African Business articles from May 2003

African Business archives from May 2003

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2003... THIS MONTH'S PRIZE LETTER Zimbabwe SHIRE'S PROPAGANDA I cannot allow George Shire's ludicrous defence of the Mugabe regime to pass without comment (Robert Mugabe: Sinner or Sinned Against?, African Business April 2003). ...

Stung Conmen return ill-gotten gains. (Business Briefs).(Herbert Tasie and Nixon Chunda)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... In a welcome turnaround for victims of the 419 scam, two American businessmen will be repaid the money stolen from them...by the criminals who conned them out of it. A South African court has agreed to halve the 12-year jail terms imposed on...

Fast track for Zambian exports. (Transport).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A consortium led by South African transport provider, Spoornet, has bought the rights to run Zambia's loss-making railway parastatal. It will operate Zambia's railway system for a 20 year term paying $253m per year and 5% of turnover. Spoornet...

DRC intent on copper comeback. (Mining).(Democratic Republic of Congo)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... With its civil war on the wane, the Democratic Republic of Congo is now intent on increasing its copper production by at least two-thirds to around 50,000 tons, and to quadruple cobalt output to 8,000 tons this year. According to the DRC's...

African leaders told to face up to Aids. (Health).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A high-level commission on HIV/Aids and governance in Africa has emerged from the Franco-Africa Summit in Paris. It includes details on how to stem the tide of the pandemic across the continent, including links between HIV/Aids and governance...

Pay up or stay out. (Sport).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... South Africa has the international sports community in a spin over its plan to demand a deposit from visiting sportsmen and women. In what has been termed 'a bizarre system' to prevent visiting foreign sportsmen from remaining illegally in the...

Asbestos a hot SA-ZIM issue. (Legislation).(Zimbabwe and South Africa)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Zimbabwe and South Africa have locked horns over the continued export of asbestos to South Africa. Zimbabwe contends that asbestos is safe, while South Africa is calling for an outright ban on all asbestos activities. Nub of the matter is that...

Oil rich Nigeria bans foreign toothpicks. (Budget).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Jitters over war in Iraq and a resulting escalation in the price of oil has enabled the Nigerian government to boost its spending plan by 28% to around 1 trillion naira ($7bn) for this year. Parliament allocated nearly 600bn naira to recurrent...

Zambia able to feed itself this year. (Agriculture).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Late rains have boosted Zambia's maize crop to some 1m tons raising the possibility that Zambia will be able to feed itself this year. Ajay Vashee, president of the Zambian National Farmers' Union, was able to up crop estimated from 600,000...

SA expands into African ports. (Shipping).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... South Africa's National Ports Authority (NPA) has taken its first step in expanding into Africa with a deal to help manage the terminal at the port of Tema in Ghana. Next to sign with NPA are Kenya, Nigeria and Angola, also seeking to sign with...

Nigerian petrol shortage investigated. (Energy).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Although Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer, it suffers frequent shortages of petrol, and now a panel set up by President Olusegun Obasanjo wants to know why. The last straw came in March when petrol supplies ran out, virtually paralyzing...

AB guide to African currencies.(Illustration)
May 1, 2003... AB Guide to African Currencies COUNTRY CURRENCY [pounds sterling]STG ALGERIA (Dinar) 125.33 ANGOLA (New Kwanza) 109.11 BENIN ...

MSI poised for expansion. (Telecommunications).(MSI Cellular Holdings)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... MSI Cellular (MSI) has continued to receive strong backing from international institutional investors and financiers. Despite the downturn in investment flows to the telecoms sector as a whole, MSI has raised a further $117m, bringing the total...

SA's first all-black, all-women oil company. (Business Briefs).(Sanoco Oil Company)
May 1, 2003... In what is being called a massive breakthrough, the first oil company in which the major shareholders are all black women has been formed in South Africa. This is a sector that has been dominated by white males as far back as anyone can...

Democracy is a state of mind. (Editorial).
May 1, 2003... Britain's Financial Times recently published a contentious article on the 'democratic domino principal' in Africa. The writer, David White, says that at the end of the 1980s, there were only four democracies in the whole of Africa; today there...

