Africa Outlook - Issue 66

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AFRICA

ISSUE 66

Looking to expand both its product portfolio and continental reach, Orange River Cellars is approaching Africa’s wine industry in a new and innovative way

VIRGIN LIMITED EDITION 12 Talking hospitality with three General Managers from Virgin Limited Edition

BUSINESS TRAVEL GUIDE 24 Namibia: The land of the endless horizons

DANGOTE CEMENT SENEGAL

Paving the way for progress

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NATIONAL INSURANCE

COMMISSION 82 Safeguarding Ghanaian industry

ALSO FEATURING: BAYAKHA INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERS | EP SOLAR | ROYAL CROWN PACKAGING

As a federal enterprise, GIZ supports the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development.

For our operations in Addis Abeba/Ethiopia, we are looking for an

Coordinator for the Programme for infrastruCture develoPment in afriCa (Pida) Job description: Only 38% of the African population has access to electricity, less than 10% is connected to the internet and only 25% of Africa’s road network is paved. To address these deficits, the African Heads of State and Government adopted the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) in January 2012 as the strategic infrastructure framework on the continent. PIDA improves energy supply, regional transport corridors, internet connectivity as well as transboundary water management and thus is a key driver for socio-economic development and intra-African trade. On the continental level, the Commission of the African Union (AUC) is responsible for the political steering of PIDA whilst the NEPAD Agency facilitates the technical implementation. The first Priority Action Plan (PIDA-PAP 1: 2012-2020) comprises more than 400 infrastructure projects, out of which more than a third are already operational or under construction. AUC and its partners are currently starting the process to develop the PIDA-PAP 2 (2020-2030) which defines the infrastructure priorities of the next decade to pave the way for an integrated, industrialized and service-oriented Africa. In its new phase, the GIZ “Support-to-PIDA”-Program supports the AUC and the NEPAD Agency with the promotion of regional infrastructure development by designing an integrated, employment-oriented and gender-sensitive corridor approach as the conceptual basis for future infrastructure development; by supporting a consultative and systematic process to define African infrastructure priorities in the PIDA-PAP 2; by attracting private sector resources for African infrastructure development; and by improving the quality of (early-stage) project preparation. GIZ is now searching for a senior expert to support AUC with the political and strategic steering of these processes as the so-called PIDA Coordinator. More information on PIDA can be found on www.au-pida.org.

Your tasks: The PIDA Coordinator, seconded to the Department for Infrastructure and Energy at AUC (AUC-DIE), will be responsible for the overall coordination of the PIDA-process with a focus on the following tasks • Coordinate on PIDA/infrastructure matters with key stakeholders (esp. within AUC, with the NEPAD Agency, the Regional Economic Communities, the AU Member States, the African Development Bank and other PIDA financiers, the civil society, the private sector) • Facilitate the high-level political process of the development of the PIDA-PAP 2 to agree upon Africa`s infrastructure priorities of the next decade • Advise AUC-DIE on improved development of regional infrastructure on the continent and conduct respective actions to implement recommendations • Coordinate PIDA communication activities to increase visibility and awareness on infrastructure/PIDA matters and projects • Facilitate Member States and partner coordination around PIDA and regional infrastructure matters • Prepare and manage related PIDA consultancies, e.g. on the development of the integrated corridor approach • Support AUC-DIE Director with PIDA project management related activities, e.g. management of PIDA Unit at AUC-DIE, budget formulation, impact monitoring and reporting • Follow-up and report on implementation of joint AUC-NEPAD-GIZ objectives with respect to PIDA

Your profile: • • • • • • • • • • •

At least a Masters’ degree in political science, economics, engineering or another relevant academic field Longstanding work experience in infrastructure development in Africa Work experience in financing infrastructure projects Proven track record of the coordination and facilitation of high-level political processes on the African continent Many years of work experience in international organizations; work experience within AU institutions as a clear advantage Excellent written and verbal communications skills Excellent mastery of English and French Strong computer skills (Microsoft Office, internet research, social media, other digital tools) Profound communication skills; political sensitivity, experience and diplomatic skills when interacting with political decision-makers Intercultural competence and sensitivity, conceptual and process-oriented thinking Proven organizational, coordination and leadership competency

If we caught your interest, we are looking forward to your application until 11/11/2018.

For further information: www.giz.de/jobs. You can find this job under the Job-ID P1281V071.

W E L C O M E

AFRICA

Growth on the Grapevine AFRICA South Africa has long been a prolific producer of wine. Last year the country produced 10.8 million hectolitres, placing it joint seventh in the global rankings and ahead of the likes of Chile and Germany.

The 10.8 figure actually represents a slight fall from 2014 and 2015, but this doesn’t appear to be to the detriment of native consumption, which rose to 450 million litres in 2017, 25 million litres more than figures recorded two years prior.

Responsible for around 55 million litres of wine production in South Africa is Orange River Cellars, subject of our cover feature in this edition of Africa Outlook.

Jonathan Dyble spoke to Charl du Plessis, the Company’s Chief Executive, about the shifting demographic in South Africa which is looking to drink wine, and how Orange River Cellars is adapting as a result.

“The Delush brand that we recently launched, one of our many meticulously marketed brands, has been specifically developed for wine drinkers between the ages of 18 and 24 with its sweeter taste and lower alcohol content,” du Plessis says in an exclusive interview.

Wine also plays its part in the hospitality sector, the luxury segment of this industry forming the focus for another one of our features. I got the lowdown from three general managers of Virgin Limited Edition resorts (two in SA and one in Kenya) about the rise of luxury travel and how the very definition of the concept has changed in recent years.

Namibia is also an up and coming destination for business and leisure travellers. This month’s Business Travel Guide explores what the country has to offer with the help of the Hospitality Association of Namibia, its CEO Gitta Paetzold answering our questions.

Other industries explored in this packed edition include retail, manufacturing, finance, mining, energy and technology, with the likes of Allianz Ghana, Tractionel Enterprise, Royal Crown Packaging and Dangote Cement Senegal all providing exclusive insight into their businesses.

You will also notice a new opinion column in the form of Expert Eye, immediately after our news spread. The first of what will be a regular series of frontline insight on topical issues comes from Stephane Colliac, Senior Economist for Africa at trade credit insurer Euler Hermes, who outlines three policy measures African governments can implement to drive growth across the region.

Tom Wadlow www.africaoutlookmag.com

ISSUE 66

Looking to expand both its product portfolio and continental reach, Orange River Cellars is approaching Africa’s wine industry in a new and innovative way

VIRGIN LIMITED EDITION 00 Talking hospitality with three General Managers from Virgin Limited Edition

BUSINESS TRAVEL GUIDE 00 Namibia: The land of the endless horizons

DANGOTE CEMENT SENEGAL

Paving the way for progress

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NATIONAL INSURANCE

COMMISSION 00 Safeguarding Ghanaian industry

ALSO FEATURING: BAYAKHA INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERS | EP SOLAR | ROYAL CROWN PACKAGING

Editorial Director, Outlook Publishing

EDITORIAL Editorial Director: Tom Wadlow tom.wadlow@outlookpublishing.com Deputy Editor: Jonathan Dyble jonathan.dyble@outlookpublishing.com

PRODUCTION Production Manager: Daniel George daniel.george@outlookpublishing.com Art Director: Stephen Giles steve.giles@outlookpublishing.com Advert Designer: Devon Collins devon.collins@outlookpublishing.com

BUSINESS Sales Director: Nick Norris nick.norris@outlookpublishing.com Operations Director: James Mitchell james.mitchell@outlookpublishing.com PROJECT DIRECTORS Joshua Mann joshua.mann@outlookpublishing.com Tom Cullum tom.cullum@outlookpublishing.com HEAD OF PROJECTS Joe Palliser (Business Travel) joe.palliser@outlookpublishing.com Kane Weller kane.weller@outlookpublishing.com TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Eddie Clinton eddie.clinton@outlookpublishing.com SALES MANAGERS Jordan Levey (Business Travel) jordan.levey@outlookpublishing.com Ryan Gray (Business Travel) ryan.gray@outlookpublishing.com PROJECT MANAGERS Callam Waller callam.waller@outlookpublishing.com Donovan Smith donovan.smith@outlookpublishing.com Josh Hyland josh.hyland@outlookpublishing.com Lewis Bush lewis.bush@outlookpublishing.com Matt Cole-Wilkin matt.cole-wilkin@outlookpublishing.com Vivek Valmiki vivek.valmiki@outlookpublishing.com

ADMINISTRATION Finance Director: Suzanne Welsh suzanne.welsh@outlookpublishing.com Administrative Assistant: Sophia Curran sophia.curran@outlookpublishing.com Office Manager: Karla Doyle karla.doyle@outlookpublishing.com Digital & IT: Hamit Saka Helpdesk: James Le-May

OUTLOOK PUBLISHING Managing Director: Ben Weaver ben.weaver@outlookpublishing.com CONTACT Africa Outlook 69-75 Thorpe Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 1UA, United Kingdom.

Sales: +44 (0) 1603 959 652 Editorial: +44 (0) 1603 959 657 SUBSCRIPTIONS Tel: +44 (0) 1603 959 657 Email: tom.wadlow@outlookpublishing.com

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Enjoy the issue!

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In this issue...

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SHOWCASING LEADING COMPANIES Tell us your story and we’ll tell the world

F O O D & D R I N K

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NEWS

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EXPERT EYE

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N1 RESTAURANT SUPPLIERS A Fresh Approach

Taking the wine industry in a new direction

MANUFACTURING

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How can Governments Boost Africa’s Economic Growth?

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ORANGE RIVER CELLARS Stellar Cellars

South Africa’s one-stop wholesale food shop

All the latest stories from across Africa

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DANGOTE CEMENT SENEGAL Cementing Prosperity through Industry Paving the way for progress

FINANCE Bolstering Black Economic Empowerment

Transforming attitudes in infrastructure investment

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HOSPITALITY The Rise of Luxury

Talking hospitality with three General Managers from Virgin Limited Edition

S E C T O R F O C U S

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RETAIL Ecommerce’s Next Frontier

How Africa is readying itself to embrace online retail

BUSINESS TRAVEL GUIDES

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NAMIBIA

The land of the endless horizons

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ROYAL CROWN PACKAGING Thinking Outside the Box Unparalleled potential

AFRICA CONSTRUCTION

T R A N S P O R T

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TRACTIONEL ENTERPRISE Empowerment through Enterprise

SOUTH AFRICAN CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY Flying the Flag

Putting sustainability at the top of the aviation agenda

An enabler of industry and social mobility

ENERGY & UTILITIES

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ENERGY PARTNERS SOLAR The Enterprise Energiser

Lighting up organisations through PPAs

VIVID ARCHITECTS Mastering the Architectural Craft

T E C H N O L O G Y

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Bolstering SA’s built environment

SOLITON TELMEC A One-Stop-Shop for Telecommunications Engineering

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PUMA ENERGY MOZAMBIQUE Fuelling a Nation

Consolidating a strategic regional hub

Empowering Africa’s technological development

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SOUTHERN STAR LOGISTICS Shining Bright

Serving Southern Africa’s logistics needs

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NATIONAL INSURANCE COMMISSION Ghana’s Insurance Guardian Helping to protect Ghanaian industry

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ALLIANZ GHANA A Decade of Dedication Safeguarding the nation’s consumers and commercial enterprises

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NELSON MANDELA BAY MUNICIPALITY Powering Port Elizabeth and Beyond Looking out for residents and business alike

MINING & RESOURCES

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AFRICAN MINING SERVICES Mining with Integrity

An honest approach to regional industry success

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F O C U S

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ADIPEC

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ENERGYNET: SOUTH AFRICA

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MAURITANIDES

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MINING INDABA

Shaping oil & gas strategies

ELECTRICX

North Africa’s leading power exhibition and conference

Three leading events under one roof Connecting investors with mining and energy opportunities Africa’s premier mining industry showcase

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Around Africa in seven stories…

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FINANCE

FINANCE

IDB to launch $1 billion-dollar infrastructure fund

Old Mutual completes R1.265 billion sale of Nedbank shares South African financial services giant Old Mutual has sold 5.5 million shares it held in Nedbank, the Company has confirmed.

Priced at R230 each, the total sale amounted to R1.265 billion, with shares being bought up by selected institutional investors.

It represents the final step in spinning off the division, with Old

ENERGY & UTILITIES

KenGen set for July 2019 opening of new geothermal plant

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Mutual now holding a 19.9 percent stake in Nedbank.

The Company moved its headquarters to London in 1999 and has been stripping down its conglomerate makeup ever since.

In Africa, it offers a broad spectrum of financial solutions to retail and corporate customers across key markets in 17 countries.

Saudi Arabia’s Islamic Development Bank (IDB) is seeking to plug the infrastructure gap in member countries in Africa by raising two funds.

It hopes to raise $1 billion to invest in projects across both Asia and Africa, this coming after the launch of a technology focussed fund worth $500 million earlier in the year.

IDB is looking to provide finance for developments spanning transport, energy and sanitation, and says that the African continent’s infrastructure funding gap sits at more than $87 billion.

Mohamed Nouri Jouini, Vice President of Partnership Development, said: “This is a new policy of the IDB in terms of putting a focus on thematic areas, whether its infrastructure, science and technology or other areas.”

A new 165 MW geothermal plant is on track to open next July in Kenya’s Rift Valley, its operator has confirmed.

KenGen, responsible for around 75 percent of electricity generation in the country, confirmed the project is proceeding as planned.

Contractors on the Olkaria V development include Mitsubishi, which started work on the plant last year.

It involves the installation of two 130-tonne generator units, and will contribute towards KenGen’s installed capacity target of 2,350 MW by 2020.

Currently geothermal accounts for around 27 percent of Kenya’s power generation.

GO TO WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM/NEWS FOR ALL OF THE LATEST NEWS FROM AFRICA

RETAIL

TECHNOLOGY

MTN Ghana’s MoMo drives revenue increase

Stuart Bird, CEO of retailer Mr Price, announces retirement Retail group Mr Price has announced the retirement of its CEO Stuart Bird after more than eight years in the job.

The South African company also revealed that current Chief Financial Officer Mark Blair will be promoted as Bird’s replacement, starting on January 1 2019.

Bird will also retire from his role as an executive director by the end of Q1 next year, having joined Mr Price back in 2006.

Stuart Bird

Under his tenure as CEO, the Company saw earnings grow by a compound rate of 18.8 percent, the latest set of figures showing revenues of R6.9 billion in the four months ending August 4.

Telco group MTN’s Ghana unit has recorded an uptick in sales of 22.9 percent for the third quarter of 2018.

This was driven by the success of its MoMo mobile money service, which helped its digital arm to grow sales by 28 percent for the same period.

Ghanaians have taken to the product, which allows consumers to transfer money and make payments using their mobile devices. MTN Ghana added that its data revenues increased by 30.9 percent.

The Company also released sales figures for the first three quarters of 2018, which saw $731.9 million turned over by the business.

OIL & GAS

ExxonMobil and Rosneft strike exploration agreement with Mozambique

Delta, which is due to announce its half-year results in November.

In a statement Delta said: “Group revenue increased by 33 percent (30 percent organic growth) for the quarter and 37 percent for the half year driven by the volume growth in Delta Corporation, Zimbabwe’s largest the beer businesses. The growth in revenue has positively impacted on brewing company, has announced a profitability and cashflows.” record 54 percent jump in sales of its The Company’s lager brands lager. include Castle, Lion, Flying Fish and The world’s largest beer producer Bohlingers.

AB InBev owns a 40 percent share in FOOD & DRINK

Zimbabwe brewer Delta sees 54 percent rise in lager sales

Oil & gas heavyweights ExxonMobil and Rosneft will begin exploring for oil in Mozambique after signing an agreement with the country’s National Petroleum Institute (NPI).

The organisation said that the agreements could result in a minimum of 10 wells being drilled (eight deep water and two offshore), which would amount to around $700 million being invested by the two companies.

Currently, biofuels and waste account for the vast majority of Mozambique’s energy supply, followed by oil and hydro.

South Africa’s Sasol and Italian firm Eni are also close to signing oil exploration deals, the NPI said.

GO TO WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM/NEWS FOR ALL OF THE LATEST NEWS FROM AFRICA

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How can Governments Boost Africa’s Economic Growth?

Stephane Colliac, Senior Economist for Africa at trade credit insurer Euler Hermes, outlines three policy measures African governments can implement to drive growth across the region Written by: Stéphane Colliac

ABOUT THE EXPERT Stéphane Colliac joined Euler Hermes in 2016 as the Senior Economist for France and Africa. His responsibilities at Euler Hermes also cover global emerging markets (activity, capital flows and liquidity indicators).

Colliac runs quarterly country risk assessments and regular forecasts. He gives regular presentations to customers, prospects and brokers, as well as interviews on France and Africa to key media platforms, such as France 24, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, AFP, Europe 1, RFI, Radio Classique, Le Monde, Le Figaro, Les Echos and Capital.

Before his current position, Colliac worked for about 10 years as a global and country emerging markets economist in various positions (Groupama Asset Management, French Treasury, Thierry Apoteker Consultant). He also has a keen interest in international macroeconomics and finance, and holds a PhD with a thesis on ‘Prerequisites to Full Dollarization in Latin America’ from the University of Bordeaux.

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he African economy is growing again after 2015’s commodity price plunge.

Despite the still significant current account deficits in many economies, the outlook is positive on the whole. But there are a number of areas governments need to focus on to ensure the region can capitalise and achieve its growth potential, from addressing the inequalities in company payment terms to boosting investment levels.

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While foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by 20 percent between 2016 and 2017, the recovery of commodity prices and greater cross-border cooperation have resulted in an upturn over the last 12 months.

African nations can exert little influence on the former, but by working together they can eradicate trade barriers and open up borders to develop better integrated, regional supply chains that could provide the platform to produce and export more

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manufactured, finished goods.

The new African Free Trade Agreement (FTA) represents a major step in the right direction and it will be important for governments to push this forward to keep up the momentum.

A lack of financial infrastructure is among the biggest bottlenecks impeding African firms’ access to credit, which in-turn impinges on economic growth.

For example, less than 30 percent of the sub-Saharan adult population have access to a bank account, meaning informal cash transactions are widespread. Mobile banking is a good solution and introducing it would reduce the distance between people and banks to zero, limiting management costs and administrative requirements. The widespread and growing use of mobile phones on the continent makes this an achievable goal.

Looking at the short-term, having more adequate day sales outstanding (DSO) – the average number of days that it takes a company to collect payment after a sale has been made – has the potential to have a significant and quick impact on growth.

A lack of standardisation across Africa is resulting in a widening

inequality gap. Big players are often bad payers, whereas small to medium sized firms are expected to pay upfront or on delivery, often in cash, which severely limits their ability to invest in growth.

For example, state-owned enterprises in Angola and Egypt are able to postpone payments by several years and although Moroccan corporates pay much quicker, with an average DSO of 84 days, almost a third of their transactions with smaller firms involve upfront cash payments.

Our forecasts show the effects of standardising payment terms to 30 days for transactions currently paid in cash would be substantial.

Approximately $33.5 billion in additional working capital would be freed-up this year alone which companies could use to reinvest.

By 2020, this figure could rise to an estimated $45 billion. Oil exporters

Our forecasts show the effects of standardising payment terms to 30 days for transactions currently paid in cash would be substantial’

across Africa, such as Nigeria, Angola and Libya, could release $14 billion per year between them, whereas Algeria, the Republic of Congo and Kenya could free-up $5 billion (three percent of GDP), $0.9 billion (11 percent of GDP) and $1.6 billion (two percent of GDP) respectively.

Implementing a new standard will not be a simple task, but the huge amount of money that could be reinvested provides a strong argument for developing a strategy that balances payment terms across Africa.

Opportunities for growth in the region are a cause for optimism but roadblocks stand in the way of it realising its potential. Encouraging further foreign investment, making the most of emerging banking technology and introducing standardised payment terms for businesses across the continent will go a long way to breaking down those barriers.

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B - B B E E

Bolstering Black Economic Empowerment Leveraging its Transformational Infrastructure Fund, Bayakha Infrastructure Partners is looking to boost economic development and equality across South Africa Writer: Jonathan Dyble

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road-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) is an initiative that is making sweeping changes to the economic landscape across South Africa.

Launched by the national government in response to rising concerns about national equality, the initiative seeks to help realise the country’s full economic potential by empowering all individuals.

Methods of furthering the B-BBEE agenda have come in a variety of forms, from helping to promote the education of minority peoples to bolstering rural communities by expanding infrastructure development.

Infrastructure investment remains a cornerstone of economic progression, cited by key bodies such as the World Bank and the United Nations as being

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fundamental in improving global living standards.

And while much of this responsibility lies with governments and international organisations such as these, certain businesses, including Bayakha Infrastructure Partners, are equally realising the key differences that they can make.

“In South Africa, the Financial Services B-BBEE Codes recognise that investment in infrastructure contributes to economic growth and development, not only through infrastructure improvement but also in the development and transformation of capital markets and thus the financial sector itself,” says NgokuSakhile Mazwi, Founder and Managing Director of Bayakha Infrastructure Partners.

“Transformation in South Africa is non-negotiable if we want to

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seriously address inequality, which is unfortunately biased along racial lines as a result of our history. Inclusive growth and addressing widening inequality are also global issues that can no longer be ignored, if we are indeed serious about building inclusive economies.”

Advocating change

Operating as a specialist infrastructure fund manager, the Company is perfectly placed to address such issues – a position that has been recognised by Mazwi with the launch of the Bayakha Transformational Infrastructure Fund.

Unveiled in August 2016, the fund was initially introduced in direct response to the increasing challenges faced by independent power producers.

However, having developed quickly, it is now championing the B-BBEE programme, helping to raise national living standards for all citizens by making direct equity investments into qualifying projects in the infrastructure sector.

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“As a Black-owned fund management firm we knew that we would like to see the transformation of the local asset management industry which remains fairly stagnant,” explains Mazwi.

“Equally, it became clear that investors have a keen interest in investing in social infrastructure sectors, and as a result, we responded by developing a social infrastructure pipeline over the last year that was then introduced to the investment teams.”

Hoping to reach a total fund size of R3 billion (US$210 million), investments are expected to enhance the social sectors, helping to introduce things like student housing and hospitals, and also facilitate key economic developments including projects in renewable energy, water infrastructure, ICT and transport projects such as toll-roads, rail and ports.

Currently, it is estimated that the Transformational Infrastructure Fund will provide capital injection for eight to 10 major projects, primarily across South Africa but also throughout the wider Sub-Saharan African region.

A new era

With growing emphasis from both institutional investors and governmental bodies on both the B-BBEE programme and infrastructure developments in general, it is anticipated that the infrastructure investment industry is set to be turned in a number of new directions.

Mazwi explains: “Financing infrastructure is going to be a key government focus over the short to medium term as announced in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s stimulus plan. I expect the private sector to rally around the President, so we are likely to see increased public-private partnerships across the sector.”

Collaboration is crucial in any industry, something that has already been recognised by Bayakha through its cooperation with Eaglestone

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NGOKU-SAKHILE MAZWI, FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, BAYAKHA INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERS Throughout an illustrious career in investments, working at some of the largest pension funds and early infrastructure investment companies across the South Africa, Ngoku-Sakgile Mazwi has achieved a great deal: “I started my investment career at Metal Industries Benefit Fund Administrators which manages the Engineering Industries Pension and Provident Funds where I spent three years. Thereafter I joined Eskom Pension & Provident Fund for a period of two years before spending a period of five years at Alexander Forbes Investments which included a short stint at our London office at the time and researching best-of-breed global fund managers. This was all before joining Benguela as Head of Alternatives.

