Botswana: Dam Construction Set for February

31 January, 2008 in Botswana

source: Mmegi

29 January 2008

Posted to the web 29 January 2008

Tumelo Setshogo

The Chinese construction company, Sinohydro Corporation Ltd, is scheduled to start building of the Dikgatlhong Dam, the largest in Botswana, in February in Robelela village between the Central and North East Districts along the Ramokgwebana border.

This will be the fourth dam after Gaborone, Bokaa and Letshibogo. The dam is divided into two sections with the first expected to be complete in October 2011 and the last one in January 2012, according to Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources (MMEWR) public relations officer, Doreen Motshegwa.

The multi-billion Pula project will be 40 metres deep at the dam wall with a capacity of 400 million cubic metres, and it will stretch back up the Shashe and Tati Rivers for approximately 16 kilometres.

The Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources (MMEWR) public relations officer, Doreen Motshegwa says: “This will be the largest dam in Botswana with a capacity of 400 million cubic metres and an annual yield of 170 million cubic metres,” said Motshegwa.

“The whole project is estimated at P1, 3 billion” for construction of the dam, labour and equipment she says.

She said the dam will be built at the [continue reading]

Fifa opens World Cup store

31 January, 2008 in South Africa

source: SouthAfrica.info

29 January 2008

The first official Fifa store has opened at Singapore’s Changi International Airport, making football World Cup merchandise available all year around, and not just in World Cup host countries, for the first time.

“As Fifa’s first permanent retail location, the Fifa official store represents an important milestone toward further connecting fans around the world to Fifa’s rich heritage dating back to 1904 as well as the excitement and anticipation of future events, including South Africa 2010,” said Global Brands Group president Gary Schoenfeld on Fifa.com.

Fifa merchandise will also be sold at various official Fifa World Cup stores across South Africa, as well as through a web-based store on Fifa.com, by mid-2008

After Singapore, further Fifa official stores are due to open in London, Tokyo and Los Angeles, as well as in important [continue reading]

Botswana achieves one of the MDGs

31 January, 2008 in Botswana

source: BOPA

28 January, 2008

SEROWE – Botswana takes pride in being one of the few countries in Africa that have attained the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 6, whose target is to halt and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS.

There are eight goals that the United Nations member states, including Botswana, have agreed to try to achieve by the year 2015 and President Festus Mogae said Botswana was on the right track to achieving them.

We are one of a few African countries where 95 per cent of the population is within 15 kilometres of a health facility, he said when officiating at the multi million Sekgoma Memorial Hospital in Serowe on Friday.

As a measure of our commitment to improving health care delivery, we have met all the major international undertakings such as the Abuja Declaration, which requires Governments to commit 15 per cent of the national budget to health care delivery.

Heads of State of the African Union pledged in Abuja, Nigeria on April 2001 to improve the health sector.

Mr Mogae said it [continue reading]