<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-1189261957-1110x767.jpg" alt="Bill Gates: ‘I wish I had done more’ to warn world about pandemic danger" class="wp-image-371281"/><figcaption>Bill Gates: ‘I wish I had done more’ to warn world about pandemic danger (Photo by Hou Yu/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



SINGAPORE — Bill Gates has predicted there could be as many as half a dozen Covid-19 vaccines approved and ready for distribution by the spring of 2021, as medical advancements to combat the coronavirus ramp up.



“I expect that we’ll have about six vaccines approved by the first quarter,” Gates said Tuesday, speaking virtually at the Singapore FinTech Festival.



In addition to the already selectively approved&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=PFE">Pfizer</a>&#8211;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=BNTX">BioNTech</a>&nbsp;vaccine, Gates said candidates from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=MRNA">Moderna</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=AZN-GB">AstraZeneca</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=JNJ">Johnson &amp; Johnson</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=NVAX">Novavax</a>&nbsp;would also likely be granted authorization over the coming months. He did not name a sixth vaccine source.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rapid-vaccine-developments">Rapid vaccine developments</h2>



Last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/02/uk-approves-pfizer-biontech-coronavirus-vaccine-for-use.html">the U.K. became the first country to give the&nbsp;Pfizer-BioNTech&nbsp;vaccine</a>&nbsp;emergency use approval, with rollouts scheduled to begin Tuesday. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is set to vote on its approval Thursday.



Gates — whose eponymous non-profit organization, the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation, has long advocated for global health developments including vaccinations — congratulated regulators in developed nations on their speedy progress. 



“The Western regulators are doing a great job,” he said. “They’ve run these phase three trials in an incredibly professional way, looking for any side effects, looking at efficacy.”



Yet Gates noted that much work remains to be done, including by organizations like his own, to ensure vaccines are fairly distributed to all countries, especially less developed ones.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ensuring-equitable-distribution">Ensuring equitable distribution</h2>



“We need to make sure we (distribute) in a somewhat equitable way, that’s not how rich you are determines whether you get access to this vaccine,” said Gates.



Already, the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation is working with India’s Serum Institute, the world’s largest vaccine producer by volume, to begin&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/07/indias-serum-institute-seeks-emergency-use-for-astrazenecas-vaccine-.html">manufacturing and distributing AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate</a>&nbsp;nationally. A similar arrangement will be made with Serum for the Novavax vaccine, Gates said, while a separate manufacturer will be found for Johnson &amp; Johnson’s candidate, once approved.



All three candidates rely on traditional vaccine technology, meaning they can be developed and stored at relatively lower cost and with lesser difficulty than their counterparts from Pfizer and Moderna. That makes them more suitable options for distribution among less wealthy nations.

Bill Gates: ‘I wish I had done more’ to warn world about pandemic danger

Bill Gates says six Covid vaccines could be available by spring 2021

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/105441571-1536578453074gettyimages-170472802.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-393262" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/105441571-1536578453074gettyimages-170472802.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/105441571-1536578453074gettyimages-170472802-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>Madikwe game reserve, Safari, African elephant, South Africa. Godong | Universal Images Group | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



The co-founder and CEO of charity Tusk has told CNBC that the shutdown of the tourism industry in Africa due to the Covid-19 pandemic has caused an economic crisis which is impacting conservation in the region.



Charles Mayhew, who is based in the U.K., co-founded the charity in 1990, with a mission to “amplify the impact of progressive conservation initiatives across Africa.” It was started in response to the poaching crisis throughout the 1980s which saw up to 100,000 elephants killed annually, and Prince William, the&nbsp;Duke of Cambridge, became the charity’s Royal Patron in 2005.



Tourism and safaris play a crucial role in financially supporting local workers, communities and wildlife conservation projects, and often pay for rangers to protect both species and land in Africa. However, the sector has been hit hard as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which seen international travel come to a halt.



Mayhew, who among other roles was formerly an insurance broker in the City of London, told CNBC the impact of the coronavirus had been “absolutely enormous.”



“The reality on the ground in Africa is such that the economic impact and crisis that has flowed from the pandemic has been really significant, mainly because tourism and the travel industry has absolutely shut down, it fell off a cliff, when we all went into lockdown,” he said.







He stressed that although Africa had not had as many coronavirus infections as elsewhere in the world, the economic impact had been “huge” and led to many people losing their jobs.



“What that has meant in terms of conservation is that we’ve seen a significant upsurge in bushmeat poaching for people just simply trying to put food on the table,” he said.



According to figures from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the sector employs around&nbsp;<a href="https://wttc.org/News-Article/Urgent-Appeal-to-International-Community-to-Support-African-Travel-and-Tourism-Sector" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">24.6 million people in Africa and contributes $169 billion to the economy</a>, which is 7.1% of the continent’s gross domestic product.



Mayhew, who received an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II in 2005 for his services to conservation in Africa, was speaking in the latest episode of CNBC’s “On Assignment” series about the charity’s Tusk Conservation Awards.



Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, its eighth annual awards, in partnership with global asset manager Ninety-One, were held virtually on Thursday.



Speaking ahead of the awards, the Duke of Cambridge echoed Mayhew’s concerns regarding the pandemic, which he said had “decimated the tourism industry in Africa as a whole.”



“I do have big concerns as to what’s coming around the corner if we can’t get tourism back in Africa, and we can’t keep these wonderful projects and these brilliant communities funded and kept going, then there are some dark times ahead,” Prince William said.



“But with the likes of Tusk and others doing fantastic work in Africa, I have no doubt that the right support and the right people are where they need to be.



Mayhew said that the involvement of the Duke of Cambridge had been a game changer for the charity.



“He’s raised the profile of the charity which has made a huge difference in our ability to raise funds and to be recognized in the donor community as a credible organization. So that’s been immensely valuable” he said.&nbsp;



“When he meets the conservationists … and the communities that we’re working with, it really increases their morale and their belief in what they’re doing hugely because he just brings this fantastic spotlight onto the work that they’re doing.”&nbsp;



Since they were established in 2013, the Tusk Conservation Awards have set out to “celebrate African-based conservation leaders and wildlife rangers” and their work with communities and wildlife on the ground.&nbsp;



This year’s event saw three winners receive awards and a financial grant from the charity.&nbsp;



The Prince William Award for Conservation in Africa recognized the lifetime achievement of Hipólito Lima, in Sao Tome and Principe, for dedicating his life to sea turtle conservation, in a region which traditionally hunted them for their meat and eggs.&nbsp;



The Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award 2020 was awarded to Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority Principal Intelligence Officer, Amos Gwema, for changing the way intelligence work helps to protect wildlife in Zimbabwe.&nbsp;



And John Kamanga, executive director of the South Rift Association of Land Owners, received the Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa for his work in helping local communities and wildlife to co-exist in the South Rift region of Kenya.



Mayhew said that as well as a continued focus on ending the illegal wildlife trade, the biggest challenges in African conservation were human-wildlife conflict and loss of habitat, given that the continent’s population is expected to rise from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/population/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">1.2 billion to 2.4 billion by 2050</a>.

105441571-1536578453074gettyimages-170472802

Charity CEO warns of the impact of Covid on conservation in Africa

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1110" height="803" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-104899247-1110x803.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-393037" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-104899247-1110x803.jpg 1110w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-104899247-300x217.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-104899247-820x593.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-104899247-768x556.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-104899247-1536x1111.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-104899247-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px" /><figcaption>Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, managing director for the World Bank Group, discusses how to increase economic opportunities for adolescent girls and young women during the Adolescent Girls Initiative in Washington DC October 6, 2010. AFP PHOTO / Kimihiro Hoshino (Photo credit should read KIMIHIRO HOSHINO/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



This year&nbsp;marks the 3rd&nbsp;annual instalment&nbsp;of the African of the Year Award; an honorary category of the annual All Africa Business Leaders Awards (AABLA™), which&nbsp;is in its landmark 10th&nbsp;year. Whilst this milestone anniversary could not be celebrated with a live in-person event this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisers, the ABN Group, still&nbsp;honoured the African of the Year, virtually,&nbsp;for the first time.&nbsp;The award&nbsp;accords the distinction to&nbsp;a change-maker who has demonstrated true leadership excellence, has a prominent presence on the world stage, and whose influence has played a significant role in Africa&#8217;s development.&nbsp;&nbsp;



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<iframe loading="lazy" title="Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala named first female African of the Year honouree" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZAUBx_RZ8Hc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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The recipient of&nbsp;the 2020&nbsp;African of the Year Award is Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the chair of Gavi,&nbsp;the Vaccine Alliance.&nbsp;Just like the two winners before her, she graces the <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/product/single-digital-issue-dec-jan-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">December 2020 / January 2021&nbsp;cover of FORBES AFRICA</a>, unveiled during a special broadcast on CNBC Africa last night.&nbsp;



The Nigerian-born globally-renowned economist and development expert has served twice as Nigeria&#8217;s finance minister; the first woman to hold this position. Dr Okonjo-Iweala also held several key positions with, and rose to prominence as the Managing Director of the World Bank. Her relentless efforts to make vaccines available to poor countries and enable equal access to the Covid-19 vaccine makes her&nbsp;a formidable role model. She has&nbsp;previously&nbsp;been listed as one of Transparency International’s Anti-Corruption Fighters Who Inspire, made the list for Fortune’s 50 Greatest World Leaders, was nominated as one of Forbes’ Top 10 Most Influential Women in Africa, and announced as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by&nbsp;TIME magazine in 2014. With multiple awards and honours to her name, Dr Okonjo-Iweala has risen to the top&nbsp;as one of the most respected leaders in Africa. She was also on FORBES AFRICA’s list of ‘Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women’ published early this year. Dr Okonjo-Iweala is also a front-runner for the top post of Director-General of the World Trade Organization.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“This pandemic has pushed the world into uncharted territory and has forced many businesses to reassess almost every aspect of how they work. As a media company, we have been in a fortunate position to keep our audiences, both broadcast and digital, informed during these challenging times. Although we reminisce about the days of hosting live in-person events, by adapting and embracing technology, we have kept the African story alive and can continue giving recognition to the men and women who are transforming and developing&nbsp;Africa,” said Roberta&nbsp;Naicker, Managing Director of the ABN Group.&nbsp;



In 2018,&nbsp;Rwandan President Paul Kagame&nbsp;was the first recipient of the African of the Year award, followed by the President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, in 2019.&nbsp;

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, managing director f

First female African of the Year honouree awarded

NAIROBI/ISTANBUL (Reuters) &#8211; Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s political slogan is “medemer” &#8211; or “coming together”. But some analysts say reforms meant to unify Ethiopia have inflamed simmering ethnic and political divisions and risk unravelling Africa’s second most populous nation.



