By Own Correspondent – The European Union and the Government of the Gambia yesterday signed an additional € 1.5 million under the technical cooperation facility (TCF) between the EU and the government. The amount, geared towards increasing the financing agreement of the 10th European Development Fund from € 3,500, 000 to € 5,000, 000 is also expected to help the National Authorising Officer in administering and managing the EDF resources in the framework of the EU-Gambia cooperation. The total project cost is estimated at € 5 million, which is entirely financed from the 10th EDF in the framework of the... Continue Reading
By Nawa Mutumweno – The International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank has approved $15 million additional financing to go towards investment in road infrastructure and institutional reforms. It is envisaged that this intervention will contribute effectively to the stimulation of economic growth and poverty reduction. The IDA credit has a 40-year maturity period with a 10-year grace period with the objective of preserving roads in target transport corridor areas and improve transport safety and connectivity in target areas. The advancement of the country’s road and rail sub-sectors has been the major thrust of IDA’s support to Zambia. In... Continue Reading
By Nawa Mutumweno – The $25 million Kasumbalesa Border Project on the Zambia – DRC frontier will be completed in December this year. The project which is funded by the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) is poised to improve interface between border users and operators, thereby enhancing regional trade. Zambia Border Crossing Company (ZipBCC) is undertaking the DBSA-financed project which includes the installation of the modern information technology (IT) system to reduce border congestion in addition to operating the state- of- the- art facility at the crossing point. The design is based on a unique model with the installation... Continue Reading
NAIROBI, 11 November 2010 (PlusNews) – The US adult film industry was brought to a virtual standstill recently after an actor tested HIV-positive and all his sexual partners were tested for the virus. There are no such precautions in Kenya’s porn industry, where actors usually perform without a condom or routine HIV testing. “I don’t know my HIV status and I can’t say I know that of the men we act with,” said Angela*, who recently made the switch from eight years of street-based sex work to acting in local porn films. “I know it is a dangerous thing I... Continue Reading
JOHANNESBURG, 11 November 2010 (IRIN) – South Africa’s east coast city of Durban is looking at the feasibility of turning the urine it collects from 95,000 dry toilets into fertilizer. Urine is rich in nutrients such as nitrates, phosphorus and potassium – vital ingredients of fertilizer, a precious commodity which has been rising sharply in price. Durban is something of a trail-blazer in terms of planning for climate change. Aware of likely water shortages in the years ahead, it began installing dry toilets in 2005. Neil Macleod, head of water and sanitation in Durban Municipality, explained that the urine is... Continue Reading
