Tag: West Africa

• Mapping Makoko: How data could help legitimize Nigeria’s informal settlements

  May 17, 2020

  MAKOKO, Nigeria — On Jan. 21 Shedrach Zunze woke up to the sound of gunshots in his home in Tarkwa Bay, the little corridor of the Lagos Lagoon, on the… more ›

• Nigeria’s immediate future looks bleak without oil revenue—it doesn’t have to be that way

  May 17, 2020

  Globalization, automation, and inequality. That prediction, made by the World Bank in 2017, and based on decades of Nigeria’s dependence on oil, has proven astute. Amid a crippling coronavirus pandemic,… more ›

• Pompeo in Senegal: Africa caught in US-China trade war

  February 17, 2020

  Mike Pompeo has arrived in Senegal on his first trip to Africa as US secretary of state. He is expected to discuss security and economic cooperation with President Macky Sall.… more ›

• Russia Exerts Growing Influence in Africa, Worrying Many in the West

  January 29, 2020

  The Kremlin is increasing arms sales, security pacts and training programs as the American defense secretary weighs withdrawing troops from the continent. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/world/africa/russia-africa-troops.html more ›

• How colonial rule committed Africa to fragile authoritarianism

  November 4, 2019

  The impact of colonial rule on sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the subject of intense debate and controversy. Barely a year goes by in the UK without a public figure… more ›

• ‘A New Message’: Russia Trains Its Propaganda Machine on Africa

  October 30, 2019

  Many of the players who drove Moscow’s campaign for influence in the West are now backing Putin’s African charm offensive. SOCHI, Russia — Jose Matemulane said he left his native… more ›

• How Google created a Nigerian voice and accent for Maps

  August 4, 2019

  Directions and local street names, previously mispronounced by a default American or British accent, were now offered in a familiar accent with a new “Nigerian English” option. Novel as it… more ›

• Bukom: Ghana’s hub for boxing champions

  August 3, 2019

  The densely populated community of Bukom in Ghana’s capital is inhabited by fishermen. But fishing is not Bukom’s only export. The local gym is also cultivating some of Africa’s finest… more ›

• The Descendants of Slaves in Nigeria Fight for Equality

  July 14, 2019

  On a sunny morning in November, 2018, twelve men and two women gathered in a lavishly furnished living room in Oguta, a town in southeastern Nigeria, with the air-conditioning at… more ›

• Visualizing Africa’s Free Trade Ambitions

  April 18, 2019

  At a glance, it may seem like the world’s biggest technology companies have a lot in common. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/africa-free-trade/ more ›