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Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf: Africa’s First Female Head of State

30 April 2016 Comments (0) Africa, Featured, Leaders

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa’s first female head of state and the rebuilding of the post-war economy of Liberia.

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa’s first female head of state has led a remarkable life; after spending time imprisoned and exiled, she rebuilt her country after a turbulent decade of civil war. In 2010 Newsweek listed her as one of the top ten leaders in the world and in 2014 she was named the 70th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine.

Sirleaf was born in 1938, in Monrovia, Liberia. After marrying at 17, she had a thorough education, which started with her studying at the College of West Africa in 1955. She then moved to the USA and completed her Master of Public Administration in 1971 from Harvard’s prestigious John F Kennedy School of Government. Shortly afterwards, she returned to her homeland.

Driven Twice into Exile

Sirleaf’s return to Liberia was eventful but also troubled. In 1971 she briefly took up office of the Assistant Minister of Finance under William Tolbert before resigning over a disagreement regarding government spending.  She served as Finance Minister from 1979-1980 until the bloody military coup in 1980 where Tolbert and all but four of his ministers were executed by firing squad. She was offered a role under the new leadership but fled the country later that year after publicly criticizing the new regime.

Exile was a frustrating time for Sirleaf; she lived in the USA and Kenya before returning to Liberia for two unsuccessful presidential elections in 1985 and 1997. Times were very hard in Liberia: there was peace for only two years before civil war broke out again, leading to the destruction of much of the infrastructure and a death toll of nearly 200,000. Sirleaf fought with the dictator Charles Taylor, whom she initially supported, and was imprisoned for treason. Fortunately, after international pressure and public outcry she only served seven months of a ten year sentence and was exiled once again from her homeland.

Sirleaf stood for the presidency in a contested general election

Ellen Johnson-SirleafThe end of the civil war in 2003 marked Sirleaf’s return to the country and her rise to real power and prominence. A transitional government was established with Sirleaf serving as Head of the Governance Reform Commission. She then stood for the presidency in the hotly contested general election of 2005. Sirleaf managed to best the popular candidate, footballer George Weah, and secure the leadership. Sirleaf later went on to win a second term in office in 2011. She accepted the Nobel Peace Prize just four days before announcing running for a second term, the timing of which was heavily criticized by her opponents.

During the last decade in power, Sirleaf has been credited with much of Liberia’s recovery. The country she inherited was devastated by a decade of civil war; hospitals had been destroyed, teachers and academics had fled the country and an entire generation had missed out on an education. Agriculture had ground to a halt and basic amenities such as electricity and clean water were not available to many Liberians. Her priority became restoring education, and in 2007 she made education free and compulsory for all elementary aged children.

A “zero tolerance” policy on corruption ineffective

Over the last ten years, Sirleaf has also successfully negotiated the write-off of nearly $5bn in foreign debt, allowing Liberia to borrow again from foreign banks, which has kick-started the economic recovery of one of the most impoverished countries on the planet. However her “zero tolerance” policy on corruption has been criticized for being ineffective, with government corruption still rampant in Liberia.

Her Nobel Peace Prize in 2011, for her dedication to women’s rights, was the culmination of years of fighting for equality at home, and abroad. Sirleaf described it as, “the recognition of my many years of struggle.” Her promotion of tolerance and equality has been a hallmark of her presidency. Despite strong prejudice in West Africa on LGBT issues, Sirleaf has been praised for resisting proposed changes to the law that would criminalize homosexuality further. She stated that, “the status quo in Liberia has been one of tolerance and no one has ever been prosecuted under that [current] law.” Sirleaf has stood almost alone in refusing further criminalization and oppression of the LGBT community, against mounting pressure from the media and Liberian lawmakers.

Liberia still has a long way to go

Despite her best efforts, Liberia still has a long way to go. The Ebola crisis of 2014 illustrated how ill equipped the healthcare system and infrastructure was when faced with such a major outbreak of disease. More people died in Liberia than any other country, amassing a total death toll of over 4,500. Critics have also chastised her for not doing enough to battle unemployment, whilst claiming the restoration of some basic amenities have been lacking in the post-war decade.

After decades of fighting for justice and equality for Liberia, she has spent her presidency re-building a war-torn nation. Whilst she has her critics, few could question her unwavering dedication to the country. She has endured exile, imprisonment, and grave risks to her life for the future of the Liberian people. Liberia still faces many challenges; however its future is undoubtedly brighter as a result of Sirleaf’s leadership and commitment to the nation.

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Africa gets younger while key leaders age

29 April 2016 Comments (0) Africa, Featured, Politics

mugabe

The average age of Africans is 19.5 but many of its leaders rank among the world’s oldest.

Africa has the youngest population on earth, but many of the continent’s leaders rank among the world’s oldest.

In Africa, 200 million people are between the ages of 15 and 24 and the population of young people is expected to double by 2045. The average age of Africans is only 19.5.

The youthful population contrasts with many long-standing government leaders who are in their 70s, 80s and 90s.

