African Swimwear designer

There names are Tracy B swimwear,Black coffee collection ,JBS collection,Stoned cherrie collection and Sungoddess collection. The site BellaNaija reports on these different designers and their collections.

Afrimage of the day: Believe in the future of Africa

Believe in the future of Africa's nations, more importantly Envision,Act out,Own and prepare the next generation to do the same.
















picture of Akon

Africinema presents: Karmen gei

"A durable figure who's already seen screen incarnations in flamenco, hip-hop and even '60s Euro sexploitation form, Carmen once again leaves the operatic arena for a new context in "Karmen, " Joseph Gai Ramaka's semi-musical Senegalese take on the classic tale. Though somewhat uneven in storytelling terms, this multinational co-production is so vividly alive with visual, sonic and performance energy that it overwhelms formal quibbles. A rare African feature tooled for -- and meriting -- broad commercial export, the picture is a saucy, colorful delight "
As read on the Karmen Gei blog


This is an excellent movie with a storyline that fits perfectly with the conversation we are having on sexuality and eroticism in the Afriurban context.
The movie created a huge controversy,violent diatribes and violence amid claim of blasphemy,falsification , immorality and corruption of African values.
Of course none of those claims are true , watching the movie you can learn quite a lot about human fascinating struggle with themselves all in the African context.

Africaincorp: Truth and Facts about the number one economy

USA Ranking on Adult Literacy Scale: #9

(#1 Sweden and #2 Norway)- OECD

USA Ranking on Healthcare Quality Index: #37

(#1 France and #2 Italy)- World Health Organization 2003

USA Ranking of Student Reading Ability: #12

(#1 Finland and #2 South Korea)- OECD PISA 2003

USA Ranking of Student Problem Solving Ability: #26

(#1 South Korea and #2 Finland)- OECD PISA 2003

USA Ranking on Student Mathematics Ability: # 24

(#1 Hong Kong and #2 Finland)- OECD PISA 2003

USA Ranking of Student Science Ability: #19

(#1 Finland and #2 Japan)- OECD PISA 2003

USA Ranking on Women’s Rights Scale: #17

(#1 Sweden and #2 Norway)- World Economic Forum Report

USA Position on Timeline of Gay Rights Progress: # 6 (1997)

(#1 Sweden 1987 and #2 Norway 1993)- Vexen

USA Ranking on Life Expectancy: #29

(#1 Japan and #2 Hong Kong)- UN Human Development Report 2005

USA Ranking on Journalistic Press Freedom Index: #32

(#1 Finland, Iceland, Norway and the Netherlands tied)- Reporters Without Borders 2005

USA Ranking on Political Corruption Index: #17

(#1 Iceland and #2 Finland)- Transparency International 2005

USA Ranking on Quality of Life Survey: #13

(#1 Ireland and #2 Switzerland)- The Economist Magazine …Wikipedia “Celtic Tiger” if you still have your doubts.

USA Ranking on Environmental Sustainability Index: #45

(#1 Finland and #2 Norway)- Yale University ESI 2005

USA Ranking on Overall Currency Strength: #3 (US Dollar)

(#1 UK pound sterling and #2 European Union euro)- FTSE 2006….the dollar is now a liability, so many banks worldwide have planned to switch to euro

USA Ranking on Infant Mortality Rate: #32

(#1 Sweden and #2 Finland)- Save the Children Report 2006

USA Ranking on Human Development Index (GDP, education, etc.): #10

(#1 Norway and #2 Iceland)- UN Human Development Report 2005

If all of these data have not kept it from being the largest economic market in the world , why should Africa be lagging behind, is it a matter of productivity regardless of the amount of skills,talents and resources available on the land. A large skilled workforce is not necessarily synonymous of economic growth. A large skilled might be a leverage in a organised economy.

in the media: African economies, us and ownership

A judicious report by the MyAfrica site should wake up even more the middle and upper class of Africa to the notions of Wealth,Ownership and Patrimony.
The author of the post states that:
"If Kenya were a cake to be shared out,Kenyans would only lay claim to 31 per cent of the country’s total wealth. The rest would go to foreigners. Agriculture,tourism and banking,which combined bring in the country’s largest earnings,are in foreign hands. Last year,tea,tourism,flowers and coffee earned the country Sh140 billion,nearly half of the annual national budget. Of this money,only 31 per cent ended up in the country - as tax and real earnings to the nationals. And shareholding in the richest 20 companies that trade at the Nairobi Stock Exchange is foreign. The skewed distribution of wealth between foreigners and Kenyans puts paid to all efforts since independence to hand control of the country to its citizens."
read more



That are many methods that African both at home and abroad could as individual investors as well as institutional investors turn the wheel around. We should go trough the different options that are widely known but not necessarily practised by enough individual investors.
That are many investment division at banks,investment funds,online brokerage firms for the individual investor to get involve in the African stock market.
For now we at Africaincorp have opened an account with an online brokerage firm to get ourselves in involved in the African financial market.
In the posts to come we will be happy to share on our portfolio,our strategy as well as the different banks,investment funds and other intermediaries the individual investor may use.

Fax/E-mail/Skype your local African banks:
Bank of Africa
Versus Bank
Cobaci
Attijariwaffa Bank
Ecobank
Commercial Bank of Ethiopia
Banque Atlantique
Societe Generale des banques en Cote D'Ivoire
Mauritius Commercial Bank
Kenya Commercial Bank


If you have done so already,please share with us your experiences and insight on taking ownership of our economy, through the use of real estate,securities and bonds investments in the African markets.

Mon Combat contre la prostitution

Paris-The book untitled " War against prostitution" is an outlook on the realities of prostitution (the world of ) as experienced by the thousands of African sex workers for the most very young boys and girls. Amelie-James Koh Bela exposes all the horrors of the trade with a crudity that we hope will wake up the African influencers and builders.Any society that does not create alternate economic choices and does not know how to communicate them to their youth is exposed to such Proginy sacrificium.
Zoophilia,Scatology,Pedophilia,Familial prostitution,Sorcery ,Drug consumption,HIV-AIDS, Voluntary and forced prostitution,Fast money,Poverty,Allure of the western lifestyle and death, nothing is left untouched by the author of the book.
The profession supervised,encouraged,monitored and sometimes sought after by (young)African men and women is certainly the ugly face of the failure of African private and public sector to provide for the communities they control.

The book is very informative and should trigger questions such as the economic size of the sex trade market both domestically( esp. Gambia,Kenya,South Africa,Ghana,Senegal and other hot touristic spots in Africa) and abroad ( esp European cities with large immigrant population), the key benefactors of the sex trade ( Corrupt officials,families of the sex workers,domestic and foreign clientele,the sex workers), the total cost to African societies in the short and long term( moral,financial,social,cultural,spiritual,medical etc..) and much more.
It should also provoke our curiosity and force us to play closer attention to the more silent and disguised form of prostitution taking place in the African societies:Students sleeping with professors for grades,juniors sleeping with top executives for promotion,African refugees sleepling with African UN aid workers,Lawyers sleeping with poor clients, Job applicants sexing their interviewers and so on and so forth.

