thernbroom
Superstar
these Chinese are really taking over on my way to Uganda and they have a customer care centre and a cafe just for them in Ethiopia airport
Essential The Africa the Media Doesn't Tell You About
- Thread starter TommyHilltrigga
- Start date
these Chinese are really taking over on my way to Uganda and they have a customer care centre and a cafe just for them in Ethiopia airport
The Odum of Ala Igbo
Hail Biafra!
So...Kenya
Sad.
Frangala
All Star
Togo protests against Faure Gnassingbé
Image copyrightAFP
Image captionProtesters are calling for the end of the "Gnassingbé dynasty"
Tens of thousands of people have marched through the streets of Togo's capital, Lomé, protesting against President Faure Gnassingbé.
The number of demonstrators is said to be unprecedented. The internet has been severely restricted.
A government concession to introduce a two-term presidential limit through a constitutional amendment failed to dissuade the protesters.
They want Mr Gnassingbé, who has been in power since 2005, to step down.
He became president after the death of his father, Gnassingbé Eyadema, who had been at the helm for 38 years. Protesters are calling for the end of the "Gnassingbé dynasty".
Internet speeds are said to be slow and access to social media platforms limited.
'We suffer too much'
Government spokesperson Gilbert Bawara told a local radio station that there was an ongoing internet restriction.
"Even in most developed countries, authorities take control of telecommunications in some cases," he said.
AFP news agency reported that mobile internet had been shut down in the capital but added that wi-fi networks were still working.
Image copyrightAFP
Image captionDemonstrators had tops with messages calling for President Gnassingbé to resign
Image copyrightAFP
Image captionThis sign says "50 years is too much" - a reference to the Gnassingbé family rule
BBC Afrique's Ata Ahli Ahebla reports that demonstrations took place in many cities and that more are planned for Thursday.
He adds that the decision by the cabinet to propose a constitutional change to bring about a presidential term-limit has not changed the protesters' plans.
They see it as part of a ploy to extend Mr Gnassingbé's rule.
The protests were organised by a coalition of opposition parties and civil society organisations.
Amnesty International estimated that 100,000 people marched in Lome, many wearing the red, orange and pink colours of opposition parties as they chanted "Free Togo".
One demonstrator, Luc Koffi, told AFP that he wants the president to step down:
"We suffer too much, we can't even find food. What country are we in? We don't want Faure any more, he must go," he said.
Image copyrightAFP
Image captionA protestor holds up a sign exhorting opposition against dictatorship
Local journalist Blamé Ekoué reported that organisers said that they would not relent in their push for a two-term presidential limit and for the release of some of their members who were arrested, charged and sentenced after similar protests last week.
In August, two opposition protesters were killed and 13 others wounded when security forces opened fire to break up demonstrations.
They chanted: "50 years is too long".
- 3 hours ago
- From the sectionAfrica
- Share this with Facebook
- Share this with Twitter
- Share this with Messenger
- Share this with Email
- Share
Image captionProtesters are calling for the end of the "Gnassingbé dynasty"
Tens of thousands of people have marched through the streets of Togo's capital, Lomé, protesting against President Faure Gnassingbé.
The number of demonstrators is said to be unprecedented. The internet has been severely restricted.
A government concession to introduce a two-term presidential limit through a constitutional amendment failed to dissuade the protesters.
They want Mr Gnassingbé, who has been in power since 2005, to step down.
He became president after the death of his father, Gnassingbé Eyadema, who had been at the helm for 38 years. Protesters are calling for the end of the "Gnassingbé dynasty".
Internet speeds are said to be slow and access to social media platforms limited.
'We suffer too much'
Government spokesperson Gilbert Bawara told a local radio station that there was an ongoing internet restriction.
"Even in most developed countries, authorities take control of telecommunications in some cases," he said.
AFP news agency reported that mobile internet had been shut down in the capital but added that wi-fi networks were still working.
Image captionDemonstrators had tops with messages calling for President Gnassingbé to resign
Image captionThis sign says "50 years is too much" - a reference to the Gnassingbé family rule
BBC Afrique's Ata Ahli Ahebla reports that demonstrations took place in many cities and that more are planned for Thursday.
