Author: Evelyn Shumba

Over the years, various climatic disasters have occurred, notably the recent Cyclone Idai that hit the continent’s south-eastern part. Various more catastrophic weather events continue to affect the continent socially and economically. Kenya, which relies on its agricultural sector’s performance, has evidenced a sustained and growing divergence between farm production and consumption. Notable air masses like the El Nino and La Nina have had substantial negative impacts on coastal countries such as Kenya due to rising sea levels caused by changing oceanic climatic conditions.

Kenya has been forecasted to face another severe dry spell this year as a result of La Nina. La Nina, an air mass typical of cold weather, which is not ideal for rainfall, has been hitting the east coastal country nearly every five years. In 2016, 2.7 million people were affected by a hunger crisis, and the majority of them displaced. A notable concern in such events is the government’s limited financial ability for relief aid. Much of the burden has been borne by humanitarian organizations that continue to offer substantial assistance both for disaster relief and Africa’s economic development. 

Data centers are Information Technology (IT) facilities responsible for the management of data in an organization. Data centers house state-of-the-art computing infrastructure with very powerful machines. Traditionally, data centers were associated with extensive use of space and a lot of hardware components to support big data storage and management services.  As technology evolves, the use and development of software-based data centers requiring less space are increasingly becoming more common.  Cloud computing, a modern model used for data centers is growing in popularity in Africa. This technological innovation allows for an integrated approach to data management services such as storage, applications,…

Our world has changed, and we need to adapt accordingly. Science is all around us and technology is expanding faster than we could have imagined. In the past few decades, STEM occupations have risen, with STEM degree holders earning higher incomes even if they are not employed in STEM-related professions. With a lot of professions becoming redundant, it is crucial to make informed decisions to stay ahead of the game.

Some of the world’s leading economies have significantly invested in STEM, and this has had a direct impact on the sustainable growth and stability of their economies. Countries that are lagging in the STEM revolution end up being high importers of new technologies, with the export countries being the dominant players on the economic front.

STEM education creates active thinkers and not passive observers. The early introduction of such an education system will encourage innovative thinkers that will be relevant in the future. As STEM takes a hands-on and minds-on learning approach, children find it easier to grasp concepts through practical participation as compared to the theoretic approach to learning.

 The penetration of Information Communication Technology use in Africa has grown tremendously in the new millennium. Close to 600 million (43%) Africans now have access to the internet, up from 4.5 million in 2000. This growth in the use of ICT has brought with it a rise in illicit online activities.  The information found on the internet is largely unfiltered and this exposes the population to fake news and manipulation by scammers. One common scam is the ‘419’ email scam, which derives its name from Nigeria’s criminal code section 419. These scams were common in Nigeria in the 1990s’ and…

Globalization has encouraged open trade between continents. In a bid to gain economic dominance, the top industrialist nations have engaged in sometimes aggressive foreign policies to secure natural resources to support their growing industries. Although this is not entirely negative, there needs to be an objective analysis of whether such relations are mutually beneficial, or one party is left prejudiced while the other has gained.  One such relationship that has garnered controversy over the past few decades is the China-Africa affiliation. This article will analyze relations between China and Africa in the context of the political, economic, and ecological environments.…

There has never been a generation that has benefitted from simplified access to and disseminating information than the currtient one.  Statistically, there are over three billion smartphone users worldwide. With the digital landscape connually growing, developing countries are not left behind. Although a significant number of people on the African continent have no access to internet connectivity, there is steady growth, and it is anticipated that at least 475 million users will be able to access the internet via their mobile phones by 2025. What is big data? Big data is a term used to describe significant volumes of…

South Africa achieved independence in 1994, but years later, there has been little improvement in the general populace’s poverty levels. While the country remains one of Africa’s strongest economies, statistics indicate that close to 50% of the population lives in poverty. (Based on south African government poverty measure where the upper bound poverty line is approximately $70 per month.) The covid-19 pandemics have exacerbated the issues of poverty in the country. South Africa has one of the highest infection rates in Africa and more recently has been dealing with a mutated version of the virus that has since been christened…

Technological advancements, financial sector innovations and recent health threats like the Coronavirus have fuelled a greater reliance and need for digital trade and online shopping. The surge in E-Commerce globally has resulted in the need for efficient payment and data management systems. The adoption of data centres provides a data management system solution that allows for efficient payment across e-commerce platforms.   What are data centres?  Data centres are ICT command centres used by various businesses to provide cloud storage, data processing and applications support services. These are useful to ensure safe, efficient and reliable online markets. IT penetration in…

The Energy sector has received substantial capital commitments. In the course of the continent’s growth, the sector has seen lucrative returns and enormous risks and losses. The energy sector’s main upside has been the increased economic growth and development witnessed on the continent.  The story has not been an absolute success, however, with some huge losses incurred. The government mainly monopolizes the energy sector in Africa as it provides a critical service to the economy. Failure of the sector could result in a catastrophic collapse of the economy across all fronts.   The impact of mergers in the Energy Sector Operational…

SMEs are the major contributor to investments in the agricultural sector in Africa. In most cases, most African enterprises are run as opportunistic arbitrage entities keen on profiting from demand/ supply disparities because of a lack of substantial capital.  Investment into value addition business is limited in this sector due to challenges arising from lack of finance, poor access to markets, and lack of supporting policies. The continent’s main formal economic activity is agriculture, contributing 80% to the region’s employment.  Snapshot of the industry Crocodile farming is an agricultural niche that holds vast potential for profit-making and value addition for…