By Colin Iles



I was recently asked to comment on how the opportunities for women leaders have changed since I started work. And then, I was asked to share some thoughts about what changes we can expect over the next decade.



To the first question, my answer was simple. Not much. According to the World Economic Forum, only 15% of the Fortune 500 are run by women. In South Africa where I’m located, this drops to only 7% for Johannesburg Stock Exchangelisted companies.



And that’s despite billions being spent on diversity training, new hiring models and anti-bias algorithms.



Having lived through and led many cultural change programs, I’m not surprised. It is ridiculously hard to try and change human behavior.



And HR-led diversity initiatives are trying to fix behaviors that have become systemic and entrenched over decades. I don’t know if these behaviors were created by genetics or the persistent pre-teen brainwashing about what our respective roles in society should be.



I do know that unwinding behaviors, that have developed with 20-plus years of application prior to even entering the workforce, is always going to be a tough ask for any HR team, no matter how right, how passionate, and how resourced.



Depressing as this may be, I am still incredibly upbeat about the possibilities opening up for female leaders to do incredible things over the next decade.



But this change will not come because the incumbent male leaders have an epiphany about the benefits of diversity. It will be driven by organizations changing in a way that aligns better to diversified leadership.



And the good news is this transformation has already started.



Over the last decade, we have seen more and more examples of companies that focus on “doing good”, outperforming their profit-at-all-cost competitors. Case study after case study has shown how purpose-led companies have happier customers, more engaged employees and better support from their investors.



Patagonia, as one example, has cemented its place as a premium outdoor brand by focusing on using business to save the planet.



Thousands of other companies are now seeking accreditation from organizations like the US Based B-Corp, to showcase how they are using business to benefit people, communities and the planet.n(If you know Ben &amp; Jerry’s or Lemonade, they are both registered B-Corps.) 



And listed companies are also facing more pressure from institutional investors to apply the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals. BlackRock’s CEO Larry Fink has written regularly about how he is more likely to invest in businesses that make “a positive contribution to society”.



So the shift from “for-profit” looks to have momentum. This will obviously challenge those incumbents that have a symbiotic relationship between the CEO’s bonuses and shareholder returns, as purposeful organizations have more complex and ambiguous environments to manage.



This might mean taking the hard decisions not to operate in oppressive jurisdictions, accelerating the switch to renewables or doubling junior pay.



Bad for bonuses. Good for the planet.



Managing these trade-offs will require conviction, courage and curiosity, because there is no playbook for this new model.



And that is precisely why the opportunity for female leaders is better than ever before.



This new-styled leadership model is not male-dominated and females are already trailblazing in these somewhat unchartered waters.



Take Indra Nooyi for example. As PepsiCo’s CEO prior to 2018, she introduced “performance with purpose”, sold off a profitable set of food brands that didn’t align with her vision and made significant inroads in rebalancing the portfolio towards healthier, more sustainable food and drink offerings.



Transformation stories from leaders like Nooyi demonstrate why purpose is a more powerful motivator than profit, and how curious and courageous female leaders can drive transformation programs that benefit society as a whole. So, there is real opportunity for women in this new leadership paradigm. And we, as in society as a whole, really need them now to help transform business into a force for good, that can improve lives and save our planet.



This requires radical change. And diversity will be a critical step in achieving this.



The writer curates thought leadership events that help executive teams transform their organizations; visit coliniles.com

Working Late. Young woman, architect working late in office

Business Models Are Changing. Why It’s Good For Women

When I was packing my bags to leave South Africa at the end of November 2022, the country was going through political lobbying and hobnobbing that seemed to be far more fragmented than I had witnessed from my first visit in 2004. As I had predicted in 2004/5 and have spoken and written about for years, the time for true democracy in the country has come. This is not about any one individual or event, but history is evidence that nations emerging from any oppression or a change in system take time through disillusionment, to cast their old beliefs/misplaced loyalties and embrace change. The greatest example of this political change was seen in India that has gone through a very similar transition in its political system after 1947.



The Indian National Congress party lost national consensus in 1977 (30 years post-Independence), after which there was a long era of coalition governments the most successful of which was the BJP-led alliance from 1999 to 2004. No other coalition government between 1977 and 1999 managed to survive a complete five-year term in office. The Congress Party in India was almost annihilated in the 2019 elections when the party failed to secure 10% in parliament (less than 50 seats in a house of 543). It took 30 years to lose power and 72 years of dynasty politics for the party to be completely routed through implosion. There is no better lesson in political history than this experience to learn from. As I had written in 2021, the era of coalitions is likely arriving in South Africa and so has the emergence of new political parties that will provide the checks and balances that are desperately needed. There will be expected fragmentation in the provinces; the jury is now out whether the ruling but bankrupt African National Congress (ANC) will be able to hold on to a 51% electoral majority vote in 2024. Sadly, this process will bring with it a period of continued uncertainty and indecisiveness further compounding the problems that the country already faces.



Interestingly, there are about 25 African countries that are going to polls in the next two years. Amongst many others, these include Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Gabon in 2023 and South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Mauritius, Rwanda, Ghana and Ethiopia in 2024. This is therefore, going to be an exceedingly important phase in the African continent where people will exercise their vote, after the pandemic, when being faced with growing unemployment, food, water and power shortages, growing economic disparity and increasing corruption. 2022 was also a telling year in Africa when the voters in Kenya surprised everyone by electing President William Ruto who defeated Raila Odinga, in a stark departure from historic dynasty politics.



In a paper published by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in September 2022, research associate Paul Nantulya wrote: “Kenya’s 2022 general election has not followed the familiar script of voters exercising their civic duty only to helplessly sit back and watch their votes be manipulated. Kenyans have attempted to correct this through comprehensive constitutional reforms, an active and vigilant citizenry, and an increasingly independent judiciary. In the process, Kenyans have carved out a roadmap for themselves and democratic reformers across the continent to follow to enhance the integrity and legitimacy of their electoral process.”



These words are going to echo and reverberate in many countries as they head towards greater governance and accountability. The power of the people cannot be underestimated or their benevolence taken for granted in perpetuity. Their patience will run out bringing about the much-needed change. Ruling parties should pay heed to the needs of their people and take action that will create opportunity for greater good and not benefit a small section of society.



In addition to the expectation of these results for nationals, this is going to be a period of anticipation for investors into Africa. Over the last few years the common theme from Africa has been about the growing population that will bring about exponential growth rates and consequently economic opportunity. Every sector is expecting rapid growth to cater to the growing consumer demand. Other than historic investments in mining and extractive ventures, peers are gearing up for additional investments into infrastructure, industry, agriculture, power generation and distribution, education, retail and many other sectors. Technology and innovation are also playing a critical role in disrupting business models in retail, communications and banking. The outreach activities from African countries into the Middle East (a region known to be a net exporter of capital) are higher than ever before. This is a good time for policy-makers to ensure that on one hand, a more investor-friendly approach (including but not limited to simplifying visa procedures) is taken but on the other, incentives must only be given for long-term investments, industrial development and beneficiation. African economies will never be able to stand on their feet if raw material/minerals or agricultural produce continue to be exported and no value-added industries are set up locally.



A major risk in Africa remains currency risk. Some of the major economies that have fared badly are Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa. The Ghanaian Cedi in particular took a bruising starting at about Cedi6 to the US$ at the start of 2022 and ending the year between Cedi12-14 to the US$. The Nigerian Naira has devalued almost 50% since 2020 and remains a very volatile currency with no end in sight. The bigger problem in Nigeria remains remitting funds out of the country where businesses and individuals can lose up to 30% value while buying US dollars in the open market. The South African Rand has also remained extremely volatile. When we invested in 2006/2007, the Rand was at approximately ZAR6 to a US$ and is currently trading around ZAR17 to a US$. This volatility, coupled with the high-interest rates, particularly in West Africa, makes business expensive, unpredictable and unattractive particularly for foreign investors. The situation is not getting any better as borrowings are continuing to increase with countries like South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Rwanda having debt to GDP ratios of between 70% to 100%; while these numbers are not as alarming as those of Japan, US, Singapore or other European countries, the ability of most African countries to repay debt is questionable. This forces inequitable negotiations with lenders that is continuing to impact growth.



It is evident that the continent will continue to suffer the historic maladies as mentioned above. This can however, slowly but surely, be mitigated through fiscal discipline, policy reforms and good governance. Key is the political will to make it happen.



While we have learned to deal with and live with Covid, we must not forget the experiences of the last 24 months. China has finally abandoned its zero-Covid policy that is likely to have an adverse impact as there will be a wave of visitors likely traveling all over the world. While this will give a boost to the tourism sector, it is possible that we may see a spurt of fresh strands of Covid in our midst.



I would advise against throwing caution to the wind; people must continue to behave responsibly and adhere to Covid protocols to prevent the spread of the pandemic. A lot of countries are watching the news coming from the East and some travel protocols are being put in place to ensure that tests are carried out as well as the mandatory vaccination certificates that are now a part of travel documents everywhere.



On the festive side, Dubai was at its colorful best during the year-end break between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The city reportedly attracted over 12 million tourists in the first nine months of 2022 and possibly over 16 million for the year getting close to its pre-Covid numbers and re-establishing itself as one of the preferred global holiday destinations. The numbers in the last quarter were definitely skewed because of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar when a large number of spectators camped in Dubai and took advantage of the incredible logistics that had been set up by the Dubai Tourism department to ensure that there was sufficient hotel capacity and flights between Dubai and Doha. New Year’s Eve was a fairy tale experience, like every year, with thousands of visitors gathering to watch the fireworks at various landmark sites across the city; the most prominent of which was Burj Khalifa. There is not a single bit of real estate in Dubai that is not lit up to celebrate the coming of the New Year in an inclusive manner and without any incidents of crime or unpleasantness.



I often wonder why we are unable to get this kind of celebration in Africa. Although the continent has so much to offer, Africans leave behind this rich heritage and natural beauty and converge to other destinations around the world. As an example, Johannesburg is a dead city during New Year’s Eve. So much could be done to create magic in such a wonderful setting as in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Nairobi, Kigali and so many other exotic destinations across the continent.



What would it take to transform some of Africa’s main cities into tourist destinations with activities for families so that African culture and cuisine can be sampled by people from around the world? This needs to change and we need to make sure that African gems do not remain best-kept secrets; when visitors experience the rich culture, game reserves, sports, beaches and the warm African hospitality they will spontaneously and deliberately make the continent a destination for leisure, hospitality and consequently business. Wishing all our readers a very prosperous and healthy 2023.

Rakesh Wahi

From Coalitions To Currencies To Celebration, Thoughts On The Continent

By Tshilidzi Marwala



As the African continent, we find ourselves somewhat in an economic depression. Despondently, this represents a significant setback for the continent that showed an impressive growth trajectory just a few years ago. As Frankema and van Waijenburg indicated in a 2017 journal article, Africa Rising?&nbsp; From a Historical Perspective, the African growth story in the last two decades had overthrown the ‘Afro-pessimism’ narrative that dominated the 1980s–2000s and replaced it with an Afro-euphoric outlook.&nbsp; However, this is no longer the case.&nbsp;&nbsp;



An African Development Bank (AfDB) report recently revealed some of the deep fissures, including the effect of climate change, which is mounting a threat to the lives and livelihoods of Africans. The economic troubles are arising from the Russia-Ukraine war, and pushing a further 1.8 million people in the African continent into severe poverty. In 2023, these crises will add another 2.1 million to Africa’s additional financing needs estimated at $432 billion. Because of these reasons, it is apparent that our growth story is facing a trough.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



We seem a world away from the rising Africa story that dominated before the pandemic. The economic boom we experienced at the time is projected to lift the region’s ‘bottom millions’ out of poverty by 2030.&nbsp; Yet, data indicates that around 30 million people in Africa were thrust into deeper poverty in 2021 due to approximately 22 million job losses. Furthermore, growth has faltered significantly in 2022 amidst a global environment with several new tremors, high volatility, and uncertainty. Some experts have called for a significant change to relaunch the African economies.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Arguably, this could arrive from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The agreement brings together 55 African Union (AU) member states with a combined population of 1.2 billion people, a rising middle class, and a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of approximately $3.4 trillion. The 2022 CEO Trade Survey Report by Pan African Private Sector Trade and Investment Committee (PAFTRAC) surveyed over 800 private sector players between March and June 2022 and found that while there was significant optimism that the AfCFTA will revitalize African trade, there is considerable uncertainty on how this will be rolled out. As a rudimentary explanation, through policy that emphasizes increased intra-African trade through deeper levels of trade liberalization and enhanced regulatory harmonization and coordination, the AfCFTA is envisioned as a way to reshape our approach to the economy on the continent through boosting trade ties between African countries.&nbsp;



The United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Africa projects that the AfCFTA has the potential to increase African economic output by $29 trillion by 2050. Africa accounts for only about 2.4% of total global exports and is also considered a minor player in its own region. This is because trade barriers are immense, and poor infrastructure is in place. It has long been demonstrated that international trade drives growth and poverty reduction. The AfCFTA promises to usher in trade facilitation policies that reduce non-tariff barriers. For instance, the AfCFTA launched an online mechanism allowing businesses to report trade barriers and monitor them. Elsewhere, introducing trade facilitation policies such as standardizing procedures, implementing a common rule of origin and installing one-stop border posts is expected to open intra-African trade. Additionally, the emphasis on revitalizing the manufacturing industry on the continent will shift Africa’s economy away from one that is commodity and resource-dependent.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Though the pandemic presented a significant setback for implementing the AfCFTA, we have seen some progress in recent months. In October 2022, for instance, we saw the rollout of trade deals between eight member states with 96 different products that are duty-free and quota-free. This has been encouraging, given the lag between the promise of the AfCFTA and the tangible impact since its implementation. It seems that this agreement will be a manifestation of the vision of the former Ghanaian president Kwame Nkrumah, who once prophesied: “We shall accumulate machinery and establish steel works, iron foundries and factories; we shall link the various states of our continent with communications… It is within the possibility of science and technology to make even the Sahara bloom into a vast field with verdant vegetation for agricultural and industrial developments.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



Indeed, Africa rising may find the AfCFTA an avenue for a lasting narrative. 



– The writer is the outgoing Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg and on March 1, 2023, will become Rector of the United Nations University.

Global logistics network transportation, Map global logistics partnership connection of Container Cargo freight ship for Logistics Import Export background

‘Free Trade Necessary To Increase Africa’s Economic Development’

Using the words “work” and “home” in the same sentence usually stirs up a mixture of delight and disapproval – in almost equal parts.&nbsp;



On the one hand, those lucky enough to work from home tend to experience the sense of euphoria that comes from escaping the watchful gaze or sometimes intense glare of those in charge.&nbsp;



In sharp contrast, a mere mention of the concept of remote work plunges an increasing number of bosses into a sense of “productivity paranoia”.&nbsp;



Productivity paranoia refers to a boss’ heightened suspicion, scepticism or speculation that their employees are not being as productive while working from home, a local coffee shop or a co-working space.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The trending phenomenon, which sits alongside a bundle of other buzzwords generated by our workplace behaviors so far this year (think: quiet quitting, quiet firing, loud leadership), was revealed in Microsoft’s latest Work Trend Index.&nbsp;



The index declared that 87% of workers thought they were just as productive – if not more so – when working from home.&nbsp;



At the same time, only 12% of bosses felt fully confident that those working remotely were as productive as those sitting behind their desks in the office.&nbsp;



While employees work harder than ever, bosses simply do not believe them. In fact, some bosses label the practice of working from home as nothing short of a pantomime of productivity.&nbsp;



While the huge gulf between what managers and workers feel might come as a shock, the truth is some bosses have never truly embraced remote work practices.&nbsp;



At the heart of the kerfuffle between managers and remote-operating staff is the questionable assumption that workers are more productive when they are under the watchful eye of their supervisor.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Yet being in the office does not guarantee productivity.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Some workers fake productivity by appearing busy online, staying back late to keep up appearances, participating in endless purposeless meetings, engaging in superficial conversations with colleagues or making mountains out of molehills to portray an essence of efficiency.&nbsp;



Bosses’ productivity paranoia prevails despite remote workers claiming they tend to get more done from their loungerooms without the daily distractions of chatty colleagues and the frustrations of a time-sucking daily commute.&nbsp;



You will realize your boss has a bad case of productivity paranoia when you work from home and are asked to account for how you spent a day away from the workplace, when additional “supervisory” type meetings suddenly drop into your calendar or when you receive a high volume of calls or texts to “check in” on your progress on specific work tasks.&nbsp;



Perhaps worse, you will know your boss has an extreme case of productivity paranoia when they have some form of “bossware” installed on technology used in remote settings. It is a form of software that allows managers to spy on their employees’ online activity – or lack of it.&nbsp;



It is hard to explain why productivity paranoia has risen to such highs among managers.&nbsp;&nbsp;



A number of theories are emerging including that bosses feel they lack control when their employees are out of sight or miss the feeling of having team members running after them, looking up to them and paying them compliments.&nbsp;



It is also a firm possibility that well-meaning bosses have not been given adequate training to be able to manage in a remote-working office environment.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Organizations afflicted with productivity paranoia are likely to suffer the consequences.&nbsp;



Fear around the lack of productivity of those working remotely might lead to valued and highly capable employees quitting, cause those working at home to engage in productivity theatrics to prove a point or contribute to the emergence of workplace cultures that are characterized by mistrust, disrespect and inequality.&nbsp;



There will always be those who take full advantage of a lack of direct supervision while working remotely.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Regardless of whether an employee is working in the office or virtually, we will never fully know exactly what every employee is doing 100% of the time.&nbsp;



What every boss needs to realize is employees have fully embraced flexible work and that means remote work is here to stay.&nbsp;&nbsp;



It will require those with productivity paranoia to shift their mindset from one locked into “I can’t see you so I don’t know what you are up to” to a different way of thinking which asks remote workers “if you have everything you need to get your job done”.&nbsp;



Gary Martin- The writer and professor is Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of Management WA

Closeup shot of an unrecognizable woman using a laptop while working from home

Why WFH Has Become A Pantomime Of Productivity For Some

By Paula Slier



As predicted, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has won the presidency of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) for a second term. Even the markets appreciated the news with the South African rand strengthening against the dollar.



