May 2013 www.un.org/africarenewal

Africa’s youth Driving innovation

Interview: UN youth envoy Counterfeit drugs raise Africa’s temperature Contents May 2013 | Vol. 27 No. 1 16 Special Feature

African youth hungry for connectivity More young people are finding opportunities in mobile technology. 10 Africa’s youth: ticking time bomb or an opportunity? 13 Youth unemployment: lessons from African youth hungry for connectivity. 14 Interview with Ahmad Alhendawi, UN youth envoy Jonathan Kalan 19 Africa’s mobile youth drive change 20 A seat at the table: African youth demand a say

Editor-in-Chief Also in this issue Masimba Tafirenyika

5 Counterfeit drugs raise Africa’s temperature Managing Editor 8 Somali diaspora’s cast a life line Ernest Harsch 22 What does the ‘Doha Climate Gateway’ mean for Africa? Staff Writers 24 ’s film industry: a potential goldmine? Kingsley Ighobor Jocelyne Sambira

Research and Media Liaison Departments Rebecca Moudio Arao Ameny 3 Watch Pavithra Rao 28 Wired Aissata Haidara 30 Appointments Design & Production Books 31 Mulumba Lwatula

Cover photo: Administration A young woman uses a computer at iHub, Nairobi’s innovation hub for the technology community. Bo Li Panos/Sven Torfinn Distribution Atar Markman Africa Renewal is published in English and French organizations. Articles from this magazine may be by the Strategic Communications Division of the freely reprinted, with attribution to the author and Department of Public Information. to “United Nations Africa Renewal,” and a copy Its contents do not necessarily reflect the views of of the reproduced article would be appreciated. Africa Renewal is published by the United the United Nations or the publication’s supporting Copyrighted photos may not be reproduced. Nations, New York, on recycled paper.

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2 AfricaRenewal May 2013 Africa Watch

concerned about life-saving issues than wards across Africa. That is because they are about health and education, adds maternal deaths are decreasing on the IRIN. continent, says Gifty Addico, a South According to Lori Heninger, the Africa-based adviser for the UN Population director of the Inter-Agency Network for Fund (UNFPA). New figures in a UN Education in Emergencies, which helps report, Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 coordinate non-profits providing educa- to 2010, show that maternal mortality has tion in conflict areas, parents are the ones declined by 41 per cent in the past 10 years mostly asking for interventions in educa- in sub-Saharan Africa. “But we need to do tion. She describes as “pretty abysmal” last more to make sure that every mother lives year’s 0.9% devoted to education from the to see her child,” Ms. Addico told Africa humanitarian budget. Renewal. Mali’s government has been too preoc- An awareness campaign called Every cupied with the rebellion to make any Woman, Every Child, initiated by UN meaningful intervention. Maiga Dramane, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in head of basic education at the education September 2010 aims to save the lives of ministry says the lack of education was 16 million women and children by 2015, having enormous psychological impact on as part of the broader drive for the UN the children. Millennium Development Goals. A year Most of the displaced children are from earlier the African Union partnered with northern Mali, the region hit hardest by the the UNFPA to launch a similar programme. rebellion. Even before the rebel invasion, Called the Campaign for the Accelerated teachers in the towns of Gao, Kidal and Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa Conflict in Mali’s northern region has dis- Timbuktu were on strike for better service (CARMMA), the programme lent strong placed thousands of children and their families. conditions. When the Islamist rebels took support to existing strategies and plans. OCHA/Nicole Lawrence over a swath of northern Mali, they also Within three years of CARMMA’s initi- declared Sharia law and were set to intro- ation, 37 of the 54 countries in Africa had duce Qur’anic schools, which require boys taken steps to upgrade national maternal Malian children face and girls to attend separate classes. health programmes and services. About education crisis Teachers, parents and pupils had to flee 30 have made political commitments, such to the south and now expect UNICEF and as setting aside funds for maternal health. Conflict disrupts schools other charity organizations to help rescue Rwanda now offers financial incentives to children’s education. “When a teacher is high-performing health facilities. By Kingsley Ighobor afraid to teach and when a student is afraid CARMMA urged African countries to go to school, the whole education is at to put together “a roadmap for maternal hile the world remains focused on risk,” said UNICEF’s Representative in and new-born health,” Dr. Wilfred Ochan, W ending Mali’s conflict following Mali, Françoise Ackermans. The agency is a UNFPA assistant representative, told rebel incursions into the northern part of dispensing psychological support and mine Africa Renewal. Uganda and Kenya, for the country early last year, there are about awareness to students who were exposed to instance, focus on training midwives, 400,000 Malian children facing severe violence. But with the country still highly improving ambulance response times, disruptions in their education, warns the volatile, getting students back to school enhancing community mobilization, UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF. The fund remains a huge challenge. reducing the number of still births and and other aid agencies need $18 million to increased the use of family planning reverse the situation. So far, donor response programmes. has been poor, says IRIN, a UN humani- High fees for childbirth services and tarian news service. As of March, UNICEF Mothers’ health is hospital stays, little or no access to nearby has been able to raise only $3 million, improving across health facilities and shortages of health creating panic among aid agencies. Africa workers are some of the factors affecting “Most of the donors have drawn back maternal health, explains the World Health after the [2012] crisis - we are still trying By Arao Ameny Organization (WHO). to mobilize as much funding as possible,” Ms. Addico cites the poor quality of Euphrates Gobina, the head of educa- n recent years, the shrill cries of a Africa’s health systems. Mothers who make tion at UNICEF in Mali told IRIN. The I newborn baby have been bringing more it to a hospital may have to wait long hours real problem is that donors are far more shouts of joy than of anguish in maternity to see a doctor. Facilities often do not have

AfricaRenewal May 2013 3 adequate resources — either equipment or of war crimes and crimes against humanity staff — to help mothers deliver. including the rape, murder, sexual slavery WHO also reports that women, espe- and recruitment of children in the North Quotables cially young prospective mothers, may not Kivu province in eastern Democratic be fully aware of the health risks when Republic of the Congo, according to ICC’s they are about to deliver. Pregnant young records. women who gave birth between ages of The ICC is an independent, permanent 15 and 20 are twice as likely to die during court that investigates and prosecutes childbirth as women in their 20s or older. persons accused of the most serious crimes Girls under the age of 15 are five times more of international concern, namely genocide, likely to die during childbirth. crimes against humanity and war crimes. Religious barriers have posed chal- Mr. Ntaganda follows in the footsteps lenges, Ms. Addico agrees. Some health of Thomas Lubanga, another Congolese facilities run by religious groups, for warlord who was recently sentenced to 14

example, may not offer family planning years in jail by the Tribunal for recruiting Silveiro UN Photo/Cristina options or other alternatives they disagree and using child soldiers in his rebel army with. between 2002 and 2003. So far, 30 people I have to speak for them. The East African Community is have been indicted, all of them Africans, I have to make sure that however making sure that women who go leading to accusations that the court has their stories are told. I to a religious hospital are also taken to an been going after Africans. have to be able to make alternative healthcare facility. In addition, The DRC is one of the seven situations sure that they have the Ms. Addico points out that “We tend to under investigation by the ICC. The others opportunity to rebuild forget that women with HIV have maternal are northern Uganda, the Darfur region of their lives... and reproductive needs because of the Sudan, the Central African Republic, Kenya Zainab Hawa Bangura, Special [AIDS] stigma.” and Côte d’Ivoire. The court is also exam- Representative of the Secretary-General Despite gains in maternal health, Mr. ining claims of murder, mutilation and on Sexual Violence in Conflict Akinyere Eric Dairo, a senior programme torture committed since January 2012 by and technical advisor to the UNFPA, insurgent groups in Mali. Half of the African people are told Africa Renewal that there is still “a Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, a national younger than 19 years old. very urgent need to keep intensifying of Gambia, recently announced that she That is a huge bulge really in maternal health interventions.” According would not drop charges against Kenya’s our population... And this can to UNFPA, only six countries (Rwanda, president-elect Uhuru Kenyatta and his either be a blessing or a curse. Botswana, Niger, Malawi, Zambia and deputy, William Ruto. Before the elections, It’s time to really listen to Burkina Faso) have met the target of allo- they appeared before the court to answer young people to really under- cating at least 15 per cent of their annual charges of complicity in the violence that stand what they want instead budget to health, a goal set at an African erupted following the 2007 elections. of us always telling them what summit on HIV/AIDS held in Abuja, Analysts believe the cash strapped they should do Nigeria, in 2000. court is stretched to its limit trying to deal Mo Ibrahim, billionaire philanthropist Moreover, Mr. Dairo adds, many of the simultaneously with several cases from countries that reached the 15 per cent goal different countries. It has also been criti- In 2015, 61% of Africans will be did so “due to contributions from external cized for using intermediaries to conduct under 25; by 2035 this fraction donors to the health sector.” He proposes investigations, allegedly undermining its will only have fallen to 56%: that African countries consistently set aside credibility and its ability to build strong this represents a huge growth money from their own budgets for health cases. opportunity as these young care, “especially when it comes caring for populations enter their produc- women and children.” tive years Mahktar Diop, World Bank Vice- ICC stretched to its President limits in Africa In terms of the poverty and being disconnected, it’s not By Jocelyne Sambira because people are stupid or not creative, they just didn’t ongolese rebel Bosco Ntaganda is the have a chance, they weren’t at C latest African to appear before the the table International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Bosco Ntaganda during his initial appearance before Herman Chinery-Hesse, Ghanian Hague. Mr. Ntaganda faces several counts the International Criminal Court. ICC-CPI software pioneer

4 AfricaRenewal May 2013 About 100,000 deaths a year in Africa are linked to the counterfeit drug trade, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The British think- tank, International Policy Network, esti- mates that globally, 700,000 deaths a year are caused by fake malaria and tubercu- losis drugs—comparing the death toll to the equivalent of “four fully laden jumbo jets crashing everyday.” The WHO defines counterfeit medicine as “one which is deliberately and fraudulently mislabelled with respect to identity and/or source.” Both branded and generic products are faked. In some parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America, more than 30% of the medicines on sale can be fake, notes the organization. The detection of fakes has become more difficult over the years, notes a 2012 study published by the Lancet, because of “counterfeiters’ increased ability to reproduce holograms and other sophis- ticated printing techniques.” Some even add active ingredients that pass quality test controls but don’t provide any benefit to the user. Roger Bate, an economist special- ising in international health policies, believes that substandard drugs—the result of poor manufacturing or “delib- erate corner-cutting”—are a much bigger health problem than fake medicines. “Off-the-shelf drugs made by Chinese and to a lesser extent, Indian manufac- turers tend to perform inconsistently on quality tests,” he claims in an article for the US-based think tank American Drugs on sale at a market in Mali. Bert Spiertz/Hollandse Hoogte/Redux Enterprise Institute (AEI). Bate also blames “bad” drugs for the rise in drug-resistant strains of diseases like tuberculosis. For his most recent Counterfeit drugs raise study, published in the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, over 700 samples of two main first-line Africa’s temperature anti-tuberculosis medicines were picked randomly for testing from private sector Profits too high, penalties too low to stop crime pharmacies. The study found that overall, 9.1% of sample drugs worldwide tested By Jocelyne Sambira failed basic quality control tests. The failure rate in Africa was 16.6%, about one or someone with advanced tech- perfection. The global counterfeit drug in every six pills. nical know-how and a devious trade, a billion-dollar industry, is thriving Meanwhile, Ashifi Gogo, the chief F mind, a piece of chalk or some in Africa. The markets are flooded with executive officer of Sproxil, a brand prot- flour or starch can be shaped into a tablet fake and poor-quality drugs, making a ection company for emerging markets, or pill. With the naked eye, it’s almost trip to the pharmacy seem like a game of argues that “it isn’t just a problem of coun- impossible to tell it’s a copycat. Labelling Russian roulette. If you pick the wrong terfeit medicines produced in the East and packaging are often imitated to box, it could literally mean your death. and shipped over to Africa.” Speaking to

AfricaRenewal May 2013 5 AllAfrica.com, a news portal, he suggested that the rise of African manufacturers Geographic distribution of pharmaceutical crime incidents is also contributing to the problem of substandard medicines in the markets.

