The Polana Serena is one of the grand old classic hotels in Africa. Initially known as the Polana Hotel, it was constructed in 1922 in the then colonial HQ city known as Lourenco Marques. The Polana Hill was, and still remains, one of the poshest areas of the city. Situated on a hilltop in one…
Upon getting elected, President Uhuru Kenyatta promised to bring “digital government” to Kenya. A key ambition is to bring government service delivery online, eliminating paper trails and endless queuing. The bigger vision is to use modern technology wherever possible to improve efficiency and expediency in all branches of the public sector. The Immigration Department, while…
September 11 is remembered through New York in 2001, but the date carries a much older historical echo. In 1609, two unrelated events placed Manhattan’s early history and the final chapter of Al-Andalus on the same date, giving September 11 a powerful symbolism far deeper than most people realize.
Nigeria is a fascinating country with a lot of potential. The country is much better than its reputation. The Nigeria Police is, if anything worse though! Constant harassment by the people who are supposed to enforce the law is one of the most stressful aspects of life in this otherwise so promising country. Actually, it…
All was set for my trip to Nairobi and JKIA, my suitcases were packed. I had set the alarm, ready to leave Lagos early the next morning. As always, I was looking forward to being in Nairobi, so my good mood dropped abruptly when I woke up to the message that the Jomo Kenyatta International…
Lagos is, by far, the biggest city in Sub-saharan Africa. With its 10+ million inhabitants, it eclipses Johannesburg, Nairobi and Addis Ababa, and is second only to Cairo. It is one of the fastest-growing cities on the planet, and increasingly a magnet for investors, multi-national companies and expatriates seeking to tap into the booming Nigerian and…
New Kwacha – same look – three zeros less Being back in Lusaka after almost 10 months felt really good. After all the travelling there last year, it is a country that I had really come to like. My usual hotel, Taj Pamodzi, was also still the same, with nice food, outstanding service, and that…
Cities that have been around for a long time have an “atmosphere of old civilization” that you simply don’t find in younger cities. Even if the old buildings are gone, there is something that you can’t really point out, that tells you that culture and civilization has thrived for centuries. Benin City is such a…
Abeokuta, the former capital city of one of the few internationally recognised pre-colonial states in Africa – the Egba Government – and current capital of Ogun State, is less than an hours drive away from Lagos, yet visited by few travellers. When entering Abeokuta, the first thing one notices are the seemingly century-old low-rise buildings,…
Having relocated from Nairobi to Lagos in January 2013, I have settled down, and gotten more or less used to living here. Apartment, car, driver, etc., are already in place, and I dare commend my own exploration work on the wining and dining scene. Getting to terms with the almost exclusively cash-based economy is a challenge,…
