Essential The Africa the Media Doesn't Tell You About
- Thread starter TommyHilltrigga
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TMNT4000
Superstar
Interesting reading this
There's already a chick on his tweets starting some gender shyt
Also
This tweet got me
a little bit
Two workers and their supervisor walk on their first day of work at the site of what is slated to be Senegal's largest solar plant in Santhiou Mekhe, Senegal. Nellie Peyton / Reuters
Bulldozers prepare a field for construction of Senegal's solar plant in Santhiou Mekhe. Nellie Peyton / Reuters
Senegal’s bid for huge solar plant reflects African investor reticence
Reuters
August 6, 2016 Updated: August 6, 2016 08:15 PM
In an expanse of sand 100km north of Senegal’s capital, two men set to work digging up tree stumps to clear space for what could soon be the biggest solar plant in west Africa.
In less than a year, says the developer Senergy, this shrubby lot will be covered with 96,000 gleaming solar panels from China, injecting up to 30 megawatts into the grid.
It is an attractive prospect for a nation with a dire power deficit, and which currently meets most of its needs by burning imported oil in hugely inefficient diesel generators.
"The context is favourable," says Karim Ndiaye, the investment director at the French private equity firm Meridiam, which bought out the original Senergy company in 2014.
"The president has made renewables a priority."
Yet, three years after a deal was signed to build the plant, there were still no building materials in sight recently, just a couple of bulldozers bumping over dunes near Santhiou Mekhe village.
Sunshine is plentiful, solar panels get cheaper by the year and demand for power is skyrocketing but the newness of the technology, bureaucratic hurdles and investor fear of uncharted territory have held back the rollout of solar plants across Africa.
Solar is less than 1 per cent of Africa’s power generation. Outside South Africa and Algeria there are only a few utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plants on the continent, the largest being a 20MW plant in Ghana.
Reuters collected data on more than 3,500MW of projects that have been commissioned in the past six years – approximatley equal to the combined output of Senegal, Uganda, Mali and Cameroon.
In Kenya and Burkina Faso, plants scheduled to open in 2014 are still awaiting construction. In Nigeria and Ghana, projects that began in 2010 and 2011 have yet to find finance.
"We are seeing the same trends everywhere in sub-Saharan Africa," said Silvia Macri, an analyst at IHS Markit.
"There’s no experience with these projects, and not much clarity around the political framework."
Lenders want dependable cash flows but in many countries weak legal frameworks, unclear land rights and poor transmission infrastructure make this hard to guarantee, Ms Macri said.
Even after construction began on the Senergy project, equipment still needs to be ordered and permits obtained, says Mathieu Peller, the regional director at Meridiam.
Horse carts trot past power lines in rural Senegal. Electricity is costly and 40 per cent of people have no access.
Cheap solar could change this.
Since 2009 the price of panels has fallen 80 per cent. Last year, the International Renewable Energy Agency, based in Abu Dhabi, said solar power costs were in line with or below those of fossil fuels.
Senegal is ahead of its peers on the continent in at least promoting renewables – its official target is 20 per cent of power from renewables by 2017, against 0.6 per cent now – but it has been overwhelmed by proposals.
After creating a renewable energy law in 2010 the government spent three years sorting through 82 proposals and accepted 10, most of which lacked the funds to see them through, says Yasser Charafi, an officer at the International Finance Corporation, the private-sector arm of the World Bank.
Senergy will sell power to the national electric company for about US$0.11 per kilowatt-hour, which is slightly less than the utility pays for diesel. The World Bank aims to help Senegal slash that by almost half, Mr Charafi says.
Kenya unveiled a renewable energy scheme in 2012 and was inundated with proposals. No plants are yet under construction.
Now it is considering an auction process to attract lower price bids, leaving developers in the lurch, says Tomas Adcock, the chief operating officer at the solar firm Kenergy Renewables.
"Investors are anxious about investing in projects that may never be built," Mr Adcock says.
Kenya’s ministry of energy did not respond to a request for comment. Developers in several countries described a lack of clear policies, pressure to pay bribes, and negotiations that dragged on for years.
