<a href="https://www.forbes.com/"></a><a href="https://www.forbes.com/search/"></a>U.K.-based startup Hertility provides at-home hormone tests to help women assess their risk of fertility decline and make informed decisions about whether to consider treatment like IVF or egg-freezing. It wants to advertise its services on TikTok, which women <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/01/31/americans-social-media-use/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">use at higher rates</a> than men. But it can’t.



That&#8217;s because Hertility ads that mention its diagnostic tests have been blocked by the platform. TikTok spokesperson Ben Rathe says it’s because the company prohibits advertising about fertility treatments and IVF care—something not stated publicly or explicitly in&nbsp;<a href="https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/tiktok-ads-policy-healthcare-pharmaceuticals" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">TikTok&#8217;s healthcare advertising policy</a>—but Hertility doesn’t offer those. TikTok also offered a number of other reasons for the blocks: that Hertility offers medical appointments through its website (something not necessarily mentioned in its ads), or that an ad featured pharmaceutical content (when the company doesn’t sell prescription drugs).



When Hertility has managed to get an ad on TikTok, it&#8217;s been forced to water down its promotional language to the point that it’s no longer even clear what the company does. The company spent two years trying to find a way to market itself on the platform. But in the end, it’s just giving up.



“We are literally hitting our heads against a brick wall,” said Dr. Helen O’Neill, a Hertility cofounder and molecular geneticist who’s spent more than a decade researching infertility and embryonic development.



“We&#8217;re not trying to sell anyone egg-freezing or IVF; we&#8217;re trying to actually help them get on an IVF journey if they need to sooner,” O’Neill said. But the platform “blocks people from even just getting answers, even though [people] sell all sorts of untoward things on TikTok.”



Previously, Hertility’s ads had also been blocked by Meta. The Instagram and Facebook parent’s policies&nbsp;<a href="https://transparency.meta.com/policies/ad-standards/restricted-goods-services/health-wellness" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">allow ads</a>&nbsp;that promote sexual health, wellness and reproductive products and services—including IVF—as long as the users targeted are over 18, and the focus is on health and medical efficacy rather than sexual pleasure or enhancement, according to Meta spokesperson Daniel Roberts.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
“What this leads to more broadly is also that it negates normalizing conversations around sexual and reproductive health.”Caroline Hoffman, chief business officer at Nurx
</blockquote>



“I&#8217;m sad to say that it has something to do with the fact that anything involving women&#8217;s health becomes territorial,” O’Neill added. “We see it now with IVF and egg-freezing—that even the smallest bit of insight into women&#8217;s health will soon become under attack.”



Hertility isn’t the only fertility company that has struggled to advertise on social media: Startups across the space have seen their ads about in-vitro fertilization and egg-freezing blocked or restricted across TikTok, Google and Meta, according to leaders of multiple reproductive health companies.



On the one hand, these giant platforms have valid reasons for their strict advertising rules, often stemming from the need to meet complex legal requirements of regulations in healthcare and medicine, as well as user safety and privacy laws that vary between countries and states. On the other, some companies and brands in the space see these decisions as censorship of a topic deemed by many to be controversial, in a post-Roe v. Wade era when fertility care has become politicized in the race for the White House, Congress and state governments.



Social media platforms have long struggled to strike the right balance with content moderation: Its rules are ever-changing and often opaque, with imperfect detection and decisions. And the lines between what is or isn’t an ad have been blurred by influencer marketing, which is another (and arguably, more powerful) form of advertising that is not always disclosed, nor policed the same way as classic paid ads.



Different platforms have different rules about whether they allow political ads, but across the board, users and companies alike have raised concerns that politicized topics like women’s reproductive health are increasingly getting the ax. This has previously&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/11/business/abortion-groups-tech-platforms.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">affected posts about abortion</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/11/style/facebook-womens-sexual-health-advertising.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">ads about female sexual health</a>, which may be disproportionately suppressed or removed compared with similar ads geared towards men. In 2022, the nonprofit Center for Intimacy Justice&nbsp;<a href="https://www.intimacyjustice.org/petition" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">published a report</a>&nbsp;highlighting this disparity across Facebook and Instagram, which allowed ads from men’s health companies promoting products for their sexual endurance, erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation while blocking ads about menopause, endometriosis and bladder control experienced by women. Hertility and other “femtech” startups banded together to lobby against the issue. And last year, Democrats in Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hirono.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2023_ftc_letter_meta.pdf" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">asked</a>&nbsp;the Federal Trade Commission to investigate.



Reproductive health companies “engage in a lot of work-arounds [to avoid getting their ads rejected] but by and large, other than obvious known knowns&#8230; you often have to guess what wasn&#8217;t right,” said Caroline Hoffman, chief business officer at Nurx, a telemedicine platform for women&#8217;s health aimed at expanding access to birth control, emergency contraceptives and reproductive care. She said Nurx spends millions per year advertising on TikTok and that they’ve had problems not only with paid ads, but also with organic posts. They see their organic content suppressed less on Meta platforms, and when their ads are rejected there, Meta offers more explanation than TikTok as to why, she said.



“What this leads to more broadly is also that it negates normalizing conversations around sexual and reproductive health,” she added. “It decreases the accessibility for credible and educational content. We want to play a much more active role in informing and sharing facts, and we think that this is our responsibility as a company to educate our patients. But it&#8217;s more and more difficult.”



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
“Trying to conceive: Not a political issue, unless you are not in a traditional relationship. But egg freezing: Very controversial.”An anonymous fertility startup founder
</blockquote>



IVF and egg-freezing now appear to be the newest frontier for the problem. At the same time as startups in the space say they’re seeing their ads rejected or restricted, brands are using the same platforms to hawk dubious fertility products to enormous audiences. On TikTok Shop, for example, it’s easy to find unproven pills, powders, teas and gummies claiming to improve the quality of women’s eggs, circulation of their ovaries, functioning of the uterus and balance of their hormones, in apparent violation of company policies. (TikTok Shop&nbsp;<a href="https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=1399532709988097&amp;default_language=en&amp;identity=1" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">prohibits</a>&nbsp;the sale of “unlicensed medicines, herbal or homeopathic products, and those making health claims.”)



Meanwhile, influencers being compensated by fertility clinics are broadcasting their IVF and egg-freezing journeys to followers as a promotional tool—<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandralevine/2024/07/26/rise-of-the-ivf-influencers-fertility-creators-tiktok-instagram/'">without always disclosing the financial relationship</a>. (This, too, is not allowed on TikTok.) “That seems so ironic that a clinic can directly pay someone to get a procedure” as an advertisement, and “we want to enable people to just get answers, and we&#8217;re banned,” O’Neill, the Hertility founder, said.



The cofounder of an egg-freezing company said that TikTok regularly rejecting their ads is polarizing fertility issues that should be straightforward. They were told their ads violated TikTok’s policy on “medical devices,” though their company does not sell medical devices.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



“Trying to conceive: Not a political issue, unless you are not in a traditional relationship. But egg freezing: Very controversial, because it means that you are someone who&#8217;s potentially looking to put off having a baby so you can pursue a career, education or other parts of your life,” said the cofounder, who requested anonymity because the company is actively lobbying to be able to advertise on the platform. They said they never expected egg-freezing to be controversial. And given the size of the audience for the TikTok hashtag #eggfreezingjourney — at one point 30 million viewers, they said — “Why wouldn’t they want our money as an advertiser to reach that audience?”



TikTok spokesperson Ben Rathe said ads for egg-freezing are allowed in the U.S., as long as they are targeted at individuals over 18 and comply with other rules set out in the company&#8217;s policies. But the egg-freezing startup said it met those age requirements.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



These obstacles extend beyond traditional social media to search giants like Google.



Google has limited the advertising possible for AIVF, a startup using artificial intelligence to improve and digitize the end-to-end IVF process for patients, fertility clinics and embryology labs across the United States, Europe and Latin America, said AIVF’s vice president of marketing Eyal Katz.



IVF and egg-freezing fall under a Google advertising category called “birth control,” even though they are not a form of birth control. Google spokesperson Nate Funkhouser told&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;advertising on these topics is restricted only in some parts of the world,&nbsp;<a href="https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/176031?hl=en#zippy=%2Ctroubleshooter-birth-control" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">banned in</a>&nbsp;China, Hong Kong, Iran, Lebanon, Palestinian Territory, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates, among other places. But AIVF’s Katz said their prospective U.S. market is affected, too.



“We are targeting countries not included as part of the policy… and still having issues with the policy rejecting our ads,” Katz said. “I was told by a Google representative that it would be wise to remove any mention of birth control or IVF from our landing pages and/or ads. However, unclear as to why I would need to do that in countries where the policy is not supposed to be enforced.”



