Opinions

As the world battles a pandemic, Africa has become polio free. Lessons learned can help its fight against COVID-19.     “Could you patent the sun?” This is how American virologist Jonas Salk responded when asked whether he would be patenting his breakthrough polio vaccine. The polio virus, which once…

Owing to its large and growing youth population, Africa, more than many other regions, desperately needs to provide the education and skills training necessary for the jobs of the future. By empowering their people through technology, African countries can leapfrog many development hurdles.     Key features of the Fourth…

Globally, the measures to curb COVID-19 are having unintended effects on the digital economy by encouraging the sourcing of goods and services online, while also highlighting persistent digital inequalities. Africa has significant digital infrastructure and skills gaps – with between 5% and 50% of the population having consistent access to the…

Two key partnerships will be negotiated in 2020 between the European Union (EU) and Africa, making this a crucial year for both continents. One is the post-Cotonou agreement within the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, and the other is the Africa-EU strategy.     In relation to the…

Africa’s youth are confronted with an increasingly complex socio-economic and political context which is hindering their development. Youth are facing extensive poverty, limited access to education, lack of employment opportunities, limited benefits from globalisation, water scarcity, peace and security challenges, violent extremism, sexual violence, corruption, and forced migration, to name…

African states have failed to protect women and children from violence amid the coronavirus pandemic.     In the last few months, as the coronavirus has spread across the world, African countries have registered a surge in cases of domestic violence and sexual violence, which has provoked public outrage. In…

The African Union helped spearhead a coordinated response to the pandemic     The global struggle against the coronavirus pandemic has prompted some governments to close their borders and retreat from multilateralism, and instead implement protectionist policies and trade restrictions. African countries are taking a different approach. To combat the spread of infection while minimizing social and…

The benefits of empowering women to participate in the digital economy are obvious. The key to success will be initiatives to teach digital literacy and expand access to Internet-enabled devices, as well as efforts to boost the confidence of women and girls, who have long been discouraged from competing against…

2020 is the year the AU declared the period of ‘Silencing the Guns in Africa’, and expectations are high. Let the silencing start with Mali with solutions that put the welfare of Mali’s citizens above any other political or non-political consideration.     Recent developments in Mali have brought international…

Globally, women have only three-quarters of the legal rights afforded to men, with the worst inequalities relating to family relationships, employment, control of economic assets, and violence. Ensuring that the current pandemic does not deepen these disparities is therefore crucial.     Worldwide, an estimated 1.5 billion people face legal problems they…