There is often no grid in place to transmit, a problem faced by Douglas Coleman, the projects director of Blue Energy, building a long-awaited 155MW plant in Ghana.
A few projects have beaten the odds. A different plant in Ghana was completed in April by the Chinese company BXC, and a 10MW plant in Uganda is almost built, led by firms in Paris and Dubai’s Access Power.
Nigeria signed its first solar power purchase agreements last month for 14 large-scale plants after four years of negotiations. They are now meant to close financing within a year, and finish construction 18 months later.
"To be honest, some might need more time," says Yesufu Alonge, the head of power procurement at Nigeria’s bulk trader.
Senegal’s bid for huge solar plant reflects African investor reticence
Nigeria: Imo State Governor Introduces Three-Day Work Week to Reduce Wage Bill
2 AUGUST 2016
By Amby Uneze
Owerri — The Imo State Government has introduced a policy tagged: 'Back-to-Farm' to enable the state engage and invest heavily in agriculture for self-sustenance since the state can no longer depend on monthly allocation for survival.
The state Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, disclosed that the 'Back-to-Land for Agriculture' policy of the state government would enable public servants engage in agriculture as a way of being self-reliant in business.
He disclosed this when traditional rulers from the state operating under the aegis of Royal Fathers in Agriculture paid him a courtesy call at the Government House in Owerri.
He said the state executive council had given approval to the new policy.
Against the backdrop of the 'Back to Land for Agriculture' programme, the governor directed that public servants in the state would now work from Mondays to Wednesdays, and use Thursdays and Fridays for agriculture (farming) while Saturdays can be used for ceremonies. And the directive takes effect from August 1, 2016.
However, the governor exempted public servants on essential duties like the teachers, nurses, doctors and those involved in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) drive. Political appointees are also exempted from the three-days working periods.
The governor added: "We shall try this programme for the period of one year, starting from August 1, 2016, and hopefully, this will help. Let me make this emphasis before it is misconstrued or misrepresented, that this does not in any way affect the salaries of the workers.
"Workers will get their full salaries as been the practice. So the policy does not mean that there will be a cut in salary rather, let us now find a way for our workers to supplement their salaries."
Okorocha continued: "For this reason, the issue of annual leave and casual leave is hereby cancelled. Resumption time for work has changed from 8a.m. to 7.30a.m. and ends by 4p.m. Any worker not found on his or her seat between 7.30a.m. and 4p.m. on the days concerned will be summarily dismissed.
"Everybody must go back to agriculture. Every political appointee must own a farm. The youths would also be encouraged to take to agriculture. Schools including universities, polytechnics and secondary schools in the state must own farms. The Community Government Council (CGC) must be strengthened for the sake of this agricultural programme."
"Two billion naira has been set aside at the micro-finance bank for the purpose of this 'Back-to-Land for Agriculture" policy so that those willing can access it. And time is again when politicians and some Imolites will come to government in the pretence of farming and collect loans and use it to buy cars and marry new wives.
"I also want to announce that government has appealed to families and those who organise burials on Mondays to Wednesdays to please change and have their burials on Saturdays so that we can concentrate on the government's work and on the agricultural programme.
"Everything that has to do with agriculture, no matter what shape it comes, government will support it. So many countries are going through economic crisis because of the fall in oil prices.
"Our nation is also going through a very difficult moment. We have taken responsibility as leaders and we are not blaming anyone. Wise nations and leaders save for the rainy days. There were periods the oil price was in our favour. But those in charge then blew the money. They made no savings. Today, the oil price globally has crashed and here we are. And we must fall back to agriculture as the panacea."
Nigeria: Imo State Governor Introduces Three-Day Work Week to Reduce Wage Bill
2 AUGUST 2016
By Amby Uneze
Owerri — The Imo State Government has introduced a policy tagged: 'Back-to-Farm' to enable the state engage and invest heavily in agriculture for self-sustenance since the state can no longer depend on monthly allocation for survival.
The state Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, disclosed that the 'Back-to-Land for Agriculture' policy of the state government would enable public servants engage in agriculture as a way of being self-reliant in business.
