Essential The Africa the Media Doesn't Tell You About

[Fox]

Ethiopia-Djibouti railway big boost to China’s Africa projects

Ethiopia and Djibouti launched Africa’s first modern electrified railway connecting their respective capitals Thursday.

It also marked the first time that the complete spectrum of an overseas railway industry chain is fully backed by Chinese standards.

The construction of the 752.7-km Ethiopia-Djibouti railway adheres to China’s level-two electrified railway standards.

It has a designed hourly speed of 120 kilometres and a total investment of $4 billion.

As many African countries have been following different gauge standards of Western countries, they are not in a position to form an integrated African railway network.

In January 2004, African countries proposed an integrated railway network on the continent.

With support from regional organisations like the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community, construction projects at transnational and intra-regional levels have been put on agenda.

Before official planning was set for the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway project, the Ethiopian government, following repeated negotiations with Chinese firms, found that Chinese railway standards are not only by no means inferior to their Western counterparts, but also fit better with its national conditions.

The government eventually agreed to build the railway by following Chinese technology standards.

In the early stage of the railway’s construction, however, cases of confusion did pop up on the Ethiopian side with regard to understanding and implementing Chinese standards.

“When construction has just started, someone on the Ethiopian side, simply judging from a plain look, made a claim that some reinforcing steel bars inside a pier were substandard,” said Wu Xiaoling, a project manager of the China Railway Group (CREC).

“But they dropped their unfounded suspicion of Chinese standards and quality after we had presented to them unquestionable proofs.”

FUTURE RELATION
As construction neared completion, bidding for operation and management right was opened in August 2015.

A consortium of the two Chinese contractors, CREC and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), beat their Western rivals to win the bid.

At the end of July this year, the Chinese side was officially awarded the right to operate and manage the railway for six years.

At that point, a milestone was established in the Chinese railway industry as its technology standards were fully embraced by a foreign market across a complete railway industry chain.

Mr Allen Lee, General Manager of CCECC Ethiopia Construction PLC, recalled that local governments or other foreign rail firms, more often than not, took over the operation and management right after Chinese companies had finished the construction of railway projects in Africa.

“Whenever a problem emerged in operation or maintenance, the Chinese contractors would be made a scapegoat for so-called ‘quality issues’, and this in turn would discourage African governments from constructing their own railways,” Mr Lee said.

“Such an unfortunate scenario will be avoided in the case of the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway.”

The early completion of the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway and its top-grade quality have boosted the confidence of the Ethiopian and Djibouti governments to develop further the railway industry and set a positive example for neighbouring countries.

“The technology standards, engineering quality and the speed at which the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway was constructed will provide valuable references for other African countries in their own railway endeavour,” Mr Lee said.

Ethiopia-Djibouti railway big boost to China’s Africa projects

 

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Props.

 

[Yehuda]

Tanzania bans alien banana plants from Mozambique

MARC NKWAME IN ARUSHA / 25 OCTOBER 2016

TANZANIA has banned the importation of banana plants from Mozambique following the outbreak of the strange, ‘Panama Disease,’ which is taking toll on the plants in the southern parts of the continent.

According to the statement by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery, Dr Florence Turuka, the government is monitoring all entry points to ensure the banned bananas are not imported to the country.

The Permanent Secretary’s statement was presented before more than 15 delegates converging here. It was read by Mr Cornelius Fabian Mkondo, the Assistant Director in charge of Plant Health Services: Plant Quarantine and Phytosanitary Services in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery.

“We are checking and monitoring all entry ports including airports, territorial borders and other sensitive areas along our borders to ensure that alien banana plants do not cross into Tanzania,” said Mr Mkondo.

Apparently, the banana fungal disease ‘panama disease’ has been present in northern Mozambique for the past few years. However there have been concerns among banana farmers in South Africa that the disease is spreading to their farms.

Tanzania is thus intercepting the risk, terming it that should banana plants from the Northern Parts of Mozambique be brought here by farmers, it could put the whole banana industry in the country at risk.

Millions of small scale farmers in Tanzania and Uganda rely on the East African Highland Bananas as staple food and cash crop. The two countries produce more than 50 percent of all bananas being consumed in Africa and that the crop fetches up to 4.5 bn/-US dollars annually.

