A round-up of recent news from the UK, Africa and around the world

The University of Maastricht Graduate School of Governance (MGSoG) in the Netherlands is working with Oxfam Novib, the international poverty action initiative, on discovering the financial services that African migrants living in the European Union need access to. They are currently conducting a study that seeks to engage ten different African migrant communities across the EU. They have created a short, anonymous survey to help collect information. The survey takes about ten minutes to fill out. It asks questions about respondents' demographic backgrounds, money transfer habits, and the financial services that respondents need access to. The survey can be completed online (via the link below) or with a member of their research team if you would prefer to talk to someone in person. The survey is available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Swedish. The survey is completely anonymous, and information will be treated with the utmost confidentiality. Survey Link: http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2osn6cmg4n00f0s/start

Nominations are sought for the Wilton Park 'Atlantic Youth Forum' to be held this year between Monday 2 - Friday 6 August 2010 at Wiston House, Sussex, England. This will be the eighth Atlantic Youth Forum following its successful establishment in 2003. The aim is to provide an opportunity for bright, independent young thinkers from the US, Canada and Europe to gain insights into each other's concerns and perceptions and to make some lasting contacts. Further information about the Forum and Wilton Park can be found by clicking here: www.wiltonpark.org.uk/documents/conferences/WP1043
/pdfs/WP1043prog.pdf?634018320344752471 and the nomination form can be downloaded from: https://www.netescape-secure.co.uk/wp/repositories/files/94f1250d-0718
-40a9-90b8-76cd942dbc74/900%20AYF%20Nomination%20form%2010.doc

The deadline for nominations for the Forum is Friday 4 June 2010.

Would your company profit from overseas sales? Is there a demand for your product or service in West Africa? Have you thought about taking your business to Ghana? If your London-based business is ready to enter this developing market, take advantage of the many benefits presented by this joint UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) London and South London Export Club market visit to Ghana. You will visit the capital city, Accra, to meet local companies and members of the business community, such as the members of the Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, you will be able to participate in a tailored networking reception at the British Embassy in Accra as well as have free time to meet your own business contacts. There is also the option of visits to Tema and Kumasi. Cost is £550 (includes £500 subsidy) + flights (you will be responsible for booking and payment of flights). To register for this market visit contact: Paolo di Brina, Trade and Development Assistant, Tel: +44 (0) 20 7940 1557

Email: paolo.b@gle.co.uk

The Equality & Human Rights Commission is launching a set of proposals for fundamental changes to employment policies to open up more work opportunities for older Britons and address the challenges of an ageing workforce. The proposals include abolishing the default retirement age, the extension of the right to request flexible working to all, overhauling employer recruitment practices to prevent discrimination and improved training and development. The economy would be the big winner from the Commission's policy. Research from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research shows that extending working lives by 18 months would inject £15 billion into the British economy. The initiative coincides with the release of a new survey carried out for the Commission into older workers' aspirations, barriers they face and potential solutions to these. The results show that the majority of this group believes major changes are needed to attitudes and policies if they are to reach their goals. 24% of men and 64% of women say they plan to keep working beyond the state pension age. Most older Britons do not want to slow down, many want job promotions and others wish to work well beyond the state pension age.

In spite of the economy spending much of the year in recession, over half of UK organisations ensure their staff received a pay rise in 2009, it has been revealed.

According to ORC International, 58 per cent of firms continued to offer pay rises last year. Meanwhile, of the HR professionals surveyed, 53 per cent had offered staff salary increases equivalent to the same rise in 2008, while five per cent offered more than during the previous year. It was also revealed public sector companies were more likely to award pay rises last year than those in the private sector. Indeed, 75 per cent of public organisations offered pay increases, compared to 43 per cent of private groups. Meanwhile, 39 per cent of the companies polled made the decision to freeze pay last year, while four per cent admitted they had asked workers to accept a pay cut.

UK recruitment agencies have reported further growth in staff appointments during January, it has been reported. According to a study by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG, further improvements have been witnessed in the country's job market at the start of 2010 as the economy emerges from recession. Key findings from the study include the news that permanent staff placements increased for the sixth month running during January, while temporary or contract staff appointments also demonstrated strong growth. Meanwhile, improvements were also seen in the demand for staff, as available vacancies grew at the fastest rate since July 2007.

Grants totalling £10,000 are up for grabs for community groups and charities in the south of Birmingham thanks to the South Moseley Round Table. Their TEN for 2010 initiative is the largest amount of funding ever made available by the Round Table following a successful annual fireworks event. The money is intended to help local charities and organisations survive the recession. The closing date for applications is 2 April 2010 with the winning bids set to be revealed on 17 April.

