After a period of unnecessary turbulence following the postponement of Senegal's national elections, President Macky Sall has bought an end to speculation by confirming his date of departure from office.

"The National Dialogue has called for the 2nd of June 2024 as the new date for presidential elections in Senegal. I want to make it categorically clear that I will step down from office on the 2nd of April, as I have previously made clear. My departure date is absolutely firm," he tweeted on Thursday. 

That clarity is important for the country's usually optimistic business community, which feared that an extended period of uncertainty could hit confidence and weigh on growth. They hope that a peaceful and seamless transition to new leadership will enable the economy - projected by the IMF to expand this year at 8.8% - to continue on its bold upwards trajectory. With future oil and gas windfalls expected, a politically stable Senegal could play a leading role in West Africa. By Davis Thomas, African Business

Tanzania’s former President Ali Hassan Mwinyi has died at the age of 98.

The death of the former head of State was announced by President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Mwinyi, who was the second President of Tanzania, was in office between 1985 and 1995.

He succeeded the founding president, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.

Mwinyi died three months shy of his 99th birthday.

He was hospitalised on February 24 for a chest illness.

His son Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, is the current President of Zanzibar, in the Tanzanian archipelago. - THE CITIZEN

A German national accused of child sexual exploitation involving a 15-year-old, has been granted a Sh1 million bond with two Kenyan sureties by a Kilifi court.

Netzband Tim Marvin, faces three charges, including child trafficking, child pornography, and promoting a sexual offense with a child.

In the first count, Marvin is charged with trafficking in persons, as per Section 3(1)(e) read with Sections 3(4) and 3(5) of the Counter Trafficking in Persons Act No. 8 of 2020.

“It is alleged that on diverse days between 1st January 2024 and 9th February 2024 at Mtondia area Kilifi North sub-county of Kilifi County, he sexually exploited a 15-year-old child after transporting her using his vehicle from the Maghreb hotel, Sea Horse area to his house in Mtondia area,” the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution(ODPP) said Thursday.

On the second count, Marvin is charged with child pornography under Section 24(1)(c) of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act No. 5 of 2018. I

t is alleged that in the Mtondia area of Kilifi North sub-county, Marvin transmitted pornographic images to the victim via WhatsApp.

He also faces a charge of promoting a sexual offense with a child, as per Section 12(a) of the Sexual Offences Act No. 3 of 2006.

 The ODPP states that on February 6, 2024, at an unspecified location within Kenya, Marvin promoted a sexual act to a 15-year-old by distributing a nude picture via WhatsApp on his mobile phone.

The case, prosecuted by Assistant DPP Vivian Kambaga and Prosecution Counsel Nancy Njeru, is scheduled for hearing on March 14, 2024. By Bruhan Makong, Capital News

Shell and Equinor are still expecting the signing of all agreements which would allow them to start developing a planned $42-billion LNG export project in Tanzania, the international majors have told Bloomberg.

The LNG project for connecting offshore natural gas discoveries offshore Tanzania with an export terminal on its coast has been nearly a decade in the making.  

After buying BG Group in 2016, Shell became the operator of two offshore blocks in Tanzania, Block 1 and Block 4, together with its partners Medco Energi (Ophir Energy) and Pavilion Energy. A total of 16 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas have been discovered in the blocks. 

Equinor, for its part, started exploration drilling activities in Block 2 offshore Tanzania in 2011 and has made nine discoveries with estimated volumes of more than 20 Tcf of gas in place.

Regulatory hurdles have weighed on the LNG plans, but progress was made in early 2023 and the majors felt they could start monetizing the huge offshore gas resources in the late 2020s or early 2030s.

Discussions with Shell and Equinor were completed and the experts were about to begin drafting contracts, the energy ministry of Tanzania said in March last year.

One contract is being drafted for the Host Government Agreement, and another is for blocks 1, 2, and 4, which will provide natural gas for the LNG project, Tanzania said at the time.

However, since May 2023, “progress has indeed been slower than we expected,” Equinor spokesperson Ola Morten Aanestad told Bloomberg this week.

“As the world’s energy system is slowly transitioning from oil and gas, we hope to advance Tanzania LNG – an attractive project in many respects – on time.” A spokesperson for Shell told Bloomberg that “We had hoped to see these agreements signed faster, but we remain ready to continue to work with the government on competitive and investable agreements, consistent with what we agreed last year.”  

Tanzania’s Energy Minister Doto Biteko, told Bloomberg the host government agreement “is still under negotiation,” declining to discuss details. By Charles Kennedy, Oil Price