Author: Padili Mikomangwa

The $3.5 billion and 1,443 km crude oil pipeline project, stretching from Lake Albert in Uganda to Tanzania’s port in Tanga, will be fast-tracked to commence the implementation of the project, which was put on hold last year.

Tullow is a recognised independent oil & gas, exploration and production company based in Africa and South America The company has interests in over 70 exploration and production licences across 15 countries.

According to information from The Citizen, a Total delegation led by President, Exploration and Production Arnaud Breuillac held talks with Energy minister Dr Medard Kalemani on Friday. The talks aimed at updating the Tanzania government on the new development.

“We are now enabled to fast track finalisation of legal and commercial agreements to pave the way for the Final Investment Decision (FID) before commencing implementation of the Project,” he said.

However, as both partners—Tanzania and Uganda face-off COVID-19 challenges, Mr …

Kenya East Africa’s largest and advanced economy has witnessed how the coronavirus has winged the trajectory of its private sector as the levels of activity and demand in May, as the virus stopped various economic interactions, a Stanbic Kenya survey showed.

According to the survey, the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) stood at 36.7 higher than April’s 34.8.

Further, if there is reading above 50.0 it signals an improvement in business conditions as in the previous month, while readings below 50.0 show deterioration.

However, according to Regional Economist for East Africa at Stanbic Bank Jibran Qureishi said business conditions have worsened in each month of 2020 so far, with the latest deterioration marked by historical standards, according to information from Capital FM Kenya.

Also Read: Twin shocks hit Kenya’s food security; millions could face starvation

Also, the report noted that “Driving the downturn was a considerable fall in output levels in …

Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy which performed well in the fourth quarter of 2019, since the 2016 recession, could contract in the second quarter in 2020.

The possibility of a contraction is backed by, three gauges of business activity that pointed to difficulties the central bank face in trying to stave off a recession in Africa’s largest economy, according to information from Bloomberg News.

As Nigeria struggled to recover from a 2016 contraction is set to slow down economically, due to the lockdown rolled in to curb coronavirus spread.

According to Stanbic IBTC Bank and IHS Markit’s purchasing managers index rose slightly to 40.7 in May from 37.1 the previous month, suggesting economic conditions are worsening even as the government relaxes a lockdown in key cities to curb the spread of the virus.

READ: Nigeria records high quarterly GDP growth in the fourth quarter

However, according to Bloomberg News, Gbolahan Taiwo, …

South African Airways (SAA)—one of Africa’s largest carrier has just proposed to the south African government a $ 1.2 billion bailout assist debt settlement and resume flying as the second-largest economy anticipates to reopen the economy.

The fresh plan has received mixed feelings as Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan powerfully disapproved to that plan, and announced his ambitions for the creation of a new airline at the start of the month.

While on Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa restated the government’s purpose to revive SAA, according to information from Bloomberg News.

As the Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam assures the world of a decent return for African planes, “here in Africa we expect to be slightly faster in recovery,” Gebremariam said in an interview with Bloomberg, SAA administrators eye a massive return.

According to information from Bloomberg News, the plan includes about 977 million rands that will go toward repaying South …

Waste is wealth, at least for a handful of youth who know how to transform garbage into decent money-churning activities.  At present Tanzania is growing fast; its cities (such as Dar es Salaam) are recognized by the United Nations and Africa’s biggest lender—the World Bank—as the fastest-growing cities in the region.  This means more economic activities expansion, more waste generated hence, the potential for waste recycling business.   

That is why Arena Recycling—an environmental-related startup, based in Dar es Salaam (a waste generation hotbed)—is rewriting waste management in Tanzania. 

The start-up is one of the few initiatives that work along the waste recycling line. Their efforts—which are executed with utmost ingenuity, tend to offer the best environmental solutions that youth can offer, as the world, and Dar es Salaam being no exception, is faced with unprecedented environmental perils. 

Waste landscape in Tanzania 

The Division of Sustainable Development—…

Water is a very crucial resource for Tanzania, and it is valid to say Tanzania has a significant supply of water, with almost 126 billion cubic meters of water resources.  This means the East African nation has a huge potential to advance water security to its population of more than 54 million. 

As the world gets integrated via advanced diplomatic relations, modern technology and scientific breakthroughs, vital aspects of life, too, improve from that.  This means Tanzania’s water scientists, digital technology experts and think-tanks get a chance to work with United Kingdom’s Cambridge University scientists to develop robust digital water access products. 

Water scenario in Tanzania 

According to the Ministry of Water, demand for domestic, irrigation and industrial use stands at 40 billion cubic meters per year, and the ministry projects the demand could shoot up to an average of 57 billion cubic meters per year.  

This translates into Tanzania …

Locusts could be East Africa’s new threat, after the coronavirus pandemic, which is also taking a toll in East Africa. The Locust infestation is causing chaos to the human food supply and has been wreaking havoc for the past decades, in the African continent.

The situation in some parts of East Africa is alarming, according to 27 May Locust Watch information from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the desert locust upsurge remains critical in East Africa.

“The current situation remains extremely alarming in East Africa where Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia continue to face an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods. New swarms from current breeding will form from mid-June onwards, coinciding with the start of the harvest,” FAO argued.

According to a March 10, 2020, BBC News report, the locusts—which eat their body weight in food every day are breeding so fast numbers could grow four hundredfold by …

Africa’s second-largest economy, South Africa—is planning to introduce projects worth of $29.5 billion in sectors such as water, energy, and transport—to fuel an economic recovery from coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to information from Reuters.

The infrastructure projects are expected to be approved by the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet, following discussions with the private sector and multilateral development banks, Paul Mashatile, ANC’s treasurer-general said during a video conference organized by a London based think-tank—Chatham House.

According to statistics from the South African government on COVID-19 trend, until May 27, 634,996 tests were conducted, 25,937 cases identified, 13,451 people recovered, 552 people succumbed to the virus and more than 1,600 cases emerged.

As South Africa swims in a second-recession, the economic-recovery projects would focus on areas such as railways, ports, energy, information technology, water and sanitation and housing.

“It is clear that given the scale of the damage to …

Barrick Gold Corporation—one of the world’s biggest gold miner, has delivered its first tranche $100 million of the $300 million settlement agreed with the Tanzanian government, regarding the disputes it inherited from Acacia Mining.

According to the miner’s statement, the company’s President and chief executive Mark Bristow, these were landmark events that demonstrated the strength of the partnership the company forged earlier this year through the formation of the jointly owned Twiga Minerals Corporation, which oversees the management of Barrick’s operations in the country.

“This is a striking example of what a true partnership can achieve in building a sustainable business capable of creating long-term value for all stakeholders,” he said.

The settlement tranche originates from the 2017 dispute, where Acacia Mining (Barrick’s subsidiary, taken over last year) was found to be violating several operating procedures, forcing the government of Tanzania to ban the exportation of concentrate.

Hence, the dispute …

The Afro-pop, Congolese zouk, and the Nigerian melodies, to mention the least have been the pinnacle of entertainment attention and musical success in Africa over the past decade. The ascension of modern technology, especially the decent access to internet services and gadgets has made Africa to be united in Music.

And yet, an array of Africa’s best musical talents is slated to put the region to a rather vital spotlight on Monday 25, 2020, to raise funds for thousands of people affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

This means one more, the world will have unmetered access to see how the continent of more than 1 billion people, use music as an aggregator of relief but define the next step towards reopening its $2.5 trillion economies.

The Industry

Africa music industry is undoubtedly growing. Deezer a streaming platform which connects 14 million monthly active users around the world to 56 million …