Issue 29
Bensizwe Group
Transformation and Inspiration Writer: Matthew StaffProject Manager: Donovan Smith Bensizwe Group has adapted, expanded and diversified at a rapid rate over a seven year period in order to capitalise on the most prominent tech and telecom trends manifesting in Africa, while realising a dream of the Company’s Group Chief Executive to enhance the provision of human capital to the sector on the continent.Mandla Msimang embarked on his journey in the DRC in 2008 after identifying a need for call centre solutions from his previous role while working for Vodacom. It was a business link which has proved to be pivotal in the following years as the global telecoms giant gave Bensizwe the platform to showcase its innovative approach to workforce management.“Outsourcing call centre solutions and human capital was quite a new concept back in 2008 but an opportunity presented itself and things quickly developed from then on,” Msimang recalls. “It was a simple concept of recruiting staff members for our clients, placing them on their premises, paying their salaries and taxes and then setting a fee based on a commission structure.“Eight years’ later and we have nearly 1,000 staff members for different clients on our books, working alongside massive companies like Africell, Tigo, British American Tobacco, Vodacom and Turkish Airlines.”While initially pioneering the service carried out to such comprehensive standards, there is now competition in attaining esteemed contracts such as these, but Bensizwe will always be the first to have conquered the market, having changed the landscape initially in the DRC, and subsequently in South Africa which…
Access Bank Zambia
Leading by ExampleWriter: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Donovan Smith The Access Bank Group of Companies is notorious for its ambitious vision: to be the world’s most respected African bank. With financial services across west, central and east Africa and the United Kingdom, the Group has seen its assets increase by almost 50 percent since 2010, from US$6.58 billion to more than US$9.2 billion in 2015, and is continuing to expand at a rapid rate.With operations in Nigeria commencing 28 years ago, it is clear that Access Bank’s presence on the continent has been welcomed. The Bank has answered a call for financial inclusion in Africa by responding with approximately 366 branches across major cities and commercial centres in Nigeria, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, DRC and Zambia; and this number continues to rise along with the prospect of new countries to add to its portfolio.“Access Bank has built its strength and success in corporate banking and is now taking its expertise and applying it to the personal and business banking platform. We constantly invest in new technologies and examine ways to grow our business to take it to new heights and continue with our impressive growth rates,” explained the Company.As the youngest of its subsidiaries in Africa, Access Bank Zambia has now been in operation for six years and continues to lead by example in the country, setting the standard and challenging the status quo in order to create real value, in a sustainable and profitable manner, for its customers. “To ensure that this objective is kept in sight,…
Tigo Tanzania
Connecting Tanzania to the World Writer: Matthew StaffProject Manager: Donovan Smith Tigo is looking to build upon a significantly successful 2014 in Tanzania as the African telecoms giant continues to close the gap on the market-leading position across the full range of parameters.Offering services not only in the traditional voice domain, the Company has also made a reputation for itself via its additional offerings, including unparalleled data provision to as many areas of the country as possible and its Tigo Pesa mobile money product, as well as an ongoing commitment to unveil new, innovative services to an increasingly digital-savvy population.“Last year was very successful for Tigo; a year of progress and growth in our drive to promote a digital lifestyle transformation in the country,” the Company’s Managing Director (MD), Diego Gutierrez affirms. “We became leaders in the data field, becoming a natural choice for data services, while we continued to invest in our network expansion, upgrading our services to 3G in most of the country." A total of $100 million was spent over the course of 2014, emphasising the proactive approach Tigo has adopted since establishing a presence in the country.Integrated into the list of achievements and landmarks is an additional 700 sites introduced across both urban and rural regions, subsequently having a positive effect on subscriber numbers which rose from seven million to nine million; the fastest rise among the industry.“We’re following a long-term strategy, growing our subscriber base and building more sites each year, giving people more access to data and helping to create new socio-economic…
TransNamib
