July 2011

'Low Insurance Awareness Impeding Housing Sector Growth'

July 27, 2011 - 12:29

The low level of insurance penetration and awareness in the country is having a negative effect on the growth of the housing sector, which is currently facing huge financial challenges.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107270742.html

Estate Surveying Body Seeks Collaboration Among Stakeholders

July 27, 2011 - 12:05

The Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Lagos State Branch, has called for better collaboration among stakeholders in the building environment to solve the country's housing problem.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107270668.html

International Buyers Cautious to Re-Enter Housing Market

July 27, 2011 - 11:46

A NEW global survey suggests that home buyers around the world are poised to re-enter the housing market, but property market instability and worries about their personal finances are holding them back.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107270581.html

FG Will Complete Multi-Billion Rail Projects, Says Transport Minister

July 27, 2011 - 11:36

Special Adviser to the President on Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation, Prof. Sylvester Monye ; Minister of State for Finance Dr. Yerima Lawal; Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Dr. Nwanze Okidegbe, and Chairman, Heirs Holdings; Mr. Tony Elumelu, during the swear-in of Professors Monye and Okidegbe as Presidential Advisers in Abuja on Monday.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107270573.html

FG Set to Build More Power Plants in Three States

July 27, 2011 - 10:36

As part of efforts to improve the nation's electricity situation, the Minister of Power, Barth Nnaji on Tuesday announced the Federal Government's plans to build more power plants in additional three states.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107270349.html

Door Opens for Western Companies in Lamu Project

July 27, 2011 - 09:41

Firms from Western countries have won a key opening in their bid to be considered for the construction of seven projects related to the second transport corridor linking the Indian Ocean town of Lamu to Ethiopia and South Sudan.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107270218.html

Transport Minister Inaugurates Fez-Oujda Motorway Worth Over U.S.$1 Billion

July 27, 2011 - 08:46

Upon the instructions of HM King Mohammed VI, Equipment and Transport Minister Karim Ghellab inaugurated, on Monday, the 320 km Fez-Oujda motorway for an amount of 10.8 billion dirhams (1.3 billion dollars).

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107270064.html

Anthropology Museum Warehouse Ready By This Year

July 27, 2011 - 07:33

The director of the National Anthropology Museum, Américo Kunonoca, Tuesday, in Luanda, announced the construction of a central warehouse to host 4,000 pieces belonging to the institution, that have been kept in the Natural History Museum.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107270030.html

The Libyan Moral Stand - Dr Moussa Ibrahim

July 26, 2011 - 23:52

Mandatory Energy Efficient Education For Government

July 26, 2011 - 19:03

Cape Town - A suggestion has been made for government officials to go through a "mandatory energy efficient education."

In the same vein, Parliament in Cape Town and Pretoria's Union Buildings have been called upon to take the lead in energy saving.

Government has also been urged to stop the "urban sprawl" and have a coordinated approach on achieving energy efficiency.

This came out earlier on Tuesday during presentations to Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Energy by various built industry players, such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Council for the Built Industry (CBE).

The meeting came at a time when the country and the global community is preparing for the much anticipated COP17 Climate Change talks later this year in Durban.

Dr Llewellyn van Wyk of CSIR argued that there were 10 things the government had to do in order to win the fight on energy-saving.

These, he said, included moving away from "urban sprawl" to integrated urban development and investing in alternative energy as well as innovative and bio-composite materials.

Micro-Dam Under Construction in Habero-Tsaada Administrative Area

July 26, 2011 - 17:55

A micro-dam is under construction in Habero-Tsaada administrative area with a capacity of holding 150,000 cubic meters of water, stated Mr. Tesfai Kidane, manager of the project.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107261856.html

Mosque and Islamic School Foundation Stone Laid

July 26, 2011 - 16:56

The community of Lamin Village in Kombo North, West Coast Region on Sunday, 24th of July 2011 laid the foundation stone for the construction of a new mosque and an Islamic school in the village.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107261774.html

Plans in place to remove Gauteng medical waste

July 26, 2011 - 16:51

Pretoria - The Gauteng Department of Health has given the public an assurance that it will remove medical waste from provincial hospitals.

Department spokesperson, Simon Zwane, acknowledged that there has been a delay in collections as a direct result of challenges with treatment capacity in the country as a whole.

He said that instead of daily collections at academic hospitals, collections were done two to three times per week.

"The backlog was caused by lack of sufficient approved treatment facilities such as incinerators and alternative technologies throughout the country. Health care waste can only be treated at approved treatment plants with permits from the Department of Environmental Affairs," Zwane explained.

He said Gauteng Health Care Waste Regulations allows them to store general health care risk waste for 90 days under controlled circumstances which they have in their facilities.

"These 90 days include sharps as well as anatomical waste which is stored in freezers which we have in all our facilities generating pathological waste such as placentas, unfrozen pathological waste can be stored for 72 hours before collection."

