Indo Africa Times, a weekly newspaper has its key intend to create extensive awareness amongst people about Africa and India concerning different sectors like economy, politics, culture, fashion, sports and many more. It is our sincere endeavor to bridge the information gap between Africa and India by endowing our readers with updated and latest developments occurring in both the countries.
1. www.indoafricatimes.com
MONDAY | APRIL 14, 2014 Title Code: DELENG18579 • VOL. 1 • NO. 14 • Page 12 • Price `10
pg 10
pg 04
pg 08
pg 02
Continued to page 03
Cape Town
as a symbol of
20 years of
Freedom
The Best of Tata on Ghanaian Roads
Supreme Styling to
Express and
Impress Ghana
D
on't be surprised if you see two
dynamic models of Tata Motors
i.e. Tata Manza and Tata Aria on
the Ghanaian roads as Tata has recently
launched these two passenger vehicles in Ghana
to enhance their charisma in the market.
Tata has bring together the Tata Manza, a spacious and lavish sedan and
the Tata Aria, a 7-seater SUV with a purring 4×4 capability in the market. Tata Motors
arrived in Ghana in 2004 and since then has been a brilliant performer in the Ghana auto
industry with an on-road presence of over 7,000 passenger and commercial vehicles.
Modern Auto Services (MAS) was also formally appointed as its supplier in
Ghana for both the passenger and commercial vehicles.
Furnished with a comprehensive array of after sales service
products, MAS service centres are located in Accra, Kumasi,
Takoradi and Tamale. The company is fabled for propagating
the usage of Daewoo vehicles in Ghana during its maiden
years in business and presently holds the franchise for
SsangYong and Foton vehicles.
The Managing Director, Tata Africa, Mr. Thami Mbele on
launching the vehicles at an event held at the plush Labadi beach
Hotel in Accra said, “The new passenger vehicles from Tata Motors
is yet another step towards consolidating Tata Ghana’s commitment
to aspiring customers. With our wide network and service support from
our new partners, Modern Auto Services, we are confident that our customers will continue
to have a smooth ride.”
Mr. Nouhad Kalmoni, CEO, Modern Auto Services (MAS), labelled the affair as a historical
moment for Modern Auto Services as firstly, it scripts the addition of a big brand like Tata
THE GAMBIA:
The Smiling
Coast of
Africa
Get Uninter-
rupted
Power
Solutions
Chelsea: The
return of
Eto’o to Inter
becomes
clearer
pg 11
Pokello
and Elikem:
Ambassadors
for AFW
Nigeria
2. Wassupafrica02
T
he Seychelles Tourism
Board released the
programme for this year’s
Carnaval de Carnivals, the Carnival
International de Victoria, which
will take place in three weeks’
time.
The fourth edition of the
festival, which has become a global
hit among carnival aficionados
from the moment it was launched
in 2011, will this year open at
the Stad Popiler, not as before
the Clock Tower square in the
heart of Victoria, and promises a
spectacle of impressions from the
participating carnival troupes,
blending colors, dance and song
into one mighty curtain raiser that
night.
To reflect the multinational
presence have the organizers this
year ensured that all the three
official languages of the country
will be reflected in the official
Two decades ago South African’s
were free to cast their vote for the
first time. The 27th of April 1994
was a momentous moment in a
hard-won journey to equal rights
for all South Africans and marked
the birth of our new democracy.
Such a significant moment,
in fact, that many have chosen to
celebrate freedom throughout the
month of April and we encourage
locals and visitors alike to use this
opportunity to reflect, celebrate
and commemorate this time in the
Mother City
Cape Town as a symbol
of Freedom, says Cape Town
Tourism Executive for Marketing,
Velma Corcoran; “Cape Town has
always been important in the
struggle for freedom.
Take a walk past the City Hall
The Zimbabwe government has
secured 50 million US- Dollars
from India to be invested in the
Zimbabwe Travel and Tourism
industry.
The Zimbabwe tourism
ministry now ordered 670
vehicles worth around $50 million
from Ashok Leyland of India to be
delivered in the 2014/15 financial
year, the company said in an
announcement to the Bombay
Stock Exchange (BSE).
“Ashok Leyland Ltd has
informed BSE that the Company
The agenda is now out for the
upcoming 2nd edition of the Hotel
Summit East Africa, which will be
held at the Kenyatta International
Convention Centre in Nairobi from
May 15 to 16 inclusive.
The event, like last year, will
run concurrently with the Kenya
Hospitality Trade Fair, which is
taking place at the same venue
from May 14 to 16.
The organizers of the
exhibition and symposium, Slujan
Events, have overnight released
2014 Carnival program
introduces exciting changes
India to Zimbabwe: Here is 50 million
dollars to invest in travel and tourism
Hotel Summit East Africa 2014 firming up
for May meeting
opening of the carnival with three
MC’s making their announcements
in Creole, English and French.
South Africa, one of the official
partner countries in the event,
has chosen television presenter
Angelique Gerber. Marie Payet
from Ile de la Reunion, who was
crowned Miss France in 2011,
will be representing the French
language and hugely popular
home girl Michelle Marengo from
Seychelles will this year engage
the spectators in her native Creole
language.
After the opening ceremony
in the main stadium will the
participants showcase their
musical repertoire when they
will take to the stage. The
official opening of the Carnaval
International de Victoria promises
to be an amazing and memorable
cocktail of music and rhythms to
enjoy!
Cape Town as a symbol of
20 years of Freedom
the agenda for the Hotel Summit,
which is again expected to bring
over 200 participants from across
the region to Nairobi, where they
can interact with colleagues from
neighboring countries but also
see what latest products and
innovations hotel suppliers can
offer to improve their respective
hotels, resorts and lodges and
provide better services.
Both events are co-organized
with the East African Chamber of
Commerce and are supported by
has bagged a contract from
the Ministry of Tourism and
Hospitality Industry, Government
of Zimbabwe for supply of 670
vehicles valued at approximately
$50 million,” said the company in
the announcement.
Leyland manufactures buses,
trucks, light vehicles and defence
vehicles.
Zimbabwe Tourism Minister
Walter Mzembi declined to
comment, but has a high level
delegation to India.
Eturbo News
the East African Business Council.
Kenya’s economy has revealed
an escalating expansion in the last
few years.
It is being tagged as Eastern
and Central Africa’s hub for
Financial, Communication
and Transportation services.
Establishmentofexportprocessing
truly resulted in an enhanced
trade.
By Prof. Dr. Wolfgang
H. Thome, ETN Africa
Correspondent
Among them is Grammy
Award winner Lisa Harley and
the Zydekats, who will be on tour
in the Seychelles as part of the
Carnival festival, bringing the
American version of Creole music
from Louisiana to the tropics.
Fellow American Michael Quinn
and the Bourbon Kings will add
the country music flavor as they
return to the archipelago for a da
capo performance following their
hugely successful first appearance
two years ago.
For the main parade on
Saturday afternoon the more than
20 floats will follow by and large
the proven route of past years,
with the VIP dais outside the
Ministry of Tourism and Culture,
opposite the iconic Kenwyn House,
before the juggernaut makes its
way towards the Clock Tower and
down Fifth Avenue, all no doubt
lined by enthusiastic Seychellois
and foreign tourists who, besides
having a holiday of a lifetime
can also enjoy the eye candy
of costumes from Sao Paulo to
Notting Hill and from Duesseldorf
to Seoul.
New for this year is the
children’s festival on Sunday at
Freedom Square, where they can
pose and parade themselves in
costumes of their own making
while in the evening a grand
costume ball on Eden Island will
conclude the 2014 version of the
Carnival International de Victoria.
Time to pack those bags and
join the ‘Carnivalistas’ for the one
Carnival Festival which brings the
world of Carnivals together like
no other. Seychelles, truly Another
World.
Eturbo News
and stop under the balcony to
reflect on the words of Madiba’s
post release speech; pay a visit to
the District Six Museum followed
by a stroll through the vibrant
Fringe District or head to Langa
to spend some time in the Pass
Museum understanding what
life was like for so many South
Africans.
