south Archives - Page 8 of 11 - AfricaBusiness.com

22Aug

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

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 ...

21Aug

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, South Africa News

New Fair Trade Shop Empowers South African Artisans

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Aug. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Paradigm Shift, a Colorado-based non-profit, recently launched an online shop. The Paradigm Shift Shop sells Fair Trade South African crafts handmade by microentrepreneurs who have participated in Paradigm Shift's holistic entrepreneurship training program. Around the globe millions work in sweatshop-like conditions, earning barely enough to feed their families. Unfortunately, many consumers are unaware of the exploitation that is often involved in the process of making their goods. Former U.S. president Benjamin Harrison once said, "I pity the man who wants a coat so cheap that the man or woman who produces the cloth will starve in the process." To counter the exploitation of workers around the world, a social movement has e...

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...

26Jul

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Science

Element Six Synthetic Diamond Protects CERN Particle Detectors in Recently Announced Higgs boson Experiment Results

CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) particle detection systems use Element Six synthetic diamond in their first line of defence against beam-induced radiation damage in their recently announced Higgs boson experiment results. LONDON, July 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Element Six, the world leader in synthetic diamond supermaterials, is proud to announce that its highest purity synthetic diamond is an integral part of the CERN LHC (Large Hadron Collider) CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) and ATLAS Beam Condition Monitoring Systems, used in the recent experiments which revealed the discovery of a new particle consistent with Higgs boson. This follows Element Six's announcement earlier this year regarding the construction of a $30M Global Innovation Centre in the UK, to...

26Jul

By marcus brewsterNo Comments

African News

CNBC AFRICA LAUNCHES ITS NEW BUREAU IN ZAMBIA

CNBC AFRICA, opened its eighth African bureau in Zambia as it continues to widen its African reporting footprint. The bureau, a joint venture with Zambia's national broadcaster, ZNBC, will be based in the Zambian capital, Lusaka and opened for business on the 25th of July 2012. It's the channel's second bureau this year following Mozambique where, the company also teamed up with the local national broadcaster, TVM. The other bureaus are in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Gabon. "The new bureau is continuing testimony to our vision to provide comprehensive coverage of Africa's growing markets. Zambia is one of the new groups of African economies expanding at more than 7% per anum whose story remains largely untold outside its borders," said Godfrey Mutizwa, CNBC Africa Chief Editor. ...

25Jul

By The African Press OrganizationNo Comments

African News

IBM To Boost Technical Skills In Mauritius

New programs to help develop technical talent in the Indian Ocean Island Region PORT LOUIS, Mauritius, July 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — IBM (NYSE:IBM) today announced a collaboration agreement with the University of Mauritius to help meet the demand for Computer Science skills in the Indian Ocean island region. The joint academic initiative will provide technology and training resources while boosting support for computer science professionals at the University. In tandem, IBM also launched a Mauritian technical skills training pilot initiative for IT specialists, which will be rolled out to nine other African countries. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO) As part of the agreement with the University of Mauritius, IBM will provide access to the latest open...

23Jul

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News

Confirmation.com Uncovers $200 Million Peregrine Financial Group Fraud

Commodity Futures Regulator Moves to Mandate Use of Service for All Regulated Brokerages BRENTWOOD, Tenn., July 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Within 24 hours of a regulatory mandate to use electronic confirmation service Confirmation.com, here, PFGBest, a commodity brokerage unit of Peregrine Financial Group, Inc., was exposed as a multi-year $215 million fraud. "PFGBest is a sadly common example of how easily bank and account information can be falsified to evade detection of accounting frauds," said Brian Fox, founder and chief marketing officer of Confirmation.com. "CEO Russell Wasendorf resisted using our service for months, presumably because he knew that as soon as electronic confirmation went into effect, he would be exposed. We have seen this pattern several times since lau...

22Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

African News, South Africa News

Standard Bank South Africa’s Muvo card brings cutting edge technology to bus system

The introduction of the MasterCard Muvo card in Durban will herald the beginning of the end of carrying cash for bus fare in South Africa. Commuters using People Mover and Durban Transport buses throughout Ethekwini municipality in KwaZulu-Natal province will use the card to pay their fare. The card is powered by Standard Bank South Africa and introduced through its innovation arm Beyond Payments and transport IT specialistAlmex. The card is an anonymous debit MasterCard that is coupled with the National Department of Transport's specified ticketing solution. It is also prefunded and reloadable, and can be used as a standard EMV MasterCard, as well as in a contactless environment enabled though the MasterCard PayPass™ contactless technology. The launch follows the successful...

22Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

African News, South Africa News

Deskbags can help children gain their educational independence

by Madelain Roscher DeskBags - ShopSA (Microsoft Word) According to a recent report by UNESCO, there are as many as 95 million school children who do not have access to a school desk in Africa. In Southern Africa, the statistics are equally alarming, with over 4 million scholars requiring desks. This is a statistic that doesn’t sit well with Madelain Roscher, Managing Director of PR Worx.“Education is one of the most important elements in a child’s life and while many children are eager to learn, their lack of facilities can considerably hamper their educational development and they subsequently struggle to become positive contributing members of society.” Ideally, this issue could be solved by building more classrooms with relevant furniture, but...

20Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

African News, South Africa News

Explore business process outsourcing in the South African context and climate at CEM Africa Summit

Explore business process outsourcing in the South African context (Microsoft Word) The anticipated Customer Experience Management Africa Summit will be held in Cape Town from 2 to 3 August 2012. The event will bring together Africa’s industry leaders, and provide a unique platform to build relationships, share ideas and most importantly, to do business. The summit is produced by international business-to-business conferencing company, Kinetic Events. The South African government, together with combination of resources with other South African business advisory and support groups, is committed to actively promoting South Africa as a business process outsourcing destination of choice within the customer service industry. Industry executives and professionals are seeking advic...