Category Archives: Minerals

Canadian firm is to develop Buckreef mine in Tanzania following the lastest multimillion dollar deal

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo.

The Buckreef gold mine will restart operation after 17 years following a USD 280 million deal with Tanzania’s State Mining Corporation has entered into Canadian gold explorers, Tanzanian Royalty Exploration Corporation.

Information emerging from Dar e Salaam say, the move is in line with the new Mining Policy and Mining Act 2010 which allow s the government to take an active role in mining by owning shares in the business concerns.

“We aim at a win win situation reflected in a national and fair revenue sharing from the mining and energy sectors,” said Deputy Minister for Energy and minerals Adam Malima.

The state-owned mining company, known as Stamico, will hold a 45 per cent of the shares while the remaining will be owned by Tanzanian 2000, a subsidiary of the Canadian company.

Malima was quote by the local press as saying that the government was actively engaged in mining activities after the enforcement of the law. The Buckreef goldmine is estimated to have deposits amounting to1,450 million ounces.

“Exploration is still underway to determine whether there are more deposits at the site”,said Minister Malima.

He explained that the company had already requested the ministry to enlarge the mining site from the current four square kilometers to 16 square kilometers..

According to Ally Samaje, the acting Commissioner for Minerals at the Ministry, Stamico closed down the mine after failing to properly manage the costly mining operations. The mine was closed in 1994 and since then Stamico has been scouting for a strategic partner to re-develop the facility,” said Samaje.

Tanzania 2000 will have 30 months to complete a research and feasibility study that will cost USD 20 million.

The mining sector in Tanzania currently contribute about 2.3 per cent of the GDP, which is projected to rise to 10 per cent in 2003.The joint venture comes as the Tanzanian government plans to raise royalty payments on gold exports by the end of this year.

The country’s Minister for Energy and Minerals William Ngeleja disclosed the government has already reached an agreement with mining companies to raise royalty payments from the current 3 per cent to 4 per cent.

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KENYA: THE NEWLY REALIGNED RANGWE CONSTITUENCY IS MINERAL RICH AND COULD TURN THE GREATER SOUTHERN NYANZA REGION AROUND

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo In RongoTown

The creation of a separate parliamentary constituency mainly for Homa-Bay town and its environs will now easy pressure of development activities for the older larger Rangwe electoral area.

Previously all the development activities were concentrating in areas along the Lake Victoria, especially areas around Homa-Bay town and its environs.

The reason being so is the fact that nearly all he previous MPS, with exception of Dr. Shem Ochuodho brief stint in the August House between 1992 and 1997, came from around the lake shorelines. They include Prof Ouma Muga (1988-190), Ray Oloo Ndong,’ {1990 -1992}, Prof Ouma Muga {1992-1997}, Dr Shem Ochuodho {1997-2002}, Eng Phillip Okundi {2002=2007} and the incumbent Martin Otieno Ogindo 2007.

The separation of Homa-Bay town and its environs still has left Rangwe as one of the largest rural constituencies in the greater Southern Nyanza region covering half a dozen of Administration Locations, stretches from Oluch –Nyangweso at the northern tip in an area bordering Rangwe and Karachuonyo constituencies.

Rangwe is now covering locations such as Gongo, Kagan East and Kagan West, Kochia East and Kochia West, Gem East, Gem Central and Gem West. Most of these farming administrative rural locations are lying in areas previously neglected, but highly potential for agricultural development, and massive production.

The upper part of the constituency, particular from the boundary of Bonchari on the Kisii side, along he Riana Valley is said to be holding massive deposits but untapped wealth in the precious stones {Gold}. These areas which are close to River Riana which wounding up and flow its water into River Kuja {Gold}.

The gold deposits which is said to be of commercial value runs underneath of both some parts of Rangwe and neighboring Rongo constituencies. It starts from Go Nyinyo in Kamwango sub-Location in North Kamagambo run down to Oboke Market in Rangwe down to opapo in Ndhiwa.

This particular area covering River Riana valley winding up at Marindi Trading Center has also potential for sugar cane growing apart from the cash crops such as maize, vegetable, sorghum, coffee and other domestic crops. Several investors both local and international companies have been reported to have shown interests in establishing a new medium size white sugar manufacturing plant around Opapo. The areas mentioned has the best annual rainfall, which is conducive for massive production.

However, a young Nairobi based entrepreneur has come forward with a far reaching plans and strategy to develop the agro-based small cottage manufacturing industries, which is sounding viable.

Eng Joseph Mboya Nyamuthe, who hails from Gem West location within Rangwe constituency, has already established one agro-based industry, which is manufacturing sweet potatoes.The plant is at Ndiru in Kagan Central.

Photo of Eng Joseph Mboya who is trying hard to creaet jobs for the youths by launching agro-based manufacturing plants in Rangwe

Mboya Nyamuthe who announced last week that he would be vying for the Rangwe parliamentary seat hitherto was unknown character and personality in Rangwe, though he has been carrying out feasibility studies on various cash crops and their economic values to the community.

He said h was happy that the residents of Central an parts of Kochia West have resolved to go full blast in pineapple crops, and although already one plan is in the process of being put in place, there will be the need in the near future to have a much bigger pineapple squeezing plant. Pineapple grown in Kochia area has proved to b popular with the hotels an family tables all over Kenya.

He said the greatest impediment is the access and feeder roads across the constituency. Nobody has pressurized he government to construct the highly potential Oyugis Rangwe road. This road is vital because farmer could easily access market places outside the constituency.

The Rangwe -Rodi-Kopany also need to be tarmacked so as to have it linked to the main Homa-Bay-Rongo road. Also needed to be upgraded is Rangwe- Asumbi-Sunika road, and Rangwe Oboke-Rongo road. But priority should be given to Oyugis-Rangwe and Rangwe-Rodi Kopany road.

Rasidents of Rangwe, said Eng ,Mboya Nyamuthe are wondering about where the millions of shillings located for the district road maintenance goes, and yet Oyugis Rangwe road has remained impassable at time even pathetic for close to five years. On the side of Kasipul Kabondo then this road is perfect, but once a motorist crosses into Rangwe constituency then it became nightmarish.

Cotton is another economically important crop, though it has been neglected in he past efforts should be made to have this money minting crops back in production.

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Six more gold miners die when a 12 feet deep mine pit walls caved in killing them instantly

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Awendo Town.

Two brothers were among the six gold mine diggers who perished in a fresh mining incident when the 12 feet deep gold mine walls caved in.

The incident occurred at Nyamome Village in Nyabisawa location, Suba West Division, Migori district within the County of Migori.

The latest deaths bring to 13 the number of people who have died of the gold mines related accidents within three weeks within the greater Southern Nyanza region.

In the first incident three people died while the fourth person ho was pulled out of the rubbles’ unconscious has also been reported to have died in hospital. The first incident took place in Nyatike district, but also within Migori County.

The third incident in which a white foreigner, suspected to be the investor, died while making a concerted effort to pull out the bodies of his dead workers took place at Nyahera area of Central Kasipul in the Rachuonyo South district within Homa-Bay County.

In this particular incident, the mine wall did not caved in, but the worker had gone in to the hole with power generator water pump to pump out water which had filled the pit. The engine developed mechanical problem following the fuel leakage which burnt the fresh air and the men simply could not breathe and all suffocated and died.

In another gold mining related death three people were buried alive when the mine they were working on caved in killing the three instantly and seriously injuring one at Kanyasrega in Sakwa North Location, Awendo district also within Migori County.

The police in Rongo district had hinted that they would mobilize the people to ensure that all the gold mine pits are covered to avoid more deaths.

In the first incident in Nyamome village, only five kilometers south west of Migori town, the word had gone around that the huge gold deposit in the area attracting close to more than 200 prospectors, some of them travelling from distant places far away from Migori town.

Migori deputy police Chief James Mwangi was among he first senior government officials to arrive at the scene of the accident, which took place on Monday at 11AM. It occurred after about twelve miners had worked in the pit for close to eight hours. The miners entered into the pit against the backdrop of the warning that following the incessant downpour of heavy rains the ground was weak and as such the mines wall stand the risk of caving in.

The police said ten men were working in the mine pit, and effort to rescue the four who remained missing were under way, though the rescuer were using crude equipment such as jembes and spades,

One survivor told newsmen that he had warned his colleagues to steer clear of the mine pit and not t go much deeper because the ground was wet and weak, but none could hear of his advice.

Migori and Nyatike are mineral rich region of the greater Southern Nyanza. Before independence in 1962 several full fledged mines were operational, one at Masara and the other one perhaps the largest, at Macalder gold and copper as well as nickel thrives. But the white mining experts left in a huff fearing that free Kenya could turn chaotic in the same fashion like it happened in the Congo a few years earlier.

Also in Kuria there was a gold mine in Kehancha and also in neighboring Trans-Mara district at Lolgorien and Nyamongo. Another thriving and most important gold mine was located at Kitere on the site where Moi University campus now stand. The departing white managers, however, left the country in huff and never thought of having the mine pit sealed to avoid accidental death by the locals and domestic animals. Most of the facilities were established during the “Big Gold Rush” of the 1930s.

