MTN’s latest high speed internet package, MTN Xtra Surf, has been officially launched by MTN Cameroon.

The new package is based on the revolutionary WIMAX 16 E technology which provides users with speed, flexibility and mobility.

It was launched last week at a special media event where the attendees were able to experience the new service during touch and trial sessions.

MTN Xtra Surf offers Internet users the expected high speed access characterised by fluidity, rapidity and redundancy, and provides them the best Internet speed in the market place.

It will enable users to enjoy bandwidths of up to 2Mbps that shall give them the capacity necessary to download or transfer heavy files at any time. 

With regard to flexibility, MTN Xtra Surf is designed to guarantee user satisfaction. The package equally includes minute, daily, weekly, monthly and volume tariffs as well as special night access rates.

MTN Xtra Surf can be used in mobility everywhere in the country as it enjoys vast radio coverage. The towns of Douala and Yaounde are, for example, entirely covered for in-house equipment functioning.

MTN Xtra Surf is furthermore designed for individual or community use. A family pack enables access of the entire family or several people in an enterprise to a single Wi-Fi terminal.

MTN Xtra Surf is free for all users until July 31, 2013, and the company says it will significantly contribute towards high speed Internet access affordability in Cameroon and open the doors wide for  Cameroonians to enjoy the new digital world.

Also in line with the company’s new strategy, MTN Cameroon has recently launched a new product in its MTN Hosted Services portfolio called MTN Web Presence.

By subscribing to the MTN Web Presence offer through the www.mtnbusiness.cm  portal, any MTN client can create and publish their web site with a few clicks of the mouse.

MTN Web Presence will offer Cameroonians a simple and affordable means of being competitive on the global stage while embracing NTICs and the brand new digital world offered by MTN.

Tropical Power, a developer of biogasand solar plants in Africa, has signed a deal with UK-based Clarke Energy to supply the first two containerised Jenbacher biogas engines in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The units will be supplied to an agricultural biogas plant located at a farm near Lake Naivasha, in Kenya.

Anaerobic digestion is an established technology in Europe and Asia for the treatment of biodegradable wastes and for the production of renewable power, though there are few examples of large commercial anaerobic digestion facilities in Africa.  

This first for engine service provider Clarke Energy, which is an authorised distributor and service provider for GE Power & Water’s gas engine business, demonstrates the ability of this technology to provide continuous reliable and sustainable power on the African continent.

James Hobday, Clarke Energy’s new Business Development Manager for Africa, said: “We are delighted to be supplying gas engines to our first biogas project in Sub-Saharan Africa.  This project demonstrates the viability of biogas as a power source in Africa to deliver significant supplies of power to the region.”

Mike Nolan, Operations Director at Tropical Power, has significant experience of power generation in Africa and he sees great potential for biogas to help power in the African continent – especially when used in combination with solar power. 

Nolan said:  “We selected Clarke Energy to supply these biogas engines on the basis of their experience of operating in Sub-Saharan Africa, along with a technical solution that offered high electrical efficiency and robust performance using biogas at high altitude.”

Biogas will be produced from an agricultural anaerobic digester processing wastes to give power and fertilizer.

It will allow 2.4MW of renewable electricity to be produced in rural Kenya providing power to the local farm and surrounding area, enough to power 5-6,000 typical homes.

 The engines will operate in a combined heat and power(CHP) configuration increasing the overall plant efficiency, through the recovery of heat which will displace diesel normally used in the heating of greenhouses at the farm.

The anaerobic digestion facility will produce biogas, originating from the digestion of food processing wastes coming from the surrounding farms.  The technology used in the biogas plant’s design is a novel, advanced technology licensed from Germany.

Clarke Energy is contracted for a turnkey project to supply, engineer and install the CHP generators.  The biogas will be fed into 2 x J420 Jenbacher gas enginesfrom GE Power & Water.  The engines are specially configured to operate at the high altitude of the project at nearly 2,000 metres above sea level.  

The gas engines will be configured for cogeneration, with surplus heat recovered as hot water and used for biogas plant process heating and for heating adjacent greenhouses.  

The biogas engines will be supplied as containerised units for operation in hot and tropical countries.  Containerisation facilitates the ready ‘plug-and-play’ deployment of the units.

Economic development in Kenya leads to strains on the local power distribution network.  Creation of biogas using waste materials will deliver the reliable production of fuel.

 In turn, using this gas in the Jenbacher gas engine will facilitate consistent supplies of power to the local area.  Surplus power will be supplied to the local electricity grid, helping to stabilise local electricity supplies.

Reliable power helps to ensure consistent business operations and hence is a driver for economic growth and performance.

Following the success of its Nigerian business, Clarke Energy established an East African base in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 2012.

Clarke Energy will provide support to Tropical Power, training operators with gas engine operation and maintenance.  The more demanding maintenance procedures will be supported by Clarke Energy’s East African service hub.

The biogas engines are scheduled for delivery to Kenya in the last quarter of 2013.

The project will be delivered using a combination of European technology and local content originating from local suppliers and operated by Kenyan nationals.

The budget airline which aims to become Africa’s first offering a pan-continental low-cost service has been granted permission to launch international flights from its Tanzania hub.

Fastjet has received a number of relevant government approvals under Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASAs, giving it authority to fly to South Africa, Zambia and Rwanda.

Fastjet’s Chief Executive and Chairman, Ed Winter, said: "This is a monumental day in Fastjet's history, and brings us closer to our goal of becoming Africa's first pan-continental low-cost airline.

"We have expended huge effort over the past six months in obtaining these rights, and we can only thank the government and population of Tanzania, who have lobbied hard to allow us to gain access to the bilateral rights to operate to these countries.

"We will soon announce launch dates for flights to Johannesburg, Kigali and Lusaka from Dar es Salaam."

Fastjet is backed by Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the founder of Europe’s hugely successful and popular budget airline Easyjet.

The company was established following the acquisition of African airline Fly540 which operated from four bases in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and Angola. Today Fastjet has 10 aircraft serving around 25 destinations within Africa.

Customers booking early for services on these new routes could be offered one-way flights between Johannesburg and Dar es Saalam for as little as $100.

