The confirmation was granted in the process of ascertaining the level of implementation of the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and South Africa at the Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) of the 9th Session of the Nigeria/South Africa Bi-National Commission Summit in Pretoria, South Africa on Friday 27th September 2019.

The proprietor of Air Peace Airlines, Allen Onyema has also confirmed that the airline would commence operation as soon as possible to promote air travel between Nigeria and South Africa.

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According to the South Africa based  Brand Africa  in a survey carried out in collaboration with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), the seventh edition which was released at the weekend, of 15,000 brands mentioned, Dangote ranked first brand when consumers are prompted to recall the most admired African brand.

In the top 100 list, the United State sports and fitness mega brand, Nike, a non-African brand retains the overall number one brand in Africa spontaneously recalled by consumers. South African telecoms brand MTN is the number one African brand spontaneously recalled brand, while surging Ethiopian brand Anbessa Shoes, at number two, swopped positions with Nigerian conglomerate, Dangote, which is the number three most admired brand of African of origin.

However, when consumers are prompted to recall the most admired African brand, Dangote retains the number one position. Just last year Dangote brand was named  the  most  valuable  brand among the top 50 brands in Nigeria for 2018 by Brand Nigeria.

Further analysis of the ranking indicates that Overall, the 2018/19 Brand Africa 100 list, which is calculated from 15,000 brand mentions illustrates a very diversified range of brands in Africa and shows year on year consistency with 80 per cent of the top 100 brands having been in the top 100 Most Admired Brands in previous years.

Overall, African brands faltered to an all-time low 14 percent share of the top 100 most admired brands in Africa. However, MTN (South Africa), Dangote (Nigeria) and Safaricom (Kenya) are the most admired highest listed brands on sub-Sahara’s leading bourses, the JSE, Nigeria Stock Exchange and Nairobi Securities Exchange respectively.

Faced with a relentless focus on the African opportunity and investment by non-African brands, Africa’s share of the most admired brands has been rapidly declining over the past three years from a high of 25 percent in 2013/14 to lows of 16 percent in 2015/16, 16 percent in 2016/17 and 17 percent in 2017/18.

“Today at the JSE, at an event with industry leaders from across Africa, hosted by the JSE in partnership with Geopoll, Kantar and Brand Leadership, Brand Africa announced the Top 100 brands in Africa in their 7th annual Brand Africa 100:  Africa’s Best Brands. Nike, MTN, Dangote, Ecobank and BBC were recognised as the most admired brands on the continent.”, a statement from the Brand Africa read.

“Non-African brands have entrenched their positions in Africa, with North American brands, dominated exclusively by United States of America brands (28%), leading with a growth of 17% versus 2017/8.  The strength of USA brands was boosted by the entry and/or re-entry of stalwart American brands such as number 71 Levi’s, number 91 Chevrolet and Pepsi’s Miranda at number 80, who are all among the 20 new entrants.  European brands (41%) are up by 2,5% and Asian brands (17%) down by 10%, round up the continental spread of brands Africans admire.

The Brand Africa 100 rankings are based on a survey among a representative sample of respondents 18 years and older, conducted in 25 countries across Africa.  Covering all African economic regions, collectively these countries account for an estimated 80% of the continent’s population and 75% of the GDP.

In a reconfigured category listing where technology and electronics and telecoms categories were separated and new categories of luxury and personal care were introduced or re-introduced, the Top 100 is dominated by technology and electronic brands (18%) and telecoms (7%), consumer (non-cyclical) (16%), auto manufacturers (11%), luxury (10%), automobile (11%), apparel (8%), retail (7%), food (4%), non-alcoholic beverages (5%), personal care (4%), sports & fitness (4%) and media (1%) categories are the top categories.

Thebe Ikalafeng, Founder and Chairman of Brand Africa and Brand Leadership said of the outcome of survey “It is disappointing that despite its vibrant entrepreneurial environment, Africa is not creating new competitive brands to meet the needs of its growing consumer market.

“These rankings are an important metric of and challenge for creating home-grown competitive African brands that will transform the African promise and change its narrative and image as a competitive continent.  African brands have an important role in helping to build the African brand”, he added.

Brand Africa 100 was developed by pan-African branding and reputation advisory firm, Brand Leadership Group supported by GeoPoll, the leader in mobile-based market research throughout Africa, and strategic analysis and insights by Kantar TNS, the world’s leading data, insights and consulting company.

