SSABE

SUB SAHARA AFRICA BUILT ENVIRONMENT

INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED FACILITY

From the Desk of Paul S Rogers

+27 (0)83 520 7596

E: [email protected] Issue 273- 29, 2012

SSABE CONNECTS YOU with Sub Sahara Africa at no cost, - it is a free service for all built environment suppliers and contractors. No registration, just a get-down-to-basics Internationally Acclaimed service. Just send your eddress and request to [email protected] SSABE PRODUCES - A weekly international tender and news collation of matters relating to the built environment. An easy scrolling ‘.PDF FORMAT NEWSLETTER’ in country alphabetical order divided into the key trade blocs. The articles covered in these weekly updates will provide you with the leads you need to follow up on early warning prospects. Most have names and companies for you to record. Should you target an individual country before a trade visit, scanning the relevant collations will give you a myriad of prospective appointments in business development. TENDERS SSABE TENDER NOTICES – Provides you with the full tender notice of the abridged version in the newsletter at a nominal fee [US$20 / ZAR150] – Just send request and the interested bid reference to [email protected] (A few notices will not be available and ‘Prior Information’ is posted 30 days or more before bid opening)

AFRICA: Tender - Fixed Wing STOL Aircraft in Africa Opportunity Type: Goods Express Interest By: Aug 22, 2012 Project Summary - fixed wing STOL aircraft to be used in support of peace-keeping operations in Africa.

BENIN: Tender - Provision of Three Hundred Fifty Thousand (350,000) Compact Fluorescent Bulbs at Low Energy Opportunity Type: Goods Proposal Due Date: Sep 12, 2012

BENIN: Project - Cities Support Program in Benin Opportunity Type: Services, Works, Goods Expected Date of Approval: Jun 04, 2013 Component A: Service Delivery Improvement (US$44 million) Component B: Municipal and Urban Management (US$6 million) Component C: Deepening Decentralization and Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfer System (IFTS) (US$6 million) Component D: Institutional Strengthening, Monitoring and Evaluation and Project Management (US$4 million) The project is expected to go to the Board for approval on 4 June 2013. The total project cost is estimated at US$60 million,

BURKINA FASO: Tender - Fertilizer Supply to 20,000 HA Opportunity Type: Goods Proposal Due Date: Sep 17, 2012

BURUNDI: Feasibility studies, detailed preliminary study and drafting of invitation to tender documents for the power lines and stations for dissipating electrical energy produced by the Ruzizi III power station, and detailed surveys of the hydroelectric development structures of Ruzizi I and Ruzizi II Contract Award Value of the contract: 1 175 475 EUR. Number of tenders received: 2 Name, address and nationality of successful tenderer: Official name of the leader: Studio Ing. G. Pietrangeli srl. via Cicerone 28,00198 Rome, ITALY.

1 BURUNDI: Tender - Provision of Carpentry Tools in Burundi Opportunity Type: Goods Proposal Due Date: Aug 24, 2012

CAPE VERDE: Tender - Supply of Furniture for the Centre d'Emploi et de Formation Professionnelle of Praia Opportunity Type: Services, Goods Proposal Due Date: Aug 20, 2012

CHAD: Tender - Construction Works Opportunity Type: Works Proposal Due Date: Sep 05, 2012 Project Summary - pour l’exécution des travaux d’aménagement des pistes cotonnières d’une longueur estimée à 220,90 km, dans les régions du Logone Occidentale, du Logone Orientale, du Mayo-Kebbi Est et Mayo-Kebbi Ouest répartis comme suit.

COMOROS: Technical assistance for National Authorising Officer departments in the Comoros (National Authorising Officer Support Unit III) Prior Information Notice City/Locality: MORONI Publication Date: Jul 25, 2012 Original Language: French Goods, Works and Services • Technical assistance services

CONGO R.O.C: Project - Rehabilitation of the Port of Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo Opportunity Type: Services, Works, Goods The total budget for this project is approximately €38 million to be funded by the European Union (EU).

DRC: Tender - Equipment Supply for the Border Monitoring Activities Opportunity Type: Goods Proposal Due Date: Oct 08, 2012 — personal radiation dosimeters (PRDs or pagers) for detection of radioactive and nuclear materials (i.e. both gamma and neutron), — radiation isotope identifiers (RIDs) that will allow locating the source of the emitted radiation(s).

ETHIOPIA: Tender - Study to Identify Factors Contributing to Successes of Model Farmers in Ethiopia Opportunity Type: Services, Works Proposal Due Date: Aug 17, 2012

ETHIOPIA: Tender - Request for Proposal to Provide Geographic Information System (GIS) Training to UNICEF WASH Staff in Ethiopia Opportunity Type: Services, Works Proposal Due Date: Aug 09, 2012

DRC: 38,75 km of road rehabilitation work, of which 22,24 km are in Goma and 16,51 km are on the RN2 between Goma and Saké in the North Kivu province of the DRC BRING YOUR OWN ARMY Request For Proposals Publication Date: Jul 25, 2012 Deadline: Aug 9, 2012 Original Language: French Goods, Works and Services • Road construction works

GHANA: Tender - Development of Skills for Industry Project - Institutional Support, Goods, Works, and Consulting Services: General Procurement Notice Opportunity Type: Services, Works, Goods Component 1: Expanding Equitable Access to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Sub- Component 1: Increasing the participation of disadvantaged groups in TVET Sub-Component 2: Strengthening of teaching and learning environment and the capacity of Technical Institutes (TI’s) Component 2: Building Human and institutional Capacity for TVET Component 3: Improving quality and relevance of TVET Component 4: Project Management

GHANA: Supply of media monitoring equipment Request For Proposals City/Locality: ACCRA Publication Date: Jul 25, 2012 Deadline: Aug 9, 2012 Original Language: English Goods, Works and Services • Computer equipment and supplies • Computer-related equipment • Computer network services • World wide web (www) site design services

2 KENYA: Tender - Consortia of Engineering, Procurement and Construction, Contractors and Experienced Operators for the Detailed Design, Engineering, Construction and Long-Term Contract Operation Opportunity Type: Services, Works, Goods Proposal Due Date: Sep 25, 2012 Project Summary - Invitation for a Request for Prequalification (RFQ) Nairobi Commuter Rail Project a Public Private Partnership (PPP)

KENYA: Supervision services of the works contract for the upgrading of the Merille river–Marsabit road (A2) Contract Award Number of tenders received: 8. Value of the contract: 3 765 725 EUR. Name, address and nationality of successful tenderer: Official name of the leader: H.P. Gauff Ingenieure GmbH & Co. (Germany). Berner Str. 45, 60437 Frankfurt-on-Main, GERMANY.

MOZAMBIQUE: Tender - Millennium Challenge Account - Mozambique: General Procurement Notice No. 10 Status Forecast Date:Jul 25, 2012 1. The Water Supply and Sanitation Project – This involves water supply and sanitation services in five Municipalities in the Provinces of Zambézia and Nampula; Water Supply in the cities of Nampula, Nacala and Mocuba, rural water supply services covering 600 water points in the Nampula and Cabo Delgado Provinces; and capacity building of local institutions and policy development. 2. The Roads Project – MCC Funding will rehabilitate 253 km of key segments of the National Route 1, in Nampula Province which forms the backbone of country’s transportation network. 3. The Land Tenure Services Project – The objective of this project is to establish more efficient and secure access to land by improving policy framework, upgrading land information systems and services, and helping beneficiaries meet immediate needs for registered land rights and better access to land for investment. 4. Farmer Income Support Project – This project will focus on reducing the spread of Coconut Lethal Yellowing Disease (CLYD), improving productivity of coconut products, and encouraging diversification into other cash-crop production. Total estimated value – USD 3,899,300 Procurement of Goods (USD 227,300) Procurement of Services: (USD 2,350,000) Water and Sanitation Project: Procurement of Individual Consultants: (USD 140,000) Agriculture Specialist, Procurement of Civil Works/Office Space Rehabilitation Non Consulting Services (USD 982,000)

MOZAMBIQUE: CONSULTANCY FOR THE DESIGN OF THE PARTIAL URBANIZATION PLAN FOR THE "BAIXA" (HISTORIC CENTER) OF MAPUTO Request For Expressions of Interest Publication Date: Jul 23, 2012 Deadline: Aug 8, 2012 Original Language: English Assignments • Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services • Legal services • Accounting, auditing and fiscal services • Urban planning services NAMIBIA: Tender - Supply of Laboratory Equipment for College of Education Opportunity Type: Services, Goods Express Interest By: Aug 20, 2012

NIGER: Tender - Supply for the Installation of Six (6) Solar Heating Systems (Refrigerator/ Freezer for Vaccines) in Niger Opportunity Type: Services, Goods Proposal Due Date: Aug 31, 2012 Project Summary - compose d’un seul lot. Pour autant que le seuil de 67.000 € ne soit pas dépassé, le pouvoir adjudicateur se réserve le droit d’étendre le marché à des fournitures similaires dans une période de 3 ans à compter de l’attribution du marché.

NIGER: Tender - Purchase of a 500 KVA Diesel Generator in Niger Opportunity Type: Goods Proposal Due Date: Aug 06, 2012

NIGERIA: Technical assistance for the implementation of the water and sanitation component of the Niger delta support programme Request For Proposals City/Locality: ABUJA Publication Date: Jul 24, 2012 Deadline: Aug 31, 2012 Original Language: English Goods, Works and Services • Technical assistance services

NIGERIA: Tender - Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project in Oyo State, Nigeria: Engineering Consultancy Services Opportunity Type: Services, Works Express Interest By: Aug 06, 2012 Project Summary - REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST 3 NIGERIA: Saipem Scoops Up E&C Work Onshore Nigeria July 26, 2012 Saipem has been awarded a new E&C Onshore contract in Nigeria worth over $800 million.

RWANDA: CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR THE TRAINING ON PROJECT FORMULATION Request For Expressions of Interest Publication Date: Jul 23, 2012 Deadline: Jul 31, 2012 Original Language: English Assignments • Research and development consultancy services SCOPE OF THE REQUIRED SERVICE - To fulfill the objectives of this task, the successful Consultant firm is expected to undertake the following activities: a) To design and deliver appropriate project formulation and design training to government staff; b) To provide adequate training materials; c) To provide adequate training administration and supervision in collaboration with the PITT Coordinator; d) To develop soft templates to be used in project formulation and design; e) To provide on time the training evaluation reports to PITT Coordinator.

RWANDA: REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FOR RECRUITMENT OF AN INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT TO ELABORATE STANDARDS DOCUMENTS FOR ELECTRICITY UTILITY Request For Expressions of Interest City/Locality: Kigali Publication Date: Jul 27, 2012 Deadline: Aug 6, 2012 Original Language: English Assignments • Electricity distribution and related services The consultant is expected to undertake the following tasks: A. Making a general assessment of the National Electricity Network and make an assessment report on existing installations and ongoing construction projects; B. Basing on the assessment report, establish a document highlighting corrective measures to improve the existing power network; C. Editing a Handbook document containing standard based values and requirements to be respected during: • The construction of overhead power lines • Power transformers • Safety requirements D. Providing one guidelines handbook for construction of power distribution network E. Providing one guidelines handbook standards for power generating operations F. Providing all standards documents for each type of equipment and accessory involved in construction of power lines G. Suggest any other recommendation regarding standards implementation in power generation, transmission and distribution systems The total duration of the contract is twelve (12) weeks. This includes anticipate time inputs for preparation and review. The final report must be submitted before the end of the contractual period.

SENEGAL: Tender - “Fire Protection Renovation C3-C4-Kahone 1” Recovery in Senegal Opportunity Type: Services, Works Proposal Due Date: Sep 12, 2012

SIERRA LEONE: Environmental governance and mainstreaming project Prior Information Notice City/Locality: FREETOWN Publication Date: Jul 24, 2012 Original Language: English Goods, Works and Services • Technical assistance services

SOUTH SUDAN: Tender - Procurement of Civil Works for Construction of GIS Lab Opportunity Type: Works Proposal Due Date: Aug 06, 2012

WEST AFRICA: RECRUITMENT OF A MONITORING AND EVALUATION SPECIALIST FOR THE WEST AFRICA REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE PR OGRAM Request For Expressions of Interest Publication Date: Jul 25, 2012 Deadline: Aug 1, 2012 Original Language: English Assignments • Research and development services and related consultancy services

ZANZIBAR: Project - Second Central Transport Corridor Project (Additional Financing) in Tanzania Opportunity Type: Services, Works, Goods Expected Date of Approval: Sep 20, 2012 Project Summary - The Additional Financing for the Second Central Transport Corridor Project intends to support the Government’s efforts in achieving economic growth by providing reliable and cost effective: (a) mass transit system on the selected corridor in Dar es Salaam City, and (b) airport facilities to Zanzibar Island. The total project cost is estimated at US$100 million.

