Sunday, December 8African Digital Business Magazine

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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. ...
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 ...
African News, Main

SEZs and the Industrialisation Drive in Africa

Dr. Adefolake Adeyeye Research Fellow of the NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies Africa has not had tremendous success with special economic zones (SEZs). Reasons for this include policies and institutional frameworks, unfriendly business environments, lack of zone management expertise and an infrastructure deficit. While some African countries are actively involved in reforms to reduce the cost of doing business and strengthen legal institutions and prioritize industrial development, much more needs to be done. With renewed interest in the industrialization of Africa, the paper considers the usefulness of special economic zones for structural transformation.  It focuses on reasons for Africa’s underperformance in SEZs and attempts to improve performance, the impact of Chinese economic co...
Main

The Role of Culture in Doing Business in Africa

Navin Ravindran, VP Sales of Aluzinc Asia (Pte) Ltd Defining “Culture” “All people are the same; only their habits differ.” ― Confucius Culture refers to the accepted norms and values and rational behaviour of groups. It’s “How we do things!” Countries, as well as people within the country, may operate differently according to beliefs, values, norms, morals and attitudes. Understanding and being sensitive to the local “culture” is a critical factor for any organisation to succeed, especially in international business. What works in your country might not work well in another, and could even be interpreted as an insult! And in our role as a stakeholder in the organisation, it’s important to raise the awareness of cultural issues within our organization beyond the factual cultur...
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...
African News, Ethiopia News, Main

Industrialization soon to Dominate Ethiopia’s Economy

Compared to its counterparts in Sub-Saharan Africa which are growing by 5.4% on average, Ethiopia's economy has continued to register growth with its gross domestic product (GDP) growing by an average of 10.9% in the past decade. It is shifting its priority to industry economic policy to sustain its growth. In Ethiopia, 75% jobs are concentrated on the labour-intensive agricultural sector. To change this reality, the country has crafted and implemented industrial developmental strategy since the early 2000s. The aim is to guide the private sector in the development process attracting more investment from Africa and other continents. The country is focused on addressing the barriers of expanding the industrial sector and diversifying the economy. Several constraints such as limited acce...
Energy, Ethiopia News, Main

Ethiopia calls for pricing carbon pollution

For the first time, an alliance of Heads of State from France, Germany, Mexico, Chile, Ethiopia and Canada have joined hands to urge countries and companies around the globe to put a price on carbon pollution. Speaking before more than 500 people at the climate talks, the leaders of six countries stood on stage calling for global support. The call to price carbon was initiated by the Carbon Pricing Panel group organized by World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim and IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde.  They are joined in this effort by the mission of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Secretary General Angel Gurria to urge faster action during the Paris climate talks. The panel includes Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, German Chancellor...
Africa Travel, African News, Ethiopia News, Main

Ethiopian World Heritage Sites

Home to nine UNESCO World Heritage sites Ethiopia complements Africa's  ancient creations. The Ethiopian ancient architectures portrayed at Lalibela and  Aksum tell a lot about the Ethiopian ancient civilization and society. Situated in the highlands of northern Ethiopia, the Aksum masterpiece symbolizes the skill of ancient Aksum.  As one of the most powerful states between Eastern Roman Empire and Persia, Aksum lasted for centuries at the crossroads of Africa, Arabia and the Greco-Roman World.  Some of the obelisks have  triangular Greek, Sabean and Ge'ez texts inscribed by King Ezana. This magnificent wonder  includes monolithic obelisks, giant stelae, palace ruins, royal tombs and ruins of castles dating back to the 7th century. The largest standing obelisk rises to the height of over...
African News, Main, Zambia News

Mpulungu Port and Corridors as a gateway to East, Central and Southern Africa (Zambia Business Symposium)

MPULUNGU PORT in Zambia to be transformed. This is the theme of the forth coming Southern Africa-Zambia Chambers of Commerce and Industry (SAZACCI) Symposium to be held in South Africa soon on 29 July at Radisson Blu Hotel in Sandton. Evance Chanda, SAZACCI Executive Director has stated in a press release. The Symposium’s main speakers will include Mpulungu Port Top District Officials who will enlighten the audience on some of the details contained in the 2013 District Development’s Mission Statement Strategy. Mpulungu District face-lift and harbour modernization is part of the Africa Development Bank’s ( AfDB ) multi-billion US dollar strategy to develop Mpulungu Port aimed at bringing the port’s trade into a greater regional integration between countries that share Lake Tanganyika. ...