Trendsnafrica is a 24/7 news portal promoting Africa as a destination for investment, trade and technology transfer. The only digital platform exclusively dedicated to promoting African business outside the vast continent, our portal crossed milestones in outreach, eye balls, connecting businesses. Our regular viewership includes, apart from businesses across the world, policy makers, academia, ordinary people who wants to have a grasp of the vast terrains of the continent endowed with rich mineral resources, flora and fauna, composite culture etc. Started as a fortnightly e-newsletter, very soon we developed two powerful digital platforms, Africa4U & www.trendsnafrica.com. The two publications supplement and complement each other in presenting the enormous business potential of 54 countries in Africa to the outside world.
The user friendly news portal www.trendsnafrica.com has interesting segments, such as region specific news, OP-ED, B2B which gives tenders and other business opportunities, interviews and a lot more. Several innovative business friendly add-ons are being contemplated to bring to the readers the changing tide of the largest continent in the world, where over a billion people live and is billed as the most happening continent of the 21st century. Yes, business Africa is only a click away for our discerning and committed followers.
Africa4U, our first venture, supplements the portal in reaching out to larger number of people. It is designed in reader- friendly manner to ensure that the readers can go from primer to compendium. Those who want to read only the headlines can surf each important news in a second, and a simple click at the bottom of the headline will take the reader to the detailed news, which again is shorn off all frills, to have an easy grasp of the content. It serves as a fortnightly Africa news round -up.
We have a rare combination of talents and people who have deep insights of news and market. With over three decades of Africa-centric experience and that too at the level of a senior functionary in an apex Indian chamber- FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry )- heading the Africa Desk, Shiela Sudhakaran has an impeccable track record of espousing the cause of Africa, building bridges between the businesses of Africa and the rest of the world. She has a hands-on experience on Africa, picked up through her extensive contacts, consultations with “who is who” in African businesses and governments and importantly visiting the huge continent several times.
Team Trends’n’africa
Sheila Sudhakaran, Fromer Assistant Secretary General, FICCI (Federation Of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) has been a strong votary of deepening and diversifying India’s business and economic engagements with Africa. She has been playing a key role in identifying new vistas of cooperation between the two regions by working closely with Indian and African governments, corporations and development agencies.
In her pursuit to scale up the content and direction of the India-Africa economic partnership, Sheila has been instrumental in breaking new grounds through sectoral, bilateral and regional business initiatives with Africa. She is the chief Architect of FICCI’S Africa strategy and developed FICCI’s business linkages across the continent by setting up an excellent syndicate of MOU partners.
Sheila also championed the cause for closer Indo African economic and political ties through high level political visits and CEO delegations. She was part of many Head of State Business Interactions in India and Africa.
Sheila has an in depth understanding about the geopolitical and economic priorities of the African continent and has been advising many corporations and specialized bodies. She actively participated and worked closely with Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Finance, African Union (AU), African Development Bank (AFDB), WorldBank in the areas of business promotion and policy advocacy.
Sheila’s engagement with Africa as a business policy catalyst and advocacy agent spans over three decases She has been the mover and shaker of many programs and initiatives. She regularly chairs, moderates and speaks at Business conferences and business forums in India and Africa
Widely travelled in Africa and an avid follower of developments in the continent, Sheila has organized several big-ticket programs and delegations, including business interactions during the India Prime Minister’s Visits to some of the African countries, Business Interactions of African Heads of State with Indian Industry, India-Africa business partnership summits, India-Africa Business Council, India-Africa Agri Business Summit, “Namaskar Africa’, AFDB Annual General Meeting in Ahmedabad etc.
As the editor of the e-fortnightly Africa4U and the portal www.trendsnafrica.com , Shiela is passionately involved in pushing Africa to the center stage of the changing economic and business architecture.
Sheila is a partner of both digital platforms
Joseph Thachil, has close to four decades of experience and orientation in diverse fields like academics, research, business organizations, media management, journalism – both as an editor and publisher. He started his career as a lecturer in economics, teaching monetary economics, statistics and price theory for the undergraduates and post graduates. As a research scholar, he worked in National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) and joined the secretariat of FICCI, where he worked for more than two decades in various capacities in departments like agriculture and rural development, family planning, joint business councils, transport etc. His last assignment in FICCI was that of media advisor and worked in that capacity for 14 years.
Joseph Thachil has had associations with business chambers like ICC Calcutta, Sothern India Chamber of Commerce, Confederation of Indian Textile Mills (CITI), PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) either as a part time advisor or for specific projects. He continues his association with Indo-American Chamber of Commerce and Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council and several corporations either as consultant or a part time expert.
Joseph Thachil edits several on line and offline magazines and periodicals and a regular blogger. He is the author of several publications including business histories of FICCI, PHD Chamber and CITI. He has a Master’s in Economics (a rank holder) from Calicut University and a good LLB from Delhi University.
Joseph Thachil is a partner of both digital platforms
P L Joseph has a professional experience of over two-and-a-half decades. He began his career in the hospitality sector and moved on to advertising and marketing. Later, he switched over to events and promotions and is associated with organizations like the Indian Institute of Architects, Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC), and Manufacturers` Association for Information Technology (MAIT). Currently, he is associated with FICCI as a Consultant and holds a Master’s degree in Literature from MG University, Kerala. He is a Director with QUAD Investors Advisory LLP.
Rivulets Technologies (Website Solution)
Rivulets Technologies provide a full range of web services including custom softwares, E-commerce systems, 3D drawing, Adobe Air and Flex Softwares, AutoCAD Architectural designs, Adobe flash designs and games, custom web programming solutions from the simple to the complex, website content management solutions, IT consulting and even corporate identity designs including logo and bussiness cards. We aim to establish long-term customer relationships based on trust and a commitment to producing best design and programming. Web-based solutions form the core of our services. We offer our clients a full spectrum of professional yet affordable web design and programming aiming at powerful and effective presentation at the World Wide Web.
Bindu Haridas (Portal Manager)
