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SSABE

SUB SAHARA AFRICA BUILT ENVIRONMENTINTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED FACILITY

From the Desk of Paul S Rogers

+27 (0) 520 7596E: westernpacificinvestments@gmail.com

ISSUE 243 – 1, 2012 SPECIAL 2

SSABE Special has been issued in the light of the amazing amount of works on offer even during the Xmas period, a traditional dead month, no more!The AFRICA section has highlighted a number of reports suited to strategic planning for 2012.At SSABE we bring some of our comments to participants already working or planning to expand into Africa

Africa is 52 countries, not one, each is an individual unit with its own ethic and ethnicity, learn it. Relationship building and real PRO work essential Participating in Round Tables, Chambers and Business Associations a good resolve Target a country or countries within your scope Recommended – Rwanda – Mozambique – Comoros – Zambia – Sudan – Central African Republic –

Mali - Ghana – The Gambia – Sierra Leone – Sao Tome & Principe – Northern Kenya – The Great Lakes Basin – The Northern Corridor - Morocco – Mauritius - Ethiopia

Africa is steadily building defenses against ‘Tenderentrepreneurs’ it has become vital to permanently locate and operate offices within the individual states

Outer offices to be manned primarily by locals, expats working becoming restrictive. Africa offices can no longer be run from exclusivity out of a first world office in Johannesburg, New

York or other Key to follow is mining, oil n gas, agriculture and operations on the ‘Corridors’ Rural roads will become a big infrastructure move from this year Agriculture is steadily regrouping and 2012 is to be the year broad industry becomes aware of the

opportunities – cold rooms – bio tech – green energy – laboratories – processing – equipment –supply lines – markets – packaging – dams – packhouses – finance – education and more

Green energies will take off in individual clusters and cooperatives, mini hydroelectric – photo voltaic – wind will open opportunities; these are by their very nature rural, aligning directly with agriculture and community groupings – the rural transcend

Accommodation is at a premium New mining/oil concessions are starting to demand inclusion of industrial support units, this will

dampen external supplies requiring FDI of new hubs within the individual countries China dominates and aligning with an Asiatic partner is relevant, thereafter India. The Middle East will not recover to the extravagance of speculation the last decade, money that is

left will be seeking new investment opportunities Donor Funds are repositioning toward inclusive ventures with the private sector, well researched,

presented with action will attract Impending ‘Arab Springs’ into Africa may start with soft targets, Malawi, Botswana, Sierra Leone,

Swaziland (Madagascar was the first!) then the knock on to Zimbabwe, South Africa, Nigeria Corruption prevails, a two edged sword, today’s gain will be tomorrows pain and extortion by lesser

officials is based on the letter of the law (which changes accordingly) – points 1,2,3 above a key defense

‘Bribe Blocks’ the traffic sectors private income pool endemic right through Africa, unstoppable. Wireless Worlds are brothers to Africa, the mobile addiction has opened the continent with

opportunities for innovation Newspapers remain a positive media as too the local TV channels Conferencing abounds Sports are strongly supported, sponsorships dire Health Services improving, scope for virtual and tourist medicals as well as pharmaceutical

production have niche opportunities Higher education can be taken to a new level with support Breaking the air transport cartel is needed Rail will become the primary transport logistic for development Tourism is still in its infancy Hotel and Catering schools needed

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EARLY WARNING & PROSPECTIVES

SADC

Angola: Phosphate Reserves Estimated at 200 Million Tonnes in Zaire Province The northern Zaire province has a phosphate reserves estimated at 200 million tonnes, located in Lukunga basin, Tomboco district, said Friday the national director of Mining, Kavungo Marlon.Angola: Campaign Agriculture Credit Goes Beyond Usd 67 Million The Campaign Agriculture Credit, co-ordinated by the Ministry of the Economy, in November of the current year reached a volume of 67.5M US dollars, according to the sum total of the data presented by the four banks involved in this programme.Angola: Cooperatives Exempted From Taxes The Angolan minister of Justice has issued this year a law that exempts agriculture cooperatives from paying any taxes in the process of their registration, Angop learned Tuesday in Luanda.Angola: Government Gives Priority to Secondary Roads Rehabilitation The work programme of the government of Bengo Province for 2012 will give priority to the rehabilitation of secondary roads, said on Friday in Caxito the local governor, João Bernardo de Miranda.Angola: Port of Lobito Handles Over 2.7 Million of Varied Loads The Commercial Port of Lobito handled from January to December more than 2.7 million tons compared to 2.3 million in 2010 said the chairman of the board of directors of that public company, Anapaz de Jesus Neto.Angola: Construction of Courts Among Priorities of Justice Sector The start of construction of infrastructures to house municipal courts in all provinces of the country figures among the main tasks carried out in 2011 by the Justice Ministry that is seeking a speedier settlement of conflicts.Angola: Power Infrastructures Rehabilitation Among Priorities The programmes of rehabilitation, installation and extension of a network and infrastructures of the power sector are the priorities on the Ministry of Energy and Waters, ANGOP has learnt.Angola: Moxico Govt to Build Football Stadium A municipal stadium with capacity for 7,000 people will be built in Moxico city, from the first half of next year, it was announced in Luena.ANGOLA: Pluspetroleo discovers oil in Angola’s Cabinda province December 16th 2011 News

The Pluspetroleo company, which has been prospecting for oil in Angola’s Cabinda province since 2006, has discovered an onshore well containing commercial quantities of oil, the company’s director general, Javier Igmacel told Angolan newspaper Jornal de Angola. The well, which is just one of a total 40 wells drilled, is 2,300 metres deep and is expected to start producing 3,000 barrels of oil per day as of 2013. Until then the company will finish installing all technical facilities and platforms. Declining to give a figure for the amount invested in prospecting so far, saying only that costs had been cavernous, Igmacel noted that this was the company’s first onshore oil production project.ANGOLA: Angolan government introduces new tax codes in January December 19th, – The Angolan government is due to introduce new tax codes in January, which are the central focus of reform of the country’s tax system, with the aim of increasing state revenues and boosting economic growth and increasing the efficiency of business activities. Launched in 2010, the Executive Programme for Tax Reform (PERT) will involve introduction of three new laws: The General Tax Code, the Tax Process Code and the Fiscal Execution Code, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit in its latest report on Angola.The aim of PERT, the British analysts said, is to “achieve much-needed modernisation of the legal framework and taxation system,” most of which has not been updated for decades. With a five-year duration, PERT also outlines the introduction of a Value Added Tax (VAT) and another tax on income, whilst the tax on corporate income is expected to remain at 35 percent, according to the EIU.Whilst taxation of the oil and diamond sectors has always been a priority for Angola, non-oil activities have been paid less attention, particularly because they generated fewer revenues. “A far-reaching tax reform can thus help to put public finances on bigger and more stable ground,” the EIU said. But the process presents several challenges, the British analysts said. Firstly the fact that the informal economy still has a greater weight than the formal one, which means that it is not covered by any kind of taxation. The housing market is also only, “sporadically regulated,” and consumer goods are often bought and sold on the black market.

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Bringing these activities into the formal economy, the EIU said, “will partly depend on the creation of more jobs by the formal sector of the economy,” which so far has not be entirely capable of absorbing them. Alongside this in November Angola approved its Budget for 2012, which is balanced and outlines expenditure of US$46.7 billion with a focus on the Health and Education sectors.Economic growth in the next year is expected to be around 12.8 percent, which is a strong acceleration against the 3.4 percent posted in 2011, led by the oil sector, which is expected to grow by 12.5 percent benefitting from the positive oil and gas production trend, which is the country’s biggest source of revenues. (macauhub)ANGOLA: City of Kilamba, in Angola, to have 218 new buildings finished by January 2012 December 23rd, 2011 News – The mayor of the City of Kilamba, Joaquim Israel, said in Luanda that the city would have 218 new buildings, with 6,820 apartments, by January 2012. Speaking to Angolan news agency Angop, Israel said that the buildings covered eight city blocks and could house over 40,000 people. The new buildings are in addition to another 155 that are ready to be occupied in Kilamba. By December 2011 the first phase of construction will be concluded with the delivery of 20,000 apartments to be occupied by around 120,000 people.The City of Kilamba, located some 20 kilometres to the south of central Luanda, is designed to be equipped with 24 nursery schools, 17 primary and secondary schools, leisure and sports areas, hotels and restaurants, retail areas, and primary and secondary roads. The city is being built by the China International Trust and Investment Corporation (CITIC) with funding from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). (macauhub)MALAWI: Brazil’s Vale builds railway in Malawi to transport coal from Mozambique December 29th, 2011 –Brazilian multinational mining company Vale has signed a contract with the government of Malawi for construction and operation of a railway line in southern Malawi in order to use it to transport coal mined in Moatize, in Mozambique’s Tete province. The aim of the agreement is to build and operate a new stretch of railway in Greenfield in Malawi as part of the logistical structure of the Nacala Corridor, which starts in Moatize, in Tete province, and stretches to Nacala. The Nacala Corridor begins at the port of Nacala and stretches as far as Zambia, crossing Malawi on the way.“Vale will build part of the Nacala Corridor in Malawi, covering 137 kilometres of railway line between Chikwawa and Nkaya Junction, where it will link up with the CEAR (Central and East African Railways) concession line,” a statement from Vale said. The railway will be used not only to transport coal from Moatize but to the benefit of the entire region. (macauhub)MAURITIUS: Launch of the Alamanda Garden RES project with an investment to the tune of USD 60M - The 8th of December 2011 welcomed the ground-breaking ceremony of the Alamanda Garden RES project in the north of Mauritius. The development of this RES project will be over on 23 A 61 p of freehold land at Pointe aux Piments and involves a judicious mix of residential, commercial and leisure components and green spaces. This RES project is the achievement of a successful Mauritian-French joint-venture between the Société OP Ramdenee and Mr. Criseo, through the special purpose vehicle, Société Immobilière de Pointe aux Piments (SIPP) Ltd. Mr Criseo is a French property developer with more than 34 years of experience in up market residential developments.The proposed RES development will comprise of 94 villas with private swimming pool, 53 apartments, 23 townhouses, a pitch and putt course, a restaurant, a commercial area, a club house, tennis and squash courts and a sport centre and spa, amongst others, and will entail an investment of MUR 1.7 billion (around USD 60 M). Besides targeting the traditional markets such as France, Reunion Island and South Africa, Alamanda Garden will target also the Chinese, Indian, and Russian markets.

The project will create more than 300 direct and indirect jobs during the construction phase and 170 thereafter. The commercial component of the project will also provide essential services to the residents such as dry-cleaning facilities, a mini-supermarket, a coffee shop and a restaurant.MOZAMBIQUE: Mozambique negotiates funding from Chinese bank for Maputo-Katembe bridge December 23rd, 2011 News – The Mozambican government is negotiating funding with the Export-Import Bank of China for construction of the Maputo-Katembe bridge, in the city of Maputo Mozambique’s Finance Minister Manuel Chang said, according to Mozambican newspaper O País. Chang also said that construction of the bridge and the road that links it to Ponta do Ouro, at an estimated cost of US$500 million, will be the responsibility of a Chinese company. The bridge, which is 4 kilometres long, will link the municipal district of Katembe to Maputo.

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The newspaper said that construction of the bridge was part of a package of projects to be funded by Banco Nacional de Investimentos (BNI), which is Portuguese-owned and was suspended due to the financial crisis affecting Portugal. The river is currently crossed by ferry, which systematically breaks down. (macauhub)MOZAMBIQUE: French Development Agency pays for study for refurbishment of runway at Maputo Airport in Mozambique December 23rd, 2011 News – The French Development Agency (AFD) plans to pay 1.6 million euros to carry out a study for the refurbishment of the runway at Maputo International Airport. The funding was made official Wednesday in Maputo when the French ambassador to Mozambique Christian Daziano and the chairman of state airport company Aeroportos de Moçambique (ADM), Manuel Veterano, signed an agreement, Mozambican news agency AIM reported. As well as the 3,600 metres of runway, the overall budget for which is not known as yet, the agreement includes pathways and the airport ramp. ADM expects negotiations for funding the project to be concluded by the end of next year and that construction work will start at the beginning of 2013.(macauhub)MOZAMBIQUE: Tete-Maputo power transmission line expected to improve business climate in MozambiqueDecember 16th, 2011– The future power transmission line from Tete to Maputo and expansion of retail banking will be fundamental to improve the business climate in Mozambique and for the development of a strong business sector, said the country’s Minister for Industry and Trade.MOZAMBIUE: Asphalting of road linking Nampula and Cuamba in Mozambique to begin in February 2012December 29th, 2011 – Work to asphalt the road between Nampula and Cuamba, over 348 kilometres, is due to begin in February of next year, Mozambique’s Prime Minister, Aires Ali said in Nampula. The work will be carried out by three companies, two of which are Chinese and the other a Portuguese construction company. The project is expected to take three years and cost US$267 million. The companies involved are China Construction Communication (CCC), China Henan International Cooperation Company Ltd (CHICO) and Gabriel Couto. The work also involves construction of 37 bridges, of which 17 will be refurbished, 14 replaced by aqueducts and the remaining six will be built from scratch. (macauhub)MOZAMBIQUE: Eta Star Moçambique finds coal in Moatize, Tete province December 29th, 2011 Eta Star Moçambique SA, a joint venture made up of the Dubai-based Eta Star group and Mozambican companies Minas do Zambeze and Índico Investments, has announced it has found around 2 billion tons of coal in Moatize, in Tete province. The concession on the coal mine covers an area of 4,000 hectares. Mohamed Sathak, the company’s managing director said that much of the coal was at a depth of 300 metres, which made it possible to mine using an open face method.(macauhub)MOZAMBIQUE: Mozambique has large natural gas reserves in Inhambane and Rovuma December 29th, 2011 – The Deputy Mining Resources Minister, Abdul Razak Noormahomed, said that Mozambique had around 29 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the Pande and Temane basins, 3.6 trillion in Inhambane and Rovuma, in the north of the country, had at least 25 trillion in reserves. Speaking to Mozambican newspaper Notícias the minister said that piping the natural gas from Temane, in Inhambane, for domestic use, will require expansion of the processing station, which would require an investment of between US$20 and US$30 million.Notícias reported Thursday that preparatory work was underway to pipe domestic gas to consumers in the cities of Maputo and Matola and the town of Marracuene, and it is expected that by the end of the first quarter of 2012 work will begin on expanding existing facilities. Domestic gas consumed in Mozambique is currently processed in South Africa, from where it is transported to Maputo by truck. The government, together with private partners, is investing in the industrial port of Matola, on the outskirts of the Mozambican capital, which will allow for anchorage of ships carrying natural gas processed in other countries intended for local consumption. (macauhub)Namibia: Coal Power Station for Arandis NamPower, the state run power utility, is currently looking at a number of sites in the Erongo region as a suitable location for a coal power station, with Arandis currently first in line.Namibia: Sour Deal for Rail Company THE NAMIBIAN Paulus Ashipala 15 December 2011 - THE company that supplied rails for the Northern Railway Extension and Haalenberg projects made massive losses, if court documents from the case in which the contract was challenged are anything to go by. Ministry of Works and Transport Permanent Secretary George Simataa on Monday insisted that his ministry never overspent on the rails procurement tender, which was awarded for N$189.2 million. Simataa castigated The Namibian for stating that Government had overspent by N$60 million.The contract was given to VAE Perway t/a VAE SA, a subsidiary of Austrian rail manufacturing company Voestalpine AG Group at N$189 181 906 amid allegations that the ministry had misled the Tender Board. What Simataa told the public on Monday suggests that VAE SA made no profit from the contract. That is if figures from the court papers are to be believed. This gives a glimpse that if indeed the tendered amount was what VAE SA received from the Ministry of Works and Transport, then it was a deal gone terribly sour for the company.Namibia: Kudu Could Come On Stream By 2016 The long-awaited Kudu Gas Project could become operational as early as 2016, just in time to link the gas pipe and other oil and gas exploration development taking place in South Africa.Namibia: Govt to Pay N$800 Million More for Neckartal THE NAMIBIAN Tileni Mongdhi 23 December 2011 - The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry has pushed Government into hiring a company with a chequered past to build a dam at a cost of N$2,8 billion - N$800 million more than another bidder who was initially appointed.The decision on the construction of the Neckartal Dam in southern Namibia was taken in questionable circumstances at a special Tender Board meeting held on Wednesday specifically for this issue, a source with