Sodexo, Inc., world leader in Quality of Daily Life solutions, was ranked first on the 2010 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® list, cementing its position as a benchmark employer in leveraging diversity and inclusion expertise as a competitive advantage in business. This marks the fifth consecutive year that Sodexo has been recognized on DiversityInc's Top 50 list. According to DiversityInc, Sodexo leads all companies in its ability to implement, measure and assess strong internal diversity initiatives. Sodexo also ranked first in the employment of executive women, and first for recruitment and retention of minority employees. The company ranked second in the employment of Latinos; third for employment of blacks; and tenth for employment of people with disabilities. In addition, the company ranked fifth for its global diversity efforts, which include an initiative - Sodexo Women's International Forum for talent (SWIFt) - to increase the number of women in leadership and operational positions throughout the world.

Human Resources professionals are encouraged to get the recognition they deserve and enter the CIPD People Management Awards. These respected Awards celebrate outstanding achievements in HR and recognise best practice, creativity and innovation. The Awards are in six categories: Employee engagement, Excellence through technology , HR impact on business success , Organisational learning , Performance and reward and Talent attraction and management. The closing date for entries is Friday 4 June 2010. Rules of entry, hints and tips on entering and full details of the judging process and panel are on the CIPD website: www.cipd.co.uk/pmawards

The dramatic graduate job cuts feared last summer have failed to materialise according to the bi-annual survey by the Association of Graduate Recruiters. Vacancies in 2009 actually fell by 8.9% rather than the 24.9% predicted. These figures compare favourably with employment statistics overall and suggest graduate recruitment is emerging from the recession relatively unscathed. The average graduate salary, however, is predicted to remain at £25,000 for the second consecutive year – an unprecedented development in the 20-year history of the AGR survey. This freeze represents a double hit for graduates of 2009 and 2010 who are the first to pay top-up tuition fees for all three years of their degree. Amid unprecedented levels of youth unemployment the recruiters surveyed had clear advice for the so-called 'Generation Crunch' and urged graduates to improve their employability by taking temporary paid employment, skills training or unpaid work if a job offer is not forthcoming. Further educational development was not considered as good an option by employers: a clear indication that only those with serious academic aspirations should consider post-graduate study and that it should not be treated as a fall-back position when the job search gets tough. The AGR is the leading voice of graduate recruitment in the UK and its bi-annual survey is the longest running, most extensive and most detailed barometer of graduate recruitment levels and practices. The sectors which have traditionally been the biggest recruiters of graduates are all feeling optimistic about 2010. Banking and financial services is predicted to see a 24.5% increase and investment banks and fund managers are set for a 16.2% rise. However, the largest growth this year is expected in oil companies (49.7%) and consulting (47.2%). Accountancy continues to provide the biggest share of graduate jobs as in previous years with 18.2% of the total graduate vacancies in 2009.

Roslyn M. Brock's election as chairman of the NAACP is being hailed by the civil rights organization as a "generational shift" in leadership. Her ascension to the chair makes her the fourth woman to hold the position in the 101 year history of the civil rights organization. Brock, elected by the NAACP's 64-member board, succeeds Julian Bond, who did not seek re-election to the seat he had held since 1998. Brock, 44, was elected as the first woman vice chairman of the NAACP in February 2001. She is a beneficiary of the movement forged by Bond and countless other civil rights leaders who sought, fought and died for the equal rights and opportunities for African-Americans. She holds multiple degrees, and is a vice president for Bon Secours Health System Inc.

A new guide to the African Union launched by the Africa Governance and Monitoring Project (AfriMAP) of the Open Society Institute and Oxfam International aims to ensure that Africa's citizens can contribute more fully to the work of the inter-governmental organisation.

The WTO Secretariat has launched a new programme of support for teaching, research and outreach activities at 14 universities in the developing world. The WTO Chairs Programme (WCP) will assist national academic institutions in providing students with a deeper understanding of trade policy issues. Through analytical input into the formulation and implementation of trade policy, the WCP will help strengthen the participation of the beneficiary countries in international trade.

Gateway Communications Nigeria, headquartered in Lagos, has announced a contract with Cambridge Broadband Networks to create Nigeria's largest point to multipoint broadband wireless network. Gateway will use Cambridge Broadband's industry leading VectaStar II platform to provision 130 hubs and 5000 terminal stations that will deliver last mile broadband connections across Nigeria. Gateway Communications are building a pan-African, MPLS network that covers every major African city and has acquired 10.5GHz spectrum licences for point to multipoint in Nigeria to further the project. The company will roll out wireless broadband services across 10 Nigerian states in 2010, with Port Harcourt and Abuja scheduled to go live in March. It is anticipated that a further 26 states will go live through 2011. The deal follows Gateway's successful roll out of its award winning AirlinkTM and MetroLinkTM wireless broadband services, using 10.5GHz solutions in Lagos. AirLinkTM and MetroLinkTM are new high speed broadband wireless access (BWA) solutions that Gateway believe will revolutionize how Nigerian businesses use their online applications, their ability communicate at higher speeds with connected Nigerian businesses and their access to the Internet. Both are currently available in Lagos and will, over the next few months, be delivered to all major metropolitan areas across Nigeria. Gateway's BWA products take the limits off traditional fixed line networks, and allow all sizes and sectors of business to access high speed data services wirelessly, and with total security. Designed for fast installation and low cost of maintenance, Gateway's AirLinkTM and MetroLinkTM products and scalable and efficient, and flexible enough to service their international banking customers as well as Nigeria's growing number of dynamic small enterprises into the rest of the world.