It is also a city that is still
wrestling with the legacy of
apartheid, particularly in the
stubborn existence of both a socio-
economic and spatial divide.
With Mandela Day on the 18th
of July this year, thousands will be
combining efforts to take action
and inspire change, with visitors
also having the opportunity to be
part of this day of service.
South African Tourism’s
recently launched “Madiba’s
Journey” is an interactive map
where you can literally follow the
footsteps of this extraordinary
man around the country.
In Cape Town many street
names honour the memory of
notable struggle icons, whilst
township tours are a great way to
see and experience the Mother City
during Freedom Month - via coach,
bicycle or on a walking tour.
eturbonews
The Iconic Figure: Nelson Mandela
Zimbabwe Tourism Minister
Walter Mzembi
MONDAY | APRIL 14, 2014
3. Wassupafrica 03
Senegal is satisfied with the volume of the AfDB
project portfolio but appeals for faster audits
FROM PAGE 01
H
eading for Kigali and the
20th Kwibuka, the official
commemoration of the April
1994 genocide in Rwanda, the
President of the African Development
Bank, Donald Kaberuka said.
“The African Development Bank
stands with Rwanda in the country’s
continued pledge to ‘remember, unite
and renew’ as it commemorates the
20th anniversary of the genocide of
the Tutsi people in April 1994.
“Rwanda and her people cannot
erase the pains of the past, but
the country is the living proof of
transformative power and energy.
For 20 years, Rwandans have
overcome many challenges: the
African Development Bank has been
and remains its valued partner.”
afdb
Remember, Unite
and Renew’:
The African
Development
Bank stands with
Rwanda
The overall situation of the
portfolio of projects initiated by
the African Development Bank
(AfDB) Group in Senegal has
greatly improved, the nation’s
Minister of Economy and Finance,
Amadou Bâ, announced on March
12, 2014 in Dakar. But he believed
that “efforts are still needed,
especially in terms of audits.”
Chairing the opening of the
10th joint annual review of the
cooperation program between
the AfDB and Senegal, along
with the official launch of the
2013 Development Effectiveness
Review for Senegal, Amadou Bâ
explained that “the continued
improvement in the performance
of the AfDB project portfolio
is an ongoing concern for the
Senegalese government.”
The ultimate goal is for the
Senegalese country allocation
to be raised appropriately, he
explained.
This ambition, however, risks
being hampered by “long delays in
conducting audits, which are very
oftenthereasonforthesuspension
of financing payments.”
Bâ therefore appealed for a
concerted effort among actors
in the project audit chain in
order to put forward suitable
solutions. He reasserted Senegal’s
determination “to increase
positive cooperation” with the
AfDB. This cooperation began in
1972 and over four decades has
developed considerably in terms of
both financing and the number of
projects carried out.
This cooperation has so far
made it possible to transfer 913
billion CFA francs to finance
about 60 projects in priority
sectors such as health, education,
transport infrastructure, and rural
development. On February 28,
2014, the AfDB’s Senegal portfolio
of public and private payments
reached 374.2 million Units of
Account, or nearly 274.8 billion
CFA francs.
Bâ welcomed the participation
of the AfDB Group at the
Consultative Group meeting in
Paris (February 24 and 25, 2014).
This meeting involved Senegal’s
main financial banks, and the AfDB
Group stood out by announcing
400 million CFA francs worth
of funding to contribute to the
implementation of the Plan
Sénégal Emergent (PSE –Senegal
Emergence Plan).
The Senegalese Government
aims to use the PSE to lead the
country toward emergence by
2035, with an annual growth rate
of 7 per cent from 2017.
The AfDB’s Resident
Representative to Senegal,
Mamadou Lamine N’Dongo, also
welcomed the “excellent” results
achieved by Senegal during
the Paris meeting. He gave his
assurance that the AfDB would
continue to provide extensive
support to Senegal. According to
N’Dongo, this desire stems from
the priorities of the Senegalese
authorities in the PSE and the
orientations of the Bank Group’s
Long Term Strategy (2013-2022).
“The main challenge now is
to stay on course and relentlessly
pursue the progress accomplished
in the management of our
operations,” announced N’Dongo.
Twomajoractionsareessential
forthis,henoted.Theserelatetothe
systematization of performance
contracts for all projects, as well
as the systematization of the
implementation of an efficient
follow-up and evaluation
mechanism during projects.
N’Dongo also highlighted the
coinciding of the joint annual
review of the cooperation program
between the AfDB and Senegal,
and the official launch of the
2013 Development Effectiveness
Review for Senegal.
The Development
Effectiveness Review, the first of
its kind on Senegal, describes how
AfDB activities have contributed
to results in the country in terms
of development for five years.
The 54-page document was
presented to a large audience that
had come to hear the discussions
chaired by Richard Schiere, Chief
Results Officer in the AfDB’s
Quality Assurance and Results
Department. Schiere concentrated
above all on the results achieved in
Senegal in terms of development,
especially in facilitating
investment in the private sector.
In his presentation, Schiere
revealed that Senegal is at the
top in terms of developing
public-private partnerships in
the infrastructure sector. Public-
private partnerships have created
new financing opportunities for
structural transformation needs
in Senegal, the report stated. As
the second publication of its kind
focusing on a country and edited
by the AfDB’s Quality Assurance
and Results Department, the
2013 Development Effectiveness
Review for Senegal shows how the
AfDB has contributed to structural
transformation and inclusive
growth in the country. In 2012,
Rwanda was the focus of the first
country-specific review.
The 2013 Development
Effectiveness Review for Senegal
describes several of the AfDB’s
innovative actions in the country.
It presents the outcome of the
Results Measurement Framework,
which contains 71 indicators
divided into four sections, each
corresponding to a chapter in the
document.
The first chapter describes
some of the difficulties faced in
Senegal in terms of development
and progress made over the last
few years to resolve those issues.
The second chapter presents
the AfDB portfolio for Senegal
and the accumulated results of
operations in the past five years.
The third chapter studies the state
of the AfDB country portfolio,
and the fourth considers the
Bank’s ability to manage its own
operations in Senegal.
afdb
Motors, to our current portfolio
Secondly, it reveals our continuous
commitment to please the quest
of the Ghana market for pertinent
and ground-breaking products.
Mr. Johnny Oommen,
Head, International Business –
Passenger Vehicles, Tata Motors,
in his address said “Ghana is one
of the key markets for Tata Motors
in Africa. We have embarked on
a journey with a commitment to
excite our customers globally and
we look forward to unfold our
strategy in Ghana for a deeper
presence in this market across
several product segments. We
are delighted to further expand
our presence in this exciting
market with the Tata Manza
Sedan and the exciting SUV, Tata
Aria. Going forward we plan to
augment our offerings by including
other products in our portfolio
on a regular basis. We are very
confident with Modern Auto
Services and we believe that their
extensive network along with our
global expertise will bring into the
Africa market a range of exciting
Tata passenger vehicles.”
According to him, the new Tata
Aria 4×4 let loose raw power on
road - and astonishes clients with
its smooth handling. The Aria is
driven by a proven and frugal Tata
2.2L Turbocharged, Intercooled
Dicor diesel engine. It comes
with numerous safety features
like Driver Air Bag, Passenger
Air Bag, Antilock Braking system
with EBD (Electronic Brake
Force Distribution) and plentiful
convenience features like a fully
flat rear seat for extra luggage
space, sliding middle seating
row, air cooled glove box, reverse
parkingsensor, steering wheel
mounted audio control system,
power windows, electrically
operated mirrors and for better
ride and aesthetics’ 17 inches alloy
wheels.
Powered by 1.4L Safire petrol
engine, generating 90PS of power,
the Tata Manza is a spacious sedan
and comes with a Driver Air bag,
PassengerAirBag,AntilockBraking
system with EBD (Electronic Brake
Force Distribution) and a host
of convenience features like all
contemporary infotainment called
Bluetooth 5 capable of pairing
5 smart phones for hands-free
mobile calls during driving. Other
characteristics embrace steering
mounted control systems, engine
immobilizer as an anti-theft
feature, front and rear fog lamp,
height adjustable driver seat,
power windows and electrically
adjustable rear view mirror
including the huge luggage space
of 450 L.
