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 | MARCH 02, 2015 Title Code: DELENG18579 • RNI NO: DELENG/2014/54666 • Postal Registration No.: DN/325/2014-2016 • VOL. 02 • NO. 09 • Page 12 • Price `10
pg 02
Visit www.agsmovers.com to view our 128 locations worldwide
I N T E R N A T I O N A L M O V E R S
AGS FOUR WINDS NEW DELHI
D 84/2 Okhla Industrial area Ph - 1 New Delhi 110 020
T. +91 98 11 11 00 61 / +91 11 43 36 73 00
E. ags-delhi@agsfourwinds.com
Market leader for international
removal services in India and Africa.
pg10
pg 04
pg 07
Continued to page 03
pg 05
MoneyGram
reaches 25,000
locations
across
Africa
SEEKING JOINT VENTURE
PARTNERSHIP WITH
S
outh African Deputy Minister of Trade and
Industry Mzwandile Masina along with a
delegation of 25 business leaders visited
India to explore FDI and joint-venture partnership
opportunities here.
The team visited India to take part in the 6th
Annual India Investment and Trade Initiative (ITI)
which took place in Hyderabad and Kolkata from
February 23 to 27.
The ITI is part of the Department of Trade and
Industry’s export and investment promotion policy to
concentrate on India as a high-growth export market
and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) source.
The delegation included South African companies
looking to entice FDI as well as companies in quest
of joint venture partnerships in the agro-processing,
cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, mining and mineral
beneficiation, infrastructure, architecture and
renewable energy sectors.
According to Masina, South Africa’s economic
relationships with India have prospered since the
formation of diplomatic relations in 1993 as apartheid
ended and democracy began under Nelson Mandela.
“Closer economic ties are also fostered using
initiatives such as the Joint Ministerial Commission
and business engagements facilitated through the
SA-India CEOs Forum,” Masina said.
Airtel Ghana
introduces
DOTGO’s SMS
Web Browsing
Service
EQUATORIAL
GUINEA:
Stepping
up the Ladder
Mauritius: A
True Holiday
Destination
Miss Earth
Rwanda 2015
auditions
start next
month

2. Wassupafrica02
Moneygram recently announced
an agreement with Safaricom that
enables consumers in over 90
countries outside Kenya to send
funds directly to nearly 20 million
customers of M-PESA.
MoneyGram, a leading
global money transfer company,
announces today that its agent
network in Africa has now reached
25,000 locations, following a
strategic expansion initiative across
the continent.
Recent technology advances
and new agent and sub-agent
signings, including an agreement
with the Mauritius Post Office to
offer money transfer services at
more than 100 locations, have
contributed to achieving this
company milestone.
“MoneyGram continues to grow
throughout Africa as a result of
forming strategic relationships with
reputable companies, including
banks, post offices and retailers, to
bring added convenience and more
choices for our customers,” says
Herve Chomel, MoneyGram’s vice
F
or the third consecutive
year, the West African
Development Bank (BOAD)
in its capacity as Arranger, is raising
funds to support the cotton season
in Benin. The Agreement relating
thereto was signed by and between
Mr.ChristianAdovelande,President
of BOAD and the Managing Director
of the Office national de soutien
des revenus agricoles (National
office for farm income support)
(Borrower) and the Managers
of local banks involved in the
transaction.
This Agreement was signed as
partofthemandateontechnicaland
financial assistance entrusted to
BOAD by the Government of Benin
in February 2014 with the aim of
mobilizing funds for the 2014-2015
Nominations open for Africa’s
leading banking awards ceremony
The most prestigious event in Africa’s
bankingandfinancesectorwilltakeplace
during the annual African Development
Bank meetings in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
on 27th May. The 9th edition of the
African Banker Awards, held under the
patronage of the African Development
Bank will celebrate and highlight the
bankers and financial institutions who
are playing a leading role in driving
African growth and transformation. This
year also happens to be an important
year for the African Development Bank
who will announce the successor to
Donald Kaberuka, its president for the
past ten years.
Organized by African Banker
magazine in cooperation with Business
in Africa Events, the African Banker
Awards will continue to maintain its
exclusive partnership with the African
Development Bank, which over the past
year has finalized its move back home
from Tunis to Abidjan.
Recently the awards committee
issued its call for entries for 2015,
officially inviting all financial institutions
operating in Africa to participate and
compete. The deadline for entries has
been set in a month’s time, on the 16th
March.
The African Banker Awards is the
landmark event on the banking calendar.
Last year’s ceremony took place in
Namibia has emerged the best
ranked African country in terms
of media freedom according to the
2015 World Press Freedom Index
released by the Reporters Without
Borders.
With a score of 12.5, the country
was ranked the first in Africa
and 17th in the world out of 180
countries, moving five places up
from last year's rankings.
Neighbouring South Africa
ranked 39th globally and fourth on
the African continent.
MoneyGram Reaches 25,000 Locations across Africa
Namibia ranks best in world press freedom
BOAD is raising XOF115 billion to support
the 2014-2015 cotton season in Benin
president of Africa. “Remittances
are an important part of economic
development and financial
inclusion throughout the region and
are integral to providing household
essentials,educationandhealthcare
in many countries. We are excited
to be a part of the region’s growth.”
Consumers have access to
MoneyGram’s services in more than
50 African countries. In a series
of recent successes, the company
signedanagreementwithFirstBank
of Nigeria’s subsidiaries in Ghana,
Sierra Leone, and the Gambia, and
also renewed a master agreement
with Standard Bank Group, one of
Africa’s top banks. MoneyGram’s
services are available at over 500
Standard Bank locations in South
Africa and across 11 Southern and
Eastern African countries.
MoneyGram is also
implementing innovative self-
service channels to make it more
convenient for consumers living in
Africa or abroad to obtain needed
funds. The company recently
announced an agreement with
Safaricom that enables consumers
in over 90 countries outside Kenya
to send funds directly to nearly
20 million customers of M-PESA,
Kenya’s leading mobile wallet
provider.
Balancingact-Africa
cotton season. BOAD succeeded in
rallying around itself local banks
to raise a facility of XOF115 billion,
to which the local banking system
contributed to the tune of 79%.
Members of the banking pool
include ECOBANK (Agent Bank),
BOA, Banque Atlantique, BGFI,
Diamond Bank, BSIC and UBA. In
addition to its role as an arranger,
BOAD provides financing in an
amount of XOF25 billion to this
operation
Funds mobilized will be used
to cover financial needs during
the 2014-2015 cotton season,
including cotton purchase from
producers, ginning as well as
storage, evacuation and marketing
of cotton fiber and by-products.
Projections for the cotton season
show a cottonseed production of
360,000 tons over an area sown of
nearly 400,000 hectares.
Expressing his satisfaction at
the trust renewed to his institution
by the Beninese Authorities, Mr.
Christian Adovelande stated that
“this financial support provided by
BOAD, complementary to that of the
local banking system, is in line with
the Bank’s strategic directions as
well as Policy Statement”.
This third Agreement is
attributable to the success of
the two previous ones. The
Government of Benin requested the
support of BOAD for the 2012-2013
cotton season. The sub-regional
institution then rallied around itself
a pool of local banks and raised
XOF82 billion, with Beninese banks
contributing XOF62 billion, or 76%
ofthefacility.Thoseresourcesmade
it possible to sow 351,000 hectares
for a production of 240,000 tons of
cottonseed. The facility was fully
repaid at maturity.
Based on these positive results,
the Government of Benin entrusted
to the Bank a second mandate
for supporting and assisting in
structuring and raising a facility of
XOF115 billion to cover all needs
associated with the 2013-2014
cotton season. For this second
facility, local banks contributed to
the tune of 79%. 347,000 hectares
were sown for a production of
307,355 tons of cottonseed.
African Herald Express
Kigali, Rwanda, and attracted some of
Africa’s key decision makers including
Central Bank Governors and Ministers
of Finance as well as those playing a
key role in the banking world, from bank
CEOs to financiers and deal makers
transforming the continent.
