Category: The Citizen

When the President’s Best Taxpayer Award was presented to Choplife Gaming Tanzania, it was more than just a recognition of tax compliance.

It was an acknowledgment of a corporate culture built on integrity, transparency, and accountability, values that continue to shape the company’s contribution to Tanzania’s economic development.

For Choplife Gaming Tanzania, the prestigious award represents years of commitment to doing business responsibly while supporting the country’s growth through consistent tax compliance.

Speaking after receiving the award, Choplife Gaming Tanzania Managing Director Loyce Oluoch described the recognition as both humbling and inspiring.

“We are truly honoured and proud. This award is a testament to our commitment to tax compliance and responsible business practices. We owe it to Her Excellency, Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan for setting conducive investment landscape from which we thrived in,’ Ms Oluoch said.

The President’s Best Taxpayer Award is among the highest forms of recognition for businesses that consistently meet their tax obligations while contributing significantly to national development.

For Choplife Gaming, the recognition reflects not only financial discipline but also the company’s broader philosophy of operating with integrity in every aspect of its business.

A recognition shared by the entire team

While the award bears the company’s name, Ms Oluoch believes it belongs to every employee who has contributed to building a culture of accountability.

“It is a great achievement that motivates our team to continue working with integrity, excellence, and accountability,” Ms Oluoch said.

The recognition serves as a reminder that responsible corporate governance is a collective effort. From leadership to operational teams, every department plays a role in ensuring that the company meets its legal and ethical obligations.

The award has also strengthened employee pride, reinforcing the belief that excellence is achieved through consistency, professionalism, and adherence to established standards.

Building success through responsible business practices

According to Ms Oluoch, the company’s success did not happen by chance. It is the result of deliberate investments in systems, leadership, and a corporate culture that prioritizes compliance.

“Strong leadership, transparency, compliance with tax laws, and the dedication of our employees have all contributed to this achievement,” Ms Oluoch explained.

These pillars have enabled Choplife Gaming to establish itself as a trusted corporate citizen in Tanzania’s growing gaming industry.

The company has invested in sound financial management practices and internal controls that ensure accuracy, accountability, and full compliance with the country’s tax regulations.

By embedding compliance into its day-to-day operations, the company has demonstrated that responsible business practices and commercial success can go hand in hand.

Taxes as a driver of national development

For Ms Oluoch, paying taxes extends beyond fulfilling a legal obligation. It represents a meaningful contribution to Tanzania’s social and economic transformation.

“Paying taxes is a civic responsibility that supports national development,” Ms Oluoch said, adding, “Tax compliance also builds trust and credibility.”

Taxes finance critical public services including infrastructure, healthcare, education, and security-services that create an enabling environment for businesses and communities alike.

Ms Oluoch encouraged other businesses to view tax compliance not as a burden, but as an investment in the country’s future.

Responsible taxpayers, Ms Oluoch noted, strengthen public confidence while helping build a more sustainable economy capable of supporting long-term private sector growth.

Raising the bar even higher

Rather than viewing the award as the culmination of its efforts, Choplife Gaming considers it the beginning of an even greater responsibility.

“This recognition encourages us to maintain the highest standards of compliance and continue improving our services,” Ms Oluoch said.

The company intends to build on this achievement by strengthening operational excellence, investing in innovation, and continuously improving customer experience while maintaining full compliance with regulatory requirements.

The recognition has become both a milestone and a benchmark against which future performance will be measured.

Investing in Tanzania’s future

Looking ahead, Choplife Gaming remains committed to contributing meaningfully to Tanzania’s economic development.

“We will continue investing in the country, creating employment opportunities, paying taxes responsibly, and supporting economic growth,” Ms Oluoch affirmed.

Beyond its tax contributions, the company sees itself as an active participant in Tanzania’s development journey by generating employment, supporting local economic activity, and contributing to government revenues that finance public development programmes.

This long-term commitment reflects the company’s confidence in Tanzania’s investment environment and its determination to remain a reliable corporate partner.

