Victor Oladokun
Source: Victor Oladokun |

Why African Languages Matter (By Victor Oladokun)

Public advocacy and campaigns should be developed to encourage family members and local communities to pass on the treasure of language to the younger generation

By Victor Oladokun Recently, the Union African Union adopted Swahili as one of the official languages alongside French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic. I could not have been more glad. For decades, it has always struck me as odd that non a single African language is spoken in the hallowed halls…

Victor Oladokun
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Africa's lockdown nightmare (By Victor Oladokun)

In Africa’s most congested and highly populated cities and slums, millions of families will be confined to less than 2 square meters of living space in unsanitary conditions

By Victor Oladokun Across Africa, affordable housing is in acute short supply. It is one of the reasons why lockdowns and social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic are unimaginable and unsustainable. The pandemic is therefore a time bomb waiting to explode in Africa's most densely populated informal settlements. During this…

Victor Oladokun
Source: Victor Oladokun |

LOCKING DOWN AFRICA NOW: There is no time for test runs (By Victor Oladokun)

The outlook for the continent is grim unless swift proactive actions are taken

By Victor Oladokun, is the former Director of Communication and External Relations, African Development Bank Group Two days ago, I received an urgent plea from Massimo, a good friend and a highly respected Italian journalist based in Rome. His message was simple, urgent and straight to the point. “Please Victor, pay…

Source: Victor Oladokun |

COVID-19: Why Africa Urgently Needs an Ubuntu Plan (By Dr Victor Oladokun)

One virus has disrupted the whole world in a manner never seen before in history

By Dr Victor Oladokun, outgoing Director of Communication & External Relations at the African Development Bank Group Africa urgently needs a globally coordinated Ubuntu Plan in response to COVID-19, a fiscal stimulus that recognises our shared and connected humanity, as we find ourselves in the midst of an unprecedented crisis.…

Victor Oladokun
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The End of Social Conventions and the Coronavirus

By Victor Oladokun, Director of Communication and External Relations, African Development Bank

For weeks, investors and the business community have been rattled by massive disruptions to global supply chains, as factories shut down in China. Everyone from BMW and Mercedes to Apple are feeling the squeeze on account of the coronavirus. But economies and businesses are not the only ones dealing with…

Victor Oladokun
Source: Victor Oladokun |

The Power of Storytelling

by Victor Oladokun, Director of Communication and External Relations at the African Development Bank

I've always been fascinated with stories. It's one of the reasons why in high school I jettisoned physics, chemistry, and math in favor of literature and history. The decision has served me well in my media and communication career. I realized early on - to quote the poet Muriel Rukeyser…