
<p>Africa’s largest mobile operator by subscribers said in a quarterly update on Thursday that certain conditions related to the transaction had not been met, which led to the company’s decision.</p>



<p>Chief Financial Officer Ralph Mupita said on a call with reporters that the bid for MTN’s stake in the business had been unsolicited, and it was for now no longer being held for sale.</p>



<p>“In the longer term, if somebody came with a very attractive offer for the business, we’ll apply our minds then,” he said.</p>



<p>A 15 billion rand ($1.00 billion) divestment plan is making “steady process”, Mupita said, adding that the company was in advanced discussions around the disposal of a 49% holdings in ATC Ghana and ATC Uganda, which it values at 7 billion rand and 8 billion rand, respectively.</p>



<p>MTN is reviewing a raft of investments under a three-year plan that includes shedding loss-making e-commerce assets and exiting countries where it has no prospect of reaching the top-two spots in terms of market share.</p>



<p>It is aimed at slimming the company down and honing its focus on high-growth markets on the continent and in the Middle East after clashes with regulators in Nigeria, Uganda and elsewhere crimped growth.</p>



<p>It said on Thursday its service revenue for the nine-months to Sept. 30 rose by 9.6% year-on-year, buoyed by strong performances from its Nigeria and Ghana operations.</p>



<p>However, in its home market South Africa, where a sluggish economy, high unemployment and rising living costs have hurt consumer finances, service revenue over the period was flat.</p>



<p>($1 = 14.9979 rand)</p>



<p>Reporting by Emma Rumney; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Rashmi Aich</p>


MTN has cancelled $300 million stake sale in Mascom Wireless Botswana, here’s why


<p>GABORONE, Oct 22 (Reuters) &#8211; Botswana polls opened on Wednesday for a general election that is expected to provide the first genuine challenge to the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in its five decades of dominance over southern Africa&#8217;s wealthiest and most stable nation.</p>



<p>Whichever party wins will have to move swiftly to transform the economy, which since independence from Britain in 1966 has grown at 8% a year to become one of Africa&#8217;s most successful, but now risks coming unstuck because of over-reliance on a single commodity &#8211; diamonds.</p>



<p>Campaigning on promises to drive that economic transformation, Duma Boko, leader of the Umbrella for Democratic Change, is hoping to unseat the BDP of President Mokgweetsi Masisi. He is backed by former president Ian Khama, who handed over to Masisi last year but has since fallen into a bitter power struggle with him.</p>



<p>&#8220;We remain resolute and confident that we are going to win this election,&#8221; Boko told a news conference on Monday night before warning of possible fraud.</p>



<p>&#8220;I can only accept the result if the election is free and credible,&#8221; he added, raising the spectre that Botswana, which has only known one-sided elections, could witness its first rancorous dispute over a tight result.</p>



<p>Of Botswana&#8217;s population of 2.2 million people, 924,000 registered voters will elect 57 national assembly and 490 local government representatives.</p>



<p>The winning party&#8217;s candidate then becomes president.</p>



<p>Polls open at 6:30 a.m. (0430 GMT) and close at 7 p.m.</p>



<p>Masisi is standing on his record on tackling corruption, such as making a declaration of assets obligatory for public sector officials, and slashing bureaucracy for small businesses.</p>



<p>Khama, the son of founding president Seretse Khama, quarrelled with Masisi over cabinet posts and the new president&#8217;s controversial scrapping of an elephant hunting ban in May, which Khama had enforced four years earlier. Elephants, however, have not been an issue during the campaign.</p>



<p>The main concerns for the Batswana are unemployment hovering at around 20% and stark inequalities despite equitable state spending on health and education. To tackle either, the winner will need to do more to diversify the economy.</p>



<p>Mbakisi Gopolang, 25, waiting in line to cast his vote at a primary school in the capital Gaborone, said he was disappointed by the last decade under the governing BDP.</p>



<p>&#8220;The last ten years have been regressive, so I don&#8217;t want continuation  of that. I am voting for a party that will drive economic growth, empower citizens and get rid of corruption and bring about transparency.&#8221;</p>



<p>Diamond mining has fallen to a fifth of GDP in 2018, compared with half in the 1990s, but it still makes up three quarters of foreign exchange earnings, even as banking and tourism grab a greater share of output. </p>



