<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="615" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/XTUYFFOIU5I5JMOASXHMTVFSTI-820x615.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-523852" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/XTUYFFOIU5I5JMOASXHMTVFSTI-820x615.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/XTUYFFOIU5I5JMOASXHMTVFSTI-300x225.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/XTUYFFOIU5I5JMOASXHMTVFSTI-120x90.jpg 120w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/XTUYFFOIU5I5JMOASXHMTVFSTI-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/XTUYFFOIU5I5JMOASXHMTVFSTI-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/XTUYFFOIU5I5JMOASXHMTVFSTI.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The new logo of the privatised Nigeria oil company is seen at the NNPC Mega Gas Station in Abuja, Nigeria August 30, 2022. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



LAGOS, Oct 10 (Reuters) &#8211; Nigeria&#8217;s state-owned oil company, NNPC Ltd, has increased petrol prices by over 15%, marking the second hike in less than a month and the exit from a costly subsidy programme that has strained its finances.



At NNPC fuel stations in Lagos the price of gasoline rose to 998 naira per litre ($0.6257) from 858 naira, while in Abuja the price increased to 1,030 naira per litre from 950 naira. Long queues formed as customers came to terms with higher prices.



NNPC, the country&#8217;s sole importer of refined products, can now recover its costs in full, having bought gasoline from the Dangote Oil Refinery at 898 naira per litre.



This is the first time in three decades that Nigeria is selling gasoline at full market prices, relieving the treasury of the heavy cost of subsidies, projected to cost the government at least $3.7 billion this year.



President Bola Tinubu scrapped a costly but popular subsidy on petrol last year when he took office, to cut government expenditure. But he reintroduced subsidy partly after inflation skyrocketed, worsening a cost of living crisis and stoking tension among the population.



By September, NNPC said it faced severe financial strain, admitting it was unable to continue importing fuel after weeks of scarce supplies at its petrol stations.



The price increase has sparked criticism from labour unions to manufacturers, who warn that it will worsen the cost-of-living crisis.



Gasoline prices are a particularly sensitive issue in Nigeria, where millions of households and small businesses rely on generators powered by fuel due to the country’s creaking national electricity grid.



Last week, Nigeria began selling crude oil to the Dangote Refinery in naira, with the understanding that the refinery would fully meet the country’s fuel needs. This month, NNPC is supplying the refinery with 13 cargoes of crude oil.



Edwin Devakumar, head of the Dangote Refinery, said the facility now has the capacity to meet all of Nigeria&#8217;s needs.



Industry insiders say that with gasoline now being sold at market rates, NNPC will no longer be the sole buyer of products from the Dangote Refinery.



&#8220;We have applied to buy directly from the Dangote Refinery, but this hasn’t been finalised yet. For now, we are still buying through NNPC,&#8221; said Billy Gillis-Harry, head of a local fuel traders association.



($1 = 1,595.0000 naira)



(Reporting by Isaac Anyaogu, Editing by Louise Heavens)

XTUYFFOIU5I5JMOASXHMTVFSTI

Nigeria’s NNPC raises fuel prices as it ditches costly subsidies

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="461" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/GettyImages-1234269513-820x461.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-540632" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/GettyImages-1234269513-820x461.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/GettyImages-1234269513-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/GettyImages-1234269513-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/GettyImages-1234269513-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/GettyImages-1234269513-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/GettyImages-1234269513-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">NAIROBI, KENYA &#8211; JULY 28: The Shona community, which migrated to Kenya in 1959 from Zimbabwe and has been living as stateless, on July 28, 2021 get Kenyan identity cards with full citizenship rights, in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenyan Interior Security Minister Fred Okengo Matiangi handed out identity cards to 1,649 members of the Shona community at a ceremony in the capital Nairobi. (Photo by Andrew Wasike/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Oct 10 (Thomson Reuters Foundation)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Nosizi Dube beams with pride as she clutches her newly issued Kenyan passport.



For many, obtaining a passport might be a mundane task, but for 24-year-old Dube, who was born into the stateless Shona community in Kenya, it symbolises the end of a gruelling journey towards recognition and the beginning of new opportunities.



&#8220;Being stateless is like you don&#8217;t exist. You look like everyone else, but because you have no identification documents you live in the shadows, unable to do basic things like go to school or even get a mobile phone number,&#8221; Dube told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.



&#8220;Getting recognition as a Kenyan citizen has given me visibility and rights just like everyone else. I feel like I am free, like the chains of statelessness have been broken.&#8221;



Now a trailblazer as the first Shona woman in Kenya to graduate from university, Dube hopes to go to Geneva next week to attend a major intergovernmental meeting marking the end of a global campaign to end statelessness within a decade.



The #IBelong campaign&#8217;s success varies across the world, and while millions remain stateless, the campaign has been a beacon of hope in Kenya, with thousands of stateless people from the Shona, Makonde and Pemba communities gaining recognition.



More than 50% of the 20,000 people who registered as stateless in Kenya in 2014 have been granted citizenship, according to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).



Samwel Okute, the UNHCR&#8217;s senior protection associate for statelessness, attributes Kenya&#8217;s success to initiatives ranging from awareness campaigns and community mobilisation to advocacy, legal reforms and strong political will.



&#8220;We have seen tremendous progress in Kenya. The name &#8216;stateless&#8217; was not even known in Kenya 10 years ago,&#8221; said Okute.



&#8220;The Kenyan government has shown commitment to amend laws, and there have been progressive efforts to raise awareness and improve data collection, but there are still communities that remain left out in Kenya, and the rest of the world,&#8221; he said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-milestone">&#8216;MILESTONE&#8217;</h2>



More than 4.4 million people across the world do not have a nationality, according to UNHCR data, although experts say the figure is likely to be significantly higher as some countries with large stateless populations do not provide data.



People can become stateless due to a host of complex historical, social and legal reasons &#8211; including migration, flawed citizenship laws, and ethnic or gender discrimination.



In Kenya, communities affected by statelessness include the Shona, Makonde and Pemba, as well as people of Burundian and Rwandan descent.



The Shona migrated from Zimbabwe and Zambia in the 1960s as Christian missionaries during the colonial period. While the Makonde arrived from Mozambique to work in the 1930s.



However, when Kenya gained independence in 1963, these communities ended up without a nationality.



The Pemba, a fishing community from Zanzibar who settled along Kenya&#8217;s coast, were among those unable to register as Kenyan citizens after independence.



For decades, these communities lived on the margins &#8211; generations deprived of basic rights because they lacked legal documents such as birth certificates or national identity cards.



They could not go to school, visit a hospital, get a job, obtain a mobile SIM card, open a bank account, register a business, or rent or buy a house.



Many pay middlemen to use their names to obtain fake IDs, register for exams or obtain a mobile phone number.



&#8220;A single document has the power to determine the fate of your entire life,&#8221; said Dube, recounting how she was prevented from sitting her primary school exams because she did not have a birth certificate.



Following the launch of the #IBelong campaign in 2014, UNHCR partnered with charities in Kenya to understand how many people were stateless and support their path to recognition.



This has involved years of outreach work &#8211; from awareness campaigns to encourage people to register as stateless so data could be collected, to organising and mobilising communities to petition parliament.



