In a gripping encounter that had cricket fans worldwide at the edge of their seats, South Africa&#8217;s spirited performance wasn&#8217;t enough to secure victory over a determined Australian side in the World Cup clash.



Kolkata&#8217;s iconic Eden Gardens played host to an enthralling battle of cricketing titans as South Africa squared off against Australia in a contest that promised high drama and delivered in spades. Despite a gallant effort from the Proteas, it was Australia who emerged victorious in this World Cup thriller, marking yet another chapter in South Africa&#8217;s history of heart-wrenching near-misses on the global stage.



As the sun set over Kolkata, casting long shadows across the pitch, the air was thick with anticipation. The Proteas, known for their resilience, faced an Australian team brimming with confidence and tactical acumen. The match unfolded as a narrative of twists and turns, echoing the unpredictability of the sport itself.



South Africa, batting first under the commanding presence of captain Temba Bavuma, started cautiously. The early overs were a testament to Australia&#8217;s bowling prowess, with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood exploiting the conditions masterfully. The Proteas&#8217; top order wobbled under the relentless pressure, losing crucial wickets in quick succession. The specter of past collapses loomed large as murmurs of &#8216;chokers&#8217; began to surface among the crowd.



However, the tide turned with the arrival of David Miller at the crease. In a display of sheer will and skill, Miller anchored the innings with a magnificent century, resurrecting South Africa&#8217;s hopes. His 101 off 116 deliveries, punctuated with powerful strokes and calculated risks, became the backbone of the Proteas&#8217; fightback. The Eden Gardens crowd, always appreciative of cricketing brilliance, rallied behind his effort, creating an electrifying atmosphere.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="675" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1796971064.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60256" style="width:818px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1796971064.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1796971064-300x198.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1796971064-768x506.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> Temba Bavuma of South Africa looks dejected while walking on the field following defeat in the ICC Men&#8217;s Cricket World Cup India 2023 Semi Final match between South Africa and Australia at Eden Gardens on November 16, 2023 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


Australia&#8217;s chase, in response, was a rollercoaster ride. The Proteas&#8217; bowlers, fueled by Miller&#8217;s heroics, struck with purpose. Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj bowled with heart, keeping the Australians in check. The match teetered on a knife-edge as each team vied for dominance.



Travis Head and David Warner provided the initial impetus for Australia, forging a partnership that threatened to take the game away. But just when the momentum seemed to be shifting, South Africa&#8217;s bowlers struck back, reining in the Australian charge. The match ebbed and flowed, with each over adding a new layer of intrigue.



In the end, Australia&#8217;s depth and experience shone through. Despite a valiant effort in the field, South Africa couldn&#8217;t hold back the Australian tide. The match concluded with Australia securing victory, leaving the Proteas to reflect on what could have been.



As the players shook hands and the crowds began to disperse, the Proteas&#8217; journey in this World Cup came to an end, not with a whimper, but with a display of cricketing tenacity that will be remembered by fans and players alike. For Australia, the road to glory continues, their eyes set firmly on the prize. In the aftermath of the clash, both teams can hold their heads high. Australia, for their unwavering pursuit of victory, and South Africa, for a performance that, despite the outcome, spoke volumes of their character and skill.

South Africa v Australia: Semi Final – ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup India 2023

South Africa’s Valiant Effort Falls Short Against Resilient Australia In Thrilling World Cup Showdown

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



The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday <a href="https://www.faa.gov/space/stakeholder_engagement/spacex_starship" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">granted a license</a> to billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX for its highly anticipated second launch of its Starship rocket, clearing the way for a test flight as soon as this week, after more than six months being grounded since its previous launch ended in a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/04/20/spacex-starship-explodes-after-launch/?sh=670a7bb36645">fiery explosion</a>.\



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



SpaceX’s Starship, an ambitious program intended to eventually take passengers to the moon and Mars, has met “all safety, environmental, policy and financial responsibility requirements,” the FAA determined.



The FAA’s approval gives SpaceX the go-ahead for a second launch at its Boca Chica launch site in Cameron County, Texas, south of Corpus Christi.



In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, SpaceX said it plans to conduct the launch between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. local time on Friday.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



In April, a SpaceX rocket that had been scheduled to travel 150 miles into Earth’s atmosphere suddenly exploded several minutes after take-off, which SpaceX called a “rapid unscheduled disassembly before stage separation.” SpaceX initially planned its next test launch “in a few months,” Musk—who also owns X and Tesla—said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1649050306943266819" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">post</a>&nbsp;on his social media platform. SpaceX also&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1649045802332073986" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;April’s test, despite its explosion, “will help us improve Starship’s reliability.” The FAA was later sued by a group of environmental and cultural heritage organizations, who alleged the agency erred in its approval of the test launch and that its approval violated federal environmental law.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/05/01/faa-sued-over-spacex-starship-explosion/?sh=39c6f88679de">Plaintiffs argued</a>&nbsp;the FAA failed to conduct a full environmental review and did not require SpaceX to mitigate potential environmental harm.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



NASA partnered with SpaceX in April 2021 to develop a landing system to take astronauts to the moon for the space agency’s Artemis III mission, another program aimed at bringing astronauts back to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h2>



At 400 feet tall, the Starship rocket is the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.space.com/elon-musk-shows-off-starship-sn20-super-heavy-stack-february-2022" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tallest and most powerful</a>&nbsp;rocket ever built.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/04/20/spacex-starship-explodes-after-launch/?sh=670a7bb36645">SpaceX Starship Explodes After Launch</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2023/04/08/elon-musks-spacex-is-about-to-launch-starship-into-orbit-around-earth/?sh=4dc7196b1ce1">Elon Musk’s SpaceX Is About To Launch ‘Starship’ Into Orbit Around Earth</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the third pair of O3b

SpaceX Cleared For Second Starship Test Flight—After First Exploded

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming companies and economies worldwide, including in Africa. Data is an essential component in the training of AI systems. Unfortunately, the lack of accurate, high-quality data is a significant impediment in Africa. Synthetic data, or data generated by a computer, may be used to train AI models. While synthetic data offers tremendous opportunities for African innovation and development, it poses significant risks that must be carefully assessed.



Gathering real-world data in many African regions is difficult, expensive, and time-consuming.



These obstacles are brought about by various factors, including social, cultural, technological, and infrastructural deficiencies. Understanding and managing varied cultural traditions and languages may be challenging, especially when gathering data from multiple locations and people. As a result, synthetic data provides a solution by enabling researchers and businesses to create massive databases tailored to their specific needs. 



Data poverty is a lack of access to high-quality data and the ability to use such data appropriately. It’s a significant issue that hinders economic progress, decision-making, and innovation and worsens poverty. The data availability and consumption discrepancy between Africa and the rest of the world reflects more profound disparities and has significant repercussions. 



As a result, critical innovations in health, education, and transportation operate better for the rest of the globe than for Africa. For example, due to Africa’s relative data scarcity, AI systems in Africa have fewer data sets to learn from than the rest of the globe.



Synthetic data is presented as a strategy to supplement this data scarcity. The generative adversarial networks (GANs) AI method is often used to create synthetic data. GANs consist of two neural networks (akin to an artificial brain), the generator and the discriminator. The generator produces new data, while the discriminator discriminates between real and fake data. 



After they are trained adversarially (i.e. generator producing synthetic data while the discriminator differentiating fake from real data), the generator and discriminator become as good as possible at their respective tasks. One benefit of using synthetic data is that personal or sensitive information is frequently eliminated, minimizing the risk of privacy violations. This is particularly important in businesses where data privacy is vital, such as healthcare. Furthermore, by making data more available, synthetic data may lower the barriers to entry for firms and inventors.



However, synthetic data has significant drawbacks. One of them is that the models used to generate synthetic data significantly influence its quality. It reflects limitations in data (such as bias and small size), resulting in compromised and less accurate AI models and potentially perpetuating inequality, injustice and poverty. This is not the intended consequence, so there is a need to develop ethical guidelines for using synthetic data. These should first guarantee that synthetic data is anonymized for privacy protection and does not include identifiable information that may be connected back to persons.



