DC 2023-04

D +C
DEVELOPMENT AND
COOPERATION D+C
ENTWICKLUNG UND
ZUSAMMENARBEIT E+Z
International
Journal
ISSN
2366-7257
DIGITAL MONTHLY 2023 04
EMPLOYMENT WTO AND IMF OIL PRICE

Girls With Tools: Ugandan Indonesian economist Despite raging Ukraine
initiative transcends says what is wrong with war, crude has become
gender conventions multilateral institutions cheaper again
Digital change
CONTENTS
www.DandC.eu
D+C Development and Cooperation
In German: E+Z Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit
Editorial 15
PRINCE THOMPSON
Though Nigeria’s presidential election was a mess, the news
HANS DEMBOWSKI for ECOWAS was rather good
3
Digitalisation requires private dynamism and state action
JEWISH VOICES
16
Magazine US and UK based newspapers assess Israel’s ongoing crisis
4
RONALD SSEGUJJA SSEKANDI
Girls with tools: innovative approaches to vocational training Focus: Digital change
in Uganda MARVA KHAN
19
Educational shortcomings in Pakistan
BIRTE MENSING
6
When journalists depend on NGO support, the reputation of JAYLAN ELSHAZLY
21
Africans often suffers How e-commerce benefits African businesswomen
INTERVIEW WITH IWAN J. AZIS TIAN XIA AND NATHALIE SPATH

7 23
Indonesian economist makes proposals regarding how to fix Digital solutions help to tackle the climate crisis
the WTO and the IMF
ADAZE OKEAYA-INNEH
25
AUDREY SIMANGO / MASTHEAD (IMPRINT) Digitised devices failed to make Nigeria’s presidential election
10
Nowadays: Inclusive communal meals in Zimbabwe transparent and trustworthy
Debate 27
CHARLES MARTIN-SHIELDS
Electronic options for improving government services
ZOHRA COSIMA BENAMAR
12
Why oil price has dropped to pre-Ukraine war levels again MELANIE ASSAUER, ERIC KIRUHURA AND CHRIS JANSEN
29
How digital platforms make disaster relief easier
FABIO ANDRÉS DÍAZ PABÓN
13
Economic growth as such is not what African countries need ROLI MAHAJAN
31
Internet freedom is in decline internationally
HANS DEMBOWSKI
14
Why Ajay Banga, Joe Biden’s candidate for the World Bank’s HANS DEMBOWSKI
32
top job, is a promising choice Chatbots cannot “think outside the box”
FOCUS
Digital change
Even in low-income countries, digital
devices have become part of daily life.
Technology offers great opportunities.
Progress in this area is faster than in many
other fields development agencies and
policymakers focus on. There are, however,
downsides. Not all promises come true. A
worrisome trend is declining freedom on
the Internet. What impacts artificial intel-
ligence will have remains to be seen, but
there are definitely reasons not to trust it
blindly.
Front page: Navigating digital payment system on Kenyan

smartphone. Photo: KO
D+C Digital Monthly April 20232

EDITORIAL
Our focus debate, at both national and international

section on levels. The companies make the rules. They
digitalisa- are free to decide whether they want to ban
tion starts on page liars and propagandists, and it is up to them
18. It pertains to the whether they apply their own rules consist-
UN’s 9th Sustainable ently. All too often, they do not. Hate speech
Development Goal remains unchecked in many cases. Anti-
(SDG9): Industry, democratic propaganda abounds. Content
innovation and moderation is typically not done in African
infrastructure. It has or Asian languages.
a bearing on the Freedom House, the Washington-
entire SDG agenda. based pro-democracy initiative, warns that
an increasing number of governments are
restricting civic liberties online. Human
rights are indivisible, however, and need to
be defended in international and multilat-
eral settings.
Humanity is facing huge challenges
including global heating. Digital technology
can help us get a grip on some of the prob-
lems. But if we want technology to serve the
common good, we cannot simply leave ap-
Private dynamism and state action plication to market forces. Regulation must
Photo: picture-alliance/REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja

not obstruct progress, but it must ensure
that oligarchic corporate interests do not
become obstructive. And that, obviously,
applies to artificial intelligence too.
Digital technology has spread fast in the Unfortunately, DfID was merged
past two decades, even in least developed into Britain’s foreign office in the course of HANS DEMBOWSKI
countries. It was largely driven by the pri- Brexit. It no longer serves as an innovating is the editor-in-chief of D+C/
vate sector. Mobile phones are small gadg- force in international development affairs. E+Z.
ets and comparatively cheap. Users neither For nations to make the most of digi-
require an expensive fixed-line network nor tal technology, governments must play their euz.editor@dandc.eu
a full blown electric power utility. In doubt, role. Formal education is becoming increas-
a solar recharger will do. ingly important. Yes, some apps serve illit-
Digital progress was more dynamic erate people, but those who read have ac-
than in many other sectors that develop- cess to far more information. International
ment agencies and policymakers focus on. discourse is held in languages like English, Adaze Okeaya-inneh is a broadcast
Today, many cities in low and middle in- French and Spanish. Those who only speak journalist and screenwriter from Lagos
and currently working in Abuja. She is
come countries have tech hubs where start- a vernacular cannot take full advantage of
an alumna of the University of Ibadan,
up companies develop useful applications the World Wide Web.
where she studied communication and
which help to improve people’s lives. In its early stages, the digital economy
language arts. In this issue, she reports
It is well understood that private com- thrived in a largely unregulated sphere.
how digital approaches failed to make
panies made mobile telephony and mobile Even in the 1990s, Silicon Valley companies Nigeria’s recent presidential elections
money feasible in Africa after the turn of the were still known for not doing much lobby- transparent and trustworthy (page 25).
millennium. What is less commonly known ing in Washington. Now they are lobbying It is her first contribu-
is that they enjoyed support from donor giants. The anti-trust proceedings against tion to D+C/E+Z. She
agencies. For example, the DEG, an invest- Microsoft were the turning point. In yet an- has promised to write
ment fund that belongs to Germany’s devel- other epsiode of economic history, it had again in the future. We
opment bank KfW, was an early shareholder become clear that leaving things to market are proud to give space
of Celtel, the pioneering company which forces would lead to monopolistic domi- to a strong female
was led by Mo Ibrahim and first launched nance. Accordingly, the tech companies voice from Africa.
mobile phone networks in sub-Saharan now want to shape political discourse.
countries. Later, DfID, Britain’s Department We actually need better international All contributions to our focus section will
for International Development, supported regulation. Profit-maximising corporate gi- also appear on our website www.dandc.eu,
the development of M-Pesa, Kenya’s mobile ants are running social media platforms where you will find other related content as
money system. that have become indispensable for public well.

MAGAZINE: DEVELOPMENTS AROUND THE WORLD
JOBS 21-year-old Khayinza Shalom is tak-

ing a course in electrical installation. She
Vocational education for girls remembers that when she decided to do the
course, she got a lot of negative feedback
from her family and friends who criticised
that she was pursuing a “masculine career”.
“Here at the Foundation, when I met other
In Uganda, many obstacles prevent young ships are provided for girls that can’t afford girls and women doing these jobs, I got mo-
women from getting a proper education. A the costs. In 2019, Girls With Tools received tivation. I had to shut out these negative
social enterprise facilitates girls’ access to funding from a local telecommunications voices,” she says.
vocational training. company, MTN Uganda, to support enrol- One year down the road, Khayinza
ment of more girls into the programme. The Shalom has already made some money
By Ronald Ssegujja Ssekandi MTN Foundation facilitated the setup of working on domestic electrical installations
a new training facility to train 400 girls an- and repairs. She has even co-founded a local
When it comes to education, girls and nually. The facility has a service bay, a wash- company called “Solar Girls Africa” which
women are discriminated against in many ing bay and a classroom block as well as invents new solar-powered appliances. She
parts of the world. Uganda is no different, a computer lab. The foundation hopes that hopes that she will be able to contribute to
although the government has made efforts
to enable good education for all (see box).
Additionally, civil-society organisations
and social enterprises are striving to make
a change.
The Smart Girls Foundation, a social
enterprise located in Uganda’s capital Kam-
pala, runs a programme which provides
vocational education to girls in order to al-
low them to find meaningful employment.
“Our ‘Girls With Tools’ programme is unique
because it trains females in careers that are
considered to be for males,” says Jamila Ma-
yanja, the founder and director of the Smart
Girls Foundation.
Key areas include machinery weld-
ing, automotive mechanics, electric instal-
lation, carpentry, construction and home
painting. The programme also has courses
in traditional arts and craft skills like tai-
loring and basket weaving. “On top of the
technical-skills training courses, our girls Three participants in the Girls With Tools programme.
also get additional workshop trainings that
include entrepreneurship, life skills, gender
issues and financial literacy. We also partner this investment will lead to 40 new women- the wide usage of clean energy in Uganda
them with local workshops and garages to led businesses per year. and thus help reduce the country’s carbon
provide them with job opportunities and en- 32-year-old Nakijjoba Sharifah is an emissions. Shalom encourages other girls to
courage them to start their own businesses engineering and mechanical works student step up and get involved in careers formerly
in these sectors once they have completed at the programme. “I have for long admired considered to be for men. For her, this is the
the course,” Jamila Mayanja says. engineering work, and thanks to Girls With only way they will change the gender bias at
The programme runs cohorts of 100 to Tools, I can pursue that dream,” she says. work.
200 young women. The curriculum runs for “Whereas most people consider this a job for
six months to one year, after which the girls men, the new generation is changing this SMART SOLAR BAGS
are helped to find an internship. That is of- perception,” she adds.
ten their first employment experience. Sharifah says that doing engineering Smart Girls Foundation also addresses is-
work is her way of proving to society that sues that keep girls away from school. Men-
NEW TRAINING FACILITY women can do much more than housework. struation is one example. The tailoring class
“With my experience now, I can do what any is manufacturing reusable sanitary tow-
Photo: jd
Tuition fees for the programme are paid by man can do. I love what I do, and I expect els made from locally available materials,
families that can afford them, while scholar- that my life will be better soon,” she says. which are distributed to the girls attending

the programme. These cost less than the sin- Most of the girls who use the backpack cal engineer trainee at the programme. She
gle use synthetic sanitary towels available are from poor backgrounds, so their access now has gotten a full-time job at a global ma-
on the market. to electricity is limited too. The bag there- chinery engineering firm, Mantrac Limited,
The programme is also producing fore also comes with a rechargeable solar which supplies and services power genera-
a storage backpack in which the young light. The girls can charge it during daytime tors. She attributes her placement to Smart
women can keep their reusable sanitary and use it to light their way home or to study Girls Foundation which helped her gain
towels. “It is helpful in instances when the in the evening hours. marketable skills.
girls cannot access wash facilities. They The backpack, the reusable sanitary
can safely store away these sanitary items,” towels as well as other items such as electric
Jamila Mayanja says. She adds that the back- desk lamps are available for sale at the foun- RONALD SSEGUJJA
pack has transformed from a cloth bag into dation’s offices. The revenue supports the SSEKANDI
an eco-friendly item made from recycled work of the foundation. is a Ugandan author and edits
plastic. The new material can better with- Some of the graduates have already D+C/E+Z’s Nowadays
stand Uganda’s tropical climate, especially gained employment in Uganda. Nabatanzi column.
on rainy days. Flavia, 24 years old, used to be an electri- sekandiron@gmail.com
What keeps girls out of school poorly funded public schools

still find a way to charge non-
a sum of money, which is given
to the daughter’s family as pay-
tuition fees, for example for ment. This “bride price” is an
meals or special schools events. incentive for families to reduce
In the past two decades, Ugan- parently made things worse. Moreover, learners must bear women and girls to a market-
da has made strides to promote A study by the Forum For Af- the costs for school supplies able commodity.
universal access to education. rican Women Educationalists such as books, pens and school Outside the established
The country runs a free pri- (FAWE), a civil-society organi- uniform clothing. formal education system, voca-
mary and secondary school sation, found that during Ugan- Families lacking re- tional education offers a chance
initiative, which also strives to da’s first lockdown, between sources traditionally prioritise to gain skills for practical jobs
reduce overall costs involved in March and June 2020, preg- boys over girls when it comes (see main text). It is usually relat-
educating children. However, nancy among girls aged 15 to to education. The latter are ed to a specific trade, occupation
this programme has not been 19 increased by more than 25 % then expected to do domes- or vocation. In Uganda, a Tech-
entirely successful. Education and even more than tripled for tic chores as they prepare for nical and Vocational Education
remains largely a privilege for those aged 10 to 14. marriage. The Global Partner- and Training (TVET) policy was
those who can afford it. Poverty is one of the main ship for Education, a multi- designed in 2019 to address the
Girls tend to be especially causes of unequal access to ed- stakeholder funding platform, country’s skilling challenges by
disadvantaged. Of the several ucation for girls. While access reports that especially in rural training Ugandans in vocational
traditional cultures in Uganda, to primary and secondary edu- areas, local traditions dictate skills to prepare them for the
many used to look at girls as cation is basically free, many that girls can be married off for job market. Emphasising voca-
mere brides and reduce their tional education is seen as a so-
skills development to domestic lution that will produce job crea-
labour. Over the years, efforts tors rather than job seekers. In
have been made to eliminate Uganda, 19.8 % of young people
gender discrimination, but pro- are not in employment, educa-
gress remains slow. One impor- tion or training, according to the
News Agency/Nicholas Kajoba
tant issue is the lack of access to International Labour Organiza-