“Since we launched the awards, the
sector has seen phenomenal growth and
is doing things unimaginable a decade
ago. The banks have a responsibility
to drive Africa’s transformation, policy
makers have a role to play in guiding
banks and financial institutions to
unlock capital towards priority projects
and industries. Today more than ever,
the financial services industry, which
is still small compared to emerging
markets standards, will keep rising to
the challenge, as they have over the past
ten years. We are looking forward to
receiving and reading the entries, which
make for insightful reading, especially
in terms of how banks are helping drive
African growth.” Omar Ben Yedder, CEO,
IC Publications.
Past awards and nominations reflect
the diverse achievements of Africa’s top
ranking bankers and industry leaders.
Last year HE Paul Kagame, President
of Rwanda, topped headlines after
receiving a Special Recognition Award
for his leadership and vision.
African Herald Express
Ghana ranked 22nd, Cape Verde
36th, Botswana 42nd and Burkina
Faso 46th.
"The Index is the fruit of
Reporters Without Borders'
constant work in defence of media
freedom, the result of its day-by-
day monitoring of freedom of
information violations," it said.
"Top of the 2015 Index are
Finland, which has been in first
place for five years in succession,
followed by Norway and Denmark."
Zimbabwe ranked 131th with
North Korea and Eritrea, coming
out as the worst performers, ranked
178th to 180th.
The Reporters Without Borders
World Press Freedom Index ranks
the performance of 180 countries
according to a range of criteria
that include media pluralism and
independence, respect for the
safety and freedom of journalists,
and the legislative, institutional
and infrastructural environment in
which the media operate.
Oshili24.com
MONDAY | MARCH 02, 2015

3. Wassupafrica 03
FROM PAGE 01
“Beyond bilateral relations,
South Africa and India remain
committed partners and are
determined to strengthen the
South-South Cooperation in the
context of IBSA (India, Brazil and
South Africa) and BRICS. This was
oneofthemessagesvisitingDeputy
Minister (Trade and Industry) of
South Africa, Mzwandile Masina,
and accompanying officials sought
to highlight.
Deliberations with AP Chief
Minister Chandrababu Naidu and
Telangana Industries Minister
Jupally Krishna Rao shaped part
of the South African Minister
schedule, who led a delegation of
industrialists to Hyderabad. While
showcasing of the competences
in agro processing, mining, food
and beverages, renewable energy,
pharmaceuticals and capital
equipment remain the focus, South
Africa is also keen on discovering
prospects rising out of the “Make
in India” programme.
‘Make in India’ is an effort
from the Indian government
intended at making the country
into a worldwide competitive
manufacturing hub through
holding investment, invention and
skill development.
Under the scheme, India could
see the structure of National
Investment and Manufacturing
Zones (NIMZ) where the state
would furnish the capital required
for constructing supporting
infrastructure, as well as
institutions for skill development.
According to the World Trade
Organisation (WTO) from 2005 to
2011 saw bilateral trade between
India and the African continent
grow by 30 per-cent – even in
the face of the global financial
crisis. Business leaders from both
countries have also been meeting
since 2005 as part of the India-
Africa Conclave which suggests
constantly consolidating relations.
Theprocesscouldbeoriginated
by the Indian government granting
top South African businessmen
and CEOs with extended VISAs
which will help simplify more
talks of this kind, and will allow a
freer discourse between the two
nations.
Discussions focused on
explicit economic issues that
were perceived as potential
impediments by the South
Africans. Perhaps the two most
pressing were the boundary
limitations placed on the South
African banking sector, in addition
to gold tariffs.
South African Deputy Minister
for Trade Mzwandile Masina stated
that from 2009 to 2014 the country
had benefited from up to 80 billion
Rand (just under £4.5 billion) of
investment from India. With talk
of India building three new cities
to embed their industrial output,
the scale of investment from India
could increase significantly, which
could spell major increases in jobs
and an expansion in the country’s
skill set.
Mr. Masina and officials,
including Consul General of
South Africa in Mumbai, Pule
I.Malefane, addressing media,
said defence and ocean economy
(encompassing a gamut from
fishing, aquaculture, and ship
building to sea port development)
are key areas of collaboration. In
the city, the Deputy Minister took
part in the sixth international
trade and investment initiative
of South Africa’s Department of
Trade and Industry.
South Africa, “a strategic entry
point for investors looking at
Africa,” they said was looking at a
complete range of opportunities,
counting the plans of Andhra
Pradesh to develop a capital.
South Africa, the officials said, had
from December last year initiated
issuing long term (10 year),
multiple entry visas to company
heads and senior executives.
Looking for investments in
Telangana, the State Industries
Minister Jupally Krishna Rao
assured of all support and
cooperationtoavisitingdelegation
from South Africa who met him at
the state Secretariat.
The Minister painted state’s
industrial policy of TS-iPASS
and guaranteed all support. ‘’All
industrial permits would be
delivered through Single Window
African nation shakes up
Malaysian website industry with
free domains
Mali, one of the largest
countries in West Africa, has
introduced the .ML domain
name registry in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, as a new Malaysian
domain extension. AGETIC, the
governmental agency responsible
for Mali's public infrastructure,
is using new technologies to offer
domain name registrations to
all individuals and businesses in
Malaysia at no cost.
"We have introduced a new
.ML domain platform to internet
users in Mali two years ago. With
the introduction of free internet
domain names and a modern
platform, we instantly became
the fastest growing country code
top level domain in Africa.” says
Mr. Moussa Dolo, the Managing
Director of AGETIC. "Over the last
year we have seen a large increase
of registrations from Malaysian
users. We did our research and
found out that the ML extension
The 5th Africa Debt and Capital Markets
(ADCM) Summit will take place for the
first time in Washington D.C. during the
IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings
on 16th April 2015.
Organized by the team behind
African Banker magazine, this high-
level summit will provide an update
on the latest trends and development
in Africa’s capital markets as well
as explore the growing market for
international issuances by African
governments.
Formerly hosted at the London
Stock Exchange, the 5th Africa
Debt and Capital Markets Summit
is the premier event looking at the
development of African debt capital
markets in Africa. Over 150 guests are
expected to attend, including a range of
institutional investors, African Ministers
of Finance, Central Bank Governors,
leading international investment
bankers, private companies, investors,
risk advisors and rating agencies.
The event was launched to create
a platform to connect African issuers to
the financial community in London, the
agenda this year will broaden to explore
the challenges and opportunities in
Mali Gives Millions of Malaysians a New
Internet Identity
Africa Debt and Capital Markets Summit
to take place during the IMF and World
Bank Meetings
is popular in Malaysia, as it is an
abbreviation of the country name.
That is why we decided to create a
special registration offering for the
Malaysian market."
Every nation in the world
receives a two letter abbreviation
from the International Standard
Organization (ISO), and in
that process the ML code was
associated with Mali. Malaysia's
historical MY domain name is
found to be hard to register.
Registration is expensive, requires
paperwork and has bureaucratic
rules preventing Malaysian
individuals and businesses to
register MY domains quickly. With
System,’’ the minister said adding
that there is a 2.50 lakh acre
land bank available in the state
exclusively for new industries. For
water facility, 10 per cent of water
is provided through water grid
and government subsidies would
be made available to them.
Special chief secretary,
industries, Pradeep Chandra
said that out of total pharma
production in India, Telangana
share is 33 per cent and the state
alone contributes 25 per cent of
pharma export. “Telangana state
manufactures 75 per cent of total
vaccination produced in India,’’ he
said.
Mzwandile Masina showed
interest in acquiring vaccinations
to South Africa from the state, an
official release said adding the
visiting dignitary also invited
industrialists from the state
to invest in their country in
mining. ‘’Masina also assured
their cooperation in IT field to
Telangana,’’ the release said.
South Africa is in support of a
speedy finalisation of negotiations
in respect to the proposed
Preferential Trade Agreement
(PTA) with India, said country’s
minister. “Negotiations involving
1,000 tariff lines are complex. Our
wish and aspiration is to make this
thing happen,” Masina said adding,
“Since India is more economically
advanced than South Africa, it is
our desire to consolidate trade
relations with the country.”