Mamadou Lamine N’Dongo, AfDB’s Resident Representative to Senegal
Top officials of MAS showing a client features of the newly launched Tata Aria
mONDAY | APRIL 14, 2014
4. W
est Africa’s ‘Smiling
Coast’ is the gateway to
the continent’s smallest
country. The Gambian people are
known for their friendliness and
hospitality. The main appeal of The
Gambia is its weather, wonderful
beaches and the friendly people
that live there.
It is unique as a destination of
peace, with a rich cultural diversity
of beautiful and friendly people.
The fact that the country remains
unspoilt and uncommercialized
CountryoftheWeek04
Advertiser's Index
Modern Agro Engineering Works .................................................. Page 02
Chadha Power ............................................................................... Page 02
SSP Pvt. Ltd ................................................................................... Page 03
NewTech Engineers ....................................................................... Page 04
Linc Pens ....................................................................................... Page 05
Jet Airways...................................................................................... Page 07
The Times of Africa ........................................................................ Page 07
MKU ............................................................................................... Page 08
Mill India Ltd. .................................................................................. Page 10
Prakash Amusement ...................................................................... Page 10
Laxmi Publications (P) Ltd.............................................................. Page 11
Paranthaman ................................................................................. Page 11
Radeecal Communications ........................................................... Page 12
Indian Spinal Injuries Centre ......................................................... Page 12
THE GAMBIAThe Smiling Coast of Africa
must stop. The Gambia River itself
is one of Africa’s major rivers. It
stretches 1,130 km (700 miles)
from northwestern Guinea all the
way to the Atlantic Ocean at the
city of Banjul. It is navigable for
about half of that length.
With its glorious low-key
beaches, bustling towns that
combine colonial architecture and
traditional activities and wealth of
wildlife, The Gambia is the most
approachable of all West African
countries. The Gambia comprises a
varied landscape, featuring sandy
beaches, lush tropical forests,
swamps, marshes and large areas
of wooded savannah. Then there
are Gambia’s parks, reserves and
riverbanks including Kiang West
National Park and River Gambia
National Park, where you’ll see
all kinds of wildlife, amongst
them monkeys, crocodiles, a small
population of hippos and over 500
bird species.
The Big Catch
The river, which meanders
with The Gambia from the west on
the Atlantic into the east, cutting
the country into two halves,
carries with it a rich variety of
fish, as does the vast ocean of
the Atlantic which surrounds the
capital city Banjul. The Gambia is
renowned for its sport fishing, and
both experts and amateurs can
enjoy the chances of catching the
‘Big One’, on either the silky river
or the salty waters of the Atlantic.
The Gambia Vision 2020
Vision 2020 seeks to transform
The Gambia into a dynamic
middle income country, socially,
economically and scientifically
over a 25 year period. It therefore
sets out the broad outline of
policies to facilitate the realization
of this objective.
Six major activity areas
like Agriculture, Industry,
Trade, Tourism, Financial
Services and Human
Resource Development call
for special attention in order
to attain the given level of
economic development.
A clear strategy was
made that aims at raising
the standard of living
of The Gambia population by
transforming The Gambia into
dynamic middle-income country.
This is fundamental objective
of “The Gambia Incorporated…….
Vision 2020”.
sheep, goats, and chickens
are important for subsistence
farming. Since independence,
the manufacture of consumer
goods has grown. Still agriculture
remains dominate employing 80%
of the population.
The major industries are
the processing of peanut, fish,
hides, beverages and wood,
metalworking,thetextilesindustry,
as well as agricultural machines
assembly and tourism. The
Tourism sector continues to play
a significant role in The Gambia’s
economic development process.
This sector provides employment
opportunities as well as enhances
foreign exchange earnings for the
country. Investment opportunities
are available in sea and air
transport services which link
The Gambia and the sub-region
to promote trade as well as allow
supply sources of raw material
inputs for the services industry.
Also investment in the river
transportation industry which
links, Banjul and the up-country
areas will ease the flow of goods
and persons to the urban towns
and cities.
Destination Gambia
The Gambia punches way
above its weight in terms of
attractions. Every year, thousands
of international visitors travel to
The Gambia, mostly because of its
idyllic beaches along the Atlantic
Ocean, consistent sunshine and
wildlife.
Speaking of wildlife, The
Gambia has six national parks
and reserves, covering nearly 4%
of the national land area, plus
several forest parks. The island
city, and capital city of Banjul is a
only adds to her charm and makes
The Gambia an ideal holiday
destination. The Gambia offers
a wealth of opportunities and
possibilities.
Banjul is the capital of The
Gambia and the smallest capital
in Africa. The Gambia is a member
of the African Union (AU), African
Economic Community (AEC) and
the Economic Community of the
West African States (ECOWAS).
On 18 February 1965, The Gambia
was granted independence
from the United Kingdom and
joined The Commonwealth. An
agriculturally fertile country, its
economy is dominated by farming,
fishing, and tourism.
Economic Potential
The Gambia has a market
based economy accompanied
by traditional agriculture. About
three-quarters of the population
depend on the agricultural sector
for its livelihood and the sector
provides for about one- third of
GDP. The Gambia’s natural beauty
and proximity to Europe has made
it one of the larger markets for
tourism in West Africa, boosted
by government and private sector
investments in eco-tourism and
upscale facilities.
About 80% of the population
depends on crops and livestock.
Small scale manufacturing
activity includes the processing of
groundnuts, fish, and animal hides.
Groundnuts, also called as Peanuts,
are the main export crop. The sale
of peanuts and peanut products
accounts for approximately one
third of the annual income from
exports.
The cultivation of rice and
millet, and the raising of cattle,
GAMBIA AT
A GLANCE
Official Name
The Republic of the Gambia
Head of State
H.E. Mr. Yahya Jammeh
Capital
Banjul
Area
11,300 km²
Population
1.791 million (2012 est.)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
$3.459 billion (2012 est.)
GDP - Per Capita (PPP)
$1,900 (2012 est.)
GDP - Real Growth Rate
3.9% (2012 est.)
Annual Inflation Rate
+5.6%
Exports (Billion)
1147.33 million GMD (2013 est.)
Exports - Commodities
Peanuts and peanut products, fish,
cotton lint, palm kernels.
Imports (Billion)
2306.40 million GMD (2013 est.)
Imports - Commodities
Foodstuffs, manufactures, fuel,
machinery and transport equipment.
Agriculture - Products
Products: peanuts, pearl millet,
sorghum, rice, maize, cassava
(tapioca), palm kernels; cattle, sheep,
goats
Industries
Groundnut processing, building and
repair of river craft, village handicrafts,
and clothing manufacture
MONDAY | APRIL 14, 2014
5. BusinessBuzz 05
Ghana once again affirmed its
supremacy in technology as a local
company outshined a number of
well-known and respected global
brands to annex the coveted Best
Technology Initiative Award in
Africa for the year 2013.
It was all joy in the South
African city of Sandton at the 2014
Card & ePayment Africa Awards,
an annual event to recognise and
reward excellence and cutting–
edge innovation in the card and
electronic payment market in
Africa as a definitive platform to
celebrate unparalleled excellence
and outstanding achievements in
the industry across Africa.
It was attended by an array
of dignitaries representing
renowned brands and technology
driven blue chip businesses across
the continent and beyond. The
awards ceremony was organised
by the Card & e-payment Africa
Awards Secretariat in South Africa.
Africa’s telecoms giant Millicom
recently announced the
inauguration of a tech incubator
in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali.
The aim behind establishment
of tech incubator is to develop
new digital solutions for Rwanda.
The company anticipates to
select “a small number of high
potential entrepreneurs” from the
incubator.
Not to mention, Millicom
named the incubator “Think” as
in a procedure to be handled by
the company’s African subsidiary,
Tigo.
This act of Millicom can prove
to be a boon for Rwandans as the
highflyers who make it through
the selection procedure will be
given access to Tigo technical
The Executive of Mining, Energy and
Infrastructure Finance at Stanbic
Bank Ghana, Ms Celiwe Ntuli has
reiterated the Banks support for the
extractive industry in the face of
global challenges facing the sector.
