Andrew Stegmann

How The Rise of Donald Trump Will Affect Africa

This is how the game has precipitated into a dirty no holds barred wrestling match between races.

It has been long since the world witnessed the rise of a politician who inspires as much controversy as Donald Trump. Who is “The Donald”, as he is commonly referred to? The Donald could be a molecule: two atoms of Hitler for every single atom of Lady Gaga’s attention seeking streak. Donald Trump’s character is a peculiar concoction of unadulterated hatred, unapologetic ignorance, blatant racism and a mouth best kept shut. However, no man is that one dimensional and true to the fact, Donald Trump also has respectable qualities he brings to the table. If he wins the Presidency, what might happen?

Africa could finally win the battle against a burgeoning terrorist threat.trump1458435145029_aspR_1.665_w3697_h2221_e400

The deadliest terrorist group in Africa and in the world – Boko Haram is an affiliate of ISIS. The latter is domiciled in the Middle East and if Trump’s promises are anything to go by, he will knock the hell out of them. Speaking on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”, Trump said, “I would knock out the source of their wealth, the primary sources of their wealth, which is oil. And in order to do that, you have to put boots on the ground. I would knock the hell out of them, but I’d put a ring around it and I’d take the oil for our country.”

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Andrew Stegmann

Better work/life balance driving people to live abroad

New adventures, better work/life balance and career opportunities driving people to live abroadPricewaterhouseCoopers-Kenya-620x350

Despite an initial bedding in process, expats are there to stay and loving life, reveals new research from AXA PPP International.

Those looking to improve life satisfaction should consider moving abroad it seems, with over half of expatriates (56 percent) saying they have no intention of going home. Just two percent of expats are there for the short term and actually have a date set to return home. On average, 60 percent said the move lived up to all of their expectations, with 38 percent saying it had lived up to some of their expectations.

Typically, the drivers for moving abroad for expats included the search of a new adventure (56 percent), a better work/life balance (40 percent) and better weather (37 percent). Other motivations referenced included better career opportunities (17 percent), better healthcare (16 percent) or having always wanting to live in that area of the world (32 percent).

However, despite the high life satisfaction, adjusting to life in a new country was not easy for all. While 76 percent found settling in an easy or enjoyable process, 22 percent admitted they found it difficult to settle, build a social life or get to grips with local laws. Of those that found it easy or enjoyable, 13 percent had attributed it to the preparations made beforehand.

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Andrew Stegmann

Huawei looks to Africa to cut network deals

Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei has spread rapidly across the African continent.Huawei-looks-to-Africa-to-cut-network-deals-teaser_main_article

Undaunted by the economic slowdown at home in China, Huawei plans to build out more national broadband networks and put more smartphones in people’s hands across the region.

“I’m very positive about our current business growth and future prospects in Africa,” Jimin Pang, vice president of global government affairs at Huawei, tells This is Africa on the sidelines of  a conference in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.

This is not a new approach but rather an affirmation of a strategy that has allowed the company to expand rapidly in the region. “Of the several dozen available commercial 4G networks in Africa, more than 70 percent are built by Huawei,” Mr Pang says.

Huawei employs about 10,000 people across its Africa operations,  with an emphasis on local hires. It has also established several training centres in South Africa, Egypt, Tunisia and Angola among others, focused on technology development.

The company’s influence on connectivity in Africa is already substantial. The region now has the fastest growing rate of mobile subscriptions in the world.

According to a German academic study profiling Huawei’s global reach, “Africa’s mobile technology progression would not [be] as far as it is now without Huawei and its cheaper products”.

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Andrew Stegmann

10 Countries With Worst Access To Safe Water: 8 Are In Africa

The world’s poorest people spend the most on water, and some of the countries with the worst access to safe water are in Africa, according to a report by U.K.-based international charity, WaterAid.
WaterAid was set up in 1981 as a response to a U.N. initiative. Its report on the state of the world’s water — “Water: At what cost?” — shows that some people in developed countries pay as little as 0.1 percent of a minimum-wage salary on water.water
By comparison, someone in Madagascar who relies on a private company’s tanker truck for water could spend as much as 45 percent of daily income on water. In Mozambique, families relying on black-market vendors sometimes spend up to 100 times more on water that people using government-subsidized water.
Worldwide, some 650 million people in the world still do not have access to clean water, according to WaterAid. Government subsidized water sources often are reserved for wealthier communities, leaving the poorest to spend disproportionately.
Almost half of those who lack access to safe water — 300 million plus — are in Africa, NewYorkYimes reported in 2012.

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