Rwanda conservation news – NGO’s involved in re-afforestation
RE-FORESTATION CONTINUES IN RWANDA The Rwanda Afforestation Support Programme earlier in the week released data of their accomplishments, having planted over 160 hectares of land along main roads with trees while planting over 460 hectares on previously degraded and encroached forest land. The group, with funding from Belgium and the Netherlands will continue their work, […]
Kenya aviation breaking news – Kenya Airways and Embraer sign purchase / options deal today
KENYA AIRWAYS PUTS PEN TO PAPER WITH EMBRAER Today will see the formal signing ceremony between ‘The Pride of Africa’, aka Kenya Airways and Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer. During the recent Paris Air Show was the initial announcement made, and instantly reported here, that KQ had expressed their intent to buy 10 more Embraer E190AR […]
Tanzania conservation news – East African Court of Justice throws out government objections, will hear Serengeti Highway case
SERENGETI HIGHWAY OPPONENTS CELEBRATE COURT VICTORY News came in overnight that the Tanzanian government has suffered a sharp setback when their application to throw out a legal case brought by a range of opponents to their Serengeti highway plans was denied by the East African Court of Justice. Court ruled to uphold the suit brought […]
Uganda conservation news – Mabira rhetoric escalates as World Bank insists on ‘offset agreement’
MABIRA RHETORIC GETS SHARPER While the World Bank has given the clearest indication yet that they will use all means at their disposal to hold the Ugandan government to its commitment to leave Mabira alone as part of an ‘offset agreement’ signed between the parties in 2001 over the financing of the Bujagali hydro electric […]
Weekly roundup of news from the Eastern African and Indian Ocean region, Fifth edition August 2011
TOURISM, AVIATION AND CONSERVATION NEWS from the Eastern African and Indian Ocean region A weekly roundup of reports, travel stories and opinions by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome Get daily breaking news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome or read the daily postings on my blog via: www.wolfganghthome.wordpress.com Fifth edition August 2011 HAPPY […]
Mauritius hospitality news update – Hotel Institute graduates 91 students
HOTEL SCHOOL GRADUATES MORE STUDENTS 91 students received their diplomas and certificates earlier this week when the ‘Ecole Hoteliere Sir Gaetan Duval’ graduated their latest batch of students, now ready to join or re-join the Mauritius hospitality industry. The minister for education and human resources was the guest of honour at the ceremony held by […]
Seychelles news update – Shark hunt continues
SHARK HUNT CONTINUES AFTER CATCHING 12 FOOT TIGER SHARK The efforts to trace and destroy the killer shark responsible for the death of two tourists on the Anse Lazio beach of Praslin are continuing, although news broke over the weekend that a 12 foot tiger shark was caught between the Cousin and Cousine islands. Two […]
East Africa news update – EAC pushes for highway upgrade from Arusha via Taveta / Voi to Mombasa
EAC TO DEVELOP BETTER ARUSHA TO MOMBASA ROAD LINK With the completion of the Arusha to Nairobi highway finally in sight, the East African Community is now turning its attention to ‘the missing link’, a better highway connection from the seat of the EAC in Arusha via Moshi – Taveta and Voi to Mombasa. Arusha, […]
Kenya aviation news – Kisumu airport set for completion at last
KISUMU AIRPORT SET FOR COMPLETION Following news a few days ago that Malindi’s airport construction was nearly complete and the commissioning of the new facilities, i.e. passenger terminal, shops, restaurants and the new control tower was only weeks away, was additional information sent to this correspondent over the weekend that Kisumu’s airport too was now […]
