Andrew Stegmann

Good news for Tourism in Africa

We had a series of questions for Steuart Pennington as he reflected on the proud achievements for the African continent and its infinite possibilities after a four-day walk on the wild side at the Wild Coast.

Question: Has Ebola reinforced the negative stereotypes and narrative about Africa?

Answer: Ebola has had both a negative and a positive impact on travellers to Africa. On the negative side, it had an impact on tourism as there was a disruption in air connectivity because some airlines withdrew services to West Africa. It also stopped those travellers who are by nature anxious from visiting other parts of Africa that were not affected by the outbreak. On the positive side it showed how African governments and civil society could respond to a crisis in the spirit of Ubuntu.

Question: How has the narrative about Africa as a place to live in, work in and invest in changed over time? If yes, what has inspired this change?

gdp_growth

Answer: We have seen tremendous progress in the past two decades. In the same way that South Africa has normalised its relations with the outside world, so have other African governments become more investor friendly, which has resulted in a win-win situation with foreign direct investment in mines and farms prompting infrastructure spending on roads, rail and electricity, which has benefited the investors and the local communities. As an example think of the Nacala railway that links the central province of Tete in Mozambique with the deep water port of Nacala in northern Mozambique through Malawi. The driving force for the railway line was getting the coal from the Moatize coal field to market, but it also opened tremendous opportunities in tourism and agriculture as previously unconnected areas were linked with the world. This linking with the world is also one of the benefits of social media as the younger generation share their experiences. For instance I connected with a young American student as she asked whether it was safe to travel from Cape Town to Cairo. I said it was and her blogs encouraged others to follow in her footsteps as she did not have one anxious moment during her whole trip even though she traversed countries such as South Sudan. The reality is that Africa is rising in part because of the demographic dividend as we have a young vibrant population, although more needs to be done in education. That is why foreign direct investment has switched from exploiting natural resources to investing in retail, banking and education. Shoprite for example will almost double the number of new store openings in the rest of Africa this year to 35 from 20 last year. There will be ten African economies this year which will rank amongst the fastest growing in the world at above 7%, while the International Monetary Fund predicts between 6 and 7% growth for Sub-Saharan Africa. As to what inspired this change, I guess it started with China’s need to source raw materials for its factories, but it could not get these without investing in infrastructure. That engendered healthy competition amongst other countries so we have American, Brazilian, Chinese, Indian, Japanese and Russian companies competing for access to raw materials, while the international hotel groups have seen a demand for upmarket business travel hotels, which has prompted investment plans of some $2bn in new hotels. I am told that the value of repatriated funds from the African diaspora is US$60bn per annum, or around five times that of Chinese investment. That is why we have people like Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote investing in cement plants in Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo and Zambia. The worry is whether other well-educated talented Africans are building their own businesses in Africa. On the political front there have been a similar number of changes. According to Freedom House the following changes have emerged over the past four decades: In 1972 there were three democratic elections as opposed to 40 post-2007; In 1972 there were 24 coups, there have been 5 post-2007, with 32 out of 54 Heads of State have been democratically elected, 24 are serving their first term and 16 their second term. In 2014 32 African countries were included in the Global Competitiveness Report, up from 20 some 12 years ago.

Question: Which companies/individuals/events would you say have inspired this change?

Answer: That is a difficult one as there are so many actors that have helped to change the perception regarding Africa. In that regard we should not discount what Nelson Mandela and our peaceful transition to a democracy meant for the rest of the continent. The second example of changing the narrative was that of Rwanda after the genocide of 1994. Instead of wallowing in self-pity and revenge, the Rwandans have embraced change and position themselves as the champions of reform, regularly topping the World Bank’s list of reformers when it comes to the ease of doing business.

Question: So what more still needs to be done?

