economy Archives - Page 3 of 5 - AfricaBusiness.com

8Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Coface projections on SA, Africa and the global economy will have to be tested

By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa Africa is best positioned to provide a thriving business environment, a leading International credit insurer attests. Coface has projected that by 2016, South African exports into Africa will increase significantly but will be offset by an equivalent drop in trade with Europe. The group also says that the will also be an increase in trade with Asia but trade with the US will remain at the current levels. And Garth de Klerk, CEO of Coface South Africa, says: "China will play an important role in SA’s economic future. Currently, 13% of total SA’s exports are to China. They consume 65% of all primary aluminum produced in SA and 70% of all iron ore mined in SA. Notably, China’s biggest export markets in 2011 was the EU at $356-billion followed by the US at...

7Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News

High-level Seychelles delegation and ProgressSoft at Connected World Forum

after nationwide mobile money launch 1000+ mobile lifeline experts gather in Dubai this month The global payment solutions giant ProgressSoft will share details of the countrywide roll-out of its mobile payment solution in the Republic of Seychelles at the upcoming Connected World Forum in Dubai from 20-21 November. ProgressSoft CEO, Mr. Michael Wakileh, the Seychelles Minister of Finance, Trade & Investment, H.E. Mr. Pierre Laporte and the Governor of the Central Bank of Seychelles, H.E. Ms. Abel, head up a distinguished list of more than 100 leading industry experts who will address the conference while some 70 exhibitors will display the latest lifeline technology and services. More than a thousand lifeline services experts will gather for the Connected World Forum, whi...

6Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, South Africa News

Google conference attracks over 800 industrial experts

By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa The popular Google Conference makes its return to Cape Town next week. And tech enthusiasts are expected to gather at the Pavillion Conference Centre, Victoria & Alfred (V&A) Waterfront in Cape Town on 12th-13th November. This meeting of experts in the various industries will be the third G-South Africa event presented by Google. Also, the two day conference will host over 800 business people, marketers, entrepreneurs and web developers, together with Google experts from around the globe, to share tools and best practices for digital marketing and web development. “G-South Africa represents Google’s commitment to driving the web forward in South Africa and across the continent, as well as highlighting the business opportunities that are brought...

5Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, Kenya News

Deforestation Costing Kenyan Economy Millions of Dollars Each Year and Increasing Water Shortage Risk, UNEP and Kenya Forest Service Report Finds / Services from Kenya’s Water Towers Underpin Many Sectors of Economy

NAIROBI, Kenya, November 5, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ – Deforestation deprived Kenya’s economy of 5.8 billion shillings ($US 68 million) in 2010 and 6.6 billion shillings in 2009, far outstripping the roughly 1.3 billion shillings injected from forestry and logging each year, according to a joint Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report. The ongoing work of the KFS, together with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) and international partners, says that the contribution of forests is undervalued by 2.5 per cent, putting the estimate of its annual contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at around 3.6 per cent. Hon. Dr. Noah Wekesa, Kenya’s Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, said the report – entitled ‘The ...

5Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, Malawi News

Malawi Economic Conference Affirms Recent Policy Reforms and Calls for Additional Measures to Achieve More Inclusive Growth

LILONGWE, Malawi, November 5, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ – The Malawi Ministry of Finance, the Reserve Bank of Malawi and the International Monetary Fund jointly organized a conference in Lilongwe during November 2-3, 2012 aimed at discussing strategies for enhancing the implementation of Malawi’s Economic Recovery Plan (ERP). The high level conference was held under the theme “Toward More Inclusive Growth.” The conference which was opened by Her Excellency President Joyce Banda attracted leaders from the Executive and Legislative branches of Government, and representatives of civil society, labor, business, academia and Malawi’s development partners. In her address, President Banda charged participants to review critically the ERP implementation strategy and come ...

5Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News

IQ4News Partner with VHC to Launch South Africa Job Portal

According to a report by Statistics South Africa, unemployment rate in South Africa is at 24.9%, down from 25.2% in the first quarter. A staggering 79% of those unemployed are under the age of 35, with some 26,000 graduates unemployed. The largest decreases in unemployment were seen in Limpopo with 1.7%, Mpumalanga with 1.4% and KwaZulu-Natal at 0.7%. “Approximately 4.5 million persons were looking for work in the 2nd quarter of 2012, of which 3,0 million (or 67.8%) have been looking for work for a period of 1 year or longer,” read the report. “Furthermore, 58.6% of the job seekers did not have matric. Despite overall levels of unemployment declining year-on-year, the number of unemployed persons increased by 24,000 among those with tertiary education”. Some econ...

3Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, Rwanda News

Africa: Shared benefits require bold economic reforms

The seventh African Economic Conference ended on November 2, 2012 in Kigali, Rwanda KIGALI, Rwanda, November 3, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ – Participants at the closing session of the seventh African Economic Conference (http://www.africaneconomicconference.org), on November 2, 2012 in Kigali, Rwanda, urged African leaders to put in place bold economic reforms, aimed at sustaining growth and boosting human development. Logo African Economic Conference: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/aec-logo.jpg Photo Donald Kaberuka: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/donald-kaberuka—afdb-president.jpg The four-day conference highlighted the need for policy-makers to create diversified economies capable of generating e...

30Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, South Africa News

South African red tape may not be that bad

By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa A report this week reveals that entry as a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) is not so restrictive after all. And according to Gerrie van Biljon, Executive Director of Cape Town-based Business Partners, the general sentiment in South Africa’s business landscape is that the environment is plagued by challenges that hinder commercial activity. Further,in recent months much has been said about the significant red tape that hampers business growth in the country, however, despite all the negative reports, South Africa’s business environment is performing significantly well in key areas. Van Biljon then refers to the World Bank’s Doing Business 2012 Report, which ranks countries across the globe according to how easy or difficult it is for a local en...

16Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, South Africa News

China in South Africa: media responses to a developing relationship

Chinese Journal of Communication Volume 5, Issue 3, 2012 Special Issue: Media and the State: China and Beyond China in South Africa: media responses to a developing relationship DOI:10.1080/17544750.2012.701428 Herman Wassermana Abstract The formal invitation extended to South Africa by China late in 2010 to join the BRIC formation of emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) may be seen as a confirmation of the growing economic ties between China and South Africa. The expanded trade between these two countries allows South Africa an opportunity to meet its development needs. For China, the interest in South Africa as an emerging market forms part of its growing interest in Africa for resources, markets, and diplomatic support. However, this involvement...

11Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News

Investors Applaud Hershey’s Vow To Source 100% Certified Cocoa By 2020

Move to certify entire product line seen as significant step to eradicate trafficking and forced child labor on cocoa farms and plantations NEW YORK, Oct. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, a shareholder coalition that engages companies on labor and human rights standards in global supply chains, commends the Hershey Company for its commitment to certify all its cocoa by a third party by 2020. With a 43% share of the U.S. chocolate market, the investors view Hershey's decision as an important advancement that is certain to influence the industry and result in more sustainable cocoa farming and production. Said Chris Meyer of Praxis Mutual Funds and co-convener of the Hershey dialogue, "Seventy percent of the worl...