China remains committed to programmes announced in December 2015, at the Johannesburg summit on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
Pan Hejun, the Chinese ambassador to Rwanda said this while briefing journalists about the recent Coordinators’ Meeting of the FOCAC which took place in Beijing in July.
In Johannesburg, China announced 10 initiatives, specifically identified for cooperation over the next three years.
The areas include industrialisation, infrastructure, green development, agricultural modernisation, finance, trade and investment facilitation, poverty eradication and people’s wellbeing.
Others are public health, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and peace and security.
The Beijing Coordinators’ Meeting discussed the implementation of follow-up actions of the FOCAC summit.
Speaking to journalists yesterday in Kigali, Amb. Pan said Rwanda is already benefitting from FOCAC initiatives and is on the right track for more.
“Rwanda is already benefitting from FOCAC,” he said.
“Two documents have already been signed between the governments of Rwanda and China, one for constructing 54km roads in Kigali and the other for expansion of the Masaka Hospital. You can see that Rwanda is already getting its share and in years to come, more will be agreed upon and implemented,” he said.
According to available documents, the Masaka Hospital expansion project covers an area of 36000square metres.
This includes outpatient department, emergency department, medical and technology department, hospitalisation and partial modification of existing building.
The Kigali urban road upgrading project will see the construction and upgrading of 54.56km of urban roads in the city of Kigali.
In this project, nine roads located on the trunk roads of the city of Kigali will be rebuilt to improve the urban road network.
The roads will be internally connected to Kigali International Airport, central business district, and a long distance bus station and stadium.
Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged $60 billion in financial support to Africa toward the various initiatives.
Amb. Pan said the cooperation will not only include inter governmental partnerships but also involve partnerships between local and Chinese entrepreneurs and businesses to provide material inputs, technology, production know-how, investment capital, and training.
At the coordinators meeting in Beijing he said, out of the 61 cooperation agreements signed, only 20 were intergovernmental economic and trade cooperation deals signed between Chinese government and relevant African countries.
According to draft statistics, over the past seven months after the conclusion of the summit, China and Africa have signed 243 agreements of various kinds involving a total of $50.1 billion.
The volume of direct investments and commercial loans from Chinese enterprises to Africa reached over $46 billion accounting for more than 91 percent of the total amount.
FOCAC was launched in 2000 in Beijing as a tri annual collective dialogue platform for cooperation between Africa and China.
The 2nd Africa-China Cooperation Forum Summit, in Johannesburg, South Africa was held under the theme “China-Africa Progressing Together: Win-Win Cooperation for Common Development.”

The federal government has denied reports of an imminent increase in pump price of fuel.
There had been speculations of a fresh raise, two months after the government increased the price of petrol from N86.50 to N145 a litre.
Reports said the government was considering new rates as Nigeria’s foreign exchange crisis continues to hamper importation of products.
But speaking to journalists on Tuesday after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Maikanti Baru, said the government had no such plans.
“I have not been directed to increase pump price, even the other price was based on recommendation from the regulated body,” he said.
“I’m not aware that they are planning to do any increase; you know there are several factors that necessitated that especially the issue of exchange rate that has moved and we don’t expect any serious changes.
“So far the request for forex for importation of gasoline popularly called petrol has been met, and our own supply situation is robust, we are meeting demands. We have over 1.4 billion liters on ground.
“So I don’t see any basis for increase. However, the review could be done by the right body, you should contact PPPRA; that is the regulatory body as far as petrol pricing is concern.”

Ghana began pumping its first commercial oil in 2010, three years’ after the discovery of the Jubilee Field. Now, GE Oil & Gas’ new Takoradi services facility in Ghana is nearing completion as part of preparations by the company to support energy production in the country.

The facility will support the Offshore Cape Three Points development, a large integrated oil and gas development operated by Eni Ghana, together with its partners Vitol and Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC). In addition to producing oil for export, the project will supply gas for power generation in Ghana.

