SSABE SUB SAHARA AFRICA BUILT ENVIRONMENT

INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED FACILITY

From the Desk of Paul S Rogers +27 (0) 520 7596

E: [email protected] Issue 251 - 9, 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. 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)

TENDERS

BURUNDI: Tender - Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project in Burundi: General Procurement Notice Status Forecast Announced Date February 16, 2012 Opportunity Type: Services, Works, Goods Project Summary Le projet comprendra les composantes suivantes: (i) Renforcement des capacités institutionnelles …. (ii) La prévention et contrôle des sources de pollution…. (iii) Aménagement des bassins versant…. (iv) Coordination et gestion du projet….. Les fournitures et équipements: 1. Equipements météorologiques 2. Equipements de bureau et consommables (mobilier, ordinateurs, imprimantes, et accessoires) 3. Equipements et réactifs pour laboratoire 4. Matériel roulant (trois véhicules)

BURKINA FASO: Tender - Rehabilitation of Dam-Lery Valves and Associated Works (Dam and Spillway Mouhoun) in the District of Gassan, Province of Sourou Announced Date February 16, 2012 Proposal Due Date April 03, 2012 Opportunity Type: Works Project Summary - Réhabilitation du barrage-vannes de Lery et des ouvrages associés (digue et évacuateur de crue du Mouhoun).

BURKINA FASO: Tender - Acquisition of Four Hundred (400) Tons of Cement Announced Date February 16, 2012 Proposal Due Date March 06, 2012 Opportunity Type: Goods Project Summary - ACQUISITION DE QUATRE CENTS (400) TONNES DE CIMENT CPA45

1 CAR: Tender - Assessment of the Central African Republic (CAR) Transit Logistics Infrastructure on Douala-Bangui Corridor: Consulting Services Opportunity Type: Services Express Interest By: Mar 08, 2012

CEMAC: Tender - Study on the Implementation of the Transport Aspects of Community Transit System in Central Africa Announced Date February 16, 2012 Express Interest By February 27, 2012 Opportunity Type: Services Project Summary - •Assignment Countries: Chad, Cameroun, Central African Republic The expected consultant services include: (i) setting up a baseline for the transit transport monitoring of Douala-Bangui/Ndjamena corridors, (ii) evaluation of the transit regime impact in CEMAC region (3 pilot countries), (iii) defining conditions for the agreement of transport operators and means, (iv) assessing the movement of transit containers between Douala and Ndjamena/Bangui.

Cote d'Ivoire: Tender - Supply of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Accessories Opportunity Type: Goods Express Interest By: Mar 10, 2012 Project Summary - fournir une quantité approximativement de 500 cylindres de 12.5kg au différent site

DRC: Tender - 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 Request For Proposals City/Locality: KINSHASA Publication Date: Feb 22, 2012 Deadline: Apr 16, 2012 Original Language: French Goods, Works and Services • Road construction works

DRC: Rehabilitation work on the RN1 main road between Batshamba and the Loange bridge KP 0+000 — KP 114+004 Request For Proposals City/Locality: KINSHASA Publication Date: Feb 22, 2012 Deadline: Apr 24, 2012 Original Language: French Goods, Works and Services • Construction work for highways

DRC: Tender - Garage Tools and Equipment to be Supplied in Three Equal Lots Opportunity Type: Goods Proposal Due Date: Mar 28, 2012

DRC: Tender - Technical Assistance Project to Promote Growth through Good Governance in Mining: Strategic Environmental and Social Sector Assessment Announced Date February 17, 2012 Express Interest By February 27, 2012 Opportunity Type: Services

EGYPT: Tender - Spare Parts for Water Treatment Units Opportunity Type: Goods Proposal Due Date: Apr 09, 2012 Project Summary - Supply of spare parts (electrical equipment, switchboards) for 20 water treatment compact units

GHANA: Tender - Supply and Installation of Refrigeration Testing Laboratory Equipment Opportunity Type: Services, Goods Express Interest By: Mar 08, 2012

GUINEA: Tender - Market Supply of 1,000 Tons of Agricultural Inputs with Tons of Urea and 512.75 487.25 Tons of NPK 17 17 17 Announced Date February 16, 2012 Proposal Due Date April 09, 2012 Opportunity Type: Goods Project Summary

2 IRAQ: Tender - Supply of Gas Chromatography, Mobile Electrical Test Laboratory and Environmental Protection Testing Equipment Announced Date February 10, 2012 Proposal Due Date March 05, 2012 Opportunity Type: Goods

LESOTHO: Rehabilitation and Construction of Urban & Peri-urban Water Supply Project: Package 2– Semonkong Phase 1 Request For Proposals City/Locality: Maseru Publication Date: Feb 23, 2012 Deadline: Apr 6, 2012 Original Language: English Goods, Works and Services • Works for complete or part construction and civil engineering work

LIBERIA: URBAN WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION PROJECT Request For Proposals Edition 2: Feb 19, 2012 (shown) Publication Date: Feb 19, 2012 Deadline: Apr 1, 2012 Original Language: English Goods, Works and Services • Operation of water supplies • Facility related sanitation services

MALI: Tender — support with implementing support measures for hauliers Prior Information Notice City/Locality: BAMAKO Publication Date: Feb 21, 2012 Original Language: French Goods, Works and Services • Road transport services • Support services for road transport

MOROCCO: Tender - Works for the Production of Drinking Water for Rural People of the Province of Safi, Lot No: Water Intake and Treatment Plant SAFI Announced Date February 16, 2012 Proposal Due Date May 09, 2012 Opportunity Type: Works

MOZAMBIQUE: Tender - Final Evaluation, Rehabilitation of the Avenida Milagre Mabote - PRPE II Opportunity Type: Services Proposal Due Date: Mar 01, 2012

NIGER: Tender - Support to Small Scale Irrigation Agriculture in Niger Opportunity Type: Services Express Interest By: Mar 07, 2012

NIGERIA: Tender - Technical Assistance for the Design of a Road Map for the Systematic Development of the Nigerian Solid Minerals Sector Announced Date February 17, 2012 Express Interest By March 02, 2012 Project Summary # Develop a mining transaction road-map for both first-come-first-served and tendered national mineral assets # Assess the sectoral needs and requirements relating to mine infrastructure corridors, including potentials for optimization of railways, roads and power networks and local/municipal services # Build an Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) development roadmap and strategy, including a critical assessment of the progress to-date of ASM # Assess the existing legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks (including The Mining Law, Mining Regulations, Minerals and Metals Policy, the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency, the Mining Cadastre, the Mines Inspectorate, Mines Environmental Compliance, Artisanal and Small Scale Mining) and the level of efficacy and operational efficiency for the achievement of economic growth outcomes. # Review and make input into the work of the National Consultant on identification of alternative funding avenues to execute the Action Plan. # With the leading of the National Consultant, make input on facilitation of implementation of the road map developed

RWANDA: CONSTRUCTION OF 220 kV TRANSMISSION SYSTEM KARONGI (KIBUYE)-RUBAVU (GISENYI)-GOMA-KIGALI AND ASSOCIATED SUBSTATIONS Request For Proposals Publication Date: Feb 19, 2012 Deadline: Feb 27, 2012 Original Language: English 3 Goods, Works and Services • Electrical installation work

RWANDA: Support to Science and Technology Skills Development Project Request For Proposals Publication Date: Feb 19, 2012 Deadline: Apr 2, 2012 Original Language: English Goods, Works and Services • Technical assistance services

RWANDA: CONSTRCUTION WORKS OF ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLEX HEADQUARTERS FOR THE RWANDA NATIONAL POLICE AT KACYIRU Request For Proposals City/Locality: KIGALI Publication Date: Feb 22, 2012 Deadline: Apr 10, 2012 Original Language: English Goods, Works and Services • Building completion work

SENEGAL: Tender - Integrated Management Project of Water Resources and Multiple Usage Targets in the Senegal River Basin (PGIRE/OMVS): Project Activities for the Cercle De Bafoulabé, Kayes Region Announced Date February 16, 2012 Express Interest By March 15, 2012 Opportunity Type: Services Project Summary - l’achat d’au moins 110000 plants agro-forestiers fruitiers et forestiers et/ou le suivi et l’encadrement des prestataires locaux pour la production et/ou l’acheminement des plants aux bénéficiaires (sélectionnés selon les critères préétablis) ; Sélection, formation et encadrement de prestataires locaux pour la production de plants et la réalisation de travaux connexes (transport de plants, plantation et entretien d’exploitations agro-forestières fruitières et forestières) ; Encadrement, suivi et coordination de la réalisation d’au moins 1000 ha de plantations (agro-forestières, fruitières et forestières) ; Elaboration, validation et diffusion du plan d’IEC pour la promotion de bonne pratiques d’ d’agroforesterie et DRS/CES

SENEGAL: Tender - Study on Regional Strategic Assessment (ERS) Options and Hydro-Electric Development of Water Resources in the Senegal River Basin Announced Date February 16, 2012 Express Interest By March 12, 2012 Opportunity Type: Services Project Summary •Analyse des besoins en énergie •Identification des options d’électrification •Evaluation de l’impact cumulatif •Analyse de l’impact des changements climatiques •Criblage (Screening) des nouvelles options d’électrification, de transport et de développement des ressources en eau •Analyse des risques financiers, économiques, environnementaux et sociaux •Analyse comparative des options d’électrification, du transport, de la navigation et le développement des ressources en eau •Préparation du rapport

SWAZILAND: CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT AND SUPERVISION Request For Expressions of Interest Publication Date: Feb 23, 2012 Deadline: Mar 7, 2012 Original Language: English Assignments • Construction management services • Construction supervision services

SWAZILAND: Upgrading of secondary roads in Hhohho District, Swaziland — Mananga–Sihhoye road (14 km) Request For Proposals City/Locality: MBABANE Publication Date: Feb 23, 2012 Deadline: Mar 9, 2012 Original Language: English Goods, Works and Services • Roadworks • Road construction works

4 SWAZILAND: Upgrading of the St Phillips road (D50) from km 11,3 to St Phillips, link road to the MR8, and drainage structures Contract Award Goods, Works and Services • Roadworks • Road construction works Value of the contract: 12 983 534,14 EUR. Number of tenders received: 5. Name, address and nationality of successful tenderer: - Construções Gabriel A.S. Couto, SA. Rua de São João de Pedra Leital 1000, 4770-464 Requião, Villa Nova de Famalicão, PORTUGAL.

TUNISIA: Tender - ENPI - Purchase, Installation and Commissioning of Test Equipment for the Construction Products Laboratory General Procurement Notice Opportunity Type: Goods

UGANDA: DESIGN, SUPPLY AND CONSTRUCTION OF 33KV DISTRIBUTION POWER LINES AND ASSOCIATED LOW VOLTAGE NETWORKS IN PRIORITY RURAL ELECTRIFICATION PROJECT AREAS OF: LOT 1: GULU, ACHOLIBUR AND ENVIRONS LOT 2: OPETA, ACHOKORA AND ENVIRONS Request For Proposals Publication Date: Feb 23, 2012 Deadline: Apr 17, 2012 Original Language: English Goods, Works and Services • Construction work for electricity power lines EARLY WARNING & PROSPECTIVES SADC

