New Dates for New York Forum Africa 2015: “Invest in the Energy Continent”

The 4th edition of the New York Forum AFRICA (NYFA), the world’s leading pan-African business summit, will now take place on August 29-31 2015 in Libreville, Gabon under the High Patronage of His Excellency Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of the Gabonese Republic.

The dates have been changed to coincide with the 14th AGOA Forum, the first time this Forum has ever been held in Central Africa. Gabon was chosen as the host nation for the AGOA Forum, which is a US government initiative to expand trade with Sub-Saharan Africa. The NYFA will serve to highlight business and economic opportunities across the whole continent alongside the AGOA discussions about US-Africa trade. The Gabonese government decided to combine the two global events to capitalise on the presence and reach of thousands of economic and business leaders who will be together in Libreville for days of discussion and debate.

President Bongo said: “We were delighted to be chosen as the host nation for the 14th AGOA Forum; running the two events together was the natural conclusion. While the falling oil price comes at a time of increasing investment into infrastructure projects, it is vital we maintain the economic diversification programmes we have put in place to reduce our dependence on oil revenues. Increasing trade with the West and continuing to attract investment through highvisibility gatherings such as the AGOA Forum and the NYFA are essential.”

More than 1,500 business and political leaders are expected to attend this year’s NYFA. The theme of the Forum is Invest in the Energy Continent; it will focus on the new dynamism in the continent, from entrepreneurs and inward investment, as well as the growing energy sector. Key topics include: economic dynamism; energy sector opportunities; entrepreneurship and enterprise; job creation and economic diversification; education and innovation. The New York Forum AFRICA is the only pan-African business summit to be held in Africa in 2015. AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) was signed into law by President Clinton to expand and deepen trade and investment relations between Sub-Saharan Africa and the United States, and to encourage economic growth and development.

Richard Attias, Founder of the New York Forum, said: “Holding the two events together is a terrific opportunity: this will really increase the scope of discussions at the NYFA, giving us access to an unprecedented level of US public sector officials and CEOs, while delivering the quality of content for which the NYFA has become known in its three editions to date.”

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Ethiopia receives support for mobile money

Banks and micro-finance firms, located in Ethiopia, are set to launch mobile money services within the country. According to Netherlands-based Company BelCash, the move is intended to assist individuals – who have little or access to banking services – to gain the ability to access these services.

BelCash is offering a technology called helloCash, while MOSS ICT, mainly owned by an Ireland-based firm, is rolling out M-Birr the nation. In both cases, Ethiopian banks and institutions will offer the service to customers and hold the cash deposited, in line with government policy that bars foreign firms or banks from investing in the financial sector or the telecoms industry.

In a statement made to Reuters, “One of the things that the government wants to do is ensure there is financial inclusion,” said MOSS ICT deputy general manager Kidist Negeye, adding M-Birr would help reach rural areas. “Another aspect is the mobilisation of domestic savings. The government wants to increase the number of deposits.”

According to BelCash chief executive, Vince Diop: “BelCash’s helloCash service could have 2-3 million users this year and 10 million by 2017 or 2018.” In the statement, Diop added that BelCash would receive a fee for each transaction made. Two of Ethiopia’s 16 private banks, Lion International Bank and Cooperative Bank of Oromia, as well as a micro-finance firm, have signed up for helloCash. Two more banks have yet to submit applications to the central bank, Diop revealed.

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Mining Firms Could Help Turn On Lights Cross Africa -World Bank

Mining companies can play a key role in harnessing Africa’s abundant clean sources of energy to overcome the lack of electricity which affects at least one in three Africans, according to World Bank’s report.

The report, entitled ‘Power of the Mine: A Transformative Opportunity for Sub-Saharan Africa’ was released at the Mining Indaba underway in Cape Town, South Africa.

The bank called on the mining industry to work more closely with electricity utilities in the region to meet their growing energy demands.

Rather than supplying their own energy on site, mines can become major and reliable customers for electricity utilities or independent power producers (IPPs) which can then grow and develop better infrastructure to bring low-cost power to communities.

