By <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/02/5-easy-ways-to-be-more-sustainable-and-save-money-in-2020.html?forYou=true">Alicia Adamczyk</a>



With new stories near daily about the <a class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/31/raging-wildfires-trap-4000-at-australian-towns-waterfront.html">latest environmental disaster</a>, it might seem like changing your personal consumption habits won’t make much of a difference.



It’s true that systemic change is critical to combating climate change: A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/08/how-to-reduce-your-eco-footprint-and-save-money.html" class="">2018 report from the United Nations</a>&nbsp;found that humans have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/2018/10/08/summary-for-policymakers-of-ipcc-special-report-on-global-warming-of-1-5c-approved-by-governments/" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">12 years to significantly reduce carbon emissions</a>&nbsp;to ensure a “safe” planet, which cannot be accomplished without buy-in from companies and governments across the globe. But individuals also have a part to play, Andrea George, director of the Sustainability and Environmental Management Office at Vanderbilt University, tells&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/make-it/" class="">CNBC Make It</a>.



If you want to live more sustainably, don’t put too much pressure on yourself to change all of your habits overnight. Focus on making one smaller change at a time, George suggests.



“It’s hard to change all of your behavior at once, or get somebody else to change all of their behavior at once,” says George. “Pick one thing.”



Here five ways to get started.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. Consume less</h2>



By far the biggest change people can make is to not consume to begin with, says George.



“If you think about the hierarchy of consumption, it’s reduce, reuse, recycle,” she says. “It’s that ‘reduce’ piece that’s really key. I’m trying not to sound strident or harsh, but the thing you don’t buy is the most sustainable of all.”



It’s well and good to buy from sustainable clothing brands or shop for a hybrid car, but it’s even better to wear what you already have and drive the car you already own if it still runs. The tech industry has a huge environmental footprint; try to limit the number of new devices you buy and instead&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/technology/personaltech/green-environmental-tech.html" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">repair your older phones and laptops</a>.



“Think about: What do you need versus what do you want?” suggests George.



At the very least, cutting back on online shopping and expedited shipping — which is bad for the environment and has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/15/on-prime-day-amazon-workers-brace-for-two-months-of-hell.html" class="">serious humanitarian implications for workers</a>— is one concrete step the eco-conscious can take. George calls this combating the “Amazon effect.”



“Waste generation per person is rising in America, and a lot of it is the online shopping,” says George. Giving up&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/06/reuters-america-analysis-amazons-rising-air-shipments-fly-in-the-face-of-climate-plan.html" class="">overnight shipping from Amazon</a>&nbsp;and other online shops in 2020 will go a long way to reducing your carbon footprint.



For more tips on cutting back on your spending, <a class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/11/how-no-spend-tactics-can-help-you-save.html">read this article</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Travel smarter</h2>



<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/22/juncker-proposes-climate-change-spending-after-greta-thunberg-speech.html" class="">Climate change activist Greta Thunberg</a>&nbsp;made&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/greta-thunberg-reaches-new-york-by-crossing-the-atlantic-by-boat/2019/08/28/736eb9b2-c04c-11e9-a5c6-1e74f7ec4a93_story.html" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">headlines across the country</a>&nbsp;by traveling by ship in 2019 rather than flying. You don’t necessarily need to go as far as Thunberg, George says, though changing your travel habits is important.<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/climate/airplane-pollution-global-warming.html" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">&nbsp;Airplanes</a>&nbsp;contribute&nbsp;<a href="https://www.epa.gov/regulations-emissions-vehicles-and-engines/regulations-greenhouse-gas-emissions-aircraft" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">12% of all U.S. transportation greenhouse gas emissions</a>, according to the EPA. If you travel by plane regularly, this is likely where you can make the biggest difference, says George.



“Air travel is a hard nut to crack. The only way to offset it is not to do it, or to buy carbon offsets,” she says. Most airlines allow passengers to buy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/sep/16/carbon-offset-projects-carbon-emissions" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">carbon offsets</a>&nbsp;while booking their tickets, though, once again, the most fuel-efficient flight is the one you don’t take.



If you drive a vehicle, George also suggests bundling tasks together so that you are spending less time in traffic idling and using less gas overall. If you have access to reliable public transportation, or can walk or bike to your destinations, try to make those your primary modes of transportation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. Eat more vegetables</h2>



Around 30 to 40% of the food supply in the United States is wasted, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usda.gov/foodwaste/faqs" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Agriculture</a>, which makes buying and consuming only the food you need one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-wasted-food-home" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">easiest and most impactful ways to reduce your carbon emissions</a>, says George.



Cutting down on meat consumption is especially important, according to the <a class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/08/how-to-reduce-your-eco-footprint-and-save-money.html">United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a>. An added bonus: Less food waste means less money wasted.



“People get really touchy when you start getting into what they eat,” says George. But “you don’t have to have meat at three meals a day, you can get by with a lot less than that.”



Try&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/20/meatless-alternatives-vegetarian-vegan-plant-based-foods-diets.html" class="">substituting vegetarian options</a>&nbsp;when you can, and when you do buy meat, George recommends free range or organic options, or cuts from your local farmer’s market. Cookbooks and cooking sites specializing in flavorful vegetarian options abound.



George also says to be conscious of the materials used to package or consume your food. She suggests buying in bulk rather than single-serving food and to reuse plates, napkins, cups, cutlery, and so on, whenever possible.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. Give sustainably</h2>



One way to engage your family and friends in a conversation about sustainability without coming across as overbearing or critical is to gift them a sustainable good, like a reusable water bottle, beeswax food wrap or locally-produced items like jewelry or soap made by artisans, says George.



“I don’t take well to other people telling me what I’m doing wrong, so I don’t try to tell people what they’re doing wrong,” she says. Instead, “you can take the opportunity to talk to them about why you chose that sustainable gift.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. Don’t give up</h2>



It’s easy to be cynical about whether or not our individual choices really make a difference, says George. But she believes that there is power — not to mention savings — in continuously tweaking our behaviors to be more environmentally friendly.



“I kind of think of sustainability as health,” she says. “For most of us, you’re always striving to do better and all of those cumulative improvements and cumulative ways to change your thinking add up to real change over time.”



This article was first published on CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/02/5-easy-ways-to-be-more-sustainable-and-save-money-in-2020.html?forYou=true">https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/02/5-easy-ways-to-be-more-sustainable-and-save-money-in-2020.html?forYou=true</a> and is republished with its permission.

5 easy ways to be more sustainable and save money in 2020

HARARE, Jan 6 (Reuters) &#8211; Zimbabwe&#8217;s largest bank CBZ launched two bond issues on Monday, seeking to raise $80.6 million to finance maize and soybean farming, as the country faces another drought that could worsen an already dire economic situation.



The United Nations warned last week that the southern African nation faced a second successive poor harvest this year because of patchy rains, compounding problems for millions of people already grappling with last year&#8217;s drought and the worst economic crisis in a decade.



CBZ said in a notice it wanted to raise 500 million Zimbabwe dollars ($30.6 million) to purchase seeds, fertiliser and chemicals for maize and soybean production.



The bond has a tenor of 270 days and an interest rate of between 15% and 18%.



A second dollar-denominated bond worth $50 million with the same tenor seeks to raise money to import farming chemicals and fertilisers that are not available locally, CBZ said. The bank will pay 9.5% interest.



Maize is the country&#8217;s staple crop, while soybeans are used in the production of cooking oil and animal feed.



Under a new government-backed programme to ensure food security, CBZ buys farm products and issues farmers with vouchers to purchase them. The bank will then recoup its money from farmers who surrender part of their harvest. The bonds are guaranteed by the government.



Zimbabwe is nearly halfway through its summer crop season, but the rains have been poor, raising concerns that the government may not meet its growth target of 3.1% this year. Agriculture accounts for 17% of the country&#8217;s gross domestic product.



