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STUDY ABROAD OPTIONS
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AFRICA.COM SOLD TO US INVESTMENT GROUP AND CLOSED Africa web portal africa.com
(and its URL) has been sold to a US based investment group.
The company has decided to terminate the site and all related
services at the end of January 2001. The site will actually just
be made ‘dark’ and put into storage until they
decide what to do with it. Content providers were offered
one of two options: leave their material up (in the hope
that the site will resurface) or have it removed by the end of the
month. They are reported to be looking for potential buyers.
According to the stats from Alexa it was among the top 20,000
websites worldwide. As probably one of the most desirable
African URLs, there must be a suspicion that the buyer is
speculating that there will be someone interested in just the
URL itself. SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES IT COMPANY A merger between the information
technology divisions of Denel, Eskom and Transnet saw the
launch of arivia.kom on Monday. The establishment of this new
state-owned IT company comes as part of government’s overall restructuring
programme and broader IT and telecommunications policies. OECD URGES RICH TO CLOSE DIGITAL GAP WITH POOR OECD (Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development) Secretary-General Donald Johnston
urged rich nations on Tuesday to play a more active role
in helping poor countries improve their access to digital technologies
to boost commerce and investment. Johnston told the opening session
of a two-day OECD Emerging Markets Economy Forum on Electronic Commerce
in Dubai that the gap in information technology between developing and
developed countries, has doubled in the past three years. "Not
only is the world unsustainable in the long run with billions
of people condemned to poverty, but expanded trade and investment
opportunities for OECD members will depend upon sustainable
economic growth and social stability in every region of
the globe," he said. "‘One might call this enlightened self-interest,"
he added. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
chief said that in October the number of Internet hosts to population
was higher in North America than in Africa by 540-1, double the ratio
in 1997. Transcript of Johnston’s
OECD speech: (source: Andy Carvin, Benton Foundation) NORTEL NETWORKS INVESTS IN EGYPT Nortel Networks has launched Nortel Networks Egypt at a ceremony with Dr Ahmed Nazif, Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information. The newly formed company plans to recruit more than 70 people, implement a large investment program, and become a central hub in the development of the Internet business in Egypt, the Middle East and North Africa. "We’re investing heavily and leveraging the global resources of Nortel Networks to bring a new, high-performance Internet to Egypt," said Tim Watkins, president, International Markets, Nortel Networks. "The launch of Nortel Networks Egypt is an important step for us, allowing us to further strengthen our presence in Egypt and to build new relationships with key players in the region." Nortel Networks is establishing Cairo as a regional business hub supporting the phenomenal growth of the telecommunications sector in the Middle East and North Africa region. Nortel Networks will recruit locally, including sales and customer care professionals from both technical and commercial disciplines, and will expand to meet demand as the level of business continues to grow in the region. Nortel Networks is building
on an already successful relationship with Telecom Egypt,
which plans to deliver high-performance Internet solutions to businesses
and residential customers in Egypt. Nortel Networks is currently implementing
a significant public switching voice network with 22 digital switches,
and is working to deliver a series of wireless, optical and data solutions. (source: Alan Levin) SOUTH AFRICA’S CHRISTMAS BUYERS SHOPPED TILL THEY DROPPED VIA THE WEB Internet shopping began to
take off in South Africa over the Christmas period, according
to initial reports from e- tailers. For example, some 700 people
used the McCarthy group’s Megashopper site during December
-- 40% up on normal monthly levels—while wine retailer
Cybercellar reported a 250% increase in business. Ironically,
this upturn in South African e-business coincides with reports
of a slowdown in investment in the industry in the EU. A
survey of some 400 European firms found that investment in business-to-business
applications fell 42% last year, while the number of firms
that had no plans to increase such business rose from 32% to
60%. According to a survey by Acuity Media Africa, South
African shoppers spent R20 million online over the 2000
holiday period. An Ernst & Young report
on the state of the global online retail industry suggests
that South African e-tailers could prosper if they adapt to several key
patterns emerging in the online retail industry. SOME OF BIDDERS FOR MALAWI’S TELCO NAMED Fifteen firms have been shortlisted
as possible buyers for a 30% stake in Malawi’s state-owned
telecoms company. The privatisation commission intends to
name the selected strategic partner in May; prequalifying bidders
include Germany’s Detecon, Mobile Systems International
of the Netherlands, Telecom Consultants India, Telekom Malaysia,
Telcom Mauritius and South Africa’s Telkom, in which
Telekom Malaysia has a 12% stake.
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This page last updated on January 28 2004.
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