Kamoa-Kakula’s on-site hybrid solar power facilities, integrated with battery energy storage, are now fully operational, supplying 60 MW of continuous baseload power to its mining operations

The combined capacity is set to double to 120 MW within 18 months under plans supported by two additional power purchase agreements (PPAs).

Construction and commissioning of the two solar photovoltaic (PV) facilities and their battery energy storage system (BESS) were completed during the third quarter of 2026. By the end of September, both facilities had reached their combined nameplate capacity. Construction of the two 30-MW facilities began in June 2025, with the first starting power deliveries in August 2026 and the second becoming operational in late September. CrossBoundary Energy and Green World Energie own, operate and fund the facilities.

The installation comprises a 433-MW-peak PV facility and an adjacent battery storage system with a capacity of 1,107 MWh. The stored solar energy enables the system to supply Kamoa-Kakula, its sole offtaker, with 60 MW of power continuously over 24 hours. The installation is the largest hybrid solar PV and battery storage facility at a mining operation in Africa.

Kamoa-Kakula plans to increase its on-site hybrid solar capacity to 120 MW within 18 months. In April 2026, it awarded a contract to Green World Energie and signed a PPA for an additional 30 MW. In August 2026, it awarded a further contract and signed another 30-MW PPA with Lualaba Solar Company. Both facilities are planned for construction within Kamoa-Kakula’s joint-venture licence area.

Ghana will see the construction of a new 170-room hotel near Accra International Airport, in a project that is set to boost local jobs and the local supply chain

The Hampton by Hilton Accra Airport project is aimed at expanding Ghana’s midscale hospitality offering while supporting local businesses.

The Accra construction project is expected to provide nearly 1,000 direct and indirect jobs, including 200 permanent positions, as well as create new opportunities for local suppliers.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) announced that it is providing long-term financing to PLP Properties Ltd, a Ghanaian property investment and development company, in support of the scheme.In a statement, IFC, a part of the World Bank Group, noted that its I’d long-term financing will give the project “sufficient time” to complete construction and establish operations.

“Our vision goes beyond building a hotel,” said Jean-Louis Feghali, executive director of PLP Properties.

“Hampton by Hilton Accra Airport will strengthen Accra’s hospitality offering, create jobs, support local suppliers, and serve business and leisure travellers.”

Travel and tourism contributed an estimated 5.7% of Ghana’s gross domestic product and supported more than 800,000 jobs in 2024.

By expanding midscale accommodation and strengthening hospitality infrastructure, the project is expected to support Ghana’s tourism sector and its contribution to employment and economic activity.

Hampton by Hilton Accra Airport will broaden the range of quality accommodation available to business and leisure travellers in a market where most internationally branded hotels serve the upscale segment.

“Investment in quality, sustainable accommodation can strengthen Ghana’s tourism sector and support jobs across the wider economy,” said Nathalie Kouassi Akon, IFC division director for West Africa Gulf of Guinea.

“IFC’s partnership with PLP Properties will expand Accra’s hospitality offering, strengthen demand for local goods and services, and promote more sustainable hotel development.”

The hotel is expected to source goods and services from Ghanaian businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises.

The project is also targeting IFC’s green building standards — the hotel is being designed to use at least 40% less energy and 20% less water than a conventional building, while also reducing embodied carbon in construction materials.

These efficiencies are expected to lower operating costs and establish a stronger benchmark for resource-efficient development in Ghana’s hospitality sector, IFC noted in its statement.

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Mine closure is often discussed as something that happens at the end of a mine’s life — in reality, many of the most important closure decisions are made much earlier; while the mine is still being designed, financed, operated, and assessed. Water is one of the clearest examples, writes Shameer Hareeparsad, director: geochemistry, WSP in Africa

Once underground workings begin to flood after closure, groundwater starts interacting with the materials left behind. Those interactions can influence water quality for decades. They may determine whether closure plans are credible, whether regulators have confidence in the proposed management measures, and whether surrounding groundwater systems are protected over the long-term.

For underground mines that use paste backfill, this presents a specific question: how will the backfilled material behave once it is saturated after closure?

Paste backfill has an important role in modern underground mining. It can support excavations, improve ground stability, allow mined-out voids to be filled with mineralised residues, and reduce the amount of tailings placed on surface. These are significant benefits. However, backfill should not only be assessed for how well it can be placed underground or how it performs structurally during operations. It also needs to be understood as a geochemical material that may interact with groundwater once the mine has closed.

Understanding the geochemical source

That requires a different kind of prediction. One of the practical tools used in this kind of prediction is a geochemical source term. It refers to the estimated quality and loading of water that may be released from a material into the receiving environment. Put more simply, it helps answer a practical question: what could this material contribute to groundwater, and under what conditions?

Post-closure water quality must be predicted using the best available evidence, while still recognising the uncertainty involved in modelling systems that will evolve underground over long periods.