Both Migori and Kuja Rivers are also reported rich in alluvial gold prompting illegal prospecting by locals using crude means.

A number of local and foreign companies are currently prospecting for minerals in Migori, Rongo and Homa-Bay regions, which are believes to be rich in minerals including uranium, cement and limes.

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Kenya: Three gold miners died when the mines pit caved in Awedo district while the forth man is rescued in a critical condition

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Rongo Town.

THREE gold miners died when walls of a gold pit collapsed killing them instantly leaving the fourth man hospitalized with serious injuries.

The four, all from one family, met their fate last Friday at Kanyasrega village, Sakwa North Location, Awendo district within Migori County.

The death comes only a week after a team of the Parliamentary Committee on Land and Natural Resources led by Chairman Hon Mutava Musyimi made an inspection tour of the region and issue a stern warning on the safety of the minefields.

The team visited Nyatike Constituency in the neighboring Nyatike district and urged relevant government authorities to take the issue of mining and safety of the miners seriously.

More deaths occasioned by laxity in mining rules have been experienced in Nyatike and Rongo districts where over ten people have so far died recently.

The team visited the region at the invitation of the Nyatike MP Edick Omondi Anyanga who has persistently blamed the government for neglecting the miners, and for failing to realize and recognize the economic significance of the country’s minerals.

The MP has called on the government to ensure that those working in the quarries are well protected from work hazards.

The Nyatike has also scathingly criticized the government for not properly auditing the movement of gold produce by foreign miners who could be engaged in suspicious dealing such as siphoning and shipping gold out of the country through “Panya” roost via the neighboring countries to defeat taxation by the Kenya Revenue Authority {KRA}.

The MP has also decried the peanut payment by foreign investors to the mine diggers who are made to sweat it out I the burning heat under unsafe conditions.

In the latest incident the local deputy OCPD James Mwangi confirmed that the four had just entered the mines pit at Kanyasrega village near Ranen SDA Mission in Sakwa North Location.

There are two mining pits in the area both of them were abandoned by the old Kitere Gold Mines Ltd which closed its mining activities in the area in the early 1962 shortly before independence in 1963.Theminers had avoided th second pit because it was filled by water following heavy downpour in the region in the rent past.

The names of the victims were given as Ogaja Gony, Omondi Owiti an Okungu. The fourth person who was rescued in a critical condition and rushed o Hospital was given as Isaiyah Agoro.

The police said the four had just entered the pit in the morning when the walls caved in on them leaving suffocated underground and killing instantly.

The villagers managed to rescue one of the miners and brought him to the surface alive, but in a critical condition and rushed to the hospital. Further preliminary investigation reveals that the walls of the mine pit were weakened by the heavy rains pounding the area.

According to the police, the rescue team was not only inadequate, but that they were also poorly equipped, and it took the whole day before the rescuers could retrieve the bodies from the mining pit due to lack of equipment such as heavy earth moving machines.

The Deputy police boss called on the locals to refrain from prospecting gold especially during this time when it is raining.

He revealed that he police team is currently working with the local council to block the caves and ensure that no mining operations take place to help protect lives.

He said apart from the caving by the miners have also led to many deaths especially of the passersby and animals.

The regions were the beehives of mining activities from as early a 1930s during the “Big Gold Rush” when foreign multinational companies invaded the region and establish full fledged gold mines at Masara, Macalder and Kitere.

The mining activities had also extended into Kehancha in the neighboring Kuria district and also at Lolgrien in the neighboring Trans-Mara district near the Maasai Mara game Reserves.

But all of a sudden, the gold mines were abandoned with some of the pits left uncovered in the early 1960s as the foreign miners dashed home when the country approached its final journey to political independence in 1963.

The foreigners left in huff owing to fears that politics in Kenya would turn into chaotic situation similar to those witnessed in the Congo in 1960.

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KENYA: GOVERNMENT IS TOLD TO TAKE ACTIVE PART IN REGULATING MINERAL EXPLORATION IN PARTS OF GREATER SOUTHERN NYANZA REGION.

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo In MigoriTown.

MEMBERS of the Parliamentary Committee on Land and Natural Resources led by their chairman Matava Musyimi made extensive tour of the mineral rich Nyatike constituency in Migori County to assess for them the situation on the ground.

They were accompanied by the abrasive Nyatike MP Edick Omondi Anyangawho in the recent past has incessantly bitterly complained about what he terms as “grace exploitation” of local gold diggers by foreign and local investors who makes millions in profits, but only paying peanuts to the local people engaged only on manual work of digging and exacerbating for the precious stone.

The purpose of the visit by the committee is to institute proper regulation to govern mining of gold and copper in the area.

During a public meeting and exchange of views held at Macalder, the residents told the MPs that lack of proper legal framework has negated the economic benefits the residents would enjoy from the mining industry in the area.

The residents bitterly complained that the miners do not understand how the companies were going about their businesses and appealed for proper sensitization of the local community.

They said they have no problems with mining firms operating in the area, but they want the government to come up with laws “so that things are put straight “ their spokesman Ouma Nyakiya told the Committee members.

There has been discontentment by the local communities over what they called naked exploitation by multinational and local companies prospecting for the gold in the region. This prompted the area MP Edick Omondi Anyanga to call a for probe over the methods of exporting he precious stone to foreign markets. There were rumors awash that some prospectus could be siphoning the gold for export via the neighboring Tanzania and not paying the necessary taxes to the government coffer.

The legislators who were led by their chairman Hon Rev Mutaba Musyimi promised the residents that the team would come up with a report on the matter. “

“The community wants to know the manner in which these companies are operating. They need sensitization, a proper legislative framework and the government’s protection,”

However, the Nyanza based government geologist Martin Nyakinya defended the investors saying that currently the firm which is on the site {Bedrock} “was undertaking exploration, which he said would take much longer time to yield in actual mining. especially now that many companies that have come for the exercise are pulling out because questions of the financial viability of the project,” said Nyakinya.

The Geologist said one firm, Mid-Migori Company, had been granted the license to prospect for the minerals, but later entered into joint venture with other companies after it fell short of technical and financial capability.

The area MP who conducted the team around Edick Omondi Anyanga appealed to the government to intervene and resolve the issue for the community to benefit from the mining.

“We are standing on gold worth billions of shilling and the government should come in and help the situation,” said the MP.

Earlier the committee members heard that some of the companies which had been licensed to carry out exploration activities, were instead mining the minerals. ”Mining is going on, this is not an exploration exercise. There cannot be 20 years of prospecting and we suspect it is mining that is going on ,” said Mumias MP Benbjami Washiali.

In the late 1930 through to the 1940s and 1950s, there were full fledged gold mining companies in Mcalder Gold and Copper Mines Ltd, and also in Masara, Kihancha in the neighboring Kuria region and Lolgorien in the neighboring Trans-Mara region.

Macalder Mines later changed it hand in the 1950s and it was taken over by the Commonwealth Development Corporation {CDC}.

Another highly vibrant Gold Mines was situated at Kitere in the site where today sits the Mit Campus of the Moi University at Kitere. But all the mines were suddenly closed down in 1962 as the county approached its political independence in 1963. The expatriate miners hurriedly left the country in huff fearing that politically related chaos would erupt and that Kenya was just about to go the Congo way.

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An Australian company has started mining for coal in Tanzania to help in power generation

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo

REPORTS emerging from the Tanzanian capital, Dar Es Salam say an Australian firm Intra Energy Corporation {IEC} has started coal mining in Tanzanian coastline of Indian Ocean.

The work has started at Mbalawala Mine, Ngaka coalfield in Tanzania and is targeting both domestic and export thermal coal markets of Kenya, Mauritius and India.

The Tanzania government awarded the firm a mining license in August that allows it to provide domestic coal in Tanzania for power generation and coal export starting before the end of 2012.

The executive chairman of the firm Graeme Robertson was quoted last week by the local media houses as saying that starting this month they will produce between 120 and 500 kilo tones of coal per annum, going for between USD 80 and USD85 per tone on the domestic market.

The firm will also start producing 120 megawatts of coal fired electric power with target of 1,000 MW in 2013.

Robertson further stated that after 12 and 18 months, IEC plans to ramp-up coal production to as much as 3.5 metric tones per annum to support domestic power generation in addition to industrial sales of 0.5 metric tones per annum.

“The coal- fired powered stations could be constructed by IEC and a joint venture partner, or by the government. or a third parties with a specific energy-intensive project,” he said.

IEC said that until coal-fired power plants are constructed in the region, initial customers are likely to be East African industrial users such as cement manufacturers, who are currently using expensive imported coal or low-quality alternative products.

“IEC understands that at least two contracts have been signed, though the details are considered confidential,” said Robertson, adding that 1,000 tones of Seam Three bulk samples has been sent to Tanga Cement and Mbeya Cement for testing.

Tanzanian Minister for Energy and Minerals William Ngeleja disclosed that mining license was granted on August 22 after receipt of an Environmental Impact Statement and that the mine site and port infrastructure is under construction.

