Across Africa hundreds of thousands of people have contracted Covid-19 since the outbreak in late 2019.



 While official statistics are cause for concern the true numbers are undoubtedly much higher.The outbreak has exposed the weak underbelly of our Continent’s health care systems. For too long they have been under-resourced, under-funded and sometimes mismanaged. As Africa braces for a rise in infections it is time to look at what can be done to improve healthcare before it is too late.



 Health is an investment in a nation’s wellbeing and a vehicle for national value creation. Healthy girls and boys go to school, healthy women and men contribute to society, live longer and lead more productive lives. Healthy people are able to save financially, vaccinate their children and do not place added strain on a country’s health infrastructure. There is a direct benefit to investment in healthcare and unlocking economic growth. If only it was that simple.



 Across Africa there is still much work to be done in building our ability to cater to the millions of patients who need vital medicines or hospital care each year. Many pharmaceutical companies, like MSD, have the capacity to be part of the solution. But, one thing is clear: We cannot do it alone. To radically improve access to medicines and vaccines and for improved healthcare, we need partnerships. The investments that have really paid off in terms of exponential increase in health impact have been done with partners. Medicines Save Lives. 



Partnerships Save Nations.For decades, vast parts of West Africa were suffering from deadly outbreaks of Ebola for which there was no cure. The 2014 outbreak was one of the largest, resulting in over 4000 deaths as the virus spread across DRC, Guinea,Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. In 2014, MSD had a vaccine in its portfolio to prevent the damaging consequences of an Ebola outbreak.



 There have been further Ebola outbreaks since 2014, but they have been curtailed. We now have over 300 000 doses of the vaccine saving lives in the region. This breakthrough was only possible due to partnerships with African governments, the World Health Organisation,NGO’s, the scientific community and the local communities. Accelerate towards One African Market I am often caught saying ‘vaccines don’t work, vaccination does’. If you don’t get a vaccine, you are not protected. It is not good enough to just make the product available, we have to ensure it gets to those who need it.



 We want to support the acceleration of ‘One African Market’. Right now patients in sub-saharan Africa are often not getting access to lifesaving products due to regulatory delays. The vision of having one African Medicines Agency,like the European Medicines Agency in Europe, is a great one. If we all focus on patient access as the goal, we should be partnering to make this vision a reality so that patients don’t have to suffer.



 Let’s aim to leapfrog not catch up Big data and the power of digital have the potential to transform health in a fundamental way. Already in many African countries, a whole generation jumped from no internet to accessing internet on their phones – completely leapfrogging dial up on their desktops. Rather than playing catch up, Africans should be using data and digital to enable a fundamental shift in how we seek and provide healthcare. We have an opportunity to reimagine healthcare.



Dr. Priya Agrawal – Managing Director, MSD South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa

Clarification on COVID-19 “hotspots” as SA moves to level 3 lockdown

COMMENT: How Africa should use data and digital to protect itself.

By Anu Shah



China is facing an unprecedented global backlash currently and many are advocating to look at India as its alternative.India has sensed an opportunity and is keen to make inroads to a space China is likely to vacate.



 The GDP/capita of India is $2000,similar to China in 2005. So will India replace China? One needs to understand fundamentals key to manufacturing to predict the outcome.



India has 1.2 billion people, and 65% of the population is below 35 years of age. English also seems to be an advantage of India. However, the literacy rate of India in 2019 is only 69% v/s 77% in China in 2005 and 96.8% in 2019. While this loophole makes Indian human resources cheaper it also reflects the lack of skilled or educated labour in the market. In 1990, the economic level of India and China were almost the same. However, in the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in China, the EU imposed an arms embargo on China, followed by US economic sanctions,absteniations from the international banks, suspension of export licences etc.China hence called a truce with Taiwan, Japan, US, and made allies by getting in trade agreements with them. China is aware that in case of a recap of previous years its maritime lifeline can easily be cut off. So in 2001, China strived to join WTO and fostered deeper international trade ties. Which in effect helped China gain more volume ( > US and equal to EU) in trade. India has a better geo-political standing however it has not fully harnessed these relationships for the political (including resolving issues with Pakistan) or economic advancement. India has joined WTO since its foundation, but even now its total trade volume is less than Hong Kong. Post 1990 China dedicated its resources to the low skilled manufacturing and ousted competitors such as Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.In the early 21st century US, EU and Japan fought each other in the upscale market while China became a leader for primary and ordinary products. China has now reevaluated its strategy and is eyeing the upscale high tech market.The Chinese government has launched “Made in China 2025,” a state-led industrial policy that seeks to make China dominant in global high-tech. The program aims to use government subsidies, mobilize state-owned enterprises, and pursue intellectual property acquisition to catch up with—and surpass—Western technology across industries. This actually leaves room for India to undertake the industrial transfer from China. India can certainly take the baton from China in the low cost, low skilled manufacturing space with least effort. Lastly, China is 3 times the size of India and ranks first or at the forefront of the world in many resources. Example : Extensive deposits of coal, oil and gas. Yet with increased demands China imported 12% of the global coal and 20% of global oil imports in 2019. India is not abundant in coal, oil or gas. India imports 80% of its oil from OPEC nations and is unlikely to be self-sufficient e anytime soon. From this it seems like Manufacturing or economic growth of India would come at a higher cost than that of China, making it less competitive in pricing. All in all, it looks like with a lack of a proper internal policy infrastructure and stronger geopolitical play, India will only settle to be a low cost manufacturing hub to replace China.

anu shah

OPINION: Can India replace China as the manufacturing and tech hub

At a signing ceremony in Harare on the 29th July, the Commercial Farmers Union President, alongside other former Commercial Farmers signed a deal with the Zimbabwe Government to say that a compensation amount of 3.5 billion US dollars would be sought to pay compensation to commercial farmers who had been evicted from their farms.



 On the face of it, it all sounds quite hopeful; except for the fact that the Zimbabwe Government hasn’t got any of the 3.5 billion to pay.&nbsp; &nbsp; There is a solution here though: a joint team of Commercial Farmers and the Zimbabwe Government is launching an offensive to head off to raise the money from wherever they can. Zimbabwe commercial farmers, now spread across the globe, are itching to get sight of the agreement.&nbsp; Only a few have so far been allowed to see it, despite many calls for it to be scrutinised independently.&nbsp; This has created a high degree of mistrust as to what is really happening.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1110" height="834" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_0910-1-1110x834.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-377703" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_0910-1-1110x834.jpg 1110w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_0910-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_0910-1-768x577.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_0910-1-1536x1154.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_0910-1-2048x1539.jpg 2048w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_0910-1-696x523.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_0910-1-1068x802.jpg 1068w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_0910-1-1920x1442.jpg 1920w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_0910-1-600x451.jpg 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px" /><figcaption>Ben Freeth</figcaption></figure>



 One lawyer I spoke to did manage to go around to the Commercial Farmers Union and look at the agreement.&nbsp; He came away shaking his head.&nbsp; He told me that the agreement [that has subsequently been signed] was outside the framework of the Zimbabwe Constitution and Zimbabwe law.&nbsp; The laid down procedures for compensation in Zimbabwe’s own Constitution have been bypassed. Secondly the exchange control act doesn’t allow money to be paid in US dollars, particularly of its paid outside the country to farmers scattered far and wide.&nbsp; There have many cases already where contracts in US dollars have been converted to Zimbabwe currency at hugely prejudicial rates.&nbsp; Thirdly, parliament hasn’t given any assent to seeking a loan agreement of this magnitude;&nbsp; and fourthly the agreement seems to lock the title deed owner in to just getting money for improvements and nothing for the land or stolen crops, livestock, machinery or other losses associated with the forced evictions.



