With soaring energy consumption and declining production from its own petroleum reserves, Indonesia has launched a quest for overseas assets. In May, the state-owned company PT Pertamina bid...

China Sonangol and its subsidiaries continue to make Angolan acquisitions. In February, China Sonangol won three deep-water pre-salt oil (equity) concessions in Blocks 19, 20 and 38, adding...

Japan played a diplomatic blinder in Dakar in May, collecting not just a sackful of goodwill but solid sub-Saharan support for two of its key international priorities –...

It began with ‘China is a developing country’ and ended by shedding some – but not much – light on Beijing’s global aid programmes. In April, China’s State...

New Delhi’s not so secret competition with Beijing is heating up ahead of the second India-Africa Forum in Addis Ababa on 24-25 May. India’s diplomats are adopting Beijing’s...

Singapore is widening its net in Africa. The city-state’s trade with sub-Saharan Africa reached US$8.4 billion in 2009 and it punches above its weight in financial terms. Geographically...

London-listed Madagascar Oil’s battles with the Malagasy government are heating up. The two sides are now heading for international arbitration. The dispute arose when the Haute Autorité de...

Few believe the official explanation that 87-year-old President Robert Mugabe’s frequent visits to Singapore are to monitor his February cataract operation or that he is being the doting...

The Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda chief was in Kenya and Mozambique in late April, forging better links with their ruling parties and media. He took his message of...

India-Africa trade will grow to US$75 billion by 2015, according to Anand Sharma, India’s Commerce Minister. With trade now at $45 bn., India’s most influential business association and...