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#24,683 ·
South Africa tech firm cleared to buy iWayAfrica

South Africa-based integrator of advanced network and cloud computing services Echotel International Proprietary Limited has received the green light from the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) to acquire 80 percent of iWayAfrica Kenya.

Echotel, through its subsidiaries, provides wireless connectivity services while the target provides retail internet access, Virtual Private Network (VPN), and online security services.

Locally, the multinational resells Internet connectivity, VPN and online security services. It provides services via a multi-carrier converged network, to simplify the complexity of aggregating infrastructure to clients.

iWayAfrica Kenya (iWayKenya), provides fixed line services as well as a range of ICT services including wireless internet connectivity services, data storage, support and maintenance services, among others.

The regulator stated that the proposed transaction qualifies as a merger within the meaning of Section 2 and 41 of the Competition Act No.12 of 2010 as it would not affect competition negatively.

Following the deal, the merged entity is now estimated to have a market share of 1.8 percent in internet access services according to research firm Delta Partners and merged market share of 0.22 percent in the provision of VPN.

https://www.businessdailyafrica.com...iWayAfrica/4003102-5125786-up2yl6z/index.html
 
#24,684 ·
Saudi Arabia revokes visas for Ethiopian housemaids after differences over recruitment conditions

he Ministry of Labor and Social Development has stopped the recruitment of housemaids from Ethiopia after negotiations between the two countries reached a deadlock.

Saudi authorities lately issued thousands of work visas to Saudi families to recruit housemaids from Ethiopia.

According to Saudi recruitment offices, not a single Ethiopian housemaid has so far arrived in the Kingdom though they were expected to come before Ramadan.

The offices held a meeting with the ministry on May 14, the ninth day of the fasting month, to discuss issues in recruiting Ethiopian housemaids.

During the meeting, the ministry insisted that the recruitment offices commit themselves to provide accommodation facilities for housemaids to be recruited from various countries.

Labor market sources said the ministry already removed the facility for recruiting Ethiopian maids from its Musanid electronic gate. It also took out Ethiopia from the list of countries from which recruitment is allowed.

There are 19 countries from which the recruitment of housemaids is currently allowed. They are the Philippines, Niger, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Mauritania, Uganda, Eritrea, Peru, Madagascar, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Burundi, Mali, South Africa and Kenya.

The ministry has cancelled all work visas already issued for Ethiopia saying there were deep differences with its Ethiopian counterpart over the wording of the work contract.

It said the two sides failed to reach a mutually acceptable contract while the Ethiopian side refused to set up a center for the health checkup of the maids.

http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/...after-differences-over-recruitment-conditions
 
#24,685 ·
IS MICROSOFT’S NEW ADC THE PUSH NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES NEED TO BE READY FOR THE 4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION?

Microsoft opened the Nigeria site of its Africa Development Centre last week Friday, a herald for the direction of new tech innovations in Nigeria. The Africa Development Centre (ADC) is Microsoft’s 7th development centre globally and would be in 2 locations-Nairobi, Kenya, and Lagos, Nigeria. At the opening of the Lagos centre, Microsoft affirmed that it would be recruiting Nigerian engineering talents for them to develop local solutions with global adaptability for local problems.
“The ADC will be unlike any other existing investment on the continent. It will help us better listen to our customers, develop locally and scale for global impact,” says Phil Spencer, executive sponsor of the ADC and executive vice president at Microsoft. “Beyond that, it’s an opportunity to engage more with local partners, academia, governments, and developers – driving impact and innovation in sectors important to Africa.”

This ADC will give Nigerian tech talents a unique opportunity and training on the latest cutting-edge technology including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and mixed reality. The tech company also intends to hire 100 engineers by the end of 2019, and 500 at the end of 3 years across the two sites in Nairobi and Lagos, while spending $100 million. The sectors where Nigerian engineers will be developing solutions include FinTech, AgriTech, and OffGrid Energy. The question is where would these tech talents come from?
For many Nigerian undergraduates, and the country’s education sector as a whole, Microsoft’s investment represents a huge paradigm shift for their curriculum. Many analysts and commentators have asked if Nigerian universities are preparing students for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. While the general consensus has mostly been ‘no’, the arrival of Microsoft’s ADC switches things up a bit. As the saying goes, “if the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammed must go to the mountain,” Microsoft’s decision to take the knowledge to Nigerian universities will be of great help.

