GHANA
Power boost for World Cup
The country will boost power production by 50 megawatts during its World Cup matches to make sure that scheduled blackouts do not interfere with Black Stars’ games. Neighbour Ivory Coast had agreed to supply electricity during the games, which did not overlap with its own matches, said the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission. Volta Aluminum had been asked to cut power use during Black Stars’ games, it said. Ghana plays its first match on Monday in Natal, Brazil, against the US. The tournament starts today with Brazil facing Croatia. “These plans are in place for consumers to watch uninterrupted matches during the World Cup. Within these arrangements the load shedding schedule still exists.” Ghana would probably have to ration power through the first quarter of next year because it lacked the spare capacity to replace plants shut down for repair, the Volta River Authority said last month. The agency provides 80 percent of the nation’s power. Ghana has been rationing power this month because of a shortage of natural gas to fire plants and below average levels of water at hydro-electric plants. – Bloomberg
ZIMBABWE
Accident claims seven lives
Seven gold miners were killed when a hoist cage that was transporting them fell into a pool of water, the workers’ union said yesterday. Eleven others were injured in the incident at Golden Valley mine in Kadoma, said Tinago Ruzive, the president of Associated Mine Workers Union of Zimbabwe. “Their hoist cage plunged about 80m into a pool of water. This is tragic but we are yet to establish whether this is a human error or a problem with the equipment. Operations at the mine have been suspended.” Last year, 35 people died in mining accidents in the southern African nation, according to the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe. – Bloomberg
EGYPT
Black market pound gap rises
The gap between the Egyptian pound’s official and unofficial exchange rates widened yesterday, with the pound slipping against the dollar in the black market and remaining stable at a central bank dollar sale. The dollar changed hands in the black market, weaker than a day earlier when the dollar was offered for around £7.25 (about R131) in the morning and £7.32 in the evening. The pound rallied in the black market after the election victory last month of former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who was sworn in as president on Sunday. Traders predicted a temporary appreciation in the parallel market following the election, citing hopes of new investment and aid from Gulf Arab countries which have given billions to help stave off an economic collapse. – Reuters