The Perspective

  SADC’s Protocol on Politics, Defense and Security Cooperation  has, among its objectives, to “ prevent, contain and resolve inter-and intrastate conflict by peaceful means .” It is, also, in the objectives of the same protocol to, “ consider enforcement action in accordance with international law and as a matter of last resort where peaceful means have failed.” A January 2024 SADC Communique pertaining to deployment of a Mission in the DR   C ongo  provides, among other things, that the deployment is in accordance with the principle of collective defense and collective action. According to the Mutual Defense Pact , Any armed attack perpetrated against one of the State Parties shall be considered a threat to regional peace and security and shall be met with immediate collective action . SADC’s Protocol on Politics, Defense and Security Cooperation  has, among its objectives, to “ prevent, contain and resolve inter-and intrastate conflict by peaceful means .” It...

  Every false accusation directed at President Kagame is intended at damaging his standing as a  responsible  leader. President Paul Kagame. There has been an end less  wave of accusations against President Paul   Kagame .   S ome accus e  him of causing insecurity in DR Congo in order to plunder minerals  while  others accus e  him of killing political opponents and abusing human rights, among a host of ill-deeds. For a  while  now, whenever the M23 re - emerges to fight for what it calls political oppression and Tutsi killings by the FDLR and satellite groups (and  the FARDC  sometimes) , DR   C ongo  authorities point fingers at  Rwanda . The arrest of Victoire Ingabire in 2010 - for crimes of  genocide ideolog y,  divisionism and terrorist acts - was met with stiff oppositio n . When Rusesabagina, was upheld and prosecute d , his sympathizers called for his “immediate release” and claimed ...

  If two or more entities are bound to work together but some, among them, feel stronger and in a higher position, politically and economically, prospects for respectful relations and a unified standing on matters of common interest get threatened. Africa has, for many decades after colonial rule, been grappling with the need to unite in the fight against development challenges, neocolonialism, among other critical matters challenging the development of the continent. Major among the causes of the failure to unite is competing power games with some countries elevating their own interests and goals over those of the others (and the continent) despite there being a commonality of problems and pursuits. Some countries view themselves as democratic and so hold a disrespectful attitude towards others which they regard as “autocratic.” Other countries regard themselves as economic behemoths and so despise those they deem as of a lower economic status. Countries even boast of their land s...

While Rwanda has been able to rebuild a unifying identity for all Rwandans, DR Congo, to date, remains unable to build a unifying identity for all communities on Congolese soil. The DRC has failed to determine whether Congolese Kinyarwanda-speaking Tutsi communities, put under the DRC during colonial demarcations of African borders, are legitimate Congolese with rightful claims to political rights and protections. Only societies which have achieved a clear and unified understanding of the identities of their separate units (communities) and how such identities tie the various communities close together and to the collective national identity, under which they exist, are able to chart and maintain a development path. Part of what continues to hold DRC back from its development potential is a confusion on national identity- beyond country name- which, in and by itself, is born of the failure of the Congolese society to have a clear sociopolitical identity. To understand this, take Rwanda...

  When the process of taxation is friendly to existing taxpayers, it creates room for the widening of the tax base as it favors and elicits enterprise. However, when the process of taxation is unfriendly to existing taxpayers, it limits room for the widening of the tax base. Note that it limits, it does not prevent When the reason for doing something is a future outcome whose success rate we cannot determine only in numbers, it is important to ensure that the way activities leading to the outcome are done is such that it elicits doing more of the thing(s) which lead to the desired outcome instead of things that give more of the desired outcome very fast.    Take the example of tax revenues and the practice of taxation.    Taxation is not an end in itself, rather it is a means to an end. While tax revenues are a finite goal, taxation is infinite- in that it exists forever, for as long as the nation within which it is conducted exists as an independent entity w...

First, selling live-audio as a Unique Selling Proposition assumed people's willingness and availability for continuous talk. That is contrary to realities of post-industrial revolution World. People talked for so long during the lockdown because they were locked away in their homes and had all the time. Post lockdown, how many can have time for constant live talk? First, Clubhouse    In the middle of the COVID-19 Worldwide lockdown, a new social app was born. The app promised to change the way-of-social-media by introducing audio features which would take the place of text- common with famous social media platforms. That App was Clubhouse- a live-audio social platform. Backed and hyped by a16z and Marc Andreessen, Clubhouse became the hype of the day. Everyone wanted in on the new app, except, of course, the laggards who come so late to the show. I joined in early on. I attended the famous talk sessions with Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. I also attended many other ...