Africans do not master all skills and they do not have to

Innovation through global and Pan-African collaboration: A source for competitive advantage.

African "firms must develop a collaboration strategy that is aligned to their business needs. At its heart, this requires assessing how collaboration can help firms improve along multiple performance dimensions, including both lower cost and increased differentiation."

Entrepreneurs and companies in New York,Abidjan,Lagos,Gaborone,Accra or Tunis, should seek partners who possessed a deep knowledge of local firms with
specific production skills, relationships with university faculty in a new research area,
and contacts with the government officials who approved market access.


What would be needed to achieve this type of collaboration:
-People:" Effective collaboration requires people with different skills, given that team members sit outside the boundaries of the firm in distant countries with different cultures. Rather than a focus on pure technical expertise, managers need a broader skill set, associated with the need to orchestrate and coordinate distributed work..."

Process: "Effective collaboration requires that firms rethink their processes. Distributed work involves a variety of additional tasks as compared with single-site projects, related to dividing tasks, sharing artifacts, and coordinating and integrating work.... Effective approaches are discovered through informed trial and error, using pilot projects to test the value of specific practices and generate descriptive data to help assess performance"

-Platforms: "Leading firms invest in an infrastructure—a set of development tools, technical standards, and working methods—to facilitate distributed work. The more complex the project and the more partners involved, the more sophisticated this platform needs to be.."

-Programs: Successful firms manage their collaboration efforts as a coherent "program," in contrast to organizations that run each project on a stand-alone basis. To achieve this objective, some firms have created the post of, in effect, "Chief Collaboration Officer," responsible for overseeing all their collaboration efforts.."

[read more @ Havard Business School]

In the media: Africa is not too bad,on the contrary

Luanda-

"So what did her parents and friends say about her going to Africa? “They just didn’t understand,” she said. “All my friends wanted to go to America or Canada or Europe. They couldn’t comprehend why I wanted to go to Angola or what I was going to do there. But now they know that Africa is not too bad. Everyone reads about it on the internet. My husband and I had a house and a car in Beijing, but you see we wanted to change our life.”

Her husband was away in Nigeria pursuing another business venture. In his absence she was in charge, both of the clinic and their second business, a window factory on the city’s outskirts. To have a woman running a business is a strange concept for patriarchal Angola but utterly natural for her Chinese employees. Two more doctors are on the way from China and she also has a Chinese cook. They are on two-year contracts. The option she has of taking the recently started weekly direct flight to Beijing from Luanda on China Southern Airlines[Sehk:1055;Nyse:ZNH] is not open to them because of the cost. But while “they miss their families in China”, she says, “they speak to them on Skype[Nasdaq:EBAY] so they don’t feel cut off.”[Financial Times]

Update:France telecom acquires another African telecom company

Accra-

Following their acquisition of 51 % of Kenya telecom,France Telecom[Nyse:FTE;Euronext:FTE] recently acquired 51% of Ghana telecom. The price tag is estimated to be in the $500-$600 million bracket. The remaining shares of Ghana telecom owned by the governrment of Ghana are scheduled to be sold to the public in the upcoming IPO.[ via Nino]

France telecom through its subsidiaries and acquisitions have interest in the following economic territories: Kenya,Ghana,Botswana,Cote d'Ivoire,Cameroon,Equatorial Guinea,Madagascar,Mali,Senegal, and Niger.

Snoop -Sensual situation

LA-

From the latest album" The Blue Carpet Treatment" by Snoop Dogg[Euronext:VIV]. The urban musical composition features production by the likes of Akon,Stevie wonder,Dr Dre,Timbaland, and Pharrel.

(correction): the song is the single to Snoop upcoming album "Ego tripping"

Africa Commerce centers index

With the news of johannesburg being one of the 50 best commerce centers in the world,according to the Mastercard[Nyse:MA] global commerce center index, we could not but help wonder who within the African urban space would be our best commerce centers.

The leading African urban cities in the world must provide the fundamental architecture of a global commerce. The make-up of this cities is made of transcultural,transnational and trans professionals,entrepreneurs,creative individuals moving along the different urban cities that spread across the African-urban space.

For many young Africans,urban culture today is far more relevant than ethnic,tribal or even national culture. In this context ,we must leverage the role and influence of global Afri-urban cities.


We came up with this temporary list by following the same measurement dimensions used to draft the global commerce index.Taken into consideration were the current legal & political framework,economic stability,ease of doing business,financial flow ,knowledge creation & information flow,and business center.For now the list is not numbered, feel free to make up your own order.

Johannesburg
Durban
Tunis
Casablanca
Nairobi
Dakar
Abidjan
Luanda
London
Tripoli
Accra
Libreville
Gaborone
Kinshasa
Maputo
New York
Windhoek
Los Angeles
Douala
Port Louis
Cairo
Kampala
Khartoum

China gift to the AU

Update: the project cost is estimated at $150 million

Housing finance ,turning dreams into homes

Nairobi-

The company Housing finance[Nse:HF ] is unveiling a set of mortgage products for individuals working in the informal sector, a move that is see them own homes and build commercial property. The move has been decided based on their assesment of the housing shortage in the middle and lower income housing group.
The informal sector is estimated @ 6.5 million self-employed,entrepreneurs,farmers and small business owners.[ Business Daily]

Khaled,Birdman,Ross,Weezy,Jeezy- $100 million

Miami-

Will China investment spree keep going in 2008 ?

[Picture courtesy of BBC Africa]




Chinese investors have access to somewhat under-served markets,abundant under-used natural ressources, as well as cheap and well trained labour.

China is the third largest trading partner of Africa,following traditional partner France and the United States.Chinese investment is present in 48 countries,Agticulture,ressource extraction,manufacturing,service


Chinese firms have been extremely aggressive taking adavantage of privatization opportunities in Africa.

Ivory Coast forecast 3 % GDP growth

Yamoussoukro-

Ivory Coast's economy will grow by around 3 percent next year, national and international investment is expected to pick up as confidence returns. The rebuilding of roads, schools and hospitals as well as investments in the Energy,Oil,Real estate,Entertainment, Banking and Retail industries should support the GDP growth. [ Reuters Africa]

In the media: Economics of music

An clever article in prospect magazine discusses the economics of music. They brightly point out to essential issues and facts that any musicians,managers,record executives and investors must understand when assessing the state of the music industry.

1. Most band however successful make the bulk of their money from live performances and the merchandising opportunities that go with fame and influence they exercise on their constituencies.

2. In the near future CD sales physical or digital would constitute only a small portion of a successful music & entertainment company. A great share of their revenue would be generated by the artist(s) extra-musical brand extension.

3. Artists are brand more than anything else, Michael Jackson,The Beatles,Miriam Makeba,James Brown,Jay-z, 50 cents are great examples of successful branding.

4. Dissemination is the key, by spreading widely their music sometimes for free, music acts are able to build up a large audience that will be the customer base for all the by-products.

5. Thanks to the Internet , a much direct and intensive dialogue can take place between music providers and music consumers.

6. Touring,merchandising,streaming videos, licensing of music to movies, TV shows, adverts,video games and music social networking are the new markets for music & entertainement companies.

7. The big four, EMI ( Public:LON:EMI), Universal,SONY/BMG, and Warner music( Public:NYSE:WMG) are restructuring, and will probably morph into consumer marketing companies.

8. When purchasing music, digital store seems to be the prefered way to build one's digital library-duh !!-

9. Ticket prices for A-list acts have soared


While such conclusions- about the state of the global music industry- are being reached , what does it mean for the Urban African music industry.An important factor to take in whenever discussing the Urban African music industry is the flick of its delimitation. The Urban African music industry is not located in one geographical place. The hip hop industry is really in the US-New York,Los Angeles,Atlanta- the country music industry is in Nashville, the same situation is observable in other industries, the US IT industry is based in Silicon Valley, the American finance industry is concentrated in Boston and New York.
There is not a cluster of companies related to the music industry in one geographical area, that being the case there are tremendous losses due to the lack of harmonisation and focus of such an industry.

