Ghana Decides ‘08!!! Ghanaians and other persons in the UK who are interested in the Ghana elections can receive results certified by the Electoral Commission direct to their mobile handset. The service is available on Orange, O2, T-Mobile, Vodafone, 3 and BT Cell. Results will be sent immediately the Electoral Commission certifies both the Presidential and Parliamentary results at all constituencies, and subscribers will receive regular updates as results are released. The service is organized by the Ghana Journalist Association with authorization from the Electoral Commission. To subscribe, send "GH" only once to short code 60999 on the networks mentioned and receive regular result updates throughout the election period. Get the news before anyone else. Premium rates apply.'

ACCION International, a pioneer and leader in microfinance, has launched its new hub office and training center in Accra, Ghana, underscoring the U.S.-based nonprofit organization's commitment to expanding financial services for Africa's working poor. The center's staff will provide support to ACCION's team of African microfinance experts, who currently work with microfinance institutions in both East and West Africa. The center will also address the clear need for capacity-building among microfinance practitioners in the region, offering education and training to ensure that future generations of microfinance managers possess the capacity and technical expertise to effectively meet the growing demands of Africa. In the next three years, ACCION intends, through its emerging training center network, to train 3,000 microfinance practitioners in such disciplines as business planning, risk management, lending and governance. Since first beginning work in Africa in 2000, ACCION has advised microfinance institutions across the continent, providing technical assistance and sometimes investment to help them expand. ACCION has helped to build and transform Uganda Microfinance Limited; built micro lending operations in Benin with PADME; and helped to create the microfinance operations of established banks in Zimbabwe (MicroKing) and Tanzania (Akiba Commercial Bank). ACCION has more recently established 'greenfield' microfinance operations in Nigeria, launching ACCION Microfinance Bank (AMfB) in 2007. This year, ACCION and its West African partner Ecobank launched EB-ACCION Savings & Loans to serve micro-entrepreneurs in Ghana and beyond.

The Evolution One Fund, a 10-year private equity fund that focuses on investments in clean technology in the southern African region has raised R400-million from four core international investors to date, and is expected to grow to R1-billion by mid-2009. The fund, managed by Cape Town-headquartered Inspired Evolution Investment management, has secured the initial investment from the International Finance Corporation and other investors. Cleantech spans many industries, including clean energy generation, water purification, waste management and efficient production technology. Evolution One's investment philosophy is based on the premise that the use of cleantech products, services and processes not only provide superior performance at lower costs, but also reduce environmental and climate change impacts, thereby promoting mutually reinforcing benefits for society. The Evolution One Fund will make around 10 to 15 investments over a period of three to five years across the whole SADC region, with a focus on cleaner energy and the environment, and aiming to generate an enhanced annual internal rate of return by focusing on key sectors and sub-sectors.

South African telecoms company Telkom is deploying its own third generation (3G) wireless network across the country, taking the fixed-line operator closer toward providing its customers with fully converged information communication technology solutions. The company announced in March this year that it would look to expand into the fixed-mobile space as a means of maintaining its market share and growing revenues. W-CDMA is a third generation (3G) mobile technology that offers services like high-speed Internet access, video and high quality voice transmission. Telkom will initially focus on providing fixed voice and fixed-mobile data and, in the near future, nomadic voice services, offering its customers choice at a highly competitive cost. Telkom has appointed Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer Huawei as a technology partner to deploy its fixed-wireless and mobile data network on a turnkey basis.

South Korea is to contribute R8 million over three years toward the establishment of information communication technology cooperation centre in South Africa to promote the exchange of experiences in the field between the two countries. The contribution toward the development of the centre is being channelled through the Korean Agency for Digital Opportunity and Promotion, a specialised government entity that is dedicated to providing support in closing the digital divide, both domestically and abroad. According to the South African government, South Africa's Meraka e-Skills Institute will have the responsibility for the project identification and design. The two countries aim to cooperate in various areas, including the operation of an e-skills training centre, the implementation of e-government and the development of e-government related skills, the development of projects to proactively identify ICT skills needs in the country, to provide consultation and advice on national ICT development, and to build mutually cooperative relationships between the ICT sectors of the two countries.

Ethiopia has opened a commodity exchange, designed to bring order to the country's often chaotic food markets. ‘Informal' practices effectively force farmers to sell locally to traders they know and trust. This prevents commodities moving from regions where there is abundance to those where there are shortages, intensifying the risk of famine and for prices to plummet in districts experiencing a production glut. The Addis Ababa exchange – called the ECX – will trade in six commodities: coffee, sesame, haricot beans, tell, wheat and maize.

The World Health Organisation's (WHO) Global Polio Eradication Initiative says that Somalia is now free of polio, with no cases since March 2007. The WHO had managed to help wipe out polio in Somalia once before but the disease was reintroduced by travelers. Now, thanks to 10,000 Somali volunteers and health workers repeatedly vaccinating more than 1.8 million under-fives, it has been wiped out again.

The African Science and Technology and Innovation Indicators (ASTII) agreement signed in Lilongwe in 23 September 2008 is of "paramount importance", says Henry Mbedza, director of science and technology in the Malawi Government. The ASTII is a NEPAD agreement that, among other things, will help Malawi to conduct a survey to measure the impact of science and technology on national development. Mbedza said a one-year programme which began in Lilongwe in October 2008, will train 15 government and university staff on collecting statistical data, focusing on the effectiveness of initiatives and investments supporting Malawian science and technology. The information will be able to be used by policymakers to assist them in decision-making. Participants will be drawn from the Malawi National Statistical Office, Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, Department of Agriculture Research and Technical Services, the National Research Council and the University of Malawi. The initiative is part of the follow up to the AU/NEPAD consolidated plan of action for science and technology, approved by African Science Ministers in 2005 and adopted by African Union Heads of State and Government in 2007. Malawi is the 19th African country to sign the agreement. Source: NEPAD

The African Union Commission (AUC) will lead efforts to expedite the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), according to a joint statement by the AUC and USAID. The statement said the African Union recognises both the need to urgently expand support for agriculture in Africa and the foundations that have been created for joint programming, mutual accountability and increased coherence of agricultural development assistance. The CAADP will include steps to advance short, medium and long term actions, including stimulating a near term supply response to meet immediate food needs, urgent steps to work with the private sector to modernise agricultural value chains, reduce poverty and improve infrastructure and trade in Africa to achieve high rates of agricultural growth. USAID and other development partners have committed themselves to work together to tackle key barriers to the implementation of the CAADP process and agenda, especially in countries that are taking steps to advance the CAADP.

The World Cocoa Foundation has awarded $146,000 in challenge grants that will be used over the next 12 months to design and test innovative technologies benefiting cocoa farmers and building the capacity of local extension services and farmer associations. Grants were awarded to eight research institutes, universities and farmer organizations in Africa, Asia and Latin America for work focused on advancing labor saving technologies, production efficiency, and education. According to the Foundation, innovation is the key to helping cocoa farmers fully benefit from the world's growing appetite for cocoa and new approaches are need to to strengthen farm families and communities both economically and socially. The grants will bring this much needed innovation to the field, making it more accessible to cocoa farmers around the world. The grants awarded included one in the area of education innovation to the University of Cape Coast, Ghana's School of Agriculture to develop participatory learning approaches encouraging farmer adoption of artificial cocoa pollination, significantly improving productivity, yield and long-term sustainability. 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.

The project to refurbish and expand Luanda's public lighting system is estimated at USD 15 million and is expected to conclude at the beginning of 2009. The project consists of refurbishing the entire public lighting and electricity distribution grid, restructuring and creating a new medium and low voltage grid and repairing the underground network. The work is part of a project set up between Inotec and the technical office of the Luanda Provincial Government (GPL). Inotec has been in the Angolan market for three months, and is a part of the Portuguese group CME – Construção e Manutenção Elçectromecânica.

Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille has been selected as the world's number one mayor by City Mayors, a global local government think-tank. Ms Zille came out tops out of a group of 820 mayors from around the world in the competition which has spanned 18 months. A shortlist of 50 was selected from the 820 public nominations, which was later reduced to 11, and then to five. An outstanding mayor is described as someone who possessed qualities of greatness, leadership and vision, has good management abilities, is socially and economically aware and has the ability to provide security and to protect the environment. Commentators who supported her nomination said that Ms Zille was making a difference and giving people hope. Editor of City Mayors, Tann vom Hove, said the Cape Town mayor was the judging panel's unanimous choice for the 2008 World Mayor Prize. The World Mayor competition has been running since its inception in 2004. It aims to raise the profile of mayors worldwide as well as to honour those who have made lasting contributions to their communities and are committed to the well-being of cities nationally and internationally.

A conference involving African ministers responsible for mineral resources development and mining experts was held at African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in October 2008 under the auspices of the Department of Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission in collaboration with the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). The purpose of the ministerial conference was to bring together the African ministers and African experts in mining and natural resources to brainstorm on some of the key issues for African mineral resources development. The brainstorming conference was an opportunity for the African Union Commission to develop a concerted continental strategy rooted on broadening the economic base and developing not only direct "upstream" and "downstream" linkages between mining and other sectors, but also various indirect activities, particularly "sidestream" supply and support activities, and induced contributions to maximise development and social outcomes.

A five-year National Development Plan (NDP) is being prepared within the framework of Uganda's national vision - endorsed by the Cabinet in July 2007 - to replace the poverty eradication action plan (PEAPs) implemented between 1999 and 2007. This is being done mainly to provide an updated framework for budgeting, implementation of Government programmes and donor support, as well as provide more comprehensive national, sectoral and local government planning. The transformation of the PEAP into the NDP is also intended to cater for emerging economic issues such as regional cooperation and emerging aspirations of leadership, for example, northern Uganda's reconstruction challenge. In the effort to draw lessons from the previous plans, an independent evaluation of the PEAP was conducted and the findings are being used for the NDP process. The proposed theme for the NDP is Prosperity for all Ugandans. The National Planning Authority (NPA) in consultation with other key stakeholders is spearheading the development of the NDP. The key objectives of the NDP are to increase household incomes; enhance quality and availability of gainful employment; improve the stock and quality of economic and trade infrastructure; increase access to quality social services; promote innovation and competitive industries and strengthen good governance and improve human security. The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) National Commission and the National Planning Authority (NPA) are in the process of putting in place a mechanism of ensuring that the plan of action (POA) is fully integrated into the NDP to see through the President's commitment to his peers of implementing the plan.

The oil company Total E&F Angola has invested more than USD 30 million in the construction of a new training center, which was recently inaugurated in Luanda. The school will have the capacity to hold 120 students and will train middle and upper-level personnel in oil production and engineering. The first group of graduates will study for a year and a half, with classes both in theory and practice on the company's platforms. The center will offer classes in Introduction to Drilling, Valves, and Tubing; Electrical Instrumentation; Measurement While Logging; Geological Structures and Systems; Corrosion and Inspection; Rotational Equipment; Industrial Design; Team Spirit; and Risk Analysis. The oil company plans to build an additional four schools in the provinces of Bengo, Kwanza-Norte, Malanje, and Cunene.

Cell phone operator Movicel has invested USD 50 million to expand its network throughout all of Angola. The company currently has two million customers, and with new services being introduced, the number continues to rise. Since 2003, Movicel has been providing mobile telecommunications services and global management as a subsidiary of Angola Telecom. The network operates in all Angolan provinces and in 60 municipalities.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Energy of Equatorial Guinea and Gazprom Neft. According to the Ministry, the MOU is related to upstream, downstream and financial studies which Gazprom Neft intends to undertake together with the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Energy. This will strengthen the co-operation between Russia and Equatorial Guinea in the area of oil and gas.

Uganda has been elected to occupy a non-permanent seat of the UN Security Council for the 2009-10 term. Uganda, which was already assured of a seat from a unanimous regional backing, has been joined by Japan, Turkey, Austria and Mexico. Among European nations, Austria and Turkey won places on council, while Iceland's bid was defeated. Only Uganda and Mexico ran uncontested and won seats representing Africa and Latin America respectively. Uganda succeeds South Africa as Africa representative in the UN body.

Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson expects sub-Saharan Africa's cell phone market to grow by at least 20% in 2009, the company's head of South Africa told Reuters. According to Jan Embro, the MD of Ericsson South Africa, the company expects to see 50-60 million new cell phone subscribers in sub-Saharan Africa next year compared to 235-million existing users. This translates to another 50-60 million subscribers coming on in sub-Saharan Africa. Ericsson supplies telecommunication equipment and services to 65 mobile and 20 fixed-line operators on the continent, including MTN, sub-Saharan Africa's biggest operator. It said it had increased its market share in the region to 50% currently from less than 30% in 2001. Africa is a key frontier market for major telecoms firms from Europe, the Middle East and Asia, offering a vast untapped market of millions without cell phones.

According to the head of the Africa Department at China's Ministry of Commerce, the global financial crisis will hit trade between China and Africa, but Beijing will keep expanding its investment in the continent to maintain strong ties. Sino-African trade reached $74-billion in the first eight months, up 62% from a year earlier, but, according to Zhou Yabin, the country "cannot be very optimistic about sustaining such growth."

Angolan oil exports, the country's main source of revenue, will continue to increase in the near future thanks to growth in demand from China which will compensate for possible setbacks in other markets, according to analysts from Portugal's Banco BPI in their report on Angola, published in September. Throughout this year Angola has boosted its position as the largest and most reliable oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa, with estimated production of 1.9 million barrels per day, ahead of Nigeria. Over the next few months an important strengthening of Angolan production capacity should take place, with new oil fields such as Saxi and Batuque starting production and Mondo and Cabinda stepping up their output. China has established itself as an important candidate for the main destination for Angolan exports, say analysts and, in 2007, China represented 28% of Angolan foreign sales, 10 percentage points up on the previous year. These oil exports were worth US$ 10.605 billion dollars, second only to exports to the US which reached US$12.855 billion dollars.Currently oil represents around 80 percent of Angolan exports and, directly, over 57 percent of its GDP.

Nokia has launched a regional research center in Nairobi to gain a better understanding of the needs of African consumers. Nokia Research Africa (NoRA) will work with universities and NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) to develop prototypes of devices that are suitable for the African market, with an eye on offering benefits in health care and education. Nokia researchers will also study the telecommunication services sector on the continent. An increase in mobile penetration has been found to impact positively on the growth of a country's gross domestic product. According to the company, the research will enable the design of relevant products and services. Nokia has chosen to work with NGOs and universities because the institutions have an understanding of local communities. In Kenya, NoRA is already undertaking a study through partnership with SlumCode, an NGO aimed at understanding the dynamic of informal music in urban slum communities. Other areas NoRA is interested in exploring include entrepreneurship, energy management, social media, arts and culture.

