US supermajor Chevron has flowed first oil from the Mafumeira Norte development, in Block O off Angola, bringing the field on stream ahead of schedule.

Canada-based Vangold Resources is seeking oil and gas exploration rights for Rwanda's Lake Kivu following successful air and satellite surveys.

Russian energy giant Gazprom has inadvertently walked into an online racism debate with the announcement of its new joint venture in Nigeria - Nigaz.

Equatorial Guinea's state-owned company Sonagas expects to receive a master plan on 7 July that could pave the way for the country’s second liquefied natural gas train.

Cameroon's President Paul Biya, facing discontent over rising prices and corruption, sacked his prime minister today in the biggest government reshuffle in more than four years.

The club of major gas producers fretted over sagging demand and prices at talks today, but the loose grouping is far from having the power and collective will to do anything to tighten the market.

Attacks by Nigerian militants in recent days have cut oil output from facilities operated by Shell's SPDC joint venture to around 140,000 barrels per day, a company spokesman said today.

Nigeria's main militant group said its fighters had attacked an oil facility belonging to Anglo-Dutch supermajor Shell in the Niger Delta today, days after President Umaru Yar Adua proposed an amnesty.

A deal which will see work start on the Trans-Sahara pipeline - a link which will carry Nigerian gas across the Sahara desert to Algeria - will be signed next week in Abuja, Algerian Energy & Mines Minister Chakib Khelil said.

Vantage Drilling’s newbuild jack-up Sapphire Driller will depart Singapore early next month for a three-month firm charter with Foxtrot International off the Ivory Coast.

Angola is unlikely to open a tender for new oil exploration licences this year due to low oil prices, a board member for state-run oil player Sonangol said.

The 8 billion cubic metre per year Medgaz pipeline between Algeria and Spain will deliver its first gas in early 2010, Dominique de Riberolles, chief executive of Spanish energy company Cepsa, said today.

Sinopec is set to shell out C$8.27 billion (US$7.24 billion) for Addax Petroleum after the Canadian-based outfit gave the nod to the Chinese giant's C$52.80 per share takeover offer.

Algeria's state energy company Sonatrach will put 10 blocks up for bid this week, the country's Energy & Mines Minister Chakib Khelil said.

Russia's Gazprom and Nigeria's state-run oil company NNPC agreed today to create a new joint venture to develop Africa's largest oil and gas sector with an initial investment of at least $2.5 billion.

Northern and southern Sudan have agreed to abide by international arbitration on the status of the oil-rich Abyei region which both sides want to control, according to reports.

Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua is poised to offer Niger Delta militants a 60-day amnesty in an effort to end years of attacks on the country's upstream sector, a senior official said.

Italy’s Saipem has landed six new contracts for onshore drilling rigs, worth about $600 million in total.

Italian giant Eni has confirmed declaring force majeure on shipments from the Brass export terminal in Nigeria.

Subsea technology consultancy MCS is set to dive in at BP's Plutao, Staurno, Venus and Marte (PSVM) project, in Block 31 off Angola, after landing a contract with JP Kenny.

Nigeria's main militant group the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) said it had blown up a wellhead in a Shell oilfield in Delta state late yesterday, hours after President Umaru Yar'Adua announced an amnesty offer for gunmen.

Nigerian security forces arrested nine gunmen suspected to be involved in last week's pipeline attack that forced Agip to halt some oil output in the Niger Delta, the military said today.

Zambia has called on foreign players to bid in its debut licensing round, setting 7 August as the deadline for tenders.

Russia and Nigeria are expected to sign a series of deals including a joint venture agreement on gas exploration with Gazprom and a nuclear energy pact during the Russian president's visit to Nigeria tomorrow.