Turkey’s moves to gain more influence in African trade are “at the point of no return” and “should go on” despite the presence of giant competitors on the continent. This was the view of economic analysts speaking ahead of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s 12-country African visit starting this week. Erdoğan will begin his first visit of 2015 by visiting two East African states, Ethiopia and.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 26th January 2015

 The government will next month sign free trade agreement with the Middle East Kingdom of Jordan that would enable smooth movement of goods and services from both countries.   Speaking to this paper in a telephone interview the Vice Chairman of Tanzania Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA), Dar es Salaam Region, Vicent Minja said the signing is a result of the recent visit made by the chamber in.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 26th January 2015

 Norwegian paint maker, Jotun, has announced a Shs250million investment in Kenya as it strives to increase its market presence and grow its business in the country and East Africa region. The funds are already being invested in setting up regional offices in Nairobi, a warehouse and recruiting and development of its workforce. The paint makers is also currently employing staff in sales, marketing, financial control and supply chain. The.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 23rd January 2015

 China and Kenya have agreed to extend their ‘industrialisation partnership’ with a new focus on technology transfer and more Chinese involvement in infrastructure development.21 Jan 2015 The agreement came as China’s foreign minister Wang Yi visited Kenya’s capital Nairobi as part of a tour of African nations aimed at bolstering commercial ties with the region. A statement released by the office of Kenyan.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 23rd January 2015

 The Netherlands Trust Fund III (NTF III) Export Sector Competitiveness Programme, a three-year, multi-phase Dutch-backed project with the International Trade Centre (ITC), has completed the company selection process for the projects in Kenya and Uganda. 33 Kenyan and 30 Ugandan companies were chosen based on a criteria that focused on their perceived ability to benefit from the NTFIII training and advisory services. Relevant criteria.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 22nd January 2015

 Today Kenya is ranked as a middle income country with a Gross Domestic Product in excess of US$50 billion becoming the fourth largest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa behind Nigeria, South Africa and Angola. These three countries have massive natural resources. Kenya is joining this league with several oil and natural gas drills yielding fruits. Kenya is on the global map as a favourable investment destination in Africa. The just concluded.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 22nd January 2015

 THE good investment environment in Tanzania has enabled the country to take the lead in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the East African Region by USD1.1 billion (1.76 trillion/-) in 2012. And President Jakaya Kikwete has reiterated the country's commitment to attract more investors by offering a peaceful and stable environment for business and investments. In a speech read on his behalf by the Minister for Finance, Ms.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 22nd January 2015

 Egyptian private-equity company Qalaa Holdings SAE is investing $70 million to accelerate the movement of rail cargo carried from East Africa’s busiest port, as it faces competition from a new Chinese-backed link. Qalaa controls Rift Valley Railways Ltd., the operator of a railway built almost a century ago running from Kenya’s Mombasa port to neighboring Uganda. It covers a portion of the same route as a new rail line under.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 21st January 2015

 Old Mutual PLC Friday said it is buying a 23.3% stake in Kenya-based UAP Holdings Ltd, an East and Central African financial services company, for KES8.88 billion, or about USD97.6 million, part of its strategy to expand in Africa. The acquisition comes as the FTSE 100 investment, savings, insurance and banking group looks to grow customer numbers in Africa, excluding South Africa, to 10 million by the end of the decade. In a statement,.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 21st January 2015

 Kenya Commercial Bank is still the biggest bank in the region, with Tier 1 capital of $567m, up from $479m last year, followed by another six Kenyan banks. The country has one of the most developed banking sectors in Africa but it is also one of the most competitive, with a very developed mobile banking sector as well as traditional, banks with a physical presence. Diamond Trust chairman Abdul Samji said: “The biggest challenge now.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 19th January 2015

 MSCSA is a leading supplier of value-added steel products and arguably one of the country’s largest privately owned businesses, which has been in operation since 1904 and supplies the full range of carbon steel, special steel, stainless steel, aluminium products and value-added steel processes to more than 10 000 customers in various industry sectors across sub-Saharan Africa.   The proposed transaction comes more than a year.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 19th January 2015

International businesses are still not very aware of Africa’s investment opportunities. Information costs are high: Africa is fragmented into many different countries, and even in aggregate the continent is a fairly small economy. For several decades, investor ignorance did not matter: with few exceptions Africa’s economies were too badly run for there to be many opportunities for firms of integrity. But there has been a sea.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 17th January 2015