Excellence In Africa

Welcome to the Mthente blog – Excellence in Africa! Amid the widespread doom and gloom surrounding Africa’s political stability, economic development and growth prospects, very little attention is given to excellence on the continent. While it is important to be mindful of the realities and difficulties faced in many African countries, it is equally important to highlight the positives – there are many success cases and stories across the continent. Our aim is to celebrate the pockets of excellence in Africa! We will be posting bi-weekly opinion pieces on topical economic and trade-related issues affecting Africa, and monthly case studies of specific success stories from across the continent, with a strong focus on entrepreneurial talent and small business growth. Please feel free to sign in and comment on any of the blog postings.

Discovering Excellence in Africa — by Jennie — posted on 2011-05-26 14:28 — 2007 comment(s)

Jean-Pierre Lehmann, Professor of International Political Economy, IMD, and Founding Director of The Evian Group in Lausanne, Switzerland discusses the need for greater knowledge and understanding of Africa and suggests the potential for Africa to flourish by 2020. The Evian Group is a coalition of global corporate, government and opinion leaders, committed to an open, inclusive and sustainable global market economy.

The Potential of Business Model Generation for African Entrepreneurs — by Blog Master — posted on 2011-08-31 18:52 — 1 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

Our latest blog entry explores the potential for a recently released business manual on business model generation to boost entrepreneurship in Africa.

Unpacking the way South African youths perceive entrepreneurship — by Blog Master — posted on 2011-07-27 09:10 — 0 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

South African youths have a “let's do it” mentality when it comes to entrepreneurship, but a lack of business skills, mentors and finance, and the dominance of short-term thinking are some of the factors that deter many from pursuing entrepreneurship.

Fieldwork within the South African Context: Overcoming Obstacles — by Blog Master — posted on 2011-06-27 16:43 — 0 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

In working towards excellence in conducting fieldwork, South African researchers are constantly faced with challenges in trying to ensure the participation of all South Africa’s demographic groups. In particular, urban residents are particularly difficult to access, often assuming that all research is either market research or not relevant to them.

Our trade problems are at home, not the WTO — by Blog Master — posted on 2011-03-22 08:49 — 0 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

In an article that appeared originally in the Business Day on 9 March 2011, Dr Soko questions the merits of seeking to reclassify South Africa as a developing nation through the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Look Out for the African Middle Class — by Blog Master — posted on 2011-03-08 17:28 — 0 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

A growing African middle class has created an increasingly favourable environment in which local consumer products can thrive.

Susu Collectors in Ghana: Lending a hand to smallholders, microentrepreneurs and the poor — by Blog Master — posted on 2011-02-03 14:44 — 0 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

One of the oldest financial groups in Africa is coming to the rescue. On a continent in which many individuals, entrepreneurs and small businesses have no bank account, let alone any formal means to access credit, a seemingly unlikely source of microfinance – men in distinctive coats with many pockets – is filling the gap.

Replacing Coups with Votes: Electing a democratic future for Africa — by Blog Master — posted on 2010-11-19 17:03 — 0 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

The year 2010 has been something of a hot year for elections in Africa. By the end of the year, a score of countries across the continent will have staged a variety of local, regional and national elections. Burundi, Guinea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Chad headline this list.

Carthage must be rebuilt for an African Renaissance — by Blog Master — posted on 2010-09-17 12:56 — 0 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

According to Former South African President Thabo Mbeki, the task of rebuilding Africa from its mired history of colonial conquest and prejudice is akin to the challenge of rebuilding the city of Carthage in the aftermath of the Battle of Carthage. Renewing African universities and the continent’s higher education landscape should be a crucial element of this rebuilding process. Lwazi Sikiti was present at a recent keynote address to listen to Mr Mbeki set out his vision of how this can be achieved.

Africa's Oil Deposits and Despots: Black Gold or a Curse? — by Blog Master — posted on 2010-08-24 07:32 — 0 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

The recent discovery of sizable onshore deposits of crude oil in Uganda and Ghana offers the opportunity for these states to learn from the historical pitfalls of the African “oil curse” and utilise the revenues generated from these deposits as a catalyst for economic development.

