http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/Latest entriesen-gbSat, 27 Jun 2009 13:32:005Southern Africa Direct Lucrative uranium deposits in Namibia’s deserts, which could make the Southern African country a top producer of the radioactive element, are drawing increasing foreign interest. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will visit the nation this week to revive cooperation in uranium mining and energy production. http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-06-27/uranium-rich-namibia-draws-global-interest.html Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:32:00 Broadband in Africa has received another boost, with the signing in April 2009 of a formal agreement to build the high-speed submarine West African Cable System. Hot on the heels of a number of other sub-Saharan cable systems, which are all due to come into operation between 2009 and 2011, the West African Cable System (Wacs) received the green light when the agreement was signed in Johannesburg by an international consortium of telecommunications operators. http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-04-17/another-boost-for-broadband-in-africa.html Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:40:00 Uganda is to open a world-class research centre for rice. The country received a US$6-million grant from Japan, one of the world's leading rice growers, to establish the facility. Research at the centre, which will be based at the Namulonge Crops Research Institute in the southern district of Wakiso, will focus on the New Rice for Africa (Nerica) variety, a crop that showed much potential when it was first introduced in Guinea in 1997 and is increasingly being hailed as a miracle product. http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-03-31/uganda-opens-world-class-rice-research-centre.html Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:27:00 More opportunities for Chinese investment into Africa are to open up soon, with the announcement that China is to bolster its China-Africa Development Fund by an additional US$2-billion. The state-run equity fund has already invested in 20 projects, totalling a massive $400-million, in Africa since it was established in June 2007. The latest development will give Chinese enterprises added impetus to sink their funds into the continent, particularly in light of the withdrawal of Western investors, many of whom find themselves under financial pressure because of the global recession. http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-03-23/china-deepens-relationship-with-africa.html Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:34:00 Business schools are increasingly aware of the need to prepare MBA students for the global marketplace and South Africa has become a popular destination to send grads to learn about emerging markets and entrepreneurship. In recent years there has been a trend in business schools expanding their campuses and networks abroad, not only to help bring in students from across the world, but also to offer students the opportunity to experience foreign cultures and business practices through internships and study projects. http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-03-05/international-business-schools-use-south-africa-as-training-ground.html Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:16:00 Africa's broadband market is set to quadruple by 2012, with the current 2.7-million users soaring to 12.7-million, according to a new study by a US-based investment advisory firm AfricaNext conducted in 33 African markets. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the work of AfricaNext Investment Research is focused on Africa, specifically on that continent's telecommunications, media and technology sectors. The company is interested not only in Africa's largest economies, such as South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, but also in emerging markets such as Ethiopia and the Central African Republic. http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-03-04/broadband-approaching-tipping-point-in-africa.html Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:43:00 Who are the real power brokers in Africa? Who are the dynamic entrepreneurs making things happen on the continent? How did they do it and what are their personal stories? Africa's Greatest Entrepreneurs is a unique collection of stories about 16 of the most successful entrepreneurs and business visionaries currently operating in Africa. Each chapter is dedicated to a single entrepreneur and focuses on a sometimes tumultuous but mostly exciting journey to success. http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-02-18/meet-africas-greatest-entrepreneurs.html Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:34:00 Diageo has launched its sixth annual Africa Business Reporting Awards, which seeks to encourage more prolific business journalism in Africa and to increase the continent’s share of voice in the international media. A study commissioned by Diageo, and published this week to coincide with the first call for entries for the Awards, reveals that coverage of business in Africa has proliferated during the last five years, growing in quantity, quality and frequency. Thirty six investors across four continents with a combined portfolio of around US$20bn under management in Africa were surveyed. They supplied their views about the media and how it informs their investment decisions. http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-02-17/2009-africa-business-reporting-awards-launched.html Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:27:00 As Rwanda grows in popularity among tourists, investment opportunities a plenty are opening up in the accommodation facility sector. The number of tourists visiting Rwanda increased by 54% in 2008, according to the Rwanda Office for Tourism and National Parks (ORTP), and 1.14 million tourists are expected to visit this year http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-02-09/investment-opportunities-abound-in-rwandas-hospitality-sector.html Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:41:00 South Africa's JSE Limited will in February launch the Africa Board, a new trading segment on the exchange's main board featuring top companies from across the continent. According to the stock exchange, the decision came about after it was continually approached by foreign investors looking for ways to diversify their portfolios; the Africa Board was conceived as offering the best value. http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-02-03/jse-to-list-top-african-companies.html Sun, 01 Feb 2009 08:02:00