Savings in Africa is a huge cultural problem. In a lot of ways, the continent is only beginning to understand the implications of debt and how to manage it. Unfortunately, while the banks have been quick to extend easy credit, we have been less inclined to educate people around the importance of savings.

If we don’t develop this savings culture, Africa is likely to consistently be a ‘poor’ continent always depending on outside investment and external economics to keep us afloat.

Contact : Joyce Ho
Email : joyce.h@unistrategic.com with subject code of “EA-MH”
Tel : 65 68259674
Web : http://www.unistrategic.com/index.php/component/option,com_eventlist/Itemid,4/did,128/func,details/

Event Brief : The Energy Auditing workshop presents a vital opportunity for professionals involved in Energy Management to learn effective and decisive ways to enhance and improvise the energy usage of buildings, plants and factories. This highly interactive workshop is a must to discover the latest practical approach and success stories for assessing energy end-use efficiency of all concerned systems and equipment. This advanced training course will offer practitioners the opportunity to learn more on the latest methods for improving efficiency, identifying promising new solutions and evaluating feasibility while estimating actual savings.

Should you have any questions in the meantime please do not hesitate to contact me directly at joyce.h@unistrategic.com or at +65 6825 9674.

But has the programme stalled?

I had an interesting chat with a banker on Friday who was telling me that while the big banks (Specifically Standard, Absa and FirstRand) all have their headquarters in Johannesburg - some are starting to look outside of JHB for some of their upmarket divisions / boutiques…

The two reasons for this are simple:

- Clients don’t want to come and see them in JHB
- Top quality staff don’t want to drive in and out of the city centre each day

Investment bankers are very much an upper end skills set and it was something I hadn’t really given much thought to. If all of your competitors are offering offices in Sandton and you are competing for the same staff, but they have to battle taxis, one way streets and crowded streets - where are they likely to go?!

I’d be interested to know what our readers think, because in my experiences over the last year or so centre of Joburg is a hell of a lot better. It’s probably not the best place to get around in, but general accessibility and business vibe seems to be better.

Agree? Disagree? Uncertain?

Read the complete article here

Read the complete article here.

Presented by leading labour consultant Ivan Israelstam, the Changes and Dangers seminars provide delegates with both formal training and informal discussion time to debate practical examples of the challenges they face within their own organisations.

Target audience: Small Business owners, labour lawyers and HR management teams

Presenter: Ivan Israelstam
When: 26 September 2008
Where: Greenside, Gauteng
Time: 09:00 – 15:00
Cost: R975 excl. VAT and includes lunch, tea and coffee

Topics to be covered include:
· Discipline and dismissal – the hidden dangers
· Changes in retrenchment law
· Contract workers
· Lie detector testing
· Dealing with alcohol abuse at the workplace
· When can employers deduct money owing to them from employee salaries?
· Vicarious liability – when you are liable for your employee’s actions
· Pre-recruitment checks
· Default judgements
· Unfair discrimination
· Dismissal of strikers
· Moving the takeover law goalposts
· How to maximize your right to representation at the CCMA
· Dealing comprehensively with the changes and dangers in labour law

About the presenter:
Ivan Israelstam is widely recognised as one of South Africa’s leading HR and Industrial relations consultants. His experience and insight in dealing with a variety of labour related issues have put him in demand as a leading presenter of seminars and as a consultant for HR teams for businesses. He has been widely published in both trade and mainstream media where he has written insightful industry comment.

For further information please contact Marc Ashton on 082-561-1585 or e-mail  sales at rival.co.za

In the interim we have begun displaying some of their Safety, Health, Environmental and Quality related news and information on our site here.

We are aware of the display problem with Internet Explorer 7 and are in the process of rectifying it.

For further information please do not hesitate to contact Marc Ashton on 082-561-1585 or e-mail  marc at rival.co.za

Kind regards,
Marc Ashton
Managing Editor

And the best part of it - we’ll even pay for it (Admittedly not very well but hopefully as the traffic grows we can take it from there).

We woudl like to invite you to circulate amongst your friends and professional colleagues that we have a SMALL writing budget that we would like to try and utilise for ManufacturingHub.co.za (www.manufacturinghub.co.za).

If you believe you have a topic that would be applicable to professionals in the SA Food, Pharmaceutical, Chemical / Biotechnology communities then by all means please either drop me a brief or suggestion and we can take it from there.

We are looking for some content that is fresh and sharp and maybe a little provocative (in a targeted way!). The idea is to now really step up this resource to get South Africans recognising ManufacturingHub.co.za as the premier online industrial resource for the SA Food, Pharmaceutical, Chemical and Cosmetic Manufacturing industries.