But judging from how ANC delegates behaved at the party’s 55th elective conference that wrapped up this week, it’s clear the political culture within the party is still the same. The division between Ramaphosa’s allies and the aggrieved and aspirant who are part of a loosely-defined group called the ‘Radical Economic Transformation’ (RET) is as obvious as it is concerning.



Despite its vagueness, the RET is destined to remain a central and powerful bloc within the ANC and a constant constraint on Ramaphosa’s leadership and any of his efforts to reform the economy and promote clean governance.



Still, the ANC made history when delegates voted three women to the top seven party positions. A first in the organization’s 110-year history, or as the newly elected Gwen Ramaphosa put it, “I am embarrassed to be the first woman to be elected as the ANC’s Treasurer-General”.



Seeking a second term as party President, Ramaphosa was described by many commentators as “a shoo-in for re-election” – the only question was who would surround him? But doubt seeped in following revelations of a robbery at his private game farm in 2020. It was less the robbery than the contents which sowed uncertainty about his presidential prospects. More than $500,000 was alleged to have been stuffed in his sofas when the alleged robbery took place.



True to character, Ramaphosa has been hiding for the better part of the past week, following a parliamentary panel report that found preliminary evidence of improper conduct by the President and recommended he face impeachment inquiry.



The question is what happens now? Will unity prevail among the two divided groups which are meant to be one within the ANC? And more urgent, what will be Ramaphosa’s priorities going forward?



South Africa needs him to govern on behalf of the country, not only the ANC. Party members have clearly given him the benefit of the doubt regarding the scandal at his game farm, the details of which he has still to fully explain. Not only is he expected now to heal the divisions within his party, but he should not repeat the mistake he made during his first term when he spent way too much time trying to unite the ANC and bringing in some of those members who wanted to get rid of him.



South Africa’s economy is hobbling along. The energy crisis has reached crisis levels as South Africans prepare for a bleak, load-shedding (power cuts) ‘festive’ season as the country’s electricity public utility, Eskom, generates output plummeting to completely new lows.



And then there’s the crime. More people die in South Africa each day than in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. This crime &#8216;capital&#8217; of the world continues to impact businesses and scare away investors. Many young South Africans, especially graduates, believe they live in a hopeless economy that does not create job opportunities for them. One of the main recommendations at the conference was to give the ANC leadership a new look by including young people in leading positions.



As for Africa, what does Ramaphosa’s re-election mean for the continent?



The South African president seemingly still has the interest of Africa at heart. In February this year he spoke highly about the developmental challenges the continent faces. He noted that building a better Africa and a better world was the cornerstone of South Africa&#8217;s foreign policy and that for Africa to



play a full and equal role in global affairs “we must first attend to the developmental challenges of the people of Africa,” he said.



“We must develop our own economies through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), promoting investment and tourism within Africa, accelerating industrialization and driving green growth and low-carbon development. We must end all conflict and entrench democracy and good governance.



“Africa has found a new voice. It is bold and unapologetic in its expectations of our partners. At the same time, we are determined that Africa&#8217;s challenges must be, are being, and will be, solved by Africans themselves,” said Ramaphosa.

ANC 55th National Conference Day 05 At Nasrec

What Does Ramaphosa’s Re-Election Mean For Africa?

It was wonderful to see the revival of the Forbes Global CEO conference that was held post Covid in Singapore in October this year. It was great to reconnect with global leaders as well as meet Forbes’ extended family from different parts of the world. The highlight of the event was the declaration from the organizers that the net worth in the hall of 400 delegates was $500 billion; it wasn’t surprising to hear that number considering that 30% of the wealth came from the richest man in the room – and third richest in the world as of November – &nbsp;Gautam Adani, whose speech was a leaf from ‘Invest India’. The mood was buoyant in Asia and despite all the troubles around the world, there was much optimism about the future of Asian economies including the rich GCC countries that remain optimistic because of stable oil prices. This was a sharp contrast from my stay in Europe in July and August where the metaphorical and absolute temperatures are getting to be a point of concern about the future.



I was also fortunate to go back to Namibia (after 10 years), at the request of Dr David Namwandi (the country’s former minister of education), to deliver a talk to a mixed audience of ministers, diplomats, businesspeople, and alumni at The International University of Management. Namibia remains a small country by all standards and is still highly reliant on a rich and powerful neighbor as evident from the fact that almost 90% of all retail brands are South African brands. However, Namibia is an economy on the move and determined on chartering its own future in the years to come. Not only has the country recently discovered oil but has also pioneered the green energy revolution through the green hydrogen project – Hyphen, which is a multi-billion-dollar investment that will take the country towards energy security and clean energy. I was particularly impressed with the quality of executives I met at the Namibian Investment Promotion and Development Board who have a clear mandate from the government to catalyze investments.



This push is becoming more evident from almost all Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries that see the opportunity being created by the vacuum from a weak South Africa; that is still tottering in an abyss of short- to medium-term economic gloom. I am a believer that South Africa will regain its position on the African and global stage in the medium-term, but the political uncertainties and institutional failures will see a gloomy outlook for the next decade. This is no different from Nigeria which is the other straggling economy in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with huge potential but poor political leadership. The economy that has the greatest opportunity over the next five years is Kenya. The country has new leadership and perhaps a good chance to bring about changes to take advantage of the global interest in SSA. Our problems in Africa are however nothing compared to what humanity faces today.



As we end 2022, we seem to be meandering in a state of oblivion where the blind continues to lead the blind and there is no sight of the ‘one-eyed king’ who can provide leadership or direction in a compass-less global society that is appearing to be more morally bankrupt than ever before. It’s not as though we do not know the problems, or we do not have the solutions. School children are standing and screaming solutions before a deaf audience of leaders who continue to provide lip service to imminent issues; they are silent as self-interest remains the guiding principle of our actions. Words come cheap and we can make all the commitments at global platforms, but the sad reality is that nothing will change.



My views on the failure of the United Nations (UN) as an apex body to regulate the safety and security of mankind remain unabated. The organization needs a complete overhaul if the world order needs to be rebalanced and powerful and developed nations held accountable for their actions. However, that remains a wishful dream like many others. However, toothless as the office of the UN Secretary General (UNSG) is, you cannot ignore the appeal of António Guterres&nbsp;before an audience of global leaders at COP 27 in Egypt (except for all who matter and who were conspicuous by their absence including leaders from China and India).



For those who missed reading the UNSG’s speech, I am quoting from it: “This UN Climate Conference is a reminder that the answer is in our hands.&nbsp;And the clock is ticking.&nbsp;We are in the fight of our lives.&nbsp;And we are losing.&nbsp;Greenhouse gas emissions keep growing.&nbsp;Global temperatures keep rising. And our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible.&nbsp;We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator. The war in Ukraine, other conflicts, have caused so much bloodshed and violence and have had dramatic impacts all over the world. But we cannot accept that our attention is not focused on climate change. We must of course work together to support peace efforts and end the tremendous suffering. But climate change is on a different timeline, and a different scale. It is the defining issue of our age.&nbsp;It is the central challenge of our century. It is unacceptable, outrageous and self-defeating to put it on the back burner. Indeed, many of today’s conflicts are linked with growing climate chaos. The war in Ukraine has exposed the profound risks of our fossil fuel addiction. Today’s crises cannot be an excuse for backsliding or greenwashing.&nbsp;If anything, they are a reason for greater urgency, stronger action, and effective accountability.” And it continues….



These are the helpless words coming from one of the most influential men on earth. Let’s examine some of the realities on the ground.



It’s not surprising to see that all nations are behind the curve on their ‘carbon zero’ strategy. It’s a well-known fact that the developing world will not have the resources to make the changes and the commitments made by the developing countries have not been kept and as and when the allocations are made, they will come with caveats that will most certainly bind them to donor nations for all times to come. These caveats are not clear right now but going by history there will be no free lunches during this transfer of technology. Given that the developed world is struggling with an energy crisis right now, most of them are unlikely to be able to allocate significant funds towards developing countries particularly in Africa.



There is major reluctance on the part of policy-makers to make drastic changes in policy to get large and profitable corporates to participate in this transition. If the world is indeed at risk of perishing and if the words of the UNSG are to be treated seriously, there needs to be drastic action. Let’s explore the banking sector briefly. In 2018, the banks across the globe collectively made a profit after tax of $1.36 trillion. This number is significantly higher for 2021 and 2022. It doesn’t take a scientist to understand that one year’s profits from all the banks or even 50% of profits for a period of three to five years will provide adequate resources to start a meaningful process of change. Similarly, the tobacco industry, the gaming industry, casinos and all luxury goods companies, just to name a few, should mandatorily be required to forgo profits for the next few years. Ultimately, the banks have made their money from high-interest costs and fees; there is no reason why they should not see good sense in contributing back for a change. As far-fetched as these ideas may sound, this is one of the few ways to act; desperate times need desperate measures or then let’s accept our fate.



There are also some other realities that we must face. Very few are taking the magical three letters of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) seriously. In a recent conversation with a group of private equity players that have many multilateral financial institutions as their limited partners, the senior executives made very controversial statements like: ‘if we are faced with a choice between ESG and profits, we will choose profits every time’. ESG is therefore a buzzword in our world of reporting; everyone is going through the motions of ticking the boxes, but the true intention remains money over everything else. We have all the management guru’s and consulting companies and the big four preaching ESG and the importance of purpose; the reality is that the gap between intention and reality is continuing to increase.



I cannot but reflect on the words of former US President Barack Obama: “We are the&nbsp;first generation&nbsp;to feel the effect of climate change and the&nbsp;last generation&nbsp;who can do something about it.” Let’s not procrastinate and make it a true intent to start galvanizing resources towards fixing our problems before it’s too late.

‘Desperate Times Need Desperate Measures Or Then Let’s Accept Our Fate’

WITH THE Great Resignation beginning to fade into the background, a new kerfuffle is brewing and threatening workplace productivity.



Rather than moving onto another employer, some workers are choosing to stay put and “quietly quit” – putting in minimum effort while on the job so work does not take over their life.



While quiet quitting might offer relief to beleaguered bosses whose workplaces have become revolving doors in recent times, those who have decided to power down will deliver a new set of challenges.



The quiet quitting movement has sailed peacefully into our workplaces at a time when employers are doing everything possible to hold onto even the most average performers – and the chances of getting fired are lower than they have ever been.



The name might conjure up images of a worker shooting off a quick resignation email to the boss and silently slipping out the door.



Yet “quiet quitting” is best described as quitting a job without actually leaving.



Quiet quitters have made the conscious decision to dampen their enthusiasm for the job and instead take a bare-bones approach to getting their work done.



Quiet quitters leave the office right on time, refuse to play “catch-up” during the lunch break, avoid answering calls after hours and stay well away from their overflowing inboxes once they have clocked off.



While some are quick to accuse “quiet quitters” of being slack, those adopting a minimalist approach to their work argue they attend dutifully to all agreed tasks associated with their role.



What is missing are their attempts to excel, be innovative or extra helpful.



Being a quiet quitter means doing just enough work to pull your weight, justify a pay cheque, and remain employed.



While quiet quitting is nothing new, its recent surge in popularity is part of the broader pandemic fallout with many now wanting to live to work – and no longer work to live.



Quiet quitters are united by the belief that being too dedicated to work means they will miss out on other important things in their lives.



Many have become acutely aware that despite working long hours or overachieving, going above and beyond is not necessarily recognized or rewarded.



Some workers have already run themselves into the ground so being less committed forms part of their rehabilitation. Others have scaled back as a preventive strike against looming burnout.



Those in the process of seeking a new employer might also mentally check out since they do not see the need to give all of themselves to an organization they do not see a future with.



To some bosses, having a worker is better than having no worker at all – even if there is less commitment on display.



Others in charge recognize that quiet quitting will bring with it a raft of new challenges including high levels of job dissatisfaction, disengaged staff, uneven workloads across employees and declining productivity.



Those seeking to quietly quit should be aware that a move to achieve a better work-life balance will not go unnoticed, particularly if they are perceived to be in a downward spiral after previously over-extending themselves.



In that situation, quiet quitting might be viewed as the onset of serious laziness, disengagement or an extreme lack of commitment.



On top of that, the shift to becoming a quiet quitter is fraught with other hazards.



It is often difficult for quiet quitters to judge how far to downgrade to reach – but not undershoot – basic workplace expectations, they are likely to forgo promotional opportunities and those who are inherent people-pleasers will find it tough to say “no” when asked to do something extra.



This is not to say every worker should feel compelled to go above and beyond at work until they drop to the ground.



But the key to executing a successful quiet quitting manoeuvre is communication.



A discussion with the boss about the reasons for taking a backseat role might end up being the difference between keeping a job and being shown the door – particularly down the track when the employment market frees up again.



As for those who prefer to shy away from those types of conversations, it might be a sign they would actually be better off quitting.



After all, once you start a new job it is much easier to set up expectation from the get-go – removing any need to quietly quit down the track.



BY GARY MARTIN Professor Gary Martin is Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of Management WA

Executive outside office with office equipment

After The Great Resignation Comes The Quiet Quitting Trend: How This Is Affecting Productivity 

BY TSHILIDZI MARWALA



AS ARTIFICIAL intelligence (AI) breaks frontiers anew, it stands to reason that the very nature of conflict will undergo a seismic change too. We are already starting to see a manifestation of this. Last year, for example, an Iranian nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was killed by an assassin. What was intriguing is that this assassination occurred from a computer screen at an undisclosed location more than 1,000 miles away through an AI system. This was a high-tech, computerized sharpshooter, which featured AI and multiple-camera eyes, operated via satellite and capable of firing 600 rounds a minute. The New York Times referred to it as a “straight-out-of-science-fiction story”.



Though it sounds somewhat fantastic, it is a development we must take seriously. The very nature of conflict has undergone a paradigm shift of its own. The United Nations (UN) stated a couple of years ago that this is a new era of conflict as “conflicts now tend to be less deadly and often waged between domestic groups rather than states”. Yet, as we watch Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continue to unfold, we cannot dismiss the threat of greater interstate conflict in the future, particularly cognizant of the changing global dynamics. There is a multitude of levels to this – we could see AI weaponized or the manifestation of a war over who will emerge as the first AI superpower or as my colleagues Eyasu Habtermarian and Monica Lagazio and I proposed in 2007, AI could be used to predict militarized interstate disputes, with the implication that it is not all as dire as it seems. The crux of the matter is that technology will determine how wars will be fought, and we have to respond now. As Carayannis and Draper concluded in a journal article this year: “Artificial superintelligence emerging in a world where war is still normalised constitutes a catastrophic existential risk.”



The question perhaps becomes, how do we mitigate the risk factors? One argument made is that there should be a call for greater mediation tactics. For example, states could establish a Universal Global Peace Treaty to constrain the risk of AI warfare. In 2014, the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) discussed lethal autonomous weapons systems for the first time but failed to garner consensus on the issue. In 2018, the #CyberMediation initiative was developed to determine the impact of technology on mediation, including their benefit and risks, to create a platform for collaboration between technology companies, mediators and policymakers. Another argument is that there needs to be an adequate prediction of the possibility of conflict between states. For example, Habtermarian, Lagazio and I found that neural networks, or a series of algorithms that recognize patterns, have already been implemented to predict militarized interstate disputes. Yet, Support Vector Machines (SVMs), which use a classification system for algorithms, proved to be more effective as a prediction technique. It is apparent that much more can be gained from tapping into the potential of AI.



For example, through Natural Language Processing, which analyses languages, we can follow debates on social media channels to better understand the dynamics in specific regions and the impact this could have on the international community. There also needs to be a push toward achieving the tenets set out by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as these underlying factors are often drivers of conflict. Better tracking systems through satellites or drones could give us a clearer picture of resource challenges at a state level. Moreover, there is scope to utilize AI at a decision-making level. As I have written extensively, machines represent “the ideal concept of intelligence” and thus should be used in decision-making as it exemplifies rationality. These are strategies we need to adopt at a global level to ensure that we center human good over all else.



The takeaway is that the subversion from how AI can escalate global conflicts to how AI can prevent global conflicts is important in this endeavor. To paraphrase the UN, the concern has to be on exploring these emerging technologies so that they can be deployed to de-escalate violence and increase international stability. The 19th-century English author H G Wells once said, “If we don’t end war, war will end us.” As technology becomes more entrenched in our lives, this should be our attitude towards the use of AI in conflict. The aim is not to best each other with intelligent weaponry but rather to ensure that deadly and often senseless conflict is avoided. To lean into the words of World Economic Forum (WEF) Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab, this is how we prioritize the promise of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) over the peril.



– The writer is the outgoing Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg and on March 1, 2023, will become Rector of the United Nations University

Artificial Intelligence, technology

South African Academic On AI And Interstate Conflict: Why Emerging Technologies Should Be Deployed To De-Escalate Violence 

AS ALL COUNTRIES CONTINUE to deal with meteoric inflation caused mainly by high energy prices and the disruption of supply chains, the conflict in Ukraine continues unabated. There is food and water shortage, fires, droughts in places, floods in others, unemployment, and rising prices of essential goods just to name some of the calamities being faced by almost everyone in the world today. 



The developed world can sustain the hardship in the short term but if the root cause of the issues is not dealt with expeditiously, there will be far-reaching consequences for everyone. More than anyone else, the real victims of the current brutality are the people of Ukraine, especially children, the elderly and the vulnerable. I have been listening to the numerous debates on television about the aftermath of this catastrophic event in history and worry about the basic understanding that our learned analysts have on the repercussions of a country devastated by conflict. They should simply ask the people of Iraq or Afghanistan who have had the most recent experience of conflict; a generation of development is going to pass them by. War is the surest way to go back to the stone ages and the consequences of this carnage will linger on in the form of hatred that will not only foster generational discord but will have societal degeneration resulting in more sociological disorder.



