President Paul Kagame announced that East Africans professionals seeking employment in Rwanda will not have to acquire work permits after all. The president said that the nation was looking for ways to add value to the East African Cooperation in which Rwanda is a new member. He reiterated that the country needs to actively involve both its citizens and the entire east African ‘family’ for it to progress economically. Rwanda is among African countries that were initially war torn but are aggressively working on their recovery strategies.

Banking Awards 2007

Banks in Kenya will on the 5^th of December battle it out for the number one slot in different competitive categories. Among the most sought for award in the categories is the Most Efficient Bank, Investment Banker of the year and Best Bank in Customer Satisfaction. With 19 categories, over 45 operational banks in the country will have a tight race to hit the top mark. Meanwhile, the award comes a week after the East Africa’s Most Respected Companies survey was carried out where Kenya’s mobile service provider, Safaricom was declared winner.

Sudan Set to Benefit

Farmers in Sudan are set to benefit from the Kenya Seed Company’s initiative to train them on farming practices. The seed company has partnered with NGOs to reach farmers is training the farmers, on crop management and post harvesting to help eradicate poverty in the region. Sudan has in the past few weeks been working on a marketing strategy to woo investors in the country for economic growth.

It’s a Rise for Nigeria

A 20 per cent rise (about N4.15 trillion) in the banking system's credit to the private sector, which the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reported, means that banks in Nigeria currently in the second phase of the market induced consolidation exercise are extending more credit to the private sector. This was attributed to the 21.5 per cent rise in deposit money and will see Nigeria’s economy improve in the next few years due to a major input by the private sector.

Chissano Receives His Award

Former Mozambican president Joachim Chissano received the first ever Ibrahim Prize worth $5 million during a ceremony held in the Egyptian city of Alexandria World leaders on Monday (Nov 26, 2007). Former South African president Nelson Mandela in a statement said, "I congratulate the recipient of the first award, President Chissano; we remember him for his wise and insightful leadership in many situations that could have exploded if it was not for that kind of leadership." The prize, courtesy of Egyptian-born billionaire Ibrahim Mo, is expected to encourage the new breed of African leaders to follow into Chissano's example of leadership and personal qualities, he left Mozambique as one of Africa's success stories.