Zimbabwe: A short ride from joy to cynicism
Harare: The joy Zimbabweans felt after the power-sharing deal was signed on 15 September, 2008 is fast dissipating, and the deadlock between the ruling ZANU-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is becoming part of a familiar political landscape, while the humanitarian situation worsens.

NIGERIA

Analysing LAIF 2008 as a competitive market turf
[Bayo Adekanmbi] The dust is settling and all the Champagne corks have popped to validate the culmination of activities for LAIF (Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival) 2008. The winners, the losers and the organisers have all reflected on how best to make it better. The 2008 edition leaves us much to build upon in our quest for continuous improvement as an emerging creative market.

AFRICA

$15m blog sale shows importance of content
A “one-man-band” blog has just been sold for a total of $15m. That's right, a work-at-home blogger has been paid a whopping multimillion pound sum for his blog.

10,000 in Rwanda to benefit from Korea Telecom deal
The Rwandan government is making wireless broadband accessible to 10,000 people, thanks to a deal signed with Korea Telecom (KT).

ZIMBABWE

Politics haunts Econet's 3G network rollout: industry players
[Dumisani Ndlela] The launch of third generation (3G) services by Zimbabwe's Econet Wireless, has been frustrated by delays in the allocation of frequencies by regulatory authorities, group chairman Tawanda Nyambirai said.

MTN Uganda's Zone to stay
[Walter Wafula] MTN Uganda has decided to uphold MTN Zone, a cost saving tariff plan, due to subscriber interest for the product, according to a senior executive at the company.

KENYA

Animation in Kenya comes of age
[Carole Kimutai] Animation is an industry which has been dominated by the West. In Africa, the concept is relatively new, but this year nine animation films from Kenya will be screened at the prestigious Africa in Motion (AiM) festival that will run from 23 October - 2 November in Edinburgh, UK.

EAC delegation on study tour at CariCom secretariat
GUYANA: An eleven-member delegation from the East African Community secretariat (EACS) is on a three-day study tour at the Caribbean Community (CariCom) secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana, to draw on the experiences of the regional integration movement.

Sweden: Stronger trade relations with Angola
LUANDA: The Swedish government decided on Friday, 3 october, 2008 to open a trade office at the Swedish Embassy in Luanda. The office will be a natural part of the embassy's activities and will be run by the Swedish Trade Council.

Africa turns to internet television
Technology is finally catching up with African television broadcasters and journalists. With the entry of A24, a new 24-hour internet television channel dedicated to telling the African story from an African perspective, IT seems set to entrench itself in the continent's media.