It is commonsense that for any dispute to be resolved, the leaders of the conflicting sides must be brought together. The word ‘parley’ is a noun that has been used through time immemorial to have a direct dialogue between adversaries to settle disputes. Intermediaries may strengthen you morally, spiritually, legally and in the case of conflict may provide you armaments to defend yourself, but they cannot ever find a solution to the dispute. More than anything, intermediaries always have different interests. The effort of global leaders from the beginning has been and should remain to bring the two leaders (Russia and Ukraine) into a room to thrash out the issues and arrive at a solution. Rather than look at broader issues of the EU and NATO, the parties should look at what is better for them as neighbors and erstwhile allies of the cold war.



As more blood is shed, every continuing day of the war will result in the hardening of positions of both sides and the end will be in the systematic destruction of decades of development. Arming Ukraine is not the answer as their stronger adversary is not going to be silenced through retaliation. Each building and bridge that is destroyed will have to be rebuilt and every citizen displaced will need to be provided for. No third party will do this for Ukraine. The leaders in Ukraine should know that there are no free lunches, and irrespective of outcomes they will eventually be burdened by so much moral and material debt that they will never be able to come out of the shackles of infinite financial bondage. More than anything else, in paying these debts, Ukraine will become an agricultural and mineral hinterland for the extended boundaries of a few nations that are fueling the war. The choice today is nothing other than between the ‘devil or the deep blue sea’.



Sanctions are not an all-inclusive answer to this conflict. The impact of sanctions is being felt not just by Russia but by all countries in the world but mostly the EU. Most countries are far removed from the problem and remain helpless spectators. There are world leaders who have negotiated with and who Putin will listen to, and it is time that leverage is used for the neighbors to settle this dispute in a bilateral discussion. The UN Security Council (permanent and non-permanent members) with the participation of the UN Secretary General must demand a ceasefire and ask the leaders to meet in a neutral territory and resolve the issue. Both sides will need ‘Stand-Still’ assurances during this period, and these must be provided with integrity. A sensible solution is possible, and this route must be expedited to cool down temperatures and stop this senseless conflict.



On another note, as the temperatures start soaring during summers in the Middle East, my wife and I visited the UK and Switzerland this year during July/August. Europe has always been the haven for the summer holidays to get respite from the high temperatures in the Middle East. Not any longer and this is not a one-off occurrence. It didn’t matter whether we were in London, Edinburgh, Geneva, Lausanne, Crans Montana or Zermatt, it was difficult to escape the unusually piercing heat in the afternoon. What we are seeing now is going to become a way of life for Western countries. Climate change is sadly irreversible and countries in Europe must adapt to this new reality as none of the countries are prepared for the scorching heat.



In this context I am reminded of my tenure at the Antarctic during my military career. I was selected, in 1987, as part of the seventh scientific expedition to start building India’s second permanent base in the Antarctic at a place called Maitri (latitude 70.76 South, longitude 11.73 East) in Queen Maud Land. The experience was one of the greatest adventures of my life as we toiled hard through blizzards and whiteouts for four months to finish, despite all the elements, the foundation work of the new station. What I am reflecting on today is not so much about the back-breaking work that we did there but what I saw from an ecological disaster perspective and the sad realities we are faced with today because we failed to act in time. Even as far back as 1987, scientists had flagged global warming and the need to course-correct. Icebergs the size of large islands were breaking off from the Antarctic continental shelf and floating into the Southern Ocean. The protective ozone layer was being gradually disseminated and the impact of ultraviolet radiations was predicted to have a far-reaching impact on rising temperatures and sea levels.



As a quick recap, the continent of Antarctica is 98% covered by ice that has an average thickness of 2.5 kilometers and is the largest reservoir of fresh water in the world; holding 70% of global fresh water. Hypothetically, if this and the ice in the polar region of the Northern pole melts, the sea levels across the world will go up by 230 feet, submerging every coastal city on our planet. This is an alarming thought. Furthermore, it is projected that by the year 3000, ocean levels around the world will go up by 13 feet. If you think your grandchildren will benefit from beach-front properties that you have willed them, think again!!



When I returned from the Antarctic and after leaving the forces in 1988, I started speaking at various events regarding the need for a drastic reduction in our Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) and Hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) emissions and single-use plastics; my words fell on deaf years. In the following years, I started reaching out to high schools in Dubai to talk about the future of, and the need to preserve and safeguard, our planet. The simple analogy is “how will your body survive if your skin is peeled off”. The school children were more attentive and responsive to the discussion as they perhaps understood that they would likely see the impact of global warming within their lifetime. This was 34 years ago. What we have seen during this period is the gradual depletion of the ozone layer which is now becoming more blatant and harsher as we are exposed to the changing weather patterns arising from global warming. We have seen artificial intelligence (AI) rendered images of future cities by 2050, but no one is paying attention to the acidification of our oceans and the impact on marine life by 2050; an incidence of dying fish owing to possibly pollution have come up this year in the Oder River which borders Poland and Germany. It is flagged as an environmental and ecological disaster. This is just the start of the destruction of marine life, whether by drought or pollution, which will have a material impact on the world. While the subject is being dealt with, the sad reality is that the pace of change may never catch up with the impending crisis.



Coming closer to home, things on the African continent remain extremely volatile as well. The impact of global events always has a knock-off impact on African economies and it’s no surprise to see the repercussions of supply chain disruptions and food shortages in different parts of Africa. The short-term issues will continue to be vexing but my long-term prognosis on the future in Africa remains positive. This was validated by a breakfast meeting that I had a few weeks back in Johannesburg with some extremely enterprising individuals. The meeting was hosted by a long-time friend and outstanding businesswoman, Sneha Shah, who was formerly the Managing Director of Reuters Africa and has just finished her most recent assignment as the Managing Director of Business Accelerator at the London Stock Exchange Group, based in New York. Most of the attendees were young business leaders who were focused on relooking at ‘purpose’ and wanting to make a meaningful impact on the future of Africa.



My generation has made many unforgivable mistakes, but I am inclined to believe that our younger leaders have a better understanding of what the future needs. Their focus was clearly on responsible investing considering diversity, green energy, and transformation. It was heartening to hear the statistics on incremental growth in FDI into Africa and the interest from a lot of pockets of capital to invest into bankable transactions in Africa. I was also delighted to meet the founder of the Harambeans; an organization developing the younger generation of innovators and entrepreneurs in Africa. Despite the gloom at a macro level, there is much hope for the future of our continent.



Despite all the gloom, I am a die-hard optimist and believe strongly in the words of Nelson Mandela: “I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.”

From Ukraine To The Antarctic And Africa: What The Future Needs

By Deepali Khanna and Siddharth Chatterjee



The world today faces a future that is in peril. Our challenges have become more complex and interconnected, as we see the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, an uneven economic recovery, a climate emergency, growing inequalities, and an increase in conflicts globally. This year also marks a grim milestone, with <a href="https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/insights/explainers/100-million-forcibly-displaced.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">over 100 million people forcibly displaced</a>.&nbsp;



These events accompany increasing division in the community of nations which threatens to push the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) further out of reach for the Global South.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Adding to these crises, rising food and energy prices driven by the conflict in Ukraine, could push 71 million people into poverty, <a href="https://www.undp.org/publications/addressing-cost-living-crisis-developing-countries-poverty-and-vulnerability-projections-and-policy-responses" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to UNDP</a>. The Global South, typically comprised of countries in South America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, was already grappling with economic issues now exacerbated by the triple planetary crisis.&nbsp;



With limited resources, high vulnerability, and low resilience, people in the Global South will bear the brunt of our inaction, on climate and elsewhere. Solely depending on external aid from the Global North or G7 countries cannot be the panacea. Here, countries of the Global South can empower themselves and combine efforts to achieve sustainable development.&nbsp;



Cooperating to catalyse change&nbsp;



In the face of global threats, international cooperation remains vital, as highlighted by the International Day for South-South Cooperation. South-South cooperation seeks to complement traditional development models by throwing light on the transformations needed to deliver on priorities, including the SDGs. It offers possible solutions from Global South to Global South.&nbsp;



Countries of the Global South have contributed to <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/intergovernmental-coordination/south-south-cooperation-2019.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">more than half of global economic growth in recent times</a>. Intra-South trade is higher than ever, accounting for over a quarter of world trade. It is time to further leverage these partnerships in the development space.&nbsp;&nbsp;



We already saw this while many countries were trying to obtain COVID-19 vaccines. Citizens of low and middle-income countries faced systemic discrimination in the global COVID-19 response, leaving millions without access to vaccines, tests, and treatments. India <a href="https://www.mea.gov.in/vaccine-supply.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sent over 254.4 million vaccine supplies to nations across the world</a>, under Vaccine Maitri – a vaccine export initiative.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Likewise, China has supplied <a href="https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/topics_665678/kjgzbdfyyq/202202/t20220226_10645851.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">over 200 million doses of vaccines to the COVAX Facility</a>, in addition to providing millions of dollars in medical supplies to countries in the Global South, including in Africa, throughout the pandemic.&nbsp;



Informing partnership models with Africa &amp; China&nbsp;



To advance development priorities, partnerships need to be rooted in shared interests that can lead to shared gains, as seen in traditional development models and assistance from the Global North. This dynamic needs to be at the core of the China-Africa relationship as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;



China, an economic powerhouse, has the potential to advance development in the Global South, especially in Africa, by bringing its experience, expertise, and resources to bear, and its assistance must advance both its interests and those of the countries where it operates.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Investments in shared goals are reflected in <a href="https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjb_663304/wjbz_663308/2461_663310/202208/t20220819_10745617.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">efforts by China</a> to improve public health in Africa, including in the construction of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Ethiopia, and in clean energy, through projects such as the Kafue Lower Gorge Power Station in Zambia.&nbsp;



China <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2021/12/27/an-examination-of-the-2035-vision-for-china-africa-cooperation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">promises to invest US$60 billion</a> cumulatively in Africa by 2035, directed at agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, environmental protection, and the digital economy. This is most welcome, and those planned investments must answer the needs of the local economies and societies.&nbsp;



What works in one country may not work elsewhere, but true collaboration allows for learning from mistakes and sharing successes. This is where the UN’s expertise can ensure cooperation is demand-driven, in line with local expectations and needs, national development priorities, and relevant international norms and standards. &nbsp; &nbsp;



Platforms like the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) can work to improve that essential partnership. This mechanism has identified shared priorities like climate change, agriculture/food systems, global health, and energy security, among others, between China and Africa.&nbsp;&nbsp;



For the first time in FOCAC’s history and with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, the UN in China is engaged as a strategic partner in this bilateral mechanism between China and Africa. The UN in China is continuing similar efforts in close consultation with relevant counterparts, including the China International Development Cooperation Agency.&nbsp;



For The Rockefeller Foundation, it is a nod to its legacy in China dating back to 1914, rooted in redesigning medical education to improve healthcare and its current priorities to advance Global South collaboration, especially in public health, food, and clean energy access—all global public goods.&nbsp;



Beyond the Global South: Action Together&nbsp;



With less than eight years to achieve the SDGs, truly international cooperation is our only hope. Emerging trends in technology and innovation can get us there, along with enhanced South-South cooperation efforts. But doing so requires us to “flip the orthodoxy”, as UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed advised.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The Ebola crisis is an example of where global cooperation, including South-South cooperation, enabled Sierra Leone to defeat the disease’s spread, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/12/cuba-leads-fights-against-ebola-africa" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">notably through a brigade of 461 health workers</a> sent to Sierra Leone to support their overburdened system. Later, other countries made similar efforts to support Sierra Leone and nearby countries, such as Guinea and Liberia. This example shows the potential of South-South cooperation, but also triangular cooperation and North-South partnerships. Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are another mechanism for financing and capacity building.&nbsp;&nbsp;



This can be seen in Kenya, where the Government and the UN System convened an <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/realizing-kenyas-vision-to-achieve-universal-health_b_59bd5965e4b0390a1564de1c" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SDG Partnership Platform</a> with companies such as Phillips, Huawei, Safaricom, GSK, and Merck. The outcomes include a downward trend of maternal and child mortality in some of the country’s most remote regions. Similar PPPs can hold promise in unlocking global progress on the SDGs.&nbsp;



Today, while we face a more volatile world, the spirit of South-South cooperation shows a core value that we need: solidarity. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “The last two years have demonstrated a simple but brutal truth &#8211; if we leave anyone behind, we leave everyone behind”.&nbsp;



<a href="https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/profile/deepali-khanna/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Deepali Khanna</a> is Vice-President of the Asia Region Office at The Rockefeller Foundation. <a href="https://china.un.org/en/about/about-the-resident-coordinator-office" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Siddharth Chatterjee</a> is the United Nations Resident Coordinator in China.&nbsp;

Screenshot 2022-09-12 at 08.41.07

United We Stand To Achieve Sustainable Development

It didn’t take long for Russia’s war in Ukraine to impact Africa. Already grappling with soaring inflation and still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, Africa now faces a shortage of at least 30 million metric tons of food —especially wheat, maize and soybean imported from Russia and Ukraine.



Fertilizer price hikes of over 300% make it increasingly difficult for African farmers to grow enough wheat, maize, rice and other crops. A growing number of people in Africa can no longer afford the price of bread.



Africa is struggling to mitigate a conflict-induced famine that could throw some 30 million Africans into catastrophic levels of food insecurity. It could deepen economic stress, and political unrest. With millions struggling to buy food, fuel and fertilizer, anti-government protests are a real possibility.



From the onset, the African Development Bank realized the strategic need to tackle the devastating impact of the war on Africa’s food security. It was important to prevent unrest and even more human suffering. In May, the Bank established a $1.5 billion African Emergency Food Production Facility. In less than 60 days, it put into action $1.13 billion-worth of programs under the facility, and across 25 African countries. Half a dozen more programs are expected to get underway by September as more governments apply to the facility.



The African Emergency Food Production Facility will deliver climate-adapted, certified wheat and other staple crop seeds — and increased access to agricultural fertilizers — to 20 million farmers. Over the next two years, the facility will allow farmers to produce 38 million additional tons of food — a 30% increase in local production —worth an estimated $12 billion. To facilitate even greater global investment in Africa’s agricultural sector, the facility will also support enhanced governance and policy reforms.



While this is a strong start, Africa needs the international community to fill a $200 million financing gap for the facility. President Joe Biden has endorsed the African Emergency Food Production Facility, and this is welcome support, as is his support for the African Development Bank’s Africa Disaster Risk Financing Program.



To help African governments pay drought and flooding insurance premiums and respond better to food insecurity caused by climate change, the Disaster Risk Financing Program, is a much-needed futures element of the Facility.



To boost agricultural production in Nigeria, Tanzania and Côte d’Ivoire, the Japan International Cooperation Agency has recently partnered with the African Development Bank to co-finance African Emergency Food Production Facility programs. International development agencies and a growing coalition of nations are also supporting the Africa Emergency Food Production Facility.



Launched in 2018, the African Development Bank’s successful flagship Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) program is delivering technologies in the form of climate-resilient crop varieties — seeds that are resistant to drought, high temperatures or pests, for example.



In Ethiopia, thanks to TAAT-funded, heat-tolerant wheat seeds, the country boosted cultivated farmland from 50,000 hectares to 675,000 additional hectares in just four years. TAAT’s climate-smart seeds allow the wheat crop to thrive in Ethiopia’s arid, lowlands where ordinary wheat varieties do not generally do well.



More locally grown wheat has reduced Ethiopia’s dependence on wheat imports. By embracing TAAT, the country did not need to import wheat, for the first time, this year. With the Bank’s continued support, Ethiopia will become a wheat exporter in 2023. It will export more than a million metric tons of wheat to Kenya and Djibouti. That is enough food to feed 10 million people for 12 months.



The African Development Bank knows what works.



TAAT has already reached 12 million farmers. We are calling on our international partners and governments to join us as we scale up TAAT through the new African Emergency Food Production Facility.



Our commitment to helping Africa grow more food by adapting to climate change has earned the support of UN Secretary General António Guterres, who recently said the Bank’s allocation of half of its climate finance to adaptation is the standard for international development partners to follow. The US Department of the Treasury has endorsed the African Emergency Food Production Facility as part of the International Financial Institution Action Plan to Address Food Insecurity — a shortlisted guide of programs for donor nation consideration.



Africa does not need food aid to feed itself. Africa needs right investments and seeds in the ground.



The Africa Emergency Food Production Facility will provide an immediate solution to twin global challenges of conflict and climate change, and play immediate, medium and long-term roles in growing Africa’s agriculture sector as a foundation for resilient African economies.



Policy reforms will help trigger structural reforms needed for market-based input distribution and to produce crops more competitively.



Today and well into the future, the African Development Bank is delivering a proven plan to unlock Africa’s food production potential and see Africa become a breadbasket to the world.



Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina – The writer is President of the African Development Bank Group

PRST Adesina

New African Emergency Food Production Facility Aiming To Avert A Food Crisis On The Continent

THE LAST THREE MONTHS WERE largely dominated with negativity; it started with the conflict in Ukraine that had a cascading impact on food shortage, supply chains, equity markets, commodities and currencies. The vulnerability of the crypto market was exposed as billions of dollars of value disappeared into the abyss of the dark web; a domain of which I only have a peripheral view. 



When the world of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), crypto currencies and the ubiquity of the blockchain was becoming fashionable, I nostalgically reflected on my late father’s forlorn look when he struggled with what was the start of the internet era in the late 1990s. He was getting to 70 at that time and right until he passed in 2017, and despite his two engineering degrees and numerous doctorates, he grappled to align his education and experience with the world of internet.



The transition between his generation and mine was relatively gradual. Our generation (Boomers) also grew up using log tables, the slide rule (analog computer) was just getting phased out and calculators had just surfaced. From a consumer perspective, nothing earth-shattering happened between the 1960s and 1980s other than the travel industry that was revolutionized by the commercialization of aircraft and satellite television; so while we could reach places faster and watch color TV at home, we were quite satisfied with the linear pace of life including but not limited to the regular postal service that took 15 days to get a reply to a letter or travelers cheques when we traveled as credit cards didn’t exist.