 

[Yehuda]

Treasury cuts economic growth estimate to 0.5%

2016-10-26 15:01 - Gareth van Zyl

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Pretoria – National Treasury has revised South Africa’s growth forecast for 2016 from 0.9% to 0.5% as part of its medium-term budget.

Treasury said it further expects a moderate recovery over the next three years, with gross domestic product growth reaching 2.2% in 2019 amid less binding supply-side constraints, a recovery in the global economy and renewed business and consumer confidence.

“Growth is expected to increase to 2.2% by 2019, supported by more reliable electricity supply, improved labour relations, low inflation, a recovery in business and consumer confidence, stabilising commodity prices and stronger global growth,” said Treasury.

“Decisive measures to speed implementation of NDP (National Development Plan) reforms and reduce policy uncertainty can support accelerated and broad-based economic growth,” said Treasury.

However, current local growth constraints need to be overcome for the country to start setting its sights on 2.2% growth in 2019, Treasury explained.

“While global economic weakness plays a large role in South Africa’s economic growth performance, domestic constraints stand in the way of investment, output and trade. The slow pace of finalising policy interventions in areas such as land reform, immigration, labour relations, mining and communications undermines confidence, which is a key determinant of economic activity,” said Treasury in its statement.

“Government must demonstrate more rapid implementation to restore confidence and give hope to citizens,” Treasury added.
But South Africa must further tap its “strong institutions, stable macroeconomic environment, well-developed financial markets, relatively high levels of innovation capacity and strategic position in the region provide a solid platform for stronger growth”.

At a press briefing in Cape Town, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said that while South Africa is grappling with low or no growth, there are “green shoots” in the economy.

“The economic environment is a challenging one but not impossible,” he said at the briefing.

“We are not in hopeless situation – it (growth) could get to 1.7% next year,” he added.

Gordhan said that trade-offs, such as reducing South Africa’s public wage bill, would need to be met in a bid to reignite the economy.

* Visit our Budget Special for all the budget news and in-depth analysis.

Treasury cuts economic growth estimate to 0.5%

 

[Bawon Samedi]

South Africa: Regional Leaders Meet Over DRC
http://allafrica.com/stories/201610260500.html

Majority of DRC residents want Kabila to step down
Majority of DRC residents want Kabila to step down

 

[Yehuda]

Cement - An industrialisation landmark

Fri, 09 Sep 2016 08:06 - Updated Thu, 08 Sep 2016 20:27
By Luís Catraio

Sumbe - With a daily production of 5,000 tons, the Cuanza Sul plant (FCCS) is an important landmark in the process of industrialisation in the region.

Built in the locality of Cuacra, in Sumbe municipality, the industrial complex makes the “Yetu” brand cement. It grew from the year 2003 to 2014, when it started production, providing 1,500 new jobs.

The industrial complex is comprised of a clinker unit, a thermal station, a bags plant, fuels storage and a large mining concession area where the raw material for the cement is mined.

“Yetu” cement is 100 percent Angolan, as the products used in the making of clinker and the cement itself are extracted in the country.

FCCS gets the iron from the Cassinga and Jamba mines, in southern Huíla provnce, while the limestone and clay, sand and plaster are produced in Sumbe (Cuanza Sul province), some 10 to 15 kilometres away from the site of the plant.

The plant explores an area of 14,000 hectares of limestone and clay, has an installed capacity to produce 1.4 million tons of clinker a year, which enables the daily production of 5,000 tons of cement and 1.5 million a year.

The cement production process starts with the clinker that has a content of 85 percent of limestone, 14 of clay and one of sand, which is burnt at a temperature of 1,400 degrees.

In the production phase itself, 83 percent of clinker is used, mixed with five of plaster and 12 of limestone, resulting in cement.

The average annual sale reaches 40 to 45 percent of the global production, totalling 1,800 to 2,000 tons.

As to exports, FCCS sells to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, through the Luvo border market, though still in small amounts, as it is transported on trucks, which makes costs high.

