Wharton African business conference

Wharton African MBA students are having their annual forum on Saturday Nov. 10th 2007. I have been to this annual event many times and will probably attend this year. I hope to see some of you there.

Save the date for the Wharton Africa Business Forum November 9 – 10 Jon M. Huntsman Hall, The Wharton School Register here today!

Featured panels include: Energy: Managing the scramble for Africa’s natural resources ● Technology: Competing globally in services by adapting proven technologies ● Entrepreneurship: Success stories in African entrepreneurship ● Venture Capital and Private Equity: Promoting the development of small and medium scale enterprises ● Culture and Arts Business: Realizing the export potential of sports, African art, films, music and fashions

The Wharton Africa Business Plan Competition The 2007 Wharton Africa Business Plan Competition (WABPC) will take place on Saturday November 10, 2007. The competition will be a key component of the 2007 Wharton Africa Business Forum and is organized to promote entrepreneurship in Africa. The WABPC will be conducted in 3 rounds. Finalists are eligible to win up to $3,000 in prizes. Saturday, October 27, 2007 Due date for Submission of an Executive Summary of the Business Plan along with a completed application form. Saturday, November 3,2007 Candidates elected for round 2 will be announced. Saturday, November 10, 2007 6 applicants selected from the Phase 1 pool pitch plans to Phase 3 jury and before conference participants. A full explanation of the competition is provided in the WABF web page: http://www.whartonglobal.com/Africa/businesspitch.html

About African blogging and its tipping point

African executive has an article about African bloggers and this new phenomenon called Blog Carnivals. Blog carnivals are a rotating forum hosted by a blogger to discuss a topic or issue.


From African Executive

Discussion on Africa’s development is taking a new dimension. Bloggers have joined this debate and are employing new ways to initiate dialogue about Africa’s development round the world. The latest craze that seeks to use technology to push Africa into the 21^st Century is the Carnival of Africa Enterprising. This is basically a traveling web magazine or blog that discusses business in Africa. Centered around a concept mooted by Blog Carnival, it spurs dialogue amongst African bloggers and other leading thinkers; and provides a forum for web publishers (such as bloggers) to discuss common topical and development oriented issues.

TANCon2007

Hello, there is a conference taking place about entrepreneurship in Africa Oct, 13 in San Francisco. I have been asked to moderate one of the panels at this conference. I'll try to make this event.

TANCon is the world’s sole event of its kind for entrepreneurs of African descent. The target audience includes entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 business leaders, venture capitalists, investment bankers, government policy makers and other entrepreneurial ecosystem organizations.


About TAN

TAN is a global non-profit organization with the sole mandate of fostering entrepreneurship and technology in Africa and among people of African descent worldwide.

TerraNet promises free calls on handsets

TerraNet is promising free calls on it's handsets.

On it's website it promises:

You can call and text anyone within two kilometres, or up to 20 kilometres in a mesh network. What’s more, you can call and text anyone in the world through a TerraNet wireless Internet access point. With TerraNet technology integrated any type of handheld device transforms into a wireless communicator.


Africa is just seeing steady penetration rates of the Mobile phone. One can only imagine when this free wireless network would work in developing markets like Africa.

BBC also has an article on TerraNet

Swedish company TerraNet has developed the idea using peer-to-peer technology that enables users to speak on its handsets without the need for a mobile phone base station.

Airline industry in Africa is taking off

Africa airlines are slowly starting to take flight. One such airline, Afriqiyah Airways wants to be a serious player on the African continent. Afriqiyah headquartered in Tripoli, has grand ambitions from upper management. Afriqiyah has six A320's that serves 19 international destinations and is looking to expand to Asia and Europe. The hub for Afriqiyah is in Tripoli, and is badly needed for a makeover and expansion if it wants to attract passengers.

Reuters Africa has an article on a West African group that is close to launching their own airline

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A West African group plans to launch an airline to help fill in route gaps left by problems at regional state-owned airlines, before expanding to the rest of the continent, an official said on Wednesday.

The Togolese-based SPCAR -- Regional Airline Promotion Company -- hopes to unveil the new airline at the end of October, with operations targeted to begin in the first quarter of 2008, its chairman Gervais Djondo told reporters in Johannesburg.

READ MORE

US-AFRICA Business Summit

Corporate council of Africa is having for the first time their bi-annual conference in Cape Town, South Africa. This is big event for investors and entrepreneurs looking for business opportunities on the continent.

The Summit will focus on relevant areas of business for Africa, including:

Energy
Power
Telecommunications
Mining
Infrastructure
Tourism
Finance
Health
Small Business Opportunities…
And More

Africa TV channel via Mobile Technology

If Salim Amin gets his way you will be watching an African owned, produced and run TV network from your mobile handset. Salim's TV channel is Africa 24 and should be launched sometime next year.

