Managers in emerging economies are enjoying more disposable income than those in Western countries, according to research. A report by the Hay Group found that managers in countries such as Russia, Turkey and Mexico were enjoying much higher levels of buying power for their pay then their counterparts in advanced economies such as the USA and the UK. The study, which covered 47 countries, ranked the UK at 40th for management buying power and the US at 24th. Managers in oil-rich and tax-free states such as Saudi Arabia took home the highest disposable incomes.

The Association of Business Executives (ABE) is a UK registered professional business & management qualifications provider and examination board. Established in 1973, ABE enhances the intellectual, social and economic development of individuals and communities through the provision of relevant, high-quality, affordable qualifications. With over 470 tuition providers, students are currently pursuing ABE qualifications in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Nearly 40,000 aspiring business professionals recognise ABE as their qualification of choice. ABE has a strong presence in Kenya with over 60 accredited colleges. We also have formal articulation agreements with the United States International University and Kenya Methodist University, and strong links with a number of further universities who accept ABE qualifications. It is now the intention of ABE to strengthen relationships with the wider business community. On Wednesday December 5th 2007 10.00 am – 12.00pm, Steven Harris, Director of Education at ABE, will be holding an employers seminar at the Hilton Hotel in Nairobi. The seminar will provide employer organisations with information on ABE. To attend the seminar in Nairobi, please contact S. K. Gupta at skgupta@nbi.ispkenya.com. Further information regarding ABE can be found at  www.abeuk.com.

An overwhelming number of students, 84%, believe that corporations should work toward the betterment of society, while only 19% think most corporations are currently pursuing that goal. Additionally, 87% believe business professionals should consider social and environmental impacts when making business decisions and 82% believe the for-profit sector should play a role in addressing social and environmental issues. The findings were the outcome of research of MBA and graduate students regarding corporate social responsibility and sustainable management practices, “New Leaders, New Perspectives II: A Net Impact Survey of Undergraduate opinions on the Relationship between Business and Social/Environmental Issues." The responses of 2,418 students in 53 undergraduate programs in the U.S. and Canada revealed over 70% believed corporate social responsibility is a topic that should be integrated into required courses in college business and management programs. The results of this sample provide exciting insights regarding over a million current business students in the U.S., according to Net Impact, an international non-profit (NGO) with over 10,000 network members dedicated to leveraging business for socially responsible action. Net Impact’s membership and programs are focused on current MBA students and business professionals with two or more years of experience, and the undergraduate responses highlighted the need for similar services for this larger population. With regard to curriculum, over half of the respondents said they would like to learn more about corporate social responsibility, environmental sustainability, social entrepreneurship, renewable energy and international development. 77% indicated they would seek employment that is socially responsible during their career, while 60% said they will seek such work immediately after graduating from college. The Net Impact study indicates that corporations that intend to attract the best candidates need to demonstrate their commitment to social and environmental responsibility.  www.netimpact.org/publications

In 2006, women made up 56% of undergraduates in the USA and the number appears to be rising. According to the U.S. census, more colleges and universities are experiencing an exponential surge in enrolment increasingly driven by young women. These numbers also confirm years of enrolment data, showing that women have not only closed the college enrolment gap but have far surpassed men on campuses. For every four men enrolled in graduate school in 2006, there were nearly six women. While the number of both male and female students rose between 2000 and 2006, the survey found, women outpaced men in both undergraduate and graduate programs. In that period, the nation's undergraduate enrolment swelled by nearly 2.7 million students, 18.7%, but the percentage of males fell 1.2 points, to 44%. Women in 2006 made up 56% of undergrads, up from 54.8% in 2000.

The African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) has bestowed its annual Global Corporate Philanthropy Award on the research-driven pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., Inc. Also honoured was AMREF founder Dr. Thomas D. Rees for his life-time humanitarian achievements. According to the International AMREF Board of Directors, Merck is at the forefront of efforts to improve access to medicines for the poorest people in the developing world, from the Merck MECTIZAN Donation Program, which currently reaches more than 60 million people in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East each year for the treatment of river blindness, to its involvement in the fight against HIV/AIDS throughout Africa. Merck and AMREF have worked together since 2004 to support HIV/AIDS prevention interventions among youth through training, information, education and communication tools together with teachers and village health committees. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, the African Medical & Research Foundation (AMREF) works to improve health care for underserved Africans as a means to relieve poverty and enhance the quality of their lives. AMREF was founded more than 50 year ago as The Flying Doctors of East Africa. Since then, it has helped millions of women, men and children through its pioneering work in clinical outreach services, community based family health, HIV/AIDS, malaria, sanitation and health care education.

