How the forgotten Afghans of Albania have made their way to a new home.



For a group of Afghan evacuees forced to flee their home country in the fall of 2021, a tourist village on the Albanian coast became more than just a temporary stopover on their way to the United States (U.S.).



Nestled in a large bay on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, Shëngjin is a sleepy little fishing port and the northernmost naval entry point into Albania – less than 12 miles from the Montenegro border. At least, it was a sleepy little fishing port, once upon a time. The town has become a popular vacation spot in recent years, with a string of hotels sprouting along the strip of land between the golden sands of Shëngjin Beach and the scrubby, mountainous ridge that separates the town from the farmlands of Balldren. In the summer, flooded by local day-trippers and scores of visitors from nearby Kosovo, the population of fewer than 10,000 swells almost tenfold. Some locals and visitors feel that tourism has changed Shëngjin; that it’s not the town it once was.&nbsp;



Sitting in the Rafaelo Resort, a luxurious Albanian sprawl of hotel buildings, pools and gardens perched on the water’s edge, Nawid could relate to the feeling of his home changing. Except instead of high-rise hotels and loud music, his home of Afghanistan has seen economic freefall, increasing food insecurity, the almost total erosion of women’s rights, and a rise in torture, arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial killings.&nbsp;



Nawid is one of around 78,000 Afghan citizens – among more than 122,000 in total – who were evacuated from Kabul, in 2021. The joint government evacuations took place over two weeks in August, involving 38 countries, hundreds of flights and at least 195 casualties, including 13 U.S. service men and women. As Taliban forces overran the city and began closing in, thousands upon thousands of people flocked to the airport, desperate to escape. These included those who had worked with NATO and U.S. forces or other international organizations, women and vulnerable minorities, along with chancers who simply fought their way through the crowds to make a break for it. Despite the extraordinary efforts of those on the ground, the Biden administration has faced criticism for handling the operation and its failure to evacuate all of its Afghan allies.&nbsp;



Even for some of those who safely boarded flights out of the country, the path to a new life has been far from smooth. Most of the Afghanis flown out by the U.S. government boarded military aircraft, landed at military bases and began the process of relocation in the U.S. — an effort led by the Department of Homeland Security and dubbed Operation Allies Welcome.&nbsp;



However, thousands also boarded civilian aircraft, commercial or chartered, in the weeks leading up to and after August 31 2021, which marked the deadline for the withdrawal of all U.S. forces. These evacuees landed in destinations such as Greece, Uzbekistan, Iraq and Mexico. Around 2,400 landed in Albania.&nbsp;



Acting in good faith



It might seem surprising that one of Europe’s poorest countries – certainly one of the poorest in NATO – would welcome so many people fleeing a conflict more than 2,500 miles away. Albania is a remarkably pro-US nation, both diplomatically and publicly. The US was instrumental in granting NATO membership to Albania in 2009, which has been a steadfast ally in international affairs, and the general public has long held an overwhelmingly positive view of America. They’re also overwhelmingly in favor of acceding to the European Union, for which Albania has been a candidate since 2014, and Prime Minister Edi Rama is eager to position his nation as a cooperative, beneficial ally to Western causes.&nbsp;



But the welcome given to Afghan evacuees stems from something much deeper than mere diplomacy. Albania has been welcoming displaced peoples for decades, guided by the cultural precept of besa. The concept, which translates to “faith”, emphasizes honoring one’s word and providing protection and sanctuary to those who need it. The country has sheltered Jews during World War II, members of the Iranian opposition group Mojahedin-e-Khalq and Uyghur Muslims, among others.&nbsp;



Displacement is part of the history of the country, and the memories of older Albanians. In the early 1990s, tens of thousands of people fled worsening economic conditions, food shortages, and social and political tensions in the wake of the fall of communism in the country. Some found refuge in neighboring states, while others — notably most of the tens of thousands who crowded aboard the cargo ship Vlora bound for Italy —were turned away or deported. The experience lingers in the national psyche, making for a largely positive and welcoming response to thousands of Afghans from locals who wanted to spare them what they had suffered decades before.&nbsp;



What was meant to be a temporary stopover for U.S. allies gradually revealed itself to be a gilded cage. Once the initial confusion of landing in Albania had passed, many could not believe their good fortune at being accommodated in a five-star resort rather than a camp, while trauma and suffering swept across Afghanistan as the Taliban claimed power.&nbsp;



But, for Nawid and others, living in a resort was not real life. Normal family functions, like preparing meals, were not available to them. While it would seem to most that this life is not so bad, in reality, ongoing resort living takes a psychological toll. It fractures normal life patterns in ways incomprehensible to those who have not endured this kind of situation. They lived in serviced rooms, not homes they could make their own, and meals were prepared by chefs and served at designated times. Anxiety and restlessness grew as time wore on, and no news was forthcoming about processing for relocation to the U.S. The evacuees spent their days waiting, adrift in uncertainty about their future.&nbsp;



In December 2021, the U.S. State Department announced that those who had boarded civilian or chartered flights out of Kabul before August 31 were eligible for resettlement in the U.S. Many of the Afghans staying at the resort, however, had left after this deadline. Private organizations that had evacuated them from Kabul ran out of funds to pay for their room and board, making an already fraught situation even more stressful. These organizations appealed to the U.S. government to assist, but the State Department responded that privately evacuated Afghans were not its responsibility. For the Afghan evacuees, their limbo seemed indefinite.&nbsp;



Rescuing hope



In September 2022, a collective of U.S.-based NGOs, civilians and veterans working together as the American Rescue Project (ARP) — who operate under the mandate that every life matters — stepped in and took it upon themselves to make good on the promise of a better life for the evacuees. They had a very short window to solve the housing crisis before the evacuees were evicted, but also had to urgently start processing the group of just under 400 for their final relocation ‘home’ to the U.S.



With limited resources, its first move was to find a group of trustworthy partners who could act quickly and in the best interest of those they intended to serve. ARP was already working with TradingHouse Global in other conflict zones globally, so turned to them for help. The South Africa-based commodities and goods trader — with vast experience and varied expertise in operating in the most challenging situations in the most out-of-reach places — recognized the need for freedom and autonomy for these people who had lost everything and immediately mobilized a team on the ground.



What followed was a monumental humanitarian mission. It required the sourcing and securing of accommodation, the provisioning of food for three meals a day, specialized medical care, stipends to be paid, and education to be provided, all within a 30-day window.&nbsp;



A friend of TradingHouse Global, the Uruçi Foundation, provided on-the-ground knowledge and support, and the partnership mobilized at lightning speed. They sourced and leased apartments to rent. They financed stipends for basic expenses and worked with suppliers of goods for cooking, knowing that the freedom this provided would offer improved mental health and the beginning of a transition into a ‘normal’ life.



Beyond the logistics, the endeavor required several meetings with Albanian and U.S. officials. There also had to be political and social lobbying in the U.S. to arrange for — and make the final resettlement of — the group a priority at the Department of State.&nbsp;



The results were almost immediate. The U.S. Department of State began processing the group for relocation, arranging interviews, medical examinations, and necessary vaccinations.



In early 2023, the U.S. government stated that its goal was for all the Afghan refugees in Albania eligible for relocation to the U.S. would be moved by June of that year. It took a little longer than anticipated, but within three years of fleeing in panic from their home country, the evacuees who found refuge in a little tourist town on the Albanian coast are now all U.S. citizens with a new life in a new home country. Seventeen of the 400 people under TradingHouse’s care have chosen to stay in the country and have been welcomed by their new kin.&nbsp;&nbsp;



This is a notable success story in its ability to assist people caught in a global crisis, restoring a sense of security and — perhaps most importantly — a place to call home.



– <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-robinson-67814795/recent-activity/">Andrew Robinson</a>, a South African-born entrepreneur, is passionate about making a difference in people&#8217;s lives and firmly believes in servant leadership. Over the past 20 years, his tenacious business reputation has grown globally; <a href="https://www.tradinghouse.co.za/">tradinghouse.co.za</a>

Tirana’s downtown area with the tallest building in the city – The Plaza Tirana at sunset (85m), Albania, 2018

Limbo, Luxury And The Long Road To A New Home

By:<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/people/briandevans1/">Brian D. Evans</a> | Forbes Councils Member



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="pressboard-ad-sponsorship-tag_1634734872602">Inc 500 Entrepreneur. NFT Enthusiast &amp; Consultant. Founder at <a href="https://www.inc.com/profile/bde-ventures/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BDE Ventures</a>, a marketing and consulting agency.</h4>



Unless you&#8217;ve been living under a rock, such as the EtherRock that recently&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/08/23/people-are-paying-millions-of-dollars-for-digital-pictures-of-rocks.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sold for&nbsp;</a>$1.3 million, you&#8217;ve probably heard about non-fungible tokens&nbsp;(NFTs). NFTs have become the rage on the internet, offering a novel opportunity for creators, artists and developers. With tons of projects and tokens, the NFT subsector is<a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/nft-sales-volume-surges-25-bln-2021-first-half-2021-07-05/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;worth billions of dollars</a>, making it a fast-growing subsector in the cryptocurrency and blockchain scene.



NFTs aren&#8217;t just valuable economically. They&#8217;re also revolutionary when it comes to branding. Projects such as CryptoPunks, Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), Koala Intelligence Agency, Art Blocks, CyberKongz&nbsp;and many more are changing brand-building approaches.&nbsp;The days of physical brand building, which has helped companies such as Nike, Gucci, etc., create their followings, is being replaced by a digital metaverse with a cult following.



