Uganda has chosen a public-private partnership for the construction and exploitation of a $1.5 billion highway, Reuters reported on January 8, 2019, citing the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA). "The 95 km highway will link the capital Kampala to Jinja (in the East). It is the first road project that will be realized in the framework of a public-private partnership in Uganda”,...

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has just published its 2018 Democracy index. Taking 50 African countries into account, the index titled “Me too?" describes the current state of democracy in the continent. From the index, it appears that there is an improvement in the average regional score, which rose from 4.35 in 2017 to 4.36 in 2018. Nonetheless, despite this improvement, the regional...

Ethio Telecom, Ethiopia’s incumbent operator, is planning to buy a telecommunications satellite. The infrastructure will help it extend its network coverage in remote areas and also save on the use of equipment owned by foreigners. Ethio Telecom estimates that each year, it spends about $12 million to rent the capacity of foreign satellites. The telecommunications satellite will also...

9mobile, a joint-venture formed by Teleology Holdings Limited, which is the official transferee of the majority of the company’s shares since November 2017, and its local partner, is once again in turmoil. Teleology Holdings Limited that was chosen in February 2018 as the prefered bidder for the acquisition of 9mobile has already invested $550 million ; $50 million as a...

On January 7, 2019, on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the share of  Lafarge Africa lost 1.7% to reach NGN11.35. This loss is not that much of a surprise because this trend was common in 2018. What is noticeable however is that at its present value, the group’s share is now 5% below the price proposed to subscribers for the capital increase launched on December 17, 2018, and which will be...

Malawi’s economy should grow by 7% in 2019, the country’s finance minister, Goodall Gondwe (photo) estimated on January 3, 2019, pointing out the stability of macro-economic fundamentals. “We started the stabilization of the economy well. This means that the debt is no more accumulating as it was the case in 2014 and in 2015 and, it also means that our economy can now start to grow. I...

On January 7, 2019, Morocco’s court of audit published an audit of Caisse marocaine de Dépôt et de Gestion (CDG), one of the country’s largest institutional investor. The audit court criticized the CDG’s investment strategy between 2007 and 2017. The institutional investor is also blamed for having concentrated its investments on a reduced number of shares thus breaking the rule of...

The African Development Bank Group, through its Trade Finance operations, has approved a US$14.12 million facility to support the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s membership in the African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI). This is a critical and mandatory step to enable ATI commence its operations in Nigeria. Nigeria, as Africa’s largest economy, joins 14 other African countries that have already...

On January 7, 2019, Jim Yong Kim who has been the president of the World Bank since the past six years announced his resignation that should take effect on February 1, 2019. This announcement was a surprise since the Korean-American physician still had three more years before the end of his tenure as the president. "It has been a great honour to serve as President of this remarkable...

Kenya’s exports to the USA reached a record level during Q3, 2018. According to Business Daily Africa, which cites Kenya’s National Bureau of Statistics, the country exported products valued at Ksh14.23 billion to the USA during the period under review. This represents a rise by Ksh1.12 billion on a year to year basis and by Ksh1.77 billion compared to the value of products exported during...