While the waters offshore Ghana have substantial oil and gas deposits buried under the seabed, extracting this resource from thousands of metres deep underwater, in unpredictable weather, requires major machinery, specialised technology, and a highly skilled workforce. GE’s support in this venture will help ensure Ghana has both the technical skills and infrastructure, as well as the capacity needed for the successful development of this area.

GE’s Takoradi facility is scheduled for completion by the end of August, with the first two subsea trees (also known as Christmas Trees, or XTs) for the OCTP development due at the facility in September.

The XTs are being tested in the UK prior to shipment to Ghana. A mission critical piece of equipment, their primary function is to control the flow – usually oil or gas – out of the well. GE will deliver a total of 21 XTs for the project – 18 for installation and three for backup. GE Oil & Gas will also support the customer’s aftermarket needs, with the facility largely responsible for site receival testing and providing support to Eni’s equipment installation campaign for the OCTP project. Site receival testing involves ensuring the safe arrival of equipment, flushing systems and replacing hydraulic fluids, and making sure the controls “speak” to each other once offshore.

At the same time, GE Oil & Gas has committed to long-term capacity building in the region. Recently a team of Ghanaian field service engineers underwent training in the UK following six months of industry-specific training in Ghana. The UK training gave them the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the various subsea products manufactured by GE, and test and assembly (T&A) procedures involved in making the equipment.

GE Oil & Gas Ghana Ltd. is adding to its capacity and capabilities in readiness for the expected expansion as interest picks up in Ghana’s offshore oil and gas fields. When the boom arrives, not only will there be robust infrastructure, but there will also be a pipeline of local talent.

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday tore into critics questioning the rationale of building the standard gauge railway and other infrastructure projects, telling them the construction will go on “regardless of what everybody says.”

At an infrastructure summit held in Nairobi, the President defended the massive investments in the projects which have also caused the country to incur huge debts, saying they are necessary to boost the economy.

“Infrastructure is a necessity if our economy is to grow and if we are to achieve the prosperity we desire as a people and as a nation. We cannot run away from it,” he told an audience at State House.

The spark had been touched off by a member of the audience who had posed a question to Transport and Infrastructure CS James Macharia on whether it was economically viable to borrow Sh327 billion to construct a railway when it would have been cheaper to renovate the current one.

The question was inspired by a recent article in the Economist magazine which questioned the economic returns in such a venture.

In response, Mr Macharia had argued the new railway will be useful as it will reduce the volume of cargo transported on Kenyan roads, reduce congestion and ease movement of goods.

But the question had also irked President Kenyatta who said he had heard it numerous times.

ASIAN TIGERS

The President cited the case of the Asian Tigers; a group of countries like South Korea and Singapore, in the Far East who rose from poverty to wealth.

“I just want to pose a question to those who challenge us when as a country or as a continent [we] are investing in infrastructure. Where are they today? Where are those nations today? They are probably among the fastest growing, most prosperous nations in the world.

“They ignored the World Bank, they ignored the IMF. Today they actually have their own banking institution, a development bank growing their economies,” Mr Kenyatta said.

The Infrastructure Summit is the President’s idea to meet stakeholders and get their views on matters of roads, ports, railways, airports and related issues ranging from tenders, budgetary allocations to payments.

STANDARD GAUGE RAILWAY

Kenya had to borrow Sh327 from China to construct the standard gauge railway from Mombasa to Nairobi and extended to Naivasha.

But the Economist, citing World Bank officials, said the investment was more indebting than beneficial to Kenya’s future generations.

President Kenyatta disagreed, saying the magazine had published the view of institutions with no Kenyan or African interests at heart.

“We know what we need, we know what we must do and we are no longer going to be the dumping ground for products while our people have no jobs, while our people are suffering in poverty.

“We are going to move to the next level regardless of what the Economist says, regardless of everybody says. We are going to the next level.”

“The challenge we have is to ensure that we invest appropriately, to ensure that we invest without corruption, to ensure that we utilise the resources in that sector in the best possible manner. It is not whether we should do it or not, because to do it we shall. And we encourage other countries in the region… all these corridors will be interlinked,” President Kenyatta said.