“I’ve always had ambitions of founding a fund management business that would have real impact and change lives. From inception, I approached my career as a learning opportunity.

My approach was to absorb all the knowledge and exposure I was fortunate to receive through the years. So, I guess after spending 10 years working and learning from the best in the local fund management industry, I felt I had acquired the necessary experience, network and risk capital to finally go out on my own.

“I was also fortunate enough to be supported by a circle of mentors, family and friends who understand the entrepreneurship journey and were there to offer advice in a variety of ways.”

Advisory – a financial services specialist that has become a key strategic shareholder in the business, providing indispensable insight.

“Eaglestone Advisory are experts in structuring project finance transactions and investing in energy and infrastructure on the African continent,” says Mazwi. “Benefits of our partnership include increased deal pipeline, team capacity and geographic footprint, diversity of skills, research, exit and IPO coverage.”

Looking ahead, Bayakha will hope to leverage its own expertise, the

growth in partnerships and changing industry attitudes to make a difference in both enabling black economic empowerment and wider economic development throughout South Africa.

Mazwi concludes: “Our promise to our investors is to offer substantial returns whilst simultaneously delivering development impact and contributing towards the country’s inclusive growth path.

“With an anticipated final fund size of R3 billion, we hope to invest these commitments over the next five years.”

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V I R G I N

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RISE of Luxury We asked three General Managers of Virgin Limited Edition resorts in South Africa and Kenya for their take on Africa’s luxury hospitality industry Written by: Tom Wadlow

Mahali Mzuri

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outh Africa and Kenya represent two of Africa’s largest tourism markets. Last year South Africa accumulated $8.82 billion in international tourism receipts, the most of any African country, with Kenya’s $0.93 billion making it the seventh largest.

The luxury travel sector is playing an increasingly prominent part in this equation. Globally the industry is booming, with 2017/2018 growth in double digits, and the general attitude towards luxury is shifting alongside

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this expansion.

Operating in this market in Africa is Virgin Limited Edition, with several properties spread over the continent.

We asked the general managers of three of its hotels and resorts in Kenya and South Africa for their take on this ever-evolving market.

Africa Outlook (AfO): Introduce us to your hotel.

Wilson Odhiambo (WO): Mahali Mzuri is Virgin Limited Edition’s tented

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luxury safari camp in the northern region of Kenya’s Maasai Mara. We have 12 unique tented suites perched on a ridge overlooking the valley; giving panoramic views whilst still being tucked away and keeping the landscape intact. The camp opened in August 2013 and was designed to have a minimal footprint on the land and wildlife.

Karl Langdon (KL): Ulusaba is a private game reserve located in the Sabi Sand in South Africa. We opened in 2000,

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Ulusaba

Mont Rochelle

and I joined the same year as a Game Ranger. My wife and I have worked together as General Managers at the property since 2006 and together we oversee the overall management of the property; including operations and guest services, as well as management of the Land and all conservation and community aspects. We have 21 rooms and suites spread over two lodges: Rock Lodge and Safari Lodge. Built along the banks of a dry riverbed, Safari Lodge guests cross swing bridges to reach their rooms.

The bridges were designed to connect the rooms while allowing elephants and giraffes to pass peacefully below.

AfO: What is your target market?

What makes your hotel/resort unique?

James Basson (JB): Mont Rochelle is a 26-bedroom hotel and vineyard just under an hour’s drive from Cape Town in the town of Franschhoek, South Africa. The hotel was originally built as a family farmhouse in the 1800’s, and opened as part of the Virgin Limited Edition collection in 2014. Our location at the foot of the Klein Dassenberg mountain range.

WO: One of the most unique things about Mahali Mzuri is its location in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy.

It is perfectly placed to witness the annual Great Migration and fantastic year-round game viewing. Our tents are designed to get guests as close to nature as possible so that as they turn in for the night they can hear lions in the mara. In fact, many of our guests

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Mahali Mzuri is Virgin Limited Edition’s tented luxury safari camp

say that they don’t even need to go on the twice-daily game drives during a stay; the tents positioning just behind a watering hole means that they can see a variety of animals from the comfort of their private deck. Our guests are looking for a safari experience like no other, and industry reports have shown that safaris have been particularly popular with British tourists this year. With Kenya Airways launching a new direct flight route from New York to Nairobi later this year we are anticipating that interest in the region will only grow, particularly from the US market.

KL: It’s hard to choose just one target market as our guests are so varied. Ulusaba hosts a lot of special celebrations; milestone birthdays,

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“Our guests are looking for a safari experience like no other, and industry reports have shown that safaris have been particularly popular with British tourists this year”

once-in-a-lifetime retirement trips, honeymoons and even weddings.

We also have a lot of repeat guests who choose to come back and see us year after year, becoming one of

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the family. Our location means that we are known for the quality of safari experience and we are lucky enough to have some of the most experienced rangers and trackers in the country. As well as twice-daily game drives, all food and drinks (including alcoholic beverages) are included in the rates so we can offer an exceptional experience.

We like to call it ‘barefoot luxury’. One very special aspect of Ulusaba that makes us unique is our relationship with the local community. 15 years ago, we founded the camp’s charitable arm ‘Pride ‘n Purpose’, which helps disadvantaged communities neighbouring the Sabi Sand. Today it is estimated that Pride ‘n Purpose benefits over 35,000 people across six communities.

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JB: Mont Rochelle has a lot of visitors from Europe who will visit us as part of a multi-destination trip around Africa, and many choose to twin a stay with a trip to one of the Virgin Limited Edition safari properties. We developed our ‘winelands and wildlife’ package to allow guests to experience all the continent has to offer by combining a stay with a trip to Ulusaba or Mahali Mzuri. A lot of our guests are from South Africa and visit us for a short break away, particularly in our off-peak periods when we extend an exclusive 30 percent discount off published rates for residents. Our two on-site restaurants, Miko and the Country Kitchen, are very popular with day-visitors to the winelands and we also offer picnics to enjoy in the grounds.

AfO: What is your take on Southern Africa’s luxury hospitality sector? Are you seeing a growing demand for these services?

WO: In my opinion, the word ‘luxury’ is a bit of a cliché. Taking luxury to the next level is about giving guests the opportunity to discover experiences that truly touch their soul. Africa is one of the few places where you can truly come and disconnect to reconnect; it’s a very authentic state and perfect for finding yourself. There are some luxuries that you don’t get in everyday life, and one of the biggest is time. To be able to give time and real experiences back to people is very important. It’s these experiences that give people a reason to travel, and they are able to return home thinking ‘I needed that’.

KL: I would say that we’ve seen a shift in what luxury means for travellers. In recent years there has definitely been an increase in those looking to create lasting life experiences; whether that’s in an urban environment, culturally or by connecting with wildlife.

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Ulusaba is a private game reserve located in the Sabi Sand in South Africa

“In recent years there has definitely been an increase in those looking to create lasting life experiences; whether that’s in an urban environment, culturally or by connecting with wildlife”

The luxury industry has definitely grown, but with a focus on tangible experiences and a sense ofbelonging in the region. Beyond the opulence, travellers want to know where their money goes and be safe in the knowledge that camps, hotels or tour operators are giving back.

For example, every September we take part in Arbor Month, a whole month full of fun projects aimed at improving quality of life in the local community. Our guests are encouraged to help plant fruit trees in the local village of Dumphries as part of a community visit. We send updates with the progress of the trees that are planted long after they have gone home, to help keep the memories alive.

JB: South Africa has some of the best properties in the world; I would say

that hospitality-wise we are offering top level services. However, the product, or the hotel itself, only plays a small part in this. It’s the overall experience, the soul of the teams and the level of service that really makes visiting South Africa special. There is a demand for luxury, but it is not pretentious, it’s real and that’s what luxury means to our clients and guests.

AfO: How important is tourism generally to your area?

WO: Tourism is a means for life in Kenya, it is very important for us. We have seen great economic growth and now tourism is one of our biggest industries, second only to agriculture.

These days more youngsters are staying in Kenya to study tourism as they know they can have a very successful career in the industry without having to leave their country.

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KL: It’s vital in the Sabi Sand; tourism is the biggest industry in the area and Africans are naturally hospitable people. However, the benefits of tourism expand far beyond the employment benefits for those working in the industry. As well as the role tourism can play in conservation efforts for the flora and fauna, it can also support wider businesses in the community. At Ulusaba, we support local suppliers as much as possible and work with farmers to source produce for our kitchen, craft-makers to sell their wares in the Gift Shop and local choirs and Shanghaan dancers to provide entertainment for our guests.

“When visiting our properties in Africa, you are going to get a completely rounded experience and I think that is one of the reasons why Virgin Limited Edition has been so successful”

Ulusaba hosts a lot of special celebrations; milestone birthdays, once-in-a-lifetime retirement trips, honeymoons and even weddings

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JB: It’s massively important. It’s the main provider of employment in the local community; from restaurants to hotels and wine estates, all of these contribute to our economy. Of course, having such a choice of fantastic hospitality businesses only contributes to our guests’ experiences too.

AfO: How can Virgin Limited Edition as a brand ensure it is successful in Africa?

WO: Virgin Limited Edition has an ethos that it believes in, and this authenticity keeps the Company on the right track. By showing our guests

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authentic African experiences, taking them back to basics and allowing them to discover themselves, they can make a true connection with the team and the place. Our guests make Mahali Mzuri a second home and this is what keeps them coming back. I’m really looking forward to focussing on increasing our social footprint and finding even more ways to support the local community. I think kindness is one of the most important factors for success, so we are always looking for opportunities to give back.

KL: Working ethically, having morals and engaging with the team and the local communities are all incredibly important for success, and are things that I am proud to say Virgin Limited

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that our properties are connected Edition takes seriously. We are already on the right path, so continuing to drive to their location through local these aspects can only help our success. employment, using and promoting local produce and experiences that are true to the location. At Mont Rochelle JB: When visiting our properties it’s all about gastronomy, but more in Africa, you are going to get a importantly it’s showcasing the African completely rounded experience and spirit. This is our biggest selling point I think that is one of the reasons why and why our guests return year after Virgin Limited Edition has been so year and are now friends for life. successful. We take pride in ensuring

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F O C U S

Ecommerce’s

Next Frontier With rising smartphone connectivity and improving access to digital finance, Africa looks set to become the next emerging market to make waves in online retail Writer: Tom Wadlow

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o say Africa houses untapped ecommerce potential is an understatement.

Growing economies, rapidly rising mobile penetration and improving access to financial services are opening up new customer bases for businesses looking to sell via the internet.

Lagos-based Jumia has three million customers spread through several nations, with other local platforms such as Souq in Egypt and Kilimall in Kenya also performing well. International players such as AliExpress and Amazon, as well as sellers on social media, are also seeing expansion on the continent.

However, despite being home to more than 16 percent of the world’s population, Africa accounted for just one percent of all online retail sales last year.

It is thus clear that there is significant room for expansion in ecommerce activity, and there are several keys to realising this enormous potential, not least supportive legislation from national governments and cross-border cooperation.

Mobile – the facilitator

Increasing uptake of smartphones across the continent is another vital factor. In 2010, subscriber penetration stood at just 25 percent, and while 2017’s figure of 44 percent is still well short of the 66 percent global average, it shows a marked improvement.

The improvement looks set to continue, with the GSMA forecasting a 4.8 percent compound annual

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growth rate between now and 2022, more than double the worldwide estimate. By 2025, the association expects to see a 52 percent subscriber penetration.

With internet penetration at around 35 percent currently, Africa is predominantly a mobile ecommerce (or mcommerce) market.

For many consumers across the region, smartphones represent more than just a communications device.

Mobiles are the sole means of getting online for many, particularly those in rural areas where rolling out internet infrastructure is difficult and expensive.

‘Currently, 59 percent of the country’s population has access to the internet or owns a smartphone, with web usage up 17 percent since 2015’

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This is particularly important when it comes to accessing banking services, another fundamental enabler of ecommerce activity. At the end of 2017, the GSMA calculated 135 live mobile money services across Africa serving 122 million active accounts.

Leading lights

Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa currently account for the lion’s share of online retail sales.

As Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria is unsurprisingly a regional ecommerce hub. Some 40 percent of the continent’s ecommerce players are headquartered in the country, but even here there is huge scope for expansion.

This is no better highlighted by the fact that only 48 percent of the 195 million inhabitants have access to the internet.

Kenya, on the other hand, boasts a far more impressive internet penetration of around 80 percent.

Nearly half of Kenyan adults use Safaricom’s M-Pesa, a mobile wallet service providing a secure payment system that consumers can trust.

South Africa is arguably where the greatest potential for cross-border ecommerce lies, owing to the fact it has a large middle-class population segment and is one of the most

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developed nations on the continent.

Currently, 59 percent of the country’s population has access to the internet or owns a smartphone, with web usage up 17 percent since 2015.

Challenges remain

Although the rise of mobile is presenting opportunities for ecommerce companies, significant barriers to entry do remain.

One of the most significant hurdles is physical in nature, namely a lack of street infrastructure. Most African nations lack a street address system, meaning delivery workers often have to remain in contact with the recipient in order to find the correct destination.

Last mile delivery is also very costly and, according to PracticalEcommerce, can be up to three times more expensive than in developed countries due to a lack of paved roads and resultant reluctance of logistics firms to enter these markets.

Another major obstacle, in spite of the upward trend, is that a great number of African consumers are still classed as unbanked. Mobile is doing its best to plug the gaps left by a lack of traditional banking presence – three times more Africans have mobile wallets than bank accounts.

Fear of fraud and cross-border complications such as taxation, logistical

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ECOMMERCE: A TWO-SPEED RETAIL SECTOR IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

We asked Adeline VanHoutte, analyst for Middle East & Africa at the Economist Intelligence Unit, for her take on the region’s online retail scene: “In major cities in the medium sized economies of Sub-Saharan Africa (mostly South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria), the local business-to-consumer market offers a number of services similar to those found in its overseas counterparts, although with mobile ecommerce prevailing.

“In these pockets of SSA relatively strong economic activity, coupled with a surge in investors’ interest, demographic growth, rapid urban growth, increasing income levels and enlarging middle class – a key driver of growth in the retail sector – means that retail sector growth, including ecommerce, is likely to remain buoyant. For example, in South Africa, online retail has been growing at over 20 percent year-on-year since 2000.

“Nonetheless, on the rest of the continent, the story is vastly different and as a whole SSA will continue to lag behind the rest of the world in terms of ecommerce. Online retail has typically been developed in more advanced economies, with high internet penetration, well developed infrastructure, widespread use of the banking system, and high-income levels. SSA countries vary widely in terms of economic development, political situation, state of their infrastructure, business regulations or consumer behaviour.

“Meanwhile, about 60 percent of SSA’s population is still rural and relies on unformal retail infrastructure and processes (with localised supply chains), which means that the formal retail sector is quasi nonexistent there.

“Low internet penetration, weak purchasing power, operational difficulties (including deliveries; for example, street names are absent in many African cities), poor market integration and digital illiteracy will all remain major obstacles to the development of ecommerce in SSA in the foreseeable future.”

‘Nearly half of Kenyan adults use Safaricom’s M-Pesa, a mobile wallet service providing a secure payment system’

problems and cultural differences, are other barriers to online retail taking off.

However, the latest research from Statista still predicts a surge in the African ecommerce sector. By 2022, it forecasts revenues of $29 billion, nearly double the $16.5 million generated in 2017.

If these challenges can be addressed, the $29 billion could well be added to.

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N A M I B I A

NAMIBIA The land of the endless horizons NAMIBIA FEATURES ONE of the most spectacular landscapes that Africa has to offer, home to expansive deserts, towering mountains, rocky valleys and savannas that are littered with some of the rarest wildlife in the world.

While the vastness of the country may be hard to comprehend, Namibia is the perfect escape from a busy life in the western world. In fact, the country has one of the lowest population densities on earth with just 2.9 people per square kilometre.

Despite this, Namibia surprisingly features some of the most vibrant cities on the continent that readily showcase the country’s exciting economic prospects alongside a deep cultural history that together bring unique experiences to travellers.

Tourists who do visit the country are well placed to see all of these sites, owed to the nation’s economic

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Combining one of Africa’s most progressive economies with expansive deserts, deep canyons and rich wildlife reserves, Namibia truly has something for everyone Writer: Jonathan Dyble Project Manager: Joe Palliser

and democratic stability and secure infrastructure networks.

There is a range of alternative ways to explore its extensive plains, and whilst the country continues to offer the continent’s deepest canyon, the world’s oldest desert and the tallest sand dunes on the planet, Namibia will remain ripe for such adventure.

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FACTS & FIGURES

Capital: Windhoek Languages: German, English Area: 825,615km² Population (2016): 2.48 million GDP (2016): US $10.27 billion Currency: Namibian Dollar (N$) Time zone: GMT+2 Dialling code: +264 Internet TLD: .na Climate: Arid Highest recorded temperature: 37°C

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The Business End

HOME TO RICH mineral deposits, Namibia has come to be considered by the World Bank as a uppermiddle-income country, upheld by political stability and sound economic management.

The national government is attempting to lead by example in the way of economic progression across Africa by placing significant emphasis on incorporating the principles and practices of commercial development in the aim promoting job creation across the country.

This particular emphasis has resulted in tourism becoming a key contributor to Namibia’s growth projections, adding approximately NAD$23.7 billion last year, accounting for 13.8 percent of total national GDP. Playing a key role in facilitating the rapid rise of this sector is Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN) – an organisation encompassing more than 400 members across the full spectrum of the national hospitality industry.

“The country’s vibrant tourism sector holds great potential for job creation and skills development, not only in urban areas, but most

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REGIONAL MAP 1. Skelton Coast National Park 2. National West Coast Tourist Recreation Centre 3. Etosha National Park 4. Waterberg Plateau Park 5. Kaudom Game Reserve 6. Caprivi Game Reserve 7. Mudumo National Park 8. Mamili National Park 9. Namib-Naukluft National Park 10. Hardcap Game Park 11. Fish River Canyon Park A. Hartmann Valley B. Cape Cross Seal Reserve C. Spitzekoppe D. Sossusvlei E. Kolmanskop

importantly also at regional and rural level,” says Gitta Paetzold, CEO of HAN. “With tourism quite literally being everyone’s business, issues addressed by the association very often exceed the narrow tourism promotion sphere to include health, infrastructure, crime, issues on regulation and policy issues affecting tourism and the like.

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“Ultimately, the association aims to ensure that the tourism industry in Namibia remains relevant, grows and develops into a key economic pillar, is recognised for the immense value it holds in terms of job creation and economic contribution, all the while making Namibia a destination of choice for both regional and international travellers.”

Journeys OFFERING

See into Eternity

Q UI N T E S S E N T I A L

A DV E N T U R E S

reservations@journeysnamibia.com

www.journeysnamibia.com

N A M I B I A

Hospitality Association of Namibia FOUNDED IN 1987 by an initial 16 members, HAN has been crucial in bolstering the country’s tourism industry for more than 30 years.

Representing all industry bodies, from hotels, to guest houses, guest farms, lodges, rest camps, restaurants, conference centres and catering services, HAN readily engages with all hospitality members, helping to tackle issues and further national economic agenda.

With aim of promoting the common interests of its members and enhancing the local hospitality industry, with coverage from the Kunene and Kavango rivers in the north right down to the Oranje in the south, HAN continues to champion this flourishing industry.

Speaking to Africa Outlook, Paetzold reveals what’s in store for both the organisation and Namibia as a whole in the coming months.

Africa Outlook (AfO): How would you say Hospitality Association of Namibia continues to help develop the country’s national tourism industry?

Gitta Paetzold (GP): Throughout each year, the association communicates with its members via

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email to ensure that the industry is kept abreast of developments and trends both locally and abroad.

Members are also provided with an open channel to express their views and concerns and request HAN’s assistance to take these to authorities, where necessary.

HAN represents the sector on platforms provided by relevant government authorities including the Tourism Ministry’s Tourism Competitive Advisory Board. Further, we provide regular submissions on

“The potential of the tourism sector is immense for Namibia, and the industry is recognised as one of the four key economic pillars of our economy”

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tourism occupancy statistics to the Bank of Namibia, Statistics Agency and other interested stakeholders, and once a year, aside from our AGM, we also host a National Tourism Congress on topics relevant to the industry.

Furthermore, HAN hosts an annual tourism awards gala, during which outstanding performance and personalities in tourism are recognised for their commitment to growing the industry.

AfO: How would you evaluate the tourism sector in Namibia now compared to its condition when the Namibia Tourism Board began?

GP: HAN was instrumental, together with other tourism associations, in formulating the regulations for the Namibia Tourism Board which was established by an Act of Parliament in 2000, 10 years after the country gained independence.

In the years since, the tourism sector and HAN have been in open dialogue that has included consultation, advice and promotion of the tourism sector, both in terms of marketing as a destination in general, and in influencing the development of tourism activities in rural areas.

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Further, as a member of the Namibia Employers’ Federation, we have ensured that all occupational health and safety issues, labour matters and other social responsibility concerns are addressed, and that staff are trained, developed and encouraged to make a career in tourism whilst maintaining high standards.

Equally, through strategic partnerships with the Eco Awards Alliance, the Namibian Association of Community Based Tourism Organisations, the Namibian Chamber for the Environment, and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the NTB, HAN is a key driver for the promotion of sustainable practices in tourism.

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Week in October in the coastal town of Luederitz, and the annual Namib Desert Race in December, one of the harshest 24-hour cycle races across Namibia’s gruelling terrain. Winter sees the Race for Rhino in Damaraland, combining fun and sports with a good cause, namely the preservation and conservation of Namibia’s fauna and flora, and especially our precious rhinos.

In line with the huge growth in tourism across the country, a number of major brands including Hilton Hotels, the Manor Group and Zanier Hotel group have set up shop in Namibia, each launching a number of new prestigious hotels. These, coupled with existing establishments such as the Hoanbib Valley Camp that AfO: What is in store for Namibia most recently hosted Prince William, over the rest of 2018 and beyond are just a few examples of Namibia’s to continue the good work already potential to provide unique, exquisite commenced and to enhance its and exclusive experiences to world reputation as a tourism and business travellers. travel hub further in the future?

Meanwhile, gemstone tourism is GP: Apart from the annual HAN also on the up as Namibia’s geography Tourism Congress and Gala, the biggest and geology is probably one of the media house, Namibia Media Holdings, most intriguing at global level, with hosts the annual Namibia Tourism countless experts and scientists Expo in May/June every year - a fouralready frequenting this country for day event showcasing the diversity of research. We believe that, if developed the sector. correctly, gemstone tourism can Within specific regions, a number become a new niche market for our of events are held annually, such as the International Kite Surfing Speed

tourism industry, and one that will offer added benefits to the local community and small miners.

AfO: Finally, looking forward, what progress and development are you expecting to see in the coming years, both in regard to HAN as an entity, and the business travel industry in Namibia as a whole?

GP: The potential of the tourism sector is immense for Namibia, and the industry is recognised as one of the four key economic pillars of our economy. It could be a gold mine, but only if it is developed correctly and in consideration of the environmental sustainability principles to which we strongly subscribe.

Growth needs to go hand in hand with distinct destination management and aim for a shift from the bottleneck areas of the national parks and Deadvlei to creating a more diverse tourism package that offers one key multi-faceted tourism product: Namibia – a place that has it all.

From wide open spaces, unspoilt beauty and rich fauna and flora to intriguing history and cultural diversity, coupled with some of the most amazing culinary offerings that include world-renowned beers, wines, gins, and local delicacies, Namibia really does have a lot to offer.

