Thursday, November 21African Digital Business Magazine

Tag: west

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...
African News, Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea Airline Inaugurates Service To Europe

  Ceiba Intercontinental Adds Malabo – Madrid Route MALABO, Equatorial Guinea, Oct., 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Equatorial Guinea's national airline, Ceiba Intercontinental, made its historic first intercontinental flight on October 4 from Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, to Madrid. Ceiba will service the route with a newly acquired Boeing 777 aircraft. The Ministry of Civil Aviation of Equatorial Guinea purchased the aircraft as the first step in the government's efforts to meet the growing demand for air service to the country and support its growing economy. "Flying to Madrid from Malabo, on board an aircraft of this type and owned by Equatorial Guinea, is a dream come true," said Fausto Abeso Fuma, Delegate Minister of Aviation. Upon his arrival in Spain on the inaugural fligh...
African News, South Africa News

Frost & Sullivan: Mobile Operators Reap the Benefits from Infrastructure Investment in Sub Saharan Africa

  Decline in retail price to push growth of voice and internet services CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Oct., 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadband penetration in African countries is significantly low, with a majority of countries recording penetration levels of less than 5%. This has had a considerable impact on internet usage levels in the region. African countries, however, have experienced a steady uptake of mobile communications and are poised to witness an appreciable growth of mobile, broadband and internet services over the next 4-5 years. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.wireless.frost.com), Sub Saharan African Communications Quantitative Quarterly Tracker Q3 2012, covering key countries in the region, finds that the market had 181.7 million mobile and fixed telephon...
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, 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...
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 ...
African News, Nigeria News

Kola Aluko Hails $4.5 Billion Deal for New Refineries

  LONDON, July 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Nigerian government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with US firm Vulcan Petroleum Resources and Nigeria's Petroleum Refining and Strategic Reserve to build six new oil refineries in a deal worth $4.5 billion. Two of the plants, each of which will have a capacity of 30,000 barrels per day, are set to be operational within a year. Nigeria - Africa's top oil producer - has been held back by its lack of refining capacity, which has made it a net importer of processed crude and subject to global price fluctuations. Until recently, a generous fuel subsidy protected consumers from high import prices. Though not yet lifted entirely, six months ago President Goodluck Jonathan announced that this support was no longer affordable. Fund...
Republic of Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

World Cocoa Foundation and First Lady of Cote d’Ivoire Partner to Improve Cocoa Communities

  Agreement Provides for Social and Economic Support [19-July-2012] WASHINGTON, July 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) and the office of Dominique Ouattara, first lady of Cote d’Ivoire, announced today an agreement to develop and implement educational and vocational training programs to benefit cocoa farmers and their families in Cote d’Ivoire. The three-year agreement is valued at $3.6 million and will benefit more than 12,000 Ivorians through successful WCF educational programs that are active in the country and in other West African countries. The agreement was signed in a ceremony today in Washington by First Lady Dominique Ouattara and Bill Guyton, president of the World Cocoa Foundation. The collaboration expands access to quality universal basic e...
African News, Botswana News, Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea Leads Africa In Per Capita Health Investment

Improvement of public health and health infrastructure is a national priority in Equatorial Guinea. MALABO, Equatorial Guinea, July, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Equatorial Guinea and Botswana lead Africa in per capita investments in health care, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, but the gap in spending between Africa and the rest of the world is still a concern.  The statistics are from the WHO's 2012 Health Financing and Health MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) Scorecard and Africa's first Multi Year Health Financing Trends Analysis. The surveys show Equatorial Guinea's per capita annual spending at $612 and Botswana's at $442. The survey results were presented by Rotimi Sankore to the WHO's Joint Conference of Finance and Health Ministers, which met in Tunis Ju...
African News, Ghana News

Hon. Yaw Effah-Baafi to address Palm Oil Africa in September on Investment Opportunities in Palm Oil & Rubber Plantations in Ghana

With the changes in the global palm oil industry and growing demand, it is becoming increasingly necessary to look beyond the output from Asia. Palm Oil Africa organized by CMT will open on 05-06 September in Accra to explore and discuss palm oil plantation and investment opportunities in Africa. Accra, Africa (PRWEB) July 10, 2012 Palm Oil Africa on 05-06 September in Accra will see key ministry officials speaking on the investment opportunities in palm oil plantations in Africa. Hon. Yaw Effah-Baafi, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Food & Agriculture, Ghana, will grace the event with a keynote address on Investment Opportunities in Palm Oil & Rubber Plantations in Ghana. This is followed by another ministerial speech from Hon. Dr. Florence Chenoweth, Minister, Ministry of Agricultur...