By Chris Bishop



This week, on May 5 at 1400 CAT to be precise, CNBC Africa will be stepping into a new era by hosting its first ever virtual panel discussion that will not only be beamed live to 16 million households across Africa, but also will be on zoom.



It will be called Business Tomorrow and will focus on the revival of business in Africa whenever the COVID-19 pandemic lifts and allows commerce to breathe. Predictions are grim – more than a million jobs are expected to be lost and tens of thousands of companies are likely to go to the wall.



So, when we discussed in the newsroom this week the first topic for the first discussion it a no brainer – small business. These foot soldiers of the economy are likely to bear the brunt of the hard times – many were struggling long before the pandemic and the downgrade to junk status by the rating agencies.



Into this discussion will be throwing one word that is my pet topic – industrialization. I think this is a good way to create wealth on the way out of a desperate spot by making goods and parts and pieces that the world needs and can be exported to earn hard currency.



Now politicians throw the word industrialization around all the time, after all, it sounds good in speeches – I often wonder whether policy is as good.



A new generation of industrialists is scarce, but more scarce is the investment and backing from the banks to make it happen and maybe also the will among entrepreneurs to get their hands dirty.



I have been interviewing and studying entrepreneurs in Africa for more than a quarter of a century and I have often wondered whether is the lack of will on the side of many entrepreneurs to get down into the grimy world of industry. After all, it is not as sexy as IT, or the digital world, and it is less likely to get you into the glossy magazines on TV chat shows.



But it is rewarding and long term and people will always need fashioned metal until the day you can email a machine to a factory or 3D print it.



A distant part of my family is a testament to this and has been fashioning metal profitably for the nearly 200 years.



My great-great-great grandfather Stephen Grainger started out, with virtually nothing, in his poor back yard in a place called Dudley in the Black Country in the English midlands – so called because, even when I was a child, most of the buildings were blackened with industrial smoke. It was a hive of steam, tapping and welding and out of the Black Country came the world’s machines, tools, grinders, smelters, guns, cars and motorcycles



Stephen Grainger had little education, but a burning desire to make it as an industrialist and started out by dragooning his family into swinging hammers all day to make nails in the back yard. The family worked hard to build the wealth down the generations. My great-grandfather William worked as a striker – the skilled man who swings the sledgehammer for the blacksmith – in the Grainger factory.



All along the profits were invested to build small factories – one of which is working away as I write this in the Black Country nearly 200 years after the family made its first nail.



I went to see the family factory about 25 years ago and my relatives showed me proudly the many boxes full of little metal clips for shop shelves everywhere from Hong Kong to Sydney. It lacks glory, maybe, the family is never likely to make the cover of a glossy magazine, but they’re always likely to make money. The industrial enterprise has fed thousands of people in the last two centuries. Maybe many entrepreneurs and families in Africa can turn the same humble beginnings into a solid industrial base that is probably needed more now than ever.

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Opinion : Could Industrialists lead the way up and out of COVID-19?

By Miyelani Mkhabela



The COVID-19 crisis is disrupting supply and demand at the same time, with severe financial consequences. To not only survive the crisis but also rebound swiftly, companies must protect their liquidity position and focus on their core competencies and businesses



Leaders can better prepare for the next shock by observing lessons emerging from the current crisis. Shutting down was hard, but opening up is going to be harder. Your workers are always your most valuable asset and it’s not the best times to lose them during the crisis, as rebuilding your operations is going to be even more difficult, you want to maintain your ability to rehire your best workers when the world is open for business again.



&nbsp;Statistics South Africa reported that Four in ten businesses feel that they cannot continue to operate: When asked about financial resources, 42,2% of respondents indicated that they are not confident that they have the financial resources to continue operating through the COVID-19 outbreak and 54,0% of respondents indicated that they can survive without turnover between one to three months. The doors of Tourism &amp; Hospitality; Sports; education, Retail; Entertainment are closed while manufacturing; Mining; Cargo and Logistics will also suffer in 2020.Small businesses based on their investments cannot manage the complexity of Covid19; large corporates are also struggling, yet risk can be minimized.



To set the scene, large numbers of small businesses have shut down and laid off huge numbers of workers; most are extremely cash strapped. The majority think they will be able to reopen by the end of 2020, but others are less certain. Small businesses disagree, a lot, about how long the crisis will last. Small businesses needs business continuity management, adaptation to technology and talent retention



&nbsp;It will be years before we fully comprehend the economic impact of the coronavirus, but one thing is painfully clear right now: Small businesses across South Africa and the rest of Africa markets are facing an existential threat. It will get a lot worse before it gets better for the African continent.



Here are a few tips for survival:



1. Carefully the prospective impacts of government plans to help small and medium enterprises (SME).



2. Help the business by deciding how to work with customers.



3. Regularly reassess credit worthiness: companies should continuously monitor the financial health of all but the safest customers.



4. Strictly monitor supply inventory through support functions to assess the cost of supplies and support functions that have access to a digital marketplace.



5. Recommendations to business on how to adjust the product offering. Companies should aim to deliver fast-selling products to priority customers for as long as possible, but they should also assess their product offering.



6.&nbsp; Investment and credit will be attractive



7. Adoption of an active operations management systems



8.&nbsp; Figure out how the needs of your customers needs have changed.



9. Don’t rush your decisions, but do make plans.



Finally, this is a time to be more client centred. Small businesses are highly required to meet customer expectations or satisfactory levels, while operating virtually has many disadvantages and misunderstandings, however, client’s service delivery standards still needs to be achieved. Generosity during a crisis can make a relationship far stronger. Small businesses are facing unprecedented struggles, and banks and policymakers must step up to help SME&#8217;s.



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

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Nine ways you can try to save your small business post COVID-19.

By Moky Makura



&nbsp;You may have seen them; violent videos of black people being punched, kicked, trodden on and spat at. These images are being passed around on social media platforms on a phone near you.



The Nigerians, Egyptians, Malians, Ugandans, Kenyans and Congolese in Guangzhou, the manufacturing centre of China, are being discriminated against because of fears they might be spreading the Coronavirus. They are being thrown out of hotels and apartments, forced to undergo mandatory testing and compulsory quarantine, refused entry in to shops and left on the streets to fend for themselves – all in the name of Covid-19 containment policies aimed specifically at Africans.



Rightfully, these official acts of blatant discrimination are being highlighted and challenged in the greatest public court of all – Twitter and Facebook. Eventually, they were addressed by African ambassadors in Beijing who came together to send an official complaint to China’s foreign minister. Their protest should carry weight &#8211; there 100, 000 or so Chinese owned companies operating in Africa and an estimated 1 million Chinese people there. The incidents could also impact China’s soft power tactics in Africa, which has led to it becoming the continent’s most important economic and trading partner.



Although the connections between China and Africa run deep, covid-19 has unearthed old, persistent, harmful storylines about Africans and validated the negative narratives. These storylines continue to be a stark reminder that what we read, hear and see, shape our thinking and behaviour.&nbsp; Narrative matters and lingers.



Scan stories and commentary about Africa on social media and in global and African media outlets &#8211; it won’t take you long to see the prevailing sentiment is negative. The University of Southern California’s Media Impact Project analysed 700,000 hours of US entertainment and news and 1.6 million tweets in 2018.It confirmed that when references to Africa were not neutral, they were more likely to be negative.



In his book Factfulness, the Swedish academic and statistician Hans Rosling, wrote about the danger of selective media reporting which prioritizes the negative and often extreme sides of any story. Sadly, ‘if it bleeds it leads’ is still a principle in some newsrooms, especially during this pandemic.



We have allowed these negative and harmful storylines to define us as Africans – the belief that we are somehow ‘less than’ is not just an external message it is also permeating the minds and hearts of African youth.



The horrific stories of African migration, conflict, insecurity, poor governance, poverty and disease are true, but they are not all we are.



The truth is that most Africans are not on migrant boats to Europe. According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) the top three countries by origin of asylum seekers to the EU since 2014 are Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.



Most Africans live under elected governments in relative peace, with only six out of 54 countries &#8211; Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Libya, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan &#8211; considered hot spots of armed conflict.



And with the world’s help, Africa has made significant progress bringing poverty rates down; two out of three Africans live above the global poverty line. According to 2011 AfDB report, the continent has the fastest growing middleclass, expected to reach 42% of the population by 2060.



But these are just facts, data points; despite their importance they get lost in the narrative.&nbsp; As Rosling’s book and global studies reminds us, deeply held beliefs are not based on facts and data doesn’t matter when it comes to how people see the world.



And that’s why the stories we tell and those that are told about us have a cost. They inform the narrative, the resulting behaviour and the power dynamics. And right now, no one knows or feels the impact of this more viscerally than the Africans in Guangzhou.



The African proverb which speaks most directly to the power dynamic of narrative (for there is an African proverb for every situation) is this one: until lions learn to write hunters will tell their stories for them.



It’s time for us to shift the narrative and start writing our own story about this progressive and dynamic continent. We should be drawing attention to our African innovations, our history, culture, music, fashion, design, literature, art and film.



African storytellers should not forget that Africa brought the world coffee, Nelson Mandela, Afrobeats, Nollywood and Jollof Rice. We gave the world the last remaining wonder of the ancient world; the Pyramids of Giza, we are home to one of the world’s first universities, in Timbuktu, Mali. We are the largest supplier to the world of cocoa, platinum for cars, cobalt for batteries, manganese for steel and of course Gold.



