From the number of "out of office" replies I've been receiving of late after sending out the daily newsletter, it's fair to say a large number of you are already in the festive mood and enjoying the silly season. It's been a fairly smooth year as everyone took recovering from the global economic crisis in their stride - some failed while some showed true resilience and today are flourishing. In Africa the mobile sector is the talk of the globe over with growth at a phenomenal rate - active mobile subscriptions in Africa crossed the 500 million mark this year. Bridging the digital divide no longer seems like such a feat with the possibility of mobile internet access allowing Africans to frog-leap lagging technology now falling into irrelevance. It's going to be an awesome year for Africa with plenty of innovations and successes not just in the mobile sector but in the digital sector as well. This being my last newsletter for 2010, let's toast to the past year and to 2011; may we all share in the fruits mother Africa is to bear! Keep safe during your travels and festivities and keep an eye out from 10 January 2011 for the first newsletter of the year.

Viva Africa, viva, Sindy Peters, Africa editor

PS. All those invited to contribute to Biz 2011 Trends Africa, please submit your pieces by Monday, 10 January 2011. Other thoughtleaders in the African media, marketing and advertising industries may contact africanews@bizcommunity.com for more information.

Responses to this column welcomed in our online editor's column archive. Send all your Africa marketing news africanews@bizcommunity.com.