<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/AF4VP7JQTJLJFIPLGBKDH4ACIA-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-424623" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/AF4VP7JQTJLJFIPLGBKDH4ACIA-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/AF4VP7JQTJLJFIPLGBKDH4ACIA-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/AF4VP7JQTJLJFIPLGBKDH4ACIA-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/AF4VP7JQTJLJFIPLGBKDH4ACIA-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/AF4VP7JQTJLJFIPLGBKDH4ACIA-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/AF4VP7JQTJLJFIPLGBKDH4ACIA-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during his first questioning session with lawmakers at the lower house of parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, January 12, 2022. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke</figcaption></figure>



BERLIN, May 4 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Germany supports the&nbsp;African Union&#8217;s bid to get a seat at the G20 group of large economies, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday during his second trip to&nbsp;Africa, as the West seeks to woo the continent away from growing rivals like China.



Scholz was speaking after meeting&nbsp;African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat in Addis Ababa on the first leg of a three day trip to Ethiopia and Kenya.



&#8220;Africa&nbsp;must play a bigger role in international relations, a role that does justice to the continent and its growing population,&#8221; he said at a joint news conference, noting he was &#8220;convinced&#8221; the&nbsp;African Union would get a seat at the G20 soon.



South&nbsp;African President Cyril Ramaphosa was the first representative of a G20 member state to call for the inclusion of the 55-country bloc, last year. South&nbsp;Africa&nbsp;is currently the only member of the G20, which consists of 19 countries and the European Union, from the&nbsp;African continent.



Ramaphosa&#8217;s proposal swiftly received support from U.S. President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3351KP&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and French President Emmanuel Macron as the West vies to position itself as a partner to&nbsp;African countries amid growing competition with authoritarian countries like Russia and China.



The latter has sought to expand its influence there by funding infrastructure projects.



A G20 seat would give one of the fastest-growing regions of the world a bigger voice on key issues such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N3717IT&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate change</a>.



&#8220;We also want to contribute to peace and security,&#8221; Scholz said, noting the two leaders&nbsp;had discussed the crisis in Sudan.



Scholz has already made two trips to Sub-Saharan&nbsp;Africa&nbsp;since taking office in late 2021 &#8211; whereas his predecessor Angela Merkel made only one throughout her entire first term.



This, he said, reflected his view that the West needed to improve its ties with the Global South as the world becomes more multipolar.



However, the&nbsp;West has found itself struggling to get some countries&nbsp;there&nbsp;on board with its stance on Russia in the wake of its attack on Ukraine, in particular sanctions. This in turn has undermined attempts to hit the Russian economy.



&#8220;African states are divided,&#8221; said Faki. &#8220;A certain number of U.N. resolutions have been approved by some others have abstained for their own reasons, whether historic or current.&#8221;



The AU leader said the bloc hoped for a political solution&nbsp;for Ukraine.



(Reporting by Sarah Marsh and Andreas Rinke, Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

German Chancellor Scholz attends Bundestag session in Berlin

Scholz backs African Union bid for G20 seat on second trip to continent

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="728" height="483" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/KHIM7FJITVMWVKYDMAFR7RXR4U.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-424588" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/KHIM7FJITVMWVKYDMAFR7RXR4U.jpg 728w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/KHIM7FJITVMWVKYDMAFR7RXR4U-300x199.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/KHIM7FJITVMWVKYDMAFR7RXR4U-136x90.jpg 136w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Ethiopia&#8217;s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed speaks during a question and answer session with lawmakers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, November 30, 2020. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



ADDIS ABABA, May 3 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Ethiopia will issue up to five banking licenses to foreign investors in the next five years, part of plans to open up the financial services sector to foreign competition, a senior central bank official said on Wednesday.



Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed&#8217;s government has promised to open up sectors previously controlled by state firms to help drive foreign investment inflows and economic growth.



&#8220;We will give three to five licenses within five years,&#8221; vice governor of the central bank Solomon Desta told reporters.



Ethiopia&#8217;s banking industry is dominated by state-owned Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, and the sector has 29 players, all of them locally owned.



Desta said foreign investors would have different options to enter the industry, including forming joint ventures with domestic players, or establishing local subsidiaries.



Foreign investors have long eyed sectors including banking, telecoms, transportation and aviation in Ethiopia, a country of more than 100 million people and one of the biggest economies in Sub-Saharan&nbsp;Africa.



Two years ago, Ethiopia&#8217;s government granted a telecoms licence to a private operator to break the monopoly of state-owned Ethio Telecom in that sector.



The operator, a consortium led by Kenya&#8217;s Safaricom&nbsp;SCOM.NR, Vodafone&nbsp;VOD.L, and Japan&#8217;s Sumitomo&nbsp;8053.T, paid $850 million for the licence.



Ethiopia has also launched a tender process to sell a 45% stake in Ethio Telecom and issue a third telecoms licence.



(Editing by Elias Biryabarema and Alexander Winning; Editing by Jan Harvey)

FILE PHOTO: Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed speaks during a question and answer session with lawmakers in Addis Ababa

Ethiopia to offer up to five banking licenses to foreign investors

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/GettyImages-1267129161-1-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-424564" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/GettyImages-1267129161-1-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/GettyImages-1267129161-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/GettyImages-1267129161-1-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/GettyImages-1267129161-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/GettyImages-1267129161-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/GettyImages-1267129161-1-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">KAJEVUBA, BUGESERA, RWANDA &#8211; SEPTEMBER 20: Farmers sheltered under banana leaves during a heavy rain on September 20, 2018 in Kajevuba, Bugesera, Rwanda. (Photo by Camille Delbos/Art In All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



KIGALI, May 3 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Heavy rain that triggered flooding and landslides in western and northern Rwanda has killed at least 109 people, the state-run broadcaster said on Wednesday, as authorities searched for survivors trapped in their homes.



Muddy water flowed swiftly down an inundated road and destroyed houses in a video clip posted by the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency.



&#8220;Our main priority now is to reach every house that has been damaged to ensure we can rescue any person who may be trapped,&#8221; François Habitegeko, governor of Rwanda&#8217;s Western Province, told Reuters.



The death toll stood at 95 in the province, he said. The state broadcaster&#8217;s toll of 109 included deaths from a second region, the Northern Province.



Some people had been rescued and taken to hospital,&nbsp;Habitegeko&nbsp;said, but did not say how many.



The hardest-hit districts in the Western Province were Rutsiro, with 26 dead, Nyabihu with 19, and 18 each in Rubavu and Ngororero, he said.



