African Business articles from August 2003

African Business archives from August 2003

Act against subsidies.(Fair Trade)
August 1, 2003... I have to agree with the statements regarding the need for increased trade made in Anver Versi's editorial "Open the gates for African Trade" in the July issue of African Business. Agricultural subsidies are a major stumbling block to our...

Power and responsibility.(Open letter to George Bush)
August 1, 2003... Dear President Bush: As your plane touched down in Dakar, Senegal, we welcomed the opportunity of your visit to examine the US-Africa relationship and to establish ties that are based on honesty, respect and a clear commitment to removing...

Obasanjo's top priorities.(Nigeria)(Olusegun Obasanjo)
August 1, 2003... A man does not chase rats when his house is on fire. This proverb applies to President Olusegun Obasanjo's zealous chase for international reputation when he has a huge stable to clear at home. After almost five years in office, he is yet...

Wild prices at S African game auction.(Conservation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Game auctions continue to be a significant source of revenue for the South African government. A parcel of wild animals at a provincial auction in the Eastern Cape raised an unexpectedly high R6.2m, nearly as much as last year's auction for...

Ethiopia under IMF pressure.(Economy)(International Monetary Fund)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Although the Ethiopian government has made "considerable progress" in poverty reduction, it needs to step up the pace of the country's economic development and to change land and financial policies, according to the managing director of the...

Price squeezes cocoa demand.(Commodities)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Overproduction of cocoa is causing world prices to plummet and is threatening harvests in Cote d'Ivoire, the world's biggest producer. In anticipation of a 1m ton harvest for 2002/03, the new unity government set the minimum price at 625CFA...

Angola--energy investment target.(Investment)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Angola has been identified as one of the most attractive places for energy investment. The West African nation, along with Trinidad and Indonesia, were singled out by BP's chief executive, Lord Browne, as providing "some of the best...

Get a move on, SADC tells us.(Trade)(South African Development Community)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Trade Ministers of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are becoming impatient with the "slow progress developed countries are making to address public health issues and the European Union's agricultural subsidies," says South...

Strong rand cuts S African arms bill.(Finance)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... South Africa's resurgent currency has brought the domestic cost of its controversial Strategic Defence Package (SDP) back to more respectable levels. The SDP was set to cost taxpayers the rand equivalent of $4.5bn when it was signed in 1999,...

Aids killing 500 Zimbabweans a day.(Disease)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Zimbabwe has moved back into centre stage as one of the most Aids-devastated nations in Africa. The United Nations Aids programme, UNAids, reports that more than 500 people are dying of Aids-related diseases in Zimbabwe every day. The southern...

Belt-tightening at the top.(Pay-cuts)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Zambian President Levy Mawanawasa and his cabinet are helping to curb excessive government spending by taking a 30% cut in salary. Vice President Nevers Mumba announced the cut as the government set about tackling chronic overspending,...

Rights empower poor people.(Land)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Strengthening poor people's land rights and easing barriers to land transactions can set in motion a wide range of social and economic benefits including improved governance, empowerment of women and other marginalised people, increased private...

AB guide to African currencies.(Business Briefs)(Illustration)
August 1, 2003... AB Guide to African Currencies [pounds COUNTRY CURRENCY sterling] $US EURO STG ALGERIA (Dinar) 123.62...

Who rules Africa?(Editorial)
August 1, 2003... The current buzz word is 'governance'. At all international conferences, Africa is being told that if it wants investment from outside, it must display good governance. We say Amen to that not just for investment but because good governance is...

He came, he saw, did he conquer? What did George Bush's long anticipated Africa safari finally add up to? What were the motives behind the visit and did he succeed? What did Africa expect and how much did it get. In this retrospect, Anver Versi detects a small but subtle shift in relations between Africa and the United States.(Bush In Africa)
August 1, 2003... He came, he saw but did he conquer African hearts and minds? African reaction to George Bush's much vaunted five day, five nation African safari ranged from open hostility to a tepid welcome. The kind of spontaneous public jubilation that...