CryptoPunks and BAYC NFTs (both of which I own at least one of) have created communities of core enthusiasts that are rarely seen with mainstream brands. For instance, it&#8217;s rare to find someone changing their profile picture to a new Nike kicks or Patek watch, no matter how valuable those assets are. But on Twitter, you can find many people&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/why-bored-ape-avatars-are-taking-over-twitter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">changing their profile pictures</a>&nbsp;to avatars of their favorite NFT project.



These vibrant communities help in increasing the value of NFTs. Today, the most popular NFTs are worth more than a small house in some parts of America. For instance, CryptoPunks tokens, pixelated humanoid characters that were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/12/christies-sold-cryptopunks-nfts-collection-for-millions.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">given away for free back in 2017</a>, were worth a minimum of about $400,000 when I wrote this.MORE FOR YOU<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2021/09/19/empathy-is-the-most-important-leadership-skill-according-to-research/">Empathy Is The Most Important Leadership Skill According To Research</a><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2021/09/22/why-us-talent-shortages-are-at-a-ten-year-high/">Why U.S. Talent Shortages Are At A 10-Year High</a><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2021/09/26/you-probably-need-more-friends-heres-how-to-make-them/">You Probably Need More Friends—Here’s How To Make Them</a>



As a consultant with my own agency, I see a lot of projects early on. Every successful NFT project adopts different but similar brand-building strategies. These strategies have helped create a vibrant community for them, which means more awareness and mainstream interest. But despite the current popularity and value of the NFT sector, I think there&#8217;s still plenty of room for improvement in approach and technology.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Access And Utility&nbsp;</h2>



NFTs as access passes are a growing theme. This is when owning an NFT gives the holder access to certain benefits. Such benefits range from being part of an exclusive club to real-life benefits such as having access to certain works or events and even access to stories are part of it for some. One interesting case is VeeFriends. (I own a VeeFriend as well.) Gary Vaynerchuk created the collection of 10,255 tokens, and holders will be able to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gary-vaynerchuk-releases-his-first-nft-collection-veefriends-301284312.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">attend VeeCon</a>&nbsp;for the next three years.



Here are three access and utility strategies for those getting involved in NFT marketing:



• First, improve access by stacking on the benefits and quality of what the end user gets access to.



•&nbsp;Next, you can improve the technology itself to have NFTs more closely integrated with &#8220;opening the doors&#8221; — meaning nothing else is needed but the NFT itself to physically grant the access.



• Last, the NFT utility that we see today probably won&#8217;t be the utility we see in five years. We&#8217;re in for a lot of innovation in the coming years, and you can capitalize by being more creative than the next person.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Rarity And Exclusiveness</h2>



NFTs easily create scarcity, which has made the assets more valuable. For instance, CryptoPunks and BAYC have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/26/22639353/cool-cats-bayc-generative-nft-profile-avatar" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">only 10,000 NFTs each</a>, and this rarity means anyone who owns them is part of an exclusive group. Not only does it make the NFTs more attractive to others, but it also makes the owners want to flaunt them.&nbsp;



BAYC has many different &#8220;traits&#8221; (visual properties) for its 10,000 NFTs. Food for thought for builders would be to make a few hundred NFTs with 10,000 traits or some outrageous change from the current norm.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A Die-Hard Community</h2>



NFT projects usually focus on creating a strong community before anything else. They use strategies such as community engagement, opinion polls, extra benefits and more. Gala Games also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gala-games-and-opera-announce-multi-level-partnership-to-create-carbon-neutral-nfts-301322430.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">has NFTs</a>, but it takes customer service to new levels and has one of the most engaged and helpful Discord servers I have ever seen.



Establishing communities for NFT projects really comes down to getting buy-in from your audience. Make sure they fall in love with your NFT, story or project. Focusing on your first 1,000 fans can carry you very far in reaching a wider audience.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Fun, Interactive And Meaningful Experience</h2>



Another way NFT projects go about brand building is by offering members an interactive and fun experience. Koala Intelligence Agency perhaps does the best job of this, by&nbsp;<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nft-collection-koala-intelligence-agency-090102495.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">making its tokens &#8220;agents&#8221;</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://stockhead.com.au/cryptocurrency/nft-alpha-how-to-find-the-next-pudgy-penguins-is-it-koala-intelligence-agency/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">giving owners missions</a>. It feels like a secret club that people want to be a part of.



User experience and story buy-in are key. You want NFT owners to feel like they&#8217;re part of the experience. Find ways to make each person feel special, and like they&#8217;re part of the story.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Potential Of NFT Projects</h2>



Given the value that many NFT projects already have, their brand appeal will likely only increase with time, and they can create a metaverse as popular Nike. Already, NFT projects are gaining mainstream interest from celebrities and sports stars.



Even mainstream brands are watching the NFT scene. For example,&nbsp;<a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/nike-blockchain-sneakers-cryptokick-patent" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nike patented CryptoKicks</a>, and other consumer brands such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.morningbrew.com/marketing/stories/2021/10/06/agencies-are-figuring-out-how-to-safely-guide-brands-through-the-wild-world-of-nfts" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Coca-Cola</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taco-bell-potatoes-return-celebrated-with-nft-crypto-collectibles-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Taco Bell</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/asics-nft-sunrise-red-collection/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ASICS</a>&nbsp;have used NFTs as part of their marketing strategies. Similarly, NFT projects are already getting mainstream coverage. For instance, CryptoPunks&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/uta-cryptopunks-nft-film-tv-vieo-games-1235005392/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">recently signed a deal</a>&nbsp;with United Talent Agency to let the agency represent the project for TV, games and other media. Thus, NFT projects are already on the path to becoming global brands, led by art, incredible marketing and community building.



If you&#8217;re getting involved in creating and marketing NFTs, the thing to keep in mind is deep involvement from your audience. If you can get your audience on your team and out there championing you in a big way, you&#8217;re much more likely to make it.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



Follow me on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.twitter.com/BrianDEvans" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Twitter</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandevansla" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>.&nbsp;Check out&nbsp;my&nbsp;<a href="https://www.inc.com/profile/bde-ventures/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">website</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/people/briandevans1/"></a><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/people/briandevans1/">Brian D. Evans</a>



Inc 500 Entrepreneur. NFT Enthusiast &amp; Consultant. Founder at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.inc.com/profile/bde-ventures/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BDE Ventures</a>, a marketing and consulting agency.&nbsp;<a href="https://profiles.forbes.com/u/a07bec07-5dff-47ea-9653-14b56a7dab7d" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read Brian D. Evans&#8217; full executive profile here.</a>…&nbsp;Read More

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How To Make An NFT Project As Popular As Nike

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Huawei announces the brand new HUAWEI MateBook 14 in South Africa

The world is waking up to Africa’s creative power, and it is more important than ever for us to take this opportunity as we continue developing our creative industries. As we mark Africa Week, Yolisa Phahle, CEO General Entertainment and Connected Video at MultiChoice, emphasises the economic benefits of investing in our local industry and the need for people to see themselves represented in the entertainment they watch. 



Africa’s star is rising. The continent is taking its place on the global stage as demand for our unique and exciting contribution to the world increases. Africa’s presence is finding expression in numerous fields, but in few areas has it been as pronounced as in the creative arts and entertainment.



Who did not celebrate the appearance of African brands like Maxhosa by Laduma at New York Fashion Week?



Who, indeed was not excited to see our cultures taking pride of place in movies like Black Panther, or in Beyonce’s extended video for Spirit + Bigger?



Listen to the Alicia Keys Wasted Energy remix featuring Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz, and tell me it doesn’t warm your African heart!



These are real signs of African achievement, and an acknowledgement of the rich culture that has inspired people in so many other parts of the world. Authentic representation matters: global audiences are hungry for new voices and being positively acknowledged at home and abroad inspires us to create even more.



However, these are small steps and there remains a lot to do to ensure that Africa’s true potential is realised. While seeing ourselves on screen is certainly progress, it is not yet true representation when it is through the eyes of others. It is unbelievable that our pre-colonial history has still barely been told from the African perspective.&nbsp;&nbsp; The story of Vikings, of Columbus and many western historical dramas have been used to educate audiences whilst so many of our stories remain untold.



There is much work to be done to ensure that Africa’s people see themselves accurately reflected in the content that they consume. And that’s where we as consumers, producers, broadcasters, teachers and as a community have a role to play.



Much as Africa is underrepresented in the rest of the world, there is still room for more African content to be shared on Africa’s own media platforms.



At Multichoice, we are proud to be a part of this journey, helping to create platforms and make investments that support this evolution.



As content producers, we also understand how critical it is that we not only tell our own stories, but that we do so using the highest possible standards and production values. We need to raise the bar so that we can also play on the international stage alongside countries like Brazil, India, Turkey, and South Korea. But more importantly we need to be the best we can for our audiences who deserve nothing less and are highly appreciative of the added enjoyment that quality, locally resonant storytelling provides. Quite rightly they are also unforgiving of anything that falls short of the high standards they have come to expect.



To help to realise this vision, we take a “hyperlocal” approach, producing relevant content within the respective regions of our continent, as opposed to a one-size-fits-all strategy with generic African and international content.