Habitegeko said the rain started at about 6 p.m. (1600 GMT) on Tuesday and that the River Sebeya had burst its banks.



&#8220;The soil was already soaked from the previous days of rain, which caused landslides that closed roads,&#8221; he said.



The Rwanda Meteorology Agency has forecast rainfall above the average in May for the East African nation.



In neighbouring Uganda near the border with Rwanda, six people died overnight into Wednesday in an area in the southwestern Kisoro district, after heavy rains pounded the mountainous region, according to the Uganda Red Cross.



Five of the dead are from one family, and emergency workers have begun excavations to retrieve the bodies, the Red Cross said in a statement



Uganda has also been experiencing heavy and sustained rains since late March and in recent days landslides have been reported in other elevated areas, like Kasese near the Rwenzori mountains, where deluges and floods destroyed homes and displaced hundreds.



(Reporting by Philbert Girinema; Additional reporting by George Obulutsa in Nairobi, Elias Biryabarema in KampalaEditing by Alexander Winning, Nellie Peyton, Robert Birsel and Angus MacSwan)

GettyImages-1267129161-1

Heavy rain, floods kill at least 109 in Rwanda, six in Uganda

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/7UDDBPB7GNKIPD4FLGDBQINYG4-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-424549" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/7UDDBPB7GNKIPD4FLGDBQINYG4-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/7UDDBPB7GNKIPD4FLGDBQINYG4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/7UDDBPB7GNKIPD4FLGDBQINYG4-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/7UDDBPB7GNKIPD4FLGDBQINYG4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/7UDDBPB7GNKIPD4FLGDBQINYG4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/7UDDBPB7GNKIPD4FLGDBQINYG4-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz looks on during a visit to a Red Cross emergency point in Koblenz, Germany May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen</figcaption></figure>



BERLIN, May 2 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;German Chancellor Olaf Scholz aims to discuss the conflict in Sudan, signal his support for the peace process in Ethiopia and explore cooperation on green hydrogen with Kenya during his trip to East&nbsp;Africa&nbsp;this week, officials said on Tuesday.



Scholz&#8217;s three-day stay in Ethiopia and Kenya, which will include a business delegation, is his second official visit to&nbsp;Africa&nbsp;as chancellor as the West increasingly vies for influence and trade worldwide with other powers, notably China.



In Ethiopia, he will meet on Thursday with the prime minister and the interim leader of the Tigray region to discuss progress in ensuring peace after a two-year war that killed tens of thousands of people, the German government officials told a briefing.



He will also meet with the&nbsp;African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat to discuss the latest developments in Sudan, economic cooperation and global challenges such as climate change.



On Friday, he will meet the president of Kenya, East&nbsp;Africa&#8217;s biggest economy, to discuss trade and other issues.



Asked if Scholz would address the Ukraine war, the officials said he always sought to explain the West&#8217;s point of view and address the global implications such as rising food insecurity and energy prices.



On Saturday, Scholz will visit&nbsp;Africa&#8217;s biggest geothermal plant, at Lake Naivasha, in the geologically active Great Rift Valley, which is key to Kenya&#8217;s plans for producing green hydrogen.



The German officials played down the possibility of any imminent deal on cooperation on green hydrogen.



Instead, the German development agency GIZ would hold a forum on the topic during the visit within the framework of Germany&#8217;s long-standing energy partnership which derives 90% of its power from renewable energy sources.



&#8220;Kenya is a leader on the&nbsp;African continent on climate protection and renewables and has enormous convening power, so the chancellor&#8217;s visit also aims to strengthen that,&#8221; one official said.



Kenya was interested in producing green hydrogen to use in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL4N32429L&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fertilizer production</a>&nbsp;but could potentially export to Germany in future if supply was extensive, the officials said.



(Reporting by Sarah Marsh, editing by Ed Osmond)

FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Scholz visits Red Cross emergency point in Koblenz

Scholz’s East Africa trip to address regional conflict, green energy

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="542" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IB2GU5R2YFNCRPCW6QX5B6WSCI-820x542.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-424545" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IB2GU5R2YFNCRPCW6QX5B6WSCI-820x542.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IB2GU5R2YFNCRPCW6QX5B6WSCI-300x198.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IB2GU5R2YFNCRPCW6QX5B6WSCI-136x90.jpg 136w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IB2GU5R2YFNCRPCW6QX5B6WSCI-768x508.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IB2GU5R2YFNCRPCW6QX5B6WSCI-1536x1015.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IB2GU5R2YFNCRPCW6QX5B6WSCI-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A satellite view shows buses as they wait at the Argeen border between Egypt and Sudan, April 28, 2023. Satellite image 2023 Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, May 2 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenyan police fired tear gas at&nbsp;a small group of&nbsp;protesters in the capital Nairobi on Tuesday as the opposition resumed anti-government demonstrations following a one-month pause.



The main opposition coalition organised three days of demonstrations in March to protest high living costs and alleged fraud in last year&#8217;s election, which its leader Raila Odinga lost to President William Ruto.



Those protests were marred by clashes between police and demonstrators as well as sporadic incidents of violence, including one that Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki termed as &#8220;ethnically-laced arson&#8221; when a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N3622KI&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">church and mosque were set</a>&nbsp;ablaze in Nairobi&#8217;s Kibera neighbourhood.



Odinga suspended the demonstrations in early April, agreeing to talks with Ruto&#8217;s representatives. But he later announced that the protests would resume, accusing the government of not negotiating in good faith.



A Kenyan television station on Tuesday showed police firing tear gas to disperse a handful of protesters in Nairobi&#8217;s Mathare neighbourhood, as well as footage of a minibus that had been set on fire on a road leading to the city centre.



A Reuters photographer saw a trailer on fire on a major bypass that goes around the capital.



In the central business district, there was a heavy police deployment and some shops remained closed. The police said on Monday that the protests would be considered unlawful.



Odinga&#8217;s Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) coalition said the protests would go ahead.



