Left Behind? The Challenges Holding Back East Africa’s Musical Success
African music seems to be taking the world by storm. So far, promises of East African music becoming a powerhouse on the world stage are yet to come to fruition. As Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz secures his biggest hit in years, Komasava, by tapping into South Africa’s breakout genre, Amapiano, this begs the question – is there room for an authentic East African sound on the global stage?
Wired and Wireless: The Fibre Optic and Satellite Infrastructure Powering East Africa’s Digital Leap
Despite being home to some of the fastest-growing economies in the world, East Africa’s internet penetration rate remains below 40%, lagging significantly behind the global average of 66.2%. Approximately 70% of East Africa’s population lives in rural areas, where traditional connectivity infrastructure is often inaccessible or unreliable.
Beyond Consumption: The Investment Potential of Remittances in East Africa
Every month, millions of East Africans receive a familiar, much welcome alert – money sent by a loved one abroad. 'Money sent back home,’ or remittances, are payments sent by migrant workers to their home countries, most often to support family and friends. Remittances are an economic lifeline, covering essential expenses like education, healthcare, and housing. By sustaining households, they contribute to long-term human capital development and economic resilience.
Buying Restored Time: Un-Jamming Kenya's Traffic Gridlock
Time is undeniably the most valuable asset a person can possess. We dedicate our lives to maximising its use, often caught in the paradox of striving to create more time while inevitably watching it slip away. One of the greatest consumers of time is traffic congestion. Nairobi, ranks among the most congested cities in the world with daily commutes averaging over 1 hour.
COVID Five Years On: Evaluating the Response and the Transformations in Healthcare Since the Pandemic
COVID-19, caused by the SARS-Cov-2 virus, emerged as a global pandemic, disrupting societies and economies worldwide. Five years later, East Africa continues to navigate the lasting effects of the crisis, particularly within its healthcare systems. This report evaluates the region’s response, assessing both immediate interventions and long-term transformations.
The Economics of Enjoyment: An Analysis of Uganda’s Entertainment Economy Across Its Nightlife, Festivals and Weddings
The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘enjoyment’ as ‘the action or state of deriving gratification from an object.’ However, in East Africa, the term ‘enjoyment’ has been defined in popular discourse as more than just a state of being – it is a lifestyle, a philosophy, and, as this report explores, a serious economic force.
Fragmented Funds, Untapped Futures: East Africa’s Informal Sector Pension Puzzle
The current pension landscape within East Africa can be akin to a small square blanket during a cold winter night – little coverage and unsatisfactory returns. While formal sector workers can access pension schemes, the vast majority employed in the informal sector are excluded, missing out on the benefits of retirement savings and leaving much of the economy untapped for collective resource pooling.
From Chalkboards to Chatbots: Revolutionising East Africa’s Education Trajectory with Technology
With East Africa's student population projected to grow by 17% in primary schools and 9% in secondary to higher education by 2040, traditional teaching methods may face mounting challenges in delivering effective, personalised learning. Already strained by limited resources, educational systems must now adapt to meet the demands of a growing and increasingly diverse region.
East Africa’s Road to Nuclear Energy: A Feasibility Study Assessing Infrastructure and Policy Pathways
Nuclear fission, a process that was accidentally discovered to release energy in 1938, now drives nuclear power plants that account for 11% of the world’s electricity generation. Nuclear energy is recognised as a key towards carbon neutrality, endorsed by more than 20 countries and the agreed upon declaration to triple nuclear energy by 2050.