Now Ethiopian unity faces its severest test yet: since Nov. 4, the military has been battling a group that once dominated the national government &#8211; the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in the northern Tigray region.



The TPLF frames the conflict as a battle for the rights of Ethiopia’s 10 regions against a premier bent on centralising power. They say Abiy has discriminated against Tigrayans since he came to power and have referred to his rule as an “illegal, unitarist and personalistic dictatorship”.



The government denies trying to centralise control.



Three major decisions infuriated the TPLF, which dominated the governing coalition for nearly three decades until Abiy came to power in 2018: Abiy’s rapprochement with their arch-enemy, the nation of Eritrea; his replacement of an ethnically based coalition with a new national party; and the postponement of national elections.Each sparked bitter recriminations from the TPLF. The ensuing conflict has sent ripples through the region.



Ethiopia, a regional heavyweight, is home to the African Union; its security forces serve in peacekeeping missions in Somalia and South Sudan and work alongside Western allies against Islamist militants.Leenco Lata, a veteran opposition leader, said the federal system is under pressure from both sides as debate polarises between supporters of closer unity or separation. Abiy says he’s tried to work with the TPLF, but has been repeatedly rebuffed; his office published a timeline of such attempts this week.



The government says Tigrayan forces started the conflict by attacking federal troops stationed there. The TPLF have described the attack as a pre-emptive strike.



Underlying the political struggle are long-standing rivalries between Ethiopia’s 80-plus ethnic groups. Many regional leaders see Abiy’s democratic reforms as a chance to grab more power for their own group. Zemelak Ayele, a professor at Addis Ababa University, said even though citizens resented the previous repression, the TPLF might have grudging support from some regional leaders who consider it a bulwark against a more centralised government.”Even those who are ardent detractors of TPLF are not necessarily ardent supporters of the war (in Tigray),” he said. “Some might feel the federal system might be in danger if the TPLF is out of the picture.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-old-enmity-and-a-new-peace">AN OLD ENMITY AND A NEW PEACE</h2>



The secretive, highly militarised nation of Eritrea &#8211; often nicknamed “Africa’s North Korea” &#8211; lies along Ethiopia’s northern border. Eritrea won independence from Ethiopia in 1991 following three decades of war. Conflict over a border dispute broke out again from 1998-2000; tens of thousands died.



The TPLF spearheaded that war. They regard Eritrea as an arch-enemy.



Months after Abiy came to power, he signed a peace deal with Eritrea in 2018 and was subsequently awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. Regular visits began between Abiy and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, drawing accusations from the TPLF that Abiy was “serving as a vehicle for Isaias’s desire to extract a pound of flesh for perceived wrongs”.



Billene Seyoum, Abiy’s spokeswoman, said the TPLF was trying to “internationalise the conflict” and that intelligence reports suggested the TPLF had been manufacturing Eritrean and Ethiopian army uniforms.



The TPLF has fired missiles at its capital Asmara and says Eritrea is now fighting alongside Ethiopian troops in Tigray, which Ethiopia denies.



Reuters has not been able to reach the Eritrean government for comment for two weeks.



ADVERTISEMENT



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-prosperity-party">THE PROSPERITY PARTY</h2>



After the Eritrea treaty, Abiy consolidated domestically. Last year he replaced Ethiopia’s old ruling coalition, made up of four ethnically based parties, with a single pan-Ethiopian party. Out of the four, only the TPLF refused to join.



Abiy underestimated the TPLF’s bitterness at losing power, said one Ethiopian academic.



“It is a bitter divorce and Abiy did not have a plan for a peaceful exit for TPLF,” the academic said, speaking anonymously to avoid angering the government.



Inflammatory rhetoric on both sides made Tigrayan people feel under siege, boosting support for the TPLF, he said.



Alex de Waal, a professor at Tufts University, said launching the new party so quickly may have been a miscalculation: the old coalition had become a rare forum for negotiation in a nation where political dissent often meant prison.



But Abiy was in a hurry. National elections were due in August 2020 and his new party needed to compete against a plethora of new ethnically based groups.



Then the pandemic arrived.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DELAYED ELECTIONS</h2>



The government postponed elections. Many opposition groups reluctantly agreed, but not the TPLF. They held their regional elections in September anyway. Both sides accused each other of ignoring the constitution.



The TPLF won by a landslide. The House of Federation, a legislative body dealing with constitutional matters, voted to cut Tigray’s budget.



On Oct. 29, Tigrayan forces refused to let an Ethiopian general who flew into the regional airport leave to take up his command in the capital Mekelle.



On Nov. 4, the government reported Tigrayan soldiers attacked a base in Dansha.



The conflict had begun.



Reporting by Katharine Houreld in Nairobi and Maggie Fick in Istanbul; Editing by Alexandra Zavis and Giles Elgood

shutterstock_487433470

Analysis: How attempts to unify Ethiopia may be deepening its divides, say analysts

LONDON (Reuters) &#8211; When Boris Johnson caught COVID-19 in March, the overweight British prime minister tried to work through the illness “in denial” &#8211; but ended up wearing an oxygen mask in an intensive care unit and was ultimately out of action for almost a month.



He later said he had fought for his life as the state prepared for the unthinkable: the possible death in office of a prime minister.



Johnson’s experience of trying to stay in charge while struggling with the disease may offer clues about the potential dangers ahead for U.S. President Donald Trump, now that he has tested positive.



After being accused of initially failing to appreciate the gravity of coronavirus crisis for Britain, Johnson, then 55, felt mild symptoms on March 26 while answering questions in the House of Commons chamber.



A few hours later, he received a positive test result, and the next day he made a video statement in which he said he was self-isolating, but would continue to work and lead Britain’s coronavirus response.



But during the next nine days, as he worked in isolation in an apartment above his official Downing Street residence and office, his condition deteriorated, with persistent symptoms including a high temperature.



Later, he said he had been in denial and continued to work despite feeling groggy and “pretty rough”, until doctors told him firmly to go to hospital.







Being a national leader has offered little protection against the new coronavirus.



Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro spent weeks in quarantine after testing positive in July 7, and said he had taken antibiotics for an infection that left him feeling weak.



Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez needed hospital treatment, and former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi developed double pneumonia and spent 10 days in hospital, being treated with the antiviral drug Remdesivir.



The 84-year-old was allowed home on Sept. 14 saying he had survived “the most dangerous challenge” of his life, and has made no public appearances since.



“THE BAD MOMENT”



Johnson’s sudden deterioration after continuing to work may hold a warning for the 74-year-old Trump, now in full campaigning mode for the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3.



RELATED COVERAGE<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-trump-johnson/uk-pm-johnson-says-sure-trump-will-stage-a-very-strong-recovery-idUSKBN26N1U9"></a><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-trump-johnson/uk-pm-johnson-says-sure-trump-will-stage-a-very-strong-recovery-idUSKBN26N1U9">UK PM Johnson says sure Trump will stage &#8216;a very strong recovery&#8217;</a>



Johnson was admitted to St Thomas’ Hospital in the evening of April 5. The next day he was moved to intensive care, where he received oxygen support but was not put on a ventilator.



“The bad moment came when it was 50-50 whether they were going to have to put a tube down my windpipe,” Johnson said later.



“The doctors had all sorts of arrangements for what to do if things went badly wrong &#8230; The bloody indicators kept going in the wrong direction.”



He later said he owed those doctors his life.



While Johnson was ill, his duties were assumed by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.



“They had a strategy to deal with a ‘death of Stalin’-type scenario,” Johnson later said. “It was a tough old moment, I won’t deny it.”







Johnson left hospital on April 12, but continued his recuperation at his official country residence northwest of London, and did not return to work until April 27 &#8211; a month after announcing that he had tested positive.



When Johnson’s fiancée Carrie Symonds gave birth to their son two days later, he was given a middle name of Nicholas partly in tribute to two of the intensive care doctors who had treated the prime minister.



Since then, Johnson has repeatedly dismissed concerns about his recovery, and said the virus has convinced him to slim down from his previous, portly 17st 6lb (244 lb, 112 kg).



As recently as Tuesday, he told a reporter: “I’m fitter than I was before, it may irritate you to know &#8230; I’m fit as a butcher’s dog, thanks basically to losing weight.”

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UK PM Johnson’s battle with COVID-19 may be a warning for Trump

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) &#8211; Africa’s overburdened public health systems, dearth of testing facilities and overcrowded slums had experts predicting a disaster when COVID-19 hit the continent in February.



