News - Afrikan Heroes

How infrastructure and energy are key to a new economic journey in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

October 1, 2019

By Koktso Lediga

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), sub-Saharan Africa’s largest country, is known for being a tough place to do business but also one of unexploited economic potential. Although the country has had a dark cloud looming over it for years, it recently held its first democratic transfer of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960. And like other African countries, the DRC is in pursuit of a stronger and thriving economy. The IMF has the country’s economy‘s growing at a rate of 4.3% in 2019; and nothing suggests that this will not improve in the future.

Koketso Lediga is the Managing Director of Infra-Afrika Agency — Koketso Lediga, Managing Director of Infra-Afrika Agency

For the DRC, the pursuit for a thriving economy is well within reach given its endowment with vast natural resources that could enable it to be a contributor to Africa’s economic growth and global supply of raw materials such as copper. The DRC’s new government seems to be committed to exploiting these natural resources, as demonstrated through the several sector reforms that have already been implemented. The most impactful, both short and long term, being investment infrastructure development & renewable energy, amendments to mining and oil & gas legislation as well as its participation in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

In respect of infrastructure and energy, the DRC captured global attention with the world’s largest proposed hydropower scheme known as the Grand Inga project. A project that aimed to generate about 40,000 megawatts of power from water sourced at the mouth of the Congo River. This amount of energy can cater for a multitudinous size of the population in and beyond the borders of the DRC. Although this magnificent 6-phase project did not come to become reality, the country is fervently building synergies to improve its infrastructure and provide sustainable and stable energy supply for its citizens.

In May 2019, the DRC’s Ministry of Energy and Hydraulic Resources and the multinational clean energy company, Hanergy Thin Film Power Group signed a strategic partnership framework agreement for a 400MV solar power plant. The addition of 400MW onto the grid will go a long way with reducing the electricity scarcity that plagues parts of the country. The Ministry has communicated its commitment to meeting the country’s original target of 65% electrification by 2025. This of course will go a long way towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of universal access to electricity.

The DRC should be applauded for opting to sign a framework agreement which has the ability of creating an environment for parties to identify their common commercial goals. The benefits of framework agreements have been accepted by a number of seasoned lawyers. Duncan Wallace, a member of the UK bar, is of the view that framework agreements can be a commercial motivation for contractors to behave less opportunistically when additional projects, such as those that flow from traditional framework agreements, are on offer.

In July 2019, governments of the DRC, Burundi and Rwanda signed a project agreement for the construction of the Ruzizi III hydropower project. The proposed Build, Own, Operate, Transfer (BOOT) structure is beneficial to all countries as a large portion of the risk will sit with the concessionaire and minimizes the public cost and debt for infrastructure and energy development. Furthermore, this public-private partnership, if executed successfully, will undoubtedly improve the lives of millions in the three countries.

In addition to the developments in respect of renewable energy, the country has made stride in the infrastructure sector, with the new 34-km road which directly links the Kamoa-Kakula copper project, a mining project in the DRC and the Kolwezi airport in Zambia. The completed project will enable the unrestricted flow of trade between the two countries as it will be used to bring in mining equipment & construction materials as well as to transport copper concentrates. Given the African Union’s launch of the “operational phase” of the African Continental Free Trade Area, the economic benefits of this corridor are endless.

Although the DRC occupies the 184th place (of 190) in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2019 report, the country has made strides in achieving political stability and improve its governance to pave way for economic growth and energy and infrastructure development. And as a result, creating a conducive environment for foreign direct investment.

Koketso Lediga is the Managing Director of Infra-Afrika Agency.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry.

Kenya Welcomes New Currency As Deadline For Phase Out of Kenya’s Old KSh1,000 Elapses

In Summary

Analysts say the success of the process will be measured after the country gets the real picture of the total money in circulation.
Economist Tony Watima observes that there is not much evidence of curbing black money through demonetisation.