A culture of accountability

Maintaining leadership in tax compliance requires more than meeting annual obligations. It demands strong governance systems and a culture where accountability is embedded throughout the organization.

According to Ms Oluoch, Choplife Gaming has positioned itself for continued success by maintaining robust financial controls, strictly adhering to tax regulations, and promoting accountability across every level of the business.

This disciplined approach has enabled the company to earn the trust of regulators, stakeholders, customers, and business partners alike.

As Tanzania continues strengthening its business environment, companies that prioritize transparency and compliance will play an increasingly important role in driving sustainable economic growth.

A token of appreciation

Ms Oluoch concluded by expressing sincere appreciation to the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) and the Government of Tanzania for recognizing businesses that consistently fulfill their tax obligations.

“We sincerely thank them for this recognition and reaffirm our commitment to remaining a responsible and compliant corporate partner in Tanzania,” she said.

For Choplife Gaming, the President’s Best Taxpayer Award is more than a trophy. It is a symbol of responsible corporate citizenship and a reminder that sustainable business success is built on integrity, compliance, and a genuine commitment to national development.

As the company looks to the future, it remains focused on creating value not only for its customers and employees but also for the country whose growth it continues to support through responsible investment, job creation, and unwavering tax compliance.

Today, AI can summarise lengthy reports, transcribe interviews in seconds, analyse large datasets, generate headlines, translate content into multiple languages, and even write simple news stories. What once took journalists hours can now be completed in minutes.

Naturally, this has sparked an important and uncomfortable question: Will AI save journalism or replace it? The answer, at least for now, is neither.

AI is not the end of journalism, but it is undoubtedly changing journalism in profound ways.

Throughout history, every technological advancement has been met with both excitement and fear.

The printing press changed how information was distributed.

Radio challenged newspapers. Television disrupted radio. The internet transformed everything.

Each innovation created anxiety about the future of existing media. Yet journalism survived and adapted. AI is simply the latest chapter in this story. The opportunities it presents are enormous.

For many news organisations, especially those operating with limited resources, AI can become a powerful productivity tool. It can automate repetitive tasks, allowing journalists to spend more time on investigative reporting, storytelling, and audience engagement.

In many ways, AI can help journalists work smarter. For African media organisations, this potential is particularly significant.

Across the continent, many newsrooms operate under financial constraints, with limited staff and increasing pressure to produce more content for multiple platforms. AI could help bridge some of these resource gaps, improving efficiency and expanding access to information.

But every opportunity comes with risks. AI is only as good as the information it is trained on. It can make mistakes, generate inaccuracies, and present false information with remarkable confidence.

AI systems can fabricate sources, misinterpret facts, and reinforce existing biases.

This is why the greatest threat posed by AI is not that machines will replace journalists.

It is that misinformation may become faster, cheaper, and more difficult to detect. Ironically, this makes the role of professional journalism even more essential.

As AI floods the information ecosystem with content, the value of trust increases. Audiences will increasingly seek credible sources that can verify facts, provide context, and separate truth from fiction.

While machines can generate information, they cannot replace judgment; they cannot replace ethics, and they cannot replace human curiosity

Consider investigative journalism. Some of the world’s most impactful stories have emerged because journalists built relationships with sources, recognised patterns that others missed, or had the courage to ask uncomfortable questions. These are deeply human qualities.

AI cannot attend a community meeting and understand the emotions in the room.

It cannot build trust with a whistleblower. It cannot fully appreciate the cultural nuances that shape society. Most importantly, it cannot be held morally accountable.

Journalism is not simply the production of content. It is a public responsibility.

The future, therefore, is unlikely to be a battle between humans and machines. Instead, it will be a partnership.

The most successful newsrooms will not be those that resist AI, nor those that rely on it entirely.

They will be the organisations that combine the efficiency of technology with the judgment and integrity of human journalists.

The journalist of the future may spend less time transcribing interviews and more time analysing information.

Less time compiling data and more time asking why it matters.

Less time producing routine content and more time creating meaningful, impactful journalism.

In that sense, AI could actually strengthen journalism rather than weaken it, but only if it is used responsibly.

