Browsing: Africa

Tushop
  • Social commerce may seem like a more foreign concept but it is widely used across Africa
  • Online shopping has gained more popularity during the Covid-19 crisis, turning social networking platforms like Facebook and Instagram into business tools
  • Social commerce- which is abbreviated as s-commerce- represents the integration of shopping and social media

 

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit back in 2019, a majority of individuals were forced to turn to social media platforms in search of goods and services. 

While most people view this as the growth of e-commerce across the globe, it also gave rise to the growth of social commerce. 

Social commerce may seem like a more foreign concept but it is widely used across Africa. 

Online shopping has gained more popularity during the Covid-19 crisis, turning social networking platforms like Facebook and Instagram into business tools. 

Social commerce- which is abbreviated as s-commerce- represents the integration of

US-Russia tensions

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could impact relations between the United States (USA) and Africa as global economic and military powers compete for influence on the continent.

Pulling Africa into the West’s war with Russia

But, many African countries are staying neutral on the conflict which is not sitting well with the West.

Indeed, on March 18, 2022, the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said that African countries cannot remain neutral in the Ukraine conflict.

She said that when the UN General Assembly voted to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early March, 17 African countries abstained while another eight did not vote at all.

Thomas-Greenfield was quoted by the BBC saying that there is no neutral ground and that the Russia-Ukraine was not just about the Cold War between the West and Russia.

To bait African nations, Thomas-Greenfield said the United States was working with other countries…

news 20 04 06
  • A report by the African Development Bank notes that today, at least a quarter of the continent’s population has internet access, a nearly fifty-fold increase in internet usage since the turn of the millennium.
  • Mobile technologies alone have already generated 1.7 million jobs and contributed US$144 billion to the continent’s economy, or roughly 8.5 percent of GDP
  • Accelerating digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, robotics, and 3D printing – have obvious and important implications for education, employment, and the future of work

 

Leaders on the African continent must work harder to harness emerging technology to boost government performance, transparency, and inclusivity as the continent recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic.

They also need to ensure that the growing technological advancements across the continent are not used as a tool of repression, division, and conflict.

According to a study by the World Health Organization, 13 percent of all new or modified

Groundwater Potential in Africa. www.theexchange.africa
  • Africa is the second driest continent in the world after Australia and millions of Africans lack access to clean water, while still perennially suffering from shortages
  • Africa loses 5% of its GDP every year due to water scarcity, with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region experiencing the greatest economic loss from climate-related water scarcity
  • The theme for the recently passed World Water Day celebrated annually on March 22nd was ‘Ground water-Making the Invisible Visible’.

Africa is endowed with abundant natural water resources, being home to large freshwater bodies revitalizing the continent in a myriad of ways, spurring various social and economic initiatives. However, in stark irony, Africa is the second driest continent in the world after Australia, and millions of Africans lack access to clean water, while still perennially suffering from shortages. This has remained among the long-standing wounds ailing the continent, which need to be urgently remedied.…

Screenshot 2022 03 16 at 16.13.16

Digital disinformation is becoming an increasingly common feature of Africa’s political landscape.

Africa’s technological space has grown exponentially over the past decade, largely driven by the increased access to mobile devices and internet.

The number of mobile phone users in Africa, 650 million, outnumbers the population of the United States or Europe.

How Africans are using mobile phones

Mobile phone use has increased exponentially as more people in African countries own a cell phone than clean water, a bank account or power.

Communication, radio listening, money transfers, online purchasing, and social media networking are all done via mobile phones in Africa. Many of the disparities between urban and rural areas, as well as the wealthiest and poorest, have been reduced or eliminated.

Similarly, internet prices are coming down while speeds are going up.

With high internet speeds, it is easy for anyone looking, or even sometimes not looking to stumble

60cf8ce9dee7a66476e985c9 africa
  • 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

 

When we think about the quality of life, the first thing that comes to mind is the degree to which an individual is healthy, comfortable, and able to participate in or enjoy life events.

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.

It is also relative, subjective and has intangible components, such as spiritual beliefs and a sense of belonging.

Rapid

The fashion industry in Africa riding a crest of a wave in 2022. www.theexchange.africa
  • According to data from Euromonitor International, the combined apparel and footwear market in Sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to be worth well over US$31billion
  • The much-anticipated landmark show at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London will narrowly focus on the flourishing African fashion industry
  • The Victoria and Albert Museum exhibition will run from 2nd July 2022 to 16th April 2023, taking the world on a fashion safari tracing the history of fashion

The business of African fashion is riding on the crest of a wave in 2022, especially with the much-anticipated landmark show at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London; that will narrowly focus on the flourishing African fashion industry, featuring 45 designers from over 20 countries, showcasing 250 pieces of the continent’s crème de la crème.  It’s projected to be a game-changer that will put the continent on the global map, broaden the investment pool of…

A photo of an Ivory Coast farmer with cattle plough
  • Cocoa is a signature cash-crop for Ivory Coast
  • US Department of Agriculture slated to invest $61 million in Ivory Coast cashew nut
  • Ivory Coast economy is forecasted to expand by 6.7 percent in 2022

Ivory Coast is one of Africa’s largest farms.  More than 60 per cent of the national territory is dedicated as arable agricultural land. Ivory Coast is one of the largest economies in the West African Economic and Monetary Union, and agriculture is its backbone.  Cocoa production is the blood pumping through the economic veins of the Ivory Coast. The West African nation is not only the largest producer of Cocoa in the region but globally (contributing around 30 per cent).  

In 2020/2021, Ivory Coast produced 2.15 million metric tonnes of cocoa beans. In Ivory Coast, the share of agriculture to the economy stood at 21.39 per cent in 2020.     

The West African nation of more

Africans still losing game-changer natural resources advantage. www.theexchange.africa

The Democratic Republic of Congo also falls under this umbrella of failing to capitalize on the trending demand for particular natural resources. The DRC is home to significant deposits of hard-rock lithium. According to Industry Literature, lithium production in DRC is set to begin as early as 2023. Civil war, poor governance and illegal smuggling of minerals have distracted the country from mining lithium, and they might realize its potential a little too late.

The adoption of electric vehicles will lead to the increased demand for battery power between 1 and 6TWh, consequently the demand for lithium.

The global electric cars production grew to 10.9 million vehicles in 2020, three million more than in the previous year, highlighting the adoption’s potential. China leads in the number of electric vehicles on the road (5 million cars), followed by the United States with 1.77 million. China targets 20 per cent of electric…

An African woman assessing her crops on farmland
  • Agriculture is contributes 23 percent of African GDP, Mckinsey 2019
  • At least 43.8 percent of people are employed in the agriculture sector
  • Only 5-6 percent of arable land in Africa is irrigated

Agriculture in Africa has not only an economic value but a cultural significance.  It is time to transform the economy and lives of African farmers. Africa is home to nearly 60 percent of the world’s arable land. Over the past decade, African agriculture has faced a number of shocks which beg for technological transformation. Farming in Africa contributes greatly to the welfare of most rural-based populations.

Despite the standing potential, productivity in Africa is lagging; hence, the role of modern technology stands to draw billions into it.Africa imports some food items abroad, such as wheat from war-entangled nations Ukraine and Russia, causing severe food insecurity issues for financially constrained nations such as Sudan.

Agriculture is not only the…