NEPAD Today 21 August 2013
21 August 2013
Editor
Yinka Adeyemi
Assistant Editor
Meseret Arega
Editorial Board: Yinka Adeyemi (ECA), ADOU Jean Yves (AUC), Meseret Arega (ECA)
Niger to Ivory Coast rail link lays tracks for African infrastructure expansion
A seven-year railway project to connect Niger and Ivory Coast is to begin next year as part of renewed efforts to improve rail infrastructure in the region.
The railway would link Niamey, the capital of landlocked Niger, with the Ivorian commercial hub of Abidjan, via the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, after the extension of mining activities in west Africa.
The line would extend the existing railway that runs from Ouagadougou to Tambao, a lucrative manganese mine in the remote north east of Burkina Faso, near the border with Niger and Mali.
"This new railway will enhance trade between Côte d'Ivoire on the coast and Burkina Faso and Niger," said Bernard Abeiku Arthur, a transport expert working on a World Bank project to increase transport infrastructure in the region. "It is something that has been talked about by French engineering firms for years, to access the port of Abidjan, and link it with the raw materials that would be on that particular line."
The Niamey-Abidjan initiative is believed to be funded by the EU and French governments, with private investment from the Romanian industrialist Frank Timiº, whose company, Pan African Minerals, secured the rights to develop Tambao after a long history of legal squabbles between the government of Burkina Faso and several successive prospectors.
Source: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/aug/19/niger-ivory-coast-rail-link
From China to Ghana: Bamboo as energy source
The International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) is promoting the production of bamboo charcoal and briquette as an alternative source of energy in Ghana.
The ‘Bamboo as Sustainable Biomass Energy’ initiative involves the transfer of technologies from China to Ghana to produce sustainable green biofuels, using locally available bamboo resources.
“Bamboo, the perfect biomass grass, grows naturally across Africa and presents a viable, cleaner and sustainable alternative to wood fuel,” said Michael Kwaku, Country Director for INBAR Ghana. “Without such an alternative, wood charcoal will remain the primary household energy source for decades to come—with disastrous consequences”.
Trees are cut usually for livestock pasture, farming and industrial purposes and burnt for charcoal. Lack of modern and affordable fuels and energy, such as LPG, electricity and solar power makes firewood and wood charcoal the preferred and most important source of household energy.
Scientists predict that the burning of wood fuel by African households will release the equivalent of 6.7 billion tonnes of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere by 2050, resulting in further climate change through clearing of tropical forests.
Source: http://business.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201308/111472.php
Nigerian value-added products targeted for Japan
AS part of measures to deepen relations between Nigeria and Japan, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), has concluded plans to partner with the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) to boost exportation of value-added products.
Speaking at a workshop for Nigerian exporters in Lagos, Wednesday, the Acting Zonal Coordinator, NEPC, Lagos, Mrs Evelyn Obidike said the forum was aimed at exposing the latent opportunities in the Japanese markets.
According to her, both establishments had perfected arrangements to hold a food and beverages exhibition in March 2014, noting that Nigeria was yet to maximise exports across countries of the globe. Obidike explained that the move was part of the agency’s efforts at increasing exportation of value-added products to other climes while boosting earnings from non-oil exports.
Trade Commissioner, JETRO, Lagos, Taku Hiroki, cited inadequate packaging as one of the barriers to export goods from Nigeria. According to him, effective pricing of export goods would be hinged on the quality of products, packaging, product profiling and stardardisation certification.
He added saying: “There are many opportunities for us in Nigeria that our companies might be interested in. In order to harness the opportunities in the Japanese markets, it is important that Nigerian exporters partake in this food fair.
“Before starting business, Japanese companies tend to do a thorough research about the profiles of the companies and the products involved. The fair will also give us a good opportunity to enhance interaction between the two parties. It is better to encourage exporters to start with semi-processed raw agricultural products in order to enhance market penetration”
Source: http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/business-news/129978-nigeria-japan-move-to-deepen-trade-ties
Upcoming events (some dates or venue may change)
1. Mining and Power Synergy, 9 October 2013, Fleuve Congo Hotel, Kinshasa, DRC
2. Seminar on Advancing Regional Integration through NEPAD Implementation: Learning Event on Comparative Analysis of African-European Integration Studies September 2013 South Africa.
3. Africa-NEPAD Week at 69th UN General Assembly (mid-October 2013)
4. 21st Africa Partnership Forum – Dakar (tbc) November 2013
5. High Level Summit and Business Conference on Africa’s Domestic Resource Mobilzation (DRM) November 2013)
6. 5th GEO Health & Environment Community of Practice (CoP), 23-25 July 2013, Washington D.C., USA
7. 48th NEPAD Steering Committee meeting – Dakar, End of August/Sept 2013
A production of the RCM-Africa Secretariat, AU and NEPAD Support Team, Capacity Development Division (CDD),
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Director: Adeyemi Dipeolu
Email: ecanepad@uneca.org