Harsh lessons of the new global reality. (The Iraq War and Africa).(Cover Story)
May 1, 2003... Africa has watched in alarm as the United States and Britain have pounded Iraq in order to 'liberate' it from the tyrannical grip of Saddam Hussein. This war, says African Business editor ANVER VERSI, has changed the political and economic...

A hollow victory. (The Iraq War and Africa).(Cover Story)
May 1, 2003... The style and substance of the end, or at least partial end of the military campaign, confirmed what African leaders and the media had predicted all along. There was a great deal of self-congratulation in Washington and London over the military...

What the African papers said about the war: extracts from around the continent. (Cover Story: The Iraq War and Africa).
May 1, 2003... "Africa will suffer THE DAILY NEWS (HARARE) APRIL 3, 2003 BY TAJUDEEN ABDUL-RAHEEM Africa will suffer many direct and indirect consequences of the Anglo-American war on Iraq. One, the price of fuel has risen and this has a...

African currencies gain over the dollar. (View from the City).
May 1, 2003... For the first time since 1990, many African currencies have appreciated against the dollar. This is not necessarily good news as exports could be hit and revenues from commodities could decline. With few exceptions, most African currencies...

Cocoa revenues to rise: despite the political unrest, Cote d'Ivoire's cocoa export revenues, which account for 30% to 40% of the country's exports, could increase dramatically this year. (Commodities).
May 1, 2003... Guy Main-Gauze, Cote d'Ivoire's former Minister of Trade and now special adviser to President Laurent Gbagbo, made a point of reassuring participants of the second World Coffee and Cocoa International Fair held in Brussels recently that Cote...

Angolan production to double: deepwater discoveries in Angolan waters seem set to boost oil production to over a million barrels a day by 2004. Neil Ford discusses the implications. (Oil and Gas).
May 1, 2003... The Angolan government's prediction that the country's crude oil output will double within five years has been supported by Edinburgh based energy sector consultants Wood Mackenzie at a Luanda conference. The claim comes as no surprise to...

Delta of trouble. (Nigeria).(conflict between the Ijaw and Itsekiri)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Fighting in the Niger Delta between local Ijaw and Itsekiri youths, and also involving the Nigerian military, has prompted several operators to shut in production for a time. Shell withdrew non-essential staff and ChevronTexaco all...

Slow but sure progress: Tanzania, once described by neighbouring Kenya as a 'man eat nothing society', is beginning to see the fruits of 15 years of adaptation to a capitalist system. Neil Ford profiles Tanzania today. (Country Focus: Tanzania).
May 1, 2003... For many years it seemed that nothing could kick-start the Tanzanian economy. The programme of economic restructuring that was embarked upon following the end of Julius Nyerere's Presidency turned the old certainties upside down but did little...

A gravy train in the making? (Nepad: Part II).(New Partnership for Africa's Development)(Interview)
May 1, 2003... In this second and concluding installment of African Business' investigation into the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), we get more answers to perplexing issues. Asking the questions is African Business' Tom Nevin; answering...

Bush's diplomatic train wreck: with trans-Atlantic co-operation all but destroyed, the Arab world's goodwill rejected and Africa's neutrality vilified, president George W. Bush has presided over a diplomatic disaster. (Dateline USA).
May 1, 2003... Never before have so many world leaders and their incensed populations considered a US President as nothing more than an American gunslinger run amok. And the ramifications from the Bush administration undertaking a unilateral, pre-emptive...

Turn your dear-departed into diamonds! (Processes).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... When the South African diamond industry perfected synthetic diamonds 50 years ago, little did they realise the remarkable use the technique would be put to today. Funeral homes have now begun offering an alternative to burial and cremation...

Artificial muscles no longer at arms length. (Medicine).
May 1, 2003... Monash University researchers in Melbourne, Australia, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Wollongong, have developed salt-based liquids that improve the performance of artificial muscles by thousands of times. The...

Agriculture. (Products & Processes).(growing bamboo in South Africa with RSA-Logical Technologies )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... It takes a hot and steamy climate to grow good bamboo, and that's exactly what the founders of a new project in South Africa's Limpopo province are taking advantage of to complement timber demand in the construction and pulp and paper...

Yawn and the whole world yawns with you. (Behaviour).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... If you yawn when someone else does it shows you have a heart of gold. This is the latest theory on one of our least understood physical functions. Dr Steven Platek and his team at Drexel University in Philadelphia, USA, reckon is all due...

