African Business articles from January 2006

African Business archives from January 2006

Africa and the Diaspora: time to make a stand.(THIS MONTH'S PRIZE LETTER)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... Thank you for the thought-provoking editorial, 'Let us embrace the African Diaspora' in the November 2005 issue. I would like to add my own observations to the subject: [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Brothers and sisters, on this day we have...

A fundamentalist threat: the menace of intolerance.(THIS MONTH'S PRIZE LETTER)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... I would like to share my views about the destructive force of religious zeal in our continent. If African people are not careful to guard against it with a healthy mindset, religious zeal will become a menacing weapon of mass destruction....

Prize letter: win a free annual subscription!
January 1, 2006... African Business will award a free one year subscription to the reader whose letter is chosen as the Prize Letter for that month. (Existing subscribers will receive a free annual renewal). Your views on Africa and matters affecting Africa are...

Food: Zambia OKs SA maize.(South African maize import)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Previously worried that South African maize might be pest-infected and genetically altered, the Zambian government has given the green light to the importation of 150,000 tons of white maize after a two month hold-up. "We are now on a...

Going nuclear: uranium strike boosts Zimbabwe's power hopes.(discovery of uranium in Zimbabwe )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The recent discovery of uranium in Zimbabwe will enable the country to start a nuclear power programme as a means of resolving its chronic electricity supply problems, according to President Robert Mugabe. Zimbabwe, with a daily...

Land programme: TerraAfrica to confront desertification.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... "Nepad's goal of increasing the rate of agricultural productivity above 6% a year will only be possible if the current trend in land degradation is halted and reversed into an improvement in yield per hectare," according to Professor Firmino...

Cost cuts: African parliament faces budget cuts.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Pan African Parliament)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The newly-instituted Pan African Parliament (PAP) started its fourth ordinary session in Johannesburg with a $2m cut in its 2006 budget and a money-saving reduction in meeting time of 10 days. According to the new protocol, PAP should...

Investment boost: big IFC boost for Africa's private sector.(International Finance Corporation )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The International Finance Corporation (IFC) intends to almost treble its support for Africa's private sector with an injection of around $1bn a year for the next five years. About 20% of the first year's tranche will be used to help South...

Prices rocket: inflation knocks two African super-economies.(Federal Office of Statistics)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Nigeria has reported a surge in inflation to just under 17% while Botswana's topped a two-year high of 11.2%. Nigeria's Federal Office of Statistics blamed the increases on food price hikes due mainly to the government's deregulation policy...

Hyrdocarbon bonanza: Angola makes hay with high oil prices.(Angola's oil extraction industry)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... A rush to invest in Angola's oil extraction industry and rapid growth in non-oil industries will push GDP growth to nearly 28% in 2006, according to Angola's Ministry of Industry. The 2006 draft budget says oil production will expand by...

Easier money: DBSA relaxes lending criteria.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Development Bank of Southern Africa )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... As a means of fast-tracking the region's urgently-needed infrastructure needs, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has relaxed its lending criteria to make funding easier to obtain. A result of the bank's increasing its project...

Malawi by-elections: Mutharika passes litmus test.(Democratic Progressive Party )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Malawi's president Bingu wa Mutharika appears to have consolidated his sometimes shaky hold on power following a surprising clean sweep of six by-election seats by his party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in December. Mutharika...

BEE move: tribe takes platinum stake.(Bafokeng acquires Implats share)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... South Africa's Bafokeng tribe is to acquire a 9% share in Implats in a R3.4bn ($540m) deal. Bafokeng's Chief Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi described the purchase as a 'watershed for his peoples'. The majority of Implats' mining operations take place...

AB guide to African currencies.(african business )(Illustration)
January 1, 2006... AB Guide to African Currencies COUNTRY CURRENCY [pounds sterling]STG ALGERIA (Dinar) 128.34 ANGOLA (New Kwanza) 141.85 BENIN (CFA) ...

Salute to a brave fighter.(National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control)(Editorial)
January 1, 2006... As another dramatic African year draws to a close and we all take a break for the traditional end-of-year festivities, I would like to use this month's editorial to salute the efforts of one outstanding daughter of Africa. Her name is Dora...

Its now or never.(economy goes downward after war)(Cover Story)
January 1, 2006... After three years of a destructive civil war, Cote d'Ivoire is enjoying a rare period of calm. Tensions are still high and the country is still divided but all parties seem anxious to find lasting solutions to their particular grievances....

