Inspiring Young African Women to Reach for the Sky
Captain Kgomotso Phatsima from Botswana describes
the aviation industry as “white and male”. To combat this, she
founded Dare to Dream – an organisation whose aim is to get more women into all
aspects of the industry. Dare to Dream is a social enterprise dedicated to the
advancement of youth women and girls in STEM Aviation and Aerospace as well as
Entrepreneurship development skills. The company offers coding and
entrepreneurial skills development Training, consultancy services for web
development apps, as well as airport tours and flying experiences.
SOURCE: BBC
The African Flower which Fools the Taste Buds
Scientists at the UK’s Royal Botanic Gardens have released a
list highlighting 10 of the most remarkable newly-described plants in 2019. In
total, 102 plants and eight species of fungi were named for the first time, but
many are already threatened with extinction due to human activity, according to
a statement from the gardens released Tuesday. One of the new species is a
“miracle-berry” called “Synsepalum chimanimani.” The plant,
found in Africa, produces fruits containing a compound known as miraculin,
which blocks the tastebuds and makes sour foods taste sweet. One of fewer than
40 recorded species of miracle-berry, the new addition is already threatened by
deforestation and agriculture.
SOURCE: CNN
Remembering the Father of Modern-day Crusade Preaching and Healing in Africa
German-born evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, who attracted massive crowds in Africa during decades of preaching, is being mourned by millions of Christians across the continent following his death aged 79. Across the continent, huge week-long church rallies are now commonplace, characterised by mass mobilization, big tents, colorful podiums, sophisticated public address systems, local language translators, and, in some instances, evangelists who mimic Bonnke’s oratory and stage antics, including how he firmly gripped microphones. Africa’s best-known names on the African Christian scene such as Nigeria’s TB Joshua and Kenya’s Teresia Wairimu, a direct consequence of Bonnke’s early influence.
SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES
Families Flee as Burkina Faso Tips into Chaos
In the worst affected regions of the country, where the state has largely lost control, education has been put on hold. “Western” or secular education has been portrayed as unnecessary or corrupting, by some radical Islamist preachers. Teachers have been killed and classrooms burned down. About 1,800 schools have closed. Badly trained and poorly motivated, the army has been struggling to contain the insurgency, in a war for which it was not prepared. Human rights groups have accused soldiers and militias of abuses that have fuelled the cycle of violence.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
Sudan Remains Divided 100 Days In
In September, the first ministerial cabinet since the removal of
the country’s longtime President Omar al-Bashir took its oath amid high hopes
and expectations. Wednesday marks 100 days since the swearing-in, and Sudanese
people seem to be divided between praising the government for its achievements
made so far and critiquing it for not moving fast enough on certain issues.
Inflation that has been on the rise even before the government took over
continued its climb in the past few weeks. While the value of the Sudanese
pound against the dollar officially remained stable at 45 pounds to the dollar,
in the parallel black market, it jumped from 62 to 87 pounds to the dollar.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
Making Nigeria’s Roads Safe
The Nigerian Senate recently introduced a new bill that aims at shifting the responsibility for the maintenance, rehabilitation, and construction of roads from the federal government to private investors. This is due to repeated failures in providing solutions to bad roads in the country. Nigeria has the largest road network in West Africa and the second largest south of sub-Saharan Africa. Despite this feat, the country has a huge deficit in road infrastructure with several roads in deplorable conditions, costing the government some N450 billion yearly. A lot of factors are responsible for this, ranging from poor maintenance, abandoned projects, and high-level corruption from government officials who misappropriate funds allocated for infrastructure projects.
SOURCE: VENTURES AFRICA
The Credibility of Zimbabwe as an Investment Destination
Zimbabwe, which is banking on investment in its natural resources to arrest an economic free-fall, faces having the assets of the state mining company seized after a final appeal of a 2014 arbitration ruling failed. Companies linked to British Virgin Islands-based Amari Holdings Ltd. won the right to seize assets worth $65.9 million in compensation for Zimbabwe Mining Development Corp.’s cancellation of nickel and platinum ventures formed in 2007 and 2008. The ruling by the International Court of Arbitration was made after a hearing in Lusaka, Zambia. The state is seeking to convince investors from Cyprus, South Africa, Russia, and Nigeria to spend billions of dollars developing its platinum reserves, the world’s third-largest.
SOURCE: BLOOMBERG
Modernising Kenya’s ERP Landscape
The Kenyan Revenue Authority has recently adopted a cloud-based CRM solution to assist with citizen engagement. This is helping to change the perception around the cloud and the benefits of cloud-based solutions versus the risk involved. Cloud-based solutions have the potential to dramatically improve business and are actually cheaper in the long run than continuing to maintain legacy equipment. Modern application services can help organizations to bridge the gap between their legacy technology and new solutions like the cloud and reengineer their processes to create a customer-first experience. However, in order to maximize return on investment, however, it is essential to find the right partner to embark on the digital journey with.
SOURCE: AFRICA.COM
Windhoek’s Energy Crisis
Namibia’s electricity generation has dropped to below 40% of its capacity as the worst drought in almost a century has hit the country’s own hydropower plant and others in the region reliant on water from dams and rivers. The drought, plus power blackouts at South Africa power company Eskom, on which Namibia relies for 70% of its energy requirements, has put the security of the country’s electricity supply at risk. State power firm NamPower said on Wednesday that electricity generation at Namibia’s only hydropower plant currently ranges between 90 megawatts and 160 megawatts, compared to an installed capacity of 374 megawatts.
SOURCE: REUTERS AFRICA
[WATCH] Kampala’s New Sport
In Uganda, performance horse-riding, or equestrian sports, are
known as a pastime for the rich. But in recent years, less well-off Ugandans
have started to embrace equestrian sports with the hopes of competing
internationally.
SOURCE: VOA