Africa Tech Radio

We used to think of the three R’s—reading, writing, and arithmetic—as the foundational skills in today’s education systems. Is it time to add digital to that list? According to the Digital Skills in Sub-Saharan Africa report published by IFC, over 200 million jobs will require digital skills by 2030 in Sub Saharan Africa. This translates into an opportunity estimated at $130 billion to provide dig...

Here is the concluding episode of Tony's discussion with climate service expert with IGAD’s Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), Abubakr Salih Babiker, who talked about the launch of the East Africa Hazards Watch,  which helps predict extreme events such as drought, cyclones, pests (desert locust), heavy rainfall, floods or crop failures, which are increasing in frequency and intens...

Out of 100 disasters reported worldwide, only 20 occur in Africa but Africa suffers 60% of all disaster-related deaths. Why? Allocation for emergency response is approximately 20 times higher than for prevention and preparedness, countering sustainability principles. The risks from these hazards if well predicted can be prevented or reduced or eliminated to ensure that no life is lost. In this epi...

Cerebral Palsy is a common neurologic problem in children and is reported as occurring in approximately 2-2.5 of 1000 live births globally. As is the case with many pediatric neurologic conditions, very little has been reported on this condition in the African context. This discussion between Gloria and Pediatrician and Neonatologist at Massey Children's hospital, Dr Gbajo Odedina, aims to establi...

Red flags represent the early warnings of unhealthy traits that could potentially be damaging to the person or people involved in the relationship. If the red flags you spot make you feel as if your safety is in danger, you can skip the talking and just end things. Relationship expert, Onome Omatsola, joins Gloria in this sequel to the discussion on Red Flags in Relationship. She shares how to go...

In December 2020, a report by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab titled “Running in Circles: Uncovering the Clients of Cyberespionage Firm Circles” showed how telecom surveillance company, Circles, had deployed its platforms across Africa, helping state security departments to snoop on communications of opposition politicians, journalists, and protestors. Botswana, Nigeria, Zambia, Kenya, Zim...

From 6.4 million in 2000 to 14 million in 2021, there is a growing army of out-of-school children in Nigeria which have their bases in 2 major areas of the country - the North and the South South/South East. Dropout rate in primary schools across the country is put at 30%, while only 54% transit to Junior Secondary Schools. In the South East, the number of boys shunning school is alarmingly on the...

On January 23, 2020, the World Health Organization’s International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee advised that “all countries should be prepared for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation and case management, contact tracing and prevention of onward spread of 2019-nCoV infection, and to share full data with WHO”. On January 30, 2020, the WHO declared C...

Male Infertility and The Need For Sperm Analysis are not topics that are often mentioned, let alone openly discussed. However, in 40% of infertility cases in the USA, the issues are with the male partner. In Nigeria, male infertility is a major factor in about 80% of couples who struggle with conception. Infertility has always been considered a problem that affects women because after all “it is t...

With more than 1.1 billion estimated monthly visits from organic search, Wikipedia is one of the most visited websites and widely used reference compendiums in the world. Despite these numbers, it is stunning to know that many Africans do not know that this open and free platform exists and even a lesser number of people know that they can actively rewrite the stories of and about Africa by active...

When people say “just Google it”, most times they mean “just Wiki it”. Because, when you google it, (whatever it is), you’ll get the closest, seemingly clearest and most diverse answer or resource from the Wikipedia page. Wikipedia, one of the world’s most widely used reference compendium, is one of the few spaces where Africans can directly write and edit their stories. This is the reason all Afr...

Social Media has benefited a lot of businesses but some business owners still haven't understood how they can benefit from it while others under-utilize it. Indeed, social media is one of the best ways to connect with people who already love your brand but it’s also important for reaching those who haven’t heard of your business yet. Getting started with social Media doesn’t have to be scary or ex...

In today's world, it's not uncommon for women to be the breadwinners or sole earners in their homes. However, sometimes, this can be a really difficult situation to be in as a woman. Although times are quickly changing, many women still face challenges in their relationships when they are female breadwinners. Some men feel useless once they can't bring home the bacon; for some, it is the feeling o...