South Africa ranks 44th out of 168 countries in Reporters Without Borders' (RSF's) latest index of press freedom, which is well within the top 50 countries said to have "genuine press freedom". RSF's fifth annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index - covering the period from 1 September 2005 to 1 September 2006 - reflects the degree of freedom journalists and news organisations enjoy in each country, and the efforts made by each state to respect and ensure respect for this freedom. Finland, Iceland, Ireland and the Netherlands share first place on the 2006 index, with no recorded censorship, threats, intimidation or physical reprisals towards members of the media. Within Africa, South Africa comes in sixth position, after Benin (23rd overall), Namibia (26th), Mauritius (32nd), Ghana (34th) and Mali (joint 35th). Reporters Without Borders compiles its index by asking 14 freedom of expression organisations on five continents, 130 correspondents around the world, as well as journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists, to answer 50 questions relating to the state of press freedom in 168 countries.

Despite faster promotions and more bonuses, the number of women resigning from IT jobs has risen over the last year and the pay gap between the sexes widened for the first time in 11 years. Research from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and pay researcher Remuneration Economics shows 5.7 per cent of women working in IT resigned from their roles in 2006, a rise of 2.1 per cent on the previous year. In terms of pay, women saw an average pay rise of 2.9 per cent compared to a 3.1 per cent increase for men, the first time in 11 years that men's earnings have risen more than women's. Women are also more likely to receive a bonus than men, with just under half in the IT sector (46.5 per cent) receiving one-off bonus payments in 2006, compared to 30.8 per cent of men. But these bonuses tend to be around 30 per cent lower than men's - and make up a lower proportion of the total pay packet. Among the 3,538 IT workers surveyed female managers, on average, earned £45,465 in 2006, around £2,100 less than men. Compared to other sectors, women in IT are the fifth most likely to resign: in the retail sector 11.7 per cent of female employees resigned in 2006, compared to 5.7 per cent of female tech workers. Source: Silicon

African Leadership Academy has announced the creation of the “Cisco Scholars” program. This program will be funded by the Cisco South Africa Education Trust, which was created by Cisco as part of its vision of participating in the socioeconomic transformation of emerging markets around the globe. Under the agreement, the Cisco South Africa Education Trust will fund scholarships for “Cisco Scholars” at African Leadership Academy. All Cisco Scholars will come from disadvantaged communities in South Africa. They will include boys and girls beginning with the inaugural class that enters ALA in September 2008. Cisco Scholars will be funded for both years of their ALA education. With the Cisco Scholars program, Cisco will play a leading role in developing the next generation of South Africa’s leaders. At ALA, Cisco Scholars will receive a world-class secondary education, including an innovative curriculum with a focus on leadership, entrepreneurship and African studies. ALA will ultimately prepare Cisco Scholars to assume leadership roles in South Africa’s public, private and social sectors. The Cisco South Africa Education Trust was created as part of a wide-ranging empowerment transaction designed to support the meaningful participation of previously disadvantaged groups of South Africans in the economic success of the company.

The 10th International Interdisciplinary Congress on Women, Women’s Worlds / Mundos de Mujeres 2008 will be held in Madrid, Spain July 3-9, at the Complutense University. The motto of the Congress is “Equality: no Utopia” and the general theme “New Frontiers: Dares, Challenges and Changes”. Violence and migrations will be part of the central themes. Please, visit the Congress website at:  www.mmww08.org.We invite individuals or groups of people, as well as public and private organizations interested in the Congress themes to submit their proposals (in English or Spanish). WWMM08 will be an international platform, a global forum for researchers, scholars, activists and other participants. The Congress program includes thirteen major theme areas and a total of almost one hundred sub themes. The Scientific Program will be structured mainly around parallel sessions with different formats, such as individual papers, entire panels, workshops, round tables, debates, talk shops, book presentations, testimonies, readings, audio-video presentations, etc. Moreover, there will also be a great number of plenary and semi-plenary lectures given by eminent specialists. There will also be an attractive Cultural Program (exhibitions, films, theatre plays, dance performances, concerts) on the Congress theme. Proposals must be submitted through the Congress online submission system which can be found at  www.mmww08.org.The deadline is 28 February 2008. E-mail:  mmww08@unicongress.com

The latest education survey of 30 Western countries carried out by the OECD says that class sizes in UK primary schools are still higher than in most developed countries. Figures show that the UK- with an average of 25.8 pupils per class in state schools- comes 23rd out of the 30 countries covered. Only Korea, Chile, Japan, Turkey, Israel, Brazil and Ireland have larger class sizes. The smallest primary school classes are in the Russian Federation, where there is an average of 15.6 pupils per class. UK independent primary schools have a class size of 10.7 children per class. The report also spotlights a dramatic slide down the league table for the number of graduates in the UK. It has dropped from 3rd to 10th despite a government drive to increase wider participation. Student numbers have been rising in the UK- up to 52% in 2005; it is just that they are rising faster in other countries such as Australia and Finland. In Australia, participation has reached 80%. The OECD report also says that teenagers in the UK have fewer expectations of going to university than anywhere else in the Western world. The report does conclude that the UK “remains strong” in overall performance, singling out the expansion of provision for early years and the attempts to improve teaching standards. Source: The Independent