 Assuming these legal aspects are able to be sorted out, what about the amount being agreed?&nbsp; Under international law it is unquestionably a very poor deal.&nbsp; Heinrich Von Pezold did a full claim under international law due to a bilateral investment treaty and was awarded a sum of close to 200 million US dollars.&nbsp; Admittedly he was a large Investor,&nbsp; but if the same criteria of international law were used for the rest of the farmers, the bill would be at least 5 times the current amount &#8211; and probably considerably more. &nbsp;



 So what are the chances of money being able to be raised?&nbsp; Zimbabwes foreign debt stands at 7 billion &#8211; but perhaps quite a lot more. Our credit rating is down with the very worst of the defaulters.&nbsp; All recent attempts to borrow more money have been a failure.



 On top of that there is the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act.&nbsp; This is Marshall type plan to rebuild Zimbabwe; but the plan needs Zimbabwe to put the right foundational rule of law parameters in place.&nbsp;



One of these is following the international law judgments of the Southern African Development CommunityTribunal.&nbsp; This lays down how property rights should be respected &#8211; and that fair compensation should be paid according to international law. &nbsp; In a country where the people are hungry, the economy is collapsing and the army and the police are on the streets committing human rights violations against the people, there will be precious little appetite to put money towards compensating a bunch of white farmers.&nbsp; If there was a real will to restore property rights,&nbsp; come back to the rule of law and utilise the skills base that’s currently dormant, it might well be a different story;&nbsp; but it seems that this is simply another propaganda exercise by the Zimbabwe Government to have people believe that all is now well in Zimbabwe. &nbsp;

IMG_0910

OPINION: Inside Zimbabwe’s $3.5 bn deal for farmers- Ben Freeth

COVID-19 will come and go, yet other global problems, such as climate change and extreme poverty, will persist in its wake.



The African Development Institute (ADI), was founded by the African Development Bank to be a focal point for capacity building in order to tackle such challenges. Prof. Kevin Chika Urama is its senior director.



Under the auspices of its Global Community of Practice (G-CoP) platform, the ADI brings together global experts to develop evidence that can inform policy, strategies and technical assistance for African countries to arrest the COVID-19 pandemic and cushion their economies against its impacts.



In this interview, Urama explains why G-CoP matters.



Can you give us a brief overview of the Global Community of Practice (G-CoP) initiative and main objectives?



The G-CoP was established to inform short, medium and long-term policy responses to global policy challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic.



This platform is a partnership between member institutions and government agencies that participate in and host webinars, and policy dialogues on subjects that are of interest to the Bank’s regional member countries.



All webinars are moderated in consultation with dedicated ADI staff members who manage the G-CoP platform and help to produce relevant knowledge products that respond to the unprecedented impact of the pandemic on global, regional and national health systems and economies. Our objective is to build more resilient African economies in the post COVID-19 world.



To date, the ADI has hosted three G-CoP policy webinars. The first focused on macro-economic policies; the second on food systems and agricultural value chains; and the third on inclusive health systems. In total, the webinars brought together more than 1,500 global experts, including current and former policy practitioners, academics, private sector leaders and civil society, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, African Economic Research Consortium, Murdoch University in Western Australia, the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, Harvard University in the United States, and many African universities and think tanks.



One of the platform’s most innovative features is an interactive virtual marketplace that enables policymakers to access technical advisory services in real time.



What are some of the key takeaways from your recently concluded G-CoP seminars?



Some key policy options and recommendations include:



· Implement social distancing and personal hygiene, including frequent hand washing and wearing face masks,



· Engage with local experts to garner context-relevant social protection policies and strategies to protect vulnerable households and small businesses from collapse.



· Scale up the capacity for community testing, contact tracing and isolation of COVID-patients to prevent community spread of the virus.



· Invest in inclusive health and food systems, water and sanitation facilities, especially for vulnerable households where lockdown policies are needed.



· Public and private debt restructuring, structured debt relief and targeted debt forgiveness. Short-term debt moratoriums are helpful. However, considering the pandemic’s massive impact on countries’ already constrained fiscal balances, debt forgiveness would be ideal.



· Scaling up investments in centres for disease control to strengthen their capacity for early warning systems and pandemic risk mitigation.



How different are the G-CoP’s deliberations from those of other forums?



Our deliberations take the form of African fireside discussions that cover matters of grave importance; key implementable decisions are collectively owned by the elders.



By bringing together global experts from around the world on the same platform, the G-CoP offers reality checks for each policy option proffered. Many of the policy questions that face humanity today, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, poverty alleviation, climate change, terrorism and global insecurity, are trans-disciplinary, trans-sectoral and transnational.



Most of these policy questions touch on problems around the so-called global commons. Policy options conceived by a single sector, discipline or even nation are often suboptimal and may lead to more systemic challenges. Global collaborative platforms, such as the ADI G-CoP, are required to address these challenges holistically.

Kevin Urama

OPINION: World experts gather for African ‘fireside chats’ to tackle humanity’s challenges

I never knew that our entire healthcare infrastructure was in such a bad state. Those were the sentiments expressed by Nigeria’s Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, as he updated leadership of the National Assembly on the fight against the pandemic. This virus provides an opportunity to examine our national health system in dire need of reforms and funding; the Chairman pointed out to the lawmakers.



Conspicuously absent from recommendations for legislative reform was a key issue highlighted by COVID-19: mental health. Government-mandated social distancing and the implementation of other public health guidelines have led to emotional anguish and psychological challenges amidst restrictions on public life, economic hardship, and illness. Rather than mental health being at the periphery, a robust national response to this novel virus mandates the issue takes front and center stage.



A lack of research on Nigeria’s mental health demographics has contributed to it being a low priority among policymakers and inadequately funded. The largest nationally representative study on general mental health in the country was published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2004 — over 15 years ago! The research found that one in eight Nigerians would develop a mental health condition during their lifetime and that fewer than 10% have access to the care they need. Recent investigations are even more sober. According to the 2018 Nigeria National Depression report, produced by Joy, Inc., in partnership with NOI Polls, a leading polling organization in West Africa, and research partners at Yale, one in three Nigerians are experiencing depressive symptoms. In a country that surpasses 200 million, it means over 60 million Nigerians are at risk of depression. As isolation intertwines with mortality and hunger, these individuals could be pushed over the edge.



The country does not have nearly enough resources to tend to this impending crisis. Infrastructure is deficient with only eight federal neuropsychiatric hospitals in Nigeria, and three operating at the state level. Mental health workers have complained that these facilities are too few, face strained budgets, poor work conditions, staffing issues, and residents experience abuse. At the community level, mental health care is limited, which falls short of the global standard set out by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Human capacity is also a challenge. The Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria has only 250 psychiatrists registered to it when millions potentially face mental health challenges. Nigeria’s poor mental health infrastructure is currently governed by a framework that has roots that date back to 1916. Starting as an ordinance in the British colonial era, the statute became codified as a law called the Lunacy Act of 1958. To put the law in perspective, it was adopted two years before Nigeria’s independence. In 2003, the Nigerian Mental Health Act was proposed to replace the Lunacy Act. It failed to pass and was eventually withdrawn from the Senate in April 2009. It was reintroduced in 2013, but also did not make it through the legislative process.



