July 27 • 2018 • #6
Spotlight story: $220 Billion - Africa's Largest Trading Partner
Did you know that China is Africa’s largest trading partner? In 2014 a bilateral trade record of $220 billion was reached. What makes China different from all the other big nations? It looks at Africa from an economic perspective, not a security and help/aid one. In 2015 the John Hopkins University released a study showing that South Africa, DRC, and Algeria are the top 3 countries for China’s foreign direct investment stock. But from a strategic point of view, Rwanda as a key position in Xi’s “Belt and Road” plan to foster the economic connectivity between Asia, Europe, and East Africa.
Did you know: 2,000 Languages
Talking about cross-border communications, did you know that there are an estimated 1,500 – 2,000 languages spoken on the continent of Africa? While more than 500 languages are spoken in Nigeria alone, the country of South Africa has 11 official languages, simply saying “Hello” can be fun 🙂
1. Howzit – A traditional South African greeting that translates roughly as “How are you?” or simply “Hello”.
2. Heita – An urban and rural greeting used by South Africans. A cheery slang form of saying “Hello”.
3. Aweh – A South African slang word used to acknowledge something or greet someone
4. Sawubona (First person singular) – If you meet a South African and you would like to greet them in isiZulu, you can say “Sawubona” meaning “greetings”.
5. Molo – You can also try greet a South African in Xhosa by saying “Molo” which means “How are you doing?”
6. Unjani – This is another way you can greet someone in isiZulu meaning “Hello”.
7. Thobela – Thobela means “How are you?” which is a formal way of greeting someone in Pedi.
8. Dumela (Setswana) – Mainly used with the Tswana people, this can also be used to greet a South African.
9. Hoe gaan dit? – Taken from Afrikaans, which means “How are you?”
10. Sharp Fede – South African township greeting meaning “Hello, how are you?”
“A winner is a dreamer –
who never gives up.”
Nelson MandelaThe place to meet
• Student Entrepreneurship Week Ghana, July 26-28, Accra, Ghana
• 2018 South Africa Innovation Summit, September 12-14, Cape Town, South Africa
• Africa Future Tech and Energy Summit, September 28-29, Abuja, Nigeria