Zimbabwe's stock market capitalization will increase by 31% this year as the political environment stabilizes and corporate earnings improve, Bloomberg has reported quoting Renaissance Capital. Shares listed on the exchange may be worth $5.5 billion at the end of the year, up from $4.2 billion at the end of 2009, the Moscow-based brokerage wrote in a recent research report. The shares rose fourfold last year from RenCap's estimate for market value, just before the central bank shut down the bourse for three months after alleging some traders were involved in fraud. Zimbabwe replaced the local currency with the U.S. dollar and South Africa's rand to bring inflation down to an average 7 percent last year. The economy expanded 4.7 for the year and may accelerate to 7 percent growth this year.

World-acclaimed Chilean-American author, human rights activist and distinguished professor of Literature and Latin-American Studies, Ariel Dorfman, will present the Eighth Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture at Johannesburg's Linder Auditorium on July 31, 2010. Dorfman served as the cultural advisor to Salvador Allende, Chile's president from 1970 to 1973. The democratically elected Allende died during the 1973 coup, staged by Augusto Pinochet. This coup also resulted in the death and disappearance of thousands of Chileans and forced Dorfman into exile. The author of many novels, plays, poems, essays and films will speak on the theme "Memory and Justice" at the 2010 Annual Lecture. Previous Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture speakers are: Nobel Peace Laureates Professor Muhammad Yunus, Professor Wangari Maathai, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Kofi Anan, former presidents Bill Clinton and Thabo Mbeki, and President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

The Honourable Minister Alhaji Collins Dauda, Minister for Land and Natural Resources – Ghana, and Mark Cutifani, CEO of AngloGold Ashanti, jointly launched a new initiative at the INDABA Mining Convention in Cape Town, South Africa. Mining: Partnerships for Development is a global initiative to enhance mining's contribution to development and poverty reduction through multi-stakeholder partnerships. ICMM's 19 member companies have made a formal policy commitment to actively seek such partnerships across six priority themes - poverty reduction; revenue management; regional development planning; local content; social investment; and dispute resolution. ICMM research has identified 41 economies which currently or in recent decades have relied significantly on mining. Many of these are developing countries with high poverty levels, and many are in Africa. However, while some still suffer from the so-called "resource curse", others - such as Ghana - have been able to prove that this curse is not inevitable.The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) was established in 2001 to act as a catalyst for performance improvement in the mining and metals industry. Today, the organization brings together 19 mining and metals companies as well as 30 national and regional mining associations and global commodity associations to address the core sustainable development challenges faced by the industry.

At a ceremony held in Abidjan, the World Cocoa Foundation announced the launch of the Cocoa Livelihoods Program (CLP) in Côte d'Ivoire. The program, first announced in February 2009, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 14 chocolate industry companies, is expected to significantly improve the livelihoods of 75,000 cocoa farmers in Côte d'Ivoire by 2014. The work in Côte d'Ivoire is part of a larger five-country program targeting 200,000 cocoa-growing households across Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and Liberia. Activities in Côte d'Ivoire will focus on professionalizing farmer organizations, improving production and quality at the farm level, equipping farmers with business skills, promoting diversification of income, and improving access to inputs and support services. The program will be active in seven departments of Côte d'Ivoire: Dalo, Divo, Issia, Abengourou, San Pedro, Soubre and Duekoue. The Cocoa Livelihoods Program announced the award of a 2010 World Cocoa Foundation Challenge Grant to Centre National de Recherche Agronomique (CNRA - the national agricultural research institute in Côte d'Ivoire) to develop an innovative approach for educating farmers on regeneration of their farms. Through this approach, farmers will learn to assess the productivity of each cocoa tree, rehabilitate less productive trees, and replant when necessary.

The World Bank's private sector lending arm is investing more than $2 billion in sub-Saharan Africa in the 2009/10 fiscal year as investment opportunities improve, said the IFC's CEO Lars Thunell. "In the June 2009/10 year, we will grow over $2 billion. We are hoping that we will also mobilise more funds, in total we will do about $2.5 billion." The IFC provides loans, equity and advisory services in emerging markets and also looks to draw in investment from institutional investors and sovereign wealth funds. Thunell said a $2 billion transaction with the Japanese government was investing in financial restructuring of banks in four African countries, and the IFC was also looking to close a transaction with sovereign wealth funds to invest in Africa and Latin America. He declined to give details on the size of this transaction. The World Bank forecasts growth this year of 2.5 percent for Africa and 4.1 percent for sub-Saharan Africa. Thunell highlighted Angola and Rwanda as post-conflict countries that could see 7 percent growth this year.

