Author: Padili Mikomangwa

Africa is no stranger to athletic performances on the world stage. To say the least, Africa is the hub of sports prodigies across the world, and yet there is much to explore economically that Africa needs to do, for the sake of the coming generations. 

Amid a slew of different sports categories, the region has taken a keen interest in a couple of the sports segments.  

The region of more than 1.2 people, with almost 60 per cent of its population being under the age of 25, according to United Nations projections, will eventually turn out to be the world’s youngest continent. This means there are more talents, more fans and possibly more ticket, merchandise and consumables sales. 

Football, athletics, basketball, rugby, cycling, rallying and cricket are mostly performed across the continent. 

 Football is performed nearly all over the continent and the entire world reaps fresh and unique talents …

It is with no doubt that the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has caused serious troubles for economies around the world, namely in the developed world. However, addressing the matter in much of the developing world is quite different, as many governments have seen national economic outputs derailed by a few years. The situation is much worse, as its knocked off many African countries from their respective economic trajectories.  

The health pandemic brought it’s friends along, as we’ve now witnessed an economic pandemic of sorts. Food crisis, housing crisis and political crisis have been all party to Covid-19, a theme that was explicit in the 2020 Bill and Melinda Gates Goal Keepers report published just last month (September 2020).  

The report raised interesting issues to examine attentively. It argued that in just 25 weeks almost 25 years of progress was regressed, particularly on the Sustainable Development Goals and in particular …

Human Capital Horizon matters? 

The human population comprises of valuable elements necessary for the development of the modern world. As the world keeps to shake off the remnants of the coronavirus, there are some crucial ideas emerging and compelling vital changes in the way humans work. As stability is being restored, it is important also to rethink how to sustain the human capital value over space and time. The future of work is dependent on how human capital is dispersed globally and how it reacts to what we would call the development of the modern world.   

The current global crisis reveals holes in various sections of the workforce, including financial security and health coverage. With respect to Africa, the figures are heightened, and the “holes” as one would look at, in particular the formal employment sector, the numbers are astronomical.  

Africa alone has more than 24 million …

Having an honest job is one of the most respectable activities a person can be consumed with. As long as one is able to pay bills, sustain their livelihoods, while living a dignified life, and of course pay taxes, should the latter be of grave concern, being employed has a positive social stigma associated to it.  

Regardless, the privilege of having a job, especially today is one that many take for granted. Youth, in particular, those entering the workforce have an even tougher road to trek, when finding employment. The matter is worse in the developing world, where jobs are increasingly becoming scarce, even though politicians consistently campaign about job creation as a means to win voters.  

Over the course of the past decade, labor productivity has become a major issue affecting all corners of the globe, but in Africa, the situation stands in peril.  

The International …

 It is unfair to mention African development pillars without mentioning the agriculture sector which employs nearly half of the population of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).  

The sector has enormous benefits to the continent, where farmer-centred organizations such as AGRA (Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa) argue that nearly one-half of the young population is involved in the continent’s 60 million farms. 

It is with no doubt that African farms stand to be the next profitable food market suppliers of the world.  

“Out of total urban food sales of roughly US$200 to US$250 billion per year, over 80 per centcomes from domestic African suppliers,” according to AGRA. 

Nearly 23 per cent of SSA’s GDP comes from agriculture (McKinsey, 2019); the sector is responsible for providing decent income, growth and poverty reduction for SSA. 

The region’s food market was valued at $300 billion in 2017 and it could be …

The Government of Tanzania and Barrick Gold entered into a partnership last year, and created a new joint venture, Twiga Minerals Corporation. 

Barrick Gold’s one-year-old partnership with the Tanzanian government marked new ground as the Canadian miner was awarded 10 new exploration licenses this year and subsequently plans to spend $8 million on exploration, Barrick’s president and chief executive Mark Bristow said during a recent press briefing. 

According to Barrick, the North Mara mine—which was at the centre of scrutiny by the Tanzania government is now “re-energized and ahead of plan in the year to date and Bulyanhulu has resumed underground mining operations and is scheduled to restart processing of underground ore by the end of 2020 as a long-life underground mine”. 

All of these affairs operate under the new joint venture named—Twiga Minerals Corporation, in charge to oversee three gold mines, Bulyanhulu, North Mara and …

Wildfire strikes Africa

It is no quite often Tanzania experiences wildfires ravaging world heritage sites, but currently, it is facing fire battle. For nearly five days now wildfire has been causing havoc in Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro mountain and Africa’s highest peak—with 5,895 meters.

According to information from The Citizen, still the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) until yesterday, still, no new information on the progress of the fire had been produced.

According to  TANAPA communication official Pascal Shelutete on Tuesday, the fire which was sparked on Sunday afternoon in Whona—a tourist stopover was caused by porters warming food for tourist, according to information from The Citizen.

Wildfire strikes Africa

Hence—since then the event has drawn hundreds of firefighters and non-firefighters on the mountain, all in the efforts to put it out.

“Though there could be more to this fire preliminary evidence points Whona where visitors were warming their food. As you know …

Central Bank of Tanzania

Tanzania Central Bank (Bank of Tanzania) has released it’s monthly economic review bulletin for September 2020, earlier this week, which displayed rather a good prospect for Tanzania’s economy.

The bulletin comes within the same week, when the central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) affirmed that Tanzania’s economy will grow by 5.5 per cent in 2020, according to information from The Citizen.

Further, the team noted that—the bank’s accommodative monetary policy was being implemented in a fashion that macroeconomic indicator remained positive, despite the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on the global economy.

However, the monthly economic review depicted inflation at a lower level, while exports and foreign exchange reserves remained rather adequate.

Inflation

The report showcased the headline inflation at a stabilized point, standing at 3.3 per cent in August 2020. On a comparison basis, inflation is at a much lower point—than 3.6 per cent in August …

Digital ID Africa Financial Inclusion

We can all agree that there is a possibility in the future, for anyone who can’t be digitally identified, the opportunity to access services are slim to none, especially financial services.  

A digital ID is a form of identification where an individual can be known via remote means over digital channels. This features a high degree of verification and authentication, uniquely formed with individual consent and also observes user’s privacy and control over personal data. The latter, user privacy is a matter of a different discussion, but for now, the digital inclusion of an individual is paramount to create an electronic footprint in today’s globally connected world.  

At present, there are more than 1 billion people who are not legally recognized as they bear no form of any identity (ID). According to World Bank 2018 estimates, almost 48 per cent of these “unknown” individuals exist …

Africa Entertainment Industry

Nothing soothes the African plains like heart-pumping beats and the melodious ethos of African instruments playing to cultural tunes intertwined with western influences of hip hop and RnB (Rhythm and Blues).

As Africa poses the world’s youngest population, the continent is not short of excitement. The region has plenty of singers, dancers, musicians and beatmakers, all hungry to produce the continent’s next hit. But it’s not just music that’s driving the continent’s entertainment industry.  

The billion-dollar business of entertainment spans across, television, cinema, radio, video games, e-sports, print and online publishing, book publishing, business-to-business, music, out-of-home, and virtual reality. 

Currently, only five countries are taking the lead in churning more revenue and putting talents out for the world to see as opposed to its other neighbours in Africa. Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania have taken a lead in Africa, leaving much of …