The World Bank has approved $24 million for a program that will see Rwanda develop her national capacity to provide broadband connectivity. The money that was cleared through an International Development Association (IDA) financing grant for the Regional Communication Infrastructure Program - Rwanda Project (RCIPRW), is supposed to increase the availability of broadband to more than 700 Rwandan institutions including schools, health centers and local government administrative centers. IDA is the concessional lending arm of the World Bank.

In recognition of its positive influence within Africa's financial market, Zenith Bank Plc has emerged the Best Global Bank in Africa at this year's African Bankers Awards held at The Willard Hotel in Washington D.C. The ceremony was hosted by the London-based IC Publications Ltd, publishers of African Banker Magazines on the eve of the World Bank's critical global discussions on the state of the world's financial systems. Over 350 people, including Africa's finance ministers, governors of central banks, financial market regulators, global media personalities, industry leaders and top bankers attended the glittering ceremony. A total of 17 awards were presented. Zenith Bank was previously named the Best Bank in Nigeria by the prestigious Euromoney magazine at an award ceremony held in London.

The government, with the help of the World Bank, has negotiated for $119 million to provide both financial and business development support, as well as technical assistance, to small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) and banks in the country. The Ministry of Finance noted that until structures of the economy were changed, and the constant changes in prices of international commodities checked, and the unemployment rate brought under control, the eradication of poverty, which is major factor in the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS), would remain a mirage.

A new survey of hiring trends covering businesses in 14 countries around the world has uncovered a generally positive picture of the employment market for managers and professionals despite the effects of the `credit crunch' and higher energy, fuel and food prices. With the high percentage of companies recruiting in South Africa expected to grow and the low level of firing expected to decrease, the jobs market appears to be booming. The `Global Snapshot' from the international recruitment firm, Antal, asked over 1, 500 major companies in both western and eastern Europe, Africa, India and China whether they were currently hiring at professional and managerial level. The rapid development of South African business centres such as Gauteng, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth has created a lively jobs market for managers and professionals, with 84% of companies currently hiring. In Germany 57% of companies were hiring now and 64% expected to do so in the next quarter, while in Italy over 70% were currently recruiting and expected to do so in the coming three months. In the UK the survey revealed that only 31% of employers were recruiting at the moment. Whilst the construction and property sectors and certain parts of the financial services industry are suffering a real crisis of confidence, organisations in other areas such as telecoms and technology are generally positive about hiring.

Leading stakeholders in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) industry are to work together to minimise the standardisation gap between developed and developing countries through the Bridging the Standardisation Gap Fund. The fund will assist in facilitating the participation of developing countries in the standards development process and allow them to profit from access to new technology developments, according to International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T). The standardisation development gap is creating disparity between developed and developing countries, while the ability of developing countries to influence and contribute to international standards setting is almost non-existent. The continued shortage of human resources in the standardisation field in developing countries resulted in a low participation by developing countries in the standards-making process. This has in turn contributed to a standardisation gap between developed and developing countries which adversely affected the ability of representatives from developing countries to access, implement, contribute to and influence international ICT standards.

Leaders of the Tripartite Summit from 26 African countries belonging to the three regional economic blocs in the East and southern Africa have resolved to merge the blocs into a single regional market. The summit, which brought together leaders of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), the East African Community (EAC), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), has agreed to establish a free trade bloc and a single customs union, stretching from South Africa to Egypt and from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Kenya. The launch of the free trade bloc will place the African continent in a stronger position to respond effectively to intensifying global economic competition and will create the largest free trade area in Africa, with a population of over 248 million people and a combined GDP of $650 billion. The three blocs will have a single airspace within a year and an inter-regional broadband network for Internet. The three communities also resolved to coordinate their master plans for regional transport and energy within 12 months.

The South African Department of Science and Technology and multinational technology company IBM have launched the Blue Gene for Africa initiative, giving the country access to supercomputing power not previously seen on the continent. The BG4A is hosted by the Centre for High Performance Computing, an initiative of the department, and is managed by the Meraka Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). According to IBM, Africa needs to invest in human capital development, infrastructure and increased research and development in order to spur further socio-economic development. With research infrastructure also being key to development, the company's donation of the Blue Gene supercomputer is its contribution towards sparking scientific and socio-economic progress on the continent. The donation of the supercomputer forms part of a US$120-million (about R1.1-billion) investment in sub-Saharan Africa announced by IBM in December 2007, and followed a series of meetings on economic development opportunities convened by IBM that year as part of its Global Innovation Outlook strategy. This donation has given impetus to the Blue Gene for Africa initiative, which has three interlinking thrusts: infrastructure, promoting collaborative with a major impact on the African continent, and human capital development - building of high-end computing capacity in Africa. Potential projects which could benefit from this initiative are environmental simulations (water management, climate and atmospheric simulations), plant genomics and agricultural modelling, energy, information analytics and complex systems modelling (such as business systems, risk management, financial models, transportation management and health). As the Blue Gene is for the whole continent, potential users who wish to access the high performance computing are encouraged to contact the Centre for High Performance Computing.

The Capital Markets Authority (CMA) and the Ghana Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at enhancing cooperation and exchange of information on all stock exchanges in Africa. The understanding provides a framework for the exchange of information for purposes of enforcing compliance with the governing laws of the regulators' respective jurisdictions. Areas of mutual assistance and cooperation will include investigations and enforcement in connection with applicable regulations relating to capital markets in Uganda and Ghana. Others include monitoring compliance with applicable laws regarding the duties of issuers of financial products in relation to information disclosure, maintaining high standards of fair dealings and integrity in their conduct of business.

The first Extraordinary Summit of the APR Forum held in October in Cotonou, Benin was followed by a meeting of the Panel of Eminent Persons of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). The APRM, launched in March 2003, is voluntarily acceded to by member states of the African Union as an African self–monitoring governance mechanism. It ensures that the policies and practices of participating states conform to internationally agreed governance values, codes and standards as a means of fostering political stability, economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated sub-regional and continental economic integration. The APR Forum has the ultimate responsibility for the oversight of the APRM organisation and processes, for mutual learning and capacity building, and for exercising the constructive peer dialogue and persuasion required to make the APRM effective, credible, and acceptable. The peer review is a process of sharing information and experiences and mutual learning to assist the country concerned in improving on identified weaknesses as well as providing other participating countries with the opportunity to learn from the best practices of the country under review. The Extraordinary Summit of the APR Forum concluded the peer review of Nigeria and Burkina Faso. It also deliberated on selected cross-cutting issues encountered so far in the APRM process, among others the issues of managing diversity and xenophobia; elections in Africa; resource management; land; corruption; and the Gacaca Court system in Rwanda. Twenty nine countries have formally acceded to the process so far - Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mali, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Senegal, Sao Tome e Principe, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zambia.

South African petrochemical giant Sasol is to spend R25-million a year helping the country's universities develop world-class science and engineering graduates, attract and retain talented academics, and grow the engineering profession. The investment forms part of a greater R250-million initiative, spread over 10 years, to ensure world-class teaching in the disciplines of chemistry and engineering. According to the company, Sasol has already spent R75-million upgrading research facilities and equipment at nine participating universities over the past three years and this represents a proactive step to help universities meet critical research and development skills essential to the future growth and prosperity of South Africa. The initiative will also contribute to the Engineering Council of South Africa's commitment to growing the engineering profession by increasing the number of engineering practitioners to ensure sufficient future capacity to stimulate the economy.

South Africa's Academy Award selection committee and the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) have submitted South African feature film Jerusalema for consideration in the category of best foreign language film at the 2009 Oscars. Jerusalema joins a growing list of productions that have represented South Africa at the Oscars. Written and directed by Ralph Ziman and produced by Tendeka Matatu, Jerusalema was released to critical acclaim in August. According to NFVF CEO Eddie Mbalo, the film's high production values attest to the ability of the South African film industry to meet global standards of quality in filmmaking, while retaining a distinct South African flavour that has universal appeal. The 81st Academy Awards will be televised live from Hollywood on Sunday, 22 February 2009.

The World Bank's International Financial Corporation has set aside $3 billion to help insulate banks in poor African countries from the effects of the global credit crisis. The global financial meltdown has forced many western governments to inject billions of dollars to support affected financial institutions but many African countries are too poor to offer similar help to their own. The IFC - the private sector lending arm of the World Bank - said it would focus on banks in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone. The corporation will also invest $2 billion in African energy projects. The IFC plans to spend over $2 billion on power projects in Africa, with the first project in Rwanda next year. The East African country hopes to double its power output by building a hydro dam on Akagera River.

With an economic growth rate of 6.4 percent between 2006 and 2008, Johannesburg is one of South Africa's most important economic hubs in terms of investment, business and construction. According to the City's executives, the city's economy has grown by more than 6% per year in the last two years, reaching a 6.4% growth between 2006/07 and 2007/08. The growth has been fuelled by a range of sectors, with the construction sector playing a key part. The city has an economic growth target of 9% if the country's overall economy grows by 6% in 2014. To achieve this goal, it is planned to increase the diversification of the city's business sector and resources. Johannesburg is home to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), the largest and most sophisticated stock exchange on the continent and is the headquarters of many large multinational corporations. In terms of the value of the city's economy in relation to the country, Johannesburg contributed 48.2% to the provincial economy, and 18.1% to the national economy.

Professor Richard Mkandawire, Head of the NEPAD Agriculture / CAADP has won this year's Drivers of Change individual award. The Drivers of Change awards, which are organised by the South African Mail and Guardian newspaper and the Southern Africa Trust recognise individuals or organisations from across the Southern Africa region that are making a real impact, especially in developing effective public policies and strategies, to overcome poverty. The global financial meltdown and the ensuing recession has led some analysts to predict that Africa is going to lose out in terms of the external focus, partnerships and assistance that in recent years have been dedicated to its development agenda. However, African-based initiatives such as NEPAD's Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) are standing out as the most prudent avenues for genuine poverty reduction efforts in Africa. The award is in three categories: civil society, government, and business and was established to hold up living examples of innovative practices, inclusive attitudes, and effective processes that build social trust and create the best conditions to make a real and lasting difference in the lives of people living in poverty. This year, 60 nominations were received. The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, which was endorsed by the African Union in 2003, is an Africa-led and Africa-owned initiative and framework to rationalise and revitalise African agriculture for economic growth and lasting poverty reduction results. As part of the CAADP framework, African governments have already agreed to increase public investment in agriculture by a minimum 10% of their national budgets and to attain an annual average growth rate of 6% in agriculture. NEPAD is a home grown African initiative, crafted by African leaders to respond to Africa's continued under-development and marginalisation within the context of the broader global political economy. NEPAD serves as a platform for the articulation of a new voice rooted in the collective commitment of African leaders to democratic principles and to crafting a new development paradigm for Africa.

The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) won the Best Development Bank of Africa award at the recent African Banker Awards. These awards were endorsed by the World Bank Africa Region and supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Corporate Council on Africa. Participants included finance ministers, central bank governors, bank directors and CEOs from across the African continent as well as representatives from intergovernmental organisations and leading businessmen and VIPs from all over Africa, Asia, Europe and the US. The DBSA was chosen from a strong shortlist by a distinguished panel of judges, including Virginia Anchu, CEO, MGSL, Lagos; Aissa Hidoussi. CEO, Best Bank, Tunis; Koosum Kalyan, Chairman, G8 Business Action for Africa; Dr. Nkosana Moyo, Managing Partner, Actis Capital, London; Christopher Peel, Head of Africa Equity Research, Exotix; and Lionel Zinsou, Managing Partner, PAI Private Equity, Paris.

In 2009 Angola will receive investments from Italy estimated at USD 9 million. The financing is in response to the Angolan Government's request to address needs in public health, clinical laboratories, and agriculture. Cooperation between the two countries is currently estimated at USD 250 million.

The new International Luanda Airport, located 30 kilometers from the Angolan capital, will be built by China International Fund Limited, and will conclude in 2010. The new airport will cover an area of 5,000 hectares, with two double runways and the capacity to receive the world's largest commercial airliner, the Airbus A380. The northern runway will be 4,200 meters long and the southern runway will be 3,800 meters long (both 60 meters wide). Construction will also include a passenger terminal for national and international flights, a control tower and several hotels.

A development bank of the Portuguese Speaking Countries Community (CPLP) will be created to help finance development programs and empower the companies and associations within the organization. The bank will guarantee the financial stability within the CPLP, providing services and products to customers, granting low interest loans and mainly serving the citizens of the community.

Research conducted by Moremi Initiative shows women occupies only two percent of executive positions within the top one hundred companies in the Ghanaian private sector. Moremi Initiative's research (Dake & Herlands 2003: Data on Women in Leadership in Ghana) also shows that in general, women exercise little power in political, economic, and social institutions in Ghana. Moremi Initiative firmly believes that an investment in young women's leadership will provide double dividends to make the world a better place for all. Moremi Initiative for Women's Leadership in Africa strives to engage, inspire and equip young women and girls to become the next generation of leading politicians, activists, social entrepreneurs and change agents: Leaders who can transform and change institutions that legitimize and perpetuate discrimination against women. Moremi Initiative is a non-profit organization based in Nigeria and the United States and operating throughout Africa. We strive to engage, inspire and equip young women and girls to become the next generation of leading politicians, activists, social entrepreneurs and change agents. To achieve its mission, Moremi Initiative is pursuing proactive strategies to develop and empower women and girls to take on leadership roles in their communities.

Health experts predict Swaziland will be the second country in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to eliminate malaria. Malaria kills more than one million people worldwide most of whom are children under five years and almost 90 percent of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria killed five people last year in Swaziland. The SADC Malaria Strategic Plan - a malaria elimination programme that aims to wipe out the disease in the region - lists Swaziland, South Africa, Botswana and Namibia as countries where malaria elimination is possible. Swaziland is likely to be the first country of the four to reach this goal. If Swaziland manages to eradicate malaria for three consecutive years, the World Health Organisation (WHO) will declare the country a malaria-free zone and issue a certificate of elimination. Mauritius was the first SADC country to receive the certificate after the last case of malaria was reported on the southern African island in 1997. Mauritius was therewith the first country in the region to reach one of the Millennium Development Goals whose target it is to stop malaria by 2015. The Swazi government hopes that eradicating malaria will not only improve the health of its people, but also develop the country by creating sustainable employment and equity in access to economic opportunities.

