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

A survey of recruitment consultants by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG reported a fifth consecutive month of higher staff appointments, and the fastest rate of growth since July 2007. The index rose to 62.8 from 61.7 - anything above 50 is an increase. Temporary placements also rose for a fifth month to 59.7 on the index, up from 56.1. Permanent and temporary vacancies also continued to grow in December at an accelerated rate. The strongest rises in permanent vacancies were in the IT and computing sectors, while secretarial and clerical workers were most in demand for temporary jobs.

Britain's biggest tool hire firm is stepping up its international expansion with a five-year deal in the Middle East. Speedy Hire signed a landmark agreement to provide support services to UK construction firm Carillion in the region. The deal comes after a dismal 2009 dominated by profit warnings and job cuts - and is worth at least £50m.

There was a 35 per cent year-on-year rise in the number of career changers applying to train as teachers during 2009/10, according to the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA). Overall it amounts to "a substantial change" for the profession as a whole, said Graham Holley, chief executive of the TDA: "It's already making a big difference to us, and it will make a big difference in the classroom in due course."

BSkyB has been named as Britain's most admired company by City experts. The media giant - the owner of Sky News - is the youngest company ever to win Management Today's top award. Tesco came in at number two, with its chief executive Sir Terry Leahy retaining his most admired leader crown. BSkyB topped its sector in every one of the nine criteria decided upon and rated by industry peers and City analysts. It also won 'quality of goods and services', 'quality of marketing' and 'capacity to innovate' overall. Aero and defence engineering was the highest-scoring, and therefore most confident, sector in this year's awards. Cobham, BAE and Ultra Electronics were some of the biggest achievers, moving up 37, 40 and 38 places respectively to 10th, 12th and 13th in the overall list.

A study conducted by YouGov for the Prince's Trust has concluded that 16-to-25-year-olds are suffering psychologically as a result of the recession. The Youth Index reveals that those out of work are significantly less happy with their health, friendships and family life than those in work. Nearly one in ten young people claim that unemployment drove them to drugs or alcohol.

A third of UK workers would quit their current jobs for a new employer, according to research for business advisers PricewaterhouseCoopers. The survey found 33 per cent of workers feel they were not valued by their employers during the recession. PwC said employers must resolve to meet workers' needs or risk losing them to rivals once the job market picks up.

The Nottingham-based company, Staffline, which supplies unskilled labourers to many of Britain's larger supermarkets and food processing groups, said that the percentage of its workforce from European Union countries excluding the UK had fallen from 68 per cent in 2008 to 50 per cent by the end of 2009. Andy Hogarth, chief executive of Staffline, said: "There are lots of people willing to take on jobs they wouldn't have done a year or two ago. It used to be that Brits were too proud to do the less good jobs, but that is changing."

Fears of a brain drain in the NHS have been raised after the Indian government appealed for 15,000 doctors based in Britain to work in new medical centres in India. Dr Ramesh Mehta, the president of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, gave warning that thousands of doctors in Britain will leave in the next few years to return to India.

Standard Bank has been globally recognised for its excellence in emerging markets winning seven awards, including the prestigious ‘Bank of the Year for Africa', at The Banker Awards in London. The Group's key objective is to become a leading emerging markets financial services organisation has steadily increased its focus on growing business within different markets, including Russia, China and Brazil. Standard Bank, whose operations extend to 33 countries and with total assets of US$200 billion, was also named ‘Bank of the Year' for its country of origin South Africa and for Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland and Tanzania, reinforcing its position as Africa's leading bank. Standard Bank's Africa growth strategy was enhanced in 2008 with ICBC (Industrial and Commercial Bank of China), the world's largest bank, becoming a strategic partner through its acquisition of 20% of Standard Bank. This was the biggest ever Chinese foreign direct investment at the time.

