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Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

washington — Marijuana use is a rare consensus issue in politically divided America, with polls showing that 88% of Americans support at least partial legalization. But neither of the two main presidential contenders are capitalizing on this, advocates say, with both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump landing far behind where most Americans are on the issue. VOA spoke to cannabis advocates on the sidelines of a rare, recent policy summit on the issue, held annually in Washington as a preview to a weekend-long music festival. “One thing [both candidates] have in common is that their track records on cannabis have been inconsistent and incremental,” said Caroline Phillips, organizer of the National Cannabis Policy Summit. “We've heard promises from both administrations, neither of which have panned out in full.” Biden in 2022 directed the Department of Health and Human Services to take a key step toward legalization by ordering a review of its classification of marijuana as a dangerous controlled substance, on par with heroin and LSD. Nearly a year later, the body recommended moving marijuana to a lighter classification, alongside prescription drugs. That ruling now sits with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which has the power to act. But, Phillips said, many advocates seek the full removal – or “de-scheduling” – of the substance from the DEA’s Controlled Substances Act. “They have given us great signals that they're willing to shift towards de-scheduling, but most likely re-scheduling,” she said of the Biden administration. “However, we haven't quite seen the action to back up their words.” Re-scheduling puts marijuana on par with prescription drugs and regulates users’ access to it; de-scheduling removes it from the list of controlled substances entirely. Neera Tanden, director of Biden’s Domestic Policy Council, said the administration sees a need to learn more – something that re-scheduling the substance would enable by making it more readily available to scientific researchers. “There's been a lot of change on this issue for several years,” she told VOA. “It's important for us to be able to research it more effectively.” A small but vocal group of anti-cannabis legislators in Congress have also expressed concerns about changing the status of marijuana. Last year, 14 of them – all Republicans – sent a letter opposing the effort to loosen its classification. In their letter, the group pointed to the potential for addiction and the increased potency of today’s cannabis, saying “facts indicate that marijuana has a high potential for abuse and that the risk is only increasing.” Trump’s position on marijuana, advocates say, is hazy. The pro-legalization Marijuana Policy Project says he “never brought the issue up proactively” as president. Since leaving office, Phillips said, “we've heard him both say that people who sell drugs in the illicit market should be jailed and even put to death.” On the campaign trail, Trump has largely avoided the issue, said Morgan Fox, political director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, known as NORML. “We haven't heard too much from the Republican nominee so far,” he said. The personal becomes political The candidates’ attitudes, Fox said, are out of step with those of many Americans, and lean on old tropes about marijuana that paint users as prone to mania – like in the 1936 film “Reefer Madness” – or use fear as a tool, like the 1980s-era Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. "Luckily, with the advent of the internet and the development of a lot more communication around these issues, people have not only been able to see that the policy of prohibiting cannabis and criminalizing cannabis consumers is nonsensical, but they've also been able to really see the human impact that it has had,” he said. For entrepreneur William Davis, this is personal. With his pressed jeans, alligator-skin boots, crisp white cowboy hat and penchant for replying to questions with “yes, ma’am,” he knows he does not cut the figure of a stereotypical cannabis user. “It's a lot of people that you would never think,” he said. For years, the Iraq war veteran struggled with PTSD and opioid addiction. He was reluctant to accept a friend’s recommendation that he try cannabis, he said, because to him it evoked a wildly popular 1980s ad that showed a frying egg, and a stern admonition: “This is your brain on drugs.” “Like in a hot pan with the egg, I thought, ‘Nah, I don’t wanna try drugs, I’m gonna fry my brains,’” Davis said. Instead, he said, marijuana produced a revelation. Davis says he uses CBD, the non-psychoactive compound found in marijuana, to soothe his anxiety during the day, and the active component, THC, for relaxation after work. Six years ago, he founded a company, Euphoria Eats, that sells infused hot sauce and barbecue sauce. Davis, who is from Houston but now lives in solidly Republican Louisiana, said he supports legalization for business reasons. “Until this will be decriminalized and legal everywhere, there will always be hesitant individuals who are afraid to put their money into a lucrative business that they see is making money, that they see is making an impact on the community,” he told VOA. 