- The country offers investors and visitors its historic heritage, exotic flora and fauna, mountains and natural beauty. The tropical rain forest is home to some of the rare and endangered species of monkeys, baboons, birds, butterflies and a wide variety of antelope and buffalo families.Sierra Leone was in past an important centre of the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans. The capital Freetown was founded in 1787 by the Sierra Leone Company as a home for formerly enslaved African Americans who had fought for the British in the American Revolutionary War. In 1808, Freetown became a British Crown Colony, and in 1896, the interior of the country became a British Protectorate. The Crown C…

- The police authorities in the Netherlands have recently issued a statement that in 2007 a record number of fines for speeding offences will be realised. The year 2007 will set a record of 10 million speeding fines, 71.5 percent for the smallest violations: driving 4-10 kilometres over the speed limit. Compared with 2006, the number of such fines is set to increase by 828,000. Police made this estimate based on figures of October 2007 and expects the number of fines to stabilise or decline slightly in 2008 after years of increase. Almost three quarters of the 10 million tickets were for driving between four and 10 kilometres per hour above the limit. In the Netherlands there are seven milli…

-  16 May 2007, by Ben Zwinkels. The well known Dutch-Surinamese entertainer Mrs. Jetty Mathurin found her roots in Cameroon through a recent visit to the King of Baham, POUOKAM II Max, in the West Province of Cameroon. As descendant from an African slave and grown up and educated in Paramaribo, the question has always been: "Where do I come from, where are my roots?" This has been one of the fundamental questions asked by humans since thousands of years. Also for Mrs. Mathurin and therefore, together with seven other Dutch-Surinamese, in April 2007 she traveled to Cameroon with high expectations of meeting her traditional origins. The trip was organized by www.kameroenreizen.nl and bro…

 26 April 2007, by Ben Zwinkels - Equatorial Guinea in Central Africa is quickly becoming an important regional player in de CEMAC zone of Africa. Since 1995, oil exports (currently 97 percent of total export earnings) have caused the Equatoguinean economy to grow rapidly from a very poor country to a middle income country. In the early years of the millennium this country is now one of the fastest growing economies in the world, due to investments in its large reserves of oil and gas. Foreign direct investment inflows reached USD 1.86 billion in 2005, the third largest in sub-Saharan Africa. Real GDP growth in 2004 was 34.2% but this has since settled down to about 6% in 2006. By 2005,…

- 10 April 2007, by Ben Zwinkels. This week we were again confronted with the shameful "Schengen" regulations for Nigerians for obtaining entry visa for the Netherlands. On a special invitation two high profile investment managers were invited to attend an international investment conference in The Hague. Both managers, with excellent high local and foreign education, are working for a prime partner within a group of international development investors in Africa. The two managers in question are representing the new generation of Nigerian high professionals, are working with high respect for integrity and human business qualities and have the convinced attitude to create a new Nigeria and of…

2 April 2007, by Ben Zwinkels. It was a great opportunity to be invited as a guest speaker at the Intra Business Network (IBN) conference, which was held in Dubai from March 29th till April 1st, 2007. The IBN network originates from business links within the Ismailia Business Community in Africa. As its vision the IBN has facilitating and creating competitive business alliances and partnerships for its members and successfully meeting the emerging regional and international challenges and opportunities in Africa and beyond. Coming together with 120 members, particularly from Africa, of IBN in Dubai did put some questions. Why has IBN chosen to organize the conference for high profile busines…

 18 March 2007, by Ben Zwinkels. During a big ceremony at the Head Offices of the BMCE Bank (Banque Marocaine du Commerce Exterieure) in Casablanca on Friday the 16th of March 2007, a Protocole d"Investissement has been signed by Mr. Othman Benjelloun (Chairman of the Group BMCE) and Mr. Paul Derreumaux (Chairman of the Group Bank of Africa). The signing of this document will lead to an important participation of 35% by the Group BMCE in the well-established Sub-Sahara Bank of Africa Banking Group with 22 commercial banks and financial institutions in 11 African countries, a total balance sheet of more then EUR 1100 million and 1700 employees. -  It was in 1992 when FMO m…

-  9 March 2007, by Ben Zwinkels. A two days visit to Namibia on the 1st and the 2nd of March 2007 is enough to convince yourself that the continent of Africa is not created to be called "one" Africa, but a continent with so many faces, different aspects, cultures and economical development. Namibia, a huge country in the South-West region of Africa with only around 2 million inhabitants is showing great progress and political stability. The actual president of Namibia Mr. Hifipunye Phamba has set the agenda for economic transformation focusing on good corporate governance, the eradication of corruption, land reform, performance of state owned companies and employment creation. The most…

-  By Ben Zwinkels. FMO is an investor in Capital Alliance Private Equity (Mauritius) Ltd., an investment fund completely dedicated to the Nigerian economy. The fund has been founded in 1999 just after the final democratic elections of the President Olusegun Obasanjo and the removal of a long period of military power. It was the American Dick Kramer, a well experienced Private Sector Developer and the Nigerian Okey Enelamah, a medical doctor who wanted to become Private Equity Manager, who had a vision of Nigeria entering into the era of economical growth and progress.   Yes, they were right. With the fund the managers invested a total amount of USD 11,7 million in 10 Nig…