Zimbabwe president is 92

The oldest is Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, who at age 92 is the oldest leader in the world. Mugabe was elected to his seventh term as president in 2013. Second oldest is Beji Caid Essebsi, 89, who was elected president of Tunisia in 2014.

Cameroon’s president Paul Biya is 83. He has been in power as prime minister and then president for 40 years, making him the longest serving leader on the continent.

African leaders in their 70s include Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 79, president of Algeria since 1999; Alpha Condé, 78, president of Guinea since 2010; Manuel Pinto da Costa, 78, president of Sao Tome and Principe since 2011 (and previously from 1975 to 1991); Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, 77, who became president of Liberia in 2006; Peter Mutharika, 75, president of Malawi since 2014; Jacob Zuma, 74, president of South Africa since 2009; and Yoweri Museveni, 71, who has been president of Uganda since 1986.

Average age is 78.5

In 2015, the average age of the ten oldest African leaders was 78.5, compared to 52 years of age for the world’s 10 most developed countries. U.S. President Barack Obama is 54, Chinese president Xi Jinping is 62, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is 61, and Russian President Vladimir Putin is 63.

Many African nations enacted term limits to prevent leaders from staying too long in office, but leaders both younger and older have sidestepped those laws in recent years.

For example, in Rwanda, voters last year extended the potential term of popular president Paul Kagame, 58, until 2034, dispensing with term limits that would have prevented him from running for re-election to a third term in 2017.

In 2005, Ugandan lawmakers changed the constitution, allowing President Yoweri Museveni to seek re-election in 2006 and 2011. Now 71, Museveni was re-elected again this year.

Burundi election protests

In Burundi, the re-election to a third term of president Pierre Nkurunziza, 52, sparked protests by those who said it went against the country’s limit of two five-year terms.

Not all of Africa’s long-serving presidents are old. Joseph Kabila, now 44, has been president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2001, when he took office after the president, his father, was assassinated. Kabila was elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2011.

An election is scheduled in November in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and term limits could prevent Kabila from running for another term. However, the government has suggested the election may be delayed because of logistical problems, sparking protests as the opposition charges Kabila is maneuvering for another term.

Leadership may be out of touch

David E. Kiwuwa, an associate professor of international studies at Princeton University, said the aging leadership is out of touch as the youth population grows.

“With the burgeoning youthful demography at the bottom, the political top is a disturbingly graying lot,” Kiwuwa said.

He said while some African leaders survive by intimidation, others command the loyalty or even reverence of the public because they have been in office for so long and are seen as “fathers of a nation.”

He said the dominance of aging leaders has prevented younger, more creative leaders from emerging even as Africa’s population has grown younger.

“Why is Africa saddled with leaders who ought to be enjoying their retirement in peace and quiet?” Kiwuwa asked.

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AIG becomes Africa’s first “unicorn”

28 April 2016 Comments (0) Africa, Business, Featured

africa internet group

African Internet Group (AIG) has become the continent’s first ever start-up company to be valued at over $1 billion.

African Internet Group (AIG) has been a trailblazer since the company was launched, in 2012, and it has now become the continent’s first ever “unicorn” startup. A “unicorn” simply refers to any startup company that becomes valued at over $1 billion, of which there are only 151 across the globe.

While such success is an incredible achievement for any business, to attain such status within only 4 years of launching is an astounding feat.

It is not simply the matter of how AIG can provide employment and services in Africa, but how such success inspires others to pursue their ambitions within the continent.

A groundbreaking year

It was expected that AIG would reach its “unicorn” standing by early this year, as turnover from its numerous brands continued to soar. Then, in March, the French insurance group AXA announced that it had purchased an 8% share of the company for $326 million, and AIG finally had a valuation of over $1 billion.

Within weeks of this announcement, the organization had further investment. French mobile phone company Orange declared it had put a further $85 million into AIG, adding still more revenue to the startup’s burgeoning resources.

While Orange’s plans for cross-promotion with AIG are not yet clear, AXA will look to sell insurance packages through AIG’s largest source of income, its Jumia online retail brand.

Jérémy Hodara

Jérémy Hodara

Jumia was set-up, alongside AIG, by co-founders Jérémy Hodara and Sacha Poignonnec to provide African customers with an online shopping experience that matched the one offered by Amazon to consumers outside of Africa. While primarily focused in Nigeria, Jumia has expanded into a further 10 countries.

As Jumia flourished, AIG bought up and invested in other African companies that tapped into the demand for greater services in retail and leisure. The AIG portfolio includes the likes of Hellofood, an app for food delivery and Easy Taxi, which is essentially an African Uber.

AIG now controls 71 companies across 26 nations in Africa, with 10 of these companies involved in the e-commerce sector. The growth in the e-commerce market has been “double-digit…month after month” according to CEO, Jérémy Hodara.

The keys to success

Whenever a company realizes the level of growth that AIG has experienced, it is pertinent to ask: just what did they do to achieve such huge and rapid success? In the case of AIG, there are a number of factors that have allowed the company to do something unprecedented in Africa, with two in particular standing out.

