Kenya expects its coffee yield for the 2015-2016 season to go up 22%. This increase will result from the implementation of a number of initiatives driven towards production boosting, said the industry’s regulator. The country plans on benefiting from the positive impact of the increase in lands allocated to the crop as well as of the exploitation of new plantations in its western part. The...

Bahraini investment group Growthgate Capital which specializes in the agro-food sector, has acquired 6% of additional interests in Retail Holding, the main shareholder of Label’Vie, specialist of large-scale retailing, and concessionaire of Carrefour brand in Morocco. The transferor in this transaction is Unimer, another operator of the Moroccan agro-food industry, who by the way cashed-in...

Kenya’s government announced on November 13, it would review the rule that forces foreign investors to hold not more than 70% of stakes in a company and partner with locals. Known as the 70-30% rule, this law was introduced in another related to business establishment (Companies Act). Since it was implemented, many complaints arose from foreign investors and multilateral financial backers who...

Rwanda’s senate adopted on November 17, a constitutional reform allowing president Paul Kagame to obtain a third mandate in 2017 and remain in power till 2034. The Senators who mostly belong to the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF, President Kagame’s party) voted the new 101 and 172 acts. The new 101 act reduces the presidential mandate from 7 to 5 years and limits it to two renewals. The 172...

As fuel scarcity persists in Nigeria, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC), System 2B trunk line in Warri on Tuesday evening exploded till late this afternoon, no casualty has been recorded so far. The System 2B trunk line situated near the David Ejoor Barracks, Effurun, close to Warri, Delta State delivers products to the Benin City depot and other depots in the Northern...

In Madagascar, Oyster Oil and Gas has confirmed reports of the departure of Afren Group from the country and the release of its previously held interests in onshore Antsiranana concession Block 1101. According to the company, the government of Madagascar and the Office des Mines Nationales et des lndustries Stratégiques (OMNIS) has requested its presence in order to discuss and agree on the...

Egypt’s General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) is currently in negotiations with the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) for the increase of the amount of crude oil being delivered to Egypt from 2.2 million to about 2.7 million bbls per month. The additional 500,000 BO per month is to be refined in Egypt’s refineries and converted into petroleum products to feed the needs of the local market,...

In Cameroon, towards fast-tracking the start-up of operations at the port in Kribi, the government has granted state-owned Société Camerounaise des Dépôts Pétrôliers (SCDP) and Canada's Blaze Energy Ltd, a contract to fund, construct and operate an oil and gas terminal at its new deep-water port complex. The Port in Kribi which comprises of terminals for container and raw goods is to...

Aureus Mining Inc., gold producing company listed on the Toronto and London stocks and highly active in West Africa will see its Liberian assets portfolio increased from 1,402 km2 to 1,683 km2, following the acquisition of the three exploration licences from Sarama Resources Ltd. The deal which includes the acquisition of three licences adjacent to Aureus’ New Liberty gold mine was made with...

In Africa, mini-grids could very well be the cornerstone that will allow access to electricity to the 620 million Africans currently deprived of it. Indeed, the drop in the prices of renewable energies brought about new perspectives to Africa, experts reveal. According to Francesco Starace from Italian power firm Enel SpA, Africa is just following the same path Europe went on years back....