Det går vores vej ser det ud til
MarketG, thanks for alerting us to the Africa Intelligence article. As we know from previous experience AI are fond of dishing dirt and not always based on verifiable evidence. However, this article appears credible.
Your conclusion that Teresa Goma is being shown the door appears correct from this and other sources and should therefore remove one of the potential obstacles to a conclusion of the Tilapia deal. The following improved translation extract [ as you say, Google Translate is useless] seems to sum up the situation:
“Nothing is going well at the Ministry of Hydrocarbons between the new holder of the portfolio, Bruno Jean Richard Itoua, and the DG of Hydrocarbons, Teresa Goma. Reputedly very close to Denis Gokana, the special adviser to President Denis Sassou Nguesso on hydrocarbons, Goma can no longer stand the vexations of her minister, who does not involve her in any of the strategic reflections, nor in any of the hearings he has been holding since the end of May with the main players in the oil sector.”
The article also implies that Bruno Itoua intends to replace the CEO of SNPC and makes specific reference to the MKB Fields about which I have posted [ eg 10.07.20] suggesting it, or part of it, as being the most likely candidate as ZEN’s JV target after Tilapia. The translated extract is as follows:
“The minister [Bruno Itoua] reproached him [Maixent Ominga, CEO of SNPC] in particular for not having developed the MKB licence operated by SNPC and above all for not having been able to put the company’s financial situation in order.”
Hopefully Donatien Mpika, ZEN’s Country Manager, and AC, have direct access to Itoua, so news of Tilapia, and maybe MKB or an alternative, may not be too far off.
AGEOS