He disclosed this when traditional rulers from the state operating under the aegis of Royal Fathers in Agriculture paid him a courtesy call at the Government House in Owerri.
He said the state executive council had given approval to the new policy.
Against the backdrop of the 'Back to Land for Agriculture' programme, the governor directed that public servants in the state would now work from Mondays to Wednesdays, and use Thursdays and Fridays for agriculture (farming) while Saturdays can be used for ceremonies. And the directive takes effect from August 1, 2016.
However, the governor exempted public servants on essential duties like the teachers, nurses, doctors and those involved in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) drive. Political appointees are also exempted from the three-days working periods.
The governor added: "We shall try this programme for the period of one year, starting from August 1, 2016, and hopefully, this will help. Let me make this emphasis before it is misconstrued or misrepresented, that this does not in any way affect the salaries of the workers.
"Workers will get their full salaries as been the practice. So the policy does not mean that there will be a cut in salary rather, let us now find a way for our workers to supplement their salaries."
Okorocha continued: "For this reason, the issue of annual leave and casual leave is hereby cancelled. Resumption time for work has changed from 8a.m. to 7.30a.m. and ends by 4p.m. Any worker not found on his or her seat between 7.30a.m. and 4p.m. on the days concerned will be summarily dismissed.
"Everybody must go back to agriculture. Every political appointee must own a farm. The youths would also be encouraged to take to agriculture. Schools including universities, polytechnics and secondary schools in the state must own farms. The Community Government Council (CGC) must be strengthened for the sake of this agricultural programme."
"Two billion naira has been set aside at the micro-finance bank for the purpose of this 'Back-to-Land for Agriculture" policy so that those willing can access it. And time is again when politicians and some Imolites will come to government in the pretence of farming and collect loans and use it to buy cars and marry new wives.
"I also want to announce that government has appealed to families and those who organise burials on Mondays to Wednesdays to please change and have their burials on Saturdays so that we can concentrate on the government's work and on the agricultural programme.
"Everything that has to do with agriculture, no matter what shape it comes, government will support it. So many countries are going through economic crisis because of the fall in oil prices.
"Our nation is also going through a very difficult moment. We have taken responsibility as leaders and we are not blaming anyone. Wise nations and leaders save for the rainy days. There were periods the oil price was in our favour. But those in charge then blew the money. They made no savings. Today, the oil price globally has crashed and here we are. And we must fall back to agriculture as the panacea."
Nigeria: Imo State Governor Introduces Three-Day Work Week to Reduce Wage Bill
Egypt seeks to revive wine industry
07/08 - 13:35
In a vineyard north of Egypt’s capital Cairo, workers harvest grapes under the scorching sun.
This vineyard is one of several in the North African nation providing grapes to two companies now making wine in the country.
Originally practiced under the pharaohs, large-scale winemaking is slowly rising as the country strives to win over international wine markets.
Labib Kallas, a manager at the Kouroum of the Nile vineyard says, “We are creating a new page in wine production. All this is testing, until we truly become a wine-producing country. We must plant the vines in different locations with different types of grapes, that we can define what type of vines planted in different places. “
Today the country boasts of a number of wine varieties of reds, whites and roses all available in the market.
This revival is good news for restaurants in Cairo.
“We had some people here telling us there is the headache wine, and then there is the wine that is okay… But there is no good wine, they told us. And now, I think you actually have good wine, you still have the headache wine, but you also have really good wine that compares with most international wines,” said Gerard Steeghs, Dutch ambassador to Egypt.
As Egypt looks to broaden its periscope in the international market, the country is now importing grape varieties from various parts in the world. Furthermore, some local wines have grabbed international awards.
AFP
Egypt seeks to revive wine industry
07/08 - 13:35
In a vineyard north of Egypt’s capital Cairo, workers harvest grapes under the scorching sun.
This vineyard is one of several in the North African nation providing grapes to two companies now making wine in the country.
Originally practiced under the pharaohs, large-scale winemaking is slowly rising as the country strives to win over international wine markets.