Much ado about nothing? How did US President George Bush's visit to Africa go down in the United States? Milan Vesely gives an American viewpoint.(Bush In Africa)
August 1, 2003... The American President's tour came at an awkward time for the administration. A guerrilla insurgency bleeding the U.S. military on a daily basis in Iraq was raising fears of a second Vietnam. Even the Republican controlled congress was in no...

What the papers said about Bush's African safari: we present a selection of views from the African and international media.(Bush In Africa)(George W. Bush )
August 1, 2003... CAPE TIMES EDITORIAL, SOUTH AFRICA "America's interest in what happens in Africa has been greatly sharpened since September 11. American policy-makers have noted that weak, poverty-stricken states, with weak institutions, can pose as great...

Hypocrisy over aid: despite high-flown phrases about the need to help Africa escape from the poverty trap, Western government policies are ensuring that Africa remains underdeveloped.(View From The City)
August 1, 2003... The Group of Eight (G-8) two-day summit at the French alpine resort of Evian, as expected, offered no new commitments to Africa in terms of capital flows and trade concessions. Like previous gatherings of the world's wealthiest nations, the...

Downstream oil door opens for South African blacks: the South African government has drawn up new oil and gas legislation with the intention of privatising the country's downstream infrastructure. The aim is to introduce black companies into a sector once the sole preserve of whites.(Oil And Gas)
August 1, 2003... South Africa's downstream infrastructure, which is mainly managed by Transnet subsidiary Petronet, has until now remained state owned and state controlled because of security and strategic considerations, but the government is keen to reduce...

Green Oscar for Eritrea: this year's prestigious Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy has gone to an Eritrean designed stove which is both environmentally-friendly and efficient.(Technology)
August 1, 2003... The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy, now in their third year, have quickly become regarded as one of the world's most prestigious environmental awards. They aim to recognise and reward the best in community-led sustainable energy projects,...

Agricultural prices stabilise: this year, thanks to a strengthening global economy, demand for non-fuel commodities has strenthened--but higher production has left prices reasonably stable.(Africa)
August 1, 2003... Market conditions for agricultural commodities are influenced principally by weather and farmgate prices. Non-fuel commodities are extremely vulnerable to El Nino weather patterns which can damage crops through protracted drought in some...

Learning from the US: US-Africa Business Summit, Washington: this year CCA's US-Africa Business Summit proved a great success, attracting over 1,500 officials and business people as delegates from all of Africa and the United States attended.(Conferences)
August 1, 2003... In the presence of many African Heads of States, President George W. Bush and the US Secretary of State Colin Powell joined American politicians and business leaders, academics and professionals at the Corporate Council for Africa's 'US-Africa...

Menezes steals the show: at the Summit, one speech stood head and shoulders above its fellows. It was delivered by Fradrique De Menezes, erstwhile Head of State of Sao Tome and Principe--population 170,000. He received a standing ovation.(speech)
August 1, 2003... * Editors note--We learnt about the military coup in Sao Tome and Principe shortly before going to press. It was roundly condemned in Africa and elsewhere. African Business joins the rest of Africa in calling for a speedy return to civilian...

Stay-aways scuttle golden opportunity: World Economic Forum Africa Summit, Durban: the June World Economic Forum Africa Summit in Durban was a great opportunity for African countries to interact with international business and drive Nepad forward. But while business turned up, most African governments didn't.(Conference)
August 1, 2003... Looking back over the three days of the World Economic Forum Africa Summit, President Thabo Mbeki will have wondered how much progress was made in the summit's main objective of moving business closer to politics. He will have pondered on how...

Astonishing vanishing act: how can a 153-foot, 200,000-pound Boeing 727 jetliner just vanish off the face of the earth? That is the problem facing Angola's Ministry of Aviation officials, the CIA, and many western intelligence agencies.
August 1, 2003... When a mysterious pilot taxied an impounded jetliner off the apron at Luanda airport, and without permission took-off to disappear into the African skies, it sparked an international alert by authorities fearful of a repeat of the 9/11 attacks...