The first of these was the focus on understanding and meeting the wishes of local markets. In an interview with Forbes magazine, Hodara explained that many African consumers were unsure about online shopping and trust had to be carefully fostered. This was done by offering not only exceptional service but by giving options that would be unusual in a market like America. One example of such options was cash on delivery, as Hodara said, “That way, people have assurance they can pay when the product arrives.”

The second major differential, that marks AIG’s group of e-commerce sites apart, has been their vertical integration. While most retailers in the US or Europe would outsource delivery to an existing company, this would simply not provide the level of customer service AIG wanted in Africa. Therefore, they use their own fleet of drivers, which Hodara explains is “larger than UPS, Fedex and DHL in Nigeria.”

AIG also employs its own online marketing and IT teams, which, aside from ensuring quality control, also reduces costs. Hodara says, “We believe we need to control the value chain from A-Z.”

Online retail is an area that Hodara believes will eclipse “bricks and mortar retail” within Africa. With that in mind, it has been a huge boon to AIG to have struck deals with the continent’s largest telecommunications companies, Rocket Internet, Milicom International Cellular and MTN.

Even more tantalizingly, McKinsey Consultants predict that within 9 years’ time, Internet penetration in Africa will have hit 50%. The opportunity for even greater expansion is evidently within AIG’s grasp.

A few years ago, an African “unicorn” might have seemed a proposition almost as unbelievable as its namesake, but AIG has not just become a first, they have potentially changed forever how investors view African startups.

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Kenya’s Chase Bank reopening after liquidity scare

27 April 2016 Comments (0) Africa, Business, Featured

The mid-size financial institution works to emerge from receivership after questionable loans discovered and top executives dismissed.

Chase Bank Ltd. in Kenya is reopening its branch offices and resuming online and mobile banking services this week as the troubled financial institution seeks to emerge from receivership with new management and a new majority owner.

The bank was abruptly closed by Kenyan regulators in early April after its chairman and managing director resigned because an audit revealed that the bank had loaned $80 million to its own directors and had allowed its bad debts to rise to $100 million.

Kenya Commercial Bank Group Ltd., Kenya’s largest bank and a Chase rival, agreed to acquire a majority stake in Chase Bank on April 19 and began reopening its branch offices and restoring online services.

Chase is the country’s 11th largest bank with assets of $1.4 billion. Chase has more than 40 branches and 100,000 customers. It is a mid-sized bank and has a mix of low and middle-income customers. Chase also operates Islamic banking services for wealthy business customers who trade with companies in the Middle East.

Chase, the third Kenyan bank to falter in less than a year, had reported a profit of $23 million in 2014 but recorded a loss of $7 million last year.

Social media rumors cause panic

The bank was closed on April 7 after hundreds of panicked customers made a run on the bank based on rumors of problems on social media, according to the Central Bank of Kenya, which took control of the bank after financial discrepancies emerged.

The trouble began after Chase released two conflicting financial statements. An audit uncovered hidden loans to bank directors. Chase dismissed the two bank executives and police have ordered their arrest.

The Central Bank of Kenya said in a statement that Chase “experienced liquidity difficulties” and was not able to meet its financial obligations after panicked customers began making large withdrawals.

Two other banks fail

Chase is the third Kenyan bank to be placed in receivership because of liquidity problems and questions of mismanagement within the past year as regulators have stepped up scrutiny of the country’s financial institutions.

Central Bank Governor Patrick Ngugi Njoroge

Dubai Bank, a small institution, was taken over by regulators in August and Imperial Bank, a midsize financial institution, collapsed in October. Police in March also ordered the arrest of the chief executive officer and five other executives at a fourth bank, National Bank of Kenya, where an audit was scheduled.

Central Bank governor Patrick Ngugi Njoroge has tightened regulatory control on the nation’s banking industry since he took office in July. Earlier this year, Njoroge ordered a moratorium on new bank licenses until an investigation into the health of the country’s banks is complete.

Too many banks for population size

Bank consolidations are likely going forward as Kenya has an oversupply of financial institutions.

Kenya, with a population of 40 million and a $61 billion economy, has more than 40 banks. By comparison, Nigeria, with more than four times the population and an economy nine times as big, has 22 banks.

This large number of financial institutions creates a competitive environment in which banks may take unwarranted risks. At the same time, Kenya has traditionally allowed banks to maintain relatively low reserves, making smaller banks vulnerable to runs.

One banker said the central bank should force banks into “arranged marriages” to winnow and stabilize the banking sector. Banks that refuse should lose their licenses, according to John Gacora, managing director of Kenya’s NIC Bank.

Public confidence at stake

Hoping to calm pubic fears, Njoroge said the central bank would offer support to any bank that suffered liquidity problems through no fault of its own.

Njoroge said he hoped the Chase re-openings also would restore public confidence in the country’s banking system, which he said was stable in spite of problems at the four banks.

