African Business articles from April 2008

African Business archives from April 2008

The 'feel good' factor: will it work in Africa?(THIS MONTH'S PRIZE LETTER)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... I read your editorials religiously every month and your latest one The Power of Feeling Good, (African Business March 2008 issue) seriously moved me. We for sure need that in Africa. However, my concern is that it is possible to create a 'feel...

How to battle malaria: Africans not getting the best medication.(THIS MONTH'S PRIZE LETTER)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... Malaria continues to be a huge problem for most of Africa leading, tragically, to many unnecessary deaths as well as impacting the continent's productive output when workers fall ill. Yet malaria is largely a preventable and treatable disease,...

Zuma and the presidency: telling it like it is.(THIS MONTH'S PRIZE LETTER)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... Thank you for the balanced reporting you brought to the issue of Jacob Zuma, his presidency of the ANC and the probability that he will be the South African leader following our elections next year (Emergence of a People's Champion, African...

NGOs and Oil: statistics and other lies.(THIS MONTH'S PRIZE LETTER)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... Further to the book review in the February issue of African Business, (Fractious Energy Development--the review of Empires of Oil, the latest book from Dr Duncan Clarke). I submit a short comment from pedants worldwide! The comment was...

Kenya crisis: a responsibility to the nation.(THIS MONTH'S PRIZE LETTER)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... I read carefully your East Africa correspondent Andrea Bohnstedt's report from Nairobi (Cautious optimism as calm returns, African Business, February 2008 issue) and have to say that I found her reference to business leaders sending Kofi Annan...

Nigeria plans private airport management.(Aviation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Nigeria's federal government has confirmed that it is to hand the management of four of the country's international airports to private companies. A senior government spokesman confirmed that under the new plan the private sector would be...

Burundi opens for business.(Investment)(Investment Code is designed to give a detailed guide for both domestic and foreign investors wishing to establish business in Burundi)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Burundi is in the process of changing its investment code to make investing in the country an easier proposition. "We are ready to facilitate any foreign investors who come here," Gabriel Ntisezerana, second vice-president in charge of the...

Central Africa gets AfDB roads loan.(Infrastructure)(African Development Bank)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The African Development Bank (AfDB) group and Cameroon have signed a $76m loan agreement in Tunis to finance the Douala-Bangui and Douala N'djamena road corridor, linking Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Chad. The loan's principal...

E Africa gets more power.(Energy)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Burundi, Tanzania and Rwanda are to benefit from an 80MW hydroelectric power project to be built with the help of the Nile Equatorial Lake Subsidiary Action Programme. Tanzania's commissioner for energy and petroleum, Bashir Mrindoko, said the...

Unallocated funds returned.(Finance)(Financial report)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... A grand total of Ush40.43bn ($23.8m) that remained unspent from the last financial year, has been sent back to Uganda's Treasury by central and local governments, Uganda's Ministry of Finance has reported. Central government itself refunded...

Namibia developing trade links with Congo.(Trade)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Namibia's cabinet has authorised the country's Ministry of Trade and Industry to establish a commercial trade representative office in Congo Brazzaville. The office will assist Namibian companies to penetrate the Congolese market. A market...

AB guide to African currencies.(BRIEFS)(Statistical table)
April 1, 2008... AB Guide to African Currencies Country Currency [pounds sterling]STG Algeria (Dinar) 132.19 Angola (New Kwanza) 151.10 Benin (CFA) ...

Killing the golden goose.(Editorial)(Editorial)
April 1, 2008... Our Top Company rankings this year make fascinating reading. These annual lists are a more concrete and accurate measure of the state of Africa's commercial health than any other statistics. The performance of individual companies reflect,...

How we ranked Africa's Top 200 companies.(Africa's Top 200 companies)
April 1, 2008... African Business' annual top company ranking includes all companies listed on various African exchanges. This means that a few companies, despite their size or importance, will not appear in these rankings. Information on unlisted...

South African dominance slipping.(Africa's Top 200 companies)
April 1, 2008... Most readers would guess that South African companies would dominate our table of the Top 200 companies in Africa. With the biggest economy and some firms of global standing in their respective fields, this is hardly surprising. ...