" in some African countries ,making a living a prostitute is a noble profession... Prsotitutes are often seen as superstar"

For women who do not have an education,sex and the street is the easiest alternative...., these women dream about money and being kept by a man"


Buy the book:
French version
Key words:Live sex shows,Domestic trafficking,pornography,Brothels
Discover the oldest work in the world:
Sexuality and prostitution among the Akan of the Gold coast 1650-1950
A history of prostitution
Lust for sale, A history of world prostitution
Sex Work a writing by Women in the Industry
Good girls/Bad girls: Feminist and sex workers face to face

Note: This is part of our conversation sexuality in the Afriurban context

In the media: Progenies Sacrificium

The following videos are taken from a documentary by Francois margolin.......... Showing us the results of the African Civil wars in Sierra-Leone,Liberia,Congo,South Sudan,Angola and Somalia. The issue of Child soldier is not new, but what should be of our concern is the type of persons we( as Africans ) have created and are creating that will be with us for the next 30 years or so. We are breeding a generation that will more likely by force become the future prostitutes, drug lord,arm robbers, drug users,extortionists,proxenetes and whores of Africa.
The movie shows the ethno-religious connection bonding fighters from different nationalities ,Guineans,Sierra-leonans and Liberians fighting an invisible enemy. They are claiming to fight for a cause that is not really clear. They are truly at war, they are war with themselves, the dead-eyes and anguish pouring out of their features are showing it to us. They are youth angry for success,validation,affirmation and inspiration. Whoever promises them those materialistic goals would have them in their hand and the war-lords are the only one that came with empty promises.
To create alternative options, to communicate and revive their souls is the only choice society as a whole has ,if we are to build a peaceful future.
On the other hand, how interesting to see all these weapons: AK's,Beretta's,Desert Eagles,Famas, Rocket launchers,Bushmasters,M16s and Uzis so numerous in such poor land.

Some snippets of the conversation taking place in the documentary:
" My warrior name is Small Devil" " My warrior name is Myfriend because i love camaraderie among men", " my name is Notorious BIG, I am a bad boy I can kill all the time"," My name is Sisquo the American " I have killed more than a thousand", " We are the barbarous rebels, it is our turn we are taking over now", " when you have friends that kill, you also kill, when you have friends that steal,you also steal"," The white people want us to have a head like a chicken, you see my hair is blonder than yours ( you a white man)" " To eat a person's heart( cooked not raw) gave us more courage to kill"," I want to do good now, i want to forget and be forgive all the harm I have caused"," I think about what the future holds for me"

To think that the medium age of the soldiers was 13 years old and one might argue that an entire generation has been sacrificed due to the lure of political power,ethnic dissension,cowardice of so-called intellectuals, human stupidity , natural African backwardness,God's curse, African's low IQ( according to 19-20 th century scientist, African's demonic nature ( according to 17-18th century Europeans thinkers) or simply the absence of a well defined framework to allow the magnificent nature of many a man to manifest.

Les petits soldats afrique
envoyé par FunkyMotion

Les petitssoldats afrique 2
envoyé par FunkyMotion

Les petits soldats afrique 3
envoyé par FunkyMotion

Afrimedia:Runway Africa's confabulation

Afrimedia had a conversation with the founder and creative director of the upcoming "tremere" in the world of fashion.Runway Africa taking place in September 07, is another manifestation of the cultural revolution taking place in the minds and hearts of the Afriurbanites and eventually materializing in this physical realms of ours.


Africaincorp:What should we make of the expression Urbanity of Africa,could you explain ?
Runway Africa: Modern African fashion design defines our present urbanity. Sophistication , style, refinement yet our urbanity exudes African culture through the kind of garment textile and tailoring technique used in the production process.
Africaincorp:What is your knowledge of the African Textile & Garment industry in terms :
- of production capacity
-Ability to satisfactorily meet the domestic and international demand
-relationship with collection owned by African urban brands based in the US and Europe ?
-Would it make economic sense for these brands to source out of Africa over sourcing out of China,India,South America,South East Asia ?
R.A:The African textile and garment industry is diverse and very creative as I'm sure you know. However, though the creativity stems from the designer, it is oftentimes hard to manufacture the designs on a large scale. With the exception of South Africa; who is making textile and fashion part of it's economic and social agenda, African countries are often faced with lack of knowledge, man-power and machinery to manufacture apparel. Therefore even though the continent is just bursting with creativity, there is a bottleneck effect in getting the creativity outside of the continent, and into global retail shops. Ideally, the goal is for Africa to help the African textile and garment industry become more profitable and self sufficient by having all of the manufacturing done there, however, until we can find a way to master the art of mass production as China has done, I think many African and African inspired designers will continue to outsource this function elsewhere. I'm optimistic though, through events like Runway Africa, platforms for African designers are created for talent in African Fashion and design to showcase their work, then people become aware of the talent and we can make an impact on the overall Fashion Industry in Africa.
Afri:What is your perception of the Fashion industry operating in Europe & US in terms of:
-their good understanding( and usage) of materials,colors,fabric and style coming from Africa
- their usage ( or lack there of) African models ,one to manifest the diversity that is beauty and two to add authenticity to their African based runway theme ?
R.A:I think when an international designer wants to do something different, they turn to culture. African Culture has inspired MANY lines, within the American and European fashion industry. They will use a unique patterned undoubtedly African inspired piece to offset a neutral look. It's funny, I think there is this subconscious power to African textiles because it can be breathtakingly eye catching (It steals the show!) with all the colors and patterns. Runway Africa, displays this power, and shows how African materials, colors, fabric and style is put together in a very appealing yet cosmopolitan way--Africhic.

Afri:What is your judgement of the Fashion industry in Africa:
Nigeria: designers,marketing,distribution networks,trends,market size
Kenya:idem
South Africa: idem
Ivory coast:idem
R.A: Like I said before, African designers are very talented. They can stand to be marketed much better within and outside of the continent. Manufacture and distribution can stand for more development. But this development is impossible without the exposure. People have to see designers like RUBY, Blokes 'n' Divas, Sika, Bezemailan, Sun Goddess in their faces, on the Runway, on Television, being worn by international celebrities as well as African ones. African magazines ,weblogs, social networks must promote them. There is a hole that needs to be filled up by discussing Africa's accomplishments, talents, and contributions to the general culture. This gives our fragile industries, such as the fashion industry hope and encouragement to do more and be part of the global market.
Afri:What are the Thoughts on the Business of modeling in Africa ?

