Africa’s biggest economy needs social safety net
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After it overhauled its economic statistics for the first time in decades, Nigeria this year announced that it had overtaken South Africa to become the continent’s largest economy. Government officials rejoiced and foreign investors celebrated.
The revision brings Nigeria significantly closer to its objective of joining the world’s top-20 nations by 2020, overtaking other emerging nations in Asia and Latin America.
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Nigerian gross domestic product for 2013 was reÂcalculated at $510bn, a hefty 89 per cent more than previously stated, and well above South Africa’s $350bn.
The new estimates were made by updating the base year for calculations to 2010 from 1991, when booming sectors in Nigeria such as the mobile phone industry, the banking sector and the “Nollywood” film industry were in their infancy.
City Women Generate Food & Income on Tiny Urban Plots
"It's a lot of work", says Mama Lulama Jim as she takes respite from the wind in a makeshift container kitchen. She pauses to study her notes made during an early morning inspection of the current crops of cabbage, carrots, spinach, brinjal and spring onion.
"It's a lot of work, but we manage because we have a passion for farming".
Mama Jim is part of a revival of urban agriculture in the townships of Cape Town. On the back of higher food and commodity prices, micro farmers like Mama Jim are using tiny parcels of land to grown food for their families and to generate an income.
She and three other women, all over the age of 60, run a communal food garden in Gugulethu, a township on the outskirts of Cape Town.
China playing a vital role in developing Africa's economy
China and Africa are well suited for one another. African development is being held back by a lack of infrastructure and Chinese firms have a proven track record in building power, communications and transport networks. Premier Li Keqiang's offer of Chinese assistance to link the continent's capitals with high-speed railways would improve opportunities and growth potential. Such a project would be mutually beneficial and help allay concerns by some Africans that Beijing is only being driven by self-interest.
The big natural-resource deals signed by Chinese leaders during visits to Africa gives uninformed observers the impression that the main interest in the continent is its mineral wealth. Angola and Nigeria, stops along with Ethiopia and Kenya during Li's week-long trip, are significant sources of oil for China (Angola is the second-biggest after Saudi Arabia).
New Research Centre to Boost Food Security
Science and Technology Minister Derek Hanekom will on Tuesday launch the Department of Science and Technology (DST)-National Research Foundation (NRF) Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Food Security at the University of the Western Cape.
The CoE is co-hosted by the University of the Western Cape and the University of Pretoria.
"The DST-NRF CoE in Food Security will bring together a cohort of experts and researchers to research the systemic and structural factors that shape food access and dietary choice, as well as food security strategies, choices and decisions for poor and vulnerable people," the department said in a statement.
The department said it will not look at agricultural productivity in isolation, but will take a "farm-to-fork" approach.
"Studies show that food insecurity is widespread in South Africa, where more than 60% of the population is urbanised," the department said.
Approximately 57% of South Africans live below the poverty line (meaning that some days there is no food).
