Cross-border telephone remittances increase in Africa

[Anna McGovern] More people in Africa's poorest countries have mobile phones than have bank accounts. That reality is spurring mobile service companies to explore how they can capture a share of the potential banking market by enabling migrants from these countries to transfer funds back home to their families. 24 Jan 2012 11:28

Airtel Money re-launches in Ghana

Airtel Ghana, last week, re-launched its mobile money platform, under a new brand name Airtel Money, which has been positioned to provide customers with an efficient alternative to cash transactions and provide millions of Ghanaians with access to banking services for the first time. 19 Dec 2011 08:36

MTN-TransferTo partnership well underway

TransferTo and the MTN Group last week announced that the implementation of their International Airtime Transfer (IAT) partnership in MTN operating companies is well underway. 14 Nov 2011 12:15

Consumer Confidence Survey: Economy again top global concern

NEW YORK, US: Global online consumer confidence fell for the seventh consecutive quarter as confidence in 31 of 56 global markets measured declined, according to from Nielsen, a leading global provider of insights and analytics into what consumers watch and buy. 9 Nov 2011 09:36

Brand Africa Forum to present first Brand Africa 100 awards

Pan-African consumers can now vote for their most admired and valued brands in the inaugural Brand Africa 100 Awards, which coincides with the second annual Brand Africa Forum. The continent's most valued brands will be revealed at an awards ceremony on Thursday, 29 September 2011 at Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa . 15 Sep 2011 14:25

Airtel Ghana awarded Telecoms Company of the Year 2010

At the recent Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) Awards, held in Accra, Airtel Ghana was awarded the "Telecoms Company of the Year 2010" for its effort at transforming the telecommunications industry in Ghana. 30 Aug 2011 09:53

Davies maps route for free trade area

CAPE TOWN: The first phase of setting up a free trade area across 26 countries in Africa is expected to come into effect in three years, trade and industry minister Rob Davies said on Monday, 13 June 2011. 14 Jun 2011 12:00

[Netprophet 2011] African ecommerce market has a long way to go

[Herman Manson: @marklives] A billion Africans and 50 million bank accounts. In South Africa, credit cards are used by only 16.5% of the population (2008). No African country comes close to 1% of total retail spend spent online - the magic figure which constitutes the tipping point for digital retail growth. No wonder, then, that the ecommerce market in Africa hasn't bloomed. 12 May 2011 18:55

School SMEs boost quality of education in Ghana

[Issa Sikiti da Silva] School infrastructure across Africa has, since the dawn of independence, been deteriorating at a faster pace as maintenance is almost non-existent and building of new facilities stalls. This, coupled with high teacher-pupil ratio, corruption and nepotism, lack of qualified teaching staff and basic teaching material, have pushed the African education system into the doldrums and plunged it into absolute chaos. 9 May 2011 10:07

Shoprite competition closes in

[Stafford Thomas] "Shoprite has taken advantage of the strong rand to invest in a lot of real estate in Africa by opening 16 additional stores in Nigeria this year and planning three new stores in Ghana," says Shoprite CEO Whitey Basson. 28 Feb 2011 09:30

Unemployment, inflation worries hit consumer confidence

NEW YORK, US: Consumer confidence fell in 25 out of 52 countries in Q4 2010 as hope for a global economic recovery evaporated at the end of last year, according to the latest edition of the Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index, which tracks consumer confidence, major concerns and spending intentions among online consumers. 27 Jan 2011 11:00

Google launches online marketplace for Ghana

ACCRA: Google announced yesterday, 2 December 2010, the launch of Google Trader for Ghana highlighting the entrepreneurial opportunities presented by the internet. Trader is a free online classifieds service that allows Ghanaians to buy and sell products and services, as well as search for jobs among other things. 3 Dec 2010 10:32

Ghana to halt sales of second-hand underwear

Ghana plans to enforce a ban on the sale of second-hand underwear beginning in February, an official said on Monday (29 November 2010), citing the health risks involved in the hawking of the garments by street vendors. 30 Nov 2010 13:45

Mr Price takes aim at Nigerian market

[Michael Bleby] Retailer Mr Price is eying Nigeria, a market it says could host up to 100 stores, if it could only end its ban on the import of clothing. 22 Nov 2010 11:00