Nigeria: China Agrees to Pay $550 Million for Nigerian Satellites – Minister

Posted by fatima on January 5, 2018

The Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, on Wednesday updated President Muhammadu Buhari on the approved procurement of two new satellites from China at the cost of $550 million.

Speaking to State House correspondents after a closed door meeting with the president in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Mr. Shittu said the China EXIM bank had agreed to pay the entire $550 million for the procurement of the satellites.

The minister explained that the initial agreement was that the China EXIM bank would provide 85 per cent of the total cost ($550 million) while Nigeria would pay the remaining 15 per cent as counterpart funding for the projects.

He, however, stated that as Nigeria could not be able to meet her obligation in paying the counterpart funding, the agreement was renegotiated with the China EXIM bank and the manufacture of the satellites, the China Great Walls.

“I’m in the Presidency to see Mr. President and to brief him on three major issues.

“One, NICOMSAT, which is one of our agencies where we hope to procure two new satellites from China.

“Initially the agreement was that they will provide the cost of the two satellites, $550 million minus 15 per cent which is the counterpart funding.

“Because we could not afford this 15 percent, we have renegotiated with the China EXIM Bank and the China Great Walls who are the manufacturers and they have happily agreed to pay the entire $550 million to procure two new satellites,” he said.

The minister stated that the new satellites would ensure that the Nigerian satellite company (NICOMSAT) would conquer the entire African continent in regard to the provision of satellite communication services.

He said that the Chinese had appreciated the potential market that existed in the satellite business in Nigeria and the African continent.

“This is a very big business opportunity and I am sure that the Chinese appreciate the potential market which is so vast and that is why they have agreed that even without our ability to contribute 15 per cent they are prepared to pay the entire sum of $550 million for the procurement of the two new satellites for Nigeria,” he added.

Mr. Shittu revealed that the production of the satellites would commence immediately the final agreements were signed.

He said: “It takes two years to produce because it is when we sign the papers they will start production.

“We hope that before the end of this month we will sign the papers and then they will commence the production. It is the completion of the production that the two satellites will be launched.”

He added that Nigeria had nothing to lose because the country would not put anything into the project in terms of financial resources.

“The president was excited and was not surprised because the Chinese are not just going to market our satellite to the entire African continent but also perhaps by legislation insists that all Nigerian entities must patronize the Nigerian satellite company rather than going to Israel, UK, US for satellite services.

The Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, [Photo credit: THISDAYLIVE]

“Now we can say by our local content policy we must patronize Nigeria,” he said

“The major issue is not about employment but by providing satellite services to all companies which require it.

“Currently most Nigerian companies and even Nigerian government establishments patronize foreign satellite companies. So the first thing is that we want to make profit, we want to capture the local market and we also want to capture the African market,” he added.

The Minister also said he informed the President that he had been appointed as national chairman of the board of trustees of Muhammadu Buhari/Osinbajo Dynamic Support Group.

Mr. Shittu, who described President Buhari as “Saviour” of Nigerians, said the South-west zonal office of the campaign organisation of Buhari-Osinbajo would be inaugurated on January 20.

“Every day since he came into office all his activities are geared towards letting Nigeria know that they have a saviour, a rescuer, somebody who is committed to providing relief for Nigerians in all respects.

“These include fighting corruption, insurgency; whether in the North East or the Niger Delta; in the area of repairing the economy and providing jobs and providing social stability in the society.

“You will agree with me that today but for Buhari Boko Haram would have invaded even Lagos.”

The minister, who disclosed that President Buhari was yet to indicate interest on whether he will seek re-election in 2019, said his ardent supporters would continue to pressure him to seek re-election to enable him complete his good works to Nigerians.

He added: “It goes without saying I mean if you have a child who goes to primary school does well, proceeds to secondary school does well, and you keep asking is he going to university?

“By the grace of God, we his ardent supporters who appreciate his worth on behalf of millions of Nigerians, would urge him to re-contest.

“I know he has not made up his mind but I can say that some of us can assist him in making up his mind so that Nigeria can continue to enjoy stability and progress in our land.”

Equatorial Guinea ‘stops coup attempt by mercenaries’

Posted by fatima on January 5, 2018

Mercenaries have attempted to launch a coup in the Western African state of Equatorial Guinea, its government says.

At least 30 armed men from Chad, Cameroon and the Central African Republic were arrested late last month, a minister said.

They were found with rocket launchers, rifles and ammunition just over the border in Cameroon, he added.

