<div style="max-width: 700px;"><video-js data-account="1571595826001" data-player="default" data-embed="default" controls="" data-video-id="6125907047001" data-playlist-id="" data-application-id="" class="vjs-fluid"></video-js></div>
<p><script src="https://players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.min.js"></script></p>
<p>The global economy is consuming 100 billion tonnes of materials a year for the first time ever but re-use of resources has gone into reverse. That’s according to the 2020 Circularity Gap Report launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos by Circle Economy. Marc De Wit, Director of Strategic Alliances at Circle Economy joins CNBC Africa to unpack the report.</p>


World Economic Forum: Global resource consumption passes 100bn tonnes/YR – Circularity Gap Report

<div style="max-width: 700px;"><video-js data-account="1571595826001" data-player="default" data-embed="default" controls="" data-video-id="6125853542001" data-playlist-id="" data-application-id="" class="vjs-fluid"></video-js></div>
<p><script src="https://players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.min.js"></script></p>
<p>At the ongoing World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, CNBC International spoke to CEO of Siemens, Joe Kaeser for an outlook on the multinational conglomerate company.</p>


World Economic Forum: Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser on its global growth strategy

<div style="max-width: 700px;"><video-js data-account="1571595826001" data-player="default" data-embed="default" controls="" data-video-id="6125829209001" data-playlist-id="" data-application-id="" class="vjs-fluid"></video-js></div>
<p><script src="https://players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.min.js"></script></p>
<p>Khaya Gobodo, Managing Director of Old Mutual Wealth joins CNBC Africa to discuss the group’s $8.3 billion commitment towards creating inclusive and sustainable economies.</p>


Old Mutual commits $8.3bn towards creating inclusive and sustainable economies

#WEF20: Why Old Mutual is committing $8.3bn towards creating inclusive and sustainable economies

<div style="max-width: 700px;"><video-js data-account="1571595826001" data-player="default" data-embed="default" controls="" data-video-id="6125518415001" data-playlist-id="" data-application-id="" class="vjs-fluid"></video-js></div>
<p><script src="https://players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.min.js"></script></p>
<p>CNBC international spoke with Hong Kong&#8217;s chief executive Carrie Lam at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos about The city&#8217;s recent Moody’s ratings downgrade and the economic impact from the Hong Kong protests.</p>


World Economic Forum: Carrie Lam on economic impact of Hong Kong protests


<p>By <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/karen-gilchrist/">Karen Gilchrist </a></p>



<p>For decades, political and economic policies have been built on the promise of helping people do better than the generations before them. But still today, in 2020, the opportunities we get in life remain largely dictated by the socio-economic circumstances we’re born into.</p>



<p>That’s the finding of a new report from the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/davos-world-economic-forum/">World Economic Forum</a>, which says that most countries are failing to stamp out historical inequalities that prevent people from realizing their full potential.</p>



<p>In its inaugural&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-social-mobility-index-2020-why-economies-benefit-from-fixing-inequality" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Global Social Mobility Index</a>&nbsp;released Monday, WEF found that just a handful of governments — specifically those in Scandinavian countries — have succeeded in laying the foundations for greater social mobility and more prosperous futures for their citizens.</p>



<p>Social mobility refers to the ability for individuals, families or households to move between various socio-economic strata within a society.</p>



<p>The social framework has long been used as a measure of a society’s socio-economic progress, comparing outcomes such as a person’s earnings versus their parents. However, WEF’s new report looks instead at inputs, such as the policies, practices and institutions within a society.</p>



<p>The report comes as leaders gather to discuss key global issues at WEF’s 50th anniversary in Davos, Switzerland.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/id/10000268">Denmark</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/id/10000281">Norway</a>, Finland,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/id/10000286">Sweden</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/id/10000276">Iceland</a>&nbsp;— incidentally some of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/video/2020/01/09/why-finland-and-denmark-are-the-happiest-countries-in-the-world.html">world’s happiest countries</a>&nbsp;— ranked as the five most socially mobile countries, thanks to their supportive education and employment frameworks.</p>



<p>Other major economies like the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/united-kingdom/">U.K.</a>&nbsp;(21st),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/id/10000385">U.S.</a>&nbsp;(27th),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/china/">China</a>&nbsp;(45th) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/india/">India</a>&nbsp;(76th), however, failed to make the top quartile.</p>



<p>To conduct the research, WEF benchmarked 82 countries according to 10 pillars deemed necessary for cultivating social mobility. Those included health care, education, technology access, work opportunities, working conditions, fair wages, social protection and inclusive institutions.</p>



