KUWAIT: Kuwait Stops Admitting Expat Workers From 20 Countries

The Kuwaiti General Directorate of Residence Affairs recently announced a ban on recruitment of domestic workers from five African countries.

The latest ban raises the list to 20 countries.

According local media sources, the Kuwaiti ministry of foreign affairs issued a circular mentioning the names of the 5 countries, which include Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Bhutan, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.

Additionally, the other 15 African countries are Djibouti,Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Togo, Senegal, Malawi, Chad, Sierra Leone, Niger, Tanzania, the Gambia, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Madagascar.

The circular also included five other African countries whose domestic workers faced a temporary ban, including Cameroon, the Congo, Burundi, Eritrea and Liberia.


Tourism Observer

CHAD: Chadian Airlines To Start Operations October 1st, Supported By Ethiopian Airlines

Ethiopian Airlines has announced a deal in which it takes 49% of the new Chadian Airlines. The Government of Chad will take the remaining 51% of Chadian Airlines.

Chadian Airlines, which will be Chad’s flag carrier, is set to start operations on October 1.

The strategic equity partnership in the launching of the new Chad national carrier is part of our Vision 2025 multiple hub strategy in Africa, said Tewolde Gebremariam, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines.

The new Chad national carrier will serve as a strong hub in central Africa availing domestic, regional and eventually international air connectivity to the major destinations in the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

I wish to thank His Excellency President Idriss Deby Itno, the Government of Chad, and the stakeholders in the aviation sector in Chad for their strong support to the project.

Ethiopian Airlines already deals with other African countries as part of its growth plan. Ethiopian has a 49% stake in the national carriers of Malawi and Guinea, a 45% stake in Zambian Airways, and a 40% stake in Asky Airline.

Ethiopian is currently in talks with countries like Mozambique, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, and Ghana for similar agreements.

Through its Multiple Hubs Strategy, Ethiopian operates hubs in Lomé, Togo with Asky and in Lilongwe, Malawi with Malawian.



Tourism Observer

MOROCCO: Royal Air Maroc To Fly To 5 East African Nations, Signs Codeshare With Alitalia

Royal Air Maroc RAM has signed a code sharing agreement with Alitalia to boost air links between Morocco and Italy.

Under the deal, they will increase air links between Morocco and Italy to 29 from 7, RAM said in a statement on Wednesday.

Royal Air Maroc (RAM) the national carrier for Morocco announced plans to launch flights to five other East African cities.

Royal Air Maroc already has flights from Casablanca to Nairobi.

Royal Air Maroc Country manager in Kenya, Othman Baba says the move, caused by their gainful experience on the Nairobi route.

Royal Air Maroc which joined the 23-member single African air transport market (SAAM) last year, has said it will ride on the continental aviation framework, to speed up regulatory approvals.

It is so far the only North African airline that runs a direct Nairobi—Ndjamena (Chad) flight.

We will be extending operations in East Africa in in the short-term with new destinations like Dar es Salaam, Harare, Kigali, Maputo and Khartoum,he said.

With more than 30 destinations in West Africa, it is imperative that Royal Air Maroc has decided to spread into East Africa to share on the lucrative East African market.

Royal Air Maroc started with two weekly flights to Nairobi in 2016, but has since increased frequency to three fights a week.

Royal Air Maroc, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian, South African and Egypt Air are Africa’s largest flying Airlines.

Air Maroc says its key success point remains its low ticket prices.

Royal Air Maroc maintains strict control over its costs structure and processes, resulting in lower ticket price and cargo tariffs.


Tourism Observer

SOUTH AFRICA: Black Rhinos Trans-located To Chad From South Africa

50 years after they were hunted to local extinction, black rhinos will again roam the wilds of the Central African nation of Chad.

This is the latest chapter in a movement to bring big mammals back to former ranges on the continent.

Six rhinos will be flown to Chad’s Zakouma National Park from the South African city of Port Elizabeth, sedated and confined in specially crafted crates to ensure they don’t cause a commotion mid-air.

The initiative comes against the backdrop of a poaching crisis that saw more than 1,000 rhinos slain in South Africa last year to meet red hot demand for their horns in Asia, where they are prized for their alleged medicinal properties.

With 18,000 white rhinos and 2,000 of the smaller black rhino, South Africa is home to about 80 percent of the global population of the pachyderms, making it the springboard for reintroduction efforts elsewhere.

By establishing a viable and secure population of rhino in Chad, we are contributing to the expansion of the rhino population in Africa and the survival of a species that has faced high levels of poaching, said South African Environment Minister Edna Molewa.

No rhino has been seen in Chad since the early 1970s.

