania Mining and Investment Forum is organised by DMG event’s organisers and Ocean Business Partners (OBP), in collaboration with the government through the Ministry of Minerals and key industry partners.
Speaking earlier, OPB director Abdulsamad Abdulrahim said the forum will provide a platform for participants to engage in meaningful discussions, share insights, and identify strategies for enhancing the sector’s contribution to the country’s economy and sustainable development.
The forum, he added, will also showcase investment opportunities in the mining sector, offering a platform for investors to connect with mining companies, explore potential projects and facilitate investment deals.
“The Tanzania Mining and Investment Forum aims at showcasing the immense potential of Tanzania’s mining sector while promoting responsible and inclusive mining practices,” noted Mr Abdulrahim.
Tanzania is rich in critical mineral deposits, which are essential components in the manufacturing of electric vehicles, renewable energy infrastructure and other clean technologies.
The country is home to significant deposits of lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements, the minerals which are in high demand as the world transitions to a low-carbon economy.
“Investors who are looking for opportunities in the green energy and transition minerals sector should take notice of Tanzania,” said Mr Abdulrahim.
Adding: “The country's favorable investment climate, coupled with its abundance of natural resources, makes it an attractive destination for investment.”
DMG Events vice president (energy docket) Damian Howard said during the forum they will discuss the opportunity for Tanzania to harness and accelerate its position as East Africa’s mining hub to the world from its mining and exploration activities in support of the green transition.
“Through panel discussions, workshops, and presentations, the forum will foster knowledge sharing and capacity building by bringing together industry experts, researchers, and policymakers to exchange insights, best practices, and innovations,” he said. By Alex Nelson Malanga, The Citizen
The US State Department said on 22 May that Russia’s Wagner mercenary group plans to send arms to Ukraine via its operations in Mali, an impoverished landlocked nation in Africa’s sprawling Sahel region. Ruled by a military junta since a May 2021 coup, its interim president, Colonel Assimi Goita, fell out with France, a long-term ally, over the junta’s reluctance to announce a return to democracy. The coup was Mali’s second in two years.
In January 2022, Mali expelled France’s ambassador and by September French President Emmanuel Macron had withdrawn all his troops from the country, where they’d been battling Jihadist terror groups for over nine years.
Enter Russia, ever the opportunists. As early as February 2022, ‘’several hundred’’ Wagner troops arrived in Bamako, the Mali capital, according to General Stephen Townsend, then commander of the U.S. Africa Command force. They were delivered by Russia’s air force. Both Russia and Mali claim Wagner personnel are there to train Mali’s embattled army, but the United Nations says Wagner troops were involved in, and oversaw, the massacre of at least 500 people near the village of Mouri, in Mali’s Mopti region. That happened in March 2022, barely a month after they’d arrived in the troubled African nation.
Wagner’s presence in Mali will likely be paid for with licenses to mine gold, as it is in Sudan and the Central African Republic. That gold helps finance its operations in Ukraine.
‘’There are indications that Wagner has been attempting to purchase military systems from foreign suppliers and route these weapons through Mali as a third party,’’ State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
Miller didn’t mention which ‘foreign suppliers’ might be involved, so it may be a coincidence that the Amercian ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, accused the Pretoria government of sending arms to Russia after a Russian ship, the Lady R, docked at the South African naval yard in Simonstown earlier this month. The ship is under U.S. sanctions.
‘’We are confident that weapons were loaded on to that vessel and I’d bet my life on the accuracy of that assertion,’’ Brigety said, adding that the ‘’arming of Russia by South Africa is fundamentally unacceptable.’’
South Africa, which manufactures sophisticated weaponry, military equipment and vehicles, rebuked Brigety and denied that it provided Russia with equipment. It didn’t, however, explain why a sanctioned civilian ship had moored in a naval yard. Soon after, South Africa’s defence minister and intelligence minister visited Moscow on separate trips. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says his country is part of a team of six African nations attempting to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, spurred by concerns over grain supplies affected by Russia’s invasion of its neighbour.
Brigety’s accusation came after Ramaphosa had sent a delegation to Washington late April in an attempt to allay US concerns about South Africa’s cosy relationship with Moscow. At stake is South Africa’s membership or participation in America’s Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, AGOA, a law that gives some African states beneficial trade access to US markets.
South Africa’s membership is due to be renewed – or cancelled – in 2025, and it is imperilled, not least by South Africa’s reluctance to state whether Putin will attend a BRICS summit towards the end of August.
The BRICS nations, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are due to meet just a month ahead of a possible AGOA summit also scheduled to take place in South Africa. U.S. officials told South Africa’s Daily Maverick that members of Congress would feel insulted were they to be invited days after Putin, wanted on an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, had been in the country. It’s Congress that decides which African nations are or aren’t going to benefit from AGOA.
Either way, the scope of Russia’s attempts to exert influence across the length of Africa should disturb Western powers, according to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime. ‘’Russia has sought to increase its political involvement in Africa since the 2014 invasion of Crimea,’’ it said in a January report. ‘’Sanctioned Russian entities in Africa – which are primarily involved in the mining sector – may be turning to illicit means of transporting goods, minerals, and money to fly under the radar of international sanctions.’’ By Brian Latham, Byline Times
The CS made the announcement during the Third Kenya International Investment Conference.
In Summary
The CS said the Chamber Bill will ensure every registered company in Kenya is a member of the Chamber.
“We are working on the National Chamber Bill which has to go to Cabinet within the next 30 days,” he said.
Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has said the government is working on a law to make it mandatory for all businesses to be members of KNCCI.
The CS made the announcement during the Third Kenya International Investment Conference.
Kuria said the move will strengthen the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and will be submitted to Cabinet for approval within 30 days.
“We are working on the National Chamber Bill which has to go to Cabinet within the next 30 days. We are going to have the Kenya Chamber that is truly reflective of Kenyan businesses,” he said.
To join the Chamber, this means, small business owners will have to cough up to Sh5000 annual fees, while group businesses will pay Sh15,000. This is lower than the partnership fee which is Sh10,000.
Small and medium enterprises are required to pay Sh15,000, local public companies lawfully pay Sh50,000 and the corporate membership fee is Sh100,000 annually.
The CS said the Chamber Bill will be mandatory for every registered company in Kenya to be a member of the Chamber.
"It is going to be mandatory, it won't be a choice," he said.
He noted that the business will have to pay for the subscriptions in order for the businesses to be organised.
"These businesses must speak for Kenya, and earn us the respect we deserve," he said. By Manny Anyango, The Star
A recent U.N. report accuses mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner Group of involvement in a March 2022 massacre in a village in Mali, which killed at least 500 people, most of whom are believed to be civilians, rather than Islamist militants, as claimed by authorities.
The report also says the attack by Malian troops and Wagner in Moura included rapes and torture. Wagner mercenaries operate in Mali and at least six other African nations, where they have been accused of atrocities, while the U.S. has said Wagner is trafficking natural resources from African nations to fund the invasion of Ukraine. Democracy Now
Informer East Africa is a UK based diaspora Newspaper. It is a unique platform connecting East Africans at home and abroad through news dissemination. It is a forum to learn together, grow together and get entertained at the same time.
To advertise events or products, get in touch by info [at] informereastafrica [dot] com or call +447957636854. If you have an issue or a story, get in touch with the editor through editor[at] informereastafrica [dot] com or call +447886544135.
We also accept donations from our supporters. Please click on "donate". Your donations will go along way in supporting the newspaper.