'My vote influences cannabis laws' Polls show that the greatest pro-cannabis momentum comes from younger Americans. Community organizer Scotty Smart spoke to VOA about his position as a young progressive, which was summarized neatly on his moss-green T-shirt that read: “MY VOTE INFLUENCES CANNABIS LAWS.” “I think cannabis is an issue that ignites and excites young people to pay attention,” said Smart, who works with the nonpartisan New Georgia Project and with a pro-marijuana education and awareness movement called We Want all the Smoke. A key factor that young voters are watching for, he said, is whether the Biden administration moves forward with the process of downgrading cannabis. “Hopefully that takes place before the election so we can really see, have something to go off of and not just have election speeches giving us hope,” he said. Maya Tatum, former chair of the national grassroots group Students for Sensible Drug Policy, agreed that the candidates’ actions matter more than their words. Neither man, she said, is a clear winner here. “A lot of the young voters that I'm around are wanting to hold Joe Biden accountable for what he said,” in support of cannabis, she said. “I don't personally feel like there's a lot that Trump is offering as it relates to cannabis.” Fox said NORML would like to see political aspirants be more open about cannabis on the campaign trail. “Any candidate that actually wants to get ahead – whether it's in the presidential election in Congress or state legislatures or local legislators – if they ignore this issue, it's going to be at their peril,” he said. Veronica Balderas Iglesias contributed to this report from Washington.

BANGKOK — Myanmar’s Vice President Henry Van Thio, who served in the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and then continued in the position after the military ousted her to seize power in 2021, is stepping down for unspecified health reasons, state media said Monday. State television MRTV announced Monday night that 65-year-old Van Thio had been allowed to retire from his post for health reasons in accordance with the constitution but did not provide any details of his health or say who, if anyone, will replace him. Van Thio, a member of Myanmar’s Chin ethnic minority and a former army officer, was named second vice president in 2016 when Suu Kyi’s party started its first term after winning the 2015 general election in a landslide. Her National League for Democracy party governed Myanmar with overwhelming majorities in Parliament from 2015 to 2021, before being overthrown by the military. Van Thio was the only member of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party to stay on as a member of the National Defense and Security Council after the military seized power from the elected government of Suu Kyi in February 2021. The council, established under a previous military government, is the highest constitutional government body responsible for security and defense affairs and is nominally led by the president. However, in practice, it is controlled by the military. Its membership is made up of the top military chiefs and cooperative politicians. It played a key role in the February 2021 military takeover when the president in Suu Kyi’s government, Win Myint, was detained with her, and First Vice President Myint Swe, a member of a pro-military party became acting president. The move allowed the council to be convened, declare a state of emergency and hand over power to military chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. Although the army claims it took power constitutionally, legal scholars generally describe its action as illegal. It has renewed the state of emergency several times. Van Thio has played no apparent active role in the military government aside from helping to provide it with the veneer of constitutional rule. He almost completely disappeared from public view until his first known attendance at the National Defense and Security Council meeting in July last year, when the state of emergency was extended for the fourth time. He was absent from the council’s earlier meetings to extend emergency rule, with bad health cited as the reason. He was reportedly treated in hospital in January last year because he suffered a serious head injury in a fall at his residence in the capital, Naypyitaw. A few days after last July’s council meeting, the National League for Democracy announced it had expelled him from the party because of his attendance at the meeting. The party in March last year was dissolved by the military government, whose legitimacy it doesn’t recognize, for failing to meet a registration deadline. Suu Kyi’s party boosted its majority in the November 2020 election, but in February 2021, the army blocked all elected lawmakers from taking their seats in Parliament and seized power, detaining top members of Suu Kyi’s government and party, except Van Thio and Myint Swe. The army said it staged its 2021 takeover because of massive poll fraud, though independent election observers did not find any major irregularities. The army takeover was met with widespread popular opposition. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi is on a three-day visit to neighboring Pakistan. The visit — the first by an Iranian president to Pakistan in eight years — comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. It is also the first meeting between the head of governments of both countries since the two sides exchanged cross-border strikes in January. VOA Pakistan Bureau Chief Sarah Zaman reports from Islamabad. VOA footage by Wajid Asad. Video editing by Malik Waqar Ahmed.