Second, synthetic data must adhere to data protection norms and regulations governing personal information use. Third, synthetic data should accurately replicate the underlying real-world data without inserting biases or distortions. One way to achieve this is to increase data size used to generate synthetic data. Fourth, synthetic data and the processes used to create it should be disclosed. 



Fifth, explicit procedures for generating, managing, and using synthetic data should be developed and publicized. Sixth, detect and prevent misuse, as well as monitor and audit the use of synthetic data regularly. Seventh, acquire informed consent from individuals whose data were utilized to produce synthetic data, if applicable. Eighth, clarify how synthetic data will be utilized and what privacy controls will be in place. Ninth, prevent biases in synthetic data from reinforcing stereotypes or discrimination.



Tenth, keep cultural norms and values in mind while developing and exploiting synthetic data, especially when it represents different populations. Eleventh, since GANs are used to generate synthetic data and are computationally costly, consider the environmental effect of data collection, storage, and production and seek to offset any negative impacts. Twelfth, establish specific processes for exchanging synthetic data with other institutions or researchers while meeting ethical standards. 



Thirteenth, collaborate with relevant stakeholders, such as ethics committees or review boards, to ensure that synthetic data activities are handled ethically. Synthetic data has the potential to be a game-changer in Africa’s AI journey, managing data scarcity, increasing privacy, and encouraging innovation. As Africa embraces AI and synthetic data, a balanced approach is essential. Policymakers, companies, and academics must work together to guarantee that synthetic data is used correctly and ethically.

AI (Artificial Intelligence) concept. Electronic circuit. Communication network.

Synthetic Data As A Double-Edged Sword In Africa’s AI Revolution

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



Israeli forces raided the Al-Shifa Hospital complex in Gaza—the enclave’s largest medical facility—early Wednesday, in what they described as a “precise and targeted operation” against Hamas, a day after UN officials raised alarm about the deteriorating conditions at the hospital.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



The Israeli Defense Forces&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1724579353193754958" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">called</a>&nbsp;the raid an “operational necessity” and said it is taking place “in a specified area” of the hospital based on intelligence.



The IDF said its raiding forces include medical teams and Arabic speakers and wants to ensure that “no harm is caused to the civilians being used by Hamas as human shields.”



The IDF also claims its raid on the hospital complex comes after a 12-hour warning to stop all military activities from the site was not heeded.



Thousands of civilians, patients, and doctors are believed to be sheltering at the hospital, which has been without power since the weekend, prompting a warning from the United Nations’ Humanitarian Affairs Office (OCHA) that several patients, including at least 36 babies, are facing a “heightened risk of death.”



The IDF said it has facilitated “wide-scale evacuations of the hospital,” however these claims have faced some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-11-12-2023-20f5dcd135b7eb34238a7b25ce560d0c" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pushback</a>&nbsp;from health officials and people trapped inside the hospital, with Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry accusing Israel of effectively blockading the complex.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">NEWS PEG</h2>



Israel has accused Hamas of operating a command post inside tunnel complexes underneath Al-Shifa and said it was using the hospital’s patients and doctors as human shields. Both Hamas and hospital authorities have denied these allegations. On Tuesday, White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/white-house-says-it-has-evidence-hamas-using-al-shifa-hospital-run-military-2023-11-14/#:~:text=%22We%20have%20information%20that%20confirms,reporters%20aboard%20Air%20Force%20One." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told reporters</a> that U.S. officials had intelligence that aligned with Israel’s claims about Hamas using the hospital. Following the Israeli raid, Hamas issued a statement saying it holds Israel and President Joe Biden “fully responsible” for the operation. Hamas added that it viewed Kirby’s statement as a “green light” for Israeli forces to “commit more massacres against civilians.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



While describing Hamas’ actions as a war crime, Kirby said: “To be clear, we do not support striking a hospital from the air. We do not want to see a firefight in a hospital where innocent people, helpless people, sick people are simply trying to get the medical care they deserve. We have been clear on multiple occasions &#8211; Hamas&#8217; actions do not lessen Israel&#8217;s responsibilities to protect civilians in Gaza.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



On Monday evening, a World Health Organization official&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67410093" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">described</a>&nbsp;Al-Shifa Hospital as “nearly a cemetery” on Monday and said dead bodies piling up inside the hospital. On Tuesday, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry&nbsp;<a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-39" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">claimed</a>&nbsp;40 patients died inside Al-Shifa on Tuesday and the hospital’s staff were trying to bury nearly 180 bodies in a mass grave inside the hospital complex. Doctors at the hospital have&nbsp;<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/13/middleeast/gaza-babies-incubators-al-shifa-hospital-israel-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warned</a>&nbsp;that the lives of dozens of premature babies were at risk as they had to be moved out of their incubators after the hospital lost power. The IDF has&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1724315771340214353" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">offered</a>&nbsp;to send additional incubators to the hospital but it is unclear how they would be used without power.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/11/14/who-says-gazas-largest-hospital-is-nearly-a-cemetery-as-israel-offers-to-send-incubators/?sh=4140dc985337">WHO Says Gaza’s Largest Hospital Is ‘Nearly A Cemetery’ As Israel Offers To Send Incubators</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/11/13/world-cannot-stand-silent-who-says-gazas-largest-hospital-has-ceased-functioning/?sh=59de8f1324bb">‘World Cannot Stand Silent’—WHO Says Gaza’s Largest Hospital Has Ceased Functioning</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)

Palestinians taking shelter around Nasser Hospital live under difficult conditions in Gaza

Israeli Says Its Forces Have Entered Gaza’s Largest Hospital

If you wanted to be a great footballer, would it make sense to avoid kicking the ball for the first two minutes of every game?



The intuitive answer is obviously no.



There is no reason to believe that doing nothing could ever be a good strategy.



But surprisingly, we know that Lionel Messi does exactly that.



He quite literally just walks around and watches, which explains why he rarely scores in the first five minutes and in the first two minutes of a game.



There is, however, method to this madness because not only does Messi use this time to quieten his nerves, but he also uses it to develop his game plan.



Pep Guardiola, who coached him from 2008 to 2012, explained that he’s not being lazy. He is actually incredibly engaged, as he is watching the opposition in order to understand where the defensive weak points are.



Messi provides a unique example of how, by analyzing and then acting on data, we can give ourselves a competitive edge.



And data analysis, when done well, can also help companies unlock huge opportunities by allowing them to make decisions that, like Messi’s, seem intuitively wrong.



Take Yongqianbao, a Chinese financial services provider.



By analyzing consumer behavior, they know that people who type faster are less likely to default, which in turn allows them to provide credit at better rates than their competitors.



Another example comes from the video streaming industry. Conventional wisdom has always been that you should give your customers an interface that provides them with plenty of choices about what to watch. Choice was seen as a key feature if you wanted your app to be successful.



But thanks to TikTok, we have learned that giving consumers a choice isn’t a feature; it’s actually more of a bug.



Think for a minute about how you interact with TikTok on your device.



You just open the app and start watching, right? If you like what you see, you keep watching. If you don’t, you scroll on.



TikTok has ignored the conventional wisdom and removed choice to ensure they collect better data for their algorithms. This, in turn, allows them to deliver incredibly- accurate content based on what we actually want, not what we think we want.



Our taps and swipes have enabled them to create a platform that reportedly has over 1 billion users and average viewing times that are estimated to surpass YouTube by 12 or more minutes a day.



Anecdotes like this showcase why leaders should think less about using their “experience” or “intuition” when making decisions and instead invest more of their time and money into data-led decision-making.



Indeed, when we zoom out, it should not be surprising to learn that nine of the most valuable companies in the world are successful either because of their clever use of data or because they help their clients better use data at scale.



But if data is indeed the new oil, why do the majority of companies seem unwilling or at least unable to monetize it in the same way the top tech firms have?



Historically, cost would have been the obvious answer, but this is less relevant today, as cloud and other related technologies are making it easier and cheaper for everyone to analyze data at scale.



This leads me to conclude that the real barrier to tech- enablement comes down to the organization’s cultural maturity.



If you want to truly embrace the power of data across an organization, you can only do this if you grant more people the authority to investigate and use algorithms to make business decisions in real-time. This means delegating decision-making. Encouraging continual learning. Allowing experimentation. Accepting that mistakes will be made. Not many organizations have leadership teams that are bold enough to truly trust their people with these levels of autonomy.