Transport by train through the Benguela Railway is being considered as a safer and cheaper means to get the product to the neighbouring DRC and Zambia.

Cement - An industrialisation landmark

 

[Poitier]

 

[Poitier]

Côte d’Ivoire’s constitutional crisis

28 OCT 2016 00:00PATRICK OLIVIER GNONSEKAN

1101
Reforming the Constitution was one of Côte d’Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara’s main campaign promises when he was re-elected in October 2015.

On October 30, Ivorians will vote in a referendum on their new Constitution. Reforming the Constitution was one of Côte d’Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara’s main campaign promises when he was re-elected in October 2015.

This is the second constitutional referendum; the first was in August 2000 after the coup of 1999. The conditions of eligibility for the presidency set out in the 2000 Constitution exacerbated the various crises experienced by Côte d’Ivoire.

The aim of the latest reforms, according to authorities, is to implement a clear, modern, and balanced law that guarantees the rights and responsibilities of all Ivorians. An examination of the new text, however, shows a particular focus on reinforcing the power of the executive.

The text approved by members of Parliament on October 11 provides several important changes. First, Article 35 of the 2000 Constitution stipulating that any presidential candidate must be born of a father and mother of Ivorian origin is being eased. From now on, according to Article 55 of the draft, any candidate must be of Ivorian nationality, born of an Ivorian father or mother. This is to prevent the exclusion of candidates on the basis of their origin, as was the case with Ouattara in 1995 and 2000.

Article 55 of the draft creates a new vice-president position. This reflects the need to prevent a power vacuum and enable the state to continue functioning in the absence of the president. Article 40 of the 2000 Constitution does, however, deal with this issue. It states that in case of death, resignation or absolute impediment of the president, the speaker of Parliament will be the interim president for 45 to 90 days while a new president is elected. The risk of a power vacuum under the current Constitution is therefore unlikely.

The president’s desire to maintain some influence over the executive, even in his absence, may explain this proposal. Under the new Constitution, the president will choose both a vice-president and a prime minister. And although Ouattara announced his intention not to run for a third term, the suspension of the age limit in the draft text would give him the opportunity to run again for president. Together, these changes suggest an attempt to monopolise power in the office of the president.

The new Constitution also proposes creating a Senate composed of Ivorians recognised for their expertise and skills. Article 87 says that, in addition to sharing legislative power with Parliament, the Senate’s role will be to represent local authorities and Ivorians living abroad. Legally there’s nothing wrong with an institution of this nature, but the method of appointing senators further reinforces the president’s power because the president will appoint a third of the senators.

The new Constitution’s age-limit suspension gives Ouattara the chance to run again for president.

The need for these amendments is unclear to Ivorians because there was very little real explanation and consultation with the public and opposition parties prior to the drafting. The public discussions that did take place were described by the opposition and civil society as brief and superficial.

As a result, on October 14 the Alliance of Democratic Forces of Côte d’Ivoire — which represents 12 opposition parties including the Popular Ivorian Front and the Ivorian Workers Party — called for a boycott of the referendum as part of its campaign to mobilise against the new Constitution.

This followed a call in mid-September by a group of 15 Ivorian nongovernmental and international organisations for the postponement of the referendum until the first quarter of 2017 to enable the meaningful participation of all stakeholders.

Proper consultation with all sectors of society is essential considering the ongoing reconciliation process in Côte d’Ivoire since the 2010 to 2011 post-election crisis that cost the lives of 3 000 people. Establishing a more representative commission instead of using a group of experts to draft the new Constitution would have done more to ensure an inclusive process that reflects national aspirations.

There was little public explanation and consultation prior to the drafting and to make matters worse, Ivorians have had less than a month to examine the draft text. This tight time frame will severely impede the public’s ability to properly understand the text ahead of their vote this weekend.

Ultimately, these constitutional reforms presented an opportunity to address the root causes of the various crises experienced by Côte d’Ivoire. For this to work, all sectors of society should have been able to participate.

A consensual approach based on an informed and inclusive debate would have produced a draft text less open to criticism. This in turn would have eased political tensions and given new impetus to the reconciliation process. — ISS Today

Patrick Olivier Gnonsekan is a junior fellow in the Conflict Prevention and Risk Analysis division of the Institute of Security Studies’ Dakar Office.

