Mastercard Foundation to deploy $1.3bn in collaboration with Africa CDC to save lives

ADDIS ABABA, June 5 (Reuters) &#8211; Ethiopia&#8217;s council of ministers have approved an 18% rise in the budget for the 2021-2022 fiscal year from a year ago to 561.7 billion birr ($13.00 billion), Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Saturday.



The draft budget for the Ethiopian fiscal year of 2014 compares to a total of 476 billion birr that was set aside for spending in the 2020-2021 fiscal year.



The Horn of Africa nation of 110 million people uses a different fiscal calendar than the rest of the world. The 2014 fiscal year corresponds to 2021-2022.



&#8220;Due attention is given to enhancing our productive capacity in line with the 10-year perspective plan,&#8221; Abiy said in a tweet.



The draft budget now heads to parliament for approval.



Like many other countries in the region, Ethiopia&#8217;s economy has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.



In February, the International Monetary Fund projected the country&#8217;s economic growth to be 2% in 2020-2021, largely due to the effects of the pandemic, but that it was expected to rebound to 8.7% in 2021-2022 in line with a global recovery.



Last year, Ethiopia had projected an 8.5% economic growth for 2020-2021. 



($1 = 43.1944 birr) 



(Reporting by Dawit Endeshaw; writing by Omar Mohammed; editing by Clelia Oziel)

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Ethiopia’s ministers approve 18% rise in 2021-2022 budget -PM

KAMPALA, June 6 (Reuters) &#8211; Uganda&#8217;s President Yoweri Museveni on Sunday re-imposed a strict lockdown that included the closure of schools and the suspension of inter-district travel to help beat back a surge in COVID-19 cases in the East African country.



The new measures, which will be effective from Monday morning, include the closure of all educational institutions, some bans on travel, the shutdown of weekly open markets, and the suspension of church services.



Most of the new restrictions, Museveni said, would be implemented for 42 days. An assessment of their impact will then help the government decide whether to ease or prolong them, he added.



Uganda implemented one of Africa&#8217;s tightest lockdowns at the beginning of the pandemic more than a year ago, but it was gradually lifted as cases slowed to a trickle.



Last month however infections started to spike and new cases, particularly among younger people, have surged, fuelling fears that the country could slip into an out-of-control second wave.



Museveni said in a televised address on Sunday night that a second wave gripping the country was &#8220;diffuse and sustained&#8221;.



The government, he said, was worried the jump in cases would &#8220;exhaust the available bed space and oxygen supply in hospitals unless we constitute urgent public health measures&#8221;.



&#8220;In this wave the intensity of severe and critically ill COVID-19 patients and death is higher than what we experienced in the first wave of the pandemic,&#8221; he said.



COVID-19 infections in Uganda are on an average daily basis at their peak, with 825 new infections reported each day, according to a <a href="https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries-and-territories/uganda/">Reuters analysis</a>. 



From January to April the positivity rate in tested samples was mostly below 3% but the rate started climbing sharply last month, hitting 18% on June 2, according to Ministry of Health data.



The east African country has thus far reported nearly 53,000 positive cases and 383 deaths.



The new restrictions potentially threaten to arrest an already fragile economic recovery from the blow inflicted by last year&#8217;s lockdown.



Those restrictions contributed to a 1.1% economic contraction in 2020, but the finance ministry had projected before Sunday&#8217;s new measures that growth would climb to between 4-5% in the fiscal year starting July. 



(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Omar Mohammed and Jan Harvey)

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni

Uganda re-imposes lockdown to beat back COVID-19 case surge

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June 1 (Reuters) &#8211; The International Monetary Fund and Uganda reached a staff-level agreement for a $1 billion program under a three-year extended credit facility, the Fund said on Tuesday.



The African country said last month it had applied for an IMF loan in order to bolster its shaky finances after the COVID-19 pandemic hammered its economy.



Last year, the Fund loaned Uganda over $490 million.



&#8220;The IMF-supported program supports the next phase of the COVID-19 response and strengthens the fundamentals of a more inclusive private sector-led growth,&#8221; said Amine Mati, head of the IMF team that held virtual missions to Uganda earlier this year.



&#8220;Strengthening governance and budget transparency will be key to fostering public sector efficiency while preparing the ground for sound management of oil revenues.&#8221;



Uganda imposed one of Africa&#8217;s tightest COVID-19 lockdowns, which included a shuttering of all businesses except the most essential.



The staff-level agreement is subject to approval by the Fund&#8217;s management. 



(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos in New York; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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IMF, Uganda reach agreement on three-year, $1 bln program

Finding alternative financing options for African economies

MAPUTO, May 31 (Reuters) &#8211; Mozambique on Monday began construction of gas-to-power plant and transmission line projects worth $1 billion in the southern province of Inhambane as the government aims to boost energy supply.