<p><strong>WEF&#8217;s Global Social Mobility Index Ranking 2020 </strong></p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Make-it-WEF.png" alt="" class="wp-image-353936" width="479" height="559" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Make-it-WEF.png 469w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Make-it-WEF-257x300.png 257w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Make-it-WEF-359x420.png 359w" sizes="(max-width: 479px) 100vw, 479px" /><figcaption> Source: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/oTOMN/2/" target="_blank">World Economic Forum</a>  <a href="data:application/octet-stream;charset=utf-8,Country%2CRank%20(Out%20of%20100)%0ADenmark%2C85.2%0ANorway%2C83.6%0AFinland%2C83.6%0ASweden%2C83.5%0AIceland%2C82.7%0ANetherlands%2C82.4%0ASwitzerland%2C82.1%0AAustria%2C80.1%0ABelgium%2C80.1%0ALuxembourg%2C79.8%0AGermany%2C78.8%0AFrance%2C76.7%0ASlovenia%2C76.4%0ACanada%2C76.1%0AJapan%2C76.1%0AAustralia%2C75.1%0AMalta%2C75%0AIreland%2C75%0ACzech%20Republic%2C74.7%0ASingapore%2C74.6">Get the data</a>  <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/oTOMN/" target="_blank">Created with Datawrapper</a> </figcaption></figure></div>



<p>In particular, it found that most countries lagged behind in four areas: fair wages, social protection, working conditions and lifelong learning.</p>



<p>Social mobility — or a lack of it — has serious implications not only for individuals, but also for the societies they live, the report noted. While some nations have taken steps to build more inclusive systems, much remains to be done to get the foundations right, according to WEF’s founder and executive chairman, Klaus Schwab.</p>



<p>“The social and economic consequences of inequality are profound and far-reaching: a growing sense of unfairness, precarity, perceived loss of identity and dignity, weakening social fabric, eroding trust in institutions, disenchantment with political processes, and an erosion of the social contract,” Schwab.</p>



<p>“The response by business and government must include a concerted effort to create new pathways to socioeconomic mobility, ensuring everyone has fair opportunities for success.”</p>



<p><em>This article was first published on CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/21/wef-where-youre-born-determines-the-opportunities-you-get-in-life.html">https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/21/wef-where-youre-born-determines-the-opportunities-you-get-in-life.html</a> and is republished with its permission.</em></p>


Child_Poverty_Shutterstock

Where you’re born determines the opportunities you get in life, says the World Economic Forum

<div style="max-width: 700px;"><video-js data-account="1571595826001" data-player="default" data-embed="default" controls="" data-video-id="6125248153001" data-playlist-id="" data-application-id="" class="vjs-fluid"></video-js></div>
<p><script src="https://players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.min.js"></script></p>
<p>The booming Chinese tech industry gives opportunities for big gains from that marketplace. CNBC International spoke to one of the Chinese big tech players, Group CEO of Naspers and Prosus, Bob van Dijk, about how he looks at Chinese tech industry.</p>


World Economic Forum: Bob van Dijk: Why we are excited about India

World Economic Forum: Bob van Dijk: Why we are excited about India, recyclables

<div style="max-width: 700px;"><video-js data-account="1571595826001" data-player="default" data-embed="default" controls="" data-video-id="6125248508001" data-playlist-id="" data-application-id="" class="vjs-fluid"></video-js></div>
<p><script src="https://players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.min.js"></script></p>
<p>CNBC International spoke with the president of Botswana Mokgweetsi Masisi at this year’s World Economic Forum on his plan to push Botswana&#8217;s growth potential locally and internationally.</p>


World Economic Forum: Botswana’s Mokgweetsi Masisi on why the youth

World Economic Forum: Botswana’s Mokgweetsi Masisi on why the youth, leapfrogging present a big advantage for the country’s growth

<div style="max-width: 700px;"><video-js data-account="1571595826001" data-player="default" data-embed="default" controls="" data-video-id="6124918461001" data-playlist-id="" data-application-id="" class="vjs-fluid"></video-js></div>
<p><script src="https://players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.min.js"></script></p>
<p>The South African government spends nearly 50 per cent of its budget on social grants, education and health and yet according to a new World Economic Forum report says South Africa is one of the worst performers in terms of social mobility- thanks largely to the poor outcomes in education, health and employment. Former Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba spoke with CNBC Africa reporter Karabo Letlhatlha for more.</p>


