Nigerians planning to travel overseas yesterday morning woke up to the news that their preferred foreign airlines have further raised fares one notch.
Notwithstanding the new hike, the tickets, particularly those of United and Delta Airlines are still not available to intending passengers that are wiling to pay in naira.
The Guardian gathered that while the pay portals of some of the airlines have remained inaccessible, passengers are either compelled to pay with dollars or have their tickets purchased from abroad.
An intending passenger, who identified himself as Emeka, told The Guardian that it came as a rude shock to hear that the airlines have further increased their fares.
Emeka, travelling to London from Lagos, had last week inquired for an economy class ticket of a popular airline for which he got about N800, 000. Just at the point of paying at the airport, he got a new price in the neighbourhood of N1m for the same ticket.
Another passenger told The Guardian that several efforts to buy a Lagos-New York ticket from either Delta or United Airlines proved abortive since last week.
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Nigeria: Again, Foreign Airlines Raise Fares
Nigerians planning to travel overseas yesterday morning woke up to the news that their preferred foreign airlines have further raised fares one notch.
Notwithstanding the new hike, the tickets, particularly those of United and Delta Airlines are still not available to intending passengers that are wiling to pay in naira.
The Guardian gathered that while the pay portals of some of the airlines have remained inaccessible, passengers are either compelled to pay with dollars or have their tickets purchased from abroad.
An intending passenger, who identified himself as Emeka, told The Guardian that it came as a rude shock to hear that the airlines have further increased their fares.
Emeka, travelling to London from Lagos, had last week inquired for an economy class ticket of a popular airline for which he got about N800, 000. Just at the point of paying at the airport, he got a new price in the neighbourhood of N1m for the same ticket.
Another passenger told The Guardian that several efforts to buy a Lagos-New York ticket from either Delta or United Airlines proved abortive since last week.
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Why African Music Finally Has The World’s Ear
We are consuming more music than ever before, and from a wider range of sources.
Global music sales rose by 3.2% in 2015, and income from streaming now accounts for 43% of digital revenue, according to a new IFPI report.
Emerging markets in Africa, in particular, are becoming more profitable. UK-based record company Beggars Group, for example, reports that 20% of its revenue comes from emerging markets. It is now licensing music for the first time in Nigeria, Uganda and Angola, according to the IFPI report.
“Bits of the world that you don’t see regularly as record markets are much bigger for us in the streaming world than the download or physical world,” says Beggars Group founder and chairman, Martin Mills in the report.
South Africa, for example, saw overall digital revenue in music double in 2013, according to IFPI’s 2014 report.
How streaming has widened exposure
Streaming is becoming more popular globally — it rose 93% in 2015, according to IFPI.
As smartphone penetration in Africa increases — it went from 2% in 2010 to 11% in 2013 — streaming services are gaining ground, giving the music made on the African continent more opportunity to find a global audience.
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South Africa’s Local Municipalities not on Anyone’s Investment Radar
South Africa needs a radical change in its approach to local economic development. Beyond social security and central government transfers, each district and local municipal area needs a clear plan to attract investment and create jobs.
These plans should address the two facets of economic sophistication. The first is to increase the range of products and services offered. Reliance on just one product or service should be reduced. The second is an emphasis on developing own technologies and processed goods. Selling a pig is one thing: developing and deploying technologies for processing pork products to increase value is another.
South Africa cannot create sustainable employment through its existing Expanded Public Works Programmes. These involve the central government funding temporary low skill jobs: filling potholes, construction, picking up trash, sweeping and even clerical work. The aim is to get people economically active. However, these programmes are never linked to a process of skill formation that propels medium to high-tech industrial activity.
For any local economy to be resilient, it must have the local skills – including those of an entrepreneurial nature – in sufficient quantities to support the creation of local industries. These can supply products and services to the surrounding towns, neighbouring provinces and countries. Simply put, to grow a local economy you must trade with the people who are closest to you geographically and are not too advanced technologically.
Scoping local market and regional opportunities
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8 State-Owned Companies Up For Privatization In Kenya
Kenya, the leading economy in East Africa, has been privatizing some of its companies in order to help them stay afloat in a competitive market. The country is also opening up these companies to public scrutiny to improve transparency in their operations.
The Privatization Commission helps in the privatization of public assets such as shares in state-owned corporation. The commission was set up through an Act of Parliament.
State-owned companies up for privatization in the East African nation are;
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