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
Tourism, Travel, Hospitality, Conservation: News,Stories And Experiences From Allover The World
Showing posts with label togo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label togo. Show all posts
Tuesday, 30 April 2019
Friday, 25 May 2018
ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Airlines Initiates New Routes
The carrier will operate the 7,963-kilometre route three times weekly, with the Star Alliance member utilising its fleet of 787-8s on the Africa-North America city pair.
No other carrier presently links the two countries non-stop. By adding this service to its schedule, it means that Ethiopian Airlines offers a daily departure from Addis Ababa to Newark.
This, with it also offering a four times weekly operation to the New Jersey airport via Lome, the capital of Togo.
Ethiopian Airlines added three African destinations to its network this week, with the carrier now serving Kisangani (FKI) and Mbuji-Mayi (MJM) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, plus Nosy-Be (NOS) in Madagascar.
All launched on 27 March from Addis Ababa (ADD), the Star Alliance member will operate flights to the former two destinations on a triangular routing of Addis Ababa–Kisangani–Mbuji-Mayi–Addis Ababa.
This route will be flown three times weekly facing no direct competition.
Services to Nosy-Be will also be flown three times weekly, also facing no direct rivalry, with this service operating via the carrier’s existing link to Moroni in Comoros.
A destination that joined Ethiopian Airlines’ network in November 2016. All three destinations will be served by the carrier’s fleet of 737-800s.
Ethiopian Airlines has restored service to Bahrain (BAH) , ending a six-year hiatus of flights from Addis Ababa (ADD).
The relaunched route will be flown by the Star Alliance member three times weekly on its fleet of 737-800s, with the outbound rotation operating via Dammam in Saudi Arabia.
Commenting on the launch, Bahrain Airport Company CCO, Ayman Zainal, said: “Ethiopian Airlines has been operating in the region for decades.
Its level of efficiency and operational experience are among the best in the African continent. We are very happy to have these routes added to our scheduled flights which provide added convenience and options for travelers, including the large Ethiopian community in Bahrain.
Competition on the 2,292-kilometre sector comes in the form of Gulf Air, with it also serving the city pair three times weekly on its A320s.
Ethiopian Airlines has now added the Nigerian city of Kaduna (KAD) to its network, with it becoming the Star Alliance member’s fifth destination in the country.
The carrier commenced a three times weekly service from Addis Ababa (ADD), a connection it will operate on its fleet of 737-800s. No other airline currently operates the 3,449-kilometre sector.
With this launch, Ethiopian Airlines now operates 21 weekly flights direct to Nigeria from Addis Ababa, with Lagos and Abuja being served daily, Enugu three times weekly and Kano weekly when referring to OAG schedules.
The latter is also served twice-weekly via N’Djamena in Chad. However, the airline does not have local traffic rights between N’Djamena and Kano. At present, Ethiopian Airlines is the only airline operating between Nigeria and Ethiopia.
Ethiopian Airlines commenced operations to Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) on 8 March, with the Star Alliance member starting a five times weekly service from Addis Ababa (ADD), with the 11,246-kilometre city pair operating via the carrier’s existing Sao Paulo Guarulhos service.
Commenting on the launch, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde Gebremariam, said of the new service: We are glad to add Buenos Aires, the sixth gateway to the Americas for the airline, to our extensive global network.
Our new flight to Buenos Aires will provide efficient connections to our network in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, including Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, Mumbai, Delhi, Dubai, Beirut, Nairobi, and Cairo.
We are all the more happy that the flight launched on 8 March – International Women’s Day.
To mark this important occasion, and as part of our commitment of mainstreaming gender into our core business, we have made the inaugural rotation an all-women-operated flight.
As mentioned by Gebremariam, this is now Ethiopian Airlines’ sixth destination in the Americas, with it also operating to Sao Paulo in the South, as well as Washington Dulles, New York Newark, Los Angeles and Toronto Pearson in the North.
The route to Buenos Aires, which will be flown using 787-8s, will not face direct competition.
Ethiopian Airlines returned to Singapore (SIN) having last served the city in October 2014. The carrier is now offering non-stop flights to Singapore from Addis Ababa (ADD) five times weekly on its fleet of 787-8s.
The 7,257-kilometre route was previously served via Bangkok Suvarnabhumi on 767-300s.