The Mbalawala Mine was officially opened to the community and local government on May 19 this year.

The IEC says it prefer to own and operate services that are critical to mining as opposed to out sourcing, including establishment of business units such as mining, geology and technical services, catering assaying and drilling.

The strategy, according to IEC, is to set up an “ integrated profit center” that can boost the local economy and allow internal control of costs and scheduling.

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Energy and Minerals January Makamba said investment in coal is a way to fight the persistent power deficit in the country.

“Countries like the US and the UK were dependant of coal, which drove them to development. So coal will bring significant progress to rescue Tanzania from darkness, “he added.

While Tanzania has a mineable reserve of 40-million tones of coal, about 250,000 tones of coal is imported from South Africa per year.

Meanwhile a report has revealed that East African coastline is increasingly attracting investors interests as a major natural gas hub following recent commercial discovery in Tanzania and Mozambique.

Mozambique is estimated to have over 6 trillion cubic feet {tcf} of gas while Tanzania has 7.5 trillion cubic feet of the resource.

Petroleum Development Consultants {PDC} said China, India and Japan are the potential export markets for liquefied natural gas {LNG} from Tanzania nd Mozambique once the infrastructure is in place.

“The interesting question is whether there will be a liquefaction plant in both Tanzania and Mozambique or whether a single shared location could be developed,” said PDC managing director David Aron.

He said natural gas from the Pande and Temane onshore fields in Mozambique is currently exported to South Africa while Tanzania gas, produced from offshore fields, is used primarily for power generation.

Toronto-listed Orca Exploration, through its subsidiary Pan-African Energy, is operator of the offshore Songo Songo gas field, jointly with Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation {TPDC} and Bermuda’s Globleq.

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Tanzania plans to establish ten new airports to ease air travels in the country

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo

INFORMATION emerging from Dar Es Salaam says Tanzania has envisaged plan of establishing and upgrading ten regional airports countrywide at USD 67.5 million infrastructure project set to kick off before the end of the year 2012.

The project will also feature the completion of the modernization of Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar Es Salaam to enable it to handle more than 30 planes per hour, up from the current 11 planes an hour beginning July 2012.

Transport Minister Omar Nundo was quoted last week as saying the airports will be built in Kigoma and Tabora regions in the western parts of the country. In Rukwa and Mbeya regions in the Southern highlands, Mafia district {Coastal},Msalato {Dodoma},Singida,Mwanza, Arusha and Bukoba [Kagera}.

“Construction of the airports will improve infrastructure helping the aviation industry meet the increased demand,” said the Minister.

Despite the existing tourist attractions such as the world famous Serengeti National Game Park, Mt Kilimanjaro and the sea resort of Zanzibar,Tanzania has not hit tourism target due to poor infrastructure and other failures. For example, 794 tourists visited Tanzania in 2010 against a one million tourist target, although earning increased by 11 per cent during the period to USD 1.28 billion.

This has seen mining industry overtake tourism as the main country’s foreign exchange earner. Officials said the initial plan was completed last year, while the feasibility study has been presented to the World Bank for approval.

Construction of Songea International Airport in Mbeya region is currently going on and is on course to be completed in December this year.

The Tanzania Airport Authority has completed feasibility and design for Msato Airport in Dodoma.The government has kicked off a compensation plan for the residents who will be affected by the project.

Finance Minister Mustafa Mkulo was also quoted in the local media as saying that the government was involved in serious discussion with its development partners as well as the Arab Bank for African Development and African Development Bank for a USD 105 million loan for the construction of Msalato International Airport.

The government has set aside USD 650 in the 2011-2012 budgets for the same project. Terminal 1 and 11 at the Julius Nyerere international Airport are currently 12 million passengers a year, but are now handling up to 1.5 million passengers. This should help ease congestion at the airport. The two terminals were designed to handle 1.2 million passengers a year, but are now handling up to 1.5 million passengers.

Upon completion of terminal 111 within the same area, Julius Nyerere International Airport will have the capacity to handle seven million passengers a year.

According to Airport’s masterplan, it will be he largest hub in the region, partly symbolized by TAA’s plan to launch an ambitious export processing zone project to stimulate manufacturing and production of value – added goods, boost exports, and aid in the financing of airport maintenance and upgrading.

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AFRICA MIGHT BE COLONIZED AGAIN / KENYA NOT SAFE

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from Judy Miriga

Folks,

When people ride on a donkey with twisted uncoordinated minds, the donkey instead of being rode, will throw the rider off……..

This is what we must do………..throw the rider off. Therefore, as a matter of concern, we must urgently present Mutual “Give and Take” Plan of Action………this cannot be done by the messed-up crazy heads in the Coalition Leadership, since they are already compromised………..the MoUssss they signed with these unscrupulous Special Interest of International Corporate Business Cartels will not allow them to do things differently…….this is why, we are the ones to get rid of them and take charge…….hear me and hear me well………there is no two way here………….

I agree with Paul Nyandoto 100%………….African Men and Women of substance must roll sleeves to confront this New fresh offensive from the IMF…….We must all tell off IMF to keep off…….Dont mince your words, tell them in plain and simple language and ashame the devil……….

The idea to cut short and reduce women from position of authority will not work-out and must be refused by all good men and women……..Rose Kagwiria, keep on the good fight……

Treating Africans in SLAVERY fashion is equally not allowed…… It is against ethics and rules of International Treaty………Former boss of IMF Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, in his case of Sex Scandal should not be taken lightly by good people of African Decent all over the world……..It is a question of mis-use and abuse of Humanity’s Territorial tresspass site, thus the “Intelligency Property Thieving”, if and incase, the Industry owner in question (who is just known by media report as just “the woman in question” was forcefully invaded and used without her consent………..it is as well because, evidence for contents of Mr. Strauss’s products were established as proof in the African women’s humans’ South of industrial territory with other parts were found after test and investigation ………Now, my worry is, because it affected an African, who is the aggreived, it is possible cold water would play around, and this case could easily be thrown out, where it is suspected, that others do hope for it to be wished away so it should die off naturally………But ,we passionately await to see what become of this case, and also how the whole case saga will be finalized and concluded…………

This and many others are show causes why we should be alarmed and begin to voice concerns to the International world Authorities, and to let them know, we are worried of Africa’s Livelihood and survival if Mutual Understanding to safeguard African Survival under Human Rights is of par amount importance and must be urgently set up………..Ethically, it is against the Law, to treat and take Africans for Slavery without promising a fair balanced situation circumstances for respect and dignity which is benefiting to all humankind…….. We will not rest until our voices are heard fairly in a dignified way.

In a thoursand questions without answers, Can I be convinced that all Africans properties, natural resources, facilities, life and livelihood including survival, are they for free to take away??? Are Africans lesser humanbeings? Do Africans have a right for freedom and Liberty…..????? If so, we have a cause for alarm……..and our voices must be heard……..

Thank you all,

Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com

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From: paul nyandoto

Humans,

Can you picture Africa again and again today why & how we were colonized?. If you have pictured that then look today; have we corrected those weaknesses which made us to be colonized?. NO, NO, NO.

Despite the massive and traumatic suffering ( both physical an psychological) under slave trade and colonization african leaders have up to today made completely nothing to integrate and thwart any problem africa faces as a one united force. Look at hunger in africa, wars in africa, dictators in africa, lack of good governance, corruption, poor manufacturing industries, even the raw materials now being extracted from africa to build europe, china and USA. African fertile land is now being sold or given to chinese, arabs, europeans to cultivate and feed their own people at a time an african child goes to bed without food and dies in bed or dies walking looking for food.

Just take time to think about this; of what use is IMF or world bank to african governments and her people?. Who ever does not know here it come; the dollar was fixed to the gold long time ago, that is the currency which is safe, but because of the USA debt now it is no longer anymore chinese are coming up. GOLD is now the strongest commodity any government should pile in banks, or any country bank should be secure with. Africa produces over 25% of world Gold & 90% of world diamond, but all is not owned by africans. It is again the foreign companies which mine, process and export them. Paradoxically despite all the suffering africans under went, we never learnt anything, we are still the poorest continent, we are still the people dying from hunger, we are still the poorest lead race, where people like Mugabe can do anything to his subjects and we still cry from abroad for help, Somalia is in hell, burning from the sun and bullets. OAU has solved no war in africa. We can be colonized so quick just like a blink of an eye and nothing will happen.

May be it has not happened because africa is still providing cheap labour abroad and still providing raw materials cheaply.

Take time to look at world economic problems, I would advice my fellow africans to be worried about these events now happening. Take time and go back into history you will see that there is a big risk of africa being colonized again. Why??; See which conditions and situations led to the start of First world war and second world world war. Well Europe, USA are now in big, very big economic break down that any small dis balance may lead to hell. By the way the 2 world war killed a lot of people and made resources to be enough for the remaining strong (survivors) ones who never died. Any time after the war there was a positive economic development. Most of european countries have been living in debt, take for example Italy; It owes more debt than Greece, Ireland and Portugal put together. Greece owes a debt of 150% of her GDP. Portugal did well when Mozambique and Angola were still their colony, now they are in hell without the oil, gold, materials from the colony. Britain also did extremely well when it had colonies now you can just see how London can also burn, in fact it has burnt more that Kenya in 2007/2008 post election violence. It had been a cheap, luxurious lazy living because materials were coming from cheap africa, with cheap labour and materials.