Deloitte & Touche USA LLP has been named one of Working Mother magazine's "100 Best Companies" for the fourteenth consecutive year. Deloitte emerged from a field of hundreds of companies that scored highest in key categories that are important to working mothers, including flexibility, childcare, time off and leaves, and culture. Deloitte garnered its highest ratings for flexibility, company culture and total compensation. According to the magazine, "Deloitte not only offers essential benefits like flexitime and telecommuting- they go above and beyond with a range of best practices and policies to ease the difficulties for working parents and their families. Deloitte was selected for the 2007 Working Mother 100 Best Companies based on an extensive application of 575 questions. The application included detailed questions about workforce, compensation, child-care and flexibility programmes, leave policies, and more. www.workingmother.com

The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the Ugandan government and Microsoft have signed a letter of intent pledging to set up a local economic growth software centre within twelve months and a software development programme for the country. The signatories hope to enhance the role that Ugandan software developers and ICT graduates can play in the development of the country's economy by fostering information and communication technology innovations and solutions. The signatories also believe that local ICT capacity building enables the development of solutions that are tailored to local needs and are presented in local languages. This in turn creates new opportunities for innovation, business processing, outsourcing services and industrial development. According to the signatories, the developments are being built on a memorandum of understanding signed by UNIDO and Microsoft in July this year in which both partners agreed to pool their respective expertise to support small and medium sized enterprises and to foster innovation and competitiveness. The partnership recognizes the importance of harnessing ICT for promoting sustainable industrialization as a means of improving livelihoods in developing countries particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Microsoft supports this initiative in order to develop relevant ICT related services and training for the rural business community including awareness building on the benefits of ICT tools through its digital literacy programme and small and medium enterprise relevant training curriculum.

Among the best companies for Generation Y talent is the global health care company, Abbott, which was recently named one of the "50 Best Places to Launch a Career" by BusinessWeek magazine. According to Abbott, recent graduates have the opportunity to help advance medical science and care around the world, the type of meaningful work that appeals to Generation Y and all potential employees and the company provides work/life flexibility, well-defined career advancement opportunities, and support and tools, like online mentoring, training and career development programs, that help young professionals chart their own path to success. Many recent college grads and other entry-level employees come to Abbott through the company's Professional Development Programs, which are two- to three-year programs that rotate new employees through several different positions in the areas of marketing, information technology, finance/accounting, engineering, human resources and management. These programs provide graduates with the opportunity to try different challenging assignments and develop well-rounded skills before they settle into a long-term career choice.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has announced the appointment of Jackie Orme as Chief Executive to succeed Geoff Armstrong, who retires in June 2008. Orme joins the CIPD in April 2008 from PepsiCo International, where she is Chief Personnel Officer and Vice-President, HR. Orme is a member of the UK Executive Board of PepsiCo International, and sits on the global PepsiCo International HR Council. According to the CIPD, Orme brings to the job global experience and a thorough understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing HR professionals today. In her twenty-year career she has gained extensive experience in HR, and has also led a number of business transformation and integration projects across PepsiCo International.

The UCT Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB) MBA programme has been rated the best in South Africa in a local survey. The survey, conducted by management publication Professional Management Review (PMR), used the feedback from some 478 line managers and HR leaders around South Africa. The UCT GSB received an overall rating of 4.19 out of a possible 5 and received the publication’s Diamond Arrow Award. In addition to the PMR Award, the past twelve months has seen the UCT GSB move up in the Financial Times (FT) Global Top 100 MBA Rankings – it ranked at 52 in the 2007 survey, up 14 places from its ranking of 66 in 2006. The School was prior to this rated a global Top 10 leader in executive education and garnered an Award for Excellence in an influential annual survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). In June, it was also admitted to the International University Consortium for Executive Education (UNICON), a prestigious body of the top business schools around the world - the only African business school to make it into this elite group. UNICON also identified the UCT GSB as one of six leading business school innovators.

The Banking Sector Education and Training Authority (Bankseta) of South Africa has launched an International Executive Programme in London. The programme, set to become an annual project, brought 12 participants from various banking institutions in South Africa to London, to garner experience and knowledge from some of the city’s top companies. The aim of the month-long programme is to produce a pipeline of leadership talent from previously disadvantaged communities, “who are well-positioned for promotion into senior positions within the South African banking sector within the next two to three years”. As part of the programme, the participants receive formal training at the Cass Business School, and get the opportunity to network with the programme’s partners; the British Bankers Association, International Financial Ser-vices London, Abbey, Barclays, the Bank of New York, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Standard Chartered and UBS. They also conduct research during their stay to benefit the banking sector in South Africa. Although the programme is a first between South Africa and the UK, it has followed from three other programmes between Canada and South Africa.

