By Nawa Mutumweno – The Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), was endorsed by the Heads of State and Government of the African Union at Maputo in July 2003. CAADP is viewed as the potential driver for economic growth and poverty reduction in the continent. This framework encourgares African Governments to increase their annual budget allocation to the agriculture sector, with a view to attaining a marked annual sector growth rate. Among the key principles of CAADP is the need for wide stakeholder consultation in the selection of priority investment areas. Regional Economic Communities (RECs) such as Common Market for... Continue Reading
On the 16th & 17th October 2012 the second Clean Technology business and investment matchmaking conference for the African continent is to be held at the Killarney Country Club in Lower Houghton, Johannesburg, South Africa. Called “Viridis Africa”, the event is dedicated to entrepreneurs and corporates who are seeking funding to introduce clean technology solutions and services. Principals who present their business opportunities at this event would have the audience of numerous local and foreign investors, stratified according to their interest and investment criteria. Investors would include venture capital, private equity, project and corporate finance outfits and others dedicated to... Continue Reading
Numerous recent corporate disasters – particularly in the financial services sector – are the result of poor board governance and weak risk management. “To militate against this, recruiting and developing new directors to ensure optimal functioning is one of the most crucial duties of the board today,” says Sandra Burmeister, CEO of Landelahni, Africa partner of the global Amrop executive search group. “Since more ‘first timers’ are being appointed to boards than ever before, the accelerated development of board talent is becoming extremely important. “Increasingly, boards are developing sophisticated recruitment and selection processes to develop a broad pipeline of top quality... Continue Reading
Additional HX System terminals and hub expand Telma’s satellite network to support GSM backhaul and voice connectivity to rural areas. Germantown, Md., USA and SatCom Africa, Johannesburg, SA, 22 May 2012—Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite solutions and services, today announced that it has been awarded an expansion contract by Telecom Malagasy SA (Telma) to supply additional HX System remote terminals and an HX hub to expand Telma’s existing GSM backhaul project. The network supports GSM 2G/EDGE voice and data, and broadband data applications throughout Madagascar. “In 2005, Hughes provided us with the Hughes HN... Continue Reading
Satellite services will continue to fulfil an important role in providing the telecommunications infrastructure for Africa’s inland and remote rural areas, while the dozens of optic fibre cable networks now reaching the continent’s shores will – at least initially – have limited penetration inland. This is the view of Vinay Patel, senior sales director, sub-Saharan Africa, of Hughes Network Systems. Speaking at the Hughes’ annual regional seminar alongside the SatCom Africa 2012 conference in Sandton this week (21 May), Patel said there was growing demand for satellite broadband services in Africa. Hughes has shipped more than 78 000 very small... Continue Reading
