• The Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) is directly importing petroleum products from Vitol Bahrain, aiming to reduce reliance on Kenyan firms and mitigate high fuel prices. 
• UNOC’s direct importation and sale of fuel to OMCs in Tanzania and Uganda is a significant step towards fostering stronger regional ties, promoting economic growth, and ensuring energy security. 

Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) has started the sale of petroleum products to oil marketing companies in both Uganda and Tanzania.

This is part of a broader strategy to test the waters before UNOC embarks on a direct importation agreement with the global oil titan, Vitol Bahrain. This maneuver signals a new era in East Africa’s energy dynamics, especially following a cooling of relations between Uganda and Kenya over fuel supply mechanisms.

Breaking New Ground: Uganda National Oil Company Direct Importation Deal

For years, Uganda’s fuel supply chain was heavily dependent on Kenyan OMCs. However, …

• Tanzania and Rwanda are warming up to set up second official border post.
• Currently, Rwanda is the third largest user of Dar es Salaam port.
• More than 80% of Rwanda’s cargo goes through the port of Dar es Salaam.

The push to foster EAC integration appears to be moving in a positive direction with Tanzania and Rwanda taking steps to enhance one of East Africa Community (EAC) pivotal goal, regional trade.

A top Tanzanian envoy has announced plans to open a new border post with Rwanda, as part of ongoing measures between the two countries to scale up the movement of labour, goods and services providers.

Tanzania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, January Makamba,  made the announcement at the end of his four-day state visit to Rwanda.

The Minister revealed that the proposed border crossing will be set up in Tanzania’s Kyerwa district in Kagera Region and …

• Zambia-Tanzania Trade Route expansion enjoys the support of senior government, diplomatic, and development sector officials. 
• The Nakonde/Tunduma border is one of the busiest entry/exit points for cargo in and out of Zambia.
• The design reviews for Nakonde OSBP were finalised over the last year

The Government of Zambia and TradeMark Africa (TMA) have entered into a Partner Support Agreement (PSA) to upgrade the Nakonde One Stop Border Post, a key Zambia-Tanzania Trade Route.

Funded by the UK government, the $7.7 million (ZMK 197 million) project will improve the flow of goods and people along the Dar es Salaam Corridor, promising to streamline operations and reduce cargo clearance times by more than 100 per cent on both sides of the border.

Clearing cargo trucks crossing the border takes more than two days, leading to significant business delays and losses.

Zambia’s Finance Minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane, and TMA’s CEO, David Beer, launched the …

• An estimated $5.7 trillion is required to close the infrastructure investment gap in South Africa by 2050.
• Of the energy sector projects, 25 are under construction under Bid Window 5 of REIPPP.
• Access to clean water and sanitation is a basic human right, yet many communities in South Africa lack reliable access to these essential services.

South Africa needs an estimated $5.7 trillion To bridge the shortfall in infrastructure investment by 2050. This deficit spans several sectors, including underdeveloped transportation systems, inadequate energy provisions, scarce access to potable water and sanitation services, and a shortage of affordable housing. These issues are particularly pronounced in rural locales and informal settlements.

This is according to statements made by Mameetse Masemola, Acting Head of Infrastructure South Africa (ISA), during the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa (SIDSSA).

In a media briefing, Masemola gave an update on the initiatives led by ISA since its …

• Cash transfer service M-PESA is eyeing a chunk of the remittances to Ethiopia which are estimated at $5 billion annually.
• Last year, the World Bank stated that the remittances flow to countries in sub-Saharan Africa reached $54 billion.
• Through a new M-PESA-Onafriq agreement, friends and relatives from 40 countries will now be able to send money directly to Safaricom Ethiopia M-PESA subscribers.

Safaricom Ethiopia is betting on remittances to grow cash transfer service M-PESA uptake in Ethiopia following an agreement with one of Africa’s largest digital payments network Onafriq. Through the deal, friends and relatives from 40 countries where Onafriq has a presence will now be able to send money directly to M-PESA subscribers in Africa’s second most populous country.

Through the agreement, individuals within Ethiopia will receive remittances from different parts of the world through M-PESA, based on the authorisation received from the National Bank of Ethiopia to start …

• Climate emergency has been a new concern in businesses across the markets 
• From those polled 87 per cent of respondents agreed to some extent that they were concerned about physical climate risks
• 72 per cent of corporates surveyed had experienced an extreme weather event in the last five years

Nearly four out of every five businesses in many of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of the climate emergency are already suffering the consequences of a rapidly changing environment.

The startling finding is contained in British International Investment’s third annual Emerging Economies Climate Report – a survey of its investee businesses in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. The report is a joint effort between Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and ODI, the global think tank.

BII, Managing Director and Head of Climate, Diversity and Advisory Amal-Lee Amin says that that 79 per cent of companies …