By Pieter Scribante, Economist and Political Analyst, NKC African Economies



On Tuesday, February 11, Sudan’s transitional government and rebel groups from Darfur agreed, in principle, that the individuals who are wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) should appear before the tribunal. 



This announcement was made on Tuesday in Juba, the capital of
neighbouring South Sudan, where government authorities and the Darfur rebels
are engaging in peace talks. 



Former President Omar Al-Bashir, who was deposed in a military-led
coup in April 2019, is the most high-profile among the individuals wanted by
the ICC: He faces charges of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity
committed in Darfur. 



However, as things currently stand, the government has no
intention of extraditing Mr Bashir to The Hague. Al-Hassan Al-Taishi, a member
of the Sovereign Council, stated that during the negotiation in Juba, the two
sides agreed on a mechanism that would include “the appearance of those who
face arrest warrants before the ICC”. 



However, this agreement does not specify when and how Mr Bashir,
and the other parties involved, will be tried. 



Thus far, Mr Bashir has only been prosecuted domestically on
charges of money laundering and corruption, with further charges pending. He
has survived international prosecution due to disagreements within the
Sovereign Council. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and the Forces of Freedom and
Change (FFC) – the civilian coalition in the Sovereign Council – have expressed
their support for sending Mr Bashir to The Hague. 



However, President Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the military bloc of
the Sovereign Council vehemently oppose this. The senior military officers held
powerful positions under Mr Bashir and likely fear the repercussions if he is
convicted and the implications of their complacency and cooperation. 



Currently, the government maintains the stance that Mr Bashir
should face the ICC, but it has no intention of sending him out of the country.




The government favours a compromise in which the trial will take
place in Sudan, through a hybrid ICC/domestic court. This has the benefit of
smoothening the peace talks in Juba, gaining international support for Sudan,
and allowing the government to keep a firm hand on the prosecution. 



However, there are several problems with this plan. Sudan is not a
signatory of the Rome Statute and does not recognise the ICC’s authority, thus
the Court does not have jurisdiction in the country. Additionally, a trial of
this nature is highly unorthodox. It is unlikely that the ICC would agree to a
hybrid system – which could potentially include Sudanese officials – as it
risks diminishing the reputation and verdict of the Court. 



While the agreement between the Sovereign Council and the rebels
in Darfur is extraordinary, it does not necessarily mean that Mr Bashir will
have his day in court for his crimes committed in Darfur. 



It is unclear how this will play out, and currently, this is just
an agreement in principle. Sudan is under no legal obligation to hand Mr Bashir
over to the ICC. Moreover, the ICC has not agreed to the hybrid system nor to a
domestic prosecution. 



However, this move has gained international attention and support
for Sudan. This coincides with UN Secretary General António Guterres’s call to
remove Sudan from the US State Sponsor of Terrorism List (SSTL) and “to
mobilise massive international support to enable Sudan to overcome its
challenges”. 



This latest development plays directly into the government’s strategy of bringing peace to the Darfur region and riding a wave of optimism, which could help the ongoing talks with the US and increase the chances of being removed from the SSTL.

Op-Ed: Sudan’s Bashir one step closer to the ICC

By David S. Levin, writer from New York 



Right now, socialism is all the rage in America. Bernie Sanders is surging in the polls and packing in throngs of young fanatics at his rallies like they were going to a free Beyonce concert. Throw in a few million baby boomers still dreaming of 1969, stir vigorously, and cook over a politically high heat until boiling, and they’re certain they have the antidote to eradicate the evil orange plague from the White House and save the world from a near-certain apocalypse. 



Still, stranger things have happened, like Donald Trump getting elected to begin with. Even Vegas didn’t pick that one. But it was his election that actually set off all this lunacy to begin with. And now, the pendulum is swinging back, and the spectre of a socialist America, and a Sanders presidency, has all of a sudden become a very real possibility. 



He’s got over $30 million in campaign cash
and, by the most important modern-day measure of them all, close to 11 million
Twitter devotees. And he’s feeling it. So much so that he told a raucous crowd of
college students recently “We’re taking on the entire political establishment.
Both the Republicans and the Democrats!” 



Democratic leaders are panic-stricken they’re losing control of their party like the Republicans did when Trump steamrolled them in 2016. And the Republicans, now fully behind him, are gearing up for a bloody, no-holds barred, back-alley brawl when Americans go to the polls in November. In the end, regardless of who wins, the 2020 presidential race will look more like a grisly triple murder scene than an election.



But I have to wonder exactly how a
244-year-old democracy just stops being one overnight? We’ve never been
anything else. Will anyone actually know what to do? Maybe there’s an app for
it somewhere that will help. But something tells me that socialism might prove
to be a little trickier to implement in the U.S. than just flipping on the
light switch. It would be more like trying to turn around a cruise ship in a
swimming pool.



And there’s a very inconvenient fly in
the ointment that nobody is discussing. One that is more intrinsic to our
nature. It’s a human trait that can’t be politicised and controlled. Because
it’s part of our national DNA. It’s who we are.



