African Business articles from March 2002

African Business archives from March 2002

Rand: Crime victim? (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2002... I wish to make a comment about the article "Why is the Rand Falling" (Feb 2002. No273). Although this article covers just about all thc possible reasons that could affect the rand, there is, I believe, one major omission. (Yes, I know everyone...

AB Guide to African Currencies.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... AB Guide to African Currencies [pounds Country CURRENCY sterling]STG $US Euro Algeria (Dinar) 110.19 77.76 67.83 Angola ...

Agoa's benefits too country specific? (Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Nearly two years after America's Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) was signed, worrying signs are emerging of an uneven spread in the trade concession's benefits. It appears to be bypassing some African countries that have little to sell...

Africa a dumping ground for old airliners. (Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... One reason that African skies are the world's most unsafe for airline passengers is the fact that it is considered a dumping ground for old aircraft, according to the International Air Safety Network (IASN), an organisation that tracks the...

Zim refugees stream into SA. (Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The South African economy is feeling the strain of trying to accommodate thousands of refugees from Zimbabwe streaming daily over the Limpopo River border into South Africa. The tide of refugees is fleeing Zimbabwe's collapsing economy,...

Durban under fire for delays. (Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Meanwhile, fed up with delays in entering and discharging cargo at South Africa's biggest port of Durban, shipping companies have slapped a hefty congestion surcharge on cargo at the harbour. Shipping companies say the $20 per container...

"Why us?" ask Nigerian motorists. (Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... What Nigerian motorists can't figure out is why they have to fork out for another increase in the price of petrol when they live in the world's sixth biggest oil producing country that earns billions of dollars each year in oil revenues. They...

Angola crude flowing to SA. (Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... International oil giant BP says it has directed its first 1m barrel cargo of crude oil from Angola's giarassol offshore field to its South African operations. In what is a historic coup for BP's downstream operations in Africa, the first oil...

Oversupply squeezes Kenya maize prices. (Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Farmgate maize prices in Kenya have plummeted to an average of about $7 a 90kg bag from $12 a bag and a peak of $18 just a year ago. Most worrying for the farmers, and those around much of Africa, is the fact that they lack protection from...

Seamless SA-Mozambique rail service deal signed. (Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Mozambican and South African rail authorities have struck a deal that will create a seamless rail system between Maputo and Johannesburg. The big benefit from the arrangement is time saving - trains will no longer have to stop at the border...

Inquiry into sick rand. (Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A high-powered commission of inquiry ordered by President Thabo Mbeki has begun the formidable task of trying to find out what ails the South African rand and why it continues to plunge to ever lower levels against hard currencies. Heading the...

Second Nigerian telecoms operator a step closer. (Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Nigerians are hoping for an improvement in their telephone service and a cut in charges when the government opens the telecommunications sector to more competition. A second national service is expected to be licensed before the end of...

Hunt is on for Mugabe's assets. (Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The United States government, Commonwealth and European Union, are preparing to tighten the financial screws on President Mugabe by ferreting out his offshore wealth and that of his family and top political and military colleagues. US President...

Blair in Africa: Clutching at straws? (Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, embarked on a five day shuttle diplomacy tour of four West African states - Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Sierra Leone - during the first week of February. It was, he declared, to further the healing of 'the...

Blair of Africa? (Editorial).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... When British Prime Minister Tony Blair described the condition of Africa as a "scar on the conscience of the West", he hit a raw nerve. The implications of his thunderous speech, given during a Labour Party congress in the immediate wake of...

African telecoms comes of age: Mobile explosion changes the face of African communications. (Cover Story).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A new revolution is sweeping the continent: in 1996, there were one million mobile phone users in Africa; today, there are 28 million. This, we are told, is just the beginning of what could prove to be one of the most important changes in...

South Africa: Still the king of the hill. (The Regions).(telecommunications industry)
March 1, 2002... South Africa, once the jewel of African telecommunications, is struggling to retain its reputation. Plans to liberalise its telecoms sector have encountered a number of unexpected hurdles. The country has a thriving mobile sector with three...