R.A: Modeling in Africa is booming. People are starting to understand and open up to it. The women in Africa are gorgeous aesthetically, with very strong features. The international fashion industry is starting to open up to the aesthetics slowly. I've noticed the trend that consists in having a token model for each distinct region. you'll see one Asian model, one African model, one or two Black American models, one Spanish model, a couple of interracial females and the rest are Caucasian- It seems , that's as diverse as it's going to get, for now.

I think what some of the challenges these models are facing is being in the position to receive professional coaching. The odds of finding a good agency that can coach them thoroughly on how to walk and present themselves for international runways. They have the look, but they need the training. But, once they get that coaching, their opportunities are endless. Granted that they have a management agency that can locate good work for them within and outside of the continent. Because finding out what's going on on the other side of Africa, not to mention the other side of the world, can be challenging.
Afri:What is the upcoming African runway show narrative and theme ?
R.A: Runway Africa is about exposing African design. The Face of the Runway aspect of the event is a spotlight an African beauty or model. Runway Africa 2007 is all about celebrating African fashion, by showcasing some of the popular African design talent to an international audience. Our mission is to spotlight Africa's contributions to the international fashion industry. The participating designers this year are Blokes 'n' Divas, RUBY, Sika, Harriet's Alter Ego and Bezemailan. Runway Africa 2007 is also introducing our signature Yellow Collection; a collection of hope, where the featuring designers design and donate one signature piece to be silently auctioned off and the funds to be contributed to the funds financing the fight against HIV AIDS. This year's beneficiary is Keep a Child Alive.
Afri: What are Runway Africa means,objective and goals ?
R.A: Runway Africa's goals are to fully give exposure to African fashion industry. Give back to some of the concerns of the African people through our affiliated beneficiaries.

Africaincorp:What is the Lesson to be learned or Paradigm being observed in the African and mainstream fashion industry ?
Runway Africa:The lesson for all elements of the industry ,is to keep on designing and keep on pushing for the lines to be recognized. The more exposure there is, the more developed the industry becomes.
Africaincorp: The quest of redefining the image of the contemporary African civilization in the consciouness of Africans and foreigners alike has been greatly eased by mediums such as Trace Tv, Tele3Asud, Kora Awards,Glam Magazine,Coupe Decale,Drogba Didier,Africa numero 1,Alphadi'sFEMA,FESPACO, Do you hope to be that impacful through your medium , and why?
Runway Africa: I am very confident that Runway Africa will make an impact on Africa's image throughout the world. Runway Africa is a phenominal way to showcase African talent and it asks very little of African designers other than continuing to perservere and be creative.
Africaincorp: Do you plan to make your event a multimedia event ? Use of streaming video for live viewving over the internet, Creation of Youtube ( or other video-sharing site) Page for Post-show viewing,Partnership with African social networks/site such as Afriville.com,Africahit.com ( who also have Video-sharing ) to reach the Afriurban audience,creation of a soundtrack to accompany the event ?
Runway Africa: Eventually, we would incorporate the technological components, more precisely Web 2.o (Podcast,Videocast,Weblogs,Widgets,etc..) in our communication package.

Afrimedia: Valuable excerpts and links

Annansi
"authority model has become one of Africa’s biggest problems. More and more, as we are inundated with information at a younger age, we begin to question authority. Soon a “Because I said so” is not enough in the household. We begin to ask that people prove themselves before we respect them and grant authority. In societies which are individual-centered technology’s effect on the relationship between the older and younger generations is not as drastic; but in African societies where respect for your elders, to this day, is ingrained in all facets of our lives, the barrage of information has created a serious rift between generations..".
Read more

Beninmwangui
"

Mr. Samara is indeed the founder and CEO of WorldSpace, which pioneered the satellite radio technology, thereby being the first to introduce the technology to the market.

Noah Samara was born in Ethiopia and comes from a very diverse background. He was born to an Ethiopian mother and a Sudanese father. At the age of 17, Noah left Ethiopia and the familiar East African coast for America, in search of a better education. He found the education that he was looking for, while in America and his educational sojourn ended with him receiving his law degree from Georgetown University."

Read more

Bankele
"Africa investor Awards : The 2007 awards will be handed down on 8 November in Lagos, Nigeria. Kenyan nominees short listed include;
- The Nairobi Stock Exchange for Best African Stock Exchange
- Kengen for Best African IPO (also in the running is Stanbic Uganda)
- African Alliance for Best Africa Research Team
- Kenya Commercial Bank for Best Ai 40 company"

"Jobs from the Kenyan daily papers this week

Fund raising & communication manager at Action Aid. Apply to actionaidsomaliland@actionaid.org by 31/5

Akamba bus: General Manager, chief finance officer. Apply to mushtaqk@akambabus.com by 31/5


Barclays: Branch managers, branch coordinators, customer advisor, and local business advisor. Apply to the retail expansion program, market branch 30018-00200 by 25/5

Equity Bank: Business growth & development manager, operations manager, credit manager. Apply to jobs@equitybank.co.ke 31/5

Area sales manager at Eveready. Apply to asm@eveready.co.ke by 25/5

Flashcom: Finance manager, sales manager, network engineer. Apply to recruitment@flashcom.co.ke by 4/6

Kenya Land Alliance: network capacity building officer, assistant accountant. Apply to kla@africaonline.co.ke by 25/5

National Council for Law Reporting law reporter, assistant law reporter (2), systems administrator, web developer (2), proof reader (2), publishing assistant.
Apply online by 22/6

Pricewaterhousecoopers: human capital manager, head of marketing & communications. Apply to recruitment.ke@ke.pwc.com by 1/6"


Webaddict

"Would it not make more sense for Google to roll their mobile phones out in Africa sooner rather than later? This could stimulate economic & social development quicker than waiting even more years for the Telecommunications Monopoly saga to sort itself out.

Screw the handouts to Africa, give us the tools that allow us to solve our own problems."

Read more

Investing in Africa

"The Ethiopian Commodities Exchange (ECEX) will be fully automated and provide daily-indexed prices on the following goods:

• Coffee
• Sesame
• Haricot beans
• Teff
• Wheat
• Maize

The market is an attempt to bring order and transparency to the agricultural sector, thus making it more efficient. Studies estimate that only a third of the grain produced by Ethiopian farmers makes it to the market"

Read more

Afrimage of the day: Noodle desert

Acrylic painting provided by Nigerian artist Olayemi Afolabi.
Olayemi is an architect by training, an interview of this RIBA member will allow Africaincorp and the readers to dwell into the realms of Architecture,Aesthetics,shapes and Psychology and their relevance to enrichment of the Afriurban culture.

Afriurban sound presents: Past Urban- Miriam Makeba

Before they were the urbanites of today and their sounds, they were the urbanites of yesterday and theirs.
Enjoy a lifting performances by Miriam Makeba.
Recommended albums :" The world of Miriam Makeba","Makeba sings"," An evening with belafonte and Makeba","Malaisha"

Enjoy!

