Innholdsfortegnelse for October - November 2024 i Forbes Africa

It's funny how quickly we seem to have forgotten the words ‘social distancing', which was not too long ago, a part of the everyday lexicon that we lived by – and swore by. The days when we woke up with more worry than wonder, the mantra was drilled down by the state and medical machinery riled up in the social science experiment that the Covid-19 pandemic was. How time flies. The magazine you hold in your hands is our 13th birthday issue, and we have a preponderance of stories related to health and medicine, and harking back to those memories when the years stood still. We take great pride reporting on science – journalism that makes you not just smarter and wealthier but also healthier. It's FORBES AFRICA's imprint, keeping…

In September, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a contentious education bill into law. In an address at the Union Buildings in the capital city of Tshwane in Pretoria, Ramaphosa said that education outcomes fall short of what society needs and what the young people in South Africa deserve. “We have seen cases of learners being denied admission to schools because of their language policies. We have had cases of children not being allowed back to school or to sit exams because their parents cannot pay school fees. We have seen great disparities in norms and standards, in governance and in access to resources.” Despite the bill being signed, there will be a delay in implementation for three months as further consultation is needed on key clauses that are opposed…

The PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Executive Directors Practices and Remuneration Trends Report 2023 shows that women only make up 15.6% of executive directors among the Top 200 companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). This includes Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and Chief Financial Officers (CFOs). The list below notes a few of them: Dr Gloria Serobe WIPHOLD Appointed as CEO • 1994 • Mpumi Madisa Bidvest Appointed as CEO • 2020 • Leila Fourie JSE Appointed as CEO • 2019 • Nompumelelo ‘Mpumi' Mpofu Airports Company South Africa Appointed as CEO • 2020 • Bertina Engelbrecht Clicks Group Appointed as CEO • 2022 • Mary Vilakazi FirstRand Group (FNB) Appointed as CEO • 2024 • Nompumelelo Zikalala Kumba Iron Ore Appointed as CEO • 2022 • Ramasela Ganda Zeda Ltd Appointed…

CEO STRATEGIES We are in a sleek boardroom with glass windows overlooking gleaming towers at the Dubai International Financial Centre; the searing August sun in Dubai beams on, never once letting you forget the vagaries of a Middle Eastern summer. Yet, there is a force in this room, in this moment, who takes you at once to the snowy swathes of Switzerland, to the balmy beaches of Thailand and the airy islands of Bob Dylan's Mozambique. It's a wandering, itinerant few moments actually, that make up the first 10 minutes of a conversation with a man who is a hotelier but with a journey that has graced most corners of the map. Originally from Iran, but now a Danish national, Amir Golbarg heads up the Middle East, Africa and India…

Fonio is an easy crop to grow – it requires no fertilizer, pesticide, irrigation or chemical inputs. It's incredibly resilient but processing it can be problematic. Fonio has a skin that needs to be removed but since the standards of processing haven't been improved in Senegal, it takes a lot of manual work and as a result, there's post-harvest waste. Unlike wheat, which has been industrialized and has huge machines to process it, smaller grains like fonio have not been part of global food systems. The R&D is not there. “It's a challenge making fonio accessible but there's such a high waste,” says Thiam. This is one of the reasons why Thiam started his company Yolélé. Even though he grew up in Dakar, he didn't have access to these grains.…

FORBES LIFE • BRANDY “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.” 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:…

If the thought of robots short-circuiting your career is keeping you awake at night, you might be experiencing FOBO – the fear of becoming obsolete. This rising form of anxiety is leading many workers to worry about being left gathering dust as their high-tech counterparts advance. With AI and robotics evolving at lightning speed and taking over roles once occupied by humans, job security is increasingly uncertain. This fear is not confined to blue-collar jobs – it spans sectors including finance, law, healthcare and education. In manufacturing, robots are already revolutionizing the industry by effciently and safely handling repetitive tasks like assembly and packaging. In a similar situation, customer service representatives are witnessing the rise of AI chatbots and virtual assistants that manage inquiries, resolve issues and provide support without…