The company has also just announced it has joined forces with Nigeria’s Red 1 Airways to offer budget flights in Nigeria and it has also recently secured $23.5 million in secured financing through an equity deal with fund managers Darwin.

Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) is not new and has been in existence for many decades.  However, the recent recession, increasing legislation, more stringent guidelines and growing stakeholder pressure to prove sustainability and value is elevating the importance of GRC, making it an imperative for any organisation.

 However, leveraging the business benefits of GRC initiatives can prove a challenging task. One of the biggest issues facing organisations is that they are fragmented and broken into silos of information and measurement, preventing a holistic view of activities across the organisation.

 The lack of a common framework results in information that is of little to no value in driving performance. To realise the business benefits of GRC, it is vital to break these silos down, creating an integrated view of GRC activities which delivers actionable intelligence, allowing for greater control and enhanced performance.

 Risk and risk management are components within GRC activities. Addressing risk is sound governance and compliance is adherence to various laws and regulations.

Most businesses understand this, however, the problem remains that organisations are fragmented and operate in silos such as finance, IT, operations and so on.

Each of these departments has their own risk and associated measurements and processes.  This creates a fragmented view of the organisation, since no two areas are measured against the same criteria.

It also creates a challenge for organisations to understand the correlations between risk in different areas. Put simply, if there is a threat or risk in one area, it can affect other aspects of the business. This lack of cohesion lowers the effectiveness of risk management and as a result, of governance and compliance too.

 The challenge is to develop an integrated view of risk across the entire organisation, which requires these silos be broken down.

GRC as a practice needs to be driven and accountable from a board level and filter down throughout the organisation, to ensure that the entire business is managing risk effectively, producing the right value to stakeholders, delivering a sustainable bottom line and meeting the requirements of external compliance criteria. A common framework or standard for measurement is required which all areas need to adhere to.

ISO standards have been designed specifically for this purpose, allowing businesses to ‘compare apples with apples’ so to speak, by creating common measurements that ensure organisations are following the right processes for the right reason.

 Complying with ISO standards is an effective way of harnessing various areas of business together, breaking down silos across an organisation and offering an integrated view of the overall impact of risk, compliance breaches and so on.

 Examples of such auditable standards in ICT to underpin GRC are; ISO27001 which is the international standard describing best practice for an Information Security Management System and ISO/IEC 20000 the international standard for IT Service Management.

 Measurement of risk in silos and isolation to the rest of the business hinders a company’s ability to add value, as this knowledge cannot be used to drive performance.

 However, implementing a common framework for measurement and improvement across the organisation ensures that all areas are measured to a common standard, offering better control and enhanced performance management, for improved GRC activities. 

 Marval South Africa specialises in the design and implementation of Service Management solutions supporting IT Governance. Our integrated approach of education, coaching, consulting and software solutions creates business value through Service Improvement Programmes.

For more information on the training courses provided by Marval SA, visit www.marvalsa.net

HR is becoming an essential investment in company image as advertising spend declines the world over.

As consumers become more empowered to interact with brands through social media and other channels trust in business is changing shape and the opinions of real people rather than advertisers are becoming the preferred source of information.

Samantha Crous, Regional Director:  Africa & Beneluxfor the CRF Institute, said:“In this climate it’s doubly important to invest in people.”

“Consumers no longer want to be told what or who to trust; they want to discover it for themselves. And with the rising influence of social media, crowdsourcing and citizen journalism, a generation of consumers are now empowered to interact actively with brands and make up their own minds.

“Advertising is no longer the primary image-builder for a company.”

According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, rank-and-file workers, especially those with technical expertise, are by far the most trusted source of information about a company.

Their expertise is trusted in a variety of areas, ranging from technical issues to employment conditions. The only area in which CEOs are most trusted is in financial reporting.

“This means that the image of a business is largely in the hands of its employees. Employees are the new brand ambassadors,” said Crous.

“How employees are treated – and how they feel about the company they work for – can therefore contribute directly to the bottom line: not only because happy employees provide better service and are better brand ambassadors, but because attracting top talent places an organisation firmly at the helm of thought leadership in its field.”

In line with this trend an increasing number of organisations are investing in becoming employers of choice.

The CRF Institute, which certifies top employers in over 45 countries around the world, has noted a steep increase in the number of companies applying for certification – 31 percent in 2012 and a further 15 percent in 2013.

At the same time there has been a global decrease in advertising spend. Adcorp’s most recent half-year report cites “wide-scale reductions in advertising spend across most sectors” and adds that “the declining trend was even more pronounced in December, with an unprecedented decrease in billings in a number of markets when compared to December 2011.”

Google’s chief economist Hal Varian notes that advertising spend in the print medium has been in a steady decline since the 1950s while the Jack Myers Media Business report projected “record-setting declines” from 2009 – 2012.

The Warc Global Marketing index, meanwhile, shows that marketing budgets overall are mostly in decline.

Further, a report by HRMarketer shows that there has been an increase in both expenditure and optimism regarding HR as a marketing tool and the majority of respondents said they planned to increase their HR marketing budgets from 2011.

“It’s a cost-containing strategy,” said Crous, noting that Forbes’ Jeanne Meister has dubbed 2013 “the year of social HR”, in reference to the number of companies using cost-effective social media marketing to facilitate employee engagement and mould their business image through this channel.

“This change in investment strategy is a key part of gaining the trust of consumers these days. In a world where people are increasingly relying on endorsements, independent research, and the word of their friends to make purchasing choices it does not make financial sense to invest an enormous amount of money in an expensive ad campaign that might not work.”

“It makes far more financial sense to invest where your image is really being shaped: in other words, your people,” said Crous. “Your money is best spent on an HR strategy that will lead to happier, more productive employees that make up an ambassadorial army for your brand.”

Sustainability reporting generally refers to all the non-financial information organisations should include in their annual financial reports, which encompasses economic, social responsibility, environmental performance and corporate governance. It brings together benchmarks and strategies to ensure best performance related to businesses, the environment and society.