<p>By Brian Benza </p>



<p>(Editing by Tim Cocks, Editing by Ed Osmond &amp; Simon Cameron-Moore)</p>


Botswana polls open in first real challenge to ruling party


<p>GABORONE (Reuters) &#8211; Botswana&#8217;s economy is expected to grow 4.3% in 2019 and 4.6% in 2020, benefiting from a developing services sector, Deputy Secretary in the ministry of finance, Kelapile Ndobano, said on Tuesday.</p>



<p>The southern African nation&#8217;s 2019/20 fiscal deficit is seen at 3.8% of gross domestic product, Ndobano told a budget conference. </p>



<p>(Reporting by Brian Benza; Writing by Nqobile Dludla; editing by John Stonestreet)</p>


Bank charges reduced for social grant beneficiaries during COVID-19 lockdown

Botswana’s economy expected to grow 4.3% in 2019

<p>It was a <em><a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wef/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="World Economic Forum (WEF) (opens in a new tab)">World Economic Forum </a></em><a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wef/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="World Economic Forum (WEF) (opens in a new tab)">(WEF)</a> <em>on Africa</em> like no another as thousands of delegates from around the world descended on Cape Town, South Africa from the 4<sup>th</sup>-6<sup>th</sup> September. &nbsp;They were there to <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/05/how-to-garner-a-large-slice-of-africas-overcrowded-telecoms-market/">strike deals</a>, see what the <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/05/standard-chartered-banks-saif-malik-on-the-digital-era-of-banking-in-africa/">best of Africa had to offer</a> and <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/uncategorized/2019/09/10/wef-africa-debate-africas-economic-update/">how its economies are performing</a>. For example, <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/09/zimbabwe-is-working-on-currency-challenges-mnangagwa/">Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa</a>, <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/04/masisi-khama-is-not-botswana-and-neither-is-masisi/">Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi</a>, <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/uncategorized/2019/09/06/the-good-the-bad-and-ugly-zimbabwes-founding-father/">Namibia’s President Hage Geingob</a> and <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/04/finmin-mthuli-ncube-on-the-investment-case-for-zimbabwe/">Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube</a> went into detail during their interviews with CNBC Africa at the World Economic Forum Africa on how their Southern African counties are open for business.</p>


		
						<div style="display: block; position: relative; min-width: 0px; max-width: 640px;">
					<div style="padding-top: 56%; ">
						<video-js
								id="6085891333001"
								data-video-id="6085891333001" data-account="1571595826001"
								data-player="1WXqm5Ws6"
								data-usage="cms:WordPress:6.5.2:2.8.4:javascript"
								data-embed="default" class="video-js"
								data-application-id=""
								controls   								style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">
						</video-js>

						<script src="https://players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/1WXqm5Ws6_default/index.min.js"></script> 					</div>
				</div>
						
		


<p>The delegates were also there to discuss and
devise polices on “<a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/uncategorized/2019/09/12/why-siemens-believes-east-africa-is-an-investment-hotspot/">Shaping
Inclusive Growth</a> and <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/uncategorized/2019/09/10/visa-breakfast-panel-the-impact-of-4ir-on-the-state-of-female-entrepreneurship/">Shared
Futures in the Fourth Industrial Revolution</a>”, a subject both South Africa’s
<a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/02/shaping-inclusive-growth-and-shared-futures-in-4ir-wef-africa-holds-media-briefing-ahead-of-wef-2019/">Finance
Minister Tito Mboweni</a> and <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/04/emir-sanusi-on-how-can-africa-achieve-inclusive-growth/">Nigeria’s
Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II</a> where particularly passionate about. </p>



<p>But while inside the Cape Town
International Convention Centre (CITCC) things were cordial it was outside the
CITCC where the real action was happening. </p>



<p><a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/04/sa-women-protest-against-gbv-at-wefafrica19/">Hundreds
of protesters gathered</a> against gender-based violence, and members of the
Nigerian delegation departed on the first day of WEF Africa in protest against
the xenophobic violence that rocked the country. &nbsp;Even South Africa’s <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/uncategorized/2019/09/05/sa-president-addresses-gbv-afrophobic-violence/">President
Cyril Ramaphosa had to take time out of his busy schedule</a> at WEF Africa to
address the continent and investors on these matters. </p>