Simply put, Americans are
hyper-materialistic. We love our toys. Our stuff. You know, the material
trappings. Things like technology and cars. Houses. Nice clothes. Travel.
Eating out. Everything. 



Sorry,
but these are all big socialism no-nos. 



The golden years of post-World War II
America spawned a massive consumer machine designed to devour everything in its
path. And that’s the problem. Consumerism is contrary to socialism. So, maybe
the easiest way to illustrate what socialism would actually mean to you is
this. The fashionista, iPhone toting, sushi eating, smartwatch wearing, BMW
driving model of you wouldn’t be available any longer. 



Basically, you’d be phased out. Viva
la revolution! 



And
that’s the rub. Because those very same extravagances that socialism
discourages, are at the heart of our everyday lives. Still, according to a
Harris poll last year, and despite our materialistic inclinations, 50% of
adults under 38 said they would “prefer to live in a socialist system” although
most of them couldn’t tell you anything about it other than they heard college
and healthcare were free, and working is pretty much optional. 



But
do they really have the courage of their convictions? And are they ready to
make the trade-offs socialism suggests? Because you can’t have it both ways.
Driving around in a $80,000 Mercedes with a “Bernie 2020” bumper sticker on the
back might be viewed as somewhat hypocritical. And you’ll probably get your tires
slashed in the parking lot too.



The
problem is most Americans really don’t know much about socialism despite the
fact that it’s always trending on Twitter along with plant-based meat and $800
Gucci sneakers. We’ve basically fallen for the talking points. Sure, we’ve read
about it and maybe even studied it briefly in school. And we know who all the
rock stars are like Marx and Stalin. But for the most part, it’s still
ambiguous to us except for what we read in the New York Times, which
essentially acts like a cheerleader with state-sponsored pom-poms. 



Remember,
this is hardly the first time we’ve protested the status quo. The American
Revolution was certainly one hell of a protest movement, wouldn’t you say?
George Washington was like our very own Che Guevara. And don’t forget that back
in the sixties the Baby Boomers wanted to tear down the walls too. Our music
was all about revolution and counterculture. Long hair and bell bottoms were
the look. And we protested all the same things too. Climate change, inequality,
opportunity. All of it. 



But a funny thing happened on the way to the Earth Day March. Mortgages, car payments and children all got in the way. And we were forced to cancel the revolution because we had to wake up early the next day to go to work. 



So, before we head off to the next Bernie for President rally, and before we write America&#8217;s eulogy, just remember that it was capitalism that produced all the stuff we love and use every day. Not socialism. Things like the car and the aeroplane. The telephone and the lightbulb. How about movies and television? And what about some more recent innovations like the personal computer and the iPhone, the iPad, the microwave, email, video games, voice mail, Wi-Fi and the digital camera to name a few. 



Oh,
and I almost forgot. The Internet.&nbsp; 



And
how about the companies that make all these things? Companies like Apple and Microsoft. Coca-Cola.
Disney. Nike. McDonald’s. Walmart. Harley Davidson. Twitter and Facebook.
Instagram, Snapchat. Uber. Netflix. Google. Intel. Amazon. Intel. Oracle. eBay.
AT&amp;T. Dell. Costco. YouTube. Cisco. Whole Foods. CNN. Home Depot. IBM.
Starbucks and LinkedIn. The list goes on. 



So,
here’s the takeaway. None of these companies would exist if the U.S. had been
socialist. And neither would any of the things they make. So, take a minute and
try to envision your life without them. 



Sorry
folks, but Netflix has been cancelled tonight. 



Of
course, some people like to point to countries like Sweden as a possible model
for a future America. That’s apples and oranges. The Swedes are primarily
Scandinavians of German origin. They have a largely homogeneous, singular
population. They are one people. Conversely, the U.S. is 300 times larger and
made up of over 150 nationalities with competing agendas. Our national DNA is
simply antithetical to it. 



So,
before we wish it all away and set sail into the great unknown, and before we
vote in our next president, whoever it is, take a deep breath. Smell the roses.
Because if the U.S. elects a socialist, the next wave of entrepreneurs, and all
the innovations that we’re just beginning to imagine like consumer space
travel, personal robots and aqua treadmills, might not ever come to pass. 



I
suppose time will tell if we indeed have the courage of our convictions. But be
careful what you ask for. Because you just may get it.

Op-Ed: Why the United States should be careful what it asks for

The
REVOLUTION WAS TELEVISED and we were going home.



Nic Wolpe, the son of struggle lawyer Harold Wolpe, who spent most of his life in political exile in London, recalls the moment Nelson Mandela was released and what it meant for his family.  



We are all in the lounge sitting in front of the TV watching a momentous occasion. The release of Nelson Mandela from prison after serving 27 years of a life sentence for the ideals of a free non-racial, non-sexist, just and democratic South Africa for all. As Mandela with Winnie walking alongside him take those final few steps to Freedom, the world is witnessing a seminal moment in 20th-century history and a seismic shift in South Africa’s political landscape and order. A change that just a few years ago looked highly improbable. 