Our musical pioneers from Fela Kuti, Youssou N&#8217;Dour, Salif Keita to&nbsp; Burna Boy, Cassper Nyovest, Sauti Sol and WhizKid; our writers; Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and our entertainers Trevor Noah, Lupita Nyongo, Idris Elba are just some of the icons that have helped redefine and shift the narrative about who we are.



What we need is for more lions to roar! Let’s shift that costly and harmful narrative about Africa &#8211; one story at a time, if not for us, for our brothers and sisters in Guangzhou.



Moky Makura is the Executive Director of Africa No Filter working to shift African narratives by crowding in new, progressive stories about the continent.

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Let the lions roar and change the way the world sees Africa

We all possess an invisible crystal ball that works illimitably in our minds. For most, it is the subconscious belief that conditions are going to get better; the next day will eclipse the last and so forth. I call it the optimist’s theory of mitigation; we subconsciously coerce our minds to believe that over time, all risks can and will be mitigated. This is what makes us human.



As I ponder over this theory and historic events, I cannot but ruminate on the current Covid 19. We have seen nothing like this before. The only people who have any recollection of something similar are centenarians who would have then been at least teenagers during the Spanish flu in 1918. Not many left! The Spanish flu did not originate in Spain as many believe, the flu actually started after World War 1 and was first detected in US troops who spread the pandemic.



There are volumes written about the causes and the impact of the H1N1 virus that spread influenza across the globe. Even at that time the infection spread across the world with 500 million people contacting and about 50 million people dying from the virus. Those are scary numbers. At that time there were no advanced medical facilities, Intensive Care Units or mechanical life support systems and/or ventilators. It took approximately 12 months for the pandemic to stop; it is widely believed that it was not a vaccine or a cure that eradicated the pandemic but it ceased after people had either died or developed immunity. What the flu taught humans was that in keeping with Murphy’s Law, things will go wrong and the impact of these pandemics will be severe; both humanity and economics will be casualties of exponential dissemination. However, as humans we have always prevailed and come out stronger.



What appears to be consistent remedies to containment but not eradication are social distancing, hygiene, wearing masks, lock downs and flattening the curve measures that were adopted in 1918 as they are being done today. Time and again, nature reminds us through various outbreaks that something sinister can happen. In the aftermath of the Spanish Flu, a lot of research was done on the pandemic but in reality, no vaccine can be developed in advance for a virus that constantly mutates itself.&nbsp; It is not surprising that we managed to contain various pandemics like the Asian flu in 1957-58, AIDs since 2001, H1N1 or the Swine Flu in 2009-10 and Ebola from 2014-16. The question therefore is not only whether there is a way out but is there a way we can prepare better. We come back to the age old malady that we tend to learn from what we have done right and not from what went wrong.



What are winners that will come right at a time like this is innovation led by technology. The revolution will be meteoric. Even for dinosaurs like me, the adaptation to these times has been expeditious. Managing a business spanning 3 continents by sitting on my desktop was never conceivable. The mind has once again proven its superiority over matter. If we believe we will surpass any crisis.



There are no right answers during a crisis. How did our leaders act when they were faced with the question of risk to their citizens? Do we enforce lockdowns or do we allow normalcy and then to what degree? Does what work in one country necessarily work in another? History will judge each one as we are living through a period where there are no immediate answers. It’s frightening that even the most learned ones revel in the theory of “being less wrong” than others. More realistic is the fear that the only solace we will find is when our bodies and businesses face the test of immunity; immunity that is the only answer for survival and continuity.



But this is the sad reality of our current time. As we continue to experiment through this ordeal, I encourage everyone to revert to my optimist’s theory of mitigation; we will find a way out and let no one judge anyone particularly our leaders (save a few) on what course they selected, as they risked a lot in making the choices that impact the lives of billions. Never before as leaders have we had to take one day at a time to course-correct. It is unprecedented in our lifetime. Let us stand together, follow the law in letter and spirit, contribute towards the destitute, celebrate each success and exonerate our failures as there is light at the end of this tunnel; we simply need to revel with optimism.

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

The Optimists Theory of Mitigation

By Akinwumi A. Adesina



We are in a battle against time to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. While tackling the Coronavirus pandemic has grabbed global attention, a new crisis that could claim a lot more lives is brewing in Africa: massive locust invasions.



Billions of desert locusts are ravaging countries all across East Africa, including Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, and Djibouti. It has been reported that their numbers are likely to increase by up to 400 times by June 2020, reaching crisis levels.



The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has estimated that unless quickly controlled, 5 million additional people in East Africa will be hungry by June.



An unprecedented race against time has begun to urgently stop the progression and potentially devastating impact of the deadly twins: COVID-19 and the locusts for millions in Africa.



We all know that rains are good for crops. But then when good rains also caused favorable breeding environments for locusts, the joy of rains has suddenly turned hopes of expected plenty into glooms of hunger.&nbsp; Is the best of times becoming the worst of times?



Locust breeding populations have increased massively. The locust plague moves with devastating effects: imagine a carpet of locusts of up to 150 million locusts covering a square kilometer. And think about it, that they can consume crops in one day that can feed approximately 35,000 people. In East Africa, where FAO estimates that some 20 million people are already food insecure, the effects will be devastating.



The locust crisis emerges as the continent is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. These are tough odds to face.



Today, distressfully, choices for millions of the poor are oddly similar: to stay in confinement and escape dying from Coronavirus or dying from hunger staying at home.



It is already playing out. Food riots broke out a few days ago in Kibera, the largest slum in Kenya, as people trampled over each other, defying social distancing &#8211; prescribed to stem the spread of the Coronavirus &#8211; to get food. Coronavirus could kill, but hunger kills many more people.



With the lockdowns for the COVID-19 pandemic, pest control workers are largely unable to go out to spray. While restrictions have been lifted to allow aircrafts used to spray to operate, they can do little as they are largely unable to get access to the chemicals, due to disruption of supply chains.



It appears that those who escape the COVID-19 will soon face LOCUST-19. In East Africa alone, the number of hungry people could jump to 30 million people.



There are several lifesaving recommendations we can act on now. These include one, the creation of a &#8220;green channel&#8221; for the free flow of food and agricultural inputs and pesticides to control pest attacks. Two, putting in place measures to prevent food price hikes by releasing food from government grain reserves and implementing anti-hoarding policies. Three, rapidly scaling up food production technologies, including high-yielding, early-maturing, drought-tolerant, disease- and pest-resistant staple crops, and programs such as the African Development Bank’s flagship program, the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) initiative.



The good news is that the African Development Bank has joined the FAO as the frontrunners in this unprecedented race against time. The Bank has just approved a $1.5 million grant to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the FAO to support efforts to spray against the locusts and safeguard livelihoods in the East and the Horn of Africa. More help will be needed.



The last thing Africa needs now, as we are battling with the COVID-19 pandemic, is a hunger pandemic.



COVID-19 has taken the international community on an unpredictable journey. Thankfully, we can preclude and halt the locust crisis. For that to happen, we all must rally around the FAO to provide the $153 million needed.



COVID-19 cannot be followed by LOCUST-19.



For more coverage on COVID-19 visit: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/">https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/</a>

AfDB board stands by embattled President Adesina

Op-Ed: Africa cannot afford LOCUST-19

<div class="wp-block-image is-style-rounded" style="margin-top:0px"><figure class="alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Disha-Laungani-150x150.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-369008" width="129" height="129" /><figcaption>Image supplied by Curtin University Dubai</figcaption></figure></div>



About the Author: Disha Laungani is the Associate Vice-President for Marketing and Student Recruitment at <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://curtindubai.ac.ae/?utm_medium=Backlink&amp;utm_source=CNBC&amp;utm_campaign=Marketing_Covid19_Article" target="_blank">Curtin University Dubai</a>. With a decade of experience in her field, her interests lie in building brands and telling their stories. She holds a degree in Media and Communication and a Master in Business Administration.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Marketing during COVID-19 &#8211; how to not make your audience hate your brand</h2>



“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change”. Replacing the word ‘species’ with ‘brands’ in this quote by Charles Darwin will aptly summarize the rest of this piece.



In just two months, the world has transformed with the COVID-19 pandemic. With this virus impacting lives and economies, we are currently living in a unique time that even seasoned professionals have not encountered before.



Brands around the world are also struggling to cope with these trying times. The global challenge is industry agnostic; every brand manager is currently dealing with the same dilemma of, “how do I save my brand from being impacted?”&nbsp;&nbsp;The truth is, you can’t.&nbsp;



Resisting or ignoring the current situation and its impact on businesses is fatal. As brand custodians, our harsh reality is that change is imminent. There is an urgent need to respond to this pandemic with an effective marketing strategy &#8211; one that will continue to engage our audience, the brand’s believers, and avoid actions that lead to angry rants on public platforms.&nbsp;



While we don’t have a fail-proof set of instructions on how to effectively implement a novel marketing strategy for this novel virus, in times like these it’s best to use your emotional intelligence with your expertise – a juxtaposition of your gut feeling with concrete industry data.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Messaging Matters</h3>



Every brand knows that it’s important to relay the right message to its target audience. Your audience right now is crying for help, and are either looking for solutions, reassurance or just some positivity during this tumultuous period. They want to trust you and your product. 



