Friday, November 22African Digital Business Magazine

Tag: finance

Rwanda News

Africa: Regional integration can boost FDI, experts at AEC say

KIGALI, Rwanda, November, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ – Experts at the ongoing African Economic Conference in Kigali today agreed that Africa would need to strengthen regional integration in order to boost increased Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on the continent, because it creates larger domestic markets and stimulates trade, two elements that can attract FDI. “At a time when China, India, Brazil and other large emerging markets are taking on such a prominence in the global economy, we must surely focus the minds of African policymakers, particularly from smaller, landlocked countries, on the importance of pushing forward the regional integration agenda”, said Andrew Mold, a senior Economic Affairs Officer of ECA.   Mold said that attracting FDI in Africa c...
African News

Airtel Nigeria appoints Segun Ogunsanya as Chief Executive Officer

  Segun Ogunsanya will be responsible for defining and delivering the business strategy and providing overall leadership for Airtel Nigeria LAGOS, Nigeria, November, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ – Bharti Airtel (http://www.airtel.com), a leading global telecommunications services provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, today announced the appointment of Segun Ogunsanya as the Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Networks Ltd, Nigeria (“Airtel Nigeria”). Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/airtel.jpg Mr. Ogunsanya, who will be responsible for defining and delivering the business strategy and providing overall leadership for Airtel Nigeria, will report to Manoj Kohli, CEO (International) and Joint MD, Bharti A...
Energy, Green Energy, South Africa News

OPIC TO DEDICATE STAFF MEMBER FOR SOUTH AFRICA IN 2013

  Will support implementation of US-Africa Clean Energy Finance Initiative JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Government’s development finance institution, will dedicate a senior staff member for South Africa in 2013, aiming to leverage the country’s position as a business hub and strategic U.S. partner into new investment opportunities for American and African companies. In the past two years OPIC has made significant efforts to expand its work in Africa, resulting in an extraordinary 300 percent increase in the agency’s commitments to the region last year. Whereas Africa comprised only four percent of OPIC’s global portfolio of loans, guarantees and political risk insurance in 2001, today it stands at a full 22 percent...
African News, Sierra Leone

The Parliament of Sierra Leone has ratified the award of offshore exploration blocks for ODYE Limited with partners, Chevron and Noble Energy

    “The two exploration blocks, SL-08A and SL-08B, have been combined into one concession and are located between 75 and 110 miles (120 and 180 km) southwest of the capital of Freetown and cover a combined area of about 2,100 square miles (5,500 sq. km). (CNW Group/ODYE Limited)”. LONDON, Oct. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire via African Press Organization (APO)/ — ODYE Limited (“ODYE” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that the Sierra Leone Government has awarded ODYE’s subsidiary, ODYE (SL) Limited, a participating interest in two offshore deepwater exploration blocks, SL 8A-10 and SL 8B-10, along with its partners, Chevron and Noble Energy. ODYE’s 100% owned subsidiary, ODYE (SL) Limited, has signed a petroleum license with Sierra Leone’s Minister of Finance on 21 Septembe...
African News

World Bank Launches New Fund to Help African Countries Negotiate Best-Possible Deals for their Oil, Gas, and Minerals

PARIS, October, 2012―With new discoveries of oil, gas, and other minerals generating a wave of significant mineral wealth in African countries, the World Bank today launched a new fund to help countries on the continent level the playing field and ensure equitable deals in their natural resource contracts with international companies. With Africa holding 15% of the world’s oil reserves, 40% of its gold, and about 80% of the platinum group of metals, natural resources represent important development opportunities for the continent. For example, oil production has been growing steadily in Africa, and is expected to continue to rise at an average rate of six percent per year for the foreseeable future. At the 40th Anniversary Meeting of the Zone Franc Monetary Union in Paris today, attended b...
African News, South Africa News, Zambia News

Regionalism

  by Chikomborero Dengu (chikodengu @ gmail.com) Regionalism (Microsoft Word) Introduction There is an increasing recognition for the need to improve the political and economic environment of a country or region via collective action . This recognition is borne out of the realisation that countries or indeed regions are competing with themselves for scarce resources . This essay intends to dissect the concept of new regionalism and whilst briefly looking at how it has evolved .  With reference to the last point this paper will attempt to link the concept of new regionalism to the recent surge in Regional Trade Agreements (RTA).[1] The crux of this essay however lay in establishing the reasons for increases in RTA’s , that is to say both economic and political positives of jo...
Energy, Gabon News, Green Energy

AfDB supports Gabon renewable energy sector with €57m loan

  LIBREVILLE, Gabon, July 20, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ – The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group (http://www.afdb.org), through its private sector window, approved on 18 July 2012 in Tunis, a senior loan of €57.5 million to the Coder Hydropower Project for the design, construction and operation of two run-of-river hydro projects in Ngounie Province and North Gabon. The project consists of two run-of-river hydroelectric power plants, a 70 MW plant in the Ngounie Province and a 52MW plant in north Gabon. Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/african-development-bank.jpg Despite a high electricity access rate of up to 83 percent, the Gabon electricity sector still faces frequent electricity shortages and blackou...
African News, Botswana News, Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea Leads Africa In Per Capita Health Investment

Improvement of public health and health infrastructure is a national priority in Equatorial Guinea. MALABO, Equatorial Guinea, July, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Equatorial Guinea and Botswana lead Africa in per capita investments in health care, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, but the gap in spending between Africa and the rest of the world is still a concern.  The statistics are from the WHO's 2012 Health Financing and Health MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) Scorecard and Africa's first Multi Year Health Financing Trends Analysis. The surveys show Equatorial Guinea's per capita annual spending at $612 and Botswana's at $442. The survey results were presented by Rotimi Sankore to the WHO's Joint Conference of Finance and Health Ministers, which met in Tunis Ju...
African News, Ethiopia News, Kenya News

World Bank Approves New Power Transmission Line between Ethiopia and Kenya to Boost Electricity and Economic Growth in East Africa

  Washington, July 12, 2012 – The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved the Eastern Electricity Highway Project, which will connect Ethiopia’s electrical grid with Kenya’s, create power- sharing between the two countries, reduce energy costs, promote sustainable and renewable power generation, better protect the region’s environment, and pave the way for more dynamic regional cooperation between the countries of East Africa. The new project marks the first phase of a regional East Africa power integration program which is likely to cost  US$1.3 billion at completion, eventually  benefiting 212 million people living in five countries with a combined GDP of US$107 billion. Together with the Governments of Ethiopia and Kenya, the African Development Bank (AfDB), and ...
African News

Video: Investing for Sustainable Development

Frontiers in Development: June 13, 2012 DevTalk: Joel Lamstein, Co-founder and President of John Snow, Inc. Forum: Investing for Sustainable Development Moderator: Donald Steinberg, Deputy Administrator, USAID Emilia Pires, Minister of Finance of Timor-Leste Amara Konneh, Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs of Liberia Rakesh Rajani, Head and Founder of Twaweza Paul O'Brien, Vice President for Policy and Campaigns for Oxfam America One of the biggest challenges in development is sustaining progress and results over time. Sustainability involves a complex set of economic, cultural, technical, and environmental issues. What are the best strategies for sustaining results over time? How can beneficiaries be empowered to take ownership of development initiatives? How can pro...