The World Bank is one of the financing partners of the infrastructure projects, alongside the United States, Norway, African Development Bank (AfDB), Islamic Bank and The OPEC Fund for International Development, according statements from the World Bank and the U.S. embassy.



&#8220;Today we mark a milestone in the framework of this endeavour to illuminate Mozambique. Our governance aspires that more than 10 million Mozambicans will have access to electricity for the first time in their homes by 2024,&#8221; Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi said at the launch of the project.



Upon completion, the gas-to-power Temane Thermal Power Plant will have a capacity of 450 megawatts.



&#8220;Today, we are witnessing the exceptional beginning of a vision that aims to provide energy for all Mozambicans: this is a transformative project for the country,&#8221; the representative of the World Bank in Mozambique, Idah Pswarayi-Riddihough, said during the launch.



U.S. Ambassador to Mozambique Dennis Hearne said the United States was supporting the Temane project through a $200 million direct loan for its construction via the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).



&#8220;In addition, thanks to the support of the U.S. government&#8217;s signature Power Africa program, we are providing a &#8220;transaction advisor&#8221; assigned to EDM (Mozambique power utility Eletricidade de Moçambique) to help bring the critical Temane Transmission Line Project to financial close,&#8221; said Hearne. 



(Reporting by Manuel Mucari Editing by Bill Berkrot)

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Mozambique launches construction of $1 bln power plant, transmission line

Rwanda grades 31 hospitality & tourism establishments

Kenya has extended its nightly curfew by 60 days to slow the spread of COVID-19, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday.



The move followed a decision by President Uhuru Kenyatta in late March to extend the 10 p.m to 4 a.m. curfew.



A ban on political gatherings and processions that could turn into super spreader events was also extended for 60 days, as was a prohibition on overnight events and vigils, the ministry said.



When the first coronavirus cases were confirmed in Kenya in March 2020, the government closed schools, imposed a curfew, banned public gatherings and on multiple occasions restricted movement in and out of the most-affected regions.



Some restrictions, such as on schools, were eventually relaxed. The ban on public gatherings and processions and overnight meetings will stay in force, the ministry said.



Kenya has recorded 170,485 cases and 3,141 deaths, Ministry of Health data showed on Saturday, with a positivity rate of 8.9%.



COVID-19 vaccinations began on March 5 and so far 968,733 people have received their first dose. 



(Reporting by Humphrey Malalo; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Kenya’s president Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, delivers his

Kenya extends COVID-19 curfew by 60 days

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Hearing_of_Josep_Borrell_High_Representative_Vice_President-designate_A_stronger_Europe_in_the_World_48859582126-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-405237" width="840" height="560" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Hearing_of_Josep_Borrell_High_Representative_Vice_President-designate_A_stronger_Europe_in_the_World_48859582126-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Hearing_of_Josep_Borrell_High_Representative_Vice_President-designate_A_stronger_Europe_in_the_World_48859582126-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Hearing_of_Josep_Borrell_High_Representative_Vice_President-designate_A_stronger_Europe_in_the_World_48859582126-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Hearing_of_Josep_Borrell_High_Representative_Vice_President-designate_A_stronger_Europe_in_the_World_48859582126-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Hearing_of_Josep_Borrell_High_Representative_Vice_President-designate_A_stronger_Europe_in_the_World_48859582126.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px" /><figcaption>Josep Borrell Photo: via Wikimedia Commons</figcaption></figure>



LISBON, May 28 (Reuters) &#8211; The European Union could have a military training mission in place in Mozambique within several months, the bloc&#8217;s foreign policy chief said on Friday, helping the southern African country tackle Islamist insurgents.



&#8220;I think we could be able to approve this mission,&#8221; Josep Borrell told reporters ahead of an EU defence ministers meeting in Lisbon where the subject was due to be discussed.



The problem is to find additional countries besides Portugal to supply troops, he added.



Borrell has previously said 200-300 personnel could be sent by the end of the year.



Portugal sent 60 soldiers to its former colony Mozambique this month to begin training soldiers to counter the insurgency, share intelligence and use drones to track militants&#8217; movements.



Portuguese Defence Minister Joao Cravinho said 7-8 other countries had expressed willingness to send troops but declined to name them. Portugal would be the &#8220;principal participant&#8221; in the mission, he said.



Cravinho expected the remaining EU troops to be dispatched within three to four months, &#8220;perhaps faster&#8221;.



Mozambique has been grappling with an insurgency in its northernmost province of Cabo Delgado since 2017 and violence has grown significantly in the past year.