Referring to Indian FDI in
South Africa, the minister said
over a 10-year period, total
investments made by Indians in
the African nation was USD 8.6
billion. However, South African
investments in India over the same
period was USD 4.7 billion. “India
is not doing enough to promote
investments in South Africa,” he
told reporters.
The seminar, attended by more
than 200 business people from
IndiaandSouthAfrica,ispartofthe
Ministry of Trade and Industry’s
export and investment promotion
strategy to focus on India as a high
growth export market and foreign
direct investment source.
the introduction of .ML as the free
new MaLaysian domain, AGETIC
offers a solution that addresses
the demand for domains for the 20
million internet users in Malaysia.
The introduction of ML in
Malaysia comes directly after the
ICANN conference in Singapore.
During this meeting of the
international internet governance
body, African participation in the
international internet community
was high on the agenda. With the
introduction of ML domains in
Malaysia, Mali is the first African
country that looks abroad for
domain name distribution.
Balancingact-Africa
Africa’s Capital and
Debtmarkets.Recent
global issuances
have attracted wide
interest from US
investors, who hold
the world’s biggest
pool of capital, but
African debt and
capital markets still
remain off-radar
for the majority
of the investment
community.
The key focus of the 5th Africa
Debt and Capital Markets Summit
will be on the emergence of financial
hubs in Africa, and on ways to make
them become drivers of growth. There
will be a focus on domestic resource
mobilization with the rise of sovereign
wealth funds and pension funds, the
opportunities presented by international
capital and how to tap into this, as well
as a discussion on the debt issuances
and the longer term outlooks for African
sovereign and corporates using this
asset class.
Since its inaugural edition in 2011,
the number of sovereign issuances has
grown rapidly although local capital
markets remain largely illiquid. This
summit, by connecting policy makers,
as well as the buy and sell side, will
help to contribute to more dynamic
capital markets and more transactional
activity across different asset classes
relating to Africa.
The summit, a must-attend event
for financiers in the emerging market
space, will take place in Washington
D.C. on the 16th April.
African Herald
mONDAY | MARCH 02, 2015

4. CountryoftheWeek04
Advertiser's Index
AGS Four Winds..............0 Page 01
Paranthaman Exporter ....0 Page 02
Chadha Power .................0Page 02
Prime Electric Limited ..... 0Page 03
PHEL ...............................0 Page 04
LESDEP ...........................0Page 05
Modern Agro ...................0Page 05
Linc Pens .........................0Page 07
EMAT Africa .....................0Page 08
Mill India Ltd. ...................0Page 10
Laxmi Publications ..........0Page 11
ISIC ..................................0Page 11
Prakash Ameusment .......0Page 11
Agritec Africa ................... Page 12
O
fficially the Republic of
Equatorial Guinea, the
country is located in
Central Africa and is spread over
an area of 28,000 sq. km. The
country has emerged as one of
sub-Sahara’s largest oil producer.
Equatorial Guinea is flush with
natural resources, expanding
industries and ever-growing
infrastructure. The country has
been among the fastest growing
economy in Africa.
The country was radically
changed in the 1990s when
oilfields were discovered and
went into production. It was
upgraded from a low-income,
mainly agricultural country to
a middle-income country, the
third largest oil producer in sub-
Saharan Africa and the second
main destination of FDI – from
foreign oil companies – in Central
Africa. The country’s main
trading partners are, in order of
importance, the United States,
China, Spain, Italy and France, to
which Equatorial Guinea exports
petroleum, methanol, timber and
cocoa. Major imports include
petroleum equipment, food and
beverages. The tremendous
growth driven by the oil and
gas sector has enabled the
development and improvement
of basic infrastructure but has at
the same time led to a decline in
agriculture, fisheries and forestry,
making the economy highly
dependent on the oil sector.
OIL AND GAS SECTOR
Oil reserves were discovered
in Equatorial Guinea in the year
1996,thecountryhassincebecome
one of the largest oil producers in
Africa after Nigeria and Sudan. The
oil boom has generated GDP which
is at par with several industrial
countries. Crude oil and LNG
exports account for about 80% of
government revenues and 95%
of export income. Oil production
totaled 110 million barrels in
2012 while liquefied gas and
methanol production amounted
to about 7 million tons. The
economy’s huge dependence on
oil and gas, currently accounting
for nearly 90% of GDP and almost
all of the country’s exports, makes
its growth rate highly vulnerable
to fluctuations in world oil prices
and variations in the volumes
produced and exported in the
sector.
Due to high oil reserves,
Equatorial Guinea became the
richest country per capita in
Africa. GDP grew ten folds, but was
unstable because of the volatility
of oil prices.
CONSTRUCTION-
SECOND MAJOR SECTOR
The construction sector is
the country’s second major
activity after gas and methanol
production. Growth in the sector
has been largely driven by public
investment to rehabilitate and
build basic infrastructure such
as roads, ports, airports, public
housing and public buildings.
Investments made under the first
phase of the PNDES, which aims
to turn Equatorial Guinea into an
emerging economy by 2020, have
helped to increase the housing
supply in urban areas and to
develop transport infrastructure
(roads, ports and airports) as well
as electricity distribution. Public
capital expenditure is financed
by oil revenue. The increase in
public capital expenditure in 2013,
2014 and 2015 aims to facilitate
implementation of the second
phase of the PNDES, which is
intended to diversify the economy
in sectors other than oil and gas.
3Fs- FORESTRY,
FARMING AND FISHING
Forestry, Farming, and fishing
are also the major economic
activities in Equatorial Guinea,
and contribute a considerable
percentagetotheGDP.Subsistence
farming predominates the
agriculture scenario in the
country. Oil and gas production
has limited the growth of
agriculture in the country. Cocoa
and coffee production has largely
declined during the past few years.
Equatorial Guinea imports70%
of its food items. Cash crops like
coffee and cocoa are encouraged
over subsistence farming.
ENTICING
INVESTMENTS
Excluding hydrocarbons,
most of the economic growth
in Equatorial Guinea in recent
times has been driven by public
investment. These investments
were made as an effort to improve
basic infrastructure, like roads,
ports, airports and the likes. Public
capital expenditure has grown
constantly in recent years, and this
trend should continue into 2015,
despite the fall in oil revenue that
began in 2012. The fiscal deficit,
which grew from 5.4% of GDP in
2012 to 7.5% in 2013, is therefore
projected to deteriorate further,
reaching 11.4% of GDP in 2014
and 12.8% in 2015.
Aware of the need to
make growth more inclusive
and to broaden its bases, the
authorities have developed a
national economic and social
development plan, the PNDES
(Plan Nacional de Desarrollo
Económico y Social), aimed at
turning Equatorial Guinea into an
emerging economy by 2020. The
first phase of the plan (2008-12)
focused on developing transport
and electricity infrastructure and
public buildings (hospitals and
schools) at the cost of substantial
capital expenditure financed by oil
and gas revenue.
The second phase, begun in
2013,planstomaintainhighpublic
investment in infrastructure while
targeting the development of five
priority sectors that offer the
country untapped comparative
advantages and could generate
wealth and jobs: agriculture
and livestock
farming; fisheries;
petrochemicals and
mining;tourism;and
financial services.
The authorities
wish to improve the
business climate in
these areas to attract
foreign investment
and move up the
global value chains
(GVCs).
Stepping up the Ladder
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
MONDAY | MARCH 02, 2015

5. BusinessBuzz 05
PayGate launches e-commerce payment collection service
for SMMEs
An e-commerce hurdle for smaller
businesses in South Africa has fallen
with the launch of a new payment
collection service from PayGate.
“For a small company that’s
turning over less than R100,000
a month, getting an e-commerce
merchant account through a bank
can be prohibitively difficult and
expensive,” says PayGate’s business
development manager
Brendan Williamson. “Yet
there are hundreds of small
and home-based businesses
in South Africa that are
poised for growth, if only
they had a realistic way to sell
and receive payments online.
