Thursday, December 29, 2016

Major Chinese projects in sub-Saharan Africa in 2016 ecns

From electrified railways to hydro power plants, a number of Chinese projects continued to spring up and boost development in Africa this year amid blossoming Sino-African cooperation.
The following is a Xinhua review on major Chinese-built or Chinese-funded infrastructure projects that began or finished construction in sub-Saharan Africa in 2016:
ETHIOPIA-DJIBOUTI RAILWAY
Ethiopia on Oct. 5 launched its first electrified railway linking its capital and Djibouti, with officials hailing the Chinese-built rail as the latest testament to the Sino-African friendship.
The 752.7-km Ethiopia-Djibouti railway, also known as Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway, will avail landlocked Ethiopia a faster access to the sea (via Djibouti port), reducing travel time from seven days on roads to about 10 hours.
The railway was hailed by Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang as the "Tazara railway in a new era," referring to the railway linking Tanzania's Dar es Salaam with Zambia's Kapiri Mposhi that China sent over 50,000 workers to build in the 1970s despite its own economic difficulties.
Constructed by China Railway Group and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, the railway features the use of a complete sets of Chinese equipment and standards. It is also the second trans-national railway built by Chinese in Africa, following the Tazara.
NAIROBI-NAIVASHA RAILWAY
Kenya on Nov. 19 launched the Nairobi-Naivasha Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Project, being built by China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) and funded by China's Exim Bank.
The project is the phase A of Nairobi-Malaba SGR Project and an extension of the Nairobi-Mombasa SGR. The 120.4-km line starts from the Kenyan capital city to Malaba, a border city between Kenya and Uganda.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said the modern railway line would catalyze Kenya's industrial transformation and position the country as an investment hub.
ABUJA-KADUNA RAILWAY
The Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge railway, linking Nigeria's capital Abuja and the northwestern state of Kaduna, was open for commercial operation in July.
The 186.5-km line was built by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation with nine stations and a designed speed of 150 km per hour.
The railway is part of the railway modernization initiative by Nigeria to replace the existing narrow gauge system with the wider standard gauge system, while allowing high-speed train operations on the railway network.
NYERERE BRIDGE
Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam added a new urban landmark on April 19 when the Chinese-built Nyerere Bridge, or Kigamboni Bridge, opened to traffic as the largest cable-stayed cross-sea bridge in East Africa.
The 680-meter-long, six-lane bridge now offers a shortcut from Dar es Salaam's CBD to the Kigamboni district. Prior to its opening, many local residents have relied on wooden boat ferry to cross the creek separating the two places.
Tanzanian President John Magufuli has named the bridge Nyerere in recognition of the country's founding leader -- Julius Nyerere.
It was built by China Railway Construction Engineering Group in a joint venture with China Railway Major Bridge Group.
GIBE III HYDRO POWER PLANT
Ethiopia on Dec. 17 inaugurated the Gibe III hydro power plant, which will further enhance the country's reputation as a hydro powerhouse in East Africa.
The Gibe III project boasts a generating capacity of 1,870 MW, which will raise Ethiopia's power generation capacity to more than 4,260 MW.
Located in the Southern Regional State, Gibe III has been contracted by Salini Impregilo of Italy for the civil works, and Dong Fang Electric Corp. of China for the electromechanical works. A loan from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) financed 60 percent of the cost.
VICTORIA FALLS AIRPORT
Zimbabwe's Victoria Falls International Airport, upgraded and expanded with support from China, was commissioned on Nov. 18 with the hope of ushering in more tourists to the country.
The upgraded airport can now handle 1.5 million passengers per year, up from 500,000, and boasts new facilities including a new international terminal building, a new 4-km runway, extended parking areas for aircraft and new road networks.
The airport is the gateway to Victoria Falls, a world heritage site.
The project was done by China Jiangsu International and financed through a 150-million-U.S.-dollar-loan from China EXIM Bank.
TEMA PORT AND KOTOKURABA MARKET
Ghana's eastern port of Tema on Nov. 16 began expansion, undertaken by the China Harbor Engineering Company, amid a drive to become a more efficient gateway to Africa.
Under the project, a total of 120 hectares of land would be reclaimed from the sea. The project will also see the upgrading of the two-lane Tema-Accra Expressway into a six-lane road to ease traffic flow.
Ghana on Nov. 29 commissioned the new Kotokuraba market, whose construction was financed by China EXIM Bank and undertaken by China Railway Construction Engineering Group.
The market in the ancient capital Cape Coast features modern facilities including a 200-capacity parking lot, a solar system for emergency lighting and CCTV security cameras.
The market renovation and construction is expected to ease congestion in the former Kotokuraba market, which had suffered two major fires with heavy losses.
BURUNDI'S DIGITAL TV MIGRATION
Burundi on Dec. 19 inaugurated a digital television project by Chinese media company StarTimes after its construction completed. The project has helped Burundi to become the first in the East African Community to achieve a complete migration from analog to digital television.
The project will allow broadcasting of high-quality images and sounds and a wider national, regional and international coverage of the Burundi national television.
On the same day, Chinese tech giant Huawei also marked the completion of its metropolitan area network project in Burundi, which involves laying 220 km optical fiber in the capital Bujumbura

