Djbouti: Connecting Africa to the World

By K.O. Peppeh IDGCONNECT ( Djibouti City)- Djibouti is one of the least prominent nations in Africa today, but this relatively small country nonetheless continues to play a gigantic role in the development of the continent’s ICT capacity. Strategically situated by Read more ›

Ethiopian Airlines announces record 46 billion Birr profit

By Zerihun Getachew Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency (Addis Ababa) – The Ethiopian Airlines announced that it has earned over 46.5 billion Birr revenue during the last budget year, between July 2013 and June 2014. Despite many challenges, Ethiopian has Read more ›

Burundi: Police investigating dozens of floating plastic wrapped bodies

AFP-(Bujumbura) Fishermen in Burundi have found several corpses with limbs bound or stuffed in sacks, floating in a lake bordering Rwanda, government officials said on Tuesday. At least 40 bodies have been found in the lake since July, according to Read more ›

Flydubai opens new routes to Bujumbura, Kigali and Entebbe

By Mary Sophia Gulfbusiness-Dubai-based airline flydubai has announced that it will begin services to three new destinations in East Africa from September. The budget airline, which currently flies to nine destinations in Africa, said that it will begin services to Read more ›

Kenyan rangers killing poachers to cover corrupt tracks

By Tom Odula Jason Straziuso  The Associated Press  (NAIROBI) —Corrupt Kenyan wildlife rangers are killing poachers to cover up the officers’ collusion with the criminals slaughtering the country’s elephants, a rights group alleges. The disappearances of 18 suspected poachers were documented by Muslims Read more ›

Ethiopian banks choose BPC Smartvista for national switching operations

Finextra- BPC Banking Technologies, the leading provider of Open System payment solutions,  has announced that EthSwitch has chosen SmartVista to power its national switching operations in Ethiopia. SmartVista was selected because of its comprehensive functionality, advanced technology and proven track record Read more ›

Ethiopia, Kenya & Ghana vie for right to host 2017 African Nations Cup

BBC – Ethiopia, Kenya and Ghana have announced their interest in bidding to host the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations following Libya’s withdrawal as the host nation. Libya pulled out last week because of ongoing fighting in the country that has Read more ›

Uganda sets up Ebola screening posts along DRC and Kenya border

Red Pepper (Kampala) – Uganda is opening up screening centers at its borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya to ensure that Ebola cases are detected and handled at these entry points, the director general of health services Read more ›

Ethiopia: Tripartite talks over renaissance dam resumes in Khartoum

The irrigation ministers of Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan resumed their discussions over the contentious Grand Ethiopia Reniassance Dam (GERD) in Khartoum on Monday after an unexpected five-months long break. Egyptian daily Al Ahram reported that the official opening session of Read more ›

Kenya: New travel insurance restores tourists’ confidence

By Martin Mwita The Star (Mombasa) – THE recently launched inbound travel insurance has been embraced by foreign tourists and stakeholders in the industry. According to AIG Kenya insurance, which in partnership with the Kenya Coast Tourism Association launched the Read more ›

Malawi worried about Ebola virus being carried by Ethiopians; police arrested 52 Ethiopians

(Malawi Nyasa Times) – Traditional leaders in Malawi’s boarder district of Karonga are appealing to government authorities to devise safety measures that would protect their subjects from contracting Ebola virus saying Karonga is at risk of being affected with the Read more ›

Ethiopia’s coffee sales continues to benefit from Brazil’s drought

By William Davison Blomberg (Addis Ababa) – Ethiopia’s arabica coffee export earnings are forecast to climb 25 percent to about $900 million in 2014-15 because of higher prices after a drought damaged plants in the biggest grower of the bean, Read more ›

Kenya: Patients suffer as doctors persevere in strike

By HENRY KIBIRA AND CALVIN ONSARIGO The Star (Nairobi) – A patient died yesterday at the Coast General Hospital even as the doctors’ union told members countrywide not to work unless their July salaries are paid in full. The news came Read more ›

Kenya bars travelers from Ebola-affected countries

CAPITAL FM (NAIROBI) – The Ministry of Health has, on Saturday evening, announced that it will not allow passengers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea into Kenya from Tuesday. Health Cabinet Secretary, James Macharia explained that the decision was informed by Read more ›

East African nations on high alert for Ebola

The east African region has been set on its toes following the revelation of an outbreak of Ebola infections in west Africa this March. This disease, which was first identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan in the Read more ›

Blogger files $120 million countersuit against Ethiopia’s government, a Saudi billionaire, and U.S. law firm

PRESS RELEASE ATLANTA (August 4, 2014) – A U.S.-based blogger who operates a popular Ethiopian news and opinion website has filed a $120 million counter lawsuit against the Government of Ethiopia, a major U.S. law firm named DLA Piper, Saudi Read more ›

Uganda: Oil companies submit proposals to build refinery at Lake Albert

Four international petroleum companies have presented proposals to the Ugandan government for the development of the country’s first oil refinery in Buseruka Sub-county, Hoima district, western Uganda. The Ugandan government officially opened the bidding process in March this year, after Read more ›

