Netflix to invest in South Africa-based productions
US streaming giant Netflix will invest $63m in four South Africa-based productions over the next two years. The investment will cover one international and three local productions, which will be filmed in South Africa in 2022 and 2023. Netflix revealed the investment amount at the 4th Annual South African Investment Conference at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, the South African government’s annual showcase for private investment opportunities.
Buhari inaugurates Dangote’s fertiliser plant
The Dangote fertiliser plant has been inaugurated in a visit by Nigerian President Muhammad Buhari. Located at Ibeju Lekki, Lagos Free Trade Zone, the $2.5bn, 500-hectare plant has the capacity to produce 3m tonnes of urea per annum and aims to help Nigeria become self-sufficient in fertiliser production, with spare capacity to export.
Rwanda makes cooking fuel deal with KOKO Networks
Rwanda has announced an agreement with KOKO Networks, which has a proprietary climate-tech platform for the delivery of bioethanol cooking fuel, to develop a nationwide renewable cooking fuel utility. Rwanda will provide an enabling policy environment including removal of VAT and import duties on equipment and ethanol fuel, with the benefit of cost reductions passed to households via lower consumer prices.
KOKO Rwanda will deliver the technology, capital and expertise, leveraging private climate finance of $25m.
ILO elects Gilbert Houngbo as directorgeneral
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has elected Gilbert Houngbo as its next director-general. Houngbo, who served as prime minister of Togo from 2008-12, will be the first African to lead the UN agency for setting international labour standards. Houngbo, who is the current president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), was elected for a five-year term by the ILO’s governing body, which comprises representatives of governments, workers and employers, during their meeting in Geneva. He will take office in October.
Presidential candidate Raila Odinga says that Kenya stands to lose some Ksh10bn ($100m) in exports to Russia as a result of sanctions imposed on Moscow because of its war against Ukraine but is right to support them, reports David Thomas.
Speaking at Chatham House in London in March, Odinga said that exports of tobacco, coffee, tea, spices, live trees, plants, bulbs, roots, cut flowers, edible fruits, nuts and melons to both Russia and Ukraine are under threat as a result of the three-week old conflict.
“In Kenya we stand to lose about Ksh10bn worth of exports to Russia as a result of sanctions, that’s about $100m... in 2020 we imported wheat, maize and fertilisers worth about $406m from Russia. This might be equally adversely affected with the sanctions and disruptions of war at a time our economy can hardly afford such a stress,” he said.
Senseless conflict
Odinga was scathing of what he called a “senseless conflict” and fulsome in his support of the international sanctions regime to isolate the Russian economy.
“Kenya’s position at the United Nations in full support of the immediate cessation of hostility by Russia and its search for common peace has found widespread international support. Even though the sanctions imposed on Russia will harm the economic interests of
Kenya and Africa, they are actions that I support. Rather than beat the drums of war let us ring the bells of peace.”
Odinga, who will face deputy president William Ruto in August’s election, and has been endorsed by incumbent and long-term rival Uhuru Kenyatta, stuck close to the government’s response to the crisis.
He echoed the words of Kenya’s permanent representative to the United Nations Martin Kimani, who gave a speech on 21 February decrying Russia’s invasion that harked back to Africa’s colonial history, arguing that “we must complete our recovery from the embers of dead empires in a way that does not plunge us back to new forms of domination and oppression”.
Odinga said “wars of aggression against sovereign states violate the cardinal principles of sovereignty and the inviolability of borders of a state. In Africa we long realised that reopening grievances over colonial borders would upend us all. It’s a Pandora’s Box that must never be touched.”
Call for diplomacy
Odinga called for renewed rounds of diplomacy at the UN Security Council, where Kenya is currently serving as a non-permanent member.
“The Ukraine crisis, like Covid-19, is a global phenomenon. The UN needs to urgently take leadership in finding a solution through diplomacy and dialogue, already initiated in recent discussions in the Security Council, and Kenya has taken a very firm stand on this issue.”