iHub : The opportunity for #MobileMoney... Afrique: Védrine fait 15 propositions pour que la France regagne des parts de marché. Économie : celle qui gagne, celle qui perd, où en est l'Afrique ? ICT to lift Africa out of poverty, says AfDB. African Development Bank (AfDB) has said the use of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) could lift Africa out of poverty. Regional Director Gabriel Negatu on Tuesday told journalists in Nairobi that his institution will therefore provide financing to the tune of hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars to build all aspects of Africa's ICT infrastructure in next five years. "We want to make ICT affordable and accessible to Africans so that it can play a role in reducing the level of poverty in the continent," Negatu said during a media briefing on the Demo Africa Conference which runs from Oct. 24 to 25. The two-day event will provide a platform for technology start- ups to pitch for funding as well as technical support.
Negatu said that ICT is an enabler that will allow Africa's goods and services to be globally competitive. "A number of countries including Kenya and Rwanda have made advancements in the sector as a result of implementing comprehensive ICT policies," he said. Riding the crest of a global commodity wave – Africa Progress Panel. Riding the crest of a global commodity wave, natural resources have fuelled a decade of rapid growth in Africa. The continent has now joined the world league of high growth economies. In the first decade of this century, sub-Saharan Africa was one of the fastest growing regions in the world. It suffered the impact of the 2008 financial crisis less than other regions too. Resource-rich countries such as Sierra Leone, Niger, and Angola also grew faster than China and India. With significant oil, gas, and mineral reserves, Africa’s resource-fuelled growth is expected to continue. By one estimate, the continent hosts 30 percent of the world’s mineral reserves, including significant proportions of gold, platinum, diamonds, and manganese.
South Africa alone produces 77 percent of the world’s platinum, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo provides 53 percent of its cobalt. Africa’s oil, gas, and minerals, have brought increasing foreign investment and revenue to the continent. Welcome to RICH.CO.KE - Satchu's Wrapup. Israël s'inquiète de la suspension de l'aide militaire américaine à l'Egypte. Africa’s Growth Story Brightens. Africa, Aid, Development & Aid, Featured, Global Governance, Headlines, Population, Poverty & MDGs, Reframing Rio, Regional Categories, TerraViva United Nations, United Nations Bosena, 25, sits on the side of a busy road in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, with a baby in her arms. She migrated to the city from the countryside and like many on the continent is affected by issues of urbanisation, child rearing, poverty and education. Credit: Jacey Fortin/IPS - Not far from the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Ethiopia’s capital city of Addis Ababa, a young woman named Bosena, 25, sits on the side of a busy road with a baby in her arms.
She has two children, and all of her income – about 30 birr a day, or 1.58 dollars – comes from begging. In the two decades since 1994, quite a lot has changed. That could put a monumental strain on governments across the continent, which are already struggling to address rampant poverty and underdevelopment. Guinée: le report des législatives relance la campagne à Conakry.
Le Maroc va former 500 imams maliens. Comoros: World Bank Approves Funds to Help Improve Electricity Supply and Reliability - Réseau Actu. The World Bank Board of Directors today approved a US$5 million grant from the International Development Association (IDA*) to support the Comoros Government's efforts to shore up the commercial management and financial performance of a state-owned power utility, reduce power costs and improve the reliability of electricity delivered to residents on the islands of Grande Comore and Moheli. Today's funding supports Comoros' Electricity Sector Recovery Project, a priority in the Government's energy sector strategy. The project is designed to reform corporate governance and commercial and technical management of Gestion de l'Eau et de l'Electricité aux Comores (MA-MWE) - which provides electricity supply services to the islands of Grande Comore and Moheli. "Today's project supports infrastructure improvements and overall commercial and financial management of the energy sector.
We are happy to support the Government's implementation of this project. " The project has three components. Madagascar : des attentats menacent la Présidentielle du 25 octobre. ÉGYPTE : L'attentat du Caire revendiqué par des djihadistes du Sinaï. Egypte : Amr Moussa aux commandes de la Constituante. Intra-Africa trade crucial for continental survival. A senior banking analyst yesterday [4 September 2013] said that intra-Africa trade is crucial for the future of the continent but warned that both industrial and manufacturing bases in Africa need to grow to achieve this objective. Speaking at Standard Bank’s 6th Africa Media Forum here, the bank’s Senior Africa Analyst, Simon Freemantle, remarked that the lack of industrial activities on the continent is one of the main reasons that Africa’s abundant resources are still mainly being shipped off to other parts of the world where employment is created through the value addition process.
“Intra-Africa trade is low because of the structural fundamentals hindering trade on the continent”, explained Freemantle. According to the senior analyst trade amongst African countries is growing fast but is still slow at about 9 percent, but this figure is still minimal when compared to intra-European trade which is estimated at about 37 percent. Egypt: European Parliament Holds MB Accountable for Violence in Egypt. Le Rwanda met en garde la RDC après de nouveaux bombardements. IFC Home. Cancel our debt, African countries urge donors: Business and Finance.
