At least nineteen African countries will go to the polls in 2024 to choose national and regional leaders. Some observers have aptly called it an African ‘Democracy Super Bowl.’ Yet, how does a continent that has suffered decades of state capture (The Global State of Democracy Report – 2022) and democratic decline ensure free, fair and participatory electoral processes for effective democratic governance? Technology may be the answer. Voter apathy a threat to democracy There are multiple threats to African democracy. An increasing number of African leaders continue to unilaterally change their ..read more

As over 17 African countries gear up for elections in 2024, The Digital Afrikan, in partnership with The Mail & Guardian, Tayarisha Centre for Digital Excellence and The Institute of Election Management Services in Africa (IEMSA) are launching a continental series of op-eds and podcasts on whether digitalisation will benefit democracy in Africa. Academics, experts and researchers from across the continent will present opinions derived from their own research on how elections are impacted by digital technologies. These op-eds will be augmented by continuous coverage of African elections wit ..read more

A vision for a digital African future In 2021, the African Digital Futures Project, an initiative and practice arm of the School of International Futures (SOIF), brought together a group of 22 next-generation change-makers and African futurists to explore digital governance in Africa. The idea was simple. Use a series of stories or visions to spark conversations about the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and digital technology being developed and used by African communities with a focus on digital privacy, identity, inclusion, security and artificial intelligence. In their working paper, Dig ..read more

The increased adoption of the latest digital technologies in developing countries has heightened speculation and optimism concerning bridging the gap between the relatively rich and the poor, who often live in underserved rural areas. In Africa, where more than a third of the population lives in extreme poverty, and 36% are illiterate, opening a formal bank account has become a nightmare for the majority of the population. Many are unemployed and lack all the necessary requirements to open a bank account, including but not limited to a constant flow of income.  Financial exclusion and th ..read more

Digital governance for African transformation Too often digital transformation in Africa is narrowly understood as increasing the use of digital products and services by governments, companies, consumers and nonprofit organisations. In Africa it needs to be broader than that. African societies need to tap into new technologies to also overcome socio-economic divides, improve the delivery of public services, enhance public engagement in policy processes and promote inclusive economic development. Yet this cannot happen organically. According to the African Union Commission. (2020). Digital Tra ..read more

A vision for a digital African future In 2021, the African Digital Futures Project, an initiative and practice arm of the School of International Futures (SOIF), brought together a group of 22 next-generation change-makers and African futurists to explore digital governance in Africa. The idea was simple. Use a series of stories or visions to spark conversations about the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and digital technology being developed and used by African communities with a focus on digital privacy, identity, inclusion, security and artificial intelligence. In their working paper, Di ..read more

I had the chance to play with the Honor 90 over the weekend, so what did I think? Starting with the box opening, one of my favourite parts, “you never know what you’re gonna get,” to quote Forrest Gump, I was not disappointed. The elegant packaging opened up to a very pretty silver phone,  a 66 watt fast charger (this was impressive, it took me less than an hour to get the thing fully charged), but not even the most basic headset. This is annoying to me because legally one has to have a headset to use the device while driving, but as most people ignore this anyway, even when they have a ..read more

Rechargeable through the mains, a solar panel or your car, this small power source provides ‘lights out therapy You need to subscribe ..read more

Mobile power pack handles four-hour shoot with ease Every manufacturer claims their product is best, but the proof — well, it lies in the pudding. Mziwamaqithi Mzini and Zaheer Cassim of the Mail & Guardian multimedia team took the Bluetti EB70 out into the field to see if it could handle a four-hour shoot. During this time — in which the M&G interviewed EFF Commander-in-Chief Julius Malema  — it powered cameras, computers, chargers and lights, and it emerged with flying colours.  The Bluetti EB70 is a powerful portable power station that can handle a four-hour shoot with z ..read more

Reviewing laptops as a journalist is always centred more around work and less around play. I usually follow the same set-up to pull documents from the cloud to work seamlessly from one operating system to another. A Microsoft 365 subscription allows me to pick up where I left off when it comes to moving between devices and being OS-agnostic. But this is not what I experienced while using the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED. This time around it was a lot about play, and not just work. Sure, I could easily do what I needed to during business hours, but I could pick it up after hours for a different ex ..read more