Author: NLM Correspondent

African governments have resorted to new laws against false information, that don’t reduce harm. They also don’t promote media literacy in schools, which could. By Peter Cunliffe-Jones “In a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country like ours, ‘fake news’ is a time bomb,” Nigerian Information Minister Lai Mohammed warned journalists at a briefing in Abuja in 2018. “In recent weeks, many anarchists have been doing everything possible to detonate the bomb.” To disarm this time bomb, his government would educate Nigerians to identify it at source. “We do not intend to resort to coercion or censorship,” the minister pledged. Instead, he proposed ways the…

The 2021 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) shows that journalism, the main vaccine against disinformation, is completely or partly blocked in 130 out of 180 countries ranked by the organisation. By Antony Mutunga For the last decade, journalists and reporters have drawn the short straw as press freedom remains highly fragile in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). From dealing with dictators and authoritarian governments to arbitrary censorship, especially on social media platforms, journalism has been totally blocked or seriously impeded. And, as the coronavirus rages, additional restrictions have further constricted the world or journalists, according to a…

By Daniel Ngumy, Shemane Amin, Juliana Mosha and Priscillah Githinji On 22 September 2005, the Tanzanian and South African (SA) Governments concluded a Double Tax Agreement (DTA), whose purpose was to ensure resident persons and resident companies avoid double taxation and prevent fiscal evasion with respect to income taxes. The DTA entered into force on 15 June 2007 and subsequently became effective on 1 August 2007. Article 2 of the DTA provides the types of taxes covered under the DTA which include in case of SA: the normal tax, the secondary tax on companies and withholding tax on royalties while…

Kenya Airways (KQ) has entered into an agreement with UK-based advanced air mobility company, Skyports to launch unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations in the country. The two firms signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will bring together Skyports’ expertise in drone delivery logistics service and KQ’s expertise in aviation services. Allan Kilavuka, Chief Executive Officer at Kenya Airways, the partnership goes hand in hand with KQ’S purpose of the sustainable development of Africa as it supports its plans in terms of drone technology application. “It will give us access to available equipment and established operations that will lay the…

A coalition of multilateral development banks and development partners has pledged over $17 billion (Sh1.8 trillion) in financing to address rising hunger on the African continent, and to improve food security. Seventeen African heads of state signed on to a commitment to boost agricultural production by doubling current productivity levels through the scaling up of agro-technologies following a two-day high-level dialogue, “Feeding Africa: Leadership to Scale up Successful Innovations.” hosted by the The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) at the end of April. AfDB pledged to invest Sh169 billion towards scaling up 10 selected priority…

By Wambui Wamunyu As we mark World Press Freedom Day 2021, let us remember that 2020 was terrible for the press in many parts of the world. Two ranking measures – the World Press Freedom Index 2021 and African Media Barometer publications – indicate that journalists globally continued to face multiple challenges. These included intimidation, physical or online harassment, surveillance, disappearance, threats, arbitrary arrests, assaults, and lack of access to public facilities, authorities or data. Reporters Without Borders reported that 50 journalists from around the world died in the course of duty. Their deaths were linked to investigative stories about corruption, misuse of public funds,…

While there may be Covid vaccine skepticism in some parts of the world, in Kenya, people are eager to get protected against the virus, the AFP reports. Almost 900,000 people have been inoculated with the first dose as the third wave has made people more active to get vaccinated, which has pushed up demand. To deal with the situation, some hospitals, such as the Metropolitan in Nairobi, has required people to make appointments one day before going to the hospital to get vaccinated. “The third wave is a bit extreme. People have realised that if you don’t get vaccinated, you…

The African Union (AU) called on Friday for the restoration of civilian rule in Chad, where General Mahamat Idriss Déby took power this week following the death of his father Idriss Déby Itno. In a statement, the AU Peace and Security Council, which is in charge of peace and security issues within the continental organisation, expressed its “grave concern” about the establishment of a military council headed by the son of the late president. Idriss Déby Itno, 68, who led the country with an iron fist for 30 years, died on Monday, according to the presidency, as a result of…

Lack of cogent succession planning, risk aversion and the halo effect are just some of the obstacles. By Patrick Smith Law firm partnerships are populated by some of the brightest and most educated people in the world, so there should be plenty of promising leaders in their ranks ready to take the reins when it’s needed. But that isn’t the case. Far from it. The leaders of major law firms are in fact some of the most successful, intelligent and ambitious professionals in the world. But being a good lawyer doesn’t make one a good leader. The risk aversion taught in law school and in…

By Mohamed F. Ahmed Somalia is expected to go to the polls to elect its president through direct universal suffrage in early 2023, its first in more than 50 years. If fairly run, that election is touted to usher in a new period of democracy and stability for a nation that has endured one of the world’s most arduous, costly, and bloody political journeys of the 21st Century — an election in 2023 will come six years after the historic Baidoa Consultative Conference of 2017, during which the Federal Government of Somalia and regional administrations laid the groundwork for a…