Details as below:

Marc Ashton - Managing Editor

www.manufacturinghub.co.za
marc@rival.co.za

Facebook group - http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7654433017

Also spread the word about this group and try and build it a bit so we can expend the SA science community a bit online.

Regards,
Marc Ashton

For delegates

    * Close examination of private equity in the African continent – North Africa and SADC focus
    * Debt capital markets – where are the best opportunities?
    * Successful LP’s and GP’s relationship – looking at the good, the bad and the ugly
    * Making private equity investments flexible for institutional investors
    * Exit strategies in emerging markets – investigating their strengths and weaknesses
    * Investing in mid-cap market – clarifying the value proposition
    * New role of venture capital in South Africa

An outstanding marketing solution
Private Equity World Africa 2008 is an unrivalled and cost effective marketing solution that offers many advantages to a select group of sponsors, and then brings you face-to-face with your customers and prospects.

For further information click here.

The fund recently had its first close at R330-million, with initial investments from the insurance industry and development finance institutions such as the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) through the Risk Capital Facility - a fund established by the European Community and the government of South Africa and managed by the IDC - and the US-based Kellogg Foundation. The fund is open to other investors until May 2009.

Pieter Kriel, chief executive of Sanlam Private Equity, said that agribusiness is the mainstay of the economy in most sub-Saharan countries. “On average the gross domestic products in sub-Saharan Africa have grown between six and seven percent in the past three years and the number of democracies has more than doubled since 1999. The resultant effect is that these countries offer exceptional opportunities for investors.”

The fund will look at businesses which offer value-added components along the agri-business value chain.  “We will not invest in farms, but rather in the processing and marketing of farming outputs such as food, certain beverages and fibre products. By following the route of expanding the industry, it will ultimately create new growth opportunities for existing and emerging farmers. In addition, Agri-Vie’s mandate includes investment into ecotourism in the context of integrated rural development,” said Kriel.

Emile du Toit, the divisional executive for private equity at DBSA said, “Agribusiness is an important contributor to economic growth in the region and is poised for significant expansion. Given the significant lack of equity risk capital to finance agribusiness transactions, the DBSA’s participation in this fund allows it to play a catalytic role in developing financial infrastructure to provide access to much needed long-term risk capital in this critical sector.”

Du Toit added that sustainable investment in agriculture can make a significant contribution to socio-economic development, in keeping with DBSA’s development mandate. “I believe that several countries on the continent have comparative advantages in agriculture, which provide a logical base for economic growth.”

Agri-Vie investors have appointed an active management structure, led by Herman Marais of Strategy Partners, which comprises members from Sanlam Private Equity and a women-led agricultural investment group, Makotulo Agricultural Company, among others.

Marais said that Agri-Vie is a true business partner for agribusiness entrepreneurs. “The fund contributes risk capital and management know-how to fully unlock the potential of businesses.”

He said, “Over and above the opportunities associated with the prevailing global food and commodities cycle, there is growing demand globally for various African exports such as organically grown vegetables, fruit and flowers, processed natural fibre for industrial applications as well as natural supplements and health products. However, there are numerous existing agri-enterprises across the African continent which are not performing to their potential - mainly as a result of lack of access to capital, limited market knowledge and infrastructure limitations.  

“Agri-Vie aims to be a catalyst to unlock this potential to the advantage of the enterprises concerned, their host communities and the fund’s investors. Agri-Vie believes that sustainable development is best brought about by the disciplines of investment rather than aid grants.”

Kriel said that the fund had a strong empowerment focus. “Our involvement was partly spurred by the Financial Sector Charter which designates agri as an area of ‘targeted investment’. Both Sanlam Private Equity and Strategy Partners truly believe in the business and investment potential of agribusiness in South Africa and on the continent and are delighted to be playing a role in realising it. The South African portion of the fund was started with the express purpose of empowering agri-businesses and playing a key catalyst role for BEE in the agribusiness sector.”

Agribusiness women such as Ntombi Msimang and Jean Davidson are among the directors of the Makotulo Consortium. Kate Moloto, a shareholder in Agri-Vie’s investment management structure, says “Women are far behind with regard to participation as owners and managers in agribusiness. Through Agri-Vie, we intend to make a meaningful contribution to empowering women in this sector.”

Marais said the fund had found a niche in Africa and was already experiencing healthy transaction flow. “We have had significant interest from international investors and have formed a parallel structure to the South African portion of the fund – a separate entity domiciled in Mauritius which is focused on investment in sub-Saharan countries outside of South Africa. We are already evaluating more than 20 possible investments in South Africa and the Mauritius structure of the fund is looking at a similar number in countries such as Botswana, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.”