The Arab Gambian Islamic Bank (AGIB) has marked the inauguration of the new management of the bank, which is now set to operate in partnership with a Nigerian bank, Finbank. AGIB highlighted its significance and the role it has been playing in The Gambia's financial sector since its establishment twelve years ago. The strategic partner will provide additional capital and bring technological and human resource improvements to the bank. Finbank, which holds 70% of AGIB shares, intends to run the bank purely on Islamic principles.

A development bank of the Portuguese Speaking Countries Community (CPLP) will be created and in the short term aimed at financing development programmes and empowering the companies and associations within the organization. The bank will have the task of guaranteeing the financial balance within the Portuguese Speaking Countries Community, providing gratifying services and products to customers, granting low interest loans and mainly serve the citizens of the community.

South Africa has entered a new era in broadcasting with the official start of its conversion of its television broadcasting signal from analogue to digital technology. There will be a period of "dual-illumination" between 1 November this year and 1 November 2011, during which television will be broadcast via both analogue and digital signals. After 1 November 2011, the analogue signal will be switched off, and viewers will need a set-top box to convert the digital signal for their analogue television sets. The migration to digital also has the potential for providing special interactive services such as e-government services, as well as features audio descriptions and sub-titling for people with visual and hearing impairments. The change also means that there will soon be specialised television services dedicated to education, health, youth and sport, as well as three regional service channels. According to South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), the public broadcaster will provide up to eight new video channels in the same bandwidth as one analogue channel. The migration from analogue to digital signal was first agreed to at the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations agency for telecommunication. Member states were given timelines per region to comply with the decision. Africa forms part of region 1, together with Europe and the Middle East.

Algeria will renegotiate energy projects currently being developed with foreigners to ensure that the Algerian partner has a majority stake. According to the country's Energy and Mines Minister Chakib Khelil, the move had become necessary following a new law passed in August that limits to 495 the stake held by any foreign investor in any sector of the economy. Algeria's energy sector plans to invest $45.5 billion in 2008-2012, with $35.8 billion from state company Sonatrach and $9.7 billion from foreign partners. in cases where foreign partners indicated that they could not take part on a minority basis, Algeria would try to find a way to involve them in some way in the management of the project or in the transfer of skills and technology. The new law is part of a package of measures implemented during the summer that have tightened the investment regime in Algeria.

The Chinese government has doubled the number of scholarship it grants to Africa to 4,000 students per year, says Yu Wenzhe, China's Ambassador to Ghana. The expanded package is China's contribution to help Africa to achieve its goals, Mr. Wenzhe said at a reception he hosted for 34 Ghanaian students who have received Chinese government scholarships for the 2008-2009 academic year. According to the Ambassador, the Chinese government values these educational scholarships as a means of boosting friendship between the two countries and China is also helping the University of Ghana make the Chinese language an attractive course for students of the university.

Approximately 7,000 jobs will be created countrywide with the expansion of the Nosso Super supermarket network, under the Structuring of the System of Logistics and Distribution of Essential Commodities (PRESLID) Program, which has been underway since 2007. Nosso Super will be opening 31 supermarkets nationwide, including 12 in Luanda, 2 in Benguela, 2 in Zaire and one in each of the remaining provinces. Currently, Nosso Super has 22 establishments.

Local banking group Absa has become the first investor at the Coega Industrial Development Zone's business process outsourcing (BPO) park, announcing plans to open a 105-seat outbound call centre. The Coega Development Corporation (CDC) says the project has come just as the company is making a concerted effort to lure more investors to the BPO Park. A pilot of the Absa contact centre has been running at Coega since January this year, and the CDC is also in talks with other international companies to take up prime space in the massive BPO park planned for the zone. The outbound facility currently employs 105 people - the majority of whom were previously unemployed or had very little work experience – and the project has confirmed the bank's strategy of combining business with social imperatives. The initiative was aimed at doing business in a responsible way that enables people to uplift themselves through employment and business opportunities, with a key focus was on affording work experience to unemployed individuals.

The application period for the Winter Internship Program 2008 is now open. The Program is open to students who are nationals of the Bank's member countries and attracts a large number of highly qualified candidates. The goal of this Internship Program is to offer successful candidates an opportunity to improve their skills as well as the experience of working in an international environment. Interns generally find the experience to be rewarding and interesting. To be eligible for the Internship Program, candidates must possess an undergraduate degree and already be enrolled in a full-time graduate study program.

Angola's Business Information Center, an initiative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), has been inaugurated as part of the Angolan Business Program. The new center will promote small and medium enterprises (SMEs), private firms and others interested in obtaining specialized business information. The UNDP is partnered in the Luanda venture by Angola's ministry of industry, through the Angolan Institute of Industrial Development (IDIA) and Chevron.

South African wine exports are soaring in defiance of the international economic slowdown, says Wines of South Africa, with over 363-million litres sold offshore in the 12 months to July 2008, an increase of 27% on the previous 12 months. Citing increased export volumes of 31% for the first seven months of 2008, due to a weaker rand and the continued strength of big brands in markets such as the UK, Sweden and Canada, the increase is also due to the emergence of buyers in developing markets such as Angola and south-east Asia. Exports have also been fuelled by rising rosé sales, up 60% on the previous year, as local producers successfully catered to the thirst for pink wines on international markets. In 2003, the UK and the Netherlands accounted for 72% of all South Africa's packaged wine exports. Today the UK and the Netherlands, together with Sweden, Germany, Denmark and the US, make up 72% of these sales. At the same time, there is growing interest in South African wines from countries in Africa and the East. The UK is still South Africa's largest wine export destination, however, with growth resuming in that market. The shift in the composition of South Africa's biggest customers had seen Germany overtaking the Netherlands to become South Africa's second-largest wine market.

Actis has completed a deal to invest $48.5 million in Mo'men Group for, an operator of chain of quick service restaurants under the brands 'Mo'men','Pizza King' and 'Planet Africa'. Actis's $48.5 million investment in Mo'men will help the group pursue expand its operations in Northern Africa and the Arabian Gulf region. "Given the changing population demographics and the increasing wealth of the middle classes, the company has a clear opportunity to expand to meet this demand," said Sherif Elkholy, Actis investment principal in Cairo. Mo'men also a produces branded household frozen foods and ready meals under the label 'Three Chefs'. The business was founded by the Mo'men Family in 1988. Source: Private Equity African News.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Government of Japan have signed a bilateral Exchange of Notes for a loan to the AfDB of JPY 32.1 billion, equivalent to USD 300 million. The "Second Private Sector Assistance Loan under the Joint Initiative titled EPSA for Africa" helps finance the AfDB's private sector operations. The loan is provided by Japan on concessional terms and is part of the Enhanced Private Sector Assistance (EPSA) Initiative, an innovative, multi-component, multi-donor framework for resource mobilization and development partnership to support implementation of the AfDB's Strategy for Private Sector Development. Drawing on successful development experience in Asia and around the globe, EPSA was initially conceived in partnership with the Government of Japan (GOJ), which provided generous support to its launch in 2005 with a pledge of $1 billion in financial support through 2010. With the signing of the Second Private Sector Assistance Loan, Japan's fulfilled commitments under the EPSA Initiative total nearly $600 million, demonstrating Japan's strong commitment to the Bank and to Africa.

South Africa is one of the three countries in southern Africa where the prevalence of HIV/Aids has stabilised, according to a report from the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids). The 2008 Report on the Global Aids Epidemic finds that the prevalence of HIV/Aids in South Africa, Malawi and Zambia were decreasing. The report also provided encouraging data on the trend of HIV/Aids epidemic in South Africa and the African continent. According to the report, of the three million people on anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment worldwide by 2007, South Africa accounted for close to 429 000, up from only 55 000 in 2004. According to the UNAids report, close to 160 000 HIV-positive people who also had Tuberculosis (TB) received TB and HIV treatment in 2007. The report acknowledged the efforts being made in the area of prevention, noting that some 96% of South African schools were providing life skills based HIV education in the last academic year.

The Kenyan Equity Bank, One of the world's first cellphone-to-cellphone cash-transfer systems, intends to expand its activities to southern Sudan by the end of the year. The system, called M-PESA, allows customers to transfer cash via their mobile phone, through an agent or store which supplies the cash. To send cash, a customer has to buy E-money which is then loaded on to his account and then he can send to a recipient who receives a text message with a code telling him to go and collect money from an agent within his proximity. Equity bank chief executive, James Mwangi, on Tuesday confirmed that the bank had already obtained approvals from the two industry regulators - the Central Bank of Kenya and the Central Bank of Southern Sudan. The money transfer is a crucial issue in the southern Sudan. The Nile Commercial Bank, a southern Sudan government commercial bank, and some Somali transfer companies are the sole current agencies in the region.

South African judge Navanethem Pillay has been appointed as the new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Instituted in 1993, the High Commissioner for Human Rights is the highest UN office dealing with human rights. Pillay succeeds Canadian Louise Arbour, who completed her five-year term on 30 June. An activist attorney under apartheid, Pillay has served as a judge on the International Criminal Court based in The Hague in the Netherlands since 2003. Prior to that, she served as both judge and president on the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which she joined in 1995. Pillay's nomination, Ban said in a statement last month, was made at the end of a "clear and rigorous" selection process which included consultations with UN member states, international non-governmental organisations and human rights organisations. In 1967, Pillay became the first woman in what was then Natal province to open a law practice. As senior partner in the firm, she represented many opponents of apartheid, and handled precedent-setting cases establishing the effects of solitary confinement, the right of political prisoners to due process, and the family violence syndrome as a defence. In 1973, Pillay made a successful application against commanding officer of the prison on Robben Island, establishing that political prisoners held on the island had rights and privileges. In 2003, Pillay was awarded the Human Rights Prize of the US-based Peter Gruber Foundation for her "courageous leadership in advancing women's human rights" while working on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Africa faces a "dramatic" shortage of physicians by the year 2015, according to a new study. It is projected that there will be nearly 13 million doctors by then, a figure that will meet demand and will exceed the target of achieving the benchmark of having 80 per cent of all live births covered by a skilled attendant. But given the imbalances in physician distribution, Africa will face a scarcity of care, WHO said, with 255,000 doctors in 2015, which is 167,000 fewer than needed to meet the birth coverage goal. The study notes that in 2004, Africa carried nearly one quarter of the world's disease burden with only 2 per cent of global physician supply and less than 1 per cent of health expenditures worldwide. Similarly, South-East Asia bore 29 per cent of the global disease burden, with 11 per cent of the world's supply of doctors and 1 per cent of health expenditures. Meanwhile, the Americas region, with 10 per cent of the world's disease burden, accounted for half of the world's health expenditures and one fifth of all physicians. Hefty increases in health-care investment and robust policies are essential to boost the number of doctors in Africa, WHO said. "Given the disproportionate burden of disease in this region, policies for increasing the supply of physicians are urgently needed to stem projected shortages," according to the study.

Men and women of African descent are wanted from across the African Diaspora to Judge essays written by children aged 8 to 16 years for "The Annual Essay Contest for Children of African Descent". Essays will be submitted in both English and French. Schools in English- and French-speaking Africa and the Diaspora are invited to indicate their interest in participating in this contest. http://www.lornajones.net

The EU is to help African countries expand their electricity networks and promote energy interconnections between Africa and the EU, such as a Trans-Saharan gas pipeline. The EU aid will amount to €1 billion for a period of two years. It is the first concrete step to implementing the Africa-EU partnership, which was agreed in December 2007, according to a commission statement, which stressed "the urgent need to promote Africa electrification." The EU is to offer technical assistance worth €10 million to African utility regulators and a further priority of the Africa-EU energy partnership is to be the development of oil and gas pipelines between African countries, but also between Africa and the EU, such as the €9 billion Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline, planned to transport up to 30 billion cubic metres of gas per year to Europe via Nigeria, Niger and Algeria by 2015. The EU and AU commissioners also agreed to increase transparency, elaborate a road map for the launch and implementation of a renewable energy co-operation programme and support for Africa's participation in the Global Gas Flaring Reduction partnership of oil and gas producing countries. The International Energy Agency has warned that Africa needs to spend an estimated €400 billion by 2030 to generate an additional 260,000 MW of power.

The government of Democratic Republic of Congo has announced its plan to privatise some of its most valuable mining assets, as well as take a larger share of any future discoveries made in the mineral-rich country. According to Victor Kasongo, Congo's deputy minister of mines, "a major future initiative" for the government was the transformation of state-owned mining companies into commercial entities. He said new management would be drafted in to turn round ailing businesses and then they could be floated through an initial public offering or stakes could be sold to private mining groups.

South Africa has spent at least R16.5 billion on research and experimental development (R&D) in the 2006/07 financial year; an indication that the country is progressing towards a knowledge-based economy. This is according to the latest national survey of R&D activities, released by the Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII) of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). The purpose of the survey was to collect data which was used to produce indicators of R&D activities within South Africa's borders for use by analysts and other interested parties, both nationally and internationally. The survey showed that South Africa is gradually increasing spending on research and development, an excellent indication of the country's ability to participate in a knowledge-based economy. The results of the 2006/07 survey represent an improvement on the situation experience in 2005/06, where R&D expenditure of R14.1 billion, or 0.92 percent of GDP was recorded. Most South African R&D were performed in the research field of the engineering sciences (comprising 20.9 percent of total R&D), followed by the natural sciences (20.3 percent) and the medical and health sciences (15.1 percent).The higher education sector undertakes 20 percent of national R&D while government (including the science councils) performs 22.8 percent of the total but finances 33.9 percent of R&D. South Africa has a total of 30 986 full time equivalent (FTE) R&D personnel, comprising researchers, technicians and other support staff.

The United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has announced a $22 million loan to Ghana to boost the livelihoods of over 100,000 households in the West African nation. The funds from IFAD are part of a larger $103 million initiative targeted at achieving sustainable livelihoods for poor people in rural areas, especially small farmers, women and vulnerable groups in northern Ghana.

The Northern Rural Growth Programme seeks to enhance the incomes of rural residents. Some 45,000 households will be directly supported, and it is hoped that more than double that amount will benefit from improved infrastructure. The scheme aims to improve access to financial services and increase investment to protect against post-harvest losses. Additionally, irrigation systems will be enhanced. It is a direct response to the three poverty divides in Ghana: rural-urban, north-south and gender.

