Ethiopia: Two Additional Dams Planned to Ease Water Shortage

The planned dams are part of GTP II.   The Awash Basin Authority (ABA) plans to build two additional dams which could help prevent water shortage at the region that has over 18 million inhabitants.   Authority Director General Getachew Gizaw said the dams, part of GTP II, would also help prevent flooding at the middle and lower Awash areas.   Previously, three dams, namely Koka, Kesem and Tendaho were built on the 1,250 -kms long and_4.6 billion cubic meters.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 29th December 2016

Ethiopia: Research Center Discovers New Crops, Animal Fodder Species

The new varieties could improve production and productivity.   The Bako Agricultural Research Center announced that it has submitted its research findings of nine varieties of improved crops and animal fodder species to the National Species Endorsing Committee.   Center Oil and Cereals Crops Team Leader Solomon Bekele said the species included three types of sesame, two species of millet and a pea. It took five years to finalize the research on the species, he.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 29th December 2016

Tanzania: Farmers Pocket Over $1 Million in Cashew Sales

Lindi — Cashew nut farmers from five villages in Lindi Region have pocketed 2.6bn/- from Mnolela Primary Society in the region after selling their produce in three auctions this year.   An official of the society, Hassan Kongwa told reporters here yesterday that the farmers earned the money after selling 488 tonnes of raw cashew in the first auction, 120 tonnes in the second auction and 232 tonnes in the third auction.   He said there were still some more.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 29th December 2016

East Africa: Storage Management Key to Reduction of Postharvest Losses

Smallholder farmers can reduce post-harvest losses and improve income by adopting better storage management practices and technologies.   According to Food and Agriculture Organisations (FAO) about one third of the food produced globally is lost or wasted representing a loss of 1.3 billion tonnes of food per year.   In Tanzania, results from different research studies demonstrate that farmers lose up to 40 per cent of the harvest through post-harvest.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 29th December 2016

Tanzania: Over 1 Trillion SH Allocated to Electrify Villages Countrywide

Over 1trn/- has been allocated for implementation of the Rural Energy Agency (REA)'s phase III projects, which are expected to electrify all villages in the country.   According to Energy and Minerals Minister, Professor Sospeter Muhongo, 543.3bn/- out of the 1trn/- budget, will be sourced internally with the remaining amount coming from donors.   Professor Muhongo, speaking to Mara residents during his tour of the region to inspect execution of REA phase II projects.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 28th December 2016

Rwanda: Kigali Roads Expansion Project to Begin in January

The much anticipated roads expansion project across the city is set to commence in January, according to officials from the City of Kigali.   The roads expansion project is set to cover about 54 kilometres, mainly targeting expanding roads to a dual carriage way with two lanes on each side.   Chinese firm, China Road Bridge Corporation, has been contracted to do the work.   The project is expected to address traffic jams, especially during peak hours (mornings and.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 28th December 2016

Kenya: Over 2,500KM Roads to be Built Next Year

The government will launch the construction of 2,500 kilometres of roads before the next General Election, Transport Principal Secretary John Mosonik has said.   Mr Mosonik said it was part of the "10,000 programme" of low volume traffic road.   "A total of 2,327 kilometres of roads in 30 counties are being built while an additional 2,500 kilometres are under evaluation and will be launched in early 2017 to cover other counties," Mr Mosonik said in a.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 28th December 2016

Tanzania: Construction of New LNG Plant At Negotiation Stage

The process of constructing the envisaged liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant to sit on the land of Lindi Region has now entered the negotiation stage of the Host Government Agreement (HGA), it has been revealed.   The HGA is a legal agreement between a foreign investor and a host government governing the rights and obligations of the foreign investor and the host government concerning the development, construction and operation of a project by the foreign investor.   Last.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 28th December 2016

Uganda Turns on East Africa's Largest Solar Power Plant

 Uganda’s new $19 million solar plant in Soroti heralds a new era that will see the country start to change the energy mix away from dependence on hydroelectricity.   The 10 MW facility, located 293km east of Kampala, is the country’s first grid-connected solar plant.   Julius Wandera, the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) spokesperson, said that originally, the solar plant was financed as part of the global energy transfer feed in tariff (GET FiT).... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 28th December 2016

East Africa Leads Continent in Renewable Energy Uptake

East Africa’s economies top countries in sub-Saharan Africa in injecting clean energy into their national grids, through new projects in wind and solar.   The latest report of Climatescope, the clean energy country competitiveness index by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, shows that clean energy policies are becoming more widely adopted across sub-Saharan Africa.    “Fourteen countries from the region have introduced renewable energy targets that saw their.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 28th December 2016

Africa: Power Plants Gear Up for Digital Transformation of Power Generation

At nearly every industry event and customer meeting over the past year or so, the conversation has inevitably turned to the subject of “change.” It can be changes happening within our industry, or broader changes in the economy or society – like the impact of smartphones and social media on daily life.   A few days ago, at GE’s Power Services Middle East & Africa Customer Summit, themed ‘The Digital Transformation: Our Journey Together’,.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 28th December 2016

Kenya: Tea Farmers See Record Earnings in 2016

The year 2016 was good for tea farmers thanks to high prices the produce fetched amidst a weaker dollar.   Growers affiliated to Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) earned a record-high bonus compared to any other year in the history of the crop.   Farmers earned Sh84 billion from leaves delivered in the 2015/2016 season, marking the second year of improved earnings helped by a stable exchange rate and high pricing of the commodity in the world market.   However,.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 28th December 2016