Uganda is considering its route-to-market options for the construction of an oil pipeline from oilfields in the Lake Albert basin to the East African coastline. Until recently, Kenya was convinced that it had secured the pipeline deal through to Lamu port, which would form an integral part of its northern corridor development plans. However, Tanzania has entered the fray and put forward an attractive option to route the pipeline to its northern...

Gabon has a mobile penetration rate of around 190% (at end-2014), which is one of the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. The country’s telecommunications sector could receive a boost over the next few years from the roll-out of more extensive 3G and 4G mobile networks. Service providers have invested heavily to expand their infrastructure across Libreville and Port Gentil, which is likely to intensify competition between the three service providers...

Ethiopia successfully piloted its first mobile money-transfer service (M-BIRR) in 2013 and 2014. It now has its sights firmly set on rolling out mobile money networks in the hope of reducing transaction costs and increasing financial inclusion throughout the country. Foreign firms are providing services to support the development of mobile banking in Ethiopia, which includes the wider roll-out of M-BIRR and introduction of competing services...

The 15 member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) appear close to agreeing a new Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU. A deal was under discussion at negotiations held in late January between the two trade blocks and an agreement appears to have been reached in principle which could be formally ratified during the first quarter of 2014. Dialogue with the EU broke down in 2012, but was given fresh impetus...

The discovery of gas condensate in a pre-salt layer earlier this year has raised expectations that Gabon is on the verge of an offshore oil windfall that could offset declining output from mature fields and provide much needed finance to the domestic economy. The government hopes that new discoveries will eventually raise oil production to 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) from a projected 230,000 bpd in 2014. In October, Gabon awarded various...

The contribution of the tourism sector to economic growth in Botswana has been stifled in recent years by fall-out from the global recession as well as the legacy of years of under-investment in infrastructure and staff training to raise standards in the sector. However, a recent study by the World Bank suggests that Botswana is amongst the best placed countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to grow the sector rapidly over the next five years. There...