In comparison, I was in a lift with three other people the other day and each one was frantically messaging as though their life depended on a response that could not wait until after disembarking from the elevator. I find it very difficult to even imagine the world we grew up in.



Perhaps I feel the same way as my father did, as the adaptation of technology and the evolution of consumerism has never been faster than today. As I turn to my son (Gen Y) looking for answers, he sagaciously and patiently explains to me where he sees the world going with blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR). He talked about DALL-E, an AI tool that facilitates the digital visualization of text and the fact that most repetitive tasks currently being performed, including those by accountants and lawyers, will be delivered through AI. But then, with his growing wisdom, he readily admits that the generation (Gen Z) after his has already started talking a language that he will soon too, not understand. He is 34. The irony now is that his one-year-old daughter, in her infancy, somehow knows that the cell phone gets everyone’s attention. I can’t even comprehend what she will be teaching him in 20 years. This rapid evolution is inevitable.



If history be the shepherd of what we witnessed with the internet bubble recovery post-2001 then one can perhaps make an educated guess that the current correction from the crypto bubble of 2022 will result in a more measured world where the learnings will be factored into tangible developments on the web and not just the mindless purchase of digital cartoon characters that were bought and sold for thousands of dollars validating the ‘greater fool theory’. The fools holding the baby will undoubtedly blame everything other than greed and portray themselves as the trailblazers who turned into the proverbial sacrificial lambs. The ‘hindsight 20/20’ pundits have already started talking about dollar cost average and consolidating positions; we have heard this every time the markets have corrected. If we believe in economic cycles, then the carnage of the current correction shall also pass until the next bubble. But the markets are not our pressing issue.



The real issue we continue to deal with is the pressing conflict in Ukraine and the realignment of nations. It will take decades for the world to completely redefine supply chains based on altered geopolitics. In the meantime, the global recession caused by this senseless conflict is imminent. There is a rise in prices of everything and the common man has nowhere to go. Consequently, there are strikes in all parts of the world for wage correction. These matters will be further exacerbated in the winters when there is a shortage of oil and gas supplies to Europe. Thousands have died, millions have been displaced and rendered homeless, billions of dollars of assets have been destroyed and the world has no answers. I continue to question the relevance of the permanent status given by the UN Charter to five sovereign states – China, Russia, USA, UK and France. When those who are custodians of good order perpetuate crimes against humanity (and this is not just Russia); who must call them to order?



This is at the root of the problem and until the Charter is re-written and takes away the veto rights from these five, the world will remain hostage to the whims of these nations; most of whom have lost their high ground to give moral lessons to the rest of the world. What is the pathway to stop 



this abuse of dominance while the world watches in shock and despair?



These concerns have been resonated by our business leaders in South Africa, where we are facing challenges of our own. The concerns are at many levels. The first relates to the economic future of the continent, both as an immediate concern on shortages and perhaps a wake-up call for policy-makers to rapidly incentivize indigenization of every industry vertical to achieve self- reliance. It is abundantly clear that Africa’s problems must be solved by its own people, and this will need a concerted effort from governments and business to ensure that we are insulated from global events as much as possible.



The future energy and food security of the continent is an important imperative as these shortages will see prices skyrocket and intensify poverty to painful thresholds that may result in civil unrest. I engaged with several policy- makers and the requirements are very clearly understood; the problem lies in the implementation.



The implementation rests largely with a strong administrative service or bureaucracy. The bureaucracy remains largely ineffective both on account of unqualified people running the departmental functions, too much interference from the politicians on the appointment of senior functionaries, and largely because good people don’t want to serve in a toxic environment and have left the service. The continuity and consistency of policy can only come from a strong bureaucracy. Strengthening this service based on meritocracy is a critical need in most African countries including South Africa.



The other anxiety is regarding the state of political play in South Africa. As the continent’s leading economy, South Africa is undoubtedly heading into a crevasse of political turbulence. Saving a miracle, the (un)surprisingly bankrupt African National Congress (ANC) is likely to drop below 51% leading to an era of fragmented provincial politics, the emergence of new parties and the era of coalition governments. While this will bring uncertainty, it will finally usher the much-needed accountability and a drive towards a path of true service to people. This fate is now accepted by a large number of people in South Africa including staunch ANC stalwarts who believe that the ANC has now outlived its charter and must go through reincarnation with a relevant doctrine to serve its people. This process is inevitable and necessary for South Africa as this is the only way that the country will come out of the downward spiral that it has gone into for the last decade or so. The fragmentation has already started with many political parties emerging and many more on the horizon. Some have a single agenda and that is to topple the ANC at any cost but eventually, the country needs a manifesto beyond superficial differences and move forward on a path to social and economic recovery.



But all has not been doom and gloom in the last few months. The business community in Africa has been vibrant and playing their part in keeping the wheels of prosperity in motion. It was time for us to celebrate African business leadership once again and on June 3 2022, after being subdued for two years (because of Covid), we decided to host the All Africa Business Leaders Awards (AABLAs) as an in-person event.



After much debate, we decided to organize and celebrate the tenth milestone AABLA event in Sun City (in South Africa’s North West province). Despite a two-hour drive from Johannesburg, and as validated by so many of our distinguished guests, it was a befitting decision. It was a memorable evening celebrating Africa’s most successful business leaders at one of the finest destinations in South Africa. We had some great acceptance speeches from formidable leaders such as Naseem Lahri, Shirley Machaba, Mxolisi Mgojo and Reuel Khoza.



We had another reason to celebrate. On June 1 2022, CNBC Africa completed 15 years of broadcasting. It was a dream that my partner Zafar Siddiqi and I had when we launched this amazing brand in Africa with the vision to change the negative perceptions of the African continent. Fifteen years on, we pride ourselves as being the most comprehensive business news network on the continent. Through all the disruptions and challenges, we have prodded along slowly but surely with some of the most talented members of the ABN family led by Roberta Naicker, Sid Wahi, Godfrey Mutizwa, Jill De Villiers, Renuka Methil, Jean Landsburg, Thameshan Sooriah, Denham Pons and Sue Gounden making a difference to the media landscape through responsible, timely, credible and comprehensive reporting.



This milestone, for me, was perhaps the most nostalgic and valuable toast.



As we start Women’s Month in South Africa, there were many other major milestones that I discovered in the past few weeks. The most satisfying was to see progress in diversity and equality within the business community in South Africa. Noteworthy was the earlier appointment of Nolitha Fakude as the first female President of Minerals Council South Africa in its 131-year history, Dr Nombasa Tsengwa as the first woman CEO to lead Exxaro, Nonkululeko Nyembezi as the first non-executive Chairman of the Standard Bank Group and Shirley Machaba as the first black woman CEO of PwC Southern Africa; these are just a few examples of the recognition of excellence of women in the workplace and to see that despite the many other flaws, South Africa is keeping pace with inclusivity.



In the words of Kofi Annan: “Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.”



Let us celebrate inclusion.

Moving Forward On A Path To Social And Economic Recovery

The Ukraine crisis has compounded global problems, which started with United States’ sanctions on China. The pandemic, economic recovery and now the Ukraine factor have unsettled the world. The Ukraine crisis is not of the making of any of the developing countries, yet we are all to face its consequences.



There is an increasing securitization of the global order, rather than pursuit of functional agenda of trade, climate, public health and the like; countries are being forced to delink from Russia. Summits like the Quad, EU, NATO, G7 and BRICS have followed this trend. There are many summits though ostensibly they are to create common agendas.



Developing countries are constrained now, since we have to deal with the realities of unilateral sanctions not under United Nations auspices. We are asked to swear by the UN Charter but then the bigger powers ignore it at will.



The US-China rivalry which troubles ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) has spilled over into a revised US-Russia rivalry. The world is cleaved again. Strategic autonomy and a desire for a multi-polar world are the best options for the countries in the middle.



Periodically we are promised the benefits of globalization, of free trade, of new financing for green economies and for infrastructure. Yet when the time comes, developing countries who invested in globalization see the benefits shrink depending on the priorities of the developed countries. The World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting did not meet the good intentions in the various summit documents.



Currently, supply chains are in vogue. These include security supply chains and the emergence of the Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) and AUKUS (a trilateral security pact between Australia, the UK, and the US) and a more robust Indo-Pacific policy that show that challenges to international rules will be met.



On economic issues, no more is labor arbitrage and cheap cost of production the only concerns for international business: the reliability of supply and dependability of the country as part of a supply chain are important factors.



In this, India and developing partners like ASEAN and Africa under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) must look more to each other, to enhance regional supply chains. Japan and Germany can play a role in a Chair multipolar order. Whatever the dependence of all of us on China or Russia for that matter, it is time to find alternatives among us. Discover ways to prevent supply chains from disruption and the benefits of globalization promised to us may be better served. No country can escape from the reality that China and the US are major economic partners. Choosing among them is an unfortunate call. Neither should they impose their preferences on our development priorities.



A higher level of economic integration, whether through the WTO or through the COPs, has not brought about better harmony globally. Neither has the BRI (Belt and Road Initiative). The fragmentation underway now will not be easy to manage. Just as we prefer a strategic multipolar world, we have better chances of an economic multipolarity with several supply chains of more dependable countries.



For pharmaceuticals, vaccines, agricultural products and food grains India is well placed as a supplier. Six ASEAN countries and several African are importing from India. We need similar assured supplies for energy, fertilizers, components for solar panels, for rare earths… These need diversity to prevent disruption by natural disasters, internal disruption or sanctions by rivals of supplier countries



This implies that other countries should work together in a multipolar world so that everything is not determined only by a few countries. In this multipolar world, Japan, Germany, ASEAN and India all



play a role. We need to make sure that the world order will not be utilized by a few countries only for their own benefit. The rules agreed for all will be followed, and not changed when it suits them.



To deal with this, we need better communication and cooperation among the other poles of the global order so that a unipolar or bipolar world could be constrained.



There have been several summits recently. India participated in the BRICS summit followed by the G7 summit. In between was the Commonwealth Summit. A NATO summit followed. Later this year, there will be the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN Summit and the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. An SCO Summit is in September.



The G20 summit will be held in November. The churning in the world due to the pandemic, the requirements of post-pandemic recovery, the convulsions due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the consequent disruption of the world economy are all being scrutinized.



Their impact is undeniable but not always predictable. The looming recession, a rise in interest rates in the US and in Europe and rising energy, food grain and fertilizer prices are all compounding the problems that the world finds itself in.



Despite these convulsions, developing countries within the G20 must come together to prevent an erosion of another multilateral body in which we are all invested. This year, Indonesia is the Chair, in 2023, it will be India and in 2024, Brazil will be the Chair.



India deftly kept abreast of the pandemic and the Ukraine crisis and despite initial criticism of its abstentions on the UN regarding Russia, it succeeded in getting its point of view understood by the G7 countries. The invitation to India to attend the G7 as a guest was a manifestation that Indian diplomacy had quietly done its work. The fact that India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi could attend the BRICS summit with Russia and China and then go to the G7 summit showed that India, along with countries like Indonesia, South Africa and Argentina could be a bridge.



The strategic autonomy to deal with the increasing Big Power rivalry requires a path of dealing with everybody without exclusion. Since the larger multilateral organizations are not providing adequate relief to countries as a united entity there are more regional and related plurilaterals emerging. It is in out interest to remain strategically autonomous, build trust and confidence and take each decision as warranted by choice not alignment.



By Gurjit Singh – The writer is an author and former ambassador.

Russia Starts Large-Scale Attack On Ukraine

Why Developing Countries Need To Stand Together At This Moment

We appear to be increasingly spoilt for choice when it comes to flexible work options on offer.



Nine-day fortnights, part-time work, fly-in fly-out rosters and WFH regimes sit alongside mounting calls for the introduction of the six-hour work day and the four-day working week.



There is only one problem – though well-intentioned, current flexible work arrangements go nowhere near far enough to help us navigate the peaks and troughs of responsibilities that fall outside work.



Pressing work responsibilities often peak at the same time as we have to be more present in our non- working lives.



In our 30s, 40s and even 50s, most of us experience a form of mid-life madness when the heavy demands of work converge with our equally heavy non-work commitments.



As a case in point, consider 



the plight of many working parents. With pressure on parents to take on full-time jobs to bolster their financial security, we inadvertently set them up for failure. We demand the impossible that they are dedicated to work as well as perfect parents.



The peak of our responsibilities appears to come together in mid-life – a stage of life synonymous with burnout.



Then we hit our senior years and retire because that is what others expect us to do. If we have children, they leave home and all of a sudden we have a lot of time on our hands.



Having time on one’s hand was not necessarily a bad thing when a typical retirement lasted just 10 years. But with life expectancies increasing, a 20 or even 30-year retirement with too much time to fill might be less appealing.



It is the reason why our current flexible work arrangements need a makeover, overhaul or rebuild to incorporate what being flexible can and should really mean.



If we really want to better manage all of our commitments, we need a model of workplace flexibility that responds to the ups and downs of our responsibilities as we move through life, or “workload scaling”.



As the name suggests, this futuristic form of flexibility allows us to scale our workload based on responsibilities outside the workplace at different stages of our lives.



Using this logic, an employee regularly sits down with their employer to negotiate an appropriate full or fractional workload for a fixed period of time – say the next two to three years.



Imagine going into the workforce in your early 20s – you are career-driven, keen to put in the hours and have the time to do so and therefore you negotiate a 120% workload.



Two years down the track, you are keen to undertake some further study so negotiate your workload down to 80% for a better balance with study and life.



You complete your qualification a few years later and move back to 120%.



Not long after, though, you settle down and have a family. You and your partner wish to work and share the responsibility for raising the children so you both approach your employers and arrange a 70% workload each. No one’s career is put on hold.



In your 60s, you work a 75% load but as you near your 70s you drop back to 50%. When you turn 75, you decide to drop to 25%.



Workload scaling is focused on optimizing an individual’s health and wellbeing and reducing the risk of burnout.



This form of flexibility responds to the fact that when we are overstretched we are unlikely to perform at our best. It assumes by effectively adjusting workloads based on non-work responsibilities across our lifetime that we are likely to see enhanced workplace productivity.



Workload scaling is not about doing less work across a lifetime. It is about doing roughly the same amount of work spread across a longer working life – and that includes the so-called retirement years.



No doubt there will be many challenges with introducing this type of flexible work arrangement though the prize of a successful implementation will be the many advantages that will spring from this new form of workplace flexibility.



As we reconsider what flexible work might look like in the future, it will be worth keeping in mind that all options should be about getting the very best work out of each and every employee – which is impossible if a person finds themselves overstretched. 



BY GARY MARTIN– The writer is Chief Executive Officer with the Australian Institute of Management WA

Businessman working on his laptop in modern office

Workload Scaling: The Future Of Flexible Working

THE WORLD Health Organization (WHO) stated recently that we are still in the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic. The five stages determined by WHO are ‘Pandemic, Deceleration, Control, Elimination and Eradication’.



While this projection did create debate from various groups, it’s complex to predict whether future mutations of the virus will be as severe as the Delta variant. Since it’s hard to have any certainty regarding future mutations, it’s best to err on the side of caution and remain vigilant. I believe that these phases are not mutually exclusive. Given all the expenditure on research and vaccine development, the phases will dovetail and expedite to the elimination phase and in time, the eradication phase of the virus. What is clear is that periodic boosters and the Covid-19 vaccination certificate, like the Yellow Fever card, will be an essential part of our travel documents. Despite all the underlying risks, the optimistic human mind has momentarily conquered the fear of Covid-19 as many people have boxed the virus into the category of a flu.



It was, therefore, not surprising to see that all flights out of Dubai, a global transit hub, over the last three months had extremely high occupancy. This is good for economic recovery, particularly for the tourism and hospitality sector which has seen a sharp resurgence in the first quarter of 2022. With lockdown behind us, we hurried to South Africa (SA) to take advantage of the interspersed windows of travel opportunity.



Johannesburg was, as always, full of action; the highlight was the in-person South Africa Investment Conference under the patronage of HE President Cyril Ramaphosa. The presentations were encouraging and the positivity in the conference rooms reassuring; it was a great time to catch up with old friends some of whom I was meeting after over two years. However, the speech that resonated the most with me was the keynote address at dinner by Dr Patrick SoonShiong, the South African-born scientist, entrepreneur and billionaire.



Dr Soon-Shiong’s journey is well-documented and has been a lifetime in the research and development of cancer-related Abraxane and then many other ventures including his current NantHealth and NantWorks that are focused on using his vast experience and resources to find a sustainable cure for cancer. He advocated the prioritization of healthcare in Africa, specifically building cancer centers, diagnostics and manufacturing in SA and perhaps over time, other parts of Africa. Of all the projects showcased, this one would unquestionably find financial backers including the African Development Bank that could easily underwrite the venture. 



It has to be seen whether the SA government steps up and accords approvals for expeditious implementation as this project could be a strategic pilot project that would inspire many others to follow. Another important message from Dr Soon-Shiong’s talk was his emphasis on self-reliance, particularly in the manufacturing of vaccines and medicines. Indigenization has been talked about for many years by almost all governments but the implementation ends up in vain as vested interests and unnecessary regulatory minefields prevent the setting up of sustainable projects in Africa.



In general, the continent is not short of raw materials, qualified people or money. What it lacks is research capacity, intellectual property, technology and most importantly, amidst corruption, political will and the lack of continuity and consistency in economic policy.



This gap continues to foster the export of raw material to different parts of the world with no sustainable development within the continent. What is required is a paradigm change towards indigenization not because of the opportunities as they present themselves but also because of the necessity demonstrated by recent global events.



The war in Ukraine is complex and is going to change the world in more ways than any previously known conflict. Other than the unnecessary and condemnable death and destruction that has been the immediate outcome, the economic and geopolitical ramifications are going to be far-reaching. Sadly, the lesson that has been propagated from this crisis is that countries must militarily align and spend more on defence for a safer future; the truth cannot be further from this.



