Monday 23 May 2011

North Sudan seizes disputed Abyei

Sudan's northern army seized control of the disputed, oil-producing Abyei region, forcing thousands to flee and bringing the country's north and south to the brink of full conflict. Khartoum sent tanks into Abyei town, the area's main settlement, on Saturday, the United Nations said after weeks of growing tension and accusations of skirmishes by both sides.

Control over Abyei remains the biggest point of contention in the countdown to the secession of south Sudan, expected in July. Southerners overwhelmingly voted to declare independence from the north in a January referendum , promised in a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of north-south civil war.

Wednesday 18 May 2011

FRONTIER MARKETS: EYE ON AFRICA

2nd June 2011 12:00 - 15:00

Bloomberg are holding a lunchtime event focusing on African Frontier Markets on 2nd June 2011. Hear from experts in the market on opportunities and growth.

http://www.bloomberg.com/promo/May/43697805/index.html

Tuesday 17 May 2011

MSCI Frontier Markets Indices

There will be three additions to and 24 deletions from the MSCI Frontier Markets Index. The three additions to the MSCI Frontier Markets Index are Banca Transilvania (RO), Qatar Fuel Co (QA) and Distilleries Co Sri Lanka (LK).

The MSCI Frontier Markets Small Cap Index will have 36 additions and 33 deletions.
As announced as part of the February 2011 Quarterly Index Review, due to persistent deterioration of liquidity, MSCI will exclude Trinidad & Tobago from the MSCI Frontier Markets Indices. MSCI Trinidad & Tobago Index will be maintained as a stand-alone country index.

Commodity outlook

Saturday 14 May 2011

Harare CFO Forum (27th May 2011)

Event Program
08.00 Coffee & Registration

08.45 Chairman’s Welcoming Address

09.00 Macro Outlook: Tough decisions for your company’s economic future

Mr Daniel Broby, Chief Investment Officer, Silk Invest (UK)


Benefits for delegates will include:

•Current thinking and wisdom on issues that are essential for the effectiveness of the finance executives the businesses they drive.
•Learning strategies to help them build their businesses despite the challenging financial environment
•Gain a unique insight into the thinking of fellow financial management professionals during the interactive panel sessions
•Network and exchange ideas with their peers, discovering new angles to address their most pressing issues.
10:15 Challenges and opportunities for Today’s CFOs

Mr Nigel Chanakira, President and Founder of Kingdom Financial Holdings


11:00 Midmorning teas and Sandwiches

11.45 The Zimbabwe Economy- Past, Present and Future

Mr H W Mungoshi,Chief Economist, ZESA


13.00 Networking Lunch

14.15 The FD’s role in attracting new business and revenue streams

Discussion Group


•An interactive discussion group looking at the following areas:
•How can the FD directly through his own personal efforts attract new business?
•How can the FD help others to attract new business? How can we best add value in each of the Marketing P’s (Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process, Physical evidence)?
•What are we good at that helps attracts new business? And what do we FD’s have a tendency to do – and need to watch out for – which goes against this aim?
•How can we best use target setting and design of the company compensation systems to attract new business? Is it true, what gets measured by us gets done?
•Would it help if we could be more entrepreneurial…should we be? How do we best get any concerns we have in an opportunity without being seen as a blocking mechanism on all things new?
•Does our desire for planning things and our eye for detail act for or against attracting new business?

15.30 Afternoon Teas and Coffees with Biscuits and Scones

16:00 Speaker

17:00 Chairman’s Vote of Thanks

17.15 Speed meets

17:30 Networking drinks reception

Entertainment by Victor Kunonga (Zimbabwe leading Jazz Artist)

The Forum seeks to provide the Chief Finance Officers and Finance Managers in the region an independent strategic debate. The forum speakers and program of plenary sessions will inspire finance executives to focus on opportunities that exist. A range of carefully selected topics will form the thrust of the discussions during the interactive sessions.

The CFO Forum is an event specifically designed to address the increasing needs and demands of the senior finance executive.

With years of economic slowdown, Zimbabwean businesses are subjected to painful boom-and-bust cycles. A prolonged economic surge has left the country with a legacy of stubbornly low productivity growth and a reduced appetite for professional excellence.

Zimbabwean financial executives are facing the inevitable challenges of sharper competition, low productivity and financing constrains? What can financial managers do to avoid the complacency trap and help steer their businesses in the right direction? Join many other CFOs and national and international speakers as we address the growth agenda, identify what successful businesses have done to reposition for sustainable growth, and fast-forward into the future to look at the key trends that will shape corporate Zimbabwe.