We Tell It Africa

Global war, conflicts and crisis seems to loom across all continents with an aftermath of unimaginable woes. The effect takes almost a lifetime to overcome sparing none on its part of destruction, not lives, not properties. Ever so often, the discuss hinges on the devastation brought on unarmed civilians, women and children, and the aged especially, however one class of victims are left catered for. These are the ones who take up the gallant responsibilities of securing the lives and properties of the whole, at the expense of theirs. Those who dare to look the enemies in the eyes....the Armed Forces. No one ever hears their stories, sometimes because the ethics of their profession does not allow for disclosure, other times, because they dare not recount in their minds the horrific experiences. These are the real Victims with not just skills and tactics to protect the majority but the heart to give all up for what they either believe in or signed up for. Only few in this categorie

Bogolo Kenewendo of Botswana is also adviser to the UN Secretary-General on digital cooperation. Bogolo Kenewendo describes herself as having been “an ordinary Botswana child with an ordinary upbringing.” Ms. Kenewendo, poised and focused beyond her years, is being modest. At 32 she is Botswana’s youngest minister, in charge of investment, trade and industry. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics, specializing in macroeconomic policy, public debt management, export development and other trade-related fields. As a child in Motopi, a small village in central Botswana, Ms. Kenewendo envisioned playing a role in Botswana’s development. In 2011 she met former First Lady Michelle Obama in Washington D.C. as a participant in the Young African Leaders Initiative, a fellowship begun in 2010 by the US State Department. Her forays into politics began in 2017 when Botswana’s former President Ian Khama appointed her to a High-level Consultative Council charged w

Women’s empowerment advocates in Africa are making their voices heard, with the full backing of international organisations such as the United Nations and the African Union. In this edition, we identify the many obstacles in women’s way and highlight the benefits countries are deriving from empowering women. In the fight for gender equality, women around the world have advanced in small and large ways. Yet for women in Africa, progress is measured in micro steps, and the struggle has a long way to go. The good news is that women’s representation in political decision making has been on the rise globally. The not-so-good news is that the increase has been stubbornly slow, barely 1% in 2018 compared with the previous year. In 2018 the number of women ministers worldwide reached an all-time high at 20.7% (812 out of 3922). In sub-Saharan Africa, the number of women seated in parliament grew in 2018, with a regional average share at 23.7%, according to the just-re