Zanier Hotels Omaanda Lodge

Shamvetu Lodge, Popa Falls

Zanier Hotels Omaanda Lodge

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N A M I B I A

Out & About IN THE WAY of culture, Namibia is completely unique, taking influences from both its colonial history and the 11 different tribes and ethnic groups that occupy the country. The result of this is a truly broad and diverse society, with a range of different art, music, religions found throughout each region.

This culture of acceptance makes the country one of the most touristfriendly nations across Africa and visiting remote communities such as the semi-nomadic Himba can be a humbling experience for any traveller.

Home to a quarter of the world’s cheetahs and the last of the world’s completely wild black rhino, Namibia also showcases an expansive range of wildlife reserves, parks and lodges that, coupled with its beautiful landscapes, readily draw visitors from all over the world.

Heading into the country’s more populated areas, Swakopmund is a great base from which to explore the Namib Desert and Skeleton Coast, whilst offering unique colonial architecture that in itself is worth seeing.

Meanwhile Windhoek offers a more westernised feel, standing as a modern and well-structured city that can provide those who visit with some respite from the country’s expansive deserts.

Ballooning over the Sossusvlei Desert

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Colorful colonial houses in Swakopmund

Meat me there!

Inspired by the fascinating character of Namibia and its people, Joe’s is where a love for adventure, stories and living to the fullest, comes to vibrant life. Through our unique combination of delicious and authentic food, heartfelt hospitality, and our one-of-its-kind atmosphere, we feed the mouth and soul, celebrate old memories; and build new ones with you.

So much more than just another restaurant. For people who still dream of truly great escape.

THAT PLACE IS JOE’S.

Bookings can be directly made on the website

+264 61 232 457 | www.joesbeerhouse.com | 160 Nelson Mandela Avenue | Windhoek | Namibia

N A M I B I A

Outlook Recommends “Namibia is a country of epic landscapes, bountiful wildlife and few people” – World Travel Guide

HOSPITALITY

TOUR PROVIDERS

Journeys Namibia Journey’s Namibia is one of the most established lodge management companies across the country, helping to take the strain off lodge owners by taking care of the day to day management.

With a vision of promoting a sustainable tourism industry through the development of sound partnerships, Journey’s Namibia wants to truly make a difference to every visitor’s Namibia experience.

RESTAURANTS Joe’s Beer House Encompassing the soul and character of Namibia and its people, Joe’s Beer House offers one of a kind experiences to any of its customers that come from far and wide.

Joe’s combines delicious and authentic foods with heart-warming hospitality to leave its customers with the best of memories, feeding the mouth and soul.

Blue Crane Safaris Katu Tours Swakop Cycle Tours MUSEUMS

The Raft Restaurant Xwama Cultural Village & Restaurant Damara Living Museum Flamingo Villas Boutique Hotel Lake Oanob Resort 32

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Swakopmund Museum Trans-Namib Railway Museum

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Flamingo Villas Boutique Hotel Hotel, Restaurant and Bar Lagoon with flamingo view • walvis bay • Namibia

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Soul in Harm ony with Nature

Welcome to Namibia’s unique waterfront “Lake Oanob Resort”, where you can experience the savanna, its wild- and birdlife, breathtaking sunsets and a touch of Swiss-Namibian hospitality; still, you are linked to the outside world (internet-WiFi). We offer luxury accommodation in self-catering chalets, ensuite rooms and camping/caravan sites. The à la carte restaurant and bar is where you chill out after your water sport activities, a nature drive, or a sundowner boat cruise. Our Resort is also offering different venues for workshops, conferencing, weddings, birthday parties and more – all next to the waterfront.

T: +264 64 205 631 | gm@flamingovillana.com | manager@flamingovillana.com Flamingo Villas Boutique Hotel | Flamingo Villas Bar | Flamingo Bay Restaurant www.flamingovillana.com

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Outlook Publishing’s awardwinning in-house team is now utilising its extensive production skills to offer a full and bespoke range of editorial, design and marketing services via its new Outlook Creative Services division.

F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N V I S I T: www.outlookpublishing.com/creative-services

Epacha Game Lodge is located on top of the hills of the 13,000 ha Epacha Game Reserve near Etosha National Park. The Lodge offers 18 luxury chalets and a private Villa spread over the hills overlooking the private reserve.

Activities include game drives on the reserve and to Etosha, a visit to a local Himba village and spa treatments.

Tel: +264 61 375300 reservations@epacha.com

www.epacha.com

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N A M I B I A

Transport Links

Flamingos at Walvis Bay

WITH SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT having been pledged towards upgrading infrastructure within Namibia’s populated areas in recent years, inner city travel is relatively easy, owed to the abundance of both rail and bus transport options available.

However, for those looking to discover the tourism riches that are on offer in all corners of the country, booked tours and buses are one of the most viable options. A number of private bus companies run scheduled long-distance services, such as Intercape Mainliner, whilst Townhoppers and Welwitschia Shuttle offer a similar transport solution in the form of shuttle buses.

Internal flights are also available, largely used by the country’s business travellers.

Whilst Namibia’s international airports

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can be found at Walvis Bay on the west coast and Windhoek, smaller airports are located broadly across the country at Katima Mulilo, Ondangwa, Rundu, Oranjemund and Lüderitz.

The Intercape Mainliner

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Despite this, car hire is widely considered to be the best method of travel for those looking to see it all.

It is recommended that vehicles capable of navigating off road are sought out, as some of the country’s more remote roads are a far cry from tarmacked highways. Equally, for those seeking to really get off the beaten track, it would be wise to travel in a convoy of at least two well equipped vehicles.

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Landmark Attractions Etosha National Park

“Etosha National Park, covering more than 20,000 square kilometres, is one of the world’s great wildlife-viewing venues.

Unlike other parks in Africa, where you can spend days looking for animals, Etosha’s charm lies in its ability to bring the animals to you” – Lonely Planet

Kolmanskop

“Here amongst the windswept houses of Kolmanskop lies the key to a past long gone, the remains of an era where diamonds sparkled and sustained life along the coast of Namibia” – Kolmanskuppe.com

Skeleton Coast

“Namibia has several thousand shipwrecked vessels strewn across its vast coastline. The Skeleton Coast’s rough seas, roaring winds and strong ocean currents are primarily responsible for many of these beached ships’ fate” – Namibia Tourism

River Canyon

“The Fish River Canyon in Namibia is (allegedly) the second largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon. The immensity of this magnificent landscape is truly breath-taking” – Namibian.org

Sossusvlei

“The dunes in this area are some of the highest in the world, reaching almost 400 meters, and provide photographic enthusiasts with wonderful images in the beautiful morning and evening light” – Sossusvlei.org

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Tell us your story and we’ll tell the world.

AFRICA OUTLOOK is a digital and print product aimed at boardroom and hands-on decision-makers across a wide range of industries on the continent.

With content compiled by our experienced editorial team, complemented by an in-house design and production team ensuring delivery to the highest standards, we look to promote the latest in engaging news, industry trends and success stories from the length and breadth of Africa.

We reach an audience of 185,000 people across the continent, bridging the full range of industrial sectors: agriculture, construction, energy & utilities, finance, food & drink, healthcare, manufacturing, mining & resources, oil & gas, retail, shipping & logistics, technology and travel & tourism.

In joining the leading industry heavyweights already enjoying the exposure we can provide, you can benefit from FREE coverage across both digital and print platforms, a FREE marketing brochure, extensive social media saturation, enhanced B2B networking opportunities, and a readymade forum to attract new investment and to grow your business.

To get involved, please contact Outlook Publishing’s Managing Director, Ben Weaver, who can provide further details on how to feature your company, for FREE, in one of our upcoming editions. www.africaout

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Cellars Looking to expand both its product portfolio and continental reach, Orange River Cellars is approaching Africa’s wine industry in a new and innovative way

ORANGE RIVER CELLARS

Taking the wine industry in a new direction

Writer: Jonathan Dyble | Project Manager: Lewis Bush

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ccording to statistics from the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, South Africa is the seventh biggest wine making country in the world.

Home to more than 95,000 hectares of specifically purposed grape vines, the country produces roughly 10.8 million hectolitres (1.08 trillion litres) per year, an amount 10 times greater than the production capacity of any other nation on the African continent.

Whilst the majority of this is exported, with 107 million litres having been shipped to the UK alone in 2016, there is reason for optimism in the domestic consumer market, with wine on the up in South Africa.

The 450 million litres that were consumed across South Africa last year is a distinct rise from the 425 million litres recorded in 2015, largely driven by the rising interest of younger demographics – an interest that local producer Orange River Cellars has successfully peaked.

“The Delush brand that we recently launched, one of our many meticulously marketed brands, has

both its Looking to expand and product portfolio Orange continental reach, ching River Cellars is approa in a y Africa’s wine industr way new and innovative

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been specifically developed for wine younger consumer can identify with drinkers between the ages of 18 and in Africa, reflected in our forecasts 24 with its sweeter taste and lower that suggest we can expect to do five alcohol content,” explains Charl du million litres of Delush wines alone in Plessis, the Company’s Chief Executive. the next financial year.”

“We feel that we’ve made a crucial Understanding opportunity step in developing a product that the With Delush standing as just one of a number of brands that have been specifically tailored to a host of different demographics, Orange River Cellars currently produces around 55 million litres of wine and up to 10 million litres of concentrate across its five wine cellars per year.

In the 53 years since its inception, the Company has grown to become a major player positioned at the forefront of South Africa’s expansive wine industry, a rise that has been facilitated by the firm’s willingness to adapt.

Du Plessis explains: “In the past few years we’ve become a lot more consumer orientated. We used to be a bulk orientated Company producing wine for distillation purposes.

However, we have had to change our approach as we didn’t have a captive Charl du Plessis, CEO market in the wake of deregulation.”

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industry

PACKAG ING

+44 (0) 1603 959 650 ben.weaver@outlookpublishing.com

www.africaoutlookmag.com/get-involved

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Stellar

Cellars Looking to expand both its product portfolio and continental reach, Orange River Cellars is approaching Africa’s wine industry in a new and innovative way Writer: Jonathan Dyble | Project Manager: Lewis Bush

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ccording to statistics from the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, South Africa is the seventh biggest wine making country in the world.

Home to more than 95,000 hectares of specifically purposed grape vines, the country produces roughly 10.8 million hectolitres (1.08 trillion litres) per year, an amount 10 times greater than the production capacity of any other nation on the African continent.

Whilst the majority of this is exported, with 107 million litres having been shipped to the UK alone in 2016, there is reason for optimism in the domestic consumer market, with wine on the up in South Africa.

The 450 million litres that were consumed across South Africa last year is a distinct rise from the 425 million litres recorded in 2015, largely driven by the rising interest of younger demographics – an interest that local producer Orange River Cellars has successfully peaked.

“The Delush brand that we recently launched, one of our many meticulously marketed brands, has

been specifically developed for wine drinkers between the ages of 18 and 24 with its sweeter taste and lower alcohol content,” explains Charl du Plessis, the Company’s Chief Executive.

“We feel that we’ve made a crucial step in developing a product that the

Charl du Plessis, CEO

younger consumer can identify with in Africa, reflected in our forecasts that suggest we can expect to do five million litres of Delush wines alone in the next financial year.”

Understanding opportunity

With Delush standing as just one of a number of brands that have been specifically tailored to a host of different demographics, Orange River Cellars currently produces around 55 million litres of wine and up to 10 million litres of concentrate across its five wine cellars per year.

In the 53 years since its inception, the Company has grown to become a major player positioned at the forefront of South Africa’s expansive wine industry, a rise that has been facilitated by the firm’s willingness to adapt.

Du Plessis explains: “In the past few years we’ve become a lot more consumer orientated. We used to be a bulk orientated Company producing wine for distillation purposes.

However, we have had to change our approach as we didn’t have a captive market in the wake of deregulation.”

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www.ort.co.za

The radical better way of transport

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Orange River Cellars is contemplating investment in new facilities

The firm has faced a significant number of structural and cultivationcentric challenges in face of this, most of which have been overcome by its savvy marketing strategy and flexible attitude.

“In my eyes, our commitment to market research and productive innovation have been key to our success to date,” says du Plessis.

“We’ve continually explored focus group and brand development exercises to help us better tailor our products to the demands of the consumer, finding out what it should look like, taste like and be like.

“I think we started a bit too late and it has been tough catching up. We’ve got competition in the market that has been established for some time, but we’re definitely making a name for ourselves.”

This is particularly evident when considering the Company’s recent diversification, not only through the

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ince 1981 Orange River Tankers has been transporting bulk wines, grape juices and related pulped food products from the Northern to Western Cape. Our commitment to our vision “To be a world class bulk tanker transport specialist” is imbedded in excellent service levels and an ISO22000 quality management system to assist with continuous improvement.

Orange River Tankers has been serving the agriculture industry for the past 37 years, transporting wines to the consumers in the bigger cities and more recently transporting grapes from the farmer’s vineyards to the local cellars.

During 2005 the business founder, WHC Barnard retired and Orange River Cellars acquired this logistics company as a strategic asset, due to the synergy between the two organizations. A passionate dynamic management team, the growth in the wine and alcoholic beverages industry and the critical volumes of Orange River Cellars allowed Orange River Tankers to expand operations in the Western Cape. A new depot in Black Heath, with a well-equipped wash bay was opened during 2012. This facility enabled us to further improve our service levels and grow our market share in the alcoholic beverages industry, with loads routing to the north.

With the majority of consumers in the Gauteng region and South Africa being the gateway into Africa, progression to the north was a natural process. In our efforts to diversify without losing focus as a bulk tankers transport specialist, we exploited the opportunity by utilising our current fleet for the transportation of pulped plant oils and molasses into SADC African countries.

With climate changes and the resent droughts in the Western Cape, this new endeavour opened an innovative opportunity to expand our services to the agriculture industry.

During 2017 Orange River Tankers opened a new state-of-the-art depot with a well-equipped workshop and wash bay in Heidelberg, Gauteng. The Heidelberg depot supports the gross border fleet and the additional branch ensures excellent customer service in the Gauteng region.

Our new tautliner and fuel tanker divisions serve customers in niche markets across the country. This new branch and divisions are part of our growth strategy and our unique value proposition to our customers. We offer “the radical better way of transport.”

The current economic climate and the resent droughts in the Western Cape wine region challenged us to further improve our business model through innovation, to reduce fuel and maintenance expenses, minimise down time and improve payload.

We are firm believers that people are the most important denominator between good and great organisations and at Orange River Tankers refining our people, is a constant and ongoing process. If you align your business with market forces, customers’ needs and strong long-term business relationships, success will follow you.

www.ort.co.za

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BLASTCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES

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lastco Industrial Services is extremely proud to be associated with Orange River Cellars. We specialise in refurbishment of concrete and mild steel wine tanks between 10,000 litres to one million litres. We construct floors, do waterproofing of cellars and use epoxy specifically designed for the industry.

The Company has an experienced workforce equipped with safe equipment and internationally certified products. We have successfully completed several projects at Orange River Cellars as part of a long-term maintenance programme.

The Company strives to render outstanding services to our valued customers.

Back, left to right: Eduard Mostert (CFO), Koos Visser (Marketing Manager) Front, left to right: Auret Nagel (HR), Altus Theron (CPO), Charl du Plessis (CEO)

Delush brand that is growing at around seven-10 percent each month, but also in its recent purchase of a raisin processor.

“We have made the transition into being a food and beverage business,” du Plessis adds.

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www.blastco.co.za

LIQUI-BOX SOUTH AFRICA

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iqui-Box South Africa, a flexible packaging supplier with 15 years’ experience in the local SA bag-inbox market, offers unique bag-in-box solutions, patented fitments and filling machines to the industry.

Broadening horizons

The business is in fact exploring a range of new opportunities, from the consideration of launching bottling facilities in Zimbabwe and Johannesburg, to refining its supply chain management in the aim of better dealing with the growing complexities that have come with its expanding operational scale.

And while such diversification can be considered crucial to the continual success of Orange River Cellars, so too is its broad outlook when approaching new markets.

Currently the firm exports to Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, Namibia, Angola, Botswana,

T +27 74 224 6840 E Stefan.dutoit@blastco.co.za E Johann.dutoit@blastco.co.za

Drawing focus and support from Liqui-Box Global, a bag-in-box focussed organisation with manufacturing facilities worldwide, we are uniquely positioned to provide risk free holistic solutions for any bag-in-box requirement.

Being on the forefront of packaging innovation, with our core values of safety, passion, integrity, people and teamwork - we work together with each customer, understanding their individual needs, to build lasting relationships through service, quality and innovation.

Liqui-Box. Connect. Design. Deliver.

Jopie Faul - winemaker at our Upington Cellar

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Providing client specific solutions of outstanding quality

T: +27 74 224 6840 | E: Stefan.dutoit@blastco.co.za / Johann.dutoit@blastco.co.za | www.blastco.co.za

FRESH NEW WINE PACKAGING SOLUTIONS Our bag-in-box solutions keep your wine and spirits fresh longer, allowing your customers to enjoy your products the way you intended. Discover advanced wine packaging solutions from Liqui-Box.

Liqui-Box South Africa 23 Reen Avenue Athlone Industria 1 Athlone, 7764 Cape Town, South Africa Phone: +27 (21) 699 1920 Mobile: +27 (0)67 059 0868

www.Liquibox.com

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Zimbabwe, Mozambique, New Zealand, China, Europe, and other regions, a portfolio that is testament to the Company’s ability to be flexible where necessary.

“I think the key things for us when moving into new markets is aligning our products’ value proposition with local expectations,” explains du Plessis.

“In the main, we’re not delivering boutique wines. We know what we’re good at and that’s offering big volumes under strong consumer brands with high turnover.

“From an infrastructure perspective, we know we’re in a position where we are able to deliver good quality products on a consistent basis in South Africa.

The trick now, is establishing our brands across the rest of the continent.”

The opportunity to execute this is particularly prevalent in African countries situated in the southern hemisphere – opportunities that

Orange River Cellars readily looks to capitalise on through the pursuit of local partnerships and joint ventures in those countries that it exports to.

Upholding Upington

Based in Upington, South Africa, Orange River Cellars is located in one of the most remote regions in the country, situated more than 900 kilometres drive from Cape Town, Johannesburg and Windhoek, Namibia.

Naturally, the Company struggles to attract talent as a result – an issue that has led the firm to introducing a bursary scheme in the aim of securing talented employees, particularly within its internal consultancy department.

“I very much believe in developing our people, not just from a Company perspective but as an individual,” du Plessis reveals. “In doing this, we put some of the strong performers on programmes to help develop them on all levels.

MPACT CORRUGATED

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pact Corrugated, one of South Africa’s leading corrugated converters, is proud to be a business partner with Orange River Cellars All packaging is custom-made to specific customer. We have developed our leading market position by focusing on investments in modern technology and training, customer relationship management and a decentralised operating structure to provide constant improvements to the products we supply.

Our customers include producers of agricultural, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and other durable and non-durable goods that use packaging primarily for the protection of products in transit and for point-of-sale display.

www.mpact.co.za

“...people are highly important to the success of our business, so I like to be rigorous with both recruitment and training”

Thousands of hectares of vineyards decorate the countryside in immediate proximity to the Orange River

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“In our case, I think people are highly important to the success of our business, so I like to be rigorous with both recruitment and training.”

Further, in the face of these geostrategic limitations, du Plessis recognises the important role that the Company plays in the local community, readily giving back through a multitude of different initiatives and committing 1.5 percent of its annual turnover to CSR practices.

“We are very remote, and that creates a lot of challenges for the local peoples,” he states.

Orange River Cellars helps to maintain and upkeep local schools that otherwise struggle with funding, whilst it also works with the police to help reduce the overall social impact of the business.

“Alcohol in such environments can be a very sensitive thing and can lead to a lot of problems, so we know that we have to step up to the plate and help to stem that,” du Plessis adds. “It’s not

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that easy, as there’s a natural conflict between this and trying to grow our product, but we like to try and help local institutions in addressing the existing social imbalances where possible.”

The next genesis

These encompassing attitudes are reflected in one of Orange River Cellar’s major goals for the year ahead.

“The very clear target we have for the next 12 months is to improve the returns to our growers, giving them a more sustainable income, especially relative to some of the other agricultural practices in the irrigation scheme, such as raisin cultivation,” says du Plessis.

Meanwhile, looking ahead internally, the Company is continually hoping to

better incorporate the desires of its customers in order to remain ahead of the curve, through its emphasis on both product innovation and diversification.

Du Plessis concludes: “In my eyes, our next genesis is considering that, yes, we’ve been successful in opening up market segments, such as the young African demographic. But now we need to give them new products to maintain this trend, such as a wine style for the drier tasting pallet.

“Equally, now that we’ve purchased our raisin processor, the next two years will largely be geared towards getting that off the ground and ensuring it is successful. Thereafter we can look to seek out alternative opportunities.”

Orange River Cellars Tel: +27 54 337 8800 info@orangeriverwines.com https://orangeriverwines.com

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Approach N1 Restaurant Suppliers continues to cater to the needs of South Africa’s hoteliers, restaurateurs and hospitality industry operators, diversifying its offering into a one-stop shop Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Lewis Bush

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outh Africans are spending more money eating out.

According to figures published

by Statistics South Africa, the restaurant, fast food and catering sector generated revenue of more than R57.25 billion in 2016.

The same organisation also revealed earlier this year that consumers are spending seven percent more in coffee shops and restaurants than in 2017. Fastfood outlets were another important contributor, with spend at these outlets increasing by 7.1 percent.

For wholesale industry leader N1 Restaurant Suppliers, this represents an opportunity to grow what has already become a much-diversified business since it set up shop in 1991.

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“Through extensive research and observation, we were able to ascertain that there is an untapped potential within the food and drink industry in Africa, due to the lack of infrastructure,” comments the Company’s CEO Paul Youlten.

“Our philosophy and focus is to tap into that potential and invest in its growth through travelling to European countries and conducting extensive product research on an international scale. This enables us to introduce new products in the food and drink market in Africa.

“Our main aim is to set up a one-stop solution for our clients, so that they can have all their product needs met.

Through this we are able to plug into the

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untapped market at the right margin.”

Humble beginnings

Originally operating as N1 Meats, the firm began life as a small butchery and meat packing business.

Through the 1990s it became clear that the wholesale market presented tremendous growth opportunities as South Africa’s food industry expanded, and in 2001, having reached its 10th birthday, N1 Restaurant Suppliers opened a new factory.

This granted vital capacity to fill increasing demand, not least from Halaal customers who to this day see the firm as a go-to supplier of meat products.

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outh Africa’s RealCam specialises in the provision of mobile surveillance, security and tracking solutions to clients in the transport industry.

Its products are designed to maximise control of vehicle fleets, video recording, live video and various security features which ensure customers are provided with crucial visibility of their assets 100 percent of the time.

RealCam, thanks to its team of experienced personnel, is able to provide tailored solutions to its clients.

The Company provides services from its bases spread around South Africa – it has offices in Harrismith, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

The RealCam Mobile Surveillance Unit

“Through hard work and dedication from the N1 family, the business is able to develop and advance, striving to continue being the best in the industry, supplying its end users with the best food products at competitive rates,” adds Youlten.

The CEO’s story with the Company also has humble origins, Youlten beginning life at N1 in 1995 as a driver.

“Through the good fortune of seeing a ‘driver wanted’ poster on the shop window of N1 Meats and being inspired by the words of Allan O’ Connor, who said ‘you will determine your own future at this company’, a life changing journey was sparked,” Youlten recalls.