African Parks, a non-government organization which runs Chad's Zakouma and other reserves, has also reintroduced rhinos and lions from South Africa to Rwanda and is planning to relocate lions to Malawi.

We have been using the history of conservation success in South Africa to repopulate other areas in Africa, Andrew Parker, director of conservation at African Parks,said.

The Chad-bound rhinos were in the fortified enclosures or bomas for three months in preparation for their long haul.

The animals have been fed lucerne, a kind of super-nutritious hay, the past few weeks.

It will be initially provided to them in Chad as they adjust their diet to new trees and shrubs.

Security has been tight, the animals’ location was kept under wraps, they will be given a police escort to the airport, and in Chad they will be dehorned and fitted with transponders.

Jumbo sized logistics and planning go into such an operation, the animals were tranquilized in Marakele National Park in northern South Africa and then brought to Addo, which has better facilities.

Cranes hoisted the crates containing the rhinos onto flat-bed trucks and they will be monitored carefully by vets on the plane for the 15-hour trip which involves two stops.

The hope is that the two bulls and four cows will establish a breeding herd which will be the most northern wild population of the species in Africa.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are only approximately 5000 black rhinos left on the African continent.

South Africa is home to just under 2000 black rhinos but, with the recent influx of poaching, numbers are declining.

The wildlife rich country is also home to 20,000 white rhinos which make up approximately 80% of the total population.

Sadly, more than 7000 of them have been poached for their horns, which is a coveted medicinal ingredient in China and Vietnam.

The Ambassador of the European Union in Chad, Madame Denisa-Elena Ionete said that, the Chad-EU cooperation has enabled the success of Zakouma National Park, and the extension of a conservation management mandate for African Parks will increase its footprint over a larger area.

Experience also demonstrates the close links between safety, development and environmental conservation, safety has improved considerably around the park thanks to the effective anti-poaching mechanism set up in cooperation with the security forces.

Socioeconomic development has been fostered through the creation of jobs, the promotion of tourism revenues and local enterprise development.


Tourism Observer

KENYA: Kenya Airways Ready For Competition With Regional Airlines Of Uganda, Tanzania And Zambia

Kenya Airways is not worried at a possible competion following the planned revival of national carriers in Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia.

Kenya Airways, popularly known by the code KQ, has been enjoying a big presence in these countries capitalising on lack of national airlines.

Air Tanzania is welcoming a new aircraft- Bombardier Q-400, which is the third since President John Magufuli rose to power, in an effort to revive the ailing airline.

The airline has also lined up three more jet aircraft, including two Bombardier C300s and one Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to arrive in the country before the end of this year.

Uganda is also in the process of reviving Uganda Airlines before the end of the year after the cabinet approved the plan.

This will affect the 15 years dominance that KQ has been enjoying at Entebbe which might result in revenue loss as Uganda is anticipating to take back regional routes to kick-start an ambitious global outreach.

Kenya’s Transport Principal Secretary Paul Maringa, however, says the move will not affect KQ’s earnings as part of the efforts to revive the local airline are aimed at making it competitive in the regional market.

There will be increased competition obviously, but this does not mean it will affect the operations of KQ.

We are banking our strength on the services that we offer, which will keep us going even in the presence of stiff competition, said the PS.

Prof Maringa said there is nothing wrong with competition, adding that what matters is how effective Kenya Airways will be in handling the situation.

Kenya Airways, remains dominant in most routes and it has a good partnership in Europe.

Kenya Airways is relying on the direct flights to the US scheduled to start in the next few months to remain the most preferred regional airline, he said, adding that KQ good brand will give it an edge in the wake of competition.

Ethiopian Airlines, arguably Africa’s most profitable career, is also focusing on reviving some of the stalled airlines in the region. The airline has acquired a 45 per cent stake in Zambia Airways that is set to be re-launched after more than two decades.

Under the pact, the Zambian government will be the majority shareholder with a 55 per cent stake.

Kenya Airways has at least four daily flights to Dar es Salaam, five to Entebbe, four to Lusaka Zambia and at least one more other daily flight to Livingstone (Zambia).

Ethiopian Airlines is also seeking to set up hubs in southern Africa, Central Africa and the Horn that connect neighbouring countries.

According to the airline, it is working with Malawi and Zambia as southern Africa hubs. Another hub would be in central Africa, covering the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville and Chad.

Former Kenya Airways chief executive officer Mbuvi Ngunze said in 2016 that their focus was on African routes, which was proving to be profitable.

Kenya Airways prefers increasing frequencies in the current destination other than growth to others. Our focus is clearly Africa and we can see the strategy in Africa has started paying dividends, said Mr Ngunze then.

