[This Day] Abuja -The Senate yesterday expressed deep concern over low release of the 2018 Appropriation to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), saying some of the agencies received as little as 10 per cent of the approved allocation during the period under review.

[Guardian] The Senate has said that poor implementation of the 2018 budget negatively affected the economy.The upper legislative chamber pointed out that the economic revival strategies of the Federal Government in wealth creation, poverty reduction and reduction of unemployment rate were the major victims of budget failures.

[Namibia Economist] The Dare to Care Disaster fund received a truckload of barley this week from the commodity's producer, Namibia Breweries Ltd. The barley was grown on the Breweries' Rietfontein farm in the Grootfontein district where approximately 400 hectares are cultivated for barley, producing roughly 1400 tonnes of barley per year.

[The Aspen Institute] With the hashtag, #Turkanadrought, Kenyan citizens are posting their thoughts about the ongoing drought in Turkana. Importantly, they are demanding accountability by elected political leaders and calling on the Kenyan government to take concrete action to end the cycle of repetitive droughts. By clearly calling out Kenyan elected officials and letting them know they have failed the very citizens that elected them, these citizens are doing the right thing. This is impressive and worth highlighting.

[Brookings] Ethiopia's prime minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed - the youngest African leader at 42 years old - has initiated a series of unprecedented economic and political reforms in his first 12 months in office. The core challenge that he faces is moving the economy from state-led to market-based growth while overseeing far-reaching political reforms. Success is far from guaranteed but his accomplishments so far have created an enormous sense of opportunity within the country.

[Guardian] By The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday plunged further by 0.7 per cent, extending bearish run to a third consecutive session amid sustained sell-off.

[Independent (Kampala)] Mombasa -President Yoweri Museveni will be the first visiting head of state to take the Makadara Express train on the new Standard Gauge Railway from Mombasa to Nairobi in Kenya.

[East African] East Africa's stockmarkets are no longer favourites of investors seeking to raise capital for growth and expansion.

[East African] Stanbic Holdings Ltd and DFCU Ltd have posted significant trading turnover at the Uganda Securities Exchange in the first quarter of 2019 despite the January-March low season.

[Monitor] Moyo -Farmers under Robijame Farmers' Group in Palorinya East Village, Itula Sub-county in Moyo District, are set to benefit from Shs1.8b irrigation scheme project developed by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) with support from the government of Japan.

[Monitor] Kampala -The newly appointed chief executive officer of KPMG East Africa hopes to build on his predecessor's reign at the helm of the audit company.

[Monitor] Mombasa -Ugandan and Kenyan traders will be the biggest beneficiaries after their two countries yesterday signed a raft of agreements meant to ease trade, cement political ties and improve their social/cultural connections.

[New Zimbabwe] Zimbabwe's continued currency unpredictability is affecting proper and internationally expected financial reporting standards, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe (ICAZ) chief executive, Gloria Zvaravanhu has said.

[The Exchange] The Kenyan government has set aside a Kshs 3 billion cherry fund kitty to allow coffee farmers to access the funds at an interest of 3 per cent per annum.

[News24Wire] Scary WhatsApp "warnings" and other viral content shared on that platform have contributed to the fear and paranoia of many a user.

[Nation] Mr Abdulrashid Mohammed still cannot believe his luck.

[News24Wire] Eskom's pollution has been linked to premature deaths in Mpumalanga and Gauteng, an environmental organisation has charged.

[RFI] Seven years in the making, the Continental Free Trade Area is almost established. A minimum of 22 states is needed to bring the trade bloc into force; only 21 African states have so far ratified the agreement. Nigeria, the continent's largest economy, is still considering whether to join the club.

[Guardian] To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by the target date of 2030, African countries need to grow their economies faster if they are doing presently, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) says in its yearly report.

[Cameroon Tribune] Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana's inspection visit yesterday focused on rice and fish and he gave five days to vendors to comply with homologated prices and other regulations.