Essential The Africa the Media Doesn't Tell You About
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- Start date
I feel ur post breh
Secure Da Bag
Veteran
Trajan
Veteran
Ghana referendum vote towards creation of six new regions
Abdur Rahman Alfa Shaban 23 hours ago
GHANA
Ghanaians are voting in parts of the country in a referendum aimed at creating six new regions across the West African country.
The Electoral Commission, EC, on Thursday deployed voting materials across the necessary zones. Voting has so far been smoothly conducted in the areas under consideration.
Overall 47 districts across the country are participating in the exercise. The new regions the referenda is seeking to create are: the Western North, Ahafo, Bono East, Oti, North East and Savannah regions.
Ghana already has a total of ten regions all of which are broken up into smaller units known as districts. Expectations are high that a massive YES vote will be recorded given that the vote has the backing of the government and main opposition.
The idea of new regions was a campaign promise of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2016 when he was contesting for the top seat.
Since being sworn into office in January 2017, the New Patriotic Party, NPP, government started a series of processes aimed at ensuring that the campaign promise saw the light of day.
The current vice-president has voted as has the former president, their respective districts will be impacted by the referendum and thus the new regions.
Abdur Rahman Alfa Shaban 23 hours ago
GHANA
Ghanaians are voting in parts of the country in a referendum aimed at creating six new regions across the West African country.
The Electoral Commission, EC, on Thursday deployed voting materials across the necessary zones. Voting has so far been smoothly conducted in the areas under consideration.
Overall 47 districts across the country are participating in the exercise. The new regions the referenda is seeking to create are: the Western North, Ahafo, Bono East, Oti, North East and Savannah regions.
Ghana already has a total of ten regions all of which are broken up into smaller units known as districts. Expectations are high that a massive YES vote will be recorded given that the vote has the backing of the government and main opposition.
The idea of new regions was a campaign promise of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2016 when he was contesting for the top seat.
Since being sworn into office in January 2017, the New Patriotic Party, NPP, government started a series of processes aimed at ensuring that the campaign promise saw the light of day.
The current vice-president has voted as has the former president, their respective districts will be impacted by the referendum and thus the new regions.
Forbes Africa
ECONOMY
Rwanda The Emerging Economy To Watch
Published
3 weeks ago
on
December 5, 2018
By
Forbes Africa
The tiny East African nation has proven to be a role model for the continent.
During her November 2018 visit to Rwanda, World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva described the country as one that has enjoyed impressive growth and often has bold ambitions.
In recent years, at business summits across the world, it’s not uncommon to hear such praise about Rwanda. Various speakers have singled it out as one of the emerging economies to look out for in terms of investment opportunities, value for money and economic growth.
The statistics explain why Rwanda has become Africa’s poster child for progress. The country has reduced reliance on donations and currently, domestically funds about 84% of the budget up from about 36% two decades ago.
In the last fiscal year (2017-2018), the economy grew by 8.9%.
Barely 24 years after the horrific genocide against the Tutsi, when the East African nation lost over a million lives and the devastation left a trail of trauma and economic ruin, its achievements have often been described as miraculous.
At the center of the tiny country’s recovery is President Paul Kagame, who led the revolt that ended the genocide.
Kagame has led his country from penury to prosperity. His government has co-invested alongside private capital to reduce risk and create a more appealing proposition.
For instance, when one of Africa’s leading telecoms groups, MTN, was keen on entering the Rwandan market in 1998, the government boosted their confidence by purchasing a 20% stake in the company.
This was driven by an ambition to not only attract the firm to the country but to ensure citizens have access to affordable telecom services. Years later, the government offloaded its stake in the firm through an initial public offering, allowing citizens to be part of a meaningful income-generating firm.
MTN is just one example of the strategic approaches taken by the Kagame-led government. The same has been replicated in multiple sectors, including finance and agriculture.
The last two decades on the Rwandan economic front have also been characterized by improving the investment ecosystem to create interest from the international and local business community.
While most would concentrate on the odds against the country, such as its small size, and its landlocked location, amidst a volatile region, Kagame sought to give investors every reason to put their money in Rwanda.
In a continent that has always been associated with corruption, the Rwandan government adopted a zero-tolerance stance on graft.
This was paired with the improvement of service delivery across all sectors, eliminating the need for bribes to access public services.
