Since the launch of ReConnect Africa in May 2006, we have been touched and gratified by the many messages of support and congratulations, both from individual readers as well as from representatives of private and public sector organisations.

Through ReConnect Africa we will continue to bring you positive news of developments in Africa and in the Diaspora; to share the successes of Africans and to highlight the advances and growing opportunities that Africa offers for both careers and enterprise.  Look out for new features to the site in the coming months, offering major benefits to recruiters and job seekers.

It’s award season again and time to recognise those whose achievements should serve as an example and inspiration.  Ghana’s recent football success has boosted the country’s recognition factor in the West and gained her some new fans around Africa.  Ghana continued to celebrate after the match and we report on the Ghana Professional Awards in London that brought together many of Ghana’s sons and daughters living in the Diaspora.

Re-branding Africa is a challenge that we have embraced with ReConnect Africa.  If we don’t take the initiative to speak about Africa, we leave it to others to speak for us.  Recognising those who present a balanced picture of Africa is important and the third Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards offered such an opportunity (see “Change the perception of Africa for Business”).  The role the media plays in Africa is crucial and never more so than when elections take place.  Avoiding the pitfalls of biased and inaccurate reporting is key to strengthening our continent’s democracies and assuring continued investment.  In this issue, we report on the recent training programme held in Uganda to strengthen media reporting skills during elections in Africa (“Honing the Skills of Africa’s 4th Estate”).

ReConnect Africa continues to attract media attention and recent articles about us have appeared in News Africa, a widely circulated European publication for the Diaspora, The Zimbabwean and The Trumpet, Britain’s largest distributed Black publication.

Keep your comments coming and thank you to all our readers and contributors.  Support us by e-mailing a link to ReConnect Africa to your friends and contacts.

Thanks!