“With an unwavering drive to achieve more, after two years I then succeeded into being a Telesales Representative and a Production Manager, serving a year and progressing into a Sales Rep, representing the Company on the road.

“The period 2001-2010 marked the start of even greater opportunities when I then worked as a Sales Manager and, having built a solid foundation over the years, I moved

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The Mobile Surveillance Unit is RealCam’s flagship solution, both a static recording as well as live viewing system installed to customer requirements. This allows users to monitor activity live as well as watch back recordings for future reference.

Features of the product include: • High definition Cameras (Max 8 per vehicle)

into the prominent role of CEO in 2010.”

Setting the standard

Thanks to the leadership of Youlten and the work of his team, N1 Restaurant Suppliers holds a firm presence in the market today, operating out of its main hub in Cape Town and secondary branch in Johannesburg.

The Cape Town depot is divided into Halaal and non-Halaal factories and encompasses designated cold storage which houses frozen goods. In order to cater for an expanding and diverse client base, the firm has also launched a ZA-approved Mauritius branch to go into the export and import market.

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• Primary DVR recorder unit • Secondary SD card recorder unit • 3G connectivity for live view • Built in Tracking and fleet management functionality It is made locally with some components imported, with the software developed locally and able to be adapted to suite bespoke needs.

Users can login and view live feeds from any device, providing important flexibility to clients.

T +27 58 623 0700 E sales@realcam.co.za

www.realcam.co.za

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N1 Directors

For Youlten, a bespoke product range, same day delivery and strict adherence to three simple principles are what stands the Company apart from competitors.

“We have a solid culture of quality, service and delivery. We refine and engineer what suits and meets the needs of the end user, through a consolidation of a range of products, which cater to the overall taste profile of the customer.

“The client is able to get a wide variety ranging from fresh and frozen meat, frozen vegetables, frozen fruit and desserts, to name a few. We order,

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We order, produce and pack, ensuring that the end user’s requirements are met efficiently and precisely”

produce and pack, ensuring that the end user’s requirements are met efficiently and precisely.”

This has enabled N1 Restaurant Suppliers to become a one-stop shop solution for South African hoteliers, restaurateurs and hospitality industry players, with export also becoming a growing line of business.

Local champions

At the other end of the product lifecycle, the Company is helping local industry to thrive by managing its own supply chain through a local lens.

“Our aim is to maintain a good

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“Our aim is to maintain a good relationship with local suppliers,” Youlten says. “We ensure that we also source our goods and products from local vendors, and by using local brands we are able to invest back into the communities as there is a greater return on invest.

“It also helps us comply with the BEE status requirements… in recent times we have managed to become forward thinkers in terms of complying with BEE regulation and through this we can cater to government tenders.”

Youlten is also eager to stress the importance of people, both in terms of succeeding as a business and in the work N1 Restaurant Suppliers does within the communities it serves.

“We believe in surrounding yourself with likeminded individuals with the same vision and mission.

We understand that the Company’s most valuable assets are its people,” he says. “That’s why our trusted management team takes great care to ensure our team’s wellbeing and total work satisfaction is maintained.

“However, our main aim is to build N1 to encompass not just employees but a family with the same vision, objectives and ethics.”

An example of this is the Company’s focus on recruiting from matriculants who are unable to attend higher education institutions after school.

N1 is expertly placed to provide learnerships and share its extensive industry experience and knowledge, expertise that will doubtlessly benefit those the firm reaches.

“It is the community that makes us the people that we are today, Youlten continues. “Through numerous outreach programmes and sponsorships, we are able to share with the less fortunate by giving back. We have supported many projects such as the Potjie Kos Day, The Food Bank, the UCT Food Scheme, St. Luke’s Hospice and various old age homes.”

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By operating as a responsible corporate citizen and sticking to its three-pronged ethos of quality, service and delivery, Youlten is looking forward to what the ensuing years have in store.

He concludes: “The future looks promising. We are looking to invest in staff welfare by promoting from within.

“We want to excel in the everchanging industry by always improving the way we conduct business, ensuring that N1 Restaurant Suppliers is a name to be reckoned with in the meat and wholesale industry. We want to reach and achieve new heights and excel even further.”

N1 Restaurant Suppliers Tel: +27 21 557 1510 info@n1.co.za www.n1.co.za

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Cementing Prosperity Through Industry DCS is paving the way for economic progression in Senegal with an innovative Africa-first culture Writer: Jonathan Dyble | Project Manager: Vivek Valmiki

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ccording to the African Development Bank, Senegal is set to experience a wave of economic prosperity in the coming years.

Having achieved an economic growth of 6.8 percent in 2017, the country is now forecast to expand a further seven percent this year, driven by a surging mining industry, new infrastructure developments, a widening energy supply and improved production services.

With a population of 16 million people and an abundance of raw materials across the country, Dangote Cement has proudly been flying its flag in these Senegalese tailwinds for four years, both expanding its own productive capacity and aiding national economic development during this time.

Setting the standard

Entering the market in January 2015, Dangote Cement Senegal (DCS) currently operates a single major cement production facility in Pout, located 55 kilometres east of Dakar.

“The Dangote Group itself is the biggest producer of cement across the whole continent, and despite the

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Group’s broad scope, DCS is becoming an increasingly important part of the business in West Africa,” explains Luk Haelterman, Dangote Cement’s Country Head for Senegal.

This strategic importance is largely owed to the 300 million tonnes of proven national limestone reserves – a key component in the production of cement that is sparsely found across the rest of the continent’s western coastline.

Tapping into these reserves by setting up shop in Senegal, DCS has fundamentally transformed the cement market.

“DCS in fact introduced 42.5-degree cement to the major market in Senegal upon entry, now considered to be the highest quality product available here,” explains Haelterman. “Prior to this, the cheaper 32.5-degree cement dominated the market – a grade that we ourselves do still produce alongside our higher quality product.”

In the space of just four years DCS has more than consolidated its position, now accounting for roughly 26 percent of the local market and 20 percent of Senegal’s production capacity, producing 1.5 million tonnes of cement per annum.

THE DANGOTE CEMENT GROUP...

• Is headquartered in Lagos.

• Is Africa’s leading cement producer.

• Has operations in 10 African countries.

• Has annual revenues in excess of $2.2 billion.

• Employs more than 24,000 staff.

• Is the largest company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

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CODEX NEGOCE SARL

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ased in Dakar, Codex Negoce SARL is a consulting office which has developed a strong partnership with manufacturers to provide a technical support to Senegalese industries.

With Partners such as SIEMENS – SMC – Pepperl+Fuchs & Parker, we are developing competences on: • Automation, energy and drives – SIEMENS • Instrumentations – SIEMENS • Pneumatic and hydraulic systems – SMC & PARKER • Industrial sensors and explosion protection – Pepperl+Fuchs Our technical team is made up of local engineers. We keep on training them thanks to our partners, with a special mention to Siemens: “Develop the Senegal by the Senegalese”. We are going to integrate a programme to become a Siemens Solution Partner with an aim to be a specialist in automation and drives.

Regarding distribution, we provide an ‘all in’ service from the factories overseas to the customer warehouses.

We handle the purchase, logistics and customs for them. Furthermore, we are setting up a local stock to be reactive for urgent needs.

Our team is supporting customers on automation and drive systems, from food and beverage to mining industries.

We help customers to upgrade their old (non-automated) process, to migrate from obsolete to new solutions, and to study and install new systems or machines.

Thanks to Dangote Cement Senegal, we have boosted our experience in cement processes. We are now working to build a long-term partnership, especially on Siemens services for drives and automation.

T +221 33 822 60 48 E info-negoce@codexepc.net

www.codexepc.net/negoce

DISTRIBUTION & SERVICES Based in Dakar since 2015, we dedicate our work to industries trying to improve their performance.

We build strong partnerships with manufacturers such as : SIEMENS – SMC – PARKER – PEPPERL+FUCHS Fields of competence : Automation – Drives – Instrumentation - Energy Air Treatment & components Sensors & Explosion protection Our engineers are trained by our partners to bring the best local support for customers

Dryer, Chiller, Filters

Definition of air piping grid

Air Treatment Special Cylinder setup for bag house

VFD & Motor

Automation

Flowmeter

Intrinsic safety Barrier

Proximity sensors

Photoelectric sensors

40 Avenue Jean-Jaures x Carnot, Dakar Sénégal | +221 33 822 60 48 | info-negoce@codexepc.net | www.codexepc.net/negoce

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Equally, the Company has maintained an annual growth rate of between 10-15 percent during this time, already approaching its total production capacity.

This fast growth has largely been facilitated by not only its improved offerings, but also through its emphasis on supporting the local economy.

“Our culture is Africa,” Haelterman states.

“We have ensured that our image has been aligned with two key principles from day one: maintaining high quality, and taking a local approach in everything that we do.”

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Such has been readily reflected in DCS’s preference on providing working opportunities to Senegalese talent, with the firm’s expat headcount having dropped from more than 200 in 2015 to just 17 today.

Equally, DCS looks to source its materials locally where possible. Whilst the Company works with a number of international suppliers in order to maintain the quality of its products, it also often looks to work with local partners where possible in the aim of bolstering African industry.

“A key example of how we differentiate from our competitors in Senegal is our use of locally sourced gypsum,” says Haelterman. “Others

DANGOTE’S SEVEN SUSTAINABILITY PILLARS Financial Deliver strong returns to shareholders whilst creating value for the economies in which we operate.

Institutional Build a world-class institution centred around corporate governance and sustainability principles that promote compliance, transparency and business continuity.

Economic Promote sustainable economic growth across Africa, developing resilient local economies in strategic locations and key markets.

FLSMIDTH

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or more than 135 years, FLSmidth has challenged conventions and explored opportunities. Having presence across more than 50 countries and over 11,700 employees, FLSmidth combines unique process knowledge on projects, products and services to drive sustainable productivity enhancement for its customers.

FLSmidth constantly seeks to increase customers’ output and decrease their total cost of ownership.

FLSmidth offers a full range of premium technologies and process solutions. FLSmidth contributes to the sustainable development of societies with the lowest possible environmental impact. FLSmidth’s portfolio covers everything from the most complete product offerings in the market, end-to-end plant lifecycle solutions via a unique combination of Engineering, Procurement and Commissioning (EPC) and tailored operations and maintenance services, to a comprehensive selection of specialist equipment and upgrades.

Coupled with an unrivalled process knowhow and project efficiency, FLSmidth has a proven track record for growing their customers’ plants – and profitability – long after they have taken over its operation.

Cultural Include a respect for diversity and give back to the societies in which we operate, encouraging teamwork, empowerment, inclusion, respect and integrity.

Operational Satisfy markets by working with partners to deliver best products and services through continuous improvement, development and innovation.

Environmental Create sustainable environmental management through a proactive approach to addressing the challenges of climate change while optimising energy efficiency, water usage and emissions.

Social Create a platform for employees to grow whilst adhering to the highest health and safety standards.

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Jacob Jørgensen Head of Plant service Maintenance, Cement, FLSmidth T +45 30933418 E Jacob.Jorgensen@FLSmidth.com

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s a long-term partner of the cement industry, Siemens has the necessary experience and business knowhow.

Siemens supplies products, solutions, systems, and services to the cement industry. It offers comprehensive solutions as well as standard products perfectly matching its customers’ requirements, linking automation, drive, and power supply systems to form one overall solution. This covers primary tasks like extracting, transporting, and processing raw materials as well as secondary processes like supplying power for plant servicing and maintenance.

From the quarry to the kiln and from the clinker silo to the shipping facility: our high-performance digitalisation and automation systems and solutions, and energy-efficient drives and services cover the entire cement production process chain, offering maximum availability, flexibility, efficiency and sustainable, future-proof cement production and success.

Dangote is also using Siemens technology in several parts of the Pout plant.

opt for using mineral alternatives, but we ensure that we are actively supporting the local chemical industry by sourcing fosfor gypsum from our partners.

“However, whilst we have an abundance of clay, limestone, and other materials in Senegal, some of the key elements of our production processes are simply not available in the country, so we need to source materials of foreign nature,” he adds.

“But, even when we do so, the majority of the time these come through Senegal intermediates, allowing us to ensure that we stay committed to our Africa-first culture as best as a we can.”

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Reaching new heights

Having positioned itself ahead of the competition, the Company is now looking to explore new investment opportunities and expand its existing capacity to accommodate for rising demand.

“We are looking at how we can improve all the time,” adds Haelterman.

The firm has already outlined a number of areas that it hopes to improve in the coming months.

These include, bolstering its logistics capabilities, building additional warehouses, and introducing a new maintenance centre at its transport hub.

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At the heart of all digitalisation tools for the cement industry is end-toend automation, the CEMAT process control system based on SIMATIC PCS 7 technology. All the necessary function components are already in the system and standardised, even for special process optimisation tasks. Complying with environmental regulations while providing maximum safety for employees, machines and material.

The next step is of course digitalisation of the plant in Pout: our “MindSphere” concept is by now well known. Thanks to developments in digitalisation, Industry 4.0 and MindSphere, Siemens is a strong partner for Dangote.

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Siemens’ mission: to be your number one partner to ensure profitable, environmentally compatible cement production.

We provide the necessary support through our local African partners.

Siemens stands for reliability in plant processes, long-term, trustworthy and locally available partnership and for the ability to continuously optimize methods, technologies, and outputs in an integrated manner.

Siemens is a global powerhouse and our activities in the fields of electrification, automation and digitalization have made us a global market and technology leader. Technological excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and international focus have been our hallmarks for over 170 years.

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“We continually want to better ourselves, but we also want to help local industry in doing so,” Haelterman states. “For instance, we are currently working with local rail operators to see how we can help finance any new projects for them where they are lacking in funding.”

Sustainability practices and environmental policy are also a major priority for DCS, and to this end the Company is exemplary.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE SOLIDARITY BRIDGE OF KEUR MOUSSA The villages of Ngomène, Seune Serrere, Seune Wolof, Fouloume, Ndeuye, Niakhip etc. were completely isolated during the rainy season. Dangote Cement Senegal proceeded with the construction of a new bridge with a width of 4.5 metres.

REHABILITATION OF THE ROAD OF NGOMENE VILLAGE We proceeded with the rehabilitation of the road, which during the rainy season was impracticable.

NEW VILLAGE OF GALANE As part of the relocation of the village of Galane, Dangote Cement Senegal has built on a spacious site surrounded by mango trees, a beautiful village comprising 44 individual houses, a health post, a primary school, a mosque, a sports field for young people , a market and a vaccination park for livestock.

All homes were connected to water and electricity.

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“It is fundamental that we aim to raise the bar that we have set, both in our corporate operations and our wider CSR practices”

“We continually want to better ourselves, but we also want to help local industry in doing so”

Dangote has recieved numerous awards for its work across Senegal

CSR projects are important to Dangote’s identity

To solve its power needs for the Pout plant, the firm decided to build its own power plant, not only supporting its own production processes but also delivering to the grid.

“Our power plant is helping to support the country’s energy requirements, and more recently we’ve also been looking at how we can use alternative sources of energy

to boost our sustainability practices,” Haelterman reveals.

For the Head of Dangote Cement Senegal, a continual implementation of this Africa-first culture and a maintenance of these high selfimposed standards will be crucial to the Company’s growth moving forward.

He concludes: “I think that the most important thing is that we continue

on the path to becoming 100 percent Senegalese, and it is fundamental that we aim to raise the bar that we have set, both in our corporate operations and our wider CSR practices.”

Dangote Cement Plc. – Senegal Tel: +221 77 099 1326 serigne.dieng@dangote.com www.dangotecement.com

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Thinking Out

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tside the Box For Royal Crown Packaging, business excellence is defined by an innovative culture, sound investment and captivated employees Writer: Jonathan Dyble Project Manager: Lewis Bush

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commerce is becoming ever-present in the modern day. With shopping baskets literally in the palm of each and every consumer’s hand with mobile applications, the industry has exploded in recent years, now valued at more than $2.3 trillion globally.

With massive market potential at stake, innovation has become synonymous with all aspects and segments of commerce, reflected in things as ubiquitous as packaging.

According to recent forecasts, the global corrugated box market is expected to reach just short of $100 billion by 2025, growing at roughly 4.6 percent a year for the next seven years, with 95 percent of all products in the US shipped using such containers.

And whilst the primary purpose of the corrugated box has remained the same during the 128 years since its invention, the innovative capabilities that are incorporated into their design have advanced dramatically – capabilities reflected by the work of Ghana’s Royal Crown Packaging Limited (RCPL).

“Say you want a box that is shaped like… I don’t know… a bottle, or a person. Our equipment means we can create these things and a whole lot more,” says Sally Osei-Boateng, the Company’s Group HR & Corporate Communications Head.

“We’ve invested in the latest machinery with the future in mind, demonstrated by our latest sample machine that allows us to cut out any unique design that our customers may require.”

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Competitive edge

Investment is a core part of RCPL’s business strategy, allowing it to not only meet rising industry demands, but also retain an edge over its competitors, with highly innovative, quality products.

“Our corrugator machine has the capacity to produce for all of West Africa and beyond, allowing us to capture both the whole of West Africa and new markets,” Osei-Boateng explains. “We’ve also recently added two converting lines, expanding on what we previously had thereby enabling us to meet our clients’ requests at a much faster rate.”

Combining this expansive productive capacity with a sound recognition of geographic differentiation, the firm has grown to serve a range of different markets, primarily in Ghana, but also with footprints in Togo, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin and other Sub-Saharan countries.

“Our strategies are intertwined with a combination of geographic and behavioural factors that affect things like brand loyalty and price sensitivity,” says Osei-Boateng. “We may have customers with a similar demographic makeup but distinctly different selective tendencies, so we need to ensure we are flexible.”

While RCPL’s presence is advancing by the day through this adaptable approach, the Company equally continues to abide by the same overriding philosophies that have been fundamental in allowing it to expand so rapidly to date.

Known as PRIDE, this ethos outlines a cultural commitment to passion for its customers; results orientated operations; integrity; diversity; and excellence.

“Our key philosophy is to never repeat yesterday’s mistakes. We ensure that we learn new and improved ways of working each and every day,” states Osei-Boateng.

“Currently we work in just some

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ABOUT ROYAL CROWN PACKAGING LIMITED Royal Crown Packaging Limited is a manufacturer of corrugated boxes, folding carton solutions and plastic bottle caps.

Established on May 8, 2015, the Company began production seven months later.

A sister Company to Kasapreko Company Ltd and a subsidiary of Pinnacle Holding Company, RCPL is a wholly owned Ghanaian firm and one of the leading industry players in both domestic and international markets.

Supplying the highest quality products with the key goal of establishing itself as Africa’s leading packaging supplier, Osei-Boateng is proud of the work that RCPL involves itself in: “Since inception, we have delivered on our promise to partner with our clients to discover powerful ideas and to provide them with the highest level of craftmanship, dependable service and consistent quality, with a commitment to continuous improvement.

“Our quest for excellence has seen us grow our customer base to more than 200, both in the local and international markets, and we have received several local and international awards within the three years of operations.”

Such awards include the Afristar Award 2016 by African Packaging Organisation, Business Quality in Packaging Industry Award 2017, Emerging Business of the Year Award 2016, Best Growing Manufacturing Company of the Year 2018 and the World Star 2018 Award for Packaging Excellence by World Packaging Organisation. industry segments, but the long-term goal is to reach a point where we are providing 360-degree packaging solutions.”

Innovative ethos

One key element of this continual improvement strategy is evident in the major emphasis that RCPL places on its research and development (R&D) practices.

Currently developing a six-storey facility in front of its customer warehouse and factory in Ghana that is set for completion later this year, the firm is planning to dedicate an entire floor to R&D, ensuring that it always remains ahead of the industry curve.

“In addition to our quality boxes which perform in line with international standards and to our

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Bostex Trading GmbH was founded in 1988 as a well established Business Partner for Africa.

Our strengths are in the following sectors:

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clients’ satisfaction, we have improved our R&D capacity and capabilities to offer and deliver world class design and printing services,” explains OseiBoateng.

Forever placing its customers at the forefront of all its operations, OseiBoateng understands that the firm’s visionary reputation, largely facilitated by this improvement-centric ethos, has been key in not only maintaining its existing customer base but also attracting new business.

“We understand that our sustainability depends on not only improving on our product quality, but equally on the service excellence we demonstrate towards our clients that reinforces our relationship and ultimately their loyalty,” she adds.

“The industry is gearing towards more sophisticated packaging that offers good performance and outstanding appeal. We have plans

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far in advance to stay ahead of the competition and offer innovative solutions to our clients that best promotes and adds value to their products.”

Inclusive culture

In the same way that RCPL’s investment and R&D practices have been fundamental to its success, Osei-Boateng is quick to praise the Company’s staff – an element she considers to be the firm’s greatest asset.

Driven by its ambitious people management objectives, RCPL has implemented a wealth of employee engagement and training plans throughout its structure, from its mentoring activities to its welfare programmes.

Osei-Boateng explains: “We make sure that our staff are happy because we believe that only when the staff

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are happy will they put in their best.

From our cleaners to our drivers, we make sure that we listen to everybody’s concerns, suggestions and queries, as we know that everybody has something to offer and everyone can have a positive impact.

“Currently 91 percent of our staff are Ghanaian nationals,” she adds.

“The aim is to create jobs in our country and train local people to be able to deliver services to world class standards.”

Similarly, RCPL readily establishes partnerships with local companies, helping to bolster the economy whilst simultaneously reducing raw materials costs, enhancing its inventory management and transit time.

RCPL has an extensive corporate social responsibility programme, collaborating with orphanages, schools and government initiatives.

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RCPL’S CSR INITIATIVES RCPL has adopted 10 students from the Kotobabi No.2 Cluster of Schools, with a promise of financing the pupils’ education to the highest level desired. The firm holds mentoring sessions for these students on a quarterly basis to help guide their career paths and social livelihood.

RCPL also enrolled 300 orphans from five orphanages onto the National Health Insurance Scheme at the maiden charity event dubbed “The Orphanage League”, organised by Express Multimedia.

It has implemented a road safety project by commissioning two stop signages at the Kotobabi No.2 Cluster of Schools crossroads.

Further, in cooperation with the National Road Safety Commission, RCPL organised a road safety demonstrative exercise for the pupils of the Kotobabi No.2 Cluster of Schools as a measure of mitigating unforeseen incidents.

To mark International Handwashing Day, the health and safety team embarked on a handwashing sensitisation exercise for over 800 pupils of the Kotobabi No. 2 Cluster of schools.

“Our strong belief is in giving back to the society within which we operate to enhance the lives of the people in the areas of education, health, sports and more,” says Osei-Boateng.

Diversified growth

With some of the most advanced industry equipment and staff, not only across Ghana but the African continent as a whole, RCPL is set to continue to move forward with its PRIDE ethos in mind, differentiating from the competition with its inclusive and creative culture.

Asked what to expect for RCPL in the coming years, Osei-Boateng reveals that the firm “will be pursuing expanded market penetration, expanded market share and expanded product development”.

Further, with an eye to achieving this, RCPL is looking to place substantial emphasis on expanding its horizontal growth programme by bolstering its regional outreach and product development chain.

“Our initial focus is aiming at securing a 50 percent market share in Ghana and West Africa within our first

five years of operation,” says OseiBoateng.

“We’ve come a long way in just three years, but this is still just the beginning.”