Crime against humanity The proliferation of fake, falsified and substandard drugs has had tragic conse- quences. “Counterfeiting is more than a criminal act,” writes Professor Pierre Ambroise-Thomas, the WHO expert on malaria and tropical parasitic diseases, in the Mediterranean Journal of Haematology and Infectious Diseases. “Manslaughter is perfectly justified to describe such an act although some prefer calling it simply Number of reported incidents in 2011 237 murder.” Unfortunately, the penalties for the It is important to note that the regions that are crime are not strong enough to deter more frequently linked to incidents are not neces- criminals, lead researchers Gaurvika sarily those with weak enforcement and inspection Nayyar and Joel Breman emphasize programs. Rather, countries in these regions are in a June 2012 report on poor-quality effectively identifying pharmaceutical crime through drugs published in the Lancet Infectious law enforcement activity and inspections by drug regulatory Diseases. For example, a 2009 raid in agencies. Many countries in regions with high incident totals are 381 Uganda, conducted by Interpol and quite transparent in government operations and their activities the WHO-supported group IMPACT are known to the media and public. (International Medical Products Anti- Counterfeiting Taskforce), discovered Those regions with seemingly low incident totals are not necessarily five tonnes of fake drugs in the central unaffected by or at a lower risk of pharmaceutical crime. Due to and eastern districts of the country. competing law enforcement priorities, lack of funding or inadequate In an AEI report, The Deadly World of regulatory structures in certain regions of the world, counterfeit medi- Fake Drugs, Fred Kiyaga, who at the time cines often go undetected. It is important to recognize these facts, since was head of Interpol Uganda, said only five they complicate region to region comparisons. people were convicted and each was fined just $520. Nayyar and Breman strongly advocate that the “production and distri- bution of counterfeit anti-malarial drugs should be prosecuted as crimes against Furthermore, government inspectors WHO she appreciates “the opportunity humanity.” frequently accept bribes and kick-backs to use the agency’s work without losing to allow the fake drugs to pass borders. national autonomy.” But for Bate, AEI’s Weak regulations and drug licensing The WHO is helping countries develop resident scholar, it’s not enough. He told A major sweep across 16 seaports on the the expertise needed to regulate drugs. business and technology journalist Eric east and west coasts of Africa last July Drug registration, also called marketing Palmer in the publication FiercePharma allowed the World Customs Organization, authorization or product licensing, is a Manufacturing that “companies making an intergovernmental organization that thorough evaluation to ensure a drug is drugs for WHO programs in Africa are advises customs administrations world- safe for consumption. manufacturing substandard products.” wide, to seize more than 82 million doses Manufacturing, storage and distribu- To remedy that, he recommends that of illicit medicines estimated to be worth tion must also follow strict guidelines. “WHO institute a three–strikes-and-you- over $40 million. The fake drugs found Without registration, the drugs cannot be are-out rule” for companies making low- during the raid included cough syrup, marketed. quality drugs. anti-parasitic and anti-malarial drugs, To fast-track registration, the WHO antibiotics and even contraceptives. encourages national regulatory authori- High drug prices However, the raid also exposed the ties to choose medicines from its list of Another major weakness of the regula- Achilles’ heel of African government pre-qualified products. But it’s up to the tory agencies is their inability to close agencies in charge of licensing and regu- individual countries to decide to register what Olike Chinwendu, in her thesis, lating drugs. Lack of training, insufficient a product or not. “The Fight Against Fake Drugs by manpower and corruption often plague Seloi Mogatle, Botswana’s principal NAFDAC in Nigeria,” calls the “chaotic national regulatory agencies. pharmacist in drugs registration, told the drug market.” This includes unlicensed

6 AfricaRenewal May 2013 regional coordination has also been an effective tool. Nigeria and Cameroon recently signed a cooperation agreement, promising to share experiences and tech- nical expertise for the war against fake drugs. In West Africa, health and law enforcement officials, together with the WHO and Interpol, have been running multi-country operations aimed at disrupting transnational fake drugs criminal networks. Their latest opera- 257 tion in 2011, called Cobra, resulted in the seizure of 170 tonnes of counterfeit and 351 illicit medical products. China, a global manufacturer of generic drugs and the maker of the award- winning anti-malarial drug, artemisinin, 128 has also joined the fight. According to the Xinhua News Agency, China is installing 954 “recognition and tracing technology on its drugs,” and anti-counterfeit labels are sealed on each drug package. Chinese 64 pharmaceutical companies are also strengthening cooperation with African governments and drug distributors to trace imported drugs. New technology is also revolution- izing the fight against counterfeits in Africa. TruScan is a handheld spectrom- eter being used at airports and border posts to analyze the chemical composi- tion of drugs, helping to spot “bad drugs” Source: Pharmaceutical Security Institute in seconds. In addition, simple and free text messages are being used to check the authenticity of drugs. Start-ups like drug vendors—most of them street, kiosk to train, license and regulate illegal drug mPedigree Network and Sproxil have or open-market vendors. vendors rather than shut them out. designed systems that allow legiti- Dora Akunyili, former director of The cost of medicines is a determining mate drug manufacturers to label NAFDAC (National Agency for Food and factor for African consumers, since most pay their packages with an encrypted code. Drug Administration and Control), spent for their medications out of pocket. Products Consumers simply scratch off the label eight years trying to cripple the counterfeit sold in licensed pharmacies remain out of on the package and text the code for industry in Nigeria. Having lost her sister reach for many. A joint study by the WHO free to the company that maintains the to fake insulin, she saw it as more than a and Health Action International found that system. The response, sent by text, is job. She fired corrupt officials, blacklisted “duties, taxes, mark-ups, distribution costs instant, informing the consumer whether over 30 manufacturers and led raids against and dispensing fees are often high, regu- the drug is real. open-air drug markets. Between 2001 and larly constituting between 30% to 40% of Countries like Ghana, Nigeria 2005, the proportion of fake drugs for sale retail prices, but occasionally up to 80% or and Kenya have integrated mobile went from 40% to 16.7%. The counterfeit more of the total.” telephony–based consumer verifi- industry viciously fought back, burning the People will continue to patronize drug cation into their safety regulations. agency’s labs, attempting to kidnap her son outlets like open drug markets for first-line The system is also being replicated in and nearly killing her. Her convoy was shot treatments, observes Chinwendu, because Asia. The brilliance of the service is at and a bullet grazed her temple. they’re cheaper. that it allows consumers to protect them- But “seizing, destroying and penalizing selves, giving them the power. But more violators” did not root out the fake drug SMS-protected drugs importantly, the low-tech innovation is trade, according to Chinwendu. She touts While educating consumers has been helping restore the public’s trust in the strategies used by and Ghana crucial in fighting counterfeit medicines, health sector.

AfricaRenewal May 2013 7 Busy market-place in Mogadishu, ’s capital. With the security situation now more stable, economic activities are growing. AU-UN IST/Tobin Jones Somali diaspora’s remittances cast a lifeline Interview with a money transfer chief executive

Africa Renewal: How do you see the uring two decades of conflict, famines the largest money-transfer businesses in political situation in Mogadishu D and floods, money sent back home Africa, says that such transfers have been today? by Somali expatriates — known as remit- “a lifeline” for . Abdirashid Duale: The recent election, tances — has been instrumental in keeping Now that security has improved in which was the first held in Mogadishu in Somalia afloat. The UN Development Mogadishu after the ouster of Al Shabaab more than 20 years, represents a great Programme estimates that $1.6 billion Islamist militants in October 2012, he achievement. It’s early days yet, and the in remittances is sent back annually by believes that strong economic growth can new administration has a lot of issues to Somali emigrants living in North America help drive peace. He shared with Africa address. I am a businessman, not a poli- and Europe. Abdirashid Duale, a Somali Renewal’s Jocelyne Sambira his hopes for a tician, so it is not my role to talk about who is chief executive of Dahabshiil, one of “business-friendly” administration. politics. I hope, however, that the new government will be business-friendly.

8 AfricaRenewal May 2013 plays such a key role in enhancing and global economy. They are part of life, cementing peace and stability. The not only in the Somali territories, but in business community, which is in so many many other parts of the world. ways a Somali success story, can help stabilize the situation. Dahabshiil, for You travel to Mogadishu. What is the example, works all over the Somali terri- situation like now? tories. It employs thousands of Somali Security has been improving in people regardless of their clan or regional Mogadishu. The humanitarian situ- affiliations. We also apply this unifying ation has improved for some Somalis, approach to our customers, as we serve but many are still in desperate need. all Somalis, no matter where they come Dahabshiil works and will continue to from. work with international aid organiza- tions. One of our most recent activities As a businessman, what are your was the donation of more than $100,000 expectations of the new government? for flood-stricken communities in the I am always optimistic, and I hope Beledwein region. the recent changes will improve life for all Somalis. I hope the new government will introduce policies that encourage the private sector. I also hope it will focus Somalia at a glance on the new generation and listen to the ideas of the youth. It will be important to encourage the growing number of people returning from the diaspora to invest and stay in the Somali territories. Many members of the diaspora are returning with useful skills, but it is also important to train people locally. The new government should work hard to encourage not only Somali but also foreign investment. Dahabshiil continues to set an example by being fully compliant with anti–money laun- dering and other regulations, both locally and internationally. $1.6bn Estimated annual I believe that encouraging the Somali Somalia relies heavily on remittances remittances sent to business community, which is extremely to survive. Will this continue for long, Somalia by the diaspora dynamic, will enhance peace and devel- or do you expect other investments to according to the 2012 Somalia opment. The diaspora, as the primary flow in? Human Development Report source of funding for Somali enter- Remittances remain a lifeline for prise, will of course play an important many Somalis. They help Somalis role. finance, the majority in many different ways. Somalis are 9.6mn of which comes through Dahabshiil, by nature entrepreneurial, which 2011 population estimate accounts for a large proportion of explains the recent increase in invest- start-up capital in the Somali territories ment in Mogadishu and other parts of and has enabled the private sector to be Somali territories. I expect this trend 42% the great survivor of the last two decades. to continue. As long as there is peace, Estimated Somali population between people will keep on coming back to their the ages of 14 and 29 Security has improved in the capital, homeland. Remittances are set to keep Mogadishu, and the city of Kismayo is flowing, as are other investments. now in the hands of the government. Dahabshiil has noticed that remit- 67% What do you think will help stabilize tances still flow into the other African Estimated unemployment rate for the country? countries in which we operate, including Somali youth There are still many challenges ahead. South Sudan, Rwanda and Uganda. Addressing them will take time. However, Remittances play a crucial part in the Source: United Nations Development I am sure development and job creation development of many of the 150 coun- Programme/Africa Development Bank will help, as economic improvement tries we operate in. They are part of the

AfricaRenewal May 2013 9 Africa has the youngest population in the world. This could be a huge asset, an opportunity to mobilize this reservoir of human capacity towards the economic revival of the continent. Alternatively, it could be a source of instability if Africa’s leaders do not address the concerns of its young people. In this special series, Africa Renewal looks at the key issues confronting Africa’s youth.

