Before we dive into this episode, we want to say a huge thank you to our listeners who have been tuning in for the past year. This episode concludes The Africa Hour’s first season on digitalization on the African continent. It was a wonderful experience and APRI hopes to be back soon with a new season and fresh, informative, and critical policy content.
Egypt is keen on foreign capital, and is creating special economic zones to attract investors. One such zone is along the man-made Suez Canal - one of the most important maritime trade routes globally. Even the tiniest of problems in the Canal can significantly derail operation for the thousands of shipping vessels that pass through the channel every year. Authorities are leveraging this crucial corridor, and in 2015, created a special trade zone around the Canal to boost local production of automotives, chemicals, construction materials and so on. As the zone slowly develops a decade after though, can authorities use technology to pull investors in faster? And can the zone become a green hydrogen production hub to help clean up the very-polluting shipping sector?
Guests
Mohamed Ibrahim Hafez is a prolific expert and advisor in Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). He has advised countries in the Middle East and Africa - including Egypt - on strategies and policies to boost investment and elevate SEZ ecosystems. Presently, he is a researcher at the Center for Policy, Citizenship and Society at Nottingham Trent University. He was formerly a policy advisor at the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones in Egypt (GAFI) and is also a fellow of the Asia Global Institute, in addition to being a Chevening Scholar.
Naira Hatem Is the Africa Race to Zero connector with the Climate Champions Team. She is an expert in environment policy issues in Egypt and across the MENA region, and has contributed to research projects on energy transitions in Africa
Professor Akram Soliman Elselmy is a veteran academic and engineer, who has researched and trained across the MENA region and further afield in the UKand the US. He is currently the Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the esteemed Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport, and formerly led the Port Training Institute (PTI). Prof. Elselmy is also the chairman of the organizing Committee of "MARLOG" - the International Conference on Maritime Transport and Logistics.
Further Readings
How the Suez Canal Economic Zone is aiding Egypt's economic resurgence https://www.fdiintelligence.com/content/locations/middle-east-africa/egypt/how-the-suez-canal-economic-zone-is-aiding-egypt-s-economic-resurgence-76816
The Suez Canal: Forthcoming Strategic and Geopolitical Challenges: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-15670-0_1
Unlocking Economic Potential: Transforming Egypt's Ports into Global Hubs: https://www.arabfinance.com/News/newdetails/9578
Suez Canal Economic Zone: from a transit area to an innovation hub in Egypt: https://www.sr-m.it/index.php?ctrl=Events&mod=events&action=info_events&slug=suez-canal-economic-zone-from-a-transit-area-to-an-innovation-hub-in-egypt&lang=en
Supporting the development of the Suez Canal Economic Zone: https://www.oecd.org/mena/competitiveness/suez-canal-economic-zone.htm
Second Phase of Suez Canal Economic Zone Digitalization Launched: https://energycapitalpower.com/2nd-phase-suez-canal-digitalization-ebrd/
Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, remote working has become an important part of business cultures across the world, including in Africa. Namibia, with its deserts and beaches, wants to capitalize on that opportunity, and attract ‘digital nomads’ to spend needed foreign exchange in the country, using a new visa category it launched back in 2022. But, two years on, the numbers of digital nomads who’ve passed through the program remains low. So what does Namibia need to do to compete for the global remote working community that boasts a market of more than 30 million people?
Guests
*Andreas Kresnel is a leading immigration expert on southern Africa, and is the founder of IBN Immigration Solutions. Based in South Africa, Andreas has worked on immigration issues in the region for more than a decade, opening two international IBN offices in Windhoek and Kenya in that time. He is the author of 3 books, including The Corporate Immigration Guide to southern Africa. Find Andreas' quick take on the Namibia's nomad visa here
*Lazarus Amukeshe is an award-winning business and investigative journalist with The Namibian, one of the country's biggest newspapers. He has covered developments on Namibia's nomad visa scheme since its 2022 launch. Lazarus was the 2023 Editors Forum Journalist of the Year in addition to being the best Business/Finance journalist. His latest reports are here.
