Botswana
(AFP (eng) 11/21/16)
The number of HIV-infected people taking anti-retroviral medicine has doubled in just five years, the UN said Monday, while highlighting high infection rates among young African women. A new report by UNAIDS said it was on course to hit a target of 30 million people on ARV treatment by 2020. "By June 2016, around 18.2 million people had access to the life-saving medicines, including 910,000 children, double the number five years earlier," UNAIDS said in a statement. But the report showed the huge risks that some young women face. Last year more than 7,500 teenagers and young women became infected with HIV every week worldwide, with the bulk of them in southern Africa. "Young women...
(AFP (eng) 11/20/16)
Above the sacks of seeds and coal, three kerosene lamps gather dust in the tiny shed that Kenyan chicken farmer Bernard calls home. He prefers to use solar energy to light up his evenings, listen to the radio or watch television, after abandoning a diesel generator he said was expensive to maintain and burned fuel too quickly. "Solar panels are a good, cheap solution," he told AFP. Across the continent, consumers are opting for their own off-grid solar solutions to power homes and small businesses, even as African governments unveil massive new solar projects seemingly every month to expand their grids. According to International Energy Agency projections, almost one billion people in sub-Saharan Africa will gain access to the grid...
(Agence Ecofin 11/19/16)
Thrice-listed mining firm Lucara Diamond has sold a 12 of its diamond totaling 1,098 ct, from its Karowe mine in Botswana. The firm said five of the diamonds have been sold for more than $2 million. It highlighted that a 224.5 ct type IIa stone was sold for $11.11 million, representing $49,497/ct, the highest average per carat sale price it recorded so far. Another 81.8ct stone was sold for $46,138/ct and a third 162.3ct stone was for $4.88 million ($30,117/ct)...
(The Guardian 11/19/16)
At COP22, the African Development Bank’s president, Akinwumi Adesina, tells of strategies to improve energy supplies and fight the impact of climate change “We lose 5% of our potential GDP every year, and African industries cannot be competitive without access to electricity,” says Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank. “I believe that’s why we can’t break away from reliance on exporting our raw materials – new industries will only go to where there’s power.” He is speaking on...
(APA 11/18/16)
Botswana’s Vice President Mokgweetsi Masisi was on Friday awarded the distinction of the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun by Japanese Emperor Akihito. Japanese ambassador to Botswana Masahiro Onishi said the Imperial award was given in recognition of his contributions to promoting friendship and cooperation between Japan- Botswana and the Africa region. As this honour is awarded to foreign citizens who have promoted the cordial bilateral relationship between Japan and their own nations, Onishi explained that Masisi was given the award due to his continuous dedication in strengthening the bilateral relationship between Japan and Botswana.
(APA 11/18/16)
The University of Botswana (UB) on Friday launched an experimental vehicle that uses biodiesel fuel. The vehicle uses blended fuel (B10) which is 90 per cent petroleum diesel (50PPM) and 10 per cent biodiesel produced by University of Botswana researchers. Launching the experimental vehicle, Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic and Student Affairs, Professor Martin Mokgwathi, said the vehicle was one of the key milestones of the research project. Professor Mokgwathi said it was also testimony that UB was Botswana’s premier research institution especially that its research projects were bearing fruit and beginning to benefit society. Dr Clever Ketlogetswe from UB’s Department of Mechanical Engineering observed that research on biofuel was aimed at
(APA 11/17/16)
Botswana Attorney General Dr. Athaliah Molokomme said Thursday that Botswana strongly believes that even in the face of challenges, the International Criminal Court (ICC) is the only hope for the countless victims crying out for justice. Molokomme was speaking Thursday at the 15th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC being held at The Hague, the Netherlands. “Justice is indivisible. We must tirelessly work to ensure that all victims of the most serious crimes have access to justice,” she said. Molokomme added that “With its increased judicial workload and currently exercising jurisdiction over 10 situations and 10 ongoing preliminary investigations
(APA 11/17/16)
Swimming against the tide of congratulatory messages from other African leaders, Botswana President Ian Khama is yet to extend his own to United States President-elect Donald Trump, Mmegi newspaper reported here Thursday. A number of countries across the globe including opposition parties have sent their congratulatory messages to Trump. Khama’s private secretary, Brigadier George Tlhalerwa told the paper that Trump is not yet the President of the US. “The international norm is that you congratulate somebody after they have taken...
(APA 11/17/16)
The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) will next week undertake a three-day roadshow in Botswana's capital Gaborone to raise public awareness about its operations and benefits. The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) will next week undertake a three-day roadshow in Botswana's capital Gaborone to raise public awareness about its operations and benefits. SACU executive secretary Paulina Elago said in a statement on Thursday that the roadshow would be held from 21-23 November. The key objective of this campaign is to...
(APA 11/17/16)
Botswana President Ian Khama has pledged his government's commitment to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent by 2030. Our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) comprises measures in such areas as renewable energy, energy efficiency, and transport, Khama said in a statement delivered on Wednesday at the ongoing climate change conference in Morocco. He added: Our adaptation efforts focus largely on such vulnerable sectors as agriculture, water and health. In addressing climate change, Khama said we continue to incur considerable...
(AFP (eng) 11/17/16)
African leaders met in Morocco Wednesday on the sidelines of UN climate talks to agree a joint stance to fight global warming on the continent. "Africa is paying a heavy price over the climate issue and is without doubt the continent worst affected," Morocco's King Mohammed VI told the summit attended by 20 African leaders. "These disruptions... greatly hamper Africa's development and gravely threaten the basic rights of tens of millions of Africans," he said. He said the continent needed...
(AFP (eng) 11/16/16)
"Don't go!" That was the heartfelt appeal to African nations as the International Criminal Court opened its annual meeting Wednesday under the cloud of a wave of unprecedented defections. Gambia on Monday formally notified the United Nations that it was withdrawing from the court, following in the wake of South Africa and Burundi. "Don't go," pleaded Senegalese politician Sidiki Kaba, the president of the ICC's Assembly of State Parties meeting in The Hague. "In a world criss-crossed by violent extremism.....
(APA 11/14/16)
Botswana should guard against complacency in the battle against HIV and AIDS despite successes recorded so far, Vice President Mokgweetsi Masisi said on Monday. According to the state-run Radio Botswana, Masisi told a meeting organised by the National AIDS Council (NAC) in Gaborone on Monday that he was worried by new infections that continue to rise. Any form of complacency or drift from the war path would be more suicidal, he said. He said it was imperative to fast track both biomedical and behavioural interventions, noting that failure to do so would leave Batswana on the brink of extermination by the epidemic.
(Forbes 11/14/16)
Africa will have 1-billion mobile subscriptions by the fourth quarter of 2016, while data use will drive the next phase of growth in Africa’s telecoms market, according to researchers Ovum. Mobile subs will reach 1.02-billion by the end of 2016 and will reach 1.33-billion by 2021, says Matthew Reed, Ovum’s practice leader, for the Middle East and Africa. “The take-up of mobile broadband will rise strongly, as operators continue to roll out 3G and 4G LTE networks and as smartphones...