West Africa: Nigeria is the key. (The Regions).(telecommunications market)
March 1, 2002... In the last two years, the focus of African telecommunications has shifted away from the southern Africa telecommunications sector to the west African market, a sector that is pinning its hopes on the successful liberalisation of Nigeria's...

Rest of Africa: Uganda, Tza show the way. (The Regions).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The number of regional fixed-line and mobile users has increased dramatically since 2000, particularly in East Africa. In Uganda, for example, fixed-line communication increased by 114% and mobile users grew by 25% in the space of one year. In...

Mobile revolution: The new, home-grown giants. (The Companies).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A new breed ot pan-African companies is creating the mobile miracle in Africa. These pioneers - such as MTN, Orascom and MSI - are stringing together regional networks that are shattering the conventional wisdom that the problem with Africa is...

Is America sneezing? (View from the City).
March 1, 2002... Although America enjoys absolute military superiority globally, there are serious concerns about the health of the US economy. In a global village, what happens in America affects everyone. It's annual output of goods and services amounts to...

Land Rover win court room battle. (Business Point).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Land Rover has won an important courtroom battle with KPMG, who acting as a receiver for a small engineering company, had demanded around $50m to continue supplying the vehicle maker with components. Ford, who owns Land Rover, had warned...

SUV segment battle hots up. (Business Point).(Porsche, Lexus)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... In direct competition with Land Rover's new Range Rover, two manufacturers have recently indicated that they will be introducing models into this highly competitive yet profitable sector. Porsche, better known for its sports cars will launch a...

Emirates network expansion. (Business Point).(long-haul routes)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Emirates have inaugurated five new long-haul routes, including three new African destinations -- Mauritius, Khartoum and Casablanca with thrice weekly services from their world-wide hub, Dubai. Perth and Osaka have also been added to Emirates...

Das Air extends EA operations. (Business Point).(scheduled cargo service)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Das Air Cargo have begun a scheduled cargo service from Entebbe, Uganda to Mwanza in Tanzania. The service will operate every Sunday useing Antonov AN12 with an 18 ton payload. It links with the carriers existing scheluded flights from London,...

The Euro is good for business-Cfa zone. (Finance).
March 1, 2002... "Welcome the Euro, its good for business!" say leading economists in 13 West and Central African countries with currencies tied to the Cfa franc. The standardised currency of the European Union has quickly entrenched itself in African...

Eco-friendly organic mop. (Products & Processes).(Spill-Sorb)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A Cape Town, South Africa, company has big plans to clean up in America, literally. Spillsorb, a revolutionary, organic moss, has proven to be an ideal and ecologically-friendly way to clean up oil spills. The company has notched up R14m in...

Tag with an eagle eye. (Products & Processes).(safety measures for global shipping)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... In-transit theft from rail cars and containers costs freight forwarders billions and greatly increases the cost of goods to the consumer through insurance hikes and related expenses. The cost of such shrinkage is reckoned in billions of dollars...

Foot on the gas - literally. (Products & Processes).
March 1, 2002... Is this the alternative to petrol every motorist has been dreaming about? Eco LPG Conversions reckons it's the next best thing. They are successfully introducing a choice in alternative fuel and a high quality product into the South African...

Lift-off boat launcher. (Products & Processes).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... You can take a boat to the water, but can you make it float? That depends on two things: whether or not the shore has a launch slipway, or if the Dolly Launch is at hand. There are only two places in the world where you can see the...

BMW's street surfer. (Products & Processes).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... BMW's new 'Streetcarver' brings the true feeling of surfing to the streets. The pleasure of 'carving turns on a board' has long been the preserve of surfers and snowboarders. No skateboard has managed to bring that same sensation to dry land -...

African Airlines: Survival of the fittest. (Aviation).(Statistical Data Included)
March 1, 2002... Although African airlines have not been spared the impact of September 11, they are proving more resilient than their northern counterparts. The fittest have not only survived, they seem to be thriving. Neil Ford reviews the current state of...

Tightening security at Jo'burg International. (Aviation).(Johannesburg, South Africa)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Reports indicate that major international airlines have placed an embargo on carrying valuable cargo into South Africa's busiest inter national airport, Johannesburg because of poor security. The decision is believed to have been prompted by a...

