Africa's 15 Best Songs Of 2013

At the Promota magazine it is a culture to bring you what we think were the best songs from Africa, this year it seems West African are taking the crown. There were so many songs to choose from, we left out many other great tracks, so if you don't see your fave Afro song of 2013, please comment below.

One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain. Bob Marley

Uganda

Radio & Weasel – Magnetic (Uganda)

Uganda

Bebe Cool -Cococidiosis

Zambia

Zone Fam - translate

Kenya

Jaguar - Kigeugeu

Ghana

R2bees – It’s Alright

Kenya

Amani ft Radio & Weasel- Kiboko changu

South Africa

Black Motion - That Lazy Song ft. Nape

Congo

Jessy Matador ft Raicha

Ghana

 Iyanya - Sexy Mama Ft. Wizkid

Senegal

Mafikizolo ft Uhuru Khona

DRC - Nigeria

Flavour - Kwarikwa [Remix] ft. Fally Ipupa

South Africa

MI CASA - Jika

Nigeria

Praiz - Rich and Famous

Tanzania

Diamond Platnumz

Dr. Oose Chameleone - Badilisha

P-Square - Personally

Top 13 Nigerian CEOs 2013

VENTURES AFRICA – 2013 has sure been a fabulous year with many business rising and conglomerates recording huge profits in Nigeria’s enterprising market. Over the year, we have read and heard about innovations and change in management, investments gone sour or profitable and market share expansions on the homefront and beyond.

However, the fabulous commentaries and news have not come out of the blue, rather they have been the result of continuous improvement at the front line- which is maintained by the CEOs of these companies.

In this list, Ventures Africa reviews 13 outstanding Nigerian CEOs. The CEOs have been credited not because they sit on the chair of company with “high-sounding” names but because they have been able to make a difference in highly competitive markets. They have demonstrated effective management capabilities through hardwork, resilience, research, an understanding of the Nigeria business climate as they moved their companies forward. In no respective order, here goes

Chidi Okoro
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria plc
Industry: Drug & Pharmaceutical



Chidi Okoro became the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria plc in 2012. He is the first Nigerian managing Director of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria plc since inception in 1971. Prior to that time, he has served as the general Manager and Director of the company. He is credited for being a member of the team that helped the company achieved a turnover of N9.9 billion in 2007 which was driven to an all-time high of N15 billion as at 3rd December, 2009 while he worked as the company’s Sales Director. Chidi’s leadership has help transform the fortunes of GSK immensely by elevating it to remain on the cutting edge as a sector and market leader. He was recently awarded the prestigious Most Outstanding CEO of the Year Award at the recently held 2013 PEARL Awards Nigeria while his company won the Sectoral Leadership Award in the Health Care (pharmaceutical) category at the event. PEARL Awards recognises individuals and quoted companies on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange who have contributed significantly to the growth of the exchange and the Nigerian business environment in general. Under his leadership, GSK Nigeria bagged the first Best Workplace in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs) company’s category on the Great Place to Work Trust Index (large companies) for Nigeria for year 2013. The company was also ranked fourth Best Workplace on the overall in Nigeria on the index.

Michael Ikpoki
MTN Nigeria
Industry: Information and Communication Technology



Michael Ikpoki achieved a landmark this year when he was appointed the CEO of MTN Nigeria, the first Nigerian to achieve this feat in MTN Group – the country’s largest mobile operator by subscriber. Ikpoki has been described as “A seasoned business executive, with an academic profile that includes General Management Programme at Harvard Business School; Sales, from INSEAD Business School; Finance and Analytics, from Lagos Business School and LLB from Rivers State University of Science and Technology.”
A pioneer staff of the company, Ikpoki joined the group as a Regulatory Advisor in 2001 after a six-year stint in the Legal Department of the Nigeria Communications Commisssion (NCC). He has formerly served as the company’s Director and CEO in Ghana after successfully running MTN Nigeria’s Sales and Distribution channel as its Executive from 2006.

According to US-based technology market research consultancy, International Data Corporation (IDC), in November, MTN Nigeria hold competitive edges to further unlock market potentials to remain profitable for its South African parent company, MTN Group – going by tariff innovation and other initiatives underway by the mobile phone network. With over 55 million active connections, MTN Nigeria under Ikpoki’s leadership continue to deliver a satisfactory performance, maintaining market share, even in the face of stiffer competition and regulations.
Funke Opeke
MainOne CEO
Industry: Information and Communication Technology


Ms Funke Opeke is the founder and CEO of Main One Cable Company, a Nigerian cable and communications service provider that built West Africa’s first privately owned high capacity cable submarine. An Electrical Engineering graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Nigeria, Ms Opeke has served as the Executive Director of Verizon Communications Wholesale Division.
Armed with a twenty-year career in the United States as a telecommunication executive, Opeke returned to Nigeria in 2005 as the Chief Technical Officer of MTN. She also served as an adviser to Transcorp on the acquisition of NITEL and briefly served as the interim Chief Operating Officer, NITEL after which she created Main One as a result of the dearth of infrastructure which forms a huge information and knowledge gap between Africa and the rest of the world. She creatively built Main One as a result of the non-existent internet services in the country at that time. She built Main One over a 2-year period, from inception with a total investment of $240 million financed entirely from African investors (The founding shareholders are called Main Street Technologies) plus $28 million contingency. Since her company began operations in 2010, Main One has transformed Nigerian and African broadband landscape.

Recently, her company began the building of a $25 million Tier III + data centre in Lagos which would be the largest of its kind in West Africa at 1,500 square metres with a 600 rack capacity as part of its growth strategy and vision to enhance infrastructure in its primary market – West Africa. Her efforts have been recognised over the years. Last year, she won the 2012 CNBC All Africa Businesswoman of the Year Award (AABLA) in Midrand, South Africa.
Michael Arumemi-Ikhide
Arik Air
Industry: Aviation



Young, passionate and an enthusiast – that is what describes Micheal Arumemi-Ikhide best. The Nigerian-born University of Edinburgh Chemical Engineering graduate joined Arik’s board in October 2006 as one of its founding board members to serve in the capacity of “Executive Director Corporate Strategy” with a broad remit spanning areas such as fleet evaluation, acquisition and financing; strategic, organisational & commercial planning and execution as well as government and bilateral affairs. Today, he serves as the Group CEO and President of Arik Air Ltd, Nigeria and Arik Air international Ltd, UK.

Under his leadership, Arik has grown to be West Africa and Central Africa largest commercial airline. Since he became Arik CEO in 2009, the airline has also become the national carrier of neighboring country, Sierra Leone and there has also been consideration for it to be Nigerian national carrier. The Lagos-based airline company which started with a single Hawker jet aircraft, and later three brand new CRJ 900s now boasts of a fleet of over 26 aircraft with over 5 million passengers a year across 19 domestic destinations, eight West and Central African routes, and three long-haul markets covering South Africa, the United Kingdom and the USA. Arumemi-Ikhide is a member of the Board of Airline Representatives (BAR) UK and a member of the Aviation Club UK. He is also credited to have helped set up and established the airline’s overseas headquarters, Arik Air International Ltd, in London in April, 2007. Arik airline was founded by Michael’s father -Joseph Arumemi-Ikhide in 2002.