But those that do have will have a significant advantage because true digitization only comes when you are both tech-enabled and human- empowered.

Businesswoman viewing graphs on digital tablet in business meeting

Data Offers Huge Opportunities.But Only If You Trust Your People

Young African football stars are embracing the opportunity presented by Major League Soccer in North America as a stepping stone to the best clubs in Europe. FORBES AFRICA was in St Louis in Missouri in the United States for these exclusive interviews, and the numbers are big.



The recent arrival of Lionel Messi has distorted the image somewhat but the reality of Major League Soccer (MLS) in North America is it’s a league of rapidly growing potential, with increasingly promising talent and a stepping stone to the top leagues of Europe.



Football is finding increasing traction in a market where it used to be considered a minor sport and the MLS is changing its image from a league that was seen as the parking lot for fading superstars coming to the end of their careers and looking for a final pay day, to one where the dreams of young players can be realized.



As a result, many young Africans are embracing the opportunity.



“To be honest, I had doubts in my mind because I thought the style of football was not anything like we do back home,” Njabulo Blom, the 23-year-old South African international midfielder who was sold by Kaizer Chiefs to St Louis City at the start of the season, tells FORBES AFRICA.



“I know that the MLS is not rated among the best leagues in the world but the standard of football is very good. It’s not what people think outside,” Blom adds from St Louis, the Midwestern city in the United States (US) where the local club have just joined the MLS and are making waves.



The numbers back him up. As per Forbes, the values of MLS franchises have jumped, since 2019, by 85% on average, with defending champions Los Angeles FC now valued at around $1 billion, breaking into the top 20 in the world. Another example is the value of Seattle Sounders has increased from $405 million to $850 million in just four years, with the team recently becoming the first American side to participate at the Club World Cup.



Revenues have reportedly grown continuously, by 16.6% on average per year between 2007 and 2018 but the spectacular progress is reflected in the price of what new franchises are paying to join the league.



The 10 original clubs invested $10 million each when the league kicked off in 1996 but Portland and Vancouver paid $35 million in 2011. For Charlotte FC, who arrived in 2022, the bill amounted to $325 million.



Average attendances are around 22,000 spectators, a figure similar to France. The record for a single game is the 82,110 that turned out in July at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena to watch the Los Angeles derby, dubbed ‘El Trafico’.



This year’s expansion side St Louis City are setting new standards with their sell-out stadium, a brand-new venue and a state-of-the-art training facility next door.



They are coached by Johannesburg- born Bradley Carnell, who played for South Africa at the 2002 World Cup and had a successful career in the German Bundesliga after starting out as a 16-year- old professional at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.



He later earned his coaching stripes as an assistant at Free State Stars and Orlando Pirates.



“They said the expansion job is one of the most difficult in any American sport, so good luck. I was like, ‘Ok’,” Carnell says.



“Then I met the ownership group and spoke to them about vision, passion and what we stand for. There was just too many similarities and synergy there for I think either party. Looking in hindsight, everything just panned out,” he adds.



St Louis are the first new team in MLS history to win their opening five matches and are well-placed for the end of season playoffs.



But Carnell, in a long interview with FORBES AFRICA, insists on patience.



“Short-term, it’s about getting infrastructure, academy, style of play— check those boxes. Mid-term, be competitive — we’re checking that box as well. Now, long-term, can we be really successful? The goal is to be compared, one day, to those great teams in the league already.”



In his playing days, Carnell had a chance to move overseas after being spotted as a teenager when he was competing for South Africa at the under-20 level at a tournament in France.



He thinks MLS offers the same chance to African players, especially those in South Africa’s Premier Soccer League, which MLS clubs are now showing much more interest in. “We just have to lead by example,” he says of the growing South African numbers in the league.



“If we can now, you know, just be key ambassadors for our product back home, and to put other guys on the map because now there is slowly more chatter; there’s a couple of players that are on the radar.”



Last year Minnesota United bought Bongokuhle Hlongwane from Maritzburg United and in recent months the teenager Olwethu Makhanya has moved to Philadelphia Union, while the exciting Mamelodi Sundowns striker Cassius Mailula is now at Toronto FC. 



The attraction of these players is their age. MLS rules allow clubs to take on more foreign players, as long as they are aged under-23, and it is here where Africans are in demand. Other top signings in recent months include Richard Odada (Kenya) and Prince Owusu, a German of



Ghanaian descent, and all can expect to be in contention to move onto a club in Europe in a few years, if they perform.



All can be assured they are on a stage that offers a chance to move on to bigger and better vistas in Europe.



According to the league, in 2022, MLS paid $175 million in transfer/acquisition fees, and for the fourth consecutive year it set a new high for fees paid, double the amount of five years ago. Revenue generated for outgoing players in 2022 was around $100 million. This does not include sell- on fees for the likes of Leeds United’s Brenden Aaronson or Crystal Palace’s Chris Richards.



The figures for 2023 will be higher, especially the sales of players to clubs in Europe.



Blom’s advice to compatriots offered the chance to play in the MLS is: “Come play, because it’s really a great stepping stone to grow. It’s like an introduction to a high level of football.”



Mailula, for one, heeded the advice even though he had become a regular with Mamelodi Sundowns and could have a comfortable time at home, where he had become an almost overnight star after just one season with the Pretoria club. “It was not an easy decision to take, but I feel like I need to get out of my comfort zone, to explore, to get closer to Europe,” he explains. “This is the right decision for my career, for my family also.”



With each excellent performance, of which there have been many this season, the South African players shine a further spotlight on the domestic league and will have more scouts looking at Africa as a fertile ground for young talent.



Hlongwane hit the headlines with his rush of goals in the Leagues Cup for Minnesota, appearing alongside Messi when they were joint top scorers in the competition.



How many South African players in the past have had such a platform? Very few, and certainly none in the last two decades.



The US has a reputation as a land of opportunity, with rags-to-riches tales possible. Football is the new platform for that and with the South African players earning upwards of R500,000 ($26,150) a month at their young age, they are living that dream.

saas

‘Come Play’: Where African Stars Are In Demand

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



Pfizer shares tumbled again Monday, continuing the pharmaceutical giant’s struggles tied to declining demand for its Covid-19 products&nbsp;and essentially wiping out the entirety of the firm’s peak pandemic gains.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



Pfizer stock slipped 1.6% to $28.96, closing at its lowest share price since March 26, 2020.



After notching record overall revenue and profits in 2022, Pfizer’s luck has run out so far in 2023, reporting a 42% decline through the year’s first nine months and reporting its first quarterly loss since 2019 in its October 31 earnings report.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



$170 billion. That’s how much market capitalization Pfizer has lost since December 2021.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Including dividends, Pfizer has posted a -40% return on investment this year, the 15th-steepest loss of any S&amp;P 500 company. Other pharmaceutical stocks which soared during early development and adoption of Covid treatments have also flailed, including Moderna (down about 80% from its 2021 peak), BioNTech (down about 70% from 2021 peak) and Johnson &amp; Johnson (down nearly 20% from 2021 high). Pfizer’s recent plunge came after the company&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2023/10/16/vaccine-stocks-including-pfizer-moderna-biontech-and-novavax-slide-amid-plummeting-demand/?sh=5cda962f7099">slashed</a>&nbsp;sales guidance for October 16, with sales for its vaccine down 70% year-over-year and Paxlovid revenues down 95%. Pfizer “finally threw in the towel on the potential for reinvigorated” demand for its two primary Covid products, UBS analyst Colin Bristow wrote in a note to clients last month.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-contra">CONTRA</h2>



It’s not all doom and gloom for pharmaceutical stocks, though the balance of power has shifted. Drug makers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have both climbed more than 70% over the last 12 months as their respective weight loss medications surge in popularity, and the two are now the most valuable pharmaceutical companies in the world by market cap. Pfizer, which was more valuable than both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk at the end of 2021, is now worth less than half of each firm.