4 UGANDA: Tender - FTF Commodity Production and Marketing Activity in Uganda: General Procurement Notice Opportunity Type: Services, Goods Bidding Documents Availability: Aug 08, 2012 Project Summary - Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Feed the Future Commodity Production and Marketing activity in Uganda. The proposed activity will be implemented under the FTF Value Chain Development Project, to improve the competitiveness of the maize, beans and coffee sub- sectors in the FTF focal districts. EARLY WARNING & PROSPECTIVES SADC ANGOLA: Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui group interested in oil exploration in Angola July 26th Japanese group Sumitomo Mitsui is interested in onshore oil exploration in Angola, weekly newspaper Expansão said, citing sources from the Angolan Oil Ministry. ANGOLA: Portuguese water company Águas de Portugal awarded technical assistance contracts in Angola July 25th, 2012 Portuguese water group Águas de Portugal (AdP) has been awarded two new technical assistance for water supply and sanitation contracts in Angola, worth a total of 1 million euros, the group said in a statement issued in Lisbon. ANGOLA: Portuguese company to build tyre reconditioning unit in Angola July 23rd, 2012 Portuguese company Recauchutagem Nortenha plans to enter the Angolan market by investing 1.8 million euros to set up a tyre reconditioning unit, under the terms of an agreement signed Friday at the Mota-Engil group’s facilities in Lisbon. Angola: SOL Bank Grants Loans to Luanda Railway Company ANGOP 25 July 2012 — Sol bank has made available to employees of Luanda Railways Company (CFL) three credit lines worth USD 42 million (one USD equivalent to AKz 95.612), under a partnership agreement signed Wednesday in Luanda between the two institutions. Angola: Government Approves Water, Power Supply Contracts ANGOP 25 July 2012 — The Angolan Cabinet Council Wednesday in Luanda approved various contracts in the fields of electricity and water, Angop learned here. The contracts provide for the designing and construction of water abstraction and supplying networks for Caxito city, northern Bengo province and construction of a system of supply to Menongue city, in south-eastern Kuando Kubango province. The contracts cover the construction of the abstraction, treatment and distribution network for the localities of Zenza do Itombe, Ngonguembo, Samba-Lucala, Cerca, Bolongongo (Terreiro and Kikemba) and Dange-Ya-Menha, in northern Kwanza Norte province. The cabinet also approved contracts for construction of water supplying systems for the municipalities of N'Zaji and Lucapa (Lunda Norte province) and for construction of the water abstraction system and rehabilitation and expansion of the water distribution system for Luena city, in eastern Moxico province. On the other hand, with a view to incrementing the supply of water to Luanda outskirts neighbourhoods, the Cabinet Council approved the upgrading and enlargement of the Viana distribution centre. The Government also approved a number of contracts for construction of electricity distribution networks for the municipalities of Dondo and N'dalatando, in Kwanza Norte province, including the installation and expansion of medium and law tension networks in Kuando Kubango province. The Cabinet also approved a contract for full servicing and maintenance of power transportation from the country's northern, central and southern systems, seeking to improve the quality of services. Angola: U.S. Support Angolan Entrepreneurs With U.S.D120.0 Million ANGOP 26 July 2012 — The executive director of US/Angola chamber of commerce in the country, Pedro Godinho, said in Lubango city, southern Huíla province, that American government released USD 120.0 million to fund projects of Angolan entrepreneurs. Angola: Cabinet Council Approves Construction of Hospitals, Schools ANGOP 25 July 2012 — The Council of Ministers Wednesday in Luanda, approved the contracts for the building of the Maternal and Child Hospital of Dundo, in Lunda Norte province, and the construction and equipping of a hospital in the city of Saurimo, capital of Lunda Sul province. It also approved the construction of a hospital in the city of Kiwaba N'Zoji, medical centres in the municipalities of Maxinde, Kabalah, Canâmbua and Sagrado Coraçao de Jesus, in Malanje province, a hospital in the town of M 'Banza Congo, in the province of Zaire, and rehabilitation, expansion and equipping of the Provincial Maternity of Moxico, in Luena city. In order to increased more classrooms for primary school pupils in the province of Malanje, the Cabinet Council approved the construction and equipping of 10 primary schools, in Cangambo, Carreira de Tiros and Vila Matilde. ANGOLA: South Africa: SA, Angola Sign Infrastructure Pact SouthAfrica.info (Johannesburg) 23 July 2012 South Africa and Angola have signed a technical cooperation agreement to support infrastructure development in the oil-producing country, as part of a drive to stimulate increased trade and economic cooperation among countries in the southern African region. "The intention of the agreement is to support the infrastructure development that is currently taking place in Angola and make sure that small and big industries are supported through such programmes," South African Deputy Trade and Industry Minister Elizabeth Thabethe said on Friday. Angola: Cornerstone for Building Customs Infrastructure at Luau Border Launched ANGOP 27 July 2012 — The national director of Customs of Angola, Silvio Franco Burity, launched this Thursday, the foundation stone for construction of infrastructure customs at the bordering district of Luau, eastern Moxico province. This is the construction of an office, a warehouse and parking lots of vehicles along the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the town of Luau, 12 kilometers off the border. The town of Luau is the end of Benguela Railways (CFB), which binds to the DRC and is located 334 kilometres east off Luena city, capital of Moxico province. 5 Angola: Government Committed to Kavango/Zambezi Transfrontier Project ANGOP 27 July 2012 - Angolan Government is committed to continuing to develop the kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) ) that links five countries of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), with the purpose of transforming shared areas into an international tourist reference zone. "Angola, together with Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe are engaged in a common tourist project that will lead to major integration of the peoples and transform the region in a point of tourist attraction. In Kuando Kubango, the project covers a region rich in various natural resources required for the development of several tourist activities, like safaris, restaurants, leisure camping and many other options. The municipalities of Rivungo, Mavinga, Dirico and Cuangar, in south-east Angola, are part of the project map. Kuando Kubango hosts, along the Kavango Basin, part of the Mavinga Reserve, coverning an area of 8,000 square kilometres and the Luina Reserve, with 5,900 square kilometres. MOZAMBIQUE: ArcelorMittal South Africa to buy coking coal mines in Mozambique July 26th, 2012 ArcelorMittal South Africa has started talks with mining groups Vale and Rio Tinto to buy coking coal mined in Mozambique, an official from the South African steel making company said cited by financial news agency Reuters. MOZAMBIQUE: Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production plans to expand in Mozambique July 25th, 2012 Thai state group PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) plans to buy more stakes in oil fields in Mozambique and in Kenya after conclusion of the acquisition of Irish company Cove Energy, said the company’s executive vice president Asdakorn Limpiti. WATCH THIS SPACE WITH SOME HALF A MILLION THAI’S AS MALAGASY CITIZENS MOZAMBIQUE: Mozambique will have three more natural gas-fired power plants July 25th, 2012

Three new natural gas-fired power plants are expected to start operating by 2014 in the Mozambican regions of Ressano Garcia, in Maputo province, and in Chokwé, in Gaza province, generating around 400 megawatts of electricity, according to Mozambican daily newspaper Notícias. Some of the electricity produced by the three natural gas-fired plants will be injected into the national grid of Electricidade de Moçambique (EdM), but the remainder will feed Countries in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) which, like Mozambique, are facing a higher demand for electricity than available supply. The three plants will join another one that was inaugurated last week in Ressano Garcia, which is fired by the natural gas produced in Pande and Temane, in Inhambane province. The new plant, which was built by Scottish company Agrekko, generates 107 megawatts of power, 15 of which are used by EdM and the remaining 92 megawatts are sent to the power grid of South African electricity company Eskom. One of the two new power plants to be established in the Ressano Garcia region will have a capacity of 160 megawatts and be built as part of a partnership between EdM and South African petrochemical group Sasol. The second, with a capacity of 200 megawatts, will be an investment by Mozambican company Gigawatt. Lastly, the plant due to be built in Chokwé, known as the Kuvaninga Energia Project, is a project of US company Enventure Partners carried out in partnership with South African investment bank, Investec Bank, and is expected to start operating in the final quarter of 2013. (macauhub) MOZAMBIQUE: Mining group Anglo American takes stake in coal mining sector in Mozambique July 25th, Mining group Anglo American has acquired a stake of 58.9 percent in Minas do Revobué, a mining project in Tete province in Mozambique, for 540 million Australian dollars (US$555 million), the group said in a statement issued in London. The seller is Australia’s Talbot Group, previously owned by magnate Ken Talbot who died in an air crash in Africa, and which, since then has been divesting practically all of its assets. Anglo American has thus taken a controlling stake in a coal project with estimated reserves of 1.4 billion tons of coking and thermal coal and potential to export 6 to 9 million tons per year. The two other partners in this project are Japan’s Nippon Steel, with 33.3 percent and South Korean steelmaking group POSCO with 7.8 percent. (macauhub) MOZAMBIQUE: Mining company Noventa, with assets in Mozambique, close to bankruptcy July 25th, 2012 Noventa, a mining company with assets in Mozambique, may have to declare bankruptcy if it is unable to extend the maturity of its current loan facility or, alternatively, find additional long term funding, said the Jersey-based company. Difficult market conditions and limited investor interest meant that funding by issuing warrants worth US$35 million to be used in Mozambique, was not successful. Noventa, which is listed on the Toronto and London stock exchanges, needed the funding to finish the project to expand the Marropino mine, which is located in the district of Ile, in Zambézia province, in order to increase its

