North Africa
Morocco and Nigeria sign gas pipeline deal to link Africa to Europe
Nigeria and Morocco have signed a joint venture to construct a gas pipeline that will connect the two nations as well as some other African countries to Europe . The agreement was reached during a visit by the Morocco ' s King Mohammed to the Nigerian capital Abuja , Geoffrey Onyema , the minister , said , adding that the pipeline project would be designed with the participation of all stakeholders .
" In this agreement both countries agreed to study and take concrete steps toward the promotion of a regional gas pipeline project that will connect Nigeria ' s gas resources , those of several West African countries and Morocco ," Onyema told reporters in Abuja . Onyema said the project aimed to create a competitive regional electricity market with the potential to be connected to the European energy markets . No timeline was given for when the pipeline construction work will start and how much it will cost . Nigeria is rich in hydrocarbons but produces little electricity , making its industries uncompetitive . Its economy now faces a recession caused by a plunge in crude prices . Militants in its oil producing heartland of the Niger Delta have also blown up pipelines in a quest for a bigger share of Nigeria ' s oil wealth , which has cut crude output this year . " Nigeria and the Kingdom of Morocco also agreed to develop integrated industrial clusters in the sub-region in sectors such as manufacturing , Agro-business and fertilizers to attract foreign capital and improve export competitiveness " the foreign minister added . – Rtr
Egypt ' s beekeepers under threat as economy slumps
Egypt ' s beekeepers say their hives are under threat because of a shortage of sugar , as are the flowers and crops that their bees pollinate .
Sugar became hard to find in recent months after the government took control of stocks to counter what it said was an epidemic of hoarding by merchants reacting to rising prices as a result of a shortage of foreign currency . Bees are fed sugar to tide them over the winter and to compensate for honey harvested from their hives .
Beekeeping in Egypt can be traced back to the time of the Pharaohs , with the first hieroglyphs of bees dating back thousands of years .
" There is a sugar crisis and the bees have to receive nutrition through their winter hibernation ," said commercial beekeeper Saeed Hagras . With sugar in short supply , beekeepers had to let their bees consume honey instead . " So now instead of profiting from taking the honey produced and selling it , we are now supplying it for the bees again instead of the sugar ," Hagras told Reuters Television at his farm in Shibin El Kom , the capital of the Nile Delta province of Menoufia . His son Mohamed said the government should step in to help , particularly as there were opportunities to export honey profitably to the United States and Canada .
" We are calling on the government to help the beekeepers to provide support . This will create employment opportunities to the youth and open up investment ."
Mohamed added : " Many will be employed and the country will receive hard currency . We are in dire need of hard currency and investment ." Another beekeeper , Rayhan Meligy , said crops would suffer if bees were allowed to die out . " The crops are pollinated through bees . There will be no crops and the corn will decline , the harvest will decline and the clover will decline . All the crops will decline ," he said . – Rtr
12 Business Times Africa 2016