Major Chinese projects in sub-Saharan Africa in 2016-ecns

Major Chinese projects in sub-Saharan Africa in 2016 1 2016-12-29 16:38XinhuaEditor: Li Yan ECNS App Download From electrified railways to hydro power plants, a number of Chinese projects continued to spring up and boost development in Africa this year amid blossoming Sino-African cooperation. The following is a Xinhua review on major Chinese-built or Chinese-funded infrastructure projects that began or finished construction in sub-Saharan Africa in 2016: ETHIOPIA-DJIBOUTI RAILWAY Ethiopia on Oct. 5 launched its first electrified railway linking its capital and Djibouti, with officials hailing the Chinese-built rail as the latest testament to the Sino-African friendship. The 752.7-km Ethiopia-Djibouti railway, also known as Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway, will avail landlocked Ethiopia a faster access to the sea (via Djibouti port), reducing travel time from seven days on roads to about 10 hours. The railway was hailed by Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang as the "Tazara railway in a new era," referring to the railway linking Tanzania's Dar es Salaam with Zambia's Kapiri Mposhi that China sent over 50,000 workers to build in the 1970s despite its own economic difficulties. Constructed by China Railway Group and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, the railway features the use of a complete sets of Chinese equipment and standards. It is also the second trans-national railway built by Chinese in Africa, following the Tazara. NAIROBI-NAIVASHA RAILWAY Kenya on Nov. 19 launched the Nairobi-Naivasha Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Project, being built by China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) and funded by China's Exim Bank. The project is the phase A of Nairobi-Malaba SGR Project and an extension of the Nairobi-Mombasa SGR. The 120.4-km line starts from the Kenyan capital city to Malaba, a border city between Kenya and Uganda. Speaking at the launch ceremony, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said the modern railway line would catalyze Kenya's industrial transformation and position the country as an investment hub. ABUJA-KADUNA RAILWAY The Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge railway, linking Nigeria's capital Abuja and the northwestern state of Kaduna, was open for commercial operation in July. The 186.5-km line was built by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation with nine stations and a designed speed of 150 km per hour. The railway is part of the railway modernization initiative by Nigeria to replace the existing narrow gauge system with the wider standard gauge system, while allowing high-speed train operations on the railway network. NYERERE BRIDGE Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam added a new urban landmark on April 19 when the Chinese-built Nyerere Bridge, or Kigamboni Bridge, opened to traffic as the largest cable-stayed cross-sea bridge in East Africa. The 680-meter-long, six-lane bridge now offers a shortcut from Dar es Salaam's CBD to the Kigamboni district. Prior to its opening, many local residents have relied on wooden boat ferry to cross the creek separating the two places. Tanzanian President John Magufuli has named the bridge Nyerere in recognition of the country's founding leader -- Julius Nyerere. It was built by China Railway Construction Engineering Group in a joint venture with China Railway Major Bridge Group. GIBE III HYDRO POWER PLANT Ethiopia on Dec. 17 inaugurated the Gibe III hydro power plant, which will further enhance the country's reputation as a hydro powerhouse in East Africa. The Gibe III project boasts a generating capacity of 1,870 MW, which will raise Ethiopia's power generation capacity to more than 4,260 MW. Located in the Southern Regional State, Gibe III has been contracted by Salini Impregilo of Italy for the civil works, and Dong Fang Electric Corp. of China for the electromechanical works. A loan from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) financed 60 percent of the cost. VICTORIA FALLS AIRPORT Zimbabwe's Victoria Falls International Airport, upgraded and expanded with support from China, was commissioned on Nov. 18 with the hope of ushering in more tourists to the country. The upgraded airport can now handle 1.5 million passengers per year, up from 500,000, and boasts new facilities including a new international terminal building, a new 4-km runway, extended parking areas for aircraft and new road networks. The airport is the gateway to Victoria Falls, a world heritage site. The project was done by China Jiangsu International and financed through a 150-million-U.S.-dollar-loan from China EXIM Bank. TEMA PORT AND KOTOKURABA MARKET Ghana's eastern port of Tema on Nov. 16 began expansion, undertaken by the China Harbor Engineering Company, amid a drive to become a more efficient gateway to Africa. Under the project, a total of 120 hectares of land would be reclaimed from the sea. The project will also see the upgrading of the two-lane Tema-Accra Expressway into a six-lane road to ease traffic flow. Ghana on Nov. 29 commissioned the new Kotokuraba market, whose construction was financed by China EXIM Bank and undertaken by China Railway Construction Engineering Group. The market in the ancient capital Cape Coast features modern facilities including a 200-capacity parking lot, a solar system for emergency lighting and CCTV security cameras. The market renovation and construction is expected to ease congestion in the former Kotokuraba market, which had suffered two major fires with heavy losses. BURUNDI'S DIGITAL TV MIGRATION Burundi on Dec. 19 inaugurated a digital television project by Chinese media company StarTimes after its construction completed. The project has helped Burundi to become the first in the East African Community to achieve a complete migration from analog to digital television. The project will allow broadcasting of high-quality images and sounds and a wider national, regional and international coverage of the Burundi national television. On the same day, Chinese tech giant Huawei also marked the completion of its metropolitan area network project in Burundi, which involves laying 220 km optical fiber in the capital Bujumbura. Related news Media gets a new look at Chinese companies in Africa2016-11-29 StarTimes DTV set to dominate Africa2016-11-29 China's role in Africa grows in Ebola's wake2016-10-27