(AFP (eng) 11/12/16)
Across Africa, the approaching presidency of Donald Trump has provoked deep uncertainty over how the United States will pursue policies ranging from counter-terrorism and trade, to aid and climate change. Many African countries had high hopes that Barack Obama would bring transformative benefits to the continent and were left disappointed as he winds down his time in office. But Trump's rise to power poses fresh questions that reveal the lack of concrete detail on his foreign policy plans -- while...
(MmegiOnline 11/11/16)
A consultant tasked with establishing the country’s African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) national response strategy says Botswana should consider setting up an office to coordinate all AGOA activities in the country. Speaking this week during the validation workshop of the draft AGOA strategy in Gaborone, George Makore said the AGOA office should be headed by a coordinator to be assisted by experts in export development, investment promotion, and information dissemination. “The process of setting up the institutional structure should be initiated within 60 days of approval of the strategy,” he stated.
(The Toronto Star 11/11/16)
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said Canada has committed to a three-year deployment in Africa that will be reassessed each year to ensure it has an “enduring” impact. Canadian troops headed to Africa will operate in dangerous territory where peacekeepers have been killed, says Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan. In an exclusive interview with the Star from Vancouver Sajjan said Canada has committed to a three-year deployment that will be reassessed each year to ensure it has an “enduring” impact. It will...
(APA 11/10/16)
Botswana respects the United States' presidential election results and relations between the two countries are expected to remain cordial, government spokesperson Jeff Ramsay told Yarona FM radio station on Thursday. Botswana President Ian Khama has during the build-up to the presidential elections supported Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton as opposed to the scare-mongering and divisive utterances that emanated from Republican candidate Donald Trump. Trump cruised to a surprise victory on Tuesday to become the 45th US president after defeating Clinton...
(AFP (eng) 11/10/16)
All CAF competitions will offer increased prize money from 2017, the Cairo-based African football body said Wednesday. The announcement came months after French oil-gas company Total signed an eight-year sponsorship deal with CAF reportedly worth more than one billion dollars (915 million euros). Winners of the biennial Africa Cup of Nations will receive $4 million, up from the $1.5 million pocketed by 2015 champions the Ivory Coast. CAF Champions League title-holders are going to collect $2.5 million -- $1 million...
(Dw-World 11/09/16)
Africans across the continent followed the US presidential election with keen interest. While some fear that a Trump presidency could have disastrous consequences, others remain cautiously optimistic. Tanzania's President John Pombe Magufuli was one of the first African leaders to congratulate Donald Trump on his election victory. "Tanzanians and I assure you of continued friendship and cooperation," he wrote on his Twitter account. Burundi's controversial leader Pierre Nkurunziza - the subject of intense US and international criticism for his decision...
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(AFP (eng) 11/21/16)
The number of HIV-infected people taking anti-retroviral medicine has doubled in just five years, the UN said Monday, while highlighting high infection rates among young African women. A new report by UNAIDS said it was on course to hit a target of 30 million people on ARV treatment by 2020. "By June 2016, around 18.2 million people had access to the life-saving medicines, including 910,000 children, double the number five years earlier," UNAIDS said in a statement. But the report showed the huge risks that some young women face. Last year more than 7,500 teenagers and young women became infected with HIV every week worldwide, with the bulk of them in southern Africa. "Young women...
(APA 11/17/16)
Botswana Attorney General Dr. Athaliah Molokomme said Thursday that Botswana strongly believes that even in the face of challenges, the International Criminal Court (ICC) is the only hope for the countless victims crying out for justice. Molokomme was speaking Thursday at the 15th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC being held at The Hague, the Netherlands. “Justice is indivisible. We must tirelessly work to ensure that all victims of the most serious crimes have access to justice,” she said. Molokomme added that “With its increased judicial workload and currently exercising jurisdiction over 10 situations and 10 ongoing preliminary investigations
(APA 11/17/16)
The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) will next week undertake a three-day roadshow in Botswana's capital Gaborone to raise public awareness about its operations and benefits. The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) will next week undertake a three-day roadshow in Botswana's capital Gaborone to raise public awareness about its operations and benefits. SACU executive secretary Paulina Elago said in a statement on Thursday that the roadshow would be held from 21-23 November. The key objective of this campaign is to...
(APA 11/17/16)
Botswana President Ian Khama has pledged his government's commitment to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent by 2030. Our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) comprises measures in such areas as renewable energy, energy efficiency, and transport, Khama said in a statement delivered on Wednesday at the ongoing climate change conference in Morocco. He added: Our adaptation efforts focus largely on such vulnerable sectors as agriculture, water and health. In addressing climate change, Khama said we continue to incur considerable...
(AFP (eng) 11/16/16)
"Don't go!" That was the heartfelt appeal to African nations as the International Criminal Court opened its annual meeting Wednesday under the cloud of a wave of unprecedented defections. Gambia on Monday formally notified the United Nations that it was withdrawing from the court, following in the wake of South Africa and Burundi. "Don't go," pleaded Senegalese politician Sidiki Kaba, the president of the ICC's Assembly of State Parties meeting in The Hague. "In a world criss-crossed by violent extremism.....
(APA 11/14/16)
Botswana should guard against complacency in the battle against HIV and AIDS despite successes recorded so far, Vice President Mokgweetsi Masisi said on Monday. According to the state-run Radio Botswana, Masisi told a meeting organised by the National AIDS Council (NAC) in Gaborone on Monday that he was worried by new infections that continue to rise. Any form of complacency or drift from the war path would be more suicidal, he said. He said it was imperative to fast track both biomedical and behavioural interventions, noting that failure to do so would leave Batswana on the brink of extermination by the epidemic.
(The Toronto Star 11/11/16)
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said Canada has committed to a three-year deployment in Africa that will be reassessed each year to ensure it has an “enduring” impact. Canadian troops headed to Africa will operate in dangerous territory where peacekeepers have been killed, says Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan. In an exclusive interview with the Star from Vancouver Sajjan said Canada has committed to a three-year deployment that will be reassessed each year to ensure it has an “enduring” impact. It will...
(Reuters (Eng) 11/08/16)
Germany on Monday pledged a 61-million-euro ($67.44 million) hike in funding for U.N. relief operations in Africa so that fewer of its people undertake perilous odysseys to Europe, which has struggled to absorb an influx of migrants since last year. The extra funding lifts Germany's total contribution to the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR to 298 million euros for 2016, Foreign Ministry officials said. Its total humanitarian budget for 2016 was 1.28 billion euros, up from just 105 million euros in...
