COVID-19’s Influence on Rhino Poaching in South Africa

Finally, there is positive news regarding the impact of Covid-19. Amongst all the doom and gloom of the pandemic, researchers at the International Rhino Foundation show that fewer than 400 rhinos were killed in South Africa last year, compared to 594 in 2019 (Maxwell, 2021).

Strict lockdown rules in South Africa, in response to the country’s prominent outbreaks of coronavirus, have prevented social mixing which subsequently reduces the movement and number of poachers and rhino smugglers around the country.

Engage in AfricaHugh AndersonJune 25, 2021Engage in Africa, South Africa, aasoa, Art and Soul of AfricaComment

How the Climate Crisis is Impacting Indigenous Africans

Indigenous Peoples are communities with pre-colonial connections to land who consider themselves distinct from contemporary society. They have survived genocides, epidemics, forced migration, and marginalisation across all corners of the globe.

Furthermore, despite representing <5% of the global population, Indigenous territories guard 80% of the world’s biodiversity and contribute the least to GHG emissions.

The Year of Return Celebrations in Ghana

After being away from home these past few years, I was definitely looking forward to spending Christmas at home with my family and friends in Ghana with some good homecooked meals and much needed family banter that keeps the house alive and always buzzing!

As well as this, I was looking forward to the 2019 Year of Return celebrations that were generating massive publicity for Ghana, thanks to the line-up of activities for the Christmas season. As much as it was about having a good time, it targeted love and togetherness as one people - Africans.

Morocco is a Glorious Gateway to Africa

More than any other industry, tourism has been devastatingly affected by the eruption of COVID-19. Borders were closed and airplanes were grounded. But one year after the Coronavirus outbreak, the travel industry is striving to restart. Yet among the countries that have developed their resilience as tourist destinations, Morocco stands out above the rest.

Invest in AfricaHugh AndersonApril 23, 2021morocco, Art and Soul of Africa, AASOA, tourism, marrakesh, invest in africa, african artComment

A Win for Democracy and a Win for Justice in Malawi

Democracy is the rule of the people by a government that practices principles of social equality. It is one of the most sustained political ideas ingrained into society as “the belief in freedom and equality between people.”[1] Under strong leaders like Mandela, democracy has triumphed as he fought for equal representation, but in fledgeling democracies elsewhere, nations have increasingly succumbed to populism under totalitarian leaders. For some, this problem has only been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Why Global Investors are Putting their Money on Kenya

The recent implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) in 53 African Union countries brings unprecedented potential for economic growth across Africa. While many nations stand to gain, Kenya’s economic diversity makes it particularly well positioned to capitalise on opportunities provided by the deepening economic integration of the continent. To understand why, we must first look at Kenya’s economic structure.

Invest in AfricaHugh AndersonApril 9, 2021AASOA, Art and Soul of Africa, Kenya, invest in africa, FDI, InvestmentComment

Hakuna Matata and a Difficult Reality of Tourism in Tanzania

Throughout the vast majority of my time travelling alone through Southern Africa, English was all I needed to communicate. In fact, the sole exception to this was a strange evening in a Johannesburg bar being taught some Xhosa chat-up lines – perhaps fortunately, they were never put to use! While this is clearly convenient, it is difficult to not be reminded of the colonial history of this beautiful place that caused the ubiquity of English and a suppression of indigenous languages.

Hugh AndersonApril 2, 2021AASOA, Tanzania, Engage in Africa, BlogComment

How this Entrepreneur is Revolutionising the Craft Beer Industry in South Africa

You may not have heard the name Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela before, but she is currently making waves in the craft beer industry - not only in her native South Africa but internationally. Having studied at both the University of Witwatersrand and the University of Pretoria, not only is she incredibly well educated but she is testament that a will to learn and a passion for your subject can help you challenge industry stereotypes, simultaneously inspiring others whilst promoting proactive entrepreneurship.

Hugh AndersonMarch 25, 2021AASOA, South Africa, Blog, invest in africaComment

The Engage In Africa Short Essay Prize 2021

Welcome to the AASOA blog writing competition in partnership with the Exeter African Caribbean Society! We are really excited to see what your journalistic and creative writing skills can produce for our #investinafrica and #engageinafrica categories! Deadline for submissions is the 28/02/2021 - good luck!

Hugh AndersonJanuary 22, 2021AASOA Comments

Nigeria’s #EndSARS Movement – What It Is and Why It Matters in the UK.

March, 2017 - A man is driving home after a day of work, when a group of black-clad men intercept and pull him from the car, wrongfully accusing him of laptop theft. The man is thrown into a cell without food, access to the outside world and a lawyer. After 40 days the innocent man emerges, the sunlight shocking his eyes like a flashbang. The black-clad men’s leader instructs his cronies to tie the man up by his ankles; they obey, before hitting him with machetes, sticks and exhaust pipes to the face, shattering his teeth. Thankfully, the man - ironically named Miracle - was released to tell the story.

Hugh AndersonDecember 11, 2020AASOA, uganda, marathon Comment

The Uganda Marathon Goes Beyond The 26.2 Miles.

My legs are two dilapidated towers made of stale biscuit, crumbling beneath the weight of a snorting and rasping heffalump torso composed of jiggling custard-like flesh and organs. My lungs are two crumpled air sacks gasping out for an extra molecule of oxygen like wheezing banshees. My throat is an arid desert, lifeless and dusty, aching for even the far-flung dream of a liquid to meander like a dribbling river into my stomach – ammonia, blended sewage, water – it doesn’t matter.

Such were my thoughts as I was limping up “The Beast” - a great devilish hill less than halfway through Masaka’s Uganda International Marathon…

Hugh AndersonDecember 2, 2020AASOA, uganda, marathonComment

Nollywood Is BIG, But It’s About To Get Even BIGGER.

It is 1992. Years before, you left school at 11 years old to follow your brother to Onitsha Market in eastern Nigeria. There, you crafted and sold handbags, before opting instead to sell cassettes and electronic goods 300 miles away in Lagos’ Idumota Market. “Thousands of vendors sell the exact same products, so what makes you unique?” you questioned. So, you wrote a movie called Living in Bondage about a luckless man…

Hugh AndersonNovember 23, 2020AASOA, Nigeria, Nollywood Comment

Was Ghana's ambitious #YearOfReturn project a success?🤔

In 2019, Ghana’s🇬🇭 “Year of Return” (YoR) marked the 400th year since the first enslaved Africans arrived in America. ‘The “YoR” allowed the locals to embrace their culture, and for descendants of Africa🌍 who’d never (or don’t often) come to the motherland, to come and learn about their heritage and bask in it.’ - Jeneis Osei, friend of AASOA.

Hugh AndersonMarch 1, 2020AASOA, ghana, year of return, invest in africaComment

The life-saving business in Rwanda that beat Amazon to drone delivery🚀

‘Entrepreneurship is the only force in human history that has lifted millions of people out poverty.🤝 No amount of foreign aid is going to sustainably employ 250 million African youth. We think these problems are the domain of NGOs or governments not private companies; that’s what we have to change.’ (Rinaudo, 2017)

Hugh AndersonFebruary 7, 2020AASOA, rwanda, invest in africa, ziplineComment

Launch of AASOA's #InvestInAfrica Blogs!

We will focus on one business/entrepreneur/new tech/economy/important current affairs in each post📊.
Then we will provide some information about the country where the above is taking place - the Pan-African flag in the top-left corner of this post demonstrates this aim to delve into topics from all 54 countries in Africa❤️🖤💚

Hugh AndersonFebruary 1, 2020AASOA, invest in africaComment