He adds that the decision by the cabinet to propose a constitutional change to bring about a presidential term-limit has not changed the protesters' plans.
They see it as part of a ploy to extend Mr Gnassingbé's rule.
The protests were organised by a coalition of opposition parties and civil society organisations.
Amnesty International estimated that 100,000 people marched in Lome, many wearing the red, orange and pink colours of opposition parties as they chanted "Free Togo".
One demonstrator, Luc Koffi, told AFP that he wants the president to step down:
"We suffer too much, we can't even find food. What country are we in? We don't want Faure any more, he must go," he said.
Image captionA protestor holds up a sign exhorting opposition against dictatorship
Local journalist Blamé Ekoué reported that organisers said that they would not relent in their push for a two-term presidential limit and for the release of some of their members who were arrested, charged and sentenced after similar protests last week.
In August, two opposition protesters were killed and 13 others wounded when security forces opened fire to break up demonstrations.
They chanted: "50 years is too long".
Cameroon drops 'terror' case against Anglophone activists
Date 31.08.2017
In January, protesters rallied in Berlin against the oppression of the Anglophone minority in Cameroon
Cameroon's president has ordered a military court to halt its trial of Anglophone leaders to ease tensions with the country's minority English-speaking areas. The activists faced a possible death sentence if convicted.
President Paul Biya has issued a decree dropping terror-related charges against Anglophone civil society leaders and several supporters who were jailed amid unrest months ago.
The leaders of the country's minority English-speaking communities - Felix Agbor Balla, Fontem Aforteka'a Neba and Paul Ayah Abine - were arrested late last year following demonstrations by English speakers calling for equal treatment in the majority French-speaking nation.
The men are expected to be released soon, according to one of their lawyers.
The men were being tried under anti-terrorism laws that were established to combat Islamist Boko Haram militants. They faced a possible death sentence if they had been convicted.
"This decision stems from the head of state's firm resolve to continuously explore ways and means to seeking a peaceful solution to crises," read a statement released by the secretary general of the presidency on Wednesday.
The case stoked tensions in the country's English-speaking northwest and southwest regions, fueling opposition to Biya's government. The move to end the trial followed a growing wave of pressure from church officials, diplomats and an online campaign demanding their release.
Read more: Cameroonian kid beats internet ban to win coding competition
An opportunity for new dialogue
Local analysts say President Biya gave in to pressure and ordered the prisoners' release because English-speaking parents were determined to keep their children home from school until the charges were dropped.
Felix Gana has not sent his children to school since January. He told DW the leaders' release is a sign that the government is inclined to open up a dialogue with the minority group.
"It is a great step by the government to encourage dialogue, to see that there is peace, to see that the problems that the English-speaking part of Cameroon is raising will be solved. The children will go back to school. My kids will go back to school, so this is good news."
Bamenda-based businessman says he wants to see his relative Felix Agbor Balla released before he re-opens his business.
"Since [the government] says they have released our brothers, we want them to come. [Then] we will put the books outside and start selling again," he told DW.
However in a video shared after the release, some activists are asking President Biya to also pardon those who have fled the country and are currently in exile, as well as recall almost 5,000 soldiers which were deployed to English-speaking regions.
Yaounde-based human rights activist, Eric Fossung, says demilitarizing English speaking Cameroon is an important step towards reconciliation.
"If we are talking peace, then there is no need for the soldiers to be there. They have dropped charges against all those concerned with violence. We are Cameroonians and I don't think anybody has an interest that Cameroon should fall apart. Our main interest is that everybody should come on board and re-build Cameroon."
Crackdown in Anglophone areas
Amnesty International has welcomed the government's decision to drop the case, but said the Anglophone leaders shouldn't have been arrested in the first place for helping organize non-violent protests last year.
The government's reaction to the unrest has been to crack down on Anglophone regions. Internet connections in the areas were cut for three months, and earlier this week authorities announced a ban on broadcasts from a South Africa-based channel SCBC.
The English-speaking minority can be traced back to Cameroon's unique history. At the end of World War II, the one-time German colony was handed to France and Britain to run.
Read more: After Namibia, could other former German colonies demand reparations?
