Thursday, May 1, 2014

New Africa Book of the Day - 1 May 2014

The Trans-Oceanic Marketing Channel: A New Tool for Understanding Tropical Africa's Export Agriculture by H. Laurens van der Laan

Release Date: May 1, 2014
Publisher: Routledge [Kindle Edition]


If you feel you have a disjointed, or unbalanced, view of the global system of demand and supply, you are probably correct. Most studies leave out a very important part of the system--the marketing channel. That is why Laurens van der Laan developed and wrote this book, The Trans-Oceanic Marketing Channel. To help you understand what happens to export crops, such as cocoa, coffee, cotton, groundnuts, tea, and tobacco, between their country of origin and consumer markets, this book analyzes the roles of different actors in trans-oceanic trade, inherent differences between world markets, export diversification policies, and the commercial and institutional forces at play.

The Trans-Oceanic Marketing Channel will give you a strong background in marketing channel concepts, and because of its focus on the exporter rather than on the government, it will provide you with an excellent model for microanalysis. As you read about the special features of trans-oceanic trade, you will also learn about:

- trade associations and their role in shaping world markets for trans-oceanic crops
- the uneasy relationship between exporters and shipping companies
- the selling conduct of agricultural exporters in Africa
- the tendency of actors in Africa to accelerate the trans-oceanic product flow
- the effectiveness of export marketing boards as channel leaders
- private enterprise, the chief agent of development
- the theory of “exporter preference”

The Trans-Oceanic Marketing Channel invites policymakers, international businessmen, professors, and students to examine the opportunities, problems, and policies that confront the various players in trans-oceanic trade, especially the exporters. As the book discusses the divergent institutional arrangements in the world markets for agricultural products and their differential effect on African exports, you will become keenly aware of how vertical marketing systems differ from conventional marketing channels. No other book brings together the three fundamental sections of export agriculture, the country of production, the channel through which the products flow, and the country of destination, to provide you with a complete understanding of trans-oceanic marketing.

H. Laurens van der Laan is author of Dutch Enterprise in Colonial Africa: Some Notes and Comments (2003) and The Ambivalent Relationship Between Agricultural Cooperatives and the Marketing Board ONCPB (1988).


Africa News Headlines for 1 May 2014

Africa: homophobia is a legacy of colonialism
Source: The Guardian

Africa set to gain $3bn infrastructure fund
Source: Financial Times

Public Health a Major Priority in African Nations
Source: Pew Research Global Attitudes Project

Beautiful dew-collection tower could help resolve water crisis in Africa
Source: The Weather Network

African Sugar Producers: Smuggling a Major Problem
Source: Voice of America

Tanzania Launches First Ever Private Equity Fund
Source: Ventures Africa

Gabon: Strong Government Support for Developing Telecom Sector Through 'Digital Gabon' Plan
Source: Digital Journal

Dos Santos meets African ambassadors in Vatican City
Source: Star Africa

Airtel Gabon to invest USD 125 mln in expansion
Source: Telecompaper

MSF: West, Central Africa Lagging in HIV Care
Source: Voice of America

South Africa’s townships - a magnet for entrepreneurs
Source: BBC News

Nigeria's "African Davos" will focus minds on problems, as well as potential
Source: Reuters

Chinese premier’s Africa tour set to promote China-Africa relations
Source: Xinhua

Mohammed "Mo" Dewji, Youngest Member On Africa Richest List Launches Beverage Line - "Mo COLA"
Source: Forbes

New U.S. Trade Offices in Africa Will Support New Opportunities
Source: IIP Digital

Remarks at Embassy Addis Ababa and the U.S. Mission to the African Union
Source: U.S. Department of State

Remarks at the U.S.-African Union High-Level Dialogue
Source: U.S. Department of State

President Uhuru Kenyatta asks EAC members to prepare to adopt single currency
Source: Standard Digital

President Barrack Obama and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, have 21 striking Similarities
Source: Bubblews

"A Song for Naija" Documentary Premieres
Source: International Republican Institute

Africa Experts Debate Legacy of Rwanda’s Genocide
Source: Diplomatic Pouch


Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Africa News Headlines for 30 April 2014


Chinese premier to visit Africa in May
Source: Xinhua

Ethiopia's Investments in Family Planning
Source: U.S. Department of State

Nigeria’s quest for new markets for crude oil yielding result
Source: Business Day