(APA 11/07/16)
The Public Health Specialist for Non-Communicable Diseases in Botswana’s Ministry of Health, Dr. Neo Tapela said Monday that the leading cause of death in Botswana is not HIV/AIDS, as it is wildly believed, but non-communicable diseases. Making a presentation to members of the House of Chiefs, Dr. Tapela said people who could live beyond 75 years die earlier because of non-communicable diseases. Dr. Tapela said that the main non-communicable diseases that account for 82 percent of deaths include cardiovascular diseases such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension and asthma. He further urged members of the House of Chiefs to help the Ministry of Health in the fight against
(APA 11/07/16)
Botswana’s Minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs, Edwin Batshu, he has begun a serious fight against illegal immigrants, state-run DailyNews reported here Monday. Speaking in Oodi village in southern Botswana, Batshu said the laws were clear on procedures of entering the country through gazetted areas and being allowed to live in the country. The minister further said any person who contravened subsection 1 of the Immigration Act committed an offense and was liable to a fine not exceeding 400...
(AFP (eng) 11/05/16)
"The dream becomes reality", "Our son, our hope": the headlines in the Kenyan press in 2008 captured pride and excitement after the election of Barack Obama. Eight years later, enthusiasm for the outgoing president has faded on a continent that he is accused of forsaking. The election of the first black president of the United States on November 4, 2008 sparked scenes of jubilation in Kenya, the homeland of Obama's father. A public holiday was declared in honour of his...
(AFP (eng) 11/02/16)
Stopping the killing of elephants for their tusks could add some $25 million (23 million euros) to Africa's annual tourism income, more than offsetting the anti-poaching spend, a study said Tuesday. While the figure pales in comparison to the estimated value of the black market ivory trade in China, it represents about a fifth of tourist income for game parks in 14 countries, where half of Africa's elephants are located, the study said. "We find that the lost economic benefits...
(Reuters (Eng) 10/31/16)
About 220 African migrants forced their way through a barbed wire fence into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta on Monday, clashing with Spanish police who tried to prevent them from crossing the border with Morocco. Thirty-two migrants were treated in hospital for minor injuries after pushing their way through two gates just before 2 a.m. ET, while three Spanish policemen also needed medical attention, the government said. Several migrants collapsed from exhaustion after crossing into Spanish territory, Reuters photographs...
(AFP (eng) 10/28/16)
The impact of the most severe drought to hit southern Africa in 35 years is expected to worsen in the coming months, a UN climate envoy warned Friday. "The crisis has yet to peak," Macharia Kamau, special envoy on El Nino and climate, said at the end of a four-day trip to Mozambique. The devastation, which has affected some 18 million people across the southern African region, will be at its worst around January next year, he said. Mozambique, with 1.5 million people reeling from the drought, is one of the worst-hit countries, along with Zimbabwe, Malawi, Lesotho and southern Madagascar.
(AFP (eng) 10/27/16)
Complex diverse political agendas are driving African nations to quit the International Criminal Court, with leaders seeking to cloak the move by reigniting age-old anger at the West, analysts say. Gambia's announcement that it would be the third country to withdraw from the court is all the more frustrating as it comes at a time when the tribunal is beginning to probe some of the world's most intractable conflicts, in places such as the Palestinian territories and Afghanistan, experts say...
(Reuters (Eng) 10/26/16)
African states unhappy with the International Criminal Court(ICC) should work to reform it from within rather than pulling out, Botswanan foreign minister Pelomoni Venson-Moitoi, a candidate to become the next African Union (AU) chief, said. With the AU increasingly divided over the ICC, South Africa announced last week that it planned to quit, but Venson-Moitoi said she believed an African war crimes court could be beefed up to work alongside its Hague-based counterpart. Although South Africa argued that the ICC's...
(AFP (eng) 10/25/16)
The International Criminal Court on Monday urged member states to seek a consensus with critical African nations, while stressing that South Africa and Burundi's announced departures would not take place for at least year. "Today more than ever, there is a huge need for universal justice," said Sidiki Kaba, president of the assembly of state parties to the ICC founding treaty, evoking "the tragedies which are happening in front of our eyes". Kaba, also Senegal's justice minister, said it was...
(Reuters (Eng) 10/20/16)
Encouraged by their success in halting a mass influx of refugees by closing Greek borders and cutting a controversial deal with Turkey, EU leaders are getting tough on African migrants too. A Brussels summit on Thursday will endorse pilot projects to pressure African governments via aid budgets to slow an exodus of people north across the Sahara and Mediterranean. It also wants swift results from an EU campaign to deport large numbers who reach Italy. "By the end of the...
(Voice of America 10/17/16)
Telecom workers in Burkina Faso were on strike again this month, leading to phone and internet interruptions. The country has only one internet service provider, Onatel, but the days of the telecom monopoly in Africa may ending. The Burkina Faso telecommunications authority fined Onatel 5 billion CFA francs ($8.5 million U.S.) in response to the strike, which cut internet access across the country for more than a week. Arouna Ouédraogo, an information technology specialist, said people without access to the...
(APA 10/14/16)
United States ambassador Earl Miller on Friday decried the escalating number of tuberculosis-related deaths in Botswana. Speaking at an event to commemorate the fight against the growing number of TB-related deaths, Miller said over 8,000 people develop TB every year in Botswana. It is responsible for over 40 percent of deaths in people living with HIV, he said. He added that it may be tempting for the US to shift our focus from tuberculosis as we throw our efforts toward...
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(AFP (eng) 11/20/16)
Above the sacks of seeds and coal, three kerosene lamps gather dust in the tiny shed that Kenyan chicken farmer Bernard calls home. He prefers to use solar energy to light up his evenings, listen to the radio or watch television, after abandoning a diesel generator he said was expensive to maintain and burned fuel too quickly. "Solar panels are a good, cheap solution," he told AFP. Across the continent, consumers are opting for their own off-grid solar solutions to power homes and small businesses, even as African governments unveil massive new solar projects seemingly every month to expand their grids. According to International Energy Agency projections, almost one billion people in sub-Saharan Africa will...
(Agence Ecofin 11/19/16)
Thrice-listed mining firm Lucara Diamond has sold a 12 of its diamond totaling 1,098 ct, from its Karowe mine in Botswana. The firm said five of the diamonds have been sold for more than $2 million. It highlighted that a 224.5 ct type IIa stone was sold for $11.11 million, representing $49,497/ct, the highest average per carat sale price it recorded so far. Another 81.8ct stone was sold for $46,138/ct and a third 162.3ct stone was for $4.88 million ($30,117/ct). “It is fitting that this tender, the tenth Exceptional Stone Tender for the Company was concluded on the one year anniversary of the recovery of the historic 1,109 carat, Lesedi La Rona diamond,” said CEO of Lucara Diamond, William Lamb...
(The Guardian 11/19/16)
At COP22, the African Development Bank’s president, Akinwumi Adesina, tells of strategies to improve energy supplies and fight the impact of climate change “We lose 5% of our potential GDP every year, and African industries cannot be competitive without access to electricity,” says Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank. “I believe that’s why we can’t break away from reliance on exporting our raw materials – new industries will only go to where there’s power.” He is speaking on...