In
1985 South Africa was in the grip of a state of emergency. Its hard-line State
President PW Botha instructed Security forces to clamp down on all opposition
to apartheid. The Liberation Movement looked far from achieving its liberation
struggle ideals and goals. 1990 and the release of Mandela looked a far-off
reality. 



In one of the few conversations, I had with my father, who would have been in all probability sentenced to life in prison, along with Nelson Mandela and the others at the Rivonia Trial had he not broken out of prison, remarked that one of his biggest regrets would be that he would not be buried in South Africa. 



I was not only taken aback by this comment but also struck by it, as my father was one for not showing or expressing emotion. I heard in his voice the deep pain and sorrow he felt about this. For the first time, it gave me a glimpse and sense into how he felt about South Africa, his home and country of his birth. I never really associated patriotism with him as it was something that I had never witnessed from him or seen him express or feel.



He was a South African through and through and South Africa was his blood and it was his place of birth. He was a son of the African soil, and even after 27 years in exile, the spirit of South Africa had not left him. In fact, when he spoke of home, a slight, but ever so slight twinkle would dance gently across his eyes. You sensed and felt his yearning and longing to return home. But he could not and would not until the abhorrent racially skewed and inhumane system of apartheid had been defeated and all charges of sabotage against him dropped.



He
and my mother would occasionally reminisce about home, about holidays at
Plettenburg Bay and Cape Town. He would fondly recall times spent on Clifton
beach. Though they both didn’t talk much about home, well not to me anyway, it
was clearly home for them. 



As we watched Nelson Mandela, with his fist clenched walk free, I felt a sense of fear, anxiety and trepidation permeate the living room. Though there was a sense of euphoria and joy in what we were witnessing there was also a sense of foreboding as the realisation that our years in exile were coming to end. What did this mean? What did the future hold for us as a family and as individuals? We had spent the past 27 years in the UK. The UK had become our home, even though it was not our home. This may sound like tautology, a double negative, but while the UK offered sanctuary, security and safety it was not our home, real home. What do I mean by this? I never really felt settled or assimilated into the British way of life I never really felt British. I always felt that I was an outsider looking in. I am not sure whether it was of my own making and doing. Maybe I purposefully set out to isolate myself and not to assimilate myself into the British way of life. I have a vivid memory as an 8-year-old, standing in the small spare bedroom next to mine, where I would be banished too when Joe Slovo would come and stay, telling myself that first and foremost I was a South African and that South Africa was my home and that one day, I didn’t know when I would return home. Maybe it was this decision which, subconsciously set me on my course of isolation, of feeling apart from and not part of. 



In hindsight, this was an interesting decision given that though South Africa was still very much part of our daily lives and existence the reality was it had become a country unfamiliar to us. For me it was a country I had no memory, sense of or feeling for. Following my father’s escape from Marshall Square Prison, which were police holding cells, my mother was subsequently arrested and interrogated by the Security Police. Following several weeks of intimidating brutish interrogation by the Security Police, Joel Joffe, who was representing her, following her brother’s arrest for sabotage, for feeding the Chickens at Liliesleaf, negotiated a deal with the Security Police. They gave her 24 hours in which to leave the country. I cannot begin to fathom, comprehend or understand what my mother went through during this period. It was not only frightening, painful but also traumatic for her. 



England
had become our home and it was what we were familiar with.



As
Nelson Mandela stepped out from the prison grounds into freedom, we applauded,
and my father and mother glowed with happiness. The struggle that they had both
in their own ways dedicated their lives to had born fruit and the release of
Nelson Mandela represented the beginning and start of a new era in South
African politics. 



While we all rejoiced in the moment, the thought of what next hung heavy in the air. While the commentator was talking of this momentous moment, conversation turned to what next? What did this mean for the family? My two sisters. Peta and Tessa, both had anxious looks on their faces. The reality of what this meant without being said struck home.  They knew what it meant but didn’t want to hear it or face reality. Eventually, Tessa turns to our father and says what does this mean. Without hesitation, he says this means I am returning home. Just like that. No thought or discussion. Though Nelson Mandela had been released, the long journey towards true equality and justice for all was only now just beginning. 



There was work to be done and he wanted to be a part of it of building a new free, non-racial, non-sexist democratic South Africa for all. For my father it was not just about wanting to be a part of the process, it went deeper than that for him. It was his duty. He was a person with a deep sense of responsibility for principles and morality.

Nic Wolpe recalls the moment Nelson Mandela was released and what it meant for his family

Recycling precious metals and minerals from used electronics can help make today&#8217;s consumption patterns more environmentally sustainable writes Christopher Kaminker, Head of Sustainability for Lombard Odier Bank 



At Umicore&#8217;s industrial facility in Antwerp, hundreds
of workers wearing yellow safety vests turn up every day to recover gold,
silver, copper, lithium and other metals and minerals from towering piles of
discarded mobile phones. 



The company is now one of the biggest players in a new
industry that has the potential to transform the way we consume the raw
materials used in the increasing numbers of electronic devices we buy each
year. Urban mining, as this activity is called, aims to recycle some of the estimated
$62.5 billion-worth of electronic waste generated each year &#8211; about three times
the value of the world&#8217;s annual silver production<a href="#_ftn1">[1]</a>.



