Headlines
Marketing & MediaSOUTH AFRICA Convergence is overrated [Graham Willcock] There is one indicator/trend that will trump all others in 2009 - and I suspect for quite some time thereafter as well. Vision and values, or V2 as we call it at RadMark, is going to define the nature of business relationships - be they definitional stakeholders such as customers, employees, investors and competitors or instrumental stakeholders such NGOs, special interest groups, Government or the media as a whole. AFRICA Participate in CMO Council surveysThe CMO Council has launched two surveys seeking global perspectives in its 2009 Marketing Outlook Survey and the Giving Customer Voice More Volume audit and is inviting participation. EGYPT Egypt expects lower tourist numbers in 2009Egypt received 12.8 million tourists in 2008, with a 15.3 percent increase in tourist arrivals, said Tourism Minister Zoheir Garranah at a press conference this week, but the financial crisis appears to be taking its toll. NIGERIA Nigerian business leaders concerned over job sectorFaced with a low oil price, falling foreign reserves and a depreciating currency, Nigerian business leaders are concerned over the impact the financial crisis will have on the job market. NAMIBIA Namibian investment company buys into Zambian bankThe move is seen as part of the company's investment plans which are believed to see it investing in a number of other southern African nations. BOTSWANA Botswana's export/investment body claims success, despite crunchBEDIA forges ahead despite credit crunch, so for the moment at least it's a case of so far, so good.
2010 FIFA World CupAFRICA Sounding good for 2010[Khanyi Magubane] Soccer lovers at the FIFA 2010 World Cup matches will experience a stadium sound sensation, thanks to new state-of-the-art audio systems. Prosound, the company commissioned with integrating the sound systems at the venues for the matches, says even the loudest vuvuzelas won't be a match to the clarity of the sound to be produced at the stadiums.
AdvertisingAFRICA 2009 APEX Awards deadline extendedThe Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) has extended the deadline for entries to the 2009 APEX awards to Friday, 30 January 2009 at 12h00. AFRICA Tham Khai Meng to chair Dubai Lynx 2009Tham Khai Meng, who has recently been appointed as Ogilvy & Mather's Worldwide creative director, and chairman of its Worldwide Creative Council, will be the Dubai Lynx 2009 jury president for the TV/Cinema, Outdoor, Print and Radio juries, as well as the Integrated jury. ZIMBABWE Zimbabwe: Ad agency in dire straits[Sam Hungwe] One of the country's biggest advertising agencies, Imago Young & Rubicam (IY&R), has fallen in trouble after failing to pay for President Robert Mugabe's re-election campaign advertisements. EAST AFRICA Luvi Ogilvy keeps it off the hook Reunion Island is the first French "state" with more deaths caused by alcohol-related accidents. Luvi Ogilvy (Reunion Island) approached the French Social and Health Security with the idea of creating a public awareness campaign around alcohol abuse, targeting young people. The campaign runs from December 27, 2008 to January 17, 2009.
DigitalCENTRAL AFRICA Rwanda ready to host e-government forumPreparations for the third annual African e-government Forum that Rwanda will host in March have begun. Organisers said the three-day event will give an opportunity to information and communication technology communities to voice their views, insights, knowledge and share experiences at the forum, which is Africa's leading e-government conference. NIGERIA Nigerians doubt transition to digital by 2012Nigerian legislators are not convinced that government's ambitions to move from analogue technology to modern digital systems could be achieved by the year 2012, arguing that the relevant ministry needed serious commitment to achieve that goal. AFRICA IDC Roadshow tackles threats to IT securityJOHANNESBURG: IDC Middle East, Africa, and Turkey have announced the full schedule for its IT Security Roadshow 2009. Running under the theme of "Balancing Reality and Perception in a New Economic Era", the conference will open in Istanbul on February 17, 2009, before moving on to seven other key cities throughout the region: Ankara, Casablanca, Lagos, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Dubai, and Riyadh. CENTRAL AFRICA Rwanda and US signs Memorandum of UnderstandingThe Rwandan government on Monday, 12 January signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to promote the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in schools.
Education and TrainingNIGERIA Nigerian youth motivated by Future Awards 2009In demonstration of its commitment to support Nigerian youth as well as reward young people who have excelled exceptionally in their chosen areas of specialisation, telecoms operator, Zain has thrown its full weight behind this year's edition of the Future Awards.
MediaBOTSWANA Botswana: Government passes repressive media lawThe Government of Botswana has passed the controversial Media Practitioners Law, which was assented to by the executive on 22 December, 2008 and gazetted on 31 December. This follows a rushed enactment by Parliament in the same month, in which members of parliament were denied the opportunity to further subject the bill to debate. SOUTHERN AFRICA Swaziland: Pressure groups demand access to state mediaOn 12 January 2009, Swaziland's pressure groups, comprising political parties, trade unions and other civic organisations, petitioned the prime minister, Sibusiso Dlamini, on a number of issues, including access to state media. Pressure groups are currently banned from state media. ALGERIA Algerian independent press a permanent targetThe private press in Algeria was born in difficult times. During a decade long civil war in the 1990s, journalists were seen as the enemy by two warring factions: Islamic groups and a military-backed government. Over the course of a prolonged war, more than 60 journalists were killed and the independent media was severely stunted. AFRICA CNN Multichoice African Journalist Awards 2009 CNN International and MultiChoice has launched the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2009 Awards. The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony to be held in Durban, South Africa, in July 2009.
