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the world. In South Africa, the future of the

game is being plotted by the highly-respected Fran Hilton-Smith, who is acting technical director of the South African Football Association.

This is the first time that a member association has placed a woman into the technical director’s role that looks after both the men’s and women’s game in a country.

And closer to home, there is a woman on the Football Association of Zambia executive committee that I head. Lenny Nkhuwa has proven to be an excellent administrator. With her in charge of women’s football, Zambia enjoyed success with the U-20 national team beating South Africa 1-0 in the final, to win the Africa Zone Six Women Football Championship in November. In Zambia, over the past three years we have insisted that the Women’s senior, U-20 and U-17 teams, be in the hands of women. We must be one of the few countries in Africa with an all-female technical bench.

There are numerous women club owners and CEOs and within companies that supply services to the football industry. Where this previously may have been rare, it is now commonplace.

The question often asked is whether a woman might one day coach a top professional men’s team. I think it is probably inevitable, though how long it is going to take, I cannot say. It is likely that we are talking years rather than decades.

There is the notable case of Bolivian Nelfi Ibanez. The homemaker, who studied numerous coaching courses, took charge of a professional men’s team in Peru, albeit in the second tier. It has started to happen in other sports too; in basketball women have become assistant coaches of professional teams.

Certainly, in terms of knowledge and the skillset needed to coach, I cannot see why any woman would not be able to acquire these in the same way that men do. The language of football can be spoken beautifully by either gender.

Improving the nation’s education infrastructure is a key component of Liberia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. A generation of young people in Liberia has had little or no access to education, and many were child soldiers during a period of political and economic insta-bility, including two civil wars within a 23-year period. The current administra-tion, which has been led by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf since 2006, is working to improve children’s access to education.

It’s Africa’s Time visits Liberia, where AECOM is engaged in developing this education infrastructure and is working together with the government, World Bank and NGO Plan International to build 67 schools by 2015. We meet rep-resentatives from AECOM, World Bank, UNDP and the Ministry of Education to discuss this significant intervention and its focus on sustainable local develop-ment.

“The wars in Liberia destroyed and arrested social development to the extent that the infrastructure was destroyed, the schools were destroyed and so were the hospitals. The current development strategy of Liberia is the agenda for transformation. The main challenges to education remain acces-sibility. We need additional schools, we need to rehabilitate schools that were destroyed during the civil war and we need to provide properly trained teachers,” says Aneas C. Chuma, UNDP Resident Representative, Liberia.

The schools are being built in 40 lo-

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cations, with construction split into two phases to accommodate the six-month rainy season that makes many roads impassable. AECOM’s team includes project managers, cost consultants and engineers from the firm’s UK and Africa operations, working closely with local contractors and architects from the World Bank.

“This development will ensure that Liberia has the education infrastructure it needs to prosper,” says Greg Pearson, Executive for Africa at AECOM.

AECOM’s technical expertise and creative excellence come from the rich history of some of the world’s finest en-gineering, environmental, construction management as well as planning and design companies. From transportation, energy and water systems to enhanc-ing environments and creating new buildings and communities, the AECOM vision remains constant—to make the world a better place.

With a collaborative approach to working globally and delivering locally, AECOM draws together teams of engi-neers, planners, architects, landscape architects, environmental specialists, economists, scientists, consultants, as well as cost construction, project and program managers dedicated to finding the most innovative and appropriate solutions to create, enhance and sustain the world’s built, natural and social environments.

It’s Africa’s Time airs on CNBC Africa, DStv channel 410 (www.itsafricastime.org)

AECOM REBUILDING LIBERIA’S EDUCATION INFRASTRUCTURE; FEATURED ON IT’S AFRICA’S TIME

AUGUST 2013 FORBES AFRICA | 17

In 1992, Mozambique emerged from civil war as one of the most impoverished countries in the world, but since then, it has achieved significant economic growth and one of the fastest growth rates in the world.

Currently, Mozambique has more development potential than many African countries. Water resources are relatively plentiful, as is the abundance of cheap energy through coal reserves, hydroelectric capacity and natural gas reserves.

Foreign direct investment in Mo-zambique hit a record level in 2012, with most of it directed at the natural resources sector. Mozambique could be Africa’s fastest-growing economy this year if government utilizes the country’s natural resource boom to address the challenges of poverty, food insecurity, and infrastructure.

The Moatize Mine in Mozambique has been producing coal since July 2011, and represents Brazilian mining giant Vale’s biggest investment within the segment. One of the biggest challenges in this region however, is logistics and in response to this challenge, Vale is investing in an African railroad, provid-ing connections to the port of Beira in the south as well as to the Nacala port, by crossing through Malawi.

It’s Africa’s Time travels to Mozam-bique to learn about the company’s inclusive business strategies around

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mining and infrastructure; as well as the impact of its investments in rail and port logistics solutions for the region’s socio economic development. Here we talk to representatives from Vale and UNDP, as well as the Minister of Energy; and meet with community members who have been positively impacted by the pres-ence of the mine.

We also learn about Vale’s training programs to build local entrepreneurial capacity, and its extended engagement in the provision of services and com-munity empowerment.