Gold prices on the world market
have been on the decline leading to
a slowdown in mining activities and
staff layoffs among other challenges
globally.
Speaking at the Electra Mining
West Africa conference, Ms. Ntuli,
said the mining sector would for
a long time remain a key foreign
exchange earner for the country
and that the challenges facing the
sector in recent times can best be
described as temporary.
She said Standard Bank Group,
parent company of Stanbic Bank
Ghana, remains the continents
largest supporter of mining and
the sustainable exploitation of
the continents natural resources
and this support will be sustained
irrespective of the challenges facing
the extractive industry.
Ms. Ntuli said the Bank over the
years had consistently supported
the mining sector and noted that
the most important objective of the
bank is to be able to confront the
challenges faced by clients in the
sector.
More regional interactions and
collaborations are important across
borders. One of the biggest value
additions is to be able to solve
energy problems, rail transportation,
shipping of commodities, logistics,
and finding solutions to problems
facing the mining sector to help the
industry grow, she added.
She indicated that Stanbic Bank
Ghana and the Standard Bank Group
have a deep specialization in natural
resources financing, listing Mining
and Metals, Oil and Gas, Power and
Infrastructure, and Renewables as
core areas of concentration.
The Banks aim is to raise
capabilities in structuring and
executing transactions in their
regions of focus, and West Africa
is a growth region for the Bank. We
are Africas leading Bank in terms of
assets and a great partner in natural
resources finance, in particular.
We have the right personnel who
understand the processes and
principles required to adequately
manage the sector, she said.
Ghana's mining industry
accounts for 5 per cent of the
country's GDP, and minerals make
up 37 per cent of total exports, of
which gold contributes over 90 per
cent of the total mineral exports. This
makes financing a key instrument in
the generation of feasible revenue in
the mining sector.
Electra Mining West Africa
2014 conference offered a platform
for industry players to promote
investment and knowledge sharing
for the enrichment of West Africas
mining sector. It also sought to
deepen partnerships for sustainable
development of mineral and energy
resources in the region.
Delegates included financiers,
investors, mining professionals
and West African government
delegations vested in developing
business interest, promoting new
mining exploration opportunities
and repositioning Ghana as an
attractive gateway for investment in
West Africa.
The content focused on the
potential opportunities, lessons
learned and the creation of new
business partnerships to facilitate
and strengthen the economic
development of Ghana.
Modern Ghana
Millicom driving digital
revolution in Rwanda
Stanbic Bank
affirms support for
extractive industry
Bharti Airtel and MTN Group in a cross-border
remittance partnership
Payzone wins Best Technology
Initiative of the Year Award in Africa
resources for product testing and
trials, seed financing, and support,
structured training and coaching
programmes in how to connect
with customers and investors.
Furthermore, Millicom offering
a range of digital services to its
customers under the Tigo brand
intends to use the project to
further enhance its great presence
in Africa.
According to Millicom, “The
objective is to develop innovative
and scalable businesses in which
Millicom will take an equity
stake.” According to President
and CEO of Millicom, Hans-Holger
Albrecht, “We are looking forward
to driving the digital revolution
with talented youth in all our Tigo
operations in Africa.”
Africa gets one more step ahead in
technology with Bharti Airtel and
South Africa’s MTN Group coming
into a collaboration. Bharti Airtel
and MTN Group came into a cross-
border remittance partnership.
The partnership is a measure to
simplify mobile money transfer
amongst the two West African
countries of Ivory Coast and
Burkina Faso. According to
Bharti Airtel, "The landmark
partnership will enable Mobile
Money customers of MTN Ivory
Coast and Airtel in Burkina Faso
to easily transfer money between
the neighbouring countries." It
added, "Until now, moving money
between the two countries was
mired by high fees, high usage of
informal channels and a lack of
The Ghanaian IT company,
Innovative EPS Ltd operating the
PAYZONE brand, which has been
in existence for only three years,
beat high profile companies
including British banking giant,
Barclays Bank and Access Bank
Plc with its much hailed PayZone
e-payment platform.
For a company to qualify
for the annual award, it must
first be nominated by public
voting and verified later by a
highly renowned panel of judges.
Briefing journalists after the
awards ceremony, the Chief
Operations Officer of Innovative
EPS, Mr. Bernard Anyan-Mensah
said “the honour will definitely
spur us on to higher heights”.
The Executive Chairman of
the company, Mr George Boateng
predicted high economic boom
should the government take
advantage of the numerous
opportunities offered by
technology in various economic
fields.
He told a section of South
African media that technology
is the only solution to Africa's
economic woes and therefore
asked governments on the
continent to pay greater attention
to that sector.
“The PAYZONE platform alone
is more than capable of becoming
the single largest fund mobiliser
for central government aside the
huge potential to generate jobs for
between 500,000 and 1 million
people in Africa within the next 5
to 10 years”, says Mr Boateng who
led a three-member Innovation
EPS delegation to the awards
ceremony in South Africa.
He likened the platform to
google, whatsapp, facebook and
other ICT companies, stressing
on their ability to accelerate
economic transformation within
the shortest period. Innovative
EPS Ltd has been working on
developing virtual business
transaction payment systems,
using its PayZone payment
platform, all in their bid to help
create a cashless society.
Even though PayZone is
yet to be officially launched,
many patrons have lauded the
convenience and proximity
advantages the platform provides
for its growing customers.
The PayZone platformwhich
currently hosts all the
telecommunication networks in
Ghana, facilitatesthe purchase
of direct airtime top-ups on its
Self–Service payment kiosk and
are currently deployed at various
locations in the Greater Accra
Region (e.g. 37 military hospital,
GHAPOHA, Accra Mall, University
Campuses, etc.).
The company is currently
holding discussions to enrol
Electricity Bill Payment (Post
& Pre-paid), Ghana Water Bill
Payment, hosting of Internet
Service Providers Payment,
Lotteries, Mobile Banking, Mobile
Payments, Tax payment, Banking
& Finance, Micro Finance &
Insurance, Airline and Event
Ticketing, among others. The
platform is capable of hosting
1,600 services concurrently. It
currently has a growing patronage
of about 80,000 to 100,000 per
month and in the next 5 years,
Innovative EPS hopes to expand
to other African countries”.
Modern Ghana
proximity to withdraw money."
The first-ever cross-border
mobile to mobile payment
service in West Africa is being
supported by the Central Bank
of West African States. During
the announcement, Airtel Money
Director Chidi Okpala asserted it
is "the first time that two leading
providers of mobile money
services are cooperating to offer
a service."
MTN Group’s Chief
Commercial Officer, Pieter
Verkade quoted, "With a sizeable
community of Burkinabe working
in Ivory Coast and sending money
back to their home country, the
partnership will greatly enhance
the Mobile Money service for
customers in both countries."
mONDAY | APRIL 14, 2014
6. A
gro-food processing in Africa is a sector that is
not only open for new investments, but one that
is infact viable. Africa is a continent that has
the highest returns in agriculture and food processing
industry.
With India’s interference, Africa can build
capacity to develop sustainable and competitive
local processors within food sector value chains, to
improve the supply of high quality, nutritious food
and to increase demand for the crops of small farmers.
Without doubt, India has the capability to unlock the
investment potential in Africa.
Africa is now a continent that is looking for
partners and not donors. It is now securely positioned
as a global investment destination of choice. In 2012-
13 alone, the continent is expected to grow by 5%
and it is estimated that Africa’s GDP could be US$
2.6 trillion by 2020. While it is clear that individual
countries perform economically with different levels
of success, there are significant business opportunities
across the continent driven by an insatiable demand
for Africa’s resources.
African economic growth remains largely
commodity based on exports of oil, minerals and
agricultural commodities with little or no processing
involved.
Food processing sector is poised to maintain the
growth momentum in the future. It’s an exciting time
to be an African
working in
Africa. Needless
to mention that
India is world’s
second largest
producer of
food next to
China, and has
the potential
of being the
biggest with
the food and
agriculture
sector. The
food processing
industry is one of the largest industries in India- it
is ranked fifth in terms of production, consumption,
export and expected growth. The last two decades
have seen revitalization in relations between Africa
and India.