Herman Mashaba: Why Ramaphosa has missed the economic opportunity


<p>DAVOS 2020 – WHY THE WORLD IS LESS COOL THIS YEAR. </p>



<p>By Chris Bishop</p>



<p>Next week world leaders will meet at one of the coldest
spots on earth to discuss this divided planet’s burning issues that threaten
its very survival.</p>



<p>For years, the World’s Davos gathering has been around
issues of globalisation, the Fourth Industrial Revolution and artificial
intelligence. It is 50 years since the free market optimist Klaus Schwab
launched the gathering, in the Swiss ski village, aimed at bringing the world’s
economies closers.</p>



<p>The wags used to paint it as the great, good and the
powerful linking arms to sing: ‘We are the World.’ This year, the song of Davos
could be closer to a Bob Marley’s So Much Trouble in the World on the aptly
named album Survival.</p>



<p>As raging fires lay waste vast tracts of Australia – the
word is they won’t be doused until March – the World Economic Forum says the greatest
risk, in its 10 year outlook, is extreme weather destroying property and taking
life, followed closely by the failure to tackle climate change. Both lurk
beneath the glow of Australia’s ruinous bush fires.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>



<p>The other greatest risks, according to 750 global experts
polled by WEF, are: environmental crime and mistakes, like radiation leaks and
oil spills; followed closely by the destruction of natural resources, tsunamis
earthquakes and geomagnetic storms. </p>



<p>“The political landscape is polarised, sea levels are rising
and climate fires are burning. This is the year when world leaders must work
with all sectors of society to repair and reinvigorate our systems of
cooperation, not just for short-term benefit but for tackling our deep-rooted
risks,” said Borge Brende, President of the World Economic Forum. </p>



<p>This is the second year running that that climate and
environment concerns top the list; one reason why issues like climate change
are shooting up news agenda in newsrooms around the world and causing companies
worldwide to rethink their investments. </p>



<p>Aside from the fury of the elements, 2020 threatens to be a
dangerous and depressed year all round.</p>



<p>“The report forecasts a year of increased domestic and
international divisions and economic slowdown. Geopolitical turbulence is
propelling us towards an “unsettled” unilateral world of great power rivalries
at a time when business and government leaders must focus urgently on working
together to tackle shared risks’,” says the report.</p>



<p>The leaders of the South African delegation to Davos meet at
a plush hotel in Rosebank, Johannesburg, to set out their stall for yet another
pitch to the world for investors as the economy stalls with growth expected to
be less than one per cent this year.</p>



<p>As usual, the South Africans will be looking largely for
investors in heavy industry, tech and mining. Maybe the country – on of the
biggest polluters in Africa &#8211; should be looking to attract investment into
renewable energy to help avert climate change before the elements eat it for
breakfast. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>


These are the world’s greatest risks

<div style="max-width: 700px;"></div>
<p><script src="https://players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.min.js"></script></p>
<p>Since the West African Economic and Monetary Union agreed to rename its CFA Franc to the &#8220;Eco&#8221;, Ghana&#8217;s government has indicated interest to join the West African currency, but without the planned peg to the Euro. Nigeria&#8217;s government on the other says it is still studying the development. With the currency set to kick off by the end of the year – Tilewa Adebajo, CEO of CFG Advisory joins CNBC Africa to discuss the implications.</p>


Will West Africa realise its journey to a single currency?


<ul><li><em>By WEF </em><br></li><li>According to the current trajectory for closing the gender gap across politics, economics, health and education, the overall global gender gap will close in 99.5 years </li><li>Improvement in political representation helped narrow the overall global gender gap, even though prospects for economic opportunity have worsened in the past 12 months</li><li>Iceland remains the world’s most gender-equal country, followed by Norway, Finland, Sweden and Nicaragua</li><li>Discover the full report, infographics and more information <a href="https://wef.ch/gggr20">here</a></li></ul>



<p><strong>Geneva, Switzerland, 17 December 2019 </strong>– The time it will take to
close the gender gap narrowed to 99.5 years in 2019. While an improvement on
2018 – when the gap was calculated to take 108 years to close – it still means
parity between men and women across health, education, work and politics will take
more than a lifetime to achieve. This is the finding of the World Economic
Forum’s <a href="https://wef.ch/gggr20"><em>Global Gender Gap Report 2020</em>,</a> published today. </p>



<p>According to the report, this year’s improvement can largely be ascribed
to a significant increase in the number of women in politics. The political
gender gap will take 95 years to close, compared to 107 years last year. Worldwide
in 2019, women now hold 25.2% of parliamentary lower-house seats and 21.2% of
ministerial positions, compared to 24.1% and 19% respectively last year.&nbsp; </p>



