Ghanaian officials visit the IDC

A delegation from Ghana visited the IDC recently, to enquire about investment and development partnerships between that country and the IDC. Thokoane Tsolo, Head: Africa unit and Peter Lekhethe, Business Development Manager, Africa unit hosted the delegation.

In a bid to unlock investment and development opportunities in Ghana, the IDC’s Africa unit recently hosted officials from Ghana.  The IDC has investments in Ghana, which includes a $46 million hotel project and a $20million telecommunications project. “Ghana has been earmarked as one of the countries in which the Africa unit wants to increase its investment for the next financial year,” says Peter Lekhethe, Business Development Manager of the Africa unit. “We spread the message amongst the Ghanaian delegation that the IDC is ready for business and willing to embark on sustainable projects in that country. This snowballed into talks already taking place on certain projects.”

Donation to boost skills in the diamond industry

Eric Mahamba-Sithole, Head of External Learning and Development and Abel Malinga, Head of Mining and Beneficiation SBU, hand over a cheque of R 200 000 to Koos Rademeyer, principal of the Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Training School.

Six students from the Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Training School now have the opportunity to study further and acquire diamond cutting and polishing skills, thanks to a R200 000 donation from the IDC’s Learning and Development (External) department. 

Established and owned by the South African Diamond Industry, the school was started in 1990. “The IDC’s involvement was

spurred by the Mining & Beneficiation SBU, which encouraged External Learning and Development to play a role in improving disadvantaged youths and unemployed miners’ diamond cutting and polishing skills,” says head of the department, Eric Mahamba-Sithole. This involvement has paid off as one of the 

IDC’s clients, African Romance, has employed the first ever black female diamond cutter in the country, trained at the school. Says manager and principal of the school, Koos Rademeyer: “We need to equip students with skills on how to turn South African diamonds into the end product of polished diamonds, instead of exporting them as raw products. We’re adamant to uphold the school’s reputation as the finest diamond training facility in the world, whilst assisting students to understand all aspects of diamond polishing”. 

IDC scoops awards

Alfred Netch, head of Environmental Health and Safety, receives the Best Developer of the Year Award 2009 on behalf of the IDC.

An IDC-funded enterprise, Dynamic Commodities won the first prize at the Anuga Food Fair in Cologne, the world’s biggest, in the Fine Foods category with their product Bit O’Juice. The IDC has funded the business since 1999 and has made several loans over a 10-year-period, the last of which was in January 2008.

Bit O’Juice won the award in the innovation section and entails a process in which the cells of lemons are extracted and frozen. Manie Maritz, managing director of Dynamic Commodities says Bit O’Juice took five years to develop and is manufactured in the Coega Industrial Development Zone.

Jeannette le Roux, senior account manager, Food Beverage and Agro Industries, says the company’s strong and innovative management team gives it the cutting edge.

The IDC also walked away with The Best Developer of the Year Award 2009 from the Africa Investor, a leading international investment research and communication group. The organisation recognises innovative projects and rewards the personalities driving transactions and improving the continent’s infrastructure investment climate which is critical to facilitate economic integration and social development. It also rewards and recognises the performance of investors, stakeholders, developers, contractors, and regulators in Africa’s fast-growing infrastructure sectors.