Airbus SE, now the world’s largest planemaker, could take more strict measures to cut more jobs because of a continued fall in demand for travel fuelled by the coronavirus pandemic, CEO Guillaume Faury <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezSjYXSbsDw" target="_blank">told</a> French radio station RTL Tuesday morning.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h4>



The European planemaker is already committing to cutting 15,000 jobs as air travel and orders from airlines have been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic, with a number of layoffs made through a voluntary redundancy scheme.



But on Tuesday, Faury warned that voluntary redundancies may not be enough to reach that goal.



He added that he could not guarantee that compulsory redundancies would not happen in a bid to cut costs.



The CEO said that while airlines were not cancelling orders, they were delaying them as demand for air travel stays at a fraction of activity before the coronavirus and with many travel bans still in place, and lockdown restrictions returning to regions facing a second wave.



Faury said that had left airlines “in a more difficult situation after the holidays than what we were hoping.”



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h4>



Faury told RTL on Tuesday: “The situation is so serious, and we are faced with so much uncertainty, that I think no one can guarantee there won’t be compulsory redundancies if we’re to adapt to the situation, especially if it evolves further.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“On the other hand, what I say clearly is that we have a lot of work to do, we will do everything we can to avoid arriving at that point.” </blockquote>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">BIG NUMBER</h4>



<a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-airbus-ceo/airbus-close-to-slashing-jobs-as-ceo-confirms-40-output-drop-idUKKBN2400I5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">40%</a>. That’s how much Airbus is dropping its production by for the next two years, to offset the effects of the pandemic.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



Air travel has been one of the industries most severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with a number of global firms slashing orders from the world’s biggest planemakers including Airbus, and Boeing. In June, Airbus committed to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jun/30/gravest-crisis-as-airbus-plans-to-cut-15000-jobs-1700-in-uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cutting</a>&nbsp;15,000 jobs—or 15% of its global workforce—citing the coronavirus pandemic as the “gravest crisis” in the firm’s history. The extent of the impact on the aerospace giant was made clear in July, when it posted a nearly $2 billion loss in the first half of 2020, while new orders in the second quarter plummeted to just eight, compared with nearly 300 in the first three months of the year. While governments have doled out some&nbsp;<a href="https://www.iata.org/en/iata-repository/publications/economic-reports/cash-may-run-out-for-some-airlines-during-tough-winter-season/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$161 billion</a>&nbsp;in aid to airlines around the world, according to IATA, the next challenge will be keeping struggling airlines afloat during the winter months, which will likely be compounded by a second wave of the coronavirus and a likely repeat of some stringent lockdown measures.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jun/30/gravest-crisis-as-airbus-plans-to-cut-15000-jobs-1700-in-uk" target="_blank">&#8216;Gravest crisis&#8217; as Airbus plans to cut 15,000 jobs</a> (The Guardian)



by Isabel Togoh,Forbes Staff

FRANCE-AIRBUS-AEROSPACE-RESULTS

Airbus, The World’s Largest Planemaker, Warns Of More Job Cuts Because Of The Pandemic

The South African fashion designer is enamored by the haunting beauty of the capital of the Czech Republic.

One of South Africa’s top fashion designers and entrepreneurs, JJ Schoeman, whose eponymous brand has kept him in circulation for decades amongst the country’s swish set, may hail from Highveld, Centurion, but his favorite place in the world is the Czech Republic.
When not styling Johannesburg’s fashionable elite, he holidays abroad, particularly in Europe.
His last trip was to Prague, over the Christmas and New Year vacations. It’s his favorite city, where he loves taking strolls on the countless bridges crossing the Vltava River.
This city’s baroque buildings, Gothic churches and the landmark medieval astronomical clock have never ceased to amaze him.
“The city gives one the chills as one gets a haunting feeling just strolling around. The buildings and towers have a characteristic Gothic look and feel. The feeling I got when strolling over the many bridges over the river Vltava, was [as though] a vampire would possibly appear, somewhere, somehow…,” says Schoeman.
“We flew economy class and did the whole of Europe by first-class train. The plan was just economical. If you are going to do a big holiday with lots of things, then you better make sure you have enough money. Imagine flying for R100,000 ($7,000); then there’s a whole budget that’s gone, so it’s better fly for R10,000 ($700), because you have so many things to do.”
The other European cities he visited included Berlin, Paris, Vienna and Amsterdam.
He has gone up the Eiffel Tower and enjoyed the orchestras and operas in Vienna.
Prague impressed Schoeman the most and he booked himself into the best accommodation the city could offer, also visiting cathedrals, palaces and museums. He shopped too. Schoeman loves crystal and Prague specializes in it.
Besides that, the clothing stores are ubiquitous and the pricing very affordable, says the designer.
“Usually when I travel, I travel as light as possible as I like to shop for all sorts of things that are beautiful and sometimes wearable. I often buy luggage to return with my shopping, as I run out of space in my hand luggage. Only the clothes I wear on the flight go with me and I buy everything else that I need there, even toothpaste.”
Schoeman usually decides the budget beforehand.

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				The Vltava river and the historical center of Prague. Photo: Getty Images
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“It’s just simpler to spend within your budget and in their currency, as one has already decided how much that is,” he says.
However, Schoeman does not convert foreign currency to South African rands; he simply does not see the point.
On the plane, he catches up on all the movies he has missed during the year.
“Simply, as there is often not much time for cinema,” he says.
“On a long-haul flight, I do like to take a nap after watching a few films. Often, I have engaged in light conversation with fellow passengers, but it really depends if one makes the connection.”
When not making clothes for brides, businesswomen and celebrities, Schoeman is traveling and the Czech Republic will always be top of the list for the fashionista from Centurion.

