Inspiring a lasting legacy,the world still resonates with Africa’s first-ever heavyweight title fight, Rumble in the Jungle, watched by as many as one billion people worldwide.



As first light crept over Kinshasa’s then Stade du 20 Mai (20th of May Stadium), the air electric and the world watching, Muhammad Ali, poised like a man who held the keys to destiny, prepared to face the undefeated juggernaut George Foreman, both men ready to etch their names into history.



Rumble in the Jungle, as the world would come to call it, was no ordinary boxing match. On October 30, 1974, the President of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Mobutu Sese Seko had invested $10 million to bring the event to Kinshasa, a sum that was almost unthinkable in those days.



It was a visionary bid, meant not just to crown a champion but to spotlight Zaire as a cultural powerhouse.



For Ali and Foreman, the stakes went beyond titles or money. Undefeated in 40 fights, Foreman was the favorite and expected to dominate the night.



“It amazes me that it was 50 years ago and people are still talking about it, and the term rope-a-dope,” Foreman tells Telegraph Sport.



“I’m just happy that I can remember it, period. I have nothing but fond memories, but at the time, I was devastated at the defeat.’’



Ali had a plan, one as cunning as it was unorthodox. Knowing he couldn’t beat Foreman with raw power, he leaned into the ropes and let Foreman punch himself into exhaustion, an audacious tactic that would come to be known as the rope-a-dope.



This strategy wasn’t just a stroke of genius in the ring; it became a legendary lesson in patience, resilience, and mental fortitude. As Nigerian sports analyst Mustapha Shuaib put it, “Ali’s ability to innovate under the stress of a championship fight is a lesson for entrepreneurs today. When you’re backed into a corner, that’s when true creativity is unleashed.”



Promoter Don King, with his uncanny sense for the dramatic, orchestrated the fight with a flair that transformed it into an event of monumental proportions.



King secured $5 million for each fighter, setting a new standard for athlete compensation and possibly laying the foundation for the billion-dollar sports economy we know today. <a></a>



“Don King didn’t just promote a fight; he promoted a vision,” says Shuaib. “He understood that Ali wasn’t just a fighter—he was a global symbol. King packaged the fight as a cultural moment, a clash of personalities and ideals that resonated worldwide.”



The fight was immortalized through the lens of filmmaker Leon Gast, whose Academy Award-winning documentary, When We Were Kings, brought new depth to its narrative. The documentary, featuring insights from cultural icons like Spike Lee and Norman Mailer, framed the match as a cultural and psychological duel, an enduring metaphor for triumph against the odds.



‘’Rumble in the Jungle set the stage for a new era of sports marketing and broadcasting, showing how a well-told sports narrative could captivate the world and draw in global sponsors,’’ says Shuaib.

George Foreman Fighting Muhammed Ali

Fifty Years On, The Fight Between Muhammad Ali And George Foreman In Kinshasa Endures As A Tale Of Tactics And Triumph

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defense minister Yoav Gallant and a high-ranking Hamas official, accusing the three leaders of war crimes during Israel’s war with the militant group.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



The ICC&nbsp;<a href="https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-state-palestine-icc-pre-trial-chamber-i-rejects-state-israels-challenges" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">announced</a>&nbsp;it found “reasonable grounds” that Netanyahu and Gallant “bear criminal responsibility” for using starvation as a method of warfare in Israel’s war with Hamas, alleging the leaders “created conditions of life” intended to “bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population in Gaza.”



The court accused Hamas leader Mohammed Deif—who Israel said was killed in an airstrike in July—of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, torture, rape and hostage-taking related to the group’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.



Israel’s foreign ministry challenged the ICC’s jurisdiction in September, arguing the Hague-based court didn’t provide Israel adequate time to investigate the court’s allegations before arrest warrants were issued, though the ICC rejected Israel’s challenge.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">Chief Critic</h2>



Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/IsraelMFA/status/1859586821258178909" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">condemned</a>&nbsp;the ICC for the arrest warrants, saying the court had “lost all legitimacy for its existence and actions” and acted as a “political tool serving the most extreme elements working to undermine peace, security and stability in the Middle East.” Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s national security minister,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/itamarbengvir/status/1859574591363891678" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">called</a>&nbsp;the arrest warrants an “unparalleled disgrace, though not surprising at all.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-will-netanyahu-be-arrested">Will Netanyahu Be Arrested?</h2>



The ICC, which works in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/crimes-against-humanity.shtml" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">cooperation</a>&nbsp;with the United Nations,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.icc-cpi.int/about/how-the-court-works#:~:text=The%20judges%20can%20sentence%20a,order%20reparations%20for%20the%20victims." rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">relies</a>&nbsp;on other countries that recognize its jurisdiction to carry out its arrest warrants. Several countries, including the U.S. and China, do not recognize the court’s jurisdiction and would not be asked to arrest Netanyahu, who spoke to Congress in July. Even if a country does recognize its jurisdiction, it doesn’t indicate the arrest warrants will be carried out: Mongolia&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/putin-mongolia-icc-court-arrest-e0b583253a481b106092897a44c0c249" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">did not arrest</a>&nbsp;Russian President Vladimir Putin—who was accused of war crimes in Russia’s war with Ukraine—when he visited the country in September.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">Key Background</h2>



The ICC <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2024/05/20/icc-seeks-arrest-warrants-for-benjamin-netanyahu-and-hamas-leader-yahya-sinwar/?sh=149e51285815">signaled</a> in May it was seeking arrest warrants for several Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Netanyahu, over alleged war crimes committed on Oct. 7 and during the conflict in Gaza. Karim Khan, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, said Israel’s prime minister and Gallant were facing charges of “causing extermination” in Gaza. The court, founded in 2002, has jurisdiction to prosecute cases of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes, though it does not have the power to enforce those warrants. The U.S. previously warned against the ICC issuing warrants for Netanyahu, saying it would derail peace negotiations in the Middle East. President Joe Biden claimed it was “outrageous” for the court to seek warrants for both Israel and Hamas leaders that accuse them of similar crimes, <a href="https://x.com/albamonica/status/1792596707751948395" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">saying</a> there was “no equivalence—none—between Israel and Hamas.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken also <a href="https://x.com/JakeSherman/status/1792593904316854742" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">criticized</a> the ICC’s decision, suggesting it would “jeopardize ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement that would get hostages out.”

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu arrives on stage

International Criminal Court Issues Arrest Warrant For Israel’s Netanyahu And Gallant Over Alleged War Crimes

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



Top strategists largely expect another year of strong returns for the U.S.’ leading S&amp;P 500 stock index in 2025, according to early prognostications from major banks, a welcome bullish signal for investors already enjoying a historic bull market.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



Goldman Sachs:&nbsp;The investment bank predicted in a Monday note to clients the S&amp;P will end next year at&nbsp;6,500,&nbsp;a 10% gain from the index’s roughly 5,900 level Wednesday, not accounting for dividends. It’s a view “predicated on continued U.S. economic expansion” and bolstered by the forecasted 11% earnings per share growth for the 500-company index. Notably, the Goldman group led by David Kostin predicts 2025 will be the slimmest relative outperformance of the “magnificent seven” stocks of the U.S.’ seven largest companies since 2017, reversing a trend of extended market-beating returns from the group led by AI leader Nvidia and iPhone maker Apple.



Morgan Stanley:&nbsp;The Goldman rival has a matching&nbsp;6,500&nbsp;12-month price target for the S&amp;P, the group led by Michael Wilson shared in a Monday note. Morgan Stanley has a balmier 13% EPS growth forecast than Goldman, but shared the potential for “wider than normal” risks to its forecast due to “the potential uncertainty that the recent election outcome introduces.” Wilson set a bull case target of 7,400 for the S&amp;P, implying a potential 26% advance, and a 4,600 bear case target, indicating a possible 28% correction.



UBS:&nbsp;UBS Global Wealth Management has a&nbsp;6,600&nbsp;target for the S&amp;P by the end of 2025, indicating a slightly more bullish 12% gain. The election “likely pulled forward the timing” of the returns associated with optimism from President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January, wrote Jason Draho, the group’s head of asset allocation, Americas, wrote to clients last week.



BMO Capital Markets:&nbsp;The Canada-based firm has a&nbsp;6,700&nbsp;price target for the S&amp;P, predicting a 14% gain. “Earnings growth is actually understated” and “the train has left the station” with the prospect of further gains as the Federal Reserve further lowers interest rates, BMO’s chief investment strategist Brian Belski&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/video/2024/11/18/bmos-brian-belski-explains-his-2025-year-end-target-of-6700.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">told</a>&nbsp;CNBC on Monday.



Evercore ISI: The tech-focused boutique bank set a&nbsp;6,600&nbsp;target for the S&amp;P by the middle of 2025 following the election. The bull market is “still an infant,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-bull-market-is-still-an-infant-why-evercore-sees-the-s-p-500-at-6-600-by-mid-2025-c2e80aeb" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;strategists led by Julian Emanuel. Yet the recent stalling of the post-election stock rally – the S&amp;P is down 2% from last Monday’s record close – indicates the market is in a “digestion phase,” Emanuel&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf_d24Vm-ao" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">told</a>&nbsp;Bloomberg on Wednesday.



