Africa aid wiped out by rising cost of oil

The rising cost of oil has wiped out the benefits many African countries were expecting from western aid and debt relief over the past three years, new research from the International Energy Agency has shown. ft.com

Kibaki named victor in Kenya vote

Kenya's electoral body says President Mwai Kibaki has won the presidential poll, despite claims of fraud. www.bbc.co.uk

Kenya business says election unrest costs govt money

Kenya's business community said on Sunday the country was losing 2 billion shillings worth of taxes daily due to unrest caused by a delay in announcing disputed presidential election results. africa.reuters.com

Kenyans Vote in Test of Democracy

The presidential election is predicted to be the tightest race in the country’s history — and perhaps the greatest test yet of Kenya’s young, multiparty democracy. nytimes.com

New charges for S Africa's Zuma

South African prosecutors bring corruption charges against Jacob Zuma, leader of the governing ANC party. bbc.co.uk

Nigeria corruption tsar sidelined

The head of Nigeria's anti-corruption unit is reportedly ordered to go on year-long leave. bbc.co.uk

Kenya: UK Carbon Footprint Campaign Fizzles Out

The food miles debate that threw Kenya's flower industry into a spin at the beginning of 2007 has finally fizzled out as UK supermarkets have dropped their initial hardline stance. The East African / http://allafrica.com

Nigeria: Laptops-in-Schools Debate Turns Messy

A scheme to give one million low-cost laptops to Nigerian schoolchildren has stalled because some policymakers say the money would be better spent on other educational projects, while government officials and private computer companies have actively worked to undermine the project, its manager told IRIN. UN Integrated Regional Information Networks / http://allafrica.com

Tanzania: TRA Vows to Hasten Clearance of Goods

The Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) plans to hasten cargo clearance to cut the cost of doing businesses. The Citizen / http://allafrica.com

Tanzania: Debate Heats Up for Return to Comesa

Debate on whether Tanzania should rejoin the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) is heating up, with members of the business community reiterating that the country is losing business for remaining out of the trading bloc. The Citizen / http://allafrica.com

Tanzania: IMF's Clean Sheet Alone Not Enough

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has once again given the performance and management of the national economy a clean bill of health.Its latest approval followed completion of the board's second review of the country under the three-year Policy Support Instrument (PSI) late last week. The Citizen / http://allafrica.com

Zimbabwe banknote crisis dampens Christmas cheer

Zimbabwean banks on Tuesday failed to heed pleas to remain open from shoppers desperate for cash, dampening already bleak Christmas festivities in the economically devastated nation. africa.reuters.com

South Africa: JSE Faces a Tough Year

Whichever way you look at it, 2007 has been a good year for the JSE. It had its first anniversary as a listed company, and it became the world's biggest single stock futures market. Turnover was up. And for most of the year the returns from the exchange were very pleasing, at least for those that were going long. Business Day / http://allafrica.com

Uganda: Japan Pledges More Support for Uganda's Energy

The Japanese government has pledged to continue supporting Uganda's efforts in different energy development sources and mineral exploration. The Monitor / http://allafrica.com

Liberia: Libya to Assemble Rubber Factory

The Ambassador of the People's Bureau of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya accredited near Monrovia says his government would assemble a rubber factory in Liberia. The NEWS / http://allafrica.com

A Bank in Every African Pocket?

Ann Wanjiku walks up to a green-and-white booth with an "M-Pesa agent" sign on it. There she shows the agent her identity card and her cell phone, which displays a PIN number provided by a client. Using the PIN number, the M-Pesa agent takes just a minute to verify that the client has transferred payment for 1,000 traditional carvings into Ms. Wanjiku's mobile money account. Ms. Wanjiku then withdraws the amount in cash, writes Ms. Mary Kimani in the United Nations Africa Renewal magazine. Rwanda News Agency / http://allafrica.com

Nigeria: Pfizer Fights Jailings

Pfizer said it would fight a Nigerian court order that could jail three employees. nytimes.com

Uganda: Foreign Help for Country's Coffee

International coffee companies intend to create linkages with established local players to strengthen recovery of the coffee industry in Uganda. The East African / http://allafrica.com

Liberia: Tata Steel Signs Nimba Venture in Ivory Coast

Tata Steel Limited of India and SODEMI, the Ivorian state-owned company for mineral development, have entered into a Joint Venture agreement for the development of the Mount Nimba iron ore deposits in Cote d'Ivoire . The Inquirer / http://allafrica.com

Zambia telecoms ups spending on mobile, cable

Zambia's state telephone utility will spend about $105 million to lay a fibre optic network and to lift its mobile subscription to one million customers by June 2008, its managing director said. africa.reuters.com