Friday, July 30, 2010

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Brad Dubbelman.

Making headlines:

South Africa's economy is falling further and further behind the rest of the continent owing to deficiencies in the education system and its skills development efforts, which is, in turn, eroding the country's competitive ability, said Econometrix chief economist Azar Jammine on Thursday.
Jammine pointed out during a discussion on the World Bank's ‘Second Investment Climate Assessment' report that South Africa's role on the African continent has declined and it is falling behind the rest of Africa. The high unemployment rate, the fact that so many people are becoming discouraged from looking for jobs and other structural challenges, which are partly to blame for the underperformance of the local economy, have much to do with a lack of education or the deficiencies of the education system.
Gordon Institute of Business Sciences China-Africa Network director Dr Martyn Davies added that the South African economy is also falling further and further behind that of other developing countries like China and India, owing to the level of education and the fact that skills training is lagging. Both Davies and Jammine agree that entrepreneurship is the best way to grow local employment.

The United Nations climate secretariat on Thursday, issued 228 400 Kyoto Protocol carbon offsets to three Asian clean-energy projects, ending a two-week issuance drought but failing to reassure concerned investors.
The offsets, called Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs), were given to two Chinese wind farms and an Indian biomass facility, and represent the largest daily issuance since June 16.
Under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) scheme, investors can fund cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in emerging economies, and in return receive CERs from the UN, which can be used towards emissions targets or sold for profit. The flow of CERs has slowed this month owing to the phase-in of new procedures to streamline offset issuances and limit waiting times at the CDM.

South Africa is considering sending the army and navy to Somalia to reinforce the troubled African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in war-torn Mogadishu, Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said on Thursday.
Speaking at a briefing in Cape Town, Sisulu said there has not been a specific request from the AU to send troops, but South Africa has committed itself to assisting. She added that rejecting a request by the Pan-African body to deploy in Somalia could compromise South Africa's respect and standing on the continent but recognised that such a mission would come with high risks.
Deputy Defence Minister Thabang Makwetla pointed out that South Africa's existing deployments to the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Sudan are peacekeeping missions, but that in Somalia, South African troops would find themselves in the role of "peace enforcing" as the AU force tries to shore up the fragile transitional government against insurgents, notably the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab.

Also making headlines:

Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies said at the launch of the World Bank's ‘Second Investment Climate Report' that South Africa has an opportunity to further improve its business environment, as perceptions towards the country are changing in its favour.
Nigeria's Parliament will pass wide-ranging legislation to reform its energy industry within weeks, redefining its relationship with its foreign oil partners.
The Commission for Employment Equity reports that sixteen years into the country's democracy, white men still monopolise top management positions in the workplace.
And, African National Congress secretary-general Gwede Mantashe calls on newspaper editors to join the ruling party's debate on setting up a media tribunal instead of acting defensively.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.