General

Three Steps To Unleashing Africa's Genius
While Africa has an active microfinance space and emerging mid-size private equity sector, there is a gaping "missing middle" in Africa's capital markets that includes seed stage angel investment and early stage venture capital. The existence of a major gap in the financial markets of the world's second most populous continent is a serious problem: seed and early stage investment are major drivers of any robust entrepreneurial economy, and entrepreneurship is the most important force for sustainable job creation in the world. Read more

Juba abandons plan for rail link to Kenya
South Sudan will commence building a modern railway line linking it with east Africa next month after a Kenyan initiative hit a brick-wall. This railway line is expected to facilitate the movement of goods and people to and from Juba to any part of the wider East African region including Mombasa, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti. This new railroad — to be known as the East African Rail (EAR) — will connect Juba in South Sudan to Gulu and Tororo, from where it will join the existing Kenya-Uganda railway. This is considered the largest project being undertaken by New Sudan Foundation on behalf of the Government of South Sudan (GOSS). Read more

CHINA in AFRICA
Ghana’s Ambassador to China ready for Ghanaian entrepreneurs
Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry has concluded arrangements with the Ghana Embassy in Beijing – China and the leadership of the China-Africa Business Council for the hosting of Ghanaian companies and entrepreneurs who will participate in the Ghana – China Business Partnership programme which seeks to organize various investment partnership building missions to various industrial provinces in China. Read more

China firm to invest $600 mln in Zambia copper mines
China Nonferrous Metal Mining (CNMC) plans to invest $600 million (R4.4 billion) in Zambia between 2010 and 2011, encouraged by the country's abundant mineral resources and political stability, company president Luo Tao said .Read more

Jabana residents to petition government over compensation
A few weeks after some residents of Jabana in Gasabo District whose properties were destroyed by stone mining activities disagreed with the outcome of the evaluation process, the affected residents are now threatening to petition the local government ministry to have their complaints heard. Read more

Experts say cultural and academic exchanges between China and Africa are conducive to the development of cooperation
Joao Manuel Bernardo, Angola's ambassador to China and acting dean of the African diplomatic corps, said Africa and China were on the right track for better understanding between their peoples and the sharing of development experience with the launch of the China-Africa joint research and exchange program. Read more

African Minerals and China Railway sign iron-ore accor
China Railway will spend 167.8 million pounds ($256 million) to buy 33.6 million new shares of African Minerals for 500 pence each, the explorer said today in a statement. That will provide most of the funds for the first phase of production at the Tonkolili project, Guernsey, Channel Islands-based African Minerals said. Read more

South Africa and China sign trade deals worth R2,3bn
South Africa and China signed trading agreements to the value of $311-million (R2,3-billion) on Wednesday, reaffirming China's position as South Africa's number-one trading partner. The two countries signed a similar agreement in 2007 to the value of $143-million. Speaking at the signing ceremony in Pretoria, South Africa's Trade and Industry Minister Dr. Rob Davies pointed out that the value of the contracts more than doubled in a three-year period, showing the countries' commitment to mutually beneficial trading ties. Read more

China-Africa development fund opens office in Addis Ababa
The China-Africa Development Fund (CADFund) opened its second representative office in Ethiopia, reports ENA. The first office opened was in Johannesburg, South Africa. The opening ceremony was held at Sheraton Hotel in Addis Ababa in the presence of Ethiopian senior government officials, officers of foreign embassies, representatives of different organizations and institutions, according to the report. Read more

China and South Africa agree to boost ties
Jia Qinglin (L), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), meets with South African President Jacob Zuma in Pretoria, South Africa, on March 30, 2010. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen). China and South Africa have agreed to boost bilateral relations and cement their cooperation against climate change. Read more

Tanzania now battles China`s monopoly on rare earth metals
China has over 95 percent market share in the global production of rare earth metals, but many alternatives are now being examined, such as the Wigu Hill deposit in Tanzania owned by Montero Mining. Read more

Two Chinese companies sign contract to build dams complex in eastern Sudan
Sudan's Dams Implementation Unit (DIU) on Tuesday signed a contract with the China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC) and the China Water and Electric Corporation ( CWE) to implement the Upper Atbara Dams Complex Project in eastern Sudan. Read more

Chinese companies take part in modernisation of water supply system in Mozambique
The Mozambican minister for Public Works and Housing, Cademiel Muthemba, Monday in Malhampswene, Matola municipality, officially laid the first stone of the expansion and modernisation of the water supply system to the cities of Maputo and Matola and the district of Boane, in Maputo province. Read more

China looks into buying modular vehicle platform from South African group
The Chinese government has shown interest in buying 10 000 units of a South African-designed vehicle platform, as well as the rights to produce the platform in the Asian country, from local company the Virleo group, says owner Craig Savides. " src="http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/china-looks-into-buying-modular...">Read more

