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This section offers news briefs on the 2013/2014 budgets of several East African countries. As the Kenyan government aims to claw back revenues lost in past years, Kenyans are expected to pay more taxes to finance key infrastructure and social projects, including the increase in value-added tax. The government of Rwanda plans to spend 1.6 trillion Rwandan francs in fiscal year 2013-2014, which includes continuing the second phase of the Economic Development and Poverty Eradication Strategy.

The March 16 to April 15, 2013 issue of the periodical "Africa Research Bulletin" is presented. The issue includes reports on the unemployment crisis in North Africa, the demonstrations against unemployment in Morocco, and the poverty rate in Tunisia. It also highlights a report from the African Development Bank, titled "Towards A New Economic Model for Tunisia: Identifying Tunisia's Binding Constraints to Broad-Based Growth."

This document presents updates on economies of African countries as of April 2013. South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has predicted a slower rate of economic growth. A report on the West African economy was presented at the 42nd Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Summit in Cote d'Ivore. The World Bank has approved a loan for Morocco to support the reform of its solid waste industry.

This section presents news on socio-economic developments in Africa as of February 15, 2013. Nigerian lawmaker Farouk Lawan was arrested and held without bail for allegedly soliciting bribe from Zenon Oil and Gas chief executive officer (CEO) Femi Otedola. The African Union held its 2013 summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with Mali one of the leading topics of discussion among delegates. China continues to expand its relationships with African countries including Angola and Nigeria.

This publication covers economic, financial and technical issues from Africa. Such issues include continental developments, policy and practice, industries, and communications and transport. The publication also covers China's growing share of South Africa's manufacturing import and export markets and foreign loans.

The article reports that Chinese President Hu Jintao is being pressured to use his commercial times with Juba and Khartoum in South Sudan to create constructive diplomacy.

A chart is presented that lists the official rates of African currencies against the euro, U.S. dollar and pound sterling including the dinar of Algeria, the kwanza of Angola, and the pula of Botswana.

The article reports that South Africa has been formally invited to join the group of emerging economies called BRIC, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, and China. Experts believe that the accession of South Africa is in consideration of the group's economic interest in Africa. Critics noted the sluggish economic growth of the country compared with the economies of the original members. Bilateral trade between China and South Africa has also rapidly grown.

The article reports on Chinese investments in Burundi, Ghana, Mali, Malta, Rwanda, Mauritania, and the Republic of Congo.

The article focuses on a call from Oxfam on West African countries to invest in measures aimed at preventing an impending food crisis in the region.

The article reports on the Bwana Mukubwa Oil Refinery worth 600 million dollars planned to establish under a public private partnership (PPP) to be situated at the Sub-Sahara Gemstone Exchange Industrial park in Ndola, Zambia.

The article reports on the 350 million U.S. dollars cement project of Dangote Group in the Republic of Congo which will begin production in 2014.

The article cites several economic indicators in 2008 in Sierra Leone including population growth rate, gross domestic product (GDP) growth and foreign direct investment.

The article provides an outlook for the economic condition of Rwanda. It expects that the economy of the country will grow by 7% to 8%, up from 5.5% in 2009. According to Minister of Finance and Economic Planning John Rwangombwa, the agricultural sector was the key factor of economic growth, having registered a 10.4% growth in 2009. Moreover, financial experts from the agency anticipate that private sector will increase by at least 20%, therefore, boosting the economic activity.

The article reports on the sharp increase in the cocoa prices due to the negative outlook for the harvest in Côte d'Ivoire, the largest producer of cocoa in the world. It notes that aging cocoa tress in the nation have been infected by disease which could lead to reduction in production. It also states that the forecasts released by the International Cocoa Organisation on August 2009 have implied rising supply deficit.

The article focuses on the topics discussed by Cas Coovadia, managing director of the Banking Association of South Africa, during the annual Southern Africa Banking Conference held on September 14, 2009. Coovadia notes that financial institution should look at opportunities that will arise after the economic crises and to build sustainable business platforms. He points out that regional central banks and governments should be careful in implementing regulations in an attempt to solve the crisis.