Underground nickel mine assessment

In a recent underground nickel mine assessment, the paste aggregate fill included sulphide-bearing tailings, crushed waste rock, process residues, and a slag-based cement binder with an additional binder aid. From a geochemical perspective, this is not an inert blend. The tailings contain sulphide minerals that could generate acidity under certain conditions. At the same time, the binder contributes alkalinity, which can help buffer that acidity once the system becomes saturated.

The question, therefore, was not whether the material was “safe” or “unsafe”. The more relevant question was how the material was likely to behave as groundwater returned to the stopes after mining ceased.

To answer this, the assessment considered two main mechanisms by which solutes could move from the backfill into groundwater. The first is advection, where water movement carries dissolved constituents through pore spaces. The second is diffusion, in which constituents move more slowly due to concentration differences between the backfill and the surrounding water.

During the early flooding period, advective movement can be more significant because hydraulic gradients remain, and more soluble constituents may be flushed from the material. As the system becomes fully saturated and those gradients weaken, diffusion is expected to become more important over the longer term.

Laboratory testing provided the basis for this assessment. Modified triaxial permeability testing was used to estimate advective porewater quality, while the Leaching Environmental Assessment Framework method was used to derive diffusion coefficients. These results were then used to inform groundwater modelling and closure planning.

The results showed a material with low hydraulic conductivity, which limits bulk water movement through the backfill. The long-term porewater chemistry was predicted to remain strongly alkaline and dominated by calcium and chloride. Under those conditions, most metals are expected to remain at low concentrations in solution.

The early flushing period is different. The upper-case scenario, which represents a cautious view of what could happen during initial saturation, showed short-lived increases in certain constituents, including calcium, chloride, sodium, potassium, strontium, and copper. This is important because closure planning must account not only for the eventual stable condition, but also for the transitional period when a flooded underground system is still adjusting.

That does not mean the early-stage results should be treated as a forecast of permanent water quality. In the modelling, those upper-case conditions were deliberately conservative. The assessment applied cautious assumptions, including high mass-transfer rates and the exclusion of some secondary mineral reactions that could reduce dissolved concentrations.

Why conservative modelling matters

This approach is intended to avoid understating the potential loading to groundwater.

That precaution is essential. In mine closure, overconfidence is expensive. If predictions are overly optimistic, the consequences may not become visible for years, when treatment requirements, environmental impacts, or liability concerns are far harder to manage. A conservative model does not remove uncertainty, but it gives project teams, regulators, and other decision-makers a more defensible starting point.

This is also why site-specific testing matters. It is tempting to borrow assumptions from other operations or to rely on generic expectations about how paste backfill should behave. That is seldom good enough. The mineralogy, binder chemistry, groundwater setting, saturation rate, and underground geometry all influence how a backfilled stope may perform after closure.

Why site-specific testing matters

No laboratory programme can perfectly reproduce the underground environment over the course of decades. Temperature, groundwater chemistry, hydraulic gradients, mineral reactivity, and stope-scale flow paths will always introduce uncertainty. But a structured approach can narrow that uncertainty and make it easier to refine predictions as monitoring data becomes available during operations and after mining has ceased.

Planning for uncertainty

The scrutiny around closure plans is also changing. Regulators, financiers, communities, and internal governance teams increasingly expect mining companies to show not only that a closure plan exists, but that it is based on credible evidence and can be adapted as conditions change.

Paste backfill can play an important role in more responsible underground mining and closure design. But its value depends on understanding both its structural and geochemical performance. A material that works well operationally still needs to be assessed for how it may behave once the mine is no longer active and groundwater conditions begin to recover.

Bringing water quality into closure planning

The broader lesson is that post-closure water quality should not be treated as something to discover after flooding has occurred. It should be part of the design conversation from the outset.

Better prediction will not eliminate every closure risk. Mining systems are too complex for that. But it can help the industry make more informed decisions, identify where monitoring is needed, and demonstrate that long-term water protection has been considered before the mine reaches the end of its life.

That is where closure planning needs to move: not towards false certainty, but towards evidence strong enough to support responsible decisions in conditions that will always carry some uncertainty.

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South Africa is investing further in its rail network, with an objective to grow homegrown industrial output, in addition to boosting transport links

This includes with Gautrain, the 80-kilometre express commuter and high-speed rail system in Gauteng that connects Johannesburg and Pretoria with O.R. Tambo International Airport.

The Sihamba Sonke Mobility (SSM) consortium recently landed the next 15-year Gautrain concession as private operator, with engineering and mobility giant Alstom’s portion of the work set to be worth an approximate €800mn.

Alstom is a shareholder and strategic industrial partner of the SSM Concession and will play a key role in the modernisation and long-term performance of one of Africa’s flagship transport systems.

Alstom's scope of work includes the delivery of eight new trains manufactured locally in Gauteng, a new signalling system, communications upgrades, the refurbishment and modernisation of the existing fleet, together with long-term rail maintenance services.