Computers, mobile phones and other electronic products
use a staggering 320 tonnes of gold, and more than 7,500 tonnes of silver every
year, according to the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), a
collaboration between technology companies and the United Nations University<a href="#_ftn2">[2]</a>. But
beyond the business prospects, the rise of urban mining offers an example of
how circular economies can replace linear ones to transform not only the way we
consume but also the negative impact our consumption has on the planet. 



For decades, industrialised countries have disposed of
huge quantities of e-waste by exporting it to developing regions such as West
Africa. Agbogbloshie in Ghana used to be an area of wildlife and natural
beauty. Today, it is the world&#8217;s largest dumpsite for used electronic goods
from Europe and beyond. Impoverished families work in toxic and hazardous
conditions to recycle e-waste materials manually, which is inefficient and
often dangerous<a href="#_ftn3">[3]</a>.



Urban mining heralds the prospect of recycling much
more e-waste in consumer countries, cutting down on traditional transportation,
which contributes to global warming. It can also recover greater quantities of
metals and other materials from e-waste than the predominantly manual recycling
process carried out in Africa, India and other developing regions. 



Most importantly, urban mining can help reduce the
amount of traditional mining activity in the world, an increasing amount of
which is carried out in environmentally sensitive areas and where mining
companies are having to dig ever deeper to extract raw materials.&nbsp; 



E-waste is a surprisingly rich alternative to
traditional mining – just one tonne of e-waste contains more gold than 17
tonnes of ore – and is achieving rapid cost reductions through improvement of
technologies, collection systems and growing economies of scale. As many as 17
different metals can be extracted from e-waste, including silver, platinum,
copper, tin and antimony<a href="#_ftn4">[4]</a>.
There is also plenty of it, with the United Nations University estimating that
annual e-waste is set to more than double by 2050<a href="#_ftn5">[5]</a>.



There are encouraging signs of progress towards a more
defined circular economy for electronics. The European Union&#8217;s revised
framework on waste targets a 65 per cent reduction in municipal waste by 2035<a href="#_ftn6">[6]</a>,&nbsp; building on previous directives aimed at
waste electronic equipment.



At the company level, initiatives are in full swing.
Volkswagen is building a battery recycling plant that will support the
carmaker’s goal of recycling 97 per cent of raw materials in end-of-life EV
battery packs &#8211; up from 53 per cent today<a href="#_ftn7">[7]</a>. Apple
has a goal of making all of its products from recycled materials. The
California technology company has even piloted robotic tools to help
disassemble iPhones<a href="#_ftn8">[8]</a>.




Even so, more needs to be done. Many countries lack
any kind of legislation to deal with e-waste. And even with regulations
covering the export of e-waste, the EU sees an estimated 1.3 million tonnes of
e-waste exported illegally every year. Meanwhile consumers must become more
aware of the need to recycle their e-waste in a responsible way. 



A report this year by the World Economic Forum noted
that a circular economy for electronics could reduce the costs to consumers by
seven per cent by 2030, and 14 per cent by 2040<a href="#_ftn9">[9]</a>. 



With more effort, urban mining could therefore become
a win-win: benefiting consumers and producers while simultaneously making sure
that our planet does not become a landfill of hazardous waste. 



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<a href="#_ftnref1">[1]</a>http://collections.unu.edu/eserv/UNU:6341/Global-E-waste_Monitor_2017__electronic_single_pages_.pdf



<a href="#_ftnref2">[2]</a>https://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/waste/wasted-e-waste-40440



<a href="#_ftnref3">[3]</a><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2014/feb/27/agbogbloshie-worlds-largest-e-waste-dump-in-pictures">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2014/feb/27/agbogbloshie-worlds-largest-e-waste-dump-in-pictures</a>



<a href="#_ftnref4">[4]</a>https://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/waste/wasted-e-waste-40440



<a href="#_ftnref5">[5]</a>http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_A_New_Circular_Vision_for_Electronics.pdf



<a href="#_ftnref6">[6]</a>https://ec.europa.eu/info/news/commission-reviews-implementation-eu-waste-rules-proposes-actions-help-14-member-states-meet-recycling-targets-2018-sep-24_en



<a href="#_ftnref7">[7]</a><a href="https://www.greencarcongress.com/2019/05/20190511-vwev.html">https://www.greencarcongress.com/2019/05/20190511-vwev.html</a>



<a href="#_ftnref8">[8]</a>https://www.greenbiz.com/article/apple-dials-its-circular-materials-aspirations



<a href="#_ftnref9">[9]</a><a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_A_New_Circular_Vision_for_Electronics.pdf">http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_A_New_Circular_Vision_for_Electronics.pdf</a>

An Africa without waste: how gold mining is going green

You may find yourself juggling a lot financially in your 30s, like purchasing a home, switching jobs, and even having children.



“The greatest thing is to have options, and when you establish a good [financial] plan in your 30s and work that plan, it allows you to build those options for your 40s,” says Leslie Thompson, a chartered financial analystand the founder of Spectrum Management in Indianapolis.