Media organisations must invest in ethical guidelines, staff training, and robust verification processes.

Transparency will become increasingly important. Audiences deserve to know when AI has been used in the production of content.

The rise of AI also demands something from journalists themselves: adaptability.

The profession is changing, and those who embrace new tools while remaining committed to the core principles of journalism will be best positioned to thrive.

Technology has always changed the way journalism is practiced. What has never changed is why journalism exists.

Society still needs people who can investigate wrongdoing, hold power accountable, explain complex issues, and help citizens make informed decisions.

AI can make journalism faster. It can make journalism more efficient. It may even make journalism more accessible, but it cannot replace the human qualities that make journalism matter.

The future of journalism is not human versus machine. It is humans and machines working together to tell better stories, uncover deeper truths, and serve the public more effectively.

And in an age increasingly shaped by algorithms, that human mission may become more important than ever.

One of the least discussed challenges in the shift towards refugee self-reliance that’s touted by development agencies is the extent of poverty within closed camp economies.

This reality is often overlooked in conversations that focus on entrepreneurship and financial inclusion, yet it shapes everything that follows.

In many camps, small businesses do not operate in thriving markets, they operate in spaces where nearly everyone is struggling.

A refugee selling vegetables, airtime, or basic goods is often selling to customers who are equally constrained, equally dependent, and equally uncertain about tomorrow.

The exchange exists, but it happens within limits that are difficult to escape. There is movement, but not necessarily growth.

Transactions are frequently based on credit rather than cash. Goods are taken with the promise of payment later – payment that may never come.

This is not simply a financial arrangement; it reflects the shared reality of hardship. Refusing credit is not always possible, because the people who ask are part of the same community, facing the same conditions.

Over time, this creates cycles of debt that quietly erode the very businesses meant to represent progress. What begins as an attempt to generate income slowly becomes difficult to sustain. Stock becomes harder to replace. Income becomes unpredictable. What remains is a business in form, but not always in function.

In such an environment, entrepreneurship does not necessarily generate growth. It often redistributes scarcity.

This raises an important question: Can self-reliance truly exist in an economy where no one has enough?

Self-reliance without integration

Beyond the internal limits of camp economies lies a broader structural issue – integration. This is where the focus shifts from individual effort to the conditions that shape what is possible.

Refugees are often encouraged to become self-reliant while remaining excluded from the very systems that make self-reliance possible.

Restrictions on movement, limited access to formal employment, and barriers to national markets create conditions where opportunity is not only scarce, but structurally constrained.

In this context, self-reliance becomes a paradox.

Dozens of countries impose refugee encampment policies. Refugees are expected to build independent lives within environments that limit independence.

They are encouraged to grow within systems that do not expand. They are asked to sustain themselves in economies that cannot sustain them.

This contradiction is not always visible in policy discussions, but it is present in everyday life.

For self-reliance to move beyond rhetoric, refugees must be seen not as a burden to be managed, but as an economic and social asset.

This requires more than encouragement, it requires change in the systems that define access and opportunity.

Access to labour markets, financial services, education, and mobility are not additional benefits; they are necessary conditions. Without them, self-reliance remains limited to small-scale survival rather than meaningful progress.

Between what is measured and what is lived

Another important dimension of this shift is the increasing reliance on data systems and standardised indicators. Terms such as ‘consumption scores’, ‘resilience markers’, and ‘transition metrics’ are used to assess progress and guide decision-making.

These tools are important, but they have limits.

They capture what can be measured, not necessarily what is lived.

A household may appear stable on paper while continuing to face daily shortages.

A young person may report having a business while struggling to generate consistent income.

These realities exist alongside the data, but are not always visible within it.

This creates a growing gap between what is recorded and what is experienced.

The issue is not that the data is incorrect, but that it is incomplete. It reflects part of the reality, but not all of it. And when decisions are based primarily on measurable indicators, there is a risk that the unmeasured aspects of life uncertainty, pressure, and dignity are overlooked.

