It is no exaggeration to say that the future of African economic development, in the near to mid term at least, is inextricably linked with its mineral resources. It is these that will provide the capital that can be re-invested in building a sustainable business infrastructure whether in manufacturing, services or technology and innovation.

Next year more than half of UK firms expect to create new jobs according to a survey released this month from CBI/Accenture called, ‘On the up’. The report stated that 51% of firms expect their workforce to be larger this time next year, the highest figure since the start of the recession in 2008.

With more jobs being created and the UK finally experiencing economic growth, 2014 could prove a fresh start for many people who have been considering a new job or a change of career but have held off looking during the recession.

In this age of dynamic information technology developments power is being distributed like never before. For example, Andrew Haldane, Executive Director for Financial Stability at the Bank of England, writing in The Spectator (2 November 2013) notes that at the root of banking is market information. Banks have been the middlemen between savers and borrowers. The arrival of the great icons of the peer-to-peer market place, Amazon, Google and eBay have cut out the middleman and it is this disintermediation that marks the revolution of our Age.

The two blocks, the inland Block B and offshore Block 15, were offered to the company on a nomination basis following a meeting between India’s Oil and Natural Gas Minister, Veerappa Moily, and Sudan’s Petroleum Minister, Hatim Abuelgasin Mukhtar M Elamin, last week. Should the offer be accepted ONGC Videsh would have 100 percent right of investment in the blocks in Block B, which are reported to have established oil reserves, and Block 15, which is currently at the exploratory stage.

Rio Tinto is the first of the big diversified miners to report its annual production figures for 2013, which showed strong growth despite industry concerns of weakening Chinese demand for steel.

The Anglo-Australian mining giant produced 70.4 million tonnes of iron ore in the fourth quarter, a six percent increase on the same period in 2012. It comes at the same time that the company implements a series of cost cuts that has seen it reduce exploration costs alone by $1 billion.

Founded in 1977, Grupo Zeta started life as a simple sales organisation set up by the legendary Don Miguel Zaragoza Fuentes, one of Mexico's best known entrepreneurs. Knowing that there would be a growing demand for gas in the country as its industrial base grew in tandem with its population, Zaragoza then set about the task of creating a full-scale downstream industry. He began to fabricate storage tanks, gas cylinders and every kind of gas handling equipment. Today Grupo Zeta is a fully integrated gas company that employs 70,000 people.

The Chinese telecom equipment company says it expects to make a profit of up to 29.4bn yuan ($4.9 billion), compared with 20bn yuan in 2012. This figure was boosted by the success of Huawei’s smartphone division and various cost cutting measures across the business. The firm also said growth in emerging markets helped offset subdued revenues in economies such as US and Australia, where it has faced security concerns.