Vaccinations at Egoli Township as Omicron Cases Spread

Pfizer Stock Hits 3-Year Low—Down 50% From 2021 Peak

Adesola Yusuf posing with one of his artworks

Pictures, Pixels And Profits: Technology As Canvas In Nigeria

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



The war between Israel and Hamas has continued for more than a month, laying waste to the Gaza Strip, killing thousands and displacing many more in the region as the conflict appears likely to continue for some time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



1.5 million:&nbsp;That’s how many people in Gaza have been internally displaced, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-32#:~:text=Displacement%20(Gaza%20Strip),the%20remainder%20with%20host%20families." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">United Nations</a>, which reported 557,000 people are sheltering in facilities unable to bring in new arrivals, prompting concerns of overcrowding.



More than 11,000:&nbsp;The number of people&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-officials-say-hospitals-come-under-new-israeli-attacks-2023-11-10/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">killed</a>&nbsp;in Gaza during the conflict, according to Reuters.



Around 1,200:&nbsp;The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-revises-death-toll-oct-7-hamas-attack-around-1200-2023-11-10/#:~:text=JERUSALEM%2C%20Nov%2010%20(Reuters),previous%20government%20estimate%20of%201%2C400." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">revised death toll</a>&nbsp;of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel, Reuters reported, which cited a spokesperson for Israel&#8217;s foreign ministry.



More than 400:&nbsp;The number of U.S. citizens and residents who have left the Gaza Strip, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/more-than-400-us-citizens-residents-have-left-gaza-spokesperson-2023-11-07/#:~:text=More%20than%20400%20US%20citizens,Reuters" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reuters</a>, citing the State Department, which noted some U.S. citizens still remain in the war-torn region this week.



About 240:&nbsp;That’s how many hostages Israeli officials believe Hamas and other groups are holding, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/israel-hostages-hamas-explained.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New York Times</a>, a matter that has become the<a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/israel-hamas-hostage-deal-critical-juncture-gaza/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;crux of negotiations</a>&nbsp;between Israel and Hamas.



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756:&nbsp;The total count of humanitarian aid trucks that have crossed into Gaza from Egypt since such trucks were first allowed to do so on Oct. 21, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-war-gaza-strip-2023-11-08/card/more-than-100-aid-trucks-reach-gaza-in-largest-single-day-convoy-YsfsqJaxyKLQifBui5sg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wall Street Journal</a>&nbsp;reported, citing Egyptian officials and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, which said none of the trucks contained fuel.



18:&nbsp;World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus indicated in an emergency meeting that this was the share of Gaza’s 36 hospitals that were not operating in the region (home to about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/gaza-strip" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2.1 million people</a>), according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna124563/rcrd25458?canonicalCard=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NBC News</a>, adding facilities are operating beyond capacities and that two-thirds of Gaza’s primary health care centers are not functioning.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



Israel agreed Thursday to put four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in place for its military operations in Gaza each day, according to the White House. The pauses have helped hostage talks, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/israel-hamas-hostage-deal-critical-juncture-gaza/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Politico</a>, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/09/politics/israel-pauses-gaza-white-house/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">insisted</a>&nbsp;that “no cease-fire” would be achieved without the release of Hamas-held hostages. Politico reported any hostage agreement is likely to be interim and limited in scope.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



The Israel-Hamas conflict has gone on for more than a month now, after Israel declared war following Hamas’ invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7. The U.S. has stood firm in its support of Israel, a longtime ally. President Joe Biden asked Netanyahu during a Monday call for a three-day pause to allow for hostage negotiations, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-humanitarian-pauses-b8fc613ffd8b9351c0dc37b90b6e10dd" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Associated Press</a>&nbsp;reported, adding that the president said it took “a little longer” than he hoped for Israel to agree to the current hours-long humanitarian pauses. Despite pushing for humanitarian aid, the White House has been careful to not call for a definitive cease-fire, citing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-at-a-press-availability-41/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">concerns</a>&nbsp;it would allow Hamas to recover and re-tool. Biden has also publicly doubted the death toll coming out of Gaza, saying late last month he had &#8220;no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using,” according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/despite-bidens-doubts-humanitarian-agencies-consider-gaza-toll-reliable-2023-10-27/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reuters</a>. Calls for a cease-fire have been supported by a majority of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/27/united-nations-votes-overwhelmingly-in-favour-of-humanitarian-truce-in-gaza" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">United Nations</a>&nbsp;in addition to tens of thousands of Americans who have participated in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/11/04/thousands-descend-on-washington-for-gaza-cease-fire-rally-photos/?sh=6a381a4a1df7">cease-fire rallies</a>&nbsp;in recent weeks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/10/14/israel-hamas-conflict-the-grim-statistics-after-a-week-of-war/?sh=3d27aea84407">Israel-Hamas Conflict: The Grim Statistics After A Week Of War</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-revises-death-toll-oct-7-hamas-attack-around-1200-2023-11-10/#:~:text=JERUSALEM%2C%20Nov%2010%20(Reuters),previous%20government%20estimate%20of%201%2C400." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Israel revises Hamas attack death toll to &#8216;around 1,200&#8217;</a>&nbsp;(Reuters)

Israel’s Response To Hamas Attack Complicated By Hostages And Concerns Over Gaza Campaign

Israel-Hamas Conflict: The Bleak Numbers After 36 Days Of Fighting

Dubai’s ambition to become one of the world’s top three cities was further attested at the Dubai Business Forum on November 1 and 2 organized by Dubai Chambers, which operates six offices in Africa. The event saw several African entrepreneurs and policy-makers in attendance and deals signed between the two regions.



It’s the climate for conferences in Dubai.



With the searing summer months giving way to cooler weather in the coastal emirate, November commenced with the Dubai Business Forum (DBF) and will also by the month-end witness the start of the much-anticipated 13-day COP28 global climate conference.



An event powered by Dubai Chambers and held under the theme Shifting Economic Power: Dubai and the Future of Global Trade, the DBF from November 1-2 brought together key stakeholders from the government and private sectors from across the globe to explore strategic economic partnerships. This year’s inaugural edition at the city’s verdant Madinat Jumeirah attracted over 2,000 delegates.



Over two days, the forum highlighted the strategic imperatives to attract foreign companies and investment, advance the digital economy, and leverage innovative technologies to accelerate business and economic growth. The event also featured The Deals Hub, a dedicated space for businesses to forge partnerships and announce new initiatives, investments, and commercial alliances, which saw six agreements and deals signed at the event.



The booming metropolis of Dubai – one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – with a population of more than 3 million, has always been a benchmark in business even for the emerging economies of Africa. The city’s ambition to become one of the world’s top three cities is a consistent mission for those in charge of making it a reality.



Visionary leadership



Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, the President and CEO of Dubai Chambers (a non-profit public entity that supports Dubai’s vision as a global player by empowering businesses, providing innovative value-added services and access to influential networks), puts it all down to the visionary leadership of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. In a conversation with CNBC Africa, Lootah said: “We are blessed to have a leadership that has included the private sector and continuously regulates the policy and business environment. The secret is that we are always aiming to improve the way we are doing things.”



The government’s Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) aims to double the size of the emirate&#8217;s economy by 2033 through 100 transformational projects; advance its plans for green and sustainable manufacturing; add 400 cities to Dubai’s foreign trade map; and open economic corridors with Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.



Currently, Dubai Chambers operates 25 international offices including six in Africa – the latest an office opened in Johannesburg in June.



Through this network, plans are to accelerate D33 targets of increasing Dubai’s FDI to over AED650 billion ($177 billion) over the coming decade.



“The UAE economy grew by 3.7% in real terms in the first half of 2023,” said Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, in a fireside chat at DBF. “This represents robust growth against the backdrop of global and regional uncertainty and is still a higher figure than any of the other GCC countries.&nbsp;Moreover, the non-oil sector registered a growth rate of 5.9%. The UAE’s economic growth is a testament to our resilience, diversification, and commitment to openness and international cooperation.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



One of the central aims of Dubai Chambers is to increase FDI into the emirate.



“We’ve made strong progress in recent years, with Dubai achieving an 80% increase in FDI inflows between 2021 and 2022…We were also proud to see Dubai ranked as the top global destination for attracting greenfield FDI projects in the most recent edition of the Financial Times’ ‘fDi Markets’ data, which indicated that the emirate attracted 511 greenfield projects in H1 2023,” added Lootah in a statement.



Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing,&nbsp;and&nbsp;Brett Armitage, Chief Commercial Officer of Kerzner International that operates the Atlantis hotels in Dubai, spoke about the tourism sector’s role as an important revenue generator. Their session at DBF focused on how Dubai can serve as an example for economies around the world for its sustainable tourism.



Entrepreneurial ecosystems



South Africa-based EZulu Life, a multinational medical technology and nutraceutical company, was in attendance at the DBF, to sign an agreement with UAE-based biopharmaceutical company Bioventure Healthcare, to distribute the latter’s products and provide technical support in the southern and East Africa regions.&nbsp;Bioventure, with a market capital of $250 million-$300 million, is aiming to expand its reach in Africa, investing in life science and biotech solutions to promote innovation in healthcare and cater to the needs of patients in the Middle East and Africa.



The founder and CEO of EZulu Life, Mpumelelo Ndiweni told CNBC Africa in an interview: “We are coming together to set up facilities in Africa and address African challenges.” The company started before the pandemic, and took off when Covid-19 hit, when their immune booster products “flew off the shelves”. By the end of 2021, their products were in over a 100 outlets in southern Africa.



Ndiweni’s advice to entrepreneurs breaking into the Middle East: “Never stop knocking on doors here. We are where we are because of that. We tend to over-plan, but don’t wait. Start on your plan. The moment you see a gap, get in. There is huge potential for African products.”



Advancing the digital economy



“One very interesting area that has continued to flourish is the increased appetite and footprint from global and regional tech startups using Dubai as a base for them. Over the last few years, roughly 90% of tech startups that received funding throughout the MENA region are based in Dubai,” Dubai Chambers’ Lootah said to CNBC Africa. “Dubai is not only witnessing growth in the traditional sectors but also diversity for tech companies as a funding and growth region.”



The forum saw innovators such as Eric Aguilar, Co-founder and CEO of Omnitron Sensors, speaking about the Future of the Internet of Things (IoT), and shedding light on the growing use of innovative sensor systems in bridging the gap between AI and business growth.



Aguilar underlined the importance of effectively introducing innovative technology to the market. “By embracing exponential innovation, you can break through barriers and bring about a huge disruption in the market. We keep hearing that AI is going to change the world, and to some extent that is true. But – as good as AI currently is – we won’t realize the future we imagined without fundamental changes to IoT and hardware.”



The final session in the forum’s main arena&nbsp;featured an interview with&nbsp;Divyank Turakhia, Founder of advertising tech company Media.net, who discussed how Dubai’s resilient business ecosystem has supported his successful journey as a serial entrepreneur. Sharing key learnings on how to capitalize on lucrative opportunities, Turakhia said: “Each business is different – some require more capital, some require less, and will eventually grow. It is extremely important to use capital efficiently. The UAE is unique in the region due to the ability of the leadership to continually pursue their visions. As a result, they achieve their goals in a timely manner, which is not easily accomplished otherwise.”

A session at the Dubai Business Forum; the emirate attracted 511 greenfield projects in H1 2023; image supplied

Lessons For Africa’s Emerging Economies From Dubai’s Playbook On Business

An exhibition of contemporary African photography is on at the Tate Modern in London. This writer left not with a sense of a completed narrative, but with a feeling of energized possibility, and the rush of discovering fresh, reconfigured horizons.



How to find the common in the uncommon, the unifying oneness in a disparate whole? Can Africa’s thousands of cultures and languages ever be distilled into a comprehensible photographic representation of an entire continent’s creative impulse? This is the challenge courageously and pugnaciously accepted by the exhibition A World in Common: Contemporary African Photography running through to January 2024 at the Tate Modern gallery in London.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="683" height="1024" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Leonce-Raphael-Agbodjelou-Untitled-Egungun-series-2012.-Copyright-The-Artist.-Courtesy-Jack-Bell-Gallery-2-683x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60200" style="aspect-ratio:0.6669921875;width:419px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Leonce-Raphael-Agbodjelou-Untitled-Egungun-series-2012.-Copyright-The-Artist.-Courtesy-Jack-Bell-Gallery-2-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Leonce-Raphael-Agbodjelou-Untitled-Egungun-series-2012.-Copyright-The-Artist.-Courtesy-Jack-Bell-Gallery-2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Leonce-Raphael-Agbodjelou-Untitled-Egungun-series-2012.-Copyright-The-Artist.-Courtesy-Jack-Bell-Gallery-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Leonce-Raphael-Agbodjelou-Untitled-Egungun-series-2012.-Copyright-The-Artist.-Courtesy-Jack-Bell-Gallery-2-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Leonce-Raphael-Agbodjelou-Untitled-Egungun-series-2012.-Copyright-The-Artist.-Courtesy-Jack-Bell-Gallery-2-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Leonce-Raphael-Agbodjelou-Untitled-Egungun-series-2012.-Copyright-The-Artist.-Courtesy-Jack-Bell-Gallery-2-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Leonce Raphael Agbodjelou, Untitled (Egungun series), 2012. Copyright The Artist. Courtesy Jack Bell Gallery </figcaption></figure></div>


“African photography is recognizable, to those aware of the history of studio portraiture, or of the way Africa is portrayed in documentary photography,” says the exhibition’s curator, Osei Bonsu. “But I was interested in all of the ways in which artists, particularly over the last 10 to 15 years, had completely blown open the perception of what African photography might be; ways that challenged and confounded many of those assumptions about the relationship between photography and the continent. So it was less about this idea of an overarching survey, as this slightly amorphous and impossible-to-define area of activity, and more about locating multiple perspectives that would come together to illuminate some of the key topics and ideas that these artists are engaged with.”



The result is a dizzying whistle-stop tour across three thematic territories: Identity and Tradition, Counter Histories, and Imagined Futures. The viewer is thus drawn and signposted through the exhibition aboard imaginative platforms, rather than the formal conventions of a linear retrospective, in a sort of taster menu of African inspiration: Hassan Hajjaj’s kinetic fusions of fashion photography and the roadside kiosk; Leonce Raphael Agbodjélou’s arrestingly charismatic portraits of quasi-monstrous Yoruba ‘Egungun’ costumes; Mário Macilau’s monochrome double-takes on the horrors of photojournalism; the serenely melodramatic staging of Maïmouna Guerresi’s scenes of prosaic ritual. The exhibition closes with an immersive video installation by Julianknxx, featuring a hypnotic, thrumming dance sequence, shot like a communiqué from a viridescent African Atlantis.



A consistent identifiable dichotomy arose during the exhibition’s research phase, between the commercial bread and butter of the photographers’ everyday practice and the more experimental work they had developed. 



“These artists embraced photography in ways that undermine or question some of the colonial or exoticizing assumptions around the relationship between African peoples and the photographic medium. This ‘B-roll’, the flip side of what they were doing, was much more subversive than their commercial work,” Bonsu says. 



“And what that revealed is that this idea of the split between the conceptual and the documentary is an arbitrary one.” There is an implicit provocation to the audience embedded in this confident, confrontational demand for the artists’ output to be apprehended on its own terms; much of the work playfully exploits a thrilling tension between an observer’s expectations and the creative authenticity of the photographer’s vision.



Bonsu says that the exhibition has benefited greatly from the evolution of the medium and its new plasticity; work can not only be sourced from all over the continent and the diaspora, but also be presented in formats that blur and expand photography’s traditional framings. “I think this has liberated contemporary photographers from many of the limiting structures that we know 



many African artists face, whether it be lack of government infrastructure, or lack of mobility,” he says. “Those reductive estimations that Africa wasn’t a space of invention, of intellectual and cultural innovation, are of course a myth.