North West Province Kicks Off Multi-Million Housing Initiative

July 26, 2011 - 16:49

Pretoria - Things are set to change for the homeless in the North West, as provincial government has set aside R23 million to help get them into decent homes.

The housing development project is targeted at informal settlement dwellers in Reagile township and Redirile/Derby, outside Koster, and is to officially get off the ground in the next two weeks.

The ultimate goal is to get rid of informal settlements in Kgetleng Rivier Local Municipality. Provincial MEC for Human Settlements, Public Safety & Liaison, Desbo Mohono, made the announcement during her meeting with the local mayor Kim Medupi on Monday.

The project management team says geotechnical investigations for construction of 268 housing units at a cost of R15 million in Reagile Extension 6 and 7 have been concluded.

Mohono appealed to the municipality to help speed up the identification of beneficiaries and stands for subsidy applications, as well as the approval of house designs so the project can start immediately after it is registration by the National Home Builders Registration Council.

Zambian State Trashes GBM's Roads Funding Claim

July 26, 2011 - 16:18

THE Government has said Patriotic Front Kasama Central Member of Parliament Geoffrey Mwamba has never funded any road projects in his constituency.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107261613.html

Kitwe Doctors, Nurses' Flats Completed

July 26, 2011 - 16:18

CONSTRUCTION of doctors and nurses flats at Kitwe Central Hospital (KCH) have been completed and will be handed over to the Government by the contractor next month.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107261608.html

Nation Loses Sh1.4 Billion On Collapsed Buildings

July 26, 2011 - 16:15

Kenya has lost more than Sh1.4 billion as a result of collapsed buildings in the last 15 years, Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors (BORAQS) says.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107261597.html

Gwagwalada Council Boss Vows to Complete Projects

July 26, 2011 - 16:04

THE Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council, Alhaji Zakari Angulu Dobi, has pledged his willingness to fund and complete on-going projects in the council.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107261553.html

Obi Mulls Execution of FG's Projects in Anambra

July 26, 2011 - 16:04

Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has expressed the readiness of his administration to execute Federal Government development projects in the state provided the state will be refunded after the completion of the projects.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107261540.html

Seven Injured in Collapsed Building

July 26, 2011 - 16:00

SEVEN people were on Monday evening injured when a commercial building in Bukoto, a city suburb, collapsed.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107261519.html

Zimbabwe Veldfire Wreaks Havoc

July 26, 2011 - 15:54

AT least 18 families were left homeless when a raging veldfire swept across Matau communal lands in Hurungwe on Saturday destroying homesteads and property worth thousands of dollars.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107261484.html

Nigeria: Lagos Mega City, Mega Challenges

July 26, 2011 - 15:21

The dream of the incumbent Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) led-government of Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) in transforming Lagos state into a mega-city status has received major boosts from the international community as well as the private and public sector of the economy.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107261334.html

Building Collapse - Why it Will Persist

July 26, 2011 - 15:21

Like a sore thumb, the issue of building collapse has continued to rear its ugly head in the national psyche.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107261325.html

Government Must Enforce Ten Percent Rent Tax- Estate Entrepreneur

July 26, 2011 - 15:17

An estate entrepreneur has stated that the currency for payment of house rent between landlords and tenants should not be an issue for government. He suggested that government must instead focus on the 10% withholding rent tax, which must be paid by landlords to the National Revenue Authority (NRA) so as to help raise more funds.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107261277.html

NDDC Awards N250 Billion Projects

July 26, 2011 - 15:17

Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has awarded about 70 mega projects worth over N250 billion in the past two years despite its internal wrangling.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107261262.html

Group Tasks NDDC on Abandoned Projects

July 26, 2011 - 15:16

Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has been urged to rid the region of abandoned projects which have become a source of worry to many residents of the affected states.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107261240.html

Worries Over Pollution Rise With Demand for Cement

July 26, 2011 - 15:04

With the ongoing and planned investments in housing and infrastructure, East Africa is witnessing a construction boom that gives a very optimistic outlook for the sector, and by extension, that of related industries - mainly, the steel products and cement manufacturing firms.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107261197.html

Backyarders Call for Housing MEC's Resignation

July 26, 2011 - 14:32

THE Mandela Park Backyarders say they have "proof of corruption" in a Khayelitsha housing project and have called for the "immediate" resignation of Western Cape Human Settlements MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107261139.html

NIC Tenants Get Eviction Notice

July 26, 2011 - 14:06

TENANT occupying National Insurance Corporation (NIC) estates in Kansanga in Kampala city have been thrown into confusion after receiving letters purportedly from NIC, asking them to leave the premises.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107261066.html

Outapi to Upgrade Informal Settlements

July 26, 2011 - 12:09

Outapi Town Council has put aside millions of dollars to rehabilitate the town's sewerage system and service locations that are currently not serviced.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107260734.html