(Reporting by George Obulutsa, Thomas Mukoya and Humphrey Malalo; Editing by Aaron Ross, Alexandra Hudson)

A satellite view shows buses as they wait at the Argeen border between Egypt and Sudan

Kenyan anti-government protests resume with police firing tear gas

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sudan-conflict-threatens-supply-of-key-soft-drink-ingredient-1-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-424477" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sudan-conflict-threatens-supply-of-key-soft-drink-ingredient-1-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sudan-conflict-threatens-supply-of-key-soft-drink-ingredient-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sudan-conflict-threatens-supply-of-key-soft-drink-ingredient-1-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sudan-conflict-threatens-supply-of-key-soft-drink-ingredient-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sudan-conflict-threatens-supply-of-key-soft-drink-ingredient-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sudan-conflict-threatens-supply-of-key-soft-drink-ingredient-1-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: Gum arabic is seen on an Acacia trees in the western Sudanese town of El-Nahud that lies in the main farming state of North Kordofan December 18, 2012. Business is booming in the western Sudanese town of El-Nahud thanks to rising global demand for gum arabic, a natural and edible gum taken from acacia trees growing in the area. Picture taken December 18, 2012. To match Feature SUDAN-GUMARABIC/REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah</figcaption></figure>



LONDON/NEW YORK, April 28 (Reuters) &#8211; Sudan&#8217;s eruption into conflict has left international consumer goods makers racing to shore up supplies of gum arabic, one of the country&#8217;s most sought-after products and a key ingredient in everything from fizzy drinks to candy and cosmetics.



About 70% of the world&#8217;s supply of gum arabic, for which there are few substitutes, comes from the acacia trees in the Sahel region that runs through Africa&#8217;s third-largest country, which is being torn apart by fighting between the army and a paramilitary force.



Wary of Sudan&#8217;s persistent insecurity, companies dependent on the product, such as Coca Cola and Pepsico, have long stockpiled supplies, some keeping between three-to-six-months worth to avoid being caught short, exporters and industry sources told Reuters.



However, prior conflicts have tended to be focused in far-flung regions such as Darfur. This time, the capital Khartoum has been brought to a standstill in the fighting that broke out on April 15, paralysing the economy and disrupting basic communications.



&#8220;Depending on how long the conflict continues there may well be ramifications for finished goods on the shelf &#8211; branded goods made by household names,&#8221; said Richard Finnegan, a procurement manager at Kerry Group, a supplier of gum arabic to most major food and beverage firms.



Finnegan estimated that current stockpiles will run out in five-to-six months, a view echoed by Martijn Bergkamp, a partner at Dutch supplier FOGA Gum who estimated between three-to-six months.



Cloetta AB, a Swedish confectioner which makes Lakerol lozenges that use gum arabic, has &#8220;ample&#8221; stock of the ingredient, a spokesperson said in an email.



Global production of gum arabic is about 120,000 tonnes a year, worth $1.1 billion, according to estimates cited by Kerry Group. Most is found in the &#8220;gum belt&#8221; that stretches 500 miles from the East to the West of Africa where the arable land meets the desert, including in Ethiopia, Chad, Somalia and Eritrea.



Twelve exporters, suppliers and distributors contacted by Reuters said trade in the gum, which helps bind together food and drink ingredients, has ground to a halt.



Right now it’s &#8220;impossible” to source additional gum arabic from rural parts of Sudan because of the turmoil and road blockages, said Mohamad Alnoor, who runs Gum Arabic USA, which sells the product to consumers as a health supplement.



&#8216;CAN&#8217;T EXIST WITHOUT GUM ARABIC&#8217;



Kerry Group and other suppliers, including Sweden&#8217;s Gum Sudan, said communicating with contacts on the ground has been difficult and Port Sudan &#8211; from where product is shipped &#8211; has been prioritising civilian evacuations.



“Our suppliers are struggling to secure necessities because of the conflict,&#8221; Jinesh Doshi, managing director of Vijay Bros, an importer based in Mumbai, said. &#8220;Both buyers and sellers are clueless on when things will normalise.”



Alwaleed Ali, who owns AGP Innovations Co Ltd, a gum arabic exporting business, said his customers are looking for alternative countries to source gum arabic.



He said he sells the gum to Nexira SAS, based in Rouen, France, and Westchester, Illinois-based Ingredion Inc, two major ingredients suppliers to makers of products such as pet food, fizzy drinks and nutrition bars.



A spokesperson for Ingredion said in an email, &#8220;We have proactive measures in place across our business to ensure the continuity of supply for our customers.&#8221;



PepsiCo declined to comment on supply chain and commodity issues, while Coca-Cola did not return a request for comment.



&#8220;For companies like Pepsi and Coke, they can&#8217;t exist without having gum arabic in their formulations,&#8221; Dani Haddad, marketing and development director of Agrigum, a global top-ten supplier, said.



In their manufacturing process, food and drink companies use a spray-dried version of the gum that is powder-like, industry sources said. While cosmetics and printing manufacturers may be able to use substitutes, there is no alternative to gum arabic in fizzy drinks, where it prevents ingredients from separating.



In a sign of its importance to the consumer goods industry, gum arabic has been exempt from U.S. sanctions against Sudan since the 1990s, both because it&#8217;s a critical commodity and for fear of creating a black market.



Sudanese nomads tap the pebbly, amber-colored gum from acacia trees, which is then refined and packaged throughout the country. It accounts for the livelihoods of thousands of people and the more expensive variety can cost about $3,000 a tonne, according to Gum Sudan.



There is a poorer quality, cheaper gum from outside of Sudan, but the preferred ingredient is only found in acacia trees in Sudan, South Sudan and Chad, Alnoor said.



Fawaz Abbaro, the general manager of Savannah Life Company in Khartoum, said he had purchase orders and plans to export 60 to 70 tonnes of gum arabic but doubts he&#8217;ll be able to due to the conflict.



&#8220;It&#8217;s not stable even to get food or drink. It&#8217;s not going to be stable for business,&#8221; Abbaro said. &#8220;All trading will be jammed for the time being.&#8221;



(Reporting by Richa Naidu in London, Jessica DiNapoli in New York AND Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

FILE PHOTO: Gum arabic is seen on an Acacia trees in the western Sudanese town of El-Nahud

Sudan conflict threatens supply of key soft drink ingredient

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="462" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/107004870-16427966702022-01-21t201709z_969185203_rc2w3s99wb9o_rtrmadp_0_argentina-imf-mexico-820x462.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-420118" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/107004870-16427966702022-01-21t201709z_969185203_rc2w3s99wb9o_rtrmadp_0_argentina-imf-mexico-820x462.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/107004870-16427966702022-01-21t201709z_969185203_rc2w3s99wb9o_rtrmadp_0_argentina-imf-mexico-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/107004870-16427966702022-01-21t201709z_969185203_rc2w3s99wb9o_rtrmadp_0_argentina-imf-mexico-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/107004870-16427966702022-01-21t201709z_969185203_rc2w3s99wb9o_rtrmadp_0_argentina-imf-mexico-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/107004870-16427966702022-01-21t201709z_969185203_rc2w3s99wb9o_rtrmadp_0_argentina-imf-mexico.jpeg 929w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The new economic measures laid out by the U.K. government “will likely increase inequality”, according to a spokesperson from the International Monetary Fund.
Yuri Gripas | Reuters</figcaption></figure>



WASHINGTON, April 24 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The executive board of the International Monetary Fund on Monday approved the first review of Tanzania&#8217;s three-year extended credit facility, allowing immediate disbursement of about $153 million in budgetary support, the IMF said in a statement.