Africa's Top 200 companies.(rankings)
April 1, 2008... [c] All financial data is courtesy of Dr Ayo Salami, co founder of African Business Research Limited, a research driven portal and consultancy specialising in Africa, www.africanfinancialmarkets.com Rank Rank 2008 2007 ABRI_Code...

North Africa: Egypt and Morocco battle it out.(Africa's Top 200 companies)(Statistical table)
April 1, 2008... This year's table of the top 50 companies in North Africa presents a very different situation to the rest of the continent. While Egypt and Morocco have always dominated the ranks of the largest firms in North Africa, the two nations at...

West Africa: banks lead Nigerian charge.(Africa's Top 200 companies)(Statistical table)
April 1, 2008... The past year has seen massive growth for the leading companies in West Africa--or perhaps that should be Nigeria, given the country's continued domination of our table. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As last year, Nigerian firms comprise 44...

East Africa: Mauritius nudging Kenya for lead.(Africa's Top 200 companies)(Survey)
April 1, 2008... Despite Kenya's political turmoil our survey of the top 50 companies in the sub-region for 2008 shows the East African heavyweight still firmly on top of the regional rankings. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] East African Breweries has...

Southern Africa: Botswana up, Zimbabwe down.(Africa's Top 200 companies)(Statistical table)
April 1, 2008... Any survey of the leading companies in Southern Africa will always focus overwhelmingly on South Africa, so we have decided to strip the continental economic superpower out of the equation to give a more accurate reflection of the relative...

LC2: bringing African soccer to the people.(Company profiles)
April 1, 2008... In just 10 years, Beninois Christian Enock Lagnide (pictured right) has built up an exciting high-tech business from virtually nothing. While many might not have heard of his company, LC2, millions of Africans have enjoyed live transmissions of...

Nationwide Airlines: Nationwide's precision timing.(Company profiles)
April 1, 2008... One of the more intriguing South African companies with wind beneath its wings is the hitherto staid and low-profile airline Nationwide. It caught the industry by surprise when it announced recently that it was changing hands in the country's...

World Cup challenges: Basil Read Construction.(Company profiles)
April 1, 2008... The South African construction environment is a paradox of plenty and scarcity. On the one hand, order books have never been as full and on the other constraints on getting the jobs done have never been as frustrating. [ILLUSTRATION...

Kenya Airways: an all-Africa hub?(Company profiles)
April 1, 2008... Kenya Airways stands out as one of the few African airlines that has managed the transition from a sluggish state-owned company to a highly profitable, internationally respected airline and is cited as one of the most successful privatisation...

EABL: elephantine success.(Company profiles)
April 1, 2008... East Africans may have some slightly unusual beer-drinking habits--Kenyans like it lukewarm, and Ugandans will drink it through a straw--but as in many other countries around the world, beer is an all-round favourite and this has helped East...

Tripoli likely to host African Investment bank.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The African Union's commissioner for economic affairs, Maxwell Mkwezalamba (above), has confirmed that the AU has signed an agreement with Libya to host the proposed African Investment Bank (AfIB). The AU has set up a technical steering...

Record funding for world's poorest countries.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Donor countries have pledged a record $25.1bn to the World Bank to help overcome poverty in the world's poorest countries. In total, the 15th replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA15) will provide $41.6bn, an increase...

Bank of Baroda enters West Africa.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD)(Bank of Baroda (India))(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Bank of Baroda has opened a subsidiary, the Bank of Baroda (Ghana) Ltd, in Accra. The bank has been present in Africa since 1953, having opened its first overseas branch in Mombasa, Kenya, but this is the Bank of Baroda's first West African...

New fund targets S African businesswomen.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... A newly-established fund has been described as a step towards reducing poverty among women. The fund was designed to mainly help black women entrepreneurs with plans to lend between R30,000 and R2m to small and medium sized female-owned or...

Celtel Tanzania secures $270m syndicated loan.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD)(Celtel Tanzania Limited)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Celtel Tanzania Limited has secured a $270m loan with a mix of local and international lenders to support its continuing network expansion. The funding comes after a highly successful 2007, which saw a 65% growth in customer numbers to over...