The government of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema is often accused of corruption and human rights abuses.

Troops in Equatorial Guinea shot dead a “mercenary” during clashes on Wednesday near the border with Cameroon, TVGE, the state television reported, adding that security forces had “used gunfire to disperse (others) in the forests along the border”.

Mr Obiang has been in power for nearly 40 years, taking power in a coup by ousting his own uncle, Francisco Macias Nguema, who was shot by firing squad.

The long-time leader was re-elected to a fifth seven-year term in 2016.

After the Mugabes, which African dynasties remain?

In a statement read on public radio, Security Minister Nicholas Obama Nchama blamed the alleged coup on mercenaries hired by opposition groups and supported by unnamed “powers”.

He said the coup attempt had been foiled with the help of the Cameroonian security services.

Equatorial Guinea has faced alleged coup attempts in the past.

In 2004, a former British soldier, Simon Mann, was linked to an attempt to overthrow Mr Obiang.

The former British Army officer and businessman was arrested in Zimbabwe in 2004 and extradited four years later to Equatorial Guinea.

In 2008, Mr Mann was sentenced to 34 years in prison, although a year later he was released after being pardoned by Mr Obiang.

Equatorial Guinea is one of sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest oil producers, but much of its population still lives in poverty.

In October 2017, a French court gave a three-year suspended jail term to Equatorial Guinea’s Vice President Teodorin Obiang, President Obiang’s son, for corruption.

Source: allafrica

Zimbabwe: Firm to Build Bio-Refinery, 3MW Plant in Mutare

Posted by fatima on January 4, 2018

Tawanda Chitiyoboasts neither of a fancy university degree nor any other such tertiary qualification. But the 30-year budding entrepreneur from Mutare has a sharp eye for business. He knows just when the time is right – and now was the right time to turn waste into energy

Chitiyo describes himself simply as “an entrepreneur and a climate change enthusiast,” with no prior experience in project development or management. It is easy, and very tempting, to dismiss the youthful entrepreneur as an amateur feigning humility to gain support.

But using his street-horned skills, Chitiyo has put together a team of experts that has come up with a formidable project plan to build what he termed a ‘bio-refinery’ in Mutare, producing gas, electricity and diesel from human waste, at a cost of $10 million.

Working in partnership with the Harare Institute of Technology’s Climate Change Research Centre and Astra Innovations, a German technological firm, Chitiyo has agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Mutare to convert thousands of kilogrammes of human excreta at the Sakubva and Yeovil waste treatment plant into something useful.

The project, four years in the making, will be implemented by Tawanda Energy Ltd, a company named after himself, where Chitiyo is managing director, and specialising in “energy, biofuels, petrochemicals, and… community scale bio-refineries.”

It has received endorsements and regulatory approval from the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority, electricity supplier ZETDC as well as from Rodan Engineering Company, a German engineering firm who are to supply the equipment.

We have got to admit, Chitiyo’s project sounds optimistic, too good to be true for something valued at just $10 million. In the interview below, we ask him to explain his project plan in detail, as well as how far he intends to go with similar work.

Tell us, what exactly do you plan to do with Mutare’s waste?

We plan to build a bio-refinery. A bio-refinery is a waste to energy plant similar to the oil refinery. The difference is that our products are made from sewage sludge, which are renewable, and not crude oil. Our vision and mission is to be driving force for social, environmental, and economic benefits by producing gaseous, and liquid climate-neutral energy carriers.

Why a bio-refinery?

It’s cheap and clean. Raw materials are locally available. At first we were interested in biogas alone. The project expanded after further research and discussions with our partners who advised that we explore all potential opportunities available in the management of sewage sludge as a resource.

How will it work? What will be the outputs

We want to set up a smart city project in the city of Mutare that is adapted to our geographical, cultural, and economic characteristics. The project will convert 48 tonnes of sewage sludge through a process of advanced thermal distillation into the following fuels

9,1 million litres per year of diesel which is one percent of the market share. Potential savings of US$2 million per annum will be achieved from cheaper diesel supplies.

803 tonnes of natural gas per year which is 2,7 percent of the local gas market share. We plan to introduce it as substitute for liquefied petroleum gas. Potential annual savings from gas are estimated at US$500 000.

A combined total of 3 megawatts of electricity will be generated

We will also produce 2 409 tonnes of carbon char to be used as a substitute for firewood, charcoal and coal.

You have already got the money to get the project running?

No. Not yet. We are currently in the process of looking for seed capital. We have approached the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to facilitate the granting of a sovereign guarantee from Government, which would assist us to secure funding without collateral.

