African Business articles from July 2007

African Business archives from July 2007

Aid and responsibilities: G8 only promised more interference.(THIS MONTH'S PRIZE LETTER)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... I refer to Anver Versi's editorial (The G8's empty promises--African Business, June 2007 issue). He was right to be so sceptical about what the recent G8 Heads of State meeting in Heiligenndam, Germany, might achieve. At the meeting,...

Zimbabwe's economy: contentious issues.(THIS MONTH'S PRIZE LETTER)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... I write with reference to the article in the African Banker contained in African Business (June 2007 issue) by Dr Gideon Gono, governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, that discussed the state of Zimbabwe's economy. Although there are several...

Science & technology: using indigenous languages.(THIS MONTH'S PRIZE LETTER)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... I was interested to read the letter from your reader Evan Jones (The Power of Language--Keeping language alive, African Business June 2007 issue Letters). It called to mind a report I read that Nigeria's traditional rulers had launched a new...

Coal can be clean: new technologies explained.(THIS MONTH'S PRIZE LETTER)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... Girma Yannick's letter to the editor in African Business June 2007 issue (Real Cost of Coal--Mitigating Climate Change) was an interesting viewpoint but reflected a common misperception--that coal is an irredeemably filthy fuel. ...

Makerere goes digital.(Education)(Makerere University)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, has announced plans to become the first university in East Africa to install new ICT for the use of students and faculty whether on the campus or remotely. Thanks to an International Finance Corporation...

Peace index launched.(International affairs)( Global Peace Index)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... The Global Peace Index, which ranks factors that create and sustain peace in 121 countries in the world, published its first annual results prior to last month's G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany. The GPI, based in Washington DC in the US,...

Malaria initiative.(Health)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... The World Health Organisation (WHO) has just published a 60-page booklet explaining how to grow and harvest Atremisia Annua, a plant used for at least 2,000 years by the Chinese to treat malaria. The active ingredient of Artemisia Annua...

Generics agreement.(Medicine)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... The pharmaceutical group Roche has announced that it has signed two agreements with Ethiopia and Zimbabwe enabling the free transfer of technical know-how that makes possible the local production of a generic anti-HIV/Aids drug known as...

SADC to meet in Lusaka.(Summit)(27th Southern African Development Community)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Zambia will this year host the 27th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State Summit, Zambia's foreign affairs minister, Mundia Sikatana, confirmed last month. It will be the first time Zambia has hosted the SADC summit since...

SAA bans fluids.(Aviation)
July 1, 2007... South African Airways passengers travelling on any international flight are now restricted from carrying certain liquids and pastes on board. "The introduction of these restrictions is part of global precautionary measures to protect aircrafts...

Nigerian writers scoop prizes.(Literature)(Man Booker International Prize 2007 )(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Last month, at the age of 76, Nigeria's Chinua Achebe won the $120,000 Man Booker International Prize 2007 for his lifetime's literary achievements. The author of what is considered the definitive modern African novel Things Fall...

AB guide to African currencies.(Briefs)(Statistical table)
July 1, 2007... AB Guide to African Currencies Country Currency [pounds sterling]STG Algeria (Dinar) 138.49 Angola (New Kwanza) 148.19 Benin (CFA) ...

The lesson of China.(Editorial)(Editorial)
July 1, 2007... I paid my first visit to mainland China a couple of months ago while attending the African Development Bank annual meeting in Shanghai. My first reaction was astonishment. Although hardly a day passes without some reference to China's economic...

The science and art of logistics in Africa: African Business editor Anver Versi was invited to take a closer look at the work of international logistics company, the Bollore Group, in four African countries. The trip, says Versi, was 'a tremendous learning curve'. Here is his report.(Logistics)
July 1, 2007... The word 'logistics' derives from its use in ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine empires when special military officers titled 'logistikas' were responsible for financial and supply distribution matters. From then to the present day, logistics...

Industrialisation cannot wait.(View from the City)
July 1, 2007... Despite six decades of independence, Africa, with the exception of South Africa, has failed to establish a viable industrial base and continues to rely on the export or raw materials. The economic growth of all other regions has come via the...

S Africa looks to gas to fill power vacuum.(Energy)
July 1, 2007... South Africa, for the first time in its modern history, has been experiencing power blackouts. This is because Eskom, the national power utility, with access capacity in the 1990s, failed accurately to assess the growth in the demand for power....

Think small to go big: this is a condensed version of a paper delivered to the Zenith Bank/Africa Advisory power conference in Lagos, Nigeria, in May this year by African Business associate editor Tom Nevin. He puts forward the case for small power projects.(Energy)
July 1, 2007... One of the major hindrances to Africa's efficient and rapid energy infrastructure development is that it often thinks too big. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Africa is facing some serious questions about its performance in infrastructure...

Copper is the star as Africa enjoys price boom: the exceptionally high prices of commodities, particularly those of industrial metals, which leapt by over 50% last year, will help Africa nudge past 6% growth this year. The trend is likely to continue for the next couple of years, driven mainly by strong demand from China. Moin Siddiqi reports.(Industrial metals)
July 1, 2007... Mineral-rich Africa is reaping the benefits of strong commodity prices driven by robust global demand. Africa's economic growth is projected at 6% this year, the highest in two decades, according to the African Development Bank. It will be...

An economic freedom fighter.(Interview)
July 1, 2007... Tokyo Sexwale is one of South Africa's BEE successes and, some say, will be a presidential aspirant at the country's next elections. Last month he co-chaired the World Economic Forum's Africa regional summit in Cape Town. Omar Ben Yedder went...