The poor rains will likely prolong 18-hour daily power cuts as dam water levels for the biggest hydro electricity plant remain precariously low.



Up to 8 million people, half Zimbabwe&#8217;s population, will require food aid this year after last year&#8217;s maize harvest fell by half, according to the United Nations. 



(Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Susan Fenton)

Zimbabwe’s largest bank CBZ issues bonds under scheme to raise funds for maize, soy farming

<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Saudi oil output edges lower</li><li>Nigeria cuts supply but still exceeds quota</li><li>Angolan output posts biggest rise after maintenance</li><li>Output by country, compliance:</li></ul>



By Alex Lawler



LONDON, Jan 6 (Reuters) &#8211; OPEC oil output fell in December as Nigeria and Iraq adhered more closely to pledged reductions and top exporter Saudi Arabia made further cuts ahead of a new production-limiting accord, a Reuters survey found.



On average, the 14-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries pumped 29.50 million barrels per day (bpd) last month, according to the survey. That is down 50,000 bpd from November&#8217;s revised figure.



Crude prices have rallied to above $70 a barrel in 2020, extending a 23% gain in 2019, supported by ongoing OPEC-led curbs and increased Middle East tensions after the killing of a top Iranian general. This has increased concern of conflict that could further cut supply.



&#8220;Looking ahead, geopolitical risks will remain front and centre of investor concerns,&#8221; said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM.



&#8220;A tense waiting game has begun to see if the fallout will lead to a disruption in regional oil supplies.&#8221;



OPEC, Russia and other allies, known as OPEC+, had an agreement to reduce supply by 1.2 million bpd in 2019. OPEC&#8217;s share of the cut was about 800,000 bpd, to be made by 11 members, with exemptions for Iran, Libya and Venezuela.



At meetings in December, OPEC+ agreed to make an additional cut of 500,000 bpd as of Jan. 1, 2020.



The 11 OPEC members bound by the agreement easily exceeded the pledged cuts, thanks in large part to Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies cutting more than called for to support the market.



The December survey suggests Nigeria and Iraq, both laggards in making cuts in 2019, achieved some progress. Compliance rose to 158% in December, the survey found, from 153% in November.



NIGERIAN DROP



OPEC&#8217;s largest production drop of 80,000 bpd was in Nigeria, which exported less crude according to ship-tracking data and loading schedules.



Much of this decline came from reduced shipments of Bonga crude, which traders say has been undergoing maintenance.



OPEC&#8217;s two top producers, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, each reduced output by 50,000 bpd. This puts Saudi supply more than 500,000 bpd below its 2019 target. Iraq&#8217;s compliance, at 59%, is far lower than Saudi Arabia&#8217;s but is up from 23% in November.



The United Arab Emirates made a further voluntary curb in December, while Kuwaiti output was steady.



Among countries pumping more, the largest increase was in Angola, which boosted exports after maintenance affecting the Girassol crude stream had curbed supplies.



Venezuela, which is contending with U.S. sanctions imposed on state oil firm PDVSA and a long-term decline in output, managed a small boost to supply with exports increasing in December.



Production from the other two exempt producers Libya and Iran edged lower.



The Reuters survey aims to track supply to the market and is based on shipping data provided by external sources, Refinitiv Eikon flows data and information provided by sources at oil companies, OPEC and consultants.



(Additional reporting by Rania El Gamal; Editing by David Evans)

OPEC oil output slips in December as Nigeria, Iraq comply more

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 6 (Reuters) &#8211; Eskom&#8217;s new chief executive took charge of the struggling state-owned utility on Monday, embarking on the mammoth task of fixing South Africa&#8217;s power deficit and restructuring a debt pile that has crippled the national economy.



Andre de Ruyter, appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa in November, will oversee a government plan to split Eskom into three units for generation, transmission and distribution in an attempt to make it more efficient.



Ramaphosa is trying to revive growth in Africa&#8217;s most advanced economy and attract more investments. Eskom, which generates more than 90% of the country&#8217;s power, is widely regarded as the most serious risk to an economy on the brink of recession.



Saddled with unreliable coal-fired power stations, Eskom has struggled to meet the country&#8217;s power demand since 2007, with several bouts of severe power cuts since then. Outages last year dented economic output and shook investor confidence in Ramaphosa&#8217;s administration.



The country experienced further outages at the weekend, with Eskom cutting up to 2,000 megawatts (MW) from the national grid on Saturday and Sunday due to a shortage of generating capacity.



In a previous role as CEO of Nampak de Ruyter steered the packaging firm through financial difficulties, and part of his new brief is to restructure Eskom&#8217;s 450 billion rand ($31 billion) debt pile.



De Ruyter&#8217;s predecessor at Eskom, Phakamani Hadebe, stepped down in July, citing health reasons. Sources told Reuters at the time that another reason was that he felt frustrated at being excluded from important decisions affecting the utility.



Eskom said in a statement on Monday that roughly 13,000 megawatts (MW) of its 44,000 MW nominal capacity were offline because of plant breakdowns.



It said it didn&#8217;t expect &#8220;load-shedding &#8221; &#8211; a local term for power cuts &#8211; on Monday but that the system was &#8220;constrained and vulnerable&#8221;.



($1 = 14.3205 rand) 



(Reporting by Alexander Winning; editing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and John Stonestreet)

Eskom’s new CEO takes charge with power shake-up on agenda, what you need to know…

<figure>
 <img decoding="async" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301931/original/file-20191115-66973-fzxc4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;fit=clip" />
 <figcaption>
 The development of an industry in edible insects such as these mopane caterpillars has been slow.
 Shutterstock
 </figcaption>
 </figure>

By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/robert-musundire-870416">Robert Musundire</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/chinhoyi-university-of-technology-4166">Chinhoyi University of Technology</a>

There is a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/40128873_Insects_as_food_in_Sub-Saharan_Africa">wealth of indigenous knowledge</a> about capturing and eating insects in sub-Saharan Africa. But the development of edible insects as a food industry has been very slow, despite its many potential benefits. 

Sustainability is one. Insects have a <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0051145#s4">small carbon and water footprint</a>. <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/i3253e/i3253e.pdf?utm_content=bufferf4265&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer.SEIresearch">Studies</a> show that insect farming emits less carbon and methane gas than large livestock like cattle and pigs. <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/7/11/6190">Much less water</a> is needed to produce the same amount of protein. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1364032111003625?via%3Dihub">Insects use feed</a> more efficiently than other sources of animal protein. Farming them could be a new source of jobs and income. 

There should be more awareness and promotion of insects as food for humans and as feed for animals, especially at the policy, legislative and business level. In most African nations, edible insects are still viewed as an insignificant source of food and even, in some instances, as food for the poor. There are very few success stories of large-scale insect farming and industrial use in Africa. 

We have been involved <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zqc57qRcpTo&amp;feature=youtu.be">in a project</a> to promote the integrated use of insects as food in urban areas in Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our project works on the edible insect value chain and discovered that the seasonal supply of insects and poor hygiene standards made the market unstable and unattractive to consumers. Traders sold insects in an informal setting and had little interaction with farmers. 

We carried out training among farmers, traders, municipalities and others with an interest in this emerging industry. The training included how to handle and process insects after they were harvested, food safety along the value chain and farming crickets (Acheta domesticus and Gryllus bumaculatus).

The trainees have learnt how to rear and sell insects better and have become more aware of what a sustainable value chain should look like. For example, market facilities have to be clean and there must be a steady supply of insects. The training also created awareness of the need to farm insects rather than catching them in the wild. Catching insects can reduce insect populations dramatically when consumption increases. And there are no food safety standards for wild insects. 