That’s the gap we’re aiming
to fill.”
WilliamsonsaysPayGate’sentry
level e-commerce platform will
allow SMEs to accept a wide range
of payment methods, including
international credit and debit cards,
and get easy access to their money
withoutneedingtoopenanewbank
account. “Our Payment Protector
real-time fraud monitoring system
The DOTGO SMS Web Browser
is a ground-breaking service
that gives all mobile phone users
access to the internet without
cellular data or Wi-Fi – whether
they use simple feature phones
or smartphones. DOTGO’s SMS
Web Browsing service gives
mobile users – particularly in
areas where Internet penetration
is low – access to
e-mail, news, and
to websites like
Wikipedia, Yahoo!
and Facebook.
For many users,
DOTGO is actually
their first-ever
access to the
Internet.
U s i n g
DOTGO’s SMS
Web Browsing
service is easy:
A subscriber
just sends an
SMS to DOTGO
c o n t a i n i n g
the name of
the website
they want to
browse. DOTGO
responds with an
interactive menu-
based version
A
company founded by
Vérone Mankou, the
Congolese entrepreneur
behind the first tablet made in
Africa, announced the opening of
its first VMK store in Abidjan on
19 February 2015. Located in the
Treichville commune at Zone 3 C,
Immeuble Rive Gauche, this point
of sale – which will exclusively
sell products from the VMK range
– marks the beginning of the
Congolese company’s expansion
beyond its borders. The Abidjan
VMK store, which will ultimately
employ around 10 people, will be
an addition to VMK’s first-ever
store in Brazzaville, which was
opened in partnership with the
South African operator, MTN.
VMK plans to expand its store
locations to five countries in the
region by the end of the year. A
second store is scheduled to open
in the Ivory Coast economic capital,
before the opening of three other
VMKstoresinKinshasa,Doualaand
Dakar before the end of 2015. “My
underlying ambition is to bridge
the digital gap in Africa. These
VMK stores are being set up to
make new technologies accessible
to as many people as possible,”
explains Vérone Mankou. “We will
offer a top-of-the-range selection
of products, aimed at the general
public.” The VMK range, which also
includes two smartphone models
available from FCFA 11,900 and
FCFA 19,900 (EUR 18 and EUR
30 respectively) has recently
been enhanced by the addition
of a premium model, the Elikia L.
First VMK store opens in
Abidjan
This outstanding handset, offered
at FCFA 64,900 (EUR 99), comes
equipped with a larger screen
than its predecessor. Not only
that, but VMK is getting ready to
launch its second tablet in March.
It will be available for less than
FCFA 140,000 (EUR 210). “The
opening of a store in Abidjan is an
essential step in the extension of
our Pan-African vision. It is here,
at the crossroads of West Africa,
that VMK has decided to embark
upon conquering the new class of
African consumers,” adds Vérone
Mankou.
Produced in China until
now, VMK devices will shortly
be assembled in the soon-to-be
factory in the Republic of Congo.
Thisproductionunit,whichisinthe
process of being built in the Mpila
neighbourhood of Brazzaville, has
required an investment of nearly
two million dollars and will be
used exclusively for the VMK range
of products. VMK’s Chinese partner
company has started training the
locals who will be employed at
the factory – more than 90 people
in total. VMK plans to produce
350,000 units per month.
African Herald Express
is part of the package, so people are
protected against credit card fraud,”
he adds.
Payment methods on offer
include Visa and Visa Electron,
Mastercard, Maestro, Diners Club,
American Express, SID Instant EFT,
PayD, paysum1 and UKash, says
Williamson, along with a growing
menu of mobile payment options.
The service can be activated
within 48 hours, he adds: “The
application form is just two pages
long, there’s no security required
and the approval is quick. This
allows small business to collect
payments more easily, to project
a more professional image and to
grow to a different level.”
PayGate will continue to
support small businesses as they
grow, says Williamson. “There are
other services aimed at the SME
market, but if a business takes off it
can outgrow those really fast - and
having to change platforms can
be very disruptive. At PayGate we
support everything from home-
based craft businesses to a major
airlines, so we’re able to grow with
our customers.”
However, he warns that
small businesses planning
to go online should work
hard on their marketing.
“You can’t assume that being
online automatically sells
your product - making your
shop window visible is a key
challenge. Businesses who are new
to e-commerce should make sure
they choose web developers who
are able to help them with advice on
search engine marketing and pay-
per-click advertising. Then once the
customers are in the door, PayGate
will make sure you can collect their
money at the till.”
Balancingact-Africa
of the website condensed and
formatted for SMS.
Manu Rajan, Marketing
Director for Airtel Ghana
commented: “DOTGO’s powerful
platform has democratized the
Internet for our subscribers. Yes,
smartphone adoption is growing
fast, but feature phones are still
heavily in use.
With DOTGO’s expertise, we
have instantly increased Internet
penetration in Ghana by enabling
our feature-phone users to access
the Internet with their existing
phones.”
Since all of DOTGO’s services
are built using the same core
DOTGO platform, launching
new services introduces no
further technical overhead once
a carrier has launched any one
of DOTGO’s solutions, like the
SMS Web Browser. This allows
DOTGO carrier partners to rapidly
launch new messaging services
that create new value from their
existing infrastructures.
From Group Messaging
services to social networking
with rich SMS support, DOTGO’s
solutions have been adopted by
over fifteen tier-one operators
around the world.
Significantly, DOTGO’s
messaging platform also provides
mobile operators with much-
needed protection against the
growing revenue losses caused
by Internet-based services
that bypass the carrier, such as
messaging delivered by OTT
players.
The Ghanaian Chronicle
Airtel Ghana Introduces DOTGO’s
SMS Web Browsing Service
mONDAY | MARCH 02, 2015

6. FRANKLY SPEAKING06
By kirit sobti,
editor, iat
editor@indoafricatimes.com
R
evolutions, some silky, some bloody, have
outlined the last two decades. The map of
the world is now a patchwork of new states
and associations that exemplify achievements over
dictatorship and so-called springs that deteriorated
into acidic winters. In the turmoil of today's headlines,
it is easy to oversee the optimistic opportunities
to withstand with democratic transitions in many
nations in Sub-Saharan Africa. What's going on there is
truly innovative and should not be neglected.
Urbanization is mounting in both developed and
developing countries. The percentage of the world’s
urban population is anticipated to upsurge- to about
57% by 2050 from 47% in 2000. More than 90% of
future population growth will be accounted for by the
large cities in the developing countries.
In the developing world, Africa has went through
with the highest urban growth during the last two
decades at 3.5% per year and this rate of growth is
expected to hold into 2050. Forecasts also designate
that between 2010 and 2025, some African cities
will account for up to 85% of the population. This
rapid development has transformed the continent’s
demographic landscape.
Yet, urbanization in
Africa has failed to bring
about inclusive growth
which, in turn, has
ensued in propagation of
slums, urban poverty and
rising disparity.
Cities also permit
cost effective delivery of
critical services to the
poor, with prospective to
secure major economies
of scale and scope in both
their “lived” and “worked” environments.
"With over 450 million new urban dwellers
expected between 2010 and 2040, Africa's surging
urbanization demands vastly improved delivery of
services," said Jamal Saghir, World Bank director
for Sustainable Development in the Africa Region.
"This study shows that more urbanized countries
have achieved lower poverty rates as well as higher
gross domestic product per capita. We want to draw
policymakers' attention to the fact that countries
having more than 60% of their population in urban
areas are expected to achieve 50% more Millennium
Development Goals on average than those with
urbanization rates of 40% or less. The pathway to end
poverty and boost shared prosperity will necessarily
go through Africa's cities." To comprehend this dream
for the continent’s urban future, Africa’s policymakers
and urban managers will need to cultivate clear
priorities concerning policy and regulatory
commitments for long-term integrated development,
scaling up infrastructure investments, basic services
and the urban environment, as well as building sound
institutions and financial systems at all levels to
Urbanization and urban
development are both positive
products of and forces for
human development and
economic growth – if we can
get them right, and that is
what this regional round-table
is all about. To set us on the
right course by identifying top
priorities and key ingredients of
progress.
