Human Rights Watch (HRW) is accusing Chinese-run copper mining companies in this Southern African country of routinely flouting labor laws and regulations designed to protect workers’ safety and the right to organise. The accusation plays into the hands of newly elected president, Michael Sata, a longtime critic of Chinese investment and labor practices in the [...]
Hopes are running high for Liberia’s second presidential elections since the end of its brutal civil war. The first round of polling appears to be credible. And with former warlord and current senator Prince Johnson’s endorsement, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first female head of state, is likely to win the run-off in November in [...]
The world has seen impressive growth in areas like Internet use, particularly in developing countries, the UN Agency International Telecommunication Union (ITU) says. The 2011 ITU Summit, held in Geneva, from the 24 to 27 October 2011, brought together notable industry leaders and representatives from both public and private sectors at its annual meeting, and [...]
Rapid Growth Markets (RGMs) are expected to surpass advanced economies for growth by almost four fold this year, according to professional service firm Ernst & Young’s new quarterly Rapid Growth Markets Forecast (RGMF), released today. RGM’s are expected to grow jointly by 6.2% this year compared with 1.6% for the Eurozone. This new quarterly economic [...]
Presidential elections are due in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on 28 November, but fears are mounting that polls will not take place as planned. Last month the central African country witnessed bloody political protests and arson attacks in capital city Kinshasa, signifying a risk that the elections could propel the country into a [...]
The theft of public funds from developing African nations is an immense problem, but given the concealed nature of such practices is often very difficult to qualify. It is a problem which encompasses a number of financial arenas, including the acceptance of bribes, exploitation of tax payer’s funds, tax leakage, inflation of the value of [...]
A new joint report by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank was released today, measuring business regulations in 183 worldwide economies. Doing Business in a More Transparent World 2012 is a sage look at economic global developments, and revealed that a number of countries across the African continent are emerging business environments. [...]
A new report by Health Alert Communications, a source of clinical, scientific, and regulatory text, has recalculated AIDS associated death estimates in South Africa – suggesting a significant inconsistency with presupposed numbers. The country’s AIDS prevalence is widely considered to be of epidemic proportions. WHO/UNAIDS statistics suggest hundreds of thousands of deaths each year in [...]
The New Forests Company have been evicting citizens in order to accommodate forestry plantations in Uganda. They are now left with no option but to respond to the concerns of those affected. A report published by Oxfam highlighted that more than twenty two thousand people have been evicted, some facing a violent upheaval and others [...]
In their latest campaign for East Africa, the children’s charity, Plan UK, have called for 494 sponsors to come forward to help the children and families affected by the worst drought the region has seen for 60 years. The campaign has received the endorsement of medical practioner and television agony aunt Dr Miriam Stoppard, comedian [...]