The need to reflect reality

This does not mean that the shift towards livelihoods and self-reliance is inherently wrong. Many refugees want to work, to build, and to sustain themselves. The desire for independence is real.

But desire alone does not create opportunity.

The issue lies in how these transitions are implemented, and whether the conditions needed for success are in place. Self-reliance cannot be reduced to the presence of a business or the reduction of aid. It must be understood in terms of stability and sustainability.

These questions are necessary if self-reliance is to reflect reality rather than appearance.

Is the system ready for self-reliance?

As humanitarian organisations continue to adapt to funding constraints and changing priorities, the shift towards self-reliance is likely to continue. It is presented as a necessary transition, and in many ways, it is.

But necessity does not remove complexity.

As long as refugee economies remain closed and constrained, the potential for meaningful growth will remain limited. As long as integration remains restricted, independence will remain partial. And as long as progress is measured primarily through indicators, there is a risk that appearance will take precedence over reality.

The question is not simply whether refugees are capable of self-reliance. It is whether the systems around them are prepared to support it in a meaningful and sustainable way.

Because without that support, self-reliance risks becoming something else: not a pathway out of poverty, just a different way of living within it.

High household wiring costs, damage to electricity infrastructure and theft are slowing rural electricity connections in Tanzania, despite expansion of the national grid to all villages.

The government has completed electricity supply to all villages and is now focusing on connecting hamlets and increasing household connections. However, many rural households remain unconnected due to the cost of wiring homes.

Speaking at the 50th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair, Rural Energy Agency (REA) Supervising Engineer for the Central Zone, Ms Aneth Malingumu, said access to electricity has reached most rural communities, but connection levels remain low. She said national electricity access stands at over 85 per cent, while rural access is at 78.1 per cent. However, only 37.2 per cent of rural households are connected to the grid.

Ms Malingumu said the main barrier is the cost of wiring, which ranges between Sh200,000 and Sh300,000, beyond the reach of many households despite lower official connection fees.

She added that limited productive use of electricity in rural areas has also slowed uptake, with many households using power mainly for lighting rather than income-generating activities.

Other challenges include logistical difficulties in remote areas, damage to infrastructure during farming activities, and theft of electrical equipment, which increases maintenance costs.

‘Infrastructure damage and theft force us to rebuild affected sections, increasing costs and delaying projects,’ she said.

Ms Malingumu said the government is targeting universal rural electrification by 2030. More than 10,000 hamlets are currently being connected, while plans are underway to extend supply to a further 13,000.

The aim is to raise rural electricity access to 100 per cent and increase household connections from 37.2 per cent to 75 per cent by 2030.

A resident, Ms Malcelina Mashaka, called for greater transparency in electricity connection costs, particularly where communities are required to contribute to infrastructure such as poles.

She said unclear pricing discourages potential customers and slows uptake of connections.

Charlotte Hill O’Neal, affectionately known as Mama C, a woman whose life is as rich and inspiring as the art and activism she has dedicated herself to for more than five decades, is set to embark on the 2026 UAACC Heal the Community Tour, beginning with her first-ever visit to Ecuador before continuing to the United States.

Speaking from Arusha, where she has lived with her husband, Black Panther Party veteran Pete O’Neal, for more than 50 years, Mama C said the tour would focus on promoting peace, healing, spirituality and cultural exchange while sharing Tanzania’s story with communities around the world.

The internationally recognised artist, poet, educator and community activist said Ecuador would become the latest country on a journey that has taken the Heal the Community Tour to numerous cities across the United States, Venezuela, Ghana, South Africa, Namibia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Uganda and China over the past two decades. “I have been doing the UAACC Heal the Community Tour for more than 20 years, but this will be my first time in Ecuador,” she said.

“I look forward to sharing what Pete and I have learned from living in Tanzania for more than 50 years, while spreading blessings, love and spirituality that lead to healing.”

Mama C said the tour would also provide an opportunity to introduce more people to Arusha and Tanzania, a country she proudly calls home.

“I want to spread the story of Arusha, Tanzania and Tanzania in general, especially this beautiful place in the foothills of Mount Meru,” she said.

