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Abu Dhabi To Provide Dhs33m Loan For Sierra Leone’s Solar Project

Abu Dhabi Fund for Development will provide finance to construct a 6 MW solar power plant in the city of Freetown in Sierra Leone.

Saudi Suspects MERS Virus May Have Come from African Camel Imports

More than 700 people in Saudi Arabia have contracted the virus and 292 of them have died from it.

Etihad Launches Freighter Operations To Uganda’s Entebbe

The service is expected to carry large quantities of electronics and textiles to the Ugandan city.

Etisalat Scraps Buyout Offer To Maroc Telecom Minority Shareholders

Etisalat paid 4.14 billion euros ($5.7 billion) for Paris-listed Vivendi’s stake in Maroc Telecom.

LuLu International Invests Dhs55m To Launch Galito’s Restaurant Chain in UAE

The franchise agreement includes plans to setup 15 restaurants in the UAE over the next four years.

Suez Canal Development Tender Winner To Be Announced Next Month

Bidders include Australia’s WorleyParsons, consulting firm McKinsey & Co and Japan’s Oriental Consultants.

Dubai’s Drake And Scull Wins $40m Algeria Contract

The firm will undertake the civil construction portion of the mixed use development in Algiers, it said in a statement.

Sudan Says Qatar To Deposit $1bn As Part Of Aid Package

A sudanese official declined to disclose the total value of aid that Qatar had agreed to offer Sudan.

Tablet Shipments To Middle East, Africa Up 111% In Q4 2013

A total of 3.45 million units were shipped to the region during the final quarter of 2013, according to IDC.

Dubai’s Al-Futtaim Wins Control Of Kenyan Motor Firm CMC

The 91 per cent acceptance means Al-Futtaim will hold 533 million shares in CMC, which distributes Ford, Suzuki and Volkswagen vehicles among other brands in the region.

Ghana’s Tema Oil Refinery Close To Deal With PetroSaudi

Ghana is one of Africa’s newest crude exporters after starting production from its offshore Jubilee field in late 2010.

Congo’s ECAir Launches New Dubai Flight Route

The flight signals the first direct link between Congo and the Middle East.

Emirates Starting Daily Abuja-Kano Flights

Emirates will soon serve three cities in oil-rich Nigeria

ME-Africa Trade Corridors To Grow In 2014 – Aramex CEO

Hussein Hachem, CEO of Aramex, says Africa-Middle East trade corridors have expanded alongside the growth of Africa’s economy.

MEA M&A Deal Values Up 26.9% In 2013

The 2013 deal value saw the highest rise in the last six years with all the quarters posting values above $12 billion, the report found.

Different Arab money

Soaring Compliance Costs Clip Wings Of Mideast, African Banks

Compliance teams face an increasing array of rules due to failings exposed by the financial crisis.

Abu Dhabi Firm Buys Stake In Australia’s Swala Energy

The deal, valued at $2.9 million, is Hayaat Group’s first investment in East African oil exploration.

African Jobs Vanish As Gold’s Price Drops And Mines Turn To Dust

Mining companies have announced plans to shutter mines or reduce operations after gold’s 25 per cent drop this year.

Ethiopian Workers Return From Saudi Arabia Telling of Abuse

Over 100,000 Ethiopians repatriated from Saudi Arabia since the Kingdom began deporting illegal migrants in November.

South Africa’s Nelson Mandela Dies Aged 95

South Africa’s first black president and anti-aparthied icon, Mandela, 95, passed away in his Johannesburg home.

Etisalat May Revive Talks To Sell Sudanese Unit To Zain

Prior negotiations between the two telcos collapsed around the start of 2013, according to sources.

Mubadala, Guinea Sign $5bn Deal For Bauxite, Alumina Refinery

The refinery will have a capacity of two million tonnes per annum.

Kuwait To Grant Africa $2bn In Development Loans, Investments

The soft loans will be granted through the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, said emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah

Ivory Coast Nears Completion Of LNG Deal With Qatar

Ivory Coast announced plans in March to build a regasification and storage unit.

Nairobi Mall Attack Strikes At Africa’s Boom Image

The more than 60 victims of the mall attack included members of the Kenyan elite and foreign expatriates.

UAE’s Abraaj Invests In Morocco’s Steripharma

Investment will help pharmaceutical manufacturer Steripharma to step up its exports to the private sector of North and sub-Saharan Africa.

Dubai’s Al Futtaim Offers $86m For Kenyan Car Retailer

Gulf Arab companies are boosting their investments in Africa lured by the continent’s untapped resources.

Emirates Resumes Tripoli Flights After Two Years

Emirates’ resumption is a positive sign but logistical challenges remain

Apple Named Top Tablet Producer In ME, Africa

Tablet shipments during the second quarter of this year exceeded PC shipments owing to increased android device users, IDC said.

Anantara Partners With Dubai Firm, Launches First Hotel In Africa

Minor Hotel Group has tied up with Dubai-based Rani Investment to expand in Africa.