Kenyan regulators said they received offers from six local banks and two foreign banks for Chase.

The central bank cited KCB’s reputation as a strong bank with long experience in Kenya in favoring the larger bank’s acquisition of Chase.

Opening Chase under the management of KCB “will improve the profile of the troubled lender by capitalizing on the sound reputation of KCB,” said Eric Munywok, an executive at Sterling Capital. “If KCB wasn’t involved, a lot of depositors might have fled.”

New owner must retain customers

Financial experts said Chase customers would be well served by KCB Group, which would gain as well.

Maurice Oduor, an investment manager at Cytonn, said the main question is whether clients will stay with the bank following the scare in early April. “Clients may go away unless KCB ups its game in client service.”

The new management has a year to demonstrate it can emerge from receivership, In the meantime, the central bank has placed a moratorium on payments to Chase creditors of Chase Bank until the new team comes up with a plan for dealing with the bank’s debts.

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Sub-Saharan Africa rail projects promise to increase trade

26 April 2016 Comments (0) Africa, Business, Featured

uganda railway

Rail projects proposed or under way on the southern continent will cost an estimated $60 billion.

Railway projects totaling more than $60 billion are proposed or under way in sub-Saharan Africa.

That estimate comes from Terrapin, which is organizing a major rail conference June 28-29 in Johannesburg. According to Terrapinn, projects in Uganda, Namibia, Batswana, Mali, and Nigeria have the largest budgets, ranging from $8 billion up to nearly $14 billion each.

One massive project is a 3,000-kilometer rail line that will link Benin, Burkina Faso,

Niger, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Togo and Ghana.

These nations and mining companies that operate within them are funding the project as the mining industry seeks to increase mineral exports from 109,000 tons a year to 3.4 million tons in 2020, a 30-fold increase.

Without rail network, transport expensive

The lack of a cross-border rail network has made transport expensive, especially in land-locked countries such as Niger, which derives 11 percent of its gross domestic product from mining, and Burkina Faso, which derives 13 percent of GDP from mining.

The rail network also is expected to boost trade among the linked nations and drive economic development in other sectors.

Nigeria also has ambitious plans for domestic rail lines, including one linking Lagos and Kano and another between Lagos and Calabar along the coast. Both were designed to ease commuter congestion and facilitate transport of goods.

However, plans were thrown into doubt in April when the Nigerian National Assembly removed $300 million in funding for the coastal project from the 2016 budget. Funding for a third line between Idu and Kaduna was severely reduced as well.

New line will transport coal

Meanwhile, Botswana and Namibia in southern Africa, are seeking private investment to build a 1,500-kilometer rail line that would transport coal from land-locked Botswana’s fields to Namibian ports on the Atlantic coast.

The project was estimated to cost $15 billion when first proposed in 2011. In 2015, the two countries staffed an office to begin looking into legal and cross-border issues that will have to be addressed.

In Mali, China has agreed to finance an overhaul of a rail line linking the capital of Bamako to Dakar in Senegal. Renovation of the 1,300-kilometer rail line will cost a total of $2.5 billion.

China will also train engineers and technicians and overhaul more than 20 train stations and domestic routes.

China will build Ugandan network

China will also play a role in development of a light-rail commuter network in the Ugandan capital of Kampala. The two countries in December signed an agreement for the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation to build the first phase of the project at a cost of about $440 million.

Plans call for a 240-kilometer network with rail lines from the city center to Entebbe, Nsangi, Wakiso and other towns surrounding the capital. To ease traffic congestion, Uganda also launched an experimental commuter rail line in December between Kampala and Namanve.

Terrapinn listed the following countries with projected rail costs in its report: Uganda ($13.8 billion), Namibia-Botswana ($10 billion), Mali ($9.5 billion), Nigeria ($8.3 billion), Mozambique –Malawi ($4.4 billion), South Africa ($4.3 billion), Kenya ($4 billion), Angola ($3.3 billion), Cameroon ($2.9 billion), Zambia ($1 billion), Democratic Republic of the Congo ($630 million), Zimbabwe ($450 million), Ghana ($300 million), and Tanzania ($40 million).

Terrapinn earlier this year reported a boom in rail development in the Middle East and North Africa with proposals and projects estimated at more than $350 billion, with a number of high-speed rail lines under way.

Railways are vital to economic growth

According to the African Development Bank, railways have an important role to play in the economic development of the continent.

“Rail transport is inevitably critical to support economic development. Unless this mode of transport is developed, Africa may not realize its full potential in exploiting its abundant natural resources and wealth,” the bank said in a 2015 report.

However, the African Development Bank report said the poor condition of rail and rolling stock in many African countries is undermining the potential of rail systems to make a strong contribution to economic growth.

Unfortunately, the ability of African countries to attract investment for railway upgrades has been mixed, it said.

However, the report said support for investment in rail infrastructure will grow as African production of goods and minerals increase and as environmental concerns are heightened.

