tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796161243491414102012-01-06T11:23:23.522-05:00Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.comBlogger351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-4458600435597771192009-08-30T08:18:00.006-04:002009-08-30T13:02:14.886-04:00

As I watch the coverage of Senator Ted Kennedy's passing and burial, I hear the recurring theme of public service and I ask myself what public service really is and if our leaders are really public servants.My immediate thoughts are that public servants are a rare and few breed, if you will. When I think of public servants, I think of selfless individuals that are stewards of policy and services

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-414027092360546132009-08-02T22:02:00.003-04:002009-08-02T23:21:42.230-04:00

After a long Hiatus, I am back. A couple weeks ago africabusinesssource.com published my interview with Congressman Bobby Rush, who has started a new 'Africa Trade Caucus' in the US Congress. After hearing from Congressman Rush and his lead staffer on this initiative, Angelle Kwemo, I'm convinced that unlike other Caucuses, there are some teeth to this Caucus. Please do read the 3 page interview

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-30814297737146080172008-12-09T21:57:00.004-05:002008-12-09T22:08:00.165-05:00

Checking the numbers yesterday, I was suprised to see that more than 600 people read this blog last month. I thought there were just 4 of us reading it. Seeing that number obviously made me realize that I'd better publish more regularly to keep you coming back. Well the exact opposite is going to happen. We're getting ready to launch a new portal under the Diaspora Interactive Media umbrella, and

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-8552873970407101972008-12-01T00:14:00.003-05:002008-12-01T00:21:48.776-05:00

I'm shamelessly reposting the latest update on the NSE from Vanguard. That is the Nigerian Stock Exchange and not the Nairobi Stock Exchange. Things seem to still be in free fall in that market. Time to sell the kids Ferrari's and Bentley's. Buy them new ones when the price of oil goes back up. Just a little humor, hope no one takes offense. Heres an update from the Vanguard newspaper in

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-23049796431965096292008-11-09T18:09:00.001-05:002008-11-09T18:09:03.518-05:00

I have several posts on here about the Kenya BPO industry and have even spoken to some of the individuals profiled in this video. I have to say there is a degree of pride that comes from watching this video and seeing evidence of the efforts that are being made to ensure Kenya is a leading BPO industry leader. There is talk of a 10 year tax moratorium, cheap access to broadband, improved

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-72356024546514623772008-11-07T00:14:00.002-05:002008-11-08T05:03:52.237-05:00

The Africa platform works to create partnerships between the US and Africa to explore Ideas between entrepreneurs and investors. The focus seems to be on South Africa, but its a start for all of Africa. Enjoy the excerpts from African and US business leaders who spoke at the event. My favorite is filmaker Carol Pineaus comment that, 'if you really want to make money, go where noone else is

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-89410119991240346872008-10-26T19:45:00.003-04:002008-10-27T18:48:30.483-04:00

60 Minutes, A very popular American Investigative news show, just profiled Greg Carr, a former IT entrepreneur that was largely responsible for the creation of voicemail. Howeverm, the 60 mintues piece was solely about the work that Greg Carr is doing in Mozambique using $40 million dollars of his own money. Carr has made one of the largest individual commitments in the history of

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-20460420271877774872008-10-22T18:06:00.000-04:002008-10-22T18:13:13.833-04:00

By Samson Ntale in Uganda Three Sub-Saharan trading blocs have agreed on a memorandum of understanding spelling out their terms of cooperation and integration. The East African Community (EAC), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Common Market for East and Southern Africa (Comesa) announced the bold step, when they took the first major step to institutionalise their new-found unity.

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-41132556004213802192008-10-21T22:33:00.005-04:002008-10-21T22:57:08.359-04:00

No region has been immune to the effects of the global economic crisis and credit crunch. Yet, you rarely here American or European ministers mention Africa or include African governments in their search for a comprehensive solution.It's good to know that African governments and IFI's are not standing by leaving the African continent's economic fate to the West. I was happy to get a wire that

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-63207035556686789302008-10-20T22:19:00.004-04:002008-10-21T00:32:46.544-04:00

Prince Georges county has been dubbed, 'The richest black county' in America for several years now. It used to be home to tobaco farms and slave plantations in the 1800's, but this suburb of Washington, DC has evolved into 'home' for many Blacks that fall into the top 2 percentile of income level and people employed in executive positions. It's not uncommon to find multi-million dollar homes,

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-79363205927107115262008-10-18T13:33:00.003-04:002008-10-18T14:02:34.272-04:00

Kenya's ICT board announced yesterday that it plans use part of a credit from the International Development Agency (IDA), worth US$114.4 Million toward bandwith capacity support for their Business Process outsourcing industry. Most local BPO providers have had to close shop due to high bandwidth costs and have been waiting for a very long time for this subsidy that was supposed to keep them

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-42749471780039817362008-10-18T12:44:00.005-04:002008-10-18T13:30:05.750-04:00