ECONOMY
Rwanda The Emerging Economy To Watch
Published
3 weeks ago
on
December 5, 2018
By
Forbes Africa
The tiny East African nation has proven to be a role model for the continent.
During her November 2018 visit to Rwanda, World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva described the country as one that has enjoyed impressive growth and often has bold ambitions.
In recent years, at business summits across the world, it’s not uncommon to hear such praise about Rwanda. Various speakers have singled it out as one of the emerging economies to look out for in terms of investment opportunities, value for money and economic growth.
The statistics explain why Rwanda has become Africa’s poster child for progress. The country has reduced reliance on donations and currently, domestically funds about 84% of the budget up from about 36% two decades ago.
In the last fiscal year (2017-2018), the economy grew by 8.9%.
Barely 24 years after the horrific genocide against the Tutsi, when the East African nation lost over a million lives and the devastation left a trail of trauma and economic ruin, its achievements have often been described as miraculous.
At the center of the tiny country’s recovery is President Paul Kagame, who led the revolt that ended the genocide.
Kagame has led his country from penury to prosperity. His government has co-invested alongside private capital to reduce risk and create a more appealing proposition.
For instance, when one of Africa’s leading telecoms groups, MTN, was keen on entering the Rwandan market in 1998, the government boosted their confidence by purchasing a 20% stake in the company.
This was driven by an ambition to not only attract the firm to the country but to ensure citizens have access to affordable telecom services. Years later, the government offloaded its stake in the firm through an initial public offering, allowing citizens to be part of a meaningful income-generating firm.
MTN is just one example of the strategic approaches taken by the Kagame-led government. The same has been replicated in multiple sectors, including finance and agriculture.
The last two decades on the Rwandan economic front have also been characterized by improving the investment ecosystem to create interest from the international and local business community.
While most would concentrate on the odds against the country, such as its small size, and its landlocked location, amidst a volatile region, Kagame sought to give investors every reason to put their money in Rwanda.
In a continent that has always been associated with corruption, the Rwandan government adopted a zero-tolerance stance on graft.
This was paired with the improvement of service delivery across all sectors, eliminating the need for bribes to access public services.
Secure Da Bag
Veteran
The only unfortunate thing about Rwanda is that it looks like Kagame is going to be a dictator. Maybe benevolent dictator, but a dictator nonetheless. I've read that Tanzania and its President are going a similar route (and improvement) as Rwanda.
Red Shield
Global Domination
nothing unfortunate about it.... can worry about democracy once those countries are where they need to be
Some aspects of dictatorship for progress can be beneficial with the right leader.
This. Democracy is very good once you've developed or you have the right institutions in place. For economic development, sometimes you need long term centralized power. Facts.
Look at China, Singapore and Rwanda. You need a single visions and sometimes a single government that can execute over the course of 10+ years. With 4 year democracies you're often left with short spurts governance and you have policy makers trying to stay in power/play politics instead of actually working.
worked for singapore lol
Secure Da Bag
Veteran
I dont know why ppl keep hyping up Rwanda. Its still one of the poorest countries in Africa but also outside the capital its very under developed. Plus it relies on looting Congo for economic gains. What economic success?
Ghana, Senegal, Botswana and Ivory Coast are better success stories. If you wanna talk about beneficial dictators then at least the Tanzania govt is trying to develop cities/places outside the capital.
Ghana, Senegal, Botswana and Ivory Coast are better success stories. If you wanna talk about beneficial dictators then at least the Tanzania govt is trying to develop cities/places outside the capital.
Inspiring story of 21-year-old Ghanaian tech genius behind Uber, Instagram and Snapchat
Iddris Sandu
Fly to Accra from $1318. Book now to get the best price.
Iddris Sandu, the young award-winning innovator is truly an inspiration. From learning Java at age 10 to developing his first app on the original Apple iPhone, he continues his rise in the tech world with projects which includes The Wireless Charging Table, Lifestyle One Wearable, Project ACDI Uber, Kera- Artificial Intelligence Operating System, Iris Scan Technology etc.
Iddris recently helped rapper Nipsey Hussle create The Marathon Clothing, a smart store in Los Angeles and also partnered with Kanye West and Jaden Smith on a few future businesses, clothing lines and disaster relief projects that are set to launch in 2019.