Government has set up a cabinet subcommittee to pursue the matter of Ugandan traders who supplied goods and services to the government of South Sudan but were not paid due to outbreak of war.

Frank Tumwebaze, the minister of ICT, Information and Communication said in a statement the subcommittee will comprise of the attorney general and the ministers of Finance, Trade and Industry, and Foreign Affairs.

Tumwebaze said cabinet during a sitting on August, 3, 2016 noted that many Ugandan exporters to South Sudan market were not paid due to instability.

“The ministries of finance and foreign affairs were directed by cabinet to establish with the government of South Sudan modalities for repatriation of proceeds of Ugandan companies held in commercial banks and also pursue government of South Sudan to expeditiously form a joint cooperation commission to arbitrate the pending claims of Ugandans against South Sudan,” Tumwebaze’s statement read in part.

Cabinet’s decision follows President Museveni’s remarks during a recent cabinet retreat at Kyankwanzi where he said firms that supplied goods and services to the South Sudan government and have not been paid should be bailed out.

LOANS

Cabinet also approved a loan request from the ministry of finance amounting to $71m to finance the power grid expansion and reinforcement project. The loan, to be provided by the World Bank shall benefit the districts of Gulu, Lira, Nebbi, Arua, Kole, Oyam and Nwoya.

However, in the meeting, cabinet deferred a loan request also presented by the ministry of finance on refugee-hosting areas support.

The loan amounting to $50m also from the World Bank is meant to finance and support the development response to displacement particularly targeting refugee hosting districts and communities.

Cabinet further resolved that any future borrowing or loans should never finance components of administration and capacity building.

“Loan amounts procured should only go to finance substantive activities of the loan objectives. In addition, cabinet added that loan beneficiary entities and ministry of finance, the contracting entity, should never procure or sign off any loan before all the preparatory activities are in place to avoid delayed implementation that results into financial penalties on unutilized loans,” he noted.

OIL PRODUCTION LICENSES

Meanwhile, the cabinet gave a green light to the minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Irene Muloni, to issue three petroleum production licenses to Total E&P UGANDA B.V over discoveries in exploration area 1 of the Albertine graben.

The production licenses to be issued are expected to run for 25 years, subject to renewal of an additional five years as provided for in the production sharing agreements (PSAs) and the Petroleum Act.

Khorhogo — From cosmetics to cooking, shea butter is popular around the world. It is made from the nut of the shea tree, known as “women’s gold” in Africa for it provides income to millions of women across the Sahel. In northern Ivory Coast, women are trying to transform shea butter from a cottage industry into big business.

It’s harvest season for karité, or shea, in northern Ivory Coast, and just like every year, Alice Koné picks up the fallen fruit. She processes the kernels in the traditional way her grandmother taught her.

It will take her hours of hard work to make the shea butter that will then be sold at the local market.

“Sometimes, shea butter pays well and we don’t need anything else. But when the harvest isn’t good, we have to get by with other products,” said Koné.

Like Koné, most women in the shea industry in Ivory Coast work independently and sell locally.

But shea butter is in high demand internationally for use in cosmetics or as a substitute for cocoa butter in chocolate.

Neighboring Burkina Faso and Ghana are among the world’s leading exporters. Burkina Faso earns an estimated $33 million annually exporting shea.

Ivory Coast is trying to catch up.

In one village, women have teamed up in a shea co-op.

“When you work in group, there are a lot of ideas, and also financial backers can come help us. We have received some assistance, a funding capital, they built us a warehouse. If you work alone, people can’t help you. They can’t build a warehouse for every woman,” said Ahoua Coulibaly, a shea butter producer.

In some fields in the area a new kind of shea tree is also being planted. This kind is more productive than the traditional wild type. And the country now has two mechanical processing units. Two years ago, the government began working to structure the shea sector, an effort spearheaded by Ali Keita.

“As soon as we have a strong cooperative structure, we will have clients in China, Europe and the United States. If we manage to create an inter-professional organization, it will allow the country to export shea butter internationally,” said Keita.

Keita is also pushing for more regional cooperation among shea butter-producing countries.