It seems like the opportunities in Africa are more apparent now than ever, as people look for new opportunites, markets and ideas. One of our brands (http://www.jamati.com/) recently sponsored a Bar Camp in Silcon Valley at Google Headquarters dubbed BarcampAfrica. I wasn't able to attend, but was able to watch the first panel live on ustream.It was during that session that I first heard

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-1272461477670551802008-09-04T22:32:00.003-04:002008-09-04T22:55:15.650-04:00

Strathmoore University has been a leading Institution in East Africa for ICT related research and education. Starting tommorrow they will host their 9th annual ICT Conference, dubbed "ICT's Role towards a knowledge economy." Participants include academics, researchers, students, young professionals and industry experts. I've attached the agenda for anyone that's interested in attending.

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-79131068039933970632008-08-14T23:00:00.006-04:002008-08-14T23:17:33.604-04:00

Mobile phone technology has significantly changed the communications landscape in Africa. The ability to roll out mobile phone services without having to invest in expensive cabling infrastructure combined with massive inflows of private investment has seen Africa post spectacular increases in phone usage over the last decade. Africa is attracting investment from mobile-phone companies because

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-19980276133706807652008-07-06T04:38:00.005-04:002008-08-14T23:25:33.151-04:00

Sorry, this is long but there is a lot of exciting stuff happening in this space. I’ll start by saying, I believe 2009 and beyond should be coined ‘The ICT Era’ in Kenya. Especially since the government and citizens alike are hoping that the ushering in of a new competitive BPO sector will help to significantly reduce the over 40% unemployment rate. Success in this sector could create a ripple

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-9620878593272879732008-07-01T10:09:00.004-04:002008-07-01T10:34:48.970-04:00

First I'd like to apologize to anyone who actually came by this spot in June and found nothing fresh......June was a very busy month for me, but I'm back in full force and have I got some stuff for the faithful 2 people that read this blog:) I'm actually in Kenya now visiting family and getting a better view of the buisness landscape in this magnificent country of mine. It's been 8 years since I

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-43109862144110666302008-05-30T06:16:00.001-04:002008-05-30T06:25:48.311-04:00

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) has unveiled an ambitious plan to list top performing African companies on a common platform to be known as the African Board.The proposed board will consist of major African blue-chip companies with market capitalisation between $33 million (Sh2 billion) and $21.9 billion (Sh1.4 trillion).The JSE plans to start off the ambitious project with a dual listing

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-47357193292431616362008-05-12T10:59:00.000-04:002008-05-12T11:01:59.112-04:00

Strong growth in Africa's gross domestic product is expected to continue in 2008 and 2009, according to Louis Kasekende, the chief economist at the African Development Bank (ADB).He was speaking in Maputo at the launch on Sunday of the seventh edition of the "African Economic Outlook", a report on the health of the continent's economy compiled by the ADB, the United Nations Economic Commission

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-24445745768904938422008-04-29T00:46:00.001-04:002008-04-29T00:46:08.071-04:00

Africa is host to some of the best entrepreneural minds in the world. I'm happy see investment organizations like Legatum (http://www.legatum.com/unlockingafrica/) facilitate funding for the best ideas from bright people that will help economies by providing jobs, community investment and opportunities.It's also nice to see companies from the Middle East and Asia taking an active interest in

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-26140237228514111212008-04-29T00:44:00.001-04:002008-04-29T00:44:37.985-04:00

Africa is host to some of the best entrepreneural minds in the world. I'm happy see investment organizations like Legatum (http://www.legatum.com/unlockingafrica/) facilitate funding for the best ideas from bright people that will help economies by providing jobs, community investment and opportunities.It's also nice to see companies from the Middle East and Asia taking an active interest in

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-79218422596276135102008-04-25T18:18:00.001-04:002008-04-25T18:18:30.978-04:00

Kenyan entrepreneurs along with the Kenyan government are anxious about the possibilities that Business Process Outsourcing could bring to a country that suffers from almost 40% unemployment. Kenya has awarded an $82m undersea internet cable project to the French-American company Alcatel-Lucent.The fibre-optic cable will be the region's first submarine telecoms link to the rest of the world and

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-80042474373176924572008-04-25T18:06:00.001-04:002008-04-25T18:06:04.956-04:00

Business in Africa magazine is doing some amazing things with their brand. We need more summits like their African Business Leaders Summit, not only to garner strong concensus for what African governments need to do to facilitate private - public partnerships and intra African trade, but to improve networking opportunities with African entrepreneurs across the continent.

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-68890292328965312182008-04-24T21:26:00.001-04:002008-04-24T21:26:10.317-04:00

I have to say impressed with the increased interest in African equity markets by Africans. Traditionally, we've looked to the west for wealth. Well, judging from the Safaricom IPO in Kenya, it seems that we Africans are well on our way to investing in ourselves, as the rest of the world starts to see the value in these future lions.

