by Ruth Aine - 16 June 2014

ELearning is being praised and hyped by so many people. It is great because it can happen just about anywhere. All that is needed is a computer and access to the Internet. The eLearning enthusiasts say that in the long run it is also very important, especially in the Internet, technology-driven world we live in. But I am skeptical to accept that we live in a technology world, especially in relation to Africa.

by Ruth Aine - 31 May 2014

Pan Africanism can be described as a movement of people on the continent looking to create a strong union based on passion for the continent. Well that is how I understand it.

Pan Africanism dates as far back as the year 1776. At the time, it was created or built to fight the slave trade and all other forms of colonialism. In 1945, a Pan African Congress was held in Manchester, England. That meeting advanced the issues of the Africans and also went ahead to help in the decolonization of the continent politically.

by Ruth Aine - 28 May 2014

Happening at Wits University in South Africa is the All Africa Futures Conference. Yesterday started with a rich discussion but also with a lot of questions being asked on what Africa has got to do and needs to do.

by Ruth Aine - 29 April 2014

Africa is a lovely continent without a doubt, but we have a few issues. Begging is one of them. I do not know if this is inherent. If we have to get anything, we prefer to beg. It is shown in our reliance on foreign aid and our love of gifts. We would rather consume goods made outside of the continent because we believe that they are ‘better’.

by Ruth Aine - 25 April 2014

“I started living with my partner at the age of 14. My plans were to have a stable relationship, to keep on with school and to become a professional. However, I got pregnant at 15. At first I did not know how to take care of the newborn, I had to quit school.” Marcela 18, El Salvador.

“I was 14 years old and was in high school when I had to stop going to school because my family did not have the money to pay my school fees. My mother used to send my sister and me to the market to beg for something to bring home to eat. One day we begged two gentlemen for some money. They gave 2,000 Congolese francs [about $2] to my sister to buy food to take home.

by Ruth Aine - 10 April 2014

The press has been awash with reports of Nigeria rebasing its economy, which resulted in  Nigeria now having the biggest economy on the continent. What is even more interesting is that it has trampled South Africa from the position.

I took the liberty to ask youth from both South Africa and Nigeria what this meant to them and the future.

by Ruth Aine - 31 March 2014

One of my childhood joys was visiting my grandmother. Every time we visited, we ate and her food was always distinct. It still is. But one thing I loved about it then was the fact that it came laced with a 'firewood' flavor. Now, you must be wondering what kind of a flavour that is, but food cooked with firewood over traditional cooking stones, has that 'firewood flavor to it'. Today though, I would not want her to go through all that. Matter of fact, I don’t appreciate her cooking with firewood anymore. I would rather she used something else like cooking gas, because it is not harmful to her body.

by Ruth Aine - 17 March 2014

One of the things that humanity cannot do without is food. That is why food security has become quite a huge topic in Africa, though it never seems to beat war when it comes to being top of the agenda at the African Union in our countries For some reason, we are more concerned about going to war and how that will make us look than getting our people fed.

by Ruth Aine - 28 February 2014

Early last year I was honoured to be a part of a conversation which focused on resilience for equity and foresight. A group of futurists, mainly from the Global South, met to discuss what the regions were bound to look like in 30 years.

One of the interesting sessions included a presentation on what had become East Africa's informal cities/settlements: the slums, the biggest and largest of which can be found in Nairobi Kenya. The biggest is called Kibera, followed by the Mukuru Sinani slum. We also had a chance to visit them.

by Ruth Aine - 15 February 2014

This month is about the biggest game changers of our time. One of them is technology. Some have said education and innovation are key and others say that about communication. The opinions are varied and that is to be expected.  I am taking part in a conference called Mobile East Africa and its focus is expanding mobile data usage and driving monetisation through industry collaboration. Key to this conference conversation is about what is the future of mobile. And because mobile is part of technology: it ties into this month’s theme.