Google is helping develop a system to bring high-speed internet connections to three billion people developing countries in Africa and elsewhere. The 03b Networks system aims to use satellites to provide broadband services at the same speeds as those on offer in rich countries. The service, which is due to begin in 2010, is also backed by cable operator Liberty Global and the bank HSBC. It aims to tap into booming mobile phone usage in the developing world. It will target markets in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. The founders of 03b Networks recently helped pioneer the first commercial 3G mobile and fibre-to-the-home networks in Rwanda, the company said in a statement. Production of an initial 16 satellites has begun, and the project allows for additional satellites to increase capacity. The company said the system will enable the spread of locally generated content and e-learning, encouraging social and economic growth in the developing world. There are various other projects under way to bring faster and cheaper internet access to the African continent. Kenya has commissioned a fibre-optic cable from Fujaira in The United Arab Emirates along the sea floor of the Gulf of Oman, down the East African coast to the port town of Mombasa. Another undersea telecommunications cable, known as East African Submarine Cable System (Eassy), intends to connect 21 countries to each other and the rest of the world with high-quality internet.

The Journal of African Cinemas will explore the interactions of visual and verbal narratives in African film. It recognizes the shifting paradigms that have defined and continue to define African cinemas. Identity and perception are interrogated in relation to their positions within diverse African film languages. The editors are seeking papers that expound on the identity or identities of Africa and its peoples represented in film.   http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals.php?issn=17549221

South Africa has climbed from 35th to 32nd place in the World Bank and International Finance Corporation's Doing Business 2009, an annual survey of the time, cost and hassle involving in doing business in 181 countries around the world. The survey tracks indicators of the time and cost involved in meeting government requirements in business start-up, operation, trade, taxation, and closure. South Africa is also a strong performer when it comes to getting credit (2nd overall) and protecting investors (9th overall), but weak when it comes to ease of employing workers (102nd) and trading across borders (147th). According to the survey, Africa had a record year for regulatory reforms that make it easier to do business, with 28 African countries completing 58 reforms and four countries - Senegal, Burkina Faso, Botswana and Egypt - placed in the top 10 regulatory reformers. Mauritius was the continent's top performer for the year, moving up to 24 on the overall rankings, with South Africa the second most business-friendly African country at 32, followed by Botswana at 38.

South African petrochemical company Sasol has approved R558-million for Sasol Wax to double production of hard wax at its facility in Sasolburg, south of Johannesburg. The funds will go toward completing basic engineering for the operation, as well as for ordering long-lead items for the first phase of the two-phase expansion project. According to the company, Sasol Wax is the world's leading producer and marketer of synthetic and petroleum-derived waxes, with production facilities in South Africa, North America, and Europe. The synthetic waxes, which are manufactured via Sasol's advanced proprietary technology in South Africa, are used in a wide variety of specialised applications, including hot-melt adhesives, polymers, inks and high performance bitumen modifiers. Construction of the first phase is expected to be completed in 2011, with the second phase expected to be in full operation in 2013.

The Angolan State-owned oil company, SONANGOL, plans to build two fuel stations along the border between Angola and Namibia in 2009. The project will include the construction of a fuel station to fill vehicles at Xangongo locality and the creation of a distributor of butane gas. The construction of new fuel sites in Luanda, a mini-station at 11 de Novembro Airport, and a storage location for fuel tanks are currently in their final stages.

The African Woman Chartered Accountants (AWCA) forum, which aims to provide support for the development and advancement of black women Chartered Accountants (CAs), has named Sindi Zilwa as their 2008 Woman of Substance. Woman of Substance is an annual event which celebrates and honours a woman, who in the view of the AWCA board, has gone beyond the call of duty to support and empower black women in the accounting profession and business in general. What distinguishes all the recipients of the award is that they have all given back to their community and displayed a highly developed sense of civic duty which has touched the hearts and lives of many people. Sindi Zilwa was the second black woman CA after qualifying in 1990 and has always committed to breaking down barriers as well as being fearless in her pioneering spirit. In 1998 she was named South Africa's Business Women of the Year by the Executive Women's Club.

Eskom has secured a R2.8 billion export credit financing loan from Germany's KfW-IPEX to fund part of its capital expenditure activities. The South African state utility said in a statement that the loan would be used to partially finance the six boilers that the Hitachi Power consortium will supply for the construction of the new Medupi coal-fired power station, being built near Lephalale in Limpopo. The first of Medupi's six generating units will be commissioned by early 2011, with the last unit scheduled for commissioning by January 2015. The first of Kusile's six generating units is scheduled for completion by 2013, followed by the completion on an additional unit after every eight months. Eskom has also called for statements of qualification from local and international companies interested in investing in South Africa as independent power producers.

Africa investor (Ai), a leading international investment research and communications group, has announced the launch of its Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Index Series (the Africa investor SRI 50 & Africa investor SRI 30) at the United Nations in New York, as a concrete step to engage investors and business in support of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa. Between 2005 and 2007, global SRI assets increased by 18% while the broader universe of professionally managed assets increased by less than 3%. Research estimates that SRI Assets Under Management (AUM) will reach US $3 trillion by 2011. However, until now no pan-African SRI platform has existed for investors seeking exposure to SRI opportunities in Africa. Africa investor was commissioned by the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and the United Nations to establish the first internationally recognised pan African SRI benchmark to attract global SRI investment flows to the Africa. The Africa investor SRI Index Series is aligned with the MDGs and internationally recognised ESG principles, which form part of the selection criteria to assess companies working toward the achievement of the Goals. The SRI Index Series consists of the Ai SRI 50, a benchmark index to give development finance institutions, researchers, analysts and shareholders an overview of SRI across a broad spectrum of businesses and markets in Africa; and the Ai SRI 30, an investable index targeting institutional and retail SRI investors.

Construction has begun on NEPAD's UHURUNET undersea cable network which is due to be completed in time to provide international communications for the 2010 FIFA World Cup that will take place in South Africa in 2010. The fibre optic submarine segment of the network will initially run from Durban, South Africa, to Port Sudan in Sudan. Construction of the cable means that African governments must start formulating policies that favour the development of ICT and communication networks in the region, said Radakrishan Roy Padayache, Ugandan Deputy Minister for Communication. With a capacity of 3.84 terabits/sec, the cable will connect Africa directly to the Indian subcontinent, Middle East, Europe, and Brazil. It also provides for landing points to every coastal and inland country in Africa. The completion of the cable network is expected to greatly contribute to reduction of telecommunications costs that have been a hindrance to doing business in Africa. The submarine segment of the NEPAD network has been named UHURUNET; its terrestrial segment, UMOJANET; and the holding company of the submarine cable BAHARICOM. These words are Swahili, an indigenous African language of the African Union. The NEPAD Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), established under the Kigali protocol to construct, own, maintain and operate the NEPAD ICT broadband infrastructure network, including the undersea cable, will own 30 percent (the single largest investor in the company), the African investors and African ICT companies 45 percent and the international philanthropic and other investors 25 percent. The e-Africa Commission is NEPAD's task team for the development and implementation of the NEPAD ICT programme. Together with the Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund it will coordinate and promote the African participation in the submarine cable project.

The Futures Industry Association (FIA) has ranked South Africa's JSE the 10th largest derivatives exchange in the world by number of contracts traded. This ranking, published in a recent survey by Futures Industry - the official international publication of the FIA - reveals that the JSE traded over 216-million contracts during the first six months of 2008, a 61% growth over the corresponding period in 2007. The rapid growth of single stock futures and currency futures, as well as options, have all contributed to the overall success of the JSE derivatives market. In August, the JSE unveiled a new equity derivatives trading system specifically designed for the South African market, enabling new functionality and greater flexibility for local brokers, fund managers, market makers and other institutional investors. In July, the JSE listed and began trading on the first ever variance future on the exchange, which, with increasing demand, could be the forerunner to an entirely new asset class at the exchange. The JSE has also launched the Shariah Top 40 Index in partnership with the FTSE Group, allowing interested investors - including South Africa's 850,000 Muslims - to invest in Shariah-compliant companies. In July 2007, the JSE overtook the National Stock Exchange of India as the largest operator of single stock futures (SSF) market in the world in terms of volumes of contracts traded.

The Vice Chancellor, Makerere University/Forum Chair Professor Livingstone S Luboobi has revealed plans to help transform the University into a new thinking and direction through sustainability leadership development strategy aimed at taking Africa into an Ecological Age. Professor Luboobi has opened up an opportunity for investment partnership with the private Sector and other development partners in Makerere Africa Institute of Sustainability (MAIoS), project; a new vehicle for taking Africa into an Ecological Age. A MAIoS programme is tailored for early and mid career professionals from any professional background and nation. The Institute's languages of instruction and learning will be African languages, Arabic, Chinese, English, French, and Kiswahili. Preference shall be given to sustainability focused programmes in environment, natural science, engineering, business management, policy studies, social sciences, agriculture, public health, and economics among others; Training cycles may range from one week training to a three-year maturity leading to award of certificates, diplomas, Masters and PhDs; Off campus training through workshops, seminars, conferences and in-company boardroom lectures will be encouraged; Faculty Exchange Programme (FEP) within and outside the partnership to promote information sharing, knowledge transfer and experience sharing will be at the fore front of MAIoS; North-to-South and South-to-South student educational exchange and sustainability will be part of the programme. For full information , please contact Professor Livingstone S. Luboobi, Vice Chancellor, Makerere University Email:   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Cape Town is one of 10 cities that are most likely to become a global sustainability centre by 2020, according to a list of the '20 cities of 2020' by the Ethisphere Institute, a New York business ethics and social responsibility think-tank. The 2020 Global Sustainability Centres comprises of ten large cities (600,000+ citizens) and ten mid-sized cities (60,000-600,000 citizens) lauded for long-term city planning and building strong, principled foundations. Cape Town joined Toronto, Hyderabad, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, New York, London, Frankfurt, Curtiba and Melbourne on the list of large cities. Cities were considered for their environmental and sustainability practices; health and recreation; education, arts and culture; economic and business environment; regulatory framework; law enforcement and transparency; media and speech; transportation and housing; and innovation and investment. Cape Town was acknowledged for developing a sustainable development programme in 2004 to help deal with growing energy needs of the city. The programme aims to have 10 percent of homes using solar power and 10 percent of the city's energy consumption coming from renewable sources by 2020.

China's current investment in Nigeria stands at $3 billion while bilateral trade as at the end of 2007 amounted to $4.3 billion, making Nigeria the third largest trading partner of China in Africa.

Sonangol has recently published the fall edition of Universo magazine. Universo is distributed to an international audience of approximately 15,000 readers interested in Angolan oil, business, politics and culture. To receive a free copy of Universo Magazine, please send an electronic request to:  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The South African Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has launched a new website offering a wealth of resources, including legal information and useful tools, related to Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) in South Africa. The new portal highlights what is expected by the BEE codes of good practice and will help the government monitor and report on the implementation of BEE across the economy. According to the government, the portal will promote business opportunities, manage the flow of information to the department, and provide a channel through which members of the public can report on BEE "fronting". Visitors to the portal will be able to use an interactive self-assessment tool, likened to a BEE calculator, which will help companies gauge their empowerment credentials. It is also hoped that the portal will simplify compliance and minimise costs associated with broad-based black economic empowerment, standardise the reporting process by stakeholders, and encourage broader participation.  bee.thedti.gov.za

As part of a government program to offer consumer and micro credit, Banco Sol has granted USD 45 million in credit to farmers and teachers in Angola. The project has benefited 25,200 teachers, nurses, and other healthcare professionals in rural Angola, and 40,000 farmers organized in cooperatives. Under the program, Banco Sol is responsible for the provinces of Luanda, Bié, Malanje, Zaire, Bengo Huambo, Benguela, and Huíla.

Scientists at a Senegalese university are the first to benefit from a United Nations-backed project aimed at providing colleges in five African countries with the technology and tools needed to prevent the migration of graduates and reduce the continent's “brain drain.” The installation of the first computing grid at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar is part of a joint initiative by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Hewlett-Packard and the Grid Computing Institute of France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). Grid computing is a hardware and software infrastructure that clusters and integrates high-end computer networks, databases and scientific instruments from multiple sources to form a virtual environment in which users can work collaboratively. Connected over the Internet, these sets of servers or computers make it possible to process and store data and to multiply computing power and speed. The University's grid node, set up by the Grid Computing Institute of the CNRS, is the first sub-Saharan African component of the grid infrastructure created in 2004 by the European Union. According to UNESCO, launching this first link represents an important step in bridging the digital divide between North and South. It will facilitate international scientific cooperation for sub-Saharan Africa as a whole and for Senegal in particular. The joint project “Reversing Brain Drain into Brain Gain for Africa” follows the successful implementation of a similar UNESCO/Hewlett-Packard initiative for Southeast Europe, launched in 2003.

According to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, Angola had 194,730 tourists visit the country in 2007, representing a 62% rise over the 2006 figure of 121,462. Tourists to Angola come from Europe (89,351 tourists), United States of America (38,113 tourists), Other African Nations (33,419 tourists), Asia (31,297 tourists) , Middle East (1,278 tourists), Australia (1,272 tourists).

Stars Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of the 2009 STARS Impact Awards recognising organisations working in children's health, education and protection. Established as an annual award, the STARS Impact Awards support organisations committed to achieving excellence in the provision of services to disadvantaged children and encourage the replication of effective approaches and practices. Each Award provides US$100,000 of unrestricted funding as well as consultancy support tailored to meet the needs of the recipients. In addition, a smaller Award may be made at the discretion of the STARS Board of Trustees to recognise the work of an organisation whose application demonstrates potential as a ‘rising star'. The closing date for applications is 28 November 2008.   http://starsfoundation.org.uk/

Portuguese bank BPI recently sold 49.9% of the Angolan bank, Banco Fomento Angola (BFA) to Unitel, an Angolan telecommunications operator, for approximately USD 485 million. BFA is the biggest private bank in Angola and has a market share of over 20 percent, and has 100 branches with deposits of USD 3.8 billion.