*Prithwiraj (Raj) Choudhury is the Lumry Family Associate Professor at the Harvard Business School where he prolifically researches the future of work, particularly the changing geography of work. Raj has also analysed the productivity of remote working and nomad visas. He is an Associate Editor at Management Science and is on Forbes' Future of Work-50 list (2023). Read Raj's take on why nomad visas can boost local economies here.
Further Readings:
Namibia’s Nomad Visa https://nipdb.com/nomadvisa/
A guide to Namibia’s digital nomad visa https://digitalnomadsinafrica.com/destinations/namibia-digital-nomad-guide/
Namibia approves first nine nomad visa applications https://www.namibian.com.na/namibia-approves-first-digital-nomads/
Namibia welcomes first digital nomads https://neweralive.na/posts/namibia-welcomes-first-digital-nomads
Digital nomad visas are on the rise in Africa https://techcentral.co.za/digital-nomad-visas-africa-south-africa/233185/
Africa Woos Tech Talent As Remote Work Visa Trend Grows Worldwide: https://weetracker.com/2023/09/26/africa-woos-tech-talent/
This spectacular African country now has a digital nomad visa https://www.timeout.com/news/this-spectacular-african-country-now-has-a-digital-nomad-visa-101922
Ethiopia is marketing itself as the leading artificial intelligence (AI) player in Africa. The country is not just mouthing off though – it has some credits to back its claim. Some parts of Sophia the robot were developed right in Addis Ababa. Several Ethiopian startups are also using AI to develop products like language apps focused on local languages. Ethiopia is covering its base on the policy side too, with a new artificial intelligence institute, and a national AI policy in the making. But does this east African country have what it takes to be the AI powerhouse while avoiding ethical problems?
Guests
Hruy Tsegaye is a leading AI voice in Ethiopia. He is a co-founder at iCog Labs, the first private AI/Robotics company in East Africa - and the CEO of Mindplex, a decentralized media platform. Hruy is also a prolific AI researcher, and has published multiple articles on the state of AI in Africa. You can find some of his pieces on how decentralised AI can help solve development problems here.
Abdullahi Tsanni is a science journalist currently reporting for the prestigious MIT Tech Review in Boston. His work, which covers a wide range of issues across technology, science and health, has appeared in publications like STAT News, Nature, and The British Medical Journal. His recent report on the startups leading the race in programming AI specifically for African languages like Amharic is here.
Finally, Dr Taye Girma is the Deputy Director General at the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute, and is one of the brains behind the upcoming national AI policy. The Institute is one of the first such government departments in Africa, and is working on how AI can help boost the health, finance, transportation and agriculture sectors. Dr Girma is one of the founders of the Institute, and is at the center of AI research and practice in Ethiopia. He is also a professor of Computer Engineering with a focus on AI at the Addis Ababa Science and Technology University.
