🔅 Africa's Most Polluted Cities Ranked & South Africa Isn't Ready for an Attack
Plus, The World's Youngest City & Why Does Kenya Lose $2.5 Billion Yearly?
Photo of the day: Nigeria
Markets:
🔴 Nigerian SE: 65,687.16 (-0.46%)
🟢 Johannesburg SE: 77,546.38 (+0.03%)
🟢 Ghana SE: 2,932.35 (+0.36%)
🔴 Nairobi SE: 105.16 (-2.19%)
🔴 US S&P 500: 4,566.75 (-0.02%)
🔴 Shanghai Composite: 3,223.03 (-0.26%)
Chinese stocks soared Tuesday as Beijing pledged to ramp up measures to bolster China’s sputtering economy. The stock rebound comes after China’s top leaders pledged on Monday to ramp up policy support to boost domestic consumption as the post Covid rebound has been slower than expected.
*Data accurate as of the close of markets across the continent
Brief & Bright: Africa's Top Five Highlights
💨 Africa's Most Polluted Cities: How to Spot the Bad Air in a Crowd | It’s no secret that air pollution is a problem in many of the world’s cities. But what are the worst of the worst? Thanks to Numbeo’s Pollution Index and Exp Pollution Index, we can take a closer look at the most polluted cities in Africa. Mid-way through 2023, the data shows that Egypt’s Cairo and Nigeria’s Lagos take the top two spots, followed by Morocco’s Marrakech and Casablanca. Kenya’s Nairobi, Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa, Egypt’s Alexandria, Tunisia’s Tunis, and South Africa’s Johannesburg and Pretoria round out the list.
🇿🇦 SA Defence Force: Ready for Action? Ummmm… Not So Much | It looks like South Africa's Defence Minister Thandi Modise is in for a tough ride. Her department has reported a budget shortfall of R3 billion, and defence expert Helmoed Heitman believes that if a military superpower were to attack, South Africa would be defenceless... The Defence Minister admitted that the country's defence force is becoming increasingly unsustainable, and that if South Africa wants to have any kind of defence force, it needs to decide what kind of force it can afford. Heitman said the army has no money to maintain its equipment, so much of it doesn't work. What's more, the navy is unable to patrol the country's waters, and the army has limited anti-aircraft capabilities. The only thing that's keeping it safe? No one's attacking it. For now.
🇳🇬 Obasanjo: Nigeria's 63-Year Disappointment | At the public presentation of a book written by a former Nigerian minister, former President Olusegun Obasanjo put it bluntly: Nigeria has disappointed Africa, the black race, and the world. In the 63 years since independence, Nigeria has failed to live up to expectations, and the beginning of turning that around is admitting that failure. According to him, the country has been weighed down by ego and emotion, selfishness, and ethnic and religious jingoism. To reach development, Nigeria needs peace, security, justice, equity, and an inclusive society. Plus, it needs to get 20 million kids back into school. Obasanjo's not an oracle, but he doesn't need to be to see the consequences of that.
🇺🇬 Kampala: The World's Youngest City | Kampala is the world’s youngest city, with nearly three-quarters of its residents under the age of 30, and HALF under the age of 16. This youthful energy has created a vibrant hub of entrepreneurship, with young people transforming their passions into small businesses that not only cater to their communities, but also address local challenges. But it’s not all good news - the sheer number of young people in Kampala poses big changes for the local government and officials, who are trying to create job opportunities, improve healthcare services, and enhance infrastructure. The energy, creativity, and determination of Kampala’s young people are reshaping their community and capturing the attention of the world.
🇰🇪 Kenya's $2.5 Billion Loss Yearly | Kenya is missing out on $2.5 billion every year due to poor corporate governance, corruption, and illegal financial flows. That’s a lot of money that could be going towards development projects. So why isn’t the government doing anything about it? Well, they signed up to a global open government partnership programme (OGP) years ago, but they haven’t passed the legislation to make it a reality. Moreover, there’s speculation that some of the OGP funds have been misappropriated. However, some people are still optimistic about the OGP’s potential. For instance, the Ombudsman’s office believes it’s already had a positive impact, like making information more accessible to citizens. It looks like Kenya is on the right track—now they just need to follow through and make sure the funds are being used responsibly. After all, public debt is expected to exceed $10 trillion by 2024, and the country is currently relying on the World Bank and IMF for financial support.
Food for Thought
“When brothers fight to the death, a stranger inherits their father’s estate.”
— Igbo Proverb.
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