SA Tourism unveils new Sho't Left campaign
[Tshepiso Seopa] South African Tourism unveiled its new marketing campaign for its domestic tourism initiative, Sho't Left, at the Emoyeni Estate in Parktown, Johannesburg, yesterday, Thursday, 28 August 2008. The campaign, which encourages South Africa's to travel the length and breadth of their country, is to target up-and-coming youngsters from South Africa as well as Botswana and Mozambique.

ZIMBABWE

Global ad agency sells Zim associate for US$1
[Dumisani Ndlela] Global marketing and advertising agency Young & Rubicam (Y&R) said this week it had finally sold its 25% stake in Zimbabwean associate Imago Young & Rubicam (Imago Y&R) for a mere US$1 after its involvement in a re-election campaign for President Robert Mugabe.

KENYA

Kenya Tourist Board goes global
The Kenya Tourist Board will launch its first multimedia advertising campaign on CNN International, combining traditional TV spots with an online push comprising banner advertising and video pre-roll together with a run of print advertising in CNN's bi-monthly glossy travel magazine, CNN Traveller.

ZIMBABWE

Image key to Zim tourism revival
[Dumisani Ndlela] The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) is hoping to produce a turn in dwindling international arrivals from its Zimbabwe International Travel Expo, which has been re-branded, the Sanganai Travel and Tourism Africa Expo.

East African brands join family of international Superbrands - Superbrands
A host of brands operating in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania have been identified by a voluntary independent panel of experts in the marketing and communications fields in East Africa. The brands participating in the programme range from local home grown brands through to worldwide global giants like Toyota, Mercedes Benz, Pirelli, Shell, Smirnoff and Weetabix.

ZIMBABWE

Zim caught on the web
The Zimbabwe Internet Report (aka Zi.Report - pronounced Zy as in why) is an initiative from recently formed online media group, Aripano Infinity, that aims to keep track of events and innovations that have a Zimbabwean slant on the internet.


Mozambican computer assembly plant ready for operation in September
Sahara Computers, together with the Mozambican government, has confirmed that work on the planned computer assembly plant is expected to be completed by September 2008.


ICT stakeholders to assess impact of technology on Uganda
[Walter Wafula] Key stakeholders in the information and communication technology sector of Uganda will next week assemble in Kampala, to asses the impact of activities of the sector on human and economic development.

ICTs pose challenge to cops in East Africa
Ethiopia: Combating crime has become a daunting challenge to law enforcement officers in East Africa as advances in the information and communication technologies (ICTs) make it easy for resourceful criminals to operate beyond national barriers, according to Ethiopia's police chief.

Cybersecurity lacking in Africa, official says
Africa will not realise the benefits of IT without improvements in cybersecurity, the secretary general of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) said yesterday.

GHANA

China doubles its scholarships for African students
Accra: The Chinese government has doubled the number of scholarships it grants to Africa to 4000 students per year, says Yu Wenzhe, China's ambassador to Ghana.

Pan-African Awards for Entrepreneurship in Education launched
A competition offering a $1,000 prize for the most entrepreneurial education programs in every African country, and with a top prize of $10,000, was launched today by UK-based education charity Teach A Man To Fish.

African cultural groups to mesmerise South Africa
African cultural groups take centre stage this month when Gcwala-Ngamasiko, a traditional music and dance initiative aimed at preserving, uniting and celebrating cultural diversity across the continent comes to South Africa.

Inaugural Africa Fraud Conference and Exhibition
As a fitting means of seeing in the tenth anniversary since the organisation's establishment, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners SA (ACFE SA) hosts the Inaugural Africa Conference and Exhibition, taking place at the Johannesburg-based Sandton International Convention Centre (ICC) from 17-19 September 2008.

VWV wins first ever African MTV Awards
VWV has been appointed to handle the first ever MTV music awards in Africa. Along with the awards, VWV has also won the account from MTV Base Networks to co-ordinate the preceding four concerts that will be held as part of a road-show leading up to the event. The agency has also won the MTV Africa mobile account, which includes mobile ticketing for the concerts promotions.

ANGOLA

Enterprise magazine moves into SADC
The African Renaissance programme has received a boost with the launch into the SADC region of the monthly black business publication, Enterprise magazine.

AFRICA

ITNewsAfrica appoints new editor
ITNewsAfrica.com has appointed Samuel Mungadze as its new online editor; Samuel Mungadze. Mungadze is a qualified journalist with years of experience in the media industry. His working career has been with The Standard Newspaper (Zimbabwe) SABC Africa (S.A) and The African Bulletin (Netherlands).


New royalty system with SAMRO
The Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) has been fully accredited as a collection society for Needletime Rights royalties in South Africa.


East Africa: EAC committee sets up media strategy
The National Consultative Committee (NCC) on the fast tracking of the East Africa political federation will soon use a massive media strategy in collection of views about the EAC integration process.