menstrual-hygiene tools such tion (ILO). RSS
as sanitary towels. It prevents
girls from attending school LINK
regularly, especially those from Research Findings of the
poor households. Forum For African Women
Photo: picture-alliance/Xinhua
Moreover, early pregnan- Educationalists (FAWE), Uganda

cy matters. According to Ugan- Chapter, 2021:
da’s ministry of health, about https://faweuganda.org/
one-quarter of young women wp-content/uploads/2022/02/
xxx
become pregnant before they COVID-19-Impact-Study-on-Girls-

are 20 years old. Covid-19 ap- Pupils in Kampala, Uganda’s capital. and-Women-Report-2020.pdf

motivation becomes problematic, however,

if reporters stop questioning NGO work.
And that happens because journalists often
owe certain organisations a great deal, in-
cluding access to individuals, stories and,
ulitmately, assignments.
LACK OF RESOURCES
Moreover, NGOs are often an editorial of-

fice’s most important source of information
on crises and conflicts in areas where those
organisations operate. Because of budget
cuts, many media outlets now have few or
no correspondents of their own. This in-
creases their dependence on civil-society
organisations.
Against this backdrop, Bunce notes
that more and more photographers travel-
ling to crisis zones are paid not by the media
houses but by NGOs. “The pictures they take
Visiting a Welthungerhilfe project in Kitui County, Kenya, for journalistic research. are then produced under the guidance of the
NGOs, which determine what is shown,” the
professor says.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS REPORTING
Money from philanthropic founda-
Difficult dependencies
tions also plays an increasingly important
role. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
for example, spends millions of dollars
a year on journalism. “Foundations tend to
invest in reporting on broad topics, rather
than very specific content,” says Bunce.
Journalists’ work is increasingly intertwined on-the-ground media coverage to show The question of how international
with that of civil-society organisations. This sponsors, for example, that the money they news reporting is funded raises another
has an impact on the image of African coun- provide is used wisely.” matter of concern: How do such dependen-
tries abroad. At the same time, the media raise cies affect the perspective taken in a report?
awareness of civil-society organisations’ Many NGO spokespersons in African coun-
By Birte Mensing work and thus reach policymakers. Kipainoi tries are European or American. If the close
points out that media coverage of female cooperation between them and the report-
In crisis regions and low-income countries genital cutting frequently leads to perpetra- ing journalists on the ground means that
with a volatile security situation, two groups tors being tracked down and arrested nowa- only their voices are heard, the reality of life
of professionals are invariaby present: non- days. He also notes that media presence of local people goes largely unnoticed, once
governmental organisations’ workers and gives NGOs credibility, which in turn boosts more fostering the impression that Africans
journalists. The first provide assistance at sponsors’ willingness to support their work. cannot speak for themselves and that they
various levels, the second report on the situ- These interdependencies and recipro- need to be helped and make no contribution
ation at hand. Their joint presence gives rise cal impacts have consequences for the im- to solutions themselves.
to a number of difficult dependencies. age of Africa that is conveyed to the rest of
“The media and NGOs cannot be sepa- the world. Mel Bunce, head of the journalism LINK
rated,” says Kenyan-born Jeremiah Kip- department at the City University of London Scott, M., Wright, K., & Bunce, M., 2022:
ainoi, who has worked as a journalist for the and co-author of the book “Humanitarian Humanitarian journalists: Covering crises from
British BBC and other media organisations. Journalists”, says: “The media focus on cri- a boundary zone. London, Routledge.
Photo: Birte Mensing; Dennis Mavingo
For the past three years, he has been head sis and suffering has virtually erased the per- https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003356806
of communications for the British “Global ception that people in African countries are
Media Campaign to End FGM”, a worldwide capable of taking action themselves.” BIRTE MENSING
campaign striving to eradicate female geni- According to Bunce, “humanitarian works as a freelance
tal mutilation. He explains: “The media use journalists” are driven by the same motives journalist in Nairobi.
civil-society organisations and their local as many NGO workers: “Their ultimate de-
presence to access stories; and NGOs need sire is to make the world a better place.” That birte.mensing@web.de

Press visits to crisis zones later on a pro rata basis. Because

several teams always travel to-
operations on the ground, jour-
nalists must accept some agree-
gether, the costs can be shared. ments, Martina Dase explains.
In countries like South Su- For example, they are asked to be
Martina Dase works for the in- carries out attacks that claim dan, difficulties are compounded transparent about who else they
ternational children’s rights dozens of lives, especially in the by the fact that it is not easy to talk to in the country – and what
organisation Save the Children. capital Mogadishu. obtain a journalist visa or film they talk about. Most then at least
Together with her colleagues To permit reporting even permit. This is where civil-so- marginally mention the civil-
in countries where the organi- in these difficult circumstances, ciety organisation contacts can society organisation they are
sation operates, she regularly Dase and her colleagues in So- help. Organisations like Save the travelling with in their reporting,
arranges press visits in crisis malia help by making the ar- Children have been working in not least to show gratitude for the
zones to draw attention to the rangements for press visits, foot- some countries for decades and assistance it provided.
plight of children there. ing the bill and recouping their virtually vouch for reporters. According to Dase, Save
Somalia, for example, is outlay from the media houses However, to avoid jeopardising the Children is not interested
in the grip of a famine. Anyone in showing the same typi-
wishing to travel to the East Af- cal pictures of children over
Photo: picture-alliance/REUTERS/Feisal Omar

rican country to report on the Mogadishu street and over again. The idea is to
situation faces a massive organi after a militant give reporters access to more
sational and budgetary chal- attack in late complex stories. However, the
lenge. Security arrangements February: journalists former filmmaker is aware of
are complicated, armoured cars cannot move around serious limitations: “Our own
and armed security guards are in Somalia without movements in crisis regions
standard requirements. The security guards. are restricted. There is only so
terrorist militia al-Shabaab con- much reality we can access and
trols many areas and regularly show.” BM
GLOBAL GOVERNANCE with some, but not all WTO members taking
part.
“Not really learning Please give some examples.
from experience”
At this point in early March, 53 countries
are involved in the Information Technol-
ogy Agreements (ITA), 23 rely on the Trade
in Services Agreement (TISA), and 19 have
joined the Government Procurement Agree-
ment. In regard to wind turbines, solar pan-
According to Iwan J. Azis, the WTO is slowly that then US President Donald Trump was els and things like that, 40 have started to
withering away and the IMF has not become launching a trade war with China and also negotiate an Environmental Goods Agree-
as open-minded as its rhetoric would sug- blocking the nomination of adjudicators for ment (EGA). Joint rules for e-commerce
gest. The Indonesian professor at Cornell the WTO’s dispute-settlement panels. Have have been accepted by 17 countries. In some
University shared his views with Hans Dem- things improved? cases, the USA, the EU and China are in-
bowski in an interview. No, they have become worse. There are volved. They obviously have an interest in
several signs of dysfunction. The dispute- a rules-based system, but are neither will-
Iwan J. Azis interviewed by Hans Dem- settlement panels remain understaffed ing to accept every existing rule nor believe
bowski and ineffective. That makes the WTO look they can achieve much by involving all WTO
toothless. Indeed, China and the USA are members in talks.
Four years ago, you told me that the effectively dealing their trade relations bi-
World Trade Organization (WTO) was in laterally, not through the WTO rules. At the So the trade landscape is becoming in-
a bad shape (see D+C/E+Z Digital Monthly same time, there is a trend towards conclud- creasingly fragmented. It has been be-
2019/03, p. 18). Among the reasons were ing what I would call plurilateral trade deals, coming more complex for quite some

time due to the propensity of the USA and makes the federal government subsidise the state. Multilateral institutions have done
the EU to conclude bilateral trade agree- climate-friendly investments in the USA. so too, the International Monetary Fund
ments with individual countries or region- EU leaders have expressed concern about (IMF) for example. What difference does
al blocs. the policy. They fear the US is poaching that make?
Yes, and that does a disservice to the least investors to the detriment of related in- So far, I’m afraid it has not made much dif-
developed countries with particularly low dustries in Europe. Most likely, the EU and ference at all. If you consider the IMF’s his-
capacities. the US will find some common ground and tory, there really are three distinct periods,
agree on policies that suit both sides, but I and that basically applies to the World Bank,
So should we declare the WTO dead? My wonder whether they will involve emerging its sister institution, as well:
impression is that nobody wants to do that. markets and developing countries in that z From the end of World War II until the
After all, the WTO may yet prove useful and kind of deal. 1980s or so, both supported considerable
anyone who abandons it would appear to Well, the White House certainly does not government action and emphasised inter-
act destructively. want to involve China in any agreement national macroeconomic stability such as
I agree, so what we are observing is the that would boost Chinese companies in fixed exchange rate.
WTO’s slow withering away. ways that the US cannot control. The IRA z What followed was the era of struc-
tural adjustment, during which they fo-
cused on market dynamism and insisted
that borrowing countries must balance their
budgets and achieve price stability at the
national level. The budget cuts often caused
considerable hardship, especially when
public education and health care suffered.
In the longer run, the structural-adjustment
approach proved untenable. The supposed-
ly “unleashed” market forces did not trigger
the kind of growth that would have allowed
shared prosperity. Many poor countries
could not even repay the debts incurred to
implement structural adjustment. Around
the turn of the millennium, debt relief be-
came inevitable in many cases.
z The third period, however, really only
began with the global financial crisis of
2008. The rhetoric of the IMF changed, but
its core ideology basically remains the same.
Please elaborate.
Take the research the IMF does. I find it
“China’s state kept playing a strong role in many sectors, including infrastructure and education”: striking that the empirical data is often quite
celebrating Tsinghua University’s 110th anniversary in 2021. interesting, but the conclusions tend to be
‘geared’ towards the structural-adjustment
mould. For example, an IMF report will typi-
What can and should governments do to indirectly acknowledges the importance of cally state that the macroeconomic stabilisa-
change that trend? industrial policy which the USA opposed in tion was good so poverty could be reduced.
They would have to accept momentarily the the past. More generally speaking, environ- The robustness of such results are still ques-
trend of plurilateral agreements and mak- mental protectionism will further diminish tionable, and they never explore the other
Photo: picture-alliance/Xinhua News Agency/Ju Huanzong
ing sure no basic rules are breached and the role of the WTO. The imposition of some way round, that macroeconomic stability re-
focus on the global common good. To reach kind of climate tariffs somewhere would sulted from the government not being over-
a global agreement they could settle for low- also erode competitive advantages of low- burdened by escalating crises, worsening
er and less ambitious targets. That would income countries. We need a transition to poverty and deteriorating political stability.
be the realistic approach to achieving broad clean energy, but it must benefit the weak- IMF rhetoric has become less rigid, but the
consensus. est too. markets-always-know-best paradigm is so
deeply ingrained that the institution is not
Part of the problem is that US President Joe The international economic order that really learning from experience.
Biden is rediscovering an active role for the emerged after the fall of the Berlin Wall was
state in the economy. His Inflation Reduc- based on market-orthodox ideas. However, A while ago, Malina Stutz and Kristina
tion Act (IRA) is, to a large extent, a law that not only Biden has rediscovered a role for Rehbein from erlassjahr.de, Germany’s


debt relief campaign, criticised the IMF on course not. Multilateral institutions should higher returns than they could get in high-
our platform. According to them, the IMF’s do their best to learn the lessons of China’s income countries.
policy regarding individual countries has rise.
not changed in spite of public statements The IMF has been warning for some time
that the climate crisis and the Covid-19 pan- Does it matter that the USA, the EU and Ja- that an increasing number of countries’
demic necessitate stronger state action. Do pan are the dominant shareholders of the sovereign debts look unsustainable. Where
you agree? IMF? restructuring negotiations have begun,
The message sounds correct, but I’m not Let me put it this way: it is not surprising China has developed a pattern of arguing
sure I agree with every detail of their argu- that this institution generally serves the in- that it will only forgive loans if the World
ment. I’d like to raise a different point. The terests of its dominant shareholders. One is- Bank does so too, arguing that World Bank
country that was most successful in reduc- sue in which this became abundantly obvi- loans are ultimately western loans. China’s
ing poverty in the past 40 years was China. ous was quantitative easing. The IMF never stance makes it harder to involve private-
The fall of global poverty was primarily due challenged the ultra-loose monetary policy sector creditors. Would it be a solution
to that one country which did not necessarily which high-income countries adopted to to exempt AIIB loans too? After all, the
follow the IMF advice. It liberalised markets cope with the crisis of 2008 despite its sig- Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is
in an experimental way, but China’s state nificant impact on the global liquidity. It a Chinese-dominated multilateral institution
kept playing a strong role in many sectors, wouldn’t have accepted anything similar in that in some ways resembles the western-
including infrastructure and education in an emerging market or developing country. dominated World Bank.
I think that might make sense, but I really do
not know what western governments would
accept.
Chinese leaders always insist that the Peo-

ple’s Republic is a developing country, but
the way they are handling debt issues hurts
developing countries.
China is a very unusual country. I don’t think
it fits into any commonly used c ategory.
What is obvious, however, is that its govern-
ment is keenly aware of its national inter-
ests. Sometimes they coincide with those of
least-developed countries, and sometimes
they don’t.
What needs to happen for the IMF to be-

come more open-minded?
Get away from groupthink. While their re-
search quality is quite good, the conclusions
should be derived more carefully, less doc-
“If an economy cannot cope with external shocks like a series of extreme-weather events, it is trinaire and not forced to support the group-
not stable”: flooding in Pakistan in 2022. think. Macroeconomic stability matters,
yes, but what kind? It is about more than
mere financial figures. If poverty worsens,
particular. Chinese policies resulted in very But it didn’t really have any sway over the the system is not stable. And if an economy
high growth rates for a very long time. The high-income countries. It really only has an cannot cope with external shocks like a pan-
result was impressively broad-based pros- influence on policymaking when a govern- demic or a series of extreme-weather events,
perity. That experience nonetheless did not ment needs its money. it is not stable either. IMF research must
have a discernible impact on IMF thinking. Well, the IMF did not challenge the Euro- ponder these issues, so the institution will
Photo: picture-alliance/EPA/NADEEM KHAWAR
pean Central Bank’s loose monetary policy learn the necessary lessons.
My impression is that China is becoming in the context of bailing out Greece. Quan-
increasingly totalitarian under President Xi titative easing really had tough long-term IWAN J. AZIS
Jinping. I am not sure we can still speak of impacts. It contributed to the surge of infla- is a professor at Cornell
developmental regime. tion in the past two years, worsened the in- University in Ithaca, New York
I do not know. Perhaps you are right that equality, and it has exacerbated debt prob- and visiting professor at the
he is no longer running a developmental lems in many countries. The reason is that University of Indonesia in
regime. But does that undo the material private-sector financiers handed out loans Jakarta.
progress made under his predecessors? Of in middle-income countries in search of http://iwanazis.com/

