Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang arrived in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday. He is visiting Tanzania to further cement ties between the two countries. The reciprocal visit follows former President Jakaya Kikwete's tour of the Southeast Asia nation in October 2014.   Our Staff Writer Chaby Barasa who covered Mr Kikwete's two-day tour in Hanoi, reports... When Mr Truong meets his Tanzanian counterpart Dr John Magufuli (Mr Kikwete's successor).... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 10th March 2016

The Kenyan government's approval of the development of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Dongo Kundu, Mombasa, expected to boost job creation and regional trade, has been welcomed by business people.   The Dongo Kundu bypass, which is part of a three-phase plan to decongest the port city of Mombasa, is set for completion in 2018.   Eng. Jean-Baptiste Gasangwa, the Private Sector Federation (PSF) resident representative in Mombasa,.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 25th February 2016

Kenyan President Uhuru Ken-yatta said Sunday the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, which Japan cosponsors with the United Nations and the African Union, will be held in Nairobi on Aug. 27 and 28.   Kenyatta made the announcement at a joint news conference with Katsuyuki Kawai, a special adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.   TICAD has been held in Japan every five.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 24th February 2016

 BIA, a Belgium-based company, is now the official distributor of a select range of Cummins’ products in Congo, DR Congo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire QSK95The Cummins QSK95 Series generator has a high-horsepower engine (from 3500 to 4375 kVA)  This is especially noteworthy, considering the limited levels of industrialisation towards the western parts of.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 8th February 2016

 The African Union's Commissioner for Trade and Industry Fatima Acyl has called for structural transformation to create jobs that will improve the wellbeing of the African people.   Ms Acyl, who was speaking at a meeting in Addis last week, before the African Union summit, said the backbone of the AU's industrial transformation plan is the African Mining Vision, and the creation of a Continental Free Trade Area.   The mining.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 5th February 2016

 Africa is set to become the second fastest growing continent by 2025, with GDP set to touch US$4.5 trillion joburgdevelopment paulsaad flickrRapid urbanisation could lead to several Africans living and working in large cities.  A Frost and Sullivan report, in the form of a video titled Mega Trends in Africa, states that urbanisation, mobility, infrastructure, natural resources, telecom and inter-regional trade could make Africa the.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 5th February 2016

The word ‘economy’ has connotations of big business, office-based industry and online-based markets Kenya John WollwerthMobile technology is important in Kenya with 82 per cent of the population owning a mobile phone. Economies like the US and the UK are largely based on retail and the service sector, providing a strong flow of GDP and adding to growth. For Kenya, farming and agriculture come to mind, contributing as of the.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 1st February 2016

 In a bid to transform Bangamoyo, Tanzania into a regional trade and logistics hub, the Tanzanian government has secured investments totalling $10 billion to build a mega-port, according to Tuscor Lloyds.   The project has received around $10.7 billion in finance from China and Oman, which will be used to develop port facilities in order to boost Bagamoyo’s capacity to 20 million TEU.   As well as seeing an increase in.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 1st February 2016

 Kenya’s import orientation has revealed key flaws. One clear problem is having a chronic and substantial current account deficit.   Secondly the government has to be hawk-eyed about the shilling depreciation to keep import bills manageable. Third, the country is unable to generate forex to pay foreign-denominated debt.   Finally, Kenya’s import economy exacerbates the country’s unemployment.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 1st February 2016

 Djibouti’s president has signed an agreement with China to set up a trade zone and establish legal framework to let Chinese banks operate in the country, according to a Reuters report Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh stated the aim is to have the first phase completed and operational before end of 2016  The trade zone is expected to cover an area of 48 sq km. The first phase covers an area of 1.5 sq km and is aimed to be.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 29th January 2016

 Djibouti’s president has signed an agreement with China to set up a trade zone and establish legal framework to let Chinese banks operate in the country, according to a Reuters report Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh stated the aim is to have the first phase completed and operational before end of 2016  The trade zone is expected to cover an area of 48 sq km. The first phase covers an area of 1.5 sq km and is aimed to be.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 29th January 2016

 Spanish genset manufacturer Himoinsa’s turnover in 2015 grew by 15 per cent, with strong sales figures coming in from the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Europe   While Europe emerged a key market contributing 37 per cent of the total turnover, America followed with a 26 per cent share and Asia Pacific with a 17 per cent share. The Middle East and Africa each contributed 10 per cent to Himoinsa’s annual figures.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 28th January 2016