Royal Crown Packaging Tel: +233 (0) 56-026-6702 info@royalcrownpkg.com www.royalcrownpkg.com

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Empowerment

through

Enterprise South Africa’s Tractionel Enterprise is empowering both industry and social mobility across the country. CEO Danie Lubbe discusses the Company’s journey to date Writer: Tom Wadlow Project Manager: Eddie Clinton

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What persuaded me to join Tractionel is that in those early years, the family culture, values and norms of the Company really fascinated me. At Tractionel, the culture of respect for others and real concern for the wellbeing of employees grabbed me and is still to this day keeping us humble.”

Danie Lubbe and Tractionel Enterprise have firmly kept their feet on the ground.

Despite becoming a railway electrification go-to company across South Africa and diversifying significantly into other industrial sectors since it founded in 1982, the same core values and culture underpin its operations today.

Lubbe, CEO since December 2015, joined Tractionel as a Finance Manager in 2006 before being promoted to Financial Director in 2011, his personal rise occurring in tandem with the Company’s wider success story.

“The Company has a bright future,” he adds. “Despite the current economic climate in our country and the difficulties this has brought to the construction industry, we are really positive about what the future holds for Tractionel.

“Part of our medium-term strategy is to go beyond the borders of South Africa as the opportunities and pipeline are attractive. Our business development and estimating departments are working non-stop to make this a reality.”

Gaining traction

When entering new markets, Lubbe and his team will be able to carry with them a portfolio of successfully completed projects that showcase the Company’s wide-reaching knowhow.

The latest landmark development completed by Tractionel can be found in Mpumalanga, South Africa, where it has completed an electrified railway line connecting Majuba Power Station to a freight line managed by Transnet.

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December 2014 marked a key milestone for Tractionel Enterprise after it was bought by JSE-listed CIG. With this formidable backing, the Company is able to tender for larger, turnkey projects across a wider range of expertise.

Tractionel’s service offering now covers: Design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of 3kV DC, 25kV AC and 50kV AC overhead track equipment and trolley lines • Transmission lines up to 132kV • Substation and switchyards • Electrical township reticulation • Light, medium and high mast lighting • Supply and distribution of electrical materials and equipment • Renewable energy projects – wind and photovoltaic (PV) plants • Maintenance services to the 3kV DC, 25kV AC and 50kV AC railway networks in South Africa • Water and waste water projects (electrical scope) “Our experience and expertise cover a wide spectrum of the electrical industry,” Lubbe says. “The executive team at CIG also invest a lot of time and effort in growing the management of Tractionel by sharing their business experience with us and, by doing so, developing our leaders even further.”

This involved the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the 25kV AC and 3kV DC railway electrification network totalling 77 track kilometres.

It also included the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the 11kV AC electrical network for the signalling system as well as the 11kV/400V step down points.

“We have also recently completed a train assembling and testing facility

for Gibela in Nigel, Gauteng,” says Lubbe. “The purpose of this project was to develop a train assembling and testing facility for PRASA’s new train sets. Our client, Gibela Rail Transport Consortium (RF), had high praise for the manner in which Tractionel executed this project.”

Lubbe’s proudest project to date, however, involved readying Johannesburg for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

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“The Gautrain project was the largest railway project in Africa at the time,” he adds. “The contract covered the design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the 25kV AC overhead contact distribution system (OCDS) on the open routes as well as the tunnels, and covered a total track distance of approximately 170 kilometres.”

It was the first of its kind in Africa, with a conductor rail system supplied

by Furrer & Frey, a Swiss company represented in South Africa by Tractionel Enterprise, installed in the tunnels.

Installation of the OCDS system commenced in August 2008, and the section which runs between the OR Tambo Airport, Midrand and Sandton was completed in time for the tournament. The Company fought off competition from four competitors to secure the R250 million Gautrain contract and continues to provide maintenance services today.

Standing apart

This impressive pipeline of completed projects can be attributed in part to why Lubbe joined Tractionel in the first place – a culture of teamwork and

We are the proud owners of a very specialised fleet of rail road vehicles”

striving towards a common goal.

“All employees understand that it takes teamwork to make a dream work, which is also our unofficial company slogan,” he says.

Another contributing factor is continual investment in the tools to do the job, both on the frontline and in

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the back office.

“We are the proud owners of a very specialised fleet of rail road vehicles (RRVs),” Lubbe continues.

“These RRVs enable us to perform construction and maintenance work on the railway network in South Africa. We invest in these vehicles on a

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yearly basis to ensure our uptime and availability is of a high standard.”

Internally, Tractionel has recently invested in new video conferencing facilities, greatly simplifying communication between company branches across the regions in South Africa and abroad. Lubbe also points to a successful migration to a new ISO 9001:2015 quality management system as a key continuous improvement milestone.

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Inala Yethu Pty Ltd is a logistics services Company that provides passenger transport and the hauling of dry bulk goods such as coal, chrome and “run of mine minerals” in 34 tonne trucks and passenger transport. The company currently owns 3 coal haulage trucks in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa.

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Local empowerment

All of this investment is helping Tractionel to deliver on its core mission to ‘create wealth for stakeholders, add value and strive for excellence whilst enjoying the experience’.

Such stakeholders, crucially, include the surrounding communities where the organisation operates, and Lubbe highlights the importance of empowerment as a company value.

“Tractionel Enterprise aims to be one of the incubators of our country

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by empowering the youth through education, both formal and informal,” he explains. “Many resources have been committed by the Company to developing the youth with skills within the rail sector.

“We have invested in a programme, recognised by TETA and SAQA, to train rail linesmen and, to date, more than 40 linesmen have been trained with the assistance of Tractionel.”

This empowerment extends to youth with disabilities, who have been

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supported by the firm in the form of sponsored training and development at a number of recognised institutions across South Africa. Tractionel also assists with MERSETA accredited administrative learnership programmes.

In terms of procurement, local is also championed strongly.

“We are supporting the South African government’s Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act of 2017, which requires subcontracting of 30 percent of work to developing EME

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and QSE companies,” Lubbe says.

“The Company also adheres to supplier development, enterprise development, skills development and localisation initiatives in line with this framework.”

By investing in its own people and those in the wider community, Lubbe is optimistic that Tractionel can continue to journey from strength to strength and solidify its already strong market position.

He concludes: “I want us to be in a

position to provide a turnkey solution to meet all the requirements of our clients.

“I am confident that we will continue to successfully complete various railway and electrical infrastructure projects across the continent whilst maintaining our leading presence in South Africa.”

Tractionel Enterprise Tel: +27 86 181 9600 info@traction.co.za www.traction.co.za

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WEX1, Woodstock, Cape Town

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Characterised by an ethos of excellence and dedication, Vivid Architects has been maximising customer satisfaction for more than two decades Writer: Jonathan Dyble Project Manager: Eddie Clinton

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ituated in central Cape Town To this day, this dream remains at the forefront of the Company’s and standing as a commercial culture, largely reflected in the high architecture practice that specialises in large scale offices, standards that Vivid has maintained throughout its portfolio, treating each hotels, residential buildings and alike, Vivid Architects celebrated a milestone and every project as an opportunity to 20th anniversary in March of this year. not only showcase its capabilities, but better them.

Having won numerous commercial “We don’t see ourselves as ‘prima property awards across a number of sectors since its inception, the current donna’ architects, but rather as a strong scale of the business now seems a competent design practice,” explains Viotti. “We acknowledge that we do not far cry from its exceptionally humble know everything in this profession and beginnings back in 1998. that we can all make mistakes from time “We started Vivid Architects in to time, but it is how we manage this and the spare bedroom of Trevor’s small semi-detached house in Gardens, Cape improve our service that is crucial.”

This outlook is evidently expressed Town,” says Paolo Viotti, one of three through the implementation of Directors at the Company, alongside post project reviews, analysing the Trevor Versfeld and Imraan Ho-Yee. successes and challenges of each “It was rather a mad and brave build from inception to completion. In decision to make at the time as doing so, Vivid has been better able South Africa headed into its biggest to critique its own work, whilst recession to date. But we also advising its consultancy were armed with very teams and client bodies good postgraduate experience in themselves.

“You’re only as the business of good as your last architecture, a project, and it is this thorough knowledge reputation that we of how to design and put together a believe has ensured our ongoing growth commercial building, Paolo Viotti, and sustainability for the and a dream of creating Director practice,” Viotti adds. a successful practice.”

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Exemplary ethos

For Vivid, success has continued to be encompassed by an emphasis on quality not quantity. Long term, the Company’s primary goal is to master its craft rather than expanding as broadly as possible – a core value that Viotti is quick to highlight.

“Our objective is not to grow our business beyond a medium sized architecture practice, but to grow our efficiency, competency, creativity and profitability,” he states.

There is a real sense of this throughout the business’s day to day operations, working out of an open plan office in central Cape Town that facilitates collaboration and allows creativity to flow throughout Vivid’s close knit team of experts.

In doing so, the business is able to leverage a range of insights, ideas and knowledge in the planning of each and every project, whilst also allowing its staff to both perform to their highest potential and enjoy the opportunity for substantial personal development.

Avalon Gardens, Cape Town

LANDMARK PROJECTS Viotti describes some of Vivid Architects’ most impressive projects to date: Century City Square, Century City, Cape Town “This project was all about putting the pedestrian above the motor vehicle allowing for a seamless and safe transition through and around the buildings where the ground floor activities could spill out onto the public square and provide an ongoing 24/7 hub of activity and life.”

WEX1, Woodstock, Cape Town “What excites us about this project is how this building will relate to the street at pedestrian level, with double volume high shopfronts and active vibrant retail offerings. The architecture will complement the look and feel of the industrial nature of Woodstock with a palette of finishes made up of dark painted brickwork, polished concrete and textured plaster that is offset against bright design yellow aluminium perforated and solid screen elements.”

Avalon, Gardens, Cape Town “The new Avalon mixed-use retail, offices and apartment building will be a very innovative addition to interface between the city centre and the residential neighbourhood of Gardens. This building will be home to 155 apartments of varying size and interior feel, with residents enjoying the additional offering of a bespoke pool deck entertainment area and 360-degree views of our incredible city.”

Ratanga Junction, Century City, Cape Town “We are currently busy with the design of the first building that will kick start this redevelopment project. It is another mixed-use building comprising office space, an 80-key business hotel and 96 apartments.

It will face predominately onto the theme park’s existing water body and overlook the wonderful established landscape ‘jungle’ that will be carefully retained as a memory of the old theme park.”

The River Club, Observatory, Cape Town “We are also involved in the urban master plan and rezoning application of the River Club site in Observatory for a mixed-use development comprising approximately 150,000 square metres of bulk in the form of retail, offices, residential and education. It is an iconic, well-situated site on the periphery of the central business district that will include a central landscaped park and rehabilitated public accessible riverine edges.”

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loyal, talented and highly efficient team that work with us, many of whom have been with us for over 10 years.”

Over time, the Vivid team has developed a real understanding of the science of commercial architecture, recognising and satisfying the balance between delivering award winning projects with client viability, set budgets, ongoing cost control and associated technical requirements.

In search of opportunity

“We encourage ‘a share to teach’ attitude where knowledge and experience is always sitting close to you and available on a personal level or in an organised larger formal workshop gathering,” Viotti adds. “We find this form of teaching and knowledge building is key to creating a sustainable and fun team atmosphere.

“Our business is conservatively run, and we are very fortunate to have a

TBM structural column inside a shopping mall

Vivid’s home of Cape Town has been particularly helpful in allowing the firm to thrive. Named as the number one place to visit in the world by both the New York Times and the Telegraph in 2014, the city is renowned as one of the most developed areas across the whole of Africa, largely thanks to the illustrious architectural industry there.

However, having seen an array of domestic successes with its own approach, Vivid is now increasingly

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Century City Square, Century City, Cape Town

looking to pursue a broader range of opportunities in new markets on a case by case basis in a bid to maintain its upward trajectory.

“Thus far, we have looked at projects in Senegal, Botswana and currently Rwanda, and have also recently completed a series of commercial buildings on Eden Island in the Seychelles,” explains Viotti.

“We are particularly interested in assisting in the conceptual design and design development stages of new projects in other regions.”

Equally, in the aim of continually

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In the past 20 years, we have been exposed to and delivered a diverse mix of building typologies...”

reinforcing its internal procedures, Vivid has been consistently monitoring current design trends and emerging technologies so that it can take on new projects in the most effective and cost-efficient manner possible.

“We have recently purchased licences for new internal resources and project management software, together with new and innovative architectural presentation software and have now also fully embraced building information modelling, having used architectural modelling software since 2006,” Viotti reveals.

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Looking ahead, Viotti is confident that Vivid’s continual commitment to its sound ethos and exemplary corporate attitudes will pay dividends, ensuring that client satisfaction is maximised on a consistent basis.

He concludes: “In the past 20 years, we have been exposed to and delivered a diverse mix of building typologies which gives our clients an enormous amount of confidence.

We understand how these buildings work and hence can be efficiently, innovatively and cost effectively designed.

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“With this approach, I believe that in time we will have completed a range of other award winning and environmentally responsible buildings that add real value to the built environment that we can be really proud of.”

Vivid Architects Tel: +27 21 426 1500 info@vividarchitects.co.za www.vividarchitects.co.za

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Ghana’s

Insurance Guardian The National Insurance Commission is currently working on some of its most transformative projects to date, establishing a centralised policy database Writer: Jonathan Dyble | Project Manager: Josh Mann

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n March 6 1957 the later followed by the State Insurance Republic of Ghana achieved Company of Ghana in 1962. independence from the Gradually the industry expanded in British empire, becoming the years following, with a further the first sub-Saharan African country 11 firms having been launched by 1971, to do so. whilst seven more were also set up Colonial rule was a defining period by 1976. throughout the continent’s history, “In the 1980s in particular, the with cultural norms from the western industry witnessed huge growth,” world having been enforced across says Justice Ofori, Commissioner of the region during the 19th and 20th Insurance at the National Insurance centuries.

Commission (NIC) Ghana.

British merchants continued to “The result was the advent of more expand their presence in Ghana during specialised insurance practices such these years, known then as the Gold as automobile insurance claims, and Coast due to the abundance of natural in light of this, there were growing resources situated across the region. requests that there should be an To protect the rising interests of independent regulatory agency to these merchants, the Royal ensure effective supervision of Guardian Enterprise the market.” was set up in 1924, Subsequently, the signifying the National Insurance beginning of Ghana’s Commission was insurance industry. established through Fast forward 30 the Insurance Law years to 1955 and of 1989 (PNDC Law the first local private 227), which was later Justice Ofori, insurance entity, the amended under the Commissioner of Insurance Gold Coast Insurance Insurance Act of 2006 Company, was established, (Act 724).

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An improved understanding

In the 29 years since its inception, the Commission has become of paramount importance to Ghana’s insurance industry.

“The objective of the Commission is to ensure that the market is regulated, administered, monitored and controlled in the most effective way possible, both helping to uphold the policyholder’s interest and protect the industry itself,” Ofori explains.

“Not only can we supervise the market, but we can provide it with some coherent direction.”

However, such responsibility is not without its challenges.

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The growing capabilities and influences of technology have led to significant adaptations that NIC is coping with in the aim of remaining ahead of the curve.

“It’s a tough one because technology is very dynamic, and it keeps on changing,” Ofori continues.

“We know it’s extensive, but we have no option; we have to be proactive to ensure that we are keeping pace with any changes in the industry.”

In doing so, the Commission is working to create a database of insurance policies to help consolidate an understanding of movements in the market.

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EK Insurance Brokers Ltd is a multinational insurance broking firm with subsidiaries in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The Company, since its inception, has competently handled the life and non-life insurances of several local/multinational businesses, households and individuals.

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NATIONAL INSURANCE COMMISSION GHANA The NIC was established under Insurance Law 1989 (PNDC Law 227).

Currently the Commission operates under Insurance Act 2006 (Act 724).

It performs a wide spectrum of functions including licensing of entities, setting of standards and facilitating codes for practitioners.

NIC is also mandated to approve rates of insurance premiums and commissions, provide a bureau for resolution of complaints, and arbitrate insurance claims when disputes arise.

Alongside side these duties, the Commission advises the sector minister on policy formation and carries out public education programmes and activities.

Through Act 724, NIC provides a strong regulatory framework for Ghana’s insurance industry.

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“The public will easily be able to access this database,” says Ofori.

“We have recognised that the ability to verify the authenticity of a policy will be fundamental to the future of the industry and we have sought to address this.

“I’m very optimistic that by this time next year we will have the database in place, and it’s really our priority right now.”

In addition, NIC is currently collaborating with the World Bank in developing a claims database that will become a key internal material that will be utilised for years to come.

With the Commission currently utilising mortality statistics from South Africa, the new database will substantially improve the national understanding of Ghana’s insurance market, helping to better analyse activities and reduce fraud.

The learning curve

In the face of rising innovation and industry 4.0, Ofori is quick to emphasise the importance of all aspects of industry education.

Internally, for example, NIC runs extensive in-house training programmes for its employees, whilst also providing them with extra opportunities by working with global partners.

“We send our staff all over the world, keeping them up to date with what is happening in the industry so that we can gain insight into new models and ways of operating,” Ofori states. “We want to increase penetration, and to do so, we need to educate people and improve their confidence.”

In doing so, NIC’s staff are ably equipped to pass on expert and insightful knowledge to the rest of the Ghanaian population through a variety of methods.

“We’re currently working with the police, ensuring that they get to grips with the insurance laws so that regulatory requirements can be better

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We recognise the ability to verify policy authenticity will be fundamental to our industry’s future

enforced, and we’re also cooperating with the fire departments on Commission Fire Liability Insurance,” Ofori reveals.

“Moreover, this year NIC has also provided five training sessions to board members, chief executive officers (CEOs), chief operations officers (COOs), chief finance officers (CFOs) and other executives of numerous companies completely free of charge.

“We work closely with trade organisations such as the Ghana Insurance Brokers Association to ensure that the right information is reaching the right people,” he adds.

“Whilst we recognise that we have to remain strict, relationships such as these are fundamental. It’s all about

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striking the right balance.”

Operating in such an expansive and high-speed industry, it is difficult to say what the Commission will be working on next, but with the impending introduction of a claims database and a centralised directory outlining all modern insurance policies, it is certain that regulatory progress continues to be in the pipeline.

National Insurance Commission Tel: +233 302 238 300 / 1 info@nicgh.org www.nicgh.org

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A Decade of

Dedication As Allianz Ghana approaches 10 years of operation, CEO Darlington Munhuwani explains how the Company is looking to entrench itself further into consumer and commercial society Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Joshua Mann

One of the key drivers of the Allianz Group’s continuous investment in Ghana is that it is a growing economy with both near- and long-term opportunities. The country is politically stable, and the government is driving the social agenda to bring inclusive and sustainable development to the wider population. These initiatives bode well for the insurance industry.”

That Ghana insurance industry has the firm backing of the world’s most revered insurance brand is a good omen for the development of its financial services sector.

Indeed, for Allianz Ghana CEO Darlington Munhuwani, the country represents a market full of untapped potential.

“The insurance penetration rate is below one percent,” he continues.

“This is low compared to Kenya and South Africa and indicates to us that there are growth opportunities here.

To unlock some of these opportunities we need to raise the importance and awareness levels of insurance benefits.

“Insurance is an intangible product and its benefits are realised at the point of pain or a loss. It is important that the promises we make to our clients are fulfilled following an

incident or a loss of property or lives. The ideal partner for any client is one that seeks ways to settle a claim as quickly as possible rather than point out the small print to avoid or delay paying a claim.”

This, for Munhuwani, will come to define the Ghanaian insurance industry as it matures.

While currently the competition in the sector is based on cost of insurance, as time goes by and consumers become more accustomed to taking out policies, insurers will be judged on their ability to settle claims.

Building a legacy

It is this ability to settle claims which Munhuwani believes will see Allianz entrench itself into Ghana’s financial community.

The Company will celebrate 10 years in the country in 2019 and can draw on a history dating back to 1890 when the Group was founded in Munich. Since then it has grown into a global leader, employing more than 140,000 people across 70 countries.

For Munhuwani, this sends the message to current and future clients that Allianz Ghana is serious about insurance.

“Insurance is about trust,” he adds.

Darlington Munhuwani, CEO, Allianz Ghana

“Without trust, companies don’t last long. Allianz as a whole brings competency, resilience and empathy in all our dealings with clients.

“We are not a transactional risk carrier or insurer, we are a trusted partner and advisor on risk and insurance matters. In our view trust is the glue that keeps all partnerships true and strong. All things being equal, trust is the one word that makes us different.”

Transformational

As well as drawing on trust that has developed from over a century of existence, new products and ways of doing business will help Allianz build on this in Ghana.

The introduction of life insurance, for example, is in direct response to

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what Munhuwani and his team have been hearing on the ground from consumers.

“Our decision to start a life insurance company was in response to our clients’ desire to have a ‘one stop’ insurance service provider,” he says.

“Many have expressed satisfaction that they can now buy insurance for their house, car, and business and secure the future of their loved ones through one service provider.”

Further, such clients now need to be reached outside of bricks and mortar branches which once characterised insurance distribution.

Munhuwani explains how digital technology is a key enabler to connecting with customers, embodied by a strategy with the strapline objective of being ‘digital by default’.

This again utilises the power of

the worldwide Allianz, which has invested in a Group Digital Factory where experts from all subsidiaries and regions gather to work on digital customer journeys and create key assets that can be reused across subsidiaries.

“By leveraging on our common core group platforms, these solutions will be reusable in a plug and play manner across the world,” says Munhuwani.

“For Allianz Ghana, our next phase of development will be to build capacity that empowers our clients to handle basic insurance transactions through the click of a button. We also want to enable most of the claims management administration to be handled via technology and remove the inefficacies of traditional processing systems. We are giving power to our clients.”

ALLIANZ GHANA – THE BASICS Allianz Ghana began operations in 2009 in response to a strongly growing national and regional economy.

It currently has operations in six regions - Greater Accra Ashanti, Western, Northern, Volta and Brong Ahafo Regions. This branch network allows the firm to reach all of its various clients, be they corporate, commercial, small to medium sized organisations or individuals.

It is also using technology and an agency network to make insurance products and services accessible in remote parts of the country.

In December 2017, Allianz received its license to start a life insurance company, which officially launched on May 24 2018. Among its flagship products are the Allianz Wealth Planner, Allianz Term Life Plan and Allianz Farewell Plan. This offering joins conventional insurance products such as motor, home, travel, injury and disability insurance in the Company’s portfolio.

“The ongoing rationalisation of the banking sector in Ghana has seen us introducing new insurance products that are tailored for the financial services sector,” Munhuwani says.

“The growing threat of cyberattacks is real in Ghana as it is in other parts of the world. We have just introduced a cyber-risks and liability policy for the market. Behind each and every service and insurance policy is the need to protect our clients’ capital, people and transfer any liabilities from their balance sheets.”

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KEK INSURANCE BROKERS

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EK Insurance Brokers Ltd is a multinational insurance broking firm with subsidiaries in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The Company, since its inception, has competently handled the life and non-life insurances of several local/multinational businesses, households and individuals.

KEK has been the leading insurance broking firm in Ghana since 1992 and partners with leading global insurance broking firms to provide enhanced services to several of its global and multinational clients.

Contact us on +233 302 764023 Location: GA-153-5910 (Ghana Post GPS) E kek@kekgroup.net

www.kekgroup.net

Community care

The firm is also empowering people in the communities it serves, be it through direct employment (98 percent of its staff are Ghanaians) and career development, or extending its support into wider society.

One particular focus has been on helping children with disabilities.

Financial support was channeled through O’Africa, a non-profit organization that provides shelter, care and protection to children who are abandoned, neglected, or abused or have some form of disability.