6 tantalum production from 200,000 pounds to 600,000 pounds. The company, which is involved in negotiating the terms of a loan provided by a banking syndicate and in extending its current credit facility by US$10 million with its main shareholder Richmond Partners Master, has been seeking alternative financing options in order to ensure payment of its debts and find additional capital for some of its projects. Noventa’s main activity is production of tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5), and its Mozambican subsidiary, Highland African Mining Company Limitada, has concessions in Marropino, Morrua and Mutala in Zambézia province and exploration licenses in adjacent regions. (macauhub) MOZAMBIQUE: Mozambique may have factory to produce fertilizer from natural gas in future July 24th, 2012 Mozambique may start producing fertilizer from natural gas as of mid 2014 or the beginning of 2015 as part of an initiative of the Agriculture Ministry in partnership with some countries in Southern Africa interested in the project, said the national director for Agrarian Services, Mahomed Valá. On the sidelines of the 6th agricultural sector meeting held a few days ago in Gorongosa, Valá told Mozambican daily newspaper Notícias that the fertilizer factory would likely be built in Inhambane, given that the province has an abundance of natural gas produced at the Pande and Temane fields, which are explored by South African petrochemical group Sasol. (macauhub) MOZAMBIQUE: Cimentos de Moçambique to expand production at its Dondo cement plant July 24th, 2012 Cement company Cimentos de Moçambique plans to increase production at its Dondo plant, in Mozambique’s Sofala province, from 315,000 tons per year to 790,000 tons per year, by installing a new mill, a company source told Mozambican daily newspaper Notícias. Expansion of production at the Dondo factory is expected to cost 17 million euros and is part of a larger project to modernise the Cimentos de Moçambique plants across the country. On Monday the first ship carrying mechanical and electrical equipment for the Dondo factory was unloaded. Construction of the new mill is, according to the source, fulfilment of a “dream” that began in April 2011 by signing the engineering, supply and equipment installation contract. Cimentos de Moçambique’s global plan includes installing a new mill in Matola, with a capacity of 600,000 tons per year, which has been operating since last year, converting the furnace process in clinker production from coal to natural gas and installing a filter in the clinker cooler. The company also plans to modernise the medium/high voltage network and replace its bagging lines at the Matola, Dondo and Nacala plants, in an overall investment of some 33 million euros. (macauhub) Namibia: Okatana-Onhuno Road Upgrade to Cost Millions - The government has set aside N$187 million to upgrade the main road from Okatana through Endola to Onhuno to bitumen standards. The work on the 34-km road will for the first time incorporate a more defined small and medium size enterprise (SME) component. The main contractor Namibia Road Products (NRP) and Services will execute the work in partnership with nine local SMEs. The road's overall construction will be overseen by Burmeister and Partners Consulting Engineers and RRP and Services, who successfully tendered for the project. Namibia: Bannerman Readies for Mining Licence NAMIBIA ECONOMIST 20 July 2012 - Bannerman Resources, developer of one of the world's top ten uranium projects, announced this week that it is ready to apply for a mining licence after getting environmental approval from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism for its Etango Uranium Project located in the Erongo region. In addition to the mining licence application and the finalisation of the Epangelo transaction, Bannerman says it will step up engagement with potential development partners of the US$870 million project before the end of this year. Namibia: Northern Roadworks to Resume THE NAMIBIAN By Oswald Shivute, 26 July 2012 - CONSTRUCTION on roads in the North, which were halted earlier in year, will soon resume after the Government injected funds into the Roads Authority (RA) to pay for work done by contractors. Earlier this year construction companies stopped working on their sites after they were not paid by the RA for work done. Namibia: Acid Plant to Cost N$1,4 Billion THE NEW ERA By Desie Heita, 27 July 2012 - The copper smelter processing facility at Tsumeb, Namibia Custom Smelter (NCS), is putting up a N$1,4 billion sulphuric acid plant as part of the mitigation measures to reduce toxin emissions that have harmed humans and the environment. Commissioning of the planned sulphuric acid plant is scheduled for 2014. Dundee Precious Metals, the Canadian company that owns the smelter, says the decision to construct an acid plant is "consistent with the directives issued to NCS by the Namibian government in April 2012, aimed at improving off-gas capture and workplace conditions at the smelter." The Ministry of Environment and Tourism presented the smelter with detailed instructions containing concrete and serious mitigation measures, to reduce the health risks posed to workers and the entire Tsumeb community. South African company SNC-Lavalin has already completed a feasibility study on the installation of the sulphuric acid plant. The first phase of the project, comprising basic engineering, site preparation, final costing and detailed scheduling, has been awarded to Outotec, the global leader in sulphuric acid plant design and delivery. The capital cost estimate for the project, based on the Outotec tender, is US$167 million (about N$1,41 billion), which includes a 30 percent contingency and excludes offsite infrastructure costs, which NCS is working on to mitigate through various third parties. Namibia: NDP4 to Transform Namibia NEW ERA By Desie Heita, 25 July 2012 — The next five years could see huge investments in the expansion of the Port of Walvis Bay, which government has identified as "of critical importance". This is part of the new focused and targeted fourth national development plan (NDP4), which sets out to ensure that "by 2017 the volume in cargo handling and rail-transported cargo is double that of 2012 and [that] the Port of Walvis Bay has become the preferred African west coast port and logistics corridor for southern and central African logistic operations". 7 The Port of Walvis Bay "needs to be able to accommodate the ocean liner class of container ships and make their turnaround time as short as 24 hours". Rail connections to Angola, Botswana and Zambia need to be completed by 2017, while the Trans-Kalahari Railway would also receive urgent attention in the next five years. The document also proposes that the municipality of Walvis Bay and other municipalities along the corridor routes should make land available for the upgrading and development of state-of-the-art storage facilities. In addition, the perception of the town of Walvis Bay and other identified towns along corridor routes "should be changed to reflect their increasing importance as major regional distribution centres". "To make Namibia a logistics nation, government would continue to pursue various international and bilateral agreements in setting up one-stop border posts to ensure the flow of cross- border trade is as efficient as possible," reads the NDP4 document. The National Logistic Master Plan would be aligned to the Transport Master Plan to provide a detailed image of Namibia as an international logistics hub. Namibia: Go-Ahead for Billion-Dollar Investment At Tsumeb Smelter THE NAMIBIAN By Jo-Maré Duddy, 26 July DUNDEE Precious Metals (DPC), owner of Namibia Customs Smelters, are going to invest about N$1,3 billion in a sulphuric acid plant at the Tsumeb smelter to meet international environmental standards. DPM yesterday announced that its feasibility study on the plant is finished and that its board has given the go-ahead for the project, subject to final cost estimates and commercial arrangements that provide for acceptable economics and the long-term marketing of the acid produced. The first phase of the project, comprising basic engineering, site preparation, final costing and detailed scheduling, has been awarded to Outotec, the global leader in sulphuric acid plant design and delivery. Once completed, DPM will enter into a definitive engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract, including a turnkey contract relating to the construction of the acid plant, the statement said. This should take place in the fourth quarter this year. Southern Africa: SADC Lures Investors for Zizabona Energy Project - The initial capacity of the transmission interconnector will be 300 megawatts (MW), which will be later increased to 600MW. The project is to be implemented in two phases. The first phase will cover the construction of a 120-kilometre 330 kilovolt line from Hwange Power Station to Victoria Falls where a switching station will be built on the Zimbabwe side. The line will extend to a substation at Livingstone in Zambia. The second phase will involve the construction of a 300-km 330kV line from Livingstone to Katima Mulilo in Namibia, through Pandamatenga in Botswana. The Zimbabwe-Zambia interconnector will be built as a high voltage line with a transmission capacity of 430kV. However, it will operate as a 330kV line during the first phase. The project should be ready for implementation between 2014 and 2015. Tanzania: Air Companies Fail to Utilize Kia Giant Facility Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam) By Marc Nkwame, 23 July 2012 — FEW people know that the largest Aircraft maintenance facility on the African Continent only exists in Tanzania. Boasting a floor space of 62,000 square feet, with an additional 9,000 square feet used as office space, the giant hangar is located at the Kilimanjaro International Airport. The facility is currently leased by the Tanzanite Jet Centre Limited (Tanjet) under the lease agreement from 2006 to 2016 'with a potential extension based on expected investment'. Except at the moment the giant structure also plays the role of being the largest Beehive in the world. "During the months of June and July swarm of bees usually like to nest into the Hangar rendering operations to be a bit of a challenge," pointed out Captain Susan Mashibe, the Executive Director of TanJet. The hangar was officially handed over to the Kilimanjaro Airports Development Company (KADCO) in 2001 after being under the national carrier, Air Tanzania Corporation (ATC) which intended to use the facility for its aircrafts' maintenance activities through the Kilimanjaro Airport Maintenance Facility (KIMAFA), a plan which was however short lived. Valued at over US$ 20 million, the Kilimanjaro International Airport Hangar is said to be the largest in Africa, being capable of handling a large aircraft such as the Boeing 747 or both the ATR 42 and MD 11 aircrafts, or three ATR 42s at the same time. Yet despite having such a facility in Tanzania, local aircrafts are still taken to Nairobi - Kenya, for maintenance. The hangar may have potential economic bearing but most of the time is idle and sometimes in the past the aircraft 'garage' used to be temporarily leased out to a United Arabian Emirates, (UAE) firm during the latter's hunting seasons in Arusha. At the moment, on behalf of the Government, through the Ministry of Transport, KADCO in collaboration with Tanzanite Jet Centre Limited (Tanjet) is looking for potential strategic partner to establish scheduled and non-scheduled aircraft maintenance services at the hangar facility at KIA. The potential investor is expected to enter into a joint venture or partnership with the Tanzanite Jet Centre Limited to establish a large scale operation for maintenance, charter operations, ground handling and flight school (Fixed Based Operator). Tanzania: Dar Gets 250 Billion/- EU Grant - THE European Union (EU) and Tanzania yesterday signed a set of grant agreements totalling 126m Euros (approx 250bn/-). The six agreements will help rehabilitate more than 200 kilometres of roads and provide drinking water for 500,000 people, improve sanitation infrastructure and services for some 140,000 inhabitants; strengthen democratisation and good governance. The EU has also confirmed to support the country's Northern Corridor Agriculture Development in efforts to support food security in the country. The first financing agreement totalling Euro 45 million will go to the improvement of road transport network in the country. The second financing under MDG Initiative, worth Euro 51.51 million, is for water programmes in Lindi, Sumbawanga and Kigoma towns. The third financing agreement, amounting to Euro 22 million will support the improvement of rural roads. TANZANIA: Tanzania launches one-stop centre to maximise efficiency at Dar es Salaam port 26 july 2012 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) – Tanzania on Thursday launched a one-stop centre at its main seaport here with the aim of creating efficiency in clearing documents and reducing the time of cargo dwell at the port. 8 Tanzania: TPA Extends Deadline for Single Mooring Point Project Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam) By Abduel Elinaza, 26 July 2012 - TANZANIA Port Authority (TPA) has extended the deadline to complete the expansion of the single mooring point (SPM) at Dar es Salaam Port for three months. The over 100bn/- project involves seabed multiple pipelines installation designed to increase flow rate of petroleum products to ease tankers' congestions at the port. "The contractors hit hard rocks that were difficult to blast to give way, forcing them to reverse the early plan to lay the pipes under seabed to seabed surface," Ms Ruzangi told the 'Daily News'. She said another obstacle was evaluation of compensations for residents residing at the inland pipeline ways, which also took more time than anticipated. "Modifications at Kurasini Oil Jet (KoJ) to talk with the SPM pipes also takes time...but all have been completed and the contractor (Leighton Offshore of Malaysia )are now laying the pipes," said Ms Ruzangi. The project, constructed at Ras Mjimwema, Kigamboni, will have discharging capacity of 3,500 litres per hour, cutting down the mooring time to single day from between four and five days, currently. Tanzania: Arusha $80 Million Bypass to Ease City Traffic East African Business Week (Kampala) By David Muwanga, 23 July 2012 — The 3-10 minutes wait in traffic in Arusha city will become history when plans to construct the Arusha bypass are implemented. "The intention of the $80m road project expected to be funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) is to reduce on the traffic congestion in Arusha city and reduce on the travel time from Arusha to Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA)," according to the East African Community (EAC) Principal Civil Engineer Hosea Nyangweso. "The bypass will enable travelers with no business in Arusha to travel easily through to Moshi or Dodoma and to Dar es Salaam, so the bypass will take off from USARiver following Nelson Mandela road and rejoin Dodoma road near the Arusha Airport which is to be approximately 39km stretch," he said. He said that the secretariat with support expected from the African Development Bank (AfDB) is also starting on the implementation of the Arusha-Holili-Voi road project that includes improving bridges, a subcomponent of which also covers the widening of the Sakina-USARiver section in Arusha to be constructed as a dual-carriage way for approximately 22kms. "Subsection four is the Kenya section from Taveta to Mwatate which is approximately 85km on Kenyan side," he explained adding that the Kenyan section is most significant because the 85km is gravel road which now takes up to three hours links the Port of Mombasa in Kenya to Moshi in Tanzania. He said that the distance from Mombasa to Arusha through Namanga is 400km while Dar es Salaam to Arusha is approximately 700km, thus the road project saves the traveler and traders of an estimated 300kms. Nyangweso said that the estimated cost for the Kenyan section is $120m while the Arusha ring road will cost $80m in addition to the $85m for the dual carriage way. Tanzania: Mwambani Port Construction Opposed Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam) By Finnigan Wa Simbeye, 23 July 2012 - GOVERNMENT decision to gazette Tanga city as part of a marine park in 2009 to curb environmental destruction especially dynamite fishing have been backed by tourism stakeholders who are also demanding that construction of a new port at Mwambani be stopped. Tanzania: Soda Ash Project Still On Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam) By Alvar Mwakyusa, 27 July 2012 THE Ministry of Industry and Trade has through the National Development Corporation (NDC) finalised scientific study to avoid environment degradation in mining of soda ash in Lake Natron, the National Assembly heard, the studies included chemical, hydrology, ecology as well as hydrodynamics. Upon its completion, the Lake Natron soda ash project is expected to produce 500,000 tonnes of soda during its first year of operation. Dr Kigoda explained further that the NDC had drilled soda ash ores at Engaruka area, 50 kilometres from Lake Natron, which is rich in soda ash deposits. The Minister was however categorical that implementation of the project would largely depend on improvement of infrastructure including revamping of the Tanga-Arusha railways line, construction of a railway line from Arusha to Lake Natron as well as expansion of the Tanga port. TANZANIA: Storm Hits New Port Project The Independent (Kampala) By Aloysious Kasoma, 22 July 2012 Joint project with Tanzania faces stiff resistance from community, other stakeholders. The government has contracted the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company to conduct a feasibility study for a new port at Bukasa in Wakiso District, but all is not well with the project as various stakeholders are reluctant to cooperate. First conceived more than 40 years, the $3 billion project will be funded jointly by the governments of Uganda and Tanzania, which signed a memorandum of understanding in Dar es Salaam in June last year. The project, which is part of a railway line to be constructed from Tanga in Tanzania to Kampala via Musoma port on Lake Victoria, is expected to open up the third gateway for Ugandan exports and imports to Indian Ocean to add to the Mombasa-Kampala railway and the Dar-Mwanza to Kampala. Bukasa will be the third port in the country after Jinja pier and Port Bell at Luzira. Port Bell is connected by rail and a wagon ferry and has potential for expansion. Though the Jinja pier is far away from Kampala and the Kampala Business Industrial Park, its full capacity has not been realised. Port Bell in Luzira has the advantage of being nearer to Kampala, but its full potential has not been realized either. Analysts say expanding the existing ports would have made more economic sense than building a new one. The development of the ports is a short term initiative to handle current traffic and speed up trade links to the Indian Ocean. The planned developments at the ports include the rehabilitation of a dry dock and remodeling of the port to handle containerized and general Cargo. Officials said a detailed environmental and social impact assessment for the proposed project at Bukasa would be undertaken to critically evaluate its likely impacts and suggest mitigation measures. Zambia: South Hq - K3.8 Billion Released for Works TIMES OF ZAMBIA By Brian Hatyoka in Choma, 27 July 2012 GOVERNMENT has released K3.8 billion out of the budgeted K15 billion for the construction of infrastructure for the provincial capital of Southern Province in Choma, provincial Minister Obvious Mwaliteta has said.

9 The province had settled for the airstrip area in Choma as the site where infrastructure for the provincial capital would be established. "The site has 40.3 hectares of land and it is conveniently located about three kilometers from the Post Office in Choma town," he said. Zambia: Tranter to Erect Open Pit Mine in Luapula TIMES OF ZAMBIA By Maimbolwa Mulikelela, 24 July 2012 TRANTER Zambia will next year start construction of the first Zambian-owned large scale open pit mine in Luapula Province and so far the company has spend more than US$2 million on exploration works. Tranter Zambia chief executive officer Sixtus Mulenga said based on results of the bankable feasibility studies, the firm would in 2013 commence the construction of the first Zambian-owned large-scale mine in Mwense. Dr Mulenga said given the high potential of existence of a large ore body within the two tenements, the initial goal was to define and develop a manganese ore resource and reserve of at least 20 million tonnes and mine ore production of about one million tonnes of ore per year. The mine would process the ore to smelting stage to ensure that there is beneficiation at the mine site and be a catalyst for the emergence of manganese- based industries in Zambia. Zambia: ZATAC, Itezhi-Tezhi Business Group Ink K610 Million Deal TIMES OF ZAMBIA By Kennedy Mupeseni, 25 July 2012 - ZATAC Limited, through the United States African Development Foundation (USADF), has signed a grant agreement with Itezhi-Tezhi District Business Association (IDBA) worth K610 million. The grant will help IDBA to procure and install cold rooms, refrigerated trucks and working capital to enhance its fish collection system and marketing. ZATAC chief executive officer Likando Mukumbuta said USDF provides grants of up to US$250,000 directly to grassroots groups and enterprises. USDF is an independent federal agency established to support African- designed solutions that address grassroots economic and social problems in Africa. Zimbabwe: Datco Takes Over Tynwald Scheme - PROPERTY developer Datco Group has taken over the Tynwald South housing project that was under the auspices of the ZimTrust Housing Finance. Datco chairman Mr Mr Brighton Manengureni said they had begun servicing the stands and this initial phase would be complete by the end of this year. "The servicing of the area, which is around 13,6 hectares, has already begun with the setting up of sewer and water reticulation systems as well as roads underway. We expect this to complete by the end of the year," he said. According to Mr Manengureni, construction of houses will take 24 months to complete. The project is expected to benefit around 300 families, with 268 already having agreed to take up stands. The 268 include those who were initially part of the ZimTrust Housing Finance project. Datco Group has other projects across the country. The Tynwald South housing scheme is the first phase of Datco's low-income housing scheme across the country. In other areas, Muzarabani will get 10 000 units, Gweru 3 500 units, Marondera 1 600 units, Hwedza 4 300 units and Bulawayo 5 000 units, among other projects. The company also has several other partnerships with co-operative trusts in a number of areas. Zimbabwe: Parly Wades Into Ethanol Stalemate By Clemence Manyukwe, 25 July 2012 - PARLIAMENT has developed an interest in the stalemate around the Chisumbanje ethanol project, which is threatening nearly 4 500 jobs. The Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy visited Chisumbanje recently to get first hand information on the project, which has the capacity to produce 120 megawatts of electricity. Green Fuel, which is spearheading the initiative, has failed to crack past Energy and Power Development Minister, Elton Mangoma who shot down the project. TYPICAL ISSUES IN THE BIOFOOL INDUSTRY Zimbabwe: Govt Abandons Construction of WTO Centre - THE Convention Centre which government wanted to built ahead of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in August next year has been shelved due to lack of money and limited time to build the facility, officials have indicated. Zimbabwe: Mauritian Firm to Build Power Plant in Mutare THE HERALD 23 July 2012 - ISLAND Power Limited, a Mauritian power company, is set to build, operate and maintain a 50MW power plant in Mutare. The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority last week said the power company had made an application to generate and supply electricity in the country. The energy regulator said the proposed plant would generate electricity using a hydrogen reactor. Analysts last week said the investment is welcome given the serious power shortages the country is facing. Economic slowdown has also been attributed to electricity shortages thus a 50MW plant for Mutare would improve capacity utilisation within the environs. "This is the idea of mini-power plants to feed industries in selected areas like the Mutare industry in this instance. An additional 50MW to the nation is quite commendable," said an analyst. Harare alone requires about 400MW thus an additional 50MW would be a boost for a small city like Mutare. According to the country's economic blueprint, the Medium Term Plan, power generation at Kariba would be increased from the current 750MW to 1 050MW by 2015 while at Hwange power generation is expected to go up from 920MW to 1 520MW. The additional 300MW at Kariba require US$771 million and construction takes about three to four years. The three thermal power stations - Harare, Bulawayo and Munyati - are also expected to increase power generation. Zimbabwe: Work On BB Industrial Park to Resume - GOVERNMENT says it will resume the construction of the Beitbridge Industrial Park, suspended after the merger of the Export Processing Zone Authority and Zimbabwe Investment Centre. Covering 42 hectares, the construction of the park started in 1999 and was initially expected to be implemented in four phases. But due to funding constraints, implementation was slow. The first phase is partially complete, with a block measuring 1 000 square metres, which houses four factories along with 200 square metres of office space for each factory completed. The factory shells are currently unoccupied while some offices are being leased to a few companies.