Nedbank, a South African Old Mutual group subsidiary and the only African bank to be included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, has signed a multimillion dollar carbon offset agreement with Wildlife Works Carbon, a new venture of San Francisco-based Wildlife Works Inc., the owners of a pioneering wildlife conservation and community project in Kenya. Per the agreement, Nedbank will acquire carbon credits from Wildlife Works' Kasigau Corridor Project for sale to the global carbon market. More than 2.5 million metric tons of carbon will be made available through the avoided deforestation of the Kasigau Corridor, between now and 2026. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Africa is expected to be among the regions worst hit by climate change, with its major economic sectors more vulnerable to current climate sensitivity than elsewhere in the world. This vulnerability is exacerbated by existing developmental challenges such as endemic poverty and limited access to capital. However, prospects for economic growth on the continent are being boosted through improvements in governance and policy, and the International Monetary Fund predicts that Africa's gross domestic product growth will bounce back to a rate of 4 percent in 2010. African carbon credits attract a premium as they generally have high environmental and social benefits, but they are extremely scarce, Whitfield said. According to the World Bank, fewer than 2 percent of registered UNFCCC Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects are located in sub-Saharan Africa. Wildlife Works Carbon is a new venture of Wildlife Works Inc., a leader in applying innovative market-based solutions to the conservation of biodiversity. Founded in 1997, Wildlife Works promotes wildlife conservation by protecting wilderness habitats, creating jobs, building schools and providing other economic benefits for those people who share their land and resources with wildlife.

ICF has recently approved a 12 month project with the Government of Mozambique to improve business life cycle services in the tourism industry. The project will streamline business registration and licensing procedures for tourism enterprises in five geographic locations identified by the Government as Tourism Investment Areas (TIAs), dramatically reducing the time and costs associated with doing business in the sector. The project, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, will enable five existing one-stop-shops to become regional centres for licensing and registration services in the tourism industry. The one-stop-shops are currently based in Maputo, Cabo Delgado, Inhambane, Sofala and Gaza - areas rich in tourism activity and potential, ranging from hotels, tour operators and commercial activities such as craft markets, restaurants and diving centres. The project will reduce the number of days involved in the registration and licensing of tourism businesses in Mozambique from 175 to 13 days for medium to large sized businesses, and 30 days to just one day for small businesses. Straightforward and timely business registration, licensing and closure procedures are crucial pre-requisites for a healthy investment climate.  The tourism industry in Mozambique has witnessed rapid growth in recent years - the number of international tourists visiting the country increased from 470,000 in 2004 to one million in 2008, and revenue from the sector has soared by 90%. By making business registration and licensing easier for tourism businesses, ICF hopes to build on this success by attracting increased domestic and foreign investment into the sector, making the Mozambique economy even more dynamic and globally competitive. The project is ICF's first project in Mozambique and, when successful, will be extended to other licensing activities in the country.

The ICF has approved funding for two new projects in partnership with the Government of Senegal, which will deliver further improvements to the country's business environment. The first project will streamline the country's 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 clearance 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 ICF's 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. ICF's 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 digitalise 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.

The South African budget for higher education is set to grow progressively over the next three years, with Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande announcing that the amount is expected to grow from R15.3-billion in the 2008/9 financial year to R21.3-billion in 2011/12. According to the Minister, the department has also earmarked allocations of R39-million for 2010/11 and R41-million for 2011/12 for the National Institutes for Higher Education in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape, where exploratory work is being conducted on establishing new universities. Nzimande also recommitted his department to reducing the percentage of students who are not subsidised as a consequence of over-enrolment by universities.

South Africa spent just over R18.6-billion on research and development (R&D) in 2007/8, which represents an increase of R2.1-billion of the gross expenditure on R&D compared to R16.5-billion in 2006/7. This is according to the latest national survey of R&D activities undertaken by the Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII) of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). Increased expenditure on R&D in relation to GDP is a good indication of the competitiveness of a country's economy. Much like with the previous surveys, most R&D in South Africa is performed in the research field of the engineering sciences, which accounts for 22.5% of the total R&D, followed by the natural sciences with 20.4% and the medical and health sciences and ICTs, both at 14%. The proportion of business sector R&D has grown from 55.9% to 57.7%, and is still the major performer of R&D in the country. The government, which includes the science councils, performs 21.7% of the total R&D, followed by the higher education sector with 19.4% and the non-profit sector with 1.2%. About 40.3% of the total researchers in South Africa are women, comparing favourably with countries such as Japan (13.0%) and Norway (33.3%). In developing countries Argentina leads the way with 51.5% women researchers.

Standard Bank has signed a six-year US$100-million (about R747-million) loan agreement with three European development finance institutions. The loan will be used to fund infrastructure projects and project finance lending in Africa. The loan was coordinated by Germany's Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG), along with Netherlands' FMO and the Austria's Oesterreichische Entwicklungsbank (OeEB). It is the first transaction between Standard Bank of South Africa and DEG, one of Europe's largest development finance institutions. Standard Bank has been very active in securing international credit facilities to fund trade and investment on the African continent, especially in light of the global financial crisis. In September, it raised a US$1-billion loan facility with four major Chinese banks: the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Macau), Bank of China, China Development Bank, and China CITIC Bank. And, in October, it signed a further $150-million loan agreement with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation to boost trade on the continent.