Yes, (South) Africa Can! — by Blog Master — posted on 2010-07-21 07:41 — 0 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa was by all means a much anticipated event, both locally and internationally. Prior to the Opening Ceremony on 11 June 2010, much of the international community expressed hesitation and doubt about South Africa’s ability to host a successful World Cup tournament, and this was compounded by less than favourable media coverage in many European countries. However, as the tournament has come to an end, it has proven a success on many accounts.

Doing Business the African Way: Africa’s Changing Business Environment — by Blog Master — posted on 2010-07-02 12:41 — 0 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

A series of rapid improvements to the business environment in many African countries is gradually eroding the negative perceptions of doing business in Africa. This augurs well for economic growth on the continent and should encourage more and more companies to do business the African way.

Potholes, Tyres and Entrepreneurs in the DRC — by Blog Master — posted on 2010-06-08 10:03 — 0 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

A recent first time visit to the DRC revealed stark developmental challenges in the nation's capital, Kinshasa. At the same time resourceful entrepreneurs have found a way to provide an essential service.

Narrowing South Africa's Current Account Deficit: A bridge too far or is there hope? — by Blog Master — posted on 2009-11-01 17:36 — 0 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

In recent years, South Africa has seen a burgeoning deficit on its current account. However, after widening sharply in the first quarter of 2009, the deficit has since narrowed significantly, primarily on the back of the global economic slowdown.

The Quest for African Governments to Perform Excellently — by Blog Master — posted on 2009-08-17 17:06 — 0 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

Slowly but surely, African governments are beginning to demonstrate the political will to embrace democracy and engage in constructive dialogue with political opposition. The dependency syndrome plaguing many African states is also being addressed through targetted investment policies; and, at the same time, the devil of corruption is being handled through the creation of corruption monitoring boards. This suggests that the continent has the will and capacity to take the lead in tackling its own developmental agenda.

Picking Stars in Africa — by Blog Master — posted on 2009-07-17 09:37 — 0 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

The African continent collectively represents a massive consumer market, with growing needs and an emerging middle market that boasts considerable buying power. Nevertheless, within the continent there exists great heterogeneity across countries - creating the need for investors and businesses to pick the brightest stars in Africa that present the best long-term investment potential.

Transforming Lesotho’s Textile and Apparel Industry — by Blog Master — posted on 2009-06-25 14:10 — 1 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

While the African Growth and Opportunity Act has generated significant growth in the textile and apparel industry in Lesotho, there is a need for much greater indigenisation of the industry if it is to be truly sustainable.

Politics of the Personal in Africa — by Blog Master — posted on 2009-05-13 13:57 — 0 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

Focusing on efforts to address violence against women in Africa, our next installment commends the work set forward by Project Concern International (PCI) in South Africa. The ultimate aim of PCI's project in South Africa is to harness the power of norms to bring about social change. In particular the work is concerned with reducing the prevalence of HIV infection in South Africa by disrupting the social norm that supports violence against women. In doing so, PCI forces both men and women to engage with the hard questions around culture, religion, identity and distribution of resources in Africa.

Thoughts about African development — by Blog Master — posted on 2009-04-08 10:26 — 0 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

In the first of our contributions by external authors, Guy Pfeffermann, CEO of the Global Business School Network, focuses on the importance of effective knowledge receptors and network organisations, and the prominent role that business schools can play in improving management practices, as critical tools for reviving under-utilised resources throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and raising living standards across the continent.

The Scramble for Africa: A revisit? — by Blog Master — posted on 2009-03-23 13:37 — 0 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

The high rate of return on investment that Africa is currently experiencing, together with increased Chinese investments on the continent, has cast new light on the capabilities of the continent’s business leaders. The global financial crisis may be presenting Africa with a rare opportunity to change the perceptions that the West and the rest of the world have of the continent.

Opportunity in the Midst of Despair: How should Africa respond to the global credit crisis? — by Blog Master — posted on 2009-03-09 16:18 — 1 comment(s) —

• Opinion Pieces

Despite not being immune to the debilitating effects of the global financial crisis, African countries have the opportunity to mitigate its worst effects by improving their investment risk ratings, reducing the costs and constraints associated with doing business in their economies, and expanding trade and 'South-South' cooperation with other developing countries.