Technology is going to allow more Africa 24's and others to broadcast their own content and not rely on the BBC's, or the CNN's of the world. Al Jazera launched their English channel and now it's just as popular as the Arabic channel. Soon, you'll see more choices for entertainment and news coming from every country in Africa.

You can read more about him and his efforts here:

Hotel Chains are booming in Africa

Africa's tourism and oil are attracting world-renown hotel chains to Africa. Starwoood hotels just completed a Sheraton in Addis Ababa, and is looking at other locations on the continent. Hilton hotels is building a 200 room hotel in Accra, Ghana. Marriott International is looking at building several properties over a 10 year period in Africa and other international hotel chains are starting to build hotels in Africa.

In North and East Africa, tourism is predominantly the reason for hotel development. Morocco and Tunisia are experiencing major development whilst Mombasa in Kenya is rising as and exotic location. Because of the lack of hotel rooms and the demand of occupancy; is forcing many international investors and hotels to look at growth potential of the African hospitality industry.

How to unlock dead capital in Africa

Peruvian economist Hernando De Soto researches third world's lack of legal titles and systematic property law that condemns some 1.3 billion poorest to live on under a dollar a day. In his book, The Mystery of Capital he advocates that capitalism triumphs in the West because of property rights. In theory, there are millions of squatters illegally occupying untitled land, that cannot ever use their houses for collateral. Most of the land in the third world is owned by governments, which in theory are elected by the people; so if we want to help spur home ownership in the third world we need to look to standardize ways to register squatters for property ownership.

It is a fact, property title spurs entrepreneurship, the west grew in the 1800's by industrialization and by property ownership. If we could figure a way to register millions of squatters in Africa and around the world; they could then use their property to obtain business loans to build a sustainable business to feed themselves and their families. Hernando De Soto to his credit has used his Peruvian registry to register over a million buildings and over 300 businesses from 1991 to 1994. Throughout the world other extralegal organizations have mimicked De Soto and formed their own property registries.

Hernando De Soto has done a great service by demonstrating that the poor people do have property and can accumulate capital. But the poor cannot realize their potential because of the conflict between their real but extralegal claims and the unreal but legal property systems.

I suggest reading Hernando De Soto's book, The Mystery of Capital. This book demonstrates that property rights must never be taken for granted.

African Jatropa & Palm oil are being refined for Biofuels

Bio fuels are gaining traction as an alternative to hydrocarbons. And, in certain parts of the world, governments and some corporations consider jatropha and palm oil, common in hot climates, one of the most promising sources of bio diesel. Any country that uses palm oil could benefit by this surge in bio fuels. However, because palm oil is essential for cooking, more emphasis should be placed on non-edible plants such as jathropa, and other bio-based plants.

Bio fuels also give farmers another source of sustainable income. In the US farmers in the Midwest are benefiting from ethanol based products, farmers in Africa should also benefit. Because of the popularity in jatropa and palm oil, farmers will need some guidance in getting a fair share of their produce.

Tata plans steel plant in SA

Tata Steel based in India and the world's sixth-largest steel maker, is reportedly mulling the construction of a five million tonnes a year steel plant in South Africa but appears to have its heart set on first securing coal and iron ore mines.

One of the fastest growing steel companies in the world, the Indian conglomerate's ambition is to become a 100 million tonne a year steel producer.

Ten years ago, who would have thought that Indian, and Chinese conglomerates would be acquiring companies from Europe, US, and Africa. Globalization has enabled emerging markets the ability to tap world markets to acquire capital and grow multinational companies. Economies of scale is also allowing this growth; through lower labor rates and cost structures.

The Carnival of African Enterprising (4th Edition)

Welcome to the September 12, 2007 edition of africa enterprising. I’m proud to host the 4th Carnival of African Enterprising, following in the fine footsteps of White African, AfricanPath and African Loft. Each host of a Carnival has some freedom in how they choose to put their piece together. In mine, I’ve decided to pick what I considered the top interesting articles on African business and economy that were submitted.

Blogging Trade & Investment Forums

David McQueen presents TED Global 2007: Afterglow « David McQueen posted at David McQueen, saying, "We must look back not to be bitter, but to learn from our past and our mistakes, and for all of those who committed for change at this conference, and those who have picked up on the conversations for the next chapter for Africa elsewhere, here's to a new future for the varied and rich tapestry that is the Motherland!!!"

Bankelele presents Idea Exchange: sponsors & links posted at bankelele, saying, "William Kamkwamba, a 19 year old Malawian embodies this as an inventor of a electricity producing windmill out of scrap metal. And former Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, famous for fighting corruption and restructuring her country's debt, who rightly put an end to the aid vs. trade debate by reminding us that both are needed."

