Author: NLM Correspondent

Closer cooperation, co-learning and co-design can help engage the African ‘genius’ and support native innovation in addition to the traditional imported innovation and aid its adoption.. By Emanuela Colombo Africa is running fast towards its history, but the marathon is always a long-haul challenge, in which the way in which energy is mastered can make a difference between success and failure. Energy is the lifeblood of society, but the energy-climate-development requires a good balance between over-exploitation of resources and their use for human activity. That is why Africa needs a sustainable energy system providing reliable, affordable and clean energy for…

Governments are failing to convey sufficient and credible macroeconomic data and other important information to rating agencies and other interested parties. By Misheck Mutize A number of African countries have recently been contesting decisions by credit rating agencies. Some have raised objections that the rating agencies lack understanding of their economic environment. Others have challenged the correctness of their ratings on the basis that the agencies had not discussed them with the country’s representatives. The United Nations has questioned the timing and basis for rating downgrades. The eurozone rating watchdog – the European Securities and Markets Authority – has also cautioned agencies against deepening the coronavirus crisis through “quick-fire” downgrades of…

Expanding taxation in the telecoms sector could be a suitable way of mobilizing resources for post-COVID Last month in Cameroon, president Paul Biya ordered the deferment of the collection, by digital means, of custom duties and taxes on imported phones and other electronic devices. A new automated system for the collection had been scheduled to go operational on October 15. But the move sparked widespread outrage, especially online with the hashtag #EndPhoneTax, in a country where manifestation of dissent can easily spiral into violence. The pressure was enough to push the government to halt the tax collection system which would have…

By Janine Zacharia and Andrew Grotto Journalists face a tough dilemma when reporting on hacked documents. Authentic documents obtained by illicit means and leaked to the public can provide information that is very much in the public interest, but reporting on them can at the same time play into an information operation launched by whomever hacked and leaked the documents. Researchers are trying to understand how to balance those interests. Reporting on information of murky provenance takes time, which can clash with the competitive instinct to publish as quickly as possible. To deal with this, the playbook, “How to Report…

Kenya: innocent bystander or invested stakeholder? By Fuad Abdirahman In February 2021, Somalia will go to the polls to elect a new president. About half a dozen political heavyweights, including the incumbent Mohamed Farmaajo, as well as former presidents, have thrown their hats in the ring to compete for the votes of 329 members of parliament for the top seat. MPs electing the president come to the parliament through a clan-based power sharing model known as 4.5 – a power-sharing arrangement that incorporates the four largest clans, while the rest of the minority clans share the point five, or half…

In the current environment, with clan-based selection processes, institutionalized quotas are the only way to ensure women’s inclusion in the political process By Samiya Gaid As the global community marks the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, it affords nations like Somalia the opportunity to take stock of progress against the critical commitments of women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in politics and peacebuilding as well as the protection of women and girls in times of peace and war. Increased reports of incidents of violence against women and girls in recent months highlight why this resolution…

Can Somalia harmonize its clan identity and politics – which have grown into a legitimate political culture – with a multiparty system to mature the country’s democratic model? By Mohamed Salah Ahmed Mid this year, Somalia President Mohamed Farmaajo signed an electoral law that was expected to move the country from a clan-based political system to a multiparty system. This move sparked hope of ending the clan-based power-sharing model of the 4.5 formula, which gives equal seats in Parliament to the four major clans and lays the groundwork for the long-awaited multiparty system. In other words, the move meant that…

Although the effects of COVID-19 will continue to wreak havoc on the online population, it is clear just how important cyber-security is, both to individuals and organizations. By Antony Mutunga The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has been massive. Most people took to working from home, which has had a huge impact on economies. The shift resulted in a renewed reliance on technology, compelling people to become more connected, and shift to online practices and transactions. Although the shift of daily life to online places has managed to reduce the spread of the virus, it has also been a…

By Kelsey Landau, Robin J. Lewis, and Carter Squires E xpansion of transparency in the extractive industries, which began in the 1990s and has become mainstreamed in the decades since, has yielded tremendous results. $2.63 trillion in revenues has been disclosed by 54 countries through the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), 77 datasets in open data format are maintained by the Natural Resource Governance Institute, and contracts between governments and extractive companies have been published in more than 40 countries—to name just a few examples. However, there is much further to go. Disclosure of information, such as contracts between governments and companies, the amount of taxes paid to governments…

By Douglas Lucas Kivoi Kenya has a long history of policing with excessive force, often resulting in unnecessary deaths. Recently at least six people died from police violence during the first 10 days of a dusk-to-dawn curfew. Moina Spooner, from The Conversation Africa, asked Douglas Kivoi, an expert on police reform and policy, to shed light on the situation. What can account for the use of violence by Kenya’s police force? The brutality exhibited by Kenya’s police force is a result of a number of factors. These include its beginnings under British colonial rule, poor recruitment policies, corruption and poor accountability for…