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On April 27, 2014, South Africa celebrated the 20th anniversary of the country’s first multiracial and fully democratic elections, a momentous occasion that signalled the full end of apartheid and the foundation of the modern democratic state. In 1994, newspapers around the world printed headline photos of the long queues that people waited in simply to cast their first ballot...

In April 2014 South Africans celebrated the 20th anniversary of both the end of apartheid and the creation of the modern Republic of South Africa. These two events highlight just how far South Africa has come in the past two decades, during which the nation’s numerous assets – including a liberalised and internationally competitive economy; a strong and active civil...

The launch of the Brunei Insurance and Takaful Association (BITA) in November 2013 was a major event for the insurance industry and a highly anticipated one since plans for its formation were agreed upon in 2011. Bringing for the first time conventional and takaful insurers under one group, BITA is expected to unify the industry, especially in its relations with...

Although the business environment for insurers is challenging, Brunei Darussalam’s small insurance industry continues to expand gradually. Increasingly high court awards to accident victims have impacted the profitability of mandatory automotive and workers’ compensation insurance, while the government’s local business development policies as well as strong support for...

With some of the largest reserves of natural gas on the continent and a robust long-term upstream outlook, Egypt’s natural gas industry has made a significant turnaround by switching from exporting to importing. In the first decade of this century, Egypt went about exploiting its gas resource with great success, doubling production between 2000 and 2006. However, after a...

Thanks to their lengthy development cycles, Egypt’s oil and gas fields have continued to attract foreign investment steadily over the past three years, in spite of the broader instability in the country. The reserves remain extensive enough to ensure continued interest in them for years to come. Nevertheless, there has been a plateau in production levels and, due to...