NewAfricaPride

Africa has been blessed with 9 female heads of state and government. Although only two of Africa’s nine women leaders were elected, it speaks of the growing confidence that the populace have in female leadership across the continent . Various African Union pronouncements have called for gender equality in democratic processes. These are among the reasons female representation in multiple sectors in the continent are above global averages. Fifteen out of 30 African countries have more women represented in parliament than the global average. The number of women working as CEOs, executive committee members, and boards is greater than the average worldwide. While these are positive developments, participation alone may not be effective in achieving gender parity.This will require further reviews of electoral systems and legal frameworks as well as continued contributions of private and public sector stakeholders. In December, 2016, the UN launched the Women’s Leadership Initia...

Nigerian based financial institution, Sterling Bank, made history unveiling the world's first blockchain based commodity trading and financing platform. The platform will decentralize agriculatural commodity traiding in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. The development may come as a shock to some and certainly a pleasant surprise to many as Sterling Bank took the lead in an innovative step in the banking sector of Nigeria. There are more developments to be followed before a conclusion can be drawn on the success of the platform. It's unveiling, is , however, an indication of the increasing willingness of Sterling Bank to facilitate funding solutions for the agricultural sector.

November will be considered as a historic month for not only Morocco but Africa as the bar was raised by the North African country which introduced Africa's fastest train (320 km/hour) to the world. The train is considered as Africa's first high speed train. Further developments in the train sector could be pivotal for transport challenges faced by nations such as Morocco. This will be beneficial for not only trade but also the movement of people.

Botswana was named the most attractive investment destination in Africa, according to the latest Africa Investment index for 2016 by Quantum Global’s independent research arm. Out of the 54 African countries that participated in the survey, Botswana took the first position followed by Morrocco in second spot, with Egypt third while the neighbouring South Africa took  fourth spot followed by Zambia. Other countries that made it in the top ten include Cote d’Ivoire, Algeria, Tanzania, Namibia and Burkina Faso respectively. “The annual research is aimed at providing investors in Africa with a guide to which countries and markets are most attractive for investment in the short to medium term. The multidimensional barometer was based on six clusters of factors namely growth factors, risk factors, liquidity factors, business environment factors, social capital factors and demographics,” read part of the report. Still on the same research, last year Botswana took the fift...

Freedom House provided an illustration of democracy in countries around the world. In green are countries considered free. In purple are countries considered not free, and in yellow are countries considered to be partly free. What do you think?

A picture says a thousand words and a painting sings a thousand words. Anouk (anouk.von.g on Instagram) shows a positive depiction of Africa with her drawing. On the drawing, the resources of each geographical region in Africa is shown, from the oil of Nigeria to the mines of South Africa. It just goes to show just how wealthy and equipped for greatness Africa is.

Ethiopian Airlines is somewhat of a mystery in an industry of African airlines with painfully weak prospects of growth. In 2015, the East African airline made more profit than all other African carriers . It’s phenomenal feats don’t stop there. The average growth rate in the industry, at 5 percent is dwarfed by the airlines average growth of 25% in the past seven years. Its revenue of $2.43 billion in 2016 served as further justification of its plans to expand its fleet and network to more than 90 international destinations across five continents. Its plans to generate $10 billion in annual revenue may certainly be realised sooner rather than later.  Referring to the airline career’s 15-year strategic plan , Vision 2025, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, Tewelde Gebremariam stated, “In the last seven years Ethiopian Airlines Group has witnessed a very fast growth. The main success factor has been long term planning. The main driving factor of the vision was to become the le...

Blockchain. A buzzword overshadowed by the cryptocurrency craze but no less relevant than the very technology it empowered. There is no doubt that the world is changing at an unimaginable rate on account of the flood of technological developments in recent times. One great difficulty for lawyers, doctors, bankers, and other members of societies around the world in this emerging era of blockchain will lie in the multitude of use cases of blockchain to choose from. This difficulty, however, may indeed be a strength for African economies, often deemed by media as the subject of various plights requiring rectification. The potential of blockchain to revolutionize African economies cannot be understated. Billions of lives will be touched by blockchain. Africa's growing economies could leapfrog to become top 20 economies in the world on account of the benefits of blockchain that Africa gains . This is the vision of a hopeful few.  The essence of blockchain is to facilit...

Blockchain presents a case for heightened transparency and accountability in voting processes around the world but it does not necessarily guarantee that the subjectivity of voters and administrators of voting processes will not compromise the efficacy of votes administered via blockchain. A world where electoral fraud is eradicated by the use of blockchain technology is indeed a fruitful notion but also a fallacy at best. Yes, blockchain infrastructure may make each vote immutable. Yes, blockchain infrastructure may create greater confidence in proxy voters in the boardroom . . Yes,  blockchain may make elections less prone to hacking scandals but as a good car does not guarantee a good driver, neither does an incredible technology such as blockchain guarantee that the human aspects of blockchain will not cause equally and if not worse events to voting processes than those carried out by rogue politicians in the past. It is important to consider the effects which machi...

Where do we go from here? It’s a simple title with a heavy question , which in context of Dr Martin Luther King’s book, brings more questions than answers. Dr. Martin Luther King’s experiences deepened his convictions to address the war on poverty for all races and creeds in America. His last book, Where Do We Go From Here, addressed many of the issues surrounding the economic realities of many Americans which still persist till this day.  In Mr. King’s words, “The solution to poverty is to abolish it directly by a now widely discussed measure: the guaranteed income. … We are likely to find that the problems of housing and education, instead of preceding the elimination of poverty, will themselves be affected if poverty is first abolished. A host of positive psychological changes inevitably will result from widespread economic security. The dignity of the individual will flourish when the decisions concerning his life are in his hands, when he has the assurance tha...

After having already made a $32 billion pledge to Africa over a five-year period at the last Tokyo International Conference on African Development, Japan’s decision to invest $30 billion in Africa over the coming years, could not have come at a better time. With dwindling oil revenues, other badly affected commodity prices, and several new conflicts, Japan’s contribution to African states may serve to provide greater balance to their economic climates. For African states to meet their economic potentials, infrastructure development is imperative. $10 billion of the investment will be used for the development of the continent’s electrical power, urban transport systems, roads and ports. The African Development Bank will play a key role in the execution of the investments. The remaining $20 billion will be utilised in Africa through Japan’s private sector. Japanese Prime Minister, Abe is confident that in Africa, “Japan can grow vigorously”.  It is clear that Japan has e...

Introduction Throughout history, the provision of education has come in many forms. From one-room schools to the open-air academies of Plato, both the young and old across the globe have been gifted with great scholars, priceless manuscripts, and vast amounts of knowledge. It is in this endless search for knowledge that we take delight. It is in the incessant pursuit of its fruits that history has been made. Like other regions across the world, this pursuit continues for Africa as its states define themselves amidst new trends in technology and growing populations. It is “all hands on deck” for the continent and its partners. Agenda 2063 will guide the African Union in ensuring that 70 per cent of all high-school graduates are enrolled in higher education and that 70 per cent of those enrolled will graduate in subjects related to sciences and technology. More governments across Africa recognise the need for action. More governments and organisations outside Africa are fu...