John Wilmoth
Director of UN DESA’s
Population Division
Mizengo Pinda
Prime Minister, Tanzania
Ethiopia is set to become an urban
center soon. Another 10 million people
are expected to move to cities by the
year 2025.
Ethiopia has a golden opportunity
to get urbanization right by following
good urban planning. This will also help
the country to deal with two staggering
problems it faces today, that is, poverty
and the race to become one of the middle
income countries.
A report released recently by the
Global Commission on the Economy
& Climate led by the Ethiopian
Development Research Institute (EDRI)
and the Global Green Growth Institute
recommends proper planning and
building compact, well connected cities,
which will help cut costs, improve
economic opportunities, create jobs,
reduce congestion and pollution.
Compact cities equipped with
world class facilities will help improve
people’s lives. Less resources are used
thus producing less waste and greater
economic opportunities are offered.
Ethiopian cities have an opportunity to
become world class cities. The process
of urbanizing Ethiopia has begun with
Investment Addis’ Light Rail Transit
(LRT) and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).
The report also highlights how a
national policy framework for urban
planning will facilitate the government’s
five-year Growth and Transformation
Plan (GTP). Ethiopia has invested
heavily in infrastructure, rural to urban
and urban to urban connectivity has
improved. Economy has also widely
improved, for example, around 40% of
the population of Tigray lived more than
10 hours away from the city in 1984, by
2007 the number had come down to 8%.
The report also suggested setting
up of clusters of cities in planned
development areas and corridors,
which offer proper connectivity and a
conducive economic environment.
The coming few years are very
crucial for Ethiopia. Key government
initiatives and decisions will be the
driving force in shaping Ethiopia’s cities
for many decades to come.
Ethiopia’s chance for
Rapid Urbanization
Managing urban areas
has become one of the most
important development
challenges of the 21st century.
Our success or failure in
building sustainable cities
will be a major factor in the
success of the post-2015 UN
development agenda.
While
urbanization
can provide a
lift to national
economies,
it can also
present many
infrastructure
and humanitarian
challenges.
enable effective implementation. The good news is
that Africa’s urbanization is yet to occur, and there is
still time to get it right. With Africa less than halfway
through the urbanization process, countries still have
time to get “ahead of the urbanization curve” and get
the best out of its benefits.
While urbanization can provide a lift to national
economies, it can also present many infrastructure
and humanitarian challenges. The advent of slums is
a shared concern of rapid urban growth. According to
the World Health Organization, sub-Saharan Africa’s
urban slum population will double to 400 million
by 2020 unless governments take decisive action.
In sub-Saharan Africa, where only 32.8 percent of
the population resides in cities, 72 percent of urban
residents live in slums.
Only 54 percent of Africa’s urban population has
access to sanitation, and the percentage of urban
Africans with clean drinking water actually decayed
- from 86 percent to 85 percent - between 2005 and
2010. When urban populations grow speedily, it can
be problematic or dreadful for governments and
private enterprises to create a satisfactory number of
jobs. This forces many
people to work in the
informal sector, which
usually pays much less.
In order to address
the challenges of
urbanization facing
many African cities,
some key reforms
should be followed by
governments. These
include (i) upgrading
informal settlements
through the provision
of integrated infrastructures and services that target
the marginalized groups, including the poor, youth,
women and elderly people. In addition, governments
should act proactively to safeguard orderly urban
development by defining and implementing clear
urban development strategies; (ii) summoning urban
financing from local and foreign investors. These
resources should be proficiently and adequately
allocated between central and local governments’
urban projects and should encourage strengthening
the role of municipalities; (iii) improving human
capital through equal access to education and
healthcare services and facilities for all categories
of citizens in order to meet labor market needs;
(iv) divergence of economic activities through the
formation of new economic hubs concerned with
high sustainable and value-added production and
exportation. These reforms should be comprehensive
to ensure that all categories of citizens, regardless of
their age, race, gender, ethnicity, or socio-economic
conditions, have equal access to adequate housing,
basic infrastructure and services and equal job
opportunities.
Africa’s Unimaginable
Growth and Change
Watching the striking growth of towns and cities across Africa, and it is often taken for granted that a great process
of urbanization - whereby a mounting proportion of the population live in reputable settlements as opposed to rural
areas - is happening across the continent.
MONDAY | MARCH 02, 2015

7. TRAVEL&tourism 07
Sky Diving. The tour is incomplete without
experiencing the thrill of walking with the
king of jungle- a unique adventure activity
called, “Walk with the Lions” at the Casela
Nature & Leisure Park, which is also, home
to more than 140 varieties of birds from five
different continents. Also the zip-line ride is
a thrilling experience in which people are
allowed to fly over from one spot to the other,
through a network of zip-line cables. It is an
interesting way to discover the waterfalls,
forest and landscapes of Mauritius. We also
have a number of 18-hole championship or
international standard golf courses.
Be it a destination wedding or a perfect
honeymoon destination; Mauritius fits in
perfectly in both the categories. Weddings
are well catered with a choice of beautiful
backdrops including plantation-style
homes, pristine beaches and jagged volcanic
mountain ranges. There are fabulous choices
of luxury hotels and resorts for people to
enjoy pre and post- wedding pampering
activities or just a relaxed sunset cocktail in
Paradise. Mauritius is perfect destination for
an exotic moment of togetherness.
It has a plethora of local and international
gastronomical delights for every taste bud.
Mauritius has the combination of flavors
nurtured through its people of different
cultural heritages and cooking traditions.
Indulge your palate to an array of wonderful
local and international cuisines that include
English, Indian, Creole, French, Chinese,
African, etc. Most dishes generally have
an extensive yet subtle use of spices such
as saffron, cardamom, cloves and many
different herbs.
Tourists can enjoy a large selection of
gateaux’s similar to the ones found in France
as well as some wonderful Indian sweets.
Mauritius also is proud to claim our local
beer, Phoenix, to be one of the best in the
world and the world renowned Green Island
Rum.
The island also offers a vibrant night-life
with casinos or the Sega dances / cultural
events organized in the hotels. Watch Sega,
which is national dance and musical form
of Mauritius. Introduced by African slaves
during the French colonial period, the Sega is
an exotic dance to watch and enjoy Mauritius
nightlife. The region of Grand Baieand Flic-
en-Flac on the West coast region has some of
the most popular pubs, clubs, bars and is a
paradise for nightlife lovers.
The island is loaded with historic sites,
cultural diversity, geographic variation
and almost limitless activities to distract
you from the daily grind of beach and pool.
Mauritius enjoys a relatively mild climate.
Visit Mauritius where you will have your
dreams fulfilled.
M
auritius is a fascinating world-in-
one island slice of paradise. Its very
name conjures up images of tropical
luxury and stupendous extravagance. This
delightful holiday destination offers a
wide array of opportunities and services
niche segments such as the organization of
international events, high profile Weddings,
Honeymoon, Spa resorts offering high quality
accommodation/services within a highly
distinctive well-being package.
Mauritius offers wonderful clean beaches,
brilliant coral reefs, attractive multicolored
aquatic species, tropical weather and serene
atmosphere. Snorkeling, Scuba Diving, Deep-
Sea Fishing, Kayaking, Submarine ride, Sub-
scooter ride, there is a sport for almost
everyone. One should definitely opt for Under
Sea walk - an unusual activity where one can
actually walk on the seabed with the weighed
foot or opt for world's first Underwater Sub-
Scooters. Experience the thrills of Dolphins
swimming with you; visit Tamarin Bay, the
most famous surf site in on our western coast.
The country has a diversified range of
adventures land sports which includes Quad
Biking, Para-sailing, mountain biking or
MauritiusA True Holiday Destination
 The island was
formed as an
outcome of volcanic
activity in the Indian
Ocean, millions of
years ago.
 Dodo, the national
bird of Mauritius is
an extinct species
of a flightless
bird which was
a resident of this
island, centuries
ago. Dodos were
found only on this
island and nowhere
else in the world.
