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Journal of African Business Issue 5

  • Text
  • Infrastructure
  • Sectors
  • Energy
  • Continental
  • Technology
  • Finance
  • Trade
  • Invest
  • Business
  • Africa
  • Countries
  • Tourism
  • Continent
  • Solutions
  • Global
  • Projects
  • Mining
  • African
Welcome to The Journal of African Business - a unique guide to business and investment in Africa. Every edition carries editorial copy covering the following general topics, with a wide range of subjects within each broader economic sector: energy; mining and exploration; trade; finance; technology and tourism. In addition to this, special features on topical matters will be published periodically, along with country profiles. In this edition, the in-depth interview with Aggreko Head of Sales, Southern East Africa, Max Schiff, makes clear how important captive power is for the future viability of a wide variety of projects in Africa. As Schiff points out, the extractives industry has long been a leader in the application of captive power, given the remote location of many mining operations, but the flexibility and ESG advantages that captive power using renewables offers is making it an ever-more attractive option for many different sectors.

“BEST PLACES IN

“BEST PLACES IN AFRICA” WILL SHINE A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN BRANDSA BRANDS The Intra-Africa Trade Fair 2021 was the backdrop for an announcement of a new initiative to promote African brands in tourism, investment and citizen mobilisation. Brand Africa is the body behind the idea, which aims to see participating African brands grow and flourish. Despite being rich in valued mineral resources, enviable indigenous fauna and flora, Africa attracts roughly only 5% of the world’s inbound tourism and FDI. Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, home to famous mountain gorillas, could be a contender for “Best Places in Africa”. Credit: Visit Rwanda Brand Africa has launched “Brand Africa | Africa’s Best Places”, a pan-African initiative to recognise and rank the best places on the continent for tourism, investment and citizen mobilisation. The goal of the initiative is to inspire pride, raise standards and grow the competitiveness of African places – countries, cities and destinations. The inaugural awards and rankings of the “Brand Africa | Africa’s Best Places” will be celebrated and published in 2022. The “Brand Africa | Africa’s Best Places” initiative builds on the inaugural Brand Africa Forum in 2010, which convened African and global place-branding decision-makers and thought leaders to reflect on how African nations individually and the continent collectively can develop a supranational competitive advantage. Every year since then, Brand Africa has announced the “Brand Africa 100 | Africa’s Best Brands”, the widely referenced pan- African survey and ranking of brands in Africa, which over the past 10 years has established that only 20% of the most admired brands in Africa are African. The new initiative was announced by Brand Africa chairman, Thebe Ikalafeng, on the sidelines of the Intra-Africa Trade Fair 2021 26 Thebe Ikalafeng, Brand Africa chairman Credit: World Tourism Organization (IATF 2021) which took place in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in November 2021. “Despite being rich in valued mineral resources, enviable indigenous fauna and flaura, a youthful population and being the second-most populous continent accounting for 17.5% of world population, Africa attracts roughly only 5% of the world’s inbound tourism and FDI,” says Ikalafeng. “Recognising Africa’s Best Places will inspire pride in African places, enhance their reputations and competitiveness, grow tourism and investment and ultimately contribute to the greater development and image of the continent,” he concludes. The “Brand Africa | Africa’s Best Places” initiative is structured into two primary categories: (1) adjudicated awards and (2) rankings. In the adjudicated awards category, African private and public institutions, agencies and practitioners can submit entries for initiatives and campaigns for tourism, trade and investment, economic development and citizen mobilisation implemented internally in Africa or externally for Africa. In the rankings category, an independent pan-African survey among citizens, visitors and investors will be undertaken to determine the best places for tourism, investment and to live. Reflecting on the pandemic and the context of the IAFT 2021 whose theme is focused on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which aims to accelerate intra-Africa investment and trade from 18% to 50% in 2030 through a single market for goods and services across 55 countries, Ikalafeng, who has been to every country in Africa, believes that the highlighting of Africa’s Best Places and the championing of “Made in Africa Brands,” will

TOURISM Brand Africa has announced the “Brand Africa 100 | Africa’s Best Brands”, the widely referenced pan-African survey and ranking of brands in Africa, which over the past 10 years has established that only 20% of the most admired brands in Africa are African. inspire and mobilise African entrepreneurs, grow tourism, trade and investment and accelerate industrialisation. This will ultimately contribute to Africa’s growth, competitiveness and distinctiveness in a post-pandemic world where nations are increasingly having to look internally for sustainability. The inaugural advisory council for the initiative includes experts such as as Dr Dr Keith Dinnie, a global a global authority authority on city, on city, region region and country-brand management and author and author of a textbook of a textbook on nation nation branding; branding; Kwame Senou, Kwame Vice-President Senou, at President Opinion at and Opinion Public and in Public Benin in and Benin Ivory and Coast Ivory and Coast Vice- and Vice-Chairman for Brand for Africa Brand Francophone Africa Francophone Africa and Africa Central and Africa; Central Africa; New York-based New York-based Eloine Eloine Barry, Barry, the the CEO CEO of of Africa Media Agency; Kwakye Donkor, the CEO of of Africa Tourism Partners and Masego Maponyane, broadcaster, actor, traveller, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Best places categories The “Brand Africa | Africa’s Best Places” will be awarded for effective strategy, implementation and return on investment for nation, city or destination branding initiatives across six categories: • Trade, Investment and Economic Development • Tourism • Private Public Partnerships •Citizen Engagement • Conservation and Sustainability • Cross Border Collaborations The awards are are open to to global and and African private and and public public About Brand Africa institutions, agencies and and practitioners. The The adjudication will will Established in 2010, Brand Africa is be be done by by a a diverse and and representative global African panel panel of of an inter-generational movement to eminent of of place-branding experts, thought leaders, academia, inspire a brand-led African renaissance policy and decision makers and practitioners. For For Information on on other other Brand Brand Africa Africa initiatives and the and “Brand the “Brand Africa | | Africa’s Best Best Places” Places” visit visit www.brand.africa/places to drive Africa’s competitiveness, connect Africa and create a positive image of the continent. The Royal Palaces of Abomey, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, bear witness to the historical Kingdom of Dahomey in modern- day Benin. Credit: UNESCO 27 17

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