Otavio Veras, Author at AfricaBusiness.com

30Dec

By Otavio VerasNo Comments

Integration Efforts in the EAC

Otavio Veras, Researcher of the NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies Synopsis The East African Community (EAC) is an economic bloc formed by Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. The countries have a history of cooperation dating back to the early 20th century. In the recent years, they have started various infrastructure projects to improve the connection between its members, ultimately decreasing the cost of doing business and making the bloc more attractive to trade with foreign countries. Singapore is enjoying this opportunity, with investments in the African continent growing at a compound rate of 12% per year[1]; the city-state has traded more than US$400 million with the EAC alone in 2013. Singapore is currently involved in various businesses in the region, ranging from agri...

9Aug

By Otavio VerasNo Comments

Chad News, Equatorial Guinea, Main, Nigeria News

Rex Tillerson, ExxonMobil and Africa: What to expect

Otavio Veras, Research Associate of the NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies Synopsis In the wake of controversial picks for Trump’s cabinet, the spotlight turns to his appointed choice for Secretary of State, the highest diplomatic rank in the United States government. After a brief interlude with Mitt Romney, which would certainly be a favourite pick among Republicans, Donald Trump showed that he would continue with his anti-establishment agenda and decided instead to recommend Rex Tillerson for the role. Rex Tillerson is an experienced executive of the Oil and Gas industry. Having worked at ExxonMobil for 41 years, Tillerson rose from a production engineer role, when he joined the company in 1975, to vice-president of ExxonMobil by 1999, and finally to chairman and CEO by 2006. Tillers...

1Oct

By Otavio VerasNo Comments

Main

Brief on the Education Sector across Africa

Otavio Veras, Research Associate of the NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies Introduction Education is the central piece that propels economic growth. A country can be rich in natural resources, but if its population lacks education, it will continue to be poor and dependent on foreign support. Singapore is probably the best example of this statement: a city-state, with no natural resources, but ranking 3rd as the largest GDP per capita in the world, according to the IMF[1]. This achievement would never have been reached if education had not spread throughout all the socio-economic layers of its population since the country’s independence in 1965. High levels of education paved the way for Singapore to evolve from a village to a metropolis, but this recipe was already known for a long time. ...

28Jul

By Otavio VerasNo Comments

African News, Main

Singapore bets on Africa’s Agricultural Sector

Otavio Veras, Research Associate of the NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies Synopsis With more than 60% of its 1.166 billion people[1],[2] living in rural areas, Africa’s economy is inherently dependent on agriculture. More than 32% of the continent’s gross domestic product comes from the sector. However, agricultural productivity still remains far from developed world standards. Over 90% of agriculture depends on rainfall, with no artificial irrigation aid. The techniques used to cultivate the soil are still far behind from what has been adopted in Asia and Americas, lacking not only irrigation, but also fertilizers, pesticides and access to high yield seeds. Agriculture in Africa also experiences basic infrastructural problems such as access to markets and financing. Singapore is proving ...

2Jun

By Otavio VerasNo Comments

African News, Madagascar News, Main

Madagascar Singapore Business Forum 2016

by Otavio Veras, Researcher Associate of the NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies Synopsis This Wednesday, May 18th, Singapore was host for a very special guest: a delegation from Madagascar, the 4th largest island in the world, located in East Africa, Indian Ocean. The entourage was headed by His Excellency, Mr. Hery Rajaonarimampianina, President of Madagascar, and included other members of the government, and business and political leaders. The conference was held in the luxurious Conrad Centennial Singapore, and started with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Malagasy Government and the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise, an arm of the International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, the government agency driving Singapore’s external economy. A full day of presentati...