Catching Up : 04-12-2007

• The Highs and Lows of African Oil (Time Magazine). A small account of "the promise and pitfalls of business on the world's second fastest-growing continent. Africa? That's right. In October, the IMF predicted that sub-Saharan Africa's real GDP will grow 6.75% in 2008, versus 7.2% in Asia, 3.2% in Europe and 1.9% in the U.S. Growth rates in several African countries evoke the Asian tigers of two decades ago, prompting keen international interest."

• Spotlight: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala – Nigerian reformer (Financial Times). Ok, ok I am a big fan of her, but one must say she did a great job while she was Nigeria's finance minister. Now she up to a lot more : "For the past year, Mrs Okonjo-Iweala has chaired advisory boards on Africa for Renaissance Capital, the Russian investment bank seeking to repeat in Africa the success it had in the former Soviet states during the 1990s. She has set up an opinion poll back home as well as a $60m fund to promote African women, while also serving the philanthropic foundations of Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Mo Ibrahim, the Sudanese telecoms mogul."

• President Paul Biya : 25 years and counting... (Scribbles from the Den).

• ANC leadership contest kicks off (BBC), it will oppose current president Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. This contest promises to be intense, and we'll watch it closely.
  

• The 2007 Silicon Alley 100 (Silicon Alley). You'll find the annual list of the most influential folks in New York digital business.

• Papa Eto'o is back (BBC). Not much of a football fan, but still, I am glad to hear that he's back ..
  

Tags: African development, african oil, Nigeria, Nigerian politics, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Paul Biya, Cameroonian politics, politique camerounaise, South African politics, Eto'o