A British national has been detained in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, the UK Foreign Office has confirmed

A British national has been detained in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, the UK Foreign Office has confirmed.

A spokeswoman said the FCO was "making contact to offer standard consular assistance".

It comes after reports in the Daily Mail that a man was stopped at Jomo Kenyatta Airport on Monday.

The paper said the man, who was stopped by passport officials, had bruising to his face.

#Kenya: Business Activities Dip After Westgate Attack

AFRICAN MAIL -Business activities have been paralysed in Nairobi’s Westland area following the recent attack at Westgate Mall over the weekend. According to local reports, many businesses –especially those close to the affected mall- remain closed while those that opened on Monday have reported traffic, forcing business owners to close shop early. This downturn in business activities could cost Kenya millions of Shillings in revenue. Business District Association Chairman, Daniel Gachuru said although Westland (which has since been declared a security zone) is the most affected area experiencing productivity drop; the whole Nairobi will be affected. “People might be back to work in other part of the city but productivity will be low as there are uncertainties hanging around,” Gachuru added. Meanwhile, shopping malls that opened on Monday have tightened security, as village markets closed down on Saturday for security reasons. Security concerns have been brought to the forefront as Westgate Mall – which is known for its attraction of shoppers, expatriates as well as middle and high income earners – was on Saturday subjected to attack by Somali militant group –Al-Shabaab. In the recent Global Competitiveness Index report, Kenya was ranked 131 out of the 148 countries examined in terms of guaranteed security business-wise. The attack may have a rippling effect on businesses in the country for a while. Already, the number of earning derived from tourism (one of Kenya’s main economic sector) has dipped to Sh96bn ($1.1 billion) in the 2012/2013 financial year compared to Sh103.9bn ($1.2 billion) recorded the previous financial year. Analysts warned that tourists may be discouraged from visiting Kenya in the coming months as a result of the attack. Kenya will therefore need to spend more on security to put investors at ease in order to promote economic development

Egypt Spends $40m On International Tourism Campaigns

AFRICAN MAIL – Marred by a protracting political crisis, Egypt has set aside $40 million yearly to internationally market its resilient tourism industry which contributes about 6 percent of its GDP.

Since January 2012, the Ministry of Tourism has spent $10 million to drive publicity for the industry though the recent tensions and socio-political volatility aggravated by Morsi’s ouster have forced the Ministry to stop the release of fresh campaigns till the end of the year.

According to Daily News Egypt, newly elected tourism minister Hisham Zaazou had disclosed that the Ministry plans to attract 13.8 million tourists by the end of 2013, but lamented that meeting the target has become increasingly difficult since the overthrow of former President Mohamed Morsi in July.

In the month, Egypt witnessed a 24.5 percent year-on-year decline in tourism, with primary indicators increasing to 75 percent in August, according to report.

To rebound, Zaazou pledged in a strategic meeting with officials of UK-based holiday charter airline Thomas Cook, and Discover Egypt, that the Ministry would assist foreign organizations with their Egypt tourism marketing campaigns.

“We are studying the directives of Zaazou to support international companies with their marketing campaigns for Egyptian tourism, in addition to asking the Minister of Civil Aviation to decrease take off and landing fees at airports used for tourism,” said an official of General Authority to Stimulate Tourism.

The annual $40 million international marketing budget is funded by the private sector-created Tourism Fund.

Source : Ventures Africa

Nigerian wins World Muslim beauty pageant

JAKARTA (AFP) – A Nigerian woman tearfully prayed and recited Koranic verses as she won a beauty pageant exclusively for Muslim women in the Indonesian capital Wednesday, a riposte to the Miss World contest that has sparked hardline anger.

The 20 finalists, who were all required to wear headscarves, put on a glittering show for the final of Muslimah World, strolling up and down a catwalk in elaborately embroidered dresses and stilettos.

