Malawi’s tobacco export revenues have already reached $285.2 million during the 2018 campaign, a 35% increase from last year’s overall revenues ($210 million).   Kaisi Sadala, CEO of the Tobacco Control Commission (TCC), told Reuters that the uptick is linked to influx of leaf imports from Zambia and Mozambique. TCC said the figure could exceed $300 million by the end of the...

Between January and June this year, Kenya’s food import hit a half-year record, surpassing KSh100 billion for the first time, Businessdailyafrica reports. Figures from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) showed that the import bill stood at KSh108.51 billion ($1 billion), up 12.5% from H1 2017. Main imports include corn, wheat flour, rice and sugar. This uptick reflects...

iWayAfrica, the pan-African provider of satellite communications solutions in Africa, announced August 8 the signing of a commercial contract with Avanti Communications Group, a satellite operator and provider of satellite data communications services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The agreement is to offer data service across Sub-Saharan Africa via the HYLAS 4 satellite. Mathew...

The Egyptian government cancelled the EGP3,000 ($168) export tax per ton of sugar it imposed April last year, the Minister of Trade and Industry said Aug 8. The tax was to reduce sugar shipments as to ensure a sufficient local supply. A statement relayed by Reuters indicates that the tariff withdrawal will allow to ship the current sugar surplus. Egypt should produce 2.44 million tons of refined...

Alufer Mining announced this week the start of production of its bel Air bauxite mine in Guinea and first shipment to China. Project construction lasted 18 months and was completed on time and within budget. The company also erected its own port, berth, export facilities and a 25 km road. During construction, it employed over 1,500 people, 85% of the workforce being Guinean and more than half...

Odyssey, a platform in connecting private mini-grid developers and investors, announced it has surpassed 550 registered projects, which now require $500 million in financing. All projects will help connect about 275,000 new consumers with a generation capacity of around 150 MW. Utilities include solar, wind, hydropower and biomass plants. The 550 projects come from 21 countries,...

G5 Sahel member countries (Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Chad) have started the process to abolish telecom roaming charges among them. Last August 4 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the regional alliance’s Permanent Secretariat adopted a roadmap to implement by 2019 the project called “free roaming”. Tontama Charles Millogo, MD of Burkina Faso's communication and post regulatory...

Kenya’s tea production increased by 15% during the first six months of 2018, the country’s tea directorate said. Figures from the organization showed that 230,000 tons were produced between January and June, up from 200,000 tons in H1 2017. The uptick is mainly achieved thanks to good weather and abundant rainfall in most production areas.  During the period, the country sold...

ASX-listed Novo Litio entered into a binding agreement with Apollo Consolidated to acquire 80% of the company’s gold assets in Côte d’Ivoire. Focus assets include three permits (two in Korhogo and one in Boundiali) covering 830 km², at the junction of two renowed greenstone belts, where two major projects (Syama and Tongon) are located. Under agreed terms, Novo will pay Apollo A$250,000 of...

Senegal’s 2018 mango marketing year is on the right track. Indeed, since the campaign began, the country has already shipped a total of 16,000 tons of fruits out of which 14,000 went to the EU. “That volume was never reached during past marketing years within WAEMU,” Aboudoulaye N’diaye, Head of the Plant Health Legislation Division at the Plant Protection Directorate (DPV), told...