SAFW-258-MM

Executive Travel: JJ Schoeman’s Prague

Royal visits are a big deal in Africa, whether lions to a waterhole or a crowned head of Europe to the southern tip. This particular tale of royalty visiting South Africa starts, strangely enough, in the snows of Davos at a lunch on obsession.
‘Is obsession always a good thing, or can it be bad’ was the title of a lunchtime session at the World Economic Forum at Davos, and Steffi Graf was one of seven scheduled speakers.
<div id="attachment_3292" style="width: 209px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3292" class="size-medium wp-image-3292" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/000_Par3359784-199x300.jpg" alt="" width="199" height="300" />Princess Mathilde (L) and Crownprince Philippe of Belgium (R) attend the military parade in Brussels on July 21, 2010, as part of the Belgian National Day. AFP PHOTO / BELGA PHOTO / ERIC LALMAND &#8211; BELGIUM OUT</div>
A tall, rather refined looking chap politely asked if he could occupy the chair next to mine.
“Of course, you needn&#8217;t ask, people can sit where they like,” I said.
“Ah, but you are important. Your name is writ large on the table, next to Ms Graf so I did need to ask.”
I chuckled. “Just the moderator of the session, not important at all,” I said.
“And who are you?” I asked, squinting at his large white card hanging from the participant ribbon everyone wears.
“Philippe,” he said.
“And what do you do, Philippe? I need to put you in a pigeonhole.”
“I&#8217;m a prince.”
“Oh? So what do you do?”
Slightly taken aback, he said, “I&#8217;m the Crown Prince of Belgium.”
“Yes, but what do you actually do? What is a Crown Prince&#8217;s job?”
“I help the government, I suppose. Actually I work pretty hard,” he reassured me, but now slightly aloof, I thought, realizing I’d been rather rude to royalty.
We were joined by the tennis wunderkind, lunch was underway, she spoke movingly of how she became obsessed with tennis, which brought her some happiness but also a lot of sadness as a child.
“When I was an unhappy girl because of fighting in the family, I would get over it by going out and hitting a ball against a wall,” said the tennis champion, world number one for 187 consecutive weeks.
“So when I made my first Wimbledon final, I told my coach I needed to hit against a wall. This is bad for your tennis, he said, and so he would not allow it. In fact there are no walls to hit against at Wimbledon anyway.”
“So I fired my coach the morning of my final and the officials found a wall against which I could hit a ball at a nearby school. I am not sure that kind of obsession is a good thing,” shy Steffi said with a smile.
She was world number one, for a total of 377 weeks and has 22 grand slam singles titles. “If I&#8217;d been world number one for just one week I&#8217;d have died a happy man,” I told the audience, and the Prince.
“By the way, I&#8217;m coming to South Africa in about six months,” he said.
“Great! Give me a call and you can come have lunch,” I said, and promptly forgot about it.
Seven months later, my rather bemused secretary said, “The Palace is on the line for you.”
A very plummy, terribly British voice said: “His Royal Highness Prince Philippe says you invited him to lunch and he’d like to take up the offer&#8230;”
“Certainly,” I spluttered.
“He is coming with an entourage, and asks if he may&#8230;”
“Of course, they are all welcome.”
“Good,” said plummy voice. “There are 124 of them.”
Astounded silence from me, laughter from him.
“No, he just wants to bring the five or six cabinet ministers traveling with him.”
And so, sometime in Africa, it came to pass that Prince Philippe dined at The Star with assorted ministers of state.
Soon after our function, Belgium’s government failed spectacularly, leaving the country without any government for months.
On July 21 last year, my prince became King Philippe. He did say, in thanking me after our modest repast, that if I ever found myself in Belgium I should visit him at the palace. I have never taken up the offer. He was only the Crown Prince then.
Perhaps I&#8217;ll pop in one day just to ask him impertinently: “So, what does a King actually do?”
Royal visits are a big deal in Africa, whether lions to a waterhole or a crowned head of Europe to the southern tip. This particular tale of royalty visiting South Africa starts, strangely enough, in the snows of Davos at a lunch on obsession.
‘Is obsession always a good thing, or can it be bad’ was the title of a lunchtime session at the World Economic Forum at Davos, and Steffi Graf was one of seven scheduled speakers.
A tall, rather refined looking chap politely asked if he could occupy the chair next to mine.
“Of course, you needn&#8217;t ask, people can sit where they like,” I said.
“Ah, but you are important. Your name is writ large on the table, next to Ms Graf so I did need to ask.”
I chuckled. “Just the moderator of the session, not important at all,” I said.
“And who are you?” I asked, squinting at his large white card hanging from the participant ribbon everyone wears.
“Philippe,” he said.
“And what do you do, Philippe? I need to put you in a pigeonhole.”
“I&#8217;m a prince.”
“Oh? So what do you do?”
Slightly taken aback, he said, “I&#8217;m the Crown Prince of Belgium.”
“Yes, but what do you actually do? What is a Crown Prince&#8217;s job?”
“I help the government, I suppose. Actually I work pretty hard,” he reassured me, but now slightly aloof, I thought, realizing I’d been rather rude to royalty.
We were joined by the tennis wunderkind, lunch was underway, she spoke movingly of how she became obsessed with tennis, which brought her some happiness but also a lot of sadness as a child.
“When I was an unhappy girl because of fighting in the family, I would get over it by going out and hitting a ball against a wall,” said the tennis champion, world number one for 187 consecutive weeks.
“So when I made my first Wimbledon final, I told my coach I needed to hit against a wall. This is bad for your tennis, he said, and so he would not allow it. In fact there are no walls to hit against at Wimbledon anyway.”
“So I fired my coach the morning of my final and the officials found a wall against which I could hit a ball at a nearby school. I am not sure that kind of obsession is a good thing,” shy Steffi said with a smile.
She was world number one, for a total of 377 weeks and has 22 grand slam singles titles. “If I&#8217;d been world number one for just one week I&#8217;d have died a happy man,” I told the audience, and the Prince.
“By the way, I&#8217;m coming to South Africa in about six months,” he said.
“Great! Give me a call and you can come have lunch,” I said, and promptly forgot about it.
Seven months later, my rather bemused secretary said, “The Palace is on the line for you.”
A very plummy, terribly British voice said: “His Royal Highness Prince Philippe says you invited him to lunch and he’d like to take up the offer&#8230;”
“Certainly,” I spluttered.
“He is coming with an entourage, and asks if he may&#8230;”
“Of course, they are all welcome.”
“Good,” said plummy voice. “There are 124 of them.”
Astounded silence from me, laughter from him.
“No, he just wants to bring the five or six cabinet ministers traveling with him.”
And so, sometime in Africa, it came to pass that Prince Philippe dined at The Star with assorted ministers of state.
Soon after our function, Belgium’s government failed spectacularly, leaving the country without any government for months.
