NIGERIA’s military government set up a 16-man committee on Monday to organise the formal arrangements for hand-over of power to a civilian ruler, a top official said. Vice Admiral Mike Akhigbe, the chief of general staff and number two man in the Nigerian regime, said the committee — part military and part civilian — will […]

THE bid for SA Druggists by a United States drug firm, Argyll Scientific, has collapsed as local firm Macmed which was connected to the deal has withdrawn from the negotiations. Macmed claims it gave Argyll time to come up with an acceptable proposal but that it failed to do so timeously. Macmed is now likely […]

THE Southern African Development Community (SADC) is considering the possibility of brokering talks on the Zambia-Angola conflict over the former’s alleged supply of arms to Unita rebels in Angola. SADC executive secretary Kaire Mbuende, speaking at a press briefing last Friday ahead of the Council of ministers meeting and the 1999 SADC consultative conference, said […]

TWO people were killed and about 10 injured in last week’s crash of an Antonov-26 cargo plane in Angola and the Russian pilots, said to have been drunk, will be tried. Angolan aviation officials said on Tuesday that a pregnant woman was among those killed when the transport plane, owned by the Airangol company, crashed […]

THE International Monetary Fund has approved a $58,76-million loan for Tanzania to support the government’s 1998/99 economic programmes, the IMF said on Monday. The credit, known in IMF parlance as an enhanced structural adjustment facility, will be available in two semi-annual installments. The IMF said Tanzania aims to achieve growth of at least 4% in […]

THE treason trial of the 77 Zambia army men accused of attempting to overthrow President Frederick Chiluba’s government on October 28 in 1997 resumes on Monday after a three-week recess. Defence lawyers are expected to begin oral submissions for a “no case to answer”. After the defence close their case, the prosecution will also submit […]

WERNER MENGES, Windhoek | Tuesday 4.15pm. THE Namibian economy quietly made history last year when the official average inflation rate for the year sunk to its lowest level since independence, the National Planning Commission’s Central Statistics Office said on Monday. The annual Namibian inflation rate, as measured in the capital, Windhoek, averaged 6,21% last year […]

POLLS opened in Niger on Sunday for the election of 2053 local, municipal and regional officials, the last phase of the West African country’s process of restoration democratic insitutions. President Ibrahim Bare Mainassara and his government voted at Niamey town hall when polling stations opened. The government has warned against troublemaking and cautioned foreign oberservers […]

STANDARD Bank Investment Corporation announced on Tuesday afternoon that it has acquired a further 50% shareholding in Liberty Life Controlling Corporation (LCC) for R5,595-billion. The announcement comes after both parties issued cautionaries and amid widespread speculation that the deal was on the cards. LCC which owns 54,8% of Liberty Holdings is the ultimate holding company […]

HUNDREDS of millions of rands are expected to be allocated to job creation projects by government next week. The projects are the result of last year’s Jobs Summit. Labour Minister Shepherd Mdladlana, who has replaced Trade and Industry Minister Alec Erwin as the main implementor of the summit’s agreements, said the funding will be phased […]