The visit of Microsoft executives to some of Nigeria’s private and public universities for partnerships will be a boon for the production of top tech talent from Nigeria’s Universities. Under the partnership, Nigerian universities will create a new modern intelligent edge and cloud curriculum, with which they would teach young Nigerian tech students, thereby preparing them for the technological apocalypse. Through the partnership, graduates from top Nigerian engineering universities will have access to the ADC to build relevant and meaningful careers in data science, AI, mixed reality, application development and more.

According to Professor Kayode Alese of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) in Southwest Nigeria, the partnership excites him as a purveyor of knowledge. “For more than 20 years I have taught computer science to enthusiastic African students, but still Africa has been referred to as the last technology frontier. The fact Microsoft has taken the giant step of setting up its first development centre in Nigeria is a testament to the huge talent base that exists in our academic institutions. It is a great time to be a Nigerian.” he said.

Though the partnership implies that there might be a direct pipeline of tech talent from Nigerian universities to the ADC, it also means that there will be a large pool of talents to choose from. That is good news for Nigeria’s tech sector.
Microsoft Cognition and Microsoft Windows teams will kick-start the ADC efforts, focusing on AI-enabled cloud services, mixed reality experiences and rich applications that power the intelligent edge without disruption. The ADC is the latest in Microsoft’s ongoing investments in Africa, enabling digital transformation, bridging gaps in infrastructure, connectivity, and capability while creating a sustained societal impact on the continent.

http://venturesafrica.com/is-micros...o-be-ready-for-the-4th-industrial-revolution/
 
#24,686 ·
Why Now Is The Time To Invest In African E-commerce

Although Africa is all too often viewed by investors and the public at large as being the “dark continent”, more often than not, they are letting prejudices and misconceptions cloud their judgment about some of the most exciting investment destinations available. In 2018 alone, six of the ten fastest growing economies in the world were in the African continent.

This prejudice is compounded by the natural tendency for investors to invest in what they know best and are most familiar with, which is often what is in their own country. Globalization has, however, made markets more interconnected, and distance is becoming less of the obstacle it once was.

The continent is blessed with strong demographics, considerable natural resources, and increasingly, a more stable political and investment environment for multinationals to operate within. Even traditional hindrances such as poor infrastructure can be viewed as a potential opportunity, particularly in the area of financial services and e-commerce.


Jiji, is the largest classifieds business marketplace in Nigeria, it was started from scratch five years ago, by a group of seasoned e-commerce professionals. With a market of 200 million people, Nigeria provides enormous upside should a business take off. The horizontal classified business model (any online business using http) does, according to Goldman Sachs, offer one of the most attractive investment models in the world, along with search engines and social networks.

It’s not hard to see why it’s such an attractive model, when the “winner takes it all” model is applied, in certain markets, the number one online classifieds controls over 80% of market share. The size of earnings opportunity equals 6 b.p. of the national GDP with 60% of long-term EBITDA margin. It is also an asset-light business model that requires minimal investment in heavy machinery and ensures high cash flow conversion.

The potential upside to the classified business model is particularly evident in a market such as Nigeria that has a young population of just over 200 million people. Nigeria is a mobile-only country (where 90% of traffic is on mobile web and is rapidly shifting to apps) with high and growing Internet penetration. In Africa, classifieds provide the ideal platform for e-commerce, as it enables people to buy and sell both second-hand goods and new ones.

Over the course of the last five years, Jiji has become the largest classifieds marketplace in Nigeria. The platform has just over 6 million unique active monthly users and more than 50,000 professional sellers listing over one million items. In 2018, the Jiji app was rated number one by Android users in the Nigerian shopping category, it is currently the highest rated app in Nigerian e-commerce.

Having cemented its leading position in Nigeria, the team have set their sights on expanding into new African markets, and recently decided to redirect OLX users in Nigeria to Jiji and to acquire OLX businesses in Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, and Tanzania. After the transaction is completed, Jiji will have a presence in five markets, with 300 million people.

In a couple of years, Jiji’s monthly audience is expected to cross the threshold of 10 million users which will make it one of the largest classifieds by traffic. Jiji’s ambition is to build the biggest Africa-based classifieds business, creating a new retail experience for Africa’s fastest-developing countries with a combined population of 300 million.