During his days in High school, Iddris developed a mobile software that would later gain the attention of former U.S. President Barack Obama and land him at the White House, where he received the honorary presidential scholar award.
He was only 16 years old. Now 21, the Los Angeles-based young man is the self-made tech guru who has accomplished many incredible feats, including being responsible for algorithms that have made Uber, Instagram and Snapchat what they are today.
The software engineer considers himself a “cultural architect” and said he aims to “level the playing field” between Silicon Valley and young communities of colour.
Iddris was born and raised in Harbor City, California by his Ghanaian parents. The young lad spoke about the harrowing experience he had when he was just eight and his father had wanted to take him on a trip to Ghana.
“But on the fourth day of the trip, he abandoned me in this village, took my passport and came back to the States,” Sandu told Oxford University’s Music and Style Magzine, adding that he was abandoned for almost nine months before getting into contact with an NGO which helped him travel back home.
He got back to the U.S. when the first-ever iPhone was unveiled, and this started his journey into the tech world.
“I just got super inspired. I thought – this device is going to change the world. The reason why the iPhone was so important was because it was the first time when regular consumers could develop for other regular consumers. Before, you really had to work at a tech company for multiple years to be able to offer any sort of input or to create an app. But Apple made it so mainstream. I knew it was the future,” he said.
Just 10 years old then, Sandu started learning programming on his own for the next two years at a public library and this was where he got spotted by a designer from Google, who offered him an internship opportunity at the company’s headquarters.
At age 13, he got his first experience with programming and worked on many projects such as the initial Google blogger, Google Plus, among others.
Yet, Sandu was determined to affect change, hence, at the age of 15, he designed an app for his high school that gave students turn by turn directions to navigate their classrooms.
Being the only school in California that had an app made by a student, Sandu received wide acclaim that would later afford him a meeting with former President Obama.
During that same period, Sandu wrote an algorithm that he would go on to sell to Instagram and by the age of 18, he was already consulting for Snapchat before landing at Uber, where he created a software (Autonomous Collision Detection Interface) for its self-driving cars.
With the passion to bridge the gap between the informed and uninformed, and to inculcate into young people like him the need for invention and creativity, he left major tech companies to bring that change.
“Information is one of the highest forms of class. And that is what keeps people divided. You should be able to think on a higher level, instead of being strictly consumers. And people of colour in particular are more likely to be consumers than creators. It’s really hard to get out of poverty or to change the structure of economic power if you’re always going to be a consumer rather than creating. Shifting that narrative is what I’ve been trying to do. And thus far, it’s worked, it’s successful.”
From encouraging the study of STEM subjects in schools and at higher levels, Sandu, in 2017, met rapper Nipsey Hussle at local Starbucks, and in three weeks, they had transformed an abandoned storefront in Los Angeles into the Marathon Clothing Store.
The smart store offers exclusive music and other content to customers who have downloaded an app, said The New York Times.
The store leveraged Iddris’ tech and design background and Nipsey’s cultural influences, sparking the interests of many journalists as well as hip-hop and cultural icons like Russell Westbrook, Vegas Jones of Roc Nation, among others.
In an interview with the CNBC, Sandu said the store has helped him bridge the gap between culture and technology, and would love others to do same.
“We are living in the digital revolution,” he said. Although “we are all constantly exposing ourselves to content in real-time.”
“We need to address the largest issues affecting communities and build infrastructure on that,” Sandu said.
The tech wizard has since partnered with Kanye West and Jaden Smith on some future businesses, clothing lines and disaster relief projects that are set to launch in 2019, according to CNBC.
Having created his own music, putting together the sonics and instrumentals in just 3 days to form a full album, the creative technologist is working on a book about recent initiators, including Kanye West; Robi Reed, a casting director; and Edward Enninful, the editor of British Vogue.
With the drive to use all his networks to empower young people in America to make a positive impact in their communities, the unconventional tech genius is already on his way to become a leader for the next generation of influencers and entrepreneurs.
Iddris SanduFly to Accra from $1318. Book now to get the best price.
Iddris Sandu, the young award-winning innovator is truly an inspiration. From learning Java at age 10 to developing his first app on the original Apple iPhone, he continues his rise in the tech world with projects which includes The Wireless Charging Table, Lifestyle One Wearable, Project ACDI Uber, Kera- Artificial Intelligence Operating System, Iris Scan Technology etc.