We have found an almost insatiable appetite for authentic local content. The more local entertainment we serve, the less international content audiences choose to watch! African audiences, like others across the world, respond enthusiastically to seeing themselves, and their communities represented by homegrown productions in their language. In the last few months we have launched the first Pan African lifestyle channel.&nbsp; Honey celebrates how we live, how we aspire to live and brings style makers from across the continent to a single destination. &nbsp;We now carry programming in 41 languages and recently added channels in Amharic and Akan.



A hyperlocal approach to content creation also often makes business sense, as even commoditised American studio content is expensive when it must be paid for in US dollars.



A rule of thumb is that content will be most successful when it reflects the values, culture, and language of its audience. It’s worth remembering that even United States content is “local” in the US. The fact that it travels internationally is largely because audiences have become accustomed to the culture after decades of the US building and driving demand for their language and cultural norms.



Homegrown, hyperlocal content strikes a blow against this homogenisation of culture by celebrating what makes us unique. At the same time, it creates opportunities for entire industries. Every time we create local content instead of simply purchasing an international series, hundreds of opportunities are created for African writers, actors, directors, producers, show-runners, caterers, stylists and others.



In South Africa, the local filmmaking industry has been facilitating international movies, series and commercials for decades. The country already exports talent and productions to the rest of the world, especially in commercial production. Now it’s time to work with our talented industries to take African &nbsp;stories further afield.



In other territories, such as Kenya, Ghana, Uganda and Nigeria, similar nodes of creative and professional excellence are taking root. We look forward to a time when every country on the continent is producing world-class, authentic, and locally relevant African content for its own audiences, and the diaspora.



As we mark Unesco Africa Week – fittingly, with the theme &#8220;Peace, innovation and sustainable development in Africa&#8221; – we celebrate African excellence in all creative fields. Already, our fascinating, vibrant and powerful continent is reclaiming its rightful place on the world stage. The future looks even brighter as we strive to take African stories to the world.



Let us all claim that place in the spotlight. Our people deserve to see themselves reflected in our own content, produced by our own people. That change is happening right beneath our feet. Long may it continue, and may the world come to appreciate the true value of Africa.



*Unesco Africa Week runs from May 24-30.



For more information on the MultiChoice Group’s African content offering visit  <a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.multichoice.com%2Four-africa-2021%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7CElizabeth.Fourie%40multichoice.co.za%7Ce62048bd784c47ff0ccd08d91ec7afa9%7C01ea1ee80c1541609922f383f39a19be%7C0%7C0%7C637574666327436941%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=Cd6sctquJYLkujlBZkDW6pLF7eirLpCbKQ71IxOgAyc%3D&amp;reserved=0">https://www.multichoice.com/our-africa-2021/</a>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Facebook-LinkedIn-1024x538.png" alt="" class="wp-image-51158" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Facebook-LinkedIn-1024x538.png 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Facebook-LinkedIn-300x158.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Facebook-LinkedIn-768x403.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Facebook-LinkedIn.png 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>

Yolisa in Black edit

African content for African people!

“By&nbsp;<a href="http://africalive.net/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AfricaLive.net</a>”



The COVID-19 pandemic unearthed the fault lines for what could be a generational catastrophe in education. Even before the pandemic resulted in school closures affecting o<a href="https://www.un.org/en/coronavirus/future-education-here">ver 1.6 billion students in at least 161 countries, more than 250 million school-age children</a> were out of school globally. 



In much of the developing world, the gap between the levels of learning that education systems provide, and the needs of students, communities and countries, has been steadily growing over the years.



Barriers to education in developing countries include political and security instability, costs, health and nutrition, distance to school, insufficient budgetary allocations to education, and poor-quality environments, content and processes. And now, even more school-age individuals are at risk of falling behind or dropping out of school permanently as the pandemic persists. This would widen inequality across an already unequal region with stark wealth, gender and social disparities, as well as stymie opportunity, innovation, and economic growth prospects—education is the cornerstone of building human capital. 



In a recent interview with <a href="http://africalive.net/interview/dr-nicos-nicolaou/">AfricaLive.net</a> Dr Nicos Nicolaou, the founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.unicaf.org/">Unicaf</a>, a leading higher education online platform with students in 158 countries, set out his vision for a more robust education sector supported by digital infrastructure.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Dr_nicolau-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51126" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Dr_nicolau-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Dr_nicolau-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Dr_nicolau-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Dr_nicolau-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Dr_nicolau.jpg 1546w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



“In August last year, the UN Secretary-General stated that the education sector must invest in digital literacy and infrastructure and look to evolve towards learning how to learn, rejuvenate lifelong learning, and strengthen links between formal and non-formal education,” said Dr Nicolaou.



“He suggested the need to draw on flexible delivery methods, digital technologies and modernized curricula while ensuring sustained support for teachers and communities.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-optimising-higher-education">Optimising Higher Education</h3>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/MG_9901-1-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51127" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/MG_9901-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/MG_9901-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/MG_9901-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/MG_9901-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/MG_9901-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



A sustained increase in demand for access to education across Africa is unavoidable as populations grow, and given the role of education in modernisation and development, it is critical that governments increase higher education opportunities.



“Central to the discussion on sustainable development is the imperative of equality in higher education opportunities. Universities should offer holistic and transformational education with high-level quality content. Learning should be stimulating, engaging and learner-centric, leading to successful outcomes for the learners. Universities should inspire learners to be global citizens, assume active roles in the society they live in, and contribute to a more peaceful and sustainable world,” says Dr Nicolaou.



“Taking into consideration that tens of millions of additional students will become of university age in the next decade and the fact that there are no plans to build hundreds of new universities in the continent, the only solution is online learning,” he adds.



“The skilful use of modern technologies can enhance teaching and learning effectiveness and, thus, may substantially contribute towards the goals and objectives associated with sustainable, inclusive growth and development.”



“Distance education can eliminate current barriers to higher education in Africa, imposed by space and time, and can dramatically expand access to lifelong learning. Using flexible delivery models, students will no longer have to visit a physical location at specific times and days. A modern higher education institution, such as Unicaf University, no longer has to be at any specific physical location but, through the use of technology, can exist anywhere, anytime for students who wish to access study materials and complete a particular academic program fully online.”



COVID-19 Has Changed Education Forever



There has been a high growth and adoption in education technology around the world in recent years, with edtech investments of up to USD <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/2019-global-edtech-investments-reach-a-staggering-18-66-billion-1028800669">18.66 billion in 2019,</a> and projections for the online education market expected to reach <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/12/17/1961785/0/en/Online-Education-Market-Study-2019-World-Market-Projected-to-Reach-350-Billion-by-2025-Dominated-by-the-United-States-and-China.html">USD 350 billion by 2025</a>. COVID-19 has accelerated the transition to the wider use of technology in delivering education.



“Because of COVID-19 online learning expanded dramatically. Almost all universities had to shift to remote learning to serve their students. In a very short time, everyone had to shift from face-to-face teaching to online, using a variety of technologies. The pandemic provided the catalyst needed for universities to move online and to use digital platforms for teaching and learning,” says Dr Nicolaou.



“What was considered to be the future has been accelerated to become the present; and my expectation is that this shift is here to stay, in one form or another. Various technologies, which are employed for online teaching, will reshape learning, both inside the classroom and beyond, well after the present pandemic subsides. In the same token, regulators have realised how crucial online education is and started encouraging universities to offer online programmes,” he adds.



The Future of Online Education in Africa



Africa accounts for about 20 per cent of the world’s youth population (aged 15-24), which is also the fastest growing in the world; however, there is a dearth of quality and affordable higher education. School enrolment rates at the tertiary level stand at 8 per cent, according to the <a href="http://data.uis.unesco.org/">UNESCO Institute of Statistics</a>, significantly below the global average of 32 per cent. Online education has the potential to increase access to higher education, making it cheaper, more flexible and more accessible to a wider range of students, and that is what Unicaf does.



“Founded in 2012 and with headquarters in Europe, Unicaf is a leading higher education online platform with students in 158 countries, and also a scholarship programme, facilitating higher education studies at affordable cost. The state-of-the-art Unicaf digital platform provides access to quality university degree programmes and professional courses from reputable partner institutions in the UK, the USA and Africa, and is addressing an underserved part of the higher education market through an affordable and flexible online learning model,” says Dr Nicolaou. 



The platform’s current <a href="https://www.unicaf.org/partners/">partners</a> include Liverpool John Moores University (UK), the University of East London (UK), the University of Suffolk (UK), the University of California, Riverside Extension (USA), and a multi-campus Unicaf University in Africa—offering high-quality Bachelor, Master’s and Doctoral degrees at a fraction of the cost.



