NEPAD Today 12 June 2013

NEPAD Today

12 June 2013

Editor
Yinka Adeyemi
Assistant Editor
Meseret Arega
Editorial Board: Yinka Adeyemi (ECA), ADOU Jean Yves (AUC), Meseret Arega (ECA)

 

Tackling Africa's infrastructure deficit

South African state company Transnet and NEPAD Business Foundation have launched the Africa Infrastructure Desk, a platform for linking the private and public sectors in getting infrastructure projects implemented across Africa.
The "innovative research, linkage and relationship platform" will provide information on infrastructure developments, help develop investment opportunities for companies, and facilitate engagement between the public and private sector, Transnet said at the launch of the desk in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
The aim is to make a meaningful impact on spatial and industrial development, as well as regional integration, in the southern African region and sub-Saharan Africa's north-south corridor.
According to NEPAD, infrastructure continues to be Africa's "missing link" when it comes to developing integrated intra-Africa regional trade. While intra-African trade falls far below the continent's potential, infrastructure projects suffer from "lack of information, inconsistent cross-border policy, and poor project bankabilit".
For full story: http://allafrica.com/stories/201306070899.html

Tanzania’s growth to rise to 7 percent in 2014, AfDB report

Tanzania economy is expected to pick up in the remaining part of this year into 2014, riding on a strong showing in the mining and energy sectors.
New data from the African Development Bank (AfDB) show that Tanzania’s medium-term growth prospects are around 6.9 percent and will rise to seven percent in 2014, through a significant boost from natural gas discoveries.
“The boom in natural gas production may eventually result in an even higher rate of growth in Tanzania,” read part of the AfDB report. According to the report, other four economies in East Africa-Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi- could grow by at least 5.5 percent in 2013 and 5.8 percent in 2014.
This is above Africa’s average of 4.8 percent in 2013 and 5.3 percent 2014. Latest projections by the international Monetary Fund and the World Bank independently project improved economic conditions in the remaining part of the year, riding on easing inflation across the region.
AfDB said the Kenyan economy is expected to reach 4.5 percent growth in 2013 and 5.2 percent in 2014, slightly below the latest projections by the country’s Treasury, which sees the economy expanding by 6 percent in 2013.
For full story: http://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/biz/18315-tanzania-s-growth-to-rise-to-7pc-in-2014-afdb-report

Uganda plans oil pipeline to Lamu corridor

Uganda is pondering the construction of an oil pipeline to the Lamu Port-South SudanEthiopian (LAPSSET) corridor project to fast track its oil production, the State minister of Energy (Minerals), Mr Peter Lokeris, has said.
The LAPSSET corridor is one of East Africa’s major infrastructure projects that is expected to compete with the Mombasa port to trigger economic growth for the countries involved.
Mr Lokeris said they were in negotiations with the government of South Sudan to construct the oil pipeline from the Albertine to Juba (LAPSSET corridor) en route to Mombasa.
“It is in our best interest as a country and region and it will also help to fast track oil production here,” Mr Lokeris said, adding: “Negotiations between the two governments are ongoing and there is hope that they will yield something positive.”
The negotiations on a joint oil project will be the second between Uganda and the Juba government; after the latter withdrew from the first discussions some time last year and partnered with Kenya. But oil giant Total E&P (SA) had pushed for a similar pipeline deal to South Sudan where it already operates as means of cutting costs to transport crude oil to the Mombasa refinery.
Launched last year, the LAPSSET project involves the construction of six kilometres of berthing docks at Lamu, 1,720km of railway lines, 1,300km of oil pipelines, highways, airports and a refinery and is expected to handle petroleum products from Kenya, Uganda, Southern Sudan and Ethiopia.
For full story: http://www.reelforge.com/reelmedia/files/pdf/2013/06/06/BDA_20130606_14ADHMNPRWY7.pdf

Upcoming events (some dates or venue may change)

  1. 48th NEPAD Steering Committee meeting – Dakar, End of August/Sept 2013
  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.

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