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Morocco

Wade Encourages Moroccan Businessmen To invest in Senegal

RABAT, Morocco (PANA) - Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade has urged more Moroccan economic operators to invest in his country. At a meeting with Moroccan businessmen in Rabat Wednesday, he said Dakar had many business partnership opportunities for them. Senegal has already established an investment and major facility building agency. Wade added that an economic and financial office has been created in the president’s office to promote "direct partnership relations in a transparent environment." He encouraged the Moroccans to use Senegal as a gateway into the West African Economic and Monetary Union, which uses a single currency, the CFA franc, pegged to the French franc at a fixed parity of 1FF=100 CFA. The monetary union’s member states are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. Wade assured the Moroccan businessmen and industrialists that Senegal was an "open country" which offers guarantees to foreign investors.

"Senegal and the rest of UEMOA countries can turn into a market for Morocco," he said, promising that on his return to Dakar he would take the required steps for the signing of a Morocco-UEMOA co-operation agreement to remove the existing conversion obstacles between the Moroccan dirham and the CFA franc.

During his visit, Wade toured Fes, the kingdom’s spiritual capital, 200 km east of Rabat, for pilgrimage to the mausoleum of Si Ahmed Tijani, founder of the "Tijania" Muslim brotherhood, which draws millions of followers south of the Sahara. On Tuesday, Wade held talks with Moroccan Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi, and also received the speakers of the two houses of the parliament, Abdelouahed Radi and Mohamed Jalal Essaid. The president was scheduled to leave Rabat Thursday morning for Tripoli, Libya.

Angola

MPLA Women To Attend Congress In Portugal

LUANDA, Angola (PANA) - The women wing of Angola’s ruling MPLA party will be represented at the two-day congress of Portuguese Women Democratic Movement taking place in Lisbon from 2-3 June. Speaking before her departure from Luanda Wednesday, OMA’s national executive secretary for woman promotion, Alice Chivala, said that her group intends to strengthen ties with the Portuguese organisation.

She said that the two organisations shared the same objectives of fighting for women’s dignity within their respective societies. Chivala added that while at the congress, she would seize the opportunity to thank the MDM for the assistance it had provided to the needy in Angola. She said the MDM had launched a campaign to collect second hand clothes, toys and school materials in Portugal for distribution in Angola.

Tanzania

Swiss Firm Buys Tanzania’s Airport Handling Company

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (PANA) - A Swissair owned company Tuesday paid off 4.8 million US dollars to acquire majority shares of the Dar es Salaam Airport Handling Company Limited or DAHACO. Swissport acquired 51 percent of the-handling company under a block share sale agreement, outbidding former shareholders, Swedfund International, Scandinavian Airlines Systems and the Industrialisation Fund for Developing Countries of Denmark.

The Tanzanian government, through Air Tanzania - the national flag carrier - also disposed off in the deal 16 percent of the 65 percent stake it controlled under the dissolved management. Swedfund International and Scandinavian Airline Systems had each held 10 percent of the former shares while the Industrialisation Fund for Developing Countries of Denmark controlled 15 percent. DAHACO was incorporated 27 April 1984 and provides ground-handling services to airlines landing at the Dar es Salaam and the Kilimanjaro International Airports.The company had in the first quarter of 1997 been sold off to South African Airways, which later sold off its interests to Swissport International.

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