Ask a woman. (Behaviour).(face recognition research)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Women beat men hands down when it comes to recognising faces, according to an experiment conducted in Sweden. The findings could mean that employers may have to rethink their hiring strategies in hitherto male-dominated industries such as...

Snore and you snore alone. (Behaviour).(scientists at Sleep Solution in London have produced a device that monitors sleep patterns)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... On the question of human physiology, help is on the way for victims of sleep apnoea - a condition affecting millions of people in which sufferers stop breathing for at least 10 seconds. The pause in breathing is brought about by a blockage...

SA attempts to halt medical brain-drain: South Africa's medical professionals are looking for greener pastures abroad, leaving behind a major health crisis, The authorities are looking for incentives to retain much needed skills at home. (Health).
May 1, 2003... Alarmed at South African Medical Association (SAMA) estimates that 5,000 doctors have left the ountry, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang is working on ways to stop the emigration of medical professionals and offer incentives to keep them...

S African government backs down over AIDS: political and social pressure is mounting on South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki's government to produce a coherent HIV/Aids treatment plan. Tom Nevin reports on the latest developments. (Health).
May 1, 2003... The campaign to provide anti-retroviral drugs for South Africa's millions of HIV-positive victims is growing more intense by the day. It cranked up another gear when Aids activists charged two Cabinet Ministers with culpable homicide, the South...

Small can be beautiful. (Tourism).(tourism in Africa's micro-states)(Industry Overview)
May 1, 2003... Micro-states, those tiny national entities, have economic advantages that their bigger neighbours often lack - but by the same token, they are also more vulnerable to changes of fortune. Neil Ford looks at some of Africa's micro-states and...

Satellite systems enable 'television war'. (Technology).
May 1, 2003... Satellite based communications really came into their own during the war in Iraq, regarded as the most visible war in history. Journalists are able to transmit live pictures to millions of TV viewers worldwide. The Iraq war has provided a...

Fiat's African offensive: Fiat Auto South Africa is planning the biggest product offensive in the group's history but uncertainty still hangs over the entire group's future. Stephen Williams has the story. (Wheels).
May 1, 2003... When Fiat, Italy's largest industrial group, earlier this year posted losses of Euro 4.3bn for 2002, it disclosed that its troubled car division had accounted for Euro 1.34bn losses. The cost of restructuring Fiat's car unit, and the capital...

Alfa Romeo set to storm Africa. (Wheels).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Alfa Romeo is poised to launch the new l56GTA and 156JTD cars in South Africa, cars that carry all of Alfa's proud sporting and engineering heritage within their clean, stylish Italian-looking packages. The former was the winner of the 2002 FIA...

Kenya's cricketing future: Kenya's future as a Test playing cricketing nation may depend more on the development of better infrastructure for the game in the country than its phenomenal recent achievements on the field. (Sport).
May 1, 2003... The success of the Kenyan team in reaching the World Cup semifinals shocked the cricket establishment as the rank outsiders beat three Test playing nations Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh en route to the semifinals. Kenya, which was...

Olonga's last stand. (Sport).(Zimbabwe cricketer Henry Olonga's protest against the government)
May 1, 2003... Black Zimbabwean cricketer Henry Olonga may not have shone on the field of play during the recent Cricket World Cup but he got international headlines for wearing a protest black arm-band. Was his an act of treachery or heroism? The most...

Tide turns against Mugabe: South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki, one of the staunchest allies of Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, is under pressure to soften his support to the Zimbabwean leader. (Countryfile: South Africa).
May 1, 2003... South Africa's president, Thabo Mbeki, is coming to realise that he backed a loser in Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe. Conspicuous shifts in South African attitudes are beginning to emerge with signs that Mbeki's 'quiet diplomacy' is now...

Citizens turn on Zimbabwean migrants. (Countryfile: Botswana).
May 1, 2003... The once friendly relations between Zimbabweans and Batswana is deteriorating by the day as economic hardships push an increasing number of Zimbabweans to seek work in Botswana. Rodrick Mukumbira reports from Gaborone. Relations between...