How long will it take to build the refinery before bringing it online?

It could take between 6 to 9 months, should we manage to get everything in place. It is a modular plant, so all the components are shipped in complete. Only the assembling takes place here.

In what way does your project respond to the environmental and climate change challenges faced by Zimbabwe today?

This is a waste to energy process, which functions within the non-hazardous waste management hierarchy and all the fuels produced are to the international standard for such fuels.

Our project is sustainable and does not pollute water, land or air. We will not use any chemicals or any other raw material except sewage sludge. So, our final diesel is biodegradable and sulphur-free. We estimate that the biogas part of the project will avoid the equivalent of 10 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year. We have contracted experts to determine the full emissions reduction potential of the entire project.

source: INTERVIEW By Jeffrey Gogo, january 1st, 2018, Allafrica

Nigeria Experiences Total Power Outage Across Country

Posted by fatima on January 4, 2018

There was power outage across Nigeria on Tuesday night.

The power ministry, in a statement in the early hours of Wednesday blamed the outage on fire at a gas pipeline system which interrupted gas supply and affected the national transmission grid.

“The sudden loss of generation due to interruption in gas supply from these stations caused the national transmission grid to trip off around 20:20 on 2nd January 2018. The national transmission grid is owned and operated by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN),” the ministry stated.

Read the ministry’s full statement below.

AFTERMATH OF FIRE INCIDENT REPORTED BY GAS PROCESSING COMPANY : TCN , GENCOS WORKING TO RESTORE OPERATION OF NATIONAL GRID

… We urge members of the public to bear with us as we work to overcome this set back which should be temporary- MINISTRY

Regrettably, after a sustained period of increasing production and distribution of power since September 2017 to date, the Nigerian Gas Processing and Transportation Company Ltd (NGPTC) has reported a fire incident on its Escravos Lagos Pipeline System near Okada, Edo State on Tuesday, 2nd January, 2018.

The incident requires a shutdown of the pipeline supplying gas to Egbin 1,320MW; Olorunsogo NIPP 676MW, Olorunsogo 338MW, Omotosho NIPP 450MW, Omotosho 338 MW and Paras 60MW power stations.

The sudden loss of generation due to interruption in gas supply from these stations caused the national transmission grid to trip off around 20:20 on 2nd January 2018. The national transmission grid is owned and operated by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

Most of Nigeria’s power generation is from thermal power stations that require gas for fuel. The gas is produced by oil and gas companies overseen by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. The gas is delivered to the power stations through pipelines owned and operated by Nigerian Gas Processing and Transportation Company Ltd (NGPTC), a subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).

TCN and the generation companies are working to restore operation of the national grid. Once the national grid is restored output from the hydroelectric power stations and all other unaffected gas fired thermal power stations will be increased to the extent possible to minimize the impact of loss of generation from the affected power stations while NNPC takes necessary steps to restore gas supply.

We urge members of the public to bear with us as we work to overcome this set back which should be temporary.

Signed:

MINISTRY OF POWER, WORKS AND HOUSING

2nd JANUARY, 2018

source: Allafrica

Zimbabwe: Now Is the Time to Invest, Say U.S. Analysts

Posted by fatima on January 4, 2018

Readers of a prestigious American business publication have been told that now is the time to re-engage with Zimbabwe if investors want to get in on the ground floor ahead of a resurge in the economy.

“For companies willing to take on some risks, now is the time to buy local assets, which, though priced in U.S. dollars, are still fairly cheap because of the associated risk,” write analysts Anna Rosenberg and William Attwell in the Harvard Business Review.

They add: “This is also a good time to look for the best possible potential business partners – they are eager for investment but may not be available for long if interest in the market picks up. However, companies should stay clear of sectors with high levels of political interference, such as mining.”

Rosenberg is director and Attwell senior analyst for Sub-Saharan Africa Research at the Frontier Strategy Group, a firm which gives advice and intelligence to businesses operating in emerging markets.

“On a recent research trip to Harare,” they write, “we were struck by the business opportunities that still exist in the economy despite the difficulties the country faced in the past several years.”

President Emmerson Mnangagwa “knows he will need to meaningfully improve the business environment and living standards to secure his legitimacy,” they add. The country is at a crossroads and if Mnangagwa follows through with economic reforms, “multinationals that are willing to accept some risk and invest in the country could benefit from first-mover advantages…”

The analysts identify the lack of cash as the main challenge facing the economy and say progress in addressing this will be “slow and incremental”.