On July 21 last year, my prince became King Philippe. He did say, in thanking me after our modest repast, that if I ever found myself in Belgium I should visit him at the palace. I have never taken up the offer. He was only the Crown Prince then.
Perhaps I&#8217;ll pop in one day just to ask him impertinently: “So, what does a King actually do?”
Royal visits are a big deal in Africa, whether lions to a waterhole or a crowned head of Europe to the southern tip. This particular tale of royalty visiting South Africa starts, strangely enough, in the snows of Davos at a lunch on obsession.
‘Is obsession always a good thing, or can it be bad’ was the title of a lunchtime session at the World Economic Forum at Davos, and Steffi Graf was one of seven scheduled speakers.
A tall, rather refined looking chap politely asked if he could occupy the chair next to mine.
“Of course, you needn&#8217;t ask, people can sit where they like,” I said.
“Ah, but you are important. Your name is writ large on the table, next to Ms Graf so I did need to ask.”
I chuckled. “Just the moderator of the session, not important at all,” I said.
“And who are you?” I asked, squinting at his large white card hanging from the participant ribbon everyone wears.
“Philippe,” he said.
“And what do you do, Philippe? I need to put you in a pigeonhole.”
“I&#8217;m a prince.”
“Oh? So what do you do?”
Slightly taken aback, he said, “I&#8217;m the Crown Prince of Belgium.”
“Yes, but what do you actually do? What is a Crown Prince&#8217;s job?”
“I help the government, I suppose. Actually I work pretty hard,” he reassured me, but now slightly aloof, I thought, realizing I’d been rather rude to royalty.
We were joined by the tennis wunderkind, lunch was underway, she spoke movingly of how she became obsessed with tennis, which brought her some happiness but also a lot of sadness as a child.
“When I was an unhappy girl because of fighting in the family, I would get over it by going out and hitting a ball against a wall,” said the tennis champion, world number one for 187 consecutive weeks.
“So when I made my first Wimbledon final, I told my coach I needed to hit against a wall. This is bad for your tennis, he said, and so he would not allow it. In fact there are no walls to hit against at Wimbledon anyway.”
“So I fired my coach the morning of my final and the officials found a wall against which I could hit a ball at a nearby school. I am not sure that kind of obsession is a good thing,” shy Steffi said with a smile.
She was world number one, for a total of 377 weeks and has 22 grand slam singles titles. “If I&#8217;d been world number one for just one week I&#8217;d have died a happy man,” I told the audience, and the Prince.
“By the way, I&#8217;m coming to South Africa in about six months,” he said.
“Great! Give me a call and you can come have lunch,” I said, and promptly forgot about it.
Seven months later, my rather bemused secretary said, “The Palace is on the line for you.”
A very plummy, terribly British voice said: “His Royal Highness Prince Philippe says you invited him to lunch and he’d like to take up the offer&#8230;”
“Certainly,” I spluttered.
“He is coming with an entourage, and asks if he may&#8230;”
“Of course, they are all welcome.”
“Good,” said plummy voice. “There are 124 of them.”
Astounded silence from me, laughter from him.
“No, he just wants to bring the five or six cabinet ministers traveling with him.”
And so, sometime in Africa, it came to pass that Prince Philippe dined at The Star with assorted ministers of state.
Soon after our function, Belgium’s government failed spectacularly, leaving the country without any government for months.
On July 21 last year, my prince became King Philippe. He did say, in thanking me after our modest repast, that if I ever found myself in Belgium I should visit him at the palace. I have never taken up the offer. He was only the Crown Prince then.
Perhaps I&#8217;ll pop in one day just to ask him impertinently: “So, what does a King actually do?”
Royal visits are a big deal in Africa, whether lions to a waterhole or a crowned head of Europe to the southern tip. This particular tale of royalty visiting South Africa starts, strangely enough, in the snows of Davos at a lunch on obsession.
‘Is obsession always a good thing, or can it be bad’ was the title of a lunchtime session at the World Economic Forum at Davos, and Steffi Graf was one of seven scheduled speakers.
A tall, rather refined looking chap politely asked if he could occupy the chair next to mine.
“Of course, you needn&#8217;t ask, people can sit where they like,” I said.
“Ah, but you are important. Your name is writ large on the table, next to Ms Graf so I did need to ask.”
I chuckled. “Just the moderator of the session, not important at all,” I said.
“And who are you?” I asked, squinting at his large white card hanging from the participant ribbon everyone wears.
“Philippe,” he said.
“And what do you do, Philippe? I need to put you in a pigeonhole.”
“I&#8217;m a prince.”
“Oh? So what do you do?”
Slightly taken aback, he said, “I&#8217;m the Crown Prince of Belgium.”
“Yes, but what do you actually do? What is a Crown Prince&#8217;s job?”
“I help the government, I suppose. Actually I work pretty hard,” he reassured me, but now slightly aloof, I thought, realizing I’d been rather rude to royalty.
We were joined by the tennis wunderkind, lunch was underway, she spoke movingly of how she became obsessed with tennis, which brought her some happiness but also a lot of sadness as a child.
“When I was an unhappy girl because of fighting in the family, I would get over it by going out and hitting a ball against a wall,” said the tennis champion, world number one for 187 consecutive weeks.
“So when I made my first Wimbledon final, I told my coach I needed to hit against a wall. This is bad for your tennis, he said, and so he would not allow it. In fact there are no walls to hit against at Wimbledon anyway.”
“So I fired my coach the morning of my final and the officials found a wall against which I could hit a ball at a nearby school. I am not sure that kind of obsession is a good thing,” shy Steffi said with a smile.
She was world number one, for a total of 377 weeks and has 22 grand slam singles titles. “If I&#8217;d been world number one for just one week I&#8217;d have died a happy man,” I told the audience, and the Prince.
“By the way, I&#8217;m coming to South Africa in about six months,” he said.
“Great! Give me a call and you can come have lunch,” I said, and promptly forgot about it.
Seven months later, my rather bemused secretary said, “The Palace is on the line for you.”
A very plummy, terribly British voice said: “His Royal Highness Prince Philippe says you invited him to lunch and he’d like to take up the offer&#8230;”
“Certainly,” I spluttered.
“He is coming with an entourage, and asks if he may&#8230;”
“Of course, they are all welcome.”
“Good,” said plummy voice. “There are 124 of them.”
Astounded silence from me, laughter from him.
“No, he just wants to bring the five or six cabinet ministers traveling with him.”
And so, sometime in Africa, it came to pass that Prince Philippe dined at The Star with assorted ministers of state.
Soon after our function, Belgium’s government failed spectacularly, leaving the country without any government for months.
On July 21 last year, my prince became King Philippe. He did say, in thanking me after our modest repast, that if I ever found myself in Belgium I should visit him at the palace. I have never taken up the offer. He was only the Crown Prince then.
Perhaps I&#8217;ll pop in one day just to ask him impertinently: “So, what does a King actually do?”

