Africa, stand up for yourself! Africa is not the dumping ground for developed world e-waste and should not be treated as such. Yes, the continent is happy to make good use of hand-me-downs, but when those goods are no longer usable, they need to be recycled and it is the responsibility of the original owners to make sure these items are recycled responsibly. Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana have been in the public eye from as far back as 2007 as dumping grounds for e-waste. The onus is however, also on these African countries to have strict regulations to enforce laws that deter this indifferent act. It's time to take a stand, Africa, we are an emerging continent, but let that not be seen as a weakness to overseas nations bent on dumping their e-waste anywhere but on their own doorsteps. The digital age has its downsides, and e-waste pollution is definitely one of the worst of them. Embracing the mobile age, Kenya is brewing with innovative ways in making banking simpler. M-Pesa took off exceedingly well and now, in partnership with Equity Bank, Safaricom has launched M-Kesho, a mobile bank account service. Both these products will change the banking landscape in Kenya and perhaps the entire continent as mobile devices continue entrenching themselves in the lives of Africa's citizens. Africa's sport broadcasting industry will also see a boost after the announcement of a partnership between the African Union of Broadcasting and FIFA. The benefits of playing host to the 2010 FIFA World Cup are coming to the fore with FIFA planning to provide advice and training in match productions during the event. Here's to emerging Africa and her continuing enlightenment! Kwaheri, Sindy Peters, Africa editor
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2010 FIFA World Cup
 [Dumisani Ndlela] Zimbabwe's mobile phone network operator NetOne has begun rolling out fan parks across the country ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to be hosted by South Africa in June. Read more >> [Nthambeleni Gabara] JOHANNESBURG: As the 2010 FIFA World Cup draws nearer, South Africans young and old say they are ready to host a spectacular and memorable extravaganza. Read more >> [Emmanuel Onyejeose] South Africa, like most rapidly industrialising countries in South-East Asia, has no choice but to muster concerted efforts to sustain the momentum garnered in hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup, in improving service delivery using attractive development strategies. Read more >> HERZOGENAURACH: PUMA, on Tuesday, 18 May 2010 announced its 'Africa Unity Experience' in Paris, France from 28-29 May as the brand's kick-off for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It will include an Africa Unity Exhibition Game and a free concert curated by Africa Express. Read more >> The implementation of a new regulation approved by the Minister of Trade and Industry makes it unlawful for any entity or person to sell or otherwise dispose of 2010 FIFA World Cup tickets for commercial purposes, as such is an unfair business practice. Read more >> [Bongani Nkosi] South Africa's security agencies will do their utmost to ensure fans are protected and the country remains safe during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, government has promised. Read more >>Advertising
JOHANNESBURG: The 5th Maputo International Advertising Festival will begin next Monday, 24 May 2010, with the registration of competing advertising agencies and producers. The opening session will be held in the Camões Institute, at 6pm. The festival will last until 27 May 2010, and will close with a dinner, at which the Golden Shell and grand prizes will be awarded. Read more >>Advertisement:
 Pablo del Campo of Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, Argentina, has been selected as the advertising jury chairman for the 2010 Loerie Awards, the organisers announced yesterday, Tuesday, 18 May 2010. Read more >>Branding
 [Thabani Khumalo] The best clubs, the superstar players, the reputable referees, the great managers, the ambitious sponsors and the fanatic followers make up the UEFA Champions League - the most lucrative and competitive club competition in the world. The league has created a superb commercial playground for some of the world's leading business powerhouses for positioning their brands at the top in terms of visibility and awareness. Read more >>Digital
STAFFORD: In a recent BBC3 programme, Blood, Sweat and Luxuries: Gold and E-Waste, screened in the UK on 11 May 2010, IT equipment from several high profile UK public sector organisations was alleged to have made its way to Ghana as e-waste in Africa, where children were seen scavenging for recoverable electronic components to sell for scrap value. Read more >>[Andrea Mitchell] Earlier this year, Miles Young, the global CEO of Ogilvy and Mather Worldwide said: "The great mistake of today's business environment is to believe that digital can fulfil the role of marketing. It will not". Read more >>  [Barbara Ulmi] So most of us have just got the hang of the 'big mystery of search engine optimisation', and might have been hacking at our first Google Adwords campaign, but beware - the next search generation is underway, and it's going social. While it's important to do your SEO and pay-per-click (PPC) homework, don't neglect your social media presence. Read more >>[Loy Okezie] As we gradually approach the end of the first half of 2010, we are expecting to see more and more web 2.0 innovations and mobile-based platforms developed by Nigerian tech entrepreneurs. At this year's Barcamp Nigeria, coming up on 22 May at the University of Lagos, we also anticipate to see some new product launches. Read more >> Eventing
 The WAN-IFRA Cross Media Awards 2010 is still open for entries, with the deadline being 15 June 2010. Publishers worldwide are invited to submit their projects to the competition, which aims to recognise publishers who use multimedia platforms to build relationships with local markets, encourage interactivity, and help advertisers create local campaigns. Read more >> TARIFA: The 7th Tarifa African Film Festival (FCAT - Festival de Cine Africano de Tarifa) takes place from 21 - 29 May 2010 in Tarifa, Spain - the closest European town to the African continent. The event plans to screen up to 113 African films and will host a number of distinguished African filmmakers. Read more >>Media