Here are four money moves you can make in your 30s that experts say can leave you wealthier in your 40s.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. Update your emergency fund</h2>



Financial planners suggest you aim to build an emergency fund that can cover three to six months’ worth of living expenses. You may have started this effort in your 20s, but in your 30s, it’s time to revisit your savings goal. As your expenses increase, so should your emergency fund.



While you’re evaluating your emergency fund, reconsider where you’re keeping it. Experts recommend putting money for a rainy day in a savings account, or another easily accessible account.



More from Grow: <a href="https://grow.acorns.com/why-keeping-a-100-bill-in-your-wallet-can-curb-spending/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Why you should always keep a $100 bill in your wallet</a><a href="https://grow.acorns.com/items-you-should-rent-not-buy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">3 items that can be a better value to rent, not buy</a><a href="https://grow.acorns.com/side-hustles-you-can-do-from-anywhere/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">4 side hustles you can do from anywhere (that pay up to $85 per hour)</a>



Look for accounts offering high-interest yields, but note that savings account interest rates can vary widely: The national average is <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://smartasset.com/checking-account/average-savings-account-interest" target="_blank">0.09%</a>, according to SmartAsset, but some high-yield savings accounts offer as much as <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.bankrate.com/banking/savings/rates/" target="_blank">2.55%</a>, according to Bankrate.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Prepare to buy a home</h2>



A home is the biggest purchase most people will ever make, so it’s good to start planning early. First steps:&nbsp;<a href="https://grow.acorns.com/2-ways-to-check-your-credit-score-for-free/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">monitoring your credit score</a>&nbsp;and saving for a down payment.



“The higher your [credit] score, the lower your interest rate will likely be” on your mortgage, says Thompson. Aim for a score of&nbsp;<a href="https://grow.acorns.com/the-credit-score-you-need-to-get-the-best-rate-on-a-mortgage/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">760 and above</a>&nbsp;to get the best interest rate on a 30-year fixed loan, which could save you&nbsp;<a href="https://grow.acorns.com/the-credit-score-you-need-to-get-the-best-rate-on-every-kind-of-loan/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">thousands&nbsp;</a>in interest over the lifetime of your loan.&nbsp;<a href="https://grow.acorns.com/matt-schulz-shares-3-ways-to-boost-your-credit-score/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Improving your score</a>&nbsp;takes time, but moves like paying bills on time and keeping balances low can help.



Then set a savings goal for your down payment. Experts typically recommend <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://grow.acorns.com/how-much-money-you-actually-need-to-put-down-to-buy-a-home/" target="_blank">aiming for 20%</a>, although the median is 7.6% — and you may qualify for certain mortgages that let you put down as little as 3%, or nothing. To prepare for the purchase, set up <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://grow.acorns.com/set-up-automatic-bill-payments/" target="_blank">automatic</a> saving contributions. “Saving up for a down payment can make your mortgage more manageable, and perhaps allow you to buy a more expensive home,” she says.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. Get—and stay—on track for retirement</h2>



Having a solid foundation for retirement is “the single best move” you can make, says Stephen O’Hara, a certified financial planner and vice president of Wealth Enhancement Group based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He says the best way to get ahead on retirement savings is by&nbsp;<a href="https://grow.acorns.com/what-is-a-401k-match/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">maximizing your employer 401(k) match</a>, ifyou have a job thatoffers one.



By the time you’re 30, Fidelity <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/23/how-much-money-americans-have-in-their-401ks-at-every-age.html">recommends</a> having a retirement fund that’s equal to your starting salary. By age 35, your retirement savings should be <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/12/how-much-money-to-have-saved-by-age-35.html">twice your annual salary</a>. While that benchmark is just a guideline, it can help you gauge if you should be boosting your contributions. In general, a good retirement contribution target is 15% of your annual salary.



The difference annual increases can make



Automatically adding 1% to your 401(k) contribution each year can make a big difference by the time you retire.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="418" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/grow-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-355714" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/grow-1.png 600w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/grow-1-300x209.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/grow-1-100x70.png 100w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<a href="https://grow.acorns.com/how-to-save-for-retirement-when-you-dont-have-a-9-5/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">If you don’t have a workplace retirement account</a>, you can explore different options like&nbsp;<a href="https://grow.acorns.com/how-an-ira-can-help-you-grow-your-wealth-and-retire-comfortably/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">opening an IRA</a>, says O’Hara. “Each time you experience a pay raise, try to raise what you’re putting away [for retirement],” he says. If you can’t put in 15% of your annual salary initially, then try increasing your&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/23/how-much-money-americans-have-in-their-401ks-at-every-age.html">contribution by 1%-2%</a>&nbsp;every year until you get there.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. Balance your long-term financial goals</h2>



Your 30s can be full of big financial changes, so you’ll want to be mindful of how you spend and save money, says Thompson. The first thing you should do is look at your big-picture goals,and pick&nbsp;<a href="https://grow.acorns.com/money-lessons-everyone-should-know-by-age-30/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">three to focus on</a>.