Africans are supposed to be able to protect their resources and people from exploitation and grabbers. In doing so Africa needs intelligent leaders and a strong and power full joint armed forces. Believe me or not, without that hell is a head. take time to re-read president Obama`s lecture in Egypt and Ghana and digest it, the man was giving us hints, but it fell on the dead ears. With time a head when Kogela man will not be in the state house and with the USA debt and economic problem today, USA politics will be more aggressive. There will be more Iraq in africa than what we know today.

Paul Nyandoto

Tanzania: The Case of Energy Ministry: Investigate all Parliamentary Standing Committees!

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From: Yona Maro

Press statement, Tuesday 19 July 2011

The Case of Energy Ministry: Investigate all Parliamentary Standing Committees!

The withdrawal of the Ministry of Energy and Minerals’ budget during the Parliamentary debate is evidence that the responsible Parliamentary Committee either intentionally or unintentionally, did not perform their prerogative role of scrutinizing the budget well. An independent investigation inquiry should be set up to look into the possibility that Parliamentary Standing Committees may have been bribed by the government in order to approve ineffective public budgets.

The media is awash with reports that the Prime Minister, Mizengo Pinda, shelved the budget for the Ministry of Energy and Minerals for three weeks following a fierce debate over the current power and mining crisis. Lately, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, David Jairo, had written a letter to agencies and institutions under his ministry directing them to contribute Tsh 50 million each in order to facilitate smooth tabling of his Ministry’s budget.

This seems to have been the usual tradition as part of the letter states “…kama ilivyo kawaida wakati wa kuwasilisha hotuba ya bajeti Dodoma…” although this time business turned out to be not as usual, rather a saga. It was also reported in the media in the past few weeks that the Parliamentary Standing Committee responsible for the Ministry of Energy and Minerals may have been bribed to approve the Ministry’s budget in Dar es Salaam. The feeling among the public is that the case of the Ministry for Energy and their respective Parliamentary Committee is not an isolated one.

Apparently, similar trends have been observed regarding other ministries. For example, most public institutions usually organize for seminars with the Parliament before the budget debate for their respective ministries. These seminars may possibly be meant to pay MPs in order for their budget loopholes to go unchallenged.

Tanzania is faced with perennial problems emanating from poor oversight of the government by the Parliament. Some of these problems include unprofitable business contracts, grand corruption scandals, public budgets fraught with unnecessary expenditures, poor public financial management, and abuse and misuse of public funds.

Since both the Parliament and Government are implicated in this bribe scandal, an independent body should be tasked to form an independent probe committee to investigate these allegations of the government bribing the parliament. Corrective measures should then be taken against those found responsible.

Mr. Irenei Kiria

Executive Director of Sikika, P.O.Box 12183 Dar es Salaam,
Tel: +255 222 666355/57, Fax: 2668015, Email: info@sikika.or.tz, Website: www.sikika.

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Kenya: GTSO Invited to Join Kenya’s Chamber of Mines

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from Judy Miriga

Folks,

Policies are only authorized through the Legislative Policy Bill that are made through the Parliament, how are the Business Chamber of Commerce have express authority for such crucial matters that are touching on the Economic Stability and Wealth of the Nation?

Rare Mines are Rare Mines and so they are more lucrative in the Global Business and crucial and extremely important that care must be excercised in their being release freely without Restriction and Regulated Policy that which benefits the Nation with its People’s livelihood………
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We demand for food security first and foremost, GMO are a way to starve people and make them vulnerable to easy death eventually, which cause them to have no food as a result. Public are against GMO, and it has been impossed on the public by force, starting with DOMINION COMPANY that was influenced by PM Raila without being agreed and passed through the Parliament. Today PM Raila and Dominion have stolen people’s community land and the families are Internally Displaced People as Refugees.

They have no food or place to live and Dominion will not compensate those they took their lands. Kibaki and PM Raila’s leadership are pushing people’s lives and security into a quagmire, or which they must be urgently forcefully stopped by all means, before they do more worse damage to the Country’s wealth and security. We do not see why they are rushing to sell-out Auctioning the country before they complete the Devolution Federal Governance Bill for which all the Investment for such National wealth and resource are based.

These are the serious corruption with impunity we are complaining about. These two people must not be allowed to sell Kenya the way Ethiopia was sold to the Soviet Union. They are busy inviting investors into serious deals investment without protective measures for secured investment, preservation and sustainability, and without considering “Give and Take” principle value for gains, sustainability and for progressive factors in prosperity for destiny.
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We cannot afford this sort of Greedy “Provocative Jeopardy of Conspiracy” that is meant to consume and destroy human survival through driving people into excessive point of no return POVERTY. …..These two Principles must be forced out of Public Office, as they are in a hurry to Auction the whole Nationhood to Chinese and Indian Mission of consolidating Soviet Union Asianic power, and equally, before they do more damage in their greediness process to committing grave abuse on humanity.

Ethiopia has been destroyed, Somali has followed, and now these unscrupulous International Special Interest Corporate Business, are after Kenya down the line as they are in their Mission capture East Africa followed by the whole Africa to be under Chinese Mission invasion. This must not be accepted by good people of the world.

The whole world, the United Nation, Leaders of the world, friends and sympathizers must stand with us urgently to stop Kibaki and PM Raila now and not later.
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This is serious crime and abuse against humanity.

Thank you all,

Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com

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GTSO Invited to Join Kenya’s Chamber of Mines
Membership Would Ally GTSO with Driving Force Behind African Nation’s Mineral Development

SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– As Green Technology Solutions’ (OTCQB:GTSO) ongoing pursuit of rare earth exploration in Kenya heats up, the company announced today that it has received an invitation to join the Kenya Chamber of Mines, the leading mineral industry representative and lobbying body in that Southern African nation.

As rare earth and gold prices continue to soar worldwide, GTSO has placed a high priority on developing new sources of the sought-after metals throughout Southern Africa. Kenya holds significant potential for mineral resources development, including rare earths, gold and other valuable metals. The Kenya Chamber of Mines is currently working hand-in-hand with the nation’s government to draft a national Mining Policy and revise Kenya’s outdated Mining Act in order to encourage new development of the nation’s mineral industry.

“Membership in the Kenya Chamber of Mines is an invaluable opportunity that we plan to fully pursue,” said GTSO President and CEO John Shearer. “Collaboration with Kenya’s top mining interests will help GTSO not only to successfully implement our business objectives in the region but also to lobby for reformation of the nation’s restrictive mining legislation, as well.”

GTSO will submit its membership application for review this week. Once a member of the Chamber, GTSO will help to facilitate new geophysical studies of Kenya’s mineral deposits that will replace outdated data from the 1960s.

“A new strategic mineral survey is needed in Kenya,” Shearer said. “Our plan is to assist the Chamber of Mines in securing U.S. funding for the survey so we can move forward with mining rights negotiations for any profitable deposits found.”

Green Technology Solutions commercializes clean and renewable mining technology and products in a sector that includes Avalon Rare Metals Inc. (AMEX:AVL – News), MV Rare Earth/Strategic Metals (NYSEArca:REMX – News), Quest Rare Minerals Ltd. (AMEX:QRM – News)and China Shen Zhou Mining & Resources, Inc. (AMEX:SHZ – News).

For more information on GTSO’s efforts to develop new sources of rare earth minerals around the world, please visit http://www.rareearthexporters.com/Investors.

About Green Technology Solutions, Inc.

The next generation of green technology — electric car batteries, wind turbine generators, photovoltaic solar panels — is made possible by precious elements mined from the earth’s crust, and the world’s dependence on these substances is rising fast. Today, these rare elements largely come from some of the most environmentally damaging mines in the world. Green Technology Solutions, Inc. offers clean mining solutions to the acquisition of rare earths, gold and other materials used in the latest green-tech innovations. Our cutting-edge clean mining techniques and strategies are generating business leads from around the globe as governments and corporations seek to lessen the environmental impacts of ore mining. GTSO is positioned to capitalize on exciting and potentially lucrative opportunities to develop cleaner mines in emerging nations around the world, including Mongolia, the Republic of Congo and many more. Our company is focused on aggressively growing and diversifying our business in order to produce green mining solutions for our clients on a global scale.

Green Technology Solutions, Inc. [http://www.greentech-solutions.com] is an OTCQB publicly traded company. OTCQB is the middle tier of the OTC market. OTCQB companies report to the SEC or a U.S. banking regulator, making it easy for investors to identify companies that are current in their reporting obligations. GTSO acquires, develops and implements the newest clean mining technology to enable our partner clients to expand operations throughout the world. Environmental restrictions represent the largest restriction to mining industry growth and operations. GTSO focuses on overcoming these environmental restrictions with brilliant cutting-edge clean mining technology.

