Invest in the African youth![](https://biz-file.com/b/0907/29665.jpg?1) Africa's present youth are a resilient generation and they have to be in order to deal with their respective countries' political, social and economic difficulties. Each fights individual battles to make a success of their lives and some just to stay alive. There's a saying that goes, "Africa is not for sissies," and I'm afraid if you don't have the endurance to strive against the odds, you're not going to get far. Against famine, poverty, corruption, drought, civil war and so on - the African youth of today have it tough. It is important that we remember that the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow and investment in the youth today will go a long way to the success of any country tomorrow. Zimbabwe, for one, will depend on its youth for development and yet the education system still fails them. Students have rejected ZIMSEC in favour of a Cambridge qualification due to the bungling council delaying or not providing examination results. So what is Africa doing right for its youth? Last week South Africa hosted the Inaugural African Youth Chess Championship and reports say it was a triumphant success. The competition hosted nine countries; ten players from South Africa, Egypt, and Algeria have qualified for the 2009 World Youth Chess Championship. Creating means for Africa's youth to come together recreationally is a great start to understanding one another's cultures and to take that respect and knowledge back home and share it. Another great development on the education front is that South African tertiary institutions, Wits Business School and the University of Johannesburg, are hosting an entrepreneurship exchange symposium on ‘Best practice in entrepreneurial development', where ideas will be shared and exchanged. For Africa to be free from reliance on developed nations it is important that the continent provides a flourishing entrepreneurial environment for the youth. As American author, Frederick Douglass once noted, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” Cheers! Sindy Peters, Content manager Send all your Africa marketing news to africanews@bizcommunity.com. Today's top stories
Digital
![](https://biz-file.com/c/0907/33310.jpg) Infor held the first Inforum event in Africa on 7 July 2009 with approximately 250 delegates in attendance at Emperors Palace, Johannesburg, South Africa. Infor is ranked the third largest enterprise software provider in the world and 18th on the Aberdeen Group's 2008 Top 100 Most Influential Technology Vendors. Read more >>Education and Training
[Dumisani Ndlela] The Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (ZIMSEC) released results for both A-level and O-level in May 2009, rather than in February. Due to the delays, students were admitted into A-level using mid-year school examination results, or school assessments. But most lost their A-level places after failing. Read more >> Eventing
The Centre for Entrepreneurship at Wits Business School, together with the Centre for Business Development at University of Johannesburg are co-hosting a symposium for university-based entrepreneurship programmes. The symposium, to be held on 28 July 2009, at Wits Business School is themed ‘Best practice in entrepreneurial development'. Read more >>![](https://biz-file.com/c/0907/33312.jpg) According to Chess South Africa, the African Youth Chess Championship held in Rochester House, Salt River, Cape Town, South Africa closed on a high note yesterday, 9 July 2009 as a triumphant success. The inaugural competition featured a total of nine countries playing in a Round Robin System. Read more >>Media
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi recently sat down with the Financial Times for an in-depth interview regarding the state of affairs in his country. One comment he made suggested that Ethiopian journalists can freely criticise their government. Read more >>Mobile
![](https://biz-file.com/c/0907/33303.jpg) Nokia will publish its eagerly anticipated second quarter results on 16 July 2009. The announcement comes a few months after Nokia reported a drop in profits and number of devices shipped for the first quarter of the year. Read more >>![](https://biz-file.com/c/0907/33305.jpg) Shares in French media and telecom group Vivendi fell slightly on Friday, 10 July 2009 after the group said it was in talks to buy a majority stake in the African activities of Zain, a Kuwaiti telecom group. Read more >>Newspapers
![](https://biz-file.com/c/0907/33284.jpg) In a claimed bid to safeguard the future of journalism, International publishers have demanded new digital intellectual property rights. The “Hamburg Declaration” has been signed, calling for online copyright to be respected, to allow innovation to thrive and consumers to be better served, it was announced on Friday, 10 July 2009. Read more >>Retail
![](https://biz-file.com/c/0907/33301.jpg) WASHINGTON: IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, announced today, 13 July 2009 it plans to provide a US$25 million loan to Umeme to help the Ugandan electricity distribution company improve the quality of its service and connect up to 20,000 new customers annually in a country where many people still lack electricity. Read more >>JUBA: Southern Sudan could face a food crisis this year because of erratic rainfall in several states, insecurity disrupting farming patterns, and poor infrastructure affecting aid delivery, local specialists said. Read more >> "A house of brands is like a family, each needs a role and a relationship to others." - Jeffrey Sinclair Print - Print any item in this newsletter. Email - Email any item in this newsletter. Comment - Comment on any item in this newsletter. | | Advertisement:![](https://biz-file.com/b/0905/27943.gif) Advertisement:![](https://biz-file.com/b/0906/29056.gif)
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