Let’s say you want to buy a home, take an international trip with the whole family, and chip away at student debt. Start by calculating&nbsp;<a href="https://grow.acorns.com/how-to-make-a-personal-budget/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the amount you need&nbsp;</a>to put aside each month in order to achieve each goal by a target date. Then look at your bills, says O’Hara. By taking a hard look at your expenses, you can figure out where you’re overspending, and what areas, like dining out or entertainment, you may need to cut back on in order to stay on track to meet your goals.



“If you want to take a 10-day trip to Greece, you’re going to start looking at your happy hour bills and go, ‘This is not in alignment with meeting that goal,’” says O’Hara.



Though many people have a tendency to tackle financial goals one at a time, it makes sense to work on a few at once. “It all starts with putting those first dollars away,” and letting those savings habits build on each other, he says.



This article was first published on CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/10/do-these-4-things-with-your-money-in-your-30s-to-be-richer-in-40s-finance-experts.html">https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/10/do-these-4-things-with-your-money-in-your-30s-to-be-richer-in-40s-finance-experts.html</a> and is republished with its permission.

Do these 4 things in your 30s if you want to be richer in your 40s, money experts say

By Chris Bishop Thirty years after Nelson Mandela was released on a balmy autumn afternoon near Cape Town the question in many minds is what would he have made of the political and economic reality he dreamed of on that day? It is a question ever more pertinent with every anniversary.   



Millions of people around the world remember where they were on February 11 1990 – the day Mandela walked free from Victor Verster prison, hand-in-hand with Winnie, waving to the crowds through a golden air of hope. I am one of them; on that fateful day I covered the celebrations in London’s Trafalgar Square. Shaven-headed, khaki-clad soldiers stood stiff as ramrods outside the South African embassy in Trafalgar Square in stark contrast to the dreadlocked, dancing crowd on the other side of the road singing: “Free Nelson Mandela!” It was somewhere between a celebration and a joyful two-fingered salute.



It was a sight for sore eyes. I never thought Mandela would
be released in his lifetime, nor mine. I never dreamed that I would spend many
happy hours in his company as a journalist on the road in Africa in the days
when he called my name. 



Mandela ushered in expansive days of hope in South Africa; he ditched nationalisation and foreign investors queued up to put their money into his rainbow nation. Mandela’s administration also made rapid economic reforms – like the abandoning of the financial rand – to help business grow and cement the Johannesburg Stock Exchange as the trading capital of Africa. Just over ten years after Mandela took the reins the economy was growing at a robust 5% a year. 



“Money won’t buy people freedom, the freedom to make it
will,” the man himself once said.



Yet the dream gave way to reality. The near-empty coffers that the Mandela administration inherited made it difficult to make a dent in his election promises: Schools; homes; water and electricity for all. The idealists in the cabinet tried their hardest, but sometimes it is not enough.



So, what would Mandela think of the country he helped build
30 years on from regaining his freedom? I spent a lot of time with him on the
road, even longer with those who fought with him, in writing a score of films
and stories on the man. I can only lend an educated guess.



I think Mandela would have been disappointed, to say the
least, at the current state of the economy with its crumbling infrastructure,
slow transformation and power cuts, even though the roots of the blackouts lie
in underinvestment in Eskom under his watch. 



There is no doubt Mandela would have wept at the xenophobia,
desperation and nihilism that have crept into his democratic South Africa. If
he were alive today he would have taken to the streets to pour oil on troubled
waters.



I am also sure Mandela would have been angry to high heaven
at the avaricious and short-sighted looting that went on for years in the worst
days of the South African economy. The man himself lived simply in office, with
minimal security, and eschewed the trappings of power. He would have been livid
that the lives of already poor people were beggared by those corrupt officials
paid to help them. 



People who spent weekends with the great man used to tell me
a Sunday morning ritual was reading the papers, commenting on the latest
corruption scandal, before exclaiming:&nbsp;
“I warned them, I told them not to do this!” 



Yet Mandela would have been heartened by the appointment of an erudite young South African by the name of Wamkele Mene as the new Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area – a trading bloc that will change the face of continental trade. He also would have smiled on a bright young woman, Portia Derby, taking the reins of the massive transport umbrella Transnet.   



“It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can
become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine
that a child of farmworkers can become the president of a great nation. It is
what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one
person from another,” said the wise old man. He could see the future on a foggy
day.

mandela

What would have made Mandela angry 30 years on?

<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/taylor-locke/">Taylor Locke</a> <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://twitter.com/@itstaylorlocke" target="_blank">@itstaylorlocke</a>



The name of Jennifer Lopez’s latest fragrance, Promise, was inspired by something billionaire Warren Buffett told the singer, actress and entrepreneur, who performed during the halftime show at Sunday’s Super Bowl LIV.



READ: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/news/special-report/2019/08/12/warren-buffett-says-this-is-what-hed-do-to-live-a-happier-life-if-he-could-live-all-over-again/">Warren Buffett says this is what he’d do to live a happier life—if he could live all over again</a>



“He told me something that resonated with me,” <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Style/jennifer-lopez-unveils-fragrance-promise/story?id=65900284" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ABC News reported</a> Jennifer Lopez saying at a fragrance launch event in September. “He said, ‘a brand is a promise.’”



