In a nondescript office north of Kenya’s capital Nairobi, social media influencer Ian James Mwai constantly glances at his two mobile phones, wary of missing an opportunity to promote the political party he works for. The 23-year-old is in the vanguard of the growing ranks of influencers feverishly punching keyboards and hoping to tilt the outcome of the country’s high-stakes elections, which are less than 100 days away. The rising dominance of platforms like Twitter and Facebook has opened up a new front in Kenyan politics, with candidates desperate to draw the attention of the country’s 12 million social media users…Demographics are a key factor behind the drive: Kenya’s population is estimated to be 50 million, more than half of them under 35. Six million youngsters will also become eligible to vote this year as they come of age. It has spawned a new industry – packed with online personalities who parrot politicians’ views, create false narratives, deflect criticism and promote viral conspiracies. And they offer clients something invaluable: plausible deniability. “There are so many teams and personnel out there and you cannot control what they put online,” said Mwai. “My team is ethical,” the social media strategist hastily adds, referring to the 70 influencers under his wing. Charging a minimum of 50,000 Kenyan shillings ($430) per day for a trending hashtag on Twitter, their services are in hot demand.
IGAD condemns terrorist attack on African Union Peacekeepers in Somalia
The Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Workneh Gebeyehu, strongly condemns the terrorist attack on the base of the Burundian forces of the African Union peacekeepers in Somalia.
The Executive Secretary expresses his deepest condolences to the families of the peacekeepers, the Governments and peoples of Burundi and Somalia. He wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Workneh says IGAD is confident that these attacks will neither deter nor alter the determination of IGAD and international partners to support the people of Somalia in their search for a lasting peace and stability.
Bank launches stakeholder consultations for updated Integrated Safeguards System
The African Development Bank has kicked off virtual consultations on its Integrated Safeguards System to adequately address emerging environmental and social issues.
The session for Anglophone West African countries, held on 21 April 2022, registered participants from Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone. Opening the event, the Director General of the Nigeria Country Department, Lamin Barrow, underscored the importance of these stakeholder consultations, noting that: “These consultations are being held in view of the great importance of soliciting their perspectives, insights and learning lessons from their experience to inform the update of the Integrated Safeguards System.”
As part of its commitment to continuously improve environmental and social management and governance, the Bank has prepared a draft of its updated Integrated Safeguards System, which is being consulted upon with external stakeholders, including representatives from key government agencies in regional member countries, staff of project implementing units for Bank-financed operations and civil society organizations. These consultations are intended to solicit feedback and inputs from stakeholders in order to put in place relevant systems that fit with the policies and standards of peer institutions.
ECA’s Conference of Ministers (CoM2022) set to explore options for financing Africa’s recovery
African ministers in charge of finance, planning and economic development, as well as leading figures from the private and public sectors will participate in the 54th session of the ECA Conference of Ministers (CoM2022) from the 11th to the 17th of May 2022.
The hybrid event will be jointly hosted by the Economic Commission for Africa and the government of Senegal on the theme “Financing Africa’s Recovery: Breaking New Ground”, in Dakar, Senegal.
The programme will include high-level ministerial panels and round table discussions on how to transform the continued threat of the COVD-19 pandemic into an accelerator of growth and global prosperity. CoM2022 will also feature the launch of ECA’s annual flagship Economic Report on Africa.
President Macky Sall of Senegal, who currently holds the presidency of the African Union, is among the confirmed speakers.