The new coronavirus was already wreaking havoc in wealthy Asian and European nations, and a United Nations agency said in April that, even with social-distancing measures, the virus could kill 300,000 Africans this year.



In May the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that 190,000 people on the continent could die if containment measures failed. Yet as the world marks 1 million COVID-19 deaths, Africa is doing much better than expected, with a lower percentage of deaths than other continents.



The continent’s case fatality count stands at 2.4%, with roughly 35,000 deaths among the more than 1.4 million people reported infected with COVID-19, according to Reuters data as at late Monday. In North America, it is 2.9% and in Europe 4.5%



Hard-hit countries such as Italy and Britain have recorded fatality counts of 11.6% and 9.0% respectively, compared to 1.6% for Ethiopia, 1.9% for Nigeria and 2.4% for South Africa, the continent’s worst affected country.



Hospitals in many African countries say COVID-19 admission rates are falling.



“Based on what we have seen so far it is unlikely that we are going to see anything at the scale that we are seeing in Europe &#8211; both in terms of infections and mortality,” said Rashida Ferrand, a London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine professor working at the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in the Zimbabwean capital Harare.



Experts say that some COVID-19 deaths in Africa probably are being missed. Testing rates in the continent of about 1.3 billion people are among the lowest in the world, and many deaths of all types go unrecorded.







<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Dr-Matshidiso-Moeti-WHO-Regional-Director-for-Africa-887x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-382893" width="696" height="803" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Dr-Matshidiso-Moeti-WHO-Regional-Director-for-Africa-887x1024.jpg 887w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Dr-Matshidiso-Moeti-WHO-Regional-Director-for-Africa-260x300.jpg 260w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Dr-Matshidiso-Moeti-WHO-Regional-Director-for-Africa-693x800.jpg 693w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Dr-Matshidiso-Moeti-WHO-Regional-Director-for-Africa-768x887.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Dr-Matshidiso-Moeti-WHO-Regional-Director-for-Africa-1330x1536.jpg 1330w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Dr-Matshidiso-Moeti-WHO-Regional-Director-for-Africa-scaled.jpg 1774w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Dr-Matshidiso-Moeti-WHO-Regional-Director-for-Africa-696x804.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Dr-Matshidiso-Moeti-WHO-Regional-Director-for-Africa-1068x1233.jpg 1068w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Dr-Matshidiso-Moeti-WHO-Regional-Director-for-Africa-1920x2217.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px" /><figcaption>The head of the WHO for Africa. Matshidiso Moeti</figcaption></figure>



South Africa saw some 17,000 extra deaths from natural causes between early May and mid-July, 59% more than would normally be expected, according to a July report from the South African Medical Research Council. That suggests the death toll from COVID-19 could be significantly higher than the official figure, currently over 16,000, researchers say. Even so, there is wide agreement that COVID-19 fatality rates have not so far been as bad as predicted.



Why? Scientists and public health experts cite a number of possible factors, including the continent’s youthful population and lessons learned from previous disease outbreaks. African governments also had precious time to prepare due to the relative isolation of many of their citizens from airports and other places where they could come into contact with global travellers.



Some scientists also are exploring the possibility that a tuberculosis vaccine routinely given to children in many African countries might be helping reduce deaths from COVID-19.



Another theory being considered is whether prior exposure to other coronaviruses including those that cause the common cold has provided a degree of resistance in some of the very communities once thought to be most vulnerable.



“There is a lot of circumstantial evidence,” Salim Abdool Karim, a South African infectious disease specialist who has advised the government on COVID-19, told Reuters, “but there is no smoking gun.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">LESSONS LEARNED</h2>



The virus hit Africa later than other continents, giving medical personnel time to set up field hospitals, source oxygen and ventilators, and learn from improvements in treatment elsewhere.Slideshow&nbsp;( 3 images )



“We got the gift of time,” said Thumbi Mwangi, senior research fellow at the University of Nairobi’s Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases. “We had an amount of preparation that others did not.”



One reason could be that international travel is limited in many African countries, and travelling domestically can be more difficult than on other continents, Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, told a news conference on Thursday.



The continent’s governments have also battled deadly infectious diseases such as Ebola, which killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa in 2013-16. So officials took notice when the new coronavirus started spreading around the globe rapidly early this year.



Many African countries were quick to introduce screening at airports, suspend flights from heavily affected nations and enforce social distancing measures and mask wearing.



Within a week of Kenya reporting its first case, schools were shut, incoming travellers had to undergo a mandatory quarantine and large gatherings were banned. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, imposed a ban on interstate travel and a curfew. Many of its land borders had already been closed since August 2019 to cut down on smuggling, which helped fight the pandemic too.



South Africa introduced one of the world’s toughest lockdowns in late March, when the country had confirmed just 400 cases.



“Africa brought down the hammer earlier in terms of coronavirus lockdowns,” said Tim Bromfield, regional director for East and Southern Africa at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, a U.K.-based think tank.







Experts also point to the continent’s demographics.



Research has found that the risk of developing severe COVID-19 increases with age.



A 2019 United Nations report said 62% of sub-Saharan Africa’s population was under 25 and just 3% 65 or over. In the U.N.’s Europe and North America region, 28% were under 25 while 18% were age 65 and up.



Chikwe Ihekweazu, director general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, attributed his country’s relatively low case mortality rate in part to the fact that the majority of patients were between the ages of 31 and 40.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CROSS-PROTECTION?</h2>



Scientists in several countries including South Africa are testing whether the century-old Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, widely used on the continent against tuberculosis, provides a degree of cross-protection.



BCG vaccines have been shown to protect against other viral respiratory illnesses, and a study published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in July found that countries with higher vaccination rates for tuberculosis had lower peak mortality rates from COVID-19.



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Studies have also started in South Africa and Zimbabwe to assess the impact of past exposure to other coronaviruses.



More than half of Africa’s urban population is concentrated in slums, where access to water for hand washing is scarce, and physical distancing is near-impossible.



Diseases spread rapidly under such conditions, but some scientists wonder whether that may have been an unexpected boon in this case. There is some evidence that T cells developed by the body’s immune system after exposure to other common cold coronaviruses could help fight off COVID-19.



“I would say that is at least a plausible explanation as to why there are different levels of resistance to the virus in different populations,” said Thomas Scriba, an immunologist and deputy director of the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative.



Others are more sceptical.



“All other regions have been exposed to coronaviruses, have poor people and slums and have received BCG vaccination,” said Humphrey Karamagi, team leader for data and analytics at the WHO’s Africa office. “We are most probably looking at a mix of multiple factors working together &#8211; and not a single magic bullet.”



For Sam Agatre Okuonzi, from the Arua Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda, the doomsday predictions were informed by entrenched prejudices, including that the continent is prone to disease.



“COVID-19 has shattered a lot of biases about disease in general but also about Africa,” he told Thursday’s briefing. “The severity of the pandemic has not played out in line with the outrageous predictions.”

Clarification on COVID-19 “hotspots” as SA moves to level 3 lockdown

How Africa fought COVID-19

Whether it’s building a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/28/billionaire-warren-buffett-teaches-this-20-slot-rule-to-getting-rich-at-business-schools.html">successful business</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/17/i-got-10000-more-when-i-negotiated-my-salary-offer-heres-the-exact-script-i-used.html">climbing the career ladder</a>, you can find inspiration from people who have done the seemingly impossible: Change the world and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/26/money-mistakes-millionaires-like-warren-buffett-bill-gates-google-eric-schmidt-never-make.html">become&nbsp;a billionaire</a>.



It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to have a conversation over dinner with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/12/microsoft-billionaire-bill-gates-these-5-books-are-so-good-they-kept-me-up-past-bedtime.html">Bill Gates</a>&nbsp;or Oprah Winfrey, but you can still learn their secrets and advice from the books they’ve written.



Below are nine must-reads by some of the world’s most influential billionaires:



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">1.&nbsp; “The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose”</h2>



<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Path-Made-Clear-Discovering-Direction/dp/1250307503" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">By Oprah Winfrey</a>



Committing to a life of purpose takes courage. “There was a time when I felt torn between who the world was telling me I should be, and what I felt to be the truth of myself,” media mogul Oprah Winfrey writes in the introduction of her 2019 book “The Path Made Clear.”



The chapters are organized to help you recognize your most important accomplishments along the road to self-discovery, laying out what you really need in order to achieve a life of happiness, significance and success.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. “Principles: Life and Work”</h2>



By&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Life-Work-Ray-Dalio/dp/1501124021" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ray Dalio</a>



Investor and entrepreneur&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/04/billionaire-ray-dalio-was-once-broke-and-borrowed-money-from-his-dad-to-pay-family-bills.html">Ray Dalio</a>&nbsp;shares the principles he developed while running Bridgewater Associates, which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/ray-dalio-is-still-driving-his-160-billion-hedge-fund-machine-11580504150" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">manages about $160 billion</a>&nbsp;— making it the largest hedge fund firm in the world. The book offers hundreds of practical lessons that can help individuals and organizations make smarter decisions and build stronger teams.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. “Shoe Dog: A Memoir By the Creator of Nike”</h2>



<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-Dog-Memoir-Creator-Nike/dp/1501135910" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">By Phil Knight</a>



In “Shoe Dog,” Nike founder Phil Knight offers a refreshingly honest memoir about how he built a shoe empire that earned him the nickname “the man behind swoosh.”



