April 2010

South Africa: Burning Issue for Eskom and Municipalities - RESIDENTS of Johannesburg got an unwelcome reminder this week about the power failures of January 2008. Until Tuesday, those incidents of "load shedding" had been a gradually fading memory. [AA Urbanisation]

Ghana: One -Third of Accra Residents Live in Slums - The Sub Metro Director of Okaikoi South, Mr. Nathaniel Adzotor, has disclosed that, about one-third of residents in Accra live in slums and as a result do not enjoy adequate social services. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: JTF Uncovers Bomb in Construction Firm's Premises - Staff of Setraco Nigeria Limited, a construction company, narrowly escaped death yesterday in Ughelli, Delta State, as two explosives thought to be bombs were uncovered in the premises of the company. [AA Construction]

Angola: Interior Minister Lays First Stone to Build Prison Units in Saurimo - Angolan interior minister, Roberto Leal Monteiro, laid today the first stone to build four prison units in Saurimo, eastern Lunda Sul province, with a capacity for 600 prisoners, at the cost of 3,8 million USdollars. [AA Construction]

Uganda: Luzira Gets More Decent Homes - ANOTHER housing project to provide decent homes has been launched in Luzira, a Kampala surbub. The Simbamanyo Estate sh13b project will be undertaken by Scaffold Engineering. [AA Urbanisation]

East Africa: EA Conference Roots for Infrastructure Development - The 3rd East African Community (EAC) Investment Conference kicked-off yesterday with participants calling for a robust remedy to the region's poor infrastructure network. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: Kwali Chairman-Elect Pledges to Provide Infrastructure - THE newly-elected Kwali Area Council Chairman, Mr. Joseph Shazin of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), yesterday assured residents of the area that infrastructural development will be his first priority as he takes over the mantle of leadership of the council. [AA Urbanisation]

South Africa: Weakness Persists in Residential Building Sector - THE February building data from Statistics SA continue to point towards an extremely weak picture for the residential building sector. [AA Urbanisation]

Uganda: Painting Kampala's People And Places for Posterity - When Henk Jonker, 40, made a bold move to relocate to Uganda from Netherlands a decade ago, thanks to his Ugandan wife, he did not know what fate awaited him. Having settled in Kampala city, his penchant for detail saw him conceive a desire to document Ugandan people and places. He takes note of every minor change that happens to the city's skyline or the nature of people that straddle the streets. However, his particular fixation has been studying the nature of beggars on the streets. He goes to great lengths to "bribe" them with some money so they can pose for his camera. It is from these shots that he retires to his studio-cum-home in Lungujja to reproduce the pictures in other media. The culmination of these efforts is a painting exhibition running currently at Nommo gallery, themed "People and Places". [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: Another Day of Tears At Oshodi - If only the Head of Labour had heeded the alarm raised by some workers when they spotted a crack on a section of the building at the weekend and drew his attention to it, the tragedy would have been averted. [AA Construction]

Nigeria: Japan Builds School For Community - The Japanese Embassy in Nigeria in collaboration with a Bauchi based NGO, Fahimta Women and Youth Development Initiative FAWOYDI has built a primary school for Gawallaga Mayaki community at the out skirts of Bauchi at the cost of N11 million. [AA Construction]

Nigeria: Bauchi Guber Aspirant Builds Schools for Communities - Bauchi gubernatorial candidate, contesting under the platform of Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the forthcoming 2011 general elections, Alhaji Sarki Abdullahi Adamu, has constructed schools in Darazo local government area and Rimin Zayam in Bauchi state. [AA Construction]

Nigeria: Ondo to Construct Tourism Village - IN its effort to develop tourism in the state, the Ondo State government yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with an Italian firm for the construction of a tourism village that would gulp N40 billion. [AA Construction]

Nigeria: Collapsed Building - Count us Out --CORBON - THE Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) has said that none of its member was involved in the incessant building collapse in the country. [AA Urbanisation]