During Cameroon's independence in the 1960s, the English-speaking voters opted to join Cameroon rather than neighboring Nigeria. The community has since said they've suffered discrimination.
rs/cmk (AP, AFP, Reuters)
Moki Edwin contributed to this report
Cameroon drops 'terror' case against Anglophone activists
Date 31.08.2017
In January, protesters rallied in Berlin against the oppression of the Anglophone minority in Cameroon
Cameroon's president has ordered a military court to halt its trial of Anglophone leaders to ease tensions with the country's minority English-speaking areas. The activists faced a possible death sentence if convicted.
President Paul Biya has issued a decree dropping terror-related charges against Anglophone civil society leaders and several supporters who were jailed amid unrest months ago.
The leaders of the country's minority English-speaking communities - Felix Agbor Balla, Fontem Aforteka'a Neba and Paul Ayah Abine - were arrested late last year following demonstrations by English speakers calling for equal treatment in the majority French-speaking nation.
The men are expected to be released soon, according to one of their lawyers.
The men were being tried under anti-terrorism laws that were established to combat Islamist Boko Haram militants. They faced a possible death sentence if they had been convicted.
"This decision stems from the head of state's firm resolve to continuously explore ways and means to seeking a peaceful solution to crises," read a statement released by the secretary general of the presidency on Wednesday.
The case stoked tensions in the country's English-speaking northwest and southwest regions, fueling opposition to Biya's government. The move to end the trial followed a growing wave of pressure from church officials, diplomats and an online campaign demanding their release.
Read more: Cameroonian kid beats internet ban to win coding competition
An opportunity for new dialogue
Local analysts say President Biya gave in to pressure and ordered the prisoners' release because English-speaking parents were determined to keep their children home from school until the charges were dropped.
Felix Gana has not sent his children to school since January. He told DW the leaders' release is a sign that the government is inclined to open up a dialogue with the minority group.
"It is a great step by the government to encourage dialogue, to see that there is peace, to see that the problems that the English-speaking part of Cameroon is raising will be solved. The children will go back to school. My kids will go back to school, so this is good news."
Bamenda-based businessman says he wants to see his relative Felix Agbor Balla released before he re-opens his business.
"Since [the government] says they have released our brothers, we want them to come. [Then] we will put the books outside and start selling again," he told DW.
However in a video shared after the release, some activists are asking President Biya to also pardon those who have fled the country and are currently in exile, as well as recall almost 5,000 soldiers which were deployed to English-speaking regions.
Yaounde-based human rights activist, Eric Fossung, says demilitarizing English speaking Cameroon is an important step towards reconciliation.
"If we are talking peace, then there is no need for the soldiers to be there. They have dropped charges against all those concerned with violence. We are Cameroonians and I don't think anybody has an interest that Cameroon should fall apart. Our main interest is that everybody should come on board and re-build Cameroon."
Crackdown in Anglophone areas
Amnesty International has welcomed the government's decision to drop the case, but said the Anglophone leaders shouldn't have been arrested in the first place for helping organize non-violent protests last year.
The government's reaction to the unrest has been to crack down on Anglophone regions. Internet connections in the areas were cut for three months, and earlier this week authorities announced a ban on broadcasts from a South Africa-based channel SCBC.
The English-speaking minority can be traced back to Cameroon's unique history. At the end of World War II, the one-time German colony was handed to France and Britain to run.
Read more: After Namibia, could other former German colonies demand reparations?
During Cameroon's independence in the 1960s, the English-speaking voters opted to join Cameroon rather than neighboring Nigeria. The community has since said they've suffered discrimination.
rs/cmk (AP, AFP, Reuters)
Moki Edwin contributed to this report
Cameroon drops 'terror' case against Anglophone activists
The Odum of Ala Igbo
Hail Biafra!
Cameroon drops 'terror' case against Anglophone activists
Date 31.08.2017
In January, protesters rallied in Berlin against the oppression of the Anglophone minority in Cameroon
Cameroon's president has ordered a military court to halt its trial of Anglophone leaders to ease tensions with the country's minority English-speaking areas. The activists faced a possible death sentence if convicted.
President Paul Biya has issued a decree dropping terror-related charges against Anglophone civil society leaders and several supporters who were jailed amid unrest months ago.