		
						<div style="display: block; position: relative; min-width: 0px; max-width: 640px;">
					<div style="padding-top: 56%; ">
						<video-js
								id="6085704844001"
								data-video-id="6085704844001" data-account="1571595826001"
								data-player="1WXqm5Ws6"
								data-usage="cms:WordPress:6.5.2:2.8.4:javascript"
								data-embed="default" class="video-js"
								data-application-id=""
								controls   								style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">
						</video-js>

						<script src="https://players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/1WXqm5Ws6_default/index.min.js"></script> 					</div>
				</div>
						
		


<p>Delegates at the event spoke out strongly against
Afrophobia during their interviews with CNBC Africa, such as: </p>



<ul><li><a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/04/anglogold-ashantis-sipho-pityana-on-how-sa-is-dealing-with-xenophobic-attacks/">AngloGold Ashanti’s Sipho Pityana on how SA is dealing with xenophobic attacks</a></li><li>South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/05/sa-embassy-shut-in-nigeria-buhari-still-to-visit/">SA embassy shut in Nigeria – Buhari still to visit</a></li><li>The African Union Commission’s <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/04/albert-muchanga-on-how-mutual-tolerance-is-key-in-trade-xenophobia-africas-shared-future/">&nbsp;Albert Muchanga: on how mutual tolerance is key in trade, xenophobia &amp; Africa’s shared future</a>.</li></ul>



<p>On the final day WEF Africa was also marked
by the passing of an African villain and liberator, Zimbabwe’s former President
Robert Mugabe, both inside and outside the CITCC people remembered him. </p>



<p>Such as:</p>



<ul><li>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/uncategorized/2019/09/06/namibian-president-geingob-on-the-good-the-bad-and-ugly-zimbabwes-founding-father/">Namibian
president Geingob on the good, the bad and ugly: Zimbabwe’s founding father</a></li><li><a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/06/zanu-pf-spokesperson-mandaza-reflects-on-mugabes-contribution-to-zimbabwes-liberation-struggle/">Zanu-PF
Spokesperson Mandaza reflects on Mugabe’s contribution to Zimbabwe’s liberation
struggle</a></li><li><a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/06/tiamiyou-radji-on-mugabe-the-fight-he-fought-has-yielded-freedom-for-us/">Tiamiyou
Radji on Mugabe: “The fight he fought has yielded freedom for us”</a></li></ul>



<p></p>

Missed the World Economic Forum (WEF) Africa 2019? Here are all the highlights


<p>Botswana-born supermarket chain Choppies <a href="https://www.cognitoforms.com/RedfordCapital/ChoppiesEOI">plans to exit its South African operations</a>, either in whole or part.<br> <br>It entered South Africa in 2008 opening its first store in Zeerust North West, where most of its SA stores with concentrated.</p>



<p>The retailer has been battling several headwinds since last year when its shares were suspended on the JSE and Botswana Stock Exchange over the delayed submission of its results as PwC uncovered several accounting irregularities that needed further investigation.<br> <br>In May 2019 its co-founder Ramachandran Ottapathu, <a href="https://choppies.co.bw/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/CEL-EGM-Circular.pdf">following recommendations made in an investigation report</a> by Desai Law Group, was suspended.<br> <br>In an <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/05/24/choppies-suspended-ceo-to-fight-back/">interview with CNBC Africa</a>, Ottapathu, who hails from Kerala in southern India, explained why he felt his suspension was unjustified. </p>



<p>Ottapathu came to Botswana on the offer of an accountant’s
job in Botswana. All he knew about the southern African country was that it had
a lot of diamonds and elephants.</p>



<p>Ottapathu’s first job in Botswana was to look over the books at the Wayside supermarket in Lobatse near the border with South Africa – the then ailing predecessor to Choppies. He steered the books to safety by 1997 and in 1999 the company opened its first superstore in Gaborone. Ottapathu was appointed CEO of the company in 2000 and by 2015 it was turning over $533 and by 2016 it had 170 stores across Botswana South Africa and Zimbabwe. It had plans to expand in Kenya Tanzania and Rwanda.</p>



<p>“Africa is an addiction. I don’t even want my dead body to
go out,” he was quoted by Forbes Africa as saying.</p>



<p>The expansion of Choppies made Ottapathu a fortune that he
estimated, in 2016, to be worth around $300 million.</p>