For investment information, please visit http://www.GreenTech-Solutions.com/Investors.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements that include the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipate” or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition, description of anyone’s past success, either financial or strategic, is no guarantee of future success. This news release speaks as of the date first set forth above and the company assumes no responsibility to update the information included herein for events occurring after the date hereof.

Contact:

Green Technology Solutions, Inc.
John Shearer, 408-432-7285
President and CEO
info@greentech-solutions.com

UNDP Pokes Holes in Kenya’s Efforts to Reduce Poverty

George Ngigi

13 July 2011

Kenya’s huge debt burden, rising fuel prices, and inadequate financial resources are slowing the country’s race to meet the Millennium Development Goals, a UN agency has said.

The UNDP says in a new report that the growing government borrowing coupled with debt repayment were denying Kenya the much-needed impetus to maintain the momentum of progress made so far in the efforts to meet the MDGs by 2015.

“The withholding of external aid in the last decade led to increased government borrowing, which has led to higher servicing costs. As more debt matures, the government will have to pay more money to service it, posing the danger of putting Treasury in a vicious circle of borrowing, thereby reducing the amount available for development” says the report.

To meet the MDGs, Sh411 billion had to be set aside annually in the budget for related sectors which was not the case in 2007/2008 financial year and 2008/2009 year where the minister allocated Sh330 and Sh393 billion respectively. However, in 2009/2010 the allocation rose to Sh521 billion indicating the governments urgency to regain lost ground. UNDP however notes how ironical it is that on one hand there is inadequate funding and on the other a lack of absorption capacity, which it attributes to inefficiency and bureaucracy.

Last year, ministries returned to Treasury Sh142 billion in unspent funds allocated to them for development projects. But the government reiterated it was acting to ensure it remains on course in achieving the goals.

“The post-election violence, successive droughts and global increases in food and energy costs especially after 2010, are likely to set this MDG off track. Interventions are therefore required and have already been initiated,” said the minister of state for planning, national development and vision 2030, Wycliffe Oparanya.

Other challenges facing the country are population increase especially in urban areas, climatic changes which have brought about extremes of flooding and drought occasioning disruptions in livelihoods of the poor and HIV/AIDS whose prevalence has gone down while absolute numbers of those infected remain high.

While overall poverty and unemployment levels fell, UNDP challenges the government to ensure that the growth is sustainable, inclusive and equitable.

“Progress has been uneven. This disparity is visible between and within countries but more pronounced amid urban and rural regions,” said Maria-Threase Keating UNDP country director.

On gender parity and equality, the provisions in the new constitution earned praise. The introduction of free primary education has also seen the education system achieve gender parity at the lower level with net enrolment up to 93 per cent from 68 per cent in 2000, with 83 per cent literacy.

The country has also made strides in the fight against Malaria, tuberculosis and high mortality rates. Immunisation coverage rose to 77 per cent in 2009 from 53 per cent in 2003, while safe births rose to 92 per cent from 40 per cent in 2004 and 55.7 per cent of households had mosquito nets.

Foreigners to Drive Country’s New Trade-Centred Diplomacy

Victor Juma

12 July 2011

Kenya has taken a new trade-centred diplomatic stance that will see the country deploy foreign nationals to head commercial departments of its missions across the globe.

Part of the plan is to hire nationals of the target markets with right skills and networks to head the charm offensive instead of sending Kenyans with little or no connections, said Foreign Affairs minister George Saitoti.

The move not only marks a major shift in the country’s diplomatic positioning but also makes a significant departure from the way Kenya has traditionally staffed its embassies and high commissions abroad.

“The expats should bring on board local knowledge that helps the missions come up with unique trade promotion strategies in countries of accreditation,” Prof. Saitoti said.

The new policy puts Kenya in step with countries such as the UK, India, Columbia, Brazil and Costa Rica that have effectively used diplomacy to champion economic interests and tilt trade balance in their favour across the globe.

Analysts said the shift to economic diplomacy is not unique to Kenya but is a rising global trend informed by the realization that the rise in global peace and stability is relegating politics from the diplomatic stage.

“Trade and investment now take up to 70 per cent of ambassadors’ time and this shift is likely to earn Kenya huge benefits,” said Gerishon Ikiara, a lecturer at University of Nairobi’s Institute of International Relations.

“A number of loans, grants, and big infrastructure projects Kenya has received in recent past have been born out of technical co-operation with selected partners,” he said.

Prof Saitoti said the new diplomatic stance should help Kenya grow its export markets, attract foreign direct investments, tourists, and speed up transfer of technical knowledge that the country needs to realise its development goals.

Though employment of foreign nationals may initially see a few Kenyans lose their jobs, the country is in the long term expected to claw back lost ground as increased investment at home and export growth create more jobs in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors besides driving foreign exchange inflows.

The ministry’s wage bill is also likely to rise faster as the foreign professionals ask for relatively higher compensation though the anticipated economic benefits could offset such expenses.

The ministry has scheduled an investment promotion fair in South Africa in December that will kick off a series of similar activities in Brazil, South Korea, Poland, and Nigeria in the medium term.

Kenya has steadily grown its exports in the past 10 years, a move that the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) attributes to product diversification.

The number of items exported stood at 222 in 2009 compared to 151 in 2000, representing an addition of 71 new items in 10 years, according to the trade agency.

This helped the value of exports grow from Sh121.4 billion in 2001 to Sh409.8 billion in 2010, or an growth average of eight per cent.

Foreign Affairs ministry has identified more than 20 markets it wants to use as hubs to deepen Kenya’s pursuit of economic diplomacy.

The list includes the UK, US, Spain, Dubai, Zambia, China, Brazil, and South Africa. The hubs will act as outposts from where Kenya will pursue its commercial goals in Africa, Asia and Australia, Western Europe, North and South America, and the Middle East.

Asia and Africa are Kenya’s biggest trade partners that business leaders have demanded a concentration of diplomatic efforts.

“The scale of economic diplomacy has to be in the context of the African agenda and must specifically target Africa’s untapped natural resources, high population, green energy and strong and resilient manpower,” said Carole Kariuki, the chief executive of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance.

Ms Kariuki gave the example of the newly independent Republic of South Sudan and Ethiopia as markets where Kenya must move with speed to sign bilateral trade agreements faster expansion of its economic interests and for greater impact.

Hiring local economic experts with inside knowledge of their respective cultures, language and business environments should add speed to Kenya’s quest for rapid growth and economic transformation.

“It is important to have people who have thorough knowledge of processes and institutions of decision-making in the big markets,” said Joseph Kieyah, an analyst at the Kenya Institute of Public Policy Research and Analysis (Kippra).

In the US, for instance, governments and companies spend billions of dollars annually to lobby the Congress on a number of diplomatic issues, including regulation of foreign donations and investments.

Casting a positive image in such markets is seen as critical to attracting investments and strengthening trade ties.

Attracting foreign direct investments is seen as critical to the creation of new jobs and steady the inflow of forex earnings.

Data from the Kenya Investment Authority (KIA) shows investors pumped Sh155.5 billion into the Kenyan economy in fiscal year 2009/10, down from Sh163.4 billion in 2008/09 the peak year.

Special department

To tap into the billions of shillings sent by Kenyans in the diaspora, the ministry has set up a special department (Directorate of Diaspora and International Jobs) that will provide them with information regarding investment opportunities in the country.

Kenyans in the diaspora send home more than Sh5 billion per month and the remittances have been climbing this year in tandem with the healing economies of Europe and North America the biggest source of the inflows.

Most of the cash is channeled into the booming property market and to support dependants, with analysts saying broader investments options could increase the remittances.

The government has previously announced plans to issue a diaspora bond but has frozen the plan, preferring to raise funds through regular domestic debt instruments.

Kenya: Suba region is the richest area within the Homa-Bay County

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News Feature By Leo Odera Omolo In Mbita Town.

Sub-region, which is part of the Homa-Bay County, the largest in the greater Southern Nyanza is potentially and versatile in facilities which could rack in millions of shillings in terms of revenue collection if such resources could be properly developed.

Suba region is covering areas like Mbita and the newly created Gwassi administrative districts. This region along with its abundance resources is capable of making he vat Homa-Bay County one of the richest among the 47 counties countrywide.

It potential source of the resources and revenue include tourism, fishing and fish trades, hidden minerals, pre-historic sites and its proximity to the cross border trades across Lake Victoria and the neighboring states of Tanzania and Uganda.

Mbita and Gwassi parliamentary constituencies are parts of the eight parliamentary constituencies, covering Kasipul, Kabongo, Karachuonyo Rangwe, Homa-Bay and Ndhiwa, which forms the larger Homa-Bay County. The region needs only he good governance to be put n place at its administrative headquarters, which is located at Homa-Bay Town. The regional headquarters can now be accessed by good tarmacked roads via Rongo and also via Kendu-Bay in Rachuonyo North district.

The pre-historic sites on the twin islands of Rusinga and Mfangano could also be accessed by roads using the ultra-modern Ndori-Luanda-Kotieno road in Bondo that links Kisumu and Mbita Towns. Here the visitors could be ferried in a von voyage 40 minutes journey of crossing the narrow Nyanza Gulf using well maintained and serviced Mbita Ferries.