The article reports on the decision of lawmakers in Malawi to authorise the spending of $16.2 billion for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. It notes that the disagreement between the government and the opposition, which lasted for three months, has prevented the budget from being passed in June that nearly put the government's function at a complete standstill.

The article reports on the 2009 finance bill adopted by the Algerian government led by President Adbelaziz Bouteflika, which was predicated on an oil price of £37 per barrel and a growth rate of 4.1%. The budget increased the state's spending to help complete the economic and social reforms and maintain subsidies despite a growing deficit. Government spokesman Abderrachid Boukerzaz said that the bill was aimed at simplifying the tax system and strengthening measures against fiscal fraud.

The article reports on the statement by the Indian Ocean tourism minister of Mauritius that the country's tourism sector will have slower growth due to the implications of economic slowdowns in key European markets and high fuel prices. According to Xavier Luc Duval, tourist arrivals will be down by 15.1% in 2008 and revenue will only be around 10%. It states that tourism accounts for 9.2% of the island's gross domestic product (GDP) and about 5% of jobs. The country is targeting to receive two million tourists by 2015.

The article offers news briefs related to international economy. African Development Bank (ADB) has approved a grant of $73.5 million to boost growth and promote good governance in Burkina Faso. According to the national survey, around 1.35 million people were unemployed in 2007 in Malawi. The Statistics Bureau in Mauritius revived gross domestic product (GDP) forecast for 2008 to 5.7% from 6%.

The article announces that Mauritania received five million dollars from the World Bank to develop its Business Environment Enhancement Project.

The article offers news briefs about economies in Africa. The government of Ghana has launched a program that will provide up to 50% grant refinancing to rural dwellers for the purchase of solar home systems and solar lanterns. Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has approved a tariff for electricity consumption in the country. The 8th extraordinary summit meetings of the head of state and government of the nine member countries of the Niger Basic Authority, held in Niamey, has adopted a water charter.

The article focuses on copper demands, as well as, how Zambian economy would not be affected by the projected world recession. According to the Johannesburg-based paper the "Financial Mail", copper reached its record high demand on March 6, 2008. On the other hand, the Zambian economy is expected not to be affected by the world recession partly due to its increased copper exports. In addition, says National Secretary of the Economics Association of Zambia Chibamba Kanyama, rising returns and focus on global capital on the African continent are among the reasons for Zambia's strong economic performance against the recession.

The article reports about the regeneration of ports in Liberia. This paper focuses on the significance of ports to ensure smooth flow in exports around the country. Port Harper is set to cater as the rubber port in the country and Buchanan will be developed to support the other raw materials in the country. Arcelor Mittal, an ore producing company pledged an increase in investment for Liberian iron ore. Ore products will be transported from Yekepa to Buchanan through rail. Structural projects and redevelopment in rail and ports are in full swing in time for the set beginning of shipments in 2009.

The article reports on the imperative to make the skies of Africa safer. It is said that Africa's air accident rate has prompted the governments to act free up air travel. It is stated that the air sector in the world's poorest continent is lagging badly in its freight and passenger traffic as the global aviation industry heads for turbulence in 2008. It is further said that improvements in training, technology, and infrastructure could make a difference and an urge to African governments to act to improve safety standards was made.

The article reports on the default rating of Cameroon focusing on its economic performance. Fitch Ratings reports that Republic of Cameroon has been issued a Long-term foreign currency issuer Default Rating (IDR) with a ranking of "B". This include Stable Outlook and Short-term foreign currency IDR. The Default Rating is a sign of weak economic fundamentals as the country relies mainly on agriculture and commodities exports of oil. External shocks also contribute as a big factor. This paper discusses the growth in GDP, investment rates, public spending in infrastructures, energy, and other issues.