“During the pandemic, Unicaf has been able to demonstrate its capabilities and increase its reach. Unicaf’s state-of-the-art digital platform has helped thousands of students to study online towards an internationally recognised degree without being affected by lockdowns and other restrictive measures. Within the last 12 months, we have received thousands of applications from students interested to study through online programmes. This is additional proof of Unicaf’s dominance in Africa’s online education market and the strengthening of its brand and reach,” says Dr Nicolaou.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-spotlight-on-africa-s-largest-online-university">Spotlight on Africa’s Largest Online University</h3>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/CAPE-TOWN-ALL-ESSAY-WINNERS-PLUS-KEVIN-STAGE-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51129" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/CAPE-TOWN-ALL-ESSAY-WINNERS-PLUS-KEVIN-STAGE-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/CAPE-TOWN-ALL-ESSAY-WINNERS-PLUS-KEVIN-STAGE-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/CAPE-TOWN-ALL-ESSAY-WINNERS-PLUS-KEVIN-STAGE-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/CAPE-TOWN-ALL-ESSAY-WINNERS-PLUS-KEVIN-STAGE-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/CAPE-TOWN-ALL-ESSAY-WINNERS-PLUS-KEVIN-STAGE-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



Developments in technology and changes to the global approach to teaching—including collaborative and project-based learning, mobile-friendly learning platforms, and adaptive personal learning—are not yet used at scale in Africa. Unicaf is expanding across the continent through a growing network of university campuses and learning centres offering blended and open learning options. Unicaf currently has a physical presence in 12 African countries and has plans to expand to five additional countries within the next two years. 



“Unicaf and <a href="https://unicafuniversity.com/">Unicaf University’</a>s strategy is to continue expanding throughout Africa by obtaining additional university licences in new countries and enriching the portfolio of programmes they are offering. Along with its partner universities, Unicaf has already served more than 40,000 students, by awarding them over USD 100 million worth of scholarships to study for internationally recognised degrees at a fraction of the cost, and to positively transform their lives,” says Dr Nicolaou.



“Our software development team will continue developing new state-of-the-art technologies, aiming towards enhancing the existing technologies we use in our digital platform. Such technologies help all our operations become more efficient and more scalable,” he adds.



Unicaf’s platform provides students with several key benefits, including:



● Flexible delivery allows students to accommodate work and family responsibilities. Everything students need to complete their studies is embedded into the platform, including a digital library, e-books and other learning resources.



● Qualifications: Students can earn internationally recognised degrees from Unicaf University, or its British partner universities, at a fraction of the cost. It is accredited by the British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education in the UK as an Independent Higher Education Provider. Students are therefore given the opportunity to earn degrees with international recognition and obtain valuable skills and credentials to enrich their professional qualities and help them advance in their careers.



● Scholarships considerably reduce the cost of fees, and any remaining balance can be paid in easy monthly instalments.



● Employment: Most students declare that they were able to find a better job, get a promotion in their current job and/or earn more money as a result of their studies with Unicaf. Unicaf University programmes are developed in collaboration with employers to meet their specific needs.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-accelerating-online-teaching-through-partnerships-between-universities-and-edtech-companies">Accelerating Online Teaching Through Partnerships Between Universities and EdTech Companies</h3>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/CAPE-TOWN-GROUP-W-URSULA-JUMP-ON-THE-WATER-1-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51128" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/CAPE-TOWN-GROUP-W-URSULA-JUMP-ON-THE-WATER-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/CAPE-TOWN-GROUP-W-URSULA-JUMP-ON-THE-WATER-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/CAPE-TOWN-GROUP-W-URSULA-JUMP-ON-THE-WATER-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/CAPE-TOWN-GROUP-W-URSULA-JUMP-ON-THE-WATER-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/CAPE-TOWN-GROUP-W-URSULA-JUMP-ON-THE-WATER-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



Unicaf has been a pioneer in international partnerships to provide opportunities for students in Africa to earn internationally recognised degrees for almost a decade. Dr Nicolaou believes that the success of such partnerships depends on “a shared understanding of the market, goodwill, close collaboration and shared interests and goals.”



The launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) this year will facilitate pan-African collaboration in higher education.



“With a population of 1.2 billion projected to reach 1.4 billion by 2040, Africa will become one of the biggest free trade areas with a very high commercial significance. This is good news for higher education too, and will heighten collaboration opportunities among universities in Africa in the areas of teaching, learning and research,” says Dr Nicolaou.



“For the African leaders of the future, Agenda 2063 sets out the need to refocus and reprioritise Africa’s agenda. Educating Africa’s future leaders is very important, as they are the ones who will strive to reposition Africa as a dominant global player. To support this goal, Unicaf continues to develop a suite of modern and affordable programmes, which offer specialist knowledge, underpinned by values-based ethical principles and practices.”



“Employability is vital for university students in Africa and is central to the mission and operation of Unicaf University.”

20190822_080032_edited-wide-1024×415-1

UNICAF Sets Out Plan To Expand to 17 African Countries Following UN Call for Investment In Digital Education

Authored by: Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in China &amp; Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to China



Women hold up half the sky.&nbsp;



Some years ago, Sarah al-Amiri, a young Emirati engineer, had a fixed gaze beyond the sky and towards our galaxy. “Space was a sector that we never dared to dream growing up,” she noted.&nbsp;



Fast forward and al-Amiri is now the United Arab Emirates first Minister of State for Advanced Science, successfully leading an ambitious project which launched a spacecraft into orbit around Mars, the first-ever Arab interplanetary mission. This has only been achieved by four other nations, including China.



Al-Amiri contends that, “the mission is called Amal, which means ‘hope’ in Arabic, because we are contributing to global understanding of a planet. We are going above and beyond the turmoil that is now defining our region and becoming positive contributors to science”.



Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, women in the UAE, China and elsewhere have also led ground-breaking efforts against the virus in the fields of public health, vaccines and treatments. The Hope Mission and COVID-19 pandemic highlight the potential gains to be achieved by ensuring full and equal access for women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). As UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphatically stated,&nbsp;“women and girls belong in science and there is a dividend to be gained for countries that acknowledge this truth.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-greater-participation-needed-in-stem-fields">Greater Participation Needed in STEM Fields</h2>



According to&nbsp;UNESCO, women account for only 28 percent of engineering graduates and 40 percent in computer science and informatics.&nbsp;This gender disparity is alarming, especially as STEM careers are often referred to as the jobs of the future, driving innovation, social wellbeing, inclusive growth and sustainable development.



Women account for only one-third scientific researchers globally, holding fewer senior positions than men at top universities. Furthermore, with the growth of artificial intelligence, automation and machine learning, there are risks for reinforcing inequalities, as the needs of women are more likely to be overlooked in the design of products and projects.



Increasing women’s participation in STEM accelerates sustainable development in low and middle-income countries, offering an opportunity to close gender pay gaps and boosting women’s earnings by USD 299 billion over the next decade.&nbsp;Studies indicate that girls perform as well as boys in science and mathematics, and in many parts countries outperforming them.&nbsp;Aptitude is not the issue.&nbsp;



Gender equality in STEM acts as a powerful accelerator for the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. &nbsp;Norms and stereotypes that limit girls’ expectations need to be eliminated, while educators must motivate girls to become changemakers, entrepreneurs and innovators.



Thankfully, there are already encouraging signs of change, in both the UAE and China.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-growing-equality-and-empowerment-in-china">Growing Equality and Empowerment in China</h2>



In China, the 14th Five-Year Plan provides new opportunities to prioritize gender equality. Central to the development agenda is a strengthening of science, technology and R&amp;D sectors to address a transformation to a digital and innovative economy. &nbsp;In China,&nbsp;women launch more than half of all new internet companies and make up more than half of inventors filing patent applications.&nbsp;The recently enacted Civil Code establishes new mechanisms for addressing sexual harassment and abuse in workplaces.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="912" height="604" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nobel-winner-Tu-Youyou.png" alt="" class="wp-image-50665" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nobel-winner-Tu-Youyou.png 912w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nobel-winner-Tu-Youyou-300x199.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nobel-winner-Tu-Youyou-768x509.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 912px) 100vw, 912px" /><figcaption>Nobel winner Tu Youyou. | Xinhua News Agency </figcaption></figure>



Success stories of women specializing in STEM fields should be heralded in order to empower others to follow.&nbsp; As examples, Tu Youyou was China’s first Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine in 2015, with her discovery of a malaria therapy; whilst Hu Qiheng was a leader promoting Internet access in China, being inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2013 as a global connector.&nbsp;



In the private sector there are stellar mentors and roll-models such as billionaire Zhou Qunfei, who rose from a migrant worker to being the world’s richest self-made woman. As the CEO of Lens Technology, she built an empire manufacturing glass for tech giants such as Tesla, Apple and Samsung.



In Shenzhen, the private sector is now embracing its civic responsibilities, with companies such as Alibaba, Tencent and Huawei launching initiatives to recruit and promote women in STEM fields.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rapid-progress-by-the-uae">Rapid Progress by the UAE</h2>



The space industry is not the only sector in which Emirati women are exemplary.



According to the World Economic Forum 2021 Global Gender Gap Report, the UAE ranked first globally in four of the report’s indicators: women in parliament; sex ratio at birth; literacy rate; and enrolment in primary education.&nbsp; Meanwhile, in the 2019 UNDP Human Development Report, the UAE ranks 35 of the 189 countries in the world in terms of women&#8217;s empowerment.



In terms of education, 77% of UAE women will continue to receive higher education after high school graduation, and 70% are graduates of higher education in the UAE. Female students now account for 46% of STEM subjects in UAE higher education.&nbsp; Two thirds of the public sector positions are held by women, with 30 per cent of which are leadership positions.



On 30 March the UAE National Action Plan for Women, Peace and Security was launched by H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women&#8217;s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation. This Plan is not only a step in the right direction but also spearheads the vital role of women in the UAE.



For many years, Sheikha Fatima and the UAE have championed and presided over a group of specialised conferences in the Arab, international and Islamic worlds to empower women and enhance their stature.



