KTV TANZANIA

Kiongozi mpya wa chama cha ANC cha Afrika Kusini Cyril Ramaphosa amefunga rasmi mkutano wa chama hicho akiahidi kufanyia kazi sera za kuimarisha uchumi wa nchi hiyo. Akizungumza katika kikao kilichomalizika usiku wa manane, Ramaphosa amesema kupambana na rushwa sambamba na umaskini ni kipaumbele cha kwanza kwa chama chake. Amesema kuwa kikao cha kamati kuu kimeahisi pia kurudisha ardhi muhimu ambazo zilikua mikononi mwa wasiohitajika ikiwa ni lengo la kukuza sekta ya kilimo. Amemsifu mpinzani wake wa kaziribu ayembwaga kwenye kinyang'anyiro cha uenyekiti wa ANC Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma kuwa ni jasiri na mchapa kazi.

Nigeria has unveiled a major railway expansion project to ease congestion on roads and to boost the economy, writes Ijeoma Ndukwe from the commercial capital, Lagos. A train pulls into Ebute Meta station on mainland Lagos. The station is housed within an old railway compound built during British rule in Africa's most populous state with a population of more than 185 million. Some 57 years after independence, colonial buildings, relics of a bygone era, remain the headquarters of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC). Driving towards the station, I catch glimpses of decades-old tracks overgrown with grass. Discarded carriages, train parts and equipment are scattered around the compound. A 30-minute train ride upstate takes us to a station called Iju, in a suburb of Lagos. We are at a building site alongside the old railway line where workers are laying the foundation for new train tracks by hand. They are constructing 144km (90 miles) of modern tracks connecting t...

Zimbabwe budget woos foreign investors Zimbabwe has taken steps towards ending its economic isolation in its first budget since the end of Robert Mugabe's 37-year authoritarian rule. Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa announced a package of measures aimed at wooing international investors, including new curbs on laws that require firms to be 51% locally owned. He said privatisation of some state firms was being considered. He unveiled spending cuts including the closure of some diplomatic missions. Mr Chinamasa also said all civil servants over the age of 65 would have to retire as the government aims for a 2018 budget deficit of below 4% of GDP. At present, more than 90% of government expenditure goes to pay civil servants' salaries. Since taking office last week, new President Emmerson Mnangagwa has pledged to crack down on corruption. He has also offered a three-month amnesty for individuals and companies to surrender public funds illegally s...