DJ Cuppy Wraps Tour In South Africa

DJ Cuppy

DJ Cuppy's eight nation 'Cuppy Takes Africa' tour has reached its final destination in Johannesburg, South Africa after a month long successful campaign.

The daughter of oil mogul, Femi Otedola and her tour journeyed from city to city in a tireless bid to share the eclectic sounds of African nations with the indigenes.

At the kick off tour which held at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, dignitaries who graced the occasion include Edo state Governor, Adams Oshiomole, President Dangote group, Aliko Dangote, former governor of Cross River state, Donald Duke and Business mogul, Femi Otedola who also doubles as father of Dj Cuppy.

The event which was attended by music lovers, fashion creative, business moguls was filled with fanfare as DJ Cuppy thrilled the audience with her magic fingers on set.

The concert organized to appreciate DJs and Producers in the music industry also featured DJ Neo, DJ Nana, Leriq, DJ Olu, Spellz, DJ Obi, Ikon, DJ Caise, Young John Lil Kesh, Pheelz, legendary Beatz, DJ Hazan, DJ Dollar, D Black, DJ D Urban Boyz, Navio, DJ Crisio, Emmy G and Da Les completing eight packed performances in Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and finally at Club Harem, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Other side attractions of the tour were choreographies and an electrifying blend of native/international music. A special tribute was also played on video to appreciate the support of Dangote Foundation, which sponsored the charity visits to schools and orphanages across these countries encouraging them to chase their dreams and pursue an education.

The final charitable activity features a visit to Dimphonyana (Little Gifts of Home) Orphange Johannesburg, which caters to children from pre-school age up until their teenage years.

Related

Source: DJ Cuppy Wraps Tour In South Africa

Irregular policies hurting Kenya, South Africa trade, says CS

Kenya says it is still discussing with South Africa for an urgent solution to address irregular policies which government officials admit are hurting trade between the two countries.

On Friday, Foreign Affairs CS Amina Mohamed told an audience in Johannesburg that a uniform set of rules on immigration and trade for the two countries is being discussed which, once agreed, could improve on their commercial links.

It was an admission that despite South Africa lessening some of its visa conditions on Kenyans last month, the rules are still stringent.

"Some have been partially addressed but they remain squarely on the table," she told a gathering of businesspeople in Sandton Johannesburg, where the Kenyan High Commission in Pretoria is hosting the Kenya Trade and Investment Summit

"Even here much more needs to be done. We must finally agree to a bilateral standard regime applicable to the two countries," she added, according to a statement from the Ministry.

Ms Mohamed is in South Africa with Acting Transport CS James Macharia and Energy PS Joseph Njoroge.

The two are meeting Kenyan and South African businesspeople in the latest bid to woe investors to Kenya with a slogan that Kenya is now a preferred choice.

Ms Mohamed encouraged South African investors to expand their ventures in Kenya saying that the country has now become a better destination for foreign direct investments, having risen from Sh49.9 billion in 2013 to Sh97.8 billion last year.

But irregular levies on goods, hygienic requirements and tough immigration laws are the impediments. Last month, South Africa agreed to to reduce visa application fees for Kenyans from the usual Sh6800 to Sh4700.

The agreement signed by Immigration Department chief Gordon Kihalangwa and South Africa's Deputy Director of South African Immigration Services Jackie McKay also tackled transit visa, single entry visa, business, medical and student visas, change of immigration status for Kenyans in South Africa, visa application fees and travel arrangements for government officials.

One of the changes in the agreement was issuance of full-duration visas to students, waiving visa requirements for Kenyans transiting through South Africa to its neighbours.

However, Kenyans will still have to apply for visas the same way, meet all the other financial conditions, apply through a third party firm VFS Global, and wait for a visa within five working days.

Though the agreement talked of further discussions on waiving visa requirements for government officials as well as unconditional multi-entry visas, the issues are expected to be addressed over time.

On Friday, Ms Mohamed said those talks will be sped up as leaders of both countries acknowledge the need for a solution especially on trade barriers.

"I assure our respective business communities that the bilateral Joint Trade Committee (JTC) will continue to address outstanding issues so as to enhance trade between Kenya and South Africa," said the Cabinet Secretary.

Total trade between Kenya and South Africa increased from US$506 million (Sh50 billion) in 2008 to US$700 million (Sh70 billion) in 2014, according to the Foreign ministry which also handles international trade.

It favours South Africa. Kenyan traders have often complained that their exports to South Africa have faced numerous tariff barriers and levies, which they claim have impeded their goods from accessing the South African market.