It is undoubtedly every country’s mission to defend its territorial integrity but creating a war hysteria and overspending on defence is not a sustainable solution particularly for developing countries. There is far too much at stake and nations must not fall into debt traps by vested interests advocating the prioritization of defence spending over economic development.



The immediate global priority is that the war must end. Looking ahead, the realignment of power blocs will be the outcome of self-interest that will drive every nation towards making choices that suit their long-term goals. In my book, Be a Lion, I have talked extensively about ‘interdependence’ and that relationships diminish in value when there is inequitable dependence.



Developed nations are not vested into Africa and their interest could falter based on unpredictable external factors. How does one insulate against these risks of being left unaided in the time of need? The only answer is immediate diversification by prioritizing regional collaborations and creating greater interdependence.



Security in all its forms has to be derived from our neighbors and not from nations and allies so far removed that they have no interest in our long-term sustainability. The continent today has several economic blocs that include the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the East African Community (EAC), the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). These blocs need to be further strengthened. In addition to these blocs are various trade partnerships, the most prominent of which is the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which came about in 2018 and the AfCFTA agreement is signed by 54 of the 55 African countries and ratified by 36.



AfCFTA could not have come at a better time for the African continent and has the right stated focus – “AfCFTA aims at accelerating intra-African trade and boosting Africa’s trading position in the global market by strengthening Africa’s common voice and policy space in global trade negotiations.”



It’s now time to start implementing various proposals and building self-sufficiency. There is absolutely nothing wrong in protecting your local markets and your people by deciding what is in your long-term interest. As we build infrastructure, industries, technology, power and logistics, the priority sector focus in Africa must be food and water security.



Africa has all the natural resources and an arable land mass; we must ensure that the continent is capable of feeding its population and then feeding the world. To entice the younger generation, there is a need to provide incentives and create an environment where the youth see the same value in agritech as they see in fintech.



There are other weaknesses that have emerged from the continuing war in Ukraine. The sanctions against Russia and its expected response has exposed the global supply chain vulnerability. To illustrate, the termination of Russian oil and gas supply can create significant disruption to the countries particularly in Eastern Europe. Switching suppliers is not as easy as it is being made out to be. Industries and refineries have been designed around certain raw material specifications; the cost and losses resulting from inefficiencies and medium-term supply will be catastrophic. On the Russian side, there is alienation from payment systems, credit cards, communications, logistics and just about everything, including but not limited to healthcare and food. As we condemn these acts, there are realities that we need to ponder over in the period ahead and implement plans to ensure that Africa is insulated from arbitrary actions that can cripple its development through over-reliance on external strengths. 



I had the good fortune to attend a seminar organized by the Schiller Institute that focused on the new security and development architecture for all nations.



The conference resonated with my beliefs for course correction and the need for a new world order. The webinar theme was around the fact that “our world is under the immediate existential threat of generalized warfare and economic destruction affecting billions of people, including the possibility of nuclear war, and thus the possible annihilation of the human species. It is therefore extremely urgent to establish a new Security and Development Architecture for all Nations, which must take into account the interest of every single nation on the planet”.



Through the various messages articulated was a profound message: “Man is the only species endowed with creative reason, which distinguishes him from all other living beings. This creative capability enables him to continuously discover new principles of the physical universe, which is called scientific progress. The fact that the human mind, through an immaterial idea, is able to discover these principles, which have an effect in the material universe in the form of technological progress, proves that there is correspondence between the lawfulness of the human mind and the lawfulness of the physical universe.



Seen from this perspective, the economy has nothing to do with monetary profit, but with the happiness of the people, in the sense meant by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, i.e., that people are able to develop all the inherent potentials they have into a harmonious whole, and thus contribute to the best further development of mankind.”



The sheer brilliance of these words will resonate with every human because more than anything else, we strive towards happiness. This was further validated by an articulate Scott Galloway who ended his webinar on ‘provocative predictions’ by highlighting the most common question raised to him by audiences – “Where does one see the most investable opportunity in the post-pandemic world”? His response could not have been more profound – “Invest in your relationships and in happiness”. Your economic status has no bearing or value if at the end you do not have happiness or the unadulterated support of your near and dear ones.



In the words of the Dalai Lama: “Happiness is not something readymade, it comes from your own actions.” If the essence of life is happiness resulting from building close relationships, then why are we losing our way?

Op-Ed: Course Correction, Paradigm Shifts And A Profound Truth

By Gary Martin



If you are like most people, in recent times, you’ve spent considerable time glued to a variety of screens including smartphones, laptops, tablets, computer screens or TVs.



Lockdowns, periods of isolation and the need for social distancing were collectively responsible for our skyrocketing average daily screen-times, raising concern among health professionals that our once-delicate balance between online and offline lives has been massively disrupted.



While we were once fixated on the concept of work-life balance, many health experts have shifted their attention to the way we incorporate technology into our lives and our ability to achieve a so-called tech-life balance.



Tech-life balance refers to using technology in such a way that it does not impact negatively on your personal life or relationships.



And health experts are concerned that a cocktail of pandemic-related conditions has pushed our tech-life balance way out of whack.&nbsp;



Even before the pandemic entered our lives, our dependency on technology had become a serious concern.&nbsp;



We use technology more than ever before for everything from work to shopping to connecting with friends through to checking on our children’s whereabouts.&nbsp;&nbsp;



We can read the news, respond to emails, watch TV, listen to music and make a phone call – wherever we are and whenever we want – all from a small hand-held device.



There is no question that technology makes our day-to-day life easier. But as our parents almost certainly warned us at one point in time, we can’t have too much of a good thing.



Our devices have made us feel under a great deal of pressure to be available 24/7 – to respond instantly.



But by being so readily available to whoever wants our online attention, we often make ourselves less available to those who are right there in the room with us – family, friends and colleagues – and in the process we put those relationships at risk.



And when it comes to our health, too much technology has been blamed for a range of other issues including increased irritability, heightened anxiety, digital eye strain, sleep problems, reduced attention span, inability to concentrate and failing fitness levels.



You will know your tech-life balance is broken when you see your smartphone, laptop or tablet as an extension of your personal self and you prefer the company of your device to the physical presence of family and friends.



And if you lose your device momentarily to spark a frenzy of pulling cushions off the lounge or rummaging through piles of newspapers or magazines, then consider your tech-life balance to be compromised. 



Even worse, if you sleep with your phone within reach so you can attend to notifications as they come in during the night, then your tech-life balance is in jeopardy.



You may even know that your tech-life balance is totally out of sorts but feel powerless to do anything about it.



The good news is that, with some persistence, it is possible to restore your tech-life balance if you gradually increase your NST – your non-screen time.



Simply becoming aware of the seductive attributes of most devices and the damage caused by digital addiction is an important first step. And we need to question our relationship with our screens rather than accepting the status quo.



Consider introducing ‘phone stacking’, where everyone surrenders their phone and places it in a pile in the middle of the table during meals or catch-ups with friends, families or colleagues.



It may help, too, to have tech-free zones in certain areas of the workplace (think: pause areas) or at home (think: bedroom or meals area).



And, of course, having a digital detox from time to time, like regular screen-free Sundays, will go a long way to resetting your tech-life balance.



Scheduling regular downtime, limiting notifications, taking advantage of the ‘do not disturb’ function and switching off mobile data can also bolster your NST and improve your tech-life balance.



Every one of us has a choice about how much time we spend in front of screens, where we pay our attention and how we manage the many digital distractions that confront us on a minute-to-minute basis.



Ultimately, maintaining a tech-life balance is less about cutting out technology and more about understanding when it is time to go offline.



And achieving a better tech-life balance will always require us to disconnect to reconnect with others.



By– Professor Gary Martin is Chief Executive Officer with the Australian Institute of Management WA

Op-Ed: Tech-Life Balance Is The New Work-Life Balance

By Yacine Fal



Of all continents, Africa is least responsible for climate change. It has contributed only a minute part of the greenhouse gas emissions that are responsible for the climate emergency the world faces today. Yet, Africa faces the same arduous battle as the rest of the world to tackle the impacts of climate change, and to make itself resilient to climate change.&nbsp;



Today, Africa remains one of the most vulnerable and the least climate-resilient regions in the world. This is manifest across all corners of the continent. In the Horn of Africa, millions are threatened as a historic drought looms. In the Sahel, climate change is fueling insecurity because of increasingly scarce resources. And southern Africa is experiencing lethal rain and floods. Action has never been more urgent.&nbsp;&nbsp;



These climate change-induced challenges cut across many countries and sub-regions of the continent. With improved regional integration and deeper regional cooperation, African countries could rally around collective climate adaptation solutions and accelerate a just energy transition. The regional approach would elevate the individual voices of countries and facilitate access to increased global climate finance.&nbsp;



The urgency of regional climate adaptation and climate mitigation action is critical to Africa’s future. This is why the African Development Bank is spearheading regional initiatives that intersect with climate adaptation, energy transition and sustainability across the entire continent. The Bank is integrating these initiatives into its country and regional strategies, anchoring them on its High 5 priorities and weaving them into every Bank-supported operation.&nbsp;&nbsp;



These operations encompass renewable energy, modernized transport infrastructure and logistics, industrialization and regional trade, and trade finance – initiatives all geared towards strengthening regional integration.&nbsp;



Bank financing in Kenya, Morocco, and Democratic Republic of the Congo has supported geothermal, solar and hydropower projects that are clean, renewable, and which bring electricity to underserved households and small business markets. In many cases, these investments are providing power across borders and encouraging growth in regional trade.&nbsp;&nbsp;



In agriculture, the African Development Bank is focusing on climate-proofing and modernizing agricultural systems. It is also increasing productivity. This is helping more African countries pursue sustainable practices and to graduate from subsistence to surplus economies. These efforts are tackling bottlenecks and practices that continue to cause food insecurity, displacements, and conflict.&nbsp;&nbsp;



More broadly, several African Development Bank initiatives are helping to lay an effective foundation for commodity-based regional value chains that will ensure African food security. Examples are the Bank’s Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) program, the Special Agro-Industrial Processing zones (SAPZs) initiative, and broader investments in physical infrastructure, logistics, information communications technology, and innovation. These initiatives are also helping to build a robust, surplus-generating, continent-wide agribusiness sector based on modern and sustainable practices.&nbsp;



As part of its strategic approach, the African Development Bank continues to collaborate closely with regional actors like Africa’s regional economic communities, African countries, and development partners to mobilize climate action and financing for the continent. The Bank’s leadership has full confidence that with all parties working together, it will achieve climate justice for Africa.&nbsp;



– The writer is Acting Vice President, Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery at the African Development Bank Group.

Girls carrying water buckets at a borehole in Malawi

What Can Be Done To Achieve Climate Justice For Africa  

<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large">I pray for the people there, for the families of the many hundreds that I had met and for the souls of all those that have passed on during this unfortunate conflict; but more than anything, I pray for the children who have witnessed this brutality as history has reminded us that nothing lingers more than the insidious memories in grieved hearts which may perpetuate into a destructive future.</blockquote>



THE WAR IN Ukraine has dominated the news over the last few weeks. There are no winners in war; sadly, as always, it is people who will suffer. The colossal migration of people, the irreparable loss of life and accompanied suffering, the destruction of infrastructure and the economic disaster ahead all point to the futility of decisions made by leaders who have all lost sight of the greater good.



At the core of all irrational decisions lies man’s eternal desire to look for material benefit beyond what one needs. History has a convoluted mechanism of being documented; regardless of the outcomes, this sad human catastrophe will go down as one of life’s greatest regrets. 



I am a global citizen today and believe strongly that life’s solutions can never be found in death and destruction; so unless we want to go back to the stone ages and reinvent ourselves, sense lies in finding solutions through dialogue and common sense. The one attribute that leaders need to cast aside is their ego and find a way to end this human carnage. 



I am a dreamer by nature and have sublime dreams of life, purity and the greater good. I hope that by the time this article is published we would have the outcomes that we are all praying for and every party to this conflict rediscovers spirituality and redefines their infinite purpose; it cannot be the destruction of humanity and mankind.



Through this difficult period, I want to reflect on fond memories of my time, both in Russia and Ukraine between 1992 and 1996. I want to give historic context by quoting from page 46 of my book Be a Lion:



“As war raged in the Middle East, the Soviet Union was collapsing. Mikhail Gorbachev was a reformist leader, who in 1985 wanted to make changes to the way the Soviet Union was administered. He came up with two principles of change: perestroika, to deal with economic reform, and glasnost, to ease social and media controls. While the principles were laudable, it became impossible for Gorbachev to control the outcome. Media censorship ended in November 1988 and CNN was the first international TV station to be beamed into Russia, in 1989. The subsequent proliferation of media made it almost impossible to control the process of change. The Berlin Wall came down in November 1989 and Russia declared sovereignty on 12 June 1990. On 8 December 1991, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was formed. At its conception it consisted of 10 former Soviet republics, namely Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Gorbachev resigned as the last president of the Soviet Union on 25 December 1991 and on the following day the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was dissolved.”



Against this backdrop, I spent five years in this region, operating from our base in Dubai; similar to the last 18 years in sub-Saharan Africa. What always amazed me was the wealth in the region; not just the mineral resources but the quality of the people, their education, the research and educational institutions, the architecture in Moscow, Petersburg and Kyiv. In Russia,



I spent time in Moscow, Petersburg, Perm and a few other places like Magnitogorsk in the Urals. In Ukraine, I have lovely memories of my time in Kyiv, Donetsk, Dnepropetrovsk and Odessa; I cannot even imagine what these cities would be looking like today. I pray for the people there, for the families of the many hundreds that I had met and for the souls of all those that have passed on during this unfortunate conflict; but more than anything, I pray for the children who have witnessed this brutality as history has reminded us that nothing lingers more than the insidious memories in grieved hearts which may perpetuate into a destructive future.



It will take a long time for the hearts and minds to heal but what is the future from here and where do we go. I had written when Covid unleashed its fury in 2020 that the pandemic had forced us all into our shells to reflect on what was truly important and find our renewed purpose.



I quote: “The pollution has lifted; we should see our metamorphosis clearly now. Choices are ours to make and we must reconsider our priorities.” In December 2022, I wrote: “As profound as it sounds, through the trials of 2020, business lessons aside, my three visits to my ophthalmologist were symbolic of getting clarity of vision. Covid-19 in my view has been a global visit to our respective ophthalmologists; our vision had become blurred and some corrective procedures have been performed.



We all know the ‘why’, the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of our circumstances, all that’s left is the ‘will’ to fix things. There is really no brain surgery required. Simply put, it’s all in the implementation of measurable actions with honesty, humility, integrity and honor. Most people I have interacted with unanimously agree that our world is going to change in many ways; consequently, we are likely to adapt to these changes more rapidly than anticipated. It’s our conduct that will define the change that we wish to see.”



Have we not learned anything at all?



The world is not going to be the same after this conflict is behind us. Instead of moving towards a sustainable future, the insecurities are bound to increase. The first ramification is going to be in the global increase in defence spending; some countries have already announced this. Instead of food and water security, healthcare and education, governments are going to catalyse the ‘guns versus butter’ equation in favor of guns. The more worrying part is the monetary realignment. There will be a significant realignment in the geo- political arena; the most immediate is the opportunistic bond between Russia and China (enemy’s enemy is a friend with regards to the US). These two giants with common boundaries, logistic routes and an aligned Mongolia can service each other’s needs without any intermediary platform or help; monetary or otherwise. With Europe largely fragmented and in turmoil, the Indian sub-continent neutral, outside of Japan, US and Germany, there is no other economic power that can challenge this emerging Sino-Russian collaboration.



The other major move that is going to begin is a radical change to self-sufficiency and indigenization. There is far too much dependence today on developed countries to service the needs of the developing world.



It does not take a rocket scientist to understand the insecurity of sanctions; all nations will start preparing for a future that is sustainable and where reliance is within regional alliances. This extends to the business world; everything from franchises and intellectual property will need to be relooked. There is a need to ensure that when any patent of intellectual property is registered, it has value only if it has significant value addition in the country where it is sold failing which it must be cancelled. This will expedite rapid transformation towards indigenization.



While this is a complex subject, one needs to really see the sustainability of financial sanctions on Russia and its trading partners. If sanctions apply to anyone dealing with Russia, the dissemination and evaporation of global economics and financial markets will be faster than any known vaporization in history. So how will this selection or partial selection of sanctions, including those by multinational corporations, work and will the negatively impacted countries accept this hypocrisy; and what moral high ground will those adjudicators have in making these decisions; and where will it leave their leadership in the free world? These dilemmas are real and will need to be addressed in the period ahead or do we expect that the sanctions will be lifted and the principles of humanity are relegated in favor of economic interests? What lessons are we to draw from such futile face-saving actions for the future that are nothing but rhetoric?



Energy in all its forms plays a vital role in global alignments. Other than Venezuela in Latin America, all members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) are in the Middle East and Africa. Oil is a finite resource and OPEC will want to ensure its long-term sustainability and want to remain neutral to sanctions. How will this be impacted if China as the largest consumer of oil, rearranges its purchases largely from Russia (a non-OPEC member)? OPEC has already made its position clear of not increasing oil production which will inflate the price of oil for all countries that toe the line of sanctions. Similarly, the European Union cannot in the short term cut their much-needed gas supplies from Russia. How then can sanctions be a serious consideration; it is likely that they will only apply as convenient.



The US dollar has been the default reserve currency but this is going to change in the medium-term. China was already insecure about this historic imbalance but this conflict and connected sanctions will force alternatives; the shape and form will emerge in the not-so-distant future. It is anticipated that China will surpass the US as the largest economy by 2030, which would likely place the Renminbi as the default reserve currency; will this get catalysed by the current events?



These are just some of the issues that the world will face going forward. As a citizen of the free world, I now question the relevance of institutions like the United Nations that were constituted to bring a form of unity to the world. The League of Nations was formed after World War I and it is recorded in history that the failure of the League of Nations was one of the reasons that resulted in World War II. The United Nations was formed after World War II with the following stated purpose: “The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization aiming to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations. It is the world’s largest and most familiar international organization.”