The deal will allow OLX users in these countries to benefit from Jiji’s market-leading products and services. OLX’s reach combined with Jiji’s own proprietary search and delivery algorithms, will give users a radically streamlined experience and ensure the experience of buying and selling goods more convenient and transparent than ever before.

Africa has in the past been viewed very negatively by potential investors and businesses in general, however, as technology breaks down barriers to accessing finance and supply chain infrastructure the potential opportunities have never been greater.

This combined with greater access to the internet and mobile phones provides imaginative entrepreneurs and businesses a chance to rethink traditional business models and create different systems that cater to the needs of this young, diverse and commercially underserved region.

The team at Jiji recognize the potential benefits and opportunities that this region has to offer, only time will tell if other foreign investors recognize the upside African economies have to offer.

https://www.forbesafrica.com/opinion/2019/05/23/why-now-is-the-time-to-invest-in-african-e-commerce/
 
#24,687 ·
NIGERIA TO BOOST DOMESTIC CONSUMPTION OF COOKING GAS WITH NEW PLANT

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is set to launch the largest Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Propane storage and dispensing facility in Oredo, Edo state, with the capacity to dispense 330 tonnes of LPG (commonly known as cooking gas) daily.
The NNPC in partnership with its subsidiary, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Limited (NPDC) is designing the facility to serve as an extension of the Integrated Gas Handling Facility (IGHF). It is expected to handle the 100 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMscfg/d) and over 260 Barrels per day condensate from the IGHF plant.
This development was disclosed in a statement by NNPC spokesman, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, in Abuja on Sunday. It was also explained that apart from the capacity to dispense 330 tons of LPG, the facility is capable of dispensing about 300 tons of propane daily.

The statement highlighted the anticipated economic impact of the facility, stating that Mr Yusuf Matashi, Managing Director of NPDC described the IGHF as a game changer of the national oil company. It is expected that both facilities (IGHF and LPG bay) will be a huge revenue stream for the country when commissioned. Matashi assured that before the end of 2019 NPDC will be producing 40 percent of the nation’s LPG requirements.

According to the NPDC boss, the facility was centrally positioned to supply LPG to Lagos, South-South; South-East and to the North in order to grow its consumption across the country. He revealed that NPDC is the single largest gas supplier to the domestic market, and is responsible for supplying about 90 percent of gas required to drive power generation in Nigeria.
“We are paying greater focus on our 100 percent assets production. NPDC assets will deliver a lot in terms of meeting its (crude oil and gas) volume targets,” Matashi also said in the statement. He added that NPDC currently contributes 10 percent to daily national production and by the end of 2019, the company is looking at a 15 percent contribution to daily national production.

Matashi further disclosed that the company has an oil reserve base of 3.6 billion barrels and gas reserve of 15 trillion cubic feet from its involvement in 29 concessions, 22 Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) and 7 Oil Prospecting Licenses (OPLs). According to him, the production outlook for 2019/2020 was on the bright side. He also added that the company was aggressively pursuing its drilling and field development programmes as approved by the management of NNPC.

He stressed that the company maintained cordial relations with regulatory agencies, such as the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and had maintained its remittance of royalties and Petroleum Profit Tax to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
One way or the other, the launch of this new facility will have significant impacts on the country. Besides providing jobs for Nigerians right from its development stage, its large dispensing capacity and strategic location will boost the supply of gas to the domestic market. With the ease of logistics, the prices of gas could reduce and this will lessen the cost burden for individuals and businesses alike.

http://venturesafrica.com/nigeria-to-drive-domestic-gas-consumption-with-new-plant/
 
#24,688 ·
The Gambia targets African tourists for more sustainable growth

The West African nation hopes to attract more tourists from the continent and has enlisted UNCTAD and the UN Economic Commission for Africa in the endeavour.

Blessed with sweeping stretches of sand and an enchanting river ecosystem that some 560 bird species call home, The Gambia is a bourgeoning tourist destination on Africa’s west coast.

Tourism accounts for more than 20% of GDP and is a growing source of employment for a nation with some of the world’s highest emigration rates.
But most of the 162,000 tourists who visited mainland Africa’s smallest country in 2017 were Europeans who booked trips with tour operators, meaning much of the money didn’t end up in the pockets of Gambians.

The government hopes to change this by attracting more African tourists. It has enlisted UNCTAD and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to help kickstart the initiative.