That being said, sprinkles of individuals and their management teams approach the market accordingly , artists such as Mokobe ,Kanye West, Molare,DJ lewis, Kaysha,Rudy Rudiction,Fally Ipupa,Doug Saga ( R.I.P),Krys,Jay-z,Master P, Kery James,Rohff,Singuila,Akon,Positive Black Soul,Bennie Man , Sean Paul,Sham, Booba,Youssoupha,Magic System,Werasson,Lura and their management teams understand very well the essennce of branding and maintaining a relationship with the customers.

Q&a with the owner of Kerawa

Africaincorp had a very insightful conversation with the owner of kerawa.com, a web 2.0 company from Cameroon. The company is taking on the larger Newspaper companies,the community portals and the offline social/tribal networks, that have traditionally controlled the classified ad market.Information on Job,Romance,trade,service opportunities have been often limited to your access to the newspaper[financial/geographical],or a specific social/tribal network.
Say no more,here comes kerawa.

Can you describe Kerawa in a few words ?

The technical term for sites like Kerawa is a free online classified ads site. I would describe Kerawa as a gigantic trade fare where everyone can freely advertise.

How would you describe your Business model ?

The business model is principally based on paid publicity. Hey, but ads on kerawa are free, you might say. True, but we are counting on the fact that the free ads will get so many that some individuals and companies will feel the need to want to make their ads stand out from the crowd.

On Kerawa, we have three principal paid ads options

Extended Ads (Where your ads last much longer than the allocated 45 days for free ads)

Featured Ads( Where your ads kind off stand out from the crowd)

Email Ads (Where your ads will be put after each mail sent from Kerawa).

Google Adsense might be an option when Kerawa becomes far bigger, and when Adsense contains more African ads.

Right now, we are still working on payment methods. Possible channels might include money transfers, from Western Union or MoneyGram, credit transfer through mobile phones, local partners in each and every country supported by Kerawa, and other solutions. Paypal, Visa cards and the other e-transaction gateways are not yet common in Africa, though I predict in the next few years it will not still be the case. Let's see what new solutions like MaatCard will do for us.

What is going to be your marketing strategy, when it seems

that the majority of businesses in Africa go to off/online

newspapers and individuals go to community websites and

forums to post their classified ads ?who do you see as your

direct competition,dating sites,community portals,online

newspaper ?

The marketing strategy will be based on how easy, how effective, how cool and how free it is to post ads on kerawa.com, as compared to traditional media, forums or other community portals. Though traditional media will always have some value, posting ads on Kerawa come as an alternative that is no more reserved for the rich. Though forums can serve as a repository for ads, I don't think they are really tailored for the task. What makes posting ads on Kerawa and other classified sites ads more attractive over forums and other dating sites is that there is no need to register. No need to register when you wish to post an ad, no need to register when you wish to view an ad.

Kerawa has a "Personals" category where one can post dating adverts for free just like how they post other free ads. In your ad you can describe yourself, put up your picture, and describe the date you are looking for. You can even decide to be anonymous. If you see an ad of the date you want, you can exchange emails or numbers and continue dating offline/online. For now we think dating should be as easy as that. If we perceive a need to make it more sophisticated than it is right now, we might as well create a totally separate dating section.

I think the main competition will come from general purpose community portals. These portals have already started adding free publicity as part of their services. We at Kerawa are going to do one thing, and are going to do it very well. Serve free classified ads.

How much do you think the growing usage of the mobile phone

as more than a telephone and more as a medium of emission and

reception of content-information

[music,games,pictures,currency] and a factor of constant

connection[ Mobile Web application,SmS,RSS] can play a part in

the expansion of Kerawa ?

I usually get excited when we start talking about mobile phones and other portable electronic devices, because I think they will only become more and more sophisticated and omnipresent. Just look at the iPhone today.

Without even mentioning other aspects of telephony, let's just look at plain SMS. We haven't even scratched the possibilities of all what we can do with just plain SMS. Just a few months ago, while at school, some of my classmates and I personally developed a prototype where we could literally command a whole computer network just with our cheap phones via SMS. A paper has already been submitted to the some scientific communities on the work we had done.

Telephony will definitely play a big role in the expansion of Kerawa. We are thinking of partnering with sites like Benoue.com to help us do some mass SMS publication to potential advertisers. There are also many features we plan to add to Kerawa that specifically target mobile phone users. Time will tell.

Do you see Kerawa becoming a Kijiji, a craiglist or a oodle

? How do you reconcile the needs[ what are they] of the market

with the convenience or productivity afforded by your web

application ?

When you say become a Kijiji or a craigslist or an oodle, I want to believe you mean in popularity and basic functionality. Of course it will, but mainly for Africa, by Africans.

Effective trade is really important for the growth of Africa. Information too is vital to the development of a society. We wish to provide a medium for the African community where lots of information will be generated to do effective trade or exchange services, just like how we do in real life. When you want to sell your car for example, you usually tell your friends around you and hope they too will tell their friends and so on. With the internet, you will touch a broader potential audience in record time, at virtually no cost.

Do you intend to add more features to the site, RSS feed,

picture or video posting ,dating section of the site ?

There are already RSS feeds on the site for each category and each country, so you can use web based or pc-based rss aggregators to stay informed with the latest ads. Unfortunately for now, all our RSS feeds have the same title. This is a minute problem that will be promptly solved. We can also post pictures on Kerawa even though for now we have preferred to block this feature; due to our slow internet connections and ever annoying spammers. We don't want to add features that our poor bandwidths will not be able to support.

Though for now feature-wise Kerawa is not yet unique, the many features we will add in the future will make it very unique, world wide. The initial objective was to know if there will be a market. Now that we know there is a market especially after the Kerawa Effect, we will orient our new features towards satisfying that market. I am giving you rendez-vous in one year's time, to see if Kerawa will still be just another classified ads site.

How do you intend to monetize the site ?[ Beside

advertisment or subscription fees]

It is generally very hard for a website offering free services to get money apart from publicity or paid subscriptions. We could possibly start our own offline classified ads newspaper with content generated from Kerawa.com.

What type of offline or online partnership do you foresee in

the future that could help propel the business ?

We will definitely be interested to partner with all major offline media and non media African companies to serve as a medium for their classified ads. Imagine if all African job opportunities were posted on Kerawa, be they big or small. Imagine if all local landlords decided to post their ads for free on Kerawa, maybe with maps to their real estates. And so on.

We could also partner with other online companies where they could freely display ads from Kerawa, thereby making ads on Kerawa touch a broader audience. We already provide RSS feeds for our ads, so this should be easy.

What is your perspective on Web 2.0 trends in

Africa-Cameroon and what kind of impact are they going to have

on social/business/cultural paragdim?

Web 2.0 and other social online media are definitely going to affect the African community, big time. We will start relying more and more on the internet to look for things and get things done. I think business will the first to be greatly affected, as more and more will seek online presence. And with initiatives like Kerawa and similar African sites, we may start having companies whose business models are centred on the internet.

The recent trend in most web based businesses is focused on end user generated content and great web experience. The only problem I have with most Web 2.0 trends is their tendency of over bloating. A lot of Ajax/DHTML effects or flash animations are just overkill for our bandwidths here.

Though are fathers never really encountered the internet, the younger generation is getting more versed with what the web can offer them. We are an emerging market. A generation from now, I predict Africa as a whole will be a major internet consumer. It will be unwise to let this opportunity pass away and let the Europeans and Americans come and steal our market from us.

Real estate opportunity in Uganda

• rime hilltop location with extensive views;
• Luxurious 3-5 Bedroom Villas designed and built to modern European standards;
• Private estate with landscaped public areas;
• 24hr security;
• Individual ownership/land titles;
• Option to alter interior design with early commitment;
• Individually tailored mortgage arrangements available;
• 300m to the International School of Uganda;
• Shopping and entertainment amenities planned nearby.

The project is to provide for cost effective, flexible and practical space utilisation balanced against the aesthetic desires to develop buildings of high quality and architectural merit to reflect the aspirations and expectations of the developers and end users.

Eachof the houses is situated on its own private 1/3 acre plot within the development - each with its own aspect and views towards Lake Victoria or surrounding landscape. Plot sizes are deliberately kept small to allow the scale of the development to have a cohesive 'village' feel rather than individual houses spread out on suburban plots as found elsewhere in the city. Houses and plots have been carefully planned to ensure privacy within private gardens and to maintain views out over the landscape.

A 10% payment from prospective buyers will secure any property before construction and will allow owners an opportunity to amend final designs and finishes.


