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“Grassroots Soccer delivers HIV/AIDS counselling, as well as more general life skills, to youth. The group bases its work on the devastation wrought by AIDS—and the popularity of football. Over 300,000 kids have graduated from the program. As I watched those children play, I was filled with emotion—and inspiration.”IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn predicts a bright future for Africa following an inspirational visit to South Africa
AFRICAN POLITICS
EU affirms importance of Sudan's elections – Xinhua News (CHN)
12 March 2010
The European Union Election Observation Mission to Sudan (EU EOM) on Thursday affirmed the importance of Sudan's general elections, slated for April this year. Full Story
DR Congo hopes to see UN mission out in 2011 – Xinhua News (CHN)
12 March 2010
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) hopes to see the UN peacekeeping mission pull out in 2011 and shift the duty to its own armed forces, a senior official has said. Full Story
Plateau women storm Abuja, protest killings - Vanguard (NG)
12 March 2010
Hundreds of Plateau women, yesterday, staged peaceful demonstrations in Jos and Abuja against Sunday’s mayhem at Dogon Nahawa where hundreds, mostly women and children, were murdered. Full Story
Accra NPP Wants Early Congress – Modern Ghana (GH)
12 March 2010
The of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Greater Accra Region has demanded that, as a matter of urgency, the party must immediately elect a flag-bearer for the 2012 presidential election. Full Story
EAC to send poll monitors to Burundi – IPP Media (TZ)
12 March 2010
The East African Community (EAC) will send a mission to monitor local and national elections in Burundi later this year to ensure they are conducted peacefully and democratically, EAC Secretary-General Juma Mwapachu has said. Full Story
AFRICAN ECONOMY
SA, UK want trade lift from Zuma trip – Business Day (SA)
12 March 2010
SA and the UK wanted to double the value of their two-way trade over the next five years from the recession-hit low of R40bn last year, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said yesterday. Full Story
Investments to grow by 25-30% by 2012 – The New Times (RW)
12 March 2010
Government says that local and foreign investments to Rwanda should grow by between 25 and 30 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2012 as economic growth is estimated at 7 percent to reduce poverty levels. Full Story
Zambia’s done well-IMF – The Times of Zambia (ZAM)
12 March 2010
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has praised Zambia for the way it managed the economy during the global financial crisis which resulted in the country recording positive growth. Full Story
Japanese groups creep into Africa – Financial Times (UK)
11 March 2010
About 30 Japanese children were getting instructions from a teacher on how to wave their Rising Sun flags when a car with Kenyan security men hanging out of the doors screeched to a halt. Full Story
Burkina pulls water, electricity privatisations – Reuters (US)
12 March 2010
Burkina Faso has suspended plans to privatise national water and electricity utilities, the government said in a statement. Full Story
AFRICAN BUSINESS
Banking and Finance
Banks throw down the gauntlet – The Namibian (NAM)
12 March 2010
FNB Namibia yesterday claimed that the underlying policy of the Payment Systems Management Bill and the Banking Institutions Amendment Bill is flawed. Full Story
Little South African bank eyes Tanzania - IPP Media (TZ)
12 March 2010
Firstrand Johannesburg, one of South Africa’s little banks says it wants to grow by opening branches in some African countries including Tanzania. Full Story
Oil and Energy
State to extend Aggreko contract due to poor rains – Business Daily (KEN)
12 March 2010
Erratic rains in catchment areas that feed the country’s main dams used for electricity generation have forced the government to extend the services of an expensive emergency power producer - Aggreko - to the end of May for now. Full Story
Kosmos withholds Jubilee sale, goes into drilling – Ghana Web (GH)
12 March 2010
Kosmos Energy has withheld the sale of its 30 percent stake in Jubilee Oilfield. For the first time in its history the energy firm is venturing into the drilling of oil after so many years of exclusively exploring the commodity, sources close to the ... Full Story
EA turns into battle of oil giants – IPP Media (TZ)
12 March 2010
Fifteen locations are confirmed to have proven oil reserves in East Africa, an industry conference was told in Houston, Texas, this week. Full Story
German Investor Interested in Cameroon’s Energy Sector – Cameroon Tribune (CAM)
12 March 2010
Prime Minister, Philemon Yang, yesterday had discussions with the Director of the German Energy Company « EnBW Energy Baden-Wurttemberg AG». Full Story
Gabon oil union threatens strike in gov't dispute – Reuters (US)
12 March 2010
Gabon's main oil union said it may begin a strike as early as Saturday due to a dispute with the government over whether energy should be on a list of sectors required to provide uninterrupted minimal service. Full Story
Perenco Cameroon Signs Production-Sharing Accord With Cameroon – Bloomberg (US)
12 March 2010
Perenco SA’s Cameroonian unit, which plans to explore the Elombo oil block off the coast of the Central African nation, signed a production-sharing agreement with Cameroon’s government Full Story
Metals and Mining
Various miners rumoured to be sniffing ArcelorMittal SA's 'lost' Sishen right – Engineering Nes (SA)
11 March 2010
The Sishen Iron Ore Company (SIOC) is reportedly not the only mining company to have applied to the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) for the 21,4% undivided share of the Sishen iron-ore mine, which has reportedly been forfeited by ... Full Story