Attracting more regional tourists is important because they buy more local products and services than non-African visitors,” UNCTAD economist Claudia Roethlisberger said, adding that this was highlighted in a report by her organization.

African tourists are also a less seasonal and volatile source of revenue. For example, during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak that ravaged Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, many tourists from outside Africa cancelled trips to The Gambia while Nigerians continued to visit.

Catching the African tourist’s eye

Globally, 80% of tourists travel within their region – Europeans head to Paris or the French Rivera, for example, while North Americans prefer the lights of New York City or the allures of the Californian coast.

But for Africa the regional travel share is just 40%. This is expected to increase thanks to strong economic growth on the continent and an expanding middle class, and The Gambia hopes to catch the new African tourist’s eye.

To design the necessary policies, the government needs better data, and that’s the purpose of the UNCTAD-UNECA seminar with the country’s ministry of tourism and culture in Bijilo from 23 to 24 May.

...



https://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=2101
 
#24,689 ·
National fibre optic backbone: Cameroonian expertise at the service of telecommunications!

Formerly considered as a luxury, the optical fibre is now deployed throughout the country and is proven in terms of cutting-edge services offered to Cameroonians, and even beyond. Thanks to the support of the Government, Camtel has developed a dense network that facilitates the transmission of all our national and international communications, be it in transmission or reception, at the speed of light.

Today, the fibre optic serves all of Cameroon over a stretch of 12,000 Km from Kye-Osi to Kousseri. It covers the ten regional head quarters, about 90% of divisions and a hundred sub-divisions. This infrastructure is a reliable support for operators, organizations, businesses and individuals as far as telecommunications is concerned. It even meets the needs of some people in countries within the CEMAC zone, like Chad, whose interconnection with Cameroon has been effective since March 2012, through contracts signed with SITCOM and SOTEL Chad. The latter specifically enjoys Cameroonian expertise in terms of training and capacity building of its staff, especially with regard to fibre to the home.

Camtel’s National Optical Backbone, in collaboration with Huawei Technologies and other local partners, is at the core of modernizing communications in Cameroon. In addition to the employment it generates in the telecommunications sector, it considerably reduces the deficit observed in trunk transmission networks. Moreover, this infrastructure contributes to lower communication costs, facilitate the development of the government intranet and its applications, and the construction of the university interconnection network. Furthermore, the Backbone network, which is provided to all operators in the sector, is used for the development of new generation community telecentres in many peri-urban and rural areas.

A secure backbone

Apart from its reliability, the National Optical Fibre Backbone is secure and guarantees a high level of permanent network availability from north to south, and from east to west. In the event of an incident generally caused by external factors such as civil engineering works on road construction sites, the construction of water supply or electrification networks, urban loops serve as redundancy routes, thus ensuring continuity of consistent service. In order to reduce the risk of interruption of services and to ensure the permanent network availability, Camtel has taken a number of actions, including:

Increasing the awareness of stakeholders such as the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, construction companies and public works contractors (discussion forums were created among others;

Talks with contracting authorities to enable them to include network displacement and transfer in the design and execution of projects that are likely to cause prejudice to CAMTEL and its customers.

As of today, the optical fibre deployment in all corners of the country is ongoing. Studies are underway for additional coverage of at least 3,500 km through the 4th phase of the backbone deployment. Moreover, thanks to the Central Africa Backbone Project (CAB) financed by the World Bank, Cameroon will be connected to the rest of CEMAC countries through an optical fibre telecommunications network. An extension of this network between Bambili and Kumbo is also envisaged. The infrastructure will thus enable Cameroon not only to continue to significantly reduce the digital and technological divide, but also to position itself as the undisputed hub in Central Africa.



https://www.journalducameroun.com/en/national-fibre-optic-backbone-cameroonian-expertise-at-the-service-of-telecommunications/
 
#24,690 ·
NIGERIA: Minister commissions sugarcane bio-factory in Kwara

The Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajiya Aisha Abubakar, has commissioned a Sugarcane Bio-factory in Ilorin, Kwara State, to boost sugar production in the country. Speaking during the event, the Minister said technology is critical to Nigeria’s drive to grow the nation’s sugar industry, adding that production could be fast-tracked through the use of cutting edge technologies by sugar factory owners.