Sell dollars, buy euros and yen! The New Year brings added cheer for the dollar bulls. But will the dollar's renewed strength represents a long-term recovery or a bear market rally? Should you hold on to your dollars or sell them?(VIEW FROM THE CITY)
January 1, 2006... The multi-trillion dollar foreign exchange markets never cease to surprise both private and institutional investors. Projections from highly-paid analysts working for commercial and investment banks using econometric models or technical...

Putting out the fires in the Delta: as intentions now stand, the flaring of gas--which wastes around $2.5bn for Nigeria--will be illegal by 2008. Some majors say that the time-limit is too short but the people who live in the Delta region of the country can hardly wait for the new law to come into effect.(ENERGY)
January 1, 2006... The saga over the Nigerian government's bid to outlaw gas flaring looks set to run and run, following a declaration by the country's High Court that the practice is illegal. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When he...

Warfare on the decline: according to the Human Security Report, there are fewer wars in the world now than over the past 13 years; most of these, unfortunately, are still in Africa. The good news is that conflicts in Africa are also reducing. Are we on the brink of a new, virtually conflict-free period of history? asks Neil Ford.(Focus on Peace)
January 1, 2006... It has long been argued that international perceptions of Africa are far too negative, with news clips dominated by pictures of famine, flood and warfare. Yet it is unfortunately true that military conflict is a major disincentive to investment...

Africa's university for peace: as part of our campaign this month focussing on peace in Africa, editor Anver Versi met Dr Jean-Bosco Butera who was recently appointed the first director of the Africa Programme at the University for Peace.(Focus on Peace)(Interview)
January 1, 2006... In another article in this issue, we report the welcome news that armed conflicts and wars across the globe have been declining over the past 13 years; the less welcome news is that most of the current conflicts are still located in Africa. ...

Gold hits the heights: there's a distinctly bullish sentiment in the precious metals' markets driven by renewed economic growth and strong buying in the main consuming regions, principally the US, the European Union, Asia and the Middle East. Moin Siddiqi analyses the trends.(COMMODITIES)
January 1, 2006... The gold price rose to a 25-year high of $530.90 a troy ounce (oz) on 9 December, while platinum reached $1,004/oz. Both metals' prices were driven by robust demand and heavy buying from private investors seeking an option to paper money like...

Nature's lesson: bronzed and beautiful--like a hippo.(Hippopotamuses)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... On its way from a friendly swamp near you is a tanning aid no sun worshipper in the tropics should be without--hippopotamus sweat! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Scientists were curious to find out why hippos do not suffer from...

Lights out: self-snuffing candle.(PRODUCTS & PROCESSES)(CandleSafe)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Latest, in a welcome line of innovations to prevent shantytown fires and the resulting injury and death, is a candle that snuffs itself out if it falls over. Dubbed CandleSafe, it is simplicity itself in the form of a cylindrical metal stopper...

Fighting the flab: hope for fatties, lift-off for bushmen.(PRODUCTS & PROCESSES)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Soon, money fat people spend to make themselves thin will be used on uplifting a traditionally poor people living in the Kalahari Desert, a dusty corner of southwest Africa. Fatties by the millions around the world are expected to flock to...

Encouraging inventions: the answer, my friend, is blowing the mind.(PRODUCTS & PROCESSES)(patent incentive fund and the patent support fund)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Too many good ideas are lost, wasted of stolen because the inventor does not have the know-how and funding to patent his or her brainstorm, so South Africa's Council for Industrial and Scientific Research (CSIR) came up with answers to rectify...

A handy solution: never too hot.(PRODUCTS & PROCESSES)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... "The trend in cookware," says Annemarie Fourie, "is to take the pot from the stove to the oven to the table--so the handles must not be too hot to handle." In other words, find a way of carrying the hot pot without burning your hands. And...

Speaking in tongues: six down--five to go.(PRODUCTS & PROCESSES)(University of the North West's language software)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... No-one in South Africa can claim true polyglot status because none can speak all of the country's 11 official languages. For those aspiring to that lofty ideal, however, help is not far away. The University of the North West has written...

Nectar collectors' achievements: Kenya company's sweet taste of success.(PRODUCTS & PROCESSES)(Honeycare wins award)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Honey has been around since God made bees, so there's nothing new in the nectar-making process. What has made news, however, is the fact that a social enterprise from Kenya has been named the top small, medium and micro (SMME) business in...

Soccer in the mind: S African board game scores in UK.(PRODUCTS & PROCESSES)
January 1, 2006... A group of young South African entrepreneurs have stolen a march on the vast UK football merchandising industry, which turns over billions of pounds every year, with the invention of a new soccer board game that has been patented worldwide,...