Tanzania’s main mobile network service provider to undergo an upgrade

The partially state-owned Tanzania Telecommunication Company Limited (TTCL) has contracted Japan’s NEC Corporation to upgrade its microwave network links across the country’s mainland, as well as in the Zanzibar island. According to a press release by NEC, “The government has Read more ›

Somtel Telecom to introduce LTE technology into Somalia

One of the largest telecommunication service providers in Somalia, Somtel Telecom, has partnered with France’s Alcatel-Lucent to provide Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology in the country. The high speed wireless data transfer system is expected to enable the telecom service Read more ›

Kenya: Attacks in Lamu County widens political division

A raging debate over the perpetrators of two deadly terrorist attacks in the coast this week, is threatening to push the country down the brink of stability. Following the attacks, which left about 70 people dead, the Somalia-based Islamic extremist Read more ›

Uganda tightens noose on tax defaulters

Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has toughened its punitive measures against tax defaulters in a bid to compel them to comply. ChimReports has revealed that URA has imposed travel bans on all persons who stood as guarantors for the companies guilty Read more ›

Ethiopia: Court orders police to file charges against incarcerated ‘Zone 9’ bloggers and journalists

A court has directed the police to finalize its investigations and file charges against 6 members of a blogging community ‘Zone 9’, as well 3 journalists, who have been in custody for about 58 days Defense attorney, Amha Mekonnen, told Read more ›

South Sudan: Peace talks postponed

A new round of discussions between representatives of the warring factions in Addis Ababa failed to resume as scheduled on Monday as both sides failed to show up, officials say. The Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) chief mediator, Seyoum Mesfin, Read more ›

UN human rights expert visits Sudan

An independent United Nations human rights expert, Mashood Banderin, has arrived in Sudan for a ten-day visit to assess the country’s credential’s against the organization’s standards. Mr. Banderin has revealed that during this visit he will focus on the situation Read more ›

Kenya: 48 killed in audacious terrorist attack in Mpeketoni

A brazen terrorist raid on a town in the same county as one of the most popular locations among holiday-makers in Mombasa, has left at least 48 people dead, according to the police. The death toll was revised on Monday Read more ›

CITES: Poaching remains unsustainably high in Africa

The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has revealed that despite some reductions from previous years, poaching remains dangerously high in Africa. According to the report published on Friday, about Read more ›

U.S. condemns attacks on civilians in Sudan

The United States has issued a stinging condemnation of alleged attacks by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on civilians in Blue Nile and North Kordofan States. According to Samantha Power, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, in a statement Read more ›

Kenya: Opposition coalition and other groups threaten to protest over growing insecurity

Several groups have vowed to take to the streets if the Kenyan government continues to ignore their calls to immediately address the country’s security problems. Since the beginning of this year, terrorists have carried out a series of deadly attacks Read more ›

Tanzania to train 1,000 soldiers from the Somali National Army

The Government of Tanzania is set to train 1,000 soldiers from the Somali National Army in a bid to boost the capacity of the local forces to consolidate security in the war-torn nation. A report by Sabahi quotes the director Read more ›

South Sudan: Warring rivals agree to finalize peace talks in 60 days

President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar on Tuesday reached an agreement to finalize their discussion on a transitional government in the coming months. The two men, who met on the sidelines of the 26th extraordinary meeting of the Read more ›

Ethiopia and Egypt agree to resume discussions over renaissance dam

Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister, Tedros Adhanom, has revealed that an agreement has been reached with the Egyptian government to re-open tripartite talks – with Sudan – concerning the renaissance dam. He made this comment at the end of a three-day visit Read more ›

Outspoken cleric assassinated in Mombasa

The chairman of the Council of Imam and Preachers of Kenya, Sheikh Mohammed Idris, has been shot and killed in Mombasa on Tuesday by unidentified gunmen. Local sources say the vocal Muslim leader was attacked as he exited a mosque Read more ›

Kenya: National Land Commission launches 2013-2018 strategic plan

The National Land Commission (NLC) has officially launched its strategic plan for the next five years at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre on Monday, June 9. The chairman of the commission, Dr. Muhammad Swazuri, noted that the plan outlines the Read more ›

ICT association protest against the renewal of Safaricom’s operation license

The Information Communication Technology Association of Kenya (ICTAK) has demanded that the authorities reject an application for a license renewal from one of the country’s leading mobile network operators. In a letter to the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK), the Read more ›

Egypt’s new president vows not to allow renaissance dam dispute escalate into crisis

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has vowed not permit the protracted diplomatic row with neighbouring Ethiopia evolve into a serious crisis. He made this comment during his inaugural address at the Qubba Palace on Sunday, adding that Egypt recognizes the value of Read more ›

South Sudan: Government and rebels to pen final ceasefire agreement

President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar will meet in Addis Ababa on Monday to discuss the way forward for young, war-torn South Sudan. Rebel spokesman, Yohanis Musa, told the press in Khartoum last week that both sides will begin to Read more ›