Sale package:

In the news: Uganda Telecom IPO

Kampala-

The Uganda telecom company[ ] who recently signed a deal with French Alcatel-lucent[Euronext:ALU;Nyse:ALU ;Tyo:6687] to deploy their 3G network,is getting ready for an initial public offering on the Ugandan Securities Exchange scheduled for the month of January.[ Nation media]

Business: Stoic

Nairobi-
Stoic Company is a business covering all matters of fleet management including Satellite tracking and Vehicle security. The Kenyan company's tracking system is a real time mobile asset tracking and management system. This state-of-the-art technology enables you to manage your fleet from the comfort of your laptop, PC, smart phone ,PDA


We can list the features of the system:

1. User friendly and interactive system
2. Customizable to suit your needs
3. Real time tracking
4. Play back options
5. Real time reporting
6. Security features including;
   • Remote shut down of your car in case of theft
   • Geo-fencing which allows you to put a virtual fence barring your cars going into dangerous zones
7. Mileage calculation
8. Warnings

They also offer a personal tracker,great to follow the moves of your employees,children ,lovers and husband/wife.

The company also retail,standard and intelligent alarms, on-board entertainment systems,window tinting.They can also provide drivers, to businesses and individuals , in the following categories,

• Executive category
• Taxi category
• PSV category
• Distribution category
• Long distance category
• Motor bike rider category
• Special class category among many others

Celtel's unified network makes life better.

Kinshasa-

Celtel[ Kse:ZAIN],a telecommunication company with operations in, Burkina,chad,RDC,Gabon,Ghana,Kenya,Madagascar,Malawi,Niger,Nigeria,Sierra Leone,Sudan,Tanzania,Uganda, and Zambia ,servicing a total of 24 million customers,innovates and bring a cost effective [ to the customers] solution to the market.
The unified network allowing customers to communicate at the same cost regardless of the territory they find themselves in i,s truly innovative for the market. The one Network is available for now in 12 out 15 markets Celtel operates in.

The markets where the One network is currently active are : Kenya,Uganda,Tanzania,Gabon,Congo,Burkina Faso,Chad,Malawi,Niger,Nigeria ,Zambia and Sudan

African Tycoon

Africa web 2.0

[image courtsey of whiteAfrican]

Magic System[RCI] Amine[North Africa]

Abidjan-

Akon[Senegal]Raekwon[USA]Wyclef[Haiti]Wayne[USA]

BHF Magazine

Visit BHF Magazine

50 Cents on a wall in Abidjan

Update on Noella Coursaris

Lumumbashi-

Noella Coursaris[ here,here and here] with the support of a extensive group of professional is embarking on social venture.The goal is to provide for young girls, in the southwest region of the Congo[Kinshasa], the necessities needed for them to get a education, thus increasing their chances at a higher productivity for themselves and their community.

You need to have JavaScript enabled to see this content.

Olu maintain-Yahoozee

Lagos-



Some viewers of the video might object to and some might celebrate the underlying theme of the song [ crooks & thieves celebrating their ill doings] but the reason for[ Afrimedia] publishing the selected videos is to showcase the exponentially improving quality of the videos shoot on location in the different African music markets.

Update on the Apprentice Africa

Lagos-



This is a video update on the Reality TV show Apprentice Africa. The winner of the show pockets $ 200.000 and an executive position in one of Africa's top banking firm.

Obsession-Jangu

kampala-

Blue 3 Featuring navio

Kampala-

magazines seen around

Bebe Cool featuring Dizz Nuts

Kampala-

War dance

Kampala-




[Website]

Luanda Stock Exchange

Luanda-

Angola is to open their Stock Exchange at the beginning of 2008 ,according to reports.More than 16 companies are expected to be registered by the end of the 2007-2008 fiscal year.
This additional capital raising medium in the financial industry would probably boost the $40 billion FDIs funds coming to Africa to an higher level.[ Reuters Africa]

Ghanaian soccer fans to buy Ticket via cellphones

Accra-

The mobile economy brings M-ticketing to Ghanaian consumer after it did, M-Money wiring,M-Banking or M-bill payment.
The company called TxtnPay gives an channel for national soccer league fans to purchase their games ticket from the comfort of their cellphone. [Timbuktu Chronicles]
TexntPay services include:
Pay a bill [ Click to see demonstration]

Transfer money [ C to see demonstration]

Freeway still got love for you

Real estate tendance in Kenya

Nairobi-
Kenya’s property market the high return on investment due to housing shortage at a time when tax rebates have lowered construction costs and increased margin is increasingly incited the formation of REITs to be listed on the Nairobi Bourse.
A REIT is a corporation or trust that uses the pooled capital from investors to purchase and manage property. [ Business Daily]

Al Yasmine, real estate venture in khartoum

Khartoum-
The first integrated and gated community in Khartoum, Al Yasmine ,consists of a group of villa and twin houses,with paved roads,greenery ,landscaping and other services such as, a medical clinic,a gas station,agreeable water network,cable and telephone networks,sewage.

The terms of payment of one property are the following:
5% of total price for reservation
15% at signature of contract
40% on a 36 monthly installements
Starting price $ 220,000

Khartoum International airport set to be opened in 2009

Khartoum-

Robust and promising economies attract even more capital

Funds financed by US institutions would follow the trail of Chinese,British,Indian,Russian and individual investors allocating more an more of their capital to the bond,equity and hard asset markets of African economies.
The Africa Catalyst Fund will emphasize investment in Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Ghana, Egypt, Kenya and Angola.
The Atlantic Coast Regional Fund will make private equity investments in companies in west and central Africa, with a focus on Angola, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal. All in all the US is going to direct in the capacity of $1 billion in the Agribusiness,logistic/transportation,mining ,telecommunication and financial services sector. [ Opic.gov]

How does the Maatcard work ?

Yaounde-

Below is a filmed demonstration of the Maatcard, the first E-transaction tool/application to be release on the African market(s) does not require the users to have a credit history, a bank account or any other traditional requirements asked for acquisition of a Visa card, a Paypal[Nasdaq:EBAY] account or the other.
Watch how it works.


video courtesy of Nino [in French]

Kery James featuring TLF

Paris-

Afriurban Sound presents: Assasin- France A Fric

Paris-

Afrimedia: Artist explains the value and role of art

le Combat Continue

Paris-

Afrimedia : Words and Pictures in Kenya

Nairobi-

WAPI, an acronyms for Words And Pictures, is a meeting for artists of all kinds and takes place every month in Nairobi Kenya. WAPI is currently busy expanding to other African countries. Editions have already been held in Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania) and Lagos (Nigeria). Have a look at what takes place at this great and very unique initiative.
Video courtesy of Trace TV

Afrimedia: 21st century African arts.

The Africa Remix is the biggest exhibition of contemporary African art ever seen in Africa. The reportage was broadcasted on Trace TV.

Afrimedia: Opportunities in chaotic Somalia

Mogadiscio-




[Dallo Airlines]

Google presence in Africa

in the media: Google Kenya and Safaricom to teams up

Nairobi-

Safaricom [Nyse:VOD;lon:VOD ]subscribers will now enjoy email services launched by the company in partnership with Google Kenya[Nasdaq:GOOG ].[ Business Daily]

France Telecom enters yet another African market

Nairobi-

The following facts, 8 million cellphone users but still a 30% telephony penetration rate in a growing economy, led French conglomerate France telecom[ Euronext:FTE,Nyse:FTE ], to shed $390 million for 51 % equity in Kenya's Telkom Kenya. [Business Daily]

Magazines seen around

Business: Java coffee Chain

Nairobi-

The Java coffee chain, roasts the finest Kenyan coffee beans everyday, and delivers it fresh to each of their 7 restaurants across the city of Nairobi. To accompany the drinks home baked bread, cookies and pastries, big juicy burgers,and interesting dishes out of their Mexican menu. They provide a friendly and family environment to their consumers.
Make sure to visit one of their location when in town.

Ted video:Should we grow energy ?