The Kenya Airways’ shareholder value moved into positive territory riding on last year’s balance sheet restructuring that reduced its annual debt payment obligations, leaving room to revamp its operations.

Kenya Airways equity position stood at Sh417 million in the nine months between April and December 2017 compared to negative Sh45 billion in the year to March 2017, according to a financial report that was released last month.

The change in fortunes follows a complex restructuring of the business that saw Kenya Airways main creditors — 10 commercial banks and the government — convert Sh44.2 billion loans into equity to save it from total collapse.



Tourism Observer

ANGOLA: Luanda Is World’s Most Expensive City

The Angolan capital Luanda has knocked Hong Kong off the top spot in an annual survey by Mercer Consulting that ranks the cost of living for expatriate workers in world cities.

The survey found the cost of renting a two-bedroom apartment suitable for expatriates in Luanda was £4,800 ($6,055) per month, while a fast food hamburger meal priced at £11.50.

It was the second time in three years that Luanda topped the survey, which compares the costs of housing, transport and clothing in 209 cities.

While Luanda rose, all UK cities fell significantly in this year’s rankings which were released on Wednesday, with 30th-ranked London dropping 13 places from 2016.

The survey suggested that the country’s vote to leave the European Union had played a role in the drop by causing the value of sterling to fall.

Mercer found that a number of African cities continue to rank high in this year’s survey, reflecting high living costs and prices of goods for experts.

Luanda is followed by Victoria in the Seychelles (14th), N’Djamena in Chad (16th), and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (18th).

Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria, is ranked 29th and not among the top five African cities that are very expensive.

The Angolan capital Luanda has knocked Hong Kong off the top spot in an annual survey by Mercer Consulting that ranks the cost of living for expatriate workers in world cities.

The survey found the cost of renting a two-bedroom apartment suitable for expatriates in Luanda was £4,800 ($6,055) per month, while a fast food hamburger meal priced at £11.50.

It was the second time in three years that Luanda topped the survey, which compares the costs of housing, transport and clothing in 209 cities.

While Luanda rose, all UK cities fell significantly in this year’s rankings which were released on Wednesday, with 30th-ranked London dropping 13 places from 2016.

The survey suggested that the country’s vote to leave the European Union had played a role in the drop by causing the value of sterling to fall.

Mercer found that a number of African cities continue to rank high in this year’s survey, reflecting high living costs and prices of goods for experts.

Luanda is followed by Victoria in the Seychelles (14th), N’Djamena in Chad (16th), and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (18th).

Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria, is ranked 29th and not among the top five African cities that are very expensive.

World’s 10 most expensive cities

1. Luanda, Angola

2. Hong Kong, Hong Kong

3. Tokyo, Japan

4. Zurich, Switzerland

5. Singapore, Singapore

6. Seoul, South Korea

7. Geneva, Switzerland

8. Shanghai, China

9. New York City, US

10. Bern, Switzerland

World’s 10 least expensive cities

200. Minsk, Belarus

201. Karachi, Pakistan

202. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

203. Monterrey, Mexico

204. Tbilisi, Georgia

205. Blantyre, Malawi

206. Windhoek, Namibia

206. Skopje, Macedonia

208. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

209. Tunis, Tunisia



Tourism Observer

Ethiopian Airlines And Singapore Airlines Codeshare

Star Alliance members, Ethiopian Airlines and Singapore Airlines will expand their existing codeshare agreement as of 01st of June 2017, offering customers travelling between Africa and Asia seamless connectivity options.

Ethiopian Airlines’ daily non-stop services to Singapore from Addis Ababa, due to be launched in June 2017, will be covered by the expanded codeshare agreement.

Under the new agreement, Ethiopian Airlines customers will be able to access multiple destinations in Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand and Vietnam across Singapore Airlines’ wide network.

In turn, Singapore Airlines customers will enjoy access to Ethiopian Airlines’ vast intra-African network including countries like Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote D’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Mozambique, The Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

Mr. Girma Shiferaw, Acting Vice President, Strategic Planning and Alliances, remarked: 'I wish to thank Singapore Airlines for the successful completion of this vital agreement.

The two airlines will synergize their respective networks in Asia and Africa to offer customers the best connectivity options with one ticket and one single check-in at the first boarding airport. It will also play a critical role in enhancing investment, trade and tourism ties between a rising Africa, and a highly developed, innovative, and business-friendly Singapore'.

Singapore Airlines Senior Vice President Marketing Planning, Mr Tan Kai Ping, said, 'We are delighted with our expanded codeshare operations with Ethiopian Airlines. This significant expansion of our important partnership is in line with our ongoing effort to continuously expand our network reach and to offer customers more travel options and convenience when travelling between Africa, Asia and Southwest Pacific'.