Labib Kallas, a manager at the Kouroum of the Nile vineyard says, “We are creating a new page in wine production. All this is testing, until we truly become a wine-producing country. We must plant the vines in different locations with different types of grapes, that we can define what type of vines planted in different places. “
Today the country boasts of a number of wine varieties of reds, whites and roses all available in the market.
This revival is good news for restaurants in Cairo.
“We had some people here telling us there is the headache wine, and then there is the wine that is okay… But there is no good wine, they told us. And now, I think you actually have good wine, you still have the headache wine, but you also have really good wine that compares with most international wines,” said Gerard Steeghs, Dutch ambassador to Egypt.
As Egypt looks to broaden its periscope in the international market, the country is now importing grape varieties from various parts in the world. Furthermore, some local wines have grabbed international awards.
AFP
Egypt seeks to revive wine industry
The Odum of Ala Igbo
Hail Biafra!
Shameful
KOA
pretty good series!
pretty good series!
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PHOTOS: Dangote Rice Coming To Market At Cheap Price
ADEYEMI SAMUEL 1:02 AM NEWS
Efforts to diversify the economy has started yielding results, slowly but surely. With Anambra, Kebbi and other Rice factories coming on stream and now Dangote, things will improve. More photos...
PHOTOS: Dangote Rice Coming To Market At Cheap Price | NaijaPopular.com NaijaPopular.com | #Nigerian Entertainment & Infotainment Portal
Food security: Dangote launches 8,000 hectares of Rice Outgrowers Scheme [PHOTOS] - Daily Post Nigeria
Food security: Dangote launches 8,000 hectares of Rice Outgrowers Scheme [PHOTOS]
By Daily Post Staff on February 15, 2016@dailypostngr
As the Government turns attention to agriculture to ease the pressure on the economy and create jobs, President of Dangote Group at the weekend flagged off his multibillion Naira 8000 hectares of Rice Outgrowers Scheme in Hadejia, Jigawa State as part of his partnership with governments at all levels to reduce food imports.
The launch of the Scheme, marked with the distribution of rice seedlings to the benefitting farmers, is with potential to provide direct jobs for 5000 farmers and another 5000 indirect jobs for various scheme dependants.
The rice project being executed by Dangote Rice Limited and expected to be replicated in six other states of the federation is a fallout of memorandum of understanding signed between Dangote and the Federal government on one hand and the Jigawa State government.
Speaking shortly before he made the distribution, Alhaji Dangote explained that Nigeria depended on Agriculture for economic development before the discovery of oil, noting that oil was meant to complement the agric sector but that sadly, the nation abandoned it and concentrated on oil.
“Before the discovery of oil, our economy was built around potentials from our palm oil, groundnut, cotton, and rubber plantations. Now the price of oil has plummeted from a peak of $116 per barrel in June 2014 to as low as $29 per barrel in January 2016, this means there is huge loss of revenue to the governmnet”, he lamented.
Justifying his decision to delve into agriculture, Dangote said Nigerian agricultural commodities and food imports bills had averaged over One Trillion Naira in the past two years 2013 and 2014, with foods like sugar, wheat, rice, fish accounting for 93 per cent of the total cost of imports, a situation he described as unacceptable for any one who loves the country.
He stated that the huge amounts were being expended on food items that the country has potential to produce locally with attendant losses of employment generation and wealth creation opportunities.
He added that “the allocation of foreign exchange to import these items depletes the foreign reserves continually.”
Dangote disclosed that the Dangote Rice Outgrowers Scheme has been designed as a one stop solution for the rice value chain.
“Farmers will be provided with training, necessary inputs with guaranteed buy back agreed price, will improve yield, production and income for the farmers”, he added.
Excited at the Dangote initiative, the minister of state for Agriculture, Senator Heneiken Lokpobiri commended Alhaji Dangote for his intervention in the government efforts at providing food security for the citizenry, creating jobs and reducing dependency on food importation.
He expressed government readiness to provide all the needed support to make the Dangote Rice Outgrowers Scheme a success.
According to him, a whooping sum of $20 billion is spent on importation of food items that could be produced locally.
The Federal government he said, would like Alhaji Dangote to take the lead in the government planned Rice revolution to save nation needless importation of foods and subsequent loss of jobs
The Minister noted that the government is putting in place a strategy that will make farmers have greater access to farm implements to help them produce with ease.