In 2016, Kenya granted citizenship to more than 1,100 people from the Makonde community. Recognition of 1,670 Shona people and 7,000 Pemba people followed in 2020 and 2022 respectively.



Pemba activist Barke Hamisi, 30, said citizenship had brought big changes to her community.



Born stateless in Malindi on Kenya&#8217;s coast, Hamisi had to interrupt her education due to a lack of documentation.



She now works as a paralegal for Haki Africa, a Kenyan charity working to end statelessness.



&#8220;Getting recognition was a milestone for us,&#8221; said Hamisi.



&#8220;Children can now go to school, youth are now considered for employment opportunities, and women can now go to hospital and give birth because they can produce a national identity card.&#8221;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-african-progress">AFRICAN PROGRESS</h2>



Elsewhere in Africa, hundreds of thousands remain stateless with large populations in Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe.



Although Kenya leads the way in combating statelessness, there is a growing continent-wide commitment to resolving the problem.



In Ivory Coast, 16,000 descendants of migrants have had their nationality confirmed, but progress is very slow given the country has more than 900,000 stateless people.



Liberia has amended its nationality law to grant women and men equal rights to confer nationality on their children, while reforms in Rwanda have helped to facilitate naturalisation for stateless people.



Last year, Tanzania granted nationality to more than 3,000 stateless people in Zanzibar.



The African Union has also adopted a protocol to eradicate statelessness and advance inclusion for stateless people.



But the journey to recognition is fraught with hurdles.



South African lawyer Christy Chitengu, 25, was born to undocumented Zimbabweans and only discovered she was stateless in high school when she needed to register for exams.



Her quest for recognition was tough, involving a court case against South Africa&#8217;s Department of Home Affairs.



Despite delays, scepticism and xenophobia, Chitengu finally obtained nationality in August 2023, while pregnant.



&#8220;South Africa is a difficult place and I guess that&#8217;s why it&#8217;s hard to get documented,&#8221; said Chitengu who has started a YouTube channel to educate people on statelessness.



&#8220;There&#8217;s generational statelessness so if I didn&#8217;t get documented, my child was not going to be documented,&#8221; she said.



The UNHCR says many older South Africans also lack documentation as a result of apartheid-era policies that only required civil and birth registration for white citizens.



This legacy has left descendants struggling to access identity documents and rendered them stateless.



But after gaining citizenship, formerly stateless people still face a host of challenges due to years of marginalisation. Many struggle with a lack of skills, the cost of education and discrimination in the job market and in accessing services.



&#8220;I think the general perception is that you get your piece of paper, you get your ID, and everything is perfect,&#8221; said Andrew Ochola, Haki Africa&#8217;s acting executive director.



&#8220;But uplifting stateless communities cannot happen overnight. There are many challenges that persist,&#8221; he said.



(Reporting by Nita Bhalla @nitabhalla. Additional reporting by Kim Harrisberg @KimHarrisberg; Editing by Jon Hemming. The Thomson Reuters Foundation is the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters.)

Stateless Shona community gets Kenyan citizenship

From stateless to citizens: Kenya’s success offers hope in Africa

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="555" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/MZHZ5X4DWVJTZBLKLWLMFZR4TE-820x555.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-540536" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/MZHZ5X4DWVJTZBLKLWLMFZR4TE-820x555.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/MZHZ5X4DWVJTZBLKLWLMFZR4TE-300x203.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/MZHZ5X4DWVJTZBLKLWLMFZR4TE-133x90.jpg 133w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/MZHZ5X4DWVJTZBLKLWLMFZR4TE-768x520.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/MZHZ5X4DWVJTZBLKLWLMFZR4TE-1536x1040.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/MZHZ5X4DWVJTZBLKLWLMFZR4TE-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A local votes during the general elections at Inhambane, in southern Mozambique, October 9, 2024. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY</figcaption></figure>



MAPUTO, Oct 10 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Vote counting was under way in Mozambique on Thursday after a peaceful national election that is widely expected to see the ruling Frelimo party extend its 49 years in power.



Votes are counted first at each polling station and district results expected by Saturday could give an early indication of who is leading. Official results normally take around two weeks to be announced by the electoral commission.



The winner will inherit an Islamist insurgency in the north that has halted multi-billion dollar gas projects and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Other challenges include high debt levels and the economic impact of worsening cyclones.



Frelimo candidate Daniel Chapo, 47, is likely to win. His party has been accused by opponents and election observers of rigging past elections, which it denies.



The manipulation of votes happens at many levels, from registering more people in Frelimo strongholds to appointing party loyalists to be polling station staff and changing the numbers at the end, said Joseph Hanlon, an advisor to civil society group Mais Integridade (&#8220;More Integrity&#8221;).



A Frelimo spokesperson did not respond to questions from Reuters about alleged vote-rigging.



Election observer missions including the European Union&#8217;s said that they had not recorded any major problems so far.



Chapo is a relatively new figure in national politics who would be the first president born after independence from Portugal in 1975. Analysts say he has the advantage of a clean record and distance from Frelimo&#8217;s past corruption scandals.



His main challenger is Venancio Mondlane, an independent candidate who has fired up the country&#8217;s youth. Former rebel commander Ossufo Momade and a small opposition party leader, Lutero Simango, are also competing to succeed President Filipe Nyusi, who is stepping down after serving the maximum two terms.



(Reporting by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Alexander Winning)

General elections in Mozambique

Mozambique early vote counting under way after peaceful election

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="573" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/A6XTSZYDEZLOTGJB76WVFY4SQM-820x573.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-540316" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/A6XTSZYDEZLOTGJB76WVFY4SQM-820x573.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/A6XTSZYDEZLOTGJB76WVFY4SQM-300x210.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/A6XTSZYDEZLOTGJB76WVFY4SQM-129x90.jpg 129w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/A6XTSZYDEZLOTGJB76WVFY4SQM-768x537.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/A6XTSZYDEZLOTGJB76WVFY4SQM-1536x1074.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/A6XTSZYDEZLOTGJB76WVFY4SQM-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A person carries cylinders at a supermarket, as industry executives expect a boom in South Africa&#8217;s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) business, at Mitchells Plain, in Cape Town, South Africa, October 3, 2024. REUTERS/Esa Alexander</figcaption></figure>



CAPE TOWN, Oct 9 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;South Africa&#8217;s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) business is poised for a boom, industry executives say, as new distribution hubs, rising power prices and a shift away from dirtier charcoal and paraffin stoves boost demand.



State-owned power utility Eskom&#8217;s plan to raise next year&#8217;s electricity tariff by 36%, the latest above-inflation rise, has prompted outrage and made imported or locally refined cooking gas look comparatively cheap.



Last month LPG operator Petredec announced plans to set up South Africa&#8217;s first rail-supplied LPG project. Gas consumption rose to half a billion metric tons this year from 425,000 last year, Argus global statistical review figures show.



&#8220;We expect exponential growth over the next five years,&#8221; Michael Kelly, chief advocacy officer for the World Liquid Gas Association (WLGA) told Reuters.



Ghana and Tanzania, where new storage terminals are planned, could follow South Africa&#8217;s rapid LPG growth, he said, as more African countries seek to stop using dirtier, traditional cooking fuels such as charcoal, which produce harmful fumes and cause deforestation when trees are chopped down to make food.