Africa’s Rising Logistics Hub Writer: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Tom Cullum As the national surface carrier of Namibia, TransNamib Holdings Limited has been a vital part of the country’s transport industry since the independence of Namibia. Wholly owned by the government of Namibia, the Company provides a wide range of transportation services such as bulk freight, containerised services, TNX/OPX, special trains and passenger services. In conjunction with this, TransNamib also offer road connection services to transport goods to the railway.“We are committed to being the leader in the provision of transport solutions across both rail and road through a passion for excellence, striving for integration within southern Africa trade,” explained TransNamib in its annual report.Established in line with the National Transport Services Holding Company Act 28 of 1998, TransNamib’s railway lines stretch from the South African border to the Angolan border in the North; from the central part of the country to the coastal towns of Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Luderitz; and Gobabis in the east to Grootfontein in central Namibia. With a fully fledged distribution network scattered across the country, the Company is well positioned to provide cost-effective rail and road transport service solutions to Namibia and beyond.“This nationwide coverage provides intermodal transport to neighbouring countries via the Trans-Zambezi, Trans-Caprivi, Trans-Cunene and Trans-Kalahari highways. Even in tough economic times, TransNamib continues to remain unwavering in its pursuit of continuous improvement to deliver service excellence by streamlining its processes to become more cost-effective,” the Company said.However, the African continent as a whole retains its position as one of the…
Lonestar Cell MTN
A Bold New Digital World Writer: Matthew StaffProject Manager: Donovan Smith As a member of the MTN Group in Africa, Lonestar is successfully leveraging the prominent brand name in Liberia to enrich lives across the length and breadth of the country.Lonestar Cell began commercial operations in 2001 with Lonestar Cell MTN becoming the new brand name six years later following the acquisition of its mother company, Investcom LLC by MTN Group. The subsequent Lonestar Cell MTN Company became the first operator within Liberia offering GSM services; a pioneering position which the business has maintained over its 14 years of technological evolution.Entering the 2G domain before evolving further still into 3G, Lonestar has remained market leader throughout, enhancing and expanding its network infrastructure across the country in the process, as subscriber numbers surpassed one million people.Now, with 1.3 million subscribers, and more than half of the market share, the Company is as driven as ever to saturate the entire country with its unrivalled standard of services.“We don’t yet cover 100 percent of the country but we are getting close,” Lonestar’s Chief Executive Officer, Babatunde Osho says. “We have evolved over the years from GSM 2G and now into 3G, developing our network into all counties within the country.“We have also evolved our services from basic voice and SMS in the early days to a whole host of value-added services including music and a lot of other applications and advance data and IP services.”Investing large amounts into necessary IT infrastructures to support such developments in previously unexposed regions of…
Advance Seed
Selling with EducationWriter: Matthew StaffProject Manager: Josh Hyland Advance Seed is striving for international expansion and internal improvements as it continues to align itself with parent company, AGT Foods; a global leader in the pulse processing and staple foods industries.With a heritage dating back to 1966, it is Advance Seed’s prominence outside of South Africa that has proven most indicative of the Company’s success over the past five decades, shipping its vast range of produce to more than 50 countries around the world.“Advance Seed’s portfolio of products and services extends through the agricultural value chain and offers its customers access to quality offerings; including crop production, cleaning, grading and processing, marketing and sales, as well as export of specialty crops to customers around the globe,” explains Dean Miller, Group Marketing, Advance Seed.Buying industry-leading crops from producers within South Africa before exporting globally, Advance Seed supplies its customers with premium quality pulses, popcorn and grains, as well as pasture, forage and field crop seeds from South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.Miller adds: “As Africa’s premier popcorn producer and processor, Advance Seed grows top quality American popcorn seed in the rich, fertile ground of Central-Southern Africa.“The unique geography of the region allows Advance Seed to harvest new crop popcorn in January of each year, earlier than anywhere else in the Southern Hemisphere. Advance Seed’s state-of-the-art processing plant, packaging facilities and warehousing facilities enable the supply of butterfly and mushroom popcorn to the world year-round.”Collaborative progressAdvance Seed’s core activities are centred around six divisions: the production and sale of…
Rainmaker Energy
