Africa Briefs

Farms spur Kenya growth rebound in 2018Kenya's economy expanded by 6.3% last year, the statistics office said yesterday, helped by adequate rainfall which spurred agriculture, a mainstay of the economy.The economy had slowed sharply to 4.9% in 2017 due to a drought and jitters over a prolonged election.Last year's recovery in growth was driven by agriculture, excluding fisheries and forestry, which expanded by 6.6%, up from 1.8% in 2017, said Zachary Mwangi, director general of the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.Agriculture accounts for close to a third of Kenya's annual economic output.The World Bank trimmed its 2019 economic growth forecast for Kenya to 5.7% from an earlier forecast of 5.8% due to a delayed onset of the main rain season.The government expects the economy to grow by 6.3% in 2019, president Uhuru Kenyatta said earlier this month. – Nampa/ReutersTanzania makes payment for dam on heritage siteTanzania made an advance payment on Wednesday of US$309.65 million to a joint venture of Egyptian companies for the construction of a hydropower dam on a UNESCO World Heritage site, despite strong opposition to the project from conservationists.In December, Tanzania signed a deal with two Egyptian companies, Arab Contractors and El Sewedy Electric Co, to build the US$3 billion Rufiji hydroelectric project at Stiegler's gorge inside the Selous Game Reserve."The US$309.65 million payment is part of an advance payment equivalent to 15% of the total project cost," Tanzania's finance ministry said in a statement."This project is scheduled to be completed within three years at a cost of more than 6.6 trillion Tanzanian shillings (US$2.9 billion)."The government said it was financing construction of the 2,115-megawatt dam with internal resources, mostly through tax revenues.Covering 50 000 square km, the Selous Game Reserve is one of the largest protected areas in Africa, according to UNESCO. It is known for its elephants, black rhinos and giraffes, among many other species. – Nampa/ReutersAfrican summit gives Sudan military three months for reformsAfrican leaders meeting in Cairo on Tuesday agreed to give Sudan's ruling military council three months to implement democratic reforms, Egypt said on Tuesday, amid pressure for a quick handover of power to civilians.The decision extends a 15-day deadline set by the African Union last week for Sudan's Transitional Military Council (TMC) to hand over power to civilians or to be suspended from the grouping. The TMC took over after president Omar al-Bashir was ousted on April 11.Any suspension of Sudan's AU membership could affect the TMC's efforts to win international recognition as the country's legitimate rulers during an interim period of up to two years, and thus delay any aid to the country that has been trying to cope with a dire economic crisis.The TMC has been under pressure from demonstrators to hand power rapidly to civilians since the military ousted Bashir following months of protests against his 30 years in office. – Nampa/Reuters

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