Two-thirds of people in the region live entirely without electricity and those with a power connection, suffer constant disruptions in supply. Without new investment and with current rates of population growth, there will be more Africans without power by 2030 than there are now.

The report finds that mining s demand for power in Sub-Saharan Africa will likely triple between 2000 and 2020 to reach over 23,000 MW. This could be higher than nonmining demand for power in some countries.

Yet, many mining companies are still opting to supply their own electricity with diesel generators rather than buy power from the grid often because of shortcomings in national power systems in the region. According to the report, another 10 gigawatts of electricity will be added to meet mining power demand by 2020 from 2012 levels and a part of this is projected to come from self-supply arrangements costing mining companies up to $3.3 billion.

But new models of power supply for mines are emerging across Sub- Saharan Africa including mines selfsupplying and selling to the grid or serving as anchor consumers for IPPs. The report estimates around $6 billion in potential publicprivate partnership opportunities for new power generation from clean energy sources (including natural gas and hydropower) in Guinea, Mauritania, Tanzania and Mozambique countries with strong expected growth in power demand from the mining sector.

Lack of energy stunts the economic growth that s needed to reduce poverty and boost prosperity for all Africans. Integrating mining demand into national and regional power systems especially in mineral rich and energy-poor countries can bring enormous benefits to countries and communities.

By choosing grid-based and cleaner power sourcing options, which are typically priced lower than self-supplied electricity from diesel or heavy fuel oil, mining companies will be able to meet their electricity needs while also helping to light up the community, said Anita George, Senior Director of the World Bank’s Energy and Extractives Global Practice.

In turn, countries will benefit from improved competitiveness of the mining companies, greater tax revenues from mines and more job opportunities for local people.

The report states that though there are risks associated with power-mining integration for example from falling commodity prices or a shortage of transmission links regulatory and financial solutions can help mitigate these risks. A key element is for countries across Sub-Saharan Africa to continue with their power sector reforms and create an attractive operating environment for IPPs, including renewable energy developers.

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Three Ghanaian Coaches seek for honors in Sudan Football

Three top Ghanaian coaches have joined the exodus band wagon and landed in Sudan where they say the game is moving on very well.

Coaches Moses Cofie of Oly, Hearts and Liberty fame, Abdul Razak the Golden Boy of Asante Koko fame and former Black Stars handler Kwesi Appiah have all been contracted by Sudanese sides and they claim the atmosphere and football temperature there is good as players are willing to learn and show a lot of respect to their officials. Moses Cofie who coaches El Nisoor said the players in Sudan are much disciplined and tactically good, so if they are taught some skill and technics as well build on their stamina and concentration, they could be world beaters in the near future. He expressed that the AFCON 2015 has proved that there are no longer small nations when it comes to football, because it is eleven versus eleven on the field, and now many small nations have their players plying their trade of professional football in Europe with small and big clubs, in Cyprus, A r m e n i a , Luxemburg, S p a i n , Po r t u g a l , Greece, Italy, Germany and other places. He named the Gabonese star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Dortmund, Congolese in France and the Equatorial Guineans in Spain and Portugal.

“African Football is developing and we must accept that everybody can play football. Some are born with it, other learn and become better” he said.

According to Moses Cofie African Football would be better if coaches move about from one country to the other sharing ideas and planning on how to make the African game better. He called on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to involve old stars who are now administrators or coaches in their programmes, because they know the game and knows how it must be done.

Kwesi Appiah is manager of Sudanese club SC Khartoum. He has sealed a two-year deal with the military-owned team andwill be assisted by former Medeama SC coach and old buddy, Prince Owusu. The 54-year-old Ghanaian will be leading the Sudanese side in the Confederation Cup next year after placing fourth in the domestic top-flight this year. Golden Boy Abdul Razak coaches M e r r i e k h Kasala and is also looking forward for a good season.

