Browsing: Africa

There are now more than 100,000 mini-grid stations across Africa, these little power generation stations are serving to bridge Africa’s rural power gap and Tanzania is no exception.

While the country leads Africa in rural electrification efforts, there is still huge gap between demand and supply and the solution to cover it lays in mini-grids, small power stations that generate power at localized remote points.

To date, Tanzania has well over 100 mini-grids that provide electrical power to over 250,000 people in remote corners of the country. These mini-grids provide close to 200 MW using biomass, fossil fuel and solar systems as well as hybrids of these energy sources.

Tanzania’s national policies also support adoption of renewable energy technologies. Off-grid electrification using renewable energy technologies can offer a power solution to rural and remote areas. These efforts are inline with the global Sustainable Development Goals.

SDG number 7 calls for …

More than ever before, Tanzania and the rest of Africa need to employ rain harvesting technology. Global climate changing is drastically affecting weather patterns, rains are heavier or missing completely, droughts in otherwise tropical areas, cyclones and tornadoes ravaging through coastlines. Weather is now less predictable than ever before.

For both economic and social reasons, Tanzania needs to make the best of the rains when they come, Tanzania needs to harvest rain water.

While at national or even city levels, there are some sophisticated equations involved in rain harvesting, like building reservoirs and purification sites, but all in all, the science of rain harvesting technology is not all that complicated at all. It’s a simple three step investment, collect, store and purify.

Since economies rely on water for production and households depend on clean and safe water for daily survivor, harvesting rain water should not even be optional, it should …

When it comes to extractive industries, Tanzania is one of Africa’s richest countries. From minerals to marine resources, Tanzania has it all. It is the World’s only source of Tanzanite, a blue gem said to be 1000 times rarer than diamond. It is home to the highest mountain on the continent and Lake Tanganyika, the World’s deepest lake.

How to manage the extractive industries is an insurmountable task that has seen many countries plunge into endless civil wars. At the center of this strife is a matter of much deliberation but one word can describe the complex mechanisms that are required to efficiently manage the extractive industries, transparency.

Transparency in this case is a very touchy subject after all, who wants to let the world know the details of the 100 years renewable contract that they have signed with a multi-national corporation?

However, that is exactly what transparency demands, stifle …

The base criteria for loans worldwide is the usage of a rank-like system used to categorize nations from “best to worse”.

A lower rating is given to a country that holds a large amount of this foreign debt and that usually takes longer to pay the debts. This debt is held mostly in the form of Eurobonds held by international Stock Exchanges, most common the London SE and Irish SE. The value issued between 2018 and 2019 was greater than the value issued in fourteen years from 2003 to 2016.

According to the IMF(International Monetary Fund), many African nations are piling up debt at excessive interest rates with low chance of full- payment due to the accumulation of debts and disparities in  currency exchange rates. Government debt as a percentage of gross domestic product in sub-Saharan Africa has doubled in the past decade, heading back toward the level it reached …

Coffee production in South America is on a sharp increase and the resulting market flood is severely hurting East African coffee growers.

As supply increases, the market price is steadily falling. For trading blocs like the East African Community (EAC) where coffee is traditionally among the leading export commodities, the lower market prices spell a gloomy period up ahead.

In fact, for most of the East African countries, coffee accounts for 76 percent of the value of all agricultural exports put together. So losing the coffee market is a severe blow to economic development in East Africa and across the continent too.

Sector pundits say South America is using improved hybrids that are growing fast, producing better yields and they also have better after harvest storage and transportation facilities which are important to maintain the quality of the grain.

For example, statistics show that Brazil is now the world’s leading …

Anastacia Mukami sells fruits and vegetables at the Kiambu town market, a few kilometers north of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital. Within a month, the price of cloves of garlic has almost doubled, currently selling at 35 shillings up from 15 shillings. This, she says has led to a reduction in the number of cloves she sells in a day as the supply from China becomes more scarce.

Just like the rest of the world, Kenya is reliant on garlic shipped from China, and with the Asian giant facing near lockdown, the supply to traders like Mukami is dwindling and the economic effects of goods from China is starting to be felt across the African continent. The Directorate of Horticulture says that Kenya imports over 50 percent of garlic from China, and some more from Tanzania.

It is not just garlic sellers that are facing a bleak and uncertain future. The eastern …

Africa is set to become one of the fastest-growing regions for aviation in the next 20 years with an annual expansion of nearly 5 per cent, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), this growth is being driven by African and international carriers adding more routes on the continent and scaling up their operations by acquiring or getting partnerships with other airlines operating in the region.

Turkish Airlines in the past decade tripled the number of African cities it serves from 18 to 56, while other Middle Eastern, European and Asian airlines, are adding routes as well.

Meanwhile, other African carriers are rushing to raise capital to fund their expansion, by offering to sell stakes in their companies to other airlines on the continent.

Like in 2018 Ethiopian Airline, the continent’s largest airline by revenue and profit signed a deal to …

The potential of the fourth industrial revolution in Africa report shows an African tech sector taking flight the report was funded by the African Development Bank.

The Technopolis Group carried out research and study of the report. The report was presented during a seminar hosted by the African Development Bank last week.

According to the report, in 2019, approximately 6,500 technology start-ups were identified in Africa, among which about 10% develop applications that characterize the fourth industrial revolution.

Francie Sadeski, partner and lead in emerging markets at Technopolis, said the foundation has been laid for the fourth industrial revolution.

“The figures exceed forecasts and indicate that the basis for Africa’s growth into the fourth industrial revolution is already there,” she said during a presentation on the report.

By 2019, the report notes that venture capital of more than $100 million was invested in African Internet of Things start-ups making it …

The visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to three African countries of Senegal, Angola, and Ethiopia is significant for the Trump administration not only as of the first trip the senior official has made to the continent, but a first for a senior official since the launch of the new strategy for Africa. The last time a senior official to visit sub-Sahara Africa was Pompeo’s predecessor, Rex Tillerson who lost his job while on a trip to Kenya.

Trump’s Africa Strategy was aimed at promoting prosperity, security, and stability in relations, and the business-friendly Prosper Africa which aims to substantially increase two-way trade and investment between the United States and Africa.

The leading issue will mainly be on security and counter-terrorism efforts mainly in the Sahel as well as the horn of Africa. Though Somalia has remained a point of discussion in terms of security, there is a …

Canada, the world’s second largest country and the fastest economy among G7 has set aside $10 million for developing African women, and slated potential investment agreement with Ethiopia.

The $10-million contribution is to the African Union Commission for gender equality and women empowerment.

The Canadian Prime Minister (with his first visit to Ethiopia) spent the first full day of a three-day trip to Addis Ababa meeting with some of the African Union’s heaviest performers in a series of one-on-one on the sidelines of the union’s 33rd sessional meeting in Addis Ababa.

READ:Ethiopian Airline’s CEO reveals new airport underway

Canada and Ethiopia

According to the Canadian media, Global news, Trudeau said Canada and Ethiopia are about to start negotiating a Foreign Investment Protection Agreement.

Also, the Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng, who is in Africa with a trade delegation of Canadian companies, wouldn’t say how long those negotiations could take …