Angola: Scrap Metal Processing Capacity Estimated at 120,000 Tonnes — The State secretary for Industry, Kiala Gabriel, said Thursday in Luanda the country has an installed capacity to process 120,000 tonnes of scrap metal per year. Angola: Company Builds Industrial Centre in Cuvango ANGOP 18 February 2012 — At least six processing factories will be built in the future industrial hub of Cuvango district, 317 kilometres east off Lubango city, southern Huila province, by the Angolan company Ali-Terra- Angop learnt Saturday from the chairperson of the firm, José Arsenio Salvaterra, the official said it is a industrial unit for production of animal feed, ceramics, vegetable oil, soap, bottled water, animals (pigs and poultry), as well as a 24-room hotel. MADAGASCAR: Experts question Madagascar's bid to tap wind energy SCIDEV NEWS Rivonala Razafison 21 February 2012 - Madagascar is aiming to plug its energy gap and reduce its carbon emissions by encouraging a major investment in large-scale wind-turbines, the country's interim president, Andry Rajoelina, has announced. "An additional 50 megawatts [from wind power] could be available by the end of the year," he said last month (11 January). Unofficial figures put the cost of the initiative at US$80 million. But the project has faced criticism from local experts who claim the country has better renewable energy options. To push the wind project forward, a special unit has been established in the office of the president, and the government will halve taxes in the 2012/13 financial year on imported equipment such as rotors for wind turbines to attract private sector involvement. The tax benefits will extend to hydropower turbines and solar panels, but the main thrust of the government's move is focused on expanding the wind energy sector. Rajoelina said technologies currently used to produce electricity on the island are outdated and environmentally hazardous because of carbon emissions and pollution. WHILE HE GASPS AND CUTS THE ROSEWOOD TREES FOR EXPORT More than 110 diesel power stations currently supply 296.5 megawatts of the total installed capacity of 428.1 megawatts, according to Jiro sy Rano Malagasy, the national water and electricity company. The Energy Options for Madagascar conference in Antananarivo, held in December, heard that Madagascar's electricity need is expected to reach 700 megawatts by 2030. "Wind energy is not a realistic solution for us. It is not suitable for local conditions," said Minoson Rakotomalala, a renewable energy expert at the University of Antananarivo. He warned that installing the large turbines usually found in a wind farm requires a lengthy preliminary study, which has not been done. It is difficult to control for the wind speed, and usually turbine rotors are built for the airflow characteristics of a location, Rakotomalala said. Local technicians do not have the know-how for systems that exceed 20 kilowatts, added Hary Andriatavy, acting executive secretary of the Rural Electrification Development Agency. Instead of importing costly infrastructure, the country should make micro-wind power stations from locally available materials, he said. Small-scale wind power projects have been successful in northern Madagascar, and are expected to grow, according to Andriatavy. "Southern Madagascar has huge potential for wind power," added Vony Ramboaharison, marketing director at Energie Technologie, a company based in Antananarivo that supplies equipment for the renewable energy 5 market. Rakotomalala agreed that wind energy could work in some areas of Madagascar, but said it should be the last option as the country has great potential in hydropower, followed by tidal energy, biomass, biogas and geothermal energy. To date, only 1.6 per cent of the existing hydropower capacity — estimated at eight gigawatts — is being exploited, while other sources are barely developed, he said. GET READY FOR A BIG PLAY ON MADAGASCAR, THE HUGE GAS BLOCKS IN THE MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL ARE ALL NEIGHBOURS TO THE MALAGASY SIDE WITH ALREADY CONFIRMED STRIKES MOZAMBIQUE: Construction and modernisation of airports in Mozambique to cost another US$500 million February 22nd, 2012 – The newspaper said that part of that investment was already being used for construction of new airports in Pemba, Nacala and Tete, as well as for modernisation of Maputo International Airport, and so far around US$200 million has been invested in the airport system. The chairman of Aeroportos de Moçambique, Manuel Veterano, said that the fall in the number of domestic passengers was because Mozambican airline LAM was facing difficulties, in terms of its aircraft, as well as being due to the high cost of tickets. Veterano also said that this year the second phase of modernisation of Maputo International Airport would be finished and the start of test operations at the domestic terminal would begin. He also noted that construction of Nacala airport was also due to begin. (macauhub) MOZAMBIQUE: Natural gas discoveries in Mozambique attract big investments - 20 Feb – Recent discoveries of natural gas in Mozambique are on a “world level” and boost the country’s potential as a large energy producer in Africa and attracting billions of dollars in foreign investments, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). “The development of gas and other hydrocarbon resources, including oil, will have big implications for Mozambique, producing new substantial sources of revenues for the government and reducing the importance of foreign aid and, as a result, the capacity of donors to put pressure on governance,” said the British economists. US oil company Anadarko Petroleum, which is exploring the sea off the province of Cabo Delgado (northern Mozambique), announced in mid January that natural gas reserves found in the area total between 15 trillion and 30 trillion cubic feet, “a resource on a world level,” that is almost three times the size initially estimated. The company, which leads a consortium of Japanese, Indian and British investors also plans to set up a natural gas liquefaction unit and an export terminal, in which the expected investment, of US$18 billion by 2018, will be the biggest ever in Mozambique. However, most of this investment will be applied outside Mozambique and will have “few links” to the poorly developed services and industrial sectors in the country, according to the EIU. Alongside this other “substantial discoveries” were made recently in gas exploration, mainly by Italy’s ENI, which announced in November it had identified a “gigantic” gas field with total estimated reserves of 22 trillion cubic feet. Other large international groups such as Malaysia’s Petronas and South Africa’s Sasol, are also involved in the development of the natural gas industry in Mozambique. “The recent discoveries of vast quantities of natural gas in the sea mean that the hydrocarbon sector, which also includes coal, is preparing to become the main driving force behind growth,” the report said. (macauhub) Mozambique: Anadarko Anounces Further Gas Discovery AIM 21 February 2012 — The Texas-based Anadarko Petroleum Corporation on Tuesday announced that it has discovered even more natural gas in Offshore Area 1 in the Rovuma Basin off the northern Mozambican coast. The latest discovery, in the Lagosta- 3 appraisal well, was found to have about 577 total net feet of natural gas pay in multiple zones. According to Anadarko executive Bob Daniels, "the partnership's successful appraisal drilling continues to confirm and expand the world-class nature of this massive natural gas accumulation offshore Mozambique". Anadarko intends to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Mozambique (by cooling natural gas until it liquefies it is possible to ship the LNG to market in huge cryogenic tankers). This will require huge investment, and every new gas discovery will make it easier for the company to raise the funds. By the end of 2013, Anadarko will have invested three billion US dollars in the Rovuma Basin. If it goes ahead with the LNG plant, total investment could reach 18 billion dollars by 2018, the earliest possible date for starting production. Mozambique: Vietnamese Promise Investment in Nampula AIM 21 February 2012 — Over 30,000 hectares of land will be made available to Vietnamese investors in the northern Mozambican province of Nampula, according to a report in Tuesday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias". The head of the delegation, Truong Tan Thieu, said the agro-ecological conditions in the three districts were extremely good for cassava, cashews and timber, and the deep water port of Nacala is within easy distance for exports. Under the latest agreement the Nampula authorities will grant the Vietnamese investors 10,000 hectares in Mogovolas for planting cashew trees, and 30 hectares on which a cashew processing plant will be built. In Ribaue, 20,000 hectares will be made available for cassava production, and in Meconta the Vietnamese will be granted a forestry concession, and areas to install sawmills and other timber processing equipment. Mozambique: Rare Earth Targets Identified in Tete AIM 20 February 2012 — The Australian company Kimberley Rare Earths Ltd (KRE) has announced the identification of "multiple heavy rare earth oxide (HREO) targets" at its Malilongue project in the western Mozambican province of Tete. Malilongue is about 300 kilometres west of Tete city, near the Zambian border. The area has not previously been subject to any systematic mineral exploration. A release from KRE states that high resolution aeromagnetic and radiometric data from the company's joint venture partner, Great Western Mining, from flights made in 2008, "has been acquired and reprocessed to reveal considerable heavy rare earth potential within the project tenure". Mozambique to start work on Nacala coal terminalFebruary 24 2012 By Reuters - Mozambique expected construction of a coal terminal at the northern port of Nacala to start in the next few months, with the aim of 6 having it operational in two to three years, Prime Minister Aires Ali said in Tokyo yesterday. He expected Nacala to have a total capacity of 25 million tons of coal a year, including the planned terminal exclusively for coal. Brazil’s Vale said earlier this year that it was planning to spend $4.4 billion (R33.8bn) to build the terminal and a 912km railway line connecting its coal mine with the port. The railway and port will initially be able to move 18 million tons of coal a year to meet Vale’s rising demand for export capacity. Separately, Japan is conducting a feasibility study on improving the capacity and operation of the port, including terminals for coal. Meanwhile, a spokesman for Sumitomo said the Japanese trading house and Toyo Engineering might invest $1.2bn in Mozambique over the next four years to build a fertiliser plant. MOZAMBIQUE: Six new minerals identified in Cabo Delgado province, Mozambique February 24th, 2012 new mineral deposits have been recorded in Cabo Delgado province in northern Mozambique, the provincial director for Mining Resources told Macauhub Thursday in Maputo, Nguiraze said that the minerals found were grenadines, aquamarines, tourmalines, blue topaz and green tourmalines. Also according to Nguiraze, gold was found in the Namuno district and a more detailed assessment was underway to determine how much was available. The provincial director also said that some companies had already presented the documentation needed to explore the new mining resources. (macauhub) Mozambique suspends Tete licencing - Mozambique will not issue any more new coal prospecting licences for its Tete province, where the likes of Rio Tinto and Vale have started a global rush in search for coking coal, the national mining inspector said on Friday. Mozambique: Pipeline for Gas Imports Ready By April AIM 20 February 2012 - A pipeline that will allow ships to unload domestic gas at Maputo port should be complete by April this year, according to Manuel Braga, general director of IMOPETRO, the company that imports fuel for Mozambique. Cited in Monday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias", Braga said the pipeline will allow Mozambique to end its dependence on imports of gas overland, in trucks or by rail, from South Africa. The pipeline at the port is about two kilometres long. Investments have also been made making it possible to store an additional 6,000 cubic metres of gas. Namibia: Okahandja Airport Off the Cards - The plans have failed to materialise, however. The Okahandja municipality's chief executive officer, Ripanda Meroro, told The Namibian that the construction of the airport is "off the cards for now." Meroro said he was not sure why the development had stalled, but it appeared that Horus Wings had been unable to secure the required financial backing. Namibia: Billion-Dollar Bahnhof Plan Balloons With Retailer Interest - DUE to a good response from prospective retailers wanting to do business in Swakopmund, the N$1,2 billion 'Bahnhof Square and Lifestyle Centre' project will have to be 5 000sqm bigger than the original 15 000sqm plan introduced in December last year by local businessmen Steven Skoppelitus and Paulo Shipoke's 'Stacks Property 37' in partnership with TransNamib. Construction is still set to begin in the middle of 2012. Namibia: Road Construction Boosts Small and Medium Enterprise Sector NAMIBIAN 20 February 2012 OSHIKUKU - The construction of gravel roads by labour-based methods provides a unique opportunity for small and medium enterprise (SME) contractors to enter into the road construction business. Works and Transport Minister Erkki Nghimtina said this at the Oshikuku Constituency in the Omusati Region on Friday during the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a 23km gravel road stretching from Oshikuku to Ekangolinene in the Etayi Constituency. He used the same platform to award certificates to SME contractors participating in the road construction business in the country, and urged them to do proper constructions. The SME contractors issued with certificates are ex-mayor of Oshakati Katrina Shimbulu, Peya Kamosho, Epafras Iipinge, Erastus Christoph, Sindano Hango, Pius Malakia, Stallion Skywer, Maria Mutota, Magdalena Richter and Aaron Mutumbulua. The construction of that road, according to Nghimtina, will be a challenge for the main contractor, Nexus Civil Contractors, and its four SME sub-contractors - Shipiki Multi-Enterprise, Triple V Trading Enterprise, Nadie Construction and LNB Goliath Construction cc - as it crosses some oshanas. The Oshikuku-Ekangolinene gravel road construction project will cost over N$38 million, and is scheduled to be completed by February 2013. PLENTY OF CASH HERE FOR ‘NAMIBIAN COSTS’ SOUTH AFRICA: Engen exporting bitumen while local industry will be lucky to get 30% of requirements ENG NEWS By: Irma Venter 24th February 2012 - Why is Engen exporting bitumen, when there is a severe shortage of the product in South Africa, asks Much Asphalt CEO Phillip Hechter. “The current bitumen situation is critical. We are lucky to get 30% of our requirements,” he tells Engineering News. “Engen this month exported 4 000 t of bitumen, while they dribble down one or two loads to the local industry.” The acute shortage of bitumen in South Africa – owing largely to maintenance complications at local refineries – came to light last year. Made from crude oil, bitumen is used to produce asphalt, which is used in road construction – which means the continuation of many local road construction projects is heavily dependent on the supply of bitumen. “We expected things to have improved when we returned in January,” says Hechter, “but then we find out that the Sapref refinery is on an emergency shutdown and that there are problems at Durban’s single-buoy mooring, where 80% of all South Africa’s crude oil imports are offloaded.” The Sapref refinery is the biggest supplier of bitumen in South Africa. “We are so frustrated that we don’t know what to do,” says Hechter. “Some of the smaller guys will close their doors if this continues. The industry is on its knees. Engen knows there is a crisis, but yet they export bitumen. “They say they are exporting a lower-specification product, but we have asked them to supply this to us for tests to see if we cannot use it.” 7 Hechter adds that the bitumen industry may be forced to ask government to intervene and block all bitumen exports in situations where internal demand far outstrips supply. Responding, Engen Petroleum group communications manager Tania Landsberg says that as an international company with subsidiary companies in 18 African countries, Engen “remains committed to meeting all its customer contractual commitments at all times.” However, Engen’s bitumen is primarily sourced from the company’s refinery in Durban, which means it has to satisfy demand in all these 18 countries. “Bitumen that is in excess of our contracted customer requirements is sold on the open market. It is only this excess production that becomes available to local competitors, at market rates, to meet any temporary shortfall. SOUTH AFRICA: Engen, Shell agree to pay penalties in bitumen cartel case ENG NEWS By: Idéle Esterhuizen 21st February 2012 - The Competition Commission has reached settlement agreements with oil companies Engen Petroleum and Shell South Africa Marketing after they admitted to having fixed the price of bitumen. Engen agreed to pay a penalty of R28.8-million and Shell would cough up R26.3-million, the commission said in a statement on Tuesday. The price fixing was done by collectively determining and agreeing on pricing principles, including a starting reference price and monthly price adjustment mechanism. The settlement agreements followed the commission’s referral on March 4, 2010 of its findings against the Southern Africa Bitumen Association (SABITA) and seven major oil companies namely, Chevron SA, Engen, Shell, Total SA, Masana Petroleum Solutions, Sasol and Tosas to the tribunal for adjudication. Tanzania: Capital City Set to Get Better Roads, Drainage The Citizen (Dar es Salaam) By Daniel Msangya, 22 February 2012 - Dodoma is one of seven urban centres earmarked for the Tanzania strategic cities project, which aims at improving the urban road infrastructure under the auspices of the World Bank and the government of Denmark. Some Sh40 billion has been approved for the construction of tarmac roads, bus stations and a drainage system, according to the Tanzania Roads Agency (Tanroads) Dodoma regional manager, Engineer Leonard Chimagu. The other towns are Tanga, Arusha, Mwanza, Kigoma, Mbeya and Mtwara. The project will focus on local government authority management and development project proposals. "The Dodoma municipal council is expected to spend a total of Sh17.5 billion, including Sh12 billion for road rehabilitation. Another Sh5.4 billion will go into constructing the regional bus terminal and a dump site in the Chidaya area and rehabilitating workshops," Engineer Chimagu said.Another Sh22.79 billion will be spent on road construction and a sewerage system. According to Engineer Chimagu, Dodoma municipal council will handle the construction of Chamwino- Chang'ombe and Chamwino-Nkuhungu roads along with SMEC International. This is expected to cost Sh12 billion. The roads board was told that a drainage system between Nkuhungu and Mwangaza, a stretch of 6.243 kilometres, will cost Sh3.5 billion while the Kisasa and Chang'ombe community roads, a stretch of 11.8 kilometres and 2.7 kilometres respectively, will cost a total of Sh10.9 billion. Other road connections likely to benefit include Kikuyu community, Area "A", Mwanza and Kondo and Hospital to Independence Square to Mwangaza Road and Central. Tanzania: Act On Irrigation Schemes The Citizen (Dar es Salaam) 20 February 2012 - News that the construction of Mkungungu Irrigation Scheme in Iringa has finally been finished is a highly welcome development.The Iringa District Council can be proud of its achievement. The scheme will, without doubt, spur agricultural activities and boost food security in the locality. The people of Isimani Division are now celebrating the opportunity that the Sh1.2 billion dam brings. But lack of a reliable water supply has for many years hindered the efforts of farmers countrywide to become self sufficient in food. Tanzania is very much an agriculture-dependent nation in the sense that over 80 per cent of the population depends on the sector for survival. The country has the potential to feed itself and even export enough food to cover the needs of EAC. According to official reports, Tanzania has huge potential for irrigation. We have over five million hectares under cultivation but only a paltry 0.2 per cent of this is under irrigation. The national irrigation masterplan should focus on ensuring planned schemes are rolled out without delay. If we continue to rely on donor funding, we should not be surprised if the plan itself falls behind schedule. Tanzania: Oil Firm Invites Locals to Venture in Exploration Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam) By Alvar Mwakyusa, 21 February 2012 - SWALA Oil and Gas (Tanzania) Limited signed two Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) with the government on Monday for exploration of natural gas and oil in Pangani and Kilosa-Kilombero basins, setting a precedent as the first company in the industry to incorporate local Tanzania: Construction Boom Enhances Prospects of Cement Business - According to one of the major producers in the country, Twiga Cement Company, the development in the construction industry has shown that the demand is going up, an indication that there were good prospects in the cement business, in the first week of this year the company distributed 6,200 tonnes of cement daily, an amount that has set a record. Tanzania: Tanga to Kampala Railway Line 'Secures 13,000ha Land' The Citizen (Dar es Salaam) By Victor Karega, 22 February 2012Comment - Tanzania and Uganda have set aside over 13,000ha of land for the construction of a railway line to link Tanga port and Kampala via Musoma port, according to the minister for Transport, Omari Nundu. The minister stated that the joint investment project is estimated to cost over $3 billion (Sh4.8 trillion) and would include construction of an 880km railway line from the Mwambani port (Tanga) to Musoma port and Port Bell in Uganda, according to schedules, feasibility studies are on course and would be ready this April. TANZANIA: BG Group to Invest $20B in Tanzania Gas Exploration - - BG Group PLC plans to invest up to $20 billion to extract gas in Tanzania, The Guardian newspaper reported Wednesday. "We are planning to 8 invest between $10 billion and $20 billion in second half of this decade in gas and the Tanzanian economy," Wilson is quoted as saying. BG has discovered huge reserves of natural gas in three wells, including a deepwater one, in the Indian Ocean, the daily says. Tanzania: Contractors Plead for Fair Taxation Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam) 24 February 2012 LOCAL Contractors have asked Tanzania Revenue Authority to properly supervise its officials to ensure that they fairly and appropriately charge taxes, claiming that some tax collectors do charge excessive taxes to businessmen, including contractors to create loopholes for bribes. The chairperson of the Contractors Registration Board (CRB), Engineer Consolata Ngimbwa made the plea in Dar es Salaam on Thursday when opening a joint meeting on tax education by TRA and Contractors Association of Tanzania (CATA). She noted that honesty on part of the TRA officials would convince businessmen including contractors to be tax compliant. Zambia: Country's Graft Fight Elates Britain, France - THE British and French governments are happy with Zambia's fight against corruption and have pledged their continued financial support to the various sectors of the economy. Zambia: Chinese Steel Firm Invests $26 Million in Expansion - A CHINESE firm, Good Time Steel Zambia Limited, has invested more than US$26 million in its expansion programme involving the establishment of a section which will produce angle iron bars. Zambia: Govt to Remodel KK Airport TIMES OF ZAMBIA 23 February 2012 - GOVERNMENT will soon open up tenders and negotiations for the remodelling of the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka to bring it in line with other international airports across the world. This follows the cancellation of a contract the previous government awarded to Guris Holdings of Turkey for the remodelling of the airport because right procedure was not followed. Tanzania: Tanesco to Spend 10 Billion - to Electrify Bukoba Rural - THE Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco), has earmarked to spend a total of 10bn/-, under the Rural Electrification Project in Bukoba Rural district. Tanzania: Oil, Gas Rush Surges As More Firms Join Race The Citizen (Dar es Salaam) By Ludger Kasumuni, 23 February 2012 - With the entry of new investor Swala Energy Limited in oil and gas exploration recently in the country, statistics show that a total of 26 licences have been issued being the highest number in the East Africa region. The country now has 16 companies engaging in oil and gas exploration activities, which among others include the new entrant Swala Energy, Maurel et Prom of France exploring in Bigwa, Mafia and Mnazi Bay areas; and Ndovu Resources of Australia exploring in Nyuni, east of Songosongo and Ruvuma basin in Mtwara and Lindi regions. Others according to him, are Pan African Energy of UK producing gas at Songosongo Island; Dominion Oil and Gas of UK exploring in Block No. 7 in deep sea; Petrodel Oil and Gas of UK exploring in Dar es Salaam platform; and Latham, Afren of UK exploring in Tanga; while Petrobras of Brazil is exploring in the deep sea blocks 5, 6 and 8. Other companies are Bg of UK and Ophir Energy Company of Australia exploring in the deep sea blocks 1, 3 and 4, Statoil of Norway exploring in the deep water Block 2, Dadsal Resources of United Arabs Amirate exploring in the Ruvu Block and Ophir East Africa of Australia exploring at East Pande in Kilwa district. The list also includes Beach Petroleum of Australia exploring in South Lake Tanganyika, Hydrotanz of Mauritius exploring in North of Mnazi Bay, Heritage Rukwa (Tz) Limited of UK exploring in the Rukwa and Kyela Basins and Motherland Industries Ltd of India exploring in the Malagarasi Basin."Apart from aforementioned companies, there are a number of others enquiring to explore in the open acreage available in the country. Zimbabwe: South Korean Firm Acquires Stake in Maranatha THE HERALD By Bright Madera, 21.02.2012 SOUTH Korean multinational steelmaker Posco said last week it had signed an initial agreement to acquire a take in local ferrochrome-processing company Maranatha from Gurta of Switzerland and Zimbabwe's Anchor Holdings. Posco is the third largest steel-making company in the world. Its latest bid to acquire a stake in Maranatha is in line with the company's strategy of building a solid portfolio of chrome producing assets. Posco imports around 430 000 tonnes of ferrochrome and Zimbabwe has enough chrome ore. Maranatha is the country's third-largest ferrochrome company, with an output capacity of 80 million tonnes a year. It also owns a mine with reserves of 7 million tonnes of chrome. It has a capacity of 28 000 tonnes of ferro-chrome. Major players in chromite production include Zimasco, Zimbabwe Alloys and Maranatha. Government last year banned all chrome ore exports, encouraging the local beneficiation of the ore before exports can be effected. Zimbabwe: New US$13m Hydroelectric Plant Approved Esi.com 21 February 2012 - The Masvingo Rural District Council has approved a US$13-million mini-hydro power project at Lake Mutirikwi in Zimbabwe. The application was made by the Great Zimbabwe Hydro-Power Company, which is jointly owned by a Zimbabwean company, ZOL and its South African partner, New Planet. The company has asked for five hectares of land for the 5 megawatt (MW) hydropower plant, which should be in operation by early 2014. The plant is one of two currently being developed by Zimbabwe. Another 5-MW facility at Tokwe-Murkosi is planned for completion in 2013. Zimbabwe: Construction Sector on the Rebound - Stabilisation of the macro-economic environment following the adoption of multiple foreign currencies in 2009 has allowed the construction sector to slowly emerge from the financial crisis of the past decade, attaining a positive growth of 1 percent in 2011 while a 1,5 percent growth is projected this year. Construction activity is often a useful barometer for underlying business activity in any country's economy. 9 The Government availed a US$25 million facility through the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe for housing projects in various local authorities, a development that saw most construction companies finding work. Some of the housing projects include the Willowvale Flats, Sunway City, Dzivarasekwa and Marimba in Harare, Lower Paradise in Marondera and Parklands in Bulawayo. COMESA