Afriurban sound presents: Past Urban -Nina Simone

Before the urbanites of today and their sound, there were the urbanites of yesterday and their sound. Enjoy one powerful musicien of the past, the late Nina Simone

Recommended records by Nina are : " I love you Porgy", " Missisipi G... am". "Sinnerman" ," Old Jim Crow","Feeling good", " To be young,gifted and black", " Strange fruit", " house of the rising sun".
Enjoy!

In the media: Excappa Apprica

"The Professionals of Africa have been running away from their beloved continent by the droves, many leave war-torn nations, some leave countries lacking adequate infrastructures to allow them to execute what they have learned in schools.
Most of them are looking for better living standards, fatter bank accounts,better opportunities, a chance to be part of successful research programs.
One will argue why don't they go the nearest African nation offering the adequate platform, it can not be there is no nation in Africa willing to cater to a motivated and well trained work force.

The example of Ivory Coast in the 70's and 80's is a show of the benefits Countries gain and offer by housing these workers looking for adequate professional environment.

The School system, the medical sector, the banking industry and the entertainment world in Ivory Coast all gained from the influx of brains,intelligence and creativity coming from Syria,Lebanon,Senegal,Mali,Congo,Togo etc..

We hope to see in the near future a move by both the private and public sector in Africa to create clusters throughout the economic markets that favor movement of creativity,insights and know-how."

It is very appropriate to ask the questions of where they are going when a lot of initiatives (by Africa private sector) are being launched to create the adequate environment. Where are they going when Africa is experiencing the highest economic growth since the period of Independence ?
Some argue that there is wealth but no love , no right to self expression, no outlet to manifest his/her individuality. The next phase in Africa development is going to be the liberation of the minds and creativity, 70% of its population [under the age of 25] is waiting for that moment where they will shine and strive on their own terms.

Afriurban sound presents: Sister Betina

South Africa music, Kwaito music. Mgarimbe is the artist.
Enjoy.

Afribusiness: Diamond firm in Botswana

Gaborone-Some facts about the diamond industry in Africa:
.Angola
Catoca diamond mine owned by Alrosa ( 20% of world supply),Odebrecht and the Diamond Finance BV group
Fucauma diamond mine partially owned by Trans hex( TSX on Johanesburg and Namibian Exchanges)
Luarica diamond mine also partialy owned by Trans hex
.Botwsana
Damtshaa diamond mine
Jwaneng diamond mine owned by Debswana
Letlhakane diamond mine owned by Debswana
Orapa diamond mine also owned by Debswana
South Africa
Baken diamond mine owned and operated by Trans hex
Premier mine owned by De Beers
Kimberly mine
Tanzania
Williamson diamond mine owned by De Beers

Some industry player to keep an eye on :
Anglo-american ( AGL on JSE, LSE and NASDAQ)

Afrifinance: Kenyan stock market information portal

For the Afrinvestor in you,we gladly introduces Stockskenya.com " a Community-oriented stocks information portal developed by Netware Associates Limited targeted at retail investors on the Nairobi Stock Exchange. Stockskenya.com aims to provide accurate information and financial tools that individual investors can use. General and specific information pertaining to the stock market is provided, as well as news and links to other useful sources of information, while not providing professional financial advice."


The site offers a forum where fellow individual investors can discuss industry news and trends, managerial issues faced by some companies, present and future fiscal/business policies ,stock market tips, the future of the Kenyan stock market and many more relevant issues.
Key features are:
-Stock latest prices
-Stock summary
-A performance calculator tool
-Company financial dates
-A fantasy portfolio
-A forum
- Business/Finance related news

By providing your Email visible to all users, your industry background and country location , the site allows for networking among professionals of Kenya but also regional and Pan-African professionals.

We have already created our account to find out what is all the hoopla about one of Africa's top performing stock exchange


I

in the media: Africa enterprising blog network links

here are the list and links to the differently diverse blogs that make up the Africa enterprising Google Group :

Africa Enterprising Blog Network members:

· Benin Mwangi

o BeninMwangi.com

§ African Entrepreneurship & international media

§ Sub Saharan Africa

· Frederic Tape

o Africaincorp

§ Following the Money Trailing the Afri-urban Movement (Africaincorp)

§ Cote d’Ivoire

· G. Kofi Annan

o Annansi Chronicles

§ An Indepth Look at Africa’s Fashion and Entertainment Industries

§ Ghana

· Bankelele

o Bankelele

§ Banking analysis and the financial sector in Kenya

§ Kenya

· Joshua Wanyama

o African Path

§ View of Africans in the Diaspora

§ Continental, regional

· deoluakinyemi.com

o deoluakinyemi.com

§ Daily Motivations & Development for people and organizations

§ Nigeria

· Gerald Shuma

o Tech Mambo

§ Profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies.

§ Continental, international

· Hoseah Njuguna

o Investment and financial planning advice

§ Kenya

· Odegle

o Odegele Nyang Investments

§ Business and investment news in Kenya and East Africa

§ Kenya

· Harry Karanja

o Kenya Startup

§ Start Ups in Kenya

§ Kenya

· Erik Hersman

o WhiteAfrican

§ Where Africa and Tech Collide

§ Sub-Saharan Africa

· Folabi Ogunkoya

o Afriville

§ Community Portal

§ Nigeria, Continental

· Imnakoya

o Grandiose Parlor

§ Thoughts on Issues

§ Nigeria

· Emmanuel Olawuatosin

o Yemma

§ Inspiring Excellence

§ Nigeria

· Omodudu

o Alt Nigeria

§ Nigerian Business

§ Well…Nigeria

· Tosin

o Upnaira

§ Consumer Investments

§ Nigeria

· Rafiq Phillips

o South Africa Technology and Web Addicts

o South Africa

· Ryan Shen-Hoover

o Investing in Africa

§ Stock Markets in Africa

§ Continental

· Leonard Nelson

o Web 2.0 with a Zambian Twist

o Zambia

· Gavin Chait

o Whythawk

§ Sustainable Business and Economic Development

§ South Africa

Nicely put together and posted by BeninMwangi

Afrimage: Fashion to wear

Afriurban sound presents:Buraka Suo Sistema

A group from Angola , their name is Buraka Suo Sistema.
Add them as a friend on Myspace
or visit their website and weblog

The invisible cure-AIDS in Africa

Publisher Weekly Review. Epstein, a public health specialist and molecular biologist who has worked on AIDS vaccine research, overturns many of our received notions about why AIDS is rampant in Africa and what to do about it. She charges that Western governments and philanthropists, though well-meaning, have been wholly misguided, and that Africans themselves, who understand their own cultures, often know best how to address HIV in their communities. Most significant is Epstein's discussion of concurrent sexual relations in Africa. Africans often engage in two or three long-term concurrent relationships—which proves more conducive to the spread of AIDS than Western-style promiscuity. Persuade Africans to forgo concurrency for monogamy, and the infection rate plummets, as it did in Uganda in the mid-1990s. On the other hand, ad campaigns focused on condom use helped simply falsely that only prostitutes and truck drivers get AIDS. In addition, Epstein examines what she calls the "African earthquake": social and economic upheaval that have also eased the spread of HIV. Epstein is a lucid writer, translating abstruse scientific concepts into language nonspecialists can easily grasp. Provocative, passionate and incisive, this may be the most important book on AIDS published this year—indeed, it may even save lives. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Purchase and read the book:
Amazon
Barnes and Nobles
Kalahari ( Online distributor of Books,CD & DVDs,Electronics,Wine in South Africa)
If anyone knows where to get this book for the Canadian,Brazilian,French,English,Russian and other African markets,let us know.