(APA 11/18/16)
The University of Botswana (UB) on Friday launched an experimental vehicle that uses biodiesel fuel. The vehicle uses blended fuel (B10) which is 90 per cent petroleum diesel (50PPM) and 10 per cent biodiesel produced by University of Botswana researchers. Launching the experimental vehicle, Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic and Student Affairs, Professor Martin Mokgwathi, said the vehicle was one of the key milestones of the research project. Professor Mokgwathi said it was also testimony that UB was Botswana’s premier research institution especially that its research projects were bearing fruit and beginning to benefit society. Dr Clever Ketlogetswe from UB’s Department of Mechanical Engineering observed that research on biofuel was aimed at
(Forbes 11/14/16)
Africa will have 1-billion mobile subscriptions by the fourth quarter of 2016, while data use will drive the next phase of growth in Africa’s telecoms market, according to researchers Ovum. Mobile subs will reach 1.02-billion by the end of 2016 and will reach 1.33-billion by 2021, says Matthew Reed, Ovum’s practice leader, for the Middle East and Africa. “The take-up of mobile broadband will rise strongly, as operators continue to roll out 3G and 4G LTE networks and as smartphones...
(MmegiOnline 11/11/16)
A consultant tasked with establishing the country’s African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) national response strategy says Botswana should consider setting up an office to coordinate all AGOA activities in the country. Speaking this week during the validation workshop of the draft AGOA strategy in Gaborone, George Makore said the AGOA office should be headed by a coordinator to be assisted by experts in export development, investment promotion, and information dissemination. “The process of setting up the institutional structure should be initiated within 60 days of approval of the strategy,” he stated.
(APA 11/07/16)
Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Vincent Seretse is leading a high-powered Botswana investment and trade mission to Kenya. The Botswana government said in a statement on Monday that Seretse was leading a delegation of 14 private sector executives and seven representatives from parastatal organisations and government departments. It said the three-day visit to Kenya, which is scheduled to end on Wednesday, is a follow-up on commitments made by President Ian Khama on the occasion of the state visit by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to Botswana in June. According to the statement, Seretse and his Kenyan counterpart Adan Mohamed on Monday concluded the opening ceremony by signing
(The Telegraph 11/07/16)
Just a few months after being elected Conservative Party leader, David Cameron flew to Rwanda. It was a high-profile trip so he could see first-hand the development of one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies and launch his party’s review on globalisation and global poverty. On his first day, he visited a textile factory in Kigali, the country’s capital. Above the hum of the silk reels, he chatted to some of the workers and admired the quality of the patterned fabrics. Before...
(Reuters (Eng) 11/02/16)
South Africa's dams could take up to five years to recover even if the country experiences normal rainfall following a severe drought, authorities said on Tuesday, increasing the prospects of water rationing. Southern Africa has been affected by a severe drought that has prompted water restrictions by various municipalities, which have warned that water could be rationed if consumers do not heed calls to cut consumption. "We predict that it will take anything from two to three years and even...
(Cnbc Africa 10/28/16)
The World Bank recently released the Doing Business 2016/17 report. The survey tracks a set of regulatory indicators related to business start-up, operation, trade, payment of taxes and closure, by measuring the time and cost associated with various government requirements. However, the index does not track variables such as macroeconomic policy, currency volatility (an extremely important factor in many emerging market countries) or crime rates, which are also important in investment decisions. According to the most recent rankings, New Zealand...
(This Day Live 10/24/16)
The London Stock Exchange (LSE) has provided $26.1 billion for African companies in the last 10 years, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema has said. Onyema disclosed this while speaking at the third “London & Lagos Capital Markets in Partnership’ conference held at the LSE at the weekend. According to him, eight Nigerian companies were among those that benefitted from the international capital raising on the LSE, noting that more African companies (112)...
(Lusaka Times 10/19/16)
Zambia and Botswana have signed a contract with Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Group Company Limited of China (AFECC) for the construction of One Stop Border Post (OSBP) facilities at Kazungula Border on the Zambian side at a cost of more than K263 million. The contract valued at K263, 670, 419.98, which is funded through a loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB), forms package three of the Main Kazungula Bridge Construction Project which is expected to be completed in December...
(Bloomberg 10/19/16)
Fifteen years ago, a South African media company invested $34 million in an obscure Chinese Internet developer. Today that stake is worth $88 billion. All Naspers Ltd., now Africa’s most valuable company, has to do is figure out how to make money from its other properties: The whole company is worth only $72 billion, less than its stake in Shenzhen-based Tencent Holdings Ltd. Investors aren’t impressed with Naspers’s operations in pay-TV, newspapers and e-commerce in such countries as South Africa,...
(Reuters (Eng) 10/18/16)
Dubai - Emirates airline could reduce the frequency of its flights to African cities or cut routes completely if current economic and financial challenges on the continent continue, President Tim Clark told reporters. Foreign airlines flying to Nigeria have started to refuel abroad because jet fuel supplies there have become more expensive and scarce as the country battles a hard currency shortage. Emirates has started a detour to Accra, Ghana to refuel its daily Abuja-bound flight, a spokesperson said last...
(APA 10/17/16)
The Bank of Botswana’s Monetary Policy Committee has announced in a statement that it was maintaining the bank’s rate at 5.5 percent. A meeting by officials of the committee on Monday concluded that the outlook for price stability remains positive, with the forecast pointing to inflation being close to the lower end of the 3 – 6 percent objective range in the medium term. The statement released shortly after the meeting, revealed the country’s real GDP is estimated to have contracted by 0.3 percent in the twelve months to June 2016, compared to a growth of 3.1 percent in June 2015, thus reflecting a 23 percent decline in mining production.
(APA 10/12/16)
The government of Botswana on Wednesday said a decline in copper/nickel prices in the market and the high costs of operations are to blame for the shutting down of BCL copper and nickel mine. A statement from the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Affairs states that as the sole shareholder of BCL LIMITED (BCL) the government decided to place BCL Limited and its subsidiaries under provisional liquidation. “The application on the same was granted on the 9th October 2016...
(APA 10/12/16)
Australian mining firm Mount Burgess announced Wednesday that drilling has begun at Kihabe Zinc Project in northern Botswana. In a statement, the company said the programme would primarily focus on Target 52, a geochemical soil anomaly. The geochemical soil results suggest a possible mineralised strike length of more than 5km, which is more than double that of the combined strike lengths of the Kihabe and Nxuu (also in northern Botswana) deposits, the firm said. It said it has identified six...
(Xinhuanet 10/11/16)
Nairobi - Kenya and Botswana will enhance their cooperation in the tourism sector, a Kenya government official said. Kenya's Ministry of Tourism Principal Secretary Fatuma Hirsi told a media briefing in Nairobi that Botswana has created a niche in the high end tourism sector while Kenya has excelled in attracting middle and low end tourists. “We, therefore, can collaborate and complement each other,” Hirsi said. A delegation from Botswana's ministry of tourism is currently on a benchmarking visit to Kenya...
(AFP (eng) 10/10/16)
Africa will come together to battle piracy and illegal fishing for the first time at an African Union maritime security summit that kicks off in Togo on October 15. The continent urgently needs to fight "extremely high stakes" piracy and illegal fishing in its waters by joining forces over policy and working to raise necessary funds, Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey told AFP ahead of the meeting. - Why is this meeting being held? - "These are very high stakes...
