Katja Hamilton, BizCommunity

Katja Hamilton, BizCommunity

This week’s spotlight takes us to South African-based Finance and Healthcare editor, Katja Hamilton of BizCommunity. She speaks about how her inquisitive nature as a child led her school teacher to point her in the direction of journalism. It was this comment that led her to where she is today.

What led you into journalism, and what would you be doing if you weren’t a journalist?

In my senior year at school, there was a moment in a Maths lesson when I interrupted the teacher once too often, asking how a particular formula he was teaching had come to exist rather than focusing on its application. 

The teacher had a wild Einstein look to him and everyone was fond of him – often telling him jokes mid-lesson to get him to laugh; so the class was often characterised by interruptions. But on this particular day, when I kept sticking my hand up to be heard,  he wasn’t in the mood for banter and interruptions, and he sternly interjected with a comment that with so many questions, I should consider one day becoming a journalist. 

The comment stuck, I guess. When I got to university I joined a campus newspaper as a reporter, and I was hooked. 

If I weren’t a journalist, I more than likely would be a language practitioner working as an interpreter or translator, as  I have studied German, French and Italian

When you’re researching stories, what compels you to work on sharing a particular story with your audience? Any hot trends we should look out for in the coming months?

What compels me to share a particular story is the person at its heart whose wisdom, life experience or insight has the potential to change a narrative we’ve come to believe is set in stone. 

I am fascinated by the systems and processes in governments, businesses and organisations, and the rules that govern these systems. In my stories, I am compelled to reflect the voices of people who both speak to these rules and who challenge them. 

I am fascinated too by events that mark milestones, that introduce new ways of living and working in the world. Often when I’m covering an event, I get the feeling of being part of history in the making. There have been many times when I feel that, as a journalist, I am both a writer and a historian chronicling events.

At this juncture in time, I am excited by the innovations coming out of where philanthropy and technology intersect. When it comes to trends Innovations driven by the need to mitigate climate change will continue to make news headlines.

I anticipate big news coming out of the blockchain world. Blockchain technology is being developed where farmers can use a digital ledger to store data, such as yields, soil types, rainfall, and fertilizer usage, which can offer valuable insights as to how climate change is impacting agriculture. 

The technology will enable real-time transactions for farmers through smart contracts, and can provide decentralised insurance for farmers in the developing world to mitigate losses.

At a recent talk given by author Don Tapscott, I heard that blockchain will drive smart farms: data-driven farms that will use IoT sensors to collect machine metrics that will be able to predict when farmers will run out of a product like seeds, and order more on their behalf. This is all running on blockchain and the transactions make use of AI.

I’m interested in how this development will impact women.

Reports indicate that women account for nearly half of the world’s smallholder farmers and produce 70 percent of Africa’s food, and considering that more than two-fifths (42,1%) of all households are headed by women in Africa, and female-headed households are most common in rural areas (47,7%), the need for technology to meet women where they are at, is vitally important.

Innovations driven by the need to mitigate climate change will continue to make news headlines. The market adoption of the world’s first battery passport is also setting a new precedent for blockchain use.

The battery passport is a technology platform that shares information about a car battery and its history.

The idea is that a unique identifiable number is assigned to each battery, and that consumers will be able to track the battery’s carbon footprint, and stakeholders will have access to this permissioned data in real time.

I’m also interested to see how well the 15-minute city concept will be received worldwide. The 15-minute city supports the global response to the threat of climate change. It is an urban-planning concept in which most daily necessities and services, such as work, shopping, education, healthcare, and leisure can be easily reached by a 15-minute walk or bike ride from any point in the city.

More subtly, developments like London’s Battersea Power Station, the striking Four Frankfurt in Germany and Tokyo’s Azabudai Hills district all display the hallmarks of the 15-minute city concept.

People around the world could look to Africa’s young growing company owners for inspiration and for hope, because they hold the secret on how to survive and even thrive during times of extreme hardship

Why is African business so unique and what makes it so exciting to report on?

I was deeply humbled to hear Mallence Williams’ Ted Talk which made me rethink the narrative we’ve been taught in school about Africa being in need of the West’s help.

In her own words she says: “The Western world depends on Africa in every possible way, since alternative resources are scarce out there, and we are the ones with the actual gold reserves. 

“Besides gold and diamonds, Africa has about 20 precious minerals that have been discovered as of today, among these petroleum, titanium, rutile which is used to produce aircraft engine parts and cobalt used in mobile phones and computers. 

“The West needs Africa’s resources most desperately to power airplanes, cellphones, computers and engines.”

Last year the IMF reported that six out of 10 of the world’s fastest-growing economies are in Africa, measured by their GDP growth.

She covers this dynamic in depth in her Ted Talk and I highly recommend it.

Storytellers like Williams are what makes it so exciting to report on African business, because each story of success challenges not only how the West sees Africa, but how Africans themselves see Africa.

Which sectors or industries do you like to cover most and why? 

I am currently focused on Healthcare and Finance, and are currently incredibly fascinating sectors to report on as they’re undergoing fundamental changes in their systems of service delivery.

I think encouraging people to write, starts with engendering a curiosity about the world. It comes by being brave enough to ask questions about how it works and what it needs to thrive. 

Why is it important that people around the world get to hear about young, growing companies on the continent?

We will hear reams of bad news in the upcoming months related to high unemployment rates. Many people around the world already are or will lose their jobs due to the tough economic climate we find ourselves in, and will be experiencing the pressure of inflation as it continues to push the cost of fuel, groceries and power sky high – a factor that has been driven by the Ukraine Russian conflict. 

People around the world could look to Africa’s young growing company owners for inspiration and for hope, because they hold the secret on how to survive and even thrive during times of extreme hardship. Some of Africa’s most successful small business owners have been incredibly creative and innovative with the skills and resources they have. Their ability, drive and mindset to make something work from seemingly nothing will be worth learning from.

How can we encourage more people to join the writing community and dedicate their energy to telling stories about African tech and business?

I think encouraging people to write, starts with engendering a curiosity about the world. It comes by being brave enough to ask questions about how it works and what it needs to thrive. 

It comes with being willing to be changed by the answers you receive, and to deconstruct the beliefs you’ve come to hold as true. I think this beginner’s mind coupled with receptivity are the key to writing authentic stories about Africa.When you couple this with an overarching positive vision for the continent, the results could be astounding. 

For me my focus is on the African Union’s Agenda2063 and on unpacking the developments pertaining to the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement.  

The African passport and freedom of movement are key themes to this vision. There is an aim to remove restrictions on Africans’ ability to travel, work and live within their own continent by transforming restrictive laws and promoting visa-free travel to enhance movement of all African citizens in all African countries.

This vision is a beacon of hope during this tumultuous economic and socio-political landscape we’re navigating as a world at present.

Agenda2063 is Africa’s blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future.