North Africa accounts for around two thirds of the continent&#8217;s LPG consumption of some 15.6 million metric tons a year. Individual use is some 45 kg per person a year, nine times that of sub-Saharan Africa, said WLGA.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pricey-power">PRICEY POWER</h2>



As millions of South Africans struggle to survive on social grants or odd jobs, energy tech firm PayGas is targeting the mass market with a pay-as-you-go model inspired by the telecoms companies.



&#8220;You don&#8217;t need to buy a full cylinder, you can top up from (as little as) ten rand ($0.5722),&#8221; Philippe Hoeblich, CEO of PayGas said.



Inside a mall in the working class Cape Town suburb of Mitchell&#8217;s Plain, customers line up to collect gas at a PayGas stall in partnership with Shoprite, one of four sites the retailer says it has.



PayGas also operates in Zambia and Nigeria.



Waiting her turn, Busiswa Xelelo, said paying 300 rand for a full 9 kg cylinder enabled her family of five to cook food, and use a gas heater, for an entire month. Buying electricity for the same amount lasts two weeks at most, she said.



($1 = 17.4765 rand)



(Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by Tim Cocks and Christina Fincher)

South Africa poised for LPG gas boom amid electricity price hikes

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TE3RFSDQENJTFFYC6SW6PIPCBE-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-529685" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TE3RFSDQENJTFFYC6SW6PIPCBE-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TE3RFSDQENJTFFYC6SW6PIPCBE-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TE3RFSDQENJTFFYC6SW6PIPCBE-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TE3RFSDQENJTFFYC6SW6PIPCBE-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TE3RFSDQENJTFFYC6SW6PIPCBE-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TE3RFSDQENJTFFYC6SW6PIPCBE-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters building is seen ahead of the IMF/World Bank spring meetings in Washington, U.S., April 8, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Oct 9 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenya expects more money from the International Monetary Fund by the end of the year and is in talks with the Fund about combining the seventh and eighth reviews of its support programme, its central bank governor said on Wednesday.



The East African country and the IMF reached a staff-level agreement on the seventh review of its $3.6 billion programme in early June.



But the review is yet to be approved by the Fund&#8217;s executive board after the government was forced to scrap proposed tax hikes and draw up spending cuts in late June in response to mass protests that turned deadly.



&#8220;We are in the final stages of an agreement (with the IMF). The fiscal framework has been agreed,&#8221; Governor Kamau Thugge told a news conference, a day after the Central Bank of Kenya cut its benchmark lending rate by another 75 basis points.



Kenya&#8217;s government has asked the IMF to conduct an official assessment of corruption and governance issues.



While not directly linked to the next disbursement, the assessment is an attempt to build goodwill with the Fund as it tries to get finances back on track.



Thugge also said on Wednesday that the central bank had been buying dollars on the foreign exchange market to boost Kenya&#8217;s buffers against potential short-term shocks.



The bank has previously said it has no preferred level for the shilling and only intervenes on the forex market to smooth out volatility.



Thugge said the exchange rate was being supported by dollar inflows from agricultural exports, remittances and foreign investor interest in local securities given high interest rates.



He reiterated the bank&#8217;s forecast for economic growth of 5.5% next year.



On Tuesday the bank lowered its 2024 growth forecast to 5.1% from 5.4% after slower growth in the second quarter.



Thugge said on Wednesday there could be scope for local interest rates to fall further given that the shilling exchange rate was stable.



(Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by Alexander Winning)

FILE PHOTO: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters building is seen ahead of the IMF/World Bank spring meetings in Washington

Kenya expects more IMF funding by year-end

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="533" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/6OF7LVVF3FMQDAV4DNWJGIX7KQ-820x533.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-540241" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/6OF7LVVF3FMQDAV4DNWJGIX7KQ-820x533.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/6OF7LVVF3FMQDAV4DNWJGIX7KQ-300x195.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/6OF7LVVF3FMQDAV4DNWJGIX7KQ-138x90.jpg 138w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/6OF7LVVF3FMQDAV4DNWJGIX7KQ-768x499.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/6OF7LVVF3FMQDAV4DNWJGIX7KQ-1536x998.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/6OF7LVVF3FMQDAV4DNWJGIX7KQ-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Kenya&#8217;s Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua address legislators ahead of the lawmakers&#8217; vote over his impeachment motion at the Parliament buildings in Nairobi, Kenya October 8, 2024. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, (Reuters) &#8211; Kenya&#8217;s parliament voted on Tuesday to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on charges including enriching himself and stirring ethnic hatred, the chamber&#8217;s speaker said, paving the way for the senate to consider the motion.



&#8220;According to the results &#8230; of the motion that I&#8217;ve just declared, a total of 281 members being more than two thirds of the members of the National Assembly have voted in support of the motion,&#8221; Moses Wetang&#8217;ula said.



Gachagua, who has denied all the charges, backed President William Ruto in his 2022 election win and helped secure a large block of votes from the populous central Kenya region.



But in recent months, he has spoken of being sidelined, amid widespread reports in local media that he has fallen out with Ruto as political alliances have shifted.



Ruto dismissed most of his cabinet and brought in members of the main opposition following nationwide protests against unpopular tax increases in June and July in which more than 50 people were killed.



On Tuesday evening, Gachagua urged lawmakers to &#8220;search your conscience&#8221; before voting.



&#8220;If you search your conscience and listen to the issues that have been raised and you find that there are no grounds to impeach the deputy president of Kenya, please make the right decision.&#8221;



Members of parliament voted to impeach him by a margin of 281 to 44, with one abstention.



Kimani Ichung&#8217;wah, parliament&#8217;s majority leader, said the 59-year-old politician had &#8220;violated not one, but eight provisions of our constitution.&#8221;



At one point during the proceedings, he led lawmakers in a chant saying &#8220;Rigathi must go&#8221;, describing him as &#8220;a great danger to our nationhood, a great danger to the unity of our republic.&#8221;



Gachagua proclaimed his innocence, offering a detailed denial of the allegations, which include amassing a large unexplained property portfolio, and promoting &#8220;ethnic balkanisation&#8221;.



&#8220;I will fight to the end,&#8221; he told a press conference on the eve of the impeachment proceedings.



The senate will now hear the charges and may appoint a special committee to investigate them, where Gachagua or his representative can respond to the allegations.



If at least two-thirds of the senate vote to uphold the impeachment, Gachagua will be dismissed.



Gachagua has filed a court petition to halt the proceedings, which were initiated by Ruto&#8217;s coalition allies last week.



Prior to the vote, TIFA Research, a pollster, found that a narrow majority of 41% of Kenyans supported the impeachment against 38% who opposed it.



Ruto has not commented publicly on the impeachment proceedings.



Gachagua outraged many in Ruto&#8217;s coalition for likening the government to a company and suggesting that those who voted for the coalition had first claim on public sector jobs and development projects.