Funkhouser, the Google spokesperson, said over email that “we have long allowed ads for fertility treatments and services in most countries,” but “to ensure advertisers don&#8217;t target people based on sensitive health information, we do implement certain protections.” As part of its&nbsp;<a href="https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/og_pCzpqjMfzELZmuXhvF95Upl?domain=support.google.com" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">personalized advertising policies</a>, Google prevents those advertising fertility services—which it considers a sensitive category—from using certain ad customization tools. The goal, he noted, is to avoid targeting that could negatively impact user experience. But there are no restrictions on specific fertility-related words (except for users under 18), he said.



“It&#8217;s not that [Google] prohibits us from advertising to people in search of an IVF treatment, it just limits the ways that we can do it, into a way that makes it not very effective,” Katz told&nbsp;Forbes.



“Technology makes IVF something that is more accessible to a wider audience,” he added. “And with these platforms limiting it, they&#8217;re limiting the access that IVF treatment would have, especially for those types of audiences that need it.”



This story has been updated to clarify Meta’s ad policies.

Be always in contact.

TikTok Is Rejecting Ads About IVF, Egg Freezing And Fertility Services, Founders Say

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



The once-highly anticipated fashion event and television ratings juggernaut, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, will take place in New York tonight for the first time since 2018, after the annual event went on a hiatus amid a series of controversies that rattled the lingerie brand and declining viewership.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is a typically star-studded annual event used by the company as a marketing tool for its lingerie and is known for the models (called “Victoria’s Secret Angels”) that walk the runway and wear the brand’s iconic wings.



This year’s show will take place in Brooklyn and will be hosted by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-week/a62337129/tyra-banks-victorias-secret-comeback-interview/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Tyra Banks</a>, who walked in nine shows as a Victoria’s Secret Angel before her retirement at the 2005 Victoria’s Secret show.



<a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/cher-2024-victorias-secret-fashion-show-all-women-lineup-1235777330/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Cher</a>&nbsp;will headline an all-female lineup of artists, which also includes the South African singer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/tyla-victorias-secret-fashion-show-performer-1235778829/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Tyla</a>&nbsp;and Thai singer and rapper&nbsp;<a href="https://vsnow.victoriassecret.com/fashion-show/musical-guest-lisa/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Lisa</a>.



Victoria’s Secret announced in May the fashion show would return and will “reflect who we are today,” likely referring to the brand’s attempt to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/style/article/victorias-secret-rebrand-vs-collective/index.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">overhaul its image</a>&nbsp;to become more inclusive of body types and gender identities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-who-is-participating-in-this-year-s-show">Who Is Participating In This Year’s Show?</h2>



Valentina Sampaio, a Brazilian model hired in 2019 as the brand’s first openly transgender model,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DBJdgdKvSfJ/?img_index=1" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">said on Instagram</a>&nbsp;she will be in the show.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_2-0-WuSMq/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Gigi Hadid</a>, a Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show veteran, will also walk the runway, the company confirmed. Brazilian model&nbsp;<a href="https://people.com/adriana-lima-announces-she-return-to-2024-victorias-secret-fashion-show-8727934" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Adriana Lima</a>, who spent two decades as a Victoria’s Secret model and walked in 18 of its fashion shows, will also walk the runway.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2024/10/15/victorias-secret-fashion-show-how-to-watch/75683705007/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Other models</a>&nbsp;set to walk include Barbara Palvin, Jasmine Tookes, Ashley Graham, Candice Swanepoel and Behati Prinsloo.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-and-where-will-the-fashion-show-air">When And Where Will The Fashion Show Air?</h2>



The “pink carpet” before the show starts at 6:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.victoriassecret.com/us/vs/vsinsider/fashion-show/all-access-pass" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">broadcast</a>&nbsp;live on Prime Video, as well as on Victoria’s Secret’s Instagram, YouTube and TikTok accounts. The show begins at 7 p.m. EDT, broadcast on the same channels.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-controversies-did-victoria-s-secret-face">What Controversies Did Victoria’s Secret Face?</h2>



The brand faced a string of controversies in the late 2010s, including growing criticism over its lack of inclusivity for all body types. Its much-criticized “Perfect Body”&nbsp;<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/victorias-secret-controversial-perfect-body-slogan/story?id=26735138" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">campaign</a>&nbsp;included photoshoots with only thin models, sparking a petition that garnered more than 30,000 signatures. One of the brand’s highest-profile models, Karlie Kloss, left the company in 2015, which she later said was because she “didn’t feel it was an image that was truly reflective of who I am and the kind of message I want to send to young women around the world about what it means to be beautiful.” Another model,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BpBdRsenNxf/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=62e25ac5-b7be-4b56-a8bc-17aa08b5bb88" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Robyn Lawley</a>, led a boycott of the brand in 2018, alleging it tells women “only one kind of body” is beautiful. The brand faced a wave of renewed criticism in 2018 when Ed Razek, then the chief marketing officer for Victoria’s Secret’s then-parent company L Brands,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/victorias-secret-ed-razek-monica-mitro-interview?intcid=inline_amp" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">told Vogue</a>&nbsp;he doesn’t think the show should feature models who are “transsexuals,” stating: “Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy. It’s a 42-minute entertainment special.” Razek&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/victorias-secret-backlash-ed-razeks-comments-trans-size-models-spark-outrage-1160446/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">apologized</a>&nbsp;days later, stating: “To be clear, we would absolutely cast a transgender model for the show.” He&nbsp;<a href="https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2019/08/victorias-secret-cmo-ed-razek-quits-days-first-trans-model-hired/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">stepped down</a>&nbsp;in August 2019, days after Victoria’s Secret cast Sampaio, its first transgender model. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/01/business/victorias-secret-razek-harassment.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">New York Times</a>&nbsp;published an investigation in February 2020 alleging the company had a “culture of misogyny” characterized by “widespread bullying and harassment of employees and models,” alleging Razek was repeatedly subject to complaints of inappropriate conduct, including attempts to kiss models and touching one’s crotch. Razek said the allegations were “categorically untrue, misconstrued or taken out of context,” and the company said it is “committed to continuous improvement and complete accountability.” Former L Brands CEO, billionaire Les Wexner,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-40c85023f3854f3ebfc597d2a8e75ec3" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">apologized</a>&nbsp;in 2019 for his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, whom Wexner had employed to manage his finances until he severed ties in 2007.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-has-the-company-attempted-to-shift-its-image">How Has The Company Attempted To Shift Its Image?</h2>



Victoria’s Secret replaced its “Angel” title for supermodels in 2021 with a new concept called the “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/style/article/victorias-secret-rebrand-vs-collective/index.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">VS Collective</a>,” a group initially composed of seven ambassadors formed to embrace diversity, including Sampaio, openly lesbian soccer player Megan Rapinoe, plus-size model Paloma Elsesser and actress Priyanka Chopra. Last year, instead of having a live fashion show, the company released a film on Amazon Prime Video titled “Victoria’s Secret: The Tour ’23” that it called “part documentary, part spectacular fashion event.” Critics noted the&nbsp;<a href="https://fashionista.com/2023/09/victorias-secret-the-tour-2023-fashion-show-review" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">casting</a>&nbsp;was more&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/fashion/2023/09/26/victorias-secret-fashion-show-world-tour-film-jennyfax/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">diverse</a>&nbsp;for the special and included open discussion of topics like LGBTQ identities and bodily autonomy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">Key Background</h2>



The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was held annually between 1995 and 2018, and began broadcasting on television in 2001. The 2001 broadcast on ABC was a ratings hit, attracting 12 million&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1006127270419778440" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">viewers</a>, and the show sustained that success for more than a decade, drawing nearly 10 million viewers on CBS in 2013. But ratings soon took a dive, declining year after year to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/victorias-secret-fashion-show-lowest-ratings" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">new low</a>&nbsp;of just over 3 million viewers in 2018, the last show before the hiatus.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">Big Number</h2>



$15 million. That’s how much the most expensive item ever worn at a Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was valued to be. Model Gisele Bündchen wore the iconic “<a href="https://www.elle.com/fashion/news/g29153/victorias-secret-fantasy-bra/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Fantasy Bra</a>”—an item worn by one select model in each show—in 2000, the most expensive version of the bra that is worth millions each year.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">Further Reading</h2>



<a href="https://www.victoriassecret.com/us/vs/vsinsider/fashion-show/all-access-pass" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Your All-Access Pass to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show</a>&nbsp;(Victoria’s Secret)



<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/01/business/victorias-secret-razek-harassment.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">‘Angels’ in Hell: The Culture of Misogyny Inside Victoria’s Secret</a>&nbsp;(New York Times)



<a href="https://www.cnn.com/style/article/victorias-secret-rebrand-vs-collective/index.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Victoria’s Secret is overhauling its image. Is it enough to regain relevance?</a>&nbsp;(CNN)

Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2024

Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Returns Tonight—After Controversies Spurred Brand To Overhaul Image

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="10" height="17" src="">It is a workplace reality that caring too much for your colleagues can hurt you.