Your brand’s content needs to be relevant and reliable, like Nike’s brilliant social media post which encouraged social distancing through their campaign “play inside”. The witty headline was followed by an equally gripping copy that read “If you ever dreamed of playing for millions around the world, now is your chance&#8221;, which resonated with Nike’s followers who applauded the brand’s creativity and appreciated its concern for the world.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Customers want to experience empathy</h3>



Consumers are quick to distance themselves from brands that lack empathy. A donation towards a good cause or a display of genuine concern will help you strike a chord with your intended audience immediately.&nbsp;



Think about what your audience needs right now and how you can help them achieve it. Fitness centers and gyms have been forced to shut down for an indefinite period but continue to run free classes through live videos, hence reinforcing their commitment towards their clients’ wellbeing, leading them to attract a wider audience. At Curtin University Dubai, we are providing generous financial aid to students to help them continue with their education. This simple act has been met with positive responses and sighs of relief. A thoughtful gesture that shows compassion and concern towards the customers will boost brand loyalty as well as awareness.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Make smarter decisions&nbsp;</h3>



 A change in strategy and making wiser investment decisions is crucial to help you combat the drop in sales. For instance, budgets assigned to mass media advertising, can be reallocated towards services that allow your audience some ease of access. Introducing a web-store, setting up easy installment purchases, or offering contactless deliveries will encourage your audience to continue using your product or service from the safety of their homes.&nbsp;



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">&nbsp;“The consumer isn’t a moron. She is your wife” – David Ogilvy&nbsp;</blockquote>



It is important not to undermine the intelligence of your audience.&nbsp;&nbsp;Make sure your content and messaging is genuine, do not fake a show of solidarity. Several companies have faced flak for being opportunistic while failing to add value to the society and communities that surround them. Brands need to conscientiously invest in the well-being of people, instead of wasting resources on unnecessary gimmicks. Such efforts don’t have to be grand, just genuine. We must not use the pandemic as an excuse to prey on the consumer’s fears to boost sales. Encouraging panic buying or creating a FOMO factor wouldn’t be a wise move right now.&nbsp;



Your marketing strategy during this time can sink or seal your relationship with your consumers. This is a period that will be talked about for years to come, hence it is crucial to use this time to strengthen your relationship with customers by giving them something to remember. This is the time to invest in goodwill, uphold the brand image and retain your customers, because as the age old adage goes, “this too shall pass.”

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COVID-19: Marketing during a pandemic

By Siddharth Chatterjee



Sexual and reproductive health and pandemics might seem to be unrelated topics, but large and dense populations are drivers of the high velocity transmission of COVID-19, and there are lessons to be learned for the future.



Gains made in women’s sexual reproductive health and rights just took several steps backward in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Access to contraceptives has been interrupted, resulting in an increase in unintended pregnancies. With schools closed, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child marriages are rising. Globally gender-based violence has risen exponentially, as people are advised or required to stay home, and women and girls may not be able to leave an unsafe or violent situation.



The United Nations Population Fund(UNFPA) Executive Director, <a href="https://www.unfpa.org/press/women-girls-health-workers-must-not-be-overlooked-global-covid-19-response">Natalia Kanem</a> has said, “the world needs to do much more to ensure that the most intimate, yet essential, needs of the world’s women and girls are met while we battle COVID-19.”



Among the chief immediate concerns is severely reduced access to sexual and reproductive healthcare while the pandemic rages on. But diminished women’s rights and services have even greater long-term implications for the outbreak and spread of future epidemics.



Africa has yet to see the devastation from COVID-19 that most developed countries are facing in terms of infections and deaths, but the virus is already wreaking havoc on the livelihoods of millions on the continent. With travel bans, curfews and lockdowns, for countless who depend on daily wages and small informal businesses, are facing hunger and destitution. Unlike richer nations, most African countries have little wriggle room in their budgets to afford meaningful stimulus packages and have social safety nets.



Some forecasts suggest that in the absence of a considerable fiscal stimulus, COVID-19 could see Africa’s GDP decline by <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2020/04/16/figures-of-the-week-the-macroeconomic-impact-of-covid-19-in-africa/">over 5% in 2020</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">So how can the world–and the African continent in particular–better prepare itself for the next pandemic?</h2>



A good place to start is with the root of recent pandemics. Zoonosis is the transmission of a disease from animals to human. COVID-19, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) are all coronaviruses, and all originated in bats, which are a natural reservoir for viruses.



Such jumps from animals to humans are on the rise for reasons that include unhygienic and close proximity to animals, bush meat consumption, wet markets and–crucially–human encroachment into wilderness and wildlife habitats.



One of the main drivers of such encroachment is the exponential population growth.



We are exploiting forests at a calamitous rate, eating away into the traditional buffer zones that once separated humans from animals, and from the pathogens that they carry. Forest destruction also drives climate change and soil erosion. In turn, growing urbanization means higher population densities, providing a ready route for the rapid and extensive spread of disease.



Long-term preparation must begin with the acknowledgment that runaway population growth is a driver of modern pandemics.



UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres observed on the <a href="https://www.unfpa.org/press/secretary-generals-message-world-population-day">2019 World Population Day</a>, “for many of the least developed countries, the challenges to sustainable development are compounded by rapid population growth as well as vulnerability to climate change.”



Most African health systems operate in a constant state of struggle and crisis. There is <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/middle-east-and-africa/tackling-covid-19-in-africa">only one doctor for every 1,000 people in Africa</a>, and each must serve overwhelmingly young, poor and unemployed patient populations.



Family planning and sexual health services are only patchily available, and cultural pressures mean girls and women may find it difficult to access them even where they exist. Too often the result is large families living in poverty and ill-health, and a worrying predominance of early pregnancy.



Africa is the most rapidly urbanizing region in the world, with 50-70% of urban dwellers living in slums. Uncontrolled population growth, crowded and unhygienic conditions, and destruction of natural ecosystems combine to create a perfect storm for the next pandemic, whose speed, scale and virulence may well surpass COVID 19.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Urgent action needed now</h2>



In such circumstances there is a central need for bold global leadership. That is why policymakers, led by the US, must reconsider the Mexico City policy, often known as the <a href="https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/mexico-city-policy-explainer/">global gag rule</a>. The recently expanded global gag rule now applies not only to comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare and safe abortion, but also to programmes that include HIV, water, sanitation and hygiene.



In Kenya we are already seeing the domino effect of the global gag rule <a href="https://news.trust.org/item/20190306133032-t3xz2">with increased teenage pregnancies and a spike in unsafe abortions</a>. Almost <a href="https://www.un.org/youthenvoy/2017/03/teen-mothers-kenya-become-powerful-advocates-change/">one in five girls aged 15-19</a> is either pregnant or already has a baby. Adolescent girls in the worst affected parts of Kenya have lost their ability to make informed choices. &nbsp;It is a crisis of health, education and opportunity, made far worse by COVID 19.



It should concern all leaders that reduced resources for such programmes have led to more poor women suffering the effects of unplanned pregnancies, contributed to higher rates of maternal mortality and to an increase in unsafe abortions. Goals for programmes such as the <a href="http://www.familyplanning2020.org/about-us">Family Planning 2020</a>(FP 2020) launched by Melinda Gates, which includes giving 120 million more women and girls access to contraceptives by 2020, will remain unfulfilled as the deadline approaches. FP2020 is based on the principle that&nbsp;all women, no matter where they live, should have&nbsp;access to lifesaving contraceptives.



Today, Africa has the world’s highest fertility rates. On average, women in <a href="https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2016/04/changing-narrative-fertility-decline-africa/">sub-Saharan Africa have about five childrenover their reproductive lifetime</a>, compared to a global average of 2.5 children. Africa’s population is expected to grow from the current 1.1 billion to 2.3 billion people by 2050 while the global population is expected to reach 10 billion at that time.



If Africa accelerates structural reforms, some believe the continent can emulate China’s rapid rise of the last 50 years. <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/02/africa-global-growth-economics-worldwide-gdp/">McKinsey predicts $5.6 trillion in African business opportunities by 2025.</a> If Africa succeeds, it could be a poster child for Sustainable Development Goal 1-ending poverty by 2030, as well as become a stable and prosperous economic partner for the rest of the world.



At the top of the reforms must be safeguarding the primacy of reproductive health and rights. With a median age of 19 years, for Africa to benefit from the <a href="https://demographicdividend.org/">demographic dividend</a> its youthful population could offer, family sizes must fall drastically. Smaller households link directly to improved health, education and living standards, which in turn translate into investment, employment, and economic growth. This can only happen if programmes that increase access to family planning are widely available.



We must look at strategies to stabilize the global population with renewed urgency. Political and religious, globally must show courage, responsibility and vision through a robust commitment to ensuring that every person, everywhere, has access to affordable contraception and is able to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights.



To help stave off the havoc of the next pandemic, the world must unite behind UNFPA’s mission “to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.”



Siddharth Chatterjee is the United Nations Resident Coordinator to Kenya. He has served in various parts of the world with UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, UNOPS, UN Peacekeeping and the Red Cross Movement. A decorated Special Forces veteran, he is an alumnus of Princeton University. Follow him on twitter-<a href="https://twitter.com/sidchat1?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">@sidchat1</a>

A pregnant woman in Kenya’s North Eastern Province with one of her children. Overpopulation in the area contributes to poor maternal health. Credit: Isaiah Esipisu/IPS

Why reproductive rights must be a critical part of our arsenal to fight pandemics

By Zaynab Mohamed – Political Analyst



After Prime Minister Thomas Thabane deployed the army on the streets of Maseru over the weekend, South African mediators were sent to ease the tensions.