‘So, What Does A King Actually Do?’

Europe and America have surely made inroads when it comes to environment-friendly electric vehicles (EV), manufacturing and finding enough customers for them, but Africa is still lagging behind in this respect.
Electric cars, which help curb greenhouse gas emissions, have been introduced in Africa, but car manufacturers admit they are yet to see a major shift from petrol- and diesel-driven cars to green cars. Clynton Yon, Product Manager of car major Toyota in South Africa, says it’s simply due to a lack of interest from the market.
“Hybrid technology is not cheap but in Europe and the US, the financial rebates buyers receive from the government [on initial purchase and also when it comes to taxes for insurance and emissions, for example congestion tax] make it a far more viable proposition. There also appears to be reluctance on the part of South Africans to adopt a greener lifestyle if it’s going to involve a higher initial financial outlay,” says Yon.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-6309" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Nissan-Leaf-pic1-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" />
Electric cars are still fairly expensive, and with reference to local sales, admittedly, hybrids have not achieved the kind of retail numbers they have elsewhere. The most obvious reason for this is the financial rebates offered by first-world countries are not available in South Africa, according to Yon.
“That said, Toyota has made a concerted effort to make hybrid variants more accessible. The Yaris HSD for example is the most affordable hybrid on the market,” says Yon. The Yaris HSD costs R230,000 ($21,700).
Electric engines give electric cars instant torque, creating strong and smooth acceleration. These cars first appeared in the 1880s, and were popular in the 19th and 20th centuries, until advances in combustion technology and production of cheaper petrol vehicles led to a decline in the use of electric cars.
Since 2008, a renaissance in electric vehicle manufacturing has occurred due to advances in battery and power management technology, concerns about increasing oil prices and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
If as a continent, Africa were to catch up with markets such as Europe, a lot needs to be done to educate the consumer about the effects of global warming.
About 144,000 units of another green car entrant, the Nissan LEAF, have been sold around the world, a large percentage of those sales owing to Europe since its launch in December 2010. At the moment, the LEAF commands 33% of the EV passenger car market in Europe, it sold more than 5,600 more units in 2013 versus 2012, cementing its position as a best-selling 100% electric vehicle.
The success of the Nissan LEAF in Europe has been especially propelled by strong sales in Norway where it became the best-selling car at the end of January with 650 units.
Since its launch in South Africa in November last year, the LEAF has taken off well, according to Dudu Mwelase, General Manager of Corporate Communications at Nissan South Africa. About 20 Nissan LEAF cars were sold in the first three months, but Nissan expects to sell a 100 in the first year.
Mwelase says her company’s aim is to bring about as much EV ownership as possible.
“As mobility in Africa starts to increase, there will obviously be a move to introduce environmentally-friendly vehicles. We do not foresee a mass Nissan LEAF introduction on the continent at this stage.”
Customers see electric cars as an appendage of the ongoing endorsement of all things green. For example, Heleen Ball, one of South Africa’s first LEAF customers, says that even though she was not supportive of the idea when her husband first suggested it, the car now works very well with their green lifestyle. She uses the car two or three times a week.
Plans to bring the BMW electric models to South Africa are also in full swing. The first model, the BMW i3 is earmarked for March 2015. The i3 could have been here earlier but because demand was exceeding expectations in a number of key European markets, South Africa has had to wait.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-6311" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Prius-pic2-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />
“To ensure an acceptable waiting period for all customers who have ordered the i3, we have decided to delay market launch in South Africa and a number of countries where the i3 is not yet on sale,” says Edward Makwana, Automotive Communications Manager of BMW, South Africa.
At this stage, these cars will only be available in South Africa.
“We currently have around 11,000 pre-orders worldwide and more than 100,000 test drive requests. Customer-demand and interest in test drives exceed current production capacity. Dealers worldwide report they could sell more BMW i3s if they had them. We are also seeing a growing interest from local customers,” says Makwana. It’s clearly a green signal for electric cars.