INDONESIA, JAKARTA : The newly crowned the Muslimah World 2013 Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola (C) of Nigeria speaks to audience during the Muslimah World competition in Jakarta on September 18, 2013. The finale of a beauty pageant exclusively for Muslim women was set to take place in the Indonesian capital on September 18, in a riposte to the Miss World contest in Bali that has drawn fierce opposition from Islamic radicals. AFP PHOTO But the contestants from six countries were covered from head to foot, and as well as beauty they were judged on how well they recited Koranic verses and their views on Islam in the modern world. After a show in front of an audience of mainly religious scholars and devout Muslims, a panel of judges picked Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola from Nigeria as the winner. While the event in a Jakarta shopping mall paled in comparison to Miss World on the resort island of Bali, in which scores of contestants are competing, Ajibola was nevertheless overwhelmed. Upon hearing her name, the 21-year-old knelt down and prayed, then wept as she recited a Koranic verse. She said it was “thanks to almighty Allah” that she had won the contest. She received 25 million rupiah ($2,200) and trips to Mecca and India as prizes. Ajibola told AFP before the final that the event “was not really about competition”. “We’re just trying to show the world that Islam is beautiful,” she said. Organisers said the pageant challenged the idea of beauty put forward by the British-run Miss World pageant, and also showed that opposition to the event could be expressed non-violently. Eka Shanti, who founded the pageant three years ago after losing her job as a TV news anchor for refusing to remove her headscarf, bills the contest as “Islam’s answer to Miss World”. “This year we deliberately held our event just before the Miss World final to show that there are alternative role models for Muslim women,” she told AFP. “But it’s about more than Miss World. Muslim women are increasingly working in the entertainment industry in a sexually explicit way, and they become role models, which is a concern.” Hosted by Dewi Sandra, an Indonesian actress and pop star who recently hung up her racy dresses for a headscarf, the pageant featured both Muslim and pop music performances, including one about modesty, a trait the judges sought in the winner. The pageant, which also featured bright Indonesian Islamic designer wear, is a starkly different way of protesting Miss World than the approach taken by Islamic radicals. Snowballing protest movement Thousands have taken to the streets in Indonesia in recent weeks to protest Miss World, denouncing the contest as “pornography” and burning effigies of the organisers. Despite a pledge by Miss World organisers to drop the famous bikini round, radical anger was not appeased and the protest movement snowballed. The government eventually bowed to pressure and ordered the whole pageant be moved to the Hindu-majority island of Bali, where it opened on September 8. Later rounds and the September 28 final were to be held in and around Jakarta, where there is considerable hardline influence. But there are still fears that extremists may target the event — the US, British and Australian embassies in Jakarta have warned their nationals in recent days of the potential for radical attacks. More than 500 contestants competed in online rounds to get to the Muslimah World final in Indonesia, one of which involved the contenders comparing stories of how they came to wear the headscarf. The contest was first held in 2011 under a different name and was only open to Indonesians, Shanti said, but after the media began comparing it to Miss World, it was rebranded as a Muslim alternative to the world-famous pageant. Because of its popularity, organisers accepted foreign contestants this year for the first time, with Iran, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Nigeria and Indonesia represented.

Steve Jobs Broke Every Leadership Rule. Don't Try It Yourself

Joe Nocera observes in The New York Times  that Steve Jobs
violated every rule of management. He was not a consensus-builder but a dictator who listened mainly to his own intuition. He was a maniacal micromanager. He had an astonishing aesthetic sense, which businesspeople almost always lack. He could be absolutely brutal in meetings: I watched him eviscerate staff members for their “bozo ideas.” . . . He never mellowed, never let up on Apple employees, never stopped relying on his singular instincts in making decisions about how Apple products should look and how they should work.

Likewise, Adam Lashinsky recalled in Fortune a few months ago the moment in 2008 when Jobs gathered the team that had developed the MobileMe e-mail system and demanded to know

“Can anyone tell me what MobileMe is supposed to do?” Having received a satisfactory answer, he continued, “So why the fuck doesn’t it do that?”