Bio fuels which are widely used in the Growing economic markets of ,Europe,Asia and South America could become an alternative source of revenue for African farmers.
Diversification of one's portfolio of income source is a mantra that all economic stakeholders have in mind.
Coffee,Cocoa,Peanuts,Cotton,Maize,Tea are good source of income but the new wave of farmers,Agri-businesses should consider the need of the future and start to grow energy.
Wheat,sugarcane and corn are notably used to produce Ethanol, the most commonly used form of Bio fuel @ the moment.


video source TED

[Read more@ Wikepidia]

African index fund

Lagos-
The Renaissance Group, an independent group of finance and investment companies specializing in high-opportunity emerging markets set its eyes on the African capital markets. Renaissance Group consists of investment banking, asset management, merchant banking and consumer finance. The company ,with offices in Nairobi and Lagos,launches a index fund covering the stock exchanges in Malawi,Uganda,Nigeria,Kenya,Cote d'Ivoire,Namibia,Mauritius,Ghana,Zambia and Zimbabwe.The company says that $1 billion in investement funds will be allocated to the African markets[The nation]

Market friday

[from Africanselect]

Starwood hotels, present and future in Africa

Starwood hotels[ Nyse:HOT] have a solid enough presence in the African markets,nonetheless plans are being constructed to increase their footprint on the African continent. Reinforcing of their market share and penetration of the new territories in Senegal,Cote D'Ivoire,Mozambique,Angola,South Africa,Morocco,Libya,Swaziland,Nigeria,Cape Verde and Algeria should be complete by 2011.[Afrik.com]

Elise Neal is feet for a King

Business: Star communication network technology

Kigali-
The Chinese firm, Star communication technology, wants to take to new height the mobile & Internet market in Rwanda. The company ,who has entered in partnership agreements with firms in South Africa and Zimbabwe in the past, launched their Rwandese subsidiary Star Africa media to provide Pay-TV and wireless Internet access.


For more info read PDF file:

AIRTECH 2007

Cairo-
This tradeshow [ November 15-18]will bring you the future of the Compressed Air Industry in Africa. To be seen are various ranges of latest technologies, accessories and you will have an opportunity to interact with the worldwide leading producers. Experience the very latest Air Compressors Technologies, Accessories, Equipments and Ideas.


[Website]

[Preregister here]

AITEC Africa

Nairobi-
The conference already happened. The topics of discussions were around the following:
-Simple bulk transactions, such as processing of stock trades or credit card transactions.

-BPO services, covering human resources and finance and administration.

-Contact Centre services for enterprises and government departments in domestic national and regional markets.

Jay conversates with Charlie

New York-






[Provided by Charlie Rose]

Imax Corporation enters Moroccan market

Casablanca-

A Imax affiliated theatre is set to be opened in Casablanca,Morocco, by the Canadian company Imax corporation[Nasdaq:IMAX ;Tsx: IMX ]. South Africa's Durban and Pretoria are the only two other locations the company operates in when it comes to the African markets.[ Cnn Money]

Morocco Mall coming early 2009

Casablanca-

The project covers a total surface of 10 hectares[ 24.71 acres] making the Morocco mall the largest shopping mall in the region. Modernity,aesthetic shapes, 40 restaurants, 200 stores, garage space for over 5000 vehicles and a public shuttle service available to and from the mall should accommodate the expected 15 million visitors. [ Paidcontent finance]

Will Smith is Fresh

Website

Literature: Pilibo Magazine

Website [ in French]

MTV to consolidate its hold on the African market

Africa hit Music reports the business strategy the Music & Entertainment company, MTV[Nyse:VIAB ] , has for its African markets.Amazed by the the early success of MTV Africa launched 2 years ago and the immense content and revenues available on the African continent, MTV will consolidate its brand and market share by launching the MTV Africa music Awards.

Artumas to invest $170 million in Mozambique & Tanzania

The Norwegian petroleum company,Artumas [Ose:AGI ] recently raised $170 million that they plan to mainly allocate towards oil exploration in Mozambique and Tanzania.[ Reuters Africa]

Africa , an important arena for diversification

According to the Risk Map 2008 report, African markets are no longer consider a risky investment by foreign investors and businesses amid the surge in acquisition,joint ventures and direct investment by African,Chinese,European and American medium and large companies.
Reflex pessimism or sentimental optimism as traditionally expressed by foreign and local stakeholders in the past should be off the window. [ The times]

In the media: Sea of opportunities in Africa

With more than 35 % of Africans living in sustained-growth economic markets( that is according to the World Bank) that have grown at more than 4% for the pas years, African economic markets have been creating an attractive business/investment environment, for foreign and local stakeholders alike. [ Mail & Guardian]


[More info]

Akon featuring 50 cents

New York-




Akon[Euronext:VIV ] and 50 cents[Euronext:VIV] collaborate on the track " I still will"

Magazines seen around

Jay-z on the cover of Blender magazine

Noella on the Cover of True magazine

Rihanna[Euronext:VIV ] on the cover of You magazine

Riad Meriem

Marrakesh-
Riad Meriem, is a boutique hotel located in the charming city of Marrakesh. The Hotel will treat its guests to a relaxing and posh experience amid the following services:
-Oriental pool with Patio Lounge
-Large private teracce with tents and chairs
-Private chef for Breakfast,lunch and dinner
-Hand Crafted bed
-Sound system with I-pod[Nasdaq:AAPL] and Bose system.
-Free Wi-fi access
-Hamman,Massage and Belly dancing

[More info]

As seen on TV

Dar Es Saleem-
Commercial part of the branding campaign, funded by by the Tanzanian Tourism board ,in their effort targeting their traditional US,German and Swedish customer base. The TV ad will be play on networks reaching this demographic. In the US, cable television CNN[Nyse:TWX] was the platform of choice for the board.

Tusaheme, a Kibira Films production

Dar Es Saleem-

A very informative account of the devastating effect of AIDS-HIV as experienced through one victim's distressful journey on a narrowing one way road. The movie shoot in Swahili [ spoken by 100 million] with English subtitles develops around the story of a young couple which sees everything they have planned for come to a stop.


"By the time you are done watching this movie you will understand new facts about the AIDS and you will have a first hand look at how a group of friends deal with their ailing colleague. Hopefully, you will also understand how to interpret the current events in the popular media covering the fight against AIDS" says the director.

Purchase Movie

Petroci and Co to build oil processing plant

Abidjan-
Energy Allied , a energy firm with geographical interest in Egypt ,Ghana ,Libya, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Cote d'Ivoire ,is set to begin [in two days] the construction of a state- of -the- art refinery that should help their Ivorian partners,Petroci, increase their output to 60.000 barrels/day.

With Oil to being or forecast to be drilled in Congo[230 thousands b/d*],Sudan[500 thousands b/d],Angola[2 million b/d],Egypt,Nigeria[ 2.5 million b/d ] Uganda, Ethiopia,Mauritania,South Africa ,Senegal,Libya,Algeria,Chad,Gabon[ 230 thousands b/d],Ghana,Tunisia,Equatorial Guinea[ 300 thousands b/d].

African[ Particularly] industries and households should not be in need of energy in the near future.The other stakeholders that should benefit from all this energy being spend would be environmentalists and eco- entrepreneurs.

* Barrels per day

In the media: Virgin Nigeria to acquire 24 planes from Brazil

Lagos-

Airline Carrier, Virgin Nigeria[Sgx:S55 ] is said to have ordered two dozen airplanes from Brazilian aviation manufacturer Embraer[Nyse:ERJ;Bovespa: EMBR3]. Virgin Nigeria airways flies to more than 12 destinations inside the African markets.[ Read more]

Premiere Boutique Hotel

Durban-

The Saxon is a boutique hotel and spa located in suburbs of Johannesburg.The Saxon experience is simply tasteful African elegance combined with personalised attention to details.Pictures are worth a thousand words:















[ More info]

Africaincorp 2.0

Coming soon...We just entered the private Beta phase..

Business: Real Contractor

View Larger Map

Kigali-

Real Contractors, a privately owned Rwandan based Construction and Real Estates Company. It operates alongside Rwanda's booming Building industry offers its customers Design and Build package. This will include,Planning, Design, Construction and Project Management of both Residential and Commercial Projects.

