Sunday, November 24African Digital Business Magazine

Tag: african countries

10Oct By Africa BusinessNo Comments
African News, South Africa News

‘Sh’boom’ heralds launch of major new Standard Bank TV campaign

  Standard Bank has launched the next phase of its brand campaign “Moving Forward” including a major television commercial that captures key moments in world history, demonstrating progress and the positive emotion people feel when they move forward. The campaign, developed by the group’s advertising agency TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris, will flight in South Africa and other African markets where Standard Bank has a presence. The 60 second commercial follows a series of global events - from the first flight in the early 1900’s to the first democratic elections in South Africa. These moments capture significant social change and technology advances that have moved the world and humanity forward in a positive way. The famous tune “Sh’boom” by The Crew Cuts, which enjoyed nine weeks at Number...
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8Oct By Africa BusinessNo Comments
African News

World Bank Launches New Fund to Help African Countries Negotiate Best-Possible Deals for their Oil, Gas, and Minerals

PARIS, October, 2012―With new discoveries of oil, gas, and other minerals generating a wave of significant mineral wealth in African countries, the World Bank today launched a new fund to help countries on the continent level the playing field and ensure equitable deals in their natural resource contracts with international companies. With Africa holding 15% of the world’s oil reserves, 40% of its gold, and about 80% of the platinum group of metals, natural resources represent important development opportunities for the continent. For example, oil production has been growing steadily in Africa, and is expected to continue to rise at an average rate of six percent per year for the foreseeable future. At the 40th Anniversary Meeting of the Zone Franc Monetary Union in Paris today, attended b...
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8Oct By Africa BusinessNo Comments
African News

Despite Global Slowdown, African Economies Growing Strongly― New Oil, Gas, and Mineral Wealth an Opportunity for Inclusive Development

WASHINGTON, October, 2012 – Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to grow at 4.8 percent in 2012, broadly unchanged from the 4.9 percent growth rate in 2011 and largely on track despite setbacks in the global economy, according to the World Bank’s new Africa’s Pulse, a twice-yearly analysis of the issues shaping Africa’s economic prospects. Excluding South Africa, the continent’s largest economy, growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is forecast to rise to 6 percent. African exports rebounded notably in the first quarter of 2012, growing at an annual pace of 32 percent, up from the -11 percent pace recorded in the last quarter of 2011. African countries have not been immune to the recent bout of market volatility stemming from the Euro Area crisis, as well as the growth slowdown that is occurring in some ...
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22Jul By The African Press OrganizationNo Comments
African News

IN CHINA, AFRICA, UNITED NATIONS WILL CONNECT THOSE WHO FACE CHALLENGES WITH THOSE WHO HAVE SOLUTIONS, SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS AT BEIJING FORUM

  NEW YORK, July 20, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks to the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, in Beijing, 19 July: It is a great honour for me to participate on behalf of the United Nations at this important Forum on China-Africa cooperation. I thank the Government of China and the people for their kind invitation and warm hospitality. I commend the leadership of President Hu Jintao in organizing this forum at this very important time in Beijing. I also thank the Government of Egypt for their contribution and leadership and for co-chairing this Forum during the last several years. As the largest developing country, and as the region with the largest number of developing countrie...
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19Jul By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments
African News, South Africa News

AFDB gives ATI support

  By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa More and more support is pouring in; in an attempt to beef up the attraction of investment into Africa. Recently the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) approved a USD15 million equity investment in the African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI) to increase its capital base. A statement reports that this contribution will allow ATI to increase its provision of trade, credit and political risk insurance products that encourage foreign direct investment and trade in Africa. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, ATI was founded in 2001, under an International Treaty by African Member States at the initiative of Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and with the technical and financial support of the World Bank. ATI has a mandate to incr...
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16Jul By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments
African News, Ethiopia News, Kenya News

World Bank Approves New Power Transmission Line between Ethiopia and Kenya to Boost Electricity and Economic Growth in East Africa

  Washington, July 12, 2012 – The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved the Eastern Electricity Highway Project, which will connect Ethiopia’s electrical grid with Kenya’s, create power- sharing between the two countries, reduce energy costs, promote sustainable and renewable power generation, better protect the region’s environment, and pave the way for more dynamic regional cooperation between the countries of East Africa. The new project marks the first phase of a regional East Africa power integration program which is likely to cost  US$1.3 billion at completion, eventually  benefiting 212 million people living in five countries with a combined GDP of US$107 billion. Together with the Governments of Ethiopia and Kenya, the African Development Bank (AfDB), and ...
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10Jul By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments
African News

Africa – Mobile Voice Market and Major Network Operators

Market penetration to reach 60% among Africa's one billion people in 2012 Mobile phones represent more than 90% of all telephone lines in Africa. Market penetration passed the 50% mark in 2010 and is expected to reach 60% in 2012. Subscriber growth across the continent has slowed to around 17% p.a, but several individual markets are still growing at 50% p.a. or more and others stand at only single-digit penetration rates. The continent's most advanced markets have passed the 100% penetration mark. Although the greatest demand is in the major cities, cellular solutions are also being employed to increase accessibility in rural and other disadvantaged areas. In addition to mobile networks, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) systems have been introduced in a large number of countries for the provision...
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5Jul By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments
African News

IBM Supports Accelerated Adoption of Technology in Tanzania

  DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, July, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today (July 4) signed a collaboration agreement with the Tanzanian Ministry of Communication, Science and Technology to help accelerate the adoption of technology as part of Tanzania's ongoing development and strategy to increase its competitiveness in East Africa. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO ) IBM will work with the Tanzanian Government to help achieve its vision of becoming a hub for trade in the wider East Africa region and to enhance sustainable economic development as outlined in the Tanzania National ICT Policy. "This agreement supports the goals of the National ICT Commission to use innovative technologies and approaches to transform our infrastructures, build national data...
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27Jun By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments
African News

Only 0.27% of the world’s top 1 million sites are hosted in Africa

Africa, with its over 1 billion people, has reached a 13.5% Internet penetration rate, and there are plenty of big websites about the continent. But where are those sites hosted? It would be safe to assume that there are big sites about Africa hosted outside the continent, but what would be the top 100 sites actually hosted in Africa? That’s the question we set out to answer in our latest study. Read on to find out what we discovered. 34 countries in Africa host sites in top 1 M When it comes to webhosting, arguably the US is the go-to place. The different reasons for selecting a particular hosting provider are many, including price, functionality, reliability, and, of course, geographic location. For example, it might be awkward for a local city council somewhere to host its website outs...
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9Feb By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments
Tanzania News, Zambia News

Africa Loses Billions in Potential Trade Earnings, Falls Short of Vast Promise in Cross-Border Business―New World Bank Report

Washington, February 7, 2012 – With African leaders now calling for a continental free trade area by 2017 to boost trade within the continent, a new World Bank report shows how African countries are losing out on billions of dollars in potential trade earnings every year because of high trade barriers with neighboring countries, and that it is easier for Africa to trade with the rest of the world than with itself. According to the new report―De-Fragmenting Africa: Deepening Regional Trade Integration in Goods and Services―regional fragmentation could become even more costly for the continent with new World Bank forecasts suggesting that economic slowdown in the Eurozone could shave Africa’s growth by up to 1.3 percentage points this year. As the authors write, “while uncertainty surrounds ...
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