Nearly one in five people living in the United States speaks a language at home other than English, according to new Census data that illustrate the wide-ranging effects of immigration. The number of immigrants nationwide reached an all-time high of 37.5 million in 2006, affecting incomes and education levels in many cities across the country. Asian immigrants are raising average education levels in many states, with nearly half of them holding at least a bachelor's degree. The data come from the American Community Survey, an annual survey of 3 million households that has replaced the Census Bureau's long-form questionnaire from the once-a-decade census. About 48 percent of Asian immigrants held at least a bachelor's degree, compared with about 11 percent of immigrants from Latin America. Among people born in the United States, about 27 percent were college graduates. California led the nation in immigrants, at 27 percent of the state's population, and in people who spoke a foreign language at home, at 43 percent. Source: New York Times

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) have signed a cooperative agreement to launch a significant, multi-year partnership that will provide greater opportunities for thousands of young people in cocoa farming communities in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. The partnership, known as the ECHOES (Empowering Cocoa Households with Opportunities and Education Solutions) Alliance, brings together the WCF and its member companies with the USAID Africa Education Initiative and the governments of Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Through teacher training, curriculum development and life skills training, the ECHOES Alliance will improve access to quality, relevant education for thousands of children living in cocoa farming communities in West Africa. Independent surveys identified education as a major challenge facing cocoa farming communities in West Africa. Established in 2000, the World Cocoa Foundation plays a leading role in facilitating public-private partnerships to benefit cocoa farming communities through training programs and research. WCF is an industry-supported, non-profit organization representing over 60 chocolate companies and trade associations around the world that account for over 65% of chocolate manufactured.

Marriott International) will expand job opportunities for disadvantaged youth across the globe by providing education and on-the-job training through the Youth Career Initiative (YCI) program. In addition, a $250,000 grant has been made by The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, along with a separate $250,000 challenge grant, to help expand the program into several countries. According to the company, The Youth Career Initiative program provides life-changing alternatives for young people from challenging backgrounds by introducing them to hospitality in the hope that some will decide to pursue a career in the industry. Through the YCI program, 1,600 young people are already on paths toward promising careers in Australia, Brazil, Poland, Romania, Thailand, Jordan, Mexico, Ethiopia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The program combines six months of classroom training with on-the-job experience in the hotel industry. Marriott will help introduce the youth employability program in Egypt, Costa Rica, India, Vietnam, and the Caribbean, and eventually further into Latin America and Southeast Asia.

Harvard University, the country's oldest university, has inaugurated its first female president, Drew Gilpin Foust. Foust offered a spirited defense of American higher education against demands that quantify its teachings and focus primarily on training a global work force. The two-day festivity was highlighted by African dancers, a reading by Toni Morrison and speeches by the historian John Hope Franklin and Deval Patrick, a Harvard graduate who became the first black governor of Massachusetts. Dr. Faust also signaled that universities like Harvard had to diversify their ranks and that American colleges had served as “both the emblem and the engine of the expansion of citizenship, equality and opportunity — to blacks, women, Jews, immigrants, and others who would have been subjected to quotas or excluded altogether in an earlier era.” She also affirmed Harvard’s commitment to making its education “available and affordable.” Dr. Summers made it possible for students from families with incomes of less than $60,000 a year to attend Harvard without incurring debt. Source: New York Times

First National Bank (FNB) has announced their sponsorship of Africa's first contemporary art fair, to be held in Johannesburg in March 2008. On sale at the Jo’burg Art Fair will be the single largest collection of African and South African contemporary art ever, covering 5000 square metres of gallery space. Artlogic, the company behind the fair, was also responsible for bringing William Kentridge's critically acclaimed production of The Magic Flute to South Africa. Contemporary African art showcased at the Jo’burg Art Fair will range in price from R1 000 to R5-million. The fair will provide buyers with a single point of access to a wide range of galleries that have the credentials and experience to profile top artists and drive the reputation and sales of contemporary African art. The fair will include a specially curated show by Simon Njami, chief curator of the highly successful Africa Remix exhibition, as well as the Africa pavilion at this year's Venice Biennale. The Jo’burg Art Fair will take place at the Sandton Convention Centre from 13 to 16 March 2008.

Moroccan Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi's newly-announced government includes a record number of female ministers. A total of seven will lead ministries ranging from energy to culture, compared with only two in the previous government. The seven women who have been appointed will lead key departments including the State Secretariat for Families, Children and the Disabled at the Ministry of Health. the Ministry of Energy, Mines, Water and the Environment and Youth and Sports. The posts also include the State Secretariat to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation. None of the twenty-eight previous governments included so many women. Source: Magharebia

Artists for Human Rights recently presented its International Human Rights Hero Award for 2007 at the Celebrity Centre International in Hollywood, Los Angeles USA. Among the recipients of this year’s award was Sammy Jacobs Abbey, Director of the International Centre for Conflict and Human Rights Analysis (ICCHRA). His 2007 International Human Rights Hero Award was in recognition for successfully implementing Human Rights Education and leadership program in Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America, at the United Nations and all over the world, providing hope to thousands of youth and potential leaders.