Afribusiness: Ghanain investors & businesses have trust in their market

Accra-Afrimedia brings you a video-interview of and the CEO of a hotel-resort and the owners of a mall in Ghana

Afrifashion presents:Being

The fashion line Being "all began with a simple idea, “loving who you are.” From that idea their first t-shirt design was born and the collection continues to grow. Growing at an impressive pace Beeing has emerged as the eminent culturally inspired lifestyle brand. They thrive on using style and fashion to empower people to embrace and express their identities as well as others. and If asked what our recipe to success is they will say "Skillfully blend a steady flow of creative energy, a tasteful dash of fluid perfectionism and titanic portions of willful determination!"

…BEEING. The essence of who you are"

Is it adorable how many Afriurban lines are emerging on the market, rooting their style and aesthetics in their Afriurban background ?

Afrimage: Africhic Slideshow

Afriurban sound presents: Corneille

Afriurban artist Corneille is from Rwanda
Some facts about Rwanda and Corneille:
.Pop 8.000.000
.GDP growth 5.8%
.Xports commodities Coffe,Tea,Wolframite
.Highest # of MPsin the world

In the media: Ivory Coast main public transport firm seeks public funding

4 Abidjan-
Ivory Coast main purveyor of public transportion is seeking to tap into the Ivorian population savings. The SOTRA offers a rate of 6.8% on its company bonds running for a period of 5 years. Local,Regional and foreigners alike can acquire this debt security and thus finance the growth of a the company.
Let's hope this could be the first step towards an actual IPO of the public transportation company, African public transport companies need to enhance their quality and capacity in the face of growing urban populace and much needed efficiency in moving around town workers,commuters,visitors and students.Financing that is adequate and reflective of the real needs would definitely help.


Ivorians and Africans in the diaspora should make it a point to invest in these different state and company bonds being put on the market.To take ownership ,through investment, of the different development programs and market growth strategies being put in place,would be judicious on our part.

Sotra partnered with the Bank national for Investment ( BNI)

Africonference: Past-Ongoing_Upcoming conference in/about African markets and industries

.Web technologies, frameworks, languages, mechanisms
.Web applications design and development
.Interaction with/from Web-based applications
.Web-based applications’ features
.Management of Web-based applications
.Evaluation of Web applications
.Specialized Web applications
.Aggregating multimedia documents
.E-business, appliances, and services
.IP Grid Management and Grid Services
.IP-based convergent solutions and next generation networks
.Standards, case studies and special groups on web-based applications
Track 2: Web Services-based Systems and Applications
.Web services foundation, architectures, frameworks, languages
.Web services architecture and business continuity
.Special Web services mechanisms
.Semantic Web, Ontology, and Web services
.Web service applications
.Data Management aspects in Web Services
.Autonomic e-Business integration and collaboration
.Web service based Grid computing and P2P computing
.Web services based applications for e-Commerce
.Multimedia applications using Web Services
.Automatic computing for Web services
.Web services challenges on trust, security, performance, scalability
.Enterprise Web services
.Web services discovery, announcing, monitoring and management
.Platforms, technologies, mechanisms and case studies
.Grid architectures, middleware and toolkits


GSM & 3G East and Central Africa

Some of the topics of discussions:

.Interconnection and roaming made easier and more affordable
.passing on the lower costs to customers
.Innovation and tactics to boost customers loyalty and satisfaction
.Mobile banking
.Mobile web and expansion of industry
.Revenue sharing models between service providers and content providers


GSM & 3G North Africa
"North Africa subscribers forecasted to pass the 91 million mark by 2010"

Key markets and companies in North Africa:
Tunisia : Tunisiana
Morocco : Meditel, Maroc telecom ( IAM.PA ) listed on Casablanca Stock Exchange

Egypt :Vodafone Egypt ( VODE.CA ) , Mobinil( EMOB.CA) on Cairo Stock Exchange






Some of the topics:
.An Overview of Biofuels Developments
.Regulation & Policy – Essential to Market Development in Africa
.Global Case Studies & Learning’s for Africa
.Pan African Facilitation of Biofuels Development
.Successfully Producing Biofuels from Various Feedstock’s
.Biomass Production
.Related Agricultural & Rural Development
.Food vs. Fuel or Food & Fuel
.Biofuels & CDM
.Removing the Barriers to Acceptance & Usage of Biofuels in Africa
.African Case Studies – Large Scale Producers
.African Case Studies – Small Scale Producers
.Impacts on the Automotive & Petroleum Industries
.Project Financing & Management
.Non Transport Application Case Studies

Key African nations involved in this shift are : Mali,Ghana,Malawi,South Africa,Zimbabwe,Mozambique,Zambia,Nigeria,Namibia,Madagascar
Soon a list to consider to built your portfolio of Biofuel producers,Equipment and technology producers,feedstock producers, Commodity trading and brokerage firms. We are also are going to discuss the meaning of the development of this industry for skills-seekers,investors,employment opportunities

Africonference:Telecom Africa 2007 May 23-25

We announce to you yet another conference that would probably prepare the ground for major change in the African telecom industry in the months to come.
Stated to be the" the most influential regional forum for insight,content and networking in telecom finance",
The conference would mainly cover the following:
.Greenfields of Africa:Capturing market share
.Beyond acquisition: the way forward for telecom investment in the region
.Expansion strategy for Africa: who will lead the consolidation




The venue hosting the event is the Madinat Jumeirah hotel

Afriurban sound presents: Erotism and African culture Part 2

See part 1 here

Africaincorp: Enterprising-Africa Google Group

The Enterprising Africa network
Africaincorp is now part of the Enterprising-Africa network hosted on Google group.
" This group is about publicizing blogs and the bloggers who focus on business or entrepreneurship in Africa.

The idea behind this type of network is that although me may each be very skilled and talented on the individual level, together we can do even more to promote business and entrepreneurship in Africa."

The group is masterfully coordinated by BeninMwangi and a host of bloggers and, hopes to join the ranks of the efficient vehicles disseminating the message of the viability of Business and Entrepreneurship in Africa.



So if you are an African blogger who blogs on business or industries in Africa , you are welcomed to join the group.

Afrifashion: Manufacturing in Lesotho

Africaincorp Editor in Chief was the guest on BeninMwangi's podcast , He was invited to discuss the manufacturing & design industry in Africa and how to make it a leverage for Urban brands based in America,Europe and Africa.

