Tag Archives: covid-19

Strong recovery and acceleration for global hospitality brand, Club Med

While still affected by the Covid-19 crisis, trends in business volume for pioneers of all-inclusive holidays, Club Med, has evolved differently in various geographical areas.  In the 1st half of 2022 (H1 22) Club Med saw its business volume increase by more than 300% compared to the 1st half of 2021 (H1 21) when ski […]

Increasing competition policy enforcement across Africa

By Angelo Tzarevski, Associate Director, and Zareenah Rasool, Candidate Attorney, Competition & Antitrust Practice, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg Competition policy continues to be viewed by regulators as a key driver of economic growth globally. Across Africa, competition policy enforcement is increasingly being employed as a tool to boost economic performance and promote the revitalization of trade […]

Vaccine production in Africa key to pandemic-proofing the Continent

The unprecedented speed of development of the Covid-19 vaccines can be attributed to multiple factors including record levels of international collaboration and swift action on the part of many governments and regulatory bodies to provide a conducive framework.    As every nation across the globe faced impending economic doom, massive cross-sector funding materialised, allowing large-scale […]

Connecting in a time of Covid: Redefining the human experience

Three YPO leaders share their learnings from a time of no-contact – and what other organisations need to know about retaining human connection  It can be argued that the success of any organisation is based on the strength of its connection to its stakeholders, and the extent to which it can sustain that connection. Yet […]

Will the office make a comeback post-Covid-19?

JLL Survey results from Tétris glimpse into the future of the workplace The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns worldwide have challenged conventional ideas on how we work and what a workplace should look like. Will the traditional 9-5 workday and five-day work week at the office come to an end as new, more flexible work […]

Growth in changing times, not really the utopia for thousands of youth

The new world order is in existence. A lot of young people are held back from greatness by limitations and ceilings that they have set for themselves. Thus, they are constrained from reaching their full potential. They believe that there is no space for being value-driven leaders and entrepreneurs in the modern world. Accordingly, they […]

Women Can Add $14.57 Billion to E-Commerce in Africa: IFC Research

Africa’s e-commerce market could grow by more than $14.5 billion between 2025-2030 according to an IFC report published today. The report finds this can be achieved by increasing the number of women selling on online platforms and by providing them with better training and financial support to help them match sales made by men. The […]

AHF: Ten Ways WHO Catastrophically Failed the World

With the upcoming World Health Assembly at the end of May, and indications that the World Health Organization (WHO) director-general plans to seek a second term in office, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world’s largest provider of HIV/AIDS care globally, calls on the United Nations Member States to consider and address the many ways in […]

How the global pandemic impacts us and our future: Be prepared

by Conrad Kullman, MD at FAR UVC AFRICA Cue post-pandemic where business is back on its feet, we’re meeting new people and shaking hands with the regulars once again. Rewind to a year ago and It felt like a distant dream. People have spent the last year trying to understand what the novel COVID virus […]

Resilience – the antidote to a recurring crisis

The Covid-19 pandemic has provided the ideal opportunity for leaders to step up and move people forward to a preferred future despite global crises. However, according to the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer, trust levels are hovering at all-time lows, with only the business community regarded as both ethical and competent. Consequently, whether they like it […]

Reduction Of Personnel For Economic Reasons Vs Suspension Of Employment Contracts: Why Are Companies In Equatorial Guinea Spending Money In Times Of Crisis?

By Pablo Mitogo, Associate Attorney, Centurion Law Group Since the outbreak of COVID-19, many countries have been overwhelmed and the health systems of the most powerful countries have collapsed. The wave of chaos has also reached companies, especially in small economies such as Equatorial Guinea. Many companies have seen their volume of activity decrease drastically, with subsequent […]

There is a third way to minimise COVID exposure –Let’s start using it

by FAR UVC AFRICA There is nothing normal about what some people are calling the “new normal“. Humans are gregarious. For millions of years, we have eaten together, celebrated together, and played together. It’s time to get back to that “old normal“. And there are certainly safe ways to go back there. The main way […]

SA’s Transport sector in the age of Covid: A Roadmap to Economic Recovery

The South African transport sector entered the age of Covid already beset by several major challenges. Ageing infrastructure; a lack of impartial regulatory bodies; an unfriendly environment for private sector collaboration; over-reliance on roads for both public transport and freight; and a skewered subsidy model are a few of the structural obstacles that were present. […]

Eswatini gears up to become a private sector-led economy

By Manqoba Khumalo, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade in Eswatini The Kingdom of Eswatini is gearing up to becoming a private sector-led economy committed to economic reform and determined to recover from the devastating effects of COVID-19. Before the global pandemic, the Kingdom of Eswatini was already experiencing key economic challenges characterised by sluggish […]

Commitment to sustainability opening doors to post-pandemic capital in Africa

City centre of Cape Town in South Africa. View from the nearby mountain Lion’s Head. Photo Credit Wikipedia

By Wildu du Plessis, Head of Africa, Baker McKenzie The industrials, manufacturing and transport (IMT) sector is being hit hard by COVID-19 disruption, but commitment to sustainability could very well lead the sector to recovery. This is according to Baker McKenzie’s report “Sustainable Success: Exploring environmental, social and governance priorities for industrials through COVID-19 and beyond” which […]

How Fintech can help secure the world from the economic impact of viral pandemics

The coronavirus pandemic continues to turn the world and our lives upside down, with the outbreak forcing governments to put into place measures that reduce the risk of contamination, and focus on pre-emptive processes.  The strain on the economy is palpable, and is an impending catastrophe that could exceed the crash of 2008, and the Great […]

The Impact of COVID-19 on China’s Belt and Road Initiatives in Africa

View from the Carlton Centre, Africa's tallest building. Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. Photo Credit: Adamina (www.flickr.com).

A new report by Economist Corporate Network, supported by Baker McKenzie and Silk Road Associates, BRI Beyond 2020 (report), shows that the ripple effects of COVID-19 are affecting the nature, pace and scope of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) activity in Africa, mostly for the short term. The report also explains how the virus has led […]

How to Keep your Team Focused and Productive During Uncertain Times

Omer Saleem, Director and Deputy CEO of Proven

By Omer Saleem, Director and Deputy CEO of Proven SA Big businesses grow and adapt as the market environment changes and do so even more rapidly now with the accelerating technology options. With this growth and infusion of technology driven changes comes a new requirement for corporate positions to evolve with the corporation itself. It […]

The impact of COVID-19 on finance and investment in Africa

An illustration created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the structure of the coronavirus now named COVID-19. Source: ScienceSource.com

By Morne van der Merwe, Managing Partner, and Wildu du Plessis, Head of Africa, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has resulted in mass production shutdowns and supply chain disruptions due to port closures in China, causing global ripple effects across all economic sectors in a rare “twin supply-demand shock”. With South Africa having just […]