When the Central Bank of Kenya and the 42 commercial banks in the country shut doors to their branches Monday, all the old Ksh1,000 notes ceased to be legal tender.

The Ksh1,000 note is equivalent to about $10.

CBK Governor Patrick Njoroge has said as soon as his computers were switched off at the close of business Monday evening, all the bank notes not yet converted became worthless pieces of paper.

Many banks closed by 4pm Monday, which means that this was the actual deadline and not midnight Monday.

The CBK has said it would destroy all the old notes collected as the final stage in the four-month demonetisation process that officially ends Monday.

Analysts say the success of the process will be measured after the country gets the real picture of the total money in circulation, even as it becomes clear that it will be impossible to collect all the Ksh217 billion ($2.17 million) that the exercise was targeting.

POSSIBLE OUTCOMES

The CBK caught the country off-guard on June 1 when it announced the demonetisation after secretly printing the new generation bank notes and quietly gazetting the laws to give the notes a legal backbone.

The Central Bank chose a public holiday to launch its attack, seeking to rid the country of dirty money, tax evaders, terrorist financiers, money launderers and deal with counterfeiters.

But with the deadline here with us, it is emerging that the only thing the CBK is sure to have achieved is replacing the old Ksh1,000 notes with the new ones in line with the Constitution.

It is also probable that CBK will end up with a hole on its books estimated to run into billions of shillings if nothing out of the ordinary happens Monday.

This is because Kenyans have been in no hurry to return the money despite the massive awareness campaigns.

WAR ON FAKES

Most companies and retailers have not been accepting the old notes towards the end of the grace period.

On Monday, those who did not want to lose their money walked into a bank or a CBK outlet to convert or risk losing it.

In recalling the 217 million pieces of the old notes in a massive and expensive process that cost the taxpayer over Sh15 billion, the CBK had taken the war back to the doors of counterfeiters.

At the end of it, the bank hoped to suck back Sh217 billion, which represents 80 per cent of all the money in circulation, in a process that would redistribute it back in the economy.

So far there have been no arrests or prosecution of those caught with unexplainable wealth.

Either they had anticipated the June 1 action long before it came and converted the billions in US dollars before CBK came calling, or they opted to lose their loot.

BLACK MONEY

By September 1, only 24 people had walked into any of the commercial banks in the country with more than Ksh2 million ($20,000) to convert.

In fact, 99 per cent of those who converted the notes had Ksh1 million ($10,000) or less.

This means that either no one had more than the Ksh1 million ($10,000) or those who did decided to beat the system by breaking their loot into smaller amounts to escape the scrutiny of the CBK.

There was no rush and hardly did any bank witness scenes seen elsewhere in the world where panicked citizens arrived in banking halls with sack loads of money.

Mr Tony Watima, an economist, says that there is not much evidence of curbing black money through demonetisation, even if circulation of money is stopped as it has been done in Libya, Zimbabwe and India.

“This is because not all corruption income is necessarily cash income. In fact, majority of ill-gotten cash never remains idle, they are always locked in physical assets such as real estate, or high-value purchases, personal foreign travel and investment in unaccounted businesses,” Mr Watima said.

AMOUNT COLLECTED

The CBK has not been keen on giving statistics on the total value of money so far returned.

However by August, about Ksh100 billion ($1 billion) had been exchanged, which was nearly half of the Ksh217 billion ($2.17 billion) that was to be replaced.

In value terms, the CBK said 58 per cent of all the money exchanged by September 1 was less than Ksh500,000 ($5,000) while 75 per cent was less than Ksh1 million ($10,000).

The Kenya Bankers Association chief executive officer, Mr Habil Olaka, says the CBK does not have to print and issue new notes in the market to deal with the deficit, but it will have a better understanding of just how much money is out there in the market to inform its future decisions.

The KBA is the industry lobby that speaks for banks.

On its part, Kenya Forex Bureaus Association Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Nur Ali said it has been business as usual for members and the earlier anticipated spike in currency action by money launderers did not materialise.

