Power: Energy for all in 2020

The government will have to act quickly and mobilise funds to connect all of the country's population centres to the national grid in the next five years. With inadequate electricity supplies sapping the country's economic growth, the government has launched several large projects to increase generation capacity and connect more customers to the national grid.   The limitations of Kenya's current energy infrastructure are stark. Amos Njau, who runs a printing plant in downtown.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 29th August 2015

Nigeria: Toyota Unveils Brand New Tecoma

TOYOTA has left its Taco sitting on the counter since 2005, and it has almost gotten stale. By default, those hungry for a mid-size truck have had no choice but to clog their noses and scarf down what Chef Toyota was cranking out of its kitchen until the new Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon came out. Now Toyota's cooked up a new taco.   Toyota, the long-time king of the mid-sizers, has been displaced from the top of the leader board. And that's what makes this 2016 model so.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 29th August 2015

US$145mn for Kenya-Tanzania power transmission line

 The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a US$145mn loan for the construction of a 510 km power transmission line running through Kenya and Tanzania power-transmission-lineThe Kenyan government plans to add 5,000 km power lines to the existing 3,800 km in the next two years.  The two countries will use the loan to support their efforts in constructing the 400 kV line and several substations along the way to allow them to trade in power. The Japan International.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 29th August 2015

East Africa power company invests in smart meters

 Uganda's retail power distributor Umeme Power Company is reported to be investing US$24mn in automated meter-reading technology that uses smart meters to help it curb energy losses among large commercial consumers powerline- gyn9037According to Babungi, the ability to monitor customer consumption and status of metering installations enable real time responses in cases of power thefts. (Image source: gyn9037) A smart meter records consumption of electric energy, relaying that.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 29th August 2015

East Africa gets new cement plant

 A 600,000 tonne capacity Cimerwa Cement plant has been inaugurated in Rwanda at the cost of US$170mn cement  The plant has been built in the Muganza sector of the Rusizi district in western Rwanda. With the current cement demand being 450,000 tonnes annually, the new plant is expected to cater to the growing demand. Surplus will be exported to neighbouring countries such as Burundi and DR Congo. Officials expect the plant to generate jobs as well as boost exports. In.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 28th August 2015

Muzizi hydro-power to be constructed in East Africa

 The Ugandan and two companies from Germany and France has signed a US$ 76m agreement that will see the construction of the Muzizi hydro-power project come to birth and help in providing power to more than 60,000 homes.   Germany Development Bank (KfW) and the French Development Agency are the two other companies that are financing the construction of Muzizi hydro-power project. Under the mutual reliance initiative, KfW will contribute US$ 4.5m, French development agency.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 28th August 2015

Construction of power plants in Kenya pays dividends

 The effort of constructing power plants in Kenya has started paying off following a drop in imported electricity  from Uganda, Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has announced.   According to data from (ERC), Kenya has only imported 27.97 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) from Ethiopia in the first half of the year, down from 57.91 million kWh in same period last year, a 51.7 per cent drop and 95 per cent or 26.49 million kWh from Uganda.   The data also reveals.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 28th August 2015

Uganda and Botswana to collaborate on vaccines research

President Yoweri Museveni has held a meeting with former Botswana President, Sir Ketumile Masire at State House, Entebbe.   Sir Ketumile Masire has been in Uganda at the invitation of the Uganda Management Institute (UMI) for a five-day International Conference on Governance and Service Delivery in Developing Economies.   During the meeting at State House, Museveni said that Uganda and Botswana’s vaccine institutes should collaborate in the production of a range of.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 28th August 2015

Developing nations need Sh13 trillion geothermal investment by 2030

 Kenya and Turkey have exceeded forecasts for harnessing geothermal energy, but other developing countries, including Indonesia and the Philippines, are lagging behind on leveraging the renewable power source, a new analysis shows.   If developing nations are to carry out the planned expansion of geothermal energy capacity, $133 billion (Sh13.7 trillion) needs to be invested in the sector by 2030, the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) research group reported on.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 28th August 2015

Kenya: World Bank study says cheap sugar way to go

 If the country is to import cheap sugar, it would lift some 40,000 families from absolute poverty because it would reduce their spending.   The policy paper ‘Competition in Kenyan Markets and Its Impact on Income and Poverty: A Case Study on Sugar and Maize’ was published in January by the bank’s Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice Group.   Jonathan Argent and Tania Begazo argue that sugar is so dear to Kenyans that they are not ready to.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 28th August 2015

Despite China Slow Down, Expected Marked Increase In E.Africa Trade, Shipping Volumes

 China’s trade will continue to increase by more than 5 percent per year between 2015 and 2020 despite recent setbacks caused by its marked economic slowdown, the World Trade Service of IHS Maritime & Trade forecasts.   One new trend is the move towards larger container ships to streamline the supply chain.   Trade routes from China to Africa are expected to see a marked increase over the next five years, with the highest growth expected to be seen from.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 28th August 2015

Kenya Starts Talks With Uganda on Financing for Oil Pipeline

 Kenya started talks with neighboring Uganda on the financing and construction of an oil pipeline that will link the two countries and ferry crude produced by companies including Tullow Oil Plc, the Kenyan Energy Ministry said. Discussions that also looked at project time frames and involved officials from both East African countries began this week, Joseph Njoroge, the ministry’s principal secretary, said in a phone interview from Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, on.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 28th August 2015