Wendy Luhabe – Curates Top 10 Business News

We are pleased to welcome Wendy Luhabe
as this week’s Guest Curator.

Wendy is one of the leading businesswomen on the African continent, and the first woman to curate Africa.com’s Top 10 Business News, following business luminaries Tony Elumelu and Donald Kaberuka.

A South African, Wendy has been the visionary behind a number of ground breaking business ventures, including the founding of Women Investment Portfolio Holdings, also known as WIPHOLD, an investment company with a portfolio worth approximately $300 million USD. WIPHOLD’s investments include companies in the following sectors: financial services, power, mining, cement, and consumer goods.

In addition to being the former board chair of both Vodacom and the Industrial Development Corporation, Wendy has served on numerous corporate boards in South Africa, including the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. A pioneer, she is the first woman to serve on the World Rugby Board.

Always on the cutting edge, through her latest venture, Women Infrastructure Development and Energy, she is involved in building South Africa’s first “Green City.”

Wendy brings this unique wealth of African and global business experience to us this week as she curates the Africa.com Top 10 Business News.

 Are SA Women “Not Ready” For Leadership Positions?

I think that South African women have made huge strides in just 23 years, in a society that remains largely patriarchal. We are building a critical mass of women one generation and one profession at a time. Women are ready!!! We have enough women with the depth of experience that is desperately needed to fill the leadership vacuum in South Africa.  BUSINESS REPORT

A Major Obstacle to Africa’s Development

In my opinion, a perfect world is where politicians and civil servants honour the responsibility of their positions in government and understand that they are accountable to the hard working people who, through their taxes, pay their salaries and contribute towards the national budget in order for governments to deliver services, the idea that tax evasion is draining Africa would not arise and would not deserve discussion. CNBC AFRICA

The Importance of Boosting Intra-Africa Trade and Integration

Our challenges are that we have not been able to think beyond our domestic economies, and when we venture beyond our countries we do not understand the responsibility we have to build the economies of the countries that are our potential markets. VENTURES AFRICA

Chinese Companies Powering Ethiopia’s Ambition to Become Africa’s Manufacturing Hub

Ethiopia this week launched the first phase of its flagship Chinese-built Hawassa Industrial Park that is said to be the first sustainable Textile and Apparel Industrial park in Africa.The Ethiopian government plans to build up to 10 industrial parks across the country in its efforts to increase job opportunities, earn revenue and promote technology transfer. NEW CHINA  

Five Things Africans Need to Know about 3D Printing

3D printing is not really printing, per se, but the manufacturing of an item using software that sends information to a machine that creates that thing as per the specifications sent from the computer.  This allows those without major capital to create just about anything made in plastic, ceramic or metal alloy. AFRICA.COM

Africa’s Tech Revolution

Mobile internet is the platform of choice in Africa due to its relatively low cost when compared to wireless broadband. The growing uptake in mobile technology has fueled many of the innovative digital solutions and services emerging from the continent, and, as mobile infrastructure advances and the cost of smart devices falls, tech entrepreneurs are developing uniquely African tech solutions to African problems.  AFRICAN BUSINESS MAGAZINE

The Race to Solar-Power Africa

A look at why solar electricity could be the answer to Africa’s power problems given that a World Bank report recently predicted that, given current trends, there could still be half a billion people in sub-Saharan Africa without power by 2040.  NEW YORKER

Why Multinationals Are Plugging Into Africa’s Startup Scene

Africa’s small and medium-sized enterprises sector is offering entrepreneurs and innovators the opportunities to create wealth and jobs for the continent, something Microsoft is keen to support. AFK INSIDER

Angolan Capital Tops List of Most Expensive Cities for Expats

For the second time in three years, Angola’s capital Luanda takes top spot in an annual survey that ranks the cost of living for expatriate workers in world cities. According to the Mercer survey, the cost of renting a two-bedroom apartment in Luanda cost expats around $6,150 USD per month, while a hamburger meal is priced at over $14 USD. REUTERS

Senegal’s Corner Shops Go Digital to Track Trade

An interesting look at how micro-businesses in Senegal are making use of technology to track clients in the west African nation’s informal economy. One example is the locally-designed app called “Weebi”, which means “easy” in the local language, that simplifies sales and invoices. THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE

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