Good Wednesday morning Gambia and welcome to the Dalasi Update. Market Beat was in Swaziland where it was reporting from the capital city of the Kingdom of Swaziland, Mbabane over looking the city suburbs on top of the mountains in the posh neighborhoods of the Beverly Hills.

The weather is chilly and is all  around 9 Degrees Centigrade in the mornings rising to 14 Degrees Centigrade in the afternoons and in the process bringing back murky memories of cold London mornings. Despite the cold the people here in Mbabane, the capital city and seat of government and Manzini the largest town of Swaziland are up and about their daily routines with less attention to the weather.

Market Beat would like to bring to you the trading figures of the GM Dalasi in relation to other International currencies notably the Pound Sterling, US Dollar, the Euro and the Japanese Yen in relation to the SOUTH AFRICAN RAND, THE MOZAMBIQUE METICAL AND THE SWAZILAND  LILANGENI.

Southern Africa is indeed developed and developing in its  own unique ways and no wonder it is the home of the Mandelas, the Oliver Tambos, the Savimbis,the Bikos. I was amazed with the rapid development of Maputo and on my arrival at their city center,  I was gopsmasked with what  I saw in sky creepers and businesses. The shopping malls I found there was only rival by Johannesburg and Cape Town. There are huge presence of Chinese shops and a concentration of a large Indian contingency all doing  business or another. Mozambique is big and Maputo is Phenomenal.

In the immediate surroundings of Maputo before some odd twenty kilometers away from the city center there are big cash machines with gangways that every entering and exiting car, lorry or locomotive into  Maputo to South Africa, Swaziland or other destinations must pay 5 Metical. This is a great idea that I have not seen so far in our region and God knows how much money is made at this point on the daily basis for the Mozambique economy.

I was as impressed with the technology as it will help Mozambique's development aspirations and in its drive to build a better nation for its people and for Africa as a whole. With ten dollar I was able to buy five children readymade dresses that will cost me at minimum 25 Dollars in The Gambia.

South Africa is indeed the powerhouse of Africa and it is manifested from the services of the SA AIRLINES which is better than most European airlines in service delivery and safety standard observations to its stunning airports facilities as in Johnessburgh. South Africa is also the big brother with its big media blitz in multi channel satellite houses as also in its big banks and highly skilled population.

South Africa is home and I hope they will be patient with the rest of the continent to partake in the spoils that this mighty country has to offer. I was however buoyed as I saw Nigerians and Senegalese nationals in their droves entering the Johannesburg bound flight for business, work and pleasure.

Coming back to Swaziland  I must tell you the idea of a united Africa could be seen here as there is a first class road network linking Swaziland-South Africa-Mozambique and vice versa. Here in Southern Africa they are ahead of West Africa in terms of infrastructure and that is helping them in their development aspirations. Mozambique and South Africa are all supplying Swaziland with electricity at a very low rate far cheaper than NAWEC. Food is also cheap here in Swaziland and the culture and adherence to the throne is their biggest strength.

Swaziland is developing fast and I hope these great developmental strides will be translated to the rest of the continent in the decades ahead. I am livid and I am fill will pride and I can see from the brow that Africa is beginning to rise. Maputo waits for foreign aids and Swaziland believes that the King can deliver them and Gambia has all to gain by helping President Jammeh implement his development plans. Long live African solidarity, Long Live African  children and long live Africa consciousness.

Please find below the trading figures of the DALASI, LILANGENI, METICAL AND THE RAND as against other world major currencies notably the Pound Sterling, Dollar, Euro and the Japanese Yen as at the 17th.August,2009,thus:

In the same drive, Market Beat would like to bring to you the INDICATIVE RATES currency tables as we buy and sell in some of our operational commercial banks as dictated to us by the Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG) as at the 11th. September, 2009. Please note that these figures could be subjected to changes as market forces come into play and at the discretion of the banks hereby mentioned.