“THE SAD REALITY IS THAT IRRESPECTIVE OF WHETHER THE WAR CONTINUES OR ENDS, UKRAINE AS A COUNTRY IS DOOMED.” One of the highlights of the last period has been the much-awaited debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Most people I spoke with were unanimous about the deftness and mastery with which Harris handled the questions. However, the debatable issue remains whether she will be able to edge Trump out of the race for good. The real question is whether the American people are ready for a Black American and South Asian American woman to be in the White House. The debate itself was at times touching lows with personal attacks by Trump and his dismal record of untruths from the fact-check reports. Most people were alarmed at his choice…

For the last few months, fears of a looming pandemic have risen with increased conversations on mpox. According to reports, in September, a virulent mpox strain is spreading through the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), weeks after the disease was first detected in the East African country. This was after Uganda reported 10 infections in the country. Formerly known as monkeypox, the viral disease can spread between people, mainly through close contact, and occasionally from the environment to people via objects and surfaces that have been touched by a person with mpox. According to the World Health Organization, common symptoms of mpox include a rash lasting for two to four weeks, which may be started with or followed by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen…

THE INTERVIEW Q. Your foundation has been addressing the world's greatest inequalities for almost 25 years. In your new report, you say the world's worst child health crisis is malnutrition, and more than half of all child deaths still occur in sub-Saharan Africa. How are you still an optimist? A. As tragic as it is that over five million children die worldwide under the age of five – a significant majority in Africa – that number has come down. At the turn of the century, that number was double what it is, and so, the Gates Foundation uses the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York every year to highlight both the progress and challenges of helping the world's poorest children, and this year, very appropriately, we're focusing on…

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 studying 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…

An airplane is definitely the quickest way to venture between countries, but more and more travelers are now opting for the scenic route — and taking their time to take it all in. “With road trips there is the joy of just being able to stop,” explains Pelumi Nubi, whose epic journey across Africa saw her accumulate more than 10,000 kilometers by car. “With other means of transport, like flights, trains, boats, you go from point A to point B and there is very little control. But with road trips, if something catches your attention, you have the power to diverge.” The Nigerian-born content creator moved to the United Kingdom when she was 10 years old and has visited over 80 countries worldwide. Yet, it was her 74-day journey from…

You're working in a large corporation, and you've been given two choices. Choice one guarantees a profit of $1 million in the next 12 months. It's safe, predictable, and secure. Choice two, however, gives you the opportunity to make $1 billion. But there's a catch: your chance of success is only 1%. Mathematically, the answer seems obvious. One percent of $1 billion is still $10 million; 10 times more than the first choice. But what would you choose? This question was posed to me and a bunch of successful entrepreneurs at an event in Los Angeles by Astro Teller, CEO of X, the radical innovation arm and moonshot factory of Alphabet. They all voted for the second choice. Which, if you are a venture capitalist, I'd expect, as the evidence…

As far back as 1995, the former World Bank Vice President Dr Ismail Serageldin said: “If the wars of this century were fought over oil, the wars of the next century will be fought over water – unless we change our approach to managing this precious and vital resource.” This is a reality that has already begun to manifest. The Pacific Institute, which tracks instances of water-related confl ict, cited over 1,630 conflicts last year. The institute noted that there had been a distinct increase in recent years. Water is our lifeline. In addition, access to water is a human right. Yet, statistics already indicate that there are significant disparities in access. Here, Africa is disproportionately impacted. In fact, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB), a third of Africans…

WHAT'S NEW • FRONTRUNNER • WHO'S NEXT With a remarkable 20-year track-record in the entertainment industry, South African television presenter, radio personality and businesswoman, Bonang Matheba, spoke with FORBES AFRICA in September, reflecting on the highlights of her career, such as founding Bonang Matheba Entertainment in 2017, producing award-winning documentaries, and becoming the first face of Revlon outside the United States in 2013. “When I think back, [the pivotal moments] were meeting certain people or being part of certain moments or events or projects that have really pivoted my career and completely changed how I view things,” she says. Even as her reality show B'dazzled by Bonang airs the final episode (of the season), Matheba says that building a brand is a never-ending strategy but one she has been fortunate…

Covid came and they battled it in cold, socially-distanced boardrooms in the steely citadels of power. Today, it is a bad memory but also a metaphor for how companies can rally the troops and mitigate disease and disaster. For those in the executive stratosphere leading the discourse and diatribe against a herculean virus, it pretty much set the temper and tone for what was to follow: an economy pared down to a bare minimum, and the deployment of survivalist tactics to weather a pandemic-sized storm. Many of the executives in our first-ever list of Top CEOs in South Africa continue to see unfettered opportunities in every scenario, even in the face of the current uncertain economic climate, alongside policies being drummed up by a brand-new coalition government in Nelson Mandela's…