East Africa: New Railway Line to Link Uganda to Tanzania and South Sudan THE MONITOR By Nicholas Kalungi, 22 February 2012 - The planned railway line from Tanzania through Uganda to South Sudan is expected to become Uganda's second direct link to the coastline, the minister of Works and Transport has said. Eng Byandala said the railway will be a link between Tanga and Nimule through Arusha, Musoma, Kampala, Tororo and Gulu. The construction of this railway is expected to start in the second half of this year and will go on up to 2015 with a $3 billion budget that is to be funded by the governments of Uganda and EAST AFRICA: Shell to Expand LNG Portfolio with $1.6B East African Acquisition - Royal Dutch Shell announced Wednesday that it wants to buy East Africa-focused Cove Energy for $1.57 billion (GBP 992 million). The news comes after Cove announced Tuesday that it and its partner Anadarko had discovered further natural gas in the Lagosta field in Mozambique's offshore Rovuma Basin. "However the state linked firms of Korea (KNOC), India (GAIL), and China (CNOOC and/or others) might consider making a higher bid," said oil sector analysts at the bank. "At the end it will probably come down to which party can gain the backing of the Mozambique government." Ethiopia: 'Significant Progress Towards Improving Livelihoods' IPS By Mekonnen Teshome, 21 Feb 2012 Ethiopia says that the double-digit economic growth the country has experienced over the last seven years has started benefitting its majority by boosting their income and productivity in agriculture and small-scale businesses. While the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank state that the country has registered 8.7 percent GDP growth, the government claims the economy has grown by 11.4 percent. Minister of the Office of Government Communication Affairs, Alemayehu Ejigu, said Ethiopia has registered remarkable growth by increasing major crop production from 11.9 percent in 2005 to 18.08 percent by the end of 2010. People's lives are changing for the better in rural and urban areas because of health facilities and infrastructure development, he said. Ejigu also told IPS that the government planned job creation opportunities through the construction of 73,000 kilometres of rural roads. "This would create an opportunity for farmers to easily transport agricultural products to market," Ejigu said. "Although struggling with a large population estimated to be 82 million people, making it the second- most populous country in Sub-Saharan Africa, there has been significant progress towards improving livelihoods. There is notable development." Kenya: Lamu Port Will Change Lives, Says PM DAILY NATION 21 February 2012 - The envisaged Lamu port will change the lives of the local community, Prime Minister Raila Odinga has said. Mr Odinga urged locals to support the project instead of opposing it due to fear of losing land. "This project will change lives here. We are looking at a project with the capacity of the port of Dubai. The land you are talking about is just a drop in the ocean compared to the benefits you will get," he told residents during a tour of the construction site Tuesday where he was accompanied by members of the Cabinet sub-committee on Infrastructure. "Luck knocks once, not twice, and today, luck is knocking on the doors of people of Lamu. As a friend of the people of Lamu, I want to urge you to embrace this project. The benefits will far outweigh the monetary compensation you are asking for." The PM said the port was the most serious project to be undertaken by the government since independence and warned the provincial administration against authorising sale of land in the area. The project is set to be commissioned on March 2 as a joint project of the Governments of Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan. The PM said the road from the port through Garsen to Isiolo would be at par with the Nairobi- Mombasa highway. Earlier, Mr Odinga issued 1,200 title deeds to Siu residents. He said survey works are over and the government will soon be issuing titles in Mokowe, Mpeketoni, Swahili village and Ras Kitau. Kenya: Abattoirs to Be Moved Near Airports Capital FM (Nairobi) By Nderitu Ndegwa, 16 February 2012 The Livestock Ministry intends to build slaughter houses and export trading centers near international airports, as it gears for more aggressive marketing for the United Arab Emirates market. Livestock Minister Mohammed Kuti said the government would invite foreign investors to help build extra tanneries and abattoirs to help get meat and leather products out into the United Arab Emirates which is Kenya's biggest beef market. Kenya: New Bridge to Link Nation, Uganda Nairobi Star (Nairobi) By Reuben Olita, 20 February 2012 The government at the weekend ordered for the immediate construction of a new bridge linking Kenya and Uganda at the Malaba border. Roads minister Franklin Bett made the order following appeals by the Teso North DC Josephine Onunga who said the current bridge is on the verge of collapse. Bett said he had ordered H-Young contractors to embark on the construction of a new bridge, 50 metres from the current one to be used by trucks and other small vehicles. Bett said the current bridge will be used by motorcyclists and human traffic. He also instructed the immediate rehabilitation of the Kenya Revenue Authority customs yard which had several potholes. Kenya: State to Upgrade Namanga Border Nairobi Star (Nairobi) By Kurgat Marindany, 20 February 2012