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information on the project told The Namibian. The Tender Board's final meeting of the year was officially held last Friday and it reportedly awarded the tender to a Chinese company for just under N$2 billion.Andrew Ndishishi, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, is alleged to have pushed for the special meeting held on Wednesday, having briefly interrupted his leave to handle the matter of awarding of the tender to Italian company Impregilo. By his own admission, Ndishishi hardly ever attends Tender Board meetings and thus raised eyebrows when he pushed for and attended the 'emergency' session. The Wednesday meeting was attended by only a few permanent secretaries because many had already gone on leave.Its decision clashed with what was discussed on Friday, 16 December 2011, when the majority of Tender Board members insisted on granting the contract to China Henan International Cooperation.The Namibian understands that at the Friday meeting, many Tender Board members shot down the ministry's recommendation for Impregilo SPA, not only because its bid was high but also because the Italian outfit had in the past been implicated in corruption allegations and allegedly paid fines in Lesotho.Ndishishi declined to respond to more than 10 questions e-mailed to him yesterday, after having initially referred The Namibian to the Tender Board. "These allegations are serious, malicious, false and baseless. I have referred them to my lawyers to advise the next course of action. I cannot leave it there. The court shall establish the truth," said Ndishishi in an e-mail reply without answering any of the questions.Several people familiar with the discussions on Wednesday said one of Ndishishi's motivations was that Impregilo would create 700 jobs for Namibians as well as other benefits, while China Henan would only create 200 jobs. At the Friday meeting, the Tender Board members where not convinced by the agriculture ministry's presentation, which was led by Ndishishi's deputy, Anna Shiweda. Ndishishi told The Namibian that he attended the Wednesday meeting only because Shiweda was on leave. A few other permanent secretaries who did not attend the Friday meeting, including one who is said to have walked out, allegedly interrupted their holidays to support the Impregilo bid on Wednesday."It is very strange," said Tender Board chairperson Ericah Shafudah when contacted for comment about the special meeting. She confirmed that she too was informed of the two conflicting decisions. "I also want to understand what transpired," she said. Controversy has surrounded the Neckartal Dam project in the Karas Region for some time now, especially after the first round of the "pre-qualification" process, which determined which companies were technically capable of building such a huge dam.The Neckartal Dam is expected to be the biggest ever built in Namibia. It is part of the government's Green Scheme programme to reach food self-sufficiency. The N$2,8 billion Impregilo bid is more than 20 per cent higher than the government's own estimate that the project should cost about N$2,2 billion. Government guidelines are that they should not hire a company if the price is 15 per cent more than its budgeted or estimated amounts. A lot of internal wrangling within the Ministry of Agriculture is said to have arisen because of the project and these matters reportedly dominated the Tender Board discussions over the project for some time.Namibia: Nation Discusses Refinery With Iran Namibian officials are in discussions with Iran about the development of an oil refinery here.South Africa: Developers Shows Signs of Re-Entry Into Residential Market Biz-Community - According to Elwyn Schenk, Pam Golding Properties (PGP) area principal in Umhlanga and Umdloti, near Durban, major developers, traditionally recognised as having an astute capacity to read the market, are becoming increasingly active.SOUTH AFRICA: Durban’s new R670m food plant sets green benchmark ENG NEWS By: Jonathan Ramayia 12th December 2011 - A new R670-million savoury foods factory in Riverhorse Valley, Durban, which was officialy opened by Anglo-Dutch multinational Unilever in December, has been hailed by Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies as the single largest manufacturing investment in South Africa since the 2010 FIFA World Cup.It is able to produce 65 000 t/y of products, but has been designed to be expanded to 100 000 t/y in future, which would make it Unilever’s single largest savoury foods-producing factory globally. The group operates 250 plants selling about 170-billion products yearly in 180 countries.The 22 000 m2 facility, touted among the group’s most technially and environmentally advanced, is also Unilever’s second-largest plant worldwide. It is also a global first for the group in terms of advancing its focus on advanced sustainable “green” technology. The plant’s environmental strategy is based on the three pillars of water neutrality, zero waste and energy efficiency. Indonsa was developed as a model plant for replication in other Unilever factories and is in line with Unilever’s aim to “globally reduce CO2 emissions from manufacturing and logistics by over 40% by 2020 from its 1995 baseline, at a rate of almost 5% a year”.Energy efficiency has been achieved through the use of state-of-the-art energy efficient machinery, the use of natural lighting where possible, as well as energy efficient lighting.Water-saving interventions range from rainwater harvesting, whereby the rain water is channeled from the roof into a 1500-l tank, to the application of smart water efficiency technology, which virtually eliminates municipal supply, enabling the recovery of 70% of all water used in production. In addition, condensate from air-conditioning is reused for the cleaning of toilets and process and shower water is recycled via biological and reverse osmosis treatment.In a bid to be a ‘zero-waste’ facility, Indonsa’s solid waste, consisting mainly of packaging materials, is reused so that nothing is added to landfills. Plans are also in place to donate product waste for composting in local gardens in poor communities, while excess waste will be converted by a waste-to-energy plant which will be fed back into the national energy grid.The facility has been described by chief supply chain officer Pier-Luigi Sigismondi as “an industrial piece of art” that has set a benchmark for similar facilities in both the region and the country.

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SOUTH AFRICA: Crossways project dubbed SA’s ‘town of the future’ ENG NEWS By: Megan Wait 16th December 2011 - Construction has started at South Africa’s first green town, known as Crossways Farm Village, located on the edge of the Van Stadens river gorge, outside Port Elizabeth.The village is expected to operate almost independently of the national energy grid and it will also be the first rural town fully integrated with an existing agriculture component, in this case a professionally run dairy farm, and one where future food security has formed an important component of the overall planning.Earlier this month, Minister of Rural Devel- opment and Land Reform Gugile Nkwinti oversaw the installation of all services for the first residential and industrial phases. All the industrial stands and 70% of the residential stands in these phases have been sold and construction of the first houses is expected to start by April next year.The industrial stands, located some distance from the residential nodes, are intended for light cottage industries with a strong artisanal and agriprocessing character.Architectural and property development firm CMAI founder Dr Chris Mulder was responsible for the design, planning and implementation of the R3.4-billion project. Mulder, whose Thesen Islands project, in the Knysna lagoon, won two CNBC International Property Development Awards in 2007, says Crossways Farm Village will combine the benefits of a healthy rural existence with all the conveniences of sophisticated urban living.Speaking to Engineering News, he notes that the specific area was chosen as it has such good farmland. “There is also good access off the N2 on a double lane freeway into Port Elizabeth, as well as the established Woodridge College, which has been in existence for more than 60 years and has a good curriculum.“The whole philosophy of the entire project is to ensure the food security capability, that good agricultural land is retained, poverty is alleviated, jobs are created, contracts are made available to smaller operators, and to demonstrate how private initiatives can make a meaningful impact on rural development when the correct land laws are in place,” says Mulder. The company is also currently working on a similar agrivillage in Bloemfontein.Tanzania: Construction Sector Survives Economic Slump With Sustained Growth Despite economic hardships experienced in the yearlong, construction industry has continued to be one of the most exciting sectors contributing immensely in the economic growth.Tanzania: Dar to Construct Third Terminal At Main Airport Tanzania expects a boost in air traffic passengers numbers from the current 1.5 million to 8 million per year once the country implements a plan to construct a third terminal at its main airport.Tanzania: Kilimanjaro Airport Facelift Starts January The Citizen (Dar es Salaam) 15 Dec 2011Renovation of the Kilimanjaro International Airport will start in January as part of efforts to improve services at the 40 year old airport to meet the demands of increased tourist flows in Northern Tanzania. The services would include modest expansion as well as overhauling and resurfacing of the runway, taxiways and aprons, according to Kadco CEO Marco van de Kreeke."A new taxiway will be built to increase the capacity of the airport and the terminal building will be upgraded and expanded to accommodate the growing flow of tourists into Northern Tanzania," Mr Marco said in a statement made available to The Citizen yesterday.The renovation would start with the design phase, which will be done by the Netherlands Airport Consultants (Naco) at the cost of Sh920 million. The design phase is expected to take about eight months. The Sh57.5 billion renovation project is the first major facelift since the airport was inaugurated in 1971. The renovation funds come from a grant provided in November by the the Kingdom of Netherlands and from Kadco's own resources. The statement said that once the Development Phase is completed and the design is approved, the Dutch government will provide a second grant to cover 50 per cent of the cost of the actual rehabilitation and the other 50 per cent is to be financed by Kadco through the airport's revenue, adding that tendering and actual works are foreseen to take place in 2013/2014.Tanzania: State Upgrades Rukwa Airports The Citizen (Dar es Salaam) Mussa Mwangoka 27 December 2011 —Rehabilitation of airports in Sumbawanga and Mpanda townships is estimated to cost Sh80 billion, it has been revealed. Out of the amount, Sh50 billion would be spent on the Sumbawanga airport, the acting director general for the Tanzania Airport Authority (TAA), Mr Suleiman Suleiman, has said. The upgrading of the facilities would involve the construction of tarmac runway, taxi ways as well as fences around the airports. The funds would also be used to construct a new passenger lounge and other facilities at the two airports. He noted that they have already obtained a loan from the European Investment bank (EIB) for the exercise. The Sumbawanga airport has a single runway measuring 1.6 kilometres in length and 30 metres in width and a small parking area. While in Mpanda, the deputy minister would inspected the airport whose runway has been tarmaced at the cost of Sh30 billion.Zambia: Ichimpe Mine Project Shelved - THE Government has directed Zhonghui mining group of China, the developer of the US$690 million Ichimpe Mine in Kalulushi to stop the project until an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and mine plan are approved.Zambia: Indeni to Raise U.S.$40 Million for Plant Upgrade TIMES OF ZAMBIA 28 December 2011INDENI Petroleum Refinery has initiated a resource mobilisation plan to raise US$40 million required for plant upgrade. Managing director Maybin Noole said in Ndola during a media tour yesterday that the company had advertised for tenders from project consultants as a first step. The firm would secure the amount required for installing the two major components, Isomeriser and Desulphuriser. He said the company had already received replies to tenders from consultants to do a detailed engineering study.Zambia: Pushing Up Frontiers of Agro Sector TIMES OF ZAMBIA Stanslous Ngosa 27 Dec 2011THE development of agriculture is the desire of every Zambian, especially the Government leadership because the sector has the potential to create wealth and reduce poverty if fully exploited. Agriculture marketing has been one of the key aspects that required attention from the government. The competitiveness of the sector has been adversely affected by poor transport infrastructure, inadequate storage facilities and limited access to electricity.

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However, with the Patriotic Front (PF) Government being in power in the last three month, a lot of commitment has been shown. For instance, this year's increased budgetary allocation of 37.9 per cent from the previous 25 per cent is good for the development of the sector. Of the funds, the balance will cater for irrigation infrastructure, livestock development, fisheries and aquaculture development, and other programmes. Zimbabwe: Investors Ditch Riozim's U.S.$3 Billion Power Project A FINANCIAL crisis at RioZim Limited has wrecked the planned construction of a multi-billion dollar power plant after the beleaguered mining concern's bid to avoid potential receivership faltered when shareholders voted against a management proposed bailout plan.Zimbabwe: 'Mulling Ban On Raw Platinum Exports' 28 December 2011 Zimbabwe plans to ban the export of raw minerals, including platinum, in the next five years to encourage local processing to maximise the resources' value, a deputy mines minister said on Wednesday. "It is a process. What we are doing is that we are looking at the goals of the Ministry of Mines that we must ensure that there is value addition in all minerals mined in Zimbabwe before exports," the Deputy Mines Minister Gift Chimanikire told AFP. "If you look at the figures of last year for mineral exports, Zimbabwe exported $4 billion (3 billion euro) worth of minerals but the fiscus only got $120 million. So we are exporting jobs outside the country."The resource-rich southern African country loses a lot of revenue because it does not refine minerals such as platinum, said Chimanikire. "As Zimbabweans we want to know how much gold is in the platinum as well as other minerals. At the moment we cannot know as the platinum is refined in South Africa," he said. Last year platinum giant Zimplats announced plans to set up a $500-million metal refinery in Zimbabwe. The world's two biggest platinum miners, Anglo Platinum and Impala Platinum, both have multi-billion-dollar investments there. This year Zimbabwe banned the export of raw chrome to encourage smelting of the mineral and so increase its value. Zimbabwe also sits on vast deposists of gold, coal, copper and diamonds. - ANP/AFP

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East Africa: Railway Line From Tanga to Port Bell Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam) Deogratias Mushi Recently 19 December 2011 — The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) also discussed how to improve the economies of the member states. Setting the ball rolling was Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, who is also the current chairperson of ICGLR. He promised that during his tenure, he will make sure the improvement of infrastructure in the region is implemented.Museveni says that Tanzania and Uganda have already agreed to fast track the process of constructing the long awaited railway from Tanga to Port Bell (Kampala) via Musoma port on Lake Victoria. The Ugandan leader has already held talks with President Jakaya Kikwete over the construction of the Uganda-dedicated railway, and the duo affirmed the process must be speeded up to ease transportation of exports and imports in and out of landlocked Uganda.The two presidents have also agreed to immediately form a ministerial task force comprising ministers of Transport, Finance and Foreign Affairs to find ways to speed up the construction and funding of the 2.7 billion US dollars railway and ports project.Tanzania and Uganda have also agreed to expand the handling capacities of Tanga and Musoma ports, and build a new port in Uganda other than Port Bell to serve the new railway line. This railway will be dedicated to Uganda and by extension, to Southern Sudan and serve as the beginning of linking West and East Africa from Uganda by rail.The railway will also open up the third gateway for Ugandan goods to the sea. Uganda's other alternative are the Mombasa-Kampala railway and the Dar-Mwanza to Kampala, also known as the Central Corridor. Although the railway project was conceived during the first phase government, its implementation was held up for various reasons and challenges that included finding funds for the project.Tanga Port, the second biggest in Tanzania after Dar es Salaam, has capacity to handle 500,000 tonnes annually of various cargoes, but utilises only 76.5 per cent of its capacity. Most of the volume of goods through Tanga port is imports which include liquid bulk cargo, chemicals, machinery and vehicles.Tanzania needs to hasten the construction of Tanga - Portbell railway line, as Kenya's Rift Valley Railways Investments (RVRI) has already secured a 40 million US dollars' loan from the African Development Bank (ADB) to restore the 2,300-kilometre railway from Mombasa to Kampala.Experts say that the rail operator plans to create an effective East African railway network that will reduce inland freight costs up to 35 per cent. If this projects finishes before Tanga-Port Bell is constructed, the former might take the lion's share in the regional railway business."This loan is set to advance the upgrading of vital railway infrastructure, expedite the transition from roads to rail," said Ahmed Heikal, chairman and founder of Citadel Capital, an Egyptian venture capitalist, which owns 51 per cent of RVRI and holds a 25-year concession to run the railway.Citadel has been restructuring the railway, and recently announced 674,000 US dollars pre-tax profit, the first positive financial results since Citadel took over. "Throughout 2010, Citadel and RVRI worked closely to implement a sustainable business plan and investment plan that includes a 287 million US dollars, five-year capital expenditure programme to rehabilitate RVRI's infrastructure and rolling stock," said Citadel managing director Karim Sadek.Closing the ICGLR meeting on Friday, President Museveni called on donors to support the infrastructure within ICGLR countries, totally rejecting Western attempts to link international aid with progress on gay rights. "Building infrastructure was more important" says Museveni, adding that homosexuals also need electricity, roads and trains too.

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ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian PM impressed with move towards industrialization 20 december 2011 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - Speaking at the launch of a new hydro-electricity power plant, the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, expressed satisfaction with the progress made in implementing the country’s industrialization plan.ETHIOPIA: Tripartite Experts Committee Convenes to Assess Ethiopia's Millennium Dam Egypt State Information Service (Cairo) 25 December 2011 - Tripartite committees of members from Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia convened here on 24/12/2011 to look into the expected effects of the construction of Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam on Down stream states, Egypt and Sudan.Ethiopia: Two Contractors Pass Evaluation for Menelik Hospital Expansion Addis Fortune (Addis Ababa) Mahlet Mesfin 25 December 2011 - The Addis Abeba Design & Construction Bureau identified the two contractors that passed the technical evaluation for the construction of an eight-storey building for Menelik II Hospital on Wednesday, December 21; the construction of a similar building for Yekatit 12 Hospital was awarded to Giga Construction three weeks ago.The bureau announced the bid for the two buildings in July 2011. The bid for Yekatit 12 went more smoothly, ending in the first round. Samuel Sahlemariam, Giga Construction, MNKH, and Deta had all responded to the announcement, with only Giga and Samuel Sahlemariam qualifying in the technical evaluation. Eventually, Giga was awarded the tender for a total of 178 million Br, including value-added tax (VAT).It took three successive bids for Menelik, however, before the bureau decided to proceed with the selection process. The third tender attracted AMB, Yergalem, Afro Tsion, Samuel Sahlemariam, and 3M Engineering Consultants, with only Afro Tsion and Yergalem passing the technical evaluation and submitting their financial offers.The construction of the two buildings, which the Design & Construction Bureau is overseeing for the Health Bureau are only two of the 500 projects that the city administration has planned for the 2011/12 fiscal year.Ethiopia: Kassa & Sons Awarded Total's Dukem Depot Construction Total Ethiopia awarded the civil work for its new depot in Dukem to Kassa & Sons Consulting Plc; the energy company will float more tenders in the coming weeks for the mechanical and electrical work.Kenya: Qatari Firm in Talks With KAA Over Delay of Sh30 Billion Project DAILY NATION Lucas Barasa 24 December 2011 - A Qatari firm contracted to construct a US$350 million (about Sh30 billion) convention centre at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is negotiating with Kenya Airports Authority over the delay. Afro-Asia Investment Corporation chairman Haji Mohamed Yassin Ismail said "we are negotiating certain aspects of the agreement that has caused the delay." The project involves development of a convention centre at JKIA, which includes a five-star hotel. At $350 million, it is expected to be the largest foreign direct investment in Kenya's history.Afro-Asia Investment Corporation has developed vast real estate in Doha, Qatar, and is patronised by the royal family of the rich oil emirate. Mr Ismail regretted that one of the firm's KENYAN lawyers had gone behind it and pushed for the project to be taken over from Afro-Asia Investment Corporation after neglecting his duties in signing of agreement.Kenya: Construction of Malindi University to Begin Next Year Construction work for the proposed and much awaited multibillion fully fledged International university in Malindi will begin in June next year after it was approved by the Commission of Higher learning.Kenya: Lamu-Ethiopia Transport Corridor Launch Set for Feb Capital FM (Nairobi) Michael Karanja 20 December 2011 — The government is scheduled to break ground for the Lamu Port-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) Corridor in February as it seeks to improve the road network and connectivity with neighboring countries.Prime Minister Raila Odinga said that the multi-trillion shilling project would enable the country exploit the vast resources in the region in a move aimed at catapulting the country into a medium income economy by 2030. He was upbeat that the construction of Lamu Port and the transport corridor through Isiolo, Moyale and Turkana will open up development prospects in Northern Kenya, linking it to Southern Sudan and Ethiopia. "The project will have a transport corridor linking it with Ethiopia and South Sudan. Besides the port, the project also incorporates an oil refinery at Isiolo", Prime Minister Odinga said.With the East African road network accounting for 80 percent of the regional cargo, improving the Northern Corridor that runs from Mombasa to the Great Lakes is crucial in boosting trade and investment within the region. Already complete, the 100 km Emali-Loitoktok road was upgraded at a cost of Sh4.2 billion, which included an extension of 12km from Loitoktok to Kibauni at the Kenya-Tanzania border.As the busiest road in the Northern Corridor, accounting for the highest volume of transit goods to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo, the 60 km Eldoret-Webuye-Malaba road is still undergoing upgrades at a cost of Sh7.05 billion. Over the last one year, Kenya exports to the East African Community partner States have grown by a surplus of Sh10 billion from a value of Sh79.7 billion to Sh90 billion, a major incentive to further develop infrastructure in the region. The premier said the flow of goods from Kenya's coastline has proven to be an issue, with the Port of Mombasa expected to surpass its full cargo holding capacity of 20 million tones, this year hence the need to develop the Lamu Port. About 96 percent of cargo from the Mombasa port is transported by road, heavily overloading the Mombasa-Nairobi-Western economic corridor.Kenya: Portland Cement Severs Clinker Supply Deal With Bamburi East Africa Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) has severed a multi-million shilling clinker supply contract with Bamburi, its anchor shareholder, ending a four-year deal that had raised questions over potential conflict of interest due to common shareholding and market rivalry of the two listed firms.