 In fact, in tough economic times, stakeholders are demanding full disclosure of business operations to provide strategic direction that will ensure the long-term viability of business in today's ever-changing business landscape. However, compiling corporate reports is a highly pressurised, deadline driven environment which creates a lot of stress within any organisation.

 To streamline the complicated processes, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has introduced standards for sustainability reporting, and thousands of companies across various countries subscribe to them. Many more are to follow as the true benefits of sustainability become more apparent.

 While sustainability reporting is not mandatory for non-listed companies, it is today considered to be the best practice methodology and in South Africa it is increasingly becoming a determining factor when corporates are selecting tenders or looking for potential mergers and acquisitions.

 Locally, the South African Integrated Reporting Committee, together with the JSE, have developed a local flavour of GRI's standards, incorporating XBRL or eXtensible Business Reporting Language, a universal financial reporting business language to drive an open global standard for business reporting. XBRL delivers many benefits and will most likely be released by 2015 as the de facto reporting standard due to its high usability.

 However, this increases the complexity of compiling accurate reports dramatically, with companies having to collate the structured and unstructured information from different sources in disparate systems throughout their enterprises in a prescribed format.

It is a time consuming process, requiring many high-level resources to collectively gather, compile and verify the information buried deep in applications, spreadsheets and word processor documents. As useful as these productivity tools are, they are designed for individual use and not in a collaborative environment which focuses on one version of the truth of critical non-financial and financial data.

 These reporting processes also provide little visibility into how edits are tracked and how approvals are made. Additionally, while finance professionals are very familiar with generating reports, assembling them into a highly accessible, informative and attractive document is quite another matter.

 If South African organisations want to be part of the global financial world, the only way to ease the burden of reporting is by automating financial and sustainability reporting processes as a whole through the use of technology.

 Today, there is software available that provides a secure environment involving multiple participants with different roles and responsibilities within an organisation to collaborate and assemble sustainability reports in a controlled and accurate fashion in line with King III guidelines.

It not only reduces the duplication of information, but has strict checks and balances in place to ensure compliance and eases the burden of the accounting and auditing process.

Importantly, through workflow processes that link the co-workers to each other and their responsibility in the process, leads to massive productivity gains and accelerated reporting time frames.

 In closing, these reporting tools have literally transformed “triple bottom line” reporting, turning a complex, sometimes badly co-ordinated and error prone process into a more organised, controlled and credible fashion.

 It frees up key staff to focus on important areas of the business, rather than being bogged down in hunting and verifying information.

 Importantly, the whole collaborative process translates into insightful reports which allow top management and stakeholders to analyse and aggregate their sustainability figures to keep their fingers on the pulse.

Most of all, if growing organisations in South Africa do not join the sustainability debate, it will impact their bottom line, as well as their impact on the environment and the social conditions around them.

For more information, visit www.cortell.co.za

Africa's clean tech future could be driven by 3D printing technologies and this subject will come under the spotlight at Virdis Africa, a clean technology investment conference scheduled to be held between October 15-16 2013. 

The continent's deficiency of infrastructure and services have proved beneficial in quite few sectors, such as telecommunication, where mobile technology have leap-frogged the need for traditional terrestrial network infrastructure.

 Africa is in dire need of being introduced to a range of services and technologies bringing about similar level of solutions found in developed countries, yet at an affordable price, coupled with reliability and simplicity of operation, negating the need for highly trained/qualified HR.

 The success that mobile telephony has achieved in Africa, especially as it became a driver for the growth of other sectors, has brought the realisation that rather than investing in “old age “ technologies to bring about economic growth, such may not be the most optimal way.

 Instead, introducing innovative 21st century technologies may well make the difference.

 For Africa the introduction of 3D printing manufacturing will bring about a wave of change with unprecedented benefits unlike seen before, benefiting small rural communities socio economic standards, offering new set of business opportunities to the individual, limited only by his or hers imagination and design.

 Healthcare will be a particular beneficiary of the technology, with service ranging from affordable and bespoke artificial limbs being produced for the individual, through dentures/implants to skin grafts and even assistive devices and other medical components required.

 The technology as it become more affordable and pervasive will bring many more ideas and opportunities of usage increasingly impacting on many other socio economic matters, but in the main will Africa an opportunity a kind of “industrial revolution” not yet seen on the continent.

 It will allow for product manufacturing, otherwise imported to be made locally and cost effectively.

 As 3D printing is now rapidly evolving both in terms of cost affordability, simplicity and wider usage of materials (filament) no longer restrictive to small range of materials with limited physical characteristics, but rather include powdered metals which after used for printing the desired item are “baked” to exhibit their strength/hardness.

 In principal the resources for this new manufacturing technology is quite abound in Africa. The continent’s own massive amount of natural resources.

Importantly the resources in Africa of waste that can be recycled and be introduced as raw material for such production methods are also found in abundance.

 It is therefore that an opportunity exists to investigate and subsequently invest in a process that recycles and extracts premium raw materials to feed in to production by 3D printing machine of specialist high value products near the geographical location of the raw materials.

 This value added processing would prove geologically, economically and socially sound.

 Ultimately, African countries would need to prioritise their industrial and manufacturing policies, so as to include substantial investments into industrial robotics and 3D manufacturing, as these technologies would prove imperative in that natural resources and recycled materials are beneficiated at the country of origin, imparting maximum economic value to its people and the country as a whole.

Organisers of the Viridis Africa  event are keen to host presenters seeking capital for 3D printing technology, especially in the field of waste management.

 The event, which will be held at the Killarney Country Club, Johannesburg, is dedicated to entrepreneurs and corporates which are seeking funding to introduce clean technology solutions and services. 

Principals who would 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. 
The deadline for business proposal submission is 30 August 2013. Visit www.viridisafrica.com for more information.

Written by Nigel Baker, Chief Executive of Thomson Foundation (pictured below)

An unlikely alliance has been created to safeguard the best use of Africa’s growing wealth. Economists and journalists are joining forces to help promote wise spending and good governance.

The idea was the brainchild of Paul Collier, a development economist at Oxford University, and author of “The Bottom Billion”, which outlines how discovering natural resources can paradoxically trap a country in poverty by making its other industries less competitive, or make governments less accountable if they have a reduced need to levy taxes.