The Aspen Institute in New York, USA, has ranked the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) in 70th place on its top Global 100 business schools which promote sustainable development by integrating social and environmental stewardship into their curricula. This makes the USB the highest ranked South African business school in the 2007-2008 edition of its international Beyond Grey Pinstripes ranking. This is the first time that the USB features on an US based ranking. Aspen’s ranking is based on survey information from approximately 600 business schools from the larger pool of MBA programmes worldwide.

Africa has a larger urban population than North America, reveals an international development study. The 2007 edition of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)'s urban change analysis found that 25 of the world's fastest growing large cities were in Africa. Its study showed that half the world's urban population now lived in Asia which also had half the world's largest cities and half of the fastest-growing ones. Researcher David Satterthwaite said the study showed future growth in urban areas would mostly be in low to middle income countries. The research indicated the speed of urban growth had been exaggerated in low- and middle-income countries, especially African ones. The IIED's study drew on the latest urban data from the UN's Population Division and a review of 70 recent censuses.

Mozambique's former President Joaquim Chissano has been awarded the first Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African leadership. The $5-million prize -- the world's largest individual award -- was presented by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan at a ceremony in London. Chissano, a former revolutionary who fought against Portuguese colonialism, ruled the southern African country from 1986 until 2005, winning praise for his sound economic policies in a country that was once one of the poorest in the world. Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese-born telecommunications entrepreneur, set up the award as a way of encouraging good governance in Africa. Winners will receive $5 million over 10 years and then $200,000 a year for life, with another $200,000 annually for good causes they espouse.

The Alumni Association of the University of Michigan (UM) will offer race- and gender-based scholarships in an attempt to improve enrollment of people of color, beginning next year. UM's alumni group's effort to help maintain a diverse campus is not new, but public universities have to use other methods of diversifying their campuses. While race-based admissions are not permitted at public institutions, private institutions can do what they want with their money. The University of Texas at Austin's alumni group began offering similar scholarships after a federal appeals court ruled Texas' affirmative-action policies unconstitutional in 1996. The program is still in its infancy and the alumni board hopes to have the details hashed out shortly. The $650,000 "seed money" will come from the group's endowment and donations, a spokesperson said. Source: Inside Higher Ed

Twenty-seven countries are now participating in the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and five have completed the assessment process. The next countries to be assessed in the Peer Review process are Burkina Faso and Mali. The APRM as an instrument for the assessment of good governance to which African countries voluntarily adhere. Countries that have joined represent 75% of the African populace.

A donation of US$150 million to a 10-year water project in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Senegal and nine other countries in Africa and Central America by the Howard G. Buffet Foundation could be the start of a much-needed injection of donor innovation into the relief sector, non-governmental organisations involved in the project say. The foundation's money will be used to start the Global Water Initiative (GWI), a partnership of seven charities and relief organisations which will be given US$15 million a year for 10 years. In the whole West Africa region in 2006, traditional donors spending on water and sanitation was US$130,000 - just 11 percent of the US$1,165 million aid agencies had asked for - according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The Buffet Foundation-funded NGOs are to study and eventually provide communities with long-term access to clean water and sanitation, access to water for rural production, and protection and sustainable management of ecosystem services. The NGOs involved in the GWI are Catholic Relief Services, CARE, IIED, IUCN, SOS Sahel, AAH and Oxfam. In addition to the Sahel, the project will cover El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Nicaragua, Tanzania and Uganda. The Howard G. Buffet Foundation is multi-million dollar private foundation controlled by the eldest son of the billionaire American investor Warren Buffett.

The African Studies Association of the UK Biennial Conference takes place at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston from 11-13 September 2008. The ASAUK Conference seeks to facilitate discussions between Africanist scholars working on different geographical areas or within different academic disciplines. The conference aims to bring together Africanists from all over the world and from various disciplines to discuss the past and current developments in Africa and African Studies. The conference organisers would particularly welcome postgraduate presentations on their current or recently completed research. Papers are invited on all themes relating to the continent, inclusive of time, period and space parameters as well as interdisciplinary perspectives.  www.asauk.net

To help expedite the provision of affordable telecommunications access and business opportunities in these communities, Grameen Foundation and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) have launched the Village Phone Direct Manual to guide microfinance institutions and other organizations in developing microfranchise Village Phone operations. The manual is being released simultaneously at the ITU Connect Africa Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, and Grameen Foundation's Microfinance Partner Conference in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Over the coming months, it will be translated into several languages, including Spanish, French and Arabic. The new Village Phone Direct Manual, will offer a greater opportunity to expand access and create new technology business opportunities for poor microentrepreneurs, not only in Africa, but throughout the developing world," said Peter Bladin, director of Grameen Foundation's Technology Centre who is speaking at the summit in Kigali. Grameen Foundation's Village Phone initiatives build on the successful model which Grameen Telecom pioneered in Bangladesh a decade ago. Grameen Foundation has also developed an online assistance centre,  www.villagephonedirect.org, that serves as a central hub for exchanging the information and resources that organizations need to create their own Village Phone products.