Cost-Competitive Renewable Solutions Writer: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Tom Cullum As a specialist in innovative renewable solutions, Rainmaker Energy is a privately owned company with broad expertise as an originator, developer and owner-operator of renewable energy assets in South Africa.With firm foundations as a 100 percent South African-owned independent power producer (IPP), Rainmaker Energy has ambitious goals that it hopes to achieve in the next few years, eyeing opportunities in the global photovoltaic (PV) industry, along with the continued interest and expansions of the onshore Dorper Wind Farm in line with REIPPP Programme goals.From its offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town and a newly established base in London, UK, Rainmaker has strategically positioned itself in two of the world’s renewable hotspots, leaving it well positioned to access and mobilise project development and investment opportunities across Africa, Europe and the Middle East.The Company has developed an onshore wind project pipeline in excess of 450MW in South Africa since entering the market in 2009, prior to the official announcement of the REIPPP Programme in 2011; developing one of the first large scale grid connected wind projects – Dorper Wind Farm – with a further 330MW of wind and 290MW of solar PV projects also under development.“Our first project, the 100MW Dorper Wind Farm has been fully-operational since 9 August 2014 and was awarded ‘African Wind Deal of the Year 2012’ by Project Finance Magazine, in recognition of its unique and innovative financing structure,” says Gavin James, one of Rainmaker’s Directors. Given its full independence, Rainmaker benefits from flexibility on its debt and…
IFS (International Facilities Services)
Unlocking Scalability with InvestmentWriter: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Josh Hyland Since embarking on its first remote site project for Anglo South Africa in the early 2000s, International Facilities Services (IFS) has capitalised on the marked increase in investment and development on the African continent to unlock the true potential and scalability of its business.It was this first business opportunity that led IFS to identify the demand for its offering: the combination of its international expertise and local understanding to provide catering, housekeeping, laundry and related secondary services to a wide range of industries and public institutions, with a concerted focus on remote site solutions.“The success of our first foray both enhanced Anglo’s reputation and the demand for our offering in what was a relatively niche market. It was then our appetite for risk combined with our multitude of competencies that saw our services transcend across borders and into sub-Saharan Africa,” comments Peter Horne, Sales Manager for IFS South Africa.Investor interestEquipped with these industry-leading competencies, IFS has spent the past decade expanding its footprint into 16 African countries and igniting the interest of investors looking for growth opportunities on the continent; forging a lucrative deal with a consortium comprising of longstanding leaders of industry with significant African experience, including Nedbank Private Equity.“This partnership not only contributed a wealth of knowledge, networking opportunities and strategic thinking, but it also contributed towards a significant strengthening of the Group’s balance sheet and financial capabilities.Additionally, it helped guide us through a difficult economic period for service providers and come out the other side…
Umoya Energy (RF) (Pty) Ltd
IPPs Set a Good Example in South Africa Writer: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Tom Cullum Umoya Energy is an IPP (Independent Power Producer) created as a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to develop and own Hopefield Wind Farm, South Africa’s first wind farm to reach commercial operation date (COD) on 1 February, 2014.Umoya is a recognised name in South Africa’s wind energy sector, having been on the renewable energy scene since the start of the REIPPP Programme this decade. During this time, the Company has been joined by a wide range of local and international IPPs also seeking to participate in the flourishing renewable energy industry in South Africa.“The shareholders of both of our wind farms have taken an active and supportive role throughout the development, construction and operational phases. Given that both projects were built in the first round of the REIPPP Programme, shareholder support was welcomed as we have navigated what was fairly uncharted territory in South Africa,” says Sam Cook, Technical Manager for Hopefield Wind Farm and Cookhouse Wind Farm.Since completing construction, Umoya has turned its attention to optimising the operation of its power plant as well as implementing and supporting community projects in the Hopefield area. “The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) is promoting coordination between its members, and some IPPs whose projects are in close proximity are already preparing to work together on economic development (ED) projects. Given that Hopefield Wind Farm (HWF) has been fully operational for more than 17 months now, our attention has turned to economic development (ED) initiatives, in addition to…
