Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP |Â Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday named hundreds of mines, Chinese businesses and individuals who had illegally transferred foreign currency abroad during Robert Mugabe’s rule and warned they would be prosecuted. The announcement came after the expiry of a three month amnesty for the return of …
Read More »Major anti-corruption trial gets underway in Gabon
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | One of Gabon’s biggest trials for corruption got underway on Thursday, in a case featuring senior civil servants and former ministers. The trial is taking place in a recently-created judicial unit, the Special Criminal Court, in the capital Libreville. The high-profile case follows from an …
Read More »S.Africa’s new president vows faster land redistribution
Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA | AFP |Â South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who came to power last month, vowed on Wednesday to “escalate the pace” of redistributing land from wealthy whites to poorer blacks. Land ownership is a sensitive subject in South Africa, 24 years after the end of apartheid rule, and …
Read More »DR Congo enacts law to hike tax on minerals
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | DR Congo President Joseph Kabila enacted a law to hike taxes on so-called strategic metals and ordered government consultations with foreign companies worried by the change, an official said Sunday. “The law has been promulgated in the same form as was adopted by parliament,” …
Read More »Stanbic’s PMI points to consistent economic growth
Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Stanbic Bank’s Purchase Managers Index (PMI) posted 51.1% growth in February down from 52% in the previous year, signaling a moderate improvement in business conditions in the private sector. Commenting on February’s survey finding, Jibran Qureshi, Regional Economist East Africa at Stanbic said, “business conditions …
Read More »Russia eyes Zimbabwe’s diamonds and platinum
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP |Â Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday met with Zimbabwe’s new President Emmerson Mnangagwa and discussed possible military co-operation as well as plans to boost economic ties. Lavrov, who is on a tour of Africa, is the first high-profile Russian official to visit Zimbabwe since veteran …
Read More »DR Congo president vows ‘constructive dialogue’ over mining levy
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP |Â DR Congo President Joseph Kabila has promised to have “constructive dialogue” with mining companies worried over plans to hike taxes on so-called strategic metals, a category expected to include the booming market for cobalt and copper. Kabila on Tuesday held more than seven hours of …
Read More »Trump vows Mexico, Canada steel tariffs without ‘fair’ NAFTA deal
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump vowed Monday not to exempt Mexico and Canada from new steel tariffs without a “fair” trade deal, but his chief negotiator warned the trio’s talks were not living up to expectations. Speaking as US, Mexican and Canadian trade officials gathered …
Read More »EU aims to tax internet giants at ‘two to six percent’: France
Paris, France | AFP | The EU will soon unveil a plan for taxing major internet companies like Amazon and Facebook by imposing a levy of two to six percent on revenues in every country where they operate, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said Sunday. “The range will be …
Read More »Bad economy pushes Kasaija, Muhakanizi in tight corner
Finance under attack over Shs.750 bn fresh borrowing, faces tough IMF Kampala, Uganda | HAGGAI MATSIKO | Matia Kasaija and his team at the Finance Ministry find themselves in a very tight corner as they look for Shs29.2 trillion to finance a new budget. Previously, finding cash did not present …
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