NOWADAYS D+C correspondents write about daily life in developing countries
Communal meals therefore tied to the availability of this

natural substitute. MASTHEAD / IMPRINT
unite rich and poor
The Ndau people have grown to
D+C DEVELOPMENT AND COOPERATION
attribute this tradition to being a motif
Sustainable development requires global awareness and local
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DEBATE: OPINIONS
ENERGY PRICES els, their location becomes the legal place of

origin. Apparently, Indian companies find
Uncertain times this business model quite interesting.

Due to exceptional discounts and the
extended shipping routes, Russian export
revenues from crude have gone down sig-
nificantly. The export volume, however, is
The oil price is back at pre-Ukraine-war lev- move stopped the price hike and reduced basically stable.
els. There are several reasons. supply shortages. In the meantime, oil pro- In November 2022 OPEC+ (the Organi-
duction in the US has recovered from the zation of Petroleum Exporting Countries
By Zohra Cosima Benamar Covid-19 slump, easing price pressures. The and its allies) decided to reduce oil supplies
US is refilling its strategic reserve and ex- (see my article in the D+C monthly digital
After the Russian invasion in Ukraine the porting fossil fuels. As a result, European edition December 2022). Concerns that this
oil price exceeded $ 120 per barrel last year. economies were able to close their demand decision would trigger a price hike, turned
At around $ 80 now, it has dropped to pre- gap by importing from the US. out to be wrong. Indeed, global oil demand
war levels again. This trend needs to be ex- However, many countries are not decreased in the fourth quarter of 2022, just
plained. taking part in western sanctions. They im- as OPEC+ had anticipated.
Russia used to be an important energy port energy at discount prices from Russia, There were several reasons. Pandemic
supplier for Europe. Last month the EU’s which reduces the international price pres- impacts are still a drag on the global econo-
full oil embargo against Russia took force. sure. The main importers are not European my. Moreover, recent interest rate increases
Moreover, the G7 (Group of the world’s sev- countries anymore, but rather China and in the US and Europe are slowing down
en largest western economies) has adopted India. consumption, which weakens the economy
and reduces oil demand. The interest rate
adjustments are designed to fight inflation,
yet could cause a recession. So far, the eco-
nomic outlook for the US looks good as the
labour market has been quite resilient. Ac-
cordingly, oil demand is likely to increase.
As oil production forecasts for the US are
higher than initially expected, US demand
will most likely be covered and the inter-
national supplies boosted. What impact the
current bank-sector turmoil will have on the
economy remains to be seen.
Finally, the Ukraine conflict is speed-
ing up Europe’s transition to clean energy.
Investments in this sector have increased.
Germany aspires to rely fully on renewable
energy for electricity supply by 2035. In the
long run, this development will dampen oil
demand and hence reduce the oil price.
Currently, the oil market seems re-
laxed, but that can change fast. It is particu-
Oil tanker in Novorossiysk in October 2022. larly difficult to assess what further impact
sanctions on Russia will have. Moreover, the
end of China’s Covid-19 lockdowns will most
Photo: picture-alliance/ASSOCIATED PRESS/Uncredited
a $ 60 price cap on Russian oil. Generally Via considerable detours, Russian oil likely lead to an increase in oil demand,
speaking, both measures impede Russian is still flowing to western countries how- which could raise the oil price. Such a turn,
oil sales on the international markets and ever. Russian oil is only banned, if it is pur- however, could be mitigated by OPEC+ pro-
thus put oil supply under pressure. Normal- chased under the minimum price set by the duction adjustments.
ly, a further price hike would be expected, G7. Moreover, the original source of crude
but that has not happened so far. can be hidden, for instance by loading the ZOHRA COSIMA BENAMAR
Since the beginning of the war, crude commodity onto different tankers at foreign is a PhD candidate in the field
oil prices increased rapidly, further fueling ports. According to Bloomberg, a Russian of geopolitics and energy
inflation. To counter the trend, US President shadow fleet is in the making. Moreover, policy at the ISCTE University
Joe Biden released a significant amount when foreign refineries blend Russian oil Institute of Lisbon.
of the Strategic Petroleum Reserves. That with oil from other countries to produce fu- Zohra_Cosima_Benamar@iscte-iul.pt

DEBATE: OPINIONS
POVERTY REDUCTION nomic insecurity and weak social protection

systems marked by inequalities and exploi-
The Janus face of growth tation. While we tend to associate poverty

and inequality with income related metrics,
the realities of poverty and inequality are
about rights (i.e. to own property), opportu-
nities (i.e. access to education) and services
Millions of people in Africa plunged deeper At the same time, the urgency of cli- (i.e. health, public transport) which are an
into poverty due to the multiple and com- mate change is fuelling discussions on obligation of states and a central feature of
pounded socio-economic crises caused by de-growth, post-growth and the nature of development.
the Covid-19 pandemic and inflationary pres- growth altogether. However, acknowledging The ever more urgent task for activists,
sures brought by war in Europe. It is now these debates about how the economy must researchers, government officers and policy
important that we do not parrot slogans grow to ensure the survival of the planet makers is now to unpack the complex rela-
about how economic growth is either nefari- should not mean sacrificing Africa and its tions between growth, poverty and inequal-
ous or heavenly for Africa. Things are more people to the overarching goal of sustain- ity in a way that makes it possible for eco-
complicated than that. ability – especially since it is the wealthiest nomic growth to really benefit the people on
By Fabio Andrés Díaz Pabón
Before the pandemic, Africa experienced

economic growth in the first two decades of
the new millennium. However, according
to the World Bank, the poverty headcount
ratio – the percentage of the population
earning less than $ 6.85 per day – did not fall
more than five percentage points, from 92 %
to 87 % of the continent’s population. So
who actually benefited from the economic
growth during these years?
The fruits of this rather blooming pe-
riod went to the richest on the continent.
Between 1980 and 2017, the income of the
poorest in Africa grew at 0.73 % per year,
while the income of the richest thousandth
grew at an annual rate of around three per-
cent, as research from the African Centre of Economic growth that is not sustainable widens the gap between rich and poor in Africa.
Excellence for Inequality Research and the
Agence Française de Développement shows.
This means we need to acknowledge 10 % of the world’s population that accounts the continent. Economic growth in its cur-
that economic growth in its current shape for 48 % of global carbon emissions. rent shape, that is to say, cannot be expected
is and will be insufficient. Even in an ideal, Moving further into this millennium, to be inclusive and sustainable for Africa.
sustainable and equitable form, economic the ongoing legacies of colonialism and
growth is not a magic wand that will eradi- post-independence economic paths con- REFERENCES
cate poverty and inequality in Africa. tinue to condition the interaction between Chancel, L., 2022: Global carbon inequality
Truly sustainable and equitable poverty, economic growth, and inequality in over 1990-2019. Nature Sustainability volume
growth should be part of comprehensive ap- Africa. These legacies are especially marked 5 (2022).
proaches that involve the state, society and by the persistence of inequalities of oppor- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-022-
the support of international actors who are tunity and remuneration. 00955-z
Photo: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Denis Farrell
genuinely interested in an economically It should therefore be obvious that the

strong African continent. This also means rising poverty and destitution across Africa FABIO ANDRÉS DÍAZ PABÓN
discussing how wealth is distributed. If the since 2020 is not merely the result of the is a researcher at the African
majority of the population remains trapped pandemic, climate change, inflation and Centre of Excellence for
in poverty while wealth increases for a few, food insecurity. Inequality Research of the
a discussion needs to take place about the Way before 2020, millions of people University of Cape Town and
way in which taxation and social security on the continent were already vulnerable. a research associate at Rhodes University in
systems should uplift people from poverty That means their lives were and still are de- South Africa.
and reduce inequalities. termined by the lack of social mobility, eco- fabioandres.diazpabon@uct.ac.za

DEBATE: OPINIONS
WORLD BANK ment’s ideology of an exclusively Hindu

nation. By endorsing a liberal Sikh, Biden
Biden’s promising candidate has thus weakened Modi’s claim to define

Indian nationhood.
At the global level, Biden’s message is
different. He wants the World Bank to be-
come more forceful and to use its clout in re-
US President Joe Biden has nominated Ajay World Bank president. I also think that sponse to the climate crisis. Global heating
Banga to lead the World Bank. This is a smart Banga’s nomination makes sense in terms of is indeed an urgent problem and all avail-
choice with interesting global implications – fighting destructive identity politics. able resources must be used to get a grip on
and a bearing on Indian identity politics. Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, it. If the World Bank is becoming a climate
must support the first World Bank president bank, however, an unresolved question be-
By Hans Dembowski from his country, but is probably unhappy comes even more urgent. It is to what extent
about Biden’s proposal. After all, Banga does climate finance is being conflated with of-
Banga is the former chief executive of Mas- not confirm Modi’s Hindu-supremacist ide- ficial development assistance (ODA). The
tercard. He grew up, went to university and ology. Sikhism is a different faith, and proud big promise was always that climate finance
started his career in India before moving to Sikhs resent the attempts that Modi and his would be provided on top of ODA.
the USA. His South Asian background is un- camp make to subordinate their religion to ODA is well defined and the flows are
deniable in spite of his US passport. Hinduism. Banga is the son of a high rank- transparent. On average, high-income na-
Most likely, the World Bank’s mem- ing military officer. In his generation, that tions are paying about half of what they
ber countries will appoint him. Critics have meant being raised in the Nehruvian spirit promised. Climate finance promises have
long bemoaned the conventional practice of secular nationhood which rejects sectar- perhaps been kept by 80 % or so, but defini-
of World Bank presidents being US citizens ian divisiveness. Some Indian immigrants tions are more vague and there is obviously
and nominated by the White House. in the USA support Modi, but many do not. quite a bit of double counting with ODA.
Biden is reaching out to non-western Banga is certainly in the latter camp. He is While the World Bank has not caused this
cultures with the proposal of a manager who an ally of Vice President Kamala Harris, who bewildering state of affairs, it certainly is an
proudly displays his Sikh identity by wear- opposes discrimination of all kinds. He has agency that can contribute quite a lot to pro-
ing a turban and having a beard. In particu- a history of supporting inclusiveness. viding more transparency. International ob-
lar, Biden is reaching out to those emerging The Indian public celebrates compa- servers should therefore pay close attention
markets that have a long track record of triots who rise to positions of global lead- to what its top leader does in this respect.
keeping a distance from the west. People ership. Such persons represent the nation
in Brazil, China and South Africa will cer- at the international level and serve as role HANS DEMBOWSKI
tainly consider Banga to be Indian as well as models at the domestic one. is the editor-in-chief of D+C/
American. Biden’s subtle message to India is E+Z.
Banga’s CV does not include long thus: we appreciate your great and diverse
stints in multilateral institutions or devel- culture, but we don’t fall for your govern- euz.editor@dandc.eu
opment agencies, but he has shown a strong
interest in developmental issues, including
the devastating impacts of global heating in Ajay Banga
particular. On the other hand, he has thrived self-confidently
as a financial-sector manager on Wall Street. displays his Sikh
He knows how to mobilise private capital identity.
and invest it competently. Biden obviously
wants to shore up the World Bank as a finan-
cial institution.
Some observers are disappointed that
the White House did not pick a climate ex-
Photo: picture-alliance/EPA-EFE/Ting Shen/POOL
pert or a development professional, but

financial-sector competence may actually
be more important. In-depth knowledge of
ecological matters or development econom-
ics are not needed to define the right goals,
but banking know-how is indispensable for
achieving them. In terms of competence,
Banga will thus be hard to reject. Some criti-
cise Biden for not nominating a woman. I
agree that it would be great to get a female

