This thread is dedicated to economic news in French-speaking African countries as a whole.

Africa 2011 - Insights on Francophone Africa

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Check out this TV magazine from French-speaking Africa


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Amadou Diaw, fondateur et président de l'International School Management. Après avoir grandi au Sénégal, il part en France pour y effectuer ses études d'économie et de management. A travers ses différentes expériences professionnelles dans des sociétés multinationales, il évolue dans un environnement international jusqu'à son retour au Sénégal où il crée en 1992 la première Business School privée de l'Ouest Africain francophone : L'International School of Management à Dakar. Par ailleurs, Amadou Diaw est très investi dans la préservation du patrimoine de Saint Louis, sa ville natale dont il a assuré en partie l'organisation de son 350ème anniversaire en décembre dernier.

:cheers:

Francophone Africa: Rates of growth of real GDP%, 2008-2013
2012 in bold

Benin 5.0 2.7 2.6 3.4 4.3 4.6
Burkina Faso 6.4 3.2 5.8 4.4 5.8 5.6
Burundi 4.3 3.4 3.9 3.5 4.5 4.2
CAR 4.4 1.8 3.3 4.3 4.8 4.6
Cameroon 2.9 1.6 3.0 3.0 4.3 4.0
Chad 0.3 0.3 5.1 4.5 6.5 5.3
Comoros 1.0 1.8 2.1 2.5 3.0 2.8
Congo DRC 6.1 2.8 7.2 6.5 6.3 6.4
Congo Brazza 5.9 7.5 8.7 5.1 6.2 3.0
Cote d'Ivoire 3.8 0.0 2.6 -4.0 3.5 4.1
Djibouti 5.0 5.5 4.5 4.6 4.4 4.2
Gabon 1.7 -0.4 5.6 5.6 4.7 3.0
Guinea 4.9 -0.3 1.9 4.0 5.0 3.7
Madagascar 7.1 -4.1 0.5 1.7 4.7 4.9
Mali 5.0 4.5 4.5 5.4 5.5 5.2
Mauritania 0.8 1.6 4.7 5.5 5.8 5.1
Niger 9.6 -0.9 7.5 5.0 8.5 7.2
Rwanda 11.5 6.1 7.5 7.2 8.0 7.6
Senegal 3.2 2.2 4.2 4.3 4.5 5.5
Togo 2.4 3.6 3.7 3.9 4.2 4.1


source: UN

^^
Niger Rwanda :okay:
Comoros Cameroon :down:

Could one of the mods change the title to Economic Insights on Francophone Africa.
So I can update when I find a good article.

Thanks in advance.

Comoros is francophone?

Yes and they only got independent in 1975.



ps. thanks to the mod for changing the thread title

Nice thread, looking forward to some exciting news from french speaking Africa.

Comoros is francophone?

Yes Abesha.

DR Congo not Francophone.!!! Thank you.

DR Congo not Francophone.!!! Thank you.

DR congo is Francophone. 2013 will be organized in DRC the summit of francophonie.

DR congo is Francophone. 2013 will be organized in DRC the summit of francophonie.

:lol:



I actually don't know why I never considered Comoros as francophone. After all the one Comorian I know is francophone lol, not to mention I know about the territorial issues with Mayotte.

^^
Niger Rwanda :okay:
Comoros Cameroon :down:


Niger is one of the countries i rarely read anything about and so i look forward to reading the news here. What was the growth based on? Mainly uranium?

Niger is one of the countries i rarely read anything about and so i look forward to reading the news here. What was the growth based on? Mainly uranium?
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=86084651&postcount=26 :cheers:

^^
Niger Rwanda :okay:
Comoros Cameroon :down:

World Bank sees Cameroon's 2012 growth at 5.5 pct

YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Cameroon's economy is expected to grow by 5.5 percent in 2012 despite the Arab spring and a sovereign debt crisis that has hurt the European zone, the central African nation's most important export partner, a World Bank official said on Monday.

Non-oil economic activities particularly growth in the primary and tertiary sectors, which helped Cameroon's economy grow in 2011 to 4.1 percent, will be the main drivers, World Bank's region lead economist Raju Jan Singh, told a news conference.

Singh said the economic momentum observed in Cameroon, the Central African region's largest economy and gateway port, was expected to carry over into 2012 due to various infrastructure projects.

"Furthermore, the trend in declining oil production is expected to reverse. As a result, Cameroon economic growth could amount to 5.5 percent in 2012," Singh said.

Singh said the economic slowdown in the Euro zone will probably translate into lower exports and remittances as Europe remains Cameroon's largest market and hosts the largest community of Cameroonians abroad.

However, oil production contracted by 10 percent in 2011 due to depleting reserves and aging equipment but significant exploration in the last two years will see oil production grow by 15 percent in 2012, Singh said.

Cameroon's oil output has fallen by two-thirds since the 1980s to about 66,000 barrels per day.

The country's President Paul Biya, 78, who won reelection in October, plans to build roads, power plants, and a deep sea port while boosting investments in the mining sector, with the goal of securing emerging market status for the country by 2035.