The video down below describes the investment made by Taiwanese interests in Africa, they very likely understand that Africa has all some key factors : the commodity ( Cotton), the labor,Geobusiness-strategic position,Emerging middle-class. It is the perfect combination to produce at lowerable rates for a growing domestic market and two key export fashion markets ( US and Europe).

Company: Shinning Century LTD
Country: Lesotho
Industry: Clothing manufacturing





Courtesy of NBPC

Africaincorp: It is official- Africaincorp's porfolio

They say "To put your money where your mouth is".Today Africaincorp starst our portfolio using the services offered by Africanselect.
Having played around for over a year with Investopedia to learn the basics of investing and exercise our grasp of the ( sometimes) correlation between data/news analysis and the market direction ,we feel we are ready to make the transition to real-life investment.
We are going to explore the various African Stock Exchanges and pick our stocks according to each economic market strengths,trends and fundamentals.
We will keep you posted on the evolution of our investment.

Afriurban sound presents: Erotism and African culture part 1

These videos are continuation of the discussion started earlier on Eroticism in the Afriurban context. We can not deny the high level of sexual energy generated by our very vigorous dancing movements. It is quite often that you would come across the angry Pro-Africantraditionalist, the furious African moralist or the dangerously westernized agent commenting with passion and excitement what they describe as a lazy- only fun having Man while the rest of the world gets ahead- African ,or the Free-liberated-modern African Man that is just up with time. Neither of them are right by the way just to be clear.
Let's take a look videos from all parts of the continent and just observe ....

Afrinance: Banking on Africa

Would you be interested in banking in Africa for the purpose of operations you may run there,or maybe the purchase of stocks and bonds on the African markets and last but not least the financing of a real estate property ? Look no further that these banks , they offer some of the best service in the African banking sector.
Check the links below to visit their pages, we also provide you with their stock symbol(s) on the respective markets where they are traded.

Barclays bank Kenya: ( BARC) on the Nairobi Stock Exchange


Societe Generale de Banque au Cameroun : ( SGBC) on Douala Stock Exchange


The standard bank group : ( SBK) on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, (SNB) on the Namibian Stock Exchange

The Mauritius commercial bank : ( MCB) on the Mauritius Stock Exchange

First bank Nigeria: (FBNP) on Nigeria Stock Exchange

In the media: While we wait for Ted Global 2007-Africa the next chapter

The list have been published a little while ago, we list tow of the many outstanding speakers that are going to grace the stage of this conference.

Adenike Ogunlasi : CEO and founder of Ruff N tumble a children's clothing business in Nigeria. She is going to share probably her insight of the fashion and manufacturing business as she had to experience it in Nigeria. Here are some excerpts of a November 2004 interview:
" To develop it( The garment industry), what I would recommend is to invite the Indonesians or the Chinese to help us with the development of the industry. They by far have the cheapest, most efficient technology for producing, vast number of clothes at the minimum price levels. Because they deal a lot with the Americans and the size of the American market has enabled them over the years to fine-tune their processes."

"textile manufacturers themselves have to start manufacturing, fabrics that can be used to make shirts, trousers, jeans, Gabadin, Chinos and copy for shirts, T-shirts, not just polyester. They have to make fabrics that can be used to set up an industry here. But the most important is the ability to compete favourably with what is coming in from the far east."

"Government is not some isolated being that should be carrying us like an isolated little baby. It is time the private enterprise forced the government to create the enabling environment. For economic growth, an environment that creates jobs for the millions of unemployed"

"The motive was to make something that is solely Nigerian, that could be branded as a Nigerian product. If I thought of money, we would not spend as much as we have spent, maintaining our corporate image."

"We needed to sharpen our skills, we needed to get our structures in place, we needed to get our processes correct. We needed to get our processes functioned"






Video Courtesy of NBPC



Ted Kidane: Co-founder and COO of Feedelix , a developer of non-Latin script for cellphone users ,mainly Ethiopic,Hindi and Mandarin speaking markets.The company has certainly open the door to an handful of software application for cellphone.

The idea of Java-script programs to tackle communication problems is one that a fellow friend raised. His idea was to create a program kind of similar to this one but that would allow translation of the major languages ( French,English,,Spanish,Portuguese) into any ethnic languages spoke within the border of one market.
Let's say an literate Senegalese goes to Mozambique, not only would it be able to communicate Via text messaging to an Litterate Mozambican ( French to Portuguese), He would also be able to communicate with a Swahili-only or Tsongo only speaker.
The program could either translate and send it to the other device for reading, or it would simply translate and display it on the screen , phonetics and audio features would be available to indicate how to pronounce the sentence.

Afriurban sound presents: Music from Seychelles_ Dezil

Victoria-Lets' journey off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. The listenning session of today introduces to the youthful Afriurban sound by way of the Seychelles.

Quick facts on Seychelles:
Population 80.000
Language-English, French,Creole
80% of tourists to Seychelles are from UK,Germany,France,Italy and Switzerland.

Afritravel: Going to Mauritius

Here is a video on Mauritius, the geography there seems just amazing.''Mauritius has a mature economy with a great deal of wealth distribution among its citizen" according to wikipedia.
Some facts about Mauritius:
GDP: $15.68 Billion
Population size:1.300.000
Per Capita: $13000
Ethnicity: African,Indian,European,Chinese
Main industries and sector: textile,Banking,chemicals,Offshore insurance,Offshore banking,International licensing and franchising,Offshore pension funds,International data processing and IT services and of course Tourism.




Locations to visit in Mauritius:Grand bay
Belle mare
La morne

Afriupdate: Tony Blair on Youtube,Thabo,Museveni,Gbagbo,Ellen what are you waiting for ?

Following our post on the use of web 2.0 technologies such as social networks, video-sharing sites and widgets by Africans to enhance the efficiency of their communication, we were still pondering on the why and when of our inquiry when we came accross this.
Outgoing prime minister Tony Blair has a Youtube page that he uses to communicate with his fellow citizens. The page probably created by the P.R team of the prime minister makes the biggest figure of the British government ,appears more human and approachable. It showcases Tony in less formal disposition and makes the content of his message less irritating for politician wary people.
It is also probably a very effective way to reach an audience that spends more time away from traditional media amid the explosion in the use of new media.

Can you imagine the reach and impact the use of new technology could give to
Thabo's
Gbagbo's
Ravalomanana
Museveni's
Kufuor's
Kagame's

message of strength,self-reliance,wealth creation,trust in Africa potential, Independence,courage and hope ? There will no longer be an intermediate that might distort their thoughts, they will give us a raw and direct look into their plans and objectives.