Eco-warriors  On The Road

From the deep well of Africa springs forth a steady stream of talent. In Europe, these shining African stars, with quick boots and level heads, dazzle the world.
Certainly it is much easier for youngsters these days. When I went over to Belgium, in the mid-1980s, I felt like a pioneer.
Now it is commonplace to find a player from Africa in every major league. That is great for the development of the game on the continent.
There are a number of young stars from Africa who are set to shake up the world this season.
These are my super six from Africa.
<div id="attachment_2153" style="width: 225px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2153" class="size-medium wp-image-2153" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/174562576_10-215x300.jpg" alt="" width="215" height="300" />VILLACH, AUSTRIA &#8211; JULY 27: Victor Wanyama of Southampton and Veli Kavlak of Bestikas compete for the ball during the preseason friendly match between Southampton FC and Besiktas Istanbul at Stadion Villach on July 27, 2013 in Villach, Austria. (Photo by Sebastian Patter/Getty Images)</div>
Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah looks as though he has all the attributes to be a top international striker. He has scored 15 goals in 21 starts for Egypt and is joint top-scorer in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as they enter the final round of group matches this month. The striker plays for FC Basel in Switzerland, but is being tracked by a number of top European teams. His reputation was enhanced when he was named CAF’s Most Promising African Talent of the Year for 2012.
Then there is Kenyan midfielder, Victor Wanyama, who signed for English top-flight side Southampton. He was at Glasgow Celtic last season and scored the winning goal against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. That is some way to announce your talent to the world and I think he could eventually take the English Premier League by storm. It will be a tough transition for him in a league were the football is played at 100 miles per hour. His previous stints in Sweden, Belgium and Scotland will have done little to prepare him for that, but if he is given the right support by the coaching staff and time to adapt by the fans, he could be a real hit.
Wanyama will join Zambian Emmanuel Mayuka, who had a slow start to his career at Southampton last season. I believe Mayuka, if given the chance, could make his name in England this season. His record at Young Boys in Switzerland, where he scored 32 goals in 55 games, was simply outstanding. Quality always shines through.
Richmond Boakye, who was born in Agogo, in Ashanti, and began his career with Bechem United, is an international for Ghana. He is a star of the side that finished third at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Turkey. He is worth an estimated €6 million and is likely to play quite a few games for Juventus this season. It is likely to be tough for Boakye to break into a side that has won the Serie A title in Italy for the last two seasons, but he does offer an alternative to the other forwards: Carlos Tévez, Fernando Llorente and Fabio Quagliarella. Don’t expect him to feature right away, but as the season wears on he should get his chance.
Boakye’s teammate in the Ghana junior set-up, Ebenezer Assifuah, was top scorer at the Under-20 World Cup with six goals and it will be interesting to see how his career progresses. He is still playing at home in Dansoman, Accra, with Liberty Professionals, but surely not for long.
<div id="attachment_2152" style="width: 240px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2152" class="size-medium wp-image-2152" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/171690519_10-230x300.jpg" alt="" width="230" height="300" />KAYSERI, TURKEY &#8211; JUNE 27: Ebenezer Assifuah of Ghana (L) in action during the FIFA U-20 World Cup Group A match between Ghana and USA at Kadir Has Stadium on June 27, 2013 in Kayseri, Turkey. (Photo by Steve Bardens-FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)</div>
Nigerian defender Kenneth Omeruo, born in Kaduna, showed that he is a star in the making at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, earlier this year, followed by fine showings at the FIFA Confederations Cup in June. He will return to his club, Chelsea, this season after spending last term on loan at Dutch Eredivisie side ADO Den Haag. Here, he could slot into the right-back position.
Looking beyond the African continent, there are a number of young stars who could become global icons this season.
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, a superstar at home in Brazil, will test his ability at Barcelona. The FIFA Confederations Cup confirmed his status as arguably the biggest young talent on the planet. His next challenge is to form a partnership with Lionel Messi, a player with whom he is compared. I think it will be exciting to see them play together.
Stephan El Shaarawy, who has an Egyptian father and Italian mother, revealed himself to be a star in the making at AC Milan last season and broke into the Italian national team. In Italy, they view him as the next Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Again, time will tell.
Mario Goetze’s move from Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich is a top purchase from the European champions and he should find a coach in Pep Guardiola, who will appreciate his playmaking skills.
Bayern paid €37 million (R4.9 million) for his services, making him the most expensive German player ever, but it could be money well spent on the winger, aged 21, who has years of improvement ahead of him.
Isco, who was signed by Real Madrid from Malaga in the last transfer window, is a player in the mold of Andres Iniesta and arguably the hottest property in Spanish football at the moment. He has made his debut for the senior national side and at Real Madrid. They believe he can have the same impact as the great Zinedine Zidane.
All of these are young players with great promise, but in truth they have achieved nothing yet and it is only with hard work and discipline that they will truly reach their potential.
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Football history is littered with stories of great youngsters who showed prodigious talent in their late teens, but fell by the way side by becoming more interested in what happened off the pitch, rather than concentrating on their career on it. As each year goes by, the standard of the game is improving. The current generation of players certainly have a lot a lot of responsibility on their young shoulders. Responsibility to maintain and enhance the beauty of the beautiful game.

A Dozen African Feet, Ready To Shake The World

A new generation of African entrepreneurs and businesses is emerging. They are challenging the old way of doing business and driving cross-border growth.
Kenya’s ICT companies are investing in Rwanda and are now looking to enter Nigeria, while United Bank for Africa and other Nigerian banks are rapidly expanding into Africa. In 2009, South Africa invested $1.6 billion (FDI outflows) into other African countries. MTN, a South African mobile giant, operates in 21 African countries; and Glo, a Nigerian mobile operator, operates in the Republic of Benin, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.
Africa’s statistics speak of tremendous potential: the continent is the size of China, Mexico, Europe, India, the States and Japan combined. The population will soon surpass China, with a middle class as big as India’s. Africa has enjoyed more than a decade of sustained GDP growth, which has often outstripped many other parts of the world.
There is frustration in that Africans are not reaping the rewards of the current global investor confidence. The mass export of commodities doesn’t see wealth trickle down.
Home-grown investments, focused on value-adding industries, are the key to changing this dynamic.
Africans still seem to choose products and investments from outside the continent. They prefer to export outside Africa rather than to trade, manufacture and add value within. Many African countries continue to trade raw materials but they don’t have the capability to refine or process, so they import the finished products from outside of Africa.
We need to understand what is preventing Africa from being home to value-adding and value-creating businesses. Why, for example, is Africa’s agricultural richness not generating an integrated growing and processing industry as it has done in Brazil?
Africa requires an environment that facilitates investment and greater market integration. The current weaknesses—corruption, high start-up costs, poor infrastructure—are well-known. But our study will also shed light on the legal, social and cultural differences within Africa that restrict cross-border investments.
There need to be integrated regional production chains within Africa, where Africa’s raw materials are processed into finished goods to be traded. Regional trading blocs— including the Tripartite Free Trade Area, which encompasses the East African Community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and the Southern African Development Community—would thus thrive, paving the way for a Continental Free Trade Area, that would produce and trade high value-added goods internally.
Greater market integration in Africa will lead to a significant reduction in the cost of doing business and alleviate some of the problems associated with securing work permits and labor mobility.
Over the long-term, Africa’s competitiveness will hinge to a great degree on how well we educate our young people. Often, the most talented Africans have sought educational advancement and careers overseas, but a combination of transformational educational technology, growing opportunities at home and the poor global economic climate could see this brain drain becoming a brain gain. Retaining talent, home-grown or otherwise, is critical. Policy that enables skilled Africans to work across our borders more easily will help achieve this goal.
Never have circumstances been more propitious for African business. A rise in disposable incomes, high rates of urbanization and a fast-growing working-age population speak of an emerging class of purchasers of consumer goods, financial services and infrastructure, as well as a potential source of manpower for industrialization and agricultural development.
Africans must explore ways to move beyond regional differences and competition to build Africa together from within, so that Africans at all levels become the primary beneficiaries of the continent’s growth.

