AFRICA

African leaders urged to develop positive political will
There is an urgent need for a positive political will amongst African leaders for the continent to be competitive on the global economy, this according to Dezi Lopez, vice president and managing director, African Operations, Oracle Corporation. Lopez was speaking at the South African Oracle User Group conference on Tuesday, 13 October, 2008.

No deal yet in Zim power-sharing talks
HARARE: A third day of talks by Zimbabwe's main political leaders on the allocation of cabinet portfolios in a proposed inclusive government have not yet yielded an agreement.

Malawi launches US$18.7m business project
[Gregory Gondwe] Malawi, on Monday, 13 October launched the Business Environment Strengthening Technical Assistance Project (BESTAP) worth US$18.7m, in order to help growth within the country's private sector.

Africa's emerging democracies fail to combat corruption: Report
The emerging new democracies, in most African countries, failed to live up to the expectation in a combat against corruption, according to a new report which advocates the need for strategies reform.

Ghana cashes in on tourism bonanza
Tourism receipts to the country have scaled steadily from US$981 million in 2006 to US$1.2 billion last year indicating a 20 percent rise.

AFRICA

Global economic turmoil should not affect 2010
[Bathandwa Mbola] MOSSEL BAY: The current global financial turmoil should not affect government's guarantees towards hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup, says South African Trade and Industry Minister, Mandisi Mpahlwa.

Gambian cinema on the African Movie Channel
The African Movie Channel features its first ever Gambian film this October, "Arrou" (Prevention), an award-winning film from the stables of Vinasha Productions of The Gambia.

Directed by Segun Oguntola, and starring Modou Musa Ceesay, Awa Gassama, Alagie Saihou Saar, Habibatou Jallow, "Arrou" won Best Contribution to African Film and TV Development at the African Movie Academy Awards (AMA Awards) in 2006, and screened at the 2007 Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles.

2009 D&AD design entry fee cut, juries announced
Announced by D&AD on Friday, 17 October 2008, was a price cut across design categories in order to encourage a diverse range of entries, as well as the members of the design juries for the D&AD Awards 2009.

AFRICA

Bridging the digital divide in Lyon
LYON: The international Lyon Conference for Digital Solidarity will be hosted on 24 November, 2008 at the invitation of President Nicolas Sarkozy, on a proposal made by the President of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, and under the French presidency of the European Union.

The global village is slowly going digital
Computers are increasingly ubiquitous in the developing world as software and internet companies create operating systems, computing programmes, and web-based portals in hundreds of indigenous languages.

Explosion of new domain names presents risks for online brands
On 1 November 1 2008, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) will meet in Cairo, Egypt to discuss the introduction of new top level domain names (gTLD); current examples in use are .com, .net, and .biz.

Uganda's rural poor get internet
The spread of the internet to Uganda's rural areas has sparked off excitement among residents giving them hope for future flourishing businesses through communication with the outside world.

Angolan president inaugurates satellite telecommunications system
The satellite telecommunications system of multi-sectoral assistance dubbed "INFRASAT" has been inaugurated in Luanda by Angolan head of State, José Eduardo dos Santos, according to a report from Angola Press Agency (ANGOP).

ZIMBABWE: School's really out
HARARE: The collapse of Zimbabwe's education system, once heralded as sub-Saharan Africa's finest, is being compared to a situation usually experienced by countries at war.

International speakers lined up for East Africa International Business Forum
Over 30 international speakers will address the International Business Forum in Kigali, 29 - 30 October 2008. The forum will gather participants, including business leaders from East Africa, Europe, North America and Asia, to one of the most important business events in the region for years.

AFRICA

IFRC promoting 'good news' on Africa
JOHANNESBURG: "Believe in Africa" is an initiative launched by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on the occasion of the 7th Pan African Conference that will gather representatives of the 53 African Red Cross and Red Crescent societies in Africa in Johannesburg from 19 - 22 October, 2008.

MACRA calls on Malawi's private couriers to register
[Gregory Gondwe] The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has called on 12 of Malawi's 18 private couriers to register with it and have a license to operate within the country.

Mega Media Expo heading for Sandton in March 2009 - CADEK Media
CADEK Media recently announced that its Mega Media Expo will be hosted at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on 4 and 5 March 2009.

Econet grows subscriber base
[Dumisani Ndlela] Econet Wireless has anchored its place as Zimbabwe's largest mobile network after growing its subscriber base by 41% during the six months to August 31, 2008.

MTN supports Ghanaian journalists association
MTN Ghana presented a cheque for 65,000 Ghana cedis to the National Executive Committee of Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) towards the 13th GJA Awards night and announced an additional three-year sponsorship package. The presentation was made on Monday, 13 October, 2008.

ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwe: Newsprint shortage hits newspaper industry
An unprecedented shortage of newsprint has hit the newspaper industry after the local paper producer shut down its plants over “technical problems.”

SOUTHERN AFRICA

Newspapers - a bright future?
Every time a new medium arises, many people predict that newspapers will go the way of the dodo. Wrong! Newspapers have adapted and refined themselves to remain relevant. This report relates to the UK experience, but it is largely relevant anywhere there's a newspaper.

