EU Uses Safety Standards to Lock Out Africa Exports

The use of technical barriers by Western countries has become the biggest obstacle for developing countries trying to expand their trade. The East African / http://allafrica.com

East Africa: Talks On Common Market On

Negotiations to establish the East African Common Market are underway, a senior East African Community official confirmed last week. The Monitor / http://allafrica.com

Southern Africa: Trade Team in U.S. in Bid to Revive SACU Talks

A delegation from the trade and industry department is in the US this week on a mission to save the stalled trade talks between the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) and the US. Business Day / http://allafrica.com

Southern Africa: Infrastructure Master Plan On the Cards

The southern African region is drawing up an infrastructure development master plan to revamp inter-state transport and communications networks. Southern African News Features / http://allafrica.com

Liberia: United States Reinstates Trade Preference Benefits for Liberia

President Bush February 22 reinstated duty-free trade benefits for Liberia under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced in a press release the same day. United States Trade Representative / http://allafrica.com

Mauritania: Panel Launched to Track Use of New Oil Revenues

On the eve of Mauritania's oil production launch, the transitional government has installed a committee to oversee the use of revenue from oil and other natural resources to ensure it benefits the people. UN Integrated Regional Information Networks / http://allafrica.com

Kenya: Remittances Dwarf Aid, Investment in Country

Kenyans in the diaspora are con-tributing an equivalent of 3.8 per cent of national income through remittances. The East African / http://allafrica.com

Namibia: Economy Expected to Grow

Namibia's economic growth this year is expected to pick up slightly to close to four percent after it saw a decline last year. At the end of 2005, the economy slowed down to around three percent, compared to the 5,9 percent growth of 2004. New Era / http://allafrica.com

Uganda: Economy On Target for 6 Percent Growth Rate

Market fundamentals have remained stable with economic growth within reach of an official forecast of 6.1% despite mixed sentiments in anticipation of the presidential and parliamentary elections' results, an official of Bank of Uganda's (BOU) research department has said. New Vision / http://allafrica.com

Uganda: Country Under Performs in Agoa in 2005 – Report

Six years since the inception of the African Growth and Opportunities Act, Uganda's performance has been least impressive in East Africa. The Monitor / http://allafrica.com

West Africa: Kabbah Urges West African Investment Forum

President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah in his address at the West African development forum in Abuja, Nigeria, which took place from the 20th to 22nd February, has urged the Commonwealth Business Council to improve business in the sub-region. Concord Times / http://allafrica.com

Nigeria: Obajana Cement Plant: a Looming Industrial Revolution

Nigeria is set to have the biggest cement plant in Africa and the second biggest in the world. That plant is the Obajana Cement Plant being built by the Dangote Group. The plant has a capacity of five million metric tonnes per month, about 50 per cent of the nation's current annual consumption of cement. Obajana is also the most mordern cement plant in the world. In addition, new technologies in the art of cement making that have not been deployed elsewhere are being employed in its construction. Vanguard / http://allafrica.com

Absa lifts Barclays to record results

Barclays, the third-biggest British bank, posted record annual pre-tax profits of £5.28-billion (€7.72-billion, $9.19-billion) on Tuesday, as its acquisition of Absa in South Africa last year boosted performance. iAfrica.com

Anglo posts record year results

Global resources group Anglo American (Anglo) on Wednesday announced that its underlying earnings per share for 2005 increased by 38 percent to 258 US cents from 187 US cents in 2004. iAfrica.com

Nigerian oil industry helpless as militants declare war on Obasanjo

Villagers in Okerenkoko, once a peaceful settlement along a creek in Nigeria's oil-producing delta region, have feared for weeks what a big military operation against a guerrilla insurgency could bring. Financial Times / http://allafrica.com

Shell told to pay Nigeria $1.5bn

A Nigerian court orders oil giant Shell's local operation to pay $1.5bn to the Ijaw people of the Delta region. BBC

Africa mobile market growth fastest in world, new report

During 2004 and 2005 Africa saw overall mobile market growth surge forward faster than any other continent in the world, almost doubling the size of the entire African market in those 2 years, and that growth should continue for some time. Portio Research

Cellphone banking is booming

First National Bank has emerged as the market leader in the country's cellphone banking space, posting 1.8 million transactions valued at R200-million since the launch of its mobile banking service in March 2005. iAfrica.com

Kenya: Vanilla Wonder Crop Could Enrich Farmers

Kenyans will soon start flavouring their yoghurt, ice cream and cakes with their own locally produced vanilla. And a wave of excitement has swept through Othaya in Nyeri, where farmers are venturing into the rare farming, hitherto practised mainly in South America. The East African Standard / http://allafrica.com

Ethiopia: Annual Flower Exports to UK to Reach US $100 Million By Next Year

Annual flower exports from Ethiopia currently stand at more than $20 million and are expected to reach $100 million by 2007. More projects - with a further 100 investors from the Netherlands, Germany, India and Israel have acquired the use of 450 hectares to set up farms, and should generate an estimate extra $300 million a year by 2007. The Reporter / http://allafrica.com