KISUMU AIRPORT SET FOR COMPLETION Following news a few days ago that Malindi’s airport construction was nearly complete and the commissioning of the new facilities, i.e. passenger terminal, shops, restaurants and the new control tower was only weeks away, was additional information sent to this correspondent over the weekend that Kisumu’s airport too was now […]
Uganda news update – Shilling plunges to new record lows
SHILLING PLUNGES TO NEW LOWS Last Friday saw the value of the Uganda Shilling drop to new lows, when demand for the US Dollar soared and previous interventions by the Bank of Uganda evaporated with little visible impact to stem the tide for more than a day or two. Trading in the 2.820 to 2.840 […]
East Africa news – Khartoum’s membership application to join EAC seen as ‘pure mischief’
MORE MISCHIEF FROM THE KHARTOUM REGIME Khartoum’s formal application to join the East African Community has been received with some incredulity in Arusha, causing a blinding diplomatic headache to community bureaucrats and the member states. No longer having any direct borders with any of the East African Community, the regime in Khartoum is thought to […]
South Sudan news update – New Tourism Minister appointed
NEW TOURISM MINISTER APPOINTED President Gen. Salva Mayardit Kiir has last week put final touches on the first post independence cabinet, after first creating 29 ministries before on subsequent days appointing the ministers holding the respective portfolios. Retained in name and function was the Ministry of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism, which oversees the country’s national […]
Rwanda aviation news update – New Bugesera airport scope / cost under review
NEW AIRPORT UNDER REVIEW Plans for the new international airport outside Kigali in Bugesera are being reviewed, as the latest studies reveal a staggering cost of at least 600 million US Dollars, likely to rise still further considering inflationary trends and cost increases along the way. The Rwandan Minister for Infrastructure the Hon. Albert Nsengiyumva […]
Rwanda aviation news – RwandAir welcomes the arrival of their first B737-800
RWANDAIR GETS NG737, CEO TALKS OF FUTURE PLANS (RwandAir’s new bird 9XR-WF taxiing to the parking position) Regular plane spotters were the first to see the landing lights of RwandAir’s brand new B737-800 emerge from the distant clouds as shortly before 3 p.m. local time the long awaited ‘bird’ came […]
Kenya hospitality news update – Sun Africa announces the setting up of two luxury tented camps
SUN AFRICA SET FOR TWO MORE CAMP OPENINGS Details were obtained that Sun Africa Hotels, owners and managers of the soon to formally opening Sovereign Suites, the Lake Baringo Club, the Lake Naivasha Country Club and the Keekorok Lodge will shortly embark on the setting up of two more safari camps. Tent sizes were given […]
Tanzania marine conservation news – Whale shark tours now available from Mafia Island
WHALE SHARKING FOR MAFIA’S MARINE PARK Regular and increased sightings of the ocean’s largest fish, the whale shark, in the waters off Mafia Island, have prompted the Mafia Marine Park management to introduce and licence dedicated ocean tours to show the fish to tourist visitors. Now over 10 years old the park has started to […]
Kenya aviation news update – Malindi’s new terminal and control tower ‘almost ready’
NEW TERMINAL AT MALINDI AIRPORT ‘NEARLY READY’ It was learned overnight that work on Malindi Airport’s new terminal building has advanced well enough to consider an informal commissioning in mid to late October this year. A formal opening will then follow at a later stage. The construction also involved a new control tower, for improved […]
Kenya conservation news update – Reprieve for Nairobi National Park?