Tunisia's only independent online mag attacked
The online news magazine Kalima, often touted as one of the only independent news sources in Tunisia, has suffered an attack that has completely destroyed its web content, reports the Observatory for the Freedom of Press, Publishing and Creation in Tunisia (OLPEC).

Primedia Outdoor secures Namibia's first building wrap
Following many months of co-ordination between various partners, to create awareness around the country's Diamond Centenary, Primedia Outdoor has secured Namibia's first building wrap.


Sports Event Kit - Right Stuff
If you've ever been in a position where you've had to plan a sports event and requested quotes for several different items from different suppliers and the associated effort and potential headaches involved, you'll find our new Sports Event Kit a welcome relief.

CENTRAL AFRICA

WFP stops clock on Hungerbytes competition
From Alabama to Addis Ababa, the World Food Programme sent university students to Ethiopia to film the reality of hunger first-hand. Three university students have edged out fierce competition, including a professional filmmaker, to win the first-ever YouTube video contest on hunger, which has attracted more than half a million views from people all over the world.

MACRA shuts down Joy Radio
[Gregory Gondwe] The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has shut down Joy Radio Station with immediate effect after revoking its license for "breaching its license conditions."

Lack of HR development hampers telecom industry in Africa
African nations are pushing for human resource development in the telecom sector to enhance growth, according to speakers at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) workshop in Zambia this week.

SOUTH AFRICA

Who's got the best banking system in Africa?
South Africa has come out tops in Africa and is 15th in the world rankings in the World Economic Forum survey of banking systems.

Economy rankings - how do we rate?
How easy is it to do business in South Africa and Africa - or with the rest of the world, for that matter. These rankings provide some insight.

UGANDA

P&G decries sale of counterfeits in Uganda
[Walter Wafula] Proctor and Gamble, the manufacturer of Always sanitary pads has decried the sale of counterfeits of their products in Uganda underlining that it is losing it's market-share and exposing consumers to many health risks.

ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwe: A day in the life of hyperinflation
Tendai Moyo, 28, living in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, goes into a shop in the downtown area and heads for a shelf where, a day ago, she saw a feeding bottle she wanted to buy for her three-month-old son.

ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwe: Retail business now a pain for operators
[Dumisani Ndlela] Alex Peterson has been in the retail business all his life. His family has run a fleet of businesses, which include supermarkets, beer outlets and butcheries, for over 45 years.

So what are savvy shoppers doing?
A new study released in the US reveals which consumer groups are most likely to spend during challenging economic times, and how behaviour-based segmentation helps retailers improve strategies to connect with consumers. The study applies to US consumers but South African and African marketers and retailers will find parallels with the local market.

IMF predicts major global slowdown amid financial crisis
According to the International Monetary Fund, the present economic crisis is on such a scale that even advanced economies are expected to go through a period of extremely sluggish growth or contraction in 2008 and the first half of 2009, and experience only a modest upturn in the latter part of the year.

Zimbabwe: All aboard for a 2,500km shopping trip
The bus route between South Africa, the continent's largest economy, and Zimbabwe, the world's fastest shrinking economy outside of a war zone, is a crucial lifeline for people faced with increasing food insecurity.


African Banker Awards 2008 winners
Bankers from Kenya, South Africa, Tunisia, Nigeria, Togo, Ghana and Malawi, representing North, South, East, West and Central Africa, took home awards from the African Banker Awards 2008 in Washington, D.C on Friday, 10 October 2008.

“Fight against poverty is our new war” say Mozambique's poor
Retail trade and its associated sectors cannot thrive in a society encumbered by poverty - what the poor of mozambique regard as their "new war".

Buy Ugandan, Museveni urges
Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni, has urged Ugandans to buy locally manufactured products if the country is to overcome the high unemployment levels and achieve the government's objective of prosperity for all.

Zain commissions fixed phones in Nigeria's south-south region
Zain Nigeria has commissioned Fixed Phone in the country's south-south region. The service is designed to provide more Nigerians, particularly low income earners in both urban and rural areas including students, travellers, and artisans, with access to telecommunications.

Botswana recalls Chinese dairy products
The Botswana authorities have become the latest of a number of governments around the world to recall Chinese-made dairy products, following the melamine scare.

AFRICA

CNN's 'global voices' speak out about US election
As the general election in the United States draws closer, CNN International is inviting audiences around the world to speak out on why this election matters to them. David Smith, director of Okapi Consulting media agency, shares his views on the elections as a representative for South Africa as one of CNN's 'global voices'.


Big Cat Diary goes live
[Carole Kimutai] In early August, Kenya's president Mwai Kibaki was in the Maasai Mara to witness the unfolding of the world's seventh wonder - the migration of millions of wildebeests from the Mara to the Serengeti in neighbouring Tanzania. Every year, thousands of tourists come to Kenya to view this amazing spectacle.

GTV launches G-UP prepaid subscription scratch cards
NAIROBI: GTV unveiled on Tuesday, 14 October 2008 a scratch card that enables its customers to pay their monthly subscriptions by loading their recharge number on the card.