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

UK-based communications research company Informa Telecoms & Media is to open a new office in Johannesburg, giving it direct access to the fast-growing African telecommunications market. Africa, with the launch of new submarine cables, as well as increased interest in mergers and acquisitions, is becoming a high priority for both new players and more established operators from all over the world. South Africa was chosen due to its importance in region, both in the field of telecoms and in the economy in general. The office will be headed up by Thecla Mbongue, a senior analyst who has been covering the African market for six years. The African market still represents a significant opportunity for investors, says the company. The number of mobile broadband subscriptions grew by 126% year-on-year in [the second quarter of 2009], and when the new submarine cables go live, the competition and price reduction will see data connectivity, whether fixed or mobile, continue to grow.

There has been a dramatic rise in the number of older workers who are planning to work beyond the state pension age, CIPD research has revealed. The Employee Outlook survey of 2,000 working people found that the proportion of people aged 55 and above planning to work beyond the state pension age has jumped to 71 per cent, compared with 40 per cent in a similar survey two years ago. Stretched finances are the main reason for the trend with pension pots, savings and investments, and house values all being hit by the recession. An older workforce poses many challenges for employers, not least that of how to engage a group who are only still working for financial reasons, said Charles Cotton, CIPD, adviser, reward and employment conditions. Workers over 55 were most likely to have faced up to the reality of working into old age, the survey found. By contrast, only 30 per cent of 18-24 year olds thought they would be working past 65, even though they were least likely to have a generous pension to fall back on.

The boards of banks and financial institutions should strengthen the roles of non-executive directors (Neds) and give them new responsibilities to monitor risk and remuneration, according to the Walker review. The recommendations are contained in the final report of the Walker review, which was commissioned last February to examine corporate governance in the UK banking industry. The review also advised that Neds spend more time carrying out their roles - although it did not specify a number of days per year - and said there should be an induction process for all Neds as well as regular training. The reports author Sir David Walker said: The fundamental change needed is to make the boardroom a more challenging environment than it has often been in the past. This requires non-executives able to devote sufficient time to the role in order to assess risk and ask tough questions about strategy. On pay, the Walker review recommended extending the role of the remuneration committee to cover firm-wide remuneration policy as well as giving the committee direct responsibility for the pay of all high earners.

The Irish government is to open its employment subsidy scheme to more companies and increase its funding to 250m after receiving surprisingly few applications for the first round of grants. The scheme, launched in 2009 with an initial 63m budget, provides a maximum employment support grant of 100 per worker for 15 months. In return for funding, employers also had to commit to maintaining other jobs in the company. Mary Coughlan, the Enterprise, Trade and Employment Minister, said that 7,487 jobs involving 453 employers were to receive direct support under the scheme so far, with commitments to retain a further 35,283 jobs. She confirmed plans to increase the scheme to 250m, in order to protect 27,000 vulnerable jobs, and proceed to a second round of applications with broader criteria. The second round will be open to many companies that were not eligible to apply in the first round, which was originally limited to manufacturers and exporters that had to show that they were viable in the medium term but had been unduly affected by the downturn.

Research shows social enterprise to be bucking the current gloomy financial trend. The UK Government-funded report by the Social Enterprise Coalition showed that over half of all social enterprises surveyed had doubled their annual turnover despite the recession. The report also revealed that there are more women leading social enterprises than any other sector and that Black African and Caribbean was the ethnic group most likely to start a social enterprise. The research was commissioned to coincide with Social Enterprise Day (19 November), a celebration of the impact and contribution of social enterprise to the economy. According to Third Sector Minister Angela Smith, social enterprises are thriving even in these tough economic times and have a key role in society; they contribute to the economy like any other business while at the same time bringing together and empowering communities. Over £100 million has been invested in promoting social enterprise, developing the skills of social entrepreneurs, and supporting social enterprises to access appropriate investment.