The link between the African and Asian cities will not face direct competition, with the route continuing on to Kuala Lumpur from Singapore, with the Malaysian capital until 7 May having been served via Suvarnabhumi.
A second route was also launched by the Star Alliance member this week.
Ethiopian began flights between Johannesburg (JNB) and Lome (LFW). The 4,619-kilometre sector will be flown four times weekly on 737-800s facing no direct competition.
Tourism Observer
Monday, 18 April 2016
West African Hotel Investment Forum
The number of planned hotel rooms in Africa has soared to 64,000 in 365 hotels, up almost 30% on the previous year, according to new figures from the annual W Hospitality Group Hotel Chain Development Pipeline Survey.
The increase is largely down to strong growth in sub-Saharan Africa, which is up 42.1% on 2015 and is significantly outstripping North Africa which achieved only a modest 7.5% pipeline increase this year.
A major shake-up in the rankings by country saw Angola, never before listed among the top 10, push Egypt out of second place, due to a major deal there signed by AccorHotels.
The W Hospitality Group survey is published ahead of the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF), and will be discussed in detail at the conference by Trevor Ward, W Hospitality Group managing director.
AHIF attracts all the major international hotel investors in Africa and is being held for the first time in Lomé, Togo on 21-22 June. A second AHIF will also take place in Kigali.
Ahead of the AHIF in Kigali / Rwanda later in the year is the West African Hotel Investment Forum taking place in Lome, Togo from the 21st to the 22nd June. Don't miss it!
The increase is largely down to strong growth in sub-Saharan Africa, which is up 42.1% on 2015 and is significantly outstripping North Africa which achieved only a modest 7.5% pipeline increase this year.
A major shake-up in the rankings by country saw Angola, never before listed among the top 10, push Egypt out of second place, due to a major deal there signed by AccorHotels.
The W Hospitality Group survey is published ahead of the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF), and will be discussed in detail at the conference by Trevor Ward, W Hospitality Group managing director.
AHIF attracts all the major international hotel investors in Africa and is being held for the first time in Lomé, Togo on 21-22 June. A second AHIF will also take place in Kigali.
Ahead of the AHIF in Kigali / Rwanda later in the year is the West African Hotel Investment Forum taking place in Lome, Togo from the 21st to the 22nd June. Don't miss it!
Thursday, 3 March 2016
GHANA: Airspace Dispute Between Togo & Ghana Resolved
Ghana and its eastern neighbours, Togo and Benin, have amicably resolved their differences over control of the Accra Flight Information Region (FIR).
The internationally designated Accra Flight Information Region (FIR) refers to the combined upper airspace (240 feet and above) and large portions of the Atlantic Ocean of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.
The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has managed the Accra FIR on behalf of the three countries for decades. However, Togo and Benin in 2014 threatened to quit the Accra FIR over management and economic concerns.
Simon Allotey, Director-General of the GCAA, told the B&FT that the issue has been resolved and all parties are committed to the current arrangement.
“The original arrangement was that Ghana, Togo and Benin will co-manage the Accra FIR from Accra. Later on it was varied at the request of our Togolese and Béninoise brothers. They want to be part of the Accra FIR, which they are; but then the FIR will be segmented into two with Ghana managing the terrestrial airspace and the entire oceanic sector, while from Lomé they will manage the Togolese and Béninoise airspace.
“So far it is working very well. There is a lot of coordination between the Accra and Lomé centres. The arrangement has been operating smoothly since June 25, 2015.
“Revenue sharing has been resolved effectively. Basically, whoever controls a sector takes the revenue accruing from that sector. Togo and Benin bills the airlines directly for flights over their airspace and Ghana also does the same,” Ing. Allotey said.
The internationally designated Accra Flight Information Region (FIR), prior to the new arrangement, was managed by the GCAA on behalf of the three countries.
However, revenue accruing from management of the Accra FIR went into the coffers of GCAA; with no share of the proceeds paid to either Togo or Benin.
Air navigation charges for all international flights over four tonnes operating within the Accra FIR as at 2010 were charged US$0.75 per kilometre flown. The minimum charge within the Accra FIR is US$200 and a maximum of US$600.
Aircraft with weight between 4-20 tonnes are charged a US$200 flat-rate.
