Thursday, March 28

Regional Markets

East African Cables
  • East African Cables is a private limited liability company incorporated in mainland Tanzania. It manufactures extensive cables for domestic and industrial lighting and power electricity transmission.
  • The sale is subject to regulatory and shareholders’ approval.
  • Upon completion of the sale, EAC Tanzania will cease being a subsidiary of the company.

Msufini Tanzania Limited (MTL), a chlorine and sodium hydroxide manufacturer, is set to buy a majority stake in East African Cables’s Tanzanian subsidiary if regulators and stakeholders approve an agreed deal between the two firms.

East African Cables, which is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, has entered into a share purchase agreement with Msufini for the sale of 16 218,000 ordinary shares at a value of Tsh10, constituting 51 per cent of the issued share capital of East African Cables (Tanzania) Limited.

East African Cables is a private limited liability company incorporated in mainland Tanzania. It manufactures extensive …

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unctad
  • UNCTAD estimates that the weekly transits going through the Suez Canal decreased by 42 per cent over the last two months.
  • The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has triggered substantial shifts in oil and grain trades, reshaping established trade patterns.
  • Simultaneously, the Panama Canal, a pivotal conduit for global trade, is grappling with diminished water levels, resulting in a staggering 36 per cent reduction in total transits over the past month compared to a year ago.

The escalating geopolitical tensions and climate change related issues affecting key shipping routes are now threatening global trade, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has warned, with potential to curtail economic development mainly in poor countries.

The United Nations trade and development body has expressed concerns over the disruptions, particularly stemming geopolitical tensions affecting shipping in the Black Sea, recent attacks on shipping in the Red Sea affecting the Suez

East Africa's insurance sector
  • East Africa’s insurance sector regulators held the 7th Special Meeting of the Executive Committee (ExCo)of the East African Insurers Supervisors Association (EAISA) in Kenya on Friday.
  • The East African insurance supervisors have resolved to promote the development of cross-border insurance products and services jointly.
  • The members have also agreed to coordinate joint innovation initiatives relating to insurance development in member states.

Joint resolve for East Africa’s insurance sector supervisors 

The East African insurance supervisors have resolved to jointly promote the development of cross-border insurance products and services to address the challenges of low insurance uptake and penetration in the region.

The members have also agreed to coordinate joint innovation initiatives relating to insurance development in member states.

Working under the auspices of the East African Insurance Supervisors Association (EAISA), the supervisors, at their 7th Special Meeting of the Executive Committee (ExCo) meeting held in Eldoret, Kenya, also agreed to employ …

European Union African Union Summit.Source Anadolu Agency

The European Union (EU) and Nigeria have enjoyed robust trade and bilateral relations since the formulation of this lucrative partnership, and remains its most important trading partner for oil and non-oil exports. In cognizance of Nigeria’s strategic importance as Africa’s most populous nation, and one of the largest economies; the EU’s cooperation with the country aims to enhance growth and stability to achieve social equity, hence their partnership has been rooted in shared values and interests since inception. In addition, Nigeria is also a key beneficiary of the EU’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

To boot, the EU has recently renewed its commitment, pledging to continue to pursue with increased vigour, its bilateral engagement and friendship with Nigeria I n order to deliver better and to make the partnership more fruitful. This comes after the trade volume between the European Union and Nigeria, increased by 25.8 per cent to peak at…

Loucas Pouroulis The Reticent Platinum King Pin
  • Platinum mining is where Loucas Pouroulis, the chairman of mining outfit Tharisa PLC made and then lost money and then made it again in South Africa. He is looking to make another fortune digging for platinum on the Great Dyke in Zimbabwe
  • A look at the rise, fall and rise again of storied platinum mining entrepreneur Loucas Pouroulis.
  • Tharisa PLC and Karo Mining Holdings, both Loucas Pourolis backed vehicles are the latest companies to venture into Zimbabwe’s rich Great Dyke platinum field
  • Platinum mining is where Loucas Pouroulis and his family have made their wealth however the same mining sector nearly ruined his career 35 years ago
  • Tharisa PLC through Karo Mining Holdings is developing a 150,000 platinum ounces a year project in Zimbabwe on the Great Dyke

Loucas Pourolis, the South African Greek-born mining entrepreneur knows a thing or two about rising from the obscurity of humble beginnings to

Could East Africa Member states unite to form the most powerful federation in Africa? www.theexchange.africa

With the recent addition of the DRC to the East African region, landlocked countries have found an alternative port of entry in the Atlantic Ocean. The swiftness of trade with two ports of entry and the region’s strategic location will be incomparable to any other region on the continent.

The East African Federation would be the fourth largest country in both population and landmass, trailing after China, India and the United States. President Uhuru Kenyatta says that the federation would have over 300 million people.

The gross domestic product for the region will sum up to US$250 billion, the fourth-largest in Africa and the 34th biggest globally. Since the beginning of the last decade, East Africa has had the fastest growing economy globally. In 2019, the region’s economy grew by about 5 per cent. If the federation continues with this growth rate, the new country would quickly become the biggest …

Rwanda tops economic growth in East Africa in 2022. www.theexchange.africa

The International Monetary Fund projects that Rwanda will post 7 per cent growth in 2022

  • Rwanda weathered the Covid-19 pandemic to hit double-digit growth of 10.3 per cent for 2021 
  • Rwanda’s life expectancy has risen from 49 in 2000 to 66.6 in 2017, while extreme poverty fell from 40 per cent to 16 per cent

The economic growth in East Africa is expected to flourish with the admission of the DRC to the East African Community (EAC).

This move increases the region’s bargaining power and has offered an alternative port of entry that will facilitate international trade. It has also turned the focus to the region and its economic impact on the continent and the world at large.

Among the seven countries in East Africa, Rwanda has reported the most rapid economic growth in the region.

Over the years, Rwanda has endeared itself to the donor community: a nation where

The signed trade deals between the DRC and Kenya. East African authorities and citizens are working hard to make the coast to coast economic bloc strong and long-lasting. www.theexchange.africa

For starters, this is good news for the landlocked countries. It means that the landlocked countries in the EAC including Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan now have another coastal gateway away from the East African one in Kenya and Tanzania.

In addition, all the partner states have better bargaining power when it comes to trading with other blocs on the continent or internationally.
With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the deal gets even sweeter.

Continent-wide, fully implementing the AfCFTA will increase intra-African trade with the elimination of duties. Projections show that by just reducing non-tariff barriers (NTBs), intra-African trade could double.…

DRC and EAC: Who stands to gain more from the pact? www.theexchange.africa

“Concerning the management of the mineral resources sector, the Partner States agree, among other things, to promote joint exploration, efficient exploitation and sustainable utilization of shared mineral resources,” the treaty reads in part. The World Bank notes that DRC’s natural resources are diverse and immense in its country report. The country has the world’s second-largest primary humid tropical rainforest endowment and carbon sink globally. 

“However, forest loss rates have accelerated in recent years, and in 2020, the DRC lost 1.31 million ha of natural forest, equivalent to 854 million tonnes of CO₂ of emissions. This has had deleterious environmental impacts (including rainfall patterns, biodiversity, and climate change) and is threatening the livelihoods of the 35 million people who depend on forest resources,” World Bank says in the report.

World Bank’s collaborations in energy sector investments have been intended to rehabilitate transmission networks and hydropower plants, raise Inga’s electricity production by …

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