The Promota Africa Magazine

Review: BMW ActiveHybrid X6

Although BMW initially shunned hybrids in favor of clean diesels and other alternative powertrains, the German automaker is joining the electrically assisted fray next year with not one but two gasoline-electric vehicles: the 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 — our first drive of which you can read here — and the 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6.

Both models share ActiveHybrid badging and fall in the contradictory performance-hybrid segment, but their similarities end there. The 7 is a mild hybrid that uses an electric motor in its eight-speed automatic gearbox and a compact lithium-ion battery mounted in the trunk to assist acceleration and run the accessories; the X6 is a far more complex full hybrid. The latter’s pair of motors and advanced electronic continuously variable transmission allow it to waft up to 1.6 miles and at speeds of up to 37 mph on electric current alone. Forget about Prius-like fuel economy, though, because the ActiveHybrid X6 is the most powerful hybrid yet produced, with the electric bits combining with a 400-hp, 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 to produce a total output of 480 hp and 575 lb-ft of torque. (When pressed on why it didn’t choose to pair the hybrid system with the X6 xDrive35i’s twin-turbo six-cylinder, BMW simply says that using the V-8 made for the largest jump in efficiency. Plus, the company added, the resulting vehicle would be slower.)

Publisher’s Letter

Be yourself! Let us be proud Africans!

"Most people are other people. 
Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions,
their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation. 
~Oscar Wilde, De Profundis, 1905"

It has been a hectic month with a lot of good progress for the Promota, having on board a varied team of new contributors and sub-editors.

This spring, The Promota was honoured to be invited to cover a seminar at the Saaid Business School – Oxford University on the theme “Africa is next”. We had the privilege to interview Mr. Zain who was one of the speakers on the day and who will probably open your mind to the investment opportunities there are in Africa. We also managed to interview another Oxford graduate sharing her passion and what it takes to be a student in Oxford.

Africa is indeed next in terms of emerging markets as shown in the interview of the CEO of Quality Chemicals, the first ARV pharmaceutical industry in Sub-Sahara to be certified by WHO. It shows how the abundance of anything is possible now in Africa. Probably in the near future, Africa will be able to export quality drugs to the West. The innovative plant came during the time when the deadly Aids/HIV was causing havoc to the progressive middle class, which Africa needs most to develop.

Interview Wil Johnson

Talks Producing, Nollywood & Africa/Carribbean Unity with Promota!

The star of BBC's 9yr series Waking The Dead, Wil Johnson talks to Promota's Beauty & Arts Editor Clare Eluka about his latest film "Disorientated Generation" which he co-produced with Nigerian CEO Christian Ashaiku, about discipline of children in today's western society and African Prosperity.

Clare Eluka: I know you and Chris are working on a ‘relationship’ film. What is it?
Wil Johnson: It’s about this young Nigerian guy who is looking for love in modern Britain and over the course of 3 years he goes through 3 very different relationships. He is married to an English girl and that marriage ends. Then he has this relationship with a girl from West Indian parentage which ends also. He ends up marrying a Nigerian girl and then that ends as well. So there’s this guy trying to find this Utopia, his Mrs Right because all he wants to do is have a peaceful life, get married, have kids and that’s it but we know that sometimes that journey takes a detour ... yeah ... it takes that many detours trying to get to that Utopia. So when I read the script I was very interested in taking part and then he asked me if I was interested to be on board as co-producer. We got some funding from Enfield Council and the rest was self-funded from me and Chris.  

Interview: Rudolph Walker, OBE

The Eastenders star, Rudolf Walker talks to Promota’s Beauty & Arts Editor Clare Eluka about his success on the screen.

CE: What bought you to London in 1960?
RW: I came in September of 1960 to be exact. Just coming up to my 21 birthday. I was a very young man who had never left the island of Trinidad apart from sailing over to Tobago. It was an extraordinary feeling because I arrived in Britain and I said to myself, I am here to face whatever happens. There was no panic, I had this confidence. Nothing fazed me, not even the cold weather coming in the autumn. Somebody would say “Rudolph, It’s snowing outside” and I would look and say “Oh, Yes it is” and thought nothing of it.

Interview Zain Latif, An Investor Keen to transform the Lives of Africans

The answer for Africa’s underinvested health infrastructure.

Mr. Will Mutenza the publisher of Promota magazine had a chance to meet Zain Latif, Principal of TLG Capital.  

Promota: There may be some folks who don’t know you so, if you had to introduce yourself, what would you say?
Zain: I am the principal of TLG Capital, a firm that focuses on frontier markets.

Promota: What is your background and what was it that motivated you to begin TLG Capital?
Zain: To give some background: TLG Capital started in September 2009. But before that, I was an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs in the New Markets division focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa across all products. I joined Goldman Sachs from Merrill Lynch where I was involved in originating and executing a number of emerging market transactions in Africa.

Prior to that, I worked in the special situations African effort at HSBC, which culminated in the inaugural debt/equity hybrid structure for a leading Nigerian financial institution; that was widely reported. At 19, I gained a Masters in Finance from Cass Business School, City University.

Interview Olajumoke B. Bamigboye

The Promota was honoured to interview one of the most beautiful MBA students at Oxford University.She is actually not just beautiful but the most intelligent beauty you can meet. Africa is truly endowed with great people.

What is your name?
Olajumoke B. Bamigboye

Where do you come from in Africa?
The North Central part of Nigeria.

What is your education & career background?
I graduated with a First Class Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. I got an offer from Goldman Sachs International, which I accepted. I worked at Goldman Sachs for several years, and then decided to complete an MBA at Oxford University. In mid 2010, I will be commencing the International Alliance of Research Universities Global Summer Programme (IARU GSP) at Cambridge University, which I am extremely excited about.

Why did you choose Oxford University?
Whilst thinking about where to complete my MBA, I researched various institutions and desired to align my studies with the non-academic curriculae opportunities offered. Oxford immediately stood out for me. Oxford is renowned as one of the world’s top universities and is also well known as an entrepreneurship hub, with many world leaders trained here. The diverse community, calibre and wealth of knowledge this university affords is truly remarkable and I couldn’t have picked a better institution.