The expensive electricity costs in Kenya could slow the achievement of universal access to energy, World Bank indicates. “Affordability is potentially an issue not only for countries working toward universal access but also for countries that have already achieved it. Estimates suggest that in countries working toward universal access, affordability affects 57% of those who already have...

The African Development Bank (AfDB) announced yesterday May 7, it signed two agreements to finance agricultural companies in Ethiopia through the Agriculture Fast Track Fund. Co-financed by the USA, Denmark and Sweden, this fund (estimated at $23 million) covers design costs of bankable agricultural projects. The companies selected for this financing include Zebad General Export Import...

Black Rock Mining announced yesterday May 7, it has produced at its pilot plant in Canada, the world first graphite concentrate with a purity of over 99%, from ore extracted from its Mahenge mine in Tanzania. “We are not aware of any deposit that is capable of producing 99.3% grade concentrate by standard flotation alone,” the CEO John de Vries said. While he pointed out other...

Côte d’Ivoire will benefit from $154 million provided by the USA to combat AIDS, a statement from the US embassy to the country indicated yesterday May 7.  According to the information relayed by Xinhua, this financing which will be disbursed from next October to September 2019, should help reduce the country’s prevalent rate which is 2.7%. US authorities said that once...

African Development Bank (AfDB) plans to mobilize $170 million to fill infrastructure deficit in Africa.  In an information relayed by Bloomberg, the institution’s Chairman Akinwumi Adesina (photo), indicated that the resource will be used to build additional facilities. Through this project which will be implemented over years, many roads, ports, and airports meeting...

The Gauteng Province in South Africa has endorsed the African Development Bank’s November 2018 Africa Investment Forum as a world-class initiative that is uniquely positioned to transform the continent’s development landscape. Gauteng Province will host the Bank’s inaugural forum from November 7-9, 2018 at the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg. Speaking after a high-level meeting...

The Burkinabe government published last May 2 the balance sheet of the 2017-18 agricultural campaign, revealing that cereal output dropped by 11% to 4 million tons compared to last season (2016-17). This drop in production which is mainly perceived for crops such as rice and wheat, is the result of a drought spell, armyworms and seed-eaters. Let’s note that this poor performance in production...

In Zambia, corn output is set to fall to 2.39 million tons during the 2017-18 campaign, from the 3.61 million tons last season, representing a decline by 34%. This information, reported by Reuters, was revealed by the government. According to the minister of agriculture, the country is facing at the same time a drought spell that hit several production areas, and armyworms as well as maize...

The International land Coalition will organize the next Global Land Forum (GLF) entitled “United for land rights, peace, and justice” in Bandung (Indonesia) next 22-27 September 2018. The event will bring together relevant actors for participative talks on global land issues. The institution indicates that it organizes the Global Land Forum every two to three years. During this year’s...

The Japanese multinational company Toshiba concluded a Memorandum of Understanding with Malawi’s energy ministry to set a geothermal plant within the country.  According to the agreement’s terms, both entities will jointly implement the plant whose capacity is 1-10 MW. Moreover, it will also allow to enhance the sector’s capacity. “Toshiba is the world's number one supplier of...