Tomorrow is the start of the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Nairobi, Kenya. Launched in 1993, TICAD is the key platform to drive Japan’s ongoing development initiatives in Africa. TICAD respects African ownership of its own development path, while tapping into multi-stakeholder partnerships to promote openness.

A ceremony was held at the Chinese Embassy in Kenya on Thursday to bid farewell to 120 Kenyan students who have received scholarships to study in China. The Principal Secretary in the state department of higher education, Professor Colletta Suda said scholarships will boost Kenya's aspirations of expanding access to higher education for the youth.

Communications Minister Faith Muthambi on Wednesday said more needed to be done by the government, private sector and civil society to achieve a “consistent and cohesive” approach when marketing South Africa locally, in the African continent and internationally. Building a national brand depends on nation building and how cohesive we are as a nation. 

As number 16 in the world medal chart in Rio and currently top in Africa, Kenya is in the league of the world’s sports powers. Kenya should fund its nationalist project as part of its sports diplomacy and projection of soft power. There is no reason why gold medallists should not be full ambassadors and remunerated accordingly. The country must consciously and innovatively invest in its sports talents.

On August 9, the Amity Foundation participated in the China-Africa Public Diplomacy Forum in Dar es Salaam with over 100 representatives to discuss further cooperation and exchange. Among them were officials, businesspeople, academics, media professionals and NGO workers.

Cultural events are fun, entertaining and educative. They allow individuals to integrate physically and mentally. It has been noted at many levels of society that a dynamic cultural sector is a requirement for a well-functioning public sphere with arenas for critical debate and the exchange of ideas.

Uganda faces a particular impediment: a stubbornly high birth rate, and the prospect of seeing a population of 38 million nearly triple by 2050. [...] To achieve middle-income status, Uganda must cut its birth rate sharply and quickly, experts say, as well as foster educational opportunities for adolescent girls.