Ford has aggressive plans to expand its business in Africa and will be launching 25 new vehicles into the Middle East and Africa region by 2016, with 17 of these models launched into sub-Saharan Africa. Jim Benintende, the president of Ford Middle East and Africa (MEA), said yesterday Ford had launched earlier this year its fifth business unit, MEA, comprising 67 markets that represented “the final frontier for growth within the global.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 28th July 2014

The company also runs an office in Ethiopia and plans to launch in Tanzania. Epson’s East Africa regional manager Mukesh Bector says the region is a “key focus market” thanks to recent economic growth. Bector tells How we made it in Africa that the establishment of more small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and government agencies as well as growth in the photography industry, are impacting printer and other office equipment.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 28th July 2014

Plastic usage worldwide has been on the increase in the last three decades as this is the most convenient of packing, storing and transporting many products the world. In our country Kenya, most products are packed in plastic vessels. Regrettably, this has led to environment pollution and degradation due to the way these plastics are disposed off after usage. A casual look around the country reveals lots of poorly disposed plastic bags and.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 28th July 2014

The printing industry has changed, with many established printer providers, as well as new companies, adopting digital printing solutions to meet the demands of the print market, says Leon Minnie, product manager: production systems at Konica Minolta South Africa. The purchase of a digital device is not always done willingly, sometimes it is done through necessity and sometimes the technology is embraced as companies look to the future. For.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 28th July 2014

Mumbai-based drugmaker Cipla Ltd is acquiring 51 per cent stake in a UAE-based pharmaceutical company which has manufacturing and distribution business in Yemen for $21 million. “Given the recent preference to local manufacturing, this secures the company’s presence in a fast growing market,” the company said in a stock exchange announcement. At present Cipla has over 200 products in Yemen market. The company will pay $21.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 28th July 2014

German exported industrial machines worth 580 million euro to Africa in 2013, representing 7.5 per cent of the country’s total export, Mr Richards Clemens, Managing Director, Packaging Machinery Association of Germany told journalists in Lagos on Monday.He said there was an increase in the global demand for German technology, adding that Nigeria was top on the list of countries making such demands. Nigeria is one of our largest markets.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 28th July 2014

The first major challenge for SADC economies, as is the case with most African states, is a development model that is driven by consumption and primary commodity exports. The limitations of this kind of an economic growth path were severely exposed during the recent global economic crisis when the region’s economic performance was severely jolted. Further, the regional integration model in Africa has tended to focus too much on trade.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 28th July 2014

The Kisumu county government plans to invest in farm inputs and educating farmers on modern agriculture methods and technologies. Agriculture executive Stephen Orot yesterday said this will enhance food security in the county. He said they will improve provision of certified seeds, extension services and irrigation to boost the quality of agriculture products and increase yields. Orot told the Star in his office that the county has.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 28th July 2014

Malabo, Equatorial Guinea – At the 25th Ordinary Session of the African Union Executive Council Monday, Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa urged member states to seriously rethink policies on agriculture, whose share of GDP, he warned, has been on the decline. “The progress in agricultural productivity level has been uneven across countries, ranging from an increase of 325% in Nigeria to a.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 28th July 2014

More than 100,000 smallholder farmers in Tanzania will benefit after today’s announcement of US$4.25-million in new grants to increase their productivity and as a contribution to the country’s food security. The funding from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) aims to improve incomes, productivity and access to markets for farmers in the Southern Highlands – Tanzania’s main breadbasket region and a.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 29th July 2014