Florence Seriki
Omatek Ventures Plc
Industry: Information and Communication Technology



Engr. (Mrs.) Florence Seriki (MFR) is the Amazon behind Omatek Ventures Plc, a Nigerian computer manufacturing company known for its dedication in promoting, pioneering and manufacturing local content in the ICT sector of the continent. A graduate of Chemical Engineering from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Seriki’s Omatek company has succeeded in penetrating the Nigerian IT market with local manufacture of casing, mouse, key board and speakers. She is also credited with opening the first indigenous Computer Assembly plant in Nigeria and Ghana. Her company also holds a very enviable position as a market leader in the production and assembly of computers and related accessories. Seriki is a Fellow of notable associations both within and outside the shores of the Country, including the Nigerian Chemical Engineering Society and the Nigerian Computer Society. She also holds a master degree in Business Administration from the Lagos Business School.
Olusegun Agbaje
Guaranty Trust Bank
Industry: Banking


Now many would wonder what will be the fate of GTBank after its co-founder and former CEO Tayo Aderiokun passed away in 2011. But Olusegun Jimi Agbaje has proved to be a worthy successor by taking the bank to a greater height. Agbaje has successfully improved GT Bank’s standing with its impressive year-on-year market share growth while maintaining the bank’s position as one of the most profitable bank in Nigeria for the last 3 years. Agbaje, GT Bank’s third CEO joined a pioneer staff in 1991, after a stint at Ernst & Young, San Francisco, USA. He subsequently rose through the ranks to become an Executive Director in January 2000 and was later appointed deputy managing director in 2002, a position which he held until April 2011, when he was appointed as Acting Managing Director. With over 21 years of investment and international banking experience, the Harvard Business School alumnus has experience in-most aspects of the bank’s business, including commercial banking, investment banking, treasury, corporate planning and strategy, settlements and operations.

This year, he was awarded the 2013 Banker of the Year – Africa by the World Finance Banking Awards- an award conferred on outstanding bankers who have achieved the most with regards to innovation, profitability and sustainability of their organization. GT Bank was also favored as “2013 Best Banking Group – Nigeria” by the same agency. Also London-based EMEA Finance magazine rated Guaranty Trust Bank Plc as Africa’s ‘Most Innovative Bank’ 2013 while Segun Agbaje was recognised as the 2013 pan-Africa CEO of the Year. Many will also agree that the bank today is one of the most innovative and tech-savvy bank in Nigeria. Agbaje through his leadership redefined mobile banking in Nigeria this year with the introduction of “Social Banking” which made it the first Nigerian bank to allow customers to transfer money and review their account balances on Facebook.
Leo-Stan Ekeh
Zinox Group
Industry: Information and Communication Technology



Dr. Leonard Stanley Nnamdi Ekeh is the Chairman and CEO of the Nigerian ICT solutions giant, Zinox Group. He is recognized for playing a pivotal role in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development in the continent, but most especially, for his intuitive leadership and capacity to define market trends in the technology terrain. An Economics graduate from the Punjab University, India, the Imo state born industrialist pioneered IT distribution in West Africa through Technology Distributions Limited, TD, which has emerged the Number 1 ICT distribution company and the most decorated ICT Distributor in West Africa. Leo Stan Ekeh has a record of incisive entrepreneurship and his vision to Computerise Nigeria has rewritten the history of Information Technology in Africa. His first company, Task Systems Limited changed the face of media and multimedia houses in West Africa as it helped computerise 95 prcent of the Print Media, Publishing Houses and Advertising Agencies in Nigeria. Mr. Leo Stan Ekeh also pioneered IT Solutions in West Africa through his company ITEC Solutions Limited through which he has delivered the largest IT Solutions ever, from an indigenous firm, to the Nigerian Corporate Market. Through his company, Leo Stan has been able to introduce Nigeria’s First Internationally Certified computers which include innovative features like the Naira sign and a power supply designed to contain the erratic nature of power in Nigeria.

In October 2013, the company announced the production of its computer tablet line named Zipad. Ekeh was recently named Africa’s first Microsoft Global Partner Adviser, a position he said he would use to advance the objectives of the Digital Knowledge Democracy and create technology value for Africans. The Microsoft Global Advisor Committee is a committee of distinguished IT icons around the world who serve as feedback channel to Microsoft for business models and strategy for product rollout and meets two times every year. They also act as an advocacy group for customers and channel partners.

A Fellow of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Ekeh was also honoured as an icon of Hope by (erstwhile) President Olusegun Obasanjo, for his sustained entrepreneurial efforts in Information Technology. He was also recognised as the IT Personality of the Year 2011 among other accolades.
Aliko Dangote
Dangote Group
Industry: Manufacturing



No list will be complete without Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote who is arguably the most popular and successful CEO on the continent. He is unarguably the king of Nigeria manufacturing industry, and perhaps Africa. His company Dangote group, which he started with a business loan from his maternal uncle has grown to be one of the continent’s leading diversified business empires with interests in cement, sugar, flour, salt, pasta, beverages and real estate, and new projects in the oil and Natural gas sector, telecommunications, fertilizer and steel with annual earnings averaging $2 billion. Today, Dangote Group is worth more than $11 billion, comprising a third of Nigeria’s Stock Exchange.

The company cement business (Dangote Cement) which spans about 24 African countries is the company’s greatest asset and it has helped to push Nigeria to the fore-front in cement manufacturing, establishing it as the largest cement manufacturer in sub-Saharan Africa as well as the third-largest cement maker in the broader Middle East. According to Renaissance Capital research, Dangote Cement, owned by Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote, was the major force behind the country’s cement success story. Also, his company was listed among Africa’s top 10 most valuable brands in 2013 by African Business Magazine. Dangote group was also named the most valuable brand in the consumer goods sector with an African brand value and overall 8th most valuable brand when placed against brands from other sectors.

In the coming year, Dangote Group plan to invest $16 billion in infrastructural projects in the energy, agriculture and construction sectors in what is likely to be the largest private investment ever in the continent. Dangote plans to double its cement output in Africa to 55 million metric tons by 2015 and to double its sugar refining capacity to 2.75 million tons by 2017. Industry watchers have predicted that Dangote Group will grow by about 30 percent next year if the investment goes according to its plan.

Mosunmola Abudu
Chairwoman and Chief Executive, EbonyLife TV
Industry: Media



The queen of talk shows and Nigeria’s Oprah, Mosunmola “Mo” Abudu is a media mogul and self-taught TV host. In 2013, Abudu launched EbonyLife TV, Africa’s first continent-wide black entertainment network, targeting Africa’s growing and aspiring middle class with programming that celebrates style and success while motivating its audiences to dream and dream big. The Nigerian TV personality has arguably revolutionised pay TV in Africa since she launched the continent’s first syndicated talk show, Moments With Mo, in 2006, and with EbonyLife TV, she is definitely one of the CEOs to look out for in the coming year.

