Headlines
MarketingZIMBABWE Zimbabwe: Mining between a rock and a hard place International condemnation of Robert Mugabe's controversial re-election as president of Zimbabwe has now turned to criticism of foreign businesses operating in the country, which are seen as helping to prop up the regime.
2010 FIFA World CupAFRICA Africa communicators to talk 2010Communicators from across Africa will be in Johannesburg at the end of July to discuss how best to take advantage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and project Africa positively to the world at the third annual 2010 National Communication Partnership Conference.
CinemaEAST AFRICA 11th Zanzibar International Film Festival at a 'cultural crossroads'The Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) presents the 11 th Festival of the Dhow Countries commencing next week from 11-20 July 2008. An open invitation is extended to the international community of filmmakers, media professionals, performers, artists and all visitors to the spice islands of Zanzibar, Tanzania.
DigitalAFRICA Celebrating 10 years of ICT innovation in Africa The 2008 ICT African Achievers Awards has been dubbed the biggest ever, with nominations of outstanding African ICT performers still pouring in from all over the continent. The growth of these awards has been phenomenal with this year's penetration reaching all corners of Africa. KENYA East African Cables joins blue chip stocks club[Carole Kimutai] Cables and conductors' manufacturer, East African Cables (EAC), is celebrating its recent inclusion in the blue chip stocks club - the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE) 20 Share index.
Education and TrainingSOUTH AFRICA USB-ED presents new managers' development programme in Windhoek - USB-EDUSB Executive Development Ltd (USB-ED), which has for a number of years presented management development programmes in Namibia, can equip those wishing to enter the ranks of management with the necessary knowledge and skills as they move into their new roles.
EventingAFRICA G8 summit opens with spotlight on aid for AfricaJAPAN: Aid for Africa, and whether enough was coming from the world's major economic powers, was in the spotlight on as the Group of Eight nations met with seven African leaders at its annual summit. SOUTH AFRICA Food crisis, climate change, MDGs top G8 agendaThe global food crisis and climate change will be among the top issues on the agenda of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as he attends the Group of Eight (G8) Summit in Japan this week.
MediaSOUTH AFRICA Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards winnersLONDON: The winners of the 2008 Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards were announced last night, Thursday, 3 July 2008, at a gala ceremony in London. Now in its fifth year, the awards honour business journalism focusing on Africa, thus attracting contestants from around the globe. ZAMBIA Zambia slams SA media: The President is not deadNEWSWATCH: In a report issued by Sapa/I-Net Bridge, Zambia's country chief government spokesperson, Mike Mulongoti, hit out last week at South African media for stoking rumours that President Levy Mwanawasa was dead. AFRICA Africa Convention 2008 honours Thomas Mapfumo The Africa Convention has chosen Thomas Mapfumo as the honouree for this year's event, awarding him the Icon of Africa Award for his tireless work and advocacy against oppression and dictatorship in Africa. UGANDA New Vision seeks expansion capital from ordinary shareholdersNew Vision, Uganda's latest multimedia player in the information sector, has embarked on a grand plan to amass UGX28bn, which it plans to invest in the expansion of its publishing, radio and television businesses. SOUTHERN AFRICA Zimbabwe: SADC's big headacheIf the Southern African Development Community (SADC) "wished to be taken seriously" it would have to declare Robert Mugabe's presidential claim illegitimate, a regional analyst told IRIN.
MobileMOZAMBIQUE mcel invests about $70m in network infrastructure mcel has announced this week an accelerated investment programme in 2008 of around $70m to be used for the expansion of its national network in Mozambique to increase the quality of service offered and expand its geographical coverage.
Online MediaAFRICA Sabinet Gateway to establish African online journal archiveSabinet Gateway has been awarded a $1,8m grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to create an African online journal archive. The archive will contain purely African content, making academic inputs from all over Africa available for research purposes to local and international organisations and academic institutions. AFRICA Google media server: A giant toe in the door?[Erika Morphy] It already dominates the Internet - why not the TV? Probably Google wasn't thinking exactly in those terms when it conceived the idea for Google Media Server, its latest addition to a ballooning product line. But planting a foothold in a medium in which it so far only dabbles is clearly the driver behind this release.
ProductionSOUTH AFRICA New African image bank launches Created by Caroline Hillary and Painter Jane, the newly launched Tickyboximages.co.za/com is an African image bank that aims to provide a platform for African photographers on which to profile their talent, as well as providing the publishing, advertising and commercial industries a better quality image for their buck.