Bill Gates named it one of his five favorite books of 2016,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Shoe-Dog" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">calling</a>&nbsp;it a “reminder of what the path to business success really looks like. It’s a messy, perilous, and chaotic journey, riddled with mistakes, endless struggles, and sacrifice.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. “Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way”</h2>



<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Losing-My-Virginity-Survived-Business/dp/0307720748" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">By Richard Branson</a>



“Losing My Virginity” is an autobiography of how Virgin Group founder Richard Branson found success by doing things his own way. The internationally best-selling book describes the many life events that shaped Branson’s character&nbsp;— his naivety, his sense of adventure and steely resolve — and led him to revolutionize the music and airline industries.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. “Business @ the Speed of Thought: Succeeding in the Digital Economy”</h2>



<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Digital/dp/0446525685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">By Bill Gates</a>



Although published more than two decades ago, the Microsoft co-founder’s examples about how to use information flow to gain a competitive edge are still relevant today.



If you run your own business, Gates’ book will prompt you to think about how you can improve your company’s work process and whether your managers have the right tools to get the information they need to make smart decisions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">6. “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead”</h2>



<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Women-Work-Will-Lead/dp/0385349947" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">By Sheryl Sandberg</a>



Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” became a massive cultural phenomenon when it released in 2013, sparking conversations about women and ambition in the workplace.



Inspiring and well-researched, the Facebook COO offers advice&nbsp;on how to combine professional achievement with personal fulfillment, as well as how men can benefit by supporting women both in the workplace and at home.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">7. “How to Win at the Sport of Business: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It”</h2>



<a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Sport-Business-Can-ebook/dp/B006AX6ONI" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">By Mark Cuban</a>



Incorporating some of his best advice from his popular&nbsp;<a href="https://blogmaverick.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Blog Maverick</a>, “Shark Tank” investor and Dallas Mavericks owner&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/21/billionaire-mark-cuban-advice-to-college-grads-most-comforting-thing-you-hear-today.html">Mark Cuban</a>&nbsp;gives readers some insider knowledge on what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.



If you haven’t heard Cuban’s rags-to-riches story (he was selling powdered milk and sleeping on friends’ couches before reaching billionaire status), this book will be the inspiration you need to push forward during hard times.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">8. “Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future”</h2>



<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Zero-One-Notes-Startups-Future/dp/0804139296" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">By Peter Thiel</a>



Peter Thiel has a history of building and investing in breakthrough companies. A co-founder of PayPal and Palantir Technologies, Thiel was the&nbsp;<a href="https://money.cnn.com/2012/08/20/technology/facebook-peter-thiel/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">first investor in Facebook</a>.



In “Zero to One,” he explains the philosophy he used along his path to financial success and offers a new way of thinking about innovation: It starts by learning to ask the questions that lead you to find value in unexpected places.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">9. “The Power of Many: Values for Success in Business and in Life”</h2>



<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Power-Many-Values-Success-Business/dp/0307591220" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">By Meg Whitman</a>



Meg Whitman, former president and CEO of eBay, writes about the core values&nbsp;—&nbsp;such as trust, authenticity, courage and validation — that steered her to success without ethical compromise.&nbsp;



One of my favorite lines from the book:&nbsp;“The difference between a competent executive and a superstar often boils down to the willingness to decide to move forward, even when the path is not crystal clear.



<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.linkedin.com/in/tpopomaronis/__;!!PIZeeW5wscynRQ!-yxevb0q1Zq7aZKC07Qq8U1Qg8X-W_L_2SjyDtzpjHBU7X04MhOWDyRqw6_KBj8$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tom Popomaronis</a>&nbsp;is a leadership expert and vice president of innovation at&nbsp;<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.massivealliance.com/solutions/elb/__;!!PIZeeW5wscynRQ!-yxevb0q1Zq7aZKC07Qq8U1Qg8X-W_L_2SjyDtzpjHBU7X04MhOWDyRqp-WuWVU$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Massive Alliance.</a>&nbsp;His work has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., and The Washington Post. In 2014, Tom was named one of the “40 Under 40” by the Baltimore Business Journal. Follow him on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tpopomaronis" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LinkedIn</a>.

9 books written by self-made billionaires to help you succeed in business and in life

(Reuters) &#8211; Elon Musk is hailed as an innovator and disruptor who went from knowing next to nothing about building cars to running the world’s most valuable automaker in the space of 16 years.



But his record shows he is more of a fast learner who forged alliances with firms that had technology Tesla lacked, hired some of their most talented people, and then powered through the boundaries that limited more risk-averse partners.



Now, Musk and his team are preparing to outline new steps in Tesla’s drive to become a more self-sufficient company less reliant on suppliers at its “Battery Day” event on Sept. 22.



Musk has been dropping hints for months that significant advances in technology will be announced as Tesla strives to produce the low-cost, long-lasting batteries that could put its electric cars on a more equal footing with cheaper gasoline vehicles.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/hqdefault-19.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-361692" width="680" height="519"/><figcaption>How Elon Musk Took Tesla To Hell And Back With The Model 3</figcaption></figure>



New battery cell designs, chemistries and manufacturing processes are just some of the developments that would allow Tesla to reduce its reliance on its long-time battery partner, Japan’s Panasonic, people familiar with the situation said.



“Elon doesn’t want any part of his business to be dependent on someone else,” said one former senior executive at Tesla who declined to be named. “And for better or worse &#8211; sometimes better, sometimes worse &#8211; he thinks he can do it better, faster and cheaper.”



Tesla has battery production partnerships with Panasonic, South Korea’s LG Chem and China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL) that are expected to continue.



But at the same time, Tesla is moving to control production of cells &#8211; the basic component of electric vehicle battery packs — at highly automated factories, including one being built near Berlin, Germany and another in Fremont, California where Tesla is hiring dozens of experts in battery cell engineering and manufacturing.



“There has been no change in our relationship with Tesla,” Panasonic said in a statement provided by a company spokeswoman.



(Reuters) &#8211; Elon Musk is hailed as an innovator and disruptor who went from knowing next to nothing about building cars to running the world’s most valuable automaker in the space of 16 years.FILE PHOTO: SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrives on the red carpet for the automobile awards &#8220;Das Goldene Lenkrad&#8221; 



But his record shows he is more of a fast learner who forged alliances with firms that had technology Tesla lacked, hired some of their most talented people, and then powered through the boundaries that limited more risk-averse partners.



Now, Musk and his team are preparing to outline new steps in Tesla’s drive to become a more self-sufficient company less reliant on suppliers at its “Battery Day” event on Sept. 22.



Musk has been dropping hints for months that significant advances in technology will be announced as Tesla strives to produce the low-cost, long-lasting batteries that could put its electric cars on a more equal footing with cheaper gasoline vehicles.



New battery cell designs, chemistries and manufacturing processes are just some of the developments that would allow Tesla to reduce its reliance on its long-time battery partner, Japan’s Panasonic, people familiar with the situation said.



“Elon doesn’t want any part of his business to be dependent on someone else,” said one former senior executive at Tesla who declined to be named. “And for better or worse &#8211; sometimes better, sometimes worse &#8211; he thinks he can do it better, faster and cheaper.”



Tesla has battery production partnerships with Panasonic, South Korea’s LG Chem and China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL) that are expected to continue.



But at the same time, Tesla is moving to control production of cells &#8211; the basic component of electric vehicle battery packs — at highly automated factories, including one being built near Berlin, Germany and another in Fremont, California where Tesla is hiring dozens of experts in battery cell engineering and manufacturing.



“There has been no change in our relationship with Tesla,” Panasonic said in a statement provided by a company spokeswoman.







“Our relationship, both past and present has been sound. Panasonic is not a supplier to Tesla; we are partners. There’s no doubt our partnership will continue to innovate and contribute to the betterment of society.”



Tesla did not respond immediately to a request for comment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">MAKE EVERYTHING</h2>



Since he took over the fledgling company in 2004, Musk’s goal has been to learn enough &#8211; from partnerships, acquisitions and talent recruitment &#8211; to bring key technologies under Tesla’s control, people familiar with Tesla’s strategy said.



They said the aim was to build a heavily vertically integrated company, or a digital version of Ford Motor Co’s iron-ore-to-Model-A production system of the late 1920s.



“Elon thought he could improve on everything the suppliers did &#8211; everything,” said former Tesla supply chain executive Tom Wessner, who is now head of industry consultancy Imprint Advisors. “He wanted to make everything.”



Batteries, a big chunk of the cost of an electric car, are central to the Musk method. While subordinates have argued for years against developing proprietary Tesla battery cells, Musk continues to drive toward that goal.



“Tell him ‘No’, and then he really wants to do it,” said a third former Tesla veteran.Slideshow&nbsp;( 4 images )



The changes in battery design, chemistry and production processes Tesla expects to reveal next week are aimed at reworking the math that until now has made electric cars more expensive than carbon-emitting vehicles with combustion engines.



Reuters reported in May that Tesla is planning to unveil low-cost batteries designed to last for a million miles. Tesla is also working to secure direct supplies of key battery materials, such as nickel, while developing cell chemistries that would no longer need expensive cobalt as well as highly automated manufacturing processes to speed up production.



‘STRAIGHT FOR MARS’



Panasonic is partnered with Tesla at the $5 billion Nevada “Gigafactory”, while CATL and LG Chem supply cells to Tesla’s Shanghai factory, where battery modules and packs are assembled for its Model 3 sedan.



Panasonic recently said it is planning to expand its production lines in Nevada, which supply the cells that then go into the battery modules assembled next door by Tesla.



But the Nevada Gigafactory partnership almost didn’t happen, according to two former Tesla executives. Musk ordered a team to study battery manufacturing in 2011, according to one former executive, but eventually partnered with Panasonic in 2013.



