In Côte d’Ivoire, the rebirth of coffee could very well pass through a new variety developed by the National Centre for Agricultural Research (CNRA). This new variety’s main feature is that it enters production after twelve months only (against 24 months for other varieties). “Due to its rapid entry into production, this variety will give rural areas a new momentum,” says Yté Wongbé,...

In Uganda, towards ending corrupt practices by fuel dealers, the ministry of Energy has warned the latter to comply with fuel test requirements at border points or have their licences withdrawn. Speaking at a meeting in Kampala recently, the ministry’s commissioner of petroleum Rev Frank Tukwasibwe, said that the corrupt practice is still rampant on the market. Although the Uganda National...

Towards boosting its trade to help balance dwindling profits from mining, Glencore Plc has entered into a deal with Libya's state-run National Oil Corp. (NOC), to buy half of the oil Libya is presently exporting, a market source revealed. Under the arrangement which started in September, Glencore will load and find buyers for all the Sarir and Messla crude oil exported from the Marsa el-Hariga...

In the Port of Cape Town, Burgan Cape Terminals has begun the construction of a new independent fuel storage, distribution and loading facility, for the storage and distribution of both locally produced and imported fuels. The facility was launched on Thursday. It is the first project to be effected under the government’s Operation Phakisa programme. It is anticipated to boost the country’s...

In Mozambique, Puma Energy has opened two new terminals, therefore increasing its capacity in the country to 275, 500 m³. The new Matola terminals; the company’s second largest in Africa, however, include 11 steel storage tanks which jointly added 115, 000 m³ storage capacity. While the bitumen terminal is aimed at cutting Mozambique’s reliance on imports, the fuel terminal creates a new...

In Madagascar, the government plans to pass its new mining and petroleum code in early 2016 and anticipates economic growth of 5% next year.The country has failed to attract stakeholders due to political instability and declining commodity prices but hopes to fast-track economic growth by developing natural resources. “We are still debating all the finer details, but compared to the old one it...

Tiger Brands has decided it has given enough in Nigeria. Indeed, Africa’s best consumer foods maker announced it has written off all of its remaining investment in Dangote Flour Mills (DFM). Nearly $120 million lost. “We spent a bucket load of cash learning the lessons of this failure and now shareholders are upset” said Peter Matlare, Tiger Brands’ CEO till the end of the...

Egypt’s government just expressed three concerns in relation to the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD). Indeed, Egypt’s minister for irrigation Hossam El-Moghazy said “Egypt had nothing against the development of any country, but the fact remains that they have important concerns about the project”. These include keeping its shares in Nile’s waters, insuring that the dam...

Another subsidiary of the South African telecom group MTN was just penalized for violating the regulation of a country where it operates. After Nigeria where it received a $5.2 billion fine, MTN received a new slap in Uganda at the beginning of November 2015. The Ugandan subsidiary of the telecom company is accused of unfair business practice, anti-competitive behavior, and has been asked to...

For the first time in history, Senegal is going to host a “Black Friday”. Just like in the United States, this day represents the day of the biggest sales’ discounts. The concept was imported in Senegal by Jumia, one of Africa’s main e-commerce platforms. In fact, Jumia will hold a press conference on November 19, 2015, to provide more details concerning the event. In the United States,...