Niger Archives - AfricaBusiness.com

17Sep

By Katarzyna RybarczykNo Comments

The Sahel faces further destabilisation from the jihadi gold rush

Africa’s Sahel, a region separating the Sahara Desert to the north and savannas to the south, is notorious for widespread poverty and persistent conflict. In fact, Western Sahel, especially Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, is the most unstable area on the continent. For years, terrorist attacks have been a frequent occurrence but recently the region has been facing a new threat - a wave of extremist violence targeting gold mines. Groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State have been taking over gold mines and becoming increasingly involved in the informal gold trade. ‘More than 2m people are involved in small-scale mining in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger’, reported the International Crisis Group. As the NGO explained, ‘in total they dig up 40-95 tonnes of gold a year, worth some $1.9bn-4.5...

22Apr

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Africa Travel, African News, Nigeria News

Carlson Rezidor announces the Radisson Blu Hotel, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group – born in early 2012 – is one of the world’s largest and most dynamic hotel groups. The portfolio of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group includes more than 1,300 hotels, a global footprint spanning 80 countries, a powerful set of global brands (Radisson Blu, Radisson®, Country Inns & Suites by CarlsonSM, Park Inn by Radisson, Hotel Missoni and Park Plaza®). In most of the group’s hotels, guests can benefit from the loyalty program Club Carlson, one of the most rewarding loyalty programs in the world. The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and its brands employ more than 80,000 people. The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is headquartered in Minneapolis, USA, and Brussels, Belgium. http://www.carlsonrezidor.com; http://www.rezidor.com The Carlson Rezidor H...

13Nov

By Hussaini UmarNo Comments

African News, Nigeria News

Nigeria’s Constitution Review: Nigerians reject rotating the presidency between North and South

By Hussaini Umar Nigerians yesterday rejected single term presidency, which is being canvassed by President Goodluck Jonathan, during the House of Representatives Public Hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution at the 360 Federal Constituencies in the country. Also, in most states, the call for the creation of additional states and the recognition of the six geopolitical zones in the constitution were rejected. So, also, the people rejected the idea of rotating the presidency between North and South, as most of them voted for leadership by merit. At the various venues of the public hearing, delegates were asked to tick ‘yes’ or ‘no’ against each of the 43 aspects of the 1999 Constitution which is being amended by the National Assembly. However, delegates overwhelmingly voted aga...

12Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, Nigeria News, South Africa News

Standard Bank Group leads US$550m Shoreline Natural Resources facility

Standard Bank Group, as mandated lead arranger and bookrunner, has closed a US$550,000,000 syndicated bank guarantee and bridge facilities for Shoreline Natural Resources. This is one of the largest finance deals completed in Nigeria so far in 2012. Shoreline has used the facility to acquire 45% in OML 30, an oilfield in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, from 1 November 2012. China Development Bank joined Standard Bank Group as mandated lead arranger. They were joined by lead arrangers Ecobank Nigeria and First City Monument Bank. The facility was fully underwritten by Standard Bank Group. It was signed with Shoreline on 29 June 2012, has a 12+6 month tenor and is structured as a bank ...

8Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News

Despite Global Slowdown, African Economies Growing Strongly― New Oil, Gas, and Mineral Wealth an Opportunity for Inclusive Development

WASHINGTON, October, 2012 – Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to grow at 4.8 percent in 2012, broadly unchanged from the 4.9 percent growth rate in 2011 and largely on track despite setbacks in the global economy, according to the World Bank’s new Africa’s Pulse, a twice-yearly analysis of the issues shaping Africa’s economic prospects. Excluding South Africa, the continent’s largest economy, growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is forecast to rise to 6 percent. African exports rebounded notably in the first quarter of 2012, growing at an annual pace of 32 percent, up from the -11 percent pace recorded in the last quarter of 2011. African countries have not been immune to the recent bout of market volatility stemming from the Euro Area crisis, as well as the growth slowdown that is occurring in some ...