Major Economic Powers to Focus On Global Recovery

30 March, 2009 in Africa

source: allAfrica Andrzej Zwaniecki 27 March 2009 A boost in international emergency funds and agreement on financial-markets oversight likely will be among the concrete results of the April 2 meeting of the world’s major economic powers. Leaders of developed and developing economies that make up the Group of 20 (G20) are scheduled to meet April [...]

Mmamabula hopes to complete BPC, Eskom deal by mid-year

30 March, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: Mmegi BRIAN BENZA Staff Writer 27 March 2009 CIC Energy Corporation has signed an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract with Shanghai Electric Group Co. Ltd. (SEC) for the first power station to be built at the Mmamabula coalfields, the company announced on Monday. CIC president, Greg Kinross, said in a statement after the [...]

CIC Energy presents formal bids to BPC, Eskom for power purchasing deal

30 March, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: Standay Standard 29.03.2009 The Mmamabula power project is being hurried after it suffered setbacks last year when power off-takers Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) and Eskom declined to underwrite risk at the back of escalating costs of the project. This week the promoters of the project, CIC Energy—listed on the Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) —revealed [...]

Hope for Tati, BCL as base metal prices rise

30 March, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: Mmegi BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT 27 March 2009 Relief could be on the horizon for the country’s top producers of base metals, BCL Mine and Tati Nickel Mine, in the form of an emerging positive trend in copper and nickel prices on the world market. Base metal prices fell by more than 60 percent from their [...]

Botswana tourism industry remains elastic in global recession

30 March, 2009 in Botswana, Business, Tourism

source: Standay Standard by Gowenius Toka 29.03.2009 The Chief Executive Officer of the Botswana Tourism Board, Myra Sekgorwane, maintains that Botswana’s tourism industry has remained elastic despite the negative and seemingly unabating impact of the unfolding global recession on world economies. Sekgororwane said Botswana has not been severely affected to the traditionally long booking lead [...]

DPP fails to get Khama to speak

30 March, 2009 in Botswana

source: Mmegi TSHIRELETSO MOTLOGELWA Staff Writer and OLIVER MODISE Correspondent 27 March 2009 Count 3, among the corruption charges put to former Debswana celebrity executive, Louis Nchindo, might fly out the window should the Directorate of Public Prosecutions fail to obtain a statement from President Ian Khama. By 2 o’clock yesterday, the DPP was still [...]

South Africa: Beware of bank account scam

30 March, 2009 in South Africa

source: IOL Staff Writer March 30 2009 A new scam being circulated has caught out a number of locals. A Cape Times reader from L’Agulhas was overjoyed when he received the following SMS last Monday morning: “Congratulations!!! You’ve won the sum of R1,2-million. Your number was among the lucky winning numbers drawn at random in [...]

Francistown thrives on Zimbabwe crisis

30 March, 2009 in Botswana, Business, Zimbabwe

source: Standay Standard by Bashi Letsididi 29.03.2009 When she says that for the sake of her business she hopes the Zimbabwean economic crisis lasts a while longer, a manager at a Francistown bookshop is only half-joking. Just the previous day a Zimbabwean businessman had bought up all vista foils at her bookshop and taken them [...]

GPH welcomes health care competition from Bokamoso

30 March, 2009 in Botswana

source: Mmegi LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI Correspondent 27 March 2009 The Gaborone Private Hospital (GPH) is expected to face stiff competition following the building of another private hospital, Bokamoso. The General Manager of GPH, Eugene Ferreira, says the opening of another private hospital will certainly affect them in one way or another. But that is not to [...]

No More `Land Use` Change

29 March, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: The Botswana Gazette BY AUBREY LUTE Wednesday, 25 March 2009 16:46 The Ministry of Lands and Housing has moved quickly to stop change of land use in villages around Gaborone because of the feverish buying of communal land by people who have ready cash, and to enable government to achieve planned development, according to [...]

South Africa: NPA to drop Zuma charges

29 March, 2009 in South Africa

source: IOL By Political Staff 29 March 2009 Jacob Zuma is off the hook and is now set for a smooth run at the presidency. The dramatic turnabout is a result of secret evidence said to point to blatant executive and outside interference in the work of the National Prosecuting Authority. This “Mbekigate” evidence is [...]

South Africa: Zuma criticises West over Zimbabwe

29 March, 2009 in Zimbabwe

source: Al Jazeera 27 March 2009 Jacob Zuma, the leader of South Africa’s ruling party, has criticised Western nations for withholding aid to Zimbabwe as part of an effort to pressure Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean president, to enact reforms. “This is very unfair to the Zimbabwean people because Mugabe … is a factor. He is [...]

Botswana right place for investment

28 March, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: BOPA 26 March, 2009 GABORONE – The Chief Executive Officer of Blue Financial Services, a Micro Financial Institute (MFI), Mr Dave Van Niekerk says Botswana is a shining light in Africa in terms of business investment. Speaking at a dinner the company hosted for a group of 30 business students from the University of [...]

Southern Africa: The Zambezi Shows Its Might

28 March, 2009 in Botswana, Namibia

source: allAfrica UN Integrated Regional Information Networks 27 March 2009 Gaborone — Rain continues to lash countries along the course of the upper Zambezi River, aggravating already extensive flooding in Angola, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia, where crops and infrastructure have been destroyed. In Namibia at least 90 lives have been lost and 350,000 people affected. [...]

Kuzungula bridge plan ready in November

28 March, 2009 in Botswana, Zambia

source: Times of Zambia By Times Reporter A DETAILED design of the Kazungula bridge project will be completed in November this year, Works and Supply Minister Mike Mulongoti told Parliament yesterday. Mr Mulongoti said the governments of Zambia and Botswana had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for new feasibility studies with the consortium, BCEOM/Jean [...]