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Toxic Business: Africaâ€™s Scavenger Entrepreneurs
Itâ€™s a common site in most African cities â€“ waste dumping sites where hundreds of scavengers search daily for pieces of scrap metal, plastics and other waste materials to sell for a profit. These scavenger entrepreneurs though are risking their lives in search of money for survival. In these dumps, there are toxic wastes that can be fatal.

Conducive Environments for Leveraging Economic Opportunity in Africa
There is no lack of opportunity in Africa. But the road to converting those opportunities to business success is often paved with obstacles. The question becomes not what opportunities exist in Africa, but how to make them work.

Madam C.J. Walker Quotes
Madam C.J. Walker Quotes

Lesson #2: “Be big and fast and flexible”
“We named the company Netflix, not DVDs by Mail because we knew that eventually we would deliver movies directly over the Internet,” says Hastings. “DVDs will be around a long time, but we’re building for the day when they’re not.”

Profile: HALCHA Youth & Community Development organization
HALCHA Youth and Community Development organization is based in Garbatulla, a small town in northern Kenya where the populace are faced with poor living standards, low literacy levels, unemployment, unpredictable weather patterns that adversely impact on food security.

East African entrepreneurs need a level playing field in the new Common Market
The regional integration of the East Africa community is finally here. With the promise of trade barriers falling, for East African entrepreneurs this bodes well in a common market of 130 million people.

A new financial architecture for expanding sustainable energy and agribusiness

Many of the impacts unavoidably to come over us in the next decades until stabilized, will fall most heavily on the poorest and most vulnerable communities in developing Countries with the least ability to adapt. Technical and financial assistance will be needed by particularly vulnerable, low-income developing countries to meet their mounting adaption needsKyoto protocol, the declarations as contained in the Millennium Promise (Millennium Development Goals) of the United Nations, the G 8, G 20 and so on have admittedly increased the awareness of politicians that our planet is in danger by Climate Change, Global Economic Crises and political instability. However the practical results were up to date more than poor. We are today from the Millennium Promises more miles away than five or six years ago, and the economic crisis of 2008 is

SMEs - the impact of corruption has deep roots
What are some of the unforeseen consequences of corruption

SMEs - the African opportunity that is been squandered
An overview of how Africa is squandering its two greatest assets.

SMEs - a big opportunity in Africa
All my travels in Africa have revealed a massive opportunity ideally suited to the SME

SMEs - a challenge for African countries
Why SME's are a challenge for African countries

SMEs - SMEs and South African banks
South African banks are permanently between a rock and a hard place in the context of SME's.

SME's - Africa versus the Far East
Do the Far Eastern countries have an advantage over African countries?

SMEs - African confusion with entrepreneurship
Africa, but not necessarily only Africa, has blurred the lines between SME and entrepreneurship. Let us investigate the consequences thereof.

SME's - an African challenge
Trying to understand the clash between tribal systems and entrepreneurialism

SMEs - Are African SMEs serious about business
Overseas businesses often question me as to the ability of South African SME's to deliver

SME's - are some Africans more entrepreneurial than others
Are Nigerians more entrepreneurial than Zulus? What about other groups?

SME's - can entrepreneurialism survive in Africa
An overview to see whether entrepreneurialism can survive in Africa

SME's - does protectionism help
Is protectionism necessary in the African context fro SME's

SME's - in Africa the skills challenge grows
The impact of the skills drain on SME's in Africa

SMEs - opportunities in Africa
An overview of opportunities in Africa for SMEs

SME's - regulatory compliance - is it an issue
Is regulatory compliance a real issue in Africa?

SMEs - should despots and dictators be given a free pass
Jacob Zuma has suggested if African despots and dicttors are given a free pass on war crimes and crimes against humanity they might leave the stage.

SME's - The attractiveness of Africa
Is Africa, or will Africa, be attractive to SME's?

SME's - the future is bright
Where do the fortunes lie for SME's in the future?

SMEs the impact of government interventions
An overview of the impact of government interventions on SME's.`

SME's - the impact of government mindset on entrepreneurship
Does government mindset impact on SME's?

SMEs The impact of the current power crisis in South Africa
The impact of the current power crisis in South Africa on SME's is high. Where to from here?

SMEs - why governments contribute to SME failure in Africa
What are African governments doing that exacerbates the SME failure problem?

SME's - why is franchising not more popular in Africa
Why are franchises so seldom seen in Africa?

SME's - WIll China be the next colonial power in Africa
What is China's role in Africa?

SMEs in Africa - is capitalism really dead?
A number of people have said capitalism has failed. Has it really?