Aside from its oil, Cameroon, the world's fifth cocoa producer, is the region's main port and breadbasket, supplying Chad, Central African Republic, Congo Republic and Gabon.

The International Monetary Fund has said Cameroon is performing below its potential because of lack of infrastructure and administrative hurdles that were hurting business.

Singh said though Cameroon has improved its ranking in the 2012 Doing Business, moving up seven places compared with 2011, its investment climate remains overall unfavourable to the development of the business sector.

http://news.yahoo.com/world-bank-sees-cameroons-2012-growth-5-5-054723915.html

^^
Niger Rwanda :okay:
Comoros Cameroon :down:

The experts of the World bank were in official visit to Cameroon and they produced this forecast with all the needed economic documents of our country! Why are you disrespecting Cameroon ??? :ohno:

Cameroun
Forbes Africa : le camerounais Njorku parmi les meilleures start-up africaines

Fondée à Buea au Cameroun, la jeune pousse Njorku a été sélectionnée par le prestigieux magazine Forbes pour figurer parmi les 20 start-up qui comptent en Afrique.

Depuis quelques jours, Njorku (www.njorku.com) est sous les feux de la rampe. Onze mois après sa création, la startup camerounaise basée à Buea connaît son heure de gloire depuis qu'elle a été sélectionnée par le magasine Forbes dans les 20 principales startups technologiques en Afrique. Parmi quelques célébrités, comme le réseau de messagerie instantané sud-africain Mxit et ses 45 millions d'utilisateurs, mais aussi beaucoup d'autres jeunes pousses venues du Ghana, du Kenya ou du Nigeria.

« L'idée de Njorku est venue en 2009, nous avons travaillé sur le projet en 2010 avant de créer réellement Njorku en 2011 », explique Bertrand Kima, l'un des quatre fondateurs de cette plateforme consacrée à la recherche d'emploi en Afrique. Depuis le succès est grandissant, avec environ 15 000 visiteurs par jour désormais, et plus de 50 000 annonces d'emploi.

Recherche de fonds

Recensant tout d'abord les offres au Nigeria, Njorku (éléphant dans la langue Dikome Balue) s'est peu à peu étendu au Cameroun, à l'Afrique du Sud, au Ghana, au Kenya, à l'Ouganda puis à l'Égypte. « Nous voulons couvrir tous les pays africains mais nous manquons cruellement d'argent pour nous développer », souligne Bertrand Kima. Basé à Baltimore, ce jeune entrepreneur est âgé d’à peine 25 ans, comme les autres co-fondateurs de Njorku. Mais il ne manque pas d'énergie pour trouver de son côté de l'Atlantique des financiers pour son entreprise.

Un entrepreneur camerounais basé au Canada, Hervé Tchepannou, a déjà investi dans l'aventure. Avec l'effervescence créée par le classement de Forbes Africa, les candidats devraient se faire plus nombreux. En attendant, les serial entrepreneurs fondateurs de Njorku (Churchill Mambe Nanje, Bertrand Kima, Segue Gontran et Ebot Blaise) continuent à gérer leurs différentes affaires, principalement dans le développement de site internet (Afrovision Group et Kimberts Solutions).

Jeuneafrique.com

X-net phone : the mobile phone made in Cameroon

The X-net phone, designed and built by Cameroonians was presented last Friday Yaoundé.X-net phone. Make no mistake about this British-sounding name. This is indeed the name of the first mobile phone, fully designed, configured, parameterized and developed by engineers Cameroonians living abroad. Namely two in Germany and third in the United States of America. For security reasons, their names were not revealed at the presentation ceremony of the X-net phone last Friday in Yaounde. According to Emmanuel Ndenguebi, telecommunications engineer, also associated with the project, X-net phone can hold two SIM cards.

It works in all Cameroonian localities covered by the Mobile Network. The X-net phone which, according to its promoters, will be marketed by the Cameroonian company L & F in two weeks, has an alphanumeric keypad backlight. Its screen is capable of displaying photos and video files. All at a price that reflects the purchasing power of Cameroonians: it will cost 10,500 CFA francs (without camera) and 12,500 CFA francs (with camera).

In addition, this cell phone is equipped with Mp3/Mp4 player, a high definition camera and a radio Fm. It also has a flashlight, a speakerphone and Bluetooth. The phone's music was composed by a Cameroonian artist. In the image box of the phone, you can admire the splendor of the beaches of Kribi or the beauty of the Palais des Congres in Yaounde. In short, this is, one breath of the project partners, "a pride of Cameroon." The X-net phone, the first telephone made ​​in Cameroon, is used in three languages​​: French, English and Spanish.

cameroon-info.net/stories/0,31675,@,telephonie-mobile-le-premier-telephone-made-in-cameroon-bientot-en-vente.html

http://www.jewanda-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/xnetphone-cameroun-3.jpg

http://www.jewanda-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/xnetphone-cameroun-2.jpg

http://www.jewanda-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/xnetphone-cameroun.jpg

:)

Cardiopad: The First Live-Saving Tablet Made In Africa By A Cameroonian

A 24-year-old Cameroonian engineer has built the first fully touch screen medical tablet that could soon save many African lives. He first has to find the necessary funding to mass-produce the device.