Graduation ceremony at a secondary school in Tanzania. Jonathan Kalan Africa’s youth: a “ticking time bomb” or an opportunity? Leaders awakening to the need for job-creation programmes By Kingsley Ighobor

enegalese opposition politicians denounced Aware of this, African governments are the country’s high unemployment rate to confronting unemployment in many different ways. S mobilize youth against former President In Senegal, President Sall launched a programme in Abdoulaye Wade in the country’s 2012 presiden- February 2013 to create 30,000 jobs by the end of tial election. Joblessness was one of the main the year and possibly 300,000 by 2017. issues that drove the country’s many young people into the streets and to the voting stations to press Growth without jobs 70% for a change of government. At least six people There is another reason to pay more attention to died in the protests, and President Wade was Africa’s youth, many analysts believe. With 200 Percentage of defeated by the current leader, Macky Sall. million people aged between 15 and 24 (the youth African youth The key lesson from Senegal’s election violence bracket), Africa has the youngest population in the living on less is that youth unemployment, which is 15 per world. The current trend indicates that this figure than US$2 per cent in that country, can fuel the fire of political will double by 2045, according to the 2012 African day violence and civil unrest. A World Bank survey Economic Outlook report prepared by experts in 2011 showed that about 40% of those who join from the African Development Bank (AfDB), the rebel movements say they are motivated by a lack UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN of jobs. Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the

10 AfricaRenewal May 2013 industrialized countries’ Organization to warrant greater attention, since it action. Ghana created national youth for Economic Cooperation and masks the reality in countries that post service and empowerment programmes Development (OECD), among others. low unemployment rates. to equip college graduates with requisite The story of Africa’s worrisome Simply put, underemployment is skills and help them find jobs. Mauritius youth unemployment is often told not a solution to poverty, concurs the developed a plan to encourage technical alongside the story of the continent’s International Labour Organization and vocational education for young fast and steady economic growth. While (ILO), which reports that up to 82% of people. Zambia introduced a national six of the 10 fastest-growing economies African workers are “working poor.” youth policy and a youth enterprise fund in the world are in sub-Saharan Africa, According to the African Economic to stimulate job creation. The Nigerian the unemployment rate for that region Outlook, on average, more than 70% of government introduced a skills acqui- is 6%, according to the AfDB. Compared Africa’s youth live on less than US$2 per sition and enterprise development to the world average of about 5%, its rate day, the internationally defined poverty programme as a component of the may not seem that high. But the problem threshold. existing national youth service corps; it is that in most African countries, youth also introduced a business plan compe- unemployment “occurs at a rate more Ticking time bomb tition, dubbed YouWin, which grants than twice that for adults,” notes the “This is an unacceptable reality on a winners start-up financing. AfDB. continent with such an impressive pool The jury is still out as to how much Youth account for 60% of all African of youth, talent and creativity,” stresses of an impact such national initiatives unemployed, according to the World Mthuli Ncube, chief economist at the have had on youth unemployment. Mr. Bank. In North Africa, the youth unem- AfDB. Alexander Chikwanda, Zambia’s Ncube warns against high expectations. ployment rate is an eyebrow-raising finance minister, puts it succinctly: There are “no quick fixes,” he advises, 30%. It is even worse in Botswana, the “Youth unemployment is a ticking time Republic of the Congo, Senegal, South bomb,” which now appears to be peril- Africa and several other countries. ously close to exploding. Young women feel the sting of unem- Mr. Chikwanda’s analogy draws ployment even more sharply. The AfDB attention to the consequences of high found that in most countries in sub- youth unemployment in a continent Saharan Africa and all of those in North where about 10 million to 12 million Africa, it is easier for men to get jobs young people join the labour market each than it is for women, even if they have year. “As events in North Africa [the Arab equivalent skills and experience. Spring] have shown, lack of employment opportunities … can undermine social Masked reality cohesion and political stability,” warns Africa’s unemployment statistics the AfDB. Ahmad Salkida, a Nigerian exclude those in vulnerable employ- journalist who has had rare access to the ment and those who are underemployed militant group Boko Haram, told Africa in informal sectors. “Young people [in Renewal that although the sect is mainly Africa] find work, but not in places that driven by ideology, pervasive unemploy- pay good wages, develop skills or provide ment in northern Nigeria makes for easy a measure of job security,” reports the recruitment of jobless young people. Brookings Institution, a Washington- based public policy organization that African leaders intervene conducts independent research. More African leaders met in Addis Ababa, than 70% of the youth in the “Republic Ethiopia, in 2009 to try to defuse the of the Congo, the Democratic Republic youth unemployment time bomb. They of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, declared 2009–18 the “African Youth Mali, Rwanda, Senegal and Uganda are Decade” and resolved to mobilize either self-employed or contributing to resources, including from the private family work,” adds the report. sector for youth development. Their Gabriel Benjamin, a jobless univer- plan of action emphasized the need to sity graduate in Lagos, Nigeria, says that address both unemployment and under- it is common to find young Nigerian employment. Two years later, meeting university graduates doing menial jobs. in Equatorial Guinea, they once more “They clean floors in hotels, sell recharge promised the “creation of safe, decent [mobile telephone calling] cards — some and competitive employment opportu- even work in factories as labourers.” The nities for young people.” Brookings Institution considers under- African governments have made Staff at work at a bank in Dar es Salaam, employment a problem serious enough some efforts to match words with Tanzania. Panos/Mikkel Ostergaard

AfricaRenewal May 2013 11 2012, it argued that a situation in which retailer, Massmart Holdings, in what Africa’s growing African governments spend more money has been cited as an example of the kind on the military than on agriculture is of jobs-generating investment Africa youth population unsustainable. needs. Currently, foreign direct invest- Most analysts also agree on the need comes with ments in Africa mainly target mining to revise Africa’s education curricula high energy, and minerals, sectors that produce few to include skills and enterprise devel- jobs, according to the ECA. The OECD opment. The Brookings Institution creativity, and warns that natural resource–based econ- proposes an urgent focus on post- talents which omies such as “oil exporters Nigeria and primary education, although African Algeria, gold producers including South leaders appear to be more concerned are key to future Africa and copper exporter Zambia” about meeting the Millennium therefore need to diversify into other Development Goal of universal prosperity activities or “be susceptible if the bubble primary education by 2015. Even so, bursts.” many consider as valid the Brookings In February 2013, Nigerian Institution’s point that there is a and recommends “stronger job-creation President Goodluck Jonathan stated “mismatch between the skills of young mechanisms.” Singing the same tune, on his Facebook page that the country [African] workers and those needed by the World Bank proposes a jobs strategy was already diversifying its economy. employers.” that pays more attention to rural devel- He was trumpeting the decision by Despite current challenges, there is opment, invests in agriculture, is sensi- General Electric to invest $1 billion in a sliver of good news: Africa’s growing tive to the migration of youth to urban power generation and oil production youth population comes with high areas and prepares them for the contem- in the country. “This will provide jobs energy, creativity and talents, which porary labour market. for thousands with multiplier effect for are “also the key to future prosperity,” The influx of young people into tens of thousands,” President Jonathan notes the African Economic Outlook. Africa’s urban areas worsens unemploy- wrote. Last year US-based Walmart, It now depends on whether African ment there. They are looking for jobs in the world’s largest retailer, invested governments can grab the unemploy- populous cities such as Lagos, Ibadan, $2.4 billion in South Africa’s major ment bull by the horns. Cairo, Nairobi and Johannesburg. With briefcases loaded with job applica- tions, they move from office to office in search of jobs — any jobs — to keep body and soul together. They often confront obstacles, including discrimination due to their inexperience, according to the African Economic Outlook. Even those who are lucky enough to find employ- ment are the first to be laid off when economic growth derails.

No shortage of ideas There have been other ideas about how to create jobs. The Brookings Institution argues for a focus on manufacturing, because it is “the industrial sector most closely associated with employment- intensive growth.” It also urges more investment in agriculture, tourism and construction and in projects that employ young people. “Public works programmes provide opportunities for young workers, particularly rural residents and people with low skills, to acquire initial work experience.” The UNDP also lends its voice to the call for more investments in agri- culture. In its first-ever Africa Human A billboard sponsored by US Aid suggesting a solution for youth unemployment would be limiting Development Report, released in May family size. Panos/Jenny Matthews

12 AfricaRenewal May 2013 A young man uses a sewing machine during vocational training for street children in Ethiopia. Panos/Robin Hammond

The agency also gives financial support to youth starting small and medium- size enterprises in areas such as textiles, Youth unemployment: leather, agriculture, trading, wood and steel. Abozenech Negash, the agency’s lessons from Ethiopia public relations officer, says its focus is to address unemployment challenges, rev up By Andualem Sisay the economic engine and ensure fairness in allocating national resources.

n Hawassa City in southern Ethiopia, unemployment, officially estimated at Improving youth employment 250 kilometres from the capital Addis more than 50%. With 90 million people, Ethiopia’s ambitious five-year Growth I Ababa, 24-year-old Mitike Paulos, the country is the second most populous in and Transformation Plan (2010–2015), her younger sister and three friends are Africa, producing over 150,000 graduates which includes developing industrial busy producing leather bags and belts for each year. The government now wants to cluster zones and constructing 10,000 sale. Mitike and her sister learned the channel skilled labour into the massive- miles of road networks, is expected, craft from their brother, who teaches at scale construction projects that have been upon completion, to reduce unemploy- the government-run Leather Industry springing up across the country in such ment considerably. The plan also includes Development Institute in Addis Ababa. areas as hydropower, railway lines, roads, increasing power generation from its They started business in 2011 with a housing, water supply and irrigation. current level of 2,000 megawatts to 8,000 35,000-birr ($2,000) loan from a small- megawatts, and building a 1,500-mile loan lender. Today their business employs Government’s approaches standard-gauge rail line. These projects 10 people and as they plan to expand Young Ethiopians who want to become have already employed hundreds of thou- production, they also hope to hire more entrepreneurs are encouraged to organize sands of young people and further recruit- workers. “The more we work, the more we themselves in groups in order to access ments are ongoing, according to officials. grow,” says Mitike. microfinance. They are then trained by Official data shows that in both formal The Ethiopian government is encour- the state-run Federal Micro and Small and informal sectors, over 1.4 million jobs aging young people to start small busi- Enterprises Development Agency in nesses in order to reduce the rate of youth business start-up and management skills. see page 26

AfricaRenewal May 2013 13 Interview Africa Renewal: You have just been appointed the Secretary-General’s envoy on youth. What will be your role? Ahmad Alhendawi: An envoy is someone who takes a message and promotes it. To be the Secretary-General’s envoy requires taking his message and promoting it among the youth around the world, to allow them to better understand what the UN does. But it’s not a PR [public relations] job. It’s also about the youth’s involvement in the work of the UN. It’s a two-way communi- cation. It’s creating momentum for youth issues at the international level; trying to harmonise the work of the different UN agencies to deliver as one at the national level; to work with youth organizations, bringing them more visibility and having them recognised as partners.

What key messages are you taking from the Secretary-General [SG] to the youth? I think it’s very clear what the SG wants. He has outlined priority areas to focus on: employment, education, human rights, citizenship, political inclusion, entrepreneurship—all are highlighted in the SG’s plan of action for his second term.