Standard--CFC gets green light.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD)(CFC Bank.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... As well as Standard Bank of South Africa and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) having received the necessary regulatory and shareholder approval to proceed with their $4.8bn tie up, Standard Bank has also finalised the recent...

Former software chief starts fund.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Hasso Plattner, billionaire co-founder of the German software giant SAP, is starting a $42m Africa venture capital fund in conjunction with Germany's MAN Ferrostaal, a global provider of industrial services and key player in alternative energy....

Donors pledge $8.9bn support for ADF.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD)(African Development Fund)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Representatives of donor countries, meeting with officials from Africa and international development institutions, agreed to a record level of support for the African Development Fund (ADF). The decision to make available $8.9bn in resources to...

Infrastructure fund to back greenfield.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... CDC Group, the UK government-backed private equity emerging markets fund of funds investor, has committed almost $1bn to a new emerging markets infrastructure fund to be managed by Actis. CDC is committing capital of $750m to the Actis...

African land fund launched in UK.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD)(Emergent Asset Management, ltd)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... UK based investment management firm Emergent Asset Management (EAML) has launched the Emergent African Agricultural Land Fund. The fund's investment policy is to invest predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa and identify profitable projects in...

First SSA corporate bond.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD)(Social Security Administration. )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Ghana Telecommunications Company Limited (GT) has announced the issue of $200m in aggregate principal amount of corporate bonds. It is the first US dollar denominated African corporate bond to be issued outside South Africa and Nigeria. The GT...

Standard Chartered announces profit rise.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD)(Financial report)
April 1, 2008... Standard Chartered PLC has delivered strong results for 2007 with income exceeding $11bn and profits in excess of $4bn. The dividend payout has been raised by 12% to 79.35c from 71.04c for 2006. Growth in underlying income was at 23% against...

Microfinance for Tanzanian farmers.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Tanzania National Microfinance Bank (NMB) in partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (Agra) has unveiled a $6.1m farm input credit scheme to target poor Tanzanian farmers and improve the country's network of rural...

Crane flies.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD)(Crane Bank Limited)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Crane Bank Limited, an indigenously owned bank operating in Uganda, has delivered exceptionally strong figures to post its biggest profit in 13 years prior to a planned listing on the Uganda Stock Exchange later this year. Despite operating...

Pieter de Jager new CFO at Jonah Mining Mauritius.(RECENT APPOINTMENTS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Jonah Mining Mauritius, a subsidiary of diversified mineral resources company Jonah Capital, has appointed Pieter de Jager as chief financial officer. With over 10 years of senior management experience, De Jager began his career with Ernst &...

Exotix appoints a West African equity analyst.(RECENT APPOINTMENTS)(Exotix Limited )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Exotix has appointed Jude Fejopkwu as West Africa analyst. His initial role is to monitor the Nigerian stock market, and identify good investment opportunities for Exotix's foreign client base. Jude will assist in developing deeper...

Fabrice Nze-Bekale leaves Celtel International.(RECENT APPOINTMENTS)(Celtel International BV)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Gabonese Fabrice Nze-Bekale, group corporate finance manager of Celtel International, is moving to Standard Bank Plc in London as senior manager in the Global Telecom & Media team. Nze-Bekale was with Celtel since 2004. At Celtel, he raised...

Ethiopia's Kolli wins top investment award.(RECENT APPOINTMENTS)(Samuel Kolli wins top investment award.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Ethiopian born Samuel Kolli, who holds a Masters of Engineering degree in computing from the University of York, UK, has won the FE College Award for the highest marks in the Introduction to Investment examination. Kolli is currently an FX Risk...

Ecobank expands into 'middle Africa'.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD EXTRA)(Ecobank Group)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Ecobank Group has continued its expansion into "middle Africa" with the opening of a subsidiary in Pointe Noire, Congo-Brazzaville. It has also acquired a majority interest in Loita Bank, Malawi. Loita Bank has been a longstanding provider...

BOA--Benin and Niger.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD EXTRA)(Bank of Africa)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Bank of Africa Benin has increased its capital base by CFA500m (approx $1m), of which 52% represented private investment and the balance was institutional. The bank has also increased its capital in Niger by CFA390m (approx $800,000).