After Ecuador, Mama C will travel to several American cities, including New York, Portland, Baltimore, Seattle, Sacramento, Berkeley, Oakland, San Diego, Atlanta and Kansas City.

The United States leg of the tour will coincide with celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party, an organisation in which both Mama C and Pete O’Neal played active roles during the civil rights movement.

The commemorations will include events in Oakland, California, where the Black Panther Party was founded in 1966.

Mama C said she was eager to reconnect with communities across the United States while learning about Ecuadorian culture and collaborating with local artists and musicians.

She added that music, creativity and cultural exchange have always been central to her work of building peace and strengthening communities.

Although excited about the journey ahead, Mama C admitted she would miss her family and friends in Arusha.

“I’m always a bit sad to be away from home here in the foothills of Mount Meru, but I embrace the excitement of new experiences, meeting new people, making music, sharing my creativity and spreading blessings and joy,” she said.

“I believe that is what I have been called to do in this life as Mama C.”

Before departing, she sent a message of gratitude and affection to the people of Arusha.

“Sending peace, love and blessings to all my community here in Arusha, Tanzania. A-Town, A-Town!” she said.

This is an article I wish I had read years ago, so if you are a budding entrepreneur with a dream, a pitch deck, and a prayer, consider yourself luckier than me. While the world might praise your hustle and highlight your logo, what often goes unseen is what you carry within you: the pressure to succeed, the fear of failure and the emotional baggage that sneaks into your leadership, and pricing.

Your childhood trauma didn’t disappear when you registered your company. Your need to control everything because you never felt safe growing up? Oh, that’s THRIVING in your leadership style. Let’s talk about the therapy your vision didn’t know it needed. Not about funnels and funding, but about the feelings your business has been politely ignoring. This article is for you.

Ask any seasoned entrepreneur-Entrepreneurship exposes things you haven’t healed, your trust issues show up in how you delegate. Your need to prove yourself hides in your pricing. That voice telling you ‘you’re not ready yet’? It’s not market feedback, it’s fear. Especially for founders in East Africa, where cultural, economic, and gender narratives run deep, our businesses often become mirrors. And sometimes, the reflection staring back at us needs more than strategy; it needs therapy.

What’s that, Africans don’t do therapy? Tell that to the founder who cried in their car after payroll bounced, the woman pitching with a lump in her throat because her father never believed in her and the man whose childhood was a constant loop of being on survival mode and now, he can’t rest unless he’s overworking. We all have baggage and need support. This article is not an attack, it’s a gentle invitation to pause and pay attention to the parts of us that business books don’t cover, because sometimes, scaling your business starts with healing the builder.

According to research by the Harvard Business Review, leaders who engage in emotional self-awareness are more likely to build high-performing teams and experience long-term business growth. Yet, a 2022 McKinsey Africa report found that over 60 percent of small business owners cite burnout, imposter syndrome, and lack of emotional support as major barriers to scaling. Translation? Emotional health is not a personal side quest, it’s a leadership skill.

I’m not a licensed therapist, but I am an avid enthusiast of psychology and a relentless journaler and here’s what I’m starting to understand: your triggers aren’t just personal, they’re operational. That need to micromanage? Fear of being abandoned. That refusal to raise your rates? A leftover belief that ‘too much’ is greedy. That reluctance to hire help? Maybe you were taught to survive, not scale. What if, instead of overcompensating, you started healing? What if leadership wasn’t just about strategy decks, but emotional clarity? What if your next business breakthrough wasn’t in your marketing plan, but in your mirror?

Here’s a quick guide on how to start healing as you lead:

Audit your patterns. When do you shrink? Overextend? Panic? These patterns have origin stories, trace them.

Name your pricing fear. Is it fear of rejection? Being seen as ‘too much?’ A need to be liked? Pricing is psychological.

Create emotional SOPs. What do you do when you feel triggered, rejected, or insecure? Write it down, read it and release it.

Invest in therapy, coaching, or self-discovery tools. Your emotional clarity is a business investment.