The IMF said&nbsp;Tanzania’s economic reform program is progressing well in a challenging global economic environment, but authorities should work to boost domestic revenues, while stepping up structural reforms to streamline bureaucracy and combat corruption.



The decision brings total disbursements under the $1.04 billion loan arrangement approved for Tanzania last year to about $305 million, the IMF said.



&#8220;Program performance has been strong. All quantitative performance criteria and indicative targets for December 2022 were met, and two of the three structural benchmarks for December 2022 were completed on time,&#8221; IMF Deputy Managing Director Antoinette Sayeh said.



Efforts to enhance domestic revenue mobilization and improve&nbsp;spending efficiency&nbsp;would help Tanzania finance priority investment and social spending while safeguarding debt sustainability, she added.



&#8220;Strengthening public finance management and oversight of state-owned enterprises is critical to contain fiscal risks,&#8221;&nbsp;and&nbsp;authorities should clear domestic arrears and prevent accumulation of new ones by strengthening cash management and commitment controls,&nbsp;she said.



Sayeh said Tanzania&#8217;s risk of debt distress remains moderate, but it was vital to continue prioritizing low-interest financing and ensure that risks from&nbsp;potential liabilities&nbsp;were well-contained.



(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Lincoln Feast)

107004870-16427966702022-01-21t201709z_969185203_rc2w3s99wb9o_rtrmadp_0_argentina-imf-mexico

IMF approves immediate disbursement of about $153 mln to Tanzania

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="509" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/P3TLEOJ3K5MEHLTXC7NP4E5JO4-820x509.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-424410" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/P3TLEOJ3K5MEHLTXC7NP4E5JO4-820x509.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/P3TLEOJ3K5MEHLTXC7NP4E5JO4-300x186.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/P3TLEOJ3K5MEHLTXC7NP4E5JO4-145x90.jpg 145w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/P3TLEOJ3K5MEHLTXC7NP4E5JO4-768x477.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/P3TLEOJ3K5MEHLTXC7NP4E5JO4-1536x953.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/P3TLEOJ3K5MEHLTXC7NP4E5JO4-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Kenya&#8217;s opposition leader Raila Odinga, of the Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) One Kenya Alliance, waves to supporters as he arrives at a rally ahead of talks with President William Ruto&#8217;s government on high cost of living and electoral reforms at the Kamukunji grounds of Nairobi, Kenya April 16, 2023. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, April 24 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenya&#8217;s main opposition party said on Monday it will resume protests over high living costs and alleged election fraud because of what it called the government&#8217;s lack of commitment to talks.



Opposition leader Raila Odinga halted nationwide demonstrations in early&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N3650JR&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">April</a>&nbsp;after an appeal from President William Ruto, who agreed to talks and to reform the election commission &#8211; one of the opposition&#8217;s main demands.



Thousands had taken to the streets in three marches which were marred by clashes between protesters and police. Rights groups called for calm, fearing an eruption of ethnically charged violence.



Last week, Odinga&#8217;s Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) party&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N36G1VV&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;protests would resume after Islam&#8217;s holy month of Ramadan, which concluded on Friday, if no progress had been made in talks.



&#8220;Today we have come to the conclusion that as we had feared, the commitment is lacking on the part of Kenya Kwanza,&#8221; Azimio said in a statement on Monday, referring to Ruto&#8217;s ruling Kenya Kwanza (Kenya First) party.



There was no immediate comment from Ruto or his party. On Sunday, Ruto condemned Odinga&#8217;s threats to resume protests and asked Azimio to give him time to turn around the economy.



The protesters have accused Ruto of mismanagement, while his supporters have accused Odinga of using anger over rising prices, a global phenomenon, to press for political concessions and a possible role in government.



The government has also insisted last year&#8217;s national elections were fair.



Azimio said it remained committed to dialogue, but it accused the government of failing to bring down the cost of flour, fuel, electricity and school fees and objected to the make-up of Kenya Kwanza&#8217;s negotiating team.



The next protest on May 2 would be confined to the capital Nairobi, Azimio said.



(Reporting by Humphrey Malalo; Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Anait Miridzhanian and Andrew Heavens)

Kenyan opposition alliance holds rally ahead of talks with government in Nairobi

Kenya opposition says it will resume protests on May 2

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="515" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/FRFCGRTZC5LX3E4PBNUNXPM62Y-820x515.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-424362" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/FRFCGRTZC5LX3E4PBNUNXPM62Y-820x515.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/FRFCGRTZC5LX3E4PBNUNXPM62Y-300x188.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/FRFCGRTZC5LX3E4PBNUNXPM62Y-143x90.jpg 143w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/FRFCGRTZC5LX3E4PBNUNXPM62Y-768x482.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/FRFCGRTZC5LX3E4PBNUNXPM62Y-1536x965.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/FRFCGRTZC5LX3E4PBNUNXPM62Y-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Meta Platforms Inc&#8217;s logo is seen on a smartphone in this illustration picture taken October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, April 20 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;A Kenyan judge ruled on Thursday that Facebook&#8217;s parent company Meta&nbsp;META.O&nbsp;could be sued in Kenya, after 43 moderators at its Nairobi hub last month filed a lawsuit against the group and its local partner Sama for unfair termination.



In response, Judge Matthews Nduma&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL4N35T37P&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">issued</a>&nbsp;an interim injunction against Meta and Sama preventing them from terminating the moderators&#8217; contracts, pending a judgment on the legality of their redundancy.



&#8220;The court finds that this court has jurisdiction to determine the matter of alleged unlawful and unfair termination of employment on grounds of redundancy,&#8221; Nduma said on Thursday.



The moderators in the petition &#8211; who are now 184 in number &#8211; say they were fired in retaliation for complaints about working conditions and attempts to form a union.