UBA in Cote d'Ivoire.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD EXTRA)(United Bank for Africa )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Nigeria's United Bank for Africa has opened a branch in Cote d'Ivoire and increased its tier one capital from CFA4bn ($8m) to CFA6bn ($12m) (seepage 22).

Line of credit from Indian Exim Bank.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD EXTRA)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Gabon's Ministry of Housing has been extended a $14.5m line of credit from the Indian Exim Bank to build 300 lodgings in a socio-economic housing project. As part of this line of credit the Indian Exim Bank will reimburse 100% of the value of...

BGFI remains biggest bank in Gabon.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD EXTRA)(BGFI bank)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The BGFI bank has released its consolidated results for 2006 and remains the leading bank in the region. It plans to open up international offices starting with Paris, which will also deal with activities in Asia and the USA. The Group is also...

French investment in Africa.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD EXTRA)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... During his visit to South Africa, French President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged [euro]250m ($375m) in funds to be invested in Africa. A similar sum will also be put in place to facilitate access to finance for SMEs. The AFD (Agence Francaise de...

Agra commits $180m.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD EXTRA)(Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Determined to revive the depleted soils of sub-Saharan Africa, which are a major underlying cause of poverty and hunger, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, chaired by Kofi Annan, announced a $180m, five-year programme, to restore...

Billion dollar projects announced in Tunisia.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD EXTRA)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Two Emirati groups, Dubai Holding and Al Maabar International Investments, are investing a total of $24bn on two real estate projects in Tunisia. The projects are expected to generate over 100,000 jobs. The wealth generated from the high oil...

World Bank appointments.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD EXTRA)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Cameroon-born Eric Chinje has returned to Washington to manage the external affairs unit of the Africa Region Vice-Presidency of the World Bank. This follows four years at the African Development Bank as its communications director. In February...

New governor for West Africa Central Bank.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD EXTRA)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Ivorian Philippe Henri Dacoury-Tabley has succeeded Charles Konan Banny as the governor of the West Africa Central Bank. Dacoury-Tabley, 59-years old, was formerly the director of the AfDB for Ivory Coast, Guinea and Equatorial Guinea.

Women to benefit from Goldman Sachs funding.(AFRICAN BANKER'S WORLD EXTRA)(The Goldman Sachs Group Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Goldman Sachs, the leading American investment bank, has committed $100m to upgrade the business skills of 10,000 women in developing countries over the next five years. The first beneficiary of the grant will be Ms Iman Yousry, a 27-year-old...

Creative capitalism: the poor are potentially an enormous market. Question is, how do you unlock this potential?(OPINION)(Viewpoint essay)
April 1, 2008... In this column, I would like to take up the subject of creative capitalism--the initiative geared towards addressing the issue of poverty alleviation by means of private sector involvement. The Commonwealth Business Council has worked...

Playing catch-up quickly.(THE POWER OF AFRICAN BONDS)
April 1, 2008... The IMF and the World Bank have launched a joint initiative to assist low-income countries (including some in sub-Saharan Africa) to develop and implement financial instruments for their medium-term debt strategy. The Efficient Securities...

Capital markets: Rwanda's new securities exchange will boost economic diversification; Rwanda's economic development has taken another step in the right direction with the launch of a securities exchange by the Central Bank of Rwanda, as the first stage on the path towards creating a full blown stock exchange. Report by Neil Ford.(EXCHANGES)
April 1, 2008... Kigali is seeking to build an economic structure that will overcome many of the weaknesses that helped to destabilise the country even prior to the genocide in 1994. Rwanda's over reliance on agriculture and particularly on coffee cultivation...

UBA Capital's Chika Mordi: we want to be Africa's role model.(interview)(Interview)
April 1, 2008... Chika Mordi is executive director and head of Investment Banking and Asset Management, a pivotal arm of one of Nigeria's largest banks, UBA Capital. UBA has been rapidly expanding not only into Africa but around the world. The demand for...