Together with the urban council in the town of Chinhoyi in Zimbabwe we built a model market structure where traders are selling their insects. Traders are selling some of the most popular edible insects; wild harvested mopane worms (Gonimbrasia belina), termites (Macrotermes natalensis) and wild harvested crickets. Farmers are still building stocks of farmed crickets, but the plan is to sell farmed crickets in the near future. It is still too early to see the impact but one notable improvement is hygiene. The market has also helped women traders, who are the main group selling insects there. They have become more organised about their business. 

We hope this will lead to an increase in consumer willingness to buy edible insects, and demonstrate best practice to other regions of Zimbabwe and beyond. Through our project, we have also helped insect traders and farmers to form industry associations. 

<h2>Why insects are valuable</h2>

Insects are <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/i3253e/i3253e.pdf?utm_content=bufferf4265&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer.SEIresearch">highly nutritious and contain protein</a>, fat and energy in proportions similar to grains, vegetables and seeds. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S122686151830671X">They are rich</a> in macro minerals like calcium, sodium and magnesium and micro minerals like zinc, manganese, iron and copper, all of which should be part of a healthy diet. In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, these minerals come from fruits and vegetables, most of which are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919216303840?via%3Dihub">farmed seasonally</a>. Edible insects could supply these minerals during seasons where there is less fruit and vegetable production.

They contain essential amino acids such as threonine, cysteine, valine, methionine and isoleucine. The recommended daily minimum intake of amino acids can be consumed by eating just 100 grams of the <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0145914">edible stink bug</a> (Encosternum delegorguei), for example. 

Earlier this year, parts of eastern and southern Africa were ravaged by <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/mozambique/crisis-update-cyclones-idai-and-kenneth">Cyclone Idai</a>. The cyclone destroyed crops and livestock, causing severe food shortages. We believe that in disaster-struck areas, edible insects can build resilience by being a food resource in recovery programmes and an alternative to traditional smallholder farming. There is an <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2018/03/farms-for-orphans-insect-farming-democratic-republic-congo/">excellent example </a>of that in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where orphanages have started insect farms to grow their own protein. The farms have helped decrease hunger and improve health among the orphans.

<hr>

 
 
 Read more:
 <a href="http://theconversation.com/economic-chaos-is-causing-a-food-security-and-humanitarian-crisis-in-zimbabwe-124791">Economic chaos is causing a food security and humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe</a>
 
 

<hr>


<h2>What needs to happen?</h2>

We were involved in setting up an <a href="https://www.slu.se/EdibleInsectsAfrica">international conference</a> in Zimbabwe to discuss ways to foster the edible insects industry. 

Research is required so that policy makers and those involved in the sector – farmers, processes, marketers and consumers – can make evidence-based decisions. This must happen across disciplines. Researchers should work with farmers and people in business to foster skills, innovation and enterprise. For example, they could develop business cases and scenarios.

Policy makers must understand that the sector is unique. Edible insects have not been categorised under any agricultural sub-sector such as crop or animal farming. On the African continent, they have not previously been farmed and treated as a commodity. That is why it would be helpful to establish and coordinate platforms such as meetings, workshops, exhibitions, magazines and websites.

Policy should also allow innovation and investment to happen at national, regional and international levels. Industry participants will need access to markets and credit.

Farmers, food and feed processors, traders and marketers must seize opportunities to invest and enter niche markets. They can also contribute to policy development and share knowledge about traditional ways of producing and eating insects. 

There is <a href="http://www.mopaneworm.com/">momentum</a> generated by <a href="https://ace2.iucea.org/index.php/2018-01-22-22-04-02/aces-at-a-glance/sacids-2">several research</a> and business initiatives that <a href="https://gourmetgrubb.com/">have been ignited</a> in sub-Saharan Africa. And there is growing enthusiasm for using edible insects as alternative sources of protein and to build resilience against climatic shocks. It’s an essential step towards improving food security in the region.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/125828/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important" />

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/robert-musundire-870416">Robert Musundire</a>, Associate Professor of Entomology in the Department of Crop Science and Post-Harvest Technology, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/chinhoyi-university-of-technology-4166">Chinhoyi University of Technology</a>

This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-were-involved-in-a-project-in-africa-to-promote-edible-insects-125828">original article</a>.

Shutterstock_Insects

This project in Africa promotes edible insects, here’s why

By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jo-tondeur-903360">Jo Tondeur</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/vrije-universiteit-brussel-2958">Vrije Universiteit Brussel</a>

Kenya’s education ministry has <a href="http://vision2030.go.ke">proposed that</a> information and communication technology (ICT) – such as computers, laptops, tablets and cameras – be used to help teach certain subjects and improve how students learn. The technology can, for instance, stimulate creativity, help children understand complex topics and give them tools to learn more independently. 

In 2011 the ministry created an integration team to coordinate and harmonise all initiatives. The team worked with a Flemish and Belgian non-profit organisation – <a href="https://www.vvob.org/nl">VVOB (education for development)</a> – dedicated to improving the quality of education in developing countries. 

Part of the plan included a professional development programme which was carried out in four pilot schools and lasted two years. It was designed to help teachers learn how to integrate technology into the curriculum. Because teachers are in control of the classroom settings, it was crucial that they were part of this collaborative experience.

My colleagues and I <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1475939X.2015.1091786?journalCode=rtpe20">evaluated</a> the programme. Our main focus was on how many teachers continued to use technology in their lessons after the programme ended in the four government-funded secondary schools. None of these schools had previous experience with ICT. 

We found that teachers faced a wide range of challenges when it came to 
integrating technology into their classrooms. These included a lack of electricity, infrastructure and connectivity. Moreover, the training needed was complex and the resources required to deliver it were scarce. 

At the start of the intervention, teachers didn’t know how to integrate technology in their classes. They also didn’t have enough time to develop new lessons and had too many pupils to teach. 

Our findings support the view that integrating technology into schools does’t automatically follow a simple placement of hardware and software. It involves understanding the dynamic relationship between technology, how it’s used in the classroom and the content of the curriculum. 

Our research also suggests that the professional development of teachers is a long term project. It needs constant reiterations of learning about emerging technologies and how to use them. This must be in balance with the national ICT initiative but also, more importantly, be sensitive to the different school cultures and communities. 

<h2>Integration is key</h2>

In the schools we evaluated, technology training sessions were developed under a professional development programme. These were designed to encourage teachers to identify challenging areas in their teaching and then brainstorm about how technology could offer an advantage in the classroom. For instance, how technology could help them overcome the challenge of scarce or outdated textbooks. Trainers in the workshop would then train the teachers in teacher design teams on the skills they would need to accomplish the task. 

We conducted teacher questionnaires and focus group discussions with a total of 64 teachers. The aim was to see how many teachers used technology in their classrooms two years after the programme had ended. Based on the results it appeared that some teachers were just beginning to use technology to present information. But most were using it to support their educational practice outside the classroom. For example, they used technology to prepare lessons or to email with colleagues. 

This was due to a number of challenges, including:

<ul>
<li>Schools kept hardware, like computers, in labs. This physical separation of technology and the actual classroom meant that it was harder to integrate technology in learning activities. But labs were used because of poor security, power breakdowns and a lack of space in the classrooms.</li>
<li>At the beginning of the project, the schools didn’t have clear goals on how to support technology integration after the professional development programme. This could be because a large number of people – from the principal to integration teams – were involved in decision-making processes. Also, participants only felt more clear about the role of ICT in education towards the end of the programme.</li>
<li>The teachers also needed additional support from administrative school leaders, like the headteachers. These leaders would have the authority to demand the installation of electricity and connectivity in each class. But in one school, the teachers said that they didn’t feel they had support from the leadership, or good direction. </li>
</ul>

We also found positive outcomes. 

For example, there was collaboration at the school as well as the regional level. In some schools, the teachers worked with others in different schools and passed on ideas. In turn, this contributed to the promotion of professionalism. 