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Ghana and Everton dribbling wizard Christian Atsu silences his critics with excellent showing

Christian Atsu's match-winning performance for Ghana over Guinea in their African Nations Cup quarter-final on Sunday will likely only add fuel to the fire for his detractors.

The speedy winger was superb as he bagged a brace, including a contender for goal of the tournament, to show just how devastating a player he can be.

But it has also left commentators wondering why he is only producing this type of performance now after a lacklustre last 12 months for club and country.

Like the Black Stars, the diminutive forward has got better as the Nations Cup rolls on, but must now keep performing at this high level or face the same accusations again that he can only turn it on in patches and for the rest provides mediocrity.

It is what separates the good players from the greats, the ability to perform at your best every week. Atsu is on loan at English Premiership Everton from tabletopping Chelsea this season, but has made just four appearances for the Merseyside club.

He did have an injury that stunted his progress, but has also sat out games after failing to impress.

Everton coach Roberto Martinez has been watching him closely at the Nations Cup finals though and is starting to see the player he knows Atsu can be, suggesting that when he returns from Equatorial Guinea he will have a much bigger role to play for the club in the second half of the season.

“It has always been the plan that Christian Atsu will be an important player for us in the second-half of the season and so it was great to see him doing so well,” Martinez told reporters.

“He is a player who will come back strong and ready to have a big role.”

Atsu was named man of the match in the 2-1 win over South Africa in Ghana's final Group C game, but failed to pick up the award in the semifinals.

He has emerged as a key weapon in the armoury of Coach Avram Grant as the Black Stars seek a first continental title since 1982. The 23-year-old Atuso was born in the Ghanaian coastal town of Ada Foah and was signed to the Feyenoord youth academy just outside Accra.

He moved to FC Porto in 2009, before making his senior debut in 2011.

After two years in Portugal, which included a loan spell with Rio Ave, Atsu enormous promise was spotted by Chelsea and he arrived in 2013, spending the next season on loan at Vitesse in Holland, before being sent to Everton in the 2014/15 campaign to further his football education.

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Meet Asantewaa of the Breeze group on Vodafone Icons’ Divas Edition

Participating in Vodafone Icons’ Divas Edition with the 3-member group, Breeze, Asantewaa believes a good album should have a touch of most genres.

According to her, “the kind of music people listen depends on their mood and basically, that is I have always seeked to satisfy their soul with my music.”

Although she is more of the Soul music genre; Asantewaa does not sideline other music genres, but rather displays her versatility especially on Afro-pop/Dancehall rhythms.

With the strong passion for music, she released 2-singles titled ‘Konko’ and ‘Chinin Chiga’ produced by Sammie Blacc and J-Bux respectively last year.

The song ‘Konko’ focuses on a heart break experience and has being on the digital radio stations since its release. As at January 3, 2015, ‘Konko’ was number 8 on the Top 50 R&B Digital Radio Tracker Chart and number 15 on Independent Chart.

‘Chinin Chiga’ video has also earned massive air play on TV stations like 4Syte, UTV, GHOne, Adom TV and Cine Afrik.

She has performed on couple of shows in Ghana and beyond including the Urban 233 Tour; Glitz Africa Fashion Week (August 2012), Miss Earth (2012) and several others.

Born Anita Siaw Bamfo, she won the hearts of the judges during the Divas Edition of Vodafone Icons, and was called out of her group which was evicted to perform with Stephanie Benson at the Finals.

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West African Fashion Award 2015

Really, all eyes are on the West Africa Fashion awards to be hosted in Lagos at the Oriental Hotel on the 29th of March, 2015. The "West Africa Fashion award" is a ceremony to be held annually in the West Africa to showcase West African designers and present awards to those who have made the most outstanding contributions to the fashion industry during the year. The main awards include that of Menswear Designer, womenswear Designer, Fashion Event of the year, Style award and Outstanding Contribution as well as awards to the 'most-fashionable' celebrities in various fields. The ceremony is organized by the Fashion Instinct and runs as part of West Africa Style Week each March. The event produced by Fame Mansions will see 18 categories awarded.

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