In a country that has only 30 heart surgeons for more than 20 million people, the dream of Arthur Zang, a 24-year-old Cameroonian engineer, is to facilitate the treatment of patients with a heart disease across Cameroon.

Save lives
In 2010, he created a digital tablet known as Cardiopad: “It’s the first fully touch screen medical tablet made in Cameroon and in Africa. It’s an invention that could save numerous human lives”, explains Arthur Zang.

In fact, Cameroon’s thirty heart specialists are all based in either Douala or Yaoundé, the country’s economic and political capitals. Heart patients often have to travel across the country for a consultation.
Appointments sometimes must be made months in advance, leading to death of some patients.

Hassle of travelling
The Cardiopad solves this problem by enabling medical examinations to be performed remotely and the results transmitted electronically, saving patients the hassle of having to travel to the city.

Arthur Zang explains that the Cardiopad is above all a scientific project. He started his research three years ago and carried out several scientific tests that were validated by the Cameroonian scientific community. “The reliability of the Cardiopad is 97.5%”, he says.

Distance consultation
In practice, the Cardiopad is a device that can perform tests such as the electrocardiogram (ECG). The medical tablet also makes it possible to wirelessly send the results of the tests from remote locations to the specialist who will then interpret them.

“The tablet is used as a classical electrocardiograph device: electrodes are placed on the patient and connected to a module that, in turn, connects to the tablet. When a medical examination is performed on a patient in a remote village, for example, the results are transmitted from the nurse’s tablet to that of the doctor who then interprets them.

Digitalised and transmitted
Software built into the device allow the doctor to give computer assisted diagnosis”, explains the young engineer.

Pointing out the differences between the Cardiopad and the classical electrocardiograph, Arthur Zang explains: “The Cardiopad has more functions. With the classical electrocardiograph, the results were usually printed on paper and handed to the cardiologist for interpretation.

It wasn’t possible to send or save the results electronically. With the Cardiopad, the results are digitalised and transmitted. There is no need to print them, the heart surgeon can interpret them, even remotely, from his tablet and then send the diagnosis and prescribed treatment”

Accessibility
“The Cardiopad will cut down the cost of examination. We intend to sell the device for 1500 euros, while the current price for an electrocardiograph device is 3800 euros. If hospitals purchase the device at a low price, they will be able to lower the prices of medical examinations”, Arthur Zang hopes.

However, there is still the issue of energy, as many of the country’s remote regions do not have access to electricity. “The Cardiopad is equipped with a battery that can independently power the machine for more than seven hours”, the engineer assures.

He further explains that a prototype and sample of device is already available. “We are currently producing the first units of the device which will be available for hospitals before July”, says the young engineer who is still looking for funding to mass-produce the Cardiopad. “Besides the funding, I am also looking to start a company to help improve the medical care system in Cameroon”, he concludes.

Source: Radio Netherlands Worldwide

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/384443_257179444341757_205842866142082_712042_1060153892_n.jpg

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/376426_257176807675354_205842866142082_712040_223718152_n.jpg

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/390091_257147524344949_205842866142082_712011_256127126_n.jpg

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/425729_287197098006658_205842866142082_791535_737298466_n.jpg

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/307850_205843059475396_205842866142082_556106_1406681_n.jpg

DR congo is Francophone.
No , Its ot.

Its DR Congo.
2013 will be organized in DRC the summit of francophonie.

Oh yeah? Kongo people don't know that. must be that braindead Kabila having a meeting with those Franco useless presidents.

^^
Rwanda :okay:


Rwanda is in the Commonwealth.They speak some French due to their colonial history but they are not francophone.:okay:

Rwanda is in the Commonwealth.They speak some French due to their colonial history but they are not francophone.:okay:
French is an official language in Rwanda.Rwanda is a member of “francophonie”.
Therefore Rwanda is francophone. :okay:

:lol:

If you say so.I am yet so see Kagame address anyone in French but hey,whatever floats your boat.:cheers:

Hadrami is getting emotional over this francoshit nonsense, I don't care what European language an African country speaks. It only shows how colonized we are, lets just focus on our own development and group our countries in terms of how they are working towards a better economy rather than grouping ourselves in terms of 'which European country are we still linguistically colonized to'.

Are you guys crazy. Coming in here starting shitt about colonisation blah blah.
What did I say. Why are you catching feelings over nothing ?

Are you guys crazy. Coming in here starting shitt about colonisation blah blah.
What did I say. Why are you catching feelings over nothing ?

I speak for myself when I say you are insisting the ridiculous.Rwanda is not Francafrique,anymore.Leave it at that. :)

Kenya vs Mauritania

Kenya vs Mauritania

Non.:)

Non.:)

You speak now french?:lol:

You speak now french?:lol:

Non!I went to Quebec once and picked up a few words.

Non!I went to Quebec once and picked up a few words.

