AFRICA

Africa sets the trend in design
The influence of Africa, particularly when it came to store design, has always tended be of less value than more ‘modern' design concepts. This was particularly so in South Africa, but it was also widespread in Africa. Now, in South Africa at least, that now seems to be changing.

NAMIBIA

Namibia: Land reform reproducing poverty
Namibia's land reform programme is a "zero sum game" that merely swaps one form of poverty for another in its current resettlement programme, according to an independent report on attempts to find a equitable solution to racially skewed land ownership.

Investor firm to acquire stake in Kenya bank
[Carole Kimutai] Equity Bank is set to become the biggest bank in Kenya in terms of capital base following plans by a Pan African based investment firm, Helios EB Investors to acquire over 90 million new shares.

Liberalise ICT sector for growth
[Zachary Ochieng] The 5th International Conference on Open Access opened on Wednesday in Bagamoyo, Tanzania, with a call to industry regulators to allow more players on board, if developing nations are to 'leap frog' the traditional technological stages taken by developed countries.

Computer literacy for the information age
[Timothy Kasonde] A total of 53 teachers last week completed five days of intermediate computer literacy training at Coffee Bay Junior Secondary School and Mdedeleni Secondary School in the Eastern Cape. Twenty teachers attended a beginner's course at Lerato Secondary School in the Free State.

Somali government shuts down media groups
Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) has shut down Shabelle Media Network, Banadir Radio and Radio Simba, media officials told IRIN.

ZIMBABWE

Newspaper chiefs balk at price increases after government threats
[Dumisani Ndlela] Zimbabwe's two independent weekly newspapers, the Zimbabwe Independent and The Financial Gazette slashed cover prices to Z$150,000 per copy this week after a government agency said the new prices of Z$600,000 per copy were illegal.

Zimbabwe: Media commission head clearly biased, but retained
The chair of Zimbabwe's media commission has been retained despite his bias against publisher applying for licence

The Linear Connection - Right Stuff
The Linear Range is the latest suite of products to be introduced into Right Stuff's extensive product range. It is a set of aluminium structures which can be configured in a number of ways to create any one of the five suggested product variations, making it the most customisable item that Right Stuff has introduced to date.

WEST AFRICA

Burkina Faso producers reluctant to sell crops, market prices rising
Despite the fact that the prices for their products are increasing, producers in this West African country are not willing to sell their produce.

KENYA

A first for Kenyan retail chain - 24-hour shopping
[Carole Kimutai] Following the growing success of a round-the-clock shopping concept introduced by Nakumatt Holdings earlier this year, the supermarket chain has expanded the service to Nakumatt Downtown in Nairobi's city centre.