The article reports on Africa's first wide gauge railway to link Isaka to Kigali. It discusses that a 1,435mm standard gauge railway will be constructed by Tanzania and Rwanda from Isaka to Kigali, connecting the two countries using the region's first heavy duty wide gauge line. The construction of the railway will be manned by the United States company Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and is expected to ease the movement of cargo from Tanzania to Rwanda. It infers the railway will be able to tolerate heavy cargo.

The article reports that Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe has signed into law the country's indigenization legislation. The legislation empowers the state to take over control of foreign businesses. It also requires foreign-owned companies and those owned by people not disadvantaged during the colonial times to sell 51 percent of their shares to indigenous Zimbabwens. The author declares that the move is in line with the upcoming election. He declares that the timing of the presidential assent suggests the ruling ZANU-PF party sees it as a vote winner.

The article offers information on the construction of a methanol production facility in Nigeria. The local daily "BusinessDay" reported that this country will host the world's largest methanol plant with the Lagos Free Trade Zone situated in the country's Southwest. Relative to this, the deal for the building of the plant was signed by a Nigerian subsidiary of Eurochem Corporation, Viva Methanol Limited. Moreover, UPO LLC will provide basic engineering, technology, catalysts and technical support for the new plant which is expected to be in full operation by 2012.

The article offers information on the energy project of the Organisation for the Development of the Gambia River (OMVG). It is posed that the second donor round table discussion of the OMVG has raised US$795m or 67% of the overall cost of the project. Moreover, it is also forwarded that preliminary work on the project is projected to start soon. This development was strengthened by the funding of four members states which include The Gambia, Guinea, Senegal, and Guinea Bissau. The project involves the construction of hydroelectric dams in Kaléta, Guinea and in Sambagalou, Senegal.

The article focuses on the agreement of Paris Club creditors to cancel US$180 million debt of Guinea Bissau. According to the report, the arrangement has been settled under a certain term contrived by the Paris Club for the execution of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative interim debt relief. A restructuring of Bissau's external public debt was also agreed upon by the country's government and the club, following the approval by the International Monetary Fund of a new agreement under the poverty Reduction and Growth Facility.

The article reports that the Paris Club have agreed on restructuring debt agreement to strengthen the initiative for High Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC). The report, which was issued on January 24, 2008, further notes that the agreement is a result of the participation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in December 21, 2007 to relaunch the financial support plan to Guinea. Relative to this, Guinea owed the Paris club a total of $830m as of January 1, 2008 while the Paris Club believes that these measures will aid in the reduction of $37m to the $415m debt by Guinea to the donors of the Paris Club between January 1, 2008 to January 31, 2010.

The article reports that the main development partners of Gambia pledged financial assistance of US$175m over the next three years to support the poverty reduction strategy of the country. The contributions were announced during the end of a Round Table Conference in London on February 5-6, 2008 which were attended by the representatives of the 27 bilateral, multilateral and other donor agencies like Bretton Woods institutions. The announcement also includes prospects for additional funding from debt relief, grants and other financial resources.

The article discusses the package of measures unveiled by the South African government which includes price hikes, rationing and renewed push for alternative energy sources. The package of measures also include plans to link Inga Hydro scheme on the Congo River with the South African grid. It is also reported that Eskom, power utility in South Africa, will start on new nuclear power station at the Koeberg site near Cape Town by 2010. The company plans to secure power supplies by 2012. With this statement, the author mentions that South Africa still has to suffer power outage until 2012.

The article discusses concerns on South Africa's future political stability, negative investment climate and relatively high labour costs. It indicates that the foreign-currency long-term deposit ratings of its 5 largest local banks including Standard Bank, Absa and Nedbank were downgraded to Baa1. It notes that its wildcat strikes has put pressure on its exports as its imports become more expensive. It cites the Marikana incident as a wake-up call for the government to act on service delivery.

The article reports that the real economic activity in Burkina Faso is expected to remain strong in 2013 due to the agricultural and development policies of its government's development programme.

The article looks at the budget of East Africa for 2012-2012. Four of the five East African Community (EAC) member countries have a total budget of 33 billion U.S. dollars for 140 million people. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are said to be facing the challenge of maintaining their economic growth rates amid global economic uncertainties, high inflation and weak currencies. The priority areas to ensure that Kenya sustains its economic growth momentum are outlined.