Ugandan president commissions Chinese constructed military barracks
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has commissioned a military barracks constructed by a Chinese company Medallion Engineering Ltd, an affiliate of China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO). Read more

President Girma holds talks with Chinese delegation
President Girma Woldegiorgis here on Monday held talks with a Chinese delegation led by Yan Junqi , vice chairwoman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC). Read more

China vows to enhance bilateral ties with Zimbabwe
China has vowed to push vigorously its traditional friendship with Zimbabwe to a new height on the occasion of 30 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe Xin Shunkang made the remarks in a speech published in the Herald newspaper on Monday to mark three decades of China-Zimbabwe diplomatic relations. Read more

Egyptian minister lauds China's role in African development
Egyptian Minister of Investment Mahmoud Mohieddin on Monday lauded China's role in investment and development in Africa. In an interview with Xinhua on the sidelines of the 3rd Common Market of East and South Africa (COMESA) Investment Forum held here, Mohieddin said China's participation in the COMESA forum as well as its presence in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation ( FOCAC), reflected its efforts in the diversification of its investment in the continent. Read more

Egyptians angry at banning made-in-China phones
In Abdel Aziz Street in downtown Cairo, the most famous market for electronic devices, Mohamed el-Khteib, a mobile phone shop owner, was waving to passersby, trying hard to persuade them to buy his made-in-China mobile phones. Read more

Chinese government hands over refurbished stadium to Zimbabwe
The Chinese government handed over the refurbished Zimbabwe national sports stadium to the Zimbabwean government on Saturday. The stadium was built with the assistance of the Chinese government in 1987, but had been closed for renovations for the past three years. Read more

Chinese, South African presidents discuss bilateral ties
Chinese President Hu Jintao met here Thursday with South African President Jacob Zuma to exchange views on further development of relations between their two countries. Read More

INDIA in AFRICA

Piece of Opinion: India ripe for global assignments
After spending last week in New Delhi discussing policy issues with Indian officials, journalists and scholars, I was impressed with India’s rapid development and its potential to help African states, but wondered why it refuses to accept a global role. Read more

Africa and India will boost cooperation in agricultural technologies for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa
The Hyderabad-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the European Market Research Centre (EMRC) this month, to facilitate ICRISAT's participation in two key annual Africa business forums organised by the EMRC — the Africa agri-business forum and the Africa finance and investment forum. Read more

State-run shipping corporation of India plans to buy three new container ships by 2010
"We are evaluating various options to start an India-Africa liner route. We also have plans to acquire three new container ships by this year-end," the official said, adding the corporation has earmarked $200-225 million to fund these three vessel-purchases and plans to float a tender for the same in the next few days. Read more

Bharti's success may open floodgates for M&A in Africa
“The Bharti-Zain deal will open the floodgates to many such deals by Indian companies in the continent,” says Manu Chandaria, chairman of the Kenya-based Comcraft group. Mr Chandaria’s business, which started as a retail trade in provisions, is today a diversified behemoth spanning aluminium, computer hardware, software, plastics and steel businesses. Read more

India aims to boost African market ties
Two-way trade between Africa and India was worth about $30bn in 2008 to 2009, or about 8 percent of India's total trade. This is expected to rise to $70bn by 2015 as the Department of Commerce's Focus Africa campaign kicks in. Nigeria, South Africa and Angola dominated Africa's exports to India while its imports were far more evenly spread with South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Mauritius and Tanzania being the main destinations. Read more

India seeks South Africa's help for importing cheetahs
More than 60 years after they were wiped out from the country, India is now seeking help from South Africa for importing cheetahs to re-introduce them in jungles back home, environment minister Jairam Ramesh said on Wednesday. Read more

Jet launches Mumbai-Johannesburg daily non-stop flights
argeting the African market, India's largest private carrier Jet Airways Wednesday began its daily non-stop flights from Mumbai to Johannesburg - its 23rd international destination. Read more

In Other News....

Liberia and Brazil have taken major steps to jumpstart longstanding relations between the two countries
Following bilateral discussions Wednesday in Brasilia, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the President of Brazil, Luis Lula da Silva, the two countries agreed to promote cooperation in the areas of energy and mining as well as education. According to an Executive Mansion dispatch, the agreement calls for the training of teachers and academicians in graduate and undergraduate programs in Brazil and an alignment of teaching programs between higher institutions of learning in Liberia and Brazil. Both countries also agreed to recognize the credentials issued by their respective institutions of higher learning. Read more

Eskom's World Bank to bring problems to South Africa
The World Bank will bestow economic and environmental problems on South Africa through the granting of a $3.75 billion (R27.3 billion) loan to electricity parastatal Eskom, social movement Jubilee South Africa said on Tuesday. "The large size of the loan, as well as the signal that the granting of the loan sends to other lenders to make further loans, will have serious economic repercussions," Jubilee said in a statement. Read more