MYC4--Denmark's answer to financing the 'unfundable'.(INNOVATION)
April 1, 2008... A Danish entrepreneur has come up with a novel and bold idea to raise finance for Africa's small-scale businesses. The MyC4 concept, using a website and modifying the principles of eBay, has been phenomenally successful over a short time it has...

Medicapital: bridging the culture divide.(INVESTMENT)
April 1, 2008... Because of historical and cultural reasons, French speaking African countries have traditionally been tied to financial institutions in France. As a result, many excellent investment opportunities have gone begging. Now a new bank with African...

The future of Africa is now!(CONFERENCE)(Conference news)
April 1, 2008... The Africa Investment and Finance Conference 2008, held at the London Stock Exchange in February was charged with enthusiasm for the continent's opportunities. Speaker after speaker told delegates that Africa's time had come. As the CEO of...

Global Compact: responsible investment tops the agenda; Corporate social responsibility is rising sharply in executive priorities around the globe, not least in the banking, finance and investment sectors. Georg Kell, the executive director of the UN's Global Compact, the world's largest global citizenship initiative, spoke to Stephen Williams.(CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY)
April 1, 2008... In early 2005, the UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, invited a group of the world's largest institutional investors to join a process to develop the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Individuals...

Stanbic Bank Zambia's MD Larry F Kalala: prudence is the key; Larry F Kalala is the MD of Stanbic Bank Zambia Ltd, chair of the Bankers Association of Zambia and also sits as a trustee on Zambia's Privatisation Trust that oversees the government's privatisation process. Stephen Williams reports.(PROFILE)(Occupation overview)
April 1, 2008... Larry Kalala started his banking career with Grindlays which was taken over by the Australia New Zealand Bank (ANZ) in 1985; but it would appear that ANZ was principally interested in Grindlays' India and Pacific region. The sad fact was that,...

Oil: Angola challenges Nigeria.(Special Report: Energy in Africa)(Industry overview)
April 1, 2008... With both oil and gas recording high prices globally, there seems to be little sign that the stampede for fresh fields will taper off. However, within the continent itself, the relative position of the key players appears to be changing with...

Another strike for Ghana.(Special Report: Energy in Africa)
April 1, 2008... Anglo-Irish firm Tullow Oil has announced that it has discovered oil with its Odum 1 well on its West Cape Three Points concession in Ghana. Odum is its second exploration well on the licence and the company now plans to drill the Mahogany...

Gas: Africa now a force in global gas industry; South Africa's energy-starved economic landscape is the battleground for two global nuclear giants bidding to install the country's next generation of nuclear capacity. At stake is a R300bn tender to generate at least 50% of South Africa's additional electricity needs by 2025.(Special Report: Energy in Africa)(Industry overview)
April 1, 2008... While Angola is the fastest growing African oil producer, it will also be the next country on the continent to gain a liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector. LNG is produced by turning gas into a liquid that can be transported by ship to ports...

Nuclear: South Africa; Battle of the nuclear giants.(Special Report: Energy in Africa)
April 1, 2008... While price, reliability, ease of operation, speed of construction, safety, minimum maintenance, cost-effective running and such are all critical elements in the tender for South Africa's new nuclear power stations, bidders are padding their...

A landlocked location can be an asset!(Country Report: BURKINA FASO)(Interview)
April 1, 2008... Having already served as the minister of the economy and finance for nearly four years, and appointed in 2002 as Burkina Faso's ambassador to Washington as well as its representative to the IMF, Tertius Zongo clearly has the requisite...

A new identity card for the Burkinabe: within two years, Burkina Faso's Office of National Identification (ONI) aims to provide every citizen with a new tamper-proof national identity card. Pierre Tiendrebeogo, ONI's managing director, explains the project's benefits to African Business.(Sponsored Feature: BURKINA FASO)(Interview)
April 1, 2008... With a background in military computer engineering, Pierre Tiendrebeogo became the managing director of the National Office of identification (ONI) in 2006. He is now responsible for a programme to introduce a new identity card for every...

A spirit of reconciliation: Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaore's success in helping solve the Cote d'Ivoire crisis has opened a new chapter of closer relations between the two countries.(Country Report: BURKINA FASO)
April 1, 2008... The Ouagadougou accords, signed by Presidents Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso and Laurent Gbagbo and Guilleume Soro of Cote d'Ivoire to end the conflict have instilled a real sense of pride among the Burkinabe public. For the simple fact is...

