Category Archives: Main

How Africa’s mining industry is responding to innovation

While mining companies continue to be pressured by the uncertainty that looms over the global economy, the industry is on a quest to introduce innovation to help improve important business practices. Despite the challenges that remain, the mining industry is increasingly turning to digital technologies to streamline business models, capture reliable data and improve production […]

Nigerian Mining Springs Opportunities for Foreign Investors

Commercial quality mineral resources abound in Nigeria but that’s not the issue here. While it’s true Nigeria has been blessed with grand quantities of gold, diamonds, iron ore, a variety of gemstones and lead, among others, find the technical expertise and financial savvy to take advantage of the resources has long plagued the region. The […]

Consolidation of the fintech ecosystem in Africa, Good or Bad?

‘Mobile money’ used to be a catch-all phrase, describing everything from consumer wallets to building agent networks, lending, and international remittances. However, African fintech has gradually matured into an industry with specialist roles, and more players in the market every year. This shift has seen more companies take on niche roles. This makes strong partnerships […]

The Trouble with Branding Things African …

James Maposa Director Consultant Intergroup Brand Science (formerly Interbrand Africa) I’ve often heard people describe products and services coming out of our continent as African. Examples include African attire, African cuisine, African print and so on. For those who’ve been lucky enough to have travelled our beloved continent you’d understand the problems that come with […]

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 […]

Future Options to Store Energy near Cape Town’s City Centre

Electric power arrived at Cape Town around 1900 with the construction of a coal-fired, steam-driven power station located near the Victoria and Alfred dockyard area. The location offered 2-advantages in that the power station was close to the unloading area of coal ships that could sail from Durban. The second advantage was that close proximity […]

Brand valuation missing the so what

James Maposa Director Consultant Intergroup Brand Science (formerly Interbrand Africa) I recently read an article that reported on South Africa’s most valued brands for 2016. The country’s top-10 brands were MTN, Vodacom, Sasol, Standard Bank, Woolworths, FNB, Absa, Nedbank, Investec and Mediclinic; with Multichoice bubbling under at number 11. For me what was missing in […]

An Option for Energy Efficiency and Water Production at Cape Town

Summary: The thermal capacity of seawater off Cape Town’s coast can be applied to reduce the energy consumption of commercial scale refrigerators and air-conditioners as well as sustain the energy efficient operation of refrigeration-based technology that extracts potable water from humid air. Introduction: During successive summer seasons that extend over a period of decades, the […]

Liberated Africa: Pathways to Self-Transformational Development

In the period since independence in the 1950s, Africa has undergone profound social, cultural, economic and political changes. Some inherited and historically rootless colonialist political and social systems have collapsed, been transcended and reconstituted. Different political systems – single party rule, personal rule and military governments have come and gone. New post-independence political and social […]

African Challenges to African Development

The parlous story of African economic and social development since independence best expressed in the failure to achieve the autonomous capacity for self-actuated development and in particular to create conditions of national and continental modern mass production and prosperity is well known and need not be repeated. It is enough to re-state that Africa’s development […]

Ethiopia Gearing to become Africa’s Top Tourism Spot

During the past two decades, Ethiopia’s ambitious economic initiatives to become a middle income country managed to progressively grow and develop the economy. The country has given ample focus to sectors like tourism, increasing their GDP contribution to the entire economic key factors. Addressing the country development shortfalls and poverty reduction initiatives has grabbed the […]

Ethiopia Gearing to become Africa’s Top Tourism Spot

During the past two decades, Ethiopia’s ambitious economic initiatives to become a middle income country managed to progressively grow and develop the economy. The country has given ample focus to sectors like tourism, increasing their GDP contribution to the entire economic key factors. Addressing the country development shortfalls and poverty reduction initiatives has grabbed the […]

Crowding the private sector into Africa’s climate action

The global community for climate action was spooked by the November 8 election of Donald Trump as the next President of the United States. The US President-elect had earned the sobriquet of “climate denier,” for his claim that climate change is a hoax. However, there is cautious optimism that his presidency will not overturn the […]

Jumia Travel Predicts Record Growth for the Ethiopian Tourism Industry

Jumia Travel celebrated its 1st annual tourism industry and hotel awards day at Ramada Addis. After over a year of successfully establishing and growing its online hotel booking service in Ethiopia, Jumia Travel, has become the N°1 online hotel booking platform in Africa. On this annual celebration day experts on the hospitality industry presented their […]

The Effects of the Education System on South Africa’s Economic Growth

by Matt Radcliffe .pdf Acrobat Reader Abstract In the two decades since the end of Apartheid, the international community has perceived South Africa to be the most influential country in Sub-Saharan Africa.  The country continues to play an important economic role on the continent and is a driving political force in the African Union (AU).  […]

The Ripple Effect: The Role of Women in African Economic Development

By Marieke Shukla Abstract Africa is a continent with incredible hope and opportunity along with incredible challenges.  When visiting Africa, one hears about challenges regarding basic human needs such as nutrition and health care.  One also hears about the leadership challenges South Africa currently faces. Upon further reflection after visits to several organizations, including Olam […]

Technological Trends in Africa

By Rafiq Raji ‘Africa Tech’ is the True ‘Africa Rising’  Leading African technology (Africa Tech) innovators believe the African culture has become attuned to the internet age. [1] The internet-consuming culture is now fully African, they say. As they are some of the leading techies on the continent, they probably know what they are saying. […]

Espinaca Innovations: A Case Study in Innovation in South Africa

By Johan Burger, NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies   The Espinaca Journey At the age of 24, Lufefe Nomjana from Khayelitsha, Cape Town, in South Africa, came up with a plan to add spinach to foods consumed daily, like bread. He realised that a lot of people in his neighbourhood were obese, yet malnourished! They […]

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: […]

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. […]

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 […]