Nanjira
@nanjira.bsky.social
A dark cloud in a blue sky. www.nanjira.com
Reposted by Nanjira
If you just banked that coffee money every week and denied yourself every other instance of life’s gastronomic pleasures, however small and ordinary, you could save enough to make the down payment on that starter house in [checks notes] five hundred and seventy three years
“At the same time, more than half of Gen Z members say they are struggling to make ends meet, yet a majority buy themselves a small treat, such as a pastry, coffee, or sweet, at least once a week. That can lead to overspending…”
archive.ph/2TI8J
archive.ph/2TI8J
October 31, 2025 at 6:25 PM
If you just banked that coffee money every week and denied yourself every other instance of life’s gastronomic pleasures, however small and ordinary, you could save enough to make the down payment on that starter house in [checks notes] five hundred and seventy three years
Reposted by Nanjira
‘Brussels Effect’, ‘Beijing Effect’, ‘Delhi Effect’ - all these ‘effects’ are playing out vividly on the African continent, presenting a unique lens through which to analyse the (de)merits of each approach developmentekko.substack.com/p/glocalizin...
Glocalizing tech regulation
A view of the EU’s ‘Brussels Effect’ from Africa
developmentekko.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 6:50 AM
‘Brussels Effect’, ‘Beijing Effect’, ‘Delhi Effect’ - all these ‘effects’ are playing out vividly on the African continent, presenting a unique lens through which to analyse the (de)merits of each approach developmentekko.substack.com/p/glocalizin...
Reposted by Nanjira
"Africa doesn’t lack opportunities, but it does lack patience for fundamentals. The problem with these overrated businesses isn’t that they’re useless; it’s that they’ve been sold as shortcuts to wealth" weetracker.com/2025/08/18/o... ht @nanjira.bsky.social
8 Overrated Business Trends in Africa (That Aren’t What They Seem)
These are the businesses that attract attention, Instagram posts, or even investor money, but rarely deliver long-term value.
weetracker.com
August 28, 2025 at 12:49 PM
"Africa doesn’t lack opportunities, but it does lack patience for fundamentals. The problem with these overrated businesses isn’t that they’re useless; it’s that they’ve been sold as shortcuts to wealth" weetracker.com/2025/08/18/o... ht @nanjira.bsky.social
Reposted by Nanjira
"Policy isn’t a more secure or better compensated branch of academia. Stacking up publication credits doesn’t come with any rewards" www.chalmermagne.com/p/death-by-a... ht @nanjira.bsky.social
Death by a thousand roundtables
Most policy work is pointless. It doesn’t need to be.
www.chalmermagne.com
August 21, 2025 at 5:52 AM
"Policy isn’t a more secure or better compensated branch of academia. Stacking up publication credits doesn’t come with any rewards" www.chalmermagne.com/p/death-by-a... ht @nanjira.bsky.social
“If the future hasn’t changed in the past, how could it possibly change now?”
www.publicbooks.org/no-future-a-...
www.publicbooks.org/no-future-a-...
“No Future”: A Lexicon - Public Books
If the future hasn’t changed in the past, how could it possibly change now?
www.publicbooks.org
July 23, 2025 at 10:52 AM
“If the future hasn’t changed in the past, how could it possibly change now?”
www.publicbooks.org/no-future-a-...
www.publicbooks.org/no-future-a-...
Reposted by Nanjira
Instead of asking: “How can AI make selection faster?”
We should ask: “How can AI help us find those we’d otherwise miss?” www.linkedin.com/posts/paulag...
We should ask: “How can AI help us find those we’d otherwise miss?” www.linkedin.com/posts/paulag...
A worrying signal for the future of #Ai in #humanitarian aid in this article by GiveDirectly. | Paula Gil Baizan
A worrying signal for the future of #Ai in #humanitarian aid in this article by GiveDirectly.
Targeting and selection are the holy grail of humanitarian innovation - get it wrong and your whole progr...
www.linkedin.com
July 16, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Instead of asking: “How can AI make selection faster?”
We should ask: “How can AI help us find those we’d otherwise miss?” www.linkedin.com/posts/paulag...
We should ask: “How can AI help us find those we’d otherwise miss?” www.linkedin.com/posts/paulag...
I am so, so tired, of the term 'potential'.
It has been used endlessly to speak about Africa, her youth demographic and to animate poor policy postures.
So, when a chance presented itself to pen a (yet another) polemic, I did.
developmentekko.substack.com/p/africas-yo...
It has been used endlessly to speak about Africa, her youth demographic and to animate poor policy postures.
So, when a chance presented itself to pen a (yet another) polemic, I did.
developmentekko.substack.com/p/africas-yo...
Africa’s youth potential: A policy mirage
A guest post by Nanjira Sambuli
developmentekko.substack.com
May 31, 2025 at 6:43 AM
I am so, so tired, of the term 'potential'.
It has been used endlessly to speak about Africa, her youth demographic and to animate poor policy postures.
