IGIHE

Tag: GreatLakesNews

  • Petroleum Conference Concludes in Arusha

    The Second Vice President of The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar HE Seif Ally Iddi has assured investors their investments are safe in the EAC region as all the Partner States are signatories to the international conventions through which investments are protected.

    The Vice President added that a number of incentives were on offer from the five governments in the region which he encouraged petroleum investors to take advantage of, noting that “the Partner States are making every effort possible to attract investors in the petroleum upstream sub-sector”.

    HE Seif Ally Iddi was speaking Friday at the closing of the three-day 6th East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition at the Arusha International Conference Center, Arusha, Tanzania.

    He noted that East Africa has been a prospective area for petroleum exploration for some time, but the rate of exploration and results has not been comparable to the potential that exists in the region.

    In that regard, he was optimistic that the Conference would greatly help the region’s efforts towards increased exploration and development and affirmed the Partner States’ readiness to consider the comments and recommendations from 6th East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition in the ongoing harmonization of the EAC petroleum policies, legislation and fiscal regime.

    The chairperson of the Sectoral Council on Energy and Uganda’s Minister for Energy and Mineral Development, Hon. Irene Muloni noted that the broad and varied international representation during the Conference was a clear indication that East Africa is becoming a key player in the oil and gas business.

    She added that the Conference has become a remarkable event in the region and in the global oil and gas calendar.

    She affirmed to the delegates that the EAC Partner States would continue to put in place attractive policies and conducive legal and fiscal regimes to govern exploration, development and production of the region’s petroleum resources in accordance with international best practices.

    On her part, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sectors Hon. Jesca Eriyo asserted the harmonization of petroleum policies in the Partner States will help to streamline investment efforts within the region.

    The biennial event was celebrating a decade of existence this year, having held its first edition in 2003 in Nairobi, Kenya.

    EAC

  • Kenya Unveils Isiolo International Airport

    Kenya has unveiled a new international Airport facility–Isiolo International Airport in the northern part of the east African country.

    Kenya President Kibaki has commissioned the 1.4km runway in first phase of the Isiolo Airport and second phase of a passenger terminus.

    Kibaki said upgrading Isiolo airstrip to an international airport would open up development in northern Kenya.

    The second phase includes car parks and a modern passenger terminal to handle over 600,000 people annually.

    Speaking at the event on Friday, the President urged contractors to adhere to high professional standards and strict time lines.

    The passenger terminal building is expected to be complete in two years.

    Isiolo International Airport is the first of its kind in the region and it will serve the northern part of the country.

    Isiolo is also set to become a resort city in line with Vision 2030. Kibaki said Isiolo, as a key part of the Lapsset project would compliment other infrastructural projects the Government is undertaking.

    The facility will play significant role in connecting the Horn of Africa countries due to its strategic location.

    The airport, which sits on 800-acre land, will also open up Isiolo, Marsabit, Samburu and counties. The runway was completed in July last year.

    Three potential investors have shown interest to put up modern refrigeration facilities for organic grass and beef for export.

    The catchment area for the airport include the neighbouring counties of Samburu, Marsabit, Wajir, Meru, Laikipia and Nyeri targeting agricultural and animal produce exports.

    Kibaki encouraged the Ministry of Livestock Development to partner with livestock farmers to improve animal quality and benefit from the airport.

    Standard

  • South Sudan Bishop Wins UN Peace Award

    When Bishop Emeritus Paride Taban started his Holy Trinity Peace Village in Kuron, South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state in 1999, little did he know it would bare fruits several years later.

    The project, which initially started as a demonstration farm at the height of the north-south Sudan civil war, later expanded in 2004, becoming a village where people from different tribes, nations and religions live and work together to promote peace and development in surrounding villages.

    It thus not surprising that the United Nations, this week, named the South Sudanese bishop winner of the 2013 Sergio Vieira de Mello Prize in recognition for his efforts in promoting peace in communities within the young nation.

    Vieira de Mello, a former UN’s former human rights chief, died in a bombing in Iraq 10 years ago.

    The award recognises an individual, community or institution seen as having made an exceptional contribution to reconciliation of communities or groups in conflict, and whose example can be duplicated elsewhere.

    “The fact that this village [Kuron] is now seen as an example of reconciliation and peace will encourage other communities to follow a similar approach in other areas of conflict in South Sudan and beyond,” Laurent Vieira de Mello, president of the prize foundation said in a statement.

    The jury for the award, given annually, includes the UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) and human rights chiefs.

    Meanwhile, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon is due to present Bishop Taban with his the award at a ceremony scheduled for 1 March in Geneva, Switzerland.

    He will receive 5,000 Swiss francs (about $5,500) in prize money.

    A native of Opari, in Eastern Equatoria, Bishop Taban was born in 1936. He was reportedly ordained a priest in 1964, and in January 1980, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Juba.