Is what is happening now because of the complete failure of the United Nations’ role where blocks like the European Union and NATO are playing a more dominant role in the alignment of interests of the developed world? Who will answer to this incongruity and how do we ensure that nations live and remain militarily nonaligned? Is that idealism or a necessity for the future?



Like many of you, I am confused and helpless about our future but more than that, I am concerned about what legacy are we going to leave for our children and future generations?

Have We Not Learned Anything At All?

The fallout from the war on Ukraine will be felt by all Africans, whether abroad or at home. How will it impact African trade?



BY PAULA SLIER IN MOSCOW



THE FIRST TIME I WENT TO UKRAINE was in 1992. The country had just declared independence from the Soviet Union and flying there from South Africa, I could not help but make comparisons. Whereas Africa was alive with greenery and warmth, the dullness of Europe’s second-largest country after Russia, was suffocating.



The strongest memory I have was the lack of color. It was summertime and people were dressed in lackluster greys and browns. The once-elegant, wide avenues of the capital city, Kyiv, belied a former glory.



Fast track 22 years and the country was unrecognizable. Kyiv had transformed into a modern, vibrant city living up to its reputation as the hidden jewel of Europe.



Cobblestone streets and ancient churches charmed the Old City while elsewhere tourists flocked to museums and state-of-the-art theaters. 



But those tourists soon disappeared as simmering political tensions erupted into violent anti-government protests that toppled the president in February 2014.



War correspondents like myself poured into the country as pro-Russia separatist fighters began seizing territory in eastern Ukraine. Over the next eight years, more than 14,000 people lost their lives.



Fast track to February 24 2022. As Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation”, his army crossed over into Ukraine from multiple directions. Gruesome photographs were soon splattered across the world’s newspapers and social media: a pregnant woman, badly injured and her face a ghostly white, being carried on a stretcher outside of a maternity hospital; hundreds of people hunkering in a basement beneath a theater as it was heavily bombed; the harrowing dead bodies of a mother and her two teenage children strewn across a street&#8230;



Inside this purgatory, nearly 20,000 African students found themselves trapped. Hailing mostly from Morocco, Nigeria and Egypt, most had come to study medicine, engineering and business. Ukrainian universities are often seen as a gateway to the European job market, offering affordable course prices, straightforward visa terms and the possibility of permanent residency. Some students had read the writing on the wall and left before the conflict erupted, but most had remained. African governments are still scrambling to get them out.



Ghana was the first to organize flights home to those who made it across the border. While thousands managed to flee within the first few days, hundreds are still trapped and remain uncertain about the fate of their lives – and education.



Still, not one student – and I reached out to over two dozen – wanted to be interviewed for this article. While many blame Russia for the bloodshed, they are afraid to speak out, literally fearing for their lives. At the same time, they criticize European border guards for treating them badly because of the color of their skin and recount stories of being pushed, beaten and dragged off public transit. But they don’t want to draw too much attention to their plight for fear of jeopardizing their chances of returning to Ukraine as many are funded by European bursaries.



Their home countries have also chosen to remain mum. Nearly half of the countries that abstained from condemning Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly are in Africa and many are reluctant to join sanctions against Russia. They see the war as a proxy battle between Moscow and the West. What’s more, many African states consider Russia a good friend and ally, largely because of deliberate efforts by Moscow in recent years to be more influential on the African continent.



Regardless, the fallout from this war will be felt by all Africans, whether abroad or at home. Tough economic sanctions imposed on Russia including the removal of key Russian banks from the SWIFT financial system, measures against Russia’s central bank and the barring of business transactions in dollars, will directly impact African trade.



The International Monetary Fund chief, Kristalina Georgieva, predicted the war could wipe out some of the progress made on the continent.



“Africa is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of the war in Ukraine through four main channels: higher food and fuel prices, lower revenues from tourism, and potentially more difficulties in accessing international capital markets,” she said after meeting with African finance ministers, African central bank governors, and representatives from the UN Economic Commission for Africa in March.



Russia and Ukraine are major producers of wheat, sunflower, corn, aluminium and nickel. In 2020, African countries imported agricultural products worth $4 billion from Russia and $2.9 billion from Ukraine. The two countries provide Eastern Africa with 90% of its imported wheat and the Maghreb with just over 50%.



But now Ukraine’s ports are closed and its transport infrastructure is disrupted. Russia recently banned grain shipments abroad and analysts predict it will no longer want to keep exporting as much food as it did before when its own hungry population is facing sanctions.



A recent World Food Programme report estimates that 13.5 million tonnes of wheat and 16 million tonnes of maize are currently frozen in both countries. Global prices in these commodities have already reached unprecedented levels and African countries might soon find themselves short of supplies. In the immediate crisis zone are Egypt, 



Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Egypt imports nearly 85% of its wheat from Russia and Ukraine and is Russia’s top African trade partner. Moscow has invested around



$190 million in developing special economic zones in Egypt’s Port Said.



In Tunisia, which is already struggling economically, the agriculture ministry said it was looking elsewhere for wheat supplies.



One of the bigger questions coming out of the war is whether countries will boost production of wheat to compensate for shortages from Russia and Ukraine.



Cairo recently issued a new global tender for wheat and said its reserves would only last nine months. It has banned exports of home- grown grain.



There’s growing concern that countries will now hoard food. Washington has sounded the alarm over Beijing hoarding supplies in order to have greater political leverage over food import-dependent countries in Africa.



It’s triggered heightened food insecurity particularly in Ethiopia and Somalia, the latter of which is experiencing its worst drought in decades. In the sub-Saharan region, coffee, tea and citrus fruits exports to Russia may also be significantly reduced.



Still, there are some African countries who stand to possibly gain from the crisis, like Algeria, which is Europe’s third largest gas supplier.



Oil prices have surged past $100 a barrel, the highest level since 2014. A Russian oil embargo also benefits the economies of Nigeria and Angola.



Ethiopia with its large wheat fields could have stood to profit from supply shortages but its own production has been disrupted by civil war.



Fast track to the future.



Russia’s isolation from the rest of the world is likely to push it closer to African countries.



At the time of writing, no-one knows when this war will end.



Projections suggest a few more weeks. Across Ukraine, entire neighborhoods have been destroyed.



Black smoke continues to rise over demolished buildings. Queues of cars trundle uneven roads, their desperate passengers looking with anguish and fear towards a future that reminds them of a not-too- distant grim past. Ukraine, it seems, has come full circle.

‘Africa Is Particularly Vulnerable’: Fallout Of The Ukraine War On Trade

AS I WATCHED the militant group Taliban take control of Afghanistan, ousting the sitting president and his government, I started to reflect on leadership. Very swiftly, as America was finalizing its withdrawal of troops, insurgents stormed across the country, capturing all major cities. It was a stark reminder of how precarious and delicate the concept of leadership is.



In 1994, Brooks Bash poignantly asked if leadership and parochialism or narrow-mindedness were an enduring reality. Yet, with the turn of the century, there was evidently no room for parochialism.



As globalism took hold, leadership stretched beyond the confines of walls and of borders. Strangely enough, when borders closed as nations locked down last year in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, we were once again staring down the barrel of parochialism. How have we managed to fall so woefully behind? We are collectively navigating a particularly challenging period – one defined by the Covid-19 pandemic, the rise in populism and resultingly a rise in intolerance alongside technological shifts at an unprecedented rate.



Perhaps the most stark question we have been faced with against this backdrop is what should leadership look like? How we respond as leaders will be a greater definer of the times. Will parochialism once again define leadership? Historically, we have seen the impact of pandemics, of wars based on intolerance and of industrial revolutions. Though these events soon took their rightful place in the annals of history, the response of leaders has remained stark in our collective memory.



Parallel to the pandemic, we have entered the era of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). The 4IR is changing every facet of society from the way we interact, to how our industries operate to the way we consume. While we have long been on the cusp of the 4IR, it is safe to say our current circumstances have hastened this shift.



As we interrogate leadership against our current and rather grim context, it is apparent that it is not willingness but the arsenal of skills needed to confront a major anxiety that is the essence of leadership. Of course, with the rapid pace of change we now find ourselves faced with, we have to interrogate what these skills should look like.



As we battle the pandemic, I have spent much of my time trying to understand what leadership in the 21st century means. Faced with the seemingly impossible task of righting the ship against a turbulent and unpredictable backdrop, leaders have had to take extraordinary measures, create Marshall plans and deploy resources. As the pandemic rolled into its second year, it became increasingly apparent that leadership could not be discussed in the abstract, or in terms of theoretical frameworks.



Rather, leadership as a practice needs to be interrogated and the layers of complexity have to be unpacked. Though there are various levels of complexities, it is apparent that a leader needs 4IR thinking, which entails the following skills: complex problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, people management, coordinating with others, emotional intelligence, judgement and decision-making, service orientation, negotiation and cognitive flexibility. Importantly, we have to lead from a place of knowledge.



How do we begin to adapt to a changing world, and our changing circumstances, if those at the helm of our country are ill-equipped? For instance, as we modernize and reform our agricultural systems through land reform, we must have sufficient people who are knowledgeable in the political economy of farming to ensure continued food security and global competitiveness. As we tackle the problems of our shrinking industries, we need to understand issues of automation, technology and human capital to improve the quality of life of our people. This fundamentally calls for a reimagining of what it takes to be a leader. Are we ensuring that our engineers, our academics, our scientists and our philosophers are at the fore of leadership? This is crucial if we are to close the gaps that exist.



As we face an ever-changing context, leadership must speak to it. Will we continue to widen our disparities or will we find solutions to some of our most deep-seated inequities? Will we continue to let intolerance define our world order or in the disarray we find ourselves in, will we forge a sense of unity? There are leadership lessons to be learned from the successes and mistakes of the last year. If we are to use the pandemic as a yardstick for leadership strategies going forward, it must remain stark in our minds what accounted for the successes. If we are indeed to tap into the promise and override the peril, we must begin by approaching leadership differently and reimagine what it takes to be a leader in this new world.



By TSHILIDZI MARWALA The writer is the Vice- Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg, a member of the Namibia 4IR task force and author of the book ‘Leadership Lessons From The Books I Have Read’.

Smart city and global communication network ,Business  concept..

Reimagining Of The Leader In A New World

The Global Business Forum Africa in Dubai and Dubai Chamber’s representative offices across the continent have catalysed bilateral trade growth over the last decade.



Dubai’s trade with Africa has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade, thanks to several important developments that have established new business links between the emirate and promising markets across the continent.



The emirate’s trade and investment relationship with Africa has gone from strength to strength in recent years as more African companies have entered the UAE, while many UAE companies have expanded their presence in Africa.



Among the most crucial factors that facilitated bilateral trade and investment flows is the Global Business Forum Africa in Dubai. Since this high-profile event series was launched by Dubai Chamber in 2013, Dubai’s non-oil trade with Africa has surged by over 71 percent to exceed $50 billion in 2020.



The 6th edition of the Global Business Forum Africa, set to descend on Expo 2020 Dubai October 13th -14th, 2021, comes at a time when UAE-Africa ties are rapidly expanding as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and regional integration efforts gain momentum.



Dubai’s trade with Africa is projected to see an annual increase of up to 10% over the next five years following the implementation of AfCFTA, according to recent analysis from Dubai Chamber.



The changing dynamics brought forth by AfCFTA and the Covid-19 situation have created an opportunity for businesses in Dubai to re-position themselves and explore new African markets as they prepare for recovery.



As a world-class business hub located within close proximity to the continent, Dubai is an ideal partner that is well-positioned to unlock Africa’s untapped economic potential and support the next phase of the continent’s development.



From sustainable agriculture to logistics, free zones, finance and advanced technologies, Dubai has the right level of expertise and investment needed to fill market gaps in Africa.



Food security is another area of mutual interest offering a lot of potential as many African countries are major agricultural exporters, while the UAE has a new strategy in place that aims to diversify its food imports.



Yet, there remains huge potential to further expand the scope of bilateral trade and investment to other areas and fields of mutual interest, such as fintech, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, blockchain and smart city solutions.



Dubai&#8217;s strategic position as a thriving transit hub at the intersection of Asia, Europe and Africa makes it an ideal market that African companies can leverage to restart their businesses and boost their global footprint as they position themselves for post-Covid recovery.



With its close proximity to African markets, valuable expertise, and strong appetite for foreign investments, Dubai has all of the advantages and resources needed to support the region’s future growth.



Through its network of representative offices in Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia and Mozambique, Dubai Chamber is well-positioned to support companies in the UAE that are keen to capitalize on business opportunities emerging across the continent.



The ever-expanding trade links between Africa and Dubai are positive sign that our efforts are bearing fruit. We look forward to exploring investment opportunities in new sectors and areas that UAE companies can benefit from.



The current timing is ideal for African companies to leverage GBF Africa and Expo 2020 Dubai platforms to explore new business prospects, expand their global footprint and foster cross-border partnerships that drive sustainable growth.



<meta charset="utf-8">By: Hamad Buamim



Hamad Buamim is President and CEO of Dubai Chamber

HE Hamad Buamim-President andv CEO, Dubai Chamber

A Turning Point for Dubai-Africa Trade

I WAS ONE YEAR OLD when more than 20,000 South African women and girls from all walks of life marched against apartheid in 1956 – and we continue to march, all over the world, in our struggle against injustice and in the search for dignity and equality.



In 2015, for example, I joined thousands of black women in Brazil – from ministers and public officials to domestic workers and coconut breakers – marching to draw attention to the double discrimination faced by women of African descent on account of their gender and the color of their skin, and to call for an end to gender-based violence.



Around the world today, we are seeing the power that marches of solidarity have to counter silence, to demand change and to hold our leaders accountable to their promises. In 2017, vibrant women’s marches sprang up in hundreds of cities around the world. Two year later, we saw climate justice marches led by inspiring young activists in Europe and beyond. 



Each of these actions remind us all that this is a time for women and girls to band together and to act, together with allies of all genders, on the issues that will determine a lived equality for all. That is why we march. And most importantly, why we must continue to grow and scale these movements for gender equality, human rights and sustainable development together.



But while South Africa has evolved to turn the page on its apartheid past and made huge steps forward in achieving racial liberation, the demands made as part of the Women’s March still resonate for many across the world. Women continue to face inequality of opportunity in employment, and the gender gap in achieving equal pay for equal work remains a yawning one. The needs for paid parental leave and quality childcare for working mothers are acute and are seen as critical inhibitors of women rising to positions of leadership. 



Of great concern to all of us is the economic violence of job loss that has accompanied the Covid-19 pandemic, with women accounting for two-thirds of the nearly three million jobs lost globally. And the continuing ‘shadow pandemic’ of men’s domestic and other violence against women and girls. As for the women of 1956, we have an immense task ahead of us to unify our efforts to overcome the exploitation of women and to cohere behind a clear message of equality, inclusion, and advancement.



The emancipation and elevation of women is a fundamental necessity for the sustainable growth and development of societies. In 2021, we observed the 150th anniversary of Charlotte Maxeke, a leader, scholar and artist. We have taken bold and decisive steps to accelerate progress with a positive, historic shift in power and perspective. On July 2, we closed our landmark Generation Equality Forum in Paris, with the commitment of nearly $40 billion in confirmed investments to drive a gender-responsive stimulus and recovery plan for the next five years. 



These will ensure that women and girls are not left behind as the world builds forward from Covid-19. This is critical to our recovery from the pandemic, as women have suffered gender-based violence, lost their jobs and carried the burden of unpaid care.



For far too long, a lack of financing has impeded steady progress in advancing gender equality. We have addressed that deficiency as we reposition gender equality as a long-term priority issue, everywhere. Across sectors, from technology to violence and economic and climate justice, we have designed strategies incorporating the most critical actions required to accelerate and achieve gender equality, with multi-stakeholder, multilateral partnerships leading the drive for change.



The nearly 50,000 people of all generations and from all parts of society who joined the Generation Equality Forum jumped together to shake the world of patriarchy. We stand not on the shoulders of the women who demanded equality 65 years ago in South Africa, but arm in arm. What was born then will be taken forward further.



And together, in solidarity, we will say it again: Wathint’abafazi, wathint’imbokodo! You strike a woman, you strike a rock!



BY PHUMZILE MLAMBO-NGCUKA



The writer is the UN Under Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN Women. From 2005 to 2008, she served as deputy president of South Africa.

womensdaysouthafrica

65 Years Of The Women’s March In South Africa: What Still Needs To Change

In Africa, the jury is still out on the tradeoff between Covid-19 lockdowns and livelihoods. 



Following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, many African governments swiftly implemented broad containment and lockdown measures that helped save many lives but which came at a great cost to economic activity and livelihoods.&nbsp;



This is one of the key conclusions of the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) African Economic Outlook (AEO) 2021 report, released on March 12, which critically assesses the costs and benefits of lockdowns. African countries that imposed stringent lockdowns reported lower Covid-19 infection rates, the report finds, after controlling for the use of public information campaigns, testing, and contact tracing policies as well as recurrent shocks that are common across countries, such as weather-related shocks (such as droughts and flooding).



Lockdowns have curbed disease spread in Africa, but less effectively than elsewhere



African countries have been proactive in their responses, taking preventive measures as soon as confirmed Covid-19 cases were reported. Half of African countries with available data restricted international travel through arrival screening, quarantines, bans on arrivals from some or all regions, and even total border closures one day after the first Covid-19 case was detected.&nbsp;



The report indicates that closures of schools, public transport systems, and workplaces, as well as curfews and cancellations of public events, proved more effective in curbing Covid-19 infections than prohibitions on private gatherings and bans on domestic and international travel.