Can you think of a better online tool ,to showcase the African real estate markets,plural investment opportunities, to stimulate tourism and create a real dialogue among Africans( ROW too). In order to have a dialogue you need a topic of discussion , you need a content to expand from.
We want to have that discussion so we are waiting on a
www.youtube.com/presidencedelaRCI
www.youtube.com/madagascarGov

To our fellow readers, if you know a decision-maker at any of these African governments please advice them. Tell them to utilize these platforms now not in 10 years ,to promote their goals and plans to the young African students,the businessmen,the diaspora and all other constituent members of the African markets.
Tell the same to the various Departments of Tourism of countries interested in tourism- income, recommend it to the various African stock exchange so that they can have weekly update of their activity posted on their youtube page ( www.youtube.com/nigerianstockexchange)

In the media: African News Agency in Second life

Video journalist Africa reports on the creation of a African news Agency in the virtual world of Second life.

"Just opened a press agency for African news in Second Life.

The agency is called Africa First, and I'm still looking for a nice place for the office.

The first staff reporter for Africa First will be your kind video reporter. Stringers and correspondents are welcome to join.

Video reporter in Second Life goes by the name Finnegan Lilliehook.

Please pass on all your tips: africafirst@videoreporter.nl

Let's see if the African continent can make a difference in Second Life.

Have a good (Second) day."

Virtual communication platform such as this one and ,the Youtubes, the Afrivilles, the Weblogs of this world and all other Web 2.o media platforms are tremendous tools that could be used by Businessmen,Governements and institutions of Africa to take their messages to millions of ears and eyes the world over.

In the media: Mobile business in Tanzania

We found a very insightful documentary made by the BBC about the Mobile phone industry in Africa-Tanzania.
The documentary gives an accurate account of the positive impact the industry is having our part of the world.
Some quick facts on mobile industry in Tanzania:

- Five mobile phone operators- Zantel-Vodacom-Celtel-Millicolm
- 6.5 million subscribers
-Accounted for 4.6% of Tanzanian GDP in 2006
-Accounted for an est. 180.000 of the Ttl labor force
- has a projected market growth growth of 109 % over the next 5 years

Considering purchase of Stocks ?
(VOD) on New York Stock Exchange & London stock exchange
(TKG) on Johannesburg Stock Exchange and NYSE
(MICC) on NASDAQ stock market
(MTC) on Kuwait Stock Exchange MTC is majority shareholder in Celtel





For more information on Tanzania see:

Tanzania Chamber of commerce

Tanzania Investment Center

Tanzania Confederation of industry

Bank of Tanzania

Afriurba sound presents: Petit Denis feat Singuila, Kamnouze

Petit Denis from Cote d'Ivoire, Singula from Congo-Brazza and Kamnouze from France collaborate on the sure summer banger.
The videoclip was shot on location in Abidjan
Enjoy !!

Afrimedia presents: Nigeria Fights war against drugs trafficking

Nigeria, have been documented as transshipment centers for Golden Crescent heroin. Nigerian couriers based in Lagos travel to Pakistan to obtain heroin, then continue on commercial flights to their final destinations for smuggling to the West.

"A number of loosely associated Nigerian heroin trafficking organizations have connections both with suppliers in Pakistan and with retailers in Western Europe and the United States. Couriers return to Nigeria transiting other countries in Africa and Europe. A different group of couriers, usually students or poor residents of Lagos, traffic the drugs to Europe or the United States.

Couriers typically enter the United States directly through JFK airport in New York although in some cases, they come to this country via cities in Europe and Canada.

After the heroin arrives in the United States, it is sold only to one or two American distributors in a given area. Distribution networks are most active in New York City and Washington, D.C. and are operative in Los Angeles, Houston and Boston. "

It is reassuring to see the efforts made by the civilian Nigerian administration to curb a problem that could in the long run derailed the reemergence of Naijaland as a regional superpower.
Let's hope that the approach is incremental and will become more forceful as time goes on.

Here are part one & two of this four parts documentary:

Afrimage of the day:Afrifashion

Fashion & Retail industry in Africa

Some random facts and thoughts on the fashion industry in Africa:
-" African fashion industry accounts for almost 10 million jobs in the formal and informal sector – or about 5% of the working African population".

_ "South Africa is the largest importer and exporter of textiles in the African market".

_"Africa has the labour and creativity, but lacks the research and development elements".

-"There is no organised forum or statistics to measure accurately industry financial performance".

-"China accounts for more than 70% of all garments imported into Africa".
-"Best quality fabrics come from West Africa".

- “Ethiopian leather is fantastic".
- "A lot of duplication means lack of intellectual property rights."
-"Big potential market but consumers do know what labels exist, and they don’t know how to
get to them".
- "little real investment in supporting new designers".

-"Local designers are no longer slavishly copying international trends, but they're following their own instincts ".
- " Forget buying African for the sake of buying African. Consumers look for value and for whatever or whomever is hot at that minute - wherever it comes from".

-" There is a need for focus on productivity".

-"factories, wholesale shops, textile design centers and schools need to be established here".

-" African labels need to set the standards and prices for their creations".

-" If well prepared and innovative in their approach African labels could earn as much as Alphadi who is believed to earn between US$5 million and US$10 million from his 20 fashion shops scattered around the world".

-"Europeans know of the rich diversity of African fashion,that is why they comb every corner and cranny of the continent looking for ideas, which they use in the haute couture that brings them millions of dollars". ( Someone has to do it )

-" Fashion industry should move beyond cutting, sketching and pattern-making and integrate textile-making, weaving, printing and designing in their production chain."
-" There should a double objectives agenda,international designers produce in China. Designers do their lines and then find manufacturers outside and many of them go to China because of cost and quality.African labels should do the same,while the manufacturing infrastructure is being built".

Interesting enough and remember that " in the midst of difficulties lies an opportunity"

Afrifashion: Forefathers of African fashion-Alphadi

Before any Afriurban labels came flooding the market like a tsunami, there was Alphadi. This offspring of Tuareg lineage is at the head of one of the most successful fashion firm out of Africa.
It is only right that we introduce to those that paved the way to many of the young companies entering the fashion markets.
His collection can be found in the fashionable stores of Clichy,Abidjan and Niamey
Visit the company website

Alphadi's collections are divided between a Haute couture line,a Urban line and a Ready to wear line.The inspiration for the label comes mainly from the rich culture of the Songhai,Hausa,Bororo and Touereg people.
His credentials extend beyond the title of CEO of his firm, he is also the founder of Festival international de la mode Africaine ( FIMA) and president of the Federation of African Creators.
Alphadi understands the business nature of his industry and he makes sure to be an agent of advancement in the African fashion industry.Needless to say there is so much one man can do for so long.

So to all African fashion industry stakeholders, it is time for you to carry on the tradition, and bring to the market better cuts,more durable cloth/garment,well inspired designs and affordable price.

In the media: While we wait for Ted Africa June 2007

Ted Africa which is an upcoming conference taking place in Tanzania over the summer will certainly challenge the status quo in the minds of many about what can be and what should be in Africa.
A greater impact would be the materialization of thought-to-be impossible ideas such as the one you just watched.

