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Diworsified

South Africa VS Coronavirus: Banks risk facing more loss

In the second part of our series on the impact of COVID-19 on South Africa, we focus on its banking industry. South Africa’s banks are strong ... enough to withstand the pressures of COVID-19 – but the pandemic has shown the limits of their model of geographical diversification.

Article 2/6 of "Can South Africa stay one step ahead of the pandemic?"

read me

Biometric identification: a coveted African market

In a booming sector, international giants are winning most of the contracts related to digital and facial recognition. Pending the emergence ... of an African challenger.

Article 1/5 of "Biometric Identification: how far can we go?"

data collection

Coronavirus: Crowdsourcing uses today’s technology for realistic data collection

China, Western Europe, the United States and Brazil have thus far been the regions hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus has also been ... spreading across the African continent and threatening to devastate vulnerable populations and overwhelm an already fragile healthcare system.

African Lives Matter

African Lives Matter: The future crisis

Johannesburg scares the shit out of me. Here, even my Chicago core feels intimidated, not quite up to the challenge in this city where safety ... is the first priority. Forever on guard. Driving down a major thoroughfare you grow tense when you see a road-sign warning about a high-crime hot-spot. Hope to make it through without getting jacked or smash-and-grabbed.

ceasefire disagreements

Crisis in Libya: Egypt turns to Arab League for support of its peace deal

Following a request by Egyptian authorities, a video-conference meeting between the 22 members of the Arab League is due to be held this week. ... Allied to Libya's Marshal Khalifa Haftar, Cairo is seeking Arab support for its peace plan.

path finder

The 4,500km Lagos – Algiers road takes a step closer to reality

The completion of a strategic section in the Chiffa Gorge gives a decisive boost to the project - born more than fifty years ago - of a road ... linking Algiers and Lagos.

no change

Burundi: Why history will judge Pierre Nkurunziza harshly

Pierre Nkurunziza, Burundi’s football-loving president and self-proclaimed pastor, has died at the age of 55. By all accounts this death was ... most cruel. He was soon to hand over power to his handpicked successor, Major General Evariste Ndayishimiye.

UK first

DfID merger signals shift to promoting UK national self interest

For a prime minister so keen on proclaiming Britain’s world-beating status, whether in response to COVID-19 or in its post-Brexit future, Boris ... Johnson’s announcement of the closure of the Department for International Development (DfID) and its merger into a new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office seemed strange.

shoppers watchlist

Kenya’s Tuskys on government watchlist after failing to pay suppliers

Tuskys, a Kenyan family-owned retail chain with a presence in Uganda, is on a government watchlist after it failed to pay its suppliers on ... time.

CURIOUS MURDER

Vital Kamerhe trial: the curious murder of Judge Raphael Yanyi

According to an autopsy report, the judge presiding over the hearings of Vital Kamerhe’s trial died after receiving one or more blows to the ... head. However, there are several discrepancies in the case and Raphael Yanyi’s family does not believe the official version of events.

no limits

Border closures will not stop Dangote expansion

Dangote Industries supported the Nigerian government's decision to close the Lagos-Benin Republic borders, despite a disruption in trade. ...

tactical alliances

US-China tension creates opportunities Africa must seize

The unfolding US-China power rivalry bears a striking resemblance to the tensions between the US and the Soviet bloc during the Cold War ... years.

Go With the Flow

South Africa VS Coronavirus: Rand driven up by global risk appetite

With the second largest economy in Africa, how has South Africa been coping with the economic fallout from the pandemic? In our first part of ... a series on the impact of COVID-19 on the country, we look into how buying the rand has become a punt on the chances of a second wave of the coronavirus as the importance of the South African economy recedes.

Article 1/6 of "Can South Africa stay one step ahead of the pandemic?"

TALKING AFRICA PODCAST

Zimbabwe on the brink: Inflation, currency, clashes – what next?

Today, many compare the political confrontation and economic meltdown in Zimbabwe with the position of the country a decade ago.  ...

dearest beloved

Dear Egypt…

My dear, how are you holding up in these trying times? I hope you are faring well as much as one can given the circumstances. And I pray we will ... not be burdened with more than we can bear and that this time will soon come to pass for the both of us. 

status quo not sustainable

Coronavirus: ‘Status quo of women not sustainable, balance must be tilted’

The capacity to recover quickly from any challenge is often determined by how well we have planned for that challenge. In the world we live in, ... our gender greatly determines our preparedness for the different obstacles life throws at us.

rose tinted glasses

Coronavirus: Will Africa’s low death rate survive lockdown easing?

In most African countries, the spread of the coronavirus has been through community transmission. Very few countries have widespread geographic ... transmission. The cases have been largely confined to capital cities and a few other localities. So is it all good news for the continent?

end of line

DRC: Tshisekedi loses an asset in parliament as Kabund dismissed

The Constitutional Court has confirmed that Jean-Marc Kabund-a-Kabund is stripped of his position as First Vice-President of the National Assembly. ... A decision that thwarts the plans of President Tshisekedi.

triple threat

East Africa budgets: ‘An optimistic mix of tax waivers and incentives’

The Finance Ministers of East African Community (EAC) states presented their 2020-2021 budgets on 11 June, as the region prepares itself for ... a tough year ahead.

consortia competition

France’s Eiffage calls for joint bids to beat China’s construction giants

Present in Senegal since 1926, the French group has extended its presence to West Africa. It is particularly targeting energy-related projects. ... But without strong consortiums it will be hard to beat Chinese competitors, it believes.