Recently, there has also been movement on mental health legislation. In November 2019, the Senate passed a mental health bill for second reading. Progress continued in February this year, when the upper chamber held a public hearing on the proposed law. If the history of failed efforts is to be our guide, however, there is little reason to think there will be passage of the legislation.



Though the proposed mental health bill may seem like progress, it still fails to adequately address key issues of quality care, comprehensive community response, funding, and respecting the human rights of those with psychological conditions in Nigeria. As policymakers are planning a comprehensive approach to this virus, mental health and its governing architecture must be part of the package.



Those debating macroeconomic interventions from stimulus funds to conditional cash transfers should take heed as well. As we deliberate the best way to reignite growth, understanding the profound link between mental health and economic development is crucial. A 2016 WHO led study quantified the impact, estimating that for every $1 put into scaled up treatment for common mental health conditions, there is a return of $4 in improved health and work productivity. Demonstrating how promoting mental health serves as a fiscal enabler.



Narrow understandings of epidemiological responses also lead to public health blind spots. For instance, the most notable exchange of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19’s discussion with the National Assembly concerned hazard pay to frontline health workers. Reducing the issue of support to simply cash.



Medical workers need more than finances. Their mental health is at risk as they endure long hours, bear extreme isolation, cope with dwindling medical supplies, and are in constant proximity to death. Research published by the Journal of the American Medical Association highlights the psychological fallout. The study examined the mental health outcomes of 1,257 health care workers attending to COVID-19 patients in 34 hospitals in China. Many experienced symptoms of depression (50%), anxiety (45%), insomnia (34%), and psychological distress (71.5%). Nurses and women were the hardest hit, reporting especially severe symptoms — modeling other polls which show COVID-19 has had a negative impact on women and mothers at higher levels — demonstrating that suffering has been disproportionate along gender lines. Additionally, Frontline workers in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, exhibited a greater psychological burden than Chinese health care workers father away. Meaning our most critical lines of defense, those health officials engaged day-to-day against the virus, are the most psychologically at risk. This could result in more mistakes on the job and burnout, leading to worse outcomes for patients.



A comprehensive public health response to COVID-19 should include mental health preparedness. The United Nations recently sounded the alarm to the international community to do more to protect those with increased mental vulnerabilities during this period. Policymakers in Nigeria need to continuously elevate mental health as a vital part of the national discussion. The first place they could start is by prioritizing passage of mental health legislation that is more human rights centered and updating the national mental health policy. Nigeria needs a new regulatory framework that eschews colonial origins and supports those with mental health conditions during this pandemic.



By Chime Asonye and Hauwa Ojeifo

shutterstock_306272309

Mental health legislation could help Nigeria survive COVID-19

<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>An analysis of 150 million media articles revealed how the technology discourse has shifted during COVID.</li><li>This shift reveals a need to grapple with the immediate health crisis and could mean that other threats and risks have been undiscussed and unexplored.</li></ul>



COVID is changing the world and our technology conversations are changing with it.



As part of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weforum.org/whitepapers/critical-frontier-leveraging-technology-to-combat-covid-19">work identifying promising technology use cases to combat COVID</a>, The Boston Consulting Group recently used contextual AI to analyze more than 150 million English language media articles from 30 countries published between December 2019 to May 2020. While the research reflects media coverage and not technology development, the analysis still reveals a range of shifting interests. These shifts can give a sense for how the world has refocused itself to tackle the crisis in the short term. The findings also show the crisis could be leaving some key risks or solutions under-discussed or under-explored, potentially creating new vulnerabilities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tech talk after COVID</h2>



As can be seen in the below figure, only half of the top tech/telco topics pre-COVID remain in the top ten during COVID. This speaks to a fundamental change in core interests and principal concerns.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://assets.weforum.org/editor/responsive_large_webp_blCXkWZQua3w30udltgmLQWK9kwiAUmnlztGkqoTwaI.webp"/><figcaption>Image: World Economic Forum, Boston Consulting Group</figcaption></figure>



The first priority during this pandemic has been the protection of individuals, and rightly so. As a result, topics such as biotech/medtech have gained prominence as researchers seek out new treatments and a potential vaccine. This shift has fueled a new interest in telemedicine as well. This technology was slow in adoption for outpatient care pre-COVID, but has seen enormous growth in the past 6 months,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/18/coronavirus-how-covid-19-accelerated-the-rise-of-telemedicine.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">as lockdowns and the virus forced patients and doctors to seek new solutions for care.</a> The coronavirus has also brought new uncertainties. With this, data analytics has risen 35% from pre-COVID levels, as individuals and companies use emerging data from medical research and emerging habits to forecast everything from the path of the pandemic to potential supply chain disruptions.



Talk regarding delivery drones has increased by 57% in topic share, thanks in part to new uses of drones to deliver much-needed supplies such as groceries and PPE in areas hard to reach after COVID-19 lockdowns.



COVID-19 boosted the number of articles written about 5G, though the context for these conversations has shifted. Articles pre-COVID focused on potential capabilities from a 5G rollout. As the virus spread, however, fear sparked by conspiracy theorists linked 5G technology to misinformation campaigns.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://assets.weforum.org/editor/responsive_large_webp_NK4mRFnfFmX-esSWYCnetOT0W8mDYWcq69vEJP3qwE0.webp" alt=""/><figcaption>Image: World Economic Forum, Boston Consulting Group </figcaption></figure>



As part of this research, analysis dug into top discussion topics in 4 of the world’s key regions: India, China, the European Union and the US. Here contextual AI studied more than 2,500 publications between January and May 2020. To be sure, a number of factors determine the types of media coverage that emerges in different regions. Still, this exercise is another window into how technology conversations differed across contexts as countries faced the virus in different ways, leveraging different tools and resources.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Left unsaid or under-discussed</h2>



As the pandemic spread, “business as usual” gave way to crisis management. As it did, traditionally-popular tech topics such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, internet of things, blockchain, robotics, and cybersecurity have been discussed less often than usual during the pandemic. In some cases they have fallen off the map entirely.



This trend reflects the need tackle the immediate health needs of the crisis while ignoring the key role that other technologies or risks will play in more long-term solutions.



Blockchain, for instance, will be key for more resilient supply chains and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/07/blockchain-role-in-distributing-covid-19-vaccine-could-make-history/">integral to the equitable deployment</a>&nbsp;of the vaccine once it is available.



AI and machine learning have fallen in rank but have shown to be integral to a range of efforts, including helping researchers <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/07/covid-19-study-6-strains-severity-kings-college-london/">sort through massive amounts of data</a> quickly to process the real-time information being processed about the disease.



Cybersecurity has fallen off the list of top ten tech topics entirely and that fact belies the growing risk that cyber security poses to a range of sectors, including the newly remote workforce. Additionally, the medical field is particularly vulnerable to cyber threats and the past months have seen a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/92575-increase-in-reports-of-ransomware-attacks-on-health-care-entities" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">75% increase in ransomware</a>&nbsp;attacks against health professionals (Some attacks have even targeted researchers&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53214783" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">seeking a cure for COVID.</a>) The World Health Organization reported a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/23-04-2020-who-reports-fivefold-increase-in-cyber-attacks-urges-vigilance#:~:text=Since%20the%20start%20of%20the,targeting%20the%20public%20at%20large.&amp;text=The%20number%20of%20cyber%20attacks%20is%20now%20more%20than%20five,the%20same%20period%20last%20year." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">five-fold increase</a>&nbsp;in cyberattacks between this year and last.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Looking ahead</h2>



The global pandemic is forcing us to re-think the way we work and how we do business. As our attentions focus on the most immediate threats, we must remember to consider the longer term. Looking past just the crisis before us can give us a fuller picture of the risks we face &#8211; as well as the opportunities we might not be exploring and the solutions we can put into place.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



Republished from <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/07/10-top-tech-topics-during-covid-19-india-china-us-eu?fbclid=IwAR2wLo2eA0nSESGxSohLBhgFkZPF4gaxUmJo7qIJ0HoEmBcsSOKEKVeV-wA">https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/07/10-top-tech-topics-during-covid-19-india-china-us-eu?fbclid=IwAR2wLo2eA0nSESGxSohLBhgFkZPF4gaxUmJo7qIJ0HoEmBcsSOKEKVeV-wA</a>



World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License</a>, and in accordance with our <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Terms of Use</a>.