DEBATE: OPINIONS
WEST AFRICA region. Neighbouring countries might see

more refugees, while militant outfits benefit
Inconclusive results from support from Nigerian allies. A serious

stability crisis in Nigeria would destabilise
the entire region. Ghana has played an ac-
tive role in supporting Nigeria’s fight against
Boko Haram and other insurgent groups
The results of Nigeria’s presidential elections large economy and abundant oil reserves in the region. Any disruption in Nigeria’s
will be challenged in court. That related dis- make it the “giant of Africa”. Whatever hap- security situation could potentially affect
putes are being dealt with peacefully, is good pens here has an impact on the neighbours. Ghana’s efforts to maintain regional stabil-
news for the entire ECOWAS region. It is a good sign that the conduct of the ity and security.
election was largely successful compared Nigeria has long been a significant
By Prince Thompson with previous ones. Nonetheless, there were trading partner for other ECOWAS members,
irregularities, violence and avoidable tech- including Ghana for example. Any changes
Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral nical glitches. For these reasons, the results in Nigeria’s economic policies could have
Commission (INEC) has declared Bola are in dispute. The resolve of the losing can- far-reaching effects on Ghana. If Nigeria’s
Ahmed Tinubu the winner of the presiden- didates to seek redress at the court is good economy grows stronger and becomes more
tial elections three days after the voting took for entrenching democratic progress more stable, that would boost investment and
place. Tinubu was the candidate of the rul- deeply in the region. trade opportunities for Ghana. Conversely,
ing party All Progressives Congress (APC), Moreover, judicial review of the elec- if Nigeria experiences political instability or
and his two most important opponents have tion results should strengthen Nigeria’s economic difficulties, that would have nega-
declared they will go to court to challenge democracy and stability. Both are crucial tive impacts on Ghana’s economy.
his victory. The developments in Nigeria for the entire region. ECOWAS has a his- The same can be said for other West
have strong implications for the Economic tory of governments insisting on democracy African countries. However, comparatively
Community of West African States (ECOW- in partner countries, but has recently seen strong and diversified economies like Gha-
AS), of which it is the most populous coun- a series of military coups in Mali, Guinea- na’s or Côte d’Ivoire’s benefit more from
try and largest economy. Bissau and Burkina Faso. Indeed, Nigeria international relations than those of low-
According to INEC, Tinubu got 37 % of is a significant contributor to peacekeeping income countries like Sierra Leone or Niger.
the vote, while Atiku Abubakar of the Peo- operations in West Africa. Its troops are cur- Moreover, linguistic barriers mean that fran-
ple’s Democratic Party (PDP) came in sec- rently present in Mali, Guinea-Bissau and cophone countries generally tend to be some-
ond with 29 % and Peter Obi of the Labour Sierra Leone. what less exposed to Nigerian influence,
Party third with 25 %. Turnout was surpris- Like several other West African coun- though that is not the case for Benin and Ni-
ingly low at 29 % of some 90 million eligible tries, Nigeria has been struggling with polit- ger, which both share borders with Nigeria.
voters. ical unrest and Islamist insurgents for many Nigeria’s next government will cer-
Nigeria’s elections always matter to years. If things deteriorate in Nigeria, that tainly have an impact on regional integra-
the rest of West Africa. Its huge population, would have repercussions throughout the tion. Nigeria has long been a key player in
the ECOWAS, and the block’s future will de-
pend on it in the future too. The good news
is that regional integration was not contro-
versial in the election, with all three major
candidates supporting it in principle. Estab-
lishing a single currency for the ECOWAS
will not be possible without Nigerian lead-
ership. Nor will the Africa Continental Free
Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which the Afri-
can Union plans to create, become a reality.
Photo: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/Olukayode Jaiyeola
PRINCE THOMPSON
is from Ghana and studying
development management at
Ruhr Universität Bochum. He
is currently an intern at D+C/
E+Z. His masters programme is affiliated to
AGEP, the German Association of Postgraduate
Programmes pertaining to international
development.
Peaceful protests show that many Nigerians find official election results unconvincing. prince.thompson94@yahoo.com

DEBATE: OPINIONS
MIDDLE EAST inevitably corrode the occupier, that Israel

could not disregard democracy on one side
Jewish voices assess of the Green Line and expect to maintain

it indefinitely on the other. Eventually, the
Israel’s current crisis

malignancy would spread across that ever-
fading boundary. That moment has now
come.
Jonathan Freedland, The JC (Jewish Chroni-
cle, based in London)
Prime Minister Benjamin (“Bibi”) Netanyahu ISRAEL HAS ANGERED ITS

is leading a right-wing government in Israel. CLOSEST SUPPORTERS
It wants to radically reduce the power of the
Supreme Court and supports Jewish settlers Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s as-
in the West Bank territory. Mass protests sault on the independence of Israel’s judici-
have arisen against the government in Israel. ary has provoked mass demonstrations, dire
At the same time, violence haunts the West warnings from the business community and
Bank, which has been under Israeli occupa- words of caution from the Biden adminis-
tion since the Six Days War in 1967. Here are tration and pro-Israel members of Congress.
the headlines of – and excerpts from – opin- This level of opposition is unusual. But it is
ion pieces by Jewish contributors in interna- mild compared with the angry response to
tional papers. We are quoting the websites. Yuval Noah Harari addressing a protest in mob violence in the West Bank.
March – The Guardian published his speech in “A rampage by Israeli settlers after
By D+C/E+Z its opinion section. a Palestinian gunman killed two Israelis in
the occupied West Bank has exacerbated
fears that violence in the territory might
MY MESSAGE TO BENJAMIN how held our society together for 75 years, spiral out of control,” the Financial Times
NETANYAHU: STOP YOUR COUP OR and then you expect us to trust you? reported.
WE’LL STOP THE COUNTRY We don’t trust you, because we know Netanyahu sounded weirdly sympa-
very well what you want. You want unlim- thetic toward the rioters, much as President
History is full of dictatorships established ited power. You want to shut us up and to Donald Trump sounded when talking to
by people who first came to power through tell us how to live, what to eat, what to wear, the American insurgents on Jan. 6, 2021. “I
legal means. It’s the oldest trick in the book: what to think and even who to love. ask – even when the blood is boiling – not
first you use the law to gain power, then you Yuval Noah Harari, The Guardian to take the law into one’s hands,” Netanyahu
use your power to distort the law. When ex- tweeted. As of this writing, no one has been
amined together, the laws this government BE PREPARED FOR THE END OF detained for prosecution.
is currently legislating have one simple ISRAEL AS WE KNOW IT (…)
meaning (and you don’t need a PhD in law The message from the executive vice
to get it): if these laws are passed, the gov- Remember, Israel has no second cham- president of the Orthodox Union, among
ernment will have the power to completely ber and no written constitution. As things Israel’s most loyal defenders, was bracing:
destroy our freedom. stand, if an Israeli government, which by “How can such a thing happen?” Rabbi
Sixty-one members of Knesset (Israel’s definition dominates the Knesset, wants to Moshe Hauer wrote. “How could it come to
parliament with 120 members, D+C/E+Z) do something, the only body that can stand this, that Jewish young men should ransack
could pass any racist, oppressive and anti- in its way is the Supreme Court. And now and burn homes and cars?” While empathiz-
democratic law they think of; 61 members of Bibi wants to gut it. ing with the “anguish” over the killings of
Knesset could also change the electoral sys- In practice, it means that Netanyahu two Israelis, the statement reiterated that
tem, to stop us from replacing the regime. or any future PM would rule Israel with un- “we cannot understand or accept this.” And
When we ask the leaders of this coup what restrained power. It would be the tyranny in an extraordinary rebuke of Netanyahu,
Photo: picture-alliance/REUTERS/Amir Cohen
will keep the power of the government in of the majority, as expressed by 61 seats in Hauer continued: “Attacking a village does
check under the new regime, and what will a 120-member Knesset (…). Sometimes the not deserve to be called ‘taking the law into
protect basic human rights, they only have minority will be the obvious one, Israel’s your own hands.’ This is not the law; this is
one answer: “trust us”. Arab citizens, but sometimes it will mean undisciplined and random fury.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu, Justice those on the losing side of a contested ques- How could it come to this? These
Minister Levin, MK (member of the Knesset, tion. In a democracy, everybody is in the mi- things happen when a right-wing govern-
D+C/E+Z) Rothman, chair of the constitu- nority sometime. (...) ment sends a consistent message of sympa-
tion committee, we do not trust you! You’re For decades, those who opposed the thy for the country’s most radical elements.
tearing to shreds the contract that has some- post-1967 occupation warned that it would Jennifer Rubin, The Washington Post

DEBATE: OPINIONS
Rally in support of
independent
judiciary in Tel Aviv
in early March.
YOU CAN’T SAVE DEMOCRACY 2003, an Israeli government commission help of American investors – the interests
IN A JEWISH STATE found that “many Arab towns and villages between the two communities seemed to be
were surrounded by land designated for pur- generally aligned. (…)
For most of the Palestinians under Israeli poses such as security zones, Jewish regional Under Netanyahu, Israel’s govern-
control – those in the West Bank and Gaza councils, national parks and nature reserves ments sought every way possible to avoid
Strip – Israel is not a democracy. It’s not or highways, which prevent or impede the the peace process with the Palestinians
a democracy because Palestinians in the Oc- possibility of their expansion.” Unable to and used every opportunity possible to de-
cupied Territories can’t vote for the govern- gain permission, many Palestinian citizens monize Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas,
ment that dominates their lives. (…) They build homes illegally – which are therefore even though Netanyahu knew that for years
can complain to the Palestinian Authority. subject to government demolition. (…) Abbas’s Palestinian Authority was providing
But the PA is a subcontractor, not a state. Some Jews may worry that by advo- essential security cooperation with Israel in
Like other Palestinians, its officials need cating genuine liberal democracy – and the West Bank.
Israeli permission even to leave the West thus exposing themselves to accusations of Netanyahu and his team also dis-
Bank. In Gaza, too, Israel determines, with anti-Zionism – Mr. Netanyahu’s critics will missed liberal American Jews, viewing
help from Egypt, which people and products marginalize themselves. But if they widen them as a dying breed, intermarrying their
enter and exit. And Gaza’s residents, who their vision they’ll see that the opposite is way to irrelevance. Netanyahu and his al-
live in what Human Rights Watch calls “an true. By including Palestinians as full part- lies have instead focused their energies on
open-air prison,” can’t vote out the Israeli of- ners, Israel’s democracy movement will dis- building support for Israel with Republicans
ficials who hold the key. (…) cover a vast reservoir of new allies and de- and their evangelical base.
In 2009 the Palestinian Knesset mem- velop a far clearer moral voice. Ultimately, Still, the leaders of the major Ameri-
ber Ahmad Tibi quipped that Israel was in- a movement premised on ethnocracy can- can Jewish institutions worked hard to
deed “Jewish and democratic: Democratic not successfully defend the rule of law. Only deny the implicit contempt that Netanyahu
toward Jews and Jewish toward Arabs.” To a movement for equality can. manifested toward them, putting out pab-
many liberal Zionists, that might sound Peter Beinart, The New York Times lum statements about the need to respect Is-
churlish. After all, Mr. Tibi has now served rael’s democratic process and judge Israel’s
in Israel’s Parliament for almost 25 years. AMERICAN JEWS, YOU HAVE TO government “on actions” – as if Netanyahu’s
But he understands that the Jewish state CHOOSE SIDES ON ISRAEL appointment of two ex-convicts and nation-
contains a deep structure that systematical- alist, messianic zealots to key cabinet posts
Photo: picture-alliance/EPA/ABIR SULTAN
ly denies Palestinians legal equality, wheth- The interests of American Jews and Israel was not worthy of condemnation.
er they are citizens or not. (…) have been diverging for many years, but But as Netanyahu’s latest government
This helps explain why Palestinians it’s been papered over. Up until the early has pressed ahead with its attempt to crush
comprise more than 20 percent of Israel’s cit- 2000s – as Israel was focused on absorb- the independence of the Israeli judiciary,
izens but Palestinian municipalities, according Jews from Russia and Ethiopia with the splitting Israeli society, American Jewish
ing to a 2017 report by a variety of Palestinian help of American Jewry, pursuing the Oslo leaders now have no choice but to choose
and Israeli human rights groups, encompass peace process with the help of American sides.
less than three percent of Israel’s land. In presidents and launching start-ups with the Thomas Friedman, The New York Times

