Business in Africa: Opinion
South Africa Taking Advantage of Improved Trade Conditions
August 2006
South Africa Taking Advantage of Improved Trade Conditions by Hany Besada, as featured in the Engineering News, 18 August 2006.
Nepad Must Guide Business in Africa
By Neuma GrobbelaarBusiness Day, 17 October 2003
The Kebble-Maduna saga, the arms deal, the mining charter and mining royalty bill have thrown into sharp relief the complex and often fraught relationship between business and government. It also brings into question the critical rules of engagement.
A Luta Continua
Mozambique is South Africa’s second-biggest trading partner in Africa, but investors are wary
By Neuma Grobbelaar
This Day, 6 April 2004
Every continent needs an America…this is how one South African investor responded when questioned about the importance of South African investment in a country like Mozambique. This comment immediately conjures up the image of the bully on the block, but the intention is subtler. It is widely accepted that the economic growth of Western Europe after the Second World War and the Asian economic miracle are a direct result of US investment and aid in those regions, and the opening of its market to their exports.
South African Business Marching North: Is there a case for regulation?
By Neuma GrobbelaarTraders African Business Journal, May –August 2004
The recent announcement by the Minister of Public Enterprises, Jeff Radebe, that the South African government is investigating the option of legislation to regulate the behaviour of South African firms on the continent has resonated throughout the business community. South Africa has emerged as a significant investor over the last ten years in Africa.
Joint African Effort Needs Real Teeth: Regional Integration
By Kaemete TsotetsiBusiness Day, 2 June 2004
As the city of Maputo prepares itself to host the World Economic Forum African summit this week under the theme Engaging Business in Development it is apt to reflect on the economic track record of Africa.
Good intentions not enough: African development
Greg Mills
Business Day, 27 September 2004
Tony Blair's Africa Commission is due to make its report public on how to assist African development early next year. What should this report contain? The problem for Blair and his fellow travellers is not that they lack the best intentions. The commission's establishment is an indication of the priority the UK prime minister has attached to Africa, which, he has said, is a "scar on the conscience of the world".
The private sector, political elites and underdevelopment in Sub-Saharan Africa
Moeletsi Mbeki
Why are most Africans in Sub-Saharan Africa poor and why are they getting poorer while most people in the rest of the world are becoming better off? The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund who have become Sub-Saharan Africa’s fairy godmother and godfather respectively, every year churnout statistics that tell the same tale – Africans are poor and in many instances have fallen so far down it is difficult to imagine them getting poorer. With poverty and growing impoverishment go conflicts over scarce and shrinking resources. Hence Sub-Saharan Africa’s apparently never ending cycle of violent conflicts.
Egypt Opens the Door to SA Business
By Hany BesadaBusiness Day, 4 August 2005
A recent survey by the South African Institute of International Affairs on the experience of South African companies and subsidiaries operating in Egypt found that most regard it as a promising market.
Ghana Elections: Kufuor has put Ghana on the right track
Hany BesadaBusiness Day, 25 October 2004
as reproduced on GhanaWeb.com
Ghana's New National Patriotic Party government is facing a keenly awaited political contest in December when Ghanaians go to the polls to elect a new president and parliament. But Ghana's robust economic growth over the past four years under President John Kufuor's leadership is the government's trump card.
Business as Usual in Egypt
Hany BesadaBusiness Day, 30 August 2005
EGYPT faces the first contested presidential elections in its history next Wednesday. President Hosni Mubarak’s ruling party, the National Democratic Party (NDP), is poised to win. Mubarak’s liberalisation of the economy, the introduction of fiscal, monetary and institutional reforms, and the country’s relative political stability are his trump cards. For international and local investors this means a continuation of investment-friendly policies.
In Search of El Dorado in Africa
By Hany Besada23 September 2005, Business Day
MINING in Africa appears to be the lifeline for the viability and sustainability of SA’s mining giants, which are facing rising costs related to deep-level mining and ageing mines. A recent survey by the South African Institute of International Affairs, conducted among South African mining firms on their African operations, has found that most respondents see the continent as a promising market.
Can the South African Business Experience in Africa Offer a Way Forward?
By Neuma Grobbelaar
African Union Directory, December 2004
Although Africa boasts some lucrative emerging markets and oil and gas fields that, once fully operational, could be geo-strategically important for the North (given the volatility of the Middle East), the continent is off the radar screen of most foreign investors. In fact, its natural and mineral resources have been more bane than boon. It is up to African governments to lead they way in ensuring that Africa is put on the international business map.
SA companies use Ghana as gateway to West Africa: SA business in Ghana: Investors find a sweet spot for stable growth
Mzwandile Jacks
Financial Mail, 11 March 2005
Ghana has emerged as the hub for SA companies seeking to do business in West Africa. This is at the expense of the larger Nigeria, which is still seen as a risky investment destination, and Côte d'Ivoire, which descended into civil war two years ago.
SA’s Influence a Mixed Blessing
Neuma Grobbelaar
Business Day, 1 June 2005
THE World Economic Forum meeting in Cape Town will discuss the role that the private sector, and specifically SA, can play in supporting the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad).
Egypt Opens the Door to SA Business
By Hany Besada
Business Day, 4 August 2005
A recent survey by the South African Institute of International Affairs on the experience of South African companies and subsidiaries operating in Egypt found that most regard it as a promising market.
Business as Usual in Egypt
Hany Besada
Business Day, 30 August 2005
EGYPT faces the first contested presidential elections in its history next Wednesday. President Hosni Mubarak’s ruling party, the National Democratic Party (NDP), is poised to win. Mubarak’s liberalisation of the economy, the introduction of fiscal, monetary and institutional reforms, and the country’s relative political stability are his trump cards. For international and local investors this means a continuation of investment-friendly policies.
Senegal’s Allure for SA Companies
By Hany Besada
8 December 2005, Business Day
With its capital and principal port of Dakar located on the westernmost point of Africa, Senegal is poised to become the gateway to Francophone west Africa. The semi-arid former French colony is regarded as the economic success in the region with its strong commitment to the rule of law and democratic institutions.
The Daunting Task of Peer Review in Africa
by Hany Besada
15 November 2006, Mail&Guardian
A prevailing dilemma for leaders from the Group of Eight (G8) and Africa centres on the future prospects of the much-hailed New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad).