SMEs – SMEs struggling in South Africa. Why?
Are there economic reasons for the problems of SMEs in South Africa?

M.I. aka Hip-Hop Messiah, Uncut, a Ladybrille Exclusive

It is past midnight in Nigeria and roughly about 3:00pm in California when I get the call from Jude Abaga aka M.I. [pronounced ‘em eye’]. He has been out and about all day plus he tells me “dealing with Lagos traffic jams” aka “go slows” so he renegotiates our interview time. When his call comes through, he is full of apologies his voice taking on a humble tone, quite contrary to the one I am used to from my sound system i.e. bold, strong and unapologetic for his mad talent, intelligence and refreshing MC skills.

My Biggest Obstacles
Meeting the Carvers was not by definition an ‘obstacle’, but it was something of a culture shock. It was my first visit to Africa. The Carver groups made me feel very welcome, it was a great experience and I have been back to Tabaka many times.

Why I Decided to Start my Company
I have always wanted to work for myself, and whenever business ideas/opportunities present themselves I have always been keen to follow up and research the feasibility and potential of various business ideas.

Africa + Nollywood Makes the List of "Eighty Things to Watch in 2008"

JWT, "the largest advertising agency in the U.S. and the fourth-largest full-service network in the world,yesterday, [r]eleased its list of 80 things to watch in 2008." Africa was #1 on their list to watch for "foreign investment and development in." Borrowing Kelly Rowland's line from her hit song, "bump like this," we say "Africa told ya'll they were gonna bump like this, ya'll didn't think that they could bump like this."

Wall Street Journal covers African ingenuity
Recently the Wall street Journal’s front page, featured one of the most inspiring stories of African ingenuity today.

Annansi in Entrepreneur Magazine’s December issue
Entrepreneur Magazine has chosen to feature me and my company in the December 2007 issue.

Export Subsidies by Developed Countries: Barriers to African External Trade
While advocates of liberalization in the economies of the developing countries have called for reduction in subsidies, the high levels of subsidies in developed countries have increased significantly especially in the OECD countries.

1.8 Making money work for poverty reduction: Working Out of Poverty

It is impossible to build an enterprise without access to credit. Poor people all over the world have little access to formal financial services. Microfinance activities go hand in hand with entrepreneurship, enabling the poor to borrow for productive purposes, save and build their assets. The ILO has advised central banks on the design of laws and regulations for povertyoriented banks. This has been instrumental in creating an enabling environment for pro-poor banks to emerge and prosper, particularly in Africa.

5.2 Is it factor accumulation or total factor productivity that drives growth in Africa?: Economic Report on Africa 2007

To investigate the link between growth and diversification, it was important to first quantify the contribution of TFP to economic growth. This section analyses the sources of growth for African countries using the standard growth accounting method, making it possible to disaggregate the shares of growth contributed by TFP, capital and labour. Growth in output is the sum of the growth in capital, labour and TFP. Capital accumulation is an essential element in the growth process, as it enlarges the economy’s capacity to produce. Increases in labour or labour force have traditionally been considered a positive factor in stimulating economic growth.

5.1 Insufficient investments in Africa have hindered the deepening of diversification: Economic Report on Africa 2007
Using the results for Africa shown in table A5.1, it is possible to compute what one could call a turning point in the relationship between investment and diversification.

5.1 Investment is vital for an economy to diversify: Economic Report on Africa 2007

The inverse relationship between investment and the diversification index shown in table A5.1 indicates that as the level of investments increases, there is a tendency for economies to become more diversified. The smaller the diversification index gets, the more diversified an economy becomes, and vice-versa for specialization. Unless a country commits a sufficient portion of its national income to building capital stock, it is unlikely to be able to diversify. Investment as measured by gross fixed capital formation turns out to be a key determinant to Africa’s diversification results.

4.0 Diversification trends in Africa: Economic Report on Africa 2007

The diversification of African economies is one way through which the recent economic growth achievements could be sustained. Africa’s economic transformation can be achieved through both horizontal and vertical diversification. In addition, such diversification will help to build competitive economies that can productively be integrated into the global economy. Diversification is therefore a pre-condition if Africa is to register accelerated development. The scaling-up of current real growth to desired levels and in a broad manner can also be sustained if there is deepening in the diversification of African economies.

An Open Source Disc-Burning Kiosk
Springwise is running a story on Freedom Toaster. Backed by the Shuttleworth Foundation (behind Ubuntu Linux, the popular open source option to Windows) it’s a free kiosk that allows anyone to put a disc in it and burn a copy of Linux, OpenOffice, and some e-books. It’s a very interesting concept, and it fits perfectly into low, or spotty, bandwidth areas like Africa.