Assmang to buy Gabon iron ore stake
Source: BDLive

2014 Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship
Source: The African Executive

A “Soft Approach” to Nigeria’s Boko Haram
Source: Africa in Transition

Stop Muzzling the Press in East Africa
Source: Huffington Post Canada

East African states adopt common anti-terrorism strategy
Source: Standard Digital

Famine fears in S. Sudan; but leaders unconcerned
Source: Washington Post/AP

Gabon regulator to raid markets for illicit phones
Source: Telecompaper


Tuesday, April 29, 2014

New Africa Book of the Day - 29 April 2014

Combating Corruption: Legal Approaches to Supporting Good Governance and Integrity in Africa by John Hatchard

Release Date: April 28, 2014
Publisher: Edward Elgar

Drawing on numerous recent examples of good and bad practice from around the continent, this insightful volume explores the legal issues involved in developing and enhancing good governance and accountability within African states, as well as addressing the need for other states worldwide to demonstrate the 'transnational political will' to support these efforts.

John Hatchard considers the need for good governance, accountability and integrity in both the public and private sector. He studies how these issues are reflected in both the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. The book demonstrates that despite the vast majority of African states being party to these conventions, in practice, many of them continue to experience problems of bad governance, corporate bribery and the looting of state assets. It explores how the 'art of persuasion' can help develop the necessary political will through which to address these challenges at both the national and transnational levels.

This unique and influential book will be of worldwide interest to those studying law, politics or business, as well as legal practitioners, policymakers, senior public officials, parliamentarians, law reformers, civil society organizations and the corporate sector.
John Hatchard is co-author (with Tunde I. Ogowewo) of Tackling the Unconstitutional Overthrow of Democracies: Emerging Trends in the Commonwealth (2003) and (with Colin Nicholls, Timothy Daniel, and Alan Bacarese) of Corruption and Misuse of Public Office (2011).


Africa News Headlines for 29 April 2014

Differences over future of Tanzania's union government cloud jubilee anniversary
Source: Sabahi

DRC is Afreximbank’s newest member
Source: Star Africa

Dos Santos on European charm offensive
Source: SAPA

Rwanda: RwandAir Express starts flight to Cameroon
Source: African Manager

Erykah Badu under fire for singing to Swazi King
Source: Mail & Guardian

Cameroon Signs Deal To Build First Tramway
Source: Ventures Africa

South Africa: The ANC monolith cracks
Source: Socialist Worker

Hydro-rich Guinea seeks firms to operate state-owned utility
Source: HydroWorld

Africa cheated of billions annually
Source: New Vision

SOMALIA: Defense Minister tours Sudanese military facilities, asks military support
Source: RBC Radio

UW Lab School Plans Africa Event Thursday
Source: UW News

Why the dangerous new turn for piracy matters
Source: CNN

Electrification in Africa, a question of credit to pay for it
Source: Oman Daily Observer

Climate change to intensify important African weather systems, Stanford scientists say
Source: Stanford News

Uganda says planning tougher law limiting gay sex, foreign NGOs
Source: Reuters

Giant South African 3D printer prints another printer
Source: htxt.africa

Editorial: Is Africa’s Luxury Market As Promising As it Seems?
Source: AFK Insider

President Uhuru Kenyatta signs Kenya polygamy law
Source: BBC News

South Sudan’s Kiir warns against imported solutions for African problems
Source: Sudan Tribune




ASMEA Sets April 30 Deadline for Papers and Panels

The Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) has set Wednesday, April 30, as the deadline for submission of papers and panel ideas for its seventh annual conference, scheduled to take place October 30 and November 1, 2014, in Arlington, Virginia.

In an email to members, conference planners said:
ASMEA is currently seeking proposals for paper and panel presentations for the Seventh Annual Conference. Members from any discipline, tenured or untenured faculty, or those otherwise affiliated with a recognized research institution, may submit proposals to present at the Conference. Unique proposals from senior graduate students (ABD) will also be considered. Proposals on topics related to the Middle East and Africa should consist of a one-page outline of new and unpublished research. A recent C.V. with all contact data also must be included with name, e-mail, phone number, and affiliation.
The email noted separate links for panel proposals and a call for papers.