<p>Yet, <a href="https://choppies.co.bw/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/CEL-EGM-Circular.pdf">allegations of accounting irregularities</a>, at least one payment that the board didn’t know about, boardroom squabbles with chairman and former Botswana President, Festus Mogae over the direction and running of the company saw Ottapathu ousted in 2019. A sweet growth story in Africa that appeared to come to a bitter end.</p>



<p>Now Ottapathu has requested an extraordinary general meeting, which will be held in September, in which his Excellency Mogae will step down as chairman and Ottapathu will attempt to get his job back.</p>


African supermarket chain, Choppies to chop South African assets

<div style="display: block; position: relative; max-width: 730px;">
<div style="padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; right: 0px; left: 0px;" src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6046416004001" allowfullscreen="" border=0 frameborder=0></iframe></div>
</div>
<p>Gerrit van Rooyen, Economist at NKC African Economics joins CNBC Africa to look at Botswana’s market outlook ahead of general elections.</p>


Weak diamond demand weighs on Botswana’s growth

<div style="display: block; position: relative; max-width: 730px;">
<div style="padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; right: 0px; left: 0px;" src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6043985336001" allowfullscreen="" border=0 frameborder=0></iframe></div>
</div>
<p>What must business think about before investing in Africa, particularly in Botswana? Bonga Mokoena, CEO of Emerging Markets at Alexander Forbes joins CNBC Africa to give analysis.</p>


Alexander Forbes’ economic outlook for Botswana

<div style="display: block; position: relative; max-width: 730px;">
<div style="padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; right: 0px; left: 0px;" src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6040653302001" allowfullscreen="" border=0 frameborder=0></iframe></div>
</div>
<p>Choppies announced it was suspending its CEO, Ramachandran Ottapathu, after allegation of financial mismanagement at the Botswana based retailer. Ramachandran Ottapathu joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Choppies’ suspended CEO to fight back

<div style="display: block; position: relative; max-width: 730px;">
<div style="padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; right: 0px; left: 0px;" src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6027085376001" allowfullscreen="" border=0 frameborder=0></iframe></div>
</div>
<p>Marcus Te Haar, Managing Director of Okavango Diamond Company joins CNBC Africa to talk about the discovery of a rare blue diamond in Botswana.</p>


Rare blue diamond discovered in Botswana


<p>GABORONE, Jan 31 (Reuters) &#8211; Botswana’s first privately owned coal mine will produce its first saleable coal in March, the chief executive of the company overseeing the project told Reuters.</p>



<p>The Masama Coal Mine aims to produce 1.2 million tonnes per annum of coal and will target the South African market as well as other countries in the region, Minergy Chief Executive Andre Boje said.</p>



<p>“We should ramp up to the nameplate volume of 300,000 tonnes per month by June/July 2019. Our target market is the southern African region at 1.2 million tons per annum, using a combination of road and rail transport,” Boje added.</p>



<p>The open cast mine and associated coal wash plant is located 60 km (37 miles) northwest of Botswana’s capital Gaborone and is being developed at a cost of 400 million pula ($39 million).</p>



<p>The Masama mine is estimated to hold 390 million tonnes of coal reserves. ($1 = 10.3627 pulas) (Reporting by Brian Benza Editing by James Macharia)</p>


As funding dries up for coal projects, Botswana opens first privately owned coal mine

<div style="display: block; position: relative; max-width: 730px;">
<div style="padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; right: 0px; left: 0px;" src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.html?videoId=5993743588001" allowfullscreen="" border=0 frameborder=0></iframe></div>
</div>
<p>CNBC Africa’s Fifi Peters caught up with Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi who discussed his optimism for attracting investment and business opportunities for Botswana.</p>


