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The price of data
Billionaire philanthropist Mo Ibrahim launched an online tool this month which aims to help Africans stay up-to-date with local statistics and data in a way they can use to challenge their national and local governments. “Without sound national data, there is no way you can define adequate public policies nor measure their outcomes,” says Ibrahim.
We’ve talked about the lack of data in Africa before (QzAfrica Brief, Aug. 21). While it’s great to use data and statistics to help keep governments and politicians in check, it should also be used to challenge those who claim Africa is a difficult place to invest. Put another way, the improved availability of data can help reduce the real or perceived African risk premium.
There has always seemed to be a significant premium on the cost of capital for making investments in Africa. It hasn’t mattered whether the capital is sourced at home or abroad. The premium, might seem unfair when compared with international markets, but those markets typically have plenty of data and transparent systems through which investors can take more calculated risks.
For some, the next question is who will be responsible for finding, collecting and storing useful data. Should we rely on public sources or private companies? Who pays for it?
Governments have a part to play, even if it’s just a change in attitude in making existing data available. The private sector has a crucial role to play too in helping extract raw data from the dusty records of many a colonial-era paper-based African civil service and turning that into something valuable and mutually beneficial for all stakeholders—and for ordinary citizens.
Data is just a start, of course. It’s one thing to have data, it’s quite another to analyze and interpret the information in a manner which does not perpetuate old narratives, affirm long-held biases or focuses on supporting the political agenda of the power broker of the day.
Yinka Adegoke, Quartz Africa editor
Stories from this week
Why is China so invested in Rwanda? Rwanda is a landlocked country with a small population, few natural resources and a negligible new market for Chinese products. But as Lily Kuo explains in this special report, Chinese companies and entrepreneurs’ involvement in Rwanda offers a counterpoint to the oft-heard criticism that African countries are falling under the yoke of yet another foreign power.
Ethiopia’s ‘Uber’ apps are moving ahead, with or without the internet. Uber has yet made it to Ethiopia’s thriving capital, Addis Ababa. But as Tom Gardner writes, three local startups are now hoping to digitize the capital’s anarchic taxi system before the international behemoth sets up shop there despite the market’s limitations.
Cameroon’s protests expose the fragility of its ‘Frenglish’ system. Protests in Bamenda city in Cameroon this week were the result of aggrieved English speakers who have long complained of marginalization from the larger French-speaking region. As Amindeh Blaise Atabong in Yaoundé explains, the roots of the division lie in the country’s creation from colonial era deal-making.
Drone photography captures the dramatic inequality of Nairobi. Kenya, the largest economy in East Africa, has some of the starkest inequality in the region. A new series of aerial images show, this is most apparent in Nairobi, where the wealthy and middle class live next to slums housing some of the country’s poorest.
Barack Obama was never here to fix Africa’s problems. Less than two months before he leaves office, US president Obama faces criticism for not doing much for the continent of his father’s birth. Yet, despite his ancestry, Obama is first and foremost an American president, who was there to serve American interests in the continent, points out Abdi Latif Dahir.
Castro’s legacy in Africa is safe. After six decades in power, leading a repressive anti-American regime, with all the economic hardship that brought, the late Fidel Castro’s legacy is controversial to put it mildly. Yet, in many African countries, he remained a hero to the end for his support with health, education and military assistance during the hard times, finds Lynsey Chutel.
CHART OF THE WEEK
South Africa’s unemployment is at a record high—again. This week, Statistics South Africa, a government agency, revealed South Africa’s unemployment was at its highest in 13 years. The picture becomes even more dire when you break the statistics by age and gender.
Other Things We Liked
Using hip hop to bridge a racial divide in South Africa. Cape Town’s incredible natural beauty belies a troubled past of slavery and racial oppression. Joe Penney writes for Reuters, of a new generation of artists, musicians, poets, and filmmakers in Cape Town are trying to overcome this, by using different languages to agitate for a more inclusive society.
Nigeria’s president is turning out to be the same leader as 30 years ago. A sense of euphoria and hope greeted Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari when he won the election in 2015. But given the economic recession and the troubles the country has faced over the last year, Ameto Akpe argues in Foreign Policy that Buhari has turned out to be the same autocrat who failed the country 30 years ago.
Keep an eye on
Zimbabweans will begin using bond notes Mon. Nov. 28. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe promised the notes will be 1:1 with the US dollar and will also be made available in $1 bond coins. Zimbabweans terrified of everyone becoming worthless billionaires again have slept in lines outside banks trying to get their cash before it’s too late.
Somalia’s presidential elections (Nov. 30). Vote buying, fraud and violence have marred Somalia’s ongoing parliamentary elections, according to the country’s auditor general. But the country’s 275 legislators alongside its 54 senators, still intend to meet and elect a new president on Nov. 30.
Gambia presidential election (Dec. 1). Gambians will go to the polls on Dec. 1, which will see president Yahya Jammeh seek a fifth consecutive term as president. Opposition candidates have formed a coalition that they hope will best their chances of ousting Jammeh.
President Zuma to face his party’s integrity panel (Dec. 3). South Africa’s 74-year-old president Jacob Zuma will be questioned in a closed door session by the ANC’s integrity commission. The panel will question Zuma about the persistent allegations of corruption and the party’s worst local election results, which took place in August.
Our best wishes for a productive week ahead. Please send any news, comments, drone photos of your city and Castro in Africa memorabilia to africa@qz.com. (Don’t send any Zimbabwe bond notes yet). You can follow us on twitter at @qzafrica for updates throughout the day.
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