The factory was established by the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) in collaboration with the University of Ilorin Sugar Research Institute. The Minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Sunday Edet Akpan, said the factory is expected to make good use of tissue culture to produce and multiply a few sugarcane varieties, thereby ensuring the provision of pure, clean and good quality sugarcane seeds for the growth of the entire sugar industry.

The Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council, (NSDC), Dr. Latif Busari said the bio-factory facility which is the outcome of a collaborative effort between the NSDC and the University of Ilorin Sugar Institute is a bold step towards addressing problems linked to the production of clean, pure and disease-free sugarcane seeds in the country.



Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/minister-commissions-sugarcane-bio-factory-in-kwara.html
 
#24,691 ·
Nigeria to benefit huge forex from palm oil — NPPAN

The National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN) says the country will benefit a lot from Crude Palm oil (CPO) as a leading foreign exchange earner with its price now 500 dollars per tonne against 426 dollars of crude oil.

The association disclosed this in a statement signed by its National President, Mr Henry Olatujoye, on Sunday in Ibadan.

It said “The current domestic market value of palm oil is about N400 per litre, while that of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise called petrol remains N145, just as diesel is N210 and kerosene is N250.

The association however decried lack of government incentives and programmes to further promote palm oil farming and production.

Right now, there is no financial credit, technological support and other assistance from the government and its agencies for our members that have injected billions of US dollars into the industry.

Whereas the cost of establishing a petroleum refinery is estimated at US$500 billion, while a mere N50 million can be used to set up a palm oil refinery that can be replicated across the oil palm belt of Nigeria,’’ it said.

NPPAN reiterated its readiness to collaborate with the Federal Government, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other government agencies to turn the industry around.

It also said its members were ready to meet with the presidency, National Assembly, CBN and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to provide statistics and documents on the comparative advantage of CPO over crude oil as a foreign earner.

We are concerned that rather than ban the importation of palm oil into the country, ensure strict compliance and enforcement at the borders, the authorities preoccupies itself with sticking to only a commodity which is crude oil.

This crude oil is shipped abroad to be refined and imported into Nigeria as finished good at criminal costs and processes fraught with gross abuse, fraud and other forms of sharp practices.

This process smacks off lack of seriousness and any form of economic sense and wisdom, especially when Nigeria has got a huge comparative advantage over others on the commodity,’’ it said.

It said that allowing illegal importation of CPO into Nigeria would only add to the nation’s already saturated unemployment market and boost employment in other countries.

Unlike the price of crude oil which is subject to the vagaries of foreign political powers, forces and cartel, palm oil is subject to domestic control mechanism because of the potential of local refining, value addition and packaging before export.

...



https://www.thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2019/05/nigeria-to-benefit-huge-forex-from-palm-oil-nppan/
 
#24,692 ·
Nigeria’s economy sees strong agric growth

Agriculture has benefited from macroeconomic and structural reforms initiated by the Buhari administration aimed at economic stability, inflation reduction and trade expansion. Analysts say the reforms could pave the way for competitive agricultural operations, if the government takes steps to reduce production costs and enhance the agro business environment,

For watchers, within the last four years, agricultural production has confronted difficulties due to the negative impacts of climate change, high cost of production and natural calamities.

Also, Nigeria faced some challenges in the international market on agricultural produce, including commodities rejection, especially the European Union (EU) ban on Nigerian staples.The EU banned Nigeria’s dried beans in June 2015 because it contained a high level of pesticide dangerous to human health.

In June 2016, the ban was extended by three years because of the presence of dichlorvos (pesticide) in dried beans from Nigeria, and maximum residue levels of pesticides showed that compliance with food law requirement as regards pesticide residual could not be achieved in the short term.

Despite this, with efforts by people from all walks of life and the political will demonstrated by the government, the nation is achieving positive results.

In the four years under review, a series of important policies were introduced to promote key branches in the agriculture sector.

For example, the Federal Government launched the agricultural sector roadmap, known as The Green Alternative, for promotion of agriculture from 2016-2020. It adopted policies to develop the fishery sector, as well as restructuring production of rice and other crops.

More importantly, the government has encouraged more enterprises to invest in rural agriculture while helping farmers and fishermen find consumers for their products.

While Nigeria has not achieved much in other areas, experts believe the nation has made progress in agriculture.