Good. :)

I speak for myself when I say you are insisting the ridiculous.Rwanda is not Francafrique,anymore.Leave it at that. :)
French is an official language in Rwanda.Rwanda is a member of “francophonie”. Therefore Rwanda is francophone.
Thats a simple fact. Now what.

Kenya vs Mauritania
No, its just a emotionally fragile kid hating on his african brethren just because their countries have a different official language. :nuts:

No, its just a emotionally fragile kid hating on his african brethren just because their countries have a different official language. :nuts:

:nuts:

Would you grow up!I claimed Rwanda is not Francophone,where did you get the idea I hate francophone countries?Get a life douchebag.

No, its just a emotionally fragile kid hating on his african brethren just because their countries have a different official language. :nuts:

Its now quite clear who is emotional here.

:nuts:

Would you grow up!I claimed Rwanda is not Francophone,where did you get the idea I hate francophone countries?Get a life douchebag.
LOL you come in here with no other intention but to ruin a thread about some african countries who happen to have french as an official language which includes Rwanda. And you have the nerve to ask me to grow up. Seriously you cant be more than 15 yrs old or sumthin. :lol:

Its now quite clear who is emotional here.
Yeah, my emotion is disgust towards an african traitor like you who has nothing better to do but to come hate in a positive thread about economic news from french speaking Africa. Stupid fukk aren't you ashamed. :ohno:

Technology: A Cameroonian creates software against corruption

The young engineer Hervé Djia designed the NoBakChic that allows users to know exactly the administrative procedures to avoid having to pay bribes, kickbacks.


In Cameroon, it is almost a rule. To do establish a national identity card or passport must bribe. To follow a case in one jurisdiction (generally public) must be "tchoko". And even if you repossess what rightfully yours, it must "be somebody". The situation is such that for many years, Cameroon is ranked by Transparency International as one of the most corrupt in the world. Within society, the brains appear to have been formatted by this "reality Cameroon." So much so that it is sometimes the users themselves who make the suggestion of the pot of wine, quietly waiting for the officials a "gratuity" for services rendered.

A young Cameroonian man has set up software to participate in the fight against this scourge in the country. Hervé Djia designed and developed the "NoBakChic" hear "no pot of wine." According to his explanation, this is an application that aims to make accessible to the general public administrative procedures. The principle is simple. "With a mobile phone or computer, you will be able to consult the records of procedures you want to avoid you having to do," says this young computer engineer for 24 years. The cards contain information to consult as the name of the procedure, the cost, the steps, the estimated processing time, places where to go, that the attached documents, and even useful contacts. Moreover, the NoBakChic is interactive. Each card provides for the possibility a user to report an incident. "If he had to pay a bribe, if the process has taken longer than expected or if the case was mishandled, .. . In one click, it can be reported and thus warn other users of the application, "says Hervé Djia.


Opacity of administrative procedures

The idea of ​​software that helps fight against corruption in state services comes from the observation that the opacity of procedures in government and parastatals. "It was therefore necessary to open them so that everyone can know what to expect once it is in state services," he says. If for the moment the application is only in test phase, the young engineer reassures that this is because for now there is not enough plugs. That may include access to certain documents such as procedures manual published by the Ministry of Finance on the processing of payroll.

In all cases, Hervé Djia is satisfied that the NoBakChic is one more tool in the fight against corruption since he took part in the desecration of the procedures in the Cameroon administration. "There will be no need to be someone" inside "to learn how to be served in our government. In addition, the application will update these procedures to stick to reality, "he argues. This is a fight against misinformation or lack of information; realities that are often the source of the facts of scam and corruption in Cameroon. "There is no question now of getting ripped off by our ignorance," says the young man. In any case, the NoBakChic will be available on the Internet, by SMS and on different Smartphones.

traduction with google translate

http://cameroon-info.net/stories/0,31706,@,technologie-un-camerounais-cree-un-logiciel-contre-la-corruption.html

LOL you come in here with no other intention but to ruin a thread about some african countries who happen to have french as an official language which includes Rwanda. And you have the nerve to ask me to grow up. Seriously you cant be more than 15 yrs old or sumthin. :lol:

:nuts:

You are ruining your own thread.Butembo claimed his country wasnt Francophone and I didnt see him get attacked.Stop catching feelings over Rwanda,the facts wont change.Now carry on with your thread.:okay:

:nuts:

You are ruining your own thread.Butembo claimed his country wasnt Francophone and I didnt see him get attacked.Stop catching feelings over Rwanda,the facts wont change.Now carry on with your thread.:okay:
Butembo claimed DRC is not francophone.Suns showed him it is.
And everybody knows it is. I’m not even gonna address such a ridiculous claim.

As for Rwanda its Francophone and Anglophone. You said its not francophone and I told you the fact that it is.
It should've stopped there but you chose to carry on discussing a simple fact.
Now if you have something good to contribute do so, if you don’t GFOH. :okay:

Butembo claimed DRC is not francophone.Suns showed him it is.
And everybody knows it is. I’m not even gonna address such a ridiculous claim.