A visionary, Mo in a statement announcing her company this year said: “The Western media has sold us the best of the West, even Asia has joined that race; it is time to not only sell Africa to the world but to ourselves. And we are now in a position to take indigenous African brands to the rest of the world, giving everyone the best of both worlds – it doesn’t get any better.” Simply put, Mo is a go-getter and an inspiration to African women the world over.
Oscar Onyema
Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE)
Industry: Finance



Oscar Onyema has been the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nigeria’s trade stable – the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) since 2011. Since he became the bourse head, he has turned it around for good. A former Chief Administrative Officer of the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), Onyema introduced Market Making and security lending to the NSE in 2012 as part of his move to introduce initiatives that would help to deepen the Nigerian stock market and make it the gateway to Africa capital markets. The introduction of this programme has paid off as the volume and value of trade has lifted the market by 41 per cent or N3.338 rillion in 2013.

Before the introduction of Market Making, the All-Share Index (ASI) posted a growth of 20 percent, rising 21,106.67 to c lose at 25,373.83. Market capitalisation also added N1.346 trillion, growing from N6.731trillion to N8.077 trillion as at September, 2013. Also, at the end of last week, market capitalisation appreciated by 1.88 per cent to close at N12.661 trillion while the NSE All-Share Index increased by 1.88 per cent to close on Friday (Dec 20) at 39,562.75. Onyema has delivered as the exchange is now one of the most respected globally. The NSE was one of the two bourses that made the top 10 best performing Stock Exchange of UK’s Telegraph this year. Under his management, the Nigerian Stock Exchange joined the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) Initiative, making it the third African nation to join the clique. The SSE initiative is co-organized by UNCTAD, the United Nations Global Compact, the United Nations Environment Programme’s Finance Initiative, and the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment.

Udeme Ufot
SO&U Advertising Agency
Industry: Media



Ufot Udeme, the co-founder and Group Managing Director of Nigeria’s foremost advertising agency – SO&U is unarguably one of the most respected voice in the Nigerian marketing communications terrain. A graduate of Industrial design at the Ahmadu Bello University, Udeme started his advertising career as an art director with Desmark Advertising but later moved on to Insight Communications where he rose to the post of Deputy creative director after 5 years of working with the organization.
It was after this stint that he took an agency attachment course with German Saatchi and Saatchi affiliate – Scholz and Friends and then came back to Nigeria with a burning desire to establish his company with a vision of making it the most creative agency in Nigeria within two years. That was in 1990. True to his vision, within 18 months, the agency was named the most creative in the country. Several accolades have followed suit over the years. His company won the Fate Model Entrepreneur Award 2012. He has served as the President of both the Advertising Agencies Association of Nigeria and the Lagos Business School Alumni Association. He is also a board member of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group. He is also the brain behind the popular Nigerian Guinness Advert, “My friend Udeme is a great man.”
Stephen Olabisi Onasanya
First Bank Plc
Industry: Banking



Stephen Olabisi Onasanya is the powerhouse behind Nigeria’s oldest and biggest financial institutions – First bank Nigeria PLC. A seasoned banker, Onasanya took over First bank’s helm of Affairs from the present Nigeria CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. Prior to his appointment, he served as the bank’s Executive Director, Banking Operations & Services. Since he joined First Bank in 1985, Onasanya has held several management and operational positions. Under Onansanya’s management, Great Place To Work Nigeria (GPTWN), an affiliate of Great Place to Work, San Francisco, US, a global research, consulting and training institute which analyses, selects and publishes best workplace lists in the country named the Bank as one of “the best place to work” and the ‘Company with the Best Human Resources Structure in Nigeria’ in 2013. The bank also emerged the winner of the Most Innovative Ai SRI50 Company award for outstanding performance, beating other contenders, such as Mobil, Kenya Airways, BHP Billiton, Nation Media Group, Stanbic and Uganda Sasol. This year, it succeeded in strengthening its operational processes to suit international best practices. This includes its migration to the world class Finacle 10, a core banking software application.
Sola David Borha
Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC
Industry: Banking



A powerful voice in Nigeria’s corporate corridor Sola joined IBTC as an Executive Director of Investment Banking & Trust Company Plc (IBTC) in 1994. She rose to the post of its Deputy Managing Director and Acting Managing Director, IBTC Chartered Bank PLC (from 2005 to 2007), as well as Executive Director for Corporate and Investment Banking and then Deputy Managing Director, Stanbic IBTC in 2008 before she was officially appointed as the company CEO. With her extensive experience in the corporate and business world, Mrs David-Borha has been able to steer Stanbic IBTC to greater heights.

A woman of many paths, Mrs David-Borha is also a devout Christian and a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). She was recently named the highest paid CEO in Nigeria.

 

About Busayo

Oluwabusayo Sotunde is a versatile writer with interest is in business analysis, the Stock Market, book and music reviews. She also has keen interest in developmental issues, reading, adventure and innovation. Her writing experience includes stock market updates on InvestingPort.com and contributing to CP-Africa.com. She also had an internship with Eko FM, Lagos (at the news and current affairs department) before proceeding to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) to complete her studies.

View all posts by Busayo →

2013 best Stand up comedy

This list is Promota magazine preference. We are not trying to rank comedians according to fame or influence levels.  We have added some legends like the Redd Foxx because they are irreplaceable. Enjoy

Chris Titus

Martin Lawrence You So Crazy

 Redd Foxx views on Gays (life-time)

Paul Mooney- Jesus Is Black

Patrice O'neal - Cheating! FUNNY!

Tracy Morgan - BLACK & BLUE

Uganda: Salvador (Crackers)

Chris Rock

 

Tony Rock - Arguing With Black Girls

DJ Kalkutta's New Year's Eve Playlist: 10 Songs to Ring In 2014

2013 - what a year! We laughed, we cried, we saw parts of Miley Cyrus we can never un-see. Now 2014 is looming and the days are numbered til that Times Square Ball drops harder than a Beyoncé album. The annual scramble to make (or avoid) plans is on, and the last thing you need to worry about is what you're going to listen to, so I've picked out 10 must-have songs for any NYE playlist to get you on the right (sound)track. And, if you happen to be staying in that night, you can catch me doing a much more "family friendly" countdown as I spin and co-host the Teen Nick New Year's Eve special with Nick Cannon.

1. "Dance Apocalyptic" - Janelle Monae

As we delve deeper into the 2000's, we can always be sure that somewhere, someone is claiming this is our last year on Earth. In fact, according to Norse mythology, the Viking apocalypse, formally known as "Ragnarok" will be upon us February 22nd, 2014. That said, we've really no choice but to dance our way through the turn of the year.