It is the essence of ‘compassion fatigue’, a increasingly common concern in workplaces all around us.



Consider a librarian stacking books on a shelf designed to comfortably hold 20 volumes.



Day by day, more books are added to push the load to 30 and then 40. Eventually, the shelf buckles under the weight of twice its intended capacity.



The shelf is no longer able to perform its primary function without repair or reinforcement.



This analogy vividly illustrates the dangers of compassion fatigue – an affliction of growing concern in many workplaces.



Compassion fatigue occurs when individuals, particularly those in supervisory, management or leadership roles, find themselves absorbing the emotional stress of their team members well beyond their personal capabilities.



In the modern workplace, individuals are increasingly expected to navigate high-stress environments themselves while providing support and maintaining a high level of empathy and sensitivity towards their colleagues.



This often means they prioritize the needs of others above their own.



Over time, this unsustainable cycle leads to a breakdown and renders them incapable of assisting anyone – including themselves.



This phenomenon is characterized by a profound emotional and physical exhaustion that diminishes a person’s ability to empathize or feel compassion for others.



Originally identified among professions with high exposure to traumatic situations, in sectors such as healthcare, social work and emergency services, it is now recognized as a more widespread issue affecting individuals in a wide variety of workplaces.



For instance, nurses and doctors face daily trauma as they care for critically-ill patients, sometimes leading to emotional exhaustion and reduced empathy.



In a corporate setting, consider a project manager who oversees a high-pressure team with tight deadlines and significant client demands.



This manager constantly mediates conflicts, manages stress and provides emotional support to their team. Over time, the continuous emotional labor without adequate breaks or support can lead to compassion fatigue.



And employees in high-stress customer service roles, like call center agents, experience repetitive emotional strain from handling constant complaints, which can lead to diminished sympathy and patience.



Compassion fatigue can present differently in everyone while individuals might observe its symptoms in their personal life, their work environment or both.



Common signs include irritability, anger and anxiety, which are often accompanied by sleep disturbances such as insomnia or nightmares.



Individuals might feel burdened by the emotional demands of their roles, leading to reduced job satisfaction and a withdrawal from social interactions. Both physical and mental fatigue are common alongside a loss of enjoyment in daily activities.



There can be issues with concentration, a tendency to suppress emotions and a dread of work responsibilities – coupled with feelings of guilt.



Some might experience numbness, hopelessness or a sense of powerlessness.



Denial is also a significant barrier, preventing individuals from acknowledging their struggles and seeking help.



While compassion fatigue and burnout are often seen as the same, primarily because they both involve emotional and physical exhaustion, they differ in their origins and how they present.



Compassion fatigue arises specifically from prolonged exposure to others’ trauma or significant distress. Burnout stems from chronic workplace stress and overwork, affecting various job sectors beyond caregiving.



Recognizing these signs is crucial for safeguarding against the debilitating effects of compassion fatigue.



Prevention also requires an individual to cultivate a balance between being empathetic and maintaining emotional boundaries to prevent the over-absorption of others’ stress and emotional states.



For those who feel they might be at risk of succumbing to compassion fatigue, it is worth remembering the many adages that highlight the importance of self-care. So, heed the wisdom of adages such as “you cannot pour from an empty cup”, which underscores the importance of self-care in sustaining one’s ability to care for others.

Burnout businesswoman under pressure in the office

Expert-Speak: Compassion Fatigue – The Dangerous Descent From Helping To Hurting

Boasting an abundance of natural resources, a young workforce, a growing middle class, and a government-incentivized investment climate, Ghana is positioned as a premier investment destination in Africa. 



For generations, Ghana’s mineral wealth flowed outward, with a stream of gold, manganese, and bauxite feeding the industries of countries all across the globe. In recent years, however, the nation’s mineral resource stewardship has taken a novel shift, with a focus on adding value to its raw natural resources before they reach the global market. The establishment of a 400kg-capacity gold refinery through a public-private partnership in 2024 and the planned construction of a US$450 million manganese refinery this year, marks a bold stride towards this commitment. 



The latter is expected to raise Ghana’s revenue from manganese from the current 27% to nearly 40%, while creating 400,000 jobs for the youth. Large-scale salt mining is another positive development in the country’s economy. “We have a salt mine that is slated to become the biggest salt-producing facility in Africa. We are expanding its capacity from 650,000 metric tons of salt per annum to one million metric tons this year and to two million metric tons by 2027,” says Daniel McKorley, Executive Chairman of McDan Group. With increased demand for renewable energy sources, Ghana’s possession of copper and rare earth elements will also propel the nation to the forefront of the green mining revolution. 



Eliminating tariffs on most traded goods and encouraging regional value chains, the advent of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has the potential to impact Ghana’s mining industry and other sectors. Ghanaian businesses will benefit from increased market access through the initiative, which will create a market of over 1.2 billion people and a combined GDP of US$3.4 trillion. As the designated host of the AfCFTA organization that will oversee the implementation of the agreement, Ghana plays a prominent leadership role in the initiative, one that is amplified by its strategic location within Africa. “Ghana is centrally located in Africa. It serves as a significant conduit for exports for a number of landlocked countries,” says Sam Aidoo, Executive Director of GCB Bank.  



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As one of the top recipients of foreign direct investment in West Africa, Ghana focuses on continuously improving investors’ experiences by streamlining bureaucratic procedures and offering tax incentives. Julie Essiam, Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, says, “Ghana offers a welcoming environment for investors through several key structures. There are temporary taxation arrangements. Foreign investors can benefit from a tax rebate program offering around 5%. Manufacturers located in special economic zones such as the Accra-Tema zone enjoy significant tax breaks, with rates around 25%.” In 2019, Ghana conducted a year-long program dubbed ‘The Year of Return’ that focused on providing investment opportunities to welcome back the diaspora, boosting tourism, and attracting investment. “We have made great efforts to mobilize diaspora investment. Diaspora investors are seen as a source of stable capital, less likely to repatriate funds during periods of economic volatility,” says Alex Dadey, Executive Chairman of KGL Group. 



Building on this collaborative momentum, Ghana fosters a strong partnership with the private sector, leveraging the sector’s capital, expertise, and technology to accelerate the development of needed infrastructure and the provision of service delivery in the country. 



“The future is positive. The key lies in creating a level playing field for investors. This will unlock a domino effect, with increased investment leading to job creation, tax revenue growth, and a thriving economy. However, taking the first step is essential,” notes Mahesh Melwani, Joint MD of Melcom. This commitment to collaboration extends beyond infrastructure projects and reflects a broader national commitment to stability. 



The country has a long history of peaceful democratic transitions, making it a reliable and predictable environment for businesses to invest. Kosi Yankey Ayeh, CEO of Ghana Enterprises Agency, says, “Ghana is a beacon of democracy and stability. We’ve done pretty well as a nation. I think that successive governments and everyone have ensured that we are able to maintain stability through a peaceful transition of power with the future in mind.” From its supportive government policies to its dynamic market and focus on innovation, Ghana stands out as an attractive destination for investors seeking long-term success.

Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange in Ghana, Africa. Shot with a drone

Ghana: The Beacon of Democracy Part 2- West Africa’s Investment Powerhouse 

In the pristine wilderness of Gabon are the majestic and gentle Western Lowland Gorillas. A firsthand report from our travel writer on what goes into habituating them.



Sitting still in the forest with my tracker, we were awaiting the arrival of western low- land gorillas on their morning forage. And then, suddenly, as if on cue, they did, slowly but surely. In the thick ar- rowroot bush undergrowth, I noticed a juvenile western lowland gorilla staring at me through the verdant leaves. Soon, I was surrounded by juveniles, sub-adults and mothers watching me curiously. A baby gorilla and her sibling came almost 10ft from me at which time we had to hurriedly move away to keep a healthy distance – so as not to expose them to airborne human viruses. That moment still lives in me.



I am recollecting this experience from about a decade ago when visiting the Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the Republic of the Congo (ROC), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, where Dr Magdalena Bermejo, a Spanish primatologist, first habituated the western lowland gorillas in the early 1990s. Like the habituation of mountain gorillas at the Bwindi National Park in southwestern Uganda in 1991, enacting the same process for their western cousins had been a remarkable achievement.



The habituation of wild gorillas – the process of getting them to ignore the presence of humans, or be used to seeing and being around humans – has long proven to be a useful tool for research and conservation programs. It generates revenue for sustainable tourism for local communities, ends the practice of bushmeat hunting, enables detailed research on feeding ecology and social behavior in addition to protecting the forests where they live.