More than 220 Delegates from 23 countries participated in the 12th Cocoa Sustainability Partnership Meeting on October 24-25, hosted by the World Cocoa Foundation in Washington, DC. The meeting's theme "Sustainable Cocoa Farming: Building Tomorrow’s Best Practices Today" was addressed by key representatives from cocoa producing countries, the chocolate industry, non-government organizations and development and research agencies. Leaders from the Ivory Coast, Ghana and Indonesia outlined their countries' national plans to promote sustainable cocoa production. Delegates participated in workshops to identify and bring together "best practices" in farmer organizational support, farmer training and environmental stewardship. In addition, several leading non-government organizations described programs underway in cocoa and other industries to measure program impact and promote better farming practices. The next World Cocoa Foundation Partnership Meeting will be hold in Ecuador in May 20-22, 2008. Established in 2000, the World Cocoa Foundation plays a leading role in facilitating public-private partnerships to benefit cocoa farming communities through training programs and research.

StartingBloc, a non profit that educates undergraduates and young professionals on social responsibility, held an innovative career fair in New York City. The day-long CareerAccelerator was a groundbreaking event that included representatives from every sector, including leaders such as Google, Teach for America and MIT Sloan, offering jobs, internships, expertise, funding and academic programs that embrace corporate social responsibility and social entrepreneurship. Over 400 young professionals attended. CareerAccelerator aimed to connect highly talented emerging leaders with socially responsible organizations provides both parties with unique

The World Cocoa Foundation has awarded a grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to coordinate the participation of 11 scientists from Africa and Central America in a six-week training program. Named in honor of distinguished U.S. agronomist Norman E. Borlaug - one of only five recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal - the Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellows Program was established in 2004 to help developing countries strengthen agricultural practices through the transfer of science and technologies. Jointly selected by WCF and the USDA, the Borlaug Fellows - seven scientists from nations eligible under the African Growth and Opportunity Act and four from nations of the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement - will be chosen to participate. WCF will place fellows within American universities and/or research institutions. After the completion of the fellowship, the U.S.-based mentor scientists will travel to Africa and Central America to meet with the fellows and their colleagues at their home institutions. Millions of people in West Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America depend on cocoa farming for their living. WCF supports research efforts and training programs to further the economic, social and environmental sustainability of cocoa production.

The South African Department of Home Affairs is to bridge the country’s skills gap by streamlining the process of applying for scarce skills permits and business permits for foreigners. Together with business, organised labour and broader civil society, the Government is working on ways to bridge the skills gap in priority areas to support the country’s rapidly developing economy. Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has said that as part of the department’s Turn Around Project, they have over 120 full time staff managing the 14 different Turn Around initiatives, one of which is the application of permits such as business permits and permits for scarce skills. According to the Minister, the Government wants to make it less cumbersome for individual skilled foreigners to come into the country and for corporations needing large numbers of foreign skills, to import such skills with relative ease.

An overview of the implementation of Africa's Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action (CPA), from its endorsement by the African Ministerial Conference on Science and Technology (AMCOST) in 2005 in Dakar, Senegal, up to the aftermath of the AU Summit on Science and Technology in January 2007 is now available. In order to bridge the knowledge gap and to advance Africa's social and economic transformation, the African Union (AU) and NEPAD embarked on developing a framework to collectively harness and apply science and technology. The report is based on the documentation and information available at the NEPAD Office of Science and Technology. As a business plan for the period 2005-2010 the CPA is being implemented under the auspices of the African Union and NEPAD, through AMCOST.