Garden City
The Perfect MixWriter: Matthew StaffProject Manager: Stuart Parker One of Nairobi’s most exciting retail and residential constructs is nearing completion as Garden City enters its final few months of development.Global private equity firm, Actis are the property developers and financiers behind the project, subsequently entrusting their local partners in Africa, MML Project Development Managers to carry out the build to never seen before standards in the country.A game-changer both in terms of size and functionality, the Garden City concept was one conjured up in 2011, and just four years later, both MML and Actis are excited to see the fruits of their labours and investments come to the fore.MML and one of Garden City’s Project Managers, Robert Gichohi has overseen large facets of the construction phase since joining the Company in 2013 and recalls the initial remit handed to the business: “Our core goals as part of the remit were to deliver the project within three project constraints,” he says. “The first being time and to complete the project within 24 months, the second regarding quality and carrying out international standards in Kenya, and the third was to keep the project within the budget of $250 million.”With a series of phases and stages branching across the retail mall, residential, and office strands of the overall project, Gichohi describes it as “gratifying to see things now opening and coming to life”, kick-started by the mall’s unveiling in late May, 2015.He sees this is as a testament not only to the hard work carried out by MML but the…
Aurora Wind Energy (RF) (Pty)
West Coast 1 Celebrates Commercial Operation Writer: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Tom Cullum Owned by a consortium involving an experienced international Independent Power Producer (IPP), ENGIE (formerly GDF SUEZ) and South African investors, Investec Bank Limited and Kagiso Tiso Holdings, Aurora Wind Power proudly celebrated the commercial operation of its 94MW West Coast 1 wind farm this month, beginning to generate full output of electricity on schedule, on 9 June, 2015.Secured in the second bidding round of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) programme organised by South African authorities, West Coast 1 wind farm is strategically situated in the Western Cape Province, 130km north of Cape Town near Vredenburg, where the quality of wind resource produces a high quantity of electricity. “Factors such as this and the proximity of the electrical network determine a site’s suitability for a wind farm. Additionally, a favourable local logistical and infrastructure environment also contributed to deliver West Coast 1 on time and in safe conditions,” details Tristan Bosser, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Aurora Wind Power.Driving along the West Coast road just outside of Cape Town reveals the extent to which the area has become a renewable hotspot; with the likes of Hopefield wind farm just one example of the many projects currently in operation as a direct result of the well received REIPPP programme. With the celebration of Global Wind Day on 15 June, 2015, the South African Wind Energy Association reported that 294 wind turbines have been installed to date in South Africa, which gives clear indication that…
Mobus Property Holdings Ltd
Thinking Outside the Box Writer: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Stuart Parker Since speaking with Mobus Property (Mobus) just over a year ago, considerable efforts have been made to strengthen the Company image through an extensive rebranding strategy that addresses every aspect of the value chain. Now boasting more than US$100 million of property development on the books and more than 150,000 square metres of land under development for commercial, residential and industrial purposes, the Company is leveraging its high levels of success in order to move into new countries and also explore medium-sized residential developments to further expand its portfolio.“Given the unexpected loss of our Chief Executive Officer (CEO) last February, we have been working hard to come back stronger, and also show the public a front of solidarity; that Mobus is here to stay and will continue to uphold if not exceed the same values and standards that we were known for before,” says the new CEO, Kojo Ansah Mensah.With this change in senior management comes a new aptitude for project fundraising, investing in more assets and brand upliftment in order to improve access to long-term capital to sustain the Company into the future.New marketsWith the award-winning Knight Court apartment complex in Accra completed and 100 percent sold, and the Phoenix villas cluster development in East Legon nearing completion, Mobus is focusing its energies on geographical expansion into other West African markets; starting with Nigeria.Mobus Property had previously focused on the high-end segment of the commercial and residential markets, but economic dynamics in Ghana have pushed the Company…
Broll Nigeria
