NIGERIA

Free trade talks to push Africa into future

In an important process which started three years ago, the first round of negotiations to establish a free trade area (FTA) covering 27 countries in Southern and East Africa will kick off on Thursday, 8 December 2011, in Nairobi. This promises to be an important instrument for the future of trade and industrialisation in Africa. Read more >>

AFRICA

Ghanaian journo nominated for intl prize

Nominees for the 2011 Lorenzo Natali Prize for Journalism have been announced by the European Commission (EC). Ghanaian journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, an investigative journalist at the privately owned, Crusading Guide, is among the list of nominees released by the EC. Read more >>

ZIMBABWE

Media group members arrested

[Alex Bell] Three members of the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ) have been arrested by police in Gwanda and charged in connection with a civic education meeting held there last month. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Tablets leaking ad dollars to mobile from 'Net - BuzzCity CEO

[Herman Manson: @marklives] BuzzCity is a global mobile advertising network focused on emerging markets. In Africa this Singapore-based company, in which media giant Naspers owns a stake, does substantial business in South Africa (where it also has a sales office), Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana. It also sees significant growth in mobile traffic in African markets north of the Sahara. Read more >>

KENYA

Apex Communications Ltd becomes Apex Porter Novelli

Apex Communications Limited, a communications consultancy firm based in Kenya, has become a network partner of public relations firm Porter Novelli and will from now on be known as Apex Porter Novelli. Read more >>

AFRICA

African Diaspora Marketplace kicks off

Global payment services company Western Union, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), on Monday, 5 December 2011, launched the second African Diaspora Marketplace (ADM), an initiative which encourages sustainable economic growth and employment by supporting US-based African Diaspora entrepreneurs with innovative and high-impact ideas for start-up and established businesses in sub-Saharan Africa. Read more >>

TANZANIA

Standard Bank Group secures finance for Helios Towers Tanzania

The Standard Bank Group has announced that they have secured financing worth US$85million for Helios Towers Tanzania Ltd (HTT), a subsidiary of Helios Towers Africa Ltd (HTA), to finance the next phase of its network of telecommunications towers across Tanzania. Read more >>

NIGERIA

Cadbury Nigeria forecasts 60% rise in first-quarter profit

[Vincent Nwanma] Cadbury Nigeria Plc (CADBURY), a manufacturer of drinks and food products, forecast a 60% increase in net income to 339.2 million naira (US$2 million) for the first quarter. Read more >>

AFRICA

Thebe Tourism Group signs shareholder agreement

The South African tourism group, Thebe Tourism Group have announced the signing of a shareholders' agreement between its subsidiary FX Africa and global foreign exchange providers Travelex. FX Africa has operated a Travelex Retail Foreign Exchange Travelex franchise in Southern Africa for over four years. Read more >>

UNITED STATES

Celebs get their own apps

NEW JERSEY, US: Apps have become essential for businesses seeking to extend the life of their brands and products, and they have become part of the overall marketing plans for many major corporations and industries. Celebrities are also benefiting by being able to extend and enhance the life of their "brand". Read more >>

UNITED STATES

October 2011 US mobile subscriber market share

RESTON, US: comScore, Inc, a leader in measuring the digital world, has released data from the comScore MobiLens service, reporting key trends in the US mobile phone industry during the three month average period ending October 2011. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Road deaths video footage makes it real

The Western Cape provincial government intends to broadcast CCTV footage of people dying or maimed in car crashes to raise road safety awareness during the festive season. The campaign, "Crash Witness", was launched by MEC for transport Robin Carlisle earlier this week. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Cabinet cracks whip on non-compliance

Cabinet has announced that it will intervene in the financial administration of three provinces in the country. The move, which was taken after a special Cabinet meeting on Monday, aims to address under-spending, overspending and challenges with supply chain management. The three provinces are Gauteng, Free State, and Limpopo. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Mohlala takes aim at iBurst, FNB Connect

National Consumer Commissioner Mamodupi Mohlala has accused mobile operators iBurst and First National Bank (FNB) of contravening Section 63 of the Consumer Protection Act by not rolling over unused prepaid internet data. She requested that they amend their prepaid data policy in line with the Act. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Cape Town to court over toll road

The City of Cape Town will oppose Sanral's N1-N2 highway toll project in the Cape Town High Court. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Pack up your troubles in a first-aid kit

[Graham Anderson] Make sure you have a well-stocked first-aid kit to deal with any minor injuries that could befall your family this holiday season. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Cape Town is world's 5th most desirable holiday spot

An international poll conducted by British Airways shows that Cape Town is the fifth most desirable destination in the world among eager travellers keen to get away for the festive season according to a report published by IOL Travel. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Michael Bublé to tour South Africa

Canadian superstar Michael Bublé will be bringing his Crazy Love Tour to the Grand Arena, GrandWest, Cape Town on 1 and 2 May and the Superbowl, Sun City on 5 and 6 May, 2012. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Robo cop-out in Real Steel

[Eugene Yiga] It's 2020 and a lot has changed. Apparently, all we ever wanted from boxing was to watch two guys beat each other up. And as mixed martial arts and other brutalities in a cage can only go so far, we've switched over to the next best thing: robot boxing. Read more >>