Tech hubs are booming in Africa despite Covid pressures
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Tech hubs are booming in Africa despite Covid pressures

Over the last decade, tech entrepreneurship has continued to represent a major source of growth and development across the world and has become very vital for Africa. Hundreds of tech hubs have emerged across the African continent and risen to become the most active players in the technology scene. They have continuously driven innovation and…

What next for The Gambia after President Barrow’s re-election?
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What next for The Gambia after President Barrow’s re-election?

Elections in The Gambia are always a thrilling affair. There is a unique marble voting system used nowhere else in the world and results that rock the political establishment. While the outcome of this election avoided the ugly scenes witnessed four years ago – when former President Yahya Jammeh refused to accept defeat – a…

China’s vaccine diplomacy in Africa
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China’s vaccine diplomacy in Africa

Over the last decade, China has outgunned Western powers in cementing its ties with the continent, and now it is winning the COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy war. Vaccine diplomacy is a relatively new term that has entered our lexicon primarily due to the pandemic that began in Wuhan, China. It employs vaccine delivery and distribution to…

In Ghana, a ban on used fridges is saving 400GW of electricity annually
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In Ghana, a ban on used fridges is saving 400GW of electricity annually

Since Ghana began implementing its Energy Efficient Refrigerating Appliance Project (EER), the West African country has saved nearly 400 Gigawatt Hours (GWh) of electricity. The project has also reduced the yearly average energy consumption of refrigerators from 1200GW to 385GW, according to Kofi Agyarko, the Director of Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Climate Change. Over…

Zimbabwe could become first African country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender
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Zimbabwe could become first African country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender

Zimbabwe’s government is exploring the use of cryptocurrencies in legal payment services, with the hope of bettering its economy. The use of bitcoin is not a new idea, but it has been gathering steam from businesses and government officials. When President Emerson Mnagangwa came into power in 2017, there was wide expectation of economic relief…

The price of Ethiopia’s civil war
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The price of Ethiopia’s civil war

For one year, Ethiopia has been at war with itself. What started as a “police operation” has turned into a full blown humanitarian crisis that risks disintegrating an already divided country and overturning economic gains accrued over the last two decades. Unlike many wars, the chronology of the Ethiopian civil war is widely agreed upon…

What happened to Nigeria’s green bonds?
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What happened to Nigeria’s green bonds?

They were launched with plenty of fan fare. Climate activists praised it. Economists salivated at their potential returns. And government leaders lauded it as a firm step to rid Africa’s largest country off its dalliance with fossil fuels. Four years later, the praises have dried up and discontent is brewing. The story of Nigeria’s green…

Elon Musk is right. Here’s why the UN cannot solve Africa’s hunger crisis.
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Elon Musk is right. Here’s why the UN cannot solve Africa’s hunger crisis.

Just days ago, David Beasley was a largely unknown figure. But now the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) Director has been thrown into the spotlight after being embroiled in a feisty war of words with Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. Musk had effectively become the world’s wealthiest individual following a rally…

COP26: Why Africa is getting the short end of the stick
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COP26: Why Africa is getting the short end of the stick

Walking through Glasgow you’d be forgiven for thinking the pandemic is over. Motorcades carrying world leaders are bustling for space as armed bodyguards wrestle to showcase their individual and state prowess in Scotland’s capital. The port resembles a classy exhibition showcasing the most luxurious yachts the world has ever seen, full of many rich business…

What can Africa gain from China’s growing investments?

What can Africa gain from China’s growing investments?

Over the last twenty years, China has strengthened its relationship with Africa by providing low-interest loans, constructing mega infrastructure projects, buying more oil, bauxite, and natural gas, and of course, exporting cheap manufactured products. It’s now almost impossible to separate China from Africa. And some African countries like Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and the Republic of Congo…

Zambia provides model for how Africa can use Artificial Intelligence to address challenges of urbanization
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Zambia provides model for how Africa can use Artificial Intelligence to address challenges of urbanization

With cities and towns expanding every day, African governments are looking to collect geospatial information that could assist in prioritizing goals, from basic service delivery to ambitious infrastructure plans. Geospatial information contains location information, and uses artificial intelligence and aerial or satellites to enable information about cities to be linked together based on their shared…