The Mbita Ferries, a company which is owned and managed exclusively by he local entrepreneur maintains two ferries with one sailing across while the other one stand by in case the one sailing across the channel is stalled in the middle of the lake.

The yet to be fully developed tourist attraction sceneries include Ruma National Game Park in Lambwe Valley, pre-historic sites on Rusinga and Mfangano Islands, Gwassi and in Rachuonyo. It is also a versatile region for lovers of birds watching and fishing leisure.

Ruma National Game Park is rich in abundance game animals of all species, and it is the home of the rare Roan Antelope, a very special species only found at the Simba Hill Game Reserve in Kwale district at the Coast and also in the famous Kruger National Game Pak in the Republic of South Africa.

The park is also housing other wild animals species like elands, reed-bucks, water-bucks, bush-bucks, Rothschild’s giraffes, tofi, the rare waiter antelopes which is only known in vernacular language as “Nyambaja”which resides on the summit of the nearby Ruri Hills and only occasionally come down to the plains in search of drinking waters during dead hours of the night. But only seen by the locals and visitors during the drought and dry spells of time when grass on the hill tops are burnt down by poachers.

However, the “Big Five” namely elephant, lions, rhinos are missing from the list f the wild animals currently stocked in the park. But the fifth which is evasive leopard is there with a few herds of the fiercest buffaloes, which rarely comes out of Bungu-Ruma forest. There are other predators like Hyena.

Next to Ruma National Game Park is the Gwassi Hills which reputed as being full of tree with medicinal substances and herbs. The beauty and value of the Gwassi Hills have in the recent years been vandalized due to intensive human settlement and farming. However, a Kisumu based NGO, the OSIENALA working in collaboration with foreign based financial agencies has made frantic efforts to save the Gwassi Hills with an intensive reforestation program, which has seen millions of tree seedling being planted on the hills and illegal settlers, sent packing.

Also located near Nyandiwa Trading Centre in Central Gwassi is the famous pre-historical site known as “Nyamgondho Wuod Ombare”. In this place mystery human foot-prints and those f domesticated animals could be seen on the rocks, especially during early morning hours when the lake waters are so clean.

The foot-prints are related with the mythological story of an estranged wealthy woman who rebelled against her foster husband and walked back into the lake where she had earlier on been fished out by Nyamgondho a fisherman after some alleged serious family disagreement. The woman is said to have run back to the lake and disappeared with all her worldly wealth including her domesticated animals.

The newly to be instituted County government must go out full blast and source the funds with which t could support the local entrepreneurs to establish luxury hotels and the beaches on both Rusinga and Mfangano islands, Gwassi, Kaksingiri and Rachuonyo North districts along the shorelines of Lake Victoria a part of tourist attractions.

Another pre-historic site s the two rocks resembling the fighting bull which stands a few kilometers off Wanyama beach in Rusinga Island. The stories go that the bull christened Nyama-Gi-Ware, representing the families of two brothers who are ancestors of the Waware and Wanyama sub-clans. One bull as the stories goes belonged to Mnyama while the other one belonged to his brother Ware. It is being alleged that the bull had fought fiercely until they enter into the lake waters while locked their horns and turned into permanent rocks erected inside the lake.

At a place called Soklo Kipenji, which is an island located off the Mirunda and Malela beaches I Lambwe Location, the story goes that the rock island is inaccessible by any human being. Travelers sailing from Rusinga Island to Homa-Bay town are always getting a forewarning not to ask about this mysterious island as their canoe, boats or dhow passes by the uninhabited island. A common and popular say goes that I the early 1930 two British tourist had made an attempt to land at the rocky island and all disappeared without trace to-date. Even local fishermen keep a safe distance from the rocky island while on their fishing expedition in nearby areas. The place, the local fishermen says even birds such as fish eagles and other kept away from.

Other potential spot for the possible development of tourist attractions includes the volcanic Lake Simbi Nyaima in Central Karachuonyo, which is also the center of attraction to lesser flamingoes and other migratory birds during certain period of the year.

Homa-Bay County is also endowed with abundance mineral resources such as the now disused Awuoro Mines in West Kisipul, Limestone in Lambwe Valley, the suspected uranium deposits in Gwassi and other parts of Suba region, gold, copper and nickels.

The region therefore required men and a woman of the highest caliber to man it is resources to generate revenues and good governance to be in place.

Ends

Tanzania: CHINESE to construct another multi billion railway line in Tanzania’s mineral rich Southern region

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo

TANZANIA, Africa’s third largest gold producing Africa nation has envisaged plans to construct a railway line to open up its mineral rich Northern region to boost the country’s coal and iron ore revenues.

The planned rail project is estimated to cost a colossal amount of money to the tune of USD 1.5 billion {Tshs 2.3 trillion}.

The 850 kilometer railway line whose construction is set to begin next year, will link coal and iron ore mining projects in Mchuchuma and Liganga respectively to the Mtwara port in Southern Tanzania.

The deputy Minister for Transport Athumani Mfutakamba was last week quoted in the local press as having made the announcement while in the country’s political capital, Dodoma that negotiations between the National Development Corporation and Sichuan Hongda Corporation of China over the necessary infrastructure were at an advanced stage.

The Mchuchuma iron ore and Liganga Coal reserves located in the Southern highlands have the potential to create an estimated 40,000 jobs to spur iron and steel industries in the country and boost coal exports.

The project will be the second largest single operation since the 1970s when China built the USED 500 million 1860-kilometer long Tanzania-Zambia Railway line {TAZARA} from Dar Es Salaam to Kapiri Mposhi,

Another senior government official disclosed that investor in the Liganga and Mchuchuma iron ore project has set aside Tshs 10 trillion {USD 625 billion} for the project implementation.

The Deputy Minister for Trade, Industry and Marketing Lazaro Nyalanda said the project is expected to contribute between 20 and 25 per cent of the country’s GDP.

Coal deposits at Mchuchuma which is located near the border of Malawi and Mozambique are provisionally estimated at 1253 million tones while iron ore deposits in the Liganga area are estimated to be 45 million tones. These are to be exploited jointly to stimulate an iron and steel industry that depends largely on the agricultural sector.

Transport Minister Omari Nundu in his part said the railway line will boost trade with neighboring Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia.

“The railway line will attract passenger traffic because of the huge potential in mineral and agricultural activities in the region, said Minister Nundu.

Thd Finance Minister Mustafa Mkulo reported that the government plans to spend USD 34 million in 2011.202 financial year in conducting feasibility studies and detailed design of Mtwara-Songea-Liganga railway line.

Ends

Tanzania: Environmentalists and conservationist have sounded alarm that lesser flamingos could face extinction if Tanzania consents to the construction of Soda Ash plant in the Lake Natron

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo.

NEWSPAPERS in both Kenya and Tanzania have reported environmentalists in the region as having voiced concern over the renewed plan by private investors to construct a soda ash plant at Lake Natron.

They are bitterly arguing that the project would adversely affect the breeding site of the flamingos.

The environmentalists and conservationist claim that Tanzania government had shelved the construction of the plant in 2009 after it emerged that Lake Natron was the breeding site for million of lesser flamingos in East Africa.

Situated close to the border of Kenya and Tanzania, but most part of it right inside the Tanzanian territory, the volcanic lake is not far away from Kenya’s Lake Magadi, which is the site of intensive mining of salt and soda ash, Lake Natron is also an important tourist attraction site.

Wetlands International {WI} and Kenya Wildlife Services {KWS} want the multimillion dollar project halted as it would endanger the population of the Lesser Flamingos.

In a statement, WI expressed shock over on the renewed plans to continue with the project despite the vehement opposition from environmentalists and conservationists locally and the world over.

“The plans to mine at this very precious, but vulnerable lake conflicts with the government’s international commitment and could cause the loss of one of Africa’s most important wetlands of international importance, being the only breeding site of the Lesser Flamingos, “read the statement in part.

The statement stated that there have been recent announcement of the representatives of the Tanzanian government that the project would go ahead regardless of the objections.

Kenya is vehemently opposed to the project, Dr James Njogu, the head of the Conventions at the KWS said the project would affect between two and three million flamingos that breed at Lake Natron.

“Flaming migrate from various lakes in Kenya to breed at Lake Natron. Any disturbance on the lake would affect the hydrology of the lake by either dilution or pollution.”

“The Tanzania government had suggested having the plant at a distance place from the lake, but I am not sure whether they did so,” said Dr Njogu.

According to Wetlands International about 75 per cent of the Lesser Flamingo in East Africa breed at Lake Natron which is a Ramset Site.

The project was abandoned in 2008 due to the concern from the Tanzania’s National Environmental Management Council {NEMC} that the mining of soda ash in the area would adversely affect the ecology of the lake Natron and its highly importance biodiversity.

In the same year, Ramset Advisory Mission recommended that the Tanzanian government should suspend the Soda Ash project and consider completing the development of the Tanzania Wetland Strategy and other policy framework before taking any decision on the Sod ash project.

Ends

Russia & Tanzania: Russians return to the uranium mining projects in Tanzania after abandoning the deal

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo.

