Wednesday July 13, 2011

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Megan Wait

Making headlines:

As strike action continues to grip the country, experts have warned that job creation could take a major blow. “We need to bear in mind that the economy is recovering from a downward turn and manufacturing hasn’t really taken off as it should. The manufacturing sector is highlighted in the Ipsp 2 – it is a key industry and we need growth in that sector,” executive advisor to the CEO of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry Peggy Drodskie said. Drodskie cautioned that strike action will make it hard to achieve the targets of the New Growth Path, which aims to create five-million jobs in the next decade. The plan estimates that over a million jobs in infrastructure development and housing will be created, with 500 000 in the agricultural sector and 350 000 in manufacturing.

Sustained growth in developing countries is keeping the world on track to reduce the global poverty rate to below 15% by 2015, the United Nations said at the launch of ‘The Millennium Development Goal Report 2011’. This is significantly below the 23% target prescribed in the Millennium Development Goal framework. Despite the global financial crisis, which resulted in a decline in commodity prices, trade and investment, current trends suggested that the momentum of growth in the developing world remained strong enough to sustain the progress needed to reach the global poverty-reduction targets, the report stated.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Kenya to step up its fight against graft to help lure investment from her country, which is seeking to raise its profile in Africa in the face of China's growing clout. Merkel used her first official visit to East Africa's biggest economy to praise Kenya for progress on political and judicial reforms, but said more needed to be done against corruption to woo investors from her country. Germany is seeking to expand its influence on a continent where China has made big gains as it seeks to secure energy, minerals and food. The West has accused Beijing of going easy on Africa over corruption and governance issues.

Also making headlines:
South Africa’s Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale will visit the Free State town of Harrismith today where a row over corruption and provision of toilets erupted this week, SABC news reported.
Egypt's army called on protesters to avoid harming the nation on a fifth day of demonstrations that have increasingly targeted generals running the country.
And, the Gauteng Department of Education will be spending more than R1-billion to improve the quality of teaching and learning in 1 183 underperforming primary and secondary schools.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.