The leaders of the country's minority English-speaking communities - Felix Agbor Balla, Fontem Aforteka'a Neba and Paul Ayah Abine - were arrested late last year following demonstrations by English speakers calling for equal treatment in the majority French-speaking nation.
The men are expected to be released soon, according to one of their lawyers.
The men were being tried under anti-terrorism laws that were established to combat Islamist Boko Haram militants. They faced a possible death sentence if they had been convicted.
"This decision stems from the head of state's firm resolve to continuously explore ways and means to seeking a peaceful solution to crises," read a statement released by the secretary general of the presidency on Wednesday.
The case stoked tensions in the country's English-speaking northwest and southwest regions, fueling opposition to Biya's government. The move to end the trial followed a growing wave of pressure from church officials, diplomats and an online campaign demanding their release.
Read more: Cameroonian kid beats internet ban to win coding competition
An opportunity for new dialogue
Local analysts say President Biya gave in to pressure and ordered the prisoners' release because English-speaking parents were determined to keep their children home from school until the charges were dropped.
Felix Gana has not sent his children to school since January. He told DW the leaders' release is a sign that the government is inclined to open up a dialogue with the minority group.
"It is a great step by the government to encourage dialogue, to see that there is peace, to see that the problems that the English-speaking part of Cameroon is raising will be solved. The children will go back to school. My kids will go back to school, so this is good news."
Bamenda-based businessman says he wants to see his relative Felix Agbor Balla released before he re-opens his business.
"Since [the government] says they have released our brothers, we want them to come. [Then] we will put the books outside and start selling again," he told DW.
However in a video shared after the release, some activists are asking President Biya to also pardon those who have fled the country and are currently in exile, as well as recall almost 5,000 soldiers which were deployed to English-speaking regions.
Yaounde-based human rights activist, Eric Fossung, says demilitarizing English speaking Cameroon is an important step towards reconciliation.
"If we are talking peace, then there is no need for the soldiers to be there. They have dropped charges against all those concerned with violence. We are Cameroonians and I don't think anybody has an interest that Cameroon should fall apart. Our main interest is that everybody should come on board and re-build Cameroon."
Crackdown in Anglophone areas
Amnesty International has welcomed the government's decision to drop the case, but said the Anglophone leaders shouldn't have been arrested in the first place for helping organize non-violent protests last year.
The government's reaction to the unrest has been to crack down on Anglophone regions. Internet connections in the areas were cut for three months, and earlier this week authorities announced a ban on broadcasts from a South Africa-based channel SCBC.
The English-speaking minority can be traced back to Cameroon's unique history. At the end of World War II, the one-time German colony was handed to France and Britain to run.
Read more: After Namibia, could other former German colonies demand reparations?
During Cameroon's independence in the 1960s, the English-speaking voters opted to join Cameroon rather than neighboring Nigeria. The community has since said they've suffered discrimination.
rs/cmk (AP, AFP, Reuters)
Moki Edwin contributed to this report
Cameroon drops 'terror' case against Anglophone activists
I see a case for a "Greater Nigeria"
Children of immigrants born in SA can now get citizenship
High Court finds Department of Home Affairs refusal of citizenship to six people unconstitutional
The Western Cape High Court found that children of immigrants who turned 18 before 1 January 2013 can apply for citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act. Photo: Masixole Feni
By Safura Abdool Karim | 8 September 2017
On Thursday, the Western Cape High Court created a pathway to citizenship for children born to non-South African citizens.
The South African Citizenship Act, 1995, initially contained two pathways for citizenship by naturalisation but neither applied to children born in South Africa to non-citizen parents.
The Citizenship Amendment Act, 2010 came into force in January 2013 and created a new pathway to citizenship by naturalisation for children born in South Africa to parents who are not South African citizens or permanent residents. Under the amendments, such a child may apply for citizenship when they turn 18 years old if they have lived in South Africa from the time they were born and their birth was registered.
The case was brought by six people – Mariam Ali, Aden Salih, Kanu Nkololo, Farieda Nsoki, Caroline Masuku and Murphy Ngaga. All six were born in South Africa, had their births registered and turned 18 after 1 January 2013. All of them applied for citizenship under the amended South African Citizenship Act, 1995, and their applications were refused by the Department of Home Affairs. The applicants were represented by the Legal Resources Centre.
