THERE are few more romantic vacations than an African safari: pursuing the Big Five, eating barbecue in the savannah as the sun sets, and falling asleep to the sounds of the wild.
This can be a lot less romantic, of course, if tumbling into your tent together can earn you a life sentence in jail.
Mining and natural resource extraction have huge potential for countries, but also carry political and economic risks. For this, the Netherlands has created a special diplomatic position. We interview Dirk-Jan Koch, the Netherlands’ special envoy for natural resources at the World Resources Forum 2015 in Davos, Switzerland. They discuss Koch’s work in the Congo and his efforts and frustrations in persuading multinational companies there to use mineral mines not involved in local conflicts.
Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest HIV/AIDS rate in the world, most of which is concentrated in the member states of the South Africa Development Community.
Levels of unemployment are high the world over. South Africa is no exception, with the highest levels in rural areas such as Limpopo. Young people are the ones hit the hardest. Economists, social commentators and politicians alike have put faith in youth entrepreneurship as the answer.
In terms of innovation and technological influence, no industry or device has affected South Africa like telecommunications and the mobile phone.
Unlike the apartheid era, democratic South Africa is now investing in higher-education funding for its youth. The University of Limpopo is used as a case study to assess this policy’s effectiveness.
PRIMUKYEAE, Ghana — A new eight-month radio program focused on helping farmers adapt to climate change began in this agricultural community last month.
The program was created through an international partnership between the Ghanaian Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the German Technical Cooperation and Farm Radio International (FRI). It will broadcast throughout the district of Kintampo, in Brong Ahafo, a region of Ghana that accounts for 75 percent of the country’s agricultural production. The program focuses on providing climate-smart agriculture tips, market information and weather forecasts.
Big plans are in store to spread the Internet across all of Africa. However, despite the hype surrounding Silicon Savannah in Kenya, the digital economy on the continent is but a strand in the World Wide Web. What obstacles must be overcome so that a true Internet revolution takes hold there? Innocent Munzaneya’s version of the global e-commerce site eBay, called Cyamunara (which means “Auctions”), seems like a great idea on the surface. Munzaneya decided to create the platform, which is in Kinyarwanda (Rwanda’s most-spoken language), after seeing people visit the capital city of Kigali from far away just to attend auctions.
With 5,000 acres of land being set aside to put up Kenya’s most ambitious infrastructure project to date, the construction of Africa’s “Silicon Savannah” is set to begin. Konza Techno City is a planned sustainable, world class global technology hub aimed at attracting international businesses and residents. One question, though: Will it work?
Can social enterprises like Fairphone can help achieve a world free of conflict mineral products?
Somalia’s conflict-ridden past may pave the way for a new future of business in the country.
Mogadishu, Somalia’s broken capital is ready to experience a rebirth. Its tale is of a city with a troubled but rich history, full of ruins and opportunities. At the 43rd St. Gallen Symposium in Switzerland, its mayor Mohamed Ahmed Nur reflected on his courageous mission to rebuild the war-torn city. In Mogadishu and throughout the rest of Somalia, clashes between clans and the central government caused the fall of the Somali state in 1991, leading to a raging civil war—one not yet fully over.