2. "Things Can Only Get Better" - Cedric Gervais & Howard Jones

Things can only get better...or at least that's what I like to tell myself every year around December 31st when I make a bunch of New Year's Resolutions I will never maintain. The proverbial "fresh slate" the Universe affords us annually has arrived, so here's to pretending we're going to be completely changed men and women in 2014!



3. "New Year's Eve" - Snoop Dogg ft. Marty James

Though so much of hip hop is celebratory, there are very few songs solely dedicated to the festivities on NYE. Of these few, it seems only fitting that Snoop Dogg would have the most renowned. It's hard to believe it didn't make the final cut for his 2011 Doggumentary album, but I'm glad it managed to surface nonetheless.



4. "Y.A.L.A." - M.I.A.

Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today to say our goodbyes to both 2013 and "Y.O.L.O." The acronym went through the cycle of all things cool- first gaining popularity after Drake's "The Motto" (released at the end of 2011), and slowly making its way into urban vernacular over 2012, naturally spreading next to frat houses, then suburban teenagers, and eventually rolling off the tongues of soccer moms everywhere. M.I.A. cleverly let the end of the "Y.O.L.O." era be known this October with her song "Y.A.L.A." (You Always Live Again), which points out the ridiculousness of the original acronym and reminds us that karma is real - something we could all keep in mind as we head into the new year.



5. "Auld Lang Syne" - Red Hot Chili Peppers

My true favorite rendition of this song is Jimi Hendrix' at his 1969 Live at Filmore East concert, but I put that on my list last year so for the sake of changing it up I thought the RHCP version would do just fine. A few years ago the band took to performing their take on the classic NYE song on a tour through Europe.



6. "Take Me Home" - Cash Cash ft. Bebe Rexha

It's been quite a year for Cash Cash and with their high energy single "Take Me Home" taking over pop radio airwaves, you are sure to hear much more from them in 2014. After a long night of drinking and dancing you might find yourself singing it to someone you've partied with -- or, at very least, a cab driver.



7. "Bound 2 (Solidisco Remix)" - Kanye West

As much as I love Kanye West, I actually prefer this fun upbeat remix of his latest release "Bound 2" to the original. Maybe it's because I prefer not to conjure the mental image of the softcore porn he and fiancé Kim Kardashian tried to pull off as the music video for the song. If there's any time to take the lyrics "Just grab somebody, no leaving this party with nobody to love" literally, NYE is it.



8. "Turn Down For What" - DJ Snake & Lil Jon

Because there is actually no reason to turn down. Ever.



9. "Funky New Year" - The Eagles

Classic song by a classic band. No matter what you do to bring in 2014, may it be funky.



10. "Hallelujah" - Bonnie McKee (Leonard Cohen Cover)

There's just something about hearing this song after a long night of partying. Regarded widely as one of the best written songs of all time, Bonnie McKee (a legend amongst pop songwriters and a recording artist herself) nails this cover of the Leonard Cohen classic released just before Christmas this year. In my experience deejaying I find it goes over swimmingly as a final song, containing both the melancholy feel of a night's end and a familiarity that facilitates an amazing (drunk) group sing-along.

DJ Kalkutta's New Year's Eve Playlist: 10 Songs to Ring In 2014

Uganda MPs warns President Museveni not to sign anti-gay bill

Two of the legislators who signed the minority report opposing the anti-homosexuality bill have vowed to challenge its passing in the Constitutional Court. They claim that the controversial bill was not only passed without quorum but also violates civil liberties guaranteed in the constitution. West Budama North MP Fox Odoi and his Kibanda counterpart Sam Otada who addressed journalists at the parliamentary buildings asked President Yoweri Museveni not to sign the bill into law.      

On Friday last week, Parliament finally passed the controversial anti-homosexuality bill after a five-year wait. This was amidst protestation from Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi who said there was no quorum and there was also need for more consultation on the bill.

West Budama North MP Fox Odoi and Kibanda's Sam Owor Otada are two of the four MPs who signed the minority report opposing the bill. Others are Bugweri MP Abdu Katuntu and his Oyam North counterpart Krispus Ayena Odong. They are members of the legal and parliamentary affairs committee that considered the bill. The legislators say the bill not only violates the constitution but also International covenants like the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

The bill that now awaits presidential assent to become law, provides that a person convicted of homosexual acts is liable to life in prison. It also makes it criminal not to report gay people and bans the promotion of homosexuality.

The MPs against the bill say they will challenge it the Constitutional Court since it was passed without quorum. They also argue homosexuality is not a legal but social problem that should be tackled by parents and not the state using the law. They are appealing to president Museveni not to assent to the bill.

The MPs accused colleagues in the 9^th parliament of trying to usurp the President's powers in matters of foreign policy. They are worried that Uganda will become a pariah state on the international scene, leading to cuts in donor aid and ultimately Uganda's development.

Journalists put the MPs on the spot with a barrage of questions and they lost their cool, leading to a near shouting match.

Big Cats Of Africa

The cat, regarded by some as an animal that nature had made perfect from the outset, has undergone only the subtlest of changes, in evolutionary terms, over the last 30-odd million years.
It is Africa’s three great cats, the Lion, Cheetah and Leopard that inspire the most passionate legends the world over. Each of these cats is an icon in their own right.

The Power and Majesty of the Lion
Often called, “King of the Beasts”, the lion has an iconic reputation as a cat of great strength and beauty. The largest of Africa’s big cats, its regal legacy is enhanced by the male’s magnificent mane, which ranges from a rich golden colour to a darker brown hue as the animal ages.



Of course, the dominant male lion seldom does its own hunting, preferring instead to allow the females and adolescent males of the pride do the hard work before coming along and claiming its share of the kill. Weighing in at well over 200 kg in the wild, and standing at up to 2 metres at the shoulder, this huge animal cuts a formidable figure.

The most socially co-operative of all the big cats, their real strength lies in their ability to work together as a pride, using group hunting tactics to make the kill.

While they are primarily nocturnal, they are easily found during the day, conserving energy and resting in shady areas. The unwary tourist, enjoying the sight of these listless and “tame” animals while out on a safari game drive, would be well advised to note that lions are quick to become active if ever an easy meal opportunity may present itself.

The Cheetah a Symbol of Speed and Grace
Renowned as the fastest animal on land, the cheetah has a slender body, long legs and semi-retractable claws, with a short, coarse coat dotted with small, round, black spots.

It stands with a shoulder height of about 70cm, has a body length of 112-135 cm, a tail length 66-84 cm and weighs in around 34-54 kg, with males being slightly larger than females.

Far more slightly built that either the lion or the leopard, its strategic hunting advantage is its well-known ability to accelerate to incredible speeds over short distances. While not particularly adept at covering long distances, it can reach its maximum speed of around 110km/h (70mph) in mere seconds. Using careful stalking techniques, it tracks prey and approaches to within 20 -30 metres before unleashing its pace weapon, leading to successful kills in about 50% of chases.