Yet you have time to attack me on claims I hate the Francophones?Get a life!

As for Rwanda its Francophone and Anglophone. You said its not francophone and I told you the fact that it is.
It should've stopped there but you chose to carry on discussing a simple fact.Now if you have something good to contribute do so, if you don’t GFOH. :okay:

Whats wrong with discussing?And yes,I will GFOH and watch the train wreck from the sidelines.:okay:

Technology: A Cameroonian creates software against corruption

The young engineer Hervé Djia designed the NoBakChic that allows users to know exactly the administrative procedures to avoid having to pay bribes, kickbacks.


In Cameroon, it is almost a rule. To do establish a national identity card or passport must bribe. To follow a case in one jurisdiction (generally public) must be "tchoko". And even if you repossess what rightfully yours, it must "be somebody". The situation is such that for many years, Cameroon is ranked by Transparency International as one of the most corrupt in the world. Within society, the brains appear to have been formatted by this "reality Cameroon." So much so that it is sometimes the users themselves who make the suggestion of the pot of wine, quietly waiting for the officials a "gratuity" for services rendered.

A young Cameroonian man has set up software to participate in the fight against this scourge in the country. Hervé Djia designed and developed the "NoBakChic" hear "no pot of wine." According to his explanation, this is an application that aims to make accessible to the general public administrative procedures. The principle is simple. "With a mobile phone or computer, you will be able to consult the records of procedures you want to avoid you having to do," says this young computer engineer for 24 years. The cards contain information to consult as the name of the procedure, the cost, the steps, the estimated processing time, places where to go, that the attached documents, and even useful contacts. Moreover, the NoBakChic is interactive. Each card provides for the possibility a user to report an incident. "If he had to pay a bribe, if the process has taken longer than expected or if the case was mishandled, .. . In one click, it can be reported and thus warn other users of the application, "says Hervé Djia.


Opacity of administrative procedures

The idea of ​​software that helps fight against corruption in state services comes from the observation that the opacity of procedures in government and parastatals. "It was therefore necessary to open them so that everyone can know what to expect once it is in state services," he says. If for the moment the application is only in test phase, the young engineer reassures that this is because for now there is not enough plugs. That may include access to certain documents such as procedures manual published by the Ministry of Finance on the processing of payroll.

In all cases, Hervé Djia is satisfied that the NoBakChic is one more tool in the fight against corruption since he took part in the desecration of the procedures in the Cameroon administration. "There will be no need to be someone" inside "to learn how to be served in our government. In addition, the application will update these procedures to stick to reality, "he argues. This is a fight against misinformation or lack of information; realities that are often the source of the facts of scam and corruption in Cameroon. "There is no question now of getting ripped off by our ignorance," says the young man. In any case, the NoBakChic will be available on the Internet, by SMS and on different Smartphones.

traduction with google translate

http://cameroon-info.net/stories/0,31706,@,technologie-un-camerounais-cree-un-logiciel-contre-la-corruption.html

Great^^

Great^^

This software will help cameroonian government on the fight against corruption.

Yet you have time to attack me on claims I hate the Francophones?Get a life!.
Lol @ this kid acting all innocent. This is the 1 millionth time you do it

Whats wrong with discussing?And yes,I will GFOH and watch the train wreck from the sidelines. :okay:
What was there to discuss. Rwanda is francophone a simple fact everybody knows.
Yet instread of just accepting my correction, you had to go all Kagame this, colonial language that, Francafrique this.
Yeah GFOH and go troll the gay thread with Mintali or sumthin. :okay:

:popcorn:

Watching from the sidelines... ;)

Please all of u stop this quarrel it's not the topic of the thread and let us discuss on the economic news of francophone african countries.

:popcorn:

Watching from the sidelines... ;)
good ;)

Not exactly an economic insight but interesting nonetheless:

Friday, February 10, 2012

Benin Makes Headway in Attempt to Reduce Deaths from Malaria

Source: The Guardian



In the markets of west Africa, malaria drugs are on sale as openly as oranges and bananas. Trader Simone Adechinan claims to know her stuff. "With these," she says, producing a beige box marked Chloroquine Phosphate, "you want to take six tablets a day for a week, then pause for a week and take paracetamol, then start again." She issues the dubious advice without seeing the patient or referring to a doctor's prescription. And she sells the box of 100 tablets – which has no manufacturer's name – for 1,000 CFA francs ($2).

Last week, police swooped on the stalls of Adechinan and dozens of other pill traders in the market serving Benin's political capital, Porto Novo. They confiscated her brightly packaged malaria medicines and antibiotics. Getting new stock from neighbouring Nigeria was easy enough, but she has now reduced the size of her display so she can quickly pack up if the police come back. "They [the police] are trying to put us out of business," she complains.

They are indeed. Last month, scientists warned in the Lancet that theuncontrolled sale of counterfeit and substandard drugs is undermining years of efforts to reduce deaths from malaria. Not only do informal traders generally not see the patient, they are untrained, their goods lie for hours in 30C temperatures, and there is no guarantee that the tablets on sale contain the active ingredients printed on the packaging.

