Realizing the dream of unfettered trade in a post-covid19 – Erastus Mwencha & Stephen Lande

July 16, 2020     / / / / / / /

Allowing Trade to flow under the First stage of the AfCFTA in 2021 The positive economic stimulus and psychological impact of a critical mass of countries implementing the AfCFTA cannot be overestimated. No other step would provide the wherewith to spur African recovery from COVID-19 than the AfCFTA trade agreement being implemented in the next six to twelve months.  It will spur the development of intra-African supply chains as a substitute for the expected reduction in demand for African components of global supply chains as third world countries strive for greater self-sufficiency. It would reduce and eventually eliminate discrimination in Africa under which…

AfCFTA: An Opportunity for Meaningful Reform on Corruption Toward Further Attracting American Investments to the Continent by Guest Writers

June 25, 2020     / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the African continent has seen challenges like other parts of the world that are affecting trade. This includes a moving effective date for the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which slid from July 1 to possibly January 1, 2021, to avoid distracting African leaders as they respond to the pandemic. Nevertheless, there is a push to have the continent move forward with implementation of the AfCFTA, to spur further collaboration and intra-Africa trade, which in turn could help the continent better weather economic downturns related to the global pandemic. The AfCFTA, once implemented, will create…

The Future is not what it used to be- Africa and Education of Tomorrow by Guest Writer

June 25, 2020     / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Why the US got it right Every three years the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) carries out the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). This assessment measures what more than 600,000, 15-year-old students have learned in math, reading and science. Similar to many years, in 2019 US scored below average in mathematics. The US student’s scores were similar to those of Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom in at least two subjects. On receiving this latest report, the US Secretary for Education, Betsy DeVos said, “The bottom line is there has not been a single…

Branding Aviation: Ethiopian Airlines

May 28, 2020     / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Country branding is a multilayered approach which requires cross-cultural branding as the aim is to brand the country to improve national reputation, increase product value and enhance the national brand. In the aviation industry, Ethiopian Airlines (ETA) stands as not only Ethiopia’s brand but also as one of the African Brands that is a symbol of pride and economic viability. Ethiopian Airlines contenders such as Royal Air Maroc  ( country branding for Morocco) and Kenya Airways ( Branding Kenya) are also key players due to their regular routes to Europe, North America and other key destinations, bringing tourists, trade, and…

Africa Must Stop Reacting and Start Acting: Urban Design is the Antidote for the Continent’s Next Health Crisis.

May 11, 2020     / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Extraordinary times require extraordinary responses May 15th 2020 The Guardian published an interesting article titled “Africa facing a quarter of a billion coronavirus cases, WHO predicts”. The report approximated 220 million Africans based on that article. Now, while the western media predicted doom and gloom for the youngest continent on earth, data seems to be painting a completely different picture during this pandemic. I partly blame Africa for not taking control of her narrative and not shedding enough light her success stories. It was not until the former British barrister and daughter of a Ghanaian lady, Afua Hirsch that Africa’s positive COVID-19 stories surfaced. She highlighted Senegalese handling of…

World against COVID-19 – Impact on Education by Guest Writer

April 30, 2020     / / / / /

What is the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of online higher education services in the United States of America and how can we turn any challenges into opportunities? Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, online distance learning and teaching existed in higher education. Val Okaru-Bisant, the author of this article, taught online and face-to-face teaching for several years. The global education technology sector, including online learning, was growing at a fast pace of 15.4% a year with heavy investments from many companies like Google and Microsoft1. However, only 3% of all educational expenditure is spent on digital programs2 and proponents…

Africa’s COVID-19 solution lies in information and not isolation-A look at Hubei vs New York

March 31, 2020     / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

The black death pandemic is estimated to have killed up to 60% of Europe which was an estimate of 450 million people in the 14th century. Today a virus can travel first class on KLM to Africa and infect millions In Taiwan, when an infected person leaves their home or turns the phone off the police and local authority will be alerted and the person will be visited within 15 minutes The Co-100 app shares when the person tested positive, their nationality, gender and age. Africa’s Advantage in the war with COVID-19 Interesting to note how the richer nations have been first…

Naomi Campbell Explains Why She Cherishes Her Travels To Africa (Quick View)

March 29, 2020     / / / / / / / / / /

WHAT IS BEING SAID In a cover story interview with i-D, the supermodel and philanthropist said her dream is to travel to all 54 countries (having traveled to Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Ghana, Rwanda) and encouraged others to do the same.(…) I realized it’s been overlooked and ignored on so many levels. That has to change. The narrative has to change. People’s perceptions have to change. That’s what my work is about,” Campbell said. “And I mean that across the board—fashion, music, tech, art, sports…I just feel like when I’m in Nigeria there’s so much creativity coming out of there. In Senegal,…

Africa Needs to Brand: Not just another consultant?

March 12, 2020     / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

In this global economy and current political climate, when approximately 25 African countries have been identified as emerging markets and 25+ countries have ratified to be one region under the AfCFTA, it is pivotal for African countries to focus on managing their image and narrative to regain the lost dignity and pride, increase Foreign Direct Investment for sturdier infrastructure development, and engage proactively the Diaspora which already contributes in the shift towards globalization. When African countries undertake branding, it is imperative to accept the impact of history and the cultural shift it is making in 21st century- as it intertwines with the Western and…

Remittances are NOT Diaspora Investment by Guest Writer

March 10, 2020     / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

My favorite Diaspora definition is the one by G. Scheffer: “Modern Diasporas are ethnic minority groups of migrant origins residing and acting in host countries but maintaining strong sentimental and material links with their countries of origin—their homelands.” The term Diaspora comes from the Greek words “to sow” and “over”, as in the scattering of seed, and for them it meant the “seeding” of Greek colonies in distant lands. Remittances are funds sent by immigrants to their home countries for various uses including paying school fees for relative, covering healthcare costs for family as well as activities such as building…