Council on Foreign Relations Tracks 2008 Candidates on Africa Policy

One of my all time favorite publications, dealing with economics and international affairs, is the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) . I have been reading this journal for almost a decade and view it almost in the way that I’d view an encyclopedia. So you can imagine my enthusiasm for them drawing attention towards U.S. Policy Toward Africa. In this instance what they have done is created a tool that can be used to summarize the views and records of each presidential candidate for the 2008 US elections. CFR has named this tool the Issue Tracker -The Candidates on U.S. Policy toward Africa.

Council on Foreign Relations Tracks 2008 Candidates on Africa Policy

What Can Be Done in North America to Help Better Support African Entrepreneurship?
The most important support from North America could be training. Due to the difficulties in Africa, it is often found that people are necessity entrepreneurs.

Blogging Africa into the 21st Century
Discussion on Africa’s development is taking a new dimension. Bloggers have joined this debate and are employing new ways to initiate dialogue about Africa’s development round the world. The latest craze that seeks to use technology to push Africa into the 21st Century is the Carnival of Africa Enterprising. This is basically a traveling web magazine or blog that discusses business in Africa.

Blogging Africa into the 21st Century
Discussion on Africa’s development is taking a new dimension. Bloggers have joined this debate and are employing new ways to initiate dialogue about Africa’s development round the world. The latest craze that seeks to use technology to push Africa into the 21st Century is the Carnival of Africa Enterprising. This is basically a traveling web magazine or blog that discusses business in Africa.

Blogging Africa into the 21st Century
Discussion on Africa’s development is taking a new dimension. Bloggers have joined this debate and are employing new ways to initiate dialogue about Africa’s development round the world. The latest craze that seeks to use technology to push Africa into the 21st Century is the Carnival of Africa Enterprising. This is basically a traveling web magazine or blog that discusses business in Africa.

Blogging Africa into the 21st Century
Discussion on Africa’s development is taking a new dimension. Bloggers have joined this debate and are employing new ways to initiate dialogue about Africa’s development round the world. The latest craze that seeks to use technology to push Africa into the 21st Century is the Carnival of Africa Enterprising. This is basically a traveling web magazine or blog that discusses business in Africa.

Blogging Africa into the 21st Century
Discussion on Africa’s development is taking a new dimension. Bloggers have joined this debate and are employing new ways to initiate dialogue about Africa’s development round the world. The latest craze that seeks to use technology to push Africa into the 21st Century is the Carnival of Africa Enterprising. This is basically a traveling web magazine or blog that discusses business in Africa.

Blogging Africa into the 21st Century
Discussion on Africa’s development is taking a new dimension. Bloggers have joined this debate and are employing new ways to initiate dialogue about Africa’s development round the world. The latest craze that seeks to use technology to push Africa into the 21st Century is the Carnival of Africa Enterprising. This is basically a traveling web magazine or blog that discusses business in Africa.

Content for Africa by Africans

About 3 months ago I attended the ICTExpo organized by ICTVillage, the event was quite interesting with a wide range of presentations including one from Google. It was during that event that the permanent secretary in the ministry of information and communication, Dr.Bitange Ndemo made a very important point concerning content, he said “the biggest challenge we have right now is the issue of locally produced content..we need content providers..”, once he finished a lady from South Africa informed him that they had a large amount of content from the space observatory which they were willing to offer for free, her offer was eagerly accepted. I left the event racking my brain over the need for quality local content and how I could play a major part of that process.

The Quandry: Building Web Apps in Africa
One of the debates that rages amongst the developers, designers, and strategists across the African blogosphere is what types of web and mobile applications are being built in Africa. When we look at the available web applications and mobile offerings around the continent, we generally ask ourselves two questions:

The Quandry: Building Web Apps in Africa
One of the debates that rages amongst the developers, designers, and strategists across the African blogosphere is what types of web and mobile applications are being built in Africa. When we look at the available web applications and mobile offerings around the continent, we generally ask ourselves two questions:

The Quandry: Building Web Apps in Africa
One of the debates that rages amongst the developers, designers, and strategists across the African blogosphere is what types of web and mobile applications are being built in Africa. When we look at the available web applications and mobile offerings around the continent, we generally ask ourselves two questions:

The Quandry: Building Web Apps in Africa
One of the debates that rages amongst the developers, designers, and strategists across the African blogosphere is what types of web and mobile applications are being built in Africa. When we look at the available web applications and mobile offerings around the continent, we generally ask ourselves two questions:

The Quandry: Building Web Apps in Africa
One of the debates that rages amongst the developers, designers, and strategists across the African blogosphere is what types of web and mobile applications are being built in Africa. When we look at the available web applications and mobile offerings around the continent, we generally ask ourselves two questions:

The Quandry: Building Web Apps in Africa
One of the debates that rages amongst the developers, designers, and strategists across the African blogosphere is what types of web and mobile applications are being built in Africa. When we look at the available web applications and mobile offerings around the continent, we generally ask ourselves two questions:

Social entrepreneurship in Kenya
Technological innovation and entrepreneurship are crucial to development. A new entrepreneurial approach to development is emerging. This involves designing new technologies and adapting existing ones to suit the specific requirements of poor people. These are then bought by poor people to form the basis of small businesses or used to help people meet their basic human needs.