Malaria is the leading cause of death in Benin – a small, former French colony of 9 million people, dwarfed by neighbouring Nigeria and dependent for income on cotton and pineapple production, and on spin-offs from cross-border trade. Here, attaining most of the millennium development goals is a far-off dream.

Nevertheless, the government is making headway in attempts to reduce deaths from malaria. As well as the police raids on traders, last year it declared that treatment for the mosquito-borne parasite would be free in public clinics and hospitals. Knowing that the move would create unprecedented pressure on the country's understaffed and thinly spread health facilities, the government went a step further, enlisting an army of ordinary citizens in the battle against preventable diseases like malaria.
http://www.nextbillion.net/newspost.aspx?newsid=3414

Côte d'Ivoire, Sierra Léone, Libéria et Guinée vers l’interconnexion electrique
08 Mars 2012

Les ministres en charge du projet d'interconnexion du réseau électrique de Côte d'Ivoire, Sierra Léone, Libéria et Guinée se sont réunis à Abidjan sous la présidence d’ Adama Toungara, ministre ivoirien des Mines, du Pétrole et de l'Energie.

Pour M. Toungara, il s’agit de créer un marché régional et d'harmoniser le réseau de l'électricité, soulignant l’immense potentiel énergétique des Etats du Fleuve Mano et de la CEDEAO.

Pour Amadou Diallo, secrétaire général de l'EEEOA (Système d'Echanges d'Energie Electrique Ouest Africain), « des pas importants ont été franchis en dépit des retards accusés par des pays dans la mise en œuvre du traité ». Prévu pour être mis en service au bout de 3 ans, soit en 2015, le coût total de ce projet d’interconnexion est d'environ 430 millions de dollars comprenant la construction d'une ligne de 1700 km traversant les quatre Etats.


source: Ecofin

^^
Proposed interconnection of the electricity network of the Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea discussed in Abidjan. Interconnection cost is estimated at $ 430 million including the construction of a line of 1,700 km across the four states.

Is it time to abandon the CFA franc ?
21 February 2012
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Amid the crisis in the eurozone and speculation about another devaluation of the CFA franc, policy makers in West and Central Africa are faced with new calls to change their relationship to France and the euro. Is it time to abandon the CFA franc?


Yes! For Africans, it is time to drop the CFA franc. It does not reflect all the economies it covers, which is the role of a currency. The zones do not have the same level of development, and the reference prices for the cost of labour are those that are applied in France! The cost of local labour is thus underpaid.This situation automatically leads to net and permanent transfers of resources towards the euro zone. The CFA franc thus facilitates the pillage of resources. What is more surprising is the abandonment by African leaders of sovereignty on monetary questions. All is left to the French treasury, which keeps the reserves of the countries of the CFA zone in its coffers. However, to build an autonomous monetary zone, as African countries want to do, supposes that trade between the countries concerned accounts for at least 50 per cent [of their trade]. Unfortunately, we are far from that level.

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Cherif Samif Sy (Senegal), Secretary general, Association Sénégalaise des Economistes.




No! The question is not whether to drop the CFA franc, but how to make the CFA franc exchange regime more compatible with the regional and international macroeconomic fundamentals of the CFA zone. At the same time I think that in keeping the current parity [with the euro], it is possible for us to introduce national currencies that are complementary and non-competitive with the CFA franc in order to energise our respective national economies. These currencies could permit access to credit, and an appropriate parity of these national currencies to the CFA would favour the monetarisation of subsistence economies and make our internal markets competitive.

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Abdourahmane Sarr (Senegal), Founder of Centre d'Etudes pour le Financement du Développement Local(CEFDL)




Not yet! A brutal devaluation, like the one of 1994, will be unable to resolve the problems of the attachment of the CFA franc to the euro. One ought to ask the more global question of the pertinence of the exchange regime and the cost of managing an extroverted currency for the populations of the Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest-Africain (UEMOA) region. From a strictly economic point of view, it seems more reasonable to envisage a flexible exchange system based on a calculated index from a basket of currencies. The system would have the advantage of assuring the Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest of a progressive apprenticeship in monetary management and send, through a less rigid exchange rate, regular signals of the state of their economies. The challenge is to make millions of small producers competitive and self-sufficient.

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Kako Nubukpo (Togo), Head of economic analysis and research, UEMOA.


source: The Africa Report...

Ecobank bancarise 50 000 étudiants sénégalais

(Agence Ecofin) - « L’étudiant, pour percevoir sa bourse n’a plus besoin de se réveiller à 3 heures pour faire la queue, ni faire des combines », annonce le directeur national des Bourses, le Professeur Joseph Sarr.

50 000 étudiants des universités publics, sur un total de 65 000, perçoivent désormais leurs bourses mensuelles aux guichets automatiques d’Ecobank Sénégal. Cette mesure à fait l’objet d’une convention entre l’Etat du Sénégal et Ecobank.