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Kenya: Mombasa Port Plans Sh100 Million Repairs to Attract Cruise Ships Two berths at the Mombasa port will be rehabilitated to accommodate cruise ships as Kenya prepares to increase its earnings from the lucrative tourism segment following improved security off the Somali coast.Kenya: Building a Name in the Competitive Construction Sector DAILY NATION Ponciano Odongo 28 December 2011 - She was comfortable in her white-collar job and was afraid to take any risk in any business. But instinct and fate seemed to push her into self employment. Today, Mary Mumbi Muthui, 46, a mother-of-three and the managing director of Benma Hardware, can tell her success story. Together with her employees, they make a living from selling building materials.When we arrived for the interview, it was difficult to tell that Mary was the managing director. She appeared to be one of the workers and was helping load goods on vehicles. She also drove a pick-up to a nearby construction site to deliver materials. Formerly a customer care representative with Kencel, currently Airtel, she says she has no regrets six years after choosing entrepreneurship.The sales and marketing diploma holder had for years thought of venturing into business, but it was not until 2004 that she got the inspiration to do it. And her inspiration came as she listened to a pastor in church. "The pastor made it clear that no person or organisation can ever pay you what you are worth. This stirred me," she says. Three years before, when her husband went for a two-year overseas assignment in the United States, she had learnt that people everywhere worked hard for their survival. "I saw people working for many hours," she says. "Some were passionately in businesses -- they liked and enjoyed what they were doing." Then, while assisting in supervising the construction of the family house at Kahawa Sukari, the idea struck.A mason she talked to advised her to set up a hardware shop if she intended to run a business. He even gave her a tip on the best location. She considered the idea, but wondered if a woman could run such a "difficult" business. "I thought it was only for men," she says. She thought about the idea for days. She remembered the huge amounts she and her husband had paid to a hardware shop for the building materials for their house and wondered whether it was possible for her to earn that kind of money. She was further encouraged to consider the idea when her husband bought a pick-up vehicle."I had savings of Sh300,000 which I decided to risk on the business," says Mary."At first I was alone, doing everything. Later, I employed one person to help in loading," she reminisces. From her experience in sales and marketing, she knew she needed to inform people about her business. "I moved from one construction site to another, marketing the business. The response was good. The few people who heard about it told others about the business, although some people were negative." What emboldened her was the fact that her business broke even before a year elapsed. This made it easier to manage overheads. Seven years on, Benma Hardware has assets valued over millions of shillings. Due to the encouraging growth of the business, Mary always ploughs back the profit. She has acquired the land on which the hardware premises stands on the Nairobi-Namanga road, so she no longer pays rent. In addition to the pick-up car, the shop owns two Canters. The business directly employs eight people and many more indirectly. One of the principles that has kept Mary going is valuing her customers. "I believe that the customer is always right," she says. "The business relationship with a customer must remain cordial."The businesswoman now exudes confidence and eloquence, but she has had to overcome many odds. "Like any other woman, I thought of beauty, smartness, and simplicity. It needed soul-searching to leave a 'feminine job' because of rigidity and conservatism." At first she thought that the hardware business was dirty and not glamorous. But her change of mind has paid off and one big lesson she now frequently echoes is, "possibly the dirtier the job themore the money." Mary says that the business requires a high level of integrity. Customers should know from the outset whether the products they are buying are genuine or counterfeits."Some clients deposit large sums of money in our business account for materials or send it directly to me. This calls for proper record keeping and accountability. One should never be tempted to inflate the prices. At the end of the contract, I reimburse the surplus to the client."The hardware shop outsources bookkeeping and accounting. To manage competition, she is firm about

integrity, honesty, time consciousness, availability of stock, and good customer care.Mary's day starts at 6.30am, when she can be found in her office making and receiving calls as she plans for the day. She pays her workers well because she believes in incentives. "This retains employees," she says. Some of the challenges include loss of materials, bad debts from disloyal clients, management of large orders beyond business capital, low seasons, and price fluctuations.She has some advice for young men and women: "It is wrong to wait for long to get 'normal' jobs. Think and find something to do to make a living. You have the potential." Her daughter, who recently graduated from university, helps in the shop.This is not the end of the dream for the Benma Hardware managing director. She has even bigger plans: she hopes to expand her business in the East African region. She also plans to set up a real estate consultancy firm and later go into real estate business.Kenya: Wind Power Investors to Earn Billions From Turkana Project The Sh75 billion Lake Turkana Wind Power consortium - the largest single private investment in Kenya's history - will earn Sh26 billion (€200 million) over its lifespan, the sponsors have said.Kenya: Govt to Gazette Seven Offshore Oil Fields THE EAST AFRICAN Kennedy Senelwa 18 December 2011 — Kenya is set to gazette seven new offshore oil exploration areas with Total of France and state-owned Petrobras of Brazil expressing interest in the fields. "We are moving fast to map out seven new fields in water depth of about 3,000 metres," senior principal superintending geologist Hudson Andambi said at a workshop in Nairobi.

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Offshore exploration activities are also expected to intensify in 2012 as US-owned Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and Apache Corporation each plan to drill an oil well. Tullow Oil Plc is Apache's joint venture partner.Recent entry of Total and Shell in offshore oil exploration in Kenya and Tanzania respectively have raised East Africa's investment profile.London Stock Exchange-quoted Tullow is awaiting Ugandan government's approval for the firm, jointly with Total and China National Offshore Oil Corporation, to proceed with production plans near Lake Albert. Tullow is also expected to start drilling Ngamia-1 well near Lodwar in the first quarter of 2012. It had planned to carry out the exercise in November but logistics were not favourable."Weatherford rig will start drilling the Ngamia well in the first quarter of 2012. Moving heavy drilling equipment from the port of Mombasa was a large exercise that required over 150 trucks," Tullow Kenya general manager Martin Mbogo said.Further drillingIn the second quarter of 2012, Tullow is expected to move the Weatherford rig from Lokichar area near Lodwar by road to Nairobi then to Isiolo and finally Marsabit district to sink the Paipai-1 well in northern Kenya. Drilling of Paipai well in block 10A is expected to start in the second quarter of 2012. The Weatherford rig will be moved from near Lake Turkana by road to Nairobi through Isiolo town to Marsabit district. The average cost of drilling a well onshore is about $30 million while offshore is between $50 million and $100 million.Tullow, which has exploration interests in Tanzania, will in also sink another well offshore in Kenya jointly with Apache Corporation, Origin Energy Ltd and Pancontinental Oil & Gas NL. In October, Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi granted official approval for acquisition of 30 per cent exploration interests by Total SA in five fields covering 30,682 square kilometres. Total acquired the entire 15 per cent stake of Dynamic Global Advisers, five per cent from Cove Energy and 20 per cent from Anadarko. Seismic surveys to map out potential oil deposits over two areas will be completed soon with the first exploration well planned for drilling in 2012.Kenya: Japan Firm's Boss Faces MPs' Wrath Nairobi Star (Nairobi) Francis Mureithi 16 Dece 2011The director of a Japanese company that won the Sh3 billion consultancy contract for the multi-billion Lamu Port project were yesterday kicked out from a parliamentary committee meeting for being uncooperative.Members of the committee on Transport Public Works and Housing were angry that the director of the JapanesePort Consultants was not answering questions on the project citing confidentiality agreed between the company and the client, which is the Kenya government.Attempts by the MPs to have the JPC country director Kehio Nagai shed light on the amount of money the firm has so far received for the job hit a snag. The director also refused to disclose the contract sum and also refused to respond to questions on how the tendering was done. He maintained he first needed to consult his client. The MPs consequently threatened to recommend to Parliament that it blacklists the company effectively blocking it from doing any business in Kenya.Members of the committee, which is chaired by Matungu MP David Were, also threatened to recommend that the contract awarded to the company for the Lamu project be canceled. "Kenyans have asked us about the consultancy at the Lamu Port, but you have shown total disregard for Parliament and this committee. You've been very uncooperative," said Mwala MP Daniel Muoki during a brief meeting at Continental House before the director was kicked out.Kitutu Masaba MP Walter Nyambati questioned why the directors were refusing to disclose information yet questions have already been raised in the House touching on alleged irregular of awarding of the contract. "This is public money and the details of such contracts must be available to every Kenyan who wants that information. We are disappointed that you have shown a lot of contempt to Parliament," said Nyambati.Investigations into the Lamu port deal were referred to the Transport committee last June after Transport minister Amos Kimunya failed to satisfy the House on how tendering of the project was carried out. Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo, who brought the matter to the House, has claimed that the tendering process was flawed.Kenya: KenGen Starts New Round of Steam Wells' Drilling The Kenya Electricity Generating company has started the second phase of drilling steam wells at Olkaria that will propel geothermal energy as the main source of power as erratic weather makes hydro-generation increasingly unreliable.Kenya: Country Hangs On to Its Hope of Finding Oil Wells DAILY NATION Barnabas Bii 26 December 2011 -Discovery of oil in Uganda two years ago brought major oil prospecting companies back to Kenya, keen to determine if the black gold deposits exist in the country. Hopes of Kenya striking it rich were dampened in 2009 when the China National Offshore Oil Corporation announced its exit from local oil exploration. It was the only cash-flush firm in the region at the time.By the time it left, the company had drilled its 32nd well in the Anza basin of Isiolo District. Its exit dashed hopes of the country striking oil or gas. Kenya's hopes were revived after Tullow eventually struck oil near Lake Albert in Uganda in 2009 because the surrounding regions have similar geological structures, especially Kalabata Basin in Turkana County.Australia's Woodside Energy is among several international companies that have been keen on the search for oil and gas in the country. Others listed on the New York and London Stock exchanges are Premier Oil and Apache Oil. In September, French multinational Total acquired a 40 per cent stake in five blocks within the Lamu Basin from Anadarko Kenya Company Cove Energy with the brief of accelerating exploration work. By April 2011, Energy minister Kiraitu Murungi was optimistic that other international oil companies were likely to rush in if oil or gas were

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discovered in Isiolo. But by the end of the year, hopes of oil being found in the area plummeted and the focus shifted to Turkana.Tullow set up base at Lokichar and Nakukulas in Lokichar basin, Turkana East County. A drilling rig and associated equipment for oil prospecting were mobilised at the Nakukulus site by mid-2011. According to a report released by Tullow, drilling at the well site code-named Ngamia-1 was to commence before the end of the year and last for two-and-a-half months. The company began by constructing a road linking Lokichar trading centre in Turkana South and Lokori in Turkana East to facilitate transport.The country has not made any commercial oil discovery despite increased exploration work. Only time and will tell if the Turkana exploration will be successful.Rwanda: Investor Seeks 20,000 Hectares in Rwanda Algeria's biggest sugar producer Civital Group has tasked the Rwandan Government to provide 20,000Ha of land to grow sugarcane as a pre-condition to set up a sugar milling plant in Rwanda with the capacity to produce 200 Metric Tonnes( MT) annually.Rwanda: Construction of Hotel Near Virunga National Park Halted The Government Has Stopped the Construction of a Five star hotel by Serena Group in the buffer zone of the Volcanoes National Park, as demanded by environmentalists.Rwanda: Copedu to Build Rwf 1.5 Billion Office Block - In a bid to diversify its income generating activities, a Kigali-based savings and credit cooperative, COPEDU, will early next year begin the construction of a commercial building estimated to cost Rwf 1.5 billion.Rwanda: Local Firm to Build U.S.$12 Million Power Plant Rwanda Mountain Tea, a local tea processing company, is set to construct a mini hydro-power plant, worth US$12 million that will produce 4MW of electricity, which will be fed into the national grid.Rwanda: Geothermal Drilling Set to Start in Karisimbi Drilling for the exploration of geothermal energy is set to commence at the slopes of Mt. Karisimbi, the State Minister for Energy and Water, Eng. Emma Francoise Isumbingabo, has announced.Rwanda: Busogo to Get Rwf600 Million Market THE NEW TIMES 29 December 2011 — A Rwf 600 million modern market, which will be constructed in Byangabo trading centre, Busogo Sector, is expected to boost business activities in the district, an official has announced. Musanze District Vice Mayor, Jerome Mugenzi, said construction activities begun this week, with the first phase set to be completed in the next six months. "We hope the market will generate much needed revenue and a ready market for agricultural produce in the area," he said.Somalia: Turkey Starts Work On Modernising Mogadishu Airport DAILY NATION Abdulkadir Khalif 18 December 2011 Mogadishu — Turkey has started work to modernise Mogadishu's Aden Abdulle International Airport. Nine Turkish experts have been engaged in the setting up of a modern control tower from which all flights over Somalia's territory would be monitored.UGANDA: Land Prices Rise With Mad Rush for Oil-Rich Hoima THE EAST AFRICAN 23 December 2011 -Hoima is a town whose beauty is enhanced by the surrounding by green hills and valleys, never mind the potholes all over the streets. The town is alive with activity -- ongoing construction works, big companies setting homes here, supermarket businesses picking up, decent hotels emerging and storied buildings; a huge improvement on a quiet town of five years ago.Located 230km northwest of Kampala, the town with a tiny tourism product and whose fishing and agricultural activities have not raised its national profile, is booming today in anticipation of opportunities that come with the oil industry. "Now everybody knows this place because of oil. Everybody wants to have an attachment to Hoima," district chairperson George Tinkamanyire said.It is estimated that about 2.5 billion barrels exist in the explored wells, which is only 40 per cent of the potential oil area. The country is expected to produce 200,000 barrels per day at peak production earning the country an estimated $2 billion annually.The town is seeing more capital inflow demonstrated through the construction works and big companies like SDV Transami setting base there. There is also an expanding banking service, with banks like Bank of Africa, KCB and Barclays all sprouting in the towns in addition to Post Bank, Centenary Rural Development Bank and Stanbic that served the locals.Importantly also, is the changed perception towards the values of land in the oil regions. The high values attached to land because of oil are a blessing to landlords and land speculators who are making prolific speculative land deals. "I bought one of the most expensive pieces of land in town, because I wanted to buy away landlords close to my 40-bed state of the art hotel I am constructing," said Lawrence Bategeka, a senior research fellow at the Economic Policy Research Centre, who is also a native from Hoima. Mr Bategeka paid $31,400 for a 30X40 feet plot which is not enough to construct a two-bedroomed house.The prices vary. In Hoima, a 50X100 feet (enough for a two-bedroomed house) goes for $2,500, up from about $1,000 four years ago. In the outskirts of the town, the prices get even higher between $10,000 and $15,000 for half an acre. The same scenario obtains in Buliisa.Incidentally, like Hoima, Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana's third largest city, is home to commercially viable oil reserves and faces similar problems. "The population has shot up to half-a-million people from 350,000, the land prices have shot up too and there is stiff competition for accommodation. If you don't have the means to survive, you are thrown out on the street. It means poor families will have to leave the city," the city's mayor Capt. Anthony R. Cudjoe said.Uganda: Activists Oppose Plan to Build Railway Through National Park THE MONITOR Flavia Lanyero 28 December 2011 — Uganda and Tanzania have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with a Chinese construction company to build a railway line passing through the Serengeti National Park to Kampala. The Minister

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for Transport, Mr Abraham Byandala, yesterday confirmed to Daily Monitor the signing of the MoUs which begin with the China Civil Engineering Construction Company conducting a feasibility study worth about $450 million for the proposed railway route from Tanga port to Musoma on the shores of Lake Victoria from where a new railway ferry route will then connect across the lake to a proposed new lake port in Uganda. The new port would then be connected by a rail link to Kampala and beyond.Mr Byandala said construction of Bukasa port has already began. This is despite the fact that two lake ports already exist at Port Bell and Jinja, which are currently underutilised. He added that Parliament did not need to approve the deal because the Chinese are carrying out the feasibility study free of charge. The railway would also open up pending mining concessions in the area between Serengeti and Musoma and possibly give the much needed green light for a soda ash factory at Lake Natron in Tanzania.'Dirty' deal? OF COURSE IT IS AND JUST BY CHANCE A CHINESE OUTFIT IS INVOLVED…According to Prof. Wolfgang Thome's blog, the past president of the Uganda Tourism Association, the timing of the signing of the MoU was well chosen as many, including conservationists, are on vacation and could not pay much attention. Uganda's conservation groups, who were not aware of the latest developments, said this move paints a bad picture to the country which has signed conservation treaties and it is important the Ministry of Transport makes public the feasibility studies and mitigation measures put in place for scrutiny.