Social entrepreneurship in Kenya
Technological innovation and entrepreneurship are crucial to development. A new entrepreneurial approach to development is emerging. This involves designing new technologies and adapting existing ones to suit the specific requirements of poor people. These are then bought by poor people to form the basis of small businesses or used to help people meet their basic human needs.

Social entrepreneurship in Kenya
Technological innovation and entrepreneurship are crucial to development. A new entrepreneurial approach to development is emerging. This involves designing new technologies and adapting existing ones to suit the specific requirements of poor people. These are then bought by poor people to form the basis of small businesses or used to help people meet their basic human needs.

Post-Annual Meetings Interview with AfDB Chief Economist: Africa needs a business-friendly environment

“African countries need to reduce the high administrative barriers and excessive regulations that result in substantial delays and high transactions costs to firms wishing to invest. Starting a business in most African countries is still relatively costly and getting a licence processed is time-consuming,” says AfDB Chief Economist, Louis Kasekende in an interview granted after the Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group, held in Shanghai from 16-17 May 2007.

Post-Annual Meetings Interview with AfDB Chief Economist: Africa needs a business-friendly environment

Is the United States of Africa already here?
The proposal to officially create a United States of Africa may not have come at a better time than now when international trade is dictating the pace of development thanks to technological innovation. You may not have noticed but recent trends indicate that the United States of Africa is already here. Through various communication technologies, Africa has transformed into a large business unit.

Is the United States of Africa already here?
The proposal to officially create a United States of Africa may not have come at a better time than now when international trade is dictating the pace of development thanks to technological innovation. You may not have noticed but recent trends indicate that the United States of Africa is already here. Through various communication technologies, Africa has transformed into a large business unit.

Five tactics for selling Africa-based products to non-Africans

I’ve been having discussions about the difficulties of selling African products to non-Africans for years. As I mentioned in my post about African affluence, and Benin expanded upon in his post on advertisers ignoring Africa, there are many hurdles that come with proving the worth of an Africa-focused product of service, especially when it comes to non-Africans. But while many of us can certainly make a good living selling our products to Africans alone, there is also a need to introduce the non-African market to those same products.

Africa’s Infrastructure-Incremental or Entrepreneurial?

Ordinarily, when I run into the opening phrase, ” what Africa needs is…” my mind is then prepared to hear all manners of conjecture next-maybe because the phrase connotes one big homogeneous landscape, where there is uniformity throughout the furthest reaches of the continent. However, that all changed the moment that I stumbled onto Andrew Mack’s blog, yesterday. For his post seemed to start in a similar way, but what came next made a lot of sense to me. This post was inspired by a post on Ethan’s blog, however, Andy holds a slightly different view of the continents infrastructure related challenges.

Africa’s Infrastructure-Incremental or Entrepreneurial?

5.0 Conclusions: Microfinance in Africa - Experience and Lessons from Selected African Countries
In sub-Saharan Africa, there is ample evidence that the poor, particularly those in the rural sector, value both deposit and credit facilities. The existence and growth of cooperative banking and combined savings and credit institutions in the microfinance sector in sub- Saharan Africa reflects the growing demand for both savings and credit facilities.

2.1 The CommunityBased Approach in MFI Development: Microfinance in Africa - Experience and Lessons from Selected African Countries
An approach commonly followed in African countries has been to rely on local communities to support the development of MFIs, outside the formal banking sector.

2.1 The CommunityBased Approach in MFI Development: Microfinance in Africa - Experience and Lessons from Selected African Countries
An approach commonly followed in African countries has been to rely on local communities to support the development of MFIs, outside the formal banking sector.

1.0 Introduction: Microfinance in Africa - Experience and Lessons from Selected African Countries

Small enterprises and most of the poor population in sub-Saharan Africa have very limited access to deposit and credit facilities and other financial services provided by formal financial institutions. For example, in Ghana and Tanzania, only about 5–6 percent of the population has access to the banking sector. This lack of access to financial services from the formal financial system is quite striking, when one considers that in many African countries the poor represent the largest share of the population and that the informal sector is an important part of the economy.