10 THE Government plans to upgrade Namanga into a one stop border post through the construction of a modern immigration and customs office. The new complex will be constructed on a 30 acre land and 300 traders currently operating on the land will be displaced. Kenya: State Plans Sh10 Billion County Markets to Revive Trade Sector Business Daily (Nairobi) By Mwangi Muiruri, 20 February 2012 - The government plans to spend at least Sh10 billion to build 30 new markets by 2014 in a bid to rejuvenate trade in line with the Vision 2030 development goals. The move is mainly targeted at produce farmers to assist them in accessing organised markets. This will see targeted groups benefit from training, credit programmes and the value chain will be streamlined to remove middlemen between the producers and the consumers. The markets will comprise 10 wholesale hubs and an additional 10 tier-one markets as well as 10 pioneer retail markets.The announcement was made at a recent entrepreneurial workshop for youths, which was held at the University of Nairobi under the theme: "Trade Opportunities: What we are getting right and wrong." Kenya: New Motor Assembling Plant for Nairobi - Chinese motor vehicle maker, Foton, is investing Sh1.6 billion in an assembling plant in Nairobi and several showrooms to be stationed in major towns in the country. Kenya: WB Gives Sh2.5 Billion for Eldoret Slums Upgrade - The funds will be used to improve roads, lighting, water and sanitation services in low class residential areas of the town, including Langas, Huruma and Kidiwa. The council has also received another Sh2.5 billion from the bank and other donors to construct a by- pass and rehabilitate roads in the town. The council will also use another Sh400 million to expand supply of water services in the town. Rono said the council was working with other stakeholders to develop the infrastructure in the town. KENYA: CAMAC Wins Kenyan Blocks - CAMAC Energy Inc. announced that it has entered into a heads of agreement with the Kenyan Ministry of Energy for the award of three exploration blocks: l1A L1B, and L1. Block 11A is an onshore block covering 10,913 square kilometers in northwest Kenya near the Ugandan border. Block L1B is an onshore block covering 4,709 square miles (12,197 square kilometers) in eastern Kenya on the Somali border. Block L16 covers 656 square miles (1,699 square kilometers) onshore and 34 square miles (89 square kilometers) offshore on Kenya's southeast coast. Kenya: Coast Gets a Lowcost Homes Project Nairobi Star (Nairobi) By Maureen Mudi, 22 February 2012 The developer, Elsek-Elsek (K) Ltd, will roll out the units in sets of 2-bedroom (70 square meters) and 3- bedroom (140 sqm) which will be ready for occupation by end-year. The firm ventured into the Kenyan construction market less than three years ago and hopes to make an impact with its new technology. The housing project lies along the Mombasa-Malindi road, afew kilometers from Mtwapa town - a fast growing economic zone within the tourist circuit in Kilifi. The builder says the light steel technology can reduce construction costs by 30 per cent compared to the conventional brick and mortar method. The builder is optimistic that the houses will be ready for occupation before the end of the year. "We have highly qualified personnel on the ground including our engineers whom we have flown all the way from Turkey to work with their Kenyan counterparts in ensuring the project becomes successful within... time," said Mr Erdnic. Kenya: Sh233 Million for Road Repairs in Mombasa Nairobi Star (Nairobi) By Martin Mwita, 22 Febr 2012 Kenya Urban Roads Authority Coast region manager Ibrahim Munene yesterday said work to improve the road network in Mombasa county has begun. Speaking in his office, Munene said tenders worth Sh233 million have been awarded to contractors who will work on 80 roads in the county. He said the projects have been given consent letters with qualified contractors approved for the work. "We have set to improve the roads in the county. Kenya: Building of Lamu Port Docks Starts Next Week DAILY NATION By Galgalo Bocha, 23 Febr 2012 Design work for the first three of Lamu Port's 32 berths is complete, and construction will start after next week's groundbreaking ceremony. Transport permanent secretary Cyrus Njiru said each of the three berths will cover a distance of 240 metres and will be able to accommodate three Post-Panamax ships. Briefing Prime Minister Raila Odinga on the progress of the preliminary works, ahead of the ground breaking ceremony on March 2, Dr Njiru said the berths will be built on Shakalabati Island, which is sandwiched by Manda, Toto and Pate islands. "The berths will be far from Manda Island and the main Lamu Island, which is a world heritage site. "In the beginning, we shall have multi-purpose berths, but as we proceed, we shall have separate berths for containers and conventional cargo," Dr Njiru told the PM. "The three berths will be built in the sea because the island is a natural harbour. We shall also dredge the channel," he added. He also revealed that the water space between Hindi /Magogo and Shakalabati Island will be reclaimed and a causeway built to join the sea port and the transport corridor linking Lamu, Isiolo and Juba in South Sudan. Besides the port, the project incorporates an oil refinery at Lamu and a 1,720-kilometre standard gauge railway line to Juba to handle high speed trains, which can travel at 160km per hour. Also envisioned is a two-lane highway from Lamu through Isiolo to Nakodok, a pipeline to transport crude oil from South Sudan to a refinery in Lamu, three airports at Lamu, Isiolo and Lokichogio and resort cities at Lamu, Isiolo and the shores of Lake Turkana. Rwanda: Country, Uganda to Renovate Border Points - Rwanda and Uganda have agreed to renovate two entry points at Rwempasha, Nyagatare District and Buhita, Burera District, in order to facilitate trade and cooperation between the two countries. Rwanda: Huye Earmarks Rwf900 Million for Street Lights - Huye District has earmarked Rwf900 million for the installation of street lights on several roads and streets in the main town, stretching a distance of 17.3km. According to the district mayor, Eugene Muzuka Kayiranga, the process is set to be carried out in four phases 11 and is expected to be completed in two years. "The first phase will cover Rwabuye-Mukoni road (4.5 Km) and it has already started. We hope it will be completed in the next eight months", Muzuka said. CBS, a local construction company, is executing the works. Other areas to get the lights include; Mukoni-Tumba-Rango (1.3 km) road, city centre-Matyazo (3.5km) and city centre-Taba (8km). SOMALIA: Horn Petroleum Drills Ahead at Dharoor Block February 23, 2012 - Horn Petroleum Corporation provided the following update on its exploration activities in Puntland, Somalia. Horn Petroleum is currently drilling its first exploration well in the Dharoor Valley Block. Upon completion of drilling the Shabeel-1 well, the rig will move to the Shabeel North-1 well, where 30 inch conductor pipe is in place and a 164 feet (50 meter) pilot hole has already been drilled. These two wells represent the first oil exploration wells to be drilled in the country in over 20 years and will satisfy the first exploration period drilling commitments as required under the Production Sharing Contracts for both the Dharoor and Nugaal Blocks. In order to provide for sufficient time to evaluate drilling results, the Puntland Government has granted an extension of the first exploration period expiry date to October 17, 2012. The Puntland Government and Dharoor Valley communities are fully supportive of the drilling project and have ensured the Corporation that they will do all necessary to allow the project to move forward safely and expeditiously. SOUTH SUDAN: Total in Talks to Resume Oil Search in South Sudan - French-owned oil marketer Total has entered into negotiations to set up laws which will enable it to develop oil resources in South Sudan. Speaking in Nairobi on Tuesday, Total Kenya managing director Alexis Vovk said officials are already in the southern country to assess the situation and develop a framework for submission to the South Sudan authorities. "We have had an oil concession in South Sudan for several years but have not exercised our rights over it because of the political crisis the country was in. Following separation of South Sudan from the North, we intend to use the prevailing situation to resume exploration activities," said Mr Vovk. South Sudan: Juba to Reviews Oil Contracts after Expelling Petrodar Chief - South Sudan on Wednesday said it has started reviewing all oil contracts signed by the government of neighboring Sudan before the region's independence, one day after Juba expelled the head of a Chinese oil company. Prior to the expulsion of PETRONAS chief, South Sudan threatened to expel Chinese companies operating in its territories if they are proven to be complicit with Khartoum in what Juba terms the stealing of South Sudan's oil. "They cannot have it both ways. Cooperate with Khartoum in stealing oil and at the same time pretends to be partners with us. It does not work like that" South Sudan's oil minister Stephen Dhieu told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday. Some Sudanese officials have argued that South Sudan's threats against Chinese companies are part of a conspiracy to replace them with Western companies. China is the biggest buyer of Sudanese oil and has good relations with the government in Khartoum. THAT WOULD BE FRENCH AND AMERICAN OF COURSE South Sudan: Japanese Engineers Join UN Mission to Build Roads and Bridges UN NEWS SERVICE 21 February 2012 - A Japanese engineering contingent has arrived in South Sudan to join the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the young country and help build roads and bridges in areas with very little basic infrastructure. The group of 120 engineers from the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force (GSDF) follows the arrival of an advance team of 34 logisticians from Japan last month, the mission (UNMISS) reported yesterday. By next month a full contingent of 330 engineers will be in place, as will road rollers, excavators, bulldozers and water tankers. South Sudan: Ethiopia, Kenya and Country to Jointly Fund New Oil Pipeline SUDAN TRIBUNE - By Tesfa-Alem Tekle, 20 February 2012 - Addis Ababa — The cost of a massive a transportation corridor project aimed to link Kenya to South Sudan and Ethiopia will be shared among the three east African countries, according to a report. The $22billion dollar Lamu-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor project is expected to be launched next month. To cope up financial constraints, the LAPSSET master plan report has proposed that the subjects - Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia should share part of the project cost, although the countries are seeking an external finance source. The groundbreaking ceremony will be held on 2 March in the presence of President mwai Kibaki of Kenya, Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, and South Sudan president, Salva Kiir. The project's main section is the Lamu Port, which will have a road network linking Kenya with its neighbours Ethiopia and South Sudan but it also incorporates a port at Manda Bay, a standard gauge railway line to Juba, oil pipelines, an oil refinery at Bargoni and three Airports. Once completed the Lamu transportation corridor will considerably advance transportation network, boost the volume of cross-border trade across the region playing a vital role in socio-economic development. It will also open business and investment opportunities and further will have enormous savings on transport and shipping costs as well as transit time. Africa's newest nation wants a pipeline (1,288 km long in Kenya, 427 km in Southern Sudan) with a capacity of 500,000 barrels per day completed within 18 months. UGANDA: Tullow Oil Completes $2.9 Billion Farm-Down to CNOOC and Total Feb.21 - Tullow Oil plc announced the completion of the $2.9bn farm-down of 66.6 percent of its Ugandan licences to China's CNOOC and France's Total, UGANDA: Tower Hits Duster in Uganda - Sub-Saharan Africa-focused oil explorer Tower Resources announced Thursday that its Mvule-1 exploration well on Uganda License EA5 has come up dry after the well reached its total depth of 1,935 feet (590 meters). No significant hydrocarbon shows were encountered over the zone of interest and electric wireline logging and fluid sampling confirmed that the well was water bearing. The well is now being plugged and abandoned, said 12 Tower. The firm's management commented that although the generation of oil in the license has been established, the largest structures have now been drilled and no commercial reserves have been found. ECOWAS

GHANA: Local-Built Ferry Launched in Ghana - A ferry built by Egypt's Arab Contractors Company for the government of Ghana was launched on Thursday. The Egyptian company has won a US$9.484 million contract to build two ferries in Ghana and the one launched today is the first of them, according to the Egyptian ambassador. The construction of the two ferries has taken place at the floating dock-yard of the Volta Lake Transport (VLTC) Limited at Akosombo in the Eastern Region. Work in the second ferry is reportedly almost complete and it is expected to be launched in two months' time Guinea: IMF Approves Three-Year, US $198.9 Million Extended Credit Facility - The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today approved a new arrangement for Guinea under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) in an amount equivalent to SDR 128.52 million (about US$198.9 million). Liberia: Construction of Explosive Factory in Liberia to Begin Next Month - Construction work for an 'Explosive Factory' for the mining sector is expected to begin in Liberia next month. The construction of the Explosive Factory will be carried out by a Nigerian investor. Liberia: Potentially Significant Oil Discovery 21 February 2012 - The National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) welcomes the announcement by African Petroleum that their Narina-1 exploratory well drilled in Block LB-09 off the coast of Liberia indicated a potentially large accumulation of oil deposits, while emphasising that development of any discovery will take several years. Although early indications are positive, the exact extent of the deposits found in LB-09 is not yet known. African Petroleum will now conduct tests to further evaluate the quantity of the oil discovered, a process expected to take several months. This evaluation will indicate whether the deposits are in sufficient quantity to be commercially viable for production. Once appraised, the deposits will then take five to seven years until production can begin. Nigeria seeks US$3b loan from China 22 february Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigeria is seeking a loan of US$3 billion from China to complete what it calls ongoing priority projects in several sectors, including agriculture, aviation and power. Nigeria: Sports Minister Unveils NFA Building Plan - Minister of sports has unveiled the building plan for the corporate headquarters for the Nigeria Football Association (NFA). The building which will be constructed for a whopping sum of N336, 321, 111.00, is a three storey building and will be sited at the Package B of the Abuja National Stadium, Abuja. Unveiling the plan yesterday, the minister said the building which will be executed by Paul-B Construction firm is to be completed within 52 weeks. Nigeria: Transcorp, Symbion Partner On Energy Venture - Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp) and Symbion Power, a US-based energy firm, have entered into a partnership aimed at significantly increasing investments in the energy sector. "Symbion Power has run successful ventures across the Middle East and in Tanzania, where it currently has agreements to provide power to TANESCO, the local power utility. The firm has an innovative business methodology focused on building capacity and training, which it tailors to meet each country's unique needs. "Symbion Power is known for working closely with local subcontractors and engineers in its projects, which helps transfer knowledge and value to the community," the statement said. Nigeria: FG in China, Seeks U.S.$3 Billion for Agric, Rail, Airport Projects THIS DAY By Kunle Aderinokun, 22 February 2012 - Beijing — The Federal Government is currently discussing with the Chinese government and its agencies with a view to securing about $3 billion (N480 billion) to complete on-going 'priority projects' across the country. Okonjo-Iweala disclosed that the $3 billion proposed credit line included $500 million financing for four new terminals in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano and $500 million to complete the Abuja light rail projects. She added that another $500 million meant for agriculture and $171 million for the completion of Bauchi independent power plant project as well as $100 million to complete Galaxy backbone project, were also included in the Chinese facility. About $500 million is required to construct four new airport terminals in Kano, Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt. "We are also looking at railway modernisation projects. Again, this has started with the minister of transport so that we can finish setting key lines that on-going Kano-Maiduguri, Lagos-Ibadan, amongst others that need to be modernised. "Besides, we are looking at aviation, to be able to construct some new terminals in our major airports, Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt and Abuja. So these are very concrete and specific projects. "The minister of agriculture is also looking at how to support the ambitious programme of rice production that we have in the country and job creation in the agriculture sector, with particular respect to rice milling and getting rice milling capacity, so that when we produce, we will be able to process," she added. In addition, Orubebe, who was in the delegation for financing to complete infrastructural projects in the Niger Delta region, noted: "The east-west road project was awarded in 2006 and it was only in 2009 that we are able to put things straight. From 12 per cent to 49 per cent completion, the issue has been lack of fund and we cannot take all of them; we want to see that the segment between Warri and Oron is completed. There are other projects that can go along with the annual budget.

