Author: Editorial Staff

Their music was a soundtrack of my teenage years and many like me during the 1970s in Ghana. Their music – a fusion of African, Caribbean, jazz, funk, rock, Latin, and r&b – was catchy, infectious and exhilarating. Theirs was, and still is, the ‘criss-cross rhythms that explode with musical happiness.’ Osibisa were one of the first African-heritage bands to become widely popular and linked with the world music description with their music still enjoying considerable airplay on many radio stations in Africa. Hearing songs like Woyaya, Sunshine Day (a top 10 hit on the UK charts in the 70s),…

 Despite a relative slow down, sub-Saharan Africa remains one of the fastest growing regions in the world, says global accounting firm Ernst&Young’s (EY) 2016 Africa attractiveness programme. This is reflected in the foreign direct investment (FDI) levels in 2015, where FDI project numbers increased by seven percent. Although, the capital value of projects was down year-on-year — from $88.5bn in 2014 to $71.3bn in 2015 — this was still higher than the 2010–2014 average of $68bn. Similarly, jobs created were down year-on-year, but, again ahead of the average for 2010–2014. According to Ajen Sita, Africa chief executive officer at EY,…

The arrival of new supermarket chains in Kenya highlights the potential of the country’s retail sector, though a congested project pipeline – concentrated largely in Nairobi – could result in a slowdown in retail rentals in the medium term. Nairobi – one of the largest markets in sub-Saharan Africa in terms of shopping centre floor space – has seen a number of dedicated retail properties open up in the past decade, with more than 390,000 sq metres of gross leasable area (GLA) already available, and a further 470,000 sq metres in the development pipeline. According to a report by the…

Chi Onwurah is a British Labour Party politician, who sits in the House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for Newcastle-on-Tyne. She also happens to be Newcastle’s first black MP, and chairs the Africa All-Party Parliamentary Group (AAPG). She was a guest speaker at the London office of Ecobank, at a special briefing to discuss the ramifications of the shock ‘Brexit’ referendum decision taken by the British public – and just what that decision could mean for Africa, especially in terms of trade. She was speaking as the chair of the APGA. But she has extensive experience of working…

Gas fired power plants in Ghana are resorting to backup feedstock, especially light crude oil, to replaces gas due to chronic epileptic gas supply from Nigeria via the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP). Gas supplied from Nigeria is used to power plants that provide about 30 percent of the country’s total electricity. Nigeria is currently battling severe militia attacks that have resulted in damages to several onshore pipelines including some that supply gas from different fields to the WAGP. Ghana faced a period of poor electricity supply in 2015 that resulted in the country leasing power ships to augment the…

Kenya is to begin the construction of its crude oil export pipeline in 2018 following Uganda’s choice to route its pipeline through Kenya’s neighbour Tanzania. The government is currently evaluating bids for the pipeline design. The pipeline is expected to be a heated pipeline given the waxy nature of crude oil tested in Kenya. The 865km pipeline will originate in the country’s northern region and terminate at a planned port in Lamu. However, concerns that resulted in Uganda seeking an alternative route still remain unaddressed. The proximity of the pipeline to Kenya’s northern neighbour Somalia remains a major concern. Al…

Uganda has invited a consortium led by South Korean SK Engineering & Construction Company to begin negotiation surrounding the construction of a proposed 60,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery in Uganda. A Russian consortium led by state-owned Rosnet was awarded the project in 2015. However, negotiation between the companies and government of Uganda broke down over some undisclosed conditions that Rosnet added to an agreed deal reached in May. The Korean consortium was also involved in the initial bidding won by Rosnet. The refinery is expected to refine portions of the crude that will be produced in Uganda for local…

UK energy company Ophir Energy is seeking new partners in its gas development project offshore Equatorial Guinea. The company was in talks with field servicing firm Schlumberger over divestment of a 40 percent stake in the project. However, Ophir ended talks in late April saying it couldn’t complete the deal based on the terms agreed to in January. Schlumberger is seeking to purchase a stake in the project. The $600 million project will be Africa’s first Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) project to be completed and deployed in Africa. Ophir holds 80 percent stake in the project and is providing…

Aquion Energy,  manufacturer of Aqueous Hybrid Ion batteries and energy storage systems, and SolarAfrica, a leading African solar energy services company, have announced the installation of an off-grid microgrid at the Loisaba Conservancy,  a hub for wildlife research and a world-class ecotourism destination in Kenya. The microgrid, which was funded, designed, installed, and integrated by SolarAfrica, consists of two independent systems, each of which has 106 kWh of Aquion batteries paired with a 37 kW solar array. This off-grid solar-plus-storage system has replaced diesel generators to power a commercial laundry, swimming pool, kitchen, business services, lighting, cooling, and other facility…

Tharcisse Gatarama questions the necessity and rationale for the establishment of a Hybrid Court for the war-torn country Only weeks after the formation of a new unity government, South Sudan descended once again into conflict. Hundreds died in heavy fighting in the streets of Juba between the government forces of President Salva Kiir and a rebel group loyal to former vice-president Riek Machar who was recently replaced by republican decree. The country now finds itself under intense pressure from two western nations – Britain and America. These Great Powers are co-signatories to the peace agreement that brought together the warring…