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KARACHI:

Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar, in the wake of outbreak of Congo virus in Balochistan, has directed the Sindh health and livestock departments to take precautionary measures in the bordering districts.

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a widespread disease caused by a tick-borne virus (Nairovirus) of the Bunyaviridae family. The ticks infect livestock and then the disease is transmitted to people. Bawar said that reports of Congo virus outbreak in Balochistan hasraised concerns for the districts including Dadu, Shahdadkot, Kashmore, and Jacobabad being in close proximity to Balochistan, face potential risks due to frequent cross-border movements. 

Read Karachi sets up Congo unit to deal with virus

Baqar said that the main transmission routes of the Congo virus include ticks from livestock and close contact with infected animals and humans. He directed the provincial health and livestock departments to intensify surveillance, particularly in the districts and tehsils close to Balochistan.

The CM also directed the administrations of both the departments to launch public awareness campaigns about preventive measures, including the use of insect repellents and protective clothing, besides monitoring of livestock markets, especially in border areas. Baqar insisted on close coordination between the health, livestock and other concerned departments of both the provinces to prevent the spread of the virus.

The CM said that the hospitals should be equipped with necessary diagnostic tools and treatment arrangements for the Congo virus-affected patients. Published in The Express Tribune, November 11th, 2023.

Uganda is upset that it was kept in the dark about the negotiations around the government-to-government fuel deal between Kenya and two Gulf nations. PHOTO | NMG

The Kenyan High Court will in the next few weeks determine if Kenya should go ahead and grant user rights to Uganda for the Kenyan oil pipeline, potentially solving or worsening the ongoing tiff between Nairobi and Kampala over fuel imports.

Trade and diplomatic relations between the two capitals have chilled over the past year, putting into question the state of the initial “bromance” between Ugandan veteran leader Yoweri Museveni and Kenya’s William Ruto.

Read more here   By The East African

Professor Josephat Lotto and Professor John Latham CBE

Coventry University’s Africa Hub is continuing to forge positive new relationships with the signing of a new agreement with the Institute of Finance Management (IFM) in Tanzania. 

It is hoped the memorandum of understanding (MOU) will lead to research collaboration, new PhD programmes, innovation projects and potentially the development of joint bids for consultancy projects. 

The IFM is recognised as the leading higher education institution in Tanzania for finance and economics. Its main campus is in Dar es Salaam, with others located in Dodoma, Simiyu and Mwanza. 

Founded in 1972, IFM is the oldest higher education financial institution in Tanzania with more than 38,000 alumni and around 15,000 students currently enrolled in both undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes. 

Professor Silas Lwakabamba, Regional Managing Director of Coventry University’s Africa Hub, said: “The aim of this MOU is to open up more opportunities for staff and

About Coventry University 

Coventry University is a global, modern university with a mission of creating better futures. We were founded by entrepreneurs and industrialists in 1843 as the Coventry School of Design and we continue to work with businesses to ensure we provide job-ready graduates with the skills and creative thinking to improve their communities. 

With a proud tradition of innovative teaching and learning, Coventry University is now one of the largest in the UK and has world-class campus facilities, the UK’s first standalone 5G network and a digital community of learning. Our students are part of a global network that has 50,000 learners studying Coventry University degrees in more than 40 different countries and partnerships with 150 higher education providers worldwide.  

Over two centuries, we have flourished in our home city and Coventry University Group now also delivers access to our range of high-quality services and partnerships through bases in London, Scarborough, Belgium, Poland, Egypt, Dubai, Singapore and Africa. From September 2023, we will be teaching students at a new campus in China in a joint institution with Communication University of China. 

We have greatly increased our research capacity and capability with a focus on impactful research, delivered for and with partners to address real-world challenges and support the sustainable growth of business and communities. The depth and breadth of our rapidly growing research portfolio was validated by the latest UK research assessment, which saw us jump 22 places in the research power rankings. 

We were awarded a Gold rating in the 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework, proving we deliver excellence in what students care most about – teaching, learning and achieving positive outcomes from their studies. In 2022, we were honoured with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the category of International Trade, the UK’s most prestigious business award.

In recent years, we have won many awards and vastly improved our rankings in the league tables that matter to students – but what matters to us is delivering transformational change for our students, partners and communities around the world as we continue to evolve into a global education group.

Public debt hit Sh10.58 trillion in September, with the National Treasury revealing that both domestic and external liabilities have risen rapidly under the government.

The elevation of the public debt points to a sustained borrowing appetite by the Kenya Kwanza government and the impact of the weakening shilling against foreign currencies.