Practise spacious decision-making. Not every email needs a same-hour reply. Breathe first. Spacious decision-making isn’t procrastination. It’s discernment. It’s choosing to respond instead of react. And often, your best leadership move isn’t answering faster. It’s answering wiser.

Hire from wholeness, not panic. Don’t outsource just because you’re overwhelmed. Hire when your vision is clear, not your calendar.

Here’s what branding decks won’t reveal: sometimes, it’s not your business that’s stuck, it’s you. The good news? Healing is available and growth is possible. So if you’ve been second-guessing your worth, holding back your voice, or burning out just to prove you deserve the seat.

Take a breath.

Give your business the healing it needs, whatever that looks like for you. Maybe it’s therapy, journaling or learning to sit still with yourself.

And then?

You rise, with a clearer heart, a steadier mind and the kind of backbone that doesn’t just build empires but sustains them.

British national John Rees-Evans is preparing to attempt a record-breaking ascent and descent of Mount Kilimanjaro within 16 hours on July 7, 2026.

Rees-Evans said his journey will begin in Mabungo village, where he will cycle to Marangu Mtoni before running up Mount Kilimanjaro via the Marangu route to the summit. After reaching the peak, he will descend through Maua village and return to Mabungo, where the attempt will conclude.

The attempt is believed to be the first ever to completely ascend and descend the world’s largest freestanding mountain in a single day. The route covers 115 kilometres and gains 5,100 vertical metres – far exceeding most Kilimanjaro speed records, which cover around 42 kilometres and gain only about 4,000 metres. Speaking to The Citizen on July 5, 2026, Rees-Evans noted that most previous record attempts have started at the Marangu or Umbwe gates, at elevations of around 1,600 to 1,900 metres above sea level. However, he said his research into the mountain’s history and geography led him to conclude that Kilimanjaro truly begins at Mabungo, at just 777 metres above sea level – the mountain’s true geographic base – which is why he has chosen it as his starting point. It is the only place on earth where a climber can gain 5,000 vertical metres from the start point.

A representative from Team Kilimanjaro, Joseph Nchereri, said all preparations for the attempt have been completed to ensure success.

He also praised the government for improving infrastructure within Kilimanjaro National Park, saying the upgrades have enhanced tourist safety and contributed to a steady rise in visitor numbers each year.

How would Africa look today if it had never been colonised? What would our cultures look like? What would we believe about ourselves? And how different would our understanding of the people who colonised us be if they had never convinced us that our ways were primitive and that they had come to bring us civilisation?

These were the questions on my mind as I reread Things Fall Apart, first published in 1958.

I first read this novel in high school as a literature requirement. My attention was on themes, symbolism, setting and figurative language. I simply wanted to pass my exams.

Reading it again as an adult felt like reading a different book. It is only now that I appreciate why Things Fall Apart is regarded as one of the most important novels ever written about Africa.

Set in Umuofia, an Igbo community in present-day Nigeria, the novel follows Okonkwo through life before colonialism, his exile, and the arrival of British rule, each marking a turning point for his community.

Okonkwo grows up ashamed of his father, Unoka, a gentle man who loved music and conversation but died without titles, wealth or social status. Determined never to become like him, Okonkwo builds his life around the opposite ideal. He works relentlessly, earns respect, acquires titles and becomes one of the most successful men in Umuofia.

Yet his success is driven by the fear of appearing weak.

That fear shapes almost every decision Okonkwo makes. He mistakes violence for strength, rules his household through intimidation and believes compassion is a sign of weakness. In trying so hard not to become his father, he becomes trapped by the inability to question the version of manhood he has created for himself.

One of the novel’s most heartbreaking moments comes when Okonkwo helps kill Ikemefuna. Although an elder had warned him not to take part because the boy regarded him as a father, Okonkwo joins in anyway, afraid of appearing weak.

Later, when grief begins to overwhelm him, he scolds himself:

“When did you become a shivering old woman… How can a man who has killed five men in battle fall to pieces because he has added a boy to their number?”