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eTobb brings a medical Q&A service to the Middle East

25 April 2016 Comments (0) Business, Featured, Middle East

etobb

The eTobb startup looks to democratize medical advice for people across the Middle East, with its Q&A online service.

Startup companies in the Middle East are not anything like as common as they are in other parts of the world, and so finding a niche would appear to be more straightforward. However, finding a niche that truly offers something original and has the potential to positively change people’s lives is a far greater task.

Lebanese startup eTobb appears to be just this sort of company. Launched in January 2013, eTobb is an online Q&A platform for medical problems. Dubbed a “medical Quora” in some quarters, eTobb works in a similar format to the popular aforementioned general Q&A website, but with a key difference. That difference is that any medical query or concern that a member posts can only be answered by a registered doctor. Therefore, customers can be assured that the answers they receive are reliable. Within 2 weeks of launching, eTobb had 50 qualified physicians onboard; after 1 year that number had risen to over 700.

Providing a much-needed service

Perhaps the most obvious reason for eTobb’s rapid growth is that it has provided a service that the region was in need of, as opposed to simply trying to create a demand for something new. While social media platforms have had to create a yearning for their product, access to medical expertise and advice is something that people across every continent, in every era, have desired.

eTobb was founded by 4 people, Paul Saber, Sara Helou, Nader Dagher and Jad Joubran. None of the team had a medical background, but all of them saw the importance of democratizing the access to healthcare information in Lebanon and the wider Middle East.

Co-founder Paul Saber

One of these founders, Paul Saber, explains, “The idea emerged from a need…the lack of information out there, let alone the inaccuracy of this information is a huge dilemma.” In a region like the Middle East, this problem is exacerbated by common cultural and socio-economic issues. In cultural terms, it can be considered taboo for many in the Arab world to discuss personal issues surrounding sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy and women’s health. This was an area that another of the co-founders, Sarah Helou, identified while discussing the importance of an informative blog that eTobb has added to their site, saying, “The blog compliments our services. It’s to raise awareness about different topics and issues.”

The other widespread issue within the region is the cost of healthcare. In an area in which a lot of people struggle with poverty, it is simply not viable for people to travel to an emergency room (which is often the only option) in order to receive medical advice.

As Paul Saber said, “The service provided by eTobb allows users to access reliable medical information, from…experts for free.”

While the benefits to users are obvious, it is also an opportunity for doctors to build up a reputation with potential customers and indirectly advertise themselves to a wider market.

Developing and broadening services

Alongside the launch of the eTobb blog (that covers issues from staying healthy during Ramadan to warning signs for breast cancer), the company has also launched a web app for smartphone users.

As more doctors register to provide their services, the platform continues to grow and provide expert, free advice to not just Lebanese citizens but people all over the Middle East. Corporate support has also arrived, in the form of sponsorship, from Banker’s Assurance, one of Lebanon’s largest insurance companies.

By 2014, there were over 15,000 Arabic speakers signed up to a waiting list for an Arabic version of eTobb to be launched. The company successfully launched this option within the same year, opening up their services to an even greater number of people, across an even wider region.

Customers can also have face-to-face video consultations with an available doctor if they require more detailed discussion or simply desire the more personal experience that this can offer. The feedback from users has been hugely positive and Saber says, that people, “from all over the Arab world and beyond” have signed up and messaged eTobb to say how much it has made their lives easier.

With sponsorship, glowing feedback from consumers and an ever growing list of medical professionals signing up, the future for eTobb looks very healthy.

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Drawing On the Diaspora: Africa’s First Tech Diaspora

22 April 2016 Comments (0) Africa, Business, Featured

haweya-mohamed-afrobytes

Afrobytes, the first diaspora for African tech innovators, held a biannual conference on March 21-22 to discuss the future of development and role of technology for Africans.

Diasporas are common the world over but as the rigidity of nations and states disintegrates with the expansion of technological inclusion, the shape of diasporas is shifting. No longer are diasporas defined as concentrated groups of immigrants/non-native individuals in another country. Afrobytes, the self-described “first African tech diaspora in Europe,” aims to connect leaders in African innovation across the European and African continents to create a better flow of ideas. This sort of boundary-less platform is an intriguing look at the future of diasporas and the future of development.

Paris-based Afrobytes held its first conference on March 21-22, organized by CEO Ammin Youssef, and Head of Communications Haweya Mohammad. The goal of the conference was to bring the brightest minds from France (and greater Europe) and Africa together to discuss the future of Africa’s development. The conference was broken into four categories: mobile education; women as Africa’s future innovators; sustainable infrastructure development and sustainable agricultural development.

Featured speakers hailed from all corners of the globe with all varieties of expertise, from the founder of Libraries without Borders to the PR Manager of WeFarm, from the founder of an open source drone company, Flylab, to the creator of Nairobi’s premier co-working space, iHub. This enormously diverse group of speakers came together to discuss the best way to promote inclusive, sustainable, bottom-up development for the African people.

