CENTRAL AFRICA

SA oil giant seeks to boost competition in DRC oil industry
Customers of the big names in petroleum in the DRC look likely to get another supplier with the entry into the market of South African petroleum giant Engen as implementation of the agreement for its acquisition of the Shell Group's 60% share in Shell RDC and its 13% share in SEP proceeds.

Nigeria: New hope for old 'master plan' on Niger Delta
The government of President Umaru Yar'Adua says it is serious about tackling the root causes of violence and poverty in Nigeria's troubled Niger Delta with a ‘master plan' to develop the region and provide basic services.

AFRICA

Harnessing Africa's dynamic potential
Africa is an entire continent crammed with potential and possibilities. This is the view of the Switch Group – one that it is already acting on, with a new branch office in Kenya and another planned for Nigeria.

Entries are open for AMASA's Roger Garlick Award - AMASA
The Advertising Media Association of South Africa (AMASA) has officially opened entries for the Roger Garlick Award which recognises exceptional innovation in media. Entries close on the 13th February. Judges for the 2008 Roger Garlick Awards will be looking for entries with strong strategy as the underlying factor.

AIRCOM to provide consultancy services to MTN
South African communications giant Mobile Telephone Networks Ltd (MTN) has enlisted AIRCOM International to provide consultancy services as it rolls out its nationwide 3G network whilst continuing to provide a quality service to its customers on its 2G network. AIRCOM will provide network quality benchmarking services for MTN South Africa over the next two years.

Eepad invests in education
[Laeed Zaghlami] The Algerian education system will soon benefit from a large ICT facility being provided by the country's private Internet Service Provider (ISP) Eepad, the general manager of the ISP, Nouri Harzellah, recently announced.

AFRICA

Ifra's new Arabic edition also available online
Ifra's international magazine on the technology and business of news publishing is now available with a special added section of Arab-region publishing news and other features written in Arabic. This new Arabic-enhanced edition is being made available in Ifra's innovative ePaper format to newspaper publishers and their staffs throughout the Arab states in the Middle East and Northern Africa.

AFRICA

Africom telecoms expo kicks off
As Africa's telecommunications professionals arrive in Cape Town today for the annual industry gathering AfricaCom, held at the International Conference Centre from 21 - 22 November, the continent's market is still showing exceptional growth rates.

Nokia promises an 'information society' via email
[Joyce Joan Wangui] Nokia, one of the world's leading providers of mobile phone services, has promised to release a new set of goodies in line with the company's goal to promote the information society.

Mozambique: No lift-off for biofuels yet
Ecomoz's biodiesel plant, surrounded by the decrepit remnants of an out-of-use oil refinery in the dusty industrial zone of Matola, just north of the Mozambican capital, Maputo, does not inspire much confidence in the newly-hyped energy of the future.

Malawi: Attitudes to child labour changing
Despite laws forbidding the use of child labour - often viewed as the norm and an important source of income - enforcement has been anything but strict in Malawi, until recently.

ZIMBABWE

Cash crunch strains Zimbabwe's electronic payment facilities
[Dumisani Ndlela] The need to carry barrow-loads of banknotes, if you want to pay cash, has led to more and more Zimbabweans turning to plastic - and that is bringing it's own problems...

MTN donates over US$350 thousand for community development
[David Muwanga] As part of MTN's corporate social responsibility (CSR), MTN Uganda has launched a charitable organisation that would implement the company's public involvement initiatives.