FOCUS
Nigerian
Digital change election official

with digital
equipment.
“Pakistan has been slow to adopt technological pro-
gress in the education system.” MARVA KHAN, P. 19
“The number of online shoppers in Africa is set to

surpass half a billion by 2025.” JAYLAN ELSHAZLY, P. 21
“The use of smart climate technologies is another

factor for green growth.”
TIAN XIA AND NATHALIE SPATH, P. 23
“Nigerians now have even less confidence in the

election commission.” ADAZE OKEAYA-INNEH, P. 25
“Done well, e-government can improve services for

citizens.” CHARLES MARTIN-SHIELDS, P. 27
“World Vision and other agencies are boosting training

in digital literacy.” MELANIE ASSAUER ET AL., P. 29
“More than two-thirds of internet users now live in

places where free expression is restricted online.”
ROLI MAHAJAN, P. 31
“AI programmes are not designed to think; they merely

process data.” HANS DEMBOWSKI, P. 32

ENG
PAKISTAN However, Pakistan has been slow to

adopt technological progress, particularly
Invest in digital learning in the education system, largely due to

high costs. The country ranks in the bot-
tom quarter of the Inclusive Internet Index,
which evaluates nations’ availability, afford-
ability, relevance and readiness of internet
Pakistan’s struggle with underinvestment in locate between 4.5 and 5.5 % of their GDP to services. The gender gap is also a significant
education and digitisation has resulted in education. challenge, with just 19 % of Pakistani women
high illiteracy rates and systemic discrimina- Thus Pakistan’s poor literacy rates accessing mobile internet compared to 37 %
tion against girls and less privileged stu- should come as no surprise. They differ of men in 2020.
dents. While some positive examples can be significantly between the country’s prov- The country’s government has tak-
found in institutions catering for persons inces, between 66.3 % in Punjab and 54.5 % en measures to address these issues. In
with disabilities, the overall picture remains in Baluchistan. Since the 18th Constitutional 2017, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information
bleak. Amendment in 2010, education has become launched the Digital Pakistan Policy 2017,
a provincial matter. Each region is responsi- which aimed to promote IT usage across all
By Marva Khan ble for its own policies. sectors, including education. Its objectives
Within the provinces, literacy rates included:
Education is Pakistan’s Achilles heel. More can be expected to be significantly higher in z enhancing public-private partner-
than 230 million people live in Pakistan, urban centres than in rural areas. Addition- ships,
making it the fifth most populous country in ally, men enjoy notably higher rates than z developing accessible software,
the world. About one third of them is aged women. This holds true for all ages across z incorporating IT accessibility in all
below 15, according to the UN Population the country. competitive exams and
Fund (UNFPA). It is imperative to ensure z subsidising assistive technologies’
that this young and dynamic population DIGITISATION IS KEY costs.
has access to quality education if Pakistan The policy also aimed at providing
wants to achieve its economic and socio- To improve education for all, access to tech- pupils with better digital learning oppor-
political potential. nology and digitisation are essential. The tunities, including access to better tools. It
However, the country’s public invest- Covid-19 pandemic brought this need into could have proven effective for students,
ment in education is dismal, with Pakistan sharp focus, as lockdowns and job losses dis- especially those enrolled in public schools
spending only 2.4 % of its total GDP on edu- rupted digital connectivity. Online teaching during Covid-19 lockdowns. However, it was
cation in 2021. This figure has remained be- underscored the importance of internet ac- abandoned after a new government took
tween 1.8 and 3 % in recent decades, paling cess as an integral component of education over following the 2018 general elections.
in comparison to EU member states that al- (see box). In Punjab, the provincial government
had set up the Punjab Information Technol-
ogy Board (PITB) to provide IT services and
infrastructure, with a plan to implement
a massive internet connectivity spread. A
2017 education policy aimed to capitalise
on this initiative. However, political inter-
ference in the PITB’s structure and work
following the regime change in 2018 led to
earlier formulated policies and actions be-
ing set aside.
Additionally, Pakistan’s digital infra-
structure has been subject to government
restrictions, including the banning of web-
sites like Youtube and Wikipedia on the
Photo: picture-alliance/ZUMAPRESS.com/PPI
grounds of “offensive” or “blasphemous”

content.
PRIVATE SECTOR STEPS IN
As the Pakistani government continued to

neglect the education sector, private edu-
cational institutes have stepped up to the
Blind students at a government school in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan. plate, investing in quality education and

ENG
leveraging technological advancements and Among the first institutions and organ- For Pakistan to prosper as a coun-
digitisation. These institutes are primar- isations in Pakistan to use digital technology try, better education for all is paramount.
ily concentrated in three major urban cen- for education purposes have been some that Investing in digitisation and education
tres – Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. They provide education and training to persons should be the main tool to achieve this goal,
predominantly offer secondary education with disabilities, including the Ida Rieu Wel- both in the private and public sectors. No-
based on British and American systems. fare Association, the Pakistan Association of tably, closing the gender gap in education
However, their high fee structures make the Deaf, the Aziz Jehan Begum Trust & In- and access to technology should be a top
them a rather exclusive option. stitute and the Special Talent Exchange Pro- priority.
The private sector has assumed a criti- gram. Additionally, some higher educational
cal role in Pakistan’s education system. In institutes increasingly leverage assistive MARVA KHAN
2017/2018, privately owned institutes ac- technologies and digitisation to make educa- is an assistant professor of
counted for 38 % of all educational institutes tion more accessible to persons with disabili- law at LUMS (Lahore
and 44 % of total enrolments. While some ties. For example, Lahore University of Man- University of Management
of these “elite” institutions provide access agement Sciences (LUMS) has established its Sciences) and co-founder of
to modern technology, disparities persist Assistive Technology Lab, a facility designed the Pakistani Feminist Judgments Project.
across the board. to assist impaired students and staff. marva.khan@lums.edu.pk
Digital learning during the other resources to complete

assignments and conduct re-
lockdowns, however, forced
many of them back into those
pandemic
search. Now they were forced shells. Their socio-economic
to purchase expensive laptops. disparities had a direct impact
However, they were still often on their learning progress.
unable to establish a reliable in- LUMS made an effort to
The arrival of Covid-19 in Paki- to reading materials and other ternet connection due to poor provide internet connection to
stan in 2020 forced the closure learning resources, the switch service in their areas. students who could not afford
of all educational institutes and was not too arduous for us. Another concern were the it. However, the lack of tangible
triggered strict lockdowns in However, there were still cramped and sometimes unsafe infrastructure in certain parts
March. With no end in sight, holdups. Not all faculty mem- learning environments. Some of the country meant that some
both public and private sector bers were comfortable with the students found themselves students still had to choose
educational institutes across new technology. What proved sharing small spaces with fam- between taking time off or re-
the country were compelled to even more problematic was ily members during class time, turning to campus and living
invest in digitisation in order the alienation of students who while others, especially girls, in almost complete isolation to
to keep teaching. Some well- come from less affluent fami- were expected to contribute to continue their education.
funded private institutions lies or reside in areas with in- household chores. Reports sug- Elite schools like Lahore
adapted more easily than pub- adequate internet access. In Pa- gest that domestic violence in- Grammar School used tech-
licly funded ones. However, kistan, internet quality can be creased. nologies like Zoom or Google
infrastructure deficiencies pre- patchy across the country (see Before the pandemic, be- Classrooms for teaching. Their
vented students from all kinds main text). ing on campus may have been students are predominantly
of backgrounds from accessing These students had relied an equalizer for students from from a few selected localities
digital learning. on campus computer labs and different backgrounds. The within the same city, so they
As an assistant professor often had access to better in-
of law at Lahore University of ternet service. They also could
Management Sciences (LUMS), afford to purchase packages
I witnessed first-hand how my from multiple internet provid-
Photo: picture-alliance/EPA-EFE/BILAWAL ARBAB
institution tackled this chal- ers simultaneously, so they had

lenge. Our university moved backups. Moreover, they pos-
swiftly to purchase Zoom ac- sess better phones and laptops
counts for faculty and admin- than average pupils. All of these
istration, allowing us to transi- privileges made the transition
tion to online learning within easier for them. Given that stu-
a mere two to three weeks of dents from poorer households
the initial lockdown. Having fared much worse, Covid-19
already established the prac- compounded social disparities
tice of offering digital access Exam at a university in Peshawar, 2020. in Pakistan. MK

ENG
Many African women

use e-commerce to
sell goods.
GENDER JUSTICE erage this booming sector to increase their

revenues and strengthen their business per-
Encouraging women to profit from formance. First, e-commerce allows women

to operate in the retail sector without need-
e-commerce
ing physical stores that require capital. Sec-
ond, e-commerce provides instant access to
a wide variety of buyers as well as a reliable
ecosystem of services, such as marketing,
payment and logistics services. With that,
women entrepreneurs get much-needed
The African e-commerce market is growing Stories like Adejumoke Olutayo’s are support that could help them scale quicker.
fast, offering many opportunities for women. not unique. Africa’s e-commerce market is
While female entrepreneurs play an impor- witnessing exponential growth and is allow- MORE FLEXIBILITY
tant role in the sector, they keep encounter- ing women entrepreneurs, who outnumber
ing obstacles. These need to be removed so their male counterparts on the continent, Lastly, e-commerce allows women the flex-
women can use digital platforms to their full new income-generating avenues. ibility to work at the time and location that
advantage. In 2020, e-commerce in Africa was val- suits them. This flexibility is important giv-
ued at $ 20 billion. It is the fastest-growing en the disproportionate level of care respon-
By Jaylan ElShazly e-commerce market in the world, expected sibilities women carry. According to the
to reach $ 84 billion by 2030. The number of International Labour Organization (ILO),
Meet Adejumoke Olutayo, the founder of online shoppers in Africa is set to surpass African women spend more than three
Deeski.com, an online grocery outlet in Ni- half a billion by 2025, growing annually at times as much time on unpaid care work as
geria. A mother to eight-year-old twins, she a rate of 18 % since 2014 and exceeding the men.
has built a thriving business through online global average of 12 %. The Covid-19 pan- In 2021, the International Finance Cor-
sales on one of Africa’s largest e-commerce demic has accelerated an already strong poration (IFC), in partnership with Jumia
platforms. Launched in 2016, Deeski.com trend and brought new customers to the e- Group and the European Commission (EC),
now serves all areas in Nigeria’s bustling commerce space. conducted a study that leverages data and
Photo: Jumia
commercial capital Lagos and employs 14 E-commerce represents a unique op- insights from sellers on Jumia, one of Af-
full-time staff members. portunity for women entrepreneurs to lev- rica’s largest e-commerce platforms, in Ken-

ENG
ya, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria. IFC is a mem- need to be addressed to ensure women can Evidence suggests that, in addition to
ber of the World Bank Group focused on the profit from e-commerce. Only 24 % of girls technology and skills barriers, women tend
private sector in developing countries. The and women in Africa are estimated to use to self-select out of such loans due to a per-
study’s aim was to understand how to boost the internet compared to 35 % of the male ception that their businesses have lower
opportunities for women entrepreneurs in population. Furthermore, the continent creditworthiness (African Development
e-commerce. It found that the value of the faces digital skill shortages at all levels, but Bank Group 2019). Platforms and financial
African e-commerce market could increase especially at the intermediate and advanced institutions can leverage the fact that wom-
by nearly $ 15 billion between 2025 and 2030 levels which are critical for women to use en are already active on these platforms.
if women’s sales reach parity with men’s digital tools and technologies (World Bank They can encourage those that operate
(IFC 2021). 2021). growth-stage businesses to apply for loans
Women are well-represented in e- These gaps are evident in the way and train them on how to use these fintech
commerce in Africa. On the Jumia platform, women use e-commerce platforms. For in- offerings on the e-commerce platform. This
they own 35 % of businesses in Côte d’Ivoire stance, the study conducted by IFC, Jumia would help women expand their businesses
and 51 % in Kenya and Nigeria. When com- and EC showed that women are more likely and boost their sales. It may also encourage
paring the presence of formal business than men to value training and business them to pursue additional funding sources
ownership between the Jumia platform support provided by the platforms. One outside of the platform.
and national statistics, women-owned busi- woman entrepreneur in Nigeria shared that Women have more to gain from great-
nesses were better represented on the Jumia she used the training offered to learn how er participation in e-commerce and more to
platform in both Kenya and Nigeria. This to upload product pictures. Additionally, lose if they are excluded from this new form
means that women are active participants women are less likely than men to invest in of business. Addressing connectivity, digital
in e-commerce. paid promotions for their products and do skills and access to finance barriers will help
not take full advantage of system features African women entrepreneurs profit from e-
BEING SUCCESSFUL IN MALE-DOMINATED such as advertising and marketing services. commerce as well as support the growth of
SECTORS E-commerce platforms therefore need the African e-commerce market. A win-win
to support women entrepreneurs in gaining for all.
E-commerce could enable women to move the necessary skills to operate the system
into male-dominated sectors which are and all the features it offers. Not only will
characterised by high earning potential. this help to boost women’s businesses, but it FURTHER READING
This is good news as gender-based segrega- will also provide additional revenue streams IFC, 2021: Women and e-commerce in Africa.
tion in sectors is a key challenge standing in to the platforms through the increased us- https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/
the way of greater profitability for women age of its paid promotional services. topics_ext_content/ifc_external_corporate_site/
entrepreneurs. According to a World Bank gender+at+ifc/resources/women-and-
report, female entrepreneurs who cross over ADDRESSING FINANCING ecommerce-africa
to male-dominated sectors on average make World Bank, 2022: Breaking barriers: Female
higher profits than female entrepreneurs in Financing is another barrier for African entrepreneurs who cross over to male-
female-concentrated sectors (World Bank women entrepreneurs in e-commerce. The dominated sectors.
2022). challenges for women-owned micro, small https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/
Findings from the study in Africa cor- and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are well handle/10986/36940
roborate this. For example, women held documented. IFC estimates that the financ- World Bank, 2021: Digital skills: The why, the
more than half of the market share in the ing gap for women entrepreneurs in devel- what and the how.
clothes and accessories segment yet gener- oping economies is valued at $ 1.7 trillion. https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/0a4174
ated only one third of the gross merchandise Research findings on e-commerce d70030f27cc66099e862b3ba79-0200022021/
value (GMV) of the segment. Conversely, show that over 80 % of the women-owned original/DSCAP-MethodGuidebook-Part1.pdf
they held about one third of the market businesses on the Jumia platform in Kenya, African Development Bank Group, 2019:
share in the male-dominated electronics Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria were microenter- Women self-selection out of the credit market
sector yet generated two thirds of its GMV. prises and the majority rely on personal sav- in Africa.
E-commerce can, therefore, open opportu- ings to start their businesses. Women typi- https://www.afdb.org/sites/default/files/
nities for women in male-dominated, high- cally join the platform to expand an existing documents/publications/wps_no_317_women_
value spaces and support women entrepre- business. They rely mostly on family and self-selection_out_of_the_credit_market_in_
neurs’ growth and profitability. friends as a source of finance after start-up. africa.pdf
Fintech offerings, such as lending ser-
REMOVING ROADBLOCKS vices administered through e-commerce JAYLAN ELSHAZLY
platforms, can give sellers access to short- is Disruptive Technology
The road toward equal participation is, term working capital. On Jumia’s platform, acting Lead at IFC’s Gender
however, not well paved. Connectivity chal- only seven percent of women use this option and Economic Inclusion
lenges and low digital literacy are among compared to 11 % of men, yet women were Group.
the main barriers for women in Africa which more likely to be approved for these loans. jelshazly@ifc.org