Further Readings
Nation Strengthening AI Technology to Modernize, Enhance Efficiency: Institute Director-General: https://www.ena.et/web/eng/w/eng_3633464
Whose Job Will AI Replace? Here's Why a Clerk in Ethiopia Has More to Fear Than One in California: https://theconversation.com/whose-job-will-ai-replace-heres-why-a-clerk-in-ethiopia-has-more-to-fear-than-one-in-california-216735
Grand Challenges Ethiopia: Catalyzing Equitable AI Use to Improve Global Health: https://www2.fundsforngos.org/latest-funds-for-ngos/grand-challenges-ethiopia-catalyzing-equitable-ai-use-to-improve-global-health/
The AI Startup Outperforming Google Translate in Ethiopian Languages: https://restofworld.org/2023/3-minutes-with-asmelash-teka-hadgu/
Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institutes Discusses Intellectual Property Rights for its Products: https://www.aii.et/ethiopian-artificial-intelligence-institutes-discuss-about-the-intellectual-property-rights-for-the-products-developed-by-the-institute/
African Union (AU) Continental AI Strategy for Africa: https://www.nepad.org/news/african-union-artificial-intelligence-continental-strategy-africa
A Sceptical Approach to the Future of AI and Emerging Technologies in Today’s Africa:https://medium.com/@Hruy.T/a-sceptical-approach-to-the-future-of-ai-and-emerging-technologies-in-todays-africa-d03abb04b8bf
The Future of AI Statistics in Africa - Is the Continent Really Ready?: https://www.isi-web.org/article/future-ai-statistics-africa-continent-ready#:~:text=digital%20solutions%20into%20their%20statistical,steps%20to%20formulate%20AI%20policies
Cabo Verde has always been, to many on the African continent, a small slice of beach resorts perfect for a holiday get away. Tourism is one of the key revenue earners for this small west African country, along with manufacturing and the services industry. But since 2019, the Cape Verdean government has been pushing a new digital plan that aims to position the country as a major tech hub in the sub region, rivaling countries like Nigeria and Ghana, West Africa’s tech heavyweights. But Cabo Verde, in addition to having fewer natural resources and a smaller economy, has a huge brain drain problem, with more of its population outside the country than inside it. So how will the country achieve its goal? Will targeting youths for tech training and building a fancy technology park with state of the art facilities to host start-up companies deliver the momentum the country needs?
Guests:
Uyoyo Edosio is a Principal Innovation and technology expert at the African Development Bank (AfDB) where she manages a multi-million dollar portfolio focused on digital innovation and education. She's MIT-trained, and has advised governments on their digital strategies, on the continent, and well beyond. Uyoyo is currently the program lead for the Cape Verde Technology Park Project at AfDB. In one of her most recent opinion pieces, Uyoyo lays out how African governments can tweak regulations to enable entrepreneurs to test products or services without the usual bureaucracy.
Pedro Lopes is the Cabo Verdean Secretary of State of the Digital Economy. Before that, he was the country's Secretary of State for Innovation and Technical Training, the youngest-serving government official at the time. Pedro is also a former YALI fellow and is credited with receiving several awards, including being named on the MIPAD Most Influential People of African Descent under 40. He also organized the first-ever Tedx in Praia. In 2018, Pedro was profiled by Forbes Magazine.
Further Readings:
Official Page - Cape Verde Tech Park: https://www.techpark.cv/
AfDB Cape Verde Park Project Overview: https://projectsportal.afdb.org/dataportal/VProject/show/P-CV-GB0-004
IOM Facts and Figures, Cape Verde: https://www.iom.int/node/106721/facts-and-figures
AfDB Agrees Loan For Cape Verde Technology Park: https://www.constructafrica.com/news/afdb-agrees-loan-cape-verde-technology-park
Cape Verde Receives 15 Million Lean for Two Data Centers: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/cape-verde-receives-15-million-loan-for-two-data-centers/
African Development Bank Partners With Cabo Verde to Boost Climate-Resilient Technology Park: https://thefintechtimes.com/african-development-bank-partners-with-cabo-verde-to-boost-climate-resilient-technology-park/
A Guide to Cabo Verde’s Digital Economy - US Department of Commerce https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/cabo-verde-digital-economy
Testing the Brain Gain theory - Micro evidence from Cape Verde - IZA Institute of Labor Economics https://www.iza.org/publications/dp/5048/testing-the-brain-gain-hypothesis-micro-evidence-from-cape-verde
Digital disaster and climate risk management in Mozambique holds immense potential for bolstering the country's resilience in the face of increasing climate-related challenges. With its vulnerability to cyclones, flooding, and droughts, Mozambique can benefit significantly from advanced technologies like remote sensing, satellite imagery, and data analytics to monitor and predict natural disasters. These digital tools enable early warning systems and efficient disaster response, helping save lives and mitigate economic losses. Additionally, leveraging digital platforms for climate adaptation strategies, such as crop modeling and water resource management, can empower local communities and authorities to make informed decisions. As Mozambique continues to grapple with climate change impacts, digital solutions offer a promising pathway to enhance preparedness and minimize the devastating effects of environmental disasters.