The debt levels have grown at a time when the National Treasury has acknowledged Kenya’s headroom for more public borrowing is narrowing in a move expected to pile pressure on the taxman to raise funds for servicing public debt. “As of September 31, 2023, Gross Public Debt increased by Sh310.0 billion to Sh10.58 trillion compared to Sh10.27 trillion at the end of June 2023,” said National Treasury Principle Secretary Chris Kiptoo in a presentation before the National Assembly’s Public Debt and Privatisation Committee. 

Dr Kiptoo said the Gross Public Debt comprises Sh5.66 trillion (53.5 per cent) external debt and Sh4.92 trillion (46.5 per cent) domestic debt. “The depreciation of the Kenya shilling has been the primary driver of nominal growth of external debt,” he said. The local currency hit an all-time low against the dollar yesterday, setting up the government for further debt servicing distress. It has weakened by nearly 20 per cent against the dollar since the start of the year. According to Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) data, the shilling exchanged at an average of 151.6794 against the dollar – a record low.

Kenya’s sovereign loan repayments have been rising faster than collections of tax revenues in recent months, National Treasury disclosures show, signalling the country could be headed for a fresh debt crisis.

The lagging revenues against the pending urgent debt obligations highlight mounting concerns about the strength of the economic recovery and the government’s ability to sustainably service upcoming debt repayments, including the $2 billion (Sh302 billion) Eurobond. 

On Thursday however, President William Ruto finally revealed a much-awaited plan to pay off the Eurobond.

“Our efforts to stabilise the situation have yielded such progress that next month, in December, we will be able to settle the first $300 million (Sh45 billion) instalment of the $2 billion Eurobond debt that falls due next year,” he said in his State of the Nation address in Parliament.

“I can now state with confidence that we will and shall pay the debt that has become a source of much concern to citizens, markets and partners.”

The Kenya Kwanza administration has been betting on the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to ramp up collections to support debt servicing alongside the daily running of crucial programmes such as health and education or building new roads.

There have been concerns that rising debt servicing costs are squeezing funding for economic development, hindering the Kenya Kwanza administration from implementing its development programmes.

Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u earlier said this is compounded by lower-than-expected revenues, which could impact the government’s ability to deliver on its ambitious bottom-up promises. By Brian Ngugi, The Standard

Uganda's Minister of Energy and Mineral Development Ruth Nankabirwa (L) and Tanzania's Deputy Prime Minister Doto Biteko (R) signing a bilateral deal on November 9, 2023. PHOTO | COURTESY

Tanzania and Uganda on Thursday signed a bilateral agreement to construct a natural gas pipeline that will boost energy security and economic growth in both countries.

The pipeline will transport natural gas from Tanzania's southern regions to Uganda, where it will be used to power factories and generate electricity. The project is also expected to create jobs and attract foreign investment.

The agreement was signed on behalf of Tanzania by Energy Minister Doto Biteko and Uganda by Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Ruth Nankabirwa.

Read: Museveni arrives in Dar for signing of oil pipeline deal

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Biteko said the project will increase the demand for natural gas and boost gas extraction in Tanzania's Lindi and Mtwara regions. He also said that Kenya and Botswana have expressed interest in Tanzania's natural gas.

Biteko urged investors to come and invest in the natural gas sector, noting that gas processing has reached 250 million cubic feet per day, with 80 percent used for electricity generation and 20 percent for industrial, household, and transportation use.

Biteko said that the agreement is based on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two countries in August 2018, and that the two countries will work together on a feasibility study to assess the project's design, gas demand, pipeline size, and other important factors.

Biteko also noted that Tanzania has discovered large quantities of natural gas, approximately 57.54 trillion cubic feet, and that the government is continuing to explore for new sources in areas such as Eyasi Wembere, Mnazi Bay North, Songosongo West, Lake Tanganyika and the deep sea.

Minister Nankabirwa of Uganda said that her country recognizes the importance of the project and is committed to its acceleration. She urged the joint implementation committee to expedite the procurement process for the lead consultant and the feasibility study.

Read: Uganda moves to edge out Kenya in new petroleum import proposal

Nankabirwa also noted that the two countries have a history of collaboration on energy projects, such as the 14-megawatt Kikagati hydropower project, the Masaka Mutukula to Mwanza power transmission project, and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (Eacop) project.

The Tanzania-Uganda gas pipeline project is a significant milestone in East Africa's energy integration efforts. It will help to boost energy security and economic growth in both countries, and it will create jobs and attract foreign investment. By The Citizen

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