MobileZIMBABWE Zim: Foreign currency billing hindering free expression rightsThe government of Zimbabwe has granted cell phone networks permission to bill subscribers in foreign currency. Subscribers across the three networks Telecel, Econet Wireless and Net One will be paying US$0.28 cents per minute and US$0.26 cents per minute for prepaid and contract lines, respectively. MOROCCO
Megatel, Alcatel-Lucent sign distribution agreementRABAT: Megatel, a telecommunications and networks solutions provider in Morocco, and Alcatel-Lucent have signed a distribution agreement to supply voice and data communications solutions for enterprises and administrations. BOTSWANA Botswana telecoms growth nears Nigeria, SABotswana's telecommunications sector is this year poised to record growth that could place it ahead of powerhouses South Africa and Nigeria in teledensity. EAST AFRICA Rwanda: MTN announces changes in numbering structureInternational dialing codes will also change and international callers to MTN Rwanda numbers will no longer be required to dial the zero digit after the country code as previously required.
NewspapersALGERIA New French language newspaper launched in AlgeriaA new French language daily, Le Temps, was launched earlier this month in Algeria. Le Temps is "a daily general, modern, with emphasis of current information, such as Gaza today or about sports tomorrow," Djamel Kaouane, the publication's director, told AFP. "But it will also be relevant to local subjects," he added. SOUTHERN AFRICA Newspaper columnist harassed, apologises to KingOn 12 January 2009, Mfomfo Nkambule, a popular columnist with the privately owned Times of Swaziland newspaper, succumbed to persistent harassment by state police and traditional authorities and publicly apologised to King Mswati III for his recently published series of articles which were highly critical of the king and his leadership style.
Out Of HomeSOUTH AFRICA Rapid Telescopic Flag/Feather Banner - Right Stuff 2009 is the year to create a massive impact by using the right tools to boost your marketing strategy. And what better way than with the Rapid Telescopic Flag, our top seller for 2008?! SOUTH AFRICA Mozambique, here we come! - DStv promotion - What's New Media What's New Media's flexible and mobile medium means location isn't a problem and it'll go to those hard areas where static billboards may be out of reach, including countries outside of South Africa and within the SADC region.
RadioCENTRAL AFRICA Joy Radio triumphs over regulatory bodyLILONGWE: The High Court has declared that the decision by the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) to revoke Joy Radio's licence was unconstitutional, ultra vires, and unreasonable, effectively dismissing all cases MACRA has been challenging the private radio station. According to this ruling it means there is no case between Joy Radio and MACRA.
ResearchAFRICA News no longer US newspaper's forteUS research centre has sobering insight into the role of newspapers in disseminating news. Concomitant with a trend by consumers to get their news from online sources, newspaper advertising revenues are also falling. One report describes the outlook for newspaper advertising as ‘dismal'.
RetailAFRICA China to continue assisting African countries[Bathandwa Mbola] CAPE TOWN: Despite the world economic crisis, China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has pledged that China would continue providing assistance to African countries. AFRICA Developing countries suffering capital outflows - ManuelCAPE TOWN: The global economic recession, affecting the United States in particular, is causing significant outflows of capital as investors retreat to pump money into their domestic markets, says Finance Minister Trevor Manuel. EAST AFRICA EU and Cameroon sign trade agreementYAOUNDE: The EU and Cameroon have signed a 'stepping stone' Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), the first of its kind between the EU and a Central African trade partner. AFRICA Scientists to create Africa soil mapScientists are to create a digital map showing soil conditions in sub-Saharan Africa. The 17.5m US dollar project will offer farmers in 42 countries a soil health diagnosis and advice on crop yields. SOUTH AFRICA USDA issues final rule on mandatory country of origin labellingThe United States Department of Agriculture has announced details of the final regulation for the mandatory country of origin labelling (COOL) program required by the 2002 and 2008 farm bills. EGYPT Egypt props up auto, textile industries amid mounting job loss fearsOn fears employers in Egypt would respond to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression by slashing jobs, the government revealed this week new measures to bolster a number of labor-intensive industries. SOUTH AFRICA Shoprite's African foray paying off[Thabang Mokopanele] Food and furniture retailer Shoprite said yesterday turnover grew 27.3% to R29,6bn for the six months to last month with the group's African business continuing to forge ahead. CENTRAL AFRICA Beer runs low in Malawi[Gregory Gondwe] Carlsberg Malawi Brewery Limited, which has been trying to re-brand its beer products, has suspended production for January - and consumers are not happy. SOUTH AFRICA A 2009 wishlist for African business objectives [Terry Levin] Products and services that are meaningful, authentic and feelgood act as antidotes to recession and digital overkill, hence 2009 is the time for essential model shifts necessitated by global financial, humanitarian and health issues. ZIMBABWE ZIMBABWE: New year, same old problemsHARARE: Several of Zimbabwe's struggling companies have failed to open for business in the New Year, the victims of the country's unending economic crisis. | 