    Three year later, Taban became the first Bishop of the then newly erected Diocese of Torit, the provincial capital of Eastern Equatoria state.

    He retired from archdiocesan administration in February 2004, and became Bishop Emeritus.

    (ST).

  • US Warns Sudan Against Darfur air Strikes

    The United States on Friday called on Sudan to halt aerial bombing raids in Darfur and for UN sanctions experts to be allowed to carry out wider investigations in the country.

    International concern over Sudan is growing as worsening conflict in the country’s South Kordofan and Blue Nile states adds to the decade-old war with rebels in the Darfur region and growing tensions with neighbouring South Sudan.

    The United Nations has repeatedly complained about lack of access to conflict zones in Darfur, where it says it has been prevented from reaching areas where government air attacks have been reported.

    The United States is “profoundly concerned” by clashes between tribal militias in North Darfur and between the Sudanese army and rebels in the Jebel Marra district, said US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.

    The renewed fighting has forced tens of thousands to flee their homes. Nuland said more people have been displaced in Darfur in the past month than in all of 2012.

    Nuland said the United States urged Sudan to “urgently disarm militias” in Darfur, “to cease aerial bombardments” and implement a Darfur peace accord made with some rebel groups.

    The past 10 years of conflict between Darfur rebels and the Arab-dominated Khartoum government has left at least 300,000 dead, according to the United Nations.

    The United States is also seeking to increase pressure on the Sudan government through UN sanctions investigators.

    The UN Security Council is due to renew the mandate of UN sanctions experts for Sudan on Wednesday. The current UN mandate allows them to investigate breaches of a Darfur arms embargo imposed in 2004.

    Agencies

  • Uganda Returns Stolen Aid Money to Sweden

    The Swedish government said Friday that Uganda had reimbursed some of stolen aid money $3.75 million

    The Aid cash had been misappropriated by senior Ugandan officials.

    The amount is about half of the 45 million kronor (5.2 million euros or $7.0 million) refund the Swedish International Development Agency had sought, SIDA said in a statement.

    “Uganda has indicated that the remaining sum was not misappropriated and has been used correctly. But before we relinquish our demand for full repayment we want an in-depth review of the remaining sum,” SIDA director general Charlotte Petri Gornitzka said in a statement.

    The aid was initially destined for the Peace, Recovery and Development Programme for northern Uganda, established to rebuild the region after decades of conflict and devastation.

    The programme received funds from Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

    A guerrilla campaign was waged in Uganda between 1987 and 2006 by the Lord’s Resistance Army, which became notorious for kidnapping children and forcing them to become child soldiers.

    An investigation by the auditor general of Uganda last year found that 10 million euros in aid had been funnelled into private accounts linked to the prime minister’s office in Kampala.

    Petri Gornitzka said SIDA was “now working intensively to try to find new ways to invest the refunded sum into the same area, but without going via the Ugandan state’s financial system”.

    Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Ireland have all asked Uganda to return the aid. Oslo said Wednesday it had been refunded in full.

    NV

  • Uganda wins Gold at Seoul Special Olympics winter Games

    Uganda has won a gold medal in the world special Olympics winter games in the Unified Hockey event in Seoul.

    The side overcame Chinese Taipei 5-2 in the final game of the round robin event to accumulate 9 points that saw them reach the semi-finals.

    Uganda managed to finish among the top four countries as well as going unbeaten in the competition that attracted 3,000 athletes with disabilities from over 110 countries.

    They qualified for the final round, where they beat Hong Kong 2-1, after a costly semi-final game against Italy that left many of the players nursing injuries.

    According to team captain Charles Okello, the team had all it needed to win but had to navigate past some barriers on their way to success.

    “Am happy that I led a team that made Uganda proud, but it was not easy because we suffered a lot of injuries during the game against Italy” said Okello during their ceremonial party held in Makindye.

    Africa was represented by only four countries including Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya. Canada was the overalll winner with 15 golds, 2 silvers and 1 bronze medal. California will host the next event in 2015.

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  • UN Says Sudan Paid Funds For Membership

    The Sudanese government has recently made a payment to the United Nations to satisfy the delinquent dues which resulted in the suspension of the East African nation’s vote this month.

    The UN disclosed this year that Sudan owes $1 million in arrears but to reinstate its voting rights it needs to pay only $347,879.

    The deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, Eduardo del Buey said.

    However, the money has not yet reached the UN headquarters, Del Buey said and as such he could not confirm the amount.

    Sudan’s ambassador, Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman, said this month that because his country is unable to obtain or maintain a bank account in New York as a result of US sanctions, they make payments through the UN’s resident coordinator in Khartoum.

    Khartoum’s foreign ministry blamed the loss of its voting rights on the finance ministry which ignored its requests for money to pay its UN obligations.

    But an official at the finance ministry responded, saying they had other spending priorities.