In his address. Of welcome earlier, Special Adviser to Alhaji Dangote on Rice and Coordinator of the Outgrowers Scheme stated that not more than 2.6 million metric tons were produced locally leaving the rest to importation.
This he said was a disturbing situation because Nigeria was blessed with lands, good climate to support the cultivation of the best rice.
The Dangote Rice project he explained consisted of the Outgrowers and the commercial.
The Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Badaru Muhammed Abubakar thanked the Dangote Rice Limited for choosing Jigawa as the pilot state for the project.
He pledged the readiness of his administration to provide all necessary support to the project.
The governor said he had no doubt in him that Dangote rice will succeed in turning around the economy of his state, saying the company’s exploits in other sector like Cement, Sugar, and lately in oil and gas was a pointer to the fact that Jigawa was lucky to host Dangote Rice.
ADEYEMI SAMUEL 1:02 AM NEWS
Efforts to diversify the economy has started yielding results, slowly but surely. With Anambra, Kebbi and other Rice factories coming on stream and now Dangote, things will improve. More photos...
PHOTOS: Dangote Rice Coming To Market At Cheap Price | NaijaPopular.com NaijaPopular.com | #Nigerian Entertainment & Infotainment Portal
Food security: Dangote launches 8,000 hectares of Rice Outgrowers Scheme [PHOTOS] - Daily Post Nigeria
Food security: Dangote launches 8,000 hectares of Rice Outgrowers Scheme [PHOTOS]
By Daily Post Staff on February 15, 2016@dailypostngr
As the Government turns attention to agriculture to ease the pressure on the economy and create jobs, President of Dangote Group at the weekend flagged off his multibillion Naira 8000 hectares of Rice Outgrowers Scheme in Hadejia, Jigawa State as part of his partnership with governments at all levels to reduce food imports.
The launch of the Scheme, marked with the distribution of rice seedlings to the benefitting farmers, is with potential to provide direct jobs for 5000 farmers and another 5000 indirect jobs for various scheme dependants.
Speaking shortly before he made the distribution, Alhaji Dangote explained that Nigeria depended on Agriculture for economic development before the discovery of oil, noting that oil was meant to complement the agric sector but that sadly, the nation abandoned it and concentrated on oil.
“Before the discovery of oil, our economy was built around potentials from our palm oil, groundnut, cotton, and rubber plantations. Now the price of oil has plummeted from a peak of $116 per barrel in June 2014 to as low as $29 per barrel in January 2016, this means there is huge loss of revenue to the governmnet”, he lamented.
He stated that the huge amounts were being expended on food items that the country has potential to produce locally with attendant losses of employment generation and wealth creation opportunities.
He added that “the allocation of foreign exchange to import these items depletes the foreign reserves continually.”
“Farmers will be provided with training, necessary inputs with guaranteed buy back agreed price, will improve yield, production and income for the farmers”, he added.
Excited at the Dangote initiative, the minister of state for Agriculture, Senator Heneiken Lokpobiri commended Alhaji Dangote for his intervention in the government efforts at providing food security for the citizenry, creating jobs and reducing dependency on food importation.
He expressed government readiness to provide all the needed support to make the Dangote Rice Outgrowers Scheme a success.
According to him, a whooping sum of $20 billion is spent on importation of food items that could be produced locally.
The Federal government he said, would like Alhaji Dangote to take the lead in the government planned Rice revolution to save nation needless importation of foods and subsequent loss of jobs
The Minister noted that the government is putting in place a strategy that will make farmers have greater access to farm implements to help them produce with ease.
In his address. Of welcome earlier, Special Adviser to Alhaji Dangote on Rice and Coordinator of the Outgrowers Scheme stated that not more than 2.6 million metric tons were produced locally leaving the rest to importation.
This he said was a disturbing situation because Nigeria was blessed with lands, good climate to support the cultivation of the best rice.
The Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Badaru Muhammed Abubakar thanked the Dangote Rice Limited for choosing Jigawa as the pilot state for the project.
He pledged the readiness of his administration to provide all necessary support to the project.