LMSSSA 2008, to be held from 7-9 July 2008 at GIMPA in Accra, Ghana, will provide an opportunity to hear and present academic work that can build and inform good management practice in Sub-Sahara Africa. Emphasis will be upon indigenous African approaches, dissemination of best practice information, discussions of the values and pitfalls of emulation of Western practice. The conference will offer paper presentations, round table discussions on management education and training, focusing on some of the issues of cultural differences and indigenous African resources. Key-note speakers from industry and academia will showcase current problems, successes, and research as a stimulus to further research. The conference will also focus on developing less experienced academics in groups and networks and research practice and publication. The due Date for completed Papers is 14 January 2008 and calls are now open for paper submissions.  www.crossculturalcentre.homestead.com/LMSSSA2008.html

With support from UNESCO, a publication on media legislation in Africa has been released. The publication is the result of research undertaken by a team of African scholars, coordinated by Professor Guy Berger, Head of the School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa. The study, entitled "Media Legislation in Africa: A Comparative Legal Survey", includes an overview of the existing media legislation in ten multi-party democratic countries in Africa and a comparative analysis, whilst also putting the legislation in perspective with regional and international standards and best-practices in the field of media law conducive to freedom of expression. The countries surveyed are Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia. According to the publishers, the book puts country laws in an international and African context, and also generates recommendations that apply to both the ten states in the study as well as others.

Ashoka’s Changemakers and Nike have partnered to open a worldwide search for leading innovations that use sport to improve community, accelerate development and drive social change. Organisations are invited to submit their proposals until January 8, 2007. The Changemakers online community will vote for three winners from approximately 12 finalists who will be selected by a panel of judges. The three winners will each receive $5,000. All groups and sports enthusiasts can join the online Changemakers community to make suggestions and recommend resources that will help refine and strengthen the strategies presented by competition entrants. For more information on entering, the online review, and voting:  http://www.changemakers.net/competition/sports

Foreign aid to the world’s poorest countries should be supporting development, rather than ‘fire fighting’ humanitarian emergencies. This was the message coming from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) at the launch of its ‘The Least Developed Countries Report 2007’. Aid should be used to improve skills and capabilities in order to help the 767 million people living in the world’s least developed countries and incentives should be provided for private business to get involved in order to raise productive capabilities in those countries. ‘Aid should be used to try to leverage business connections so that private firms can help build up the skills and capabilities of local enterprises. Aid can, for example, be used to finance training.  www.un.org/publications

ACCION International, a pioneer and leader in microfinance, today announced the launch of its new website, www.accion.org, offering major enhancements in functionality, appearance, resources and accessibility. The new site is a continuing expression of ACCION’s goal to bring the best possible tools to bear on the fight against global poverty. Created to better educate and engage the world about how microfinance can help millions to help themselves, the site was designed to facilitate information-sharing, advance dissemination of best practices in the industry, and to improve networking and fundraising.

U.S. Black Engineer and Information Technology magazine named Abbott a "Most Admired Employer for 2007" based on results of a national survey of minorities in the fields of science, engineering and information technology, as well as non-technical professionals. Survey results identified strong corporate ethics, learning opportunities and excellent benefits as the most important employer characteristics cited by minority professionals. Abbott maintains aggressive goals for the recruitment, hiring and retention of women and minorities. Minorities at Abbott make up more than one-quarter (26 percent), and women nearly one-half (47 percent), of Abbott's total U.S. workforce. Abbott has increased the number of minorities in management by 68 percent and the number of women in management by 64 percent over the past five years. Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company that employs 65,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.

Fortune magazine has partnered again with London think-tank AccountAbility and for-profit consultancy CSR Network to rank the largest global companies by the quality of their commitment to social and environmental goals. Ranked top was BP, followed by Barclays. Source - Fortune magazine

According to the UK Department of Work and Pensions, since 1997 half the jobs created have gone to non-Britons; of 2.17m jobs created, 1.13m have been filled by foreigners. However more recent figures show that the number of Britons in work is falling, while the employment of both EU and non-EU foreign nationals continues to rise. Between Spring 2005 and the second quarter of 2007, the net 270,000 rise in employment in Britain has been the result of 330,000 in non-British EU workers and 210,000 from the rest of the world. The number of British workers has fallen by 270,000. Source: Financial Times

Women across the nation have the chance to be recognised as the British Female Inventor and Innovator of the Year 2008 with the latest competition by the Global Women Inventors & Innovators Network (GWIIN) taking place in the vibrant city of Cardiff, Wales for the first time. The awards event organised to celebrate and promote the creative, inventive and innovative products and inventions by women, includes categories such as awards for environmentally friendly products or services, awards for technology and communication, another for innovative businesses, awards for Higher Education & Learning Institutions such as universities and colleges. The awards is full of various categories including the main award which goes to the most inventive and innovative woman – The British Female Inventor of the Year 2008. For further information about the award categories and entry forms< www.gwiin.com

For the first time a South African university has appeared in the THES-QS World University Rankings, which ranks all universities across the world. The University of Cape Town shares 200th place in the world rankings with RMIT University of Australia. UCT is the first African university to feature in the rankings, which are four years old. There are only 3 other universities in the top 200 that are classified as from the developing world, two in Brazil and one from Mexico. The top 10 is dominated by the US and UK with Harvard as the world's top university for the fourth time in succession, with Cambridge, Oxford and Yale universities all tied for second place.  www.topuniversities.com