Côte d’Ivoire’s constitutional crisis

 

[Poitier]

 

[Red Shield]

should expect that tho. france ain't/can't give up any of those colonial possessions. Without Africa.. france has no NO future


Hope the folk are there are paying attention. Hope their preparing to throw down

 

[Yehuda]

Two Month curfew at Kenya's Mandera County after terrorist attack

Elvis Boh with News Agencies 27/10 - 13:33

The Kenyan government has imposed a two-month curfew on the Mandera county starting Thursday, October 27 to December 27.

Residents of Mandera County are expected to stay indoors during the hours of the curfew that is from 6.30 pm to 6.30 am each day.

A statement from the country’s cabinet secretary for interior noted that only residents with a written permit from a Deputy County Commissioner in one of the cited zones, will be allowed to be out during the curfew hours.

The curfew follows the killing of 12 people at the Bisharo lodge in Mandera town.

Al shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Meanwhile, a court has allowed officers of Kenya’s anti-terrorism Unit to hold for ten days the caretaker of the Bishaaro Hotel who is suspected to have aided the attackers.

Mandera County officials have been holding a series of meetings to discuss ways of preventing future attacks.

Two Month curfew at Kenya's Mandera County after terrorist attack

 

[Poitier]

should expect that tho. france ain't/can't give up any of those colonial possessions. Without Africa.. france has no NO future


Hope the folk are there are paying attention. Hope their preparing to throw down

Its not that cut and dry. On one hand, Ouattarra has been great for development in his country with relatively little violence but on the other hand he definitely is in favor with the French though I think the real concern is 10-20-30 years down the line if he entrenches himself.

 

[Poitier]

 

[Poitier]

 

[Yehuda]

Nigeria, Nam could invest in oil refinery

October 28, 2016

by Kuzeeko Tjitemisa

Windhoek

Namibian High Commissioner to Nigeria Dr Peingeondjabi Shipoh has vowed to revive talks between the two governments to set up a joint oil refinery that could benefit both Africa’s most populous country and the diamond-producing country in southern Africa.

In an interview with New Era, Shipoh said the realisation of the joint oil refinery is one of the targets of the Abuja Mission, because of the immense benefits inherent in this very practicable project.

The Federal Government of Nigeria and the Republic of Namibia in 2014 proposed the construction of a joint oil refinery to be located at Walvis Bay to maximise cooperation in the area of energy. This decision was taken in March 2014 during two-day official visit of President Goodluck Jonathan to Namibia on invitation of his counterpart, then president Hifikepunye Pohamba. It was also agreed that the joint oil refinery would be wholly privately financed.

“No doubt we stand to benefit immeasurably when it finally comes to fruition,” Shipoh said, adding that as it is now, former president Goodluck Jonathan unfortunately lost his re-election bid and there has subsequently been no clarity between the Nigerian ministries of petroleum and that of trade over which ministry is the appropriate authority to handle such a joint project.

“This project dates back more than 10 years. It was important for Namibia at that time, therefore former presidents Jonathan and Pohamba urged the technical people to finalise signing of the agreement during former president Jonathan’s visit to Namibia in 2014,” he stressed. He said signals came from the ministries that the agreement was ready for signature, but it dawned on them later that it was not finalised and signed.

Furthermore, Shipoh urged Namibian businesspeople interested in doing business with Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad to contact the Namibian High Commission in Abuja. Shipoh said since the establishment of full diplomatic relations in the early 1990s, relations between Namibia and Nigeria have been very good and have continued to improve.

“The two countries view each other as close partners in the developing world. Namibia also views Nigeria as a favourable developing market,” he said. For many years, Shipoh said, Namibia’s economic engagement with Nigeria has been limited, but the volume of trade between Nigeria and Namibia continues to grow at low levels.

“Relations stayed at the government-to-government level, consisting of agreements and development projects,” said Shipoh. However, relations have since greatly expanded into the private sector, with investment often directly encouraged by both the Namibian and Nigerian governments, he said.

Nigeria, Nam could invest in oil refinery