Through a program of fellowship competitions, regional workshops, and peer networking, the African Humanities Program provides support to the humanities in five African countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. The program is supported by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The centerpiece of the program is the distribution of fellowships to African scholars in these countries for work on dissertations, research projects, and scholarly manuscripts. The African Humanities Program will award approximately 40 such fellowships in its 2008-2009 competition. In future years, funding will be available to subsidize the publication of manuscripts completed with fellowships of the African Humanities Program. In coordination with African scholars, ACLS hosts a series of annual meetings in the five African countries participating in the program. These meetings provide opportunities for senior African scholars from a variety of disciplines to collaborate with ACLS representatives in the local design of programs, while giving younger scholars a means to learn about the application process and gain feedback on their project proposals. Through the activities of the African Humanities Program, ACLS promotes local and transnational cooperation among humanities scholars at all stages of their careers, working towards the development of a self-sustaining network of African humanities scholars.  http://www.acls.org/grants/Default.aspx?id=3210

Africa investor, a leading international investment communications group and Standard Bank, today launched a dedicated bi-monthly Chinese language pan African investment magazine. The new magazine, published by Africa investor, provides investment news, comment and analysis and is distributed exclusively to several thousand Chinese business and government leaders. The magazine allows Africa investor to facilitate investment partnerships between African and Chinese businesses, particularly in the delivery of infrastructure projects and the lucrative emerging capital market opportunities as the global financial markets slow down. Ai in Mandarin will reach a dynamic new Chinese readership while delivering a unique platform and increased value to the African business and government advertising community seeking Chinese partners.

To prepare for the increase in tourism, brought on by the African Nations Championship being held in Angola, approximately 2,000 hotel rooms are being built in Luanda, and an additional 800 rooms and a new hotel are being built in Benguela. The opening of new hotels and tourist facilities will create a variety of lodging and restaurant options for tourists, and will boost the contribution of tourism to the General State Budget.

Zambia has struck a trade deal with the European Commission (EC) that wall give the southern African nation full access to markets in the European Union (EU). The announcement was made by EU Trade Commission. The 27 member EU has deals with poor countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) to replace the former Cotonou trade arrangements deemed illegal by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Do you want to experience a nine-month –long internship programme (April to November 2009) at a regional women's rights organization based in Kampala, Uganda? Do you want to interact with young women from four countries in the region? Do you want to experience a multicultural networking, educational, empowerment and capacity building? Do you want to be part of the women's movement in Eastern Africa? Then why don't you apply to be one of the fortunate 4 young women to be selected for mentoring and coaching by the Eastern African sub Regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women? You must be a female from Burundi Ethiopia, Rwanda or Uganda between the ages of 20 and 35. The Eastern African Sub-regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women (EASSI) was formed in 1996 as a mechanism that would facilitate networking within the Eastern African sub Region (Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somali, Tanzania and Uganda) to build on the gains made following the Beijing 4th World Conference on Women. EASSI prioritizes on the 12 critical areas of concern for women identified in the Beijing and the African Platforms for Action. The founding principle of EASSI was to stimulate activism at national, regional and international levels and to make concrete and meaningful change for women of the sub-region. The young women's internship programme provides opportunities for learning, interacting and networking. Its objective is to develop and enhance young women's skills in leadership, gender, lobbying and advocacy, management, report writing and analysis, research and documentation, information management, developing resourceful data bases, website maintenance and resource centre management. In 2008 the young women in this programme came from Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania. The deadline for submission is Friday 13th February 2009 at 1200pm GMT. Website: www.eassi.org

A new report released by the South African Presidency has found that there has been a reduction in both absolute income poverty, which is the income of poor people, and in relative income poverty, which is the gap between the average income of poor people and the poverty line. The report, entitled "Towards a Fifteen Year Review Synthesis Report", reviews the government's successes as well as shortcomings and challenges over the last 15 years, and investigates the impact of government programmes in improving the lives of South Africans. Various studies have confirmed that social grant support were well targeted and contributed considerably to poverty reduction. Of social grants, the report indicated that 62% of the total went to the poorest 40% of households, and 82% to the poorest 60%. While many poor South Africans were lifting themselves from abject poverty, the rich in South Africa were getting richer, most likely due to access to economic opportunities.

This year, Angola's state-owned diamond company, Endiama, will surpass output of 10 million carats in 2008. Production from January-May is already at 3.35 million carats, evaluated at US$ 525 million. From this total, 2.98 million carats are informal mined diamonds from exploration in Catoca, Lucapa, estimated at US$ 411 million; and 79,000 carats are artisanal diamonds, estimated at US$ 114 million.

Software giant Microsoft has announced that it is to build four innovation centres in Africa - including two in South Africa - over the next two years. According to the company, the centres will act as economic "spark plugs" for local innovators and the local software industry. Once functional, the centres will provide an estimated 6 000 businesspeople per year with the technology they need to start up their businesses or further their careers. The new centres will provide a huge boost for skills development in the local technology industry by providing world-class facilities and support programs in innovation, intellectual capital, technology and business skills for start-ups, software developers, IT professionals, government and universities. Microsoft will ramp up operations in South Africa, especially through the Students to Business (S2B) programme that helps local companies find and hire technology students, while also providing the necessary qualification to qualified candidates. According to the company, the aim of its S2B programme in the country is to ensure that its South African workforce evolves to reflect the country's diversity, while also providing students with the key competencies they need to excel in their future jobs in the industry.

South Africa's Standard Bank plans to open a branch in Angola by the end of this year. The South African bank has had a representational office in Luanda for the last two years and the new subsidiary will have initial capital of US$ 25 million, which may later be increased to USD 50 million. The Standard Bank, which is headquartered in South Africa, is present in 16 African countries, of which 11 are members of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).

The Sahelo-Saharan states have launched the Great Green Wall project within the framework of NEPAD, which involves planting a five-kilometre-wide strip of trees over a distance of 7,000 km from Dakar to Djibouti, across the desert, to prevent further desertification. The wall will stretch from the Gulf of Aden on the east coast of Africa right across the Sahelo-Saharan states to Senegal on the west coast. "With the regeneration of biodiversity, we plan to give our planet a new 'green lung' and contribute thus to the fight against climatic changes," said a representative of the Government of Senegal. The tree varieties have already been selected, in accordance with the climatic zones and each country is responsible for the Green Wall within its own borders. There are plans to build water capture basins alongside the Green Wall. The Senegal government believes that Africa "with its unexploited huge land resources -- can at the same time be a bread basket and a reservoir for biofuel." Plants like Jartropha which can be used for biofuel grow wild in Senegal. Source: The Guardian

Angola is Norway's most important economic partner in Africa, with annual exports of US$ 300,000, and total investments reaching USD 6 billion (mainly in the oil industry). Norway's Statoil Hydro has become an important partner to Angola, accounting for 11% of Angolan oil output, with investments of US$5 billion. Both countries maintain relations in hydroelectric exploration, fishing, humanitarian assistance, and de-mining.

Eleven of the 14 member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have officially launched a free trade area (FTA). Launched during the 28th SADC Summit in Johannesburg, the agreement ushers in a new era of economic integration and industrialisation for the sub-region. With the goal of eliminating tariffs and trade barriers among member countries, the FTA agreement is part of the SADC's ongoing efforts to deepen long-term regional integration in order to accelerate economic growth and reduce poverty for the millions of people living on the continent. From August 2008, producers and consumers will pay no import tariffs on an estimated 85% of all trade on goods between 11 countries: Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi will join the FTA later. It is expected to create a regional market worth about $360-billion, benefiting a total population of 170-million people. The SADC FTA programme also includes establishing a Customs Union by 2010, a Common Market by 2015, a monetary Union by 2016 and a single currency by 2018.

In Nigeria, where cultural attitudes and traditional beliefs often circumscribe women's roles and hinder access to training and education, a women's project is changing lives. The initiative supported by the Japan Women-in-Development Fund, established in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is helping women farmers improve their livelihoods. The project is implemented by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and several Nigerian NGOs. Women in the Onna Local Government Area in the Niger Delta are receiving technical support through the project to improve cassava production and processing. Cassava tuber roots look similar to a sweet potato and are rich in carbohydrates. The leaves provide about the same amount of protein as an egg. Cassava is processed into high-quality starch, flour and animal feed, and is also used to make products such as paper and gum. The crop is often grown by poor women farmers in Africa, and frequently on marginal land. Women farmers and their families are benefitting from higher crop yields and higher earnings from the sale of cassava products. The project also offers training in economic decision-making and technical and entrepreneurship skills. The network of partners involved, from the local to the international level, are helping women in Nigeria gain a brighter future.

The Angola LNG (liquid natural gas) Project, located in Soyo, will be complete in 2012, and is expected to produce 5.2 million tons of gas per year. The company is forecasting 125 million cubic meters of gas being consumed by the domestic market and the remainder being exported to the Atlantic basin, particularly the United States. During the first phase of construction, the project may employ a total of 7,000 people, 60 percent of whom will be Angolan workers. Preparing and dredging of the land was finished in May and by the end of 2008 construction of the factory will begin. In the operating phase, approximately 450 jobs will be created and recruitment is already underway for maintenance, operations, instrumentation, human resources, accounting and IT staff.

State telecommunications company Telkom has announced its willingness to significantly drop the costs of bandwidth for the business process outsourcing and offshoring (BPO&O) industry in South Africa. BPO involves relocating business processes that a company usually performs in-house to a third-party service provider, such as a customer care or call centre, to carry out on behalf of the company. Outsourcing becomes offshoring when the third-party service provider is located overseas. The BPO&O industry is expected to have a global value of around US$50-billion in 2008 and to grow by 50% per annum over the next three to four years, creating an additional 3-million direct jobs worldwide. While the government had shown commitment to making South Africa's BPO industry more attractive, the cost and ease of doing business in the country remained a concern.

The Nosso Super supermarket chain will invest over USD 17 million to build 164 shops in all municipalities of the country, bringing the total number of stores to 10,000 by 2010. The company has already begun routing the project through provincial governments, so that construction may begin. Their goal is to expand marketing of Nosso Super products by building more stores, ranging in size from 50 to 500 square meters of floor space.

Workers in the tourism industry are to get the opportunity to hone their skills at accredited service providers through the newly launched Adult Basic Education and Training (Abet)-Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Education and Training Authority (Theta) Tourism Programme. The programme aims to contribute to the improvement of skills and to bring skills to the unemployed, or those wanting to be employed, in their sector. At least 28,000 tourism industry employees are to benefit from the programme, which is part of plans to boost the country's skills base in various sectors while trying to bridge the serious challenge of unemployment, particularly among the black youth and women. The tourism industry is seen as South Africa's biggest contributor to the economy as it contributes an estimated 8.1 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for about 940,000 direct and indirect jobs. Further, the industry's contribution to the national economy grew by 22 billion resulting in an overall contribution of 8.1 percent to the GDP of South Africa last year. Moreover, it is also estimated that the future potential of tourism's contribution to job creation and the country's GDP will be as follows by year 2015 will stand at a total of 712,000 and additional indirect jobs in the same year of 2015 will be 870,000 jobs.

Four new hotels are currently being built in the Angolan capital of Luanda, valued at USD 300 million. The hotels are being built to increase services and provide additional accommodation for the African Nations Cup (CAN) to be held in 2010. Of the new hotels being built, one will be a five-star hotel, Hotel Sana, located in Ingombotas with 238 rooms. The remaining three hotels being built will be three-star hotels: Sismotel (located in central Luanda with 240 rooms), The Skina Vip Inn (located in the municipality of Ingombotas with 236 rooms), and Hotel Luanda (located next to Chicala beach with 130 rooms).

Ethiopia's Ministry of Education and the University of South Africa (UNISA) have signed an agreement that will enable the latter to launch PhD programmes through videoconferencing. With the agreement, UNISA will be able to offer PhD courses in technology sciences, business and economics, among others fields. The programme aims to train over 4 000 Ethiopians over a five year period. Training of the first batch of students will commence as of this coming academic year. The ministry said it envisages training or getting trained 10 000 and 2 000 teachers in Masters and in PhD respectively at higher learning institutes locally or through distance education. UNISA is a distance education university, with headquarters in Pretoria. There are approximately 200 000 enrolled students.

Microsoft is the country's BEST Employer™ for 2008/09 according to the now well-established HR best practice benchmark BEST Employers™ South Africa, run by CRF South Africa. The announcement was made by CRF in Johannesburg and is the outcome of an international HR Benchmark™ research process which underpins the BEST Employers™. The top 10 BEST Employers™ this year are: Microsoft, ABSA, Shell, Pfizer Laboratories, Ernst & Young, Siemens Limited, South African Breweries, Cisco Systems, Unilever and Werksmans Inc.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Netherlands police service have forged a partnership to create a platform to share ideas, skills and training. An agreement between the two police services will see the two countries beefing-up crime prevention operations in the two countries. The focus of the partnership will be to establish mutual cooperation to improve policing in both countries by exchanging knowledge, skills and experience in relation to law enforcement, investigation of crime, crime prevention, public order and public safety. The agreement will work in a twining relation with three police regions in Netherlands and three regional police stations in South Africa. South Africa is a member of Interpol, which assists in curbing global crime by sharing information between governments.

A project to empower women, to reduce poverty and improve food and livelihood security is now under way in the Blantyre and Thyolo districts of Malawi with help from the NEPAD-Spanish Fund for the Empowerment of Women. The project is being driven by the Orphan Widows Aids Campaign Organisation (OWACO), an NGO which points out that women have little access to employment opportunities and that food and livelihood insecurity is a major contributor to Malawi's public health problems. As part of the launch strategy, orientation meetings have been conducted by OWACO with the District Executive Committee and the Area Development Committee which include government departments and other organisations at district level.

An estimated 2.7 million spectators are expected to watch the FIFA World Cup's 64 matches in South Africa in June 2010 with a television audience of up to 2.8 billion for the final. In 2001 FIFA made a historic decision to stage the 2010 World Cup on the African continent and since then the emphasis has been on making it an African event, one that will help spread confidence and prosperity across the entire continent. The African Business Showcase is a business-led, public-private development partnership involving NEPAD and the 2010 FIFA World Cup Unit of the South African Government's Department of Sport and Recreation with the aim of showcasing Africa as a business and investment destination. The expected events are a 4 day exhibition in 2009 and a 5 day exhibition in 2010. The week-long conference and exhibition at the Gallagher Estates during the first week of the 2010 FIFA World Cup will include a pavilion in which every African country can showcase African culture and Africa as a trade and investment opportunity.

