African Business articles from March 2005

African Business archives from March 2005

Economic strategies: curb population, empower women.(THIS MONTH'S PRIZE LETTER)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... Thank you for your continuing support for Africa's progress and the way you instil confidence and hope for Africa's future. Indubitably, your publication comes as a revelation to many. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Concerning Africa's present...

African leadership: seek national support base.(THIS MONTH'S PRIZE LETTER)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... Your guest writer, Ahmed Mohamed, (The Philleas Fogg President, January 2005) brings home the tragedy of Somalia in a humorous yet dead serious manner. One cannot fail to perceive the profound pain of Somalia in Mohamed's wry humour. As we...

Pan-African carriers: keep government out of airlines.(THIS MONTH'S PRIZE LETTER)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... Harry Skiller (African Business, Letters, January 2005 issue) is quite right, but he does not stress enough the need to ensure that national governments are kept out of all save the necessary regulatory procedures surrounding the creation and...

Prize letter: win a free annual subscription!
March 1, 2005... 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...

Behaviour: talk to your car.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Most southern Africans believe that talking to their cars will build up a relationship that will save them money in repairs and maintenance bills. A survey run by insurance giant Auto and General found that 60% of drivers have conversations...

Brain drain: Africa trains professionals for rich countries.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Industrialised countries have saved a whopping $522bn by poaching trained staff and professionals, particularly doctors and nurses, from developing countries. According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), a UN think-tank...

Investment: Africa a less risky investment bet.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... "African governments are beginning to decide that they have to attract foreign investment," says UK Control Risks Group in reporting improved levels of democratic governance on the continent. According to Kojo Bedu-Addo, senior analyst for the...

Resources: Russia vs Botswana in gem wars.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Botswana's position as the world's biggest producer of diamonds by value is facing a serious challenge from Alrosa, Russia's state-owned diamond corporation. The Russian parastatal extracts about 25% of the world's diamonds and with a 2005...

Pest control: restaurant's swat team.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Financially, the restaurant was heading for disaster; the reason: an infestation of flies in town. Then Tracey Golitz and Sue Kemp, owners of the Italian-style Porcellino eatery at White River in South Africa's Mpumalanga province, turned the...

Finance: S Africa raps Botswana, Namibia on tax.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(South Africa)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Botswana has reacted with surprise to strong criticism from the South African government that its corporate tax rate of 15% is too low. Both Botswana and Namibia have structured the rate into their packages of incentives aimed at luring foreign...

Merger: Africa banking titan.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(merger of United Bank for Africa and Standard Trust Bank)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... West Africa's third largest bank is emerging from the coming together of United Bank for Africa and Standard Trust Bank, Nigeria's third and fifth largest financial institutions respectively. Described as a straight share-swap merger, the...

Agriculture: sugar no longer sweet for Swaziland.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... "Sugar is no longer sweet," declares Absalom Dlamini, Swaziland's minister for economic planning and development. Calling for a diversification away from the country's agricultural mainstay, the minister says Swaziland is being buffeted by...

Infrastructure: S Africa upgrades World Cup airports.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Airports Company South Africa Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Airports South Africa (ACSA) is spending R3.8bn on upgrading the country's national and international airports in time for the soccer World Cup in 2010. Target date for completion of the programme is 2009, giving the airports time to "run-in"...

Donation: smuggled horde put to good use.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(container ships donated to the International Committee of the Red Cross)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Twelve 20ft containers seized by the South African Revenue Services (SARS) in anti-smuggling operations during the latter months of last year have been donated to the International Red Cross to help Southeast Asia's tsunami victims. The...

AB guide to African currencies.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Illustration)
March 1, 2005... AB Guide to African Currencies COUNTRY CURRENCY [pounds sterling]STG ALGERIA (Dinar) 135.39 ANGOLA (New Kwanza) 162.55 BENIN (CFA) ...

The burr of corruption.(EDITORIAL)
March 1, 2005... If you walk through the long grass around Nairobi, you could suffer the misfortune of attracting one of the most tenacious burrs in the world. Once it has attached itself to your clothing, it tends to stay on your person. If you manage to pull...

Sudan: birth of a new nation.(Cover Story)
March 1, 2005... The peace deal signed by the government of President Omar Beshir in Khartoum and the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) led by John Garang brings to a close the longest running war in modern world history. It represents a triumph for the...