(Reporting by George Obulutsa, Hereward Holland and Ammu Kannampilly; Editing by Christina Fincher, Ros Russell and Daniel Wallis)

Kenya’s Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua address legislators ahead of the lawmakers’ vote over his impeachment motion at the Parliament buildings in Nairobi

Kenya lawmakers impeach deputy president, paving way for senate vote

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="511" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WB3H5DLFS5LNNCUBMTAL22AVEY-820x511.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-540176" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WB3H5DLFS5LNNCUBMTAL22AVEY-820x511.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WB3H5DLFS5LNNCUBMTAL22AVEY-300x187.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WB3H5DLFS5LNNCUBMTAL22AVEY-144x90.jpg 144w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WB3H5DLFS5LNNCUBMTAL22AVEY-768x479.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WB3H5DLFS5LNNCUBMTAL22AVEY-1536x958.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WB3H5DLFS5LNNCUBMTAL22AVEY-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A woman prepares her stall, with election posters in the background, ahead of the presidential elections, in the suburb of Katembe, Maputo, Mozambique. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko.</figcaption></figure>



MAPUTO, Oct 9 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Mozambique votes on Wednesday in a tense general election highly likely to deliver victory to the ruling party, Frelimo, which has governed the Southern African nation since 1975.



Four candidates are vying to replace President Filipe Nyusi, who is stepping down after serving two terms. The favourite is Daniel Chapo, 47, a lawyer viewed as a safe choice for business and a fresh face for the long-ruling party.



He faces Venancio Mondlane, a charismatic independent candidate who draws huge crowds, former rebel commander Ossufo Momade, and a small opposition party leader, Lutero Simango.



Dozens of posters of Chapo&#8217;s face were pasted along Maputo&#8217;s palm tree-lined seaside promenade, and red Frelimo flags flew over streets flanked by high rises dispersed with Portuguese colonial buildings. No opposition poster was in sight.



Poverty is the major concern of Mozambique&#8217;s 35 million people, about half of them registered to vote. An Islamist insurgency in the north that has forced thousands to flee their homes and halted multi-billion dollar gas projects also weighs.



&#8220;The next president must create jobs. We are tired of hearing promises,&#8221; said Amandio Sergio, 32, a small business owner in the seaside capital.



Frelimo first allowed elections in 1994 and has since been accused of rigging them, which it denies. Rebel force turned-opposition party Renamo usually comes a distant second.



Mondlane poses a challenge to both this year, but lacks the machinery of established parties and may struggle to win votes in rural areas, analyst Dercio Alfazema said.



&#8220;This election is different because we have new actors &#8230; (but) Frelimo has a big probability to win,&#8221; Alfazema said.



Chapo has experience in local government but has not been tainted by Frelimo&#8217;s corruption scandals, he added.



Counting will start after the polls close at 6 p.m. (1600 GMT), although it can take up to two weeks for official results.



A disputed outcome would likely trigger protests, which broke out after Frelimo swept last year&#8217;s municipal elections and were forcefully suppressed.



Apathy may dampen them, however.



&#8220;I feel it doesn&#8217;t make any difference,&#8221; 26-year-old fisherman Mussa Issufo said of the poll.



&#8220;Nothing ever changes.&#8221;



(Reporting by Nellie Peyton and Manuel Mucari; Additional reporting by Thando Hlophe and Sisipho SkweyiyaEditing by Tim Cocks and Sandra Maler)

A woman prepares her stall, ahead of the presidential elections, in the suburb of Katembe, Maputo

Mozambique votes in tense election likely to see ruling party win

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="461" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/107240789-1684075132097-gettyimages-1240490159-UK_UBER-820x461.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-539941" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/107240789-1684075132097-gettyimages-1240490159-UK_UBER-820x461.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/107240789-1684075132097-gettyimages-1240490159-UK_UBER-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/107240789-1684075132097-gettyimages-1240490159-UK_UBER-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/107240789-1684075132097-gettyimages-1240490159-UK_UBER-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/107240789-1684075132097-gettyimages-1240490159-UK_UBER-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/107240789-1684075132097-gettyimages-1240490159-UK_UBER.jpeg 1858w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">An Uber-dedicated charger at a BP Pulse electric vehicle charging station in central London, U.K., on Monday, April 11, 2022. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi on Tuesday announced that the company is updating its platform with new sustainability-minded features, including an “EV preference” that will let customers opt for fully electric vehicles by default, whenever they hail a ride.



The company previously launched an “Uber Green,” service which has historically included a mix of battery electric vehicles, and hybrid electric models. Now, Uber can offer battery electric vehicles as the sole “green” option in more than 40 cities globally, executives said at Uber’s annual Go Get Zero sustainability conference in London on Tuesday.



Speaking at Uber’s GO-GET Zero event in London, Khosrowshahi said that the company’s rollout of new sustainability-focused features arrives ahead of the 2024 U.S. elections, adding this is a time when the topic of EVs has become a “politically-charged issue.”



However, he noted that the overall trend is moving toward all-electric mobility options.



“The reality is that we will only reach or zero emission goals if policymakers and other businesses do their part as well,” Khosrowshahi said at the event.



“We need more affordable EVs, we need stronger EV mandates, we need incentives for people who are driving the most. We want to make sure that chargers are available at every community, not just the wealthiest. So we all need to step up,” he said.



For drivers, Uber said it is rolling out an “EV Mentor” program, which connects drivers for any questions about electric mobility. The company also debuted an AI chatbot powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, looking to answer questions for drivers on the ride-hail network about what it takes to buy and use a battery electric vehicle instead of a gas-burning vehicle.



Transportation has been responsible for about 25% of carbon emissions from human activity globally, according to estimates by the non-profit International Council on Clean Transportation. Carbon emissions, and other greenhouse gases from human activity, cause long-term shifts in temperatures and weather, while also contributing to respiratory disease by forming smog and air pollution.



Ride-hailing services like Uber’s can contribute to traffic congestion and therefore, pollution, according to analysis by Suvrat Dhanorkar, Gordon Burtch and others published in the journal of Transportation Science. Uber has been working to reduce its environmental footprint and looks to become a “zero-emissions platform” by 2040.



On the delivery side of its platform, Uber is adding farmers’ market produce to Uber Eats offerings in two major U.S. markets: New York City and Los Angeles.



Uber said it will also be investing nearly $1 million to enable restaurants in Paris that sell meals via Uber Eats to switch to more sustainable packaging, such as seaweed-based packaging from NotPLA,&nbsp;bags made of foliage by Releaf, and&nbsp;straws made of agricultural suAgar residuals from IAmPlasticFree.



According to statistics tracked by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), residents in Paris generate more than 400 kg (880 lb) of waste each year. France has implemented laws to reduce this waste, requiring fast food restaurants to move away from disposable, plastic packaging and utensils.



In the U.K., specifically, Uber said it’s launched a partnership with British energy supplier Octopus Energy and Chinese EV firm BYD to co-fund 1,000 free home chargers worth almost £1,000 each for drivers in the U.K.



The deal will give Uber drivers the ability to access Octopus’ “Intelligent Go” tariff to help them with EV charging costs. Drivers will also be able to get 8% off at public charging systems across Octopus’ Electroverse network.



“This is the first partnership between uber a power company and an EV manufacturer and it will meaningfully reduce charging costs for drivers,” Rebecca Tinucci, Uber’s head of global sustainability, said at the London event Tuesday. Tinucci was formerly senior director of charging infrastructure at Tesla.

