Written by The New Sudan Vision (NSV), www.newsudanvision.com   
Sunday, 31 July 2011 16:11

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (NSV) - The African Union-mediated rounds of economic talks between North and South Sudan appeared to have fallen apart on

Sunday follong disagreements over pipeline fees and economic issues centered around the recent unveiling of new currencies by both sides.

By Ngor Arol Garang
July 14, 2011 (JUBA)- The government of new Republic of South Sudan on Thursday called on development partners to provide considerable financial assistance in order for new state to increase food production.

Dr. Anne Itto-Minister for Agriculture & Forestry-GoSS

Anne Itto from south Sudan’s ruling SPLM addresses a news conference in Juba (www.all voices.com)
The government also called on farmers to scale up food production to offset the looming threats of hunger and to focus on using sustainable food production to also benefit from local markets.

July 13, 2011 (JUBA) - South Sudan’s Nile Petroleum Corporation (Nilepet) has, in a bid to boost the oil industry, entered into joint venture with Glencore International; a Swiss-based public company involved in production, processing, refining and transporting energy products.

The move, according to Mangok Kali Mangok, Nilepet’s managing director seeks to ensure that crude oil entitlements from the company, and the Republic of South Sudan in general, find a market in the international arena.

“The joint venture will help the Republic of South Sudan develop its national oil company through skills transfer and training and will be responsible for marketing the crude oil from July 09 onwards,” Mangok said in a statement.

Partnership with Glencore, he added, will enable the former to invest in oil infrastructure in newly independent South Sudan as well as raise international financing that will benefit the new nation.

The development comes nearly five months after South Sudan’s Energy and Mining ministry and Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS), a Malaysian-owned oil and gas company signed a two-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at boosting mutual cooperation between the two parties.

The MoU, signed in Juba, South Sudan’s capital, outlined the overall principles of cooperation in the oil and gas sector between the government and the Malaysian oil giants, creating an avenue for exploiting existing business opportunities.

In addition, the agreement further creates a platform for the two parties to set up frameworks for sharing experience and expertise in the management of petroleum resources through capability building and other training programs.

In January 2008, Petronas, got permission from South Sudan’s government to begin oil exploration in block 5B, after agreeing to let Moldova’s Ascom Group keep part of the concession, an official said.

Following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 peace deal, the Sudanese government in Khartoum mediated with oil firms with overlapping claims.

In July last year it was agreed that Petronas could keep its share in Block 5B provided it allowed Ascom, already working in the area, a share in the venture.

Block 5B, which lies in Unity and Jonglei states, covers more than 20,000 square km (7,723 sq miles), is operated by the consortium WNPOC (White Nile Petroleum Operating Company) led by Petronas and including India’s ONGC Videsh, Sudan’s state-owned Sudapet and Nilepet and Sweden’s Lundin Petroleum.

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
March 14, 2011 (ADDIS ABABA) – Ethiopia is set to launch construction of a massive hydroelectric dam in its Nile basin near its border with Sudan, the country’s Prime Minister has announced.
The planned power plant Ethiopia’s Benishangul state will be 40km from the Sudanese border.
"We are planning to carry out a number of important projects, including a major project on the Nile," Ethiopian Prime minister Meles Zenawi told the press.

March 13, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan President Omer Al-Bashir has formed a high-level committee to select a foreign firm to review figures of oil production in Sudan during the last five years in order to "refute allegations" of non-transparency in the oil-sector.

Sudan President Omer Al-Bashir AFP photos

Figures of oil production provided by Sudan have in the past been brought under question and fuelled mistrust with south Sudan which produces most of the country’s proven daily output of 500,000 barrels a day.
North and South Sudan have been splitting proceeds of crude oil roughly 50:50 as per 2005’s peace deal which ended nearly half a century of north-south civil war and allowed the south to vote for secession from the north in a referendum earlier this year. South Sudan will be declared officially independent in July this year.
The high-level committee would be chaired by the minster of oil Lual Deng, who represents South Sudan’s ruling party, SPLM, and include as members the federal auditor and auditor of the South Sudan government.
Its task is to select a "foreign company" to carry out a review of the oil produced in Sudan from 2005 until December 2010.

By Julius N. Uma
March 13, 2011 (JUBA) — The Energy and Mining ministry in the southern government and Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS), a Malaysian-owned oil and gas company, on Friday signed a two-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at boosting mutual cooperation between the two parties.

The MoU, signed in Juba, South Sudan’s capital, outlines the overall principles of cooperation in the oil and gas sector between the government and the Malaysian oil giants, creating an avenue exploiting existing business opportunities in the two regions.
In addition, the agreement further creates a platform for the two parties to set up frameworks for sharing of experiences and expertise in the management of petroleum resources through capability building and other training programs.Dato Wee Yiaw, PETONAS’s Executive vice president in charge of exploration and production business lauded the initiative, pledging his company’s commitment to fulfill its obligation of developing the oil and gas industry in the semi-autonomous region.Garang Diing Akuong, South Sudan’s Minister for Energy and Mining remained optimistic that the two-year agreement will promote greater co-operation between the two parties, citing sharing of mutual interests as paramount.“We believe this important document signed between the two parties will provide an avenue for strong cooperation between GOSS [Government of South Sudan] and PETRONAS,” the minister said amidst applause.The southern government, the minister further revealed, plans to enter into agreements with all oil companies currently operating in the region prior to the country’s July 09 independence declaration.