SOUTHERN AFRICA

Swaziland: Worst labour strife in a decade
A bloody week of the worst labour strife in a decade has exposed cracks in the Swazi government's poverty-alleviation plan of creating thousands of low-paying jobs by promoting a textile industry.

AFRICA

African development requires private sector participation
In a refreshingly frank discussion, representatives from the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) and the African Development Bank (ADB) described the daunting constraints and challenges inherent in infrastructure development on the African continent and appealed to the private sector to join forces in devising solutions.

SOUTH AFRICA

SABMiller not funding Makoni's campaign
SABMiller is not supporting any political campaign in Zimbabwe and neither has this been under consideration.

Clios looking for future gold
NEW YORK: Applications from around the world for the 2008 Clio Future Gold | Young Creatives Programme are now open until 1 April 2008. The programme, with its mission to elevate and inspire up-and-coming talent in the advertising industry, is run by the 49th Annual Clio Awards and Festival, a global awards competition for advertising, design and interactive, in conjunction with ihaveanidea.

AFRICA

Dubai Lynx launches honouree award
At a press conference held in Dubai earlier this week, the organisers of the first Dubai International Advertising Festival announced that a new honouree award will be introduced from this year.

Equity bank sustains impressive growth
[Carole Kimutai] One week after Kenya's political protagonists signed a power sharing deal, one of Kenya's fastest growing banks has posted a KSH2.4bn pre-tax profit.

SA Blog Awards 2008 nominations are out
The finalists in the SA Blog Awards 2008 were released on Wednesday, 5 March 2008, after a few days' delay. Bizcommunity.com's breaking news blog (http://blog.bizcommunity.com) has been nominated in the Best SA Business Blog category. Certain categories discontinued due to insufficients nominations are: Best GLBT Blog, Best African Language, Best Post about SA Blog Awards, Best Social Upliftment and Most Controversal Blog. Go to www.sablogawards.com/2008/ for the full list.

Mandela Rhodes Scholarship students announced
[Gabi Khumalo] For the past 18 years, Chipateni Nyirenda from Lusaka, Zambia, wanted to meet her role model former President Nelson Mandela. Her dream was realised on Tuesday, 4 March 2008, as she, along with 23 students from across the continent, sat next to him to receive her Nelson Mandela Rhodes Scholarship.

Journalist petitions High Court over ban
A Zimbabwean journalist banned from practising for a year by a government commission has launched an appeal in the High Court to have the ban lifted, his lawyer said on Friday, 7 March 2008.

UGANDA

Old man gets what he deserves
[Walter Wafula] “The young have had their time and now is the elders' turn” seemed to be the contrast between the winner of the 2007 Image Business Journalist (IBJ) Awards and the 2006 winner.

Altech acquires three technology firms in East Africa
[Walter Wafula] Allied Technologies has secured majority shares in three communication technology firms of Kenya's Sameer Group for US$85.2 million.

ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwe: Election campaigns go hi-tech
Savvy text messaging and cheeky ring tones are the new face of cost-effective political campaigning in Zimbabwe in the run up to the 29 March election, despite the creakiness of country's cell phone networks.

EAST AFRICA

East Africa - a major force on the continent
East Africa remains one of Africa's most dynamic markets, as the region's leaders are preparing for their annual congress.

Cartoonist launches website
[Dumisani Ndlela] Zimbabwean political cartoonist Tony Namate has launched a website for political cartoons after what he said were “consistent requests from Zimbabweans in the Diaspora who can't access his cartoons” from the domestic press.

A little imagination goes a long way... - Right Stuff
The Linear Stand is a dynamic display system which can be set up in a variety of configurations to achieve the desired effect. It is the next generation of showroom stands, doubling as a banner display as well as a product holder.

FAPRA 2008 to tackle corporate social responsibility
The 21st All Africa Public Relations Conference by the Federation of African Public Relations Associations (FAPRA) will take place at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Kumasi, 28 April – 2 May 2008. The main conference theme is ‘Corporate Social Responsibility – Global Trends and Public Relations Implications'. The weeklong conference is expected to be officially opened by the President of Ghana John Kufour on Tuesday 29 April. The event will feature special facility visits to the AngloGold Ashanti/Newmont Mining Company and a royal visit to the King of Ashanti Kingdom. For more information, go to www.fapra.org or or www.iprghana.com.

More Black women in the US marketplace
Miriam Muley, CEO of The85%Niche, and previously Executive Director of Diversity Growth Markets at GM, has authored a recent paper describing opportunities to serve "a vital source of incremental business (that) has waned in recent years."

ZIMBABWE

Mugabe admits food crisis, but price hikes are 'undermining govt'
Zimbabwe is seeking to rush in maize imports from southern African states. President Robert Mugabe told an election rally on Wednesday, 5 March 2008, that the country faced an emergency.

An Ethiopian solution to costly food aid
As food prices hit record highs, analysts warn that a re-think of food aid strategies is needed - and Ethiopia, a traditionally food insecure country, could offer some answers.


Liberia: Reviving fisheries could boost economy and health
Nine out of Liberia's 15 counties lie along 570 km of the Atlantic Ocean and small scale fishing provides a major source of income and nutrition for coastal communities, but the sector has been neglected by the government and donors during and since the country's ruinous civil war.

NORTH AFRICA

HR organisations object to Arab League's satellite broadcasting regulations
Arab League's proposed satellite broadcasting regulations would impede needed criticism of corruption and repression, warn 34 organisations.

AFRICA

Switched on: Homeless World Cup TV
moviecom.tv has created Homeless World Cup TV, an online TV channel that invites viewers to get a whole lot more up-close-and-personal with the true grit, spirit and glory of football with passion.

NORTH AFRICA

BBC Arabic television news channel launches
The BBC is strengthening its multimedia news services for the Arab world by tomorrow's launch of a TV news channel alongside its existing radio and online offer to serve audiences in the Middle East and North Africa.