Africa is a continent that is abundantly blessed with natural resources. But ever since imperialism showed its grim face to the continent through brutal colonial conquests, the control of such natural resources passed from the hands of Africans into those of gigantic European and American multinationals. The picture of natural resources in Africa is more of a curse as the huge profits end up in the pockets of a few, while environmental damage occurs at a dangerous, unprecedented scale.

The extent of environmental damage can be gleaned clearly through oil spills in Nigeria. Where oil was supposed to transform Nigeria into a more egalitarian society with equal access to social services and opportunities, there has been damage only. The people remain disempowered as the privatization of natural resources – which must benefit all citizens – continues unabated. Environmental degradation in Nigeria at the hands of oil multinationals is something that cannot be simply wished away. It is in all senses a matter of the utmost urgency.

In January 2021, a Dutch appeals court held that the Nigerian branch of the oil behemoth Shell was responsible for the damage caused by oil leaks in the Niger Delta. The subsidiary Shell Nigeria was ordered to pay compensation to farmers while the parent Anglo-Dutch company Royal Dutch Shell was told to install equipment (a leak detection system to one pipeline) to prevent further damage.

It was a landmark ruling by the Court of Appeal in the Hague following years of litigation and it frustrated the oil giant as Royal Dutch Shell expressed its “disappointment” with the ruling. It is a ruling which speaks volumes of the willful negligence occasioned by oil companies as they disregard every iota of morals and ethics for the attainment of super-profits.  The environment and its inhabitants have to bear the brunt of such negligence with their lives.

The argument that some of the leaks were due to the actions of saboteurs was considered by the court, but the matter still goes back to the responsibility of Shell – the latter must adequately protect the pipelines from sabotage. The court was not convinced that Shell’s saboteur argument had been proven “beyond a reasonable doubt.” The four farmers who instituted the proceedings argued that the leakages from underground oil pipelines had contaminated land and waterways, destroying their livelihoods and fundamental environmental rights in the process.

The ruling is a victory for the farmers and their communities, but questions of enforcement remain. The exact quantum of damages has not yet been ascertained. The verdict can still be appealed to a higher court. Shell’s oil exploration in the Niger Delta has done nothing to improve the lives of farmers despite the huge profits. People have been robbed “environmentally and economically.” In previous settlements, like the 2005 one, the compensation for villagers by the oil giant was measly.

This goes to reveal the extent of “foreign investment” and leaving the exploitation of natural resources to foreign private capital. To them [private foreign capital], the sanctity of the environment is an obstacle in their quest for profits on the world market. The same oil is not even processed in Nigeria. The conservation of the environment is of secondary importance to huge private capital, and it is seen as expendable (as long as the profits have been processed and acquired).

Oil spills in Nigeria have over the years undermined the livelihoods of people. Soil fertility levels have drastically reduced, water sources have been seriously contaminated, plant life has been destroyed, aquatic life has been destroyed while social infrastructure crumbles. The levels of water, land, and air pollution in the Niger Delta are scandalous. As oil exploration continues, poverty is perpetuated. Take for instance Oloibiri, where crude was first discovered in Nigeria in 1956. Social services are a remote possibility – there are no jobs, roads, schools, and hospitals.

Shell insists it will clean up the environment and maintains its line of defence that oil leakages are caused by sabotages. After they clean sites, vandals return to cause further damage and pollution, their argument as postulated in the press goes. But as one community leader Morris Lamiengha said to AFP, “It’s not completely true all the incidents are caused by sabotage. Some of them are due to equipment failures.” Under Nigerian law, oil firms are obliged to clean up all oil spills regardless of the cause. For some citizens, stopping oil exploration in Nigeria is the only way to put a permanent halt to this never-ending malaise.

It is not only Shell that has raped the Niger Delta. Other oil behemoths such as Exxon Mobil, Eni, Total, and Chevron have extensively damaged the ecosystem of the Niger Delta. It is almost as if the greatest nemesis of these companies is accountability. They desire to extract the benefits of the Earth without paying up for their omissions and commissions, amassing maximum profits at the minimum costs. They privatize the profits while socializing the harmful effects of environmental degradation and pollution. And this contradiction cannot be allowed to sustain.

Fishing settlements have been affected economically by the oil spills as marine life is annihilated. People in the gas-rich Niger Delta bemoan health concerns caused by oil spillages such as breathing problems and skin lesions. The invasion of water hyacinth is another major concern. Water hyacinth thrives in polluted environments and it can completely clog waterways such that navigation by fishing boats is impossible. It deprives sunlight and oxygen to marine organisms. Gas flaring is a common phenomenon, and it releases toxic elements into the atmosphere, aggravating climate change.

Capitalism has reached alarming amoral levels, where the sanctity of the environment and human life is desecrated. Oil spills in Nigeria over these years bear testimony to this. There should be stringent penalties for these companies imposed on them by the Nigerian government. An impediment to this is that a few bourgeois elites within Nigeria’s ruling establishment are colluding with these oil giants to enjoy the private profits of oil while inequality in the country is the order of the day. And the environment collapses.