We concluded that the gains of the programme could only be sustained if schools and teachers felt a sense of ownership and were part of a process of evaluation so that they could understand what they’d learnt, and what goals they wanted to set. This stresses the importance of professional development as a permanent process, aimed at extending and updating the professional knowledge of teachers in the context of their work.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127929/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important" />

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jo-tondeur-903360">Jo Tondeur</a>, Assistant Professor, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/vrije-universiteit-brussel-2958">Vrije Universiteit Brussel</a>

This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-kenya-is-failing-to-integrate-technology-into-secondary-schools-127929">original article</a>.

Why this East African country is failing to integrate technology into secondary schools

By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/clement-prince-addo-905035">Clement Prince Addo</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-electronic-science-and-technology-of-china-4235">University of Electronic Science and Technology of China </a>

All over the world, the internet has provided extraordinary socioeconomic opportunities to businesses, governments, and individuals. But less developed countries still face numerous obstacles to maximise its potential. The problems range from obsolete infrastructure, the nonavailability, non-accessibility, cost, power fluctuations, policies and regulation.

Many countries on the continent still have <a href="http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/internet-speeds-by-country/">bandwidth</a> as low as 64 kilobits. This is in contrast to the 270,000 megabits per second in the US. <a href="http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/internet-speeds-by-country/">Data</a> also shows that downloading a 5GB movie took 734 minutes in the Republic of Congo, 788 minutes in Sao Tome, 850 minutes in Ethiopia, 965 minutes in Niger and 1,342 minutes in Equatorial Guinea. Singapore is the fastest, taking about 11 minutes and 8 seconds to download a typical 5GB high-definition movie. In certain situations, bandwidths for the entire country is less than what is available to an individual residential subscriber in the US. 

Similarly, African countries are listed among those with the lowest internet speed yet with the most expensive communication and <a href="https://a4ai.org/extra/mobile_broadband_pricing_usd-2019Q2">internet cost</a> in the world. 

Africa is on <a href="https://www.gsma.com/r/mobileeconomy/sub-saharan-africa/">record</a> to have had the fastest growing mobile telecommunication market over the years. But the continent still has the lowest mobile penetration. And developments in Africa’s telecommunications sector happen in cities and urban centres. Service providers argue that it’s not economically feasible to roll out a network to cover an entire country .

But various advanced technologies are emerging to reduce the cost of internet provision and to increase accessibility. They also offer the possibility of developing communication networks in a way that does less harm to the environment. 

The approach is called resource <a href="https://www.cse.wustl.edu/%7Ejain/cse574-14/ftp/virwn.pdf">virtualisation</a>, where multiple telecommunication services can be provided by less physical infrastructure. Since the chunk of the cost transferred to the end-user comes from the cost of power and infrastructural management, this approach can reduce the operational cost, improve accessibility and cut the cost to the end user. 

<h2>Rethinking how masts are sited</h2>

Like every architectural work, telecommunication masts must meet specific constructional requirements, including choice of location and risk analysis. But unregulated construction is typical in many parts of Africa. Even where regulatory bodies exist, many media and communication masts are sited within very short distances and hilly grounds in big cities. 

This is true in Ghana too where in an urban environment it’s possible to see 10 masts within close proximity to one another. This does not necessarily guarantee quality service. In addition, it poses a severe environmental and physical risk. 

<figure class="align-center ">
 <img decoding="async" alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306308/original/file-20191211-95125-1qi8t4z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306308/original/file-20191211-95125-1qi8t4z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=331&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306308/original/file-20191211-95125-1qi8t4z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=331&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306308/original/file-20191211-95125-1qi8t4z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=331&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306308/original/file-20191211-95125-1qi8t4z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=416&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306308/original/file-20191211-95125-1qi8t4z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=416&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306308/original/file-20191211-95125-1qi8t4z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=416&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
 <figcaption>
 IMG WA.
 Clement Prince Adu
 </figcaption>
 </figure>

Masts are also expensive to put up.

It stands to reason, therefore, that having fewer masts, hence using less energy and doing less damage to the environment would be the optimal way forward.

I have been involved in developing a <a href="http://itiis.org/digital-library/manuscript/2192">framework</a> along with other colleagues that can help policymakers demarcate, and zone major cities – or the whole country into zones. Each zone takes only one mast, owned by an infrastructure provider and shared by multiple service providers. 

I focused on telecommunications, but the principle can be applied to TV and radio signal towers too.

<figure class="align-center ">
 <img decoding="async" alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306318/original/file-20191211-95115-15l8frk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306318/original/file-20191211-95115-15l8frk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=600&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306318/original/file-20191211-95115-15l8frk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=600&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306318/original/file-20191211-95115-15l8frk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=600&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306318/original/file-20191211-95115-15l8frk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=754&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306318/original/file-20191211-95115-15l8frk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=754&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306318/original/file-20191211-95115-15l8frk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=754&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
 <figcaption>
 Proposed mast deployment.
 Clement Prince Addo
 </figcaption>
 </figure>

My proposal involves a three-level architecture that includes a provider who owns and manages the infrastructure. 

At the upper level is a Cloud-RAN macro-base station. A provider like the state regulator, can own and manage the data from the base station. 

The macro base station is responsible for managing the system’s energy, bandwidth allocation, and flow management, including the handover in intra and inter mast zones. At the middle level, service providers focus on providing tailored and quality of service to their users. The service providers will not have to spend their resources on managing the infrastructure they only have to deal with how to satisfy users. The user on the third level has to only deal with the service providers.

<figure class="align-center ">
 <img decoding="async" alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306319/original/file-20191211-95165-18t4pb2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306319/original/file-20191211-95165-18t4pb2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=701&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306319/original/file-20191211-95165-18t4pb2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=701&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306319/original/file-20191211-95165-18t4pb2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=701&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306319/original/file-20191211-95165-18t4pb2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=880&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306319/original/file-20191211-95165-18t4pb2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=880&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306319/original/file-20191211-95165-18t4pb2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=880&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
 <figcaption>
 Association between service providers and users.
 Clement Prince Addo
 </figcaption>
 </figure>

This framework will bring an end to uncontrolled mast deployment seen in many African countries. It would allow for power and bandwidth sharing among multiple service providers and would reduce the need for multiple masts. Traffic would be scheduled over limited masts or access points that reduce the system energy consumption and improve efficiency. The general impact on the environment would also be reduced. 

Service providers could then focus on end-users and not on infrastructures.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/128474/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important" />

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/clement-prince-addo-905035">Clement Prince Addo</a>, PhD Researcher, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-electronic-science-and-technology-of-china-4235">University of Electronic Science and Technology of China </a>

This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-price-of-bandwidth-can-be-cut-in-african-countries-128474">original article</a>.

Here’s how the price of bandwidth can be cut in African countries

ABIDJAN (Reuters) &#8211; West Africa’s monetary union has agreed with France to rename its CFA franc the Eco and cut some of the financial links with Paris that have underpinned the region’s common currency since its creation soon World War Two.



Under the deal, the Eco will remain pegged to the euro but the African countries in the bloc won’t have to keep 50% of their reserves in the French Treasury and there will no longer be a French representative on the currency union’s board.



Critics of the CFA have long seen it as a relic from colonial times while proponents of the currency say it has provided financial stability in a sometimes turbulent region.



“This is a historic day for West Africa,” Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara said during a news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in the country’s main city Abidjan.



In 2017, Macron highlighted the stabilising benefits of the CFA but said it was up to African governments to determine the future of the currency.



“Yes, it’s the end of certain relics of the past. Yes it’s progress &#8230; I do not want influence through guardianship, I do not want influence through intrusion. That’s not the century that’s being built today,” said Macron.



The CFA is used in 14 African countries with a combined population of about 150 million and $235 billion of gross domestic product.



However, the changes will only affect the West African form of the currency used by Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo &#8211; all former French colonies except Guinea Bissau.