How do you intend to deliver these Ahmad Alhendawi. Africa Renewal/Bo Li messages? By deploying all the methods we can deploy. Remember that the UN does not lack mechanisms to deliver these messages. There are programmes and Africa’s greatest assets entities that are doing great work already. I will just add my bit and repackage their work in a way that will be more are its young people readable and understandable to the youth. Yes, conferences, workshops, by using — Ahmad Alhendawi, UN youth envoy the social media and so on. I am now consulting the agencies and young people to try to find out what else we can do.

hmad Alhendawi was appointed in programme on institutional development in What would you like to achieve by the A January as the UN Secretary-General’s the Arab League, with headquarters in Cairo, time your assignment is over? envoy on youth who will be the voice of Egypt. He had also been a team leader for a We are in a world that is very young. young people all over the world. In his youth project in Iraq and worked with the UN The most youthful societies are in devel- Five-Year Agenda, the Secretary-General Population Fund and many other organiza- oping countries. This gives us an extra recognized “working with and for women tions and governments on youth issues. In challenge and opportunity to help in their and young people” as one of his priorities. this interview with Africa Renewal’s Kingsley development efforts. My big success will At 29, Mr. Alhendawi already has a rich Ighobor on Mr. Alhendawi’s second day in be to promote the World Programme background as a youth advocate and activist. office, the youth envoy talks about his new of Action for Youth. This programme Before joining the UN he served as a youth role, his hopes for young people in Africa and was created in 1995 by the General policy advisor for the World Bank–funded the rest of the world, and his hobbies. Assembly and defines 15 priority areas to guide the work of member states and

14 AfricaRenewal May 2013 UN agencies for youth. In this context, estimating the challenges. We also have very lessons can the youth, and even the Mr. Ban Ki-moon highlighted five areas good lessons learned. We need to think stra- political elites, learn from that expe- - employment, entrepreneurship, educa- tegically and critically so that the post-MDGs rience? tion including sexual and reproductive development agenda meets the demands of That our governments should be health, political inclusion, citizenship African youth and youth around the world. cautious and understand that young and protection of rights - to accelerate the people should be engaged in politics. implementation of the World Programme In developing the post-MDGs develop- When they are frustrated and marginal- of Action for Youth. Moreover I would ment framework, what level of youth ized, they will have a sense of hopeless- like to bring youth issues to the centre of participation do you expect? ness and become difficult to deal with. development agenda and promote the role Youth participation is extremely impor- The challenge is to move them from the of youth as equal partners in developing tant. I will tell you why. Times and the protest mind-set to the political mind-set. their societies. world have changed dramatically since the MDGs were formulated a decade ago. You You are very active on social media. Africa has the youngest population in cannot do the same development agenda What would be your advice on the the world, and unemployment among the way we did it in the nineties. Now we responsible use of social media? the youth is high. How concerned are have a different world where civil socie- I am hesitant to provide any advice you about this? ties are stronger and youth are demanding on how people can use the social media I would like to look at it in a different more participation. We spent the last because social media reflects what way. Just look at the young people years asking youth and civil societies to happens in real life. If you do not have who were born in 2000, when MDGs catch up with the MDGs; now they have healthy dialogues in the society, that will [Millennium Development Goals] were an opportunity to set a new development be reflected in the social media. From the formulated. From 2000 to today, literacy agenda. Participation leads to ownership. Arab Spring, we can see that social media rates have increased in Africa from 58% High-level panels, thematic consultations, have transformative powers. to 66.6% for young girls, from 72% to 78% MY World 2015, all these consultations are for boys. This generation has witnessed happening to reflect the views of the youth. Would you rather have young people improvements in health and in enrolment use social media to effect positive in schools. If we continue with this trend, How would you assess the current social change? the hope is that post-MDGs will continue level of young people’s involvement in I see this happening. Young people to serve African youth. So we are on the politics in Africa? have great ability to filter ideas and right track. Today I checked with MY If the largest voting population are correct anomalies. The use of the social World [the UN global survey for a better young people, then they have to get media is positive, for me. However, I want to see social media connecting people from Africa with those in Asia, Europe, I think Africa is about to find the Middle East, etc. This is not happening a lot. If we promote structural initiatives right formula for dealing with youth between lawyers, entrepreneurs, others, unemployment it will help young people in different parts of the world. We are currently using it to evaluate MDGs and set a new develop- world] data to see what African youth involved in politics. First you have to ment agenda. are saying. The first priority for them is promote an enabling environment. You solid education; of course the survey is need to have youth-friendly laws that How could we reach the hundreds of ongoing. The second priority is better promote human rights, youth rights. millions who have no access to the access to health-care systems. The legal frameworks have to support , who are not active on social youth participation. We have to look at media platforms? You will agree that when people get mechanisms for youth participation I think this is a very valid concern. educated they expect to get jobs. in politics. It’s not just about political This should encourage us to find ways Youth employment is definitely impor- parties and government; it’s about local to reach these people. That is why I say tant. There have to be multi-sectoral part- councils, about municipalities, about there must be consultations, for example nerships. It has to be collective efforts all the different levels of government. having a focus group discussion is always involving governments, private sector, When young people can influence daily important. Because it gives everyone the civil society and others. I think Africa is policy decisions at all levels, that’s a great opportunity to speak freely at the table. about to find the right formula for dealing example. We need to provide funding for with youth unemployment. African youth who can take initiatives to What’s your message to young people engage in civil society and politics. around the world? What is the right formula? I am seeing developments happening You lived in Egypt so you must be since 2000 to today. I am not under- familiar with the Arab Spring. What see page 26

AfricaRenewal May 2013 15 African youth hungry for connectivity More opportunities to innovate and create By Jonathan E. Kalan

Inside TanzICT’s innovation space. The Dar es Salaam hub, opened in 2011, was co-funded by Finland. Jonathan Kalan

n a tiny sweltering tin-roofed shack tucked inside $1,000 from their 40 or so daily customers, mostly one of Mogadishu’s bullet-riddled neighbour- university students. I hoods, two brothers, Ali Hassan and Mustafa Although Somalia’s Internet penetration still Yare, sit hunched over one of eight humming desktop stands at just above 1% of the population — similar computers. Together they show Nasteexo Cadey, a to Afghanistan’s — demand in Mogadishu is growing young veiled student at Mogadishu University, how to rapidly. As in the rest of Africa, youth hungry for set up her Facebook account, browse YouTube videos content, connectivity and change are driving the 90+ and check her e-mail. demand. Number of For the past few months business has been hubs, labs, growing at the brothers’ Kobciye Internet Coffee, The rise of opportunity incubators and one of the several makeshift Internet cafés that have For millions of unemployed yet tech-savvy youth accelerators emerged in Mogadishu since the Islamic militant across Africa, increased connectivity is bringing group Al-Shabaab fled the city. tremendous opportunities. By tapping into the conti- covering more “I wanted a business,” Hassan says, “and this nent’s growing digital revolution, young entrepre- than 20 African is something that I’m good at. I have skills in neurs are using information and communications countries computers and IT.” With staggering unemployment technology (ICT) to boost their own prospects. and few opportunities for youth, any job is a good “ICT brings tremendous opportunity” to Africa’s job, he says. The café costs around $600 a month youth, argues Ahmed Alfi, chief executive officer to run, and the brothers manage to bring in around of Sawari Ventures, a venture capital firm in Egypt

16 AfricaRenewal May 2013 that focuses on new technology. “With is awarded by the US State Department Entrepreneurial School of Technology software development, there’s nowhere to individuals who champion freedom (MEST), which offers a two-year else you’ll start with a thousand dollars of expression and assembly online. He programme on training and mentoring for and end with a million. It’s one of the few remembers how this single space sparked aspiring African software entrepreneurs. times in history those types of returns are a revolution in Ghana’s tech scene. Successful companies have emerged available,” he told Africa Renewal. “BusyInternet opened a lot of doors for from MEST, including NandiMobile, While an Internet café may not itself young people living in Ghana,” he told which provides mobile marketing and be a million-dollar business, what’s Africa Renewal. “People came together. It customer support for local businesses. created in it very well could be. became sort of a hub.” Nearly all the entrepreneurs at MEST are Over the past five years, fibre-optic Many of Ghana’s young tech entre- in their mid-twenties. cables and a backbone network to support preneurs and bloggers used the space to Yet business is not the only thing them have connected the continent in learn — online and from each other — and emerging from Ghana’s young tech scene. unprecedented ways, slashing the cost to shape a young tech community. They @GhanaDecides, a movement moni- of Internet access and opening up new held BarCamps (informal networking toring Ghana’s elections via social media, markets for content, software, mobile forums for young techies) and founded received international acclaim during phone apps and social media. From BloggingGhana, a community of bloggers the run-up to Ghana’s 2012 general Somalia to Ghana, Dar es Salaam to Dakar, with a passion for Ghanaian content. election for fostering a better-informed Cape Town to Cairo, Africa’s youth are According to the US Embassy in electorate. It advocated free, fair and safe finding ways to use ICT to drive growth, Accra, which gave Degadjor the fellow- elections. It ran online election-related build businesses and shape their futures. ship, these initiatives served to “inspire campaigns and provided offline social youth to get online wherever and media training for youth groups, civil Upwardly mobile market however they can, making sure they have society organizations and public institu- To understand Africa’s digital opportu- Ghanaian peers available to walk them tions. nity, one only has to look at the numbers: through tech challenges.” six out of the 10 fastest-growing econo- By 2008 it was clear that Accra’s Africa’s ‘hub boom’ mies are in sub-Saharan Africa. Africa is vibrant young tech community needed BusyInternet’s “hub” effect in spurring the second-biggest mobile market in the more institutional development. Ghana’s tech-centric youth into action world — smartphones outsell computers This led to the founding of Meltwater is not an isolated case. It reflects a four to one. Over the 18 months to February 2012, Facebook had a user growth rate of 165% in Africa, according to the blog ICTworks. Hubs in Africa “By 2016, it is estimated that there will be one billion mobile phones in Africa,” said Mark Casey, director of technology, media and telecoms at the financial consultancy firm Deloitte, in a recent report. “Mobile Internet usage in Africa is among the highest in the world. Significant opportunities exist here to use social media in business.”