The MasterCard Foundation and the Equity Group Foundation (EGF) have launched a program that will provide $4.6 million in comprehensive educational support to 676 secondary students in Kenya over the next five years. The program will provide comprehensive scholarships to 332 academically gifted yet financially disadvantaged students, enabling them to complete secondary school in Kenya. The program will also provide leadership development, career guidance and mentoring to an additional 344 secondary school students. EGF will identify an equal number of male and female primary school students to participate in the program. In Kenya, just 64 percent of primary students enter secondary school and even fewer graduate. The low enrollment and completion rates are attributed to the cost of education; lack of access to schools, particularly in rural areas; and the need for poor youth to work to contribute to the household income. A recent World Bank report confirmed that financing mechanisms such as scholarships are key to retaining youth, especially girls, in secondary school. EGF, through Equity Bank, will oversee the distribution of funds using its extensive branch network. The Bank has supported education initiatives in Kenya throughout its 25-year history, including a Pre-University Program that enables top-performing secondary school graduates to enter university. To measure the impact of this program, both foundations will track students' progress over the next five years.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a 240 million euro loan deal with three Nigerian banks in what it said was a vote of confidence in banking reforms in sub-Saharan Africa's second biggest economy. The EIB, which is owned by EU governments, said the funding for First Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank and Stanbic IBTC would be used to contribute to infrastructure development in Africa's most populous nation. Nigeria's central bank has made reforming the banking system its top priority following a $4 billion bailout last year of nine institutions found to be so weakly capitalised that they posed a systemic risk. First Bank, Guaranty Trust and Stanbic all passed the central bank audit. The EIB, the European Union's long-term lending institution, last year invested more than 79 billion euros in projects in Europe, Africa and beyond. It had provided more than 220 million euros of funding to Nigeria in recent years.

An overwhelming 93% of South African CEOs expect the local economy to show signs of recovery during 2010, according to a survey by professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. Looking further ahead, they are even more confident. The company's 13th Annual Global CEO Survey includes a South African-specific CEO survey for the first time. The survey found that 90% of South African CEOs were confident about short-term (next 12 months) revenue growth prospects for their companies, with the global average 81 percent. It also found that with the external environment remaining unpredictable, South African CEOs believed better penetration of existing markets held the most promise for business growth in the short term. On a longer, term-three year view, South African CEOs were even more confident when it came to growth prospects, with 97 percent saying they were confident while the global average was 92 percent. Most African CEO respondents indicated they were "very confident" on the long term outlook, pointing to the immense growth potential of the continent's emerging economies. Turning to recruitment, the study found that almost 40 percent of South African CEOs expected to increase their head count this year, with 20 percent planning to decrease their staff complement. Two-thirds of South African CEOs plan to increase their long-term investment in leadership and talent development.

Mining giant Anglo American has announced a new enterprise development venture that will help to generate more jobs, support entrepreneurship and strengthen local economies in South Africa. The company is to establish 12 enterprise development hubs in high unemployment areas in South Africa through the ongoing Anglo Zimele initiative. The venture is expected to create 25,000 new jobs in up to 1,500 new businesses across South Africa over the next seven years. The commitment is a pledge to the Business Call to Action (BCtA) - a global initiative that challenges companies to apply their core business expertise, technology and innovative spirit to tackle poverty, promote growth in developing countries, and contribute to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Anglo American is the first company from the extractive industry to have a project accepted by the BCtA. The company will provide financing for small business start-up funds targeting the most vulnerable segments of South African society, in addition to providing mentoring and access to supply chain opportunities. Anglo American will also seek to further increase its enterprise development activities in Chile and Brazil.

Britain and Ethiopia will head a new United Nations panel that aims to secure $100 billion every year by 2020 to help developing nations cut emissions and adapt to climate change, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said. According to him, the group would work with governments, central bankers and finance experts to find ways to cooperate with public and private companies in raising money pledged at climate talks in Copenhagen in December. Although the summit ended without a legal treaty to curb carbon dioxide emissions, leaders of developed countries agreed to support a goal of jointly finding $100 billion a year to help poorer nations. The money is intended to help them cut emissions, switch to renewable energy and adapt to the impact of global warming, by building new flood defences and other projects. The panel will be jointly led by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his Ethiopian counterpart Meles Zenawi and will include Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo. The U.N. chief said the panel must urgently find innovative sources of finance to fill the gap between the money currently available and the amount pledged by 2020.

ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel company, has announced the launch of Liberia's Corporate Responsibility Forum - a new public private partnership and a key milestone designed to encourage responsible investment, good corporate citizenship and collective action for sustainable development. The CR Forum will unite representatives from the private sector, Liberian government, civil society and international organisations, creating a platform for Liberian businesses to exchange experience, knowledge, research and best practice in corporate responsibility, ensuring the sustainable development of the country's economy and infrastructure. The effects of two civil wars between 1989 and 2003 devastated Liberia's economy, leaving nearly 85 per cent of its citizens unemployed and dependent on outside aid. Through the CR Forum, ArcelorMittal aims to return self-sufficiency back to Liberia's business community and provide a model for other developing markets. The CR Forum will strive to achieve a successful framework, through which the public and private sectors can collaborate to build economic prosperity. By seeking to engage with the communities in which it operates, ArcelorMittal has encouraged the private sector to play a more positive and proactive role in shaping Liberia's sustainability restructure strategy. Its total investment into Liberia is expected to be close to $1.5 billion. As the first major investor in Liberia, ArcelorMittal is also working alongside the Liberian government to uphold the mineral development agreement (MDA), originally signed in 2005. In addition to infrastructure development and skills training, this landmark agreement includes an annual contribution of $3 million by ArcelorMittal towards an innovative County Social Development Fund. ArcelorMittal is the world's leading steel company, with operations in more than 60 countries.

It's on again! The Awards Committee of the prestigious ADLER Entrepreneurship Awards announces the next Awards event in 2010. The ADLER Entrepreneurship Award is an award to acknowledge the accomplishments of Africans in Europe and Africa. It is presented to Africans and people of African descent that show the greatest promise of contribution. www.ayf.de/activities/awards.html

How have mobile phones, the Internet, computers and the audiovisual media changed people's lives on the African continent? To find out, eLearning Africa has launched an online photography contest. The organisers are inviting people from Africa to submit images that show how they live, learn and work with Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The top three entries will win a photo camera, a mini camcorder and an iPod. The ten best photos will be featured in an exhibition at eLearning Africa conference. The largest pan-African conference on ICT for development, education and training, will take place in Lusaka, Zambia, from May 26th – 28th. More information on how to submit a photo can be found at www.elearning-africa.com/photo-competition. Serving as a pan-African platform, eLearning Africa is the key networking event for investors, education experts, as well as providers of education and training on the Continent. Each year, a different country serves as the venue. eLearning Africa is accompanied by an exhibition and demonstration area where leading international eLearning manufacturers, suppliers and service providers present their latest products and services. Detailed information on the event can be found at www.elearning-africa.com.

The Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (Eassy) hit South African shores on 15 February, signalling a significant development in information infrastructure on the continent. It was delivered by the Ile de Batz cable-laying vessel. Eassy's arrival in the country marked the start of the final phase of installation of the 10 000km high-capacity undersea cable. It will run from Mtunzini in northern KwaZulu-Natal to Port Sudan in the Red Sea to boost internet connectivity in 21 African countries. It will connect the 21 countries to each other and to the rest of the world, providing them with high-speed internet and other international communications services. Eassy will have landing stations in Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Comoros and Madagascar – in addition to Mozambique, South Africa and Sudan where it has already been installed. The project started in 2003 and is due to be up and running by August 2010.With the capacity of 1.4 Terabytes (Tb) per second, Eassy will rival Seacom, a 600m cable that connects Africa with Europe and India and offers bandwidth speed of 1.28Tb per second. All service providers will have equal access to the cable and a uniform bandwidth price. Eassy will ensure that Africa no longer has to rely on expensive international satellite systems for internet connectivity and other data services. It will also service at least 10 landlocked countries in Africa.

International Monetary Fund member countries have restored Zimbabwe's voting rights after a seven-year suspension but said it could not have access to IMF funds until it had paid off $1.3 billion in arrears. While the move is more symbolic, it is also a step by the international community to recognize progress so far by Zimbabwe's new unity government to mend the economy and normalize relations with donors. But the IMF said Zimbabwe would not be able to tap IMF funds until it had fully settled its arrears to official creditors including the IMF, World Bank and African Development Bank. The IMF suspended Zimbabwe's voting rights in 2003 over policy differences with the previous government of President Robert Mugabe. Western donors withdraw crucial funding for Zimbabwe and blamed Mugabe's land reform policies and mismanagement for the collapse in the once prosperous economy.

A groundbreaking US initiative to develop and showcase African film talent is set to put the continent's filmmakers on the fast track to success. Africa First, the brainchild of New York-based film producer Kisha Cameron, is a project run in partnership with United States movie distributors, Focus Features, to "find new voices, new talent on the continent – people who have something to say," says Cameron. The Africa First initiative runs a competition each year, choosing five winning scripts from across Africa and then helping the filmmakers develop their scripts into short films. Winners get US$10 000 (R76 700) to help make their films, a weekend in New York to workshop them first with a panel of advisors and the opportunity to get their films showcased at all the major American independent film festivals. The advisors are a group of top African filmmakers who have also worked in North America and the United Kingdom. The Africa First advisors together have a wealth of experience on making film and television productions on the continent. The five winning Africa First filmmakers from 2009 films are now being made and should be ready for screening later this year. The round for this year's submissions will open in May or June.

Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan announced a new, energised commitment to South Africa's young people in his maiden budget speech, with education and job-creation programmes for graduates and school-leavers high on his list of priorities. According to the Minister, the biggest slice of the national budget for 2010/11, R165-billion, would be ploughed into the country's 27 000 schools, 23 universities and various colleges. Education remains the South African government's largest item of spending, giving meaning to its commitment to it as the number-one priority. Some R12-billion from the allocation will go towards the country's Further Education and Training (FET) colleges, and a further R1.3-billion will be used to improve the salaries of educators at these institutions. The South African government is working hard to position FET colleges as viable alternatives to universities to absorb as many matriculants as possible into tertiary education. The aim is to equip students, many of whom are there on bursaries, with practical skills to make them more employable. The Treasury has also put aside a further R2.7-billion for the Department of Basic Education to provide school literacy and numeracy workbooks in all 11 official languages. South Africa is also planning to boost employment through the Expanded Public Works Programme, which has already provided jobs for thousands of people, albeit on a temporary basis. The aim of the programme is to create 4.5-million short-term jobs between 2009 and 2014. The Minister expects the economy to grow by 2.3% in 2010, rising to 3.6% in 2012.

The African Development Bank has estimated it will finance up to 10bn in infrastructure projects in the next three years, with the energy sector central to this, according to the Bank. Most of the funding would be for energy and transport projects. Research by the World Bank- aligned Infrastructure Consortium for Africa last year showed sub-Saharan Africa needed to double its infrastructure spending to 93bn a year to upgrade roads, water and power networks. Poor infrastructure has been a great impediment to economic growth in the world's poorest continent. In November, the Tunis-based lender approved a 2,8bn loan to power utility Eskom to construct the 4800MW Medupi coal-fired power station. Other funding under consideration includes mining projects in Mauritania and Guinea and a port in Morocco. The AfDB saw a surge in demand for credit last year as alternative sources of funding dried up in the global financial crisis. The bank and a development fund it administers lent 11bn last year, up from 5,6bn in 2008. Last May, the bank asked shareholders to consider tripling its subscribed capital base to allow it to maintain direct lending at between 5bn and 6bn for 10 years.

Latest figures from market analysts Nielsen show sales of South African wines have overtaken French for the first time in the UK wine market in volume terms in the year to January 23. South African wine sales grew 20% by volume to 12,270,000 cases, compared to a decline in French wine sales of 12% percent to 12,266,000 cases. South Africa is now the fourth largest selling country for wine in the UK. Although the South African wine industry is over 350 years old, it has been in its recent history that exports have seen significant growth. In 1994, when Nelson Mandela was elected president, the industry exported around 50million litres of wine, globally; by the close of 2009 exports had increased eightfold, reaching almost 400million litres.

The Walmart Foundation today announced a $350,000 donation to the Vital Voices Latin America and Caribbean Women's Business Network. The program seeks to strengthen women's business networks, provide opportunities for women to enhance their skills and economic independence, and promote a culture of female entrepreneurship in the region. Each network will offer mentoring programs and leadership training, host speakers programs through which business experts share knowledge and experience, deliver online business education programs and include an online peer learning and idea exchange community. More than 3,000 women are expected to benefit from the program in its first year. According to the United Nations Population Fund, of the world's one billion poorest people, three fifths are women and girls. Of the 960 million adults in the world who cannot read, two thirds are women.Vital Voices Global Partnership is a leading NGO that identifies, trains, mentors, and empowers emerging women leaders and social entrepreneurs around the globe, enabling them to create a better world.

Cadbury Dairy Milk has announced the investment plans for its first Fairtrade social premium to cocoa farmers in Ghana following its groundbreaking move to be the first mainstream confectioner to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark. The first instalment of £500,000 will go directly into projects determined by the farmers themselves since receiving the funds. The programmes include building wells and mobile health clinics and funding for carbon reduction schemes. Alongside the community investment, the money is also being used to fund farmer training, incentives and provision of tools. The move to Fairtrade supports the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership, which is investing £45 million over a ten year period to secure sustainable cocoa farming in Ghana, India, South East Asia and the Caribbean, where the cocoa farming industry is facing increasing challenges.

Deloitte LLP has been named a recipient of the 2010 Catalyst Award, an honor recognizing innovative, effective and measurable initiatives to advance women in the workplace. Catalyst, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to building inclusive workplaces and expanding opportunities for women and business, cited the achievements of Deloitte's Women's Initiative (WIN), noting it has "created significant change in the company's culture and provided an engine for innovation, becoming a model for other organizations in the process." This is the second Catalyst Award presented in honor of a Deloitte initiative. In 1995, Catalyst recognized Deloitte's Task Force for the Retention and Advancement of Women Unique components of Deloitte's Women's Initiative: Living the Lattice, include Mass Career Customization, a model that enables all Deloitte professionals to dial up and dial down their careers to fit their needs at various life stages; and Women as Buyers, a workshop to help men at Deloitte build stronger relationships with women clients and colleagues by better understanding their work and communication styles. The mission of WIN is to drive marketplace growth and create a culture where the best talent chooses to work. WIN has fueled significant increases for women in leadership: women's representation as partners, principals and directors has risen from 6 percent in 1995 to 22 percent in 2009, and representation of women senior managers has increased from 23 percent to 36 percent in the same timeframe. In addition, the gender turnover gap decreased from 7 percent in 1995 to less than 1 percent during 2009. Deloitte reached an additional milestone in 2009 when it surpassed the 1,000 mark for U.S. women partners, principals and directors. Catalyst Award-winning initiatives are evaluated in a rigorous year-long process against a robust set of criteria: business rationale, senior leadership support, accountability, communication, replicability, originality, and measurable results.

