THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Jan

08

2021

Siege of Capitol Hill: The weathered shoe is now on the other foot.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

GENEVA HAMILTON DEAR United States Government, The wheel is round. Sincerely The Third World Recently, a marauding mob of Americans rejected the outcome of a democratic election and forcefully tried to ensure the power of an outgoing president who meets the criteria of an everyday dictator. Although this narrative is the foundation of modern history for the third world, this weathered shoe is now on the other foot; if not firmly planted in the bottom of the US government, that grand global power that believes it controls the world. Yes indeed, the wheel turned this week as a sovereign government…

Jan

15

2021

By The African Mirror

Solly was an incredible human being who left behind a special something in every life she touched

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

JOVIAL RANTAO SOLANI Maphumulo arrived in the City of Gold as a rough diamond - seemingly unpolished at a cursory glance but nonetheless a priceless gem inside. From get go, Solly, as we fondly called her, exuded the humility of a lamb, the determination of a tiger and the bravery of a lion - all to fulfil her dream of becoming a journalist at one of the country’s leading newspapers - The Star. And nothing was going to come between Solly and her dream. Years later, as we now write her story, we know that nothing did. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed,…

Jan

14

2021

By The African Mirror

Why Uganda’s ban on open-air campaigns could tilt the 2021 poll in Museveni’s favour

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

UGANDA is going to conduct its first digital and mass media campaigns ahead of its 2021 general elections. This comes as the country contemplates holding a “scientific election” wherein social distancing guidelines will be observed. GEOFFREY SSENOGA, Lecturer of Mass Communications, Uganda Christian University On 16 June 2020, the Uganda Electoral Commission issued a press release banning public rallies for the 2021 political campaigns as part of the country’s COVID-19 containment measures. Campaigns will now be conducted on radio and television, in newspapers and on the internet. This caused an immediate protest especially among opposition-leaning political groups and civil society…

Jan

20

2021

By The African Mirror

Trump’s legacy: Big policy changes that often got lost amid the din and scandal

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

US President Donald Trump may be best remembered for his use of Twitter as a bully pulpit to stoke controversy or browbeat opponents, but the noise his tweets generated often distracted from the big policy changes he made over his four-year term. During his rollercoaster presidency, the focus was often on what Trump was saying and not what on he was doing as he careened from one self-induced crisis to another. But a review of his policies shows that he had a real effect on people's lives in the areas of energy and environment, immigration, the judiciary, business and the…

Jan

19

2021

By The African Mirror

Petulant neighbourliness

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

MOSIBUDI MANGENA SINCE the middle of December 2020, which marks the start of the festive season, the situation at our land borders was characterised by chaos, suffering, misery and even unnecessary deaths. The visuals on our TV screens were at times too distressing to watch, especially at the Beitbridge, Lebombo and Maseru Bridge borders with Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Lesotho, respectively. To see these masses of people, most of whom are the poor, packed close to one another in snaking and almost stagnant queues in the scorching sun, is uncalled for. In the majority of cases, people had no ablution facilities,…

Jul

03

2020

By The African Mirror

Why the African Union has failed to ‘silence the guns’. And some solutions

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

CHRIS CHANGWE NSHIMBI, Director & Research Fellow, University of Pretoria SEVEN years ago African leaders committed themselves to work towards an end to armed conflict. As they marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of the African Union they swore to ensure lasting peace on the continent. They pledged not to bequeath the burden of conflicts to the next generation of Africans. The pledge was followed by the adoption in 2016 of the Lusaka Road Map to end the conflict by 2020. The document outlined 54 practical steps that needed to be taken. They focused on political, economic, social, environmental…

Jun

30

2020

By The African Mirror

Real reasons behind the war between government and taxi bosses

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

JOVIAL RANTAO HIDDEN behind the public war between the South African government and taxi bosses is the silent war that the state is waging to gain control of the multi billion rand industry. Government has for years failed to force the taxi owners to formalise the business and contribute, like all other businesses to the national tax base. So the onset of COVID-19 has presented the government with a golden opportunity to try and force the owners of over a million taxis around South Africa, to formalise. When the national lockdown was started on March 26, taxis and other forms…

Jun

30

2020

By The African Mirror

Special COVID-19 message from the President of Ghana

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO-ADDO Two weeks ago, we began the reopening of our schools, as part of the phased approach to bring our nation back to normalcy, following the outbreak of the novel COVID-19 disease in our country. Since that time, final year University students, SHS 3 and SHS 2 Gold Track students have all returned to school. Final year junior high school students, in 17,439 schools across the country, returned to school to prepare and sit for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). They were the final, and, indeed, the largest batch of students to return to school. In…

Jun

29

2020

By The African Mirror

Oladipo Olujimi Akinkugbe: a giant of medicine in Nigeria, and a great mentor

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Friday Okonofua, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Benin NIGERIAAN Emeritus Professor Oladipo Olujimi Akinkugbe, a medical icon and colossus, was one of the few remaining giants of modern medicine in Africa.Professor Akinkugbe was born on July 17, 1933 in Ondo. He attended Government College, Ibadan, a popular secondary school, starting in 1946 with Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka. Ibadan was a common denominator in his life, he returned to the city in 1964 to teach medicine at the university. He later became the medical school dean, attracting local and foreign support for the faculty. This offered him a vantage…

Jul

05

2020

By The African Mirror

Chakwera has his work cut out restoring democratic rule that delivers for Malawians

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

ADEM K ADEBE, Extraordinary Lecturer and editor of ConstitutionNet, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, University of Pretoria Lazarus Chakwera’s victory as the new president of Malawi represents a remarkable reversal of fortunes for Peter Mutharika, who almost a year ago was declared the winner in national polls. But the decision was annulled by the country’s judges and a date for a new election set. The outcome has been greeted with euphoria by the victor and his supporters. But as this subsides, the hard, long work begins. Close to the top of the list of big problems facing the…