As the UAE approaches its 50th Jubilee since foundation, it is a matter of pride that the country is making outstanding achievements and launching initiatives to empower women, surging ahead in promoting gender equality and ensuring that women play a key role in the nation’s growth.&nbsp; This has earned the UAE a reputation as being among the most progressive countries in the world.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-gender-equality-initiatives">Global Gender Equality Initiatives</h2>



In March 2021, International Women’s Day was celebrated&nbsp;with the UN China Country Team coming together in recognizing tremendous contributions and leadership demonstrated by women and girls around the world.&nbsp; Joint campaigns such as #HERstory saw the UNDP and UN Women shared inspiring stories on social media from women leaders in STEM around the world.&nbsp; A workshop was launched to combat stereotypes and encourage women and girls across China to learn and excel in science and technology.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Picture3.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-50662" width="841" height="999" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Picture3.jpg 644w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Picture3-253x300.jpg 253w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 841px) 100vw, 841px" /><figcaption>The co-authors Amb Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri (Right)and Siddharth Chatterjee(left). Photo-UAE Embassy China, 03 March 2021</figcaption></figure>



As part of the Generation Equality global initiative led by UN Women, governments, civil society, private sectors and change-makers from around the world are coming together to fuel a powerful and lasting coalition for gender equality.



It is 25 years since the UN Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action committed nations to the advancement of the rights of women. Now is the time to recommit to ensuring gender equality, especially for STEM in order to harness women’s full potential. Then women of China, the UAE and the world can hold up half of the sky, in principle and reality.

Sarah al-Amiri

Women and Girls to the Front: Gender Equality in STEM for a better tomorrow

BRANDVOICE  BY GK INVESTMENT HOLDING



“The post-Corona world will not be the same as the pre-Corona world.” This fact has been agreed by the majority of experts and analysts who deal with international economic, political and environmental issues. What we have come to realize is that in our changing world, threats can face us to hurt our physical state but, and beyond that, it was unimaginable that this virus would keep us prisoner in our own home. Today we have a serious challenge being that millions suffer including millions of people who have barely access to clean water.  Reality is that poverty, hunger, unemployment is taxing on the deterioration of health care services in many regions of the world, like countries in Africa, the Middle East and some areas of Asia and South America. Reports by the United Nations and the World Food and Agriculture Organization indicate that after decades of steady decline, the number of people suffering from hunger, measured by the prevalence of undernourishment, is starting to rise again. Today, more than 820 million people go to bed hungry, of whom some 135 million suffer from acute hunger due to man-made conflicts, climate change and largely mental depression. The Covid-19 pandemic could now double that number, placing an additional 130 million people at risk of suffering from acute hunger by the end of 2020, according to the World Food Program. With more than a quarter of a billion people potentially on the brink of starvation, swift action is needed to provide food. It is not just about environment there is an urgent need for a profound change in the global food and agriculture system. Increasing agricultural productivity and sustainable food production are crucial to help mitigate hunger risks. Businessman and head of the GK Investment Holding Group, Kamal Ghribi, says, “Hunger is not the only thing that plagues the poor countries of the South. Poverty due to the absence of effective economic investments and widespread unemployment among the inhabitants of these countries, especially among the youth. Illegal immigration is the result of this. It requires intersecting and interlocking solutions because each problem in it has a relationship with the rest of the other problems. “ He added, “Illegal immigration, has become a permanent economic, humanitarian and security crisis for European countries, especially Italy. That is a cry for help.”



Kamel Ghribi believes that creating health hubs in the hardship countries of the region Africa and Middle East is a way that can mitigate epidemics and further health risks. The management of the Covid-19 epidemic has demonstrated the superiority of health systems in certain countries and how these play a fundamental role in the economic sector mainly in terms of accountability. Some governments have largely abandoned the responsibility of the health of their citizens in favor of supporting private sector companies. Some of these health systems have completely collapsed, and people are thrown into the street because there are no beds, equipment, and doctors for health care. Kamel Ghribi spoke in 2020 at ECAM European Council on Africa Middle East held in Rome, which brought together health officials of the Middle East and North Africa with Italian officials in collaboration with the San Donato Hospital Group. It was agreed to strengthen cooperation between them in the field of combating the Covid-19 epidemic and to explore new solutions post pandemic to develop health services in Kenya, Tunisia, Iraq and others to serve their citizens. The various bilateral meetings, highlighted health technologies, collaboration on joint projects for the development of the health sector and the transfer of knowledge for specialized services from the most developed countries. These meetings will continue remotely with the aim of Universal Health care, via the support of the San Donato Group. Poverty eradication must go hand in hand with strategies that build economic growth.

Kamel Ghribi at desk

HOW CAN WE PROTECT OUR PLANET FROM CRISES, EPIDEMICS AND DANGERS?

HarlequinCEOs

Harlequin Group Set Out The Path To Profitable Joint Ventures in Ghana’s Energy Sector

Jeremy Amias, Vice Chairman, Americas, Standard Chartered 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-year-new-opportunities">New year, new opportunities</h2>



To describe 2020 as a challenging year feels like an understatement, to say the least. While US companies began the year with uncertainty over continuing tensions between China and the United States, by March a new, wholly unexpected series of challenges emerged as a result of COVID-19. As we look ahead to a new year, the question on many businesses’ minds will be how to build greater resilience and where to look for growth opportunities that position them strongly for the future.&nbsp;&nbsp;



A&nbsp;<a href="https://ideas-and-action.foleon.com/sc/borderlessbanking/borderless-business/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">recent survey</a>&nbsp;of CFOs and senior finance leaders in Europe and Americas by Standard Chartered highlighted that growth outside of the home market is a key focus for companies right now. However, entering a new market is never an easy undertaking. Cultural differences, contrasting operational styles, and mismatched regulatory expectations often present significant challenges. These may be some of the reasons why US businesses do not rank Africa as highly as other regions. Just 13% of those surveyed listed Africa as a top three potential growth market and only 2% ranked it as their first choice.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-moving-in-the-right-direction">Moving in the right direction</h2>



Investors are cautious, despite the potential upside of investing in Africa. The ‘Africa Rising’ rhetoric is well known and the demographics speak for themselves: a young, dynamic workforce comprising over 20% of the world’s youth population, and a combined population predicted to reach 1.5 billion people by 2025. But alongside this, Africa also has a reputation as somewhere it is difficult to do business &#8211; indeed, only two African markets, Mauritius and Rwanda, currently feature in the Top 50 in the World Bank’s 2020 Ease of Doing Business rankings (although it is worth recognising that no Latin American nations feature in this group at all).



“Currently” is an important word to note here. We are on the cusp of large-scale change that could make accessing Africa a much more compelling proposition for US companies. Chief among them is the upcoming implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Launching in January 2021, the AfCFTA will be a single market with a population of 1.2 billion people and a combined GDP of over USD2 trillion according to the United Nations (although other sources estimate it could be as high as USD3.4 trillion). While its core focus is greater intra-Africa collaboration, the creation of this bloc will make the region as a whole more competitive and accessible to outside investors by ushering in wide-ranging reforms that improve transparency, reduce red tape, and simplify customs procedures.



Reforms in these areas should facilitate greater trade and investment opportunities between Africa and the rest of the world. Even before the AfCFTA comes into force, we have already seen the positive impact that greater transparency can deliver, and the trade corridors that can be opened up when higher standards are adopted. In February 2020, Namibia became the first country in Africa to export red meat to the United States, the result of more than fifteen years of negotiations over safety and logistics. Thanks to this landmark agreement &#8211; part of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) &#8211; Namibia can now tap into the substantial and lucrative US export market, and can expect to see export volumes of beef climb from 860 tonnes this year to around 5,000 tonnes by 2025.



When bilateral arrangements of any kind are successful, they lay the groundwork for greater cooperation in the future. As formal negotiations continue between Kenya and the United States to create a bilateral Free Trade Area (in what would be the first such arrangement between the US and a country in sub-Saharan Africa), there are opportunities for the United States to build closer ties directly with particular African nations as well as the AfCFTA bloc as a whole.&nbsp;



As the saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats. If the hoped-for reforms &#8211; whether they stem from the AfCFTA or bilateral agreements &#8211; can be implemented as planned in the coming months and years, the resulting improvements to ease of doing business should help endear the region to potential investors and create opportunities for African exporters and American importers alike.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-mining-minerals-to-mining-data">From mining minerals to mining data</h2>



Trade corridors are only part of the story. Foreign Direct Investment also offers mutually beneficial opportunities for investors and industry looking to expand. Despite the pandemic, we have just seen the largest FDI investment into Africa to date when in July, Total SA announced USD14.9 billion of project financing for Mozambique LNG, the country’s first onshore liquified natural gas project. This deal included USD5 billion of financing from the Export Import Bank of the United States, alongside other Export Credit Agencies, 19 commercial banks, and the African Development Bank, and represents a resurgence in FDI flows into Africa which have remained largely muted since 2014.&nbsp;



Oil and gas, natural resources, and precious minerals have long been synonymous with Africa, but the continent represents much more than a supply of raw materials to be extracted. In recent years, many international corporates have recognised the value Africa has to offer when it comes to technology and innovation, from its young, tech-savvy population to its ability to leapfrog outdated infrastructure by moving straight to digital, as we have seen with mobile payments solutions such as M-PESA.&nbsp;



As Africa’s population soars in the coming decades, its emerging middle class will grow as well &#8211; an audience of consumers who will want and expect the same access to online services and connectivity enjoyed elsewhere in the world. The big players in global tech are already investing to capitalise on this growing audience and demand. On the infrastructure side, in South Africa, Microsoft has opened hyper-scale datacenters with a focus on cloud-based business innovation. Google is currently in the process of branching its Equiano underwater cable to extend connectivity to more countries across the West of Africa, while Facebook is building a 37,000km cable around Africa which aims to deliver almost three times the current subsea network capacity.