The six countries using the Central African CFA are Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Congo Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, &#8211; all former French colonies with the exception of Equatorial Guinea.



The CFA’s value relative to the French franc remained unchanged from 1948 through to 1994 when it was devalued by 50% to boost exports from the region.



After the devaluation, 1 French franc was worth 100 CFA and when the French currency joined the euro zone, the fixed rate became 1 euro to 656 CFA francs.



The agreement follows talks in Nigeria’s capital Abuja on Saturday between West African leaders. Countries in the CFA bloc and other West African nations such as Nigeria and Ghana have for decades debated creating their own currency to promote regional trade and investment.



The CFA franc was born in 1945 and at the time stood for “Colonies Francaises d’Afrique” (French Colonies in Africa).



It now stands for “Communaute Financiere Africaine” (African Financial Community) in West Africa and in Central Africa it means “Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale” (Financial Cooperation in Central Africa).



Reporting by Ange Aboa; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by David Clarke

West Africa renames CFA franc but keeps it pegged to euro, what you need to know…

By <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/cat-clifford/">Catherine Clifford</a>



Legendary investor and billionaire <a class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/warren-buffett/">Warren Buffett</a> has a tip for young people: Focus on learning how to write and speak clearly.



“The one easy way to become worth 50 percent more than you are now — at least — is to hone your communication skills — both written and verbal,” says Buffett in a video posted on LinkedIn on Monday.



The video was posted by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-hood-aa2912b0/" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Michael Hood</a>, the co-founder of the Toronto based start-up&nbsp;<a href="https://www.getvoiceflow.com/" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Voiceflow</a>, which enables users to design, build and launch skills for Amazon’s smart speaker, Alexa, without needing to know how to code.



“If you can’t communicate, it’s like winking at a girl in the dark — nothing happens. You can have all the brainpower in the world, but you have to be able to transmit it,” Buffett continues.



“And the transmission is communication,” says Buffett, who is <a class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/warren-buffett/#7a524f034639" target="_blank">currently worth more than $86 billion</a>, according to Forbes.



<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.linkedin.com/embed/feed/update/urn:li:ugcPost:6475070000129548288" height="451" width="504" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="Embedded post"></iframe>



Billionaire entrepreneur&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/richard-branson/" class="">Richard Branson</a>&nbsp;agrees that being able to communicate effectively is critical to success.



“Today, if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur, you also have to be a storyteller,” the <a class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/why-entrepreneurs-are-storytellers" target="_blank">British businessman said in 2016 blog post</a>. “Of course, it is no use being a good storyteller if your product or idea is rubbish. But it is not enough to create a great product; you also have to work out how to let people know about it.”



Hood and Buffett were heading to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/awards-show-gala/2018-inductees" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Canadian Walk of Fame Inductee Gala</a>&nbsp;together on Saturday, Hood confirmed to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/make-it/" class="">CNBC Make It</a>. The young entrepreneur posted the video on Monday.



Hood, who is 22 years old, was Buffett’s escort for the day, “a once in a lifetime opportunity” for a young entrepreneur, Hood tells CNBC Make It. Hood was chosen via the start-up incubator he is part of, Next 36.



Hood asked Buffett in the video, “What is one tip? So you are talking to people that are 21, 22, just graduating school. What is one tip that you can give them?”



The advice is something Buffett has learned firsthand.



“I was terrified of public speaking when I was in high school and college,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7gXaPY524I" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Buffett said in a BBC video</a>, published in 2009.



“I couldn’t do it. I mean I would throw up and everything.”



When he was younger, Buffett took a public speaking course at Dale Carnegie, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dalecarnegie.com/en/topics" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">workplace training and professional skills</a>&nbsp;development organization founded by author Dale Carnegie.



“I actually have the diploma in the office. And I don’t have my diploma from college, I don’t have my diploma from graduate school, but I have got my Dale Carnegie diploma there because it changed my life,” Buffett says in the video.



And it is this decision to improve his own skills which Buffett now preaches. The octogenarian tells Hood, “Invest in yourself.”



This article was first published on CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/05/warren-buffett-how-to-increase-your-worth-by-50-percent.html">https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/05/warren-buffett-how-to-increase-your-worth-by-50-percent.html</a> and is republished with its permission.

gettyimages-73562040-594×594

Billionaire Warren Buffett: This is the ‘one easy way’ to increase your worth by ‘at least’ 50 percent

<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="594" height="438" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-352574" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-2.jpg 594w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-2-300x221.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-2-80x60.jpg 80w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-2-570x420.jpg 570w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px" /><figcaption>WASHINGTON, DC &#8211; FEBRUARY 16: U.S. President Donald Trump stands during a news conference announcing Alexander Acosta as the new Labor Secretary nominee in the East Room at the White House on February 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. The announcement comes a day after Andrew Puzder withdrew his nomination. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



By <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/kevin-breuninger/">Kevin Breuninger</a>



Donald Trump is now <a class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/18/trump-impeached-by-house-for-high-crimes-and-misdemeanors.html">the third president in U.S. history to be impeached</a> by the House.



Democrats on Wednesday night voted for two articles — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — after eight hours of debate on the House floor, where hundreds of lawmakers traded barbs for and against impeachment.



The historic votes capped a three-month inquiry by House Democrats into Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. But the impeachment process is far from over: The proceedings now move to a trial in the Senate, which holds the final authority on whether to convict Trump and remove him from office, or to acquit him.



Republicans hold a 53-47 edge in the chamber. Conviction and removal requires 67 votes. No Senate Republicans have signaled that they would vote to convict Trump.



Here’s what to expect:



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">New management</h2>



House lawmakers may be passing the impeachment reins to the Senate, but they still have business to take care of.



After the votes to impeach Trump, House Democrats will select so-called impeachment managers to appear before the Senate during the trial and share findings from their inquiry.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="594" height="427" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-1071817812-594x594-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-352564" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-1071817812-594x594-1.jpg 594w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-1071817812-594x594-1-300x216.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-1071817812-594x594-1-584x420.jpg 584w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px" /><figcaption>WASHINGTON, DC &#8211; DECEMBER 11: U.S. President Donald Trump (2R) argues about border security with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) (R) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as Vice President Mike Pence sits nearby in the Oval Office on December 11, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



House managers have historically been members of Congress, who assume the role of prosecutors in the Senate trial. For instance, 13 Republicans from the House Judiciary Committee acted as the managers in then-President Bill Clinton’s Senate trial, presenting their case for his removal over three days.



House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is expected to select the impeachment managers in the coming days, <a class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/17/us/politics/when-is-the-impeachment-vote.html?auth=login-email&amp;login=email" target="_blank">The New York Times reported</a>. On Wednesday, after the impeachment vote, Pelosi told reporters that she wanted to see how Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, would lay out the trial’s rules before she sent over the articles. The delay could give Democrats some leverage in the process of setting the rules for the Senate trial.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="594" height="396" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-1129695645-594x594-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-352565" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-1129695645-594x594-1.jpg 594w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-1129695645-594x594-1-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px" /><figcaption>WASHINGTON, DC &#8211; FEBRUARY 14: U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during a weekly news conference at the U.S. Capitol February 14, 2019 in Washington, DC. Speaker Pelosi spoke on various topics, including the Government Funding and Border Security legislation. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., and House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., are seen as likely candidates to lead the management team.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/16/politics/impeachment-manager-explainer-senate-trial/index.html" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>&nbsp;that Michigan Rep. Justin Amash, a Republican-turned-Independent and vocal Trump critic, is being pressured to be an impeachment manager.



The president will be represented at a Senate trial by his own attorneys, likely to be led by White House counsel Pat Cipollone.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Elected, not selected</h2>



Senators in the Republican-controlled upper chamber act as a jury in a presidential impeachment trial. But unlike a jury in a criminal trial, the senators aren’t selected and screened through an&nbsp;<a href="https://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=2229" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">examination process</a>&nbsp;that filters out possible jurors who are biased or unfair.