Decline in prey, loss of habitat, poaching, and its reputation as a livestock predator threaten the survival of the cheetah throughout its range.

The Ruthless Efficiency of the Lone-Hunting Leopard
Leopards, sometimes called the “quintessential cat” are the most elusive of the three big cats of Africa. Standing at around 80cm at the shoulder, and weighing between 40 and 70kg, these cats are more powerful but slower than cheetahs, and substantially smaller than lions.

Solitary hunters, leopards seek company only to mate, and are constantly in danger of losing their kill to lions. For this reason, they use their supreme climbing ability to drag their prey into trees for safekeeping. While the more substantial kills are cached in this way, with the cat returning later to feed, leopards are opportunistic animals with an extremely flexible diet. They are happy to consume protein in almost any form, from beetles to animals almost twice its own weight and will readily eat carrion.

To observe these big cats in their natural habitat is a privilege not to be missed. Reading about them, or seeing them on TV often gives an interesting insight into their lives, but getting up close to these magnificent beasts when on a game drive, will leave you inspired.

 

Big Cats Facts

• The cheetah is the world’s fastest land mammal. It can run at speeds of up to 70 miles an hour (113 kilometers an hour).


• An adult lion’s roar can be heard up to five miles (eight kilometers) away.


• Long, muscular hind legs enable snow leopards to leap seven times their own body length in a single bound.


• A tiger’s stripes are like fingerprints—no two animals have the same pattern.


• The strongest climber among the big cats, a leopard can carry prey twice its weight up a tree.


• The Amur leopard is one of the most endangered animals in the world.


• In one stride, a cheetah can cover 23 to 26 feet (7 to 8 meters).


• The name “jaguar” comes from a Native American word meaning “he who kills with one leap.”


• In the wild, lions live for an average of 12 years and up to 16 years. They live up to 25 years in captivity.


• The mountain lion and the cheetah share an ancestor.


• Cheetahs do not roar, as the other big cats do. Instead, they purr.


• Tigers are excellent swimmers and do not avoid water.


• A female Amur leopard gives birth to one to four cubs in each litter.


• Fossil records from two million years ago show evidence of jaguars.


• Lions are the only cats that live in groups, called prides. Every female within the pride is usually related.


• The leopard is the most widespread of all big cats.


• Mountain lions are strong jumpers, thanks to muscular hind legs that are longer than their front legs.


• Tigers have been hunted for their skin, bones, and other body parts, used in traditional Chinese medicine.


• Unlike other cats, lions have a tuft of hair at the end of their tails.


• After humans, mountain lions have the largest range of any mammal in the Western Hemisphere.

By http://www.isnare.com

 

Heauxm' for Christmas! Rihanna goes make-up free in brown bikini after returning to Barbados for the holidays

It will be a hot Christmas in Barbados for Rihanna who returned home on Saturday, where she appeared keen to change into much more appropriate attire.

The superstar singer shared a number snaps as she relaxed in a patterned bikini with her mother, ahead of the holidays.

Despite wearing very little make-up, the 25-year-old posted two selfies on her Instagram page in her brown two-piece, while showing off her numerous tattoos.

Read More

Why the UK is losing its religion to Atheism

Atheism in the UK has reached record levels, so why are people losing faith?.

“Only church leaders possess states without defending them and subjects without governing them.” So said Renaissance philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli in his historical treatise The Prince. Religion, he suggests, is a political necessity, the tool of a ruling class unable to rationally legitimise the massive social inequality of feudal society.

You wouldn’t believe it… but having no religious affiliation is now world’s third biggest ‘faith’ after Christianity and IslamChristianity is the largest faith with 2.2 billion adherents or 31.5 per cent of the world’s population
There are about 1.6 billion Muslims around the world - or 23 per cent of the global population

Whilst such a system might seem positively medieval to us now, in the age of the 1 and the 99% and lease-only housing in the capital, it seems that the legacy of ye olde, aristocratic Britannia might not be so remote. Religious states still exist also – Saudi ‘women can’t drive’ Arabia, for instance – and ‘secular’ Britain must count itself as one of only two sovereign states in the world to theocratically maintain the presence of unelected bishops within their political system (the House of Lords). The other is Iran.

But the times they are a-changing, and if the world wars of the 20th century began to erode religious faith in the west, then the proliferation of the world wide web has only exacerbated that process. “Religions have depended on the relative isolation and ignorance of their flocks, forever, and this is all breaking down,” asserts Daniel C. Dennett, the co-director of Tufts’ Centre for Cognitive Studies.

Dennett’s theory is certainly lent support by a recent YouGov poll, which found that “the place of religion in the lives of young Britons is smaller than ever.” Asked by YouGov which figures had any influence whatsoever on their lives, only 12% of British 18-24 year olds said religious leaders influenced them, less than half the number influenced by brands (32%) and politicians (38%), and significantly lower than those influenced by celebrities (21%).

So why are we losing our religion? The global economic collapse certainly seems to have triggered a collective loss of faith in figures of authority in every sector of society, and the process of globalization also sped up the process of ‘atheisisation’. Perhaps we have also reached saturation point with regard to the scale and number of sectarian civil wars, religiously sanctioned, if not encouraged, violence and politico-religious corruption. Atheism UK President Mark Embleton shares this view. Asked why increasing numbers of young people are claiming atheism, he answers:

“Because they’ve thought about it. There’s much more information available through the internet now than there was for older generations, so young people can easily access opinions for and against religion. Also, the more recent publicity and reporting of such things as child abuse by clergy, Islamic terrorism, religious resistance to equality for women or homosexuals, etc., has turned many people away from religion, not just young people.”

Embleton says he became an “active” atheist when he received jural disapproval for taking the affirmation in the witness box, rather than swearing on the Bible (yes, that is still a British practice).

7 Secrets from Men that Will Make a Man NEVER Want to Marry You

My male friends and I were talking the other day about marriage.  We don’t talk about it the way women do, fantasizing and getting all excited about our wedding day.  Instead, we talk about it like picking a career – you know you’re going to be stuck with it, it can be enjoyable, but you had better tread lightly or it could end up in disaster.

I thought I’d share with women a few things that my friends said we did NOT want in a wife.  Take it or leave it, but here’s what most of us really do dislike:

1) A high-maintenance woman.  It might be okay to be a little bit of a gold digger, but high maintenance means that nothing is ever good enough.  You buy her something that costs $1,000 dollars, she barely says thank you.  She might also be the kind of emotional black hole who is never satisfied or happy no matter what he says or does to make things better.  That’s draining for men, and flat out horrible.

2) A woman who is bad with kids.  A woman’s beauty is captured in her ability to nurture.  The woman who says “I hate kids” is seen as less of a woman in the eyes of a lot of men.  It also makes her look selfish.