107240789-1684075132097-gettyimages-1240490159-UK_UBER

Uber gives users option to only hail full-electric cars, launches AI chatbot for EV-curious drivers

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="540" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/XOFA3QOUYNNAFA27MCZWDA7NWI-820x540.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-539880" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/XOFA3QOUYNNAFA27MCZWDA7NWI-820x540.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/XOFA3QOUYNNAFA27MCZWDA7NWI-300x198.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/XOFA3QOUYNNAFA27MCZWDA7NWI-137x90.jpg 137w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/XOFA3QOUYNNAFA27MCZWDA7NWI-768x506.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/XOFA3QOUYNNAFA27MCZWDA7NWI-1536x1012.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/XOFA3QOUYNNAFA27MCZWDA7NWI-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: Kenya&#8217;s Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua speaks during a press conference, ahead of lawmakers&#8217; vote over his impeachment motion at his residence in Karen, Nairobi Kenya, October 7, 2024. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Oct 8 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenyan Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was fighting to keep his job on Tuesday as lawmakers began impeachment proceedings against him, accusing him of enriching himself, stirring ethnic hatred and undermining the government.



Gachagua, who denies all the charges, backed President William Ruto in his 2022 election win and helped secure a large block of votes from the populous central Kenya region.



The deputy president says he has since been sidelined, amid widespread reports in local media that he has fallen out with Ruto as political alliances have shifted.



Ruto dismissed most of his cabinet and brought in members of the main opposition following nationwide protests against unpopular tax increases in June and July in which more than 50 people were killed.



The high court has declined a request by Gachagua to halt the impeachment proceedings, initiated by Ruto&#8217;s coalition allies a week ago. Gachagua, who has refused to resign, was expected to defend himself in parliament later on Tuesday.



&#8220;I am innocent of all these charges,&#8221; Gachagua told a press conference late on Monday and offered a detailed denial of the allegations, which include amassing a large unexplained property portfolio, and promoting &#8220;ethnic balkanisation&#8221;.



&#8220;I have no intention whatsoever to resign from this job. I will fight to the end.&#8221;



Almost two thirds of people who took part in a public consultation last week approved of Gachagua&#8217;s impeachment, lawmaker Millie Odhiambo told parliament on Tuesday as the hearing began.



Ruto has not commented publicly on the impeachment proceedings. More than 80% of lawmakers signed up to launch the motion on Oct. 1.



If the national assembly votes by more than two-thirds to impeach Gachagua, the senate will be asked to uphold the motion.



Gachagua outraged many in Ruto&#8217;s coalition for likening the government to a company and suggesting that those who voted for the coalition had first claim on public sector jobs and development projects.



&#8220;I have done nothing wrong against the people of Kenya. I have worked hard. I have been very loyal to my boss, President William Ruto,&#8221; Gachagua said Monday.



(Reporting by George Obulutsa; Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Ammu Kannampilly, Christina Fincher and Ros Russell)

Kenya’s Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua speaks during a press conference, ahead of lawmakers’ vote over his impeachment motion at his residence in Karen, Nairobi

Kenya’s deputy president vows to fight impeachment ‘to the end’

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="590" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/MFC7N65WN5NGJO32EFTR7MYSZA-820x590.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-539817" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/MFC7N65WN5NGJO32EFTR7MYSZA-820x590.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/MFC7N65WN5NGJO32EFTR7MYSZA-300x216.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/MFC7N65WN5NGJO32EFTR7MYSZA-125x90.jpg 125w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/MFC7N65WN5NGJO32EFTR7MYSZA-768x553.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/MFC7N65WN5NGJO32EFTR7MYSZA-1536x1106.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/MFC7N65WN5NGJO32EFTR7MYSZA-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: Daniel Chapo, presidential candidate of the ruling Frelimo party, President of Mozambique Filipe Nyusi and former President of Mozambique Joaquim Chissano react during the final rally campaign ahead of the national election, in Matola, Mozambique October 6, 2024. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Oct 8 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Whoever wins Mozambique&#8217;s presidential election on Wednesday will face an economy battered by worsening cyclones, insecurity, delays to planned gas projects and high levels of debt.



Ruling party candidate Daniel Chapo is the frontrunner though there are three other candidates vying to replace Felipe Nyusi as president of the southeast African nation.



Rising borrowing costs are putting pressure on Mozambique to embrace fiscal discipline, particularly as delayed gas revenues mean it is running out of options to refinance its debt &#8211; which is nearly as big as its annual GDP.



&#8220;Debt in the country is rocketing,&#8221; Gabriel Muthisse, a former transport and communications minister, told Reuters. &#8220;Debt servicing is (diverting)&#8230;resources that could be used to finance the real economy.&#8221;



The yield on Mozambique&#8217;s international bond due 2031 stands at close to 13%.



The country of 34 million people is still trying to shake off a decade-old &#8220;tuna bonds&#8221; scandal involving Credit Suisse, in which loans for a fishing fleet went missing, leading Mozambique to default on its debt and the International Monetary Fund to suspend lending.



Last year, the Swiss bank settled out of court.



&#8220;Financing options for the deficit are limited,&#8221; said Kevin Daly, portfolio manager at Abrdn, which holds Mozambique&#8217;s 2031 international bond.



Mozambique struck a $456 million deal with the IMF in May 2022, but its programme expires next year and will have to be renegotiated.



&#8220;The future of the economy is really based on the development of these oil and gas&#8230;(fields),&#8221; said Thys Louw, portfolio manager at global asset manager, Ninety One. Yet Islamist violence has delayed TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil&#8217;s development of some of Africa&#8217;s biggest gas fields.



Total says it is still committed to them, but investor enthusiasm is waning.



&#8220;There was a time where everyone was excited and waiting to go into Mozambique,&#8221; said Tshepo Ncube, head of International Coverage at Absa Corporate and Investment Bank.



&#8220;Now it is all about: &#8216;let&#8217;s see how it plays out&#8217;.&#8221;



(Reporting by Kopano Gumbi in Johannesburg and Duncan Miriri in Nairobi; Additional reporting by Libby George and Karin Strohecker in London; Editing by Tim Cocks and Christina Fincher)

Mozambique opposition party Frelimo holds final rally ahead of election

Mozambique election winner faces tough financial squeeze

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1858" height="1045" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/108044035-1728304977827-gettyimages-2175394098-EU-BRITAIN-DIPLOMACY.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-539784" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/108044035-1728304977827-gettyimages-2175394098-EU-BRITAIN-DIPLOMACY.jpeg 1858w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/108044035-1728304977827-gettyimages-2175394098-EU-BRITAIN-DIPLOMACY-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/108044035-1728304977827-gettyimages-2175394098-EU-BRITAIN-DIPLOMACY-820x461.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/108044035-1728304977827-gettyimages-2175394098-EU-BRITAIN-DIPLOMACY-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/108044035-1728304977827-gettyimages-2175394098-EU-BRITAIN-DIPLOMACY-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/108044035-1728304977827-gettyimages-2175394098-EU-BRITAIN-DIPLOMACY-1536x864.jpeg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1858px) 100vw, 1858px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks at a press conference, during his visit to the European Commission headquarters on October 2, 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. Pool | Getty Images News | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is seeking to reset his government and recover from a shaky first 100 days in office beset by policy misfires, doom mongering and a “freebie” scandal.



Over the weekend, Starmer conducted a shake-up of his office in No.10, after his Chief of Staff Sue Gray was forced to quit amid criticism over her performance and management style, as well as a furor over pay.



