South Africa power-line rollout set to spur bond market revival

A multibillion-dollar plan to expand South Africa’s electricity transmission network could throw a lifeline to the country’s corporate bond market as it struggles to recover from a post-pandemic... 

Kganyago sees South African inflation dip creating policy space

South African Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago said inflation could fall below 4% in coming months, creating more room for action after officials cut interest rates in September. ‘We expect... 

Zambia will own some mining permits after mapping exercise

Zambia’s government intends to keep ownership of some mining licenCes that are shown to be promising by an ongoing mapping exercise and invite private investors to develop the assets alongside the... 

China’s top miner to spend $24bn on coal-to-oil project

China’s biggest coal miner announced the construction this week of another massive project to supply feedstock for petrochemicals makers and help clear a prospective surplus of the fossil fuel.... 

Canada green taxonomy unlikely to include new natural gas sites

Canada has provided more clarity on what it considers to be homegrown green investments — with new natural gas projects unlikely to make the cut. On Wednesday, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland... 

Rio arrives in lithium with a survival-of-the-fittest mentality

Rio Tinto is muscling in on the lithium market after a precipitous price collapse for the battery metal, betting it can build a portfolio of huge, low-cost mines that will outlast weaker rivals.... 

Coal expansion helps lure insurers back to producer Whitehaven

Whitehaven Coal, one of Australia’s largest coal producers, shelved a planned special purpose vehicle originally intended to provide in-house insurance after finding external insurers willing to... 

Court blocks top Africa port deal as Maersk contests award

A South African court temporarily blocked a deal between the nation’s state-owned logistics firm and a company owned by Filipino billionaire Enrique Razon to expand and run sub-Saharan Africa’s... 

Ex-Glencore execs must wait until 2027 for bribery trial

A group of former Glencore executives accused of bribery and corruption in West Africa by the UK will have to wait until 2027 to face a trial. England’s criminal courts are suffering from a... 

South Africa publishes visa reforms aimed at attracting skills

South Africa’s government published a series of reforms of the nation’s work-visa regulations that are aimed at attracting more professionals to its skills-starved economy. The Department of Home... 

France nears disbursement of second climate loan to South Africa

France is nearing the disbursement of a second loan to South Africa’s Treasury under the Just Energy Transition Partnership programme. “We are in the final stages of preparing a second loan,”... 

Cameco eyes expansions of uranium mines on rising nuclear demand

Cameco, one of the world’s top uranium producers, is considering expanding some of its mining projects as global demand for nuclear power rises, according to its top executive. “We’ve got some... 

Investors with $15tr signal new approach to miners

Investors need to adopt a new approach to the mining sector if that industry is to meet the growing demand for minerals and metals needed for the green transition. That’s the central message in a... 

South African antitrust body faults grocers over high food costs

South African food producers and retailers have been slow to pass on the effects of declining cost pressures to cash-strapped consumers, an issue that may warrant further investigation, the... 

Iron-ore pushes higher on hopes more China stimulus is coming

Iron-ore rose — following two sharply weekly gains — on speculation China’s top economic planner will unveil more stimulus measures at a press briefing on Tuesday morning. The steelmaking staple... 

France’s Orano sees progress developing uranium mine in Mongolia

A long-delayed, multi-billion dollar uranium project in Mongolia under development by French State-controlled miner Orano could start producing the nuclear fuel by 2030, the company said.... 

Angola diamonds not under sanctions but Russia link is obstacle

Angola’s State-owned diamond producer said some clients were deterred by its partnership with Russia’s Alrosa PJSC, but underlined that its output doesn’t fall under western sanctions. Russian... 

North Carolina quartz mine owner says Helene damage was minimal

The owner of a North Carolina quartz mine that’s a key source for high-purity quartz used in global semiconductor manufacturing said its operations sustained only minor damage in the wake of... 

Green hydrogen hype fades as high costs force project retreat

Climate-friendly hydrogen was one of the most-hyped sectors in green energy. Now the reality of its high cost is taking its toll. In recent months, some of the biggest would-be developers of the... 

South Africa plans insurance vehicle for infrastructure projects

South Africa is launching a credit-guarantee facility to boost private sector involvement in the country’s ambitious infrastructure investment plans, reducing the need for public spending. “We are... 