3) A woman who doesn’t support you.  If a man is going through things, he wants to believe his woman has his back through thick and thin.  You want to feel beautiful, he wants to feel like a king.  If he’s ridiculed or his dreams aren’t supported, then he will probably gravitate toward the woman who helps boost his ego, listens to him and encourages him, just like his mother used to do.

4) A woman who emasculates you or doesn’t respect gender roles:  Feminism is nice, but  a lot of hardcore feminists are either gay or single.  You can have power in your household and still allow the man to be a man.  If you’re constantly ordering him around or not respecting his manhood, then he will feel that you don’t need him.  So, the strong, independent woman who “don’t need no man” may lose her man because he is convinced that she “don’t need him” just like she said.

5) Bad in the bedroom.  If you ask a man what time it is, he’s probably going to say, “It’s sexx o’clock.”  Men are physical creatures, and good loving can make a man do pretty much whatever you want.  But being frigid, disinterested, unenthusiastic or not concerned about his physical needs will make other women look that much more inviting.  He definitely won’t want to lock himself into a relationship with you, that’s for sure.  It would be miserable for him.

6) Doesn’t get along with your family.  No man wants to bring home a woman that his family hates; she becomes like a virus.  Smile, be nice, be helpful, try to get along with everyone if you can and that makes him envision you as a regular visitor to his family gatherings.  If you can’t do that, then find another man with a better family.

7) Really mean and overly moody/b*tchy.  Most of my friends hate women who don’t smile or are always mad about everything.  It sucks.  A smiling woman who listens to his problems, tells him that he’s special, has his back and drops it ferociously in the bedroom can get him hooked.  You want to be that woman.

Take it or leave it, this is what we said.  What you do with this information is entirely up to you.

Uganda MP Passes Anti-Gay Law, Punishable By Life In Prison

The Ugandan parliament on Friday passed an anti-homosexuality bill that will see repeat “offenders” jailed for life.

MP David Bahati was behind the bill and told the AFP: “This is a victory for Uganda. I am glad the parliament has voted against evil.

“Because we are a God-fearing nation, we value life in a holistic way. It is because of those values that members of parliament passed this bill regardless of what the outside world thinks.”

"I am officially illegal," Ugandan gay activist Frank Mugisha said after the vote.

Bahati initially proposed legislation in 2009, and was pushing for the death penalty.

But last year he performed something of a U-turn and claimed the bill would instead focus on protecting children from gay pornography, banning gay marriage, counselling gays and punishing those who promote gay culture.

In 2012 Uganda's speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga, said Ugandans were "demanding" the law and its passage would serve as a "Christmas gift" to its advocates.

Ugandan law previously punished homosexuality by up to 14 years in jail.

On Friday leading gay rights charity Stonewall told HuffPost UK: "Today’s news that the Ugandan parliament has approved the infamous anti-gay bill is both shocking and deeply saddening.

"This is a huge setback to LGBT activists in Uganda who now face life in prison simply for how they were born. We’ll continue to support LGBT activists in the country and we hope everyone in Britain stands in solidarity with their struggle."

Labour MP Diane Abbott told PinkNews.co.uk: “This really is dreadful news that has come from Uganda today, especially when it comes just days after the death of Nelson Mandela, who stood up for the rights of all including the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

“Now we have an African country going backwards on this important human rights issue. This new law is a licence for more killings and brutality.”

President Yoweri Museveni must sign the bill before it becomes law.

Museveni has previously been quoted in the past as saying: "If there are some homosexuals, we shall not kill or persecute them but there should be no promotion of homosexuality.

"We cannot accept promotion of homosexuality as if it is a good thing."

India Government Asks Court to Review Anti-Gay Law

India's government asked the Supreme Court on Friday to review a decision in which it upheld a colonial-era law that bans homosexual acts and makes them punishable by up to a decade in prison.

Law Minister Kapil Sibal said he hoped the court would overturn the law. "Let's hope the right to personal choices is preserved," he said.

The court is expected to take up the review petition soon.

The Supreme Court ruled last week that only lawmakers and not the courts can change the law. The ruling struck down a 2009 lower court decision that said the law violated fundamental human rights.

The Supreme Court ruling dealt a blow to gay activists who have fought for the chance to live openly in India's deeply conservative society.

Gautam Bhan, a gay activist, welcomed the government move Friday and said the Supreme Court was the forum that should decide the issue.

The law, dating back to the 1860s, when Britain ruled over South Asia, states that "whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal" can be punished by up to 10 years in prison.

According to international human rights groups, more than 70 countries have laws criminalizing homosexual conduct, with India by far the most populous.

New Jersey conducts first gay weddings - video

Magic Johnson Still Beating HIV 20 Years Later

If Magic Johnson had known just how well he could live with HIV, he wouldn't have retired from the Lakers on Nov. 7, 1991.

Johnson would never change what he did for the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic when he publicly revealed his diagnosis to a stunned world. His courage that day, along with two subsequent decades of vibrant living, forever altered attitudes about the virus and its effects.

Magic is simply glad the world knows such happy endings are possible with access to treatment and vigilance.

"At that time, it was the right decision," Johnson said Monday on the 20th anniversary of his stunning retirement. "If I knew what I knew today, that I could still play basketball and do my thing, I probably wouldn't have retired. But I'm a guy that doesn't have regrets. I don't look back. I'm happy, because I wanted to be here a long time. We made the right call at that time."

Johnson recognized the occasion at Staples Center on Monday with an upbeat celebration and a message of steadfastness. Dozens of politicians, celebrities and Lakers greats from Jerry West and Pat Riley to James Worthy and Michael Cooper joined Johnson and AIDS researcher David Ho for a luncheon, and the Magic Johnson Foundation announced a $1 million gift to continue its mission for worldwide HIV awareness and testing.

Two decades after his shocking admission and quick retirement at 32, Johnson's doctors say he's a 52-year-old specimen of health, comfortably managing HIV with a daily regimen of drugs and exercise.

While he once took upwards of 15 pills several times a day, he now requires just a few daily medications. He rises around 5 a.m. each day for a vigorous workout – everything from stretching and running to Tae Bo – before spending his days overseeing his large business empire.

Yet Johnson worries his strong health could encourage complacency, and he sees the anniversary of his historic announcement as a call to renew dedication to the cause.

"I often say I'm good for the virus, and bad for it," Johnson said. "Good because I'm doing well, and that I can go out and try and raise the awareness level, get people to go get tested ... but on the flip side of that, people see that I'm doing well, so they've kind of relaxed on HIV and AIDS. People think that now if they get the virus, they'll do well, but a couple million will die this year."

While Johnson mostly remembers a feeling of confidence derived from the unflinching support of his wife, Cookie, on the day of his announcement, his fellow Lakers have no trouble recalling the shock and confusion they felt 20 years ago.

"It stunned me, and I think I was only semi-conscious," Lakers owner Jerry Buss said. "The whole day is just like a blur in my mind. I remember Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) had to assist me. I don't think I had enough blood in the brain."

