by Guo Chunju

DAR ES SALAAM, (Xinhua) — The East African Community (EAC) is looking forward to reinforce trade, investment and various relations with China, which is seen as a more serious economic partner with the total acceptance of market, EAC Secretary General Juma Mwapachu said here on Wednesday.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua on the sidelines of the 11th annual East African Power Industry Convention, Mwapachu said that the region is ready to work with China for development as the international financial crisis developed negative effects to the world economy.

“Market is the key driver of development,” the secretary general noted, hailing China’s reform and opening policy constructed by then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and adopted in 1978 in China.

“Most of China’s investment in the region focus on mineral resources, like copper, as well as infrastructure including roads. China has rich experience in developing energy sectors and east Africa has the potential for investment to develop energy, ” said the Mwapachu, who was former Tanzanian Ambassador to France and with a wide-ranging career in the public and private sectors in the east African country.

The 64-year-old experienced diplomat noted that gas reserves was detected in Rwanda and the region expects cooperation with China in the sectors of developing geothermal, wind and solar power.

He also expressed hope to make better use of the China-Africa Fund through the energetic regional body of EAC.

The secretary general further sent his warmest congratulation on the upcoming 60th founding anniversary of China on Oct. 1st this year.

On the integration process of the East Africa, Mwapachu noted that everything goes smoothly as the EAC is celebrating its 10th anniversary and the heads of states of its five members, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi, are expected to sign the EAC Common Market Protocol in November this year.

Under the theme “Pooling Resources for African Development”, the three-day 11th annual East African Power Industry Convention, which began on Tuesday with pre-conference round table sessions, attracted more than 280 delegates from nearly 20 countries to address pertinent issues on infrastructural requirements to support national development programs.

Burundi - The Chinese government will release US$9million for the building of a national reference hospital at Bubanza, a poor province in the North-West of Burundi, a diplomatic source told PANA here.

The foundation stone of the 100-bed hospital building was laid Thursday by the Burundian Head of State, Pierre Nkurunziza, accompanied by the Ambassador of the Popular Republic of China in Burundi, Xiangi Zeng.

Once the hospital is completed, the 348,188 inhabitants of Bubanza will no longer need to travel over 60km round trip for care in far away hospitals in Bujumbura, the Burundian capital.

Beijing is said to have already delivered about 100 hospitals of the type that will be built in Burundi to different “friendly countries” in the African continent, according to Xiangi Zeng.

The Chinese government will also provide doctors to the new hospital.

For some time, China has been sending about 30 doctors annually to Burundi to help the national health sector, which suffers a chronic lack of highly qualified human resources.

In other important sectors of national life, like education, the Chinese government has built a teachers’ school at a cost over US$10million.

Bujumbura - 15/05/2009

Pana

Bananas provide food, wine and beer - and now maybe fuel as well

You’ve heard of “green” fuel. Now get ready for yellow as scientists have found a way to turn banana waste into a sustainable fuel source that could be relevant to many countries across Africa.

Rotting banana skins are mashed into a pulp, then mixed with saw dust

The simple, low-tech idea, was developed by researchers at Nottingham University.

They used banana skins to create briquettes that can be burned for cooking, lighting and heating.

It could alleviate the burden of gathering firewood, the dominant energy source in many parts of the continent.

This would help reduce deforestation, which makes a significant contribution to global climate change.

Go yellow

In some African countries, like Rwanda, bananas are an important and versatile crop, used for food, wine and beer.

But experts estimate that the edible fruit makes up just a small part of what the plant produces.

The banana skins bind other materials together really well, they act like glue Joel Chaney,Nottingham University

According to scientists, for every one tonne of bananas, there are an estimated ten tonnes of waste, made up of skins, leaves and stems.

It was on a visit to Rwanda that Joel Chaney, a PhD student from the University of Nottingham came up with the idea of developing a low-tech approach to turn this banana waste into an efficient fuel source.

Back in the laboratory at the University’s faculty of engineering, Joel showed me how to make bananas burn.

He first mashes a pile of rotting skins and leaves. This pulp is then mixed with saw dust, compressed and dried to create briquettes that ignite readily and throw out a steady heat, ideal for cooking.

“The banana skins bind other materials together really well, they act like glue,” says Mr Chaney.

The banana mixture dries into briquettes which can be burned on a stove

“We can then either form the material into a ball by hand, or use a press to squeeze the materials together and squeeze the liquid out.

“Once we’ve pressed them we can lay the briquettes outside in the sun, and within about two weeks we have some dried fuel.”

The emphasis of the project has been on developing a simple technology that can be used in developing countries without the need for a large financial outlay.

Over the years there have been many attempts to develop new stoves and fuel sources in Africa that have failed because they were too expensive or did not take on board local needs.

These briquettes are made by hand, we haven’t used any mechanical equipment at all Mike Clifford,Nottingham University

Mike Clifford is associate professor in the department of engineering at Nottingham. Standing around a stove in the laboratory that’s using banana briquettes to boil water, he says he is really pleased with the project.