Mokgweetsi Masisi on what makes Botswana attractive to investors

<p>By AfDB Vice President for Energy , Amadou Hott</p>
<p>With the lowest power consumption per capita in the world, sub-Saharan Africa is arguably the darkest section of the global village with investments, social and economic growth and jobs creation hobbled by frequent outages, load shedding and total black outs. Over 645 million Africans lack access to electricity.</p>
<p>Yet the continent is rich in energy resources, with well over 10 terawatts of solar potential, 350 gigawatts of hydroelectric potential, 110 gigawatts of wind potential, and an additional 15 gigawatts of geothermal potential. All of these is outside Africa’s huge reserves of coal and gas, which can provide some of the continent’s cheapest electricity.</p>
<p>Surrounded by energy wealth, most Africans still wonder why their countries are so power poor. From the comfort of their friend’s home in the Kingdom of Lesotho, Augustine and his wife Anna, usually spend their evenings staring at the vast Katse dam, the highest dam in Africa, located on the Malibamatso River. They marvel at the evidence of what Mankind can achieve. Lesotho sells billions of litres of the “White Gold” from this dam to neighboring South Africa; the dam also pumps 72 Megawatts of electricity into the national grid.</p>
<p>Completed in 2009, the Katse dam’s imposing 132 KV transmission towers and lines that connect to the grid disappear into the horizon, beyond the towering Maluti mountains that have stood firm for at least 200 million years. Augustine is however moody, most of the time. Saddened by the fact that many of his compatriots still do not have access to electricity, several of their vital social and commercial needs remain unmet due to lack of electricity.</p>
<p>This scenario is Africa-wide. The lack of access to electricity cuts off the vital wants of society. Clearly, children underperform for lack of electricity as schools and homes lack electricity and lives are at risk at hospitals across the continent, as lifesaving equipment lie comatose, unable to be deployed for the purposes they were purchased and installed for.</p>
<p>For these reasons and more, Anna and Augustine are hoping that Africa’s business and political leaders will put Africa’s industrialization and energy drive at the top of their agenda during the 53<sup>rd</sup> annual meetings of the African Development Bank in the coastal city of Busan, South Korea in May 2018. Thankfully, this year’s annual meeting’s theme is “Accelerate Africa’s Industrialisation”.</p>
<p>Korea holds interesting memories for Augustine. The happiest moments of his life were in May 2002. That was the month his home was connected to the distribution network with a pre-payment meter and this happened just before the commencement of the 2002 FIFA World Cup jointly hosted by Japan and South Korea. The electricity meters and lines connected to Augustine’s community were courtesy of a US$36 million Utilities Sector Reform Project, financed by the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the European Union.</p>
<p>Augustine worked with the project team as a driver. He witnessed the evolution of the project between 2000 and 2007, driving engineers and project managers around his mountainous country and parts of South Africa. The smiles of tens of thousands of new electricity customers are permanently etched in his memory:  from deep rural cross-border pilot electrification projects in Dili-Dili (where it was cheaper to be connected from South Africa) to the Letseng diamond mine (renowned for its large stones) and an ultra-modern ski resort in Mokhotlong (frequented by rich tourists); and to Semonkong village (which has the highest waterfall in Africa) and is supplied by a 2MW mini-hydro power plant run by the national utility company.</p>
<p>They recall the problems folks in Lesotho faced in 2008, when Eskom (the South African utility, that has over 40, 000 MWs installed capacity) unexpectedly restricted supplies to the Lesotho Electricity Corporation (LEC, a 100 MW customer). This led to load-shedding and increased costs.  However, LEC was able to buy power, from as far away as Mozambique, thanks to a functioning electricity market under the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP). Mozambique also has the Mozal aluminum smelter plant, which commenced operations in 2000 and produces over 500, 000 tonnes per year for export, and recently for the local downstream industry. Mozal is the largest industrial employer in Mozambique.</p>
<p>Similarly, Zambia, Botswana and the Democratic Republic of Congo also have huge copper reserves that can be refined locally and used for electrical cables and equipment to drive the transition to green power in the SAPP and the rest of Africa.</p>
<p>Augustine recently heard on the news that Eskom currently has excess capacity, which it is planning to export to its neighbours.  Eskom is also the sole off-taker for over $19 billion of investments under a 2013-2018 globally acclaimed Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer (REIPP) auction programme. This is driving industrialization and will accelerate South Africa’s transition to green growth.</p>
<p>The African Development Bank, as one of the lead financiers in South Africa, providing over $2 Billion to the power sector, is working with other development partners to replicate this success across Africa. This is underpinned by the Bank’s performance in 2017 –  when it approved 31 energy projects in 23 countries, totaling $1.4 Billion.</p>
<p>In the same fiscal period, the Bank’s private sector investments rose by 40% to $400 million, with 100% renewable generation projects, including base-load hydro and solar generation projects in Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire, and key cross-border transmission interconnectors in the West and Central African Power Pool networks. These networks will facilitate the establishment of regional power markets, reduce carbon footprint and accelerate industrialization through the conversion of the region’s vast natural resources like the conversion of bauxite to aluminum, iron ore to steel and gas to fertilizers, and processing of rice, cocoa, fruits and vegetables.</p>
<p>Female entrepreneurs like Anna abound across Africa. Anna remembers how access to electricity enabled her to quit working long hours at one of the huge Taiwanese-owned textile factories in Maseru. That was when she took the bold step to become an entrepreneur. Things are looking up for Anna and her household. This winter will be nice and warm. Their home overlooking the dam now has a solar water heater and a Solar Home System. The authorities will soon replace their old pre-paid meters with smart meters and they will certainly not miss watching any of their favorite matches at this year’s FIFA World Cup in Russia.</p>
<p>After the World Cup, Augustine will have to go see his old friends in high places. He has also heard the rumours and needs to go confirm things for himself. He’s heard through the local grapevine that further industrialization of his community and country is in the offing. Investors are looking for local partners to co-invest and work on a plethora of projects: a 50 MW wind, 20 MW solar and a 500 &#8211; 1000 MW hydro power projects, in Mafeteng. The projects have been initiated by the Bank’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa grant). He needs to know how communities and SMEs like him can align with the unfolding positive realities of modern industrialization.</p>