SOUTH AFRICA

Countdown to Highway Africa 2008
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] This year, more than 700 journalists from over 40 African countries are expected to attend the 12th edition of Highway Africa - the world's biggest gathering for African journalists - which will take place on 8 - 10 September 2008 in Grahamstown, near Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape, Prof Guy Berger, head of Rhodes University's School of Journalism, told the media yesterday, Wednesday, 27 August 2008, during the event launch at the SABC headquarters in Auckland Park, Johannesburg.

CENTRAL AFRICA

Malawi: Opposition parliamentarians reject information ministry allocation
[Gregory Gondwe] Woes for Malawi's 2008-2009 national budget refuse to die with opposition parliamentarians refusing to allocate resources for the ministry of information and civic education earlier this week.

IFJ calls on Senegal to end intimidation of media
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on the Senegalese authorities to put an end to the attacks on media and independent journalists and to build a new relationship with journalists. The call comes after a police raid of a print house to prevent distribution of the newspaper L'As and the interrogation of the paper's publisher.

MTN Uganda selects Opera Mini
Opera Software yesterday, 27 August, announced that Opera Mini is going to Africa. Opera Software has partnered with MTN Uganda to bring the mobile web to the company's nearly three million subscribers. By expanding into Africa, Opera is making the web available to more people, on any device, from anywhere in the world.

MOROCCO

Saudi Arabia joins Zain's One Network
[Gregory Gondwe] Zain Malawi announced that Malawians can now easily link with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, after launching commercial services on 26 August 2008, in that country.

Cable network, meet social network: Match made in news - or marketing - heaven?
[Renay San Miguel] Television news networks have begun to experiment with social media, incorporating viewers' input into their coverage in a variety of ways. They're also tirelessly promoting their own involvement in social networking, which raises the question: Are the networks employing sound strategy, or just executing a marketing plan?

Outdoor advertising: Sports Dugout and Tunnel - Right Stuff
The Dugout is a shelter for seating team managers and players during a football match, made from high-quality aluminium and polycarbon sheeting, which can be branded on the sides and back.


Event Tape - Right Stuff
The ultimate branding accessory is often understated, yet it adds that essential touch that can make all the difference to a successful event.

Britain eases travel warning on Zim
[Dumisani Ndlela] The British foreign office has lowered its warning to citizens against traveling to Zimbabwe, relieving the hotel and leisure operators in the southern African country of their major marketing nightmare.

71 Intaka Tech water purification plants headed for Angola
Intaka Tech has been awarded a contract for water purification plants to produce 78 million litres of drinking water per day, the final destination for the units being Angola. This will help the company to achieve its mission to proactively meet Africa's urgent need for clean, potable water.

Mwanawasa's death not to derail economic growth - minister
[Gregory Gondwe] Zambia's Finance and National Planning Minister, Ng'andu Magande has down-played fears that the death of the country's President Levy Mwanawasa could derail the country's economic prosperity.

Malwai: US donates machine to protect consumers from sub-standard products
[Gregory Gondwe] The United States government has donated a machine worth close to US$60,000 to the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) which will enable it to identify banned or sub-standard ingredients that may be used in foods produced or imported into the country.

Malawi: Cheer and concern over ban on private sale of maize
Ordinary Malawians, cheered by the prospect of cheaper food, have welcomed government's ban on the private trading of maize, but food security experts and businesses have expressed concern.

Puma store opens in Mauritius
Mauritius received its first taste of dedicated Puma gear this month with the launch of the marque's first brand store on the island this month. Consumers and travellers to Mauritius will now have access to a wide range of Puma's sports lifestyle products available in one store.


Ecobank launches $2,5bn share offer
Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) has launched the first-ever cross-border shares to raise $2,5bn to expand operations in ten African countries.

Malawian companies to participate in Chinese Trade Fair
[Gregory Gondwe] Malawi Export Promotion Council (MEPC) has said it will participate in the African Commodities Trade Fair scheduled for early September this year.

CENTRAL AFRICA

Malawi government takes over trading of maize
[Gregory Gondwe] Malawi government has taken over trading of maize in the country after private traders have been found hoarding the commodity in order to capitalise on the impending high demand towards the end of the year.

Barclays joins Mandela Foundation
Barclays Plc has announced that it would be sponsoring three Mandela Rhodes Scholarships permanently as part of its contribution to the development of homegrown leaders in Africa.

CENTRAL AFRICA

Malawi: Parliament refuses MBC and TVM funding
[Gregory Gondwe] Malawi's opposition parliamentarians have, for a second year running, refused to allocate any resources to the state broadcasters, the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and Television Malawi (TVM).

Wananchi plans more pay-TV content for Africa
In a bid to expand the growth of pay television in Kenya, Wananchi Group, through its subsidiary, Mitsuminet, is enriching its programming and upgrading its infrastructure to reach out to Africa and European customers.

AFRICA

MTV Base, Shell energise African music industry
MTV Base Networks Africa and Shell are partnering in Africa for the second year in a row to energise and uplift Africa's contemporary music industry. The pan-African music entertainment network and energy provider have joined forces to create a second season of the MTV Making the Video Challenge with Shell.


Big Brother Africa excites Abuja subscribers
An unusually large number of susbcribers besieged the Abuja office of Multichoice yesterday to get connected or reconnected to the network cable.