Nigerian fintechs are booming, despite government crackdowns
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Nigerian fintechs are booming, despite government crackdowns

(This is a transcript of the podcast posted on Monday, August 23th, 2021. You can listen to the podcast by clicking on this link https://open.spotify.com/episode/65EOEkIMxmHoqG8veXjMHe?si=ma3YD4a5RWeUomTFiP9ycw&dl_branch=1&nd=1) DUMI JERE: Greetings ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to this week’s episode of The Weekly Beat. My name is Dumi Jere, and I’m coming to you from South Africa. And with…

How Mohombi, a two time Grammy Award winner, is enabling Africans own their music
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How Mohombi, a two time Grammy Award winner, is enabling Africans own their music

(This is a transcript of the podcast posted on Tuesay, August 17th, 2021. You can listen to the podcast by clicking on this link https://mansamedia.africa/the-weekly-beat-august-17-2021/) MAGGIE MUTESI: Good evening and welcome to yet again, another episode of The Weekly Beat by Mansa. My name is Maggie Mutesi, I’m coming to you from a Cape Verde…

Zambia urgently needs an economic revolution. But are elections worth the hassle?
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Zambia urgently needs an economic revolution. But are elections worth the hassle?

 (This is a transcript of the podcast posted on Monday, August 9th, 2021. You can listen to the podcast by clicking on this link https://www.buzzsprout.com/1655965/8988981) ARNOLD SEGAWA: Greetings and welcome to this edition of Mansa’s The Weekly Beat, I’m Arnold Segawa joining you from Johannesburg, and Maggie Mutesi I think you’re in Cape Verde this…

Africa’s first black-owned car maker is expanding to Namibia
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Africa’s first black-owned car maker is expanding to Namibia

Mureza, a car manufacturer whose story transcends borders, will begin sales in the Namibian market next month after a successful release of its first batch of units in Zimbabwe and South Africa a fortnight ago. Mureza was founded by Tendai Mungofa, a Zimbabwean national based in South Africa, and the company aims to create a…

Explained: Why young people want to “fix” Africa’s top gold producer
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Explained: Why young people want to “fix” Africa’s top gold producer

Thousands of Ghanaians descended on the streets of the capital Accra on Wednesday, demanding President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration do more to create jobs for the youth, bring down the cost of living and improve healthcare and education standards. The demonstrations, peaceful in nature, were held under the slogan #FixTheCountry. Youthful protesters dressed in red and…

This new form of investment was worth $3.3 Trillion in 2020. Here’s why it is growing.
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This new form of investment was worth $3.3 Trillion in 2020. Here’s why it is growing.

As economies worldwide were struck down by the COVID-19 pandemic last year, a new form of investment, fuelled by climate change and social activism, gained ground. The term impact investing has been around for a decade now, but its crescendo only arrived in 2020, according to a report released by the International Finance Corporation (IFC)….

How can an entrepreneur survive and thrive in Africa?
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How can an entrepreneur survive and thrive in Africa?

(This is a transcript of the podcast posted on Monday, August 2nd 2021. You can listen to the podcast by clicking on this link https://www.buzzsprout.com/1655965/8924559) ARNOLD SEGAWA: A warm welcome to this edition of Mansa’s The Weekly Beat. As always we’re joined by Dumi Jere and Maggie Mutesi. How are you doing guys? Let me…

To achieve Europe’s climate goals, car manufacturers are destroying Guinea’s ecosystem
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To achieve Europe’s climate goals, car manufacturers are destroying Guinea’s ecosystem

It may be located 6,500 miles from the capital of the European Union, Brussels, but this West African country holds the key to a zero-emissions future the bloc seeks. Last week, the EU proposed an effective ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 as the body seeks to speed up…

ADS Group to launch Africa’s first floating studio in Cape Verde
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ADS Group to launch Africa’s first floating studio in Cape Verde

Africa Development Solutions (ADS), through its creative platform Social Nation, will be launching the Mansa creative hub – a world class floating studio – in Mindelo, Cape Verde on August 14th, 2021. The inauguration of the Mansa Floating Studio will be an iconic three-day event, climaxing with the Baia das Gatas Music Festival, Cape Verde’s…