United Nations — An external review of the neutrality of the U.N. agency that assists Palestinian refugees has concluded that the agency has a number of procedures and mechanisms in place to ensure its neutrality, but there is room for improvement. “There is always room for improvement and some issues related to neutrality persist; this is why this mission was created,” Catherine Colonna, the commission’s chair, told reporters at a briefing at the United Nations in New York. Of the agency known as UNRWA, she cited instances of staff publicly taking sides, school books that had some “problematic content,” and a politicized staff union that she said made operational disruptions and threatened management. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commissioned the former French foreign minister to head up an external review of UNRWA in early February, following accusations from Israeli officials that a dozen of the agency’s staffers was involved in the deadly October 7 terror attacks inside Israel. Nine of the staffers were immediately fired, one was confirmed dead, and officials were clarifying the identity of two others. Colonna worked with experts from three Scandinavian research groups -- the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Christian Michelsen Institute in Norway, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights. She handed over her report to Guterres on Saturday, along with a list of about 50 recommendations. “I am confident that implementing these recommendations will help UNRWA fulfill its mandate and restore confidence where needed,” Colonna told reporters. There was no immediate reaction from Israeli officials, however, in advance of the report’s release, U.N. Watch, a pro-Israel NGO, put out a press release saying it was “exposing the extreme bias of the review group,” challenging Colonna’s impartiality and saying the three Scandinavian research groups have anti-Israel bias. Conclusions The commission concluded that while the agency has made changes and improvements since 2017, more could be done, including strengthening its internal oversight capacity, better vetting of staff, building trust with donors and improving neutrality in its education system. While Israel verbally informed UNRWA leadership of the allegations against the 12 staffers, the commission found that while UNRWA shares the names of its staffers with Israel, Israel had not relayed any concerns to UNRWA about any staffers since 2011. The commission also said that while Israel has since made claims about a “significant number” of UNRWA employees being members of terrorist organizations, it “has yet to provide supporting evidence of this.” Colonna was clear that her team’s mandate did not involve the allegations involving the dozen staffers – that is being handled by an internal U.N. investigation. Israel for many years has accused UNRWA of allowing its premises to be misused for political or military purposes, including by Hamas. The commission concluded that the operating procedures for regular inspections of premises “appear to be appropriate,” but recommended that they happen more frequently than the current four times per year. On allegations that UNRWA schools use textbooks containing anti-Semitic or anti-Israel language, the commission said the most recent review of school books from the Palestinian Authority from 2022-2023, found that 3.85% of all pages contained “issues of concern to “U.N. values, guidance, or U.N. positions on the conflict.” “Even if marginal, these issues constitute a grave violation of neutrality,” the commission’s report said, adding more work needs to be done between UNRWA and the Palestinian Authority to avoid promotion of discrimination and incitement to hatred and violence and the spreading of anti-Semitic views. “The Secretary-General accepts the recommendations contained in Ms. Colonna's report,” Guterres’ spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said. “He has agreed with Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini that UNRWA, with the Secretary-General’s support, will establish an action plan to implement the recommendations contained in the Final Report.” Guterres urged donors, staff and UNRWA host countries to fully cooperate in the implementation of the recommendations. “Moving forward, the Secretary-General appeals to all stakeholders to actively support UNRWA, as it is a lifeline for Palestine refugees in the region,” Dujarric said.    Following the allegations against the staffers, 16 donors, including top contributor the United States, suspended contributions totaling around $450 million. Since then, some have resumed, and some new donors have contributed. Last week, the agency’s chief said they have funding to cover operations through June.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

