Saturday, November 23African Digital Business Magazine

Tag: Economic growth

African News, Ghana News, South Africa News

Summit aims to encourage enterprises and governments to be tech intensive and ICT empowered

  Enterprises and governments to be tech intensive and ICT empowered (Microsoft Word) The anticipated annual IT Leaders West Africa Summit will take place from 28 to 29 November 2012 in the heart of Ghana’s esteemed capital city, Accra. The summit is produced by international business-to-business conferencing company, Kinetic Events; key strategic information providers to the IT and telecoms sector within Africa. South Africa, Republic of, Oct, 2012 – Globally, information and communication technology (ICT) has proven to be a driving force and an enabler for socio-economic development. In order to facilitate successful ICT policies and strategically plan for further development in West Africa, enterprises and governments are now being encouraged to fully understand and implement s...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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...
African News, Algeria News, Egypt News, Ethiopia News, Mauritius News, Nigeria News, South Africa News, Zambia News

Africa to gear up for more meaningful engagement with China

  The partnership with China should aim to boost Africa's overall capacity, competitiveness and trade in a way that supports African development. African nations must use the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to complement the continent's regional institutions and policy agenda. This is according to a report by Standard Bank Group economists Jeremy Stevens and Simon Freemantle ahead of the fifth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, China, that starts on 19 July 2012. Jeremy Stevens, Standard Bank Group's Beijing-based economist, says that the summit comes at a time when China is distracted by domestic economic challenges and political matters. Meanwhile Africa is now even more reliant on China, in particular Chinese demand for African commodity exports, but even ...
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...
Energy, Gabon News, Green Energy

AfDB supports Gabon renewable energy sector with €57m loan

  LIBREVILLE, Gabon, July 20, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ – The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group (http://www.afdb.org), through its private sector window, approved on 18 July 2012 in Tunis, a senior loan of €57.5 million to the Coder Hydropower Project for the design, construction and operation of two run-of-river hydro projects in Ngounie Province and North Gabon. The project consists of two run-of-river hydroelectric power plants, a 70 MW plant in the Ngounie Province and a 52MW plant in north Gabon. Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/african-development-bank.jpg Despite a high electricity access rate of up to 83 percent, the Gabon electricity sector still faces frequent electricity shortages and blackou...
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 ...
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...