AfricaFocus Bulletin
Recent Commentaries by AfricaFocus Editor
(New in 2019)
May 13, 2019 Africa/Global: Cutting the Costs on Remittances
“Some people use their savings to start a business, while others
turn to family and friends to borrow cash. But Ismail Ahmed’s case
was more unusual. He launched WorldRemit, a money transfer
business, with compensation cash he received after uncovering
alleged corruption at the UN. … Ahmed had waited four years since
he’d submitted the dossier alleging corruption to the UN. But the
wait proved worthwhile when in February 2010 he received £200,000
in compensation for the way he had been treated after making
allegations, the money he used to fund the launch of WorldRemit.” -
Guardian, January 20, 2017
April 30, 2019 Africa/Global: Fighting Tax Evasion and Tax Avoidance
The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in its annual
Economic Report on Africa, focused on financing development in
Africa, highlighted the urgency to curb what it termed “revenue
leaks” through tax evasion and tax avoidance, as well as through
misguided government policies. Multinational corporations, corrupt
officials, and financial intermediaries around the world siphon
off African wealth, leaving national budgets starved for resources
to invest in health, education, and sustainable economic growth.
April 15, 2019 Africa/Global: Ebola Resurgence Tests Global Response
“Despite a worsening Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of
Congo, the World Health Organization on Friday again decided not
to declare the outbreak
a global health emergency. While expressing ´deep concern´ about the number of increasing
cases in parts of Congo, and the potential risk of the disease
spreading to neighboring countries, the W.H.O. said the epidemic
did not meet the criteria for declaring an international public
health emergency.” - New York Times, April 12, 2019
(http://tinyurl.com/y5ochm2v)
April 9, 2019 South Africa: Politicians Scapegoating Immigrants
In what became a debate amongst a small group of residents [in
Alexandra], another resident Kabelo Tsotetsi, defended immigrants,
saying they were starting their own businesses and not taking jobs
from South Africans. Tsotetsi said: “Our government doesn’t make
it easy for foreigners to live here, they don’t get help. They
come from countries where they are severely oppressed and they
come here and face the same struggles as us. We are all Africans
fighting for our dignity.” - GroundUp, April 3, 2019
April 9, 2019 Africa: Migration within the Continent
Reporting on recent surveys from 34 African countries,
Afrobarometer reports that the average preferred destination for
those seeking to migrate breaks down with 29% opting for a country
in their own region, 7% for elsewhere in Africa, 27% for Europe,
22% for North America, and 13% for some other region. The real
message of this and other reports, however, is not a single
highest-ranked location, but the wide diversity of migration
experiences. Breakdowns by region within Africa and by country
make this lesson even more pointed.
More on:
politics&human rights|peace&security|health|economy|ict
AfricaFocus Archive:
by date | by place | by topic
March 22, 2019
Southern Africa/Global: Cyclone Idai and Climate Justice
March 11, 2019
Sudan: Just Fall, That is All!
February 26, 2019
USA/Africa: From Wakanda to Reparations, Part 2
February 26, 2019
USA/Africa: From Wakanda to Reparations, Part 1
February 11, 2019
Nigeria: Many Candidates, Few Alternatives
January 30, 2019
USA/Africa: Paradigms of Foreign Intervention
January 30, 2019
USA/Africa: China, Bolton, and Jimmy Carter
January 22, 2019
Zimbabwe: Repression & Dreams Deferred, Again
January 8, 2019
Mozambique/Global: Who Pays for Transnational Corruption?
December 10, 2018
Africa/Global: Green New Deal Could Be Game-Changer
November 12, 2018
Africa: Africa Mining Vision
November 12, 2018
Africa: Why Mining is Hard to Tax
October 16, 2018
Africa/Global: Drug Company Profits vs. Public Health
October 1, 2018
Africa/Global: Professionals Enabling Corruption
September 17, 2018
Uganda: Time for the Youth
August 27, 2018
Africa: Migration Reports Show Complex Realities
August 15, 2018
West Africa/Europe: From Cocoa to Chocolate
July 30, 2018
East Africa: Ethiopia/Eritrea Peace Hopes, Cautions
July 18, 2018
Africa/Global: 10 Ways to Misunderstand the Trump Election, and Why They Still Matter
June 20, 2018
Congo (Kinshasa): Ebola Response Shows Lessons Learned
June 4, 2018
West Africa/Global: Tax Evasion without Borders
May 21, 2018
Namibia/Africa: Afrobarometer Insights
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