The Banking Association of South Africa and the South African Savings Institute have piloted a Teach Children to Save initiative in an effort to encourage youngsters increase their financial awareness and to start saving earlier in their lives. The Teach Children to Save Day has been sponsored in the USA by the American Bankers Association Education Foundation (ABAEF) since 1997, and the highly successful programme is now being piloted in South Africa, Mexico and Turkey. The South African version of the campaign, which is supported by the national education department, has lessons that are aimed at students in Grades four to seven. The initiative aims to promote financial literacy, foster a culture of saving, promote volunteerism, create awareness about the value of money and the importance of savings and assist students to appreciate that being able to chose empowers them. While modelled on the original US initiative, the local programme has been customised for South Africa, and the pilot was deliberately timed to coincide with South Africa's Savings Month, July. Volunteer bankers and financial sector professionals will deliver one-hour lessons on why saving is important, how to design a budget, recognising needs and wants, and how interest makes money grow.

The Angolan economy absorbed US$ 24.6 billion in public and private investments in 2007, which represents a near tripling of the previous year's figure of US$ 8.6 billion. Of this amount, the government invested USD 7.4 billion, compared with US$ 5.8 billion the previous year, while the private sector invested US$ 17.2 billion, compared with US$ 1.2 billion in 2006. The evolution of the private sector reflects restored investor confidence in the Angolan market, with investment risks dropping sharply. As a result of this boom, there are now 5.4 million jobs in the country, with the agricultural sector providing 4.815 million of these. Fishing accounts for 159,000 jobs; industry for 37,200; and the social sector (education, health, and community services) accounting for 66,000. With 27,000 jobs, oil and mining provide the least amount of jobs: the oil industry employs 14,000 and mining, 13,000. Between 2004 and 2007, the Angolan economy enjoyed accumulated real growth of 92.4%. In other words, in just four years, GDP nearly doubled, with an annual real average of about 17.8%.

The Third International Congress on Islamic Feminism has been announced by Junta Islàmica Catalana (Catalonian Islamic Board). The conference will be focused on the problems of Muslim women in the Global era. Many Muslim women today are facing a double oppression: economic (neo-liberalism) and political (religious fundamentalism). The Congress will consider the responses given by Islamic feminists to this situation, and their contribution towards the construction of a new civil society worldwide, based on a culture of human rights and Qur'anic values such as democracy, social justice, freedom of conscience and gender equality.  http://www.feminismeislamic.org/eng/

According to the Ministry of Finance, Angola's per capita GDP rose from USD 1,500 in 2002 to US$ 3,500 in 2007. Between 2004 and 2007, the Angolan economy enjoyed real growth of 92.4%. In only four years, the economy nearly doubled its GDP, with an average annual real growth of around 17.8%. In 2007 alone, the Angolan economy absorbed US$ 24.6 billion in public and private investments, a rise of roughly three times over the previous year, when the market received USD 8.6 billion. Of this total, the government invested US$ 7.4 billion, compared with US$ 5.8 billion the previous year, while the private sector invested US$ 17.2 billion, up from the 2006 figure of US$ 1.2 billion. As a result, total jobs reached 5.4 million, with agriculture accounting for 4.815 million of these.

An expanded version of the Sudan Open Archive (SOA) is now online. The new version - SOA 2.0 - features an improved user interface and open access to a thousand books and documents on all aspects of Sudan. The Archive makes a wide range of material available - and searchable - in digital form for the first time. It also incorporates an internet guide with links to several hundred Sudan-related websites. SOA 2.0 includes dictionaries, material on human rights and environmental issues and a collection of reports on local peace meetings in north and south Sudan.  http://www.sudanarchive.net/

The Losam Textile Company, one of Spain's largest textile companies, plans to build one or two plants in Angola that would begin operation next year. Between September and October of 2008, top company officials have been meeting with members of Angola's Chamber of Commerce and Industry to study the possibility of immediate installation of the plants.

The University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) has been named the No 1 business school in South Africa by the Professional Management Review. The USB achieved the highest overall score of 4.11 out of a possible 5 points in the annual national survey of MBA accredited schools. The results of the survey were based on responses from a nationwide random sample of 485 line managers and human resources directors/managers who are all decision-makers from listed and large companies, government departments and parastatals in South Africa that employ MBA and MBL graduates. A pre-defined list of accredited business schools were rated across 16 attributes which include academic knowledge, leadership skills/abilities, strategic management and sustainable leadership practices. According to PMR.africa the purpose of the awards is to celebrate excellence. This is the fourth time over the past 10 years that the USB has been rated as the top business school in South Africa through the PMR annual survey.

South Africa is currently playing host to 40 ancient manuscripts from the city of Timbuktu in Mali, as part of the NEPAD mandate between the two countries to preserve and promote the legacies of Africa. This is the first time that any of the collection of 3 000 manuscripts housed at the Ahmed Baba institute in Timbuktu have left Mali. Collected over hundreds of years, they contain literature on various issues from religion, astronomy and mathematics. The joint project to preserve the ancient manuscripts started in 2001 when President Thabo Mbeki visited Mali. The South African Government is currently building a state-of-the-art library for the manuscripts in Mali. The manuscripts will tour museums in the major cities of South Africa before they return to Mali in December.

Portuguese company Bascol, in partnership with Angolan investors, plans to invest US$ 213 million in real estate projects in Angola by 2011. The biggest project is a condominium unit covering a total of 46,000 square meters, at an investment of USD 184 million. Each apartment within the project is estimated to cost between USD 250,000 to USD 1.07 million. Construction began in September, and will be finished within two years. In the Golf neighborhood, located between Talatona and Nova Vida in Luanda, a housing and retail development estimated at US$ 60 million has been designed. The project will offer complementary facilities including a gym and nursery. Construction will begin in 2009, and will be finished within two years. The third project, requiring an investment of US$ 9 million, is a retail park made up of nine warehouses. The project will be located in the Camama area and is scheduled to begin operation at the end of the year. An additional US$ 16 million is expected to be invested in an open air shopping center in the Nova Vida area, which will include residential buildings.

East Africa's investment and venture capital markets are set for a revolution with the establishment of the Africa Technology Media and Telecoms (ATMT) Fund. The package is a US$100 million fund aimed at the fast-growing information and communications technology (ICT) sector in the region and is managed by Nairobi-based East Africa Capital Partners. ATMT is aimed at African companies in the ICT sector, which has become one of the most exciting business sectors on the continent. The rate of growth in telecoms, internet connectivity and other forms of ICT companies has been nothing short of astounding, and indicates a pent-up demand for the benefits of communication. One of ATMT's primary investments has been in the Wananchi Group, one of Kenya's leading internet and entertainment companies. The $40 million investment that has been made will enable the Group move to the front of the extremely competitive market. The fund has established the small and medium enterprise (SME) Ventures, which is aimed at early-growth companies. SME Ventures aims at funding 'Kenya's Bill Gates and Tanzania's Steve Jobs' young, ambitious entrepreneurs who are gutsy enough to start billion-dollar companies on the continent. SME Ventures will provide between $ 50,000 and $500,000 to such start-ups, aiming at assuring between five and seven years of growth, before the fund's exit point. ATMT is partly funded by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, a US-government agency that aims to foster economic development in emerging markets.

The World Bank has invested USD 30 million in a family agriculture project geared towards market production. The project's primary goal is to boost farming production and improve access to markets through efficient services in the provinces of Bie, Huambo and Malanje. The project will benefit over 120,000 households involved in subsistence farming.

Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations, has been appointed the new President of the Foundation supporting the World Organization against Torture (OMCT). Kofi Annan has always demonstrated a strong commitment to human rights and has stated his total opposition to torture. By accepting the role, he expressed his wish to be actively involved in initiatives defending human rights. Since its creation in 1986, OMCT has been engaged in fighting against torture, summary executions and all other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, through actions geared to prevention, information, denunciation and rehabilitation. To give a voice to victims, OMCT works with the SOS-Torture network, the largest international coalition of non-governmental organizations active in the protection of human rights, with 282 affiliated members in 92 countries. Thanks to this unique network, OMCT maintains permanent contact with the field and is immediately informed of any human rights violations. It then makes public the facts and denounces the perpetrators via its urgent interventions, disseminated to a large audience worldwide. Mr. Annan has emphasized that he wishes his role to be an active one. In particular, he will engage in raising the profile of OMCT and in fundraising to increase the Foundation's capital with a view to enhancing OMCT's capacity to protect and promote human rights around the world.

Emerging Capital Partners (ECP) has invested $15 million investment in Blue Financial Services Ltd., a non-deposit taking micro lender serving 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The investment was made through convertible bonds and common shares. Blue Financial is listed on the Alternative Exchange Index of the JSE Securities Exchange. The company has over $140 million in assets and 190 branches throughout South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Cameroon and Lesotho. Source: Private Equity African News

Africa still relies heavily on expensive satellite connections to gain access to the Internet, according to a report by the South Africa-based telecommunications analysts BMI-TechKnowledge, who work in 40 African countries. Over 80 per cent of African Internet use is routed through satellite connections, says the report, while efforts are underway to switch to using high-bandwidth fibre optic cables, with at least ten being built. Engineering News reported BMI-TechKnowledge as saying that companies will spend more than US$6 billion on cable projects in the next two years. Fast internet connections are essential for growth in business and other applications on the continent, but have so far either been expensive or rarely available. Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania are the countries driving the demand for connectivity, according to Brian Nielsen, director of BMI-TechKnowledge. Landlocked nations are most affected while the private Seacom marine fibre optic cable, running from Madagascar and South Africa up to Egypt before branching to India and France will be ready by mid 2009. The US$2 billion Uhurunet broadband network project proposed by the New Partnership for Africa's Development has not started, while other high-speed cable projects underway include The East African Marine System (TEAMS) from Kenya to the United Arab Emirates, due to start next year, and the Flag cable through the Horn of Africa.

Cameroon's Information and Communication Technology will in a few years see a significant transformation, following the signing of two new agreements between the Cameroonian government and Canada. The first agreement is expected to usher in a new set of multimedia centres, 300 of them, in the rural areas. According to the terms of the agreement, the centres will be constructed on or before 2015. The multimedia centres are tool for the development of rural areas. They are expected to facilitate communication, render it cheaper and easier for the rural masses. The private centres that Canada will construct will provide jobs for over 900 rural people, mostly women. A second agreement will enable the South Korean government to bring in a new security device for carrying electronic business more efficiently and at low cost. The Public Key Infrastructure will therefore be installed and this will necessitate three things: a certification authority, a registration authority and a technical architecture made up of server, computers etc. The certificate to be delivered by the certification authority will be used in signing documents digitally to authenticate documents sent by e-mail. Source: Cameroon Tribune

Barely a year after its establishment, the Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE) has brought in revenue amounting to 5billion Francs ($9million), the Capital Markets Advisory Council announced on Wednesday. The RSE was launched on January 31 and has so far listed two 10 billion Franc ($18.6 million) government bonds and one 5 billion Franc corporate bond floated by the private Banque Commerciale du Rwanda. Though at present, it has no companies listed yet, the market has attracted business from regional players. At least four Kenyan stockbrokers have acquired licences that grant them membership to the region's youngest stock market.

The government has approved the Broadcasting Digital Migration policy for South Africa's conversion of television broadcasting signals from analogue to digital, while also approving the local manufacture of set-top conversion boxes. The migration has been made necessary due to developments in telecommunications technologies, which enable a more efficient use of the radio frequency spectrum, as well as ensure better quality of pictures and sound. Once migration begins, television users will have to purchase locally manufactured set-top boxes which convert the digital signal for use on currently available analogue TV sets. The decision to promote local manufacture of the set-top boxes in high volumes will provide a boost for the local electronics manufacturing sector and help create additional jobs. The government has also agreed to help approximately five million of the poorest television owning households, by providing up to 70% of the cost of set-top boxes. Funding for this subsidy could possibly be sourced from the Universal Service and Access Fund. The government agreed that South Africa's digital signal would be switched on on 1 November 2008, and its analogue signal switched off on 1 November 2011. This allows for both the digital and the analogue signal to be broadcast concurrently for a "dual-illumination" period of three years. According to the Department of Communications, it is on track to start broadcasting a digital signal on 1 November 2008, and will provide digital broadcasting and mobile TV by 2010.

Gateway Communications, the leading provider of pan-African voice and data connectivity services, has joined sponsors to recognize the best in the African telecoms in the Africa Awards. Africa is the world's fastest growing telecommunications market and Gateway Communications has been responsible for pioneering the delivery of high quality and cost effective voice, data and managed network solutions across the continent, investing $300 million in African communications since 2005. AfricaCom attracts more than 3,000 people to its conference and exhibition, taking place in Cape Town on November 18-19, 2008. The inaugural AfricaCom Awards celebrates the outstanding achievements of the African communications market during the last twelve months. Gateway Communications owns and manages a state-of-the-art network connecting over 40 African countries with offices in 13 and network control centres in Lagos, Accra, Maputo, Johannesburg and Brussels and providing services to over 1,200 corporations and more than 80 African mobile and fixed operators.