South Africa is the sixth best country in the world to live in, according to expatriates based here. This was revealed in a global survey commissioned by global finance house HSBC Bank International. The study was conducted by UK-based research company Fresh   Minds. Results were released in late November 2009. Over 3100 expats, from more than 30 industries and living in 50 countries on four continents, took part in the study earlier in the year. Titled Expat Experience, it sought to determine the challenges people encountered when living and working away from home, and also aimed to differentiate between the expat experience in various countries and on various continents, in comparison with home. In the end 26 countries made the rankings. South Africa came in behind the top five of Canada, Australia, Thailand, Singapore and Bahrain. As an expat favourite it eclipsed highly developed nations such as the US, France, Hong Kong, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and the UK, as well as other emerging nations including Brazil, Mexico, China and India. South Africa was the only African country surveyed for the economics report, where it came 13th out of 26. In addition to making the top 10 overall, South Africa scored highly in the categories of making local friends (2), organising schools (3), finding somewhere to live (3), social life (3), quality of life (3), and accommodation (4). South Africa was the top-ranked country for hobbyists, as well as the top country for settling down, beating Thailand and Canada which took 2nd and 3rd place respectively. More than half of those questioned — 55 percent — have lived in South Africa for more than five years. South Africa was rated among the top nations in terms of the ease with which expats integrated into local society, which covered factors such as setting up their bank accounts, learning the language, and arranging healthcare. According to the report, in most countries new arrivals gravitate towards the expat community when seeking new friends. Notable exceptions are Brazil, where 94 percent of people easily made local friends; followed by South Africa and Canada (both 91 percent); and India and Russia (both 90 percent). A global survey earlier in the year named Johannesburg as the most affordable city in the world for foreigners.

China is continuing to show an interest in developing African research capacity with the announcement of a cooperation programme in science and technology. The China-Africa Science and Technology Partnership has been launched by China's Ministry of Science and Technology and, according to the Ministry, the priorities will be livelihoods and economic development. Technological cooperation will be enhanced in areas such as water management and conservation, sanitation, crop breeding, health and renewable energy. The programme is one of eight measures announced by Chinese premier Wen Jiabao at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in early November. At the meeting, Wen promised to spend US$10 billion on low-interest loans for Africa. The sum for the China-Africa Science and Technology Partnership was not disclosed. Under the scheme, China will also help African countries implement major science and technology programmes, including designing high-tech science parks. There will also be 100 joint research partnerships and 100 African postdoctoral scientists will have the chance to carry out research at China's technology parks, research institutes and private enterprises. Each researcher will then be offered research instruments worth 150,000 yuan (US$22,000) to aid their research back in Africa. China will also donate laboratory equipment to African countries to upgrade their research capabilities, and Chinese scientists and engineers will travel to African countries to provide technical guidance and services. The Chinese government will provide most of the funding, and additional money will come from the private sector and international organisations. An advisory committee will be set up to provide advice on policies and approaches to collaboration.

The East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy) fibre optic cable project has received a $70 million loan from its international financiers. The loan, announced during the West Indian Ocean Cable Company board meeting in Nairobi on November 30-December 1, was given by the International Finance Corporation, African Development Bank, KFW of Germany and AFD of France, is to be repaid over eight years. The undersea fibre optic cable, expected to go live in June 2010, will connect 21 East, Southern, and Central African countries to Europe, America, Asia and the rest of the world as well as provide cheap Internet connectivity to most of the landlocked countries in the continent. EASSy, designed as a developmental initiative to provide cheap Internet connectivity to parts of Africa with no existing cable project, aims to deliver its services on an open access, non-discriminatory model, to ensure competition and low cost bandwidth pricing. Joseph Sloan, who represents the IFC and other international financiers on the West Indian Ocean Cable Company board, said that the $263 million project is on schedule and within the agreed budget, adding that multiple cables will lead to competition and further drive down prices of bandwidth.