Ecobank, the Pan African Bank, has signed a co-operation agreement with the Bank of China, making it the first African bank to do so. An aspect of this agreement provides for the establishment of a China desk in one or more of Ecobank's subsidiaries where Chinese staff will be deployed to assist Bank of China customers in Africa. According to the CEO of the Ecobank Group, Arnold Ekpe, the agreement allows the Bank of China to cater more pointedly to their clients in Africa using the Ecobank platform, while enabling Ecobank to grow its China business. Ecobank already has an alliance relationship with South Africa-based Nedbank, enabling both banks to extend their coverage cooperatively across most of Africa.

The China Africa Network was launched at a function hosted by the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) of the University of Pretoria. The event was attended by guest of honor. H.E. Dr. Blade Nzimande, South African Minister of Higher Education and Training, Ambassador Zhong Jianhua, Embassy of the People's Republic of China, representatives from South African and Chinese business, academic and the media community were also present. The network is aimed at facilitating people-to-people and business exchanges between China and Africa in light of the rising investment and commercial presence of China in Africa. GIBS will launch eight projects on research and training during the course of the year.

South Africa's International Marketing Council (IMC), custodian of Brand South Africa, is sponsoring a first-of-its-kind online ad competition to "crowdsource" creativity and insight from around the world to showcase South Africa as a vibrant and competitive nation brand. Launched in conjunction with the Chief Marketing Officers (CMO) Council, a global organisation of senior marketing executives, the Get Wildly Creative About South Africa ad contest is being hosted on Zooppa.com, a revolutionary social media site which brands like Microsoft are using to generate people-inspired viral advertising. The IMC, the CMO Council and its new GeoBranding Centre will use viral communications, online conversations, blog postings and cyber chatter to talk up interest and participation in this innovative country branding initiative targeted at the world's 1.7-billion internet users. Current and aspiring creative professionals, digital media buffs, South Africans at home and abroad, and anyone whose heart and soul are stirred by South Africa and its continent, are invited to come up with inventive ways to produce a fresh and evocative message about a country on which the world's attention will be riveted when the 2010 Fifa World Cup kicks off in 100 days. Entry information and a creative brief designed by the IMC, giving background on the contest assignment and links to South African resources, are available on Zooppa.com. Go to the competition on Zooppa.com Check out the Creative Brief. Winners will be recognized at a special IMC-hosted reception in New York City, the world's media center and creative hub. They will also win trip packages courtesy of South African Tourism and other travel, hospitality, lodging and merchandise partners in South Africa.

South Africa's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 3.2% in the fourth quarter of 2009, exceeding market expectations. Together with economic growth of 0.9% in the third quarter, it signals that the country is out of its first recession in 17 years. Contributing to the GDP figure, released by Statistics South Africa this week, was growth in the manufacturing sector (contributing 1.5 percentage points), general government services (1 percentage point) and construction. Sectors that contributed negatively included wholesale, retail, motor trade, accommodation and agriculture. Market expectations were that the economy would grow by 2.5% quarter-on-quarter.

An upsurge in purchases by consumers in Europe, North America and the Middle East seeking to build up their beverage stocks during the winter period helped to grow Kenya's tea exports over January. Statistics released on Wednesday by the industry regulator indicated export volumes in January increased 12% to 39.2 million kilogrammes compared to the same month the previous year. Exports to the UK increased 28% to reach seven million kilogrammes.

The World Cocoa Foundation has launched the Cocoa Livelihoods Program (CLP) in Nigeria. The program initially announced in February 2009, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 14 chocolate industry companies, is expected to significantly improve the livelihoods of nearly 30,000 cocoa farmers in Nigeria by 2014. The work in Nigeria is part of a larger five-country program targeting 200,000 cocoa-growing households across Nigeria, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Liberia. The program will be active in five states: Abia, Cross River, Edo, Ondo, and Osun.Representatives from state extension agencies and representatives of the respective cocoa-farming communities are learning how to facilitate farmer training sessions, work with farmer organizations, and manage these activities. Through this interactive training approach, farmers will learn techniques to increase yields, reduce crop losses, and improve cocoa quality.The Cocoa Livelihoods Program is managed by the World Cocoa Foundation and implemented through a consortium of five organizations including Agribusiness Services International (ASI) an ACDI/VOCA affiliate, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)/Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP), SOCODEVI and TechnoServe. Funding for the program comes from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the private sector. Additional support is provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The governments of the five participating African countries have representation on the Steering Committee. Established in 2000, the World Cocoa Foundation is a leader in promoting economic and social development and environmental stewardship in 15 cocoa-producing countries around the world. With nearly 70 member companies from the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa, the Foundation actively supports a range of farm-level programs harnessing sustainable agriculture practices to improve the quality of life for the millions of smallholder farmers growing this unique crop.