Unite And Prosper

Crocs Inc. is an American company started, in 2002, with an idea of a comfortable boating shoe. After having sold all their stock, in 17 colors, at boating shows, the founders expanded their market. In 2006, the company listed on the NASDAQ Exchange and has a current market capitalization of $1.45 billion.
The company’s shoes are made from Croslite; its propriety closed-cell resin which is lightweight, eliminates odor and prevents bacterial and fungal growth. The material allows the shoes to perform both in and out of water, much like the amphibian crocodile—hence the name. Crocs Inc. has operations in three regions: the Americas, Asia and Europe; with Africa falling under the Asian market.
Gareth Kemp is the managing director of Crocs Inc. South Africa and is in charge of the company’s growth on the continent. A qualified engineer, Kemp left the South African Navy in 2002 and opened a retail store because he lost interest in seafaring. His career in the Navy was more about managing people than actual engineering, which was done by external contractors. Kemp says he was always interested in business as both his father and brother were
in business.
“I just had a calling to business and retail was a channel that I was quite interested in and just pursued it,” he says.
In 2005, he was approached by the South African distributors of Crocs, Tiger Trade, and started selling for them. The distribution company was bought out by Crocs Inc. in 2009 and Kemp took over as the marketing and sales director. In 2011, he became managing director.
Crocs South Africa distributes into the Ivory Coast, Senegal, Ghana, Mauritius, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Uganda and Angola. Angola is its newest entry with the first store opened October 25.
“Keeping in mind the challenges around strict visas and currency control we&#8217;re happy with what has been achieved,” Kemp says referring to performance in Angola.
Kemp feels that Africa has huge potential and opportunity and is ready to deal with the challenges that lie ahead. Some of which he says are the stigma associated with the continent, language barriers and making sure you choose the right partners.
Crocs used to be something that only chefs and nurses would be caught dead in. Being on your feet for hours on end meant style took a backseat to comfort. According to Crocs, this need no longer be the case. The company has come a long way from the clunky clog. With more than 300 styles per season Kemp says the biggest challenge is changing people’s style perceptions about the brand. The footwear is designed in Japan, Italy and the United States. In moving towards diversifying their products, the company also has golf shoes designed with consultation from internationally renowned golf instructor Hank Haney.
“One of our slogans from the
past was ‘Ugly can be beautiful’,”
says Kemp.
Most of the product gets shipped in from China, warehoused in Cape Town and distributed to the rest of
the continent.
The research and development is market-specific. The product merchandisers go out into the field and find out what the customers want. All the global markets have an input in the design direction. The new ranges are then presented twice a year in Singapore. There are three distribution channels: retail, wholesale and online.
If demand grows beyond the company’s current capabilities then a factory on the continent may be a possibility, but Kemp thinks this is still a long way off.
Crocs earned a place in TIME’s “The 50 Worst Inventions” list alongside Farmville, Hair in a Can, Spam email and asbestos. The shoe was however included in the Design Museum’s book entitled “Fifty Shoes That Changed The World”. It was named one of South Africa’s ‘Super Brands’ in 2010, based on market dominance, longevity, goodwill, customer loyalty and overall market acceptance. There’s even a blog called ‘I Hate Crocs dot com’ as well as a ‘I Don’t care How Comfortable Crocs Are, You Look Like A Dumbass’ Facebook page with 1.6 million ‘likes’. Love them or hate them, Crocs don’t seem to be going anywhere.
“I must be honest, in the beginning I wasn’t a fan myself. It was quite a strange looking shoe,” says Kemp.
Last year, the company launched what it refers to as its fashion styles. Although the company is worried about moving away from its core market in the lifestyle and outdoor sector, to fashion, its customers don’t seem to mind. Kemp says the fashion range sold out in a month.
“We had to scramble to get more stock. It was certainly very refreshing and very exciting for us.”
Kemp admits they were worried about knock-offs in the beginning. The first batch of fake Crocs in South Africa came sometime between 2006 and 2007. He doesn’t feel that this affects the company much anymore since the level of counterfeiting has decreased as it’s getting harder to keep up with the various styles. The cost of a children’s pair of authentic Crocs does however make it easier for parents to buy
the counterfeit.
There’s a joke that goes something like this: “In a million years from now when aliens land on earth, all they’ll find are landfills with Crocs.”
Crocs are recyclable. There used to be an initiative where people would drop off their old Crocs and the company recycled them into new ones for the less fortunate. A hundred thousand pairs were sent to Japan after the 2011 tsunami. However, the recycling process became too much of a logistical nightmare.
The company’s 2012 second quarter results revealed that revenue for the quarter had increased by 12% to $330.9 million—the highest revenue level in its history. Asia was the best performing region with revenue increasing by 20.5% (as of June 30); there are 233 company-operated retail locations in the Asian region and Africa is benefiting from being a part of this market. In 2011, Asia experienced a 34% year-on-year increase, which was higher than the global increase
of 27%.
As far as the future is concerned, Crocs Inc. has partners creating spectacles, sunglasses and children’s clothes under license. South Africa is focusing on current operations and avoiding growing its retail arm too aggressively. The company wants to become a fully established footwear company. Who knows, the fashionistas may be won over.

