Movemeback Pulse

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to many of the world's longest-serving heads of state. By early 2019, three African heads of state had been in power for more than three decades each: Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in Equatorial Guinea, Paul Biya in Cameroon, and Yoweri Museveni in Uganda. However with sustained pressure from civil society groups and regional blocs, this trend is gradually reversing.

Volkswagen has started assembling cars in Ghana, with capacity to assemble 300,000 a year. In May 2020, Ghana (where used cars make up 70% of vehicle imports) banned the importation of cars older than 10 years to encourage international companies to set up local plants and boost local manufacturing. Enhanced by an AfCFTA framework, Ghana could become an automotive hub for West Africa. Meanwhile Nigeria’s automotive policy, which could allow for the same, remains unsigned into law. Overall, SSA holds a potential market of 3-4mn new cars, partly dependent on African government regulation and price competitiveness via tax tariffs.

Kenya has submitted impact studies for a $5bn commercial nuclear plant which should be operational in the next seven years. Nuclear power is said to be a means to clean, reliable and cost-effective energy but remains largely unexplored in Africa due to being infrastructure, capital and time intensive (taking 10-15 years to build). A forecast rise in Kenya’s power demand, reaching 22,000 megawatts by 2031 partly due to industrial expansion, is fueling the country’s ambition to diversify its electricity generation mix with nuclear power becoming its second largest energy source.

Many Africans appear unimpressed by Beyonce's 'Black is King' visual album for its monolithic, wakanda-esque depiction of the Continent. Meanwhile, a French mockumentary film, 'Tout simplement noir', (Simply Black), advertised as the comedy of the Summer, is being released across Africa. Whilst both films are a far cry from popular western narratives about Africa and black people, which have historically been afro-pessimistic, amplifying poverty, violence and disease, both also raise questions about the accuracy of the portrayal of African stories and the black-experience.

Home-grown digital infrastructure & platforms

MTN’s exit from the Middle East to focus on its home Continent comes amid an increasingly hostile environment that has left it vulnerable to legal battles, unpredictable politics and regulatory crackdowns. Challenges in securing the required regulatory approvals has led to the collapse of the highly anticipated Airtel Africa and Telkom Kenya merger in Kenya - that would have created a company large enough to go against Safaricom. With telecom infrastructure fundamental to the development of digital technologies (especially important with Covid-19), African governments can further support its development by creating enabling legal and regulatory frameworks.

Proportional representation in politics, business and community leadership

As part of South Africa’s Women’s Month, the Cabinet has approved three bills intended to curb gender-based violence. Specifically - 9th August marks Women’s Day in South Africa - in remembrance of thousands of women who marched in Pretoria in 1956 to demand their right to freedom of movement. With reports that a woman is murdered once every 3 hours in South Africa, and calls for an end to ‘femicide’, President Ramaphosa has described gender-based violence as South Africa’s second pandemic.

Essential infrastructure, personal living-space & utilities