Written by: 



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/stephen-robnett">Stephen Robnett</a>, Managing Director and Partner, The Boston Consulting Group</li><li><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/trey-sexton">Trey Sexton</a>, Associate, The Boston Consulting Group</li></ul>



The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

GettyImages-1197597312-2048×1434

These are the 10 most discussed tech topics during COVID-19

Andrew Mlangeni represented the views of the working class, a young lion, a man of integrity, and a person who advocated the political revolution for South Africa. He was active in the struggle against apartheid. The rights of especially the black majority were seriously curtailed and they did not have the right to vote and they were stripped of their citizenship, which led many of them fail to acquire basic education and better healthcare and now post democracy, black people started to have electricity and basic human rights. Our generation has a lot to do in continuing to transform South Africa, and above all, we must learn from this generation that was very smart to have a project preparation for South African democracy, a room for shared growth, inclusive growth and stakeholder capitalism.



Isithwalandwe Andrew Mlangeni was very discipline, very strong and tough. He was not defining a revolution through holding a political position but to serve where he was requested by the movement. He was a Rivonia Trialist, a trained silent revolutionary, with traits of Marketing the revolution and recruiting the right future legionaries. was active in the struggle against apartheid



Andrew Mlangeni had national purpose influence to others to accomplish the mission by providing purpose, direction, and motivation. He remained a humble leader. He believed in African Nationalism.



Apartheid was a policy of racial segregation and discrimination enforced by the white minority government in South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s. South Africans were banned from interracial marriage and the government had complete authority to keep any areas for whites only. Thousands of homes in racially mixed areas were destroyed. Dennis Goldberg was one of the leaders who wanted to see a united South Africa and decided not to enjoy the benefits.



Apartheid was officially described as a crime against humanity by the United Nations General Assembly in 1966, its eradication is one of the major positive human rights stories of the 20th century.



South African youth must embrace transformative constitutionalism and at the heart of it, is a commitment to substantive reasoning, to examining the underlying principles that inform laws themselves and judicial reaction to those laws. Ethics, Practical wisdom and courage is required from all South Africans alive, to build a better future for generations to come.



Andrew Mlangeni, Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Ahmed Kathrada, Denis Goldberg and others were sentenced to life in prison on charges of sabotage on June 12, 1964. He was released in 1989 after negotiations with the apartheid government started. Now we are talking because they were pacesetters and had wisdom to sacrifice for all of us to have a better future.



In 1999 Mlangeni was awarded the Order for Meritorious Service Class I: Gold. In 2016 he received the Freedom of the City of Johannesburg. In July 2018 he received the prestigious Freedom of the City of London, after being unable to travel to the United Kingdom when the honour was originally bestowed on him in 2016.



May His Soul Rest in Peace.



Miyelani Mkhabela

DSC_1392

Andrew Mlangeni, a working class young lion of Africa

When French President Emmanuel Macron made his first trip outside Europe since the COVID-19 lockdown, he chose to visit Mauritania for the G5 Sahel summit. The Sahel region of Africa is faced with persistent terrorism and security threats with international implications. But listening carefully to Macron’s first speech in Nouakchott, it was clear the he was also using the visit to promote a sovereign debt relief initiative set up in April at the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings. The G20 had agreed at that time to suspend incoming debt service from low income countries for eight months to allow them to redirect funds to cover the health and economic costs of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mauritania will benefit from this initiative. As seen at this weekend’s G20 follow-up meeting, France continues to play a pivotal role in supporting the debt service standstill for the world’s poorest countries, mainly in Africa. By doing so, it is making a frank push for multilateralism against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions between superpowers, the increasingly entrenched isolationism of the United States, the fallout of Brexit, and a rising criticism of China’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak. The message is clear: the world is facing debt distress because of COVID-19 and the world should work collectively to find solutions. At the nexus of the debt relief efforts is the French Treasury, which hosts the Paris Club, an ad hoc negotiating forum of 22 creditor governments. The Paris Club secretariat is coordinating the implementation of the debt service suspension with G20 participants. Without doubt, many African debtors will be facing intense debt distress in 2020. Already in late 2019, the tail end of the debt financing cycle had been reached. Borrowing countries had taken advantage of high commodity prices, a low-inflation environment, and excess savings in developed markets seeking high-yield investments. The arrival of COVID-19 in early 2020 has drained national budgets and hindered new financing, revealing debt servicing vulnerabilities. In such a context, the G20 initiative is not a panacea. The suspension of debt payments will allow countries with growing primary deficits to pay for COVID-19 prevention and treatment. It will help boost economic activity. But the real impact of the G20 initiative is paving the way for reinforced multilateralism in a world of growing political disengagement. At the root of the G20 initiative is a comprehensive review of the sovereign debts of countries, including debts to China. Very little information has existed concerning the terms of Chinese bilateral and commercial lending and China is not a member of the OECD Creditor Reporting System. By making debt transparency key to the success of the G20 initiative, a multilateral framework has been created to delve further into the composition and risks of sovereign debts. The initiative also serves to reset the stage for a fairer sharing of the costs of debt relief across all creditor groups. This is particularly important when considering the critical role of China in sovereign financing today and the difficulty gauging any debt relief they may provide. As an illustration, how will hesitating private creditors, another crucial source of hard currency, be convinced to participate in sovereign debt restructurings if they fear their efforts could subsidize China’s debt recoveries? By promoting G20 debt relief at the recent G5 Sahel summit in Mauritania, France reconfirmed its multilateral convictions. Countries can come together to address security threats and terrorism as well as find better and longer-lasting solutions for sovereign debt sustainability. By reinforcing the role of the Paris Club, France is breathing new life into multilateralism at a critical time.



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Andrew Roche has over 20 years of experience advising countries on Paris Club, London Club and commercial debt restructurings, including World Bank sponsored operations. He is part of the FRANKLIN-FINEXEM consortium providing legal and financial sovereign advisory services to debtor countries in the framework of the G20 debt relief initiative.</li></ul>

Pen,goldshutterstock_118536571(800-600)

COMMENT: G20 Debt relief: a push for multilateralism in a increasingly fragmented world

The energy sector currently accounts for two-thirds of global carbon emissions and expedited progress on energy efficiency and low-carbon sources in the energy mix is required to achieve deep decarbonization.



1. We need an energy transition.



Business as usual will use up the Paris Agreement carbon budget within 20-30 years and bring us towards a hothouse earth. We need a transition from energy that emits greenhouse gases to renewable energy to avoid this fate.



2. We know what we need to do.



The broad shape of the energy transition is to reduce demand where possible through energy efficiency and behavioural change, decarbonize electricity, electrify everything you can and use some variety of renewable-based hydrogen for the rest. To transition at the necessary pace may also require the use of biomass and emissions removal technologies.