The dividends of good governance: a new IMF report suggests that weak institutions are a major constraint on economic growth in most African countries.(VIEW FROM THE CITY)
March 1, 2005... Reliable, 'non-corrupt' civil institutions are an indispensable precondition for sustainable development and for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The soundness of macroeconomic and structural policies, including privatisation...

Marrakech is the new Costa del Sol: for a host of Western celebrities, Marrakech in Morocco has become the place to be seen at and increasingly, to live in. Where celebrities go, the lesser folk are bound to follow. The result is that Morocco's economy and its culture is changing--but for the better or for the worse?(DATELINE USA)
March 1, 2005... A profound change is taking place in Morocco. The streets of its ancient cities are now increasingly echoing to the sounds of Italian, French and English being spoken, and even guttural US slang is becoming commonplace. With these changes the...

Tenders invited for Mombasa-Kampala railway: the ancient railway link between the Kenyan port of Mombasa and Kampala, the capital of land-locked Uganda, is in a poor state. Now rail authorities in both countries have invited private sector tenders to rehabilitate the line. Neil Ford reports.(TRANSPORT)
March 1, 2005... Kenya and Uganda have long relied upon the railway that links Kampala and Nairobi with the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa. The rail line performs a vital function in transporting people, bulk cargo and also containers across East Africa, but an...

Gas: the African genie uncorked.(AN AFRICAN BUSINESS SPECIAL REPORT)
March 1, 2005... For many years, hydrocarbon wealth in Africa and elsewhere meant just one thing--oil. Over the past decade, however, gas has become such a popular fuel as a feedstock in power generation and in petrochemical production that most of the world's...

Gas sector 'OPEC' created: with gas becoming increasingly important globally as a source of energy, producers have formed an organisation that could become as influential as OPEC.(AN AFRICAN BUSINESS SPECIAL REPORT)(Gas Producing and Exporting Countries )
March 1, 2005... While oil producers' cartel OPEC is able to manipulate or stabilise prices--depending on your point of view--there has so far been no similar organisation in the gas sector. The long-term nature of most gas deals would make it difficult for...

West African Gas Pipeline gets the nod: despite objections from environmental campaigners, the West Africa Gas Pipeline has received World Bank approval and should be in place by 2006.(AN AFRICAN BUSINESS SPECIAL REPORT)
March 1, 2005... The World Bank has finally agreed to part fund the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) project. As with the Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline, environmental concerns have held up development and World Bank support was seen as vital if the project was to...

Oil giants flock to Libya: US oil companies have returned to Libya in a big way, signalling the first major expansion of the sector since 1986.(AN AFRICAN BUSINESS SPECIAL REPORT)
March 1, 2005... "We are very happy to see the Americans back," a Libyan oil official told Dow Jones Newswires at the and of January after the awarding of 15 new exploration areas in the country--the first large-scale expansion of the industry since US...

Addax commissions FPSO Okwori Sendje Berge.(AN AFRICAN BUSINESS SPECIAL REPORT)(Floating Production Storage and Off-loading)(Sendje Berge Offshore)(Addax Petroleum Development (Nigeria) Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Addax Petroleum Exploration (Nigeria) Limited (the Nigerian based upstream exploration and production subsidiary of the Addax & Oryx Group) recorded a major milestone in its short history when the company commissioned the giant FPSO Okwori...

Boost for locals in Nigeria: with ambitious exploration and production targets, the Nigerian government is encouraging more local participation in the oil and gas sector. Ola Sheyin reports.(AN AFRICAN BUSINESS SPECIAL REPORT)
March 1, 2005... Having built up the telecommunications and banking sector, Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo is now focussing on making participation in the oil and gas sector attractive and viable to smaller players. Mid-February, he ordered a fresh...

Call reminder: time to take your medicine.(PRODUCTS & PROCESSES)(SIMpill device invented)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Patients who forget to take their daily pill for chronic illnesses put themselves at risk of relapses with life-threatening consequences. There is also a danger of the forgetful taking extra doses by mistake. To prevent such lapses, a Cape Town...