Entries are being invited for a competition that looks to reward and recognise the East Midlands best female entrepreneurs. The East Midlands Development Agency-backed Women of Worth Awards celebrate the achievements of forward-thinking business women from across the region. This year, awards are up for grabs in the following categories: Business Woman of the Year - for women who has achieved outstanding success with her business and proved to be an inspiration to up-and-coming businesswomen. Most Innovative Business - for businesses that can demonstrate they have the entrepreneurial flair to capitalise on an original and attractive product or service. Small Business of the Year for companies employing 10 people or less that are sustainable and have made giant strides in the quest to achieve its goals. The contest is open to all East Midlands-based female entrepreneurs and businesses that are either owned by a woman or a woman owns more than a 50% equity stake. Entries have to be made by 15 January 2010. Shortlisted entrepreneurs will be invited to an interview with the judging panel early in February, with the big winners set to be revealed at the Women in Business conference to be held at Pride Park, Derby, on 4 March. For further information about the Women of Worth Awards 2010, visit the EMDA website

25%of small businesses are planning on hiring new staff within the next three months, according to new research from business software and service provider Sage (UK) Limited. Despite the fact that the UK is currently in its longest recession on record with a drop in GDP for the third consecutive quarter, the research suggests that small and medium sized businesses are starting to turn the corner and are planning for the future. The Sage UK Omnibus report surveyed 2,400 small and medium sized business respondents drawn from Sages client base in October 2009. The research also highlighted that small businesses need to get a lot closer to their customers. Nearly 70% have said that the recession has not brought them any closer to their customers. This suggests that small business customers are not given additional support and attention, at a time when retaining their business should be a critical priority.

South African President Jacob Zuma was named Best African President at the 2009 Africa Consciousness Media Leadership Awards, which honour those who have contributed to the liberation and development of the continent. Speaking at the awards ceremony in Johannesburg, Zuma urged African leaders to keep the promises they had made to their people. Referring to pacts such as African Peer Review Mechanism, established to promote good governance in Africa, and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), which aims to foster economic integration and development, he called on African leaders to use partnership agreements as instruments to advance the cause of the continent. Zuma said the awards served as a reminder that nothing could be achieved without the confidence, trust and support of fellow Africans. African statesman and former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda also attended the event and urged African leaders to emulate the likes of Nelson Mandela, Jomo Kenyatta, Oliver Tambo and Kwame Nkrumah, who fought tirelessly for the liberation and development of the continent.

Over 600,000 South Africans who could not previously read or write will be literate and numerate by the end of 2009 through the government's Kha ri Gude mass literacy campaign. Launched in 2008, the campaign has also created approximately 75 000 short-term teaching jobs and played a significant role in alleviating poverty by providing volunteers in the poorest communities with a small income. The campaign enables adult learners to read, write and calculate in their mother tongue, as well as to learn spoken English, at no cost. It also integrates reading, writing and numeracy integrating themes and life skills such as health, gender, the environment and civic education. These specifically designed materials have also been adapted for use in Braille in eleven languages, and for use by the deaf.

With users switching increasingly to broadband access technologies, mobile operator Vodacom has been laying fibre-optic rings in South Africa's major centres, both to build its own transmission capacity and to offer "last-mile" fibre access to its corporate clients. Since the launch of Vodacom Business in early 2008, Vodacom has laid over 720 kilometres of optic fibre, building 11 core fibre-optic rings in the country's major metropolitan areas. Vodacom Business chief executive Wally Beelders predicts that within two years there would be no more dial-up internet access in South Africa, with the vast majority of home users and small businesses opting for wireless broadband using 3G, ADSL, WiMax or similar broadband access technologies. Vodacom Business has launched more than 32 individual enterprise services in the past 18 months, with a large portion of its state-of-the-art data centre in Midrand being used by business customers.

Tickets to the 2010 Fifa World Cupare in big demand, with 650 527 tickets having being sold so far, says the 2010 Organising Committee (OC). OC chief executive Danny Jordaan said that of these tickets, 345,894 had been bought by South Africans and 304 633 by overseas fans. He said the United States had so far bought the most tickets with 82 603, followed by the United Kingdom with 48 926 and Germany with 23 924. The figures included bookings made as of 28 September. Ticket sales to Southern African Development Community (SADC) and other African countries have been disappointing, however, the organizers expect that there will be an increase in demand for tickets now that the Final Draw of the teams has taken place.

Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk has announced the appointment of Thandiwe Sylvia January-Mclean as the new Chief Executive Officer of South African Tourism (SAT). Formerly the South African Ambassador to Portugal, January-Mclean has been appointed for a term of three years effective from January 2010. According to the Minister, her skills as a consummate manager, her exceptional understanding of the South African brand and her insight into the strategic challenges faced by the tourism industry would serve her well in her new position. During her term as ambassador, South Africa's relationship with Portugal flourished and there has been significant growth in trade between the two countries as well as tourism from Portugal to South Africa.