Technology and Communications
Telecoms monopolies a threat to Internet growth – Business Daily (KEN)
12 March 2010
An international meeting on the future of the Internet is under way in Nairobi.Internet has accelerated commerce globally and is at a defining moment. Full Story
Uganda’s mobile companies to get global exposure – Daily Monitor (UG)
12 March 2010
New mobile communication businesses now have a platform to globally show case their innovative products, following the launch of Mobile Monday Kampala (MoMoKla) in Uganda. MoMo, a global network of mobile industry ... Full Story
SingTel says to be part of Bharti/Zain deal funding - Engineering News (SA)
12 March 2010
Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) may help with the funding for Bharti Airtel's $9-billion acquisition of Zain's African assets, a senior SingTel executive said on Friday. Full Story
Transport and Infrastructure
JK: Let`s fast-track EAC railway linkage – IPP Media (TZ)
12 March 2010
President Jakaya Kikwete yesterday rooted for fast-tracking of railway linkages and connectivity as a prerequisite for the success of the envisaged East African Common market Full Story
Rwandair puts house in order – The New Times (RW)
12 March 2010
Following the departure late last year of the former CEO of Rwandair, Ambassador Gerald Zirimwabagabo, it is reported that the airline is currently undergoing a ‘clean-up process’. Full Story
Uganda and Congo to jointly fight car theft - Daily Monitor (UG)
12 March 2010
Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have agreed to coordinate military efforts to fight rising car theft across the common border. Full Story
S.Africa waiting for $391 million Airbus repayment – Reuters (US)
12 March 2010
South Africa is still waiting for a 2.9 billion rand repayment from European planemaker Airbus, which has not acknowledged a cancelled deal, a minister said on Friday. Full Story
Agriculture
AfDB earmarks $2b for agric in Africa for 5 years – Vanguard (NG)
11 March 2010
The African Development Bank (AfDB) said on Wednesday in Abuja that it had earmarked $2 billion for the development of agriculture in Africa in the next five years. Full Story
Other
Gordhan warns on World Cup price spiral – Business Day (SA)
12 March 2010
Greedy service providers who were “unduly” inflating their prices in anticipation of a World Cup bonanza were sending a signal of exploitation to the wider world and doing long-term damage to the country ... Full Story
Mohammed Al Amoudi #64 on Forbes world's billionaires list – Walta Information (ETH)
12 March 2010
Ethiopian born Mohammed Al Amoudi is once again the richest black person in the world with an estimated net worth of a cool 10 billion USD in the latest Forbes' World's Billionaires List. Full Story
AFRICAN ENVIRONMENT
UN Aid Agencies on Alert for Potential Floods in Region – All Africa (UK)
11 March 2010
The United Nations is gathering supplies for some 130,000 people in southern Africa on alert for potential evacuation from flood-risk zones following weeks of torrential rains in northern Mozambique and neighbouring Angola, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Full Story
African universities should step up climate research – Engineering News (SA)
10 March 2010
It was essential to strengthen the capacity of African universities to embrace and be involved in global climate change research, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said on Wednesday. Full Story
AFRICAN BLOGOSPHERE
Foreign Farming in Ethiopia – nazret.com (ETH)
12 March 2010
Horn of Africa reporters have been tracing the aggressive entry of foreign investors who have leased from Ethiopian government large tracts of arable land. Reporter Tizita Belachew gives an overview of what some critics have called the "new colonialism." Full Story
Something New Out of Africa: A Global Player – IMF Direct Blog - Dominique Strauss-Kahn
10 March 2010
The sense of African energy and dynamism that I recently described during my visit to Kenya is reinforced strongly here. And it's not just World Cup fever -- though there are plenty of signs of that too. Full Story
Peacekeepers still needed in Central African Republic – openDemocracy (UK)
10 March 2010
Last weekend, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres visited the Central African Republic. Just three weeks ago, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights came too, and the country was also discussed when the UN’s chief of … Full Story
AFRICAN EDUCATION
Gender Loses Out in Basic Education Crisis – IPS
11 March 2010
With the 15th-year review of the 1995 Beijing World Conference on Women taking place at the ongoing Commission on the Status of Women in New York, South African teachers and education experts say they fear that a special focus on the advancement of girls is getting lost amidst the growing levels of poverty in the country. Full story
UNESCO Wants G-20 to Discuss Education for African Children – Korea Times (KR)
12 March 2010
Chun Taeck-soo, secretary general of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), urged the government to address the issue of education in developing countries during the G-20 Summit, a meeting of the 20 leading economies which will take place in Seoul in November. Full story.
Coca-Cola runs football-themed fundraising campaign on Coke Zone – Marketing Week (UK)
12 March 2010
Coca-Cola Great Britain is running a new football-themed corporate social responsibility campaign called “Water for Schools”, calling on consumers to help provide safe drinking water for schools in Africa. Full story.
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