Africa on the Up and Up??

Hello Ms.Failis,

Black Americans who are descendents of plantation slaves are not African people. Black Americans are a new race of people about 500 years old. Ask me how I know this and can I prove it and I will.

So, in our present subjugated conditions we have not the energy to be concern about the African middle class am I making sense?

Ghana – South Africa: Gold Shines On
April 19, 2013 | Filed under: Business | Posted by: Editorial_Staff


gold refining
AFRICANGLOBE – Despite attempts by the government to get more revenue from the sector, multinational mining companies are still keen on Ghana’s prospects.

Ghana’s government may have raised its royalty tax to a flat 5 percent in 2012, hiked corporate tax from 25 percent to 35 percent and continued to mull over a 10 percent windfall profits tax, but mining companies remain bullish about their prospects in the country.

“We face these pressures for increased resource nationalism all over the world. So Ghana’s new taxes are not exceptional,” said Richard Duffy, AngloGold Ashanti’s executive vice-president for continental Africa, who spoke to at the Mining Indaba in Cape Town in early February.

“When we merged with Ashanti in 2004, we paid a combination of cash and shares to achieve certain fiscal terms. In effect, we compensated the government in advance.

“We are now engaging with the government about this agreement and how it can be respected going forward,” explained Duffy.

However, the government is reviewing stabilisation agreements that protect AngloGold and Newmont from tax changes.

Labour unrest in South Africa caused companies to examine the profitability of their operations there.

Last year South Africa’s Gold Fields, which operates Ghana’s Tarkwa mine, announced its intention to split off its ailing South Africa operations into a new company called Sibanye Gold.

Tarkwa remains a bright spot, with the mine reporting an 11 percent increase in quarter-on-quarter production for the last three months of 2012.

“The main thing for us is that Ghana is stable,” said Darren Lindsay, chief executive of Castle Peak Mining, a junior exploration company.

“The windfall tax is troubling, but everything else about Ghana, from a global perspective, is favourable.”

Michael Bosman, director of transaction advisory services in the Johannesburg office of Ernst & Young, points to security of tenure for investors, political stability and new oil wealth as factors for optimism.

However, he says Ghana’s government has a major headache with its low rate of corporate tax compliance.

“The big companies have historically negotiated their tax rates with the government.

Now the government is under pressure to borrow less on local markets, and to do this, there is a general move to boost tax revenues and ensure compliance,” said Bosman.

Ghana’s gold exports during the first half of 2012 earned $3.2bn, up 32 percent on the same period in 2011, according to the Bank of Ghana.

Zimbabwe’s Independence: ‘We Have Reasons to Celebrate’
April 19, 2013 | Filed under: Africa | Posted by: Editorial_Staff

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Zimbabwe’s Independence Celebrations 18/4/2013
AFRICANGLOBE – Politicians who were at the Zimbabwe’s National Sports Stadium for the country’s independence celebrations say Zimbabweans have reason to celebrate as the 33rd Uhuru anniversary has come at a time land and mineral wealth have been given to the majority.

Chairman of the independence organising taskforce, Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister, Dr Ignatius Chombo said Zimbabweans have much to celebrate as President Robert Mugabe’s government has moved from political freedom to economic emancipation for everyone without discrimination.

He said this year’s independence is unique in that it comes at a time when land and minerals have permanently been given to Zimbabweans.

Zanu PF Secretary for Information and Publicity, Cde Rugare Gumbo said independence is an exciting day when Zimbabweans should remember and reflect on the country’s white past.

Zanu PF National Secretary for Security, who is Minister of State Security, Cde Sydney Sekeramayi said while freedom fighters played a crucial role that brought about political freedom, the war which remains is for economic emancipation in the face of illegal European sanctions.

Zanu PF member Cde Walter Mzembi applauded the call for peace and the anti-violence stance taken by President Robert Mugabe saying this is a unifying statement which every Zimbabwean must fully embrace.

The government has rolled out the indigenisation and economic empowerment policy to address economic imbalances created by skewed colonial policies which saw Zimbabweans being marginalised for 90 years.

