On A New Tech Counter, Africa Shelfs Close To Afghanistan

On a day that is Sabbath in many parts of the world, a notorious group of rather persistent “students” effectively seized the entire presidential palace of a country that is unarguably one of the world’s most socially troubled. 

Manifestly, a long-ruling fundamentalist Islamic force coveted the Afghan government citadel, sending a certain diplomatic shudder across the global community. Now, the Talibans are the ones literally calling the shots in Afghanistan, mostly because the nation’s  said 300,000-strong soldiery unapologetically threw in the towel. 

Warring history and presumed sentiments aside, it’s apparent that events of this caliber—wherein even the iron-fisted and hypothetically lackluster Ashraf Ghani precisely took flight—have ripple effects one too many. Ruins aren’t only more iminent for the Afghan economy but it also appears the country has become uninhabitable, overnight. 

Banks are closing up shop, hard currency is running dry, money transfers have been suspended, there are telltale signs of a dip in remittance flows, and ATMs are now empty barrels with the loudest noise. And, according to Martin Sandbu of Financial Times, the West is paying the price for not taking the Afghan economy seriously. 

Does the fall of Kabul have any direct economic implications in Africa? That depends. But in a very unusual way, these developments have revealed the point where Africa and Afghanistan cut through each other in tech. Particularly, it spotlights how a blockchain-based solution is solving the same problem not just in both places but also globally.