insert_link Africa UNDP launches “timbuktoo” initiative in Davos to revolutionize Africa’s startup ecosystem In Davos, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched the "timbuktoo" initiative in collaboration with African countries. The initiative, unveiled during a special session at the 24th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, aims to be the world's largest financing facility, uniting catalytic and commercial capital to bolster Africa's startup ecosystem. H.E. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, H.E. President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, the Secretary-General of the African […] todayFebruary 21, 2024 111
insert_link Africa Southern African Editors Forum Alarmed at Safety Threats Against NewsHawks Journalists The Southern African Editors Forum expresses deep concern and alarm over recent reports revealing that NewsHawks, a prominent online investigative newspaper in Zimbabwe, has been compelled to halt the publication of a corruption story involving three army generals in the country’s defense force. In a public statement, the editor of NewsHawks disclosed that journalists from the outlet, particularly News Editor Owen Gagare, are currently under surveillance. This situation echoes the […] todayFebruary 21, 2024 17
insert_link Africa Southern African Editors Forum Expresses Concern Over NewsHawks’ Forced Freeze on Military Corruption Story in Zimbabwe The Southern African Editors Forum expresses deep concern over the NewsHawks, an investigative newspaper in Zimbabwe, being compelled to freeze a corruption story involving three army generals. Under the hashtag #NewsHawksFreezesExclusiveMilitaryStory, the editor reveals journalists, including News Editor Owen Gagare, are under surveillance, reminiscent of the dangers faced by senior journalist Bernard Mpofu in August 2021. Mpofu left his home due to threats after investigating President Emmerson Mnangagwa's helicopter crash, […] todayFebruary 21, 2024 22
insert_link Africa South Sudan: some spoilers want peace to fail, putting 2024 elections at risk By Edgar Githua, Strathmore University South Sudan is expected to hold its first general election in December 2024. It became an independent state in 2011. The long overdue election is one of the pillars of a peace agreement signed in 2018. It helped end the 2013-2018 civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people and displaced millions. Since then, the country has progressed in relative peace, with fewer […] todayFebruary 20, 2024 26
insert_link Africa Bridging the Data Trust Gap: 2024 RegTech Confab Set to Unlock Africa’s Economic Potential Data-Driven Transparency and Compliance in the Digital Financial Ecosystem in Africa. In an era defined by digital transformation, data has become the cornerstone of innovation and progress, particularly within Africa's burgeoning financial landscape. With Sub-Saharan Africa spearheading the global adoption of Mobile Money, boasting over 218 million active accounts according to GSMA's State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money 2023, the region stands poised to leverage […] todayFebruary 20, 2024 9
insert_link Africa China’s demand for Africa’s donkeys is rising. Why it’s time to control the trade Women walk with their donkeys in Ethiopia’s Amhara region. Buena Vista Images/GettyImages Lauren Johnston, South African Institute of International Affairs In recent years, there’s been a huge, rising demand for donkey hides in China, where they are used to make an ancient health-related product called ejiao. Ejiao is made from collagen that’s been extracted from donkey hides mixed with herbs and other ingredients to create medicinal and health consumer products. […] todayFebruary 20, 2024 16
insert_link Africa What are Sabaki languages? How people formed ethnic groups along the coast of east Africa By Daren Ray, Brigham Young University A new book called Ethnicity, Identity and Conceptualizing Community in Indian Ocean East Africa tracks the history of the coastal communities of east Africa and how the Sabaki family of Bantu languages was formed, shaped in part by the sea and the arrival of visitors from other shores and within the continent. We asked historian Daren Ray to tell us […] todayFebruary 20, 2024 18
insert_link Africa Sudan Armed Forces are on a path to self-destruction – risking state collapse By Harry Verhoeven, Columbia University It is now 10 months since the outbreak of civil war in Sudan in April 2023, pitting the Sudan Armed Forces against the Rapid Support Forces, a powerful paramilitary group. The war, which erupted after relations between the two wings of Sudan’s security apparatus broke down, rapidly spread beyond the capital, Khartoum. More recently, the Sudan Armed Forces have suffered numerous setbacks […] todayFebruary 20, 2024 10
insert_link Africa Nervous Conditions: on translating one of Zimbabwe’s most famous novels into Shona By Tinashe Mushakavanhu, University of Oxford The publishing journey of Zimbabwean writer and film-maker Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions wasn’t easy. Yet the novel is today considered by many as one of Africa’s 100 best books of the 20th century and is studied at universities around the world. When she submitted the manuscript to publishing houses in Zimbabwe in the early 1980s, they all turned it down. Dangarembga […] todayFebruary 20, 2024 20
