African entrepreneurs can have a global impact, says Richard Branson Published by Regina Ekiru on 3 January 2012 “I’m sure African entrepreneurs can make global impact. Having made money in Africa, African entrepreneurs can then go to address global issues.”
Denis Worrall on South Africa’s “indifferent year” Published by Denis Worrall on 19 December 2011 At the end of 2011, and the beginning of a new year, Europe is in a mess and likely to get much worse before it gets better. Africa, by contrast, is solvent.
Kenyan banks move to cushion borrowers and avert loan defaults Published by Imara Africa Securities team on 15 December 2011 Earlier this week, the Kenya Bankers’ Association released a statement detailing a set of initiatives designed to avert possible bank loan defaults on the back of spiking interest rates.
Nigerian mobile money startup Paga wants 15 million users by 2015 Published by Noblesse Oblige on 13 December 2011 How we made it in Africa talks to Tayo Oviosu, founder of Paga, Nigeria’s hottest new mobile money platform.
From humble beginnings to a $50m petroleum company Published by Regina Ekiru on 12 December 2011 Regina Ekiru speaks to Ahmed Hashi about how he built Hashi Energy into a $50 million business.
‘Go it alone’ a major bottleneck for Africa, says Equity Bank boss Published by Regina Ekiru on 10 December 2011 Equity Bank chief executive James Mwangi has criticised entrepreneurs for taking an individualistic approach to business, describing it as “a major bottleneck in Africa”.
Kenya still good for business, says Richard Branson Published by Regina Ekiru on 9 December 2011 Richard Branson’s airline Virgin Atlantic may be losing money on its London-Nairobi route but that has not dampened the entrepreneur’s confidence in Kenya as an investment destination.
Euro crisis having an alarming impact on emerging markets – SA finance minister Published by Claude Harding on 9 December 2011 Current global economic instability is having a significant impact on developing nations, says South Africa’s minister of finance, Pravin Gordhan.
Looking to become wealthy? Consider rice farming in Nigeria Published by Claude Harding on 8 December 2011 Global agricultural company Olam says the cultivation and processing of rice in Nigeria has the potential to be a lucrative industry.
Nigeria’s Dangote Cement could be a threat to multinationals like Lafarge Published by Femi Adewunmi on 7 December 2011 Nigeria’s largest cement company, Dangote Cement, could become the world’s sixth biggest producer if its expansion plans play out as expected.
How MTN is profiting from Nigeria’s informal economy Published by Robert Neuwirth on 6 December 2011 Robert Neuwirth, author of Stealth of Nations: The Global Rise of the Informal Economy, examines how mobile operator MTN is using hawkers and street vendors as distribution agents.
Kenyan poultry entrepreneur turns $6 into a $100,000 business Published by James Karuga on 6 December 2011 The frustrations associated with finding a good egg incubator drove Geoffrey Kago to invent one.
Africa’s emerging information societies Published by Imara Africa Securities team on 6 December 2011 Envisioning certain African regions developing into equivalents of California’s Silicon Valley may indeed appear as just “building castles in the air”. However, given that the understanding of the positive impact of ICT has grown over the years, more African governments have begun to prioritise the ICT sector.
A sober approach to business in Africa Published by Jaco Maritz on 1 December 2011 “Foreign investors frequently have a ‘know-it-all’ mentality and think they can make a success of any venture in countries where they have no experience, often only to see their businesses collapse.”
