Browsing: Africa

• The internet has evolved into a worldwide marketplace for the exotic animal trade
• Southeast Asia, the final destination for many African wildlife goods, had a 50 per cent decrease in smuggling in 2020
• Illegal wildlife trafficking is worth about US$7 billion to US$23 billion worldwide each year
• As per the AWF, up to 2.7 million pangolins are smuggled into Chinese markets each year

The Coronavirus pandemic has redefined the African illegal wildlife trade by shifting transactions online, constraining trafficking networks, and increasing bush meat poaching among the poor.

Earlier this year, the illicit wildlife trade in Africa took an extraordinary turning point. Deep in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s tropical forest, a giant pangolin – an endangered animal species with plate-like scales that could weigh up to 30kg – was abducted by rebels who sought a US$500 ransom.

The Virunga jungle, home to lions, nearly extinct silverback gorillas, and …

• AfDB aims to assist 40 million farmers in raising their production of heat-resistant wheat varieties, soybeans, and rice, among other crops, to feed around 200 million people
• In Africa, climate change threatens to eat into 15 per cent of Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030
• Sanctions against Russia have dealt a blow to grain shipments at a period when universal stockpiles were already experiencing a stretch

War victims are sometimes found away from the battlefield. This is the case with Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. Even as the fighting there causes immeasurable destruction and suffering, it also threatens a silent crisis in Africa.

The conflict has sent the food prices in Africa over the roof, making life further complicated for the 283 million already threatened by hunger within the continent. The war in Ukraine has also laid bare Africa’s unending reliance on food imports. Wheat imports represent about 90 …

• The tourism industry accounted for about seven per cent of Africa’s GDP in 2019 and contributed $169 billion to its economy, employing more than 24 million people
• Over 8,400 species of wild flora and fauna are critically endangered, while close to 30,000 more are deemed vulnerable. Over a million species are threatened with extinction. 
• Illegal wildlife trade is estimated to be worth more than $23billion annually, fueled by institutional decay in law enforcement that consequently pushes many endangered species closer to the brink of extinction.

Africa hailed as the cradle of mankind and wildlife is endowed with spectacular flora and fauna and home to the world’s seventh wonder, making it undisputedly a top-rated tourist destination. The continent is a hub of wildlife economies that have significantly morphed over the past two decades; pertinently propelled by the ‘Big Five’ wildlife economy activities that include: ecotourism, wildlife ranching, hunting and fishing, carbon …

• 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 …

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 …

• 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 …

• 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.…

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 …

• 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

• 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 2^nd July 2022 to 16^th 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 …