In the recent years, there has been a shift from
conventional farming of food grains to horticulture
which includes fruits, vegetables, ornamental crops,
medicinal and aromatic plants, spices, plantation crops
which include coconut, cashew nuts and cocoa and
allied activities. India is now a master in the agro and
food processing industry. Without doubt, India has the
capability to unlock the investment potential in Africa.
Many of the processing technologies used in
Sub-Saharan Africa are at a small scale and use
traditional or rudimentary level technology. There is
a wide assortment of indigenous raw materials, some
of which are in specific micronutrients. Many of the
processing methods are however labour intensive,
and there is potency to adapt the new methods
by using modern techniques to minimizing loss in
quality, increase shelf life and encourage continued
consumption.
With India’s interference, Africa can build
capacity to develop sustainable and competitive local
processors within food sector value chains, to improve
the supply of high quality, nutritious food and to
FRANKLY SPEAKING06
Africa is looking for Partners not Donors
The Pan-Africa e-Network
Project, resource mapping
and meteorological and
other services, food testing
laboratories, vocational
training centres in food
processing are but a few
examples of our cooperation
with Africa in the agriculture
and agribusiness sectors.
H.E. Mr. Paul Kagame
President of Rwanda
SMT. Preneet Kaur
Minister of State for External Affairs,
India
By kirit sobti,
editor, iat
editor@indoafricatimes.com
With the firm pledge of the government,
it will carry on to focus on agriculture
which is considered as the main
backbone to development, and as one
way of affirming a rapidly growing
population. This was made clear by
the Minister of Agriculture and Animal
Resources Dr. Agnes Kalibata during the
2012 Population and Housing Census
result presentation that was held at the
Kigali Serena Hotel.
The Minister noted "The different
agricultural developments we have
today were not there 10 years back
and government has continued to
develop more strategies such as land
consolidation, land management, the
private sector has been involved more in
agriculture, tradable commodities have
increased for the past 5 years, farmers
continue to be sensitized on good
agriculture practices and with all these
more production is expected which will
address food security hence cater for the
growing population of the country."
"More health facilities have been
built, children immunized, mosquito nets
supplied plus the constant strengthening
of the Community Health Based
Insurance (CHBI), which all contribute
to the wellbeing of Rwandan, hence has
improved life expectancy increasing on
population," Murangwa alleged.
The health sector therefore saw
increase in non- private health facilities
from 579 in 2010 to 720 in 2011 before
the last PHC was concluded. In the same
report, it was yet again noted that the
number of people who are educated in
the country had upturn and therefore
such a progress could help recover on
agriculture hence mend on productivity.
Other enlargements in the same
report are seen in poverty reduction
which now stands at a 37.8% of which
one million people are below the
poverty line. It is noted that 80% of the
housing units in Rwanda are occupied
by owners whereas 15% by tenants.
The United Nation Resident Coordinator
Lamin Maneh appreciated such findings
which he said would give the Rwanda
government a clear way of executing the
set up development activities.
"PHC dissemination which
has happened immediately after
enumeration is an indication of the
government commitment to have timely
data for evidence-based policy making
and accountability," Lamin Maneh said.
"Such results will therefore inform
us today of who we are and where we
live and therefore will allow calculations
for where Rwanda stands on different
indicators that measure the progress in
health, education, plus other social and
economic sectors," he added.
Agriculture is
the backbone
of Rwanda
Agriculture remains a
crucial cornerstone to Africa’s
economic transformation,
and there are many examples
where it has been pivotal to
the realized growth, including
among others in Ethiopia,
Uganda, Ghana, and my own
country, Rwanda.
With
India’s
interference,
Africa can
build capacity
to develop
sustainable
and
competitive
local
processors
within food
sector value
chains.
increase demand for the crops of small farmers. India’s
economic growth is easing a new phase of south- south
engagement, especially with regard to its long standing
relationship with its ‘near neighbours’ in Africa.
The reinvigoration of the Africa-India relationship
has the potential to create a new platform for south-
south dialogue and a mutually beneficial partnership
that can enhance developmental prospects in both
Africa & India. The availability of natural resources,
vast unutilized arable land, best agroclimatic
conditions and efforts by the Government of Africa
to lease fertile land to foreign companies, presence
of a vibrant and fast-growing financial sector besides
availability of affordable manpower are some of
the key factors that help sustain and strengthen the
India-Africa trade relations in agriculture and food
processing, according to an expert. Africa is wooing
agriculture and food processing majors to partner and
support agriculture related activities. The continent is
a promising investment hub for many Indian food and
agriculture companies.
If agricultural experts from India can provide the
required support to grow and sustain sowing and
harvesting activities, it will definitely support feeding
many hungry mouths, given the fertile land access in
Africa. With this, Indian companies can infuse the right
technology and can generate local employment also.
There is a significant presence of Indian agricultural
firms and food processing
companies in Africa.
These include Tata Group,
Karuturi Global, Shapoorji
Pallonji & Co, BHO Bio,
Jaipurias of RJ Corp,
Whitefield Cotton Farm,
Verdanata Harvests, S& P
Energy Solutions, Sannati
Agro Farm Enterprises
and Ruchi Soya.
The Government
of India too is playing
the role of a channel in
assisting its food and
agriculture companies
increase their attendance in Africa. The Ministry of
Food Processing Industries is planning to set up a
food processing cluster in Africa. The proposed cluster
would entail an investment of Rs 117 crore to be spent
primarily on the setting up of common infrastructure
for food processing parks which includes cold storage,
food testing labs, incubation centres, standard
designed factories, pre-cooling chambers and other
modern technologies used by the industry.
The tax concessions and leased land concept
have seen companies here opt for an African trail
even if they are remotely associated with agriculture
and food processing. For instance, infrastructure
major Shapoorji Pallonji & Co received 50,000 leased
hectares in Ethiopia and is likely to consider its foray
into agriculture in the coming years. There is also
considerable interest evinced for the tea gardens in
Africa which are known to have some of the best black
teas in the world. The regions of Malawi, Kenya and
Tanzania are home to the best tea estates, according to
a food exporter.
To sum up, the African continent has great potency
for food production. Private- Public Partnership is
requisite to improve food processing in Africa. Private
enterprises and entrepreneurs are rapidly exploiting
new business opportunities in domestic food markets,
as seen in many African countries.
MONDAY | APRIL 14, 2014
7. TRAVEL&tourism 07
I
t is the state with rich cultural heritage
and is a land of intense spirituality and
religious faith. Maharashtra has many
great landmarks and pilgrimage centers in
the evolution of Indian Temple Architecture.
Nestled close to the Arabian Sea, the state of
Maharashtra is located on the western side
of India and is known for its coolness and
exceptional beauty.
It is the second most populous state after
Uttar Pradesh, third largest state by area
in India and is the wealthiest state in India.
Maharashtra can proudly term itself to be the
richest state in India, owing gratitude to the
stupendous industrial activity in the region.
Mumbai, the city that never sleeps,
pulsating, alive, on the move, vibrant, fun-
this is Mumbai or sometimes still referred as
Bombay. The most modern city in India is also
known as country’s financial powerhouse. It
is the capital of Maharashtra state, and its
official language is Marathi.
Shirdi Sai temple is a beautiful shrine that
was built over the Samadhi of Shri Sai Baba.
Sai Baba of Shirdi is popularly known as the
'Child of God'. Sai Baba preached tolerance
towards all religions and the message of
universal brotherhood. Saibaba found
shelter in Khandoba temple, where a villager
Mahalsapathi addressed him as Sai or Saint
Sai baba. Devotees start queuing up in the
early hours of dawn to catch a glimpse and
seek the blessings of the life-size statue of Sai
Baba. Thursday is marked by special pujasand
darshan of the Sai Baba statue.
Ajanta and Ellora Caves
Ajanta and Ellora are the pride of
Maharashtra. The rock-cut caves of both
these sites are world famous and illustrate
the degree of skill and artistry that Indian
craftsmen had achieved several hundred
years ago.
Ajanta
The caves attained the name from a nearby
village named Ajanta located at about 12 km.
