The Effort to Restore Tropical Forests Gets a Massive Cutting Edge

 Research by scientists from the UK and Tanzania has revealed that assisted ecological restoration can lead to dramatic increases in growth of new and established trees—helping to mitigate climate change and boost biodiversity.   All that is required, they say, is effective control of lianas, the fast-growing, woody climbing vines that, left to their own devices, quickly take over forest in which most or all of the merchantable timber has been cut, and crowd out.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 27th August 2016

East Africa: DR Congo Shows Interest As Uganda-Tanga Port Oil Pipeline Preps in Top Gear

 As the Vice-President of Total East Africa, Mr Javier Rielo, assured President John Magufuli that preparations for the construction of the 1,410-kilometre oil pipeline from Lake Albert in Uganda to Tanga Port in Tanzania are in good progress, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has shown interest in using the facility.   Mr Rielo made the assurance in Dar es Salaam yesterday when he met with President Magufuli to brief him on the progress of work on the construction of the.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 27th August 2016

Industrial parks spreading across East Africa, with eye on economic growth

 It is around midday when I meet Idris Luwasa outside the cotton godown where he works as a records officer.   He is yet to receive any cotton lint from farmers for the day. But he tells me this is not new. Farmers no longer deliver the commodity as regularly as they used to.   “There are days I go without logging any deliveries,” said Luwasa. “Sometimes that goes on for three straight days.”   Launched in late 2014 as part of an.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 27th August 2016

Miners Find South African Gold Recovers Its Luster

 JOHANNESBURG—After years battling depressed prices and cost-cutting, South African gold miners are regaining their shine.   Over the past two weeks, the country’s top four gold producers have announced soaring profits and dividends, reaping the benefits of yearslong restructuring and a 25% jump in the benchmark gold price this year.   The rise has been leavened by weaker currencies in South Africa, Brazil and Argentina, as well as Australia, which also.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 27th August 2016

Wind, solar can supply bulk of South Africa’s power at least cost, CSIR model shows

The dramatic fall in the cost of supplying power from wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) plants has moved the global electricity supply industry beyond a critical “tipping point”, which leading energy scientist Dr Tobias Bischof-Niemz says is irreversibly altering the operating model, with significant implications for sun-drenched and wind-rich South Africa.   Instead of renewable energy playing only a modest and supportive role in the future supply mix, research.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 27th August 2016

Ethiopia: Effective Irrigation Dev't to Boost Production, Productivity

 Agriculturalists frequently indicate that irrigation development can be taken as one of the prominent ways to ensure food security and increase productivity. As irrigation can be considered as an agricultural technique to utilize water gained from rain and wells for farming, currently the use of irrigation in Ethiopia has become common and growing from time to time.   Ministry of Farming and Natural Resource Irrigation Drainage Researcher Tilahun Hordofa said that though.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 27th August 2016

AFDB Group and Jetro to Sign MOU in Infrastructure and Private Sector Development

 The African Development Bank Group (comprised of the African Development Bank and the African Development Fund (AfDB/ADF) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on August 26, 2016 at the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) in Nairobi, Kenya   The objective of the MOU is to establish a general framework to promote collaboration between them in matters of common interest such as.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 27th August 2016

Tanzania’s rural electrification plan gets $470m boost

 Tanzania's plans to increase electricity connections in rural areas have been boosted by a $470-million loan that the East African country has secured from a consortium of development partners. The country has made efforts to tackle abject poverty in rural Tanzania, where electricity access has remained a pipe dream for the majority, but the loan – from the World Bank, the Norwegian, Swedish and UK governments, the European Union (EU) and the African Development Bank.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 27th August 2016

Kenya to acquire vital equipment to aid fight against cancer, First Lady told

 The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced on Friday that they have secured some funding from America to enable Kenya acquire vital equipment needed to fight cancer.   The subsidised machines will be acquired through a cost-sharing arrangement between IAEA and Kenya and are expected to go a long way in the management of various forms of the disease including cervical, breast and prostrate cancer.   Director general Yukiya Amano said the energy watchdog.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 27th August 2016

Kenya pledges Sh500 million to Global Fund to fight HIV, TB, Malaria

 Kenya has pledged approximately Sh500 million ($5 million) donation to the Global Fund to fight HIV, TB and Malaria, DP Ruto said Friday.   Ruto made the announcement at the TICAD universal health coverage side event in the presence of Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at KICC.   Kenya is a major recipient of global fund support in provision of ARVs and mosquito nets.   Last year, Kenya pledged $2.6 million (approx. Sh262 million) to the fund.   Kenya.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 27th August 2016

Toyota Tsusho revs up technician development in Kenya

  Toyota Tsusho will take on nearly twice as many trainees at its vocational education center here in the Kenyan capital, seeking to develop human resources to benefit the region's economy and the company's operations.   Some 381 students learned skills such as automobile repairs in 2015 at the Toyota Kenya Academy, an institute opened in 2014 by a subsidiary. An enrollment increase to at least 750 is planned starting this year, Toyota Tsusho President Jun Karube and other.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 27th August 2016

Efficient cookstoves save trees - and chickens - in Kenya

 GICHANGI, Kenya (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Farmers in Kenya's Laikipia County have found a clever way to reduce their use of wood for fuel while raising more chickens for cash: an efficient ceramic cooking stove that doubles as a chick brooding box.   The locally built stove, used for cooking and home heating in the cool region, contains a separate warming area where chicks can be kept to keep them healthy and safe, farmers say.   The innovation has helped.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 26th August 2016