It is an inter-generational movement to inspire a great Africa through promoting a positive image of Africa, celebrating its diversity and driving its competitiveness. It is a brand-led movement which recognizes that in the 21st century, brands are an asset and a vector of image, reputation and competitiveness of nations. Brand Africa seeks to inspire a brand-led African renaissance.

Its ranking of Africa’s 100 Best Brands is an initiative to survey, rank and recognize the best brands in Africa in recognition of the growth of African brands, which were beginning to challenge global brands in Africa or lead global brands in new categories such as telecommunications. The aim of Brand Africa is to identify, acknowledge and promote African and global brands that are catalysts for Africa’s growth, reputation and value.

In his reaction, Group Chief Corporate Communication Officer of the Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina said the management was not unexpected of the ranking because  the company has along standing reputation for quality, relevance compliance and social stewardship. “Our mission and vision engage and inspire us to by extension connects us to with both our internal and external stakeholders.

“We fervently believe that only Africans can develop Africa, and this gives us stronger sense of relevance  in all the countries where we have our operations. we are touching lives by providing their basic needs and empowering Africans more than ever before creating jobs reducing capital flight, helping government conserve foreign exchange drain by supporting different industrial infrastructural projects of African government.”

Mr. Chiejina stated further that Dangote Cement has been producing high quality and affordable cement, reducing poverty, engaging in unprecedented philanthropy and above all respecting the laws of the land where we operate. “All these are our credo and we do not compromise it, it is our way. And the ranking is just an acknowledgement of all these by our stakeholders, We keep our brand promise and stay authentic.” he concluded.

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The bodybuilder and former politician was chatting with fans at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg when a man took a flying leap and kicked him high in the back.

“Thanks for your concerns, but there is nothing to worry about,” Schwarzenegger, 71, said on Twitter.

“I thought I was just jostled by the crowd, which happens a lot. I only realized I was kicked when I saw the video like all of you. I’m just glad the idiot didn’t interrupt my Snapchat.”

Schwarzenegger was in Johannesburg for the annual Arnold Classic Africa, an international multi-sports festival.

“He was sadly and unexpectedly attacked by a crazed fan as he was doing a walk-through to support athletes,” the organisers said, adding the attacker — who was immediately apprehended — was known to police for similar incidents in the past.

Schwarzenegger told organisers he would not press charges.

Source: AFP

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The upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation is sure to include an eye-popping announcement of billions of dollars more in Chinese financing to build infrastructure across the continent. But these massive loans can come with steep and opaque conditions.

It’s tempting for Americans to think this is not our problem. But as African countries sink deeper and deeper into Beijing’s carefully laid debt trap, the United States could pay a steep cost in reduced cooperation on counterterrorism and job creation.

Chinese debt has become the methamphetamines of infrastructure finance: highly addictive, readily available, and with long-term negative effects that far outweigh any temporary high. This is particularly true in sub-Saharan Africa, where China has become the largest provider of bilateral loans. Forty percent of sub-Saharan African countries are already at high risk of debt distress; by having so much debt concentrated in the hands of a single lender, they are dangerously beholden to their supplier.

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Why does this matter? Because in Africa and elsewhere, governments have secured massive loans from Beijing using strategic assets—such as oil, minerals, and land rights— as collateral. If borrower nations find themselves unable to repay the loan, China can claim the strategic asset. Sri Lanka recently learned this the hard way and handed over control of the port of Hambantota, giving China a strategic foothold along a busy trade waterway. According to Professor Brahma Chellaney at the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research, “several other countries, from Argentina to Namibia to Laos, have been ensnared in a Chinese debt trap, forcing them to confront agonizing choices in order to stave off default.”

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While Chinese debt diplomacy may not seem relevant to most Americans, it is a serious threat to U.S. national security. Most directly, China’s crafty negotiations and seizure of strategic assets can limit U.S. influence and access overseas. For instance, the tiny country of Djibouti is home to the most significant American military base in Africa. Thanks to Chinese loans, Djibouti’s debt-to-GDP ratio surged from 50 to 85 percent between 2014 and 2016. If Djibouti were to default and relinquish the port that resupplies the U.S. base, American military capability in Africa and the Middle East could be seriously threatened.