REPRIEVE FOR NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK? Nairobi National Park’s public voice, FoNNaP or Friend of Nairobi National Park, was heard loud and clear earlier in the week when Dr. Paula Kahumbu, recently honoured by the National Geographic Society for her conservation work in Kenya, spoke to the chief engineer of the Kenya National Highways Authority in […]
Tanzania conservation breaking news – TANAPA gets slapped with injunction, arbitrary fee increases halted by court
HAT OBTAINS INJUNCTION AGAINST TANAPA – BATTLE OF FEES GOES TO NEXT LEVEL Information was just received that after a week of arguments, submissions and deliberations has the High Court in Tanzania granted an injunction to the Hotel Association of Tanzania, and their members, to prevent TANAPA from collecting unilaterally introduced fees, after discarding a […]
Tanzania aviation news – Government pays for ATCL’s Q300 heavy maintenance
TANZANIAN GOVERNMENT PAYS FOR AIR TANZANIA’S Q300 MAINTENANCE Information was finally confirmed that the government of Tanzania has indeed used some of their sparse cash to pay for major aircraft maintenance for Air Tanzania’s sole aircraft, a Bombardier Q300. The plane was early this year withdrawn from service, effectively shutting down the operations of the […]
African conservation news – CITES under growing pressure to act, live up to its mandate
CONSERVATIONISTS DEMAND THAT CITES REMOVE CHINA’S‘IVORY TRADING STATUS’ The growing greed and hunger for Africa’s ‘White Gold’, aka ivory in China has been largely blamed on the rocketing cases of poaching across the continent’s national parks and game reserves over the past two years, but too little action has been taken by CITES or other […]
Kenya tourism news – First half arrivals give hope to new record year
KENYA TOURISM ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT LATEST ARRIVAL FIGURES ‘We have it in our hands now to make this another record breaking year’ was the comment of a regular contributor and source from Nairobi, when discussing the latest arrival data for the first half of 2011. 549.083 foreign visitors were recorded to have arrived in Kenya during […]
Kenya hospitality news – Sun Africa’s ‘Sovereign Suites’ in soft opening stage
SOVEREIGN SUITES NOW IN SOFT OPENING STAGE As reported here two months ago, Sun Africa Hotels in Kenya was at the time busy to get their new flagship property in Nairobi up and running for an opening by October this year. The time frame is still intact it was learned yesterday when information was obtained […]
Uganda conservation news update – Former Vice President joins ‘Save Mabira’
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT JOINS GROWING NUMBER OF DISSENTERS ON MABIRA The ‘Save Mabira’ movement has found an unexpected ally yesterday when former Vice President Prof. Dr. Gilbert Bukenya broke ranks with President Museveni and also demanded that Mabira forest be left alone and other land be found for the growing of sugar cane. Opponents of […]
Tanzania conservation breaking news – Over 1.000 tusks confiscated at Zanzibar port
ZANZIBAR POLICE CONFISCATE 1.000 TUSKS IN SHIPMENT TO MALAYSIA News broke overnight that authorities at the harbour in Zanzibar have managed to intercept a shipment of blood ivory, containing over 1.000 elephant tusks hidden amongst other cargo destined, according to cargo documents, for Malaysia. While it is understood that at least two suspects were taken […]
Uganda and South Sudan aviation breaking news – Gulf Air to commence flights in December
GULF AIR RETURNING TO ENTEBBE, STARTING JUBA FLIGHTS It was just learned that Gulf Air is joining the growing number of airlines from their home region as it intends to resume flights to Entebbe from early December onwards. Only weeks ago were news broken here that Qatar Airways will begin daily flights to Entebbe from […]
Mauritius news update – Beaches are safe, says government
BEACHES ARE SAFE, GOVERNMENT ASSURES MAURITIANS The recent grounding of a cargo vessel carrying rice to the Ivory Coast on a reef off the Mauritius shoreline has caused concerns of a potential oil spillage, which could be hugely damaging to the reef’s ecosystem and the beaches of the island. The vessel, following an engine breakdown, […]
Tanzania conservation news update – UNESCO issues warning over Selous WHS status
UNESCO ISSUES CHALLENGE OVER SELOUS One of Tanzania’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Selous Game Reserve, may be declared a ‘World Heritage Site in Danger’, should the Tanzanian government continue to recklessly pursue plans to open up a Uranium mine and build a dam at Stiegler’s Gorge it was learned yesterday. This will be the […]
Kenya news update – ‘The Pride of Africa’ joins in ‘Kenyans for Kenya’ effort
‘KENYANS FOR KENYA’ RECEIVES KENYA AIRWAYS SUPPORT ‘The Pride of Africa’ aka Kenya Airways has joined hands with the business community and civil society to assist in providing food and other daily necessities to communities in Northern Kenya hard hit by drought and failed harvests. CEO Dr. Titus Naikuni, on behalf of the national […]
