Safaricom Shop along a street in Nairobi, Kenya, 11 Aug 2019
[Xinhua/John Okoyo]
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Geopolitics
Safaricom launches 5G network in Kenya with Huawei technology, planning to expand coverage to over 150 locations this year
Operating in Africa for 22 years, Huawei is present in 40 countries and provided 4G to half the continent; for Kenyan ICT minister Joe Mucheru, US security concerns are “more about politics than technology”
Economy
China looks for alternative iron-ore sourcing in Guinea to reduce dependency on Australia (60% imports)
Development of world’s largest high-grade iron ore reserves in Simandou (2.4 billion tons) could reach 7% of global production (2030) and enable Guinea leveraging for needed infrastructure; China imports 70% of global supply (1 billion tons)
People’s Life and Culture
Preparing for tourism rebound, South Africa partners with Confucius Institute to train local guides in Chinese language and culture
Tourism accounted for 7% of GDP and 1.5 million South African jobs before pandemic; thanks to new visa policies, Africa was the destination for 29% of high-income Chinese tourists in 2018 (15%, 2017)