Professor Collier says economists need to learn from journalists how to get such messages across in order to ensure the benefits of natural resources are not squandered.

“Financial journalism and economic reporting is important because you can’t leave it to the academic economists. We’ll mess it up,” says the professor.

“And yet ordinary citizens have to get up to speed on these issues. Think: Africa is discovering natural resources at a rate of knots. Forty years ago, Sierra Leone and Botswana had diamonds. Sierra Leone went to the bottom of the world’s human development index. Botswana became the fastest became growing economy in the world and is now among the richest economies in Africa (by GDP per capita). That is what is at stake now. Is the next decade going to drive all Africa to repeat Sierra Leone or can all Africa become Botswana? It depends what citizens understand, and that depends what journalists themselves understand and communicate.”

The idea has been put into practice with a project called Africa Means Business (AMB) – initially bringing together more than 60 economists and journalists in Kenya and Ghana – but hoping to spread Africa-wide. Far from being a one-way street, journalists are learning how to turn complex economic data into stories of interest to the general public, as well as economists learning how to communicate more clearly in the mass media.

AMB is a partnership of Oxford University’s Centre for the Study of African Economies, the African Economic Research Consortium, the Wincott Foundation (connected to the Financial Times) and is run by the Thomson Foundation – a UK media-development organisation. The training is carried out at Strathmore Business School in Kenya and at the University of Ghana, Legon – where participants learn from experienced academic economists and financial journalists as well as each other. The project has initially been funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The second cohorts of eight journalists and eight economists in both Ghana and Kenya are getting underway this summer, while the results of last year’s cohorts are becoming apparent.

The economists questioned after the first year’s training unanimously said that they found presenting data easier, and that promoting economic research in the media had become more important in their institutions. Meanwhile, the journalists questioned said they all found analysing economic data easier with two thirds covering economic issues more frequently. It also means the economists are in regular contact with journalists and vice versa, developing collaboration that will continue after the lifetime of the project.

Chaacha Mwita, Thomson Foundation’s project director, based in Nairobi, says the most important aim of the project is informing policy and action in Africa by economists and journalists working together and communicating their findings. “It will ensure the policy-making process in Africa is not devoid of rigorous debate on economic issues, and most importantly, is not devoid of evidence,” he says.

One of the early success stories was with Dr Abraham Waithima, a senior lecturer in economics at Nairobi’s Daystar University, who had an opinion piece published in Kenya’s Nation newspaper about how corruption was depleting resources like common grazing land and water.

But it was his second attempt. Before doing the AMB course the article was rejected – though he wasn’t sure why. After the course he rewrote the article. “I’m glad to report that the article was accepted once I knew what media people looked for or how they want to communicate to their audience.”

The course inspired Edith Fortunate, a reporter on The Nation, to write an in-depth feature on examining how population growth can damage economic stability. She emerged from the course confident to assess whether a person was using economic data purely to push their own agenda, or whether they were telling the truth.

“I came out a different person. I knew how to translate economics into a story that anyone in the country – not just economists - could read, enjoy and understand.”

The story is repeated in Ghana where DeodatAdenutsi, a senior lecturer at Central University College, Accra, says the programme enabled him to establish good working relationships with journalists. “Anytime I come out with research articles I can liaise with them and make sure these findings are well circulated to cover a lot of people and influence policy making in Ghana.”

Paul Collier hopes there will be more like Deodat. “Economists are really bad at communicating. They’ve got worse. Try reading some technical economics – it’s gobbledegook. But the job of communicating to ordinary people comes as second nature to journalists. So journalists have got to engage with economists so that THEY can get on top of the ideas and then they can express them.”

In recognition of his success in greening African supply chains, IMPERIAL Logistics Chief Executive Officer Marius Swanepoel was presented with the Sustainability Leadership Award at the annual Sustainable Business Awards, hosted by Nedbank Capital.

Swanepoel scooped this coveted award and was honoured at the event for his commitment to, and significant achievements in, driving effective emission reductions - both within his own organisation and across IMPERIAL Logistics’ entire supplier and value chains.

He said: "Transformation to greener business starts in the supply chain. There are opportunities to reduce emissions through routeoptimisation and greater fuel efficiency, as well as energy, water and waste management, among other initiatives.

“For sustainability strategies, the supply chain is the 'make or break' zone,” he said, adding that sustainability is an economic imperative that is playing an increasingly significant role in the long-term success, leadership and social and economic relevance of businesses.

The Nedbank Capital Sustainable Business Awards aim to showcase and promote best practice in sustainability.

The inclusion of the Sustainability in Leadership Award is intended to recognise and ultimately encourage sustainability leadership practices of individuals in executive management positions, which Nedbank believes will assist in raising the benchmark.

IMPERIAL Logistics has extensive operations throughout Europe and Africa and differentiates itself by being able to partner clients in leveraging value inherent in their own supply chains.

As a multi-branded business, IMPERIAL Logistics is in a position to optimise benefits, scale and synergies that are derived from large businesses, while retaining agility, customer focus and an entrepreneurial flair that characterises smaller businesses.

A number of leading experts are lined up in the June issue  of African Business Review to impart their pearls of wisdom on a range of must-read topics.

To kick off we have the University of Cape Town’s professor, Ralph Hamann, who explains why there are not many large companies today who do not operate a comprehensive corporate social responsibility programme, they could achieve far better results. He says a lot more could be done to benefit both communities and companies if businesses leaders stuck their heads above the parapet and pulled together and pooled ideas on solving some of the more critical issues.

This month we also have the expertise of the CRF Institute’s Samantha Crous who tells us why social media is increasingly being used by companies not just to add value to customer services but also to improve communication with staff.  Plus Chris Hathaway a director of the leading software solutions company Soarsoft explains what the advantages are of becoming a preferred Binary Tree distribution partner – one of Microsoft’s leading providers of messaging and collaboration transformation technology and solutions’ platforms.

Finally, two top advisors at Ernst & Young have put their heads together to come up with an exclusive article for African Business Review highlighting the seven crucial steps companies need to make procurement strategies more cost effective.