(AFP (eng) 10/08/16)
World economic leaders gathered in Washington this week to defend globalization, delivering a single message in unison: Protectionism will not save you. But this glosses over the plight of Africa, which is sinking further into poverty despite years of free trade. According to the International Monetary Fund, which held its annual meetings this week with the World Bank, growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is in free-fall this year, with a growth rate of 1.4 percent, down from 3.4 percent in 2015,...
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(AFP (eng) 11/10/16)
All CAF competitions will offer increased prize money from 2017, the Cairo-based African football body said Wednesday. The announcement came months after French oil-gas company Total signed an eight-year sponsorship deal with CAF reportedly worth more than one billion dollars (915 million euros). Winners of the biennial Africa Cup of Nations will receive $4 million, up from the $1.5 million pocketed by 2015 champions the Ivory Coast. CAF Champions League title-holders are going to collect $2.5 million -- $1 million more than South African club Mamelodi Sundowns received last month. There is an even bigger percentage increase for winners of the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup with first prize increasing from $660,000 to $1.25 million. Both...
(AFP (eng) 11/03/16)
African champions Mamelodi Sundowns won for the first time in the South African Premiership this season Wednesday and climbed off the bottom of the table. The Pretoria club triumphed 2-0 at Polokwane City thanks to goals from Percy Tau and Zimbabwean Khama Billiat, two stars of the 2016 CAF Champions League triumph. Sundowns became African champions for the first time 11 days ago by defeating Zamalek of Egypt 3-1 on aggregate in the final. But a domestic fixture backlog meant they had little time to celebrate only the second South African success in the premier African club competition. They defeated Polokwane in a League Cup tie last Thursday only to lose at home against Cape Town City in their second...
(AfricaNews 09/19/16)
The agreement on African games signed in Cairo over the weekend between the African Union and the Association of National Olympic committees of Africa will be implemented after validation by the Africa Union commission. The two parties are expected to mobilise renowned African athletes and the best teams to help raise their level of performance. Sources say the African Union will continue to manage the African games while the Union of African Sports Confederations will take care of its technical...
(Kawowo Sports 07/22/16)
Botswana Football Association (BFA) Executive Committee has suspended Botswana Premier League Board with immediate effect. According to the BFA president Tebogo Sebego, the board shall remain suspended until the football running body General Assembly will be organized to come up with the final ruling. In the meantime, the federation will run the BPL office. The root cause for the suspension included among others condoning a Premier League fixture between Galaxy and Center Chiefs. Tebogo also fronted the board’s decision to...
(AFP (eng) 07/22/16)
French petroleum giant Total signed an eight-year deal to become the new sponsor of African football and its showpiece event, the Africa Cup of Nations, on Thursday. The sponsorship of the tournament will start at its next edition in Gabon from Jan 14 to Feb 5, 2017. "This partnership is a major milestone in our ongoing search for additional resources to accelerate African football’s development, bring its governance up to date, upgrade its sports infrastructure and advance its performance globally,"...
(MmegiOnline 06/17/16)
Botswana football has trundled into a rough patch in recent times, with devastating consequences. The latest scandal, which has seen the game’s image reduced to tatters, takes the trophy as Staff Writer, BOITUMELO KHUTSAFALO looks at some of football’s biggest scandals to rock the beautiful game in the last decade. 1. Ofentse Nato saga The issue, which started off just as a normal protest over the registration of the Zebras captain, has now spiralled into a national crisis. Nato joined...
(AFP (eng) 06/16/16)
Demarte Pena was too young to fight in Angola's civil war, where his family played a major role, but he has fought his way to a mixed martial arts championship. Instead of an AK47, "The Wolf" as he is known in the ring, uses fists, feet and pure muscle to subdue his opponents in what is seen as one of the fastest growing sports in Africa. Pena is bantamweight champion among the new crop of mixed martial arts fighters in...
(The Namibian 06/08/16)
Botswana will beat Namibia when the two nations meet at the 2016 Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) Cup, former Botswana football star Diphetogo 'Dipsy' Selolwane said. Namibia are the defending champions and will play Botswana in the quarterfinals of the competition on 18 June. In a recent interview with Nampa, the legendary retired footballer, who captained the Zebras of Botswana, said football has evolved between the two nations and the time has now come for Botswana to show...
(BBC News Africa 06/01/16)
Comoros captain Nadjim 'Jimmy' Abdou says the historic victory over Botswana in March has given his side belief that they can beat Burkina Faso on Sunday. The island nation beat Botswana 1-0 at home earlier this year to register their maiden victory in either Africa Cup of Nations or World Cup qualifying. It came at the 20th time of asking and leaves Comoros with an outside chance of reaching next year's Nations Cup. "Now we are confident we can win...
(The Namibian 05/31/16)
Botswana athletes stole the limelight at the Bank Windhoek National Athletics Championships which took place at the Independence Stadium on Saturday. More than 200 athletes representing eight of Namibia’s regions as well as associate members Nampol and the Namibia School Sport Association (NSSU) participated in the championships, but it was the Botswana athletes, who were competing on invitation, who gave the best performances. According to meet organiser Erwin Naimwaka they had an electronic system failure with the result that only...
(APA 05/11/16)
Botswana’s star 800-metre runner Nijel Amos will miss the Shanghai Diamond League tournament on May 14, state-run Daily News reported here Wednesday. Amos’ coach, Jean Verster, is quoted as saying the athlete would start his Diamond League participation in Rabat on May 22 after thorough preparations. He is quoted as saying that they had made a discussion with the Botswana National Olympic Committee and the Botswana Athletics Association that Amos would not participate in all races this year. “Remember our...
(Malawi News Agency 04/28/16)
Blantyre — Workhorse midfielder, Alfred Manyozo Jnr has rejoined his former club, Mighty Be Forward Wanderers from Botswana where he went to complete his contract with Santos FC. Manyozo said he was delighted to have renewed his marriage with the Nomads, emphasizing that he loves the team. "I am very happy to be back at home, more specifically at Wanderers where l enjoy my game. I love the team and I am ready to play with my whole heart," he...
(MmegiOnline 03/17/16)
Botswana won 141 medals in international competitions in the last 12 months, the Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture, Thapelo Olopeng told Parliament on Monday. “Botswana’s performance in sport is improving each year with Batswana athletes in various sport codes excelling at international competitions. Since April 2015, Botswana athletes have won 141 medals, consisting of 49 gold, 44 silver and 48 bronze in various competitions,” Olopeng said. Among notable achievements, in 2015, Isaac Makwala set a new African 400m record...
(Xinhuanet 03/16/16)
(Xinhua) -- The Namibian Hockey Union (NHU) will host the Africa Under-21 Junior Hockey Word Cup Qualifiers from March 18-27 here. The continental showpiece will see the Namibian junior men and ladies square off with South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Nigeria and Tanzania, while Egypt has confirmed that they will only be sending a men's team to the tournament. Marc Nel, President of the NHU, said on Tuesday that all games will be played on the astro turfs of both...