<p>Politics, however, remains the area where least progress has been made
to date. With Educational Attainment and Health and Survival much closer to
parity on 96.1% and 95.7% respectively, the other major battlefield is economic
participation. Here, the gap widened in 2019 from 58.1% in 2018 to 57.8%. Looking
simply at the progress that has been made since 2006 when the World Economic
Forum first began measuring the gender gap, this economic gender gap will take
257 years to close, compared to 202 years last year.&nbsp; </p>



<p><strong>Economic Gap Widening</strong></p>



<p>The report attributes the economic gender gap to a number of factors. These
include stubbornly low levels of women in managerial or leadership positions,
wage stagnation, labour force participation and income. Women have been hit by
a triple whammy: first, they are more highly represented in many of the roles
that have been hit hardest by automation, for example, retail and white-collar
clerical roles. </p>



<p>Second, not enough women are entering those professions – often but not
exclusively technology-driven – where wage growth has been the most pronounced.
As a result, women in work too often find themselves in middle-low wage
categories that have been stagnant since the financial crisis 10 years ago.</p>



<p>Third, perennial factors such as lack of care infrastructure and lack of
access to capital strongly limit women’s workforce opportunities. Women spend
at least twice as much time on care and voluntary work in every country where
data is available, and lack of access to capital prevents women from pursuing
entrepreneurial activity, another key driver of income. </p>



<p>“Supporting gender parity is critical to
ensuring strong, cohesive and resilient societies around the world. For
business, too, diversity will be an essential element to demonstrate that
stakeholder capitalism is the guiding principle. This is why the World Economic
Forum is working with business and government stakeholders to accelerate
efforts to close the gender gap,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of
the World Economic Forum.</p>



<p><strong>Could the “Role Model
Effect” close the gender gap?</strong></p>



<p>One positive development is the possibility that a “role model effect”
may be starting to have an impact in terms of leadership and possibly also
wages. For example, in eight of the top 10 countries this year, high political
empowerment corresponds with high numbers of women in senior roles. Comparing
changes in political empowerment from 2006 to 2019 shows that improvements in
political representation occurred simultaneously with improvements in women in
senior roles in the labour market.</p>



<p>While this is a correlation, not a causation, in OECD countries, where
women have been in leadership roles for relatively longer and social norms
started to change earlier, role model effects could contribute to shaping
labour market outcomes. </p>



<p><strong>Gender Inequality in
the Jobs of the Future</strong></p>



<p>Possibly the greatest challenge preventing the economic gender gap from
closing is women’s under-representation in emerging roles. New analysis conducted in partnership with
LinkedIn shows that women are, on average, heavily under-represented in most
emerging professions. This gap is most pronounced across our “cloud computing” job
cluster where only 12% of all professionals are women. The situation is hardly
better in “engineering” (15%) and “Data and AI” (26%), however women do
outnumber men in two fast-growing job clusters, “content production” and
“people and culture”.</p>



<p>According to our
data, this reality presents leaders intent on addressing the gender gap in the
future with two key challenges. The first and most obvious challenge is that
more must be done to equip women with the skills to perform the most in-demand
jobs. Indeed, there is an economic cost of not doing so as skills shortages in these
professions hold back economic growth. </p>



<p>The second is
possibly more complex. According to our data, even where women have the relevant
in-demand skillset they are not always equally represented. In data science,
for example, 31% of those with the relevant skillset are women even though only
25% of roles are held by women. Likewise, there is no gender gap in terms of
skills when it comes to digital specialists, however only 41% of these jobs are
performed by women. </p>



<p>These facts point
to three key strategies that must be followed to hardwire gender equality into
future workforces: to ensure women are equipped in the first place – either
through skilling or reskilling – with disruptive technical skills; to follow-up
by enhancing diverse hiring; and to create inclusive work cultures. </p>



<p>“Insights from
LinkedIn’s Economic Graph can help policymakers, business leaders, and
educators understand and prepare for how women will be represented in the
future workforce. Our data shows that meaningful action is needed to build the
systems and talent pipelines required to close the gender gap in tech and
ensure women have an equal role in building the future,” said Allen Blue,
Co-Founder and Vice-President, Product Strategy, LinkedIn.</p>