Private equity fundraising targeting investments in Africa, grew 112% in the first quarter of this year to $1.2 billion, as investors continue to view the region with growing interest. The figure is part of the emerging market private equity funds raised in the first half of this year, totalling $35 billion, which is a 68% growth over the same period last year. But private equity funds in the developed world experienced comparably slower growth. European fundraising grew a meager 16% to $61 billion, while US-focused private equity fund-raising reportedly dropped 3% to $133 billion in the same period, according to the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association. According to the EMPEA, economic conditions in the US and Europe appear to be having less impact on fundraising for private equity in emerging markets compared to mature private equity markets and what began as incipient interest in emerging markets private equity has developed into an acceptance of the asset class as part of mainstream allocation strategy. A total of 104 funds were raised for emerging markets in the first half of this year, with the average fund size growing 72%, to $339 million as compared to $197 million in the first half of 2007.Almost half of the funds raised focused on growth and expansion capital, which were up from 38% of the total raised in the first half of 2007. EMPEA expects 2008 emerging markets private equity fundraising to beat 2007 totals. Source: Private Equity African News

Emerging Capital Partners (ECP), an international private equity firm focused on investing across the African continent, has announced a U.S. $30 million initial investment in Salt Investment S.A. (SI). The company is a new Djibouti-based salt production and export company that will harvest, wash and export salt extracted from Lake Assal, the largest undeveloped salt reserve in the world. The investment was made through a Mauritius special purpose vehicle, which will hold a controlling stake in the company. The investment will finance SI's operations, specifically purchasing production equipment, and constructing or renovating facilities, storage units, a shipping platform and housing sites. The salt production will be predominantly used for deicing, chemical applications and industrial feedstock. According to ECP, the salt industry is attractive because growth in the Middle East and Asia is resulting in a shift toward high-quality production that is required for chemical manufacturing, while the economic conditions in Djibouti are also favorable, with high GDP growth, low inflation is low and a government supportive of economic growth and job creation. Lake Assal has ideal conditions for salt production including high evaporation rates, high temperatures, and pure brine feed from the Red Sea. The result is that many of the key elements for salt production occur naturally in the environment. ECP estimates that SI could produce and export about four million tons of salt a year by 2012, which would place the company among the five largest salt producers in the world. The initial SI investment was made through ECP's U.S. $523 million ECP Africa Fund II and provided an opportunity for the fund to further diversify its portfolio in terms of industry and geography. Africa Fund II was established in December 2005 to capitalize on the numerous investment opportunities throughout Africa in sectors such as telecom, natural resources, financial services, agribusiness, transportation, and power and water. Source: Emerging Capital Partners

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has been appointed as the patron of the Africa Centre for Dispute Settlement (ACDS) at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB). Described by the University as “the ideal person” to be the Patron of the ACDS at the USB, Tutu is known for his activism for human rights and campaigns to fight Aids, poverty and racism. Tutu has contrasted his experience in a recent United Nations peace mission which he headed to the war-torn Middle East region with the work that the Africa Centre of Dispute Settlement has started to do. Well known for chairing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he is currently the chairman of The Elders, a group of world leaders which contributes its wisdom, leadership and integrity to tackle some of the world's toughest problems. The Centre is unique in that it is the first time that such an initiative focusing on dispute settlement as an alternative means to expensive litigation will be researched at a South African business school. The ACDS at the USB is an African hub for dispute settlement theory and practice. It addresses the increasing need to settle disputes of all forms at an early stage, using alternative forms of dispute resolution (such as dialogue and mediation). The Centre, which houses a panel of specialist mediators across a spectrum of disciplines, focuses on research, programme development, teaching and training, as well as consultation regarding dispute system design.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group and the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI) on Monday, in Tunis, signed a grant agreement of 14 million Units of Account (UA*), equivalent to US$ 23 million, to finance the West African Monetary Zone Payment System Development project, which aims at creating a single currency in the sub-region by standardizing the payment systems in The Gambia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. The project is an important regional financial infrastructural requirement for implementing the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) by upgrading the payment systems in the three countries to the same level as those in Ghana and Nigeria, with a view to facilitating the harmonization of the payment systems in five of the six member countries of WAMZ. The main component of the project is the development of Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), a large value funds transfer system whereby financial intermediaries can settle inter-bank transfers continuously and in real time for their own account as well as the accounts of their customers in the three countries. The implementation of RTGS is expected to enhance the establishment of a West African Central Bank (WACB), which will, in turn, implement a regional RTGS system that will link the national RTGSs in its member countries in a "system of systems". The estimated cost of the project is UA 17.56 million. The ADF grant accounts for 79.7% of the total cost. The central banks of the three countries will, together contribute UA 1.62 million or 9.2% of the project cost in local currency, while the estimated contribution of the commercial banks in the three countries is UA 1.9 million or 11.1%. The commercial banks' contribution represents the investments that they will require to make in their respective offices in order for the new payment systems to operate effectively. WAMZ was created in 2000 by The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Nigeria and Sierra Leone, with the primary objective of promoting economic integration and trade in the zone. The goal was to create a single economic space in the Zone by December 2009 through the establishment of a monetary union and the adoption of a single currency. The establishment of WAMZ was in line with the broader goal of creating a single monetary zone in the whole of West Africa as proposed in the ECOWAS Monetary Cooperation Program (EMCP) adopted in 1987.

Impressive growth in exports from Ghana to the rest of the world has been witnessed over the past few years as more and more Ghanaians explore production in non-traditional sectors. Nowadays it is not only this West African country's cocoa and minerals exports that are enjoying a boom. Handicrafts and agricultural produce such as pineapples and mangoes have picked up over the past five years. Finance and economic ministry recently indicated that the export sector as a whole has performed well, showing steady growth and earning foreign exchange. Exports raised 3,858 million dollars in 2007, representing growth of approximately 40% over 2006. Central Bank has confirmed the growth of the non-traditional sector at a recent press conference. Non-traditional exports rose by 27.1% to 259 million dollars for the first quarter of 2008, compared with 204 million dollars for the corresponding period in 2007. This continues the growth in 2006: non-traditional exports grew from 207 million dollars in the fourth quarter of 2006 to 325 million dollars in the same period in 2007.

The highest ranking African country is Tunisia on the Global Competitiveness Index for 2007/8, at 32 with its competitiveness ranking of 4.59. South Africa was ranked 44th out of 130 countries, ahead of Italy and India. Conducted by the World Economic Forum in partnership with leading academics and a global network of research institutes, the index calculates its rankings from publicly available data and the Executive Opinion Survey, a comprehensive annual survey. For the 2007 report, more than 11 000 business leaders in 131 countries were interviewed. The study ranks the US as the world's most competitive economy. Other African countries included are Mauritius (60), Botswana (76), Namibia (89), Mozambique (128) and Zimbabwe (129). Chad was rated lowest, in 131st and last place. The index is based on 12 pillars of competitiveness: institutions; infrastructure; macroeconomic stability; health and primary education; higher education and training; goods market efficiency; labour market efficiency; financial market sophistication; technological readiness; market size; business sophistication; and innovation.

The world’s poorest countries are suffering from a punishing exodus of their most talented, experienced and educated citizens, a UN Conference on Trade and Development report claims. Around a million skilled people from officially-designated Least Developed Countries (LDCs) lived and worked in developed countries in 2004, a brain drain of some 15% of people with university-level educations. The UNCTAD paper said that in some of the LDCs, the brain drain is truly disastrous with five countries – Haiti, Cape Verde, Samoa, Gambia and Somalia – losing more than half their university-educated professionals. Without enough of these trained professionals, it is impossible for the firms and farms of LDCs to use technology to upgrade their products and efficiency, said the agency.

Free distribution of mosquito nets in Kenya has reduced by nearly half the number of child deaths from malaria in high-risk areas. The World Health Organisation has issued new guidance that nets should be given away rather than sold in the developing world. In a groundbreaking project, Kenya’s Health Ministry has distributed 13.5 million insecticide-treated nets across the country since 2003, with the result that the number of children sleeping under a net went from 5% to 52%. Early results from the programme show that in four high-risk areas, childhood deaths from malaria have fallen by 44%. Three hospitals in the malarial-prone coastal areas reported a drop in admissions of 57% in 2006, compared with 1999.

Between 2009 and 2010, the World Environment Fund will invest approximately USD 4 million in Angola, to finance projects related to the rehabilitation of national parks and natural reserves. The first phase of the project will include the rehabilitation of the National Park of Iona, in southern Cunene Province, and Cameia, in eastern Moxico Province, the preservation of endangered species based in the Maiombe forest, in northern Cabinda Province, studies to restore the National Park of Quissama, in northern Bengo Province, and Bicuar (Huíla) and the preservation of Black Antelope in Malanje Province.

Brazilian group, Odebrecht, currently has investments in Angola totaling over USD 600 million. The investments are related to projects currently underway, and many others are being prepared in Angola, particularly for the interior of the country. Odebrecht’s main business in Angola is construction and they are also interested in the food sector. Maize and sugar are part of the list of goods that the Brazilian company wants to invest in, and some of these projects are already moving forward in Malanje Province.

Volkswagen South Africa, along with catalytic converter and exhaust systems manufacturer Eberspächer SA, have been awarded a R12-billion contract to supply the Volkswagen Group with diesel particulate filters for the next five years. The deal is one of the biggest export contracts for a single part ever awarded to the company. A diesel particulate filter is a device designed to remove diesel particulate matter or soot from the exhaust gas of a diesel engine. The component forms part of the latest common rail engines manufactured by the Volkswagen Group. Volkswagen SA and Eberspächer SA, who will share the production volume, are to invest approximately R55-million in tooling and equipment to manufacture the parts. In addition, the investment in the national supplier base - 80% of whom are based within the Nelson Mandela Bay region (greater Port Elizabeth) - will be approximately R26-million. The new contract will secure more than 100 jobs in the region, with intensive training of operators and quality personnel to ensure that strict international standards on diesel particulate filters are met.

Efforts to re-launch cotton production in Angola will begin in 2009 with investments estimated at USD 40 million, of which USD 32 million will be financed through a line of credit from the Republic of Korea, with the remainder from the Angolan Government. The project will take place in the Kapango military center and in Kipela, Ngangula Commune, in Kwanza-Sul. Main infrastructural support and irrigation works will be completed by next March and by 2010, the cotton should be ready to produce its first bolls.

Within the next few months, Angola Telecom will install over 70,000 telephone lines in the city of Luanda, as part of its new project to expand the fiber optics network. The new system will use state-of-the-art technology: 70% Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) and 30% Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL). The new network is a partnership between Angola Telecom, Nokia, and Siemens. Its services will include basic telecommunications, broadband, connections between service provider s, broadband internet, and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

The Coega Development Corporation (CDC) has signed up its fifth investor, following a decision by parcel and freight company UTI Sun Couriers to lease a R20-million warehouse within the industrial development zone's automotive cluster area. The CDC has said the speculatively built 3 040 square-metre warehouse was leased to UTI at the beginning of June, only two months after its completion. According to the CDC, such speculative developments are ideal for potential investors who have tight time frames and who want to move into ready-built facilities - such as UTI Sun Couriers, which specialises in the movement of envelopes, parcels and freight throughout South Africa. The warehouses are being constructed in anticipation of high demand due to the number of signed investors and the opening of the Port of Ngqura in the first quarter of 2009.

An Africa Innovation Centre has been opened to drive information technology skills development and address business challenges in the economic growth of Sub-Saharan Africa. The first of its kind on the continent, the new centre is part of IBM $120 million, two-year investment through to 2009 that includes new market expansion initiatives and houses Africa's first cloud computing centre. The centre will showcase business approaches and open technologies such as cloud computing, Web 2.0 technologies, service-oriented architecture and systems management. It will also demonstrate next generation banking systems offered at the Banking Centre of Excellence as part of the new innovation centre and environmentally-friendly computing designs. According to the company, the Africa Innovation Centre is a landmark investment for IBM and puts South Africa on the global radar of IBM's business strategy as they continue to be an active partner in the continent's economic transformation into a major global player. IBM is already working with almost 300 software companies in Sub-Saharan Africa and the centre will offer access to IBM's global network of 39 IBM Innovation Centres and 60 research and development labs.

A group of companies will invest US$ 500 million in the construction of a cement factory in Cuara district, coastal Kwanza Sul Province. The factory will be completed by 2011 and will have the capacity to produce 1.4 million tons per year. The factory named Kwanza Sul Cement Factory (FCKS) will occupy an area of 10 hectares. It has an exploration reserve estimated at 100 years. The factory will also generate over 4,000 jobs. The investors include: Sojitz, of Japan, Acúrias of France, Eta of United Arab Emirates, F1 Smidth of Denmark and Wartsila of Finland.

The Nigerian Deposits Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has formally handed over Liberty Bank to United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), following the conclusion of the Purchase and Assumption (P&A) arrangement. NDIC disclosed that with this handing over, UBA has acquired additional N1.7 billion private sector deposit liabilities made up of about 19,604 accounts. The bank indicated that this transaction brings to six, the number of failed banks acquired by UBA, having earlier acquired Trade Bank Plc, Metropolitan Bank Plc, City Express Bank, African Express Bank and Gulf Bank With this, the depositors of Liberty Bank can be rest assured that they can now get their money from UBA. He noted that with the P&A arrangement which it recently introduced, the private deposits liabilities of 11 failed banks totaling N74.20 billion have been resolved, accounting for 88 per cent of the N84.5 billion deposits in 13 failed banks after the consolidation era. NDIC was appointed liquidator of 11 of the fourteen banks that whose licenses were revoked in January 2006. Sequel to the Federal High Court decision on Societe Generale Bank's lawsuit, the number of banks for resolution by NDIC reduced to 13.

Namibia has become the fourth country in the region to achieve 30 percent female representation in political and decision-making positions. Three more women were appointed to parliament in Namibia in May, bringing to 24 the number of women out of a total 78 members in the National Assembly. This gives women 31% of the seats, up from the previous 27%. The women were appointed on party lines to replace three members of parliament who had died or resigned, two from the ruling SWAPO party and one from the opposition. Some political parties in countries use a system of proportional representation to select women candidates for every second or third place on their list to ensure equitable representation. Namibia has shown a consistent commitment to ensuring women’s equal participation in politics and decision-making as evidenced by the upward trend in the number of women in parliament. At the last general election in 2004, the number of women in Parliament increased from 20 percent to 27 percent. At the same time Namibia appointed a woman, Libertina Amathila as Deputy Prime Minister. Women were also appointed to the positions of Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, as well as Minster of Finance. With the latest appointments, Namibia becomes the fourth SADC country to attain the target set out in the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development in 1997, joining Mozambique, South Africa and the United Republic of Tanzania in fulfilling this quota.

Chevron, a US Company, will invest USD 3 billion in the development of the Tômbua Landana Project in Angola’s offshore Block 14. This Angolan project is part of an overall investment of USD 20 billion planned for the next five years. The idea is to respond to higher world demand for oil and gas by stimulating production in Africa, especially in Angola and Nigeria. Tômbua Landana is expected to pump nearly 125,000 barrels per day (bpd) during its initial phase. The 5-year investment plan surpasses the company’s 2003-2008 plan by 30%.

