Search
AI-powered search, human-powered content.
scroll to top arrow or icon

Want Africa to grow? Get people and businesses online: Africa expert

There's a big opportunity for African countries to take advantage of the pandemic — if they can get online. "Greater internet connectivity can accelerate growth in tremendous ways," says Eurasia Group's top Africa analyst Amaka Anku. One of them would be formalizing the informal sector, which is very large and hard to tax: "It's much easier if people are paying using digital payments," she explains, but governments also need to do their part by cutting red tape to encourage investment.

Anku weighed in during a Global Stage livestream conversation hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with Microsoft during the 76th UN General Assembly.

Learn more: Should internet be free for everyone? A Global Stage debate

More from Global Stage

How can AI enhance human progress?

As artificial intelligence becomes more powerful and more deeply embedded in everyday life, how can we ensure it remains a tool for human progress, and under human control?

Loneliness, youth, and the rise of online radicalization

Should governments ban young people from social media? Paul Ash of the Christchurch Call Foundation says he has real reservations about age bans but understands why governments are turning to them.

How AI is changing violent extremism and radicalization

What happens when radicalization moves from public social media to private conversations with AI? Paul Ash of the Christchurch Call Foundation says it means fewer of the checks and balances found on other platforms.

New Paris Peace Forum chief on kids, AI and a shifting world

Can sovereignty and cooperation go together? Franck Paris, the new director general of the Paris Peace Forum, says sovereignty without cooperation is "just an illusion."

How AI could accelerate global development

As countries work to meet development goals amid funding constraints, AI is emerging as a potential tool to accelerate progress and expand opportunity. Robert Opp of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Justin Spelhaug of Microsoft Elevate discuss how AI can support development and humanitarian efforts around the world.

How AI safety must evolve as agentic AI advances

As agentic AI reshapes how the technology is built and deployed, Partnership on AI CEO Rebecca Finlay explains why global cooperation on safety can't wait.