10 COMESA

Eritrea: Adobha Sub-Zone - Inhabitants Express Satisfaction With Impact of Popular Undertaking Shabait.com (Asmara) 24 July 2012 — The inhabitants of Adobha sub-zone said that their livelihood has significantly been improved in line with popular undertakings as regards soil and water conservation and renovation of roads. The inhabitants further indicated that they have renovated the dirt road between Adobha and Nacfa through mobilizing over 100 manpower on daily basis, active community participation has been demonstrated in the undertakings. Mr. Zerizgi Nemariam, head of economic development in the sub-zone, indicated that the inhabitants have constructed 3 micro-dams, in addition to the renovation of several roads, and also explained that focus would be made on the construction of 3 more micro-dams. Ethiopia: Brazilian Petrol Firm Proposes Concessions Addis Fortune (Addis Ababa) By Mahlet Mesfin, 22 July Petra Energyia, a Brazil-based petroleum company, has submitted a proposal for a concession in the Ogaden and Abay basins, sources disclosed to Fortune. The Abay Basin, which covers an area of 63,000sqkm in the central north- western plateau of Ethiopia spanning Amhara and Oromia regional states, shares the same geo-tectonic origin as the Ogaden Basin, in Somali Regional State. It has nine blocks, three of which are already under exploration by Falcon Petroleum Ltd. The rest of the blocks are still open. The Ogaden Basin, a 350,000sqkm area located in south-eastern Ethiopia, is the largest Basin in Ethiopia. Natural gas has been discovered at Calub and Hilala in the Ogaden, with estimated reserves of 84.9 billion cubic metres at its centre. It has a total of 22 blocks, of which the government awarded eight blocks, including the two gas fields, to the China-based oil and gas company, PetroTrans, in July 2011. Indigenous oil company SouthWest Energy also has blocks Nine, Nine A, and 13. These are the blocks that Petronas, a Malaysian oil giant that left the country after investing 350 million dollars, regarded as potentially having oil reserves. Netherlands-based Pexco Exploration also has four blocks in the Basin. Canadian giant Africa Oil has blocks Seven and Eight. Ethiopia: Feds to Construct 45,000 New Houses Addis Fortune (Addis Ababa) By Yidnekachew Gashaw, 22 July Construction of 45,000 houses and opening of registration for chances to own individual units will begin in September 2012 through the Ministry of Urban Development & Construction (MoUDC); construction will be completed eight months from September 2012. The 10,000 houses in the 40pc down payment category will all be built in Addis Abeba in two, five, seven, nine, and 12-storey buildings, according to Eshetu Temesgen (PhD), the general manager of ETG Designers & Consultants Plc, the contracted project designer and consultant. The low-income houses will also be built in Addis Abeba in two-storey buildings. All houses will be completed in eight months from September 2012. Kenya: Bungoma Hospital Project Hit By Row The Star (Nairobi) By John Nalianya, 25 July 2012 - A tendering row is threatening to stop the construction of a Sh19 million paedtriatic ward at the Bungoma district hospital. A group of contractors who believe they were shortchanged during the tendering process and rights activists are now threatening to move to court to stop the award. Rights activists led by Philip Wanyonyi, the executive secretary of Jukwaa la Katiba group said yesterday the hospital committee failed to adhere to the procurement act by awarding the tender to Butalink company . Wanyonyi had documents from the Ministry of Public Works which recommended Bumula Enterprise which had quoted Sh17.9 million unlike Butalink which had quoted Sh18.3 milion. "We will not sit back and watch as procurement procedures are literally hijacked for the selfish interests of a few individuals," he said. Wanyonyi said the Australian non-governmental organisation that gave the donation had clearly stipulated that the procurement procedures be followed to the latter failure to which they will with draw their money. KENYA: Marathon Enters Emerging Kenya Play with Farmout Agreement July 23, 2012 Marathon Oil enter a farmout agreement with Africa Oil to acquire a position in two onshore exploration blocks amounting to more than 11 million gross acres in northwest Kenya. Kenya: Kie Seeks Help to Build Sh4.5 Billion Resource Centre - THE Kenya Institute of Education has asked the private sector to help put up a multi-billion Education Resource Centre. Kenya: Mining Company Discovers Gold Traces in Taita Taveta - The Star (Nairobi) By Raphael Mwadime, 23 July 2012 - A mining company in Taita Taveta county has discovered traces of gold at Kishushe area. The discovery will add Kenya to Africa's league of gold-mining nations. Geological surveys indicate that substantial quantities of the mineral deposits are yet to be fully explored and developed in the region because of financial and technical constraints. According to the Wanjala Mining Company, which is mining iron ore at Kishushe area in Wundanyi constituency, traces of gold have been discovered at Wanjala area where they are mining iron ore. "We are still doing proper prospecting in the area after discovering signs of gold in the iron ore. We pray that we shall succeed in our mining project," said Kaburu Sangani, who is jointly mining iron ore with Wanjala company in the area. He added that the area has other industrial minerals such as copper and cobalt. Taita Taveta county is home to more than 40 high value gemstones and the discovery of gold in the area is welcome news to the residents. Sangani was speaking last week during a tour of mining projects in the County by Environment minister Chirau Ali Mwakere. The minister said the government is planing to undertake a Sh16 billion three-year aerial survey of minerals across the country. "Our country is very rich in mineral resources, but we have not conducted an aerial survey to establish the type and volume of mineral resources," Kenya: Kenya Signs More Trade Deals With China The Star (Nairobi) 23 July 2012 - KENYA is set to benefit from new energy, communication and road infrastructure projects after Prime Minister Raila Odinga signed various cooperation agreements with Chinese firms while visiting that country. A solar and diesel engine power plant will be

11 set up in at a yet to be disclosed region in the country after the PM signed a deal on behalf of the Kenyan government with China Jiangxi Corporation for International Economic and Technical Cooperation. The agreement, signed in Nanchang China on Saturday also provided for a concessional loan for the construction of Mbita-Sindo-Magunga-Karungu-Masara Road and Sindo-Nyandiwa-Sori Road in the counties of Homa Bay and Migori. Another agreement signed between the government and Zhongmei Engineering Group Ltd will improve the condition of the roads around the Maasai Mara tourism area signaling an improved business environment in the area. The Chinese Government has also accepted give Kenya a concessional loan of $72 million (Sh6.05 billion), for the national fibre optic cable backbone infrastructure project and E-government, which will link all urban areas of Kenya. Kenya: State to Evict 49 Meru Families to Build Airstrip The Star (Nairobi) By Kirimi Murithi, 27 July 2012 MORE than 49 families will be evicted from their farms once the government starts the construction of Gaitu airstrip in Meru County. The move is part of the government's initiative to construct airstrips in every county. Njiru said plans to establish the airstrips are at the initial stages before constructions commence. They said the initiative is geared towards achieving vision 2030 under the government policy to enhance transport. He said this will enable Kenyans transport agricultural products easily and faster in order to increase their profits. "The plans are spearheaded by the Ministry of transport," said Njiru. Rwanda: Ngoma Sector to Get a Cross-Border Trade Complex NEWS OF RWANDA 26 July 2012 - Ngoma sector in Nyaruguru district, Southern Rwanda, is hopes to get a cross-border trade complex worth 250 million Rwf in two years' time. The complex, will be constructed in Fugi cell at the border of Burundi and Rwanda, it will reach 40 per cent of its completion in June 2013 - the end of Rwanda's 2012-2013 budget year. "The complex will be like a transit point for different goods between Rwanda and Burundi. It will increase revenues from cross-border trade", said James Ndasingwa, executive secretary of Ngoma sector. Rwanda: Works On Stalled City Projects to Resume THE NEW TIMES By Fred Ndoli, 26 July 2012 - Construction works on an array of stalled infrastructural projects in the city will resume soon. Among the mega projects that came to a standstill include a Rwf50 billion project to put up 500 housing units in Gacuriro, Gasabo District, due for completion in May this year. The houses will be funded by the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB). The Kigali central sewerage system that was slated to be completed this year also came to a standstill due to lack of funds. According to city officials, the $70 million (approx. Rwf 42 billion) project would be completed next year once negotiations with the European Development Bank are complete. "Some of the projects like RSSB's Rwf50 billion project have been going through changes. There are some Indians updating the designs. We hope to kick start most of those projects this year," Nizeyimana said. He further disclosed that 11 plots out of 20 located in lower Kiyovu, Nyarugenge District which covers an area of 13 hectares have already been taken up. "We are also currently looking for developers who would want to invest in these nine remaining plots. It's just a matter of time," the Vice Mayor said. The City of Kigali authorities have appealed to the government to come up with a special mortgage facility geared towards boosting the implementation of the master plan. SOMALIA: Somalian Well Test Disappoints July 23, 2012 Horn Petroleum, operator of the Shabeel North well in Puntland, has conducted a drill stem test that found only water. BUT WATER MORE ESSENTIAL THAN OIL IN PUNTLAND! Uganda: Report On Karuma Dam Contract Ready The Observer (Kampala) By Emma Mutaizibwa, 24 July 2012 The minister of state for Energy, Simon D'Ujang, will, later this week, table a report on due-diligence carried out on firms bidding to construct the 600 MW Karuma hydro-power dam. Two Chinese firms, China International Water and Electric Corporation (CWE) and Sinohydro, are the frontrunners, ahead of the Iranian firm, Perlite. Last month, D'Ujang led a delegation to China, Laos, Kazakhstan and Iran to carry out due diligence on firms competing to build the 600MW Karuma hydro-power dam. While the findings are still confidential, highly placed sources claim the visiting delegation was impressed by the dams the two Chinese firms had constructed, although a source intimates that CWE holds a slim advantage over Sinohydro. Officials said the Iranian firm Perlite was all but ruled out, following the recent UN sanctions against Iran. But even before the report is tabled, the bidding process has elicited dossiers alleging impropriety, which the police is investigating. Last week, a whistleblower questioned CWE's role in building the Three Gorges Project in China, the largest dam in the world. The whistle blower chronicled events leading to the conclusion that by the time CWE got involved, the Three Gorges Project had been all but completed. "CWE can only place a claim of less than five percent on the construction of the Three Gorges Project," reads part of the email. The whistleblower also claims that CWE cited Xiluodu and Xiangjiaba dams as some of its successful projects, yet "these two dams are being constructed by Sinohydro Corporation, China Gezhouba and China Armed Police". Minister D'Ujang will have to answer the question why these firms were subcontracted if CWE had capacity. Uganda: Contractors to Help Raise Sh2.5 Trillion for 20 Roads THE NEW VISION By Joel Ogwang, 26 July 2012 THE Government is to engage private contractors to help raise $1b (sh2.5trillion) to develop over 1, 900km of roads geared at stimulating tourism, agriculture and oil and gas sectors across the country. Under the new contractor- facilitated financing scheme, contractors will express interest in road projects and source for their funding from any financial institutions. The scheme seeks to fast-track development of 20 out of the 44 priority roads to be worked on this 2012/13 financial year. The roads will be upgraded from gravel to tarmac. Construction is expected to be completed within a period of three to five years from commencement. Their development will last between six to 36 months. A Design-Bid-Build project delivery strategy will be adopted for road projects for which designs are ready whereas the Design and Build approach will be adopted for road projects where designs are not yet ready. 12 How it will work The Government will enter a memorandum of understanding with shortlisted firms to confirm their relationship in respect of financing and implementation of the works. It will also enter into a conditional commercial contract with the winning tenderer conditioned on loan agreements being signed between the state and the winning contractors' financiers. The contractors will, in turn, negotiate with the finance ministry on interest rates and repayment periods, says Dan Alinange, the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) publicist. "It is a new thing we are trying-out. Under this arrangement, the contractor will price the road per kilometre and we (UNRA) will value the bid based on the cost of the road," he says. "The contractor and financier who offer the best deal will win the tender and go ahead with the road works. The finance ministry will pay the financier over time". The shortlisting of firms for the works will be conducted in accordance with the public procurement procedures contained in the Government of Uganda's Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act, 2003 and will be open to all bidders from eligible source countries. To close corruption loopholes, the process up to the signature of the loan agreement will involve negotiation, cabinet approval, parliamentary approval and Attorney General's legal opinion of the loan. This will be followed by signature of the loan agreement between Government and the contractors' financiers. The project works will then commence immediately after the loan becomes effective following signature of the loan agreement and commercial agreement. Why the new scheme The contractor-facilitated financing scheme will come as sweet music to financial institutions, contractors and the Government, with its after-effects trickling down to road users who are starved of quality roads. Ssebanakitta argues that with a poor investment climate in Europe beckoning, Africa is turning out to be a favourable investment hub for international investors, adding that one such sector that will benefit was roads and transport. "In the past, we were getting ad hoc proposals of contractors who want to use their little money which didn't measure up to the size of work they had. This meant projects lasted longer than the agreed time" says Ssebanakitta. "Now they have Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) where they can get money and we pay over time or through road tolls. PPP leverages innovation" The off-budget financing of roads will ensure road projects are kick-started and concluded within the contractual period, with the Government paying the financiers later-on. Right now, there is a limitation to what extent the finance ministry can finance the roads budget against other sectors. UNRA estimates that a minimum of $1 billion will be raised under the scheme. "We have about 1,918km of roads which need to be built to spur development around the country," says Alinange. "We think this is a step in the right direction." While the new scheme, as appetising as it is, will be open to all contractors, winning the lofty tenders won't come cheap, says Ssebanakitta. ECOWAS