Africa is rich in energy resources but power poor, how the AfDB is working to change this

<p class="MegaArticleBody_first-p_2htdt">GABORONE, March 2 (Reuters) &#8211; Botswana is facing a food deficit after a drought slashed the acreage of planted crops by 75 percent in the just ended ploughing season, after it suffered a severe El Nino-induced drought in the past two years.</p>
<p class="">Botswana, a landlocked, diamond-rich nation, perennially relies of food imports mostly from neighbouring South Africa to augment relatively low local production.</p>
<div class="DPSlot_container_2dHIN StandardArticleBody_dp-slot-inline_eUPBt" data-ad-type="other">
<p>Addressing Parliament late Thursday, the Minister of Agriculture Patrick Ralotsia said a total of only 42,800 hectares were planted in the season to the end of February compared with 167,562 hectares during the 2016/17 season.</p>
</div>
<p class="">The 2016/17 season plantings produced 193,372 tonnes of grain &#8211; 60 percent of the annual national demand of 320,000 tonnes. The deficit was met by imports, meaning Botswana will need to bring in significantly more imports of grain this year.</p>
<p class="">Ralotsia said Botswana was likely to experience a“severe food deficit as in some parts of the country crops planted are already showing signs of wilting.”</p>
<p class="">Botswana’s grain stock levels can sustain the country up to the start of the new harvest in July 2018, he said.</p>
<p class="">The drought has hit much of the southern Africa region, including South Africa, the continent’s most advanced economy and the top producer of the staple grain, which has declared a national disaster over the drought. (Editing by James Macharia)</p>


Botswana’s food deficit widens

<p>GABORONE, Feb 5 (Reuters) &#8211; Botswana’s economy is projected to expand at a faster pace this year compared to last year as the mining sector benefits from a recovery in the global economy, Finance Minister Kenneth Matambo said on Monday.</p>
<div class="DPSlot_container_2dHIN StandardArticleBody_dp-slot-inline_eUPBt" data-ad-type="other">Presenting the 2018 budget to parliament, Matambo said GDP growth was projected at 5.3 percent in 2018 from an estimated 4.7 percent expansion in 2017.</div>
<p>Matambo said Botswana’s budget deficit was projected to widen to 3.59 billion pula ($372 million) or 1.8 percent of GDP in the 2018/19 fiscal year from an estimated deficit of 2.42 billion pula or 1.3 percent of GDP in the prior year.</p>
<p>The country’s fiscal year runs from April to March.</p>
<p>“Although the economy is expected to improve in performance, our fiscal position remains tight and government will continue to manage expenditure,” Matambo said.</p>
<p>“Government sees the expected deficit to be temporal and will therefore be financed by a combination of drawing down on existing loans and cash reserves.”</p>
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT">
<p class="Attribution_content_27_rw">$1 = 9.6525 pulas Writing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo; Editing by James Macharia</p>
</div>