Iddris recently helped rapper Nipsey Hussle create The Marathon Clothing, a smart store in Los Angeles and also partnered with Kanye West and Jaden Smith on a few future businesses, clothing lines and disaster relief projects that are set to launch in 2019.
During his days in High school, Iddris developed a mobile software that would later gain the attention of former U.S. President Barack Obama and land him at the White House, where he received the honorary presidential scholar award.
He was only 16 years old. Now 21, the Los Angeles-based young man is the self-made tech guru who has accomplished many incredible feats, including being responsible for algorithms that have made Uber, Instagram and Snapchat what they are today.
The software engineer considers himself a “cultural architect” and said he aims to “level the playing field” between Silicon Valley and young communities of colour.
Iddris was born and raised in Harbor City, California by his Ghanaian parents. The young lad spoke about the harrowing experience he had when he was just eight and his father had wanted to take him on a trip to Ghana.
“But on the fourth day of the trip, he abandoned me in this village, took my passport and came back to the States,” Sandu told Oxford University’s Music and Style Magzine, adding that he was abandoned for almost nine months before getting into contact with an NGO which helped him travel back home.
He got back to the U.S. when the first-ever iPhone was unveiled, and this started his journey into the tech world.
“I just got super inspired. I thought – this device is going to change the world. The reason why the iPhone was so important was because it was the first time when regular consumers could develop for other regular consumers. Before, you really had to work at a tech company for multiple years to be able to offer any sort of input or to create an app. But Apple made it so mainstream. I knew it was the future,” he said.
Just 10 years old then, Sandu started learning programming on his own for the next two years at a public library and this was where he got spotted by a designer from Google, who offered him an internship opportunity at the company’s headquarters.
At age 13, he got his first experience with programming and worked on many projects such as the initial Google blogger, Google Plus, among others.
Yet, Sandu was determined to affect change, hence, at the age of 15, he designed an app for his high school that gave students turn by turn directions to navigate their classrooms.
Being the only school in California that had an app made by a student, Sandu received wide acclaim that would later afford him a meeting with former President Obama.
During that same period, Sandu wrote an algorithm that he would go on to sell to Instagram and by the age of 18, he was already consulting for Snapchat before landing at Uber, where he created a software (Autonomous Collision Detection Interface) for its self-driving cars.
With the passion to bridge the gap between the informed and uninformed, and to inculcate into young people like him the need for invention and creativity, he left major tech companies to bring that change.
“Information is one of the highest forms of class. And that is what keeps people divided. You should be able to think on a higher level, instead of being strictly consumers. And people of colour in particular are more likely to be consumers than creators. It’s really hard to get out of poverty or to change the structure of economic power if you’re always going to be a consumer rather than creating. Shifting that narrative is what I’ve been trying to do. And thus far, it’s worked, it’s successful.”
From encouraging the study of STEM subjects in schools and at higher levels, Sandu, in 2017, met rapper Nipsey Hussle at local Starbucks, and in three weeks, they had transformed an abandoned storefront in Los Angeles into the Marathon Clothing Store.
The smart store offers exclusive music and other content to customers who have downloaded an app, said The New York Times.
The store leveraged Iddris’ tech and design background and Nipsey’s cultural influences, sparking the interests of many journalists as well as hip-hop and cultural icons like Russell Westbrook, Vegas Jones of Roc Nation, among others.
In an interview with the CNBC, Sandu said the store has helped him bridge the gap between culture and technology, and would love others to do same.
“We are living in the digital revolution,” he said. Although “we are all constantly exposing ourselves to content in real-time.”
“We need to address the largest issues affecting communities and build infrastructure on that,” Sandu said.
The tech wizard has since partnered with Kanye West and Jaden Smith on some future businesses, clothing lines and disaster relief projects that are set to launch in 2019, according to CNBC.
Having created his own music, putting together the sonics and instrumentals in just 3 days to form a full album, the creative technologist is working on a book about recent initiators, including Kanye West; Robi Reed, a casting director; and Edward Enninful, the editor of British Vogue.
With the drive to use all his networks to empower young people in America to make a positive impact in their communities, the unconventional tech genius is already on his way to become a leader for the next generation of influencers and entrepreneurs.