Some senators have already made their views of the Democrats’ impeachment efforts abundantly clear.



“I would anticipate we will have a largely partisan outcome in the Senate. I’m not impartial about this at all,” McConnell said Tuesday.



In a Fox News interview last week, McConnell said: “Everything I do during this, I’m coordinating with the White House counsel.”



Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of Trump’s closest allies in the chamber, was even more blunt in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.msnbc.com/11th-hour/watch/democrats-full-impeachment-report-says-trump-betrayed-the-nation-75192901554" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">recent interview</a>: “I have made up my mind. I’m not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here.”



There is technically a chance that the Senate could move to dismiss the trial by simple majority. But such a move would be likely be met with a political backlash, and some Republicans have already signaled that they would prefer to win a vote on acquittal rather than dismissal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Chamber pop-in</h2>



Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/18/chief-justice-john-roberts-to-play-key-role-in-trump-impeachment-trial.html" class="">Chief Justice John Roberts is constitutionally mandated to preside</a>&nbsp;over the Senate’s impeachment trial.



It is expected that Roberts, a conservative-leaning swing vote on the high court bench, will seek to minimize his role in the trial. But like it or not, the presiding officer will likely wield immense power in the trial.



The rules from Clinton’s 1999 trial, which could be largely carried over into Trump’s, give the chief justice the discretion to “rule on all questions of evidence” and “direct all the forms of” impeachment proceedings.



Roberts’ predecessor, William Rehnquist, described his own experience presiding over Clinton’s trial as a “culture shock.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Witnesses</h2>



Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sent McConnell on Sunday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/leader-schumer-in-letter-to-leader-mcconnell-puts-forward-structure-for-a-fair-and-honest-bipartisan-impeachment-trial-in-senate-schumer-proposed-trial-structure-would-require-specific-documents-and-testimony-from-four-key-witnesses" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">a proposal</a>&nbsp;to subpoena four current or former White House officials to testify during the trial, including Trump’s acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security advisor John Bolton.



McConnell&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/17/mcconnell-rejects-schumers-demand-to-call-bolton-mulvaney-for-impeachment-trial.html" class="">rejected that request</a>&nbsp;and slammed Schumer for diverging from the precedent of Clinton’s impeachment trial.



But Roberts could grant a direct request from Democrats to subpoena Mulvaney or Bolton to appear before the Senate to give live testimony, American University law professor Robert Tsai said in an interview.



Such a ruling from Roberts would likely be challenged by a Republican senator, triggering a vote, according to the Clinton-era rules. In that circumstance, Democrats might prevail if they can sway a few Republicans to vote in Roberts’ favor.



“That would be the most dramatic thing, I think, that could happen during such a trial,” Tsai said.



This article was first published on CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/18/trump-has-been-impeached-by-the-house-heres-what-happens-next.html">https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/18/trump-has-been-impeached-by-the-house-heres-what-happens-next.html</a> and is republished with its permission.

gettyimages-642093036-594×594

Trump has been impeached by the House. Here’s what happens next

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) &#8211; MTN’s mobile money service will go live in January in South Africa, allowing customers to send, receive, save money and pay for goods using their mobile phones, the mobile operator said on Wednesday.



Last year group Chief Executive Officer Rob Shuter told a telecoms conference in Cape Town that the company would relaunch mobile money services in South Africa, three years after canning the service.



Shuter, who has experience in banking, is in the middle of a strategic revamp of Africa’s biggest telecoms group to hunt for returns in everything from financial services, music and video games.



“The introduction of this mobile money service is a pivotal step in MTN’s strategy and represents MTN’s participation in the next phase of increasing convergence we are seeing between financial services and mobile technology,” MTN South Africa CEO Godfrey Motsa said in a statement.



The service, called MoMo, will run on the Ericsson Converged Wallet. During the initial phase it will be available to MTN customers and offer basic services such as sending money to any mobile phone number in the country, buying prepaid services like electricity and paying for purchases at selected till points, the firm said.



MTN will kick off the service in a country where about 11 million South Africans remain unbanked, while 50% of the adult population remains thinly served, according to MTN South Africa Chief Officer of Mobile Financial Services, Felix Kamenga.



“MoMo aims to bridge this gap with this innovative mobile money offering, providing a payments solution that encourages financial inclusion,” he added.



The announcement comes months after a subsidiary of MTN Nigeria was granted a “full super agent” licence by the Central Bank of Nigeria that would allow it to provide financial services.



Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by Mark Heinrich

MTN South Africa’s mobile money service expected to go live in Jan 2020

HARARE, Dec 16 (Reuters) &#8211; The wife of Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga was charged with trying to kill her husband when she appeared in court on Monday.



Prosecutors say Marry Mubaiwa tried to unplug Chiwenga&#8217;s life support tubes in a South African hospital in June.



She was initially arrested on Saturday by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) on charges of fraud, money laundering and breaching exchange control rules, and is accused of illegally transferring $900,000 to South Africa.



She denies all the accusations against her and her lawyer said she would seek bail at Zimbabwe&#8217;s High Court. She was refused bail for the initial charges after prosecutors argued she would flee the country or interfere with witnesses.



The charges follow media reports that Mubaiwa and Chiwenga, who returned to Zimbabwe last month after four months in a Chinese hospital where he was later treated for a blocked oesophagus, were set to divorce.



Opposition politicians took to social media to accuse Chiwenga of using his position to influence a divorce settlement. Chiwenga could not be reached for comment.



Critics of ZACC say it is conflicted because its head judge, Loice Matanda-Moyo, is married to Foreign Minister Sibusiso Moyo, a top ally of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and of Chiwenga.



The ZACC denies this and said it will prosecute all corruption cases without fear or favour.



Prosecutors also told the court that Mubaiwa was being investigated for misusing U.S. dollar allowances meant for her husband&#8217;s security details. 



(Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Emma Rumney and Giles Elgood)

gettyimages-899231420-594×594

Wife of Zimbabwean vice president charged with his attempted murder

LONDON, Dec 17 (Reuters) &#8211; Angola has recovered more than $5 billion stolen from state coffers so far this year, both at home and from abroad, Justice Minister Francisco Queiroz said on Monday, amid a two-year crackdown on corruption.



The money, including $3 billion stolen from the sovereign wealth fund, had been siphoned off by corruption and money-laundering, state news agency ANGOP quoted Queiroz as telling an international conference in Abu Dhabi.



Queiroz did not give specific details about how the money was stolen.



&#8220;We have argued insistently that these important resources should be returned unconditionally to the countries from which they were illegally withdrawn in order to be used to improve the quality of life of our populations,&#8221; Queiroz was quoted as saying, adding that some countries could do more to help.



An anti-corruption drive has accelerated in Africa&#8217;s second-biggest oil-exporting country since 2017, when Joao Lourenco became president, ending the nearly 40-year grip on power by Jose Eduardo dos Santos.



The government wants to erase the influence of the ex-first family, recover lost assets and privatise state firms.



After taking over, Lourenco fired Dos Santos’s son as head of the sovereign wealth fund and his daughter, Isabel, as chair of state oil company Sonangol.



The son, Jose Filomeno de Sousa, went on trial last week along with the head of the central bank accused of transferring $500 million in state funds to a London account.



The government said a business partner had returned over $3 billion allegedly stolen from the sovereign wealth fund.



Members of the Dos Santos family have denied wrongdoing. 



(Reporting By Noah Browning and Joice Alves; editing by Nick Macfie)

What you need to know about Angola retrieving more than $5 billion in stolen assets amid crackdown on graft

<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/tom-popomaronis/"> Tom Popomaronis, Contributor</a> <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://twitter.com/tpopomaronis" target="_blank">@TPOPOMARONIS</a> 



The holiday season is a perfect time to focus on gratitude and giving, but choosing&nbsp;what&nbsp;to give your loved ones can be stressful (even with the vast amount of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/25/best-gift-for-millennials-according-to-therapist-and-its-not-money.html" class="">gift guides</a>&nbsp;out there).