« Les opérations de bancarisation se déroulent bien. Les étudiants des établissements publics d’enseignement supérieur sont essentiellement payés par la banque. Nous avons 50 000 étudiants qui sont payés aux guichets automatiques de l’Ecobank » précise, le Professeur Joseph Sarr.

Le Pr Sarr souligne aussi « La bancarisation ne visait pas exclusivement le retard de paiement, mais aussi l’assainissement du système de paiement. Celui-ci est beaucoup plus sain…. L’étudiant, pour percevoir sa bourse n’a plus besoin de se réveiller à 3 heures pour faire la queue, ni faire des combines. »

http://www.agenceecofin.com/banque/1403-3878-ecobank-bancarise-50-000-etudiants-senegalais

Algérie : 18 milliards de $ dans le développement du rail

(Agence Ecofin) - Le journal officiel algérien indique qu’un décret présidentiel du 4 Safar 1433 (correspondant au 29 décembre 2011) a désigné Azzedine Fridi comme directeur général de l’agence nationale d’études et de suivi de la réalisation des investissements ferroviaires (ANESRIF).

ANESRIF, établissement public à caractère industriel et commercial, sous la tutelle du ministre des transports est chargé de la bonne réalisation des projets ferroviaires dont la mise en œuvre du plan de modernisation du rail en Algérie.

Ce plan couvre la modernisation des lignes existantes (855 km), le doublement de voies sur 430 km, la construction de ligne des hauts plateaux (600 km), la construction de la boucle du Sud (800 km), d’autres lignes en cours de réalisation (828 km), des lignes projetées (1400 km).

Le ministre des Transports, M. Amar Tou a confirmé récemment que « l’ambition de l’Algérie de réaliser 10000 km de voie ferrée aura sans doute besoin de l’association de nombreuses entreprises activant dans divers secteurs, en particulier celles qui sont spécialisées dans les équipements ferroviaires comme Ferrovial ».

Le montant total de l’investissement de modernisation du secteur ferroviaire est de 18 milliards $.

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Plan de modernisation du rail algérien


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Organigramme de l’ANESRIF


http://www.agenceecofin.com/investissement/1903-3954-algerie-18-milliards-de-dans-le-developpement-du-rail

Cameroun : 6500 milliards FCFA pour un «complexe industrialo-portuaire»

(Agence Ecofin) - Le schéma directeur d’aménagement global a été officiellement présenté le 14 mars dernier à Yaoundé par le président du comité de pilotage et de suivi du complexe.

Le changement de dénomination du projet de construction du port en eau profonde de Kribi en «complexe industrialo-portuaire» précise les intentions du gouvernement.

Au-delà du changement de nom, c’est toute une ville qui doit naître autour du port de Kribi et de nombreuses dessertes routières et ferroviaires à construire. Aussi, de lourds investissements à hauteur de 6500 milliards F CFA sont-ils attendus avec un impact énorme. Ce montant a été révélé ce mercredi à Yaoundé par Louis Paul Motaze, président du comité de pilotage et de suivi de la réalisation dudit complexe, par ailleurs secrétaire général des services du Premier ministre, lors dans sa présentation du plan général des aménagements portuaires, urbains et infrastructurels de ce gigantesque projet mené par l’entreprise Royal Haskoning.

Réalisés sur une superficie d’environ 26000 ha, apprend-on, les aménagements identifiés par le schéma directeur intègrent un port général avec un terminal à conteneur, un terminal polyvalent, un terminal aluminium, d’hydrocarbures et céréalier. Deux autres terminaux sont prévus, notamment méthanier et minéralier. Il est aussi prévu le port de plaisance, de pêche industrielle, une base navale, des zones d’urbanisation et des sites touristiques. Tous les contours du développement de la ville de Kribi ont été cernés dans une projection à l’horizon 2040.

Guy C. Moussi


http://www.agenceecofin.com/investissement/1803-3942-cameroun-6500-milliards-fcfa-pour-un-complexe-industrialo-portuaire

Maroc : la finance investit les écoles


(Agence Ecofin) - La première journée de la finance a lieu dans 400 établissements scolaires des 16 régions du Maroc du 16 mars au 22 mars.

L’objectif est de familiariser et sensibiliser les enfants et les jeunes âgés de 8 à 17 ans aux concepts financiers de base afin d’améliorer à terme le taux de bancarisation qui se situe aujourd’hui à 52%.

Le programme, animé par 300 professionnels bénévoles, comprend :

- des visites à l’attention des collégiens dans les agences du réseau de Bank Al- Maghrib ainsi que dans les agences bancaires choisies à cet effet ;

- des séances de formation dispensées par des banquiers au profit de lycéens au sein d’établissements d’enseignement secondaire préalablement sélectionnés par le Ministère de l’éducation nationale ;

- des visites au Musée de Bank Al-Maghrib et à Dar As-Sikkah : à l’attention des élèves du primaire et des collégiens ;

- des visites et des sessions de formation à la Bourse des valeurs de Casablanca à l’attention des collégiens.

- des visites à des compagnies d’assurances également au profit des collégiens.