CAPE VERDE: Cape Verde seeks aid from China for large development projects July 23rd, 2012 The Cape Verdean government is seeking to secure funding from China of the US$500 million it needs to build infrastructure, said Cape Verdean Prime Minister, José Maria Neves in Macau, at the end of his official visit to China. On the sidelines of a meeting with the Cape Verdean community in Macau, Neves told Portuguese news agency Lusa that his visit to China, “exceeded all expectations,” and that he had secured a financial aid package of US$21 million, split into a donation of US$8.5 million and an interest-free loan of around US$12.5 million. The archipelago’s planned projects, he noted, include construction of the Mindelo deep water port, and other ports, “specifically on the islands of Maio and Sao Nicolau,” the Sao Vicente cruise liner terminal, development of the Cabnave port of Mindelo and, “an important fishing logistics base.” (macauhub) Ghana: IFC Invests in Takoradi 2 Expansion to Increase Power Generation in Ghana International Finance Corporation (Washington, DC) 24 July 2012 — IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is providing an $80 million loan to Takoradi International Company (TICO), to help expand its gas-fired Takoradi 2 power plant ("T2") in Ghana, increasing the generation of electricity in the country to spur economic growth. TICO is a joint venture between Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC ("TAQA") (90%) and Volta River Authority ("VRA") (10%), the main generator and supplier of electricity in Ghana. TAQA is the operator of the facility. T2 will use waste heat recovery technology for the expansion. The OPEC Fund for International Development will be providing $22.5 million, and the balance of the $330 million debt financing will be provided by a consortium of international development finance institutions, led by FMO. Ghana: Funding Required for Ghana's Rail Rehabilitation Project TradeInvest Africa (Cape Town) 25 July 2012 The project entails rehabilitating the existing western, eastern and central rail lines. The western line is linked to the Takoradi Port whilst the eastern line is linked to the Tema Port. The central line is linked to both Takoradi and Tema Ports via the western and eastern line respectively. The western line will provide direct rail services from Takoradi Port to the Inland Port through Kumasi. The total track length is 977 km. The scope of of the project also covers the rehabilitation of existing locomotives and procurement of new ones, new container wagons, mineral wagons with self steering bogies, stell covered vans for haulage of cocoa, and hopper wagons for track maintenance. The rehabilitation work will include replacement of rails, rail fastenings, sleepers, sleeper fastennings, ballast and replacement of bridge on the Eastern Line. The existing signal and telecommunication equipment will also be replaced. The ministry of transport facilitated the pre-feasibility studies and a master plan, which is currently being undertaken. The project is a public private partnership, and the government is seeking US$303-million from potential partners. 13 Nigeria: Adamawa to Construct 500 Kilometres of Rural Roads - Adamawa State Government said, yesterday, that it will give priority to the construction of roads to link rural areas of the state, adding that 500km roads had been short-listed to that effect. Nigeria: Katsina State Govt Approves N600 Million for Semi-Urban Water Supply in Seven LGAS - The Katsina Government has approved N600 million for the upgrade of the semi-urban water supply scheme in seven local government areas of the state. Government would repair all the dilapidated structures and facilities as well as upgrade them to boost water supply in the areas. In collaboration with Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA), would drill 200 boreholes in Sandamu, Rimi, Malumfashi, Kafur, Mashi, Safana and Dutsinma local government areas. Nigeria: Indigenous Firm Undertakes N2.5 Billion Rig Repair THIS DAY By John Iwori, 28 July 2012 - The provisions of the local content bill signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan last year has started to make impact as an indigenous firm, Lagos Deep Offshore Logistic Base (LADOL), has began the repair of an oil rig costing over N2.5 billion ($15.6 million) at the LADOL Free Zone (LFZ). The operational base of LADOL, which is the operator of LFZ, is situated in the estuary of Atlantic Ocean, Apapa, Lagos. The giant rig, named Noble Percy Jones, is expected to undergo a complete maintenance turnaround at the base for a period of 90 days after which it would be satisfied feet for offshore operations for the next five years. Operations Manager of Noble Drilling Nigeria Limited, Mr. Dave Arthur, who conducted members of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) round the rig at the base, said the firm had chosen to undertake the repair works at LFZ because it was sufficiently satisfied with its facilities as well as other logistics provisions as specified by the Board. "We are encouraged by the local content policy of Nigeria, coupled with the available facilities here in bringing our job to LADOL, rather than policy consideration", he said. As part of the objectives of the NLCDA, the Federal Government aims at empowering indigenous companies operating in oil and gas, and maritime service sectors to enable them secure jobs from international oil companies (IOCs). Players in these sectors have maintained that firms involved in offshore logistics services should step up efforts in the business of rig repair and maintenance, thereby helping to save the economy from huge losses in capital flight as a result of undertaking such rig repairs overseas. He explained that after considering other options for the rig maintenance, the company decided to do the job at LADOL since it has found the environment conducive in view of the prevailing security challenges in some parts of the country. Members of NCDMB, who were accompanied by other top government officials, revealed that the rig repair which has created over 261 jobs for Nigerians, would also generate the sum of $15.6 million into the Nigerian economy. Managing Director of LADOL, Dr. Amy Jadesimi, had earlier in her presentation titled: 'Making Nigeria the Hub for Rig Repair in West Africa', noted that repairing rigs in Nigeria has helped the country to benefit from technological transfer through training of pool of manpower, who took part in the repair process. She disclosed that LADOL, in partnership with Samsung Heavy Industries, was working on expanding its fabrication capacity from 10,000 tonnes to 40,000 tonnes with the integration of Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) fabrication facility in Nigeria. This, Jadesimi, added, was in order to centralise mega oil and gas and maritime fabrication jobs for the West Africa sub- region in the country. Nigeria: Shell to Invest U.S.$4 Billion in Two Projects in Nigeria THIS DAY 27 July 2012 - Royal Dutch Shell Plc, operator of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) of Nigeria, Thursday said it would invest about $4 billion with its joint venture partners in two oil and gas projects in the country. The partners would develop the Forcados- Yokri project and the Southern Swamp associated gas gathering project. The Forcados-Yokri fields are located in shallow waters in the western Niger Delta. Shell had stated recently that it planned to invest about $3.5 billion in a natural-gas project in Imo State in the South-east. The company is also working on 17 gas projects worth $6billion in the country. Shell is still looking for buyers for its two oil and gas exploration licences in the African nation. Sao Tome and Principe: IMF approves US$3.9 million in funding for Sao Tome and Principe July 26th, 2012 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved funding for Sao Tome and Principe of US$3.9 million until 2015 when oil production is expected to begin on the West African archipelago, the IMF said in a statement issued in Washington Monday. The funding will be provided under the terms of an Extended Credit Facility, approved by the IMF’s executive board at the end of last week, of which US$560,000 will be paid out immediately, the statement said. Min Zhu, the deputy director of the IMF who led the meeting, praised the “prudent” budgetary management of Sao Tome and Principe, as well as its continued economic growth and falling inflation in a “global climate that is full of challenges.” (macauhub) SIERRA LEONE: Sierra Leone Issues Oil Prospecting Awards to 9 Companies by Dow Jones Newswires Sierra Leone's government said Tuesday it had issued provisional offshore oil prospecting awards to nine companies after what it described as a "painstaking and time consuming technical evaluation process." In a statement the government said an open tender process had attracted 59 applications to find "credible companies with the requisite technical expertise and financial capability to advance the nation's oil and gas prospectivity." Some of the successful companies include African Petroleum Corp., which is focused on offshore prospect acquisition in west Africa, and Kosmos Energy Ltd., which discovered the Jubilee Field offshore in Ghana in 2007. Signet Petroleum, active in Benin, Burundi, Namibia and Tanzania, and Minexco Petroleum, which is involved in west Africa and South America, were also among those awarded prospecting rights. In February American-based Anadarko Petroleum Corp. struck oil in its Jupiter-1 well off the coast of the west African nation--the third such find since 2012. In 2011, a report from Sierra Leone said the country stands to generate more than $100 million annually once oil production gets underway, a significant boost to domestic revenues.

14 Masters Energy Exploration and Production Company Limited, a subsidiary of Masters Energy Group, has been awarded an oil exploration block, SL 7C-10 AFRICA - MIDDLE EAST/OTHER Egypt: Two Holding Companies for Investment in Mining Will Be Set Up – Official 22 July 2012 - Chairman of the Mineral Resources Authority Fekry Yousef said that two new holding companies will be established to increase the value of mining materials. The first company will focus on investing in mining materials in Egypt while the second will invest in mining materials in Africa, he said, The second company will start its work in Sudan and Ethiopia. Fekry said that the Authority and the Industry Ministry have agreed to carry out a number of mining projects under the umbrella of the two companies. The first one is expected to be running sometime in the next two months, he noted. JORDAN: Jordan signs MoU for oil and gas exploration - The Jordanian government has singed a memorandum of understanding with Thyssen Petroleum to explore oil and gas in the north of the kingdom, Petra has reported. The agreement covers an area of about 700 sq km in Northern Highlands. The agreement comes ahead of a comprehensive production sharing agreement, which extends at its first exploration phase for four years. During this phase, Thyssen Petroleum is to carry out geological and geophysical programs, in addition to drilling of two deep wells at minimum cost of $12m. OMAN: ABB scores Oman gas plant contract worth $100m - ABB has received an order worth more than $100m from Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) to build a gas condensate plant in the Sultanate, AFP has reported. The new plant is to be built near the gas fields of Saih Nihayda and would handle 4,500 standard cubic metres of gas condensate per day, ABB said. OMAN: MoU signed for automated car parking plant in Oman - I-Park, a unit of Oman's North Ocean Group, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Simmatec, a South Korean manufacturer of auto parking system to set up an automated car parking manufacturing plant in the Sultanate, Times of Oman has reported. The proposed I-Park factory will be built in international standards with ISO and CE certifications for the factory and products, said Thasleem Khan, director of the group. After the successful installation of elevator auto car parking in Al Khuwair area, we are in progress of manufacturing 60 auto car parking in office buildings in Ghubra and 165 simple type puzzle parking in a basement in Al Khuwair. We have new solutions from I-Park for villas, basements and external parking areas. Parking spaces can be doubled in less time and at no cost," Khan added. OMAN: Oman Cables plans expansion with 53% profit growth - Oman Cables Industry (OCI) has allocated OR7m for expansion this year, as it posted a 53% growth in net profit for the first half of this year to O4.6m, Muscat Daily has reported. The company will increase its capital and upgrade its facilities, including setting up a new manufacturing facility and a product reliability test centre in Rusayl. "The construction of the factory will commence shortly and will be completed by the end of this year," OCI said. "The reliability test centre facility, to be completed in the fourth quarter this year, is the first of its kind in the GCC and Mena to facilitate enhanced testing capabilities." SAUDI: Ranco & Zamil awarded SR52 million deal from Four Corners - Saudi-based Rabiah & Nassar and Al- Zamil Concrete Industries Co (Ranco & Zamil) has been awarded a SR52m new contract by Four Corners International Construction Co worth to fabricate, supply and erect precast elements for the defence ministry's multi- level car park project located in the central region of the kingdom, Arab News has reported. The contract involves the design, manufacture, shipment and installation of more than 100,000 sq m of precast concrete elements as related to the construction of the facility. SAUDI: Binladin Group awarded industrial rail deal - Saudi Arabia's largest construction firm, Saudi Binladin Group has been awarded a contract to link the kingdom's Jubail petrochemical hub with the new minerals industry city of Ras al-Khair, Asharq Al-Awsat has reported. The company will build an 85km, $177m railway between the two sites on the Gulf coast, said Rumaih Al-Rumaih, the chief executive of Saudi Railway Co. SAUDI: Italy's Saipem wins Saudi drilling contracts worth $250m - Saudi Aramco has awarded Italian oil service company Saipem new drilling contracts in Saudi Arabia worth about $250m, Reuters has reported. The duration of the five onshore contracts is between 3 and 5 years, Saipem said. SAUDI: Saudi Electricity launches projects worth SR1.68bn - Saudi Electricity Co (SEC) has launched an SR1.68bn project to link Qaisuma and Hafr Al-Baten as well as Al-Jouf and Arar, Arab News has reported. "Efforts are underway to link Qaisuma and Hafr Al-Baten with 380KV network at a cost of SR770m," said Ali Al-Barrak, the chief executive of SEC, adding that the project would be implemented by March 2013. The project to link Al-Jouf with Arar would cost SR918m and is scheduled for completion by April 2013, he said. UAE: Abu Dhabi integrated gas facility to launch 2013 - Fahim Kazim, the chief executive of Abu Dhabi Gas Liquefaction, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (Adnoc) has announced the arrival of the first units of its plant from Korea that would contribute to increasing Abu Dhabi's natural gas supply, Wam has reported. The $11bn (Dhs40.4bn) Integrated Gas Development project on the Das Island aims to give the emirate added fuel for power generation and oil production. The final instalment of the units will arrive before the end of the current month, with the project expected to be operational by 2013, said Kazim.