7.0 Conclusions: Gender Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness in Africa 2007
This chapter shows that both men and women are active as entrepreneurs in Africa, and their enterprises share many common characteristics.

6.2 Legal and regulatory constraints: Gender Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness in Africa 2007
Many African countries are characterized by the coexistence of dual or multiple legal systems, which lead to greater insecurity of women’s legal status, compared with men.

6.2 Legal and regulatory constraints: Gender Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness in Africa 2007
Many African countries are characterized by the coexistence of dual or multiple legal systems, which lead to greater insecurity of women’s legal status, compared with men.

6.1 The informal sector: Gender Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness in Africa 2007
Entrepreneurs—male or female—constitute a very small percentage of the population, according to household survey data. Almost everywhere, less than 1 percent of all women of working age (15 to 65 years old) are “employers”—that is, women who own a business in which they employ hired labor.

6.1 The informal sector: Gender Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness in Africa 2007
Entrepreneurs—male or female—constitute a very small percentage of the population, according to household survey data. Almost everywhere, less than 1 percent of all women of working age (15 to 65 years old) are “employers”—that is, women who own a business in which they employ hired labor.

6.0 The broader context: Gender Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness in Africa, 2007
Although the focus on formal sector entrepreneurs sheds light on a particular, if small, facet of entrepreneurial activity, it is important to bear in mind both the wider context in which such activity occurs in Africa and the limitations of available data in interpreting these results.

2.0 Gender in African economies: Gender Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness in Africa, 2007

The study Can Africa Claim the 21st Century? made the argument that Africa has enormous unexploited potential, especially the potential of women. Specifically, it pointed out that women comprise one of Africa’s hidden growth reserves, providing most of the region’s labor, but their productivity is hampered by widespread inequality in education as well as unequal access to land and productive inputs.

1.0 Overview: Gender Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness in Africa, 2007
An appreciation of gender issues is important when considering strategies to improve Africa’s competitiveness in the world and ways to promote private-sector development.There are three main reasons why gender matters.

5.5 Energy access as market failure: Enterprise solutions to poverty
In sub-Saharan African countries as in other poor regions, development of the SME sector in energy and other segments is constrained by market failure.

5.4 Case Study 4: Enterprise solutions to poverty
SME investment funds – deploying local capital and the challenge of going to scale

9.0 Conclusions: Entrepreneurship and Small Business Enterprise Growth in Uganda

As the world turns global, many countries are emerging out of the abject poverty into wealth. South Korea and Singapore are classical examples. In the 1960's, South Korea's per capital GDP was similar to that of Uganda. South Korea is now among the developed countries. Uganda is still characterised by massive poverty. The only way to transform Uganda and many African countries is to fuel growth through business development. Given the global competition, Africa may not be able to position herself competitively as a world class competition but must foster the growth of businesses through micro and small enterprises. Many donor funding agencies have identified this and have focused their attention to this sector.

19.0 References: Entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in Africa
References

18.0 Conclusion: Entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in Africa
Ultimately, the future of entrepreneurship in Africa must be in the hands of the Africans themselves.

13.0 The Entrepreneurial Firm The External Environment: Entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in Africa
The third category of factors accounting for the success or failure of entrepreneurship is the external environment within which both the entrepreneur and the firm exist and operate.

12.0 The Entrepreneurial Firm Corporate Governance: Entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in Africa
Very few studies of entrepreneurship concern themselves with corporate governance. This is particularly true in Africa where by far the majority of entrepreneurial firms are very small and operate in the informal sector.

1.0 What is known and what needs to be done: Entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in Africa
This article summarizes what is known about entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in Africa using three broad categories: The Entrepreneur, The Entrepreneurial Firm, and The External Environment.

3.2 Financing Development II: Economic Report on Africa 2007
Monitoring implementation of commitments

3.2 Financing Development II: Economic Report on Africa 2007
Monitoring implementation of commitments

3.2 Financing Development: Economic Report on Africa 2007
Emerging issues and challenges for Africa

3.1 Developments in trade negotiations VI: Economic Report on Africa 2007
Other developments in international trade negotiations

3.1 Developments in trade negotiations VI: Economic Report on Africa 2007
Other developments in international trade negotiations

3.1 Developments in trade negotiations V: Economic Report on Africa 2007
The EPA negotiations

3.1 Developments in trade negotiations: Economic Report on Africa 2007
World trade expanded significantly between 2000 and 2005. Total world exports increased from $US6,451 billion in 2000 to $10,393 billion in 2005, an increase of 61 per cent.