13 Nigeria: Why We Are Building the Tallest Tower in Africa – Okorocha DAILY TRUST By Fidelis Mac-Leva, 22 February 2012 - In the last two weeks, we awarded a contract for the building of a tower called 'The Hand of God.' It is going to be the tallest tower in Africa, if not in Africa and Europe. Why are we embarking on this project? We want to attract the world to Imo State and its emoluments. Just like we have the Ivory tower in Paris, and the Washington tower, this one is higher than this. We also have a new city we are building near the Concord hotel. Like you know we have a Downtown in New York, then you begin to think that way and it will work that way. This administration in our four years development plan has earmarked the building of 15 new industries which will be Agro-based industries in Imo State. By the end of this administration, I am sure we are going to create more jobs by establishing more industries which we have started with basically four or three for now. As I speak to you now, in Arondizuogu, the rice plantation is coming up. We are replicating another Imo plant plantation in Amadiopara and Okporo West. We believe that the Agro-based industry is good and that is where the Imo State government is looking at now. Nigeria: 25 Contractors Face Senate Over Fraud in FCT Road Projects DAILY TRUST By Isiaka Wakili, 22 February 2012 - Twenty five contractors are expected to appear today before the Senate over alleged fraud in Kubwa and Airport roads projects. The chairman of Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senator Smart Adeyemi (PDP, Kogi West), told journalists that the contractors including Julius Berger, Dantata & Sawoe, Setraco, were summoned to answer queries on the alleged inflation of the cost of the projects. "By asking us to forgive them when we queried them recently, some of the contractors admitted that they inflated the contract. But we are summoning them in order to expose the institutionalised corruption in the construction industry. We want Nigerians to know how their money is being spent. The construction industry is reaping of Nigeria," Adeyemi said. He said the construction companies engage in corruption by using locally available materials even though such materials had been paid for in the bill of quantity approved for such contracts. Senator Adeyemi said the construction firms would appear before the committee today at 3p.m. where they are to provide details of all road contracts awarded to them in the FCT and the amount of local materials, such as granite, laterite and bitumen used for the contracts. 'When a road project is awarded, the construction companies submit a bill of quantity of all items to be used. But when they get to site, they excavate some of these materials and they don't pay for them. 'Billions of Naira are being siphoned out of the country annually. In the construction industry, there is institutionalised corruption. I am not in doubt that over N500billion would have been siphoned over the years,' the senator said. He said apart from the oil industry, road construction is the shortest way to make money in Nigeria, adding that the construction companies are reaping off the country as government is made to pay for materials that are sourced locally. 'Construction companies quote for new equipment when bidding for contracts and when they complete execution, they carry them away,' he explained. Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and six other companies handling road projects within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday shunned the Senate Committee investigating the alleged inflation of contract. Other companies that did not appear are M/S Biwater Nigeria Ltd, M/S Sarplast Nigeria Ltd, M/S Cat Construction Company, M/S Diamond Development Nigeria Ltd, M/S Coan W.A. Ltd and M/S New Tiger Head Nigeria Ltd. The chairman of the Senate Committee on FCT Smart Adeyemi (PDP, Kogi West) said the companies would be sanctioned, describing their non-appearance as an insult to the Senate. He also flayed construction companies in the country for underpaying their workers, saying that "many of these workers earn as low as N12,000 monthly which is far below the new minimum wage of N18,000". "We've also discovered that most of these companies violate the indigenization policy mandating them to have Nigerians as 60 percent of their management staff, and that most of the companies have no traceable addresses," he added. Nigeria: Anambra Joins League of Oil Producing States — AFTER many years of waiting, all is ready for Anambra State to join the league of oil producing states in Nigeria as the Orient Petroleum Resources Plc is to commence the production of crude oil in the state. Nigeria: River Niger Dredging - Issues,Ideas Keep Clashing Leadership (Abuja) By Isah Ramat, 20 February 2012 - After over 44 years in incubation, the dredging of River Niger was flagged off on September 10, 2009. The project crystallises the federal government's unwavering determination to tackle the country's infrastructure and development challenges. But three years later, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the 152 benefiting communities across eight cooperating states have different views on the economically viable project. The dredged Lower River Niger cuts across Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Edo states; others are Imo, Anambra, Kogi and Niger states, covering 152 communities. Seven main inland ports to decongest the Lagos and Port Harcourt ports have also been identified .A maritime institute would be established at Onitsha as well as five river ports at Warri, Onitsha, Idah, Lokoja and Baro. The NIWA has the mandate to manage the nation's waterways. It remains the chief coordinator of the dredging and the port construction. The authority is also responsible for the operation of passenger ferry services, jetties and dockyards as well as the issuance and control of licenses for inland navigation, river jetties and dockyards. President Goodluck Jonathan recently approved the opening of access navigational channels from the bifurcation to Port Harcourt (deep sea port) and from Lokoja to Makurdi (Benue River).

14 The NIWA boss said the peculiarities of the 572-km "aquatic highway" on the river Niger through dredging mandated its division into lots using natural boundaries. They are also of different mileages as follows:- Lot 1: Warri to Bifurcation 154 km Lot 2: Bifurcation to Onitsha 116km Lot 3: Onitsha to Idah 118km Lot 4: Idah to Jamata 108km Lot 5: Jamata to Baro 76km Each lot has been awarded to a consultant and a contractor for the purpose of execution. Haskoning Engineering Consult Nigeria Ltd is the consultant for Lot 1 while Jayuda Int Ltd is the consultant for Lot 2. Dredging and Marine Consultants Ltd is the consultant to Lot 3 while Enplan Group is the consultant to Lot 4. Lot 5's consultant is Mssrs Williams Lloyds Technical Company. He explained that the project is made up of capital dredging which consist of opening of navigation channels, construction of sand dams, widening of creek routes, straightening of over-developed meanders and stocking of excess stand and derocking which involves blasting of rock outcrops and removal of blasted debris. Yar'Adua says construction of engineering structures such as bottom panels, groynes, dykes and barrages, break waters and revetments, used to stabilise the river beds and deepen channels by producing natural scouring also form part of the project. He added that recurrent (maintenance) dredging which has to do with maintaining a minimum channel depth of 2.5m and a top width of 100m for all-year-round navigation, is all also an area which the project will give maximum attention to. Installation of navigational aids including buoys, traffic signs and security lights and erection of survey momuments from Warri through Port Harcourt to Baro as well as Pr-Hydrographic surveys involving pre-dredging and post-dredging surveys for the calculation of dredge columes and to determine changes in river morphology are also part of the project. Yar'adua explains that capital dredging of 572 km of Lower River Niger from Baro in Niger State to Warri in Delta State. Construction of modern inland ports of Baro, Idah and Lokoja are considered in the project. He says completion/rehabilitation of Onitsha Port, construction of River Training Works (RTW), maintenance dredging of the River Niger after completion of the capital dredging and construction of Gulu-Baro Road (20km) to provide access to Abuja also form the project consideration. Yar'Adua explained that the capital dredging is 70 per cent completed but the maintenance will go on for two years. Nigeria: FG Starts Road Concessions With Three Projects - The second Niger bridge in Anambra and Delta states, river Niger bridge in Niger State and Murtala Mohammed International Airport approach road in Lagos will form pilot schemes for the development of a larger PPP programme in the road sector by the Federal Ministry of Works in Nigeria. He also disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Works in Nigeria has already commenced the process to concession the three road projects as 'first mover projects' in the PPP programme for the road sector, while urging African nations to emulate other countries of the world in infrastructural development using the PPP model. Nigeria: Nation, Others Lose U.S.$2 Billion to Maritime Crimes - Nigeria and other countries in the Gulf of Guinea are losing $2 billion annually to maritime crime, with smuggling, piracy and bunkering top on the list of this economic sabotage, the Nigerian Navy, Eastern Command has said. Sao Tome and Principe: Gunvor Oil Trader to Build Oil Terminal in Africa MOSCOW, February 24 (RIA Novosti) - One of the world's largest oil trading companies Gunvor Group, owned by Russian businessman Gennady Timchenko, will build an oil storage facility and terminal in Sao Tome and Principe, an island country near the western equatorial coast of Central Africa, the Vedomosti business daily newspaper reported on Friday quoting a Gunvor official. The company, which is registered in the Netherlands, hopes the oil loading terminal will become a regional hub to transport oil from Africa. The Sao Tome terminal will be the first Gunvor terminal outside Russia and the first fully controlled by the company. The official did not specify the cost of the project and capacities of the terminal. Market sources told the paper that investment in the project might be from $250 million to $375 million. Gunvor will also face large spending on security of the staff due to political instability in the region. SIERRA LEONE: Rails Rebuilt With Iron Ore Boom’s Proceeds By Jana Marais Feb. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Sierra Leoneans hadn’t seen a functioning locomotive engine in 30 years until African Minerals Ltd. rebuilt the rail network to export iron ore in November, almost a decade after civil war ended. An iron-ore boom in West Africa, which may have deposits to rival Australia’s ore-rich Pilbara region, is motivating African Minerals, as well as miners Rio Tinto Plc and ArcelorMittal, to spend $25 billion on 3,170 miles of new and rebuilt railways and 11 new ports in West Africa, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. African Minerals is already benefiting, with its stock gaining 25 percent this year. More is to come: Nations including Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Republic of Congo may supply 250 million tons, or 9 percent of global iron ore output, by 2020, according to mining researcher Raw Materials Group. “The standout development is African Minerals,” according to Matt Fernley, an analyst at GMP Securities Ltd. in London who said the stock is his “top pick in the sector. If you’re in Africa in iron ore, you want a world- class deposit and you want control over your own infrastructure. They have both.” Most of Sierra Leone’s transport network was destroyed or left to ruin during the civil war that ended in 2002. Only 8.9 percent of the West African nation’s 11,555 kilometers (7,200 miles) of roads is paved and the main port, Pepel, has an annual capacity of just 16 million tons. Sierra Leone was ranked third-lowest of 155 countries on the World Bank’s 2010 logistics performance index, a measure of the quality, cost and efficiency of transport networks. 15 Fastest-Growing Economy Iron ore exports from African Minerals’ Tonkolili and London Mining Plc’s Marampa mines are set to boost Sierra Leone’s economy by 51 percent this year, the fastest projected pace of any nation in the world, according to the International Monetary Fund. Guernsey, U.K.-based African Minerals is spending $1.2 billion on rails and ports and developing a mine in the first phase of its Tonkolili project. In Guinea, where two coups have ousted presidents since the mid-1980s, Rio Tinto is spending $1 billion on the first phase of its Simandou project, which is estimated to produce 95 million tons of ore by 2015. London- based Rio plans to invest more than $10 billion on an iron-ore mine, 650 kilometers of industrial railway, 21 kilometers of tunnels and a new deep- water port south of the capital, Conakry. African Minerals said in an e-mail yesterday that starting shipments last year “would not have been possible without the support of our investors who have funded this $1.5 billion project and the Government of Sierra Leone who have created a positive investment climate for mining in the country.” Prices for iron ore delivered to China have more than doubled in the past three years. The cash price of the benchmark 62 percent-iron ore arriving at China’s Tianjin port surged to $135.40 a ton by Feb. 21 from $59.50 on Nov. 21, 2008, when data became available, according to the Steel Index, a London-based independent provider of prices. Investing in West Africa doesn’t come without risks, as Rio Tinto and ArcelorMittal have experienced. Guinea’s government ordered Rio Tinto to hand over two blocks of its Simandou deposit in 2008 to BSG Resources Ltd., the Guernsey-based company controlled by Israeli diamond investor Beny Steinmetz. While exporting through Liberia would be a cheaper and shorter route, Guinea has pushed Rio Tinto to build the railway to support the country’s development. Vale SA, the world’s largest iron-ore producer, will only decide at the end of the year whether to go ahead with its plan to develop a mine with BSG at Simandou after assessing mining rules in the West African nation, the company said on Feb. 16. Senegal took ArcelorMittal to the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris last year, accusing the company of reneging on an agreement to begin production at its Faleme deposit in line with a mining license awarded in 2007. ArcelorMittal has “consistently met our commitments in Senegal” and will defend itself against the charge, Lynn Robbroeckx, a spokeswoman for ArcelorMittal in London, said in an e-mail. “These newly empowered governments are intent on capturing a greater slice of its natural resource wealth, increasing the risk of resource nationalism,” Tom Wilson, a senior consultant at africapractice, a business advisory firm, said in a phone interview from London. “The challenge is for mining companies on how to engage with governments around this.” Still, in Liberia, ArcelorMittal, the world’s biggest steelmaker, invested $800 million to refurbish an iron ore mine, port and railways to produce the nation’s first exports in about 20 years in September. The Luxembourg- based company renovated 240 kilometers of rail lines, rebuilt bridges and roads and installed a new drainage system in the first phase of the project’s development. “With the iron ore mines located hundreds of kilometers from the coast, the newly renovated railway line linking Tokadeh mine with the sea port at Buchanan is a crucial part of our operations,” Robbroeckx said. “ArcelorMittal’s investment and commitment to Liberia is a huge sign of confidence in the region.” WEST AFRICA: New oil finds off Liberia and Sierra Leone - Oil has been found off the coasts of Liberia and Sierra Leone, energy companies have announced. African Petroleum and Anadarko say further tests are needed to see how commercially viable the finds are. Nevertheless, hopes have been raised that an oil bonanza could spur growth in the West African states - still recovering from civil wars. Drillers rushed to the region five years ago when one of Africa's biggest oil fields was discovered off Ghana. "It will take time to fully appraise this discovery," Liberia National Oil company head Randolph McClain said on local radio, according to Reuters news agency. "And years - between five to seven years - before a drop of oil is produced from the well." WEST AFRICA: Dubai's Dragon Oil eyes Africa acquisition - Dubai-based energy firm, Dragon Oil is considering the acquisition of West African producer, BowLeven, as it seeks to diversify beyond the Caspian, The National has reported. Dragon, which is 51% owned by the Dubai's Enoc, has been looking for places to invest a cash pile of $1.5bn since last year. The company is evaluating opportunities in West Africa as well as north-east Africa and Central Asia, said Emad Buhulaigah, the company's general manager of petroleum development. BowLeven, which had a discovery in Cameroon in October, needs at least $400m to pump oil by 2015, according to its chief executive, Kevin Hart. AFRICA