Dozens of civilians were killed in Islamic State-linked attacks in the coastal town of Palma in April, and a $20 billion liquefied natural gas project run by oil giant Total was brought to a halt by the violence.



(Reporting by Victoria Waldersee in Lisbon and Sabine Siebold in Berlin; Editing by Alex Richardson and Mark Heinrich)

Hearing_of_Josep_Borrell_High_Representative_Vice_President-designate_A_stronger_Europe_in_the_World_48859582126

EU military mission to Mozambique may be up and running in months, bloc says

A look at the historical Basketball Africa League

Captains of Industry: A look at the historical Basketball Africa League

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/29655482878_81b288e1d2_b-820x523.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-402278" width="838" height="534" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/29655482878_81b288e1d2_b-820x523.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/29655482878_81b288e1d2_b-300x191.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/29655482878_81b288e1d2_b-768x490.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/29655482878_81b288e1d2_b.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 838px) 100vw, 838px" /><figcaption>Filipe Nyusi</figcaption></figure>



MAPUTO, May 27 (Reuters) &#8211; A bloc of southern African nations said on Thursday it will work to shore up Mozambique&#8217;s security forces as they battle an escalating insurgency linked to Islamic State, but made no mention of proposals for a military intervention.



Members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), including neighbouring South Africa, have favoured the idea of regional military action as the violence has worsened and the threat to regional stability has grown.



Mozambique&#8217;s President Filipe Nyusi, however, has said in the past Mozambique should handle certain aspects of the response alone for reasons of sovereignty, and resisted suggestions of foreign boots on the ground.



In remarks following a SADC meeting in the capital Maputo, Nyusi said leaders had concluded the summit with a clearer sense of the &#8220;concrete steps&#8221; that needed to be taken to quell the violence.



&#8220;We adopted measures aiming to eliminate by its roots the terrorist actions through reinforcing the operational capacity of (Mozambique&#8217;s) defence and security forces,&#8221; he said, pointing also to plans to enhance border security and target the militants&#8217; funding sources.



The summit followed the capture of the key northern town of Palma in March, which killed dozens, displaced over 50,000 people and brought a $20 billion gas project by oil major Total to a grinding halt.



The assault exacerbated already growing concern among regional neighbours about the insurgent group, which has pledged allegiance to Islamic State.



Subsequently, South Africa said it would press for urgent military intervention in the conflict, while a leaked SADC document, which has not been verified, proposed sending a force of almost 3,000 soldiers to the country.



SADC&#8217;s brief communique issued following Thursday&#8217;s summit however made no clear mention of military intervention.



The summit had noted the progress in finding a lasting solution to the violence, considered the proposed regional response and agreed to convene another meeting in Mozambique by June 20, the communique said. 



(Reporting by Manuel Mucari; Writing by Emma Rumney; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

Regional bloc holds off on military response to Mozambique insurgency

In conversation with Governor Rwangombwa on Rwanda’s monetary policy & 2021 outlook

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TGUW23YRUNP7ZOH3RY4H7WSD4E-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-405100" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TGUW23YRUNP7ZOH3RY4H7WSD4E-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TGUW23YRUNP7ZOH3RY4H7WSD4E-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TGUW23YRUNP7ZOH3RY4H7WSD4E-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TGUW23YRUNP7ZOH3RY4H7WSD4E-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TGUW23YRUNP7ZOH3RY4H7WSD4E-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Rwanda&#8217;s President Paul Kagame as he arrives to attend the International Conference in support of Sudan at the Temporary Grand Palais in Paris, France, May 17, 2021. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier</figcaption></figure>



KIGALI, May 27 (Reuters) &#8211; French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said only Rwandans could forgive France for its role in Rwanda&#8217;s 1994 genocide.



&#8220;On this path, only those who went through that night can perhaps forgive, give us the gift of forgiving,&#8221; Macron said in a speech at the genocide memorial of Gisozi in Kigali, where more than 250,000 Tutsi are buried.



France did not listen to those who warned it about the impending massacre in Rwanda and stood de facto by a genocidal regime, Macron said.



But France &#8220;was not an accomplice&#8221; to the genocide, Macron added. 