JERUSALEM — Satellite photos taken Monday suggest an apparent Israeli retaliatory strike targeting Iran's central city of Isfahan hit a radar system for a Russian-made air defense battery, contradicting repeated denials by officials in Tehran of any damage in the assault. The strike on an S-300 radar in what appears to have been a very limited strike by the Israelis would represent far more damage done than in the massive drone-and-missile attack Iran unleashed against Israel on April 13. That may be why Iranian officials up to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have been trying to dismiss discussing what the attack actually did on Iranian soil. Analysts believe both Iran and Israel, regional archrivals locked in a shadow war for years, now are trying to dial back tensions following a series of escalatory attacks between them as the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip still rages and inflames the wider region. But a strike on the most advanced air defense system Iran possesses and uses to protect its nuclear sites sends a message, experts say. "This strike shows Israel has the ability to penetrate Iran's air defense systems," said Nicole Grajewski, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment's nuclear policy program who wrote a forthcoming book on Russia and Iran. "The precision of it was quite remarkable." The satellite images by Planet Labs PBC taken Monday morning near Isfahan's dual-use airport and air base, some 320 kilometers (200 miles) south of Tehran, showed an area nearby that served as a deployment point for the air defense system. Burn marks sit around what analysts including Chris Biggers, a consultant former government imagery analyst, previously had identified as a "flap-lid" radar system used for the S-300. Less-detailed satellite images taken after Friday showed similar burn marks around the area, though it wasn't clear what was at the site. Biggers said other components of the missile system appeared to have been removed from the site before the attack — even though they provide defensive cover for Iran's underground Natanz nuclear enrichment facility. "That's a powerful statement, given the system, the location, and how they use it," Biggers wrote. On Friday, air defenses opened fire and Iran grounded commercial flights across much of the country. Officials in the aftermath sought to downplay the attack, trying to describe it as just a series of small drones flying through the sky. "What happened ... was not a strike," Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian claimed in an interview with NBC News. "They were more like toys that our children play with – not drones." In the attack's aftermath, however, Iraqis found what appeared to be remnants of surface-to-air missiles south of Baghdad. That, coupled with a suspected Israeli strike on a radar station in Syria the same day, suggests Israeli fighter jets flew over Syria into Iraq, then fired so-called "standoff missiles" into Iran for the Isfahan attack. Small, shorter-range drones may have been launched as well — Israel has been able to launch sabotage attacks and other missions inside of Iran. Still, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani repeated Tehran's denial Monday. "Relevant authorities have announced that this harassment attack has caused no damage whatsoever and Iran's defensive system have carried out their duties," Kanaani told journalists at a briefing. "Therefore in our opinion this issue is not worthy of addressing." The S-300 and their years-delayed delivery to Iran show the challenge Tehran faces in getting any foreign-made advance weapon systems into the country. Russia and Iran initially struck a $800 million deal in 2007, but Moscow suspended their delivery three years later because of strong objections from the United States and Israel. After Iran reached its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Russia unfroze the deal and is believed to have given Iran four sets of an export variant of the S-300. The relationship between Iran and Russia has deepened in recent years. Moscow relies heavily on Iran's bomb-carrying Shahed drones to target sites across Ukraine as part of its war on the country. Those same drones featured in the Islamic Republic's attack on Israel. Tehran meanwhile has made repeated comments over recent years about trying to obtain Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets from Russia to improve its decades-old fighter fleet. In September, a Russian-made YAK-130 combat trainer aircraft entered service in Iran. That model can be used to train pilots for the Su-35. Russia now has the S-400, but the S-300 which has a range of up to 200 kilometers (125 miles) and the capability to track down and strike multiple targets simultaneously, remains one of the most-potent air defense weapons in the world. The batteries can be used to shoot down missiles as well as aircraft. Iran likely needs Russian assistance to repair the damaged radar — and will seek newer weapons as well as time goes on, Grajewski said. "Iran wants new weapons from Russia all the time – to try to show that it's not so isolated," she said.