Kenya and South Africa signed a Joint Commission and Cooperation in October 2007 to address some of the issues, but solutions have taken long.

Source: Irregular policies hurting Kenya, South Africa trade, says CS

European Refugee Crisis 2015: Why So Many People Are Fleeing The Middle East And North Africa

Scenes of desperation and chaos at a train station in Hungary's capital city of Budapest continued Thursday as refugees hoped they would be allowed to continue their journey to Western Europe. As pressure mounts in Europe for leaders to find a solution to the crisis, here's a breakdown of where refugees continue to arrive from and what options are on the table for the European Union.

Where Are The Refugees Coming From?

Conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa have contributed heavily to the refugee crisis. The United Nations reported that war in Syria and Iraq, as well as continuing violence and instability in Afghanistan and Eritrea, have driven the crisis. While some politicians have said that economic migrants make up the majority of those arriving, in reality the majority are refugees fleeing Syria, Eritrea and Afghanistan. That number does not account for refugees from Iraq, Nigeria and other countries.

The Syrian civil war that has raged since 2011 has displaced more than 4 million people, according to the UN refugee agency. "This is the biggest refugee population from a single conflict in a generation," António Guterres, the U.N.'s high commissioner for refugees, said. Neighboring countries such as Turkey and Lebanon have taken in Syrian refugees, but camps there remain overpopulated, forcing those people to continue their journey.

A refugee carries a child as they arrive on the shores of the Greek island Lesbos in an inflatable dingy after traveling across the Aegean Sea from from Turkey, Sept. 3, 2015.  ANGELOS TZORTZINIS/AFP/Getty Images

The poor human rights situation in Eritrea has been described by the UN as "systematic" and "widespread," with some of the violations committed under the government's authority as potentially constituting crimes against humanity. The UN said the current situation in Eritrea has driven refugees to flee. "It is not surprising to us that these days a large proportion of those crossing the Mediterranean and using other irregular routes to reach Europe are Eritreans," Sheila B. Keetharuth, the U.N.'s special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, said.

Why Is Europe The Destination?

Proximity to the conflicts in the Middle East and Africa have made Europe the preferred destination. Europe's relative economic stability has also made it the most attractive option for refugees fleeing nearby regions.

While North American countries have expanded their commitments to take in refugees from Syria, the numbers still remain relatively low. The U.S. said it will take in approximately 8,000 Syrian refugees in 2016, fewer than the number the U.N. initially proposed. Canada has said it will aid up to 11,300 Syrian refugees by the end of 2017.

Why Is Europe Having A Hard Time Dealing With The Crisis?

The EU has yet to come up with a unionwide policy solution, as countries are worried about the economic impact a large influx of refugees could have. Individual states have made their own decisions about how to deal with the situation, which has caused confusion and led to name-calling among leaders. Under the EU's Dublin regulation, refugees were supposed to apply for asylum in the first country they entered. However, this rule has largely been ignored in the current crisis.

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel has stepped up this week, calling for a quota system to be implemented across the EU that would allow for a more even distribution of the number of refugees each state took, with each country's size and economic strength taken into consideration. Germany has said it expects to take in 800,000 refugees this year. However, Central and Eastern European states have opposed that proposal, and British Prime Minister David Cameron rejected a plan for the UK to take in 10,000 more refugees. Cameron argued that countries needed to focus on finding solutions to the conflicts that have caused the crisis.

"We agree that the commission should define safe countries of origin, that European countries should join forces to help Italy and Greece open registration centers, and that those who have no right to stay go back to their countries of origin," Merkel said, making clear that a definitive distinction must be drawn between refugees fleeing war zones and economic migrants looking for a better life.

Meetings between EU leaders were expected to continue this week with a meeting of ministers from all 28 states scheduled for Sept. 14.

Source: European Refugee Crisis 2015: Why So Many People Are Fleeing The Middle East And North Africa

Crackdown fuels migration crisis within Africa | Reuters

DAKAR Papa Demba Sow left Senegal two years ago hoping to make a better life in the oil-rich central African country of Gabon but in July he was arrested by police, thrown in jail for a month and deported along with hundreds of other Africans.

The plight of African migrants struggling to reach Europe, alongside thousands fleeing violence in the Middle East, has stirred international alarm this year, with hundreds dying at sea on the perilous Mediterranean crossing.

But the majority of Africans who emigrate remain within Africa.