The governor said he had no doubt in him that Dangote rice will succeed in turning around the economy of his state, saying the company’s exploits in other sector like Cement, Sugar, and lately in oil and gas was a pointer to the fact that Jigawa was lucky to host Dangote Rice.
The Odum of Ala Igbo
Hail Biafra!
Dangote is hurting Nigeria
Crony Capitalism 101: The World Bank on Cement — Agùntáṣǫólò Notes
Crony Capitalism 101: The World Bank on Cement — Agùntáṣǫólò Notes
Gabon unveils new 130 million euros port
with AFP | 5 hours ago
GABON
Few weeks to the presidential election in Gabon, President Ali Bongo Ondimba inaugurated a new harbour at the outskirts of Libreville port on Wednesday.
The cost of the construction of the harbour is reported to be more than 130 million euros.
Bongo diversified economic partners of Gabon since he was elected in 2009 after the death of his father.
He also took measures to remove the country from its dependence on oil resources that make up its wealth since the 1970s.
Sectors such as construction, forestry and mining, have attracted investors, including Asians.
The new port, already in service, includes an ore terminal used for manganese, of which the country is the world’s 2nd largest producer, and a versatile terminal for the storage and transit of aggregates (sand, gravel, wood processing products, etc…).
In total, the GSEZ, Gabon Special Economic Zone, was said to have invested about 450 million euros for the construction of the ore port and a commercial port (containers and cargo) which should be functional from 2017.
Ali Bongo Ondimba is running for a second term in the presidential election on August 27.
Gabon unveils new 130 million euros port
with AFP | 5 hours ago
GABON
Few weeks to the presidential election in Gabon, President Ali Bongo Ondimba inaugurated a new harbour at the outskirts of Libreville port on Wednesday.
The cost of the construction of the harbour is reported to be more than 130 million euros.
Bongo diversified economic partners of Gabon since he was elected in 2009 after the death of his father.
He also took measures to remove the country from its dependence on oil resources that make up its wealth since the 1970s.
Sectors such as construction, forestry and mining, have attracted investors, including Asians.
The new port, already in service, includes an ore terminal used for manganese, of which the country is the world’s 2nd largest producer, and a versatile terminal for the storage and transit of aggregates (sand, gravel, wood processing products, etc…).
In total, the GSEZ, Gabon Special Economic Zone, was said to have invested about 450 million euros for the construction of the ore port and a commercial port (containers and cargo) which should be functional from 2017.
Ali Bongo Ondimba is running for a second term in the presidential election on August 27.
Gabon unveils new 130 million euros port
some great history threads over on NL on the fam ....
The Dantata/Dangote Story: How To Create A Dynasty Of Billionaires - Business - Nairaland
The Dantata/Dangote Story: How To Create A Dynasty Of Billionaires - Business - Nigeria
Aliko Dangote: Things You Never Knew About Him - Business - Nairaland
Aliko Dangote: Things You Never Knew About Him - Business - Nigeria
Red Shield
Global Domination
Ehhhhhh I wouldn't trust what the world bank or imf say. Because you know there's some other motive behind their slick "helping hand" words
The Odum of Ala Igbo
Hail Biafra!
Can you refute their argument about how cartels harm consumers?Ehhhhhh I wouldn't trust what the world bank or imf say. Because you know there's some other motive behind their slick "helping hand" words
The Odum of Ala Igbo
Hail Biafra!
Have you read the piece I posted?Ehhhhhh I wouldn't trust what the world bank or imf say. Because you know there's some other motive behind their slick "helping hand" words
Red Shield
Global Domination
I read the article.. and the World Bank is right, that monopolies do hurt the avg consumer
But when the west is saying this shyt, to African countries.. you gotta side-eye it. Because you know the west would rather have the monopoly in these countries instead. Hell wasn't that long ago that france was bytching about the bare minimum cement standard being raised in these countries.
But when the west is saying this shyt, to African countries.. you gotta side-eye it. Because you know the west would rather have the monopoly in these countries instead. Hell wasn't that long ago that france was bytching about the bare minimum cement standard being raised in these countries.