The 2018-2019 budget allocated to the South African ministry of defense is R47.9 billion (about $4.10 billion) compared to the 2017-2018 budget which was R48.9 billion ($4.18 billion). There is a slight decrease, according to defenseweb. In the budget nomenclature released on Feb. 21 by the finance minister, Malusi Gigaba, the defense ministry plans to maintain its workforce (75,500...

For the first time in its history, Côte d’Ivoire will elect senators on March 24, 2018. This was revealed by a statement of the ministerial council published on February 21, 2018. During these elections, 66 Senators will be elected by Ivorians. According to the document published by the minister of communications, Bruno Nabagné Koné (photo), all the 31 regions in the country will have...

Burkina Faso is looking for a new partner to operate Tambao mine, one of the largest manganese deposit in the world, Bloomberg reports. Following the regime change in 2015, Pan African Minerals, run by Frank Timis was asked to stop operating the mine. Subsequently, the company filed a case before the international court of arbitration in Paris to pursue operations and received...

African countries, especially those highly dependent on hydroelectricity should diversify power sources. This was stated by experts during a conference which started yesterday Feb. 21, in Johannesburg.  In the recent years, some African countries were hit by harsh dry spells that affected food security and power supply. In Zambia, for instance, it caused a power deficit of 1000 MW in 2016...

In 2017, Rwanda generated Rwf72.6 billion ($85.4 million) from tea exports. Compared to the revenues generated in the previous year, this represents an increase by 9%. According to the National Agricultural Export Board (NAEB), this progress which exceeds authorities’ expectation ($78 million) is due to an increase in the volume processed and the price offered for it on the international...

The Japanese companies Toyota Tsusho and Mitsui secured a KSh6.8 billion ($66.7 million) contract to set up hoisting cranes in Mombasa port, one of the largest in the African pacific coast (East of Kenya). “In November 2017, the groups (Toyota Tsusho and Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd) were jointly awarded a contract to supply 16 cargo cranes for Kenya’s Port of Mombasa...

Within six months, goods worth 388 million birrs (about $14 million) were seized by Ethiopian customs in an attempt to smuggle them into the country. This was recently disclosed by Ethiopia’s customs administration. The goods include outfits, electronic items, cigarette, food and drinks, vehicles, narcotics and drugs, live animals as well as foreign currencies. They were intercepted at...

During Q4 2017, the unemployment rate decreased to 11.3% in Egypt, according to the central statistics agency (CAPMAS). Indeed, a quarter earlier, it was 12.6%. This means that 204, 000 people joined the rank of the employed during the quarter under review. On a year-on-year basis, the number of unemployed also declined by 282,000 to stand at 3.3 million in the period under review, compared...

Last Feb. 19, authorities started compensating residents of the Glo-Djigbe district (Abomey-Calavi commune) who were expropriated in the framework of an airport construction project. This was reported by the daily newspaper Le Matinal. “Amount paid as compensation depends on the size of the land from which one was expropriated. Hence, it varies between CFA3 million, CFA12 million and...

Last February 20, the polytechnic school of Abomey-Calavi (EPAC), the electric community of Benin (CEB) and University of Lomé signed a framework cooperation agreement. The institutions were represented by Prof. Dodzi Kokoroko, the president of the University of Lomé, Mohammed Soumanou, EPAC’s director, and Karimou Chabi Sika, CEB’s managing director. According to Togo First, the main...