Guests:
Filipe Mate is a geographer and an environmental researcher with the Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo. He is a prolific analyst in the field of disaster risks and climate change. Filipe completed a Masters in Risk Management from Durham University in 2021, with a dissertation focusing on the preparedness in Beria before Cyclone Idai hit in 2019.
Tomás Queface is a researcher and security expert. He is currently a consultant with ACLED - a renowned global conflict data gathering project. Tomás helps monitor the ACLED project - Cabo Ligado, a Mozambique conflict observatory providing cutting edge, real time data and data analysis on political violence in the country.
Luis Nhachote is a journalist and researcher covering Mozambique. He is a board member of the Forum for African Investigative Reporters and is the founder of investigative platform Centro de Jornalismo Investigativo.
Further Readings:
Algeria seemed on track with its renewable energy transition. Like many north African countries, Algeria has experienced negative climate change impacts and recognises that there’s a global shift towards renewables that it too must follow. Already as early as 2010, the government announced it would green about a third of its energy mix by 2030, and launched a big solar and wind energy program. And then, Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and sent European countries scrambling for gas across the Mediterranean. Since then, billions of dollars have been pumped into oil and gas explorations in Algeria, with investments in the green energy field slowing in comparison. As fossil money continues to pour in, can Algiers find the will to stay focused on renewables?
Guests:
Achref Chibani is a journalist and prolific researcher focusing on energy and climate change and human rights in North Africa and the Middle East. He is currently a fellow at the European University Institute's School of Transnational Governance. His recent policy papers on Algeria's energy transition and on the future of hydrogen in the Gulf can be found here and here.
Radia Sedaoui is the Chief of the Energy Section at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) . Radia has taken part in several high-level panel discussions on renewable energy systems and is spearheading the UN's REGEND program, which aims to promote small scale renewable energy projects for the benefit of Arab women in rural communities. She was formerly a corporate leader at Sonatrach, Algeria's oil company.
Zine Labidine Ghebouli is a scholar on Algerian politics and Euro-Mediterranean cooperation. He is a fellow, past and present, with several top institutions, including the European Union Council on Foreign Relations and the Arab Reform Initiative. Zine's recent paper on Europe and Algeria's gas romance in the wake of the Ukraine war and his review of a post-Hirak Algeria are here and here.
Further readings:
https://www.mei.edu/publications/algeria-charts-path-renewable-energy-sector-development
https://www.unescwa.org/publications/energy-vulnerability-arab-region
https://www.unescwa.org/publications/progress-arab-region-decade-sustainable-energy
Cameroon really has no excuse for poor internet: Some of Africa’s biggest internet service providers operate in the country, including MTN and Orange, and the country is connected to five fiber optic submarine internet cables. Yet, internet broadband speeds in this central African country lag frustratingly. Added to that, internet costs are high, intensifying the digital divide between the poor and rich in a country where 47 percent of the population falls below the international poverty line for low-middle income countries. Cameroon’s internet affordability and quality has improved in recent years, but there’s a long way to go. In a digital world where countries are racing to deliver faster internet speeds at dirt-cheap costs, and where easy access to the internet is one measure of a nation’s development, can Cameroon catch up?
Guests
Judith Murungi is a lawyer, prolific legal researcher and an advocate at the High Court of Kenya. She is affiliated with several institutions, including the O'Neill Institute at Georgetown University and the NGO, Internet Sans Frontieres. Judith is currently researching AI regulations in Africa and has contributed to reports on the state of the internet in Africa, including 'Cross Border Digital Policies in Africa.'
Amindeh Blaise Atabong is a seasoned freelance investigative journalist based in Yaounde. He has covered everything from conflicts to internet shutdowns in Cameroon, and has been published in Quartz and Reuters among several other reputable platforms. You can read Amindeh's coverage of the recent #ModeAvion237 protests here.