International aircraft movement to and from the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) at the end of last year stood at 21,269 — giving an indication of the revenue at stake.
International airlines operating flights to and from Accra initially raised concerns about fragmenting the Accra FIR, as they thought it would mean using three different control towers during flights within the region.
With the current arrangement, airlines which use the terrestrial airspace of all three countries will have to deal with two control towers.
The internationally designated Accra Flight Information Region (FIR) refers to the combined upper airspace (240 feet and above) and large portions of the Atlantic Ocean of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.
The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has managed the Accra FIR on behalf of the three countries for decades. However, Togo and Benin in 2014 threatened to quit the Accra FIR over management and economic concerns.
Simon Allotey, Director-General of the GCAA, told the B&FT that the issue has been resolved and all parties are committed to the current arrangement.
“The original arrangement was that Ghana, Togo and Benin will co-manage the Accra FIR from Accra. Later on it was varied at the request of our Togolese and Béninoise brothers. They want to be part of the Accra FIR, which they are; but then the FIR will be segmented into two with Ghana managing the terrestrial airspace and the entire oceanic sector, while from Lomé they will manage the Togolese and Béninoise airspace.
“So far it is working very well. There is a lot of coordination between the Accra and Lomé centres. The arrangement has been operating smoothly since June 25, 2015.
“Revenue sharing has been resolved effectively. Basically, whoever controls a sector takes the revenue accruing from that sector. Togo and Benin bills the airlines directly for flights over their airspace and Ghana also does the same,” Ing. Allotey said.
The internationally designated Accra Flight Information Region (FIR), prior to the new arrangement, was managed by the GCAA on behalf of the three countries.
However, revenue accruing from management of the Accra FIR went into the coffers of GCAA; with no share of the proceeds paid to either Togo or Benin.
Air navigation charges for all international flights over four tonnes operating within the Accra FIR as at 2010 were charged US$0.75 per kilometre flown. The minimum charge within the Accra FIR is US$200 and a maximum of US$600.
Aircraft with weight between 4-20 tonnes are charged a US$200 flat-rate.
International aircraft movement to and from the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) at the end of last year stood at 21,269 — giving an indication of the revenue at stake.
International airlines operating flights to and from Accra initially raised concerns about fragmenting the Accra FIR, as they thought it would mean using three different control towers during flights within the region.
With the current arrangement, airlines which use the terrestrial airspace of all three countries will have to deal with two control towers.
Saturday, 19 September 2015
TOGO: Nightlife In Lome
Items for sale at Lomé's famous Fetish Market
Togo's capital Lomé, chosen for the nightlife loving traveller wanting an introduction to West African music, culture and joy of life. And Lomé has its beaches and sights as well.
Nightlife in French speaking West Africa is one of the world's leading tourist attractions providing a memory for life. But which city to recommend?
Before we dive into Togo's coastal metropolis Lomé, let us say a few words about West African nightlife in general. In the non-Muslim part of the region, alcohol consumption is often high, attitudes are mostly liberal, music is load, happy and hypnotising, crowds are dense, animated and positive towards visitors, dancing is obligatory and you are bound to get to know people.
There is a small distinction between nightlife in Francophone and Anglophone West Africa, which however should not be exaggerated. While partying in the former British colonies focuses a bit more on intoxication, the French ex-colonies focus a bit more on the cultural setting, including dance and music. But both factors play a key role all over the region.
So, again, how to choose a good West African party city? There are many good candidates, although some are too unsafe for first-time visitors (Abidjan, Lagos, Douala and Yaoundé), while others are small or lacking sights (Libreville, Malabo and Cotonou). We must however mention two very good candidates: Douala and Accra.
Douala, the unpretentious but energetic largest city of Cameroon, still has the hottest nightlife in all West Africa. If you can live with high crime rates and a lack of major sights, Douala's Akwa, Deido and Bonapriso quarters at night will give you a party experience to remember the rest of your life.
In Anglophone West Africa, Ghana's capital Accra is the most vibrant and safest nightlife destination. From Thursday throughout Sunday, many of Accra's bars, clubs and restaurants present live music or just turn into party spots. Although Nigeria's Lagos may be even livelier and Sierra Leone's Freetown is starting to enter the competition, Accra by night remains a safer destination for visitors.