To read the June issue of African Business Review click here

A Kenyan software company has unveiled a new device, which provides a more reliable means of staying connected specifically for places where connectivity is a constant issue such as Africa, at the TEDGlobal Conference in Scotland.

The BRCK is a small, lightweight box-shaped modem about the size of a real brick designed for portability. It has been developed by software company Ushahidi and billed as a personal backup generator for the internet.

It was launched at the TED conference in Edinburgh this week, which is a showcase event and attracts innovators, global leaders, artists and scientists from around the world who stage, talks, performances and demonstrations.

Ushahidi’s Director of Operations, Erik Hersman, said: “We asked ourselves: why is the networking equipment used in Kenya, India and the rest of the developing world the same as that used in the USA and Europe, when the conditions aren’t similar at all?”

So the company’s team of programmers set about designing a device that could cope with spotty internet access and deal with the changing way in which we all connect to the web.

It works like a mobile phone, intelligently and seamlessly switching between Ethernet, Wifi Bridge and 3/4G connection whenever the user’s preferred network is down.

It works using the same kind of SIM card which measures the minutes of talk and megabytes of data for phone and has an eight-hour battery enabling BRCK to offer its user a fully functioning network anytime and anywhere in reach of cell service.

The BRCK is also a software infused device, operating in the cloud with its own website that users can access from anywhere to check how WiFi and electricity are performing, or manage alerts and applications.

Hersmann added: “One of Ushahidi’s favourite sayings has always been ‘if if work in Africa it will work anywhere’ and that remains true of this latest device.

Nathanial Mannin, Ushahidi’s Director of Business Strategy, said: “The emergence of a hardware product from an African company makes a phase-change point for tech invention. The BRCK shows that great ideas can come from anywhere, that innovation comes from solving real problems with constrained sources. Change happens at the frontier.”

The company knows about working in challenging environments. Ushahidi, a Swahili word, for'testimony', began during a media blackout following the 2008 Kenyan presidential election, launching software for election monitoring via SMS. Since then their open source software is used for monitoring via SMS.

Since then, its open source software is used for monitoring crises and elections to fixing potholes around the world, mostly in less than ideal conditions.

The Fairtrade movement, which is gaining momentum in South Africa, is part of a shift in the way business is being done in the country that bodes well for the future.

Ralph Hamann, an associate professor at the UCT Graduate School of Business, says that the growth of Fairtrade and other initiatives such as Woolworths’ Farming for the Future are indicative of a growing realisation that social and environmental threats to business won't go away unless business itself does something about them.

“This is a positive trend, which shows that South African businesses are thinking more innovatively about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)  and their role in building a better future,” said Hamann.

Fairtrade, which seeks to promote a more equitable and sustainable farming sector, is a leading ethical certification in the world and has more than 1.2 million beneficiaries (farmers and farm workers) in 66 countries. There are more than 30 Fairtrade brands in South Africa.

The country is the biggest producer of Fairtrade wine in the world and also the first where Fairtrade is active on the production and marketing side. Traditionally, Fairtrade has been about commodities exported from developing countries for sale in the developed world.

“There is a lot we can do with Fairtrade locally,” said Arianna Baldo, Business Manager at Fairtrade SA. “There is growing interest in developing ethical trade and CSR at the same time in this country.”

Hamann said that recent painful events like Marikana have contributed to this shift in awareness locally that a wider perspective on social and environmental issues is inescapable if business is to continue to prosper.

“Lonmin and other major mines for example are realising that the old ways of doing business and old manifestations of CSR are simply not working.”

Hamann said that historically a disconnect between core strategy and CSR outreach has prevented corporates from thinking more broadly about these issues. He cited, as an example, a micro financing organisation that focuses on paper recycling and sponsoring bursaries but is not engaging proactively with social issues around responsible lending.

“When I suggested that they were missing the key material issue in their business – responsible lending – they said they were complying with the National Credit Act,” he said.

"But a narrow focus on compliance is not going to shift the problems that we see.”

Hamann called this a form of myopia because many business leaders prefer to focus on their day-job and their shareholders, and don’t really take a longer term view. They also don’t look spatially beyond the boundaries of their operations.

“Not enough companies are carefully thinking about tipping points in the socio-ecological systems, which can lead to ecological collapse or social unrest. Lead indicators include the prices of oil and food, high inequality, and distrust in government.”

Hamann said that the complexity of social conditions in the country overwhelm many organisations and prevent them from thinking more innovatively about their context.

“But recent events and growing environmental constraints are making it harder for businesses to look the other way,” he said.

Some additional evidence of this shift includes more emphasis on the idea of shared value, or the notion that businesses can generate value for themselves by providing new products and services, or developing new business models, which also contribute to addressing social and environmental problems.

These themes are also being discussed increasingly at executive and board level, in order to ensure the strategic integration of social and environmental issues into the core strategy of the business. This is being advanced in part by the global move toward integrated reporting.

South Africa is the first country in the world to make integrated reporting a requirement for listed companies. However, Hamann said, there is still a fair way to go, specifically in the region of collaboration.

He said: “While competition is a vital motivating force for business, it can also stifle much-needed collaboration to address complex social and environmental challenges.

“The informal settlements around mines, or the problem of hunger in low-income communities, for example, can’t be addressed by an Anglo American or by Unilever acting by itself. Competitors may need to work together to address the fundamental challenges our society faces, and we need a more sophisticated understanding of when and how competitors can and should collaborate.

“If we don’t integrate an understanding of companies’ socio-ecological context in strategy making and execution, and if we don’t recognise the need for improved collaborative action, these challenges have a nasty habit of turning around and biting us – as we have seen so clearly,” he concluded.

Agri-Vie, the private equity fund focused on food and agribusiness investments in Sub- Saharan Africa, has announced a $4 million (approximately R37 million) joint venture with Vida Oils International for processing coconut into specialist oils and fats for the food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and chemical sectors in South Africa.

Avril Stassen, Partner at Agri-Vie, said that the transaction comprised the acquisition and merger of three separate South African and Mozambican entities from different vendors.

She said: “A new, experienced management team will join and co-invest with Agri-Vie to grow and develop the new vertically integrated business, leading to an attractive return going forward.”