A new project, slated for 2019, involves both social and environmental stewardship.

“Our country has a plastic disposal problem,” Munhuwani says. “At the moment there are just a few private companies who are into recycling, but the level of pollution is such that their efforts are minimal and hardly felt.”

Part of Allianz Ghana’s new project will see it provide bins for plastic waste

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them to drive their own personal development, while the second and third pillars concern providing convenience and value for clients and sustainable returns for shareholders.

Munhuwani concludes: “The future belongs to insurers that are continuously looking for the best deal for their clients, insurers that believe in partnerships, insurers that have both the financial and human capital to invest in new technologies and pay claims quickly. That is the simplicity of the insurance equation.

“I think that we made the right decision to come into the country and have made investments that will contribute to the growth of the insurance sector for a long time to come.”

Allianz Global COO, Dr Christof Mascher with the Allianz Africa and Allianz Ghana teams

at local beaches, which will then be transported to a partner company, which will recycle the material into blocks that will pave the Abelenkpe 2 Basic School in Accra.

“Along with a charity called Mmofra Foundation, and the pupils, we will design and build an environmentally friendly creative centre using recycled

and re-purposed materials,” adds Munhuwani.

A bright future

In terms of Allianz Ghana’s future as an entity, Munhuwani outlines goals in three major segments beyond the overarching objective to deliver growth.

The first focus is on staff, empowering

Allianz Ghana Tel: +233 302 764 893 allianz.ghana@allianz-gh.com www.allianz-africa.com

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THE ENTERPRISE

ENERGISER Energy Partners Solar is proving that commercial and industrial Power Purchase Agreements work. CEO Manie de Waal discusses the Company’s recent rise to prominence in the South African market and beyond Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Callam Waller

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he world is starting to realise the potential of harvesting power from the sun.

According to report by the World Bank’s Lighting Global programme, in 2017 the off-grid solar sector provided improved electricity access to 360 million people. Since 2010, more than 130 million off-grid solar devices were sold, representing a 60 percent annual growth rate and a total sales volume of $3.9 billion.

While some of this impact is being felt across Africa, the surface has barely been scratched in terms of maximising the continent’s natural capacity to generate solar energy.

Currently, renewables (excluding bioenergy) account for around one percent of Africa’s energy mix.

However, investors are increasingly

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cope. The opportunity for the likes of solar power is thus enormous, with power investments of $70 billion a year needed in order to generate and distribute the energy needed through to 2030.

For Energy Partners Solar and Manie de Waal, CEO, Energy Partners Solar CEO Manie de Waal, operating in the commercial and industrial segment coming on board, and for good reason. of the market, this is an opportunity Not only is this a part of the world too big to miss. blessed with some of the longest spells “Africa is in its infancy with solar on sunshine on earth, demand for but is extremely well-placed to domestic and commercial electricity grow,” he says. “Not only do we is exploding alongside the region’s have the sunlight capacity, but economic growth. spiralling grid prices are becoming Since 2000 energy consumption increasingly prohibitive. Despite has risen by 45 percent, and by some regulatory challenges, I think 2030 demand is expected to triple, we are sitting at the beginning of a a trend which is placing strain on boom in South Africa and the wider infrastructure that is struggling to region.

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“In terms of establishing Energy Partners Solar, we were looking at ways to optimise clients’ energy needs and what we found was that solar power was always there, but not prioritised due to the way Energy partners was set up at the time.

“We needed a separate solar division and from 2014-15 we found clients were demanding solar, and this is when it started to take off. We were perhaps a bit late arriving, but due to our experience we were able to very quickly gain traction.”

Proving PPAs work

Energy Partners Solar has emerged as a South African leader in the execution of power purchase agreements (PPAs) for solar energy, enabled by the blend of financial and engineering expertise that make up its employee base.

Traditionally, solar companies would sell energy back into the grid, but PPAs enable flexibility and cost efficiencies that can undercut grid prices by as much as 50 percent, all without the

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client having to invest capital.

This is proven by a track record of successful rooftop solar deployments for a growing number of clients, including retailer Pick n Pay, which in 2017 became the beneficiary of a 2.4 MWp solar roof at its site in Longmeadow near Johannesburg.

“This is among the biggest commercial PPA-based installations of its kind in Africa,” says de Waal.

“Almost half of our footprint is made up of PPAs, and this makes us a clear leader in this field in Africa.”

Another 1.2 MWp of solar capacity was added at Pick n Pay’s hypermarket in Pretoria this year, while the Company has also helped Pioneer Foods deploy a series of modules across six different sites.

“We are uniquely placed to structure these agreements for commercial clients and make it work for both sides,” de Waal adds. “We can offer rates that are almost unrivalled because of our flexibility, and this is what sets us apart.”

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ENERGY PARTNERS SOLAR AN INTRODUCTION Established in 2010, Energy Partners builds and operates core energy utilities. It provides utilities such as solar, refrigeration, steam, fuel and water that cater for commercial, Industrial, SME and residential markets. Energy Partners Solar is part of the Energy Partners group of companies.

Its core work revolves around the design, construction and operation of solar systems across the small-scale utility (under 10 MWp), commercial and industrial sectors, predominantly in South Africa. This includes installations in the retail, healthcare, agriculture, logistics and mining sectors, among others.

Currently, installed capacity stands at 31MWp generated by 217,000 square metres of solar modules for clients including Pioneer Foods, Pick n Pay, Netcare, Attacq and Vukile.

Over the next 25 years, Energy Partners Solar expects to increase capacity to 800 GWh of electricity, the equivalent of more than R1 billion based on current grid prices.

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egaphase’s technical talent team has several decades’ worth of experience between them, which not only means that the advice we have to offer is sound and based on truly impressive collective knowledge, but also that our understanding of the industry’s electrical and mechanical requirements has been built over many years of practical experience.

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Powered by people

Central to the rise in Energy Partners Solar’s stock is its young and dynamic team. De Waal prides the firm on its entrepreneurial spirit and culture that trickles down the organisation.

“We try to encourage a vibrant working environment,” he says.

“It is a very open-door place to be, and we support our employees’ higher education ambitions, including financial assistance. We’ve had several engineers complete their master’s degrees with our support.

“We’re still in a lucky position

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It is a very opendoor place to be, and we support our employees’ higher education ambitions...”

whereby people who start working here can develop in the Company due to the fact we’re growing so quickly. Our employee turnover is very low because of the opportunities internally and the chance to step up early in your career.”

The result is a motivated base of staff who will ensure the longevity of Energy Partners Solar as it seeks to grow its influence both in South Africa and nearby countries’ solar markets.

With the sector primed for expansion, de Waal outlines the Company’s bold plans heading into this exciting period.

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He concludes: “I’d like us to consolidate and build on our position as a market leader in South Africa, specifically in the area of PPAs as this, for me, is the future. We are also moving further north and are active in Namibia and are looking at Angola, Botswana and beyond. I’d like to replicate what we have done in South Africa across the wider sub-Saharan region.

“I believe microgrids, battery storage and new technologies will leapfrog traditional utilities in Africa, much like the way mobile networks have done over conventional

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telephone lines. Local energy production and storage is the future.

“For us, while we want to be successful financially, we are also building a company for Africa. Access to energy should be a right, not a privilege. We must remember that.”

Energy Partners Solar Tel: +27 (0) 21 941 5140 info@energypartners.co.za www.energypartners.co.za

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A One-Stop Shop for Telecommunications Engineering

elecommunications infrastructure across the African continent has vastly improved in recent years.

According to the World Bank, the number of fixed mobile lines in use on the continent per 1,000 people increased from just three to 736 between 1990 and 2014, while the number of internet users per 100 people similarly rose from 1.3 in 2005 to 16.7 in 2015.

However, despite the surge in progress, Africa is still lagging behind

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Group CTO of Soliton Telmec, Ali Maawiy, explains how the Company is successfully tackling the continent’s infrastructure deficit with its innovative approach and diversified solutions

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Writer: Jonathan Dyble Project Manager: Kane Weller

almost every other region globally, highlighting the need for further development.

Introducing Soliton Telmec.

Having already played a role in the deployment and support of 6,200 kilometres of long-haul and metro networks, connecting over 5,000 enterprise and government sites in the process, the Company is continuing to play a crucial role in furthering the continental infrastructure agenda.

Established in 2005, evolving from Soliton Systems, Soliton Telmec

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has risen to become a leading telecommunication engineering company, building and supporting some of the most technologically complex infrastructure across Kenya and Uganda.

“Starting off as a small fibre deployment company, we have since evolved in a number of ways, now helping our customers in planning and surveying, building and maintaining their networks, whilst also offering quality and service assurance solutions and systems,” says Ali Maawiy, Group Chief Technical Officer of the Company.

“We have become known for our extensive capabilities that allow us to oversee the entire lifecycle of network solutions, thus ensuring that our customers optimise their assets.”

Tailormade solutions

Diversification is a term that has become synonymous throughout Soliton Telmec’s Structure. “It is what I believe embodies the value of our

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services,” says Maawiy.

The firm has explored a number of new avenues in the aim of satisfying the demands of its customers on a broad scale, evident through its recent interest in adding power solutions to its service portfolio.

“Africa has a lot of issues when it comes to reliable grid power,” Maawiy adds. “With this in mind, we have been looking to provide some off-grid solutions in remote areas. Where we deploy tower solutions, for example, it is clear that there is an opportunity to provide reliable power to remote communities.”

Equally, the business has developed extensive managed services capabilities, not only helping its clients to construct and maintain infrastructure networks, but also allowing them to maximise the potential of each project by securing new business opportunities.

A defining feature of these managed services can be found in Soliton’s

recent emphasis on implementing the latest technologies, helping to impart greater oversight and control of networks to client bodies.

“Having gained a strong understanding of the challenges facing the telecommunications industry, we are looking to digitise and automate the management of our customers’ assets where possible,” says Maawiy.

“One of the biggest problems that service providers are experiencing, particularly on the fibre side, is that they don’t store data in the correct formats in order to fully understand and capitalise on their inventory. This is an issue that we have sought to solve.”

Leveraging its expertise, Soliton was recruited by the Ugandan government, tasked with commercialising the country’s national fibre networks.

“The Ugandan government has built around 2,450 kilometres of fibre networks, and having partnered with them, we were able to take over the management of this infrastructure,”

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SOLITON TELMEC’S FIRSTS Epitomising innovation and industry disruption, Soliton Telmec has registered a number of industry firsts across the region: • First to apply non-intrusive micro-tunnelling method in fibre network construction.

• First to implement full ITU fibre characterisation standard testing.

• First to implement an eighthour service level agreement (SLA) in fibre maintenance (2006).

• First to implement a six-hour SLA (2010).

• First to implement automated fibre monitoring solutions (2010).

• First to implement four-hour SLA using automated testing and monitoring solutions (2011).

• First to implement enterprise dark fibre solution for fibre channel SANs. • First to introduce and implement standardsbased ‘open access’ shared infrastructure.

Maawiy continues. “In doing so, we successfully commercialised these networks, helping the government to generate additional revenue.

In addition, we have reduced the government’s cost of communication over the last five years.

“By monetising these assets and reducing the costs, the government has a new source of finance that, in turn, can be used to help accelerate economic development and improve the lives of its people.”

Providing a platform

Such comments give a sense of Maawiy’s commitment to ensuring Soliton remains a good corporate citizen – an attitude that it is readily reflected in the Company’s employment strategies.

In a bid to support remote communities, the firm offers a platform to select students from marginalised backgrounds, aiding their university tuition and later absorbing them as employees. Through this, Soliton ensures that disadvantaged individuals are able to succeed either at Soliton or elsewhere within the regional telecommunications industry, providing them with the training that they need.

“Additionally, we have partnered with certain universities, taking a certain number of top performing students on apprenticeship programmes,” adds Maawiy.

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The Company rigorously trains its staff in using new technologies

With a corporate identity that has largely been shaped by its innovative methods, Soliton has continued to be successful in attracting top talent, owed to its willingness to adopt bestin-class technologies.

“Our R&D team ensure we continue to identify new industry solutions, market changes and embrace any shifts, and in turn we rigorously train our staff in using new technologies, positioning us at the forefront of the curve,” Maawiy continues.

“We are very proud of the fact that most of our trainees originally chose Soliton as their primary place of work, something that is testament to the high-quality training that we offer.”

Having built an esteemed reputation across Eastern Africa in less than two

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MANUFACTURERS OF QUALITY HDPE DUCTS & ACCESSORIES. OUR AFRICAN FOOTPRINT HAS EVOLVED BY SUPPLYING MAJOR NETWORK SERVICE PROVIDERS THROUGHOUT AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST.

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decades, the business is now looking to broaden its reach into new markets across Sub Saharan Africa.

Asked about the Company’s prospects moving forward, Maawiy is quick to emphasise that Soliton’s strategies will continue to embody diversification and innovation, no matter where they operate.

He concludes: “I am proud to be able to go to our customers and say we can offer you data solutions, quality and service assurances, monitoring and management support and a host of other things.

“We want to retain this, and ultimately our key goal is to become a one-stop-shop, providing high quality enterprise, wholesale, engineering and telecommunication solutions across Africa.”

Soliton Telmec Tel: +25 67 00 77700 info@soliton.co.ug www.soliton.co.ke

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Mining with

Integrity African Mining Services has blended Australian industry practices with a dedicated localisation focus to become one of West Africa’s primary sector operators Writer: Matthew Staff | Project Manager: Donovan Smith

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AEMS AN EXPERTISE AT HAND’S REACH AEMS GROUP is a synergy of 3 structures: African Equipment Maintenance and Services - for all your mining heavy machinery maintenance and service issues African Institute of Technology - An advanced heavy equipment training center African Construction Corporation - For all your civil construction projects

AEMS-MALI Bamako en face du Stade du 26 Mars Mali Email: info@aems-mali.com Phone: 00223 20 77 54 85 Rental: 00223 65 95 03 35/00223 77 27 36 69 Maintenance: 00223 65 95 03 34, 00223 70 56 07 82 Commercial: 00223 65 95 03 37/00223 70 56 06 80 http://aems-mali.com

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o achieve long-term, sustainable and ethicallysound success in West Africa is no mean feat for some of the region’s leading industrial operators, so to do so as an indigenously international entity is all the more impressive. However, that’s exactly what African Mining Services has achieved since the Australian Company’s inception in Ghana nearly 30 years ago.

Leveraging an existing plethora of knowledgeable, innovative and ambitious Australian expats, a subsequent financial acumen and inner-belief entered the region with a faith that anything was possible. A host of niche mining industry practices, and unparalleled scope in the open cut contract mining arena later, and AMS continues to broaden its influence in West Africa as a now-trusted and reputed local provider.

Operations Manager for the Company’s Senegalese activities, Darran

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The mining region here is rich with gold deposits and the mining contracting competition is strong. As a result, operating with continued success is highly complex and subject to a very dynamic political and socioeconomic scene”

Twining further introduces the AMS model: “AMS predominantly performs exploration drilling, production drill and blast, grade control, hydraulic excavator and mechanical drive dump truck operations.

“The mining region here is rich with gold deposits and the mining contracting competition is strong.

As a result, operating with continued success is highly complex and subject to a very dynamic political and socioeconomic scene. However, AMS has evolved from a small Ghana-based business and expanded into the regional, francophone countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Ivory Coast and here in Senegal.”

While the business’s aforementioned – and turnkey – array of services inevitably sets it apart from most competitors in the local market, to truly understand AMS’s success you need to delve into more personable attributes; Twining himself

African Equipment Maintenance and Services (AEMS) has been flourishing across West Africa since 2009.

Largely operating within Mali, the firm provides adequate solutions to mechanical problems for companies working within the mining and public works sectors, helping to overcome the challenges that arise in a complex line of work.

The Company specialises in the maintenance, installation and repair of mining machinery, public works, drilling, handling and generators, and also in offering rental construction equipment.

With nearly 100 experts in the field, AEMS offers a unique and innovative way of performing meticulous diagnosis with its modern equipment, enabling it respond positively and diligently to any concerns that its customers may have.

To date AEMS has been bringing its expertise to several institutions by achieving a number of exploits: • Rebuilt 16 dampers 777D. • Rebuilt loaders 988F. • Rebuilt bulldozer D9R. • Reconditioned and changed several organs.

• Installed Caterpillar, Liebherr, O&K equipment.

• Signed maintenance contracts with other parties.

• Rented machines.

• Completed a range of technical assistance.

2013 saw AEMS launching two new divisions to expand its expertise – African Institute of Technology (CDM-AITECH) and Africa Construction Corporation (ACC). With the ambitions of building a state-of-the-art

workshop, setting up five bachelor’s degrees covering multiple business laterals in the process, the firm has established itself as a construction company that has a significant internal dimension, differentiating itself from many of its competitors.

AEMS prides its workshop on…

• Being a dedicated organisation.

• Providing expertise and quality of services.

• Offering a choice of used parts.

• Providing on-site diagnostics to reduce removal costs.

• Making recommendations on a case by case basis.

• Respecting deadlines and considering emergencies.

• Being able to trace and monitor after sales performance.

To date, the Company has worked with a number of firms, including, but not limited to: African Mining services, AUMS, Moolmans, Impact Africa Guinea, Songhoi Resources, Papillon Resources, Afrilogue Mali, Somilo SA, Atlas Copco Mali, Kama SA, Endeavour, Nevsun Mali, Segala Mining, Semos SA, Solaris Somagec, Somika, SMK, Senet, Glencar and Etasi.

Driven by its overriding goal of being the alternative to branded original parts dealers and premium brand parts for vehicles, and in the aim providing optimal solutions to business requirements, AEMS continually implements the highest self-imposed standards.

T +223 20 77 54 85 E info@aems-mali.com

www.aems-mali.com

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HALADJIAN

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aladjian has been an independent spare part distributor for mobile machines for more than 50 years.

Present in France and in Western Africa, Haladjian is committed to giving an alternative to OEM dealers, and thanks to its technical expertise on spare parts, we can reduce operational costs for our customers while increasing machine efficiency.

The Haladjian team and the family owners are 100 percent dedicated to their customers. Partnerships with our leading customers are crucial, and that is why HALADJIAN is pleased to count AMS as a privileged partner.

Haladjian and AMS do have a strong relationship, sharing the same objectives for product and service performance. As an independent company, HALADJIAN is committed to giving AMS the most suitable solutions for their applications, a customised service, and dedicated stock stored close to their operation sites.

AMS is a pilot customer for HALADJIAN. Meeting AMS’s needs and expectations drives the HALADJIAN strategy in Western Africa, to better serve all its customers.

citing a family feel, complete trust and transparency, companionship, and an ability to work collaboratively to solve challenges among these core traits.

Such capabilities and values have aided the Company’s flexibility, adaptability and resilience amid fluctuating market trends; and upon the 2005 Ausdrill Ltd takeover of the organisation, AMS has been able to add an extra level of clout to its attractive ethos in order to further capitalise on regional opportunities.

“For me, there are some things we do really well, some things we do reasonably well, and some things I’d still like for us to improve upon,” Twining surmises. “However, our footprint expansion is testament to us

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doing something right in the industry, and – driven by our COO (John Kavangh) and GM (Darren Wheadon) – we know we have the necessary tools to continue improving our proposition in the future.

“These include our maintenance knowhow and asset management processes; our anti-bribery and corruption stance; our option to leverage off Ausdrill; and our ability to ingratiate ourselves locally and promote nationals.”

We wish total success to all the AMS team for their ongoing projects and all new ones!

Empowering and uplifting

It is perhaps this final parameter which has and will continue to dictate AMS’s ultimate success in the long-term, in West Africa.

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T +(33) 4 90 39 39 23 E export@haladjian.fr

www.haladjian-export.com/en/

+(33) 4 90 39 39 23 export@haladjian.fr www.haladjian-export.com/en/

OUR SOLUTIONS Parts and service for mobile equipments and fleet’s optimization +250 people

+55

years of history

Mining & construction market

Services

• On-site diagnosis • Repair/upgrade recommendations • Planned maintenance schedules • Performance follow-ups • Technical training & know-how sharing

Multi-brands Parts

• Ground engaging tools • Equipments and buckets • Undercarriages • Genuine and OEM mechanical parts • Machine safety and security systems

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JA DELMAS

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A Delmas has been a Cat dealer for more than 85 years, and present in West Africa through its Network of representatives for over 160 years. Operating in sectors such as construction, infrastructures, power generation and mining, the network stays ahead of its competition by striving for customer service excellence with an ever growing presence and the best people in the industry.

JA Delmas is proud to develop its partnership with AMS on a regional basis. AMS has a range of exciting projects in West Africa, where we accompany them from greenfield to fully productive mining operations, as we have done for many other international mining customers.

While the region’s rich gold deposits and lucrative commodity zones will continue to lure a carrot in front of budding contractors, it is imperative that the successful exponent tackles the complex industry climate and fragile socioeconomic scene head-on.

“There’s been huge changes in focus for national governments in the region over the years in terms of ‘what is good for living standards?’ or ‘what do we need international companies to bring to our country?’ and expectations can change from time to time,” Twining explains. “The trick to it all, from our perspective, has been the connections we have formed. Whether it’s a new country we’re entering like Senegal or the Ivory Coast, or a country where we’ve been operational for a decade like Mali; it’s all about making the right connections with people in decisionmaking positions and showcasing to them that our approach to mining will bring economic value to their nation and will put communities first at all times.”

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JA Delmas and its representatives seek to further reduce the cost per tonne for its customers by applying creative technology, process and skill to each site. Investment into the JA Delmas infrastructures has doubled in the past year, ensuring they can respond to the needs expressed by customers.

...it’s all about making the right connections with people in decision-making positions and showcasing to them that our approach to mining will bring economic value to their nation and will put communities first at all times”

Proximity and ease of doing business make JA Delmas a natural choice in West Africa. With the strong and reliable Cat equipment and a network of experts, this is the perfect recipe for success.

More specifically, with AMS now extending its operations into Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal, the Network has improved its presence considerably through for example a certified rebuild facility, a brand new warehouse and large workshops. These service features are enriched with more oil analysis capacity, training facilities and customer reception areas.

We wish AMS the best success in their future ventures into West Africa!

YOUR CAT DEALER IN WEST AFRICA ®

OUR SCOPE OF OPERATIONS · Construction & Infrastructures · Mining · Energy, Manufacturing & Services OUR EXPERTISE · Equipment & Spare Parts · Training · Maintenance Contracts · Technical Consulting & Support · Financing · Used & Rental Equipment · New Technologies OUR NETWORK · Benin · Burkina Faso · Cote d’Ivoire · Gambia · Guinea · Guinea Bissau · Mali · Mauritania · Niger · Senegal · Togo

Visit us on www.jadelmas.com © 2018 Caterpillar | All Rights Reserved. CAT, CATERPILLAR, BUILT FOR IT, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow,” the “Power Edge” trade dress and Product Link, as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillarand may not be used without permission.

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He continues: “It’s actually one of the main reasons I enjoy working for AMS - you can’t always do it for money. You have to put forward a more wholesome proposition, get a foothold, and show you are a genuine company with integrity. We like to think we can do what we say we can do and that generates trust and a level of respect that continues to grow our reputation.”

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open, it has also helped the Company foresee industry or national challenges that other operators might walk blindly into. Working harmoniously to bridge cultures, objectives and even languages, a cycle of sustainability has had to be generated (often from very nascent beginnings) in each country.

Twining continues: “With the localisation process, in each case we have to initially utilise expats but we do so to train nationals, so that the ratio between the two shifts in favour of the latter over the years.

