Biz Hub Africa

For the first time in the four years that FORBES has been tracking Africa’s richest, Nigeria bests South Africa. At the top yet again is cement tycoon Aliko Dangote of Nigeria, joined on the list of Africa’s 50 Richest by 12 other countrymen.  In comparison South Africa claims 11 spots, down from 14 a year ago. Nigeria is showing its strength, having earned commendations for its efforts to snuff out Ebola in the country, which Dangote helped fund — and despite a recent drop in oil prices. There are four new billionaires on the list: Orji Uzor Kalu of Nigeria, Tony Elumelu of Nigeria,  Theophilus Danjuma of Nigeria and  King Mohammed VI of Morocco. That brings the number of billionaires on the list to 28, up one from 27 last year. Three billionaires on last year’s list are no longer members of the 10-figure club: Vimal Shah of Kenya is off the list, replaced by his father Bhimji Depar Shah at a lower net worth. Abdulsamad Rabiu of Nigeria dropped below $1 billion du

Procurement planning is the process of deciding what to buy, when and from what source. During the procurement planning process the procurement method is assigned and the expectations for fulfillment of procurement requirements determined. Procurement Planning is important because: 1.  It helps to decide what to buy, when and from what sources. 2.  It allows planners to determine if expectations are realistic; particularly the expectations of the requesting entities, which usually expect their requirements met on short notice and over a shorter period than the application of the corresponding procurement method allows. 3.  It is an opportunity for all stakeholders involved in the processes to meet in order to discuss particular procurement requirements. These stakeholders could be the requesting entity, end users, procurement department, technical experts, and even vendors to give relevant inputs on specific requirements. 4.  It permits the creation of a procurement

The term ‘persistent jobless growth’ refers to the phenomenon in which economies exiting recessions demonstrate economic growth while merely maintaining – or, in some cases, decreasing – their level of employment. The scale and significance of this problem is evident in the high placing of this trend, at two out of the top 10 trends for 2015 in this year’s Outlook in the Global Agenda , an increase even over last year’s report, when persistent structural employment was ranked as the third most concerning trend. The transformations and job displacements associated with technological progress are happening faster, and may even be more dramatic in their impact than anything we’ve experienced before, and the task of providing a meaningful, substantial role for everyone is going to be hugely important. But I believe that this presents us with a huge opportunity to take advantage of current low costs of borrowing and under-utilized labour resources, and embark on large-scale pro

Economic policies are diverging in the developed world as deflation looms CENTRAL banks in the developed world are no longer acting in tandem. When the financial crisis broke in 2007-08, most banks eased monetary policy significantly. But in late October, two days after the Federal Reserve ceased its third programme of asset purchases, the Bank of Japan stepped up its bond-buying. This divergence seems likely to have a big effect in the medium term, not least in the currency markets. The Bank of Japan said it was expanding its programme of asset purchases (known as quantitative easing, or QE) from ¥60-70 trillion to ¥80 trillion ($700 billion) a year. Its aim is to ward off deflation, a persistent problem over the past 20 years. The Tokyo stockmarket jumped sharply on the news but the biggest economic impact may be on the exchange rate. The yen fell more than 2% against the dollar on the day of the announcement—a big move by currency-market standards—and hit a seven-yea

Financial folly can come at any age; with each new financial milestone and responsibility comes a whole new way for you to mess it all up. The good news? You're not alone. In fact, each generation has a host of specific mishaps and poor choices that its members commonly make. The best way to avoid these mistakes is to learn what they are.   Top 5 Financial Mistakes People Make in Their 20s   Twenty-somethings are sometimes seen as the most fiscally irresponsible generation (even though some studies show that they're actually better at saving money than their parents). Whether or not individuals in their 20s are careless with their money, you don't have to be. Avoid these five mistakes to be ahead of the financial game early on. Prolonging loan repayment: Don't push your student loans to the side right after college. It's important to get those paid off quickly, so that you can avoid paying extra money in interest over the years. Also, who wants to

The Implications of a Drier, Hotter and More Crowded Future   Why is this issue important? The Horn of Africa is one of the world's most food-insecure regions. The eight countries – Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda – have a combined population of 160 million people, 70 million of whom (or nearly 44 per cent) live in areas prone to extreme food shortages (1). Between 1970 and 2000, these countries were threatened by famine at least once each decade (1). In the future, the impacts of climate change, as well as growing populations and declining per capita agricultural capacity, are expected to further threaten food security¹. As one of the least developed areas in Africa, there is limited capacity to respond to drought or food crises. To prevent humanitarian emergencies, the Horn of Africa needs to strengthen its ability to build long-term resilience and tackle the root causes of

As we reflect on the plight -- but also the amazing survival instincts of refugees today -- World Refugee Day, we should look closely at the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) region -- a region responsible for calculating the globe's highest refugee figures in 2013. The bleak numbers represent the high human cost of a series of bloody humanitarian emergencies erupting from sectarian and civil conflicts. The Syrian crisis alone has seen almost 2.6 million refugees flee to Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. According to UN data, this figure is set to rise exponentially by 2015. These neighboring countries are urgently grappling with unprecedented numbers of refugees. Whilst their governments focus on basic necessities -- shelter, food, water and security -- opportunistic traffickers, would-be labor exploiters and men in the marriage market, reap the rewards of refugees desperate for economic opportunities. In Jordan, home to some 600,000 registered Syrian refugees,

Through My Lens In the past centuries slavery was like the hottest business for the rich and influential personalities in Europe and United States. But this type of trade was abolished in the early 19th century due to the way the trade was being conducted. Stringent measures were put into place so that the act could see the sight of daylight ever again. Universal governing bodies were put into place so that there be no any loophole in the campaign against slavery. Apart from the earlier view of slave as a source of labour and workforce,the word was on the bridge of a new dawn of change. Many countries in Europe and United States start registering these foreign individuals as valid citizens and were allowed to start enjoying some small privileges like the rest. As the centuries went by most of the people were enlighten more and trade slowly died with time. The act was similar to stant to many eyes which were not keen to what was going on. Few decades later focus changed to the Middle

Travellers putting trips to countries unaffected by Ebola, such as South Africa and Kenya, on hold    Africa’s tourism industry is feeling the affects of concerns about Ebola, with one operator noting, "it's difficult to defeat fear with logic". Tourism is a major source of revenue for many African countries — especially Kenya and South Africa — but potential visitors appear increasingly hesitating about travelling to the continent which is home to the disease. Even travellers well aware of the distances between the West Africa countries with Ebola cases – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – and more popular tourist destinations, are exercising caution when booking a holiday. “Things have accelerated a lot in the last few weeks,” said Chris McIntyre from UK tour company Expert Africa. “We haven't had any cancellations, but people are often putting trips on hold, and not confirming them, because of worries over Ebola. And fewer

THE EBOLA VIRUS What everyone who wants to come to Africa be it for business,leisure or any of those a thousand and one reasons is to acquire him/herself knowledge about the Ebola virus. According to the WHO & CDC Ebola is,"  Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans." Key facts The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. The average EVD case fatality rate is around 50%. Case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks. The first EVD outbreaks occurred in remote villages in Central Africa, near tropical rainforests, but the most recent outbreak in west Africa has involved major urban as well as rural areas. Community engagement is key to successfully controlling outbreaks. Good outbreak control relies on applying a package of interventions, namely case management, surveillance and contact tr