ENG
View inside a breeding box of young crickets that are being raised in France exclusively for human consumption.
CLIMATE CRISIS them uses significantly less space and en-

ergy compared to other livestock. At the mo-
New economy, smart technologies ment they remain a niche product, but in
the past two years, three insect species were
approved for human consumption in the EU.
“Zero waste” has become a slogan
on social media. This is how bakeries are
Stopping climate change and mitigating its In its 2020 report, the World Economic springing up that bake fresh bread from
impacts is the greatest challenge of our time. Forum coined the term “New Nature Econo- old – and textile factories that recycle cot-
Yet at the same time, many people lack the my”. The idea is to reduce the resources a so- ton and turn it into new clothes. Apps that
opportunities to do so because they live ciety needs to achieve prosperity, thereby broker leftover food from restaurants help
below the poverty line. Economic innovations protecting ecosystems. to reduce food waste and thus protect the
and new technologies are part of the solu- New Nature Economy offers a broad environment. Nature-based solutions like
tion. spectrum of new business models that use purifying water through plant-based puri-
innovative technology and attract private fication systems are attracting the interest
By Tian Xia and Nathalie Spath capital. Some are already successful. Eco- of investors. According to estimates by the
tourism, a responsible and sustainable way World Economic Forum, the business po-
For low-income countries, the climate cri- to travel, is one well-known example. Vari- tential of New Nature Economy is $ 10.1 tril-
Photo: picture-alliance/dpa/Ansgar Haase
sis poses a particular challenge. On the ous market research studies estimated the lion annually by 2030. It could also create
one hand, they are already being severely market size of ecotourism at around $ 180 395 million jobs.
impacted; on the other, they have few tech- billion in 2019, with an annual growth rate
nological or financial resources to carry out of approximately 10 to 15 %. THE ADVANTAGE OF DIGITALISATION AND
mitigation or adaptation measures. How- Another example is breeding insects TECHNOLOGY
ever, there are also many opportunities in as an alternative protein source for humans
sustainable economic growth with fewer and animals. Edible insects have a similarly Based on these examples, it’s clear that
emissions. high protein content as meat, but rearing technologies will play a leading role in the

ENG
transformation to New Nature Economy. planning and realisation of such power Husk develops and operates low-cost hybrid
Technological advances present a major op- plants in order to reconcile the interests of power plants based on renewable energies
portunity for low-income countries. They all those involved and affected. For exam- in Nigeria and India. These so-called mini-
can base their growth on significantly im- ple, people who are to be resettled because grids make it possible to use appliances
proved technologies, whereas industrialised of the construction of a hydropower plant such as refrigerators, fans or water treat-
countries often underwent the Industrial must be fairly compensated. In the case of ment plants. They are a series of electric-
Revolution at the expense of the environ- projects like offshore wind parks or tidal ity generators and, possibly, energy storage
ment. power plants, the protection of marine life systems that are operated as a single system
According to the German Institute of must be ensured. and connected to a distribution grid that
Development and Sustainability (IDOS), the provides localised electricity.
swift increase in emissions in low-income SMART FARMS AND DRIVERLESS TRUCKS However, according to the Bitkom
countries can primarily be attributed to study mentioned above, 1.8 to 3.2 % of global
their rising energy needs, which at the mo- In addition to the transition of energy greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the
ment are still largely being covered by fossil sources, digitalisation and the use of smart production of digital devices and the opera-
fuels. climate technologies is another factor for tion of digital infrastructure. Therefore, it is
For a long time, high transition costs green growth, emission reduction and the also important for digital solutions to find
were a serious impediment to the develop- mitigation of climate risks. A 2020 study a healthy balance through climate-friendly
ment of renewable energies in these coun- by the German digital association Bitkom hardware production and an optimised en-
tries. However, the International Renewable shows that digital technologies could save ergy mix for the high energy demand of data
Energy Agency (IRENA) reports that these up to 20 % of global greenhouse gas emis- centres and networks.
costs have dropped significantly over the sions. The greatest potential can be found in
last decade, partly due to improved tech- the energy, building, mobility and transpor- LINKS
nologies and competitive supply chains. tation sectors, as well as in agriculture and World Economic Forum, 2020: New Nature
For example, the IRENA database shows industry. Economy Report II: The Future Of Nature And
that the cost of electricity from photovoltaic Innumerable innovations are already Business.
plants dropped by 85 % between 2010 and on the way. In the logistics sector, driverless https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_
2020, while the cost of concentrated solar electric trucks can increase the efficiency Future_Of_Nature_And_Business_2020.pdf
power fell by 68 % and wind power by 56 % of goods transport and reduce emissions at Bauer, S. et al., 2021: Working together to
(onshore) and 48 % (offshore). the same time. Thanks to the quick growth achieve the Paris climate goals and sustainable
This trend is expected to continue for of network capacity and available data, driv- development: International climate cooperation
the foreseeable future. Clean energy is now erless trucks can find the best route, analyse and the role of developing countries and
not only affordable, but often even more traffic situations and communicate with oth- emerging economies.
competitive than fossil fuels. The transi- er vehicles. Thus they can avoid traffic jams https://www.idos-research.de/uploads/
tion to renewable energy sources offers and accidents and deliver their goods more media/Report_DIE_NewClimate__ENGLISH_
enormous potential for economically weak efficiently. The use of electric vehicles lowers FullReport.pdf
countries – both in terms of saving costs and fossil fuel consumption, and an improved Bieser, J. et al., 2020: Klimaschutz durch
emissions. traffic flow raises the quality of life, increases digitale Technologien – Chancen und Risiken.
However, there are some points to con- traffic safety and reduces emissions. Kurzstudie.
sider so that renewable energies can really Smart farming has become a reality https://www.bitkom.org/sites/main/
make the greatest possible contribution to as well. Digital devices can analyse weather files/2020-05/2020-05_bitkom_klimastudie_
sustainable business. For example, the pro- conditions, monitor plant growth, improve digitalisierung.pdf
duction of building components for renew- irrigation efficiency and reduce groundwa-
able energy infrastructure itself requires ter consumption. Drones that spray fertilis- TIAN XIA
a great deal of energy and materials. It is im- er, for example, raise dosing accuracy, lower is an economist at the
portant to ensure that this process leaves as fertiliser consumption and therefore also Deutsche Investitions- und
small a carbon footprint as possible. emissions from fertiliser production. Entwicklungsgesellschaft
The performance of power plants Intelligent building technologies have mbH (DEG).
based on renewable energies is strongly been monitoring energy consumption in tian.xia@deginvest.de
dependent on weather conditions. For that homes for some time and network techni- presse@deginvest.de
reason, technological innovations are es- cal devices there. For example, they control
sential in this area to further boost storage shading, heating and cooling systems as NATHALIE SPATH
capacity and diversify the energy mix. They well as lighting and can thus optimise en- is a policy advisor at the
are the only way to mitigate fluctuations in ergy consumption. Deutsche Investitions- und
electricity production due to unfavourable GreenTechs like Husk Power Systems Entwicklungsgesellschaft
weather conditions. are playing an increasing role in the energy mbH (DEG).
Furthermore, social and ecological sector as well. With financial support from nathalie.spath@deginvest.de
aspects must be taken into account in the the German development financier DEG, presse@deginvest.de

ENG
Result Viewing portal. This year’s elections

were their first nationwide application.
The BVAS serves three functions:
z registering voters before elections,
z accrediting them before voting and
z uploading results on the IREV on elec-
tion day.
The system relies on electronic de-
vices that read voter cards and then confirm
that the person concerned is eligible. The
system uses face and fingerprint recogni-
tion. It requires 4G network coverage for
regular software updates as well as for con-
venient downloads and uploads.
The BVAS was first tested in regional
elections in Delta and Anambra States in
2021 and the Federal Capital Territory in
2022. There were complaints that the ma-
chines sometimes failed to recognise vot-
ers’ faces and thumbs. The INEC, however,
claimed that the hitches had been resolved
Digitised voter accreditation in Anambra State on 25 February. and dismissed fears before the presidential
elections. Nonetheless, the same kind of
failure kept recurring.
DEMOCRACY IREV is the storage site where results
Unfulfilled promise
are supposed to be uploaded on election
day. It was first deployed for a by-election in
Nasarawa State in 2020.
THEORY VERSUS PRACTICE
High-tech approaches were supposed to It did not go as planned. While the In theory, things are supposed to go like this
make Nigeria’s presidential elections in Feb- National Assembly results were rather at polling units: After voting ends, an INEC
ruary transparent and safe. They did not do so. satisfying, the presidential election was officer counts the ballot sheets. In the pres-
a mess. Three days after the voting, INEC ence of representatives of the competing
By Adaze Okeaya-inneh declared Bola Ahmed Tinubu to have won. political parties, he or she then signs the re-
That result remains controversial. Opposi- sult sheet. The officers use the BVAS to take
Electoral fraud and election violence have tion leaders have declared they will chal- a picture of the result sheet and upload it on
been haunting many African countries for lenge it in court (see Prince Thompson on the IREV.
a long time. Some countries, including Gha- page 15 of this Digital Monthly). Suspicions This way, national results can be com-
na, Rwanda and Kenya, have adopted mod- of manipulation and fraud abound – not piled fast and transparently. Of course, the
ern technology to strengthen the electoral least because the National Assembly results election results are documented offline as
process and promote transparency. Nigeria were not plagued by problems to the same well, so scrutiny of the results is always fea-
did so too – but it did not work out well in extent. sible at a later point.
the recent presidential elections. The In- The good news is that the opposition What sounds good in theory, did not
dependent National Electoral Commission leaders have opted for an orderly process. work out in practice, however. The presi-
(INEC) is thus facing serious criticism. The country’s institutional order thus does dential election was haunted by many prob-
Nigeria is the most populous nation in not look threatened in spite of people’s deep lems:
Africa with more than 210 million people. sense of frustration. In view of the procedur- z At many polling stations, INEC offi-
Past elections were often tainted by vio- al difficulties, the state elections were post- cials arrived late and so did sensitive voting
lence, malpractice and irregularities. The poned to late March and were largely okay in materials. In some places, where insurgent
election cycle of 2023 was supposed to be technical terms. militias are strong, INEC officials actually
different. Voters were expected to choose Two high-tech approaches were ex- did not show up at all.
their next president and the members of the pected to improve electoral transparency. z The training some INEC officers and
National Assembly in the first round of vot- The first is the BVAS, which stands for Bi- ad-hoc staff got was apparently inadequate.
ing on 25 February and several state gover- modal Voter Accreditation System. The sec- During the election, some officials claimed
nors two weeks later. ond is the IREV, the abbreviation for INEC they could not remember the password to