3. The energy transition will be difficult.



Fossil fuels provide around 80% of global energy supply and are the foundation of modern society. Many countries and companies are dependent on the wealth generated by fossil fuels and the Bank of England has noted that up to $20 trillion of assets are at risk from the energy transition. South African Banks must work with public sector, for mitigation and policy mindfulness to allow the economy to be ready with measures and targets set.



4. The forces of transition are likely to prevail.



Those who would benefit from a transition vastly outnumber those who benefit from continuity; 80% of people live in countries that import fossil fuels. Just 1% of the global workforce works in the fossil fuel industry and a large share of the rents from fossil fuels flow into the hands of a small number of fossil fuel exporters.



We are living in a fast changing world and South Africa needs to have foresight on what will replace coal exporting , we can use it locally while catching up to make our production cost effective.



5. The energy transition is just.



The global view is, Fossil fuels are used mainly by the rich and the few, while their costs are shouldered mainly by the poor and the many. In contrast, renewables are everywhere, can be deployed at any scale and are being used to solve last-mile problems and provide electricity to the 1 billion people who lack it. Domestically, we are one of the leading exporter of coal, which require reflectiveness and mindfulness leadership on policy transitions. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) predicts an energy transition that will create more new energy jobs than fossil fuel jobs, while South Africa can lose jobs when the transition is not planned well.



6. We have technology solutions.



There are rising numbers of technology solutions available to start the transition in a cost-effective manner. Efficiency gains have already curbed energy demand growth from 3% to around 1% on average and could drive growth still lower. Reflecting on the manufacturing technologies we can take advantage to match the global manufacturing industry standards and have smart factories and smart industries with innovation factor driven tier systems.



7. Incumbents are at risk.



Peaking demand and technological competition put incumbent players in the energy system at considerable risk of lower prices and stranded assets if they fail to react in time. Coal became too expensive to the South African economy, making electricity prices more expensive to businesses and households, which suggest adaptation to renewables and transition to cost effective electricity. That’s the only way South African manufacturing industry can peak and be competitive. Coal is too expensive to the South African economy, we must manage production to serve the required just transition phase and decarbonize the future economy.



8. We need more policy action to reach Paris goals.



Policy-makers need to take much more assertive action if they wish to drive the transition fast enough to meet the aspirations of the Paris Agreement. There is tremendous scope for major policy action.



9. Policy-makers need to plan for change.



Policy-makers need to retool fossil fuel dependent states and systems, to retrain workers in order to ensure that the transition is just, to plan for new sources of tax revenue and to hold back from investing capital in assets which are likely to be stranded by the transition. Eskom and coal companies must start training a pool of their staff for the just transition or renewable energy materials and management of systems. Transformation must be communicated to all staff in time and have a decade or two decade plan that will make ease to tailored programmes to shape human capital to the decarbonized future economy.



It remains uncertain on how the political economy will play out in South Africa. Every country is different and there is no single solution. Some countries&#8217; fossil fuel interests have been able to seize the reins of government to try to hold back an energy transition, while the energy transition will also create new constituencies that benefit from investment and growth as well as jobs in the wider economy. The sustainability and Impact Investment criteria forces unlisted investments and banks adapt to the just transition.



Miyelani Mkhabela is an Executive Director for Antswisa Transaction Advisory Services.

miyelani mkhabela

Nine ways to decarbonize the South African energy sector

Ethiopia’s Water Minister Seleshi Bekele confirmed on Wednesday, July 15, that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has started to fill.



He tweeted: “The inflow into the reservoir due to heavy rainfall and runoff exceeded the outflow and created natural pooling. This continues until overflow is triggered soon.”



He repeated this line to the state broadcaster, saying that the reservoir was filling “in line with the natural process” and that “[t]he construction of the dam and the filling of the water go hand in hand&#8221;.



Satellite images show that the reservoir behind the almost completed dam wall is starting to fill, but Mr Bekele failed to address the question of whether or not the country closed the dam’s culverts.



His pronouncements followed a breakdown in African Union (AU) mediated talks – involving Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan – on Tuesday, July 14, about the filling and operation of the GERD.



According to experts, the current stage of construction on the dam wall means that water will inevitably back up until the reservoir reaches its low point. The dam – with a mammoth capacity of 74 billion cubic metres (bcm) – is estimated to retain 4.9 bcm in 2020, with another 13.5 bcm to be retained the following year.



The total annual flow of the Blue Nile – the main tributary to the Nile – is about 49 bcm.



One of the main obstacles to reaching an agreement has been the schedule for filling the dam: Ethiopia proposes five to seven years and Egypt insists on 12 to 20 years.



Egypt and Sudan want a dispute resolution mechanism built into the agreement as well as assurances about water flows during times of drought.



Cairo has accused Addis Ababa of abandoning the 2015 Declaration of Principles, one of which is that the dam should not be filled without an agreement being in place.



The GERD is set to become the continent’s largest hydroelectric project and is expected to generate 6,000 MW of electricity per year, once fully operational, in a country which currently has low levels of electrification. It is central to Ethiopia’s developmental aspirations and the project has created a great deal of national pride, both due to its scale and ambition but also due to the way in which the country opted to finance the mega-project, making using of mostly domestic financing.



The confrontation with Egypt, specifically, has boosted Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s standing domestically, with the country seen to be standing up to its northern counterpart and, following its refusal to sign a US-sponsored agreement in Washington DC in February, its powerful allies.



With Ethiopia riven by ethnic tensions and deadly communal violence sparked by the targeted killing of prominent musician and ethnic rights activist, Haacaaluu Hundeessaa, in the capital on June 29, Mr Abiy will probably not mind the diplomatic spat with Egypt at a time when his pan-Ethiopian project is being threatened by internecine conflict.



Mr Abiy is also dealing with the political uncertainty created by Parliament’s decision to postpone the country’s general elections to “nine to 12 months after the coronavirus is deemed not to be a public health concern&#8221;, along with an extension of the prime minister’s term.



Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi finds himself in a very different position. Cairo is being made to look quite impotent as Ethiopia presents the filling of the GERD as fait accompli.



We previously said that their decision to proceed unilaterally would increase regional tensions and give rise to significant sabre-rattling from the parties involved. However, we said we did not expect the dispute to escalate into a military confrontation, despite some inflammatory comments from both Egyptian and Ethiopian officials, and we stand by that assessment.



It should be noted that Egypt has a large and sophisticated military – receiving significant military aid from the US – and that military figures play a crucial role in the government.



Specifically, Egypt has a modern and well-equipped air force. It does not possess strategic long-range bombers or long-range ballistic missile capacity; nevertheless, Ethiopia reportedly deployed anti-aircraft missiles in the vicinity of the Renaissance Dam in May in what was seen as a symbolic rather than strategic move.



The filling of the GERD without an agreement in place was not entirely unexpected and Ethiopian officials made it known that it would happen with the arrival of the rainy season.



Previous talks sponsored by the US and World Bank proved unsuccessful, partly due to Ethiopia’s perception that Egypt’s close ties to the US made Washington a biased arbiter.



It had been hoped that AU-brokered talks would deliver an agreement, and the lack of progress in that respect is concerning.



Egypt has also approached the UN Security Council to pressure Ethiopia, resulting in angry exchanges between ambassadors.



Over the short to medium term, regional tensions will remain heightened and diplomatic efforts are sure to continue. More provocative statements by officials from the affected countries are also expected, making efforts to reach an agreement all the more difficult.