3.0 Global Development Challenges for Africa in 2006: Economic Report on Africa 2007
This chapter deals with Africa’s global development challenges in 2006. These challenges particularly relate to trade negotiations at the multilateral and bilateral level and to financing development.

2.6 References: Economic Report on Africa 2007
References

2.5 Conclusion: Economic Report on Africa 2007
Despite notable economic recovery in Africa since the turn of the 21st century, the continent still faces important challenges in attaining its development goals.

2.4 Growth prospects for 2007 and the medium-term outlook: Economic Report on Africa 2007
Africa is expected to grow at a rate of 5.8 per cent in 2007, slightly higher than the rate recorded in 2006 (5.7 per cent) (figure 2.8). Positive growth rates are projected for all subregions led by North Africa (6.6 per cent), East Africa (6.0 per cent), Southern Africa (5.4 per cent), West Africa (4.9 per cent) and Central Africa (3.5 per cent).

2.4 Growth prospects for 2007 and the medium-term outlook: Economic Report on Africa 2007
Africa is expected to grow at a rate of 5.8 per cent in 2007, slightly higher than the rate recorded in 2006 (5.7 per cent) (figure 2.8). Positive growth rates are projected for all subregions led by North Africa (6.6 per cent), East Africa (6.0 per cent), Southern Africa (5.4 per cent), West Africa (4.9 per cent) and Central Africa (3.5 per cent).

2.2 Sectoral performance IV: Economic Report on Africa 2007
The services sector

2.2 Sectoral performance IV: Economic Report on Africa 2007
The services sector

2.2 Sectoral performance III: Economic Report on Africa 2007
The energy sector

2.2 Sectoral performance I: Economic Report on Africa 2007

African economies are experiencing a structural shift whereby the service sector is becoming an important driver of growth. In 2004, the service sector contributed 49 per cent of GDP growth compared to 36 per cent for industry (including mining and quarrying) and 15 per cent for agriculture. In 2004, all three sectors continued to grow, albeit at relatively low rates. The industrial sector had the highest growth rate at 9.05 per cent, although growth in the manufacturing sector fell by almost 3.8 per cent compared to 2003. Developments within each sector and for each subregion are discussed in more detail below.

2.1 Growth performance VI: Economic Report on Africa 2007
External balances also driven by developments in the resource sector

2.1 Growth performance V: Economic Report on Africa 2007
Sustainability of macroeconomic balances remains a concern over the medium term

2.1 Growth performance I: Economic Report on Africa 2007

This section examines recent economic performance at the continental and subregional levels. It discusses disparities in growth performance and the factors behind the observed disparities across countries and subregions. The analysis pays particular attention to structural factors such as endowment in natural resources, the role of policies and institutions as well as non-policy drivers of growth, including exogenous factors such as natural calamities, geography, and civil conflicts. The discussion highlights key constraints to growth in Africa and strategies to address these constraints.

1.5 Globalization trends and implications: Economic Report on Africa 2007
Trade remains uneven

Overview VIII: Economic Report on Africa 2007
Evidence on the determinants and stages of diversification

Overview VII: Economic Report on Africa 2007
Diversification as a key pillar in Africa’s development efforts

Overview VI: Economic Report on Africa 2007
Developments in trade negotiations

Overview V: Economic Report on Africa 2007
There are encouraging developments in external development financing but disbursements fall short of commitments.

Overview IV: Economic Report on Africa 2007
Growth prospects for 2007 and the medium-term outlook

Overview III: Economic Report on Africa 2007
Current account balances are driven by developments in the resource sector

Wanted: jobs for Africa’s youth - Policy Reforms
“For successful poverty reduction, African countries have to be in the driver’s seat,” says World Bank Africa Region Vice-President Gobind Nankani. “Africans know best where the shoe pinches. They should craft their own poverty-reduction strategies based on national realities.”

Wanted: jobs for Africa’s youth - Education and training

“It is clear that to rise out of poverty, the people of our continent need jobs and education,” says ECA Executive Secretary Janneh. “Not just any job, but one that provides a decent wage and employment conditions.” According to the Addis Ababa-based ECA, it is crucial for countries to expand training, lifelong learning, education and other means of improving skills, with a particular focus on young people.

Wanted: jobs for Africa’s youth - Time For Action
Young people (between 15 and 24 years old) made up 63 per cent of the jobless in sub-Saharan Africa in 2003, even though they constituted just 33 per cent of the labour market.

Wanted: jobs for Africa’s youth
Seeking urgent solutions for armies of young unemployed

Lucire Magazine's Jack Yan Offers Tips on How to Get the Media to Notice You!