(Voice of America 03/15/16)
George Wyndham of Sierra Leone is a force to be reckoned with. He’s been playing table tennis for 14 years, despite being paralyzed by polio as a child. Now, at age 26, he is among the best physically challenged players in Africa. "Whenever I play table tennis, it always makes me happy and forget about my disability," Wyndham said. Having polio has pushed him even harder to make something of his life, he says, especially in a country where there...
(APA 02/29/16)
Botswana President Ian Khama on Monday welcomed the election of the new FIFA head Gianni Infantino last Friday. Posting a supposedly congratulatory message to the new FIFA President on his Facebook page, Khama said “This hopefully now will put to rest the sorry saga of FIFA's recent past history of scandal.†He added that “I also welcome the package of reforms that the FIFA congress adopted to address the poor governance that came to bedevil the organization in recent years.â€...
(The Patriot on Sunday 02/25/16)
BancABC and the India Botswana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI) announced a partnership for the review of the Botswana’s national budget. The event was held at the Maharaja Conference Centre. “We are excited to forge this partnership with IBCCI, and view their invitation as a vote of confidence in our capability and presence as a bank. We as BancABC are equipped and committed to serving the banking needs of the India-Botswana community at large, and are confident that this...
(APA 01/20/16)
Botswana soccer champions Mochudi Centre Chiefs will not participate in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League scheduled to start on 13 February, state-run Botswana Daily News reported here Wednesday. Mochudi Centre Chief spokesperson Clifford Mogomotsi said they pulled out of the championship because the competition is too expensive. He said his team was in a financial crisis, hence this would not allow them to participate in the championship. In addition, he said they were given a short notice...
(The Patriot on Sunday 01/19/16)
The beMOBILE premier league defending champions Mochudi Centre Chiefs have pulled out of the 2016 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League edition. Chiefs cite financial constraints as the reason for pulling out. Centre Chief spokesperson, Clifford Mogomotsi, confirmed this. “Yes, we have decided to pull out of CAF,” he said, explaining that they came to the decision after Premier league sponsors beMOBILE scrubbed off the P200 000 that they have been giving to clubs for participation in CAF championships...
(Reuters (Eng) 01/16/16)
FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan has asked soccer's world governing body to investigate Friday's agreement signed between the African and Asian confederations in case it breaches the electoral code. Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and Confederation of African Football (CAF) counterpart Issa Hayatou signed the 'co-operation agreement' in Rwanda, just over a month before the FIFA presidential election in Zurich on Feb. 26. Sheikh Salman, South African politician and...
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(AFP (eng) 10/21/16)
Demand for homegrown contemporary music is sweeping Africa and driving a creative boom in an industry otherwise battered by falling CD sales and rampant piracy. A recent study of the entertainment sector by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) accountants showed rapid earnings growth in many African countries, fuelled largely by live performances by local artists. "Consumers are increasingly wanting local content," Vicki Myburgh, a PwC director who conducted the study released last month, told AFP. "The Nigerian music market... will (soon) grow at nearly 13 percent annually, which is a fantastic rate." This weekend, African talent will be celebrated in Johannesburg at the annual MTV Africa awards set up in 2008 to recognise those "who have made the...
(AFP (eng) 10/11/16)
Raised on the backstabbing intrigue of 1980s American soaps "Dallas" and "Dynasty", and later, the heady drama of South American telenovelas, Africans are enjoying a surge in local TV content they can finally identify with. It took a while, but in the past decade local programming has soared in sub-Saharan Africa's key economies, a rise driven by both foreign satellite networks and television stations on the continent. This growth has delivered up local shows such as Kenya's comedic "Real Househelps of Kawangware" -- a play on the US "Real Housewives" series -- along with talk shows, political satire and continent-wide reality TV such as "Big Brother Africa" and "Project Fame". And demand is set to grow with the number of...
(Botswana Daily News 10/06/16)
It is not every day that one gets to meet an artist who paints music. Born in Kwa-Thema, South Africa, Nico Phooko says he grew up like an ordinary township boy but he was quite restless. “My frustration as a boy was coming across people who always discouraged me from pursuing art as a career. Many said there was no money in art but because of my love of creativity and the call from my ancestors to communicate with people...
(AFP (eng) 09/23/16)
A century after the project was conceived in the throes of racial segregation, and a few months before the first black US president leaves office, the African American Museum in Washington opens Saturday. Here are key facts about the first national museum devoted entirely to showcasing African Americans' life, history and culture. - 1915: A project 101 years old The effort to open, in the US capital, a museum dedicated to the history of the black community "began more than...
(The East African 09/10/16)
The Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI) is seeking to raise $200 million from partners over the next two years to fund the continent's audiovisual and cinema sector. The funds will be used to establish centres of excellence in the five regions - East Africa, North Africa, Central Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa -- and the locations will be decided by the African Council of Ministers of Culture. The money will be used to improve the quality and quantity...
(MmegiOnline 08/04/16)
Controversy surrounding the recent crowning of Miss Botswana 2016 spiralled out of control Monday evening after allegations of the newly crowned Thata Kenosi having tattoos on her body were exposed. Kenosi has tattoos on her neck (a cross) and another on her right rib (a message to her father). Kenosi has however avoided discussing the subject. The 21-year-old golden jubilee queen said: “I cannot confirm or deny that I have them.” She laughed and smiled the question away. When quizzed...
(Voice of America 07/04/16)
To the beat of African drums, a few dozen people gathered at Dallas City Hall Friday to officially kick off the three-day African Film Festival. The event showcases films made by Africans, as well as a few made by non-Africans about issues important to different regions of the continent. City officials hailed the new festival as an expression of the increasing ethnic and cultural diversity in Texas’ second-largest city. Regina Hill Onyeibe, the Africa Liaison for the City of Dallas...
(Reuters (Eng) 06/28/16)
Africa's largest provider of pay-television services Naspers (NPNJn.J) has kept prices on the continent unchanged to halt a decline in subscriber numbers, its chief executive said on Monday. Naspers, the biggest listed firm on the continent, which sells access to popular American series and blockbuster movies in 50 countries in Africa and the Indian Ocean via its Multichoice unit, reported an 18 percent rise in full-year profit on Friday, but flagged pay-TV as a drag on its performance. Weaker currencies...
(Botswana Guardian 05/25/16)
Lobatse High Court Judge Michael Leburu says the right to good name and or reputation and media freedom are competing rights.He explained that the freedom of the press, which is subject to limitations, is subsumed under the freedom of expression and it is protected under section 12 (1) of the Constitution. He said the requirements for the granting of an interdict are a clear right, even though it may be open to some doubt; an injury actually committed or reasonably...