And investing in talent is also a key focus. Google’s Grow with Google and Digital Skills for Africa programmes aim to help young people develop skills in areas like data science and cloud computing. Microsoft has launched the Africa Development Center in Kenya and Nigeria which will see local engineering talent using data science, AI, and machine learning to drive innovation in sectors including FinTech and AgriTech. Facebook also has its sights set on Nigeria, with a new office planned to open in Lagos in 2021 to foster home-grown engineering talent and boost the company’s presence across sub-Saharan Africa.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-building-for-the-future">Building for the future</h2>



The challenges we have seen in 2020 have demonstrated that companies need to become more resilient and take steps to better insulate themselves against potential shocks. A key part of that is ensuring that supply chains are more robust. The early stages of the coronavirus outbreak brought into sharp relief the need for a tangible alternative to China in particular as a supply base link and Africa is well-positioned to fill that gap, as well as being an area with a growing talent pool that will appeal to investors.



Although the improvements that we hope to see as a result of the AfCFTA and other reforms will not be realised overnight, it is worth noting that it also takes time to diversify a value chain, to establish a pipeline of talent, or to meet the needs of a new audience. If these things converge in the coming years, that may well give investors the reassurance they need to reconsider Africa as a growth market if not for today, then perhaps for the not too distant future.

Jeremy Amias

Reconsidering Africa as a potential growth market for US businesses

By Kelly Lu, Specialist in Advanced and AI Practice, SAS Africa



The Covid-19 pandemic is likely to be remembered as the biggest driver of digital transformation in our lifetime. There has been a shift towards cloud adoption driven by the need of digital transformation, where more experimentation with data, scalable and flexible workloads and the introduction of new business models are the key reasons for organisations to migrate to the cloud.



Now, rather than simply being on the ‘to-do’ list for any IT department, cloud has now become the top priority, since businesses need to change their process and behaviour in order to continue operation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-it-s-been-a-while-coming">It’s been a while coming</h2>



Previously, companies migrated to the cloud largely for IT-driven technical reasons, such as end-of-life hardware with expensive maintenance contracts, or a pure cost perspective. Owning hardware and infrastructure is simply not appealing any more, and organisations are moving from a CapEx to an OpEx model where a pay-as-you-go model is simply more sensible. It’s understandable that companies have reservations about the shift from on-premise to cloud-based services – analytics is a little late to the cloud party, for several reasons.



There is the concept of Data Gravity, which means that your workloads are pulled towards the location where the most heavy data resides. As long as the data is in your on-premise data centre, it’s also most logical that your analytics workloads are executed there.



Organisations are also not settling on one cloud service only – they are looking around and trying out different cloud vendor offerings and adopting a mix of public cloud services as well as Software as a Service (SaaS) applications that they are consuming from the cloud. Those SaaS applications often come with some form of embedded business intelligence and reporting. They may not fulfil all the business requirements and are built to support a very generic usage. However, they may be sufficient to get started and only at a later stage will there be additional requirements in the business, along with a need to start combining data over the multiple clouds and from those SaaS applications.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-market-has-expectations">The market has expectations</h2>



Organisations have a number of expectations for cloud adoption. Other than reduced costs, agility is another key expectation, where the goal is faster time to market. To accelerate time to market, organisations are setting up DevOps processes that automate the deployment of applications and analytical models continuously. As soon as an organisation designs an analytical model, it has to enter an automated DevOps pipeline, undergo steps of testing, validation and versioning. Once all these tests are passed, it should come online and be published immediately.



Organisations also have high expectations in terms of performance and reliability. As workloads can be highly varied over time, the infrastructure needs to scale accordingly.



Security and compliance is no longer an excuse not to move to the cloud, with many cloud providers recognised to have higher standards when compared to some owned, on-premise data centres. Organisations also see many new use cases where the cloud allows them to experiment with new technology in exciting areas such as AI, IoT and of course, digital transformation. Cloud enables companies to analyse enormous amounts of data and embed analytics into their decision-making processes. The pandemic has driven new sources of data and new customer behaviour that doesn’t rest on a lot of historical data, so it requires new analysis, which cloud services can provide faster and with more agility.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-to-start">Where to start</h2>



It may seem daunting to know where to get started, but there are ample best practices available. These provide information on tested cloud infrastructure and benchmarks, as well as typical steps for not only deploying software on cloud infrastructure, but also what to look out for when migrating company data and applications to the cloud. Business continuity is also a key consideration, as no organisation wants to interrupt their operations while migrating. There are best practices for this too, usually with a window period involving parallel running to ensure that the platform is stable and integrated with existing services.



One scenario that many companies may have heard of is ‘Lift &amp; Shift’. The idea is to replicate an existing on-premises environment in the cloud without changing anything to it unless absolutely necessary. Public vendors in the cloud industry even offer tools to make a ‘Lift &amp; Shift’ transition easier. This approach is very appealing to organisations, particularly if the goal is to be up and running in the cloud quickly. However, the journey should not stop there, since ‘Lift &amp; Shift’ does not provide the full benefits of the cloud. &nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-clear-cloud-adoption-strategy-is-crucial">A clear cloud adoption strategy is crucial</h2>



It’s important for organisations to have a clear cloud adoption strategy that will help choose the best migration approach besides ‘Lift &amp; Shift’. There are alternatives such as rearchitecting or completely refactoring your application when moving it to the cloud. These approaches have the goal of integrating deeper into the services that cloud providers offer to benefit from the high availability and scalability that these can offer, often at a lower cost than organisations would find if putting all these services together themselves. Here it’s important for organisations to have a clear understanding of their workload to get the most from their target architecture. There is a tremendous amount of brilliant technology available at organisations’ fingertips to help operationalise and automate models while providing benefits such as reduced costs, unlimited access to storage and easy scalability. The cloud also enables experimentation to innovate and scale analytics quickly and precisely.



A completely new architecture for SAS Viya



SAS Viya is designed as cloud-native, which means it is built from a number of components, all loosely coupled, independent and scalable. These components are deployed inside containers and can be updated using continuous delivery mechanisms. New versions of Viya are available every month, which allows organisations to continuously benefit from the latest features and functions without having to go through heavy upgrade and migration projects.



Viya is designed as Open, which helps integrate with cloud vendors’ native services, for example authentication, for utilising databases and storage, and also for orchestrating all the containers. For orchestration of containers there is a market standard available, Kubernetes. All the public cloud providers offer Kubernetes as a service, and organisations can also choose to deploy Kubernetes in their own data centre if they prefer to deploy the latest SAS Viya release on premises.

Kelly Lu SAS 2 (1)

Analytics on cloud platforms no longer a ‘nice to have’

Nontokozo Madonsela shares her journey to anchoring her position in the world of marketing in South Africa.



She went from outgrowing studying BCom Accounting as a student at UKZN, to embracing her calling into the world of marketing. This gave rise to the woman we now know as the passionate guru of marketing. Nontokozo Madonsela is a valiant force to be reckoned with and is a living example that marketers must avoid doing the obvious in today’s cluttered world of communication. For Madonsela average won’t do. Period. &nbsp;She is a Kwa-Zulu Natal born travel junkie who proudly hails from the small town of Port Shepstone. She was driven by the urge to prove to herself that footprints in the sands of time are not made by sitting down. Her bursting curiosity and hunger for more led her into the bright lights of the city of Johannesburg. “The first two things that stood out for me when I landed in Joburg were the summer storms as well as the beautiful Jacaranda trees,” she recalls.



Madonsela gathered her blackbelt in marketing from working at several major companies in South Africa, namely: Standard Bank, British American Tobacco, Coca-Cola, South African Breweries as well as Hollard. Her tenacious drive recently led to her taking up the executive role of Group Chief Marketing Officer at South Africa’s fourth largest insurance group, Momentum Metropolitan Holdings (MMH). Madonsela’s list of accolades include the Avance Media’s Most Influential Young South African Business Leader award. She has contributed significantly to influencing the perception of retail banking in South Africa by improving the Customer Satisfaction Index by 4.4% through the Standard Bank What’s Your Next? campaign.



She developed and drove a new marketing strategy for Momentum Metropolitan Holdings, leading to the successful renaming and repositioning of the group.&nbsp; This resulted in the two brands&nbsp; regaining relevance in the market for the first time since the 2010 merger. All of that while judging the AdFocus 2019 awards and participating in The Small Big Business Show where she would offer marketing advice to small/medium businesses.



She has spearheaded major campaigns with each acting as the drop of ink that made a million think. The most recent campaign being the famed Momentum Women’s Month campaigns, No Apology For My Success as well as She Owns Her Success. Both campaigns were centred around encouraging women to take up more space, recognising their strengths and unabashedly celebrating their achievements. She admits that the Women’s Month campaigns were the most challenging campaigns to execute due to the magnitude of their reach, “This was my first big campaign with such depth. It featured so many layers that addressed the unequal gaps for women like me. The biggest reason for my passion behind these projects was because they aligned perfectly with what Momentum cares about, enabling success,” she says.