ECOWAS

CAMEROON: AfDB finances gas-powered electricity project in Cameroon 23 december 2011 Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - The African Development Bank (AfDB) has reached an agreement with other financiers to avail nearly 200 million euros to finance a gas-powered electricity project in Cameroon, the Tunis-based sovereign lender said in a statement FridayCAMEROON: AfDB finances gas-powered electricity project in Cameroon 23 december 2011 Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - The African Development Bank (AfDB) has reached an agreement with other financiers to avail nearly 200 million euros to finance a gas-powered electricity project in Cameroon, the Tunis-based sovereign lender said in a statement FridayCONGO BRAZAVILLE: Chinese company to build cement factory in Congo 26 december 2011 Brazzaville, Congo (PANA) – The Congolese Minister of Land Reform and Public Works announced on Monday in Brazzaville that a Chinese company, FORSPAK International Congo, would build an 8.1 billion FCFA cement factory in Dolisie, the central African country's third largest city.Ghana: U.S.$1 Billion Ahanta City Project Stalled The proposed development of a modern city for the Ahanta West District in the Western Region following the discovery of oil in the area, has been put on hold, due to lack offunds.MAURITANIA: EIB lends 5 million euros to Mauritian SMEs 22 december 2011 Brussels, Belgium (PANA) - The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed an agreement with Mauritius Leasing Company Limited for a loan of 5 million euros to finance projects implemented by small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in Mauritius, official sources said on ThursdayMauritania: Govt in Oil Exploration Deal With Total Mauritania has signed an agreement with French oil group Total to explore for oil at sea and to extract any oil discovered, the official Mauritanian information agency reported on Monday.NIGER: BADEA gives US$10m loan to Niger 19 december 2011 Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - The Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) and Niger Monday signed an agreement under which the Bank will give US$10 million to the African nation to help finance the construction of Irlet-Asmaka-Algeria Border Road Project.Nigeria: AMAC to Build Ultra Modern Markets in Nyanya, Karu Leadership (Abuja) Igho Oyoyo 28 December 2011 - The chairman, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Micah Jiba has said that the Karu, Nyanya markets when completed would be world class markets.Nigeria: GIMCORD to Build Modular Steel Plant in Imo The GIMCORD Industrial Group is to partner with a Korean engineering giant, ILKWANG Metal Forming Company to build modular steel housing plants and roll-forming machines and equipments in Imo State.Nigeria: NPA in Quest for New Deep Seaports THIS DAY Francis Ugwoke 18 December 2011The New PortsThe new ports being under consideration are located in the Lekki area in Lagos State and Ibaka in Akwa Ibom State. The projects, or at least one, would take off in the next few months, according to sources close to NPA. In the case of the Ibaka seaport, the NPA is collaborating with the Akwa Ibom State Government.The target of the NPA management is to complete the project in three years. At a recent ceremony signalling the kick-off of the project, Akwa Ibom governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, and the managing director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Mr. Omar Suleiman, indicated that the proposed Ibaka Deep seaport would start receiving ocean lines not later than 2015. At the ceremony held in Abuja, the governor handed over the Certificate of Occupancy of the land where the seaport will be developed to the NPA managing director.The new seaport will be sited on over 5580 square meters of land area. The state government has also promised to provide the infrastructure needed to fast-track the early completion of the port. Akpabio has also pledged to award contracts within one month for the dualisation of the port main access road to link the east-west road to make it intermodal.

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The general manager, Public Affairs, NPA, Chief Michael Ajayi, told THISDAY that the state government has also handed over the master plan of the port to NPA. He added that the state governor promised that the state would fast-track work on the survey and parcelling out of the land where the port will be sited. Akpabio was quoted as promising to assist NPA every step of the way since the infrastructure requirement for a deep sea port is huge.The governor was of the view that when completed, the deep seaport will turn into a hub for oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Guinea. The Ibaka port is between 17 and 18 meters draught without dredging. Its quay area will span over two miles in length. What this means is that large ocean-going vessels will be able to berth at the port. On his part, Suleiman expressed optimism that when completed, mega vessels of over 10,000 TEUs will be calling at the port. He said this will make the seaport the largest in the region.Omar explained that the port project is intermodal that envisages the construction of port access roads and mono-rail projects to ensure the easy evacuation of goods from the port. He also disclosed that the journey towards the construction of the Ibaka deep sea port dates back to the 70s but had not been handled with the seriousness it deserves. "But with the new vision and the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan, the development of the port has become a must if the country is to achieve its dream of becoming the hub port for the sub-region," he stated.For the Lekki Port, described as natural because of the draught, the details the project and the level of involvement of the private sector are still not clear. The Grimaldi Group had been involved in the development of new Roll-on Roll-off (RORO) in Lagos a few years back. This was shortly after the concession of the nation's seaports. In River State, Intels Limited was also involved in the development of some terminals and other infrastructure in the ports area.Rehabilitation of Other PortsOther than the two new ports, the management of NPA has also been engaged in maintenance and capital dredging at the Lagos and Calabar ports. Recently, the authority further disclosed plans to revitalise the ports in Delta State. NPA is conducting hydrographic studies to determine the best way the channels leading to Koko port could be optimally utilised.Speaking on the occasion marking three years of incident-free construction works of the Escravos Gas to Liquids (EGTL) project and the revitalisation of the Warri port by the NNPC/Chevron joint venture at Warri recently, Suleiman said NPA was determined to develop the ports for the benefit of the national economy.He assured that the gas revolution being pioneered by the EGTL project would pave the way for the flow of foreign direct investment that will open up potential and opportunities in Delta Ports. He disclosed that NPA was collaborating with NNPC and other investors to turn the Koko port around for good. According to him, "We are collaborating with NNPC and other investors to turn Koko port around for good and are conducting hydrographic and hydraulic studies to determine the best way that the channels leading to the Delta ports could be optimally utilised."Nigeria: Kebbi Earmarks N3.4 Billion for Construction of Road, Bridges Kebbi State Governor Saidu Usman Dakingari has approved N3.4 billion for the construction of 12 kilometer road and five bridges along the River Rima from Birnin-Kebbi to Makera.Sierra Leone: CRSG Starts U.S.$30 Million Regent/Kossoh Town Road Project China Railway Seventh Group CRSG's has been awarded another $30million contract on Tuesday December 20 to construct the Regent/Kossoh Town Road.

AFRICA

2012 Africa: Continent Enjoying Newfound Optimism International Monetary Fund (Washington, DC) Marina Primorac 14 December 2011 analysis - A new optimism is permeating much of Africa. The past 10 years of unprecedented growth in sub-Saharan Africa has helped fuel this positive attitude even when most of the rest of the world faces global economic crisis. As more Africans move out of poverty and become middle-class consumers, they are increasingly in a position to drive investment, support entrepreneurship, and improve education.In the latest issue of the IMF's quarterly magazine, Finance & Development (F&D), articles by a range of African experts confirm the upbeat outlook for the continent and, while acknowledging continued and deep-rooted poverty, spell out what Africa needs to do to further spur opportunities for growth.IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde will visit Nigeria and Niger from December 18–22, on her first trip to Africa since her appointment earlier this year. Lagarde will hear from policymakers, the African private sector, and civil society about the challenges facing African countries, and underline the IMF's commitment to further reinforce the IMF's partnership with sub-Saharan Africa.Middle-class engineHarvard professor Calestous Juma writes in F&D's cover story that a growing middle class—now over one-third of the population according to the African Development Bank (AfDB)—is shifting global perceptions about Africa's prospects. The traditional focus on eradicating poverty in Africa "distracted both African authorities and international donors from serious consideration of ways to promote prosperity infrastructure development: technical education, entrepreneurship, and trade," says Juma.The African middle class still has comparatively little to spend by Western or Asian standards. But better economic policies, governance, and use of natural resources, coupled with more business-friendly policies and stronger demand for Africa's commodities from emerging economies such as Brazil, China, India, and South Africa have led to Africa's consistently high growth levels.

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The new middle class is young—nearly 70 percent under the age of 40—and in the acquisitive stage of their lives, spurring consumer spending.Across Africa, says Juma, change is in the air.Growth for the poorThe story is not all rosy of course. Poverty will be a fact of life in Africa for a long time: one-third of all Africans will still be extremely poor in 2060, living on less than $1.25 a day, according to the AfDB. While it helps those who are in immediate need, an emphasis on aid does not encourage Africa to aspire to higher economic performance, according to Juma. The change in focus that Africa watchers are noticing—from poverty to gradually growing prosperity—represents a deep shift in the perceptions of Africa's economic future, with profound policy and practical implications.

2012 Nigeria: Airport City - Niger State Climbs On World Stage Leadership (Abuja) Danladi Ndayebo 19 December 2011 - opinionThe trip to the 2011 World Infrastructure Summit which ended penultimate Friday in Paris, France was an eye-opener of sort to the delegation from Nigeria.Although Governor Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State and his Rivers State counterpart, Rt. Hon Chibuike

Rotimi Amaechi received awards for engendering fundamental shift in the economies of their states, participants from Nigeria discovered that the country was deficient in the industrialization strategies it adopted in the past to create long term sustainable change in the economy.Nigeria, for instance, learnt that several countries that have made economic progress did so through robust Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), for the simple reason that investments in infrastructure usually require huge financial resources which are beyond the capacity of states' budgets. In other words, the delegation from Nigeria learnt that governments have no business running businesses.Niger and Rivers States however presented impressive proposals that will leap frog the states' economies and put them on the path of development. While Gov Amaechi spoke on his plan to regenerate the state capital through the Greater Port Harcourt City initiative, the Niger State's helmsman briefed investors on plans to build an airport city in Minna, the state capital.Governor Aliyu informed that the development of the state will initially be focused on the development of economic zones that will incorporate an industrialization strategy around Minna. The vision is to create the Minna Airport City (MAC) as the platform for the economic development. The area of the site is a zone of approximately 42km x 42km, which stretches from Suleja in the east to Bida in the west, with Minna at its centre.Aliyu's vision stems from the realisation that airports are shaping businesses and urban development in this century as much as seaports did in the 18th century, railways did in the 19th century and highways in the 20th cen tury.MAC, when built, will be the first of its kind in Nigeria in terms of its layout, infra structure and economy. It will be centred around the existing airport on the outskirts of Minna and will be a well planned city that will become a benchmark in urban planning.Investors from TAV Airports were particularly stimulated by the favourable conditions that already exist. Investors were glad to know the state has vast water resources that support three hydroelectric power stations; Kainji, Shiroro and Jebba and the fact that an estimated 80% of the land area of the state is suitable for agriculture and the range of crops species that can be produced is wide given the soil texture and climatic conditions.Interestingly, only 25 per cent of the state's 682,331 hectares of arable land has been developed for agriculture. So,an Airport City will improve the potential for the development of Agriculture.There was also a congruence of thought among participants thatairports have become key for the economic development and competitiveness of countries throughout the world. It was agreed that even though the Airport City concept is recent, it has become significant generators and nuclei for urban development and economic regen eration.Airport Cities, Dr Aliyu explained, are a recent phenomenon, where the expansion of the airport triggers the

expansion of the surrounding business areas linked by new, fast and efficient transport links.Whereas airports were originally built to perform one function, they are now cities in them selves with significant retail provision acting as employment centres and generators of significant wealth. As the airports have expanded and the nature of their business evolved, their peripheries have developed to include major manufacturing and business centres.Due to its topographically tested existing location, Minna Airport canbe developed in a similar manner to airports in Europe, USA and the Far East. It has the potential to become a node for new industries and economic development. National and international companies will want to re-locate there, due to its proximity to the international links afforded by the airport and also the nearby Minna City and Abuja. There is also potential for the airport to become a new cargo hub for Western Africa in the same way that Dallas Fort Worth airport has expanded to become the major distribution centre for USA.Together with the development and expansion of the airport, the wealth of good arable land around the airport allows agri-business to be developed in tandem. The route of the new fast rail link required between the airport and Abuja will also allow for additional stations linking new commercial and business districts with the airport.There is no doubt that the Minna Airport City project being actualised through the cooperation of Maevis-Cortis Capital will take Niger State and Nigeria to the next level.Ndayebo is the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State

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2012 South Sudan: We Need to Speed Up Our Priorities in Development The Citizen (Juba) Wani Keri20 December 2011 opinion - There are very excellent development plans on the ground and many are earmarked as priorities but very few have taken off. In fact priorities should be implemented without any delay because good results are anticipated to be got from them.What drive policymakers especially in the economic fields to make certain plans priorities is the great urge to realize them as achievements and therefore any item in development programmes made as a priority should be treated thus. We have heard a number of development areas cited as priorities by ministries and state governments but few have taken off. In order to realize success in our development programmes our officials, technicians and their partners in executing development programmes should double their efforts so that the development plans in papers become realities.We have proposed to build a oil refineries at Akon in Warrap State and by now we should be having the refined oil for domestic use from there and save a huge amount of foreign currency we spend to buy this liquid from neighbouring countries and pay the saving for constructions of modern roads. As we drive to build a new capital in Ramciel, we need modern roads to connect it to the ten state capitals directly or indirectly. Ramciel is strategically situated almost in South Sudan heartland and it suffices to say that it will be the focal point where the trans-continental African highway will intersect making South Sudan truly a central African nation.With the international airport to be built at Tali to be a focal point for airways travel in Africa, we need our own refinery so that a lot of money we spend to buy refined petroleum products are got within our reach and allow us to pay attention to construction of other infrastructure in our country. Instead of exporting crude we shall also be exporting refined petroleum products to the neighbouring countries.With supply of refined petroleum products originating from our own country we can switch our attention to agriculture to produce much food for our domestic consumption and the surplus can be sold to people of other nations who will be attracted by our products. We are lucky that in our ministry of petroleum we have a capable minister under whom are qualified petroleum engineers and technicians. They should now focus very seriously on construction of a refinery to remove from our country the burden of relying on refined oil from other countries while we are the producers of the crude.It is a known fact that refineries are bided to contractors who have the capacities and capabilities to construct them. Since we have those qualified persons in the ministry of petroleum they should expedite the process of finding a qualified contractor to construct for us our refinery for production of petroleum products for domestic uses as a priority. In all our other priorities we should speed up executing them because any development programme made as a priority should qualify for being implemented without delay being a priority.When we treat what we designate as truly priorities, then long time should not elapse before we reap their fruits. It is time we treat what we have made as priorities to be our priorities and at the end of the day we shall find that we have made giant strides in development.

2012 Namibia: Cabinet Approves N$150 Million for Rail Rehab THE NAMIBIAN Tileni Mongudhi 19 December 2011 opinion - THE Namibian Cabinet last week approved N$150 million emergency spending to repair railway lines, paving the way for the contract to be given to a company linked to close friends of top officials in the Ministry of Works and Transport.Senior government sources confirmed that Cabinet has given 'in principle' approval for the spending and an official in the ministry said they have already approached the Tender Board for exemption to bypass public bidding procedures. After at least five trains derailed in the past two months on the stretch between Usakos and Tsumeb, the Minister of Works and Transport, Erkki Nghimtina, reportedly asked Cabinet for the N$150 million to refurbish the ailing network.People familiar with the ministry's plans and with Nghimtina's request to State House, on Thursday claimed that the ministry has earmarked the job for a company whose name is withheld because the contract is yet to be signed.The latest spending approval has again placed the Ministry of Works and Transport in the spotlight over its requests for exemption from public tender processes for contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The exemptions have been criticised as opening the avenue for favouritism and corruption.Senior government sources said Tender Board exemption for the first part of the project was sought on Friday. The Tender Board will give its response this week on whether it will approve the exemption, said the Director for Railways in the Ministry of Works and Transport, Robert Kalomoh.Sources familiar with the Cabinet discussions say the Ministry was referred to the Tender Board for procedural matters after Nghimtina allegedly tried to push for Cabinet to give the tender to only one company so that repair work can start immediately without having to go through a tender process.Questions are already being raised that the ministry appears to push the rail and road constructions and repairs on its own without the involvement of companies that were set up to do the work, such as Trans-Namib and the Roads Authority. Tileni Mongudhi is an Insight Namibia journalistTHE INCESSANT NAMIBIAN TENDER SCAMS REPORTS CONTINUE UNABATTED, AND BEING INCESTIOUS INBREEDING, PARTICULARLY WITH CHINESE BROTHERS ……. BIDDERS PREPARE FOR FALLOUTS

2012 Africa: Building an Infrastructure International Monetary Fund (Washington, DC) Paul Collier19 December 2011 analysis - The coming decade could be Africa’s opportunity for investment. Globally, there is a massive pool of investable private resources. Prospects in the advanced economies look bleak, and in the major emerging economies—the so-called BRICs: Brazil, Russia, India, and China—the future is looking more uncertain.