    The head of the Foreign Relations Committee at the Sudanese parliament, Mohamed al-Hassan al-Amin, labelled the UN’s move to bar Sudan from voting “politically motivated”.

    ST

  • Uganda & Tanzania to Revive Southern Route

    Uganda and Tanzania are in advanced stages of the plan to revive a road linking the two countries from south of Uganda.

    Government officials from Uganda say this new deal will counter the uncertain route connecting Uganda to Mombasa port in Kenya where most Uganda has been using for its imports.

    Uganda’s Finance minister Maria Kiwanuka yesterday said the Uganda and Tanzania governments have endorsed the plan, adding that all line agencies were in advanced stages to implement it.

    Kiwanuka said there has always been a southern route through Mwanza or Mutula Town to Dar-es-Salaam, but noted that the current plan was not a short-term intervention in anticipation of the forthcoming elections in Kenya.

    “It is important for Uganda to have at least two alternative routes for continuity in supply and efficiency of services,” she said, adding: “This is a long term plan because the most expensive good is one that does not reach or delays.”

    The decision came after a joint ministerial meeting in Tanzania on January 25.

    According to Kiwanuka, the meeting was keen on ensuring smooth and rapid movement of goods through the route for both international and regional trade.

    NMG

  • Kenyan Cabinet Cuts Public Servants Salaries

    The Cabinet has supported the reduction of salaries for public servants in a move aimed at curbing the government’s wage bill.

    A statement from State House said that the Cabinet which met on Thursday was pleased with the recent announcement by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) on the new pay structure in the public service, but said more should be done to cut the wage bill.

    “On the public wage bill, the Cabinet noted the bold steps taken by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) towards a long term solution to the public service wage bill.

    However, the Cabinet expressed concern that the measures announced by SRC are not adequate and more steps should be taken to further reduce the wage bill.”

    A Cabinet sub-committee was also formed to study the SRC report and develop comprehensive measures to further control the escalation of the public wage bill.

    On Tuesday, the Sarah Serem-led salaries commission released a new pay structure detailing a drastic reduction in the earnings of all public servants, including the President and Members of Parliament, Chief Justice, Governors, Senators and other constitutional office holders.

    The commission recommended a maximum earning of Sh1.7 million for the President from the current Sh2 million; Deputy President Sh1.48 million down from the current Sh1.93 million, MPs from Sh851,200 to Sh740,927 among others.

    Serem said that the government will save up to Sh500 million in the new salary scale.

    She said the current wage bill of Sh14 billion was unsustainable and could have led to a collapse of the government functions.

    “What we are trying to introduce is relativity and this means that there is an improvement at the lower levels while the top is reduced or maintained at the same level. I think what we need to appreciate as Kenyans is the fact that If you are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), we have moved to the High Dependency Unit (HDU),” she pointed out.

    The SRC arrived at the proposed figures with the assistance of PriceWaterhouseCoopers which conducted a job evaluation for all State offices. The process focused on job evaluation, assessment of level of skill or competency required, and comparison to international practices.

    Kenyans on Thursday got the first opportunity to participate in setting the salaries of State officers as the Salaries and Remuneration Commission began public hearings on the proposed pay.

    The public will be involved in the harmonisation of salaries for State officers only as required by Article 10 of the Constitution and the SRC will adjust the pay proposals before gazetting them at the end of the public hearings on February 15.

    Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) chairman Omboko Milemba was first to make his contribution and opposed the proposed salaries saying they were still too high.

    On Monday, President Kibaki called for support for SRC in its endeavour to ensure fairness in the remuneration of public servant.

    Capitalfm

  • AfDB to Boost Geothermal Development in EAC

    The African Development Bank is working on an ambitious geothermal development program for Africa.

    Apart from the gigantic projects such as the 400 MW geothermal development project under implementation in Menengai, Kenya, the AfDB is also working on a series of small-scale geothermal units, adapted to the specific context of each country of the East African Rift Valley having geothermal potential.

    It is currently working with the government of Djibouti on the development of a 50 MW power plant in the Lac Assal region.

    In Ethiopia, the AfDB has played a leading role in defining a geothermal development roadmap.

    In Tanzania, the AfDB is leading the development of the scaling-up renewable energy program of the Climate Investment Funds, which will include the financing of a geothermal development project.

    In the Comoros, the AfDB has started the identification process for a 20 MW geothermal plant, matching the needs of the archipelago.

    As explained by Tonia Kandiero, AfDB Resident Representative in Tanzania, during the 4th African Rift Geothermal Conference held in November 2012 in Nairobi, “Our ambition is to support the accelerated development of the large untapped geothermal resource potential in the Eastern Africa region.

    Geothermal development has been relatively limited in this region in the past.

    Only about 217 MW of geothermal energy has been developed so far, most of it being in Kenya. This is insignificant compared to the region’s huge potential, estimated at 10,000 MW in Kenya alone.”