&#8220;I do this work because I believe in protecting people,&#8221; said Juanita Jones, a moderator in the petition.



&#8220;Moderation is the frontline defence of the internet – and it is time to value the work like it, not treat it as some disposable, dead-end job,&#8221; Jones said.



The moderators say they were blacklisted from applying for the same roles at another outsourcing firm, Luxembourg-based Majorel, after Facebook switched contractors.



Meta, Sama and Majorel did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.



A Kenyan labour court in February&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N34M1ZK&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ruled</a>&nbsp;that Meta could be sued in the East African country after one former moderator at the Nairobi hub filed a lawsuit against it, alleging poor working conditions.



The cases could have implications for how Meta works with content moderators globally. The U.S. giant works with thousands of moderators around the world, tasked with reviewing graphic content posted on its platform.



(Reporting by Ayenat Mersie; Editing by Hereward Holland and Jan Harvey)

FILE PHOTO: Meta Platforms Inc’s logo is seen on a smartphone in this illustration picture

Court rules Meta can be sued in Kenya over alleged unlawful redundancies

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="557" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/IE5RXBPEUFLLNJUQF7XZT4FQLE-820x557.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-424137" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/IE5RXBPEUFLLNJUQF7XZT4FQLE-820x557.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/IE5RXBPEUFLLNJUQF7XZT4FQLE-300x204.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/IE5RXBPEUFLLNJUQF7XZT4FQLE-133x90.jpg 133w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/IE5RXBPEUFLLNJUQF7XZT4FQLE-768x522.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/IE5RXBPEUFLLNJUQF7XZT4FQLE-1536x1043.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/IE5RXBPEUFLLNJUQF7XZT4FQLE-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen delivers remarks at the National Association for Business Economics 39th Annual Economic Policy Conference in Washington, U.S., March 30, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis</figcaption></figure>



U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will push this week for urgent resolution of requests by Zambia and Ghana for restructuring of their sovereign debts, and moves to conclude a debt treatment for Sri Lanka, Treasury said on Monday.



Yellen, who is slated to meet counterparts from around the world during this week&#8217;s meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), is also pushing for concrete steps to speed up the overall debt relief process and make it more predictable, Treasury Undersecretary Jay Shambaugh said.



&#8220;During the week, Secretary Yellen will &#8230; maintain urgency for the speedy resolution of Common Framework cases like Zambia and Ghana to remove debt overhangs and foster growth in developing countries,&#8221; Treasury said in a statement.



<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N3691LY&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sri Lanka, Zambia and Ghana</a>&nbsp;have already defaulted on their overseas debt and are working towards debt reworks with creditors. Some 60% of low-income countries are in or near debt distress, but the Group of 20 (G20) common framework set up to help low income countries has failed to deliver quick debt relief.



&#8220;At a broad level, we&#8217;re really just pushing to improve the speed and predictability of this framework,&#8221; Shambaugh said at an event hosted by the Brookings Institution think tank. &#8220;This is going to require constructive and timely participation of all creditors in international debt restructuring discussions.&#8221;



Shambaugh said Treasury&#8217;s immediate priority was resolving outstanding requests from Zambia, Ghana and Ethiopia under the G20 framework, and from Sri Lanka, which is working on a separate debt plan since it is a middle income country.



He said Washington was pressing for &#8220;concerted action&#8221; on Zambia&#8217;s debt treatment and the formation of a creditor committee for Ghana in the next month, adding that the two largest economies in the world &#8211; the United States and China &#8211; needed to collaborate on these challenges.



&#8220;At these meetings, we&#8217;re going to be working very hard to speed up this process, make it more transparent and make it function better,&#8221; he said, adding that progress had been &#8220;slower than we would like.&#8221;



A senior Treasury official said it was up to China whether Zambia&#8217;s case could be resolved this week.



Yellen and other G7 officials have long criticized China&#8217;s slow movement on specific debt treatment cases under the G20 framework, although they have welcomed China&#8217;s agreement to provide financing assurances for Sri Lanka, which paved the way for an IMF lending package.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-debt-roundtable">DEBT ROUNDTABLE</h2>



Yellen will discuss the debt issue in separate meetings on Wednesday with officials from the G20 and the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable, which includes debtor countries, Treasury said.



The official expressed hope that the debt roundtable meeting would yield &#8220;actual accomplishments,&#8221; the official said. &#8220;What we&#8217;re looking for is concrete steps that will make the process operate faster, and in a more transparent way.&#8221;



Sources familiar with the matter said the co-chairs of the roundtable &#8211; the IMF, the World Bank and India as current president of the G20 &#8211; planned to issue a statement after Wednesday&#8217;s meeting.



A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3681OT&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">record number of developing nations</a>&nbsp;are at risk of a debt crisis, with ballooning inflation, escalating borrowing costs and a strong dollar jacking up the cost for borrowing countries to repay loans and raise fresh money.



IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva last week also took aim at China, saying she had told the country&#8217;s new top economic leader that Beijing needed to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3691QH&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&#8220;speed up&#8221; its work</a>&nbsp;on debt restructuring requests.



<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N36D0QC&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World Bank chief David Malpass</a>&nbsp;said on Monday he hoped meetings this week with Chinese officials could help &#8220;break the ice&#8221; on badly needed debt relief for poor countries.



Yellen has no formal meetings with Chinese counterparts on her schedule, but the U.S. official said officials from the Biden administration and China will continue dialogue &#8220;where we&#8217;re able to.&#8221;



(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and David Lawder; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jamie Freed)

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks at a NABE conference in Washington, U.S.

Yellen to push for ‘speedy’ action on debt relief for Zambia, Ghana

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/download-60.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-423083" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/download-60.jpg 800w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/download-60-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/download-60-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/download-60-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: Zambia&#8217;s Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane attends the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington, U.S., October 15, 2022. REUTERS/James Lawler Duggan</figcaption></figure>



LUSAKA, April 6 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Zambia is being &#8220;punished&#8221; for a failure to complete debt restructuring that is not its fault, but its two main creditors, China and international bondholders, both want a resolution, the country&#8217;s finance minister told Reuters.



Zambia was the first African country to default in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic battered the global economy. Many Western officials have blamed delays in agreeing the debt relief on the largest bilateral creditor, China, something it denies.



&#8220;This is no fault of ours, it is the fault of those we engaged with,&#8221; Situmbeko Musokotwane said in an interview in his office in Lusaka, when asked when news could be expected about the completion of the debt relief process.