Two-day talks between stakeholders were concluded, with Deputy Prime Minister Monyane Moleleki and South African mediator Jeff Radebe signing an agreement which stated that, among other things, the processes of Parliament must continue to ensure that Mr Thabane will leave office with “dignity, grace and security”.



Mr Radebe told journalists that the “timeline is immediate” for Mr Thabane’s exit.



Mr Thabane, however, does not agree. The 80-year-old prime minister fired back in an interview published in the Lesotho Times on Thursday, April 23, saying, “People that I don’t report to [are] setting the time for my departure, their own convenient time. They have no right to do so … I don’t understand what all this rush is about. I am not going to give in to their demands.”



When the army was deployed, there were rumours that Police Commissioner Holomo Molibeli had been arrested. It later emerged that, although Mr Molibeli was not arrested, Mr Thabane did, in fact, order his arrest and that of two of his subordinates, but Lieutenant General Mojalefa Lesoela, the commander of the Lesotho Defence Force, refused to carry out this order.



Mr Thabane earlier (unsuccessfully) attempted to fire Mr Molibeli after he charged Mr Thabane with playing a part in the murder of his ex-wife Lipolelo Thabane.



The deal to form a new coalition government signed by the All Basotho Congress (ABC) and the Democratic Congress (DC) is now supported by enough MPs to guarantee the 61-seat threshold. Two of Mr Thabane’s current coalition partners, the Basotho National Party (BNP) and the Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL), support the ABC-DC coalition and so does a smaller opposition party, the Popular Front for Democracy (PFD).



Now that parliamentary proceedings can go ahead, steps towards the vote of no confidence are being taken.



The Senate will be sitting on Friday, April 24, to approve an amendment bill which advises King Letsie III to dissolve Parliament if Mr Thabane loses a vote of no confidence. Once approved by the Senate, the amendment bill will then have to be signed into law by King Letsie.



Then the lower house will sit for the vote of no confidence, which Mr Thabane looks certain to lose.



By deploying the army to restore order, Mr Thabane showed his willingness to resort to violence, but with General Lesoela refusing to carry out his orders, bloodshed was avoided this time.



With all odds against him – a murder case, a vote of no confidence, and a disobedient army boss – we would assume that Mr Thabane would have cut his losses by now.



However, he still stands firm, making us wonder what he still has planned for the mountain kingdom.

Op-Ed: Thabane puzzled by “all this rush”

By Victor Oladokun



Across Africa, affordable housing is in acute short supply. It is one of the reasons why lockdowns and social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic are unimaginable and unsustainable. The pandemic is therefore a time bomb waiting to explode in Africa&#8217;s most densely populated informal settlements.



During this global lockdown, millions in the West will have the luxury of couch surfing through endless hours of Netflix or Tik Tok. But in Africa’s most congested and highly populated cities and slums, millions of families will be confined to less than 2 square meters of living space in unsanitary conditions. &nbsp;



What is urgently needed is a radical re-think.



Ticking Time Bombs



Slums and inhumane living conditions have been permanent fixtures of Africa&#8217;s urban landscapes for decades. The rapid growth of informal settlement is the result of a combination of factors. Accelerated urbanization, policy flip flops, the absence of adequate planning and foresight, the lack of infrastructure, low income levels, and the desperation of tens of thousands who arrive daily in pursuit of an even more elusive golden fleece.



In these epicenters of misery, millions of Africans, stripped of their dignity, live in appalling make-shift conditions with no hope of decent lives, nor access to water, sanitation and other basic necessities. The social and economic aberration runs deep. The slums exist on the periphery of more opulent and upscale neighbourhoods.



With a combined population of almost 50 million people, three of Africa&#8217;s megacities, Lagos, Cairo, and Kinshasa, are the continent&#8217;s most densely populated. Major centres of commercial activity, they attract the lion’s share of their respective country’s domestic and foreign investment. This is where the jobs are. And so, each day, millions of Africans travel commute for hours on crowded buses with poor ventilation, in order to engage in manual labour that barely covers the cost of transportation. &nbsp;



Face Me – I Face You



In Nigeria, with a population of 180 million people, and where I spent my formative years, millions are aware of what is known as ‘Face me &#8211; I Face You&#8217; dwellings. These are communal buildings with rooms that face one another divided only by a long corridor. In appalling cramped conditions, families occupy single rooms with shared toilet facilities and little or no access to water and sanitation.



Yet, residents in these living-hells are a notch higher on the social pecking order, for want of a better expression. At a level lower are the millions of day labourers who pay the equivalent of 20 cents or less a night for the &#8216;privilege&#8217; of laying their head for a few hours on a bare floor in a communal room with as many as 10-15 other grown men.&nbsp;



The short-term abodes are known as&nbsp;‘Taan lese’ or better still ‘Ta lo le se.”&nbsp; Translated from the Yoruba language, this means &#8220;Who&#8217;s leg is it?&#8221; The phrase aptly describes the packed sardine-like conditions in which the occupants spend the ‘night’, literally toe to toe.&nbsp;



They must rise early before dawn and make room for others who will occupy the same space during the day. For them and millions of &#8216;Face Me &#8211; I Face You&#8217; slum dwellers, these inhumane living conditions are death traps, one way or the other.



This week, as the long-term impact of the lockdown began to take effect in some countries, groups of young hungry men broke into supermarkets and homes in search of food.



Given the restrictions Covid-19 imposes and the lurking dangers ahead, short- and long-term solutions are urgently needed to decongest thousands of slums, improve the lives of millions of poor families, and stop the transmission of this and other future pandemics.



Africa and it’s Diaspora are not lacking in skills, imagination, creativity or talent. What is required are resources, partnerships, and cutting the red tape of bureaucracy and corruption.



Decongesting Africa&#8217;s Slums



Here are a few viable solutions.



<ul class="wp-block-list" type="1"><li>The enactment of viable short-term emergency measures to house the most vulnerable during this pandemic, particularly the elderly, disabled, and those infected and recovering.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Urgent engagement with public, private sector and non-governmental partners to address and resolve immediate challenges. Working in conjunction with the private sector the innovative Africa Investment Forum, USAID, DFID, Germany&#8217;s KfW, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JAICA), and Agence Française de Développement’s Proparco, are all excellent platforms for crowding in resources for housing development, healthcare facilities, water and sanitation.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Long-term plans including the conversion of low-level agricultural spaces and brown sites into residential areas. Also, the conversion of abandoned or under-utilised commercial buildings into housing units, will boost supplies. </li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Increased public spending on affordable housing would provide millions living in marginal communities with either free or heavily subsidised housing, electricity and water.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Incentives to attract private sector players into the housing construction business.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Decongesting urban areas and decentralising development by moving some government ministries and industries across provinces or states.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>The promotion and creative use of sustainable materials to build affordable housing, instead of a primary reliance on steel and concrete.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Removing policies, processes and practices, that get in the way of eradicating slums and rent seeking slumlords.</li></ul>



Waiting: An illusive luxury



For the benefit of all and in the face of a virus that does not respect geographical boundaries, Africa&#8217;s leaders must urgently, creatively and radically address the chronic shortage of housing, water and sanitation, as well as the distribution of free masks.



Ultimately, a re-arrangement of national space, a reimagining of dwellings, a boom in the construction&nbsp;of housing, and the use of sustainable building materials, will have ripple multiplier effects. It will create jobs, enhance skills, improve qualities of life, reinvigorate local economies and incentivise the private sector.



We risk losing whole populations who have no defence against a ravaging pandemic.



Waiting is an illusive luxury. Time has run out!



&#8211; Victor Oladokun, is the former Director of Communication, African Development Bank Group



For more coverage on COVID-19 visit: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/">https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/</a>

Op-Ed: Africa’s lockdown nightmare

By Chris Bishop



“A hungry man is an angry man,” says the former guerrilla fighter with a steely glare followed by a shake of the head as he gleaned the thin pickings of a dry maize field on communal land just outside the capital Harare. As Zimbabwe turned 40 this weekend, I harked back to his soulful, disappointed, eyes on independence day, April 18,back in 1994, a few weeks after I had landed in Africa as a television journalist.



I will never forget Israel Mandere, who must be in his sixties now, yet clearly the internet – if ever it knew his name – has. I can still see him sweating in that field under the bright autumn sunshine as part of a struggling cooperative of war veterans scratching a living in the dust.



“No money, little food, tattered clothes,” says Mandere shaking his head in anger and stuttering with emotion.



“Ï am very embarrassed about that one.”



Two decades earlier, Mandere strapped an AK47 on his back to fight operations in eastern Zimbabwe from guerrilla camps, in the bush, across on the other side of the border in Mozambique as part of the ZANLA guerrilla forces that helped put President Mugabe in power. He joined, as a teenager and trained with thousands of comrades in Ethiopia to fight a small, yet tough, Rhodesian army bristling with modern weapons and vast firepower. The promise from his leaders – many of whom ended up in the cabinet – was a brighter tomorrow for the black majority.



In the early, euphoric, days this seemed so for many black Zimbabweans who found rights in a country where they had grown up feeling like foreigners. Black Zimbabweans took up top jobs in the land the commanding heights of the economy on a &nbsp;secure bedrock of robust infrastructure. Investment and flowed in the wake of the first elections in and land with universal suffrage.. Politically Zimbabwe campaigned for change in Africa as part of the Non Aligned Movement in the former frontline states.



