Alstom

Palace Intrigues
Denis Sassou-Nguesso, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Lalla Hasnaa

Intrigues big and small – every Thursday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.

CongoGabon's Freemasons let Sassou play host

GabonOligui Nguema's half-brother offers Fally Ipupa concert for festive season

MoroccoMohammed VI's sister, Lalla Hasnaa, offended by French absences at diplomatic gala

Morocco
Paris and Rabat honour each other at respective agricultural trade fairs

Designated as guest of honour at the Salon International de l'Agriculture in Morocco, to be held from 21 to 27 April, France will in turn be showcasing Morocco at this year's Salon International de l'Agriculture and Sommet de l'Elevage.

Morocco
Royal Air Maroc prepares to touch down in California

The airline chaired by Abdelhamid Addou will launch a Casablanca-Los Angeles route in 2025.

Morocco
Under pressure, Royal Air Maroc seeks strategy consultant

RAM is making improvements ahead of the 2030 World Cup. The airline is studying proposals from strategy consultancies in response to two invitations to tender issued at the end of the summer.

South Africa
French development agency mulls €300m loan for South Africa's Transnet

The Agence Française de Développement is considering providing financial support to the South African logistics giant Transnet. But first it wants to find an auditor for the company, which has long been plagued by poor governance.

Morocco
ONCF postpones tender for 168 new trains

Morocco's state-owned ONCF rail company has pushed back the submission deadline for the megaproject until July. France's Alstom and Spain's CAF and Talgo are all in the running, and the Spanish firms stand to gain from the delay.

Ivory Coast
Ivorian transport minister in Paris to discuss Abidjan metro

Ivorian Transport Minister Amadou Koné spent several days in Paris in late April. The focus of his visit was the progress of construction work on Abidjan's metro system.

Morocco
Alstom hopes new production plan will help it bag train contract

The French group, which is battling Spanish rivals for a contract for 168 new trains for Morocco's ONCF national rail company, hopes its plans to create local employment will help it triumph.

Morocco
As time goes by... Alstom trams stuck in Casablanca port

The French group and Casa Transport are at loggerheads over the delivery of the last batch of trams for the city's expanding public transport system, leaving the trainsets stuck in the port.

Guinea
China and US groups battle for Trans-Guinean contract

A Chinese and a US firm have both positioned themselves respectively on a major contract for the signalling and supply of locomotives for the future Trans-Guinean railway. The French giant Alstom is also taking a quiet interest in the project.

Ethiopia
Government short of cash to pay GERD contractors

Work on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the River Nile, which has been entirely self-financed by government bonds, could shortly suffer new delays.

Libya
Libyan ambassador to Paris rattles French investors

At a meeting organised by the Franco-Arabic Chamber of Commerce, the Libyan ambassador to Paris criticised French investors for being too hesitant to invest in his country.