Botswana’s economy is projected to expand at a faster pace

<p data-reactid="38">JOHANNESBURG/LUSAKA (Reuters) &#8211; African politicians labelled U.S. President Donald Trump a racist on Friday after he was reported to have described some immigrants from Africa and Haiti as coming from “shithole” countries.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Trump comment on “shithole countries” extremely offensive – SA official <a href="https://t.co/xh15wkCfn1">https://t.co/xh15wkCfn1</a> How do you feel about his comments</p>
<p>— CNBC Africa (@cnbcafrica) <a href="https://twitter.com/cnbcafrica/status/951822386437021697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
Sources told Reuters on Thursday that Trump had questioned why the United States would want immigrants from “shithole countries” like Haiti and some African countries during a briefing on draft immigration legislation.</p>
<p data-reactid="47">Trump denied on Friday using such derogatory language, but he had already been widely condemned in many African countries and by international rights organisations.</p>
<div class="DPSlot_container_2dHIN DPSlot_inline_1oeo6">“Ours is not a shithole country and neither is Haiti or any other country in distress,” Jessie Duarte, the deputy secretary general of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress told reporters at a news conference in East London.</div>
<p>“We would not deign to make comments as derogatory as that about any country that has any kind of socio-economic or other difficulties,” Duarte said, adding that much like their African counterparts millions of U.S. citizens were affected by problems such as unemployment.</p>
<div>Botswana’s foreign ministry summoned the U.S. ambassador in protest and called the comments “highly irresponsible, reprehensible and racist.”</div>
<p data-reactid="52">
It said in a statement that it had asked the U.S. government, through its ambassador, to “clarify” if the derogatory remark also applied to Botswana given that there were Botswana nationals living in the United States and others who wished to go there.</p>
<p data-reactid="53">U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told reporters in Geneva that Trump’s comments were “shocking and shameful”.</p>
<p data-reactid="54">Since taking office a year ago, Trump has pursued controversial policies aimed at curbing illegal immigration into the United States as part of a hard-line “America First” agenda.</p>
<p data-reactid="55">Trump said on Twitter on Friday that he merely used “tough” language when discussing a new immigration bill with a group of U.S. senators.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used. What was really tough was the outlandish proposal made &#8211; a big setback for DACA!</p>
<p>&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/951793123985973248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p data-reactid="55">
<p data-reactid="56">He said the bill was a step backwards because it would force the United States “to take large numbers of people from high crime countries which are doing badly”.</p>
<p data-reactid="57">The Trump administration has spoken little about how it wants to engage with African countries, focusing its foreign policy instead on issues like North Korea and Islamic State.</p>
<p data-reactid="58">In November it ended Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from Haiti and Nicaragua, giving 59,000 Haitian immigrants until July 2019 to return home or legalize their presence in the United States.</p>
<p data-reactid="59">On the streets of Lusaka, capital of the southern African country of Zambia, Trump’s reported remark reinforced long-held views about the U.S. leader.</p>
<p data-reactid="60">“Trump has always been a racist, only a racist can use such foul language,” said Nancy Mulenga, a student at the University of Zambia. Robert Chiponda, a communications consultant in Lusaka, said he never took Trump seriously.</p>
<p data-reactid="61">Others used humour to ridicule the offensive comments.</p>
<p>“As someone from South Shithole, Trevor is deeply offended by the president’s remarks,” U.S. television programme The Daily Show wrote on Twitter, referring to its South Africa-born host Trevor Noah.</p>
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT" data-reactid="62">
<p class="Attribution_content_27_rw" data-reactid="63">Reporting by Ed Stoddard in East London, Chris Mfula in Lusaka and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by Alexander Winning in Johannesburg; Editing by Richard Balmforth</p>
</div>


