Cuban leader, Fidel Castro resigned on Tuesday as president and commander in chief of Cuba. In a published message, Castro said “I neither will aspire to nor will I accept - I repeat - I neither will aspire to nor will I accept, the position of president of the council of state and commander in chief.” He had been in power for close to 50 years until he became ill in 2006, when his duties were transferred to his younger brother Raul.

Ethiopia:  AU to Fast-Track African Investment Bank

In its effort to spearhead regional integration, the African Union (AU) is fast tracking the formation of the African Investment Bank to complement the African Development Bank that has been in the forefront in financing development projects. “The AU has signed a formal agreement with the host of the proposed African Investment Bank, Libya, to commence technical studies on the institutional and organization aspects of the proposed financing ‘vehicle for Africa’,” said AU Commissioner for Economic Affairs Maxwell Mkwezalamba. The AU has also prevailed upon the Eastern African trade minister to form a unified trade block for the region.

Bush Terms Tanzania Democratic

While on his visit to the East African nation of Tanzania, President George W. Bush hailed the country as being among the most stable, democratic and peaceful nations in Africa. Following decades of one-party socialism and economic stagnation, Tanzania embarked on a fundamental political and economic transformation in the early 1990s, reclaiming the country’s current position.

Rwanda: Country Implements Nepad Agriculture Plan

Rwanda is reviewing its progress towards implementing the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) compact signed in March 2007. The national review hopes to increase the agriculture growth rate by 6 percent and to allocate 10 percent of the national budget to the sector, according to Rwanda's Agriculture Minister, Anastase Murekez

Ethiopian and Kenya Build Aviation Ties

Ethiopian Airlines have been granted a license by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority to fly cargo on the Addis Ababa-Nairobi route. The issuance of the two-year license paves way for one of Africa's most competitive airlines to fly cargo between the two cities five times a week. The step is expected to strengthen business ties between the two Eastern African countries.

Zimbabwe to Revamp Irrigation

The agriculture ministry in Zimbabwe has initiated an irrigation rehabilitation and development strategy that will run concurrently with a mechanization programme as it steps up efforts to turn around the sector. Shortages of machinery and equipment, coupled with a faltering irrigation infrastructure, have largely been responsible for the poor performance of the sector. The process begins with a first phase that would tackle farmers’ urgent irrigation needs in the coming month as they prepare for the planting season. Minister of Agricultural Engineering, Mechanization and Irrigation, Dr Joseph Made disclosed this.

Indian Ocean Islands to Go EASSy 

A meeting of the members of the Indian Ocean Commission in Addis Ababa last week decided to give the go-ahead to connect their island-members by fibre to each other and the rest of the world through the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy). The connecting cable would be available on non-discriminatory terms and in agreement with the facilitators of the project. The Commission has six island members: Comoros, Mayotte, Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion (a French region) and Seychelles.

Kosovo Now Free

The majority Albanian territory of Kosovo once ruled as a part of Serbia has finally declared its independence after a long and determined struggle by its people. As they rejoice in this happy result, other parts of the world have declared their solidarity with and support to the new nation. Kosovo's Albanians declared independence on Sunday, the latest drama in the tortuous break-up of Serb-dominated Yugoslavia that began nearly two decades ago. The territory has been under United Nations supervision since 1999.