And it’s a myth that serves much of the colonial history that the exhibition also deals with.” To that end, the show shifts the audience’s perspective through a range of vantage points, media and scales, though there is perhaps an opportunity missed to fill one of the Tate’s gigantic spaces with the kind of colossal image its ambition deserves – an outsized encounter with the teetering sublime of Africa’s infinite complexity might have served as an emotional approximation of the overwhelming vastness of its subject.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="741" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/George-Osodi-HRH-Queen-Hajiya-Hadizatu-Ahmedu-magajiya-of-Knubwada-2012.-Courtesy-of-George-Osodi-and-TAFETA-1024x741.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60202" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/George-Osodi-HRH-Queen-Hajiya-Hadizatu-Ahmedu-magajiya-of-Knubwada-2012.-Courtesy-of-George-Osodi-and-TAFETA-1024x741.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/George-Osodi-HRH-Queen-Hajiya-Hadizatu-Ahmedu-magajiya-of-Knubwada-2012.-Courtesy-of-George-Osodi-and-TAFETA-300x217.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/George-Osodi-HRH-Queen-Hajiya-Hadizatu-Ahmedu-magajiya-of-Knubwada-2012.-Courtesy-of-George-Osodi-and-TAFETA-768x556.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/George-Osodi-HRH-Queen-Hajiya-Hadizatu-Ahmedu-magajiya-of-Knubwada-2012.-Courtesy-of-George-Osodi-and-TAFETA-1536x1112.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/George-Osodi-HRH-Queen-Hajiya-Hadizatu-Ahmedu-magajiya-of-Knubwada-2012.-Courtesy-of-George-Osodi-and-TAFETA-2048x1483.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">George Osodi, HRH Queen Hajiya Hadizatu Ahmedu magajiya of Knubwada, 2012. Courtesy of George Osodi and TAFETA</figcaption></figure></div>


There is still much to admire about this exciting, expansive exhibition, with its democratic embrace of both the vibrantly aesthetic and the viscerally provoking. “There are histories of struggle and resistance that are ever present,” Bonsu says. 



“But there are also the histories of difference that exist within the fabric of how cultures communicate: through language, through images. That notion of ‘in-betweenness’ is not so much physical, but the psychological in-betweenness that many African diasporic communities can relate to. It’s quite particular to a history of colonial violence, bound up in a deep knowing of one’s heritage, but also this desire to move forward. The exhibition doesn’t try to glaze over the realities that undergird these contemporary histories. The story is still unfolding, and we tried to really embrace that. It’s a challenge for our audiences to really go on that journey with us. They’re not going to have a conclusive sense of a kind of beginning and ending.”



Thus you leave the exhibition not with a sense of a completed narrative, but with a feeling of energized possibility, the rush of discovering fresh, reconfigured horizons.



“It’s that positivity, weighted with this idea of agency – many of the artists are almost suggesting that changing the world isn’t entirely out of reach, that photography itself, at some level, has the possibility to reach into the realm of the imagination,” Bonsu says. “And in doing so, maybe that liberates us – as viewers, as audiences – to think differently about the world we experience.”

History, Identity, Imagination: African Photography In London

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



Greenpeace is facing a major new legal threat in the form of a $2.1 million lawsuit from oil giant Shell,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/shell-sues-greenpeace-21-million-after-boarding-oil-vessel-2023-11-09/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">multiple outlets</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/nov/09/shell-sues-greenpeace-over-fossil-fuel-protest-in-north-sea" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;Thursday, after the environmental advocacy group’s protestors occupied a floating oil platform in January in what one spokesperson called an “unlawful and extremely dangerous” stunt.



Greenpeace activist Yeb Saño holds aloft a flag on a rib after attempting to board a Shell oil&nbsp;&#8230; [+]GETTY IMAGES



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



U.K.-based Shell filed a claim against Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace International in London&#8217;s High Court alleging the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/31/greenpeace-protesters-board-shell-platform-bound-for-shetland" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">occupation</a>&nbsp;of a floating oil production vessel by protesters earlier this year cost the company money in shipping delays and forced it to hire extra security,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/shell-sues-greenpeace-21-million-after-boarding-oil-vessel-2023-11-09/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reuters</a>&nbsp;reported.



Shell has asked the court to stop any future protests on the company’s infrastructure at sea or in port, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/nov/09/shell-sues-greenpeace-over-fossil-fuel-protest-in-north-sea" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Guardian</a>, and threatened to file further claims on behalf of contractors that could be worth as much as $8.6 million.



Greenpeace has accused Shell of trying to silence any legitimate protests of its fossil fuel operations, but Shell has said the lawsuit is focused only on protests at sea and is designed partly to protect the safety of protesters.



A spokesperson for Shell said in an email to&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;that the protest was &#8220;unlawful and extremely dangerous.&#8221;



In a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/63522/shell-hits-greenpeace-with-intimidation-lawsuit-threatening-8-6m-damages-claim-and-protest-ban-to-silence-climate-demands/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">statement</a>&nbsp;posted to its website Thursday, Greenpeace called the lawsuit an attempt “to silence growing dissent over moves by Shell’s chief executive” and said Shell has offered to settle for $1.4 million if Greenpeace vows to never again stage a protest “at its infrastructure” at sea or in port.



Greenpeace said it would only comply with the request if Shell &#8220;agreed to stop wrecking the climate&#8221; and comply with a Dutch court order to reduce its emissions by 45% by 2030.



Greenpeace activists hold a billboard during a protest outside Shell headquarters amid the companies&nbsp;&#8230; [+]CHRIS J RATCLIFFE FOR GREENPEACE VIA GETTY IMAGES



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



“The right to protest is fundamental and we respect it absolutely. But it must be done safely and lawfully,” Shell’s statement reads. “Shell and its contractors are entitled to recover the significant costs of responding to Greenpeace’s dangerous actions.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Climate activists used ropes to hoist themselves onto a floating production storage and offloading vessel from inflatable boats they used to chase the Shell ship. The protestors boarded the vessel just north of the Canary Islands and rode it for 13 days,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/63522/shell-hits-greenpeace-with-intimidation-lawsuit-threatening-8-6m-damages-claim-and-protest-ban-to-silence-climate-demands/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to Greenpeace</a>. No arrests were made. The vessel was bound for the not-yet-operational Penguins oil and gas field in the North Sea, and protestors were imploring the company to stop drilling for new oil and gas and &#8220;instead take responsibility for causing climate breakdown.” The Penguins platform is the first new northern North Sea project for Shell in 30 years and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.shell.com/about-us/major-projects/penguins.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">is expected</a>&nbsp;to yield 45,000 barrels of oil per day.



Greenpeace activists hang a banner on July 24, 2014 in front of a Shell gas station in Santiago,&nbsp;&#8230; [+]AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



$39.9 billion. That&#8217;s how much money&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/02/shell-earnings-oil-giant-reports-record-annual-profits.html#:~:text=Shell%20reported%20adjusted%20earnings%20of,2021%20profit%20of%20%2419.29%20billion." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shell reported in adjusted earnings&nbsp;</a>in 2022, more than double its 2021 profit of $19.29 billion.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



This isn’t the first time Shell and Greenpeace have butted heads. The two famously faced off back in 1995 when the oil company, known at the time as Royal Dutch Shell, proposed it would get rid of its decommissioned rig called the Brent Spar <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/47744/brent-spar-the-sea-is-not-a-dustbin/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">by sinking it</a> in the North Atlantic Ocean. Greenpeace activists occupied the tanker for three weeks and organized a boycott of service stations worldwide while claiming the vessel Shell was trying to sink had 5,500 tons of oil on board. The estimate was vastly higher than what Shell claimed and what later proved to be true—Greenpeace ultimately issued an apology. Shell withdrew its plan to sink the Brent Spar. Greenpeace later successfully protested Shell&#8217;s <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/7022/you-did-it-shell-abandons-arctic-drilling/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2006 plan</a> to drill for oil in the Arctic. Two years ago, Greenpeace was involved in a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/shell-wins-court-case-start-seismic-surveys-offshore-south-africa-2021-12-03/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">failed attempt</a> to stop the company from looking for oil in humpback whale breeding grounds on South Africa&#8217;s coast.

Shell Posts Quarterly Profits

Shell Sues Greenpeace For $2 Million After Protest On Moving Oil Platform — The Latest Clash Between The Two

Africa has the world’s youngest population but youth unemployment has reached alarming levels. With technology changing rapidly, where does hope lie in addressing the mismatch between skillsets and job market requirements on the continent?



David Sokefun co-founded Codar Tech Africa in Lagos, Nigeria, in December 2021 realizing that tech training was inadequate in Africa’s biggest economy. With the swiftly-changing job market because of advancements in generative AI, he knew the importance and urgency of teaching tech skills that would set people apart in an AI-influenced landscape.