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Although Africa is not immune to global risks, its continued growth is likely to rest on the potential for further resource discoveries and for commercial cultivation of its vast, underused agricultural land.New transportation infrastructure is vital to harness these two potential sources of growth. At the top of the list is the classic form of economic infrastructure: railways. The continent is a huge landmass, well suited to railroads. Yet during the past half-century Africa’s rail network, never very extensive, has shrunk. Even the United States, a huge landmass with relatively low population density, has one kilometer of track for every 43 square kilometers of land.By contrast, Nigeria, home to one-fifth of the population of sub-Saharan Africa and one of its most densely populated countries, has but one kilometer of rail for every 262 square kilometers. Nigeria is not atypical: by radically reducing transportation costs, railways could open up vast tracts of Africa to economic opportunities, especially in agriculture and mining, which many countries are relying on for future growth. The continent needs a decade of massive investment in rail networks.

2012 Eritrea: Representatives of Northern Red Sea Region Voiced Deep Impression With On-Going Development and Infrastructure Programs Shabait.com (Asmara) 16 December 2011 — About 120 public representatives of the Northern Red Sea region from the sub-zones of Nacfa, Afabet, Karora and Adobha who conducted a ten-day tour in Gash-Barka, Anseba, Central, Southern and Northern Red Sea regions respectively to observe major development and infrastructure programs implemented over the past 20 years have expressed deep impression with the all-round development drive underway in the country.The representatives who have made due contribution in the days of the armed struggle for liberation through strengthening public organization and encouraging the freedom fighters are fulfilling their duties as administrators, and village elders, as well as representatives of associations.he coordinator of the tour, Ms. Liya Gebreab, explained that the program is aimed at enabling the nationals to personally witness the implementation of development program's which they have been following via the mass media and gain experience. She added that they visited Gerset, Fanko Rawi, Fanko Tsmu'e, Aligidir and the agricultural projects below dams, factories in Alebu, the Eritrean Livestock Corporation, Gash-Alebu bridge, Barentu Referral Hospital, Sawa Vocational Training Center, Hamelmao Agricultural College, infrastructural development of Keren town and Elaberid Agriculture Project, during which briefings were given to them by experts.Moreover, the public representatives observed agricultural projects in Serejeka sub-zone, factories in Asmara, Asmara International Airport, the Ministry of Information, Adi-Keih College of Social Sciences and Arts, in addition to the Egla-Demhina road, among others.Besides, they have visited Gedem Cement Factory, Massawa International Air port, Massawa port and She'ib Agricultural Project. The representatives also met with Mr. Al-Amin Mohammed-Seid, Secretary of the PFDJ and wished him full health and presented to him sword souvenir on behalf of the people in their respective regions.The representatives expressed appreciations for the generous hospitality accorded them on the part of institutions in all the regions they visited.

2012 Africa Needs Smart States to Engage China Alfredo Tjiurimo Hengari 16 December 2011In economic terms, China's diplomacy concretely translated in its outward investments in non-bond transactions over a five-year period (2005-2010) reaching 13,8% of China's total outward investments. Trade with Africa has as such increased from US$5 billion in the 1990s to US$120 billion in 2011 (largely in favour of China).In the past two years China has given more loans to African countries than the World Bank, making China a leading banker in many African countries. These tools enabled China to negotiate favourable deals innovatively packaged in the form of aid and at times controversial financing packages for natural resources and infrastructure projects in Africa. In some instances, Chinese donations include infrastructure projects such as the construction of the new African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, and the official residences of heads of state, including Namibia. Such practices provide China not only with hard domination of the African space, but residences for heads of state and the AU headquarters constructed with Chinese money provides China with untold symbolic and psychological dominance in African affairs. Evidently, China's presence should be seen within its rise as a global power and it does provide certain benefits to African countries. But Africa is also a unique case because the relationship is asymmetrical, and just like European colonialism, it is largely skewed to the benefit of China. The Bribe Payer's Index of Transparency International released in November 2011, listed China as a second to Russia when it came to paying bribes globally, ranging from hard bribes such as commissions for tenders, and scholarships to families of those in power, including the daughters and sons of heads of state.Since many African states exist without solid institutional mechanisms to negotiate complex agreements with China in a transparent manner, certain Chinese practices undermine Africa's fight against corruption and good governance. These potentially can destabilise already weak states and lead to collapse. Chinese companies, mostly state-owned and with massive resources, including the influx of cheap goods, are not only retarding Africa's industrialisation, but are also undermining African indigenisation efforts at building sustainable home-grown businesses. This has been notable in the construction and technology sectors where major government contracts have been awarded to Chinese companies. While organised civil society, opposition parties and local populations have started to criticise unfair Chinese labour and business practices, such concerns received scant attention from African policy-makers. In order to avoid the deeper penetration of a two-speed Africa-China relationship, in which national and continental elites who are paid bribes and business deals are ardent China defenders on the one hand, and local businesses and populations on the receiving end on the other, African policy-making should become more proactive. To be

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proactive implies smart states, able to negotiate in their national interest on the basis of clearly defined national objectives. At present, it appears that African elites are carried away by embellished Chinese rhetoric and treatment and are shooting themselves in the foot. To be proactive also implies African states fearlessly insisting on the respect of national laws and policies by Chinese companies. Where necessary, there must be punishment for violation of national laws. For their part, regional and continental institutions should also reinforce policy-frameworks serving as safeguards against China's excesses in Africa.

2012 Rwanda: Why 2011 Has Been a Good Year for Rwanda THE NEW TIMES 29 December 2011As we kiss 2011 goodbye, and prepare to usher in a New Year, this is the moment when we reflect on the past 365 days and examine if there's anything worth to write home about. One would wonder how Rwanda, which imports most of her essential commodities, which arguably should be worst hit with imported inflation, has managed to escape this monster. How landlocked Rwanda, whose high transport costs should mean high prices for both imported and locally manufactured goods, fairs well compared to her more strategically located neighbors. Sadly, I'm not an authority on economic issues to provide an authoritative answer. But what I can point out is the discipline with which this government manages its business.Discipline in public spending that is restricted to priority areas. Discipline in controlling fuel prices and ensuring that speculative traders are contained. Discipline in implementing timely monetary policies that mop-up excess liquidity whenever need arises and ensuring that the commercial banks adhere. An introduction of some of these measures might not necessarily be music in certain circles. But, because of the transparency in implementing these decisions (with no favoritism) and also because of the growing results that are evident and serve the interests of the common good, these structural adjustments are easily embraced as opposed to some resistance we see elsewhere.Containing inflation has been one good story for Rwanda in 2011. The other has been taming hunger.In Rwanda, even in semi- arid and previously hunger prone Bugesera, the story has changed. For the last three years, the Wananchi are having bumper harvests. And, like I mentioned in this column last week, the Rwanda Defence Forces have been instrumental in this vision.

2012 Merry 2012, may it bring joy and prosperity in your lives! IRIN Southern Africa: Pick of the Year 2011 - 29 December 2011 — In 2011 the global economic crisis combined with poor governance, financial mismanagement and unpredictable rainfall to push several southern African countries to the point of crisis. Others responded to rising unemployment and increased pressure on national budgets by hardening their attitude towards immigrants and closing their borders to asylum-seekers. IRIN covered developments from all over the region, but the following stories consistently grabbed headlines:1. Swaziland's financial meltdown - As early as January, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was warning that drastic measures were needed to stave off a financial crisis in the tiny mountain kingdom of Swaziland. The IMF's recommendations were largely ignored and the country's economic freefall continued with the main losers being the elderly whose pensions were suspended, orphans and vulnerable children whose school fees went unpaid, people living with HIV who faced an uncertain supply of antiretroviral drugs, and subsistence farmers who stopped receiving government support. The outlook for 2012 does not look any better with officials already predicting an increase in food insecurity for most Swazis.2. Malawi's escalating political and economic crisis - Concerns about human rights and economic mismanagement saw Malawi fall out of favour with Western donors who had provided 40 percent of the country's budget. The withdrawal of UK aid to the country in June hit the healthcare sector particularly hard. President Bingu wa Mutharika's increasingly autocratic rule, together with rising food prices and fuel shortages, contributed to widespread protests in July. The security forces' heavy-handed response, which left at least 18 people dead, did nothing to restore donor confidence in the government. Poverty looks set to worsen in rural areas where many smallholder farmers are no longer benefiting from a reduced Farm Input Subsidy Programme and in urban areas where a slew of price increases are already taking their toll on the poor.3. Deepening poverty in Madagascar - Two years after a coup which deposed President Marc Ravalomanana, Madagascar's political crisis remains unresolved and sanctions which froze all but emergency donor aid remain in place. IRIN's coverage tracked how the country's political stalemate has made an already poor country, even poorer with the demise of free primary school education, a severely under-funded health sector and increasing levels of food insecurity made worse by a shortage of rain followed by flooding. In one impoverished town, IRIN followed a group of girls who had abandoned school to pan for a few flecks of gold. Signs that the country might finally be moving towards the restoration of democracy have not been enough to lift the sanctions, but donors have continued to find ways to deliver desperately needed aid.4. Continuing political instability in Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe's unity government remains far from unified and incidents of political violence escalated following President Robert Mugabe's call for elections. Despite some improvements in the dire state of affairs at public health facilities and more assistance to orphans and vulnerable children, mainly due to donor programmes, many Zimbabweans still faced economic hardship in 2011. Dry weather in the country's southern provinces caused crops to fail and put an estimated one million rural Zimbabweans in need of food assistance by the end of the year. In urban areas, a shortage of clean water and sanitation caused an outbreak of typhoid and created the conditions for a potential resurgence of cholera.5. South Africa's borders - The region's most developed nation is a magnet for migrants, but economic pressures fuelled continuing attacks on foreigners in 2011, particularly those operating shops in townships. The government's handling of xenophobia was deemed inadequate by civil society groups while changes in policy indicated an official

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hardening of attitudes towards migrants. A two-year moratorium on deportations of undocumented Zimbabweans came to an end in October, new legislation created more hurdles for asylum-seekers and an unofficial policy of barring migrants from entering the country had a knock-on effect in neighbouring countries.6. Flooding and livelihoods - Heavy rain at the beginning of the year brought localized flooding to many parts of the region, decimating crops and testing authorities' disaster preparedness. The floods claimed 104 lives in Namibia and a further 91 in South Africa, washed away the possibility of a harvest for subsistence farmers in Lesotho and threatened the food security of affected populations throughout the region. [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ]

2012 Africa Renewal (United Nations) Africa: 'In 10 Years, Nepad Has Achieved a Lot' 28 December 2011 interview - In July 2001, African leaders adopted the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the road map for the continent's development. The following year a resolution of the UN General Assembly supported NEPAD as the main channel for UN assistance to Africa. More recently, in January 2010, the NEPAD structures were fully integrated into the African Union as the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency. Since its adoption a decade ago, how much has the plan achieved? In a frank, plain-talking interview, Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, the chief executive officer of the NEPAD Agency, responded to Africa Renewal's André-Michel Essoungou.Ten years after the adoption of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), what is your assessment of it?There are three major ways in which NEPAD may be assessed. First, NEPAD is the only development initiative available on an African scale. It has been with us for the past 10 years, yielding conclusive results in areas such as science, technology, agriculture and infrastructure. Ten years on, the initiative has just been relaunched with its recent integration as a development agency in the structure African Union. I am not aware of any other African initiative that has lasted this long and relied on a formal, institutionalized framework such as this one, with a mandate focusing on issues of implementation.My second point is that NEPAD is directly responsible, from the start, for some of the most important development strategies implemented in key areas such as agriculture, with CAADP [Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme], or infrastructure, with PIDA [Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa], areas that are also deemed to be of the utmost priority. The fact that all African countries strive to implement the rules and norms of both strategies at the level of our continent is a great achievement.My third point, little known though eyed with envy by Europe as well as other regions, has to do with the African Peer Review Mechanism (see page 18). This original approach is about evaluating political or economic governance in countries that are willing to be assessed. It is a unique experiment, unmatched by any other region anywhere in the world.Still, there are many people, particularly in Africa, who wonder what NEPAD is and what use it is.Brahima OuedraogoCotton farmers in Burkina Faso.The problem is that many Africans spend too much of their time repeating what the Western media says about the continent and about us. It will take some time to ward off this colonial way of thinking. Obviously, when you watch the way Africa is treated on a major news channel like CNN, the feeling is that Africa is plagued by misery and ruled by inept and corrupt leaders who hardly give any thought to the greater public interest. Many among us Africans tend to repeat what CNN and others have to say without taking a step back and reflecting about what we just heard. We seem to wallow in a kind of self-disparagement. Nowhere else is such an attitude so widespread than on our continent.Unfortunately, this self-disparaging attitude does have a negative impact. We cannot afford to keep on offering our children a negative image of Africa. We need to put things into perspective. A country like Rwanda has made significant progress while reducing its reliance on foreign aid. By mobilizing its own resources, Cape Verde has succeeded in becoming a middle-income country. Judging from the design and implementation of its new constitution, Kenya is now making significant progress in terms of governance. Botswana refuses to appeal for foreign aid, with many other countries following its example.But to return to NEPAD, the plan remains an abstraction for many ordinary Africans. Why?NEPAD remains an abstraction because people do not know what it's achieved, since NEPAD's achievements were not communicated. This has to do with the wider issue of public information about Africa.If you look at one of our most recent publications reviewing NEPAD's achievements over the last 10 years, you will note that we succeeded in the many areas I mentioned earlier, and on many other issues as well. All this is little known. We need to develop strategies to increase the awareness of our achievements in the public. It is a major challenge.Let's speak in practical terms about two challenges that Africa is facing at the moment: famine in the Horn of Africa, and the lack of political change, which has at times resulted in revolution, as in North Africa. What does NEPAD have to offer to face up to these challenges?First on the issue of political change and democratization, let me say one thing: the number of countries organizing democratic elections in Africa rose sharply in the last 15 years. Also, across the continent, there are only seven countries facing very serious governance issues, out of a total of 54. But all we hear about is those seven countries with problems, not the 40 or so other countries that are better rather than worse off.About the famine threatening the Horn of Africa and the question of food security across the continent: let us not forget that most of our countries have seen their population multiplied five times in the past 50 years. Most countries

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also succeeded in reaching levels of agricultural production that were unheard of 20 years ago. Obviously famine is an issue, but if you look at the 54 countries of Africa, less than a dozen countries are actually concerned by the problem.More important still, in the last five or six years, investments in the agricultural sector are on the rise. There is still a long way to go at the political level, or in terms of resources and the way these resources are shared, or as to how producers may take part in the definition and implementation of policies. But we're on the right track.Upon hearing such arguments, many would be tempted to say that you're overly optimistic. How do you respond?I am mainly realistic. I am trying not to overdo it, but my feeling is, quite simply, that when it comes to African issues, people tend to shun the more realistic approach because of the vision of Africa that is continuously being forced down our throats.Africa has two major advantages: it possesses the most important pool of natural resources and has the youngest population in the world. It is the continent of the future. And if we do not want Africa to play its role, the trick is to instill in the elites the idea that they are incompetent, corrupt and responsible for all the misery around. This is certainly not true.One last question, on the ideological choices of NEPAD: many analysts have noted that it draws mainly from capitalist, even free-market tendencies. Capitalism has been a formidable tool geared towards the production of wealth. It has also generated sharp inequalities. Wealth on the one hand, poverty on the other. Is this the direction the continent is taking under NEPAD?I have often heard these arguments, but they are not in the least justified. The impression that NEPAD is a neoliberal programme stems from the fact that, when the active minority of leaders pushed for its creation, they sought recognition from the world's most industrialized nations, the G7 (and G8 thereafter). This resulted in some confusion in terms of public information, as many people were led to think that if NEPAD was recognized by the G8, its philosophy had to be neoliberal. Since then the suspicion and accusation have stuck, in a way.But NEPAD is not a neoliberal project. It claims that for African agriculture to develop, regional markets should be created and, in turn, protected. This means that a number of different economic approaches are part of the project, such as protectionism. NEPAD also says that for the benefit of its own development, Africa should reintroduce planning as part of its economic policies. This is not what I would call "neoliberal" in terms of policies. I should also add that NEPAD claims that the free market has demonstrated its limits, and that it has become necessary to reinvent a development state in Africa. You will agree with me that this does not have much to do with a neoliberal approach either.NEPAD anniversary marked in New YorkBeyond the varied projects and programmes initiated across the continent under the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the plan is also seeking to rebuild African countries' capacity for "strategic thinking," which had been seriously eroded during many years of economic decline and austerity, NEPAD CEO Ibrahim Mayaki told a high-level panel discussion in New York on 7 October.Joining him on the podium and addressing different aspects of NEPAD were a number of other UN and African dignitaries, including Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa Cheick Sidi Diarra, Deputy Secretary-General Asha Rose Migiro, Amos Sawyer, member of the African Peer Review Mechanism Panel of Eminent Persons, and Amos Namanga Ngongi, president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa.The panel was just one of several events to mark NEPAD's 10th anniversary, organized by the NEPAD Agency, the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa and the UN Department of Public Information. There were special briefings to African ambassadors and UN agencies, the General Assembly's consideration of two reports by the Secretary-General on NEPAD and the causes of conflict in Africa and a commemorative lecture by Mr. Mayaki at Columbia University on "Africa's Decade of Transformation." Africa Renewal (United Nations)