Louw Nel – Political Analyst

River Nile

Nile Valley – Ethiopia starts to fill Renaissance Dam as Egypt bristles

PRESIDENT MOURNS PASSING OF HER EXCELLENCY AMBASSADOR ZINDZI MANDELA   President Cyril Ramaphosa is deeply saddened by the passing of South Africa’s former Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark, Her Excellency Ms Zindziswa “Zindzi” Nobutho Mandela.   Ambassador Mandela passed away in the early hours of today, 13 July 2020, in a Johannesburg hospital at the age of 59.   She had been posted to Denmark in 2015 and had been designated to become South Africa’s Head of Mission in Monrovia, Liberia.   The President offers his sincere condolences to the Ambassador’s immediate family, the Mandela family at large, friends of the late Ambassador, and the Nelson Mandela Foundation.   The President’s condolences are extended also to the late Ambassador’s colleagues in the Department of International Relations and Cooperation and the diplomatic community in South Africa and Denmark.   Ambassador Mandela was the youngest daughter of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela and Nomzamo Winnie Madikizela.   She was raised in Soweto and educated South Africa and Swaziland.   Zindzi Mandela spent many years involved in the liberation struggle and embraced roles in the arts, philanthropy and business.   In her political career she served as Deputy President of the Soweto Youth Congress, was a member of the Release Mandela Campaign, and was an underground operative of Umkhonto we Sizwe.   President Ramaphosa said: “I offer my deep condolences to the Mandela family as we mourn the passing of a fearless political activist who was a leader in her own right.   “Our sadness is compounded by this loss being visited upon us just days before the world marks the birthday of the great Nelson Mandela.   “Zindzi Mandela was a household name nationally and internationally, who during our years of struggle brought home the inhumanity of the apartheid system and the unshakeable resolve of our fight for freedom.   “After our liberation she became an icon of the task we began of transforming our society and stepping into spaces and opportunities that had been denied to generations of South Africans.   “Her spirit joins Tata Madiba and Mama Winnie in a reunion of leaders to whom we owe our freedom.”

gettyimages-1006175054-594×594

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s tribute to Zindzi Mandela

Why the Covid-19 crisis proves the power and promise of the AfCFTA







The African Continental Free Trade Agreement was ratified last year but this year’s onset of the covid-19 pandemic forced African Union leaders to postpone its taking effect. The disease has had a serious impact on the continent, having claimed prominent leaders and infecting 578,207 in confirmed cases as of July 12th according to the Africa CDC, Johns Hopkins and government data. The economic fallout has probably been even more severe; lockdowns and supply chain seizures to import dependent African nations have severely impacted incomes and livelihoods for Africa’s largely informal workforce. However, the crisis has focused the minds of African policy makers around the necessity to create a more resilient healthcare system and the need to manufacture more of its critical needs at home. This renewed focus on productive self sufficiency can be assisted significantly by implementing the AfCFTA.



Covid-19 has provided the previously missing urgency amongst leaders around developing the sort of coherent industrial policy necessary to get any benefit from a continental free trade zone. Africa manufactures very little at the moment and many critics rightly questioned the wisdom of liberalizing internal borders without having African produced goods to sell across them. There is still great risk that creating this internal free market gets exploited by existing low-cost producers in Asia and Europe, limiting the job-creating potential its architects intend. But the recent response to the novel coronavirus may offer a blueprint on how to ensure the realization of the AfCFTA dream.



The vast market created by AfCFTA will provide an immediate boon to nascent plans being guided by the African CDC, NEPAD and others to produce various critical healthcare items such as pharmaceutical compounds, PPE and ventilators in countries such as Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya. The sudden demand for these life saving products and the enormous logistical challenges African nations suffered attempting to secure supplies from East Asia and Western Europe has left a lasting impression. During the initial frenzy of procurement countries around the globe raced to stockpile PPE and ventilators, in many cases shutting individual African nations who lacked the financial firepower and sufficient order quantities to elbow into global queues for scarce supplies at mainly Chinese manufacturers.



In response, the African Union launched a pooled procurement online market place to aggregate the orders of African nations. Now leaders and businessmen are going a step further – setting up supply for this local demand on African soil. A range of textile firms, diaper manufacturers and equipment makers are adding additional lines and re-purposing existing capacity to produce PPE, medical equipment and ventilators. A surfeit of concessional finance, international donors and grants from African philanthropists such as Aliko Dangote and Mike Adenuga has bolstered the purchasing power of African health ministries, jump starting demand for new output.



AfCFTA’s implementation can help sustain the opportunity for new production capacity and demonstrate the power of the shared market to would-be entrepreneurs in other sectors. The key deciding factor for the success of the continental free zone will be Africa’s indigenous business community rising to the occasion – manufacturing for the needs of Africa’s 1.2 billion consumers. To encourage those entrepreneurs and investors African governments and supranational indigenous bodies like the African Union should build on the lessons they have learned in rapidly coordinating to intervene in the covid-19 response. The same tools and institutional structures being pulled together to rapidly promote the production of healthcare items and vaccine delivery should immediately be expanded and adapted to FMCG, automotive assembly, apparel and other heavily consumed items across the African continent. It is only with this emphasis on local production that Africa will enjoy the dividends of the AfCFTA: jobs for its young, growing population and meaningful wealth creation for its business community and their investors. Franklin Olakunle Amoo is the managing partner of Baylis Emerging Markets, an investment firm focused on African industry and manufacturing. Baylis is a founding partner of the Africa Pandemic Response Alliance, an African led initiative coordinating the response to the covid-19 pandemic on the continent

cnbc

COMMENT: AfCFTA  is economic medicine Africa needs to recover from the covid-19 pandemic

A tribute to Cote d&#8217;Ívoire Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly by Akinwumi A. Adesina, Président, African Development Bank



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>July 8 was all like every normal day, focused on work. I had no inkling there would be a storm, even though we have weathered many storms and floods in Abidjan in recent times. Like a jolting bolt of thunder, everything changed when my wife, Grace, called my attention to a news item that the Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly had died. I told her this couldn’t be true as he just came back and as far as I knew he was fine. I quickly went to look at the news. I had not seen any official confirmation. I made frantic calls. Alas! Amadou Gon had died indeed. What a tragedy! This was a storm with massive lightening like no other. I couldn’t control my sadness. This man who had served his nation so loyally and with such dignity has passed on, while at work. My thoughts went to his dear wife and family who have been thrown into sorrow, suddenly. My mind went to President Alassane Ouattara, to whom he was a beloved son, a loyal partner and confidant for some 30 years. My mind went to the government of Côte d’Ivoire, and the nation where I lived for 5 years in the 1990s and now for another 5 years so far as President of the African Development Bank. A beautiful nation whom Amadou Gon served dutifully, diligently, passionately and faithfully until his last breath. Amadou Gon was an exemplary leader. He was my friend. I remember calling him while in Paris. I was concerned about him and although we had exchanged messages, I still was not satisfied. I wanted to hear his voice. We spoke. I was very happy he was well. Amadou Gon deserved to be well. He was such a great champion of programs to accelerate the development of his country. He carried the vision of the President and the government wholeheartedly into every meeting, into every discussion. We met very often, and every time I was always amazed at how this very humble and serious minded public servant always put the development of his country first. He worked very closely with the African Development Bank. He visited the Bank several times and took great interest in all matters that affect the Bank. He worked so hard with the Bank and several development partners to bring life to the social development policy of the government. A humble man. A selfless man. A faithful man. A shining light. We met and spoke together on several forums around the world: on the plane, at airports, in high level forums and summits. My impression of him was the same: calm; wise; insightful. A man of few words, whose every word was always well honed for impact. He spoke always from his heart. An he had a heart of gold. My heartfelt condolences go to his dear wife and family, and his aged mother. May God comfort them. My heartfelt condolences go to President Allassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire. Mr. Président, you have lost your closest ally and confidant, who served you and his nation faithfully until his last breath, working for the good of Côte d’Ivoire. May God comfort you, the government and good people of Côte d’Ivoire. My dear brother, Amadou Gon, thank you for your friendship. I was looking forward to us meeting again, in our usual warm brotherly embrace, to chat on your favorite topic: development of Côte d’Ivoire. But Alas! That is no longer to be. I guard emotions and memories of your life &#8211; your great life; and dedication and contributions to your nation. Thank you Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly. Thank you my dear friend and brother, Amadou Gon. Rest well. You will be sorely missed.</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>