Seeing is believing: disseminating indigenous knowledge.(PRODUCTS & PROCESSES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Participatory video (PV) is going a long way in getting across the real story of Africa's traditional knowledge and local initiatives. Documentation of traditional knowledge and innovation initiated by indigenous peoples relies on outsiders for...

Going auto: no-driver trucks ...(PRODUCTS & PROCESSES)(De Beers Group S.A. to develop a technology)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... De Beers is close to perfecting technology that will enable the deployment of driverless trucks to work underground at its Finsch Mine. The IDCS (integrated draw-control system) will control loading and extraction schedules in line with the...

Going auto: ... and no-pilot planes.(PRODUCTS & PROCESSES)(Arara got patented)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Brazilian research institutes have patented a pilot-less aircraft specifically for agriculture monitoring. Until now, unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) have been confined to military use. Thanks to the University of Sao Paulo and Embrapa, the...

Wind-up solutions: clockwork medicine.(PRODUCTS & PROCESSES)(Freeplay Energy Group develops a medical equipment )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Freeplay Energy, the South African company made famous by its invention of wind-up radio and flashlights, is now making a name for itself in healthcare circles with clockwork medical equipment. The company, that began enhancing the...

Snail analgesic: a curative poison.(PRODUCTS & PROCESSES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... A deadly poison, emitted by the cone snail, is holding out hope for suffers of chronic pain, epilepsy and neurological disorders. Cone snails, found on coral in tropical waters, discharge a sting of toxins that medical researchers say will one...

Fighting brain tumours: revolutionary therapy.(PRODUCTS & PROCESSES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... A new treatment for patients suffering from certain types of brain cancer tumours called high-grade malignant gliomas is revolutionising the way doctors are treating this condition. After a neurosurgeon removes a high-grade malignant glioma...

Mobiles for the masses: an affordable phone.(PRODUCTS & PROCESSES)(contract between Motorola Inc. and GMS Association )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Motorola has emerged as the winner of a GMS Association contract that promises to bring mobile telephony to some 700m new customers in the developing world. The world's second largest mobile phone manufacturer, Motorola, beat 17 rivals to...

Rolling back crime: beat the burglar--with a ball.(PRODUCTS & PROCESSES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Scientist's at the University of Upsalla have developed a new means to counter the burglar. It's a large black ball that as well as being a fire and smoke detector, uses either radar or infra-red to detect intruders and then summon emergency...

The dirty man of Africa: South Africa, the industrial power-house of Africa, is also the biggest environmental polluter. It is responsible for 90% of energy sector carbon dioxide emissions on the continent. Something will have to give soon. Neil Ford discusses the options.(ENVIRONMENT)
March 1, 2005... While South Africa is by far the biggest economy in Africa, its success has come at a price. Just as the country's economic fortunes were built on a mining industry that yielded large quantities of gold and diamonds, South Africa's energy needs...

Mauritius turns to bagasse to cut power costs: Mauritius is producing an increasing amount of electricity from local renewable resources, such as bagasse, obtained from sugar cane to reduce its reliance on hydro-carbons. Nasseem Ackbarally reports from Port-Louis.(ENERGY)
March 1, 2005... Mauritius is increasingly turning to renewable resources to meet its energy requirements and bagasse is becoming an important source of energy. Bagasse is obtained as a by-product of the island's all-important sugar cane industry. After sugar...

Is South Africa de-industrialising? Manufacturing, at one time South Africa's main economic pillar, has been in the doldrums and continues to contract, shedding jobs and prospects. The strong rand is partly to blame, but, Tom Nevin wonders, does manufacturing have a future in South Africa?(SOUTH AFRICA)
March 1, 2005... Hopes are fading that 2005 will bring relief to beleaguered South African manufacturers, exporters and mining houses as the economy ends its first quarter shedding jobs and squeezing the balance of payments. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] As the...

Forests in danger as timber demand surges: a growing domestic demand for timber, especially from the construction industry, is threatening the very existence of Ghana's forestry resources. Sawmills are exporting most of their products, leaving the gap to be filled by illegal timber producers. Asmah Frank George reports from Accra on the government's measures to contain the situation.(GHANA)
March 1, 2005... The government of Ghana is enforcing its recent directive that requires sawmills to sell at least 20% of their timber production on the domestic market. The government has directed the Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD) of the Forestry...