Cape Town has topped the list of the most popular destinations worldwide for British Airways (BA) travellers next year. The airline compiles a top 10 "long haul league table" with the cities it considers will draw the largest number of international tourists. And hotels said they noted an immediate surge in queries and bookings after last week's World Cup final draw. According to the airline, booking figures after last week's draw and early patterns indicated that fans were likely to base themselves in Cape Town. During the World Cup, the airline has scheduled seven flights a week to the city. The Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (Fedhasa) Cape said it had noted an increase in bookings for city hotels for next year. Fedhasa Cape represents the Western Cape and Northern Cape. The association's chairman, Phillip Couvaras, said they had seen a strong increase in interest from tourists wanting to stay in the city next year. Rey Franco, Fedhasa Cape restaurants' segment chairman, said the city was probably heading into its best year for the tourism and hospitality sector. Last year, South Africa recorded its highest international visitor figures with 9.5 million arrivals. SA Tourism said despite the global economic crisis, tourists from the US, Australia and France continued to stream into the country. Travel agents said overseas travel magazines particularly featured Cape Town for its affordability and natural beauty.

South African companies plan to invest $600 million in Zambia over the next two years, says Zambian Trade and Industry Minister Felix Mutati. The investment will be made in industries including real estate, agriculture, mining and manufacturing, following a visit by South African President Jacob Zuma with a delegation of 60 representatives of South African companies.

In a move demonstrating that the liberalisation of the South African telecommunications market has piqued international interest, UK-based Telehouse is partnering with Teraco Data Environments to establish its carrier-neutral data centre facilities in the country. Under the agreement, dedicated data centre space within Teraco Cape Town and Johannesburg will be opened under the Telehouse brand and will be known as Telehouse Johannesburg and Telehouse Cape Town respectively. The facilities will be operated, supported and maintained by Teraco to Telehouse's global operating standards, which include detailed attention to power, cooling, security and customer-focused operations. Telehouse was the first company to pioneer the carrier neutral data centre market globally. It is owned by KDDI, the world's 10th largest carrier, headquartered in Tokyo, and the expansion into South Africa is the first entry by a major Japanese telecoms company into the African continent. Telehouse says the partnership is a major step forward for the company as it seeks to establish its footprint in Africa, and that Teraco was an ideal partner as it was the first carrier neutral and supplier neutral data centre operator in South Africa.

South African healthcare insurer Discovery has announced its intention to expand into China with the acquisition of a 24.99% stake in Ping An Health Insurance. While China's private health insurance market is still nascent, there is strong growth potential – in 2007, gross written premiums were approximately 19-billion Yuan (R21-billion), while McKinsey & Company estimates that in 2008, private healthcare premiums reached approximately 55-billion Yuan (R59-billion). The Chinese company is owned by Ping An Insurance, the second largest insurer in China with a market capitalisation of 292-billion Yuan (about R319-billion).While large portions of the Chinese population are covered by the Social Health Insurance (SHI) system, this has strict coverage caps and co-payments, and there is inadequate access to top-tier hospitals and healthcare facilities. According to Discovery, this inadequate cover, coupled with increasing consumer awareness about the need for preventive healthcare, has created demand for private medical insurance. The growing disposable income amongst the 25-40 million middle-class households means many consumers can afford top-up cover, while there is also increasing demand for cover for private healthcare facilities, diagnostics and branded drugs that fall outside the limited SHI schedule of benefits. According to Discovery, the Chinese government recognises the limitations of the SHI, and through their reform process, is encouraging private healthcare insurance providers to play an active role in developing a multi-level health insurance system. Ping An Health currently holds one of a limited number of health insurance licences issued by the Chinese Insurance Regulatory Commission.

Egypt has obtained $5 billion from international and regional financers to fund and complete its 2007-2012 five year plan to boost energy output, the state news agency MENA quoted the electricity minister as saying. The report did not say which groups provided the financing. Egypt, the most populous Arab country, is aiming to attract $110 billion worth of investments in its energy sector by 2027, the minister said last week. The 2007-2012 five year plan is expected to add 9,200 megawatts to the country's capacity, set up transformer stations and extend power lines, the MENA report said. The plan includes the Abu Qir thermal power plant, expected to cost $1.7 billion and come onstream in the first quarter of 2012.

