Headlines
MarketingAFRICA Space gears up for climate change study A record 17 satellites are to be launched in 2008 in the largest-ever concerted global effort to monitor the impact of climate change over the next few decades, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), which is leading the initiative. ZIMBABWE Zimbabwe introduces $10 million noteNew bank notes bearing million dollar figures are set to go into circulation in Zimbabwe today, 18 January 2008. UGANDA URA unveils communication network to ease tax payments[Walter Wafula] Paying taxes to the Ugandan treasury is set to become more convenient for taxpayers following the adoption of URANET by Uganda Revenue Authority the body that collects billions of shillings from taxpayers. SOUTH AFRICA US$32 million boost for Maputo port[Eric Lubisi] Mozambique's Maputo harbour has received a US$32 million boost from Global port operator, Dubai Ports World (DP World). EGYPT Poverty driving young Egyptians to risk deadly boat journeys When two boatloads of would-be Egyptian migrants sank off the coast of Sicily in early November and many people died or were never found, the Egyptian media highlighted what has become a growing problem. AFRICA Basic services crisis turns deadly in KadunaAt least four people have been killed in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna during a violent protest over a three-year power blackout in a poor part of the city. EAST AFRICA China, Malawi establish diplomatic tiesChina and Malawi established diplomatic relations from December 2007, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced in Beijing on Monday, 14 January 2008. TANZANIA Groupe Bank of Africa expands into Tanzania[Carole Kimutai] Groupe Bank of Africa has announced the opening of BOA Bank-Tanzania). This move is driven by the growth potential in that country's banking industry. AFRICA Significant trends to impact business planning futureThe ResearchBrief for today is forward looking from newspaper executives who identify the current trends they believe will have an impact on the future of businesses. AFRICA Is hidden open source code putting your apps at risk?The most overlooked open source security vulnerabilities, according to Palamida researchers, occur in Apache Geronimo, JBoss Application Server, Libtiff, Net-SNMP and ZLIB. "The most popular projects appear in every test. This always surprises companies. There is from three to 10 times the use of open source code [in software enterprise uses] than companies realize," said Theresa Bui-Friday, cofounder of Palamida. ZIMBABWE Harare cuts all water supplies to residentsResidents of the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, and Chitungwiza, a dormitory town 35km to the southeast, are to be without water for seven days because of persistent power cuts that have affected bulk water treatment and distribution, the authorities have announced. Advertisement:
2010 FIFA World CupSOUTHERN AFRICA Naming rights for Green Point Stadium on marketThe City of Cape Town has taken the first step in selling the naming rights of its new Green Point stadium.
AdvertisingAFRICA Novel idea helps your advertising cash in at the cashier A new advertising concept puts cashiers' conveyor belts to work as an advertising medium – and your target customer is right there… watching your advertisements.
BrandingZIMBABWE Olivine's road ahead could still be rutted[Dumisani Ndlela] If there were several ways out, Olivine Industries Limited chose the easy one.
DigitalSOUTH AFRICA Five steps to compliance: Avoiding the pitfalls of software licensingLast year alone, software giants - Adobe, Oracle, Microsoft, SAP and many others - made hundreds of changes to their licensing rules and regulations. Keeping up to date with enterprise software licenses is not only a challenging task but also the most important step to remaining in compliance and protecting your IT budget. AFRICA Telecentres to meet in BudapestHungary is to host the first World Telecentre conference, according to a statement issued recently.
Education and TrainingAFRICA EASSI to equip African women with leadership skills[Walter Wafula] The Eastern African Sub-regional support Initiative for the Advancement of Women (EASSI) has announced the 2008, Young Women Leadership program to give a chance to eight graduates to advance their leadership skills.
MediaWEST AFRICA Press harassment hinders Niger's development, watchdogs warnPress freedom groups agree that an increase in arrests, intimidation and harassment of journalists in Niger is impeding development in one of the poorest countries in the world.