Stepping Out; Make It Snappy

Mauritius has enjoyed robust growth of between 5 and 6% for decades. The country has developed from an agrarian base into a diversified middle income economy through prudent management of the economy.
Mauritius’ economy relies on four sectors: sugar; textiles; tourism and financial services. The authorities are keen to diversify the economy further towards services. One ambition is to transform the economy into an information and communications technology hub.
The Mauritian economy generated $19.28 billion and expanded by 4.1% in 2011. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) attributed this to its tight macroeconomic policies. The Washington-based lender also put the country’s good performance down to its response to the global crisis but expects the economy to drop below 4% owing to the European sovereign debt crisis.
In light of the Eurozone crisis, in January, the Minister of Finance, Xavier-Luc Duval, announced that the government is developing a contingency in case of a partial or full dissolution of the European Union. Mauritius’ economy is tied to Europe. Two-thirds of Mauritian exports go to Europe and thousands of tourists fly the other way. The Eurozone is also a major source of investment for the island.
To buffer against the Eurozone crisis, this year the government announced an expansionary budget. The focus of expenditure is infrastructure development to improve the efficiency of the economy. This is likely to boost investment.
The expansionary fiscal stance will be complemented by an expansionary monetary policy. Following the dip in growth, the Bank of Mauritius (BOM) in December 2011 cut interest rates from 5.5% to 5.4%. The BOM is likely to move towards a loosening bias in 2012 given the downward inflation profile. Consumer inflation in February fell to 4.1% year-on-year; from 4.8% a month earlier. The IMF expects inflation to be 5% year-on-year in 2012.
The European crisis has also led to a dip in tourist arrivals. Tourist arrivals remain below the one million mark. The authorities have turned their attention to Asia, where growth remains robust.
In January, Mauritius won, for the third year running, the title of World’s Leading Island Destination and the World’s Leading Beach Destination.
Despite slowing growth prospects, investors are likely to remain interested in Mauritius in their search for yield. Investors are likely to recognize that slowing growth prospects are due to exogenous factors and not as a result of economic mismanagement
The Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation, a US think tank, ranked Mauritius in the world’s top 10 most economically free countries, making it the only sub-Saharan country to achieve this. The survey ranked Mauritius eighth, with a score of 77. This ranking put Mauritius ahead of G4 (US, UK, Japan and France) countries. The survey ranks 183 countries in 10 freedom categories which are then converted into an index, with 100 being the highest possible score.
In addition, Mauritius was ranked 46th out 183 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2011. Only Botswana (32) is ranked higher in Africa.

Europe Could Dim Africa’s Shining Star

It all began in the 1920s, when Kishin Chand Chellaram stepped off a boat and onto the shores of Lagos. He had heard from a family friend that there was money to be made in Nigeria and had journeyed for months across the sea to find out if this was true.
Chellaram was a small textile business owner in his hometown of Hyderabad. In 1923, he joined other Sindhis who were venturing into Nigeria’s growing economy. After two weeks of exploring his options, he sent for the first consignment of goods.
In the late 1940s the Chellarams, who are Hindu, were forced to leave their home after East and West Pakistan were formed as a Muslim state. The Chellarams sold all their assets, exchanging them for coupons in Bombay, and set up shop permanently in Lagos.
The name Chellaram became known in Nigeria for retail, operating 17 department stores across the country selling groceries, cosmetics, textiles, luxury items and electronics from the early 1950s up until 1992, when economic and political conditions in the country slowed down its operations. The family business survived as Chellarams Plc. and is one of the largest conglomerates in Nigeria, with a business portfolio consisting of fast-moving consumer goods, chemicals distribution, a bicycle manufacturing division, a food packaging unit contracted to Nestlé Nigeria, an industrial goods sales and service subsidiary, a textiles manufacturing unit, a plastic film manufacturing unit,  quick service restaurants, a travel agency and a retail operations business.
This mixed bag of companies is now run by Kishin Chand’s great-grandson, Suresh, his wife Kavita and his two children, Aditya and Amisha. Although the company listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 1978, 75% of the business is still held by the family; 20% belongs to shareholders and the remaining 5% is in the name of a Nigerian charity.
“My great-grandfather was the first Indian member in Nigeria’s prestigious Ikoyi Club and the first Indian to live in Ikoyi,” says Aditya proudly.
Amisha was behind the first foray of South African retail giant Woolworths into Nigeria. She started as a franchisee in 2002, but operations halted in 2005 due to an importation ban on garments and footwear. In November 2011, the deal was reopened as a joint venture business that will see three stores running in major shopping centers in the country this year. The company also made headlines in Nigeria when it entered into a joint venture with RJCorp of India and Yum! Restaurants International as the sole operator of the KFC brand in Nigeria. Today, 15 stores operate in Nigeria, with plans to open another 15 stores this year.
Chellarams has also partnered with big international names like American Express travel services, Oldenburger and Real (dairy products), as well as chemical companies like Shell and Bayer, and other international consumer durables and electronics companies. The company’s biggest trading line is chemicals for the foam mattress industry and 70% of their chemicals sold go into this.
“Nigerians are very savvy and well traveled, so they are exposed to international brands. They are looking for brands and these brands are looking for Nigeria now. With the recession in Europe and America, everyone is looking to Nigeria now and Chellarams is positioning itself to be a partner for these guys—not just an investment partner but a strategic partner that can provide services and that has the local knowledge. We will keep finding ways to leverage these partnerships to grow our other businesses,” says Aditya.
The Chellarams family is a picture of success in Nigeria, but it has not been easy. As any Nigerian business owner can tell you, manoeuvering the political and socio-economic environment in the country is an uphill battle. Nigeria has had a turbulent past, which has resulted in a tough business climate.
“A difficult period was the early to mid-’90s with the major devaluation and the ’94 election saga,” Aditya reminisces.
“International credit lines were given to Nigerian banks and they were crawling on repaying these loans. They began to aggressively try and cease advantage and take over our house. Real estate really saved us then and we have had to sell some iconic real estate that we owned, including warehouses, retail stores and an office tower.”
Remarkably, the family was not derailed by the oil boom of the ’60s when many companies were rushing to get a piece of Nigeria’s black gold.
“We are not running after a rainbow. It is a high investment business and we were small boys. It’s a game that is not for Indians or foreigners but a game for the indigenes. Our aim is to supply products that benefit these businesses which, Chellarams believes, is a better business model anyway.”
Africa hosts more than 150 Indian businesses today, many of whom are trying to penetrate Nigeria’s market. The company claims that it is not threatened by the increasing number of similar businesses entering the space it has occupied for the last 88 years. Rather, Chellarams is more worried about competition from Nigerian companies that are able to operate with lower overheads and have more focused product lines, geography and customer base within Nigeria. These businesses import their products and sell them at much lower prices.
The family is trying to invest in Nigeria’s power sector and capitalize on the government’s plan to reform and deregulate the sector. Chellarams had already formed a company called Solar Power Generation Ltd, which has already commissioned two gas-powered generators and has attained permission to sell power to their neighbors in the industrial areas of Lagos. This project has the capacity to hold up to 50 megawatts. Currently, Nigeria is the only country in which the family operates, but its next step is West African expansion in both the Anglophone and Francophone parts of the continent. Chellarams Plc. is already looking into sponsoring activities in Chad, Cameroon and Niger, where the plan is to create the pull effect for their goods into these three nations. Chellarams also has its eye on a full-time operation in Ghana.
To finance its growth objectives, the company issued a N1.5 billion ($9 million) BBB-bond in December 2010 and a second tranche of N3.5 billion ($22 million) in December 2011.
“For now, we are just holding back and looking, but we expect partnerships to be a big part of the brand. This is the business model that is prime for a region that everyone is trying to come into at once.”
The family says it will continue Kishin Chand’s Nigerian dream in the 21st century. When people ask where they come from, the family says: “We are Sindhi refugees but Nigeria has been a warm welcome.”