Africa: U.S. Government Promotes Private Investment in Africa United States Department of State (Washington, DC) By Mackenzie C. Babb, 23 February 2012 — The U.S. government is promoting economic growth in Africa through public-private investment and development projects, says Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs William Fitzgerald. "The United States is ready to do business in Africa in a much bigger way," Fitzgerald said at the Washington Foreign Press Center February 22. He said now is a great time for both U.S. and international companies to invest in sustainable development across Africa. Fitzgerald's remarks followed his participation in a State Department-led energy trade mission to Mozambique, Tanzania, Nigeria and Ghana February 6-17. The delegation of U.S. government officials, led by Assistant 16 Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson, was joined by private sector executives who met with host country senior government officials and business leaders to discuss energy infrastructure projects, such as investments in power generation and fuel supplies. The trip was co-sponsored by the Corporate Council for Africa, a private organization that brings together potential business partners and seeks to raise Africa's profile for American investors. NOT TO MENTION THEIR STRATEGIC OIL NATION FOCUS MIDDLE EAST/OTHER

Egypt: Iran to Invest U.S.$1.5 Bn in Nation - Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri approved on Tuesday 21/2/2012 that Iran Garment Holding Company would establish two new plants for producing small automobiles and manufacturing and filling gas cylinders with $1.5 billion investments. Egypt: Apache Pumps $U.S.One Billion for Gas Exploration - The Egyptian government and Apache Corporation have reached an agreement on pumping one billion dollars this year into the field of oil and natural gas exploration in Egypt. IRAQ: Iraq give $330m Petrofac oilfield tender the go-ahead - The Iraq cabinet has approved a $329.8m tender with British oil service firm Petrofac for the country's Badra oilfield, Reuters has reported. Under the service contract, Petrofac plans to build a major crude processing facility to help production at the field to reach 170,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) in 2017, a target which was set by Iraq's oil ministry. MEED: Luxury hotel investor Mandarin Oriental plans Middle East expansion - Hong Kong-based luxury hotel investment and management group, Mandarin Oriental has announced plans to open a number of hotels in the Middle East, Gulf News has reported. The company, which operates some of the world's most prestigious hotels, resorts and residences, has already signed up two projects in the region, one each on Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island and in Doha, Qatar, both of which are scheduled to open in 2014. The group is looking at potential opportunities in markets such as Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, said Andre Devillers, director of sales and marketing at Mandarin Oriental Paris. "We are looking for opportunities everywhere in the region. For us, the Middle East is a very important market and to enter this region is extremely important for the brand and the company as a whole," Devillers said. OMAN: Major Liquids Terminal in the works at Oman's Port of Duqm - Oman's Port of Duqm preparing to establish a major Liquids Terminal designed to handle the large volumes of liquid cargoes expected to result from this multi-billion dollar investment, Oman Daily Observer has reported. The terminal will be large enough to cater to the bulk liquid volumes associated with a large-scale refinery and petrochemicals hub envisioned at the Special Economic Zone adjoining the port. " OMAN: Bid evaluation underway for Oman railway design contract - Oman's tender board has said the process of evaluating bids for the all-important Oman National Railway Project design and supervision contract is well under way, Oman Daily Observer has reported. Five consortiums, each led by leading names in the global rail engineering and construction industry, are bidding for a four-year contract to undertake the detailed engineering design of the proposed 1,000-kilometre-long rail network. UAE: UAE's Abraaj to acquire UK-based Aureos, will manage $7.5bn assets - Abu Dhabi-based Abraaj Capital has said it will acquire specialist fund Aureos Capital, as the Middle East's largest private equity firm seeks to expand its geographical footprint, Reuters has reported. UAE: China oil giant plans 200,000 sq m logistics hub in Dubai - China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) is planning to build an industrial park of 200,000 square meters in Dubai's Free Zone to minimise possible disruptions from geopolitical risks in the region, Reuters has reported. The new facility will comprise production lines for engineering equipment. CNPC will also use the park as an equipment store in the event of an emergency withdrawal from the region. UAE: Tenders submitted for Empower cooling plants in Dubai's Business Bay - UAE-based district cooling firm, Empower has said 18 local and international companies are bidding for designing two of the firm's district cooling plants in Business Bay, Dubai, Wam has reported. UAE: Arab agriculture investor may build grain silo for Gulf - The Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAID) is studying plans to build a system for storing three to six months of grain reserves for the Gulf region, Reuters has reported. "It will be most likely in the United Arab Emirates as the Fujairah port is close to the Strait of Hormuz and close to ports and the shipping world," said Al-Arabi Hamdi, adviser to the president for economic affairs for AAID. "We can build silos there and import and export grains," he said. If the AAID decides to go ahead at the end of the study, which could be completed by year-end, private investors will be invited to invest in the project, Hamdi said. UAE: US Global Hotels plan Ras Al Khaimah expansion - US-based Global Hotels Management Group is eyeing expansion opportunities in the Middle East and globally, Gulf News has reported. "Our target is to add five more hotels to the portfolio in the next three years under the brand name of Clover," said Masoud Hashim, the chief executive of the group, which is represented by Clover Creek Hotel Apartments in Dubai. Two projects are already in progress, including a boutique hotel in Ras Al Khaimah, which is due to open by the end of next month, and a four-star hotel in Kenya, he added. SAUDI: Aramco and Sumitomo could delay $6bn chemical expansion - HSBC Holdings has said Saudi Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical Co may postpone a $6bn plan to expand their joint-venture petrochemical plant in the Red Sea town of Rabigh, Bloomberg has reported. "The project may be at risk to be put on hold as 17 we believe Sumitomo may be hard-pressed to make another heavy commitment," John Tottie, a Riyadh-based analyst at HSBC, wrote in a note to investors. Sumitomo may seek to delay the expansion due to financial concerns, while Saudi Aramco may be reluctant to proceed alone as it's already investing in other refining and chemical plants, he said. SAUDI: Saudi Maaden plans SR21bn phosphate project investment - Saudi Arabian Mining Co (Maaden) has unveiled plans to invest SR21bn ($5.6bn) to exploit phosphate deposits at Umm Wual, Reuters has reported. SAUDI: Industrial city planned in northern Saudi - The Saudi cabinet has approved plans to build an industrial city in the kingdom's Northern Border Province, Arab News has reported. The 290 sq km industrial city will be called 'The Mining City of the North,' SAUDI: Jeddah Kingdom Tower project gets final go-ahead - Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman of Kingdom Holding Co (KHC) has said the company's Jeddah-based project to build the tallest tower in the world has received the final licence by the city's mayoralty, Arab News has reported. The SR4.6bn Kingdom Tower, which will stand over 1,000 meters tall, is the centrepiece and the first construction phase of Kingdom City, Jeddah Economic Co's (JEC) new urban development covering more than 5.3 million square meters of land in the north of Jeddah overlooking the Red Sea and Obhur Creek. Work on the project began on January 1 AFRICAN INFO, GENERAL INTEREST & RISK ISSUES

Africa: The 'Scramble' for Somalia PAMBAZUKA NEWS By Rasna Warah, 16 February 2012 - A huge international conference is being organised in London on Somalia, but it does not have the support of the citizens. It will fail because what the 'international community' has failed to learn over the years is that Somalis are fiercely independent people.

Refugees: Many Somalis expect the conference to lead to peace and stability, while others have questioned what a five-hour meeting can achieve. (Photo Courtesy Borja Santos Porra/RNW) In the first two decades of the 20th century, the Somali warrior-poet Seyyid Mohammed Abdulle Hassan (nicknamed the 'Mad Mullah' by the British) fought against European forces that were trying to assert their influence in Somalia. His attempts were ultimately unsuccessful, but Hassan remains a source of inspiration among Somalis even today. Foreign intervention and occupation have always been violently resisted in Somalia, as demonstrated by the 'Black Hawk Down' incident that led to the evacuation of US forces from Somalia in the early 1990s, to the recent retreat of Ethiopian forces when they tried to assert their authority in Mogadishu after the fall of the Islamic Courts Union. Some argue that the quagmire in Somalia is the result of too much - not too little - foreign interference, be it in the form of military invasions, humanitarian aid and even the extreme form of Islam (Salafism) imported from Saudi Arabia by Al Shabaab. Abubakar Arman, the Somali Special Envoy to the United States, calls these agents of foreign intervention 'Ghost-lords' - 'a loose association of paradoxical powers of the Good, Bad and Ugly' who control every aspect of Somali life, from politics to the economy to religion. Even when the intervention appears to be for the good of Somalia - such as providing aid during a famine - failure by outsiders to understand the fiercely independent character of Somalis contributes to more conflict and misunderstanding, as pointed out by BBC journalist Mary Harper in her new book 'Getting Somalia Wrong?' That is why a conference set to take place in London next week is viewed with suspicion by so many Somalis. Hosted by the British government, the conference aims to 'deliver a new international approach to Somalia' by bringing together over 40 countries and multilateral organisations that will decide how Somalia is to be governed once the term of the Transitional Federal Government expires in August this year. Amongst the proposals for the way forward are the establishment of a supreme authority and a Joint Financial Management Board (comprising mainly donor countries) that will manage and coordinate how donor and domestic funds and resources are to be used (essentially, doing the work of a finance ministry) and increased funding for African Union force, Amisom, and Somali security forces. An even more absurd proposal has been submitted by the Government of Italy, which has suggested the establishment of a joint United Nations/African Union international administration comprising a core group of key 'stakeholders', such as the United States, the European Union and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, IGAD. WHEN YOU HAVE OIL, YOU HAVE PREDATORS GUISED AS HUMANITARIANS 18 Many Somalis are understandably disgusted by these proposals because they view them as yet another attempt to 'colonise' Somalia. Abdirizak Mohamed, the editor of Hiraan Online, says that he was particularly dumbfounded by the Italian submission at it proposes an international administration to be named as caretaker for Somalia from August 2012 to December 2013. The Italian proposal is equivalent to the Paul Bremen-led authority imposed by the United States in Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Although the Somali Transitional Federal Government has been invited to the conference, it lacks the legitimacy and authority to make decisions on an equal footing with the other so-called 'stakeholders'. While the conference purports to address security concerns, particularly piracy and terrorism, the ultimate intention of the conference, according to many Somali analysts, could be to undermine Somalia's sovereignty and subject the Somali people to new form of colonialism - including by 'proxy states' such as Kenya and Ethiopia, which are sending high-level delegations to the conference. The sense of humiliation that many Somalis feel about the conference is best described by Arman, who in an op-ed article in Eurasia Review writes: 'At this dreadful moment in its history - when the obituary of a nation on life-support is being written - political correctness is a luxury that Somalis cannot afford.' He proposes that Somalia adopt a new paradigm and engage with less intrusive partners (probably a reference to Turkey, which has been active in delivering humanitarian aid and reconstruction in Somalia). Many Somali academics and analysts have also called for home-grown solutions to the Somali crisis. What the British government and its allies must realise is that their top-down, Eurocentric approach in Somalia may look good on paper, but will most likely face fierce resistance on the ground. Africa: Greenpeace Exposes Another Foreign Trawler in Senegalese Waters Greenpeace International 20 February 2012 - Today Greenpeace protested against foreign overfishing in Senegalese waters. Activists from Europe and Africa confronted a Lithuanian-flagged super pelagic trawler, the "Irivinga" and unveiled a banner reading "Stop fishing away Africa's future".

