World Bank Archives - AfricaBusiness.com

Doing Business in Top 5 Cities of South Africa

26Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business, South Africa News

Doing Business in Top 5 Cities of South Africa

Easy of Doing Business in Thekwini (Durban) Easy of Doing Business in Cape TownSouth Africa is a country of a mixed economy. It has a relatively high gross domestic product than other countries in Africa. Despite having a mixed economy and high GDP, South Africa has a problem of poverty and unemployment. Business is a great way to be economically stable. It is such a profession that should be moved with a great strategy regarding various situations. South Africa needs such entrepreneurs for making the economy more strongly. So in this article, we are going to discuss doing business in South Africa's top 5 cities. Doing business in Cape Town Cape Town is the number one South African city when it came to the ease of doing business according to the latest World Bank research report on Doin...

30Dec

By Otavio VerasNo Comments

Integration Efforts in the EAC

Otavio Veras, Researcher of the NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies Synopsis The East African Community (EAC) is an economic bloc formed by Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. The countries have a history of cooperation dating back to the early 20th century. In the recent years, they have started various infrastructure projects to improve the connection between its members, ultimately decreasing the cost of doing business and making the bloc more attractive to trade with foreign countries. Singapore is enjoying this opportunity, with investments in the African continent growing at a compound rate of 12% per year[1]; the city-state has traded more than US$400 million with the EAC alone in 2013. Singapore is currently involved in various businesses in the region, ranging from agri...

20Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News

A ten-year strategy to support the development of social protection systems in Sub-Saharan Africa

STORY HIGHLIGHTS Social protection, which comprises both social assistance and social insurance programs, is a powerful tool to reduce poverty and vulnerability The World Bank has a new 10-year strategy for social protection in Africa (2012-2022) The vision is to help governments build country-owned national social protection systems Social protection, once thought of as exclusive to rich and middle-income countries, is being increasingly employed in low-income countries in Africa, where policymakers are recognizing its potential as a powerful tool to reduce poverty, vulnerability, and social inequality. The food, fuel and financial crises of 2008 have shown the vital role that social protection can play in cushioning poor and vulnerable households from shocks. Acro...

9Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, South Africa News

IMN’s 10th Annual South African & African Capital Markets Conference

IMN's 10th Annual South African & African Cap Mkts Conference (Microsoft Word) 22-23 November 2012 The Westin Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa NEW YORK CITY, NY – As we enter this next decade in the event's timeline, IMN and our event sponsors will build on our excellent reputation as the only 'must attend' capital markets conference in South Africa. Join us in Cape Town 22-23 November 2012, as the South African and African Capital Markets communities convene to explore and define the road ahead for the international debt capital markets. Co-Host: IFC The conference is co-hosted by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group and the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. IFC helps developing countries achieve sustainable ...

8Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, Rwanda News, South Africa News

International Gateway Traffic Verification System Now Fully Operational in Rwanda

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, November 8, 2012/PRNewswire via African Press Organization (APO)/ — A Joint Realization of Global Voice Group and SGS Societe Generale de Surveillance for the Rwanda Utility Regulatory Agency Global Voice Group (GVG) and SGS Societe Generale de Surveillance are proud to announce that the International Gateway Traffic Verification System (IGTVS), commissioned by the Rwanda Utility Regulatory Agency (RURA) earlier this year, is now fully operational. This successful rolling-out represents the outcome of a procurement process that began in November 2011 with an international tender issued by the RURA for a system “that would enhance their technical capacity to effectively exercise their regulatory mandate”. The bid was won by a consortium made of GVG and...

7Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: ICT4Gov Project Uses Participatory Budgeting and Telecommunications to Build Transparency and Accountability

Synopsis Project feedback mechanisms driven by participatory budgeting and new innovations in information communication technology are working to successfully build transparency, increase accountability and overcome a long history of mistrust in the Democratic Republic of Congo's South Kivu Province. Challenge Following decades of colonial rule, conflict upon conflict, mismanagement, and internal corruption, the Democratic Republic of Congo's national government was left with limited institutional capacity to provide effective services at the local level. This limited capacity has often prompted citizens' groups to view the central government as illegitimate, rent-seeking authorities uninterested in ensuring that resources filter down from the capital to far flung pr...

6Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Energy, Green Energy, South Africa News

Serving up a POWER-GEN-sized slice of colossal Kusile

As part of the inaugural POWER-GEN Africa, taking place at the Sandton Convention Centre from 6-8 November, an intrepid group of delegates had a unique opportunity to visit Kusile, which once operational will be the fourth largest coal-fired power installation in the world. By its scheduled 2018 completion date the station, located in Mpumalanga province, will have a total capacity of 4800 MW. The first of its six 800 MW units is due to commence operations in 2014. Under development by South African state-owned utility Eskom, Kusile is the country’s most technologically advanced coal plant and will be the first to feature flue gas desulphurisation (FGD), a key environmental objective for Eskom. A base-load facility, Kusile forms part of Eskom’s plan to increase...

25Oct

By The African Press OrganizationNo Comments

African News, Senegal News

Premier IFC/World Bank Off-grid Lighting Conference in Senegal

WASHINGTON, October 25, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ – The joint IFC-World Bank Lighting Africa program, in partnership with Senegal’s Agency for Rural Electrification, invite the media to attend or cover the Third International Off-grid Lighting Conference and Trade Fair in Dakar, Senegal, November 13 – 15, 2012. Lighting Africa will release the findings of the Africa Off-Grid Market Report. An estimated 600 million people in Africa live without electricity Solar Lighting for the Base of the Pyramid – Overview of an Emerging Market, Lighting Africa, 2010.. The global energy-for-the-poor market is valued at an unexploited $37 billion From Gap to Opportunity; Business Models for Scaling up Energy Access, IFC, June 2012.. Over 500 industry players will meet to s...

19Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, Burkina Faso News

Burkina Faso: World Bank grant to support regional “center of excellence” serving engineering students from 36 countries

The World Bank’s Board has approved a grant of US$10 million to improve existing training facilities and house more students at the International Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering (2iE) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. As many as 2,500 students will now be enrolled at 2iE by 2015, up from just 650 in 2009. The institute serves as a regional “center of excellence” for students from 36 countries, helping to meet Africa’s need for more engineers in water, energy, environment, and infrastructure. .Notably, 93 percent of new 2iE graduates are employed within six months, showing that their skills are highly in demand and closely matched to market needs. The World Bank, which supports greater competitiveness and employment in African economies, is helping 2iE to become f...

19Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, Energy, Green Energy

Africa’s Energy Challenge: World Bank Africa Vice President Makhtar Diop

Remarks at the IMF/World Bank 2012 Annual Meetings Event: The Energy Challenge of Africa Good afternoon everybody. I’m very grateful and thankful to the Japanese authorities for organizing this event jointly with the World Bank and for extending their hospitality to all of us here. I would like, in particular, to thank Minister Gemba, who took time out of his very busy schedule to come and open this event. I would like to thank Mayor Hayashi for her presence here, and I look forward to visiting her in Yokohama. I would like to thank JICA―the Japan International Cooperation Agency― the Ministry of Finance and the Minster of Foreign Affairs for organizing this event. I have some remarks, but I just want to, before I go on to my remarks, comment a little bit and react a littl...