Brazilian Billionaire Andre Esteves BTG Bank To Launch $1B Private Equity Africa Fund
May 4th, 2012Brazilian billionaire André Esteves has launched the biggest private equity fund for Africa, promising to raise at least $1billion for investments in areas such as energy and infrastructure. With the move, the 43-year old billionaire Esteves signals the ambition of his investment banking firm BTG Pactual to fight for control of the emerging markets, which are [...]
Liberia’s Johnson Sirleaf Co-Winner of 2011 Nobel Peace Prize
October 7th, 2011Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the President of Liberia has won the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, it was announced today from Oslo, along with peace activist Leymah Gbowee, also from Liberia, and Tawakkul Karman of Yemen, a pro-democracy campaigner. The Nobel Peace Committee, in its citation, said “We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless [...]
Steve Jobs And Democracy
October 7th, 2011With Steve Jobs’ passing after a long battle with cancer, tributes have poured from across the globe, and countless viewpoints have been offered on what his legacy shall be. A visionary. A designer. A perfectionist. An exacting CEO. An entrepreneur. The man who redefined the Digital Age. The man who understood what politicians didn’t.” Apple [...]
De Beers To Switch Diamond Trading Activities To Botswana From London
September 29th, 2011Bloomberg reports that De Beers, which produces more than a third of the world’s diamonds, has agreed to move its diamond trading to Botswana from London by the end of 2013, under a 10- year agreement. With diamond demand and prices continuing to grow, De Beers has secured long-term, uninterrupted access to the largest supply [...]
Africa (And The World) Have Lost Maathai; Fighter, Champion, Nobel Laureate
September 26th, 2011Nobel Peace Laureate, early advocate for the Earth’s ecology, human rights and women rights champion, Wangari Maathai has died, while undergoing cancer treatment in Kenya. It is with great sadness that the family of Professor Wangari Maathai announces her passing away on 25 September, 2011, at the Nairobi Hospital, after a prolonged and bravely borne [...]
African Union Recognises Libya New Leaders
September 20th, 2011The African Union (AU) has recognised Libya’s interim leaders the National Transitional Council (NTC) as the country’s de facto government. The African Union stands ready to support the Libyan people as they rebuild their country towards a united, democratic, peaceful and prosperous Libya,” said the President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who holds the [...]
BRICS To The Rescue Of The Euro, With Dash Of PR
September 15th, 2011Quite frankly, I thought it was a journalistic prank. The headline was: “‘BRICS’ to debate possible eurozone aid.” And though the newspaper I was staring at was noneother than the Financial Times, I thought it must have been a tongue-in-cheek joke from an official of the bloc of emerging BRICS economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China, [...]
Italian Agricultural To Boost Sierra Leone Rubber Output; To Quadruple in Five Years
September 1st, 2011Bloomberg reports that the Italian Agricultural Co., a producer of rubber in Sierra Leone, plans to quadruple output in five years by planting new trees in a bid to revitalize the country’s rubber industry. The company’s current output of 250 metric tons a month, from both its own plantations and rubber bought from small-scale farmers, will rise [...]
World Most Powerful Women Are All About Reach; Four African Women At The Top
August 25th, 2011The 2011 Edition of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women has just been published. This year’s edition brings together a diverse and broad set of women leaders across diverse industries or “power bases”: billionaires, business, celebrity/lifestyle, media, nonprofits and politics. The list is “all about reach, this year,”says Forbes Deputy Editor Caroline Howard. We scored [...]