AFRICA

Africa just keeps on growing
Africa recorded a high growth rate in 2007 and growth is projected to remain high in 2008, according to ECA.

JWT goes for ABC
JWT recently won the African Banking Corporation account in a three-way pitch against Grey Worldwide and Y&R Brands.

NORTH AFRICA

Dubai Lynx winners announced
The results of the second Dubai Lynx Awards, the leading creative advertising competition for the Middle East and North Africa, were announced last night, Wednesday, 2 April 2008. The United Arab Emirates lead the pack, followed by Qatar, Lebanon and Egypt.

Malawi's biggest bank achieves good results
[Gregory Gondwe] Malawi's biggest bank by assets, the National Bank of Malawi has announced a 25% profit posting in 2007 according to its published results for the year ending December 31.

Thuraya to expand services in Nigerian market
[Jonah Iboma] Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications says it is ready to offer more services in Nigeria, especially in the light of government's desire to increase access to more users in the country.

Kenyan design firm moves to safeguard equipment
[Zachary Ochieng] One of the leading graphic design and colour separation (re-pro) companies in Kenya, ImPress Repro Limited, has implemented APC 1.5 KVA and 5KVA Smart-UPS uninterrupted power supplies (UPSes) to protect its equipment from power surges being experienced in Kenya.

AFRICA

Alcatel-Lucent to hold a media tutorial webcast about Optics
Tom Goodwin, Vice-President of Marketing & Communications for Alcatel-Lucent's Optics activities and Etienne Lafougère, President of Alcatel-Lucent's submarine network activity will give a joint media tutorial on Optics on 8 April 2008 at 1pm (GMT).

ZIMBABWE

Jammed! Zimbabwe's immobile mobile systems
[Dumisani Ndlela] Freedom is in the air, and change is already being commemorated by Zimbabwe's urbanites on the phones. All through Harare's forbidding streets, littered with police, people walk with cellphones, discussing delayed results from the March 29 elections. Moreover, the rumour-mill is busy, particularly with stories over the presidential election.

AFRICA

Microsoft to launch applications in three Nigerian languages
[Jonah Iboma] Microsoft Corporation plans to include Nigeria's dominant languages - Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo - in the Microsoft Office application suite before year-end.

Makau Polaris sets the pace in IT training
[Jonah Iboma] Makau Polaris, an information technology training institution has opened its doors to students and other professionals in Lagos, Nigeria.

ATCON to spearhead local content development
[Jonah Iboma] The Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has said that it will take steps to redress the situation of low level content in Nigeria's booming information and communications technology industry. The trade body of telecom companies in Nigeria said that as a first step towards solving the problem, it would convene a national summit that would examine the issue and set a path on local content development.

Africa magazine group still growing in circulation
IC Publications 2007 ABC audit shows a rise of 8.6% for the fourth consecutive year.

University of Malawi to introduce new media degree course
[Gregory Gondwe] The University of Malawi in collaboration with the Malawi chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa will be introducing a BA in Communication studies, which will help in improving the quality of media in Malawi.

Foreign journalists seized in police raid on hotel
Zimbabwean police have arrested two foreign journalists at a hotel in the capital Harare on suspicion of reporting without press accreditation, a spokesman said.

Journalists barred from covering Gambia's opening of Parliament
A group of journalists working with privately-owned Banjul-based newspapers were barred from covering President Yahya Jammeh's annual opening of The Gambia's Parliament on 28 March 2008.

AFRICA

Malawi hosts international telecommunications workshop
[Gregory Gondwe] Malawi has hosted a telecommunication services workshop at its lakeshore district in Mangochi with calls to various rival telecommunications operators to share services so that consumers can access them at affordable charges.

Setback for a third cellphone provider irks Malawi's govt
[Gregory Gondwe] The Malawi government has expressed displeasure over delays to have a third cellphone service provider, observing that this has not created the much-needed competition in the sector.

NIGERIA

Globacom launches another fibre backbone
[Remmy Nweke] Second National Carrier, Globacom, has launched its Optic Fibre Cable backbone to enhance transmission of both voice and data on the network. Speaking during the launch at Owerri, capital of Imo State in Eastern Nigeria, Martins Olowonihi, acting Chief Operating noted that the backbone would offer Nigerians, mostly those in the South Eastern part of the country and Owerri precisely, the convergence of voice, data and multimedia solutions.

10 simple steps to boost search engine rankings
[Brandon Leibowitz] There are multiple ways to boost search engine rankings, including implementing title tags and meta tags, acquiring quality links, using HTML, making site navigation easy, and adding a blog.

AFRICA

SA food chain spreads its wings globally
Shoprite is steadily advancing its presence on the continent, with plans for the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria.

NIGERIA

Fuel shortages cause price hikes for northerners
With massive fuel shortages in the north of Nigeria since mid March, transport costs have doubled exacerbating food prices.

Plan to meet Africa's urgent development needs
World Bank President's proposals target key areas: food, minerals and innovative financing.

Egyptian trade ministry to ban rice and cement exports
Spurred by the steady ascent of cement and rice prices here over the past months, the Ministry of Trade and Industry announced it would ban exports of both goods late last week, hoping to staunch further increases and avert the troubles that long-term instability in either commodity's price could provoke.

Computer Aid International seeks partnerships in Uganda
[Edris Kisambira] British charity Computer Aid International (CAI) is looking for new distribution partners in Uganda. The hunt for new partners is driven by the charity's ambition to build technical capacity in efforts aimed at strengthening ICT for development by helping bridge the digital divide. CAI supplies professionally refurbished computers to developing countries at a small fee.

Nilesat blocks transmission of Alhewar TV
Egyptian state-run satellite, Nilesat, stopped the transmission of Alhewar TV on 1 April 2008 without warning or giving clear reasons for their decision. Alhewar TV, which broadcasts from London, is viewed by thousands of people in the region via the Nilesat satellite. It is known for its credibility, courageous and critical coverage including on social and political issues in Egypt.

The beauty of not asking permission
[Paul Hartsock] Last year, when Viacom visited YouTube and spotted shows from MTV, Comedy Central and other content producers it owns, it decided to act quickly - and the only quick reaction a company of Viacom's size is capable of in that sort of situation is to sue.