Thursday, 13 June 2013

Is China the new Imperialist in Africa?

It happened in Zambia like it could happen elsewhere in Africa. Chinese investors made deals with the government to mine its natural resources, filling federal coffers with billions of dollars. Chinese immigrants moved into cities and rural towns. They started construction companies; opened copper, coal, and gem mines; and built hotels and restaurants, all providing new jobs. They set up schools and hospitals. But then instances of corruption, labor abuse, and criminal coverups began to set the relationship between the Chinese and the Africans aflame.

The Chinese have managed to accomplish at least one impressive thing in Africa—they have made everyone else uncomfortable. The Americans are uneasy, worried about (and perhaps jealous of) China’s rapid and profitable investments throughout the continent, and the developmental assistance

Chinese solar panel makers to build power station in Garissa.

Chinese solar panel makers may bulk up in Africa after China finishes building one of the biggest solar power stations on the continent.

Chinese solar panel makers will supply most of the 140 million US dollars (Kshs. 12 billion) needed to build a solar power station in Garissa, Kenya, according to state-owned China Jiangxi Corporation for International Economic and Technical Cooperation, the deal's coordinator.

The coordinating company said Wednesday that the project will serve as the base for China's biggest

Why Would Hackers Target Your Emails and Passwords?

Hackers are increasingly targeting small companies, planting malware that not only steals customer data and contact lists but also makes its way into the computer systems of other companies, such as vendors.
Hackers also might be more interested in your employees than you'd think. Are your workers relatively affluent? If so, chances are the hackers are way ahead of you and are either looking for a way into your company or are already inside, stealing employee data and passwords, which (as they well know) people tend to reuse for all their online accounts.

Your company is probably also vulnerable to being attacked through its partners. How much do you

5 Jobs in which Shy People could Excel.

So, you keep to yourself, and are introverted. Small talk. Schmoozing. Networking. Buzz words like these can send shy people into a panic.
The good news is that there are careers out there that don't necessarily require tons of chit-chat or after-hour networking.
Then, these careers are likely to be the best fit for you.

1. Accountant.
Sitting behind a computer crunching numbers isn’t exactly going to endear you many people, it is? Striking small talk in the loos with fellow colleague from the marketing department will most likely be a

Malaysia Government scholarships now Open.

Malaysia establishes First Lady of Kenya scholarship Fund - Nairobi June 11, 2013 PPS

Binary University of Management and Entrepreneurship of Malaysia has set up Binary-First Lady of Kenya Scholarship Fund to provide financial assistance to bright Kenyan students to pursue postgraduate courses.

The establishment of the Scholarship Fund is part of the initiatives by Kenya and Malaysia to further

SKA offers rare opportunity for African scientists to shine on a global scale.

The Square Kilometer Array- SKA project offers African scientists a rare opportunity to shine on a global scale. The project to be based in South Africa, will peek into the conditions of the universe, and attempt to verify how the universe came into existence. Thousands of radio telescopes will be spread around the desert parts of South Africa, eventually occupying a collecting area of one square kilometer. Parts of the telescopes will be built in eight African countries, including Namibia, Kenya, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique, Ghana, Mauritius, and Madagascar.

2013/2014 budget: Double digit growth looks far fetched.

One of the stated policies of the Kenyatta administration is to grow the economy by double digits. Indeed, for the Kenya Vision 2030 to be realized, the Kenyan economy will have to grow by 10 percent each year. Taking into account population growth, a growth anywhere below ten percent merely guarantees that the same standards of living will be maintained, since the additional growth will be erased by the increase in population. In the 2013/ 2014 budget, the sectors which would have contributed to the growth of the economy have not been given much attention.

2013/2014 budget: Public debt expected to increase.

The public debt will likely increase, as the government’s expected expenditure of 1.6 trillion shillings can barely be financed. One of the ways in which analysts expect the deficit to be plugged is to increase taxes of basic goods like tea, milk, and sugar, or borrow from the domestic market. Alternatively, the government could turn to external sources such as through donors and development partners. Under the Kibaki administration, public debt ballooned, but almost 95 percent of the budget was financed locally (excluding special projects such as free HIV/AIDS drugs undertaken by donors).

Cost of basic goods expected to increase in the 2013/2014 budget.

Cost of basic commodities like milk, bread, and sugar are expected to rise. The government will face severe budget constraints, as it seeks to implement devolution, and pay the high salaries of MPs amongst other new positions created in the new government structure. This is expected to hurt the common mwananchi much more, since they spend a huge chunk of their money on basic commodities, as compared to the well off where food accounts for a very minor proportion of their expenditure.

KCB orders 5 million cards to fight fraud.

KCB will introduce 5 million chip and PIN debit and pre-paid cards in the Kenyan market; joining standard chartered which is set to introduce the technology soon. The Kenya bankers Association- KBA had set a March 2014 deadline as the debt lenders should migrate from the current magnetic strip cards to chip based cards. This is aimed to curb the rampant debit and credit card fraud in the Kenyan market.

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