Gray, who was hired by Starmer in 2023 to help him prepare for government, was replaced by Morgan McSweeney, who led the Labour party’s winning election campaign. Another two figures were added as deputy chiefs of staff.



Meanwhile, Downing Street’s media relations team was bolstered with the appointment of James Lyons, recently head of policy communications at TikTok, who will lead a new team in the wake of backlash over gifts and “freebies” received by Starmer and other senior ministers.



Now more than three months on from the election, and with the Labour administration still light on policy details, analysts have begun to question whether the overhaul will be enough for Starmer to show that he has a plan for government.



“They still don’t have any discernible policy platform or direction, so the ship is essentially at sea without direction,” Phillip Blond, director of&nbsp;independent, non-partisan public policy thinktank ResPublica, told CNBC via email.



“Having better crew members will help but it can’t cover up the lack of a destination,” he added.



Tony Travers, visiting professor at the London School of Economics, noted that Starmer will have a steep hill to climb to reassert control after allowing infighting to perpetuate under his watch.



“A challenge for the prime minister lies in the fact No. 10 got out of control in the first place,” Travers said via email.



“All ‘private offices’ are different and they regularly go wrong. Keir Starmer now needs to show he’s got control,” he added.



All eyes are now on the forthcoming Autumn Budget due out on Oct. 30, when Finance Minister Rachel Reeves is expected to outline her spending plan for the new government.



Both Starmer and Reeves tried to walk back on negative rhetoric over the state of the U.K. economy at the Labour Party conference last month, saying that the country was poised for a&nbsp;period of national renewal.



Reeves has even suggested watering down tax rises for private equity bosses and aborting plans to scrap the U.K.’s controversial&nbsp;non-dom status, amid concerns that implementing such measures would spark a wealth exodus.



Meanwhile, the finance minister has talked up plans to boost investment, including by way of a new national wealth fund and possible changes to&nbsp;pensions rules, in a bid to encourage growth as speculation grows around possible changes to the U.K.’s debt rule. Labour had previously committed to a fiscal rule set by the former Conservative government, which stated that debt must fall as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) within a five-year horizon.



Nevertheless, negative sentiment has weighed over the country since Starmer warned of “tough decisions” ahead, after the Treasury discovered a £22 billion ($29 billion) “black hole” in the public finances allegedly inherited from the Conservative Party. Former Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt&nbsp;has denied the claims as&nbsp;“fictitious.”



Analysts at Citi said in a note on Monday that the government would need to move quickly to enact its growth plan for the country.



“The U.K. is approaching a make-or-break moment. A transition from the low growth, low investment equilibrium is increasingly urgent,” they wrote.



New&nbsp;research&nbsp;released Monday by KPMG and the Recruitment &amp; Employment Confederation showed that British businesses have put hiring on hold because of uncertainty over the government’s plans on tax, industrial strategy and workers’ rights.



Last month consumer confidence tumbled the most since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, even as a drop in interest rates has eased pressure on households,&nbsp;according to GfK data.

108044035-1728304977827-gettyimages-2175394098-EU-BRITAIN-DIPLOMACY

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer attempts government reset less than 100 days into office

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="546" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DFSLHXCTFBMB3IHZTWD4HAPD3E-820x546.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-539528" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DFSLHXCTFBMB3IHZTWD4HAPD3E-820x546.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DFSLHXCTFBMB3IHZTWD4HAPD3E-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DFSLHXCTFBMB3IHZTWD4HAPD3E-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DFSLHXCTFBMB3IHZTWD4HAPD3E-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DFSLHXCTFBMB3IHZTWD4HAPD3E-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DFSLHXCTFBMB3IHZTWD4HAPD3E-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Administrator of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Achim Steiner delivers the keynote speech at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference in Hamburg, Germany, October 7, 2024. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer</figcaption></figure>



HAMBURG, Germany, Oct 7 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The world&#8217;s poorest countries are having to prioritize debt service over investments, United Nations Development Programme administrator Achim Steiner said on Monday, scuppering progress towards their sustainable development goals.



Speaking at an event in Hamburg, Steiner said the financial crunch meant countries worldwide were struggling to meet the goals &#8211; a set of 17 wide-ranging targets such as tackling poverty and hunger, improving access to education and health care, providing clean energy and protecting biodiversity.



&#8220;For many, least developed countries, they have literally been priced out of the financial markets. They cannot borrow any more money,&#8221; Steiner told the Hamburg Sustainability Conference, adding that they must draw down other spending to avoid debt default. &#8220;It&#8217;s a very extreme situation.&#8221;



Countries like Ghana, Sri Lanka and Zambia have defaulted on their debt in recent years, while others are struggling to make payments after the global interest rate hiking cycle sent borrowing costs higher.



At the same time, the world needs trillions of dollars more per year to meet climate spending goals. Steiner said boosting financing was &#8220;absolutely central&#8221; to meeting sustainable development goals – something his organisation is monitoring closely.



&#8220;We have to tackle this issue of our international financial architecture and our international financial system,&#8221; Steiner said. &#8220;If not, we are going to fall apart in our endeavour to find answers that our citizens are expecting us to find.&#8221;



World Bank President Ajay Banga, speaking at the same event, said official and multilateral lenders would not be able to provide the $4 trillion needed to reach the goals without help.



&#8220;That gap is going to need the private sector,&#8221; Banga said during a panel discussion.



Using public money to de-risk private investment was one way of leveraging multilateral balance sheets, he added, saying the Washington-based lenders had boosted the insurance for investors looking to get involved in renewables in developing world.



&#8220;We&#8217;ve already doubled where we were a year ago. There is more to come.&#8221;



The World Bank announced in July it had started operating a one-stop-shop loan and investment guarantee platform with the aim of tripling the provision of guarantees and risk insurance provided around the world to $20 billion a year.



Reaching the sustainable development goals would require standardizing financing vehicles and making it easier for public private partnerships to get off the ground, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.



&#8220;Without the expertise and investment of the private sector, the sustainable development goals cannot be reached,” Scholz said during a keynote speech.



(Reporting by Libby George, writing by Karin Strohecker, Editing by Duncan Miriri, Gareth Jones, Ed Osmond and Christina Fincher)

Hamburg Sustainability Conference

Debt burden threatens poor countries’ development goals, UN official says

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/NUF6JEUE6JNDPJY5TZYOOXTLIY-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-539465" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/NUF6JEUE6JNDPJY5TZYOOXTLIY-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/NUF6JEUE6JNDPJY5TZYOOXTLIY-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/NUF6JEUE6JNDPJY5TZYOOXTLIY-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/NUF6JEUE6JNDPJY5TZYOOXTLIY-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/NUF6JEUE6JNDPJY5TZYOOXTLIY-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/NUF6JEUE6JNDPJY5TZYOOXTLIY-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">An illegal artisanal miner searches for gold in an excavated pit at the Prestea-Huni Valley Municipal District in the Western Region, Ghana August 17, 2024. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko</figcaption></figure>



PRESTEA-HUNI VALLEY, Ghana, Oct 7 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;At an unlicensed gold mine in Ghana, men in t-shirts, shorts and rubber boots wade through pools of muddy water laced with mercury, pull out rocks with bare hands and operate a rickety sluice as they search for the precious ore.