Mountain gorillas are large apes with long dark hair and an average weight of 440 pounds. They are to be found in mountainous areas, at elevations from 8,000ft to 13,000ft, in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); and they have adapted to freezing temperatures. Lowland gorillas, much smaller and weighing an average of 330 pounds, live in the equatorial rainforests in much warmer environments, and forage for food on adjacent swamp lands and savannah grasslands. They inhabit the countries of Gabon, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, the ROC and the Central African Republic (CAR).



During my Odzala trip in 2015, I was completely enamored by these gentle creatures and spent several hours watching them go about their daily lives. Over dinner once with Dr Bermejo, I learned about the difficulties and expenses of habituation, including the dangers of exposing human-borne viruses to these apes.



She said her biggest shock came when over 5,000 gorillas – including the nearly 200 animals her research group was observing – died during an Ebola outbreak in the ROC. She shared with me the research videos, captured using camera traps, of their social behavior.



In my quest to see these gorillas again, I traveled to Gabon in 2018. The country has the largest population of these animals inhabiting the Congo Basin, the world’s second-largest rainforest area after the Amazon. This second visit to see habituated gorillas took me to the Loango National Park where scientists from the Max Planck Institute from Leipzig, Germany, had begun their research since 2016.



With my interest peaking after visiting Gabon, I met Spanish conservationist Antonio Anoro, whose NGO, Gabon Untouched, has been developing eco-tourism in the country. For over a decade, Anoro has played a key role in bringing tourism to the remote Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, home to the one of highest numbers of western lowland gorillas and chimpanzees.



Gabon Untouched, in collaboration with Dr Etienne François Akomo-Okoue of IRET (Institut de Recherche en Ecologie Tropicale), have managed to protect a



17-member gorilla group – originally habituated by scientists from Kyoto University, Japan, in 2005 – for the sake of research, tourism and community development.



After yet another visit to Gabon in 2019, Anoro invited me to join his NGO as an advisor, thereby giving me an opportunity to help and also get a firsthand look at gorilla conservation and sustainable tourism development.



In 2023, Gabon Untouched and IRET launched a new program to habituate another group of gorillas. They selected an area on the perimeter of the Moukalaba-Dou- dou National Park, where intense ape activity had been noticed by villagers. Using scientific parameters proven by apex species surveys, camera traps were set up in three transects running over 2kms into the forest. Within weeks, the images of gorillas and chimpanzees approaching a nearby stream were recorded and a suitable site selected for the habituation process.



The habituation of gorillas in the tropical forests of Central Africa requires high-tracking skills prior to making the decision of which group to follow. As studies show, it is important to employ the same trackers to continue searching for gorillas in the forest – to increase their tracking skills and techniques. These abilities include finding the trails of gorillas from field signs (feces, footprint, food scraps), identifying the vocalization of gorillas and using the aforementioned techniques to locate them.



Accumulated experience in the forest and the ability to predict their location daily helps to follow trails of gorillas reliably and consistently.



Experience has shown that it takes four trackers, spending an average of nine hours per day in the presence of these animals, for habituation to take effect. Two to three years of such efforts, often accompanied by researchers, accelerate the habituation process. Silver- backs, the leaders of a gorilla family of up to 20 members, become semi-habituated within a year of regular contact. Historically, habituating females takes longer than males, and like the males, they start with avoidance, aggression and curiosity before habituation.



On my last trip to Gabon last year, I met Rodrigue Nzou, one of the leaders of community eco-tourism organization Papa Yitu in the Punu village of Doussala, at the edge of the Moukalaba-Doudou National Park.



Nzou told me: “Conservation has changed the way villagers look at wildlife. The employment from research and eco-tourism activities has stopped the hunting for bushmeat.”



It has been a tradition among the Punu people to call the silverback gorilla ‘Papa’ (chief in French). The name ‘Yitu’ means ‘hope’ in their language. As the head of Papa Yitu (hope for the gorillas), Nzou works closely with Gabon Untouched. Gabon, which is 90% forested and often called the Last Eden, is home to nearly 30,000 western lowland gorillas – that’s 25% of its estimated total population. Their protection also keeps the planet green by saving the forests where they live.

gabon

Track, Watch, Befriend: Habituating Gorillas In Gabon

Amid the widespread global support for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there was an underlying concern among economists and financial advisors in the emerging and frontier markets: public sector and donor funds were stalled, if not regressing, and the funding gap to realize the SDGs was increasing. The challenge was to incentivize and mobilize private capital, reduce risk-return profiles, and avoid conflicts of interest such as institutions providing commercial financing and managing concessional resources.



In 2002, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development provided project finance subsidies to multinational funders. Seven years later, a $30 million Clean Technology Fund Renewable Financing Facility was used to finance a 250MW wind project in Mexico. These were early steps in using a mix of public and private capital to support clean energy projects in developing countries.



Today, the term ‘blended finance’ is much more common, as multilateral institutions and donors invest more official development assistance (ODA) in this way.



Using development finance and philanthropic funds to drive private capital flows to emerging and developing markets is an accepted catalyst that helps to bridge the financing gap and contribute to the SDGs.



Blended finance is being used successfully in sectors including renewable energy infrastructure, urban transport, and agriculture. The Global Environment Facility —an independent financial organization established in 1991 comprising representatives from 32 constituencies — is a prime example, using blended finance to scale up financing for renewable energy technologies in developing countries.



South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) exemplifies how blended finance can help renewable projects. The government provided initial support and guarantees to mitigate risks for private investors and international financiers; development finance institutions offered concessional loans and guarantees to cover political/credit risks in this emerging market; and a robust regulatory framework with power purchase agreements ensured predictable investment returns. By blending public de-risking instruments with private capital, the program successfully unlocked renewable energy investment by addressing investor concerns upfront through an enabling policy environment.



Managing the risk



Blended finance clearly depends on public sector support to encourage private investment in emerging markets. However, legal frameworks, stability, and transparency must be addressed; clear laws and policies are essential, while ensuring clarity and accountability in complex financing arrangements. Governments and international institutions are crucial in facilitating this environment.



Blended finance fund recipients acknowledge that, while beneficial in attracting private investment for public projects, there are potential risks. In the worst case scenario, misalignment between the financial objectives of private investors and the social or environmental goals of public or philanthropic funders may lead to reputational damage if investments result in unintended negative social or environmental impacts. Therefore, it is essential to customize ODA by considering the appropriate use of blending in emerging markets.



Solving for the opportunity



Mitigating the risks requires a robust financial ecosystem that fosters public-private dialogue and partnerships, enhanced due diligence, and the involvement of local communities Multilateral development banks and international financial institutions can create the right climate for investment, encouraging participation by pooling capital from public, private and philanthropic sources to spread risk. They can also offer risk-sharing instruments such as guarantees or insurance products to protect against political, credit and currency risks, thereby mitigating potential losses and making projects more attractive to investors.



Banks and financial institutions on the ground, with longstanding market expertise, can help promote consensus among stakeholders to establish principles for structuring and allocating blended finance, which can prove valuable.



The private sector can provide technical assistance to strengthen project preparation, build the capacity of local partners, and ensure that projects are developed with sound governance practices and business plans.



Conclusion



Developing countries are still far short of the financing required to achieve SDG Agenda 2030. Leveraging private finance is only part of the solution – getting the finance to where it is most needed is what matters. Blended finance can, and should, play a crucial role in achieving global development goals facilitating large-scale capital mobilization and ensuring that such mobilizations are carried out responsibly and sustainably, ultimately contributing to a more equitable and sustainable global economy.

diversity team discussion focused on ESG (environment,social,governance)  for net zero goals in a sustainable green office

Expert-Speak: Blended Finance – Bridging The Gap In Emerging Markets In Support Of The SDGs

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



Thirty pages of uncovered documents in a lawsuit against TikTok owner ByteDance suggest the company has aggressively pursued children’s use of its app despite knowing its widespread dangers including possible sexual exploitation, according to an exclusive&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/10/11/g-s1-27676/tiktok-redacted-documents-in-teen-safety-lawsuit-revealed" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">NPR report</a>, which confirms previous reporting by Forbes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



The documents, discovered&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lpm.org/news/2024-10-09/ag-coleman-sues-tiktok-says-internal-documents-show-company-knowingly-addicted-ky-youth" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">by Kentucky Public Radio</a>&nbsp;after they were improperly redacted, include summaries of internal studies and communications between TikTok executives as they discuss responses to crises and ways to improve the app.



The documents were part of a suit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandralevine/2024/10/08/attorneys-general-sue-tiktok-ban/">filed this week</a>&nbsp;by the Kentucky attorney general as part of a two-year, multistate investigation into TikTok.