Kathleen Ndongmo is a communications specialist and a digital rights campaigner based in Cameroon. A 'Pan African Good Troublemaker', Kathleen has spoken out loudly against human and internet rights violations in the country and was a leading voice in the 2017 'Bring Back Our Internet' campaign. She was also a 2018 Fellow with the Open Internet for Democracy Initiative. You can read some of her writing on digital rights in Africa here.
Vox Pops - Pius Ayeni, Akoko Regina, Madame Sambo Claudette
Further Readings
Cameroon Doubled Internet Penetration Rate in 4 Years: https://www.businessincameroon.com/economy/0103-12986-cameroon-doubled-mobile-internet-penetration-rate-in-4-years-although-challenges-remain
Cameroon Internet Shutdowns Cost Anglophones Millions: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/1/26/cameroon-internet-shutdowns-cost-anglophones-millions
Camtel, Orange, MTN, Nexttel… Cameroon’s Telecoms Watchdog Doles out Fines: https://www.theafricareport.com/311211/camtel-orange-mtn-nexttel-cameroons-telecoms-watchdog-doles-out-fines/
Cameroon Is Being Sued for Blocking the Internet in Its Anglophone Regions: https://qz.com/africa/1192401/access-now-and-internet-sans-frontieres-sue-cameroon-for-shutting-down-the-internet
The Number of Internet Users in Cameroon Grew by 10.6% in 2022: https://www.businessincameroon.com/banking-and-finance/2601-12940-the-number-of-internet-users-in-cameroon-grew-by-10-6-in-2022
Digital 2023 Report - Cameroon: https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2023-cameroon
Judith Murungi, Participant Reflection on #FIFAfrica22: Effective Engagement in the UPR Process for Digital Rights Promotion, The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA),<https://cipesa.org/2022/10/participant-reflection-on-fifafrica22-effective-engagement-in-the-upr-process-for-digital-rights-promotion/>
Judith Murungi, Electronic Retailing in Kenya: Addressing Consumer Protection Legal and Implementation Challenges, University of Nairobi, <http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/157268?show=full>
Contribution to the Global Digital Compact as a fellow of the South School on Internet Governance (SSIG) , <https://www.linkedin.com/posts/olgacavalli_south-school-on-internet-governance-global-activity-7044464679523360768-05yT?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop>
Around 1 billion people in the world are unregistered, with no means or documents to identify them. According to the World Bank, half of those people live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Across the continent, governments are struggling to provide adequate identification schemes for their citizens. The results are a weakened ability to deliver services and social grants, especially to vulnerable peoples such as the disabled, and the elderly. Rwanda wants to fix that. New smart IDs that will carry biometric components like fingerprints and iris scans are set to be rolled out in a few years. But does the country have the physical and legal infrastructure to make the rollout a success?
Guests:
Hilda Barasa is a Senior Policy Advisor with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Her research covers digitalisation processes in Africa and around the world. Her recent paper, co-authored with two of her colleagues, explores how digital IDs can help four African countries, including Rwanda, better reach marginalized groups, including women in rural areas and the elderly.
Hudson Kuteesa is a seasoned journalist with The New Times, covering everything from technology to health. He has reported prolifically on the new smart IDs that Rwanda plans to roll out. His report detailing how Rwanda's proposed smart IDs will be a game changer is here.
Katelyn Cioffi is a Senior Research Scholar at NYU's Center for Human Rights and Global Justice researching how digital government initiatives, including biometric ID systems, affect human rights. Katelyn has worked extensively on social justice issues at various organisations including Amnesty International. Katelyn was a 2018 Fulbright Fellow at the Amsterdam Center for International Law, University of Amsterdam.
