ARC East Africa Weekly Chronology
7-13 December 2023

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Africa Risk Consulting monitors events around the region and provides users of the EAA website with this weekly summary.

 

 


Weekly Update on events in East Africa


Africa Risk Consulting – Your first choice for Africa due diligence, country assessments, strategic advice and compliance consulting.

13 Dec 2023 Kinshasa (DRC) Africanews. Commission Electorale Nationale Indépendante (CENI) (independent national electoral commission) reports that conditions in Rutshuru and Masisi (North Kivu province) are not right for polls to open in the 20 December presidential election, adding that in Rutshuru fewer than 10% of voters have been enrolled and fewer than 1% in Masisi;

13 Dec 2023 Kigali (Rwanda) AFP. Electoral Commission announces the presidential election will take place on 15 July 2024;

13 Dec 2023 Kampala (Uganda) Monitor. Energy and mineral development ministry reports that by 2025, Uganda will start the production of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to replace wood as a source of energy;

12 Dec 2023 Bujumbura (Burundi) AfDB. African Development Bank (AfDB) approves $696.41m in financing for Burundi and Tanzania to help build 650 km of rail infrastructure to develop the Central Corridor network;

12 Dec 2023 Djibouti (Djibouti) Africa.com. World Bank approves a new International Development Association (IDA) credit of $15m to help improve competitiveness and resilience of agri-food value chains in Djibouti;

12 Dec 2023 Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) The East African. Police confirm they have arrested state minister for peace Taye Dendea for collaborating with anti-peace forces “who want to destroy Ethiopia”;

12 Dec 2023 Nairobi (Kenya) Reuters. President William Ruto says that from January visitors to Kenya will no longer require a visa and can receive electronic travel authorisation in advance on a new platform;

12 Dec 2023 Kigali (Rwanda) New Times. United Kingdom parliamentarians vote in favour of a new migration treaty with Rwanda;

12 Dec 2023 Nairobi (Kenya) Nation. President William Ruto says during his Jamhuri Day speech that his policies to cut spending and increase revenue are working and that Kenya is now out of debt distress;

11 Dec 2023 Kinshasa (DRC) Reuters. The United States (US) announces that parties involved in the conflict in eastern DRC have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire, which both the DRC and Rwandan governments back;

11 Dec 2023 Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) Reuters. A senior finance ministry official confirms that Ethiopia will hold an investor call with its international bondholders on 14 December following confirmation on 9 December that it would be unable to pay a $33m bond coupon due today, meaning that it has defaulted on its debt;

11 Dec 2023 Nairobi (Kenya) The East African. Kenya, Colombia and France commission a global team of experts to consider the impact of developing countries’ increasing debt levels on their ability to deal with climate change;

11 Dec 2023 Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) Africa Oil & Gas Report. France-headquartered Maurel & Prom signs an agreement with government in connection with the acquisition of all existing shares of United Kingdom-headquartered Wentworth Resources, a deal Maurel & Prom says has strengthened its partnership with the state-owned Tanzania Petroleum Development Company (TPDC) and opens a path for TPDC to increase its ownership in the Mnanzi Bay project;

10 Dec 2023 Kinshasa (DRC) Africanews. President Felix Tshisekedi continues his re-election campaign in Goma (North Kivu), asking citizens for their votes so the fight against rebels that control large areas of the province can continue;

10 Dec 2023 Nairobi (Kenya) AP. A power blackout hits Kenya at 8 pm, with transport minister Kipchumba Murkomen stating shortly after that government is making a formal request to the police to investigate possible acts of sabotage and coverup;

10 Dec 2023 Dodoma (Tanzania) The Citizen. Government reports having achieved 66% of its Development Vision 2025, listing one notable benchmark of progress, namely Tanzania improving its Human Development Index (HDI) from 0.40 to 0.55 in 2022;

9 Dec 2023 Bujumbura (Burundi) Region Week. Vice president Prosper Bazombanza opens the 23rd edition of the East African Community (EAC) Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Trade Fair;

9 Dec 2023 Djibouti (Djibouti) RFI. Intergovermental Authority in Development (IGAD) heads of state and government host an extraordinary summit in Djibouti to discuss the conflict in Sudan;

9 Dec 2023 Kampala (Uganda) The East African. United States (US) department of treasury sanctions commissioner general of prisons Johnson Byabashaija over allegations of torture in Uganda’s correctional facilities;

9 Dec 2023 Kampala (Uganda) Africanews. A court in Hoima rules against 42 families claiming inadequate compensation for use of land to develop the oil megaproject that will include the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP);

8 Dec 2023 Bujumbura (Burundi) Jeune Afrique. Supreme court sentences former prime minister Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni to life in prison on charges of attempting to overthrow the government, illicit enrichment and destabilising the economy;

8 Dec 2023 Bujumbura (Burundi) Africanews. National assembly approves the composition of the Commission Electorale Nationale Indépendante (CENI) (independent national electoral commission), appointing government spokesman Prosper Ntahorwamiye as the new president, drawing criticism from the opposition;

7 Dec 2023 Nairobi (Kenya) Anadolu Agency. Government announces its intention to send 1,500 casual farm labourers to Israel as part of a broader effort to foster collaboration between the two countries in the agricultural sector;

7 Dec 2023 Hanang (Tanzania) Daily News. President Samia Suluhu Hassan visits Hanang district to assess the extent of the mudslide disaster that has killed 76 people, injured 117 and impacted approximately 1,150 households;

7 Dec 2023 Zanzibar (Tanzania) Daily News. Zanzibar hosts the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) midterm review meeting which has brought together over 300 participants including IDA donors and borrower representatives;

7 Dec 2023 Kampala (Uganda) The East Africa. Members of parliament approve three loans amounting to USh 5.2 trillion ($1.38 billion), pushing the country deeper into debt, which totalled USh 88.8 trillion ($23.5 billion) at end of August;

6 Dec 2023 Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) The Citizen. South Korea-headquartered Mirae Green Chemical Co. Ltd announces the completion of a $5m cashew nut process and cashew nutshell liquid factory in Mkurangab district (Coast Region) which will serve as a key foreign exchange earner;

 

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ARC East Africa Weekly Chronology 7 -13 Dec 2023