Browsing: africa development

• The world has lost one of the most significant figures in global philanthropy and development.
• At the age of 88, His Highness Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, the Aga Khan IV, died quietly in Lisbon, Portugal, with his family by his side.
• His vision and leadership, as the founder of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslim community, have changed the lives of innumerable people in Africa and beyond.

The Aga Khan IV: An Advocate for the Advancement of the world

His Highness the Aga Khan IV is one of the few world leaders who has had such a lasting influence on Africa. From Kenya to Mozambique, Uganda to Tanzania, his decades-long dedication to social and economic development has had an impact on the continent. He led programs that raised millions of people, irrespective of their background, colour, or religion, and created enduring …

The continent as always, has great promise. This was the unanimous conclusion from the just-ended World Economic Forum, which is traditionally held at the Swiss resort town of Davos every year. However, significant obstacles stand in the way of the continent reclaiming its mantle of economic growth.

• The World Economic Forum held in Davos every has just ended. This year’s conference ran under the theme of Collaboration in a fragmented world.
• Africa was on the agenda of the World Economic Forum as is frequently the case.
• Discussions on Africa at the conference mainly centred on how the continent can regain its growth trajectory.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) identified four principal factors causing economic headwinds in Africa and will stall its economic growth as a continent unless dealt with. The so called “stallers” of Africa’s economic growth are and will remain as conflict, COVID, climate, and cost of living.

WEF …

The continent’s digital revolution can largely be driven by building the necessary skills for the short- and long-term future, and this starts in the classroom. 

The recent technological influx across Africa, largely boosted by the adoption of mobile phone use, needs to be capitalized upon by the education sector. 

This can be achieved through reimagining the education landscape by addressing the challenge of exclusion through increased investment, to achieve quality education in science and technology for all.…

• A sense of well-being encompasses a wide range of factors, including access to education and employment, as well as the lack of armed combat or threats
• Digitization has provided a cheap, secure source of finance to populations in need and improved government transparency in countries where graft and corruption are a huge concern.
• Technological change has also resulted in increased productivity which has in turn improved African’s standards of living

Google has committed US$6 million to support African startups as well as underserved communities on the continent.

In a statement, Nitin Gajria, Managing Director for Google Africa, and Rowan Barnett the Head of Google.org EMEA said the funding will go towards programs that will reaffirm its commitment to Africa.

The programs include a $3 million USD Black Founders Fund for African startups and a $3 million USD Google.org grant to help low-income communities develop entrepreneurial skills and funding.

The funding is expected to help African founders grow their businesses not only by providing capital but also by providing access to the best of Google resources.

At the same time, Google has also invited 15 companies from across the continent to the sixth class of the Google for Startups Accelerator: Africa program

Startup Fund

The Google for Startups Black Founders Fund Africa provides grants and technical assistance to early-stage startups led …