development Archives - Page 7 of 11

8Oct

By The African Press OrganizationNo Comments

African News, Sierra Leone

The Parliament of Sierra Leone has ratified the award of offshore exploration blocks for ODYE Limited with partners, Chevron and Noble Energy

“The two exploration blocks, SL-08A and SL-08B, have been combined into one concession and are located between 75 and 110 miles (120 and 180 km) southwest of the capital of Freetown and cover a combined area of about 2,100 square miles (5,500 sq. km). (CNW Group/ODYE Limited)”. LONDON, Oct. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire via African Press Organization (APO)/ — ODYE Limited (“ODYE” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that the Sierra Leone Government has awarded ODYE’s subsidiary, ODYE (SL) Limited, a participating interest in two offshore deepwater exploration blocks, SL 8A-10 and SL 8B-10, along with its partners, Chevron and Noble Energy. ODYE’s 100% owned subsidiary, ODYE (SL) Limited, has signed a petroleum license with Sierra Leone’s Minister of Finance on 21 Septembe...

8Oct

By The African Press OrganizationNo Comments

African News

Middle East and North Africa: Boosting support for women’s entrepreneurship will pay off in jobs and growth, says OECD

PARIS, France, October 8, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ – Governments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) should create urgently needed jobs for the 2.5 million people entering the labour market each year and improve their policies to encourage women’s entrepreneurship in order to reduce structural unemployment, says a new OECD report. Women in Business: Policies to Support Women’s Entrepreneurship Development in the MENA Region notes that while MENA governments have made progress over the past decade in closing the gender gap in education, more needs to be done to tackle gender inequality in business. Today, only 27% of women in the region join the labour force, compared to 51% in other low, middle and high-income economies, and only 11% are self-employed, against...

8Oct

By The African Press OrganizationNo Comments

African News

Officials to deliberate a business plan to implement the African Mining Vision

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, October 8, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ – The joint partnership of the African Union Commission, the Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank has hailed today’s meeting of the Bureau of the Second Conference of AU Ministers Responsible for Mineral Resources Development as “an important milestone in implementing the Africa Mining Vision.” Convened by the Ethiopian Minister of Mines, Sinkinesh Ejigu, in her capacity as Chair of the Bureau of Ministers responsible for Mines, the 8-9 meeting aims to discuss a Business Plan aimed at establishing the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC), according to Stephen Karingi, Director, Regional Integration and Trade Division, ECA. “We are all only too aware that despite Africa’s rich ...

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...

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 ...

24Aug

By The African Press OrganizationNo Comments

African News, Kenya News

Catherine Ashton travels to Kenya to reiterate EU support to democracy, security and economic growth in the region

BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, August 24, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ – Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Commission Vice President, is travelling to Nairobi where she is to meet Prime Minister Odinga, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ongeri, and other Kenyan leaders on 28 August. As Kenya is preparing for national elections in March 2013, the EU reiterates its support to the efforts of the Kenyan people to build democracy, security and prosperity in their country. Catherine Ashton regrets the loss of life in the conflict in south-eastern Kenya and appeals to the communities involved to cease violence and resort to peaceful means of conflict resolution. On 26 August, Catherine Ashton will also visit a vessel participating in the ...

22Aug

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, Kenya News

Tom Juma, Head of Service Delivery and ICT of Old Mutual Kenya is to attend and speak at the Cloud East Africa Summit

Tom Juma, Head of Service Delivery and ICT of Old Mutual Kenya (Microsoft Word) The Cloud Summit East Africa Summit, proudly supported by the Kenya ICT Board and KITOS, will be held in Nairobi on 7 September 2012. The strategic industry event is hosted by international business-to-business conferencing company, Kinetic Events. The summit is proudly endorsed by the Eastern Africa Chambers of Commerce (EAECC). Kinetic Events has announced that international guest speaker, Tom Juma, Head of Service Delivery and ICT of Old Mutual Kenya is to attend and speak at the Cloud East Africa Summit. Tom Juma is a seasoned IT professional who has worked in various banking in Kenya and currently is the Head of Service Delivery and ICT at Old Mutual Kenya. A Holder of Master and Bachelor’...

22Aug

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, South Africa News

SA’s National Development Plan promises greatness

By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa SOUTH AFRICA's revised National Development Plan (NDP) could be the foundation for a new age of co-operation between business and government, a leading business organisation believes. It is the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry which has welcomed the NDP as a progressive step for the prosperity of South Africa. Michael Bagraim, President of the Chamber said: “We think the priorities are right and we are confident that there will be broad support from business as the plan is implemented.” He said the Chamber agreed with the recommended approach to education which was designed to improve the management of schools and reward those schools which produced significant improvement in their results. “This has to be the starting point for the future ...

26Jul

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News

Business in Africa is booming. But are the commercial laws strong enough to sustain long-term growth ?

An authoritative introduction to the commercial laws being instituted in West and Central Africa through the OHADA harmonization process is published in London this week. Source: IEDP Unified Business Laws for Africa: Common Law Perspectives on OHADA is now available from IEDP. (PRWEB UK) 20 July 2012 The World Bank has just approved an International Development Association (IDA)* US$15 million technical assistance grant to strengthen OHADA's institutional capacity to support, in its member countries, selected aspects of investment climate reforms, including improved corporate financial reporting. President Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo has just signed the instruments of ratification of the OHADA treaty and OHADA will become the applicable law in DRC on Sept ...

26Jul

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, South Africa News, Zambia News

Regionalism

by Chikomborero Dengu (chikodengu @ gmail.com) Regionalism (Microsoft Word) Introduction There is an increasing recognition for the need to improve the political and economic environment of a country or region via collective action . This recognition is borne out of the realisation that countries or indeed regions are competing with themselves for scarce resources . This essay intends to dissect the concept of new regionalism and whilst briefly looking at how it has evolved . With reference to the last point this paper will attempt to link the concept of new regionalism to the recent surge in Regional Trade Agreements (RTA).[1] The crux of this essay however lay in establishing the reasons for increases in RTA’s , that is to say both economic and political positives of jo...