America’s Silicon Valley is a combination of different factors all bought together in one place. It is a fearsome combination of experienced people, capital and ideas. Several attempts have been made to put in place in Africa the start-up and early stage capital required to create the funding end but they have in the past [...]

It’s becoming ever clearer thatentrepreneurship is the answer to the vexing economic questions facing Africa today: job creation, capital formation, skills acquisition, taxation-based self-sufficiency, quality of governance-demand, and of course social inclusion. But how has it actually evolved in Africa? Are there peculiar features of African entrepreneurship we may consider relevant to big global debates [...]

South Africa’s decline in the Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index (GEDI) is a major cause for concern, said analysts. The country regarded as a powerhouse in Africa, slipped from 39th place in the 2011 GEDI to 45th in the 2012 index. The index measures entrepreneurial strengths and weaknesses of countries around the world. One of [...]

South Africa could play a key role in helping Africa to live up to its potential and attract the foreign direct investment (FDI) it needs to accelerate growth and development, said Michael Lalor, director of Ernst & Young’s Africa Business Centre, at a press briefing in Cape Town last week. “South Africa is uniquely well [...]

MXit has taken Africa by storm. Already the continent’s largest mobile social platform, the website this month sealed a partnership with software company Opera to make its presence even stronger. With a global user base of 44 million, MXit can be used on any of the major platforms – Microsoft Windows, Windows Mobile, Mac OS X, Android, iOS, [...]

A report by the world’s largest research company has revealed how brands are not connecting with consumers online, with many people resenting ‘big brands’ invading their timelines. The global study, the TNS Digital Life Survey 2011, says businesses are “wasting time and money” by not listening to what consumers want. Consumers in 60 countries were [...]

Africa holds unlimited potential for brands that value the power of strategic mobile marketing: With its 620 million mobile connections, Africa surpassed Latin America in September this year to become the second largest mobile market after Asia Pacific. I recently attended the ad:tech New York Digital Marketing Conference and here are some insights from the [...]

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on Monday urged South African business to take up the opportunities outlined in the 2030 National Development Plan released last week. Addressing the Business Unity South Africa (Busa) annual general meeting on Monday, Gordhan said there were significant changes taking place around the world and SA business must ensure it adapted. [...]