Building Momentum in Africa’s Fastest Growing Economy Writer: Matthew StaffProject Manager: Stuart Parker Broll Nigeria continues to capitalise on one of the continent’s most attractive economies in order to diversify and extend its lead at the top of the country’s property services industry.To ensure it maintains such a position, the globally-renowned business refuses to rest on its laurels, spending much of the first half of 2015 improving processes and procedures to optimise the plethora of services it has under its remit.The result has been a concerted and continuous influx of investors and corporates choosing Broll as their service provider; and the pick of local talent identifying the Company as an employer of choice.Epitomising this strategy and ongoing ambition is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Bolaji Edu himself who, having returned to his birth nation from the UK last September, is hoping to instil further indigenous influence into the business moving forward, to fully leverage the opportunities that exist within Nigeria.“I was born in Nigeria and grew up here, and I always felt that I wanted to come back to work and live in Nigeria at some stage,” Edu says. “If we look at the existing management team here in Broll, we have two South African expatriates, but the remainder are Nigerian, including four who have had experience working in the UK or the US like myself.”Acquiring the optimum skill-sets is of paramount importance, but the local emphasis remains consistent, whether Nigerian personnel are sourced within the country or from around the world as the country’s economy becomes more…
MonuRent Holdings
Listening to Clients Writer: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Arron Rampling MonuRent was founded in 2010 by a group of seasoned international and African Investors who recognised a distinct gap in the market when it came to delivering world-class equipment and services to the developing markets in Africa.“Whilst our business was initially focused on the Nigerian construction sector MonuRent has quickly grown to become a sector leader in the rental of large mining equipment, delivering equipment and services in Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Botswana and Nigeria with further expansion plans unfolding year on year as the MonuRent story gathers momentum,” explains MonuRent Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dan Hoppe.The MonuRent model is all about listening to client’s requirements, and working together to offer a tailored solution that delivers value and certainty with guaranteed uptime of equipment, assisting clients to deliver projects on time and on budget, whilst freeing up capital to enable clients to focus on their core business.This value proposition stretches beyond equipment rental, with an offering of engineering services to assist clients in the development of feasibility studies and project plans; complete with equipment optimisation schedules that enable clients to select and change designated fleets to deliver the most economical option for any given project, without the duplication of costly resources.Aureus Mining - A step ChangeThe supply and support of a total fleet and project solution worth $44 million for Aureus Mining in Liberia was a pivotal point in the MonuRent development story, having worked with the Aureus team in the early exploration and construction phases, delivering in a…
Rockwell Diamonds Inc. SA
Uncovering the Facets of our PotentialWriter: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Arron Rampling Widely known for its involvement in the exploration and mining of alluvial diamond deposits through beneficiation joint venture and merger & acquisition opportunities in South Africa, Rockwell Diamonds has focused its energies this year on the Bondeo 140 CC acquisition of the Remhoogte/Holsloot (RH/HS) project, investing in the long-term future of both the Company and its staff and subsequently, securing return on investment.After a challenging few years for the diamond mining industry impacted by lower grades and a drop in carat sales, Rockwell proudly achieved higher overall revenue for the last financial year despite these challenges, helping to offset its significant asset investments it has made in South Africa.Equipped with the objective to create a growth-oriented mid-tier diamond mining and development company, Rockwell will focus on diamond value management by optimising recovery and driving down unit costs, in turn providing shareholders with the potential for growth and added value.“Having sold our interest in Tirisano, suspended operations at Niewejaarskraal and closed the Saxendrift Hill Complex, the completion of the Bondeo 140 CC acquisition delivers a suite of longer life options including the flagship RH/HS operations.“With these assets and our own Wouterspan and Lanyonvale feasibility and exploration projects we are now able to look to the future and deliver on our medium term objectives of building a sustainably profitable and integrated diamond business,” stated Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President, James Campbell.Moreover, Rockwell continues to strengthen its roots in South Africa by developing its ever-increasing local supplier list,…
Cronimet Chrome Mining SA (Pty) Ltd