Below an example of a commercial project :





[More info]

The Cover of Miss Ebene South Africa Edition

Hotspots in Malawi

Blantyre-
When in Blantyre Malawi, and in need of a Wifi connection ,please check the following locations:

Chileka Airport , ,Blantyre Sports Club,Doogles Lodge ,Protea Hotel Ryalls ,Twiga Lounge ,Cafe Rouge, Chichiri Shopping Mall,Megabite, Chichiri Shopping Mall,Curry Corner, Chichiri Shopping Mall,Cafe Livingstone, ,Trade Fair Grounds, Chichiri Comesa Hall, Chichiri Bombay Palace Restaurant Hotel Victoria,Shire Highlands Hotel Kameko & Link Business Park ,Mandala Business Park ,Mt Soche Hotel
,Malawi Sun Hotel ,Jambo House,Kabula Lodge ,Cafe Chez Maky ,The Physiotherapy Clinic KIPS,Crystal's Florist ,L'Hostaria Pedro's Lodge ,La Caverna,Society of Malawi ,Historical Centre ,Studios de France .

Business: Sharenet.

Johannesburg-

Trade directly on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange via Sharenet[ Jse:SKJ], a South African base online discount brokerage company.Go and explore the South African stocks,bonds,futures and options with Sharenet, your key to investing.

The company provides services in the form of:
-Market information
-Educational tools[ simulated trading]
-Cycle trends analysis

Microsoft acquires 12% of Telecom company Blue Label Telecoms

Johannesburg-

Microsoft[Nyse:MSFT] will acquire approximately 12% of the issued share capital of  
Blue Label Telecoms through:                                             
 -    the acquisition by Microsoft of approximately 7.5% of the fully     
      diluted ordinary share capital of Blue Label Telecoms after the     
      Private Placing and the Investment Agreement at the Private Placing 
Price, of which approximately 5.5% will be from the Offer for Sale and
      the Further Allotment Option and approximately 2% from other Blue   
      Label Telecoms Shareholders ("the Microsoft Share Acquisition"); and
 -    a specific issue of Blue Label Telecoms ordinary shares for cash to 
Microsoft at the Private Placing Price, representing approximately  
      4.5% of the aggregate fully diluted ordinary shares in issue after the
      Private Placing and the Investment Agreement ("the Microsoft Share  
      Issue").                                                  

Blue Label Telecoms has operations in other African markets outside South Africa in , Mozambique,and the Democratic republic of Congo. The company is going for an IPO on November the 14th.

Business: Palacina, Nairobi's Premiere Boutique Hotel

Nairobi-

Palacina ,Offers all the luxuries of a five star hotel, with special personalized service, a relaxed atmosphere and great attention to detail. As a family owned and run hotel the core emphasis is on making guests feel at home during their stay in Nairobi in an atmosphere of understated elegance and warm hospitality.

The Boutique Hotel features 14 Luxury hotel suites including 2 stunning penthouse suites. Each of the suites has a living room, a suite bathroom, dresser and a private furnished balcony.

Facilities to the hotel include:
Fitness room – This room has the latest aerobic & anaerobic fitness equipment available free of charge exclusively to the residents & guests of Palacina.

Spa room – Offering a range of spa treatments and massages by our highly trained and professional beauty therapist. A place to stimulate your senses and allow for complete relaxation of body and mind.

Guest laundry room – They do offer a laundry service, however, if you would like to do your own laundry, there is a guest laundry room with coin-operated washer & dryer machines as well as an iron & ironing board.

Private lounge for entertaining – Should you wish to entertain your guests, They can provide a private lounge for you with your own waiter free of charge.

Swimming pool – The pool is open only to residents & guests therefore you are assured of peaceful enjoyment.

Make a reservation.

9ice

Lagos-

Top 10 economic hot spot in Africa

Below are the most active economies of Africa. Construction, Telecoms,Infrastructure building/expanding,Manufacturing,Real Estate,Oil production,Retail, Tourism,Finance are some of the main drivers behind the economic booms of these markets.

1]Angola 23%
2]Sudan 11 %
3]Equatorial Guinea 10.1 %
4]Ethiopia 10%
5]Liberia 9.4 %6
6]Libya 9.2 %
7]Sierra Leone 7.4 %
8]Tanzania 7.1 %
9]Mozambique 7 %
10]The Gambia 7 %
[IMF]

Financial market to finance 20% of Tunisian economy

Tunis-

In a move to achieve this goal by 2009, Tunisia is opening a small-cap stock exchange next month in its capital. The stock exchange should be a medium for small and mid size companies to have access to excess capital without having to meet the more rigid requirements of the Tunis stock Exchange.
Small and mid size firms make up 90 % of the Tunisian private sector.[ Reuters Africa]

7 % GDP growth rate in Gambia

View Larger Map
Banjul-
Tourism,Construction,Telecom and Banking are the drivers behind the 7% GDP growth rate observable in the Gambia.
[Gambia News

Literacy rates in African markets

These are the markets with the highest rate of population that know how to read,write and speak in the official language of said nation [ Portuguese,French,English,or Arabic]. Should these markets be the first on the list of Human resource managers when investigating the Africa talent pools ? Some of these nations are able to provide their educated population with jobs, but not all can do so for various reasons.

Some of these nations leverage their brain capacity while others do not, countries in need of talent should look no further that neighbouring nations to tap into their unused labor force.
outsourcing to the region with the supply of workers is one way , incentives[ public-private planned] for workers to migrate to the labor markets with high demand for skilled labor is another.

Seychelles 91%
Zimbabwe 90%
Namibia 85%
Mauritius 84%
Equatorial guinea 84%
Sao Tome 83 %
Congo 82%
South Africa 82 %
Libya 81 %
Lesotho 81 %
Swaziland 79%
Botswana 78%
Tanzania 78%
Cape Verde 75 %
Tunisia 74 %
Kenya 73 %
Gabon 71 %
Madagascar 70 %

Most peaceful nations in Africa

According to the Level of Peacefulness index, these are the most peaceful nations in Africa: Ghana,Madagascar,Botswana,Mozambique,Zambia,Gabon,Tunisia,Morocco,Tanzania.Namibia,Senegal,Malawi,Equatorial-Guinea,Cameroon
Kenya, South Africa,Ethiopia,Uganda,Zimbabwe,Angola,Cote D'Ivoire,Nigeria.

Not that the 31 other nations are violently at war, but these 22 nations are above average when it comes to the conditions needed for the various stakeholders of the society to co-exist and be productive.

Business: Highland tea

Nairobi-
The Highland Tea Company, founded by Watiri and Wanja Michuki, does wholesale and retails Kenyan speciality teas in the US market.With other 100 stores carrying their brand nationwide,it should not be such a problem trying their products. The website of the company serves as a point of communication ,between individual customers , wholesale buyers and the company.

Business: Good African Coffee

Kampala-

Good African Coffee produces four different, single origin, roast and ground coffees and one 100% Arabica freeze dried coffee…Their coffees are bought direct from a network of farmers at premium prices and specially roasted and packed under stringent quality controls.


This Classic, richly roasted blend produces a well rounded, sweet and lively flavoured coffee with good acidity.












This Gold medium dark roast blend produces an exciting, strong, yet smooth coffee with hints of fruity overtones.











This Prestige roast blend is a medium strength coffee whose rich flavour has citrus and floral undertones.
















This Espresso roast consists of finest Arabica and quality Robusta beans, blended after roasting to preserve their complimentary flavours. The slow roasting process produces a unique African Espresso with a smooth and rounded taste.

Local language based mobile phones

Addis Abeba-

Nokia[Nyse:NOK; Omx:NOK1V ] after successfully launching handsets pre-set in local languages in South Africa[Zulu],Nigeria,Kenya[Swahili] and Mozambique, does the same this time in Ethiopia[ Amharic]. Such localization of goods and services is probably the intelligent approach when it comes to efficiently servicing a market.Adoption of local languages give access to million of previously ignored customers that read ,write and speak but mainly in their natural languages.[SSI]

Make a phone while getting your shoes cleaned

Arusha-

The telecommunication leader in Tanzania Vodacom, is leveraging the network of professional shoe shiners dispatched throughout the city. What better way to kill sometime or conduct productive business than talk at a cheaper rate while getting your shoes cleaned for 15-20 mns[ At least that is what Vodacom thinks]

Is there some psychology @ work here, the average person hates to remain still and quiet, the availability of a phone while you are getting serviced for the next 15 mns should be tempting enough,add to that a lower than usual call fee and you may be onto something.[ Arusha Times]

Business: Blue Cruise

Blu-Cruise is a company that offers tailor made packages to suit different individual customers and corporate clients needs. The types of services can be categorized as: School children pick and drop. Company/Hotel staff pick and drop on time. Group excursions at low rates and free waiting times. Door to Door pick and drop Tours Conferences Weddings Taxi Car Rental Haulage Airport pickup

Make a reservation here.