Ghana’s tech boom Five years ago, BusyInternet, West Africa’s largest Internet provider, opened an Internet café in Ghana’s capital, Accra. It had a lounge featuring 100 computers, and Ghanaians from all walks of life 11+ 6 – 10 1 – 5 would pay about 50 cents an hour to use its high-speed connection. With Internet penetration in Ghana at about 10% in 2011, according to government statistics, BusyInternet was one of the few places Number of technology young folks could go to get online. hubs, university tech labs, Mac-Jordan Degadjor, 26, is one of and business incubators Ghana’s preeminent technology and per country social media bloggers and Ghana’s first Source: BongoHive Internet Freedom Fellow. The fellowship

AfricaRenewal May 2013 17 pan-African movement towards tech- schools under a pilot project. Others, such An ability to “try and fail” is a key nology hubs that encourage the forma- as Niko Hapa, a location-based loyalty advantage. In the past, failure usually tion of communities and empower young card for businesses accessed through a meant economic disaster for young developers and entrepreneurs. , are purely market-driven. entrepreneurs, but now these hubs Erik Hersman — co-founder of provide crucial support that enable software company Ushahidi and of A space to ‘try and fail’ entrepreneurs to take more risks, and Nairobi’s iHub, one of the best-known A thousand kilometres away in Kigali, either reap the rewards or start over hubs in Africa — claims that the conti- Rwanda, a new government-sponsored again. nent is undergoing a “tech-hub boom.” ICT hub called kLab also targets young There are now more than 90 hubs, labs, software developers and recent college A need for investment incubators and accelerators in Africa, graduates, offering them a place to gain While bustling hubs packed with fresh covering more than 20 countries. practical experience and training and to ideas and idealistic entrepreneurs exist According to recent research, African work collaboratively. across the continent, one thing does hubs are springing up at the rate of nearly Rwanda, a small, poor, landlocked not — investment. Many entrepreneurs one every two weeks. country, is striving to build a knowledge- struggle to get their companies past the “The tech hubs in Africa provide a based economy. It has put ICT develop- initial seed-funding stage, since few local home for those with new and innovative ment at the centre of its Vision 2020 investors seem willing to take risks on ideas, create an atmosphere where they — President Paul Kagame’s plan to turn technology ventures with potential for are encouraged to try new things and, Rwanda into a middle-income country by high profits. most importantly, are able to meet like- 2020. In line with that vision, the youth “We need more tech-savvy investors,” minded individuals they can grow with,” are to lead the charge. Mbwana Alliy, a former Silicon Valley says Mr. Hersman. Jean Niyotwagira, a young Rwandan entrepreneur who now manages the iHub emerged from the success of and one of kLab’s first “tenants,” who Savannah Fund, a Nairobi-based invest- Ushahidi’s software platform used to graduated with skills in computer engi- ment fund specialising in high-growth capture and monitor citizen reporting neering last year, has already founded technology, told Africa Renewal. during Kenya’s post-election violence in several software companies. These But the blame lies not just with 2008. Started in 2010, iHub now has over include a mobile applications devel- investors. It also lies with the entrepre- eight thousand members spread across opment company, a social networking neurs themselves. Mr. Alliy complains the world, with dozens of people using platform company and a digital supply- that many young entrepreneurs are the space regularly. chain management platform company. “unfocused” and “lack discipline.” They Nearly 75% of people using iHub Mr. Niyotwagira maintains that kLab may be great developers, but they do not are working in or developing startups, is the most “amazing thing that has have the skills to build and manage a according to a recent report by iHub’s happened to the programmer commu- company. research branch. Many of these startups nity in Rwanda.” He adds, “It helps entre- This, many claim, is invariably a have a social mission, like eLimu, which preneurs who don’t have enough funds to result of the education system. However, is distributing e-learning tablets to start their own office. It’s a great space to “ICT is one of the few areas where you improve education in Kenya’s primary try and fail.” can supplement your academic education online,” says Mr. Alfi of Sawari Ventures. “You can bring yourself up to world class through online training. You can’t do that with medicine.” Although people can learn software- coding skills online quite easily, learning the ins and outs of business manage- ment and finance is not so easy — in this, Africa still faces an enormous talent deficit. Many hubs are now turning their attention to helping entrepreneurs build such essential skills. Despite the challenges, youth across the continent are getting connected and creating opportunities for themselves. Whether it’s safely inside Africa’s hubs or along the bullet-pocked streets of Mogadishu, they are finding ways to use technology to innovate, create employ- ment and improve the societies in which iHub in Nairobi, Kenya, is one of the biggest of Africa’s tech hubs. Jonathan Kalan they live.

18 AfricaRenewal May 2013 Africans “the cell phone is their landline, ATM and email in one device. Cell phones are central to life.” Youth are using mobile phones for everything: communicating, listening to the radio, transferring money, shopping, mingling on social media and more. Furthermore, the industry has tran- scended divides between urban and rural, rich and poor. Cheap Chinese handsets are readily available, with some going for as little as $20. Africa has a history of inflating taxes for mobile consumers and operators, but countries like Kenya, recognizing that handset prices represent a barrier to development, removed their 16% general sales tax in 2009, increasing sales by more than 200%, the Global Mobile Tax Review reports. Mobile phone penetration in Africa Group of students at a university in Johannesburg, South Africa. Africa Media Online/Antony Kaminju has therefore increased rapidly in the past 12 years, going from 1% in 2000 to 54% in 2012, as stated in Deloitte’s report The Sub-Saharan Africa Mobile Observatory. Young people are the largest group Africa’s mobile youth using cell phones and their software applications, says Simthandile Mgushelo on his blog Voices of the World. In his drive change country, South Africa, 72% of those between the ages of 15 and 24 have cell Cell phones reshape youth cultures phones, according to the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF. By Jocelyne Sambira “Beep me” culture Of Africa’s unemployed, 60% are young he sight of teenagers selling people have access to a mobile phone people, the International Labour mushrooms using mobile phones than to clean water, a bank account or Organization reports. Meanwhile, T is becoming a familiar one in electricity, the agencies add. subscribers in sub-Saharan Africa pay an rural Namibia. Namibia Polytechnic The main catalyst for this explosive average of between $5 and $8 for their faculty member Maurice Nkusi, designer growth is the youth, Sudanese-born monthly cell phone expenses, in a region of a cell phone–based curriculum, billionaire philanthropist Mohamed where, by World Bank estimates, most told the TechDailyNews that most of “Mo” Ibrahim told Black Money, an online people live on less than $2 a day. People these children have never even used a business magazine. The former telecoms make huge sacrifices to recharge their computer. But the rapidity with which tycoon had over 20 million subscribers in phones, even skipping meals. But they are they master new technology reflects the Africa when he sold his company, Celtel, saving money in other ways. era in which they are living. for $3.4 billion in 2005. The Praekelt Foundation, a non-profit This is the first generation to have Mobile technology has been a game organization that uses mobile technology direct access to high technology. Cell changer for Africa. Youth, whom the to fight poverty, found that 95% of South phones today are nearly ubiquitous in United Nations defines as those aged 15 African youth use prepaid or “pay-as- African society. Teenagers and young to 24, are seizing the momentum and you-go” plans, with the remaining 5% adults are obsessed by them, carrying rewriting society’s rules at the same being on long-term contracts. About 30 them around everywhere. time. million “please call me” text messages, The World Bank and African a free service tailored for low-income Development Bank report there are 650 Mobile lifestyle cell phone users requesting a call back million mobile users in Africa, surpassing Teresa Clarke, the chief executive officer from the receiver, are sent every day. the number in the United States or of Africa.com, a news website, told Black Europe. In some African countries more Enterprise magazine that for many see page 26

AfricaRenewal May 2013 19 Tunisian youth demonstrate on Bourguiba Avenue in dowtown Tunis. Corbis/APImages/Samuel Aranda

wars in and , post- election violence in Kenya and other types A seat at the table of conflict. Such cases show that youth can make, African youth demand a say in decision making strengthen or break a system. But if they have a choice, they would rather be cata- By Kingsley Ighobor lysts for positive social change than agents of strife, writes Shari Bryan, vice-presi- dent of the National Democratic Institute sk members of the African polit- Organized by the UN Economic (NDI), a US non-profit organization that ical elite, civil society activists Commission for Africa, the UN promotes democracy. A or anyone else about the role of Development Programme and the Yet African youth do not always get youth in national development and you Institute for Democracy and Electoral a chance to make that choice, which will hear a lot of profound, if trite, catch- Assistance, a Sweden-based pro-democ- stirs their deep anger. Simply put, if they phrases, such as “The youth are the future; racy organization, youth representatives cannot join the system, they may be they are the leaders of tomorrow.” African from across the continent resolved at the tempted to destroy it. “Extreme outcomes leaders even declared 2009–18 the African conference to prepare themselves for of political violence have been found to be Youth Decade. Before that, in 2006, they future leadership roles. While pinning more associated with autocratic regimes adopted the African Youth Charter, with hope on democracy’s promise, they where the youth may resort to violence as one of the goals being to lure younger people demanded meaningful dialogue with a consequence of exclusion from certain into participating in political debates and older leaders and called for “increased pathways to social mobility and engage- decision-making processes. youth participation in governance.” ment in the political process,” argue But African youth are no longer enthu- Danielle Resnick and Daniela Casale in siastic about an occasional show of love. Catalysts for social change a research paper for Afrobarometer, an Now they want a real engagement with Just two years ago, during the Arab Spring, independent, non-partisan project that the political elites. They said so during young people mobilized for human rights conducts public opinion surveys in Africa. a three-day youth conference in Addis and justice, in the process toppling auto- Chinua Akukwe, an Africa expert who Ababa, Ethiopia, in November 2012, when cratic leaders in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. teaches at George Washington University they met to discuss their participation in They have also taken part in more abhor- in Washington, DC, adds that without democracy. rent activities, such as in the debilitating political participation, young people can

20 AfricaRenewal May 2013 easily be manipulated. “Unemployment organizing via Facebook, Twitter and front of the parliament building during and exclusion from decision-making other social media platforms. During their confirmation hearings. processes render them hopeless and Kenya’s 2008 elections they used tech- With elections expected in 13 African desperate.” nology to map and report election-related countries in 2013, older politicians are violence in real time. seeking out creative, tech-savvy youth Strange bedfellows More and more African governments to assist in get-out-the-vote operations, Although African governments have would now like to see young people get reports the NDI. created many plans and frameworks to into politics. In 2008, the Rwandan foster their political inclusion, youth are government asked the NDI to develop a Voting age controversy grumbling loudly. Ms. Bryan explains in programme to help its youth play impor- Meanwhile, some are campaigning to her paper that both younger and older tant roles within political parties. The lower the voting age to increase youth members of the political elite understand Mano River Union (Liberia, Sierra Leone participation. Harvard University they have to engage with each other, but and Guinea) has a Youth Parliament that professor Calestous Juma, who is from that such engagement does not happen enables young people to deliberate and set Kenya, argues that while most African naturally. “It will require a facilitated, their own agendas for their governments’ countries have set 18 as the minimum action-oriented approach that gives consideration. voting age, some of those between the young people the skills to create projects Kenya’s ruling parties, the Party ages of 12 and 18 work and are active that will allow them to introduce ideas of National Unity and the Orange in political discussions through social and solutions directly into the political Democratic Movement, have introduced media. “Lowering the voting age to 16 system,” she writes. a national youth leadership programme to for all African countries would not only Such action-oriented approaches have “integrate the youth in leadership today reflect the demographic structure of the been tried before. In a paper published by not tomorrow” through the promotion of continent,” says Mr. Juma, “but it would UN University Press, Gregory Lavender “innovative community-driven develop- also expand political participation.” recalls that past African leaders such as ment and youth entrepreneurship initia- Mr. Juma’s proposal is a controver- Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah and Kenya’s tives.” sial one, and he admits that lowering Jomo Kenyatta tapped young people’s After his re-election in 2012, President the voting age could expand meaningful creative energies while crafting economic, Ernest Koroma of Sierra Leone appointed political participation only if “accompa- political and social transformation plans two people in their early thirties to the nied by formal and political education.” in the 1950s and 1960s. By the 1970s and cabinet. To support these youngest-ever He wants older leaders “whose world- 1980s, continues Mr. Lavender, many cabinet members, Sierra Leonean youth views were shaped by more traditional African countries had begun imple- mobilized with singing and dancing in societies” to be educated about the roles menting structural adjustment austerity of young people in the modern world. measures, which included sharp budget A survey of young people carried out cuts in sectors that normally benefit in 2012 as part of a UN action plan on young people, such as education, health youth identifies political leaders’ igno- and job creation. “There was therefore rance and indifference to youth matters a breakdown of youth as a meaningful as key concerns. It adds that this igno- transition period to adulthood,” he writes. rance and indifference make leaders unlikely to “support youth branches of Wind at their backs political organizations.” That same year, In recent years, however, African youth, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon like those in other parts of the world, outlined a number of actions that world have appeared to have the wind at their leaders should take over the next five backs. Massive improvements in means years. Those included addressing climate of communication have enhanced their change, forging and implementing a influence. In the past, African govern- consensus framework for sustainable ments controlled most of the electronic development, and working with and for media, giving them considerable leverage women and young people. over public opinion, note Ms. Resnick and Clearly the momentum is with youth. Ms. Casale. With the growing popularity At the Addis Ababa conference, they of the Internet and the accelerating speed promised to “organize through the power of communications, this influence has of ideas” and push their desire to be at waned — some even believe it has been the decision-making table. Professor wiped out. Akukwe urges current political leaders US president Barack Obama’s 2008 to bring young men and women into the election campaign, which was mostly led A first-time voter after casting her ballot at a mainstream of Africa’s political life. That by young people, was an awakening. So polling station in Rondebosch, South Africa. is the best down payment on Africa’s was the Arab Spring, with young people Panos/Eric Miller development, he says.

