Headlines
MarketingAFRICA CMO Council maps new Routes To Revenue in '09Despite a depressed global economy, 76% of senior marketers believe they are not realising the full revenue potential of their current customers, reports the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council in a new “Routes to Revenue” study released this week, two days ahead of its annual CMO Summit in Monterey, California. AFRICA International women's entrepreneurship competition open The Cartier Women's Initiative Awards is on the lookout for enterprising women with original and creative business projects for the third and next edition of this unique contest. The awards is an international entrepreneurship competition annually awarding five women, one per continent. AFRICA CMOs not sold on social networking adsMore than half - 55% in fact - of the chief marketing officers at leading brands surveyed by Epsilon said they're not too interested (22%), or not interested at all (33%), in incorporating social networking sites into their marketing strategies.
AdvertisingNORTH AFRICA Dubai Lynx Awards 2009 open for entriesEntries are now open for the third Dubai Lynx Awards, the Middle East and North Africa Advertising Awards for creative excellence.
DigitalSOUTH AFRICA Google turns whole web into social network [Vincent Maher] It was just a matter of time before Google started to leverage the massive base of Google accounts to connect everyone together. As usual, this new Google project is ambitious - instead of creating a new social network as a destination site, the new Friend Connect service takes the network to where the people already are - on blogs and websites. AFRICA Watchdog report tackles digital divide in 2008 How do we ensure access to the Internet is a human right enjoyed by everyone? This is one of the critical questions asked by an annual publication that highlights the importance of people's access to information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure - and where and how countries are getting it right or wrong, and what can be done about it. AFRICA Tenth African ICT Achievers Awards winners announcedLate last week, all finalists, ICT key decision-makers and ICT ministers across the African continent came together at Emporers Palace in Johannesburg in celebration of the African ICT Achievers Awards tenth anniversary.
Education and TrainingAFRICA Training program launched for African mediaMore than 300 African sports journalists will be invited to attend training next year as part of a program financed by FIFA, world football's governing body. Training will be provided by the AFP Foundation, an independent, non-profit organisation set up by Agence France-Presse. AFRICA Pan-African Awards for Entrepreneurship winners announcedWhat do a volunteering charity for tourists visiting Uganda, an educational tv show for children in Ethiopia and a bee-keeping project for students in Kenya have in common? They have all won top prizes in a competition for the most entrepreneurial education programs in Africa, run by UK-based education charity, Teach A Man To Fish.
MediaCENTRAL AFRICA Government incorporates Media Council of Malawi[Gregory Gondwe] The Malawi government has incorporated the Media Council of Malawi (MCM) as a legal entity fifteen months after the body was resuscitated. MCM chairperson Reverend Patrick Semphere received the certificate of incorporation from Deputy Information and Civic Education Minister John Bande during the council's annual general meeting in Blantyre, on 6 December, 2008. AFRICA Egyptian journalist wins 2008 Gebran Tueni AwardIbrahim Essa, editor-in-chief of Al Dustour, the daily newspaper in Egypt, has been awarded the 2008 Gebran Tueni Award, the annual prize of the World Association of Newspapers that honours an editor or publisher in the MENA region. AFRICA A24 Media, 70 content generators since launchNation Media Group, a multimedia house in East and Central Africa, is the latest broadcaster to become associated with A24 Media, joining K24, a 24-hour Kenyan news channel, and Royal Media Services, an electronic media house in Kenya. KENYA Kenya: Government proposes draconian media law - MISAMISA believes that a new law, if passed, will allow the Kenyan government to determine the content, style, manner and schedule of broadcasting. The proposition has drawn fierce resistance from the media industry.
MobileMOZAMBIQUE mcel launches 3G HSDPA in Mozambique mcel (Mozambique Cellular) has launched Third Generation Technology (3G) in the country representing a historical feat in service offerings in its mobile market. The country joins only three others in the Southern African region offering 3G, namely South Africa, Angola and Tanzania. AFRICA Gateway, a winner at Intelsat's Annual Excellence AwardsLONDON: Gateway Communications has been awarded the “Excellence in Innovative Cellular Backhaul Services” at Intelsat's 4th Annual Excellence Awards for the Africa region for its ability to meet the requirements of the African telecoms industry. NIGERIA Mobile internet usage soars in NigeriaInternet access through mobile phones has increased considerably in Nigeria, a development that confirms the country's status as a technological leader on the continent. KENYA World Bank provides Sh500 million for Kenya's telecomsThe World Bank has released Sh500 million to help boost Kenya's telecommunications sector. The Breton Woods financial institution's capital injection is set to benefit both Kenya's call centre sector and business process outsourcing (BPO) amongst others. SOUTH AFRICA Starfish Mobile forms strategic partnership with Global Media Alliance - Starfish MobileAfrican integrated mobile content service provider Starfish Mobile International has partnered with Global Media Alliance Ghana (GMA) in order to access the Ghana mobile market with ease. This strategic partnership will lead to the country's local offices being renamed Starfish Mobile Ghana.