The future of African media: Internet TV vs Mobile TV

-
Will video streaming or downloading of video content to the Mobile device catch on in African Markets ? One might say yes,for one there are more Mobile device carriers than PCs/laptop owners
Secondly most owners of Mobile devices already have developed an intimancy level with their phone that would be difficult to match by the computers.
People are emotionally connected to their phone as they speak,send SmS,send pictures taken with the phone to their friends,lovers,and acquaitances and that at a almost daily rate.

People are psychologically connected to their phone as they know it to be a reliable source of information for rumors & alerts [ sent via SmS] or even job openings[ sent via SmS].

By the sheer number of handlets outhere and the functions the cellphone plays, we believe that Mobile TV has more of certain future than internet TV.

But that said, internet TV still has room to grow,especially in the African urban market outside of the continent. Individuals with stakes in Africa have shown interest in following economic,cultural and financial developemnt in these markets.
Internet TV would probably the best medium to bring to them reliable non-text information.

Made-for-mobile media targeting the African urban market is the next chapter in the wave of opportunities,though requiring new business models and distribution models.
Datacasting: News,weather,stock market news
Cellcasting:Broadcast of video or music clips to the phone

Mobile operators plan to invest large sums of monnies in telecommunication infrastructure designed to facilitate the consumption of more content and create a richer multimedia experience for the subscribers.

Breaking news,live sports and cultural content[ Music,film,documentaries]mobile Marketing: SmS,Videos are some of the offerings we should see coming to the market in the near future.

Ten Bompas

Johannesburg-

If you prefer a Boutique hotel over your Hiltons[Nyse:HLN] and Intercontinentals[Lse:IHG ], The Ten Bompas hotel ,in Johannesburg should suit your taste the next time you visit South Africa, or as a local try to escape from the busy streets of Joburg.

Each suite has a separate lounge and bedroom, a fireplace, guest toilet, steam bath and plenty of natural light, with access to the outdoors via a ground floor patio or a balcony. Each suite is equipped with complimentary bar, high speed Internet, satellite television and a compact disc sound system




click here to book Online

Business: Tonic design

Johannesburg-

Tonic is a design studio and showroom situated in Rosebank's Design District.

Using a combination of their own designs, well-chosen objects and refurbished antiques, they design interiors with a contemporary classic appeal. They embrace a holistic philosophy which ensures an integration of the client’s vision with the best in international and local design. Their style is characterized by clean lines, a bold use of shape and form, and an unusual juxtaposition of elements.

They offer a full interior design service for domestic interiors. This ranges from the supply of individual items to turnkey interior design projects. They also have extensive experience incorporate, retail and hospitality design - and offer their clients a professional design service from concept to execution.

Why should you invest in African economies

-Increasing political stability 33 out 53 economic markets are enjoying political stability. Botswana,Benin,Mozambique,Mauritius,Morocco,Namibia,Gabon,Senegal,Seychelles,
Uganda,Tunisia,Gambia,Cameroon,Rwanda,Ghana,Angola,Madagascar,Djibouti,Zambia,
Reunion,Cape Verde,Liberia,Mali,Togo,Guinea-Bissau,Lybia,Lesotho,Kenya,Egypt,Tanzania,Sao Tome & Principe,Swaziland,and Burkina Faso.

-Alleviation of the debt burden, the ratio of government debt to gross domestic product has dramatically fallen in most of the economies , giving more room to the public sector to relocate earnings to infrastructure projects thus stimulate economic growth and create jobs.

Private and institutional investors should consider the companies quoted on the region's stock exchanges,including the locally-quoted affiliates of multinational companies.

Companies quoted on the NYSE,LSE,Euronext Paris,NSE,SSE, and MICEX that exercise a predominant part of their operations in ,or derive a significant portion of their revenues from the region.[ oil & mining companies,banking companies,Airlines companies,Shipping companies,telecommunications,Brewing,Hotel and Lodging.

Business: The African toyshop

Johannesburg-

The South African small business is a one time stop for all travellers and residents alike to get access to a collection of toys imported from more than 10 different countries[ DRC,Tanzania,Malawi,Lesotho,Mozambique,Uganda,Zambia,Madagascar,Zimbabwe,Kenya].

The African toyshop toys include wood-carved cars,dolls,airplanes, board games,and much more

Top Sex tourism destination

With tourism comes [ not necessarily if well managed] attached some social and cultural risks. The following countries have been deemed the most sexually attractive to sex tourism visitors that fly in with the hope of connecting sexually with the locals,for a fee or for free.

South Africa
Gambia
Tunisia
Kenya

In a world of interconnection

African markets with most Internet connected users ( excluding mobile phone browsing) as of November 1st 2007

1)South Africa (5,100,000)
2)Egypt ( 5000.000)
3)Morocco (4,600,000)
4)Sudan ( 2,800,000)
5)Algeria (1,920,000)
6)Zimbabwe (1,200,000)
7)Kenya( 1,100,000)
8)Tunisia(953,000)
9)Senegal( 540,000)
10)Uganda/Nigeria(500,000)
11)Benin(425,000)
12)Ghana(400,000)
13)Tanzania(333,000)
14)Togo/Mauritius(300,000)
15)Cameroon(250,000)
16)Zambia(231,000)
17)Reunion(220,000)
18)Libya(205,000)
19)Cote D'Ivoire( 200,000)
20)Ethiopia(164,000)

The total is Approximately 27 million of users grouped in 20 countries. Mind you Africa population is estimated around 1 billion individuals, that leaves a lot of room to grow for telecommunication companies.With Google[Nasdaq: GOOG]around and the right public sector initiatives , computer access and Internet usage is bound to grow.

Africa Competitiveness Index

1]Tunisia
2]South Africa
3]Mauritius
4]Morocco
5]Botswana
6]Egypt
7]Algeria
8]Libya
9]Namibia
10]Nigeria
11]Kenya
12]Senegal
13]Gambia,The
14]Tanzania
15]Benin
16]Burkina Faso
17]Mali
18]Cameroon
19]Madagascar
20]Uganda

These are the twenty economies with the ability to provide high level of prosperity to their stakeholders[ investors,entrepreneurs,citizen,workers]. These economies productively use available resources such as arable land,intellectual know-how,natural resources[ gold,oil,cobalt,diamond,fishing waters,uranium,etc]
Factor-driven[ unskilled/cheap labor & natural resource],efficiency-driven[ Higher education, Use of technology], and innovation driven[Create new & unique product,sophisticated production processes economies

Most liquid stock Exchanges

Afrifinance-
These are the seven most cash-ridden stock exchanges on the African financial markets.For small and large investors interested,in dividend payments and/or fast and smooth cash outs of the market,the below mentioned markets would be for you.
Botswana Stock Exchange
Ghana Stock Exchange
Kenya Stock Exchange
Mauritius Stock Exchange

Nigeria Stock Exchange
South Africa Stock Exchange
Egypt Stock Exchange

The African connection

The African connection

For the past 5 years , it seems that investors,manufacturers,builders are looking @ the African markets as a place to get cheap stocks,cheap deals,cheap energy as well a willing and able consumer base.
Following in the footstep of China,Russia is trying to acquire assets,however their main target is the stock markets but preferably hard assets . Russia United Company[Rts:OKSA ] bought into Nigerian Alscon,signing a $250 million check for 77.5%.[ Reuters Africa].

L'age d'homme

Paris-

Miss Ebene

Miss Ebene publication in circulation for five years in Europe, with figures well over 100 000 copies per month; targets French speaking black women between the ages of 20 – 35. They are proud to announce that they publish this prestigious title in South Africa.

Beyond Black

Colures magazine is an upmarket glossy publication aimed at style conscious and intelligent women of colour.
Super stylish with pages of fashion, beauty, arts, travel and interiors features, this magazine is a huge departure from the current black women’s magazines available. It is chic, intelligent, contemporary and, full of interesting articles that go beyond ‘black-related' features.