The Department is of the view that the new pathway doesn’t apply to people born before the amendments came into force on 1 January 2013. The Department argued that people born before this date are not prejudiced because they are still able to apply for refugee status or permanent residence.
Acting Judge Derek Wille disagreed with the latter argument, finding that the issue of prejudice was relevant and that the prejudice involved the practical implications of the Department’s decision as well as fundamental constitutional entitlements. Specifically, the court stated that the Department’s decision was “‘effectively ‘ring-fencing’ the applicants as ‘non-citizens’ in the country that they have lived in since birth and which mostly likely [is] the only that they have ever experienced and known”. Wille found that the Department’s actions infringed on the applicant’s dignity and effectively relegated them to the status of second-class citizens.
The court then had to consider whether the Act applied to individuals born before 1 January 2013. The applicants argued that the new pathway should be available to anyone who qualified for citizenship after it came into operation, in other words people who turned 18 after 1 January 2013.
Ordinarily, legislation does not apply retrospectively i.e. to events that came before the legislation came into force. However, in this case, the court found that the legislation could operate retrospectively because it would not interfere with existing rights and obligations.
Also, the court held that a failure to interpret the law to apply retrospectively would draw an artificial distinction between children born before and after 1 January 2013, and violate a number of constitutional rights including the right to dignity and the right to equal protection and benefit of the law. Such a distinction would mean that children who were born and lived in South Africa until they were 18 would have no right to apply for citizenship. So the court found that any person who met the law’s requirements, irrespective of whether they were born before or after 1 January 2013, would have a pathway to citizenship under the Act.
However, Wille decided not to make an order granting the applicants citizenship because this would be judicial overreach. Instead, the court ordered the Department to accept the applications and decide on each of the applications within ten days of them being filed. The Department was also ordered to create the forms needed to allow applications under the Act to be filed within a year and, in the interim, accept applications by affidavit.
Read the judgment.
Children of immigrants born in SA can now get citizenship
High Court finds Department of Home Affairs refusal of citizenship to six people unconstitutional
The Western Cape High Court found that children of immigrants who turned 18 before 1 January 2013 can apply for citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act. Photo: Masixole Feni
By Safura Abdool Karim | 8 September 2017
On Thursday, the Western Cape High Court created a pathway to citizenship for children born to non-South African citizens.
The South African Citizenship Act, 1995, initially contained two pathways for citizenship by naturalisation but neither applied to children born in South Africa to non-citizen parents.
The Citizenship Amendment Act, 2010 came into force in January 2013 and created a new pathway to citizenship by naturalisation for children born in South Africa to parents who are not South African citizens or permanent residents. Under the amendments, such a child may apply for citizenship when they turn 18 years old if they have lived in South Africa from the time they were born and their birth was registered.
The case was brought by six people – Mariam Ali, Aden Salih, Kanu Nkololo, Farieda Nsoki, Caroline Masuku and Murphy Ngaga. All six were born in South Africa, had their births registered and turned 18 after 1 January 2013. All of them applied for citizenship under the amended South African Citizenship Act, 1995, and their applications were refused by the Department of Home Affairs. The applicants were represented by the Legal Resources Centre.
The Department is of the view that the new pathway doesn’t apply to people born before the amendments came into force on 1 January 2013. The Department argued that people born before this date are not prejudiced because they are still able to apply for refugee status or permanent residence.
Acting Judge Derek Wille disagreed with the latter argument, finding that the issue of prejudice was relevant and that the prejudice involved the practical implications of the Department’s decision as well as fundamental constitutional entitlements. Specifically, the court stated that the Department’s decision was “‘effectively ‘ring-fencing’ the applicants as ‘non-citizens’ in the country that they have lived in since birth and which mostly likely [is] the only that they have ever experienced and known”. Wille found that the Department’s actions infringed on the applicant’s dignity and effectively relegated them to the status of second-class citizens.
The court then had to consider whether the Act applied to individuals born before 1 January 2013. The applicants argued that the new pathway should be available to anyone who qualified for citizenship after it came into operation, in other words people who turned 18 after 1 January 2013.
Ordinarily, legislation does not apply retrospectively i.e. to events that came before the legislation came into force. However, in this case, the court found that the legislation could operate retrospectively because it would not interfere with existing rights and obligations.