The airlines first began code sharing on each other’s flights to and from Dubai in 2011. The expanded codeshare flights are subject to regulatory approvals and will be progressively made available for sale across various sales channels.

Ethiopian Airlines operates one of the youngest fleets on the African continent with an average aircraft age of less than five years, serving more than 90 international destinations across five continents with over 240 daily departures.

Singapore Airlines operates a modern passenger aircraft fleet of more than 100 aircraft and together with wholly owned passenger airline subsidiaries SilkAir, Scoot and Tigerair, the SIA Group’s combined network covers more than 130 destinations around the world.

Ethiopian Airlines flies three times a day to Entebbe and also operates multiple flights each day to Kigali, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam while serving the tourist destinations of Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar and Mombasa too.

CAMEROON: Douala City

Douala is the largest city in Cameroon, and the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region. Home to Central Africa's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport, it is the commercial and economic capital of Cameroon and the entire CEMAC region comprising Gabon, Congo, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, CAR and Cameroon.

Consequently, it handles most of the country's major exports, such as oil, cocoa and coffee, timber, metals and fruits. As of 2010 the city and its surrounding area had an estimated population that surpassed 3,000,000 inhabitants. The city sits on the estuary of the Wouri River and its climate is tropical.

Settlements had already existed in present-day Douala prior to the arrival of the Portuguese, British, and Germans; however, it was during the German colonization that the city began to develop rapidly as a commercial and political hub of the German colonial administration. During World War I a bitter battle was fought for control of Douala.

The city surrendered to British and French forces on September 27, 1914. A joint Anglo-French condominium governed the city until a comprehensive agreement ceded it and much of Cameroon to the French.

After the independence of Cameroon, Douala grew rapidly. Local industries, trade, and other opportunities have attracted an unprecedented influx of migrants, especially from the western region of Cameroon.

People from other countries in the region have also permanently settled in the city; they include Nigerians, Chadians, and Malians. In recent times city authorities have been overwhelmed by rapidly increasing population; services are stretched and there is an urgent need to enhance the city's ability to cope with the rapid growth.

Douala is the first city in tropical Africa to have a piped natural gas supply presently serving only industrial customers. It was ranked in 2015 as the most expensive city in Africa. It has had the highest standard of living among all African cities for the majority of the last 40 years.

A very high number of European, American and Asian expatriates live in the city due to its highly developed infrastructure and peaceful environment for successful business and good life.

The city is located on the banks of the Wouri River, the two sides linked by Bonaberi Bridge. In 2013, the president Paul Biya made a decree that a new bridge would be built over the Wouri River to accommodate the growing population of the citizens in Douala. The bridge is still under construction.

The city of Douala is divided into seven districts Akwa, Bassa, Bonabéri, Bonapriso, Bonanjo, Deïdo and New Bel and it has more than 120 neighborhoods.

Akwa is Douala's business district and Bonanjo its administrative district. Plateau Joss is the name used historically for the current district of Akwa. The name of the districts refer to the Douala lineage, as well as the neighborhoods.

For example, Akwa was historically divided between Bell and Deido into Bonadibong, Bonamilengue, Boneleke, Bonalembe, Bonejang, Bonamuti, Bonabekombo, Bonaboijan, and Bonakuamuang; the prefix "bona" means "descendant of".

Miss World 2016, Africa Is Represented

Lebakile Mokhohlane - Lesotho

Miss World 2016, the 66th edition of the Miss World pageant, will take place in Washington D.C. on December 20th. The outgoing queen Mireia Lalaguna of Spain will crown her successor at the end of the event.

Ntandoyenkosi Kunene-South Africa

Delegates of about one hundred countries and autonomous territories will compete for the title. The contestants will compete in various Challenger events, like Top Model, Talent, Multimedia, Sports, Beauty With a Purpose and a new challenge event called Resort Wear.

Thata Kenosi-Botswana

Safiatou Balde - Guinea

Esther Memel - Côte D’Ivoire

Sylvaine Leloum -Chad

Egyptair Crash Nationalities

A plant manager with Cincinnati-based Proctor & Gamble was one of 66 passengers and crew members aboard EgyptAir Flight 804 when it disappeared Thursday over the Mediterranean Sea.

Others on board included a Welsh geologist, the sister-in-law of an Egyptian diplomat, a Kuwaiti economist and a French photographer who, covered rock concerts.

People from a dozen countries were on the EgyptAir flight en route from Paris to Cairo when it vanished from radar. No U.S. citizens were on the plane, according to the airline.