 There are no wild
animals on this
islands and even
the species of
snakes found here
are not toxic in the
nature.
 The coral reef
around the island
aids to keep the
ocean water
temperature lower
than that in the high
seas and guards the
tourists from attacks
by sharks, jellyfish
and other aquatic
animals.
INTERESTING FACTS
mONDAY | MARCH 02, 2015

8. TALKINGTECHNOLOGY08
I
ntroducing the ‘Do-It-Yourself’
Backyard Poultry (BYP) -
Sahyadri Industries Ltd. takes
a novel, giant and revolutionary
step forward to make the women
in the house become Self-reliant
by earning a good sum every
month, from the revenue earned
from poultry. At the same time,it
provides better health to the
chickens and hygiene for the
family and environment.
your house with a portable
housing that works better for you,
chickens and the environment
around your house. Moreover it
comes to you in a ‘Do-It-Yourself’
kit that is easy to install with the
help of couple of family members.
Swastik Kukdookoo brings
an opportunity to make women
financially Self-reliant; an
additional income for the family
and at the same time healthy
hygienic self- consumption.
Plus points with Swastik
Kukdookoo BYP
» Reliable income-generation
alternative
» Steady source of income
» Reasonable Investment, Better
Returns
» Feeds available from nearby
locations
» All weather-resistant
structure
» House can be used as a Storage
unit
» Durable and Long Lasting for
Years
Benefits with Swastik Kukdokoo
BYP
» Healthy self consumption
» High nutritional value
» Safety from predators
» Droppings can be easily
collected from the shed for
manure /fertilizer use
» Increased Protein Intake –
Deficiency is the common
phenomenon in the diet of
rural people as
» their diets are predominantly
based on cereals containing
high energy but low protein
About Sahyadri Industries Ltd.
Sahyadri Industries Ltd. - a group
that commenced 60 years back,
now boasts of infrastructural
capacities that can meet a colossal
demand of supply across the globe
at any given time. An ISO 9001-
2008 certified and BSE registered
Company, Sahyadri is consistently
reaching newer markets and
dynamically growing in size and
strength. In a six decade journey,
the company has brought to
the fore, a plethora of products
across different verticals: Roofing
- Swastik, Flat Sheets for all
weathers and mezzanine floor
applications - Cemply, Interior
and Exterior Building products -
Ecopro, Security enabled Main
Doors - Entasafe, Pre- Engineered
/ Hybrid building solutions and
Production for non-conventional
energy.
SAHYADRI INDUSTRIES LTD.
Registered Office:
Swastik House, 39/D, Gultekdi, J.N.
Marg, Pune - 411037, Maharashtra,
INDIA.
Tel: +91 20 2644 4625/26/27
Fax: +91 20 2644 4624, 2645 8888
Email: info@silworld.in
Website: www.silworld.in
CIN No.: L26956PN1994PLC078941
Sizes Particulars
Range – No. of Birds can be
accommodated
4'x 4' G+1 G+2
G+1 = approx 30-40 chicks
G + 2 = Approx 60-70 chicks
6' x 4' G+1 G+2
G+1 = approx 60-70 chicks
G + 2 = Approx 80-90 chicks
8' x 4' G+1 G+2
G+1 = approx 80-90 chicks
G + 2 = Approx 120-130chicks
Start a Healthy
Wealthy Poultry
Business
MONDAY | MARCH 02, 2015

9. TRYSOMETHINGNEW 09
upcoming
The only thing in life that does not
change is change itself.
THOUGHT OF
THE WEEK
International Congress of
I3SAW
It is organized by the
International Society of Sport
Sciences in the Arab World.
The conference will cover
areas like Sport History, Sport,
Management and Tourism,
Sport, Culture and Society.
Date: 02-05 Mar 2015
Venue: Institute of Physical
Education and Sports University of
Sciences and Technology, Oran,
Algeria
IBM Systems Technical
Symposium
It is organized by the IBM. The
conference will cover areas
like Ibm Systems Technical
Symposium to Ramp up
Quickly on Smarter Computing
Implementation, to Gain an
In-depth Look at the Latest
Innovations from Ibm Systems,
to Learn about Recent Product
Announcements, and the
Chance to Swap Insights with
Colleagues and Learn from the
Experts.
Date: 03-05 Mar 2015
Venue: Renaissance Cairo Mirage
City Hotel, Cairo, Egypt
Addis Student Fair
The Addis Student Fair with
its fascinating spread of
educational services, training
services, advanced study
opportunities and other
educational opportunities is
a well acclaimed educational
event that is solely dedicated to
students and aims to promote
education and development of
students from the academic
front. The event stands equally
important for all exhibitors as it
provides them with a vast and
extensive educational market
to promote and launch their
products and services and
reach out to a wide variety of
students.
Date: 02-03 Mar 2015
Venue: Harmony Hotel, Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia
Africa Model United
Nations Conference
It is organized by the United
Nations Foundation. The
conference will cover areas like
following up from Last Year’s
Inaugural Conference Themed
“balancing the Role of Africa in
the Un”, This Year’s Conference
Will Offer You a Chance to
Analyze, Discuss and Device
Solutions to the Most Critical
Issues Africa Faces Today.
Date: 05-08 Mar 2015
Venue: The African Union
Headquarters, Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia
Health Informatics in
Africa Conference
HELINA 2015 is hosted by
the Ghana Health Informatics
Association (GHIA) this year.
HELINA, the Pan African
Health Informatics Association,
is the African Region of
the International Medical
Informatics Association (IMIA).
Date: 07-11 Mar 2015
Venue: University of Ghana, Accra,
Ghana
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi meeting the Foreign Minister of Bahrain, Shaikh Khalid Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa,
in New Delhi on February 23, 2015.

picture of the week
Spicy African
Peanut Soup
1. Could you lend me an iron?
Vous pourriez me prêter un fer à repasser?
2. How's your family?
Comment va votre famille?
Handy French
Ingredients
• 3 cups stock or 3 cups water
• 2 slices fresh ginger
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or 2 fresh chili
peppers
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup tomato juice
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• Salt and pepper
Directions
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high
heat.
• Add pepper, ginger, carrots, garlic, onions
and cayenne or chilies.
• Cook for 2 minutes, then add potato and
stock.
• Bring to the boil and simmer 10 minutes.
• Transfer the vegetables to a food processor
and purée until smooth.
• Return the purée to the saucepan and stir
in peanut butter and tomato juice or mash
the vegetables in the saucepan until slightly
lumpy.
• Add sugar, salt and pepper.
• Serve sprinkled with green onions.
1. Helps Promote Fertility (Folate)
Peanuts contain a good amount of
folate. Repeated studies have shown
that women who had a daily intake of
400 micrograms of folic acid before
and during early pregnancy reduced
their risk of having a baby born with a
serious neural tube defect by up to 70%.
2. Aids in Blood Sugar Regulation
(Manganese)
One fourth cup of peanuts can supply
the body with 35% of the DV of
manganese, a mineral which plays a
role in fat and carbohydrate metabolism,
calcium absorption, and blood sugar
regulation.
3. Helps Prevent Gallstones
It may come as a surprise that peanuts
can help prevent gallstones. But 20
years of studies have shown that
eating 1 ounce of nuts, peanuts or
Health Benefits of Peanuts
Also known as ground nuts, peanuts, along with beans and peas are members of the legume family which are the best sources of protein in the plant kingdom. Peanuts are
found in a wide variety of products. They can be eaten salted, dry roasted, boiled and even raw. They can be found in peanut brittle, peanut butter and candy bars and is often a
major ingredient in mixed nuts.
peanut butter a week lowers the risk of
developing gallstones by 25%.
4. Helps Fight Depression
Peanuts are good sources of
tryptophan, an essential amino acid
which is important for the production
of serotonin, one of the key brain
chemicals involved in mood regulation.
When depression occurs, a decreased
amount of serotonin may be released
from the nerve cells in the brain.
Tryptophan may raise serotonin’s
antidepressant effects when there is an
increased amount of serotonin in the
blood.
