The company aims to add 1 billion new customers by 2020, so as to double its existing user base. The majority of the growth is expected to come from emerging nations like Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We believe Africa will play a pivotal role in L’Oreal’s expansion plan. The Middle East and Africa segment is the fastest growing geographical segment for L’Oreal (approximately 15% year on year). In 2013,.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 29th December 2014

 Investment Corp of Dubai has agreed to buy a 300 million dollar stake in Dangote Cement. The state fund, Investment Corp of Dubai (ICD), which holds stakes in some of the emirate's top firms, has agreed to buy the stake in top Nigerian cement producer, a spokesman for Dangote said on Monday. Carl Franklin, Dangote's head of investor relations, did not give further details. Dangote's current market capitalisation is about 23.7 billion US.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 29th December 2014

Africa’s Transnet and Chinese manufacturer CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive (CSR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This was part of South African president Jacob Zuma’s state visit to assist trade between the two countries.   “Today’s MoU paves the way for Transnet to conclude agreements with CSR to set up manufacturing facilities in South Africa to exploit opportunities for the production and maintenance.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 27th December 2014

 According to Ernst and Young 2014 Africa attractiveness survey, Kenya ranks third after Nigeria and South Africa as the most attractive in the region. The three are said to attract 40 per cent of the total foreign direct investments in the region. Fernando de Sousa General Manager Africa Initiatives at Microsoft join CNBC Africa to discuss why multinationals are attracted to these major hubs..... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 27th December 2014

 Money makes the world go round. And if you play your cards right, might just make your startup successful — putting a smile on shareholders faces. In 2014, we saw a lot of money being moved around in South Africa’s startup scene. So much so that we’ve decided to round up some of the investment rounds that really stood out to Ventureburn. From real estate, crowdsourced designs to a multi-million financial aid startup,.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 26th December 2014

 "Geopolitical and industrial relations between South Africa and the nuclear-vendor countries will play an important role," Des Muller, the head of Johannesburg-based building company Group Five's nuclear construction division, said in an emailed response to questions Dec. 17. "It does with all major infrastructure projects and more so on nuclear infrastructures where reliance on nuclear safety and construction knowhow is.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 26th December 2014

 For many African countries, which all too often suffer from infrastructure problems such as power outages and unreliable or expensive internet access, tech hubs have proven to be a boon over the last five years or so.   The continent currently plays host to more than 90 of these home-grown centres, with more than half of all African states housing at least one, according to Tim Kelly, lead ICT policy specialist with the World.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 26th December 2014

 Kenya is the second most preferred destination in Africa for multinational corporations seeking to set up shop, according to a US data vendor that tracks emerging markets. Frontier Strategy Group ranked Kenya second with a score of 23.17 per cent after Nigeria which was top on the continent and globally with a score of 29.57 per cent. Globally, Kenya was fifth behind Saudi Arabia (24.69 per cent), Vietnam (24.72 per cent) and Argentina.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 24th December 2014

 The facility would include a production line and quality test centre for SMA’s Sunny Central inverters, warehousing, as well as the African branch of the SMA Solar Academy training centre. Thorsten Ronge, the managing director of SMA South Africa, said the group chose to set up its manufacturing base in Cape Town as it was close to the existing solar supply chain. The Cape Town facility is the third clean energy manufacturing unit.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 24th December 2014

 The East African adhesives industries face challenges due to fluctuations in raw materials pricing, availability, and the influx of cheap and counterfeit products. However, creating brand and product awareness presents growth opportunities. This study addresses the key drivers, restraints, and the competitive factors that will influence the market during 2014-2018.  The study also briefly touches upon the role that technology plays.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 24th December 2014

 South Africa-based wood-preservative chemicals supplier Dolphin Bay Chemicals implemented its first pilot wood treatment of wood ammonium copper quaternary (ACQ)    ACQ was developed in the US and is being manufactured locally by Dolphin Bay Chemicals under its Permacure brand.   As the only ACQ manufacturer in Africa, Dolphin Bay Chemicals is also one of only two companies on the continent that manufacture chromated.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 22nd December 2014

 Savannah Cement, one of the country's newest market entrants, is set to build two new plants as it nears exhaustion of its current capacity, managing director Ronald Ndegwa said. He said the cement maker will invest between $250 million (Sh22.31 billion) and $350 billion (Sh31.23 billion) for a clinker plant and a second mill to support its existing operations.   "We see ourselves running out of headroom in two to three years.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 22nd December 2014