The ramshackle mine is part of a booming business that is generating livelihoods and informal revenue streams for Ghana&#8217;s economy, even as it harms miners&#8217; health, pollutes waterways, destroys forests and cocoa farms, and fuels crime.



&#8220;It&#8217;s risky but I just want to survive,&#8221; said one of the men at the wildcat site visited by Reuters in the Prestea-Huni Valley district in western Ghana.



The 24-year-old accounting student, who asked not to be named because he was involved in illegal activities, said he had been skipping classes to prospect for gold because he needed the money, having lost his father as a teenager.



There was no professional protective equipment at the mine. Men wore flimsy plastic shopping bags on their heads. One had swimming goggles and another a rice bag covering his torso.



The unlicensed gold mining industry, known in Ghana as &#8220;galamsey&#8221;, has grown at a breakneck pace this year as global gold prices have risen by almost 30%, enticing new entrants.



Small-scale mines produced 1.2 million ounces of gold in the first seven months of this year, more than in the whole of 2023, according to data from Ghana&#8217;s mining sector regulator.



About 40% of Ghana&#8217;s total gold output comes from small mines, as opposed to concessions operated by multi-national firms. Some 70-80% of the small mines are unlicensed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-poisoned-profits">POISONED PROFITS</h2>



Martin Ayisi, head of Ghana&#8217;s Minerals Commission, the mining industry regulator, said most galamsey gold was smuggled out of the country and was therefore not contributing to national gold export revenues.



For Ayisi, the rise in gold prices is good for Ghana, helping it recover from a severe economic crisis in 2022 that required a $3-billion IMF bailout.



&#8220;We should be able to get a lot of money and probably exit the IMF programme earlier,&#8221; he said, forecasting national gold export revenues would more than double to $10 billion this year.



But industry experts say the lines between legal mining and galamsey are blurred, and gold from informal mines represents a larger proportion of revenues than the authorities acknowledge.



The dangers of galamsey, however, are not in dispute.



Dozens of miners have been killed in collapsing pits in recent years, according to news reports and human rights groups, while hospitals and health centres report high numbers of early deaths from pulmonary diseases of miners and residents of towns and villages near mines.



These are caused by inhaling dust that contains heavy metals such as lead, as well as poisonous fumes from the mercury and nitric acid the miners use to leach gold out of sediment.



The chemicals are then dumped on the ground or in rivers. Ghana&#8217;s water authority says mercury and heavy metals from mining have contaminated about 65% of water sources.



Meanwhile, thousands of hectares (acres) of cocoa plantations and virgin forest have been destroyed by illegal miners, according to data from Global Forest Watch, an online monitoring platform.



Protesters have taken to the streets in Accra in recent weeks to criticise President Nana Akufo-Addo&#8217;s government over what they saw as its failure to tackle these problems. &#8220;Leaders, you&#8217;ve failed us!&#8221; read some of the placards.



&#8220;Galamsey has to stop. We want to live long. We don&#8217;t want to fall sick. We don&#8217;t want to go to the hospital,&#8221; said Aboubacar Sadekh, who was taking part in a march on Sept. 22, draped in a Ghanaian flag.



The government denies that it is failing to act on galamsey. When he came to power in 2017, Akufo-Addo pledged to take action on the issue, and during his time in office the government has launched crackdowns, deploying soldiers to arrest illegal miners. In some cases, mining equipment was seized and destroyed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-organised-crime">ORGANISED CRIME</h2>



Opinion polls suggest galamsey is one of the top five issues for voters ahead of a Dec. 7 general election.



The main candidates to replace outgoing Akufo-Addo as president, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and former President John Mahama, have pledged to formalise galamsey, for example by funding a state agency to explore for gold and map areas for locals to mine.



But successive governments have been promising for years to tackle the problem without making much headway, partly because powerful people are benefitting from the industry, experts say.



Chris Aston, head of a British-backed programme aimed at regulating small-scale gold mining in Ghana, said artisanal miners were vulnerable to organised crime gangs, who provide them with funding for equipment up-front, unlike other lenders.



&#8220;Miner pre-financing is one way that organised crime groups can penetrate the gold supply chain,&#8221; he said. Funders then &#8220;require miners to sell the gold they mine back to them at a subsidised rate&#8221;.



Emmanuel Kwesi Anning, a security consultant based in Accra, said galamsey was fuelling an increase in gun-trafficking because those overseeing illegal mines sought armed protection against rivals or thieves.



He also said politicians and traditional rulers in some areas were taking a cut of galamsey profits, further entrenching the problem.



&#8220;It has become an elite consensus that they&#8217;ll not touch this business.&#8221;



Ghana&#8217;s information minister did not respond to requests for comments on the allegations of organised crime involvement, gun running and corruption.



A top official in the National Security Ministry, who did not wish to be named because they were not authorised to speak about the issue in public, said authorities were working to address the links between illegal mining, money laundering and gun trafficking.



(Reporting by Maxwell Akalaare Adombila; Editing by Estelle Shirbon and Frances Kerry)

Ghana’s wildcat gold mining booms, poisoning people and nature

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/GettyImages-1037987712-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-539399" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/GettyImages-1037987712-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/GettyImages-1037987712-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/GettyImages-1037987712-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/GettyImages-1037987712-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/GettyImages-1037987712-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/GettyImages-1037987712-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A virologust works in the new Biological Security Level 4 laboratory of the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNI) in Hamburg, Germany, 25 January 2013. The new labroratory will contribute to the institute&#8217;s reasearch on tropical diseases, including dangerous diseases such as Lassa fever, Marburg virus, Ebola fever and leishmaniasis. Photo: CHRISTIAN CHARISIUS | usage worldwide (Photo by Christian Charisius/picture alliance via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



KIGALI, Oct 6 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Rwanda said on Sunday it had begun administering vaccine doses against the Marburg virus to try to combat an outbreak of the Ebola-like disease in the east African country, where it has so far killed 12 people.



&#8220;The vaccination is starting today immediately,&#8221; Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana said at a news conference in the capital Kigali.



He said the vaccinations would focus on those &#8220;most at risk, most exposed healthcare workers working in treatment centres, in the hospitals, in ICU, in emergency, but also the close contacts of the confirmed cases.&#8221;



The country has already received shipments of the vaccines including from the Sabin Vaccine Institute.



Rwanda&#8217;s first outbreak of the viral hemorrhagic fever was detected in late September, with 46 cases and 12 deaths reported since then. Marburg has a fatality rate as high as 88%.



Marburg symptoms include high fever, severe headaches and malaise within seven days of infection and later severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.



It is transmitted to humans by fruit bats and then spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of those infected. Neighbouring Uganda has suffered several outbreaks in the past.



&#8220;We believe that with vaccines, we have a powerful tool to stop the spread of this virus,&#8221; the minister said.



(Reporting by Philbert Girinema; Editing by Elias Biryabarema and Hugh Lawson)

New High security laboratory  at BNI

Rwanda begins Marburg vaccinations to curb deadly outbreak

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/6A7M3AO7TJLVNGKEVN2F6TDGYE-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-493882" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/6A7M3AO7TJLVNGKEVN2F6TDGYE-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/6A7M3AO7TJLVNGKEVN2F6TDGYE-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/6A7M3AO7TJLVNGKEVN2F6TDGYE-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/6A7M3AO7TJLVNGKEVN2F6TDGYE-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/6A7M3AO7TJLVNGKEVN2F6TDGYE-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/6A7M3AO7TJLVNGKEVN2F6TDGYE-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., as IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde meets with Argentine Treasury Minister Nicolas Dujovne September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas</figcaption></figure>



Oct 4 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;International Monetary Fund staff and officials in Ghana have reached an agreement on their third review of the West African country&#8217;s $3 billion IMF loan programme, the fund said on Friday.