5. Boosts Memory Power (Vitamin B3)
Do you know what can be found in
peanuts that gave them the “brain
food” tag? This is due to their vitamin
B3 or niacin content whose many
health benefits include normal brain
functioning and boosting memory
power.
6. Helps Lower Cholesterol Levels
(Copper)
The same nutrient which gives peanuts
their memory enhancing power also
helps lower and control cholesterol
levels. Added to that is their copper
contents which aids in reducing
bad cholesterol and increase good
cholesterol levels.
7. Lowers Risk of Heart Disease
Numerous studies have shown that
regular nuts consumption is linked to
reduced risk of heart
disease. Peanuts
are rich in
heart-
friendly
3. I can't believe it.
Je ne peux pas le croire.
4. Where do you work?
Où travaillez-vous?
5. Are you on Facebook?
Êtes-vous sur Facebook?
6. Talk to you later.
On se parle plus tard.
South Africa
has the 2nd
oldest film
industry in
the world.
monounsaturated fats and antioxidants
such as oleic acid. Reach for a handful
of peanuts and other nuts at least four
times a week to reduce your risk of
cardiovascular and coronary heart disease.
8. Protects Against Age-related Cognitive
Decline (Vitamin B2)
Study participants have shown that those
who have an intake of the most niacin-rich
foods like peanuts were 70% less likely
to have developed Alzheimer’s disease. A
quarter cup a day of peanuts can already
supply almost aquarter of the daily needed
value for niacin.
mONDAY | MARCH 02, 2015

10. THEFASHIONISTAS10
Minister Ike announces 2nd album titled
Onyame Gya
Joyce Blessing Wins Award
Teta returns with a new hit
Miss Earth Rwanda 2015
auditions start next month
There is definitely some power
in God’s fire and multiple awards
winnerMinisterIkeisbackagainto
demonstrate it with his new album
titled “Onyame Gya”. Minister Ike
latest's release is distributed by
Shepherd music production.
His first single from the album,
Joyce Blessing has won the DJ
Song of the Year Award at the third
edition of the Ghana DJ Awards
held on February 21 at the Accra
International Conference Centre
(AICC) in Accra.
The Ghana DJ Awards, which
is one of the biggest events in
the entertainment calendar in
Ghana, was organised by Mercury
Republic Events to reward
hardworking radio and mobile DJs
who have contributed immensely
to the growth of the entertainment
industry in Ghana.
The celebrated gospel music
Even if you’ve never been a fan of
Diana Teta’s music, her latest hit
will pull your heart strings. The
Gakondo group member, who was
recently in Sweden, has returned
with a club banger titled, Tanga
agatego. The song was recorded in
Sweden by producer Ben Joe.
“The song has a great message
dedicated to music fans. The song
is based on social issues - money
T
he Miss Rwanda 2015 edition may have concluded, but the world of beauty pageants still has more
to offer. The first edition for the Miss Earth Rwanda 2015, (MER), search will take place early next
month. Saida Bahati, the Managing Director of Chichi Media group, one of the organisers of the
pageant, said contestants will be selected through an audition process that will be carried out in 30
districts of the country. The pageant will feature contestants, aged between 18 and 25 years. They must
be 55kgs, high school graduates, not pregnant and never given birth before.
After the auditions, only 30 girls will be selected to go to the boot camp for eight weeks, where they
will be trained on cultural values, public speaking and the environment. There will be weekly eliminations
where the public will vote by SMS and online, which will leave 15 girls to compete at the finale in July.
The pageant is a franchise of the World Miss Earth and its aim is to raise awareness on the issues of
environmental degradation, global warming as well as climate change.
“We are looking for a girl to be an ambassador for the nature and culture of Rwanda. This is a good
platform for the girls to get exposure and experience,” said Bahati.
Categories
The contestants will compete in the categories of, Miss Earth, Miss Fire, Miss Water and Miss Air.
The winner will receive a brand new car, cash prizes of $US1000 and will participate in all Miss Earth
activities. She will also represent Rwanda at the Miss Earth 2015 in Philippines, in November.
New Times
Advertisement
please email to
ads@indoafricatimes.com
or call at
+91 8595166674
+91 9350564995
To book your
Onyame Gya,is currently
playing and ruling the
online sector, radio and TV
will follow up intensively
soon. With the “Onyame
Gya” album, Minister Ike
has created something
to God's glory and bless
people. Minister Ike
further goes on to say that
Every song has a story
and came from a place of
abiding in Him, a place
of loving the Lord and
worshiping Him.
The 12-track CD is
executively produced by
Minister Ike featuring
Anointed Queens
singers. The album leads
with 'Onyame Gya', an
inspirational track with a
message of fire of God to
attack our enemies in both
spiritual and physical.
The George Forest produced
‘Onyame Gya’ track arrived just in
time for the hardships people are
facing in Ghana and the world.
“Onyame Gya” means the Fire
Of God, the fire of God to burn
enemies who are fighting against
our progress, work, family, family,
finances and marriage issues”, he
said.
This album also promotes an
intimate time with God. The first
released song from the album;
This album is for real people who
are going through real stuff he
encourages people to buy and
listen to “Onyame Gya (God’s
Fire)” because it will encourage
them to pray because this song is
a prayerful which will bring break
through.
Minister Ike has won twelve
awards with his first album titled
“Me Nyame A Ne Wo”. He is also a
regular contributor gospel music
in Ghana, Europe, Canada and USA.
Minister Ike has travelled around
the world for singing in churches
and doing big shows to spread the
testimony of how Jesus Christ has
saved his life.
He has performed with
renowned gospel musicians such
as Kwaku Gyasi, Christiana Love,
Esther Amoako, Diana Asamoah,
OJ and many more.
Minister Ike will embark on
a tour alongside some top gospel
musicians soon to promote the
album.
Modern Ghana
and jobless men,” she said.
Teta said the video will be
shot in Rwanda to give it an
African context. During her trip to
Europe, the singer held a concert
in Belgium that featured several
Rwandan musicians living in
Europe.
The 21-year-old started
recording music in 2009 after
emerging among the top three
in a local singing competition
that was organised by a German
group. She was thereafter given
a recording opportunity and
recorded two songs. The Call Me
singer also auditioned for the
Tusker Project Fame in 2012 but
she was eliminated in the first
round, which inspired her to join
the music industry.
New Times
icon, who took home the award,
beat icons such as Stonebwoy,
Sarkodie, Daddy Lumba, D Black
and Yaa Pono to grab the award.
In 2013, the award-winning
gospel musician grabbed five
awards including the Gospel
Artiste of the Year Award at the
Ghana Gospel Industry Awards
(GGIA).
Joyce Blessing disclosed that
after her seven weeks performance
tour in the UK, 'I have been
receiving constant calls from my
fans and music lovers to remix my
award-winning hit song, 'Monko
Mo Akyi .'
'I thank God for how far He
has brought me, my management,
Media Excel Productions, and all
DJs who played my songs making it
win this category. I thank my fans,
everybody and management team
for encouraging, and supporting
me from the beginning to date,' she
said.
In a chat, her producer and
manager, Ernest Ennin, told
BEATWAVES that Joyce truly
deserves the award because she
has played a very important role in
the development and promotion of
Ghanaian gospel music.
Modern Ghana
MONDAY | MARCH 02, 2015

11. SPORTS2WATCH 11
T
eam Rwanda Cycling was
crowned the best African
team at the 10th edition of
the La Tropicale Amissa Bongo
Tour in Gabon.
The Rwandan riders emerged
number one ahead of African
giants like Eritrea, Morocco, South
Africa, Algeria as well as hosts
Gabon, Burkina Faso, Cameroon
and Ivory Coast.
Team Rwanda finished third
in the general classification
behind two professional teams,
winners Skydive Dubai from the
United Arab Emirates and Team
Europcar from France.
