India and South Africa to work on enhancing small business base; South Africa suspends Yusuf Saloojee over MTN bribery case; Egypt and Saudi Arabia discuss regional stability; Second African Women Economic Summit insists on women empowerment; African lead
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  • According to reports, Indian High Commissioner to South Africa, Virendra Gupta said that more than 70 small and medium scale businesses from India would interact with the local industry to help South Africa evolve a strong Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) base to boost growth and job creation, while showcasing their products at the annual South African International Trade Exhibition (SAITEX) exhibition. Ambassador Gupta said that India would be a partner country at SAITEX this year, with the biggest-ever participation to show the kind of collaboration that was possible between India and the countries of Southern Africa. 1

    In another development, according to reports, South Africa suspended its former ambassador to Iran amid allegations that he took bribe from MTN Group Ltd. to help the mobile-phone operator get an Iranian business license. The South African foreign ministry said that Yusuf Saloojee, who was Pretoria’s ambassador to Iran when MTN obtained a business license in 2005, was suspended early July 2012. The foreign ministry has been investigating whether Saloojee committed any wrongdoing as ambassador, but hasn’t released anything on the probe as of yet. 2

    Reports noted that President Mohammed Mursi of Egypt visited Saudi Arabia for his first foreign trip since taking office and met with King Abdullah, along with Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz, crown prince, deputy prime minister and defence minister. Both the leaders discussed various issues related to both the countries as well as regional stability. Earlier, Riyadh has deposited $1 billion into the Egyptian Central Bank as a loan guarantee. Egypt also received a $1 billion pledge of assistance from the Saudi-based Islamic Development Bank. Saudi Arabia has also allocated $250 million for natural gas exports to Egypt. 3

    The Second African Women Economic Summit opened in Lagos, Nigeria with a call on more decision makers to promote women empowerment and to remove the barriers that impede women’s economic progress throughout the African continent. In her opening remarks, Ms Cecilia Akintomide, Vice-President & Secretary General of the African Development Bank (AfDB) said that Africa must focus on solving the problems faced by African women such as education, access to health, and capacity building. African women, who represent over half of the population, hold only 26% of small size businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa and only 15% on the global front. 4

    Meanwhile, according to reports, US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns visited Tripoli for talks with Libyan interim Prime Minister Abdel Rahim al-Kib on enhancing security after historic elections. He said that a stable, prosperous future for Libya would rest on achieving progress on security, including Libya's ability to secure its borders, control weapons and prevent any group from undermining the progress made thus far. Burns praised the Libyan authorities for guiding the country through a complicated transition period and hailed the elections as a "critical milestone" on the path to establishing lasting democratic institutions. Talks also touched on health and education as areas for cooperation. 5

    Reports noted that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks with Egypt's top military leaders and asked them to contribute in the country's full transition to democracy. After her first meeting with Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected president, Clinton held talks with Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the country's interim military ruler. It is to be noted that Morsi is locked in a standoff with the military after he ordered parliament to reconvene, defying an army decision to disband the house. 6

    In other developments, according to reports, at the African Union (AU) meeting in Addis Ababa, the African leaders said that Africa faces a serious threat from al Qaeda and its allies trying to set up a sanctuary in northern Mali. They also pondered political and military strategies aimed at reuniting the divided West African state, which along with Guinea Bissau has put blots on the continent's democratic credentials. They also sought to reconcile feuding neighbours Sudan and South Sudan. 7

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