For the next half-hour Jobs berated the group. “You’ve tarnished Apple’s reputation,” he told them. “You should hate each other for having let each other down.”

Lashinsky went on to observe that “to Apple’s legion of admirers, the company is like a tech version of Wonka’s factory, an enigmatic but enchanted place that produces wonderful items they can’t get enough of. That characterization is true, but Apple also is a brutal and unforgiving place, where accountability is strictly enforced, decisions are swift, and communication is articulated clearly from the top. . . . Apple’s ruthless corporate culture is just one piece of a mystery that virtually every business executive in the world would love to understand: How does Apple do it?”

Not according to the usual rules, that’s for sure. In the words of Jeffrey Pfeffer, a Stanford University professor, “Most books about leadership read like the Scout manual: CEOs and top managers should be authentic, considerate, sensitive, and modest, as well as creative, smart, and strategically brilliant. All true –but not very useful in the real world, where the person in the corner office might be as approachable as the junkyard dog. Exhibit A: Steve Jobs.”

There’s a reason Steve Jobs is Exhibit A, and not even B or C. It is because his exceptional and unique vision and certainty of what he saw excused his tyrannical behavior. Or, no, they didn’t excuse it but made it necessary. And the power of his personality and the sweep of what he achieved meant that even after all his punishment of disappointing staff and others, all his berating of many of those around him, people at Apple were heartbroken to see him step down from the chief executive’s job this week.

Go ahead and behave the way he did yourself, as a CEO—as long as you’ve got all of Steve Jobs’ charisma, revolutionary vision, and innovative genius, along with his relentless drive and temper

Source : Forbes

Spar Group To Open Shop In Angola

South African retailer Spar Group Limited, says it will partner with an Angolan company in opening a store in the country’s capital, Luanda, in the next six months.

According to the group’s chief financial officer, Mark Godfrey, the group – the third largest retailer in South Africa – would be mostly responsible for product supply and logistics management.

Mr Godfrey said that the group’s board of directors decided that plans to effectively enter other African markets should involve a local partnership, which could offer key intelligence on domestic activities.

“We should make use of local partners without whom we’d be wasting time,” he explained.

The Pinetown-based group already boast a significant presence across Southern Africa with stores in Swaziland, Namibia, Mozambique and Botswana. It also controls 35 percent of Spar Zimbabwe, which is expanding to Zambia.

The South African Retail sector is the largest on the African continent Global Retail Development dominated by retail giants such as Pick n Pay, Shoprite, Woolworths and Spar. However, a margin squeeze on traditional retail products, driven by fierce competition in Africa’s largest economy’s retail industry has forced operators to turn towards neighbouring market in search of new markets.

Source Ventures Africa

CFC Stanbic Keen On Investing In South Sudan

CFC Stanbic, a subsidiary of South Africa-based Standard Bank Group, is keen to establish itself in the South Sudan private sector by providing core banking solutions needed to stimulate economic activities in the growing nation.

The bank which officially commenced operations in the war-ridden country mid last year revealed that its decision to enter the developing market was centred on plans to secure capital –via a rights issue – to fund expansion projects.

“We have a strong and long relationship with the people of South Sudan and its government and see our branch opening in South Sudan as a vote of confidence in the country’s future,” noted Greg Brackenridge, MD of the bank.

According to Sudan Tribune, the bank plans to offer a range of basic banking services, while creating new relationships with customers, organizations and investors as well as solidifying and enhancing existing ones.

CFC Stanbic, which has its roots in Nairobi, Kenya, has had several dealings with South Sudan’s government including occupying a major role in an $11 million credit line deal for state-owned Nile Petroleum Corporation (Nilepet), which enabled the firm to continue its importation of fuel into the country. It also signed a $100 million trade and foreign exchange credit recently with the government to boost economic activities across the country.