Yellowfin tuna offloaded at the fishing port of Dakar. (Photo Courtesy Christian Åslund /Greenpeace) "Irivinga" a 120 metre long fishing vessel is a clear example of unsustainable fishing practices by foreign super trawlers in the region. Foreign fleets are plundering the West African waters, while local fishermen see their catches decrease. Most recent studies show declining stocks for several species in Senegalese waters. Most commercial fish stocks, like Sardinella, mackerels and horse mackerels are overfished. About 20 vessels with Russian, Lithuanian flags, and various flags of convenience, have benefitted from special authorisations to fish pelagic stocks in the Senegalese sea. "One out of six Senegalese work in the fishing sector. When overfishing by foreign fleets continues like this, there soon will be no fish left for the locals", says Greenpeace oceans campaigner Raoul Monsembula. The capacity of these super trawlers is huge, with length beyond 100 metres, trawls several hundred meters long with opening up to 50 meters. They can catch up to 250 tonnes of fish in a single day, which would be enough to feed 9,000 Senegalese people for a full year. ARGENTINA: Tales of horror in Argentina train crash - Survivors of a deadly commuter train wreck inside a Buenos Aires railroad station say the crash sent passengers flying inside the cars, sometimes even into the next train car.

19 Court opposes Jackson doc's bail bid - Los Angeles - Michael Jackson's doctor was properly sentenced to four years behind bars in the star's death and should not be released on bail, prosecutors argued on Tuesday in a response to his bid for release while his case is appealed. DJIBOUTI: Special ops forces die in air crash in Africa - Four U.S. soldiers returning from a reconnaissance mission have been killed in an air crash near a U.S. military base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, U.S. officials said. Ethiopian Airlines Orders 10 New Planes - Ethiopian Airlines has announced plans to acquire 10 new planes in its expansion, which is set to stiffen competition in the African aviation sector Honda to Recall Nearly 46,000 Odyssey Minivans to Fix Rear Doors - Automaker Honda is recalling 45, 747 Odyssey minivans because the rear doors can fall on people unexpectedly, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration “If you want to destroy anything, you've got many friends” From BBC Network Africa guest Yarow Sharif Adan Mashemba IMF: Strauss-Kahn questioned by French police in prostitution case Big News Network 21st February, PARIS - Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was Tuesday questioned by French police in Lille, northern France, as a suspect in a prostitution ring inquiry.

The scandal is the latest sexual allegation surrounding Strauss-Kahn, 62, who was once a front runner for the French presidency. THAT’S NORMALLY A CREDIT IN FRENCH POLITICS The probe began in October last year over reports that luxury hotels around Lille served as a base for a high-profile prostitution network. Eight men have been arrested on suspicion of organising a prostitution ring and misusing corporate funds to pay for sex in a scandal known as the "Carlton affair". He stepped down last May as IMF boss after a New York hotel maid accused him of sexual assault and attempted rape. The case ultimately fell apart. He also faced allegations of attempted rape from a young French writer. Strauss-Kahn is said to have taken part in sex parties in Paris and Washington in late 2010 and early 2011. French police say he could be held by police for a day or two, according to French media reports. A number of prostitutes have told police they had sex with Strauss-Kahn, who however, insists that he did not know they were prostitutes. "I challenge you to distinguish a naked prostitute from any other naked woman," his lawyer Henri Leclerc was quoted as saying on French TV. Strauss-Kahn has admitted to taking part in orgies arranged by "friends" as part of his "uninhibited sex life". However, he said "he never paid a centime" and never asked if his partners were being paid. NOW WE KNOW WHY THE WORLD’S FINANCIAL TURMOIL, THE MAN NEW NOTHING IRAN: Protests are now building as it becomes increasingly clear Israel and the US will soon attack Iran. It is difficult to believe the same discredited arguments used to justify the disasters of Iraq and Afghanistan are now being used for an attack on Iran. NECESSARY TO BOOST OIL REVENUE AS A RECESSION RECOVERY? Italy chided over Africa migrants - The European Court of Human Rights says Italy violated the rights of Eritrean and Somali migrants by sending them back to Libya. –WHEN HUMAN RIGHTS FAVOUR THE CRIMINAL, A TREND OF THE SUITS Kenya: When Lake Naivasha Was an International Airport Business Daily (Nairobi) By John Kamau, 16 February 2012 - Forget Kodak, the latest entrant in the graveyards of technology, - but who would have ever thought that Lake Naivasha "International" Airport would be lying desolate, virtually unknown and with little historical acknowledgement. It is hard to imagine how technology trashes some businesses and lifts others. Let us look at Lake Naivasha for starters. This was actually Kenya's first international airport when planes from mostly European destinations would land at the lake, pick and drop passengers. The flying boats -- as the passenger planes were generally known--- ended when advance in aviation technology allowed large planes to land on dry earth and hence the boats could not compete with the new Boeing 707s-- at least from 1958. Previously, those who could not afford the "Flyboat" services -- as they were known-- could either take the ship from Mombasa and travel by train. The year 1958 was the turning point for Naivasha. It was when Boeing unveiled their 707 and it was this time that Mau Mau prisoners finished the construction of Embakasi Airport, the predecessor to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The opening of Embakasi (it is today used by the military) saw Lake Naivasha's place diminish together with the facilities that had been built to cash in on the flying boat arrivals. Thus, today and in terms of glory the 55-acre Lake Naivasha Country Club still remains the premier airport hotel in Kenya.

20 It not only offered the immigration facilities required for new entrants into the colony, but has a rich aviation history. When the club opened in 1937 (as Spark's Hotel) it was to give the arrivals some boarding facilities and it still has the green lawns and acacia that dotted the place then. Besides, this was an area that had countless number of game, giving new visitors to the then Happy Valley a chance to sample some of the best scenes in the continent. As the "staging post" for Imperial Airways flying boat service, that operated between London and Durban, Lake Naivasha's Spark's Hotel became was one of the best known in the region. The choice of Naivasha was actually apt. The town had one of the best railway stations and the lake was of no interest to fishermen after a series of ecological blunders in 1926 saw the introduction of a voracious predator that diminished the fish species. When the first route via Naivasha was inaugurated in January 1932 it was supposed to be a mail-only route to Cape Town. But three months later, the lake was opened to passengers and it took a week for a flying boat from Britain to reach Naivasha and ten days to Cape Town! Actually, Naivasha had been chosen by the first long range air transport company in Britain, The Imperial Airways, due to its unique position and economic potential. With an average depth of five metres (by 1930s it was estimated to be six metres) the runway was easy to mark and even today some of the runway wooden posts are still visible in low tide. By the time the British Airways was formed in 1935, Naivasha was the choice airport for Imperial Airways. The two would later merge to form British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) in 1945 and continue operations in Naivasha. At times passengers would land in Uganda's Lake Albert for lunch and dinner before they were flown to Naivasha the next day. After 1949, the airport closed down and Sparks Hotel lost a place in the international map. It became simply Lake hotel before it was turned to Lake Naivasha Country Club. There is still another story of this Club. It became a secondary school during the 1940s after students at the then Prince of Wales (now Nairobi School) were relocated and their school turned into a military hospital. As an airport, Naivasha could not survive technology. But it had its "Kodak moment". For real. KENYA: State to Root Out Graft At Kenya-Uganda Border By Daniel Otieno and Justus Wanga, 18 February 2012

Trucks at Kenya's Malaba border point transporting goods to Uganda. (Photo Courtesy East African) Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Saturday pledged that the government would root out the corruption clogging the Busia and Malaba border points and delaying goods headed to Kenya's Ugandan neighbours. Mr Odinga said that Cabinet had sent a team of five ministers to investigate allegations of rampant bribery that was holding up the movement of goods. "The cause of long queues at Malaba and Busia was corruption. We cannot allow this condition to go on. It's a shame on our national conscience and any officer found flouting the law will face the full force of law," Mr Odinga said. Kruger buffalo kills suspected poacher - A suspected poacher has been killed by a buffalo in the Kruger National Park, park authorities have said. AFTER RANGERS FAILED DISMALLY Liberia: Country Amongst Three World's Poorest New Democrat (Monrovia) 24 February 2012Comment (1) Forbes magazine has come up with the world's richest countries. But it also lists the world's poorest--Liberia, DR Congo and Burundi: If wealth is power, then Qataris have some serious muscle to flex. The Persian Gulf emirate of 1.7 million people ranks as the world's richest country per capita thanks to a rebound in oil prices and its massive natural gas reserves. Adjusted for purchasing power, Qatar booked an estimated gross domestic product per capita of more than $88,000 for 2010. Qatar has the third-largest reserves of natural gas in the world, and it has invested heavily in infrastructure to liquefy and export it, as well as to diversify its economy, without overreaching as much as nearby Dubai. Qatar has lured multinational financial firms to the country, as well as satellite campuses of U.S. universities. The government is pouring money into infrastructure, including a deepwater seaport, an airport and a railway network, all with an eye to making the country a better host for businesses and the 2022 World Cup. In second place on our list is the mighty minnow Luxembourg, with a per capita GDP on a purchasing-power parity basis of just over $81,000. The country of half a million people became a financial hub in the latter half of the 20th century, in part thanks to strict banking secrecy laws that earned it the reputation of a tax haven. It's followed at No. 3 by the city-state of Singapore, which thrives as a technology, manufacturing and finance hub with a GDP (PPP) per capita of nearly $56,700. Other well-heeled countries benefiting at least in part from

21 natural resources are Australia, ranking at No. 11; Canada, at No. 14; and Kuwait, at No. 15, which relies on its crude oil reserves for at least half of GDP, and almost all of its export revenues and government income. So which countries are poorest? A trio of politically and economically fragile African nations: Burundi, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where GDPs (PPP) per capita are $400, $386 and $312, respectively. Libya: UN Had No Evidence of War – Mbeki SAPA 17 February 2012 - Cape Town — The United Nations gave free reign to the United States, France and the United Kingdom, known as the P3, to intervene in Libya without any evidence of war, former president Thabo Mbeki on Thursday. "The naked reality is that the relevant organs of the UN --the Security Council and the Office of the Secretary General -- elected to betray their binding obligations in terms of international law, especially as prescribed by the UN Charter," he said in a speech prepared for delivery. "In this context I would like to state that there is absolutely no evidence that the [Muammar] Gaddafi regime either committed or had any intention to commit any genocide or wage a war against civilians, justifying the evocation by the UN, the P3 and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) of the so-called 'right to protect'." He said military actions in Libya were purportedly performed to make peace, bring people out of a dictatorship and protect the people from criminal abuse by the government, especially if war crimes, ethnic cleansing and genocide occurred. "Together with everything I have said, we must nevertheless accept that various concrete realities in Libya provided the excuse for the Western powers to intervene in the manner they did," he said. "Through its actions, it had earned the wrath of the major Western powers, partly informed by the conviction that Libya had carried out terrorist actions which had claimed many lives of citizens of these powers." Libya had not been a democratic country, and it was young military officers, led by Gaddafi that originally overthrew a feudal regime to assert the right of African people. LITTLE COLUMBIA: Busts on rise for khat, drug favoured by Horn of Africa diaspora LEADER POST By Jeff Davis, Postmedia News

