by Ruth Aine - 01 September 2016

One morning last week I participated in a WhatsApp group conversation that was very eye-opening. This group has members from about 14 African nations. We got word that the Nigerian president had tabled a bill before Parliament on tourist visas. The bill, if passed into law, will allow people to receive visas on arrival and the rest will take 48 hours to process. This is obviously very good news for the African populace. While a Nigerian visa is not hard to get, the requirements are somewhat excessive. So, we all went ahead to share what our experiences in obtaining Nigerian visas have been like.

by Ruth Aine - 01 August 2016

I have been a member of Facebook groups but none have influenced me much to an extent that I get to change my lifestyle. However, there is this group on Facebook that I have been a part of for about three months now where I have learned so much about my health and how I to better it.

by Ruth Aine - 01 July 2016

April brought with it great tidings. It gave birth to the futuristic Global Work/Technology 2050 scenarios. These scenarios are very much part of the work that we do in the foresight community. What was really interesting, is watching the current trends, because they resemble significantly to what we could expect in the next 34 years. Everything has a foundation that is being laid. This is why we cannot afford to disregard these scenarios. By paying attention, we can create the best for us and for our children. It is important that we learn, it is important that we prepare for the future.

by Ruth Aine - 01 June 2016

It is 2016 and we are still having rather weird and 'awkward' conversations about inclusion of women and girls into 'the big picture'. And I find it absurd and shameful. Because, truth is, we are not there - not as a continent, not as a world. A woman making it big in whatever field still makes headline news. While the stage in most cases has been set, the playing field is not yet leveled. However, there are efforts to change that. STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics] education is one of them.

by Ruth Aine - 01 May 2016

When it comes to financial systems in Africa, we can all agree on a couple of things. The most important being that Africa, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, is leading in regards to mobile money. The banks are adapting, the people have adapted and so have the telecom companies.

by Ruth Aine - 01 March 2016

The World Government Summit took place in the United Arab Emirates on 8-10 February 2016. Presented for the fourth time, this was the first time it opened up to the rest of the world. The theme of this event was “The Future of Governments”. I was obviously thrilled to be a part of such an interesting and unique conversation. Unique, because we don’t hear of governments, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, being the champions of change, apart from Rwanda of course, which has been amazingly exemplary.

by Ruth Aine - 01 February 2016

A few months ago I visited South Africa and stayed at a B&B in Melville, a really cool place, small and cozy. I loved it.

I was there for about five days. On the second last day there was a water shortage. In the past year South Africa, more so Johannesburg, have been experiencing water and power shortages.

by Ruth Aine - 01 January 2016

I live in the capital of Uganda, Kampala. The city is relatively fast-paced as any city could be. My mother lives and works up country but once in a while she will visit or rather come to see how the home is ‘faring’. She was home recently and I noticed something. We have cooking gas in the house as it’s fast, safe and easy to use to cook with. The price for the smallest gas canister I would say were ‘manageable’ but those have increased in the recent past due to the strengthening of the dollar against the weakening Ugandan shilling. However, my mother, an accomplished lady in her own right, will insist on lighting a charcoal stove and use it to cook while around. Her argument – it is cheaper. Charcoal is cheaper than gas. Also reminds me of how my grandmother has never agreed to use a charcoal stove but would rather use firewood to cook. Her argument – firewood cooks faster – and I must admit grandmama’s food tastes better with the aroma of firewood.

by Ruth Aine - 01 November 2015

There are so many words whose definitions I struggle with – however, top of that list is ‘sustainability’. While I am a fan of the word (I think all millennial development professionals are), I still find myself musing at what the best possible meaning of this word could be. It also turns out that I am not the only one that thinks so – there is an author who wrote a paper on why they believed that the definition of sustainability was flawed. Now this is a ‘troubled’ word.

by Ruth Aine - 01 October 2015

In the present-day world, families continue to be an important part of society, but not as important as they were 10 years ago. But then also, that theory of thought depends on how we define families.

When I was about three or four years old, we used to play a game called Mama na Tata (loosely translated as Mummy and Daddy). I don't know how and why - but we always imagined that all you needed to do was grow older and taller to become a mother and a father. And so we would set up a family in the sand - barefoot while innocently playing roles - basically imitating what we see our parents do.