L’opération est organisée par Bank Al-Maghrib, le Conseil déontologique des valeurs mobilières (CDVM), le Ministère de l’Education Nationale, le Ministère de l’Economie et des Finances, la Direction des assurances et de la prévoyance sociale (DAAPS), la Bourse de Casablanca, le Groupement professionnel des banques du Maroc (GPBM) et la Fédération marocaine des sociétés d’assurances et de réassurance.

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Programme de la journée de la Finance

http://www.agenceecofin.com/gestion-publique/1903-3953-maroc-la-finance-investit-les-ecoles

Une nouvelle compagnie aérienne dans le ciel congolais

(Agence Ecofin) - Issue d’une joint venture entre Brussels Airlines et le groupe Forrest International en avril 2010, Korongo Airlines a obtenu en janvier 2012 l’octroi des licences d’exploitation et d’importation des avions permettant le lancement de la compagnie aérienne le 16 avril 2012.

Basée à Lubumbashi la compagnie reliera dans un premier temps Lubumbashi à la capitale Kinshasa huit fois par semaine et Lubumbashi à Johannesburg deux fois par semaine. La flotte sera composée d’un Boeing 737/300 et de deux British Aerospace 146/200.

George Arthur Forrest président du Conseil de gérance de Korongo Airlines se réjouit du lancement prochain de cette compagnie : « Nous exprimons notre volonté de soutenir son programme de relance afin de mener le pays vers le redressement économique et social. Le lancement de Korongo Airlines y contribuera de façon très concrète.»

Korongo Airlines est détenue à 39,6% par le groupe Forrest, 40,4 % par Brussels Airlines et 20% par des investisseurs de la RD Congo.

Un investissement de 11,5 millions $ a été réalisé et la compagnie compte 200 collaborateurs.

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54 principaux aéroports et aérodromes de la RD Congo


http://www.agenceecofin.com/investissement/1603-3922-une-nouvelle-compagnie-aerienne-dans-le-ciel-congolais

:colgate:

Gabon : une raffinerie de 50000 bj à Port-Gentil dans 2 ans


(Agence Ecofin) - Ali Bongo Ondimba est actuellement en Corée du Sud où il œuvre pour un développement des relations bilatérales entre les deux pays. L’enjeu est de taille puisque en janvier dernier, une lettre d’intention a été signée avec la compagnie SK Energy pour la création d’une raffinerie dans la Zone Franche de l’Ile Mandji, d’une capacité de 50000 barils jour.

L’investissement total représente 1 milliard de dollars. Il sera réparti entre le Gabon et la compagnie SK Energy, accompagnée par l’Agence coréenne de coopération internationale.

SK Energy fait partie de SK Group, 3eme plus important conglomérat de Corée du Sud, composé de 92 filiales dont la marque Samsung bien connue en Afrique.

Cette nouvelle raffinerie remplacera la vétuste Sogara dont la capacité dépasse à peine les 20000 barils jours.

La Zone Franche de l’Ile Mandji (Port-Gentil) devrait connaître un essor important ces prochaines années : la firme Olam, de Singapour, et le groupe indien Tata Chemicals ont déjà signé pour la construction d’une usine de production d’engrais représentant un investissement de 1,5 milliards de dollars.


http://www.agenceecofin.com/hydrocarbures/2803-4102-gabon-une-raffinerie-de-50000-bj-a-port-gentil-dans-2-ans

Bénin: vers une solution biométrique à l’absentéisme des fonctionnaires

(Agence Ecofin) - Au Bénin, l’absentéisme et les retards font des ravages dans l’administration et coûtent à l’Etat, selon une étude commanditée par le PNUD (Programme des nations unies pour le développement), quelque 70 milliards de francs CFA par an. C’était suffisant pour que le gouvernement décide, à travers le ministère de la Réforme administrative et institutionnelle, de trouver une solution au problème. Elle sera biométrique.

Le Ministère est en train de conduire une expérience par laquelle il est maintenant possible de connaître l’heure à laquelle chacun de ses agents arrive au bureau et en ressort. Le système permet une collecte immédiate des pointages (entrée et sortie) et conserve un historique des cinq mille dernières transactions. Le résultat, c’est, entre autres, une « surveillance » en temps réel de chaque employé, une gestion optimale des tranches horaires et une meilleure traçabilité des événements.

Les autorités béninoises espèrent avoir trouvé, avec cette méthode biométrique de gestion du temps de travail des fonctionnaires, une solution moderne pour lutter contre les retards et l’absentéisme au travail, en vérifiant la présence effective des travailleurs à leurs postes.

Pour l’heure, cette solution est en phase expérimentale. Si, au bout de six mois, les résultats sont jugés définitivement satisfaisants, ils seront étendus à l’ensemble des services administratifs, avec pour objectif de réduire de façon drastique, sinon d’éradiquer, les retards et les absences. L’atteinte d’un tel objectif pourrait faire économiser à l’Etat béninois les 70 milliards que lui coûte actuellement ce fléau.

http://www.agenceecofin.com/gestion-publique/2803-4109-benin-vers-une-solution-biometrique-a-l-absenteisme-des-fonctionnaires