Although she is celebrating two decades of conquering the ever-evolving field of marketing, Madonsela admits that it hasn’t all been smooth sailing as she had many mistakes to learn from. “There had been so many career lows that were caused by not trusting my gut. I had instances where I would have to face the wrath of leadership for not managing budgets tightly. For some time, I struggled to navigate corporate politics with finesse,” says Madonsela.



She managed to overcome these by surrounding herself with incredible mentors and thinking partners who continue to help create a different perspective on her lows.



If there’s anything that involves consumer relations, it will certainly evolve as much as humans do. Nontokozo has observed that marketing has grown from just being a consumer-oriented sector to playing a pivotal role in the overall running of the company, “We are invited to HR and Operations discussions now because a brand is connected to everything that a business does. We’re the scientists of an organisation because not only are our financial resources limited, but the production timelines have shrunk &#8211; yet we still deliver good content and we have to do it fast,” says Madonsela.



She also adds that there are certain avoidable mistakes that marketers should combat in order to ensure the growth of the sector’s importance, “Avoid using poor insights and superficial human truths. These result in poor campaign performances,” she advises.



We live in a world where boardrooms are only recently starting to see more women take up executive chairs and, when asked what advice she had for women who want to take up these positions, Madonsela simply says: “Follow your heart. Passion is a huge part of what drives me and without passion, one can limit the extent of the impact that one can make”.



In her downtime, you can find this marketing firebrand whipping up delicious salads and colourful sangrias to prove that she too is a mere mortal like the rest of us.

Nontokozo Madonsela[2]

SHE IS CHANGING THE WORLD OF MARKETING – ONE CAMPAIGN AT A TIME!

The COVID-19 pandemic not only placed tremendous strain on South Africa&#8217;s already bleak fiscal stance, it also highlighted gaps in our overburdened medical care system, if left unaddressed, could come at a great cost for our health industry.&nbsp;&nbsp;



&#8220;Across the globe, younger healthcare professionals juggle immense responsibility with long working hours, leading to stress and potential burnout &#8211; but the report places South Africans are the forefront. 82% reported regularly experiencing work-related stress, among the highest across all 15-countries, while 43% considered leaving the profession as a result of work-related stress;&nbsp;&nbsp;9% higher than the 15-country average.&#8221;&nbsp;These are some of the critical findings released in the 2020 Philips Future Health Index (FHI) report, themed&#8220;The age of opportunity: Empowering the next generation to transform healthcare”whichlooked into&nbsp;the readiness of the younger generation frontline workers to manage the demands presented by current and future health. It revealed concerning statistics indicating low career satisfaction amongst our future workforce, due to high levels of work-related stress, poor infrastructure and limited access to information, outdated technology, as well as the lack of post-graduate skills development opportunities.&nbsp;



During his opening dialogue at the&nbsp;5thannual FORBES AFRICA Philips Future of Health Virtual Conference, South Africa&#8217;s Minister of Health, Honourable Dr. Zweli Mkhize,&nbsp;addressed key factors hindering growth within our health system, unpacked existing challenges, delved into solutions and highlighted opportunities that could revive the sector. He pointed out that there&#8217;s a lot to focus on, especially the resilience and sustainability of our healthcare system. The first major issue the minister said we are faced to deal with is ensuring that there are adequate human resources, well-trained and motivated staff of various categories, to render the best necessary health services. Secondly, is ensuring that South Africa has the right medical infrastructure enabling medical facilities and its staff to deliver quality care, irrespective of the circumstances we find ourselves in. Dr. Mkhize also pointed out the need to improve the quality-of-care, referring to the overall conditions of hospital wards; its cleanliness, availability of linen, equipment, etc.&nbsp; He emphasized the need to improve the medical care management culture within the industry.&nbsp;&#8220;Processes need to happen quickly and efficiently to ensure that there are no unnecessary and undue delays in the whole system, eliminating financial management issues and corruption.”&nbsp;said Minister Mkhize. The last factor the minister pointed out is the need to improve the information system and increase access to technology. All of these issues raised by the minister, if solutions are implemented, could strengthen the system and prevent a large-scale exodus of younger medical professionals.&nbsp;



 The above-mentioned factors addressed by Dr. Mkhize were dissected further during insightful and thought-provoking discussions between leaders in healthcare. Some of the other matters that were brought up during these debates were the safety of female professionals, value-vs-volume-based care, the younger generation healthcare professionals’ ability to voice ideas and concerns, and eradicating toxic working environments to ultimately create healthy working environments for young professionals completing their in-service training.  To find out more, watch the full FORBES Philips Future of Health Summit here: 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Opening dialogue: </h2>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Healthcare Infrastructure: </h2>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Transformative Power of Technology: </h2>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Gaps in Healthcare Education and Training: </h2>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Creating the Ideal Healthcare Environment: </h2>



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<a href="https://philips.to/32vNr6G">Download the Philips Future Health Index (FHI) Report here.</a>

forbes

Resilient, sustainable and innovative systems key to securing the future of health in South Africa

By Canninah Mapena, Managing Director, Rockwell Automation Sub-Saharan Africa



While digital transformation and the move to the Connected Enterprise offer brilliant benefits to organisations – improved visualisation, better and faster data acquisition and processing, remote support, and informed decision-making – there is industry-wide concern that the “smart” enterprise is increasingly vulnerable. More connected technology may mean more opportunities for cyber-attack. Add to the mix remote work, where employees are potentially working on their home or personal computers with insufficient anti-virus software, and the concern increases.



Bringing this into a manufacturing, process or mining environment, the threats presented by cyber-attacks go beyond malware, denial of service or ransomware and towards debilitating bugs and downtime. In a process operations context, risks include costly production stoppages and the potential for human harm. One harrowing example was reported by the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/technology/saudi-arabia-hacks-cyberattacks.html">New York Times in 2018</a>, where a petrochemical plant in Saudi Arabia was hit by a new kind of cyber-assault that was not designed to simply destroy data or shut down the plant. Investigators believe it was meant to sabotage the firm’s operations and trigger an explosion. Luckily, the attack was prevented by an error in the attacker’s coding.



While this is a rather drastic example, the message is clear: the risks are very real. So how can we go about protecting our Connected Enterprise?



The obvious option is to have trusted, high-quality, plant-wide industrial cybersecurity. To ensure our customers have access to this, Rockwell Automation recently acquired Oylo, an industrial cybersecurity services provider based in Spain. Oylo is dedicated to providing a broad range of industrial control system (ICS) cybersecurity services and solutions, including assessments, turnkey implementations, managed services and incident response



However, there is another element to consider when protecting your virtual and physical assets: your human assets. While many cybersecurity firms classify the “human aspect of cybersecurity” as a weakness or security threat due to the subjectivity of human behaviour, I am not a fan of this definition. It suggests that your own people are working against you, or don’t have company success in mind.



While it’s not impossible that deliberately malicious actors may exist within a company, logic would argue that an organisation’s own people surely prevent more attacks than they cause. Think about it: whenever someone ignores a phishing email, they keep a network secure. When your colleague locks their computer screen before taking their lunch break, they prevent potential unauthorised access. When a staff member closes a website following a security warning, they are keeping your network secure.



At Rockwell Automation, we believe that your people can be your biggest defence. Humans have a unique ability to actively prevent attacks – it might just take some training and awareness. While digital skills are not particularly abundant in South Africa, this a showstopper. In many cases, this can be easily rectified with some basic in-house training and perhaps annual cybersecurity workshops. This will go a long way in empowering your team to protect your company’s assets. It is worth investing some resources in upskilling and creating awareness in your team, as it will lead to improved business continuity and more resilient technological infrastructure, ensuring you maintain your company’s cutting edge.



Here are my five top tips when it comes to training your staff:



<ol class="wp-block-list" type="1"><li>Ensure your training initiatives are engaging; blunt lectures aren&#8217;t memorable and won&#8217;t stick.</li><li>Use practical examples to reinforce best practice.</li><li>Hold regular refresher courses that explain new trends in cyber-attacks.</li><li>Implement an incident-response policy so that staff are never in doubt about what to do in an attack scenario.</li><li>Be the kind of manager your staff can approach if they have made a mistake and opened your business to risk.</li></ol>



As connected smart devices are introduced into the plant floor, having a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy that protects your operational technology and information technology is critical now more than ever before – and people are key in this strategy. To be successful in your organisation’s journey to a Connected Enterprise, remember that your people are integral in this journey. Failing to consider their importance in keeping your environment secure and operational may see your company name in the next cyber-attack news headline.



About Canninah Mapena



Canninah Mapena is the MD and Country Sales Director for Rockwell Automation Sub-Saharan Africa, where she leverages her experience doing business on the continent to grow the footprint of the company and introduce new industries to the benefits of the Connected Enterprise. Canninah’s background lies in both business and engineering. She holds a Bachelors’ degree in Business Administration from the University of Johannesburg, as well as an Electrical and Electronics Engineering degree from the University of the Witwatersrand. With a people-centric approach to business, Canninah leads with confidence in her team and the drive to meet customers’ needs. She believes that technology is an enabler of great progress, while people are form the core of any successful solution.

