Author: Evelyn Shumba

Digital economy Africa,

A report jointly produced by Google and the International Finance Corporation titled e-Conomy Africa 2020  projects that Africa’s internet economy is expected to grow into a $180 billion industry by 2025. This would put the contribution of e-based economic activity on the African continent to 5.2% of GDP by the quarter-turn of the century.

The report predicts that Africa’s internet economy will be able to withstand the effects of coronavirus and emerge as a resilient force to drive economic growth on the continent. It notes that opportunities are rife, even with the covid-19 pandemic having affected most economies. This resilience will be based on the rich human resource base in Africa which boasts of polished developers. 

It anticipates that with the digital revolution in play, governments will catch up and introduce policies to support and foster the growth of internet-based businesses across the continent.   Further, investment in …

Zimbabwe’s Mining Sector,

In the 6th State Of The Mining Industry Prospects For 2021 Report, Zimbabwe’s mining sector representatives projected an optimistic outlook for 2021, citing an improvement in COVID-19 control, rising commodity prices, and an improved fiscal environment.

The mining sector faced a difficult year on the back of falling commodity prices. The situation was exacerbated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which ravaged the entire globe.

The findings of the report indicate that the mining sector business confidence index is expected to improve to +3.1 in 2021 from 2.2 in 2020. The mining sector business confidence index is a measure of optimism (or lack of it) among mining executives.

Of the respondent interviewed, 90% of the miners in the country said they are looking forward to expanding their businesses in the coming year. This is in contrast with the 10% that don’t foresee any change in …

South Africa bears a dark history of racist apartheid. Under the apartheid regime that came to an end in 1994, black people were considered inferior citizens with no rights whatsoever. The end of this callous regime brought policies meant to equalize the previously disadvantaged populace. 

Among these policies is the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) policy that sought to empower and integrate black people into mainstream business and the corporate world.

Is Racism alive in Corporate South Africa?

Allegations of racism have risen in spite of the existence of BEE policies. If this case is anything to go by, it would appear that certain sections of the Corporate world are using the same policy meant to protect black people against them. 

In a matter to be heard in the courts tomorrow, Tuesday 10/11/2020, tech behemoth and businessman Andile Ngcaba is taking on a technology company, Dimension Data Middle …

Potential presidential elect, Joe Biden, took to Twitter to express his administration’s desire to rejoin the Paris climate agreement as soon as he gets into office. The announcement comes on the heels of the official exit of the US from the agreement. While Trump announced his exit from the agreement years ago, the actual process took much longer.

As part of his campaign, the Democratic candidate submitted a plan involving $1.7 trillion costs to see the US becoming a net-zero carbon emitter by 2050. The US is currently the second-largest emitter of carbon in the world

What is the Paris Climate Agreement?

To keep global warming on the planet below 1.5 °C, emissions of carbon around the world have to go down to net-zero by 2050. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), even a 0.5°C increase in temperature could lead to devastating effects such as droughts, …

The government of Zimbabwe has set in motion an economic roadmap for the next 5 years. The new blueprint is anticipated to achieve a 5% growth in the country’s economy over a period of 5 years to 2025

Dubbed the National Development Strategy (NDS) 1, the economic blueprint replaces the transitional development strategy phase which the government says has achieved critical success.

The NDS 1 will therefore be rolled out under better economic conditions than the TSP and carries with it bold strategies and policies to catapult economic growth,” Mnangagwa said.

The country’s president Emmerson Mnangagwa announced the new plan which he said was supported by accelerated growth on the back of improvements in mining, agriculture tourism, and the manufacturing sector. 

The country is finance minister is expected to deliver the financial banking of this plan when he presents his budget this month

Some of the highlights of the economic …

It looks like a Biden victory has for all intents and purposes been decided in the rather interesting election in the US elections 2020, which saw the largest voter turnout since 1990. The result of the elections stands to have a far-reaching effect on African economies and on South Africa in particular. 

Why is South Africa of consequence?

The US is one of South Africa’s largest export destinations with 2019 figures indicating exports to the USA valued at ZAR 89 billion ( USD5.7 billion) in iron and steel, precious metals, and mineral products among others. In terms of imports, the US commands a significant share of American imports, a figure that stood at ZAR 83 billion (USD5.3 billion) as of 2019.

South Africa is the second biggest gold producer and the largest procedure of minerals such as chrome, platinum, and vanadium. The country also has a significant agricultural sector …

US Election 2020

The US presidential race is in the final stages now. While vote counting is still ongoing, indications at this stage show that voters are leaning towards the blue, Democratic party, candidate Joe Biden both in the popular vote and in the electoral college vote. 

While at this juncture, we will not go into explaining the dynamics of the US electoral system, it’s enough to say that pulling a vote on both fronts is a good indication for the leading party. 

In a move that sounds very much like an African election headline, the American media carried reports that the incumbent president’s campaign team has sued to stop vote-counting in some states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania. The effect of that lawsuit remains to be seen. 

The top job in the USA is a matter not only affecting the citizens of the USA but also the global citizens …

The UK and European Union are currently in the final stages of negotiation on the terms of their ‘divorce’. The talks have been characterized by a lot of talking, sulking, walk-aways, and renegotiations. It remains to be seen if the process will end in a deal or no deal as to the terms of trade. While the bickering goes on between the ‘parents’, it raises the issue of what will become of the ‘children’ after the break-up.  

The European Union is one of the major trading partners on the African continent. Countries like South Africa are the largest beneficiaries of this trade. Trade arrangements with the UK were initiated within the auspices of the European Union. As the UK sets out on a solo mission, what will become of these deals?  

According to forecasts by the London School of Economics, if the trade deal falls through, the UK would make …

The 2020 edition of the AfDB Agripitch contest for African agricultural entrepreneurs kicked off on 2 November 2020. The competition pits young entrepreneurs with a focus on agriculture, dubbed Agripreneurs. 

The contestants will exhibit startups plans from their respective businesses in an attempt to win seed funds up to a total of $120 000 as well as mentoring and training opportunities. 

The prize money will be shared by the different winners of each category. Two of the categories are broken down according to the stage of the business with one category featuring early startups, the other for the mature startup phase. The third category is reserved for women empowered businesses.

The Agripitch competition will run in two segments including a series of webinars and a boot camp for selected entrepreneurs. The boot camp will see the business owner receive training on a number of key business shares including product development, …

Salesforce Ventures has announced a second impact investment fund amounting to $100 million dollars. Salesforce Ventures is the investment arm of Salesforce, a company involved in customer relationship management. The fund is the second to come from the company after an initial $50 million impact fund which was launched in 2017.

The funds are earmarked for supporting start-up companies mainly in the technology sphere and cloud-related services. Within this grouping, the focus on the fund is on companies showing a measurable impact on social arenas such as education. The funds also serve start-ups with an environmental impact.

Salesforce ventures drive to promote values of sustainability and social responsibility is expected to see it investing in companies that provide solutions to the challenges affecting the world. Acknowledging the unprecedented nature of the challenges impacting the world including COVID-19, climate change, and racial injustice, Salesforce Ventures said it will continue to invest …