Yet, amid rising concerns over the spread of Islamist militant groups on the continent and several economies hit by a slump in commodities prices, some African nations are clamping down on those migration flows.

Gabon, whose oil reserves have given its 1.5 million people amongst the highest per-capita income in Africa, has long been a magnet for migrants from countries like Senegal, an arid West African state with a tradition of emigration dating back decades.

Sow, a 33-year-old welder, went to Gabon to join family members already living there but said it had become extremely hard to obtain residency. Police officers harassed African immigrants on the streets of the coastal capital Libreville until they were paid off, he said.

In detention, more than 300 migrants were packed into a few rooms, with many forced to sleep on the floor. Breakfast was a slice of bread, with a plate of rice and fish for dinner.

"They treated us really bad, like dogs or sheep," said Sow.

It is becoming a familiar story as many African countries seek to close their doors to mass migration, removing a pressure gauge for poverty and unemployment within the region.

With European Union and African heads of state due to meet in Malta in November to discuss the Mediterranean migration crisis, experts say any solution needs to address the lack of economic possibilities in sub-Saharan Africa.

"The situation is changing. Some African countries are becoming less flexible in accepting migrants," said Michele Bombassei, the International Migration Organization's (IOM) Migrant Assistance Specialist for West Africa.

"What's happening right now in the Mediterranean is just the last step of a long, long process that, in many cases started here, in West Africa."

'SCARED FOR THEIR NATIONS'

The IOM does not have overall figures for migrant expulsions in Africa. Yet the small, oil-rich nations of the Gulf of Guinea - traditionally a destination for migrants from across West and Central Africa - have clamped down hard.

Amnesty International has documented thousands of deportations by Republic of Congo. The foreigners, many of them from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, were often simply put on pirogues and shipped across the Congo river to Kinshasa.

Nearby oil-rich Equatorial Guinea deported hundreds of people in the wake of the African Nations Cup football tournament this year.

Even in South Africa, the continent's most developed economy, many economic migrants fled an outbreak of xenophobic attacks this year by residents afraid foreigners are taking their jobs. At least seven people were killed.

North African oil producer Algeria has deported more than 3,700 migrants to Niger this year, mostly women and children who came to beg on the streets, as part of a bilateral agreement between Algiers and Niamey intended to curb illegal immigration.

Cameroon, Niger and Chad have also deported thousands of people in the face of terrorist attacks within their borders by Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram.

Sory Kaba, who heads the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' department for Senegalese abroad, said the rise of militant groups such as Boko Haram had fed xenophobia and deportations.

"They are scared for their own nations," said Kaba. "That's why they make it more difficult to enter and they make it more difficult to stay."

'POLICIES ARE WATCHING US'

In Republic of Congo, Abdoulaye Ehiaw, the president of the Association of Senegalese Youth, has lived in the country for six years. He said the expulsions of migrants had slowed in recent months.

"It's better but in any case, Congo's domestic politics are still focused on us," said Ehiaw.

An Amnesty report in May said the security operation, dubbed "Mbata ya Bakolo" or "slap of the elders" in Lingala, was ostensibly meant to target criminals but became an excuse for mass expulsions. Amnesty said police destroyed property, extorted money and raped women and girls.

A second phase of the operation was launched in May, targeting West Africans in Pointe-Noire, Congo's oil hub and second-largest city. Police said that month they had arrested 1,150 people, primarily from West Africa and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Alain Roy, Amnesty's deputy regional campaigns director, said such deportations had shattered lives and exacerbated poverty, exposing the limits of pan-Africanism.

"We're certainly concerned to see the same kind of attitudes (in Africa) that we have seen around the world and in Europe -- where whole societies see migrants or refugees as 'others', as people who are not deserving humane treatment," he said.

"You have Africans treating Africans poorly. We have seen... xenophobia, racism, discrimination."

Mamadou Ka, a shopkeeper in Gabon who had been deported to Senegal, agreed. "We are all Africans...It is necessary to have a policy of integration, of free circulation."

(Editing by Daniel Flynn and Anna Willard)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.

Source: Crackdown fuels migration crisis within Africa | Reuters

Majid Al Futtaim opens new retail destination in UAE

Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), is set to launch its sixth City Centre mall in the UAE, and twelfth in the region - the City Centre Me'aisem.

Named for its location in the Me'aisem area of International Media Production Zone (IMPZ) in Dubai, the mall is strategically situated in the growth corridor of Dubai near the intersection of Al Khail Road and Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road, said a statement from the Dubai retailer.