An international company, Teleperformance, is to set up two contact centres in Cape Town, which are expected to create 2000 jobs by 2012. Teleperformance, a leading provider of outsourced contact centre services is to set up the first site in Cape Towns Central Business District. The company expects the site to grow throughout 2010 to a potential of more than 1,000 seats. The second centre, with a planned capacity of up to 2 000 seats, is anticipated to be located in the southern suburbs, and to come on stream in 2011. The move signals investor confidence in Cape Town, which has excellent capabilities in the call centre industry, including competitive real estate prices and a good choice of human resources.

With only months left before the biggest soccer showpiece in South Africa, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa has unveiled a comprehensive security plan to ensure the safety of visitors during the tournament. He said the plan, which includes addressing terror threats and hooliganism, has been endorsed by FIFA. Mthethwa said about R640 million has been set aside for the deployment of 41,000 police officers specifically for the event. The figure includes 31,000 permanent members and 10 000 reservists. The vast majority of the police deployed for the World Cup will be trained officers with experience in major events and countries competing in the tournament will send their own specially trained police officers to assist with language and cultural differences and to support the South African Police Service. Each of the 32 qualifying teams is also expected to send at least two police officers to support the security forces during the tournament.

South Africa's Cabinet has approved a new international marketing logo for the country. Inspired by the South African flag but evolved into a "trade-markable" form, the new logo is distinctive, dynamic and energetic, and stands out within its competitive environment. Initiated and driven by the International Marketing Council (IMC), the logo's development costs "will be quickly offset by the combined impact of previously separate branding initiatives. "The purpose of brand alignment is to avoid brand dilution when various South African entities market themselves internationally using different logos," the IMC said. "The intention is rather to combine the country's various marketing efforts in order to enhance South Africa's global competitiveness with regard to tourism, sports, arts and culture, trade and investment." The new logo does not replace the government coat of arms or other institutional logos, but is purely for the purpose of country marketing initiatives. The new logo "builds on a renewed era in collaborative nation branding, and is timed to take maximum advantage of the global focus on South Africa in the light of our hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

South Africa has come out of its first recession in 17 years. The economy registered 0.9% growth for the third quarter of 2009, Statistics SA reports, warning however that long-term indicators remain negative and that the country faces a slow recovery. The revised gross domestic product (GDP) figure for the second quarter came in at -2.8% from an earlier -3%. Overall, the unadjusted real GDP at market prices for the first nine months of 2009 decreased by -1.8 percent compared with the first nine months of 2008. The main contributors to the low growth in economic activity for the third quarter of 2009 were the manufacturing industry (contributing 1.1 percentage points), general government services (0.7 of a percentage point), construction and personal services (0.2 of a percentage point each). Negative contributions by other industries included finance, real estate and business services, and mining and quarrying (each contributing -0.3 of a percentage point), agriculture, forestry and fishing (-0.2 of a percentage point), and wholesale and retail trade, hotels and restaurants (-0.1 of a percentage point). The South African economy contracted for the previous three quarters in a row, but the latest positive growth figure means the country is no longer technically in a recession.

South Africa's JSE is one of the first stock exchanges worldwide to become a signatory to the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investment (UN PRI), which guide investors in taking environmental, social and corporate governance issues into account when investing. The exchange sees the move as a step forward in its already strong support of corporate and investor decision-making, which includes environmental, social and corporate governance factors as well as traditional business issues. The JSE has for several years worked on ways to prompt businesses and business analysts to increase their focus on environmental, social and governance factors. The JSE has contributed to the cause of responsible investment through developing the Socially Responsible Investment Index (SRI Index), which was launched in 2004 as the first of its kind in an emerging economy. An index whose constituents are companies who attain required levels in an annual review of their policies, practices and reporting, the SRI Index is becoming a widely accepted gauge for good corporate citizenship for listed entities. Signatories include large asset owners such as the Government Employees Pension Fund and recent signatory the Eskom Pension & Provident Fund. Founded in 2005, the UN PRI is a set of principles developed to guide investment professionals to consider environmental, social and corporate governance issues in the selection of investment opportunities and to align investors with broader societal objectives.