So, when a chance presented itself to pen a (yet another) polemic, I did.
developmentekko.substack.com/p/africas-yo...
It has been used endlessly to speak about Africa, her youth demographic and to animate poor policy postures.
So, when a chance presented itself to pen a (yet another) polemic, I did.
developmentekko.substack.com/p/africas-yo...
Reposted by Nanjira
We're getting used to cyber attacks that cause massive service outages, assuming every unknown number is a scam, not being able to tell what's real from a deep fake. We're walking through a digital junkyard in which nothing really does what it's meant to do, but sure, AI can make Jesus ride a prawn
May 21, 2025 at 5:40 AM
We're getting used to cyber attacks that cause massive service outages, assuming every unknown number is a scam, not being able to tell what's real from a deep fake. We're walking through a digital junkyard in which nothing really does what it's meant to do, but sure, AI can make Jesus ride a prawn
Reposted by Nanjira
"Refrains like youth being leaders of tomorrow never specify when tomorrow is. In the eyes of many of the continent’s young and not-so-young, tomorrow never comes, not in time at least"
May 9, 2025 at 4:26 AM
"Refrains like youth being leaders of tomorrow never specify when tomorrow is. In the eyes of many of the continent’s young and not-so-young, tomorrow never comes, not in time at least"
Reposted by Nanjira
The last two decades of Africa potential discourse have already taught us that entrepreneurship cannot per se overcome poor public policy. It is especially fallacious to expect young people to magically leapfrog these entrenched complexities developmentekko.substack.com/p/africas-yo...
Africa’s youth potential: A policy mirage
A guest post by Nanjira Sambuli
developmentekko.substack.com
May 9, 2025 at 4:25 AM
The last two decades of Africa potential discourse have already taught us that entrepreneurship cannot per se overcome poor public policy. It is especially fallacious to expect young people to magically leapfrog these entrenched complexities developmentekko.substack.com/p/africas-yo...
💡 “…a theory of amnesia in the face of innovation:
when apparent technological innovations occasion the disregard of preexisting cultural, legal, and infrastructural norms.” /1
when apparent technological innovations occasion the disregard of preexisting cultural, legal, and infrastructural norms.” /1
May 6, 2025 at 9:24 AM
💡 “…a theory of amnesia in the face of innovation:
when apparent technological innovations occasion the disregard of preexisting cultural, legal, and infrastructural norms.” /1
when apparent technological innovations occasion the disregard of preexisting cultural, legal, and infrastructural norms.” /1
“…calls for sovereignty cannot be separated from the history of aid and the role of NGOs on the continent. This is not just a moment of budget cuts. /1
May 5, 2025 at 6:57 AM
“…calls for sovereignty cannot be separated from the history of aid and the role of NGOs on the continent. This is not just a moment of budget cuts. /1
“‘#Wakandification’: the process through which Africa *as a product* is reimagined to serve the interests of representation, nation, and capital[…]
/1
/1
May 4, 2025 at 10:52 AM
“‘#Wakandification’: the process through which Africa *as a product* is reimagined to serve the interests of representation, nation, and capital[…]
/1
/1
Reposted by Nanjira
Policy extraversion always amounts to playing a rigged game.
Davos founder accused of manipulating World Economic Forum research. on.ft.com/3GAaWlM
Davos founder accused of manipulating World Economic Forum research. on.ft.com/3GAaWlM
Davos founder accused of manipulating World Economic Forum research
Klaus Schwab denies whistleblower claims and says he is the victim of ‘character assassination’
on.ft.com
April 24, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Policy extraversion always amounts to playing a rigged game.
Davos founder accused of manipulating World Economic Forum research. on.ft.com/3GAaWlM
Davos founder accused of manipulating World Economic Forum research. on.ft.com/3GAaWlM
“Until the past two decades or so, political theorists assumed that political theory happens in only treatises: written books with systematic, logical arguments. /1
April 24, 2025 at 2:36 PM
“Until the past two decades or so, political theorists assumed that political theory happens in only treatises: written books with systematic, logical arguments. /1
Reposted by Nanjira
The ways that AI disrupts livelihoods in Africa are bound to be different than the West developmentekko.substack.com/p/tech-givet... ht @nanjira.bsky.social
Tech giveth, tech taketh away
The rise and fall of online writing livelihoods in Nairobi
developmentekko.substack.com
April 23, 2025 at 7:16 AM
The ways that AI disrupts livelihoods in Africa are bound to be different than the West developmentekko.substack.com/p/tech-givet... ht @nanjira.bsky.social
“Today, it’s increasingly clear that it’s the tech oligarchs — not their algorithmically-steered platforms—who present the greater danger./1
April 22, 2025 at 8:19 AM
“Today, it’s increasingly clear that it’s the tech oligarchs — not their algorithmically-steered platforms—who present the greater danger./1
“The failure to recognize that the United States was born out of rebellion against oligarchy, not just monarchy, has long helped preserve oligarchic influence in the country.”
foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/25/d...
foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/25/d...