PAUL WAFULA writes for The EastAfrican

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based Lawyer with special focus on Business Law, Intellectual Property Rights, Entertainment and Technology Law. He is also an award-winning writer. Working for notable organizations so far has exposed him to some of industry best practices in business, finance strategies, law, dispute resolution, and data analytics both in Nigeria and across the world

VW Launches Ride-Hailing Service to Compete With Uber, Bolt in Africa

September 30, 2019

The growing car-sharing and ride-hailing transport sector across Africa has attracted the attention of the world’s second biggest car maker, Volkwagen as the auto giant joins the fray using its cars from its newly opened automobile assembly plant in Kigali Rwanda as plank, and also using Kigali as test ground. The new ride-hailing service named Move is already attracting interested clientele. Sources from Volkwagen say that the $50 million project is providing car-sharing and ride-hailing as solutions to first enhance mobility and provide access to transportation to those who are in need of it.

CEO of Volkswagen Rwanda Michaella Rugwizangoga

Speaking on what informed the decision to venture into what many have described as an already saturated market where Uber and Bolt have almost 90 percent of the market share, the CEO of Volkswagen Rwanda Michaella Rugwizangoga said that from the company’s survey, there are a new range of customers who don’t want to have the burden of taking care of item, they want be able to drive in the car but they don’t want to worry about insurance, maintenance, fuelling the car etc, they want on demand just in time. And there are too many people who still prefer to take the traditional taxis, he said.

The company says that presently, the Volkswagen ride-service has 23,000 registered users in Kigali, even though only 2,200 of them are active users. Moreso, Move is offering rides at 50 percent less than what existing ride-sharing platforms offer which makes it cost effective to users.

Speaking on whether the new ride-sharing platform will be able to unseat Uber or Bolt, some in Kigali say that while VW may not be able to take over the market, because it will not be able to take all the people who need to move around, even if it was the only company available on the market. But the market is pretty huge as there are too many people who still prefer to take the traditional taxis.

Officials of Volkwagen say that the test run of the business model will take two years before assessment first assessment which will determine if the program would continue or not, and if it will be replicated in other African countries.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry.

Nestlé Launches Special Health and Wellness Programs Across Central and West Africa.

As the world celebrates The World Heart Day yesterday, calls were made by different organizations and individuals not to lose sight of the disturbing rate at which Non Communicable Diseases (NCD’s) are on the rise especially in the tropics . For example high blood pressure has been identified as one of the leading risks for deaths worldwide, and hypertension prevalence rates in some sub-Saharan African countries among the highest in the world leading to heart failures across boards. Moreso, a number of health factors, including lifestyle, age and family history can all contribute to the risk of heart disease and impact on people’s health and well-being according to experts. While age and family history cannot be controlled, research suggests making a few simple changes to your daily routine at home, and at work, can make a difference.

Rémy Ejel, Market Head for Nestlé Central and West Africa (CWA)

To help many in West and Central Africa navigate this growing menace,the world’s largest nutrition and wellness company, Nestlé, has launched a Special Health and Wellness Program across the countries aimed at supporting and promoting its employees’ well-being and to inspire people to lead healthier lives, creating a workplace environment to boost the nutrition, health and wellness of their employees. Speaking on this development, the Market Head for Nestlé Central and West Africa (CWA) Rémy Ejel notes that as the world’s largest nutrition, health and wellness company, Nestlé believes it is time to invest in happier and healthier employees through health and wellness programmes.

“Creating health and wellness activities for employees highlight our purpose to enhance quality of life and contribute to a healthier future to support a more engaged and productive workforce – and also help to cut down on absenteeism, increase productivity and turnover, and as a result, enhance customer quality and satisfaction,” he added.

As part of the efforts aimed at investing in wellness at the workplace, action is already underway to tackle heart and other health issues, and so far, 75 percent of employers worldwide offer wellness resources, information and or a general wellness programme, as highlighted by the 2018 Employee Benefits Report from the Society for Human Resources Management – marking a change in promoting employee health and wellness.