The seasonally adjusted Kagiso Purchasing Managers Index, which measures manufacturing activity in South Africa, rose strongly to 60.4 index points in February, according to Kasigo. This was the highest level since March 2007 and the fourth consecutive month that the index remained above the key 50 index point mark that divided manufacturing expansion from contraction, Kagiso added in a statement. The continued upward trend of the index during the first two months of 2010 points to faster growth in actual factory production at the start of the year, suggesting that manufacturing in all likelihood remained the key sector driving the overall growth recovery in the first quarter of 2010, making manufacturing crucial in moving SA out of recession in the third quarter of 2009, and the most important sector responsible for the strengthening of GDP growth to 3.2% quarter-on-quarter (annualised) during the fourth quarter of 2009.

GIBS is pleased to announce that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (Danida) intends to offer three scholarships for exceptional individuals enrolled for the 2010/11 full-time Entrepreneurship MBA. Denmark sees the private sector as a prime driver of job creation and income generation. Emerging business leaders and entrepreneurs need international business skills and networks to compete in the global marketplace, but often cannot afford the full cost of a Masters programme. The ELSP will assist successful applicants to overcome this barrier. The ELSP covers 90% of the total cost of completing the full-time Entrepreneurship MBA at GIBS. This normally includes tuition, travel, residence, living expenses and insurance for the duration of the programme. ELSP applicants will be required to cover the remaining 10% from their own resources. ELSP applicants must be emerging business leaders under 45 years of age and hail from one of Danida's programme partners countries: Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mali , Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, South Africa , Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam and Zambia. Women from sub-Saharan African countries are particularly encouraged to apply. Prospective scholarship applicants are required to fulfil the admission requirements for entrance to the full-time Entrepreneurship MBA programme as well as the selection criteria of the ELSP. All applicants must be accepted to the full-time Entrepreneurship MBA programme before an ELSP scholarship award can be made. Five candidates will be short listed from applications received. The final decision on awarding the scholarships will be made by Danida. In order to be considered for the above scholarships, your online application for the full-time Entrepreneurship MBA must reach GIBS by no later than 1 May 2010. For more information visit the ELSP web page at http://www.dfcentre.com.

Africans are getting wealthier more quickly than previously believed, according to a new study by U.S.-based economists Xavier Sala-i-Martin and Maxim Pinkovskiy that also suggests the poorest continent's riches are spreading beyond the narrow confines of its elite. The research, which assesses poverty levels and income distribution from 1970 to 2006, lends weight to a belief among local and foreign investors that Africa is finally getting its act together 50 years after shaking off the colonial shackles. The study also challenges the suggestion that strong African growth over the last decade or more has done little to alleviate grassroots poverty due to the countervailing effect of equally strong population expansion. Going by an inflation-adjusted $1 per person per day yardstick, the study, using statistical analysis pioneered by the two authors said 32 percent of Africans were in poverty in 2006, compared to 42 percent in 1995 and 40 percent in 1970. By contrast, the United Nations' population agency estimates the average African is 22 percent worse off now than in the mid-1970s because "20 years of an almost 3 per cent annual population growth has outpaced economic gains". Similarly, in 2008 the U.N. Development Programme said sub-Saharan Africa had made "little progress" in reducing extreme poverty as part of a Millennium Development Goal bid to halve it between 2000 and 2015.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has signed a grant agreement of US$8 million with the Republic of The Gambia to improve the production and marketability of livestock and horticulture products, specifically targeting rural women and youth nationwide. The grant agreement was signed yesterday in Rome by Mod K. Ceesay, Director of Loans and Dept Management, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs of the Republic of The Gambia, and Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of IFAD. Currently, the IFAD country programme in The Gambia focuses on promoting environmentally sound staple foods and improving access to microfinance services for small-scale rural producers. This new project, on livestock and horticulture development, will concentrate on increasing food security in the country by boosting production of vegetables and livestock, and improving access to markets for farmers to sell their products. The project will help ease the workload for women by improved access to water and fuelwood. The overall goal of the project is to reduce rural poverty and improve livelihoods nationwide, more specifically to support rural women and youth to achieve greater food security. Their production capacity will be strengthened in order to increase the productivity and marketability of vegetable and livestock production. For instance, the project will help rehabilitate and modernize gardens operated by women groups and create experimental gardens for youth. In line with the government's MDGs priorities, the project also aims to increase awareness on gender, equity, health and environmental issues. Approximately 10,400 small-scale rural producers, mostly women (73 percent) and young people (27 percent), will benefit from the project. To date IFAD has funded 9 rural development projects and programmes in The Gambia for a total of $53,60 million which is directly benefiting almost 120 000 households.