ENG
the IREV portal. Perhaps well-trained per- may have been that the data from individual their application adequately before deploy-
sons were sabotaging the elections this way. constituencies was uncontroversial, so the ment. Nigerians now have even less confi-
z Voters reported that the BVAS de- big picture that emerged from those local dence in the election commission than they
vices failed in some polling units, resulting results was more convincing. It seems more did before. Low voter trust results in low
in people being disenfranchised. In Rivers likely, however, that the presidential elec- voter turn-out, which further dropped from
State, the BVAS initially failed to capture the tions were intentionally sabotaged. That 35 % in the presidential elections of 2019 to
Governor, Nyesom Wike. Identical twins in is the most convincing way to explain why about 29 % this time.
particular were often not validated as voters. there were problems with compiling the The election commission had four
z Internet connectivity was not good presidential election at the national level, years and ample funding to prepare for the
enough. In particular remote locations do but not the legislative election. election. Not many are comforted by Festus
not have the needed 4G network. It is obvious that BVAS and IREV were Okoye, the INEC commissioner, who says
z In spite of the high-tech tools, the na- ineffective. The reason was either manipu- that the technical challenges have been rec-
tional results of the presidential elections lation or, less likely, failure of INEC to test tified for future elections.
could only be compiled slowly and were By all indications, technology will
only made public three days after the event. play a more critical role in politics and fu-
The full truth is that Nigeria once ture elections in Africa. Even the best tech
again saw election violence and large-scale approaches, however, cannot make a differ-
electoral fraud. A public outcry followed IN- ence if they are used incompetently or in
EC’s collation of results. Actual results and intentionally obstructive ways. Nigerians
what had been uploaded to the IREV were deserve better.
NIGERIA
too often inconsistent. Two opposition par-
ties fast accused the INEC of complicity in Abuja ADAZE OKEAYA-INNEH
rigging the election. is a broadcast journalist and
That the same problems did not mar screenwriter.
the National Assembly elections to the same
extent needs some explanation. One reason adazeirefunmi@gmail.com
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DEVELOPMENT ENTWICKLUNG
AND COOPERATION UND ZUSAMMENARBEIT
ENG
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION sions. An e-government portal would be

useful for managing comparatively simple
Focus on people’s needs tasks like visa extensions for foreign resi-
dents. Caseworkers would then have more
time to focus on complex cases like asylum
requests.
It is important to notice what is not
Done well, e-government can improve ser- tion of time, which citizens spend less of happening in the example above. For two
vices for citizens while also making the jobs when they deal with government agencies reasons, there is no mention of saving mon-
of public officials easier. Two countries that remotely? Or is it about cost savings in pub- ey:
have set up useful web portals for dealing lic administration? In a democracy, citizens’ z First, high-quality e-government plat-
with government agencies are Kenya and experience should obviously matter most. forms are not cheap to build and maintain.
Malaysia. Done well, e-government can improve The complexity of public administration
services for citizens while also making the does not go away when it is digitised, and
By Charles Martin-Shields jobs of civil servants easier. The efficien- badly designed e-government platforms just
cies are felt when citizens file taxes, apply create new layers of frustration. In countries
E-government, the shifting of government for a driver’s license or register children for with great resource constraints, malfunc-
services previously done face-to-face onto school without having to go to office. For tioning e-government approaches may even
internet platforms, has the potential to im- civil servants, the time freed up from doing increase stress among staff and distract
prove citizens’ experience when interacting routine tasks face-to-face can be invested in from delivering citizen-facing services. That
with government agencies. Making certain engaging with more complex requests that is especially likely at the municipal level.
aspects of public administration possible require a human touch. z Second, e-government should not re-
place human workers, but supplement civil
servants in ways that reduce their routine
work and allow them to focus on more chal-
lenging tasks.
E-GOVERNMENT IN PRACTICE
To understand e-government better, it

should be seen in practice. Here are some
examples from Africa, Asia and Latin Amer-
ica.
Fairly straightforward national e-
government portal systems are increas-
ingly common in middle-income countries.
Kenya’s “eCitizen” portal includes standard
services like requesting an ID card, mar-
riage registration, land registration and tax
issues, and drivers’ license applications.
Malaysia’s “MyGOV” portal functions simi-
larly, allowing citizens to register for school,
marriage, file taxes and access health-care
systems among other things. These are ex-
amples where standard citizen-government
activities like individual citizen services and
tools for businesses are centralised through
As Russian attacks hit large-scale infrastructure in Ukraine, accessing government agencies via a single web portal.
mobile phone serves practical needs. Togo, a least-developed country, in-
troduced a basic minimum income during
the Covid-19 pandemic. Applications and
Photo: picture-alliance/Photoshot
via an app on a smartphone or through In Germany, for example, e-govern- disbursements were made by mobile phone.
a web browser on a laptop also comes with ment could add value in the administra- The Colombian project Kioscos Vive
gains in efficiency. tion of the immigration services. In many Digital is being implemented by the Ministry
However, one needs to clarify what localities, all services require an in-person of Information and Communication Tech-
is meant by “efficiency” and who exactly appointment, including new residence per- nologies and supported by UNESCO (UN
is supposed to benefit. Is efficiency a func- mits, asylum applications and visa exten- Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organi-

ENG
zation). It is a creative bottom-up approach the best results where people trust govern- centric. It is necessary to build fully inclu-
of digital citizen engagement. It allowed ment institutions. Where they fear repressive systems. E-government investments
people from many different communities sion, they will reduce contact to the bare must not come at the cost of maintaining
to share online how they use the internet in minimum and be tempted to enter wrong in-person services for those who need a new
general and in exchange with government information. paper document or who do not have inter-
agencies in particular. The idea was to un- Multilateral agencies also play a sup- net access. On the other hand, e-govern-
derstand different internet cultures across porting role in creating and deploying e- ment solutions look particularly promising
Colombia and to generate locally-specific
insights regarding how to improve things.
E-government systems are also being
implemented in extreme political circum-
stances. Ukraine’s Diia is a mobile phone-
based portal that citizens can use to access
government ministry services. This is taking
place in the backdrop of a war of aggression,
with large-scale infrastructure being target-
ed by Russia. In this setting, a decentralised
system based on mobile phones serves prac-
tical needs.
There are political implications too.
Western governments are supporting
Ukraine with funding and military equip-
ment, and they insist on transparency and
anti-corruption measures. E-government
systems can address such concerns, if de-
signed and implemented well.
This is one reason why bilateral and
multilateral development agencies are in-
terested in e-government. Indeed, USAID,
the US administration’s bilateral agency, is
supporting Diia in Ukraine. Germany’s GIZ
is currently supporting a programme in
Egypt to create comprehensive e-govern-
ment with funding from Germany’s Federal E-government makes life easier for rural Kenyans.
Ministry for Economic Development and
Cooperation (BMZ).
Both USAID and GIZ tend to focus government strategies. The World Bank’s in developing countries which do not have
on tools that meet citizens’ needs, so pro- Information Solutions Group oversees the the legacy systems of public administra-
grammes and systems are designed accord- e-government advisory practice and pro- tion that mark countries in the global north.
ingly. The idea is to improve government vides advice on integrating digitised so- Where public services are poor, digital tech-
capacities on that basis. There is a need to lutions into government procedures and nology can improve matters fast.
balance in-house capacities within public management of the economy. The model In Kenya, for example, marriage reg-
institutions and assigning software compa- is built around consulting and knowledge istration is one of the top-line services one
nies to adapt programmes or develop new sharing, helping partner countries to iden- sees when opening the eCitizen website.
ones. tify needs, organise financing and integrate Marriage may not be high on donor govern-
An important component is the role new technologies into government proce- ments’ agenda. It matters very much for
Photo: picture-alliance/Xinhua News Agency/Dong Jianghui
of continuously evaluating political con- dures. a Kenyan couple in a rural area, since a vi-
text that an e-government system will be Along with advice, the UN provides able e-government solution means it must
deployed into. A government’s respect for a global monitoring service that tracks the not make an inconvenient trip to the near-
human rights, privacy and transparency all state of e-government in member nations. est town.
have a significant effect on whether e-gov- The UN E-Government Development Index
ernment improves or impinges on citizens’ (EGDI) provides cross-national comparative CHARLES MARTIN-SHIELDS
quality of life. Where democratic rule is not data. is a senior researcher at the
in place or looks shaky, it may be difficult E-government can significantly im- German Institute of
to determine what kind of e-government prove the relationship between people and Development and
project to support. More generally speak- government agencies. What matters most Sustainability (IDOS) in Bonn.
ing, e-government approaches will deliver is to make sure that the services are citizen- charles.martin-shields@idos-research.de

ENG
Cash distribution via

LMMS during
a drought in
Ethiopia.
HUMANITARIAN AID They countersign once they have re-

ceived assistance. Their confirmation is
Digital platform makes important in terms of guaranteeing the

scope and quality of our measures. It also
emergency assistance easier

facilitates proper oversight of how we use
private donations and government funds.
We must give account to those who support
us financially and ensure that their money
serves the intended beneficiaries. Under the
direction of governments and UN organisa-
In disasters, World Vision, the international relief and to conduct what we call “rapid tions, we also work to avoid duplications in
non-governmental organisation, uses the needs assessment”. Next, we do our best to the distribution of goods, cash or vouchers.
“Last Mile Mobile Solutions” system to regis- find out what help is most urgently needed.
ter people in need and assist them. The For instance, water lines are often damaged A DIGITAL SOLUTION
approach leads to new challenges, for and markets may no longer work because of
instance regarding data privacy. disrupted supply chains. Such information In the past, we carried out most of these
helps to determine to what extent we need tasks with paper and pen, consolidating all
By Melanie Assauer, Eric Kiruhura and Chris to organise water trucks or distribute food. information manually. Transcribing the in-
Jansen If markets are still functioning, we of- formation took time, however, and was er-
ten give out cash or vouchers. The people af- ror-prone. We accumulated masses of paper
In order to provide assistance quickly and fected will then decide for themselves what folders, which were then tediously scanned.
efficiently during disasters, humanitarian they need most. This approach is more dig- Storing all documents safely was a serious
actors need reliable information. We work nified and, moreover, often more effective. challenge.
for the Christian aid organisation World Vi- In cooperation with local authorities, World Vision was one of the first hu-
sion, which has numerous offices in coun- we determine who needs attention most manitarian organisations that developed
tries around the globe, including in Germa- and find the people most affected. It could digital tools for registration, distribution
ny. In emergencies, we have to know: Who is be single parents, households with more and reporting. We use it for humanitarian
affected, and how? Who can be helped, and than three children, people with disabilities aid in general and in disasters in particular.
Photo: World Vision
how? What is most urgently needed? or the aged. World Vision registers them as Our platform, “Last Mile Mobile Solutions”
In case of a flood disaster, for example, beneficiaries based on pertinent criteria. (LMMS), facilitates digital and non-physical
we send a team to the affected area within Thus we ensure that the support reaches the registration offline. The system is fast and
72 hours. Its job is to provide emergency target groups precisely. precise. Since 2008, LMMS has registered

ENG
over 10 million beneficiaries and managed internet access again, the data is automati- Currently, World Vision is launch-
over $ 100 million of cash distributions. It is cally uploaded to our central system. ing a project to promote decentralised data
used by 20 different organisations in over 30 use between international organisations. It
countries around the world (see Box). DATA SOVEREIGNTY IS IMPORTANT aims at developing international standards
We only collect the most essential data for the ethical, efficient and systematic ex-
and only pass them on if necessary to identi- As important as technological advances change of data in the distribution of cash
fy beneficiaries in distribution efforts and to are for our work, it is equally important or vouchers. We are doing this as part of
verify that measures reach them as planned. that people are neither reduced to data nor the Collaborative Cash Delivery Network,
These data include a photo, their name, the rendered “transparent”, which would make a platform of 14 civil society organisations
number of family members or, if available, them even more vulnerable than they al- seeking to improve their cash programmes.
an identification number. ready are. Their dignity must be respected, The project gets funding from the European
After being registered on the LMMS and their individual needs should be consid- Commission. A test run is planned in South
platform, beneficiaries receive an ID card. ered. They should share their data voluntar- Sudan this year as a component of an emer-
They can use it to collect the aid they are ily, so disclosure must not be a precondition gency aid project.
entitled to (both goods or cash) at World Vi- for receiving desperately needed support.
sion’s distribution sites. Where the situation Beneficiaries must be protected from data LINK
permits, the ID card can also be used to open abuse, particularly in places where margin- https://www.collaborativecash.org/
a bank account, allowing people to decide on alised and needy people are discriminated
their own how much cash to withdraw and against or even persecuted by their own MELANIE ASSAUER
when. Digital money transfers are particu- government. is Senior Coordinator for
larly helpful when a disaster forces people World Vision and other agencies are Disaster Management at the
to flee and they are on the move. In coopera- therefore boosting training in digital litera- German section of World
tion with state institutions, we sometimes cy. We teach our teams as well as beneficiar- Vision.
contribute money to existing pension sys- ies. Topics include melanie.assauer@wveu.org
tems so beneficiaries will receive assistance z why we collect data,
that way. These approaches obviously de- z what we will do with the information, ERIC KIRUHURA
pend on fully operational financial service z when it will be deleted and is Digital Humanitarian
providers and social security systems. z what rights people have in regard to Systems Advisor at World
LMMS is very helpful when it comes to their own data. Vision International.
supporting people in areas that are difficult We explain UN rules on human rights eric_kiruhura@wvi.org
to access. Thanks to its offline capabilities as well as national laws.
and low connectivity requirements, we do Moreover, beneficiaries should be CHRIS JANSEN
not depend on broadband or Wi-Fi coverage. able to decide what personal information is is Senior Director of Disaster
We can manage transactions where the peo- shared with whom and when. For that pur- Management, Advocacy and
ple are, covering the “last mile”. In remote pose, we use an app which can be installed Grants at World Vision
areas, we often use a hotspot to save data on smartphones and, like LMMS, can be International.
sets on a data storage device. Once we have used in many languages. chris_jansen@wvi.org
Digital support for Ukraine made some areas completely

inaccessible.
funds that have been entrusted
to it. At the same time, the per-
LMMS makes it possible sonal data of beneficiaries is se-
to deliver humanitarian aid cure and protected.
Since the beginning of the Romania as well as members faster. Moreover, it helps World At this point, LMMS is
Ukraine war in February 2022, of host communities. In co- Vision to be accountable for the being used in several World
World Vision has been using its operation with local and faith Vision projects in Ukraine, Ro-
digital platform “Last Mile Mo- based charity organisations, mania, Moldova and Georgia.
bile Solutions” (LMMS) in the World Vision is supporting in- Apart from disbursing cash,
country (see main text). LMMS ternally displaced people and the projects focus on distrib-
has helped this international hosts in western Ukraine and UKRAINE uting food, supplying refugee
non-governmental organisa- in the capital Kyiv, as well as Kyiv shelters or providing immedi-
tion to provide urgently needed refugees along the borders and ate funding for special needs
money to more than 20,000 in the Romanian capital Bucha- such as transporting children
internally displaced persons rest. A special focus is on east- to therapists in order to process
and refugees in Ukraine and ern Ukraine where the war has war traumas. MA, EK, CJ