Among the predominantly Muslim cities of West Africa, Senegal's Dakar is an evergreen with lots of sights, which however has lost most of its earlier sparkling nightlife scene. Guinea's Conakry may be evolving into a new hotspot, but still has a way to go. Burkina Faso' Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso are rewarding.
Togolese capital Lomé is mostly a safe choice. Lomé has a friendly ambient and an astonishing density of African and international bars, clubs and restaurants. And it has maintained a strong sense of local culture, including original voodoo.
A smooth introduction to Lomé's nightlife may be the international scene, dominated by expatriates and upper class Togolese. Larger hotels often arrange beach parties and entertainment typically includes traditional dances, magicians and fire artists. This may provide you with a first glimpse of Togo, but it of course does not represent real life in the city.
After acclimatisation, start out in a neighbourhood dancing pub and move on to the lively African clubs in the city. The Rue de la Gare in the city centre is a good street to get to know genuine Togolese nightlife after midnight. More posh clubs are found in an around the Boulevard du 13 Janvier, the large centre by-pass road.
When moving around during night in the city centre, be careful to go in groups or using public transport. Take a taxi or use the cheaper taxis collectives (shared taxis). Lomé is not a crime hotspot, but robberies are a problem at night.
Lomé is also an exiting day-time destination and a perfect introduction to the African city. There are some remnants of colonial architecture, including a surprising Gothic style cathedral. The centre is colourful with narrow streets and markets. Modern African buildings along grand boulevards dominate the outer centre.
There are some truly exotic sights in the old centre of Lomé. These include the colourful and sometimes grotesque Fetish Market, where you will find everything you never knew you needed to make magic charms or heal any disease. The Lomé Marché des féticheurs indeed is the biggest of its kind and a meeting point for voodoo practitioners from the entire West African region.
Less exotic but equally colourful is the Grande Marche, the Great Market, occupying an entire block in the city centre. Apart from the very wide line of products offered by the market women - a sight in itself - the market is always full of life,including live performing music, dancing and magician groups. During daylight, it is a unique spot to experience West African culture, but the market should be avoided at night for security reasons.
Togo is a country with a narrow coastline, squeezed between Benin and Ghana and lying along the Lagos-Abidjan highway. This means that a stay in Togo easily can include trips to Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Benin and/or Nigeria. If you want to compare Lomé's nightlife with competitors, a weekend in Ghana's capital Accra, with its many sights, is a very good option. Accra is located 200 kilometres west of Lomé, while Cotonou in Benin is located 150 kilometres east of Lomé.
This of course also means that you have a wider choice looking for flights to the area, as you can choose between the Lomé, Cotonou (mostly from Paris) or even Accra (easier from UK and US) flight connections. Accra typically has the cheapest transcontinental flights to the region.
Going to Togo, unfortunately you need to be aware of the political situation and you should do some research. The country is heavily politically polarised, and whenever there is an election, there is a great risk of violence. So do avoid travelling to Lomé during an election campaign or shortly after polls, and if you see demonstrators in the street, leave the scene as quickly as possible!
This said, Togo has successfully entered a democratisation and political reconciliation process, and trend is going towards ever calmer elections and political normality. The worst definitively seems to over.
Tourism still is very limited due to the country's recent political turbulence. Indeed, Lomé is among the least visited coastal cities of West Africa, giving it an even more authentic feeling, leaving the Togolese to especially welcome foreign travellers and keeping tourism related crime at a very low level.
Togo's capital Lomé, chosen for the nightlife loving traveller wanting an introduction to West African music, culture and joy of life. And Lomé has its beaches and sights as well.
Nightlife in French speaking West Africa is one of the world's leading tourist attractions providing a memory for life. But which city to recommend?
Before we dive into Togo's coastal metropolis Lomé, let us say a few words about West African nightlife in general. In the non-Muslim part of the region, alcohol consumption is often high, attitudes are mostly liberal, music is load, happy and hypnotising, crowds are dense, animated and positive towards visitors, dancing is obligatory and you are bound to get to know people.
There is a small distinction between nightlife in Francophone and Anglophone West Africa, which however should not be exaggerated. While partying in the former British colonies focuses a bit more on intoxication, the French ex-colonies focus a bit more on the cultural setting, including dance and music. But both factors play a key role all over the region.
