community Archives - AfricaBusiness.com

26Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News

A company that knows how to make things look easy

By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa Alcatel-Lucent has a success story to tell. Its stories, references and activities in Africa in 2012 is a lesson for many other organizations who what to make it big on the continent. In a recently published document Alcatel-Lucent shares references, successes, achievement and activities in Africa; as well as vision of African Market and broadband according to Daniel Jaeger, Vice-President of Alcatel-Lucent in Africa. News from Algiers, Algeria reveal that broadband for Africa, realize the potential of a connected world and tackle rural inclusion. I – Alcatel-Lucent presence, activities and foot print in Africa. II- Broadband in Africa, vision and view according to Daniel Jaeger Vice-President of Alcatel-Lucent Africa. III - Alcatel-Lucent’s pres...

20Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News

A ten-year strategy to support the development of social protection systems in Sub-Saharan Africa

STORY HIGHLIGHTS Social protection, which comprises both social assistance and social insurance programs, is a powerful tool to reduce poverty and vulnerability The World Bank has a new 10-year strategy for social protection in Africa (2012-2022) The vision is to help governments build country-owned national social protection systems Social protection, once thought of as exclusive to rich and middle-income countries, is being increasingly employed in low-income countries in Africa, where policymakers are recognizing its potential as a powerful tool to reduce poverty, vulnerability, and social inequality. The food, fuel and financial crises of 2008 have shown the vital role that social protection can play in cushioning poor and vulnerable households from shocks. Acro...

16Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, Senegal News

Africare to outline essential role of civil society, small-scale farming and best practices at this year’s AgriBusiness Forum

Agri2012 - AfriCare (Microsoft Word) Leading American NGO spotlights small-scale farming for a result-driven future for Africa’s Agri-Food sector. “Across Africa it is the small entrepreneurs and businesses that drive community livelihoods and national economic development. Yet without adequate financing or access to buyers, producers associations are not able to sell their products to increase their incomes and bolster their livelihoods. Furthermore without knowledge of the markets, they are unable to secure the inputs and technology needed to increase production,” explains Gwen Young Senegal Country Director for Africare who will be presenting Africare’s vision at this year’s AgriBusiness Forum taking place in Dakar, Senegal from 25-28 November 2012. Focused on establishing s...

14Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, South Africa News

Sunil Joshi to address MEF Seminar 19th November 2012

14 November 2012 Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunil Joshi, Managing Director and CEO of Neotel, South Africa's first converged telecommunications network operator, will address the MEF’s (Metro Ethernet Forum) Ethernet Business Services Seminar on Monday, 19 November 2012, at the Axiz Workgroup Auditorium in Midrand. Joshi will outline Neotel’s journey and its service offerings including Ethernet Services, when he speaks to the audience of service providers, equipment vendors and enterprises at the MEF’s first seminar of its kind on the continent. Kevin Vachon, COO of the MEF comments: “I am delighted that Sunil Joshi has agreed to share the Neotel story and how the company can support the MEF’s mission here in South Africa. Our aim is to bring together all parts of...

13Nov

By Chancy NamadzundaNo Comments

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...

12Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

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 ...

10Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Energy, Green Energy

Standard Bank Group commits R9.4bn to first batch of renewable energy projects

Standard Bank Group has emerged as the leading investor in the first round of South Africa's renewable energy independent power producer (REIPP) procurement process, backing a total of 11 wind and solar projects. Standard Bank Group will provide comprehensive corporate and investment banking services to all its clients, including underwriting R9.4-billion worth of debt, providing interest and currency hedges, carbon trading credits, and corporate bonding and guarantee facilities. Standard Bank Group has also taken an equity stake in four projects. The South African government's allocation of 1,416MW for this first round of the procuremnt process has translated...

8Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, Central African Republic News

IMF Concludes ECF Review Mission to the Central African Republic

BANGUI, Central African Republic, November 8, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ – A mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) led by Mr. Norbert Toé visited Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR), during October 24 to November 8, 2012 to conduct the first review of the three-year program supported under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF). The mission assessed progress achieved under the program as at June 30, 2012, updated program objectives for remainder of 2012 and discussed the government’s economic and financial policy objectives for 2013. The mission met with the President of the Republic, H.E. François Bozizé Yangouvonda; the President of the National Assembly, Right Honorable Célestin Leroy Gaombalet; the Prime Minister, H.E. Faustin-Archange Touadéra; the ...

7Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: ICT4Gov Project Uses Participatory Budgeting and Telecommunications to Build Transparency and Accountability

Synopsis Project feedback mechanisms driven by participatory budgeting and new innovations in information communication technology are working to successfully build transparency, increase accountability and overcome a long history of mistrust in the Democratic Republic of Congo's South Kivu Province. Challenge Following decades of colonial rule, conflict upon conflict, mismanagement, and internal corruption, the Democratic Republic of Congo's national government was left with limited institutional capacity to provide effective services at the local level. This limited capacity has often prompted citizens' groups to view the central government as illegitimate, rent-seeking authorities uninterested in ensuring that resources filter down from the capital to far flung pr...

6Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News

International business must reach out to the global masses

By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa An initiative aimed at mobilizing the Global business community to achieve sustainable prosperity must be taken seriously. A document released from Washington, D.C reveals that transnational corporations are now so numerous and in some cases so well capitalized that their global influence now rivals and in many cases exceeds that of governments, according to research published by the Worldwatch Institute. And that around 80,000 transnational corporations (TNCs) operate worldwide, a mere 147 of which control 40 percent of the total value of all these corporations' value. Any vision of a sustainable future must include full recognition of the role that TNCs play in shaping the planet's human and ecological destiny, authors argue in Institute's Stat...