Blog

Electricity gas steam and air conditioning supply

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

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

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.

Morocco

Morocco’s new coalition government has focused on pro-poor reforms, job creation and implementing the country’s industrialisation strategy, which aims to increase the industrial sector’s share to 23% of GDP by 2020 from 18.5% in 2016. Evidence of its aspirations and success in this regard can be found in the automotive sector, where, in 2017, it overtook South Africa as the continent’s largest producer of passenger cars.

Public Enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan recently said that a lesson learnt from the OECD’s anti-corruption initiative is that “beneficial ownership of entities is concealed so that it becomes impossible to identify the actual owners of companies”. The 2008 global financial crisis, money laundering, terrorist funding and the Gupta, VBS Bank and Steinhoff delinquencies make a compelling case for maximum corporate transparency. South African company law has historically favoured those wishing to obscure corporate ownership.

Electricity gas steam and air conditioning supply

Public Enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan recently said that a lesson learnt from the OECD’s anti-corruption initiative is that “beneficial ownership of entities is concealed so that it becomes impossible to identify the actual owners of companies”. The 2008 global financial crisis, money laundering, terrorist funding and the Gupta, VBS Bank and Steinhoff delinquencies make a compelling case for maximum corporate transparency. South African company law has historically favoured those wishing to obscure corporate ownership.

Ethiopia

The winds of change are sweeping through Ethiopia since Abiy Ahmed became prime minister in April. Ethiopia is sub-Saharan Africa’s fastest growing economy, with average growth of around 10% a year for over a decade. GDP was US$8.2bn in 2000, $80bn by 2017, and will reach US$129bn by 2023, according to the IMF. The IMF’s World Economic Outlook expects 8.5% GDP growth in 2019 – while the World Bank expects 8% – outstripping advanced economies and global growth, which is expected at 3.9%.

Tanzania

The European Union’s 5 November recall of its ambassador to Tanzania, based on “the deterioration of the human rights and rule of law situation” in the country, highlights growing concerns about its government’s crackdown on human rights and an increasingly difficult investment environment. Since assuming power in 2015, president John Magufuli has made significant changes and reforms including reducing bloated government, improving tax collection and reining in on tax evasion.