Uganda and South Sudan aviation breaking news – Gulf Air to commence flights in December

GULF AIR RETURNING TO ENTEBBE, STARTING JUBA FLIGHTS

It was just learned that Gulf Air is joining the growing number of airlines from their home region as it intends to resume flights to Entebbe from early December onwards.

Only weeks ago were news broken here that Qatar Airways will begin daily flights to Entebbe from Doha and from early December Gulf will follow their ‘cousins’ by resuming flights to the Pearl of Africa.

The added capacity of an Airbus A 320, while not able to carry palletized cargo, will nevertheless be a boost to passenger numbers as well as for exporters as the cargo hold can be loaded with ‘loose’ cargo, i.e. flowers or chilled fish, fruits and vegetables, for which there is great demand in all the Gulf states.

Tourism and trade, but also investments are bound to benefit from the added promotion Gulf will afford their latest destination, and ticket prices will stay level, or might even drop, as special promotions will undoubtedly unfold both in Uganda as well as across the Gulf Air network.

In a related development it was also learned that Gulf Air will from December onwards also fly to Juba, the capital of the newly independent Republic of South Sudan. That route will initially see three flights a week, also to be operated by an Airbus A 320. Here has Gulf Air beaten their more senior rivals like Emirates, Qatar Airways and Ethihad, of low cost carriers like Air Arabia and Fly Dubai to the door, and will try to entrench themselves in the South Sudan as THE airline from the Gulf which came first to Juba ahead of the giants. Without doubt though will this initiative prompt ‘the others’ to also take a keen look on Juba and yet more airlines based in the Gulf region may join that route too, sooner rather than later.

For now however it is Happy Landings to Gulf Air on their return to Entebbe and for their new destination Juba. Watch this space for the most uptodate aviation news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean region.

Mauritius news update – Beaches are safe, says government

BEACHES ARE SAFE, GOVERNMENT ASSURES MAURITIANS

The recent grounding of a cargo vessel carrying rice to the Ivory Coast on a reef off the Mauritius shoreline has caused concerns of a potential oil spillage, which could be hugely damaging to the reef’s ecosystem and the beaches of the island. The vessel, following an engine breakdown, had to seek emergency anchorage and then got ‘stuck’ on the reef, prompting widespread fears of an oil or fuel leak. However, government has now assured the public, and the concerned resort operators likely to be affected, that fuel oil is being pumped out of the vessel and that the salvage operation should be completed by Saturday this week. ‘Oil booms’ and other equipment are deployed and at the time the information was given no spill of any sort has been detected. It was however also conceded that the removal of the stranded ship could take up to another month before it can be safely towed into Port Louis’ harbour for repairs.

Keeping fingers crossed to keep the pristine beach environment of Mauritius safe. 

 

Tanzania conservation news update – UNESCO issues warning over Selous WHS status

UNESCO ISSUES CHALLENGE OVER SELOUS

One of Tanzania’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Selous Game Reserve, may be declared a ‘World Heritage Site in Danger’, should the Tanzanian government continue to recklessly pursue plans to open up a Uranium mine and build a dam at Stiegler’s Gorge it was learned yesterday. This will be the second major run in Tanzania is provoking with the world’s foremost heritage protection agency after going through a very similar situation over the status of the Serengeti, when it became known that government was intending to build a highway across some of the most fragile landscapes of the national park, cutting off the migration routes of the great herds of wildebeest and zebras.

Tourism stakeholders and conservationists have joined hands with international conservation and environmental bodies, NGO’s and individuals once again in building another coalition similar to the ‘Save the Serengeti’ movement, this time for the Selous, one of the last great wilderness areas in Eastern Africa spread over 50.000 square kilometres.

The Serengeti highway plans by the Kikwete regime, going hand in hand with a range of other mega projects in what this author has named the ‘corridor of destruction’ soiled Tanzania’s reputation abroad at a time when the Tanzania Tourist Board is attempting to re-brand the destination in order to attract more visitors to the country, but irresponsible broadsides like by the country’s tourism minister Ezekiel Maige, who recently called the UNESCO World Heritage Committee an ‘insignificant entity’ have not helped and only exposed the complete U-turn from the environmental and conservation policies under founding father ‘Mwalimu’ Julius Nyerere.

Plans dating back into the 70’s to build a hydro electric dam at Stiegler’s Gorge were ‘dusted’ and revived to generate electricity, admittedly much needed in Tanzania where the energy sector however is riddled with corruption, inefficiencies and mismanagement. Stiegler’s Gorge is one of the Selous’ most spectacular sights and rich in biodiversity, something a dam would irreversibly destroy, while Uranium mining, as seen at many of the former Soviet Union’s mining sites, holds enormous risks of polluting the immediate environment around the mine and water sources all the way from the mine itself to the Indian Ocean.

Said a regular source from Dar es Salaam overnight: ‘Tourism is potentially the most important sustainable economic sector for Tanzania. We can make more money over a longer term, and create more jobs, earn more forex and introduce more investment than mining Uranium in the Selous. The mine might last maybe 25 or 30 years and the environmental damage will be huge. Once the resource has been plundered, I have really no other description, it will be the same like with our gold deposits. The ‘investors’ will move on and leave us with giant holes in the ground and massive destruction. We need to build a green coalition, show government how big the dangers are but we are also dealing with very stubborn people who do not listen very well, who do not absorb lessons learned in other parts of the world and only look at short term profit, benefitting a few who live from one election term to the next. This year we will commemorate 50 years of independence but for wananchi things have only gone from bad to worse. At least Nyerere was honest, wrong in many way in his economic policies but honest and incorruptible, but those politicians of today are plainly ruining our heritage. Today it is the Selous, tomorrow the Tanga Marine National Park, the next day Lake Natron and the list is long and growing. Development must be in harmony with the environment, consider long term effects on our living conditions and must be broadly agreed and not dictated by a clique of dictators.’