The women carry an extraordinary burden. They live in a deeply patriarchal society where violence against wives is normalised, and their voices are secondary to men’s. Reading about Okonkwo’s wives, especially Ekwefi, I kept wondering how much suffering a woman was expected to endure before anyone questioned the system itself.

Achebe also presents a complex picture of women. When Okonkwo is exiled to his motherland, his uncle Uchendu reminds him that when life becomes unbearable, a child returns to his mother. “Mother is supreme.” The same society that limits women also sees the mother as a source of protection and strength. I found myself wrestling with these two realities.

What Achebe presents is a society more complex than I remembered from my school days. It is neither the primitive place described by colonial narratives nor a perfect society without flaws. It has laws, justice, religion, ceremonies and governance, alongside traditions that invite difficult questions.

I thought of how African societies might have changed had they been left to confront those questions on their own. Would some customs have disappeared over time? Would others have been preserved? We cannot know. But Achebe reminds us that change was already part of life long before Europeans arrived.

Religion is one example. The people of Umuofia believe in Chukwu, the supreme creator, while also consulting deities, ancestors and oracles. Their beliefs are woven into every aspect of life. So when the missionaries arrive insisting that theirs is the only true God, the conflict is about more than religion. It is about whose beliefs are seen as legitimate.

That is where Obierika becomes such an important character. Unlike Okonkwo, he is willing to ask difficult questions. He respects tradition, but he does not accept every tradition without reflection. When something troubles him, he says so.

Obierika made me wonder whether change was already possible from within the Igbo society. Perhaps not every tradition needed an outsider to question it. After all, people create culture. As they evolve, so do the cultures they create. Perhaps that was already happening in Umuofia.

Perhaps that is why Things Fall Apart continues to matter nearly 70 years later. Achebe depicts a society already wrestling with its own strengths and weaknesses, just as every society does. Africa’s story did not begin with colonialism, nor were Africans waiting for someone else to shape their future. The real tragedy is that colonialism cut those conversations short, taking away a people’s ability to decide for themselves what should change and what should remain.

Data from Global Forest Watch, the world’s most trusted platform for real-time forest monitoring, has revealed that global tree cover loss in 2025 was 25.5 million hectares-an area roughly the size of Ghana lost in a single year.

While this is a decline from 2024’s catastrophic record, fires remain the primary driver of loss, burning more than twice as much tree cover as they did two decades ago.

Furthermore, climate change is threatening forests inside and outside the tropics, with extreme heat and drought fuelling bigger, more damaging fires.

And perhaps most sobering of all: one third of all global forest lost between 2001 and 2024 is likely permanent. Sadly, Africa’s forests, particularly the all-important rainforests of the Congo Basin, are not spared.

Unlike Latin America and Southeast Asia, where industrial demand for cattle, soy, and palm oil drives destruction, Central Africa’s forest-loss is due to the daily struggle to survive. Hunger, fuel-wood, and food for growing families are consuming forests that the world cannot afford to lose.

Nowhere is this more visible than in the DR Congo home to the world’s second-largest tropical primary forest, yet one where 86 per cent of forest loss was from small-scale farming, charcoal harvesting, and the desperate movements of communities displaced by armed conflict.

Forest loss

Though DRC’s primary forest loss dipped 5 per cent last year, non-fire loss hit a record high, a warning hidden within apparent progress. Across the Basin, Cameroon tells an even starker story, with primary forest loss rising 10 per cent to its highest level ever recorded, driven by cocoa expansion and conflict-driven displacement.

And yet against this backdrop, there is still good news. The Republic of Congo and Gabon, both considered ‘High Forest Low Deforestation’ countries, held their ground last year even after a difficult year of fire-related loss.

As the latest GFW data landed, Kenya welcomed a high-level delegation from the government of China and the World Bank Group-China Centre for Ecological Systems and Transitions.

Gathering at the annual Global Landscapes Forum banner to restore landscapes at a scale that actually matches the crisis.

The moment marked the launch of the Living Landscapes Academy and the beginning of a transformative alliance with Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Zambia, and Malawi.