Lockdowns had a more pronounced impact in other regions than across Africa, which saw only modest reductions of about 0.1% in infection cases per thousand after one month, and of about 1% after 60 days. By comparison, using the same approach and data, IMF data from 15 G20 countries found that after a month of lockdowns, Covid-19 cases fell by an estimated 40%.&nbsp;



Why? One explanation is that a significant majority of Africans are engaged in informal activities that do not permit working from home. These informal workers – who are paid daily or weekly, rarely have savings, and lack access to bank loans – are more likely to defy official lockdown measures to safeguard their livelihoods. &nbsp;



The result is that, despite their best efforts, African governments have been unable to impose lockdowns as stringent as those in industrialized nations, where remote working is feasible for a larger share of the population. &nbsp;



Stringent lockdown measures are associated with significant economic contraction, the report finds. In particular, when the index of lockdown stringency increased by one unit, GDP and the industrial production index decreased on average by respectively 0.59% and 0.29% during the first half of 2020 – when the outbreak peaked in Africa – versus the same period in 2019.&nbsp;



A tricky tradeoff?



The pandemic seems to present African countries with a tricky trade-off between saving lives, on the one hand, and protecting economic activity and livelihoods on the other. But this framing is misleading. African countries can successfully pursue both objectives by imposing lockdowns while taking measures to limit the effects of those lockdowns on people’s livelihoods, especially the poor, and on businesses. Finding the right balance between these two aims is crucial.&nbsp;



The AEO recommends a number of policies that could be implemented. For instance, where there is fiscal space or sufficient liquidity, policymakers should maintain fiscal and monetary support to vulnerable people and businesses to enable them to stay afloat. In other countries, international grants and concessional loans can be deployed instead, so long as debt sustainability levels are not exceeded.&nbsp;



Expanding social safety nets to include informal sector workers can protect the vulnerable from falling into extreme poverty. By taking advantage of increased digitalization and mobile money services, governments can provide relief to informal workers quickly and at reduced cost. Lastly, public information campaigns are crucial to securing the population’s buy-in and boosting the effectiveness of anti-pandemic measures. &nbsp;



As the rollout of vaccines slowly proceeds, the AfDB will support countries in implementing the AEO’s policy recommendations. That way, Africa can simultaneously save lives and protect livelihoods.



– By Dr Hanan Morsy and Dr Adamon Mukasa; Morsy is the Director of the Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research Department at the African Development Bank, and Mukasa is Senior Research Economist in the same department.

DRCONGO-HEALTH-VIRUS-EDUCATION

How Effective Are Lockdowns In Africa?

India’s Covid catastrophe and the lessons for governments around the world on preparing for the next wave.



I arrived in Delhi with my wife on 15th April 2021 as the Covid-19 pandemic had started to rage through our country. Our only motivation was to be with our respective mothers who live alone in Delhi. When we landed in Delhi, things were relatively normal, and on the surface, it was almost business as usual. The first telltale sign of the impending chaos was when we did not get our test reports from the PCR tests that were taken on arrival in Delhi. The word ‘normal’ is relative, as for most other countries in the world, 250,000 cases a day would have been catastrophic. In a matter of two weeks, and as I write this piece, the cases crossed 400,000 on 30th April 2021 with no end in sight. Our hindsight pundits say that the peak will signal approximately 500,000 cases a day or over 3.5 million cases a week. The scale of this problem is gigantic and as news has spread across the globe, people are shocked and the affected are incensed and outraged by the lack of preparedness.



There was no reason for a country like India to not be prepared. Just a few months back, we had proudly positioned ourselves as the vaccine capital of the world. How did we go from being the hunter to the hunted in three months? How did we ignore the words of the Director-General of the World Health Organization who categorically stated that the next wave was going to be deadly?



I have watched the news over the last few weeks and sadly seen that the finger-pointing does not stop even during times of calamity. With all the human suffering that we have witnessed, there is no one who has the moral courage and integrity to accept that he or she has made an error in judgement. Our judiciary at the highest level had to point out to the Election Commission of India that they failed the people of the country by continuing with elections in three regions. The only people that have stayed the course are the frontline workers who have remained resolute in their resolve to help save human lives. The poor as always face the brunt of any calamity and this has been no different in this case. However, for once, the rich have not been spared either. People with millions in their bank accounts have fallen prey to this pandemic as in the end all they needed was an extract from freely available air and yet it was in short supply. No amount of money could help people source oxygen or find a hospital bed. The current virus is far more contagious and spreading faster through the air. The catastrophe has seen no caste, creed or economic disparity; everyone has suffered. The agony and despair of the people of our country have been beyond any human suffering that I have witnessed during my life. And yet, we will get past even this; such is the tenacity of human beings.



The citizens of India have suffered as a consequence of serious and inexcusable omissions and negligence on the part of the national and state leadership; every one of them. However, the people of the country must take responsibility for their reckless conduct leading to this disaster that will set our country back from its path to recovery. Not adhering to social distancing and taking the vaccination drive seriously are two major errors of judgement by the people. When disaster struck, everyone wanted to be vaccinated at the same time causing a system overload. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight some of the immediate actions that African and other governments must take on a war footing.



The biggest failure is stakeholder communications. The people of India were given to believe that the pandemic was over in February 2021. Politicians thumped their chests as they did their victory laps taking credit for beating the virus. This gave a false sense of security and people put their guards down and started behaving like it was business as usual. Clear communication from the government must continue indicating in no uncertain terms that the crisis is far from over.



Until a majority of the population has been vaccinated, all major events (of whatsoever nature including weddings, sports, religious or political campaigning) must be cancelled or held virtually. For everything else including office and other entertainment, dining and retail activities, all social distancing protocols must be followed meticulously. We have learned from 2020 that 100% lockdowns may not be necessary and to find the right balance, where needed, consider localized restrictions in infection zones. Lockdowns should be used as a measure of last resort as they are likely to do more damage than good.



Linked to vaccinations is the importance of testing. Governments must set up more labs for testing at reasonable costs and continue testing its constituents for the infection and also determine any variations or mutations to the virus until the vaccination drive is conclusively completed.



All governments must revert back to March 2020 and begin ramping up their healthcare infrastructure. This is the time to build additional ICU capacity in hospitals and infrastructure at several temporary purpose-built facilities that can take on overflows from hospitals. Some facilities should be built beforehand and others must be stored in semi-knocked-down condition in warehouses should the need arise. All hospitals must have adequate ambulance services available to move people as necessary.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">“The pharmaceutical sector must be given incentives in Africa so that capacity to produce medicines is enhanced exponentially. Collaboration must be set up with international companies to enhance both patented and generic medicines so that developing countries are not treated with lower priority when it comes to healthcare; all human lives are equally valuable.”</blockquote>



Ramp up oxygen production capacity and ensure that the storage of 50% excess capacity than normal national utilization targets are kept in reserve. This has proven to be the lifeline for Covid patients. In the same vein, all other oxygen infrastructure should be ramped up, including concentrators and other devices that can be used at home by people. The experience in India has been that for this particular virus, home care has been far more effective for a majority of the cases. For that, freely available support systems for home use are invaluable.



The only cure to the pandemic is an aggressive vaccination policy. There is no cure other than getting vaccinated and governments must procure vaccinations and make them available at a reasonable cost (if not free) to the entire nation. Countries that are behind on the vaccination drive must ramp it up and carry out a campaign to educate people on the urgent need to get vaccinated. There is clear evidence of lower incidences in countries where the vaccination rates are high. For Africa, I believe that the DFIs must immediately look at setting up infrastructure to become self-reliant on vaccines for the future. This is not an option; if anything is to be learned, no time must be wasted on this. It’s not rocket science and immediate action must be taken to develop the pharma industry expeditiously.



The pharmaceutical sector must be given incentives in Africa so that capacity to produce medicines is enhanced exponentially. Collaboration must be set up with international companies to enhance both patented and generic medicines so that developing countries are not treated with lower priority when it comes to healthcare; all human lives are equally valuable. Capacity must also be built for other hygiene products including masks, sanitizers, PPEs and other essential items.



An area that needs attention is the training of healthcare workers. The pandemic is contagious and care-givers need to be trained to stay out of harm’s way. The only way this can be done is to improve the quality of training of all frontline workers.



My next comment is on the role of the media. Being a media owner myself, I understand the need for accurate and actionable news but there rests an enormous responsibility in finding a balance between highlighting negligence and fueling chaos. Remember one thing always, that no government or administration ever wants to harm its people; this must remain an intrinsic belief at all times. As a case study, in India, over the last two weeks, there has been a frenzy in the Indian media regarding lapses in the preparation and the state of affairs at hospitals. While on the one hand, it served the very important purpose of holding public servants accountable for the absolute mismanagement of this crisis, the media created unintended fear in the public. This fear resulted in people going to hospitals the minute they tested positive thus clogging the system; there was a run on oxygen cylinders and concentrators as people began hoarding them and finally, there was a run on pharmacies that ran out of essential medicines because even people who did not need medicines, as a precaution, began storing them. What then emerged was a black market that has preyed on the sick and despondent.



It is my request to all media businesses around the world to begin devoting more than a cursory mention to the awareness campaigns around the pandemic. More inventory needs to be devoted towards educating people on the actions to be taken when the next wave arrives, the importance of vaccination and most importantly, on responsible social behavior. The best cure still is wearing masks, social distancing and sanitizing one’s hands regularly. If and when the next wave hits, the media must spend more time on educating people on taking precautions and symptoms management so that everyone does not run to hospital. If you can educate even a few people, you would have done your duty to humanity. Remember this is far from over and the lessons from India must be taken seriously by all governments around the world. Prepare for the next wave or history will repeat itself.



– The writer is the Founder and Publisher of FORBES AFRICA

From The Eye Of The Storm

Authored by: Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in China &amp; Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to China



Women hold up half the sky.&nbsp;



Some years ago, Sarah al-Amiri, a young Emirati engineer, had a fixed gaze beyond the sky and towards our galaxy. “Space was a sector that we never dared to dream growing up,” she noted.&nbsp;



Fast forward and al-Amiri is now the United Arab Emirates first Minister of State for Advanced Science, successfully leading an ambitious project which launched a spacecraft into orbit around Mars, the first-ever Arab interplanetary mission. This has only been achieved by four other nations, including China.



Al-Amiri contends that, “the mission is called Amal, which means ‘hope’ in Arabic, because we are contributing to global understanding of a planet. We are going above and beyond the turmoil that is now defining our region and becoming positive contributors to science”.



Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, women in the UAE, China and elsewhere have also led ground-breaking efforts against the virus in the fields of public health, vaccines and treatments. The Hope Mission and COVID-19 pandemic highlight the potential gains to be achieved by ensuring full and equal access for women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). As UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphatically stated,&nbsp;“women and girls belong in science and there is a dividend to be gained for countries that acknowledge this truth.”



<h2 id="h-greater-participation-needed-in-stem-fields">Greater Participation Needed in STEM Fields</h2>



According to&nbsp;UNESCO, women account for only 28 percent of engineering graduates and 40 percent in computer science and informatics.&nbsp;This gender disparity is alarming, especially as STEM careers are often referred to as the jobs of the future, driving innovation, social wellbeing, inclusive growth and sustainable development.



Women account for only one-third scientific researchers globally, holding fewer senior positions than men at top universities. Furthermore, with the growth of artificial intelligence, automation and machine learning, there are risks for reinforcing inequalities, as the needs of women are more likely to be overlooked in the design of products and projects.



Increasing women’s participation in STEM accelerates sustainable development in low and middle-income countries, offering an opportunity to close gender pay gaps and boosting women’s earnings by USD 299 billion over the next decade.&nbsp;Studies indicate that girls perform as well as boys in science and mathematics, and in many parts countries outperforming them.&nbsp;Aptitude is not the issue.&nbsp;



Gender equality in STEM acts as a powerful accelerator for the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. &nbsp;Norms and stereotypes that limit girls’ expectations need to be eliminated, while educators must motivate girls to become changemakers, entrepreneurs and innovators.



Thankfully, there are already encouraging signs of change, in both the UAE and China.



<h2 id="h-growing-equality-and-empowerment-in-china">Growing Equality and Empowerment in China</h2>



In China, the 14th Five-Year Plan provides new opportunities to prioritize gender equality. Central to the development agenda is a strengthening of science, technology and R&amp;D sectors to address a transformation to a digital and innovative economy. &nbsp;In China,&nbsp;women launch more than half of all new internet companies and make up more than half of inventors filing patent applications.&nbsp;The recently enacted Civil Code establishes new mechanisms for addressing sexual harassment and abuse in workplaces.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="912" height="604" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nobel-winner-Tu-Youyou.png" alt="" class="wp-image-50665" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nobel-winner-Tu-Youyou.png 912w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nobel-winner-Tu-Youyou-300x199.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nobel-winner-Tu-Youyou-768x509.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 912px) 100vw, 912px" /><figcaption>Nobel winner Tu Youyou. | Xinhua News Agency </figcaption></figure>



Success stories of women specializing in STEM fields should be heralded in order to empower others to follow.&nbsp; As examples, Tu Youyou was China’s first Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine in 2015, with her discovery of a malaria therapy; whilst Hu Qiheng was a leader promoting Internet access in China, being inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2013 as a global connector.&nbsp;



In the private sector there are stellar mentors and roll-models such as billionaire Zhou Qunfei, who rose from a migrant worker to being the world’s richest self-made woman. As the CEO of Lens Technology, she built an empire manufacturing glass for tech giants such as Tesla, Apple and Samsung.



In Shenzhen, the private sector is now embracing its civic responsibilities, with companies such as Alibaba, Tencent and Huawei launching initiatives to recruit and promote women in STEM fields.



<h2 id="h-rapid-progress-by-the-uae">Rapid Progress by the UAE</h2>



The space industry is not the only sector in which Emirati women are exemplary.



According to the World Economic Forum 2021 Global Gender Gap Report, the UAE ranked first globally in four of the report’s indicators: women in parliament; sex ratio at birth; literacy rate; and enrolment in primary education.&nbsp; Meanwhile, in the 2019 UNDP Human Development Report, the UAE ranks 35 of the 189 countries in the world in terms of women&#8217;s empowerment.



In terms of education, 77% of UAE women will continue to receive higher education after high school graduation, and 70% are graduates of higher education in the UAE. Female students now account for 46% of STEM subjects in UAE higher education.&nbsp; Two thirds of the public sector positions are held by women, with 30 per cent of which are leadership positions.



On 30 March the UAE National Action Plan for Women, Peace and Security was launched by H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women&#8217;s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation. This Plan is not only a step in the right direction but also spearheads the vital role of women in the UAE.



For many years, Sheikha Fatima and the UAE have championed and presided over a group of specialised conferences in the Arab, international and Islamic worlds to empower women and enhance their stature.



As the UAE approaches its 50th Jubilee since foundation, it is a matter of pride that the country is making outstanding achievements and launching initiatives to empower women, surging ahead in promoting gender equality and ensuring that women play a key role in the nation’s growth.&nbsp; This has earned the UAE a reputation as being among the most progressive countries in the world.



<h2 id="h-global-gender-equality-initiatives">Global Gender Equality Initiatives</h2>



In March 2021, International Women’s Day was celebrated&nbsp;with the UN China Country Team coming together in recognizing tremendous contributions and leadership demonstrated by women and girls around the world.&nbsp; Joint campaigns such as #HERstory saw the UNDP and UN Women shared inspiring stories on social media from women leaders in STEM around the world.&nbsp; A workshop was launched to combat stereotypes and encourage women and girls across China to learn and excel in science and technology.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Picture3.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-50662" width="841" height="999" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Picture3.jpg 644w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Picture3-253x300.jpg 253w" sizes="(max-width: 841px) 100vw, 841px" /><figcaption>The co-authors Amb Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri (Right)and Siddharth Chatterjee(left). Photo-UAE Embassy China, 03 March 2021</figcaption></figure>



As part of the Generation Equality global initiative led by UN Women, governments, civil society, private sectors and change-makers from around the world are coming together to fuel a powerful and lasting coalition for gender equality.



It is 25 years since the UN Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action committed nations to the advancement of the rights of women. Now is the time to recommit to ensuring gender equality, especially for STEM in order to harness women’s full potential. Then women of China, the UAE and the world can hold up half of the sky, in principle and reality.

Sarah al-Amiri

Women and Girls to the Front: Gender Equality in STEM for a better tomorrow

How should Africa respond to the increasing interest in the Indian Ocean?



By Gurjit Singh



Since the advent of the Joe Biden Administration in the United States (US) in January, there has been speculation on how much the new government would remain committed to the Indo-Pacific.&nbsp;



It is useful to understand this concept whose usage is increasing. Geographically, the Indo-Pacific is an extension of the Asia-Pacific region, from the US to Myanmar. The expanded vision covers the Indian and Pacific Oceans together. Hence the shores of eastern Africa, besides the island countries, are included in the new conception. As the Indo-Pacific is now part of geo-strategic and geo-economic activity, its impact is widening.



Indo-Pacific strategies are enunciated by Japan, Australia, India and the US; in 2019, ASEAN and France and in 2020, Germany announced its policies too. The European Union (EU) and United Kingdom (UK) are engaging more. China has opposed the Indo-Pacific concept preferring the Asia-Pacific idea. It sees the Indo-Pacific as an effort to hedge China’s role; most proponents of the Indo-Pacific seek a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) including the freedom of navigation, trade and the like in keeping with the United Nations&nbsp;Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).&nbsp;



How does this impinge on Africa? Five African countries have a seaboard on the Indian Ocean, and they are South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya and Somalia. In the Red Sea, Eritrea, Sudan, Egypt and Djibouti are also part of the impact zone. The islands of Madagascar, Mauritius, Comoros, Seychelles and the French Indian Ocean territories are important parts of this construct.&nbsp;



The Indo-Pacific concept brings focus on existing institutions in the Indian Ocean region. The Indian Ocean Commission, since 1984, links Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Réunion (an overseas region of France).&nbsp;



The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), since 1997, has 22 members and 10 dialogue partners. The five Indian Ocean littoral African countries and the four island countries make up 40% of the membership which extends up to Australia. It includes four ASEAN countries (Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia), four SAARC members (India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh) and four from West Asia (Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Iran). Among the 10 Dialogue Partners are China, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Turkey, the UK and US. Most of these are important players in the Indo-Pacific construct today. On February 4 2021, many participated in an IOR Defence Conclave organized by India. This shows the concern they all have with widening issues of maritime security in the region.



