Africa still accounts for a very low share of global manufacturing value-added (MVA) and global manufacturing exports (1.1 percent and 1.3 percent respectively in 2008). Even more worrying is that Africa's share of global low-technology manufacturing exports, a sector where it should have immediate comparative advantages, fell from 1.5 percent in 2000 to 1.3 percent in 2008, as opposed to East Asia and the Pacific where it rose from 17.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 3rd February 2015

 In a special issue of its Economic Development in Africa Report this year, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) collaborated with the United Nations Industrial Organization (UNIDO) to delineate strategies and policy options for Africa to foster its industrial development in the new global environment. The report advocates for African countries to embark on a new industrial policy centered on manufacturing.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 3rd February 2015

 This book revisits the perennial challenge that scholars, economists, and politicians have been grappling with since the 1960s. Development, in this book, has been defined in a context that projects it as a multidimensional and complex process which seeks to enhance the human, social, economic and cultural welfare of the people. This book calls for a rethinking of trade and industry for Africa’s development. It uses data drawn from.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 2nd February 2015

 Suame Magazine, is one of the biggest industrial areas in Africa.  In Suame Magazine, mechanics in over 12,000 small workshops fix cars and machinery with old spare parts, most of which come from Europe. It is so crowded that the Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organization is planning to buy a four-kilometer stretch of land nearby to turn the area into an official industrial zone. Eric Gyebi, Kwame Acheampong and Osei Kofi.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 2nd February 2015

 The report, "Middle East and Africa - Industrial Valves Market By Closure type (Quarter turn, Multi turn, and Others), By Function (Control, Isolation, Check and Others), By Type (Ball, Globe, Plug and Others) and By Application (Oil & gas, Chemical, Municipal, Power, and Mining) - Global Trend & Forecast To 2019" The Middle East and Africa Valve Market is estimated to reach $10 Billion by 2019,with a projected CAGR of.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 2nd February 2015

 SKOL Brewery yesterday launched a new production line that will enable it more than double its capacity to 200,000 hectolitres annually, up from 80,000 hectolitres presently, reports Ben Gasore. The company, a subsidiary of Belgium-based Unibra, currently commands about 14 per cent of the market share, according to Ivan Wulffaert, the general manager. Speaking during the inauguration of the factory at Kanyinya Sector in Nyarugenge.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 30th January 2015

 The performance of the Tanzanian economy has remained strong, recording growth of 6.9% in 2012, driven by a high uptick in manufacturing, agriculture, trade, transport, communications and financial intermediation. Growth was boosted by good weather and a timely supply of subsidized inputs, which supported agricultural production and the normalization of power generation, which in turn buoyed industrial production. Preliminary estimates.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 30th January 2015

 Real GDP grew by an annual average of 3.7% over the 2008-12 period, with agriculture growing by only 0.6% and the industrial and services sectors by 4.0% and 4.5%, respectively. The short-term outlook is positive, with projected GDP growth reaching 5-6% over the next three years, mainly driven by higher private-sector investments and increased exports. Services, especially, finance, ICT and construction, are the expected drivers of GDP.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 29th January 2015

 Kenya has a range of value chains in floriculture, textiles, leather, automotive production, intermediate and final manufacturing, music industry and tourism. It is evident that the country is generally at the low end of the value chain, given that a large component of Kenya’s exports is in raw materials (e.g. coffee, tea, animal products) which have low foreign value added content. For example, though Kenya has been integrated in.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 29th January 2015

 Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Kenya have increased their productivity and are delivering goods to customers more quickly after introducing the Lean methodology into their processes. Through a series of three workshops, most recently held on 20-21 January in Nairobi, the chief executive officers and managers of Greenforest Foods, Mace Foods, and Stawi Foods and Fruits learned to analyse their production and delivery.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 29th January 2015

 The sub-Saharan Africa market performance report, however, shows sub-Saharan Africa equity market performance was mixed, with Rwanda Securities Exchange declining by 4.5 per cent over the reporting period. The worst performers in local currency terms were Zimbabwe where the market lost 19.5 per cent and Nigeria which lost 16.1 per cent of its value in the year. In dollar terms, however, most markets had negative returns. Performers with.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 27th January 2015

 Developing industrial and infrastructure projects is not just a technical task, but involves a full range of elements to develop a sustainable business model. This business model takes into account ownership structure, communities, understanding requirements for funding, capacity, technology, financial models, environmental and market analysis, etc. Project developers, and their stakeholders, regularly find a heavier burden to bring all.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 27th January 2015