&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to give a date, but all I can say is that there is very serious discussion that is going on. Everybody appreciates that Zambia is being punished for no fault of hers.&#8221;



The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday that the next payout to Zambia from a $1.3 billion rescue loan was contingent on the country&#8217;s bilateral creditors&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N3685GG&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reaching a debt restructuring agreement</a>.



&#8220;The Chinese are asking questions, the bondholders are also asking questions &#8230; but constructive questions, so that&#8217;s no problem,&#8221; Musokotwane said.



&#8220;The good thing is that everyone is committed. Bondholders say they want a resolution to this, the Chinese say they want a resolution to this.&#8221;



Zambia&#8217;s external debt was $18.6 billion at the end of 2022, of which about $5.7 billion was owed to Chinese creditors and $3.5 billion to bondholders, according to government data.



The governor of Zambia&#8217;s central bank and the secretary to the treasury travelled to China about two weeks ago to meet with &#8220;negotiating parties&#8221;, while there are also ongoing negotiations with bondholders, Musokotwane said.



The government said in October 2022 that it needed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AJ8N30D029&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a 49% present value reduction</a>&nbsp;on $12.8 billion of external debt that it had earmarked for restructuring.



&#8220;Those who are owed the money&#8230; understandably they want to minimise the amount of help,&#8221; said Musokotwane.



&#8220;But on the core objective of delivering debt sustainability, there is no compromise.&#8221;



(Reporting by Rachel Savage and Chris Mfula; Editing by Joe Bavier and Sandra Maler)

download-60

Zambia ‘punished’ as debt rework not finished, says finance minister

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="556" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GAB662QZ45NPDCPXDTZLQHHBVU-820x556.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-424089" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GAB662QZ45NPDCPXDTZLQHHBVU-820x556.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GAB662QZ45NPDCPXDTZLQHHBVU-300x203.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GAB662QZ45NPDCPXDTZLQHHBVU-133x90.jpg 133w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GAB662QZ45NPDCPXDTZLQHHBVU-768x521.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GAB662QZ45NPDCPXDTZLQHHBVU-1536x1041.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GAB662QZ45NPDCPXDTZLQHHBVU-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: Kenya&#8217;s opposition leader Raila Odinga of the Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) One Kenya Alliance, waves to his supporters as he participates in a nationwide protest over cost of living and President William Ruto&#8217;s government in downtown Nairobi, Kenya March 20, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



Kenya opposition leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday called for parties outside parliament to be involved in talks on electoral reform and the high cost of living, at odds with President William Ruto&#8217;s plan for negotiations to be held only within parliament.



Odinga warned of fresh protests if the government did not take demands of the opposition seriously.



On Sunday, Odinga agreed to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N3650JR&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">talks</a>&nbsp;proposed by Ruto after the president asked him to halt the protests, which also included claims of fraud in last August&#8217;s presidential elections. Thousands took part in three opposition marches over the past two weeks, all of which turned violent.



Foreign observers, including the U.S. Embassy in Kenya, joined local leaders in welcoming the talks to prevent further disruption in East Africa&#8217;s largest economy.



Odinga wants talks similar to those that ended post-election violence in 2008, and ushered in a national unity government.



&#8220;To this end, the coalition proposes a team drawn from its ranks both in Parliament and outside (parliament),&#8221; he said.



On Monday, Ruto had asked senior lawmakers from his coalition to give top priority to the opposition&#8217;s grievances.



During a visit to Kigali on Tuesday, Ruto reiterated his position for the talks to be held within parliament &#8220;in a bipartisan manner, and that is the offer made to the opposition.&#8221; Ruto spoke at a news conference, alongside Rwandan President Paul Kagame.



At his news conference, Odinga said that demonstrations could resume if there was no progress to the opposition&#8217;s demands, which also include an audit of the elections.



&#8220;We shall go back to the people at the earliest sign of lack of seriousness by the other side,&#8221; he said.



(Reporting by George Obulutsa; Additional reporting by Philbert Girinema in Kigali; Editing by Anait Miridzhanian and Leslie Adler)

Nationwide protest over cost of living and President William Ruto’s government in Nairobi

Kenyan opposition leader presents new demand for electoral reform talks

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1475929182-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-423952" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1475929182-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1475929182-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1475929182-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1475929182-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1475929182-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1475929182-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">WASHINGTON, DC &#8211; MARCH 24: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to reporters after participating in a swearing in ceremony for Eric Garcetti as Ambassador to India at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on March 24, 2023 in Washington, DC. This weekend Harris starts a weeklong trip to the continent of Africa where she will visit cities in Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



DAR ES SALAAM, March 30 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced plans&nbsp;to boost&nbsp;trade with and investment in Tanzania during a visit there on Thursday,&nbsp;part of an&nbsp;African tour aimed at strengthening ties&nbsp;with a continent where China and Russia increasingly hold sway.



Harris&nbsp;started her trip on&nbsp;Sunday in Ghana before flying late on Wednesday to Tanzania&#8217;s commercial capital Dar es Salaam, where she&nbsp;met President&nbsp;Samia Suluhu Hassan on Thursday.



The two women gave short statements to the media before going into a longer session of private talks.



&#8220;Working together, it is our shared goal to increase economic investment in Tanzania and strengthen our economic ties,&#8221; Harris said, listing a number of initiatives.



They included a new memorandum of understanding between the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) and the government of Tanzania.



That will facilitate&nbsp;up to $500 million in financing to&nbsp;help U.S. companies export goods&nbsp;and services&nbsp;to Tanzania in&nbsp;sectors including infrastructure, transportation, digital technology, climate and energy security and power generation.



Harris also mentioned a new partnership in 5G technology and cybersecurity, as well as a U.S.-supported plan by&nbsp;LifeZone Metals to open a new processing plant in Tanzania&nbsp;for minerals that go into electric vehicle batteries.



&#8220;This project is an important and pioneering model, using innovative and low-emission standards. Importantly, raw minerals will soon be processed in Tanzania, by Tanzanians,&#8221; she said, adding that the plant would deliver battery-grade nickel to the United States and the global market from 2026.



China has invested heavily in Africa in the last two decades, and last November the Tanzanian president met China&#8217;s President Xi Jinping during a state visit to Beijing.



