July 2011

Barely a month after Kano State government demolished all the structures being developed at the controversial Kofar Na'isa layout where more than 1000 plots were allocated to some influential Nigerians, among them Kano business mogul Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, the government again yesterday pulled down another structure owned by Dantata at Kano Farm Centre.

Housing is one of the basic needs of man apart from food and clothing.

Vice-President George Kunda has said the Government will remain committed to infrastructure development to encourage further economic growth.

President Museveni has asked real estate private investors to assist low income earners acquire houses by partnering and using the savings in cooperatives to fund badly needed low cost housing over the long term.

The Absa Campus, located in downtown Johannesburg and home to the bank's headquarters, consumes at least 12MW of electricity a day - but hardly any of this is drawn from South Africa's national grid.

South African youth have been given an opportunity to gain insight into the future of housing and to present their vision to Human Settlements Minister, Tokyo Sexwale, on what they would like to see happen on the South African housing landscape in 19 years' time.

The Liberian Government and the World Bank have signed an agreement totaling an estimated US$249 million for the rehabilitation of the approximately 249-kilometer Monrovia (Red Light)-Gbarnga-Ganta-Guinea border road. This Liberia Road Asset Management Project (LIBRAMP) also provides for the maintenance of the road over a 10-year period.

The government of Japan in its 5th phase of the project of constructing well-equipped classrooms in primary schools in Cameroon will construct 190 classrooms in 29 schools across the North West Region. The two countries signed the financial accord for the non-refundable aid at the Conference Hall of the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development (MINEPAT), yesterday July 19. The Minister Delegate at MINEPAT, Yaouba Abdoulaye, signed for Cameroon while Japan's Ambassador to Cameroon, Keiji Yamamoto and the country Resident Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JAICA), Murakami Hironobu, signed for their country. This was in the presence of Cameroon's Minister of Basic Education, Youssouf Hadidja Alim, among others.

Mortgage firm Housing Finance has announced a 67 per cent growth in 2011 first half profits before tax to Sh345 million. The firm reported Sh205 million in pre-tax profits over the same period last year and said the improved earnings this year resulted from a steady growth in mortgage loans.

Women are fast becoming the choice of road works production, despite tough, dirty conditions and long hours standing amongst traffic and heavy machinery. According to a spokesperson for the Municipality, whilst the re-habillitation of Windhoek's streets are going full steam ahead, the presence of women being employed as 'flaggers' to control and regulate traffic flow at the area's of construction are becoming more visible, and are often seen standing waving their flags, to form a buffer between busy traffic intersections and the roadwork activities around them.

The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has said it requires an intervention fund of N300 billion from the Federal Government for the mass production of affordable housing for low and middle income earners across the country.

MOZAMBIQUE, SECUNDA,MPUMALANGA
CONTRACTS ADMINISTRATORS x 3
Urgently required by professional PQS office.
Current projects - mining, civil and engineering related in these areas. Must have related experience.
Client paying R400 per hour plus all related accommodation, etc plus bonuses and overtime.
Please send your CV detailing which contracts you have worked on FEDIC, NEC etc as well as details of the actual projects and related disciplines on the projects.
Client will make decisions as soon as he finds the right staff.
Please quote B11/7 when repsonding.

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda yesterday offered about 200 houses for sale to sitting tenants at Zesco’s Camp 3 residential township in Kafue during the commissioning of the US$2 billion Kafue Gorge Lower Hydro-electric project that will add 750 megawatts to the national grid.

The rising concerns over the prevailing strong prices of cement in the country may have been significantly addressed as major cement factories in Nigeria are building a total of 16 million tons per annum of new capacity.