Analyst therefore believe the NSE-listed bank’s plan to fully enter the baby-economy will not only stimulate growth in the banking industry but also provide the needed skills and resources for diversifying the economy through investments in the Energy, infrastructure and Agricultural sectors

Global Competitiveness Index: Mauritius Beats SA As Africa’s Most Competitive Economy

Mauritius moved up nine places this year out-pacing South Africa in the Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014, as the most competitive economy in Africa.

The country benefits from relatively strong and transparent public institutions with clear property rights, strong judicial independence, and an efficient government. Financial markets also deepened based on the improved access to different modes of financing and financial services.

Mauritius which ranked 45th globally is followed by South Africa (53rd), Rwanda (66th), Botswana (74th) and Morocco (77th) – as the most competitive economy in Africa.

Seychelles, Tunisia, Zambia, Kenya, Algeria, Libya, Gabon, Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon and Gambia ranks 80, 83, 93,96,100,108, 112, 113,114,115 and 116th positions respectively.

Egypt dropped 11 places from last year’s index, to the 118th spot while Nigeria dropped six placed to the 120th position globally.

Cape Verde, Lesotho, Swaziland, Tanzania, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Liberia, Uganda, Benin, Zimbabwe, Madagascar all occupied the 122th to 132nd position accordingly while Mali, Malawi, Mozambique maintained the 135th, 136th and 137th positions.

Burkina Faso and Mauritania ranked 140 and 141 most competitive nation globally while Sierra Leone stands at number 144.

Angola re-enters the Index this year at number 142 while Burundi, Guinea, and Chad (all African countries) were ranked as the least competitive countries of the 148 countries surveyed.

Conversely, among low-income economies, Kenya makes the biggest improvement, rising by ten places while Nigeria continues to be ranked low, highlighting the need for it to diversify its economy.

Although the report indicated that great efforts need to be made to improve Africa’s competitiveness, it says Sub-Saharan Africa continues its impressive growth rate of close to 5 percent in 2012, providing something of a silver lining in an otherwise uncertain global economy.

Globally, Switzerland remains the most competitive country in the world for the fifth consecutive year

TOP 10 MOST BANKABLE/RICHEST ARTISTS IN AFRICA by FORBES & CHANNEL O

Channel O and Forbes Africa presents the top 10 most bankable/richest artistes in Africa. This list was put together using factors such as endorsement value, popularity, show rates, Sales, awards, YouTube views, appearance in newspapers, investment, social media presense, Influence and so many other factors.
The list shows the African artistes making the most money in Africa.

Check out the top10 list
1. AKON – CEO of Konvict Music, opened doors with other African artiste
2. DON JAZZY - Producer. CEO Mavin Records, Influential producer, MTN, Samsung and Loyal Milk endorsement. D’Banj, Kanye West, Beyonce and Jay Z on production credit.
3 P SQUARE – Music Duo. Featured on Forbes Africa twice, sold out concert, presidential guest in at least 5 African countries, they fly private jet…
4 D’BANJ – Music Artiste. International music brand, GO D Music deal, Sony Entertainment deal
5. WIZKID – Music Artiste. EME artiste, Starboy CEO, affiliation with Disturbing London, several international collaboration, highest paid Pepsi ambassador in Africa, ambassador of MTN
6. 2FACE IDIBIA – Music Artiste. 10million disc and at least 7million digital sale, multiple ambassador, one campaign… associated with Guinness, Haven Homes, Airtel Worldwide and philantropist – 2face foundation
7... ANSELMO RALPH - Music Artiste Samsung and Coca Cola ambassador, Angola prince, Perfume line, clothing label, multi million dollar tour bus, Sony artiste

8. SARKODIE – Rapper. Presidential youth ambassador Ghana, Sark clothing, Samsung ambassador, fan milk Ghana
9. ICE PRINCE – Music Artiste. Six million downloads, 2 studio owner, one foundation member, Plug N Play ambassador, Zamani foundation
10. BANKY W – Music Artiste. Co owner EME, Samsung Ambassador, Philanthropist, multiple award winner

(Published 01-September 2013) Do you agree with the list? Share your thoughts.