Mnangagwa has successfully negotiated support from the African Export and Import Bank for importers, as well as guarantees to allow the central bank to increase the printing of the country’s “bond notes”. But Zimbabwe will be able to access the credit it needs only once he convinces bodies such as the African Development Bank and the World Bank that the government is a reliable borrower.

“As Mnangagwa’s reforms begin to gradually stabilize the economy, significant opportunities will emerge across an array of sectors and segments – both formal and informal – for companies hoping to expand in this relatively under-served, but high-potential market,” Rosenberg and Attwell write.

They identify four “plus” factors for those wanting to do business in Zimbabwe. Verbatim excerpts from their report:

source: allafrica

Africa: Can Agriculture and the Climate Fix Their ‘Unhappy Marriage’ in 2018?

Posted by fatima on January 3, 2018

Rome — After René Castro-Salazar attended the first U.N.-led climate talks in Berlin in 1985 as Costa Rica’s environment and energy minister, he tried to talk about agriculture and climate change – but few wanted to join the conversation.

“There was always opposition – and we couldn’t understand why,” said Castro, now assistant director-general at the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

To him, the need to tackle the topic was clear.

Agriculture, forestry and other land uses together account for nearly a quarter of the greenhouse gas emissions heating up the planet, according to the FAO.

Cutting these is essential if the world is to keep global temperature rise to a manageable level, said Castro.

Farms and forests can also store large amounts of carbon, and simple actions by all countries could result in immediate environmental benefits, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

In the early years, the climate negotiations focused on reducing emissions from the energy sector – the largest emitter – while the relationship between agriculture and climate change was not fully understood.

Later on, poor states feared discussing the linkage would result in obligations for them to curb emissions from farming. Rich nations worried they would have to pay for poor farmers to adapt to a changing climate.

Hunger is on the rise, biodiversity is being lost and poor diets now pose a bigger threat to human health than alcohol and tobacco, said Kjørven, a former senior U.N. official.

Educating consumers will be key to changing that, especially in developed economies where there is high consumption of red meat, responsible for more emissions than other types of food, he said.

“People vote three times a day for a food system they want, in terms of the food they buy. There is enormous power there,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

EAT has commissioned scientists to produce a report next spring about what constitutes a healthy diet in a sustainable food system.

FAO’s Castro said making water usage more efficient – 70 percent of the world’s freshwater goes into agriculture – and rehabilitating 2 billion hectares of degraded land could deliver quick wins.

Livestock, meanwhile, account for nearly two-thirds of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, but combining trees, crops and animals in “silvopastoral” systems can offset some of those emissions and boost the quality of pasture, he added.

In Brazil, a major beef exporter, state agricultural research agency Embrapa is testing this practice, he added.

Another challenge is to boost food production without damaging forests, said IFAD’s Astralaga.

Agriculture is responsible for more than three-quarters of global deforestation, and if the trend continues, about 10 million square km of land will likely be cleared by 2050, she noted.

A 2016 report from the FAO said it would be possible to increase food security while maintaining or increasing forest cover, identifying 22 countries – including Gambia, Chile, Tunisia and Vietnam – that have managed to do so.

Israel: African migrants told to leave or face imprisonment

Posted by fatima on January 3, 2018

The Israeli government has issued a notice for thousands of African migrants to leave the country or face imprisonment.

The migrants will be given up to $3,500 (£2,600) for leaving within the next 90 days.

They will be given the option of going to their home country or third countries.

If they do not leave, the Israeli authorities have threatened that they will start jailing them from April.

The UN refugee agency said the controversial plan violated international and Israeli laws.

Israel’s unwanted African migrants

The Israeli government says their return will be humane and “voluntary”.

The order exempts children, elderly people, and victims of slavery and human trafficking.

A spokesperson for Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority told the BBC there were currently 38,000 “infiltrators” in Israel, of whom just 1,420 were being held in detention facilities.

Israel uses the term “infiltrators” to describe people who did not enter the country through an official border crossing.

Many of the migrants – who are mostly from Eritrea and Sudan – say they came to Israel to seek asylum after fleeing persecution and conflict, but the authorities regard them as economic migrants.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that an unchecked influx of African migrants could threaten Israel’s Jewish character.