“An adage rings true – in the 21st century, illiteracy pertains to those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn,” Sokefun says to FORBES AFRICA. “History attests to the fate of companies that failed to adapt during the internet era, as well as those that successfully navigated the shift.”



Sokefun’s will to build a company that learns to work with AI is perfectly timed. Open AI’s ChatGPT has redefined the boundaries of what artificial intelligence (AI) can do. Whether it’s writing a complex code or a poem, generating a travel itinerary for the summer holidays, or learning a new language, the chatbot doesn’t hesitate to help you within seconds. Unsurprisingly, it attracted over one million users within five days of its launch, and OpenAI is currently valued at about $29 billion.



The staggering progress of ChatGPT has led many to fear for their jobs. Geoffrey Hinton, the godfather of AI, resigned from Google, citing concerns over the likelihood of AI to upend the job market. In an open letter, many technology leaders and researchers, including Elon Musk, urged AI labs to pause the



development of the most advanced systems, stating, “Advanced AI could represent a profound change in the history of life on Earth, and should be planned for and managed with commensurate care and resources.”



With the powerful technology supposedly eating up massive industries, there’s no denying the worldwide trend will impact African livelihoods, too, as discussed in this year’s Future of Education (FoE) summit hosted by CNBC Africa. The ninth annual summit and thought leadership discussion on July 5 saw brilliant leaders from all over the world come together to explore reasons for the high unemployment rates on the African continent and redefine the purpose of education to make it more relevant to today’s times.



In 2015, the African Development Bank reported that a third of Africa’s 420 million people between the ages of 15 and 35 were unemployed, another third were vulnerably employed, and only one in six was in wage employment. Ten million to 12 million African youth enter the workforce each year, but only 3 million formal jobs are created annually. Africa has the world’s youngest population, with a median age of 19.7 years. 



A youthful population is typically a boon for the development prospects of any region, but the escalating unemployment rate in Africa prevents the youth from realizing their potential, forcing many to migrate to the developed economies.



Dr Rakesh Wahi, the co- founder and Vice Chairman of CNBC Africa and Publisher of FORBES AFRICA, mentioned in his introductory address at FoE that limited access to reasonably- priced internet derails learning. It’s the most essential tool for education today.



“Sub-Saharan Africa today has only 22% internet access compared to a global average of 63%,” Wahi said.



Furthermore, broadband access in Africa comes at a very high cost. In terms of affordable pricing, India has the fifth lowest internet data rates in the world, with the cost of data at about 17 US cents per gigabyte. In comparison, South Africa at $2 per gigabyte is almost 12 times higher in price than India. According to a University of Chicago Law School paper published in 2020, South Africa remains the most unequal country in the world. Even more than two decades after apartheid and attaining democracy, over half the country still lives below the national poverty line, and the education system is rife with inequalities. Schools largely reserved for white students during the apartheid era remain better equipped today than schools historically available to non-white students. The digital divide in education has left some students without basic access to information.



“It is important that we leave no one behind – that we work hard to ensure that irrespective of where a person comes from, which nation a person belongs to, they have basic needs they need to function as a global citizen,” said Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the FoE summit, during his keynote address. “Issues of food security are very important. Issues resources, are very important.”]



While fewer jobs are being created, experts argue that young graduates don’t have the necessary skills to excel in the current job market.



“There is a huge number of graduate students who are unemployable because they lack the skills that create this wide mismatch,” Dr Marwa Haddar, Vice-President of Finance and Strategy of Blue Monsoon Capital, a financial services company, noted during a panel discussion. “They spend long years studying at universities or 12 years of curricula. And then they are with degrees that have really no market value locally or regionally or not to say at the global level.”



With rapidly changing technologies heavily influencing the job market, there is a constant need to teach students the skills required to succeed in a competitive job market. But, many universities choose to focus on old syllabi and teaching methods that aren’t actually beneficial to the youth.



“Schools were established to have people being fed into the workplace,” Joseph Gerassi, the Executive Head of Redhill School, said. “If we’re not following what the workplace needs, then those schools are a waste of time, because we’re going to have people come out of those schools and not having the skills to go into that market. This idea that a curriculum is put in and it’s got to last for the next 20 years now is just so out of the way.”



Besides lacking the technical, cognitive, and soft skills required to advance in a demanding work environment, students also don’t get a chance to develop critical thinking skills that can foster an entrepreneurial mindset.



“Business and academia need to come closer together in developing the curriculum,” Sugendhree Reddy, CEO of Access Bank, suggested. “This is not a once-off thing. This is a regular thing to understand how business is evolving. And that is missing because when the academics go and research, it’s desktop research. But when it comes to actually understanding what business requires, you have to be with business. And you have to talk to business leaders to understand that.”



If students solely rely on rote memorization of various concepts and don’t apply their learning in an actual workplace, they will be unable to gain practical experience that benefits from their academic understanding, experts at the summit reiterated.



“One of the key things I’ve seen change in higher education in the last 20 years is the number of internships,” Professor Mark Smith, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton, said. “As a recognized part of their degree, students do part of their work within the workplace. In North America, there are some very good examples of cooperative degrees, where students label the amount of time they spend in industry and the amount of time they spend within the academic institution.”



This mismatch between skillsets and job market requirements is a serious threat to Africa’s economic status. A report by The Economist highlighted that about 70% of employers feel that there is insufficient training at educational institutions, while 70% of educational institutions believe that they have prepared graduates adequately for the job market.



Better communication and collaboration between the education sector and labor market can ensure a heightened focus on problem- solving skills rather than very specific knowledge.



A lack of jobs on the African continent hasn’t, however, dampened the youth’s creative and entrepreneurial spirit. Multiple enterprises, including Chipper Cash, Andela, OPay, Wave, Flutterwave, and Interswitch, among others, are all Africa-born enterprises now being valued as unicorns. Entrepreneurs have learned to take calculated risks and launch their own businesses, which can help Africa fight its rising unemployment rates.



“I think it was Bill Gates who said if he looks for a trait when he recruits people, it’s curiosity,” Stefan Lauber, the Managing Director at iFundi, an educational institution in South Africa, said. “The modern learner needs to be curious. The modern learner also needs, therefore, to enjoy learning. The model is changing from a top-down approach, where institutions pride themselves on excluding a lot of people, institutions determining curriculum, institutions saying, ‘You need to learn that,’ to what I believe is a much more bottom-up approach of learning, where ultimately learning resides in an individual.”



Along with institutions introducing a more hands-on approach to learning, students can be open to engaging with new material that can help them start their own ventures or be productive company members.



“It is really important that we raise our children, and the schools help us with that; in developing a sense of curiosity and a growth mindset,” Dan Adkins, CEO of Transnational Academic Group, said at the FoE summit. “Because as they go forward into the future, they’re going to have to deal with very rapid change, and they’re going to have to be able to learn on their own. There will not be time for them to go back to university and spend another three years getting a degree. And universities, and less of the ones who develop the technology, are usually five to 10 years behind the leading edge anyway. So we have to develop in our young people a passion for learning and give them the skillset so they can research on their own, determine what is credible and what is not credible, and then know how to apply that.”



Speakers at the FoE summit also deliberated on the importance of upskilling to progress in a competitive marketplace. In a survey conducted by LinkedIn, 62% of CEOs said that they considered upskilling a priority. Learning about new technological innovations and AI would help a company stand out from the rest. Educating, training, and developing a workforce would not only make employees feel more valued by the company, but it would also improve their performance.



An academic degree can no longer guarantee a secure job.



It’s on students and workers to forge their own paths to navigate complicated industry conditions. With the looming threat of AI stealing jobs, it becomes even more pressing for workers to adapt and be flexible with what their careers might look like.



Just like Sokefun has adapted to the changing job landscape by building his own company, others can focus on gaining the right skills to be able to withstand the storm. Whether it’s AI or other factors influencing change, with the right training, individuals like Sokefun can put Africa on the world map by dominating the education and entrepreneurship landscape. Hopefully, there will be more like him.