(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

FILE PHOTO: International Conference in support of Sudan in Paris

France’s Macron asks Rwanda for forgiveness over genocide

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/tag_reuters.com2021_newsml_LYNXNPEH4P1NN_12021-05-26T230310Z_1_LYNXNPEH4P1NN_RTROPTP_3_FRANCE-RWANDA.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-405077" width="847" height="564" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/tag_reuters.com2021_newsml_LYNXNPEH4P1NN_12021-05-26T230310Z_1_LYNXNPEH4P1NN_RTROPTP_3_FRANCE-RWANDA.jpg 800w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/tag_reuters.com2021_newsml_LYNXNPEH4P1NN_12021-05-26T230310Z_1_LYNXNPEH4P1NN_RTROPTP_3_FRANCE-RWANDA-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/tag_reuters.com2021_newsml_LYNXNPEH4P1NN_12021-05-26T230310Z_1_LYNXNPEH4P1NN_RTROPTP_3_FRANCE-RWANDA-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 847px) 100vw, 847px" /><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he addresses media representatives at a press conference on the second day of an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, May 25, 2021. John Thys/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



KIGALI, May 27 (Reuters) &#8211; French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Kigali on Thursday, hoping to reset ties between the two nations after decades of Rwandan accusations that France was complicit in the 1994 genocide.



The visit follows the release in March of a report by a French inquiry panel that said a colonial attitude had blinded French officials and the government bore a &#8220;serious and overwhelming&#8221; responsibility for not foreseeing the slaughter.



However, the report absolved France of direct complicity in the killings of more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.



Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who has previously said France participated in the genocide, said last week that the report &#8220;meant a lot&#8221; to Rwandans.



Rwandans could &#8220;maybe not forget, but forgive,&#8221; France for its role, said Kagame, a Tutsi and the main power in Rwandan politics since his rebel army ended the killings by death squads loyal to the Hutu-led government.



Macron, who also has pointedly tried to distance France from its colonial past, agreed in April to open the Rwanda archives of former president Francois Mitterrand, who was in charge during the genocide.



Shortly afterwards Rwanda released its own report that found France was aware a genocide was being prepared and bore responsibility for enabling it, continuing in its unwavering support for Rwanda&#8217;s then president, Juvenal Habyarimana.



It was the shooting down of Habyarimana&#8217;s plane, killing the president, that unleashed the 100-day frenzy of killings.



&#8220;French officials armed, advised, trained, equipped, and protected the Rwandan government,&#8221; the report concluded.



France then proceeded to cover up its role for years, the report said.



On Friday, the Elysee Palace said Macron would name a new ambassador to Rwanda, the first accredited French envoy since 2015.



The streets of Kigali were quiet on Thursday, with none of the banners or flags that usually accompany a high-level visit.



The French president is due to speak at the genocide memorial of Gisozi in Kigali, where more than 250,000 Tutsi are buried. Although Kagame has said it is up to France, many Rwandans say they are hoping for a full apology.



&#8220;I wish he could ask forgiveness for what France did during 1994,&#8221; said Henriette Uwase, a 28-year-old street vendor selling mangoes, who was two years old when her father and two brothers were killed.



Many Rwandans had been angered because perpetrators of the genocide had been able to live abroad, said Alain Gauthier, who pursues such individuals with his Rwandan wife, a Tutsi who lost her mother and other relatives.



&#8220;We are waiting for one thing and that is an apology,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Those who committed genocide and live pleasantly in France (must) be tried.



&#8220;Many people say that he will not apologize but I don’t see how Macron comes to Rwanda and leaves without apologizing for France’s role.&#8221;



The last visit by a French leader was in 2010.



From Rwanda, Macron will travel to South Africa, where he will meet President Cyril Ramaphosa to discuss COVID-19 and regional crises, including one in Mozambique. 



(Reporting by Clement Uwiringiyimana and Richard Lough, Editing by Angus MacSwan and Clarence Fernandez)

FILE PHOTO: EU summit in Brussels

France’s Macron in Rwanda to reset ties as survivors expect apology

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IMF, Uganda reach agreement on three-year, $1 bln program

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Mozambique launches construction of $1 bln power plant, transmission line

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Kenya extends COVID-19 curfew by 60 days

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East Africa

Mastercard Foundation to deploy $1.3bn in collaboration with Africa CDC to save lives

Ethiopia’s ministers approve 18% rise in 2021-2022 budget -PM

Uganda re-imposes lockdown to beat back COVID-19 case surge

Captains of Industry: Wes Edens on the investment case for basketball in Africa

Captains of Industry: Garda World expands into Rwanda with acquisition of Agespro & KK Security

IMF, Uganda reach agreement on three-year, $1 bln program

Finding alternative financing options for African economies

Mozambique launches construction of $1 bln power plant, transmission line

Rwanda grades 31 hospitality & tourism establishments

Kenya extends COVID-19 curfew by 60 days

EU military mission to Mozambique may be up and running in months, bloc says

Captains of Industry: A look at the historical Basketball Africa League

Regional bloc holds off on military response to Mozambique insurgency

In conversation with Governor Rwangombwa on Rwanda’s monetary policy & 2021 outlook

France’s Macron asks Rwanda for forgiveness over genocide

France’s Macron in Rwanda to reset ties as survivors expect apology

Why the transition to a circular economy is important to Africa’s growth

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