Opinion: Despite $7 Billion To ‘Power Africa,’ Why Is The Continent Still In The Dark?
When President Barack Obama made his first presidential visit to Kenya over the weekend, he visited not just his ancestral home, but one of the target countries in his $7 billion signature foreign aid initiative, Power Africa. Launched in 2013, Power Africa aims to boost electricity access in Sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative has prioritized expanding
JOBLESS SOUTH AFRICAN MAN BUILDS HELICOPTER FROM RECYCLED MATERIAL
What started as a dream soon turned into a reality for Vusimuzi Mbatha. The 35-year-old man from Siza informal settlement near Rustenburg, who’s dream was to fly a helicopter before he dies, decided to take fate into his hands by building his own helicopter. Vusimuzi Mbatha, who originally hails from Libode in the Eastern Cape,
NIGERIAN STUDENT TURNS VINTAGE VOLKSWAGEN INTO $6000 SOLAR-POWERED CAR
Segun Oyeyiola, a student of Obafemi Awolowo University, in Ife, Osun State, Nigeria, has converted a Volkswagen Beetle, using mainly scrap parts donated by friends and family, into a $6000 wind and solar powered car. He describes his creation as “Nigeria’s future car.” The reinvented vintage Beetle comes fitted with a giant solar panel on
FROM UNDERDOG TO KEY PLAYER: A LOOK AT STARTIMES’ GROWTH IN AFRICAN PAYTV MARKETS
In the last few years, Africa’s pay TV market has become increasingly competitive with new entrants aiming for a slice of the lucrative pile as the continent opened up to cable television and subscription payments. Since its establishment in 1995, MultiChoice’s DStv had grown to enjoy an enviable dominance in the market but slowly, while
IMAX SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH FILMHOUSE CINEMAS
IMAX Corporation and Filmhouse Cinemas, Nigeria’s largest chain of theatres have announced an agreement for an IMAX theatre to beLOCATED in a new project in Lagos. The deal, announced at CineEurope, marks the first-ever IMAX agreement in Nigeria and West Africa. Nigeria now ranks as Africa’s largest economy. The agreement underscores the company’s continued expansion
Meet ‘Nollywood’: The second largest movie industry in the world
Last year, data was released showing that Nollywood is a $3 billion industry. It is bigger than Hollywood by volume, and right behind India’s Bollywood. In 1992, in Nigeria, electronics salesman Kenneth Nnebue shot a straight-to-video movie in one month, on a budget of just $12,000. Living in Bondage sold more than a million copies,
FOR THE NEXT 9,999 DAYS, NIGERIANS WILL HAVE ACCESS TO FREE INTERNET
June 22, 2015 In a country where mobile penetration is rapidly expanding, it is ironic that data usage still hovers around 38 percent. This is largely due to the highcost of data in the country. This is why Opera Software, makers of the popular opera mini mobile browser, Nigeria’sLEADING news portal Naij.com and MTN Nigeria, the
Cheaper Solar: Is This The End Of State Monopoly In Africa’s Electricity Sector?
June 18, 2015 African countries need to focus more on solar energy that is readily available and getting cheaper every day, rather invest heavily in hydro and coal power units that get expensive with time. Matt Tilleard, Pieter Joubert and Jake Cusack, a team of investment experts from Crossboundary — a firm that advises frontier
Opinion: Nigeria And South Africa Must Get The Relationship Right
June 16, 2015 Global and regional leaders deliberated on Africa’s economic future mostly through the lenses of its largest economies – Nigeria and South Africa — at the recently concluded World Economic Forum on Africa 2015, although Nigeria’s newly elected leaders were absent. …what both countries must do – together – is work harder on a
CAN MOBILE FINANCIAL SERVICES BRING AN END TO POVERTY?
June 16, 2015 People across the developing world are using cell phones to pay for everything from taxes to taxis. An estimated 2.5 billion adults do not have access to banks. Unsurprisingly, they are among the world’s most destitute: According to a report released by the World Bank and other development groups, about three out