Equally included in this program is to give employees opportunity to learn more about their health, and in turn, improve their lifestyle choices through the global initiative, ‘Know Your Numbers Programme’ (KYNP). According to company sources, this initiative was launched in 2017 in CWA, and again in 2019 as a reminder to all employees to always assess their current health status and set personal health goals, while also helping the company to better understand its employees and create health programmes.

After completing a short, online anonymous Health Risk Assessment (HRA), covering topics such as family health history, tobacco consumption, nutrition and stress, they are provided with an insight on their current health status and areas that need more attention. Employees can also use their previous biometric results – measuring a person’s physical and behavioural characteristics through blood pressure, weight, height and waist circumference – carried out in the past six months by a health care professional, to support their personalised HRA report.

Globally, Google has invested in a People & Innovation Lab (PiLab) to conduct research and think of unique ways to keep its employees healthy. In addition, its Googlers-to-Googlers programme encourages employees to teach other employees fitness practices to keep them healthy. Newmont Goldcorp has created the Military Veterans Programs and Support group in the United States to help employees connect and foster a sense of belonging. In Burkina Faso, Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale organises team sports and fitness sessions for its employees, twice a week. Telecel also leads football matches with other companies in the country, twice a week in a public square.

These are just a few examples to show how companies in the region and worldwide can all actively contribute to improving employee wellness and invest in healthy workplaces. Lending his voice to the development which is said is quite commendable, Mr. Gregoire Scilipoti, the Regional Head of Human Resources at Nestlé CWA said that employees are encouraged to take part in daily ‘wellness breaks’ at their offices across the region, urging them to move from their desks and combat sedentary behavior. He added that they are also getting involved in exercise sessions in the office led by fitness experts, including ‘Workout Thursdays’ in Ghana which was launched earlier this year, Zumba classes in Côte d’Ivoire, and training sessions with a fitness coach in Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Nigeria.“They can get active by using the fitness facilities at our Cameroon and Burkina Faso offices managed by a Wellness Committee. As an alternative, all our workers are offered discounted rates at local fitness centres nearby”, Mr. Scilipoti said.

Lending his voice to that, Gbede Koffi Tohonou, a junior financial accountant in Burkina Faso for the Nestlé Savanna Cluster said that “taking part in fitness sessions is helping me to get fit and healthy, invest in my own personal development and makes me feel part of the company,” On specific international days – such as World Heart Day on September 29 – employees are also offered nutrition advice and recommendations by experts at organised in-house events, and via internal communication messaging. In Ghana, Nestlé employees are able to enjoy ‘Fruity Tuesdays’, where a variety of fruits are offered to instill healthy eating habits and nutritious snacking.

The Nestlé Nutrition Line, a daily public service radio on nutrition, health and wellness which has been running for nearly 20 years, is still being broadcast in the Ghana office to provide employees with healthy living tips and advice. “Instilling a healthy living culture among employees and encouraging them to be ambassadors is very important,” said Philomena Tan, Managing Director for Nestlé Ghana.

“This all has value, as by improving the wellbeing of employees through such activities and wellness programmes, these can help to boost efficiency and productivity, benefit their families, our consumers and stakeholders to enhance quality of life and contribute to a healthier future,” she added.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry.

Transsion, Africa’s top mobile phone seller On Its IPO In China

With over 124 million phones sold in 2018, Transsion, makers of Tecno phone brand and Africa’s top mobile phone seller has gone on its first public offering in China, listing on Shanghai’s STAR Market, selling a share at 35.15 yuan (≈ $5.00), and ending up raising 2.8 billion yuan (or ≈ $394 million). Headquartered in Shenzhen, Transsion is a top-seller of smartphones in Africa under its Tecno brand. The company has also started to support venture funding of African startups.

