Uganda: Tembo Steel Starts TMT Production From Scrap - Ugandans in the construction sector will soon be saved from spending a huge import bill on purchasing Thermo Mechanically Treated (TMT) steel, now that the metal is being produced in the country. [AA Construction]

Nigeria: Federal Govt Sacks 5,000 Steel Workers - The number of unemployed persons in Nigeria is set to swell as Federal Government yesterday disclosed plans to lay-off 5,000 workers of the Ajaokuta Steel Company and its sister company, National Iron Ore located at Ita-kpe both in Kogi State. [AA Urbanisation]

South Africa: Steel Maker Cosira to Open Office in Chile - STEEL fabricator Cosira Group will take its first step outside southern Africa next month when it opens an office in Santiago, Chile, and starts looking for a partner to launch a steel business serving South American countries. [AA Construction]

South Africa: The Bottom Line - the Nuts and Bolts of the Rot in Steel Industry - THE local steel manufacturing sector is looking increasingly red-faced after the Competition Commission's announcement yesterday it had discovered evidence of collusion in the mining roof bolts market. This is the third sub- sector of the industry where the commission has discovered anticompetitive behaviour. [AA Urbanisation]

South Africa: The Case of Steel - ONE of the bizarre consequences of the Competition Commission's investigation of the steel industry is that SA is now one of the few countries in the world that no longer has statistics on its steel output. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: Integrated Steel Project Takes Off - Construction work began at the site of the N17billion integrated steel project being executed by the Zamfara State Government and its Chinese partners. [AA Construction]

Zimbabwe: Ramotswa Steel in Deep Financial Trouble - Ramotswa Steel's hopes of getting a rescue package from its Zimbabwean holding company, Ziscosteel, look increasingly bleak after the parent company admitted it is technically insolvent. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: The Relevance of Ajaokuta Steel Plant to Nigerian Economy - The history of industrialized nations of the world is the history of steel development. A nation that overlooks steel development does so at her own industrialization peril, thus making her a consumer nation and a dumping ground for developed economies of the world. This realization by Nigerian policy makers prompted them to develop an indigenous steel industry.