The latest reports emerging from Dar Es Salaam says the Tanzanian uranium mining project is back on track after an Australian firm Mantra Resources Ltd agreed to lower its offer to Russian Russia’s JSC Atomredmentzoloto {ARMZ} from USD 1.16 billion to USD 944 million.

ARMZ had said last week it had shelved plan to purchase the Mkuju River uranium assets in Southern Tanzania from Mantra over the recent Japanese nuclear plant crisis.

The transaction, to be closed in July this year, will see ARMZ acquiring on of the issued share capital in Mantra Ltd including Mkuju River project in Tanzania.

Construction of the mining plant in Southern Tanzania will start in the first quarter of 2011 with operations beginning in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Two weeks ago, ARMZ had given Mantra Ltd, a notice that the on-going nuclear crisis in Japan could hurt its operations. ARMZ, however, indicated that it was willing to exlo5re how the transaction could proceed by way of an alternative approach.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Mantra Ltd in Tanzania, Tony Devlin said the revised transaction is in the Mantra’s best interest taking into consideration the current global equity market condition and increased uncertainty for the uranium sector.

Devlin further stated that the capital cost for the construction of the mining plant including all associated infrastructure stands at USD 298 million.

Tanzania’s Minister for Energy and Minerals William Ngeleja was quoted this week by the influential EASTAFRICAN regional weekly as saying that the Mkuju River Project is shaping up into a truly world-class venture and has the potential in its first phase of development to position the country as the third and perhaps even the second largest producer of uranium in Africa.

Minister Ngeleja said the pre-feasibility study in March 2010 indicated that, once developed the mine would produce 1,650 tones of uranium oxide a year thus overtaking the US – – which produced 1,560 tones in 2009 – – to become the eighth largest producer in the world. Tanzania, he added, “will produce three times more uranium oxide than South Africa.”

The mining plant will have an average annual production of 1,650 tones per annum with the potential to expand production in the second phase of the project And this will be the second major mining development in South Eastern Tanzania, bringing jobs to an underdeveloped region with a foreign direct investment of USD 450 million generating approximately USD 250 million in annual foreign currency receipts.

The government of Tanzania expects about USD 630 million in royalties, income and employee taxes directly from the project based on the 15 year estimated life span of the mine.

Ends

Russia & Tanzania: Russian firm has suspended its uranium mining project in Tanzania following Japan nuclear crisis

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo

Information emerging from the Tanzanian capital, Dar Es Salaam, that Russian state-owned nuclear energy firm JSC Atomredumentzoloto [ARMZ} is shelving its plan to acquire the USD 1.16 billion Mkuju River Uranium assets in Southern Tanzania, due to the recent Japanese nuclear plant crisis.

The move comes only a month after the Russian firm had obtained a takeover approval from the Tanzanian government, under the fair Competition Act it had enacted in 2003, as the law regulating the prospecting and mining of uranium in the country.

The Tanzanian government had said it would start higher grade uranium mining early 2012 at Mkuju River following the completion of the feasibility study and the approval of the environmental impact assessment for the area.

The capital cost for the project estimate at USD 298 million in which USD 140 million will be used for the processing plant and USD 158 million for the project infrastructure.

Mr Artem Gorbachev, the Chief Press Officer of ARMZ Uranium Holding Company was last week quoted by the local and regional newspapers as saying his firm is suspending its agreement with Mantra Resources over recent crisis in Japan nuclear plant.

He said the ARMZ consider that the condition preceding into the scheme’s implementation agreement {SLA} dated December 15, 2010 between ARMZ and Mantra in relating to a material adverse change is not capable of satisfaction. “JSC Atomredumentzoloto has notified Mantra Resources Ltd that it believes that the series of incidents at the nuclear power plants in Pukushima, Japan are likely to have a material adverse effect on the business.”

The incident in Japan is likely to have a material adverse effect on the business, results of operations assets or liabilities, financial position of prospects d Mantra Resources. But that ARMZ intend to continue discussions in an effort to explore how the transaction may proceed.

Tanzania’s Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources William Ngeleje was quoted by the EASTAFRICAN WEEKLY as having said in Dar Es Salaam that Tanzanian government will continue to go ahead with the mining of uranium starting next year.

The project has the capacity to generate pre-tax cash margins of approximately USD 115 million per uranium at an average uranium price of USD 60 per pound over the life of the mine.

The Minister said that all the necessary processes required with respect to Special Mining Project license are also complete.

“The project has been advised that all the process by the Tanzania legislation for the issue of environmental impact assessment {EIA} certificate are well advanced,” said the Minister, adding that the government said the publication of the Uranium Regulations has been completed and that these have been included in the country’s proposed new mining regulations.

Prof Iddi Mkilaha, the director general the Tanzania Atomic Energy Commission {TAEC}, however, countered this by telling the local media that the regulatory authority has not issued any uranium mining license for Mantra Resources to start its work on the mining site.

Prof Mkilaha said there are still lots of regulations that need to be followed and TEAC will not issue any license in the near future for foreign or local firms unless proper procedures have been followed.

“There has been increasing regulatory concern all over the world to protect the safety of workers, public and the environment, prior to mining,” he added.

There are more that 108.9 million tones of mineral resource estimated at Mkuju River capable of producing an average annual production of 3.7 million pounds Triuranium actoxide {U3O8} over the minimum of 12 years the mine life.

Mkuju River Uranium Project was targeted to produce approximately 3.7 million pounds of uranium a year using the Res-in-Pulp metallurgical process.

Ends

World: Wikileaks of US cables, Saudi Oil, peak oil;

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From: octimotor

Those of us, who care to take notice, have been aware that sometime or another, in order to keep our civilization’s future economy going, we will need abundant energy sources to substitute for natural gas and oil. Here, as listed on the site, Earthfiles …, is a summary and citations. One part relates to Wikileaks, US diplomatic cables, concerning over-stated Saudi oil reserves. Another, is a link to an academic’s report on the world’s need for oil substitutes.

– – – – – – – – – – –

http://www.earthfiles.com/

February 9, 2011 – Latest Wikileaks Revelation in The Guardian –
Saudi Arabia Oil Output Dropping and 2012 Fuel Prices Could Soar.

February 8, 2011, headline in The Guardian, one of the
authorized media distributors of leaked U. S. embassy cables
from whistle blowers to Julian Assange’s Wikileaks.

Reinforcing the leaked cables about Saudi Arabia’s oil supply lower than publicly reported, only a year ago in March 2010, “The Peak of the Oil Age” was published in Energy Policy by Prof. Kjell Aleklett, Global Energy Systems, Uppsala University, Sweden, that concluded: “… future growth in (worldwide) gross domestic product (GDP) must be dependent upon fuels other than oil if GDP is to continue as expected. This, in turn, defines the beginning of the end of the “Oil Age,” and society will have to seek other driving forces for future GDP growth. In all our projections, future oil production by 2030 will have decreased from present levels. The world appears most likely to have passed the peak of global oil production and to have entered the descent phase. If this is the case, then the world has reached the “Peak of the Oil Age.”
Also see: February 8, 2011 The Guardian.co.uk.

http://www.tsl.uu.se/uhdsg/Publications/PeakOilAge.pdf

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V2W-4XTYD56-2&_user=10&_coverDate=03%2F31%2F2010&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=gateway&_origin=gateway&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=a6e70f3aabd0981d84e7f1a1fe468e38&searchtype=a

Tanzania: gold exports from nation has surpassed tourism as number one foreign exchange earner

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo.

The Central Bank of Tanzania has reported that the country’s revenue from gold exports is up by 19 per cent.

The bank says this in its monthly review from the year ending December 2010.The rise is attributed to increased output as well as global market prices.

Gold exports earned the country USD 1,467.3 million, up from USD 1,076 billion in 2009,as the commodity continued to outperform tourism as the biggest foreign exchange earner.

Tanzania, Africa’s fourth largest gold producer, depends mainly on tourism, mining and agriculture, and is increasingly attracting investors interests in telecommunications, energy, manufacturing, financial services and transport sectors.

Gold dominated Tanzania’s export earnings, accounting for 39.8 per cent of total goods, followed manufactured goods at 26.1 per cent.

According to the report, the prices of gold in the world market rose from USD 972.7 per troy ounce recorded in 2009 to an average of USD 1,244.7 per troy ounce in December 2010.

Financial analysts are now optimistic that the country will achieve its targeted economic growth of 7.2 per cent this year {2011} from an estimated 7 per cent last year.

The positive outlook on the economy is however, being tainted by inflationary fears. It s feared that rising food and fuel prices coupled with chronic energy shortage will push inflation rate to double digit level this year.

The country’s year on year inflation rate was up for the third successive month to 6.4 per cent in January from 5.6 per cent in December, last year according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Improved performance of non-traditional exports, the Bank Notes, was largely contributed by gold and manufactured goods lie papers, fertilizers and plastics.

Non-traditional exports rose from USD 2,446.1 million recorded in early January 2009 to USD 3,128.5 million. The value of manufactured goods, according to the BOT report was USD 693.9 million, being 90.3 per cent higher than the volume recorded in 2009.This development was largely associated with increased demand fro neighboring countries following recovery from global financial crisis.