“Concurrently, we offer stateof-the-art training and development programmes to get people up to speed and to develop their skills; often using simulators so that they’re exposed to the complex conditions, hazards and challenges that they will eventually face when the time comes to be assigned onsite.

“Essentially everything is geared around empowering and uplifting our nationals.”

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With the localisation process, in each case we have to initially utilise expats but we do so to train nationals, so that the ratio between the two shifts in favour of the latter over the years”

SERVING AFRICA WITH AMS SINCE 2008

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

Human Resources company for over 25 years now, SAER-EMPLOI has been assisting its customers in their growth by providing them with qualified personnel whose daily management enables them to concentrate on their core business.

ADVANTAGES FOR THE CLIENT:

• Time saving, • Considerable reduction in personnel costs, • Compliance with labor legislation.

25 years

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9 subsidiaries

Over 300

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Over 100 000

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projects in the mining and construction sectors in West Africa

EXPERTISE

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Recruitment, Payroll outsourcing, Provision of personnel Advice and assistance in Human Resources

Senegal Niger Burkina Cote d’ivoire Guinea Togo Benin Liberia United kingdom

Hamdallaye ACI 2000, Road 311, SAER-EMPLOI Building - Bamako, Mali Phone : +223 20 29 08 58 - Fax : +223 20 29 08 47 E-mail : info@saer-emploi.com

www.saer-emploi.com

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VIVO ENERGY MALI

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ivo Energy Mali - the company behind the Shell brand - is proud to supply African Underground Mining Services with its fuel and lubricants needs.

The Shell brand has been present in Mali since 1934, and has a strong brand image in the country. Vivo Energy has an excellent reputation for its values and principles and is committed to be the leader in the Malian fuel and lubricants market.

In addition to supporting the commercial mining sector Vivo Energy Mali also offers solutions for motorists and other businesses.

Through our network of 35 retail service stations, and with a storage capacity of 5,200 square metres, motorists are provided with a comprehensive range of Shell fuels and lubricants, including: • Shell Diesel Extra • Shell Super Unleaded • Shell Helix Ultra • Shell Advance

Reliability and consistency

By showing an aptitude for local enrichment and sustainable talent progression, AMS has understandably strengthened its appeal to national governments and potential clients.

And this is epitomised by the vast portfolio of projects attained over the years across Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and more recently Ivory Coast.

Establishing, and then retaining, positive relationships with key clients in each case – Perseus, AngloGold Ashanti and Endeavour being prime examples – the sharing of information, skill-bases and resources that occurs consequently continues to breed new opportunities and fresh project leads.

“In each case, what we bring is a sense of reliability and consistency, and this is what sets us apart once we begin working on a project,” Twining

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Even when things get out of control, or difficult, AMS can always stick it out with a financial, technical and consultancy footing which reduces risk across the board”

Vivo Energy Mali provides a wide range of Shell fuel and lubricants products to its business customers - both in the private and the public sectors - to support their growth. We provide cost effective solutions (including storage, distribution and technical advice) in the following areas of business: • Mining • Power • Construction • Road transport • Manufacturing • Agriculture

Please contact us to see how we can help: T +223 449 97 88 88

www.vivoenergy.com

Vivo Energy Mining: Technology leadership and expertise to drive down your costs Vivo Energy - the company behind the Shell brand in Africa - brings you Shell’s industry-leading products, services and technology, with an offer designed to meet your precise mining needs and reduce your Total Cost of Operations.

At Vivo Energy we know that as an African mining company you battle tough conditions everyday.

We know that you continually strive to reduce your operational costs; that you rely heavily on your machinery, demanding fuel and lubricants products which ensure you get optimal use from it; that you require a constant, uninterrupted supply of these products; and that you have certain non-negotiables particularly around safety.

Fortunately, Vivo Energy is in a position to provide you with complete solutions to all of these requirements.

We are proud to put Shell’s high quality products, services and technology at your disposal. Our tailored offer will meet your precise needs, help you optimise your Total Cost of Operations, and ensure your mining business is more successful and sustainable.

If you would like to reduce your costs and optimise the use of fuel and lubricant products in your mining operations, contact us at www.vivoenergy.com

Fulling Africa’s Future Shell trademarks used under license.

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says. “Even when things get out of control, or difficult, AMS can always stick it out with a financial, technical and consultancy footing which reduces risk across the board.

“Even where there are financial difficulties, we have the capacity to soldier on in full operational mode without diluting the strength of our employees, capital expenditures or overall operations.”

Once again, by demonstrating these characteristics and such business strength, its cachet among national governments escalates accordingly, and AMS’s values eventually get rewarded with the best projects, and, resultantly, strong revenue growth.

Twining elaborates: “This then puts us in a great position from an investment perspective, AMS now

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Even where there are financial difficulties, we have the capacity to soldier on in full operational mode without diluting the strength of our employees, capital expenditures or overall operations”

comprising one of the best fleets of equipment and machinery in the region. New technologies and innovations in the drill blast space find their way to West Africa via Ausdrill and ultimately means we can do things that our competitors can’t with more technically-advanced equipment.

“While many other market operators have the same excavators or vehicles as we do, we have the ability and scope to operate them better. This comes from a capacity to upgrade, maintain, train and develop to better meet clients’ needs; and, in turn, people, partners and companies gravitate towards us.”

Bucking trends and exceeding expectations

In Senegal, as has been the case in every other presence point before,

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ATC

Your preferred blasting partner in Francophone West Africa.

Leader in large-scale metal construction: mining, boilermaking / oil depots, irrigation, containers, transport / handling.

BURKINA FASO • MALI • GUINEA • SENEGAL

Burkina Faso Andre van der Walt Mobile +226 67 25 67 90 Senegal, Mali and Guinea Andre Labuschagne Mobile +221 78 42 15 814 www.aelminingservices.com

www.atcmali.com

AMS is already sowing seeds for future prevalence. The development of nationals, the formulation of positive business partnerships, the establishment of a collaborative forum with the Government, and a commitment to uplift the Kedougou region’s communities is already in full swing.

Ultimately, it’s about leaving every project site, and its surrounding area, in a better shape than when AMS entered it. Onsite, this revolves around health & safety, waste management, supplier network development, and – of course – personnel improvement.

Externally, corporate social responsibility initiatives are tied into client objectives and an ongoing drive to improve the lives of local nationals.

“AMS is known as a good training and development company for national employees,” Twining affirms. “There is a massive focus on doing things to a high standard and

integrating Australian standards into African mining. And AMS has a good reputation for treating nationals with respect and enabling them to succeed.

“I strongly believe an Australian culture and mining aptitude tends to reward us in terms of our national workforce’s attitude.”

Twining goes on to attribute applicable notions of honesty and integrity as two of the Company’s overriding differentiators as the

business looks forward to continued success in West Africa in the years to come.

“We operate according to a fiveyear strategy and have high hopes for upcoming projects in 2019, especially in Senegal,” he concludes. “We want to continue to buck trends and exceed expectations through our model and how we conduct ourselves.

“I’m excited for the future, both here in Senegal and for AMS as a whole.

We continue to align ourselves with opportunities that match with a kind of mining that revolves around honesty and integrity. And as such, it’s a good time to be wearing an AMS shirt.”

African Mining Services - Ghana Tel: +233 302 611333 enquiries@amsgh.com www.amsgh.com

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FLAG As aviation continues to serve as a vital contributor to South Africa’s economy, we caught up with the country’s civil aviation authority to see how it is helping to guide the industry forwards Writer: Tom Wadlow Project Manager: Vivek Valmiki

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viation is big business in South Africa.

Employing 70,000 people and contributing $7.4 billion to the national economy in 2014, the sector is a vital wealth generator and helps 22 million passengers to enter and navigate the country every year.

It is also an industry that stirs

passion. “My love for aviation led me to join the industry and the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA),” says the organisation’s Director of Civil Aviation Poppy Khoza.

“The aviation bug bit me right after I finished my tertiary education, where I was studying travel and tourism. I started my career working for the South African national carrier, South African Airways, and I have never looked back since.”

Khoza has emerged as an industry flagbearer over her time at SACAA. Not only is she the first female Director of Aviation, but also the recipient of the 2018 Business Leader of the Year Award at the Oliver Top Empowerment Awards.

“The journey has been truly an exciting one,” Khoza continues, “as I have had an opportunity to contribute in changing the face of civil aviation in this country through the successful delivery of the mandate as dictated by the Civil Aviation Act of 2009.”

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Poppy Khoza, Director of Civil Aviation

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A key priority for Khoza, and vital part of uplifting SACAA to worldleading status, is exploration of digital technologies.

The Authority kickstarted its digital migration in 2015 with the procurement of a new enterprise business system (EBS), a software solution designed to improve aviation safety and security across South Africa.

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SACAA helped coordinate the Global Aviation Gender Summit in Cape Town on August 8-10

“This is a comprehensive, fully integrated electronic business solution which spans across various functional areas of the organisation and improves business processes for our clients, as we eventually become paperless,” says Khoza.

“The system is compliant with ICAO standards and recommended practices and will ensure that the SACAA’s

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The project is set to complete imminently, and modules already installed have already received positive feedback from users and recipients of licenses, which include pilots, air traffic controllers and cabin crew.

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Transforming industry dynamics

Not only is SACAA playing a leading part in digitising South Africa’s aviation industry, it is also working to make it a fairer one.

“Aviation was regarded as

an industry for those with deep pockets and as a result remained elusive to previously disadvantaged communities,” Khoza explains.

“This is evident when one reviews the statistics of aviation personnel such as pilots and aeronautical engineers. Currently there are less than 10 percent black (African, Indian and Coloured) pilots in South Africa.

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SACAA AT 20 – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW The South African Civil Aviation Authority recently celebrated 20 years in existence and continues to provide vital services to the industry.

Set up by an act of parliament in 1998, the SACAA is mandated with the responsibility of regulating the civil aviation industry by ensuring that South Africa complies with the prescribed Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) whilst taking into account the local context.

This work covers aviation security, safety operations (ensuring all aircraft in SA airspace are airworthy), incident investigation and general promotion of innovation and industry betterment. For example, the Authority hosted the first Global Aviation Gender Summit, co-organised with ICAO, in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in August 2018.

The organisation has achieved numerous milestones during its tenure, including: • A 50/50 gender and racial equity ratio in the Executive Management Committee.

• An FAA Category 1 status. South Africa is one of five African countries to have retained this esteemed safety status. The country achieved a significant score of 87.39 percent during the recent ICAO USOAP CMA audit, which took place in 2017. This puts South Africa at number one in Africa and number 33 globally.

• Recognition as the Best Performing Institution in Transport award for four years in a row.

• 100 percent target achievement for four straight years.

Today the Authority has 518 employees on its books, comprising inspectors with expertise in piloting, engineering, law, healthcare, mechanics and avionics. It is headquartered in Midrand, Johannesburg with a satellite office in Cape Town, and is looking to set up in Durban.

EXECUJET

E

xecuJet’s African operations are based in South Africa at Lanseria International Airport near Johannesburg and at Cape Town International Airport, as well as Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria and Seychelles.

Both South African locations offer a comprehensive range of services encompassing corporate aircraft charter (fixed and rotary wing), aircraft maintenance, aircraft management, fixed base operations (FBO) and full concierge services. The Nigerian facility offers FBO and aircraft maintenance services while Seychelles offers FBO services.

ExecuJet’s aviation services include aircraft charter, management and insurance, fixed base operations, aircraft maintenance, cargo charter, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles.

ExecuJet manages 165 privately and commercially registered fixed and rotary wing aircraft on behalf of private, business and government owners worldwide under the most stringent safety standards. Its commercial fleet is operated under the regulatory umbrella of six regional civil aviation issued air operating certificates (AOCs). ExecuJet has many authorised maintenance facilities throughout four regions, certified to work on most business jets.

Our worldwide charter fleet represents the latest in modern technology and flexibility. They take a multi-faceted approach to business aviation, so they can supply any type of aircraft from any of their six bases throughout Africa, Asia Pacific, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East – all supported through their network of 27 fixed base operations.

ExecuJet is part of the Luxaviation Group, one of the largest aircraft operators worldwide and embraces a workforce of more than 1,000 experienced staff.

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DRONE DEVELOPMENT South Africa is one of the first countries in the world to introduce regulations for drones, identified as a source of economic potential.

Indeed, drones are now being used for commercial purposes to positive effect in areas including agriculture, construction, surveying, search and rescue, and advertising.

“An education programme is being undertaken by the SACAA to familiarise the flying community and the general public on the regulations,” says Khoza. “We will continue to contribute to the global agenda to ensure that a harmonised approach is realised since this is a new phenomenon in the civil aviation airspace.

“We do take cognisance of the benefits this technology brings however we must be circumspect in how we regulate it so that it does not undermine our impeccable aviation safety and security record.”

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uperior Pilot Services (SPS) has had the great opportunity to partner with the SACAA cadet programme. The cadet programme aims to assist aspiring pilots to reach their dream. Since being awarded the contract, SPS has surpassed all expectations and produced numerous cadets who have honed their skills to become successful in the aviation industry.

It has been an honour to teach, assist and inspire these cadets to achieve their goals. SPS looks forward to building an even stronger relationship with the SACAA and produce even more cadets.

T +27 11 805 0605 E info@superiorair.co.za

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South Africa is one of the first countries in the world to introduce regulations for drones

Similarly, there are only a handful of black aeronautical engineers.”

This has prompted the SACAA to start creating awareness of careers in aviation at grass roots levels, especially within previously disadvantaged communities. Every year the Authority visits around 400 schools and engages with 20,000 pupils in a bid to deliver knowledge to areas that otherwise would remain isolated from this career path.

“In the last three years, the SACAA

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has annually funded the training of more than 30 young South Africans, primarily female students from economically deprived households, who aspire to become aviators,” Khoza adds. “These students are enrolled for studies and training in various fields, including aeronautical engineering, cadet pilot training, and aircraft mechanics.”

SACAA has also been a keen contributor to the government’s National Civil Aviation Transformation

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Strategy, which proposes practical and sustainable solutions to the current slow pace of transformation in the civil aviation industry.

“This is the course we cannot neglect as it is critical in terms of building the pipeline for the next generation of aviation professionals in our country,” Khoza continues. “We need to work on this aspect and be resolute in our endeavours to ensure that no youth is left behind if they so wish to advance a career in aviation.

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FLIGHT TRAINING Superior Pilot Services offers the best value in PPL to ATPL training with fixed costs, set programmes and unmatched aircraft and instructor availability.

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‘Set up by an act of parliament in 1998, the SACAA is mandated with the responsibility of regulating the civil aviation industry by ensuring that South Africa complies with the prescribed Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) whilst taking into account the local context’

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Students are enrolled for studies and training in various fields

“Women representation also lacks, so this will be a priority as we focus our energies towards transformation.

For example, we hosted the first ever Global Aviation Gender Summit.”

A sustainable flightpath

Another key mandate of the SACAA is to manage the environmental footprint of South Africa’s aviation industry.

The organisation recently coordinated efforts to submit to the ICAO a State Action Plan on limiting

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carbon emissions, and represents the region on the ICAO’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection.

“Besides providing technical expertise, the SACAA also provides voluntary assistance with the aviation environmental protection work done

by ICAO,” adds Khoza. “In April this year, we hosted the first-ever ICAO African environmental seminar to be conducted in Southern Africa.

“Because we realise that sustainability is not only important for us but for the entire African region,

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we also volunteered to assist Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Lesotho with the implementation of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).”

Closer to home, the Authority organises and runs numerous workshops with airports, with topics covered including handling of noise complaints, balancing land use planning with aviation growth and establishment and maintenance of environmental management

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“We need to... be resolute in our endeavours to ensure that no youth is left behind if they so wish to advance a career in aviation”

“Women representation also lacks, so this will be a priority as we focus our energies towards transformation. For example, we hosted the first ever Global Aviation Gender Summit”

“I know we still have a long way to go but looking back I am quite pleased to see the progress we have made to make SACAA a credible institution counted among the best in the world”

programmes. Workshops with airlines mainly focus on implementation of CORSIA.

Flying forwards

Already the number one ranked in Africa in terms of aviation safety audits, South Africa is one of few nations to improve its ranking despite stringent ICAO methodology and standards.

For Khoza, building on this solid foundation is critical if the organisation is to rise to global prominence and

compete with the world leaders in aviation.

Her target is to reach the top 10 in the not too distant future, and an upcoming audit in 2019 represents another opportunity to demonstrate further progress.

She concludes: “The key focus of this audit will be on effective implementation, and it is for this reason that South Africa welcomes and is looking forward to it. South Africa aims to improve the country’s current status of 81 percent, and the

SACAA has embarked on a process of reviewing its regime and correcting any deficiencies identified.

“I know we still have a long way to go but looking back I am quite pleased to see the progress we have made to make SACAA a credible institution counted among the best in the world.”

South African Civil Aviation Authority Tel: +27 11 545 1000 mail@caa.co.za www.caa.co.za

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Fuelling a Nation

Puma Energy continues to cater to the continent’s oil & gas needs, with Mozambique acting as one of the firm’s key strategic regional hubs Project Manager: Kane Weller

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With more than 21,000 customers and 8,400 employees spanning 49 different countries, the Group has gradually established itself as a fundamental player in the global energy ecosystem throughout its 98-year history.

“Puma Energy is an integrated global energy company like no other,” the Company states on its website. “When we say we fuel journeys, we are not just talking about putting gasoline or diesel in your tank, or providing high quality fuel to some of the world’s largest airlines, shipping companies and power supplies. It goes further than that.

“For us, fuelling journeys is about making a real difference to all of our customers and the life in the communities we serve.”

Establishing a Mozambican presence

The period 2008-2010 was truly defining in Puma Energy’s progression since the turn of the millennium. During this time, the Company agreed to acquire BP’s fuels and marketing businesses in

Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania, whilst the firm also began work on two now completed distribution terminals in the Democratic Republic of Congo and adapted its brand in the Angolan market.

Further central to this period was the Company’s launch in Mozambique – a country bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and South Africa and Swaziland to the southwest.

With such a transparent geostrategic importance for the Company, Puma has continued to expand with confidence in Mozambique during the nine years that it has been operational there. To date, the firm manages 29 retail sites and three key terminals that have a total storage capacity of 276,000 cubic metres.

The most substantial addition has been the inauguration of the Company’s 115,000 cubic metre fuel terminals in Matola, considered to be a leading storage hub for Puma Energy, not only throughout Mozambique, but across the wider Southern African region.

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Opened in 2015, the Matola bitumen and fuel terminals are the Company’s second largest single storage location across the continent, with 25,000 tonnes of steel having been used to create the terminals that combined hold 11 storage tanks.

“We must take the new Puma Energy terminals as an example of how it is possible to invest, to build within deadlines, to increase capacities and create employment,” said Dr Pedro Conceição Couto, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources for Mozambique, during the inauguration ceremony in 2015.

“We should take this as an example, both for the private sector and even for the public sector and administration; we should take this as an example of how to build more, better and quicker, with this precision and success, while contributing to the development of our country.”

Having helped to secure supply and act as a catalyst for regional growth, the development of these terminals reflects the confidence that Puma Energy has in Mozambique as a long term market.

PUMA ENERGY’S SERVICES Business to business Puma Energy has gained the trust of 21,000 B2B customers across a multitude of industries globally, helping them to meet their customers fuelling needs.

Retail The Company’s retail business has continued to expand at a rapid rate, fuelling millions of its customers journeys through its network of 3,100 global retail sites.

Lubricants Delivering high quality lubricants at a competitive price, Puma Energy helps ensure its customers vehicles run more efficiently, allowing them to make the most of their engines.

Aviation The firm is relied upon by a range of customers in the aviation industry, helping to fuel a range of industry flights, from commercial airlines to cargo planes to corporate jets.

Bitumen Puma Energy has more than 513,000 tonnes of bitumen storage capacity, and is the largest bitumen ship owner in the world by carrying capacity, ensuring its customers receive any grade of bitumen that they may require.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas Puma Energy prides itself on its LPG offerings with a carbon footprint approximately 20 percent lower than conventional heating oil and 50 percent lower than coal.

Storage With extensive storage facilities across the globe, Puma Energy is readily able to maintain a consistent supply of fuel to its customers, from key traders in fuel products to leading oil companies.

Other The Company also offers supply, bunkering, wholesale and marine systems solutions to its clientele, whilst owning and operating its own refining asset where it makes sense to do so, evident in both Nicaragua and Papua New Guinea.

“The bitumen terminal means that Mozambique is no longer dependent on imports from neighbouring countries and the fuel terminal creates a channel for the cost-effective and secure

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supply of fuel to the Southern African Development Community sub-region,” said Sophonie Babo, General Manager for Puma Energy Mozambique, during the announcements in 2015.

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Moz Handling Rua General Vieira da Rocha, n. 1502 2nd Floor, n.18, Maquinino Beira Mozambique Av. Namaacha, KM 6 Matola Imobiliare Line, 2ยบ Entry, Single Block Office Nยบ 52 Matola Maputo Mozambique E: mozhandling.s@gmail.com eder.pale@mozhandlings.com T: +258 23 323488 +258 823079556 www.mozhandlings.info

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In the wake of the launch of the facilities, Puma Energy increased its total storage capacity to 7.7 million cubic metres by the end of 2015, whilst raising its retail network to 2,362 sites.

A recipe for success

By maintaining its fundamental growth objectives, Puma Energy has been able to continuously succeed whilst maximising operational flexibility and promoting internal transparency.

A key philosophy of the firm is allowing its regional subsidiaries to flourish independently, with commercial and operational decisions having been delegated to the Company’s local management teams that are adeptly trained to pursue the firm’s wider global strategies.

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customers and stakeholders, but balance this with rigorous oversight, provided by effective information systems, comprehensive reporting and close internal audit of our operations,” the firm states on its website.

Moving forward, Puma Energy hopes to retain this approach, ensuring that it expands its offerings to cater to all of its customers’ needs, diversifying in Mozambique and beyond by pursuing infrastructure developments, improving its storage and distribution networks, and developing trust in local communities.

PUMA ENERGY MOZAMBIQUE mozambique.questions@pumaenergy.com

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Outlook Publishing’s awardwinning in-house team is now utilising its extensive production skills to offer a full and bespoke range of editorial, design and marketing services via its new Outlook Creative Services division.

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Shining

Bright Southern Star Logistics carries the expertise and knowledge of two established companies having formed from a merger in December 2017 Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Josh Hyland

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018 has been a year of milestones for Swaziland.

Not only has the country been celebrating 50 years of independence since gaining freedom from Britain in 1968, the nation’s ruler, King Mswait III, change its name to eSwatini to mark the occasion.

Classed as a lower middle-income country by the World Bank, the landlocked territory lies between South Africa and Mozambique and is home to 1.2 million people. While economic growth is slowing, it is still in positive numbers, with GDP estimated to have grown by 1.9 percent during 2017.

The past year has also seen new beginnings in an important economic contributor to eSwatini’s economy – the logistics industry.

While the government has been facing challenges in terms of declining revenues, organisations in the private sector will prove vital in driving future growth in the country’s economy.

In December 2017 Southern Star Logistics registered as a new entity, established with a vision to be the leading supply chain partner in both its home market and nearby countries where it has operations.

Today the Company operates and manages a fleet of 126 vehicles which between them cover 800,000 kilometres a month. Central to the smooth running of this operation are the 325 staff on Southern Star’s books, all of whom able to benefit from an on-site primary health facility that is managed by a registered occupational health practitioner.

Five-star service

A mixture of external and internal expertise helps to maintain the firm’s fleet to the highest industry standard.