Out Of HomeCENTRAL AFRICA Malawi: tnm gets building wrapped INM Outdoor in Malawi have facilitated the erection of a unique and practical building wrap that offers Telekom Networks Malawi (tnm) simultaneous long term brand building as well as short-term product advertising.
Public RelationsAFRICA Fleishman-Hillard, from Cape to Cairo After ten years of investment in Africa, Fleishman-Hillard's African network now stretches from Cape Town to Cairo, with over 100 people on the ground. The company has recognised Africa's role in shaping the global economy in the 21st century and therefore has entrenched its presence on the continent.
RecruitmentNAMIBIA Namibia: High Court backs labour rightsNamibia's high court has ruled that labour agencies should be prevented from hiring out workers on a short-term basis to larger firms.
RetailZIMBABWE Zimbabwe: Manufactured mayhem?When troops rioted in Zimbabwe this week, the first reaction of many was to view it as the first major cracks in Mugabe's powerbase. ANGOLA Comfortable, hygienic shopping in Angola [Pedro de Gouveia] NossoSuper is a national chain of supermarkets which was established by the Angolan government in 2005. The government created PRESILD - The Programme fore the Restructuring of Logistics and Distribution of Essential Products to the Population. CENTRAL AFRICA Ethiopian Airlines, full steam ahead [Sindy Peters] It is unusual to find a business in Africa that is 100% owned by its government actually thriving - on a continent infamous for bad governance and corruption. For this reason, Ethiopian Airlines is a breath of fresh air. ZIMBABWE SA delegation to assess humanitarian situation in Zim[Gabi Khumalo] PRETORIA: The South African government is to send a delegation to Zimbabwe on Monday, 8 December to assess the humanitarian situation in that country and determine what level of assistance is required. NIGERIA Nigerian vice president to visit SAPRETORIA: Nigerian Vice President Goodluck Jonathan is to arrive in South Africa next week to hold talks with Deputy President Baleka Mbete. The bilateral political, economic and trade discussions will be held at the Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria. SOUTHERN AFRICA NEPAD to host SADC stakeholder engagement SANEPAD will host a regional stakeholder engagement from 4-5 December 2008 in Midrand, South Africa in order to create awareness of NEPAD at the national level and to learn from the experiences of implementing NEPAD at national level in the SADC region. KENYA Qatar to grow crops in KenyaQatar is hoping to grow crops in north-east Kenya. The Gulf state, made up mostly of barren desert, has asked Kenya to lease 40,000 hectares of land. In return it will fund a port on the tourist island of Lamu costing 3.5 billion US Dollars. CENTRAL AFRICA ROC moves to curb food inflation "taking time" Government measures aimed at reducing the cost of staple commodities in the Republic of Congo, where salaries have remained unchanged for years, have failed to stem food inflation. Many people have been forced to change their diets, which has had an adverse impact on health. AFRICA Avoiding another food price bubbleIn another 12 years, 16 million more children could be malnourished at a time when even fewer people will be able to afford staple cereals like maize, rice and wheat, which would cost between 13% and 27% more. This is the bleak scenario of a world in recessionary mode, with declining investment in food production, painted by a food policy think-tank.
SponsorshipAFRICA In Africa supports Team Africa at Homeless World Cup The In Africa Foundation has pledged support for the twelve African teams that participated in the Melbourne 2008 Homeless World Cup in Federation Square, Melbourne. The partnership began with a US$250,000 contribution towards the African Teams travel fund that ensured their participation in the unique international football tournament.
TVAFRICA Ghanaian wins 2008 Face of Africa The M-Net Face of Africa 2008 finale, held last weekend at the SuperBowl in Sun City, South Africa, came to a conclusion as 23-year-old Ghanaian Kate Menson walked away with the sought-after title for 2008. | 
