On August 5, 2017, the people of Rwanda awoke to hear the much anticipated news that President Paul Kagame, the only head of state Rwandans have known this century, won his reelection bid to serve his third consecutive term. Early polls reported by the Associated Press suggested that President Kagame obtained nearly 99 percent of…
Despite the many ethnic tensions and high levels of unemployment that continue to plague many African nations, the continent is now being referred to as the “world’s most exciting economic frontier.” Africa is experiencing record economic growth rates, surpassing the vast majority of developed economies. Although there are many underlying factors behind the growth, most notably…
Ethiopia has long been considered a model for other African nations. The country’s unique style of federalism has up until now been successful at keeping ethnic tensions from dividing the nation, and this is in large part due to Ethiopia’s robust constitution. However, ongoing tensions between the federal government in Addis Ababa and the…
Kenya’s growing technological pursuits have coincided with a surge in entrepreneurial endeavors, particularly, among the country’s innovative youth. Tesh Mbaabu is a young Kenyan tech entrepreneur, having started several successful companies almost immediately after completing his degree in Computer Science from the University of Nairobi in 2015. Notably, Mbaabu’s ventures into the technological sphere commenced prior to earning his degree; having started Tesh Technologies Limited,…
As the most influential Silicon Valley company in the world, the footprint of tech giant Google in Africa has been mostly limited to branding its consumer products and financing humanitarian projects. However, things are starting to change in 2017, with Google paying more attention to the nascent tech startup scene and the potential of funding…
It has been two years since beloved Zimbabwean lion Cecil was tragically killed by an American dentist. The killing brought a viral wave of anger against the dentist and also shined a light on the troubling and growing trend of trophy hunting. Sadly, Cecil is in the news again after a similar death for his son, six-year-old…
The fake news epidemic that sought to destabilize the democratic electoral process in the United States and France in recent months has reached Kenya and South Africa. According to a BBC report published in late July, a fraudulent video made to resemble Focus on Africa, a regular segment of the BBC World News television program, was…
The Nigerian government made what could be a huge step forward in the continued growth of its democracy recently by passing the ‘not too young to run bill.’ After being passed by the Nigerian Senate on July 26, 2017, the bill then narrowly passed in the Nigerian House of Representatives on July 28. As a…
After less than two scandalous weeks on the job, the Communications Director handpicked by besieged United States President Donald Trump has been abruptly removed from his post. Anthony Scaramucci, a billionaire Wall Street investment banker, raised eyebrows on Capitol Hill as a profane and outspoken man who loved the spotlight and boasted of his brash…
The violent and untimely death of Chris Msando, Director of Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) ICT Department, has sent shockwaves throughout Kenya and around the world. With the upcoming elections, Kenyan citizens are still coming to grips with what yet another death means for the fragile state of politics in the country. Msando was reported…
While football federations in Europe and the Americas are yet to be convinced about FIFA’s implementation of goal line technology and video assistant referee (VAR) systems, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) plans to use both technologies in 2018 during the Total African Nations Championship. During a CAF meeting in Cairo, officials resolved to roll…
Spike Lee’s career took off with his 1986 film She’s Gotta Have It. The movie was Lee’s first feature-length film and he wrote, directed, and edited it, working with a very small budget. It was well-received by both audiences and critics. Thirty-odd years later, Lee has returned to the story that launched his career with…
Since 2000, American audiences have been captivated by the reality show Big Brother. Initially a remake of a Dutch show by the same name, the US version has also inspired spinoffs all around the globe. Soon, East Africa will have their own version of the show. Called God Father East Africa, the show is currently…
The overblown drama and theatrics of reality television were reportedly in full display at the White House this week as Omarosé Onée Manigault-Newman, better known as Omarosa of the hit NBC series The Apprentice, was dismissed from her duties as a communications assistant to United States President Donald Trump, who also happens to be the…