A 2012 annual index that serves as a supplement to "Africa Research Bulletin: Economic, Financial and Technical Series" is presented.

The article discusses the approval of the World Bank of Executive Directors on the Global Environment Facility grant in Egypt. The author mentions that the grant is comprised of $49.80 million for the El Kureimat solar thermal power plant. He explains that the aim of the project is to increase the share of renewable energy in the Egyptian generation mix. The author also explains that this project is also expected to contribute to the aim and desire of the government to diversify the power production in Egypt.

The article discusses the loan and grant approval of the African Development that aims to improve the electricity supply in Tanzania. It mentions that the loan grant is amounting to $47.2 million. Access to electricity is low in Tanzania despite abundance and richness in the country's energy resources. Energy consumption of the country is being derived from biomass, fuelwood, and charcoal. Only 1% of the country's population living in rural areas and 10% overall have access in the country's electricity.

The article discusses the approval of the World Bank Executive Directors on the International Development Association's loan grant. The loan consists of $41.5 million for the Ethiopia- Sudan Interconnector that will allow power trading between two countries. 6% and 22 % of the populations of the said countries have access to the electricity. In this manner, Ethiopia's power export revenue generation capacity will be promoted. The project also aims to enable Sudan to replace domestic thermal generation with surplus hydropower from Ethiopia.

Information about several papers discusses the UN Conference held in Bali, Indonesia on December 15 to 16, 2007 is presented. Topics include the "Bali roadmap," which charts a course towards a deal on cutting carbon emissions. The Bali Action Plan has also officially given financial support for the prevention of deforestation in developing countries.

The article explores the impact of the tourism sector on the economic development of Cape Verde. The country's terrorism has been tagged as the driver of its economic growth with a significant increase of 40 percent on arrivals between 2002 to 2007 and the doubling of accommodation capacity to 11,000 beds since 2000. In response to this trend, the government starts working on a master plan to anticipate possible weaknesses in accommodation. The author states that Sal is the main point of tourist-related development in Cape Verde as it remains to be the only island in the country with international air access.

The article discusses the transmission of the financial assistance of the European Union and other donors into direct budget support for Cape Verde. This trend provides the government with more opportunities to work on immediate action for the country. The author stresses that the altered gross domestic product (GDP) estimate reflects the achievement of the government's target of reaching double-digit growth by 2011. He also highlights the contribution of tourist-related foreign investment as well as strong domestic demand on the country's sudden change on its economic condition.

The article reports on developments in the tourism industry in Uganda. A wildlife reserve set aside for destruction to make way for biofuel crops has been saved after a study revealed that it would earn more from eco-tourism. More than 7,000 hectares of a forest known as a wildlife jewel were to be torn down and replanted with sugar cane for the production of ethanol. The commercial value of tourism and carbon capture in Mabira was approximated at more than $316 billion a year, while sugar cane production would yield a maximum of 35,784 tons over three years and be worth less than $20 million.

The article reports that SN Brussels, Belgium's national airline, will launch Air DC, a central African regional carrier, early in 2008 in partnership with Democratic Republic of Congo's Hewa Bora Airways. Hewa Bora will have a 51% state in Air DC, while SN Brussels will own 49%. Air DC will initially operate flights to Lubumbashi and Mbuji-Mayi. Routes to the capital Kinshasa have yet to be finalized. SN Brussels Congo director Johan Martens stated that Air DC will serve the main domestic points in Congo and also regional destinations.

The article reports on the creation of Fair Trade Tourism South Africa. It is said that it has been set up to promote the concept and principles of fair trade in the South African tourism industry. It aims to benefit the communities and workers and in turn the industry is more sustainable. It is said that the group has used a grant of 300,000 pounds from the UK government's Department for International Development. It is further said that only tourism businesses that adhere to criteria such as fair wages and working conditions, among others are qualified for the trademark.