2012 Lesotho: Economy Catches Flu - From Big Brother's Sneeze Masimba Tafirenyika 28 December 2011 -Maseru — For decades the tiny landlocked mountain kingdom of Lesotho has relied heavily on its giant neighbour, South Africa, to advance - until now.South Africa's economic difficulties are placing Lesotho's economy at a crossroads, as the government struggles to push big rocks up the mountain to balance the national budget.There is plenty of evidence of South Africa's heavy presence. It employs thousands of Basothos (nationals of Lesotho) as migrant labour, buys water from a project that in turn generates enough electricity to meet Lesotho's needs and generously shares revenue from a customs union that contributes significantly to the tiny kingdom's budget. Moreover, South African companies are active in other sectors, including retail trade, insurance and banking.Now the economic outlook is shifting as the rocks slip back down the mountain. Despite modest gains over the years, Lesotho remains one of the world's poorest countries. The 2011/12 budget was "the most difficult the government had to put together," reckons Finance Minister Timothy Thahane. His worries include a slowdown in economic growth, rising unemployment and diminishing revenues from migrant workers who are losing jobs in South Africa. Lesotho also faces declining agricultural production, falling life expectancy and high HIV infection rates.As if all this were not enough, a dip in South Africa's economic fortunes has forced Lesotho to rethink how to navigate the economy. It is wrestling with a 30 per cent decline in domestic revenues and a monstrous 15 per centbudget deficit in the 2011/12 financial year. The government expects to fund the gap with loans from international financial institutions and foreign aid from donor partners.Declining remittances

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A steep decline in last year's takings from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) punched the biggest hole in the budget. SACU, the oldest customs union in the world (it recently celebrated its hundredth anniversary), maintains free trade among members - South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia - and charges non-members a common external tariff. Revenues are shared among members from a common pool run by South Africa under an agreed-upon formula. Since 1969, SACU receipts have been contributing more than half of Lesotho's budget revenues."As a country, we were overly aware that about 60 per cent of the government's budget is funded by SACU," Central Bank Governor Retselisitsoe Matlanyane told a local magazine, Visions, in early 2011. Thanks to the recent global financial meltdown, trade among SACU members has fallen considerably, cutting by half Lesotho's customs receipts.Worse still, dwindling remittances from migrant workers in South Africa have dealt another blow. With an economy inextricably linked to a neighbour that geographically encircles it, Lesotho is highly dependent on these remittances. The World Bank's Migration and Remittances Factbook 2011 shows that out of Lesotho's 2.1 million people, about 457,500 were living outside the country in 2010. As the largest source of foreign exchange, remittances contribute an estimated US$525 million or 30 per cent of Lesotho's GDP in 2010, says the report.Despite the current upsurge in global mineral prices, there has been a mild recession in South Africa over the past few years. That in turn has had a major impact on Lesotho by forcing employers, especially mining companies, to retrench thousands, including Basotho migrants - thereby cutting the remittances they send back home.More budget red inkThe textiles industry too has taken a beating. Low demand for garments in the US has shrunk earnings and contributed to the red ink in the budget. Under a US law, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), Lesotho has emerged as one of sub-Saharan Africa's largest garments exporters to the US. AGOA allows qualifying African countries to sell textiles duty-free to the US. Yet a strong South African rand - to which Lesotho's national currency, the loti, is pegged - has hurt the competitiveness of Lesotho's second largest employer.Furthermore, authorities worry about the potentially negative impact on the textile industry if a clause in the AGOA law is not renewed when it expires in September 2012. The clause permits AGOA-eligible countries, especially Lesotho and Kenya, to source fabrics from third-party countries such as China and still benefit from AGOA."I believe our main challenge will be the expiration of [AGOA], given that the textile industry currently employs 45,000 in the country," said the Central Bank governor, Mr. Matlanyane. Earnings from textile exports make up a fifth of Lesotho's GDP. Already, some garment manufacturing companies have closed because of weak demand.The picture from agriculture is even less reassuring. Three in four Basothos eke out a living from subsistence farming. But the contribution of grain harvests to the GDP has dropped sharply from 4.8 per cent in 2000 to a measly 1.8 per cent in 2010, says Mr. Thahane. The UN has warned that crop production "is declining and could cease altogether over large tracts of the country if steps are not taken to reverse soil erosion, degradation and the decline in soil fertility."Selling 'white gold'Despite the litany of economic hardships, Lesotho has until now done reasonably better than some in the neighbourhood, like Swaziland and Zimbabwe. There are a few silver linings, which, if current policies to steer the economy in a different direction succeed, could change fortunes.To its credit, the government now realizes the hazards of relying too much on traditional sources of revenue. In his budget speech, the finance minister unveiled new policies to revive agriculture, diversify export products and markets and attract investors by relaxing foreign investment laws. Still, such policies can bring relief only if the economies of the country's key trading partners - the US, European Union and South Africa - recover.Water is Lesotho's "white gold," as Basothos fondly call it. Income from the sale of water from the Lesotho Highlands Water Project is expected to increase with the construction of the Metolong Dam and its spin-offs.Under the water project, created in partnership with South Africa, Lesotho exports water to its neighbour's Gauteng province through a series of dams and tunnels blasted through the mountains. Gauteng, the hub of South Africa's economy, has little water of its own and therefore needs Lesotho to quench its thirst. As a double benefit, the multi-billion-dollar project also generates enough hydroelectric power to meet about 90 per cent of Lesotho's energy needs.Diamonds spark hopeLesotho could also count on a decent windfall from mining exports as global mineral prices continue to go up. Income from diamonds, while still negligible, is growing. The government plans to generate additional funds by cutting and polishing the diamonds at home, which is a departure from current practice.Further, a modest rise in SACU revenues is predicted for 2012. Its scope, however, will depend largely on a new revenue-sharing formula now under review. Also, US lawmakers have introduced a bill to extend AGOA. If, as expected, the bill is passed, Lesotho will be assured of a steady flow of income from textile exports to the US, assuming the latter's economy continues to recover.Lesotho has likewise shown renewed interest in attracting investors. The World Bank's 2011 Doing Business report, which ranks countries' business-friendly policies, grades Lesotho at a dismal 138 out of 183 countries. If it relaxes business restrictions, the government could easily lure investors into the mining, textile and retail industries.Nevertheless, huge challenges lie ahead, including the likelihood of yet another global recession, which could upset many of Lesotho's well-crafted economic plans. But at least for now, the tiny mountain kingdom appears to have grasped the perils of unbridled reliance on South Africa's magnanimity.Lesotho and the UN: partners in development

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Perhaps not surprising, Lesotho is one of the countries not expected to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the 2015 deadline. The goals are a set of eight economic and social targets agreed upon by world leaders at the turn of the new millennium. They include targets for reducing poverty and hunger; providing better access to health care, water and education; creating equal opportunities for women; and protecting the environment.With just three years to the deadline, Lesotho's scorecard ranks it unimpressively below average: it is on track to meet two of the eight goals (education and women's rights), showing painfully slow progress in three (HIV/AIDS, environment and global partnerships) and off track on another three (poverty reduction, maternal care and child health).Fighting HIV/AIDS and reducing poverty rank high on the list of priorities, the UN's resident coordinator in Lesotho, Ahunna Eziakonwa-Onochie, told Africa Renewal. "With those at risk [of HIV infection] constituting the bulk of the workforce, it's very difficult to imagine a successful development path without reversing the trend of new infections," she notes with concern. Her worries are not misplaced - with about one in four Basothos living with HIV, Lesotho has the third-highest infection rate in sub-Saharan Africa.Still, Ms. Eziakonwa-Onochie credits Lesotho as a "shining example" in a few important areas: high literacy rates, a large labour force and the use of government subsidies to farmers to boost crop production. Yet economic dependency on its rich neighbour renders Lesotho vulnerable to external shocks and unable to take advantage of global trade openings."The government is committed to economic reforms, but it lacks the resources to address its problems," she said. There is limited money from the national budget to fund critical sectors and donors have not been quick in loosening their purse strings. In addition to giving financial and technical support to HIV/AIDS projects, the UN also has "a heavy footprint" in the government's efforts to revive agriculture.The UN gives policy advice on electoral laws, including the recent Electoral Reform Act of 2011. And more than a dozen UN bodies operate in Lesotho, assisting the government in areas that range from promoting good governance to executing various projects to reduce poverty, protect the environment and - not least - help Lesotho reach the MDGs. Africa Renewal (United Nations)

2012 Africa: Nepad On the Ground 28 December 2011 - Over the past 10 years, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) has launched a number of bold and innovative programmes. In some instances the plan is already scoring notable yet underreported gains. Africa Renewal highlights NEPAD’s impact in five key areas.1. Connecting the continentConnecting African countries by broadband optical fibreThrough its ICT Broadband Infrastructure Programme, NEPAD aims to connect all African countries to one another and to the rest of the world by broadband optical fibre. To this end two cable systems, one submarine (Uhurunet) and another terrestrial (Umojanet) are currently being built. Uhurunet, representing an investment of around $700 million, is scheduled for completion in 2012.NEPAD has also launched the e-Schools Initiative, to improve the quality of teaching and learning in African secondary and primary schools using information and communication technologies (ICT). Sixteen African countries and more than 80 schools participated in the NEPAD e-Schools demonstration project. Each school was equipped with a computer laboratory containing at least 20 PCs, a server and networking infrastructure and peripheral devices such as scanners, electronic whiteboards and printers. To date, many challenges remain. But the NEPAD Agency and its partners are striving to address these in preparation for expanding the initiative across the continent.See: www.eafricacommission.org2. Empowering African womenAdvancing women's economic capacities and opportunitiesUSAIDVendors in Uganda.Created in 2007 with funding from the government of Spain, the NEPAD Spanish Fund for African Women's Empowerment promotes efforts to eradicate poverty and advance women's economic capacities and opportunities.A total of €6.285 million (around $8.5 million) has been disbursed to 46 projects in 23 countries. So far 31 of those projects have been completed. Their results have included an increase in the number of women and girls trained in vocational skills such as ICT, the creation of employment opportunities and improved income-generating activities for women, the establishment of microcredit schemes, and an increased awareness of gender-based violence, as well as the creation of mechanisms to address the problem.Recently the fund allocated €2 million (around $2.7 million) for setting up a Business Incubator for African Women Entrepreneurs in Eastern, Southern and Western Africa.See: www.nepad.org/humancapitaldevelopment/womenempowerment/about3. Feeding AfricaPushing for changes in agricultural strategiesWith its Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), NEPAD is pushing for substantial changes in agriculture. The programme's focus is on helping African countries improve economic growth through increased investment. CAADP's key goal is for 10 per cent of all national budgets to be invested in agriculture. As of May 2011, 26 countries had signed the CAADP compact and incorporated it into their agricultural strategies. Eight countries now exceed the 10 per cent budgetary target and most others have made significant progress towards that goal. To date nine countries have exceeded CAADP's target of an average annual agricultural growth of at least 6 per cent.

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NEPAD has also put in place or supported various programmes, including the Partnership for African Fisheries (PAF), to guide continent-wide reforms in the fisheries sector. Besides helping countries design regional fisheries plans, PAF is currently implementing a pilot project in Ghana and Sierra Leone, with a budget of around $3 million. Its total budget for 2009-2014 is more than $11 million.The Fertilizer Support Programme has led to an increase in the number of small-scale farmers across Africa using chemical fertilizers to enhance crop yields. And in 2005 NEPAD launched a regional initiative, TerrAfrica, to improve land management.See: www.nepad-caadp.net; www.africanfisheries.org; and www.nepad.org/foodsecurity/fertilizer-support-programme/about4. Bridging Africa's infrastructure gapEstablishing a strategy for developing infrastructureLaunched in July 2010 at a summit of the African Union in Kampala, Uganda, the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) aims to establish a strategy for developing regional and continental infrastructure in transport, energy, water management, and information and communication technologies. PIDA will guide policies and investments in these sectors from 2011 through 2030. It brings together into one coherent programme previous continental infrastructure initiatives such as the NEPAD Short-Term Action Plan, the NEPAD Medium- to Long-Term Strategic Framework and the AU Infrastructure Master Plan.The PIDA budget, estimated at €7.8 million (around $10 million), is financed by the European Union, the Islamic Development Bank, the African Fund for Water and NEPAD. The African Development Bank is responsible for implementing the programme.See: www.pidafrica.org5. Improving access to local medicinesEncouraging local production of medicinesAdopted by a summit of the African Union in 2007, the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa aims to encourage local production of medicines, which currently are largely produced by foreign pharmaceutical companies. It supports African countries in designing strategies and building skills to engage in and promote indigenous pharmaceutical innovation. Toward this end, NEPAD has published a strategic document, Strengthening Pharmaceutical Innovation in Africa.See: www.nepad.org/humancapitaldevelopment/health/about

2012 Rwanda: Businesses Urged to Exploit EAC Maritime THE NEW TIMES 29 December 2011The Ministry for East African Community (EAC) affairs has pledged to help local business community exploit regional water resources. In an interview with The New Times, the Minister of East African Affairs, Monique Mukaruliza, observed that it was the responsibility of the private sector to make good use of the opportunities that the region presents. She called on Rwandan businesses to be aggressive if they are to benefit from the regional integration process."There's a lot we can get from these waters like fish, energy, transport; we are committed to ensuring that local businesses receive all the support they need to do exactly that; they can work through public private partnerships". The minister pointed out that Rwanda joined the EAC with an aim of tapping into the region's economic benefits, adding that Rwandans should feel free to invest anywhere within the community. Both officials and experts agree that only Tanzanians, Kenyans and Ugandans are currently enjoying the benefits of the region's water resources.Speaking at a recent regional meeting in Kigali, Gerson Fumbuka, a top official from Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC), challenged the local business community to utilize regional waters bodies such as lakes Victoria and Tanganyika. An EAC development strategy was adopted recently to help guide the exploitation of water resources in the region. According to officials, the strategy will help consolidate the gains of the Customs Union, implement the Common Market, negotiate and implement a Monetary Union protocol, and strengthen the foundation for a fast-tracked Political Federation. "The idea is to make it possible for our people to freely exploit the region's natural resources wherever they are, in all partner states," added Mukaruliza.Faustin Mbundu, the chairman of the Private Sector Federation (PSF), said they have embarked on an awareness campaign to encourage local businesses to invest in the fishing industry beyond the national borders. "The reason why our business community has not yet utilized the regional waters is because the fishing industry in the country has not yet been developed, but we shall continue supporting them to exploit regional waters bodies," he said. Samuel Kamanzi a local businessman, welcomed the move and cited the main problem as lack of adequate information on how they can best penetrate regional business. "I didn't know that, as a Rwandan, I can freely do business on Lake Victoria or Tanganyika; what we need is to get more adequate information on regional markets".

2012 Rwanda: Japan Tips Rwanda to Become a Regional Services Hub THE NEW TIMES 29 December 2011 -Despite Rwanda's hard luck in natural resources, the country still has the capacity to grow into a regional services and industrial hub, the Japanese ambassador to Rwanda noted. Kunio Hatanaka says that investing in human resources and technology to provide better services and logistics, especially for the industrial sector will close the gap of lack of natural resources like oil, which is one of the most daunting challenges in the country. "We cannot depend on natural resources to develop. Like Japan, with no natural resources, Rwanda can develop into an industrial hub," the envoy told Business Times recently.

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The ambassador noted that like Japan one of the world's industrialized country that leaned on technology and development of human resources, Rwanda needs to increase technical training, entrepreneurship and ICT to realize its vision of a service based economy by 2020. Hatanaka said that Japan will be more willing to reinforce government's efforts on request through the technical cooperation the two countries are enjoying. Japan has through JICA, funded the One Village One Product projectthat aims at increasing value addition to agricultural products and also steer rural areas to grow into small industrial centers.According to African Economic outlook 2011, Rwanda has the potential to achieve a much higher rate of economic growth through increasing investment in creating a skilled labour force, removing infrastructure bottlenecks and improving farm productivity. The current proposed provincial industrial parks expected to boost Foreign Direct Investment and SME growth is to raise over 16,287 jobs in the next ten years increasing the skilled labour short fall. " The government has decided to reduce the number students going to University for others course and increase technical entries,", he said adding that 8 more technical Institutions are yet to open in January, 6 are in pipeline.

2012 Africa: Renewable Energy Investment in Africa Hits N4 Billion DAILY TRUST Yunus Abdulhamid 23 December 2011 - The Managing Director of Bank of Industry (BOI), Ms Evelyn Oputu has said that the total investments in renewable energy in Africa rose from $750 million in 2004 to $3.6 billion in 2011.She said the investment shot up largely due to strong performance from Egypt and Kenya which are in the Northern and Eastern parts of the continent. She said that investment in renewable energy across the globe is increasing significantly from $33 billion in 2004 to $211 billion as of June this year, 2011. She explained that in Nigeria, investments in renewable energy have a large potential for growth given the large gap between energy demand and supply and the enormous renewable energy options available.

Warrenski - Wind farming.

Oputu said: "Most of the renewable energy projects embarked upon in the country have been more from the government agencies at federal, states or local government levels. This is why the BOI in conjunction with the UNDP are making effort to feature Nigeria in global renewable energy investment portfolio through private sector involvement. "I am calling on both the financial institutions and renewable energy service providers to avail themselves of the opportunity afforded by this forum to network for the development of the renewable energy industry in Nigeria," she said. Speaking, the UNDP Deputy Country Director in Nigeria, Mr. Jan Thomas Hiemstra said that after working with various government agencies, the UN agency shifted attention to engage private investors in Nigeria to make them take active role in renewable energy development in the country.

Business Daily The Ol Karia geothermal plant. Going green on electricity generation has a positive impact for Kenya as it replaces the more expensive oil in the generation of power and reducing emissions.