Morocco is working to improve services for Down's syndrome and other handicapped children, many of whom have no access to local primary schools. According to a survey conducted in 2004, only 32% of all disabled children attended school. This figure is one-third the rate of school enrolment for other children. Morocco has only been paying particular attention to children with special needs over the past few years. The Minister of Social Development, Family and Solidarity Nouzha Skelli said her department is trying to overcome the lack of infrastructure to provide for handicapped children, but emphasised the enormous strides made in the last year. While only 15 special integrated classrooms were set up last year to provide for special needs children with mild disabilities, a "record number" of 400 classrooms were created in 2009, the minister said. The Ministry of Social Development is also devoting a budget of 11 million dirhams so that 1,427 children with severe disabilities can receive an education at 48 specialist education centres. The Ministry also gives priority to organisations that are able to teach children in suburban and rural areas, where the cost of teaching is high.

Sudan wants to attract foreign investors to cultivate vast tracks of land that are currently unused in Africa's largest country, State Minister for Finance Tarek Shalabi said. Arab countries such as Egypt, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have started to invest in Sudanese farmland as their own agricultural industries fail to keep pace with their rising populations. Elsewhere in Africa, Indian and other foreign companies are buying up land in a process critics have described as a "land- grab," exporting food from countries that are not self sufficient. Foreign investment may help push Sudan's economic growth to 6 percent in 2010, from about 5 percent this year, Shalabi said. The government expects its budget deficit to be 4 percent of gross domestic product in 2010. A 2005 peace agreement between the north and south of Sudan ended a two-decade civil war and helped bring billions of dollars in foreign investment from China, India and the Gulf region. Sudan's government depends on revenue from oil coming mostly from the semi-autonomous region of South Sudan. Under the 2005 accord, the south will vote in 2011 in a referendum on whether to secede and form an independent state.

To most British citizens, immigration is more of a problem than an opportunity, the second-annual "Transatlantic Trends:Immigration" survey shows. They estimated the percentage of immigrants living in their country to be 27%, while in reality it is 10%. According to 49% of those polled in the UK, the unwillingness of immigrants to integrate into society is the greatest barrier to integration, as opposed to 32% who believe that discrimination by society is the greatest barrier. When it comes to jobs, 54% of British citizens agreed that immigrants take away jobs from native-born workers while 48% agreed that immigrants bring down wages. Some 68% of British citizens were more worried about illegal immigration than legal immigration, with 59% convinced that illegal immigrants increase crime. Only 28% supported legalization of immigrants while 56% supported permanent migration over temporary migration. The survey also shows that 59% of British citizens would give immigrants the same right to political participation as native born citizens. In addition, half of British citizens support giving immigrants the same social benefits as native-born citizens.

TLG Capital, a frontier market fund, has become the largest shareholder in the Swedish Ghana Medical Centre (SGMC), a private health care provider located in Ghana. SGMC plans to offer state-of-the- art cancer care services to the entire West Africa region with the development of a $40m "centre of excellence" across two phases. The first phase includes the provision of a basic cancer care unit with radiotherapy based on linear accelerator treatment, diagnostic and outpatient services. At a later stage, SGMC is expected to provide advanced radiotherapy and Gamma Knife treatment for the brain with the capability of treating more advanced cancers. The facility will begin treating patients in Q1 2010. TLG Capital is the largest shareholder in SGMC in a total deal size of over $15m in the first phase. The centre will make advanced cancer treatment available locally and at a competitive price, allowing a larger proportion of the population access to treatment whilst remaining attractive to investors. Cancer care is grossly undersupplied in the whole West African region with some 250 million inhabitants. Currently Ghana has only two cancer treatment units for a population of 23 million, as compared to a developed country such as Sweden which has more than 70 units for a population of 9 million. Ghana alone has roughly 55,000 new cancer cases every year. Partners in this project include Scandinavian Care, Swedfund, Elekta, and Fidelity Equity Fund II. This is TLG Capital's second investment in healthcare in Africa following on from its investment in Quality Chemical Industry Limited, the first pharmaceutical company manufacturing antiretroviral (ARVs) and anti-malarial drugs in Africa.

The Sodexo Foundation opened applications for its national STOP Hunger Scholarship program. The scholarships were first introduced in 2007 in order to support the education of young people who are working to end hunger in communities across the country - and to draw attention to the innovative and effective solutions that they are implementing toward ending hunger in their lifetime. Up to five students selected as national winners will each receive a $5,000 scholarship award and a matching $5,000 grant in their name, for the hunger-related charity of their choice. The scholarships will be presented on June 10, 2010 at the Sodexo Foundation Dinner in Washington, D.C. In addition, up to 20 regional winners will receive a $1,000 grant in their name, for the hunger-related charity of their choice. To be eligible, students must be enrolled in an accredited education institution (kindergarten through graduate school) in the United States and be able to demonstrate an on going commitment to hunger-relief activities in their community. The deadline for applications is February 26, 2010. For a complete description of the program or an online application visit www.SodexoFoundation.org.