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-15429250882328829102008-04-23T22:11:00.001-04:002008-04-23T22:11:23.378-04:00

Here is the 6 minute prevew of Africa Investment Horizons being launched this week on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-48404732526471972082008-04-23T22:08:00.001-04:002008-04-23T22:08:48.110-04:00

Carol Pineau is at it again. She's truly visionary in her approach. I can think of 10 people right off the top of my head that need to see this....If you have the slightest bit of curiousity about African markets and the future of the continent as fertile ground for investment should watch the whole video. I'll post the longer version right after this, in case you have the time.

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-40852145046846039642008-03-30T16:50:00.003-04:002008-03-30T18:32:01.857-04:00

The Top 30 under 30 is a brilliant initiative that seeks to recognize, reward and promote entrepreneurship among young people under the age of 30 in Africa. The first Awards are set to be presented on the21st of October in 2008 at the Tinapa Business Resort in Calabar. Winners will be selected by an interesting panel of judges including Koosum Kalyan (Chair of Judging Panel & Chairman, G8

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-34196242131062994342008-03-23T15:35:00.002-04:002008-03-23T15:53:26.403-04:00

New data released by many African countries have shown that the economy of the African continent is in its "healthiest" period in three decades, yet tough challenges still lie ahead for many African countries, analysts said.AFRICA'S HEALTHY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTAfrica is now "at its best period of sustainable development and low inflation," experts with the International Monetary Fund were quoted

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-21805720521055441512008-03-20T21:45:00.002-04:002008-03-20T21:53:53.133-04:00

On Thursday, February 28th, 2008, over 150 people gathered to support the sharing of ideas from African entrepreneurs who are at different phases of starting their journey towards entering new markets, growing their enterprises and creating jobs. The Consul General of South Africa in New York, Ms. Fikile Magubane´s opening address and letter of support from Mayor Bloomberg started an evening that

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-50150537904266532412008-03-19T23:44:00.003-04:002008-03-19T23:52:40.962-04:00

CNBC Africa, the continent's first 24-hour international business channel, has secured a terrestrial television distribution deal in Ghana, effectively delivering the channel's business news to a potential audience of five million viewers in and around the capital Accra.Company COO Gary Alfonso says the deal concluded with Kencity Media Group will give the network (channel 290 on DStv) a

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-15022826774626695852008-03-18T00:01:00.003-04:002008-03-18T00:11:29.936-04:00

Source: All Africa.comKenya’s education sector, beset by low university admissions, is weighing the possibility of exporting its services hoping to earn a significant fraction of the multi-billion shilling industry that higher learning has become.Proponents of the export idea reckon that if well managed, admitting a large number of foreign students in local universities could turn education into

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-85471673393229455152008-03-16T12:08:00.003-04:002008-03-16T12:12:42.682-04:00

Source: African Business MagazineIn 2006/7, global foreign direct investment flows reached a new record, registering around $1.3 trillion. Significantly, a new pattern has been emerging. Flows to the developing world are increasing and south-south investment is on the rise. In 2006, FDI inflows to Africa doubled since 2004 to around $39bn, a record in monetary terms despite a fall in percentage

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-29568828937999061702008-03-14T21:44:00.003-04:002008-03-14T21:49:56.649-04:00

Internet service giant iBurst Africa is expanding its operations in Ghana as part of its expansion in Africa.The company provides a wide-area mobile broadband technology offering a unique combination of high speed, wide range and high base-station capacity. The fourth-generation wireless technology has been available in Ghana since 2007, but the company has now extended its coverage to Tema,

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-15427175362437405832008-03-12T21:21:00.009-04:002008-03-12T21:56:25.826-04:00

Several years behind Asian Tigers like India and Malaysia, Outsourcing is now a red hot business opportunity in a few countries like Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. The technical capacity and experience of successful outsourcing firms in Kenya and Ghana is greatly improved. There are tax incentives in place in several countries and broadband is available to call centres with infrastructure

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-43731731662886070202008-03-10T23:11:00.007-04:002008-03-11T00:01:24.405-04:00

Not everyone is aware of how well Sao tome and Principe(STP) is positioned in the grand scheme of the African Lions. Yes, I said it. My prediction is that well managed oil producing countries in Africa, will be positioned for exponential growth in the next 5 years, giving them the 'African Lion' designation. Anyway, back to STP - The two obscure and rarely discussed islands have over the last

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279616124349141410.post-49231027435438970632008-03-09T01:51:00.007-05:002008-03-09T03:41:13.478-04:00

Over the last 2 years Google has been expanding its presence in Africa. Some think it’s to position itself in a market that has under5% market penetration and growth rates that average over 800%, but other experts see Google’s long-term strategy focus on the lucrative mobile phone industry in Africa. That industry boasts over 200 million phones in use with incredible growth prospects for the

Motarokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200601785443202031noreply@blogger.com0