Nanotechnology in anti-cancer armoury.(Medical moments)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... A drug-packed 'smart cell' that penetrates tumours by nanotechnology and destroys them from the inside has been successfully tested on mice at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US. The nanocell, 500 times smaller than the...

Hot is healthy.(Medical moments)(spice cures cancer)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Curry lovers can rejoice in the fact that scientists are now convinced that the fiery dish that made India famous is also a cancer fighter. Curcumin, the main component of turmeric that gives curry its distinctive yellow colour, helps stop...

The healing touch.(Medical moments)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Scientists have discovered what moms have known all along: a hug helps healing and makes you feel better. Medical researchers have now proved that hugs can reduce heart disease, cut stress and help you live longer. The secret is in the peppy...

Ghana: we need to sing our song louder; As part of an intense investment drive, Ghana's President John Agye-Kum Kufuor recently led a high-powered economic delegation to Washington and London. In London Omar Ben Yedder interviewed Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning.(Interview)
January 1, 2006... African Business: What is the thrust of your current economic policy? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dr Osei: The macroeconomic environment continues to be a key piece of our economic programme. We want to move from the stabilisation mode to...

Applying modern science to traditional knowledge: Uganda, like most African countries, is brimming with health-giving, curative plants, but this knowledge is only partially being put to use. Milan Vesely reports on an initiative that will combine Western technical and marketing skills with local knowledge to produce easily accessible medicine.(HEALTH)
January 1, 2006... Eighty percent of Uganda's 27m people still rely on traditional medicines; the use of herbal remedies has been passed down through generations of traditional healers, a recent World Bank study concluded. With Uganda home to more then 30% of the...

Telemedicine lifeline for rural Africa: the growth of information communication technologies has allowed a number of projects sponsored by the Vodafone Group Foundation to provide healthcare only previously available in populous urban areas. Stuart Price reports.(ICT)
January 1, 2006... First, there was the seismic shift in the provision of mobile telecommunications in Africa. The rapid rise of affordable and easy access mobile phone technology has been nothing short of meteoric, with the continent being the fastest growing...

Scheme to safeguard small-holder production: last month, Hong Kong trade negotiators were considering a proposal that would allow developing countries to protect their agricultural commodities from global commitments to lower import duties. This is seen as a vital instrument to safeguard the food security of some of the world's poorest nations. Mildred Mpundu of Panos reports from Zambia.(AGRICULTURE)
January 1, 2006... Zambian farmer Margree Chilwesa is faced with a hard choice--he either has to sell his last season's crop on the cheap or eat it. "Last year the National Milling Company was buying my grade-A soya at K1,900 ($2.5)/kg and K1,600/kg for the...

Beautiful vital statistics: the vital statistics coming out of South Africa make healthy reading. The economy is growing well and if this rate of growth can be maintained, the target of cutting poverty by half by 2014 can be achieved, reports Tom Nevin.(SOUTH AFRICA)
January 1, 2006... For the last few quarters, South Africa's economic growth has been flirting with the 5% mark, reaching 5.2% in the second quarter of last year, signalling a growth of around 4.4% for 2005. According to Statistics South Africa, growth for 2004...

Pipeline to fuel industrial dreams: Ghana's long-held dream of becoming an industrial economy is based on a steady supply of relatively cheap power. The government, it seems, is putting its faith in gas rather than hydro for its future power needs. Neil Ford reports.(GHANA)
January 1, 2006... It is often argued, and rightly so, that the poor condition of vital infrastructure in much of Africa has held back economic growth since independence. Inadequate water supplies, unreliable power grids and the lack of fixed-line telecoms...

Cairo exchange 'higher than the pyramids': a share index that cannot stop rising, booming liquidity and a mega-listing are set to crown a third soaraway year for Africa's oldest stock exchange. Tom Minney reports.(EGYPT)
January 1, 2006... Analysts claim the party is not yet over on the Cairo and Alexandria Stock Exchanges (CASE), and the giant crowds gathered for the share subscription of 20% of Telecom Egypt at the start of December suggests that the public feels the same. ...

A general without officers: president Mwai Kibaki is facing his most serious crisis since winning the elections in 2002. At the time of writing, he had no cabinet--having sacked the previous one but unable to persuade new ministers to take up their posts. Neil Ford explains the economic consequences.(political crisis)(legislative elections)
January 1, 2006... When President Mwai Kibaki and his National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) government came to power at the end of 2002, it was widely expected that the economy would pick up on a wave of investment. Many foreign and domestic businesses and donors had...

