Mining enterprise and partnerships for socio-economic development

Partnerships are emerging as important for the business operations of mining enterprises in many parts of the world, particularly in the global South. During 2010, the London-based International Council on Mining and Minerals launched a global initiative which is geared to strengthen the contribution of mining to development goals and poverty reduction by promoting multi-stakeholder partnerships. The purpose of this article is to furnish a critical review of relevant international experience of partnerships between mining companies and governments. These partnerships are considered to represent innovative cooperation models for economic development (especially diversification) and service delivery. It is argued that whilst partnerships represent an aspect of good business practice for mining enterprises, partnerships are not a panacea and in certain situations may not be an appropriate model for delivering results. In light of the significance of socio-economic development in sub-Saharan Africa, and of the potential for expansion of mining activities, further research is required concerning the operations of mining enterprises and partnerships in this region of the global economy

Secondary cities and tourism: the South African record

Abstract: Urban tourism has been explored extensively in the past 15 years in South Africa. Within the literature on urban tourism there is a large city bias with most research concentrated on the country’s major metropolitan destinations. Minimal attention has been directed to tourism which occurs in the country’s second order or secondary cities. In recent years the importance of secondary cities for national economic development and urban planning has been rediscovered and re-energised. In South Africa a new ‘conversation’ about the potential role of the country’s secondary cities has begun. This article offers an exploratory analysis of the tourism economies of South Africa’s secondary cities. It reveals the uneven and differentiated role of tourism across the country’s secondary cities

Restructuring manufacturing in South Africa's lagging regions : the case of the Free State

The manufacturing economy of the Free State reflects both historical dependence on locally available raw materials and high-levels of state intervention, in terms of support for import substitution and Homeland development. In the contemporary era, deindustrialization, the uncertain future of the clothing / textile industries and limited growth over the last ten years, suggests that, in terms of manufacturing, the Free State is a 'lagging' region. While there has been significant expansion in the number of small firms, this is not matched by employment growth and does not compensate for the loss of many large firms and economic downscaling in the Goldfields. Key sectors such as petro-chemicals and gold jewellery present certain opportunities for future growth

Enzymatic enhancement of the free monoterpenol content of a Portuguese wine from a single, native grape variety; “Trajadura”

Three important monoterpene aroma releasing activities contained in an Aspergillus niger preparation were investigated for effects of pH, alcohol, SO2, temperature and concentration of glucose. Application of the enzyme preparation during microvinification or wine maturation of a Portuguese white wine from Trajadura grapes, increased monoterpene content roughly 2-fold and 3-fold respectively

Minimising medicine use in organic dairy herds through animal health and welfare planning

Livestock is important in many organic farming systems, and it is an explicit goal to ensure high levels of animal health and welfare (AHW) through good management. This will lead to reduced medicine use and better quality of animal products. In two EU network projects NAHWOA & SAFO it was concluded that this is not guaranteed merely by following organic standards. Both networks recommended implementation of individual animal health plans to stimulate organic farmers to improve AHW. These plans should include a systematic evaluation of AHW and be implemented through dialogue with each farmer in order to identify goals and plan improvements. 15 research institutions in 8 European countries are involved in the proposed project with the main objective to minimise medicine use in organic dairy herds through active and well planned AHW promotion and disease prevention. The project consists of 5 work packages, 4 of which comprise research activities building on current research projects, new applications across borders, exchange of knowledge, results and conclusions between participating countries, and adopting them to widely different contexts. International and national workshops facilitate this exchange. Focus areas are animal health planning, AHW assessment using animal based parameters and development of advisory systems and farmer groups. Epidemiological analyses of the effect on AHW from reduced medicine use and herd improvements are planned in all participating countries

A Far-Ultraviolet View of Starburst Galaxies

Recent observational and theoretical results on starburst galaxies related to the wavelength regime below 1200 A are discussed. The review covers stars, dust, as well as hot and cold gas. This wavelength region follows trends similar to those seen at longer wavelengths, with several notable exceptions. Even the youngest stellar populations show a turn-over in their spectral energy distributions, and line-blanketing is much more pronounced. Furthermore, the O VI line allows one to probe gas at higher temperatures than possible with lines at longer wavelengths. Molecular hydrogen lines (if detected) provide a glimpse of the cold phase. I cover the crucial wavelength regime below 912 A and the implications of recent attempts to detect the escaping ionizing radiation.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, Invited Talk, Starbursts--From 30 Doradus to Lyman-Break Galaxies, ed. R. de Grijs & R. M. Gonzalez Delgado (Dordrecht: Kluwer

THE END OF COVID-19 AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS BY THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as a public health emergency in 2023. This study aims to review the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the hospitality sector in Africa in terms of achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It is based on a review of documentary sources on the nexus between COVID-19, SDGs and the hospitality sector in sub-Saharan Africa. The findings highlight that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the closure of hospitality facilities, significant job losses, decline in GDP contribution, financial losses and an increase in poverty which negatively impacted the achievement of various SDGs. This said, the pandemic also brought certain positive impacts including a reduction in carbon emissions and a greater appreciation of domestic tourism. Arguably, in the post COVID19 period, the hospitality sector in sub-Saharan Africa needs a reset with expanded measures towards the achievement of the SDGs. Correspondingly, African hospitality scholarship must pivot to address relevant research issues around the SDGs