Friday, December 16, 2016

Trump likely to trim official aid to Kenya, report suggests | The Star, Kenya

US President-elect Donald Trump with outgoing President Barack Obama in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on November 10 /REUTERS
US President-elect Donald Trump with outgoing President Barack Obama in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on November 10 /REUTERS
The US is likely to cut a multibillion-shilling annual aid to Kenya under the Donald Trump presidency, a new report suggested yesterday.
The Economic Insight: Africa Q4 2016 report, commissioned by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, says there are signs of the Trump's administration adopting an expansionary fiscal policy. This, coupled with spending cuts to accommodate increased budget for infrastructure development, is likely to cut off official aid streams to Africa, the accountancy and finance body warns.
The analytical report – produced by macroeconomic and industrial development forecaster Oxford Economics – focused on Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, South Africa and Angola.
“A Trump presidency raises the risk of the world’s largest economy reining in development aid thus affecting dependent countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and DRC,” ICAEW said in a press statement.
The US is Africa's largest bilateral official aid benefactor with an inflow of about $9 billion (about Sh918.90 billion), followed by the UK ($4 billion or Sh408.40 billion) and France ($2 billion or about Sh204.20 billion), the estimates by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development for 2015 shows.
Official development aid receipts into East Africa were largest in Ethiopia at $3.5 billion (about Sh357.35 billion), followed by Kenya at $2.5 billion (Sh255.25 billion). Official aid to Tanzania and Uganda was estimated at $1.5 billion (Sh153.15 billion) each.
“Aid is one of the main channels through which a change in US policy under the new president could impact Africa,” ICAEW regional director for Middle East, Africa and South Asia Michael Armstrongsaid in the statement. “Policymakers and businesses across the continent will be keen to see President-elect Trump’s plans for development policies once he takes office (from January 20).”
Taxation revenues are, however, the main financier of the Kenya government's annual budget. For this financial year's Sh2.02 trillion budget, for example, 65.84 per cent (or Sh1.33 trillion) is expected to be funded by the taxpayers, estimates by the National Treasury indicates. Loans and grants from foreign governments and international organisations are this year estimated at Sh67.27 billion – comprised of Sh50.45 billion in projected loans and Sh16.82 billion in grants.
In the four months to October, the Treasury received Sh11.88 billion in foreign loans and Sh1.31 billion in grants, the statement of Actual Revenues and Net Exchequer Issues shows.
The Trump's administration could also affect trade relations with Africa through Africa Growth and Opportunity Act framework, analysts at ICAEW say. Trade volumes between the US and Africa have been dwindling, hurt by shale boom which cut the need for crude oil.
“Trade is another channel likely to be affected by the new US administration,” Armstrong said. “Considering the president-elect’s protectionist stance, African economies could be harmed by tighter policies towards agricultural and manufacturing trade.”
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