23 January 2023
“The mountain looked down to the field and said: ‘It’s you who stretched well to being ploughed’.”
BBC Africa Live 23 January 2023. 4:30 Proverb of the day. An Oromo proverb from Ethiopia sent by Mati Olana.
South Africa: President Ramaphosa has asked state electricity firm Eskom to postpone an 18.65% tariff hike (that had previously been approved and was to be implemented from 1st of April). He said that “this was not the right time to do it with households and businesses struggling because of regular scheduled power cuts.”
BBC Africa Live 23 January 2023. 9:58
South Africa: With power from public utility Eskom expensive and unreliable (with power cuts of 8 to 10 hours a day expected to increase further in winter), reducing dependence on Eskom’s electricity supply and even severing ties entirely have become attractive alternatives. Except for farming communities, where biogas is feasible, for the rest of the country, the dramatic drop in solar energy prices over the last decade and the availability of efficient battery storage options, the solar energy alternative will be the most attractive. However, bridging extended cloudy spells (despite South Africa’s enjoying lots of sunshine) requires additional solar panel and battery capacities, so most will continue to rely on Eskom for periods when solar power is unavailable or insufficient.
https://theconversation.com/power-cuts-in-south-africa-trend-to-get-off-the-grid-is-gathering-pace-but-total-independence-is-still-a-way-off-197924
Ghana/Dirty cooking fuel: A survey in 33 African countries found that more than 90% of households “use firewood, charcoal, or other heavily polluting fuel as their primary cooking fuel”. That’s bad for the environment and it is bad for people’s – especially women’s and small children’s – health. Use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or other clean cooking fuels should be promoted. The government has tried to do that – with some success in urban areas. But in rural areas, LPG remains too difficult to get hold of: “Consumers have to buy a cylinder (canister). Then they must go to a refill station when it’s empty. This involves making long trips which cost time and money.” The author’s research demonstrated that getting the LPG refill closer will substantially boost consumption.
https://theconversation.com/lpg-versus-dirty-fuel-use-in-ghana-bring-gas-supplies-closer-to-people-and-more-of-them-will-use-it-197220
Nigeria: The article discusses ten factors that will influence the outcomes of the upcoming presidential elections, the first two being ethnicity and region.
https://theconversation.com/nigerias-2023-presidential-election-10-factors-that-could-affect-the-outcome-195247
South Africa/Big cat breeding: There are over 350 facilities in the country where big cats are bred: tigers, lions, cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, pumas, caracals, servals and hybrids – for example ligers, lion-tiger hybrids. South Africa’s legal industry seems to be feeding international illegal trade – with demand being especially high in China, Vietnam and Thailand. “To match legal measures already taken by the international community, South Africa should make a public commitment to end the commercial captive breeding, keeping, hunting and international trade in tigers and their body parts.” Other big cats should also be included or they’ll serve as substitutes for banned trade in tigers and their body parts.
https://theconversation.com/tigers-in-south-africa-a-farming-industry-exists-often-for-their-body-parts-198238
Africa/People moving freely across borders: Five years after the signing of the AU Free Movement of Persons protocol, progress is slow. Many countries seem afraid of opening their borders, especially richer ones that fear a massive influx of poorer Africans. Yet the protocol leaves enough room to prevent this. There have been some improvements. Progress is most likely on a subregional basis, as shown by Ecowas and EAC.
https://theconversation.com/free-movement-of-people-across-africa-regions-are-showing-how-it-can-work-197199
Kenya/Raila Odinga: Though the country’s Constitutional court has rejected his claims that presidential elections were manipulated, opposition leader Raila Odinga – a five-time loser at presidential elections – still considers William Ruto’s government as illegitimate and does not recognise Ruto as President. He made this clear at a big rally at the Kamukunj Stadium in Nairobi. While some of Raila Odinga’s partners in the Azimio election campaign coalition have in the meantime declared their support for Ruto, “(o)thers have remained steadfast with (Raila Odinga) in this renewed fight for what they call electoral justice”.
BBC Africa Live 23 January 2023. 17:21
22 January 2023
Somalia: The army and al-Shabab have been fighting for control of Galcad (260 km north-east of Mogadishu) for a few days. The US army now claims that it helped the Somali army with an air strike that killed around 30 al-Shabab fighters near Galcad.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64362653