Tanzania's model industrialist: while there is a lot of talk about creating inclusive societies in which the handicapped are offered equal opportunities to work, very little is actually done. The exception, as Jane Bryce found out, is Shah Industries in Tanzania, which is bringing new hope to the country's marginalised.(Business Profile)
July 1, 2007... If you ever happen, one morning, to be in the industrial area on the outskirts of Moshi--a medium sized town at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania--you will see an unusual sight. Among the workers trekking to the various businesses are...

Allies turn into foes over Senegalese iron ore: iron and steel conglomerates Kumba of South Africa and India's Arcelor Mittal square up over Senegal's fabulous Faleme iron ore deposits. Tom Nevin reports.(Industry)(Anglo American)(Kumba Iron Ore)
July 1, 2007... A bitter struggle is looming between erstwhile friends and allies on opposite ends of the globe for the mining rights of Senegal's massive Faleme iron ore deposits. Anglo American subsidiary, Kumba Iron Ore, has served legal papers on...

Statistics that hide the truth: Tom Nevin looks through the distorting lens of economic figures, such as per capita incomes, to discover the reality that often gives the lie to statistics.(Essay)
July 1, 2007... The most misleading buzzwords in the Handbook of Conversational Economics are per capita income (PCI). Based on gross national income, PCI lumps together all of the money earned annually in a country and then divides it by the number of people...

Chogm: of potholes and timepieces; With a little over four months to go until the much anticipated Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting takes place in Kampala, Uganda's capital, can the plethora of projects be completed in time?(Letter from Kampala)(Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting)
July 1, 2007... Driving from Entebbe Airport into the heart of Kampala, the first major intersection you come across is commonly known as Clock Tower. It is one of the city's most easily recognisable landmarks and at the convergence of several major traffic...

'E A Federation will be political as well as economic'.(Agenda)(East African)(Interview)
July 1, 2007... The East African Treaty "sets out a bold vision" for the eventual unification of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, outlining a comprehensive system of co-operation in trade, investment and industrial developments, monetary policy and human resources....

Jo'burg monorail project hanging in the balance: there were cheers when plans for a mass-transit monorail to link Soweto with Johannesburg's CBD were announced, but it then emerged that the country's transport minister had been kept completely in the dark about the project. Will the project now happen and if it does, will it work? Tom Nevin reports.
July 1, 2007... For a little while, it rang like music in the ears of Johannesburg's millions of commuters who are daily at the mercy of the city's tumbledown public transport service. A monorail commuter service, linking Johannesburg and the mainly black...

Yar'Adua rolls up his sleeves: as the controversy over his election victory continues to dominate national life, Nigeria's president Umaru Yar'Adua is seeking to get on with the job of running the country. Neil Ford discusses his economic options.
July 1, 2007... When all is said and done, Nigeria's new President, Umaru Yar'Adua's victory was the first time that one elected civilian leader had handed over the reins of power to another in the country's history. It is true that they come from the same...

A 'failed state' that functions: Somalia has no government to speak of or functioning official institutions and it is battle scarred and chaotic but, and here is the surprise, it works remarkably well. Tom Nevin explains.
July 1, 2007... Superficially and by reputation, Somalia is the quintessential failed state. Closer inspection of this African horn country's born-again economy however, reveals a unique determination to survive and the universal resilience of the...

Battle lines drawn over Bujagali dam: developers say the new hydroelectric project on the Nile is vital for the region's economic growth, but environmentalists insist it will drown a sacred waterfall and accelerate the emptying of Lake Victoria. Tom Nevin reports.(Uganda)
July 1, 2007... The World Bank has confirmed its commitment of $360m in loans and guarantees for the $800m Bujagali Dam. The announcement triggers the start the project, hailed as the answer to Uganda's power problems. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [GRAPHIC...

Hardwoods under threat as illegal logging escalates: one of Mozambique's important natural resources, its hardwood forests, is being seriously denuded by a spate of illegal logging despite government attempts to regulate the industry and add value to timber before export. Neil Ford reports.
July 1, 2007... The government of Mozambique has attracted a great deal of praise from the international community for the progress it has made in redeveloping an economy that was shattered by the long years of warfare. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [GRAPHIC...

Myopic 'greens' threaten exports: as Kenya begins to gear up for the December elections, analysts are beginning to take stock of President Mwai Kibaki's record on the economy during his first term of office. The raw statistics, so far, are positive, despite threats to the country's horticulture exports from foreign environmentalists. Report by Neil Ford.(KENYA)
July 1, 2007... President Kibaki has not officially announced his intention to stand again but it seems more than likely that he will seek re-election. After several years of disappointment, economic growth has begun to pick up, providing the ammunition that...

Globalism, corporatism, and corruption: exposing the Economic Hit Men.(Book review)
July 1, 2007... A Game as Old as Empire Edited by Steven Hiatt [pounds sterling]15.99 McGraw Hill ISBN 978-1-57675-395-8 In this explosive book, readers are treated to a dozen dirty secrets that expose the machinations of the West's so-called...

Facing forward: telling our stories for ourselves.(Book review)
July 1, 2007... Ghana--A Portrait Photos by Max Milligan [pounds sesterling]30 Nubuke Foundation ISBN 0-9545876-2-6 This book has been one of the publishing sensations of the year. It features the breathtaking photographs of Max Milligan and...