Worthy remembers the Lakers being sent from practice at Loyola Marymount to the Forum, with no idea why. The power forward wondered whether West was retiring from his executive job, or perhaps Johnson was seriously injured after missing the previous week of practice.

"When he announced, it was a reality check, because at that time, it could have been anybody," Worthy said. "A lot of people started to wonder about themselves, especially people who had never been tested before. ... He's taught us all a valuable lesson. Back in the early `90s, you thought it was a death (sentence). You thought it was over. To see him put meaning on a disease that only had one meaning, that was great."

Ho, a pioneering researcher who grew up in Los Angeles idolizing West and Elgin Baylor, said he met Johnson "on one of his darkest days" after his diagnosis. Ho has always been impressed by Johnson's upbeat willingness to acknowledge his condition, using himself to raise funds for research and treatment.

Ho also shot down the long-held suspicion that Johnson easily managed the virus because his wealth and celebrity gave him access to preferential treatment. Johnson's condition is "quite typical" at this point in the virus' treatment, he said.

"All of us working in the field are grateful to him and his foundation for doing so, because this is a plague that continues to rage," Ho said. "Because of therapeutic success, there is too much complacency in this country about this pandemic. We still need to develop new and better drugs. We have drugs that control HIV, but we don't have a cure, so research must continue."

Johnson famously couldn't stay away from basketball after his retirement, spreading the truth about HIV transmission to players and fans who sometimes balked at his participation. He was the MVP of the 1992 All-Star game and won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics before briefly coaching the Lakers in 1994 and returning to the court for 32 games in 1996, finally retiring in uniform.

Johnson is now a hugely successful businessman, a basketball commentator, a doting husband and a grandfather to his son Andre's two children. Yet he's still raising money and awareness, always working to create the same limitless future for others.

"The only problem is, I would be happier if the numbers in the black and brown communities would go down," Johnson said, citing the majority of each year's 60,000 new U.S. cases of HIV in minority communities. "There's been millions of people that have died since I announced 20 years ago, and so this is a bittersweet day. Yes, I'm living, but people are still getting this virus even as we speak. We must change the mindset, and we must do a better job educating those who live in urban America about this disease."

Magic Johnson Net Worth
Magic Johnson is the 4th richest black american with a net worth: $500 million As May 2009
Source of Wealth: Restaurants, real estate, investmentsThe retired professional basketball after announcing he had contracted HIV, became an entrepreneur. He introduced well-known brands to diverse neighborhoods via Magic Johnson Enterprises. With his several partnerships with companies like Starbucks, 24 Hour Fitness, T.G.I. Fridays, AMC Theatres, invested in urban real estate and companies catering to America’s underserved markets via his Canyon-Johnson and Yucaipa-Johnson funds. He has donated several millions to community-based organizations that focus on HIV/AIDS education and prevention. He now runs Magic Johnson Enterprises, a company that has a net worth of $700 million

Mandela Inspired Oprah To Change The Lives Of South African Girls

Television personality, media mogul, actress and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey is always in the media for the right reasons. She is not only the richest black woman but also one of the top philanthropist.

She revealed how she was inspired by Mandela to change lives of South African girls. Initiated a $100 million-plus quest to build her ambitious school. The decision started out as a rather outlandish promise to a man who became her friend, confidante and mentor: Nelson Mandela, the late anti-Apartheid icon, who passed away at age 95.

The stunning campus just outside Johannesburg and the school’s rigorous academic programming are unprecedented, serving the best and brightest but also the most underprivileged South African girls, many of them AIDS orphans and all from households surviving on less than $950 a month.

In 2000 Winfrey and long-time boyfriend Stedman Graham were invited to stay at Mandela’s home on the country’s Western Cape for a vacation of sorts. “I was at first very intimidated,” Winfrey said of the event during our 2012 interview.

Unsure of what to talk about with the legendary Mandela for such a long stay, she probed Graham for input. His advice to a woman arguably more used to holding court: “Why don’t you try listening?”

For those 10 days Winfrey and the former South African president swapped stories, exchanged ideas and passed newspaper sections back and forth. When the topic turned to poverty, Winfrey spoke up. It was a subject she knew something about.

Growing up in Kosciusko, Miss., Winfrey’s childhood wasn’t far removed from the average South African. She lived on a farm without indoor plumbing and watched her grandmother, who largely raised her, hand-wash her clothes. At 9 she was raped by a cousin; at 14 she gave birth to a son, who died after childbirth.

Her way out came in the form of a federal program that gained her access to a rich suburban school, where she was one of only a handful of African-Americans. Each day she bounced between a home of poverty and a classroom of possibilities. Here she discovered a knack for public speaking and debate, which earned her a part-time radio gig and, later, a scholarship to Tennessee State University.

When she started making real money-millions, then billions, from her eponymous talk show and subsequent media empire-she vowed to pay for other poor black kids to go to college. And she has: To date she’s shelled out well over $400 million toward educational causes, including more than 400 scholarships to Atlanta’s Morehouse College.

Sitting on the floor at Mandela’s house, in thrall to her hero and saddened as he described the state of schooling in his country, she vowed to take her giving a step further. She pledged $10 million toward a South African school then and there. “When you go to Nelson Mandela’s house, what do you take?”
she said, half-joking, of her gift that day. “You can’t bring a candle. I wanted to leave something that would be of value.”

When the school officially opened in January 2007, Winfrey’s celebrity friends including Diane Sawyer and Tina Turner flew in to see the magnificent campus and meet the inaugural classes of girls, many of whom are now at top U.S. universities including Wellesley and Mount Holyoke.

But the guest of honour? Winfrey’s inspiration, Madiba, of course.

Some extracts from a story published by
www.forbes.com

Practical tips for success in Africa

Mark Tunmer, CEO of financial services group Imara Holdings, tells us the secrets to the company's success. The BSE-listed company has a wide footprint in Africa.

What factors are driving the growth of your company at home and on the continent?
Our growth as a financial services group rooted in Africa is underpinned by a range of positive developments, including the growth rates achieved by many economies in sub-Saharan Africa, often above 5% a year, growing liberalisation of most  economies, the growth of the middle class, growing disposable incomes, growing demand for consumer goods and financial services, growing liquidity on some markets, growing share values, and the development of African institutional investors such as pension funds, insurance companies and asset management firms.

Another factor is growing awareness among ordinary Africans that provision has to be made for the future through savings, pension funds and other wealth-building instruments such as shares.
Growth can be quite dramatic. For example, in the year up to our fifth annual investor conference in Zimbabwe in early June the market capitalisation of Delta, Zimbabwe’s biggest brewer, rose from US$836-million to US$1.7-billion. Over the same period, the market capitalisation of the Econet telecoms group was up from US$677-million to US$1.1-billion. In the same period, the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange has registered gains of 39% in US dollars.