There were 30 Egyptians and 15 French citizens listed on the manifest. Two infants and a child were on the flight. Other passengers included two Iraqis and people from nine other countries: Sudan, Chad, Portugal, Algeria, Great Britain, Belgium, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Ten crew members were also on board.

Two Canadians were on the flight, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Stephane Dion said in a statement.

Procter & Gamble spokesman Damon Jones identified its employee on the flight as Egyptian-born Ahmed Helal, a married father of two children and manager of the company's Amiens France manufacturing plant. He had worked for the company since 2000.

"We are in touch with the employee’s family and are offering them our full support during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with them, and all the affected families," Jones said.

Helal was 40, according to French public-radio network France Bleu. He was in charge of one of P&G's largest fabric care plants in the world, employing 930 workers and shipping Ariel, Mr. Clean, Febreze, Dash and Gama throughout Europe.

Helal's Facebook profile lists his hometown as Alexandria, Egypt. He studied mechanical engineering at American University in Cairo before graduating in 2000.

Welshman Richard Osman, 40, a geologist, was among those on the plane, British news outlets reported. He moved to Wales as a boy when his father, a doctor, set up a medical practice there.

A former neighbor, Audrey Jones, said: "He was such a nice lad and always very good to his mother."

Airport officials in Egypt identified two other victims as Hisham el-Maqawad, a sister-in-law of the deputy to the Egyptian ambassador in Paris, and Sahar al-Khawaga, a Saudi woman who worked at the Saudi Embassy in Cairo. Al-Khawaga was in Paris to follow up on her daughter's medical treatment there, the officials said.

Abdel Mohsen Al-Sohaili, a Kuwaiti economist with two disabled children, was headed to Cairo for a three-day break, his nephew, Mosharei al-Sohaili, said.

Pascal Hess, a photographer from Evreux, France, who covered rock concerts, also was a passenger.

JORDAN: Regional Instability Impacts Medical Tourism To Jordan

Regional instability impacts medical tourism to Jordan.

Jordan's medical tourism sector impacted by ongoing regional instability and increase in national operating expenses. Threats to the sustainability of Jordan's medical tourism status over the long-term.

According to BMI Research, Jordan's medical tourism sector will be detrimentally impacted by ongoing regional instability and an increase in national operating expenses.

Jordan's healthcare system is relatively advanced and offers affordable services for medical tourists, so the country often claims to be a leading medical tourism destination in the Middle East. Downside risks - including conflicts in neighbouring countries and the ongoing influx of refugees - threaten the sustainability of Jordan's medical tourism status over the long-term.

BMR Research expects Jordan's sustainability as a medical tourism hub to come under immense threat as it faces a range of challenges on a national-scale. The key problem is the ongoing political instability in neighbouring countries. Spillover effects from conflicts in Syria will create uncertainty in operating conditions and negatively affect Jordan's investment attractiveness. Regional insecurity is already taking a toll on the general tourism industry in Jordan this situation will worsen in 2016, with fewer tourists. The most recent data available shows that tourism receipts in Jordan fell by 15.7% in the first half of 2015 and regional incidents since then means numbers for late 2015 and 2016 will see further falls.

Jordan is still one of the most stable countries in the Middle East region. However, the country has not been immune to unrest, and over the longer term, the absence of major progress in addressing corruption will continue to represent major challenges for the government and this will negatively impact the attractiveness of the healthcare sector. Corruption is among the greatest obstacles Jordan will face in the coming decade. Almost two-thirds of Jordanians perceive the public and private sectors as corrupt, which will deter the country's reputation as a medical destination.

The government aims to attract 300,000 medical tourists in 2018, with potential revenues of JOD1.06bn (USD1.5bn). However, this figure is optimistic in BMI's view, particularly given the emergence of Dubai as the preferred regional medical tourism centre.

The influx of refugees from Iraq and Syria has already put an enormous strain on Jordan's healthcare system. BMR expects this continuing trend to negatively impact the government's financing abilities for medical services. The role of the private sector in attracting medical tourists will become even more significant over the long-term. The hike in electricity tariffs will cause operating expenses to increase in Jordan. The recent income tax law is also expected to have a negative impact as the tax imposed on hospitals has increased from 14% to 20%.

Although Jordan does get patients from the Middle East and North Africa claims on international patient numbers are broad guesses and do not split medical tourists from refugees or victims of conflict in Gaza, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and African countries such as Chad. The Private Hospitals Association regularly claims figures of 250,000 but after a decade of use this figure-with no known base - has outworn its welcome. Exactly how many medical tourists Jordan gets is unknown.