Rwandan schools, hospitals to get broadband
Rwanda is set to become one the first African countries with high-capacity data connections to its hospitals, schools and other public institutions. This follows the approval of a $60m regional communication infrastructure project by the Rwanda senate.

Malawi opens telecentre in rural area
Malawi's government has launched a telecentre in the southern region of Thyolo. The centre is part of a government initiative to boost information and communication technologies (ICT) in rural areas.

Intra-Africa business gets a boost
The Desks of the East and Central Africa at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands at the Department of Foreign Affairs will jointly host an Intra-Africa Business Executive Breakfast Meeting in partnership with Upbeat Marketing. This event will take place from 7.30am until 11.30am on Thursday, 26 February 2009 at the Hilton Hotel, Sandton (Johannesburg) in South Africa.

Why you shouldn't do your own editing
[Tiffany Markman] The last time you wrote a document, didn't it make you mad when - after checks and double-checks - someone pointed out the error you should've spotted before you printed 50 of the bleeding thing? Welcome to the world of what I call ‘Neuro Autocorrect', where your brain fixes your mistakes so you don't see them. Here's how it happens, why it happens, but more important, what you can do about it.

AFRICA

Social media: the smart choice
[Sandy Carter] With the current economic situation, now is the time for marketers and sales leaders to embrace social media. The market has shifted its expectations. No longer are people leveraging the web to just access information, but they are sharing, participating and co-creating in greater numbers. And to advance leads in the sales cycle, social media has the necessary tools.

Ethiopia: New 'reality radio' show reaches out to youth
ADDIS ABABA: Yehualshet Getu, 22, excitedly freshens up and changes his clothes: today is a big day. "I have a first date with a girl I've known for a long time at school," he tells his best friend. "After I talk to her for a while I will kiss her."

Liberia: Trading weapons for makeup brushes - but still no jobs
MONROVIA: Tony Clarke traded two grenades for a set of combs, makeup brushes, nail varnish and a short course in cosmetology.

AFRICA

Four-step plan to help Africa during the global crisis
[Bathandwa Mbola] The African Development Bank has developed a four-step plan to minimise the burden of the global financial crisis on African countries, writes Bathandwa Mbola.

World Bank urges developed countries to do more for Africa
[Bathandwa Mbola] ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA: The World Bank has urged developed countries to start a fund to ensure more resources were available for African countries to develop the infrastructure they need to sustain economic growth.

AFRICA

Libyan president elected as new AU chairman
[Bathandwa Mbola] ADDIS ABABA: The African Union (AU) has elected Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi as the new AU chairman to head the continental organisation. According to AU spokesman Habiba Mejri-Sheikh, President Gaddafi's election occurred in a closed-door session at the AU Summit on Monday, 2 February.

Swaziland: The future looks better but the need is now
MBABANE: Goods rain, after years of drought, promises a better harvest for Swaziland in the next few months, but right now urban Swazis are struggling with soaring food prices in the shops.

AFRICA

Malawi GTV subscribers cry foul over liquidation
[Gregory Gondwe] Malawian subscribers to GTV have cried foul over the manner in which the company has deserted them. In Malawi, GTV services started in 2007 through its local dealer Kameko Technologies which managed to establish a customer base of about 10,000 subscribers.