The Deep Roots of Oligarchy
Private contracting is in the DNA of the modern state.
foreignpolicy.com
March 30, 2025 at 10:16 AM
“The failure to recognize that the United States was born out of rebellion against oligarchy, not just monarchy, has long helped preserve oligarchic influence in the country.”
foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/25/d...
foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/25/d...
Reposted by Nanjira
« …the market-obsessed language of commercial solutions is almost comically inadequate to the enormity of the challenge. Neoliberalism has no regenerative power in it: it can’t cure itself, much less the world. »
😮💨
www.publicbooks.org/hopelessness...
😮💨
www.publicbooks.org/hopelessness...
“Hopelessness Makes Possible a New Hope”
Though it’s more than a hundred miles from the coast, during the early evening of October 29, 2012, my apartment in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, had the salty ...
www.publicbooks.org
December 4, 2024 at 7:05 AM
« …the market-obsessed language of commercial solutions is almost comically inadequate to the enormity of the challenge. Neoliberalism has no regenerative power in it: it can’t cure itself, much less the world. »
😮💨
www.publicbooks.org/hopelessness...
😮💨
www.publicbooks.org/hopelessness...
Digital 'nature' IDs. Quantifying natural ecosystems...
Rather bleak to quantify the qualitative. But such is the age we are living in. 😮💨
www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/t...
Rather bleak to quantify the qualitative. But such is the age we are living in. 😮💨
www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/t...
Nature Needs Its Own ID | by Midori Paxton - Project Syndicate
Midori Paxton shows how digital tools can drive a data-driven approach to protecting our planet’s environmental health.
www.project-syndicate.org
March 12, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Digital 'nature' IDs. Quantifying natural ecosystems...
Rather bleak to quantify the qualitative. But such is the age we are living in. 😮💨
www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/t...
Rather bleak to quantify the qualitative. But such is the age we are living in. 😮💨
www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/t...
What I’ve found over time is: what is practical, is not necessarily what is desirable by the various stakeholders commanding “authority” over Africa’s digital development landscape, writ large.
The technological is political…
The technological is political…
DPIs in Africa: @nanjira.bsky.social et al. call for what has proven elusive to most #globaldev orgs: assume no tabula rasa, take into account political economy & tap into local talent carnegieendowment.org/research/202...
Digital Public Infrastructure: A Practical Approach for Africa
Digital public infrastructure (DPI) has the potential to support Africa’s digital transformation. However, for this to happen, there are crucial baselines that must be considered on the continent, inc...
carnegieendowment.org
March 3, 2025 at 8:14 AM
What I’ve found over time is: what is practical, is not necessarily what is desirable by the various stakeholders commanding “authority” over Africa’s digital development landscape, writ large.
The technological is political…
The technological is political…
Reposted by Nanjira
DPIs in Africa: @nanjira.bsky.social et al. call for what has proven elusive to most #globaldev orgs: assume no tabula rasa, take into account political economy & tap into local talent carnegieendowment.org/research/202...
Digital Public Infrastructure: A Practical Approach for Africa
Digital public infrastructure (DPI) has the potential to support Africa’s digital transformation. However, for this to happen, there are crucial baselines that must be considered on the continent, inc...
carnegieendowment.org
March 3, 2025 at 7:59 AM
DPIs in Africa: @nanjira.bsky.social et al. call for what has proven elusive to most #globaldev orgs: assume no tabula rasa, take into account political economy & tap into local talent carnegieendowment.org/research/202...
Reposted by Nanjira
"AI technology appears to outperform humans. But a closer look reveals that these games are rigged. The competitions do not actually ask machines to perform human tasks; it’s more accurate to say that they ask humans to behave in machine-like ways as they perform lifeless simulacra of human tasks."
My new piece in @theguardian.com
Techno-optimism is human pessimism.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Techno-optimism is human pessimism.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
AI is ‘beating’ humans at empathy and creativity. But these games are rigged | MJ Crockett
Research pitting people against AI systems gives AI an edge by asking us to perform in machine-like ways
www.theguardian.com
February 27, 2025 at 6:05 PM
"AI technology appears to outperform humans. But a closer look reveals that these games are rigged. The competitions do not actually ask machines to perform human tasks; it’s more accurate to say that they ask humans to behave in machine-like ways as they perform lifeless simulacra of human tasks."
@kofiemeritus.bsky.social nails it!
If African governments do not invest in building the infrastructure needed to leverage AI, the “AI Messiahs” who sing “AI will solve all of Africa’s problems” will continue to shape the future of AI in Africa www.lcfi.ac.uk/news-events/...
The Paradox of Africa’s Autonomy in Shaping its AI Future - LCFI
This blog was written by Kofi Yeboah, a former CFI Visitor. In it, Kofi contends that the notion of Africa making significant progress and controlling its own AI future is overly optimistic. Instead, ...
www.lcfi.ac.uk
February 27, 2025 at 6:34 AM
@kofiemeritus.bsky.social nails it!