Author: Francis Mwema

Having been officially opened for traffic on May 10, This year the bridge is expected to ease traffic and enhance trade between the two nations. The bridge was built by the two countries after agreeing to replace the existing ferry with a road transport in 2007.

But what are the economic impact of this bridge between the two nations and the continent?

The bridge is expected to significantly improve trade infrastructure of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African continent as a whole as well as provide vital transport infrastructure on that corridor as it would facilitate easy access to intra-regional trade and international market through connectivity with major sea ports.

The Kazungula Bridge Project was officially commissioned by the Presidents of Botswana and Zambia, who applauded the African Development Bank for its work on this transformative project.

The 923-meter bridge with two border facilities on either side, …

It is not yet another good year for the Cocoa farmers in Ivory Coast the world’s biggest producer of the key ingredient for chocolate, as the prices of their commodity went down for the second year running.

This is contrary to M’Brimbo, a village in central Ivory Coast which 11 years ago became a testing ground for organic cocoa farming and today is prospering.

The local farmers’ collective, the Fair Cooperative Society of Bandama (SCEB), sell their high-quality produce at twice the market rate for non-organic cocoa.

“When producers are trained and well-paid, they can make very good cocoa in Ivory Coast,” said Arthur Gautier, an agronomist who works for Ethiquable, a French company that specializes in marketing fair-trade products and buys SCEB’s harvest.

ALSO READ: Harnessing Africa’s Sovereign Wealth

The chocolate made from their cocoa is sold in French supermarkets under the brand “Grand Cru M’Brimbo,” a name that …

Today May 18 2021, African heads of state, European leaders, and representatives of international institutions will gather in Paris for a summit on financing African economies.

The President of the Republic of France Emmanuel Macron hopes that new and ambitious solutions will be found so that Africa can face up to this unprecedented shock and return to growth, like other continents that have been able to implement massive recovery plans.

All the signatories of the April 15, 2020 letter have been invited to the Summit, as well as several other African heads of state, members of the G7 and G20, and leaders of international organizations.

Well someone would ask, Is it not the right time that African nations believes in themselves and drums up a campaign of mobilizing its national resources and using them to attract additional foreign capital? This could be the only way of ensuring our economies’ financial …

According to a data released on Monday by the Central Bank of Egypt, Egypt’s current account deficit climbed to $7.6 billion in the first half (1H) of the current FY2020/2021 from July to December 2020 up from $4.6 in the same half of FY2019/2020.

This Increase in the current account deficit is associated to the decline in service balance surplus and the increase in the non-oil trade balance

ALSO READ: KENYA SEEKS $600M FROM CHINA TO PLUG BUDGET DEFICIT

According to CBE, due to the decline in the investment income balance Service balance surplus contracted by 69.9 percent in the 1H of FY2020/21 posted $1.9 billion, down from $6.3 billion in the 1H of FY2019/20.

The decline in Investment income had a larger effect on the Tourism sector with the CBE showing that tourism revenues dropped by 75.3 percent in the 1H of FY2020/21, reaching $1.8 billion.

In April 13 …

Nigeria’s oil production has fallen by 30 per cent in the last four years to 1.423 million barrels per day, mb/d in 2020 from 2.041 million barrels per day, mb/d in 2017.

This is according to a recent investigative study by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries OPEC, which includes pipeline vandalism and oil theft in the Niger-Delta.

The figure excludes 2020 condensate production, according to the data obtained by Vanguard Energy from OPEC’s monthly market reports between 2017 and 2020.

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The nation’s output declined by 19.3 per cent to 1.648 mb/d in 2018 from 2.041 mb/d in 2017 Year-on-year, YoY.

The production level, however, rose by 6.6 per cent to 1.765 mb/d in 2019 from 2018 figure before declining again by 19 per cent to 1.423 mb/d in 2020.

THE IMPACT

The gradual drop in output is a …

The diplomatic ties between the two neighboring countries of Kenya and Somalia has been a bone of contention for months now, this is after Somalia severed diplomatic ties with Kenya in dead of night of December 14, 2020 citing interference and violation of her sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In announcement, Somalia Minister of Information Osman Abukar Dubbe said that cutting ties with Kenya at around 1:40 am Mogadishu time on state-run SNTV, hours after President Uhuru held talks with break-away Somaliland President Muse Bihi at State House, Nairobi, he said that Mogadishu will withdraw all its diplomats from Kenya and has ordered Kenyan diplomats to leave the country within 7 days.

But while everything to restore the diplomacy sanity between the two warrying nations proved to be a difficult thing Qatar stepped in overseeing the mediation of the whole process, in an interview Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign …

The battle for political and economic influence between the U.S. and China is playing out across Africa, and Beijing’s growing presence is troubling Western policymakers, experts say.

Africa has become the fastest urbanizing region on the planet, and China has placed itself at the infrastructural vanguard of the new frontier. Africa boasted seven of the 20 fastest growing economies in the world in 2017, according to the IMF (International Monetary Fund).

China is building and developing a naval army base in the west side of Djibouti City adored with razor wire-topped walls with in-built helipads, a dock large enough to fit aircraft carriers, and 2,000 troops alongside armored vehicles and gunboats.

This Naval military base was Opened in 2017, and it’s China’s first overseas military base but could soon be one of many located across Africa if those sounding the alarm in Washington are correct.

The Department of Defense in …

Zimbabwe rabbit farmers have imported 100 more pure breeds to help shore up efforts by the country’s rabbit producers to support and expand further cuniculture production.

With its significant potentiality to generate revenue for the country, its potential export market includes China and the US and farmers are leaving nothing to chance to the lucrative farming business.

Rabbit farming is a very profitable business with its demand for rabbit meat increasing in Zimbabwe. People want to try a different type of meat which is not chicken, beef, or pork.

A lot of people are switching to more healthy meat with less fat. Rabbit meat has become a perfect replacement for chicken since it is also white meat. Rabbits are easy to keep and are very profitable as the feed costs are low due to the fact that they eat a variety of foods.

An increasing number of farmers in Zimbabwe …

Zimbabwe Tobacco Farmers have collectively earned US$90,4 million from the sale of tobacco since its marketing selling season started as prices continue to firm.

Since the start of the 2021 tobacco selling season, farmers have sold 35,3 million kg worth US$90,4 million at an average price of US$2,56 per kilogram.

Comparing to the last season sale for the same period last which was an average price of US$2,25 per kg showed tremendous growth.

ALSO READ: Nigeria: Use of Modern Technology will Block Tax Leakages – Isaac Wadak

So far, 475 338 bales of the crop have been sold compared to 264 885 during the same period last year.

The bulk of the crop, as has become the norm, has been sold through the contract floors.

Contracted growers have sold 32,6 million kg worth US$783,6 million while 2,6 million kg worth US$6,8 million were sold through auction sales.

The substantive chief …

The Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) Jos and District Society chairman Mr Isaac Wadak, has endorsed the use of modern technology to block tax leakages and fraudulent action to improve and sustained internally generated revenue in the country.

Isaac Wadak has advised the newly inaugurated tax bodies in Plateau to channel their energy towards maintaining the same tax but not to increasing it but looking for more people to pay tax.

Mr. Wadak said this during the maiden edition of the annual tax week of Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Jos District Society, where tax clubs were inaugurated at the University of Jos, Plateau State Polytechnic Barkin-Ladi and Plateau State University, Bokkos, respectively.

According to him the Finance Act 2020 has introduced landmark changes in Nigerian tax legislation with a view to improving a sustained revenue generation in the country.

Isaac Wadak noted that the charges …