Algeria will become the second African country after Egypt to begin local production of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines. A new “fill-and-finish” facility in the eastern city of Constantine will begin producing Sinovac jabs on Wednesday. The government says initial output will range between 1-3 million doses per month through the end of the year and ramp up to five million a month beginning in January.(REUTERS)
The PLA Navy’s 39th Fleet is now on its way to the Gulf of Aden to conduct escort missions as part of the ongoing multinational anti-piracy campaign off the coast of Somalia. The three-vessel armada, led by the guided-missile destroyer Urumqi, departed from the port of Qingdao on Sunday. Chinese naval forces have been escorting cargo vessels in the Gulf of Aden since 2008. (XINHUA)
China will unveil two new drones including an update of the popular Caihong series unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs) at the country’s largest aviation show that opens on Tuesday in the southern city of Zhuhai. China is now the world’s largest civilian and military drone manufacturer thanks in part to surging demand from buyers in countries like the UAE and Nigeria. Both countries have purchased small fleets of the Caihong CH-4 drones that are now in service. (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST)
Military analysts believe the Nigerian Army has taken delivery of 100 armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles from the Chinese weapons manufacturer Norinco. Although there’s been no confirmation of the delivery, photos from the Norinco factory started circulating of vehicles emblazoned with the letters “NA” and it’s believed the troop carriers were delivered earlier this month. Most likely, this purchase was part of a $152 million Nigerian Army procurement deal with Norinco signed in 2019. (DEFENCE WEB)
The China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo wrapped up in Hunan province on Wednesday with just under $23 billion of deals signed during the four-day event. Organizers also said a further $39 million of transactions were completed on the forum’s e-commerce platform. It’s worth noting, though, that Chinese officials often stockpile deals done earlier in the year to announce at expos like this in order to give a boost to the final deal tally. (XINHUA)
Chinese credit card giant UnionPay is expanding its presence in Africa with a new partnership with Morocco-based payments processor S2M. The deal will make it easier for UnionPay’s 1.6 billion cards to be used across Africa and represents the latest effort by the Shanghai-based financial services company to cater to its overseas Chinese customer base in Africa and the Middle East. (PYMNTS)
The long-held dream of transporting cargo by rail from Uganda to the Port of Mombasa in Kenya will soon be a reality thanks to a new connection to the Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway. Chinese contractors last week linked Uganda’s meter-gauge railway with Kenya’s SGR at the Inland Container Depot in Naivasha. The new $1.5 million extension is now undergoing tests and will be fully operational in November. (THE STAR)
Zimbabwe’s new Chinese-financed parliament building at Mount Hampden outside of Harare is almost done. Officials from the Shanghai Construction group report that work on the $100 million project is 80% complete and the building will be ready for use within the next six months. This is the largest project financed by China Aid in southern Africa. (BULAWAYO24)
There’s growing concern in Kenya’s parliament about public opposition to tolls that will be charged on the new Chinese-built Nairobi Expressway. The 27km road is a public-private partnership with the China Road and Bridge Corporation and will charge toll fees along the route to recoup the $533 million cost of construction. But analysts from the Parliamentary Budget Office warned on Monday that the “project has also not won the full support of the public since the project is shrouded with lack of proper and comprehensive information disclosure and other ambiguities” (BUSINESS DAILY)
The Chinese-owned Yongxing Steel Company in Nigeria’s southern Edo state is under mounting pressure to allow its workers to unionize in response to longstanding reports of labor violations at the company. Representatives from the Steel and Engineering Workers Union of Nigeria protested outside of the company this week, claiming Yongxing had gone back on its promise to allow its workers to organize. Yongxin officials deny any abuse allegations. Instead, the company claims it’s provided 700 well-paying full-time positions and 10,000 indirect jobs. (VANGUARD)
Ugandan Foreign Minister Jeje Odongo announced that the country’s national carrier, Uganda Airlines, plans to start direct flights between Entebbe and the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. Odongo said the airline will begin flying the new route once it receives regulatory approval. The airline will use its new Airbus A330neo long-haul plane that it purchased last year but hasn’t flown much due to COVID-related travel restrictions. (CHIMP REPORTS)
Officials in South Africa’s Limpopo province are openly worried now about the fate of a planned Chinese-financed coal power station following President Xi Jinping’s announcement last week Beijing would halt all overseas coal projects. The power plant was a key pillar in the proposed Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone that was planned to become a hub for energy-hungry heavy industrial production. But without a backup plan to finance the coal plant, park planners now say they’re going to reconsider the entire project. (NEWS24)
