When energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said recently that “coal is going nowhere” and that scientists were perfecting technology to burn it cleanly, he was making two promises at once. The first is political: that South Africa will not abandon the resource that still keeps the lights on, nor the communities that mine it. The second…
BSG and Technologies founder Bonisiwe “Thandoh” Gumede with Iris. Image: Supplied At the launch of Iris in Durban in August last year, government’s own news service reported the commitment that the AI humanoid tutor would be in every classroom in South Africa by the end of that October. Eleven months past that deadline, five schools…
Africa has a proud history in the men’s football tournament at the Olympic Games, highlighted by gold medals for Nigeria in 1996 and Cameroon in 2000. The Under-23 tournament has seen reputations forged and a number of star names from the continent come to the fore in the pursuit of Olympic success. With the draw…
They spoke at the sixth African Conference on Debt and Development (AfCoDD VI), organised by the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) in Nairobi, Kenya. . African countries need better systems for tracking public debt and stronger parliamentary scrutiny of government borrowing, said some development experts said on Wednesday. They spoke at…
Last week, during a discussion with African vaccine manufacturers, one manufacturer asked me a deceptively simple question: Can the African Medicines Agency help make it easier for a manufacturer to reach multiple African markets without navigating a completely separate process in every country? It is a question I have encountered throughout my career as a…
The apparent rise of trafficking by older adults could reflect a new criminal adaptation rather than individual criminality. Adults aged 50 and over are becoming more visible in West African drug operations, although data availability and official understandings of this phenomenon vary across states. Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) website suggests that at…
Addis Ababa — Former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said Ethiopia’s experience in financing and building the he Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) demonstrates how African countries can drive their own development through self-reliance and greater ownership. Speaking at the Africa Mindset Reset Forum in Kigali, Hailemariam said Africa must increasingly shape its development through…
For #WomensMonth, we speak to Standard Bank’s Linda Oniwe, senior vice president for technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) in corporate and investment banking, about her career in dealmaking, the role of technology in Africa’s development and the importance of creating opportunities for women in the sector. Linda Oniwe | image supplied With more than a…
Oluchi Chibuzor Africa’s energy story is entering a pivotal chapter. The question is no longer whether the continent has the resources or ambition to industrialise, but whether it can build the infrastructure, mobilise investment and forge the partnerships required to turn that potential into sustained economic growth. That question was at the heart of the…
Africa’s youthful population is often described as its biggest opportunity. But without stronger links between education, skills and employment, the continent risks turning its demographic dividend into an economic burden, experts have warned. The message emerged at the AIESEC Alumni MEA Conference in Kigali on Saturday, August 22, where discussions focused on the future of…