Integrated Solutions for Tangible Benefits Writer: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Arron Rampling In order to remain ahead in markets with increasing volatility, the CRONIMET Group has been developing new and innovative approaches to business that demonstrates its track record of being able to develop integrated solutions, and to keep its finger on the pulse. Nowhere is this statement more applicable than on the African continent, where the CRONIMET Chrome Mining SA and CRONIMET Chrome SA (CRONIMET Chrome) divisions have been operating since 2008, following the strategic acquisition of mining exploration rights in South Africa.“Sub-Saharan Africa is a major growth market for CRONIMET. We are involved in all aspects of the mining operations here, and we have opened various business units that complement our mining operations, offering integrated solutions in various ways,” says Silvia Costa, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for CRONIMET Chrome Mining SA.The CRONIMET Chrome divisions are part of the CRONIMET Mining Group AG, a specialist servicing the global steel industry for more than 30 years. As a family-owned business established in the 1980s, the Group has become an integral part of the stainless steel, ferroalloy and primary metal mining industry around the world. The Group has a presence on four continents via its 56 subsidiaries, partnerships and representative offices and employs approximately 5,500 people. CRONIMET Mining, the mining division of the Group, provides solutions to the industry with its energy and processing business units and can adopt multiple roles in a mine’s operation, which is complemented by its vast product and service offering that constitutes a tangible advantage…
Minopex Mozambique
Perfectly Placed for the Commodity Boom Writer: Matthew StaffProject Manager: Arron Rampling Minopex has worked tirelessly to replicate its well-established South African operations in Mozambique over the past four years and is now in a prime position to capitalise on a future boom in the commodity market in the country.Invited into its initial operation in the East African nation in 2011, the mining operations and maintenance contractor has since leveraged and duplicated the vast expertise and industry knowledge across the full range of mineral processing activities to now be the leading player in Mozambique; stealing a march on any prospective competitors looking to enter the rapidly developing country in years to come.Since being chosen by Jindal Steel and Power to carry out operations and maintenance at its Chirodzi plant, Minopex Mozambique has gone from strength to strength through the attraction and application of its full turnkey offering.The Company’s Managing Director, Dave Spottiswoode says: “The move into Mozambique was a general move from our owners, Minopex South Africa, with it necessary for the Company to expand across borders.“Our turnkey approach has been very successful across the Group because it saves the clients on capital, with us essentially doing the dirty work for them. The only aspect the clients own and need to bring to the project is the plant itself.”The remaining elements taken care of within the Minopex service comprises the personnel from top to bottom and all technical equipment, all the way to office furniture, vehicles, IT software and major tools needed to fulfil the requirements of the…
Scamont Engineering (Pty) Ltd
Real Solutions for Sustainable Mining Writer: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Arron Rampling Scamont Engineering has evolved over the past four decades to become an engineering powerhouse, servicing the global mining industry with its positive displacement (PD) pumps and pneumatic rock drill product range; with the desire to bring the latest innovations to as many open pit and underground mines as possible in order to better tackle challenges facing the industry on a daily basis.The acquisition of the Grifo Group in 2013 signalled Scamont’s focus on aggressive expansion in South Africa and the central regions of the continent; in particular Zambia and the DRC, where the Grifo range of multi-stage clearwater pumps are extensively used in high volume dewatering applications.The acquisition meant that Scamont could offer a complete dewatering solution to the market whereby a client can explore a multitude of dewatering methodologies using either PD pumps or multi-stage clearwater pumps, or combinations of both depending on their specific requirements.“The acquisition of the Grifo Group - which included a foundry - increased our manufacturing capabilities and capacities, yielding a market-relevant and advanced product range that complements the modern mining industry. We manufacture close-to 100 percent of our products in-house, except for a few outsourced specialised processes; something that puts us head and shoulders above the competition. The Grifo product range still exists, but it is now manufactured by Scamont,” explains Claudio Sandri, Managing Director (MD) of Scamont Engineering.Equipped with an enhanced and popular product range including Grifo multi-stage clearwater pumps and Scamont slurry pumps, the Company has made a name…