Colleagues in meeting room discussing project

Developing The Future Workforce In Africa

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



Adidas is considering writing off its remaining inventory of Yeezy merchandise, valued at $320 million by the company, chief executive Bjorn Gulden said Wednesday—as the German footwear firm separates from the brand designed by Kanye West, who lost his partnership with Adidas following a string of antisemitic remarks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



Gulden said Wednesday that a scenario in which the company writes off its Yeezy inventory is “financially the worst case,” according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/adidas-ye-kanye-west-antisemitism-df2df5a6489beba1a23ffefa6acc98c3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Associated Press</a>.



The company has sold hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of leftover Yeezy shoes, and Gulden reportedly said “we of course hope we can do more drops next year and we can get more value out of it and donate the proceeds,” but no decision has been made.



Gulden also said the company had stored its Yeezy inventory in several locations and declined to say what the company would do if the inventory remained unsold.



Adidas included a possible write-off of the Yeezy inventory in its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.adidas-group.com/en/media/news-archive/press-releases/2023/adidas-reports-revenue-increase-in-the-third-quarter-underlying-b/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">outlook</a>&nbsp;Wednesday for its earnings this year, suggesting in its full-year guidance that it expects about $106 million in operating losses this year after a previous prediction of a $481 million loss.



Shares for&nbsp;<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/ADDYY" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Adidas</a>&nbsp;fell slightly (2%) to $90.46 after the company released its third-quarter earnings&nbsp;<a href="https://www.adidas-group.com/en/media/news-archive/press-releases/2023/adidas-reports-revenue-increase-in-the-third-quarter-underlying-b/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a>.



Adidas reported a 6% increase in footwear revenue year-over-year and a 6% decline in apparel sales, while the company’s revenue declined 6% to $6.4 billion.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BIG NUMBER</h2>



$374.7 million. That’s how much revenue Adidas generated from Yeezy sales through the third quarter. Yeezy merchandise generated about <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/08/03/adidas-sold-437-million-worth-of-yeezys-in-second-quarter-of-2023/?sh=36ab3bd526f4">$437 million</a> in revenue in the second quarter, which Adidas said was in line with Yeezy sales during the same quarter last year. The company generated $1.28 billion from Yeezy sales through all of last year.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Adidas ended its partnership with West last year after the rapper made a series of antisemitic comments on social media. The company announced earlier this year it would start selling some of its remaining Yeezy inventory—valued then at $1.28 billion—and donate a “significant amount” of sales to organizations combating racism and antisemitism. Adidas&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/08/03/adidas-sold-437-million-worth-of-yeezys-in-second-quarter-of-2023/?sh=1f97832526f4">previously</a>&nbsp;explored a write-off of its remaining Yeezy inventory in August, which the sportswear firm estimated the write-off would cost the company an additional $437 million. Adidas similarly estimated its “discontinuation of the regular Yeezy business” cost the company about $437 million in the first half of 2023. A write-off would reduce the value of the brand in Adidas’s financial statements.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/10/17/adidas-cuts-projected-losses-by-over-300-million-after-selling-yeezy-shoes/?sh=1e34b8baab0a">Adidas Cuts Projected Losses By Over $300 Million After Selling Yeezy Shoes</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)

Street Style – Paris Fashion Week – Menswear Spring/Summer 2024 : Day Six

Adidas Could Write Off Value Of Unsold Yeezy Inventory—Worth $320 Million

The Covid-19 pandemic brought unprecedented change to many lives around the world but for a group of daredevils in Ghana, it sparked a passion to explore the world by road.



The group of friends with wide-ranging interests and careers ranging from banking, education, technology and real estate, and also travel enthusiasts, saw an opportunity to use the lockdown to ignite their expedition.



“We started traveling in Ghana because of Covid. We couldn’t get out of Ghana and one funeral to Tamale, in Northern Ghana, inspired the passion for traveling. We began to travel sometimes for funerals, other times for weddings and for work,” says Richard Osei-Anim, an education technology entrepreneur who is part of the group.



Osei-Anim works to deploy smart labs and technology for schools in rural areas. Some of the hard-to-reach areas he works in – such as in Northern Ghana – requires travel by road, and that is what birthed his love for travel. On one of these trips with the group, initially consisting of five team members, one of them suggested going on a 10,000km journey to the United Kingdom (UK).


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_7679.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-60171" style="aspect-ratio:0.75;width:367px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_7679.jpeg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_7679-225x300.jpeg 225w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></figure></div>


“We have this saying we use that ‘what’s the worst that could happen’. So, when the idea was suggested, we were all up for it. Later on, some other members joined which brought our group to about 10 people in all,” recalls Osei-Anim.



This was in 2019 before the Covid pandemic.



“Kwabena Peprah, who is the OCD one amongst us, is our lead planner. He pulled the Excel spreadsheets and put in all the components from the type of car we would use, the spark plugs, windows, the tyres we will need, the cans for petrol and everything in between. We had a whole spreadsheet of data that had been acquired over the years. We postponed it to 2023 but it [meant] about six to nine months of planning and speaking to different people,” says Osei-Anim.



In 2022, the group had also attempted to climb to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro.



“We didn’t make it all the way to the top. I got to 4,000 meters and Kwabena and the other guys got to 5,000 meters. So, we couldn’t make it, but it was a useful experience and we ended up in Zanzibar for about three days just to chill.”



With friendships in the group going back more than 30 years, there is true camaraderie here. After almost a year of planning, the group set off this year for their planned journey to the UK, from their starting point in Oyarifa, Ghana with a convoy of five cars.



“It took us 14 days to get from Accra to London. We started off from Oyarifa in Aburi, then crossed over to Ivory Coast, then Bamako, then Kayes, then Senegal, then Mauritania to Morocco and some of us left in Morocco to go to Johannesburg to work. The rest of the group crossed over by ferry to Spain, then went to France, then Calais to Dover and ended up in Kent,” says Osei-Anim.



Planning for the trip had to be airtight to ensure they covered the 14-day journey in good time.



“We aimed for departure at 4AM and always considered all scenarios that could potentially delay us unnecessarily. For example, we usually settle all bills the night before so when we wake up, we check out without any drama – like someone’s card not working or no forex to change into local currencies,” says Osei-Anim.



The trip led to the creation of Wanderlust Ghana, a travel blog to chronicle the adventures across some 10 countries. One of the travelers, Kwabena Ayirebi, also Director, Banking Operations at African Export-Import Bank, used the attention from the epic journey to London to raise funds to help connect communities across Ghana and Kenya to digital learning with a platform called EduSpots.



“I first went to London from Accra through a British Chevening Scholarship and that gave me the chance to have a global career. I saw the journey to London as an opportunity to celebrate my birthday, raise funds for a good cause and experience the amazing continent of Africa,” says Ayirebi.



The group stayed at hotels in each destination and the entire trip cost an average of $10,000 per person. The main challenges were mechanical issues ranging from changing car tyres to spark plugs and everything in between.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/A-road-trip-that-led-to-the-creation-of-a-travel-blog-image-supplied.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-60173" style="aspect-ratio:1.3333333333333333;width:646px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/A-road-trip-that-led-to-the-creation-of-a-travel-blog-image-supplied.jpeg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/A-road-trip-that-led-to-the-creation-of-a-travel-blog-image-supplied-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/A-road-trip-that-led-to-the-creation-of-a-travel-blog-image-supplied-768x576.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A road-trip that led to the creation of a travel blog, image supplied</figcaption></figure></div>


“I would advise that if you want to take on this journey, make sure you are using very reliable cars. Our cars were quite old with some of them having about 500,000km already and even though we regularly service them, they gave us some issues,” says Osei-Anim.



Another advice is to be mindful of the local rules in various countries. For example, Mauritania has a policy against using tinted windows on cars which the group was not aware of.



“This was the worst experience on the trip as the policemen extorted us and kept us for about eight hours in Mauritania. They threatened to impound us for 48 hours and after illegally taking our money we were finally allowed to pass through,” says Osei-Anim.



After two weeks, the group arrived in Kent to a rousing welcome from the Ghana High Commission in London and along the way, had garnered enough media attention for their epic journey.



With the success of this trip, the group already have their eyes set on their next set of adventures which includes a road trip from Accra to Cape Town next year, then an eight-day expedition in Australia from Perth to Brisbane, then a Dubai via Egypt to Accra expedition and finally hitting all the football stadiums across North America to Alaska in the World Cup year of 2026.

Tag: Nigeria

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