MobileUGANDA Telecom operators give back to UCC[David Muwanga] Uganda's three telecommunication companies have given a total of 5.1 billion shillings (approximately US$2.9m), which is a 1% service levy of the gross income, back to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC). AFRICA New battery tech that could let you talk for daysStandard lithium-ion batteries use graphite anodes that are capable of holding only a limited amount of charged lithium particles. The graphite anodes' limited capacity is chiefly responsible for the relatively brief charge life of lithium-ion batteries. Replacing the graphite anodes with silicon nanowires would increase the battery's charge storage capacity, Stanford researchers found. SOUTH AFRICA African mobile market rivals W Europe[Eddie Groenewald] There has been a lot of focus on Africa as the final frontier for the world of cellphones. With first world mobile markets in the East and West having rapidly matured and the explosion of mobile services in Latin America, Africa was the last place cellular networks and handset manufactures looked to for significant growth. But recent stats released by Admob, the world's largest mobile advertiser, have shown startling statistics about Africa. AFRICA MICC to invest more in Africa[Bai-Bai Sesay] Millicom International Cellular Company (MICC) is to invest one billion US dollars for new mobile phone services in some African countries. UGANDA Take a numberWarid Telecom, which open its doors to the general public on Monday has received an overwhelming response from all Ugandans across the country as they flocked to service centres to pre-register their preferred numbers in a bid to join the Warid family. In total over 80,000 thousand potential subscribers successfully completed the exercise. The pre-registration of preferred numbers continues between the hours of 9am – 6pm at the 37 customer care centres countrywide, as well as online at http://www.waridtel.co.ug/ between the hours of 6pm – 9am.
Online MediaALGERIA Nedjma strengthens its multimedia leadership in Algeria[Laeed Zaghlami] Nedjma "star", Algeria's third private mobile operator has reinforced its innovative and multimedia leadership in Algeria. From 15 January 2008, subscribers of Nedjma will enjoy extra services with Zhoo portal. AFRICA KickOff.com enters Ghana marketKickOff.com, South Africa's biggest stand-alone soccer website, has announced a new addition to its online stable in the form of www.KickOffGhana.com.
Out Of HomeSOUTH AFRICA Outdoor cooling a misty business - Right Stuff For those who have to brave the heat to attend an outdoor wedding or corporate event Right Stuff offers some "mistifying" options in the outdoor cooling market. The Portable Shade and Parasol now incorporate a refreshing misting system as an optional extra to give you the best of both worlds – shade and cooling in an outdoor environment.
ProductionZIMBABWE No middle ground for crops between drought and deluge for Zimbabwe's farmersAfter six years of drought, the forecast was that Zimbabwe was set for good rains and a decent harvest this season - and then came the deluge. KENYA Kenyan dairy firm invests in IT upgrade[Carole Kimutai] Spin Knit Dairy Kenya is planning to invest over KSh10 million in the upgrade of its technology infrastructure and install an automated milk reception system. AFRICA Kenya: Political unrest sparks food insecurity, livelihood losses Most of the people who fled political violence in Kenya's Rift Valley Province, the country's breadbasket, are farmers and their displacement during harvest season is expected to undermine national food security, humanitarian officials said.
Public RelationsSOUTH AFRICA Quo Vadis meets high demand for communication courses in 2007 and plans for 2008 - Quo Vadis CommunicationsWell-known for its on-hands training methodology in corporate communications, Quo Vadis Communications will shortly announce dates for a new series in 2008. This follows another successful year in which the company earned high praise from new clients who attended the courses and expanded established business relations.
RetailZIMBABWE Zimbabwe's disappearing dollarFaith in the Zimbabwe dollar has withered in rural areas where the local currency is being sidelined in favour of foreign exchange and barter trade. WEST AFRICA Food prices still climbing in West Africa, crisis feared Food prices at markets across West Africa are already high for the time of year and are still rising, suggesting aid agencies should prepare for a potentially serious hunger crisis later in the year as people across the impoverished region may not be able to afford enough to eat, despite food being available. KENYA Kenyan dairy and flower sectors report lossesHorticulturalists and dairy farmers, who represent two of Kenya's most important economic sectors, have reported losses as a result of the post-election violence. AFRICA UN helps poor countries with high food pricesThe UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has launched a multi-million dollar fund for import-dependent poor countries to help adapt their farming industries quickly to cope with high global food prices.
TVAFRICA Is the African Cup of Nations an elitist gathering?[Gervais J. Henrie] It's been confirmed that many African TV stations will not broadcast any of the African Cup of Nation's (CAN) matches, which kicked off in the Ghanaian capital Accra on Sunday, due to high transmission costs. | 