Gains of that magnitude indicate growing participation by equity investors in African listed companies and explain growing international investor interest in our markets.
Rates of growth and levels of sophistication vary tremendously across Africa. The South African and Zimbabwean stock exchanges have been in place for over 100 years while a stock market has only recently opened in Rwanda. Varying levels of development obviously affect the rate of growth of our own business and the prospects in individual markets.

What problems did you overcome to find success that you are enjoying in other African markets?
The fundamental challenge relates to education. At an individual level, it takes time to develop a proper understanding of the need to save and invest. Our offices in all markets engage in on-going shareholder education and commit to constant communication. At a corporate level, you do also confront a similar educational challenge. For a financial services business like Imara to grow, we need instruments in which to trade, meaning market liquidity has to grow.
For this to happen, more private companies need to list on the stock exchanges. However, family owners traditionally grow their businesses out of their own cash flow or borrow money from a bank. The alternative is to issue equity or raise cheaper long-term finance. This in turn means a commitment to transparency and full reporting to shareholders or new partners. This involves a seismic shift in the mindset of owners who might have held total control of their businesses for generations. It is a slow process. Patience is required. Education takes time.

Where do you see future growth for your company coming from, and how do you intend to leverage on these opportunities?
There are specific opportunities relating to developments in certain markets, for instance, the plan to open a stock market in Angola and, hopefully, the opening up of opportunities in financial services in Ethiopia. But, the strategic opportunity for future growth relates to macro-developments such as the realisation in many of the world’s financial centres that Africa represents the last great opportunity, from a low base, to achieve sizeable growth for decades to come. This realisation will tend to support the growth in foreign direct investment and in portfolio investment.

Clearly, oil and gas discoveries in East Africa and other parts of the continent will have sizeable impact, but we also see potential for substantial growth in the non-oil economy across sub-Saharan Africa. The growth of the African middle class will deliver knock-on benefits across the financial services industry as families save, contribute to pension funds or drive the continued growth of listed companies through growing demand for consumer goods and services.
We see this as a 20-year journey. Being well placed on the ground across Africa will enable Imara to identify opportunities at an early date and then offer appropriate solutions.

What do you look for when deciding which countries/markets to enter?
The criteria we use to decide which countries to enter differs from case to case. However, there are some common themes such as political stability and some evidence that government has launched programs to liberalise the economy or has made a firm statement of intent to begin the process of reform.
We also scrutinise the regulatory and legal framework within which we are expected to work. A key factor is the presence on the ground of good potential partners. The search for credible partners may take two to three years. We are firm believers in the need for deep understanding of local conditions and will not enter a market unless we have a strong local partner.

How do you compete and interact with foreign companies in Africa?
Our competitive advantage that has put us ahead of our foreign competitors is our presence on the ground. Every Imara professional, with only two exceptions, lives and works in Africa. Imara has direct representation in eight African countries and has strong links in another two through enduring relationships with local partners. Our researchers do not depend solely on desktop research. They take a bottom-up approach and speak regularly to the executives of African listed and unlisted companies. They visit factories, speak to the local banks and have first-hand knowledge of the markets they study. This level of understanding and our direct, local representation bestow a sizeable advantage versus foreign competitors.

What tips would you have for companies that are interested in the African market?
The need for patience cannot be stressed enough. Coming in as a total outsider can be challenging. Invest time in finding the right local partner.

You can’t achieve success from afar. A foreign investor looking to make a success of their investment should visit Africa, take time out to visit companies, speak to executives and local professionals and build a personal understanding of specific markets. Personal relationships count for a lot in Africa. You need to look people in the eye and make personal assessments for yourself.

Once you have developed better market understanding, commit to the long haul. Africa has boundless potential, but it will take time.IMARA is an investment banking and asset management group that operates in Angola, Botswana, South Africa and the UK.

By Nelly Nyagah, Frontier Market Network

Review: Lotus Evora’S Sports Racer

When you think of Formula 1 racing, heritage and Champions, there is one British name that tends to come to mind. This particular company comes from a small town in England called Norfolk. In the 60’s and 70’s when Grand Prix racing was a life threatening sport this team could be seen battling it out on circuits such as Spa Francorchamps, Zandvoort and the Hockenheimring for the world championships. If ever there was a David vs Goliaths scenario this was it. Larger Teams from europe with a considerable workforces and comfortable finances against a small home run firm with a handful of staff on a very tight budget.

Time and time again those British racing green cars in the 60’s then Black and Gold cars in the 70’s would be first to the Chequered flag taking numerous World championships from 1963 to 1978. Their secret was a combination of innovation, risk and determination, all led by the late Colin Chapman. Now, over forty years later and after some difficult times Lotus is having a resurgence not only in Formlua 1 but also with its road cars.

Victorious in the first race of the season (Australia) the British firm from Norfolk have risen to the challenge and produced The Lotus Evora S Sports Racer. Originally launched in 2009 Lotus have made over 150 changes to this car concentrating on quality for their customers inside and out.

What you get for a little under £67000 is a fully loaded, spectacular looking premium sports car, with performance to match.
It comes in either naturally aspirated or supercharged S versions, (the latter being the one to choose) and four new colours, Aspen White, Carbon Grey, Nightfall Blue and Ardent Red all highlighted by tastefully placed black trim. Extras also include a Sports pack (sharper throttle response for track days), a Tech pack (Upgraded stereo, multifunction USB connection and tyre pressure monitors) and an upgraded suede interior courtesy of a Premium Sport Pack.)
The Evora  is really very comfortable inside but you never forget that you are in a true Sports car in every sense of the word. Your seated slightly offset and the cabin is simple but functional. Dials are easy to read and controls adjust quite well but it doesn’t really have that familiar solid “German” feel to it. However, all becomes apparent when you fire up the 345bhp V6 Supercharged engine and set off. The ride is simply exquisite, excellent steering and great acceleration on track and on real roads very user friendly.

You realise that you are now driving a car which has had years of F1 experience designed into it and you are now putting all this to the test. A test which any real driver would agree to this car passing with flying colours. This is what Lotus stands for and it has raised the bar quite significantly with this model in all departments. However, by doing that it brings it directly into the firing line of those offerings from Stuttgart and Munich. No doubt the Evora S Sports racer is going to have some tough challenges ahead, but if you want a truly affordable supercar which will make you smile every time you look at it knowing that you have a real Formula 1 background then you need to look no further.
It’s very interesting to note that, in 2011 the Carabinieri in Rome, were looking to promote the city and themselves with an exceptional car which represented style, speed and head turning ability. The city was offered a variety of vehicles and it was expected that they would chose something home made. Guess what the Italians chose?…..A Lotus Evora!

Specifications

• Lotus Evora S Sports Racer


• Price £66,850 0-60 mph 4.6 secs Top speed 172mph Economy 29.3mpg (combined), CO2 229g/km, Kerb weight 1463kg, Engine V6 3456cc, supercharged, petrol. Power 345bhp at 7000rpm. Torque 295lb ft at 4500rpm. Gearbox 6 speed manual.

by Dr Charan Naidoo