Meanwhile, people who attended the 33rd independence celebrations at the National Sports Stadium have commended the government for availing opportunities to previously marginalised people.

They said the massive gathering at the stadium is testimony that Zimbabweans value their independence.

Some said they are excited that the nation has come of age and called for the government to continue with its empowerment drive for the benefit of ordinary Zimbabweans.

This year the independence celebrations were held under the theme: “Peace, Prosperity and Economic Empowerment for National Development.”

david you are an idiot! what do you know about yourself and your Black American people? you know nothing about yourself.

When one cannot refute a person's scholarship...one must seek alternative and 'lesser' means at maintaing a sense of credibility.....so one therefore resorts to inflammatory characterization of the person, NOT REFUTATION OF THE SCHOLARSHIP BROUGHT TO BEAR ON THE SUBJECT MATTER BY THAT PERSON. Typical behavior of a loser in your case Harry your delusion and lack of understand the basic's .....“Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.” !There are times to ignore foolish words.

There are other times a wise rebuttal can help.

Lord, give us wisdom to know the difference.

Hi Harry,

You are right. Black Americans are the descendents of slaves who came from Africa. But if you ask me, I would say that a closer look to the motherland is very much needed. Why wouldn't a person, any person not want to consider their roots/ancestry? I have 2nd and 3rd cousins, yet I still care about them.. They are still our brothers and sisters and many still share a struggle similar to our own (ethnic justice etc.)

The whole race thing is another issue. To be blunt there is no race if you want to see it in that sense because everyone is genetically black. Skin color actually only accounts for like .00001% of the entire DNA chain............not even kidding, so please get off that.

What I'm interested in is empowerment through knowledge and action. Other so-called "races" of scientists migrate to Africa and study them all the time, yet for her own descendents it's forbidden??? No that makes no sense to me.

Wow David, that was a lot to digest, thanks for the info! I do have to practice restraint when hearing about South Africa, though. Can you imagine with the Apartheid on their own land! I can only imagine how the people felt.

SA is headed in the right direction though with the ending of Apartheid and the natives practicing their political power (and winning). Funny how the government is coping with the sudden release of the African's there, we get new terms like "rainbow nation" for a population that is 80% black African *eyeroll* to promote acceptance among the white inhabitants.

I'd like to hear more about the Kenyan economy and the other nations. SA is one of 54 nations but we can't expect much from the western media viewpoint. Oh well.

@ Irma, Indeed!

Hello Ms. FF,

This is what you said; you are right Black Americans who are descendents of slaves who came from Africa

What you are missing is the other half of where Black Americans came from. One half of where Black Americans came from is from the Africans brought here. But, the other half of Black Americans is White English men the old slave master.

An example of what I am talking about is the children Ms. Sally Hemming had for President Thomas Jefferson. Just about every Black America today has Whites in their family tree.

Black Americans came into existence because the Whites constantly keep the female slaves pregnant.

It is like when the scientist crossed the Plum and Preach tree and made a Nectarine tree. That Nectarine tree is a new fruit all be itself am I right.

So, you are wrong when think the Black Americans came only from the Africa slaves. Black Americans also came from White people.

I know I have a real good point here that no one else had seen.

...AND YOU WILL GET USE TO HARRY. HE HAS BEEN SAYING THE SAME THING FOR YEARS AND IS GOING TO CALL YOU DEMEANING NAMES NO MATTER WHAT.BUT, NOT TO WORRY AS YOU ARE A STRONG BLACK WOMAN SO YOU ARE PREPARED FOR THESE KINDS OF MIND SETS LIKE HARRY'S WHOWANTS TO BE OUR MODERN DAY 'MASTER' AS THEY SEE THEMSLEVES AS A GIVEN LIKE A BIRTH RIGHT AS I KNOW YOU ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THIS OF SOME PEOPLE'S QUEST TO PREVENT PROPER EDUCATION THAT LEADS TO BETTER UNITY AS WELL AS PEACE.(SMILE)

THANKS SO MUCH MS FF AS WE NEED TO RECONNECT WITH OUR AFRICAN COUSINS. (SMILE)