“Vale’s mission is to transform natural resources into economic development. There is no operation if we don’t have sustainable development for people and for the environment,” says Ricardo Saad, CEO of Vale Mozambique. Opera-tions Manager, Altiberto Bandau, adds: “It is not enough that you have an island of excellence inside the mine, if you have a sea of poverty outside the mine. And that’s our philosophy. Our license to operate is much more than a license given by the government. It is actually given by society.”

With headquarters in Brazil and oper-ations in more than 30 countries, Vale is a global company, committed to quality of life and environmental preservation in all of its regions of operation.

It’s Africa’s Time airs on CNBC Africa, DStv channel 410 (www.itsafricastime.org)

VALE — INFRASTRUCTURAL INVESTMENTS & SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN MOZAMBIQUE; FEATURED ON IT’S AFRICA’S TIME

AUGUST 2013 FORBES AFRICA | 67

economy was destined for, particularly with the infamous Zero-Deficit Budget (ZDB) of 2011/12 fiscal year. The ZDB stance hindered the economy more than helped it; punitive tax measures were introduced, invoking a huge outcry.

The ZDB framework was supported by around MK30 billions ($87.9 million) of money printing, with MWK20 billion ($58.6 million) domestic borrowing and around MWK72 billion ($211.1 million) in payments arrears to private sector and banks, according to the quarterly expenditure reports from Malawi’s central bank.

“The Malawi economy was virtually collapsing a year ago. The economy is heavily import-dependent in production. Imports account for about 42% of GDP, among the highest in the world, and yet 60% of exports earnings are accounted for by one commodity: tobacco, which is not only a primary commodity but also has endangered demand. The gap between imports bills and export earnings has been widening at an alarming rate and we had been relying on external aid payment arrear to fill this. Malawi relies on external aid to cover 40% of government expenditure, which is again very high. Poor tobacco prices and a drying up of aid automatically results in an inability to pay for imports, hence accumulation of arrears and loss in credit ratings,” says Ben Kaluwa, an economist at the University of Malawi.

Banda’s decision to devalue the Malawian kwacha, to stabilize the economy, was hailed by the IMF, but led to protests, including a nationwide strike by civil servants in February.

“The biggest challenge has been living up to the people’s expectations of dealing with all the challenges as fast as possible; including the issue of dealing with the negative impact of the economic reforms through some cushioning programs and interventions,” says Kubalasa.

Other key measures undertaken

Malawi’s population is estimated at 15 million, with a poverty headcount of over 50%. The country has experienced substantial improvements in life expec-tancy and food security but is unlikely to achieve the Millennium Development Goal objectives of poverty reduction, gender equality, universal primary edu-cation and maternal health by 2015.

The Malawian economy is predomi-nantly dependent on agriculture, which employs the majority of the country’s workforce and contributes to more than 80% of the country’s GDP. Cost efficien-cy and competitiveness in this sector are impacted by the lack of infrastructure, which remains a major obstacle to the country’s growth and development.

Socio-economic growth in Malawi is thus contingent on the development of key infrastructure sectors including pow-er, transport and ICTs; as well as strong policy support to attract the necessary investments to these sectors.

It’s Africa’s Time travels to Southern Malawi and Likoma Island to observe the impact of Mota-Engil’s extensive road rehabilitation programs. The Chikhwa-wa-Bangula road is a very important resource as it is a north-south corridor and provides access to the border of Mozambique in the south, and subse-quently affords land-locked Malawi with access to the sea.

“By building lots of roads in these locations, we contribute directly and in-directly to the alleviation of poverty. By improving the road conditions, transpor-tation becomes cheaper and the people immediately gain competitiveness in the

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marketplace and benefit from fast ac-cess for goods and travel,” says Gilberto Rodrigues, CEO of Mota-Engil Africa.

Likoma Island is the larger of two inhabited islands on Lake Malawi. It’s Af-rica’s Time visits the island to see the air-port runway constructed by Mota-Engil, and to discuss its impact on the tourism sector with subsequent job creation and local economic development. We also learn how the runway has assisted in providing safe access to emergency services previously unavailable to the local inhabitants.

Mota-Engil’s engagement in Malawi extends further to include its newly ac-quired concession to manage and oper-ate the ports of Lake Malawi; deepening it’s commitment to providing access to the cheaper transportation that is critical for Malawi’s economic growth.

With over 66 years of experience as a leader in Portugal and Angola, Mota-Engil brings together excellence in the fields of engineering and construction, environment and services, concessions of transport infrastructures and mining. The group has been expanding the geo-graphical base of its operations in Africa, assessing new markets, diversifying into new business areas and assisting in the development of these high growth po-tential economies. Currently working in eight countries in Africa and in the pro-cess of opening up three new branches, Mota-Engil Africa is at the rhythm of life and progress.

It’s Africa’s Time airs on CNBC Africa, DStv channel 410 (www.itsafricastime.org)

MOTA-ENGIL: INVESTMENTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR MALAWI’S SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH — FEATURED ON IT’S AFRICA’S TIME