<p><strong>What the Forum is
Doing to Close the Gender Gap</strong></p>



<p>The World Economic Forum’s Platform for Shaping the Future of the New
Economy and Society aims to close economic gender gaps through both in-country
and global industry work. Through Closing the Gender Gap Accelerators, the
Forum drives change by setting up action coalitions between relevant ministries
and the largest employers in the country to increase female labour force
participation, the number of women in leadership positions, closing wage gaps
and preparing women for jobs of the future. Additionally, the global business
commitment on Hardwiring Gender Parity in the Future of Work mobilizes
businesses to commit to hiring 50% women for their five highest growth roles
between now and 2022. Finally, the Forum has committed to at least double the
current percentage of women participants at the Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters,
Switzerland, by 2030. </p>



<p>“To get to parity in the next decade instead of the next two centuries,
we will need to mobilize resources, focus leadership attention and commit to
targets across the public and private sectors. Business-as-usual will not close
the gender gap – we must take action to achieve the virtuous cycle that parity
creates in economies and societies,” said Saadia Zahidi, Head of the Centre for
the New Economy and Society and Member of the Managing Board, World Economic
Forum.</p>



<p><strong>The Global Gender
Gap in 2020 </strong></p>



<p>Nordic countries continue to lead the way to
gender parity. Iceland (87.7%) remains the
world’s most gender-equal country, followed by Norway (2nd, 84.2%), Finland (3rd,
83.2%) and Sweden (4th, 82.0%). Other economies in the top 10 include Nicaragua
(5th, 80.4%), New Zealand (6th, 79.9%), Ireland (7th, 79.8%), Spain (8th, 79.5%),
Rwanda (9th, 79.1%) and Germany (10th, 78.7%). </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1110" height="580" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gender-1110x580.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-352450" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gender-1110x580.jpg 1110w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gender-300x157.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gender-820x428.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gender-768x401.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gender-1536x802.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gender-696x363.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gender-1068x558.jpg 1068w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gender-804x420.jpg 804w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gender.jpg 1574w" sizes="(max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px" /></figure>



<p>Among the countries that improve the most this
year are Spain in Western Europe, Ethiopia in Africa, Mexico in Latin America,
and Georgia in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. These countries all improved
their positions in the ranking by more than 20 places, largely driven by improvements
in the political empowerment dimension.</p>



<p><strong>Western Europe </strong>is the best
performing region for the 14<sup>th</sup> consecutive year. With an average
score of 76.7% (out of 100), the region has now closed 77% of its gender gap,
further improving from last edition. At the current pace, it will take 54 years
to close the gap in Western Europe. The region is home to the four most
gender-equal countries in the world, namely in order Iceland (87.7%), Norway
(84.2%) and Finland (83.2%) and Sweden (82.0%), and one country (Spain, 8<sup>th</sup>)
is among the most improved countries this year. </p>



<p>The <strong>North America</strong> region
regroups the United States (72.4%, 53rd) and Canada (77.2%, 19th). Both
countries’ performances are stalling, especially in terms of economic
participation and opportunity. At this rate it will take 151 years to close the
gap.</p>



<p>The <strong>Eastern Europe and Central Asia</strong>
region has closed 71.5% of its gender gap so far with a slight improvement
since last year. To date the time to fully close its overall gender gap is
estimated to be 107 years. The region has fully closed its educational gap and
has improved women’s political empowerment which however remains only closed at
15%. 21 of the 26 countries in this region have closed at least 70% and the
top-ranked country, Latvia, 11<sup>th</sup> has closed 78.5% of its gap.</p>



<p>The <strong>Latin
America and the Caribbean</strong> region has closed 72.1% of its gender gap so far,
progressing 1 percentage points since last year. At this rate it will take 59
years to close the gender gap. The most noticeable improvement is on the
Political empowerment dimension where the region closes its gap by 5 percentage
points. Led my Nicaragua that has closed 80.4% of its gap (5<sup>th</sup>), 15
of the 24 countries covered by the report have improved their overall scores.
Among the most improved countries, Mexico reduced its gender gap by 3.4 points
on a year-over-year basis.&nbsp; </p>



<p>The<strong> Sub-Saharan
Africa</strong> region has closed 68.0% of its gender gap so far. This result is a
significant progress since last edition which leads to revise down the number
of years it will take to close the gender gap, which is now estimated at 95
years. The region is home of one of the top-ten countries overall Rwanda (9<sup>th</sup>)
while another 21 countries have improved their performances since last year,
including Ethiopia (82<sup>nd</sup>) one of the best improved this year
globally.&nbsp; </p>



