Africa, Energy | featured news

Africa's wealthiest man, Aliko Dangote, says he aims to invest up to $8bn in a major new oil refinery that would double Nigeria's current oil output.

Sierra Leoneans crowded polling stations on Saturday to vote in a close-fought election they hope can rebrand their poor, war-scarred West African state as an emerging democracy with the potential for fast growth from mining and oil.

China’s state-run news media are rapidly growing in Africa, hoping to bolster Beijing’s influence in a region rich in the resources needed to fuel China’s powerhouse industries.

A unique airplane has just completed a 4,000-mile journey, making the first solar-powered intercontinental round-trip air journey. Traveling between Europe and Africa, the Solar Impulse experimental solar airplane landed in Payerne, Switzerland at 8:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET) on Tuesday. The odyssey began two months ago, on May 24. This wasn't a test to see how fast the plane could make the trip, but to assess its endurance and reliability.

South Sudan to pull out of border oil town, president says, easing military crisis with Sudan.

The imminent end of a seven-month civil war in Libya holds the promise of restoring oil production and pushing prices lower. But rebel forces face a number of obstacles.

The International Energy Agency says 28 countries have agreed to release 60 million barrels of crude to the market to offset disruptions prompted by Libya's war.

Brent crude rose towards $120 a barrel and U.S. crude hit a 2-1/2-year high above $108 on Monday as unrest in the Middle East and North Africa kept the focus on oil supplies as economic growth bolstered demand for fuel.

Stocks fell sharply and oil prices spiked to their highest level in two years on Tuesday as investors worried about the increasingly violent unrest in Libya.

14-year-old William Kamkwamba dreamed of powering his village with the only resource freely available to him -- wind. His native Malawi had gone through one of its worst droughts seven years ago, killing thousands, when he thought of building a windmill to generate electricity and pump much-needed water.