So, again, how to choose a good West African party city? There are many good candidates, although some are too unsafe for first-time visitors (Abidjan, Lagos, Douala and Yaoundé), while others are small or lacking sights (Libreville, Malabo and Cotonou). We must however mention two very good candidates: Douala and Accra.
Douala, the unpretentious but energetic largest city of Cameroon, still has the hottest nightlife in all West Africa. If you can live with high crime rates and a lack of major sights, Douala's Akwa, Deido and Bonapriso quarters at night will give you a party experience to remember the rest of your life.
In Anglophone West Africa, Ghana's capital Accra is the most vibrant and safest nightlife destination. From Thursday throughout Sunday, many of Accra's bars, clubs and restaurants present live music or just turn into party spots. Although Nigeria's Lagos may be even livelier and Sierra Leone's Freetown is starting to enter the competition, Accra by night remains a safer destination for visitors.
Among the predominantly Muslim cities of West Africa, Senegal's Dakar is an evergreen with lots of sights, which however has lost most of its earlier sparkling nightlife scene. Guinea's Conakry may be evolving into a new hotspot, but still has a way to go. Burkina Faso' Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso are rewarding.
Togolese capital Lomé is mostly a safe choice. Lomé has a friendly ambient and an astonishing density of African and international bars, clubs and restaurants. And it has maintained a strong sense of local culture, including original voodoo.
A smooth introduction to Lomé's nightlife may be the international scene, dominated by expatriates and upper class Togolese. Larger hotels often arrange beach parties and entertainment typically includes traditional dances, magicians and fire artists. This may provide you with a first glimpse of Togo, but it of course does not represent real life in the city.
After acclimatisation, start out in a neighbourhood dancing pub and move on to the lively African clubs in the city. The Rue de la Gare in the city centre is a good street to get to know genuine Togolese nightlife after midnight. More posh clubs are found in an around the Boulevard du 13 Janvier, the large centre by-pass road.
When moving around during night in the city centre, be careful to go in groups or using public transport. Take a taxi or use the cheaper taxis collectives (shared taxis). Lomé is not a crime hotspot, but robberies are a problem at night.
Lomé is also an exiting day-time destination and a perfect introduction to the African city. There are some remnants of colonial architecture, including a surprising Gothic style cathedral. The centre is colourful with narrow streets and markets. Modern African buildings along grand boulevards dominate the outer centre.
There are some truly exotic sights in the old centre of Lomé. These include the colourful and sometimes grotesque Fetish Market, where you will find everything you never knew you needed to make magic charms or heal any disease. The Lomé Marché des féticheurs indeed is the biggest of its kind and a meeting point for voodoo practitioners from the entire West African region.
Less exotic but equally colourful is the Grande Marche, the Great Market, occupying an entire block in the city centre. Apart from the very wide line of products offered by the market women - a sight in itself - the market is always full of life,including live performing music, dancing and magician groups. During daylight, it is a unique spot to experience West African culture, but the market should be avoided at night for security reasons.
Togo is a country with a narrow coastline, squeezed between Benin and Ghana and lying along the Lagos-Abidjan highway. This means that a stay in Togo easily can include trips to Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Benin and/or Nigeria. If you want to compare Lomé's nightlife with competitors, a weekend in Ghana's capital Accra, with its many sights, is a very good option. Accra is located 200 kilometres west of Lomé, while Cotonou in Benin is located 150 kilometres east of Lomé.
This of course also means that you have a wider choice looking for flights to the area, as you can choose between the Lomé, Cotonou (mostly from Paris) or even Accra (easier from UK and US) flight connections. Accra typically has the cheapest transcontinental flights to the region.
Going to Togo, unfortunately you need to be aware of the political situation and you should do some research. The country is heavily politically polarised, and whenever there is an election, there is a great risk of violence. So do avoid travelling to Lomé during an election campaign or shortly after polls, and if you see demonstrators in the street, leave the scene as quickly as possible!
This said, Togo has successfully entered a democratisation and political reconciliation process, and trend is going towards ever calmer elections and political normality. The worst definitively seems to over.
Tourism still is very limited due to the country's recent political turbulence. Indeed, Lomé is among the least visited coastal cities of West Africa, giving it an even more authentic feeling, leaving the Togolese to especially welcome foreign travellers and keeping tourism related crime at a very low level.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)