“I just feel like everything that I put out into the world has to be a promise,” she said. “We have to have promises with ourselves. It’s really the foundation that keeps us going. It really made me think about life in a bigger way.”



So Lopez thought it would be the right name at the right time for her fragrance.



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/jennifer-lopez/#493792456cc1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Forbes</a> ranked Lopez as the 76th top celebrity earner for 2019, at $43 million in estimated earnings. Her 25-scent fragrance empire is reportedly worth $2 billion, according to <a href="https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/beauty-features/jennifer-lopez-expands-billion-dollar-fragrance-franchise-promise-1203316086/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">WWD</a>.



Although the advice sparked inspiration for Lopez, it isn’t the first time Buffett had shared it. He told Berkshire Hathaway shareholders the same thing at both the <a href="https://buffett.cnbc.com/video/2008/05/03/afternoon-session---2008-berkshire-hathaway-annual-meeting.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2008 and </a><a href="https://buffett.cnbc.com/video/2009/05/02/morning-session---2009--berkshire-hathaway-annual-meeting.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2009</a>shareholders meetings in Omaha, Nebraska.



In fact the chairman and CEO of Berkshire has mentioned the word “promise” over 130 times in his <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/letters.html" target="_blank">letters to shareholders</a> throughout the years – each time in reference to promises kept, promises broken by others and promises he made to shareholders.



READ: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/zdnl-mc/2019/04/16/billionaire-warren-buffett-wants-young-people-to-know-ignoring-this-is-like-leaving-a-car-out-in-hailstorms/">Billionaire Warren Buffett wants young people to know: Ignoring this is like ‘leaving a car out in hailstorms</a>



″[A]t Berkshire we can keep our promises,” Buffett said in his <a href="https://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/1993.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">1993 letter</a> to shareholders.



And in his <a href="https://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/1990.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">1990 letter</a> he said, ”[w]e will behave exactly as promised, both because we have so promised, and because we need to in order to achieve the best business results.”



“I think you can take Warren’s promises to the bank,” Charlie Munger, vice chairman of Berkshire, said during the company’s <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://buffett.cnbc.com/video/2008/05/03/morning-session---2008-berkshire-hathaway-annual-meeting.html" target="_blank">2008 meeting</a> in Omaha.



This article first appeared on CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/31/jennifer-lopez-advice-from-warren-buffett-inspired-fragrance-promise.html?__source=newsletter%7Cmakeit as is republished with its permission

How Warren Buffett’s advice to JLo inspired the name of her fragrance

<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/elliot-smith/">Elliot Smith</a> <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://twitter.com/@ElliotSmithCNBC" target="_blank">@ELLIOTSMITHCNBC</a>





KEY POINTS



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>The death toll rose to 80 as of the end of Sunday, according to Chinese officials, with more than 2,700 people now infected.</li><li>A fifth case in the U.S. has now been confirmed and the virus has been detected in Singapore, South Korea, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam.</li><li>The flight from risk comes amid concerns about a possible economic fallout from the virus, with experts recalling the impact of the SARS crisis in 2003.</li><li>The pan-European Stoxx 600 fell 1.7% early in the trading session, while in the U.S., Dow futures indicated a plunge of almost 400 points at the open on Wall Street.</li><li> Africa&#8217;s largest stock exchange&#8217;s JSE All-Share Index fell 2.4%. </li></ul>



Investors worldwide have been spooked by the rapid spread of the Chinese coronavirus, with stock markets around the globe sharply lower on Monday.



The death toll rose to 80 as of the end of Sunday, according to Chinese officials, with more than 2,700 people now infected. A fifth case in the U.S. has now been confirmed and the virus has been detected in Singapore, South Korea, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam.



Africa&#8217;s largest stock exchange&#8217;s JSE All-Share Index fell 2.4% in intra-day trade, pan-European <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=.STOXX">Stoxx 600</a> fell 1.7% early in the trading session, while in the U.S., <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=.DJI">Dow</a> futures indicated a plunge of almost 400 points at the open on Wall Street.



While most markets in Asia were closed for the Lunar New Year, Japan’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=.N225">Nikkei 225</a>&nbsp;fell by more than 2% in afternoon trade while the Topix slipped 1.6%.



The flight from risk comes amid concerns about a possible economic fallout from the virus, with experts recalling the impact of the SARS crisis in 2003. At a press conference on Sunday, China’s top health official said the virus’s transmission ability is strengthening.



<iframe width=560 height=349 src=https://player.cnbc.com/p/gZWlPC/cnbc_global?playertype=synd&#038;byGuid=7000118986 frameborder=0 scrolling=no allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen ></iframe>



In a note Monday morning, Danske Bank Chief Analyst Allen von Mehren said that the Chinese economy is likely to take a short-term hit and a possible GDP (gross domestic product) reduction of one percentage point in the first half of 2020.



