22 May 2023 /Conflict and War/ –Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, began a tour of African countries this week in an effort to challenge Russian influence in the “Global South.” Kuleba met with foreign ministers from Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and Morocco to discuss the war in Ukraine and to seek their support for Ukraine’s position. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Kenya
Tsunami of taxes
By Kim Harrisberg | South Africa correspondent
Kenyan influencers’ popularity may soon be costing them, with the government recently proposing new taxes targeting the digital economy, including for content creators.
Under the Finance Bill 2023, multiple amendments aim to grow the government’s tax base which has seen substantial deficits resulting in even government salaries being delayed. Continue reading
ID of 93 million Nigerians at risk in landmark election
- Facial recognition and fingerprints needed to cast votes
- Privacy experts fear mass breach of Nigerians’ identity
- Aim is to root out widespread electoral fraud
LAGOS – Africa’s biggest electorate votes on Saturday in a poll that experts fear could unleash a mass breach of privacy as Nigerians relinquish reams of personal data to cast their vote.
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AI could make more work for us, instead of simplifying our lives
Barbara Ribeiro, University of Manchester
There’s a common perception that artificial intelligence (AI) will help streamline our work. There are even fears that it could wipe out the need for some jobs altogether.
But in a study of science laboratories I carried out with three colleagues at the University of Manchester, the introduction of automated processes that aim to simplify work — and free people’s time — can also make that work more complex, generating new tasks that many workers might perceive as mundane.
FTX collapse crushes crypto dreams in Africa and beyond
- FTX’s bankruptcy hurts small investors across the world
- Young African crypto backers fret about damage to sector
- Regulators repeat warnings about risks of crypto dealing
LAGOS/BANGKOK – Days before his FTX cryptocurrency exchange collapsed, co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried tweeted “Hello, West Africa!” – his latest nod to a region where a growing number of kitchen table investors had put their faith, and savings, in FTX.
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The whole world is facing a debt crisis – but richer countries can afford to stop it
Patrick E. Shea, University of Glasgow
Countries across the world are drifting towards a debt crisis. Economic slowdowns and rising inflation have increased demands on spending, making it almost impossible for many governments to pay back the money they owe.
It matters that Rishi Sunak has become the UK’s first prime minister of Indian descent
Parveen Akhtar, Aston University
Following his uncontested run at the top job, Rishi Sunak acquires the less-than-coveted title of second successive un-elected British prime minister to take office in 2022. However, coming from Punjabi heritage, he also takes on the more esteemed title of the nation’s first British Asian leader.
Will South Africa’s street vendors go bust in a cashless world?
Kim Harrisberg Published: October 12, 2022
- Digital payments on the rise in South Africa
- People without mobile phones, bank accounts excluded
- Calls for innovation to include informal economy
JOHANNESBURG – For more than a decade, musician Thomas Nhassavele has been busking next to the parking payment machine at Johannesburg’s Rosebank Mall, where drivers often dropped their change into his guitar case. Continue reading
South African teens skip school to chase risky crypto dreams
- Young South Africans see crypto as way to quick wealth
- Poverty, high unemployment pushes them to crypto
- Users not fully aware of risks, vulnerable to scams
By Kimberly Mutandiro
JOHANNESBURG, Sept 26 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – John first heard of cryptocurrency three years ago, when the teenager came across slick YouTube videos and Facebook posts of other South Africans claiming to have become wealthy overnight with bitcoin.
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Women sacrifice their health to shield families from spiking costs
- Rising inflation is widening gender gaps, say charities
- Women report skipping medical care to feed families
- Campaigners sound alarm over government austerity measures
By Nita Bhalla
NAIROBI, Sept 22 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – When the pain started in Agnes Wachira’s chest almost six months ago, the Kenyan mother-of-three dismissed it as a symptom of the daily grind of working long hours hand-washing clothes in the narrow lanes of Nairobi’s Kawangware informal settlement.
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