Yardeni Research:&nbsp;The influential independent research firm led by has a balmy&nbsp;7,000&nbsp;target by the end of next year, implying a 19% gain. “Trump 2.0 represents a major regime change that’s bullish for the economy and stocks,” Yardeni wrote last week.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">Crucial Quote</h2>



This is the “highest concentration market in 100 years,” Kostin said in a Wednesday conference call with reporters. “But you look out longer term…the history of a high concentration market is it doesn&#8217;t persist. It eventually fades. You get a broadening of the market.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-contra">Contra</h2>



No surprise considering the often unpredictable nature of financial markets, price targets even from the most trusted names on Wall Street can prove imperfect. Last November, Goldman and Morgan Stanley&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/11/15/heres-where-wall-street-says-sp-500-will-head-next-year-dont-expect-record-highs/">projected</a>&nbsp;the S&amp;P to end 2024 at 4,700 and 4,500, respectively, both more than 20% below Wednesday’s price.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">Big Number</h2>



10,000. That’s where the bullish Yardeni predicts the S&amp;P could climb to 10,000 by the end of 2029, forecasting a strong 16% annualized return.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">Key Background</h2>



Up 23% year-to-date, the S&amp;P is on track to nearly match 2023’s 23% gain. This would be the first time the index rose at least 20% in consecutive years since 1995 to 1998 during the internet boom. The S&amp;P’s 53% gain dating back to the end of 2022 has it on pace for its best two-year gain since the late 1990s. Driving much of the S&amp;P’s recent success, which came in the face of a historically challenging high-rate environment, were big technology stocks, with the likes of Amazon, Meta, Nvidia and Tesla all gaining more than 150% since the end of 2022.

In this photo illustration, A woman browses Yahoo Finance

Will 2025 Bring Similar Cheer For S&P 500? Here’s What Wall Street Expects.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT SOUTH AFRICAN BRANDIES that make them so special, yet, why are they underappreciated by the broader population in the country? We speak to the connoisseurs, who raise their glasses for elevating their favorite tipple. 



South Africa, with one of the oldest wine routes outside of France is, unsurprisingly, a producer of top-class wines. And beyond wine, brandy, in particular, is another top-class spirit produced here, a fact most locals are unaware of. Often dismissed as part of brandewyn en coke (brandy and Coke drink combination) culture, South African brandy is actually of such high quality, it regularly cleans up at international awards shows.



When looking at what sets South African brandies apart, there are a few components at play. Firstly, it’s worth noting there are three primary categories of brandy: Pot still or Cape, Vintage and Blended brandy. Pot still/Cape and blended brandies make up the majority of the category. Pot still/Cape brandy is made exclusively from copper pot still distillation and aged for at least three years. This represents the traditional and artisanal style of brandy production, while blended brandy is a mix of at least 30% pot still, and unmatured spirits, designed to be more affordable and versatile, and used for mixers and cocktails.



Secondly, the grapes used to make the base wines for distillation start by being exceptional. Chenin blanc and Colombard are the most common grapes used for brandy production and with South Africa’s prolific wine industry, it’s no surprise that these grapes become excellent wines. South African brandies are also characterized by rigorous production standards, which include the minimum aging period. The country’s regulations require that brandy must be aged for at least three years, surpassing the minimum aging period for cognac, which is two and a half years.



“In practice, many South African brandies are aged far beyond this requirement, developing a depth of flavor that is unmatched,” says John Loomes, CEO of KWV, one of South Africa’s leading wine and spirits producers. “The warmer climate in South Africa allows grapes used in brandy production to reach full ripeness with higher sugar levels, resulting in brandies that exhibit rich, sun- dried fruit notes both on the nose and palate. This warmer climate also accelerates the aging process, enhancing the aromatic intensity and concentration of the brandies.” He continues by saying that this often results in 20-year-old South African brandies developing characteristics that would typically take 35 years in Europe. “This leads to a rich and complex flavor profile that is highly regarded by international connoisseurs,” says Loomes.



With distilleries such as KWV drawing on techniques as far back as 1926, the local brandy industry has long been held to such a high standard. “The quality was high from the beginning and was originally formulated to be enjoyed with a mixer,” says Johan Venter, a renowned master distiller. “Our production methods were prescribed and were different to the rest of the world. We use a pot still, while the rest of the world mainly uses column stills. We use small barrels (smaller than 340 liters) and the minimum age is three years, whereas the rest of the world uses large barrels with little maturation time, roughly six months.” 



Ultimately, the regulations around brandy are what uphold its quality and importance in local spirit production. “The industry adheres to regulations that dictate production methods, aging, and classification,” says Shane Mumba, brand ambassador for the South African Brandy Foundation and member of The Black Cellar Club, or BLACC, a nonprofit focused on education in wines and spirits in the hospitality sector. “We have strict legislation for brandy production. The South African Brandy Foundation established by the industry in 1984 protects the heritage and integrity of South African brandy.”



The nod to heritage here is important in understanding the complexity of brandy, as well as its reception and popularity. It’s believed that the first-recorded brandy distillation took place in 1672, aboard a Dutch ship anchored in Table Bay. “The cook managed to distil 1,000 liters of Cape wine into about 130 liters of brandy and the South African brandy story started,” says Mumba. “The Dutch, and later the French Huguenots, brought with them a wealth of knowledge in viticulture and distillation, laying the foundation for South African brandy.” It would be centuries later until brandy began to develop some traction, but this legacy has culminated in a globally-recognized product. As recently as May, at the 2024 International Spirits Challenge, KWV was one of three local producers to win gold.



Leah van Deventer is an award-winning spirits and drinks writer, judge and consultant and says that these awards underpin the quality of local brandy, but highlights why that doesn’t necessarily translate to popularity at home. “South African brandy is a world leader in the category, and it has double gold medals and best-in-class awards from multiple blind-tasting competitions to prove it,” says Van Deventer. “That said, you can have a brilliant product, and it may still not be to someone’s personal taste, in terms of both their consumer bias and their preferred flavor profile.” Simply put, brandy – even one that systematically wins global accolades – is not everyone’s cup of tea and there’s data to back this up.



KWV’s Loomes says that only an estimated 4% of the African population currently consumes brandy or cognac. He attributes this to brandy’s public perception and how it’s viewed in comparison to other spirits. “Locally, South African brandy often competes with the long-established prestige of cognac, which has become synonymous with luxury in the minds of many consumers, mainly due to its imported status. Despite the world-class quality of our brandies, this perception can sometimes overshadow local appreciation of just how good they are.”



Venter agrees, adding that in the early 1990s, when imported whiskey became too expensive, local whiskey was introduced as a substitute, further taking the spotlight off brandy. “South African whiskey is a fantastic product and at the time it was considered much classier to drink whiskey than brandy,” Venter adds. “But the misuse of brandy in South Africa gave it a very bad reputation.”



This lesser view of brandy, coupled with the rise of interest in cognac, also comes back to the history of the spirit. “Within its home country, brandy is still often seen as a White man’s tipple, with the historical stigma that goes with that,” says Van Deventer. She adds that it is beginning to gain traction within the Black community, thanks to the work of associations like BLACC, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.



Mumba echoes this, saying education is a key driver. “Brandy production is a complex and intricate process. Very few people know how much time and care goes into producing brandy.” He continues by saying that most South Africans simply aren’t aware of their award-winning brandies. “The more South Africans know about the incredible brandies we have and the time it takes to make this golden liquid, the more interested they will be.” Loomes adds that to invigorate interest, there must be continued emphasis on the local brandy’s exceptional quality. 



“And in the case of our pot stills, these are not only on par with but often surpasses cognac in taste and quality.” This is particularly key in emerging markets where the rising costs of cognac present a clear opportunity for local brandies. Mumba also highlights how the reframing of brandy can help with its reception. “The versatility of blended brandy makes it a wonderful choice for mixers and cocktails, but it also calls for greater creativity within the category,” he says. “This presents a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to create ready-to- drink aperitifs to attract a younger and new consumer.”

Young female bartender professionally pours rum or brandy from steel jigger into glass at bar.

What Sets South African Brandy Apart – And Rebranding To Attract New Customers

<abbr>In</abbr> 1882, John D. Rockefeller, the world’s richest man, created the first full-service single-family office in the U.S. to manage and invest his fortune, said to be $1.4 billion ($31 billion in today’s dollars) at his death in 1937. Fast-forward 142 years, and many members of The Forbes 400 have a family office to help them manage their enormous fortunes.



But so do thousands of other American families who don’t belong to the billionaire class. At their core, family offices are a means to invest, preserve and pass on fortunes—not to build them de novo. They’re both a safety net and status symbol. “People are busy, and they want to know: ‘How are we doing? Is there anything to worry about?’ ” says Mark Rogozinski, president of Family Office Services for Chicago-based Cresset Asset Management.



Family offices are taking off for many reasons, including increasing wealth and aggressive marketing to the ordinary rich. Baby Boomers and their elders also have concerns about passing on their accumulated wealth (in aggregate, some $84 trillion) and have a desire to involve younger generations in philanthropy. On the other side, the family office providers have access to new technology that can better monitor investment performance and share financial data, making it easier for them to expand. The final impetus is tax savings—the 2017 tax overhaul, coupled with a tax court ruling that year involving the Lender family (of bagel fame), mean that investment expenses which are no longer deductible on individual tax returns can often be written off at the family office level.