Inspiring Change: The Themes of the Day

The idea of “re-branding” Africa was a driving force behind the selected themes: after all, without investment, how can Africa develop outside of the traditional and increasingly obsolete top-down model? Re-branding Africa as a well-educated, innovative, inclusive (55% of speakers and attendees identified as women) and multi-faceted sustainable market is important for the future of the continent.

As all conferences on development must, Afrobytes kicked off with a half-day dedicated to the discussion around the role of technology in education. Experts in information-sharing were featured speakers, and topics ranged from traditional, school-based education to the borderless open-source sharing of the WeFarm platform. WeFarm, for example, connects more than 43,000 farmers from Sub-Saharan Africa and South America to share tips on sustainable agriculture near and far.

The next theme was women as the emerging innovators of Africa. While hardly new, the idea that women should be encouraged to think critically, listened to and seen as mentors is new to many, African and otherwise. The primarily female speakers gave lectures on connecting with commercial investors, utilizing co-working spaces, both physical and on-line, and more.

On March 22nd, discussions surrounding Africa’s next “raw material” focused on the necessity of providing African’s with 21st-century-standards of living, including universal access to reliable (and ideally renewable) sources of electricity. The challenges facing the start-up culture and overall clean energy sector were discussed, including a talk by leaders in existing sustainable agriculture initiatives like founder and CEO Abdoulaye Niang of Transconcept Food, Senegal, a company that specializes in the re-appropriation of traditional farming techniques for the modern world. GreenTec Capital spoke to the diverse group, saying “a lot of work is still to be done to support the African start-up environment, and we are thankful for initiatives like Afrobytes.”

Why an Online Diaspora?

The population of Africa is expected to double by 2050 to 2.5 billion, or one-quarter of the world’s projected population. Unless living conditions rapidly improve for millions of Africans, this level of population growth could prove disastrous. According to the African Economic Outlook, “despite progress, the level of human development in Africa remains low….gender inequality and exclusion exist in many countries,” which is exactly why the sorts of dialogue inspired at Afrobytes is so critical. Not only is Afrobytes an inclusive platform that provides women and men equal space to voice their ideas, but it is an important step away from traditional forms of top-down (or government-led) development.

More than three-fifths of Africa’s population is under 25 years old. These individuals have grown up with greater access to knowledge than any generation before, and are therefore more driven to change their surroundings because they are aware, to a painfully precise degree, of what they are missing out on in comparison to their foreign counterparts. The way in which Africa is developing demonstrates the importance of the free-flow of ideas between continents.

By inviting speakers from different physical diasporas, such as the Kenyan ambassador to France, Afrobytes has given its online diaspora a real sense of physical community. Eric Yoon of GreenTec Capital expects “Afrobytes to become an important platform for digital stockholders on the African data scene.”

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Bader Al Kharafi, one of Kuwait’s most powerful figures

21 April 2016 Comments (0) Featured, Leaders, Middle East

Bader Al Kharafi

Bader Al Nasser Kharafi, is rapidly establishing a reputation as one of Kuwait’s most powerful figures and as one of the most influential young Arab businessmen in the world.

Bader Al Nasser Kharafi, is rapidly establishing a reputation as one of Kuwait’s most powerful figures and as one of the most influential young Arab businessmen in the world. Making a name for himself has never been Al-Kharafi’s focus, but as the son of the hugely respected late Nasser Al-Kharafi, his family name was already synonymous with Middle Eastern business.

It is never easy for a child to follow in the footsteps of a highly successful and renowned parent. Nasser Al-Kharafi had taken the family company, MA-Al Kharafi & Sons (MAK), to dizzying heights before his death. However, since taking the helm of the family conglomerate, in 2012, Bader Al-Kharafi has stepped out of his father’s shadow and maintained the company’s long-standing reputation.

A long tradition of family-run success

MA-Al-Kharafi & Sons (MAK) was set up, in 1956, by Bader Al-Kharafi’s grandfather Mohammed Abdul Mohsin Al-Kharafi and the contracting company rapidly expanded into multiple markets outside his native Kuwait.

However, it was one of the sons, Nasser Al-Kharafi, who became a legend within Kuwaiti business, and turned the company into a vast conglomerate of varied operations. It is, therefore, no surprise that when Nasser died, in 2011, stocks in many of the MAK owned entities plummeted and a host of investors began to feel decidedly nervous.

Replacing a highly esteemed business leader is never easy and when there is a potential for in-fighting between family members, shareholder unease is understandable. Bader Al-Kharafi himself said, “I think it is very hard to convince someone to have confidence when you lose someone like Mr. Nasser.” Despite initial concerns, the company made a united, and fairly quick, decision to appoint Bader as the senior figure within the organization.

Bader Al-Kharafi commented on how this helped to placate any concerns with shareholders and thus arrest the initial drop in share prices saying, “The committees running the company and the family members and uncles all united together, that is the message that the market wants.”

