East Africa: Kenya Bans Poultry Import from Uganda Over Bird Flu Concerns

Kenyan authorities Wednesday announced a ban on the importation of poultry and poultry products from Uganda, where an outbreak of avian flu was reported Sunday.   The Agriculture ministry in Nairobi also cancelled all permits that had already been issued for the import of poultry in a bid to safeguard the 32 million chicken in the country.   Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Willy Bett said that surveillance and rapid response teams had been deployed to points of entry and.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 20th January 2017

Kenya: Eco-friendly Modern Masaai Dwellings Hit with Tourists

Laikipia — A modern version of the Maasai traditional dwelling, equipped with clean energy, is helping tribal women earn an income In the late evening, Eunice Kaparo and Rosemary Nenini finish up their daily cleaning routine in the modern Maasai dwellings, or manyattas, owned by the Twala women's group.   "This is elephant dung - they destroyed trees last night. They are such a nuisance, but we can't do without them since they attract tourists," said Nenini. The.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 20th January 2017

Ethiopia: Ethiopian Airlines Announces Seven New Routes

Addis Ababa — Ethiopian Airlines will fly to seven new destinations in the next five months, the firm said on Tuesday.   In its new record expansion plan, the Ethiopian flag carrier says that starting February to June this year, it will fly to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Conakry-Guinea, Antananarivo (Madagascar), Oslo (Norway), Jakarta (Indonesia) Chengdu (China) and Singapore.   The firm's chief executive said the airline wants to tap into the global aviation.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 20th January 2017

Tanzania: 50 Foreign Firm Executives Arrive to Discuss Investment, Trade

Dar es Salaam — Representatives from 50 foreign companies are expected in Tanzania on Saturday this week.   They include those from China.   The representatives will join the Asian nation as it celebrates its New Year in Tanzania, according to a cultural counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania, Mr Gao Wei.   "We will celebrate the Chinese New Year in Dar es Salaam on January 21 and 22. With a theme of 'Focus on Africa', this year's Chinese New.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 20th January 2017

IDAK Strengthens Strategic Support For BUILDEXPO 2017

The Interior Designers Association of Kenya (IDAK) will be the main supporting partner of the 20th BUILDEXPO Kenya, the largest and most successful building and construction show in East Africa, taking place at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC), Nairobi from the 20th to 22nd April, 2017. IDAK is the sole national body for interior design firms in Kenya and forms the voice and authority for professional interior designers in the country. Founded in 2012 in Nairobi,.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 18th January 2017

Over 350 Companies from 44 Countries to be Part of BUILDEXPO KENYA 2017

The 20th edition of BUILDEXPO Kenya, East Africa’s largest building and construction show is all set for another massive event with over 350 exhibitors signed up from 44 countries including Germany, China, India, Turkey, Italy, UAE and Greece along with leading construction firms from East Africa. BUILDEXPO Kenya, organised by Expogroup Worldwide, a pioneer in the trade show industry in East Africa for the past two decades, will take place at the Kenyatta International.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 18th January 2017

Tanzania: Soft Loans Required by Farmers to Modernize Agriculture, Boost Productivity

Farmers need soft loans to modernise agriculture and improve production, which is vital in supporting efforts to build an industrial economy.   But according to the World Bank (WB), banking sectors in developing countries, including Tanzania, lend a much smaller share of their loan portfolios to agriculture compared to agriculture's share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).   Most commercial banks in Tanzania regard agriculture as a high risk business to lend, thus leaving.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 18th January 2017

Tanzania: Minister Assures Country Has Food Surplus, Not Shortage

Minister for Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Dr Charles Tizeba said yesterday that until October, 2016 a total of 1.5 million metric tonnes of cereals were sold to neighbouring countries from Tanzania.   The Minister was reacting on the recent comments on the state of food in the country. He said so far there is enough food in the country.   He said in the last season, the country had a total of 3 million metric tonnes of surplus food and that farmers.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 18th January 2017

Kenya: Smallholder Farmers to Benefit from Mastercard's #2kuze Platform

Mastercard has launched 2KUZE, a digital platform that connects smallholder farmers, agents, buyers and banks in East Africa.   The platform that is live already in Kenya and had reached over 2000 farmers at its piloting stage. Mastercard seeks to launch the platform in Tanzania and Uganda in the coming weeks. The company also targets to reach close to half a million farmers in two years.   2KUZE, which in Swahili means "Let's grow together," enables farmers to.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 18th January 2017

EU Asks East African Countries to Invest More in Solar

SOROTI, UGANDA - East African states have been asked to invest more resources in the development of renewable power projects like solar energy where the region has a better comparative advantage as compared to Hydropower which is more expensive to finance.   Development partners say the climate conditions in some countries within the community such as Uganda supports the development of solar power but the country has not yet exploited such opportunities which have kept Uganda.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 17th January 2017

Ethiopia: Govt Working to Improve Potable Water Access for All

Water, Irrigation and Electricity State Minister Firenesh Mekuria said the country has build good reputation increasing access to potable water at national level and achieving most of the MDGs goals of supplying safe water as part of its GTP-I efforts.   Speaking at the 10th round water forum, the state minister also said there is still huge gap in the supply which various stakeholders need to narrow joining hands with the government. "The government has laid goals to.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 17th January 2017

Ethiopia: Focus on Sugar Production to End Importation

More than sixty years elapsed since Ethiopia had become familiar with sugar industry. Though the nation has huge potential for sugar development, the number of sugar factories was so limited and the production remained to be relatively small for long. As a result, the country was obliged to import huge amount of the product to meet the rising local demand.   Fortunately, the situation began changing a couple of decades ago when the government realized the potential of the.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 17th January 2017