It’s unclear how many single-family offices now operate in the U.S.—estimates range from 3,000 up to 7,000. But all agree that the number is growing. Deloitte conservatively estimates there will be 3,550 single-family offices in North America in 2025, up 61% from 2019. (For comparison,&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;counted 880 billionaires in the U.S. and Canada in 2024.)



It still requires at least $100 million in investable assets (and preferably $250 million) for a single-family office to make sense, but those with as little as $25 million, or even $10 million, can find a spot with a multifamily operator if they’re ready to pay for estate, tax and charitable planning and access to alternative investments like derivatives and venture capital.



A single-family office costs a minimum of $1 million annually (and usually more), but multi-family offices run from 0.5% to 2% of assets a year (generally, the bigger the portfolio, the lower the percentage). Sometimes there are transaction and performance fees as well. Concierge services, such as managing a client’s homes and security and travel, may cost extra. The fee structure is often negotiable and bespoke, just like the services. Some multifamily offices charge a fixed fee per year, starting at $50,000 and ranging up to $1 million for full service.



More and more people want (and can afford) such white-glove treatment. The Federal Reserve’s 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances found the richest 1% of Americans (that’s 1.3 million households) had a minimum net worth of&nbsp;<a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WFRBL99T999309" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">$11 million</a>, while the top 0.1% (<a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WFRBLTP1310" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">133,000</a>&nbsp;households) had a net worth of at least&nbsp;<a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WFRBLTP1311" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">$46 million</a>.



The original multifamily offices were born when a single rich family invited in a handful of others to defray costs. Cresset, founded seven years ago in Chicago by two private-equity veterans to manage their own families’ wealth, is one of a new breed of registered investment advisors expanding aggressively into the multifamily business. After merging in June with The Connable Office, a 130-year-old multifamily office, it’s up to $60 billion in assets under management.



One new multifamily player, New York City’s Beatrice Advisors, is the first owned by a Black woman. It was launched in June by Christina Lewis with assets from her own family and those of her rich friends. Her father, Forbes 400 member Reginald Lewis—a Baltimore-born, Harvard-trained deal lawyer—died in 1993 at 50 from an inoperable brain tumor. Christina was just 12 then, and describes her family as being “underadvised” at his death. Beatrice is investing heavily in technology, creating digital dashboards for its clients that display a family’s whole net worth, including their investment portfolio, business assets and even intellectual property. The aim, Lewis says, is “transitioning our knowledge to the client over time, so that the client is in the driver’s seat.”



In contrast to the Lewises, the Lipitz family has had decades to work out its wealth transition. Gene Lipitz, now 58, got into the family office game in 1997. His dad, Roger C. Lipitz, now 82, had sold the company he built—Meridian Healthcare, a chain of 45 nursing homes—for $205 million in 1993. Father and son began collaborating on investments informally, but Roger became increasingly involved in civic and charitable work and suggested they formalize that partnership, with the younger Lipitz taking the investing lead. Gene first hired a multifamily office in 1997 but was dissatisfied. Ultimately, in 1999, after selling his own tax- and risk-management company to Citicorp, Gene decided to create his own office; it now manages investments for three generations with three full-time employees, outsourcing such functions as accounting. The office’s mission statement is revised regularly. Failing to do that, Gene says, is “a great way to lose buy-in from the next generation.”



Even for people with decades of business experience, starting a single-family office can be daunting, beginning with the challenge of hiring qualified staff. That work, too, is often outsourced. Kay Shah, a director in the Family Office Division at StevenDouglas, a national boutique search firm, spends her days recruiting financial pros to serve in family offices, which typically have five to 15 employees, she says.



New cloud-based platforms help professional managers track portfolio holdings and performance across asset classes, but family offices controlled by older generations still tend to lag technologically. Josh Kanter, an attorney and wealth advisor in Salt Lake City, concluded, based on his own experience, that family offices need to become more tech-centric. After his father, famed tax lawyer and trust engineer Burton Kanter (an advisor to the billionaire Pritzker family), died in 2001, Josh took over managing the family’s office. He found keeping all generations up to date on practical details difficult. For example, he says, the family will pay for tuition and health care, but only if certain guidelines are followed. The problem was that there was no single place to find that sort of information, other than sorting through the more than 275,000 files in the family Dropbox or calling him directly to ask.



His solution was to start his own software company, Leafplanner. It acts as an overlay to existing financial software like Addepar, which tracks multiasset portfolio performance, or Arch, which organizes tax documents. Leafplanner can guide family members through the process of getting answers to specific questions on everything from investment decisions to charitable giving. It can be customized for an unlimited number of users, controlling access to what information each can see. Since launching in 2022, Leafplanner has installed the software for 145 other families, Kanter says. As for his own family, he says, they no longer have to ask, “What happens if Josh is the next one to get hit by a bus?”

Group of business people, bank managers, bankers having meeting, discussion on global planning and financial research. Help, advisory, financial services, support and investment strategy concept

Why You No Longer Need To Be A Billionaire To Have Your Own Family Office

The long-standing relationship between the two countries dates back to India establishing its Diplomatic House in Lagos in November 1958, two years before the country gained independence.



Narendra Modi recently visited Nigeria, marking the first trip by an Indian Prime Minister in 17 years since Manmohan Singh’s visit in October 2007.



Modi’s visit follows his meeting with Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on the sidelines of the G20 Summit held in New Delhi, India, in September 2023.



An Indian expatriate community of approximately 50,000 people – the largest in West Africa – serves as a living bridge between the two countries.



Highlighting this bond, Modi expressed gratitude during his meeting with Tinubu in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, stating: “I am happy that under India’s leadership, Nigeria joined the G20 as a partner country and was given BRICS partner status. Our partnership is strong and full of new possibilities.”



India is one of Nigeria’s largest trading partners, while Nigeria remains India’s largest trading partner in Africa. However, bilateral trade declined from $14.95 billion in 2021-22 to $7.89 billion in 2023-24, mainly due to reduced oil imports by India.



Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows from Nigeria to India from April 2000 to June 2019 were valued at around $14.50 million.



Indian-owned and operated companies are critical players in Nigeria’s economy, with over 135 companies employing thousands of Nigerians in industries such as pharmaceuticals, engineering, and chemicals. These businesses represent the second-largest pool of private-sector employers in the country after the federal government.



Tinubu acknowledged this contribution, saying: “Indian citizens in Nigeria and investors are doing great service to your reputation and to democratic values in our region. We value our relationship and seek to deepen it for mutual benefit.”



Modi’s visit also highlighted India’s solidarity with Nigeria. He expressed condolences for the lives lost in last month’s floods and announced 20 tonnes of humanitarian aid for relief efforts.



Tinubu conferred upon him Nigeria’s national honor, the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON). “Your transformative leadership has placed India on the top ladder of governance, and we respect your example of democratic values. This honor signifies Nigeria’s appreciation and commitment to India as a partner,” Tinubu said at the meeting.

Bola Tinubu – Narendra Modi meeting in Nigeria

66-Year India-Nigeria Ties Strengthen As Modi Makes First Visit To The West African Economy

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



Air quality in New Delhi dropped to its worst level this year on Monday—with pollutant levels reaching more than 150 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended safe levels—as local authorities enacted an emergency response plan, including shutting down schools, halting the entry of nearly all trucks and a ban on all construction activities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Key Facts</h2>



<a href="https://www.iqair.com/in-en/india/delhi%5C" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">According to IQ Air</a>, New Delhi’s Air Quality Index, which measures the level of air pollution, surged past 1,700 on Monday—more than five times above the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.airnow.gov/aqi/aqi-basics/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">“hazardous” benchmark</a>&nbsp;where even healthy individuals are likely to experience adverse effects.



The pollution level was so severe on Monday that the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi—which uses the Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow chart—<a href="https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/new-delhi/air-quality-data/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">rated the conditions</a>&nbsp;“Beyond the AQI” on its hourly tracker as it registered levels above 1,600.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="699" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GettyImages-2183914233.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-63705" style="width:644px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GettyImages-2183914233.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GettyImages-2183914233-300x205.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GettyImages-2183914233-768x524.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">India Gate is covered in a thick layer of pollution in New Delhi, India, on November 13, 2024 (Photo by Bilal Kuchay/NurPhoto via Getty Images).</figcaption></figure></div>


The national pollution control authority rated the conditions in Delhi as “severe plus” and&nbsp;<a href="https://caqm.nic.in/WriteReadData/LINKS/GRAP%20Stage%20IV%20Order%20dated%2017112024272e205d-f42e-4106-932a-0514c584dfd7.pdf" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">ordered the enforcement</a>&nbsp;of stage 4 of a graded response action plan, which is the highest level emergency response and allows for the most stringent curbs on vehicles and construction work.



The Delhi Government ordered all schools to switch over to online classes and issued bans on key sources of pollution, including the entry of trucks carrying non-essential goods into the city, the operation of older diesel vehicles on the road and all construction activities.