Trade and investment featured heavily on their agenda, with the leaders agreeing to &#8220;elevate two-way trade and further expand the trade volume&#8221; and China saying it would explore providing market access to more Tanzanian goods.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-political-rights">POLITICAL RIGHTS</h2>



On Thursday, President Hassan said her &#8220;most important request&#8221; was to improve the visa process between the U.S. and Tanzania, as both countries would benefit from a &#8220;long duration visa&#8221; that would increase trade and tourism.



Under Hassan,&nbsp;Tanzania has returned to international engagement after&nbsp;a period of isolationism&nbsp;enforced by her&nbsp;predecessor John Magufuli, who cancelled all his ministers&#8217; foreign trips and discouraged travel.



She has&nbsp;won praise internationally for restoring political rights suspended by Magufuli, who died in office in 2021.



&#8220;Madam President, under your leadership Tanzania has taken important and meaningful steps and President Joe Biden and I applaud you,&#8221; Harris said, standing alongside Hassan.



Magufuli had&nbsp;banned political rallies by anyone other than elected officials, cracked down on Tanzania&#8217;s LGBT community and arrested scores of opposition supporters. He had also rejected COVID-19 vaccines and urged Tanzanians to put faith in prayer and treatments&nbsp;such as steam inhalation.



Hassan reversed the policies upon coming to power and earlier this month, Tanzania passed the milestone of fully vaccinating 50% of its population&nbsp;against the coronavirus.



But human groups say violations continue, including government targeting of online media outlets. Hassan&#8217;s education minister also banned a series of children&#8217;s books from schools last month for allegedly promoting homosexuality.



Harris, the latest of several high-profile figures from the U.S. administration to visit African countries in recent months, is due to stay in Tanzania until Friday, when she will depart for Zambia, the final stop on her tour.



(Additional reporting by Aaron Ross in Nairobi; Writing by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Alexander Smith and Andrew Heavens)

Vice President Harris Ceremonially Swears In Eric Garcetti As Ambassador To India

US plans Tanzania trade boost as Kamala Harris tours Africa

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/AJ7F43WG35NOFMXO24EQCHAGDQ-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-423923"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris addresses youth gathered on Black Star square in Accra, Ghana, Tuesday March 28, 2023. Misper Apawu/Pool via REUTERS</figcaption></figure>



ACCRA, March 29 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will meet Ghanaian women entrepreneurs on Wednesday to discuss economic empowerment and leadership, her last engagement in Accra before heading to Tanzania to continue her week-long African tour.



Harris is the latest U.S. government figure to visit African countries, after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as Washington strives to counter-balance growing Chinese and Russian influence on the continent.



Since landing in Ghana on Sunday, Harris has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N35Z11D&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">met President Nana Akufo-Addo</a>, participated in a state banquet, given a speech to young people about innovation and women&#8217;s empowerment, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N360235&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">visited a &#8216;slave castle&#8217;</a>&nbsp;that was the last stop for thousands of Africans sold into the transatlantic slave trade.



She is scheduled to leave Ghana after her roundtable with women entrepreneurs and fly to the Tanzanian commercial capital Dar es Salaam, where she will meet President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Thursday and fulfil other engagements.



On Friday, she will fly to Zambia, where she will meet President Hakainde Hichilema and participate in other events. She is due to leave Zambia on Saturday and arrive back in the United States on Sunday.



(Reporting by Francis Kokoroko; Writing by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by William Maclean)

Kamala Harris wraps up Ghana visit, heads to Tanzania

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414305" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



International Monetary Fund officials are in Ethiopia this week doing technical work to prepare for a potential IMF-supported program for the East African country, an IMF spokesperson said on Monday.



The IMF has received a request for financial assistance from Ethiopian authorities to support its economic reforms, the spokesperson said, noting the country had been hit by multiple shocks including drought, the COVID-19 pandemic, domestic conflicts, and the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine.



&#8220;A potential program would support the authorities’ Homegrown Economic Reform program and help Ethiopia stabilize its economy so that it can meet its economic, humanitarian, and social challenges, create jobs, and reduce poverty,&#8221; the spokesperson said.



This week&#8217;s technical discussions follow ongoing discussions between the IMF and Ethiopian authorities on how to best address humanitarian and economic challenges, the spokesperson added.



Bloomberg, which first reported the IMF visit, said officials from the global lender were expected to stay 10 days.



The IMF said it welcomed Ethiopia&#8217;s strong progress towards restoring lasting peace and stability through the “cessation of hostilities agreement” and said implementation had progressed well, including through restoration of humanitarian assistance and basic services to Tigray.



Progress on the IMF program and Ethiopia&#8217;s request for debt relief under the Group of 20 Common Framework had been stalled due in part to the conflict in Tigray.



The United States, the biggest shareholder in the IMF, is working to repair ties after outspoken criticism of alleged atrocities by Ethiopian forces and their allies during the Tigray war, which killed tens of thousands of people before a peace accord was reached last November.



(Reporting by Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru and Andrea Shalal in Washington; Editing by Stephen Coates)

BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4

IMF team in Ethiopia for talks on new funding programme 

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1248856891-1-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-423786" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1248856891-1-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1248856891-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1248856891-1-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1248856891-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1248856891-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1248856891-1-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">NAIROBI, KENYA &#8211; MARCH 20: Kenyan demonstrators gather at the invitation of the opposition Azimio coalition to protest, justifying Coalition leader Raila Odinga&#8217;s objection to the election results and the cost of living in Nairobi, Kenya on March 20, 2023. (Photo by Gerald Anderson/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, March 20 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenyan police tear gassed the leader of the opposition on Monday and arrested senior lawmakers in his parliamentary faction, as protesters took to the streets to march against President William Ruto and the high cost of living.



The convoy of Raila Odinga, who was defeated by Ruto last year in his fifth straight election as the runner up, was repeatedly sprayed with tear gas as he addressed supporters from the sunroof of his car.



Odinga has called for&nbsp;nationwide protests as he attempts to harness dissatisfaction with the president.&nbsp;At least four members of parliament were arrested during protests in Nairobi, including the minority leaders of the National Assembly and Senate, Odinga&#8217;s spokesman, Dennis Onyango, said.



Police officers in riot gear fired tear gas at hundreds of rock-throwing protesters in the capital Nairobi&#8217;s vast Kibera slum, who chanted: &#8220;Ruto must go.&#8221;



&#8220;We are suffering and tired of this Ruto regime. We&#8217;ve had enough,&#8221; said one protester, who asked not to be identified, as tear gas swirled around her.



The discontented include some of those who voted for Ruto and feel he has not delivered on pledges to help the country&#8217;s forgotten &#8220;hustlers&#8221;, or working-class Kenyans.