In addition to sponsoring its annual conference, ASMEA publishes the Journal of the Middle East and Africa and books, such as Political Islam from Muhammad to Ahmadinejad: Defenders, Detractors, and Definitions by Joseph Morrison Skelly.




New Africa Book of the Day - 28 April 2014

Modernization as Spectacle in Africa, edited by Peter J. Bloom, Stephan F. Miescher, and Takyiwaa Manuh

Release Date: May 1, 2014
Publisher: Indiana University Press

For postcolonial Africa, modernization was seen as a necessary outcome of the struggle for independence and as crucial to the success of its newly established states. Since then, the rhetoric of modernization has pervaded policy, culture, and development, lending a kind of political theatricality to nationalist framings of modernization and Africans’ perceptions of their place in the global economy. These 15 essays address governance, production, and social life; the role of media; and the discourse surrounding large-scale development projects, revealing modernization's deep effects on the expressive culture of Africa.

Peter J. Bloom is author of French Colonial Documentary: Mythologies of Humanitarianism
(2008). Stephan F. Miescher is author of Making Men in Ghana (2005). Takyiwaa Manuh is author of At Home in the World? International Migration and Development in Contemporary Ghana and West Africa (2005).



Monday, April 28, 2014

Africa News Headlines for 28 April 2014

Columbus Zoo to open new Africa exhibit in May
Source: Sandusky Register

Africa on the way to realising 4.4pc growth in agriculture
Source: KBC

President unveils bronze bust of Nelson Mandela as South Africa marks 20 years of democracy
Source: Fox News

Mauritius leads Africa in using ICT for development – WEF
Source: Human IPO

Seychelles is Africa’s second best ICT nation
Source: Star Africa

Single visa for African countries in the works
Source: TTG Asia

Japan aims to help address African food crisis by training farmers in the region
Source: Japan Daily Press

Sub-Saharan Africans underemployed: IMF
Source: News Day

China set to play bigger role in Africa trade
Source: Shanghai Daily

AU accused of failing to act over S.Sudan violence
Source: Capital FM

Website traffic explosion in South Africa
Source: mybroadband

Developing a regional trade market in East Africa is vital to U.S. political and economic security
Source: U.S. News & World Report

Africa needs investment not aid, says Equity boss
Source: Capital FM

EU increases funding for Ebola in West Africa
Source: Business Day

Military Decline Calls South Africa's Regional Leadership into Question
Source: World Politics Review

South Africa keen to host BRICS Development Bank
Source: Odisha Sun Times

‘Little Africa’ in India
Source: Bangkok Post

"Is there any hope for Africa?"
Source: Somaliland Press



Sunday, April 27, 2014

New Africa Book of the Day - 27 April 2014

The Rise and Fall of Philanthropy in East Africa: The Asian Contribution by Robert G. Gregory

Release Date: April 30, 2014
Publisher: Transaction Publishers

Robert G. Gregory challenges the apparent assumption that non-Western peoples lack a significant indigenous philanthropic culture. Focusing on the large South Asian community in East Africa, he relates how, over a century, they built a philanthropic culture of great magnitude, and how it finally collapsed under the ascendency of increasing state regulation and policies directed against non-African communities.

Compelled by poverty to seek better oppurtunities overseas, most Asians arrived in East Africa as peasant farmers. Denied access to productive land and sensing economic opportunity, they turned to business. Despite severe forms of racial discrimination in the colonial society, they suffered few restrictions on their business enterprises and some became very wealthy. Gregory’s historical analysis shows philanthropy as an important contribution, one that stemmed from deep roots in Hindu, Muslim, and Buddhist culture. The sense of nonracial social responsibility cultivated social, medical, and educational facilities designed for all.

This age of philanthropy terminated with the Asian exodus. The socialist and racial policies adopted by East African governments over the past few decades have virtually destroyed the foundation necessary for philanthropy as well as the distinct Asian cultural identity. Gregory’s account of the East Asian’s role in philanthropy deserves great attention and sober reflection.
Robert G. Gregory, professor of history emeritus at Syracuse University, has also written India and East Africa: History of Race Relations within the British Empire, 1890-1939 (1972), South Asians in East Africa: An Economic and Social History, 1890-1980 (1993), and A guide to daily correspondence of the Coast, Rift Valley, Central, and Northeastern Provinces: Kenya National Archives microfilm (1984).