Answer: The biggest challenge going forward is regional integration as although Africa consists of 54 countries most are small countries and need to link up the elephants in their vicinity. Almost 80% of African GDP is generated by only six countries, namely Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa. The Tripartite Free Trade Agreement, which was launched in Egypt in June 2015, pulls together three regional economic blocs, namely the Southern African Development Community (SADC); the East African Community (EAC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and we need more of that regional co-operation.

Question: How can the hospitality industry change the narrative about Africa?

Answer: What I am seeing is an increasingly fragmented travel market. There are the business travellers who want comfort and convenience in the major business centres. There are the leisure travellers who want value for money and a good time with their family and friends. Then there are the adventure travellers who seek out new experiences. All of these together provide the demand for a vibrant hospitality industry and it is the shared experiences of these diverse groups that will shape the narrative on Africa.

 

The original article can be viewed here

René Stegmann
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We have Launched a New Product: The Power of Difference

DiversityIn my experience, I have managed multiple mobility programmes from a local, regional and global perspective as a service provider to large multi-national organisations. In every case, the decisions taken affect people and can directly influence the success of the business.

For this reason, Relocation Africa has designed in partnership with Contract SA a program which we believe will facilitate the commitment from the business towards the assignee/staff member who’s life is just about to be challenged and changed.  This program will give the assignee some invaluable tools on how to cope, manage and implement strategies to best utilise “The Power of Difference” that they hold to best benefit them as an individual and for the business.

In our 22 years of experience as a Global Mobility Specialist we have seen many pitfalls of relocating staff that were not equipped to handle the assignments successfully.  In identifying this we have carefully reviewed what we as a business could do to facilitate the success and experience of the assignee and the bottom line for business.

Often we get approached by business’s to facilitate a cross-cultural skills programs which generally focuses on culture, or the values and behaviours learned and shared by a particular group, (whether across countries, regions, industries, ethnic origins, organisations etc) – their “Cultural Profile”, learning about a countries, history, values, and cultural “assumptions” (like how Japanese workers are less direct than Germans) or differences in values (like how Americans have more individualistic values than those in China).  It may have even focused on differences in etiquette – like how in the US you can write on the back of a business card, but in Japan, that would be a taboo. 

Knowing the difference can be quiet useful.  It can give you a sense of how you’re supposed to act in a foreign setting, especially when you have no idea where to start. It can also help you understand why others from a different culture behave as they do. But in my experience, the mistake many companies make is thinking that knowing cultural differences is enough — that discovering the key differences is all you need to master to be effective across cultures.

If the problem your employees face is that they simply don’t understand cultural differences, a solution focused on defining cultural differences makes all the sense in the world. But if, like in most instances, the real problem is that your employees can’t adapt and integrate their behaviour across cultures, these solutions focused simply on differences likely won’t give you the bang for your buck that you’re expecting.

Most employees are sent on assignment due to their Technical competence and as HR practitioners you know that this is certainly not going to make for a successful assignment as only 18% of their skill required to make a successful assignment is their technical ability.  Adaptation makes up 16%  and 66% is the  ability to integrate that makes a SUCCESSFUL ASSIGNMENT.  

The Power of Differnce Workshop/Introduction to Diversity, participants get introduced to the fundamentals of diversity management, learn and practice intercultural skills, and how to deal with differences constructively.

The power of my Host Nation

This part provides information on the country and city the expat is moving to. This includes history, geography, language, tourism attractions, cuisine, communication, transport, education, medical facilities, social and business norms, safety and security and practical contact information. Candidates will receive a visual presentation of expat-popular residential areas and housing options including rental and cost of living information.

Being powerful in my host nation

Here we deal with culture shock and tapping into personal power. Candidates get to understand the dynamics of culture shock, and identify it as a means of positive personal growth. An effective tool that shows candidates how to tap into the power of difference completes the three parts of the day.

Interactive and experiential methods make this an engaging and effective workshop that sets candidates up for success; and an action plan equips them with steps for a powerful assignment.