The national capital city was blanketed by a thick layer of smog—a toxic mix of fog and smoke—that dropped&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/delhi-news/dense-smog-leaves-delhi-choking-as-aqi-in-severe-plus-category-visibility-down-to-100m-101731903642563.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">visibility levels</a>&nbsp;to around 100 meters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What Is Causing Delhi’s Pollution?</h2>



Severe pollution levels have become a recurring problem for India’s capital and other major North Indian cities during the winter—when the dense fog-laden air mixes with toxic smoke and other pollutants. As with every year, the issue has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ndtv.com/video/bjp-distributes-masks-in-delhi-as-air-pollution-crisis-deepens-862172" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">triggered</a>&nbsp;a political&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/atishi-targets-centre-on-stubble-burning-amid-delhis-air-emergency-7045044" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">blame game</a>&nbsp;between the national government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Delhi government led by the rival Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).&nbsp;<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/farm-fires-continue-to-pollute-delhis-air-despite-decrease-in-incidents/articleshow/115062410.cms" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">According to</a>&nbsp;the national air quality monitoring agency SAFAR, nearly 40% of Delhi’s pollution can be attributed to the illegal burning of crop residues in neighboring states like Punjab and Haryana after harvest season. Efforts to crack down on farm fires have failed, as stubble burning is usually quicker and cheaper than manual or machine removal—which the government is trying to financially incentivize.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">News Peg</h2>



The levels of PM 2.5 pollutants—airborne particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which can enter the lungs and cause several diseases—across the city peaked above 950 micrograms per cubic meter on Monday, according to IQAir’s tracker. According to the World Health Organization, the recommended annual average exposure to PM2.5 matter should not exceed 5 micrograms per cubic meter.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Big Number</h2>



214. That is the total number of both arriving and departing flights, which have faced delays at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.flightaware.com/live/cancelled" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">according to</a>&nbsp;FlightAware. In a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/DelhiAirport/status/1858389088614613391" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">statement on X</a>&nbsp;at noon, the Delhi Airport said its “low visibility procedures are still in progress and flight operations may get affected.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tangent</h2>



NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System, which tracks fires using satellite imagery, showed&nbsp;<a href="https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;l:fires_all,earth;@74.6,32.1,5.7z" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">several active blazes</a>&nbsp;across the state of Punjab in the past 24 hours. Last month, a&nbsp;<a href="https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/spso/bio/hiren.t.jethva" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Senior Research Scientist</a>&nbsp;at NASA, Hiren T Jethva,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/hjethva05/status/1849578536128086531" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">speculated</a>&nbsp;on X that farmers in North India may be deliberately burning crop stubbles later in the afternoon to avoid having their flames tracked by the satellite overpass. It is unclear if this is true, but this hasn’t stopped authorities from reporting a large number of farm fires in the area. In the state of Punjab alone, 4,262 cases of farm fires were reported in the last two weeks,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/of-total-8404-farm-fire-cases-in-punjab-50-reported-in-past-2-weeks/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">according to</a>&nbsp;the Tribune.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Further Reading</h2>



<a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/delhi-news/dense-smog-leaves-delhi-choking-as-aqi-in-severe-plus-category-visibility-down-to-100m-101731903642563.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Dense smog leaves Delhi choking as AQI in ‘severe plus’ category, visibility down to 100m</a>&nbsp;(Hindustan Times)

The Cart in the Fog

India’s Capital Chokes Under ‘Severe Plus’ Pollution—Emergency Measures Enacted Including School Shutdowns

The boundless journey of the international African American museum and deep curation of a shared history. 



In January 1861, the estate of a deceased landowner called William McKenna was auctioned at the local courthouse in Lancaster County, South Carolina. According to the auction poster, McKenna’s property included 182 ‘Negro Slaves’: toddlers as young as three; a shoemaker aged ‘about 50 years’; a woman named Charlotte and her six children, available for $800 each.



This faded document, ambered in a kind of matter-of-fact horror, belongs to the Internation- al African American Museum (IAAM), opened in 2023 in Charleston at Gadsden’s Wharf, the first destination for 40% of the enslaved Afri- cans who landed in the United States (U.S.). It’s an architectural choice that recognizes both an unflinching apprehension of the site’s tragic his- tory, and its potential as a place of healing for vis- itors whose descendants began their American journey in an exhausted step from the slave ship to the jetty.



Malika N. Pryor is the IAAM’s Chief Learning and Engagement Officer, providing strategic direction for its programs: the cultural history of West and West Central Africa; the “nuanced historical connections throughout the Black Atlantic World”; the memories of the enslaved Africans who worked in South Carolina’s lucrative rice industry; and the Center for Family History, which assists African Americans interested in researching their own ancestry. 



“Our first goal for the Center is to break down the ‘wall of 1870’ – 1870 being the year newly-minted African Americans are included en masse in the U.S. Census,” she says. “Many African Americans find it difficult to trace their ancestry beyond this point. Disembar- kation is an equally critical goal: our researchers have traced African-descended ancestors to the 1600s. And the grand thoroughfares of the more recent past – the civil rights movement, Black Power, or the Great Migration – are the natural aggregation of a million respective decisions. When people know the role their family played in these moments, they can place themselves on the map of humanity.” To that end, the museum has been developing relationships with West African countries as part of a deep curation of a shared history.



“Whether in Sierra Leone, where we are working to secure relics connected to the trans-Atlantic slave trade; Ghana, where we foster knowledge exchange in cultural studies; or by hosting dignitaries from Togo: we are working intently to engage with the African continent,” says Pryor. “While we are not a philosophically pan-African institution, it’s difficult to imagine a museum that frames the African American journey within the context of the larger diaspora without the advocacy of a unified African identity. In many respects, it is the legacy of pan-Africanism that gives way to this idea of an African cultural continuum across the oceans.”



African visitors to the museum have also felt empowered by its affirmation of their own cultural integrity. “They’ve told us IAAM is the first museum where they see themselves: where their stories are prominent and clearly related to Black people in the Americas. That was such important feedback.”



In an era where so many in power push back against the idea of restitution, could the museum have a role to play in an intellectual recalibration of the U.S.’ understanding of African American culture? “South Carolina, for much of its history, was a numerical Black ma- jority,” Pryor says. 



“Enslaved Africans developed the rice economy, constructed much of the architecture that dots the Carolina coast, fought to preserve our democracy, seeded the origins of jazz. The contributions of African Americans are clear, but they are not always evident. Our mission is to honor the untold stories of this journey. If we do that well, the museum’s potential to inspire visitors to become the story-keepers of these incredible narratives is boundless.”

IAAM, photo by Sahar Coston-Hardyv

Cultural Continuum And The Legacy Of Pan-Africanism In The U.S.

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul are set to fight in a live boxing match streamed on Netflix Friday, in what would be Tyson’s first sanctioned match in nearly 20 years amid rising concerns about the 58-year-old’s age and safety.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Key Facts</h2>



The event is different from the regular pay-per-view format that is typical of boxing matches, as Netflix’s 282 million subscribers (as reported in its Q3 earnings call) will have access to the event.



The event was initially slated to stream in July but was delayed due to Tyson’s stomach ulcer flareup during a flight.



The match has the biggest age gap between boxers in professional boxing history according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/40049533/mike-tyson-vs-jake-paul-sanctioned-professional-fight" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">ESPN</a>: Tyson is 58 and Paul is 27 years old, a 31-year difference.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What Time Is The The Fight Between Mike Tyson And Jake Paul Fight?</h2>



The event at the AT&amp;T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, starts at 8 p.m. EST on Friday.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How To Watch The Tyson-Paul Fight?</h2>



It’s airing exclusively on Netflix.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What Are The Tyson-Paul Fight’s Betting Odds?</h2>



Paul is the favorite to win&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oddschecker.com/us/boxing-mma/boxing/jake-paul-v-mike-tyson" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">on most</a>&nbsp;betting sites, with payouts on a $10 wager ranging from $14.40 to $15.33. Payouts for a Tyson bet range from $27 to $28.75 on a $10 wager. Bets are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/boxing/2024/11/07/mike-tyson-vs-jake-paul-betting/76117981007/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">not allowed</a>&nbsp;in six states—New York, Colorado, Kentucky, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Vermont, with some state officials saying the event was untraditional and more like an exhibition.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What Time Is The The Fight Between Mike Tyson And Jake Paul Fight?</h2>



The event at the AT&amp;T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, starts at 8 p.m. EST on Friday.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How To Watch The Tyson-Paul Fight?</h2>



It’s airing exclusively on Netflix.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What Are The Tyson-Paul Fight’s Betting Odds?</h2>



Paul is the favorite to win&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oddschecker.com/us/boxing-mma/boxing/jake-paul-v-mike-tyson" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">on most</a>&nbsp;betting sites, with payouts on a $10 wager ranging from $14.40 to $15.33. Payouts for a Tyson bet range from $27 to $28.75 on a $10 wager. Bets are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/boxing/2024/11/07/mike-tyson-vs-jake-paul-betting/76117981007/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">not allowed</a>&nbsp;in six states—New York, Colorado, Kentucky, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Vermont, with some state officials saying the event was untraditional and more like an exhibition.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Further Reading</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lindseychoo/2024/10/17/netflix-earnings-streaming-beats-expectations-subscriber-growth/">Netflix Earnings: Stock Climbs As Streaming Giant Beats Expectations—But Subscriber Growth Slows</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)

LIVE On Netflix: Jake Paul Vs. Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson Vs. Jake Paul—When The Netflix Boxing Fight Starts, Betting Odds And More

From the rainforest to the ocean, artificial intelligence is decoding nature’s most complex data patterns and is proving to be a game-changer in conservation.