<p>The <strong>East Asia and Pacific Region</strong> has
closed 69% of the overall gender gap. If the region maintains the same rate of
improvement as the 2006-2019 period, and given the current gap, it will take
another 163 years to close the gender gap, the most time of any region. The
region has improved on three of the four gender gap dimensions and has been the
only region where political empowerment gap has widened (16% closed so far).
The best performing country is New Zealand&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 6<sup>th</sup>,
which has closed 79.9% of its gap. It is followed by the Philippines 16<sup>th</sup>
with 78.1% closed and Lao PDR, 43<sup>rd</sup> with a score of 73.1%.</p>



<p><strong>South Asia</strong> region has closed two thirds of its gender gap. The
region’s gender gap is the second largest despite a progress of 6 points over
the past 14 years. If the rate of progress of the past 15 years was to continue
it will take 71 years to close the region’s gender gap. However, in contrast
with the overall’s performance, the region’s Economic participation and
opportunity gap widens this year. Bangladesh (50<sup>th</sup>) leads the
region, while the second ranked country, Nepal, lags several positions behind
(101th) </p>



<p>The <strong>Middle East
and North Africa</strong> (MENA) region obtains the lowest score (61.1%) despite
having narrowed its gap by 0.5 points since last year. Assuming the same rate
of progress going forward it will take approximately 150 years to close the
gender gap in the MENA region. The two most highly ranked countries in the
region are Israel&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  (64<sup>th</sup>)
with a closed gap to date of 71.8% and the United Arab Emirates (120<sup>th</sup>)
with a score of 65.5%. 15 of the 19 countries in this region rank 130<sup>th</sup>
or lower.</p>



<p>Platform
for Shaping the Future of the New Economy and Society </p>



<p>The <em>Global Gender Gap Report</em> is a flagship publication of the World
Economic Forum’s Platform for Shaping the Future of the New Economy and
Society. The Platform provides the opportunity to advancing prosperous,
inclusive and equitable economies and societies. It focuses on co-creating a
new vision in three interconnected areas: growth and competitiveness;
education, skills and work; and equality and inclusion. Working together,
stakeholders deepen their understanding of complex issues, shape new models and
standards and drive scalable, collaborative action for systemic change. </p>



<p>Over 100 of the world’s leading
companies and 100 international, civil society and academic organizations
currently work through the Platform to promote new approaches to
competitiveness in the Fourth Industrial Revolution economy; deploy education
and skills for tomorrow’s workforce; build a new pro-worker and pro-business
agenda for jobs; and integrate equality and inclusion into the new economy,
aiming to reach 1 billion people with improved economic opportunities.</p>


gender

It will take a 100 years for gender parity, Africa fares better but not by much

<div style="max-width: 700px;"><video-js data-account="1571595826001" data-player="default" data-embed="default" controls="" data-video-id="6116456874001" data-playlist-id="" data-application-id="" class="vjs-fluid"></video-js></div>
<p><script src="https://players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.min.js"></script></p>
<p>The World Economic Forum (WEF) says closing the overall gender gap across politics, economics, health and education narrowed for the first time in three years. This was in their latest Global Gender Gap report, where Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is reported to have closed 68 per cent of the gender gap so far. Roberto Crotti, Lead for the Centre for the New Economy and Society at the World Economic Forum joins CNBC Africa from Geneva for more.</p>


WEF: Overall gender gap narrows for first time in 3 years

WEF: Overall gender gap narrows for first time in 3 years, here’s how African countries fared

<div style="max-width: 700px;"><video-js data-account="1571595826001" data-player="default" data-embed="default" controls="" data-video-id="6096471684001" data-playlist-id="" data-application-id="" class="vjs-fluid"></video-js></div>
<p><script src="https://players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.min.js"></script></p>
<p>At the recent World Economic Forum for Africa, the role of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in driving Africa&#8217;s journey towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) was widely debated. The Africa Science Week has been one practical way of bridging the gap towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution. CNBC Africa&#8217;s Arnold Kwizera caught up with Managing Director of the Next Einstein Forum, Nathalie Munyampenda for more.</p>


Understanding the role of STEM education ahead of NEF Africa Science Week

<div style="max-width: 700px;"><video-js data-account="1571595826001" data-player="default" data-embed="default" controls="" data-video-id="6093996620001" data-playlist-id="" data-application-id="" class="vjs-fluid"></video-js></div>
<p><script src="https://players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.min.js"></script></p>
<p>At the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa the need to end Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) to enable Africa’s prosperity was discussed – on how to tackle this challenge, Public Advisor, Africa End Fund, Joy Ruwondo, joins CNBC Africa.</p>