“We are very excited about
being the best African team. From
the organizers to the teams and
fans here in Gabon, everyone is
awed by our performance. This
is a very big achievement for
Rwandan cycling and we are glad
we could rewrite history for our
Team Rwanda win best
African team slot
Rwanda enters two teams for continental events
Ghana winger Albert Adomah rediscovers
scoring touch for Middlesbrough
country,” explained the excited
coach Felix Sempoma.
Sempoma further mentioned
that, “We were competing against
very tough teams and to think
that we finished above four
professional teams from Europe
is a very big achievement for us.”
Team Rwanda also finished
above Bretagne Séché-
Environment (France), Bike
Aid (Germany), Roth-Skoda
(Switzerland) and Wanty-Groupe
Gobert (Belgium).
Meanwhile, 22-year-old
Uwizeyimana emerged as the
best U-23 rider after registering
23:05:17 to finish ahead of
Morocco’s Eddine Salah Mraouni
who got 23:05:55 with Eritrea’s
Elias Afewerki coming in 3rd
position after clocking 23:06:00.
Uwizeyimana also finished
sixth in the general classification.
New Times
For the first time in the history of
Rwandan cycling, two teams will
compete at two concurrent events
on the UCI Africa Tour which are
the prestigious Tour of Algeria and
Tour of Cameroon next month.
Team Karisimbi including
reigning Tour du Rwanda winner
Valens Ndayisenga, national
team captain Janvier Hadi, Jean
Bosco Nsengimana, Bonaventure
Uwizeyimana, Joseph Biziyaremye
and upcoming rider Jeremie
Karegeya will compete at the Tour
of Algeria from March 6-30 in a
bid to earn points for qualification
to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in
Brazil.
The other team will comprise of
youngster Patrick Byukusenge, his
older brother Nathan Byukusenge,
veteran Abraham Ruhumuriza,
Hakuzimana, Emile Bintunimana
and Jean Claude Uwizeye will be
competing in the Tour of Cameroon
Ghana winger Albert Adomah has
rediscovered his scoring form
for English side Middlesbrough
after playing 20 matches without
scoring for the Championship club.
The 27-year-old scored his first
goal since October to secure a 1-0
Sky Bet Championship victory over
Bolton at the Riverside Stadium.
The winger had gone 20 games
without scoring, but showed no
signs of nerves as he slotted a calm
finish past Amos.
The Ghanaian is played
behind strikers last season which
from March 13-22. Coach Felix
Sempoma, who will be in charge
of the team in Cameroon, revealed
that Rwanda is capable of winning
this event considering the strong
side that will be fielded.
“In Patrick Byukusenge, we
have a very strong and experienced
youngriderwhowecanprotectifhe
gets the yellow jersey. Abraham and
Nathan are very experienced riders
who know what to do at this level
and will bring massive knowledge
to Cameroon,” explained Sempoma.
resulted in goals, says the change
in position might have affected his
scoring form
Adomah told the Evening
Gazette: “I have played in a very
different role this season, but it has
definitely, definitely developed me
as a player.
Middlesbrough kept up the
pressure on Sky Bet Championship
leaders Derby as they ground out
a scratchy 1-0 victory over Bolton.
Albert Adomah's first-half
strike was enough to secure the
Teessiders their first win in three
Team Rwanda Cycling head of
marketing and logistics Kimberly
Coats, who is also the team
manager explained that this is a
very big achievement for the young
riders like Bintunimana, Uwizeye
and Karegeya to gain exposure
and experience that comes with
competing at many continental
tournaments. The last time Team
Rwanda competed at the Tour of
Algeria was in 2012.
This year’s Tour of Algeria
will comprise of stages including
Circuit International d’Alger, Tour
Internationale d’Oraine, Grand Prix
delaVilled’Oran,TourInternational
de Blida, Criterium International
de Setif, Tour International de
Setif, Tour Internationale de
d’Annaba, Tour International de
Constantine, Circuit Internationale
de Constantine and Criterium
International de Blida.
New Times
matches,andensuretheyremained
in an automatic promotion place
despite their slight recent wobble.
Tomlin was the architect again,
threading a delightful ball between
Dervite and David Wheater to
release Adomah through the
middle.
Modern Ghana
mONDAY | MARCH 02, 2015

12. What was the idea behind the African
Construction and totally Concrete
Expos?
This is the only forum in the continent
where diverse groups of leaders and
professionals from both the public
and private sector can find take-home
solutions to address the growing needs,
opportunities and challenges in the
African construction and concrete sectors.
This is also the only concrete focused
forum for the continent. We have over
40 countries represented and are able
to present a truly pan-African picture
and allow groups of people who don’t
normally engage to do so, from concrete
technologist to consulting engineer; from
investor, Minister to financier.
We’ve also managed to secure the
worlds’ best experts to present on the
various topics – people that you will not
see ordinarily at forums such as this
How do you think such events will
help boost Construction sector in
Africa?
The World Population Bureau
estimates that the population of Africa
will rise from 1.1 billion in 2013 to 2.4
billion in 2050. What this means is,
that most of the continent’s economies
will have to double in size in the next
36 years. If that is to happen, Africa’s
infrastructure assets, including all of its
residential, industrial and commercial
buildings and power, transport and
sanitation systems, will have to double
in size.
In other words Africa will have to be
built again in a single generation!
This will require unthinkable
amounts of materials, planning, skills
and manpower to accomplish such a
momentous task. And, for this reason,
infrastructure investment is providing
the platform for the strong economic
growth trends that will pave the way
for businesses, to explore a number
of exciting commercial and business
development opportunities in Africa’s
construction sector. No single country,
community or sector can do this alone
– we need to collaborate and work
together – forums like this will be key
segways for the industry.
In the ever competitive world, what is
the driving force behind Hypenica?
Firstly we believe in partnerships
– our approach has enabled us to build
meaningful and deep relationships with
role-players across the continent and
have a good understanding of the issues
and drivers in our sector.
Secondly Innovation, innovation
and more innovation! This is not only
a concept that we believe in, but is one
of our internal values. For the African
Construction and Totally Concrete Expo’s
we’ve looked at how we can be more
innovative in the topics themselves as
well as how we present the content –
which I must say is incredibly exciting
for 2015. Delegates will be treated to a
phenomenal experience at the show with
the addition of exciting ways in which we
present content like Pecha Kucha’s; Ignite
Sessions; a by invitation only Leadership
Forum; Women in Construction Awards;
Debates; Town Hall meetings. PLUS we
have 100’s of experts presenting!
Do you think the African continent
needs to market itself in a better way
on a global scale?
Absolutely. Our continent has an
amazing level of skill, experience and
talent and we don’t show this off enough!
We should be are proud of that which
makes this continent great and celebrate
our successes more.
Hypenica is thrilled to be including
an entire panel about this very topic
during our keynote on 13 May which will
showcase the amazing technology that
we’ve given birth to locally and exported
and look at how some of this innovation
can be transferred and utilized in the
construction sector! Toby Shabshank
editor of Stuff magazine and TedX
speaker will be moderating this panel!
Hypenica aims at ‘Sharing knowledge,
Connecting People, Identifying
Opportunities’. How true do you think
these lines hold true in context to
Africa?
We believe and stand by the proverb,
“If you want to go fast, go alone, if you
want to go far, go together” – this is an
African proverb so holds very true in the
African context.
What message would you like to pass
on to our readers?
We’d love to have your readers join
us in Johannesburg this May – we’d like
to challenge and refresh their thinking
with tangible and meaningful take-homes
to take back to the office!
With growing population, creating new and stable infrastructure is the need of the hour. Construction sector is on the rise
around the world, with a number of ambitious projects and organizations being launched in the continent of Africa as well.
The Indo-Africa Times in an exclusive interview with, Ms Devi Paulsen-Abbott, CEO, Hypenica talks about the need for
promoting construction sector in Africa. She also talks about the African Construction Expo, a flagship event to showcase,
experience and learn about the latest building and construction methods, products, tools and technologies.
The only concrete focused forum for the continent
ENCOUNTER WITH EDITOR12
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
Ms. Devi Paulsen-Abbott
CEO, Hypenica

MONDAY | MARCH 02, 2015