Watch this space as the next big environmental battle looms in Tanzania, and how it unfolds, progresses and eventually ends.

 

 

Kenya news update – ‘The Pride of Africa’ joins in ‘Kenyans for Kenya’ effort

‘KENYANS FOR KENYA’ RECEIVES KENYA AIRWAYS SUPPORT

 

‘The Pride of Africa’ aka Kenya Airways has joined hands with the business community and civil society to assist in providing food and other daily necessities to communities in Northern Kenya hard hit by drought and failed harvests. CEO Dr. Titus Naikuni, on behalf of the national airline, handed a 10 million Kenya Shillings cheque to the Kenya Red Cross Society while also committing free cargo uplifts of donations made in Europe or other countries covered by the Kenya Airways network to fly emergency supplies to Nairobi to be handed over to the Red Cross and other humanitarian agencies.

However, the company then went several steps further by announcing that for every shilling donated by the Kenya Airways staff, the airline will add TWO shillings to double match individual contributions. Staff can also convert pending leave or off days into cash for the purpose of donating the proceeds to the ‘Kenyans for Kenya’ fundraising effort. Holders of frequent flyer cards equally can donate ‘miles’ which will be monetized and donated and KQ’s ongoing programme ‘Change for Change’ – reported about here some weeks ago – will also now include famine relief contributions.

Famine has struck parts of the Horn of Africa and Eastern Africa with a vengeance, and the current situation has been described as the worst for the last 40 years. Civil society and the corporate sector responded immediately to the call for help and financial assistance, and inspite of inflation and economic wobbles managed to raise in excess of 100 million Kenya Shillings already, all to go to mitigate drought impact and help affected communities in Northern Kenya to survive until the rains return.

Well done KQ, something to be truly proud of.

 

UNESCO ISSUES CHALLENGE OVER SELOUS

One of Tanzania’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Selous Game Reserve, may be declared a ‘World Heritage Site in Danger’, should the Tanzanian government continue to recklessly pursue plans to open up a Uranium mine and build a dam at Stiegler’s Gorge it was learned yesterday. This will be the second major run in Tanzania is provoking with the world’s foremost heritage protection agency after going through a very similar situation over the status of the Serengeti, when it became known that government was intending to build a highway across some of the most fragile landscapes of the national park, cutting off the migration routes of the great herds of wildebeest and zebras.

Tourism stakeholders and conservationists have joined hands with international conservation and environmental bodies, NGO’s and individuals once again in building another coalition similar to the ‘Save the Serengeti’ movement, this time for the Selous, one of the last great wilderness areas in Eastern Africa spread over 50.000 square kilometres.

The Serengeti highway plans by the Kikwete regime, going hand in hand with a range of other mega projects in what this author has named the ‘corridor of destruction’ soiled Tanzania’s reputation abroad at a time when the Tanzania Tourist Board is attempting to re-brand the destination in order to attract more visitors to the country, but irresponsible broadsides like by the country’s tourism minister Ezekiel Maige, who recently called the UNESCO World Heritage Committee an ‘insignificant entity’ have not helped and only exposed the complete U-turn from the environmental and conservation policies under founding father ‘Mwalimu’ Julius Nyerere.

Plans dating back into the 70’s to build a hydro electric dam at Stiegler’s Gorge were ‘dusted’ and revived to generate electricity, admittedly much needed in Tanzania where the energy sector however is riddled with corruption, inefficiencies and mismanagement. Stiegler’s Gorge is one of the Selous’ most spectacular sights and rich in biodiversity, something a dam would irreversibly destroy, while Uranium mining, as seen at many of the former Soviet Union’s mining sites, holds enormous risks of polluting the immediate environment around the mine and water sources all the way from the mine itself to the Indian Ocean.

Said a regular source from Dar es Salaam overnight: ‘Tourism is potentially the most important sustainable economic sector for Tanzania. We can make more money over a longer term, and create more jobs, earn more forex and introduce more investment than mining Uranium in the Selous. The mine might last maybe 25 or 30 years and the environmental damage will be huge. Once the resource has been plundered, I have really no other description, it will be the same like with our gold deposits. The ‘investors’ will move on and leave us with giant holes in the ground and massive destruction. We need to build a green coalition, show government how big the dangers are but we are also dealing with very stubborn people who do not listen very well, who do not absorb lessons learned in other parts of the world and only look at short term profit, benefitting a few who live from one election term to the next. This year we will commemorate 50 years of independence but for wananchi things have only gone from bad to worse. At least Nyerere was honest, wrong in many way in his economic policies but honest and incorruptible, but those politicians of today are plainly ruining our heritage. Today it is the Selous, tomorrow the Tanga Marine National Park, the next day Lake Natron and the list is long and growing. Development must be in harmony with the environment, consider long term effects on our living conditions and must be broadly agreed and not dictated by a clique of dictators.’

Watch this space as the next big environmental battle looms in Tanzania, and how it unfolds, progresses and eventually ends.