African Trade Hub

How is the current economic climate affecting the food and beverage industry? What are some steps your organisation can take to overcome some of the challenges? These are some of the questions that will be answered by André Rosslee, General Manager of Manufacturing at ABSA Bank, when he addresses the upcoming Food and Beverage “African Conference”, which takes place at Africa’s Big Seven (AB7) from 20 to 22 July at Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand.

The latest figures published by Statistics South Africa show a sharp decline of 5.3% in the total income for the food and beverage sector in March 2009, compared to March 2008. Nevertheless some sectors of the industry have shown growth – such as takeaway and fast food outlets, as well as restaurants and coffee shops. Rosslee’s presentation will highlight which industries are most likely to be affected by the slowdown, whilst outlining practical ways to overcome obstacles.

“It is definitely not business as usual,” says Rosslee. “2009 has already presented us with challenges that most business owners have never experienced before”. He believes that optimising efficiency is a key priority if profit levels are to be sustained and urges businesses to assess their financial and operational strategies.

In addition, Rosslee suggests that owners and operators carefully consider the “controllable” factors within their organisations, in order to build more resilient and sustainable businesses. “In doing so you will better withstand the onslaughts we are currently experiencing,” he concludes.

Other topics that will be addressed during the two-day conference include:

• “Analysing the Amendments to the Agricultural Product Standards Act and How They Impact Your Day-to-day Processes” by Billy Makhafola, Assistant Director of the Food Safety and Quality Assurance Directorate, Department of Agriculture;
• “Analysing the Impact of Street Vendors on the Food Industry and the Role that They Play in Ensuring Food Safety for Consumers” by Dr. Aubrey Parsons, Scientist at Nimue Skin Technology;
• “Ensuring the Safety of Incoming Ingredients” by  Rolf Uys, Manager of AIB International; and,
• “Chemical and Microbiological Food Scares: What Lessons Have We Learnt?” by Dr. Lucia Anelich, Manager of Food and Safety Initiative, Consumer Goods Council.

The Food and Beverage ‘African Conference’ is the only one of its kind - addressing challenges from the “farm to fork” and from the “can to coaster”. The Conference caters for the entire food and beverage markets.

AB7 is the largest expo of its kind in Africa. 2009 Sees exhibiting companies from 35 different countries. “It’s the only trade event on the continent that provides a platform and facilitates wide-ranging business opportunities, networking possibilities and the chance to gain international recognition for your goods and services”, says John Thomson, Managing Director of Exhibition Management Services (EMS), organisers of the event. AB7 showcases products and services from fresh and produced foods, to speciality foods and beverages, from export to import, as well as retail manufacturing processes.

The seven co-located events to be found at AB7 are: Agri-Food - Manufacturers and Producers Expo; Pan Africa Retail Trade exhibition; FoodTech Africa - International Food and Beverage Trade Fair; Interbake Africa – Baking Ingredients, Processes and Equipment; IFMA - International Fair for the Meat Industries of Africa, FoodBiz – Food, Service and Equipment; and Retail Solutions.

(Sponsors: GiftDay. Buy floral gifts, Carrol Boyes and experience gifts online! Click Here)

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Specialised Exhibitions, organisers of various innovative exhibitions throughout Africa, has announced that it has entered into a joint venture with Imago Communications, organisers of the leading B2B events for the ICT market in the UK, to bring their award winning IP Expo brand to the South African market. IP Africa ’09 will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre from 30 September to 1 October.

Specialised Exhibitions chief operating officer Gary Corin says IP Africa ’09 will change the face of ICT expos in South Africa forever. “The market for IP Networking is growing rapidly. The biggest challenge for network providers is not developing relevant products and services, it is the art of reaching the right customers. Like every event organised by us, IP Africa ’09 is extremely focused and offers exhibitors a unique opportunity to meet such an audience easily.”

IP Africa ‘09 is the most comprehensive event covering the four key areas of Mobility & Wireless, Unified Communications, Virtualisation and the underlying Network Infrastructure & Security. It is designed and targeted at CIO’s and decision makers investing in technology and solutions that deliver true enterprise flexibility. The show will feature over 60 education sessions presented by industry experts, providing education and information on all of the latest trends and developments around convergence.