Yet the economy was mismanaged and struggled to increase the standard of living for the growing population. In the early 80s the government turned on its own people in Matabeleland and more than 20,000 people died – as a journalist, I saw some of the shallow graves with my own eyes. More than a decade on, it choked me that relatives knew where their loved ones were buried but were merely too afraid of authority to go and visit them.



I was so angry that the crew and I went to a church in Bulawayo to question one of the politicians who oversaw the killings, the late Enos Nkala, who has become a pastor. &nbsp;Seriously, his people said the man himself was praying and couldn’t talk to us right now. We waited and Nkala slipped from the building and his accountability. &nbsp;One of many examples I saw of how the people of &nbsp;power in &nbsp;Zimbabwe often had that air of impunity. &nbsp;



Then there was the ham fisted way productive farm land was taken over and often left in ruins. It is a shame that Mandere’s grandchildren can only hear stories about Zimbabwe being the bread basket of southern Africa. It is a bitter irony also that many children &nbsp;and grandchildren of those who risked their lives fighting to free Zimbabwe were on the streets to howl President Mugabe out of power in November 2017.



I called one of my old friends and colleagues in Harare on independence day to see how it went. He admitted it hadn’t been a very celebratory 40th birthday party with the economy down after 20 days of COVID-19 lockdown.



“Zimbabwe at 40?” says he,” It is like you have gone to school, grown up, got married, had children and then you wake up at 40 to find you are undernourished.” &nbsp;



Now, I worked in Zimbabwe, as a journalist, and for years I travelled to almost every corner, small town &nbsp;and village to report stories and talk to people. I drank masese, danced in shebeens and met tens of thousands of Zimbabweans of all creeds and colours – good and bad, &nbsp;For every bad person there were a hundred good.



“This one is free,” people used to say in the dance halls late at night when they were asked why I was there.



&nbsp;All I want is the best for Zimbabwe, but I fear how the country will be when it turns 50.

Zimbabwe tightens coronavirus lockdown in capital Harare as cases hit 203

Comment :Zimbabwe at 40 subdued and disappointed

Zimbabwe turned 40 on April 18. Amid the economic struggles of this week there was talk of the country phasing out the US dollar – a move denied by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe on its website.



CNBC Africa asked John Robertson, an independent economist based in Harare who has spent more than half a century studying the economy, for some background on currency issues in Zimbabwe. We also asked him was the old Zimbabwe dollar really stronger than the US dollar at independence in 1980? These were his thoughts:



“The value of every currency in the world is supported by, and dependent on, the productive capacity of the country in relation to the productive capacity of its trading partners. The capacity measurement has to properly take into account the volume and quality of the goods and services produced as well as their cost competitiveness. In Zimbabwe, in those first years after 1980, we used to produce commodities efficiently enough to make profits from their sale abroad, even though the revenue we could get for them was set by international market price mechanisms. For our consumer goods exports, such as clothing, footwear, a wide range of processed foods, transistor radios, school textbooks and dozens of other things, we successfully competed for sales on foreign markets. We also exported processed raw materials, such as steel sections, cotton yarn, shredded and blended tobacco, roasted coffee beans, sawn timber, dimension stone, irrigation pipes and couplings, plus lots of other components, all in competition with other suppliers.



However, government interference caused lots of cost increases. Minimum wages were doubled and frequently adjusted, devaluations were necessary to permit the Zimbabwe dollar earnings to continue covering rising costs, license fees were charged and project approvals were needed for any company wanting to make a change to its mix of products. Import licenses were confiscated and given to emergent business people, who re-sold them to the companies from which they had been taken, adding to costs. The whole investment climate became difficult. The IMF tried to intervene with its Structural Adjustment Programme, but that supported retailers much more than manufacturers as, after ESAP, whatever anyone wanted could be imported?



Then we had Land Reform. The collateral value of farmland was reduced from billions of dollars to zero. Skilled farmers were dispossessed, small-scale farmers were given the land free, but land with no market value, over which the farmers had no security of tenure, was of no value as collateral for bank loans. The small-scale farmers were occasionally lucky enough to feed their families and have small surpluses for sale, but they never grew enough the feed the country. We have had to meet a big bill for imported food every year since Land Reform.



&nbsp;Even now, nothing has been proposed that offers the slightest improvement to our shocking investment climate. Government vigorously protests that it is making major policy changes, but they absolutely refuse to accept that it has brought productive capacity to its knees and has destroyed the country’s relationships with the rest of the world. We cannot pay our debts, cannot attract investment and can now meet very few of our own needs.



&nbsp;Government wants to be completely in charge of all investment decisions and seems to believe that it can direct business sectors to simply produce more. As a result, we now have an economy that cannot support a currency, the value of which is stable and worthy of respect. The black-market rate for the US dollar is now Z$49 to one, the inter-bank market rate is Z$25:US$1. It seems that the currency deals carried out are to externalise US$, not place orders for imports that might be impossible to sell. March inflation has just been published &#8211; the annual rate is 676,4% and prices went up 26,6% in one month. We need dramatic changes to restore confidence, but ZanuPF has no intention of changing anything.



&nbsp;On your last question, the value of a Zimbabwe dollar in 1980, it is true that you needed US$1,60 to buy one Zimbabwe dollar. That exchange rate is often misinterpreted as evidence that the Zimbabwe dollar was stronger than the US dollar. That is not true. The size of a unit of measurement does not indicate strength or weakness. An inch is not stronger than a centimetre, a metre is not stronger than a yard. When Rhodesia was in the Sterling Area, the Rhodesian pound was worth the same as a British pound. The pound weakened during some difficult years for the UK in the 1970s, and Rhodesia was overcoming sanctions so well that the Rhodesian dollar, which started off as equal to ten shillings, appeared to be strengthening against a weakening pound. So relative values come into it. The pound soon recovered under Margaret Thatcher and at that time, you needed US$2,40 to buy one pound. Today you can buy a pound for US$1.24.



&nbsp;The question of how practical it is to put our faith in our own currency calls for recognition of all these points. What we have done, and the policies are still being vigorously defended, has destroyed any chance of getting the confidence and investment inflows needed to rebuild productive capacity, so a currency based on such a weakened economy will remain weak as well. And a weak currency will simply keep falling in value. Now that the whole world is in trouble and many other poor countries deserve help much more than we do, Zimbabwe is going to have to wake up to the need for self-help and self-sufficiency very quickly. If we don’t, we will soon be in much more trouble than ever before!” &nbsp;&nbsp;

The birth of Zimbabwe 40 years ago-the days when the Zimbabwe dollar cost $1.60 US Dollars

By Millicent Clarke, Regional Head of Human Resources, Standard Chartered AME



The COVID-19 pandemic has led many organisations to adopt new ways of working, including a remote working policy for their employees. During times like these, an organisation’s top priority is to ensure the safety, security and wellbeing of its workforce, whilst at the same time, maintaining productivity.



Here are a few useful tips which organisations can follow to ensure that working remotely goes hand in hand with ensuring the continuity, and success, of a business.



Communication is key



Transparency and clarity between employees and senior leadership is crucial. Organisations must ensure that staff are up to date on all ongoing internal developments, as well as announcements from local authorities on relevant procedures and processes. This should also be introduced as a resource for client work, or any ongoing projects, as People Leaders decide on next steps. People Leaders should also regularly circulate updates to employees via email or their preferred method of communication.



For more on COVID-19 visit: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/">https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/</a> 



Employees should also feel that an ‘open-door’ policy is metaphorically endorsed throughout the remote working period. This means ensuring that efficient channels of communication are in place to facilitate simple two-way interaction. Employees should be informed of the decided channels for communication, as well as what they should expect in terms of coordinated meetings with the wider team thereafter.



Fool-proof Toolkit



Before you and your team set out on your remote working journey, you must ensure that you are all armed with the right tools in hand. This may be subject to what your organisation’s preferred hardware and software tools are, however, the central goal is to efficiently conduct day-to-day activities and minimise tech-related blunders.



The essentials to any team toolkit include: a desktop, laptop, or tablet, high-speed internet connection, basic hardware accessories, a reliable video-conferencing software and your preferred tool for project/task management.



Advocate for new ways of working



Yes, remote working in-and-of-itself is a perplexing method of conducting business for most, especially if you’ve become increasingly accustomed to an office setting. However, this is the time to test your leadership skills and your team’s ability to remain resilient during times of uncertainty.



Challenging our own paradigms can be a daunting task to undergo, yet, it has the ability to change your team’s entire dynamic, for the better. Take the time to leverage the circumstances you’re under and capitalise on your team’s successes, address their pain points and identify opportunities for improvement. All in all, you should come out with better knowledge of your team’s group dynamic and accustom your management approach thereafter.&nbsp;



Counsel your colleagues



In times of change and uncertainty, your staff’s safety and wellbeing should continuously be taken into consideration. For some employees, remote working, as well as the uncertainty of the situation, may bring about feelings of stress, anxiety and unease. Besides the negative impact this will have on your business, this may take a lasting toll on your staff’s emotional wellbeing. In turn, it is crucial to prioritise empathetic thinking when dealing with employees and aiding in the combat of their mental health issues.