Why does an educational gender gap remain in some countries? This policy research paper for the World Bank Human Development Network Chief Economists Office reviews gender in education and tests the relevance of ethno-linguistic fractionalisation (ELF) in explaining cross-country differences in learning and school attainment. Evidence from cross-country studies, household surveys, and anthropological observation shows that educating women provides multiple pay-offs for households and societies. Despite a sharp increase in the share of girls who enrol in, attend, and complete various levels of schooling, a gender education gap remains in some countries. These gaps are especially severe in countries where historically women have been marginalised, and where they are ‘doubly disadvantaged’ through also being socially excluded. Economic and psychosocial obstacles to schooling exist where girls are impoverished, from ethnic minorities, lower castes or remote communities. ELF captures the degree of racial and linguistic difference within 190 countries, and was developed originally to explain the drivers of economic growth. It is highly correlated with other measures of social exclusion. The study applies ELF to the analysis of gender education gaps for the first time.

http://econ.worldbank.org/external/default/main? pagePK=64165259 &theSitePK=469382&piPK=64165421&menuPK=64166093
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The recently approved national budget on the Indian Ocean island state Mauritius is seen as unique in an African context. It puts women and gender issues right at its centre of focus. The budget outlines a comprehensive programme that, among other things, offers training and re-skilling activities geared to women, which take into account the needs of mothers for flexible working conditions and childcare facilities. The Mauritian programme for mothers is just one of the budget plans designed to not only support families in the short term, but also more importantly give women skills and opportunities that will help them help themselves. To assist women with accessing finance to start or grow businesses, a Manufacturing Adjustment and Small Medium Enterprise Development Fund to provide loans of up to rupees 100,000 (about US$ 3,600) without any collateral. Budgets have been earmarked to reduce the unemployment of women, eradication of poverty, and assistance to victims and survivors of gender violence. This step forward in Mauritius continues the nation's progressive moves to taking a gendered approach to their national economic plans, looking at the impact that national resources can have to better the lives of both men and women in the country. Source: afrol News

A Chinese private equity fund set up a year ago for ventures in Africa plans to spend about $300 million on projects in 2008iday. The China-Africa Development Fund (CADFund) was launched in June 2007 with an initial $1 billion provided by the China Development Bank and plans to eventually grow to $5 billion, according to the Fund's vice-president Hu Zhirong. It has invested $60 million in the first glass factory in Ethiopia, a power station in Ghana and a chrome plant in Zimbabwe. It is also working with several Chinese firms to form a holding company that will manufacture construction materials in all African countries. Bilateral trade between China and Africa has soared this decade to $73.8 billion in 2007 from $10.8 billion in 2000, while foreign direct investments grew from $500 million to $13.7 billion during the same period, he said. Hu said China was intervening in Africa through government aid and concessionary loans, but that direct investment was the best way to aid the continent in creating wealth. Although the idea to set up the fund was mooted at a China-Africa cooperation summit in Beijing at the end of 2006, the fund finances private sector projects, he said. CADFund's priorities are in agriculture and manufacturing industries, infrastructure development, natural resources and industrial parks. Exponential growth in China and India have supplied a model for successful growth to Africa's developing nations. Economic expansion on the continent was an average 5.8 percent in 2007, according to the United Nations. Source: Reuters

Donors at the 8th NEPAD Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility oversight committee meeting in Libreville, Gabon, in June 2008 have pledged to contribute more than US$10 million to the facility to support its capacity building activities for the Regional Economic Communities (RECs). During the two-day meeting, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) announced it was contributing US$5 million for the operationalisation of the African Union Commission’s coordination mechanism, while Germany is considering contributing more than 2 million euros pledged last year. Their endeavour surpasses clear commitments made during a meeting in Tunis in December 2007 where Norway vouched for US$8m; DFID US$12.4m, and Germany US$2.9 million. It came on the heels of key achievements scored by the African Development Bank (AfDB), host of the facility since 2004. According to NEPAD-IPPF’s task manager, Mike Salawou, disbursement has increased this year and 22 regional infrastructure projects have been approved for a total commitment of US$13.7 million. The facility is increasing its staff, scaling up investment in infrastructure, as demonstrated by the recent record level increase in the ADF XI, and using a database to manage projects. Capping its recent achievements is AfDB's contribution of 6.3 million UA to the special fund.

South Africa appears to be turning the corner on unemployment, says Minister of Trade and Industry Mandisi Mpahlwa, pointing to statistics showing a fall in unemployment as well as a steady rise in people's average incomes. With “truly significant” growth experienced over the past decade, and more recently 5.4 percent growth on gross domestic product in 2006, followed by 5.1 percent growth last year, fixed investment in the economy has risen as well, from 15 percent in 2004 to 21 percent in 2007, he said. Real income per capita – that is, the average income per person – has risen at around four percent per person annually since 2004. Around the same time, the official rate of unemployment fell from a high of 31.2 percent in March 2003 to 23 per cent in September 2007.

Data released at Angola’s International Mining Fair (FIMA) revealed that over 30% of Angola’s diamonds are exported in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, which is followed by Israel and Belgium with 20%. Hong Kong and New York only account for a small percentage of the sales.

Philibert Afrika has been appointed Director of the NEPAD Regional Integration and Trade department (ONRI) in the African Development Bank. In a statement on his appointment he said, “The AfDB has positioned itself to play an expanded role in regional integration and to support the NEPAD process”. The department, created in 2006 to fulfill the mandate that the Heads of State and Government gave the Bank, provides technical assistance to Regional Economic Communities and the African Union in programme design, implementation and in capacity building initiatives. It initiates the preparation of policies and strategies on infrastructure development for AfDB intervention, advises member countries and institutions on technical aspects of projects, conducts sectoral studies in connection with lending programmes, and helps implement regional infrastructure projects financed by the Bank. Mr. Afrika has 28 years' experience in various functions in the Bank. Previously he was Director for Operations, Policy and Compliance under which he provided guidance and oversight for the preparation of sectoral and operational policies.

The Ghana-NEPAD award for country contribution – a silver medal for fostering intra-African trade – was presented recently by the Vice-President of Ghana, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, to the Managing Director of Engen-Ghana, John Mensah-Bunsu. He commended the company “for its contribution to the Ghana economy in the context of NEPAD”. The presentation of the award, which is conferred annually under the auspices of NEPAD and the Ghana Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation, was made in Accra at the third Ghana-Africa business awards ceremony. The role that trans-national corporations like Engen have played in contributing to Africa’s development has demonstrated that they have heeded the call for more and active participation of the private sector in the implementation of NEPAD projects, including the African development agenda. Engen has interests in the Southern, West, and East African regions, operating in more than 15 countries. Source: Allafrica

The Angolan Government will invest USD 2.6 billion, 10% of the 2008 General State Budget, for housing and community services. The investment is part of the Biennial Public Investment Program, which provides the funding for housing with infrastructures including electricity, drinking water, and basic sanitation. In the coming months, two real estate investment funds are expected to enter operation, beginning a new stage in Angola’s economy. The funds are directed at private or institutional investors who wish to diversify into low-risk products with greater return than traditional deposits. The first fund, FII, will be launched by Real Fund Management in Luanda. The fund will have capital of USD 30 million and will finance the construction of 77 residences in the area of Luanda-Sul, over an 18 month period. The other fund, BESA Património, will be provided through Banco Espírito Santo Angola. Once launched, it will be managed by Sociedade Gestora de Fundos de Investimentos (BESAACTIF). The fund is sustained by 62% capital from BESA and 35% from ESAF - Espírito Santo Participações Internacionais, SGPS. The remaining 3% will be provided by individual entities. In Angola, the make-up and operation of funds are regulated by the Capital Market Commission (CMC), an agency linked to the Ministry of Finance. The CMC lays out norms and regulations that will guarantee good performance for companies and protection for investors. Management activities are regulated by the CMC, with the goal of attracting investment funds and applying them to the chosen real estate projects.

The government in Niger has signed an agreement for China to help improve the country's power supplies. China will transfer several electrical power units to Niger under the agreement, officials said. The deal comes as Niger's cities have been experiencing power outages, partly due to problems in supply from Nigeria. Chinese companies have recently become more active in Niger, exploring for uranium and oil in the north and east of the country. Government officials said the power units were being dismantled in China prior to their transfer, the BBC's Idy Baraou reports from Niger. Each unit is expected to provide 15-20 megawatts (MW) of power. Meanwhile, Niger's government says it is investing about $4m for short-term improvements to the country's power grid. Demand for power in Niger, a major producer of uranium, has been increasing. Source: BBC

The UPEACE Africa Programme has secured funding from The Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC). This funding will be strictly allocated to African students studying at African institutions and in particular for those, who are in the final stage of their PhD studies. The award is intended to support PhD candidates in their field research, data analysis, associated travel and production costs. In addition, part of the award may be used to access updated scholarly materials and disseminate research findings through publications and conference presentations. The maximum award is US $10,000 per eligible student. Applicants must hold citizenship of an African country and must be enrolled in a PhD Programme in an African academic institution. Complete applications must be received at the Office of the Africa Programme by 12 September 2008.

The University of South Africa (UNISA) will confer an honorary doctorate on former Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, the university announced. Kofi Annan will receive a Doctorate of Literature and Philosophy from Unisa's College of Human Sciences in a special ceremony to be held at the university's Pretoria Campus where he will address media and invited guests. The doctorate will be conferred in honour of Annan's achievements and contributions to development and peace in Africa. Since his retirement Annan has continued to play an important role in African and global socio-political matters. He is currently the chairperson of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), a member of The Elders and the head of the Panel of Eminent African Personalities. It was in this capacity that he participated in the negotiations to end civil unrest in Kenya earlier this year. Annan has received numerous awards and honours, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 and over 20 honorary degrees and national awards from various countries.

JM Eagle, the world's largest plastic pipe manufacturer has launched a major initiative with Columbia University's Earth Institute to provide safer water to more than 11,000 of the poorest people in Senegal. JM Eagle has donated and delivered over $800,000 worth of high-strength polyvinyl chloride (PVC) water pipe which is being installed in several Millennium Villages-projects designed to end extreme poverty in rural communities throughout Africa. The company also plans to expand its current work with the Earth Institute into many more Millennium Village projects over the next five years to bring both potable and non-potable water to some of the poorest people in the country. The initiative is focused on extending a severely inadequate water distribution system that reaches only one-third of the individual communities in the Potou area in northwestern Senegal. Upon completion this fall, the new water supply network will consist of more than 68 miles or 110 kilometers of PVC pipe that connects to 53 villages. Driven by pressure and gravity, the new pipelines will increase drinking water coverage to nearly 80 percent of the region and be the basis for a sustainable infrastructure that drives future health and prosperity.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is to invest R1 billion to upgrade Nissan's manufacturing plant in Rosslyn, outside Pretoria. This will help increase output and produce the Nissan NP200 pickup and the Renault Sandero for the South African market, according to Southafrica.info. Nissan says the upgrade will enable the company to produce right-hand drive versions of the two models, as well as to develop the local components and accessories supply chain. The plant upgrade will create an additional 300 jobs, while also increasing output from the current rate of 40 000 units per year to 68 000 units per year by 2009, with the new range of vehicles initially being sold only on the local market - though exports are a future possibility. The Renault Sandero will contribute significantly to Renault's growth in South Africa, and the company is to expand the product line-up offered to local customers with vehicles ranging from entry-level to upper range.

Citi and Ashoka have launched the Changemakers Competition “Banking on Social Change: Seeking Financial Solutions for All,” a worldwide search for financial-service projects that use the transformative power of innovation and skills to achieve real economic and social change. The competition is designed to reach the world’s entrepreneurs and challenge them to use their substantial talents and commitment to providing financial services for all. The objective is to channel the collective energy of entrepreneurial ideas and skills as a means for creating economic and social change worldwide. Nominations are encouraged from the global community by September 26th, 2008. Innovators must submit their entries by October 1, 2008. All entrants will be provided with exposure to new ideas, the opportunity to promote their solutions, and a wide range of access to collaborative partners and investors. A panel of judges, comprised of leaders from media, finance, social enterprise, corporate and academic sectors will select the 12 finalists. These top innovations will then be profiled on the Changemakers’ website where the online community will vote to select the three winners. Ashoka is the global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs—men and women with system changing solutions for the world’s most urgent social problems. Since 1981, it has elected over 2,000 leading social entrepreneurs as Ashoka Fellows, providing them with living stipends, professional support, and access to a global network of peers in more than 60 countries. www.ashoka.org. For more information please visit the competition page at: www.changemakers.com/en-us/bankingonsocialchange

The first women lawyers association in Somalia has been established in the Somaliland region with the help of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). “It will take time for the male-dominated legal profession to understand and accept the importance of women lawyers in society,” Antonia Lulvey, UNDP’s judiciary project manager, said. According to the UNDP, the association, which was created earlier this year, currently has five members, with a further 17 women set to graduate from the University of Hargeisa in September. The UN agency has provided grants to enable women to attend the law faculty, as well as supplying equipment, training and financial support to the association. The sole practising female lawyer in Somaliland until last year was Ifra Aden Omar, who currently heads the association. With UNDP help, Ms. Omar provides free legal aid services to women and juvenile cases – most commonly rape, domestic violence, divorce, child custody, child maintenance and inheritance. Currently there are no female prosecutors or judges in Somaliland, according to UNDP, which says it is in discussions with local officials on how to support new female law graduates to practise either as prosecutors or trainee judges.

Angola’s supermarket network, Nosso Super, has recorded US$ 74.38 million from March 2007 to June 2008, and provided services to pproximately 6.4 million customers. Since March 8, 2007, a total of 18 supermarkets have been built in 14 out of the country's 18 provinces, with exception to Kwanza Sul, Lunda Norte, Kuando Kubango and Cunene. The 19th supermarket will soon be opening in Kwanza Sul Province with the capacity to accommodate 500 people per day. The co mmercial outlet is part of a series of 31 supermarkets of the Nosso Super network to be built countrywide, till next December, in a global investment estimated at US$ 202 million.

The NEPAD-Spanish Fund for the Empowerment of Women has donated R2.5 million to the Women's Action for Development (WAD) for empowerment training and programmes for 2008 in Namibia’s 13 regions. The training ranges from computer skills, typing and office administration, to needle-work, civic education, project management and bookkeeping as well as the Namibian constitution and laws. WAD is a local non-governmental organisation established in 1994 to empower rural unemployed women through training to generate income for themselves. To date it has trained 30,000 women. New courses in hospitality, housekeeping, upholstery, soap-making, civic education, brick-making, brick-laying and weaving were introduced this year. At the handing-over ceremony WAD executive director Veronica de Klerk said she was grateful to the NEPAD-Spanish Fund for coming on board for 2008 and expressed her appreciation to the Spanish Government for its outstanding financial support. The Spanish Ambassador to Namibia, Maria Victoria Scola Pliego, encouraged other women empowerment organisations to apply for the funds in order to improve the living standards of the Namibian women.