Police used tear gas and a water cannon to prevent Odinga&#8217;s convoy from driving towards the president&#8217;s State House residence to deliver a petition.



The convoy then sped through the streets of the capital attempting to dodge police roadblocks, before Odinga emerged from the sunroof to address a crowd of supporters. Tear gas engulfed the vehicle as he spoke, calling for protests every Monday until the cost of living comes down.



In the western city of Kisumu, an Odinga stronghold, police&nbsp;also fired&nbsp;barrages of tear gas in the direction of protesters who had started fires in the road, footage on Citizen TV showed.



Nairobi police chief Adamson Bungei said he would have details about arrests&nbsp;in the capital later&nbsp;in the day.



Despite Ruto&#8217;s promises to bring down living costs since taking power in September, inflation has remained high in East Africa&#8217;s economic powerhouse,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AN6N31X00R&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rising</a>&nbsp;to 9.2% in February.



Ruto has said his government is laying the foundations of a healthier economy, including by cutting reliance on borrowing.



Odinga has cast the demonstration as an opportunity to protest&nbsp;against the&nbsp;August vote, which he says was tainted by fraud.



He challenged the results in the Supreme Court last year, but the court&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N3091ZE&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">affirmed</a>&nbsp;Ruto&#8217;s win, and there was little of the violence that marred elections Odinga also disputed in&nbsp;2007 and 2017.



(Reporting by Ayenat Mersie, Humphrey Malalo and Thomas Mukoya; Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Hereward Holland and Peter Graff)

GettyImages-1248856891-1

Kenyan opposition politicians arrested, tear gassed during protests

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="461" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/CUQ5A72TE5NXVMXYQO6KLKAHLY-820x461.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-423722" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/CUQ5A72TE5NXVMXYQO6KLKAHLY-820x461.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/CUQ5A72TE5NXVMXYQO6KLKAHLY-300x168.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/CUQ5A72TE5NXVMXYQO6KLKAHLY-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/CUQ5A72TE5NXVMXYQO6KLKAHLY-768x431.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/CUQ5A72TE5NXVMXYQO6KLKAHLY-1536x863.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/CUQ5A72TE5NXVMXYQO6KLKAHLY-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Branches of trees sway as cyclone Freddy hits, in Quelimane, Zambezia, Mozambique, March 12, 2023, in this screen grab taken from a handout video. UNICEF Mozambique/2023/Alfredo Zuniga/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS &#8211; THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES</figcaption></figure>



MAPUTO, March 16 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The death toll from Tropical Cyclone Freddy has passed 300 people, with authorities in Mozambique taking several days to assess the extent of the damage and loss of life.



The storm tore through southern Africa over the weekend for a second time after first making landfall in late February. It is one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N35M4R7&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">longest-lasting</a>&nbsp;tropical cyclones ever recorded and one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N35N1YS&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">deadliest in Africa</a>&nbsp;in recent years.



At least 53 people have died in Mozambique&#8217;s Zambezia province, authorities said late on Wednesday, more than doubling their previous count. The toll is expected to continue to rise, said U.N. children&#8217;s agency UNICEF.



Malawi has reported&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N35N2ZA&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">225 dead</a>&nbsp;so far, with hundreds more injured and some still missing. The storm killed about 27 people in Madagascar and Mozambique before lashing Mozambique a second time.



Continued rain and power outages have hampered search and rescue efforts this week as the storm caused severe flooding, swept away roads and left bodies and houses buried in mud.



In the southern Malawi village of Mtauchira, six men carried a coffin down a dirt road that had turned into a river, slipping in mud as rain continued to fall.



Others stood in newly dug graves that had filled up like pools, scooping the water out with buckets so they could lower in the caskets. Nearby, relatives of the dead cried and held each other, some holding umbrellas while others were drenched.



Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has declared 14 days of national mourning and called for international support for relief efforts. He said more than 80,000 people were displaced.



While electricity was starting to come back in Malawi on Thursday, many places affected by the storm had not had running water for a week, including in the second-biggest city, Blantyre.



(Reporting by Manuel Mucari in Maputo and Frank Phiri in Blantyre; Additional reporting by Carien du Plessis in Johannesburg; Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Alexander Winning and Bradley Perrett)

East Africa

Scholz backs African Union bid for G20 seat on second trip to continent

Ethiopia to offer up to five banking licenses to foreign investors

Heavy rain, floods kill at least 109 in Rwanda, six in Uganda

Scholz’s East Africa trip to address regional conflict, green energy

Kenyan anti-government protests resume with police firing tear gas

Sudan conflict threatens supply of key soft drink ingredient

IMF approves immediate disbursement of about $153 mln to Tanzania

Kenya opposition says it will resume protests on May 2

Court rules Meta can be sued in Kenya over alleged unlawful redundancies

Yellen to push for ‘speedy’ action on debt relief for Zambia, Ghana

Zambia ‘punished’ as debt rework not finished, says finance minister

Kenyan opposition leader presents new demand for electoral reform talks

US plans Tanzania trade boost as Kamala Harris tours Africa

Kamala Harris wraps up Ghana visit, heads to Tanzania

IMF team in Ethiopia for talks on new funding programme

Kenyan opposition politicians arrested, tear gassed during protests

Cyclone Freddy toll surpasses 300 as Mozambique counts bodies

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East Africa

Scholz backs African Union bid for G20 seat on second trip to continent

Ethiopia to offer up to five banking licenses to foreign investors

Heavy rain, floods kill at least 109 in Rwanda, six in Uganda

Scholz’s East Africa trip to address regional conflict, green energy

Kenyan anti-government protests resume with police firing tear gas

Sudan conflict threatens supply of key soft drink ingredient

IMF approves immediate disbursement of about $153 mln to Tanzania

Kenya opposition says it will resume protests on May 2

Court rules Meta can be sued in Kenya over alleged unlawful redundancies

Yellen to push for ‘speedy’ action on debt relief for Zambia, Ghana

Zambia ‘punished’ as debt rework not finished, says finance minister

Kenyan opposition leader presents new demand for electoral reform talks

US plans Tanzania trade boost as Kamala Harris tours Africa

Kamala Harris wraps up Ghana visit, heads to Tanzania

IMF team in Ethiopia for talks on new funding programme

Kenyan opposition politicians arrested, tear gassed during protests

Cyclone Freddy toll surpasses 300 as Mozambique counts bodies

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