India to build Cameroon power units in $250 mln deal

YAOUNDE, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Indian engineering firm Angelique International will build two hydro power plants in Cameroon as part of a 125 billion CFA francs ($251.5 million) aid deal, the central African country said late on Tuesday.

State-owned Export-Import Bank of India will loan the money to Cameroon, the second such deal signed between the Gulf of Guinea nation and Angelique in the past two months.

As well as power plants, the money will finance drinking water and sanitation projects.

Most of Cameroon's electricity is generated by hydroelectric power stations, but droughts can leave the country facing electricity shortages.

Cameroon's Water and Energy Minister Jean Bernard Sindeu said the deal signed on Tuesday was "a welcome relief for the millions of people living in rural Cameroon who are in dire need of electricity, drinking water and sanitation facilities."

Angelique was due to start work on the projects in July, Sindeu said.

Details of the loan repayment schedule and interest rate have yet to be finalised.

China and Rwanda celebrate years of economic and trade cooperation

BY JOSEPH MUDINGU

Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Rosemary Museminali, on Tuesday, appreciated China’s support to Rwanda in the areas of health, agriculture, education, capacity building and infrastructure development. Museminali, was speaking during a one day seminar, on China’s Development and China–Rwanda Cooperation, hosted by the Chinese embassy in Rwanda. “The Rwandan Government appreciates the support of the Government of China for the expansion of Kibungo Hospital, the construction and rehabilitation of the National Stadium, and the construction of useful roads in Kigali city,” said the minister. In a wide ranging speech that touched on China’s investment efforts in Rwanda, the minister also encouraged China’s stance on the global arena where she has stood in solidarity with poor African countries, solidarity which has also included support for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).