While most of the 126 vehicles are serviced under a maintenance plan with an outside dealership, Southern Star can also utilise its own workshop facility for regular, scheduled services

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in both its home country and abroad, including South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

A mighty merger

Until December 2017, Southern Star Logistics’ component parts operated as separate enterprises, Unitrans Swaziland working in the country since 1960 and South Star Logistics since 2014.

Unitrans brings on board a wealth of experience as a diversified supply chain company that has been serving the Sub-Saharan region for decades.

Currently operating in 10 African countries, the firm’s 8,500 employees operate and manage out of 130-plus depots a fleet of more than 3,000 vehicles which collectively travel 300 million kilometres a year.

Though formally founded in the 1960s, Unitrans’s origins can be traced all the way back to 1892 and the establishment of Thornton’s Transportation in California, USA. for both truck tractors and trailers, accredited and all drivers are trained Thornton’s began to grow via and assessed in-house. acquisitions of other transport covering pre-trip inspections as a preventative measure to avoid Such attention to detail enables companies, and in 1930 bought British the Company to provide a full suite firm United Transportation Company. unnecessary accidents. of services at an exacting standard Originally a bus operator, it This workshop and maintenance to clients in a variety of industries, its diversified quickly into a freight and facility is fitted with on-site brake strapline being ‘we do transport’. bus business and was already active roller testing, a wash bay facility with These services cover: fuel and in South Africa before being acquired managed effluent wastewater and a chemical transportation, ethanol,

by Thornton. United incorporated in tyre supplier which monitors vehicles general haulage, warehousing, dry bulk South Africa in 1962 and remains a as and when they leave the depot. haulage, grain and commodity sideUnitrans company to this day.

Safety also plays a major part in tippers, agric-cane-loading and haulage Throughout its existence, Unitrans Southern Star’s business, the firm and gric-bulk sugar. has prided itself on creating long-term having invested in technology like Primarily operating out of its partnerships with customers, providing Drive Cam and tracking to be able to a one-stop-shop capability to move any analyse behaviour and correct it via our Matsapha and Tambankulu depots, product through any supply chain. competent supervisors, driver mentors Southern Star Logistics serves clients and accredited driver trainers.

It is the only company in eSwatini to hold all three ISO Management Systems, these being ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001. Further, the RTMS (Road Transport Management System) regulates the Company’s strict adherence to driver safety, vehicle safety, road safety and environmental safety. Its onsite training facility is

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Powerful partner

This infrastructure will prove invaluable to Southern Star Logistics, which is already proving itself as a crucial partner to customers in eSwatini.

A recently-awarded contract has come from oil & gas giant Puma Energy. A privately-owned company comprised of shareholders Trafigura and Angolan NOC Sonangol, Puma turned over $15.2 billion in 2017 from work in 49 countries.

This includes several African nations, and in eSwatini, Southern Star Logistics supplies its 25 filling stations up and down the country.

Another fruitful partnership, dating back to 2012, is with integrated energy firm Galp, specialising in the production, distribution and marketing of fuels, lubricants, base oils, bitumen, gas and electricity.

Beginning by supplying ad hoc fleet services, Southern Star’s relationship with Galp has evolved

into a permanent contract involving 18 vehicles, five being state-of-the-art performance-based standards (PBS) vehicles. PBS vehicles are designed to perform tasks as productively and safely as possible, with the main principle of PBS being the matching of the right vehicles to the right job.

Southern Star’s PBS vehicles are fitted with equipment like Bartec, an electronic sealing and measuring solution with mapping, the fleet serving Galp able to transport 51,000

litres of fuel at a time.

By continuing to strike productive partnerships with leading industry figures, Southern Star Logistics is enabling industry across the whole region to operate smoothly.

Such work will allow the Company to fulfil its mission, which it states as: “Driven by EXCELLENCE, to be the SAFEST and most INNOVATIVE supply chain PARTNER of choice in SubSaharan Africa, constantly unlocking VALUE for all STAKEHOLDERS.”

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Powering Port Elizabeth and Beyond The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality continues to invest in and provide vital services to residents and businesses, built around a five-year development plan Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Callam Waller

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elson Mandela Bay – one of eight metropolitan municipalities in South Africa lying on the Eastern Cape shores of the Algoa Bay. Covering an expanse of around 2,000 square kilometres, the area revolves around the bustling city of Port Elizabeth, also encompassing the nearby towns of Uitenhage and Despatch and the surrounding agricultural land.

A mecca for both local and international beach sporting activities and outdoor fun, Nelson Mandela Bay offers a bounty of rich pickings in many aspects, its residents renowned for their warm hospitality.

The area is also a commercial hub, no better demonstrated than by the deepwater Port of Ngqura, thought by many to be the most modern example in the whole southern hemisphere. Added to

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Further still, Nelson Mandela Bay is a preferred region for the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, flour, meat, frozen veggies, soft drinks, chocolates, cheese, yoghurt, ice-cream, paper and leather products.

Responsible for serving the needs of approximately 1.2 million residents and a vast number of businesses is the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.

Formed in 2001, the authority is named after the late President Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid revolutionary, political activist and philanthropist who served in office between 1994 and 1999 following 27 years in prison.

Today its remit covers three major groups – residential, business and

visitors – with services covering waste management, utilities, traffic management, parks maintenance, libraries, and many other areas.

A key focus of the authority is to promote tourist activity, utilising the region’s boundless assets such as unspoiled beaches, nature reserves, golf courses, museum exhibits and Victorian and Edwardian architecture.

Five-year focus

Informing Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s decision making on planning, management, budgeting is the five-year Integrated Development Plan (IDP).

Formed in 2017/2018, it has the potential to transform local communities in direct response to the needs of its diverse communities and adapt to their changing demands and expectations.

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NEDBANK Nedbank Business Banking helps public sector entities to see money differently.

Given the strategic importance of the public sector to the economy and the country at large, Nedbank is committed to delivering appropriate banking solutions to national and provincial governments, municipalities and stateowned enterprises throughout South Africa.

“We recognise the importance of having public sector experts to address the unique needs and challenges of the country,” says PJ Bouwer, Provincial Manager, Business Banking, Eastern Cape, who is supported by a dedicated team of public sector specialists across the Eastern Cape to ensure delivery of innovative banking solutions for this market.

The Baakens Rejuvenation is an environmental upgrade and development of a new creative and eco-tourism precinct. Some of the projects include river rehabilitation, theme parks, social housing and creative industries.

It is designed to bring together all stakeholders in the area’s development – communities, organised groups like NGOs, educational institutes, businesses, creative arts, councillors and surrounding municipalities.

In the foreword to the published IDP document, Athol Trollip, Executive Mayor, commented: “We are determined to become a destination of choice for investment in commerce by exploiting our niche economic and competitive advantage, such as having two world-class ocean ports.

“Tourism is also one of our singularly unique advantages in that we are rapidly becoming a sports tourism destination of choice, based on our magnificent climate and world-class beaches situated in a beautiful and safe bay that is home to some of our rarest ocean birds, mammals and fish.

“Nelson Mandela Bay is open for

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Nedbank’s experience in the public sector has led to the bank having a relationship with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.

business and we are committed to improving our image in the world’s network of economic and tourism supply and demand.”

Trollip also referred to six key pillars which embody the entire IDP. The first is to create an ‘Opportunity City’, building an economic environment that is growing and able to provide job opportunities, especially for the region’s youth. The second pillar involves making a ‘Caring City’, centred around treating everyone with fairness and freedom of opportunity.

Safety and inclusion inspire the third and fourth pillars, the latter specifically aimed at removing apartheid legacies and transforming townships into developed suburbs. The final pillars are to create a well-run and forwardthinking city, utilising best practice and ensuring that provisions are made for all generations.

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Nedbank has a unique approach towards public sector banking. “There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Based on our understanding of the sector, we have developed tailor-made solutions that address the unique challenges various tiers of government face. Our attention to detail ensures that we cover the entire value chain, thereby providing solutions for the entity as well as the employees through our Workplace Banking proposition,” Bouwer adds.

Our aim is to use our financial expertise to ensure we remain relevant in the public sector through strong partnerships that contribute to growing the economy, creating jobs, and enabling clients to see money differently.

To find out how Nedbank can support your public sector requirements through our Business Banking offerings, please contact the public sector team by email at pjb@nedbank.co.za.

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PROUD TO PARTNER WITH A MUNICIPALITY THAT DOESN’T PUT PROGRESS AT BAY Nedbank Business Banking would like to congratulate Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality on investing in renewable energy and implementing high-speed broadband.

With our innovative business and financial solutions we will provide you with deeper insights to help take your municipality to the next level.

For more information email our Provincial Manager PJ Bouwer at pjb@nedbank.co.za. nedbank.co.za

see money differently Nedbank Ltd Reg No 1951/000009/06. Authorised financial services and registered credit provider (NCRCP16).

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Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

The draft second edition of the 2017/2018-2021/2022 IDP states: “The enormous complexity of our metro today means that the demands on infrastructure and services are extremely challenging.

“Not only are the basic needs of transport, housing, water and energy under strain, but new demands are emerging in other areas. And for this reason, the IDP gives a holistic view that seeks to measure the impacts on and of development in our city.”

Powering progress

A key organisation that will deliver projects informed by the IPD vision is the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA), a body established in 2003 and wholly owned by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.

It has become the driving force behind the region’s development, and currently has a wide variety of projects under its remit.

This includes managing the Nelson

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Mandela Bay Stadium, an iconic sporting and entertainment landmark which has been hosting events since 2009. It is argued to be the most sustainable arena in South Africa, and has just secured rights to once again host the COSAFA women’s football championship next year.

Another important visitation hub which MBDA is looking to redevelop is Bayworld, originally set up as an education and entertainment venue in 2004. Over time the facility has decayed, and the development agency hopes to have funding secured and construction commenced by 2019.

“Clearly, Bayworld has enormous potential to become a unique world class destination if the existing assets within Nelson Mandela Bay are exploited,” MBDA says on its website. “As the dolphin capital of the world, the facility can be coupled with responsible tourism where dolphins, sharks, seals, penguins can be seen in their natural habitat.”

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The organisation is also reviving township areas, for instance in New Brighton where a R40 million infrastructure upgrade project was initiated in 2014. This has led to increased economic activity in the area in the form of property upgrades and boosts in local business revenues, up 15 percent in the space of a year in some cases.

By continuing to invest in vital projects across the Nelson Mandela Bay area, the MBDA and its parent organisation will ensure its five-year vision has the best chance of becoming a reality.

A jewel in the South African crown, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has a crucial role to play in realising the region’s potential.

Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Tel: 041 506 1911 customercare@mandelametro.gov.za www.nelsonmandelabay.gov.za

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Shaping oil & gas strategies

EVENT DETAILS WHEN: 12-15 November WHERE: Abu Dhabi, UAE WEBSITE: https://www.adipec.com

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ESTABLISHED IN 1984, the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) is a world-class business forum, where oil & gas professionals convene to engage in dialogue, create partnerships, do business and identify solutions and strategies that will shape the industry for the years ahead.

ADIPEC has grown exponentially to become the world’s meeting point for oil & gas professionals. Today, over $10.34 billion of business is done during the exhibition, placing ADIPEC at the very heart of international business within the global energy sector.

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102,601 trade professionals attended ADIPEC in 2017, while 959 industry leading experts shared their knowledge and understanding across the event’s expansive line-up of strategic and technical conference sessions.

Abu Dhabi will once again host the prestigious event from 12-15 November 2018, when industry leaders will reconvene to define the future of the energy sectors in a changing landscape. From operating companies to the international supply chain and those at the forefront of technological advances, ADIPEC is a key platform in the energy calendar to share perspectives, challenges and opportunities.

Host

12 - 15 November 2018

Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Abu Dhabi, UAE Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference

A GLOBAL EVENT SECURING THE FUTURE OF OIL & GAS

ADIPEC 2018 FAST FACTS 155,000

ONE OF THE WORLD’S PREMIUM EVENTS FOR THE OIL & GAS INDUSTRY

Gross sqm

110,000+

ADIPEC 2018, one meeting place where thought leaders gather, businesses converge and new technologies drive solutions and growth in a world of accelerating change. Join 110,000 trade professionals from 135 countries and access the most innovative products and services for the oil and gas industry.

Attendees

2,200+ Exhibiting Companies

5 REASONS TO VISIT ADIPEC 2018 1 NETWORK

2 LEARN

with resource owners from around the world

about cutting edge technologies and solutions

4 JOIN

thousands of trade professionals to identify new business opportunities

42 National & International Oil Companies

3 ATTEND

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to explore products & services from 2,200+ exhibiting companies

Exhibiting Country Pavilions

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5 BENEFIT

Conference Sessions

from $10.34bn+ worth of business conducted during ADIPEC

980 Expert Speakers

10,400

REGISTER TO VISIT - www.adipec.com/visreg

Conference Delegates

Supporters

Exclusive Strategic Partner

Official Airline Partner

Diamond Sponsors

Official Hotel Partner

ADIPEC Host City

Knowledge Partner

Platinum Sponsors

Official Broadcast Partner

International News Partner

Regional News Partner

Strategic Digitalisation Partner

Official Media Partner

Strategic Technology Partner

Technical Conference Organised By

Intelligent Enterprise Enabler Partner

ADIPEC Organised By

E L E C T R I C X

E V E N T

F O C U S

North Africa’s leading power exhibition and conference

EVENT DETAILS WHEN: 17-19 November WHERE: Cairo, Egypt WEBSITE: www.electricxegypt.com

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SINCE ITS inauguration back in 1991, Electricx has set itself as the central business hub for the top regional and international market leaders in power generation, transmission and distribution. With the growth to cover more than 12,500 square metres, the exhibition will be a truly international gathering of more than 10,000 power distributors and retailers, consultants, government representatives, electrical engineers and purchasers from Egypt.

For exhibitors, Electricx draws on the strengths of Informa Industrial Group’s foothold in the Middle East and Africa through its long established and reputable exhibition, Middle East Electricity. Electricx allows

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companies to gain brand recognition in the Egyptian power market which is a critical factor in establishing new business. The exhibition provides exhibitors with the opportunity to meet in a convenient regional location to generate quality leads and continue ongoing negotiations with potential customers.

Also, Electricx is considered important to attend by regional power professionals. It offers the opportunity for visitors to efficiently use their time by providing a hands-on experience to discover and compare products and services from multiple brands all in one place. It allows them to conveniently gain access to free educational sessions to further enhance their knowledge of the Egyptian power market.

E N E R G Y N E T:

S O U T H

A F R I C A

E V E N T

F O C U S

Three leading events under one roof ENERGYWEEK SOUTH Africa is an annual meeting point taking place on December 11-12 in Cape Town to discuss the progress of energy projects in Southern Africa. EnergyNet will host the separate investment meetings Black Industrialists Energy Summit, International Gas Cooperation Summit and the Southern Africa Renewable Energy Summit and to explore opportunities for gas and renewable energy project development in the region.

The Southern Africa Renewable Energy Summit (SARES)

Over the next few years, Southern African countries will spend millions upgrading their renewable energy capabilities to bring electricity to larger and larger swathes of their populations. SARES will focus on this region’s huge potential for the generation of renewable energy to boost national energy grids and vastly expand access to reliable electricity.

Visit the website: www.sares-sa.com Email: IGCS@energynet.co.uk for any further enquiries.

Black Industrialists Energy Summit

EVENT DETAILS WHEN: 11-12 December WHERE: Cape Town, South Africa WEBSITE: www.africa-energy.com/event/ energyweek-south-africa

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EnergyWeek South Africa’s Black Industrialists Energy Summit (BIES) provides a platform to explore how the South African Government’s Black Industrialists Programme (BIP) will transform the energy sector in the country and contribute towards the country’s energy development goals.

We will discuss what kind of toolkit is required for black industrialists to take participatory ownership across the energy value chain and ensure that the programme meets the objectives of increasing efficiency, reducing reliance

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on expatriate workforce and adding meaning across the value chain, while generating employment locally.

Visit the website: www.bies-sa.com Email: IGCS@energynet.co.uk for any further enquiries.

International Gas Cooperation Summit (IGCS)

This meeting is a platform to explore South Africa’s aspirations to build an energy hub for gas cooperation with international partners along the gas value chain. The Summit will put the objectives of South Africa and the region at the forefront of international gas development, showcasing South Africa as a gas hub.

IGCS will outline the next steps of the Gas IPP Programme and the scale of opportunity for investors. This meeting will showcase gas procurement and utilisation strategies, bringing together a global gathering of energy leaders who will enable Southern Africa to achieve its objectives in becoming an energy hub for the region.

Visit the website: www.igcs-sa.com Email: IGCS@energynet.co.uk for any further enquiries.

Africa

EnergyWeek: South Africa INTERNATIONAL GAS COOPERATION SUMMIT

BLACK INDUSTRIALISTS ENERGY SUMMIT

SOUTHERN AFRICA RENEWABLE ENERGY SUMMIT

11-12 December 2018

Cape Town, South Africa

Maintaining Momentum in Southern Africa Energy Projects EnergyWeek South Africa Is Held In Partnership With

The South African IPP Office INTERNATIONAL GAS COOPERATION SUMMIT Strategic Partners

Associate Sponsor

Sponsor

SOUTHERN AFRICA RENEWABLE ENERGY SUMMIT In Partnership With

Sponsor

Strategic Partner

BLACK INDUSTRIALISTS ENERGY SUMMIT Sponsor

Associate Sponsor

All subscribers of EnergyWeek South Africa are entitled to an exclusive 15% off on registration.

To claim your discount email: IGCS@energynet.co.uk using the code EWSA_AO.

W W W. I G C S - S A . C O M

M A U R I T A N I D E S

E V E N T

F O C U S

Connecting investors with mining and energy opportunities

EVENT DETAILS WHEN: 11-13 December WHERE: Nouakchott, Mauritania WEBSITE: www.mauritanidesmr.com

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MAURITANIDES IS a strategic mining and energy conference and exhibition for companies seeking to invest in the mining and oil & gas industries in Mauritania and the region.

This is a well-established biennial event held since 2010 and is fully supported by the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy & Mines and Government of Mauritania.

The country is a leading producer of iron ore, copper, gold, silver, oil and gas and was one of the world’s top 15 iron-ore-exporting countries and Africa’s third-ranked producer and exporter of iron ore after South Africa and Sierra Leone. Mauritania also has significant oil and gas discoveries off the coast which has attracted

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foreign investments. Major projects in the country include the Tasiast Gold Mine and Tortue Natural Gas offshore project.

Given the country’s immense minerals and oil & gas potential, Mauritanides is thus the perfect event platform for companies looking to enter the Mauritanian market. Over the years, this event has transformed into a global event with a strong Mauritanian core and attracted local, regional and international attendees to Nouakcott, Mauritania. The fifth edition in 2018 is no exception and is expected to bring together 1,500 attendees, 100 exhibitors and 70 speakers. Current platinum sponsors, as of September 2018, include BP and Kinross.

Mauritanides is organised by Spire Events (Singapore) which was appointed by the Government of Mauritania. Spire Events is an up and coming events company which has organised numerous global mining investment conferences in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Spire Events also organises mining tech conferences which focus on the role of technology in mining. Full calendar of the latest Spire Events conferences can be found at www.spire-events.com.

@Mauritanides1 Mauritanides Mauritanides

ITAN R U 2018

ES ID

MA

Mauritanides

MAURITANIDES 2018

5TH MAURITANIAN MINING, OIL & GAS CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION

11 - 13 December 2018

Al Mourabitoune Conference Centre Nouakchott, Mauritania www.mauritanidesmr.com Lead (Mining) Sponsor

Platinum (Mining) Sponsor

Lead (Energy) Sponsor

Platinum (Energy) & Lanyard Sponsor

Organised by

Co-Organizer

SPIRE EVENTS Ministry of Petroleum, Energy and Mines

M I N I N G

I N D A B A

E V E N T

F O C U S

Africa’s premier mining industry showcase

EVENT DETAILS WHEN: 4-7 February 2019 WHERE: Cape Town, South Africa REGISTER: http://bit.ly/2w8l3HI WEBSITE: www.miningindaba.com

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INVESTING IN African Mining Indaba will be celebrating its 25th anniversary from 4-7 February 2019 in Cape Town.

The event will look back at the best moments in African mining over the past 25 years, and ahead to new innovations taking place in the industry.

Since 1994 Mining Indaba has connected African mining companies with investors from around the world and has been the platform for important industry discussions, facilitating the sustainable growth and long-term development of the industry.

In 2018 the event saw a 15 percent overall increase in attendance, with

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34 government ministers, 308 mining companies and 474 investors attending from 95 different countries. In 2019 we will be expecting even more.

Be a part of the world’s largest mining investment event and help us celebrate 25 years of progress for African mining.

Register now and save 10 percent with our partner discount code: OUTLOOK10.

INVESTING IN

AFRICAN MINING INDABA

4 – 7 February 2019 | Cape Town, South Africa

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF PROGRESS IN AFRICAN MINING

INVEST.

INNOVATE.

GROW.

The only place in Cape Town to meet 500+ investors and 900+ mining company executives under one roof

Hear from mining COOs and learn about the latest disruptive tech changing the industry at the Mining 2050 track

Network with every part of the mining value chain and meet your next business client

REGISTER NOW AT WWW.MININGINDABA.COM

Want to increase your brand exposure? Get in touch with Fred Noce today: fred.noce@miningindaba.com

#25yearsofIndaba @miningindaba

BUSINESS TRAVEL GUIDES A complete guide to Africa’s leading business travel destinations

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NAMIBIA

The land of the endless horizons NAMIBIA FEATURES ONE of the most spectacular landscapes that Africa has to offer, home to expansive deserts, towering mountains, rocky valleys and savannas that are littered with some of the rarest wildlife in the world.

While the vastness of the country may be hard to comprehend, Namibia is the perfect escape from a busy life in the western world. In fact, the country has one of the lowest population densities on earth with just 2.9 people per square kilometre.

Despite this, Namibia surprisingly features some of the most vibrant cities on the continent that readily showcase the country’s exciting economic prospects alongside a deep cultural history that together bring unique experiences to travellers.

Tourists who do visit the country are well placed to see all of these sites, owed to the nation’s economic

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Combining one of Africa’s most progressive economies with expansive deserts, deep canyons and rich wildlife reserves, Namibia truly has something for everyone Writer: Jonathan Dyble Project Manager: Joe Palliser

and democratic stability and secure infrastructure networks.

There is a range of alternative ways to explore its extensive plains, and whilst the country continues to offer the continent’s deepest canyon, the world’s oldest desert and the tallest sand dunes on the planet, Namibia will remain ripe for such adventure.

FACTS & FIGURES

Capital: Windhoek Languages: German, English Area: 825,615km² Population (2016): 2.48 million GDP (2016): US $10.27 billion Currency: Namibian Dollar (N$) Time zone: GMT+2 Dialling code: +264 Internet TLD: .na Climate: Arid Highest recorded temperature: 37°C

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24 See page

Our Business Travel section not only gives executives the complete guide to the world’s most popular and populous locations, but also gives said locations the perfect opportunity to showcase their own businesses, events, venues and services to a truly international audience and readership of more than 185,000 each month.

To share in this unrivalled exposure and to put your own offering on our map, then please contact our Sales Managers; Joe Palliser, Ryan Gray or Jordan Levey to find out more. joe.palliser@outlookpublishing.com

+44 (0)1603 959 676

ryan.gray@outlookpublishing.com

+44 (0)1603 959 672

jordan.levey@outlookpublishing.com

+44 (0)1603 959 668