“The SARS epidemic lasted three to four months but it is hard to say if this is any guide. While the government response is faster, the new virus seems to be spreading faster. It is too early to judge when it will get under control,” von Mehren said.



Traditional so-called safe haven assets surged on Monday.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=@GC.1">Spot gold</a>&nbsp;was trading up by 0.78% at just below $1,582.6 a troy ounce early in the European session, while the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=JPY=">Japanese yen</a>&nbsp;changed hands at 109 against the dollar. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=CHF=">Swiss franc</a>&nbsp;was also among the strongest-performing currencies.



Government debt prices also surged, sending bond yields tumbling. The yield on the benchmark&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=US10Y">U.S. 10-year Treasury</a>&nbsp;note fell to 1.6218% to hit its lowest since October, while the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=US30Y">30-year Treasury bond</a>&nbsp;yield slid to 2.0825%.



The yield on the German&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=DE10Y-DE">10-year Bund</a>&nbsp;plummeted to -0.3550% while U.K.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=UK10Y-GB">10-year Gilt</a>&nbsp;yields fell to 0.543%, their lowest since October 10.



Danske Bank analysts projected that the Chinese service sector is likely to take the main hit this time around, and is much bigger than it was during the SARS epidemic, now standing at 54% of GDP versus 42% in 2003.



From a global perspective, China now accounts for 19% of the global economy in purchasing power parity (PPP) adjusted terms versus 9% in 2003.



A mitigating factor could be that the import content of the service sector is much smaller than in manufacturing, but the uncertainty is likely to cause some global economic spillover, von Mehren suggested.



“Hence, there is a clear risk that the expected recovery in growth and PMIs (Purchasing Managers’ Index) could be somewhat delayed or at least be more muted. As in China, the effect should be temporary, though,” he added.



“We are in uncharted waters as a virus of this kind has not taken place in the more modern economy that China is today, with much wider transport networks and being more integrated with the global economy.”



This article first appeared on CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/27/global-stock-markets-roiled-as-chinas-coronavirus-spreads.html">https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/27/global-stock-markets-roiled-as-chinas-coronavirus-spreads.html</a> and is republished with its permission

World markets roiled as China’s coronavirus spreads

World Economic Forum: Davos 2020: Confronting the Weaponization of the World Wide Web

HARARE (Reuters) &#8211; Striking junior doctors at Zimbabwe’s state hospitals will end a four-month strike after accepting an offer from a telecoms billionaire to pay them a monthly allowance of about $300 for six months, their union said on Thursday. The doctors went on strike on Sept. 3 to protest against poor wages and a lack of adequate equipment and medicines, leaving many poor people unable to get treatment.



Junior doctors in Zimbabwe earn an average of just over $200 a month, including allowances.



Strive Masiyiwa, through his philanthropic arm Higher Life Foundation, last November set up a 100 million Zimbabwe dollar ($5.9 million) fund for the striking doctors.



The doctors initially rejected that offer, saying it was not a permanent solution to their grievances.



Forbes estimates that Masiyiwa, who lives in Britain and owns Zimbabwe’s biggest telecoms company, Econet Wireless, among other businesses, has a net worth of $1.1 billion.



The Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA), which represents junior doctors, said its members should now apply to the fund while negotiations with the government continue.



“This is not a long-lasting solution but this is an opportunity for our members to go back to work and finish their training,” Tawanda Zvakada, the ZHDA spokesman, said.



There are nearly 2,000 doctors working for the government.



Under the funding, the doctors would receive a monthly stipend of 5,000 Zimbabwe dollars, a smartphone, transport and uniforms over and above their government pay.



Triple-digit inflation is eroding salaries and savings in Zimbabwe, angering workers who accuse President Emmerson Mnangagwa of failing to live up to his 2018 election promise to revive the economy.



The government fired 450 striking doctors in November saying their actions were illegal.



Health Minister Obadiah Moyo could not be reached for comment.



Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; editing by Nick Macfie

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Op-Ed: Sudan’s Bashir one step closer to the ICC

Op-Ed: Why the United States should be careful what it asks for

Nic Wolpe recalls the moment Nelson Mandela was released and what it meant for his family

An Africa without waste: how gold mining is going green

Do these 4 things in your 30s if you want to be richer in your 40s, money experts say

What would have made Mandela angry 30 years on?

How Warren Buffett’s advice to JLo inspired the name of her fragrance

World markets roiled as China’s coronavirus spreads

World Economic Forum: Davos 2020: Confronting the Weaponization of the World Wide Web

Zimbabwe billionaire plans to pay doctors about $300 a month to end strike

Here’s what to expect in Nigeria markets on brink of looming MPC decision

World Economic Forum: Strategic Outlook: Emerging Markets

How this equity crowdfunding platform is helping entrepreneurs raise money through angel investors

Unearthing challenges facing women entrepreneurs in Rwanda

In conversation with Attorney General Johnston Busingye on Rwanda’s anti-corruption fight

World Economic Forum: The Global Impact of a Tech Cold War

This is what to expect in Nigeria’s market ahead of first bond auction

News Tips

Advertise With Us

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