http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.comOxford Business Group Economic Briefings on Emerging MarketsCopyright:(C) Oxford Business Group12035http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/img/obg_rss.gifhttp://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.comhttp://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/weekly01.asp?id=4533Though Malaysia's economy has contracted at a faster rate than previously predicted in the opening months of the year, as the effects of the global recession take their toll, there are signs the worst could be over. http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/weekly01.asp?id=4532One of the key pillars of Vision 2035, the long-term blueprint for the future of Brunei Darussalam, is to encourage investment in downstream industries as well as in economic clusters beyond the oil and gas industry To support this ambitious plan, the state is working to boost the country's transport system and thus allow a more effective transfer of raw materials and goods, while also developing the country as a cargo transit hub for the region. http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/weekly01.asp?id=4531With massive oil and gas reserves, Kuwait is working on boosting production and upgrading its downstream capabilities. However, how to go about this is dividing opinion. http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/weekly01.asp?id=4530Turkey's economy is still dealing with the effects of the global recession, having seen export markets dry up and domestic demand weaken, though it has avoided a repeat of large-scale financial meltdowns of the past and is expected to return to growth in 2010.http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/weekly01.asp?id=4529With irrigation efforts moving slowly and imports beset by inconsistencies, Egypt has begun to follow its neighbours' lead into overseas farming. In particular, persistently high wheat prices, and the resulting social instability over the price of bread, have motivated the government to seek new sources for the staple. The so-called “land grab”, where rich but infertile nations head to poorer yet arable ones to secure food for their populations, while not unfamiliar, is now happening on an unprecedented scale. Egypt did not embrace the trend as quickly as some of its neighbours, but since the bread riots in spring 2008 the government has announced two such projects in the hopes of providing respite to the price shock of the past year. http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/weekly01.asp?id=4528As Nigeria strives for more of the pharmaceutical products it consumes to be manufactured domestically, the critical issue of counterfeit drugs has taken centre stage. Although aggregate statistics for pharmaceutical demand in Nigeria remain unreliable, the underground economy still dominates sales. http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/weekly01.asp?id=4527Looking to capitalise on early signs of a banking recovery emerging in the UAE, the Central Bank has turned its attention to improving corporate governance within commercial banks in a bid to further boost confidence in the sector. http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/weekly01.asp?id=4526Le Sénégal, à l'instar de la plupart des pays subsahariens, lutte pour limiter les effets de la crise financière internationale sur son économie, et, contrairement à de nombreux pays développés, le pays devrait éviter la récession et maintenir son rythme de croissance, grâce à un ensemble de mesures prévoyantes adoptées par le gouvernement. http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/weekly01.asp?id=4525Dubai's banking sector is being urged to become more transparent in order to take advantage of a predicted upswing in the national and regional economy. http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/weekly01.asp?id=4524Les investissements de la Tunisie dans les technologies d'information et de communication (TIC) commencent à porter fruit. En effet, une multitude de rapports récents placent le secteur au rang des meilleurs de la région et vantent son potentiel en tant que destination de délocalisation. Bien que ce type de rapports ne puissent effectuer qu'une comparaison superficielle et reposent sur des facteurs subjectifs, l'attribution de ce rang par des sources aussi diverses que le Forum économique mondial (FEM), la Banque mondiale, AT Kearney et le Conseil des entreprises du Commonwealth, souligne les atouts de ce pays, parmi lesquels on compte la proximité des marchés clés, une population multilingue, des coûts réduits et un environnement commercial et de TIC de plus en plus compétitif. Ainsi, alors que les sociétés européennes cherchent à réduire leurs dépenses, la Tunisie pourrait de devenir un lieu de prédilection pour les nouveaux projets.