Blog
Financial and insurance activities
Manufacturing Leads Growth
Dear WOW User The South African economy pulled itself out of its second recession since 1994 in the third quarter of 2018 with a quarter on quarter GDP growth of 2.2% with contributions from the following sectors; Manufacturing – 7.5% Agriculture – 6.5% Transport – 5.7% Trade – 3.2% Finance – 2.3% State – 1.5% Personal Services – 0.7% Of the 12 industries research by Who Owns Whom in December 2018 and January 2019 six where in the high performing manufacturing sector; The Confectionery Industry South Africa has a sweet tooth with the chocolate market valued at approximately R6.4bn and sugar confectionery at between R12.5bn and R13.5bn.
Egypt
Egypt Snapshot
Egypt’s economy grew 5.3% in the fiscal year to June 2018 from 4.2% in 2017 as the country continued its recovery through painful years of reforms, largely prompted by conditions of a US$12bn International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan. The 2016 floating of the Egyptian pound saw it immediately devalue by 50%, while inflation soared and import prices became prohibitive. At the same time, the government introduced value-added tax and withdrew fuel and food subsidies.
Democratic Republic of the Congo'
Democratic Republic of Congo Snapshot
The December 30 2018 election in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which was widely acknowledged to have been rigged, declared Felix Tshisekedi as the winner over Martin Fayulu, who got the most votes. It is understood that Tshisekedi’s election was the result of a deal made with former president Joseph Kabila, whose rule since 2001 was characterised by conflict, corruption, authoritarian rule and human rights abuses.
Other service activitiesSouth Africa
Advocacy: A Call for Disclosure of Beneficial Owners
Who Owns Whom Managing Director Andrew McGregor calls on South African citizenry to join those in Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria who are holding their governments accountable for rising state debt....
Guinea
Guinea Snapshot
Guinea’s mining industry has been one of the main drivers of its economic growth and of the significant increase in mineral exports from the West Africa region. West African countries exported US$16.1bn of minerals in 2017, 26.3% more than in the previous year, largely due to the large increase in exports from Guinea, whose mining sector continues to grow apace.
Electricity gas steam and air conditioning supply
Smart Cities
Readers of London’s Daily Telegraph may have rated Cape Town the greatest city on earth, but the city does not rank in the world’s top 50 smart cities, where New York, London, Paris, Tokyo and Reykjavik rank in the top five. While there are multiple definitions of what makes a smart city, and technology is obviously a key factor, there does seem to be consensus on a number of contributing factors, notably the high standard of quality of life for its citizens, including safety, mobility, services and cultural and environmental factors.
Eswatini
Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) Snapshot
The new prime minister of the Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) has been quick to announce a raft of austerity measures and a fight against corruption in the economically-depressed country. Prime minister Ambrose Dlamini, formerly the head of MTN’s operations in the country, was appointed by King Mswati in late October, soon after September elections, where political parties are not allowed. Dlamini’s appointment was followed by the appointment of six royal family members to the House of Assembly and eight to the Senate, according to reports.
South Africa
The European Union Commits to Fixed Direct Investment in South Africa
There seems to be a refreshing revival of trade relations under president Cyril Ramaphosa, who recently said at the economic summit in Brussels that the European Union (EU) was an ally in fighting poverty and inequality and growing the South African economy.