Implementing emotional and behavioural intelligence across your communicative methods will aid in alleviating any internal anxiety or stress on your staff’s current working conditions. Employees will become more comfortable with flagging their concerns and promoting a sense of unity and understanding within the wider team.&nbsp;



Establish clear guidelines



In order to efficiently lead your workforce, your employees should be given defined boundaries and policies to adhere to. Compile a comprehensive guide, inclusive of provisions on sick leaves, paid leave and sabbaticals, and circulate this to the wider team. This will mitigate against any confusion relating to proper business governance and procedural changes.



And, as always, keep the line of communication between yourself and your colleagues open, if ever they need guidance on a situation.



Virtual suggestion box



Who better to showcase the success of a remote working policy than the employees?



Organisations should encourage employees to be open about any challenges they are facing while working remotely. This way, they can be quickly addressed and solved to avoid any future issues. What’s more, employees should also highlight examples of what has been working well for them in their roles and any key learnings they can share with their colleagues which can be adapted.



Plan for contingencies



As we all know, not everything works according to plan. This is especially true for an uncertain and uncharted situation. In turn, senior leadership must account for potential contingencies that may arise and be ready to overcome unwarranted obstacles.



This can vary from large, unanticipated pieces of work from clients, or an organisation-wide system malfunction. Now, hopefully, your IT team is well equipped to handle the situation accordingly and your communication channels allow you to delegate large tasks to your wider team. However, when all else fails, your contingency plan will serve as a cushion for any unexpected setbacks.



In order to maintain resilient business continuity, leaders will exhibit their strategic mindsets and shape their own opportunities, as opposed to adapting to changing conditions. In the midst of fundamental and structural changes to your industry, a contingency plan will allow you to position your organisation as a market leader and prompts the introduction of valuable propositions.



Embrace the 3 Ps



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Proactiveness</li></ul>



Since clients may be experiencing a slowdown in operations, you should anticipate a sudden pause on ongoing tasks. In turn, this is a great time to tackle projects that you could not find time for in the past. This period could also serve as the ideal time to provide your clients with proactive suggestions, as well as contemplate your long-term strategic plans. &nbsp;&nbsp;



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Productiveness</li></ul>



Make the effort to ensure that your employees are working productively and efficiently.



Productive employees will usually follow daily routines, so, try to simulate this in your remote working culture. Whether this is actively encouraging your staff to take a lunch break or log-off at the end of the workday, they should feel that working from home is no different than an average day at the office.



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Positivity</li></ul>



Employees’ attitudes and perceptions have a prominent effect on the work they do. In turn, it is essential that you prioritise your people’s morale and advocate for positivity during trying times of uncertainty. Try to regularly share positive affirmations with your staff members, whether it’s a joke that made you laugh out loud or praising another colleague’s great work.

COVID-19: How to ensure your business keeps running while working remotely

By Paul Polman, Siddharth Chatterjee and Myriam Sidibe



The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that now is “a defining moment for modern society.&nbsp; History will judge the efficacy of the response not by the actions of any single set of government actors taken in isolation, but by the degree to which the response is coordinated globally across all sectors for the benefit of our human family.”



Governments, the private sector, and development institutions need to come together in innovative ways not just to flatten the curve of infection and mitigate the economic disruption, but also to prepare for the new normal of the post-Covid world in Africa and the rest of the world. &nbsp;Greater partnership between the public and private sectors is going to be critical. The fight to flatten the coronavirus curve is an acid test for stakeholder capitalism and especially for multilateralism.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1110" height="640" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/kenya-1110x640.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-368286" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/kenya-1110x640.jpg 1110w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/kenya-300x173.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/kenya-768x443.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/kenya-696x401.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/kenya-1068x615.jpg 1068w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/kenya.jpg 1378w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px" /><figcaption> Kenyan nurses wear protective gear during a demonstration of preparations for any potential coronavirus cases at the Mbagathi Hospital, isolation centre for the disease, in Nairobi. Photo Quartz Africa March 2020</figcaption></figure>



As Covid-19 continues to spread sickness and death, Africa has so far escaped the worst effects.&nbsp; The continent’s lagging health care infrastructure, however, makes it highly vulnerable if the virus reaches the high-velocity community transmission we have seen in Italy, Spain and New York.&nbsp; Not only are health systems delicate, but crucial medical supplies are far from sufficient, and social protections as a whole are weak.



With the health crisis also becoming an economic and soon a social crisis, the continent is under siege.&nbsp; Many companies are struggling through the economic slowdown, with tourism and smaller enterprises the most challenged.&nbsp; With bankruptcy and job losses looming, many families are already reducing spending and consumption.&nbsp; In the absence of significant fiscal stimulus &#8211; which few African countries can afford anyway &#8211; some projections are cutting the continent’s GDP growth in 2020 by as much as eight percentage points.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="471" height="476" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/sid-chat.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-368287" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/sid-chat.jpg 471w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/sid-chat-297x300.jpg 297w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 471px) 100vw, 471px" /><figcaption>L to R: The co-authors Myriam Sidibe, Siddharth Chatterjee, Paul Polman join the First Lady of Kenya, Ms Margaret Kenyatta, in Nairobi, Kenya at an event. Photo UNFPA Kenya, 24 Jun 2016</figcaption></figure>







No one knows for sure what is ahead, with scenarios changing daily as new information comes through.&nbsp; Many firms are focused on business continuity, employee safety and simply survival and lack the luxury of assisting external stakeholders.&nbsp; But it’s time for an all-hands-on-deck response, both to flatten the curve of infections and keep businesses resilient, and to be ready to restart as physical distancing ends.&nbsp; More than ever before, the private sector needs to deploy its full capabilities to innovate and bring positive, sustainable change – to help secure strong markets in the future.



There are several areas where private sector support is essential.&nbsp; Current priorities include unified communication platforms to enable populations to practice the needed preventative behaviours (washing hands, wearing masks, and practicing physical distancing), as well as managing stocks of essential materials, test kits, ventilators and oxygen and PPE. Support would also include protecting the most vulnerable people from the economic effects of the pandemic, especially where curfews are enforced.



This is also a unique opportunity to challenge sceptics, in both the not-for-profits and for-profit sectors, with a new blueprint of collaboration.&nbsp; The World Health Organisation has issued guidelines on engaging the private sector as part of a whole-of-society response to the pandemic and has signed an iconic partnership with the International Chamber of Commerce.&nbsp; The African Union and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have also launched a public-private partnership known as the Africa Covid-19 Response Fund, which raises resources to prevent transmission and support sustainable medical responses.



&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In Kenya the national government has led the charge in fighting Covid-19 by rapidly scaling up a large array of public health interventions and putting into force social interaction rules. &nbsp;To complement the government’s preparedness and response efforts for the next six months, the United Nations, together with humanitarian Non-Governmental Organisations launched a flash appeal seeking over US$267 million to respond to the critical needs of 10 million of the country’s most vulnerable people.&nbsp;



So far the pandemic has not been the finest hour for international cooperation.&nbsp; But the role of the UN and the private sector has never been more critical as an enabler of multisectoral partnerships for deliveries, and also to keep the focus on the most vulnerable that these partnerships need to reach. &nbsp;



In Kenya, and under the leadership of the Government, the UN has built a model to catalyse public private action: the SDG Partnership Platform. It is a tested instrument for engagement that has brought together a variety of private players in previous initiatives to co-create and rapidly deploy with government large-scale shared-value solutions to address the challenges our societies and planet are facing.&nbsp; It is through such a mechanism, for example, that the UN mobilized the private sector to carry out a maternal mortality reduction campaign in Kenya’s north-eastern counties, one that was recognised as a global best practice.



Kenya’s<a href="https://www.covid19businessresponse.ke/"> National Business Compact on Coronavirus</a>, a gathering of companies aimed at accelerating local action and supporting governmental efforts against the pandemic, got successfully off the ground with the help of the UN SDG Partnership Platform, and champions from private sector and civil society. &nbsp;



The Kenyan model of cooperation could take shape all over Africa.&nbsp; Such models allow governments to foster an ecosystem of purposeful partnerships; to amplify private-sector philanthropy, corporate social responsibility and policy advocacy for national mitigation; and to accelerate shared-value partnerships.&nbsp; It also allows the UN to play its role as a neutral broker, and steer a much-needed balance between lethargic action on one hand and misdirected reactions on the other.&nbsp;



This may well be the blueprint needed to fight the next global pandemic, whose speed and fury could surpass what we are witnessing now.



<a href="https://twitter.com/PaulPolman">Paul Polman</a> is co-founder of IMAGINE, Chair of the International Chambers of Commerce and former CEO of Unilever



<a href="https://twitter.com/sidchat1?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Siddharth Chatterjee</a> is the UN Resident Coordinator of Kenya



<a href="https://twitter.com/Myriam_Sidibe">Myriam Sidibe</a> is a Senior Fellow at Mossavar Rahmani Center for Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School

918615dd-8dcb-457f-9f5a-af8123e50ff4

Multilateralism through Public-Private partnerships are Key to Flattening the COVID-19 Curve

By Mark Doumba, Managing Director, Enovate Capital



It has become evident, over the past few weeks, that not all countries have the same financial muscle to respond to the public health, economic and social crisis that has put the world on hold. In just one round of reforms, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany; which are some of the world’s most indebted countries, have managed to mobilise over US$3 trillion to keep both demand and supply sides of their economies afloat for the next couple of months. This is equivalent to 10% of their combined GDP, and almost twice (175%) the size of Sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP which stands at US$ 1.7 trillion.