Canninah Mapena_MD_Rockwell Automation SSA

Human assets are instrumental in protecting your virtual and physical assets

By Faustine Ngila



Just what completes a home? While many home owners will name a number of factors such as interior décor, a stable family and comfortable coaches, a house without a television that informs the whole family about everyday happenings is regarded as incomplete.



And as the world moves towards the digital age, nothing better complements a well-designed home than a smart TV that even connects to your smartphone, car and smart watch to keep you informed all year round.



But even as talk about the future goes on, economic analysts have lashed out at technology, saying it has played a part in widening the knowledge gap.



“Most TV manufacturers have priced their devices so high that they reach emerging markets at an exorbitant price, and that has got me thinking about why they believe that a TV should be status symbol,” Mr Prateek Suri, founder and chief executive of Dubai based smart TV manufacturer Maser notes.



He says that after identifying this worrying trend, his company embarked on the journey making sure that on top of manufacturing televisions for the future, even those populations that are held back by low budgets also get to enjoy the new TV capabilities.



Moving to the United Arab Emirates in 2006 from India, immediately after completing his studies from Modern School Barakhamba road New Delhi, and then mechanical engineering from BITS Pilani Dubai Campus, the TV maverick has been on one mission – to reduce the price of smart TVs.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="682" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Mr.-Prateek-Suri-Forbes-photo-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48914" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Mr.-Prateek-Suri-Forbes-photo-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Mr.-Prateek-Suri-Forbes-photo-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Mr.-Prateek-Suri-Forbes-photo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Mr.-Prateek-Suri-Forbes-photo-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Mr.-Prateek-Suri-Forbes-photo.jpg 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Mr. Prateek poses with some of Maser products at the distribution centre in Jebel Ali, Dubai</figcaption></figure>



“In the Middle East and Africa (MEA), we have ensured that the price for a 50-inch smart TV is half of the standard cost, so that low income families can afford to watch their favourite shows just as the middle and top classes in society,” he explains.



In the past few years, TV companies have been engaged in the fight for millions of viewers around the world, with each is doing its best to attract customers.



Samsung TV, on its part is offering a free service, integrated into all its smart TVs, giving users content from 150 channels. The service has coverage of live events, breaking news, in-depth reporting, context and analysis from around the world.



“With no shortage of news headlines from around the world, we’re proud to have ABC News Live’s quality reporting, originally programs and coverage of live events and breaking news prominently featured when people first turn on Samsung TV Plus,” says Kaizar Campwala, VP of Business Operations and Insights, Digital Media and Entertainment Distribution at Samsung.



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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Mr-Suri-with-clients-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48915" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Mr-Suri-with-clients-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Mr-Suri-with-clients-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Mr-Suri-with-clients-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Mr-Suri-with-clients-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Mr-Suri-with-clients-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Mr-Suri-with-clients-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Mr Suri with clients showing available TVs from Maser</figcaption></figure>



Maser, according to Mr Suri has been equally competitive in the market, having received a direct capital injection from a British private equity firm.



&#8220;Our competitive edge lies in the fact that by affording viewers quality gadgets and free Tv content, we are contributing to the World Bank’s call for inclusion on matters technology,&#8221; he says.



This has been more evident in the current generation where people want to be informed about their society faster than ever, to allow them make the right decisions.



“It is one of the reasons our focus has been on the African market since the year started. I strongly feel every human being has the right to information regardless of economic status, and that is part of the greater goal of making an even adoption of emerging realities that affect every aspect of our lives as we look into the future,” Mr Suri expounds.



The value of a TV set lies in its power to pass the test of time, and in his company, you will find durable screens that withstand extreme temperatures while bringing you one of the highest picture clarity levels in the current market.



As the market for smart TVs becomes more competitive, Park Hyoung-sei, president of the LG Home Entertainment says the company is bringing Amazon Music support to LG TVs as and added value benefits to customers.



“LG’s smart TVs are designed to combine everything that the customer could possibly want in one single seamless experience, from live television and sports events to the streaming of TV shows, movies, music and more,” he says.



Research shows that populations of the future will demand even larger screens. But to maintain the same clarity, Maser has incorporated more technologies to maintain the quality of every picture.



“Our Artificial Intelligence team has been working around upscaling the quality of videos shot on High Definition (HD) cameras to smoothly fit into our 4K screens. That keeps TV content bright enough and engaging, as we plan to launch 8K resolution screens soon,” adds Mr Suri.



Using technology to raise the quality of devices, Maser is also manufacturing and supplying quality air conditioners that are also the most affordable for consumers in Africa.

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Inside MASER’s efforts to provide affordable smart TVs

According to the World Bank, Africa&#8217;s population is expected to reach 2.8 billion by 2060, which will result in local government’s focus on developing and strengthening transport networks.  The continent’s two-wheeler market is projected to cross US$10 billion by 2022 owing to population, rising urbanisation and absence of reliable public transportation system in most of the African countries. The requirement for last-mile connectivity solutions presents opportunities primarily due to the relatively low penetration of two-wheelers vis-à-vis the total population of the continent.  This has resulted in leading global two-wheeler manufacturers from China, Japan and India increasing their presence across the continent.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"> Two-wheelers in Africa </h2>



Africa devised non-conventional modes of public transport through vans and minibuses. More recently, two-wheelers are doubling up as public transport due to requirement of faster conveyance,&nbsp;excellent&nbsp;manoeuvrability offered by the products across&nbsp;the&nbsp;varying landscape, easy two-wheeler financing and the swelling influx of imports from Asian manufacturers. &nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="731" height="1024" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/R-Dilip-4-731x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48829" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/R-Dilip-4-731x1024.jpg 731w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/R-Dilip-4-214x300.jpg 214w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/R-Dilip-4-768x1075.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/R-Dilip-4-1097x1536.jpg 1097w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/R-Dilip-4-1463x2048.jpg 1463w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/R-Dilip-4-300x420.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/R-Dilip-4-600x840.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/R-Dilip-4.jpg 1500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 731px) 100vw, 731px" /><figcaption>Mr. R Dilip, Executive Vice President – International Business, TVS Motor Company</figcaption></figure>



The African auto market’s steady growth is supported by growing employment, improving urban infrastructure and the ability of Asian manufacturers to supply cost-efficient vehicles that are relatively low in maintenance while offering higher mileage.&nbsp;African countries such as Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania have seen significant migration towards Indian two-wheeler brands.&nbsp;The spurt in growth is particularly prevalent in Kenya,&nbsp;where the government has extended tax waivers to both the imports of motorcycles and to local assembly plants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"> Indian ‘Trust Factor’</h2>



Customers prefer Indian brands because they offer better quality, durability and higher fuel economy. Furthermore, Indian manufacturers build customised products for the African market as each region has distinct requirements. Therefore, the product portfolio developed by Indian R&amp;D teams for the African markets focuses on catering to diverse customer preferences and the varied terrain.&nbsp;For example:&nbsp;Some markets are facing power shortage, therefore,&nbsp;TVS Motor Company provides thoughtful feature additions such as USB charging port for the customers to avail in case of emergencies.



As most two-wheelers in Africa double up as&nbsp;boda&nbsp;boda, ambulance taxi and two-wheelers, customers are looking for&nbsp;long-lasting&nbsp;and durable products.&nbsp;One challenge which African markets face during international imports of two-wheelers&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;absence&nbsp;of complete service support.&nbsp;The lack of necessary service facilities and non-availability of spare parts often&nbsp;hamper the longevity of the vehicle. &nbsp;



TVS Motor Company has been present in Africa&nbsp;for&nbsp;the&nbsp;past&nbsp;two decades&nbsp;offering&nbsp;the&nbsp;complete sale, service and spare support. The company builds&nbsp;multi-utility two-wheelers&nbsp;with&nbsp;fuel-efficient engines and strong suspensions&nbsp;to traverse diverse terrains.&nbsp;TVS Motor&nbsp;has set up its assembly plants via tie-ups with local partners in select countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria. The company has also set up&nbsp;a&nbsp;supply chain&nbsp;in&nbsp;Egypt and Nigeria. These partnerships have helped in creating local hubs, which in turn have generated employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for close to&nbsp;1 million&nbsp;local populaces.&nbsp;TVS Motor has been providing &nbsp;staunch support to the market in the on-going pandemic in form of masks, sanitisation and food. All service center&nbsp;employees&nbsp;are&nbsp;trained to take adequate precautions and provide maintenance tips.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Future Opportunities&nbsp;</h2>



The trend of using personal commuting had emerged across the continent&nbsp;in recent years. In a social distancing led world of COVID-19, people will opt for&nbsp;solo and sanitised travel thus creating&nbsp;an&nbsp;opportunity for scooters and bebeks.&nbsp;The delivery sector is also expected to create opportunities&nbsp;for small tonnage two-wheelers along with institutional sales opportunity with government and private sector.&nbsp;In&nbsp;specific&nbsp;markets,&nbsp;ride-hailing&nbsp;apps are emerging.



Indian manufacturers are poised to meet this demand with a wide range of offerings. They are also expanding their network in the African market to offer sustainable mobility solutions to all commuters. The growth of this sector is good news for Africa as it would lead to job creation and increase employment opportunities.



Authored by: Mr. R Dilip, Executive Vice President – International Business, TVS Motor Company

Contributor

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA