Africa is experiencing a dynamic shift in its trade landscape with the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This ambitious trade agreement aims to create a single market for goods and services, promote intra-African trade, and foster economic growth across the continent. For African entrepreneurs, the AfCFTA presents a unique opportunity to capitalize on the vast potential of the African market. By understanding the policy's provisions and leveraging them effectively, entrepreneurs can unlock new avenues for business expansion and success. In this article, we will explore key ways African entrepreneurs can take advantage of the African trade policy.
Thursday 29 June 2023
Capitalizing on African Trade Policy: Opportunities for African Entrepreneurs
Thursday 7 October 2021
Breast Cancer: Risk Factors and Symptoms
Breast cancer occurs when cells in the breast grow out of control. There are different kinds of breast cancer. The kind of breast cancer depends on which cells in the breast turn into cancer.
Breast cancer can begin in different parts of the breast. A breast is made up of three main parts: lobules, ducts, and connective tissue. The lobules are the glands that produce milk. The ducts are tubes that carry milk to the nipple. The connective tissue (which consists of fibrous and fatty tissue) surrounds and holds everything together. Most breast cancers begin in the ducts or lobules. The disease can spread outside the breast to other parts of the body through blood vessels and lymph vessels.
Risk Factors
Some causal factors of breast cancer can be controlled by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Other uncontrollable factors related to genetics, previous medical conditions and exposure to radiation can contribute to the development of cancers in the breasts.
Controllable risk factors
- Not being physically active. Women who are not physically active have a higher risk of getting breast cancer.
- Being overweight or obese after menopause. Older women who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of getting breast cancer than those at a normal weight.
- Taking hormones. Some forms of hormone replacement therapy (those that include both estrogen and progesterone) taken during menopause can raise risk for breast cancer when taken for more than five years. Certain oral contraceptives (birth control pills) also have been found to raise breast cancer risk.
- Reproductive history. Having the first pregnancy after age 30, not breastfeeding, and never having a full-term pregnancy can raise breast cancer risk.
- Drinking alcohol. Studies show that a woman’s risk for breast cancer increases with the more alcohol she drinks.
- Genetic mutations. Inherited changes (mutations) to certain genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2. Women who have inherited these genetic changes are at higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
- Reproductive history. Early menstrual periods before age 12 and starting menopause after age 55 expose women to hormones longer, raising their risk of getting breast cancer.
- Having dense breasts. Dense breasts have more connective tissue than fatty tissue, which can sometimes make it hard to see tumors on a mammogram. Women with dense breasts are more likely to get breast cancer.
- Personal history of breast cancer or certain non-cancerous breast diseases. Women who have had breast cancer are more likely to get breast cancer a second time. Some non-cancerous breast diseases such as atypical hyperplasia or lobular carcinoma in situ are associated with a higher risk of getting breast cancer.
- Family history of breast or ovarian cancer. A woman’s risk for breast cancer is higher if she has a mother, sister, or daughter (first-degree relative) or multiple family members on either her mother’s or father’s side of the family who have had breast or ovarian cancer. Having a first-degree male relative with breast cancer also raises a woman’s risk.
- Previous treatment using radiation therapy. Women who had radiation therapy to the chest or breasts (for instance, treatment of Hodgkin’s lymphoma) before age 30 have a higher risk of getting breast cancer later in life.
Symptoms
Different people have different symptoms of breast cancer. Some people do not have any signs or symptoms at all.
Some warning signs of breast cancer are—
- New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit). However, there are non-cancerous diseases such as fibrocystic breast condition and cysts which can also cause lumps in the breasts.
- Thickening or swelling of part of the breast.
- Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.
- Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast.
- Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.
- Nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood.
- Any change in the size or the shape of the breast.
- Pain in any area of the breast.
Wednesday 29 September 2021
Nigeria to become first country in Africa to launch CBDC
The Central Bank of Nigeria, Abuja
The Central Bank of Nigeria’s eNaira website has gone live ahead of schedule.
And, in the 24 hours following the launch, it received more than a million hits.
The CBN stated that eNaira – a central bank-issued digital currency that provides a unique form of money denominated in Naira – would serve as both a medium of exchange and a store of value, offering better payment prospects in retail transactions when compared to cash payments.
eNaira presents itself as the digital form of cash and is a direct liability on the Central Bank of Nigeria while the customer deposits are direct liabilities on the financial institutions.
However, it seems that a lot of its future users in Nigeria are still arguing whether or not it is actually a cryptocurrency.
Olumide Adesina, a CEO of Nigerian analyst firm TM Analytics believes the eNaira can’t replace the crypto market or fight and win Bitcoin. However, he stressed it could complement the crypto market and provide leverage for a growing number of people from Nigeria.
Some praise eNaira’s benefits for financial inclusion, while others are concerned it would give central banks more control over citizens’ financial rights through the removal of intermediaries.
eNaira makes remittance transfers easier
Still, the official website says the eNaira will “cultivate economic growth, provide cheaper remittances, limit fraudulent behaviour, and is secure, among other benefits for its use”.
Rakiya Mohammed, the bank’s director of information technology, recently explained eNaira could make remittance transfers easier for Nigerians working abroad.
South Africa also recently announced a trial of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) for cross-border payments. The central bank said it could motivate other financial institutions around the world to work towards using the technology.
Founder and CEO of cryptocurrency and digital asset exchange platform Botmecash, Oluwasegun Kosemani, said there was a rising interest in the use cases and value Bitcoin offers in Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja, Kaduna, Abeokuta, and among the Igbo tribe traders who import and export from China and Turkey.
“This will blow up soon when the eNaira launches in Nigeria,” he said, adding that eNaira “is the beginning and pathway to the end of cash in the country”.
Source: Yahoo Finance
Monday 27 September 2021
Tourism Ministry, GTA organise hiking challenge on Afadjato to mark World Tourism Day
The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) in collaboration with the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), on Sunday morning September 26 organised a hiking challenge on Afadjato to mark this year's World Tourism Day in Ghana.
The challenge, which saw more than 200 participants, including Miss Tourism Beauty Queens, Volta Tertiary Queens Contestants, some directors from the Ministry and GTA, started at about 10am and ended around 11am.
The hiking challenge is the first of its kind to be organised by the Ministry and the GTA.
This year's national celebration of the World Tourism Day event is taking place in the Hohoe Municipality of the Volta Region.
The celebration is on the theme: "Tourism for Inclusive Growth.”
Afadjato is the highest mountain in West Africa—885 meters.
The Director-General of Finance and Operations at GTA, Mr Ekow Samson, encouraged all Ghanaians to take interest in the hiking challenge, particularly people around the Afadjato enclave.
According to him, taking part in the hiking challenge will not only improve one's health but will enable the participant to have fun and experience the beauty of nature.
He said GTA and the Tourism Ministry will make the Afadjato hiking an annual event, starting next year.
Credit: Edith Amegatcher
Tuesday 23 January 2018
Hugh Masekela dies at 78
Another legend has fallen. Father of South African Jazz, Hugh Masekela was reported dead earlier today, at age 78. He was one of the earliest African musicians to receive a Grammy nomination in 1968. Rest in peace. #aloudafrica
Wyclef's song "Diallo" is about Amadou Diallo, a Guinean who was shot 41 times by US police in 1999 for bringing out his wallet. #RareFactAloud #aloudafrica
Wyclef's song "Diallo" is about Amadou Diallo, a Guinean who was shot 41 times by US police in 1999 for bringing out his wallet. #RareFactAloud #aloudafrica
Monday 22 January 2018
K.B. Asante dies at 93
Renowned Ghanaian diplomat, K. B. Asante, has died at age 93.
Born Kwaku Baprui Asante on March 1, 1924, K.B. Asante was the Secretary to Ghana’s First President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and served under a number of Heads of States in Ghana.
He also served as the Principal Secretary at African Affairs Secretariat from 1960 to 1966.
He became Ghana’s Ambassador to Switzerland and the United Nations Offices in Geneva, and the UN establishment in Vienna, and also the Ambassador to Australia from 1967-72.
He also served as the Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Economic Community from 1976-1978.
Education
K.B. Asante attended Achimota School where he later taught mathematics from 1945 to 1948, before proceeding to Durham University in Britain, where he obtained a BSc Mathematics in 1952.
He also became a member of the Institute of Statisticians in 1953, before again returning to Achimota College, where he continued teaching mathematics from 1953 to 1955.
Life in politics
K.B. Asante retired from the Civil Service in 1978, to form the Social Democratic Front to contest the 1979 election where his party won three parliamentary seats in that election.
He was the Secretary for Trade and Tourism in the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) administration in 1982, and later Secretary for Education and Culture from 1986 to 1990.
Source: Citifmonline.com
Monday 4 December 2017
Future for Africa
Through strong partnerships with civil societies, institutions and using volunteers, the organization seeks to reach out to the deprived and vulnerable children and families in its operational areas, as well as promoting intercultural awareness, tolerance and communication amongst the Youth. We believe when some of these are tackled and realized, it will help in the achievement of the sustainable development goals.
Vision
Future For Africa works for a fair world where all children have equal access to social amenities, resources and influence through strong partnerships, and inspires the younger generation’s to aspire to the future with good health, respect and equal rights.
Mission
We seek to engage and empower children especially, the vulnerable in society and to provide meaningful interventions in areas of education, health, Water and sanitation, and Livelihoods. This will be done through partnership and with volunteers. Future For Africa will endeavor to influence policies and actions at all levels of society towards inspiring hope in the younger generations of society and also to promote intercultural awareness, tolerance among the youth
Our projects
With a Goal to reach out to the deprived and vulnerable children and families in its operational areas, Our project are well designed to cater for all. We run the following project;
-Educational project
-Healthcare delivery project
-Orphanage project
Aside these we offer opportunities for tour lovers to travel and explore the amazing sceneries of northern Ghana and some other interesting cites in southern Ghana.
This year we've had myriads of applications from volunteers worldwide, which we hosted close to a hundred of them during the summer at our Volunteer house in Yikene Bolgatanga.
You can visit our website; www.future4Afrika.org to learn more about us. Follow our page on Facebook and Instagram: @Future4Africa and on Twitter:@future4Aficagh
Monday 29 May 2017
'Bro Codes' that should never be broken
Saturday 27 May 2017
The uneasy journeys in West Africa
Traveling by air within the West African sub-region shouldn't have to be a rough journey. After all, with the existence of ECOWAS and the geographical closeness of these West African states, this should be one of the most easiest tasks. In Europe, travelers move from one country to another usually with ease and at lower costs. The case is different in the West African region; traveling by air has been known to be expensive and time-wasting as travelers have to make stopovers at different countries in the midst of their journey.
The phenomenon is not different when traveling by road. Passengers usually go through various checkpoints where they are mostly extorted by Customs and Immigration officials.
BBC's Umaru Fofana recently shared his experience and how complicated it was for him to travel from Freetown to Banjul which should take an hour. But he found out, because of the region's poor air connections, it can be quicker and easier to fly via Morocco or Belgium, although that could take a day, or even three.
The Journey
I recently had to travel to The Gambia on a reporting trip for the BBC.
In theory, this journey of 700km (400 miles) should take about an hour and The Gambia is a popular tourist destination, which is served by charter flights from across Europe.
But there are just two flights a week from Freetown and the days didn't fit with my trip.
Courtesy: BBC |
One option would have been to fly with Royal Air Maroc via Casablanca, where there can be a stopover of 30 hours with no automatic entitlement to hotel accommodation.
So it is actually quicker, but far more expensive, to fly to Belgium's capital Brussels and then connect to Banjul.
That "only" takes 24 hours.
Another option would have been with Air Cote D'Ivoire, a relatively new kid on the aviation block.
This would have meant flying via its hub in Abidjan, then to Dakar and onward to Banjul.
However, I would have needed to stay overnight in Abidjan, and possibly another night in Dakar to be able catch Brussels Airlines which is virtually the only reliable means of flying to Banjul from the Senegalese capital.
So a total journey time of about three days.
In the end, the best option was to drive from Freetown to Conakry, before flying to Dakar, Senegal's capital, where I spent the night to get my connecting flight to Banjul the following day.
I spent two days travelling for a trip that should have taken me just over an hour.
My return leg was even more exhausting. I flew from Banjul to Dakar, spent the night and flew on the next evening to Conakry.
I had to spend another night in Guinea's capital before driving to Freetown on the third day.
Complains and agitations
In Conakry, I met other travellers who were on different legs of their various journeys around West Africa.
Most of them were businesspeople who complained about the hassle, saying it made travel more expensive.
What are the probable causes?
The collapse of many airlines owned by West African states have been attributed to this problem. Even with their existence many of these carriers were propped up financially and protected by regulation, stifling competition and leaving domestic and regional routes undeveloped for a long time. Another factor is that some African countries have still not opened up their skies to each other - allowed other countries' carries to use their airports - yet they have opened up to carriers from other continents.
In the end, the poor traveling system within the sub-region is bound to affect the idea of free movement of goods and services as envisioned by the founding heads of state of the regional body Ecowas.
Source: BBC