But you can’t really go wrong with books — especially the ones <a class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/10/billionaire-bill-gates-favorite-books-in-2019-and-list-of-top-recommended-books-this-decade.html">recommended</a> by <a class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/11/why-billionaires-warren-buffett-and-bill-gates-agree-this-is-the-best-business-book-of-all-time.html">Bill Gates</a>. And while the Microsoft co-founder has <a class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/10/billionaire-bill-gates-favorite-books-in-2019-and-list-of-top-recommended-books-this-decade.html">shared hundreds of his favorite reads</a>, there’s one in particular that has been given the ultimate seal of approval: <a class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/The-Rosie-Project" target="_blank">“The Rosie Project,”</a> by Graeme Simsion.



Gates was introduced to the book by his wife Melinda, who “kept stopping to recite parts of it out loud” to him, he said in a 2016&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/04/fashion/bill-gates-gates-notes-books.html?_r=0" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">interview with The New York Times</a>. “Eventually, I decided to take a look. I started it one night at 11:00 p.m. and stayed up with it until 3:00 a.m.”



Simsion’s debut novel centers around Don Tillman, a geneticist who may or may not have Asperger’s Syndrome. Determined to find a suitable wife, he creates a double-sided, 16-page questionnaire to help complete the mission.



I must have given ‘The Rosie Project’ to at least 50 friends.- Bill Gates PHILANTHROPIST AND MICROSOFT CO-FOUNDER



“The book is less about genetics or thinking too logically or the main character’s hilarious journey than it is about getting inside the mind and heart of someone a lot of people see as odd — and discovering that he isn’t really that different from anybody else,” Gates wrote in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/The-Rosie-Effect" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">his review</a>. “It’s an extraordinarily clever, funny, and moving book about being comfortable with who you are and what you’re good at.”



Gates also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/The-Rosie-Project" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">called it</a>&nbsp;“one of the best novels” he’s read in a long time, which is quite the praise coming from someone who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/04/fashion/bill-gates-gates-notes-books.html?_r=0" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">doesn’t read a lot of fiction</a>. In fact, Gates thought it was so good that he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/The-Rosie-Effect" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">gifted it to at least 50 friends.</a>



So if you’re looking for a way to simplify your holiday shopping plan this year, taking a cue from the successful billionaire and sending a copy of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rosie-Project-Novel-Graeme-Simsion/dp/1442370904" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">“The Rosie Project”</a>&nbsp;to everyone on your list might not be such a bad idea. (Gift-givers who want to go the extra mile should consider throwing in Simsion’s sequel&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rosie-Effect-Novel-Graeme-Simsion/dp/1476767327" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">“The Rosie Effect,”</a>&nbsp;which Gates and his wife&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/The-Rosie-Effect" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">said they&nbsp;also enjoyed</a>.)



According to Gates, not only will “The Rosie Project” make readers laugh, cry and think, but its main character offers something that virtually anyone can relate to: “We all have powerful fears, and seeing them in Don makes you feel like you’re not the only one.”



<a class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.linkedin.com_in_tpopomaronis_&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;d=DwMFaQ&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;c=LO_8KzsOlAGvgA6hdGI4v02U_XLiES0sR51Zca0yIy4&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;r=fnb6sKq7SKN8iiAQiVc8NQSbL93Ztb9TeGwNUoj2-0Y&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;m=P_Ys4FkTrXS6d3lDujeEcG0RASS_Te__ciXliHG8uo0&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;s=rHzz9dkDjfkID7To9v-Lu83SKuT7yQyc4bQT7r89G-o&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;e=" target="_blank">Tom Popomaronis</a> is a leadership researcher, commerce expert, cross-industry innovation leader and VP of Innovation at <a class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.massivealliance.com&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;d=DwMFaQ&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;c=LO_8KzsOlAGvgA6hdGI4v02U_XLiES0sR51Zca0yIy4&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;r=fnb6sKq7SKN8iiAQiVc8NQSbL93Ztb9TeGwNUoj2-0Y&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;m=P_Ys4FkTrXS6d3lDujeEcG0RASS_Te__ciXliHG8uo0&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;s=MAZG4XFe5vj2XGn8I5ATujLEG6mysjDhAM2R5QnyNpQ&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;e=" target="_blank">Massive Alliance</a>. His work has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Inc. and The Washington Post. In 2014, Tom was named one of the “40 Under 40” by the <a class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/" target="_blank">Baltimore Business Journal</a>. Follow him on <a class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tpopomaronis/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>.



This article was first published on CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/13/billionaire-bill-gates-loved-this-book-so-much-he-gave-it-as-a-gift-to-50-friends.html">https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/13/billionaire-bill-gates-loved-this-book-so-much-he-gave-it-as-a-gift-to-50-friends.html</a> and is republished with its permission

Bill Gates: This book was so good, ‘I stayed up with it until 3 a.m.’—then gifted it to 50 friends

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) &#8211; Plagued by power cuts and with its infrastructure in desperate need of revamping, South Africa’s struggling state power utility Eskom says the country desperately needs an additional 5,000 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity.



Here are some options:



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">HARNESSING POWER FROM INDEPENDENTS</h3>



Eskom’s nominal generating capacity is around 44,000 MW. But it also procures electricity from independent power producers.



Those projects &#8211; mainly renewables like wind and solar farms &#8211; have installed capacity of around 4,000 MW of power. However, a cap on how much electricity they are allowed to sell onto the national grid means they currently have unused capacity.



Lifting the restriction would allow an additional 500 MW to immediately enter the grid from wind farms alone, according to wind industry officials. Harnessing unused capacity from solar projects could contribute around 300 MW more.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">MORE INDEPENDENT PRODUCERS</h3>



Under former President Jacob Zuma, approval for new producers was delayed for years. Those projects finally got a green light in 2018. Some under construction could be fast-tracked and brought online before their agreed commercial operation dates.



The government could also accelerate a new round of planned approvals that has been held up by administrative delays. However, those projects would likely not be on-stream for more than two years.



SELF-GENERATION



Private businesses have been clamouring for regulations to be eased to allow them to generate more of their own power. They are currently required to seek a license to generate more than 1 MW of electricity. Even below that threshold they must register their facilities with the energy regulator, a cumbersome process that has discouraged investment.



President Cyril Ramaphosa says the government will consider how to get more self-generation online with excess production directed back onto the grid.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">“FLOATING GENERATORS”</h3>



Ramaphosa has said South Africa will look at the possibility of procuring more power via “floating generators”. While he did not go into detail, barge or ship-based power plants provide quickly deployable capacity.



New York City, for example, has used barge-based power stations for decades.



In Africa, Ghana signed a 10-year&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/turkey-ghana-power/update-1-turkeys-power-ship-maker-karadeniz-to-supply-electricity-to-ghana-idUSL5N0OY1WC20140617deal">here</a>&nbsp;with Turkey&#8217;s Karadeniz Holding in 2014 for 450 MW of floating generating capacity for its national grid.



Russian nuclear energy giant Rosatom is, meanwhile, developing floating nuclear power stations, though they will likely not be available for commercial use for several years.