Island leads world in IT coverage: Mauritius is set to become the first country in the world to achieve nationwide wireless broadband access, enabling subscribers to access internet services from anywhere on the island. Neil Ford reports.(MAURITIUS)(Information technology)
March 1, 2005... The new IT system forms another milestone in the government's plan to turn Mauritius into a Cyber Island. Many major US companies, including Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and IBM, have already set up their regional headquarters on the island,...

Economic prospects dimmed by power cuts: power shortages in Uganda are becoming acute and the public now appears to have lost patience. Although a new private sector company is expected to take over distribution this month, the problems of insufficient generation will remain. Tristan McConnell reports from Kampala.(UGANDA)
March 1, 2005... When a British and South African consortium completes its delayed takeover of Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (UEDCL) early this month [March] it will be taking on some major problems. Blackouts have become a daily occurrence in the...

Major facelift for Mombasa port: Mombasa port is the most important entrepot for the whole East African region but its performance hitherto has been dismal, with unacceptable delays in turnaround times. All this is set to change, reports Neil Ford.(KENYA)
March 1, 2005... The creation of the East African customs union should offer great opportunities for Kenyan firms to target markets across the region. Not only are trade barriers with Tanzania and Uganda being gradually removed, but Rwanda, Burundi and other...

The corporate world: governance and accountablity.(book review)(Book Review)
March 1, 2005... The Handbook of International Corporate Governance A Definitive Guide Edited by Kerrie Waring and Chris Pierce [pounds sterling]85 10D & KOGAN PAGE ISBN 0-7494-4060-0 Over a decade ago, in 1992, the UK's Committee on the...

To the Heart of the Nile.(book review)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2005... To the Heart of the Nile By Pat Shipman [pounds sterling]8.99 Corgi Books ISBN 0-552-77100-7 The events of Florence Baker's life read like a novel. Born in the 1840s into an aristocratic family who were murdered in the...

I Didn't Do it for You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation.(book review)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2005... I Didn't Do it for You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation By Michela Wrong [pounds sterling]16.99 Fourth Estate ISBN 0-00-715096-2 Just as the beat of a butterfly's wings is said to cause hurricanes on the other...

Mimi and Toutou Go Forth: The Bizarre Battle of Lake Tanganyika.(book review)(Book Review)(Brief Review)
March 1, 2005... Mimi and Toutou Go Forth The Bizarre Battle of Lake Tanganyika By Giles Foden [pounds sterling]16.99 Michael Joseph ISBN 0-7181-4555-0 At the start of World War One, German warships controlled Lake Tanganyika in Central...

Reinventing Order in the Congo: How People Respond to State Failure in Kinshasa.(book review)(Book Review)(Brief Review)
March 1, 2005... Reinventing Order in the Congo How People Respond to State Failure in Kinshasa Edited by Theodore Trefon [pounds sterling]17.99 Zed Books ISBN 1-84277-491-3 Kinshasa is Sub-Saharan Africa's second largest city. The seven...

Against The Flow.(book review)(Book Review)(Brief Review)
March 1, 2005... Against The Flow By Samuel Brittan [pounds sterling]25 Grove Atlantic ISBN 1-84354-377-X For more than 30 years Samuel Brittan has written on matters political, economic and philosophical. Against the Flow is the latest...

Sixty Years in Africa: The Life of a Settler.(book review)(Book Review)
March 1, 2005... Sixty Years in Africa The Life of a Settler By Verner Voigt $29.95 GSPH (Canada) ISBN 1-896182-39-9 Born in 1905, Verner Voigt's childhood dream was to relive the adventures of Robinson Crusoe. He was to realise that...

War, Evil and the End of History.(book review)(Book Review)
March 1, 2005... War, Evil and the End of History By Bernard-Henri Levy Translated by Charlotte Mandell [pounds sterling]20 Gerald Duckworth ISBN 0-9718659-5-7 Originally published in French as Reflexions sur la Guerre, Le Mal et la Fin...

Music from pots, pans and car parts: hypnotic Congolese sounds.
March 1, 2005... Congotronics Konono N[degrees]1 Record Label: Crammed CATALOGUE NO: CRAW27 Konono N[degrees]1 was founded over 25 years ago by Mingiedi, a virtuoso of the likembe (the traditional instrument sometimes called 'sanza'...