AfricaRenewal May 2013 21 A dry check dam near Magadi, Kenya. Panos/Dieter Telemans What does the ‘Doha Climate Gateway’ mean for Africa? Not nearly enough, given the continent’s vulnerability By Richard Munang and Zhen Han

UN climate change conference in Doha, century, triggering a cascade of cataclysmic changes, Qatar, concluded in December 2012 with a including extreme heat waves, declining global food A new agreement called the “Doha Climate stocks and a rising sea level, that will affect hundreds Gateway.” Its major achievements included the of millions of people. extension until 2020 of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on All regions of the world will suffer if this happens, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a work but the poor will suffer the most, and sustainable plan for negotiating a new global climate pact by development in Africa will be set back considerably. 2015, to be implemented starting in 2020. Severe droughts in the in 2011 and $100bn Despite these commitments, the Doha confer- in the Sahel region in 2012 alarmingly highlighted Amount ence made only limited progress in advancing inter- Africa’s vulnerability. pledged by national talks on climate change, and failed to set more ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas Not-so-fast finance donors per emissions. African countries are among those least likely to year by 2020 That failure increases the risk of a rise in average have the resources to withstand the adverse impacts into the Green global temperatures by 2 degrees Celsius by the end of climate change. At the 2009 Copenhagen nego- Climate Fund of this century. The Emissions Gap Report 2012 by tiations, developed countries committed to pay $100 at the 2009 the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) stresses billion per year by 2020 into the Green Climate Fund Copenhagen that if the world does not accelerate action on climate to help developing countries implement adaptation negotiations change, total yearly greenhouse gas emissions could and mitigation practices to counter climate change. rise to 58 gigatonnes by 2020 (compared to 40 giga- They also pledged to deliver $30 billion as “fast start tonnes in 2000), far above the level scientists say finance” by 2012. would likely keep temperature increases below 2°C. Disappointingly, a report by the African Climate Studies by the World Bank indicate that even Policy Centre of the UN Economic Commission for with the current commitments and pledges fully Africa shows that of the $30 billion promised in implemented, there is roughly a 20% likelihood that 2009, only 45% has been “committed,” 33% “allo- temperature increases will top 4°C by the end of this cated” and about 7% actually “disbursed.”

22 AfricaRenewal May 2013 At the Doha conference, Germany, vulnerable people to adapt to the negative “In Africa, we need to know how much is the UK, France, Denmark, Sweden and impacts of climate change. new, where it is coming from, and whether the EU Commission announced finan- Before the Doha conference, devel- it will be directed to the adaptation cial pledges totalling approximately $6 oping countries elaborated a common projects that are desperately necessary.” billion for the period up to 2015. Most position that included the desire for a new developed countries did not make climate treaty, financing and new tech- Positive steps pledges. African countries thus left Doha nologies to help them make the transition Despite the limited advances on financing, with little more than they already had. to cleaner, “green” economic practices. African countries gained five positive “We all have a responsibility in some way developments from the Doha conference: Bottom-up approach to address climate change in order to Cost-effective measures need to be taken achieve sustainable development,” said ■■ The formal extension of the Kyoto without delay to mitigate the effects of Ali Mohammed, Kenya’s permanent Protocol, with continued access to climate change in Africa. Fortunately, secretary in the ministry of environment carbon-trading market mechanisms there are already many examples in and mineral resources. “Africa, small such as the Clean Development Africa of bottom-up approaches that island developing states and least devel- Mechanism. directly address national needs. oped countries continue to suffer most ■■ Financing for the formulation In Togo, for example, a water reser- from the effects of climate change.” and implementation of national voir project provided accurate data for adaptation plans for all particularly rehabilitating water dams. This data and Priority for adaptation vulnerable countries, not just the expertise gained during the rehabilita- Greater adaptation efforts in Africa are small island developing states tion helped the government develop a essential, and they should be supported and least developed countries, as proposal for rehabilitating all other water financially and politically by many previously. reservoirs in Togo. As a result, access different stakeholders in Africa and ■■ The agreement to develop an to water has improved for most local around the globe. Not only should the international mechanism to address communities, with rainwater harvested process of long-term climate financing loss and damage, which would from rehabilitated dams available for from developed countries be account- support countries affected by slow- domestic and agro-pastoral consump- able and transparent, but it should also onset events such as droughts, tion. be directed first and foremost to the most glacial melting and rising sea levels. In Seychelles, a rainwater harvesting vulnerable developing countries. ■■ A programme for climate change project in schools gave students a prac- There also needs to be a better balance. education and training and for tical demonstration of adaptation to Currently, “fast start” finance, however the creation of public awareness climate change, with harvested water slow in arriving, is largely directed to enable the public to participate used for school gardens, cleaning and toward “mitigation” projects, which better in climate change decision- flushing toilets. It also enabled the tackle the causes of climate change, such making. schools to save up to $250 per month on as by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. ■■ The agreement to assess developing countries’ needs for green technology, as well as a pledge that no unilateral action will be taken Not only should the process of long- on the development and transfer of term climate financing be accountable technologies. and transparent, it should also be Effectively meeting the challenges of climate change will require a compro- directed foremost to the most vulnerable mise of monumental proportions by all developing countries countries. But climate change will not wait for the adoption of binding international climate change agreements. Nor should water bills, money that could be invested Against the 62% allocated for mitigation individual governments, businesses and in other areas such as teaching and projects, only 25% is destined to finance others hesitate to take bottom-up action learning resources. Legislation is now “adaptation” actions, which are intended and support local grassroots initiatives. under consideration to include rainwater to minimize the consequences of actual harvesting systems in building codes. and expected changes in the climate. Richard Munang is a policy and programme However successful such initiatives The remaining 13% goes to countering coordinator for the Africa Climate may be, their scale is limited. Sizable deforestation, which can also be counted Change Adaptation Programme of the UN increases in capital are needed to expand as mitigation, since forests help absorb Environment Programme, and Zhen Han the reach of such adaptation projects. greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. is an environmental policy graduate fellow Yet it is unclear whether Africa will ever Seyni Nafo, the spokesperson of the of the Council of World Women Leaders at have sufficient funds to enable the most African Group at the Doha talks, insisted, Cornell University in the US.

AfricaRenewal May 2013 23 A movie director, actors and a soundman on the set of a low-budget movie production. Panos/Jacob Silberberg

week, second only to India’s Bollywood— Nigeria’s film industry: more than Hollywood in the United States. Although its revenues are not on par with Bollywood’s and Hollywood’s, Nollywood a potential gold mine? still generates an impressive $590 million annually. Believing that if the industry is properly managed, a million more jobs With more than a million people, Nollywood is could be created in the sector, the World the country’s second largest employer Bank is currently assisting the Nigerian government to create a Growth and By Rebecca Moudio Employment in States project to support the entertainment industry, along with other industries. s an entrepreneur, 32-year-old of the top 10 young African millionaires Chioma Nwagboso, a World Bank chemistry graduate Jason Njoku to watch. finance and private sector specialist, A achieved success in a most The Nigerian film industry is undoubt- says that the Bank understands the job unlikely way: he is Africa’s largest distrib- edly helping create jobs in a country with creation potential of the Nigerian film utor of Nigerian movies, and has raked an economy that relies mainly on oil industry and the need for a “fruitful in over $8 million since 2010, when he and agriculture. Over a million people export for the country.” Without initial founded the company Iroko Partners. In are currently employed in the industry, support from the government, Nollywood December 2012 he captivated an audience making it the country’s largest employer propelled itself to the position it occupies at a conference in Texas, United States, as after agriculture. Although Nigeria’s today, and a little lift could take the he narrated the story of his success after economy will grow by 7% this year, industry to even greater heights, she adds. failures in some other business ventures. according to the African Development Mr. Njoku currently has 71 employees in Bank, insufficient jobs for a growing youth Low production costs Lagos, and New York, and often population continue to be a huge concern. Koïchiro Matsuura, former director- boasts that “these people are working general of the United Nations Educational for us in a country with 50% unemploy- One million new jobs Scientific and Cultural Organization ment.” He was recently listed by Forbes, The Nigerian film industry, also known as (UNESCO), says that “film and video an American business magazine, as one Nollywood, produces about 50 movies per production are shining examples of

24 AfricaRenewal May 2013 two to three weeks of release. Most DVD platform for Nigerian films.” The code movies easily sell more than 20,000 will connect video clubs and retail outlets units, while the most successful ones sell and ensure that only digitally secured over 200,000. But despite the success of content can be rented. the movies, Nollywood actors’ incomes Euromonitor International and Reed are low. Even the most popular get paid Exhibitions, organizers of the World between $1,000 and $3,000 per film. Travel Market, a global event for the travel Only a few can claim higher earnings. industry, predicted in their November Actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, one of 2012 report that Africa’s projected 5.2% Nollywood’s highest-paid performers, GDP growth rate in 2013 would be due recently topped the charts at 5 million in part to the popularity of the Nigerian naira ($32,000) per film. film industry, which it said would also attract domestic and regional tourism. Tackling Piracy While Nigeria was hosting the industry’s Author Patrick Ebewo attributes the top brass in March, President Goodluck popularity of Nigerian movies not only Jonathan referred to Nollywood as “our to their low unit costs, but also to their shining light,” adding that “whenever I “indigenous content of issues relevant to travel abroad, many of my colleagues ask a mass audience.” Through a combina- me about Nollywood.” The challenge is to tion of African storylines and Western ensure this light shines even brighter in technology, “these films document and the future. recreate socio-political and cultural events,” states Mr. Ebewo. But Nollywood’s popularity also means serious piracy problems. The Nollywood by the numbers A movie director, actors and a soundman on the set of a low-budget Nollywood movie production. Panos/Jacob Silberberg World Bank estimates that for every legit- imate copy sold, nine others are pirated. “In terms of exports, these movies are $590mn how cultural industries, as vehicles of purchased and watched across the world Estimated annual revenue of the identity, values and meanings, can open — in other African countries, Europe, Nigerian film industry the door to dialogue and understanding USA and the Caribbean, and almost all between peoples, but also to economic the exports are pirated copies,” remarks growth and development.” The African Ms. Nwagboso. She adds that because $200mn film industry is not only an entertain- there are currently few legal channels Amount of a loan fund pledged by ment industry; it is also a moneymaker. for exporting movies, few or no returns President Goodluck Jonathan to help Film industry analysts believe that the go to the filmmakers and practically no finance the Nigerian film industry Nigerian cinema is the most popular on revenue goes to the government. The the continent. current collaboration between the World Nollywood films have a large Bank and the Nigerian Export Promotion $250,000 following in Africa and among Africans Council, the Nigerian Copyright First loan given for the production of around the world. They gained popu- Commission and the National Film and “Dr Bello,” the first Nollywood film to larity during the digital revolution of the Video Censors Board is therefore neces- debut in American movie theatres early 1990s when camcorders replaced sary and urgent, many analysts believe. 35-millimeter film cameras, and digital Legitimate distributors also want an systems replaced celluloid as recording end to piracy. “We’re the first guys to 50 devices. At the time, while some parts actually legally reach out in Lagos to The weekly average number of films of the world adapted to the new digital the production houses, the owners of the produced in Nigeria technology, Nigeria continued to use movies, and negotiate and sign deals with inexpensive VHS tapes and players that these guys so they can finally get remu- were easily accessible and affordable to nerated for their hard efforts,” claims $25,000-$70,000 consumers. Eventually film technology Mr. Njoku. Average cost of Nollywood films evolved as movies made on DVDs started to generate huge demand. Shining light On average, producing a movie The Nigerian government and other $250mn in Nigeria costs between $25,000 and industry players, assisted by the World Average cost of most top Hollywood films $70,000, says the British Broadcasting Bank, hope to fund anti-piracy measures Corporation. The films are produced such as the source identification code, Sources: Africa Movies News, BBC, New York Times within a month and are profitable within which will create “a digital distribution