City Centre Me'aisem has been built on 325,000 sq ft area at an investment of Dh275 million ($75 million). It comprises 23,850 sq m of gross leasable area and is spread on a one-level mall featuring contemporary world-class design, sustainability measures, accessibility and premium finish.

Announcing the launch, Maryam Ahli, the mall manager of City Centre Me'aisem, said: "The doors of the lifestyle destination are now open, ready to welcome and serve an anticipated four million visitors in its first year and more than 11 surrounding communities."

The new City Centre Me'aisem features more than 53 retail outlets including the UAE's 22nd Carrefour hypermarket, the 19th Magic Planet in the Middle East for a rewarding family adventure, and a range of fashion and lifestyle brands such as Centrepoint, H&M, Max and Sun & Sand Sports, and the initiator of the chocolate gifting concept: Patchi.

Some other brands will also be making their debut in the UAE like 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria, Cath Kidston and GRK Fresh Greek with this launch, she noted.

City Centre Me'aisem offers a line-up of casual dining options and cafes that feature outdoor landscaped seating areas, as well as various service providers including banking, beauty salons, fi tness and a mobile operator.

Majid Al Futtaim is developing retail and entertainment destinations which are tailored to the needs of specific markets and communities. City Centre Me'aisem will offer a quick, accessible and personal retail experience, meeting the needs of the increasing urbanisation, and consumers' changing notion of convenience, said Ahli.

The facility will also be home to Majid Al Futtaim's second City Centre Clinic in Dubai, to address the wellness needs of residents and families living in the surrounding communities. In celebration of its expansion, City Centre Clinic Me'aisem will offer complimentary GP and Pediatric consultations in the first two weeks of opening.

"The opening of the Carrefour Hypermarket is an important milestone for Majid Al Futtaim, as it fulfils a growing demand for high quality, affordable convenience shopping in a fast developing community, bringing its unique product offering to a whole new customer base," she added.

Connected to two of Dubai's major highways, the mall will serve several residential areas and communities such as Victory Heights, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Jumeirah Village Circle, Jumeirah Village Triangle, Motor City, Sports City, Emirates Living, Jebel Ali Race Course, Barsha South, Dubai Investment Park and Arabian Ranches, representing approximately 105,000 residents.-TradeArabia News Service

Source: Majid Al Futtaim opens new retail destination in UAE

Kenya spoilt for choice as business and tourism conferences surges this year

NAIROBI: Kenya is quickly making a name for itself as a competitive destination for business conferencing. This position has been further boosted by the country's recent ranking in Fortune magazine as one of the top seven investment destinations in developing markets due to its political stability and sound macroeconomic management. The country beat Nigeria and South Africa.

And following the success of July's Global Entrepreneurship Summit, the country has lined up several more high-profile meetings and conferences.

"The reducing cost of doing business and stable macroeconomic environment continue to give out the clear signal that Kenya is ready to do business with the world," Industrialisation and Enterprise Development Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohamed said, commenting on the ranking.

He added that the Government has been working on an ambitious programme to address the challenges in doing business, and has set up a delivery team to ensure the country develops into a world-class investment destination.

FOREIGN POLICY

But already, the efforts made so far are beginning to reap fruit. Kenya is set to be the first African country to host the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) next year, after Gambia dropped its bid to host the conference, leaving Kenya as the only contender.

TICAD is held every five years and is a major pillar of Japan's foreign policy in Africa. The first four of the conferences were held in Tokyo, and the fifth was in Yokohama, Japan.

The World Trade Organisation's 10th Ministerial Conference (MC10) will also be held in Mombasa in December, and is projected to inject Sh6 billion into the economy. The meeting is intended to create an enabling environment for African governments to effectively negotiate and possibly establish a new platform for future trade discussions.

Kenya will host the World Public Relations Forum and the Skal International Congress in 2015, the latter of which will also be held in Mombasa next year and is expected to bring together about 1,500 travel and tourism professionals.

The country has already hosted the Broadcast, Film and Music Africa Conference and International Fashion Fair 2015, while other trade exhibitions expected the last quarter of the year, and which will bring in international delegates, include the Kenya Tradex, Kenya Foodex, Kenya Buildex and Africa Travel Association Conference.

Source: Kenya spoilt for choice as business and tourism conferences surges this year

Apparel prospects to stay strong

Bangladesh will remain the top garment sourcing destination for global retailers at least for the next five years, and buyers will continue increasing purchase from the country, McKinsey & Company said in a report.