Now, Tesla is testing a battery cell pilot manufacturing line in Fremont and is building its own vast automated cell manufacturing facility in Gruenheide in Germany.



The roller-coaster relationship with Panasonic mirrors other Tesla alliances.







During its development alliance with Germany’s Daimler, which was an early investor in Tesla, Musk became interested in sensors that would help keep cars within traffic lanes.



Until then the Tesla Model S, which Mercedes-Benz engineers helped refine, lacked cameras or sophisticated driver assistance sensors and software such as those used in the Mercedes S-Class.



“He learned about that and took it a step further. We asked our engineers to shoot for the moon. He went straight for Mars,” said a senior Daimler engineer said.



Meanwhile, an association with Japan’s Toyota, another early investor, taught him about quality management.



Eventually, executives from Daimler and Toyota joined Tesla in key roles, along with talent from Alphabet Inc’s Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, as well as rival carmakers Ford, BMW and Audi.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE MUSK SPIN</h2>



Some relationships did not end well, however.



Tesla hooked up with Israeli sensor maker Mobileye in 2014, in part to learn how to design a self-driving system that evolved into Tesla’s Autopilot.







“Mobileye was the driving force behind the original Autopilot,” said a former Mobileye executive, who declined to be named.



Mobileye, which is now owned by Intel, also recognized the risk of sharing technology with a fast-moving startup like Tesla, which was on the brink of collapse at the end of 2008 and now has a market value of $420 billion.



But Tesla and Mobileye had an acrimonious and public split after a driver was killed in 2016 when a Model S using the Autopilot system crashed.



At the time, Amnon Shashua, who is now Mobileye president and chief executive, said Tesla’s Autopilot was not designed to cover all possible crash situations as it was a driver assistance system, not a driverless system.



U.S. tech firm Nvidia followed Mobileye as a supplier for Autopilot, but it too was ultimately sidelined.



“Nvidia and Tesla share a common strategy of developing software-defined vehicles powered by high-performance AI computers. Elon is very focused on vertical integration and wanted to make his own chips,” said Nvidia’s senior director of automotive, Danny Shapiro.



Both Shapiro and the former Mobileye executive said there was no question of Tesla improperly using their technology.



In addition to partnerships, Musk went on an acquisition spree four years ago, buying a handful of little-known companies &#8211; Grohmann, Perbix, Riviera, Compass, Hibar Systems &#8211; to rapidly advance Tesla’s expertise in automation. Maxwell and SilLion further boosted Tesla’s ability in battery technology.



“He learned a lot from those people,” said Mark Ellis, a senior consultant at Munro &amp; Associates, which has studied Tesla extensively. “He leveraged a lot of information from them, then put his spin on making it better.”



Tesla did not respond immediately to a request for comment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">MAKE EVERYTHING</h2>



Since he took over the fledgling company in 2004, Musk’s goal has been to learn enough &#8211; from partnerships, acquisitions and talent recruitment &#8211; to bring key technologies under Tesla’s control, people familiar with Tesla’s strategy said.



They said the aim was to build a heavily vertically integrated company, or a digital version of Ford Motor Co’s iron-ore-to-Model-A production system of the late 1920s.



“Elon thought he could improve on everything the suppliers did &#8211; everything,” said former Tesla supply chain executive Tom Wessner, who is now head of industry consultancy Imprint Advisors. “He wanted to make everything.”



Batteries, a big chunk of the cost of an electric car, are central to the Musk method. While subordinates have argued for years against developing proprietary Tesla battery cells, Musk continues to drive toward that goal.



“Tell him ‘No’, and then he really wants to do it,” said a third former Tesla veteran.Slideshow&nbsp;( 4 images )



The changes in battery design, chemistry and production processes Tesla expects to reveal next week are aimed at reworking the math that until now has made electric cars more expensive than carbon-emitting vehicles with combustion engines.



Reuters reported in May that Tesla is planning to unveil low-cost batteries designed to last for a million miles. Tesla is also working to secure direct supplies of key battery materials, such as nickel, while developing cell chemistries that would no longer need expensive cobalt as well as highly automated manufacturing processes to speed up production.



‘STRAIGHT FOR MARS’



Panasonic is partnered with Tesla at the $5 billion Nevada “Gigafactory”, while CATL and LG Chem supply cells to Tesla’s Shanghai factory, where battery modules and packs are assembled for its Model 3 sedan.



Panasonic recently said it is planning to expand its production lines in Nevada, which supply the cells that then go into the battery modules assembled next door by Tesla.



But the Nevada Gigafactory partnership almost didn’t happen, according to two former Tesla executives. Musk ordered a team to study battery manufacturing in 2011, according to one former executive, but eventually partnered with Panasonic in 2013.



Now, Tesla is testing a battery cell pilot manufacturing line in Fremont and is building its own vast automated cell manufacturing facility in Gruenheide in Germany.



The roller-coaster relationship with Panasonic mirrors other Tesla alliances.







During its development alliance with Germany’s Daimler, which was an early investor in Tesla, Musk became interested in sensors that would help keep cars within traffic lanes.



Until then the Tesla Model S, which Mercedes-Benz engineers helped refine, lacked cameras or sophisticated driver assistance sensors and software such as those used in the Mercedes S-Class.



“He learned about that and took it a step further. We asked our engineers to shoot for the moon. He went straight for Mars,” said a senior Daimler engineer said.



Meanwhile, an association with Japan’s Toyota, another early investor, taught him about quality management.



Eventually, executives from Daimler and Toyota joined Tesla in key roles, along with talent from Alphabet Inc’s Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, as well as rival carmakers Ford, BMW and Audi.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE MUSK SPIN</h2>



Some relationships did not end well, however.



Tesla hooked up with Israeli sensor maker Mobileye in 2014, in part to learn how to design a self-driving system that evolved into Tesla’s Autopilot.







“Mobileye was the driving force behind the original Autopilot,” said a former Mobileye executive, who declined to be named.



Mobileye, which is now owned by Intel, also recognized the risk of sharing technology with a fast-moving startup like Tesla, which was on the brink of collapse at the end of 2008 and now has a market value of $420 billion.



But Tesla and Mobileye had an acrimonious and public split after a driver was killed in 2016 when a Model S using the Autopilot system crashed.



At the time, Amnon Shashua, who is now Mobileye president and chief executive, said Tesla’s Autopilot was not designed to cover all possible crash situations as it was a driver assistance system, not a driverless system.



U.S. tech firm Nvidia followed Mobileye as a supplier for Autopilot, but it too was ultimately sidelined.



“Nvidia and Tesla share a common strategy of developing software-defined vehicles powered by high-performance AI computers. Elon is very focused on vertical integration and wanted to make his own chips,” said Nvidia’s senior director of automotive, Danny Shapiro.



Both Shapiro and the former Mobileye executive said there was no question of Tesla improperly using their technology.



In addition to partnerships, Musk went on an acquisition spree four years ago, buying a handful of little-known companies &#8211; Grohmann, Perbix, Riviera, Compass, Hibar Systems &#8211; to rapidly advance Tesla’s expertise in automation. Maxwell and SilLion further boosted Tesla’s ability in battery technology.



“He learned a lot from those people,” said Mark Ellis, a senior consultant at Munro &amp; Associates, which has studied Tesla extensively. “He leveraged a lot of information from them, then put his spin on making it better.”

Elon Musk At SpaceX Headquarters

The Musk Method: Learn from partners, then go it alone

NAIROBI (Reuters) &#8211; Five-year-old Kenyan student Miguel Munene sits between his parents, holding their hands as he watches cartoon characters teaching him to pronounce “fish”.



The television has replaced Munene’s teachers and classmates after the government shut schools indefinitely in March to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. They are closed until at least January.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="800" height="600" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shutterstock_227423392.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-374199" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shutterstock_227423392.jpg 800w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shutterstock_227423392-300x225.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shutterstock_227423392-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shutterstock_227423392-696x522.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shutterstock_227423392-600x450.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption>Kenya. Shutterstock </figcaption></figure>



Many children don’t have the option to learn online &#8211; the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF says at least half of sub-Saharan Africa’s schoolchildren do not have internet access.



So some, like Munene, watch a cartoon made by Tanzanian non-profit organisation Ubongo, which offers television and radio content for free to African broadcasters.



“Other programmes are just for fun, but Ubongo is helping children,” Miguel’s mother Celestine Wanjiru told Reuters. “He can now differentiate a lot of shapes and colours, both in English and Swahili.”



In March, programmes by Ubongo &#8211; the Kiswahili word for brain &#8211; were broadcast to an area covering about 12 million households in nine countries, said Iman Lipumba, Ubongo’s head of communications. That rose to 17 million in 20 countries by August.



“The COVID-19 pandemic has really forced us to rapidly grow,” Lipumba said.



A group of artists, innovators and educators set up Ubongo TV in Tanzania in 2014. It has received around $4 million in grants since, and earned $700,000 from YouTube, product sales, character licensing, and co-production of programmes.



For Munene and other schoolchildren, programmes like Ubongo’s are their only option to learn for now.



Kenya’s education ministry says schools can only reopen when the number of COVID-19 cases drops substantially.



Kenya has had over 36,000 confirmed cases and more than 620 deaths, health ministry data showed.



“You have the kid with you all the time so when you have such programmes, they are a big help,” Patrick Nyaga, Miguel’s father, a security guard, told Reuters.



But television cannot completely replace teaching.



“The way the children learn through programmes is different (from) the way they interact with others and teachers,” Nyaga said. “We are hoping that they open soon.”

shutterstock_330896015

Millions of African children rely on TV education during pandemic

The gentle lion of the courts of justice who fought for the rights of his fellow man &#8211; almost to his last breath &#8211; is gone.