Gazprom interested in gas projects in Northern Africa
Tass cited Mr Alexander Medvedev Gazprom’s deputy chairman and head of Gazprom Export as saying that Russia gas utility Gazprom is interested in gas production, processing, piping and sales projects in Northern Africa, a geographical region located in close proximity to the European market. Read more

Iran-Africa ties no threat to others
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has stressed that the Islamic Republic's relations with African countries are not in opposition to any other country. The Iranian foreign minister noted that Tehran's relations with other states "are based on mutual respect and interests.” Read More

Stakes are high in African investment race
The rush to exploit Africa’s natural resources has kicked back into high gear in recent decades, with massive new investment from developing countries - especially China and others like South Korea - desperate to feed their burgeoning industries. But China and Korea are not the only Asian countries interested in the African market. “Japanese investors have been making substantial investments in Africa and have been adopting strategies in targeting the growing consumer market in Africa,” said Takao Seki, director of the Japan External Trade Organization. Read More

IBSA/BRIC News

India, China agree to strengthen bilateral relations
During the sidelines of the IBSA and BRIC Summits in Brazil, the Indian and Chinese Presidents held a bilateral meeting to which both the leaders agreed to the need of further strengthening their relations, particularly in trade and investment sectors. Read more

Dr. Rathin Roy addresses Prime Minister Singh, President Lula and President Zuma Recommendations from the Academic Forum of the 4th India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue Process are presented to the Heads of State and Government of the three countries in Brasilia. Read More

IBSA Academic Forum
Read more here

South-South Cooperation or Trilateral Diplomacy?
The two important events for the ‘Global South’ – the India-Brazil-SouthAfrica (IBSA) and the Brazil-Russia-India-China (BRIC) summits – will have great resonance for the future shape of South-South cooperation, says Rathin Roy, director of the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG), based in Brasilia. Read More

IBSA has entered period of consolidation, must focus on new intiatives: PM
Stating that the India, Brazil, South Africa (IBSA) grouping has entered a phase of consolidation, visiting Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said that leaders and governments of these three countries should focus implementing various initiatives taken up under its framework in his address to the Summit. Read More

PM's visit underlines rising Indian interest in Ibsa, Bric
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, always a reluctant participant in groupings which have an affinity to alphabet soup, is in Brasilia after concluding a four-day trip to Washington DC. However, all the signs are that this time, India is a much more enthusiastic player in South-South cooperation, whose beginnings are often credited to Jawaharlal Nehru. Read More

Brazil, India, S.Africa agree more diplomacy needed on Iran
Brazil, India and South Africa agreed in a trilateral summit Thursday that more diplomacy was required in the international standoff with Iran over its controversial nuclear program. Read More

BRIC summit wraps up early
Brazil, Russia, India and China wrapped up their second-ever BRIC summit with boasts their bloc was becoming a formidable force for global change. A joint statement emphasized the group's intent to see a "multipolar, equitable and democratic world order" result from a shake-up of international financial institutions and the United Nations to better reflect the aspirations of their emerging economies. Read More

IBSA: Brasilia Declaration
The Leaders highlighted that the three countries' commitment to democratic values, inclusive social development and multilateralism constitutes the basis for their growing cooperation and close coordination on global issues. They noted that a first round of IBSA Summits of Heads of State/Government (Brasilia, 2006; Tshwane, 2007; New Delhi, 2008) has strengthened the three countries resolve to continue to work for enhancing the role of developing countries, increasing the interchanges amongst themselves with the participation of their peoples, and for implementing concrete projects in partnership with other developing countries. Read More

New Directions or Just New Directors?
The business and political leadership of the world's strongest emerging economies meet this week in Brazil. Are these gatherings of the champions of a new and fairer global economy, or of new pretenders to the old throne? “A part of the idea behind IBSA is to push for reform, but the reform is not about empowering smaller countries," says Shawn Hattingh, a researcher at the International Labour Research Information Group in Cape Town. "It's about IBSA members getting greater voting rights (within the IMF and World Bank). It's basically a power play within the existing system." 
In Hattingh's view, neither IBSA nor BRIC represent anything new for the majority of people living in the South. Read More

Reports/Commentaries/Opinions

The Oil Factor in Sino–Angolan Relations at the Start of the 21st Century
by Ana Cristina Alves
SAIIA Occasional Paper, No 55, February 2010
Read more

Aid to Africa: What can the EU and China Learn from Each Other?
by Jin Ling
SAIIA Occasional Paper, No 56, March 2010
Read more

From Isolation to Integration? A Study of Chinese Retailers in Dakar
by Romain Dittgen
SAIIA Occasional Paper, No 57, March 2010
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Emerging Commercial Rivalries in Africa: A View from South Africa
by Dianna Games
SAIIA Policy Briefing, No 15, February 2010
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* Compiled by Anna Lena Wachter, intern based with the Emerging Powers in Africa programme.