The bank’s report shows rising value of traditional exports of about USD 558.9 million which is 16 per cent higher than the value recorded in 2009.This rise is attributed to both export volume and unit prices of tobacco and cashew nuts.

The increase in the export of tobacco was largely due to improved quality following proper farming practices coupled with accessibility of agricultural inputs.

In the semi autonomous Isles of Zanzibar, adds the bank’s report, export performance for goods and services for the year 2010 dropped from USD127.6 million posted in 2009 to US 120.1 million. This outcome was mainly on account of the decline in clove and manufactured goods exports.

Clove export decline from USD 14.6 million to 7.5 million, while manufactured goods exports declined from USD 5.0 million to USD 3.4 million.

ENDS

Kenya: Prominent contractor want to be deputy governor in Homa-Bay County

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo.

A communication expert who is now an enterprising building contractor in Nyanza and Western Provinces has declared his interest in contesting for the position of deputy governor in the Homa-Bay County comes the year 2012.sting.

Jeremiah Achilla-Gogo, aged 50 years was born in a political house of the late Joseph Gogo Ochok who in the late 1950 was one of the founder of the defunct South Nyanza District Political Association {SINDAPA} and served as the association’s secretary general from its inception to the timer it was dissolved at the birth of KANU in 1960.

The late Ochok also contested Karachuonyo parliamentary seat in 1963 as the official KANU candidate, but lost to the late Elijah Omolo-Agar who had vied for the seat as an independent candidate.

Gogo said politics was in his blood, and that is why he has decided to contest for the less crowded position of the deputy governor.

Photo of Mr Jeremiah Achilla Gogo who wants to contest for deputy governor in Homa-Bay County

Gogo decried the falling standard of education in Luo-Nyanza, saying if elected he will work hand in hand with his other colleagues and officials from the Ministry of Education working in the field to ensure that the education standard in the region is restored to its former.

He also blamed the current legislators in the 10th parliament for not having adequately supervised the utilization of government revolving funds such as CDF in the best interest of the rural community.

The government has pumped millions of shillings through the CDF to assist the population living in the rural areas to spur development of essential service providing such as dispensaries, health centers, primary and secondary schools and other infrastructure in rural areas, but the fund has not been put into proper use.

Gogo said Homa-Bay County has a lot to offer to its residents, and there is an open avenue for raising the money it needs through taxation of the abundance natural resources, fishing, tourism and farming. People must be sensitized to redouble their effort in farming as one way of promoting wealthy and eradicating the poverty.”This one of the most important task the leaders should be involved.

He appealed to the electorate to vote wisely and make sure they elect only development conscious leaders with excellent past track-record of active participation in development activities and not sweet-talkers.

Gogo is a staunch member of ODM whose father was very close to the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga in the old Nyanza political derby of the 1960s and 1970s.
He said if given a chance to serve as the deputy governor by the electorate he will work hard with other elected leaders to improve the lives of fishermen, groundnut and cotton farmers in the regions laying low along the shoreline of Lake Victoria.

And he will also work hard to promote tourism in the region as well as look for investors to open up exploration of minerals.

Ends

Tanzania: Russians and Chinese in Big Scramble for uranium and coal mining business in nation

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Writes Leo Odera Omolo

Reports emerging from the Tanzanian commercial City of Dar Es Salaam says that a Chinese firm, Sichuan Hongda Corporation is planning t invest USD 3 million in the Mchuchuma coal and Liganga Iron Ore production in Southern Tanzania.

This will be the first major mining investment by the firm in Tanzania, after it was selected out of 48 international and local companies that bid to develop the two projects.

Other reports emerging from the same source says, the Russian state-owned nuclear holding company, Rosatom has taken over the uranium assets of the Tanzanian based Mantra Resources Ltd for USD 1.15 billion.

Rosatom through its SC Atomredmetzoto ARMZ Uranium Holding Co} subsidiary, will buy the Australian Perth-based company for a USD 8 a share 5.5 per cent premium to its last trading price before the shares were halted prior to the take over announcement on Monday this week.

The coal mining project, in which the Chinese company is involved, will provide the base for industrial and activities and a source for both local industrial uses, as well as for export. It is also expected that the project will influence of infrastructure in the Southern regions of the country.

The chairman of the board of the National Development Corporation {NDC} Chrisant Mzindakaya was quoted widely by the local media houses as saying last week tat Mchuchuma coal project, which is expected to produce 600 megawatts of electricity will supplement the hydropower sources which are currently in use in Tanzania.

“The project will also necessitate the strengthening and building of new power transmissions lines,” said Mzindakaya.

Tanzania is notorious for chronic power rationing largely due to overdependence on hydropower sources.

At the same time the in the of Heavy Industry in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Marketing Alley Mwakibolwa was also quoted by the media as saying that the Mchuchuma mining area has an estimated 540million metric tones of coal deposits, which is enough to produce electricity for over 100 years. “Once the Mchuchuma project is complete, the power rationing in the country would be something of the past having been resolved permanently.”

Mwakibolwa added the 600 megawatts of power expected will attract investment in other sectors as well.

The Mchuchuma project covers an area of about 141 square kilometers while the Liganga Steel Complex covers 178 square kilometers.

In February last year the NDC shortlisted 25 international and local firms for the Mchuchuma Coal and Liganga Iron Ore concessions. Nine firms were picked from these.

They are BHP Billiton Worldwide Exploration Ltd of South Africa, China Huadian Engineering Company Ltd of the Peoples Republic of China, Nava Bharat {Singapore} Pte Ltd of Singapore, and Rio Tinto Minerals Development Ltd of the United Kingdom.

The other firms were, Sarda Energy and Minerals Ltd of India, Sichuan Hongda Company Ltd of China, STX Corporation of Korea,, Trancoal Energy Ltd/Tata International of Tanzania and the AES Corporation of the United States.

The government of Tanzania also prequalified five firms for the Liganga Iron Ore concessions in which Sarda Energy and Minerals Ltd, Sichuan Hongda Company, STX Corporation, Trancoal Energy Ltd / Tata International Ltd and AES Corporation were shortlisted.

Trancoal’s submission was made alongside Tata International Ltd of India as a joint venture. The Liganga iron ore deposits are located less than 100 kilometers from Trancoal’s Ngaka coal project.

In the Russian’s deal, the agreement will see ARMZ Uranium Holding, a company authorized the State Corporation of Nuclear Energy to supply Russian nuclear industry with raw materials, take over 100 per cent of Mantra Resources Ltd.

Mantra’s core assets are the world-class Mkuju River project in Tanzania, Which is nearing the completion of definitive feasibility study.

The transaction contemplates the fulfilling number of standard requirements, including, specifically, transaction approval by a general shareholder of Mantra Resources Ltd, relevant state authorities and court approval.

The transaction will have to wait the approval from the Australian Foreign Investment Committee and the Tanzanian government cabinet.

Vadim Zhivoc, the Director General of the ARMZ was quoted by the influential weekly the EASTAFRICAN this week as saying that the transaction with Mantra Resources Ltd is a part of ARMZ Uranium Holding strategy on diversifying uranium base of Rosatom a state corporation.

Zhivoc said the agreement allows ARMZ Uranium Holding to extend its portfolio of assets with low uranium production costs as well as to consolidate the leading position of the Rosatom State Corporation among the world natural uranium producers.

“The transaction is realized within the concept of development of uranium. One as for the global platform of ARMZ Uranium Holding’s growth.” he said.

According to Zhivoc, the acquisition proposal provides all Mantra shareholders with the opportunity to realize a cash consideration at a premium valuation.

Buying Mantra will give Rosatom the Mkuju River project in Tanzania and add to the controlling stake in Uranium One that it agreed to buy in June.

Jean Nottier,the CEO of Uranium One said that the Mkuju River in Tanzania ranks among the best uranium development projects in the world.

The Mkuju River Uranium project has the estimated resources of 101.4 million pounds of uranium oxide concentrate about 77 per cent of global mined output last year

Mantra Resources has started definitive feasibility study for the project.The offered price Mantra equates to USD 10.26 per pound {.O.45.kg} concentrate in Mkuju River.

Ends

Israel & Latvia: Israel gearing up to export natural gas

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from Richard Brodsky

Greetings!

Great News about Israel’s discovery of natural gas. Israel may soon be exporting natural gas not only from the Tamar site but the newly discovered Leviathan site. In 2009 when the Tamar site was discovered it was the largest natural gas find for the year. The Leviathan site discovered on December 30 is twice the size of the Tamar site. There will be numerous problems exporting the natural gas but at least Israel will be energy independent except for its need for oil. It’s hard to imagine how one tiny country could be so richly blessed with so much natural gas. Considering that Israel does help Kenya with irrigating its land, improving public health and providing advice to Kenya on combating terrorism, what a great opportunity if Israel would have more resources to help Kenya.

http://www.chabadgn.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/1397417/jewish/Noble-CEO-Leviathan-is-largest-gas-find-in-our-history.htm