Deon Coetzee, Chief Executive Officer of Vida Oils International, explained that coconut competes in the Lauric oil market where it provides a unique cost-benefit in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and chemical applications.

He said: “There is significant market development potential for coconut oil and there is currently a high degree of interest in the medical and health benefits of the product. Coconut oil is already a key ingredient in dermatological applications and the critical role of coconut products are increasingly growing in acceptance in the US.”

However, he said that its African procurement and processing strategy is focused on providing a route to market for less developed African countries initially using small scale growers in Mozambique, who tend to lose most of their crop to waste, and integrating with Asian supply chains to diversify the supply base.

Louis Strydom, a Director and founding member of Vida Oils International said that the strong growth in demand for Lauric oils over the past decade had highlighted a number of environmentally damaging and socially harmful plantation practices in the industry.

He said: “From the onset we have implemented a supplier engagement programme that ensures our feedstock procurement operation is founded on developing a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable supply, controlling every aspect from feedstock to the end user of the product.”

Coetzee added that sustainable agriculture and agri-processing is core to the business model ensuring a reliable, quality supply to the market while assisting with the growth and development of the Mozambican coconut industry.

“To further improve sustainability, Vida Oils is upgrading all its operations to ISO and FSSC 22000 specifications while entering into strategic relationships with Asian suppliers that share our views on sustainability to ensure that we can deliver a consistent, quality and sustainable product.”

Stassen said that because the Mozambique coconut plantations are long established and are cultivated by mostly small scale growers, these communities will be uplifted by the introduction of market price stability and improved sustainable agricultural practices. “Formal programmes will also be implemented with the support of Agri-Vie as well as government, various development finance institutions and social interest groups,” he said.

He adds that Vida Oils will also develop by-product markets for the small scale growers by converting the husk and the shell of the coconut and uprooted trees into a biomass energy source, and growing medium and environmental rehabilitation products.

As a result, Stassen said that Vida Oils is set to increase the output of coconut oil by three to four-fold over the next three to five years.

“Currently, this is an untapped market and only a very small portion of the coconuts produced in Mozambique are currently converted to value added products. Most of the final product will be sold into the South African market to replace imported lauric oils,” he concluded.

iROKO Partners, Africa’s largest source of Nigerian entertainment with its platforms iROKOtv and iROKING, announces a major strategic development via its entry into the South African DVD market and the launch of 10,000 new Nigerian movie DVDs.

 Nigeria’s movie industry, colloquially known as ‘Nollywood’ is the second largest film industry in the world, producing around 2,000 movies a year. 

The launch announced today represents the first foray for iROKOtv, ’Africa’s Netflix’, into the sizeable South African DVD market and is responding to demand for even more Nollywood content in South Africa.

It is also a brand new distribution channel for iROKOtv as historically the company’s content has only been available online,, but now the DVDs will be selling in local shops in Johannesburg.

To mark the launch, Nollywood superstar Mama G, who has starred in more than 500 movies, will be touring Johannesburg to sign the new iROKO DVDs. She will be the star attraction at a meet and greet event at Bara Mall in Soweto from June 14-16.

Jason Njoku, founder and Chief Executive Officer, said: “iROKOtv revolutionised the video-on-demand (VOD) industry for African entertainment when we launched, bringing thousands of movies online to Nollywood lovers around the world. In a short space of time, we were able to connect with the online African community but, in reality, the majority of Nollywood fans are offline and watch Nollywood on DVDs.

 “Access is the immediate challenge for VOD companies here. Until Africa comes online, DVDs will continue to be the primary platform to consume content, which is why iROKOtv has now entered the DVD market.”

 Almost 50 percent of iROKOtv’s traffic comes from the UK and US, as Diasporan communities have access to cheap and reliable broadband; something that cannot be said for the vast majority of Africans on the continent.

 Nollywood is increasingly popular in South Africa, but audiences struggle to access high quality, low-cost, legal content online, which makes the shift to DVD sales both exciting for iROKO as a new distribution channel and perfect for South African consumers.

 Genevieve Dumourne, Head of iROKO South Africa said: “The South African market entry is evidence of iROKO diversifying its offering and broadening its reach across the continent.

“When we launched www.iROKOtv.com 18 months ago, we gave Nollywood a home online, providing the content loved by so many with a well-deserved beautiful platform. With the launch of the DVD business, we have taken exactly the same approach, producing top quality discs in beautifully designed boxes that really stand out from anything else on the market. It’s an extremely exciting market and we have high expectations for growing this part of the business”.  

A leading global player in the power electronic systems and solutions for industrial power supplies and renewable energies has set up a new manufacturing facility in South Africa and has increased its local supply base to 65 percent.

3W Power/AEG Power Solutions (AEG PS) has invested in the new factory which makes solar inverters and is situated at Montague Park, Milnerton in Cape Town.

The facility was officially opened last September and is the only one in southern Africa manufacturing utility-scale solar inverters locally.

The expansion is part of the company’s localisation programme which now sees the company source 65 percent of components locally through South African manufacturers.

The investment has been made as a testament tothe company‘s focus on meeting the Department of Energy’s  REIPPP (Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme) localisation objectives, and South Africa’s vision of becoming the solar generating hub of the continent.

The 3,400 sqm facility is capable of producing at least 200 MWper annum. The South African company, which focuses primarily on Renewable Energy Solutions is registered and operating under the same name as the group’s holding company - 3W Power and is trading under the AEG brand.

Trevor de Vries, Managing Director of 3W Power South Africa, said: “In our commitment to maximise local content, we source up to 65 percent of components through local suppliers, offering clients a proudly South African product at global standards.

“There is significant potential in the renewable energy sector in South Africa. We are starting to see that through increased investment into local manufacturing and the local skills base that South Africans are reaping the benefits.”

The importance of South Africa’s localisation efforts lies in job creation and global competitiveness. To achieve this, AEG PS has adopted the strategy of identifying certified and credible local partners, as well as constantly sourcing products that meet global quality standards and local market requirements.

To illustrate this, certain individual components of the AEG Power Solutions’ integrated TKS-C Container Solution have even attained a 99 percent local content score.