The African Leadership Institute in South Africa is calling for nominations for their Archbishop Tutu Leadership Programme. The Fellowship has quickly developed a reputation as a prestigious and highly sought after award. They are now seeking Nominations for the 2008 Fellowship awards to find high potential individuals across Africa as candidates for our Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellowships. The Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellowship Programme is run in partnership with Oxford University and a network of African Institutions and leadership experts. The Fellowship is a prestige award for high potential individuals in Africa in the age range 25-39, who have already demonstrated strong leadership capabilities, and could be expected to be top leaders in their field in 5-15 years. The programme is aimed at the cream of Africa's future leaders, and the 20 places on offer will be drawn from at least 8 different African countries, depending on the merits of the candidates. The Tutu Programme offers a unique leadership learning experience with exposure to world experts and practitioners in leadership, as well as an opportunity to share cross-cultural and pan-African experiences in a fertile environment. It is also fully sponsored. Nomination forms must be completed and returned by email by 5 December 2007.

Full guidelines, forms and more information can be found at  www.mayavisionint.com/Funding/The_Short_Film_Completion_Fund/index.html Producers or production companies can send their unfinished short film NOW to Maya Vision International along with a completed application form. The closing date is 14th December 2007. The Completion Fund has expanded to 2 calls per year allowing up to 14 short films to be completed in a year. The second call will open in March and close in April 08. Contact Tamsin Ranger at Maya Vision International Ltd, 6 Kinghorn St, London EC1A 7HW 0207 796 4842 or  completion@mayavisionint.com

ACCION International, a pioneer and leader in microfinance, has announced that it has received a $400,000 Centennial Grant from UPS to support its work in delivering financial services and training to the world's entrepreneurial poor. UPS, the world's largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain services, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year by creating the Centennial Grants Fund, awarding a total of $1m to global microfinance organizations. ACCION will use the funds to expand the reach and sustainability of microfinance in various countries around the world. The grant will support ACCION’s microfinance activities in four key areas. ACCION International is a private, non-profit organization with the mission of giving people the financial tools they need - microenterprise loans, business training and other financial services - to work their way out of poverty.

A six-year partnership between Barrick Gold Corporation and CARE International Tanzania has raised academic standards and improved the quality of education for thousands of children and youth living near the company's Bulyanhulu mine in Tanzania. In 2001, Barrick invested US$2 million to fund a long-term education program in the remote Kahama District, a region that was ranked as one of the poorest academic performers in Tanzania. Since then, primary school enrolment has increased by 75 per cent to over 7,000 children in 2007. According to a CARE evaluation of the program, significantly more children are now making the transition to high school, where enrolment has more than doubled, from approximately 800 students in 2001 to 1,885 today. This year, over 89 % of the students who completed primary school passed their final exams, up from just 16 per cent prior to implementation of the program. Barrick contributes to education and skills training programs at many of its operations around the world as part of the company's commitment to corporate social responsibility. In 2006, Barrick invested $3.1 million on scholarships for both employees' children and children living in these communities

The Merck Company Foundation has announced a $2.8 million commitment to establish two new immunization training centers in Uganda and Zambia and to expand the Foundation's support of two existing centers in Kenya and Mali as part of the Merck Vaccine Network - Africa. The Merck Vaccine Network - Africa, a multi-year philanthropic initiative, supports academic partnerships in the development of sustainable immunization training centers to increase the number of skilled health professionals in Africa. Today's announcement, when added to the Foundation's initial commitment of $1.6 million, more than doubles the Foundation's total commitment to $4.4 million in funding for these four centers. The Merck Company Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the global research-based pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., Inc., launched the Merck Vaccine Network – Africa in 2003 as part of the Company's commitment to the GAVI Alliance, a public-private partnership that works to extend the reach and quality of immunization coverage in least developed countries.

The Motorola Foundation has announced the recipients of its Innovation Generation Grants, a $3.5 million initiative to inspire young people to embrace science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The 2007 Innovation Generation Grants support 106 breakthrough programs that use innovative approaches to develop interest in technology-related fields while strengthening leadership and problem-solving skills. The grants target programs that encourage girls and ethnic groups currently underrepresented in technology fields. Of the recipient programs, 41% serve African American students.

A publication from the German Foundation for World Population (DSW) provides tips and tricks on how to apply successfully for development grants from donor governments and organisations.  http://www.eurongos.org/Files/HTML/EuroNGOs/TipsTricks/tips.pdf

Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA) has announced the 5th Eastern Africa Sub-Regional African Women's Leadership Institute (AWLI) to be held from 3rd to 17th February 2008, in Mombasa, Kenya. Please also note that the deadline for receiving applications is Thursday 20th December 2007. Interested participants should contact Akina Mama wa Afrika; Head Office -  amwa@amwa-ea.org or UK/Europe Regional Office -  info@amwauk.org  for more information on the application procedure.