Most Canadians go their whole lives without hearing about the narcotic leaf, but within Canada's African diaspora there are many devotees of this ancient plant. Khat has been chewed in the Horn of Africa and the lands surrounding the Red Sea for thousands of years. Known to induce euphoria — and a feeling of wakefulness in users — it is deeply ingrained in the cultures of Somalia, Ethiopia, Yemen, Kenya and Uganda. Though it is legal in many African countries, in Canada khat is classified as a schedule four drug, which is lowest classification category for illegal drugs. Cocaine and heroin are schedule one, for example, while cannabis is schedule two. Jerry Jesso is chief of intelligence for the Canadian Border Services Agency and oversees drug interdiction programs at ports of entry across Canada. Whereas 15 years ago there was no khat smuggling to speak of in Canada, these days it's a different story. "We seize khat probably two to three times per day, on average," he said. Madagascar: Envoy Eyeing Top Job Sacked - The Madagascar ambassador to Switzerland who is planning to join the next presidential race has been sacked. The decision to dismiss Guy Rakotomaharo Rajemison was made during a cabinet sitting led by President Andry Rajoelina on Wednesday. MOZAMBIQUE: Third Mozambique Mining and Energy Conference held 24 and 25 April -– The 3rd edition of the Mozambique Mining and Energy Conference is due to take place in Maputo on 24 and 25 April, AME Trade Ltd, the company specialising in organizing events in Africa and the Middle East said in London. Anadarko Petroleum, Baobab Resources, BCI, Bell Equipment, ENI, G4S Security, Geo-Explore Store, Serviços Atlântico, Globe Metals and Mining, Golder Associates, International Steel Fabricators of SA, International Helicopter Services, Matola Gas Company, Minelab International, Nalco Africa, PSI Hydraulics Moçambique, Sasol, Statoil Oil & Gas and Unitrans Moçambique are some of the companies that have already confirmed they will be exhibiting their products and services at the fair. (macauhub) Namibia: Plot Thickens in Election Tender Dispute NAMIBIAN By Paulus Ashipala, 20 February 2012 - NEW information has surfaced about the manner in which the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) awarded the N$63,8 million electronic voter registration contract to a South African IT firm, Face Technologies. It has emerged that Face Technologies initially tendered for N$83 million while another shortlisted South African company, Lithotech Exports, tendered for N$63 million. Lithotech, a subsidiary of South African Bidvest Paper Plus, is now preparing to take the matter to court. AND THE REST OF THE STORY JUST ANOTHER TYPICAL CORRUPT NAMIBIAN TENDER SCAM 22 NAMIBIA: Air Namibia to Launch Direct Flight to Livingstone - AIR Namibia will by October this year launch a four-times-a-week direct flight from Windhoek into Livingstone to meet the growing demand of that country's tourists opting to visit Zambia. NIGERIA: Lassa fever kills 40 in Nigeria - An outbreak of Lassa fever has killed 40 people and infected dozens of others in a third of Nigeria’s 36 states over the past six weeks, an official says. Nigeria: Inflation Rate Rises to 12.6 Percent - THE inflation rate in Nigeria rose to 12.6 per cent in January, 2012, from 10.3 per cent in December, 2011. NIGERIA: Shell's Appetite for Nigeria Exploration Reduced - February 21, 2012 - Attacks on oil pipelines, a dearth of funding from the state oil firm and regulatory uncertainty have dampened appetite for exploration of Nigeria's huge oil and gas reserves, said Shell. RIO CARNIVAL OVER FOR 2012

AP Photo ZUMAPRESS.com A performer from the Sao Clemente samba school Brazilian model Ana Paula Minerato performs during the parade of Gavioes da Fiel parades during carnival celebrations at the samba school in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Senegal: More Clashes - Will President Wade Give Up or Face a Second Round? - On Friday, 17th February 2011, anti-government protesters, clashed with riot police at the Independence Square (Place de l'Independence) located just 500 metres from the Senegalese presidential palace in Central Dakar. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets on Friday while protesters returned the attack with stones. Led by Professor Ibrahima Fall of the Tahaw Tem political party, the protesters expressed their opposition against President Abdoulaye Wade's bid for a third term in the February presidential polls. Some severely injured opposition supporters have been evacuated to hospitals in the city. Somali pirates net $170m in ransoms - The UN says Somali pirates received $170m in ransoms in 2011, up from $110m in 2010, with some of the money channelled into the world’s legal financial system. OH THOSE HONEST AND RESPECTABLE ‘FICA’ BANKERS Somalia 'strike kills militants' - A huge air strike in al-Shabab-held southern Somalia kills at least six people, including some foreigners, eyewitnesses tell the BBC. SOUTH SUDAN: British Court Rules That Disputed Oil Should Be Unloaded in Japan SUDAN TRIBUNE 22 February 2012 - A British Court has ruled that an oil tanker carrying oil, which South Sudan claims was exported illegally by North Sudan, should be unloaded in Japan, shipping sources have told the Reuters news agency. The tanker, which has yet to be given permission to dock at the Kiire terminal, according to Reuters' sources, is carrying 600,000 barrels of crude oil that South Sudan says was stolen by North Sudan in January and sold at a large discount to a North Asian oil trader. The disputed shipment has been forced to wait outside the Japanese port for two weeks and the tanker - the Ratna Shradha - is not scheduled to unload this week, according to Reuters sources. Once the disputed nature of the oil emerged the case was referred to a British commercial court on 15 February by Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd, which owns India Steamship the company carrying the oil. At least two traders have informed Reuters that the cargo had been bought by JX Nippon Oil and Energy, who have declined to comment on the matter. A court official in London has said that the defendants in the case are the Republic of Sudan, the Republic of South Sudan and Union de Banques Arabes et Francaises, Reuters 23 reports. The South Sudanese government have also accused Geneva-based Trafigura, the world's third largest oil trader, of purchasing oil it claims was seized illegally by north Sudan South Sudan: When a Government That Claims to Rule By 'Sharia' Steals Its Neighbour's Oil! Who Will Cut Its Hand?! South Sudan News Agency (Colorado Springs) By Justin Ambago Ramba, 11 February 2012 Today with the two neighbouring countries of Sudan and South Sudan at the brink of a full scale war, no logical thinker can ever bet on any solution to be reached any soon to the list of problems that exist between them. Not much is expected neither in Addis Ababa, or anywhere else, and the non aggression treaty so far signed is just a way how Thabo Mbeki and his long redundant team can take home something to justify their salaries, for since when did Khartoum honour any agreement? This bit is well understood by the Sudanese president Omer al Bashir who for decades fought a losing war against the South and this time around his government is on the faulty side when he ill advisedly resorted to stealing his southern neighbour's crude Oil, thus blowing off any chance for rational negotiations on the transit fees. Nobody in this world negotiates with a thief except at the court of law. And since thieves are also known for sharp tongues, he who ever finds himself taking a thief to court must also consider having a good lawyer, for people with these types of characters are not easy to admit to any of their wrong doings even when caught red-handed as is the case now in the Sudanese Oil Crisis - triggered by state sponsored theft. To say the obvious, it has since long came to the public's notice that Khartoum was deeply involved in an ongoing malicious acts, carried out on routine basis with the help of the other non-Sudanese stakeholders. [Global Witness report on Sudan's Oil industry] However for those in Khartoum who are now beating the drums of a return to war, they must understand that South Sudan that resisted their injustice for over five decades with only rudimentary weapons is now a sovereign country and a one that although far underdeveloped is not only rich in human and natural resources, but has also strong allies and friends. My personal advice to president Omer al Bashir is that, "Let the devil not manipulate you too much especially at this particular time in the world's history. Still a country designated as an official sponsor of international terrorism, you do not stand a chance to win any war - not even over your own northern rebels let alone battling independent nations. Wake up - sober up, for you are about to chose the wrong path!" Paradoxically though is the fact that you claim to have established an Islamic Caliphate in your country when you militarily overthrew a democratically elected government in 1989, and now that your government has been caught red-handed in a case that amounts to a "clear theft" of huge amounts of crude Oil that doesn't belong to you. Are you in any way going to apply the Hudud and cut off hands or will you revert to the well known tactics of asking the Ulamaa to issue yet a fatwa to justify this broad- day act of theft ! We wait and see while we look for trustworthy partners for the Oil business. Tanzania: Tuna Fish Trawler Captain, Agent Jailed 20 Years - TWO of the five foreigners accused of illegal fishing in the country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) waters were on Thursday sentenced by the High Court to 20 years imprisonment or alternatively pay 21bn/- fine each. Three of their colleagues were set free. The duo, both of them Chinese nationals, are the Captain of the ship, Hsu Chin Tai and the vessel's agent, Zhao Hanquing. The court also ordered that the ship, christened Tawaliq used in the illegal fishing be nationalised. The court issued no order for the confiscated tuna fish as it had already been distributed to various institutions for free. The vessel's engineers, Hsu Sheing Pao, Cai Dong Li and Chen Rui Hai were set free. Uganda: Country to Lose Over 150 Containers At Mombasa - More than 150 containers belonging to Ugandans will be lost as the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) moves to de-congest Mombasa Port. "Ugandans are going to lose billions of shillings when they are auctioned. Unfortunately, Kacita cannot do anything right now," Mr Ssekitto said. In December last year, A special waiver on storage charges on all overstayed containers that will expire by March 1 was put in place. However, with only five days to the deadline more than 200 containers are still in Mombasa. Uganda: Forest Suffers As Sand Mining Takes Toll THE MONITOR By Martin Ssebuyira, 21 February 2012 Environmentalists have raised the red flag on the continuous sand mining at Kyewaga central forest reserve near Kitinda Resort Beach located 10 kilometres off Entebbe Road in Wakiso District. The environmentalists warn that if nothing is done, the about 2009-hectare forest reserve may go extinct in a few years to come if nobody intervenes to halt the sand mining taking place in the area. "They are mining sand to construct ponds and destabilise the soil, which ends up in the lake and causes silting," Mr Sam Mugambi, an environmentalist, said. He said the trees that would have held the soils are cut down, making heavy rain to wash away all the soils in the lake. Prof. Oweyegha-Afundaduula, an environmentalist working with National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE), says mining sand near a lake shore forest makes the the communities depend on fishing suffer. "The silt washed into the lake is salty and reduces nutritional values in the lake, hence affecting the fish," he says. He warns that even the sand miners risk losing their resource if it is all washed into the lake. "It's hazardous and not sustainable because it makes the sand miners, foresters, environmentalists and fishermen lose," the professor adds. National Forestry Authority (NFA) officials say they had begun a process of having the encroachers evicted but were taken to court and warned against ever interfering with the again. WEST AFRICA: UN: W. Africa cocaine trade generates $900M a year - UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.N. agency that fights drugs and crime estimated that cocaine trafficking is generating some $900 million annually in West and Central Africa as South American cartels use the shortest route to transport drugs to Europe. Zimbabwe's Mugabe jokes: I have beaten Jesus Christ BBC 21 February 2012 - Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe: ''I still can go some distance'' Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has denied reports he 24 has cancer, joking that he has died and been resurrected more times than Jesus Christ. On his 88th birthday, he told state radio: "I am fit as a fiddle". Making light of numerous media reports of his sickness, the Roman Catholic Mr Mugabe said: "I have died many times - that's where I have beaten Christ. Christ died once and resurrected once." After 32 years in power, he is seeking re-election in polls due before 2013. Last year, whistle-blowing website Wikileaks released a US diplomatic cable from 2008, in which central bank governor Gideon Gono was cited as saying Mr Mugabe had prostate cancer and had less than five years to live. Zimbabwe: Air Zimbabwe Vanishes From the Skies Indefinitely - Air Zimbabwe flights will continue to be off the radar after the airline indefinitely suspended its operations. The troubled airline vanished from the skies late last year following a series of strikes by its workers, including pilots protesting non-payment of their salaries and allowances. Workers from the national carrier have not received salaries since September 2011 and are owed over US$35 million. Acting CEO Innocent Mavhunga, confirmed to the state media on Thursday the indefinite suspension of all flights, blaming it on cash flow problems. ZIMBABWE: Power Disconnections Loom - ENERGY and Power Development Minister Elton Mangoma says Zesa Holdings will disconnect all defaulters as it seeks to settle US$80 million it owes Hydro Cahorra Basa of Mozambique Zimbabwe: De-Listed Zanu-PF Loyalists Face Big Dilemma SW Radio Africa (London) By Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, 24 February 2012 - Rather than celebrate at being removed from the EU 'sanctions' list, some Zanu- PF loyalists are arguably wishing they had been left on the list until everyone else was de-listed. At home, some of the de-listed Zanu-PF loyalists are being branded sell-outs in internet forums especially those exposed by WikiLeaks, and risk civil action abroad for rights abuses and looting now that they can be served with papers in person. As if confirming this 'theory', Foreign Affairs Minister Mumbengegwi has claimed the delisting 'is aimed at sowing seeds of suspicion of selling out and divisions among Zimbabweans' (ZBC, "Partial lifting of sanctions divisive: Mumbengegwi," 20/02/12). Zimbabwe: Continental Fashions Files for Bankruptcy - CONTINENTAL Fashions, a 48-year-old ladies' wear giant, has filed for bankruptcy after encountering massive cashflow problems, The Financial Gazette's Companies & Markets (C&M) can report. The company's woes are a culmination of a catastrophic domestic economic turmoil that ended in 2009, leaving several companies in the doldrums. Zimbabwe: U.S. $2 Billion Pumped Into Agriculture but Abused By New Farmers SW Radio Africa (London) By Tichaona Sibanda, 24 February 2012 - There are strong indications that many of the farmers who received land under the controversial land grab program, sold most of the free inputs they received from government. Many of the farmers who received large tracts of land are politicians and include a number of senior ZANU PF officials. Many of Mugabe's senior military commanders also received farms, forcibly taken off commercial farmers. The scheme has been widely blamed for destroying the country's agriculture-based economy and turning the country into a net importer of food. Charles Taffs, the President of the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU), told SW Radio Africa on Friday that lack of accountability in the farming sector has contributed to the decline of production on the farms. 'We are sitting on a country here which has a potential to be the jewel of Africa, yet we're starving. And we are being held to ransom by a very few people,' Taffs said. He said it has been known for years that most of the farmers were getting free inputs and selling them off, often at half the retail price, killing off the supply sector. 'There is no accountability at all, and my good guess is that the money is more than $2 billion. The whole structure of business has collapsed and the whole country suffered as a result,' Taffs added. 'Part of the bigger problem is most of the guys on the ground allocated land are not farmers but businessmen or politicians. It makes sense to them to sell it off (inputs) to other people, rather than try and produce and maybe make a loss. 'If the inputs had gone into agriculture, you would have seen it in production figures. But current production figures confirm nothing has gone on the ground,' Theron explained. Zimbabwe: Afrifresh to Acquire Ariston Holdings Stake - Afrifresh Group, a South African agriculture group, is set to acquire a controlling stake in Ariston Holdings, businessdigest has established. A well-placed source said Afrifresh is set to acquire a 40% stake in Ariston and could emerge with an even bigger stake after it emerged that the group would also underwrite a planned US$8 million rights issue.

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