Central Africa in March 2026: the most important developments in economy
Economic developments linked to Central Africa in March 2026 centered on the French energy company TotalEnergies. The US government reached an agreement of nearly $1 billion with the company to end its offshore wind leases in the United States, and TotalEnergies is abandoning its US offshore wind plans. The administration of President Trump has opposed wind power development. A payout of this size had been under discussion since March 17.
The war in the Middle East also weighed on the company. Analysts said Exxon and TotalEnergies output was at risk from the Iran war. On March 11 Shell and TotalEnergies declared force majeure after Qatar's LNG production was shut down, and the fighting halted 15 percent of TotalEnergies' oil and gas production. The company kept a cap on fuel prices in France. Its chief executive warned that gas prices would be high if the Strait of Hormuz closed, and that oil and gas prices could surpass their 2022 highs if the Hormuz crisis held.
Other items included the restart of Libya's Mabruk oil field after a decade-long halt, a final plan for the second phase of Azerbaijan's Absheron field, and Allianz's investment in TotalEnergies battery storage. The Congo-Zambia copper corridor was due to reopen on March 3 after road damage. Trade ministers met in Cameroon on March 26 for WTO reform talks amid deep divisions, and a South African court was due to rule on a TotalEnergies offshore drilling dispute.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
Click a day in the chart above for that day's brief.