15 AFRICA INFO, GENERAL INTEREST & RISK ISSUES

COMOROS

Giant Livingstone’s fruit bats are being surveyed by conservationists concerned for the future of the endangered mammals. Researchers from Bristol Zoo and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust are working together to complete the largest ever survey of the bats' roost sites. There are thought to be fewer than 1,000 of the animals left in the wild on the islands of Anjouan and Moheli, in the Comoros archipelago off the south-east coast of Africa. They roost in the tree tops of the islands' montane forests but this habitat is under increasing pressure from human activities. DR Congo's M23 rebels 'attacked' by UN forces BBC 25 July 2012 - UN helicopter gunships have attacked suspected rebel positions in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, reports say. The two sides have been involved in fierce fighting about 50 km (31 miles) north of the provincial capital, Goma. Thousands of people are streaming out of villages, amidst heavy shelling. They told the BBC that government soldiers were also fleeing the battle. The UN has its biggest peacekeeping operation in the world in DR Congo. It has vowed to defend Goma. VERY U.N.SUCCESSFUL TO DATE THEN, REMEMBER THE U.S. WHIPPING IN SOMALIA; WHITE HATS, TREAD CAREFULLY Ghana: Chinese Nabbed in Mine Pits THE GHANAIN CHRONICLE By Simmons Yussif Kewura, 20 July 2012 They are currently in police custody at the Central Prisons in Kumasi, for allegedly opening fire on the youth of Nsiana without provocation. The Chinese are operating illegal mining (galamsey) at Nsiana, near Antoakrom, in the district. On Thursday, the Chief, Nana Opiah Mensah II, in the company of the Wirempehene and some of the youth visited the site on a fact-finding mission, in respect of the illegal operations of the Chinese citizens. The residents of Nsiana are demanding a return of their lands currently being used by some Chinese miners for galamsey operations without authority. But, on seeing the townsfolk, the Chinese, armed with pump action guns, fired sporadic shots for more than 30 minutes, to scare the Chief and his subjects away. The District Police Commander for Amansie West, Supt. Stephen Kwasi Kwakye, told The Chronicle in a telephone interview that the youth, led by one Mr. J. A. Quam, a Writer and Publisher, were going to the camp of the Chinese to inspect documents that authorised them to mine in the area. According to the District Police Commander, the Chinese, upon seeing the crowd, numbering about two hundred, then gave warning shots to disperse them. The Commander said the Chinese were afraid that the youth were coming to beat and vandalise their equipment, hence the warning shots. Contrary to the claim by the police that the Chinese only gave a warning shot, information from some of the media personal, who accompanied the chief and a leading opinion leader, hinted that the Chinese were in for war against the indigenes, as they shot indiscriminately. According to the District Police Commander for Amansie West, Supt. Stephen Kwasi Kwakye, no casualty had been recorded. SUCH WONDERFUL BENEFACTORS TO THE AFRICAN ECONOMY THE ASIANS, A LITTLE BIT OF ABALONE SMUGGLING (TONS), A FEW (HUNDRED) RHINO HORNS A YEAR (EXTINCTION), A COUPLE OF FORESTS HERE AND THERE, LONG LINE SEAFOOD SNAGGING, “SUPPORTIVE” TENDER PAYMENTS, BACKHAND IMMIGRATION PROCEDURES, RAMPANT EXPLOITIVE LABOUR CONDITIONS, MILITARY “PROTECTIVE” TROOPS ON OIL PROSPECTS, DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY FARCES, ONE OR TWO (HUNDRED) IVORY TUSKS, W.T.O. COUNTERVALENT DUMPING AND LOSS LEADING STATE FINANCING, SHARK FIN DECIMATION, SEA CUCUMBER PILLAGE AND NOW JUST A TOUCH OF TIANNAMIN SQUARE MASSACRE TECHNIQUES INTERNATIONAL: 13 Tonnes Pounds Hidden From Taxman By Global Elite 27 July 2012 - A global super-rich elite has exploited gaps in cross-border tax rules to hide an extraordinary 13 trillion pounds ($21tn) of wealth offshore - as much as the American and Japanese GDPs put together - according to research commissioned by the campaign group, Tax Justice Network. Mr James Henry, former chief economist at consultancy McKinsey and an expert on tax havens, has compiled the most detailed estimates yet of the size of the offshore economy in a new report, "The Price of Offshore Revisited." He shows that at least - 13tn pounds - perhaps up to 20tn pounds - has leaked out of scores of countries into secretive jurisdictions such as Switzerland and the Cayman Islands with the help of private banks, which vie to attract the assets of so-called high net-worth individuals. Their wealth is, as Mr Henry puts it, "protected by a highly paid, industrious bevy of professional enablers in the private banking, legal, accounting and investment industries taking advantage of the increasingly borderless, frictionless global economy." According to Mr Henry's research, the top 10 private banks, which include UBS and Credit Suisse in Switzerland, as well as the US investment bank Goldman Sachs, managed more than 4tn pounds in 2010, a sharp rise from 1.5tn pounds five years earlier. 16 The detailed analysis in the report, compiled using data from a range of sources, including the Bank of International Settlements and the International Monetary Fund, suggests that for many developing countries the cumulative value of the capital that has flowed out of their economies since the 1970s would be more than enough to pay off their debts to the rest of the world. Oil-rich states with an internationally mobile elite have been especially prone to watching their wealth disappear into offshore bank accounts instead of being invested at home, the research suggests. Once the returns on investing the hidden assets is included, almost 500bn pounds has left Russia since the early 1990s when its economy was opened up. Saudi Arabia has seen 197bn pounds flood out since the mid-1970s, and Nigeria 196bn pounds. "The problem here is that the assets of these countries are held by a small number of wealthy individuals while the debts are shouldered by the ordinary people of these countries through their governments," the report says. The sheer size of the cash pile sitting out of reach of tax authorities is so great that it suggests standard measures of inequality radically underestimate the true gap between rich and poor. According to Mr Henry's calculations, 6.3tn pounds of assets is owned by only 92,000 people, or 0.001% of the world's population - a tiny class of the mega-rich who have more in common with each other than those at the bottom of the income scale in their own societies. "These estimates reveal a staggering failure: inequality is much, much worse than official statistics show, but politicians are still relying on trickle-down to transfer wealth to poorer people," said John Christensen of the Tax Justice Network. "People on the street have no illusions about how unfair the situation has become." TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "Countries around the world are under intense pressure to reduce their deficits and governments cannot afford to let so much wealth slip past into tax havens. "Closing down the tax loopholes exploited by multinationals and the super-rich to avoid paying their fair share will reduce the deficit. This way the government can focus on stimulating the economy, rather than squeezing the life out of it with cuts and tax rises for the 99% of people who aren't rich enough to avoid paying their taxes." Assuming the 13tn pounds mountain of assets earned an average 3% a year for its owners, and governments were able to tax that income at 30%, it would generate a bumper 121bn pounds in revenues - more than rich countries spend on aid to the developing world each year. Groups such as UK Uncut have focused attention on the paltry tax bills of some highly wealthy individuals, such as Topshop owner Sir Philip Green, with campaigners at one recent protest shouting: "Where did all the money go? He took it off to Monaco!" Much of Green's retail empire is owned by his wife, Tina, who lives in the low-tax principality. A spokeswoman for UK Uncut said: "People like Philip Green use public services - they need the streets to be cleaned, people need public transport to get to their shops - but they don't want to pay for it." Leaders of G20 countries have repeatedly pledged to close down tax havens since the financial crisis of 2008, when the secrecy shrouding parts of the banking system was widely seen as exacerbating instability. But many countries still refuse to make details of individuals' financial worth available to the tax authorities in their home countries as a matter of course. Tax Justice Network would like to see this kind of exchange of information become standard practice to prevent rich individuals playing off one jurisdiction against another. "The very existence of the global offshore industry, and the tax-free status of the enormous sums invested by their wealthy clients, is predicated on secrecy," said Mr Henry. TAXATION IN AFRICA - THE MYTHS AND THE FACTS Myth 1 - Because we are poor we don't pay taxes. The Fact - This is false because for every beer we drink, calls we make, services we receive, there is an in-built tax component. Both the rich and poor pay equal VAT rate for goods and services. Not equitable and just, but that is the fact. Myth 2 - We love to dodge taxes. The Fact - No, we don't love to dodge taxes. We rather question the value and justification for paying taxes. We refuse to pay when we don't see the benefit of paying taxes. Myth 3 - Because we have a large informal sector it is not possible to collect taxes. Fact - We are very much capable of identifying players in the informal sector for tax purposes just as we are able to identify them for the purpose of elections. Local authorities in many districts are also able to collect market tolls and household levies. Where there is a will there is a way.

London Olympics: The Most Embarrassing Opening Ceremony? 7/27/2012

17 The firework display of the glowing rings in the brief video above was thrilling and well-executed, but otherwise, this evening’s opening ceremony from the Olympics in London was positively cringe-inducing. I’m sure some of the less self-conscious performers were having a good time, but some must have wondered why they were there. Unlike the awesome (and a bit terrifying) display of synchronized drumming and acrobatics from the Beijing games in 2008, that attempted to symbolize the entire Chinese industrial economy, there was no obvious talent or social organization in the London mob. The overwhelming feeling was of a desperate mediocrity. And it was boring. Apparently, I am alone in these feelings. Sarah Lyall in The New York Times just wrote the following glowing lead: “LONDON — With its hilariously quirky Olympic opening ceremony, a wild jumble of the celebratory and the fanciful; the conventional and the eccentric; and the frankly off-the-wall, Britain presented itself to the world Friday night as something it has often struggled to express even to itself: a nation secure in its own post-empire identity, whatever that actually is.” How could I be so far off base? Those kids in their “crazy” costumes moving quickly through awkward and under- rehearsed dance moves to a potpourri of Brit hits were “celebratory” and “eccentric.” The giant house-as-telly playing the greatest moments of British TV and movies in center stage was “off-the-wall.” Tim Berners-Lee inventing the internet (which enables these “wild” youth to IM each other and fall in love) is a symbol of “a nation secure in its own post-empire [and post-industrial] identity.” Oh really? I know that I’ve written about the benefits of freedom for design, but this wasn’t freedom or creative anarchy. This was just awful! TWEETS  most boring opening ceromony ever!!!!!  It's the Benny Hill Show of opening ceremonies. What is it with the Brits? Do they just love boring??? Maybe it’s because they only have 3 channels on the tellie.  Opening ceremony was an embarrasment to UK. Boring In' Rev' emphasis saying to world 'you owe it all to us.. Grotty and bizarre stealth imperialism.  I completely agree!.. It was terrible. Waste of money and waste of time!!  spent most of last night trying to explain to the swedes about our NHS, our immigration policy, Mr. Bean and that idiot Beckham grinning like a spoilt schoolboy and Macca singing like a frog with a sore throat and feeling a bit embarrassed about a second rate show, what that all had to do with sport etc I failed to see.....  I think it is the worst opening ceremonies that I can ever remember - just plain awful.  It surely wasn't worth the 4-year wait.  watching brunel all i could imagine was the poverty of victoirian era malnutrition low pay explotation of children crap living conditions whislt all the time building an empire to enslave others,all that that was missing was jack the ripper.  It was a boring, uncoordinated, embarassing shambles and a million miles from the ideals these games stand for.  london really must be broke how cheap can an opening ceromony get?

