Africa

1. Publishing boom
2. More wine, please
3. Reconstructing history
4. Innovating through partnership

Also, have we underestimated Africa’s plantain export potential?

Hello! Welcome back to Semafor Africa Weekend, where we always back a winner — well, most of the time. The winner this time is Nigeria, and specifically the Nigerian music business. Back in February, there was murmuring from Lagos to Los Angeles when South African “popiano” singer Tyla seemed to come out of nowhere and snagged the very first “African music performance” Grammy. Despite Tyla having probably the biggest hit of the year with “Water”, it was notable because the other four nominees were Nigerian. The argument I heard from Nigerian music industry insiders was that there would have been no new African music Grammy category in 2023 without the huge success of Nigerian-led Afrobeats over the decade before.

Well, maybe the Recording Academy heard some of that grumbling because this year all five nominees for that category are Nigerian, led by Afrobeats/R&B singer Tems who was also nominated for an R&B Grammy and Global Music album.

I often hear from African music fans some version of “we don’t need a Grammy recognition to know our music is good.” This is true. But if you’re in the business of getting your artists and their music in front of as many fans as possible, being celebrated in the most lucrative market in the world is no bad thing.

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South Africa’s book publishing grows

Or 3.5 billion rand. The amount of revenue the South African publishing industry generated in the 2022/23 financial year, according to an industry survey. The country is estimated to have about 200 active traditional and non-traditional publishers. The survey also estimated that 60% of revenue in the publishing industry comes from the education sector, which includes textbooks for schools, the traditional publishers’ primary focus. The rise of non-traditional publishing — in which individuals and businesses in the publishing industry use new and emerging technologies to get content into the hands of readers — has also largely been credited for the significant rise of literary output.

Côte d’Ivoire’s wine imports

Côte d’Ivoire imported the largest volume of wines in sub-Saharan Africa in 2023, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said. Imports increased by a fifth, to $64 million, from 2022.

Of the nearly 80,000 metric tons imported, 88% was from Spain and 7% from France. Ghana and South Africa are among Côte d’Ivoire’s other wine sources, though the combined value of imports from both in 2023 was just above $250,000.

Growing urbanization, a vibrant middle class, and the need to complement local spicy dishes makes Côte d’Ivoire a strong market for wines, the USDA said. A weaker West African CFA currency this year has been fueling inflation and reduced imports between January and July by 23% to $26 million. But annual economic growth of more than 6% means Côte d’Ivoire remains an attractive market for wine exporters, the agency said.

How to reconstruct African history

UNESCO is updating its 60-year old African history curriculum with new volumes that include African diasporas and their contributions to modern-day societies.

The General History of Africa (GHA) program was introduced in 1964 to help remedy the general ignorance of Africa’s history by reconstructing it and “freeing it from racial prejudices ensuing from slave trade and colonization,” while promoting an African perspective.

In its latest effort, the UN body is developing tools that African teachers and education policymakers can use to strengthen the teaching of the GHA program. The piloting workshop on mainstreaming African history was held in Ghana in September. The objective was to incorporate this history into national school education curricula.

“Teaching a common history to Africans is crucial in decolonizing the curriculum,” said Professor Paul Abiero, a historian at Moi University in Kenya. “But successful implementation will require financial resources, which are very limited in many countries.”

— Muchira Gachenge

Benin embraces creative partnership

Benin Republic’s Sèmè City is partnering with EbonyLife Media, Nigeria’s leading entertainment company, to build out skills in cinema, TV, animation, and video games production.

Sèmè City was launched in 2016 as part of the government’s ambition to drive entrepreneurship engagement with the creation of an international city of innovation and knowledge. EbonyLife Media has been a leading producer of some of Nollywood’s biggest movies and TV shows over the last decade and has been at the forefront of championing Africa’s creative industry on the world stage.

The first cohort of the 14-month incubation program, supported by the World Bank, will target 30 young local talents aged 18 to 35. Participants will be immersed in a comprehensive educational curriculum and will have access to a creative community in Nigeria.

— Muchira

Weekend Reads

🌍 Despite producing large quantities of plantains, African countries including Cameroon, Ghana, and Nigeria consistently export less of the crop than Latin American and Asian countries. Backed by data, Bright Simons makes the case for plantain chips as a way to build the continent’s agro-processing capabilities and establish a foothold in major export markets including the US.

🇳🇬 The election of Kemi Badenoch as leader of the UK’s opposition Conservative Party offers an insightful look into the complex relationship between Nigerians abroad and Nigerians in the country. In his analysis, Ebenezer Obadare considers the expectations and circumstances that decide whether one’s Nigerian heritage is cause for celebration or scorn back home.

🌍 The promise of well-paying customer service jobs is being used by Chinese criminal gangs to lure Africans into forced labor in Southeast Asia’s cybercrime hotspots. An investigation by Le Monde details how recruitment agencies target African job seekers who are later taken to centers to engage in various forms of cyber fraud and online extortion.

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea’s sex tape scandal has put the country on the world map as the compromising images and videos of its former financial crimes agency chief spread over social media. But Malabo observers say this is as much about a power struggle to succeed 82-year old President Teodoro Obiang Nguema who has been in power since 1979 as it is about the alleged moral improprieties of an influential individual.

🇬🇭 Arm wrestling is increasingly gaining credibility and popularity as a sport in Africa, Eshlin Vedan writes for the BBC. The sport featured for the first time at the African Games this year in Accra, Ghana. According to officials and enthusiasts, its low-cost nature keeps the barrier of entry low for young people across the continent.

Week Ahead

Nov. 11 — South Africa’s biggest mobile operator Vodacom and Africa’s biggest pay TV group Multichoice are expected to report half-year results. But Multichoice already issued a profit warning on Friday (Nov.8) saying its results would be “negatively impacted” by macroeconomic and currency pressures in key markets, notably Nigeria and Zambia.

Nov. 13 — Somaliland, the self-declared state in the northwest of Somalia, will hold its fifth presidential election since 1997.

Nov. 14 — Sanlam, South Africa’s biggest life insurer, releases third quarter operational update.

Nov. 12-14 — Africa Tech Festival 2024 will take place in Cape Town.

Nov. 15 — Nigeria’s statistics office to release the latest inflation data.

Nov. 17 — Senegal will vote in an early legislative election that could give President Bassirou Diomaye Faye a majority in parliament. Despite Faye having been swept to power in a presidential election in March, his party is far from assured of securing a majority.

For Your Consideration

Nov. 21 — African Union’s Women and Youth Financial & Economic Inclusion (WYFEI 2030) Initiative’s Afri’Talent Program is open for applications from African women and young people.

While Western policymakers have been focused on the threat to automotive jobs from Chinese electric vehicle makers, Chinese companies have been strengthening the lower-profile “electric donkey” industry: mopeds, writes Xiaoying You for Semafor Net Zero. “In many ways, the humble two-wheeler is the most successful electric vehicle China has ever rolled out on a scale that is truly mind-blowing,” writes Xiaoying.

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Happy 49th Independence Day to the people of Angola!! (Nov. 11) 🇦🇴

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— Yinka, Alexis Akwagyiram, Alexander Onukwue, Martin Siele, and Muchira Gachenge