 The 2010 Highway Africa New Media Awards is open for entries. Part of the 14th Highway Africa Conference, 5-7 July 2010 at Rhodes University, Eastern Cape, South Africa, the awards recognises pioneering, innovative and creative use of technology in doing journalism that serves Africa and its citizens. Read more >>[Gregory Gondwe] The Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) has started engaging media practitioners to help it maximise its revenue base by generating news articles that are educative and informative. Read more >> NOUAKCHOTT: Editor-in-chief of the independent Mauritanian weekly newspaper, La Tribune, Mohamed Fall Ould Oumeïr won the sub-regional competition of opinion articles on the theme, 'Freedom of information and the right to know: What future for the Maghreb Countries?', organised by the UNESCO Office in Rabat in marking World Press Freedom Day. Read more >>The African Press Organisation (APO), earlier this week, announced its partnership with LexisNexis to distribute its wire service via nexis.com. Read more >>ABIDJAN: A workshop on the media and social cohesion was hosted this week, 18-19 May 2010, in Séguéla, 592km from Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Some 40 participants from the media and civil society from Séguéla, Mankono, Kani, Vavoua, Zuenoula and Gohitafla participated in the event. Read more >> [Laurice Taitz] For print newspapers to survive and possibly flourish as digital businesses, some new rules are needed. And they are not necessarily the ones they taught you at journalism school. Read more >>RABAT: In marking World Information Society Day earlier this week, UNESCO and the Library of Rabat in Morocco organised a conference under the theme 'Media and Information Literacy: The role of teachers and librarians in the 21st Century'. Read more >>NEW YORK: The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the Sudanese government's decision to shut down opposition daily Rai al-Shaab and to arrest three of its journalists. Read more >>Mobile
[Carole Kimutai] Equity Bank has partnered with Safaricom's M-Pesa money transfer service to launch a mobile bank account product known as M-Kesho - a Swahili term that refers to the future of mobile banking. M-Kesho will enable customers to transfer money to and from their M-Pesa Equity bank accounts via their mobile handsets with additional benefits. Read more >> Newspapers
 The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the International Association of Sports Newspapers (IASN) have launched an educational tool offered to children worldwide by various newspapers during this year's World Cup. The World Football Reading Passport will use sports, and notably football, to encourage young people to read and learn about journalism, sports, geography, language and character. Read more >> The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has published its new Going Green report that examines the environmental implications of 'green' strategies for newspaper companies. From the WAN-IFRA Shaping the Future of the Newspaper project, the report studies the impact of the daily newspaper business on the environment, from electricity consumption to paper and printing. Read more >> The May/June 2010 edition of WAN-IFRA Magazine examines the potential impact of the iPad on newspapers' digital strategies, and that of other digital devices as well. The magazine looks at whether the iPad is truly a sure thing for publishers, and whether tablets and e-readers simply offer the same experience. Read more >>Production
 [Issa Sikiti da Silva] FIFA has entered into a partnership with the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) to help create a sustainable programme of assistance for Africa's broadcast community, FIFA TV director Niclas Ericsson said on Friday, 21 May 2010. AUB, which comprises over 50 active member oganisations, is based in Dakar, Senegal. Read more >>Radio
NEW YORK: The Committee to Protect Journalists has called on the government of Madagascar to investigate a Saturday (15 May 2010) raid on the opposition radio station Fréquence Plus that resulted in the arrest of an opposition leader while he was on a live radio program, local journalists told CPJ. Read more >>Research
AFRICA Registration open for 12th PAMRO meeting The 12th PAMRO meeting and All Africa Media Research Conference is open for registration. The event will take place 22-25 August 2010 in Gaborone, Botswana, at the Grand Palm. Updates on media audience research activities from countries from all parts of Africa will be provided. Download the registration form. For more information, go to www.pamro.org. Retail
 [Dumisani Ndlela] Meikles Ltd CEO Brendan Beaumont has confirmed negotiations with South Africa's Pick n Pay over Zimbabwe's TM Supermarkets, saying the supermarket chain requires US$21 million, or R167 million at the ruling exchange rate, in fresh capital. Read more >>[Wambi Michael, Christi van der Westhuizen] KAMPALA: The international push behind Kenya's controversial Anti-Counterfeit Act of 2008 dates back as far as October 2006 when the World Customs Organisation held its first intellectual property rights (IPRs) seminar in Kampala, the capital of neighbouring Uganda, focusing on East African governments' enforcement of these rights. Read more >> China has agreed to invest up to US$23 billion in the construction of three oil refineries and a petrochemical complex in Nigeria. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) signed the deal in Abuja late last week, according to an official statement. Read more >>[Dumisani Ndlela] Zimbabweans are getting back to their guzzling habits, pushing beer and other beverage consumption volumes up in what beverages group Delta Corporation's chairman Robbie Mupawose described as a "strong" recovery. Read more >> Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Ethiopia signed an agreement late last week to seek the rights to use a greater share of water from the River Nile. Egypt and Sudan currently control 90% of the river's water flow under a colonial-era accord dating from 1959. Read more >>KARTHOUM: The US government, acting through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), on Tuesday, 19 May 2010, launched a new agricultural program in partnership with the Sudan government. Read more >>The veterinary import permits for venison, beef, mutton and goat meat not slaughtered at South African approved abattoirs have been cancelled following the outbreak of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in Namibia. Read more >>TV
[Gregory Gondwe] The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has been overwhelmed with 64 applications for national and regional TV licences following the re-advertisement for TV licence bids a month ago. Read more >>  [Tom Foremski] I can't get excited by Google TV because no matter how fine the box is, no matter how great the wired and wireless connectivity, or the user interface, at the end of the day it's all about how good is the content and not about how good is the box. Read more >>
SOUTH AFRICA Beyoncé Heat fragrance launch party  More
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