Diversified interests and an eye for new horizons

Bader Al-Kharafi was not just taking control of a very prosperous company in 2012; he was heading up a corporation that operates on a huge scale and over a multitude of industries and nations. According to Arabian Business Magazine, in 2012, MAK was operating over 28 countries with 135 companies under its umbrella and was worth over $8 billion. The group has major interests in a plethora of areas, from its large holding in the telecommunications company Zain, to its petroleum, manufacturing and even hospitality interests.

Telecommunications is one of the most significant strings to the MAK group’s bow, and its company Zain has over 44 million customers across 8 nations. Zain has continually invested in new technology to try and keep ahead of competition and Al-Kharafi proudly states, “We introduced…new technologies before Europe and some other countries, including the United States.”

To continue the growth of Zain, Al-Kharafi signed a deal with Vodafone allowing the latter a greater access to the Middle East and allowing Zain to benefit from Vodafone’s existing British and European networks.

Tradition behind continued growth

Al-Kharafi has already expanded his own interests and personal positions of influence since taking over the family company. In 2012, shortly after taking over MAK, he was asked to join the board of Gulf Bank, adding to his existing positions as a board member of Foulath Holding (Bahrain Steel) and as chairman of Gulf Cables and Electrical Industries. By 2014, the world famous private bank Coutts had also added Al-Kharafi to its board.

Aside from continuing the family legacy, Al-Kharafi has shown a dedication to investing in other people and providing the youth of Kuwait with new opportunities, as the job market continues to change and adapt. INJAZ Kuwait is a non-profit NGO that was founded, in 2005, to provide educational support for young people in Kuwait.

Under the guidance of Al-Kharafi and other board members, INJAZ Kuwait has helped over 25,000 students at more than 25 educational institutions learn entrepreneurial and leadership skills. Al-Kharafi says, “I am always up for challenges and risks; mainly because I was introduced to the business at a young age…I like to make sure that I make the first step to becoming a pioneer.”

With such support, INJAZ could help provide the education for the next Al-Kharafi to emerge from the small but prosperous gulf state.

Although he continues to invest in new ideas, Al-Kharafi believes that continuing his father’s ethos is what will ensure ongoing success saying, “The model my father proved time and time again to be vital to success is: people, honesty and making sure you deliver.”

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We Cash Up aims to be the PayPal of Africa

20 April 2016 Comments (0) Africa, Business, Featured

Cedric Atangana

With e-commerce on the continent poised for growth, We Cash Up develops an innovative platform to enable online purchases on phones.

Hoping to ride a wave of innovative online technology and mobile adoption in Africa, the startup We Cash Up has set its sights on becoming the Pay Pal of the continent.

Cedric Atangana, co-founder and CEO of the Marseille-based company Infinity Space, said its We Cash Up network will aim to provide online purchasing power for Africans who do not have bank accounts.

Atangana said as many as 800 million Africans are excluded from internet commerce because they do not have bank accounts. At the same time, most of them have mobile phones.

His solution? A mobile network that enables users to make secure payments via their phones.

A network of businesses and buyers

Small businesses and stores that participate in the network are both a point of deposit and a point of withdrawal so We Cash Up does not have to develop an expensive new infrastructure to manage cash transactions.

We Cash Up says one key feature of We Cash Up is that its developers found a way to communicate across mobile money systems in 54 African countries that enables transactions across borders.

Infinity Space also developed an artificial intelligence that tracks the behavior of mobile users in order to identify risky or fraudulent transactions, the company said.

Infinity Spaces is also developing a We Shop Up platform for participating merchants.

The company operates as a virtual team. Atangana is based in Marseille while other team members work from Kenya or Cameroon.

African e-commerce faces challenges

Atangana sees vast potential both for merchants and buyers and internet use grows in Africa.

Experts agree that the potential to expand e-commerce in Africa exists but it faces key challenges. For example, e-commerce giants including Kalahari and Mocality have invested in Africa and then retrenched after failing to achieve profitability.

Wealthier Africans have not embraced online shopping, for example, because of concerns about fraud. At the same time, many African cultures value their vibrant and plentiful physical marketplaces over online shopping.

Cross-border differences inhibit scaling efficiencies and require duplication of services. The logistics of delivery are complicated.

E-commerce expected to increase

At the same time, the continent appears poised for growth in e-commerce as spending power increases along with internet access. One study predicts e-commerce, now a tiny fraction of the economy, will grow by 40 percent annually during the next decade.

Atangana believes We Cash Up can tap into that growth and change attitudes about online shopping.

Atangana, who holds a degree in engineering from Polytech Marseille, founded Infinity Space in Cameroon in 2010. The company operated in Nairobi, Kenya before Atangana moved its current headquarters to France.

He and Infinity Space chief marketing officer Marcelle Ballow Bekono were named to Forbes list of top 30 African entrepreneurs under 30.

We Cash Up has received several awards in startup competitions, including $20,000 at the 2014 Google Pitch Night.

Friends lacked bank accounts

He said he got the idea for We Cash Up after he had to help friends who did not have credit cards make online purchases.

On separate occasions, he said, friends in Cameroon and Kenya were unable to participate in developer competitions because they could not provide banking details.