“This is working really well. These briquettes we’ve made by hand, we haven’t used any mechanical equipment at all. No technology and we’ve had a really good result,” he says.

“We’re starting from very basic problems and we are making the solutions as simple and accessible as possible to the people that need them.

“It’s almost seen as a new colonialism, imposing solutions on people in developing countries, we are very keen not to do that.”

Saving firewood

The scientists believe that banana fuel might help reduce dependence on wood as an energy source across Africa.

The briquettes are easily made, no machinery is required

In some of the continent’s biggest banana-producing countries like Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi, more than 80% of current energy needs are met from burning wood.

This has a very damaging impact on the environment leading to deforestation which contributes to climate change. Gathering wood for fuel is also a time consuming job, mainly done by women.

“In some areas wood fuel is getting depleted and you are getting deforestation. Women sometimes have to walk over six hours a day to get firewood,” says Joel Chaney.

“This is a way to use waste from crops like bananas, to make them burn in a better way because loose residue most often just burns too rapidly.

“Imagine just putting some straw onto your fire at home. It just goes up in flames, you can’t cook food over it, while the briquettes provide a way to cook food in a much better way.”

The Nottingham researchers say their low-tech approach is a small step along the way of meeting the millennium goals and helping people out of poverty.

They say that they are happy to give the idea away for free and are encouraging people who want to use the idea to get in touch.

China will work with Burundi to advance bilateral ties, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said in Beijing on Tuesday.

China will fully implement all the cooperative measures announced by China at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2006, and make joint efforts with Burundi to deepen the traditional China-Burundi friendship of cooperation.

He Yong, member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and also deputy-secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, made the remarks when meeting with the chairman of Burundi’s National Council for the Defense of Democracy - Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) Jeremie Ngendakumana.

The CNDD-FDD is Burundi’s ruling party.

The CPC will also step up its relationship with Burundi’s ruling party and its government, in accordance with the principles of independence, complete equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, said He.

Ngendakumana, who started his China visit from Monday, agreed to make efforts to advance both inter-party and state-to-state ties. He also reaffirmed the CNDD-FDD and Burundian government’s firm adherence to the one-China policy.

Source: Xinhua

ASX- and Aim-listed Dwyka Resources, through its wholly owned subsidiary Danyland, has secured full ownership of the Muremera nickel project, in Burundi, following an agreement with diversified mining giant BHP Billiton.
The company would now proceed with the planned exploration programme.
Dwyka has identified the three highest priority targets in its exploration programme for drilling. The targets were about 10 km from the Barrick/Xstrata Kabanga project, which was currently the world’s largest undeveloped nickel sulphide project.
There was also a number of other identified drilling targets. However, the three located near Kabanga would be the immediate focus of the exploration programme, which was expected to start in May this year.
Despite BHP having satisfied its earn-in requirements to be entitled to a 10% interest in the project through its investment of some $7,3-million into the project, Dwyka would retain 100% ownership.

(chinamining.org)

The United Nations agency charged with coordinating the fight against HIV/AIDS today welcomed a Senate decision in Burundi overwhelmingly rejecting a bill which sought to outlaw homosexuality.

Burundi’s lawmakers voted against an amendment to the penal code which included provisions for the imprisonment of people involved in gay and lesbian sexual relationships.

“By rejecting this amendment, Senators in Burundi have protected the human rights of their people,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

“They have also set a standard for other lawmakers around the world to follow their example in stopping laws that block the AIDS response.”

The agency stressed that criminalizing consensual adult sexual behaviour and violating the human rights of those living with HIV obstructs prevention programmes and blocks access to treatment for people living with the disease.

Such measures not only violate the human rights of individuals, but further stigmatize homosexual communities, UNAIDS noted in a press release, highlighting that 84 countries currently have legislation banning same-sex relationships.

The agency noted that countries with non-discrimination laws against men who have sex with men, injecting drug users and sex workers have provided better access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services.
Published by Mike Hitchen, Mike Hitchen Consulting
(ionglobaltrends.blogspot.com)

Landlocked Burundi and Rwanda plan to build a 500 km (310 mile) road linking them with neighbouring Tanzania to reduce their overdependence on Kenya’s Mombasa port, a minister said on Tuesday.

The two economies suffered greatly when imports through Mombasa were blocked by political violence in Kenya earlier this year. The port on the Indian Ocean is a main gateway into much of eastern Africa.

“This project is of great importance to our economies. The road will largely reduce the cost of our imported merchandise,” Burundi Finance Minister Clotilde Nizigama told reporters, adding that it would also ease the coffee grower’s exports.

“We hope our partners in development are going to respond positively to our request.”

The road is budgeted to cost $688 million and take four years to complete. The two countries have a $100-million grant from the African Development Bank and are seeking the rest from the World Bank, European Union, China and Saudi Arabia.

The two central African nations have also begun a $4 billion project to build a 691 km (430 mile) rail line to connect them to Tanzania. It is expected to be operational by 2012.

(engineeringnews)