Here Is All You Need To Know

Transsion issued 80 million A-shares at an opening price of 35.15 yuan (≈ $5.00) to raise 2.8 billion yuan (or ≈ $394 million).
A-shares are the common shares issued by mainland Chinese companies and are normally available for purchases only by mainland citizens.
Transsion’s IPO prospectus is downloadable (in Chinese) and its STAR Market listing application available on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s website.
STAR is the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s new Nasdaq-style board for tech stocks that went live in July with some 25 companies going public.
Transsion plans to spend 1.6 billion yuan (or $227 million) of its STAR Market raise on building more phone assembly hubs and around 430 million yuan ($62 million) on research and development, including a mobile phone R&D center in Shanghai, a company spokesperson said.
The IPO comes after Transsion announced its intent to go public and filed its first docs with the Shanghai Stock Exchange in April.
Listing on STAR Market puts Transsion on China’s new exchange — seen as an extension of Beijing’s ambition to become a hub for tech startups to raise public capital. Chinese regulators lowered profitability requirements for the STAR Market, which means pre-profit ventures can list.
Transsion’s IPO is the second event this year — after Chinese owned Opera’s venture spending in Nigeria — to reflect greater Chinese influence and investment in the continent’s digital scene.
If Transsion’s IPO enables higher smartphone conversion on the continent, that could enable more startups and startup opportunities — from fintech to VOD apps.
Another interesting facet to Transsion’s IPO is its potential to create greater influence from China in African tech, in particular as the Shenzhen company moves more definitely toward venture investing.

Transsion Presence In Africa

Transsion’s IPO comes when the company is actually in the black. The firm generated 22.6 billion yuan ($3.29 billion) in revenue in 2018, up from 20 billion yuan a year earlier. Net profit for the year slid to 654 million yuan, down from 677 million yuan in 2017, according to the firm’s prospectus.

Transsion sold 124 million phones globally in 2018, per company data. In Africa, Transsion holds 54% of the feature phone market — through its brands Tecno, Infinix and Itel — and in smartphone sales is second to Samsung and before Huawei, according to International Data Corporation stats.

Transsion has R&D centers in Nigeria and Kenya and its sales network in Africa includes retail shops in Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Egypt. The company also attracted attention for being one of the first known device makers to optimize its camera phones for African complexions.

On a 2019 research trip to Addis Ababa, TechCrunch learned the top entry-level Tecno smartphone was the W3, which lists for 3,600 Ethiopian Birr, or roughly $125.

In Africa, Transsion’s ability to build market share and find a sweet spot with consumers on price and features gives it prominence in the continent’s booming tech scene.

Africa already has strong mobile-phone penetration, but continues to undergo a conversion from basic USSD phones, to feature phones, to smartphones.

Smartphone adoption on the continent is low, at 34%, but expected to grow to 67% by 2025, according to GSMA.

This, added to an improving internet profile, is key to Africa’s tech scene. In top markets for VC and startup origination — such as Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa — thousands of ventures are building business models around mobile-based products and digital applications.

In August, Transsion funded Future Hub teamed up with Kenya’s Wapi Capital to source and fund early-stage African fintech startups.

China’s engagement with African startups has been light compared to China’s deal-making on infrastructure and commodities — further boosted in recent years as Beijing pushes its Belt and Road plan.

So in coming years, China could be less known for building roads and bridges in Africa and more for selling smartphones and providing VC for African startups.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based Lawyer with special focus on Business Law, Intellectual Property Rights, Entertainment and Technology Law. He is also an award-winning writer. Working for notable organizations so far has exposed him to some of industry best practices in business, finance strategies, law, dispute resolution, and data analytics both in Nigeria and across the world

South Africa is clamping down on illegal foreigners and the South African employers who hire them

It appears the protest against foreigners in South Africa is far from over. This time, the South African government appears to be leading it. According to South Africa’s Employment and Labour minister, Thulas Nxesi, South African government will clamp down on employers not complying with the country’s labour laws by unlawfully hiring foreign workers.

Here Is All You Need To Know

At a departmental ceremony recently, Nxesi said that the influx and employment of displaced foreign nationals in South Africa was not of their making and that the situation was ‘getting out of hand’.

