Here’s your Daily Brief for December 8th through December 9th:

Conspicuous Correlation: Coltan and Crisis Reports (via Appfrica) – One of the major factors feeding genocide and violent crimes against humanity is that ruling regimes have established business relations with foreign companies, earning them an political ally and a source of revenue to fuel local conflict. The foreign companies often get exclusive access to local resources in exchange for their unwavering political support and usually a cut off the top. We have seen this in South Sudan with Chinese oil companies, and also in DRC with Coltan mining. This excellent report by Appfrica takes Ushahidi (conflict mapping) data and mashes it with mining data to illustrate the “conspicuous correlation” between the two. Coltan can be found in the capacitors used in your hearing aids, pacemakers, airbags, GPS units, laptops, mobile phones, video games, and the list goes on. 60% of it can be found in the DRC, where conflicts since 1998 have killed an estimated 5.4 million people.

A business plan competition for entrepreneurs that deliver access to clean energy Africa – If you’re an entreprneur working on clean energy solutions for Africa (in particular Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Gambia, Uganda, or Zambia), there is a business plan competition for you! Awards include mentorship, expert advice, consideration for up to $100k in financing, and access to over 100 prospective investors!

The Dragon in Africa: How Chinese Investment Changes The Game (via Triple Pundit) – Interesting question posed: Does China’s appetite for risky investments in some of the most unstable parts of the world (and the investment benefits that come along with it) outweigh its questionable tactics of investment?

Al Jazeera Looks At Investment in Equatorial Guinea

Image Credit: Appfrica Labs