Manuel finds extra $3bn for event: South Africa's finance minister has dug deeply into his 2008/09 budget to reinforce sectors most critical to the success of the 2010 soccer World Cup. Tom Nevin reports.(WORLD CUP WATCH)
April 1, 2008... An additional R21bn ($3bn) is to be pumped into public transport and security services "with the upcoming World Cup in mind" finance minister Trevor Manuel told Parliament--R11bn ($1.6bn) more has been earmarked for transport upgrades while...

Tea prices boil in wake of Kenya turmoil: political unrest, among other factors, has sent the price of the commodity sky high. Other African softs are also enjoying buoyant prices as Moin Siddiqi reports.(COMMODITIES)
April 1, 2008... Over the past month, the soft commodities market hit record highs, underpinned by tighter supply and demand conditions and high levels of speculative buying. Adding to the mix is the fear about supply disruptions in major growing regions of...

Does foreign aid work for Africa? Over the past few years, capital inflows to Africa, from a variety of sources, have increased considerably. One of these sources, official aid, has tripled since 2000; but is this sufficient to achieve the millennium Development Goals by 2015?(VIEW FROM THE CITY)(Africa economic conditions)(Statistical data)
April 1, 2008... The African economy has grown by 6% per annum during the past decade, the fastest expansion since the 1960s. The latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast shows growth in sub-Saharan Africa might reach 7% in 2008, fuelled by increased...

Yar'Adua juggles political and economic woes: although it seems that the challenges in court against President Yar'Adua have no chance of success, they perhaps limit his ability to force through reforms, particularly in the vital energy sector. Neil Ford explains.(NIGERIA)
April 1, 2008... The saga of Nigeria's disputed election results looks set to run well into President Umaru Yar'Adua's term of office. Although a tribunal of five judges dismissed pleas that the presidential election result be annulled at the end of February,...

Land issue temperature rising.(SOUTH AFRICA)
April 1, 2008... The South African government's aim to redistribute 30% of white owned farmland by 2014 is unlikely to be realised at the slow pace of the process to date. In addition, the new owners, often divorced from the land for hundreds of years, need...

Exporters will fund port rehabilitation: at long last, it seems that Liberia's ports, all of which are in a general state of disrepair, will be given a new lease of life to ensure the smooth export of rubber and iron ore. Neil Ford reports.(LIBERIA)(Cavalla Rubber Corporation)
April 1, 2008... Several Liberian ports are to be redeveloped in the latest stage of efforts to rebuild the West African country's infrastructure after the devastation of its long civil war. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] The Cavalla Rubber Corporation (CRC) plans...

Kikwete stronger after scandals: Tanzanian president Jakaya Kikwete's quick and decisive action following a spate of political scandals has burnished his image both in the continent and beyond. Report by Neil Ford.(TANZANIA)
April 1, 2008... Tanzania's normally stable political elite has been rocked by the recent political crisis that saw veteran politician Edward Lowassa lose the post of prime minister. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] The entire cabinet has been reformed as President...

Is aluminium the new gold?(CAMEROON)
April 1, 2008... It seems that Cameroon might at last be able to break the vicious cycle of shortage of power preventing industrial growth and lack of industrial growth discouraging investment in new power plants. Rio Tinto aims to expand its aluminium smelter...

Ever deeper in debt: a case of fiscal madness.(Book review)
April 1, 2008... Greenspan's Bubbles The Age of Ignorance at the Federal Reserve By William A Fleckenstein with Frederick Sheehan [pounds sterling]12 McGraw Hill ISBN: 978-0-07-159158-1 Alan Greenspan has, in equal measure, been lauded and...

Nigeria's Afrobeat legend: what a Fela.(Biography)
April 1, 2008... Fela Kuti Anthology 1 2 CD + DVD Wrasse Records WRASS199 A composer, saxophonist, keyboard player, choreographer, activist, spiritualist, philosopher and perhaps the greatest African pop musician of the modern era, Fela...