More broadly, unsustainable levels of debt can destabilize African states, which also compromises American security interests. Over-leveraged governments can get caught in a downward spiral of credit downgrades, reckless economic policies, and reduced spending on social services. With economic stagnation comes fewer opportunities for Africa’s fast-growing and young population. And the toxic brew of economic hopelessness and political disillusionment can drive disaffected youth toward violent extremism. That can threaten Americans abroad and, potentially, even at home.

Finally, China’s debt diplomacy shuts out opportunities for U.S. businesses. Not only do Beijing’s cheap infrastructure loans come with conditions to employ Chinese companies, they also set out technical specifications for projects like high-speed railways and wireless networks in a manner that favors Chinese firms. The combined effect of these efforts “would push the United States away from its current position in the global economy and move China toward the center,” according to Jonathan Hillman, a fellow at the Center for International and Strategic Studies. China already earns $180 billion annually from its investments in Africa; if its debt diplomacy remains uncontested, it’s likely that even more revenues and jobs will flow to China, instead of the U.S.

But this outcome is far from inevitable. The U.S. has plenty of good options, but it needs to dramatically step up its game and support alternatives to Beijing’s aggressive finance initiatives. Perhaps most fundamentally, the U.S. needs to focus on boosting African economic growth. Helping African states to strengthen investment climates and economic governance will help them attract more private sector capital and provide more entry points for U.S. companies. A key component is assisting African efforts to increase transparency, so that all the costs and benefits of project finance options are openly known. Fully staffing U.S. embassies and offering more technical assistance to evaluate loan agreements and investment contracts would be a good start.

To date, the Trump Administration’s Africa policy has been adrift, defined more by racial epithets than any cohesive strategy or results. By comparison, China has a clear vision that will yield long-term benefits. In Africa and around the world, much more needs to be done to confront Chinese debt diplomacy. If not, the U.S. will pay a heavy price in its commercial and national security interests.

Harris is CEO of Harris Africa Partners LLC and advises companies on investing in Africa. He was senior director for Africa at the White House from 2011-2015.

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His message came at the opening ceremony of the 53^rd Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank . “Africa is no longer the sleeping lion. Korea is happy to share its industrial experience with the continent. The theme of the Annual Meetings is appropriate for the industrial transformation of the continent, and in facilitating the sharing of experiences with Korea and other partners.”

African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina thanked the Government of Korea for hosting the Bank’s Annual Meetings. He recalled Korea’s transformation from a poor nation 60 years ago to the 11th largest economy in the world, noting the contribution of industrialization to its transformation.

“Today, Samsung and LG television and phones dominate globally, while Korean cars are everywhere. Korea was deliberate and consistent in its industrial drive like China and Japan. Africa must learn from Korea’s industrialization and the equally remarkable experiences of China, Japan, and other parts of the world.”

“Africa must fast-track industrialization. That is why the African Development Bank plans to invest US $35 billion over the next 10 years in its focus on industrialization. The Bank’s industrialization strategy hopes to help Africa raise its industrial GDP from a little over US $700 billion today to over US $1.72 trillion by 2030. This will allow Africa’s GDP to rise to over US $5.6 trillion, while moving GDP per capita to over US $3,350.

“The formula for the wealth of nations is clear: rich nations add value to all they produce; poor nations simply export raw materials. Africa needs to industrialize and add value to everything that it produces – from agriculture, to minerals, to oil, gas and metals. Africa needs to move from the bottom to the top of the global value chains.”

Young Africans can transform the continent given the chance. He described the experience of Clarisse Iribagiza, a young Rwandan woman who earned a master’s in Information and Communications Technology from the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology, a program supported by the Bank. With a modest contribution from the Government of Rwanda, Clarisse launched an ICT business that she recently sold for US $10 million. She is now a member of the Bank’s Presidential Youth Advisory Council.

To unlock Africa’s potential through investment, the Bank has created the Africa Investment Forum,   a transactional platform created by the African Development Bank with its partners to leverage global pension funds and sovereign wealth funds and other institutional investors to significantly invest in Africa. This new investment marketplace will set sail from November 7-9, 2018 from Johannesburg, South Africa.

Dong Yeon Kim, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance of the Republic of Korea, said a new approach was urgently needed. He referred to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a 19^th-century American novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe that envisioned a promising future for Africa.

