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.
Read MoreDemocracy 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreThroughout 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.
Read MoreYou 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.
Read MoreWelcome 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!
Read MoreMarch, 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.
Read MoreMy 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…
Read MoreIt 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…
Read MoreIn 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.
Read More‘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)
Read MoreWe 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❤️🖤💚