Reaction from Kyiv, Jerusalem and Washington after the House of Representatives passes long-awaited foreign aid bills. The top Israeli military intelligence official resigns and Passover begins at sundown. Plus, in Pakistan, mangrove forests are making millions in carbon offsets.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Before the creation of engines, the ocean was full of low-emission vessels — they were called sailboats. Now a next-generation zero-emissions laboratory vessel called the Energy Observer recently docked in New York City to show off what this team hopes is the next generation of earth-friendly boats. Elena Wolf has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Videographer: Max Avloshenko 

las vegas — A $12 billion high-speed passenger rail line between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area has started construction, officials said Monday, amid predictions that millions of ticket-buyers will be boarding trains by 2028. "People have been dreaming of high-speed rail in America for decades," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement released to coincide with a ceremony at the future site of a terminal to be built just south of the Las Vegas Strip. Buttigieg predicted the project will bring "thousands of union jobs, new connections to better economic opportunity, less congestion on the roads, and less pollution in the air." Brightline West, whose sister company already operates a fast train between Miami and Orlando in Florida, aims to lay 351 kilometers of new track between Las Vegas and another new facility in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Almost the full distance is to be built in the median of Interstate 15, with a station stop in San Bernardino County's Victorville area. Brightline Holdings founder and Chairperson Wes Edens dubbed the moment "the foundation for a new industry." "This is a historic project and a proud moment," Edens said in the statement. "Today is long overdue." Brightline aims to link other U.S. cities that are too near to each other for air travel to make sense and too far for people to drive the distance. Company CEO Mike Reininger has said the goal is to have trains operating in time for the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. Brightline received $6.5 billion in backing from the Biden administration, including a $3 billion grant from federal infrastructure funds and approval to sell another $2.5 billion in tax-exempt bonds. The company won federal authorization in 2020 to sell $1 billion in similar bonds. The project is touted as the first true high-speed passenger rail line in the nation, designed to reach speeds of 186 mph (300 kph), comparable to Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains. The route between Vegas and L.A. is largely open space, with no convenient alternate to I-15. Brightline's Southern California terminal will be at a commuter rail connection to downtown Los Angeles. The project outline says electric-powered trains will cut the four-hour trip across the Mojave Desert to a little more than two hours. Forecasts are for 11 million one-way passengers per year, or some 30,000 per day, with fares well below airline travel costs. The trains will offer restrooms, Wi-Fi, food and beverage sales and the option to check luggage. Las Vegas is a popular driving destination for Southern Californians. Officials hope the train line will relieve congestion on I-15, where drivers often sit in miles of crawling traffic while returning home from a Las Vegas weekend. The Las Vegas area, now approaching 3 million residents, draws more than 40 million visitors per year. Passenger traffic at the city's Harry Reid International Airport set a record of 57.6 million people in 2023. An average of more than 44,000 automobiles per day crossed the California-Nevada state line on I-15 in 2023, according to Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority data. Florida-based Brightline Holdings launched the Miami-to-Orlando line in 2018 with trains reaching speeds up to 125 mph (200 kph). It expanded service to Orlando International Airport last September. It offers 16 roundtrips per day, with one-way tickets for the 235-mile (378-kilometer) distance costing about $80. Other fast trains in the U.S. include Amtrak's Acela, which can top 241 kph while sharing tracks with freight and commuter service between Boston and Washington, D.C. Passenger trains to Las Vegas ended in 1997, when Amtrak ended service. Ideas for connecting other U.S. cities with high-speed passenger trains have been floated in recent years, including Dallas to Houston; Atlanta to Charlotte, North Carolina; and Chicago to St. Louis. Most have faced delays. In California, voters in 2008 approved a proposed 805-kilometer rail line linking Los Angeles and San Francisco, but the plan has been beset by rising costs and routing disputes. A 2022 business plan by the California High-Speed Rail Authority projected the cost had more than tripled to $105 billion.