A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandralevine/2022/04/27/how-tiktok-live-became-a-strip-club-filled-with-15-year-olds/">Forbes report in 2022</a>&nbsp;showing TikTok’s live-streaming platform crowded with viewers urging and paying young girls to perform acts that “toe the line of child pornography” caused ByteDance to open an investigation that confirmed “a significant” number of adults messaging underage streamers about stripping live, and in just one month users sent 1 million “gifts” to underage children engaged in this “transactional behavior,” according to the documents.



The investigation prompted one TikTok official, according to NPR, to report that “a major challenge with Live business is that the content that gets the highest engagement may not be the content we want on our platform.”



Other documents show TikTok executives aware of the addictive quality of the app, citing internal research that it took less than an hour to become addicted, and that compulsive usage correlates to negative mental health effects like the loss of analytical skills and memory formation while also interfering with sleep, responsibilities and human connection.



App features released and promoted by the app to help users limit their time on the platform were internally viewed only as a “way to improve public trust” while not effectively reducing users’ screen time, according to the documents, which also reveal that TikTok believed 95% of smartphone users under 17 used the app, which was often ineffective at quickly removing users under 13, the age requirement to be on the app.



The documents also show the platform largely used artificial intelligence instead of human moderation to prevent content about self-harm and eating disorders, while also demoting users deemed “unattractive” by the company and reworking the algorithm to amplify those deemed “beautiful.”



TikTok spokesman Alex Haurek told Forbes in a statement it was highly irresponsible of NPR to publish court-sealed information, adding the “complaint cherry-picks misleading quotes and takes outdated documents out of context to misrepresent our commitment to community safety.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">Crucial Quote</h2>



One TikTok executive warns in the documents that the addictive nature of the app could deprive children using TikTok of “other opportunities,” clarifying that “I literally mean sleep, and eating, and moving around the room, and looking at someone in the eyes.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">Key Background</h2>



These documents — now sealed — come from the Kentucky Public Radio&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lpm.org/news/2024-10-09/ag-coleman-sues-tiktok-says-internal-documents-show-company-knowingly-addicted-ky-youth" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">copying-and-pasting parts</a>&nbsp;of the redacted legal documents, which revealed the 30 pages of secret documents. The documents were redacted legal filings from a two-year investigation by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandralevine/2024/10/08/attorneys-general-sue-tiktok-ban/">14 attorney generals</a>, which led to state officials suing the company on Tuesday. One of the cases, a complaint filed in the D.C. Superior Court, explicitly referenced Forbes reporting on the problems with TikTok Live. ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, faces a federal law requiring the company to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/09/16/tiktok-ban-heard-today-in-court-heres-what-to-know/">sell by January 2025</a>, so that it’s not solely owned by a Chinese company, or face a U.S. ban. Federal government officials&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cadc.40861/gov.uscourts.cadc.40861.1208647192.0_1.pdf" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">argued</a>&nbsp;in the September lawsuit that ByteDance’s Chinese ownership “creates a national security threat of immense depth and scale.” The Forbes investigation mentioned in the lawsuit is just one of many Forbes stories on the company, which also includes ByteDance&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilybaker-white/2022/12/22/tiktok-tracks-forbes-journalists-bytedance/?sh=2ccb583e7da5">spying on Forbes journalists,</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandralevine/2023/05/05/tiktok-bytedance-sensitive-words-suppression-china/?sh=130ca8e469c9">tracking “sensitive” words</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandralevine/2023/09/27/tiktok-exposed-politicians-celebrities-contacts-privacy-security-election-china/?sh=7282c882466c">exposing</a>&nbsp;celebrities and politicians’ contacts,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilybaker-white/2022/12/01/tiktok-chinese-state-media-divisive-politics/?sh=79d4798e5e64">promoting</a>&nbsp;Chinese propaganda and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandralevine/2024/04/17/tiktok-mishandled-advertisers-data-bytedance-china/?sh=8e548b1da2b5">mishandling</a>&nbsp;user data.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">Chief Critic</h2>



In response to the federal law, TikTok <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cadc.40861/gov.uscourts.cadc.40861.1208620273.1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">argued</a> the U.S. government’s ban does not equally apply its free speech rules to platforms. It also argued that the ban would be based purely on speculation and flawed concerns about content manipulation and data security practices TikTok is not performing.

In this photo illustration the TikTok logo seen displayed on

TikTok Can Become Addictive After Just 35 Minutes, Uncovered Documents Claim

Untitled design (32)

Steering South Africa Inc.: The 2024 List Of Top CEOs In Africa’s Biggest Economy

One of the highlights of the last period has been the much-awaited debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Most people I spoke with were unanimous about the deftness and mastery with which Harris handled the questions. However, the debatable issue remains whether she will be able to edge Trump out of the race for good. The real question is whether the American people are ready for a Black American and South Asian American woman to be in the White House. The debate itself was at times touching lows with personal attacks by Trump and his dismal record of untruths from the fact-check reports. Most people were alarmed at his choice of words for immigrants. There are other points that could have been highlighted, other than “eating pets”, to make a compelling argument on immigration. Leaders from the world’s most powerful country can surely elevate the level of conversations a few notches up.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="754" height="1024" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/21-September-2023-Wahi-6-of-6-754x1024.png" alt="" class="wp-image-61671" style="width:355px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/21-September-2023-Wahi-6-of-6-754x1024.png 754w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/21-September-2023-Wahi-6-of-6-221x300.png 221w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/21-September-2023-Wahi-6-of-6-768x1043.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/21-September-2023-Wahi-6-of-6-1131x1536.png 1131w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/21-September-2023-Wahi-6-of-6-1508x2048.png 1508w" sizes="(max-width: 754px) 100vw, 754px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dr Rakesh Wahi</figcaption></figure></div>


The outcome of the elections will have a number of consequences, particularly if Trump implements half the things he has said he will do, as soon as he is elected. This should make some of the NATO allies reflect a bit before making any rushed decisions in Ukraine. The decision to permit Ukraine to use long-range munitions to hit targets in Russia is not a well thought-through strategy. This will not end the war but only escalate it. Whatever moral high ground that exists today with Ukraine will be completely lost.



The sad reality is that this test of resolve that NATO wants, to check regarding Russian intent, may completely backfire on the Ukrainian people. It’s unlikely that, unless pushed, Russia will attack any other NATO country, but Ukraine will feel the brunt of an assault that will leave the country in rubble. It’s easy to experiment when one knows it’s not putting your own nation or people at risk but is this something that the Ukrainian people truly want? We shouldn’t take Volodymyr Zelensky’s word for this.



My personal view remains that it’s about time that the two leaders (Vladimir Putin and Zelensky) are brought to the negotiation table, and they agree on fundamentals. Russia is unlikely to allow NATO to come to their southern border and if this condition is met, Putin is likely to accept an end to the hostilities. I am sure that Putin has realized the futility of war and has also come to realize that future wars are not going to be so easy to win even with military superiority. The sad reality is that irrespective of whether the war continues or ends, Ukraine as a country is doomed. The debt caused by military aid and favors that on one hand, are piled up high, and the cost of reconstruction of the country, on the other, will ensure that the country remains in poverty for a long time to come. By the time the dust settles, all the strategic assets of Ukraine will in all likelihood be owned by NATO members.



As mere spectators, we continue to pray that good sense prevails on the leaders involved in Ukraine but also those that are sitting on the sidelines and watching the daily destruction and loss of human life in Gaza. Sadly, as we get older, it gets more difficult to comprehend these senseless and futile actions.



A positive attribute about growing old is that you become patient and reflective about everything. No more knee-jerk reactions or hasty decisions – unless your grandkids are about to sky-dive from the balcony. The status quo is maintained because we seem to be running in circles putting band-aids on everything happening around us. The perfect analogy is that whenever our grandkids get hurt or cry, we put on a band-aid or give them a pacifier and miraculously, the crying stops. A false sense of comfort until something else happens, which it does. And there begins the functional vicious circle of problems and fixes. Just like our everyday life. Has anyone ever wondered where our sense of tolerance comes from? It’s the band-aid fixes and pacifiers from the time we were born. They unconsciously get embedded into our DNA.



Following this DNA, our lives in Africa have also become transactional, where today’s problems are invariably getting postponed. This line of thinking started when one of our senior executives returned from Nigeria recently without meeting people face-to-face, as there was a fuel shortage, for which the ‘pacifier’ was to work from home. No one traveled to the office, and he could well have stayed in Ghana and had his meetings via Zoom. These day-to-day issues are now taken in one’s stride and we just accept them as status quo. We offer rationales in the form of band-aids, and no one is bold enough to ask questions or take decisive action.