Source: BBC Africa

6MW Solar Park opens in Sierra Leone

Posted by fatima on January 3, 2018

Minister of Energy of Sierra Leone, Henry Macauley, alongside the project management team on the site for the solar plantAbu Dhabi Fund for Development and Renewable Energy Agency provide financing facility for the renewable project

A new solar park project in Freetown, Sierra Leone was launched earlier this week. This is a landmark project in Sierra Leone and financed by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) and the Renewable Energy Agency.

The park is a landmark project for many reasons. Together with the Project Manager and EPC Contractor, the project total costs have been reduced from the initial USD18 million allocation to only USD12.6 million for all project components, including certain critical infrastructure additions. It is the first such project that the ADFD has embarked in the country.

It was initiated and coordinated by late Ambassador Siray Alpha Timbo and Dr. Bahige Annan, the Consul General of Sierra Leone in Dubai, UAE, then developed with the Project Manager, Filip Matwin, CEO of ASIC.

The Solar Park Project will provide a substantial access to clean renewable and sustainable electricity to both urban and western rural districts around the capital, Freetown, a first in the history of the country.

The Solar Park Freetown Project has been designed to include a number of institutional and human resource arrangements for sustainable management and international best practices of the project facility. The Project has been specifically structured to ensure a clear knowledge transfer element, both in terms of maintenance but also to carry out similar projects in the future, in line with the government’s goal of sustainable electrification in Sierra Leone.

The total cost of the project, which budget has been considerably reduced over the year by the Project Consortium (PM & EPC), include other assets such as an upgrade of road and grid-power infrastructure, with a necessary extension of the grid power line and a distribution substation all forming part of the total project.

This article was written in collaboration with the Africa Press Organisation – APO news organisition

Tanzania threatens to shut churches after Magufuli criticism

Posted by fatima on January 2, 2018

Tanzanian authorities have threatened to shut down churches which mix religion and politics after a cleric criticised President John Magufuli.

The cleric, Zachary Kakobe, used a Christmas sermon to say the country was “turning into a one party state”.

Days later, the Home Affairs Ministry warned religious organisations which dabbled in political issues would have their licence revoked.

Critics complain of growing intolerance towards dissent in Tanzania.

Some critics accuse President Magufuli, nicknamed “the Bulldozer”, of becoming increasingly authoritarian – a charge he strongly denies.

Several newspapers have been shut down and individuals have been prosecuted for allegedly insulting the president on social media, while last year Tanzanian police indefinitely suspended political protests and rallies, only permitting political campaigning during elections.

The constitution of Tanzania protects freedom of worship – although religious organisations must register for a licence with the country’s Home Affairs Ministry to operate legally.

But Mr Kabobe, who leads a Pentecostal church in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam, used his Christmas sermon to tell congregants Tanzania was “quietly turning into a one-state rule by systematically banning political activity”.

On Thursday, Projest Rwegasira, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, warned religious leaders talking about political issues “could lead to cancellation of the registration of the concerned religious society”, news agency Reuters reports.

He said religious leaders “using their sermons to analyse political issues is contrary to the law”.

Source: BBC.com

South African court delivers Zuma impeachment blow

Posted by fatima on January 2, 2018

South Africa’s top court has found that parliament failed to comply with its duties in holding President Jacob Zuma accountable over a public funding case.

The ruling said parliament must now set out rules for impeachment proceedings, but it remains unclear whether this will lead to any impeachment.

The court was hearing a case brought by opposition groups who wanted parliament to be compelled to begin impeachment.

It relates to Mr Zuma’s use of state funds to upgrade his private home.

Handing down the Constitutional Court ruling, Judge Chris Jafta said: “We conclude that the assembly did not hold the president to account.

“The assembly must put in place a mechanism that could be used for the removal of the president from office.”

But the court said it could not intervene on how parliament determined the mechanism and that it had no power to order an impeachment

The court awarded costs against Mr Zuma and parliament.

The court ruling was by majority. Dissenting Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng said the ruling was a clear case of “judicial overreach”.

Some $15m (£11.1m) in state money was spent upgrading Mr Zuma’s home.

In March 2016, the court ruled he had ignored a watchdog’s findings and said he must pay some of the money back. The president has reimbursed $631,000, deemed by the Treasury to be “reasonable”.

Parliament then debated the matter and he survived a no-confidence vote, but Friday’s court ruling said that the procedures it followed were insufficient.

Mr Zuma has been weakened by a number of corruption allegations and by his recent replacement by Cyril Ramaphosa as head of the ruling ANC.

Mr Zuma, 75, is scheduled to remain president until general elections in 2019.

He has faced a number of corruption allegations, all of which he denies.

source: BBC.COM