Exhibit @ Bliotheque nationale de France

copyright of BNF.FR

African mobile market forecast [ 2007-2011]

With all the talks about Google Phone and Google's mobile application being released pretty soon, along with the fact that Google[Nasdaq:GOOG] is expanding in Africa, thoughts about the future of the African mobile industry and the opportunities awaiting organisations and entrepreneurs capable of enriching users experience came to mind.
The key fact:
351.93 Million customers by the end of 2011. [ PR Log]

Where do we go from here on ? The answers lie into the creativity and entrepreneurship of entrepreneurs that see the potentialand would know how to translate the needs of the market into services and products that bring convenience and increase the quality of life index.

7.3% GDP growth in Tanzania

Dar-Es Salaam-

The Tanzanian GDP is expected to grow by 7.3% this year , up from 6.8% for the 2005-2006 fiscal cycle.The government of Tanzania says that everything is on target and all economic indicators point towards an even stronger economic cycle for the year 2008.[Reuters Africa{Lse:RTR;Nasdaq:RTRSY }]

Update:

And the winner is

Brooklyn-

Roc boys is the title of the second single from the American Gangster inspired album by Sean Carter[ Euronext:VIV].





Buy the album directly from the artist
or purchase @ Amazon[Nasdaq:AMZN]

Could Ethiopia become Human ressource managers dream

Addis-Abeba-



View Larger Map

According to an article by the Economist[Nyse:PSO;LSE:PSON] Ethiopian well run universities are churning out graduates that will find it very hard to get a job in a labor market with as high as 70% unemployment rates. What does it mean for the mid-size companies in Ivory Coast , the start-up in Kenya, the corporation in South Africa and even state-owned companies in operating in Africa ?
It means that well educated unemployed or underemployed work force[ coming out of institutions such as University of Arba Minch] is waiting for audacious Human resource managers from companies operating in well to do African economies, to hire and put them to good use.
Knowledge-based products and services producing companies have for major cost their labor and not equipment,inventory or commodities. A cheaper knowledge work force is the ultimate goal to reach as far as the HR & accounting department are concerned.
If I was the CEO of a company , I would seek to see how to benefit from the well trained and cheap labor a flight away.

A storyteller journey

Brooklyn-

The man with a blueprint, sings the story of organized crime, the highs,the lows, the rewards and the consequences for the culprits,the victims and society as a whole.
Sean carter known as Jay Z is a breathing business model that the intelligent people should study to build their brand, and understand the importance of producing undeniable great experience for you customers. Longevity and success have always been granted to those[ think Madonna,James Brown,Tina Turner,Micheal Jackson,U2,Sting,Rolling Stone] that knew how to manage and balance creativity,efforts,branding and finance. Sean Carter exemplifies that in the Urban music industry.



[Video courtesy of VH1[Nyse:VIA]

Wale on the cover of URB Magazine

Dj lewis on Eritrian TV Channel

Asmara-

The Coupe Decale epidemic continues its wrath over the continent of Africa. Dj lewis brings the sound of Coupe Decale to the ears of Eritrian music consumer via Eritrian TV Channel.

Business:Soweto wear

Johannesburg-

"Sowearto (So..Wear..To) aims at providing a fresh perspective on the authentic style found only in South Africa. Our name follows a distinctive theme exclusive to Mzanzi; and it is echoed in the design, look and "feel" of our stores. Our theme and deco carries the concept of the township - chic shack - look and feel.

Fresh, local designers stay true to this theme by producing limited designs with a comparable connection to the local flavour of the brand. This unique combination allows our theme to be carried through to a truly unique shopping experience."

Lupe Fiasco is a superstar

Chicago-

Chi-town other prolific musical act collaborates with Matthew Santos on the Track " Superstar". Lupe Fiasco[ Nyse:WMG] is part of the flock of artists [ others are Wale,Kanye,Bonney,Drake,Jay z,Papoose] that are seen as able to bring back wit,humor ,introspection,creativity and freshness to a cultural genre that suffers from its commercial[ thus attracting mediocre entrepreneurs and products in a attempt to bank on it]

Mokobe featuring Viviane N'dour-Safari

Paris-
Mokobe and Viviane N'dour collaborates on this track, which videos was shot on location in Bamako,Mali.

<

Mokobe enflammes Paris

Paris-

Mokobe first live performance as a solo artist is also this quarter best urban concert.A decadent show was offered to the crowd with assistance of highly appreciated musical acts such as ,Youssouf N'dour,Dj Lewis,Diams,Sekou Bambino,113, and DJ cream.

Best Economic markets for 2007

Capafrique[ Think Tank] establishes its list of the best economic markets in Africa:

1)Maurice
2)Seychelles
3)South Africa
4)botswana
5)Namibia
6)Cap Verde
7)Ghana
8)Lesotho
9)Gabon
10)Malawi
11)kenya
12)Sao tome
13)Senegal
14)Tanzania
15)Zambia
16)Uganda
17)Ethiopia
18)Swaziland
19)Benin
20)Gambia

Africaincorp 2.0

Africaincorp-

Africaincorp Media Network is set to be launched this month. While our ultimate wish was to go live on the first of November, our bigger goal is to serve you with quality, convenience, and really useful story pointers, in a well designed environment.

It is this desire to be professional while passionate from the beginning that explains the decision to delay our launch.
Remember we are not in the business Internet,publishing,advertisement or journalism. Africaincorp Media Network is in the business of serving
we are in the business of serving information
we are in the business of serving useful information
we are in the business of serving real information

Afri-urban affairs,trends,financial news,youth culture,design,real estate,sex,travel and all other aspects of the Africa & Urban lifestyle are what we are interested in, delivering it to you in a timely and interesting manner is the business we are in.


P.S: Used in this post , one of our logo proofs. Do you like it , please tell us.

Coupe Decale Fever

Abidjan-Paris-

The musical and cultural movement that is Coupe Decale is reaching the tipping point.From the maquis of Abidjan to the cushioned seat of French most prestigious TV shows, the Coupe Decale is staying the course.
As seen with Techno,Hip Hop, Jazz,Rock n Roll, a whole set of industries can be created from this intangible good [music]. From fashion [ manufacturing,design,marketing,stylist],choreography,Music [ Promoter,A&R,Producer,Writer,Booking agent..] Publishing[ Magazine,Blogs,Documentary],Licensing and other industry spin-offs that have to be imagined by companies and entrepreneurs.

Business: Mwana

Kinshasa-

A pan-African resources company is listed on the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market[ Aim:MWA]

With operations and exploration activities in Zimbabwe, and a broad range of exploration and development projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Ghana, the asset base of Mwana Plc is diverse and well spread [gold, nickel, copper, zinc, cobalt,diamonds and oil and gas].




Download fact sheet

Africa's top banks

The 18 top banks with the most largest assets under management in Africa.[ Timbuktu]
Also listen to a podcast on Africa infrastructure financing

Mobile TV

Nairobi-

Mobile Television is now available to content viewer in the Kenyan market.This is about allowing more individuals to access video content through the most well implemented medium in the life of Kenyans. Television [ terrestrial,satellite,cable],computers and even the radio do not have all combined the level of penetration and intimacy cellphones have over the market.
One question remains, will content provider be capable of delivering useful and informative content to the audience. Music, short films, documantaries,viral marketing videos and porn are sure to find their way to the attention of millions of cellphone owners.[ Kenyan Broadcasting corporation].

What does it mean for African content provider? what does it mean for Nollywood producers, Ivorian Comedy TV shows ? What kind of leverage does it give to the marketing department of Music labels ?
Will it cause spin-off industries such as mobile based dating site ? It is sure to cause a dramtic shift in the way individuals access,research,receive and escape information.

update: Fly 540 expands flight routes to 8 African countries

Nairobi-

"Fly540’s success in Kenya has demonstrated the market demand for a quality airline operating across the African continent. I am delighted that Fly540 is now the choice of international carriers for flying their passengers within Africa," says the chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Investment company Lonhro [ that has 49 % equity in the Fly 540]Mr David Lenig.