The local content requirement for solar electricity for the REIPPP tender, as prescribed by the Department of Energy, requires that by the date of the third bid submission, 65 percent of the total costs attributed to the Project must be local.

This excludes finance charges and land mobilisation fees of the Operations Contractor and imported goods and services.

The commitment and continued efforts of leading global companies such as AEG Power Solutions to invest in South Africa and bolster local content is encouraging.

The power lies in the fact that the local industry is able to tap into the global standards applied in each of these companies, thus up-skilling local service providers and the industry as a whole.

The Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is organising the conference, which is due to be held from June 27 to 28 2013, in Maputo, Mozambique.

The purpose of the SADC Infrastructure Conference is to lure potential investors into the rolling-out of the Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan Vision 2027, a 15-year blueprint that will guide the implementation of cross-border infrastructure projects between 2013 and 2027.

This is in accordance with the SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan (RIDMP) that was adopted by SADC Heads of State and Government at their 32nd SADC Ordinary Summit held in August 2012 in Maputo, Mozambique.

The high level SADC Infrastructure Investment Conference will be held under the theme: “Accelerating Infrastructure Investment Through Sustainable and Innovative Financing” and is expected to be attended by the SADC Troika Heads of States from Angola, Malawi and Mozambique.

Other delegates include President Zuma in his capacity as champion for the NEPAD Presidential Infrastructure Championship Initiative (PICI), Presidents of the African Development Bank and World Bank, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, leading private sector representatives and ministers responsible for infrastructure-related sectors in the SADC member states.

The RIDMP is being implemented over three five-year intervals – short term (2012-2017), medium term (2017-2022) and long term (2022-2027).

So far, priority infrastructure projects at a cost of about US$500 billion have been identified and the Maputo Investor Conference is part of the marketing strategy to mobilise resources for their implementation. Other interventions include Road shows that are planned to take place in Asia and Europe.

The Master Plan is in line with the Programme for Infrastructure Development of Africa (PIDA), which is a continental initiative of the African Union Commission (AUC), in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), African Development Bank (AfDB) and the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA).

Following the adoption of the Master Plan, the SADC Secretariat in collaboration with the SADC ministries responsible for the six sectors, namely Energy, Transport, Tourism, ICT and Postal, Meteorology and Water are formulating frameworks to guide the implementation of efficient, seamless and cost-effective transboundary infrastructure networks in an integrated and coordinated manner.

The SADC Infrastructure Investment Conference is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) and Trade Mark Southern Africa.

Spitalfields market will be transformed on the evening of 11th September 2013 when 100 teams making up 2,000 rowers will row one million metres in The Big Row.

This major City event is raising money for the Chauncy Maples Malawi Trust , a charity created to renovate the ship Chauncy Maples on Lake Malawi and bring vital healthcare to a country that has only 250 doctors for its entire population of 16 million.

More than 78 percent of Malawi's 16.3 million people live in poverty, with an income of less than US$1.25 per day. The under-five death rate is 178 per 1,000 live births – 30 times worse than that in Europe or America. There is only one doctor in Malawi for every 52,000 people.

The Chauncy Maples Malawi Trust and main sponsor, Thomas Miller an international provider of insurance, professional and investment services, have invited City firms to enter teams of between 10 and 20 to take part.

Commitments for more than 30 teams have been received by a wide range of City businesses demonstrating the event is already gaining momentum. Thomas Miller has led the City, including lawyers, engineers, insurers and brokers in raising more than £1.5m and the Big Row aims to raise the last £1,000,000 to complete the renovation.

Well known sporting stars and other celebrities will attend the event and prizes will be awarded for the fastest crews, best in class (lawyers, accountants), best outfits and lots more. A number of high profile celebrities have already given their support to the launch.

Roger Gifford, Lord Mayor of the City of London, said: “The UK’s maritime sector is the architect of our Nation’s success, and I am delighted that many of the industry’s leading lights are supporting the renovation of Chauncy Maples into a floating health clinic for the villages around Lake Malawi.

“This innovative and ingenious project will provide remote communities with essential medical care. Thomas Miller and all the business-supporters of Chauncy Maples are making an important and extremely effective contribution – an excellent example of Corporate Social Responsibility. The Big Row will complete the Chauncy Maples fundraising project and I urge every robust rower to participate!”

Sir Matthew Pinsent, CBE, patron of the Big Row said: “We need to raise £1,000,000 to complete the renovation. So please dig deep to help the crews hit their target. If we pull together, we can make a big difference.”

Angela Rippon, OBE, patron of the Big Row said: ““Chauncy Maples will provide vital healthcare for 200 hard-to-reach lakeside villagers a day, and sponsorship of The Big Row will help make that happen.”

Hugo Wynn-Williams, Chairman of Thomas Miller said: “We have already had tremendous support from our City community and are really looking forward to what should prove to be a fantastic event. The Big Row represents a fun way of competing for a great cause in one of the City’s iconic landmarks.”

The event is also supported by the Honourable Jeffrey Evans (Sheriff of the City of London) Admiral Lord West of Spithead, the Right Reverend Donald Arden (nephew of the original engineer who supervised the reassembly of Chauncy Maples in Malawi in 1900), Ben Hunt-Davis, Kit Hesketh-Harvey, and the High Commissioner of Malawi. Those wishing to enter teams should contact TheBigRow@Thomasmiller.com or call 020 7204 2356.

Ascendis Health (Pty) Limited, the health products subsidiary of Coast2Coast Investments, today announced the acquisition of Nimue Skin Technology (Nimue Skin) and Scientific Sports Nutrition (SSN) for R120 million.

The acquisition is the latest in Ascendis’ targeted growth strategy and brings the total investment over the last year to around R700 million with further acquisitions to be finalised in the next month culminating in a listing on the Main Board of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in late 2013.

Private and institutional investors are keenly anticipating the arrival of the new company which already employs more than 350 people nationally and with an annual revenue of more than R1 billion.

 Nimue Skin is a leading South African based, global derma-cosmeceuticals (skincare) company that is recognised for its innovative technology and premium salon brand, while SSN is a fast-growing nutritional supplements brand favoured by bodybuilders and gym enthusiasts which also includes the Supashape brand.