For as long as there has been wildlife conservation, there has been a need for data. In order to understand ecosystem health, animal behavior and population trends, you have to be able to measure what’s going on in nature. And while there are many ways to do this, from drones to tracking devices, thermal cameras and even rangers on-foot, satellite imagery and camera traps have made study- ing wildlife movement a little bit easier. Not only can conservationists collect ample data, there’s minimal disturbance to animals. When it comes to analyzing the imagery, all that’s really needed is someone who can recognize an animal and there are many training programs to do just that.



But to really understand ecological trends, there are many creatures that are simply too small to be captured through pictures. “With very big animals like elephants, you can see them using satellite data which is great but a significant portion of the ecosystem is hidden,” says Dr Juan Lavista Ferres, who has worked in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) for over 20 years, and is the Chief Data Scientist of Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab. Luckily, those animals that are undetectable in satel- lite imagery make up for their size with sound, which is where acoustic data comes in – and in the case of ani- mal sounds, bioacoustic data. “From a noise perspec- tive, they are there,” laughs Ferres. “There is no corre- lation between the size of an animal and the sound it makes. Very small animals can make a lot of noise and can do very specific frequencies.”



<h1 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nature-s-silent-signals">Nature’s silent signals</h1>



There’s huge potential in environmental recordings (bio- acoustics are important bioindicators —they are nature’s health signalers) and the good news is that a lot of the data is already available. At the AI for Good Lab, Ferres and his team have continuous surveillance recordings from the Amazon that go back to 1992. The problem is that there are only a handful of scientific experts who can understand what is going on when the data is visualized, and then interpret the frequencies to identify specific animals. “It’s extremely niche. In the case of bioacoustic data, you need a huge level of expertise and there are very few people in the world that can recognize these sounds and frequencies,” adds Ferres.



Another challenge is that going through all of this audio takes time. Ferres says that many of the record- ings he has run non-stop, day and night, for 365 days. “A person would need to be listening to these sounds for a whole year to get through just one year’s worth of data. Now imagine that you have multiple recordings in one forest?” There’s simply too much data for hu- mans to process manually, which is why AI is such a game-changer in conservation – it’s making research a much more efficient process. AI can learn from these experts to automate identifying and classifying animal sounds across large datasets. “We can go through all of the recordings and understand how the health of the ecosystem is changing,” says Ferrers. “Now that we have more compute and better models, we can work with these different types of data, whether it’s images, videos or acoustic data.”



<h1 class="wp-block-heading">Under the sea</h1>



One of the AI for Good Lab’s first projects using acoustic data was with endangered beluga whales in Alaska us- ing underwater sensors. “You can capture the sound of these whales, their vocalizations,” says Ferres. Because sounds travel much further than visual cues, with acous- tic data, researchers can detect (and even potentially identify) different types of whales over vast distances in the ocean, far beyond what would be possible with visual observation methods. “There are particular frequencies in the water that will be very difficult to detect without AI,” adds Ferres. “You can’t solve a problem if you can’t measure it. By doing this, we can actually start measuring the problem.”



Working with different industries and partners throughout the world, Ferres’ hope is that now that the information is in these AI models, more people will be able to use them to track animals over time. All the work that comes out of the AI for Good Lab is also open source which means all of the projects are freely available to re- searchers and organizations worldwide. “It’s a complete philanthropic effort. We give up the idea. We publish everything. All the work we do is for the societal good,” he says. “AI is not just the solution, but sometimes it’s the only solution we have.”

Botswana. Woman photographing giraffe in Chobe National Park with tablet.

Work On The Wild Side: How AI Is Helping Conservation In Africa And The Huge Potential Of Environment Recordings

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline"><a href="https://www.forbes.com/"></a><a href="https://www.forbes.com/search/"></a>Topline</h2>



President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday named ex-Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as his director of national intelligence, praising her experience as a veteran and her “broad support in both Parties” when announcing her appointment, even as Gabbard has blasted Democrats since leaving the party and emerged as a controversial figure on foreign policy matters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



Gabbard—who served in the House representing Hawaii from 2013 to 2021 and briefly ran for president as a Democrat in 2020—<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2024/08/26/ex-democratic-candidate-tulsi-gabbard-endorses-trump/">endorsed</a>&nbsp;Trump in August and joined his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2024/08/27/trump-putting-rfk-jr-and-tulsi-gabbard-on-transition-team/">transition team</a>&nbsp;shortly after.



Gabbard left the Democratic Party in 2022 to become an independent, saying at the time that Democrats were an “elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness,” before&nbsp;<a href="https://nypost.com/2024/10/22/us-news/former-dem-rep-tulsi-gabbard-announces-shes-joined-republican-party-at-trump-rally/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">joining</a>&nbsp;the Republican Party this October.



Gabbard has long been a critic of U.S. foreign policy—recently criticizing U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1848480251023868237" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">aid</a>&nbsp;to Ukraine—and The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/13/us/politics/trump-tulsi-gabbard-director-national-intelligence.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">New York Times reported</a>&nbsp;her selection as director of intelligence indicates Trump’s intention to give foreign policy roles to those “deeply skeptical of the effectiveness of U.S. military intervention abroad.”



She drew criticism in 2017 after she quietly visited Syria and met with President Bashar al-Assad,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/01/25/politics/tulsi-gabbard-lead-syria/index.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">saying</a>&nbsp;at the time she did so “because I felt that it’s important that if we profess to truly care about the Syrian people, about their suffering, then we’ve got to be able to meet with anyone that we need to if there is a possibility that we can achieve peace.”



Two years later, during her presidential run, Gabbard&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/10/tulsi-gabbard-assad-syria-1214882" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">refused</a>&nbsp;to call him a war criminal and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/06/politics/tulsi-gabbard-syria-assad/index.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">said</a>&nbsp;he was “not the enemy of the United States because Syria does not pose a direct threat to the United States.”



Gabbard also did not give a direct answer when asked if she would trust the U.S. intelligence community if she were elected,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/10/tulsi-gabbard-assad-syria-1214882" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">saying</a>, “We have, in our recent past, a situation where our own government told lies to the American people, and to the United Nations for that matter, to launch a war,” referencing the 2003 invasion of Iraq.



Gabbard was a member of the Hawaii National Guard and was deployed to Iraq in 2005, and said she endorsed Trump in part because she said he sees “war as a last resort” and “understands the grave responsibility that a president” bears for the lives of those serving their country.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-does-the-director-of-national-intelligence-do">What Does The Director Of National Intelligence Do?</h2>



If confirmed by Congress, Gabbard would be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the National Intelligence Program and acting as the main adviser to Trump, the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council on intelligence matters tied to national security. Gabbard would oversee 18 different spy agencies, The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/13/us/politics/trump-tulsi-gabbard-director-national-intelligence.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">New York Times reported</a>, and would also prepare a daily briefing for Trump—which he reportedly did not often read in his first term. John Ratcliffe—who Trump recently named as his pick for the director of the CIA—served as the director of intelligence during Trump’s first term.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">Crucial Quote</h2>



Gabbard, in a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1856798431605657969" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">tweet</a>, thanked Trump “for the opportunity to serve as a member of your cabinet to defend the safety, security and freedom of the American people.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">Key Background</h2>



Since leaving the Democratic Party, Gabbard has been a frequent guest on conservative news outlets and vocally critical of Democrats,&nbsp;<a href="https://time.com/7096376/tulsi-gabbard-democrat-republican-political-evolution-history-trump/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">calling</a>&nbsp;Trump’s opponent Vice President Kamala Harris “anti-freedom … pro-censorship … pro-open borders … pro-war without even pretending to care about peace.” She was rumored to be in the running to be Trump’s running mate, and said in May she would “be honored” to do so. After endorsing Trump this year, she helped him prepare for his debate against Harris, which the Trump team said was in part because she “successfully dominated Kamala Harris on the debate stage in 2020.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-news-peg">News Peg</h2>



Trump has been steadily announcing his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2024/11/13/trumps-cabinet-here-are-his-picks-for-key-roles-stephen-miller-elon-musk-pete-hegseth-and-more/">cabinet picks</a>&nbsp;since winning the election. Other notable appointments so far include billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the new “Department of Government Efficiency,” Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., as attorney general.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">Surprising Fact</h2>



If confirmed, Gabbard will replace Avril Haines, who was sworn in under President Joe Biden in 2021 and became the first woman to lead the U.S. intelligence community.

Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump Campaigns In Pennsylvania

What To Know About Tulsi Gabbard—Former Democrat Named Trump’s Director Of National Intelligence

The 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, is a pivotal moment for African nations advocating for significant climate finance to address the dire consequences of climate change on the continent. The re-election of U.S. President Donald Trump, a known climate change skeptic, casts a shadow over negotiations, raising questions about future global commitments.