Also, the court held that a failure to interpret the law to apply retrospectively would draw an artificial distinction between children born before and after 1 January 2013, and violate a number of constitutional rights including the right to dignity and the right to equal protection and benefit of the law. Such a distinction would mean that children who were born and lived in South Africa until they were 18 would have no right to apply for citizenship. So the court found that any person who met the law’s requirements, irrespective of whether they were born before or after 1 January 2013, would have a pathway to citizenship under the Act.
However, Wille decided not to make an order granting the applicants citizenship because this would be judicial overreach. Instead, the court ordered the Department to accept the applications and decide on each of the applications within ten days of them being filed. The Department was also ordered to create the forms needed to allow applications under the Act to be filed within a year and, in the interim, accept applications by affidavit.
Read the judgment.
Children of immigrants born in SA can now get citizenship
The Odum of Ala Igbo
Hail Biafra!
NIGERIAN (ZOO) ARMY INVADES THE HOME OF NNAMDI KANU. 3 DEAD
Tunisia Launches Charm Offensive to Join ECOWAS as Maghreb Union Crumbles
Tunisia Launches Charm Offensive to Join ECOWAS as Maghreb Union Crumbles | The North Africa Post
Something smells fishy...
Tunisia Launches Charm Offensive to Join ECOWAS as Maghreb Union Crumbles | The North Africa Post
Something smells fishy...
Red Shield
Global Domination
Man.. shyt is why morocco joining ecowas should have never been entertained...
Those arab countries will end up dominating ecowas.
And now I am hearing backwards ass Mauritania wants to join. Mauritania which always been
to the rest of Africa.John Magufuli ain't no joke...
Tanzania seizes diamonds from British mining company
The Tanzanian government said Sunday it had confiscated diamonds worth nearly $30m after accusing British company Petra Diamonds of having declared a lower value when trying to export the gems.
Speaking on government television channel TBC 1, finance minister Philip Mpango said the diamonds extracted from the Williamson Diamonds mine had been “nationalised”.
The mine is 75%t owned by Petra Diamonds, with the remaining stake held by the Tanzanian state.
The diamonds were seized on August 31 at the airport in Tanzania’s main city of Dar es Salaam as they were being shipped to Belgium.
According to Tanzanian authorities, the documents from Williamson Diamonds estimated the value of the shipment at $14.7m based on a lower declared weight, while in fact they were worth double the amount.
“The Williamson Diamonds company documents put the value of the diamonds at $14.7m (before cutting and polishing) while their real value is $29.5m,” the finance ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
On Thursday, two senior officials in the mining sector who had been cited in parliamentary reports on suspected embezzlement connected with the mining and sale of diamonds resigned following pressure from President John Magufuli.
Nicknamed the Bulldozer, Magufuli swept to power in 2015 on an anti-corruption platform.
He has said government officials implicated in the parliamentary report should resign and not wait for a formal dismissal order.
Magufuli has also locked horns with foreign mining companies which according to a parliamentary report have underreported their production, thus depriving Tanzania of tens of billions of dollars in revenue since 1998.
Tanzania seizes diamonds from British mining company
Tanzania seizes diamonds from British mining company
The Tanzanian government said Sunday it had confiscated diamonds worth nearly $30m after accusing British company Petra Diamonds of having declared a lower value when trying to export the gems.
Speaking on government television channel TBC 1, finance minister Philip Mpango said the diamonds extracted from the Williamson Diamonds mine had been “nationalised”.
The mine is 75%t owned by Petra Diamonds, with the remaining stake held by the Tanzanian state.
The diamonds were seized on August 31 at the airport in Tanzania’s main city of Dar es Salaam as they were being shipped to Belgium.
According to Tanzanian authorities, the documents from Williamson Diamonds estimated the value of the shipment at $14.7m based on a lower declared weight, while in fact they were worth double the amount.
“The Williamson Diamonds company documents put the value of the diamonds at $14.7m (before cutting and polishing) while their real value is $29.5m,” the finance ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
On Thursday, two senior officials in the mining sector who had been cited in parliamentary reports on suspected embezzlement connected with the mining and sale of diamonds resigned following pressure from President John Magufuli.