One of those who share this thought is the National President, Federation of Agricultural Commodities of Nigeria (FACAN), Dr Victor Iyama.

Iyama told The Nation that the government had shown some commitment to revamping the sector.

This followed the launch of Green Alternative policy and other programmes, presenting agriculture as a top priority.

According to Iyama, the government has increasingly prioritised agriculture and food security as a national-level driver of economic growth.

...



https://thenationonlineng.net/nigerias-economy-sees-strong-agric-growth/
 
#24,693 ·
Amazing visit to Arla Foods/@danomilk_ng at their Lekki plant delivering affordable high value nutrition to Nigeria creating over 350 jobs in the local community. Combined with the Lekki Deep Sea port, this has potential to create thousands of jobs. dkbusiness DKbiz Tolaram







 
#24,694 ·
Tanzania sells 14 mln USD gold in 1 month from newly opened centers: minister

DAR ES SALAAM, May 26 (Xinhua) -- A Tanzanian senior government official said on Sunday the nation has sold gold worth 14 million U.S. dollars (about 32 billion Tanzanian shillings) in one month in recently opened gold trading centers.

A statement issued by the Tanzania Information Services quoted the Minister for Minerals, Dotto Biseko, as saying the gold was sold in 21 new gold trading centers across the country in one month.

Biseko expressed optimism that the selling of gold in the newly established gold trading centers will gain momentum and subsequently help boost the country's economic growth, according to the statement.

In April, President John Magufuli ordered regional commissioners in regions producing minerals to open trading centers.

"The mineral trading centers help in curbing smuggling of gold out of the country," said the president.



http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-05/27/c_138091818.htm
 
#24,695 ·
Tanzanian scientist proposes nano innovations to address health problems

Dr Askwar Hilonga hopes to be a millionaire – with the millions of lives across Africa that his innovation can help improve

Locals in Arusha, northern Tanzania, have noticed something unusual this year: no cholera outbreak during what is usually the cholera season. Could a new low-cost water purification system, piloted in water stations across the city, may have something to do with it?

Dr Hilonga does not claim this, as he understands rigorous testing is still needed. He nevertheless hopes his invention will help reduce waterborne diseases.

After obtaining a doctorate in chemical engineering, he studied public health in the hope of finding new ways to protect people from preventable diseases. “After graduating, I asked myself what my degrees meant for my community. I was not going to be satisfied with patents and papers that would just sit gathering dust on the shelf. So I decided to only do research that would result in innovative solutions for improving the lives of my community.”

When engineering and health expertise meet

Growing up in rural Tanzania, Dr Hilonga suffered from waterborne diseases throughout his childhood. He used his scientific expertise in nanotechnology and his local knowledge to develop a filter based on nanomaterials. It was meant to help those for whom safe drinking water was still a luxury, like it was for his family during his childhood.

There was a problem, and there was technology. I told myself, let me look for a solution by combining the two, to find the solution,” he says. “Engineers do not understand health,” he smiles, “neither do doctors and health practitioners understand technologies. I wanted to show the natural bond between the two.”

Local solutions for local problems

Hilonga worked with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Science and Technology to roll out his innovative water purification system.

He cherishes the support he was given by the Government, the health authorities, the media, and local communities. Everyone was proud of the young Tanzanian scientist for addressing a major public health problem.

He says the real challenge for any water-purification system is acceptance and regular use by the community. Many were initially suspicious about a technology developed by ‘one of theirs’.

But Dr Hilonga was able to convince local people to start using the filtration system because he understood the issues they faced.

...



https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/tanzanian-scientist-proposes-nano-innovations-to-address-health-problems
 
#24,696 ·
Egypt Mulling Blackstone Unit's Offer to Take Over Power Plants - LINK



Egypt is considering offers from a Blackstone Group unit and Edra Power Holdings Sdn Bhd of Malaysia to take over three power plants co-built by Siemens AG -- a move that could cut the North African nation’s debts while bringing in much-needed foreign investment.

Both Blackstone’s Zarou Ltd. and Edra have voiced interest in the state-owned facilities, according to Egypt’s electricity minister, Mohamed Shaker. The plants, which have a total capacity of 14.4 gigawatts, were inaugurated in July as the latest in a series of large-scale infrastructure projects under President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

“We received an expression of interest from the two companies to take over and operate the power plants and we’re looking into it,” Shaker said in a phone interview. The plants cost 6 billion euros ($6.7 billion) to build and were mainly financed by a consortium of lenders led by Deutsche Bank AG, HSBC Holdings Plc and KfW-IPEX Bank AG.