FOR MORE ON COVID-19 VISIT: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/">https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/</a>



Further south, governments in low-income economies of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) also face substantial challenges to not just mitigate the viral spread of COVID-19 and the potential loss of lives, but to also maintain economic activity and income streams to businesses, individuals, and to the treasury. The region needs to mobilise US$150 billion of new debt that it can’t print, and that it doesn’t have carrying capacity for, in order to respond the COVID&#8211;19 crisis. With the ratings agencies on the prowl, many of these economies face a high probability of credit downgrades and of sovereign defaults despite having much lower levels of debt than higher-income economies do. Sub-Saharan African economies carry an average debt load equivalent to 49% of their GDP in current dollars, while the United States, eurozone countries, and Japan’s debt to GDP ratios were 102%, 88%, and 238% in 2019<a href="#_ftn1">[1]</a> respectively.



Capital markets and the world of finance applies differential treatment to high-income and low-income economies. Because of this, it is essential that decision makers of SSA governments don’t try to mimic the policy response of high-income economies; as they will fall short. Instead, SSA countries need to be smarter with their policy choices since they don’t have the same fiscal muscle. What they have, however, is the ability to leverage the extra policy space that their more centralized institutional political arrangement provides in order to enact effective policy actions swiftly and decisively. Ultimately, it is policy space and adaptive leadership that was instrumental for Singapore, South Korea and China to flatten the curve early, and less so, fiscal space.



With over 80% of the region’s working population employed in small medium enterprises (SMEs), across the formal and informal economy, mainly in retail and commerce, the crisis creates a perfect opportunity for governments to stimulate the supply side of the economy by pushing online commerce, digital government, and mobile payment services. The current structure of Sub-Saharan economies makes it near impossible for merchants and small and medium business owners to stay at home and to respect social distancing measures. &nbsp;It is equally difficult for citizens to seek government services without having to step out and interact with government agents, who themselves should be able to work from home.



Governments in Sub-Saharan Africa must accompany social distancing policies with concrete alternative solutions for economic agents to pursue their income-generating activities while they comply with public health directives. This can be done by using e-commerce marketplace companies as instruments to provide economic relief in the short term (as they can help maintain a certain level of commercial transactions), and to spur much needed structural transformation in the medium to long term. In pre-pandemic period, e-commerce and mobile payments businesses mainly failed to change consumer and supplier behaviour on the continent as the cash economy and traditional retail market proved to be immovable features of social patterns. With social distancing and cash as a potential conduit for virus infections, demand for such services is likely to surge.



This type of smart policy action should help policymakers across the continent turn challenges into opportunities to create new market innovations. Now is the time for governments and economic agents to abandon less efficient business models and practices in favour of novel, resilient and more productive ones. In some countries, this crisis might even reform the local development agenda in support of more local private sector participation and smarter import substitution policies of goods, services, technology and skills.



By helping consumer facing businesses digitalize some of their activities through the intermediation of e-commerce marketplaces, governments can stimulate segments of value chains that are currently dormant or that have historically been under-developed at a low cost. With e-commerce, for example, there would be an uptick in the economic activity of logistics and transport companies, with an inflow of more motorbikes and better GPS tracking technology. With mobile payments, there is an opportunity to reduce information asymmetry between merchants and lenders which would in turn, improve the quality of banks’ loan books at a time when the credit profile of their loans is deteriorating at record speed. With digital government, countries can empower local technology companies to learn by doing, and to become local and regional champions that export their know-how to other countries with similar needs.



On the demand side, governments could provide basic subsidies to the most vulnerable segments of the population, but through the medium of mobile payment wallets that would limit consumption possibilities to essential necessities such as food and health care. A push towards e-commerce and mobile payments would also help governments formalise a large share of financial flows as the foundation for expanding the tax base and the much-needed fiscal space that low-income countries lack so often in both good and bad times.



With consumer spending expected to reach US$2.1 trillion by 2025 and with 65% of the population expected to earn income above US$5,000 (lower limit to allow for discretionary spending)<a href="#_ftn2">[2]</a>, there are both short-term and medium-term factors to support government intervention today, amid the crisis, to organise the supply chains and digital transformation of Africa’s post-pandemic era; rather than mimic the subsidy model of the status-quo that richer countries are currently on: stay home, receive an income, keep workers, maintain production, and don’t pay taxes.



While COVID-19 may disrupt economic activity for a short time, its implications in terms of policy making will be long-lasting. For policymakers, a key takeaway from these trying times is to design policy responses that prioritise smart actions, that minimises the need for capital, and spur market creating innovations by organising local demand in a way that makes sense for local investors to take on new business activities in counter-cyclical times.



Such an approach would leave debt as a solution of last resort only, and not first as we have been observing. Money doesn’t solve all problems. For wicked problems such as those posed by COVID-19, adaptive leadership is what is really needed for African government and business managers to emerge from this crisis with positive momentum.



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<a href="#_ftnref1">[1]</a> <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/government-debt-to-gdp">https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/government-debt-to-gdp</a>



<a href="#_ftnref2">[2]</a> McKinsey Report: Lions still on the move

Mark Doumba

Op-Ed: Why now is not the time for Africa to mimic rich countries over COVID-19

By Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka



The COVID-19 pandemic, one of the world’s most significant events, has resulted in cessation of economic activities that will lead to a significant decline in GDP, an unprecedented social disruption, and the loss of millions of jobs. According to estimates by the African Development Bank, the contraction of the region’s economies will cost Sub-Saharan Africa between $35 billion and $100 billion due to an output decline and a steep fall in commodity prices, especially the crash of oil prices.



More fundamentally, the pandemic has brutally exposed the hollowness of African economies on two fronts: the fragility and weakness of Africa’s health and pharmaceutical sectors and the lack of industrial capabilities. The two are complementary.



This is because Africa is almost 100 percent dependent on imports for the supply of medicines.



According to a recent McKinsey (2019) study, China and India supply 70 percent of Sub-Saharan Africa’s demand for medicine, worth $14 billion. China’s and India’s markets are worth $120 billion and $33 billion respectively. Consider a hypothetic situation where both India and China are unable or unwilling to supply the African market? Africa surely faces a health hazard.



The root of Africa’s underdeveloped industrial and health sectors can be encapsulated in three ways. First, some African policy makers simply think that poor countries do not need to industrialize. This group believes the “no-industrial policy” advocates who engage in rhetoric that does not fit the facts. The histories of both Western societies, and contemporary lessons from East Asia, run contrary to that stance.



Clearly, governments have an important role to play in the nature and direction of industrialization. Progressive governments throughout history understand that the faster the rate of growth in manufacturing, the faster the growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).



From the Economist magazine five years ago: “BY MAKING things and selling them to foreigners, China has transformed itself—and the world economy with it. In 1990 it produced less than 3% of global manufacturing output by value; its share now is nearly a quarter. China produces about 80% of the world’s air-conditioners, 70% of its mobile phones and 60% of its shoes. Today, China is the world’s leader in manufacturing and produces almost half of the world’s steel.” The keyword is “making”.



Two, rich countries therefore became rich by manufacturing and exporting to others, including high-quality goods and services. Poor African countries remain poor because they continue to produce raw materials for rich countries. For example, 70% of global trade in agriculture is in semi-processed and processed products. Africa is largely absent in this market while the region remains an exporter of raw materials to Asia and the West.



Lastly, African countries are repeatedly told that they cannot compete based on scale economy, and as well, price and quality competitiveness because China will outcompete them. For this reason, they should jettison the idea of local production of drugs, food and the most basic things.



The question is: &nbsp;How did Vietnam, with a population of 95 million, emerge from a brutal 20-year war and lift more than 45 million people out of poverty between 2002 and 2018 and develop a manufacturing base that spans textiles, agriculture, furniture, plastics, paper, tourism and telecommunications? It has emerged as a manufacturing powerhouse, becoming the world’s third-largest exporter of textiles and garments (after China and Bangladesh).



Vietnam currently exports over 10 million tonnes of rice, coming third after India and China.



How is it that Bangladesh, a country far poorer than many African countries, is able to manufacture 97% of all its drugs demand, yet it is next door to India, a powerhouse of drug manufacturing?



The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed Africa. African leaders need to look in the mirror and ask where this continent will be in 2030 and 2063. Africa must adopt progressive industrial policies that create inclusive, prosperous and sustainable societies.



What then should be done? A three-pronged approached is urgently needed.



First, Africa needs a strong regional coordination mechanism to consolidate small uncompetitive firms operating in small atomistic market structures. With a consumer base of 1.3 billion and $3.3 trillion market under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the continent has no choice but to bring together its fragmented markets.



Second, Africa needs to build better institutions, strengthen weak ones and introduce the ones missing. No better wake-up call is required than the present pandemic.



Third, one important institution that has been abruptly disrupted is the supply chain for medicines and food, for example. Logistics for transporting capital and consumer goods across the region need predictable structures. Building or strengthening supply chains involve fostering and providing regulations for long-term agreements and competences that leverage both private and public institutional challenges such as customs regulations.



Finally, development finance institutions (DFIs) such as the African Development Bank are mandated to, and are currently, trying to fill the gaps left by private financial institutions. There is an opportunity to Africa to rethink and reengineer its future. The Africa of tomorrow must look inwards for its solutions. &#8211; whether in feeding its own people, build industrial powerhouses led by African champions.