Nicknamed the Bulldozer, Magufuli swept to power in 2015 on an anti-corruption platform.
He has said government officials implicated in the parliamentary report should resign and not wait for a formal dismissal order.
Magufuli has also locked horns with foreign mining companies which according to a parliamentary report have underreported their production, thus depriving Tanzania of tens of billions of dollars in revenue since 1998.
Tanzania seizes diamonds from British mining company
Somalia just unveiled its first tech innovation hub
Let's connect with the world. (Courtesy/iRise Hub)
WRITTEN BY Abdi Latif Dahir
September 07, 2017
Coming soon to Mogadishu: Somalia’s first fully-fledged innovation hub.
iRise Hub, which will officially open in the Somali capital in September, will function as a co-working space and provide research, incubation, and acceleration services for new start-ups. The name iRise is a play on the #SomaliaRising hashtag from Twitter, which has been used to document the country’s socioeconomic and political progress over the last few years.
Abdihakim Ainte, the principal founder of iRise, says there’s an increased need for these kinds of spaces in order to realize the full potential of Somalia’s technology sector.
Besides the devastating impact of Somalia’s civil war, an aspirational technology sector has been growing in the Horn of Africa nation for years. Somalia has one of the most active mobile money markets in the world, with millions of people subscribed to e-payment services. Young people, with increased access to the internet and mobile phones, have shown interest in launching technology-driven businesses, crowdfunding entities—and even innovating around famine relief efforts. To improve efficiency, the government recently launched a network center that would ensure all government institutions have free internet access.
“It’s about rolling out some ecosystem in the country,” Ainte said, “and we feel that we need to establish this kind of innovation hub so that we can catch up with the rest of the world.”
Warda Dirir, who co-founded the accelerator Innovate Ventures in Hargeisa, Somaliland, says more and more startups are becoming “increasingly appreciative of the role technology plays in improving productivity, transparency, and efficiency.”
Yet establishments like iRise will have to overcome many challenges. Internet provision in Somalia is not widespread, with a recent three-week blackout hurting relief efforts. Somalia doesn’t have a regulatory framework for both the ICT and financial sectors, and faces major security risks that hinder foreign investment.
Sign up for the Quartz Africa Weekly Brief — the most important and interesting news from across the continent, in your inbox.
Somalia just unveiled its first tech innovation hub
Let's connect with the world. (Courtesy/iRise Hub)
WRITTEN BY Abdi Latif Dahir
September 07, 2017
Coming soon to Mogadishu: Somalia’s first fully-fledged innovation hub.
iRise Hub, which will officially open in the Somali capital in September, will function as a co-working space and provide research, incubation, and acceleration services for new start-ups. The name iRise is a play on the #SomaliaRising hashtag from Twitter, which has been used to document the country’s socioeconomic and political progress over the last few years.
Abdihakim Ainte, the principal founder of iRise, says there’s an increased need for these kinds of spaces in order to realize the full potential of Somalia’s technology sector.
Besides the devastating impact of Somalia’s civil war, an aspirational technology sector has been growing in the Horn of Africa nation for years. Somalia has one of the most active mobile money markets in the world, with millions of people subscribed to e-payment services. Young people, with increased access to the internet and mobile phones, have shown interest in launching technology-driven businesses, crowdfunding entities—and even innovating around famine relief efforts. To improve efficiency, the government recently launched a network center that would ensure all government institutions have free internet access.
“It’s about rolling out some ecosystem in the country,” Ainte said, “and we feel that we need to establish this kind of innovation hub so that we can catch up with the rest of the world.”
Warda Dirir, who co-founded the accelerator Innovate Ventures in Hargeisa, Somaliland, says more and more startups are becoming “increasingly appreciative of the role technology plays in improving productivity, transparency, and efficiency.”
Yet establishments like iRise will have to overcome many challenges. Internet provision in Somalia is not widespread, with a recent three-week blackout hurting relief efforts. Somalia doesn’t have a regulatory framework for both the ICT and financial sectors, and faces major security risks that hinder foreign investment.
Sign up for the Quartz Africa Weekly Brief — the most important and interesting news from across the continent, in your inbox.
Somalia just unveiled its first tech innovation hub