[...]

A deal with Edra or Zarou would also set the stage for the company to assume responsibility for any financial dues. Egypt is seeking to ease the country’s debt burden.

The state-owned Egyptian Electricity Holding Co. secured a loan to finance about 85% of the power plants’ cost that was provided by the banking consortium and backed by a sovereign guarantee. Egypt’s 2019-20 budget statement shows debt guaranteed by the Treasury was 20.4% of gross domestic product by the end of 2018. About a quarter of that was owed by electricity companies.

[...]
 
#24,697 ·
Egypt plans new maritime line to East Africa for increasing exports - LINK

Egypt has announced that it plans to launch a regular maritime line from the port of Ain Sokhna, east of Cairo, to East African countries in October with the aim of ensuring the arrival of Egyptian goods as well as boosting exports to East African countries and landlocked countries, including Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi

[...]

Construction for the line started this month; the line is to start in October. The government did not announce the cost of the project and said it will be paid for by the Holding Company for Maritime and Land Transport.

[...]

Fahmi said the maritime line would facilitate trade between Egypt and Africa as well as boost Egypt’s position as an export hub where logistical services can be provided. “The new maritime route will also help the transfer of goods from Africa to Europe and vice versa through Egypt,” she added.

[...]

At the conclusion of the African Summit in Addis Ababa in February, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that pushing forward integration and effectuating free trade with Africa are among Egypt’s top priorities in 2019.

According to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, trade volume between Egypt and the African continent reached $6.2 billion during the period from January until November 2018, up by 26% compared with the same period of 2017.

[...]
 
#24,698 ·
Coal-hungry South Africa introduces carbon tax

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law a carbon tax to cut emissions in the continent's worst polluter.

The tax, a rare step for an emerging economy, will be levied from June 1 on greenhouse gases from fuel combustion and industrial processes and emissions, the treasury said on Monday, drawing cautious praise from environmentalists.

"Climate change represents one of the biggest challenges facing humankind, and the primary objective of the carbon tax is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a sustainable, cost-effective and affordable manner," the treasury said in a statement.

The tax was first planned in 2010, but has been delayed due to opposition in a country struggling with low growth and unemployment at nearly 28 percent.

"President Cyril Ramaphosa has communicated the urgent need for action around the climate crisis," WWF said in a statement, describing it as a landmark moment for South Africa.

"While there is still much to be done for the tax to become more effective, we recognise this is a significant first step."

The ministry said the tax was part of South Africa's efforts to meet the global climate change agreement negotiated in Paris in 2015.

Set at 120 rand ($8.30) per tonne of carbon dioxide, the tax will be largely offset by allowances to lower it to an effective rate of between six and 46 rand per tonne in the first three years.

South Africa - which relies largely on coal for its energy supply - is the 14th largest polluter in the world and the largest in Africa, according to Greenpeace.

"We definitely welcome this. It is very, very overdue," said Melisse Steele, senior campaign manager at Greenpeace.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019...ca-introduces-carbon-tax-190527113256102.html
 
#24,699 ·
Egypt’s fish farming ranks first in Africa and 8th globally - LINK



Egypt’s Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Ezz El Din Abu Steit declared that Egypt has been ranked first in Africa and eighth in the world for its fish farming’s industry after its annual fish production reached 1.8 million tons.

[...]

Steit also put emphasis on the expected benefits of the largest fish farm in the Middle East, which is under construction in Egypt at the present time.

The project consists of a hatchery for fish and shrimp on an area of 17 feddans with a capacity of 20 million fish and two billion shrimp. On top of this, a marine farm will produce up to 3,000 tons of fish per cycle, a shrimp farm 2,000 tons, and a freshwater fish farm will produce up to fish 2,000 tons per cycle.

[...]

Steit also pointed out that the ongoing development of both lakes Baradawil and Manzala would boost Egypt’s fish production in the upcoming period.

Egypt now is looking forward to developing aquaculture that is dependent on seawater and aqua-culturing Egypt’s desert lands for water reuse as well as the improvement of the soil.

In 2018, fish farming represented about 75 percent of Egyptian fish production.

[...]
 
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