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Sunday, December 29, 2019
Zambia to raise electricity tariffs
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Zambia's Energy Regulation Board has approved the state power
utility's plan to raise electricity
Oranto and Armour get licences back in Uganda
In Summary
- The move allows the companies to progress with well drilling that will confirm the viability of the oil and gas deposits.
- Armour is doing exploration at Kanywataba block (344 square km).
- Oranto is exploring at Ngassa contract area covering 410 square km.
Merger wave hits Kenya’s banking industry
In Summary
- Nigeria’s largest retail lender, Access Bank Plc, acquired Kenya’s Transnational Bank associated with retired President Daniel arap Moi.
- Kenya’s largest bank by assets — KCB Group — this year acquired capital-starved National Bank of Kenya (NBK).
- Commercial Bank of Africa and NIC Bank are concluding a merger, expected to create the country’s third-largest bank by assets.
Japan to send military vessel, planes to Middle East
In Summary
- The move is "Japan's own measure aimed at peace and stability in the Middle East as well as ensuring safety of Japan-related vessels," Suga said, noting that 90 percent of crude oil Tokyo imports were from the region.
- Middle East tensions have soared since early this year, when Iran was accused of attaching mines to several tankers off Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and then attacking or seizing others near the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
- The United States formed a naval coalition to protect vessels in the region, which is critical to global oil supplies.
Rwanda's grand vision for future leaves poor on the curb
In Summary
- City authorities say the homes were built illegally on wetlands, or areas deemed at risk from landslides and flooding.
- Kigali has been the focus of a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure blitz in recent years, with futuristic convention centres, five-star hotels and modern flats altering the skyline.
- The city has earned a reputation among African capitals for its unusually ordered and clean streets, but the heavy-handed approach of local authorities has caused alarm.
Somali parliament approves a new election law
In Summary
- Somalia last held one-person, one-vote elections in March 1969 when the government was overthrown in a bloodless military coup, according to the UN.
Five wounded in stabbing at US rabbi's house
In Summary
- A suspect has been taken into custody and a vehicle safeguarded, a spokesman for the NYPD told AFP
Philippines Christmas typhoon death toll climbs to 41
In Summary
- Typhoon Phanfone left the Philippines on Saturday after devastating several islands in the central Visayas, including popular tourist destinations.
- The latest agency report showed over 1.6 million people were affected by the typhoon, which damaged over 260,000 houses and forced almost a hundred thousand people to flee to emergency shelters.
- Typhoon Phanfone, locally called Ursula, is the 21st cyclone to hit the storm-prone Philippines, which is the first major landmass facing the Pacific typhoon belt.
Libya parliament speaker urges rejection of UN-recognised govt
In Summary
- Libya has been beset by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with rival administrations in the east and the west vying for power.
- Libya's parliament has itself been weakened by the departure of several dozen anti-Haftar lawmakers for Tripoli.
- Turkey in November signed a deal with the GNA in Tripoli in which the two parties lay claim to much of the Mediterranean, conflicting with rival claims by Greece and Cyprus.
Zimbabwe journalists suffer as regime tightens grip
In Summary
- Rights groups have accused Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa of persistently violating human rights since he took office in 2018.
- In August last year six people died after the army used force against civilians protesting a delay in the announcement of election results.
- In January, the army attacked protesters marching against a hefty fuel price hike, leaving 17 dead.
Africa steps into 2020 with eyes on open borders, deeper trade and integration
In Summary
- The free trade zone comes into effect in July, allowing the continent’s 1.2 billion people to sell and buy goods with minimal tariff and non-tariff barriers.
- AfCFTA has the potential to foster the development of robust regional value chains, triggering exponential economic growth.
- Africa’s population is expected to hit 2.5 billion by 2050, offering a huge, ready market for its goods and services.
Disputes push countries into bilateral deals to ensure seamless flow of trade
In Summary
- Kenya and Uganda last week reached a deal on taxation of pharmaceuticals, juices, and milk products, which had threatened to push the two neighbouring countries into a collision course.
Deficit between imports, exports grows by 45.1%
In Summary
Servicing imports. The widening of the current account deficit implies there were more outflow of
Ngamba Island: Winding away the wild with chimpanzees
The captain cast off, heading out into the noon.
The boat glides over the waves as Godfrey Okwayimungu severs a path through the blue waters of
The boat glides over the waves as Godfrey Okwayimungu severs a path through the blue waters of
Uganda suffers Shs3 trillion trade decline
In Summary
- Losses. On February 28, Rwanda closed its borders with Uganda at Gatuna and Cyanika in Kabale and Kisoro districts, respectively.
- Hundreds of cargo trucks destined for Rwanda got stranded at the border points.
- In 2016, more 40 districts were added to the original 15 and by June this year, there were 61 districts captured in the program.
Fresh cattle raids threaten Uganda, Kenya peace pact
Fresh
cross-border cattle raids in Karamoja are threatening to tear apart a
memorandum of
Assessment: Time telcos competition got checked
In Summary
The assessment was conducted in accordance with
the criteria provided under section 14 (a)-(f) of the Electronic and
Postal Communications (Competition) Regulations, 2018
2019: Notable year for human rights record in Tanzania
In Summary
Should the country’s human rights defenders have any New
Year resolutions of ensuring some notable rights violations are brought
to an end, they must brace to encounter setbacks and frustrations from
what is happening on the ground.
SPECIAL REPORT: Shock as more boys quit schools, pregnancy-related dropout surge
Rhino Fausta dies: Scientists gather to investigate cause(s) of her death
In Summary
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority
says one of the causes of Fausta’s death was old age; at 57 years of
age, she is considered to be the oldest rhino in the world.
Tanzania: Eyakuze - How Time Flies! It Is a Brave New World, Again
How did 2019
simultaneously manage to be the longest year in living history, and the
shortest? Is it
Bank of Kigali provides health insurance to 1,400 needy people
Year in review: The 10 stories that made headlines in 2019
The year 2019 presented multiple challenges but also recorded big wins for Rwanda.
Despite having to deal with heavy rains and terror attacks, Rwanda’s economy continued to expand with a couple of quarters registering double-digit growth.
Here are the top 10 stories that dominated the news in 2019:
New airport in the horizon
Rwanda signed a mega deal worth USD 1.3 billion with Qatar for the new international airport located in the Eastern Province. The airport, whose first phase scheduled for completion in 2022, will have a capacity of 7 million passengers.
An artistic impression of Bugesera International Airport. The first phase of the airport is expected to be complete by 2022. / Photo: Courtesy
Subsequent phases will see the passenger capacity increase.
As part of the deal, Qatar will own a 60 per cent stake in the airport.
New dawn for Rwanda-DRC ties
The Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi visited Rwanda in March highlighting
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