South Africa fires up diesel turbines to keep power cuts at bay

Eskom has been using diesel-fuelled auxiliary turbines extensively to stave off power cuts in South Africa following delays in restoring some generation capacity. The utility fired up the units... 

Sudden shift in China metals sentiment drives LME week optimism

Metals traders arriving in London for LME Week were in for a surprise as they caught up with friends and customers from China. For the last couple of years, the biggest consumer and producer has... 

Gold miners say they’re now disciplined as dealmaking heats up

With gold prices at a record high, mining companies are back hunting for deals while trying to reassure investors that they’ve learned from past mistakes of overspending. There has been a flurry... 

Rich back South African coalition government, SRF survey shows

The formation of a business-friendly coalition government in South Africa has won the support of the majority of citizens, with the richest most satisfied with its performance, a survey shows. Even... 

China's fast-growing copper champion is reshaping global metal supply

Chen Jinghe was not long out of university when a government official handed him the assignment that would change his life. Go to Zijin mountain, he was told, and find gold. It was 1982, and the... 

Vale backs Brazil critical minerals fund in nod to government

Vale is committed to investing in Brazil’s first fund to support critical minerals as it seeks to diversify, the new chief of the world’s No. 2 iron-ore supplier said Wednesday. Vale has 90% of... 

South African CEOs see ‘green shoots’ as economic mood improves

Sentiment about South Africa has improved since the formation of a coalition government but the nation needs to be cautious about complacency, according to chief executive officers at two of the... 

South Africa’s reforms in spotlight as nation woos investors

South Africa will need to expedite reforms that can boost economic growth to sustain investor inflows that have flooded in since the formation of a coalition government, according to the world’s... 

South Africa courts UK investors to fund infrastructure plans

South Africa’s infrastructure development agency has restructured its pipeline of planned projects to make them more attractive to the private sector as state officials court investors in the UK.... 

Mashatile sees South Africa's growth accelerating in 2025

Economic growth in South Africa is expected to accelerate next year as the country recovers from output-sapping power cuts and the nation’s new coalition government focuses on investing in... 

Panama sees exports of stockpiled First Quantum copper as viable

Panama’s finance chief said he sees no good reason why First Quantum Minerals shouldn’t export the large volume of copper stockpiled at its shuttered mine in the country. The government is working... 

Chile pinpoints new lithium areas for private-sector development

Chile has identified new lithium areas that will be offered to the private sector as authorities attempt to tap more of the world’s biggest reserves of the battery metal, despite a current glut in... 

China stimulus likely to boost Australian economy, Chalmers says

Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers hailed China’s new stimulus effort as a “really welcome development” for both his nation and the global economy after meetings with counterparts in Beijing during... 

Glencore copper mine in Congo locked in €800m royalty row

A Glencore-owned copper mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo is embroiled in a row over royalties with local tax authorities. The government body – known by its French acronym DGRAD – says that... 

Rio Tinto aims to produce copper in Arizona by end of decade

Rio Tinto aims to start churning out copper from a long-delayed mining project in Arizona by the end of the decade, according to CEO Jakob Stausholm. “From a permitting point of view, we are... 

South Africa household wealth rises to highest level in a year

South Africa’s household wealth rose in the second quarter as an increase in the market value of their assets outstripped that of their liabilities — in part due to a strong stock market rally, the... 

Zijin wants its Africa copper mine to rival the world’s biggest

China’s Zijin Mining Group Co. is considering an expansion of its jointly-owned copper mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo that would place it among the world’s biggest single sources of the... 

Harris vows to create US critical minerals stockpile, incentives

Vice President Kamala Harris vowed to create a national stockpile of critical minerals, saying a cache of the materials used in everything from batteries to defense systems is needed for economic... 

US-led group weighs funding more mineral projects to counter China dominance

A US-led coalition of countries is looking at funding more minerals projects using a financing network aimed at combating China’s dominance of metal supply chains. The Minerals Security... 

China mining heavyweights partner with Zimbabwe on lithium mine

Chinese miners Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt and Tsingshan Holding Group are defying low lithium prices to develop a deposit of the battery metal with a Zimbabwean state company. The two firms already...