A Continent at a Crossroads



&#8220;Africa contributes the least to global greenhouse gas emissions yet suffers the most from climate change impacts,&#8221; says Dr Christopher Trisos, Senior Research Officer at the African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI) at the University of Cape Town. In an interview with FORBES AFRICA,Trisos emphasizes the urgency: &#8220;The 2020s must be a decade of accelerated climate action if we are to limit the worst impacts of climate change. Delays now mean increased warming and more severe consequences for the continent.&#8221;



African nations face intensified droughts, floods, and extreme weather, threatening livelihoods and economies. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns Africa is among the most vulnerable continents due to high exposure and low adaptive capacity.



The Impact of Trump&#8217;s Re-election



Trump&#8217;s return introduces significant uncertainties into negotiations. &#8220;The re-election of Trump puts the U.S. delegation in a difficult position,&#8221; Trisos notes. &#8220;Having an outspoken climate change denier back in the White House is a setback for enhancing action within the United States and globally.&#8221;



Previously, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, undermining international efforts. His stance raises fears of diminished support for crucial climate initiatives. &#8220;It complicates the picture because with his isolationist and anti-climate action policies, the U.S. will be seen as a much less trusted partner,&#8221; Trisos adds.



South Africa&#8217;s Leadership and Challenges



As Africa&#8217;s most industrialized nation and largest emitter, South Africa plays a critical role, balancing economic development with the imperative to reduce emissions.



South Africa&#8217;s Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), announced at COP26, involves $8.5 billion in funding to support the shift from coal to renewables. However, implementation faces hurdles requiring a balance to increase renewables without constraining economic development.



The Quest for Equitable Climate Finance



At COP29&#8217;s heart is establishing a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance. Despite a decade-old pledge by developed nations to mobilize $100 billion annually by 2020, this target hasn&#8217;t been fully met. &#8220;It&#8217;s widely acknowledged they missed that target,&#8221; says Trisos. &#8220;Developed countries often do the accounting themselves without independent audits, leading to disputes over actual amounts delivered.&#8221;



According to a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), developing countries require around $1.1 trillion annually from 2025, rising to $1.8 trillion by 2030. The NCQG aims to reflect these needs based on scientific assessments.



&#8220;Getting the climate finance right is essential,&#8221; Trisos asserts. &#8220;It&#8217;s not just about numbers; it&#8217;s about equitable distribution and ensuring that finance doesn&#8217;t increase debt burdens on developing nations.&#8221;



Voices from the Continent



At COP29, Ambassador Seyni Nafo, Coordinator of the Africa Adaptation Initiative, emphasized the need for increased climate finance. He stated, &#8220;The new collective quantified goal on climate finance must reflect the real needs of developing countries, particularly in Africa, to build resilience against climate impacts.&#8221;



Youth activists are making their voices heard. Ayakha Melithafa, a South African climate activist and member of the Presidential Climate Commission, stressed the importance of immediate action: &#8220;We are the generation that will face the consequences of inaction. Our leaders must commit to real change now.&#8221;



Challenges in Carbon Markets and Offsets



Carbon offsets and trading mechanisms are contentious at COP29. While they offer potential pathways for climate finance, concerns about effectiveness persist. &#8220;There have been recent scandals in voluntary carbon markets where the amount of carbon offset was inflated,&#8221; Trisos points out. &#8220;This undermines trust and can result in a worse situation if emissions are not genuinely reduced.&#8221;



Lack of robust regulations raises greenwashing risks. &#8220;The rules adopted are not clear enough on what happens if, for instance, a forest planted as a carbon offset burns down due to climate change,&#8221; he explains. &#8220;We need stringent standards to ensure environmental integrity.&#8221;



Navigating Global Conflicts and Military Emissions



Global conflicts and military activities add complexity. &#8220;The world&#8217;s militaries are massive emissions operations,&#8221; says Trisos. &#8220;For example, the U.S. military, if it were a country, would rank high globally in emissions.&#8221;



He cautions against militarizing climate solutions: &#8220;Viewing climate change as a security threat to be solved by militaries reduces the opportunity for creating a more just future through collaboration and equitable finance.&#8221;



Financing Africa’s Climate Future



Despite challenges, pathways to a sustainable future are emerging, and redirecting global finance toward climate action is essential. &#8220;There is more than sufficient global finance to address the climate crisis,&#8221; notes Trisos. &#8220;What&#8217;s missing is the regulation and political will to allocate that finance towards climate action rather than fossil fuels.&#8221;



Innovative financing mechanisms, like a global frequent flyers tax, could generate funds without burdening developing nations. African nations are prioritizing regional collaborations and renewable energy projects.



As COP29 progresses, urgency for concrete action intensifies. While Trump’s re-election raises uncertainties, African nations remain resolute. &#8220;Climate finance is not charity; it&#8217;s a matter of justice,&#8221; asserts Trisos. &#8220;Those who have contributed most to the climate crisis must support those who are bearing the brunt.&#8221;



Ultimately, COP29&#8217;s success hinges on nations’ ability to rise above political challenges and uphold commitments. &#8220;African countries are at a crossroads,&#8221; Trisos concludes. &#8220;The decisions made today will determine whether we can build a more sustainable and equitable future.&#8221;

COP29 UNFCCC Climate Conference In Baku

Africa’s Climate Finance Demands At COP29: Navigating Global Challenges Amid Trump’s Return

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



Republicans officially clinched control of the House of Representatives on Wednesday night, affirming GOP control of both chambers of Congress and the White House.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



The Associated Press&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/senate-house-election-updates-11-7-2024" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">called</a>&nbsp;the contest for Republicans around 10:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, after Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., won reelection, giving Republicans the 218 seats needed to retain their majority.



Nine seats remain to be called—Democrats lead in five of those contests and Republicans are ahead in the other four.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-which-seats-have-flipped-in-the-house">Which Seats Have Flipped In The House?</h2>



Republicans flipped a seat in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-colorado-house-evans-ea159f328a7a3b8745724bfb90ac5124" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Colorado</a>, two Pennsylvania districts (District 7 and District 8) and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-house-hertel-barrett-mcdonald-rivet-junge-83ce19c9cc64f23c6ee42fe0b3087892" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">a district in Michigan</a>. Democrats&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/race-call-riley-wins-new-york-u-s-house-district-718ce3a0d3914b89b2680f586290164d" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">flipped three seats</a>&nbsp;in New York (District 4, District 19 and District 22).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">Crucial Quote</h2>



“We still have a number of races outstanding, but we&#8217;re very optimistic about those and we are looking forward to governing in unified government beginning in January,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?539939-1/house-republican-agenda" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Tuesday</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-haven-t-all-the-votes-been-counted-yet">Why Haven&#8217;t All The Votes Been Counted Yet?</h2>



Some states, particularly in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/us/elections/results-timing-presidential-race-calls.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">western U.S.</a>, take longer to tally ballots because of state election operations. California is known to take more time than the rest of the country to finalize its results. It’s the only state with&nbsp;<a href="https://electionresults.sos.ca.gov/unprocessed-ballots-status" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">millions</a>&nbsp;of remaining ballots uncounted as of Wednesday. California’s election officials need more time because the state has by far the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.census.gov/popclock/embed.php?component=populous" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">largest population</a>&nbsp;in the country. The state’s voting processes are more abundant and require more effort, such as its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/11/us/california-ballot-count-house-election.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">rule to give every registered voter a mail-in ballot</a>, which makes it easy for citizens to vote but requires more work (through hours of phone calls) to verify whether the ballot was filled out incorrectly.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">Key Background</h2>



The House now holds enormous importance for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2024/11/06/election-2024-harris-concedes-election-says-we-must-accept-the-results/">President-elect Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;ability to legislate when he takes office after Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2024/11/06/republicans-win-senate-control-ending-democrats-narrow-majority/">won a majority</a>&nbsp;in the Senate on Tuesday. With the GOP winning control, it gives the party unified control of government. “We believe we can be the most consequential Congress of modern politics,” Johnson said at a Tuesday news conference. Republicans won a tight majority in the House in 2022, claiming 222 seats, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/08/us/elections/results-house.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">several competitive seats</a>&nbsp;in Arizona, California, New York, Virginia and Nebraska. Democrats secured a Senate majority in 2021, later solidifying that number in 2023. The period of a divided Congress since has been marred by Republican infighting and lessened productivity—partly due to Congress’ partisan split and partly because of the GOP’s narrow majority, which allows a tiny number of lawmakers to control the fate of legislation. In October 2023, Republicans and Democrats voted for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/10/04/1203462629/kevin-mccarthy-speaker-matt-gaetz-congress-vote" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">first ouster</a>&nbsp;of the House speaker in history, driving out then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., an action led by hard-right Trump ally Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. The move was highly disruptive because of the extensive voting processes and the search for a new speaker. That year, the House also struggled to pass legislation, passing 27 bills after voting 724 times. That’s fewer bills passed than any other term since 2013, The New York Times&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/19/us/politics/house-republicans-laws-year.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">reported</a>, citing research from the Bipartisan Policy Center. Congress narrowly avoided several government shutdowns over the past two years. With this election, Republicans were predicted to take control of the House by a slim margin of 30 seats or less, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2024-election-forecast/house/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">FiveThirtyEight</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-which-house-results-were-historic">Which House Results Were Historic?</h2>



Several races made history in this election. Democrat Sarah McBride was elected to a Delaware House seat, becoming the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/delaware-house-race-election-mcbride-whalen-4a80f4a9852240a890bb820c53ef882b" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">first openly transgender Congress</a> member with the win. Republican Julie Fedorchak won North Dakota’s sole House seat, becoming the first woman elected to the House in North Dakota, and Democrat Julie Johnson became the first openly gay woman to represent Texas in the House. Democrat Yassamin Ansari <a href="https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2024/arizona/?r=3008" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">won</a> her seat in Arizona and became the first Iranian American elected to the U.S. House.

President Donald Trump Holds Election Night Event At The White House

Republicans Win Control Of The House—Giving Trump Unified Government

Olu Johnson is a personal security officer to the stars in the United Kingdom. It’s a rough and tough job, but one that he wouldn’t trade for anything else in the world.



On July 13 this year, Johnson watched in shock as the news unfolded of the attempted assassination of President-elect Donald Trump.



“I remember every news station and website was playing on repeat the image of Trump with blood running down his face as security agents scurried him off the stage. It was surreal,” recalls Johnson.



But Johnson, perhaps more so than most people who watched the news, knows all too well the importance of personal security for someone so high-profile. As a close protection officer, Johnson has built a reputation as one of the go-to personal security officers in the United Kingdom (U.K.) counting high-profile celebrities like Prince, Naomi Campbell, Burna Boy and Wizkid as some of his clients.



After watching the news, Johnson explains that his training immediately kicked in as he started to examine where the potential security breaches could have happened.



The world of a close protection officer is not for the faint-hearted.



Characterized by average working hours of about 10 to 20 per shift, unpredictable scenarios at every turn and a lack of ample personal time, it takes a person who is truly dedicated to the craft to succeed. Johnson is the first point of contact for every venue his clients visit, and ensures he knows the security layout and exit strategy of each venue.



Unfortunately, the better you are at your job as a close protection officer, the higher the toll on your personal life.



“The first setback is separation from your family or those you love. This is not a career you will do well in if you are not present and being present means lots of late nights, lots of travel, lots of last-minute calls. You will miss birthdays, anniversaries and important moments and it is almost a lose-lose, because, if you don’t miss it and you choose your family, your work will lose and if you choose your work, it will have some adverse effect on your family unless you are single,” says Johnson.



The second setback, he adds, is the physical drain this type of work takes on you.



“This is very long hours. A four-hour day can turn into a 20-hour day and I have two young children and they ask, ‘when are you coming back from work?’ Once I stare at them, they say, ‘oh, you don’t know’, and that is because I don’t know. A quick dinner trip with a client can turn into a club night and that turns into an after-party and that turns into ‘let’s go to a studio’.



“I had a job once where a client finished shopping and asked if I had my passport with me and that turned into a trip to a private airport and then another country. I didn’t get back for two days. It is exciting but it is harsh because you are physically tired – you are the first to wake up and the last to go to sleep.”



But it’s a career path that Johnson would not trade for the world. And it took him a while to find it.



“Both my parents are strong academics from Nigeria so I was expected to be the lawyer of the family and that is exactly what I did after we moved to the U.K. when I was seven because people were looking to do serious harm to my dad,” recalls Johnson.



Facing that danger from an early age planted the seed of safety and security in Johnson’s mind. He toed the professional line as a lawyer, graduating from the University of Hertfordshire with a law degree and completing his LPC at the College of Law in London.



For the next three years, Johnson would practise as a lawyer until a chance encounter with a fitness buddy derailed his legal trajectory and transformed that seed of security from his younger days into a calling that could no longer be ignored.



“My interest in fitness and weight training got me connected to my former business partner who has passed away. He wanted me to do the close protection training course with him. I didn’t initially want to do it but he showed me how lucrative the industry could be. He said to me, ‘I cannot match how much of a people person you are so I will do the admin and you deal with the people and I promise you we can make a lot of money’,” says Johnson.



His business partner was not wrong.



According to Fortune Business Insights, the global private security market size was valued at $235.37 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow from $247.75 billion in 2024 to $385.32 billion by 2032.



After securing his license from a U.K. security agency, Johnson began the uphill struggle of securing his first booking.



“It took about two years to get anyone to [allow me to] work with them. I used to be a semi-professional musician and I played bass guitar for a lot of celebrities. It was so difficult to convince them to allow me to protect them instead of play music with them. I had to move away from people I knew and I started networking vigorously, away from music in general,” says Johnson.



His breakthrough finally happened when a promoter friend offered him a job to protect American singer and dancer, Omarion, during a 10-year club anniversary in London.



“It takes so long to get ahead in the industry because it is a trust business. It is [easier] to get someone who is already in the business than to get someone new because if anything goes wrong, it is you that has to explain. So Omarion was my first one and once you get that one, you have that reference.



“It was a slow burn but the two-year period allowed me to experience all the other aspects of the security world from retail, events, clubs, asset protection and so on. All those things add to the value of how you understand protecting high-net-worth individuals. Looking after $10,000 worth of goods is different from looking after someone that might make $100,000 an hour or make $200,000 for singing four minutes at a time,” says Johnson.



In those days, the money was not great. Johnson explains that he would earn anything from a £100 ($129) for a day’s work. Today, he averages £1,000 ($1,291) for a 10-hour shift. As Johnson established his brand, he could also outsource other close protection officers who represent his brand to jobs he cannot attend to. However, each client’s price is dependent on a number of variables.



“Some of the obvious variables that affect the pricing: is it at home or abroad? Do you have any known threats against you? If you have someone who has made an attempt that you know about, that changes things. The more obvious the risk, the higher the rate,” says Johnson.



Former client Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie, known by his stage name, Patoranking, a Nigerian singer-songwriter, speaks about the importance of personal security: “Every time I travel to another country with my team, we always hire a personal bodyguard. It has become a fixed cost in our travel itinerary because of the safety concerns we have. Before we started using personal bodyguards we had a couple [of] robbery attempts which made it imperative to be protected at all times.”



For Johnson, this is no longer a job or just about the money. Close protection has a much bigger purpose.



“I realize the importance and the value of what we do. We are not just protecting these individuals, we are protecting a heritage, we are protecting culture and music, we are protecting their creativity,” he says.



“If we look at incidents where celebrities have died or gone to jail, the world now loses out on their talent. So many people are impacted by one person’s talent – the fans, make-up artists and the team behind the scenes. Should something happen to these people, the culture loses something very important and so our role is more than safety. It is about protecting [something] much bigger.”

Olu Johnson (Image supplied)a

Better Safe Than Sorry: Behind-The-Scenes With A Nigerian Celebrity Bodyguard

Sustainable housing could play a significant role in the way the continent tackles its housing deficit. We unpack the ground-breaking innovations, Initiatives and ideations&nbsp;developing&nbsp;the&nbsp;‘green&nbsp;scene’. 



In a village in the Mtwara region of Tanzania, a project borne from the concepts of architectural innovation, sustainability and social responsibility is underway. And it’s just one of many aimed at tackling the demand for environmentally-conscious housing in Africa.



A report from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) states that the continent’s housing deficit is estimated at over 97 million units and “this is expected to increase as the continent’s population grows, and urbanization continues”.



The clinical trial in Mtwara, dubbed The Star Homes Project, was initiated in 2021 by Denmark-based Ingvartsen Architects in cooperation with the Hanako Foundation and, according to the company, was developed by a cross-disciplinary team of architects, physicians, entomologists and social scientists along with local community leaders and stakeholders.



However, Jakob Knudsen, Principal Architect at Ingvartsen, says that the focus of the project, initially, was simply to improve the health of the occupants of the houses.



“The [houses] are made [of ] very light materials. It looks like concrete, but actually it’s a very thin steel profile with a thin plaster, so it has a very low material use. And what looks like glass is basically a net, so we kind of replaced all the walls with netting, and we made this house naturally very cool. We can see that we have lowered the material consumption and CO2 use by 30% to 40% depending on how you calculate it. And that’s because we try to kind of maximize all the components,” he says.



“It actually didn’t start as a sustainability thing. It started as a way to make the buildings cheaper, but we realized, during the process, that actually we are onto something where we’re using far less materials. It also became interesting from a financial side and a material side, and this is what we’re looking at now. We know that these houses are actually working against malaria, we can see that.”



An article from the World Health Organization on Malaria Day 2023 indicates that Tanzania is one of the four countries in Africa that accounted for slightly over half (52%) of all malaria deaths globally in 2021. Further to this, the country alone accounted for 4% of all malaria deaths, and the disease continues to pose a major burden in the northwest and southeastern regions of the country.



As part of the Star Homes Project, the health of the occupants of the 110 constructed homes will be compared to those living in 440 control homes over a three-year period, which is set to conclude this year.



“We conclude by the end of this year, then we have the three- year period. Nothing is published yet, but I can say that we have very promising results already on the malaria [aspect]. There’s a clear benefit from having a new house when you’re looking at malaria. I mean, this is a rural area in Tanzania, so lots of people [have] malaria, and they’re much better protected. But this is one of the first housing projects, to our knowledge, the first time a house has been built and used in this way to demonstrate it.”