The West African gold and cocoa producer is nearing completion of a debt-restructuring process under the G20&#8217;s Common Framework initiative, after it defaulted on most of its $30 billion international debt in 2022.



&#8220;Ghana has made remarkable progress on its public debt restructuring,&#8221; the fund said in a statement, adding that the performance of the programme was &#8220;generally satisfactory.&#8221;



More than 90% of Ghana&#8217;s bondholders have approved an overhaul of $13 billion worth of Eurobonds, the government said on Thursday, following a deal with bilateral creditors in June.



&#8220;The authorities are committed to pursuing good-faith efforts to reach an agreement with other commercial external creditors,&#8221; the IMF said.



Once the staff-level agreement is approved by the IMF&#8217;s executive board, Ghana will have access to $360 million in financing, the fund said.



The IMF board approved Ghana&#8217;s current lending programme, which expires in 2026, in May of last year.



Ghana&#8217;s debt restructuring is expected to reduce its debt stock by $4.7 billion and provide cash flow relief worth a total of $4.4 billion during the period of the IMF programme, the government said in June.



&#8220;Economic growth in the first half of 2024 was much higher than initially envisaged,&#8221; said the IMF.



Ghana&#8217;s economy grew at the fastest pace in five years in the second quarter, government data showed, and policymakers have started to lower interest rates on signs that inflation is easing.



(Reporting by Alessandra Prentice and Duncan Miriri; Editing by Mark Potter and Hugh Lawson)

IMF logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington

IMF and Ghana reach staff-level deal on $3 bln loan programme review

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="507" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/RAND-DOLLAR-820x507.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-533970" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/RAND-DOLLAR-820x507.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/RAND-DOLLAR-300x186.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/RAND-DOLLAR-145x90.jpg 145w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/RAND-DOLLAR-768x475.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/RAND-DOLLAR-1536x950.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/RAND-DOLLAR-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">South African bank notes featuring images of former South African President Nelson Mandela (R) are displayed next to the American dollar notes in this photo illustration in Johannesburg August 13 2014. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Oct 4 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The South African rand recuperated some losses in early trade on Friday, ahead of a key U.S. payrolls data and after slumping on Thursday as tensions escalated in the Middle East.



By 0730 GMT, the rand traded about 0.5% firmer at 17.4275 against the dollar. Since the start of the week, however, the local unit was down nearly 2%.



&#8220;The ZAR had a tough week, largely driven by a USD resurgence fuelled by better-than-expected U.S. labour data and rising geopolitical risks,&#8221; said Andre Cilliers, currency strategist at TreasuryONE.



The dollar hovered near a six-week high ahead of a payrolls report that could give hints on the path of interest rate cuts in the world&#8217;s biggest economy.



The greenback was also supported by demand for safe-haven assets after an Iranian missile attack on Israel on Tuesday left investors assessing widening Middle East tensions and their impact on the global economy.



Like other risk-sensitive currencies, the rand often takes direction from global drivers in the absence of major local factors.



The local unit has gained more than&nbsp;4.5%&nbsp;against the greenback over the last three months.



&#8220;The ZAR&#8217;s correction was overdue after a period of significant appreciation, and the nonfarm payroll data today will play a key role in determining its next move,&#8221; Cilliers added.



On the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the blue-chip Top-40 index was about 0.6% up in early trade.



South Africa&#8217;s benchmark 2030 government bond was slightly softer in early deals, with the yield up 3.5 basis points to 9.19%.



(Reporting by Tannur Anders; Editing by Varun H K)

Photo illustration of South African bank notes displayed next to the American dollar notes in Johannesburg

South African rand gains, focus on Middle East tension and US payrolls data

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="539" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/YNW7WLFOZJOXJBVUR4VLTBHO4A-820x539.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-538297" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/YNW7WLFOZJOXJBVUR4VLTBHO4A-820x539.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/YNW7WLFOZJOXJBVUR4VLTBHO4A-300x197.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/YNW7WLFOZJOXJBVUR4VLTBHO4A-137x90.jpg 137w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/YNW7WLFOZJOXJBVUR4VLTBHO4A-768x505.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/YNW7WLFOZJOXJBVUR4VLTBHO4A-1536x1009.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/YNW7WLFOZJOXJBVUR4VLTBHO4A-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A general view shows the Nation Centre and Lonrho Africa building in central business district in downtown Nairobi, Kenya February 18, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Oct 3 (Reuters) &#8211; Kenya&#8217;s government has asked the International Monetary Fund to conduct an official assessment of corruption and governance issues, the IMF told Reuters, after a push by Western nations.



Kenya has struggled with debt that has reached precarious levels in recent years, and its withdrawal of proposed tax hikes earlier this year &#8211; following deadly protests &#8211; complicated its efforts to unlock a $600 million disbursement from the IMF.



Countries themselves must request the so-called &#8220;governance diagnostic&#8221;, which investigates whether corruption and governance vulnerabilities are draining revenue or creating other problems in state finances.



“We have received a governance diagnostics request from the authorities,&#8221; an IMF spokesperson said in response to written questions.



&#8220;The government of Kenya aims to strengthen its governance and anti-corruption policies. They intend to utilize these diagnostics to enhance public spending efficiency, boost competitiveness, foster growth, and reduce poverty in an inclusive manner.”



One source familiar with the situation said the assessment, while not directly linked to the disbursement, would be a show of goodwill in the country&#8217;s efforts to get its finances back on track.



Perceived government waste and corruption were a core driver of mass demonstrations in June that forced President William Ruto to withdraw $2.7 billion in planned tax increases.



Kenya&#8217;s finance ministry did not respond to requests for comment.



Reuters on Tuesday first reported that Western nations were pushing for the IMF assessment.



(Reporting by Aaron Ross; additional reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Writing by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Libby George, Andrea Ricci and Lincoln Feast.)

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featured

Nigeria’s NNPC raises fuel prices as it ditches costly subsidies

From stateless to citizens: Kenya’s success offers hope in Africa

Mozambique early vote counting under way after peaceful election

South Africa poised for LPG gas boom amid electricity price hikes

Kenya expects more IMF funding by year-end

Kenya lawmakers impeach deputy president, paving way for senate vote

Mozambique votes in tense election likely to see ruling party win

Uber gives users option to only hail full-electric cars, launches AI chatbot for EV-curious drivers

Kenya’s deputy president vows to fight impeachment ‘to the end’

Mozambique election winner faces tough financial squeeze

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer attempts government reset less than 100 days into office

Debt burden threatens poor countries’ development goals, UN official says

Ghana’s wildcat gold mining booms, poisoning people and nature

Rwanda begins Marburg vaccinations to curb deadly outbreak

IMF and Ghana reach staff-level deal on $3 bln loan programme review

South African rand gains, focus on Middle East tension and US payrolls data

Kenya asks IMF to review corruption issues after Western push

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