PRST Adesina (1)

Akinwumi Adesina pays tribute to  Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly

NAIROBI/GENEVA (Reuters) &#8211; Kenya’s sports and culture minister Amina Mohamed will run to be the next Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), a spokesperson said on Wednesday and a WTO official confirmed.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="229" height="220" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/amina-2.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-375886"/></figure>



“For Amina Mohamed, yes we can confirm that we received her nomination from Kenya late yesterday,” a WTO official said.



The Geneva-based body is seeking a replacement for Brazil’s Roberto Azevedo who is stepping down a year early at the end of August at a critical juncture for the trade watchdog.



His successor will need to steer reforms and negotiations in the face of rising protectionism, a deep recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and growing trade tensions, notably between the United States and China.



Mohamed, a former Kenyan ambassador to the WTO and the first woman to chair the WTO’s General Council in 2005, is the sixth candidate to be officially nominated, alongside others from Egypt, Nigeria, South Korea, Mexico and Moldova.



Three of them are women. Nominations close later on Wednesday.



There is broad support for an African candidate and a woman, since neither have headed the Geneva-based body in the past, sources following the process said.

amina 2

Kenyan sports minister Amina Mohamed to bid for top WTO job

We’ve been through 9/11, load shedding and one of the worst droughts our country has ever seen.. Now in the thick of COVID-19, there is more evidence that we will learn, overcome and possibly emerge from this crisis all the better.



So here we are, on what feels like day 7 020 013 of Lockdown. Our country and the world is going through arguably one of the biggest seismic shifts of society (try say that three times fast) we’ve ever faced. And the one thing we can be sure of is that nothing will ever be the same again.



Crazy times have long, far reaching, deep societal impacts. History shows that these are mostly for the better because the result is a change in behaviour. And not just for now, forever. New fears are drummed into our heads, and we respond in a bold manner. New businesses are formed, and old ones die off. It’s the way of the world.



On the 10th of September, 2001 – you could walk up to an airline counter, buy a ticket with no ID, walk straight through to the gate, get on a plane, pop into the cockpit to say hi to the captain, and within reason do what you wanted. Post September 11 the whole world changed. Now we hold fears and precautions we never envisioned of before. We changed our travel behaviour. I would argue that travel today is safer, and better than it ever was before. But how, where and when we travel fundamentally changed since that fateful day.



Remember 2009? Life was hunky dory when without notice the lights went out across the country. South Africans learnt a new term called “load shedding” and it has been a hot topic for the past 11 years and will be for some time to come. The interesting change in behaviour we saw was that we became aware of a finite supply of electricity. In 2019 – South Africans used less electricity than they did in 2009. We learnt how to cope with less. Generators became a standard, and many new businesses and industries popped up.



In Cape Town 2016, a monumental drought changed a province. I don’t have access to any stats, but would imagine that water consumption in 2019 would be drastically lower than what it was in let’s say 2014. Capetonians are now deeply aware of water and the havoc a shortage can cause.



What does this all mean? Crazy times, change behaviour: forever.



Now here is the interesting part. What behaviour will change? I suspect we can all look at our individual industries and identify a few.



Will travel ever the same again; how comfortable do you feel with 300 strangers breathing the same air as you for 8 hours or more? Speaking of travel – how strict will nations become before they let “outsiders” in again? I suspect we will all have to travel with an “all clear” from a recognised doctor to any destination.



Cinemas and restaurants might have to change the experience to accommodate for more cautious customers.



How many people who normally read newspapers and magazines, have “fallen out of the habit” during this lockdown period, and are unlikely to ever pick one up again?



Many businesses have learnt that staff can work from home in a very effective manner. What does that mean for commuter patterns? If there is no more “drive time” what does it mean for Television and Radio audiences? What does it mean for OOH and other road side furniture?



Day time Television – always a powerful medium (even though under rated) might become even stronger. And streaming services like DSTV Now, and Showmax will continue to grow at an exponential rate and take their place in the sun.



The list could carry on for ages. Take your pick. Commercial property will never be the same, neither will hospitals, or how governments operate and I do believe we will see a spike in conservative nationalism.



Time will tell, but for those making business plans for the future, know that all bets are off.



The consumer will be different. The world will be vastly different. That presents a threat and also a massive opportunity. Stay light on your feet, keep adapting and offering value, and the world post COVID-19 might well be your oyster.



Chris Botha, Group Managing Director, Park Advertising

thumbnail_image001

COMMENT: COVID_19 – Crazy times call for crazy measures

I hear this a lot: “We are in unprecedented times.” Actually, to borrow from author and motivational speaker Simon Sinek, we are not. We have been through tough business situations like this before. This is not the first time and it may not be the last, but the context of what we’re going through may be a lot more shocking and sudden than we’ve previously experienced.



It’s easy to fall into a state of fear and panic. It is human nature to brood and worry – and none of us are immune from these impulses in extraordinarily challenging times. However, I urge you to take a different viewpoint of our current circumstances. I’ll start by reframing our context. Did you know that half of the companies currently listed on the Dow Jones were born in recession? Those companies understood the opportunities that disruption and tough periods offer and created something new from them.&nbsp;



Simon Sinek talks about the Infinite Game – and if you haven’t heard about him and this concept already, I urge you to watch his YouTube videos on the topic. The Infinite Game says that the players change, but the game doesn’t. It’s not about competing and being ‘the best’. Rather, it’s about asking, ‘how can I make myself, and my organisation, a better version tomorrow than today? By constantly striving to be better tomorrow than we are today, we free ourselves from the fixed mind set of, ‘I know it all’ and embrace the growth mind set of lifelong learning, opening ourselves up to the possibilities that come from uncertainty and change.&nbsp;



The Covid-19 pandemic has forced a mass digital transformation and shift to 4IR. Some organisations – including huge multinational corporations – have been unprepared for this transformation. Business models are already changing, so the challenge for us is to rethink and reinvent our business moving forward. Organisations that cling to the status quo, who focus their energies on preserving their current state, are going to find themselves in trouble when we reach the other side of this dark tunnel we’re currently in – no matter how much money they have. Talking about pay cuts and indulging in short-term thinking will not save them. Now is the time to think big, and think boldly, to shift our behaviour.



I urge you to set aside your fear and embrace the unknown. This disruption is opening up opportunities, and organisations who identify these, and approach them with a growth mindset, will be poised to seize that opportunity. We will invest in the skills sets we need to not only survive, but to thrive. I am intent on ensuring that every employee has the right skills for the challenges ahead. We have the chance to ask ourselves, how will we prepare ourselves for the change that is coming? My view is that those that are the most prepared are going to come out stronger.&nbsp;



I am not talking about thinking about how we take advantage of the situation or milk the crisis to our own benefit. Let’s rather look at how we can differentiate ourselves as an organisation, helping the citizens of South Africa and across the globe, and leading the way through the darkness of this uncertain time, into the light at the other end of it.