Each house also has a 40W solar panel that provides lights in each room and USB charging, and rainwater is collected from the roof and stored in a 2,000-liter tank for clean drinking water. According to Knudsen, based on the materials used, it cost around $9,000 to build at the time.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-does-a-green-future-look-like">What does a ‘green’ future look like?</h4>



The ongoing demand for affordable housing coupled with growing climate change concerns has brought sustainable or green architecture to the fore.



Britannica defines green architecture as a philosophy of architecture that advocates sustainable energy sources, the conservation of energy, the reuse and safety of building materials, and the siting of a building with consideration of its impact on the environment.



A 2023 report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) titled, Building Materials And The Climate: Constructing A New Future, indicates that the buildings and construction sector is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, accounting for 37% of global emissions.



However, herein lies the opportunity. Entrepreneurs and businesses alike have taken up the mantle to innovate, ‘go green’ and make a positive impact on the environment at large.



According to the World Green Building Council’s (WorldGBC) Africa Manifesto for Sustainable Cities and the Built Environment, by 2050, Africa will be home to 1.1 billion more people than it is today, and 80% of the buildings that will exist in Africa in 2050 are yet to be built.



Lisa Reynolds, Chief Executive Officer of the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) and Vice Chair for the WorldGBC’s Africa Regional Network, emphasizes the progress of the collaborative efforts across the continent. 



“We’ve got different sort of levels of Green Building Councils. In Africa, there are two established Green Building Councils – South Africa and Kenya, and the others are mixed between emerging and prospective. Our job, and I include Kenya in it, is really to support the prospective and emerging councils,” she tells FORBES AFRICA.



“Africa has [been] hit by climate events, so there is a huge awareness that, whether it be the Green Building Council or governments, [we] have to do something to alleviate these things,” Reynolds adds.



Knudsen echoes the sentiment on collaboration, stating, “I think one of the sustainability problems I see in Africa is that materials are used in a very inefficient way in many local buildings. You could easily save 30% of the materials if there was better knowledge for the builder who’s doing this, but that’s not something you can expect. We need somebody else who knows how to work with building techniques.”



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Trash to treasure</h4>



In 2019, the first plastic road was laid down in South Africa’s Jeffery’s Bay, and reports, published recently, indicate that it has lasted longer than traditional tar roads. And the uses for this often-troublesome product seem to only increase from here.



As per the United Nations’ goal 11 of making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, entrepreneurs across Africa are tackling sustainable building prac- tices in their own way.



One such example is Kubik CEO and co-founder, Kidus Asfaw. Kubik, an environmental tech company, takes plastic waste and transforms it into low-carbon, low-cost housing in Ethiopia, where the startup is based.



Asfaw, who has worked for the World Bank, Accenture, and Google, as well as on technology and innovation initiatives for UNICEF, relays the story of how he got into the trash business. “I helped set up the first-ever circular economy project for UNICEF in Cote d’Ivoire, and we were able to create bricks out of plastic waste. We made over 500 schools using those and my love changed from software to trash, affordability, housing and cities. I did that for about four years,” he says.



“During that time, I learned the issues not just around trash, but a multitude of major challenges that human beings that live in cities are facing, especially on rapidly urbanizing continents like Africa. Alongside poor waste management [which] needs to be addressed, affordable housing is probably one of the biggest priorities in many countries right now. And then, of course, there’s climate change.”



Kubik, which was founded in 2021, produces products that are high in compression strength, non-flammable, non-toxic and modular.



“We’re a business that transforms hard-to-recycle plastic waste into building materials that real estate developers can use at a cheaper price than conventional cement-based materials without compromising the quality or safety of those buildings,” says Asfaw.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kubik-Wall-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-63677" style="width:568px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kubik-Wall-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kubik-Wall-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kubik-Wall-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kubik-Wall-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kubik-Wall-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Kubik Wall expression</figcaption></figure></div>


“Part of them doing business with Kubik [is] they’re also reducing the greenhouse gas impact that they bring to building cities like Addis Ababa. In a nutshell, we take all of that very bad plastic that you typically see in a landfill, and we make things like bricks that can make an entire wall, and that wall is as unremarkable as it looks, because it’s supposed to look just like every other building. What makes it remarkable to us is how accessible it is to lower-income communities, price-wise, and how green and sustainable it is within the real estate sector.”



In South Africa, sisters Kedibone and Kekeletso Tsiloane are tackling the plastic pollution and waste management issue through Ramtsilo Manufacturing and Construction, a company they founded in 2013. The business focuses on transforming hard-to-recycle plastics and other waste products into eco-bricks.



Kekeletso, who has a background in engineering, tells FORBES AFRICA about how this passion project turned into a fully-fledged business in a traditionally male-dominated industry.



“We initially started with small construction jobs, so building roads and building small projects, and that’s when we actually noticed that we spent so much money on materials, specifically bricks for us. We went out to look for a woman-owned brick manufacturing company, which we struggled to find. We then started making the bricks ourselves,” she says.



“I am interested in the green economy and what happens to waste and that grew an interest of learning about the afterlife of waste. In our research, we did not know that plastic had different properties and had different values. In terms of money, per kilogram, in the recycling space, it has different prices as well. And with that, we then sought out to make a product that we’re still comfortable with, but is innovative and in the green space.” South Africa, according to World Wide Fund (WWF), produces over 2.5 million tonnes of plastic annually. And while the bricks produced by Ramtsilo reportedly function in exactly the same way as conventional bricks, Kedibone, who has a finance background, states that the company still had to do a fair amount of educating on the product.



“We’re still having to re-educate people. It’s a plug and play solution but it integrates seamlessly into the construction industry. That was one of our biggest value-adds… the fact that people could easily use the product because they had the same look and feel as the conventional brick,” she explains.



“We then realized there’s additional benefits that come with the products – from an installation perspective, from a condensation water absorption [perspective] – because of the use of the plastic. The brick is actually branded so that people know that they’re [buying] an eco-friendly product. We’ve seen from the retailers, that product doesn’t stay in the retail stores and it’s simply because of the quality [and] the performance of the product.”


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kekeletso-Kedibone-Tsiloane-768x1024.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-63676" style="width:516px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kekeletso-Kedibone-Tsiloane-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kekeletso-Kedibone-Tsiloane-225x300.jpeg 225w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kekeletso-Kedibone-Tsiloane-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kekeletso-Kedibone-Tsiloane-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kekeletso-Kedibone-Tsiloane-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Kekeletso &amp; Kedibone Tsiloane (Photo Supplied)</figcaption></figure></div>


According to Kedibone, the bricks can be found at South African retailers like Builders Warehouse and Leroy Merlin in Gauteng. And while Ramtsilo’s business model tends to focus more on partnerships with corporates and retailers – a model that appears to be working well for them – Kubik’s has opted to focus on and develop the company’s relationships with waste pickers.



“We grappled with what our supply chain model should look like for many months. There are thousands of waste pickers in Ethiopia. Most of those pickers happen to be women, over 80% of them, and most of them end up selling their produce for the day to brokers at very low prices that are not economically sustainable for them to pass the poverty line,” he says.



“We wanted our business model to have a supply chain that not only worked at scale and made business/financial sense for us, but ethically is also empowering those that have previously been exploited in this space. We typically would work with city administrations that typically manage landfills. We get into a partnership with them, set up a collection site and we directly source from these waste pickers at prices that are at least three, four times more than what they would normally get from a broker.”



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-endless-possibilities">Endless possibilities</h4>



A quick search online reveals some of the most commonly-used sustainable materials in construction. Aside from bamboo and recycled plastic, others include recycled or reclaimed wood, cork, Hempcrete and biocomposite cement.



Traditional building practices have also been employed in some parts of the continent. UNEP had published an article about a project at a school in Burkina Faso, where the modules that form the structure for the school are built out of locally- sourced laterite. This is then cut into bricks and left in the sun to harden. The bricks reportedly absorb the heat during the day and radiate it at night.



Another example of innovation at work is the The Wits Flower Hall Examination and Test Centre in South Africa. Ac- cording to a recent release by the institution, the now energy- efficient building has been recognized for its sustainable design and shortlisted in the Creative Reuse category at the World Ar- chitecture Festival, set to take place in November.



“We believe that adaptive reuse is a critical foundation of green sustainable building due to the embodied carbon content of existing buildings. Wits has a great track record of repurposing buildings, for example the Science Stadium,” said Dr Heather Dodd from Savage + Dodd Architects, who worked on this project in 2022, in the release.



The growth of the sustainable or green building space presents significant employment opportunities as well, according to Reynolds.



“The more that certification grows, the more people need to be aware the job opportunities are growing with it. I do a CEO message on all our newsletters; the latest one is talking about job expansion. So, you know, there’s job creation, but there’s also potential for job expansion because we need accredited professionals; we need EDGE experts,” she states. “We did our first certification in 2009. If you think of pre-2009, there were no such things as accredited professionals. Now, small companies are formed just doing certification. It’s a true reflection of job creation and I would try to encourage more and more people to do it. If they’re in the space [and] it’s not job creation, expand your portfolio and go into this space.”

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