Big up to Emeka Okafor and all the people making it possible.

Afrimage: ZuluNayio

Afrifashion presents: Zulurose

Another day, another line. The latest Afriurban label we present you goes by the name of ZULUROSE .
The Zu is " a mens and womens fashion label celebrating the unexpected metamorphosis of culture in its many colours. An eclectic marriage of metropolitan style, pattern, colour, tailoring, and old world charm. Zulu Rose caravans the crossroads of inspiration, imagination, and intuition in search of that perfect style to high light your inner image full of beauty"

They have a casual collection, a couture line and besposke production, and while their T-shirts are produced entirely in Los Angeles, the Mecca of T-shirt culture, The rest of their products have them source fabrics and garments from Africa.

The line is certainly a gage of quality and savoir-faire, but Africaincorp would like to see Great design house such as this one to move some aspect of the chain of production in key African markets, which should stimulate the local manufacturing market as well as, help them meet their bottom line and increase market share.To read in the near future on the inside of Afriurban labels-" produced entirely in Africa. Only the finest fabrics and garments used", would be a great accomplishement for the entire Fashion-manufacturing industry in Africa.

With stockings in Los Angeles,Brooklyn,Chicago and New York city they ambition to bring Africhic fashion to a store near you.
Interestingly enough online purchases is made possible in various currencies among which:
US dollars
British pound
South African pound
Euro
Japanese Yen
Canadian dollars.
Hopefully online consumers should be able to make purchase in ECO in the future.

They offer a retail collection which is different from their custom tailored unique pieces.They are therefore able to satisfy the mass-market and the exclusive crowd.
The Zulurose brand is total experience ,they also offer a online magazine selftitled "Rugged the modern lifestyle for discerning Africans", a podcast show available on Itunes.

See some of their work in the next post.

Afrifinance: Towards a single currency ?

Today news is the launch of the ECO in december 2009 to serve as one currency for a " unified market of over 210 million people spread over 16 member countries with a GDP of over $100 billion and per capita of over $8000".

As an business person in Africa such development can only but bring positive expectations for the future.
These nations would have to coordinate their fiscal,labor and investment policies to a certain degree. To remove the headache to start over everytime you move from one country to another would boost foreign and intra Africa investments .
It will also in the long term increase the strength of African businesses as they can literally become real Pan-African businesses that have equally access to one larger pool of labor,financial products and consumers.
An economic market mere size does not suffice to make it a viable one but China, the EU and the United States economies would not be if it was not for their size.

One interesting aspect of this upcoming currency would be its effect on the financial market, two stock exchanges in the region ,Ghana Stock Exchange and Nigeria Stock Exchange, are some of the most performing in Africa. Could the rest of 14 members countries private-investors benefit from it? A private investors in Guinea can easily invest in Ghana, the same way an Ghanaian can in Ivory Coast. Moreover the earning power being different from area to area, investors and consumers might be tempted to spend their income/capital in relatively cheaper zones while avoiding transaction costs and exchange rate risks.

The impact of the introduction of one currency is going to be tremendous and unforgettable, it is truly the best of times to live,work,invest and be involve in Africa.










Relevant Links:

Central bank of the Gambia
Bank of Ghana
Banque Centrale de la Republique de Guinee
Central Bank of Liberia
Banque Centrale de Mauritanie
Central Bank of Nigeria
Bank of Sierra Leone
Banque Centrale des Etats d'Afrique de l'Ouest

Africaincorp: Africaincorp featured on Beninmanwgni

Africaincorp's Editor in chief was the guest on Beninmwangi discussing fashion and outsourcing in Africa.

It has been quite an interesting exchange and the topic that we covered should generate some posts( on here) in the near future as we are going to explore the world of garment,textile and manufacturing in Africa.
What is the current state of affairs, what are the trends and what is next ?

Noella Coursaris

We just received this video ( down below) from Noella's people .She looks as adorable as ever and we hope that her career is still moving at a good pace. We hope to hear from hear pretty soon enough.
Enjoy

In the media: Kitukizuri available in a Barnes and Nobles near you

It has just been reported to us that the magazine Kitukizuri is distributed by Barnes and Nobles in the markets of Chicago,New york,Orlando,San Francisco,Los Angeles.

Subscribe to this promising lifestyle quarterly that caters to the young to middle aged women in America.
The issues related to relationships, the American dream, brain gain,
fashion,and literature are going to be discussed.

Congratulations to all the staff at Kitukizuri and here at Africaincorp we wish you the best.

Afrieros presents: Sensuality and Erotism in the Afriurban context

"Guinean teenagers wearing skirts or hipsters, associated with Wolosso, which partly expose their buttocks and midriff"
The provocative dance is considered by many in the mainly Muslim West African country to be pornographic.

A ban on an "indecent" dance which has been performed naked in public places is prompting an angry reaction in south-west Cameroon
'The lyrics are not indecent ... what I know is that some Cameroonian youths are overdoing it and dancing naked to Mapouka ( Traditional name: Makouca) music.''

He says he is convinced that the supposed immorality of some Mapouka dancers is a reflection of immorality in wider Cameroonian society.
Upon reading these quotes out of an article by the BBC, the overplayed notion that being African means being morally pure began being strongly discussed among the staff.
Cameroon is ranked 138/160 most corrupt country in the world, while Guinea is ranked 160/163.
Do we have a case of misdirection of frustrution and anger towards something quite normal/cultural. Most african dances look daring and sexually evocative but that would be to the fearful and wicked mind. A society at ease with their body,senses and sexual energy is not scared of nor obsessed with frivolous stimuli. They would know that there is a time to play and there is a time to take care of other tasks.They do it without being overwhelmed like a 12 years old , a zealot or a hypocritical individual.

What could be lacking during the formative years of the young in Africa that would have them succumb to the power of the flesh?
What is it with some our would-be moralists in Africa that they do not see the "Africanness" of these choreographies. As fas as we know , the colonialists have always described our dancing as being sensual,decadent ( In their eyes),wild,animalistic and many more epithets.Most of the dances are most often than not picked from the folklore. This is the way we have danced but we have not gone to create Playboy,Vivid Entertainment,Hustler and Hentai. Someone once said of our ways with dancing:
"We dance and free ourselves,they repress. We express,their repression manifests violently".


In the upcoming posts we are going to have a series of videos from all over the continent depicting how we move our bodies and follow suit will be a discussion on the general concept of sexuality in African culture and its impact on our behaviour.

Adidas "materials of the world- Africa"

What does it mean for African designers,the fabric and garment industry and the global consumer ?
Can we foresee more use of African inspired patterns and colors in Urbanwear and should we expect to see collaborative efforts between African designers and established international brand ?
Better yet should African designers and fashion firms jump on the Bandwagon and push( like never before) onto the market Afri-chic products ?
Some more though on that in the coming days.