The new trains will be manufactured at Alstom’s Ubunye facility, supporting skills development and local industrial growth, boosting the expansion of the South African rail supply chain.

The investment reflects a growing trend Across Africa to manufacture key products and infrastructure closer to home, rather than import from overseas.

Other SSM shareholders include the AIIM-Motseng joint venture, French operator, RATP Dev, Gibb Crede, AIH Connect and SSM InvestCo.

The Gautrain concession renewal and update will increase the network’s system capacity and train frequency, said Tristan le Masne, Alstom Southern Africa managing director.

“For thousands of commuters across Gauteng, this next phase of the Gautrain project represents seamless and more reliable mobility,” he said.

“Travellers will benefit from more frequent train service and smoother connections across the network.”

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Africa has an opportunity to convert geopolitical tensions and shifting global trade patterns into a catalyst for industrialisation and long-term economic resilience, according to a new Afreximbank report

Leveraging Geopolitics for Trade and Industrialisation in Global Africa examines trade and economic developments across the continent and globally, and outlines strategies for African nations to benefit from supply chain realignments and changing geopolitical dynamics.

“Africa stands at a critical juncture,” said Dr Yemi Kale, group chief economist and managing director of research and trade intelligence at Afreximbank.

“Geopolitical tensions and economic fragmentation are reshaping global trade patterns, but they also present a historic opportunity for the continent. By strategically leveraging these shifts, Africa can build a more resilient, competitive and inclusive economic future.”

Despite a challenging global backdrop, the report highlights Africa’s strong recent economic performance.

While global economic growth slowed to 3.4% in 2025 and is projected to ease further to 3.1% in 2026, Africa’s real GDP growth accelerated from 3.4% in 2024 to 4.5% in 2025, outperforming the global average.

Africa’s merchandise trade also expanded by 6.1% to approximately US$1.5 trillion, while aggregate inflation fell significantly from 21.6% in 2024 to 13.1% in 2025.

According to Afreximbank, these gains reflect improved macroeconomic management, ongoing policy reforms and the role of development finance institutions in supporting economic stability.

However, the report warns that significant structural challenges remain.

Africa’s trade finance gap is estimated at approximately US$74bn in 2025, limiting the continent’s ability to fully capitalise on trade and industrial opportunities.

The situation is compounded by foreign exchange constraints and a continued decline in correspondent banking relationships.

The report also notes that evolving shipping routes and persistent disruptions in global logistics networks are increasing freight costs and extending delivery times, particularly for economies dependent on imported inputs and external markets.

To strengthen resilience, Afreximbank identifies accelerated implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), expansion of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) and reforms to the global financial architecture as key priorities.

The report notes that stronger industrial ecosystems, increased intra-African trade and sustained financial support will be critical if the continent is to transform geopolitical disruption into sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

“It is imperative for the continent to act decisively to strengthen regional value chains, deepen industrial capacity, expand access to trade finance, and accelerate continental integration,” said Kale, adding that Africa “cannot afford to delay.”

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African mobility group Spiro has signed a partnership with Yadea to scale accessible and sustainable electric transport across the continent

The partnership comes as Spiro accelerates its next phase of growth and expansion across Africa following its latest US$270mn funding round, which included investment from NewTrails Capital, a Chinese fund.

Yadea, founded in China, is the world's leading manufacturer of electric two-wheelers, with more than 100 million vehicles sold worldwide in over 100 countries and 10 exclusive production facilities globally.

Under the agreement, Yadea will supply electric two-wheelers and related EV products tailored to Spiro’s expanding regional markets, while Spiro will integrate the vehicles into its proprietary battery-swapping and energy infrastructure.

The companies will also co-develop customised two-wheeler platforms engineered specifically for local road conditions and commercial utility across Africa.

“Africa’s shift to electric mobility is accelerating and this partnership helps us meet that demand at scale,” said Anant Badjatya, CEO of Spiro.

“By bringing together Yadea’s manufacturing strength with Spiro’s electric mobility ecosystem and operating experience across Africa, we are compressing the timeline to clean transport — helping thousands more riders switch to affordable EVs faster and multiplying our climate impact across the continent.”

Spiro already boasts an operational network and battery-swapping ecosystem across seven countries.

Together, the companies aim to build a scalable, commercially sustainable EV framework serving millions of commercial fleet operators, delivery services, logistics providers, and daily commuters in Africa’s fastest-growing mobility markets.

“Our strategic partnership with Yadea…opens fantastic opportunities to jointly pioneer the next era of electric mobility in emerging markets”, said Gagan Gupta, Spiro’s founder.

Wang Jiazhong, senior vice president of Yadea Technology Group, said Africa represents a huge frontier for zero-emission transport.

“Our mission to reduce carbon emissions has reached a powerful milestone through this partnership with Spiro. Together, we are combining global innovation with local infrastructure to deliver scalable and sustainable mobility solutions that serve millions of riders and transform Africa’s urban transit.”

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