“We cannot in this day-and-age continue with the employment of foreign nationals, and think there will be peace if you are going to take low-level jobs of low-skilled people and give it to displaced people,” he said.

The minister said the intention of employing displaced people was a deliberate act by unscrupulous employers to pay them ‘starvation wages’.

“The intention is to employ displaced people and pay them starvation wages, make them to work long hours, make them to sleep on top of the shops.

“The intention is very simple — it is designed to boost profits through cheap labour,” said the minister.

Nxesi identified hospitality, restaurant, construction, and security as sectors exploiting the displaced foreigners. He said the ‘phenomenon’ was now extending into the retail sector.

“These are not scarce skills jobs. These are jobs that local people can be able to do. Inspectors must deal harshly with employers not complying,” he said.

New legislation

Nxesi’s speech follows confirmation that the Department of Small Business Development is working on a new law that will restrict foreigners from working in certain sections of the economy.

The new legislation will attempt to bar foreign nationals from operating in certain sectors of the economy, a key member of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet revealed this week.

Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola told a fundraising gala dinner hosted by the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation on Thursday night that his small business development counterpart, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, was developing legislation in relation to foreign nationals doing business in South Africa.

SOUTH AFRICA’S DEPORTATION RATES OF FOREIGN NATIONALS, 2014/15

Read also:Here Is Why It Is Difficult For Foreign-owned Startups To Exist In Ghana

“(The minister) is also developing legislation in relation to foreign nationals doing business in our country — which sectors of the economy can they play in and where and how? That is the kind of legislation she is busy with and we are hoping that soon it will be released for public engagement,” Lamola said.

Lamola said the reality was that foreign nationals were needed in certain sectors of the economy for it to grow.

“The legislation will also have to cover and be realistic to such kind of dynamics because we are not going to wake up and have a massive deportation of Zimbabweans, Mozambicans and Lesotho nationals,” Lamola said.

“We need to put in place legislation that will be able to set aside and strike a clear balance that will help us to still grow the economy for the benefit of everyone in South Africa, but still be able to say there are sectors that we need to regulate and be clearly stated that no foreign national can run this kind of a business”.

Lamola denied this was protectionism.

“Because South Africa is the most industrialised economy on the continent, we are going to be the biggest beneficiaries of the Africa Free Trade Agreement. We don’t have the luxury of closing our borders altogether.”

Attacks on foreigners broke out in Johannesburg, South Africa late August 2019, which saw the destruction of more than 50 shops and business premises mainly owned by Africans from countries in the rest of the continent. Cars and properties were torched and widespread looting took place. The violence against African nationals may be a reaction to extra competition for jobs and services in Africa’s most-industrialized economy.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based Lawyer with special focus on Business Law, Intellectual Property Rights, Entertainment and Technology Law. He is also an award-winning writer. Working for notable organizations so far has exposed him to some of industry best practices in business, finance strategies, law, dispute resolution, and data analytics both in Nigeria and across the world

Namibia to issue on-arrival visas to 47 countries

For travellers from these 47 countries below, going to Namibia, a country in Southern Africa, has become easier than before. With this new visa-on-arrival policy, Namibia is more or less throwing its doors wide open for nationals of these countries. Under the new visa on arrival policy, all three categories of passports, whether ordinary, diplomatic and official or service passports are accommodated for purposes of the visa issuance on arrival.

Here Is All You Need To Know

According to Namibian Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Frans Kapofi the launch of the tourist or visitor visas on arrival project excludes people coming to Namibia for employment purposes which obliges such people to apply and acquire employment permits in advance.
Visas on arrival will benefit the certain categories of visitors, which include bona fide tourists (excluding tour guides who are required to obtain employment permits or work visa in advance).
Other categories include potential investors coming to explore business opportunities; visitors coming to attend meetings, seminars, workshops (excluding those coming to perform pay related jobs which still requires one to obtain an employment permit or work visas).
The other category includes friendships and family related visits; or medical related visits.