A big believer in Corporate Social Responsibility [CSR] and a very savvy media expert, Jack Yan is the publisher of the global fashion magazine Lucire. He is also an identity and global branding consultant, management consultant, a cross-media specialist, an international columnist, author and speaker. He holds a law degree from Victoria University of Wellington Law School in New Zealand, has been profiled and interviewed in too numerous a publication and TV shows to name. Jack Yan shares with LADYBRILLE.com the importance of media, branding, and how African fashion professionals such as models and designers can feature on the glossy fashion pages of a magazine such as Lucire.

Creating an African film experience

Chadian filmmaker Mahamat-Saleh Haroun is dedicated to his craft. Like many African born filmmakers he is intent of furthering the African experience through film. Using his country, Chad, as a backdrop he is currently at work on another film that puts a face on the people who experience the challenges of living on the continent. A recent Washington Post article talks about the lengths to which he and his crew are going to make his movie Dry Season authentic. To some extent his filmmaking style is more documentary than entertainment. His previous films Bye Bye Africa and Abouna similarly put a face on the 30-year Chadian civil war.

African Path Interview with Sandstorm Kenya
For those of you who have not yet had a chance to read this interview, I highly recommend that you do it. The interview is between Joshua Wanyama, Editor of African Path and Keith Steel, owner of apparel maker Sandstorm Kenya.

Changing “Brand Africa”, an International Trade Forum magazine feature
The recent issue of the quarterly magazine International Trade Forum, published by the International Trade Centre (ITC), has some great articles on the cover story Changing “Brand Africa”.

Today’s Profiles of Entrepreneurship in Africa: Aliko Dangote
Today’s Profiles of Entrepreneurship in Africa, is about why Africa’s future is so bright.

Today’s Profiles of Entrepreneurship in Africa: Aliko Dangote
Today’s Profiles of Entrepreneurship in Africa, is about why Africa’s future is so bright.

Quick Hits Around the (African) Web
Quick Hits Around the (African) Web

“Africa:The Next Chapter” videos premiere
The good folks at TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) have debuted the first videos from the powerful TEDGlobal 2007 conference held in Tanzania earlier this year.

7 Lessons from Africa’s Successful Entrepreneurs?

So far The Benin Epilogue has attempted to tackle several different issues. Key among them have been: Building awareness about the entrepreneurs behind a few of Africa’s most thriving enterprises Helping to illustrate why foreign firms should do more foreign direct investment in Africa Attempting to showcase the diversity that exists in Africa’s business environment One of the topics which we have not touched on yet, here, is what can a entrepreneur in Africa do to find success?

Part 2 Interview of Nigeria/New York's Fashion Designer Lola Faturoti
We complete our interview with Nigeria/New York's Fashion Designer Lola Faturoti. Here, Lola discusses some tips African designers can use to get noticed in the USA/European fashion industries.

Training the next generation of innovative web developers
Two weeks ago I sent an email to the skunkworks mailing list advertising a web developer trainee position, the response was very positive.

Africa’s ICT Leaders: Present and Forecasted
What does an emergent IT sector mean for Africa, some have asked. It may mean the following:

Africa’s ICT Leaders: Present and Forecasted
What does an emergent IT sector mean for Africa, some have asked. It may mean the following:

Will money solve Africa's Problems? A Story of Former Kenyan Millionaires
The $7 million compensation towards injuries caused by live ammunition left by the British to 228 Samburu herders did not stop them from spiralling back to poverty. A local TV crew visited the once “millionaire’s town” and found paupers instead. What lessons do millionaires of Maralal give to Africa?

African Digerati: Emeka Okafor

Emeka Okafor is the first in the African Digerati series of interviews. He is a well established member of the African blogosphere, a leading thinker, and a doer. Not mentioned in this interview is the fact that he is also managing and coordinating one of the world’s top technology conferences that will be in Africa for the first time this year: TED Global. He has made a huge impact on me, and I believe his blogs should be considered regular reading for anyone interested in technological development in Africa.

Hilton Hotels brings brand to Ghana
Inc. Magazine alerts us to an announcement by Hilton Hotels that it will open its first property in Ghana in early 2010.

Get aid or get paid?
I have been ignoring this topic deliberately until I recently stumbled on "The Bottom Billion - a book by Paul Collier who rightly says that about 70% of the poorest people in the world live in Africa.

The Status Quo and Radical Ideas
What so many of us discuss about Africa is the desire to see things change. We apply the lenses that color our lives to the problem and come up with solutions that fit our world view. Challenges to that world view are hard for us to deal with, because it likely means a paradigm shift is needed in our own lives.

Forget aid and money Africa needs IDEAS
"If ideas are capital, why is Africa investing more on things than on information, and more on the military than on education?"

