Egypt expects lower tourist numbers in 2009
Egypt received 12.8 million tourists in 2008, with a 15.3 percent increase in tourist arrivals, said Tourism Minister Zoheir Garranah at a press conference this week, but the financial crisis appears to be taking its toll.

NIGERIA

Nigerian business leaders concerned over job sector
Faced with a low oil price, falling foreign reserves and a depreciating currency, Nigerian business leaders are concerned over the impact the financial crisis will have on the job market.

Namibian investment company buys into Zambian bank
The move is seen as part of the company's investment plans which are believed to see it investing in a number of other southern African nations.

Botswana's export/investment body claims success, despite crunch
BEDIA forges ahead despite credit crunch, so for the moment at least it's a case of so far, so good.

ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwe: Ad agency in dire straits
[Sam Hungwe] One of the country's biggest advertising agencies, Imago Young & Rubicam (IY&R), has fallen in trouble after failing to pay for President Robert Mugabe's re-election campaign advertisements.

EAST AFRICA

Luvi Ogilvy keeps it off the hook
Reunion Island is the first French "state" with more deaths caused by alcohol-related accidents. Luvi Ogilvy (Reunion Island) approached the French Social and Health Security with the idea of creating a public awareness campaign around alcohol abuse, targeting young people. The campaign runs from December 27, 2008 to January 17, 2009.

Rwanda and US signs Memorandum of Understanding
The Rwandan government on Monday, 12 January signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to promote the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in schools.

AFRICA

CNN Multichoice African Journalist Awards 2009
CNN International and MultiChoice has launched the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2009 Awards. The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony to be held in Durban, South Africa, in July 2009.


Algerian independent press a permanent target
The private press in Algeria was born in difficult times. During a decade long civil war in the 1990s, journalists were seen as the enemy by two warring factions: Islamic groups and a military-backed government. Over the course of a prolonged war, more than 60 journalists were killed and the independent media was severely stunted.

Rwanda: MTN announces changes in numbering structure
International dialing codes will also change and international callers to MTN Rwanda numbers will no longer be required to dial the zero digit after the country code as previously required.

Newspaper columnist harassed, apologises to King
On 12 January 2009, Mfomfo Nkambule, a popular columnist with the privately owned Times of Swaziland newspaper, succumbed to persistent harassment by state police and traditional authorities and publicly apologised to King Mswati III for his recently published series of articles which were highly critical of the king and his leadership style.

EGYPT

Egypt props up auto, textile industries amid mounting job loss fears
On fears employers in Egypt would respond to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression by slashing jobs, the government revealed this week new measures to bolster a number of labor-intensive industries.

SOUTH AFRICA

Shoprite's African foray paying off
[Thabang Mokopanele] Food and furniture retailer Shoprite said yesterday turnover grew 27.3% to R29,6bn for the six months to last month with the group's African business continuing to forge ahead.

Beer runs low in Malawi
[Gregory Gondwe] Carlsberg Malawi Brewery Limited, which has been trying to re-brand its beer products, has suspended production for January - and consumers are NOT happy.

A 2009 wishlist for African business objectives
[Terry Levin] Products and services that are meaningful, authentic and feelgood act as antidotes to recession and digital overkill, hence 2009 is the time for essential model shifts necessitated by global financial, humanitarian and health issues.


ZIMBABWE: New year, same old problems
HARARE: Several of Zimbabwe's struggling companies have failed to open for business in the New Year, the victims of the country's unending economic crisis.