Eurozone Industrial output rises 2.1% on Ireland Surge

Eurozone industrial production grew at its highest rate in more than six years during January, driven by a sharp increase in output from Ireland.

Production rose by 2.1% across the 19-member euro area, reversing negative readings in December and November. 

It is the highest monthly rise since September 2009, when monthly output jumped 2.3%.

Ghanaian Fisheries industry ready to expand – Minister

Ms. Hanny Sherry Ayittey, Deputy Minister in charge of Fisheries and Aquaculture says a major breakthrough has been made in the fisheries industry to expand production and combat illegal, unprotected and unregulated fishing in the country.

 

To that end, she said the fisheries amendment regulation (LI 2217) 2015 had been reviewed to give meaning to the fisheries amendment Act 2014, (Act 880) for the two amendments to help regulate the fishing industry.

DRAMA: NBC's live production of 'The Wiz' had plenty of magic and a ton of soul

This trip to Oz had plenty of magic and a ton of soul.

Lead by newcomer Shanice Williams as Dorothy and a cast of A-listers including Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, Ne-Yo, Common, Elijah Kelley and Uzo Aduba, NBC's live production of "The Wiz" was a fun and funky roll down the yellow brick road that delivered the goods straight from other side of the rainbow.

South Africa remains a springboard for new firms spreading wings

SINCE the discovery of vast mineral wealth at the end of the 19th century, SA has provided fertile ground for many world-class companies that have grown into formidable global players, both in Africa and around the world.

One need look no further than SABMiller, Aspen Pharmacare, MTN, Old Mutual, Bidvest, Remgro, BHP Billiton, Steinhoff and Anglo American to find companies with solid roots in SA that are now well-known names on the global stage.

At first, SA’s relatively small size in the context of the global economy was enough to encourage many South African companies to turn their attention to seemingly greener pastures offshore to further their growth ambitions. More recently, headwinds arising from the local macroeconomic, political and labour environment have provided extra impetus to South African companies’ desire for international expansion. The reasons are numerous, but include decreasing local confidence owing to lower-than-expected economic growth, regulatory uncertainty, a weakening of the rand against most major currencies, along with a perception that its decline will continue unabated, and the desire of most shareholders to seek diversification and offshore earnings.

 

According to the latest South African Reserve Bank data (second quarter of this year), outward-bound foreign direct investment increased, and inbound foreign direct investing decreased on a quarterly basis.

This is not surprising given that South African real gross domestic product is expected to grow at less than 2% in the near term, while myriad structural and economic issues hamper business growth and development. Management teams are heeding the sentiments of their investor bases, which favour companies with meaningful offshore exposure, a fact supported by the high market ratings for companies with successful offshore expansion strategies.

Nigeria- Lagos Factory Import Bars spook Manufacturers

LAGOS— Sachets of freshly packaged tomato paste roll off the conveyor belts at the Vital Products factory in Lagos 24 hours a day. But those belts will soon grind to a halt, according to factory owner Sanjeev Kapoor, who says a new policy effectively restricting the import of goods including tomato concentrate, means he will run out of raw materials in less than two months. "I will have to shut the factory when my concentrate runs out and put 440 people out of a job," says Kapoor.

Workers arrange beef sticks at the Zambian company Zambeef’s production plant in Lekki-Ajah outside Lagos. A new policy restricting the import of goods has put the future of numerous manufacturing firms in doubt. Picture: REUTERS/AKINTUNDE AKINLEYE

The local vendors who supply him with cartons, labels, salt and chemicals will also lose out.
As part of a plan to conserve dwindling foreign exchange reserves, Nigeria’s central bank in June began denying the use of foreign exchange from the domestic market for importers seeking to buy certain goods including "raw materials" such as tomato concentrate and glass.

Coffee production drop to 62% of sub-Saharan African's output

graphy for coffe consumption

You saw it last year with oil: When prices began to fall, Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest exporter, ramped up production to protect its market share, instead of going the conventional way and holding back production to drive prices back up.
Now the same scenario is unfolding in the coffee market – coffee futures fell the most in seven months after Colombia announced that it would increase exports in the face of low global prices, to protect local farmers’ earnings.
The ongoing El-Nino drought in South America has lowered the quality of Colombian coffee, the third-largest producer after Brazil and Vietnam, and Colombia is trying to sell off as much as it can of the remaining good harvest.

Marketing: Ruggedman Unveiled Water Drink......

Singer, Ruggedman, is gradually growing from an entertainer he is to becoming a vast entrepreneur with smart plans of owing an empire some day.

 

 

Launching his clothing line some months back and releasing a new single on Nigeria’s Independence day celebration, the singer is not slowing down in his quest to ensure that his brand cuts across everyone.

Nigeria Manufacturing Investment Drops N1.3trn

The crisis in Nigeria’s manufacturing sector showed its biting ugly head last year, as new investments in different areas of the sector went down massively by N1.31 trillion.

According to the latest economic review released by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), investments in the ten broad industries of the manufacturing sector nosedived from N2.07 trillion in 2013 to N691.81 billion in 2014, representing a 65.4 percent drop.

 

The new investments were made in land and building, plants and machinery, furniture and equipment, motor vehicle and in assets under construction, MAN says.

Two key factors responsible for this crash are a continuing tougher investment environment and the fever characterising the 2014 general election, which pulled back investors from the economy.

Asda pledges to pay supplier 28per a litre

The chain says it will commit to paying 28p per litre for 100% of its liquid milk throughout its entire range.

It is less than the 30-32p farmers estimate it costs to produce each litre but the farming union welcomed it.

 

Asda's announcement comes after protests by dairy farmers at branches of Asda, Morrisons, Lidl and Aldi over the price they are paid for their milk.

Nigerians Coca-Cola Consumption goes high as Sales surge offset Russia woes---

Shares in Coca-Cola HBC AG to surged yesterday ,after the second-largest bottler of Coke products said strong sales in Nigeria, Romania and Ukraine were more than making up for its struggles in Russia, the company’s biggest market reports Bloomberg.

While revenue at the Switzerland-based distributor fell 1 percent in the first half of 2015 because of currency effects, net income increased 31.7 percent to 125 million euros ($139 million), the company said in a statement Thursday. Sales volume rose 3.8 percent.

 

Joint-Ventur Partnership in Local production of milk Receives Boost

A joint-venture agreement to build the expertise in the local production of milk has been formalised in Kumasi.

This led to the signing of a pact between the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Peak Investment Capital (PIC), a Social Enterprise and Investment Fund committed to capacity-building.

The company, working in collaboration with some international organisations, would assist the University, Ghana’s premier science and technology institution, to boost its research capacity to engender innovations and development of new products within the diary production line.

Food and Agricultural Organisation troubles over Fall in Maize Growth

The Food and Agriculture Organisation on Thursday expressed concern over growing shortfall in maize grown in sub-Saharan Africa as well as poor production in other food in insecure hotspots.

 

In a statement in Rome, FAO said prospects for rice production in Asia and India had also deteriorated.

Stallion to produce 1.5m tons of rice

Stallion Group, one of the companies with investment in the Nigerian rice industry said it had intensified efforts in expanding its operations in the country’s fully integrated rice value chain.

 

The company in a press statement stated that it was leveraging on the policy impetus provided by the federal government’s agricultural transformation agenda, and had already increased the local production to 430,000 metric tonnes per annum.