Let’s get over today and tomorrow will fix itself. This reminds me of Scarlett O’ Hara (Vivien Leigh) in the 1939 film, Gone With The Wind. “I am too tired. I will think of it all tomorrow… After all, tomorrow is another day,” she says.



But just this point of pain (amongst many others) in Nigeria needs reflection. How can a country that is the 15th largest producer of oil in the world, is the fourth largest economy in Africa (from almost being first in 2013), whose exports are 90% of the total export income of the country, has over 20 oil billionaires, not be able to provide gasoline to its people at a reasonable rate and in a consistent manner? When this discussion gets expanded to the energy sector, the country has about 11,000MW of installed power capacity, of which less than 5,000MW is distributed against a demand of 40,000MW. Nigeria is often termed as oil-rich but energy-poor, quite the oxymoron. The net result of this is uncontrolled corruption, lack of governance, poor infrastructure, no industrial development, poor education, poor healthcare, hyperinflation, a volatile currency and a society that suffers as the government keeps postponing dealing with issues by another day, each day.



The idea was not to single out Nigeria but draw a similarity to issues being faced by people in many countries in Africa. There is endless opportunity in the continent and abundant talent but it’s all being systematically choked. As we attend more and more global business conferences and meetings and highlight the opportunities and positives about the continent, investors and partners look at us in amazement wondering whether we have lost our minds. Some countries have got their stories and implementation right, but these are smaller economies like Mauritius, Rwanda, Botswana, Zambia and a few others. South Africa is making its way back to comparatively better governance, but most others are not doing much to drive positive change. A lot more needs to be done, and we have to deal with the issues, as much of Africa’s problems are because of its own leaders and it is heart-wrenching to see the global disparity and divide continue to grow despite all the natural resources.



Rwanda continues to be the country where you can see growth and development with each visit irrespective of the frequency of travel. It was timely for me to be in Kigali in September as the country launched the $300 million Kigali Innovation City. The leadership understands its limitations and is trying to excel in areas that they can influence. This includes innovation, education, capacity-building, tourism, sports, conferences, education, financial services, mining and many others. There is a buzz in the city at all times to indicate that the thinktanks are constantly working to develop the economy and catalyze investments into the country. Most people do not associate mining with Rwanda. I was surprised to hear that the country today produces 8% of the world’s tungsten; one of the untold stories of the country.



We hosted CNBC Africa’s inaugural networking and golf day at the Kigali Golf Resort in September and had prominent guests come from the UAE, South Africa, Kenya and India to meet with local business- people and government departments. Our international guests were pleasantly surprised to see the smooth processes, starting with immigration at the airport to the hospitality at the Serena Hotel, along with the ease of meeting people. Everyone received a visa on arrival and there was no cost for the visa (a welcoming gesture). This is such a critical factor for the ease of travel and mobility of business travelers. Additionally, the infrastructure in the country is excellent and there is a method and process for everything. The country is continuing to focus on development and business but has not taken its eye off the importance of tourism and sports.



Much as golf may be seen as an elitist sport, it is ideal for business networking and getting to know each other better. The sport is becoming increasingly popular with the business community in Rwanda. Our golf day was a huge success with a large participation from women golfers. It was amazing to see this world-class facility come up in the center of Kigali and, once completed, the facilities will compare with the best in the world.


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On the issue of performance and governance, it is a well-known fact that all government officials (including ministers, diplomats, bureaucrats) in the country have an accountability report card to be filled in at the end of the year. There is no sense of complacency. This is unique to Africa and while we have seen this in places like Dubai and to some extent, Singapore, Rwanda is the only other country where the accountability and focus on service delivery is a main key performance indicator (KPI) for everyone. Our guests from overseas have taken back many lessons with the hope that they can replicate transformation in their respective countries.



Our October/November 2024 issue coincides with FORBES AFRICA’s 13th birthday. What a remarkable journey this has been for our team in building Africa’s premier business magazine! Even as conventional publishing has seen a decline, the brand association with Forbes remains a very powerful proposition for our market in Africa. As our team continues to tell Africa’s success stories of entrepreneurship and opportunities to inspire future generations, our young leadership is now working to drive change in our distribution to get wider coverage and increase accessibility to our viewers across the continent. Congratulations to Sid Wahi, Renuka Methil, Roberta Naicker and the team for another fantastic year.

Displacement wave from northern Gaza Strip continues after heavy Israeli shelling

Opinion: ‘Heart-Wrenching To See Global Disparity And Divide Continue To Grow’

In a world that demands rapid results, Professors Salim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim have spent decades proving that patience and persistence can save lives. Recognized as a collaborative force driving advancements in HIV prevention, they recently received the 2024 Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award, a prize often referred to as ‘America’s Nobel’. This award honors their transformative contributions to HIV/AIDS research and their leadership during Covid-19. As the Lasker Foundation noted in a press release announcing the award, the duo are celebrated “for illuminating key drivers of heterosexual HIV transmission and introducing life-saving approaches with which to prevent and treat HIV”.&nbsp;



Starting his research journey in apartheid-era South Africa, Prof Salim’s first published paper, written in his third year of medical school, tackled health disparities among racial groups — an early indication of his commitment to addressing the social context within public health. “Addressing inequality and empowering the vulnerable has always been integral to our approach,” he emphasizes to FORBES AFRICA, underscoring how public health can never be divorced from the societal behaviors and contexts from which it arises.



Salim recalls their return to South Africa in the late 1980s, knowing the scale of the HIV crisis they would face. “When we came back from New York in 1988, we saw the devastation HIV was causing. We knew this would be a massive problem in South Africa, and we had to act.” Over the next 18 years, the couple encountered countless setbacks but persevered, leading to the development of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), now the gold standard for HIV prevention.



“For 18 years, all we did was fail. We went from one study to another, learning as we went,” Salim reflects. “But we kept going because the problem wasn’t going away.” Their persistence culminated in assisting a major breakthrough, as PrEP revolutionized HIV prevention, particularly for women.



Karims’ work has always been intertwined with social justice. “For us, research was always about more than just science; it was a way to address inequality and empower the vulnerable,” Salim explains. They tackled HIV from a sociological angle, addressing factors like age-disparate sex that disproportionately affected young, economically disadvantaged women. “HIV isn’t just a virus — it’s deeply influenced by social factors. That’s something we had to factor into our research.”



When Covid-19 emerged, they quickly adapted to confront this new pandemic. “In just two weeks, we had the virus sequence and were racing to understand it. Everything was moving fast, but our experience with HIV helped us adapt,” Salim recalls. Their swift response highlighted their value as public health leaders, offering guidance not only to South Africa but also to institutions like the WHO and Africa CDC.



For young scientists, Salim distills their journey into a simple formula: Passion, Excellence, and Perseverance, or “PEP.” “Find something that excites you, pursue excellence, and above all, persevere. Success often lies on the far side of failure,” he advises. This wisdom, born from decades of challenges and achievements, offers a blueprint for future public health leaders.



Despite their accolades, the pair are not resting on their laurels. They continue to work on long-acting HIV prevention strategies and are preparing for future pandemics. For them, the Lasker-Bloomberg Award is not the end — it is a milestone that fuels their ongoing mission. As Salim aptly puts it, “We’ve spent a lifetime failing and learning, but ultimately, we’ve changed what’s possible.”

Quarraisha and Salim Abdool Karim (Image supplied)

‘Research Is A Way To Address Inequality And Empower The Vulnerable’: South African Professor-Couple Win Award For Game-Changing HIV-Prevention Work

&#8220;It&#8217;s going to be an exciting decade,” Maro Itoje, the captain of Saracens, a professional rugby club based in North London, says on a Friday afternoon Zoom call with FORBES AFRICA.



Itoje, described by Forbes as &#8220;English rugby&#8217;s most dominant defensive player”, shares his vision for the next decade as he approaches his 30th birthday later this month. He was also on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe Sports &amp; Games list in 2021.



“I want to always look forward to the future. Hopefully, in my 30s, I&#8217;ll have an increased sense of wisdom and be able to make wise decisions.’’



Itoje’s dual identity as both Nigerian and English has been a focal point of his journey. “There have been some very prestigious names on that list. And now I&#8217;m approaching the last few months of my 20s. I&#8217;m proud and honored. In terms of impact, it&#8217;s a great recognition for some of the work and effort that I’ve put in,” he says from London, against a bold, artistic backdrop that complements his casual yet intentional appearance in a dark Under Armour shirt — a nod to the sportswear brand that has been his sponsor for years.



Amid the global challenges brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, Itoje did not hesitate to step up. He helped distribute laptops to disadvantaged children while advocating for a fresh perspective on the United Kingdom’s history curriculum in schools.