Standard Bank has launched JSE-listed currency reference warrants, a first for the South African market, in response to the growing popularity of currency trading in the country. A currency reference warrant (CRW) is a derivative its value is derived from another underlying asset, in this case an exchange rate. More specifically, its value is based on the change in the rand price of one unit of a specified foreign currency. CRWs are also cash settled in rands, which means that there is no transfer or settlement of foreign currency and they do not affect an individual's R4-million offshore allowance. A CRW's intrinsic value is determined from the difference between the exchange rate at maturity of the warrant and the strike price or exercise price agreed. The warrants can only be exercised at maturity, at which point investors are paid their intrinsic value. However, CRWs can be bought and sold up until expiry. According to JSE chief operating officer Leanne Parsons, CRWs extend the exchange's currency product offerings and will be incorporated amongst the existing warrants traded.

In an attempt to strengthen the South African entrepreneurship ecosystem, Wits Business School has officially launched the South African Global Start Up Index (SASI). WBS is driving this initiative currently in collaboration with SAVCA and the Business Report to launch and create national awareness about the South African start-up community. SASI will index start-up companies in South Africa for online and print publication based on a YouNoodle Score. A YouNoodle Score is the first real-time and scientific measurement of private company progress. It is based on publicly available data and will be updated daily. One of SASIs main objectives is to create awareness in the market place around innovative South African start-up companies with the potential to compete on the global stage. SASI will operate as a collaboration between academia, private sector institutions and government and will include academic research around the start-up environment. The index will have an online presence and incorporate an interactive media platform that can eventually host all components linked to an entrepreneurship ecosystem. SASI will aim to organise the start-up community in South Africa and facilitate networks with different entrepreneurship support and developmental institutions. The SASI Index Portal will host entrepreneurship development as an online resource that will provide access to a continuum of support options. The entrepreneurship ecosystem is designed to bring entrepreneurs and resource holders together with a support network that includes education and training, coaching, mentoring and leadership development. The index will be supported by an interactive media platform with an online and print presence in Business Report in all nine provinces while the online presence will be on www.iol.co.za and www.busrep.co.za. SASI will publish quarterly reports that will allow all companies on the index to showcase their products and services as well as profiling its key competencies and leadership.

Diageo, the worlds leading premium drinks manufacturer, and Unicer, the largest Portuguese brewer and major beer importer into Angola has announced a new partnership to manufacture, import and distribute Guinness into Angola. Unicers already strong distribution network in Angola will ensure a great Guiness presence in the country and drive growth of this iconic brand. According to the company, Angola is a growing market and is already seven per cent of the African beer market and this is set to grow as the Angolan economy grows. Guiness Original will be supported by a television and outdoor advertising campaign. 300 key outlets will be supported with point of sale materials to raise awareness of the new brand in Angola, including branded fridges and training of bar staff.

The Investment Climate Facility for Africa has announced two new projects in partnership with the Government of Senegal, set to deliver further improvements to the countrys business environment. The first project will streamline the countrys tax administration system, generating significant time and cost savings for the private sector. A second project will modernise the Senegalese Customs Authority, greatly reducing the time and costs associated with the declaration and release of goods. The new tax administration project will enhance the existing regulatory and administrative framework by automating and refining processes and digitalising tax records. Under the current system, it takes 175 days to reimburse corporate tax, 175 days to provide VAT credit refunds and two days to declare and pay taxes. By the end of 2010, with ICF support, it is expected to take 15 days for corporate tax reimbursements, 30 days for VAT refunds and just two days to declare and pay taxes, delivering significant time and cost benefits to businesses operating in the region. The project to modernise the Senegalese Customs Authority is ICFs third project to improve customs in Senegal and will build on the considerable improvements generated to date by the Government. In Senegal, there are three stages to clear goods for importing or exporting: pre-clearance; clearance and release of goods. ICFs first project in Senegal reduced the time it takes to issue pre-clearance declarations from two days to just seven hours, the second project will render the clearance process entirely paperless and following the successful implementation of this third project, the entire Senegalese custom declaration system will be streamlined and automated. The new project will refine and digitalize processes, and introduce electronic data exchange to the Customs Authority. Currently, it takes a total of 33 days to process the declaration and release of goods in the Port of Dakar. With ICF support, this is expected to be reduced to approximately five days, delivering significant improvements to local and international businesses trading in Senegal. ICF was established in 2006 to remove the barriers that currently exist to doing business in Africa. ICF is currently active in eleven African countries and is working on thirty two projects including four pan-regional projects and four special initiatives.