Further Readings
African Countries are struggling to build robust identity systems: https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2019/12/05/african-countries-are-struggling-to-build-robust-identity-systems
Digital Identity in Rwanda, Case Study: https://researchictafrica.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Rwanda_31.10.21.pdf
Cash is still king in Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy, despite a decades-long push by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to switch to alternative modes of payment. Some 90 percent of transactions are cash-based, according to Bloomberg. Fees have been levied on cash withdrawals since 2012 but cash use remains high. In 2021, the CBN launched the eNaira -- a central bank digital currency or CDBC -- making Nigeria one of only 11 countries to do so. And last December, the Bank followed up on that by abruptly banning old naira notes and releasing lower volumes of the re-designed naira. It backfired: the currency change resulted in a cash scarcity crisis. The eNaira though, seems to be stronger. So what should the CBN do next?
Guests:
Chimgozirim Nwokoma is a Senior Reporter with TechPoint, one of Nigeria's leading tech publications. Chimgozirim's recent analysis on why Nigeria is not ready for cashless is here. You can also listen to Chimgozirim on the Techpoint Africa Podcast here.
Olubunmi Ayantunji is a legal practitioner and a legislative Draftsman with a focus on public policy. He is the founder of The Policy Roundtable and was a one-time consultant to a Nigerian parliament committee. Olubunmi has helped draft several bills, including the Plastic Bags Prohibition and Management Bill. He has also analyzed the recent cashless policy on Nigerian media channels.
Kelechukwu Ogu is an analyst with SBM, one of Nigeria's leading geopolitical intelligence platforms. Kelechukwu has worked prolifically on researching financial policies in Nigeria. He was a key contributor to new research from SBM - 'Strapped' - that focuses on the effects of the severe cash crunch resulting from a recent currency change policy by the Muhamadu Buhari-led administration.
Further Readings:
Strapped: Impact of the Cash Scarcity on Individuals and Businesses - https://www.sbmintel.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/202305_Strapped.pdf
Nigeria’s Cashless Policy (Central Bank of Nigeria) - https://www.cbn.gov.ng/cashless/Cash-Less%20FAQs.pdf
Access to Financial Services in Nigeria 2020 Survey - https://a2f.ng/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A2F-2020-Final-Report.pdf
Nigeria and Digital Banking: A Revolution Still Waiting to Happen - https://theconversation.com/nigeria-and-digital-banking-a-revolution-still-waiting-to-happen-203435
There’s no doubt that we are in the golden age of African music: The industry is experiencing an unprecedented era of recognition around the world. Some of the most streamed artists and songs hail from South Africa, particularly in the rising Amapiano genre. But despite the seeming success, South African artists faced a hard time during the pandemic, and continue to face numerous challenges. Can music platforms and policy makers work together to ensure a fairer system for creatives?
Guests:
Aidin Caye is a DJ and producer based in Johannesburg. His film, The State of the Arts, produced at the peak of pandemic lockdowns in South Africa, documented the dire experiences of musicians and other industry creatives.
More about Aidin: https://aidincaye.com
Watch State of the Arts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nXAJnKOj64
Gwen Ansell is a researcher with the Gordon Institute of Business Science and was a one-time visiting professor at the Center for Jazz Studies, Columbia University. Ansell is a prolific journalist and media trainer, and is the author of several books, including Soweto Blues.
Read Ansell’s blog https://sisgwenjazz.wordpress.com.
Andre Le Roux is the Managing Director of IKS Cultural Consulting. He formerly led the South African Musician Rights Organisation (SAMRO) Foundation. He has been a prominent voice in the industry, advocating for better fee collection systems and for better pay for musicians.