London 2012: Boris Johnson dismisses 'leftie' complaint 28 July 2012 London Mayor Boris Johnson has dismissed suggestions the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games was left-wing as "nonsense". He described the event, which included a tribute to the NHS, as a triumph for the country. It comes after Tory MP Aidan Burley said a tweet in which he referred to "leftie multi-cultural" rubbish in the ceremony was "misunderstood". The Games opening ceremony included sequences about the National Health Service, with one showing menacing figures from children's literature looming over children in hospital beds. Its artistic director, Danny Boyle, said the theme was "this is for everyone". Speaking at the Olympic Park, Mr Johnson said: "It wasn't global 'Brito-pap'. It wasn't just Big Ben and Beefeaters and red buses and stuff. It was actually the truth about this country in the last two or three hundred years told in a big, dynamic way. He followed it with a tweet welcoming the fact the athletes have arrived, adding it would mean moving on from the "leftie multi-cultural" rubbish. "Bring back red arrows, Shakespeare and the Stones!" he concluded. Kenya: Chinese Mining Company Defends Its Operation The Star (Nairobi) By Musembi Nzengu, 25 July 2012 The Chinese Fenxi Mining Industry Group Company that has won concession to mine coal in Kitui's Mui Basin says it's operations are legal. A letter from the Fenxi Group deputy chairman Yang Wusheng to Ministry of Energy PS Patric Nyoike declared that the firm is a limited liability company incorporated in Shanxi province, China. Contrary to reports that Fenxi does not own any coal mines, the firm is a fully pledged mining company with a long history in coal operations. It has proven coal reserves are about 5.8 billion tonnes, he adds. He said Kenyan MPs have visited its mines in Taiyuan City, hundreds of miles from Beijing. "In 2011, total production by the Company was approximately 30 million tones. We unreservedly confirm that Fenxi has the financial resources and technical capacity to unsuccessfully operate the Kenyan Mui Basin Blocks C and D concessions," said the Wusheng as he dismissed claims that the company was non-existent. 18 Further responding to claims byMP Kiema Kiema that his delegations was taken to mines belonging to XMC firm because Fenxi had none, Wusheng avers that the two had a relationship. He further clarifying that Fenxi, Jingu group and other companies "are all associated companies through elaborate shareholding structures which we are not at liberty to disclose." UH YES, SURE, VERY CONVINCING Although Wusheng admitted that the Kiema team was not taken to Fenxi coal mines, he dispels claims that Fenxi had conflicting physical address. He says Kiema group was taken to existing Jingu/Fennxi offices at rooms 406-408, CYTS Plaza,5 Dougzhimen South street, Benjing. Kenya: Restrictions Placed On Overweight Containers - Containers weighing over 28 tonnes will soon be prohibited from being transported on road networks and instead will be required to be carried over rail. Kenya: Obure Assures On Buildings -THE newly formed National Construction Authority, under the Public Works ministry, will help stop the rising cases of casualties and loss of property from collapsed buildings. The members of the body, which started its operations on June 8, are undergoing training to enable them gain knowledge on construction laws. Kenya: Firm Loses Bid to Gag Council in Land Dispute The Star (Nairobi) By Sam Kiplagat, 27 July 2012 A bid by a company to stop the City Council of Nairobi from further commenting on a controversial land pending the hearing of a defamation case, has been dismissed. The company, Renton Company Ltd, moved to court saying the council and former town clerk Philip Kisia maliciously published statements concerning a plot in Nairobi and hence damaging its reputation. And in moving to court, the company through its director James Gatundu, wanted the council restrained from publishing statements on the land pending the determination of the defamation case. Kisia and the council had in May 2010 wrote to the Kenya Commercial Bank and Kenya Power accusing the company of grabbing the land. The then town clerk was further interviewed by a newspaper and he repeated the allegations. It was the council's averments that the land was meant for a public utility but in had been sold to the company acquired the title deed in mysterious circumstances. The company told the court that the Ministry of Lands cancelled the title deed to the said parcel after Kisia's warning to the public. Renton, however, moved to court and stopped the cancellation. It was the company's view that the said publication was meant to ruin its business and cause financial harm to its proprietors by scarring away potential investors that intended to do business with the company in developing the said property. Liberia: Bribery a 'Sickness' in Redlight - Drivers Say Heritage (Monrovia) 17 July 2012 - "Bribery is the medicine for their sickness...and they are all very, very sick." These were the words expressed to me by a motorcycle driver, with regards to the police force of Liberia. Having already witnessed several occurrences of bribery, I decided to investigate the driving factors and people involved deeper within my own community of Redlight and Paynesville. The first stop was a meeting with a police officer, who spoke on the guarantee of anonymity. The factors, which are required to be fulfilled if one wants to be a police officer were explained to me: High school diploma, no criminal convictions, no war crimes, and no crimes against humanity, amongst other things. Furthermore, specifically, former members of the SOD (Special Operations Division) of the pre-2003 LNP (Liberia National Police) are completely disallowed from working within the force. In post-conflict Liberia, many of the players of the civil war, and many alleged "war criminals" are still present in many areas of society. Prince Johnson is a Senator for Nimba County, and General "Butt-Naked" is preaching around the country. I raised the point with the police officer that if such high profile names can hold such high profile positions post-conflict, would it not be very easy for a mere combatant to escape his past? "If the people of 'Point A' know about a guy and what he did in the war, all he has to do is move to 'Point B', where no one knows him, and he can start afresh". An obvious hole in the vetting process, and one that is easily exploitable. The police officer explained that the number one culprit of corruption is the low salaries. An unofficial meeting later on with a high ranking minister would backup this view: "The monthly salary of a police officer on-the-beat is $134 (US). How can you send your children to school, feed your family and save something with this amount? It only covers a small percentage so they have to make ends meet with an extra income source, and most of the time, it is by getting bribes." I moved around Monrovia, trying to track down an officer on-the-beat who would be willing to discuss salaries. I met with one, and after guaranteeing anonymity, he agreed to speak. "How can I send my kids to school on my money? I don't want my kids to grow up and be nothing, so I got to send them to school to make sure they can be somebody, and to do that, sometimes when I stop a driver, I just want to get small thing [money]." A clear admission of illegal bribery, but stated that it is with serious reason. I had been given an explanation of the necessity of bribery, but next I wanted to speak directly with the people on the other end of the line, which it should be said are also committing an illegal act by paying off the police. I decided to query 100 random citizens of the Red Light area, asking if they had paid a bribe to police within the past three months. The respondents were split 50/50 across gender lines, and I asked drivers, motorcycle-"pen-pen" riders, market workers and pedestrians, 78% of which have confirmed that they had bribed police in the last three months. One "pen- pen" rider described the most recent occasion in which he paid of a police officer. "I stopped at Gogbachop Junction to drop off a girl, and a police officer approached, took my keys and ran off shouting that I got to pay $50 US if I ever want to ride my bike again". The rider expressed his rage at the police officer, who he stated was known locally to riders as 'Butterfly' and is the most notorious officer in area, frequently exhorting inflated bribes from his victims. "I know it's wrong to pay bribes but if I don't pay they take my bike and I can't eat or do anything.

19 "The bike is the only way for me to live, and if I don't live like this then I'll go back to how I was in the war: killing, stealing and doing whatever I wanted. The bike keeps me good but the police are going to turn me bad if it keeps going this way. I was a child soldier in the war and I know the bad things I have done, I don't want to go back to that but they are forcing me. We are so, so frustrated man." Officer "Butterfly" is a well-known name amongst the local "pen-pen" riders. Another rider was keen to take me to his home, where he showed me a photocopy of a ticket that the aforementioned officer had issued to him; a $1500 (Liberian) fine because he was parked on the side of the Gogbachop Junction. "I know the police got to eat but how can we pay such high bribes? We got even less money than them and our jobs are even more dangerous." The anger on the streets at Butterfly and other officers is evident, and the cohesion of the pen-pen riders is apparent. They state that they work hard but are being unfairly victimised by the police. As I am speaking to three of them, more and more join the crowd and begin to shout and become aggressive. I walked through the area and I met a young man of nineteen and discussed the issue of corruption. He explained how just a few hours ago he was forced to bribe police on his way home. "I don't have a job, and I have to rely on my brother to pay me money. My parents died in the war and now I just have my older brother". The young man explained in depth a personal story about police corruption. "My home was robbed by an armed gang last week and they stole anything that was worth something. I don't have a phone now and some money I had saved up was stolen. Now I really got nothing. I tried to tell the police but they wanted some money to start looking for the guys who did this to me. How can I pay them if someone has already stolen all of my money? I am afraid to leave my home, and I am afraid at home because I think the gang might come back to get me. I have no one to help me and there is nothing I can do, there is no way for me to escape this." The young man requested no details about him be divulged. Corruption in Liberia, according to official reports such as by Transparency International, a Germany-based corruption watchdog, has been decreasing. The word on the street is contradictory, with the majority of the people I spoke with stating that it is getting worse by the day, and expressions of anger and hostility against the police are evident and not hard to find. There appears to be a wide gap between the citizens of Red Light and Paynesville and the police, with the first not trusting the latter. "Pen-Pen" riders in particular are expressing a want for revenge. Police officers on the other hand argue that they cannot survive on the salary they have. When I questioned the police officer mentioned at the start of this article: "If salaries were trebled, would corruption disappear?"The response was: "It would not disappear, but it certainly would decrease substantially". A meeting with Cpl Dave Nyemah, who is the Chief of Operations in Zone 5, Depot 5 yielded some positive discussion but the Corporal pointed the finger of blame at the government. "To attack this particular subject [corruption], attack the government for not prioritising security. Cpl Dave stated that corruption has decreased during his four year tenure as Chief of Operations in Zone 5, Depot 5, which is not far from the Red Light market area. He continued by stating that the UN has "sensitised" the police force to corruption and that the 'Professional Standards Division' has played a firm role in decreasing corruption. When questioned as to how to combat corruption, Cpl Dave said: "Allowances for transportation, housing, medication and education." All sides are expressing a desire to eradicate corruption, but in the meantime tensions are rising. The LNP admits there is a corruption problem, and to combat it, they are asking for more investment, specifically, an effective living wage. About Author: Asim Rizvanovic is a student from the UK, studying Politics and Economics. Having traveled in East Africa, he is seeking to gain experience in Liberia and other Western African countries, and to compare and contrast the communities. AND THAT IS AFRICA, PITTANCE IN PAY, PACKETS IN POCKETING – THE PPP METHODOLOGY

Madagascar's Rajoelina meets ousted Marc Ravalomanana BBC 25 July 2012 - The president of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina, is holding face-to-face talks for the first time with the man he ousted in 2009. The men are meeting in the Seychelles, with their talks chaired by South Africa's President Jacob Zuma. RAJOELINA SUDDENLY IN THE SAME BOAT WITH TWO ATTEMPTED MILITARY COUPS THIS MONTH…..NOW HE TALKS - 22 July 2012 Madagascar 'quells Antananarivo army barracks mutiny' Madagascar's army has retaken control of an army barracks where soldiers staged a mutiny, the military says. There were outbreaks of gunfire throughout the day at the base near the airport in Antananarivo, and officials said three people were killed. The army plays a major role in Madagascar's society, frequently meddling in politics. Madagascar: After a Failed Mutiny, the Situation Remains Precarious Institute for Security Studies (Tshwane/Pretoria) - This weekend saw an attempted mutiny by renegade soldiers in Madagascar, who tried to capture a military camp situated near the country's international airport. However, the government clamped down hard on the mutineers, killing the leader, Corporal Koto Mainty, as well as two of his accomplices, and arresting a substantial number of suspects.

20 Photo: Midi Madagasikara While President Rajoelina is apparently not concerned over the attempted mutiny, it is noteworthy that this will be the third such attempt under his rule. His stay in power greatly depends on continued military support, and thus it is not something he should take lightly. The abortive mutiny could well be traced to the March 2012 protests by the Malagasy military to air their grievances about poor living and working conditions. This time, even though the reasons for the mutiny are unclear, some believe it was an attempt to voice concern over the current political stalemate and to put pressure on the government. The reality is that the army in Madagascar remains deeply divided, with the potential for cyclical military coups and mutinies. However, besides the threat of a coup, there are other outstanding issues that have to be addressed before elections can be held. Firstly, the timeframe will have to be adjusted. It is currently proposed that the elections be held in December, but this is the rainy season, which will make it difficult for many people in Madagascar to reach the voting stations. It will be more viable to hold the elections in May or June 2013, as suggested by the United Nations. Secondly, there are questions as to how the SADC mediation team will get around Ravalomanana's return to Madagascar, as President Rajoelina has been very clear that he will have Ravolamanana arrested upon his return. While many expect that the Seychelles meeting could see a breakthrough, personal antagonism between the two leaders could continue undermining the transition process, making the socio-political situation even more precarious. A nascent popular movement led by journalist Lalatiana Rakotondrazafy could also gain momentum in spite of the government's efforts to contain it. Former president's wife forced to stay out of Madagascar Xinhua 2012-7-28 By Agencies - Arriving at Madagascar's international airport, on Friday, Lalao Ravalomanana, the wife of the former Madagascar's president Marc Ravalomanana, was forced to go out of Madagascar's territory, the lawyer of Ravalomanana's family Hanitra Razafimanantsoa said. "Madam Lalao Ravalomanana was forced by the presidency to go out the territory of Madagascar. She took a flight of Air Madagascar to Bangkok late this afternoon," Hanitra Razafimanantsoa told Xinhua by telephone. FORKED TONGUE RALOELENA’S ABSOLOUTE FEAR OF RAVOLAMANANA, WHAT YOU FEAR MOST IS WHAT WILL BE Mali-Niger - Locusts Spawning Disaster IRIN 24 July 2012 - BAMAKO, 24 July 2012 (IRIN) — Swarms of locusts encouraged by early rains are breeding in the north of Mali and Niger, bringing a second generation of insects that could increase 250 fold by the end of this summer and put the livelihoods of up to 50 million people in the region at risk. IF NOT THE TUAREG, OR THE ISLAMIST FUNDAMENTALS, OR THE DESERT ENCROACHMENT, OR LOCUSTS, TIMBUKTU IS JUST NOT THE PLACE TO BE Morocco: Living in Marrakesh BBC 25 July 2012 By Sunshine Flint

Old town Marrakesh, Morocco. (Jeff Overs) Marrakesh is one of those places whose name, when spoken aloud, conjures up qualities of the city itself. A magical, mysterious, silken sound that evokes covered souks and the medina, ochre-coloured buildings and palm trees, the clash of scooters, cars, donkeys and people. Living here means experiencing a meld of North African, Berber, Arab and French culture in a city both ancient and modern. What is it known for? Marrakesh sits at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains in the heart of Morocco, midway between the Mediterranean coast and the edge of the African interior. It has been a draw for Western travellers for more than a century, attracting ex-pats during the French colonial period in the first half of the 20th Century like George Orwell, the author of Animal Farm and 1984, and Jacques Majorelle, an artist who designed the city’s lush gardens named for him and who created the deep blue colour known as bleu Majorelle, seen throughout the garden. (Yves Saint Laurent bought it in 1980 and his ashes were scattered there.) In the post-war era, writer Paul Bowles came and set his novel Sheltering Sky in the region, followed by bohemians, hippies and glam jetsetters, each seeking sun and/or sin. The city is one of Morocco’s biggest tourist draws. Many visitors start in Djemaa el-Fna, a market square filled snake charmers and nightly food stalls; wander down the lanes of the medina; then sip mint tea and nibble on figs while 21 listening to the muezzins call to prayer and recovering from haggling over carpets before retiring to their riad hotels (a traditional house where all the rooms surround an interior courtyard, usually with a rooftop garden). The Ville Nouvelle -- modern Marrakesh -- is just outside the medina, and neighbourhoods like Gueliz and Hivernage are home to many chic restaurants and shops. In the past few years, a number of luxury palace hotels have opened in and around the city, including the revamp of the famous La Mamounia, the sumptuous Palais Namaskar and its water gardens, and the walled Selman just minutes from the medina.