The caves, famous for its murals, are the finest
surviving examples of Indian art, particularly
painting. These caves are excavated in horse–
shoe shaped bend of rock surface nearly 76 m
in height overlooking a narrow stream known
as Waghora.
Ellora
The name Ellora itself inspires everyone
as it represents one of the largest rock-hewn
monastic-temple complexes in the entire
world. The Ellora caves, locally known as
‘Verul Leni’ is located on the Aurangabad-
Chalisgaon road at a distance of 30 km north-
northwest. Ellora occupies a relatively flat
region of the Western
Ghats, and ancient
volcanic activities
in this area created
many layered basalt
formations known as
Deccan Traps.
Maharashtra
Land Of Intense
Spirituality
mONDAY | APRIL 14, 2014
8. TALKINGTECHNOLOGY08
M/s Power
Engineering (India)
Pvt. Ltd. (PEIPL) and
Power Engineering
Sales Ltd., UK
(PESL) are flagship
companies of the Pai
Kane Group.
PEIPL is a leading
manufacturer of diesel generators
sets, gas generators sets, lighting
towers, electrical panels and
compact substations - all with the
'Pai Kane' brand. These products,
though world-class in quality, are
competitively priced.
Pai Kane also supplies
pumps/pump-sets, ups, inverters,
stabilizers, pressure transducers
/transmitters, compressors,
HT panels, welding machines,
blocksets and switchgears.
PEIPL exports its products to
over 30 countries of the world,
which include some African
countries. With over 15 years of
experience in the field of power
generation, its current
m a n u f a c t u r i n g
capacity for gensets is
15,000 sets per year,
with a range from 5
kVA to 3000 kVA.
PEIPL has been
an OEM for leading
engine brands, such as Perkins –
UK, Volvo Penta – Sweden, MAN-
Germany, Doosan - Korea, MTU
- Germany, Mitsubishi - Japan,
Maxxforce (Mahindra Navistar) -
USA, Lombardini - Italy, Escorts
- India; as also for the leading
alternator brands such as
Stamford, Leroy Somer and Mecc
Alte.
For its natural gas gensets, it
partners with Perkins - UK for the
range of gas gensets from 350
kVA - 1250 kVA and with Doosan -
Korea for the range of gas gensets
from 135 kVA to 350 kVA.
With its own in-house design
capabilities, PEIPL provides
complete turnkey solutions right
from design - through assembly,
auxiliary manufacturing
(synchronizing panels, control
panels, base frames, acoustics
etc), supply, installation and
commissioning - to maintenance.
PEIPL offers standard, as well as
customized, diesel and natural /
bio-gas gensets to its customers in
Middle East Asia, South East Asia,
and rest of Asia, Africa and Europe.
Its manufacturing facility
is one of the few in the world
to be DNV certified for ISO
9001:2008 , ISO 14001:2004 for
and OHSAS 18001:2007 - for its
integrated Quality, Environment,
Occupational Health and Safety
System.
Having adopted the Toyota
Production System across the
organization, the company
has invested in state of the
art technology to ensure that
consistently high quality products
are churned out. PEIPL has
supplied innumerable gensets
to almost every single sector of
human endeavor/construction
:residential complexes, hotels,
educational institutions, medical
institutions, banks and their data
centers, telecommunication, retail
chain, various infrastructure
projects of the government and
non-government agencies etc.
Pai Kane brand generators
are designed to meet the future
demands of the power generation
industry for clean and efficient
power, offering high performance,
dependability and reliability,
while meeting the increasingly
stringent emission requirements
of the market. PEIPL's
comprehensive, value-engineered,
power generation solutions,
coupled with its process-oriented
Get Uninterrupted Power Solutions
skilled workforce, have a one-
point agenda, “Customer Delight”.
For this, PEIPL has embarked on a
process of innovative techniques
and solutions. It designs its
power products to meet future
demands of the power generation
industry: clean and efficient
power, high performance,
dependability, reliability and
meeting increasingly stringent
emission requirements. It
offer not just products, but
comprehensive, value-engineered,
power generation solutions
using innovative techniques
and process oriented skilled
workforce.
visit www.paikane.com
for more information. Should
you need any solutions or any
products that PEIPL could
give you, you may write to
sales@paikane.com
MONDAY | APRIL 14, 2014
9. TRYSOMETHINGNEW 09
Ingredients
• 2 cups canned garbanzo beans, rinsed
and drained
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
(plus more as needed)
• 1 pinch paprika
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
Career Fair-Ranchi
Career Fair aims to provide
Educational organizations from
around the world a cost effective,
strong marketing platform to
interact with the carefully targeted
audience from all across India. The
Fair has been very strategically
timed after all the major Board
Degree exams are over and would
be the most cost effective medium
to reach your target segment
covering the major cities of India.
Date: 15-16 Apr 2014
Venue: Hotel Capitol Hill, Ranchi, India
Lifestyle Connoisseur
The Lifestyle Connoisseur is a
two day event which will take
place from the 16th of April to
the 17th of April, 2014 at the India
Islamic Cultural Center in Delhi,
India. This event showcases
Suits Sarees, Apparels, Tunic,
Jewellery, Leatherettes, Footwear,
Bed Linens, Pots, Shawls, jackets,
Home decor etc in the Apparel and
Clothing industry.
Date: 16-17 Apr 2014
Venue: India Islamic Cultural Centre, New
Delhi, India
Times Education Expo-
Lucknow
Times Education Expo-Lucknow
will enhance your business
prospects and help you promote
your institute on a big scale. Since
students will become more aware
and focused, a lot of issues
related to admissions, results and
performance will be resolved. You
will have the opportunity to meet
and interact on one-to-one basis,
giving you a clear understanding
of students’ requirements,
their potential interests and
accordingly you will be able to
guide them and inform them about
particular field.
Date: 17-18 Apr 2014
Venue: Lucknow Taj Residency, Lucknow,
India
PrintExpo-Chennai
PrintExpo has achieved positive
reaction from the printing, labeling
and publishing sectors as this
event is titled to be the largest
exhibition where such equipments
and machineries are displayed
that are undiscovered in the past.
The organizers have promised
that this 6th edition is going to be
70 percent better and larger than
the past editions. The company
owners, consultants, directors, art
directors, graphic designers and
much more are cordially invited to
scrutinize all the items.
Date: 18-20 Apr 2014
Venue: Chennai Trade Convention
Centre, Chennai, India
Property Auto Show
Property Auto Show is a 3 day
event being held from 18th April to
the 20th April 2014 at the sangeet
Natak Academy, Gomtinagar
in Lucknow, India. This event
showcases products like real
estate lands, real estate property,
real estate services, cars, vehicle,
financing services etc. in the
Automotive, Real Estate Agents
industries.
Date: 18-20 Apr 2014
Venue: Sangeet Natak Academy,
Lucknow, India
India International Cnc
Tooling Expo
India International Cnc Tooling
Expo is a 3 day event being
held from 19th April to the 21st
April 2014 at the NSIC Exhibition
Complex in New Delhi, India. This
event showcases products like
CNC Machines Tools, CNC
Lathes, Automatic Lathes, Special
Production Machines, Machining
Centers, Machine Tool Spindles
Motors, Machine Tool Controls,
Machine Tool Automation,
Machine Tool Builder Support,
Automotive Hand Tools and
Multipurpose Hand Tools etc. in
the Industrial Products industry.
Date: 19-21 Apr 2014
Venue: NSIC Exhibition Complex, New
Delhi, India
upcoming
If your talents and virtues are misused, the one
who stands to lose is you.