The List of Selected Countries

The current 27 African countries selected are Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic (CAR), Chad, Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Togo, Tunisia, Western Sahara Republic and Uganda.

Other countries include Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Chile, Czech Republic Hungary, Mexico, Moldova, Nicaragua, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, South Korea, Venezuela, Vietnam, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Ukraine.

The Fate Of Other Countries Not Included In The List Above

According to Kapofi, Namibia does not have a far-reaching diplomatic representation and network across the world.

“Thus, our visitors from specific countries no longer need to apply in advance before departing their countries of origin for tourism, visiting, or transiting through Namibia. Along with this principal decision by the government, Namibia exempted over 60 countries from visa requirements when their citizens are to visit Namibia for tourism purposes,” he noted.

He said these are not the only countries to include on the list for visas on arrival, but this is an ongoing process, which will see more countries brought on board in future.

“In this spirit, we ask other countries to reciprocate or offer Namibia similar visa relaxed benefits for the good of all of us,” he said.

The Procedure For Obtaining Visa On Arrival

Kapofi noted that the procedure will require a visitor to complete a visa application form as he or she arrives at Hosea Kutako International airport.
He will then submit the completed application form together with one’s passport to an immigration officer who will process the application.
Upon approval of the application, the immigration officer will request the applicant to make a payment of N$1080.
To facilitate the payment process, Kapofi said passengers are encouraged to carry credit or debit cards, as speed points are available.
When credit or debit cards are not functioning, provision will be made for exchange of foreign currency at bureau de changes at the airport.
He emphasised that for a visitor to be admitted in Namibia, the immigration officials are still obliged to make the usual background checks, including whether the individual is not a prohibited immigrant in Namibia or do not appear on other watch lists.
It is also required that his or her passport is at least valid for a period of not less than six months from the date of arrival and there should be sufficient pages for endorsement of visas, at least not less than three blank pages.
The period for tourism or visits in Namibia per year is 90 days, which may be granted at once or as per the discretion of the immigration officer at the entry point depending on information provided. The tourist or visitor may apply for extension while in Namibia, which may be granted subject to the payment of a fee of N$580 (including N$80 handling or administrative fee) and reasons advanced.

Airports Currently Used To Implement The Policy

Hosea Kutako International Airport is being used for visas on arrival as a first pilot Phase of this project.
The next phase is Walvis Bay International Airport that will be issuing visas on arrival by end of October 2019; Katima Mulilo Border Post will start by end November 2019; and, Noordoewer, Ariamsvlei, Oshikango, Trans Kalahari and Oranjemund will start in the first quarter of 2020.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based Lawyer with special focus on Business Law, Intellectual Property Rights, Entertainment and Technology Law. He is also an award-winning writer. Working for notable organizations so far has exposed him to some of industry best practices in business, finance strategies, law, dispute resolution, and data analytics both in Nigeria and across the world

Zambian President Nurses Dictatorship, Reforms Constitution

Zambia, well known as Africa’s oasis of democracy as it is one of the very few African countries that has never experienced a military rule, not dictatorship with Keneth Kaunda being its longest ruling president, has been embroiled in a constitutional controversy. This is because the ongoing efforts by the President of Zambia Edgar Lungu to make adjustments to several parts of the country’s Constitution in what observers allege as a quest for dictatorial powers has drawn criticisms within and outside the country. The Constitution reforms will among other things strengthens the powers of President Edgar Lungu with less than two years to go before the general elections.

The new law which will soon be tabled before the National Assembly has become a target for criticism from the opposition and civil society fearing that with an absolute majority in the National Assembly held by Mr. Lungu’s Patriotic Front (FP) they can tow with the law to favour the president. If voted as it stands, Bill 10 extends the President’s powers to appoint judges and ministers, allows him to change the electoral map alone and transfers the responsibility for monetary policy from the Central Bank to the government.