African countries have urged donors to write off their debt so as to push the continent's development. Addressing the opening of the African finance ministers and central bank governors bloc at the World Bank and IMF meetings, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir urged western donors to cancel the region's foreign debt. "Most of the African countries suffer deficit in funding infrastructure project, a matter that impedes development in the African continent," Mr Bashir said, while urging the meetings to put regional solutions to Africa’s developmental challenges.
Meeting delegates said servicing the debts was a big obstacle especially in infrastructural development. The Sudanese leader also urged Africa to declare economic independence given its huge natural and human resource endowment. The two-day conference of African governors started on Wednesday in Khartoum. Sudan has assumed chairmanship of the group. AFRICA INVESTMENT-London, New York, Hong Kong and ... Nairobi? Kenya: GSU Sent to Keep the Peace On Kenya, Ethiopia Border. Swaziland: Woman in Pants Banned From Election. A Swazi woman was banned from being nominated to stand as a member of parliament because she was wearing trousers at the nomination centre. And, a second woman at a different chiefdom was denied the chance to nominate a candidate for the same reason. Nomination centres opened cross the kingdom last weekend (3 - 4 August 2013) as Swaziland prepared for the first round of the national election later this month. Mana Mavimbela, aged 18, was disqualified from putting her name forward for parliament at Lubulini because she wore a pair of trousers at the Royal Kraal where nominations took place.
The presiding officer Lindiwe Sukati refused to allow her to stand because Mavimbela was wearing a pair of black jean trousers and a golf T- shirt. Human Rights lawyer Mandla Mkhwanazi told the Times of Swaziland newspaper the presiding officer had infringed upon Mavimbela's rights under the Swaziland Constitution which did not discriminate against an individual on the basis of how they dressed. China and India: The scramble for business in Africa: Special Reports. Throughout Africa - at building sites, on the street, and at ports and airports - the Chinese presence is growing.
Competing for a slice of the wealth along with traditional stakeholders are new ones such as Brazil and South Korea - and India, China's neighbour. India suffered a humiliating military defeat at the hands of China in 1962 and has been wary of its intentions. The long-standing border dispute has been a major sticking point for the two countries. With demand for resources to fuel both their growing economies rising, the contest between the two giants is playing out in different parts of the world.
The main campus of Nairobi University is one such place. In a corner here, workers from the China Wu Yi company are working to build a futuristic 21-storey tower, complete with lecture halls, for up to 3,000 students and a helipad. China Wu Yi was helped by the Chinese government to gain access to Kenya, but now it is handling 18 projects here. "This kind of competition is good for us. " Egypt: IMF to Resume Loan Negotiations With Egypt At "Right Time" Soudan: Ryad a interdit son espace aérien à Omar el-Béchir. Handshake Issue #10: Tourism & PPPs.
Violences inter-ethniques Guinée: près de 100 morts. Rwanda: Why EAC Ministry Bosses Were Sacked. Intra African Trade needs to grow from 13% Egypte: les tractations politiques se poursuivent. Zambia: Farmers to Get SMS Climate Advice. Jerome Starkey — Obama’s Africa trip soured by fears for Mandela and falling popularity | The Times. The TimesDavid Taylor, US Editor, and Jerome Starkey, Africa Correspondent President Obama arrives with his family in Africa today on a trip that has already been overshadowed by the failing health of Nelson Mandela, reports of outlandish costs and a sense of disappointment about his commitment to the continent.
It is his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa since becoming US President, apart from a 22-hour stopover in Ghana in 2009. He will take in Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania, and on Sunday the family will visit Robben Island, the prison where Nelson Mandela was held for most of his 27 years of captivity. Africa: With a Booming Economy, Africa Looks to Re-Brand. Integrate Africa for 'bigger cake to share' - Mo Ibrahim. Speaking at a business seminar in Gaborone yesterday, philanthropist and international business leader, Mohammed 'Mo' Ibrahim said if regional economic integration is not implemented with promptness, small market sizes and unnecessary tariff and non-tariff trade barriers will continue to hamper growth for African private companies and government businesses. With 54 states in Africa, integration has thus far been achieved to the level of economic blocs such as SADC or ECOWAS, but the idea of a 'One Africa' economic and political union still remains a pipe dream, more than 50 years after conception.
" Many countries in Africa are too small. With our 54 countries here, we are still smaller than China and India. We are all agreed that regional integration is the only solution to creating a bigger and efficient market for ourselves but unfortunately the process has been too slow. Currently, it is very difficult to trade among ourselves because of the fragmentation of the continent. Africa's quest for sustained economic growth - Inside Story. Almost half of all Africans survive on less than $1,25 a day. And although economies are growing on the continent, there are warnings now that Africa's prosperity is being threatened by its uncompetitiveness.
African economies have, despite a global financial crisis, experienced steady growth. But a report released on Friday says these successes must be accompanied by long-term plans to preserve that growth, while also improving living standards. Africa has come a long way economically over the last 10 years, but how does it stay on track? To tackle that question, the continent's most influential leaders and thinkers have been meeting in Cape Town this week. The 2013 Africa Competitiveness Report, jointly produced by the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the World Economic Forum, suggests that closer regional integration is crucial to address this weakness.
