Saturday, November 23African Digital Business Magazine

African News

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African News, Nigeria News

Nigeria’s Constitution Review: Nigerians reject rotating the presidency between North and South

By Hussaini Umar Nigerians yesterday rejected single term presidency, which is being canvassed by President Goodluck Jonathan, during the House of Representatives Public Hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution at the 360 Federal Constituencies in the country. Also, in most states, the call for the creation of additional states and the recognition of the six geopolitical zones in the constitution were rejected. So, also, the people rejected the idea of rotating the presidency between North and South, as most of them voted for leadership by merit. At the various venues of  the public hearing, delegates were asked to tick ‘yes’ or ‘no’ against each of the 43 aspects of the 1999 Constitution which is being amended by the National Assembly. However, delegates overwhelmingly voted aga...
African News

AUC and CTA sign MoU to strengthen agricultural policies in Africa

by Wallace Mawire The African Union Commission (AUC) and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen agricultural policies in Africa, according to a spokesperson.   The MoU was signed by the AUC’s Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA) Commissioner, Mrs. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, on behalf of the AUC and Dr. Michael Hailu, CTA Director. The partnership with CTA was welcomed as a timely move; as global attention was now focused on Africa’s resolve to shoulder its responsibilities of eradicating hunger and poverty.     CTA’s role involves championing the causes of agricultural development, food and nutrition security and environmental sustainability in Africa.   DREA and CTA h...
African News, Malawi News

Lilongwe district council successful in LDF projects-NGO

By Chancy Namadzunda   The Lilongwe District council has been successful in the construction of 30 Local Development Fund (LDF) funded teachers houses this year, according to Malawi Human Rights Youth Network (MHRYN).     MHRYN Acting National Coordinator Weston Happy Msowoya said so far, about 95 percent of the completed work has been successful in all the six Traditional Authorities (TAS).     “In our overall assessment, the project went well in almost all areas with the majority of houses completed with solar system and already occupied by the teachers. The completion period was on target as many finished between 90 to 100 days with no reports of corruption, so far, I can say Lilongwe is a model for other districts,” said Msowoya.     He sai...
African News, South Africa News

Richard Came & Ministry of Communication to address MEF Seminar 19th November

12 November 2012 Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Richard Came, the technology entrepreneur who has been active in the South African and international market since the 1980′s and the Ministry of Communication will address the MEF’s (Metro Ethernet Forum) Ethernet Business Services Seminar on Monday the19th November at the Axiz Workgroup Auditorium in Midrand. “Carrier Ethernet is the way forward for South Africa and the continent as a whole,” said Richard.  “If we want high speed Internet everywhere, service providers need to connect their networks together.  The best way to achieve this is through the MEF, whose standards are the common language in an interconnected world.”  Gary Williams, Head of Presales Engineering at Metrofibre networx, the s...
African News

Former President of the African Development Bank Babacar Ndiaye to lead Investment Day at this year’s AgriBusiness Forum.

African expert calls on everyone involved in agriculture to step up to the fore for the sake of the entire continent’s development and in the fight against poverty. 12th November 2012, Brussels, Belgium With the AgriBusiness Forum 2012 just around the corner, Babacar Ndiaye, former President of the African Development Bank and founder of the African Business Roundtable (ABR), outlines his demands towards the African and international community to act and establish basic and fundamental financial policies to create real change, after years of debates and establishing potential visions and objectives. “Africa’s agricultural potential cannot induce people into a self-righteous optimism, but should instead incite a responsible and pro-active approach from the sector’s various players because ...
African News, South Africa News

Smarter infrastructure needed to handle exploding data traffic

  By Peter Karaszi   Mobile operators across the globe are being squeezed by decreasing revenues per user, and a seemingly insatiable demand by users for more data. To efficiently manage the rapidly growing increase in data traffic in their networks, mobile operators need to build and improve their infrastructure in a much smarter way than they have hitherto done. Telecoms expert Peter Karaszi takes a look at some new infrastructural solutions that can help mobile operators do just that.   According to Cisco, the mobile data traffic in the world’s mobile networks grows by 150 per cent per year, driven by the emergence and use of smartphones, apps and videos. Traffic is expected to increase 26-fold between 2010 and 2015. Other sources have even scarier estimates but th...
African News, Nigeria News, South Africa News

Standard Bank Group leads US$550m Shoreline Natural Resources facility

Standard Bank Group, as mandated lead arranger and bookrunner, has closed a US$550,000,000 syndicated bank guarantee and bridge facilities for Shoreline Natural Resources. This is one of the largest finance deals completed in Nigeria so far in 2012. Shoreline has used the facility to acquire 45% in OML 30, an oilfield in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, from 1 November 2012. China Development Bank joined Standard Bank Group as mandated lead arranger. They were joined by lead arrangers Ecobank Nigeria and First City Monument Bank. The facility was fully underwritten by Standard Bank Group. It was signed with Shoreline on 29 June 2012, has a 12+6 month tenor and is structured as a bank ...
African News

Professional Indemnity Insurance in South Africa

NEW YORK, Nov., 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: Professional Indemnity Insurance in South Africa http://www.reportlinker.com/p01028856/Professional-Indemnity-Insurance-in-South-Africa.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Insurance Professional Indemnity Insurance in South Africa is a report about the South African market for and distribution of policies covering professional liability. For 2007, 2011 and with a forecast for 2015, the study breaks down the market for professional indemnity insurance on a standardised basis by professional group with 12 categories considered as follows: accountancy and finance alternative medicine architecture and engineering br...
African News, Mauritius News

IMF to open regional training center for Sub-Saharan Africa in Mauritius

By Wallace Mawire The International Monetary Fund (IMF) plans to establish a Regional Training Center (RTC) for Sub-Saharan Africa in Mauritius, according to a spokesperson. RTCs elsewhere in the world have facilitated the training of government officials on the formulation and implementation of macroeconomic policies as well as related statistical and legal frameworks. With support of donors, such centers and programs are operational in Austria, Kuwait, and Singapore, complementing training at IMF headquarters. The new center is expected to close a longstanding gap, as Africa has lacked an IMF training center despite considerable training needs. The RTC in Mauritius will start operations in 2013 with courses and seminars covering macroeconomic policymaking and financial programming, p...
African News, Morocco News

IBM Develops Plan to Help Moroccan Farmers Boost Skills, Production

RABAT, Morocco, Nov., 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) experts participating in the company's pro bono Corporate Service Corps program have recommended a strategy to lift the productivity of Moroccan farmers. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO) The plan focuses on improving coordination between the country's Ministry of Agriculture and the farming community, as well as improve internal coordination within the ministry.  Closer ties with farmers will enable the ministry to provide more timely advisories, training, and research results -- enabling farmers to modernize work techniques and improve their production quality and quantity. The nine-member IBM team, comprising members who hail from five countries, presented recommendations on a varie...