Building on progress: in late November, the government of Sierra Leone met with its development partners for two days of talks discussing its poverty reduction strategy. The outcome was the promise of unprecedented new aid mechanisms and commitments. Stephen Williams reports.(International Development )
January 1, 2006... Thirty of Sierra Leone's principal development partners met in London with a high-ranking ministerial delegation led by President Ahmad Kabbah to discuss the country's poverty reduction strategy and agree on developing and implementing better...

Ravalomanana needs a fine balance: almost four years after coming to power, the government of President Marc Ravalomanana faces some testing choices over the political and economic development of Madagascar. Neil Ford reports.
January 1, 2006... Heralded as a leader who could pull off the difficult combination of kick starting the moribund, state dominated economy through his entrepreneurial skills and improving the living standards of the country's rural poor, Madagascar's President...

Country in danger of losing its halo: often hailed as a model African country by Western donors, Uganda finds itself at a crossroads. With landmark elections approaching and uproar continuing over the arrest of the main opposition leader, Stuart Price in Kampala asks if the honeymoon is over.(multiparty election )
January 1, 2006... An air of uncertainty and anticipation hangs in the air in the capital Kampala. The first multiparty election since incumbent President Yoweri Museveni came to power in 1986 are slated for either late February or early March 2006. It promises...

Row over pipeline revenue share-out: controversy looms over how the government of Chad, soon to receive substantial new revenues from its oil pipeline, should spend the income. The bone of contention is that slice of revenues earmarked for future generations. Neil Ford has the details.(CHAD)
January 1, 2006... The Chadian government has announced that it plans to start spending the money from the Chad-Cameroon pipeline project that had been set aside for "future generations". Ministers argue that the country can decide to spend the money as it sees...

Escaping the trap: a new approach.(Ending Global Poverty : A Guide to What Works )(Book Review)
January 1, 2006... Ending Global Poverty A guide to what works By Stephen Smith* $20.00 Palgrave MacMillan ISBN 1-4039-6534-X Over 800m people worldwide suffer from chronic hunger while over 10m children die each year from preventable...

Desertion.(Desertion)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 1, 2006... Desertion [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] By Abdulrazak Gurnah [pounds sterling]16.99 Bloomsbury ISBN 0-7475-7756-0 Early one morning in 1899, in a small town along the coast from Mombasa, Hassanali sets out for the mosque. But...

Beasts of no Nation.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 1, 2006... Beasts of no Nation [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] By Uzodinma Iweala [pounds sterling]12.99 John Murray ISBN 0-7195-6752-1 During a brutal civil war in an unnamed Africa country, a young boy's world is suddenly transformed. ...

Paul Bowles: A Life.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 1, 2006... Paul Bowles--A Life [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] By Virginia Spencer Carr [pounds sterling]18.95 Peter Owen ISBN 0-7206-1254-3 Paul Bowles--novelist, composer, celebrated expatriate, countercultural and gay icon--is one of the...

Red Strangers.(Red Strangers: The White Tribe of Kenya)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 1, 2006... Red Strangers [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The White Tribe of Kenya By C.S. Nicholls [pounds sterling]18.99 Timewell Press ISBN 1-85725-206-3 With the stately lowering of the Union flag in December 1963, 70 years of...

The Last Expedition.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 1, 2006... The Last Expedition [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] By Daniel Liebowitz and Charles Pearson [pounds sterling]17.99 Portrait ISBN 0-7499-5063-3 A noble rescue mission descends into a nightmare of cruelty, starvation and...

Reinventing Development? Translating Rights-based Approaches from Theory into Practice.(universal human rights standards )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Reinventing Development? Translating Rights-based Approaches from Theory into Practice [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Edited by Paul Gready & Jonathan wEnsor The recognition of the fundamental links between the denial of rights and...

Bamboo.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 1, 2006... Bamboo [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] By William Boyd [pounds sterling]20 Hamish Hamilton ISBN 0-24114-305-5 William Boyd's first collection of non-fiction is a substantial volume of writings from the last three decades that...

Sleepwalking Land.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 1, 2006... Sleepwalking Land [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] By Mia Couto Translated by David Brookshaw [pounds sterling]9.99 Serpent's Tail ISBN 1-85242-897-X As the civil war rages in 1980s Mozambique an old man and a young...

Voice of the people: the early years.(Spirits to Bite our Ears: The Singles Collection, 1977-1986)(Sound Recording Review)
January 1, 2006... Spirits to Bite our Ears The Singles Collection 1977-1986 Thomas Mapfumo & the Blacks Unlimited DBK Works (US) Cat: DBK 522 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Thomas Mapfumo--the 'Lion of Zimbabwe'--has been living in Oregon,...