Corin says the event is different to any other exhibition ever held on the African continent and its success has been proven abroad. “The format is based on the UK model through which the entire event packaging yields a better return on investment, it is more conference driven and includes meeting modules to allow for one-on-one interaction.”

At the heart of IP Africa ’09 is the Education Seminar programme with four theatres covering key convergence themes. It is designed for business and IT professionals involved in implementing converged IP network solutions. Industry experts will provide visitors with guidance on the essentials of converged IP networking and customer case studies will help them identify the best practical solutions by providing an insight into how leading commercial organisations and Government are addressing convergence.

Topics will include what Unified Communications can deliver to the enterprise, the Return on Investment model and how it can be sold to the wider business, key Unified Communications applications, how these solutions are being deployed, the benefits they deliver, and the role of Unified Communications in a collaborative business.

With virtualisation being the buzzword at the moment, it is often used to refer to a wide variety of technologies covering platform-, server-, application-, desktop- and network virtualisation. Industry thought leaders will paint a picture of what virtualisation entails and how organisations can benefit by reducing costs, creating business agility and delivering business process automation. They will also share their views of the future for this strategically important area of IT.

Cloud computing is also becoming an alternative and companies are fast starting to realise the benefits of bursting into the cloud as they require additional resources. Visitors can learn how not to make huge upfront investments in excess capacity to cater for peak periods.

Corin says convergence brings an unprecedented focus on the network as a critical business platform and the implications are immense. “The Network Infrastructure Theatre will explain what IP and convergence really mean and will focus on the future network. A series of expert presentations will help customers find the right combination of infrastructure, networks and devices essential for successful corporate deployment.”

“Network Infrastructure customers are increasingly looking beyond their wire line-dominated worlds and wanting to take their voice, data and video requirements with them. Through a series of expert presentations, the Wireless & Mobility Theatre highlights the practical steps organisations should take. It shows how suppliers can effect valuable transformational change through the delivery of advanced wireless devices, networks and mobility services,” he concludes.

For more information visit www.ipafricaexpo.co.za or call (011) 835-1565.

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Expanding therapeutic areas are creating significant opportunities for growth within the Kenyan pharmaceutical industry. Although infectious diseases are still responsible for the largest burden of disease in Kenya, non-communicable diseases are becoming a major problem, with the incidence of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer increasing rapidly.

Read the complete article here.

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For those who don’t know, Bundublog is under new management and they are looking to establish themselves as one of the top free blogging platforms in Africa.

The site is inviting bloggers from across Africa to post their experiences and use the social media tools offered by the site to promote trade on the continent.

Bundublog is also offering bloggers the chance to win R1000 for the best new blog.

So get blogging!

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First National Bank (FNB) the proud sponsor of Africa’s second contemporary art fair to be held in Johannesburg promises to be an electromagnetic experience as it exhibits a wide selection of creative individuals from across the country and continent.

The South African art market is indeed following world trends, as South African paintings have been realizing fabulous prices. The art market is booming on a global level and South Africa is no exception. In 2007, Bonhams of London established their first-ever auction solely devoted to South African art. It saw over $2,000,000 worth of art being auctioned and included works by major South African artists.

The FNB Joburg Art Fair boasts one of the largest art collections in the African continent. With over 25 galleries covering 5000 square meters, audiences can expect an array of extravagant pieces of art from across the African continent including South Africa.

“A whooping R30 million worth of art was sold at the fair in 2008 and this is expected to increase dramatically this year as more galleries will participate in this year’s event” says Ross Douglass director at Artlogic.

The success of the fair lies in its ability to give buyers a single point of access that will provide a range of galleries that have credentials and expertise to profile top artists and can also see a cross-section of work in a short space of time.

“South Africa plans to establish itself as an essential stopover on the global contemporary art buying calendar,” says Francois Piennaar head of sponsorships at FNB.

The fair will also include eight special projects and 33 artist talks. Tumelo Mosaka a South African who has accolades internally from Brooklyn museum has been assigned to lead the event. Art on show will range in price from R1000 to 5 million.

The Joburg art fair will take place at the Sandton Convention centre from the 3 to the 5 of April 2009.

FNB believes in promoting and establishing African art as a strong contender within the international arena.

(Sponsors: GiftDay. Buy floral gifts, Carrol Boyes and experience gifts online! Click Here)

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