The first destination to be added would be Angola since results of market analysis show that the domestic market in Angolan aviation is growing at 20 per cent per year.[ The East Standard ]

The magic of Blue 3

Kampala-
Blu3is Uganda's hottest all-girl group, made up of Cindy (Cinderella Sanyu), Jacqui Chandiru and Lee (Lillian Mbabazi). They launched their debut album, Hitaji at the Lugogo Cricket Stadium, Uganda, in front of 10,000 screaming fans.The album features production by Steve Jean, Henry Kiwuwa, Fabrice and Benon of Benon and Vamposs, and guest artist Hip Hop star Navio and ReeJay from Ghana, among others. The second single from the album, Katika, has already got the entire East Africa on its feet.

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Purchase their music here..

Agri-business 2.0

Lusaka-

"An SMS system which allows farmers in Zambia to compare prices in different locations is creating a revolution in the way farmers can now trade. Without comparative market data, farmers were often short-changed by middlemen who bought cheap and sold expensive", says the African Business magazine[ Print version for full story].

The future of African Music industry ?

Douala-

This Entrepreneur from Cameroon pitches this idea for Web 2.0 start up in the music industry. He is proposing a distribution and marketing model a bite along the line of lastFM[Nyse:CBS] or Pandora, but the search features as explained by the Webtrepreneur should give a totally new experience to the user ,and is what will make a difference between this web application and the others in the online music streaming market.
while he did not mention any Mobile application, it is probably part of the long term product development strategy.
[ In French]

Mali keeps on singing the blues

Bamako-

The death of blues giant Ali Farka Toure is not the end of Blues coming out of Mali. Vieux Farka Toure, genetic and musical offspring of the rock and blues master, mixes the sound of the blues with a shade of modern rock and reggae.

Will smith is Legend

Cinema-

Will Smith plays the role of the character based of the Richard Matheson's 1954 science fiction novel I am legend. The movie is distributed by Warnes Bros[Nyse:TWX ].

Seen around the web

Made in jamaica

Spanish Town-

"Made in Jamaica" is a powerful portrait of the leaders of the reggae music Movement, and how Reggae has become a worldwide phenomenon. The film showcases performances by the best Reggae and Dance Hall artists ever assembled. From their native ghetto to international fame, "Made in Jamaica" is the story of the artists who represent the Jamaican Dream



Themes & subjects touched by the movie:

Crime and violence of the ghetto
The political responsibility
History of Slavery and Colonisation
Legacy of Bob Marley and Salvation trough music
Music, recording studio and thousands of artists
Religion and Rastafarism
Sex and Music
Women and their role
Message of Hope for a better life


The artists featured in the film are, Capleton,Elephant Man,Bunny Wailer,Bounty Killer,Gregory Isaacs,Tanya Stephens,Beres Hammond,Third World,Lady Saw,Joseph Current,Vybz Kartel,Koolant,Shiah Coore,Alaine,Doc Marshall,Bogle,Blessed and Doc Marshall.

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African reggae still alive

Abidjan-

Alpha Blondy recently released his latest studio production to the market. The artist who has 16 albums under the belt, is coming to the market at a time of shock for the music industry amid the sudden and brutal death of South Africa reggae star Lucky Dube.
The track list :

01.I wish you were here
02. Sankara © ACMP / ABI
03. Ranita
04. Ne tirez pas sur l'ambulance
05. Demain t'appartient
06. Bahia
07. Mister grande gueule
08. Africa yako
09. Cameroun
10. Jah light
11. Le bal des combattus
12. Tampiri
13. Les salauds
14. Sales racistes
15. Ikafô
16. Jesus
17. Gban gban
18. La planète
19. La route de la paix

Pharaoh's daughter

New York-

She released vinyl in Japan and Europe and started to license her music in films and
television. "It's called bringing the mountain to Mohammad", Hill says of her tireless
strategy of marketing her music.




Interesting approach to distributing and marketing music to the consumers from an independent music creator.

Rothschild's Kinshasa bureau ?

Kinshasa-

"With two hundred years of successful client-service to our name, Rothschild takes the long view. They are committed to working towards long-term relationships, enabling them to get beneath the surface of business and objectives, and together[customers] find lasting solutions that fit with the customers culture and direction."

Is that the philosophy that is driving the company to open a subsidiary in the RDC and immerse their clientele into last frontier market ? It is probably good news for corporations,entrepreneurs and firms[ domestic and international] that can benefit from the know-how ,networks and in-depth experience of this established firm.Kinshasa [ our guest of where the Bureau will be] can end up in the long term becoming the financial hub of the CFA economic space, at the least give Abidjan a run for its money.
The top tier bank specializes in:
Investment Banking
Corporate Banking
Private Banking & Trust
Real Estate
Venture Capital
Asset management

Leona Lewis Bleeds for Love

London-

"Blessed with a voice of power and restraint, capable of heart stopping intensity and a playful light touch, Leona lewis, from Hackney, East London was never going to be an ordinary talent show winner. Six months ago, her massive Christmas Number 1 A Moment Like This smashed the world record for downloads by selling 50,000 in the first half an hour. The single sold 600,000 copies in its first week, making Leona the fastest selling debut female artist of all time."



Befriend her On Myspace [ Nyse:NWS;Lse:NCRA]

Dicaprio- Fatigue Fatigue-

Abidjan-

One of newly marketed Coupe Decale artist, Franky Dicaprio with his first single" Fatigue Fatigue" shot on location in Abidjan.

Apprenticeship in Lagos

Lagos-


"The Apprentice Africa," the first Africa-wide version of the popular American reality TV series will search for African candidates in The United States,Europe and Africa to compete for the title of "The Apprentice" in Lagos, Nigeria; winning an annual salary of $200,000 U.S. dollars and a luxury vehicle.
Eighteen selected candidates [with focus on education, leadership, management skill sets, entertainment ] will learn to work together through professional and personal adversity,during the sixteen week reality serie.

"The burgeoning business and future leaders in Africa are simply overwhelming with talent," says Chantalle Abdul, Executive Producer.

The show which is the co-production of the executive group and production company storm vision LTD.
Sponsorship of the show is provided by the winner of the "Most improved financial institution in Nigeria" Award, Bank PHB.

Do you want to be one of the contestant, apply here.

Note casual discussion with Africaincorp

Harlem-

Note is the founder/main designer of the clothing brand Note Knights of Africa. A complete artist[mannequin,painter,writer,poets] Note was inspired, by the good deeds of Bono,Oprah,Bill Gates,Nelson Mandela and other non public figures who give back to communities, to begin a new chapter of his creative and professional life. The company while a business venture seek to carry a strong and powerful message of love,courage and strength that is clearly palpable in the graphics,material used ,themes and ideas guiding the direction in which design,material,colors and come together.

If the brand was to be summarized , the following sentence should tell it all ” Finding the wonder in one another”

How long has the brand been out ?

The official launch occurred six to seven month ago, I must yet again thank my fellow designer and collaborator Ibrahim Doukoure [ Owner of bebenoir] for being such an inspiration. It is looking at him manifesting his ideas on wearable canvas [ T-shirt] that I found the courage to go ahead and bring my product to the market.

What are the expansion plan for Note Knights of Africa ?

We started locally here in New York, eventually we would like to be present in hand selected stores in selected US cities , then in selected international cities in Africa,Europe, South America, and Asia. The company growth would have to go according to our plan, we do not want to happen to fast [ could be overwhelming] nor to slow [ would missing out on some revenues]

What are the expansion plan for Note Knights of Africa ?

we started locally here in New York, eventually we would like to be present in hand selected stores in selected US cities , then in selected international cities in Africa,Europe, South America, and Asia. The company growth would have to go according to our plan, we do not want to happen to fast [ could be overwhelming] nor to slow [ would missing out on some revenues]

Where does design,sourcing and production take place ?

For now , design and production all take place here in New York. We usually source our material and garments from New York based wholesaler. Part of our plan in the future is to be able to source the best material and garment from around the world,particularly African countries.We do know that some of the most beautifully hand made garments are in production in Africa, but it will take some leg work to find and enter in a agreement with these producers.

To what extend do you make use of Web 2.0 tools to generate a buzz and following around the brand ?

We do use web 2.0 tools to build brand awareness and let people know about us. There is a ocean of data online related to fashion products and line , how to we stand out is complex equation. We are working on it though, for now the standard use of a Myspace[Nyse:NWS ] account,a website, a weblog and the likes are the only tools.

These are snippets from the long and interesting conversation Frederic and Note enjoyed over the week-end of Halloween in New York. The official interview is coming.