Andrew Stegmann

SA Tourism to close one of its country offices?

SA-Tourism-to-close-one-of-its-country-offices-800x400Tourism Update understands that SA Tourism will close its Italy office at the end of May, although SA Tourism has denied this. “At this point there has not been any decision taken by SA Tourism to close any office,” the organisation said in a statement. From 2014 to 2015 there was a 10,6% decline in Italian tourists visiting South Africa, with 52 377 arrivals in 2015 compared with 58 614 arrivals recorded in 2014. Italy is South Africa’s fifth biggest source market in Europe. In 2015, South Africa recorded 407 415 arrivals from the UK; 256 646 arrivals from Germany; 128 436 from France; and 121 880 from The Netherlands.

This article was published here

Andrew Stegmann

Africa’s big cities offer investors hope

pregnant africaJohannesburg – Africa’s biggest economies have been hammered by the collapse in commodity prices over the past 18 months, but there are still investment bright spots to be found.

In cities such as Lagos, Nairobi, Accra, Kinshasa and Johannesburg, growth remains robust and investors are prospering in the retail, financial services, technology and construction sectors. This means investors can now readjust their strategy for Africa. Instead of taking a view on the continent as a whole, or choosing one country over another, they can seize opportunities city by city.

Sub-Saharan Africa is urbanising faster than anywhere else in the world and city dwellers have more money to spend.

“In the current economic environment, investors want areas where success is proven, growth is strong and will remain strong. Big African cities give you that,” said Jacob Kholi, a partner at Abraaj, a private equity firm with $9bn (R143bn) under management.

This article was published here

Andrew Stegmann

Integration In Africa: How Visa-Open Is the Continent?

africaIntegration is the new phenomenon that is taking up the world stage with countries across the globe realizing that when nations pool their resources together they can experience immense growth and security.

One major player in any integration is immigration. Immigration is a factor that not only allows the movement of goods and people but it is also a mover of factors of production.

Recently, Africa has embarked on the amalgamation of various national departments especially among regional blocs like East Africa Community (EAC) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

In a bid to evaluate how integration and particularly visa openness in Africa, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has released a report that shows that despite African nations pushing for integration, the continent largely remains closed off to African travelers.

The African Visa Openness Index indicates that on average Africans need visas to travel to 55% of other African countries, can get visas on arrival in only 25% of other countries and don’t need a visa to travel to just 20% of other countries on the continent.

This article was published here

Andrew Stegmann

The rise of internet veg box schemes in sub-Saharan Africa

5009Online grocery startups in Kenya, Rwanda and Gambia help farmers cut out the middleman, but challenges such as low internet access may hinder profitability.

Growing up on a farm in central Kenya, Winston Wachanga witnessed the piles of fruit and vegetables that perished after never making it to a market.

Later with a tomato farm of his own, he experienced the same struggle of farmers across the country trying to find a buyer. “We have so much produce but accessing customers is difficult. We don’t have capacity to get produce to market and we end up being exploited. It becomes frustrating,” he says.

To solve this gap, Wachanga set up online delivery company Kitchen Soko. In less than a year he has built up a network of 80 local farmers in Kenya whose produce is delivered in a box straight to the customer’s front door. Customers can find out exactly which farm the produce has come from.

This article was published here