FOCUS • AGRICULTURE Los Angeles's Erewhon, one of the world's most expensive grocery stores, is a favorite among celebrities and personal chefs. It's known for lining its shelves with upmarket produce, focusing on items that are both certified organic and ethically-sourced. Erewhon attracts those seeking the latest, trendsetting ingredients and now, there's a new supergrain on-shelf everyone is picking up – it's called fonio. But here's the thing, fonio is far from new. According to the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), it's the continent's oldest cultivated cereal grain. Grown in West Africa for thousands of years, archaeologists found fonio buried in tombs inside the Egyptian pyramids. The Dogon, a Mali culture, called fonio po – the seed of the universe. But how fonio, an almost forgotten African crop,…

Drugs like Ozempic have not only transformed how the medical world looks at weight loss but the food industry as well. The impact of a slimmer society is pretty interesting, and products are being reformulated to suit changing appetites. One of the side-effects of GLP-1, seen in research published in the International Journal of Obesity, is its ability to alter food preferences, often reducing cravings for high-fat and high-sugar foods. GLP-1 users need more nutrient-dense food and global brands like Nestle have responded by launching more high-protein options in smaller portions. Products that once seemed more appealing when oversized are now being being offered in mini or bite-sized versions, hoping to appeal to supressed appetites and strict diets. Even weightWatchers, a 60-year-old company with brances worldwide, is embracing the fact…

In Tanzania's Lake Manyara region, AI is helping researchers decode the complex social lives of giraffes. The AI for Good lab, in collaboration with local conservationists, has developed an innovative system that can identify individual giraffes from photographs and track their movements over time. “We have Al models that can not only identify whether that's a giraffe or a particular giraffe, you can identify that's giraffe number three,” explains Ferres. This breakthrough uses computer vision so researchers can recognize specific giraffes across multiple sightings, much like facial recognition technology for humans. Building on years of data collected by researchers who have been photographing giraffes in the region, with Al, the team have managed to construct detailed social networks of giraffe communities. “For the first time we can identify the social…

Anyone who has visited Cape Town will tell you that one of the many jewels in the city's crown is the rich and diverse environment that surrounds it. As South Africa is regarded one of the world's most biodiverse countries, it's understandable that the country's Western Cape prov ince's vast ecosystem — which comprises the Cape floral kingdom, mountains, winelands, and an extensive coastline — is a key part of this. Among the numerous birds and marine animals that call this area home, few are as iconic as the African penguin. A treasured part of South Africa's natural heritage and a significant draw card for eco-tourism, the African penguin colonies, like the ones found at Boulders Beach and Betty's Bay, are not just charming, but sadly, endangered. Now, conservation groups…

Africa! It was the Formula 1 of political unrest, extremism, and democratic reversals, from 2020 – coups competing for attention, authoritarian powers vying for a podium finish and great-power competition clogging the tracks. The colosseum of Africa in the cauldron of discontent. Yet, U.S. engagement in Africa remains deprioritized in Washington, with only sporadic attention, notwithstanding the actions that can indeed reinvigorate democracy and stabilize the region. Instead, enhanced barriers to market access push African countries further away. Between 2021 and 2024, the U.S. administration actually suspended a record eight African countries from the U.S. trade preference program, AGOA. The European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism puts further pit stops for African manufacturing exports. And China is buying less crude oil from Africa. Angola, the second-largest exporter of oil to…

Artificial intelligence (AI) holds transformative potential for Africa, but harnessing it responsibly is crucial. As AI increasingly integrates into various sectors, standards for robust governance frameworks are essential to ensure its ethical and beneficial use for all Africans. The United Nations University (UNU), recognizing both the potential and the perils of AI, is actively contributing to shaping a future where AI serves as a force for good across the continent. While AI has the potential to revolutionize sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and education, Africa's unique challenges — ranging from digital divides to diverse cultural landscapes — demand tailored governance. Developing Africa-centric AI standards rooted in universal principles adapted to local contexts is imperative to address these challenges. This approach aligns with the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), which…