“Indeed, one of the conditions for registration was to provide bank details or the majority had no credit card. And it has been very frustrating for me,” he said. “The idea of this project is born from our desire to help these people.”

Atangana said very few similar services are currently available and they seldom cross borders.

Account Nickel offers prepaid cards to people who do not have bank accounts but operates only in France. MPesa is a leading mobile payment platform in East Africa while telecom operators offer prepaid services in other countries.

But Atangana has a bigger vision of mobile e-commerce across international borders.

“This is the Airbnb financial system,” Atangana said.

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Mugabe looks to nationalize Zimbabwe’s diamond industry

19 April 2016 Comments (5) Africa, Business, Featured

Robert Mugabe

Zimbabwe’s longtime President, Robert Mugabe, has announced the state will seize all of the nation’s diamond mines.

Zimbabwe’s controversial President, Robert Mugabe, has announced a massive change to the country’s diamond mining industry, in that all assets will now be state owned. In a move that is a throwback to his socialist roots, Mugabe claims that foreign mining companies have profiteered for too long off one of the nation’s most valuable commodities and he will ensure that the nation now reaps the rewards from its diamonds.

Mugabe gave an interview in early March to the state broadcaster ZBC, during which he expressed his anger at what he sees as foreign companies plundering Zimbabwe for a precious, natural resource. Mugabe claimed that, in doing so, foreign companies made around $15 billion in profits, while Zimbabwe itself had only earned $2 billion in the same period of time and, as such, the diamond rich region of Marange would now be a “state monopoly”.

The Marange diamond fields were only discovered in 2006 but by 2013 they were producing an astonishing 16.9 million carats of diamonds, which is akin to 13% of the world’s rough diamond supply. However, this output has dropped significantly due to reluctance by companies to invest in deeper exploration. Industry group Kimberly Process states that in 2014 Zimbabwe’s diamond production was around 4.7 million carats.

While it is understandable that Mugabe may feel the country needs to earn a greater proportion of the wealth that the Marange region is host to, issues of corruption and internal theft are perhaps as large a problem as outside sources. As far back as 2012, South Africa’s former President Thabo Mbeki warned that Zimbabwe was losing much of its diamond wealth to a “predatory elite” within its own nation.

Illegality plagues Zimbabwe’s diamond industry

The NGO Partnership Africa Canada (PAC), which monitors conflict minerals in Africa, produced a damning report in 2012 that stated government ministers in Zimbabwe were the ones becoming rich off the back of stolen diamonds. Corruption and theft were so rife that the organization said, “The scale of illegality is mind-blowing” and the investigation named former mines minister Obert Mpofu as having amassed an unaccountable fortune since mining began. Mpofu was said to have been spending $20 million “mostly in cash” over a 3 year period.

If high level government figures are the very people denying the state treasury of its rightful income from Marange’s diamond mines, then will a state owned monopoly make much difference? While Mugabe has angrily pointed the finger of blame abroad, it remains to be seen whether those now in charge of the state’s new body, Zimbabwe Diamond Consolidated Company, can ensure that the profits from diamond minds find their way to the rightful government coffers.

What is certain is that the foreign companies who have been mining in Zimbabwe will not take Mugabe’s orders without a fight. China has developed closer trade agreements with Zimbabwe in recent years and the Chinese-run mining company Anjin Investments has already challenged Mugabe’s ruling at the High Court. The early indications are that the courts might well side with the mining companies as the largest mine, Mbada Diamonds, has already won its case at the High Court and been given full control of its assets.

Whether this is a ruling that Mugabe’s government will accept and adhere by is an entirely different question. While some voices have expressed concern over how this dispute could affect trade between China and Zimbabwe, Mugabe himself dismissed such worries, saying, “I don’t think it has affected any of our relations at all…I told President Xi Jinping that we were not getting much from the company, and we didn’t like it anymore in this country.”

Zimbabwe diamond mine

Zimbabwe diamond mine

Where does Zimbabwe’s diamond industry go from here?

If the government of Zimbabwe overcomes the legal challenges, maintaining the $1 billion worth of Chinese trade despite seizing Chinese interests, and eradicates the corruption that has plagued the mining industry thus far, then it would obviously earn considerably more money. However, these are a sequence of unlikely outcomes given the manner in which the move has come and given the history of the mining industry in Zimbabwe.

There is the additional concern that potential investors in other mining projects within the country could be put off by this recent announcement regarding diamonds. John Turner, head of the mining group at law firm Fasten Martineau says, “To the extent that private firms were looking at Zimbabwe thinking they were ahead of the curve, this may give them pause for though.”

Any concerns outside of Zimbabwe have not appeared to weaken the resolve of Mugabe or his government. They insist that the problem lies with theft from abroad and moreover that recent mining has actually been illegal, as the mining companies had not renewed their licenses.

Amid conflicting claims and ongoing lawsuits, who emerges as having control over the lucrative Marange diamond mines over the next few months will be of interest to many parties and people both in and outside of Zimbabwe.

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