African Business Women Series: Why So Important
I think that a good place to begin this discussion is to address the perception of Africa’s women from those who are outside and looking inside.

Interview With South Africa's Top Fashion Insider, Renato Palmi

South Africa's Renato Palmi an academic and also business developer for the clothing and fashion sector in South Africa discusses with Uduak Oduok aka Ladybrille the State of South Africa/ Africa's current Fashion Industry. He addresses issues on doing business in South Africa, expanding into the USA markets and the obstacles and challenges such as lack of business skills, and influx of cheaper Chinese imports that create challenges for Africa's fashion designers and the industry as a whole.

The Undelivered Promise: Rwanda’s Internet
The New York Times is running a story on the promised, but undelivered, widespread high-speed internet that Greg Wyler’s Terracom promised 4 years ago.

African countries on 2007 list of 50 most desirable outsourcing destinations
BusinessWeek’s recent article on rising outsourcing destinations highlights what many African entrepreneurs have proposed for years. Outsourcing to parts of Africa can be a win-win situation.

Afrokicks Tells Benin Mwangi How to Rep Africa

Recently I had a chance to chat with Mr. Tunde Noibi, co-founder of a very innovative sneaker company called Afrokicks. What I like about the company is thow they’ve carried out their idea to showcase African countries through sneakers. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that they are so fashionable and appealing to different crowds-these kicks are hot! Let’s hear what Mr. Noibi has to say about Afrokicks…

Corporate Blogging: Peupe ushers in a new era for Africa
Corporate Blogging, that was the title of a recent article published in the July issue of Business in Africa. Here are few excerpts:

Wall Street, “Africa is Investing’s Final Frontier”

I came across an interesting article in Canada’s Globe & Mail entitled, “Africa - Investing’s Final Frontier?“. The piece talks about how Africa has been overlooked, primarily due to the perceived risks associated with putting money into play in Africa. They quote extensively from Merrill Lynch chief investment strategist Richard Bernstein and his thoughts on what makes Africa a potential big hit in the coming years.

African super-rich grow richer, move to Richistan

As part of my research on the African brand, I interviewed a Nigerian Hollywood public relations professional recently. Though his clientèle doesn’t consist purely of Africans, being a Hollywood connector he frequently encounters Africans with a bit of money looking to use his services for something or another. As we talked, the topic of money came up and the gentleman expounded on the different groups of Africans with money and their attitudes towards wealth.

Writing Phenom David S. Fick Talks with Benin Mwangi! Part Two

Recently, I had the pleasure of exchanging dialogue with a world renowned author who has written two popular books about entrepreneurship in Africa. His name is David S. Fick. Because this interview is so detailed and filled to the brim with facts and information, the interview is broken into two parts. The first part we are premiering here on beninmwangi.com. The second half, which provides instruction from Mr. Fick on how you can participate in the launch of his upcoming book will be premiered on the African Path.

Writing Phenom David S. Fick Talks with Benin Mwangi! Part One
Recently, I had the pleasure of exchanging dialogue with a world renowned author who has written two popular books about entrepreneurship in Africa. His name is David S. Fick. Because this interview is so detailed and filled to the brim with facts and information, the interview is broken into two parts.

What's your Africa strategy?

Many of us can agree that today, Africa plays a major role in the development of the global economy. The magazine covers and celebrity reports are a small part of how Africa has become a major player. A large part of my consulting work has to do with helping organizations develop an Africa-related strategy which both addresses the customer’s demands AND provides opportunities for Africans. Whether yours is a foreign or Africa-based company, today you MUST have a strategy which communicates your companies position on the Africa-related issues emerging daily.

But Where Were the Hippos!?
A recent article in the Economist about there not being enough hippos at TED Global is pretty interesting. Actually, scratch that, it’s not very interesting at all, in fact it’s disappointing that this is the best article about the recent conference in Tanzania to come out of a magazine like the Economist.

SMEs in Africa: the “Missing Middle”
The development of the private sector varies greatly throughout Africa. SMEs are flourishing in South Africa, Mauritius and North Africa, thanks to fairly modern financial systems and clear government policies in favour of private enterprise. Elsewhere the rise of a small-business class has been hindered by political instability or strong dependence on a few raw materials.

The Nigerian Context - A Story of Decline: Exploring entrepreneurship in a declining economy
Nigeria is usually referred to as the giant of West Africa in that, with a population estimated at over 100 million, one in every two West Africans is a Nigerian. The country's GDP is larger than that of all the other countries in West Africa combined. Its GDP is actually larger than that of all countries in the African continent with the exception of South Africa. (Adaya, 1998).

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