CENTRAL AFRICA

Mutharika complains of poor telecommunication services
[Gregory Gondwe] President Bingu wa Mutharika has complained through the Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA) that poor telecommunication services in the country is embarrassing when communicating with his international colleagues.

UN General Assembly eager to find solutions to Africa's challenges
New York: World leaders meeting at the United Nations on Monday, 22 September 2008, have highlighted the urgency needed to finding solutions to the major challenges facing Africa.

AFRICA

First African online ad network launches
Joshua Wanyama, founder of African Path and Benin Brown, editor of Cheetah Index have announced the official launch of Pamoja Media. Pamoja Media is an online advertising network that makes it very easy for marketers to reach the highly fragmented African market within the continent and in the Diaspora.

Gateway Communications leases capacity on AFRICASAT-1
MEASAT announced that Gateway Communications has signed an agreement for C-Band capacity on the AFRICASAT-1 satellite, on Thursday, 25 September 2008.

Zimbabwe: Schools turn children away
Harare: Rather than encouraging enrollment, schools in Zimbabwe are asking children not to report for lessons.

AFRICA

A24 Media redefines African media landscape
A24 Media on Monday, 22 September 2008, launched its online content delivery site, intending to bring the African voice to a global audience with an authentic perspective on African issues.

AFRICA

IFJ pushes for better working conditions for journalists
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on the African Union and the European Union to challenge African States to improve press freedom laws and working conditions for journalists on the continent after the two institutions recently signed a joint plan on media and development.


Zambian academic wins MISA's 2008 Press Freedom Award
Facskon Banda, a journalism professor from Zambia who has campaigned extensively on the digital divide and other media freedom issues is this year's winner of the Media Institute of Southern Africa's (MISA) Press Freedom Award.

ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwe: Regulator gives cellular networks new lifeline
[Dumisani Ndlela] Zimbabwe's Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (POTRAZ) has given the country's three cellular networks the right to charge for international calls in foreign currency.

AFRICA

Ericsson to launch mobile innovation centre in Africa
Ericsson on Thursday, 25 September 2008, announced it will establish an innovation centre in sub-Saharan Africa to develop mobile applications that will benefit society as a whole, but with a special focus on meeting the needs of poor and rural populations.

Telecom Italia linked with MTN bid
Italian press reports are suggesting that Telecom Italia could make a surprise bid for the pan-African cellular operator, MTN.


New investor to take over NITEL in 2009
A new core investor is to take over the Nigerian Telecommunications Ltd (NITEL) and its subsidiary Mobile Telecommunications Ltd (MTEL), in February 2009, the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), said on Tuesday, 23 September 2008.

Nokia Siemens Network launches in Ivory Coast
Nokia Siemens Networks on Monday, 22 September 2008, officially launched its operations in Ivory Coast to reinforce its presence in the country through a telecommunications professional team.

Web 2.0: paradigm shift for enterprises
A new report, 'Enterprise Web 2.0,' just published by Butler Group, one of Europe's leading IT research and advisory organisations, reveals how speed, agility, mobility, innovation, and reuse are forcing organisations globally to push aside old technologies, models, and architectures to make way for the brave new world of Web 2.0.

Tanzania urged to implement e-policy for the disabled
Tanzania has been urged to develop a strategy to enable disabled people to access information locally and globally.

Google offers lead jobs to East Africans
[Walter Wafula] Google, has invited technology experts in East Africa for its top jobs. The world's largest search engine is looking for country heads for its Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda offices according to news from its human resource office.

Uchumi hunts for loyal customers
[Walter Wafula] Uchumi, a Kampala supermarket, has unveiled the first retail shopping club in a bid to attract and retain its customers. The supermarket launched the U-Club, a customer loyalty initiative, which comes with a U-Club Card.


EC provides extra €10m in humanitarian aid
Harare: The European Commission has allocated an additional €10 million in relief assistance for people affected by the enduring humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe. The aim is to tackle the suffering among the most vulnerable population groups affected by displacement, epidemics and violence, by mainly providing assistance in the areas of health, water and sanitation.

Zimbabwe: Small scale farming seen as only alternative for food security
Johannesburg: Zimbabwe's fledgling unity government cannot agree on much, but when it comes to the land issue, President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF and Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) share common ground - any return to the pre-2000 pattern of land ownership is non-negotiable.