WTO Chief Calls for Urgency to Breathe Life Into Doha Round

World Trade Organisation (WTO) director-general Pascal Lamy this week called for urgency among the body's members after their representatives missed last month's deadline on agricultural and nonagricultural market access talks.  Business Day / http://allafrica.com

Time to Invest in Africa - African Development Bank President

The President of the African Development Bank Group, Mr. Donald Kaberuka, has urged Korean businesses to take advantage of the vast improvements in Africa's investment climate and economic conditions to invest in the continent.  African Development Bank / http://allafrica.com

Africa 'coping' with oil prices

African states - even non-oil producers - are dealing better with high oil prices than in the past, the IMF says. BBC

Africa Partnership Forum Meets in Maputo

Mozambican Foreign Minister Alcinda Abreu said in Maputo on Thursday that agriculture remains one of the sectors deserving of more attention and support, because of its role in the economy and in the fight against poverty in Africa.  Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique / http://allafrica.com

Get rid of 200 economic bodies: AU

Africa should “bite the bullet” and rationalise its many regional economic communities, a senior African Union (AU) official said on Wednesday. iAfrica.com

Nigeria: Account for $250m Missing Oil Fund, Obasanjo Tells Audit Firm

President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday halted the presentation of the audit report of the oil and gas sector spearheaded by the Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) until a sum of $250 million, about N33.2 billion said to be unaccounted for is traced by the foreign audit firm--Harp Group.  Vanguard / http://allafrica.com

Ethiopia: Country Plans for Double-Digit Growth

Ethiopia has been pulling out all the stops in an attempt to increase average annual growth into double-digits and this is reflected in plans to increase exports by 25 percent annually.  Business in Africa / http://allafrica.com

Kenya: Internet Market in Supersonic Growth

Kenya has the fastest growing Internet market in sub-Saharan Africa. The country has hit the 1.5 million mark in Internet user figures from 500,000 users just a year ago.  East African Business Week / http://allafrica.com

Ghana: Teledensity Grows Over 1,200 percent – Minister

In a way to outline his former ministry's achievements after being reshuffled to the ministry of interior, Hon. Albert Kan Dapaah, the former minister of communications, has said Ghana's teledensity has grown to over 1,200% since 2001. Teledensity is the rate at which Ghanaians access telephones.  Ghanaian Chronicle / http://allafrica.com

Zimbabwe: Cellular-Banking Innovation

Nowadays, an increasing number of people who traditionally spent their day cooped up in an office now spend their days on the move and working outside the office.  Financial Gazette / http://allafrica.com

Tanzania: IMF Warns Tanzania Over 'Too Many Economic Zones'

The International Monetary Fund has cautioned Tanzania against creating "too many special economic zones."  The East African / http://allafrica.com

Southern Africa: Comesa Must Invest $40 Billion Annually for 7 Percent Growth

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) has said that the region needs to invest $40bn annually in order to develop infrastructure if the aim of achieving seven percent growth is to be reached.  Business in Africa / http://allafrica.com

Southern Africa: SADC, India Strengthen Relationship

Cooperation between Southern Africa and India would strengthen the relationship between the two regions, Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Council of Ministers, Baledzi Gaolathe has said. Speaking at the inauguration of the SADC-India Forum in Windhoek, Namibia last week, Gaolathe said this kind of cooperation addressed SADC's regional priorities.  Mmegi/The Reporter / http://allafrica.com

Multinationals Reshaping the Communications Landscape

A new scramble for Africa is under way as multinationals from all over the world take a new interest in acquiring communications companies on the continent. The temperature for fresh deals has also been raised by a number of companies on the continent itself seeking to shape a regional or indeed international strategy for themselves. Balancing Act / http://allafrica.com

MTN to Pay $5.53 Billion for Investcom

Multinational telecommunications group operating in Africa and the Middle East, MTN Group is to pay $5.53billion (about N715 billion) to buy Investcom in a deal expected to create the biggest mobile telecoms operator in Africa and the Middle East.  Daily Champion / http://allafrica.com

Celtel Dangles Over $500m for Angola, Ghana

Celtel International is looking to expanding into Angola, Senegal and Ghana, at a pricey US$500 million Business Week has learnt.  East African Business Week / http://allafrica.com

Nedbank's earnings soar 83%

Nedbank's headline earnings for the first quarter of the financial year rocketed by 82.9 percent to R1.026-billion, but this growth is unlikely to be sustainable, the bank warned on Thursday. iAfrica.com

Investec's shares surge on update

Investec's shares closed more than four percent up on Wednesday after it said it expected earnings to be between 50 percent to 60 percent higher for the year. iAfrica.com

Kenya: Equity Bank's Profit Goes Up By 138 Percent

Equity Bank has posted a pre-tax profit of Sh176 million for the first quarter of 2006, an increase of 138 per cent against Sh71 million recorded in the same period last year. The Nation / http://allafrica.com

Uganda: Country to Get ARVs Manufacturing Plant

An antiretroviral drug-manufacturing firm will be established in Uganda by mid 2007, a Medical Representative of Quality Chemical Ltd, Mr John Bosco Asiimwe, has said. The Monitor / http://allafrica.com