Further readings for those who want to learn more
Report “Taking Music Online in South Africa”: https://iksafrica.com/reports/Digital-Futures-Two-Taking-Music-Online-in-South-Africa.pdf
Report “Live Streaming in South Africa”: https://iksafrica.com/reports/Digital-Futures-online.pdf
Why African Artists Are Not Enjoying the Full Benefits of Streaming Services: https://techcabal.com/2021/03/26/data-why-african-artistes-are-not-enjoying-the-full-benefits-of-streaming-services/
AI Music generation - Coming for a Gig Near You? https://sisgwenjazz.wordpress.com/2023/03/28/ai-music-generation-coming-for-a-gig-near-you/
The Kiffness: https://www.thekiffness.com
Kenya is perhaps one of Africa’s most advanced cashless economies. MPesa - the mobile payment platform - has gained almost total dominance of the market. At least 30 million Kenyans of the country's 53 million population use MPesa for daily transactions. Fintechs in general have seen a massive emergence in this ecosystem - among them popular digital lending apps that many use to access quick loans without the stress of collateral requested by traditional banks. But there are allegations of data breaches and manipulation by the app operators. Customers too, have reported scenes of harassment and abuse by lending companies when they fail to pay up their loans. The Central Bank of Kenya regulates Fintechs in the country, but are the rules strict enough to discourage malpractices? Our host, Dr. Olumide Abimbola, discusses this and other pressing questions with guests Carlos Mureithi, Ariana Issaias, Cynthia Amutete and Kevin Mutiso.
Guests
Carlos Mureithi is a journalist covering tech and other topics in Africa. He is currently the Africa Correspondent for the Boston-based paper, the Christian Science Monitor.
Ariana Issaias and Cynthia Amutete are seasoned advisors with Kenyan law firm, Bowmans, specializing in financial technology.
Kevin Mutiso is the Chairman of the Digital Financial Services Association Kenya and founder of Oye, which provides insurance to Kenya’s boda boda riders.
Further readings for those who want to learn more
All Africa, Kenya Tops Continent by a Mile in Internet Penetration: https://allafrica.com/stories/202101220350.html
Pulitzer Center, Debt Slavery in Kenya on Fintech Explosion: https://pulitzercenter.org/projects/debt-slavery-kenya-fintech-explosion
Privacy International, Perspectives on the Harms of Unregulated Fintech: https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/4619/perspectives-harms-unregulated-fintech
Borgen Project, Closing the Internet Connectivity Gap in Kenya: https://borgenproject.org/internet-connectivity-gap-in-kenya/
Quartz, Kenya Is Preparing to Crack Down on a Flood of High-Interest Loan Apps: https://qz.com/africa/1975202/kenya-prepares-to-crack-down-on-high-interest-loan-apps
Since Elon Musk took over Twitter in October, 2023, he has laid off thousands of staff, cutting the company’s workforce by more than half. In Accra, Ghana where the Africa team is based, Musk disengaged all but one employee. Now, former staffers there are seeking redress for their firing, claiming Musk violated Ghana’s labor laws. In Accra, Olumide Abimbola speaks to Carla Olympio, the lawyer taking on the case.
Guests
Carla Olympio is a corporate lawyer and communications specialist. She is the founder and Managing Partner of Accra-based Agency Seven Seven. Educated in Ghana and the United Kingdom, Olympio acquired broad experience in law and across the varied industries of media, mining and oil and gas before setting up the Agency. The lawyer is currently leading negotiations with Twitter on behalf of former employees based in Accra.
Welcome to The Africa Hour, the podcast that takes a deep dive into pressing policy issues in African countries, providing expert analysis and insights from various perspectives. In today's episode, we are focusing on Ghana, where the tech industry is currently grappling with the aftermath of Twitter's recent decision to lay off all but one member of its 20-person team in Accra, which is the hub of its African operations. The affected employees have initiated legal action against Twitter, citing violations of Ghanaian employment laws. This situation raises important questions about how multinational tech companies operating in Africa are adhering to local labor laws and respecting the rights of their employees. Therefore, we will be examining the Ghanaian legal framework for hiring and firing, and also delving into broader issues around the treatment of tech workers across the continent. So sit back, relax, and join us as we explore this critical topic. Please subscribe, rate and share.
Host: Olumide Abimbola
Producer: Shola Lawal
Production Assistants: Nora Chirikure & Kwabena Nkurumah
Visit our website: https://afripoli.org/podcasts/