Latest news with #AfricanNations
Coin Geek
4 days ago
- Business
- Coin Geek
Ethiopia pushes for domestic AI; S. Africa clears path for Starlink
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has called on African nations to develop homegrown artificial intelligence (AI) to propel the region's development. In his keynote address at the Ethiopian Technology Expo, Ahmed stated that Africa must shape its own technological destiny with AI after decades of adhering to Western standards. 'Africa must not be a passive recipient of AI tools developed elsewhere. We must become innovators and owners of our future, ensuring that no one is left behind in this transformation,' he stated. Ahmed is the latest to call for local AI solutions in Africa, a region whose needs are rarely addressed by Western technology. AI could exacerbate the divide even further; a United Nations report last month revealed that over 120 countries, mostly in the global south, have been left out of the global AI development, which could widen economic inequalities. 'With a clear strategic vision and bold investment, Africa can guide the development of AI on its own terms—anchored in ethical frameworks, inclusion, and sustainability,' Ahmed stated. He added that AI could usher in a new era 'that holds the promise of inclusive prosperity for our continent, driven by homegrown innovations in AI.' Africans must not rely on foreign solutions, which rarely account for the region's nuanced challenges and its diversity. Africa's AI development has been limited by poor infrastructure. A separate UN report revealed that only 5% of the region's AI developers have access to the computing power they would require to build AI applications. Starlink setting foot in South Africa Elsewhere, South Africa is set to amend a law that requires telecom firms to be at least 30% black-owned to enable Elon Musk's Starlink to operate in the country. The decision, announced on Tuesday, comes at a time when tensions between Africa's most industrialized nation and the United States are at a boiling point. U.S. President Donald Trump and Musk have accused the South African government of orchestrating a genocide against white residents, a claim that the African nation has refuted, and which one court has dismissed as 'clearly imagined and not real.' Still, Trump has persisted, and last week, the U.S. welcomed the first batch of South Africans as refugees. Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are set to have a meeting this week in Washington, and the decision to amend the black ownership law is seen as an effort to smooth things over before the crucial meeting. 'We're not doing it for Musk' The law being amended—known as the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) law—was introduced in the '90s as South Africa abandoned apartheid, which had significantly disadvantaged the black majority. It requires companies in some industries, such as IT, telecoms, and automotive, to be at least 30% owned by black entrepreneurs. Starlink, where Musk has 79% control, was to set up operations in South Africa last year after successful debuts in 20 other African nations. However, it didn't meet the BEE threshold, and since then, Musk has ramped up criticism against the Ramaphosa government. The X and Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO was born in Pretoria, the South African capital, but relocated to Canada at 17. 'I am in a situation where I was born in South Africa, but cannot get a license to operate Starlink because I am not Black,' he told Bloomberg this week. The South African government has finally bowed to the pressure and will amend the BEE law, allowing Starlink to set up in the country, home to 61 million people. Experts say the timing of the move suggests that Ramaphosa is using it to appease Trump ahead of their meeting. However, the South African government has denied the allegations, claiming it's 'part of a broader strategy to create an enabling environment for international investment and expand digital connectivity across South Africa.' The move is part of the government's medium-term plans, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies told media outlets. However, some in the country's political landscape remain opposed to Starlink's entry. Economic Freedom Fighters, the top opposition party, says the move is unconstitutional and 'exposes Ramaphosa as willing to compromise on our sovereignty to massage the inflated ego of Elon Musk and Donald Trump,' the party's spokesperson, Sinawo Thambo stated. 'These powers are governed by national legislation and independent regulators, not the whims of one man desperate for foreign approval,' he added. The party has vowed to fight against the move 'in the courts, and on the streets.' In order for artificial intelligence (AI) to work right within the law and thrive in the face of growing challenges, it needs to integrate an enterprise blockchain system that ensures data input quality and ownership—allowing it to keep data safe while also guaranteeing the immutability of data. Check out CoinGeek's coverage on this emerging tech to learn more why Enterprise blockchain will be the backbone of AI . Watch: Bitcoin Retrospective and a Focus on the Future of the Internet with Mike Hearn title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="">
The Herald
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald
Colonial-era borders create conflict in Africa's oceans — how to resolve them