The African Development Bank stands ready to help target and push for deeper economic transformation. Africa needs to execute structurally transformative projects that generate positive externalities and social returns. Keep our eyes on the days after.



Professor Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, is the Senior Special Adviser on Industrialization to the President of the African Development Bank. He is a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering and Professorial Fellow, United Nations University. His recent book is “Resurgent Africa: Structural Transformation and Sustainable Development”, UK: Anthem Press, 2020



For more coverage on COVID-19 visit: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/">https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/</a>

Sub-Saharan Africa to suffer 23.1% decline in remittances in 2020 – World Bank

Op-Ed: Where will Africa be post COVID-19?

<div class="wp-block-group"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow">
<div class="wp-block-image is-style-rounded td-caption-align-center"><figure class="alignleft size-thumbnail"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Khyati-Shetty-150x150.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-367914" /><figcaption>Image supplied by Curtin University Dubai</figcaption></figure></div>



About the Author: Dr. Khyati Shetty is the Head of the School of Business and Humanities, <a href="https://curtindubai.ac.ae/?utm_medium=Backlink&amp;utm_source=CNBC&amp;utm_campaign=Covid_19_Business_Strategy_Khyati" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Curtin University Dubai.</a>&nbsp;With an experience of 11+ years in the industry, Consultancy and Academia, she specializes in the subjects of Strategy, Entrepreneurial Marketing, and Strategic Marketing. She is also an Executive Coach, Innovation Facilitator, and Leadership Consultant to several governments.
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When a person faces physical threats, the human body adapts superbly well by going into a fight or flight mode. The body increases its heartbeat&nbsp;to provide energy, dilates the pupil to allow more light and increases the respiratory rate to provide for more oxygen. After the threat is gone, it takes between 20 to 60 minutes for the body to return to normal.&nbsp;&nbsp;



If only a company could respond so brilliantly to the dangers of a downturn!



The uncertainty of doing business during the turbulence caused by the COVID-19 is like entering into a heavyweight boxing ring to compete. The unsettling twist and turns for business leaders are a one-off- the right hook they never saw coming.&nbsp;As former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson famously said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”&nbsp;Confronted with turbulent times, some leaders swing to a complete defense stance and enter into crisis mode, to prevent the company from getting hurt. They enter a cost-cutting reflex, shrinking operating costs, clamping down on expenses, cutting down on compensation, reducing frills, lowering headcount, and conserving cash. However, this could be a short-term fix with potentially devastating long-term consequences. 



This strategy implemented recklessly can create a siege mentality in the organization, which can choke creativity, innovation, and morale. Efficiency is replaced with a constant struggle of doing the job with minimum resources, which could lead to a drop in customer satisfaction, delivery, and customer loyalty, all of which are the nuclei of post-crisis growth. Pessimism engulfs organizations, and survival becomes key- personal and organizational.



On the other end of the spectrum, are leaders who are tempted to implement aggressive, offensive strategies, and seem to defy the gravity of the crisis. Their idea of riding out the storm is to make investments that have long-term pay-offs, employ aggressive pricing strategies, and spend exorbitant amounts on corporate branding. These are the mangers who ignore the early red flags of the shrinking pie of market share, budget-cuts by customers, poor financial results reaching a tip-off point where decision making becomes chaotic.&nbsp;



To ultimately prevail victoriously, a Janus-faced strategy in these turbulent times sounds prudent. A little bit of agility, a little bit of absorption-and, voila, you have a winning strategy. Agility in the boxing ring as in business (operational, portfolio, and strategic) is the ability to duck and weave at the right moment and change positions and directions with ease and speed. Absorption, on the other hand, is the toughness and strength to withstand punches and, in the case of business, is business size, customer lock-ins, high switching costs, network effects, and a war chest of cash. Working this Janus faced strategy may seem like a challenge. But here are a few strategies for consideration to navigate through these poorly chartered waters:&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1. Forearmed is forewarned</h3>



The financial strength and earning statements of your business serve as a fuel gauge during these times.&nbsp;&nbsp;If your fuel tank is low, your trip will be a short one. The key is to focus on cash-to-cash conversion cycles and shifting focus from the income statement to the cash flow statement. Cash flow and liquidity analysis can give better visibility to identify choke points and opportunities to improve processes. Cracking down on receivables collection, negotiating better payment terms with suppliers, and just-in-time delivery could be some of the most basic measures, to begin with. Cash flow and liquidity analysis not only guide a company’s strategy but also increases its thrust.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">2. Convert fixed to variable costs, where possible:</h3>



In the language of managerial accounting, employing activity-based costing and swapping fixed costs for variable costs is a proven technique during times of crisis. While fixed costs are incurred regardless of business levels, variable costs are only incurred when revenue-producing business is generated. As business volume declines, variable costs are automatically reduced or eliminated, helping to buoy profitability. However, in all this, it is vital to preserving your core business while increasing your flexibility on the fringes. Companies could consider tools like transportation fleet leasing, third party warehousing, and outsourcing. Low fixed costs are an outstanding source of absorption- a store of energy for hard times, much like the fat in the human body.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">3. Identifying Customers who give you “Good Revenue” Vs. “Bad Revenue”:</h3>



&nbsp;It is true that customers have started buying less during this crisis, but the truth is they still buy. Unfortunately, to make up for lost revenues, organizations increase prices, add new charges, and gouge customers. So how is it possible to gain share without giving away the store? Every company has its set of loyal customers. The ones who love your product, offering, and service; love you for who you are. They are the ones who produce the “good revenue,” the kind that is predictable and profitable vs. “bad revenue” from customers who look for excessive discounts, customization and don’t value your core business proposition. 



Draw a heat map to identify these high-potential customers and carefully calibrate strategic promotions aimed at maintaining these key market segments, which could be the hot-spots to your business in an otherwise cooling economy.&nbsp;



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">4. A crisis is a terrible thing to waste:&nbsp;</h3>



Turbulence creates room for disruption. For example, after the 2008 financial crisis receded, companies like Uber, Pinterest, and Airbnb became the poster-children for the disruption economy. Inaction does not spell safety in volatile times. This is the time to take to your strategy canvas and reflect on your current position. Chances are if your strategic profile begins to resemble most of your other competitors in the market, it is time to start redrawing your profile and explore new frontiers where there is little or no competition. It is also about creating value innovation, which is the cornerstone of a Blue Ocean strategy and reconstructing value, profit, and people propositions to create new value while reducing costs. And to create this, it is the ideas that matter, not your resources.&nbsp;



As the turbulence of the “black swan” event, COVID-19 has taken the world by surprise; it has created extraordinary opportunities for some organization and extraordinary urgency for some. As business leaders navigate the choppy waters, they could learn a lot from this rumble in the jungle. No crisis lasts forever. In the words of someone significant in the Whitehouse in 2009, “It is wise to discover great opportunity in the midst of great crisis.”&nbsp;



Content and Images supplied by <a href="https://curtindubai.ac.ae/?utm_medium=Backlink&amp;utm_source=CNBC&amp;utm_campaign=Covid_19_Business_Strategy_Khyati" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Curtin University Dubai.</a>

Here’s how to apply for SA’s COVID-19 loan guarantee scheme

An Antidote to COVID-19 Crisis: Business Strategies to Ride out the Storm

By Louw Nel – Political Analyst



Islamist extremist militants have carried out a spate of attacks targeting villages in the northern Cabo Delgado province on April 6 and 7.



According to reports, armed groups attacked the villages of Bilibiza, Meangalewa, Miengueleua, Muatide, Mueda, Muidumbe, and Ntchinga over two days, burning churches and buildings and abducting people in different locations. No one is believed to have been killed in the attacks.



This follows two incidents on March 23 and 25, in which militants launched brazen attacks and briefly occupied the towns of Mocímboa da Praia and Quissanga.



The first of those attacks was claimed by the Islamic State Central African Province (ISCAP) militant group, but groups active in the province since 2017 have also been referred to as Al-Shabab and Ansar al-Sunna, among others.



There are no conclusive links between the Mozambican jihadists and foreign-based Islamist extremist groups, and their motives and leadership structure remain unclear.



Mozambican authorities, alarmed by the attacks on Mocímboa da Praia and Quissanga and the threat they represented to the development of offshore natural gas finds, responded by saying that reinforcements were being deployed to Cabo Delgado.



This has clearly not succeeded in containing the threat posed by militants; however, the most recent attacks are more consistent with the groups’ modus operandi. Indeed, the attacks in March represented a significant escalation due to the size of the towns attacked and the fact that security forces had been stationed in both locations.



The more recent attacks targeted more familiar undefended, civilian locations, although Bilibiza is only 34km from Quissanga.



The escalation in Islamist militant activity in Cabo Delgado, along with depressed natural gas prices and concerns over the global coronavirus pandemic, will threaten proposed LNG projects.



Should the deteriorating security environment in the region result in the postponement or even reversal of investment decisions, Mozambique’s medium-term growth prospects will be seriously undermined.

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Opinion

Opinion : Could Industrialists lead the way up and out of COVID-19?

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Let the lions roar and change the way the world sees Africa

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An Antidote to COVID-19 Crisis: Business Strategies to Ride out the Storm

Op-Ed: Mozambique – Islamist militants continue attacks in Cabo Delgado

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