Africa End Fund’s Joy Ruwondo on eliminating neglected tropical diseases

<div style="max-width: 700px;"><video-js data-account="1571595826001" data-player="default" data-embed="default" controls="" data-video-id="6093473067001" data-playlist-id="" data-application-id="" class="vjs-fluid"></video-js></div>
<p><script src="https://players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.min.js"></script></p>
<p>After years of maladministration, South Africa’s competitiveness is improving. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report, Africa’s most industrialised economy moved up seven places on the rankings to position 60 out of 141 economies. World Economic Forum Lead Economist, Roberto Crotti joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


SA moves up WEF competiveness rankings

<p>It was a <em><a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wef/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="World Economic Forum (WEF) (opens in a new tab)">World Economic Forum </a></em><a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wef/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="World Economic Forum (WEF) (opens in a new tab)">(WEF)</a> <em>on Africa</em> like no another as thousands of delegates from around the world descended on Cape Town, South Africa from the 4<sup>th</sup>-6<sup>th</sup> September. &nbsp;They were there to <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/05/how-to-garner-a-large-slice-of-africas-overcrowded-telecoms-market/">strike deals</a>, see what the <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/05/standard-chartered-banks-saif-malik-on-the-digital-era-of-banking-in-africa/">best of Africa had to offer</a> and <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/uncategorized/2019/09/10/wef-africa-debate-africas-economic-update/">how its economies are performing</a>. For example, <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/09/zimbabwe-is-working-on-currency-challenges-mnangagwa/">Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa</a>, <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/04/masisi-khama-is-not-botswana-and-neither-is-masisi/">Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi</a>, <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/uncategorized/2019/09/06/the-good-the-bad-and-ugly-zimbabwes-founding-father/">Namibia’s President Hage Geingob</a> and <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/04/finmin-mthuli-ncube-on-the-investment-case-for-zimbabwe/">Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube</a> went into detail during their interviews with CNBC Africa at the World Economic Forum Africa on how their Southern African counties are open for business.</p>


		
						<div style="display: block; position: relative; min-width: 0px; max-width: 640px;">
					<div style="padding-top: 56%; ">
						<video-js
								id="6085891333001"
								data-video-id="6085891333001" data-account="1571595826001"
								data-player="1WXqm5Ws6"
								data-usage="cms:WordPress:6.5.2:2.8.4:javascript"
								data-embed="default" class="video-js"
								data-application-id=""
								controls   								style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">
						</video-js>

						<script src="https://players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/1WXqm5Ws6_default/index.min.js"></script> 					</div>
				</div>
						
		


<p>The delegates were also there to discuss and
devise polices on “<a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/uncategorized/2019/09/12/why-siemens-believes-east-africa-is-an-investment-hotspot/">Shaping
Inclusive Growth</a> and <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/uncategorized/2019/09/10/visa-breakfast-panel-the-impact-of-4ir-on-the-state-of-female-entrepreneurship/">Shared
Futures in the Fourth Industrial Revolution</a>”, a subject both South Africa’s
<a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/02/shaping-inclusive-growth-and-shared-futures-in-4ir-wef-africa-holds-media-briefing-ahead-of-wef-2019/">Finance
Minister Tito Mboweni</a> and <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/04/emir-sanusi-on-how-can-africa-achieve-inclusive-growth/">Nigeria’s
Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II</a> where particularly passionate about. </p>



<p>But while inside the Cape Town
International Convention Centre (CITCC) things were cordial it was outside the
CITCC where the real action was happening. </p>



<p><a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/04/sa-women-protest-against-gbv-at-wefafrica19/">Hundreds
of protesters gathered</a> against gender-based violence, and members of the
Nigerian delegation departed on the first day of WEF Africa in protest against
the xenophobic violence that rocked the country. &nbsp;Even South Africa’s <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/uncategorized/2019/09/05/sa-president-addresses-gbv-afrophobic-violence/">President
Cyril Ramaphosa had to take time out of his busy schedule</a> at WEF Africa to
address the continent and investors on these matters. </p>


		
						<div style="display: block; position: relative; min-width: 0px; max-width: 640px;">
					<div style="padding-top: 56%; ">
						<video-js
								id="6085704844001"
								data-video-id="6085704844001" data-account="1571595826001"
								data-player="1WXqm5Ws6"
								data-usage="cms:WordPress:6.5.2:2.8.4:javascript"
								data-embed="default" class="video-js"
								data-application-id=""
								controls   								style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">
						</video-js>

