US-Africa relations: The Beginings

May 30, 2021     / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

The presence of Africans in the America’s can be argued it predated 1492 though since the formation of the greatest experiment on Earth in 1776, the official United States of America – Africa relations began before World War II, when the United States only directly dealt with the former American colony of Liberia, the independent nation of Ethiopia, and the semi-independent nation of Egypt. The beginning of this official US-Africa relationship was not only reinforced by the need to internationalize American values but also due to the undying drive of African-Americans to reconnect to their roots. Although US-Africa dialogue and…

Yes Africa can do it!

April 30, 2021     / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

As world tilts towards Space and AI to tackle current challenges in regards to efficient productivity, food security and overall development, the push towards entreneurship has been the guiding force to foster innovative solutions for sustainability and collective evolution. In the African context, Human Capital is one of its greatest assets that has been underutilized and often forgotten yet required for the Continent’s development and growth as it will determine the Continent’s stability and security. With a population of 1.2 billion people and approximately half of the nation being under the age of 30 years old, in addition to vast…

Branding Human Capital

April 12, 2021     / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Always thankful to be among thinkers, policy makers, influencers and decision makers, and on Wednesday December 6th, 2017 at the 27th Annual Martin J Forman Lecture series held at one of the Think Tanks in Washington DC, the President of the World Bank Group Jim Yong Kim was the keynote speaker as the podium has been graced by the likes of the 25th Lecturer Rajiv Shah, then the Senior Advisor at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and now the President of the Rockfeller Foundation. After attending these series I have learnt that the lecture series was established in honor of…

African Apex Organizations will be the catalyst for ACFTA Successful Implementation by Samuel Mwamburi Mwale

October 29, 2020     / / / / / / / /

The Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) provides a unique opportunity to transform the continent’s economic and political future in the 21st century. For too long, Africa has traded with the rest of the world. Intra continental trade in exports was at about 17 percent for Africa in 2017. For the Asia, intra-regional exports trade was 60 percent, and between 50 and 75 percent for the European Union. In North America, 85 percent of exports for Canada and Mexico went to the US. Globally, it is mainly Africa, Latin America, and Oceania that trade more with the rest of the…

AfCFTA – The Key to Ushering Trade and Investment to Africa by Frank Samolis

October 29, 2020     / / / / / / / / / / /

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the African continent has seen challenges like other parts of the world that are affecting trade. This includes a moving effective date for the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which slid from July 1 to possibly January 1, 2021, to avoid distracting African leaders as they respond to the pandemic. Nevertheless, there is a push to have the continent move forward with implementation of the AfCFTA, to spur further collaboration and intra-Africa trade, which in turn could help the continent better weather economic downturns related to the global pandemic. The AfCFTA, once implemented, will create a $3.4 trillion economic bloc, which would provide…

Webinar: AfCFTA, Trade & Investment- You are invited

October 23, 2020     / / / /

JOIN US IN THIS TIMELY DISCUSSION

Branding Aviation: Ethiopian Airlines

May 28, 2020     / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Country branding is a multilayered approach which requires cross-cultural branding as the aim is to brand the country to improve national reputation, increase product value and enhance the national brand. In the aviation industry, Ethiopian Airlines (ETA) stands as not only Ethiopia’s brand but also as one of the African Brands that is a symbol of pride and economic viability. Ethiopian Airlines contenders such as Royal Air Maroc  ( country branding for Morocco) and Kenya Airways ( Branding Kenya) are also key players due to their regular routes to Europe, North America and other key destinations, bringing tourists, trade, and…

Africa Must Stop Reacting and Start Acting: Urban Design is the Antidote for the Continent’s Next Health Crisis.

May 11, 2020     / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Extraordinary times require extraordinary responses May 15th 2020 The Guardian published an interesting article titled “Africa facing a quarter of a billion coronavirus cases, WHO predicts”. The report approximated 220 million Africans based on that article. Now, while the western media predicted doom and gloom for the youngest continent on earth, data seems to be painting a completely different picture during this pandemic. I partly blame Africa for not taking control of her narrative and not shedding enough light her success stories. It was not until the former British barrister and daughter of a Ghanaian lady, Afua Hirsch that Africa’s positive COVID-19 stories surfaced. She highlighted Senegalese handling of…

Africa Needs to Brand: Not just another consultant?

March 12, 2020     / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

In this global economy and current political climate, when approximately 25 African countries have been identified as emerging markets and 25+ countries have ratified to be one region under the AfCFTA, it is pivotal for African countries to focus on managing their image and narrative to regain the lost dignity and pride, increase Foreign Direct Investment for sturdier infrastructure development, and engage proactively the Diaspora which already contributes in the shift towards globalization. When African countries undertake branding, it is imperative to accept the impact of history and the cultural shift it is making in 21st century- as it intertwines with the Western and…

Remittances are NOT Diaspora Investment by Guest Writer

March 10, 2020     / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

My favorite Diaspora definition is the one by G. Scheffer: “Modern Diasporas are ethnic minority groups of migrant origins residing and acting in host countries but maintaining strong sentimental and material links with their countries of origin—their homelands.” The term Diaspora comes from the Greek words “to sow” and “over”, as in the scattering of seed, and for them it meant the “seeding” of Greek colonies in distant lands. Remittances are funds sent by immigrants to their home countries for various uses including paying school fees for relative, covering healthcare costs for family as well as activities such as building…