A group of activists hopes to break Israel's blockade of Gaza with a flotilla of vessels carrying aid. It is set to sail from Istanbul in the coming days. In a similar mission 14 years ago, Israeli forces intercepted a Turkish flotilla in a deadly raid that resulted in the deaths of 10 people. There are warnings this attempt may trigger a new crisis. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

LONDON — The European Union on Monday demanded TikTok provide more information about a new app that pays users to watch videos and warned that it could order the video sharing platform to suspend addictive features that pose a risk to kids.  The 27-nation EU's executive commission said it was opening formal proceedings to determine whether TikTok Lite breached the bloc's new digital rules when the app was rolled out in France and Spain.  Brussels was ratcheting up the pressure on TikTok after the company failed to respond to a request last week for information on whether the new app complies with the Digital Services Act, a sweeping law that took effect last year intending to clean up social media platforms.  TikTok Lite is a slimmed-down version of the main TikTok app that lets users earn rewards. Points earned by watching videos, liking content and following content creators can then be exchanged for rewards including Amazon vouchers and gift cards on PayPal.  The commission wants to see the risk assessment that TikTok should have carried out before deploying the app in the European Union. It's worried TikTok launched the app without assessing how to mitigate “potential systemic risks” such as addictive design features that could pose harm to children.  TikTok didn't respond immediately to a request for comment. The company said last week it would respond to the commission's request and noted that rewards are restricted to users 18 years and older, who have to verify their age.  “With an endless stream of short and fast-paced videos, TikTok offers fun and a sense of connection beyond your immediate circle,” said European Commissioner Thierry Breton, one of the officials leading the bloc's push to rein in big tech companies. “But it also comes with considerable risks, especially for our children: addiction, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, low attention spans.”  The EU is giving TikTok 24 hours to turn over the risk assessment and until Wednesday to argue its case. Any order to suspend the TikTok Lite app's reward features could come as early as Thursday.  It's the first time that the EU has issued a legally binding order for such information since the Digital Services Act took effect. Officials stepped up the pressure after TikTok failed to respond to last week's request for the information.  If TikTok still fails to respond, the commission warned the company also faces fines worth up to 1% of the company’s total annual income or worldwide turnover and “periodic penalties” of up to 5% of daily income or global turnover.  TikTok was already facing intensified scrutiny from the EU. The commission already has an ongoing in-depth investigation into the main TikTok app's DSA compliance, examining whether it's doing enough to curb “systemic risks” stemming from its design, including “algorithmic systems” that might stimulate “behavioral addictions.” Offices are worried that measures including age verification tools to stop minors from finding “inappropriate content” might not be effective.

Nairobi, Kenya — Government representatives from Africa, along with ICT (information and communication technology) officials, and international organizations have gathered in Nairobi for a Connected Africa Summit. They are discussing the future of technology, unlocking the continent's growth beyond connectivity, and addressing the challenges and opportunities in the continent's information and technology sector. Speaking at the Connected Africa Summit opening in Nairobi Monday, Kenyan President William Ruto said bridging the technology gap is important for Africa's economic growth and innovation.   "Closing the digital divide is a priority in terms of enhancing connectivity, expanding the contribution of the ICT sector to Africa's GDP and driving overall GDP growth across all sectors. Africa's digital economy has immense potential…," Ruto said. "Our youth population, the youngest globally, is motivated and prepared to drive the digital economy, foster innovation and entrench new technologies."     Experts say digital transformation in Africa can improve its industrialization, reduce poverty, create jobs, and improve its citizens' lives. According to the World Bank, 36 percent of Africa's 1.3 billion population have access to the internet, and in some of the areas that have connections, the quality of the service is poor compared to other regions. The international financial institution figures show that Africa saw a 115 percent increase in internet users between 2016 and 2021 and that 160 million gained broadband internet access between 2019 and 2022.   Africa's digital growth has been hampered by the lack of an accessible, secure, and reliable internet, which is critical in closing the digital gap and reducing inequalities.   Lacina Kone is the head of Smart Africa, an organization that coordinates ICT activities within the continent. He says integrating technology into African societies' daily activities is necessary and cannot be ignored.   "Digital transformation is no longer a choice but a necessity, just like water utility, just like any other utility we use at home," Kone said. "So, this connected Africa is an opportunity for all of us. I see a lot of country members, and ICT ministers are here to align our visions together." The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the consumption of technology in different sectors of the African economy, and experts say opportunities now exist in mobile services, the development of broadband infrastructure, and data storage.   The U.S. ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, called on the summit attendees to develop technologies that can solve people's problems.   "I encourage all of you to consider this approach for your economies. Look at what strengths already exist in your countries and ask how technology can solve challenges in those sectors to make you a leader through innovation," Whitman said. "Sometimes innovation looks like Artificial Intelligence, satellites and e-money. Sometimes though it looks much different than we expect. However, innovation always includes three elements: solution focused, it’s specific and it’s sustainable. Bringing solution-focused, being solution-focused is the foundation of shaping the future of a connected Africa." The summit ends on Friday, but before that, those attending aim to explore ways to improve Africa's technology usage, enhance continental connectivity, boost competitiveness, and ensure the continent keeps up with the ever-evolving tech sector.