Human rights lawyer George Bizos died at his Johannesburg home on the sun drenched afternoon of September 9 of natural causes, according to his family.



The last time I saw him was seven years ago at a reunion of the Rivonia Trial lawyers: Bizos; Joel Joffe and Denis Kuny at Liliesleaf, in Rivonia, where the arrest of the leaders of the underground lent the famous trial its name.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1023" height="682" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bizos-and-lawyers.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-381312" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bizos-and-lawyers.jpg 1023w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bizos-and-lawyers-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bizos-and-lawyers-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bizos-and-lawyers-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bizos-and-lawyers-696x464.jpg 696w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) 100vw, 1023px" /><figcaption>Joel Joffe George Bizos and Denis Kuny Liliesleaf 2013</figcaption></figure>



 On that day the great man asked if I could help him up a flight of stairs. He lent gently on me and with a huff there and a puff here and there we made it to the top. I felt honoured. 



Bizos has spent a lifetime fighting the good fight in court and helped save the life of South Africa’s first black president at South Africa’s trial of the century in 1964. 



Mandela and his comrades faced the death penalty on charges of sabotage in the so called Rivonia Trial at the Palace of Justice in Pretoria. To make matters even more difficult for the defence team was the fact that the accused refused to deny the charges relating to a string of attacks on government property from electricity pylons to post boxes. They argued that the apartheid state should have been in the dock instead.



Bizos was one of the junior members of a heavy weight defence team led by experienced human rights advocates Braam Fischer, Joffe and Arthur Chaskelson.



Survivors of the trial remember Bizos as a bright young man who was always quick with the sandwiches and a quip, as well as sound legal counsel. He was a shining young light in the endless hours in the bowels of the Palace of Justice as the accused waited to ascend the steep, dark, staircase to the dock each day.



It was Bizos who told me, in 2013, how he altered the world famous speech from the dock by Mandela in which he spoke for his comrades. Mandela spoke of the ideal of a free and multi-racial South Africa which he hoped to live to see.



“But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die,” concluded Mandela to a stunned court.



“There was a deafening silence at the end of the speech, you could have heard a pin drop,”&nbsp; Chaskelson told me more than half a century later.



Bizos told me at Liliesleaf on a warm summer&#8217;s evening , that he had persuaded Mandela to insert “if needs be” into the speech. It took some persuasion for the legally trained pen of Mandela to make a change, but after a burst of Bizos browbeating, he agreed.



“I felt the speech was too strong as it was. It was an invitation to the judge to hang everyone and make them martyrs, so I recommended we put in the words ‘If needs be’” says Bizos.



Joffe, a former chairman of Oxfam made Lord Joffe by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, remembered Mandela’s reaction to the change.



“I read my speech and there seems to be an error, he said, it is my sentence and I want it back!” Joffe chuckled.



Bizos also claimed he was the first to learn that the Rivonia trialists were not going to hang long before the verdict in Pretoria.



The British government had been putting pressure on the South African authorities not to hang Mandela and his comrades. It feared that they would be made martyrs and fuel unrest that could threaten British investments in South Africa.



Bizos recalled a social gathering at the embassy where the British ambassador had more than a few drinks.



“As I walked out he put his arm around me and said: ‘Don’t worry George, they are not going to hang and Rusty Bernstein will be acquitted,” Bizos said.



So it was, to the letter, weeks later in court. Even though the accused were upbeat and smiling on their way to prison following the verdict holding up three fingers to Bizos through the window of the police van.



&#8220;Three years George and we will be out!&#8221; they shouted to their lawyer.



But it was not to be so, life was to mean life for the Rivonia trialists who spent nearly 30 years behind bars. 



All of the Rivonia trialists &#8211; who have now passed on &#8211; emerged from prison to see a free South Africa. How different history could have been if it were not for a dose of timely diplomatic pressure and a canny counsel by the name of Bizos.

Bizos and lawyers

George Bizos- the man who helped save Mandela’s neck

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) &#8211; The Black Lives Matter movement has forced South African sport to reflect on its post-Apartheid history and created fissures between former team mates in a country still trying to come to terms with its racist past.



The BLM movement has put a spotlight on the way societies treat people of colour around the world and in South Africa the debate has centred on sport.



The discussion has focussed on how opportunities were scarce for Black players across some sporting codes even after the fall of Apartheid, the system of racial segregation that existed in the country from 1948 until the early 1990s.



It has been a public debate that has often turned ugly and threatened to create further divides, including between former players from an older generation and those who currently feature in national teams.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1110" height="717" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/GettyImages-110168263-1-1110x717.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-380935" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/GettyImages-110168263-1-1110x717.jpg 1110w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/GettyImages-110168263-1-300x194.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/GettyImages-110168263-1-768x496.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/GettyImages-110168263-1-1536x992.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/GettyImages-110168263-1-2048x1323.jpg 2048w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/GettyImages-110168263-1-696x450.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/GettyImages-110168263-1-1068x690.jpg 1068w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/GettyImages-110168263-1-1920x1240.jpg 1920w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/GettyImages-110168263-1-600x388.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px" /><figcaption>Happier times -South Africa&#8217;s midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala celebrates after scoring a goal against Mexico during their 2010 World Cup group A first round football match on June 11, 2010 at Soccer City stadium in Soweto, suburban Johannesburg. NO PUSH TO MOBILE / MOBILE USE SOLELY WITHIN EDITORIAL ARTICLE &#8211; AFP PHOTO / ROBERTO SCHMIDT (Photo credit should read ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



When South Africa’s World Cup-winning former rugby captain Francois Pienaar went down on one knee in support of BLM at a cricket fixture in July, he was criticised by some former team mates.



Former Springbok prop Ollie le Roux retweeted a post that likened BLM to worshipping Satan. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Pienaar said he was showing solidarity against “any form of racism and suppression”, but the backlash from the public included death threats.



“I think a discussion must be held to fully understand the black pain, but the other side of the coin is the farm murders which have caused a lot of white pain,” Le Roux told the Sunday newspaper Rapport, referring to the regular violent attacks on usually white-owned farms in South Africa.



Shortly afterwards, eight South African members of the Premiership rugby team Sale Sharks side did not ‘take a knee’ before a game in England, though they did wear ‘Rugby Against Racism’ t-shirts.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">‘CANCER CALLED RACISM’</h3>



The country’s minister of sport, Nathi Mthethwa, asked South African Rugby to take action against the players, who included 2019 World Cup winners Faf de Klerk and Lood de Jager, in a sign of the pressure that will be put on sports federations to ensure their athletes comply with the government’s anti-racism message. &nbsp;



“Racism is no longer in the statutes books but some are practising it covertly and we are saying that we will hunt them down because we know the pain that is caused by this cancer called racism,” Mthethwa said in a statement.



“We are ready to take whatever steps necessary to ensure that people toe the line and those who are racist are taught to embrace other people.



“If that doesn’t happen‚ government is going to ensure that we do what the constitution mandates us to do.”



Cricket South Africa, the sport’s governing body in the country, has recently come under fire from various quarters, including former black players, who say black athletes were blocked from the national team.



Other allegations have concerned the poor treatment of those black players that were selected, including under the captaincy of current Director of Cricket Graeme Smith.FILE PHOTO: South African President Nelson Mandela (L) raises his arms in jubilation as Springbok captain Francois Pienaar holds aloft the Webb Ellis cup after South Africa&#8217;s victory over New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final played at Ellis Park June 24. South Africa won 15-12 in extra time/File Photo



He has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, but the current squad recently had a four-day “culture camp” where, among other things, they could air views on issues concerning race and the past treatment of players. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“It’s extremely important to have discussions around race, the country’s history and transformation,” batsman Rassie van der Dussen said in a statement from CSA after the camp.



“In South Africa, you cannot afford to be oblivious to the past and in my opinion, it almost borders on ignorance if you don’t go to the effort to research the history of our country – the good and the bad.”



Rugby and cricket in the country have been in focus without any on-field action due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they face the prospect of microscopic scrutiny when teams start playing again in the coming months.

What the #Springboks’ #RWC2019 win means for brand SA

Black Lives Matter forces South African sport to face past demons

(Reuters) &#8211; Tesla Inc (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/TSLA.O">TSLA.O</a>) on Tuesday unveiled its biggest program of new share sales as a public company, seeking to cash in on soaring Wall Street interest in the electric carmaker to raise up to $5 billion that will ease future debt pressures.FILE PHOTO: A Tesla SuperCharger station is seen in Los Angeles, California, U.S., July 9, 2020. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson



The move comes a day after a 5-for-1 stock split took effect, Tesla’s first since its initial public offering in June 2010, and follows a nearly six-fold increase in the value of its shares this year.



Tuesday’s share sale comes as Tesla seeks to massively expand production of its existing vehicles and build new factories near Berlin, Germany and Austin, Texas. The company also plans to launch new lines of vehicles, including a semi-truck called the Tesla Semi and its futuristic Cybertruck.



Tesla said it plans to use proceeds from the offering to strengthen its balance sheet and for general corporate purposes.



Craig Irwin, a Roth Capital Partners analyst who has the equivalent of a ‘hold’ rating on the stock, on Tuesday said the capital raise did not come as a surprise.



“They will need cash for all the facilities they are building, and new growth initiatives,” Irwin said.



