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Cement Plant to be completed by the end of October
Mortal Investments Manufacturing Company expects to complete construction of its US$10million cement plant in Redcliff by the end of October 2016. The Chinese investor started construction of the project in August 2016 and testing is set to begin by the end of October 2016, according to the Business Chronicle newspaper. Commissioning is scheduled for the end of 2016. The plant will use slag to make its cement. (Source: The Chronicle)

Zambia to Cut Subsidies
Zambia has told the International Monetary Fund (IMF) it will gradually cut subsidies amounting to about US$1 billion as part of an economic recovery plan, Finance Minister Felix Mutati said. Africa’s second-biggest copper producer will also boost funds for social welfare, Mutati said during talks with IMF officials at the lender’s annual meetings. The statement did not specify which subsidies would be trimmed. Zambian government subsidies include about US$600 million annually for electricity and fuel. (Source: CNBCA)

Anthrax Outbreak in Eastern Zambia
The Zambian government on has confirmed an outbreak of anthrax, which has killed 44 hippos in Chama district in the country’s eastern region. Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya said the outbreak of the disease could be due to low water levels, with the first case recorded on the 22nd of September. He added in a ministerial statement in parliament that people in the district have since been advised against eating hippo meat because as it was infected with anthrax. A mobile laboratory has also been set up in the area and sufficient machines have been provided. 58 human infections have so far been recorded with no fatalities. (Source: Global Times)

FMO Bank to fund Uganda Solar PV Project
Uganda’s Tororo solar photovoltaic (PV) project has received a US$14.7 million senior loan from the Dutch development bank, FMO. The plant will be developed and owned under the expertise of Italian firm Building Energy, who will be responsible for the construction and operation of the power plant. According to media, the Bank acted as Mandated Lead Arranger of the facility, of which 50% was syndicated to the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF). (Source: Trade Arabia)

Uganda Oil Refinery Completion Date Pushed to 2020
Uganda has rescheduled the completion date for its planned crude oil refinery plant in Kabaale, Hoima district, by two more years after a lead investor pulled out of the project at a crucial stage of its implementation. Energy Minister Irene Muloni stated that owing to the last minute collapse of talks with the Russian consortium Rostec Global Resources, which had won the tender to finance, build and operate the refinery, the completion date has been pushed from 2018 to 2020. The government has started discussions with other interested investors, with expectations of concluding the negotiations by the end of the year. (Source: East African) 

Tanzania Secures US$259m Funding for Power Grid Link with Kenya
Tanzania has secured US$258.8 million from the African Development Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency for a high-voltage electricity line to connect its national power grid to Kenya’s, its power utility said on Sunday. The 400 kV line will be completed within two years and is part of efforts to deepen integration between the two countries’ economies, Tanzania’s Tanesco said in a statement on its website. Kenya has already agreed to pay US$50.45 million for work on the link on its side of the border. Bouygues Energies & Services, Kalpataru Power Transmission and Energoinvest have been awarded contracts to build the line. (Source: Reuters)

Marriot to Built 5 New Hotels
Marriott International announced that it planned to spend about US$217million on five new hotels in South Africa as the company looks to tap into Africa’s growing middle class. Marriott, which won the final clearance to buy rival Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc, said three of the hotels would be built in Cape Town while two are already under construction in Johannesburg. Marriott is already Africa’s biggest hotel operator, having bought leading chain Protea in 2014. The new hotels will be branded Marriott. (Source: EWN)

Construction of Sierra Leone’s Mamamah Airport to start in December
The construction of Sierra Leone’s Mamamah Airport is now set to kick off in December Chinese Ambassador Zhao Yanbo has said. According to the outgoing Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone, the project is much more awaited by the local residents and they will ensure that the projects starts on time and gets completed on time as per the local governments request. Mamamah Airport is going to be built inland and from the capital to the airport will be less than one hour drive which makes it very accessible. (Source: CRO)

Rwanda to Construct Model Villages in Rural Communities
The government of Rwanda has announced intentions to set aside planned settlement sites in different parts of the country and invest in building ‘model villages’ as part of the latest efforts to modernise rural settlements, officials at the Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA) have said. RHA officials said at a press conference in Kigali that the government has targeted that at least 30 sites, one in each of the country’s 30 districts, will have been set aside and provided with roads, water, and electricity before the end of the current fiscal year 2016-2017 in June. (Source: CRO)

Kenya Considering to Open Land for Private Sector Geothermal Development
Local news report that Kenya is considering a review of various geothermal energy policies to help promote private investment into development in the country. Under the new regulations, Kenya Principal Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, Joseph Njoroge, said the private sector will be given land concessions to explore for geothermal steam. Kenya has only exploited less than five percent of its geothermal resources partly due to “a deficit in financing of geothermal projects.” The government plans to cooperate with the private sector to ensure more electricity generation from geothermal energy, the official said. (Source: Coastweek)
Kenya Floats US$297million T-Bond for Infrastructure Projects
Kenya is this month seeking to raise US$297 million from the domestic market for infrastructure projects in the energy, water and transport sectors.  The East African nation is carrying out a number of infrastructure projects that include construction of power plants and bypasses funded by both donors and the government.  The money is to be raised through the sale of a 15-year Treasury bond at an interest rate of 12 percent, which is lower than the yield of the bonds offered last month, which stood at 15 percent.  The rates have been falling due to high bidding on all government securities offers from Treasury, particularly by commercial banks which have shifted to the stocks to make up for rate capping. (Source: Global Times)

Ghana to Export to Nigeria
Ghana’s Minister of Petroleum, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah recently revealed that Ghana would be now exporting fuel and gas oil to Nigeria. Ghana, will also export to Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali. The exports will be shipped to countries in the region from Ghana’s Bolgatanga Petroleum Depot run by the state-owned Bulk Oil Storage and Transport (BOST) Co. Ltd. (Source: Petroleum Africa)

Ethiopia Declares State of Emergency
The Ethiopian government has declared a state of emergency, which will be in place for six months, says the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).  The FCO says it could result in the following restrictions: curfews, random arrests and searches, and blocking of the Internet. Travellers are also warned to exercise caution when travelling on Route 8, south of Awassa, due to roadblocks and attacks on properties in towns along the road. The announcement follows months of unrest in the country’s Amhara and Oromia regions. (Source: Commonwealth Press Release)