At the heart of it all is the urgent reality that restoration must scale to meet the demand for landscape repair.

China has already proven it is possible: One in every four trees planted on Earth today is planted in China. Yes! That’s the scale.

The Living Landscapes Academy now seeks to partner with African restoration champions to inspire ambitious scaling. This partnership holds genuine promise, but promise alone is not enough. I believe the success of this effort will not be determined by the ambition of its design or the prestige of its partners.

Africa’s restoration journey has already proven that it is possible to simultaneously restore degraded land, create green jobs, connect farmers to markets, and align ecological health with economic opportunity.

The lessons learnt through years of standing with communities demonstrate clearly that when communities lead and partners support meaningfully, landscapes can recover and thrive. In my opinion, three shifts must define this next chapter.

The first is a policy shift. China’s restoration success emerged from decades of policy alignment and long-term planning that refused to bend to short-term pressures.

Africa’s task is not to copy that story, but to learn from it, adapt it, and make it our own. Through programs like the Landscape Policy Accelerator, partners can help African governments translate those lessons to fit their landscapes and communities. Policy is the glue that holds ambition together, and the signal that tells the private sector investment is safe.

Nursery management systems

The second is a knowledge shift. African universities, TVETs, and research colleges must be at the centre of this work as innovators generating locally grounded research, training the next generation of restoration scientists, and anchoring institutional memory on the continent.

The sector must also embrace smarter logistics, nursery management systems, and technologies that reduce the cost of seedling production at scale. That learning must flow in both directions, China-Africa, honestly and with genuine curiosity.

The third is a mindset shift. The most dangerous obstacle to scaling restoration is not capital or political will, but what Michael Gerson called the ‘tyranny of low expectations’. That damaging habit of underestimating communities, which blinds us to the extraordinary knowledge and brilliance embedded in everyday life.

As we confront the loss of millions of hectares of forest each year, let us remember that Mother Nature, always patient, resilient, and life-giving, is watching to see whether we will finally rise to meet her.

The National Examinations Council of Tanzania (Necta) has released the 2026 Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (ACSEE) results, with school candidates maintaining an exceptionally high pass rate of 99.92 percent, while more than half secured the top Division I grade. According to Necta, 125,320 school candidates, equivalent to 99.02 percent of those registered, sat the examination. Female attendance stood at 99.12 percent, with 61,835 candidates sitting the examination, while 63,485 male candidates, or 98.93 percent, took part.

In comparison, 126,135 school candidates sat the examination in 2025, representing an attendance rate of 99.38 percent.

Among private candidates, 6,476 candidates (91.33 percent) sat the examination, while 615 candidates (8.67 percent) were absent. Last year, 6,761 private candidates, equivalent to 90.73 percent, took the examination.

Prof Mohamed noted that 125,056 school candidates passed, representing 99.92 percent of those with results, while only 97 candidates (0.08 percent) failed.

“In 2025, a total of 125,779 school candidates, equivalent to 99.95 percent, passed the examination. The pass rate for school candidates has therefore remained consistently high in 2026,” he said.

The gender breakdown shows that 61,733 female candidates (99.94 percent) passed, compared with 63,323 male candidates (99.91 percent).

Performance among private candidates also improved. Necta said 6,112 private candidates, representing 94.5 percent, passed the examination, up from 6,127 candidates (90.7 percent) in 2025.

“The pass rate for private candidates has increased by 3.8 percentage points compared to 2025,” Prof Mohamed noted.

The results also indicate that 124,603 candidates, equivalent to 99.56 percent, attained Divisions I to III, reflecting continued strong performance.

“Of these candidates, the majority attained the highest grades, with 67,696 candidates (54.09 percent) awarded Division I and 43,515 candidates (34.77 percent) obtaining Division II,” said Prof Mohamed.

He noted that in 2025, 125,375 candidates (99.62 percent) attained Divisions I to III, with 48.57 percent earning Division I and 39.24 percent securing Division II.

“The quality of performance has therefore remained high in 2026,” Prof Mohamed said.