Ten major banks, including Goldman Sachs (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/GS.N">GS.N</a>), Bank of America Securities (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/BAC.N">BAC.N</a>), Citigroup Global Markets (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/C.N">C.N</a>) and Morgan Stanley (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/MS.N">MS.N</a>), will conduct the sale, the electric carmaker said in a filing, giving no deadline for its completion. (<a href="https://bit.ly/3gNy91t">bit.ly/3gNy91t</a>)



David Whiston, an analyst at Morningstar Research, said it remained to be seen how much money Tesla will ultimately raise. The company had $8.6 billion in cash and cash equivalents at the end of June.



“I can understand them taking advantage of the stock’s incredible run, but they don’t need the money right now,” Whiston said.



Tesla in February had announced plans to raise $2 billion in a stock offering.



Tesla shares, which rose about 8% in early premarket trading, retreated to trade about 1% higher on the day after the news.



The company’s high-flying stock has risen another 70% since the split was announced on Aug. 11, and was trading at over $2,000 before the division on Friday.



With a market capitalization now around $465 billion, it became the world’s biggest car company by value in July and has propelled Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s personal fortune past $100 billion.



Musk has repeatedly assured investors over the past year that Tesla would not need to raise more money for costly expansion initiatives or to pay down debt.

How Elon Musk Took Tesla To Hell And Back With The Model 3

Tesla launches $5 billion capital raise, tapping in on share surge

NEW YORK (Reuters) &#8211; At the height of the coronavirus pandemic last spring, the heads of U.S. banks including Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Corp and others pledged not to cut any jobs in 2020 because it was the wrong thing to do.



However, as executives prepare for an extended recession and loan losses that come with it, layoffs are back on the table, said consultants, industry insiders and compensation analysts.



Compared with April projections, bank economists and executives expect the U.S. economy to take longer to recover, with high unemployment into 2021 and interest rates staying near zero for the foreseeable future.



On top of that, working from home has shown some managers that they need fewer employees to do the same amount of work.



“No question, layoffs (will) come across the board for all the banks,” said Barry Schwartz, chief investment officer at Toronto-based Baskin Wealth Management, which invests in JPMorgan Chase and other large Canadian banks.



Banks have to cut costs because of expected credit issues, as well as low interest rates and regulatory pressure to trim dividends, he said.



Bank staff could shrink by an average of 5-10%, mainly at mid- and lower levels in technology, human resources and finance departments, according to Alan Johnson, head of the compensation consultancy Johnson Associates, Inc.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/071-1-576x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-378628" width="704" height="1252" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/071-1-576x1024.jpg 576w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/071-1-169x300.jpg 169w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/071-1-450x800.jpg 450w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/071-1-768x1365.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/071-1-864x1536.jpg 864w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/071-1-scaled.jpg 1152w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/071-1-696x1237.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/071-1-1068x1899.jpg 1068w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/071-1-1920x3413.jpg 1920w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/071-1-600x1067.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 704px) 100vw, 704px" /></figure>



JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co already cut around 100 jobs in mid-July, according to comments on social media. People who said they worked in three divisions – the community and consumer bank, the commercial bank and the corporate and investment bank – said they were let go. JPMorgan representatives declined to comment.



Wells Fargo &amp; Co resumed cutting jobs in August after putting layoffs on hold in March. The affected staff have so far been in technology and retail banking, and management is planning thousands more layoffs this year and next, sources said.



“We didn’t see a lot of restructuring or layoffs with the banks (earlier in the pandemic). We’re starting to see it now,” said Dennis Baden, partner-in-charge at executive search firm Heidrick &amp; Struggles.



“Things will get a little bit worse &#8230; and we might see an increase in restructuring.”



Among global banks, Standard Chartered PLC and HSBC Holdings PLC have let go of several hundred employees this year. Standard Chartered plans to lay off a few hundred more this year and early next year, according to bank sources.



A Standard Chartered spokesman said the job cuts are not due to the pandemic, but are part of a more than 4-year-old strategic plan. Any Standard Chartered employees let go in 2020 will be paid their salary for the rest of the year and will receive severance pay, according to a bank statement.



HSBC announced this month it was restarting a plan to cut 35,000 jobs.



The Bank of Nova Scotia also let go of some U.S. investment bank staff, according to several sources familiar with the development. The bank declined to comment.



Reuters reported in May that large Wall Street banks were widely expected to cut budgets, including areas in technology and operations, like third-party consultants, business analytics, process management and call centers.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">FROM RECORD REVENUES TO JOB CUTS</h3>



Wall Street’s trading and investment banking businesses generated huge revenue from the market volatility in March and April. But CEOs and analysts have since cautioned that capital-markets revenue will trend downwards for the rest of the year, despite market indexes posting record highs recently.



Analysts still expect banks to report decent profits in coming quarters, and some may continue to invest in core businesses in an opportunistic way. For instance, JPMorgan Chase opened 13 new branches in July, after having closed 22 branches in June on a net basis, according to S&amp;P Global.



Still, banks are planning staff cuts because costs are expected to be high relative to revenue, and management teams have found that remote work setups function better than expected, said Johnson.



“Everyone has been surprised by how much more efficient you can be,” he said. “Later this year or early next year, (managers will) look around and say we just have many more people than we need.”

Banks eye layoffs as short-term crisis ends, long-term costs emerge

Over the past 20 years sub-Saharan Africa has registered the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fao.org/3/a-bo092e.pdf">highest rate</a>&nbsp;of agricultural production in the world. There have been knock-on effects with the region also seeing the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---inst/documents/publication/wcms_624872.pdf">fastest growth</a>&nbsp;in off-farm employment and non-farm labour productivity.



There’s a&nbsp;<a href="https://farmerline.co/2019/05/29/securing-the-future-of-agriculture-in-the-face-of-an-ageing-farmer-population/#:%7E:text=Ghana%20is%20like%20many%20other,Food%20and%20Agriculture%2C%202011">widely held</a>&nbsp;view that Africa’s agricultural growth trajectory could be jeopardised by an ageing farm population because young people are fleeing from farming. Several sources indicate that the average age of Africans in farming has risen to 60 years or more. But we are unaware of any empirical evidence to support this claim.



To understand what’s really going on, we used nationally representative survey data collected by the government statistical offices of six African countries – Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Nigeria and Tanzania. Because these surveys were replicated multiple times in each country between 2000 and 2018, we can compute how much time people spent annually in farming and off-farm jobs. We can examine trends in the age distribution of the labour force in farm and off-farm employment since 2000.



This was done as part of our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rural21.com/english/current-issue/detail/article/the-myth-of-africas-ageing-farmers.html">research</a>&nbsp;into young people’s access to land as well as their migration decisions and employment opportunities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Breaking the myth</h2>



Our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rural21.com/english/current-issue/detail/article/the-myth-of-africas-ageing-farmers.html">findings</a>&nbsp;debunk the myth that most farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are over 60 years of age – far from it in fact.



According to the national government-administered data in the six countries, the average age of the agricultural workforce ranges from about 32 years to 39 years. Even when not counting young adults in the 15 to 24 year old range, the average age of the agricultural workforce ranges from 38 to 45 years of age. And even going beyond the generally accepted labour force age range of 15 to 64 years to include all elderly people of any age working in farming, the mean age of farmers barely changes.



This is explained by the fact that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.populationpyramid.net/africa/2020/">only 3%</a>&nbsp;of sub-Saharan Africa’s population is 65 years and over. And less than half of this group is economically active and engaged in farming.



Secondly, the average age of the agricultural workforce in the six African countries examined has either increased by one or two years or remained constant over the past decade. Between the first and latest survey periods, which spanned from seven to 12 years, the average age of the labour force in farming increased by less than two years in four of the six study countries (Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia). The mean farmer age remained unchanged in Nigeria and declined slightly in Tanzania.



In other words, the age of Africans in farming is barely rising, if at all. Considering that roughly 7 million to 10 million young people are entering the labour force in sub-Saharan Africa each year, it is easy to understand why the average age of the farming population is not rising, even with large numbers of young people partially or fully moving out of farming.



Based on these nationally representative surveys, it is clear that of the region’s many agricultural challenges, an ageing workforce in farming is fortunately not one of them.



Third, our study found that individuals in off-farm jobs are on average one to three years younger than those in farming, especially when the sample excludes the 15-24 year old age group.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How to make farming profitable for young people</h2>



As highlighted in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00220388.2018.1430767?journalCode=fjds20">previous studies</a>, the share of employment in farming has been declining over time as opportunities for off-farm employment expand in Africa’s rapidly transforming economies. But farming still accounts for a significant proportion of the jobs held by working-age individuals and remains the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00220388.2018.1430767?journalCode=fjds20">single largest</a>&nbsp;employer of rural youth. Most of the jobs, however, are, part time.



It is true that many young people from rural areas are leaving farming as off-farm opportunities continue to expand. Nevertheless, most young people who are economically active remain engaged in farming. What is missing, however, is a critical mass of skilled young Africans with access to finance and know-how to drive productivity growth in farming and related value chains.



The idea of keeping young people in farming for fear of African agriculture becoming the preserve of the elderly is misplaced. A more effective strategy would prioritise resourcing the millions of rural youth already engaged in farming to make farming more profitable. Making agriculture “sexy” is not nearly as important as making it profitable. Young people will flock to agriculture if and when it becomes clear that it can make good money.



A related priority is to encourage skilled young Africans to apply their expertise to address the many policy, regulatory, and financing barriers that inhibit them from starting and expanding agribusiness firms that provide important services to African farmers.

farmer-africa-women-black-woman

African farmers are younger than you think. Here is why

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) &#8211; In a luxury mansion in the Hollywood Hills, young TikTok influencers bounced around on a bright sunny morning this week trying out new ideas for zany short form videos that they hope will go viral.