Speaking on the development Prof. Sishuwa Sishuwa Sishuwa, one of Zambia’s most respected academic and critic, and professor of political science at the University of Zambia said that this text (Bill 10) will dig the grave of democracy in Zambia, warning that “it is designed first and foremost to consolidate the FP’s hold on the country and make it impossible to dismiss President Edgar Lungu.”

Political observers note that the political climate in Zambia has deteriorated considerably since the disputed re-election in 2016 of Mr. Lungu, who was accused of authoritarian drift, and has so far been rather calm. Coming in second place, his main opponent, the leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND), Hakainde Hichilema, has always refused to acknowledge the victory of the incumbent, claiming massive fraud. He paid for his insolence of four months’ detention in 2017 for obstructing the presidential convoy, a “crime” qualified by the courts as “treason” and punishable by death.

The charges against him were dropped, but Mr. Hichilema then denounced a “political” imprisonment. Suspicions of authoritarianism against Edgar Lungu were rekindled when he was allowed by the Constitutional Court last year to stand for re-election in 2021. Zambia’s Basic Law stipulates that the Head of State may run for two five-year terms. First elected in 2015 to succeed Michel Sata, who died in the line of duty, Mr. Lungu was re-elected in 2016. As a result, members of the opposition therefore considered that he could no longer be a candidate in 2021, but the country’s highest judicial body ruled that he could. To convince them, Mr. Lungu publicly urged the judges not to “plunge the country into chaos”.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry.

Nigeria’s Trade Dispute with Benin Worsens

September 28, 2019

The disagreement between Nigerian government and the Beninese government that led to the closure of Nigeria’s borders has taken a turn for the worse as efforts made within the week for another emergency meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and President Patrice Talon fell through. Officials from both countries tried to have both leaders have an impromptu face to face meeting on the sidelines of the just concluded United Nations General Assembly in New York within the week, but a last minute hitch thwarted the efforts.

President of Lagos Chamber of Commerce Muda Yusuf

A top Nigerian diplomat who spoke with this Correspondent on condition of anonymity said that the Nigerian government is not warmed to another meeting after the initial meeting between both leaders during the TICAD in Japan failed to achieve desired results. The diplomat said that the belief in many government circles in Nigeria is that the Beninese government is aiding and abetting the smuggling racketeering going on within the border area. This he said is reason why the Nigerian government does not want to have another meeting until its demands during the earlier meeting is met.

This border dispute coming two months after the signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) which both countries were evidently reluctant to sign raises eyebrows on the dangers facing the implementation of the deal. The border blockade which analysts have warned is having a ripple effects across the West African region has caused factories and traders to struggle to import key raw materials and having to use alternative routes for their exports.

Speaking on the dangers of the border closure the President of Lagos Chamber of Commerce Muda Yusuf said that the development is hurting businesses because more than 80% of West African cross-border trade is by road, the cost is quite enormous and the closure is not sustainable.

Bloomberg sources are quoted as saying that the impact of the dispute is being felt as far afield as Ghana, which is separated from Nigeria by Benin and Togo. Manufacturers have complained about the impact on costs, John Defor, research director at the Association of Ghana Industries has said.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry.

Young Rwandans to Gain from Strategic Partnership in Tourism and Hospitality

A new strategic partnership between the Rwanda Development Board and the Mastercard Foundation under the Hanga Ahazaza initiative is expected to help young Rwandans acquire critical skills for the tourism and hospitality sectors of the economy. The Partnership announced yesterday at the World Tourism Day will build critical links between young job seekers and employers, work with employers to develop skills training programs for young employees, and identify skills gaps in Rwanda’s tourism and hospitality sector.

Chief Tourism Officer of the Rwanda Development Board Belise Kariza

Hanga Ahazaza, meaning “create the future”, is a consortium of partners from the education, development, and private sectors. Working together, the initiative supports small businesses and entrepreneurs in the tourism and hospitality sector through increased access to financial services and training, and by connecting them to young people who have the skills needed to be successful employees.