This is Africa’s response to US President Trump’s “shithole” remark…

<p>BEIJING, Jan 11 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa will stick with China’s Sinopec Corp as the preferred contender to buy Chevron’s assets in South Africa and Botswana after it made a fresh commitment to future investments in the country, the Chinese oil major said on Thursday.</p>
<p>State-owned Sinopec is competing for the assets with commodities trader and miner Glencore, which swooped in last October with a $973 million bid following delays to Sinopec’s original agreement.</p>
<p>Asia’s largest refiner said in a statement that South Africa’s Competition Commission had recommended transaction with Sinopec be approved with certain conditions.</p>
<p>“As part of the approval process, Sinopec has engaged in substantive and constructive discussions with the Economic Development Department to ensure that its strategy in South Africa is aligned with the EDD’s policy on industrial and economic development,” Sinopec said.</p>
<p>Chevron has a 75 percent stake in the assets, which include a 100,000 barrel-per-day oil refinery in Cape Town, a lubricants plant in Durban and 820 petrol stations and other oil storage facilities. It also includes 220 convenience stores across South Africa and Botswana.</p>
<p>Glencore stepped in after local shareholders, who hold the remaining 25 percent, exercised pre-emption rights following delays to the Sinopec deal.</p>
<p>“Sinopec was thrown into a confusion after local shareholders exercised preemptive rights &#8230; but then the company was advised by the government to proceed with regulatory procedures,” said a Beijing-based source with direct knowledge of the matter.</p>
<p>A final decision from the Competition Tribunal was expected in March or April, the source said.</p>
<p>Sinopec has given additional commitments to the government, including investments over five years post acquisition to upgrade the Cape Town refinery into a world-class plant.</p>
<p>The Chinese firm also pledged to develop the fuel marketing business by introducing small and black-owned business as fuel retailers.</p>
<p>“The South African competition committee was convinced that Sinopec has the solid industry expertise equipped with state-of-art refining technology, as well as financial power,” said the source.</p>
<p>Sinopec said it will also establish a development fund targetted at small and black-owned businesses thus increasing the level of local procurement of goods and services.</p>
<p>Glencore’s bid was aimed at securing the trader its first refining asset since it ventured into downstream investments.</p>
<p>The remaining 25 percent stake will stay with a consortium of Black Economic Empowerment shareholders and an employee trust.</p>
<p>Winning the deal would mark a second major refinery investment for Sinopec as the state oil major looks to expand overseas amid a saturated domestic market. Sinopec owns a stake in the Yanbu refinery in Saudi Arabia controlled by Saudi Aramco. (Reporting by Chen Aizhu; editing by Richard Pullin)</p>


SA sticks with China’s Sinopec as preferred contender for Chevron SA, Botswana assets

<div style="display: block; position: relative; max-width: 640px;">
<div style="padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; right: 0px; left: 0px;" src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.html?videoId=5631963802001" allowfullscreen="" border=0 frameborder=0></iframe></div>
</div>
<p>Sub-Saharan Africa implemented 83 business reforms last year according to the Doing Business 2018 report by the World Bank. Mauritius, Kenya, Botswana and South Africa are among the countries that ranked highest in the region.</p>


Botswana

MTN has cancelled $300 million stake sale in Mascom Wireless Botswana, here’s why

Botswana polls open in first real challenge to ruling party

Botswana’s economy expected to grow 4.3% in 2019

Missed the World Economic Forum (WEF) Africa 2019? Here are all the highlights

African supermarket chain, Choppies to chop South African assets

Weak diamond demand weighs on Botswana’s growth

Alexander Forbes’ economic outlook for Botswana

Choppies’ suspended CEO to fight back

Rare blue diamond discovered in Botswana

As funding dries up for coal projects, Botswana opens first privately owned coal mine

Mokgweetsi Masisi on what makes Botswana attractive to investors

Africa is rich in energy resources but power poor, how the AfDB is working to change this

Botswana’s food deficit widens

Botswana’s economy is projected to expand at a faster pace

This is Africa’s response to US President Trump’s “shithole” remark…

SA sticks with China’s Sinopec as preferred contender for Chevron SA, Botswana assets

Sub-Saharan Africa economies set new record for number of business reforms

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Botswana

MTN has cancelled $300 million stake sale in Mascom Wireless Botswana, here’s why

Botswana polls open in first real challenge to ruling party

Botswana’s economy expected to grow 4.3% in 2019

Missed the World Economic Forum (WEF) Africa 2019? Here are all the highlights

African supermarket chain, Choppies to chop South African assets

Weak diamond demand weighs on Botswana’s growth

Alexander Forbes’ economic outlook for Botswana

Choppies’ suspended CEO to fight back

Rare blue diamond discovered in Botswana

As funding dries up for coal projects, Botswana opens first privately owned coal mine

Mokgweetsi Masisi on what makes Botswana attractive to investors

Africa is rich in energy resources but power poor, how the AfDB is working to change this

Botswana’s food deficit widens

Botswana’s economy is projected to expand at a faster pace

This is Africa’s response to US President Trump’s “shithole” remark…

SA sticks with China’s Sinopec as preferred contender for Chevron SA, Botswana assets

Sub-Saharan Africa economies set new record for number of business reforms

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Newsletters