This commitment to education led to the establishment of his charity foundation, the Pearl Fund: The Maro Itoje African Education Programme, which aims to generate multi-million-pound investments in education across Nigeria and wider Africa. Celebrating its first anniversary, the fund supports 40 children, many of whom are fatherless or orphans, providing them with comprehensive educational assistance from “cradle to college”.



Speaking about his recent visit to Platform College in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, where the beneficiaries are enrolled, Itoje expresses immense pride in the progress made. &#8220;It&#8217;s been a journey of growth and elevation,&#8221; he states, explaining the changes in the children&#8217;s demeanor and attitudes over the past year. “The target for the Pearl Fund is to grow in a sustainable fashion. We want to have consistent fundraising. We would love to get corporate partners and long-term committed individuals who would like to support and help make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged children in Nigeria.”



Although the Pearl Fund also supports World Vision UK’s education projects in Ghana, Itoje made an unrelated stop in the country, where he got engaged to his partner, model Mimi Fall, after visiting Nigeria.



“…for the last two years, I’ve spent time in both Ghana and Nigeria. The aim is to visit Nigeria at least once every year. My recent trip to Ghana wasn’t for anything specific — it was more about relaxing.&#8221;



Itoje&#8217;s passion for philanthropy is paralleled by his love for rugby. “I still have a lot of rugby left in me,” he says, eager to achieve personal and team goals with <a>Saracens</a> and the England national team. <a>“I&#8217;m a believer that if you think something&#8217;s important, then you find the time to do it.”</a>



He is also committed to further supporting African artists through the Akoje Residency, a non-profit initiative he co-founded with Khalil Akar to foster artistic exchange between countries. <a>‘’I just want to spend a bit more time on the continent. I enjoy being back, so hopefully, I can have a more stable footing there. It&#8217;s all about growth and looking forward to the future.&#8221;</a>



As he embarks on this new chapter, Itoje aims to engage more with the Nigerian community both at home and abroad, building strong connections to facilitate fundraising and support. “For other athletes looking to do something similar, I would encourage them to find a cause that is close to their heart.’’



As for any upcoming projects, he says, “None that are worthy of talking about at this stage.”

DSC_3652

‘If You Think It’s Important, You Find The Time’: British-Nigerian Saracens Captain Maro Itoje On Rugby And Investing In Education And Art In Africa

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



An investigation by two Harvard students went viral Friday as they demonstrated how they used Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses to access the personal information of people on Harvard’s campus—including name, age, home address and phone number—raising significant security concerns about facial recognition and artificial intelligence technologies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



In a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/AnhPhuNguyen1/status/1840786336992682409" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">demo</a>&nbsp;posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, students AnhPhu Nguyen and Caine Ardayfio can be seen walking around the Cambridge, Massachusetts, campus and subway stations and asking people they have never met if the information they have is correct: “Are you Betsy?” Ardayfio asks, before a woman confirms she is.



Nguyen and Ardayfio, who run the Augmented Reality Club at Harvard, told Forbes they happened to have access to a pair of Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses and realized that when they combined the glasses with various software, there were privacy implications.



By livestreaming to Instagram and having a program monitor the stream, the students engineered a way for a facial recognition software to start a search by scraping data from reverse image search engine PimEyes.



When a face was detected on the livestream, online links surfaced in which the person appeared, and by using a large language model, the students said they could access personal information like home addresses, phone numbers and even relatives’ names.



“This could be done with any regular phone camera and still do the same amount of damage,” Nguyen told Forbes, adding the smart glasses were just a tool they used for the project.



They built the project, dubbed I-XRAY, as a public service announcement to raise awareness that large language models have gotten to the point where they can scrape data and get insight at a completely automatic scale, Nguyen said.



Meta did not respond to request for comment from Forbes; it has said in its policies regarding privacy concerns that it encourages users to respect people’s preferences, power off in private spaces, and use “voice or a clear gesture” to let others know they are being captured.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">Chief Critic</h2>



A Meta spokesman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/13/technology/personaltech/meta-ray-ban-glasses.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">told The New York Times</a>&nbsp;the company takes privacy seriously and designed safety measures, including a tamper-detection technology, to prevent users from covering up the LED light indicator with tape. The LED light is outward-facing on the glasses, and glows to indicate the camera is recording.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">Key Background</h2>



Meta has faced backlash for the discreet camera on its smart glasses, which critics have said could enable bad actors to do more harm. The smart glasses have already&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wired.com/2013/12/glasshole/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">reportedly</a>&nbsp;led to a college football spy scandal, and reviews describe the LED light indicating the camera is on as a gentle white light that’s easily overlooked in broad daylight. Meta also&nbsp;<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/02/meta-confirms-it-may-train-its-ai-on-any-image-you-ask-ray-ban-meta-ai-to-analyze/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">confirmed</a>&nbsp;that it may train its AI on images taken by the smart glasses if the images are uploaded into Meta AI.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-do-you-reduce-your-digital-footprint">How Do You Reduce Your Digital Footprint?</h2>



Nguyen and Ardayfio recommend people remove themselves from&nbsp;<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iWCqmaOUKhKjcKSktIwC3NNANoFP7vPsRvcbOIup_BA/edit" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">a list</a>&nbsp;of databases and search engines that people may not realize their information is on, including the search engine PimEyes and major people search engine FastPeopleSearch, which typically offer free opt-out choices. People who suspect their personal information may have been compromised can protect against identity theft by freezing their credit across all three credit reporting bureaus, Scott Shackelford, executive director of Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research at Indiana University, previously&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lindseychoo/2024/10/04/-prime-day-scams-amazon/">told Forbes</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">Further Reading</h2>



<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/13/technology/personaltech/meta-ray-ban-glasses.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">How Meta’s New Face Camera Heralds a New Age of Surveillance</a>&nbsp;(New York Times)

Tourist sunglasses reflecting Roman theater in Bosra, Syria

How 2 Students Used The Meta Ray-Bans To Access Personal Information

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



A year after Hamas attacked Israel, prompting a counterattack on Gaza and a regional conflict that recently bled into Lebanon, the death toll continues to grow, but remains uncertain amid discrepancies in figures reported by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry and logistical challenges in tracking the dead.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



Nearly 42,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Health Ministry—the most commonly cited figure for the Gaza death toll.



The World Health Organization, United Nations and Israeli government accept the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry as the official authority for the death toll, though the figures have been heavily criticized by Israeli officials and researchers.



The Ministry calculates the death toll based on reporting from hospitals and morgues, media sources, first responders and reports from families whose loved ones have been killed, according to a study by the peer-reviewed medical journal,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01169-3/fulltext" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">The Lancet</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-is-the-death-toll-so-difficult-to-track">Why Is The Death Toll So Difficult To Track?</h2>



The Gaza Health Ministry has struggled to maintain accurate tallies due to the destruction of data-keeping technology and infrastructure in the war, according to analysis published by The Lancet, which noted an estimated 10,000 victims are likely still buried in the rubble of destroyed buildings. Some of the dead also go uncounted because “what we’ve seen in Gaza is entire families just being wiped out,” so there is no one to report them dead, Emily Tripp, the director of Airwars, a watchdog group that tracks war casualties, told Nature.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-the-death-toll-over-or-under-estimated">Is The Death Toll Over- Or Under-Estimated?</h2>



The non-governmental organization, Airwars, has also determined the death toll is likely underestimated after finding some victims’ names are missing from the list released by the Ministry. Some experts, including Israel-based independent researcher Mark Zlochin, believe the death toll is overcounted because it likely includes people who are missing, but not dead, he told the scientific journal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02508-0#:~:text=Since%20war%20broke%20out%20in,count%20dead%20people%20during%20conflicts" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Nature</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-have-israelis-questioned-the-death-toll">Why Have Israelis Questioned The Death Toll?</h2>



The Ministry updated its breakdown of the fatalities in May to clarify that approximately 25,000 of the 35,000 reported dead at the time were “people who have been fully identified.” The Ministry revised its count of women and children estimated to be dead to about 60% of all reported fatalities, down from a previous estimate of about 70%, sparking allegations of inaccuracies from Israeli officials. The World Health Organization, however, expressed confidence in the new tally amid the dispute, noting that it’s a “step forward” that 25,000 bodies have been identified, World Health Organization spokesperson Christian Lindmeier&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/nothing-wrong-with-gaza-death-toll-figures-who-says-2024-05-14/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">said</a>&nbsp;during a press briefing at the time that it’s “normal” for death tolls to shift in conflict.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-often-is-the-death-toll-updated">How Often Is The Death Toll Updated?</h2>



