Africa Business

[Leadership] French Minister in charge of Foreign Trade and Attractiveness, Franck Riester, has explained reasons why France and Nigeria's bilateral trade dropped to $2.3billion in 2020.

[Leadership] The federal government has said the country is being prepared for a post-crude oil era through development and increased utilisation of natural gas.

[Leadership] Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs are crying out over worsening electricity supply, as the atmospheric temperature becomes increasingly intolerable.

[Leadership] Following the establishment of its first African office in Ghana, Twitter said it would recruit experts of major local languages in Nigeria (Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa) for its operations.

[VOA] Amchide, Cameroon -- Officials in Cameroon and Nigeria say economic activity has gradually resumed along their border, despite the continued presence of the terrorist group Boko Haram. Markets have re-opened and border merchants say traveling near the border is safer thanks to a heavy presence of troops.

[Citizen] The government of Tanzania has on Tuesday April 13 said it has completed payments for the purchase of three new planes.

[Citizen] Russia's Government has on Monday announced the suspension of flights between Russia and Tanzania, with effect from April 15 to June 1, due to the status of the coronavirus pandemic.

[Citizen] Simba SC board chairman Mohammed Dewji aka Mo has expressed disappointment over the Fair Competition Commission's latest move to restart negotiation regarding Simba Sports Club transformation.

[Citizen] Dar es Salaam -- The Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) yesterday said it will look into claims made by the Chadema national chairman Freeman Mbowe on confiscation of his bank accounts to cover over Sh2 billion in taxes due on his companies.

[Greenpeace] Greenpeace Africa and Break Free From Plastic [1] are urging South Africans to join thousands of others in commenting on new regulations to address the nation's plastic pollution crisis.

[Namibian] NAMPOWER has put in place mitigating measures to ensure the continuity of electricity supply to Namibia in the event that South Africa's power utility, Eskom, is 'unplugged'.

[Daily Maverick] Question: I am 75 and my husband is 80. We have been using our savings in fixed deposits to provide us with an income. These fixed deposits are coming up for renewal this month. The income we can get is almost half of what we were receiving before. We cannot commit to a five-year fixed deposit where the rates are better than the 4% on offer. In an earlier article you spoke about a discretionary income plan. Would you recommend that we invest our money here? My fixed deposit is worth R1.3-million and my hus

[Egypt Online] The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) said the balance of payment with regard to the country's foreign transactions hit a surplus of dlrs 1.5 billion in the first half of the 2020-2021 fiscal year against a total deficit of dlrs 9 billion in the corresponding period of the same fiscal year.

[Egypt Online] Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat asserted that Egypt has become an important destination for investments in the fields of outsourcing and IT services due to the competitive privileges it enjoys topped by a good climate suitable for investments.

[ANGOP] Luanda -- Angolan minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, Diamantino Azevedo, reiterated, on Monday, optimism about the future of the oil sector in Angola, which presents itself with "great" potential.

[SAnews.gov.za] The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) will appoint contractors to unblock sewer systems that flow into the Vaal River.

[SAnews.gov.za] The Department of Water and Sanitation has called on communities in the Gqudezi village in Fort Beaufort, in the Eastern Cape to stop making illegal water connections as government is losing billions of rands due to water loss.

[Govt of SA] The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development would like to report on an outbreak of avian influenza (AI) on a commercial farm in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.

[Seychelles News Agency] Former President of Seychelles, James Michel, joined other former world leaders of the Club de Madrid in addressing a letter to U.S President Joe Biden to consider giving support for a temporary suspension on patent rules for COVID-19 vaccines.

[VOA] Tobacco farmers in Zimbabwe, Africa's largest tobacco producer, are pinning their economic hopes on the addictive plant. Despite anti-smoking campaigns ahead of the World Health Organization's No Tobacco Day on May 31, farmers say the crop is one of their biggest sources of income.

[The Herald] Criminals have been hacking EcoCash and WhatsApp accounts, using stolen identities of persons trusted by others in a WhatsApp group, offer US dollars at good rates, but after receiving the local currency through EcoCash disappear.

[Leadership] Lagos -- There is a cloud of uncertainty surrounding $62 billion outstanding taxes and royalties owed Nigeria by operating major oil companies in the country.

[New Times] Kagame highlighted that there is a company that is capable of this technique, citing that it is ready and willing just as Moderna and Pfizer have been doing.

[East African] South Sudanese traders are paying the price of storage, and more transportation charges, days after Kenyan and Uganda truck drivers protested over highway attacks.

[Nation] Kenya has time and again proven to be a resilient economy. Last year, we witnessed locust invasions, heavy rains, floods followed by an absence of rains in agrarian lands.

[East African] Countries in the region led by Rwanda and Tanzania are drawing benefits from over $142.7 million in debt relief from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

[New Zimbabwe] THE Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) is seeking the reversal of a decision to remove Enock Dongo as a member of the Health Services Bipartite Negotiating Panel (BNP) by the Health Services Board (HSB).

[The Herald] Farmers have earned US$8,9 million in the first three days of the 2021 tobacco marketing season after selling 3,7 million kg of the crop at the auction and contract floors.

[Vanguard] Management of Dangote Cement Plc has said yesterday that the price of its product per bag from the factory was between N2,450 in Obajana and Gboko, and N2,510 in Ibese, inclusive of VAT.

[VOA] Johannesburg -- Africa is lagging in vaccinating its people against the COVID-19 disease, and continental heads of state and international health officials say vaccine manufacturing must come to Africa in earnest to combat both the illness and future health emergencies.