Equity Bank ready to take on Uganda
[Carole Kimutai] Less than 10 years ago, multinationals dominated Kenya's banking sector. Many Kenyans were unable to access banking services because they could not meet the minimum bank balance. That was until Equity Bank came into the market and revolutionalised the sector.

SA oil company wins Ghana-NEPAD award
Engen Petroleum Ltd commits to Africa, remains on track to be a continental leader.

SOUTHERN AFRICA

National Arts Festival to be extended in 2009, 2010
[Edwin Tshivhidzo] The Grahamstown National Arts Festival will be extended next year to cater for the thousands of soccer fans who will visit the Eastern Cape during the Confederations Cup in 2009. This will also occur in 2010 for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

AFRICA

Fans, celebrities honour Madiba at 46664 concert
[Gabi Khumalo] About 27,000 music fans from around the world crammed into the Hyde Park venue in London on Friday where the annual 46664 concert was held to celebrate former President Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday.

End in sight for SABC board?
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] NEWSWATCH: The SABC's controversial board could be heading to a shameful early exit by September as the ANC in parliament pushes for a proposal to amend the Broadcasting Act that will make it ‘legal' to fire the embattled group, according to Sapa and The Sunday Independent. But chairperson Khanyisiwe Mkhonza remains defiant and undeterred by the move, saying for now it is business as usual.

ZIMBABWE

We've done enough damage. All we can do is send food
[Simon Jenkins] Robert Mugabe is making a mockery of liberal interventionism. He has become God's gift to cartoonists, politicians and commentators. He is depicted wielding clubs dripping in blood. He stands triumphant over a pile of skulls. He is Bokassa out of Idi Amin out of Charles Taylor. He is that old familiar, the African heart of darkness, monstrous, buffoonish, grotesque and evil. If Britain, as Kipling jeered, were ever capable of "killing Kruger with your mouth", Mugabe would long be dead.

Employers urged to invest in their staff
[Edwin Tshivhidzo] Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana has called on employers to invest in their employees in order to advance production.

LESOTHO: Food prices aggravate crisis
Already heavily dependent on food handouts, Lesotho is buckling under chronic food insecurity, poverty and one of the highest HIV rates in the world.

WEST AFRICA

Guinea's food prices some of highest in region
Food price hikes have hit Guinea's capital Conakry harder than many others in West Africa according to the World Food Programme (WFP), while an export ban is preventing rural populations from benefiting from high global market prices, leading to fears that mounting food insecurity could lead to instability.

SOUTH AFRICA

Summit to debate soaring food, oil prices
[Luyanda Makapela] Africa needs to urgently address the issues of soaring food and oil prices and take appropriate measures as they negatively impact on poor households, said African Union Commission Chairman Jean Ping.

DStv launches HD TV with free advertising
Oracle Airtime Sales (OATS) is joining the High Definition (HD) craze sweeping the country by offering free advertising on DStv's first HD channel, which is set to launch on 8 August 2008 with the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. HD PVR recorders will also become available from end-July to ensure the HD experience is complete.