“Harriet Stowe was right. Very surprisingly, we now witness strong evidence of Africa flourishing, just as she predicted. Growth in the region over the past 20 years was 3% higher than the previous period, and the absolute poverty ratio decreased to two thirds of what it was two decades ago.”

Kim stressed the need for innovative industrialization to translate Africa’s potential into economic prosperity.

“Industrialization policy should take into account the unique conditions of each country. New technologies can provide leapfrogging opportunities by speeding up the industrialization process and creating new value.” Smart infrastructure, he said, presents a promising area for Korea’s contribution.

“Smart infrastructure can provide a new solution to Africa’s shortage in roads, airports and harbours. It allows optimal use of resources and can even replace traditional infrastructure. Africa is already producing substantial outcomes in this area. Going forward, Korea is strongly committed to share its rich expertise and experience as Africa’s close partner.”

In his address, the Chairman of the African Union and Rwandan President, Paul Kagame noted that holding the Annual Meetings in Busan presents a unique opportunity to enforce the growth cooperation between Africa and the Republic of Korea.

“Korea has been a strong and reliable partner of Africa. Africa faces challenges that we can address together,” he said.

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The African Risk Capacity is a Specialised Agency of the African Union that provides African sovereigns with capacity building services for early warning, contingency planning and risk finance towards protecting the livelihoods of their vulnerable citizens against the impact of natural disasters through home-grown, innovative, cost-effective, timely and sustainable solutions.

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In this position, Mr. Moghalu will be leading efforts to ensure that the work of ARC in responding to the challenges of climate change and natural disaster risk management is strategically communicated to the Member States and the international community in a way that secures commitment and boosts resource mobilisation.

Prior to this position, Mr. Moghalu, at various times, served as the Regional Head of Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) for the Southeast and Delta states in Nigeria; as well the Head of the Corporate Communication Division at its headquarters in Abuja.

Before joining NEXIM Bank, Mr. Moghalu had more than 10 years career with various United Nations agencies, including the ILO and the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Chinedu Moghalu holds a M.Sc. degree in Communications for Development, and other degrees in Political Science, and Law from University of Nigeria, Nsukka and University of Lagos, in Nigeria.

Moghalu is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, International Bar Association, International Public Relations Association (IPRA), and sits on the Board of the Chigari Foundation.

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“This expansion will give us the ability to attend to local Internet and content demands, as well as enhancing our peering activities in the region,” said Darwin Costa, product manager at Angola Cables.

Re-orienting global data flows and localising content

A fast-growing wholesale provider of Internet services in sub-Saharan Africa with a growing global infrastructure – including the Monet and South Atlantic Cable Systems (SACS).

Agola Cables is firmly focused on growing its presence on the continent. The company is also expanding African-based clients’ presence overseas. With the completion of SACS in mid-2018 and Monet this year, the company will pioneer the fastest routes between South Africa and Brazil and the USA. The company has also developed a ‘EuroRing’ to provide African companies with improved connectivity to Europe, including access to the major cloud services providers and content providers.

“Angola Cables is spurring the growth of a number of telecommunications markets in Africa, and as we improve Internet connectivity to and from the continent, we are bringing leading content closer to African users” adds Costa

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Hennie Heymans, Director General of DHL Express in Sub-Saharan Africa, explains that this is the fourth consecutive year that DHL receives this award from the Top Employers Institute. “DHL Express values ​​its employees and strives to make the company a rewarding place to work. We are proud to receive this recognition from the Top Employers Institute.”

This year, DHL was the only company to be certified as a Top Employer in 18 African markets, including Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Morocco, Nigeria , Namibia, South Africa, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia.

“Throughout its organizational structure, DHL cultivates an extremely consumer-centric culture, which we consider to be an essential component of our success. Maintaining this culture around the world is a task that resided, to a large extent, in our effective employee engagement programs, “Heymans said.

“As such, it goes without saying that employee motivation and development are very important areas for us. We are committed to having a team of highly effective employees who operate in a high performance culture that promotes and drives diversity. ”

According to Heymans, DHL’s use of employee initiatives and programs, including the company’s Certified International Specialist Certificate (CIS) cultural exchange program, helped unlock the potential of company employees throughout sub-Saharan Africa. “This year we placed a strong emphasis on re-qualifying and qualifying middle managers and supervisors as this leadership level is central to leading and executing our growth aspirations in the coming years. As we continue to grow, we need to all of the company’s employees understand their role and how to execute efficiently. After all, the role of supervisors and middle managers is to build trust and inspire great performance. ”

DHL also recently completed the Employee Opinion Survey, which provides a platform for employees to send their ideas and feelings about the company anonymously. “This is an important tool that helps us identify the areas where we are working well, as well as the areas that require improvement,” Heymans continued.