But perhaps the question of the privatization of natural resources across the whole of Africa is one of ideology. This is a capitalist contradiction that can be resolved by a return to the solid ideologies of Pan-Africanism, where Africa is for Africans, and not for the elite in the global north who rip the continent apart; and where natural resources should inspire attempts towards an egalitarian society. Nigeria’s case is just but a microcosm of the macrocosm.

Outsourcing is a fantastic strategy any business can employ to capitalize on the available resources, products, and services of other companies. Most businesses employ the help and knowledge of outsourced experienced professionals instead of hiring their own in-house experts. This helps maximize business performance, decrease company expenditures, and avoid recruiting and hiring cycles.

There are several services that are particularly useful to outsource, such as accounting, legal, and data entry. Information technology (IT) outsourcing is one of the most popular and useful for SME owners to consider. In sum, an IT support team helps your business get up and running or significantly improve current workflow by helping you implement and maintain your IT infrastructure. For example, an IT support company like EC-MSP assists clients in handling network setup and security, disaster recovery, third party support, relocation, and on-call help, just to name a few of the basic services offered.

This article focuses on the wide variety of IT outsourcing services offered, and how companies are now turning to Africa to outsource these IT needs.

Outsourcing to Africa

Africa is being recognized as an excellent outsourcing destination. With huge populations and many educated people ready for work, it’s becoming an increasingly viable option. There are also many young people in Africa compared to other continents; this means a large influx of younger folks will become of working age within the next decade.

Another asset for companies and clients outsourcing to Africa is the general population’s language skills. Many countries in Africa have a first language of either English or French, two of the most universally understood languages across the globe. In addition, Egyptians can speak Arabic and cater to clients based in the Mediterranean. Other commonly spoken languages in certain African countries are German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Dutch. Some African countries are also geographically close to potential clients in Europe, and that makes them even more attractive as prospective outsourcing partners.

Additionally, companies based in Africa can more readily offer outsourced remote services due to the rise in continental infrastructure. Recently, many African countries have been multiplying their average internet speeds, telecom providers are growing, and there’s greater access to technology across the continent.

When it comes to IT outsourcing, the countries most recognized for this service are South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, and Morocco. It’s predicted that Africa could replace India, China, and Southeast Asian countries for outsourced IT labor.

Specific Country Advantages for Outsourcing

Because employees in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia speak French, these countries are popular with France as outsourcing destinations. These countries are also close to France with similar time zones.

Kenya is home to many programmers, and infrastructure is growing to support technological advances. So much so, in fact, that Nairobi is now called “Silicon Savannah.”

Ghana and Mauritius are becoming popular for IT delivery and call centers.

South Africa is most recognized as a very competitive country for outsourcing. With extensive government support for business growth, an increasingly expansive telecommunications network, impeccable employee work ethic, and relatively low cost of labor, it’s quite hard to beat.

However, the most notable are Egypt and South Africa. In 2021, both countries are now considered among the world’s top outsourcing destination countries. Many big-name companies like Microsoft, IBM, and Dell have centers in Egypt. Additionally, both countries’ ‘cybersecurity game’ is top-notch according to global standards.

Top African IT Services: Software Development, Engineering, and Data Labeling

What Egypt and South Africa also have in common is their specialty in software development. Egypt is very successful in this arena – with impressive clients like Vodafone – and often partners with North American clients. However, South Africa truly dominates when it comes to software development; they’ve been ‘in the game’ the longest, and have very well-versed talented professionals available. Johannesburg is recognized as a hub for software development outsourcing companies.

Software engineering has become a major source of economic gain in Africa, as well. In addition, many African countries supply outsourced website and app development, SEO, and data analytics.

Another popular way companies are outsourcing to Africans is with data labeling, an important component of AI technology. It requires human judgment to identify information that may be associated with photos, written text, or videos. The label helps machines learn how to make these identifications for themselves – for example, knowing a photo has a dog in it. Recently, Silicon Valley giants like Microsoft, Google, and Salesforce use “AI training data” provided by Samasource. Samasource outsources to Kenya for data labeling, finding cost-effective labor there due to a low cost of living. For these larger companies, it’s especially beneficial to outsource these data prep tasks that can take up to 80% of labor time at the company itself.

Outsourcing IT Within Africa

Some believe that for Africa to continue gaining a foothold as an offshore outsourcing destination, it should outsource within, i.e. outsourcing IT services to other African businesses. There are several industries that are better prepared and motivated to utilize outsourced IT services within Africa. One is the finance industry, which is currently looking to improve database management without breaking the bank (pun intended!) Another example is the healthcare industry, which is adopting more advanced patient information systems to monitor record-keeping more efficiently and effectively. As health records become digitalized, these clinics and hospitals need aid from IT support firms across the continent.

The Future of African Outsourcing

Outsourcing specialized services simply allows businesses a greater opportunity for growth.