After the euphoria, reality bites: after the euphoria of its massive election victory, the realities of the economic problems facing Kenya are beginning to sink home. (Countryfile: Kenya).
May 1, 2003... Following a recent announcement that the government of Kenya needs more than $800m in aid to balance this year's budget, President Mwai Kibaki held an emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss Kenya's economic situation and the country's future...

IBL's African connections: despite its distance from the African mainland, the island nation of Mauritius is rapidly turning itself into a continental business hub, with the private sector playing the leading role. (Countryfile: Mauritius).(Company Profile)
May 1, 2003... You will be mistaken for thinking that companies like Ireland Byth Limited (IBL) and Taylor and Company are big fish swimming in a small pond; they may be based on a small island but they are swimming in continental waters and growing bigger by...

A future divided by oil. (Country File: Sudan).
May 1, 2003... Despite peace accords, intermittent fighting between the government and rebels is preventing much needed investment in infrastructure and oil exploration in the Sudan. Neil Ford assesses the country 's near-term prospects. With peace talks...

Mubarak takes long odds on currency. (Countryfile: Egypt).
May 1, 2003... The long build up to war in Iraq was an uncertain and dangerous time to remove one of the pillars of Egypt's national economic stability, its fixed exchange rate. James Badcock explains why this was done. In floating the Egyptian pound,...

Africa's grandest gathering: this year's annual North Sea Jazz festival in Cape Town was a huge commercial and artistic success. (Events).
May 1, 2003... The groovy sounds and the crowds of funky people milling around the entrance to this year's annual North Sea Jazz Festival, held in Cape Town, South Africa, confirmed the city's competence at hosting world class events. This, the fourth of...

Potent Brews: A Social History of Alcohol in East Africa. (Books Reviews).(Potent Brews: A Social History of Alcohol in East Africa)(Book Review)
May 1, 2003... BY JUSTIN WILLIS [pounds sterling]16.95 JAMES CURREY ISBN 0-85255-470-2 By tracing the history of alcohol and drinking in East Africa over the last 150 years, Justin Willis presents what is in effect an illuminating perspective of...

Islam's Black Slaves. (Books Reviews).(Islam's Black Slaves)(Book Review)
May 1, 2003... BY RONALD SEGAL [pounds sterling]8.99 ATLANTIC BOOKS ISBN 9-903809-81-9 A companion volume to The Black Diaspora, this groundbreaking work tells the fascinating and horrifying story of the Islamic slave trade. Islam's Black Slaves...

The Legacies of Julius Nyerere: Influences on Development Discourse and Practice in Africa. (Books Reviews).(The Legacies of Julius Nyerere: Influences on Development Discourse and Practice in Africa)(Book Review)
May 1, 2003... EDITED BY DAVID McDONALD & EUNICE NJERI SAHLE [Pounds sterling]14.99 AFRICA WORLD PRESS ISBN O-86543-882-X Julius Kambarage Nyerere is widely recognised as one of the most important African figures of the twentieth century. From...

The Sword and the Cross. (Books Reviews).(Book Review)
May 1, 2003... BY FERGUS FLEMING [Pounds sterling]20 GRANTA ISBN 1-86207-527-1 At the end of the 19th century, the Sahara was one of the world's great unknowns. An arid expanse, approximately the size of the USA, it remained largely unexplored...

Waiting for the Wild Beasts to Vote. (Books Reviews).(Waiting for the Wild Beasts to Vote)(Book Review)
May 1, 2003... BY AHMADOU KOUROUMA [Pounds sterling]12.99 WILLIAM HEINEMANN ISBN 0-434-00814-1 When first published in 1998 in France, Waiting for the Wild Beasts to Vote attracted widespread critical acclaim and won the 1999 Prix Goncourt literary...

A Common Purpose the Story of the Upington 25. (Books Reviews).(A Common Purpose the Story of the Upington 25)(Book Review)
May 1, 2003... BY ANDREA DURBACH $26.95 CONTINUUM (USA) ISBN 0-8264-1330-7 In the early morning of November 13 1985, a murder took place in the black township of Paballelo on the outskirts of Upington in South Africa's Northern State province. The murder...

Red hot salsa: the star of dakar. (Reviews: Music).
May 1, 2003... PAPE FALL & AFRICAN SALSA Artisanat Earthworks Cat: STEW47 The international success of Orchestra Baobab, reunited to grab top honours at this year's BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards, has once again thrown a spotlight on the...