The report also recommends: The African continent is said to have great potential. #Africa 's quest for sustained economic growth @AJELive. Africa-competitiveness-report-2013-main-report-web. What Is an Expensive, Idyllic Resort Doing in Eritrea? - Armin Rosen. A desolate island is a reminder of Qatar's ambition to pacify the African nation, even if it meant subsidizing one of the most oppressive governments on the continent.
A tourist wades out to a boat moored by a campsite on Eritrea's Dahlak Kebir Island on April 22, 2006. According to Reuters, old rocket launchers litter the entrance to an inland sea on the island, while Soviet-made tanks are rumored to lie on the seabed. (Ed Harris/Reuters) Dahlak Kebir is a sunbaked and vaguely Y-shaped splotch of rock and dry vegetation sitting a few miles off the coast of Massawa, near the mouth of the Red Sea. The Dahlak archipelago, which is part of Eritrea, has been the subject of persistent rumor in recent years. During his 22 years in power, Eritrean president Isaias Afewerki hasn't been all that particular about choosing friends -- or enemies, for that matter.
One would think that people wouldn't want to vacation there. Construction on the Dahlak Kebir resort apparently ended in October of 2012. Opinion : New China President Xi Jinping has great dream for Africa. Uganda centre aims to boost clean development projects in Africa. By Megan Rowling LONDON (AlertNet) - The U.N. climate change secretariat and the East African Development Bank are setting up a centre in Uganda to boost participation of African countries in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which directs funding to projects that reduce climate changing emissions. The office in Kampala will open on May 1, and is the second of its kind in Africa. The first centre - established a few months ago in Lomé, Togo, by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement (West African Development Bank) - is providing assistance for the development of CDM projects in Francophone Africa.
"The two regional collaboration centres in Lomé and Kampala are designed to help Africa increase its attractiveness and potential for CDM," Christiana Figueres, the UNFCCC's executive secretary, said in a statement this week. The U.N. Photos du journal. Welcome to RICH.CO.KE - Satchu's Wrapup. Africa 'in a time of chaos' - South 2 North. A South African of Chinese descent, Dion Chang, a writer and one of Africa's leading trend analysts, grew up looking different from his African peers and he said he often felt sidelined. But with China's influence on the continent growing, South2North wants to find out whether in his experience old perceptions are changing.
He believes that "there's massive change coming and I think if you are scared of change it is a terrifying time. People say that we're essentially in a time of chaos, but I think if you are one that embraces change and new opportunities, it is one of the most exciting times to live. " South Africa has the largest Chinese community on the continent, but how do Chinese feel about China's position in the world? And what will Africa in the world look like in the next few decades? Dion Chang talks about Chinese communities in Africa, global consumer trends and social media. "I think it's very much a foreign invasion.
Africa - Africa Can Feed Africa. Africa: Kenya Launches World's First Climate Innovation Centre. Can Kenya's Climate Innovation Center encourage business growth and sustainable climate change solutions? Four years ago, Kenneth Ndua quit his job at a local charity and spent his savings designing a cooking stove. Through his job, he saw many people suffering from waterborne diseases and thought of a possible answer.
"Fuel is very costly and they cannot even boil water," explained Kenneth. "I thought, 'Why not come up with an idea that can solve all this? '" Kenneth's stove uses recycled biomass as fuel and reduces fuel usage by half. I also has a water chamber that can boil and sanitise seven litres of water whilst the stove is being used for cooking. Even though the stove is proving popular, growing his business Fawandu has proven difficult. Innovation for development Kenneth is one of the entrepreneurs connected to a new Climate Innovation Centre (CIC), which was established by the World Bank Group's infoDev programme in Nairobi during the last week of September.
Five Reasons There Will Be No African Spring. Africa's Third Liberation. Des milliers d'Egyptiens aux funérailles de l'ex-chef des renseignements. S African named first woman to lead AU - Africa. AFR-EEHP-Fact-Sheet-7-July-2012. L’Éthiopie accusée de spolier les tribus de l’Omo - ÉTHIOPIE. Africa has Great Expectations from Rio+20, says afDB President. Mali: Tension Around Possible Islamic State in Northern Mali. Facebook. Djibouti accepts a Somaliland passport as an official travel document. SOMALIA: Turkey succeeds where Western nations failed. Reliefweb. Africa Attracting a Widening Cast of Investors. China’s Peaceful Return to Africa?
World Economic Forum: Lack of electricity is Africa's bane [501811362] | TheAfricaReport.com. Viewpoint: Africa must do more to profit from China. Anti-African street violence surges in Israel. Russia Still Struggling to Gain Foothold in Africa. Gordhan: More involvement needed in Africa. Africa: FDI Accelerates as Investor Perceptions Begin to Shift. Swaziland's King Mswati III given jet by 'sponsors'
Malawi: President Banda Announces Her New Cabinet. East Africa: Rwanda and Uganda Police to Increase Collaboration. Mali: un nouveau groupe armé entre dans Tombouctou. Africa: Continent Urged to Tap into Trillions Packed in Sovereign Wealth Funds.
Countries. Invest in Africa. African conflicts.