 Dr Karsten Wellner, Chief Executive Officer of Ascendis Health, said: “The Nimue Skin acquisition offers strategic advantages for Ascendis Health as it opens up new market segments in cosmeceuticals that are complementary to other products within the group.

 “SSN is a great fit for our lifestyle consumer brands division and brings with it access to a global market, that is growing in South Africa at over 20 percent annually”.

 Nimue Skin has grown significantly since its launch in 2000 and its products can be found in approximately 2,000 beauty salons around the world. The company has made significant progress in major international markets such as Dubai, the UK, Sweden, New Zealand, Switzerland and Germany and has distributors in 24 countries worldwide.

 SSN, currently the third largest sports nutrition company in SA, was launched in 2008 by two dedicated and passionate South African sports enthusiasts and is the fastest growing local brand.

The SSN brand is listed at most major retailers and is also expanding globally with distribution agreements in India and Europe providing significant growth opportunities internationally.

 “The addition of SSN to the Group adds another exciting health and lifestyle consumer brand to the Ascendis group,” said Wellner. “Ascendis Health will leverage SSN’s sales and marketing strategies and their key associations and relationships with industry leaders to grow market share in this competitive sector, both locally and abroad”.

 This sentiment is echoed by Mario van Biljon, co-founder of SSN: “Now that Ascendis Health is on board we can begin to unlock the enormous potential in European markets for our great South African brand”.

 The owner-managers of both the acquired businesses have joined Ascendis’ management team and have invested some of their sales proceeds back into the group, in line with its partnership model. “Our investment model, based on the deep value investing principles espoused by Warren Buffett, hinges on the on-going support of management,” concluded Wellner.

“By bringing the management of Nimue Skin and SSN into the Ascendis fold we ensure continuity at the respective businesses and retain the entrepreneurial flair and ambition that made these businesses what they are today”.

Bonnici, Director of the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the GSB, is only the second UCT faculty member to have this honour.

The flagship programme of the African Leadership Institute, the ATLP seeks to develop a supportive network of future leaders that will have the capacity and vision to transform the African continent.

While the Tutu Fellowship is not the only programme that focuses on emerging African leaders, it is unique in that rather than simply providing a networking opportunity for individuals, it has the clear objective of building leadership capacity.

The five-month, part-time programme provides a wide range of leadership learning experiences to the cream of the continent’s future leadersbetween the ages of 25 and 39, who are expected to rise to top leadership positions in their spheres of activity. The selection process is highly competitive and rigorous.

Bonnici said it is a programme suited to Africa’s needs, and plays to the strengths of the programme participants.

He said: “We need to be thinking much more ambitiously, confidently, and across national boundaries if we are to fulfill the significant potential of Africa responsibly and to the benefit of all its citizens. This fellowship provides the network and a united identity for our future leaders." 

The ATLP is run in conjunction with Oxford University and a variety of institutions across Africa, and involves two nine day workshops: the first was held in South Africa on April 27 to May 5 2013, while the second will be held at Oxford University and in London at the beginning of September 2013. 

Over the seven years since its inception, the ATLP has established itself as the foremost leadership programme for high potential African leaders. 

The 2013 group consists of 17 candidates selected from 150 nominations of emerging leaders from all sectors of society received from 26 African countries. An additional nine candidates were nominated by the sponsoring organisations.

“It is a privilege for me to join the other fellows from across the continent, such as the CEO of the Rwandan Development Bank; Deputy Minister of Science & Technology in Tanzania; President of the Law Society in Malawi; a key activist in Libya’s liberation and the President of the New Libya Foundation, and the Co-Founder of Ushahidi in Kenya,” said Bonnici.

Following the completion of the programme, trainees will become Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellows and will form an extended network which will be encouraged to communicate through web facilities of the African Leadership Institute and participate in leadership projects on the continent.

Bonnici says that programmes such as the ATLP are an example of how different African countries can work together for mutual benefit: “The continent as a whole is rapidly moving forward, and the next generation of upcoming leaders consists of world-class individuals who are analytical about the past, and visionary about the future.”

The Protea Hospitality Group has signed a deal that will see Africa’s largest hotel group moving into its 10th African country, the beautiful equatorial Republic of Rwanda, famous for its Mountain Gorillas.

A 25-room hotel in the upmarket suburb of Nyarutarama in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali will become Protea Hotel Kigali when it opens in the last quarter of this year and represents a great step forward in the Protea Hospitality Group’s growth in East Africa, says company Chief Executive Officer Arthur Gillis.

“Rwanda has shown tremendous economic growth in the past few years and the Government has a strong focus on the development of the tourism sector, recognising it as one of the foremost economic drivers and the largest foreign exchange earner,” said Gillis.

Protea Hotel Kigali will offer standard rooms, as well as eight two-bedroom units specifically for the long-stay market.

The hotel will also feature a 60-seater restaurant, a bar, gym and swimming pool, plus two executive boardrooms for meetings and conferences on site.

Rwanda is a developing nation of approximately 11 million people. African Economic Outlook sets the country an expected GDP growth of nearly seven percent for 2013.

“Rwanda’s economy is at a very exciting stage of development and it’s the perfect time for an experienced international hotel group with a 30-year track record in African development to be entering the market,” said Gillis.

“The Government has put a number of programmes in place through its Trade and Industry Ministry’s Vision 2020 plan that is developing infrastructure and regional economic trade hubs. It’s also consolidating its agriculture sector which exports a lot of tea and coffee.

“Add that to the substantial international investment in the financial sector and development funds for SMEs and Rwanda is a country that not only needs hotels but hotels of international standard, which is what we’re creating in Protea Hotel Kigali.”

Gillis said the corporate appetite for hospitality industry growth is already present in Rwanda and it is the next logical growth point for the Protea Hospitality Group in East Africa.

“We recently announced that Ghana’s first Protea Hotel is under construction in West Africa and now we’re doing the same thing in East Africa. There is no doubt that political stability and a desire to grow economies is what’s fuelling international investment and there’s no doubt in my mind that the most confidence-inspiring place to do business in the world right now is right here in Africa.”