(APA 05/19/16)
Legendary Japanese jazz saxophonist Sadao Watanabe, affectionately referred to as Nabesada, is in Botswana and is expected to pay a courtesy call on President Ian Khama, a statement from the Botswana government said Thursday. The statement stated that Khama had invited Watanabe to come to Botswana during his official visit to Japan in 2010, which coincided with the successful collaboration between Watanabe and Botswana artists in Tokyo. It said while in Botswana Watanabe and his five-piece band will more perform...
(AFP (eng) 05/14/16)
On a choice spot overlooking Washington's most stately monuments, a new museum swathed in bronze will showcase the tragedy and triumph of black America. The National Museum of African American History and Culture, 100 years in the making and now almost ready, will fill a gaping void: until now the city had no grand-scale museum dedicated solely to this chapter of US history. Slave cabins, a blacks-only train car from the segregation era and exhibits on the Reverend Martin Luther...
(Botswana Daily News 04/27/16)
Mogoditshane — There is a common phrase that says first impressions last longer. This phrase according to Ezekiel Lekgasa, leader of a gospel group called Baratwa Ke Jeso, crossed their minds when working on their first album that is also named after the group. He admitted that chances given to unknowns were very limited and that it was obvious that any product presented by a new comer was likely to be taken for granted or even rejected. Lekgasa said the...
(Botswana Daily News 04/26/16)
Tsabong — Miss Botswana 2015, Seneo Mabengano has urged Tsabong youth to discover their talents and work on them, as that will help them to be better individuals in the future as well as keep them away from the streets. Addressing a kgotla meeting recently, on the topic 'Talent Plus' Mabengano adviced the youth that it was important to dream big, have clear goals and work on realization of their dreams. She said as people attracted what they thought, they...
(BBC News Africa 04/24/16)
The influential Congolese music star Papa Wemba has died after collapsing on stage in Abidjan in Ivory Coast, media reports say. Video from the concert shows the artist, who was 66, slumped on the floor as dancers continue to perform, unaware of what is happening. French broadcaster France 24 confirmed the death, quoting his manager. On the African music scene since 1969, Papa Wemba won a world following with his soukous rock music. The Congolese band leader, whose real name was Jules Shungu Webadio, also inspired a cult movement known as the Sapeurs whose members, young men, spend huge amounts of money on designer clothes.
(APA 03/17/16)
Botswana media on Thursday rejected the proposed introduction of a media levy suggested by Business Botswana.Business Botswana is a business association representing employers in all sectors of the Botswana economy in an advocacy capacity. In a statement, the media in Botswana said it has learnt with shock news that the Business Botswana “has motivated the Ministry of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration through the Office of the President” to introduce a media levy in Botswana. The statement was signed by...
(MmegiOnline 03/04/16)
Woolworths retail store has clothed Miss Botswana, Seneo Mabengano with a voucher worth P3,500 as part of their social responsibility. Woolworths is the first store to dress the beauty queen since she was crowned last year. Handing over the voucher to Mabengano, the country regional manager of Woolworths, Nothando Mwelase said they chose to extend a helping hand to the beauty after she requested for their assistance. “She is our child and a role model to many women out there...
(The Patriot on Sunday 01/19/16)
He is one of the buzzing fashion entrepreneurs in the country at the moment. At just 25, the effervescent Aobakwe Molosiwa of Gilded Sands Creations is living his dreams. Molosiwa was enrolled as a pre-medicine student at the University of Botswana (UB) before his love for fashion won him over. He dumped school to follow his heart. When he speaks he commands attention, with impeccable fluency in his speech. His liveliness is also one thing that makes people go crazy...
(Botswana Daily News 12/07/15)
Lobatse — The Samora Machel museum that is to be built by the Mozambique government in Lobatse will be used as a symbol of celebrating the values of freedom and independence of nations. Adviser to Mozambique Minister of Culture and Tourism, Arnaldo Bimbe said at the groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of the construction of the state of the art museum in Peleng, Lobatse on December 4. He said the museum would give new meaning to the history of...
(MmegiOnline 11/17/15)
China’s giant pay-TV company, StarTimes, with an ambitious expansion strategy into Africa, is considering prospects of entering Botswana’s subscription television market. Last week, StarTimes management held a meeting at their Beijing headquarters where a resolution to dispatch a technical and marketing experts team to Botswana was reached. StarTimes vice president, Zhao Yue Qin revealed this to BusinessWeek when fielding questions from journalists who embarked on the China-Africa reporting tour recently. “A technical and marketing assessment team would be sent to Botswana soon,” she said.
(MmegiOnline 11/13/15)
Its very rare for a single young mother to dream of being a model or to be crowned queen in a beauty pageant because of restrictions which always barred mothers from taking part in pageants. It was a dream come true for the single young mother, Peelo Mookodi, when she was crowned the first ever Miss Africa Botswana this past weekend. Donning her diamond crown and a black outfit, she is seated quietly with the Miss Africa team at one...
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(The Guardian 11/19/16)
At COP22, the African Development Bank’s president, Akinwumi Adesina, tells of strategies to improve energy supplies and fight the impact of climate change “We lose 5% of our potential GDP every year, and African industries cannot be competitive without access to electricity,” says Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank. “I believe that’s why we can’t break away from reliance on exporting our raw materials – new industries will only go to where there’s power.” He is speaking on the sidelines of the COP22 climate change conference in Marrakech, which ends on Friday. Adesina and colleagues from the bank have been using the conference to highlight its new initiatives on energy, including the New...
(Forbes 11/14/16)
Africa will have 1-billion mobile subscriptions by the fourth quarter of 2016, while data use will drive the next phase of growth in Africa’s telecoms market, according to researchers Ovum. Mobile subs will reach 1.02-billion by the end of 2016 and will reach 1.33-billion by 2021, says Matthew Reed, Ovum’s practice leader, for the Middle East and Africa. “The take-up of mobile broadband will rise strongly, as operators continue to roll out 3G and 4G LTE networks and as smartphones become increasingly affordable,” says Reed. “There will be 1-billion mobile broadband connections in Africa in 2021, including 157.4-million 4G LTE connections. “Additionally, the number of smartphone connections on the continent will reach 929.9-million at the end of 2021. And non-SMS...
(The Toronto Star 11/11/16)
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said Canada has committed to a three-year deployment in Africa that will be reassessed each year to ensure it has an “enduring” impact. Canadian troops headed to Africa will operate in dangerous territory where peacekeepers have been killed, says Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan. In an exclusive interview with the Star from Vancouver Sajjan said Canada has committed to a three-year deployment that will be reassessed each year to ensure it has an “enduring” impact. It will...
(Dw-World 11/09/16)
Africans across the continent followed the US presidential election with keen interest. While some fear that a Trump presidency could have disastrous consequences, others remain cautiously optimistic. Tanzania's President John Pombe Magufuli was one of the first African leaders to congratulate Donald Trump on his election victory. "Tanzanians and I assure you of continued friendship and cooperation," he wrote on his Twitter account. Burundi's controversial leader Pierre Nkurunziza - the subject of intense US and international criticism for his decision...
