Africa Business

[World Bank]KINSHASA, DRC, MAY 22, 2013 -On the first day of an historic joint United Nations/World Bank Group mission to the Great Lakes region, the World Bank Group announced $1 billion in proposed new funding to help countries in the region provide better health and education services, generate more cross-border trade, and fund hydroelectricity projects in support of the Great Lakes peace agreement that was signed by 11 countries in February.

[New Vision]The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MPs have appealed to regional heads of state to urgently assent to the long-awaited One Stop Border Posts Bill that was passed last year in Kigali to facilitate trade and movement of people within the Community.

[ECA]Addis Ababa -As Africa marks 50 years since the establishment of the Organization of African Unity and the Africa Union, a partnership between the African Union, the African Development Bank, the UN Economic Commission for Africa and UN agencies is urging African Heads of State and Government to make effective civil registration and vital statistics systems a political priority.

[SA Govt]The Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading (VPUU) area in Khayelitsha has been selected as one of the first spaces to be linked to the broadband network.

[SA Govt]In the run-up to Africa Day on 25 May, it is important to highlight the Western Cape Government's continuing drive to create opportunities for growth and jobs by positioning the region to benefit from the untapped trade and economic potential available in rest of sub-Saharan Africa.

[GFO]Similar projects are underway in many other countries

[New Era]Windhoek -After spending millions of dollars on exploratory drilling, Brazilian oil and gas exploration company High Resolution Technology (HRT) and local businessman, Knowledge Katti, announced yesterday they found a liquid oil presence off the Namibian coast.

[Deutsche Welle]Sierra Leone has one of the world's fastest growing economies, according to an International Monetary Fund report. But the post-civil war boom has not yet brought benefits for everyone.

[EA Business]Kampala -Housing Finance Bank Limited (HFBL) has gone into partnership with Umeme, the electricity distributor to ease payment of bills. HFBL is offering its MCash electronic platform for more customer convenience.

[EA Business]Kigali -Commodity-based industrialisation has been championed as the best way for African countries to grow their economies.

[EA Business]Kampala -Uganda signed a bilateral trade partnership with the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka last week.

[EA Business]Kigali -Rwanda's ambitious strategy to achieve middle income status by 2020, as spelt out in its Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS 2) received a $50 million backing from the World Bank.

[EA Business]Kampala -East African Community (EAC) member countries are getting ready to come out with a blueprint that will drive the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector forward.

[EA Business]Kampala -East African Community (EAC) partner states have been discussing the possibilities of raising more money from international capital markets and reduce donor dependency.

[EA Business]Kigali -China has dropped all import duties on most Rwandan-made products entering its domestic market of just over one billion people.

[Deutsche Welle]Africa is celebrating 50 years of political unity and the economy is also booming. It's now widely seen as a region of great opportunities, but experts are skeptical about how long this will last.

[The Star]Operations at the Teachers Service Commission may grind to a halt next month when the term of current members expires in June.The Commission on Administration of Justice says the TSC faces a crisis as a majority of those shortlisted were rejected by parliament and their appointment stopped.The commission wants the president to consider forwarding a fresh list of names.

[The Star]A man who has been pretending to be a doctor at the Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital in Nakuru was yesterday arrested.

[The Star]The government will in the next two months conclude a deal that will ensure goods from Kenya continue enjoying tax-free market in European Union countries.

[EA Business]Kampala -Turkish Airlines, the two time winner of Europe's Best Airline Award and the people behind the popular ad of Lionel Messi dueling with Kobe Bryant, say they are ready to work with Uganda's Ministry of Tourism and other stakeholders to promote the country's attractions.