During the period, the country's garment exports will grow 7-9 percent year-on-year, while India and Vietnam will be its nearest competitors, according to the survey report.

The survey was conducted among 40 chief purchasing officers (CPOs) of top 40 international garment retailers during January-February this year.

Some African countries are also coming up strongly in the global garment business, said McKinsey & Company, which is a global management consulting firm and serves leading businesses, governments, non-governmental organisations, and not-for-profits.

The respondents in the survey "Sourcing in a volatile world: The East Africa opportunity" cumulatively

purchased $70 billion worth of garment items worldwide in 2014.

"For international CPOs, Bangladesh remains the top future sourcing destination, as 48 percent of respondents put it in the top-3 up-and-coming sourcing markets," according to the report.

"Sixty-two percent of our respondents said they intended to increase their sourcing value from Bangladesh over the next five years."

Among top 10 sourcing destinations, Vietnam is in the second position as 33 percent respondents chose this country while, India, Myanmar and Turkey are in the third position as 30 percent respondents chose them as sourcing destination.

Twenty-three percent respondents chose China, 13 percent Ethiopia, 10 percent Indonesia, while 5 percent CPOs chose Egypt, Sri Lanka and Tunisia as the top 10 sourcing destinations.

"We must note that even these three top countries' combined export is only one-third of the dollar value coming from China currently. China remains the undisputed giant of garment exports, with eight times the dollar volume of exports than the number two Asian apparel sourcing country, Bangladesh."

Vietnam and India are tied for the third place, each exporting garments worth around $17 billion.

Despite high growth over recent years neither country poses a threat to China's dominance at the moment, as all are facing their individual challenges in terms of political stability, garment industry structure, or competitiveness.

Only over the longer term is China's manufacturing base expected to weaken due to macro-employment trends.

A recent report by the McKinsey Global Institute forecasts China's labour pool could shrink by one-fifth over the next 50 years.

But any trend that is expected to play out over 50 years is only just beginning to be visible in the distance, in 2015, the report said.

However, nearly three-quarters of the respondents said they expect to decrease their allocation to Chinese firms over the next five years, although export statistics do not reflect the statements of the CPOs.

Additionally, China is turning more and more of its apparel production capacity toward its own domestic market, serving its growing middle class.

"Though Chinese production of apparel has fallen since 2010, we believe the dominance of the global apparel-sourcing market, the mix change toward Chinese consumers, and the substantial size of its growing middle class, will keep China the apparel production powerhouse for the foreseeable future."

The survey found that many of China's garment makers are now looking to open facilities in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Myanmar, as well as in other promising countries.

The report said the African countries are attractive candidates to be the next China. Although African countries are not ready currently to take substantial volumes, analysis of population trends can point to potential contenders over the longer term.

Population trends point toward sub-Saharan Africa, as it is expected to enjoy the most energetic growth in working-age population anywhere over the next 20 years. By 2035, the working population in the region is expected to pull even with China today, the report said.

"While this is encouraging, we believe that sub-Saharan Africa must be understood at a granular level because the degree of each country's development and potential for garment exports differs."

When the CPOs were asked to assess the prospects for the importance of sub-Saharan Africa over the near term, they said they would be sourcing a greater share of their overall portfolio from the region in 2020 than they are in 2015.

Granted, the dollar volume exported to western markets at the moment is small, but if those figures are borne out, the sub-Saharan share could grow exponentially in the next five years.

Thirty-three US buyers noted the rising importance of sub-Saharan Africa for their own sourcing strategies, while only 11 percent of European CPOs agreed with the rise of African countries as sourcing destination.

Of the 28 CPOs already involved in sourcing from sub-Saharan countries, a bit more than half deal directly with local suppliers. Not quite 15 percent source via Asian suppliers' headquarters, and 32 percent source via agents.

The global export data from the World Trade Organisation shows the export value of clothing from the continent as a whole stood at $9.9 billion in 2013, but the majority of those exports came from the countries in North Africa, such as Morocco and Tunisia, rather than the sub-Saharan nations.

"If we examine the top-ten garment-exporting nations in sub-Saharan Africa, we see they collectively amount to only a 0.55 percent share of global apparel exports," McKinsey said.

However, many governments in the region are using legislation and incentives to leverage the textile and apparel industries as tools for the broader industrialisation and economic development for some of the least-developed countries in Africa.

Bangladesh will face further challenge in global apparel trade, particularly in the US, for the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) as 39 Africa countries have been enjoying duty benefit under the agreement.

Source: Apparel prospects to stay strong