The need for alternatives to HEP: although Africa has a huge hydroelectric power generating capacity, smaller scale alternatives, such as gas fired, wind, geothermal and solar energy should be considered. Neil Ford argues why Africa needs to diversify its energy sources.
August 1, 2003... The continued failure of the electricity sector in much of Africa is something of a conundrum. That many state and privately owned companies are unable to invest sufficient sums in transmission and distribution infrastructure is entirely...

At last, Africa faces disease head-on: the July AU Summit in Maputo, Mozambique, marked a significant change of priorities for Africa by putting the long neglected issue of health at the top of the agenda. A unique international video-conferencing system brought a host of stakeholders worldwide together in the first major attempt by Africa to step up the war against disease.
August 1, 2003... The African Union's second Summit, held in Maputo, Mozambique in July was remarkable for at least two reasons: One was the priority given to the perennial battle against Africa's killer diseases, Aids, Malaria and tuberculosis (TB) and second...

Man behind Meridien success: Jonathan Ross profiles Hassan Ahdeb, the managing director of the largest international hotel operator in Africa,--Meridien.
August 1, 2003... Regular visitors to Africa know that guests of the Meridien group of hotels can be certain not just of a warm welcome, impeccable service and comfortable rooms--but much more besides. Whether checking in at Douala or Dakar, Lagos or Lilongwe, a...

The art of leisure: one of the most dynamic businessman in Africa, Armand Apavou began in the construction industry and later diversified into hotels and leisure. Today, his group runs 12 hotels in Reunion and Mauritius and expansion plans include a massive conference complex in Mauritius's new Cyber City.(Profiles)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Armand Apavou started his business in Reunion 30 years ago, specialising in the construction industry and housing management. Today, one islander in 15 lives in accommodation built or managed by the Apavou Group! In 1985, he diversified...

IT development from above: despite considerable investment from firms such as Geolink and MSI, only 0.4% of the people in Africa have access to the internet. But the demand is growing by the day. Neil Ford assesses the IT situation in Africa today.(Information Technology)
August 1, 2003... From a governmental point of view, information technology and mobile communications generally come under the same portfolio, but interest and investment in Africa have largely been focused upon the latter, partly because of the ability of...

Bespoke design solutions.(Information Technology, African enterpreneurs)
August 1, 2003... As in the telecoms sector, African entrepreneurs are beginning to design IT solutions that are both technologically and financially appropriate to the continent. In Cameroon, a new company named Liquid Africa is attempting to set up the first...

BMW's 5-Series a brave new design world: BMW's radical design changes, most visible in the Z4 and 5-Series, is a calculated gamble that some insiders say could sink the company or propel it to new heights. Stephen Williams takes a close look at the new 5-Series.(Bayerische Motoren Werke, car)
August 1, 2003... The launch of BMW's new Z4 and 5-Series models, in June and September respectively, has once again ignited debate over BMW's introduction of new styling cues across its model range. It's a bold and brave move by BMW; after all, it must have...

South Africa: alternative exchange--a new hope for Africa's entrepreneurs: South Africa launches an alternative exchange this month. The [Alt.sup.x] will use the Johannesburg Stock Exchange's advanced technology to help small scale enterprises raise fresh capital. The system is set to spread throughout Africa.
August 1, 2003... An alternative exchange that could be a fore runner to easier and cheaper fund raising in capital markets throughout Africa starts operations at the Johannesburg Security Exchange (JSE) this month (August). It will be officially launched in...

Tanzania: where is the beef? Tanzania has the potential to be one of Africa's biggest exporters of beef and livestock but a moribund infrastructure, diseases and poor marketing get in the way. Herald Tagama reports on efforts to revive the industry.
August 1, 2003... Tanzania's national cattle herd is the third largest in Africa at 17m head--after Ethiopia and Sudan with 31m and 30m respectively. Yet it earns only a paltry $4m from the export of cattle, beef and related products, compared to the $100m...

Kenya: UK flight ban hits Kenyan tourism: although the ban on all UK carriers to Kenya was lifted in June, it cost Kenya an estimated $1m a day in lost tourism revenues and additional freight costs.(United Kingdom flight ban)
August 1, 2003... African tourism experts in the UK say it is hard to underestimate the damage that has been caused by the ban on British Airways (BA) and Monarch flights to Kenya, coming as it did after last November's attack on the Paradise Hotel in Mombasa...