						<script src="https://players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/1WXqm5Ws6_default/index.min.js"></script> 					</div>
				</div>
						
		


<p>Delegates at the event spoke out strongly against
Afrophobia during their interviews with CNBC Africa, such as: </p>



<ul><li><a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/04/anglogold-ashantis-sipho-pityana-on-how-sa-is-dealing-with-xenophobic-attacks/">AngloGold Ashanti’s Sipho Pityana on how SA is dealing with xenophobic attacks</a></li><li>South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/05/sa-embassy-shut-in-nigeria-buhari-still-to-visit/">SA embassy shut in Nigeria – Buhari still to visit</a></li><li>The African Union Commission’s <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/04/albert-muchanga-on-how-mutual-tolerance-is-key-in-trade-xenophobia-africas-shared-future/">&nbsp;Albert Muchanga: on how mutual tolerance is key in trade, xenophobia &amp; Africa’s shared future</a>.</li></ul>



<p>On the final day WEF Africa was also marked
by the passing of an African villain and liberator, Zimbabwe’s former President
Robert Mugabe, both inside and outside the CITCC people remembered him. </p>



<p>Such as:</p>



<ul><li>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/uncategorized/2019/09/06/namibian-president-geingob-on-the-good-the-bad-and-ugly-zimbabwes-founding-father/">Namibian
president Geingob on the good, the bad and ugly: Zimbabwe’s founding father</a></li><li><a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/06/zanu-pf-spokesperson-mandaza-reflects-on-mugabes-contribution-to-zimbabwes-liberation-struggle/">Zanu-PF
Spokesperson Mandaza reflects on Mugabe’s contribution to Zimbabwe’s liberation
struggle</a></li><li><a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2019/09/06/tiamiyou-radji-on-mugabe-the-fight-he-fought-has-yielded-freedom-for-us/">Tiamiyou
Radji on Mugabe: “The fight he fought has yielded freedom for us”</a></li></ul>



<p></p>

Missed the World Economic Forum (WEF) Africa 2019? Here are all the highlights

WEF

World Economic Forum: Global resource consumption passes 100bn tonnes/YR – Circularity Gap Report

World Economic Forum: Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser on its global growth strategy

#WEF20: Why Old Mutual is committing $8.3bn towards creating inclusive and sustainable economies

World Economic Forum: Carrie Lam on economic impact of Hong Kong protests

Where you’re born determines the opportunities you get in life, says the World Economic Forum

World Economic Forum: Bob van Dijk: Why we are excited about India, recyclables

World Economic Forum: Botswana’s Mokgweetsi Masisi on why the youth, leapfrogging present a big advantage for the country’s growth

Herman Mashaba: Why Ramaphosa has missed the economic opportunity

These are the world’s greatest risks

Will West Africa realise its journey to a single currency?

It will take a 100 years for gender parity, Africa fares better but not by much

WEF: Overall gender gap narrows for first time in 3 years, here’s how African countries fared

Understanding the role of STEM education ahead of NEF Africa Science Week

Africa End Fund’s Joy Ruwondo on eliminating neglected tropical diseases

SA moves up WEF competiveness rankings

Missed the World Economic Forum (WEF) Africa 2019? Here are all the highlights

#WEFA19: The Nature Economy

News Tips

Advertise With Us

WEF

World Economic Forum: Global resource consumption passes 100bn tonnes/YR – Circularity Gap Report

World Economic Forum: Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser on its global growth strategy

#WEF20: Why Old Mutual is committing $8.3bn towards creating inclusive and sustainable economies

World Economic Forum: Carrie Lam on economic impact of Hong Kong protests

Where you’re born determines the opportunities you get in life, says the World Economic Forum

World Economic Forum: Bob van Dijk: Why we are excited about India, recyclables

World Economic Forum: Botswana’s Mokgweetsi Masisi on why the youth, leapfrogging present a big advantage for the country’s growth

Herman Mashaba: Why Ramaphosa has missed the economic opportunity

These are the world’s greatest risks

Will West Africa realise its journey to a single currency?

It will take a 100 years for gender parity, Africa fares better but not by much

WEF: Overall gender gap narrows for first time in 3 years, here’s how African countries fared

Understanding the role of STEM education ahead of NEF Africa Science Week

Africa End Fund’s Joy Ruwondo on eliminating neglected tropical diseases

SA moves up WEF competiveness rankings

Missed the World Economic Forum (WEF) Africa 2019? Here are all the highlights

#WEFA19: The Nature Economy

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Newsletters