AfricaRenewal May 2013 25 Lessons from Ethiopia company, an Addis Ababa–based business labour-intensive technology industries. and research firm, faults government’s Improved access to electricity and clean from page 13 “massive projects”: he says these often water, and to quality education, hospitals require years to complete and that once and other social services, is a starting they are completed their operation point. Such interventions, he further were created between 2006 and 2010, and requires less labour. The result is that argues, will mitigate urban migration over 1.2 million between 2011 and 2012. thousands will once again go into unem- and encourage young graduates to work Many of those hired were young people. ployment. He would like to see sustained in the rural parts of Ethiopia, which are financing of existing small businesses currently in dire need of educated and More efforts needed in order to promote their expansion and skilled workers. But not everyone is satisfied with the growth. Despite such criticisms, analysts government’s efforts to reduce jobless- Mr. Wolle believes there must be an generally agree that Ethiopia is on the ness. Samson Wolle, a senior researcher investment-friendly climate to attract right course in tackling youth unemploy- at the Access Capital Services Share domestic and foreign investors to ment.

Interview with youth envoy of everyone but the UN needs the young great developments happening. There is people now more than ever. a great human potential, human capital from page 15 and great natural resources in Africa, but Do you have many friends and links for me, Africa’s greatest assets are the with youth groups in Africa? young people. I will just say, do you know why it is Yes I do. I am very passionate about called the UN? Because its mandate is young people in Africa and the dynamics What are your hobbies? to unite nations based on human rights, in that continent. I look forward to I am a good reader. I play basketball. development, peace and security. It is my first official visit to Africa. Young also about promoting young people’s people in Africa live in interesting What kinds of books? work for the betterment of their families, times in which they can help in trans- I am more into history and politics communities and for the world we want forming their societies. If I am a young and enjoy novels. I like sports—basket- future generations to inherit. The UN African I would be proud to be born at ball and soccer. I like the Barcelona may not always accommodate the needs this time—opportunity to serve, to see football club and Manchester United.

Africa’s mobile youth drive change from page 19

This service evolved from the practice of “beeping,” hanging up after one or two rings to avoid a charge while letting the other party know to call back. Phone users are also buying several SIM cards so they can switch between operators and save on inter- connection fees. Internet prices are coming down and speed is up, writes J. M. Ledgard in Intelligent Life magazine, thanks to fibre- optic submarine cables running along the East African coast and connecting several African countries, including South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, , Sudan and the Comoros. Other fibre-optic cables run along Africa’s west coast. Teenage boys listening to a mobile phone in Cape Town, South Africa. Gallo Images/Alamy

26 AfricaRenewal May 2013 Sub-Saharan Africa’s mobile market by the numbers

Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people Number of countries with at least one mHealth app 218+K 53+K +K

Latin America & Middle East & North 1billion Sub-Saharan Africa Caribbean Africa Expected total number of mobile cellular subscriptions in Africa by 2015. Mobile cellular subscriptions in 2005 totalled East Asia and Pacific South Asia Europe & Central Asia 90.3 million and in 2010 that figure stood at 384 million. Sources: World Bank, GSMA, Informa Telecoms & Media

There are 84 million Internet-enabled something we don’t want to say out loud.” the industry contributed about $3.6 billion mobiles in Africa today, Ledgard points out. Just a few years ago most people consid- to the country’s gross domestic product. It He predicts that by 2014, 69% of mobiles ered this kind of behaviour rude; now it’s so has also made a significant contribution to will have Internet access. In response to frequent, it’s grudgingly tolerated. employment, with an estimated 280,000 the burgeoning demand, markets are tran- Even during social events like weddings, points of sale for mobile services in 2011, sitioning slowly from so-called feature funerals and religious services, it’s typical including kiosks and dukas, which are phone phones with limited data access to low-cost to see teens and young adults hunched over, and electrical goods stores. smartphones with access to the Internet. peering into a small screen, thumb and M-Pesa, the mobile phone–based money That’s how James Akida, a 21-year- forefinger poised ready to fly over the tiny transfer service launched by Kenya’s mobile old Tanzanian, is able to use his phone to keyboard to send a text message. It’s no network operator Safaricom, is perhaps the connect with his best friend who recently longer a fad; it’s ingrained in the culture. most successful and lucrative digital inno- moved to the Bronx, in New York City. The mobile market in Africa, powered vation in Africa so far. In the last month of James spends a large amount of time on by youth, has great potential for investors 2011 it was able to move $1.35 billion, writes Facebook. He uses a text-only version of because of the huge numbers. Facebook Kenya’s Business Daily using data from the the site and pays no data fees, an important boasted 38 million users in Africa in 2011, Central Bank of Kenya. feature for people like him on a tight budget prompting giants like Google and Microsoft Building on that model, young African and using a prepaid service. to take notice. Microsoft launched software developers are seeking solutions to Facebook splits costs with the network YouthSpark in February with the aim of everyday problems. Some of them are even operators and phone manufacturers. Google bringing one million small and medium- developing software apps themselves, like is following in its footsteps, providing size African enterprises online by absorbing Christine Ampaire of Uganda, who made free Internet access and also eliminating the existing young workforce. the newspaper East African’s list of Top language barriers by becoming multilin- 20 Young Innovators to Watch. After the gual. The game changer success of her app Mafuta Go, which helps Mobile technology is also putting a dent users find the nearest petrol station with Text versus talk in Africa’s youth unemployment rate. In the cheapest prices, she is developing an It doesn’t matter that James is a continent both urban and rural areas, young people SMS-based app for taxi motorcycle riders in away. Face-to-face conversations are out, are often the ones managing the mobile the capital city, Kampala, whose phones do texting is in. Hangouts are no longer the phone kiosks that offer a variety of services, not have access to the Internet. craze for youth. Texting or SMS (short from selling airtime to making repairs to These digital innovations are not only message service) has overtaken speaking unlocking phones to charging them. The in the business sector, but also in agricul- on a mobile phone. Even when young trading of airtime for cash has become a ture, health and education, like Namibia people are physically in the same space, as lucrative business in Africa. Polytechnic’s cell phone–based curriculum. 19-year-old college student Naomi Kaneza In Kenya the economic impact of mobile Mobile apps could just become a game from Rwanda told Africa Renewal, they will telephony has been huge. The Global Mobile changer for Africa’s development, concludes secretly text each other. “Often, we’ll SMS Tax Review and Deloitte show that in 2011 East African.

AfricaRenewal May 2013 27 Africa Wired Africa unveils its first smartphone and tablet By Aissata Haidara

xcitement greeted Apple’s iPad, E news that Vérone Samsung Mankou, the 26-year Galaxy old entrepreneur from and others. the Republic of Congo, About his has designed Africa’s first smartphone, Mr. smartphone and a tablet, the Mankou says, “We hand-held computer that comes wanted to place on the with a touch screen. market a quality smart- Mankou’s tech company, phone with the same VMK, designed the sleek smart- capacities as the others, phone and tablet, which was while ensuring that it’s a originally conceived in 2006 as product which is acces- an affordable computer to give sible to all.” Africans access to Internet. The Mr. Mankou hopes devices run on Google’s Android to rely on pan-African software and are assembled in sentiments. There appears China, making some technology to be an increasing desire analysts question Mr. Mankou’s among some in Africa assertion that these were the to support homegrown first African touchpad tablet and products. Recently, for smartphone. In response to such instance, there was a minor criticism, Mr. Mankou writes on incident with app purchasing his website, “We are somewhat when Google Play did not offended by the disregard of accept credit cards issued in those who persist in denying the the Congo. VMK announced authentication of our products, its own app store with apps despite evidence.” “developed by Africans for To reinforce the Made-in- Africa” and prepaid gift cards Africa claim, Mr. Mankou named to give Africans a similar experi- his smartphone Elikia, for “hope” ence. in Congolese Lingala dialect. Several technology bloggers The official name for the tablet in Africa believe VMK’s devices, is Way-C, and it comes with which are currently available wireless internet connectivity and through telecom carrier Airtel four gigabytes of internal storage. with the possible addition of Elikia has rear and forward-facing MTN and Warid, could still cameras and a 3.5in (8.9cm) expand their reach and compete screen, 512MB of RAM, and a on the international market. 650MHz processor. Mr. Mankou The Congolese entrepreneur plans to sell the devices across has set big ambitions for his African countries as well as in devices, “Apple is huge in the US, Belgium, France and India. Samsung is huge in Asia, and we VMK’s smartphone will have want VMK to be huge in Africa,” to compete against established he says. brands such as Blackberry and Nokia, while the tablet has to face The VMK elikia smartphone. VMK