Public RelationsSOUTH AFRICA Unleash your communication potential - Quo Vadis CommunicationsA specialist organisational communications course, to be held in KwaZulu-Natal next month, will equip participants in strategic and creative skills to ensure optimal ways in releasing the power of organisations. SOUTH AFRICA Quo Vadis handles Constitution Hill Trust - Quo Vadis CommunicationsThe Constitution Hill Trust has appointed Quo Vadis Communication to handle its media liaison and public relations with immediate effect, on a pro bono basis.
RecruitmentNIGERIA Nigeria: Economic growth masks high unemploymentAn overall trend towards economic growth in Nigeria masks the fact that millions have been forced into low-wage jobs in the once industrial north, trade experts warn. SOUTH AFRICA SA's Black business rejects ‘shocking' court ruling on ChineseA number of Black business organisations including the National African Federated Chambers of Commerce (NAFCOC), Black Management Forum (BMF) and Black Lawyers Association (BLA) have reacted with anger to a recent High Court judgement that found that Chinese South Africans now qualify as BBBEE and EAA beneficiaries.
ResearchAFRICA Consolidating gains: 2008 Research Industry Survey results [Jane Delorie] Each year the Marketing and Social Research Association (MSRA) takes a close look at the health of the East African research industry. The survey records actual revenue of member agencies for the previous calendar year and asks agency heads to forecast future growth.
RetailCENTRAL AFRICA Commonwealth Business Council to visit Malawi[Gregory Gondwe] Barely a month after Chinese investors visited Malawi, a 20-person Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) delegation will also be visiting Malawi from 15-18 July. Ministry of Trade and Industry official, Leonard Mwaungulu, said the purpose of the visit is to explore investment opportunities in Malawi. UGANDA AIG Uganda posts UGX5bn profit[Walter Wafula] American International Group has announced a profit before tax of UGX5bn representing a 4.1% growth in the company's earnings in 2007. The profit growth is a result of swollen premiums, according to the company's 2007 financial reports released on July 2. KENYA Kenya: New law could raise food prices furtherPrices of food in Kenya, which have already risen by 50 percent since the start of 2008, could increase further following a new government regulation, a consumer watch group has warned. ZIMBABWE Zimbabwe: 'Can I give you some Harare luggage for your US dollars?' The flower seller booths on Unity Square in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, are now the haunt of money changers, because this is one of the few commercial activities in the country still experiencing any kind of growth. AFRICA Malawi's savings and credit co-operatives venture into insurance[Gregory Gondwe] The Malawi Union of Savings and Credit Co-operatives (MUSCCO) has announced that it will be venturing into corporative insurance that will cater for its affiliates and members. WEST AFRICA Gabon: Engen further extends African footprint Engen Petroleum Limited has expanded its activities into Gabon with the purchase of Shell Petroleum Company Limited's downstream petroleum business. CENTRAL AFRICA Malawi: World Bank to train 60 small and medium enterprises[Gregory Gondwe] The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a branch of the World Bank group, has signed an agreement with the Malawi Export Promotion Council (MEPC) to train local small and medium enterprises (SMEs). ZIMBABWE Zimbabwe: The grind goes onChamunorwa Shamhu* works for one of the few non-governmental organisations (NGOs) still allowed to operate in Zimbabwe, but by mid-afternoon this week had still not managed to write the five paragraphs needed for a funding proposal. CENTRAL AFRICA Malawi's national budget hangs in limbo[Gregory Gondwe] For a second year running, Malawi has started their new financial year on July 1, without a national budget. The 2008-2009 budget, projected at K229,2bn, has not yet been passed at the National Assembly. ZAMBIA Kenol/Kobil in new acquisitions in ZambiaKobil Zambia, a fully-owned subsidiary of the Kenol Group with its head office in Kenya, has signed two major ventures in Zambia with a view to expanding its regional presence, and improving on supply chain logistics, market share and profitability. MOZAMBIQUE Mozambique: Boost for the small farmer In an effort to build a long-term source of food supplies in developing countries while boosting small-scale agriculture, the World Food Programme (WFP) will soon begin buying food from local farmers in Mozambique.
SalesZIMBABWE Zim retail and banking sectors lurch into crisis[Dumisani Ndlela] Zimbabwe's retail and banking sectors lurched into an unprecedented crisis after banks struggled to deal with an implosion of zeros on the country's beleaguered currency, throwing the point of sale (POS) transaction system into a quandary. | 
