Africa

The rise and fall of prices in precious minerals can sometimes seem abstract, and of little consequence to anyone outside of mining companies and commodities traders. However, there is thankfully, a far more tangible impact of an upswing in prices for these metals: the huge FDI that follows in regions which are rich in mineral deposits.

There aren’t many companies which make it past the 100 years mark, but when they do, it’s usually because they possess a combination of management and operational nous that few other companies do. These companies are all the more remarkable when they’ve succeeded in the face of a century of political upheaval.

The Southern African nation of Mozambique is less than 50 years old but is home to one of the oldest logistics companies on the continent. Portos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique (Mozambique Ports and Railways), responsible for the country’s ports and rail network, was founded in 1936, at a time when Mozambique was still a Portuguese colony.

The volcanic island archipelago of Cape Verde is one of only five island nations on the continent of Africa, and the only one located off Africa’s Atlantic coast. This gives it a strategic location on air and sea routes, which primes it for growth in the coming years. All indications are that tourism will be central to this growth.

Last year Mota-Engil celebrated 70 years of existence as a recognised top 100 construction company worldwide. They have a presence in three continents spanning 22 countries with an employee headcount of over 25,000 employees.

Microsoft announced a $26.2 billion deal on Monday to acquire professional social platform LinkedIn for $196 per share.

Norman Mbazima Chairperson of Anglo American’s Chairman’s fund, said: “While the results attest to perceptions pertaining to our impact as a company, the results nonetheless show which companies are successfully communicating their programmes and achieving reputational benefits,” reads the report. “In 2014, respondents agreed that Anglo American was achieving the greatest development impact, with 26 corporate mentions and 24 non-profit organisations (NPO) mentions.

Based in Lagos, Nigeria and run by Michel Maalouf the energetic Lebanese entrepreneur who founded it in 2005, Conciel started life as a management consultancy business, focusing on software solutions for communications and assisting companies to get ISO certifications in quality management or environmental performance, or to manage their data and automate their workflow. The company forged a niche for itself in telecommunications, later focusing on data centre management.

Zambia's government is under increasing pressure from the mining sector to reduce the royalty increases introduced at the beginning of this year. The government royalties on open-pit mines increased from 6% to 20% and has received fierce criticism from mine operators in the area.

Two major stakeholders include First Quantum and Barrick both who have mines affected by the royalty increase. 

The World Health Organization believes that since February 2014, there have been nearly 18,000 reported Ebola cases and more than 6,000 deaths. According to Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, speed of response is the key to ending the Ebola epidemic, mostly affecting Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.