2012 Kenya: Country Pioneers Solar Farms in Africa DAILY NATION David Njagi 11 April 2011A solar powered facility could elevate Kenya as the first country in Africa to establish a green farm that uses renewable energy. Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (Kari) says farmers are expected to come have renewable energy farm in June this year that is also expected to serve as a tourist attraction. The facility, which is expected to

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take $4 million (about Sh32 billion), will pave way for an agrarian system that is less dependent on rain-fed agriculture, according to Kari director Ephraim Mukisira. He said every operation on the green farm, which will include crops and the rearing of livestock, will be powered by solar.A hundred acres of land at Kari Muguga have been set aside to accommodate the facility, which is already running trials with a new greenhouse technology imported from the South Korean Government, and which the institution says is attractive to urban agriculture. "This is a new concept that demonstrates that research and science is moving away from traditional to more exciting settings like the green villages," says Dr Mukisira. "The future of agriculture is to increase productivity and conserve the environment."According to Dr Patrick Gicheru, the director Kari centre, Kabete, the concept borrows from a World Bank funded carbon benefits scheme in Western Kenya that assesses the possibility of carbon sequestering from both tree and cover crops. While farmers have to wait for about 20 years to win carbon credits through the planting of trees, Dr. Gicheru says the new model has an edge over the later because it will enlist farmers into the carbon trading scheme through crop production that enriches soil fertility. "We are trying to find out if there are crops that farmers can sequester carbon from while at the same time ensuring that soil fertility is improved," says Dr. Gicheru. "This can enable us to have food security as well generate income from carbon trading."But there is a catch to the new found windfall that could leave many of them on edge. Last week's launch of theAfrica Carbon Exchange facility raised hopes that farmers could be the big winners in green energy and afforestation projects. But National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) says farmers will be awarded through carbon trading depending on the types of crops as well as green innovations.This leaves floriculture and horticulture farmers in a tricky spot because the trading scheme does not recognise the two due to the string of production rules that bind them, according to Malwa Langwen, NEMA's director for compliance and enforcement. "The carbon trading scheme will obviously not consider farmers who have invested in floriculture and horticulture alone," says Langwen. "They will have to go a step further and show an appetite for planting trees as well as innovation in renewable energy projects."

2012 Africa: Continent Poised for Solar Lighting Boom According to Langwen, a partnership between the Africa Carbon Exchange facility and NEMA is in the pipeline that will vet trends in environmental conservation and well forested farms for award of carbon credits. At an event to mark the launch of the Going Green initiative in Nairobi, Langwen joined other stakeholders in showcasing some of the innovations that may attract the interest of the facility, where eight categories were presented with awards for showing leadership towards a green economy.Among institutions recognised by the Voices for Environmental Campaign were Mater Hospital, Sun N Sand Beach Resort, Severin Sea Lodge (EA) Limited, East Africa Breweries Limited, Safaricom Ltd, Bamburi Cement Limited, Oshwal Academy and Nakumatt Holdings Limited, among others.

2012 Kenya: Banks Told to Review Lending Policies On Green Energy Projects Nairobi Star (Nairobi) Winfred Kagwe 31 March 2011 - Local banks are not keen on funding green energy projects thus holding back investment in the emerging sector. The International Finance Corporation and European Investment Bank want the banks to revise their lending criteria to develop this investment opportunity.The two institutions also plan to set up a fund to be accessed by commercial banks for onward lending to individual green projects. "Kenya has more enlightened policies on renewable energy compared to other developing countries, but the sector is not vibrant due to lack of financing," said Ajay Narayanan,Head of Climate Financial Unit , IFC during a clean energy workshop held yesterday in Nairobi.The Ol Karia geothermal plant. Going green on electricity generation has a positive impact for Kenya as it replaces the more expensive oil in the generation of power and reducing emissions. "Commercial banks are still too conservative to give loans to the private sector for renewable energy and climate change projects as they perceive it too risky or do not fully understand the risk," said Narayanan. IFC and IEB are still at the assessment stage to determine the size of the fund and the disbursement mechanism. Over the last three years, the IEB has lent $183 million (over Sh21.29 bn) for large scale geothermal generation and transmission projects in the public sector. Lack of clear laws on green issues was also cited a reason for low levels of investment in the sector. "Government has revised most of the green energy policies and fast tracked licensing of projects , other policies that are in conflict are being harmonised, a clear set of regulations will enlighten financiers, " said Peter Odhengo of the Green Energy Secretariat, under the the Prime Minister's office.

2012 Africa: Irin's Pick of the Year 2011 IRIN 29 December 2011 Nairobi — Computers and mobile phones are already essential to humanitarian planning, and 2011 saw the growth of technology-based humanitarian interventions, from the use of GPS (global positioning systems) to provide early weather warnings to real-time health reporting. Here is a round-up of IRIN articles on important humanitarian technology in 2011:Humanitarians in Libya used the Ushahidi initiative to map the crisis and plan their interventions. An electronic voucher scheme is being used to fight malnutrition by providing nutritious food to HIV-positive Zimbabweans on antiretroviral therapy and their families.EpiCollect, developed by Imperial College, London, allows the geospatial collation of data collected by mobile phone; Kenyan vets are using it for disease surveillance, monitoring outbreaks, treatments, vaccinations and animal deaths. The Nepalese government and World Health Organization are mapping health facilities using GPS to help the country plan disaster response in case of a major earthquake.

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Tennis ball-sized mud balls were thrown into flood water in the hope of improving the quality of stagnant water following weeks of flooding in Thailand.Using FrontlineSMS - an open-source software enabling users to send and receive text messages with groups of people - village malaria workers in Cambodia can now report, in real time, all malaria cases in their villages to the Malaria Information and Alert System in Phnom Penh with a simple text message, including the patient's name, age, location and type of parasite.The "Kenyans for Kenya" initiative used mobile cash transfer services to raise more than US$7 million during the drought which affected northern and eastern parts of the country.Tweetback, an Egyptian fundraising campaign to help slum-dwellers, raised $218,855 within 10 days of its formation

in July.In Bangladesh, Airtel, a private mobile operator, has teamed up with the Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods, the Centre for Global Change and two international NGOs (Oxfam and CARE) to provide early weather warnings to fishermen at sea using GPS.A handheld, battery-powered device which can take a drop of blood, urine or sputum and tell a community health worker in a remote village whether a feverish child has malaria, dengue or a bacterial infection is in development by Canadian scientists.The Burkina Faso Red Cross sends bluntly worded text messages to government officials, employers, traditional leaders, teachers, business owners and housewives several times a year in an effort to reduce the widespread exploitation of domestic workers by raising awareness of their rights.As part of efforts to reform the mining sector, an initiative in the Democratic Republic of Congo aims to map artisanal mining sites, transportation routes, and mineral trading points, reflecting the security and human rights situation on the ground, using Geographic Information System (GIS) software.The Map Kibera project, which uses hand-held global GPS devices to collect geographic information in Nairobi's largest slum, is providing vital information on the availability and location of health, security, education and water/sanitation services. [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ]

2012 Lagarde warns Africa to prepare for Europe fallout By: Reuters 22nd December 2011 Many countries in sub-Saharan African are less prepared to deal with an economic shock now than they were during the 2008 food and fuel crisis and the global financial turmoil that followed, IMF chief Christine Lagarde said on Wednesday, urging developing nations to build up their economic defences.Lagarde was speaking during a trip to Niger, one of the world's poorest countries and Africa's newest crude oil producer, during which she met President Mahamadou Issoufou and praised his development plans.Lagarde's December 18-22 trip to Africa, which also included a visit to OPEC-member Nigeria, comes as concerns grow over the impact on developing countries of Europe's sovereign debt crisis through a possible drop in global trade, workers' remittances and investment. She said many African countries were able to weather the 2008 and 2009 economic shocks well, maintaining health, education and infrastructure spending and recovering quickly to growth rates enjoyed int he mid-2000s."In short, they built up macroeconomic buffers and put their economies on a fundamentally stronger footing. This enabled most countries to maintain critical social and infrastructure spending when the crisis hit," she said in a speech to Niger's National Assembly. "But, for many countries in the region, my main worry is that their capacity to absorb further shocks is less than it was three years ago," she added. "This would be even greater cause for concern if the global slowdown turns out to be more pronounced this time around."She said a sustained growth slowdown in advanced countries could cut into demand for Africa's exports. "It may also inhibit private financing flows, remittances, and possibly aid. This is not a welcome thought for Niger. Aid flows are important and remittances have already been disrupted by the upheaval in Libya," she said. She said Niger, a top uranium supplier to former colonial master France and which began pumping oil earlier this year, could use its resource revenues to "promote more broad-based and inclusive growth" but needed to avoid pitfalls suffered by many other countries. "There is the hard truth that relatively few countries have managed natural resource wealth well. Although, Niger has an advantage. You can benefit from the experiences of others," said Lagarde, a former French finance minister. She said Niger needed to ensure transparency, invest its revenues wisely, and diversify its economy to avoid the shocks associated with volatile commodities markets.An IMF country mission in November forecast GDP growth could reach 14 percent in 2012, thanks in part to oil revenues.

MIDDLE EAST/OTHER

CHINA: China builds biggest thermal power plant 2011-12-27 - China's Shenhua Group will build the largest coal-fired power station in Asia over the next five years, the official Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday, as the country struggles to meet its energy needs. China's biggest coal company and officials in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region signed a deal for the 8-gigawatt thermal plant on Monday, according to Xinhua and the local government's website. Beihai city will also build a coal storage facility capable of handling 30 million tons a year in the nearby port of Tieshan. - AFP

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Egypt: Transport Minister Announces Linking Sokhna and Al Dekhaila by Roads and RailwaysDr. Galal al Saeed Transport Minister said that ministry assigned Japan (JICA) to conduct a study for preparing an

overall plan for transport in Egypt which includes a proposal to link the Red Sea and Mediterranean ports through linking Sokhna and Al Dekhaila by roads and railways, to turn Egypt to be a pass out area for good from east and west and that logistical areas be established in October.PORTUGAL: China Three Gorges Corporation wins race for privatisation of Portuguese power company EDP News Lisbon, Portugal, 23 Dec – The China Three Gorges Corporation has awarded the tender to acquire the 21.35 percent stake in Portuguese power company Energias de Portugal having paid 2.69 billion euros (US$3.5 billion), state stake-holding company Parpública said Thursday in a statement filed with Portuguese stock market regulator CMVM.

AFRICA INFO, GENERAL INTEREST & RISK ISSUES

African Proverb - “If you don't stand for something, you will fall for everything” AFRICA: 'Record year' for ivory seizures More elephant tusks were seized in 2011 than in any year since 1989, when the ivory trade was banned, international wildlife trade group Traffic says.Angola: Civil Engineering Deemed as Less Enterprising Sector ANGOP 17 December 2011Luanda — The civil engineering sector was considered as the less enterprising area of the country, as it counts on few participation of national entrepreneurs. This was said to Angop on Friday in Luanda by the chairman of the Angolan Industry Association (AIA), José Severino, on the fringes of the first edition of the Entrepreneurial Gala. He said that this fact has been negatively affecting the economic performance of Angola, as it obliges the country to import manpower, technology and materials.According to him, Angola needs more national entrepreneurs in civil construction and engineering, as it is the most enterprising sector. However, José Severino appealed for greater union among the stakeholders of the economic sector, in particular the civil engineering area, so as to strengthen this segment of economy.Angola: Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend PAMBAZUKA NEWS Rafael Marques De Morais 15 December 2011 -On 5 November 2010 the president of the Republic of Angola, José Eduardo dos Santos, authorised the minister of Mining and Industry to extend the terms of a diamond mining concession in Luanda Norte province, primarily to the benefit of his daughter Welwitschea José dos Santos, usually known as 'Tchizé'.Presidential Decree 296/10 of 2 December 2010 ordered a two-year extension to Projecto Muanga's Licence for Prospecting, Research and Identification for Kimberlite diamonds, in Lunda Norte province. President dos Santos initially authorised the project on 14 July 2005 as a partnership between the state diamond company Endiama (51 per cent), Sociedade de Desenvolvimento Mineiro - SDM (20 per cent), Odebrecht (19 per cent) and Di Oro (10 per cent). SDM is a joint venture between Endiama and Odebrecht, a Brazilian multinational.According to the Angolan Constitution (article 127, 1 on criminal responsibility), the president is responsible for acts of bribery in the course of exercising his duties (art 129, 1, b) and can be removed for crimes of bribery, embezzlement and corruption.José Eduardo dos Santos has regularly made official decrees that have helped his children to get rich by illegal means. On 30 November 2005, the head of state authorised the contract for the prospecting, research and identification of the first diamond deposits in Projecto Cabuia, north-east of Saurimo in Luanda Sul province (Decree 106/05 of 9 December by the Council of Ministers). The consortium made up of Tchizé dos Santos's firm N'Jula Investments, together with partner companies Miningest and Sambukila, was granted 5 per cent of the mining project's shares, without having to make any financial, material or technical contribution to the working of the 3,000 square kilometre concession.Projecto Cabuia's contract states that Equatorial Diamonds, led by the businessman Hélder Bataglia, undertook the entire financing of the project, on his own account and at his own risk, and was entitled to 44 per cent of the shares. Endiama, as representative of the state, was promised 51 per cent of the shares. Again, one can say that Equatorial Diamonds is guilty of bribing the president of the Republic, in order to obtain his approval of the project.Yet strangely, although the contract was meant to be for a period of five years, Executive Decree 7/06 of 30 January 2006 by the Ministry of Geology and Mines presents a different version of the same contract that was signed only two months earlier with respect to Projecto Cabuia. In the new version Tchizé dos Santos's consortium acquired 30 per cent of the shares for the period of diamond exploration, Endiama 35.5 per cent, and the investor, Equatorial Diamonds, the remaining 34.5 per cent. This new arrangement involved the direct transfer of state capital, from Endiama, for the benefit of the president's daughter and with his consent.These blatant acts of corruption by the president of the Republic make a mockery of what the government says on the subject of good governance, transparency and public service.

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EGYPT: Female Egyptian blogger goes nude

Egyptian blogger Aliaa Magda Elmahdy is big news around the world. She posed naked for her blog. It is an outrage in Egypt, a conservative Muslim nation, and all I can say is that she has some balls … well no we can see that she does not …but I mean to say that she is very brave. She is also very pretty. I think I am in love. …..Aliaa Magda Elmahdy apparently thought she was striking a blow for sexual equality and free expression in Egypt when she posted nude photographs of herself on a blog. Instead Ms. Elmahdy set off a wave of outrage here, stoking conservative Islamist sentiments that many liberals fear will undermine their prospects in the country’s parliamentary election next week……It is hard to overstate the shock at an Egyptian woman’s posting nude photographs of herself on the Internet in a conservative religious country where a vast majority of Muslim women are veiled and even men seldom bare their knees in public. In Egypt, even kissing in public is taboo. It is often the case that activists willing to defy social conventions, pushing the boundaries of what is considered acceptable anywhere, succeed in provoking discussion — while finding themselves ostracized and isolated. Indeed, Ms. Elmahdy learned that reality quickly after a Twitter post directed attention to her blog, and her pictures. Soon Ms. Elmahdy, a 20-year-old activist, found herself swept up in a campaign season political fight, especially among liberals battling conservative Islamists in the first election since President Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power. But if she thought she would get support from the left, she was wrong. “Many movements in Egypt, particularly Islamist movements, are trying to benefit,” said Emad Gad, a parliamentary candidate from the left-leaning Egyptian Social Democratic Party. “They say, ‘We have to protect our society from things like this, and if the liberals win then this woman will become a model for all Egyptian women.’ ” Liberal activists raced to disavow any connection to her. After reports this week indicated that Ms. Elmahdy was a member of the April 6th Youth Movement — a major player in the January revolt that unseated Mr. Mubarak — its spokesman, Tarek al-Kholi, told the pan-Arab news channel Al Arabiya that “the movement does not have any members who engage in such behavior.” Gambia: Futurelec Dragged to Court The Daily Observer (Banjul) Sidiq Asemota 29 Dec 2011Construct Limited has instituted a legal suit against Futurelec Gambia Limited before the High Court, presided over Justice Mama Fatima Singhateh. The plaintiff, Construct Limited is claiming the sum of US$50,000 being the amount outstanding and owing to the plaintiff, Construct, by the defendant as at the 20th December, 2010. The plaintiff is also claiming the sum of US$2,500 being legal fees payable for recovery of the outstanding amount and an interest at 22.5% per annum from the 20th December, 2010 to the date of payment. Meanwhile, the presiding judge, Justice Mama Fatima Singhateh ordered that the writ of summons, affidavit and all other processes in this suit be served on the defendant, Futurelec Gambia Ltd, by leaving the same with an adult inmate at the defendant's last known place of business at Bertil Harding Highway in Kotu in the Kanifing Municipality.IRAN: Iran begins navy war games - Iran's navy has begun a 10-day drill in international waters beyond the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.Kenya: The Sh1.8 Billion Deal That Set Off Portland's Board Fights A multi-billion shilling tender that the government wanted swayed in favour of an expensive local supplier has emerged as the key reason why Industrialisation minister Amason Kingi sacked the entire board of the East African Portland Cement Company last week.Mozambique: U.S. Prepared to Help Fight Piracy The United States is "ready and willing" to work with the Mozambican government in fighting piracy in the Mozambique Channel. ALWAYS GET U.S. INTERVENTION (GOOD OR BAD) IF YOU HAVE OIL/GASMOZAMBIQUE: IMF warns that crisis in Portugal may affect Mozambique and AngolaDecember 23rd, 2011 News – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned of the potential contagion of the Portuguese crisis to the Mozambican and Angolan economies. In reports published recently on Angola and Mozambique, Portugal is mentioned as a risk factor both because of the relations between the banking systems and because of a drop in investment, Mozambican newspaper O País reported.

