Seychelles news – Water reservoirs now more than half full again, rationing ends

WATER SHORTAGE ENDS, FINALLY
Intense and out of season rains in recent week have started to fill up the main water reservoirs cross the main island of Mahe, allowing the Public Utilities Corporation to end the strict rationing regime it had to introduce at the height of the drought. As reported here at the time, Abu Dhabi came to the aid of the Seychelles by donating and installing additional desalination plant capacity and until the rains started to replenish the reserves, these plants were running at full capacity to provide water to households and tourist resorts across the island.
A regular source on the island described the drought and subsequent water rationing as one of the worst I remember, testimony how the Seychelles depend on rainfall for their water consumption and how changing weather patterns, in the light of global climate change, impact on the country.
Mahes main dam is reportedly over half full already and slowly filling up more inspite of the full resumption of supplies to consumers and with the onset of the scheduled rainy season over the next fortnight the trend is thought to continue, having enough reserves for the next dry season period in 2012.
Hotels and Resorts had been supplied with preference during the drought but it was equally important to provide the people living on the main island with water to avoid resentment or negative attitudes towards the crucially important tourism sector.

Tanzania aviation news – Precision Air IPO ends, results out on 11th November

PRECISION AIR IPO ENDS
Yesterday saw the closure of the IPO of Precision Air shares, for which Tanzanians and East Africans could place applications of a minimum of 200 shares, valued at 475 Tanzania Shillings.
Stock brokers and participating banks reported doing brisk business and there is an air of expectation that the offer is going to oversubscribed, when the details of the IPO are made public on the 11th of November. Formal trading of the shares will then commence on the 08th of December, at which time the Precision Air shares will be publicly quoted for the first time.
The airline offered nearly 59 million shares and major shareholders Kenya Airways and Tanzanias Mr. Shirima will after the exercise see their 49 and 51 percent shareholding reduce into the low and mid 30 percent range, still leaving them with a sound majority though. Precision aimed to raise almost 28 billion Tanzania Shillings to finance a further fleet expansion and to allow for more destinations to be opened in coming years, after establishing itself as THE airline of substance in Tanzania.
Watch this space for further updates in November and December respectively when the IPO results and the first trading values will be announced.

South Sudan news – GoSS and JICA sign technical cooperation agreement for new bridge in Juba

NEW NILE BRIDGE FOR JUBA
The Japan International Cooperation Agency, in short JICA, has earlier in the week signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of South Sudan, Ministry of Roads and Bridges, for the construction of a 560 metre long bridge crossing the Nile.
The agency had for the past several months conducted a feasibility study for the project and when found viable the technical cooperation agreement was drafted and signed, before sometime in early 2012 the two governments will put pen to paper for the 90 Million US Dollar construction.
The new bridge is expected to ease access in and out of the city of Juba which presently faces limitations due increasing traffic over the single bridge across the river.
The construction of roads and bridges across the newly independent country has been given priority to facilitate the movement of people and secure the flow of goods, with in particular the route to neighbouring Uganda being of the highest priority, as much of South Sudans imports come from or via Uganda.

Rwanda aviation breaking news – Second B737-800 ‘Sky Interior’ lands in Kigali to join the growing RwandAir fleet

RWANDAIR WELCOMES HOME 9XR WG

(RwandAirs new bird performing a fly past over the runway of the airport)

A second brand new B737-800 landed this afternoon at Kanombe International Airport in Kigali, bringing the fleet of RwandAir to now 7 aircraft, both leased and owned. The aircraft, fitted with Boeings latest cabin layout Boeing Sky Interior is the second on the African continent with such features and will join her sister ship on the routes to Johannesburg, Dubai and soon to Lagos, which has been announced as the airlines next destination in West Africa after Brazzaville and Libreville. Flights to Nigeria are due to commence before the end of the year.
Two months ago the delivery of these owned aircraft started and at the time it was revealed that a further fleet and network expansion was in the pipeline, to equip Rwandas national airline with the aircraft needed to comprehensively connect the land locked country across the East African region, across the continent and beyond with intercontinental destinations.
Two B787 are being eyed by WB and letters of intent appear to have been signed to that effect, with the Dreamliners due for delivery from 2015 onwards.

(The smiling ferry crew which flew the new bird from Seattle via Keflavik and Istanbul to Kigali)

With this delivery has RwandAir also claimed fourth spot in terms of airline size (jets) behind regional giants Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways and Precision Air, underscoring the countrys intention to make the airline a major player in the skies over East Africa. Word from usually well informed sources close to the airline have in fact let it be known that RwandAir is eyeing ATR aircraft to eventually replace the Bombardier Dash 8-100, as demand on domestic routes has risen beyond initial hopes and expectations, fueled by more and more Congolese travelers who cross the border from Goma into Gisenyi by road to then fly via Kigali to their final destination. More imminent though is the likely exchange of RwandAirs two owned CRJ200 aircraft against two larger CRJ700s, a stretched version adding depending on configuration at least 20 more seats per flight. John Mirenge, RwandAirs CEO, openly spoke in his welcome address that you will be invited back here in 5 or 6 months, as he narrated WBs achievements, adding that we can no longer be wished away in reference to the airline having made a decisive impact in the East African skies.
The planned construction of the new Bugesera International Airport will further enhance RwandAirs operations with a longer runway able to more easily accommodate long range nonstop flights and allow for future expansion of both passenger and cargo operations well into the century and it is expected that the new airport will be ready in time when RwandAir is due to take delivery of two long range B787 Dreamliner jets between 2015 and 2016.
Watch this space for regular aviation news updates and breaking news from across Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean region.