In recent times, political unfolding and ‘outburst’ of economic opportunities in Africa have made the continent a top item on the agenda of many world political and economic summits.
Africa is plagued with all sorts of repulsive socio-political and economic experiences—the alarming rate of corruption in Nigeria, South Africa, etc., the ‘sit-tight’ syndrome (presidents that refuse to vacate office) in Cameroon, Zimbabwe, etc., uprisings and racial marginalization (black/Arab) in the northern parts of the continent, just to mention a few.
Nonetheless, not all is negative in Africa as the continent also boasts of a huge percentage of youths who are making their impacts positively felt across the world, regardless of the hostile climate. African youths are energetic and are, in recent times, channelling their energy to making the continent a better place. Many are coming up with creative entrepreneurial projects in the areas of technology, agriculture, waste management, and so on. It is, in fact, interesting to note that African youths now draw more positive attention and investment prospects into the continent more than diplomatic efforts and investment policies of the political leaders. See for instance the recent visit of the Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, to the continent and his investment interest in the projects spearheaded by youths in the continent.
Interestingly, all these unfoldings are not left uncovered. Anywhere you are, as long as you are on the planet earth and you have access to internet facility, you can follow, and be well informed about, the unfolding events in Africa in real time. To get this, however, you may need to move past the traditional news media that have to pass through all sorts of professional ‘delays’ to report a single event. In other words, if you wish to read about events in Africa ‘raw’ and ‘uncensored’, you will have to read from blogs.
The impact of African bloggers in recent times is massive. In recognition of the importance of blogging/social media in Africa’s development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation sponsored the 2016 African Bloggers’ Award.
Here is a list of the blogs I recommend:
1. Lindaikejisblog.com
Linda Ikeji, the lindaikejisblog.com owner, is one of the most popular and successful bloggers in the continent. The blog focuses on news, events, entertainment, lifestyle, fashion, beauty, gossips, and so on. Linda Ikeji recently extended her coverage by creating a social media platform called LIS where people sign up, make friends, have access to read the latest from lindaikejisblog.com, and also report events and get awesome rewards for doing so. She also has an online TV and an online music platform (lindaikejimusic.com).
2. Naij.com
Founded in 2012 by Genesis Technology Partners, naij.com is a political and entertainment weblog that features aggregated news content. Naij.com has also commenced featuring opinion pieces from independent contributors, both the established and the upcoming.
3. Circumspecte.com
Created by Jemila Abdulai in 2007, Circumspecte.com is Ghanaian leading blog covering news on politics, travel, technology, events, and so on. The blog’s mission statement is quite catching: Inform. Interact. Inspire
4. 2oceansvibe.com
2oceansvibe was created in 2002 as a platform for sharing photographs adventures. Over time, the blog has metamorphosed to become one of the biggest solely-owned online news platforms in South Africa. It features news on business, tech, entertainment, politics, crime and hot viral content. This platform also has online radio feature.
5. Abusidiqu.com
This is Nigeria’s online news and analysis blog. It delivers current news reports on politics, business, technology, Lifestyle, Sports, and more. It also features critical and analytical opinion pieces.
6. Pulse.ng/Pulse.gh
Pulse is Africa’s new media network covering news reports in politics, business, sports, entertainment, events and more. Pulse.ng covers Nigeria while Pulse.gh covers Ghana.
7. Arabist.net
Arabist.net is a go-to blog for insightful analyses and comments on Egyptian political scene. It is a good place to keep up with (political) happenings around Egypt and its environ. The blog is principally operated by Issandr El Amrani, a freelance journalist and critic.
8. Worldofnk.com
This Senegalese blog offers ‘a new eye on how Senegalese society works’ and also provides a platform for people to share their opinions.
9. Bellanaija.com
This blog, founded by Nigerian Uche Pedro in 2006, also focuses on news, entertainment, fashion, lifestyle, sports, and so on. Bella Naija also has an online TV that features exciting shows, talks, interviews, etc.
10. Techloy.com
This is a technology blog that provides news reports on technology, informed opinion pieces by tech specialists, incisive guides for tech startups and so on. This is a good platform to get updates on technological opportunities, trends, and events in Africa.