(The Telegraph 11/07/16)
Just a few months after being elected Conservative Party leader, David Cameron flew to Rwanda. It was a high-profile trip so he could see first-hand the development of one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies and launch his party’s review on globalisation and global poverty. On his first day, he visited a textile factory in Kigali, the country’s capital. Above the hum of the silk reels, he chatted to some of the workers and admired the quality of the patterned fabrics. Before...
(Bloomberg 10/19/16)
Fifteen years ago, a South African media company invested $34 million in an obscure Chinese Internet developer. Today that stake is worth $88 billion. All Naspers Ltd., now Africa’s most valuable company, has to do is figure out how to make money from its other properties: The whole company is worth only $72 billion, less than its stake in Shenzhen-based Tencent Holdings Ltd. Investors aren’t impressed with Naspers’s operations in pay-TV, newspapers and e-commerce in such countries as South Africa,...
(Voice of America 10/17/16)
Telecom workers in Burkina Faso were on strike again this month, leading to phone and internet interruptions. The country has only one internet service provider, Onatel, but the days of the telecom monopoly in Africa may ending. The Burkina Faso telecommunications authority fined Onatel 5 billion CFA francs ($8.5 million U.S.) in response to the strike, which cut internet access across the country for more than a week. Arouna Ouédraogo, an information technology specialist, said people without access to the...
(CNN 10/05/16)
Terrorism, human trafficking, and corruption are creating a more dangerous continent, which in turn is preventing better governance, a new report revealed. The results of the 2016 Ibrahim Index of African Governance, published by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, show that two thirds of Africans live in a country where safety and rule of law has deteriorated over the past decade, greatly impacting overall governance in Africa. 15 countries have declined 'quite substantially,' and almost half the countries on the continent...
(The Wall Street Journal 10/01/16)
Startups and global corporations alike plumb Africa for scarce software development skills A shortage of software developers in the U.S. has prompted some companies to seek talent in Africa, home to a young and increasingly-tech savvy workforce. International Business Machines Corp. has engaged young software developers in Lagos, Nigeria, to help build a data analytics business the technology giant is trying to ramp up quickly. The combination of an educated population and the proliferation of mobile technology on the continent...
(Voice of America 09/26/16)
Huge orange flames and plumes of smoke filled the air at Nairobi National Park in April, a sobering image as 105 tons of elephant ivory and 1.35 tons of rhino horn were destroyed. Kenya conducted the event to demonstrate that ivory has no value to anyone except elephants. President Uhuru Kenyatta pledged his country's support for a complete ban of the ivory trade at the conference for the global conservation body known as CITES, which opens Saturday in Johannesburg, South...
(BBC News Africa 09/15/16)
Swiss firms have been criticised in a report for their links to the African trade in diesel with toxin levels that are illegal in Europe. Campaign group Public Eye says retailers are exploiting weak regulatory standards. Vitol, Trafigura, Addax & Oryx and Lynx Energy have been named because they are shareholders of the fuel retailers. Trafigura and Vitol say the report is misconceived and retailers work within legal limits enforced in the countries. Three of the distribution companies mentioned in...
(Voice of America 09/13/16)
Representatives of 30 African countries have been working this week to map out ways to stop the continent’s mass rural exodus at the Forum on Rural Development in Yaounde. Emmanuel Afessi works on his desk top at Odja center in Cameroon's capital, Yaounde, where he is training 30 youths on information technologies at the center he created when he returned from the United States a year ago. "Africa needs to produce its own knowledge, its own equipment and that is...
(Voice of America 09/09/16)
The organizers of this week's Africa Green Revolution Forum in Kenya say the continent is well on its way to an agricultural renaissance. The forum is wrapping up with a significant boost toward that goal: a pledge of $30 billion during the next 10 years to support smallholder farmers and local African agribusinesses. The donors include African governments, businesses and development partners, many of whom have been present for the Nairobi forum. But significant challenges remain for the continent, and...
(The Wall Street Journal 08/09/16)
Deal would mark South African furniture retailer’s entry into U.S. market. Steinhoff International Holdings NV, Africa’s retailing giant but little-known outside the continent, has made its first foray into the U.S., agreeing to pay $2.4 billion for Sleepy’s owner Mattress Firm Holding Corp. Steinhoff, a family-owned furniture seller based outside Cape Town, South Africa, is called “Africa’s IKEA” for its home furnishing retail chains. Until recently, it had trained its sights on expansion in Europe, from Germany and Switzerland to...
(Voice of America 08/04/16)
On the eve of President Barack Obama’s 55th birthday, he was greeted in song with "Happy Birthday" Wednesday by about a thousand participants at this year’s Young African Leaders summit in Washington. Obama launched the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) six years ago to support an emerging generation of young African entrepreneurs, activists and public officials. Its flagship program, the Mandela Washington Fellowship, began two years ago with the goal of empowering young Africans through academic coursework, leadership training and...
(Voice of America 07/30/16)
The president of the African Wildlife Foundation has called on African governments to urgently address the issue of poaching, which he said is depriving the continent of its resources. But Zimbabwe says the international ban on the sale of ivory — which was imposed to discourage poaching — is hurting its interests. Winding up a five-day visit to Zimbabwe on Friday, Kaddu Sebunya said poaching is depleting Africa of its vital natural resources in the same way the slave trade...
(Cnbc Africa 07/29/16)
"One cannot get to the top by being average,” says Noletu Moti, Koeberg Nuclear Plant’s first female chief inspector. Moti who is in her mid-30s, hailing from the outskirts of East London, is taking others with her to the top by assisting young Africans who want to be where she is through Bhongoletu Youth Foundation, which she started in 2012 with the slogan ‘Live The South African Dream’. ‘’Youth development has always been a dream. If I was not doing...
(Voice of America 07/23/16)
The 14th U.N. Conference on Trade and Development ended Friday in Nairobi with delegates adopting a measure giving the organization a central role in meeting U.N. sustainable development goals. UNCTAD said the quadrennial gathering also produced the beginning of an e-trade initiative, the launch of a multiple-donor trust fund on trade and productive capacity, and an agreement involving more than 90 nations on a road map for fisheries subsidies. A report released earlier in the week by UNCTAD, "Economic Development...
(Mining Weekly 07/22/16)
The Botswana government says the value of rough diamonds supplied to local cutting and polishing firms dropped by nearly half in 2015 due to subdued local production and reduced demand in the global market. Addressing parliament on the progress of local diamond beneficiation on Thursday, Minerals, Energy and Water Resources minister Kitso Mokaila said downstream industries of the diamond mining business, cutting and polishing firms had not been spared from the ripple effects of problems in the global commodity markets...
(AL Jazeera 07/22/16)
Dorcas Makgato, Botswana's health minister, speaks to Al Jazeera about what's next in the country's Aids treatment plan. Sixteen years ago, Botswana found itself at the centre of a major health crisis. At least 36 percent of the adult population were HIV positive, and life expectancy had plummeted to 49. Over the past decade, however, the country worked to turn the crisis around. In 2002, it became the first African country to roll out Antiretroviral, or ARV, treatment and today...