They’re also feeling concerned about their future.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1110" height="741" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shutterstock_440066134-1110x741.jpg" alt="Facebook holds on as TikTok invades Social Media in SA" class="wp-image-373478" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shutterstock_440066134-1110x741.jpg 1110w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shutterstock_440066134-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shutterstock_440066134-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shutterstock_440066134-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shutterstock_440066134-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shutterstock_440066134-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shutterstock_440066134-696x465.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shutterstock_440066134-1068x713.jpg 1068w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shutterstock_440066134-1920x1281.jpg 1920w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shutterstock_440066134-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px" /><figcaption>Facebook holds on as TikTok invades Social Media in SA </figcaption></figure>



Kids Next Door LA is one of a number of TikTok houses set up around the U.S. where teens live, sleep and brainstorm creative ideas for dance and music videos and seek deals with brands that can bring in millions of dollars for the top influencers.



But their livelihoods are now at risk from an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump that will effectively ban the social media app if its Chinese parent ByteDance does not reach a deal to divest it by mid-September.



“For two to five months, maybe, everybody is going to take a big hit. Everyone is going to lose a stream of revenue. I think it’s really stupid&#8230; what Trump is doing,” said Adam Miguest 27, known on TikTok as @itsadamm, who is one of the seven influencers at the house.



Walmart Inc (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/WMT.N">WMT.N</a>) said this week it was joining Microsoft (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/MSFT.O">MSFT.O</a>) in a bid for TikTok’s U.S. assets. ByteDance is expected to pick a bidder to enter into exclusive talks as early as Friday but it’s not clear how any deal would affect the future of the quirky videos that are loved by millions and those who make them.



Claire Hesser, 18, a former beauty queen, says TikTok has quickly become a huge part of youth culture.



“I feel like if it gets taken away, I feel it’s going to hurt more rather than benefit&#8230; I just wish that they understood that TikTok really does have an impact on our world today and our generation especially,” she said.



It’s not just the influencers that any changes could affect, but also brands seeking to do business with them.



“Maybe people shut down sales in store and they were going to do a e-commerce strategy that involved TikTok. It could affect a lot of industries &#8211; especially the music industry because so many songs go viral from TikTok,” said Ariadna Jacobs, whose company manages Kids Next Door LA.Slideshow&nbsp;(5 Images)



Hailey Orona, known online as @real.ona, has 9.5 million followers on TikTok and is about to launch her own beauty line. But she also has 2.8 million followers on Instagram to fall back on.



&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “If it does get banned, I have a back-up plan, of course, which is to move to the YouTube platform or use the Reels on Instagram,” Orona said.

The Rise Of TikTok

TikTok influencers say ‘everybody is going to take a big hit’

(Reuters) &#8211; President Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination on Thursday for a second term with an attack on rival Joe Biden, asserting that a Democratic victory in November would exacerbate the racial strife and coronavirus pandemic besieging the nation.



Following are excerpts from the speeches on the last day of the Republican National Convention, much of which was pre-recorded due to the coronavirus pandemic.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP:</h3>



On the pandemic:



“The entire planet has been struck by a new and powerful invisible enemy. Like those brave Americans before us, we are meeting this challenge. We’re delivering life-saving therapies. And we’ll produce a vaccine before the end of the year, or maybe even sooner.”



On the election:



“At no time before have voters faced a clearer choice between two parties, two visions, two philosophies, or two agendas. This election will decide whether we save the American dream, or whether we allow a socialist agenda to demolish our cherished destiny. This election will decide whether we protect law-abiding Americans, or whether we give free rein to violent anarchic agitators and criminals who threaten our citizens.”



“If the left gains power, they will demolish the suburbs, confiscate your guns, and appoint justices who will wipe away your Second Amendment and other constitutional freedoms.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-352573" width="711" height="524" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-1.jpg 594w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-1-300x221.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-1-80x60.jpg 80w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-1-570x420.jpg 570w" sizes="(max-width: 711px) 100vw, 711px" /><figcaption>WASHINGTON, DC &#8211; FEBRUARY 16: U.S. President Donald Trump stands during a news conference announcing Alexander Acosta as the new Labor Secretary nominee in the East Room at the White House on February 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. The announcement comes a day after Andrew Puzder withdrew his nomination. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



On Joe Biden:



“Joe Biden is not a savior of America’s soul. He is the destroyer of America’s jobs. And if given the chance, he will be the destroyer of American greatness.”



“Biden is a Trojan horse for socialism. If Joe Biden doesn’t have the strength to stand up to wild-eyed Marxists like Bernie Sanders and his fellow radicals &#8230; then how is he ever going to stand up for you? He’s not.”



On public safety:



“Make no mistake, if you give power to Joe Biden, the radical left will defund police departments all across America. They will pass federal legislation to reduce law enforcement nationwide. &#8230; No one will be safe in Biden’s America.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">IVANKA TRUMP, DAUGHTER OF DONALD TRUMP:</h3>



“Donald Trump did not come to Washington to win praise from the Beltway elites. Donald Trump came to Washington for one reason and one reason alone, to make America great again.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">U.S. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL OF KENTUCKY:</h3>



“Today’s Democratic Party doesn’t want to improve life for middle America. They prefer that all of us in flyover country keep quiet. And let them decide how we should live our lives. They want to tell you when you can go to work. When your kids can go to school. They want to tax your job out of existence, and then send you a government check for unemployment. They want to tell you what kind of car you can drive, what sources of information are credible, and even how many hamburgers you can eat.”



“I’m immensely proud of the work the Republican Senate has done, acting as a firewall against Nancy Pelosi’s agenda.”



JEFF VAN DREW, U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FROM NEW JERSEY WHO SWITCHED FROM THE DEMOCRATIC TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY:



“Joe Biden is being told what to do by the radicals running my former party, the same radicals trying to install him as their puppet president.”



PATRICK LYNCH, PRESIDENT OF THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION:



“The radical left doesn’t really want better policing. They don’t really care about making the justice system fairer. What they want is no policing.”Slideshow&nbsp;(4 Images)



RUDY GIULIANI, DONALD TRUMP’S PERSONAL LAWYER AND FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR:



“These continuous riots in Democratic cities, gives you a good view of the future under Biden.”



DAN SCAVINO, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR COMMUNICATIONS:



“While they call it chaos, President Trump calls it change.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">U.S. HOUSE MINORITY LEADER KEVIN MCCARTHY OF CALIFORNIA:</h3>



“Four years ago, President Trump promised to be your voice. He kept that promise. But there’s still so much more to do. The choice before you could not be clearer. Forward in freedom or backward in socialism. Forward in prosperity, or backward in poverty. Forward in personal liberty or backwards in more government control.”



BEN CARSON, U.S. SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT:



“We have a choice: Do we want big government that controls our lives from cradle to grave? Or do we believe in the power and wisdom of the people and their ability to self-govern with help from a limited federal government?”



DANA WHITE, PRESIDENT OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS PROMOTION COMPANY, THE ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP:



“Make no mistake about it. We still have a long way to go. And that is why we need a leader, with President Trump’s unique attributes, at this critical time.”

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Quotes from last day of Republican National Convention themed ‘Land of Greatness’

(Reuters) &#8211; Tesla Inc shares continued their meteoric rise on Thursday, scoring yet another record high and further expanding the distance between the Silicon Valley electric carmaker and its traditional auto industry rivals.



Tesla shares rose to $2,290 in mid-day trading before leveling out at $2,240, the highest price since the company went public at $17 a share in 2010.



Tesla’s shares have risen more than 420% since the beginning of this year, turning some retail investors into millionaires.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/hqdefault-19.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-361692" width="704" height="527" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/hqdefault-19.jpg 480w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/hqdefault-19-300x225.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/hqdefault-19-80x60.jpg 80w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/hqdefault-19-265x198.jpg 265w" sizes="(max-width: 704px) 100vw, 704px" /><figcaption>How Elon Musk Took Tesla To Hell And Back With The Model 3</figcaption></figure>



While other carmakers are forced to invest billions to overhaul their internal combustion engine operations to produce battery-powered cars, investors are confident that Tesla can make the shift from a niche carmaker into a global leader in cleaner cars.



Tesla became the world’s most valuable carmaker by market capitalization when it overtook former front runner Toyota Motors Corp on July 1. The company now accounts for 41% of the total market cap of a group of 12 of the world’s largest automakers.



(Graphic: Tesla stock rally dwarfs rivals&#8217; market cap Tesla stock rally dwarfs rivals&#8217; market cap &#8211;&nbsp;<a href="https://graphics.reuters.com/TESLA-STOCKS/xklvynnqepg/chart.png">here</a>)



<figure class="wp-block-image"><a href="https://graphics.reuters.com/TESLA-STOCKS/xklvynnqepg/chart.png" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img decoding="async" src="https://graphics.reuters.com/TESLA-STOCKS/xklvynnqepg/chart.png" alt="Reuters Graphic"/></a></figure>



Tesla produces only a fraction of the vehicles sold by established global carmakers, many of which are considered growth engines for their local economies.



Japan’s Toyota and Germany’s Volkswagen AG (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/VOWG_p.DE">VOWG_p.DE</a>) sold 10.46 million and 11 million vehicles, respectively, during the 2019 financial year. That compares to the 367,200 vehicles Tesla delivered in 2019.



Tesla has said it would deliver at least half a million vehicles by the end of 2020, less than 5% of Toyota’s and Volkswagen’s annual sales.



But Tesla withstood industry-wide fallout from the novel coronavirus pandemic and in July reported a second-quarter profit, clearing a hurdle that could lead to the electric carmaker’s inclusion in the S&amp;P 500 index.

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