Outsourcing to foreign countries offers the great advantage of higher pay rates which result in more profit for Africans. While this insight has spurred offshore outsourcing for other countries like India or South Asia, it is only beginning to take hold in Africa. European businesses are realizing they can save 40-50% by outsourcing to Africa in comparison to other common outsourcing populations. Because labor is more cost-effective and its economy is growing, Africa is seeing a massive boost in its outsourcing appeal.

African governments also seem to be supporting this shift, recognizing the economic opportunity here. IT outsourcing has become particularly more prominent as infrastructure grows to support it, and African businesses and individuals alike adopt modern technology like cloud computing.

There are still improvements to be made in this area, but we can only imagine increasing growth. To aid this initiative, African governments can put policies in place to support, like important data protection laws. If this happens, we will likely see even more IT outsourcing opportunities arising for Africans on the horizon.

Concrete contractor COLAS Djibouti SARL (Colas Djibouti), ­has agreed to resolve for $3.9 million civil allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by selling substandard concrete used to construct U.S. Navy airfields in the Republic of Djibouti, the Department of Justice recently announced.

Colas Djibouti, a French limited liability company, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Colas SA, a French civil engineering company.

The civil settlement announced resolves allegations that Colas Djibouti knowingly provided contractually non-compliant concrete that did not meet gradation requirements, contained excessive alkali-silica reactive material, and contained elevated chloride content. These conditions had the potential to promote early-age cracking, surface defects, and the corrosion of embedded steel, and thus, could significantly impair the long-term durability of the concrete utilized on U.S. military bases.

In addition to the civil settlement, U.S. Attorney Robert S. Brewer for the Southern District of California announced a separate Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with Colas Djibouti pursuant to which Colas Djibouti will admit to the underlying facts and accept responsibility to a one-count information for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and pay a $12,542,002 monetary penalty, comprised of a fine, forfeiture, and restitution. The civil settlement will credit $1,957,998 of Colas Djibouti’s payment under the DPA, and require an additional payment of $1,957,998.

“Government contractors that supply substandard materials to our armed forces not only cheat the American taxpayers but also impose added costs and burdens on the military,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton for the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “Today’s settlement demonstrates our commitment to ensure that those who do business with the government comply with their contractual obligations.”

This civil settlement was the result of a coordinated effort among the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, the DCIS, the NCIS, and the Defense Contract Audit Agency – Operations Investigative Support Division.

The food crisis in Ethiopia has caused a spike in malnutrition and could get worse very soon. Samaritan’s Purse is airlifting supplemental food for children and families, which could solve the issue for thirty more days.

Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief organization, is airlifting life-saving food to children suffering in northern Ethiopia. Months of internal conflict within the country have left millions without access to basic necessities. The situation is dire, and tens of thousands of children are at risk of acute malnutrition.

Atlanta-based sports technology company Supersapiens and Team Qhubeka ASSOS, a UCI WorldTeam cycling team based in South Africa, have partnered for the 2021 race season.

Supersapiens, the first direct-to-consumer energy management ecosystem, utilizes the Abbott Libre Sense Glucose Sport Biosensor, the first glucose sport biosensor designed specifically for athletic performance, to help the team manage their fueling strategies in training, racing, and recovery.

Team Qhubeka ASSOS, formerly NTT Pro Cycling, is Africa’s only UCI-registered WorldTour cycling team. In 2020, the global outfit won the first virtual Tour De France. The team signed some of the world’s best athletes for 2021 including Domenico Pozzovivo (Italy), Giacomo Nizzolo (Italy), Sergio Henao (Colombia), and Fabio Aru (Italy).

With the Supersapiens app paired to the Abbott Libre Sense Glucose Sport Biosensor, Team Qhubeka ASSOS riders and staff will learn and train with real-time fueling data and powerful retrospective analysis tools. Continuous glucose monitoring will allow team riders to better understand their body’s individual fueling requirements, discover stable and sustainable fuel sources, dial in their pre-race glucose loading strategy, and maintain their optimal fuel ranges during races — allowing their body to put out it’s maximum effort without concern for running out of energy.

“Our team name Qhubeka means ‘to progress’ or ‘to move forward’ in Nguni,” said Doug Ryder, team founder and principal. “Not only will our team be focused on raising funds to purchase bicycles that will be used to improve lives, our partnership with Supersapiens also gives us new insight to better glucose management. This information and what we learn, will be shared with the company and improve performance for athletes around the world. All of this is true progression.”

Team Qhubeka ASSOS will also kick off an affiliate program with Supersapiens. Athletes in the eight countries where Supersapiens is available can purchase the ecosystems and a portion of the sales will support the team and their mission to improve lives via bicycles.

The Supersapiens ecosystem includes the Abbott Libre Sense Glucose Sport Biosensor, the Supersapiens app, and a wrist wearable device in the final stages of development that displays data from the biosensor in real time. The app continuously tracks glucose data and allows athletes to create Events — workouts or races, meals, and rest — so they can correlate specific glucose levels with their body’s physiological performance during racing, training, and recovery. And the Education Hub offers deep and insightful information to help athletes better understand glucose and the impact it has on performance, so anyone can learn how to optimize fueling for sustained performance.