Quality of Living Survey

The Gabonese capital Libreville is ranked 13th in Africa in terms of the quality of life， and it was ranked first in Central Africa， a U.S human resource firm， Mercer， said in a recent report. The survey was based on the detailed evaluation of 39 elements of quality of life which were grouped into 10 categories that include political and social environment， economic and socio-cultural environment， public transport services， urban infrastructure， leisure spots， consumer goods and housing.

Transformation of Economy

South African President Jacob Zuma said in January that the African National Congress is committed to transforming the economy so as to eliminate poverty， unemployment and inequality in the country. Zuma said his party is fighting hard to remove the legacy of apartheid， and decisive action is required to change economic patterns. South Africa is facing daunting challenges in poverty， unemployment and inequality. The government established a National Development Plan in 2012 to address these challenges.

High Consumption Rate

A recent study has revealed that increasing levels of consumerism have made Africa a main attraction for many multinational companies looking for a good return on investment. The report released by the Mckinsey Africa Consumer Insights Center cites a sizeable number of investments targeting household consumerrelated products and services over the last decade. According to the report， the African consumers have been spurred on by the growing appeal of apparel， financial services， grocery， Internet and telecommunications services.

Overseas Athletics Director

Kenya would employ a foreign technical director to oversee the coaching and officiating of its athletics program amid stiff competition from its opponents in long and middle distance racing， said Athletics Kenya （AK） Chairman Isaiah Kiplagat in January. Kiplagat said the position， which is also open to local coaches， will be filled by April. After registering dismay at the countrys dismal showing at last years Olympics， Kenya is waking up to improve its structure， which will also culminate with the election of a new AK executive in February.

Adult Education Grows

The Ministry of Education of Eritrea said recently that the countrys Adult Education Program， launched nationwide in 2000， has gained momentum. More than 600，000 nationals have benefited from the program in the last 10 years， giving rise to the possibility of future accomplishments. Pointing out that the age of the programs target group ranges from 15 to 45， with more focus placed on females， Tiquabo Ayimut， head of curriculum planning and development in the ministry， explained that the government has been making substantial investments in this regard with a view to ensur- ing restitutions to citizens who did not have access to education when they were younger.

Museum Boom

China is home to 3，589 museums， including 3，054 stateowned and 535 private ones， according to information released by the Minister of Culture at a recent conference on cultural relics. The Chinese Government will further promote free museum admission and improve the quality of displays and public services. In 2011， the Palace Museum in Beijing， also known as the Forbidden City， received 14 million visitors， twice the number of visitors in 2002.

Record High

Chinas Ministry of Commerce recently announced that Chinas foreign trade with African countries may have hit a record high in 2012 as a result of favorable trade policies. Trade between China and African countries reached $163.9 billion in the first 10 months of 2012， up 20 percent year on year. China has exempted tariffs on 60 percent of goods imported from 30 African countries since January 2012 to boost trade with the continent. The Chinese Government is also encouraging enterprises to invest in African countries by raising funds and giving preferential loans， said the ministry.

Top Award Winners

Explosion mechanics expert Zheng Zhemin and radar engineer Wang Xiaomo won Chinas top science award on January 18 at an annual ceremony in Beijing. Zheng， 88， a member of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering（CAE） has devoted his career to research in the areas of elastic mechanics， explosive processing and underground nuclear detonations. Wang， 74， is a CAE member who is regarded as the “father” of airborne warning and control system （AWACS） in China.

WTO Chief Candidate

The Kenyan Government has nominat- ed Ambassador Amina Mohamed as a candidate for the position of director general of the World Trade Organization（WTO）. Mohamed， a career diplomat who is currently the deputy executive director of UNEP， will fight it out with eight contenders to replace Pascal Lamy， whose term ends in August. Mohamed had occasion to chair the WTO General Council in 2005.

More Overseas Talent

China will make an effort to recruit more high-caliber talent from overseas， according to Zhang Jianguo， Director General of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs. He pledged to employ more market-oriented measures in recruiting experts， including cooperation with high-level expert associations and headhunting firms. The recruited professionals will mainly bring into play their expertise in the fields of engineering materials， bioscience and information science， said the official. According to a 10-year program initiated in August 2011， China aims to recruit 500 to 1，000 overseas experts， focusing on the nations needs in key industries.

Pension Growth

Chinese authorities have decided to raise pensions for corporate retirees by 10 percent to cope with the rising cost of living. The new rule retroactively took effect on January 1. Pensions will be raised based on the 2012 basic level of monthly pen- sions per capita. The Central Government pledged to establish a pensionadjusting mechanism to ensure that pensions for corporate retirees could be raised gradually. Their per-capita monthly pensions have been increased from 700 yuan （$111） in 2005 to 1，721 yuan （$273） in 2012.

Patent Authorization

The State Intellectual Property Office granted 1.26 million patents to domestic and overseas applicants in 2012， up 31.25 percent from a year earlier， according to data released by the office in January. In 2012， the office received 2.05 million patent applications from inside and outside of China， a year-on-year increase of 25.77 percent. The office grants patents in three categories： inventions， utility models and designs.

Air Quality Data

The China National Environmental Monitoring Center released air quality data on New Years Day， including intensity of fine particulate matter with a diameter under 2.5 microns（PM2.5）. On January 1， 2013， 496 sites in 74 major Chinese cities began monitoring PM2.5 data. Information on particulate matter in China used to be limited to particulate matter 10 microns or less in diameter. Live air quality data are provided at the centers website， www.cnemc.cn. A mobile phone application is also available. Chinas urban air quality monitoring will proceed in stages， with all prefecture-level cities slated to begin PM2.5 monitoring by 2016.