Reporting by Joe Bavier and Alexander Winning; Editing by Alexandra Zavis and Emelia Sithole-Matarise

Here are four ways South Africa can get more power generation capacity

By <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/karen-gilchrist/">Karen Gilchrist</a>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="594" height="396" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-904117436-594x594.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-352262" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-904117436-594x594.jpg 594w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-904117436-594x594-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px" /><figcaption>BERLIN, GERMANY &#8211; JANUARY 12: German Chancellor and leader of the German Christian Democrats (CDU) Angela Merkel arrives at a meeting of the CDU leadership following all night talks with the German Social Democrats (SPD) and the Bavarian Social Union (CSU) on January 12, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. The three parties were holding preliminary talks over the creation of a possible German government coalition and announced the talks succeeded. The parties will likely soon hold coalition negotiations. (Photo by Carsten Koall/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



German Chancellor <a class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/angela-merkel/">Angela Merkel</a> has been named the world’s most powerful woman for the ninth year running in a wide-ranging list intended to celebrate the 100 most influential females of this year.



Forbes’ 2019 edition of its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/power-women/list/#tab:overall" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">World’s Most Powerful Women</a>, released Thursday, marked a return for the German leader, who has made 14 appearances in the list’s 16-year history.



Merkel was joined in the top spots by fellow prominent female political leaders.



<a class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/christine-lagarde/">Christine Lagarde</a> moved up one place this year to second position after taking over a president of the <a class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/id/10000708">European Central Bank</a>. Speaker of the U.S. House of Representative, <a class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/nancy-pelosi/">Nancy Pelosi</a>, took third place and Ursula Von Der Leyen, president of the European Commission, fourth. The top five was rounded out by <a class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=GM">General Motors</a> CEO <a class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/mary-barra/">Mary Barra</a>.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="594" height="396" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-1058086242-594x594.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-352271" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-1058086242-594x594.jpg 594w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-1058086242-594x594-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px" /><figcaption>BEIIJNG, CHINA &#8211; NOVEMBER 6: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde attends a news briefing after the Third Round Table Dialogue on November 6, 2018 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Thomas Peter &#8211; Pool/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



This year’s top 100 females list featured women from six categories — business (31), technology (17), finance (12), media &amp; entertainment (14), politics &amp; policy (22) and philanthropy (4). Together, they control or influence more than $2.3 trillion in revenue and oversee nearly 6.5 million employees.



To determine the women’s rank within each category, as well as overall, Forbes applied four metrics: money, media, impact and spheres of influence. The publisher defined power as hard power (currencies and constitutions), dynamic power (audiences, communities and creative influence) and soft power (what leaders do with their influence).



Forbes’ executive vice president and president of ForbesWomen, Moira Forbes, said the list highlights the impressive strides women have made to upend traditional gender stereotypes over the past decade.



“This year’s list of World’s Most Powerful Women is a collection of innovators and instigators who are leading on the world stage to redefine traditional power structures and forge lasting impact in every industry and sphere of influence,” she said.



“As we come to the close of the current decade, our 2019 listees remind us of the huge strides that have been made by women, and the great opportunity they have to define the decade ahead,” Forbes added.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="594" height="396" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-1088304050-594x594.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-352272" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-1088304050-594x594.jpg 594w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-1088304050-594x594-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px" /><figcaption>TOPSHOT &#8211; Swedish youth climate activist Greta Thunberg (C) delivers a speech during the closing day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting, on January 25, 2019 in Davos, eastern Switzerland. &#8211; Swedish 16-year-old Greta Thunberg has inspired a wave of climate protests by schoolchildren around the world after delivering a fiery speech at the UN climate summit in Katowice, Poland last month. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo credit should read FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



The 2019 list spans seven generations and 32 countries and territories.



Environmental activist and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/11/greta-thunberg-is-times-2019-person-of-the-year.html" class="">Time’s 2019 Person of the Year</a>, Greta Thunberg, who ranked in 100th place, became the youngest person in the list’s history at the age of 16. She was ranked in 100th place. Queen Elizabeth (40th) was among the eldest.



Other list debuts were made by Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF (15th); Jessica Tan, co-CEO, CIO and COO of Ping An Group (22nd); Nirmala Sitharaman, India’s finance minister (34th); and singer/songwriter and entrepreneur Rihanna (61).



Overall, North America accounted for the greatest number of honorees at 50. It was followed by Asia Pacific (21), Europe (23), the Middle East (3), Latin America (2), and Africa (1). 



This article first appeared on CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/13/forbes-100-most-powerful-women-of-2019.html">https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/13/forbes-100-most-powerful-women-of-2019.html</a> and is republished with its permission.

gettyimages-904117436-594×594

Forbes names the world’s most powerful women of 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) &#8211; The staff of the International Monetary Fund and the Ethiopian government have reached a preliminary agreement for a three-year, $2.9 billion financing package to support the African country’s economic reform program, the IMF said on Wednesday.



It said the agreement was subject to approval by the Fund’s executive board. If approved, it would be supported by the IMF under its Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and Extended Fund Facility (EFF).



The Ethiopian economic reform program would focus on addressing the foreign exchange shortage and transitioning to a more flexible exchange rate regime, while working to strengthen oversight and management of state-owned enterprises to contain debt vulnerabilities in Africa’s second most populous nation.



It would also work to free up domestic revenue for poverty-reducing and essential infrastructure spending; financial sector reforms to support private investment and modernize the monetary policy framework; and strengthening of the supervisory framework and financial safety nets, the IMF said.



Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed pledged to undertake economic reforms when he took office last year, with a focus on leveraging private sector investment to help provide jobs for millions of unemployed youth in the nation’s 100 million people.



Ethiopia’s foreign exchange shortages have worsened in the past five years as the government spent heavily on infrastructure before export earnings from new sectors such as manufacturing took off.



Reporting by David Lawder and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Lisa Shumaker

Special Report

5 easy ways to be more sustainable and save money in 2020

Zimbabwe’s largest bank CBZ issues bonds under scheme to raise funds for maize, soy farming

OPEC oil output slips in December as Nigeria, Iraq comply more

Eskom’s new CEO takes charge with power shake-up on agenda, what you need to know…

This project in Africa promotes edible insects, here’s why

Why this East African country is failing to integrate technology into secondary schools

Here’s how the price of bandwidth can be cut in African countries

West Africa renames CFA franc but keeps it pegged to euro, what you need to know…

Billionaire Warren Buffett: This is the ‘one easy way’ to increase your worth by ‘at least’ 50 percent

Trump has been impeached by the House. Here’s what happens next

MTN South Africa’s mobile money service expected to go live in Jan 2020

Wife of Zimbabwean vice president charged with his attempted murder

What you need to know about Angola retrieving more than $5 billion in stolen assets amid crackdown on graft

Bill Gates: This book was so good, ‘I stayed up with it until 3 a.m.’—then gifted it to 50 friends

Here are four ways South Africa can get more power generation capacity

Forbes names the world’s most powerful women of 2019

IMF and this East African country reach preliminary agreement on $2.9 billion financing package

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Special Report

5 easy ways to be more sustainable and save money in 2020

Zimbabwe’s largest bank CBZ issues bonds under scheme to raise funds for maize, soy farming

OPEC oil output slips in December as Nigeria, Iraq comply more

Eskom’s new CEO takes charge with power shake-up on agenda, what you need to know…

This project in Africa promotes edible insects, here’s why

Why this East African country is failing to integrate technology into secondary schools

Here’s how the price of bandwidth can be cut in African countries

West Africa renames CFA franc but keeps it pegged to euro, what you need to know…

Billionaire Warren Buffett: This is the ‘one easy way’ to increase your worth by ‘at least’ 50 percent

Trump has been impeached by the House. Here’s what happens next

MTN South Africa’s mobile money service expected to go live in Jan 2020

Wife of Zimbabwean vice president charged with his attempted murder

What you need to know about Angola retrieving more than $5 billion in stolen assets amid crackdown on graft

Bill Gates: This book was so good, ‘I stayed up with it until 3 a.m.’—then gifted it to 50 friends

Here are four ways South Africa can get more power generation capacity

Forbes names the world’s most powerful women of 2019

IMF and this East African country reach preliminary agreement on $2.9 billion financing package

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Newsletters