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For Portugal, Angola and Mozambique are considered to be two markets in which to find refuge from the domestic recession. But for the two African countries, Portugal is a risk. In Mozambique, at least four banks are part-owned by Portuguese financial institutions. They are Millennium bim (the biggest retail bank in Mozambique), which is majority-owned by Banco Comercial de Portugal (BCP); Banco Comercial e de Investimentos – BCI (around 80 percent owned by Portuguese state bank Caixa Geral de Depósitos and by Banco Português de Investimentos); Moza Banco (part-owned by Banco Espírito Santo); and Banco Único (majority-owned by the Amorim Group).Figures from the Investment Promotion Centre (CPI) for the first half of 2011 placed Portugal in second place in the ranking for foreign investment in Mozambique, after ending last year in first place, which indicates a downturn in Portuguese intention to invest in Mozambique. (macauhub)Mozambique: New UN Initiative to Boost Crop Yields UN NEWS 28 December 2011A new United Nations initiative in Mozambique aimed at increasing the quality of seeds will help the African country capitalize on its arable land and unlock its potential, the Organization's agricultural agency announced today. The effort, launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), seeks to help Mozambican farmers by increasing the quality of local seed production and boosting the country's overall crop yields. "Increasing agricultural production in a country whose yields are among the lowest in the world starts with boosting productivity," said José de Graça, the coordinator for the FAO project in the country.Mozambique: Cashew Master Plan Launched AIM 12 December 2011 — Mozambique's Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Antonio Limbau, on Monday launched in Maputo the Cashew Master Plan for the 2011-2020 period, which seeks to increase cashew nut production by about 80 per cent over the next ten years. Limbau put the current figure at about 100,000 tonnes of nuts marketed a year (though the figure given by the government in its Economic and Social Plan for 2012 is 112,000 tonnes). By 2020, he wanted to see that figure rise to between 185,000 and 200,000 tonnes. The plan also envisages raising the capacity of the Mozambican cashew processing industry from the current 30,000 to 100,000 tonnes a year. The cashew sector is vital for the socio-economic development of the country", said Limbau. "The production and marketing of cashew nuts is an economic activity for more than 1.4 million rural families and it creates jobs for thousands of workers".Cote d'Ivoire: Trafigura Fined One Million Euros An Amsterdam appeals court has fined multinational energy giant Trafigura one million euros for illegally transporting toxic waste from Amsterdam to Ivory Coast.Mozambique: Guebuza Launches 2011-2012 Agricultural Campaign AIM 24 October 2011Maputo — Mozambican President Armando Guebuza on Sunday stressed that through hard work the country will overcome hunger. Guebuza said that the success of the agricultural campaign largely depended on how well it was prepared - so activities were under way to ensure the timely supply of agricultural inputs.More agricultural extensionists were being hired, he added, and greater quantities of improved seed for food crops than in the past were being acquired and distributed. Likewise agricultural chemicals and vaccines for livestock were being supplied, and additional financial resources were being mobilised for the campaign.Namibia: Waves At Kalahari NAMIBIA ECONOMIST Waldo 16 December 2011 - Control over the fabulously rich Rossing South uranium deposit is again the motive behind a brewing controversy. Last week Friday, the owner of the EPL, Extract Resources through its local wholly owned subsidiary, Swakop Uranium, put out a statement saying the board of directors took note of an upstream offer for control in a rather obscure venture capital company, listed in London under the name Kalahari Minerals plc.This movement in share price closely mirrored an announcement that a Chinese company listed in Hong Kong, Taurus Mineral Limited, has made an offer for the entire shareholding of Kalahari Minerals at a strike price of 243.55 pence. Nigeria: SON Spends Twenty Billion Naira to Destroy Fake, Sub-Standard Tyres The Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, has said that it spent about N20 million in destroying more than three million fake and sub-standard tyres nationwide.Rwanda: Maize Factory Boss Flees With Rwf 500 Million Mukamira Maize Factory is struggling to continue operations after a Rwf495 million loan it secured from the Ministry of Trade and Industry was reportedly stolen by its Managing Director. DONE A MONKEYSADC: Nakumatt Eyes Expansion to South Africa Business Daily (Nairobi) Francis Mureithi 19 December 2011 -Nakumatt Holdings will next year extend its wings to West and South Africa as part of its strategic plan to grow beyond the East African region. The retail-chain's managing director Mr Atul Shah said the company has started feasibility studies to venture into new horizons in Nigeria, Gambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Malawi."Our next landing will be in West and South Africa where we want to conquer and create more wealth not only for Kenya but for Africa as a whole," said Mr Shah while opening Nakumatt's newest store in Nakuru. The chain, which targets middle and upper income customers, has a total of 36 branches in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda, and hopes to open outlets in South Sudan and Burundi by the end of next year. The retailer earlier said it was looking for equity investors to buy nearly half of the retailer next year to help pay for its expansion across the continent.The supermarket wants to attract equity investors rather than rely on costly bank loans, and does not intend to list on the Nairobi bourse for the next four years, said the company. Mr Shah told Reuters the chain would initially seek to sell a 15-18 per cent stake for $50 million (Sh4.2 billion), and invite international retailers to take up about 25-30 per cent thereafter."We believe in developing partnerships with local entrepreneurs and that is why we have made a comeback to Nakuru where the dream of Nakumatt was first nurtured some 20 years ago," said Mr Shah. High investor interest

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in the town is linked to increased economic activity that recently saw UN-Habitat rank it the fastest growing town in East and Central Africa.Somalia: Galmudug State Conducts Anti-Piracy Operations, Jails Pirates Somalia's Galmudug state in central the country on Wednesday announced, it has apprehended a number of Somali pirates in an anti- piracy operation conducted over the past 24-hours by its troops in southern Galka'yo town of Mudug regionSOMALIA: Somali Pirates Paid Sh1.7 Billion in One Year, Says Maritime Boss Somali pirates have been paid Sh1.7 billion as ransom over the last one year, a maritime official has said. TOP BUSINESS GROWTH RATING OF 2011South Africa: SA Egg Farmers Must Deal With EU Battery Hen Ban With an EU-wide ban on the sale of battery hen eggs coming into force on 1 January, UK supermarkets agreed not to use illegal eggs and some supermarkets have even promised to manufacture their own-label products with free-range eggs.South Africa: Family Business Takes On Woolworths Over Alleged Imitation Products Biz-Community (Cape Town) 20 December 2011 - Frankies Olde Soft Drink Company has complained to the ASA over what it claims are Woolworths products that closely resemble some of its own. According to Mike Schmidt, Frankies owner, "These products threaten to tarnish the very foundations on which the Frankies brand is built." Woolworths' Zyda Rylands, MD of Food, has responded to the claim.Frankies Olde Soft Drink Company - established in 2006 on a small farm in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal - claims to be a unique brand that has been inspired and built around the nostalgic tastes of yesteryear. The company, according to a release issued on its behalf, believes it is widely acknowledged for its creative products and retro packaging.However, this small family-run business "is currently struggling to keep its original vintage concept intact" following the release of products by Woolworths Limited bearing, what the release issued on Frankies behalf claims to be, "design elements of such close resemblance that even regular Frankies consumers could not be criticised for their confusion between the beverages".According to the Frankies press release, the products in question were first brought to the attention of Mike Schmidt, owner of Frankies, in December 2010. At this time he was made aware that incorporated within the repackaging of Woolworth's ginger beer was the image of a "1950's blonde Lady."The press release reads: "It was noted that this device was remarkably similar to that of the Frankies vintage-inspired woman that has appeared, since inception, on every bottle in different outfits and poses. It is an element that, as a result, has become synonymous with the Frankies brand".Feeling that their brand identity was in jeopardy, Frankies sent a letter to Woolworths drawing attention to what the press release describes as "this blatant similarity".Woolworths response was that there was no foundation on which to base a copyright infringement claim.'Upsetting'According to Schmidt, "The creative concept and visually distinctive design of all Frankies products have had as large a part to play in the success of the brand as the unique and original flavours offered.After working so hard to create a brand identity that clearly differentiates Frankies from other soft drinks, it is now upsetting that many of these key aspects that significantly contribute to its personality have been imitated and which, as a result, may negatively impact this relatively new and fast developing brand."Following the initial exchange, another complaint was issued in April 2011 after it was brought to Schmidt's attention that a presentation between Woolworths and Chill Beverages (the manufacturer that sells products in the Woolworths packaging) had transpired in which Chill Beverages had allegedly clearly projected their intention to base the Woolworths range on Frankies distinct branding and style.The presentation is alleged to have illustrated the desire to make use of identical bottles, '50s-inspired candy-stripped graphics and the strapline "Old Fashioned Soft Drink" - the slogan used in Frankies advertising material and which it believes is indicative of the brand.Flavours allegedly discussed also mimicked those of the Frankies brand, with Clear Cream Soda, Cloudy Lemonade, Cinnamon Cola and Root Beer, all representing flavours introduced to South Africa via Frankies. A letter from Frankies was sent to Chill Beverages, which, according to the press release issued on Frankies' behalf, denied the proposed plan.Not opposed to competing products, but...However, November 2011 saw Woolworths introduce what the Frankies press release terms their "new" range to stores around the country. According to Frankies, the bottles used are "near identically shaped bottles with candy-striped labels and bearing the previously proposed strap line, the products could - and have been - mistaken for Frankies products"."These products threaten to tarnish the very foundations on which the Frankies brand is built, and could result in substantial damage to the reputation and income of the company," says Schmidt.The range includes the products "Fiery Ginger Beer" and "Cinnamon Cola" which, Frankies believes, are flavours that are a direct and blatant copy of the Frankies product already on the market.According to Frankies, it is "however, primarily due to Woolworths' new range including the phrase "Good Old Fashioned" - a phrase that is not merely a descriptive term but one that has become firmly associated with Frankies, representing a theme that is central to the brand and its core advertising concept - that Frankies has proceeded with a complaint to the Advertising Standard Authority and awaits further instruction.

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Schmidt concludes: "I am not opposed to competitive products that are on the market, however, any products that reflect intentional and conscious copying in an attempt to profit off the success of the Frankies brand are not acceptable and need to be brought to the attention of the necessary authorities."Woolworths responds:Responding to the allegations, Zyda Rylands, Woolworths MD of Food, has issued the following statement:"We believe that the allegations made against Woolworths are unfounded. We have not infringed any copyright,

intellectual property nor registered trade mark. We have also not been contacted by the ASA or any other appropriate authority about these allegations. Flavour "Old fashioned drinks are not a new concept. Flavours such as cream soda, ginger beer and cola are used by a number of soft drink manufacturers and no one company owns the rights to these flavours, and therefore the use of these names. The names of these flavours have also been used widely for decades. Design concept"We have used the nostalgic or vintage design concept for many years in a range of products including our confectionary products like fudge. Our designs were inspired by a retro feel which is a growing trend internationally in retail. We were also inspired by Woolworths products from the mid-20th century. Differentiation "As with all Woolworths products, our labels and typography is consistent with Woolworths brand identity. Further, the shape of our bottle is different. We do not believe that Woolworths range resembles Frankie's soft drinks. Local supply "Woolworths vintage range of soft drinks are produced with local entrepreneurs. We respect the rights of any business, including small business."

Zyda Rylands, Woolworths MD of Food Woolworths subsequently added: Clarification: To clarify the meeting concerns raised by some:NOTWITHSTANDING BIG CORPORATE LEGAL JOCKEYING, THE CLAIM IS NOT ALONE, OTHERS HAVE EXPRESSED SIMILAR SKULDUGGERY AFTER THIS HIT THE HEADLINES, PERHAPS ITS TIME FOR TWITTER BOYCOTT REVOLUTIONS…’THE RETAILERS ARAB SPRING’SOUTH AFRICA: JSE slips into red for 2011 2011-12-30 The JSE posted its first annual loss in three years, as concern about the eurozone crisis helped spark selling in companies sensitive to global growth.SOUTH AFRICA: Smith eyes better year in 2012 2011-12-31 Durban - The Proteas left Durban on Saturday hoping to put the Kingsmead curse behind them and start 2012 with a home series win against Sri Lanka. “This has been a tough year for the Proteas,” said captain Graeme Smith after his team's defeat in Durban, and their emotional rollercoaster after being knocked out of the 2011 Cricket World Cup by New Zealand earlier in the year. “Hopefully 2012 will be a good one for us with the contests that lie ahead.” HOPEFULLY MATCH FIXING HAS NOT RETURNED AS KEY PLAYERS HEAD TOWARD RETIREMENT….OR HAS ITSudan: UK to Cancel All of Sudan's Debt By 2014 - Report The British government intends to forgive more than $ 1 billion in debt owed by Sudan over the next few years, according to a report by the Financial Times. Uganda: Kisoro Told to Stop Illegal Mining - STATE minister for economic planning and monitoring Henry Banyenzaki has called for an end to illegal mining in the south western district of Kisoro saying the country loses a lot of money due to the smuggling of minerals to neighboring Rwanda.Uganda: Lawyer Asks Court to Block Oil Agreements THE MONITOR Chris Obore 29 Dec 2011Kampala — A lawyer, acting in his private capacity as a citizen, has petitioned court to issue an injunction restraining government from signing any oil deals. Mr Hamada Mulumba through Bwambale , Musede and Co. Advocates has petitioned court to restrain the Attorney General, Heritage Oil and Gas Limited and Tullow Uganda from "undertaking any further dealings including but not limited to exploration, production, selling, assigning, transferring any interest in exploration Area 3A (EA-3A) kingfisher (Kajubirizi) of the Albertine Graben."Tullow Uganda, one of the oil firms jointly sued with government, yesterday said they had received the suit. "Tullow is aware of the petition and shall follow due process to contest this case," said Ms Cathy Adengo, the corporate communications manager.Parliament decidesThe suit comes after the NRM caucus recently voted to allow government sign off oil deals to start oil production despite earlier resolutions by Parliament halting oil transactions until enabling laws are enacted.President Museveni announced early this month that he would sign off the deals with Total, CNOOC and Tullow by January. But Mr Mulumba in the suit filed on December 22 wants court to declare that the government granted exploration licences to the oil firms in total disregard of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets regulations. He also wants a declaration that Kingfisher discovery ceased to form part of the petroleum exploration area for Heritage and Tullow.Raw deal

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The petitioner also wants a declaration that the transfer of interests by Heritage to Tullow was null and void. The petitioner quotes former Energy Minister Hilary Onek's letter written on August 17, 2010, to prove that Tullow illegally owns Kingfisher well. "The period within which you are supposed to have applied for a petroleum production licence for the Kingfisher field expired in February 2010," Mr Onek wrote to Tullow and Heritage."In accordance with the powers entrusted to the minister under section 19 (1) (b) of the Act, I hereby direct that the

Kingfisher (Kajubirizi) Discovery Area has ceased to form part of the Petroleum Exploration Area 3A (EA-3A) under the exploration licence granted to you on September 8, 2004," it adds.In his petition, Mr Mulumba also wants court to compel Heritage and Tullow to account "to the government for benefits accumulated ever since their illegal utilisation of Exploration Area 3A and pay a statutory fine of Shs100m for acting without a valid license." The petitioner wants the government to comply with PPDA rules in any future oil transactions.Yesterday, Mr Mulumba's lawyers said court had fixed hearing of their application for certificate of urgency today. "This is an urgent matter but court is on vacation. We are trying to get a certificate of urgency to have this matter fixed during vacation so that it can be heard," said Denis Musede, adding: "Intended sell is to take place any time before the end of January; we want a temporary injunction restraining the transaction before the hearing of the main suit."Venezuela - free ops to remove implants 2011-12-28 Caracas - Venezuela's top health official says free operations will be provided to women to remove faulty French-made breast implants. Health Minister Eugenia Sader says women with implants made by the now-defunct French company Poly Implant Prothese may go to any hospital that carries out plastic surgery in order to have the implants removed. France's health system has recommended that women with the PIP implants get them replaced, and has agreed to pay for surgeries that could total millions of dollars. - SAPAZambia: 'MMD Borrowed U.S.$145 Million for Hasty Roads Rehab' PARLIAMENT heard yesterday that the MMD Government borrowed US$145 million before the September elections in order to finance road programmes in a hurry in Zambia. THAT WAS FOR THE ROAD OUTZambia: Corruption Setback to Foreign Investment - Report A PRELIMINARY report on Foreign Private Investments and Investor participation in Zambia in 2011 has revealed that rampant corruption was among the major factors that impacted on foreign direct investments.Zambia: State Seizes Thandiwe's Properties THE State has seized properties worth billions of Kwacha, including a hotel in neighbouring Malawi and some apartments in Tanzania allegedly belonging to former first lady Thandiwe Banda.Zimbabwe: Stranded National Airline Passengers Booted Out of Hilton Hotel STRANDED Air Zimbabwe passengers have reportedly been ejected from a London hotel where they have been booked after the airline failed to pay accommodation bills.Zimbabwe: Armyworm Outbreak in Chegutu An armyworm outbreak in Chegutu district has destroyed more than 500 hectares of crops and pastures with nearly 10 hectares of maize now a write off. EVEN THE WORMS PROTESTINGZimbabwe: Explosion hits Mugabe party office 2011-12-29 Harare - An explosion hit the provincial office of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF in the central city of Gweru, causing only material damage, state media reported on Thursday. EARLY ‘AFRICA SPRING’ NOTICEZimbabwe: Kuwait Deal - Country Loses Out RATIFICATION of bilateral trade agreements with Kuwait, which presently imports 13,6% of its agricultural products from Zimbabwe, is costing the country revenue inflows as business opportunities are wasted.

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