Nearly every day. The death toll doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. The death toll includes nearly 16,756 children and more than 10,000 people who are missing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-many-people-have-been-injured-in-gaza-since-the-start-of-the-war">How Many People Have Been Injured In Gaza Since The Start Of The War?</h2>



More than 97,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-many-people-have-been-killed-and-injured-in-israel">How Many People Have Been Killed And Injured In Israel?</h2>



1,139 have been killed and at least 8,730 have been injured, as of Sunday, according to Israeli officials.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-many-have-been-killed-in-the-occupied-west-bank">How Many Have Been Killed In The Occupied West Bank?</h2>



At least 742 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and more than 6,250 have been injured.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">Key Background</h2>



Hamas invaded Israel in a surprise land, sea and air attack launched from the Gaza Strip in what was the deadliest day in Israeli history, and for Jews since the Holocaust, following decades of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Hamas militants took more than 240 people hostage; 154 of whom have been freed or rescued, with 97 remaining in Gaza, including 33 believed to be dead. Israel declared a state of war the day after the attack and launched air strikes, followed by a ground invasion, on Gaza. The Israeli invasion has spawned a humanitarian crisis as the dismantling of critical infrastructure and the Israeli occupation has blocked routes into Gaza, restricting the flow of aid. The outpouring of international support for Israel has dwindled since the start of the war as a broad coalition of its allies, including the U.S., have called for a cease-fire. The war has since expanded to Lebanon as tensions between Hezbollah and Israel reached a tipping point in July when a rocket attack Israel says Hezbollah carried out killed 12 children playing soccer in the Golan Heights region. Israel has retaliated with air strikes followed by a ground invasion, killing Hezbollah’s’ longtime leader and other top officials, and Hezbollah has vowed its strikes will continue unless there’s a cease-fire in Gaza.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">Big Number</h2>



56%. That’s the share of Israelis who want to see an end to the war if all hostages are returned, according to a July&nbsp;<a href="https://en.idi.org.il/articles/55018" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">poll</a>&nbsp;by the Israel Democracy Institute.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">Further Reading</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2024/10/01/iran-launches-missile-strike-on-israel-israeli-military-says/">Iran Launches Missile Strike On Israel, Israeli Military Says</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2024/10/05/how-americans-feel-about-the-growing-middle-east-conflict-one-year-after-israel-was-attacked/">How Americans Feel About The Growing Middle East Conflict One Year After Israel Was Attacked</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2024/09/30/israel-begins-ground-raids-in-southern-lebanon/">Israel Begins Ground Raids In Southern Lebanon</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Visits Berlin

Why The Israel-Hamas War Death Toll Is Uncertain—1 Year After Start Of War

Born and raised in Uganda, software engineer and rower Kathleen Noble has represented the East African country in the niche sport at two Olympic games.



Those who did not know probably did a double take at the blonde-haired woman in Ugandan colors in her rowing boat at the Paris Olympics.



But although she is of Irish ancestry, Kathleen Noble is every bit Ugandan as any other who has represented the ‘Pearl of Africa’ at the Olympic Games.



Noble was born in Kampala to Irish missionaries, her father, a doctor, and mother, a teacher, who have lived in Uganda for the past 31 years. “When we grew up in Uganda, people asked where I was from and I’d say ‘Ireland’. But then when I was on holiday in Ireland, people asked me where I was from, and I’d say ‘Uganda’.”



She swam for Uganda while still a schoolgirl and almost by accident now finds herself a double Olympian in the single-scull rowing competition.



“When I finished high school, I was kind of done with swimming and wasn’t really thinking of continuing. I kind of felt like going to the World Championships was a capstone to that career and something I was very happy with,” she tells FORBES AFRICA.



Instead, she went to Princeton University in the United States (U.S.) to study, and where her roommate was on the rowing team.



“I found that I was missing sport and so she was kind of like, ‘maybe you should try out rowing’ and I’m like, ‘okay, maybe I’ll try it out’.



“The reason I joined was because I wanted to exercise, I wanted a team, I wanted the opportunity to compete, and I wanted to be outdoors. And then I found that I really enjoyed the rowing part of it. And I was quite good at it.”



She was quickly on to the varsity team and not long after, there was a coincidental visit to the school by Uganda’s rowing coach and a connection was quickly made.



“Rodrick Muhumuza was the national coach at the time. And he was there on some kind of training trip. And he ended up talking to a girl who was on my team, and she then told him about me, and then he got in touch with me. And so that’s kind of how I got connected to the Ugandan team. I would never have thought to go looking for them. It had never occurred to me before that that I could compete in international competition.”



After graduating, Noble retired from rowing and did not do it for a year. She was then invited to the Olympic Qualifiers and it did not take long to find her stride and make the Uganda squad for the last Games in Tokyo.



“It was a very restricted experience, because of Covid-19. For me, the primary emotion was just relief, because there were so many steps along the way, where it seemed like it wasn’t going to happen. Paris, with the full experience of having spectators and drawing from that energy, was definitely one of the factors that drove me to go for a second Games.”



Now, she lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the U.S., juggling work as a software engineer with her Olympic training. “The attitude I take towards my training is that I want to do the best that I can within the constraints that I have. And to recognize that, I’m not in a position of being a full-time professional athlete, and that is okay.”



But it will be with pride that she wears Ugandan colors and her journey with rowing in the country is far from over.



“Uganda is a lovely place to grow up and I miss it. Representing Uganda has had a key role in my identi- fying as Ugandan. That has kind of forced me to step up to the plate a little bit and be like, ‘yes, this is my country’, and I feel closer to it for it.



“We have a vision of setting up a High Performance Centre in Uganda. I feel like I’ve been given so many opportunities, and I feel that I want to take those and reflect them back or allow those to be an avenue, through which other people can have opportunities,” Noble says.

Rowing – Olympics: Day 7

Proudly Wearing Ugandan Colors And Rowing For The Country

On the morning of July 14, 1978, South African Kevin Anderson left Shakespeare beach in Dover for Cap Gris-Nez in France – a 32km stretch of water that’s physically and mentally demanding. Strong currents, unpredictable weather, jelly fish, icy cold water, and possible hypothermia were just some of the risks he faced. When he walked out the water on the other side, he was the youngest person in history to finish – he was just 11 years old.



On 24 August, 2022, Michelle Weber broke the South African women’s record for the fastest crossing. In September 2024, the oldest ever channel swimmer was Otto Thaning, a 73-year-old heart surgeon from South Africa.



And these are just three of the stories that capture the spirit of South African swimmers – and continue to cement the country’s reputation as reportedly one of the top three in the world for creating English Channel swimmers.



But, is this exclusive to South Africans, or are there other factors in play? FORBES AFRICA asked Derrick Frazer, owner of Big Bay Events, a company that trains English Channel swimmers, why he believes South Africa is such a popular training ground.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="478" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Image-1-courtesy-Derrick-Frazer-at-Big-Bay-Events-1024x478.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-63265" style="width:624px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Image-1-courtesy-Derrick-Frazer-at-Big-Bay-Events-1024x478.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Image-1-courtesy-Derrick-Frazer-at-Big-Bay-Events-300x140.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Image-1-courtesy-Derrick-Frazer-at-Big-Bay-Events-768x359.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Image-1-courtesy-Derrick-Frazer-at-Big-Bay-Events-1536x717.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Image-1-courtesy-Derrick-Frazer-at-Big-Bay-Events-2048x956.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>


“A lot of swimmers from countries with warm water such as America, Australia and India, have to spend a huge amount of time acclimatizing to cold water, whereas swimmers who have trained in Cape Town go to the channel and say, ‘wow, this water is so warm, it’s fantastic’,” he laughs.



“If we can get 13- or 14-degree water here, we’re happy, and the channel is around 16 to 17 degrees.”



The other success factor is a combination of cost and Cape Town. The False Bay swim is similar in length and complexity as the English Channel, it is also significantly cheaper. “It can cost at least R250,000 (approximately $14,385) to swim the Channel,” says Frazer. “It’s a huge amount of money and this is without factoring in a two-year training plan and, if you don’t live in Cape Town, flying in for training sessions in cold water.”



Having trained people from all over the world with an 83% success rate crossing the Channel, Frazer is quick to highlight how local is actually just as lekker.



“Getting a good slot for the Channel swim is hard and the cost is incredibly high. There is also the fact that if the weather is bad, the swimmers can’t cross, and this year has been particularly bad. Because the swimmers don’t want to lose their fitness, they come to False Bay instead.”



False Bay is just as challenging, significantly cheaper, and growing in global popularity. As Frazer points out – the well-known races are hard to get bookings for, they’ve been subject to competitive price increases, and often exclude swimmers without big budgets.



“False Bay is growing in international stature as more people come here to face the challenge – it’s going to be interesting to see what happens over the next few years,” he concludes.

Tag: Africa

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