insert_link World Navalny dies in prison − but his blueprint for anti-Putin activism will live on The legacy of Alexei Navalny lives on. Ian Langsdon/AFP via Getty Images Regina Smyth, Indiana University Long lines of Russians endured subzero temperatures in January 2024 to demand that anti-Ukraine war candidate Boris Nadezhdin be allowed to run in the forthcoming presidential election. It was protest by petition – a tactic that reflects the legacy of Alexei Navalny, the longtime Russian pro-democracy campaigner. Authorities say Navalny, a persistent thorn in […] todayFebruary 19, 2024 16
Africa Tech-savvy Africans are hedging against inflation by going digital By Conrad Onyango, bird story agency The recent announcement by Opera MiniPay that it had signed up over one million users in Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana just five months after its launch is the clearest indication yet of the rising popularity of decentralised finance, or DeFi tools, across the continent. “MiniPay makes it easier and more affordable for individuals across Africa to acquire, send and receive Mento […] todayFebruary 19, 2024 18
insert_link APO International United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and Google Sign Agreement to Foster and Accelerate Digital Transformation in Africa The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and Google LLC (Google) have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to foster and accelerate digital transformation in Africa on the margins of the 2024 edition of the Africa Business Forum. The partnership is founded on the complementary expertise and strengths of both parties who wish to collaborate on activities to support ECA’s mandate such as digital development in Africa in line […] todayFebruary 19, 2024 2
insert_link APO International United Kingdom’s (UK) Rwanda asylum moves undercut core human rights protections – United Nations (UN) Human Rights Chief Legislative moves by the UK Government to facilitate the prompt removal of asylum-seekers to Rwanda – including by drastically stripping back the courts’ ability to scrutinise removal decisions - run contrary to the basic principles of the rule of law and risk delivering a serious blow to human rights, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned today. The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill requires every “decision […] todayFebruary 19, 2024 1
insert_link APO International Kaspersky shares cyberthreat landscape insights for the African region Kaspersky (www.Kaspersky.co.za) experts discussed the evolution of the cyberthreat landscape in the region during its 9th annual Cyber Security Weekend – META 2024, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The focal point of the discussions was the security of emerging technology trends such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), that are influencing the scale of modern threats. In parallel, threats targeting industrial control systems within critical infrastructure, in the Middle East, Africa, and […] todayFebruary 19, 2024 5
insert_link APO International Human Rights must guide the completion of South Sudan’s transition – United Nations (UN) experts South Sudan’s leaders must carefully navigate the conclusion of the country’s political transition to achieve durable peace and prevent violence and gross human rights violations, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said today. The Commission has concluded its twelfth visit to South Sudan, from 12 to 17 February 2024. “Establishing a unified national army and transitional justice processes to deal with the past and the root […] todayFebruary 19, 2024 6
insert_link APO International African Energy Chamber (AEC) launches Namibia Trade Mission in collaboration with Namibia International Energy Conference (NIEC) 2024 The African Energy Chamber (AEC) (www.EnergyChamber.org) – serving as the voice of the African energy sector – has launched a Trade Mission to Namibia from April 23-25 to promote business opportunities within the country’s energy industry. In collaboration with the Namibia International Energy Conference (NIEC), the Trade Mission will facilitate engagement between companies; connect stakeholders to market intelligence and resources; while capitalizing on the conference offerings to drive new investment […] todayFebruary 19, 2024 2
insert_link APO International The Africa Private Sector Summit (APSS) has inaugurated new Governance Boards Mr. Kingsley K. Asah, the APSS Board Secretary announced that the newly reconstituted Advisory Board and Board of Directors (Executive Board) of the Africa Private Sector Summit (APSS) LBG (https://AfricaPrivateSectorSummit.org/) were inaugurated on February 12, 2024 in a joint virtual induction and inauguration meeting of both boards. The APSS is a pan-African, private sector-led non-profit organization established to promote intra-African trade and investment and an enabling business environment for the implementation […] todayFebruary 19, 2024 8
insert_link World Alexei Navalny: reported death of Putin’s most prominent opponent spells the end of politics in Russia By Alexander Titov, Queen's University Belfast Reports of the death of Russia’s most famous opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, in an Arctic prison camp are shocking, but not entirely unexpected. It draws a line under Russia’s political development over the past two decades by highlighting that a challenge from within is no longer possible. Navalny was the last public politician to pose a real challenge to the Kremlin, but […] todayFebruary 19, 2024 13