Jen Brea presents TED Global, Africa: The Next Chapter posted at Africabeat, saying, "Now, I am the first person to be as skeptical about Afro-optimism as I am about Afro-pessimism, and I am also generally skeptical of expensive and exclusive events...But...This is an opportunity to go back, to learn a little bit more, to get to know a completely different part of the continent, all while meeting people from all over Africa and around the world who are doing really exciting, creative and innovative things."

G. Kofi Annan presents Vote to add Africa 2.0 panel to SXSW festival schedule posted at Annansi Chronicles.

Benin Mwangi presents IBM Thinks Africa posted at The Benin Epilogue Part I: Africa-Ready for Business, saying, "This article summarizes my experiences as a 2007 IBM GIO Think Africa attendee.

African Path presents Hear IBM Vice President's view on Africa's present market opportunities posted at African Path, saying, "I think that this conversation between IBM Vice President Baba Zoumanigui and myself should give readers a small preview of what IBM has in store for the ICT markets in Africa."

Joshua Wanyama presents Kenyans in the Diaspora Conference Final Thoughts posted at African Path, saying, "The Kenyans in the Diaspora held on March 22 to 24, 2007 in Atlanta, GA was very telling on the levels of progress Kenyans have achieved. The event was well organized, well attended and for the most part the program was run on schedule. Considering the logistics, marketing and invitations that had to go out to make the event a success, I have to say it was a great achievement!"

Emeka presents Timbuktu Chronicles: Planting Seeds: TED Global posted at Timbuktu Chronicles, saying, "This post represents a warm thanks to TED Global 07 participants from a key organizer of the event."

Erik Hersman presents The Power of a TED Talk | White African posted at White African, saying, "George Ayittey's explanation describing the differences between the "cheetah" and "hippo" generations in Africa..."

Business in Africa

Ken Teyie presents Tanzania diminishes chances of regional integration posted at Business in focus, saying, Will the dream of an East Africa Community bringing benefits to the East African region collapse under the pressure of Tanzania's latests moves?

Africaincorp's staff presents in the media: Khartoum, the Dubai of Africa posted at AFRICAINCORP.

Uduak Oduok presents Want Financial Freedom? Start your Own Fashion Business. posted at ladybrille.

Nii Simmonds presents Ideas to grow the informal sector in Africa posted at Nubian Cheetah. By utilizing cooperatives in Africa for the informal market; Africa can feed and sustain itself for growth and wealth creation

Entrepreneurship in Africa

Nii Simmonds presents Meso Finance: the next area of financing for SME's in Africa posted at Nubian Cheetah. Meso finance is the middle of the road financing that Africa needs to embrace. By utilizing financing schemes in the SME's in Africa, Africans can now finance what they need to grow their businesses.

Alanagh Recreant presents From China to Virtual Africa: How Can Participatory Media Benefit the World? posted at UgoTrade, saying, "UGOTRADE is one of the most valuable additions to the blogosphere, shining a positive light on the African continent and its possibilities. She drives a passionate agenda of addressing digital divide in a sustainable way by influencing key roleplayers ground-UP! She respects local ingenuity and networks widely when she published a well-grounded article on her blog!

UgoTrade published this particular article about VIRTUAL AFRICA and its development on the Second Life platform and it has had wonderful investment spin-offs for our NGO, Uthango Social Investments, working in Africa."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of africa enterprising using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

africa enterprising, blog carnival.

Nigeria bids to build global oil group

Nigeria will soon have a global powerhouse that will mimic Russia's Gazprom, and Brazil 's Petrobas.

Nigeria has announced plans to transform its near-bankrupt state-owned oil company into a global player. The aim is to break a legacy of corruption and mismanagement and thrust the business into the ranks of increasingly influential national energy companies.

Analysts say the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), a majority partner in the country’s joint ventures with established multinationals, has long served as a reservoir of cash feeding Nigeria’s venal political system.

Kenya's budding film industry

Technology has enabled many Africans to venture into film making. Everyone knows about Nollywood and South African film industry, now you have Kenya Riverwood.

Look at this video on cnn.com

Links for Fri Sept, 7th

E.tv buys Botswana TV station

South African media company Sabido Ltd, the holding company of locally-based television station e.tv, has acquired 49 percent of Gaborone Broadcasting Company (GBC), e.tv said in a statement on Friday.

Blue buys into Namibia

BLUE FINANCIAL SERVICES will buy BONUS FINANCE NAMIBIA and three related trusts for R21.5m.

ArcelorMittal fined nearly R700m

ArcelorMittal SA is "disappointed" at the R691.8-million it was fined for price fixing by the Competition Tribunal on Thursday.