In addition, our Employee of the Year and Employee of the Year awards are awarded to the best performing employees based on their colleagues’ appointments. “We believe that the power of our incredible network is people, and so strategic planning and implementation of programs are vital.”

In order to be certified as a Top Employer in Africa, a company needs to operate in four or more countries and have exceptional conditions for employees. The Top Employers Institute conducts a comprehensive and independent study by completing a survey of good HR practices by employees in relevant companies.

The Top Employers Institute evaluates the human resources strategy, implementing policies, practices and employee offerings to reveal whether the company provides exceptional employee conditions, develops talent at all levels, and demonstrates leadership by optimizing the development of its employees. and practices of employees.

Each completed survey is reviewed by the Top Employer Institute and is subsequently audited by a third party. Only organizations that qualify from the selection process receive the Top Employers title and the Certification Seal, but all participants receive a comprehensive feedback report.

“We are honored to be certified again as a Top Employer in Africa and we will strive to ensure that we remain focused on attracting, retaining and developing our employees across the region,” Heymans concluded.

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Its president, Adetola Olubajo, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone from Johannesburg that Mr. Omoyele, a.k.a Ja Rule, a native of Ibadan, Oyo State, was killed at a parking lot at Doornfontein, Gauteng Province.

He said a fact-finding team to the scene led by him and National Welfare Officer, Trust Owoyele, met a witness, Sipususo Mkalipi, a South African taxi driver, who confirmed the killing.

“The deceased and the son of the caretaker of a parking lot had an argument over an unpaid R300 (N11,400) rent.

“The witness said that the deceased decided to leave his car in the parking lot till Monday because he had no money to pay, but the caretaker’s son shot him on his way out of the building.

“Omoyele gave up the ghost a few minutes later,” he said.

Mr. Olubajo said Mr. Mkalipi was the driver, who brought the victim to the parking lot.

According to him, a murder docket has been opened at Jeppe police state near Johannesburg while the case has been forwarded to the union’s legal adviser, Omoriege Ogboro, for a follow-up.

The Nigeria Union President also said the incident had been reported to the Nigerian Mission in South Africa.

“We implore the mission to give necessary support to the union in order to ensure that justice is served.

“Omoyele is survived by a pregnant wife also in South Africa and his parents in Nigeria,” he said.

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SSP’s head office in Johannesburg is complemented by a regional account management office in Kenya. Together the two offices employ 35 specialists, who are supported by over 850 staff across SSP globally.

Over the last three decades, there have been significant changes in the African technology landscape. SSP’s continued commitment to innovation and delivery has enabled it to keep pace with these changes to meet the evolving demands of its customers.

Indeed, SSP has been a life-long partner for a number of insurers. Over 20% of its African customers have been with SSP for more than 25 years, trusting the company to keep their software current throughout the technology changes.

While many customers are on their second generation of SSP software, Botswana Insurance Company (BIC) has adopted its third generation SSP solution. Having migrated from Insure/90 to S4i, BIC is now benefitting from SSP Pure Insurance, a flexible end-to-end core insurance system for all lines of business.

In addition to retaining existing customers, SSP is continuing to expand its African insurer customer base. New customers are attracted by the company’s extensive local knowledge and experience, as well as its proven ability to deliver technology on the continent. This year SSP will introduce more of its award-winning digital insurance components to the African market.

SSP’s customers play an important part in driving product and direction through running its African user group, which operates for the benefit of the users.

Leslie Muthen, Head of Business Operations and Finance, Africa at SSP says, “This is a significant milestone for SSP, and one I am delighted to have been part of for the last ten years. It means we truly have the required knowledge and experience of the African general insurance market to enable our customers to deliver on their growth and efficiency plans.”

Adrian Coupland, Customer and Marketing Managing Director at SSP adds, “SSP’s enduring commitment to both the African market and investment in our solutions means we can continue to offer insurers in the region the rich, broad functionality they need to remain competitive.”

“We have been a safe and trusted partner for the last 30 years, and will be for the next 30 years too.”

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