From 2012, when India assumed the IORA Chair, there has been a growing direction and determination to strengthen institutions and capacities within IORA. The Chairmanship came to South Africa in 2017 and now the UAE is the Chair. The first African country to chair IORA was Mauritius in 1997-98 and Mozambique in 1999-2000.Kenya and Tanzania have not chaired IORA at any time so far.



The Indo-Pacific Outlooks of Japan and France have sought to engage Africa conceptually. Promoting democratic values, protecting shipping, dealing with regional crises, and the presence of French forces in Djibouti, South Indian Ocean and the UAE are some of its many facets. Economic opportunities, the blue economy, development cooperation, S&amp;T network, are part of a new approach to the Indian Ocean. Dealing with terrorism and radicalization are important goals. Japan, like the French, US and China, has a base in Djibouti. Djibouti is the focal point for much action around the Indo-Pacific policies. Djibouti acquired attention due to the piracy around the Gulf of Aden. The piracy was controlled but the interest of partner countries was enhanced.



Africa gains from the infrastructure development that partners develop. Djibouti perhaps epitomizes the coexistence of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with military engagement and securing projects with competitive financing for its development. Japan supports quality infrastructure in the Indian Ocean littoral. Projects in the Kenyan port of Mombasa and the Mozambique port of Nacala are strategic projects. China is involved in the railways in Djibouti, Kenya and Ethiopia. A Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) report in June 2019 showed that China was investing in 46 ports in Africa with four on the Indian Ocean side in Durban in South Africa, Beira in Mozambique, Doraleh in Djibouti and Bagamoyo in Tanzania. These are mostly categorized as part of the BRI. Some of them are strategic in nature while others are infrastructure and trade facilitators.



China, through the BRI, has a strategic view and is grasping the opportunities. The countries which challenge its view are expanding their Indo-Pacific outlooks and engaging these with their existing Africa programs, like Japan with the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), India with the India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS), France with its Africa policy and the EU with its Africa EU summit process. The US’ Africa strategy under the Trump administration is anticipated to be now rejuvenated.



What these lack is cogent coordinated economic action. The Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) between India and Japan was a starting point and is now looking to coordinate trilateral projects in conjunction with African partners. Meanwhile, the security dimension has transformed to engage nontraditional threats and to deal with Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), as India has done over the years in the region. &nbsp;



How should Africa respond to the increasing interest in the Indian Ocean? Africa gains from divergent interests and capabilities but needs to be cautious in ensuring a level playing field for all its partners. Africa can benefit by not becoming a target of competition. However, most countries are keen to secure their economic growth and are prepared to engage all partners. In the field of maritime security, this is easier said than done. Ultimately, the competitive edges which are there in the Indo-Pacific will certainly impinge on the African context too.&nbsp;



The challenges of the region are quite common for now and balanced by allowing all players. African countries on the Indian Ocean will do well to keep a strategic and economic balance among their partners.



Ambassador Gurjit Singh was an Indian diplomat for 37 years, and has been the Ambassador of India to Germany, Indonesia, Timor Leste &amp; ASEAN, and Ethiopia, Djibouti, and the African Union besides having been in Japan, Sri Lanka, Kenya, and Italy on assignment. He is an Honorary Professor of Humanities at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Indore (India). He also chairs the CII Business Task Force on Trilateral Cooperation in Africa.

Corona crisis promotes wanderlust

The Indo-Pacific Concept And Its Africa Connect

In Beijing, UN Secretary-General António Guterres meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo credit: UN China/Zhao Yun April 2018

China, the UN, and the Global Opportunity for Partnerships & Progress

As 2021 begins, for the third week in a row, the number of new <a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/latest-on-coronavirus-outbreak/for-3rd-week-covid-19-cases-fall-globally-who/2130519">COVID-19 cases globally has fallen</a>.



But over the past year, we have seen countries flatten the curve only to let their guard down. This complacency even found in nations with advanced healthcare systems, costs lives and devastated livelihoods.



While the prospect of vaccines in 2021 provides hope in defeating this virus, UN Secretary-General António Guterres&#8217;s message that &#8216;there is no panacea in a pandemic&#8217; is clear. Robust public health measures centred around the scientifically proven steps that prevent the spread of COVID-19 remain the most practical response. To its credit, China has set a good example by adopting this approach, as I have witnessed firsthand.



As the incoming UN Resident Coordinator to China, I travelled to Guangzhou from Kenya. In Kenya, I served in the same capacity, and as a <a href="https://kenya.un.org/en/107185-these-should-be-our-build-back-better-priorities-2021">UN Country Team in Kenya we joined the Government of Kenya in confronting the pandemic head on</a>.



And in my new role I was not and should not be afforded any preferential treatment on my arrival.



The rules were clear. From the very point of embarking for China, I was subject to the same requirements mandating certificate proof of a negative COVID-19 nucleic acid and IgM antibody test issued no more than two days before travel.



These tests form just part of a comprehensive testing and tracing system found in China, critical to preventing future outbreaks and clusters.



Upon arrival<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/siddharthchatterjee1un_covid19-activity-6756771231833317376-LWNB">, I noted the rigorous and orderly entry screening practices enforced in China</a>, with officials wearing appropriate personal protective equipment as they checked incoming travellers for signs and symptoms.



Like all passengers arriving in China, officials directed me to a designated hotel to complete a 21-day quarantine period.



These inconveniences are necessary to ensure controlling the spread of COVID-19 at the port of entry. I commend these well-orchestrated actions across a range of government departments to ensure the health and safety of the people in China, regardless of nationality is the highest priority.



I began my work in quarantine on 16 January 2021, preparing for my duties as Resident Coordinator and communicating virtually with new colleagues from the UN system in China. I look forward to greeting them in person and forging partnerships with the Government of China, development partners, academia, the private sector and many new and existing stakeholders.



During this, I have managed my time with a sense of purpose, as I kept in touch with loved ones, catching up on reading, writing, and reflecting. This was my first time in quarantine and a rigorous fitness regimen, combined with breathing exercises and a bit of yoga proved to be critical for keeping my mind and body sharp, positively buoyant and in fine fettle. I even managed to clock an average of 20,000 steps a day.



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49904" width="515" height="687" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-300x400.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-600x800.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 515px) 100vw, 515px" /><figcaption>The author doing a headstand in his hotel room. Yoga and breathing exercises are a good way to stay fit and achieve equilibrium particularly during quarantine.</figcaption></figure></div>



While I eagerly await the outside world upon the safe completion of this quarantine period on 06 February 2021, I know that the virus is still out there, mutating and turning more aggressive.



Recent COVID-19 outbreaks ahead of the Lunar New Year have alarmed authorities in China, who have responded in kind with proactive and aggressive measures.



Spring travel or &#8216;Chunyun&#8217; to be with families in this special time has been discouraged in certain municipalities in China, which happens to one of the world&#8217;s largest annual migration.



I acknowledge that these responses can place strain on our happiness and well-being, but it is critical that we not lose sight of our goal to defeat the virus.



This task still requires that we do all we can to protect each other. Governments, societies, and individuals everywhere must continue to encourage wearing masks, physically distancing, observing good hygiene etiquette and above all spreading compassion and not the virus.



These actions in unison with strengthening our testing, tracking and isolation systems will ensure our efforts on vaccines are not in vain with their rollout in the coming year.



With simple public health measures informed by science as adopted here in China, the world can slow the virus&#8217;s spread, save lives and livelihoods and end the pandemic.



I look forward to joining the UN family in China and we will continue to work in lockstep with the Government of China to fight COVID-19 and advancing universal health coverage.



Siddharth Chatterjee, 常启德 is the United Nations Resident Coordinator(designate) to China. Follow him on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/@sidchat1">@sidchat1</a>.

Health Checks at the airport

In Prevention Still Lies the Cure: Thoughts On China’s Fight Against COVID-19

Siddharth Chatterjee the UN Resident Coordinator with CS Eugene Wamalwa, Heads of Missions from the United Nations Mission and other development partners visited the Frontier Counties Development Council Counties with a view of leveraging on opportunities considering geographic proximities in addressing shared developmental challenges in the marginalized Counties. Photo Credit- West Pokot County, February 2020



Happy New Year, Kenya.



Several milestones in my personal and professional life have made Kenya a cherished place for me. I started my UNICEF career in Rumbek, South Sudan in June 2000, and my rest and recuperation breaks were in Nairobi. In fact Kenya was the first African country I had ever visited and, frankly, it was love at first sight.



I came back in November 2004 to serve with UNICEF Somalia based out of Nairobi, and in 2006 I got married in Kenya. My son who was 3 years old in 2014, has had his formative years growing up in Kenya, and considers himself Kenyan.



The following year I left to serve in Iraq, and I wondered if I would get an opportunity to return to Kenya. Seven years later, it happened: in April 2014 I came back as the United Nations Population Fund Representative (UNFPA) Representative and in August 2016, I was selected to lead the UN Country Team in Kenya as the UN Resident Coordinator and the UNDP Resident Representative. &nbsp;



Over the years, my bond with the country has been forged through jubilation and the shared suffering of tragedy. I have rejoiced at improvements in many health indicators in counties such as Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Marsabit, Isiolo and Lamu where an unconscionable number of women used to die in childbirth, but where great progress has been made. I have also mourned in horror at the number of lives lost to terror attacks, the <a href="https://news.trust.org/item/20141202164658-xlpzv/">murder of 36 quarry workers by terrorists in Mandera county</a> (I was in Mandera the same day), the slaughter of innocent students in Garissa University and the dastardly attack at <a href="https://youtu.be/29Ml0evxrCc">Nairobi’s DusitD2 hotel</a>.



The end of my tenure as UN Resident Coordinator to Kenya falls on 13 January 2021, with new experiences and challenges awaiting me as I prepare to take up my next position as the United Nations Resident Coordinator (designate) to China.&nbsp;



This is not the end of my relationship with Kenya, but rather an opportunity to strengthen my ties with the country, and for sharing my knowledge and first hand insights about its great potential. It is also a chance to entrench South-South-Cooperation, a crucial part of the answer to Kenya’s, and more broadly Africa’s, unique opportunities to accelerate growth.



I realize that Kenya still faces formidable challenges, and the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to deepen this even more. Devolution has brought considerable resources and autonomy to counties, and yet lack of capacity, weak financial and regulatory oversight, will continue to hinder efforts to combat the asymmetry of wealth and human prosperity which will be a major obstacle to Kenya’s rise.



I am delighted with the country’s progress towards its Vision 2030 aspirations and the SDGs goals. School enrolment rates are up; more families are accessing maternal and child health services; social, economic and political opportunities for women have increased; major inroads have been made against child marriage and FGM, with President Kenyatta personally leading on this.



My experiences as the UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya have reiterated that by prioritizing investments in women and youth, Africa’s real potential can be unleashed, and I am proud of the support on this that we have been able to provide through the entire UN Kenya Country Team.



By 2030 agri-business will be US$ 1 trillion worth in Africa. Almost two-thirds of Kenya’s population is below the age of 30, and the future of food production rests in their hands. Kenya’s economy is anchored in agriculture, where 70% of the population earns its livelihood.



In most parts of the world, crop yields have grown ahead of population increases, helping to free them from hunger and famine, but not in Africa. We looked for creative and sustainable ways to harness Kenya’s strong internet penetration to exploit information technology that adds value and strengthens the economic appeal of agri-business for young people and creates digital jobs as well.



President Kenyatta&nbsp;<a href="https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/2019/11/african-leaders-have-a-duty-to-empower-the-youth-president-kenyatta/">has noted</a> that “the current generation of young people has the potential of expanding Africa’s productive workforce, promoting entrepreneurship and becoming genuine instruments of change to reverse the devastation caused by climate change.”&nbsp;



Africa’s demographic boom has been hailed as its biggest promise for transforming the continent’s economic and social outcomes, but only if the right investments are made to prepare its youthful population for tomorrow’s world. <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/current-affairs/2020/08/03/with-proper-investment-in-youth-kenyas-potential-for-progress-is-unlimited/">Kenya launched the Generation Unlimited initiative spearheaded by the Head of State</a>, and can serve as a blueprint to harness the demographic dividend that Africa’s youth represent.



Women’s empowerment was our other key pursuit, with special emphasis on access to sexual and reproductive health information and services.&nbsp; Without this, Kenya’s population is likely to continue its rapid increase, putting pressure on land and water resources, threatening livelihoods, food security, and straining already weak health systems. Gains made in women’s sexual reproductive health and rights took several steps backward in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/opinion/2020/04/29/why-reproductive-rights-must-be-a-critical-part-of-our-arsenal-to-fight-pandemics/">.&nbsp;Reproductive rights must be a critical part of our arsenal to fight future pandemics.</a>



It is in Kenya also that I witnessed creative ways of overcoming bureaucracy. Large organisations are often accused of responding too late or with too little in times of crisis, and my tenure saw many. Drought, floods and the worst locust invasion in 70 years, plus the Covid-19 pandemic, all upended much hard-earned progress. As a team however, we went beyond individual UN agency mandates in partnership with the Government of Kenya to quickly establish rapid responses to these emergencies, reducing the socio-economic impact, earning the confidence of the Government and overturning the common perception of the UN as an unwieldy bureaucracy.



The Government’s leadership was meritorious on all counts and that is why <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/opinion/2020/09/30/the-triple-humanitarian-crisis-and-why-kenya-deserves-an-a-in-its-response/">I have stated unequivocally why Kenya deserves an A+ for its response to the triple humanitarian crisis.</a>



I am proud to have been part of many milestones in the partnership between both levels of the Government of Kenya and the UN, and to count on the unfailing support of the leadership of Kenya at all levels of Government. &nbsp;Kenya’s potential is boundless, and the country now offers stronger platforms for new shared-value investments than ever before.



I also express my sincere appreciation to the entire UN family in Kenya, the development partners, our donors and well-wishers and civil society partners and, most of all, the wonderful people of Kenya.&nbsp;



With a firm belief in a common destiny, I intend to keep telling the story of the emerging powerhouse that is Kenya.



My wife, son and I carry Kenya in our hearts.



Thank you for everything. Your generosity, love and friendship is nonpareil.



God Bless, Kenya.



Asante, Kenya, na kwaheri hadi tutakapo kutana tena!

Siddharth Chatterjee with CS Eugene Wamalwa, Heads of Missions from the United Nations Mission and other development partners visited the Frontier Counties Development Council Counties with a view of leveraging on opportunities considering geographic proximities in addressing shared developmental challenges in the marginalized Counties. Photo Credit- West Pokot County, February 2020

Frontier-Counties

This Is Not A Goodbye, Kenya

Sexual offences and violence against women remain pervasive in the West African country, which in the past has had the distinction of being led by Africa’s first elected female head of state.



I have been working on women’s rights for at least seven years. It has never been easy, but at no time have we been busier than in 2020. We are fighting several other epidemics in the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic: domestic violence, rape, and other sexual offenses and murders. We are confronting these while at the same time fighting to compel our government to act. 



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My work has focused mostly in Ganta, a sprawling urban town in northern Liberia, where I grew up. Ganta has not totally left its rural trappings even though it is developing fast. Its population is a mixture of modernizers seeking to upend tradition, particularly practices that undermine human rights, and conservatives determined to preserve old traditions.&nbsp;



I represent the former, and as you might expect, I often come into conflict with the values of the ‘older generation’ who believe that as a young person, I should not speak against sexual and gender-based violence, female genital circumcision, child marriage and rape. I have never faced direct threats to my life for speaking against these practices, but I have been ‘warned’, shamed, harassed, and sometimes pressured into temporary silence.



Where I come from, it is almost a taboo for a girl or woman to report sexual abuse. Those who do so only seek justice, but in most cases end up as a double victim. In addition to the abuse, they are stigmatized and blamed. To avoid stigmatization, many victims live with their pain and grieve silently while their abuser lives freely and continues to abuse others.&nbsp;



My organization has been determined to bring abusers to justice and end stigmatization and victim-blaming. To break this culture of silence and give young victims a safe space to speak out, we established human rights clubs in schools and communities. The clubs create awareness about rape and violence against women, and encourage and support victims to seek justice. The results so far have been mixed.&nbsp;



Some victims do initially speak out, but a good number will prefer to resolve the issue in their community rather than going to court. Unfortunately, they are often blamed and shamed when the community gets involved. The prohibitive cost of seeking justice in Liberia discourages victims, and frustrates us all.&nbsp;&nbsp;



So we now focus more on awareness and advocacy, believing that knowledge of the rape law among community members might deter offenders. However,&nbsp;as Covid-19 spreads across&nbsp;Liberia, the government introduced a semi-lockdown and closed schools. While they focused on curtailing the virus, sexual offences surged. The Ministry of Gender reported in July that about 600 cases of rape and sexual offences were reported between January and June 2020 – unreported cases could be five times higher.



We reacted to this news by mobilizing&nbsp;women’s groups across the country and organizing demonstrations to call on the government to take immediate action. I led the campaign in Nimba County, northeastern Liberia. In August, we staged three days of nationwide protests at various government institutions and public places. Our colleagues in Monrovia, Liberia’s capital, staged a protest outside the president’s office.



Our nationwide campaign was successful. The government immediately organized a multi-stakeholder conference on sexual offences, the president declared rape a national emergency and funding was increased to fight violence against women.



But that has not been the end. We still have more to do. Sexual offences and violence against women remain pervasive as many communities do not view these as crimes.&nbsp;Our job is to make them see these as punishable offences under the law. The government, too, needs to be reminded to deliver on its promises.&nbsp;



Our struggle will continue.



– By Abigail Freeman, founder of the Alliance for Gender Justice and Human Rights, an organization that champions women’s rights, promotes gender equality and elevates the voices of women and youth in rural Liberia.&nbsp;

Category: Opinion