THOUGHT OF
THE WEEK
Hummus
African Cuisine
1. Pas du tout
Not at all
2. Pas mal
Not bad
3. Tout de suite
Right away, immediately
4. Répondez s'il vous plaît.
(RSVP)
Please reply
5. Amuse-toi
Have fun
Handy French
Helps reduce blood pressure
Prevents plaque formation
and reduces ‘bad’ cholesterol
Is great for pregnant mums
Beats osteoporosis
Keeps diabetes under check
Treats anaemia
Helps relieve fatigue
Boosts brain power and may
treat dementia
picture of the week
The voters showing their voter identity cards, at a polling booth during the 3rd Phase of General Elections-2014, in New
Delhi on April 10, 2014
Flag Country Capital Currency Official Language
Tanzania
Dodoma (official)
Dar es Salaam (seat of
government)
Tanzanian
shilling
Swahili and
English
Togo Lomé CFA franc French
Tunisia Tunis Tunisian dinar Arabic
Uganda Kampala
Ugandan
shilling
Swahili and English
Prepration Method
1. Place the garbanzo beans, tahini,
lemon juice, salt and garlic in a
blender or food processor.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Pour olive oil into feed tube over the
garbanzo bean mixture to make a
smooth mixture.
4. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.
5. Adding additional oil as needed.
6. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.
Rich, Smooth, Healthy! Serve with toasted pitas
The most luxury train in the
world to date is found in
South Africa. It is named “THE
ROVAS RAIL”
Amazing
health benefits
of
Beetroot
The famous “Festival of
Masks” is celebrated in
which country?
Ivory Coast
Where is the world’s
biggest diamond found?
What is it called?
Cullinan, found in
South Africa
What is the national
name of the Kingdom of
Morocco?
Al – Mamlaka al –
Maghrebia
Name the country in
which world’s smallest
butterfly is found.
Dwarf Blue Butterfly
having a wing span of
only ½” found in South
Africa
By what other 3 names is
Nairobi popularly known
as?
Green City in the Sun,
City of flowers, Place of
cool waters
In which nation all people
speak the same language?
Somalia
First online newspaper in
Africa is known as?
Mail Guardian
Which is one of the tiniest
capital in the world?
Victoria
Know More About Africa
Which European
language is an official
language of Angola?
Portuguese
Gabon’s largest river is?
Ogooue’
Name the least
populated country in
Africa?
Seychelles
What is called “The
Lifeline of Mail”?
The Niger River
Giant crocodile fossils
have been discovered
in?
Kenya
mONDAY | APRIL 14, 2014
10. THEFASHIONISTAS10
Hair Color
DO go in contradiction of the norm (and
not go blonde this season) and pick a richer
brown dye job with face-framing highlights.
Whether worn loose and wavy or sleek and
straight, it will look astonishing.
DON'T book salon appointment. Just don't
do it.
Big Brother stars Pokello and Elikem become
Ambassadors for Africa Fashion Week Nigeria
T
he organizers of the
much awaited Africa
Fashion Week Nigeria
(AFWN) whose core aim is to
provide visibility platforms for
new talents and help gather
international attention and
awareness, has announced its
new ambassadors.
The event which is to held in
the month of May17th and 18th
we have announced Pokello
Nare and Elikem Kumordzie,
the soon-to-be couple as
ambassadors of the Africa
Fashion Week Nigeria, who
were big brother housemates
2013 (TheChase).
Elikem, a fashion designer
who has a collection of designs
is now a part of the AFWN
and so also is Pokello. The
Africa Fashion Week Nigeria
is giving equal opportunities
to emerging and top fashion
designers to create a platform
that will promote the African
fashion and richness and make
it embraced all over.
What’s new this spring??
The two day event will be
graced by Grand patrons Chief
Molade Okoya-Thomas Senator
Daisy Danjuma, and Patron
Hon. Abike Dabiri, with Special
Guests of honor Mrs. Folorunsho
Alakija and Chief Oprah Benson
supporting the emerging
designers. Fashion lovers, Media
houses, celebrities, textile
manufacturers, models, make-up
artists, fashion photographers,
retail buyers, potential designers
and business of fashion people
will grace the event.
This platform which
celebrates and supports African
creativity was created in
London in 2011 Africa Fashion
Week London (AFWL) and has
showcased over 200 UK and
non UK bases African designers.
Africa Fashion Week London is a
sister event to much anticipated
Africa Fashion Week Nigeria
which will wrap-up with a gala
fashion show with veteran
fashion designer Hajia Abba
Folawiyo closing the show.
According to Ronke Ademiluyi,
the organiser and founder of
AFWL AFWN, “the event is
to bind emerging talents in the
fashion industry, connect them to
the right people, showcase them
to their customers and potential
ones, unleash the creativity in
them, support them, give them an
opportunity and platform to grow
and create awareness.”
Designers in their hundreds
have already signified their
intention to participate by
visit the organizers’ website.
Registration and opportunities
still abound for designers
and exhibitors interested in
participating by visiting www.
africafashionweeknigeria or call
07088800866.
The event is billed to have
over 5000 visitors, celebrities,
upwardly-mobile and fashion
enthusiasts.
Modern Ghana
Spring is a time to renew the delight and passion for life that lives inside. But when switching your wardrobe, it is essential to also lighten
up your beauty routine. Heat and humidity makes skin itch. Here are five hair and makeup looks you need to try this spring.
Neon
Orange
Lips
DO
go for a
wonderful
bright
orange
lip color,
as this
shade works
on all skin
tones. The most
vital thing in picking
orange lipstick is the finish.
Glossy and creamy shades
are fresh and fun. Keep
the rest of your makeup
uncomplicated - outlining
your face with bold brows,
gilded eyelids and mascara.
DON'T go matte with
your orange lips and your
face makeup. It creates this
blah finish that makes your
face appear peculiar and
tense.
Fresh Face
DO avoid the thick
foundation and simply smooth
on a tinted moisturizer or BB
cream to go with a typical eye
makeup look. Finishing the cat-
eye takes lots of practice. But
with the right cream eyeliner
and angled brush, you'll have it
down in no time.
DON'T go all wild
with your winged
eyeliner and
top it off
with an
eerie pale
shade
that
washes
out your
skin. Stick
to clean,
simple lines
using just one
eye shadow.
Midi Haircuts
DO take
the dive and
slice your
strands into
a medium
length
haircut. The
not-too-short
and not-too-long
hairstyle works for
every face cut.
DON'T just chop your long locks
until they fall right at your shoulders
and then forget about the layers.
Metallic Nails
DO emphasize
your sun-kissed
complexion
with a glossy
and gleaming
manicure.
Besides, aren't
you bored with
the usual pastel nail
polishes?
DON'T destroy your metallic
manicure with an unnatural nail shape.
The time has come to dump the acrylic
nails!
Big Brother fairy tale lovers Pokello and Elikem
MONDAY | APRIL 14, 2014
11. SPORTS2WATCH 11
Chelsea: The return of Eto’o
to Inter becomes clearer
Tagoe set to sign
for Malaysian side
Kelantan
Floyd Mayweather celebrated
winning over $75,000 on an
NCAA college basketball bet with
a relaxing rub down in front of the
fire. The undefeated boxing star
took to Instagram to show off his
luxurious lifestyle as he received
a massage from a blonde beauty
before posting the message: 'This
is my actuality'.
Mayweather added a few more
pennies to his bank account after
cashing in on the Connecticut
Huskies to win the college
basketball tournament.
T
he Italian press had
announced in February the
return of Samuel Eto'o to
Inter Milan, his former club. Well,
things become clearer. This is
what say Mirror that indicates
that the agent of the Cameroonian
superstar, Claudio Vigorelli , has
recently made a contact with
leaders of Inter Milan to decide on
a possible contract.
For over a month, the rumor
about a possible return of Samuel
Eto'o to Inter Milan is whispered
everywhere. At first, Tuttosport
revealed the desire of the Italian
club to retrieve their former striker.
A few weeks later, the Chelsea
striker, qualified for the semi
-finals of the Champions League,
in return opened the door for a
return to Serie A in the Gazzetta
dello Sport .
Eto'o has left his mark in Serie
A after passing between 2009 and
2011. In particular he was one of
the great architects of the historic
treble Scudetto, Coppa Italia and
Champions League realized by the
Nerazzurri in 2010.
Modern Ghana
Brazil 2014: We Are On Course
Mayweather wins over $75,000 on basketball bet
GhanastrikerPrinceTagoeissetto
sign for Malaysian Super League
side Kelantan, Africanfootball.
com can exclusively reveal. The
27-year-old has been available
on a free transfer after terminating
his contract with Tunisian giants
Club Africain.