A traveller's tale of woe. (Aviation).(air travel)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Like a multitude of other African businessmen, Dr Karamo Sonko spends a great deal of time and money on air travel. In Africa this is rarely a pleasure. Here are some of his personal observations. I stood helplessly near the check-in...

Oil battles in Western Sahara. (Oil and Gas).
March 1, 2002... The recent conclusion of oil exploration contracts between the government of Morocco and two oil companies has pushed the troubled state of Western Sahara back into the spotlight. Given that the exploration licences relate to maritime...

Songo Songo falls into place. (Oil and Gas).(Tanzania)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Following the World Bank's decision in October to back the Songo Songo gas project in Tanzania, the full details of the scheme have now been ironed our. The development of the estimated one trillion cubic feet of natural gas lying offshore will...

US welcomes Somali 'Af-Maays'. (Dateline USA).
March 1, 2002... Many of Africa's youth dream emigrating of to the United States. Michael Jackson, hip hop music, video electronics and the possibility of a good job, even of being rich, are a powerful lure. For most this remains but a dream. Visa...

US-Africa Trade. (Dateline USA).(US International Trade Commission issues report 'US Trade and Investment with Sub-Saharan Africa')(Statistical Data Included)
March 1, 2002... The US International Trade Commission (ITC) on January 24 released 'US Trade and Investment with Sub-Saharan Africa', its second annual report in a series of five. In 2000, a very large increase in US imports from, and a small increase in...

EA returns to the soil. (Agriculture).(East Africa )
March 1, 2002... The governments of East Africa are at last recognising the role that agriculture can play in generating economic growth. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are all introducing reforms to make production and marketing of their key commodities run more...

BMW's new Mini: Return of the might midge. (Wheels).(new Mini Cooper )
March 1, 2002... A motoring legend reborn. The new BMW designed and engineered Mini has won plaudits from just about every quarter for retaining classic Mini qualities - not least fuel economy and driver satisfaction - allied with cutting-edge technology. Is it...

'Think again, Anglo,' says Anderson Mazoka. (Mining Notebook).
March 1, 2002... Anglo American's announcement that it was pulling out of Zambia's Konkola copper mines has to be counted as the biggest failure of privatisation in Africa thus far. The economic implications for Zambia are severely negative. Can Anglo be...

Kumba's bold gamble in DRC. (Mining Notebook).(Democratic Republic of Congo)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Kumba Resources, the company demerged from Iscor last year, says it will commit up to $30m in redeveloping the high-grade Kipushi zinc and copper mine situated in war-torn, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The mine in Katanga province and...

President Menezes' grand new plans. (Countryfile: Sao Tome & Principe).(Fradrique de Menezes, president of Sao Tome and Principe)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... President Fradrique de Menezes wants to turn his small nation of Sao Tome and Principe into an African version of the Asian tigers, Singapore and Taiwan. He told African Business that during his visits to Taiwan and Singapore last December he...

Local lenses head for Europe. (Countryfile: Eritrea).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The Fred Hollows Intraocular Lens Laboratory claims to be the only one of its kind in Africa. It has won international acclaim for its products which match the world's best. That it is located in Eritrea, one of the poorest countries in Africa,...

Erratum.(Correction Notice)
March 1, 2002... We apologise to readers for wrongly captioning the picture of Niger's President on page 43 of the January issue. The caption should have read: "President Mamadou Tandja..." instead of "President Douda Wanke..."

Rosey future for Kenya flowers. (Countryfile).
March 1, 2002... Valentine's Day - February 14 - was one of the key dates in the calendar for Kenya's cut flower industry. A record number of flowers were bought by lovers and spouses as marks of affection. The other key date is Mother's Day (March 10, in the...

In Griot Time: An American Guitarist in Mali. (Reviews).
March 1, 2002... By Banning Eyre [pounds sterling]10.99 Serpent's Tail ISBN 1-85242-690-X I was about 10 years ago, in Harare Zimbabwe, that I met the author of this book. He was in town with his friend and colleague Sean Barlow gathering material...