Elsevier, a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced that Scopus, the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature and quality Web sources, will be added to Research4Life, Scopus contains abstracts and references from nearly 18,000 peer reviewed journals from more than 5,000 international publishers. Research4Life is the collective name given to HINARI, AGORA and OARE, the three public-private partnerships that offer health, agriculture and environmental research for free or at very low cost to developing countries. Key partners include WHO, FAO, UNEP, Cornell and Yale Universities, the International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers and technology partner, Microsoft,. Over 150 publishers, among them Elsevier, Springer, Wiley-Blackwell and Oxford University Press provide their journal content. Research4Life is the collective name for three public-private partnerships which seek to help achieve the UN's Millennium Development Goals by providing the developing world with access to critical scientific research. Since 2002, the three programmes, Health Access to Research (HINARI), Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA) and Online Access to Research in the Environment (OARE), have given researchers at more than 5,000 institutions in 108 developing world countries free or low cost access to over 7,000 journals provided by the worlds leading science publishers.

A recent survey conducted among a group of returning South African executives found their primary reason for coming back was to be reunited with family and friends and to be more involved in the country's development. The study also found the economic downturn played a role, but it was not the primary motivator for the growing numbers of South Africans heading back, according to executive recruitment company Mindcor. The majority of those surveyed said they had felt safer in countries like Australia and the United Kingdom, but considered having to get used to living with crime a small price to pay for the quality of life offered by South Africa. Almost all those surveyed said they were glad they had taken the plunge to work abroad as it had enriched their lives. Among whites surveyed, only a small percentage saw affirmative action and black employment equity as a hurdle to finding employment. Statistics from The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (Saica) showed 2,508 of its members were currently working in the UK, 1 319 in Australia, and 740 in the United States. Despite this encouraging figure, Saica estimated the shortfall of qualified chartered accountants was now 500 a year.

Forty-five percent of South African companies believe the 2010 World Cup will create new business opportunities, according to the results of a KPMG survey released yesterday. A total of 45 percent of companies recently surveyed believe that the World Cup will create new business opportunities, while 35 percent believe it will have a disruptive effect on their business, the company said in a statement. A small part of the sample was of the opinion that it would be business as usual in the country during the event. The survey was conducted on KPMG clients across business sectors and targeted chief executives, chief financial officers and chief operation officers.

The rand rallied to best emerging- market currency as gold surged to a record and Africas biggest economy recovered from its first recession in 17 years. South Africas currency strengthened the most in two weeks, gaining as much as 1.6 percent to 7.4891 per dollar before trading 1.5 percent stronger at 7.4959 by 10:48 a.m. in Johannesburg, from a close of 7.6117 on Nov. 20. Gold rallied 2.1 percent to a record $1,167.88 an ounce, its sixth advance to an all-time high in two weeks, on speculation more investors will buy the precious metal as an alternative to a weakening dollar. The rand also gained on bets South Africas $277 billion economy expanded an annualized 0.5 percent in the three months through September, according to the median estimate of 23 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. According to Lutz Karpowitz, a currency strategist at Commerzbank AG in Frankfurt, improving investor sentiment and a higher gold price are the main reasons behind the very strong performance in the rand. An economic recovery may boost demand for South African assets, as near-zero interest rates in the U.S., Japan and Europe encourage purchases of emerging-market stocks and bonds which offer higher returns than those in developed nations. The rand has gained more than 25 percent this year as foreign investors purchased a net 95 billion rand ($12.6 billion) of South African assets this year, data from the countries stock and bond exchanges show.

South Africa, plagued by chronic power shortages, plans to have the country's new nuclear power plant up and running by 2020, according to Energy Minister Dipuo Peters. State-owned power utility Eskom, which operates Africa's sole nuclear power plant with a total capacity of 1,800 MW, cancelled plans to build a new facility at the end of last year, citing financial constraints. The government has since taken the lead in developing the next power station, saying it wants to develop a local nuclear industry in partnership with a technology firm rather than adopt a commercial bidding process used by Eskom. Peters said the new nuclear plant would produce about 20,000 megawatts. Kusile and Medupi, both designed to generate 4,800 MW each, are Eskom's first new power plants in more than two decades.