Let’s begin to explore what new ways of work and opportunities we can find coming out of the crisis we’re currently in. Importantly another conversation we must have is our embrace of the digital mind set. This is the new norm for us right now, and the new way of work. The dark side of this is, of course, digital fatigue – or even digital burnout – from a constant rotation of online meetings and work expectations. I heard President Cyril Ramaphosa comment that he is currently spending 18 to 20 hours a day in meetings. None of us are in quite the same position as the President, but we face great challenges with our time and mental resources. When work and home are one and the same, it’s easy to blur or forget the boundaries. I want to reinforce to you that our culture at SAS is one of trust – I don’t need to see all of you 24 hours a day to feel confident that you are engaged in the necessary work of the day.&nbsp;



Your emotional and physical wellbeing is of utmost importance. I want to encourage you to set appropriate boundaries and to take care your mental health and wellbeing at this time. These may not be unprecedented times, but they are for many of us, the most challenging times we have faced in our lifetime. Take care of yourselves, strive to find some work-life balance and let’s move calmly and assuredly forward with a sense of renewed purpose and excitement about the opportunities that lie ahead.



SAS’s Country Manager, Akesh Lalla.

Akesh Lalla_Country Manager_SAS_South Africa

COMMENT: COVID-19 – Yes, there is disruption, but also, opportunity

Food markets will face many more months of uncertainty due to COVID-19, but the agriculture food sector is likely to show more resilience to the pandemic crisis than other sectors. The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the risks of unhealthy diets and the extreme fragility of the global food system.



The Food and Agricultural Organization&#8217;s, Food Price Index (FFPI) averaged 93.2 points in June 2020, some 2.2 points (2.4 percent) higher than in May, representing the first month-on-month increase since the beginning of the year. Amid market uncertainties posed by COVID-19, the prices of vegetable oils, sugar and dairy products rebounded to multi-month highs following sharp declines registered in May, while in cereals and meat markets, most prices remained under downward pressure.



The COVID-19 pandemic should spur us to redefine how we feed humanity. The African countries now has a unique opportunity to adopt long-term measures to promote healthier diets, encourage farmers to produce a wider range of food, and strengthen collaboration among the public-health, food, and agriculture sectors. A new approach in agricultural research can play a vital role in transforming food systems and making them more sustainable and resilient.



The need for change is clear. For starters, unhealthy diets are one of the leading risk factors related to COVID-19 fatalities. The Coronavirus disproportionately affects people who are overweight, diabetic, or suffer from cardiovascular disease – all of which are linked to poor diets. The economic reconstruction that will follow the pandemic is an opportunity to provide better nutrition and health for all.



This Covid-19 crisis has also exposed the extreme fragility of the global food system. Social-distancing and lockdown measures to curb the virus’s spread have significantly reduced people’s incomes and thus global food demand.



GDP From Agriculture in South Africa increased in the first quarter of 2020. South Africa needs to invest in agriculture and agroprocessing to reduce basic imports such as Maize, Wheat and Chicken. Zambia has a huge potential for Maize, wheat and livestock market to feed in the food security challenges. GDP From Agriculture in Zambia increased in the fourth quarter of 2019.



The 2007 Botswana Livestock and Meat Industries Act, to provide for the slaughter of domestic livestock, farmed game, wild game and poultry for human consumption and other livestock products has assisted in boosting the economy and more investment are required to expand the agriculture and agroprocessing industry at Botswana. Agriculture in Namibia contributes around 5.1% of the GDP of which 70 % represents the output of the livestock sub &#8211; sector.



The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that at least 14.4 million people in the 101 net food-importing countries could become undernourished as a result of the economic crisis triggered by COVID-19. In an extreme scenario – a reduction of ten percentage points in global real GDP growth in 2020 – that total rises to 80.3 million.



In the short term, therefore, governments must not only provide financial support to individuals and firms affected by the pandemic, but also act to prevent a food crisis. Longer-term measures must include promoting healthier eating. Three crops – rice, maize, and wheat – provide more than 50% of the calories that humans gain from plants. People in general, but mainly the poorest, do not consume



enough nutrient-rich food such as fruits, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. And about 11 million people die each year as a result of unhealthy diets.



But the race to produce and deliver cheap calories has caused collateral damage, mainly in terms of nutrition and local development. Because the “calories race” relies on value chains that focus on a few basic products from a limited number of countries, many other countries have become net food importers. The pandemic has highlighted their excessive and fragile dependence on a few producers located thousands of miles away and underscored the need for shorter and more diverse value chains.



Policymakers must also foster regenerative production systems that promote biodiversity and improve soil and water quality, which would contribute significantly to climate-change adaptation.



The pandemic has underscored the urgent need to transform agriculture. And the economic reconstruction that will follow it represents a perfect opportunity to provide better nutrition and health for all. A government led initiative to finance small business farmers and provide water, seeds and training for farmers can reduce domestic food security challenges and reduce tons of agricultural imports.



Miyelani Mkhabela is an Executive Director at Antswisa Transaction Advisory Services.

Contributor

COMMENT: How Africa should use data and digital to protect itself.

OPINION: Can India replace China as the manufacturing and tech hub

OPINION: Inside Zimbabwe’s $3.5 bn deal for farmers- Ben Freeth

OPINION: World experts gather for African ‘fireside chats’ to tackle humanity’s challenges

Mental health legislation could help Nigeria survive COVID-19

These are the 10 most discussed tech topics during COVID-19

Andrew Mlangeni, a working class young lion of Africa

COMMENT: G20 Debt relief: a push for multilateralism in a increasingly fragmented world

Nine ways to decarbonize the South African energy sector

Nile Valley – Ethiopia starts to fill Renaissance Dam as Egypt bristles

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s tribute to Zindzi Mandela

COMMENT: AfCFTA is economic medicine Africa needs to recover from the covid-19 pandemic

Akinwumi Adesina pays tribute to Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly

Kenyan sports minister Amina Mohamed to bid for top WTO job

COMMENT: COVID_19 – Crazy times call for crazy measures

COMMENT: COVID-19 – Yes, there is disruption, but also, opportunity

COVID-19: Now is the time for Africa to grow food

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Contributor

COMMENT: How Africa should use data and digital to protect itself.

OPINION: Can India replace China as the manufacturing and tech hub

OPINION: Inside Zimbabwe’s $3.5 bn deal for farmers- Ben Freeth

OPINION: World experts gather for African ‘fireside chats’ to tackle humanity’s challenges

Mental health legislation could help Nigeria survive COVID-19

These are the 10 most discussed tech topics during COVID-19

Andrew Mlangeni, a working class young lion of Africa

COMMENT: G20 Debt relief: a push for multilateralism in a increasingly fragmented world

Nine ways to decarbonize the South African energy sector

Nile Valley – Ethiopia starts to fill Renaissance Dam as Egypt bristles

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s tribute to Zindzi Mandela

COMMENT: AfCFTA is economic medicine Africa needs to recover from the covid-19 pandemic

Akinwumi Adesina pays tribute to Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly

Kenyan sports minister Amina Mohamed to bid for top WTO job

COMMENT: COVID_19 – Crazy times call for crazy measures

COMMENT: COVID-19 – Yes, there is disruption, but also, opportunity

COVID-19: Now is the time for Africa to grow food

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Newsletters