Alleys and doorways painted blue, Morocco The city also has attracted more than 10,000 ex-pats and retirees, many of who come for a new way of life relatively close to home. “You get this incredibly exotic lifestyle and destination, wrapped up in enough European modernity to keep your sanity,” said Tara Stevens, a writer who lives in Fez, but spends a lot of her time in Marrakesh. “You can dip in and out of the medina, bombard your senses at the night food market on the Djemaa el-Fna, but still go shopping for modern fashion or have a glass of wine on a terrace in the Ville Nouvelle.” Where do you want to live? Restoring a traditional riad in the medina is a dream for many, whether it is to live in or run as a guesthouse. But the walls of this ancient quarter can feel claustrophobic and some choose to move to areas such as Gueliz and Hivernage, with their high-end restaurants and swank nightlife. “Some ex-pats move out to Gueliz or elsewhere in the Ville Nouvelle because it is far less intense and you have a bit more freedom in terms of lifestyle,” said Stevens, referring to the modernity available outside the riads and narrow lanes of the medina. “I suppose space is what you ultimately miss in the medina.” Villas and land parcels along the Route d’Amizmiz attract an upscale clientele looking to live just outside of the city, but still close to the centre and the medina. Northeast of the city, the Palmeraie, an enormous palm grove, is home to luxury resorts, villas and manicured gardens that attract an extremely well-heeled buyer. “People are still looking to buy land to build a villa as far out as 25 to 30km from the centre,” said Philip Arnott, director of Moroccan Properties Immobilier.

Men visit Roman city of Volubilis Side trips The spectacular Ourika Valley in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains is just about an hour away, and acts as the jumping off point to Berber villages and mountain treks. “It’s probably one of the most beautiful spots in all Morocco with rich red mountains and lush plant life,” said Stevens. Or some head out into the Sahara Desert for a day trip or a couple of nights at a luxury camp. Marrakesh also has good rail connections to the cities on the coast, such as Casablanca, Rabat and hip Essaouira (a new road has reduced the drive to two hours), the top choice for short break by the seaside. Fez is around 300km away and from there, the holy hilltop town of Moulay Idriss is just an hour away. Several budget airlines fly into the Marrakesh-Menara Airport, along with British Airways and Air Maroc, which provide direct connections to European cities around the world. The flight to London is three-and-a-half hours and it is three hours to Paris. Practical info For now, the top end of the market has remained stable, but the euro crisis in Europe is affecting all other strata. “We are getting many inquiries for sale and rent for villas, riads and apartments,” said Arnott. “However, the medium range villas and apartments, especially in the medina, is very flat. We do not expect this to turn around until things ease in Europe and elsewhere.”

Tizi-n-Tichka Highway, Atlas Mountains In the exclusive Palmeraie, buying a hectare of land and building a luxury villa costs around 1.3 million euro. “However, the return on this type of investment is quick and very lucrative,” said Arnott. Elsewhere in the city, an apartment costs from 100,000 to 900,000 euro, while a villa goes for 300,000 to six million euro. MOZAMBIQUE: Port of Beira in Mozambique contributes to increased trade between EU and African countries July 23rd, 2012 The Mozambican port of Beira is contributing to increased trade between countries such as Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the European Union (EU), the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Durão Barroso said Friday. During a visit to the port’s facilities, Durão Barroso also said that the port of Beira was essential not only for the region but also for other parts of the African continent, as it was an entry and exit point for goods such as coal, fertilizer, granite, grains, and container cargo. “In fact the port of Beira joins Africa and Europe in trade,” he said noting that Europe had technology and management and Africa had natural resources, some of which have been found in the last few years. The chief executive of Cornelder Moçambique, Carlos Mesquita, told Mozambican newspaper Notícias that 22 he had informed the President of the European Commission about the projects underway and the trend for landlocked countries to use the port’s facilities and the Beira Corridor transport system. Specifically noting the port’s activities, Mesquita said that this year 83,000 containers had been processed, which was a year-on-year increase of 15 percent and that in terms of general cargo over 2.5 million tons had been processed , of which 1.3 million tons were coal. (macauhub) MOZAMBIQUE: Fitch Ratings raises Mozambique’s sovereign debt outlook July 23rd, 2012 Credit rating agency Fitch Ratings Friday raised its outlook on Mozambique’s sovereign debt in foreign currency from stable to positive, due to more prudent fiscal and monetary policies that the country has implemented over the last decade. Mozambique: Biofuel Company Likely to Lose Its Licence AIM 24 July 2012 — The Mozambican authorities are considering stripping the company Aviam Ltd of its licence to plant the shrub jatropha in 10,000 hectares of land, in the district of Nacala-a-Velha, in the northern province of Nampula. Aviam is a joint venture formed by Italian and Mozambican interests. It had pledged to invest 20 million US dollars in the jatropha plantation, which would then produce biofuels. GROWING THE BIOFOOL FAILURES Namibia: NAC Paid N$5 Million for Incomplete Project THE NAMIBIAN By Jan Poolman, 25 July 2012 - THE Namibia Airports Company (NAC) has paid N$5 million to a consultant in a space of four months for work that has not been completed. The human resource consultant Brian Nalisa, who got the job to restructure the beleaguered airports company, was given the work without it going out on tender and also did not have a written contract with the NAC. The investigation found that Nalisa drew up his own terms of reference for the restructuring the company. It is believed that Nalisa has been out of the country since submitting his recommendations and picking up his payment for the "incomplete work". It is said that he has been in the US for a considerable time now. NOTHING UNUSUAL IN THE NAMIBIAN TENDER-BUDDY SYSTEM Nigeria: Jos 'Wonder Bank' Vanishes With Investors' Money DAILY TRUST By Lami Sadiq, 26 July 2012 Jos — Hundreds of customers of Jos Wonder Bank yesterday stormed the premises of the bank located on No: 21 Wamba Road only to discover that the management staff of the organization had vanished. The investors, who trooped in to collect their monthly interest were disappointed when they found the office under lock and key and the premise empty. Daily Trust gathered that the bank usually gave a monthly or weekly interest of 100% of an investor's initial deposits. Investigation also revealed that highly respected personalities in the state, students, business men and women as well as civil servants had deposited huge amount of money in the bank with the hope of collecting 100% interest every month. An investor, Mr. Zango Josiah, said he invested N100,000 with the hope of getting 100 percent interest every month but was surprised to hear that the management of the bank had disappeared this morning. Another investor, Peter Eze, who invested N125,000, said the presence of mobile police personnel and some new generation banks around the area was what gave him the impression that the business was genuine. THANKFULLY THERE IS NEVER AN END TO PYRAMID SCHEME IDIOTS, WHERE WOULD MARKETING BE WITHOUT THEM

Nigeria: Probe Report Indicts 21 Firms, Verifies N382 Billion for Recovery - Twenty one oil-marketing companies and importers have been indicted for making fraudulent subsidy claims that might have cost the nation N382 billion out of the N403 billion verified by the Presidential Committee on Verification and Reconciliation of Fuel Subsidy Payments. Somalia: Hackers Target Somali Giant Dahabshiil Garowe Online (Garowe) 22 July 2012 Mogadishu, Somalia — A group claiming to be the cyber hacker or hacktivist group Anonymous has threatened Dahabshiil an international funds transfer company and the leading bank in Somalia, Garowe Online reports. The group alleged it was the hacktivist group Anonymous, and threatened to destroy Dahabshiil within two months if the company did not stop what the group alleged as supporting terrorist organizations and terrorists in Somalia and across the world. The group, who printed out thousands of account details, alleges that Dahabshiil supports terrorism through dealing directly and indirectly with terrorists. In the statement the Anonymous group released, the group alleged that it was investigating the bank's accounts for months after easily bypassing firewalls.

23 Zambia: Locci Charged With Graft TIMES OF ZAMBIA 28 July 2012 - ANTONELLO Locci, a director in an Italian road construction firm has been charged with corruption in relation to two per cent solicited by former president Rupiah Banda's son Andrew, on all contracts awarded to the company. Locci was apprehended on Tuesday and has since been denied police bond. Government Joint Investigations Team acting Public Relations Officer, Christopher Chibanku said in a statement in Lusaka yesterday that Locci would appear in court next Monday. He has been charged with the offence of offering gratification with regard to the award of contracts contrary to Section 28 subsection (2) (a) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act number 38 of 2010. Locci, 73, has been arrested in connection with the road construction projects awarded to his company Fratelli Locci SRI Limited by the Road Development Agency (RDA)last year. It is alleged that Locci agreed to the payment of two per cent solicited by Andrew Banda, on all payments made by the RDA on current and future road construction projects. The solicitation was alleged to have been by way of an agreement between Locci and Mr Banda, dated June 22, last year and witnessed by Mr Banda's daughter, Ketiwe. Mr Banda is alleged to have already received a sum of K171 million from Locci as his two per cent cut from some projects. "Locci who is urrently in custody has been denied police bond, and will appear in Court on Monday July 30," Mr Chibanku said. Locci's company was currently working on Mufulira Roads LOT 2 and Ndola Roads LOT 5 under the 'Formula One' programme. The same company had been awarded a contract worth more than K300 billion to upgrade the 70 kilometre Pedicle Road, which connects to the Copperbelt to Luapula Province through the Democratic Republic of Congo. Zimbabwe: Diamond Money Laundering Suspected in SA Property Buying Spree SW Radio Africa (London) By Alex Bell, 20 July 2012 - A property buying spree in South Africa by a top crony of Robert Mugabe's is suspected to be part of a money laundering exercise, to process the illicit profits of Zimbabwe's still controversial diamond trade. An investigation by South Africa's Mail & Guardian has followed the multi million rand spending spree by Robert Mhlanga, a reported close friend of the Mugabe family and Robert Mugabe's former personal pilot. Mhlanga is also the Chairman of the Mbada diamond firm operating at the Chiadzwa diamond fields, where reports of smuggling and illegal dealings are still surfacing. The Mail & Guardian report states that Mhlanga has been on R185-million property-buying spree in the past year, acquiring prime real estate on the Durban north coast and in one of the plushest areas of Sandton in Johannesburg. "Mhlanga's property dealings have raised eyebrows, not least because he appears content to pay up to six times the going rate for the properties he buys. Speculation is rife in Zimbabwe that Mhlanga represents the Mugabe family's interests in Marange and has been buying properties on their behalf, although his role as a proxy for the Mugabes could not be proved by the Mail & Guardian," the newspaper reported. The paper explained that Mhlanga's modus operandi is to buy a "shelf company with an obscure name", which he would then use as a vehicle through which to buy property. Mhlanga is traceable as the sole director of these companies and, through the company names, to records of property sales at deeds offices. The report also quotes an economic analyst who says the inflated rate at which Mhlanga is buying the properties is cause for suspicion. "There could be money laundering happening, where basically you're paying a lot more than it's worth but there is some other agreement with the guy who's selling it to you where a percentage of the transaction flows back to you later in some other transaction down the line," the analyst was quoted as saying. The Mail & Guardian report has come on the back of international warnings that Zimbabwe's diamond trade was illicitly funding a parallel government. Last month, a report by international human rights group Global Witness turned the spotlight on these suspicions, detailing that the CIO and army are securing off-budget support from China in exchange for diamond profits. The report also singled out Mbada diamonds and its actions, including a suspicious 25% handover of the company's shares to other companies that have been linked back to Mhlanga himself. Nick Donovan from Global Witness told SW Radio Africa on Friday that although they have no evidence of money laundering, there is room for suspicion. "We know there is some kind of connection. So he's probably benefiting in some way," Donovan explained. He added: "Ever since the government of national unity was formed, there has been a search for off-budget funding by the security forces and some members of ZANU PF. As soon as the MDC got control of the Treasury and clipped the wings of the reserve bank, ZANU PF had to find another source of funding, other than printing money." Zimbabwe's Finance Minister Tendai Biti meanwhile has also been forced to slash the national budget and induce higher taxes, blaming a "worrying" shortfall in the diamond revenue once expected to reach the national coffers. Last year Biti said about US$600 million in diamond revenue was expected after the lifting of an international trade suspension. But since then, Biti has admitted that this has not happened and recently revealed that absolutely no money was coming from at least one of the firms operating there. "We thought by June about half of the amount would have been achieved. I am very worried about the amount coming from diamond sales which is way below what we anticipated," Biti said this week.

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