Algeria: Bouteflika staggers under weight of economy: the severe loss of life following the disastrous earthquake in May was just one more point of focus for a population that is growing increasingly restive. Will President Abdelaziz Bouteflika survive the next election, due early next year?
August 1, 2003... The evening of May 21 witnessed a huge loss of life as Algeria was struck by a mighty earthquake in which at least 2,276 people were killed between the capital and the epicentre, 60km east of Algiers. In the aftermath of the country's worst...

Malawi: power importation deal takes shape: the problem of Malawi's frequent electricity shortages might be solved with an agreement to import power from neighbouring Mozambique.
August 1, 2003... Negotiations for Malawi to start importing power from Mozambique's Cahora Bassa hydroelectric dam on the Zambezi River look set to be concluded with a bilateral agreement on a power importation deal. In March 2003, one of Malawi's main...

Togo: back to square one President Gnassingbe Eyadema won Togo's June election with 57.22% of the vote, preserving his position as Africa's longest serving leader. Can be now deliver the economic promise?
August 1, 2003... Togo's President Gnassingbe Eyadema has been in power since he seized control in the 1967 coup. Such a desire to hang on to power is not rare on the continent and in fact Eyadema tenure is just eight months longer than Gabon's President Omar...

Privatise Africa's neglected parks: a bold move by a Dutch millionaire to privatise some of Africa's smaller national parks could be the saving of these wildlife sanctuaries. But critics say national assets should not be sold off. Milan Vesely has the details.(Tourism)
August 1, 2003... Most African countries are so hard pressed to finance their social programs in education, HIV/Aids prevention, health care and basic infrastructure development that only those parks that attract the most visitors receive adequate government...

Carat, colour, clarity ... and conflict: the history of a cold blooded love affair.(Book Review)
August 1, 2003... BLOOD DIAMONDS TRACING THE DEADLY PATH OF THE WORLD'S MOST PRECIOUS STONES. By Greg Campbell 19.99 [pounds sterling] Westview Press ISBN 0-8133-3939-1 Eight out of 10 of all diamonds sold worldwide are destined to be purchased by...

Greenback: the Almighty Dollar and the Invention of America.(book)
August 1, 2003... By Jason Goodwin 14.99 [pounds sterling] Hamish Hamilton ISBN 0-241-14098-6 This book is a history the United States of America told through the story of the dollar. Jason Goodwin traces this roller-coaster of a currency, delving into its...

Beyond September 11: an Anthology of Dissent.(book)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Edited by Phil Scraton 10.99 [pounds sterling] Pluto Press ISBN 0-7453-1962-9 The unprecedented and tragic events of September 11 have left an indelible mark on world politics. Civilian deaths in horrific circumstances triggered an...

The Truth about Markets.(book)
August 1, 2003... By John Kay 25 [pounds sterling] Allen Lane ISBN 0-713-99489-4 In the 1980s America won the cold war. In 1989 the Berlin Wall fell. The decade that followed proved one of the most extraordinary periods in economic history. The American...

Corporate Responsibility & Labour Rights: Codes of Conduct in the Global Economy.(book)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Edited by Rhys Jenkins, Ruth Pearson & Gill Seyfang 17.95 [pounds sterling] Earthscan ISBN 1-85383-931-0 The emergence of voluntary corporate codes of conduct since the early 1990s is both a manifestation of and a response to the...

Kenya's Owour wins 2003 Caine Prize.(Caine Prize for African Writing, Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The fourth Caine Prize for African Writing has been won by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor from Kenya, for Weight of Whispers, first published on a new website, Kwani? established by last year's winner from Kwani?, Binyavanga Wainaina, also from Kenya....

Latino Links: a homage to African Women.(musicians, musical works)
August 1, 2003... MARTINA Africando Sterns Cat: STCD1096 Africando was formed in 1992, the initiative of three West African musicians-Medoune Diallo, Nicholas Menheim and the late Pape Serigne Seck--working in close co-operation with the famed Malian...