The former Hearts of Oak
player will be signing for his
ninth foreign club since leaving
for Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad
in 2006. Kelantan president
Annuar Musa recently uploaded
a picture of him and the former
TSG Hoffenheim player on his
Facebook fan page.
The Red Warriors are looking
to replace their foreign players,
after a string of disappointing
results that culminated in their
early exit from the 2014 AFC Cup.
Kelantan are fifth on the 12-team
table with the second half of the
season just underway.
Tagoe has previously played
for UAE's Al Shabab, Saudi side
Ettifaq, Partizan Belgrade and
Turkish top-flight side Bursaspor.
He played at the 2010 FIFA World
Cup finals in South Africa and
has made 36 appearances for the
Ghana national team.
Modern Ghana
the GFA Secretariat.
He added, 'We will be playing
the Dutch national soccer side on
May 31 and later play a team or
two on June 1 in the United States
of America. Our technical team are
also in the UK to put their house in
order before the World Cup.'
Ghana coach Kwasi Appiah
is expected to name his 30-man
provisional squad in mid-May and
later prune it down to 23, who
will represent the nation in South
America. Ghana is pitted against
soccer big boys Portugal, Germany
and USA in Group G of the World
Cup.
Modern Ghana
Samuel Eto'o is back
Ghana Football Association (GFA)
president Kwesi Nyantakyi says
Gamble: Floyd Mayweather
took to Twitter to celebrate
winning over $75,000 on college
basketball
Undefeated: Mayweather is
preparing to fight Marcos Maidana
on May 3
The 37-year-old tweeted a
picture of winning betting slips
following Connecticut's win over
Kentucky in front of 80,000 fans in
Arlington, Texas.
Mayweather tweeted with the
caption: 'I bet on the underdogs @
uconnhuskies twice within the last
three days. $75,636'.
The 37-year-old is preparing
to take on Marcos Maidana in Las
Vegas on May 3.
Winners: Shabazz Napier
celebrates Connecticut Huskies'
60-54 win against the Kentucky
Wildcats
Connecticut, meanwhile,
prevailed in the NCAA final with
a 60-54 win over the Kentucky
Wildcats at the Dallas Cowboys'
home stadium in Arlington. The
tournament, also known as
'March Madness' sees 68 college
basketball teams face each other
in a single-game knockout format
with the winner crowned national
champions.
Modern Ghana
his outfit is on course regarding
preparations for the Brazil 2014
World Cup. His declaration allays
fears of many who have tagged
the Black Stars preparations
for the Brazil 2014 World Cup
as wishy-washy. The GFA boss
revealed that preparations were
far advanced and that Ghanaians
should remain hopeful in the team
for an impressive performance at
this year's Mundial.
'We are on course as far as the
World Cup is concerned. We have
lined up a series of international
friendlies intended to sharpen
the edges in the team ahead of the
competition,' said the FA boss at
Prince Tagoe
mONDAY | APRIL 14, 2014
12. ENCOUNTER WITH EDITOR12
Excellency, recently you have unveiled
a dynamic website, how in your
opinion it will pave the way and
increase the traffic of investors to
Burkina Faso?
Yes, that is correct. We have just
launched our redesigned bilingual
dynamic website, where we have tried
to showcase the economic potential
and expose business opportunities in
Burkina Faso in a sector wise manner.
It translates the vision of the Strategy
for Accelerated Growth and Sustainable
Development (SCADD) a programme
launched by the Burkinabe Government
under the leadership of our President,
H.E. Mr. Blaise COMPAORE.
It is a very interactive website
through which we can bridge the gap
between businessmen in Burkina and
our jurisdiction countries. It is a platform
that can be used by different countries
to strengthen their friendship and profit
from business opportunities.
Brief us about the upcoming visit of
H.E. Mr. Blaise Compaore, President
of Burkina Faso to Singapore and Sri
Lanka.
Our President, H.E. Mr. Blaise
COMPAORE’s visit to Singapore is
intended to highlight to the Asian
Business community, the readiness of
the Burkinabe Government to support
and facilitate foreign investments.
Some senior Ministers and a delegation
of eminent Burkinabe Businessmen
will accompany His Excellency the
President on his visit. Investors will
get an opportunity to interact with the
High Authorities of Burkina Faso and
get first-hand information about some
of the major priority projects of the
Government of Burkina Faso which will
be showcased at this forum.
What makes Burkina Faso an
attractive investment destination?
It has huge untapped economic
potential in sectors of agriculture,
mining, fisheries, industry, tourism,
infrastructure etc. It is centrally located
in the heart of West Africa, ECOWAS
and WAEMU States. Its common border
with six States enables the country to
have access to a potential market of
409 million inhabitants from WAEMU
and ECOWAS States. It has a freely
convertible common currency within
the WAEMU and has fixed parity to the
Euro. Our country has a young, dynamic,
enterprising population, as well as an
abundant and hard-working workforce.
What are the priority projects
designated by the Government of
Burkina Faso with the intent of
inviting investors to the country?
All though there are many
opportunities to invest in various
projects in Burkina Faso, some of the
current priority projects of the Burkinabe
government are as listed below:
a) Establishment of a business: the Faso
Mill (MF).
b) Establishment of a tomato and mango
concentrate processing plant at
Loumbila.
c) Establishment of a conventional
cotton fiber base spinning unit.
d) Establishment of a refrigerated
abattoir in Bagré.
e) Setting up a Pharmaceutical Industrial
unit at Kokologo.
f) Operating concession of fish breeding
center.
g) Construction of residential colonies.
h) Development of a seed company.
i) Setting up farming and processing
equipment.
j) Establishment of a unit of mounting
agricultural equipment.
k) Establishment of a unit of production
and marketing of mineral fertilizers.
l) Study and construction of the
hydroelectric plant at Bagré-Aval.
m)Study and construction of the
hydroelectric center at Bon.
n) Study and construction of the
hydroelectric center at BONITIOLI.
o) Study and construction of the
hydroelectric center at FOLONZO.
p) Study and construction of the
hydroelectric center at GONGOUROU.
q) Hydro-agricultural development of
2000 hectares at Dangoumana Phase 2
of the west bank of the River Sourou.
r) Hydro-agricultural development and
enhancement of 1812 ha of perimeter
at Sono-kouri in the Sourou Valley.
s) Rehabilitation of old irrigated areas of
the Sourou Valley.
t) Creating an international standards
primary data center and a backup data
center.
u) Construction of a thermal power plant
at Ouagadougou Central Ouaga East.
v) ITC Technopole at Ouagadougou.
w)Creation of a multimodal dry port in
Ouagadougou.
What kind of reforms have been made
to attract Foreign Direct Investment?
According to the “Doing Business
2009” report, Burkina Faso is one of the
ten top reformers of the world. It may
not be possible to elaborate on all the
reforms but in terms of result achieved,
the enacted reforms have allowed:
• The effective reduction of the number
of procedures, delays and costs;
• Transparency in business affairs;
• The regaining of the confidence of the
Private sector;
• The resolution of the problem of
rigidity of the labor market;
• Improving quality of public service;
• External trade, especially with
the creation of the Monitoring
the business environment, the
implementation of a computerized
system of customs declarations.
Burkina Faso, The Land of Honest People is a French speaking country. Foreign
investors who wish to settle or establish their business in Burkina Faso can be
assured to be in the right country. It was made clear when the Ambassador of
Burkina Faso to India, H.E. Mr. Idriss Raoua OUEDRAOGO interacted with Kanchi
Batra, Sub-Editor, Indo Africa Times.
Owner / Publisher / Editor: Mr. Kirit Sobti from 3rd Floor, Plot No. 3, Block PSP-IV, Service Centre Opp. Sector-11 (Extn.), Rohini, Delhi-85
Printed at LIPEE SCAN PVT. LTD. 89 DSIDC SHED Okhala Phase 1, New Delhi
“Opportunity to interact with high authorities of Burkina”
H.E. Mr. Idriss Raoua
OUEDRAOGO
Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary,
Embassy of Burkina Faso
MONDAY | APRIL 14, 2014