ENG
WORLD WIDE WEB (ITU) into a global internet regulator in ways

that would advance authoritarian interests.
How to counter potential They are said to have made some inroads in
UN contexts.
authoritarian overhaul
On the other hand, a cohort of democ-
racies are pushing back. The USA, accord-
ing to Freedom House, has recently shown
promising signs of reengaging in cyber de-
mocracy. The EU has made progress regard-
ing regulations to protect internet users’
Internet freedom has declined for the 12th Freedom House states that worsening privacy and reduce potential harm linked to
year in a row according to Freedom House, digital restraints often mirror broader crack- online activities.
the Washington-based human-rights organi- downs on human rights. They coincide with While internet freedom has been de-
sation. It documented the sharpest down- the repression of domestic independent me- clining overall, a record 26 countries have
grade in Russia. dia and the restriction of civil-society space, seen improvements. Two noteworthy ex-
with state-endorsed narratives crowding amples were Gambia and Zimbabwe. While
By Roli Mahajan out dissent. the USA improved its ranking for the first
Internet freedom in Russia is said to time in six years due to the Biden admin-
The agency’s Freedom on the Net 2022 re- have fallen to an all-time low after the in- istration’s pro-active international stance,
port reveals that more governments than Freedom House sees shortcomings at the
ever before are restricting liberties online. domestic level. In particular, the USA lacks
Their actions include shutting down the a comprehensive legislation on online hu-
internet, censoring online content, harass- man rights.
ing citizens for expressing themselves and According to Freedom House, civil
surveilling them online. Freedom House be- society, the courts and democratic-minded
moans the trend of governments hoarding FREEDOM ON policymakers would do well to join forces in
data and centralising infrastructure. The THE NET 2022 regard to protecting internet freedom. The
report also notes that private-sector compa- Countering an Authoritarian Overhaul of the Internet authors also state that the private sector has
nies have amassed substantial power online a role to play. For example, content modera-
and calls for more transparency accordingly. tion on social-media platforms is said to be
The report is part of an annual series. very important as the freedom of speech
The current issue was released in the last can become destructive if and when public
quarter of 2022 and surveys 70 countries discourse loses credibility. Democracy and
which account for 89 % of the world’s inter- human rights are at risk when disinforma-
net users. In 28 countries, things deteriorat- tion abounds – and it is abounding on the
ed in last year’s research period. According internet.
to the data, more than two-thirds of internet Freedom House insists that democra-
users now live in places where free expres- cies must not only promote internet free-
sion is restricted online. In at least 53 coun- dom in multilateral contexts, but also sig-
tries, “users faced legal repercussions for nificantly improve respect for online rights
expressing themselves”. The report’s assessments result from a survey at home. Flawed domestic policies, includ-
Some governments are trying to frac- of 70 countries with 89 % of internet users. ing insufficient regulation of corporations,
ture the global internet along national bor- after all, undermine the values they seek to
ders. The authorities of 47 countries cut defend internationally.
residents off from foreign-source content. vasion of Ukraine. China, however, had the
Indeed, access to international information world’s most repressive online environment LINK
was limited in two thirds of the surveyed for the eighth consecutive year. According Freedom House: Freedom on the Net 2022 –
countries. to Freedom House, censorship intensified Countering an authoritarian overhaul of the
More than 20 governments have re- during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. internet.
cently proposed or passed laws that make Moreover, new rules requiring platforms to https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/
state surveillance more likely. Rwanda’s use their algorithms in support of the re- files/2022-10/FOTN2022Digital.pdf
2021 Data Protection Law, for example, forc- gime’s ideology keep the country’s booming
es companies to store user data locally rath- technology sector in check. ROLI MAHAJAN
er than abroad, while India has pushed VPN Freedom House points out that Chi- is a freelance journalist based
providers out. VPN systems allow persons nese and Russian diplomats want to trans- in Lucknow, India.
to use the world wide web without revealing form international institutions like the
their identity. International Telecommunication Union roli.mahajan@gmail.com

ENG
Human drivers it subsidiary based in the USA. The most

process complex prominent investor is Microsoft.
information: ChatGPT was launched late last year.
downtown traffic in Its user numbers soon exceeded 100 mil-
Berlin. lion and are still growing fast online. Any-
one who registers on the website can ask the
chatbot questions and will get answers. You
can tell the programme to write a letter, an
essay or even a poem. The results are sur-
prisingly good. People who want to register
may have to wait before they get access be-
cause of huge and fast growing demand.
However, ChatGPT is still stuck in the
conventional AI mould. The programme
does not do any kind of creative thinking. It
basically rows word behind word according
to a statistical evaluation of its huge data-
base. If you don’t trust me, check out what
the prominent linguist Noam Chomsky
wrote with two co-authors in the New York
Times. The headline was: “The false prom-
ise of ChatGPT”.
At this stage, it is reasonable to say
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
that chatbots write the kind of manuscript
Chatbots cannot
an informed average internet user would
write when weighing in on a given subject.
ChatGPT has passed some high school ex-
“think outside the box”

ams in Germany, but the results were me-
diocre, not excellent. That should not come
as a surprise. After all, the programme is
designed to opt for the most typical solution
human beings would come up with. It is nei-
ther designed to deliver the most relevant
Innovative AI systems are able to write reckless speeders who disregard traffic rules nor the most intelligent solution.
astonishingly good manuscripts. Some chat- are dangerous too. For most practical purposes, average
bots are accessible online. This technology The big challenge of making self-driv- results are probably good enough. Quite
will have far-reaching impacts – and they will ing cars is to collect and process all the in- likely, many internet users will stop using
make formal education more, not less impor- formation a human driver’s senses provide. search engines like Google, because it is
tant. Chatbots, moreover, will probably rein- Humans depend on eyesight, hearing and more comfortable to interact with a chatbot.
force conventional narratives. other senses (including smelling, to detect You ask for information, and you get a nswers
a gas leak, for example). They must monitor without having to choose from a long list of
By Hans Dembowski various tools and survey a complex road en- potentially interesting websites.
vironment. Installing enough cameras and Microsoft has integrated a chatbot into
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a hot sensors to collect all information is difficult. Bing, its search engine. The combination re-
topic for quite some time. So far, I have On that basis, however, it makes sense to use sults in an interesting tool, not least because
nonetheless found it unimpressive. AI pro- average human behaviour as the guideline. the answers include the sources they were
grammes are generally based on huge data- derived from. Moreover, you can ask Bing
sets and use algorithms that detect how CHATBOTS to stray beyond conventional thinking by
most human users respond to specific sig- requiring “unusual” or “non-conformist” re-
Photo: picture-alliance/dpa/Lena Lachnit
nals in specific situations. They mimic the In the past four months, a new kind of AI sults. Making sense of the results, however,
human mind by replicating the average re- programme has been making headlines is obviously more challenging than simply
sults humans deliver in those settings. around the world. Chatbots are AI systems accepting average ones. We should thus ex-
For many purposes, this is perfectly that generate language. It is possible to cor- pect chatbot researches to largely confirm
fine. We actually want a self-driving car to respond with them and ask them to perform mainstream thinking – most likely with
perform like the average driver because the some tasks. The most prominent one is a Californian bias.
average driver normally does not cause ac- probably ChatGPT. It was created by Open On the other hand, fact checking will
cidents. Drunk and sleepy drivers do, and AI, a not-for-profit company with a for-prof- become even more important. Chatbots do

ENG
not have an understanding of truth or real- be stuck in silos no matter how often we say ing questions. It takes a good education
ity. They are driven by probability garnered that we want to transcend them. We long to do that. Specialist knowledge will often
from existing databases. If there is a lot of for cross-cutting solutions, but tend to stick matter too.
false information and fake news out there to the patterns of thought that we are used AI will certainly have far-reaching
(and there is), that will leave a mark on chat- to. Common narratives reinforce those pat- impacts. Sooner or later, bureaucracies will
bot responses. terns. use it to handle standard processes. Most of
The impacts will be huge. In second- They often are not helpful. Consider the time, the AI system will take the proper
ary and tertiary education, students will the standard explanation for why right-wing decision, though there will be snags too. We
use chatbots, and their supervisors will populism has been gaining strength around know, for example, that face-recognition
have to figure out whether they fulfilled the the world. It is that left-behind working class systems, whether produced in California or
task they were given or whether an AI pro- people are rebelling against global elites. China, tend to do a poor job of telling black
gramme did all the work. Moreover, sensible Why then is Fox News – based in New York people from one another. The main rea-
curricula will have to include how to use AI. and owned by a multinational corporation son is that there are too few black faces in
In journalism, we will face challenges dominated by Rupert Murdoch, an Australi- the datasets the programmes are based on.
too. Some smart contributors will use AI to an-born billionaire – the main proponent of That may change over time, but some mis-
get their work done faster, letting the chat- right-wing populism in the USA? His News takes are baked into the technology. Average
bot provide the first draft and then editing Corporation also runs British media out- decision-making is, by definition, mediocre,
it. Less competent persons, however, will let lets that supported Brexit. Moreover, other and sometimes wrong.
a chatbot do the entire job, and it will be the newspapers that supported Brexit similarly We can expect chatbots to become
editorial team’s job to detect what factual er- belong to plutocrats, some of whom, like better fast as the databases they rely on are
rors may have crept in. Murdoch, do not live in Britain. growing. They will soon include information
The common narratives regarding gathered in interaction with masses of in-
STAYING STUCK IN OUR SILOS right-wing populism do not tell us why oli- ternet users. To some extent, that will make
garchs with international lifestyles promote chatbots look more like experts. After all,
What worries me most, however, is that jour- narrow-minded nationalism. experts are the people who generate most
nalism generally reproduces conventional Super-rich persons do so because they content related to the areas they specialise
narratives. I suspect AI generated journal- see that global cooperation leads to inter- in, so deriving answers from those entries
ism will further compound this problem. national regulation that can put a check on should more or less result in average expert
After all, AI programmes are not designed their power. Examples include environmen- opinions, excluding lay persons’ views. That
to “think outside the box”. They are actually tal protection and the enforcement of tax may explain why the latest ChatGPT version
not designed to think at all. They merely laws. Accordingly, they support national- seems to pass exams with better results than
process data. ism and attack “globalists”. I think the term previous ones.
In recent years, however, the demands “plutocrat populism” fits their attitude, but At the same time, chatbots can make
to think outside the box have been increas- it has not gained much traction. it easier to produce fake news, building on
ing. The reason is that our species is facing The more AI programmes figure in disinformation and propaganda. I fear that
huge and interrelated challenges, so we public life, the more discerning we will many people will not notice that they are
need innovative approaches. The sad truth, have to become. Knowledge-related work being misled while others happily use AI to
of course, is that human thinking tends to will increasingly be about asking interest- mislead them.
Only when used by well-informed
people, AI will deliver above-average. In
Protesting against general, it will reinforce long-established
plutocratic populism patterns of thought and prejudices. To rise
in New York: to the sustainability challenge, humankind
chatbots make it must use the new technology wisely. Simply
easier to produce trusting it is the wrong approach.
Photo: picture-alliance/ZUMAPRESS.com/Gina M Randazzo
manuscripts,
including those with LINK
misleading Chomsky, N., Roberts, I. and Watumull, J., 2023:
propaganda. The false promise of ChatGPT.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/08/opinion/
noam-chomsky-chatgpt-ai.html
HANS DEMBOWSKI
is editor-in-chief of D+C/E+Z.
euz.editor@dandc.eu

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DIGITAL MONTHLY 2023 04

EMPLOYMENT WTO AND IMF OIL PRICE

INTERVIEW WITH IWAN J. AZIS TIAN XIA AND NATHALIE SPATH

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D+C Digital Monthly April 20232

Our focus debate, at both national and international

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D+C Digital Monthly April 20233

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tant issue is the lack of access to International Labour Organiza-

Moreover, early pregnan- Educationalists (FAWE), Uganda

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D+C Digital Monthly April 20235

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