This workshop can be tailored to suit individual / team/ family needs.  Please contact us for pricing on tailored options – info@relocationafrica.com

René Stegmann
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Change to the Online Appointment Scheduling process for Via & Permit Applications for South Africa

As of Wednesday 26th August 2015 the Online Appointment Scheduling process is transitioning to a new pre-payment system.

See attached for more information. Change to the online appointment scheduling process for Visa and Permit Applications

For more information or assistance with South African Immigration contact tracy@relocationafrica.co.za

Andrew Stegmann

Africa Check: No new evidence that 30,000 children are trafficked in SA each year

Home Affairs officials have put in place strict new travel regulations, which they claim will help prevent 30,000 children being trafficked each year. Africa Check previously found this number to be exaggerated. Has new evidence emerged? By KATE WILKINSON for AFRICA CHECK.

Are 30,000 children trafficked each year in SA? In October 2013, Africa Check investigated the claim and found it to be exaggerated and unsubstantiated.

Nearly two years later the statistic is again making news headlines. This time the South African government is citing it as a reason for introducing stricter regulations for children traveling into and out of the country.

How many children are trafficked in SA each year? Are the estimates reliable? And will stricter visa regulations help? We reviewed the evidence.

Full birth certificate to ‘protect children’

The South African Department of Home Affairs started enforcing new travel regulations in June 2015. Children under the age of 18 must now carry their full, or “unabridged”, birth certificate when crossing SA’s borders. This shows the names of both parents.

A month before the regulations came into effect, director-general of the department, Mkuseli Apleni, briefed Parliament on the new travel requirements. In his presentation he was reported to have claimed that an estimated 30,000 children were trafficked through SA every year.

His presentation stated that one of the benefits of requiring minors to travel with an unabridged birth certificates was “protecting (them) from child trafficking”.

23 victims detected by government in last 3 years

Unfortunately there is little data and research on the prevalence of child trafficking in SA. This is partly because it is extremely difficult, and in most cases impossible, to quantify how many cases go undetected. Available research only sheds light on detected victims.

Marcel van der Watt, lecturer and researcher at the University of South Africa’s department of police practice, told Africa Check that no one knew how many children were trafficked in SA each year.

Researching the matter previously, we found that the International Organisation for Migration reported assisting 306 victims of trafficking in the southern African region between January 2004 and January 2010. Of these, 57 were children. In 2011, they reported assisting 13 victims in SA, but did not state how many were children.

In its 2014 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime stated that “the police reported to have detected 155 victims of trafficking (of all ages) during the fiscal years 2011/12 and 2012/13” in SA.

When asked whether new evidence of child trafficking cases have emerged since, associate professor at the African Centre for Migration and Society Jo Vearey directed us to a parliamentary question answered by Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba in June this year.

Gigaba said his department had recorded no instances of child trafficking between 2009/10 and 2011/12. Between 2012/13 and 2014/15 they had detected 23 victims.

Regulations won’t reduce child trafficking – experts

The director of the Centre for Child Law at the University of Pretoria, Professor Ann Skelton, has said her centre believes the new requirements are “far too broad” and that “the inconvenience to ordinary people far outweighs the actual risk of trafficking”.

Liesl Muller and Patricia Erasmus, both attorneys at Lawyers for Human Rights, previously told Africa Check that the measures will not prevent child trafficking.

“Real human traffickers don’t follow legitimate and documented methods of travel but cross the border in illegitimate and clandestine circumstances. The regulations won’t prevent this,” they said.

Conclusion: The claim remains exaggerated and unsubstantiated

The Department of Home Affairs recently told Parliament that its new travel regulations would help prevent an estimated 30,000 children being trafficked in the country each year.

While the true extent of human trafficking is unknown, no evidence supports the claim. The Department of Home Affairs reported that they had detected 23 cases in the last three years.

The government must act to prevent the horrifying act of child trafficking. However, policies and interventions must be based on sound research and accurate estimates, not exaggerated claims.

This article was originally posted on the Daily Maverick website and can be viewed here.