Africa has 38 coastal and island nations. Their maritime industries — including energy, tourism, maritime transport, shipping and fishing — play a crucial role in developing these nations. Key to harnessing these resources are Africa's maritime boundaries — lines on a map showing the legal divisions of the ocean between neighbouring coastal states. Some of these boundaries were created by colonial powers and kept after independence. Their purpose was to achieve territorial security and ensure the exclusive exploitation of resources and to maintain navigational freedom. But Africa's maritime boundaries sometimes lead to conflict, prevent co-operation on resource management and create room for maritime crimes, like illegal fishing. This is because they are often contested. Countries have overlapping claims and varying interests in resource exploration. This is common in maritime areas rich in oil, gas and fisheries, and deep seabed resources. In our recent paper we found that using international law to resolve maritime boundaries does not always bring peace, especially when it results in ceding the disputed area to one party. It can result in animosity between countries and breed room for continued distrust among peoples. Today, Africa has the most unresolved maritime boundary disputes in the world and the lowest number of settled boundary disputes. As more ocean resources are discovered, climate change may heighten disputes. Rising sea levels can gradually submerge maritime zones, potentially affecting the baselines from which these zones are measured. This could create uncertainty or trigger new conflicts. In our paper, we suggest a collaborative approach to resolving maritime disputes. We hope that this will help prevent many African countries from missing out on the benefits of their oceans. Disagreements over maritime boundaries can have many negative effects. Research has shown that criminal activities tend to increase in disputed maritime boundaries. For instance, illegal fishers are aware that because there is dispute over a border, there will also be enforcement gaps. Countries in dispute will also not work together and will not be sending patrols to contested areas. For instance, in 2016, a Chinese vessel escaped into Sierra Leone to avoid capture. When Guinean naval forces boarded the vessel for enforcement, there was an exchange of fire and 11 Guineans were detained by Sierra Leone. When boundaries are disputed, it also means that local fishers are likely to encroach into neighbouring waters, often unknowingly, in search of better catches. Given the significance of fisheries to coastal livelihoods and the extent of depletion, this threatens peace and security. It fuels tension between communities and countries over access to dwindling resources. Disagreements over maritime boundaries also diminish maritime security co-operation, complicate joint patrols, and divert attention from tackling shared threats such as piracy. Unfortunately, resolving maritime boundary disputes is complicated by a principle in international law known as uti possidetis juris — 'as you possess under law'. The principle says that when countries argue over borders, international law, built around colonial-era boundaries, is used to decide who gets what. This creates a 'winner-takes-all' approach — one side gains control over the disputed area and resources. International courts, like the International Court of Justice and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, follow the provisions of law reinforcing uti possidetis . Our examination of maritime boundary disputes in west and central Africa found that the principle of uti possidetis juris had failed to alleviate maritime boundary tensions. In some cases, it has worsened them. One example is a maritime dispute between Cameroon and Nigeria decided in 2002. The dispute was over who had control of Bakassi, an oil-rich region, and its maritime frontier. The uti possidetis juris principle upheld the lines drawn at the time of Nigeria's independence and resulted in the ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon. The impact of the resolution lingers. To date, thousands of displaced Bakassi people that returned to Nigeria have yet to be resettled and reintegrated. Disputes also continue between fishers from Nigeria and Cameroonian law enforcement agents. In extreme cases, it results in death, like the alleged killing of 97 Nigerian fishers by Cameroonian marine police. In our paper, we recommend that courts, tribunals or disputing countries consider joint management agreements to resolve maritime disputes. Under such agreements, countries share and manage disputed maritime resources. These agreements will allow for the joint management of shared resources. It will also encourage co-operation and collaboration in other areas, such as joint operations to combat illegal fishing and piracy. While international courts may apply uti possidetis juris as required by law, countries should be encouraged to negotiate special arrangements — such as joint development agreements — as part of the resolution process. Especially in cases where livelihoods and long-standing community ties risk being disrupted by unilateral decisions or the ceding of disputed areas to one party. While not perfect, this approach has already improved co-operation on security and resource use at sea. It has worked in places like Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire also have a joint management framework in place for their shared boundaries to avoid future disputes. Prolonged boundary disputes only enable criminal actors to exploit Africa's resources, undermining collective progress. A shift towards collaborative solutions is essential for achieving a sustainable and prosperous future for the continent.
Al Jazeera
08-05-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Will African nations ever be able to repay their debt?
Africa is a continent rich in natural resources with a young population. African nations in theory have the potential to transform their economies. But many of them are facing mountains of debt. Africa's external debt climbed to more than $650bn last year. More than half of African countries are either in debt distress or teetering on the edge. But credit restructuring is painstakingly slow, and many governments end up spending more on servicing their debt than on healthcare or education. The debt problem has plunged many nations into economic crisis with rising unemployment and poverty.