28 AfricaRenewal May 2013 financial centre and a conven- tion centre. The government is offering tax breaks to companies as an incentive to move and invest in Konza. Amid the euphoria and excitement over the prospects for Silicon Savannah, there have been some voices of caution. Technology experts at the Mobile Web East Africa conference held in Nairobi in February warned Kenya’s technology industry against copying the Silicon Valley business model. Their concern was that most of the companies being formed in Kenya were based on a single app or software programme. “Kenya should be more of a ‘Digital Savannah’ and not ‘Silicon Artist’s impression of the future Konza Technology City, Kenya. Konza Techno City/Kenya ICT Board Savannah’, says TMS “Teddy” Ruge, co-founder of Project Africa to open its government Diaspora USA/Uganda, an organ- Kenya pushes technology to the public by making millions ization that mobilizes resources of pages of internal govern- from Africans in diaspora to invest into overdrive ments documents available in Africa, “We are yet to manu- online. The country’s M-Pesa cell facture things here, and most of he country that The Konza techno phone banking service is now the companies we have here are T gave the world city project is the brain- being used all over the world for based on digital solutions.” two groundbreaking child of Bitange Ndemo, purchases and money transfers, Kenya’s reputation as a tech- innovations in tech- Kenya’s permanent and according to the US Time nology leader in Africa suffered nology: M-Pesa, a secretary in the ministry magazine, Ushahidi has been an embarrassing setback during mobile banking system, of information and commu- used “in 128 countries to map the March national elections and Ushahidi, a platform for nications. “Rather than echo a everything from [the 2010] earth- when both a biometric ID system crowdsourcing information during smattering of tech parks and quake in Haiti to [the] Japanese designed to avoid multiple voting disasters, is now taking its tech- business centres starting up on tsunami and the Arab Spring.” and an electronic transmission nological talents to new heights. the continent,” says the Financial The unveiling of the Konza system to speed up vote counting The East African nation of Kenya Times, “Kenya envisions a broader project is being seen as a natural broke down. The country’s has just started construction city-from-scratch to bring progression of Kenya’s aspirations independent electoral body was on a 5,000-acres piece of land research universities, industry and to attract corporate investments forced to switch to counting in Konza, about 60km south of government together, along the in technology. In 2012, IBM set votes manually, slowing down Nairobi, to turn the savannah area lines of Silicon Valley”. up its first African research lab the process and causing national into “the most modern city in The Wired magazine reported in Nairobi, joining renowned anxiety. Africa”. that Konza’s development “plan is American companies like Google, Notwithstanding, Konza Using the same company extremely ambitious” and is “not Microsoft and Intel that have their appears to be proving skeptics that designed Brooklyn’s Barclays just seen as a way of attracting regional headquarters Kenya. wrong. So far, more than a dozen Center in New York City, SHoP investment from international Konza is heavily-influenced companies are expected to start Architects, Kenyan authorities tech companies and inspiring by similar “new cities”, like setting up operations in Konza. want to transform Nairobi’s Konza domestic entrepreneurs, but also Cyberjaya in Malaysia, Cyber City “Konza will become a City into Africa’s technology hub, as a way of reducing the corrup- in Mauritius and Egypt’s Smart game-changer in Kenya’s socio- dubbed Silicon Savannah, similar tion that has been endemic in the Village, says the Wired. economic development, spurring to California’s Silicon Valley. The nation for several decades.” The project is expected massive trade and investment designers told the UK’s Financial Konza is expected to cement to cost $10 billion and create across the entire region,” said Times that “the scale of the Kenya’s role as a regional tech- more than 200,000 jobs when President Mwai Kibaki at the project compares with creating nology leader in Africa. With a completed in 2030. There are groundbreaking ceremony held another Manhattan, central well developed technology sector, plans for an electronic manu- in January at the proposed new London or inner-city Beijing.” Kenya became the first country in facturing plant, an international city.

AfricaRenewal May 2013 29 Livestock tracking in Africa goes high tech By Pavithra Rao

n an era of lightning fitted with a device, I speed, ever-present GPS technology can wireless connectivity, precisely pinpoint an high tech is now also animal’s location and being used to benefit live- alert farmers whenever stock farmers in rural areas the livestock goes missing of Africa. Widely known for or is stolen. being used to track wild animals, In addition, the tech- GPS, or “Global Positioning nology is being fine-tuned System” tracking devices are to give farmers the ability to being adapted by some small- control outbreaks of diseases. Through GPS trackers, farmers can precisely pinpoint the location of live- and large-scale farmers to Explaining how the GPS system stock over any given area. Creative Commons/Dohduhdah manage their livestock, notably works on animals, Ebby Nanzala in Kenya, Botswana, and South of the New Agriculturalist, an Mr. Nanzala adds that cheap and could be used and Africa. online magazine that focuses though the costs for such re-used for over 30 years”. Tracking an animal is on tropical agriculture, says, technology are high, the cost Similarly, the UN Food and accomplished through either “Through their unique numbers of losing animals to theft and Agricultural Organization has the bolus technique, in which on the tag, they [farmers] are disease is clearly higher. While created a GPS-based mobile phone an animal is made to swallow able to maintain the data. If allaying fears of the high cost application that will inform farmers a tracking “tablet”, or through there is a disease outbreak, it of technology, he notes that of their animals’ vaccination sched- a microchip implantation or an will be easier for it to be tracked with government support, “the ules, veterinary treatments as well ear-tagging technique. Once and controlled.” [GPS tracking] chips will be very as disease outbreaks.

Appointments

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has The UN Secretary-General and African appointed Aeneas Chapinga Chuma of Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Zimbabwe as his deputy special representative Dlamini-Zuma have appointed Mohamed Ibn responsible for recovery and governance with Chambas of Ghana as their joint special repre- the UN Mission in Liberia. Prior to his appoint- sentative for Darfur and head of the AU-UN UNMIL / Emmanuel Tobey Tobey Emmanuel / UNMIL ment, Mr. Chuma served as the UN resident Debebe /Eskinder Photo UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur, with responsibilities coordinator in Kenya from 2008 to 2012 and in Zambia from 2003 including those of AU-UN joint chief mediator. Mr. Chambas brings to to 2008. He also served as the deputy resident representative in his new position extensive experience after a long and distinguished Mozambique from 2000 to 2003 and in Uganda from 1996 to 2000. career in both international and governmental forums, most recently Previously, he worked as a macroeconomist and econometrician with as Secretary-General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. States. Mr. Chambas replaces Ibrahim Gambari of Nigeria.

José Ramos-Horta of Timor-Leste has been Maj. Gen. Delali Johnson Sakyi of Ghana has named as special representative and head of been selected as the force commander for the the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in UN Mission in South Sudan. At the time of his Guinea-Bissau. He brings with him more than appointment, Maj. Gen. Sakyi was serving as three decades of diplomatic and political expe- the assistant commandant of the Ghana UN Photo / Eskinder Debebe rience in the service of peace and stability in UN Photo / Martine Perret Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Timor-Leste and beyond. As President of Timor-Leste, from 2007 to Junior Division. He previously served as commander of the Army 2012, Mr. Ramos-Horta contributed to healing the wounds and stabi- Combat Training School. Maj.Gen. Sakyi has also served as lizing the situation in his country following the crisis of 2006. He also commander of the Ghanaian contingent in several UN peacekeeping served as foreign minister from 2001 to 2006 and as prime minister missions, including as a sector commander with the UN Operation from 2006 to 2007. The new special representative succeeds in Côte d’Ivoire in 2008. He succeeds Maj. Gen. Moses Bisong Obi of Joseph Mutaboba of Rwanda. Nigeria.

30 AfricaRenewal May 2013 Africa Books BOOK REVIEW United Nations at a Glance African Theatre 9: Histories 1850-1950, eds. by the Department of Public Information of the United Nations Martin Banham, James Gibbs and Femi Osofisan United Nations, New York, NY, USA, 2013; 217 pp; pb $20 (James Currey, Oxford, UK, 2010; 199 pp; pb $29.95) ver wanted to get a quick snapshot Art and Trauma in Africa: Representations of Reconciliation in Music, Visual Arts, E of what the United Nations is all Literature and Film (International Library about, from both a historical and current of Cultural Studies) by Lizelle Bisschoff and perspective? A new guide, United Nations Stefanie Van de Peer (I. B. Tauris, London, UK, at a Glance, might just be what you have 2013; 264 pp; hb £59.50) been waiting for. The book delves into the The Challenges of Administrative Political work of the global body on issues ranging and Developmental Renewal in Africa: Emerging Issues by John W. Forje (Nova Science from international peace and security, Publishers, New York, New York, USA, 2009; 216 to economic and social development, to pp; hb $69; pb $43) human rights and humanitarian work. It Challenges of African Transformation, eds. uses examples extracted from real life situa- Angathevar Baskaran, Mammo Muchie (Africa tions and events in which the UN was either Institute of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa, directly involved or played a vital role. 2013; 232 pp; £22.95) Illustrated and enhanced with compel- China and Angola A Marriage of ling stories from around the world, this Convenience? eds. Marcus Power, Ana guide contains historical information on Alves (Fahamu Books, Oxford, UK, 2013; 192 pp; pb £16.95) how and why the UN came into existence; how it evolved from an ancient philosoph- Colonial Meltdown: Northern Nigeria in the Great Depression by Moses E. Ochon (Ohio ical idea and a nascent war time alliance University Press, OH, USA, 2012; 272 pp; pb into the largest grouping of nations the $24.95) world has ever known, and explains why it Contemporary African Cultural Productions, has become so essential to the everyday , climate change, natural disasters, ed. V.Y. Mudimbe (Codesria, Dakar, Senegal, lives and livelihoods of millions around the intolerance, poverty, and epidemics, by 2013; 328 pp; pb £24.95) world. promoting the universality of human rights, Constructing African Art Histories for the In straightforward language, United peace and security for all, sustainable Lagoons of Côte d’Ivoire by Monica Blackmun Nations at a Glance explains what the UN development, respect for the rule of law, Visonà (Ashgate Publishing, London, UK, 2010; 216 pp; hb $109.95) does, how and where it does it and with and education for all. what financial and material means, who the United Nations at a Glance also contains A Comprehensive Tax History of Nigeria, eds. actors are, when and where historical mile- rich statistics, questions and answers, quick Federal Inland Revenue Service, Nigeria (Safari Books, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, 2012; 298 pp; stones occurred, and the objectives that will references to online resources, informa- pb £34.95) continue to warrant UN support in the years tion about UN members and international Creating Systems of Innovation in Africa, eds. to come. observances, as well as its network of infor- Angathevar Baskaran, Mammo Muchie (Africa The guide is primarily intended to serve mation centres. 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It complements other UN flagship Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 2011; 178 pp; pb £18.95) how the global body responds to the publications such the Yearbook of the The Dying Sahara US Imperialism and Terror major contemporary challenges posed by United Nations and Basic Facts about the in Africa by Jeremy Keenan (Pluto Press, London, the global financial crisis, food insecurity, United Nations. UK, 2013; 352 pp; pb £17.50) The Ewe People: A Study of the Ewe People in German Togo by Jakob Spieth (African Book The Hard Road to Reform: The Politics of Wildeman and Wellington Jogo (Idasa, Pretoria, Collective, London, UK, 2011; 980 pp; pb £59.95) Zimbabwe’s Global Political Agreement, South Africa, 2012; 58 pp; pb £15.95) ed. Brian Raftopoulos (Weaver Press, Harare, The Fear: Robert Mugabe and the Martyrdom Zimbabwe, 2013; 282 pp; pb £20.95) Mother Is Gold, Father Is Glass. Gender and of Zimbabwe by Peter Godwin (Little, Brown and Colonialism in a Yoruba Town by Lorelle D. Company, New York, New York, USA, 2011; 384 The Horn of Africa: Intra-State and Inter-State Semley (Indiana University Press, Indiana, USA, pp; hb $26.99) Conflicts and Security, ed. Redie Bereketeab 2010; 232 pp ; hb $70 pb $24.95) (Pluto Press, London, UK, 2013; 272 pp; pb The Global Hunger Crisis Tackling Food £21.99) Osogbo and the Art of Heritage: Monuments, Insecurity in Developing Countries by Majda Deities, and Money by Peter Probst (Indiana Bne Saad (Pluto Press, London, UK, 2013; 312 pp; Implementing the Public Finance University Press, Indiana, USA, 2011; 216 pp; hb pb £19.50) Management Act in South Africa by Russell $70 pb $24.95)

AfricaRenewal May 2013 31 new commitment to supporting the partnership between Africa and the United Nations. Africa is changing and so is Africa Renewal, with anew website, new features and a Africa Renewal It’s Online. anew Africa. It’s anew Africa Renewal. Now available tablets on and smartphones, eReaders. www.un.org/africarenewal facebook.com/africarenewal and information about Africa and UN. the and Your news for source one-stop twitter.com/africarenewal

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