From Refugees To Tycoons

There are few entrepreneurs in Africa who can claim to have been imprisoned three times by Idi Amin for allegations of being a political threat. There are fewer still who can say they were forced into exile in Europe and imprisoned by the Uganda National Liberation Army for four-and-a-half months. This is the story of Gordon Wavamunno, Ugandan entrepreneur—a man who didn’t go to high school but who holds three honorary doctorates and is worth millions.
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“It has not been easy, but one has to eat and one has to persist,” he says.
Building a successful business in Uganda is hard enough without the complication of political instability and persecution.  Wavamunno, founder and chairman of the Spear Group of Companies, knows this all too well. The Ugandan businessman has built a $30-million empire despite his country’s turmoil.
Wavamunno chose business over high school. He began training at his father’s trading business, moved up to become a cashier, and ventured into the produce-buying business in 1961. It was a prelude to breaking away from his father’s business.
This busy and self-proclaimed “shrewd businessman” spent a decade growing his transport fleet. When Ugandan president Idi Amin nationalized the only motor company in Uganda, Wavamunno saw an opportunity in the market and approached Daimler-Benz for a possible franchise. It was the beginning of a 34-year-old business relationship that has survived political upheaval. Daimler’s decision to enter Uganda during the violent rule of President Amin was surprising, but it paid off.
“1971 to 1988 was a hard time,” says Wavamunno with typical understatement.
It was during this time that Wavamunno was thrown into cells and had to rebuild his business over and over again. Yet despite these crises, he has been
voted Businessman of the Year in a poll by a national newspaper for 10 years running.
He attributes his success to his will, support from banks, good managers and his principle of diversification. In his career he has ventured into transport, tourism, dry cleaning, hotels, television and radio, banking and property.
But how do you keep track of all your eggs in many baskets?
“I believe in what I’m doing. If there is an opportunity, then one should go after it. This is the key to success,” says Wavamunno.
He is also a man who demands much from his employees.
“You need to make sure that they are there to work for the company, not to throw it in the fire. The people who work for the company own it more than the shareholders do,” he says.
There were mistakes along the way. Wavamunno cites his worst business blunder as a $4 million foray into flower export. Heavy winds destroyed his first crops, sending him running back to the bank. There was also poor advice, leading to Wavamunno planting the wrong variety of flowers.
By the time the flowers were ready, the market had dropped. Since then, the farm has recovered and is looking to expand.
Wavamunno believes there is a lot of potential in Africa and feels that the continent can do better. He adds that a lot relies on the integrity of leaders to improve the living conditions of African people and improve skills.
“Uganda has recently discovered some oil; we have minerals, but we are still backward,” he says.
Looking forward, Wavamunno is working on a $60 million project with partners.
“Currently, our organization is involved in investing in three core countries, namely Kenya, Uganda and Southern Sudan.”
His message to young African entrepreneurs?
“First and foremost, young Africans need training and exposure; they have to accept that they cannot get rich within a day, month or year&#8230; most important is confidence in themselves and their countries. The future is bright for Uganda and East Africa as a whole.”
Wise words, from a wise old African.
Uganda In A Box
To say that Uganda has been through some rough seas would be putting it mildly. In 1966, Uganda was under the authoritarian rule of Milton Obote. In 1971, Idi Amin declared himself president. Amin was toppled in 1979, after eight years of political and economic collapse. It was during this time that he expelled Asians from the country. Obote won the 1980 elections but was replaced by General Okello in 1985, who was replaced by Yoweri Museveni in 1986. Uganda has since reached economic stability and operates under a ‘non-party’ political system with Museveni as head of state and of government.

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