When the Central Bank of Nigeria announced that it will pilot the country’s Digital currency now known as the eNaira on the 1st of October, 2021 (which was rescheduled to 25 October, 2021), it came as a shock to many for many reasons. Many Nigerians are interested in how this will work because Nigeria remains the top country with the most adoption of cryptocurrencies and they would like to know ho...

Do you remember experiences from the back seat of your parent's car staring at one of those 10-foot billboards on the side of the road and how you immediately realized that you needed an ice-cream or a bike? Now things have moved from billboards digitally. Digital marketing is like any other type of marketing—it’s a way to connect with and influence your potential customers. The real difference is...

Have you caught yourself eating at every opportunity you get even if you are not hungry and then forcing yourself to spew all you've eaten? Or not even eating at all as all sorts of food just smell repulsive to you? If yes, you might have an eating disorder. Eating disorders are serious mental and physical illnesses that involve complex and damaging relationships with food, eating, exercise, and b...

The spontaneous loss of a woman's pregnancy before the 20th week is called a Miscarriage and it can be both physically and emotionally painful. Miscarriage is the most common type of pregnancy loss and often occurs because the foetus isn't developing normally. In Nigeria, more than 1.5 million cases are registered per year. Unfortunately, the miscarriage process can’t be reversed once it has start...

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) earlier announced to launch the pilot scheme of its Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) on Nigeria's Independence Day (October 1, 2021) but rescheduled it to 25 October, 2021. The initiative tagged Project “GIANT” uses a blockchain technology known as the Hyperledger Fabric Blockchain and was christened the ‘e-Naira.’ While many experts and stakeholders continue...

We know how important social media is for getting the word out about your business and connecting with your customers. But it is also for more than just connections. You can also make money on social media! If you’ve never used social media for your business, don’t be scared about learning a new skill. Even tech newbies can master and use social media platforms to maximize their small business inc...

As a form of art, comedy skits have a modest history in Nigeria. As they have evolved in recent years and exploded during the pandemic, we have seen the rise of creative online comedians, dominating the social media space each with their unique visual content. Imitation, impersonation, parodies and accent is what Nigerian born online comedian, Femi Imokhai Owolabi, simply known as The Real Femi us...

On October 1, 2021, Nigeria celebrated her 61st Independence Anniversary, amidst jubilations and uncertainties. Usually, discussions about the Independence are centered on Nigerians at home, their struggles and what they want for a better Nigeria. However, in this documentary about Nigeria at 61, Gloria and Anthony are joined by myriads of Nigerians in the Diaspora including Sports Analyst, Bolari...

In many African homes, Insurance, no matter how little, is a fruit hanging at the topmost part of the tree of life, which they have no access to and may never consider for a lifetime, except if their economic conditions become better. It is only human to first satisfy hunger, clothing, shelter and other basic living conditions before thinking of a life insured from risks. What is more risky than n...

You work hard every single day to earn money to cover your expenses and build a brighter future for you and your family. No matter how exhausting your job has become, you find it hard to leave because you have bills to pay.   The question is, have you already started saving? How can you develop a culture of savings?   To make things seem easier for you, it could be wise to cultivate a culture of s...

  Asides the search engine Google, 4 out of the 5 most visited sites in Nigeria are social media sites.   2010 saw the start of the Social Media Boom in Africa.   The case of the young Nigerian, Emmanuella, who recently bought an apartment for her parents is one of the many success stories from Africa.   In this episode, a twitter influencer and social media content creator from Nigeria, Toyosi Go...

The mention of any kind cancer sends shivers down the spine of many. For a lot of women, cervical and breast cancers are a death sentence. But, does it have to be tough? Definitely not! Undeniably, breast cancer does claim lives. However, 7.8 million women diagnosed with breast cancer still live past 5 years after diagnosis. In this conversation with Dr. Abimbola Hussein joins to Gloria to explain...