The Netherlands Development Finance Company FMO and PTA Bank Kenya have signed an agreement. PTA Bank Kenya, jointly owned by 17 COMESA countries, China and the African Development Bank, is the largest cross-border financial institution of its kind on the African continent. Under the agreement, FMO will provide an 8-year term facility for an amount of US $ 20 million, most of which will be used to develop small and medium enterprises across PTA Bank's markets.

The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) is pleased to announce Jacky Foo of Stockholm, Sweden and his commercial rabbit farming idea as the grand prize winner of the Africa Rural Connect (ARC) four-month online contest. All round winners of the ARC online contest, including runners-up, competed for the grand prize this month where a panel of judges selected the best idea to receive $20,000 to implement their plan. NPCA launched ARC this summer as an online community that fosters collaborative thinking to generate ideas to help solve rural Africa's greatest challenges. Foo's idea, called the Ndekero challenge, is to develop a community rabbit-keeping system that can work in partnership with a rabbit agri-business farm. He will implement the project in the small town of Ndekero in Meru, Kenya through Globtree in Sweden, where Foo is a program officer for environment and sustainable development, A rabbit farm will be established at the 30-acre farm of the Nazareth Sisters to produce 100 kg of rabbit meat every month. Foo will provide part-time, income-generating jobs to several parents in the community so their children can continue going to school instead of dropping out to help the family earn money to cover basic necessities. To share your idea on Africa and be part of the Africa Rural Connect online community, visit: http://www.AfricaRuralConnect.org

China has announced that it will give a $7m (£4.4m) grant to help fund infrastructure development projects in Kenya. Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said China has offered to help develop a second port at Lamu which will be connected to Ethiopia, Southern Sudan and Rwanda. China will also help upgrade a railroad linking Kenya's Mombassa port and the Ugandan capital, said a statement from President Mwai Kibaki's office. In November, China's government said it would offer Africa $10bn (£6.3bn) in concessional loans over the next three years.

A top UN official on Thursday revealed the world body's intention to boost its missions in Africa and beyond as a result of an unexpected increase in its budget for this year. According to a UN news report, the $5.16 billion budget for the 2010-2011 period approved by the General Assembly last month will allow for the creation of new offices and posts for the United Nations. Among the beneficiary countries are Angola, where a new UN information center will be set up in the capital, Luanda, and Kenya, where new posts will be created in an effort to boost the output of an already established UN mission in its Nairobi offices. The 2010-2011 budget which was approved last December 24 is said to be $60 million greater than the amount proposed by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Under-Secretary-General for Management Angela Kane said.

Cameroon is aiming to reverse its scientific brain drain by boosting the salaries of university academics. The early signs are that a government fund of 4.2 billion Central African francs (almost US$9.5 million), created in early 2009, has increased the number of scientists and stabilised the research environment. New allowances are now paid quarterly to more than 2,500 lecturers and researchers — up from 1,800 at the start of 2009 — which suggests that academics are returning to their campuses. The fund was made possible after two major foreign debts were written off and Cameroon decided to put this 'windfall' to use in the health, engineering and education sectors. Under the new system, salaries have increased for all levels of academics, and professors now receive almost US$1,850, while senior lecturers have seen their monthly payments increase from US$530 to US$1,600, and lecturers are now paid US$1,100, up from US$490. Paul Henry Ngue, head of the monitoring unit at Cameroon's Ministry of Higher Education, said the salary increase is "a breath of fresh air that marks the government's willingness to strengthen university research" and that since paying the higher salaries, researchers at state universities have also become more productive, with the Ministry of Higher Education counting about 100 scientific publications so far. The salary fund is permanent, with the government planning to increase it annually.

The University of Dar es Salaam Computing Centre (UCC) has launched a two-year project on capacity building on the effective use and management of information and communication technology in the public sector. The Sh500 million project will see at least 240 workers in the public sector receive ICT training. According to the Office of the President (Public Management), the programme is aimed to improve information management among public servants, given the need for appropriate capacity in ICT management and technical skills in some areas to efficiently support government initiatives. The government is employing ICT in various processes such as payroll preparation, human resources management and integrated financial management. The project is a milestone in strengthening ICT among public sectors and promoting social and economic development.