African Underground Mining Services (AUMS)
Breaking Records with a Can-do Attitude Writer: Matthew StaffProject Manager: Arron Rampling African Underground Mining Services (AUMS) has been bringing Australian standards of mining to the African market for the best part of 10 years and is on the brink of even further success as new, record breaking, projects take off and the local talent pool expands.Formed as a joint venture in 2007 between leading Australian mining service providers, Barminco and Ausdrill who have more than a quarter of a century’s experience operating in Africa - as the 100 percent Ausdrill owned, AMS - AUMS as a wholly owned subsidiary has optimised its expertise as an underground mining contractor ever since; subsequently changing the dynamic of the wider industry in the region.The Company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Blair Sessions explains: “Around 60 percent of the Australian underground mining market is completed using a contractor business model, with only 40 percent or so being run as an owner-operator mine.“In Africa, it was the opposite so when a whole lot of underground mines opened up in the mid 2000s on the continent, everyone was initially favouring the owner-operator model without really exploring all the different contracting options around the world.”This gap in the market gave AUMS the opportunity it was looking for to break into the domain and to replicate the same success it had achieved in Australia with Barminco; delivering a lower cost per unit offering, and developing a client’s mine at higher speed, better quality, and at lower unit cost than the market had anticipated or been exposed…
Soliton Telmec
The Home of Fibre and ICT Enterprise Writer: Matthew StaffProject Manager: Donovan Smith Soliton Telmec is building upon a successful 2014, capitalising on a dynamic and entrepreneurial philosophy which will see the Company expand and diversify its innovative range of services and solutions in East Africa.The telecommunication engineering technology business traditionally completes conceptual designs as well as carrying out maintenance and service connections across the region, particularly focusing on the rollout of fibre in Kenya to connect monitoring cameras used by law enforcement agents.Security is just one sector addressed by the myriad services and solutions offered by Soliton as part of its ongoing continuous improvement strategy. This significant period of 12 months has also witnessed increased investment into machinery and tools from an internal perspective, and an external expansion of the business as a whole through a revival of its Tanzanian office.“The goal for 2014 was to be an industry leader with standards that the market depends on,” says the Company’s Chief Technical Officer (CTO), Ali Maawiy. “We have been at the forefront on the deployment of FTTx, we have successfully converted IP networks to GPON, and have reduced the cost of operations and increased uptime due to power instabilities.“Improvement is an ongoing activity, and industry dynamism and better customer services are the cornerstones for progressive improvements.”Compounding this growth has been an even more concerted expansion of its business networks too, indicative of a collaborative ethos which continuously sees Soliton as an active component of each local community in which it operates through various CSR initiatives.Key…
Telekom Networks Malawi
Best-in-Class Internet Solutions Writer: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Donovan Smith Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) is considered the pioneer mobile network in Malawi as first-movers in 3.5G broadband services and commanding 74 percent geographic network coverage. TNM offers a comprehensive range of pre-paid and post-paid services, including its unrivalled voice and data connectivity, with affordability and reliability in mind. These two key factors have resulted in a comprehensive strategy involving the recent acquisition of the ISP business from Burco Electronic Systems, continuous upgrades to its core network, enhancements to its already strong data coverage and completion of further improvements to the network. “Just as mobile telephony has transformed traditional communications in Malawi, the internet has the potential to transform our economy further. Mobile internet access grew by 95 percent last year to more than two million users.“Thus, we have upgraded the network to improve reliance and capacity and introduce new capabilities not only in order to improve the customer experience, but to ensure we have a network that is future proof,” explained the Company.ModernisationIn 2014, TNM successfully completed the MK11.9 billion expansion of its data broadband services by deploying 87 additional 3G base stations across the country and upgrading the network in major cities to the latest 3.75G high-speed technology. Further to this, the Company is also preparing its core data network for the LTE data evolution.“The provision of internet services in Malawi remains a huge growth area and as part of our own coverage expansion and general improvement strategy, we have added 36 new sites in Lilongwe City and…